The Chalk Prince and the Clover

by FrostTheWolf

05- Wissen

After the original introductions, it took almost half an hour to try and bring Starlight Glimmer up to speed on the current situation. Sandbar and Ocellus were the ones who filled her in with most of the details from when Sandbar originally met Klee at the lake to when they met Albedo. Eventually, the little girl was provided paper and crayons so that she could occupy herself by drawing pictures while the conversation continued on. Something that was a relief to every creature in the room since they didn’t have to worry about her playing with her bombs while inside the campus.

By the time that both Sandbar and Ocellus were done speaking, it was now Starlight turn to say something, “So, let me see if I understand this correctly,” the unicorn looked to both of the students, “You and your friends happened to run into both Albedo and Klee here while you were outside, heard that they needed help… and thought that I was the right creature for the job?”

Both the earth pony and the changeling nodded their heads, “Yeah, that’s right.”

Starlight proceeded to close her eyes and take a long sip of hot cocoa, before looking back at the two of them. “And what exactly led you to make that decision? Couldn’t you have just asked for Headmare Twilight’s help or ask any of the other faculty members on campus?”

“Well, Gallus kind of told us about a meeting between her and Mayor Mare that he happened to overhear regarding how some parents had concerns for keeping their students safe at school,” Sandbar explained to her, “After he mentioned that, Yona came up with the idea that we try to ask one of the faculty members to help us.”

“From there, we began to narrow down who exactly would be the best creature to ask for help,” Ocellus continued shortly afterwards, “Each one of the professors wouldn’t work because there were concerns that either they would be seen by them as suspicious or it would be a bad idea to leave Klee alone with them. That and since we’re not ruling out the possibility that them arriving here was probably by magic, why not ask the unicorn that was once Headmare Twilight’s student?”

Some of this were things that Albedo agreed with. Though, some of it was also new information. Mainly, when the subject of magic was brought up. Back in Teyvat, the only thing that comes close to what they were talking about was elemental abilities. Though, in order to wield such abilities, your deeds had to be recognized by the archons. Was that not entirely the case here?

As for the unicorn herself, she just let out a small sigh, “While I do appreciate that you and your friends want to help those in need, I don’t believe it’ll be that simple,” Starlight explained, “Despite all that you have told me so far, there are still some unanswered questions that I think need to ask before I could really do anything to help. Otherwise, there would be a lot of missing information that could be important.”

“Well, where would you like to start, Ms. Glimmer?” the alchemist spoke plainly as he looked back at the unicorn.

“Just Starlight is fine. Hearing that makes me think I’m much older than I really am,” the counselor said briefly, before redirecting his focus to him, “More to the point though, my first question is this. How exactly is the world you’re from, the one you called ‘Teyvat’ any different than ours? Ocellus mentioned that everything in Equestria is different to you, but I want to hear it from you.”

Upon hearing that, Albedo asked one simple question, “Would you like for me to keep it brief… or do you prefer to hear specifics?”

“The latter, if you may please,” Starlight insisted.

That answer was enough for Albedo to start. “Alright, but if you do have questions, feel free to speak up,” the alchemist told them, shortly before he began to explain, “Our home, Teyvat, is a world where the seven elements flow and converge everywhere you look. A world overseen by seven gods known as the Archons, who were victors in the Archon war that lasted thousands of years ago. These seven Archons founded the seven nations of Teyvat, with each one representing a different element.”

After that, he paused, before looking to each of the Equestrians, “Any questions so far?”

“Yeah, I have a couple,” Starlight nodded, “First, what are these seven elements that you’re talking about? Are they similar to the Elements of Harmony we have, where they’re based on virtues?”

“Aren’t there supposed to be six Elements of Harmony though?” Ocellus pointed out.

“Yes, that is true,” the unicorn acknowledged the changeling’s question, “Though, what I’m asking about is what exactly are the elements he’s familiar with. To see if they happen to be similar or different to ours.”

Personally, Albedo almost expected that to be the first question to answer, “Well, in Teyvat, elements are more naturally occurring, per se. Like I mentioned, the seven elements tie to the seven archons. The order of the elements usually Anemo, Geo, Electro, Dendro, Hydro, Pyro and Cryo. Or in simple terms; Air, Earth, Electricity, Nature, Water, Fire and Ice.”

“And these elements… each one represents an Archon?” Sandbar now added.

