Genshin: Teyvat's Wandering Demon (Rewrite)

-2900 words-

Tayden studied the man standing before him, taking in his presence. He was relaxed, but not in a careless way. His posture was casual, yet there was something too controlled about it, as if he could shift into action at a moment's notice. His attire was far from what Tayden expected of a knight, a dark blue coat with a fur-lined collar, an eyepatch that added a touch of mystery, but he did wonder about the practicality of using an eyepatch if the man wasn't blind. At Least he assumed he wasn't.

His sharp gaze held Tayden's for a beat too long before he offered a polite nod. "Kaeya Alberich, Cavalry Captain of the Knights of Favonius." His voice was smooth, professional, not overly playful, not overtly cold.

Tayden narrowed his eyes slightly. "You don't look like a knight."

Kaeya smiled faintly, folding his arms. "I get that a lot."

Gerald stepped forward, glancing between them. "Kaeya is one of Mondstadt's finest, and I trust him to make sure your arrival here is handled properly."

Tayden shifted his weight slightly. "And what does 'handled properly' mean?" He hoped to whatever god is out there that he wouldn't be put in jail for some ungodly reason. But with this world's era still needing knights? He couldn't afford to put his guard down, they could suddenly think he's a witch and burn him alive... Maybe that was a little extreme, but earth's history had many tales about how knights worked, and they were very sketchy.

Kaeya let out a quiet chuckle, shaking his head. "Relax, it's nothing dramatic. Gerald informed the Knights about you, foreign traveler, saved a family from Treasure Hoarders, no knowledge of Mondstadt. That sort of thing tends to get attention. I was sent to make sure you're not… let's say, a danger to the people." His eye flicked toward the dried blood still on Tayden's skin before returning to his face. "And maybe get a better idea of who you are."

Tayden frowned and crossed his arms. "So, I'm under investigation?"

Kaeya raised a brow, then shook his head. "You make it sound so formal. Call it… a friendly chat between an outsider and the people responsible for keeping this nation safe." Tayden felt a nerve appear in his forehead 'That does not sound reassuring at all. I'm so going to suddenly "disappear".'

Tayden remained silent, watching Kaeya carefully. There was something in his tone, something that suggested he had played this game many times before. He was a man used to reading people, adjusting his words, maintaining control of a conversation without seeming forceful.

Gerald cleared his throat. "Tayden, I trust Kaeya. I called him here because he's the best person to handle this. He's not one to waste time." He took a good look at the chief, seeing his eyes show no deceit and decided that he would give this a shot.

Kaeya tilted his head slightly. "Appreciate the confidence, Chief."

Tayden exhaled, giving a slow nod. "Alright. What now?"

Kaeya's lips quirked into a small smile, but his expression remained composed. "Let's sit somewhere more comfortable." He glanced at Gerald, who gave him a reassuring nod. "Come on, let's have a friendly chat."

...

Tayden sat across from Kaeya at Gerald's round wooden table. The scent of freshly brewed tea filled the room as Gerald set down three cups. Tayden barely even looked at his, fingers drumming lightly against the tabletop as he kept his attention on Kaeya. The knight took a slow sip, letting out an almost satisfied sigh, while Gerald did the same. Tayden, however, didn't move. He couldn't drink anything normal anyways.

Kaeya noticed immediately.

His uncovered eye flickered toward the untouched cup before looking back at Tayden. He didn't comment on it. Instead, he set his cup down and exhaled lightly. "Since you seemed a little lost, I suppose it's only fair to explain a few things to you."

He leaned back slightly, one arm draped over the back of his chair, posture still relaxed yet impossibly measured. "The Knights of Favonius are Mondstadt's protectors, law enforcers, and, when necessary, diplomats. We keep the city safe, handle external threats, and ensure that people like Jonas and his family can sleep soundly at night."

'Ok, just standard stuff so far.' Tayden listened, absorbing the information. From what he was hearing from him, The Knights of Favonius sound like any other knights in stories. He knew better than to just take Kaeya's word for it though, the man seemed like a person who knew how to lie. Though one word caught his attention. Mondstadt. 

He leaned forward slightly. "And what exactly is Mondstadt? Where is it?"

That made Kaeya pause. It was brief, but Tayden caught it. A flicker of interest, like there was a literal shift in the air between them. 'I should have phrased that more carefully...' Kaeya's fingers tapped once against the side of his teacup, and when he spoke again, his voice held the same smoothness, but his gaze sharpened just slightly. "Now that's an odd question. How are you in this nation without knowing what it is?"

Tayden felt a prickle of unease settle at the base of his spine. Kaeya definitely unnerved him. Every word, every hesitation, was being carefully dissected under the guise of conversation. Gerald remained silent, letting the exchange play out. He took a slow breath before giving the same explanation he had before. "I woke up at a beach after nearly drowning. I don't know how I ended up here, or what Mondstadt even is. I didn't even know the name of this place until yesterday."

