Chapitre 32: 31. Return Of The Alchemist

The wind whipped across Dragonspine, sharp as needles, biting into every inch of exposed skin. Why did it have to be this cold? I was regretting my decision to come back to this frozen nightmare the second we set foot on the mountain. Even with my resistance to the cold I feel like Im freezing. I swear it was not this cold the last time I was here.

Every breath came out in misty puffs, and each step felt like walking through sludge. I pulled my scarf tighter around my neck, half-wondering if I'd end up as a popsicle by the end of this.

Ahead of me, Aether marched steadily up the slope, completely unfazed by the cold. He was like one of those heroes from stories, the kind that never seemed to get tired or cold or... anything, really. He carried himself with this calm, effortless strength, like the cold wasn't even worth his attention. Of course, that only made me, the person with demonic powers and regeneration, feel like more of a wimp.

"Ughhh!" Paimon groaned, floating next to me. "Why do we have to come to this awful place again? Paimon's freezing her wings off! How is Aether not cold?"

That's actually a good question actually. Why isn't he cold?

Aether, overhearing her, chuckled but didn't slow his pace. "You're always the first to complain, Paimon. Maybe if you weren't floating around all the time, you wouldn't get so cold."

Paimon crossed her arms, her cheeks puffing out in indignation. "Paimon does plenty of walking! Paimon is just more... efficient than you landlubbers."

"Efficient," I echoed with a smirk. "Yeah, sure. Floating around like a lazy balloon is definitely efficient."

"Excuse you? Paimon is not lazy!" she shot back, hands on her hips as she floated closer to my face. "And Paimon is NOT a balloon! Just because you've got weird demon powers doesn't mean you get to make fun of Paimon!"

I chuckled, giving her a teasing grin. "Oh come on, I'm not making fun of you... much. Besides, you know I wouldn't make it through half the stuff we deal with without you."

She huffed, but I could see the faint blush creeping onto her cheeks as she pretended not to be flattered. "Well... that's true. Paimon is pretty great."

Aether shook his head, smiling softly. "Don't encourage her, Tayden. You'll never hear the end of it."

Paimon turned on Aether next, puffing out her chest proudly. "Paimon deserves all the praise! Without Paimon, both of you would be lost. Admit it, Aether!"

"I'm not arguing," Aether said, the corner of his mouth twitching. "But I think we'd survive just fine. You just make things more interesting."

"That's what Paimon's here for!" she declared, giving a triumphant little twirl in the air. "Paimon's the one who keeps everything from getting boring. Also, she's the one who remembers where all the good food spots are!"

I laughed. "Okay, I'll give you that one. You do have an impressive mental map of food stands. You should charge for that kind of expertise."

Paimon puffed up even more. "You're right! Paimon could totally be a food guide! 'Paimon's Official Guide to Mondstadt's Best Snacks!'"

Aether let out a soft snort. "Let's just get through Dragonspine without freezing first, alright?"

As much as I was enjoying teasing Paimon and watching her over-the-top reactions, the cold was starting to get to me. Dragonspine was relentless. The further we climbed, the more it felt like the mountain was trying to smother us under blankets of snow and ice.

The wind howled like a living creature, swirling around us in unpredictable bursts that stung my face and made my fingers feel like icicles. Though my regeneration takes care of that, or well should have taken care of it but for some reason its so cold that its making my regeneration work harder than usual.

"Seriously, though," I said, adjusting my coat as I trudged along. "How does Albedo even survive out here? I can't imagine waking up every day and thinking, 'Yep, time to freeze my butt off for science.'"

Aether glanced back at me, his golden eyes bright despite the dull, gray landscape around us. "While this would be the first time Im meeting the Chief Alchemist, my guess is that he just likes it. Being away from everyone, I mean. It let's him focus with minimal distractions."

"Sure, but at what cost?" I grumbled, kicking at a rock buried beneath the snow. "I like solitude as much as the next guy, but there's gotta be a limit. And that limit is when you start thinking frostbite is just a normal part of life."

Paimon shuddered visibly. "Paimon doesn't care how smart he is, no one should have to live in this cold. It's inhuman!"

"Trust me, I agree," I said, nodding sagely. "If this were my home base, I'd be petitioning the Archons for a tropical vacation."