“More like an ideal that they represent and the nation they reside over,” the alchemist corrected him, “Our home is of Mondstadt, which is known as the city of freedom. Since the kingdom of Mondstadt is the domain of Barbatos, the God of Freedom, then the Anemo element represents that same ideal. To be as free as the wind.”

At this point, things were… slowly beginning to make some sense. Though, it was far from being anywhere close to what Starlight had hoped. “Okay, but how exactly were you able to create what you did earlier to enter my office? That did not look like anything related to air at all.”

“Well, the answer to that goes into another subject,” Albedo replied back, “For you see, unlike what I have briefly seen in this world regarding what you call magic, our world works differently. Only those who have a Vision in their possession can wield the elements, and visions themselves are only gifted to those who have been recognized by the Archons. The vision that can be granted to you is not mutually exclusive. Meaning that even though you were born in one nation, you can receive a vision from one of the other archons.”

“A Vision?” Ocellus asked, “Uhm, what does a vision look like?”

“The appearance of the vision itself really depends on the person it was given to. When Klee received her pyro vision, I helped with fashioning it onto the pack that she carries with her everywhere,” As he said that, the alchemist pointed to the backpack that was next to where Klee was seated. On the outer flap, the three equestrians saw a red jewel with a burning flame in the center of it. Though, as Albedo continued, they also notice a similar gold color jewel around the collar of the alchemist’s shirt, “As for me, I keep my vision around the collar of my shirt as a means to make sure I keep it on hand in the instance that I need to use it. That way I can avoid misplacing it.”

As Sandbar looked at the jewel, the earth pony had a new question, “If Klee’s vision is Pyro, then what’s yours?”

At first, the alchemist let out a small breath before extending an outstretched hand. The vision around his neck began to glow as a golden colored blossom bloomed from his hand, “My vision is of the Geo element. A gift bestowed by that of Morax, or better known in the nation of Liyue as Rex Lapis. One day, I wish to uncover the secrets behind these Visions. Though, I will have to save that for another time.”

The alchemist then closed his hand as the vision stopped glowing and the blossom that he had curled up as if it was a flower that had yet to bloom. “Does that help answer your question, Starlight?”

The unicorn nodded her head, still trying to take what Albedo shared and piece it all together. “I-i… believe so,” Starlight replied, before she realized something, “Wait a minute. If Visions are given to those who are recognized by one of your Archons, then what exactly are they recognized for? If very few of your kind are allowed to wield visions, then what exactly did they do to get recognized by your Archons in the first place?”

“Unfortunately, that is something that even I don’t know,” the alchemist admitted, “What exactly an Archon looks for in a person is unclear, even to those who actually possess visions. There have been times where visions are bestowed to those who are in grief or had witnessed tragedy, while other times it just happens to show up randomly, as was the case with Klee. Outside of mere theories though, the only other way you would be able to find out is that if you actually met and asked one of the Archons.”

“And the chances of that happening are impossible?” Ocellus asked.

“Nothing is impossible if you put your mind to it,” Albedo retorted, before noticing that Klee was wanting for him to see the drawings that she was making as he went over to see her, “But meeting an archon in the flesh? That’s a one in a million chance. It’s not impossible, but extremely unlikely.”

To Starlight, that answered all the questions that she had on the subject of visions. Yet, that was only one subject and that alone was a diversion from what they were originally discussing. “Okay, how about we backtrack a bit? Before you explained to us about Visions, you were talking about the Archons. Though, there was one detail you mentioned that kind of bothers me a bit.”

“Oh?” the alchemist asked, focusing a bit more attention on Klee first before finally looking back to the counselor, “What would that happen to be?”

“Well, to put it simply, you mentioned that there was an Archon War.”

From the start of the conversation, Albedo figured that this would be brought up eventually. Though, if he were being honest with himself, the alchemist thought that would be one of the first questions that Starlight would’ve asked him. Nevertheless, it would be rude of him to leave that question unanswered. “Well, just to warn you, the tale of the Archon War is a bit of a long and confusing one. Not only that, but it’s as old as Teyvat itself.”

“How… old are we talking about?” Sandbar then asked him, “Like hundreds of years? A thousand? More than that?”