Kaeya's expression didn't change, but there was something unreadable behind his single visible eye. A flicker of amusement? Curiosity? "Interesting," Kaeya murmured, tilting his head. "So, you're saying you just appeared here, no recollection of how, no knowledge of the land you're in? Quite the mystery."

Tayden visibly winced. "Look, I know how far fetched it sounds, but I'm being honest here. I really have no idea how I got here..."

He could already tell Kaeya didn't fully believe him. I mean who in their right mind would? But from all the shows he has seen, telling someone that you are from another world doesn't usually end well. "Alright, let's move on from that for now." Kaeya finally broke the silence, tilting his head slightly toward Tayden. "Let's talk about how you fought off a group of Treasure Hoarders. Quite the feat for someone with 'no combat experience.' How were you able to do it?"

Tayden scratched his head. "I did what I had to, and honestly I have no idea how I survived that." He looked down at his hands and thought back to the battle. Every move he did, he did it instinctually. There was no actual thought behind them, he did what his body thought was right. 

"I guess I just did everything by instinct"

Kaeya hummed, noting the change in Tayden's body language when he said that. He set his cup down, his fingers lightly tapping against the wooden table as he regarded Tayden with a thoughtful gaze. "While on the topic of the Treasure Hoarders, I spoke with Jonas and his family before coming here, but you probably already figured that out." he began casually, his tone carrying an edge of curiosity. "They told me something quite fascinating."

He leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. "They said you completely decimated the Treasure Hoarders. Decapitated one in an instant, faster than they could even see. Split another in half... Quite the feat for someone who claims to have no combat experience."

Tayden's breath hitched for a fraction of a second before he forced himself to stay composed. His mind scrambled for an answer. 'How the hell am I supposed to explain that?' He had already been wary of how much attention his abilities would bring, and now he had to come up with something convincing under an important knight figure.

His fingers twitched slightly against his knee beneath the table. He hesitated for only a moment before offering the most believable excuse he could think of. "I don't train in combat, but I do train my body. Strength, endurance, conditioning. I guess I got strong that way." He really couldn't come up with anything more convincing could he?

Kaeya's expression showed no change but Tayden could feel that he knew he was lying out of his ass. That was not the reaction he wanted..

Kaeya tilted his head slightly, as if considering his next words. "Hmm. Interesting. And is your entire family this physically gifted? Because, you see, strength like yours is extremely rare, especially for someone without a Vision."

Tayden frowned slightly. A Vision? The unfamiliar term made him pause, that was a new word. But most importantly, it was a way to change the subject! 

"Uhh what's a vision?"

For the first time, Kaeya actually looked surprised. It was brief, just a flicker across his face, but it was there. "You don't know what a Vision is?" His gaze sharpened, his fingers steepling together as he regarded Tayden even more closely. "I could somewhat understand not knowing Mondstadt, but not knowing about Visions… now that is unheard of."

Tayden can feel that Kaeya is getting more and more suspicious of him as the conversation goes on. He needed to come up with something. He took a slow breath, keeping his tone as neutral as possible. 

"I… have a pretty severe condition that doesn't allow me to come into contact with sunlight." Kaeya's brow lifted slightly. That was not the answer he was expecting. It did, however, successfully capture his attention.

"My parents… didn't want to put me in danger, so I was forbidden from ever leaving my home. I guess because of that, I spent most of my time reading instead of learning about nations and never really learned what Visions are."

Kaeya's single visible eye locked onto Tayden's with unnerving intensity. His expression didn't change, but the energy in the room did. He knew that Kaeya was processing and analyzing his words. But he hoped that with that subversion that he would let him off the hook, 'please believe it, please believe it, please believe it!'

Finally, Kaeya exhaled, leaning back slightly. "That must be hard. Living like that." His voice had lost some of its edge, shifting into something more thoughtful, now he had this contemplative look on his face. Tayden allowed himself to relax just a little, but he knew Kaeya wasn't done with him yet.

Kaeya lifted his teacup again, taking a slow sip before speaking again, r"And yet, despite never leaving your home, you managed to develop inhuman levels of strength." He swirled the tea lightly in his cup before setting it back down. "Quite the contradiction, isn't it?"

He forced himself to hold Kaeya's gaze, refusing to flinch under the weight of his words. "I never said I wasn't allowed to train. I spent a lot of time doing physical exercises indoors."

Kaeya hummed, nodding slightly, but his expression didn't shift in the way Tayden hoped. Instead, it felt like Kaeya was cataloging every single lie. He was ready to just die then and there, but then, Kaeya suddenly let out a soft chuckle, shaking his head. "You're an interesting one, Tayden. I can't tell if you're an unfortunate lost soul or the best liar I've ever met."