We pressed on, and after what felt like an eternity of shivering, swearing under my breath, and Paimon's continued complaints, we finally reached Albedo's camp. The setup was the same as I remembered—makeshift tables covered in alchemical tools and gadgets, strange crystals glowing faintly under the gloomy sky. There were piles of notes scattered around like Albedo just dropped them wherever he happened to stop thinking.

And there he was, hunched over one of those crystals, his pale blond hair almost blending in with the snow. He was so focused that he didn't even notice us arrive until Paimon let out an exaggerated groan of relief.

"Finally! Paimon thought she was going to turn into an ice cube!" she exclaimed, floating dramatically in the air as if she were about to collapse from exhaustion.

Albedo glanced up, his eyes sharp and attentive, as if he hadn't just been lost in thought a second ago. His gaze fell on me, and for a moment, his expression softened. "Tayden. It's good to see you again. "

I nodded, offering a crooked smile. "Yeah, you too. Been a while since our last little... adventure up here."

Albedo turns his gaze to Aether and Paimon, but I noticed that he seemed super focused on Aether, a weird expression suddenly appeared on his face, I dont know what to feel about that. "Ah these two must be Mondstadts newest allies I assume? Aether, the Honorary Knight and Paimon, his companion."

Aether just nodded and Paimon, even though she looked to be kind of wary of Albedo flew up in front of him. "Yup! That's Aether and Paimon is Paimon! We must be pretty popular if you know about us from a place like this." She puffed up her chest in pride while Aether just looked apologetically at Albedo.

Albedo's lips twitched, though calling it a smile might've been generous. "I'm assuming you haven't come here for another mission?"

"Nope. This time it's more of a... personal issue," I said, rubbing the back of my neck awkwardly.

Paimon immediately chimed in. "More like a weird issue. Tayden's got all sorts of creepy new powers now!"

Albedo's eyes lit up with interest. "Creepy, you say? Do tell."

I sighed, knowing I wasn't going to get out of this without some level of scrutiny. "Long story short, I accidentally put Paimon to sleep—no, not by boring her," I added quickly when she started to open her mouth. "It's this new ability I unlocked, something that involves putting people to sleep through eye contact. Oh, and did I mention I also grew a mouth on my hand? Yeah, that happened too."

Albedo raised an eyebrow, his curiosity piqued. "Fascinating. A mouth on your hand, you say?"

"Yep. And it talks," I replied flatly, holding up my hand as if the mouth might reappear at any moment. "Trust me, it's not as cool as it sounds. More like a creepy, nightmare-fuel version of 'cool.'"

Albedo tilted his head slightly, looking genuinely intrigued. "I'd like to examine this ability of yours in more detail. Perhaps there's a connection between the sleep-inducing power and the physical manifestation of the mouth."

"Oh great, more exams," I groaned, but there was a hint of amusement in my voice. "Just don't ask me to drink anything weird again. I'm still having flashbacks from last time."

Albedo's expression remained perfectly calm, though I swear that I saw the faintest glint of amusement in his eyes. "Don't worry. This time, I'll refrain from giving you any strange concoctions. We'll focus on a more observational approach."

"Paimon sure hopes so," Paimon muttered, still shivering. "The last thing we need is Tayden sprouting more weird body parts."

I couldn't help but laugh. "No promises, Paimon. But hey, if I start growing an extra arm, at least I'll have a hand for each of you."

Aether grinned at that, shaking his head. "Just try not to grow anything else before we finish today's commission."

Albedo's gaze shifted between the three of us, his expression thoughtful. "Let's get started then. We have much to uncover."

----

Standing still while Albedo circled around me with his usual intensity wasn't exactly my idea of fun. His gaze felt like it was dissecting me down to my core, his sharp eyes tracking every tiny movement I made.

"Interesting," Albedo muttered, jotting something down in his notebook as he examined me. "The power you described, the mouth on your hand, the ability to induce sleep. You called this your new [Blood Demon Art] correct?"

Ok his tone was pretty weird there.

"Yeah thats right. Is there something wrong with it?"

Albedo shook his head, looking thoughtful. "it exhibits some similarities to the manipulation of consciousness that we've observed in Abyssal entities, the energy you're channeling is different. It's more... visceral. Raw. Like it's drawn from a deeper, more controlled source."

If only I had someone I could go to when I needed info on my powers. Where was TD when you need him? Hellooo TD! You in there somewhere? I need some explanations here!.