In response, Albedo just simply chuckled as he looked back at the earth pony, “Much older then that, actually. The reason why it’s confusing is because there is no information indicating how long ago it started. Not only that, but the name Archon War in itself is more of a term used to represent the multiple battles that took place all across Teyvat. With different wars starting and ending at different points in time.”

“My goodness,” Ocellus gasped, “W-what could all of them be fighting for it to last that long?”

“For a time, many people were unsure as to why. For all that we knew was that the war ended about two thousand years ago and that was when the seven nations of Teyvat were founded by the archons. It’s why we see them as the victors of the war,” the alchemist explained further, “Though, there are some in Teyvat who believe that there was another factor involved. Though, it involves one of the more… stranger places of Teyvat.”

“Stranger than everything else that you had already mentioned?” Sandbar asked, only to receive a nod from Albedo, “Dear Celestia, what kind of place is this?”

“Well… you just said it, actually.”

At that point, all of the equestrians in the room were caught off guard. Both of the students exchanged puzzled looks with each other and Starlight, trying to make sense of what was just said by Albedo. “I’m sorry, but I think all of us are confused by what you mean? Are you referring to the Princess by chance?”

“Princess?” Albedo asked, before shaking his head, “No, no. Back home, Celestia is the name of a place, not a person. It’s a floating island high in the skies of Teyvat that’s unreachable by mortal means. Some say that it's the divine home of the Archons that watch over the world, while others believe that those who have achieved heroic feats can ascend to Celestia and obtain godhood. However, since very few people actually understand what it is, it's difficult to determine fact from fiction. All that’s known is that it exists, but we don’t know why.”

Now though, the alchemist had a question for Starlight this time, “Was there anything else in particular that you wanted to ask? If not, then there was something I wanted to ask you this time.”

The unicorn looked back at Albedo, puzzled by his choice of words, “Well, there was one thing. Though, what was it that you wanted to ask me?”

“Well, why was it that you wanted to know about Teyvat in the first place?” he asked, “At first, I thought it was out of curiosity. Though, the more that I continued to speak, the more that I noticed you asking rather specific questions. And how is what I shared with you related to you helping Klee and I find our way home?”

For a moment, Starlight was silent. She looked all around the room and towards the door, before looking back at both Sandbar and Ocellus, “What I’m about to tell you does not leave this room under any circumstances…”

“Um… is everything alright, Ms. Starlight?” Ocellus now asked, a bit caught off guard by Starlight’s sudden change in tone.

“It alright, Ocellus,” the counselor assured her, before looking back to Albedo, “The reason why I asked is because inside the Castle of Princess Twilight, the Headmare of the School, there is a mirror that serves as a doorway to a world parallel to this one except for the fact that everyone is human. When I originally asked you my question earlier, I was trying to determine whether or not you were from the other side of the mirror or another world entirely. After everything you shared, I can safely assume that it’s the latter.”

“Headmare Twilight has an artifact like that?” Sandbar asked.

“Yes, but only a few creatures actually know about it,” Starlight replied to Sandbar now, “There’s been incidents that have happened on the other side of the mirror because of Equestrian magic or artifacts that found their way over there. After what happened last week, I think the last thing that Twilight would want is some students finding out about it and causing trouble.”

“So you were asking me that question as a precautionary measure,” Albedo said, “I understand. Though, what do you mean by ‘last week’? Did something happen then that we aren’t aware of?”

At that point, Starlight felt as if there was no point in trying to avoid the subject any longer. After all, if Albedo was willing to share so much about his world, then the counselor should at least bring him up to speed, “I’m afraid so. Last week, one of the students that used to be at the school, a young filly named Cozy Glow, tried to attempt a hostile takeover of the school in an effort to destroy all equestrian magic. We were lucky that her plans did not come to fruition, but the fact that it actually happened in a place where many thought that they were safe from danger has made many creatures feel uneasy.”

That surprised Albedo a bit. He was familiar with the concept of rebellion, since Mondstadt’s history involved a massive rebellion against the god of storms, Decarabian. Though, unlike the past, where the people wanted freedom, this seemed different. “So, this was a mutiny?”

“Sort of,” Ocellus now spoke up, “Remember when I mentioned the meeting that Gallus overheard between Headmare Twilight and Mayor Mare? What they were talking about in that meeting was because of what happened with Cozy’s takeover.”

Now, the alchemist was beginning to understand the full story. This takeover and the subsequent meeting was the basis behind their decisions, including why they came to Starlight for help instead of the Headmare. “I see,” Albedo said, “That is rather informative. Thank you for bringing this to my attention.”

