After all the events that had transpired throughout the course of the day, Albedo was relieved when it was finally time for him to lay down his head and get some sleep. While the majority of the day had been a combination of both an investigation into the creatures and culture of this world and how to return to Teyvat, it had also been a stressful one. Especially since part of the day involved having to keep Klee’s antics in check and prevent her from causing an unnecessary panic. Fortunately, it was nothing that a couple pieces of Fish Flavored Toast couldn’t solve, with it being Klee’s favorite dish… outside of freshly blasted fish.
“Alright Klee, it’s time to go to bed,” the alchemist told his sister, helping her up and tucking her in so she was nice and cozy under the covers, “Get a good night's sleep, for we got a long day ahead of us tomorrow.”
“Aww,” Klee pouted, “Does that mean Klee can’t have any fun with Klee’s new friends?”
Albedo just smiled, before shaking his head, “No no, I don’t mean that Klee. I’m sure our new friends would be more than willing to play with you tomorrow. Maybe you might even make some new friends too.”
That statement was enough to have Klee’s eyes flicker as she looked back towards her brother. “You mean it? Klee can have even more friends!?”
“As long as you are a good girl and don’t cause any trouble with them, alright?” he assured her. Which only had Klee giggle to herself, before she closed her eyes and snuggled against the dodoco plushie she had beside her pillow. Once she was asleep, Albedo let out a small sigh of relief, before gently getting up to close the blinds and quietly step out the door. Leaving the little one to count jumpy dumptys in her sleep.
“Is she asleep?” Albedo now heard Fluttershy ask as he turned to face the pegasus that was waiting outside of her room.
“Yes she is,” the alchemist replied, “I should probably prepare to retire for the night as well. There’s a lot that I’ll need to do tomorrow, so the sooner that I get some rest, the better.”
“R-right,” the pegasus nodded, before having the alchemist follow her for a bit and stopped right in front of the room next to Klee’s, before opening the door with an outstretched wing, “The other guest room I have is right next to hers. F-feel free to use it however you like.”
“Why thank you. Your kindness knows no bounds,” Albedo told her as he proceeded to walk through the open door. The room itself was around the same size as the one Klee was given, and was rather neat and tidy. There was even a desk in the back corner nearby a window as the light of the moon illuminated the rest of the room.
As for Fluttershy, she just simply giggled at the compliment, before looking back at the alchemist, “If you need anything, I-I’ll be in my room across the hall. P-please do knock first, though. I g-get scared when somepony barges into my room.”
The alchemist nodded, before gently closing the door behind him and hung up his jacket on a nearby coat rack before he took off his gloves and put them in one of the open pockets. “Now, time for some much needed rest.”
Elsewhere
When she found the dream that she was looking for, Luna herself was filled with both excitement and curiosity. It had taken some time to find what she was looking for in an endless alley of doors with each one being the entry point that allowed for her to walk inside the dreams of her subjects. But after spotting a door with what looked to be a golden sigil with a design that was present on the picture that Twilight had given her and her sister in the alicorn’s recent letter, she was ready to proceed. Eager to see what awaited her on the other side.
Though, when she first entered, what awaited for her as the door closed behind her… was emptiness. Something that made the alicorn of the night shudder. This did not normally happen when she entered the dreams of others. Usually, the dreamers had already begun to picture a place in their mind and the world of the dream formed around that place. However, that was not the case this time.
Then, came a voice. “The universe is the dark essence of the true starry sky…”
Right before Luna’s eyes, stars began to shimmer from under her hooves on the surface she stood one. Some of those stars began to form what looked like constellations of grass and earth as if they were drawn together in a filly’s coloring book.
“… And the earth is the accumulated memory of time and lives. The Chalk: that is you.”
Now the stars began to form the constellation of a different shape. Immediately, Luna recognized that it was not a place, but a creature. One of the ones from Twilight’s picture that was dressed in white with a broach of topaz around their neck.
Then, a golden flower was formed from the ground as Luna watched, “The earth is where alchemy gets its name, and is the basis of all life. And this…” In a matter of seconds, the flower burst forth, having a flock of birds inside the dream take form and fly away. Something that Luna was caught off guard by as they flew past her head. “… This is new birth.”
As the shimmering stars began to glow brighter though, the figure resembling the one named Albedo turned around as the voice that was speaking echoed around the room. “Now… repeat it back to me.”
“Yes master,” another voice replied, which Luna soon realized belonged to him. At that point, the pieces of this puzzle were slowly coming together. She should’ve realized this sooner, but was only beginning to put the pieces together now.
This wasn’t a dream, but was instead a memory. A memory that was very close to him.
“The universe, the sable essence of the starry void. Earth, the accumulative memory of time and being. Soil, the origin of all alchemy. The essence of all life. Chalk, the substance from which primordial life is molded.”
In an unexpected turn of events though, the whole room began to grow brighter as Luna was forced to shield her eyes. She could only hear one last thing before the princess was forced out of the dream.
“From Soil was birthed Chalk.”
When Luna opened her eyes again, she was surprised to find herself back in the alley of doors that was here when she first arrived. Though, as she began to regain her senses, one thing was missing. The door that was used to see the dreams of the one named ‘Albedo’ was now gone. Almost like it was never there to begin with. Which was a rather strange predicament, but nothing compared to everything else that she had witnessed inside.
“Well… that was something,” she thought to herself, before noticing a different door that was behind her. A red door with cream colored clovers and what looked to be a strange rabbit-like creature on the front of the door, “Perhaps this one is a much simpler dream. No harm in looking, I suppose.”
“One jumpy dumpty boom! Two jumpy dumpty boom!! Three jumpy dumpty boom-!! Hey wait, you’re not one of Klee’s jumpy dumpty’s. Why haven’t you went boom yet?”
When the morning sun came through his window, Albedo was quick to rise from his slumber. The alchemist enjoyed his rest, even though it felt rather brief. His dreams being of one of his master’s most important lessons.
Though, he could not shrug the feeling that there was someone else aside from him. Someone else that was watching him.