No response... great

Paimon hovered closer, frowning. "Then what is it? Paimon doesn't like the sound of 'older source.' It sounds creepy!"

Aether folded his arms, watching me carefully. "Does that mean Tayden's powers are even more dangerous than we thought?"

"Hey! I only accidentally activated my power once!" Paimon just looked at me with a 'seriously?' kinda look. I ignored her and turned my attention back to Albedo. "And does this mean Im stuck with the weird mouth hand thing?"

Albedo glanced at me briefly, his expression thoughtful. "Not necessarily. This ability of yours appears to be a byproduct of the demonic energy you've tapped into. The mouth could be a conduit—a physical manifestation of that power, acting as a secondary means of activating the Blood Demon Art."

I groaned. "Great, so I'm stuck with it?"

"Not necessarily stuck," Albedo said, reaching for a notebook on the table nearby. "You may be able to control it with enough training. Like any skill, it can be refined and made more precise."

Aether, ever the optimist, gave me a supportive smile. "Hey, you've got this. Just take it one step at a time. You're already getting the hang of it, look at how well you put Paimon to sleep last time."

Paimon shot Aether a glare. "Paimon would appreciate it if we didn't use her as the example for 'successful tests' anymore!"

I smirked at her. "No promises, Paimon. But don't worry, I'll try to stick to hilichurls from now on." No Im starting to wonder what a hillicurls dreams look like.

Albedo tapped his chin, clearly still lost in thought. "I would like to observe the activation of your Blood Demon Art once more. We'll start with the sleep-inducing technique. Please try to replicate the conditions from before—focus on the eye contact, and induce sleep."

I sighed, settling into the chair Albedo had prepared. Across from me sat a restrained Cryo Slime, who had 'willingly volunteered' for this particular test. I couldn't help but feel a little bad about putting it to sleep.

"Alright, lets do this"

I took a deep breath and focused on the sensation in my chest—the strange, unfamiliar power that stirred whenever I called on it. It wasn't like using elemental energy, which flowed naturally in this world. This was something else, something that felt like it came from the deepest parts of my soul, a force that whispered at the edges of my mind.

I could feel it now, that same invisible thread connecting me to the slime, drawing it toward the deep, dark well of sleep. I felt the Blood Demon Art activate as a large portion of my power was drained from my body, its eyelids fluttered almost immediately, its body relaxing into the chair as if the weight of the world had just been lifted from its shoulders, not that it had any to begin with.

Within seconds, it was out cold, breathing softly as it slipped into a deep, dreamless sleep.

Albedo stepped forward, carefully observing it's condition and jotting down more notes. "Interesting. The effect is immediate and much more potent than expected. It's not merely a light sleep, this is akin to complete unconsciousness. Remarkable."

"Yeah, well, the slime's definitely not waking up anytime soon," I said, shaking my head. "I've got to be careful with this. What if I overdo it somehow and end up putting some random guy into a coma? Also, activating this ability doesn't take much energy but maintaining it is seeping at my reserves like super fast"

Albedo looked up at me with that same calm, analytical expression. "Your concerns are valid. That's why controlling the depth and duration of the sleep is critical. With this being a recently unlocked ability, it makes sense why you aren't able to control how much energy you put into maintaining it.

I sighed, feeling the weight of what he was saying. "So basically, I've got to fine-tune it like some kind of sleep specialist? This is going to be harder than I expected."

"Precision is key," Albedo replied. "But your powers are clearly evolving. With practice and the proper training, you'll learn to control the nuances of this ability."

Paimon floated closer, peering at the slimes peaceful expression. "Well, it looks like it's having a nice nap at least. Paimon could use one of those after all this cold."

Just as I was about to respond with some witty comeback, Albedo's next words threw everything off track.

"Speaking of odd Elemental occurrences," Albedo began casually, adjusting his notes. "It's quite similar to Aether's situation. With him being able to use Anemo without a vision and all. After all, Aether is also from another world."

Albedo's words hung in the air like a bomb had just dropped.

Aether's eyes widened like saucers, but it was Paimon who reacted first. She flew into full-blown panic mode, waving her hands wildly in front of her. "Wait, wait, wait—what did you just say?! Aether's not from another world... Paimon means—uh—he's just a regular old Traveler! Nothing strange about him! Nope, nothing at all!"