“No worries,” the counselor insisted, “Though, back to the matter at hoof, I had another question I wanted to ask. This time though, it relates more to your current situation. What exactly was the last thing that you remembered before arriving here? Was there anything specific?”

After hearing her question, Albedo began to think to himself for a moment. “Well, before all of this started, I was observing something that one of my students had been working on.”

“Wait, you have students?” Sandbar now asked.

“Two, actually,” the alchemist nodded, “One of them happens to have a vision, while the other doesn’t. Though, what I was asked to take a look at was something they had been working on. Do you remember when I told you that those who possessed visions could be able to wield elemental energy?”

All three of the equestrians nodded, “Yeah, but how does that relate? You said that this student doesn’t have a vision though.”

“That may be true,” Albedo nodded, “But he was working on something that could change that. A device that was not only able to store elemental energy, but create elemental reactions. Though, even though he had been making progress with his research, his creation did not come without faults. While I was inspecting his latest design, I realized that it was overflowing with excessive amounts of elemental energy, much like a boiling pot of water. When I tried to fix it, the machine… malfunctioned and the energy inside exploded outward. Next thing I knew, the two of us ended up here.”

Of course, Albedo knew that there was an external factor that caused the accident to happen. Though, he did not want to make the creatures that were helping him think that a Ruin Guard came with them and was wandering the fields as they were speaking. If anything, all signs indicated that only the two of them had ended up here and nothing else.

The vague silence was soon interrupted when Klee called out to him, “Brother, I finished my drawing. Come look!”

“Oh?” he asked, curious by what she said as the alchemist walked over to her, “What did you draw?”

“Klee tried to draw Sandbar and his friends!!”

Both Sandbar and Ocellus were a bit caught off guard by that as they went to go take a look themselves. True to Klee’s words, it was a drawing of all six of them. Though, it was as good of a drawing as you might expect from a ten year old child with a wild sense of imagination. Lines of different colors that resembled bodies and faces for them and their friends, with Klee being in the middle. Not exactly you would find in a Canterlot Art Gallery, but still a good drawing.

“That’s very kind of you, Klee,” Albedo replied, before turning to look at Sandbar and Ocellus as they looked at the drawing as well. “I think your friends here really like it too.”

The changeling and earth pony looked to one another in response, a bit embarrassed by the comment. Though, Starlight found it interesting. Ever since the two of them came in, Klee had been silent and focused on her drawings. Though, now that she got the chance to hear her interact with the students, the unicorn can understand her a bit. A young girl full of curiosity and joy.

Though, as Klee was talking with both Sandbar and Ocellus, Albedo redirected his focus back to the counselor. “Do you have any more questions that you would like to ask me?”

“Well, I had already asked you about where you’re from and how did you end up coming here,” Starlight replied back as she tried to think of what else to say, “I know that you want my help in trying to find a way back to your world, though where would we even start?”

She did bring up a valid point. Even though Starlight was going to help them as well as Sandbar and the other students, it would be difficult to figure out where to start. There were still a bunch of things about Equestria that he and Klee were unfamiliar with. So, before they get started with anything, the alchemist should at least know more about the world he was in.

“Does this school happen to have a library by chance?”

---

Author's Note:

Otherwise known as the lore chapter. This one took a lot longer than expected considering that there's a LOT of lore in Genshin Impact and it was difficult to decide what exactly to focus on. So, I tried to keep things as simple as can be when it came to Albedo's explanations. For there are some things that even he probably doesn't know.

As always, thank you for the support. I really appreciate all the positive feedback so far and that is driving me to add more chapters. Also, Happy Lantern Rite!
-Frost

P.S. The rebellion that Albedo was referring to involves this, which reappears during the character quest for Venti in game

Comments

[Nosoni]

Great chapter and excellent info dump for the Equestrians also mentioning that Ruin Guard I suspect we haven't seen the last of that one since we don't know how big the explosion was or how close the Ruin Guard was

[Mornings Dew]

Awesome chapter!

[Twilight_Shimmer]

just throwing this out here but.... Pinkie being Pinkie, she probably already knows about Albedo and Klee being there XD

[Biglulu]

I think these last few chapters have been a bit heavy on the exposition dump. It breaks the flow of the story.