"Thank you?"

Kaeya leaned back in his chair, arms crossing lazily over his chest. "You're a very suspicious person, you know that? No background, nothing to prove where you came from. If I were a more paranoid man, I'd be convinced you were hiding something big."

Tayden's throat went dry. Here it comes, he thought. This was where Kaeya decided he was too dangerous to leave alone. But instead, the captain just exhaled, clasped his hands together and gave him a smile.

"But," Kaeya continued, his voice softer"I can tell you're not trying to cause trouble. If you were, this conversation would have gone very differently."

Tayden just sat there, stunned. He had spent the entire conversation preparing for the worst, for Kaeya to declare him a threat or order him to be locked away. Instead, he was... what? Letting him go? He barely knew how to process that. Kaeya didn't let the moment stretch too long. "That's why I'm taking you to Mondstadt," he said, tapping a finger against the table. "The Knights' headquarters. We'll figure out what's going on with you there."

Tayden's body sagged with relief. The tension that had been coiled so tightly in his chest finally unraveled, and he let out a breath he didn't realize he had been holding. "Thank you. Really, I appreciate it." Kaeya said nothing for a moment, just watching him. Then, with a casual shrug, he stood up. "Get ready. We'll be leaving soon."

Tayden was about to nod when a thought hit him. "Wait." He hesitated, then looked up at Kaeya. "How exactly am I supposed to get there? I can't step into sunlight."

Kaeya waved off his concern like it was nothing. "Don't worry. I'll take care of it."

Tayden stared at him, not quite reassured. "That doesn't really answer my question."

Kaeya's smirk widened just a fraction. "No, it doesn't. But you'll just have to trust me."

He really doesn't.

…

…

…

This was not what Tayden expected when Kaeya told him to "trust him."

He sat inside a wooden carriage, the space cramped and stuffy, completely covered in thick cloth to block out the sun. It worked, sure, but it was still ridiculous that this was the grand solution Kaeya had come up with. He felt trapped, the weight of the fabric pressing in on him, making the space feel smaller than it was. 'I take it back, I prefer the cave'

He swallowed, shifting slightly. The steady movement of the carriage rolling over uneven dirt roads wasn't helping his nerves. He was going to Mondstadt. A place he didn't know, full of people he didn't know, run by an organization that had every reason to be suspicious of him.

Across from him, Kaeya sat lazily slouched, elbow resting on the carriage's side, his head tilted slightly as he regarded Tayden. His expression was unreadable, but there was always something in the way Kaeya watched people, like he was quietly unraveling every thought they had.

Tayden cleared his throat, trying to distract himself. "So… how far is Mondstadt, exactly?"

Kaeya blinked, as if only now realizing he was being spoken to. "Not too far now. We should be seeing the gates soon."

Tayden nodded, though it did nothing to settle the unease in his stomach. "And once we're there? What happens to me?"

Kaeya didn't answer right away. He studied Tayden for a long moment before finally speaking "Like I said before, you'll be brought to the Knights' headquarters. I will bring you to meet The Grandmaster."

…

"What."

But Kaeya offered no response and gave him another smirk that was starting to irritate him. He just stared at Kaya and frowned slightly. "Who is the Grandmaster?"

Kaeya raised an eyebrow, as if surprised he even had to ask. "Grandmaster Varka. Leader of the Knights of Favonius and one of the strongest warriors in Mondstadt."

Tayden's hands curled into fists in his lap. "And after I meet him?"

Kaeya's gaze didn't waver. "Then we figure out what to do with you."

Tayden exhaled slowly, forcing himself to stay calm. He had expected as much, but hearing it aloud made his chest tighten. He wasn't in immediate danger —probably— but it still felt like he was walking into the unknown. He didn't like unknowns. But one thing still confused him, why was he going to meet the Grandmaster of all people? Shouldn't someone as important as him have better things to attend to? Don't they have other people to handle things like this?

Kaeya must have noticed his reaction because his posture shifted slightly, less relaxed, more attentive. "Relax. If you truly mean no harm, you have nothing to worry about."

The carriage continued its steady trek, the sound of wooden wheels rolling over dirt the only consistent background noise. Every so often, Kaeya would glance outside, his gaze scanning the road ahead, but otherwise, he remained quiet.

Minutes passed in silence before Kaeya finally sat up a little straighter. "Ah. There it is."

Tayden tensed and shifted forward slightly, peeking through a small gap in the fabric. A massive stone city stood tall against the blue sky, its walls lined with banners, and windmills spinning lazily in the breeze. The gates were wide open, guards stationed at the front, watching the road as merchants and travelers moved in and out.

Mondstadt.

Tayden swallowed. "Guess this is it." His fingers dug into his palms as the carriage rolled closer to the gates. He wasn't ready for this.