Albedo didn't even blink, his gaze steady. "There's no need to deny it, Paimon. Aether's origin has been quite clear from the beginning, hasn't it? I can see how the surrounding Elemental Energy reacts similiarly to Aether the same way it does to Tayden. I thought the two of you would have told each other by now?"

Paimon sputtered, trying desperately to recover. "W-Well... I mean, yeah, but—uh—it's not something we talk about! Paimon's just saying it's not exactly a big deal! He's just... he's just Aether!"

Aether remained calm, but there was a strange tension in his eyes as he glanced over at me. "Is that true, Tayden? Are you... from another world too?"

I hesitated for a moment, This was not something I expected to happen. Aether is from another world too? Did he get also get isekai'd? Looking back at it, an unknown traveller suddenly appearing in Mondstadt and beating Stormterror the first day he got there should have been signs that something was off.

"Yeah... I'm from somewhere else. Not from Teyvat."

Paimon's jaw dropped as she turned to me in shock. "Whaaaat?! You too? So you're both from... from... somewhere not here?!"

I chuckled lightly at her reaction, trying to ease the tension. "Yeah, looks like Aether and I have more in common than I thought."

Aether gave me a long look, his golden eyes serious like he was thinking about something. "We'll have to talk about this later. I have... some questions I need to ask you."

Before the conversation could go any deeper, Albedo stepped in with his usual calm authority. "There will be plenty of time for discussions later. For now, we should focus on the task at hand. Tayden's abilities still need to be properly examined. We can address other matters after we've concluded our observations."

Paimon looked like she wanted to keep pressing for answers, but Aether gently placed a hand on her shoulder, signaling for her to let it go for now. "Alright," he said quietly, still looking at me. "Let's finish up here first."

I nodded, relieved that we weren't diving headfirst into the whole "other worlds" thing just yet. There were enough mysteries swirling and I need time to process everything.

---

Albedo didn't waste any time getting back to business. He motioned toward another one of his makeshift tables, where a few more Cryo Slimes were contained in glass spheres, their forms flickering faintly with icy energy. I couldn't help but wonder where he even found all these slimes so quickly. He probably had them on standby just in case someone needed to do some impromptu science.

"Let's proceed with the next phase of testing," Albedo said, adjusting his notes. "Now that we've confirmed the depth and immediacy of the sleep inducement, we'll examine how you can maintain the effect over multiple targets."

"Multiple targets?" I echoed, glancing at the other slimes. "I barely managed to put one slime to sleep without passing out myself."

"Which is precisely why this next step is important," Albedo replied, his calm tone never wavering. "You'll need to build stamina if you want to control this power. Start small, and we'll gradually increase the difficulty."

Paimon gave a little shudder as she hovered over one of the sleepy slimes. "Paimon's glad she's not the one being put to sleep again! These poor slimes are probably going to have weird dreams of dancing Cryo Abyss Mages or something."

I snorted. "Hey, at least they're getting a nap out of it. I wouldn't mind catching a few extra Z's myself."

Aether, ever the steady one, gave me a reassuring nod. "Take your time. The more you practice, the easier it'll get. It's just like honing a weapon—start with small strikes before going for bigger swings."

I took a deep breath, trying to center myself. Aether's calm support did help—he was good at keeping me grounded, even when things felt overwhelming. Albedo, meanwhile, continued scribbling notes, his gaze darting between the slimes and me as though he was already calculating the next ten steps ahead.

"Alright, let's do this," I muttered, stepping toward the table where the slimes were lined up.

Albedo nodded approvingly, making a few adjustments to the restraints on the glass spheres. "You'll focus on all three targets simultaneously this time. It will require more precise control, as you'll need to distribute your energy evenly. Maybe the mouth might even appear again and we can try to control it"

"No pressure, right?" I said with a nervous laugh, rubbing the back of my neck.

"None at all," Albedo replied, completely missing the sarcasm.

Taking another breath, I looked at the slimes, each one wriggling faintly in its containment. I focused my eyes on all three and I could feel the power stirring again. But this time, instead of focusing all my energy on one target, I tried to split it between the three. It was like trying to balance on a tightrope while juggling—harder than it looked, and definitely exhausting.

The connection formed, but it was shaky. The first slime's eyelids fluttered almost immediately, succumbing to sleep just like before. The second took a bit longer, its movements slowing as it drifted off. But the third—well, the third seemed to resist. I could feel the power draining from me faster than I could replenish it, my reserves being sapped dry as I struggled to maintain control.

"Hold steady," Albedo's voice cut through my focus like a lifeline. "Distribute the energy evenly. Don't let it concentrate too heavily on one target."

Easier said than done. I gritted my teeth, forcing myself to stay calm as I tried to rein in the power. Slowly, ever so slowly, the third slime began to relax. Its movements stilled, and after what felt like an eternity, it, too, slipped into sleep.

I exhaled sharply, slumping back against the table. Sweat dripped down my forehead, and my body felt like I'd just run a marathon. Maintaining that level of focus for even a few minutes had completely drained me. Am I going to experience this for every one of the Twelve Kizuki's Blood Demon Arts I unlock?

"You did it!" Paimon cheered, clapping her hands together. "All three are snoozing away! Not bad, Tayden!"

"Yeah," I panted, wiping the sweat from my brow. "But that took... way more out of me than I thought."

Aether stepped up beside me, concern etched in his features. "You need to pace yourself. Pushing too hard too soon could burn you out."

Albedo, meanwhile, remained focused on the slimes, jotting down more notes with his usual intensity. "You're making progress, but as Aether said, your stamina needs to be built up. Your body isn't fully conditioned to handle prolonged use of this power yet. And as I expected, the mouth didn't appear yet"

I groaned. "So, more training, more exhaustion. Just what I needed."

Albedo glanced up at me, his expression as neutral as ever. "It's necessary if you want to control these abilities without risking harm to yourself or others."

I knew he was right, but that didn't make it any easier. The truth was, my powers were evolving faster than I could keep up with them. If I didn't get a handle on them soon, there was no telling what could happen the next time I lost control.

But I couldn't let myself dwell on that now. I'd come this far and I wasn't going to stop just because things were getting difficult.

"You're doing fine," Aether said, offering me one of those calm, reassuring smiles. "Just keep working at it, and it'll get easier."

I nodded, appreciating the support, even if I still felt like I'd been run over by a Mitachurl. "Thanks, man. I'll keep that in mind."

Paimon, clearly relieved that the worst of the testing was over, floated over to Albedo, peering at his notes. "So what's next? More sleepy slimes? Maybe something less icy for a change?"

Albedo shook his head, closing his notebook with a soft thud. "We've gathered enough data for today. Any further testing would put unnecessary strain on Tayden. He'll need to rest and recover before we continue."

"Finally," I muttered, sagging with relief. "I thought I was going to have to put myself to sleep next."

Aether chuckled. "That would've been something to see."

Albedo turned his attention back to me, his expression serious but not unkind. "You've made significant progress, Tayden. But there's still much to uncover about the true nature of your abilities. For now, I suggest focusing on building your stamina and refining your control. Once you've conditioned yourself further, we can proceed with more advanced tests."

"Yeah, sounds good," I said, though the thought of more tests wasn't exactly filling me with joy. Still, Albedo was right—there was no rushing this. If I wanted to master these powers without completely exhausting myself or worse, I'd need to put in the time.

Paimon floated back over to me, her usual chipper self. "Paimon thinks you did pretty well today! And hey, at least you didn't grow any more weird mouths this time, right?"

I laughed, though it came out a bit tired. "That's definitely a win in my book."

Aether gave me a pat on the shoulder. "We'll get through this, one step at a time. And if you ever need help, you know where to find me."

"Thanks, man," I said, grateful for his support. "Same goes for you."

Albedo, ever the alchemist, gave one last nod of approval before turning back to his experiments. "We'll reconvene once you've had time to rest. There's still much to learn."

I couldn't help but chuckle as I watched him get back to work, already lost in thought. "You don't quit, do you?"

Albedo glanced up at me with a faint smile. "Curiosity is a powerful motivator."

With that, we gathered our things and began the trek back down Dragonspine. The cold didn't bite quite as hard this time, and though my body was still regenerating from the tests, I felt a sense of accomplishment. I still had a long way to go, but at least Im making progress.

As we descended the mountain, Aether fell into step beside me, his eyes thoughtful. "About what Albedo said earlier... we'll talk soon, alright?"

"Yeah," I replied, nodding. "I think we both have a lot to talk about."