____________________
(Windwail Highland, Mondstadt)
Artoria moved across Mondstadt's countryside with the swiftness befitting her new status as goddess. She was a blur against the lush landscape of the nation of freedom.
After some time, she arrived at the outskirts of one of the most iconic locations in Mondstadt where the village of Springvale was located, the region known as Windwail Highland.
And to her utmost delight the entire place was even more picturesque now in real life as compared to what she saw in the game!
Miles of coniferous forests doting the several wind-worned hills at the foot of the enormous snowcapped mountain of Dragonspine!
She could see some settlements and houses doting the long unpaved winding road that snakes across the natural curves of the land.
There were even some vast farm fields with real grazing animals, cows, goats and horses!
A sight not seen nor presented in the game!
It was a truly splendid sight to behold!
The entire region gave out a rustic countryside vibe, that was both peaceful and homely.
"Maybe I can settle in this place once I'm done with my journey. This would be the perfect retirement location!" Artoria mused thinking of the future ahead of her.
She was already enjoying her new second life, unfortunately for her though, life itself decided to throw curved ball at her abruptly ending her joyride, and ushering in the hard realities of her new life.
Below the hill where she stood, the idyllic atmosphere that she was enjoying was shattered by the sickening sounds of butchering and the sadistic laughter of the ones responsible.
Down below, Artoria saw a train of 3 merchant wagon, their vibrant canvas torn and splintered as each of them were lay overturned on the dirt track.
Around them were bodies…
Real..human…bodies…
Not the dissipating pixilated forms of defeated monsters and npcs in-game, but rather real people.
Their limbs twisted at unnatural angles with their clothes soaked in deep, dark crimson blood that was far too visceral.
The iron-riched scent of blood, something that her enhanced senses had picked up with terrifying clarity, hung in the air like an unnerving incense.
For the first time since arriving in this world, Artoria',s blood ran cold, and the hard fact of reality came crashing down!
This wasn't a game anymore.
The culprits, probably Bandits of Treasure Hoarders were seen scrambling around the remains of the caravan, looting the crates and even occasionally desecrating the butchered corpses of their victims.
These weren't just clusters of pixels spouting pre-recorded lines…
These were real men, with greedy, desperate and bloodthirsty eyes, kicking and defiling at the lifeless forms of their victims!
The excitement that had once bubbled within her curdled into a leaden weight in her stomach.
These were real lives, extinguished in a brutal, meaningless fashion.
Artoria's momentary reverie was shattered when she heard by a sound that pierced through the haze of despair.
Sound so strong that her instincts, born out of both human and divine experience, immediately went to overdrive.
That sound, they were no ordinary sounds…
'Help! Mommy it hurts, it hurts!'
'Mom, Dad, it's so hot, where are you?!'
'My brother and my friends are still inside! Please help! Someone help!
Echoes of the past floaded her ears, as the sound and the situation before her made her recall those awful moments of her life…
Those sounds, they were cries.
The desperate, piercing cries of children!
She looked closer, her divine eyes immediately scanning the area below, and then she saw them.
They were huddled behind the wreckage of the wagon, two small figuresclutching each other and…
A gruff-looking scarred man, holding a large rusty axe in his hand. He was slowly advancing towards the two frightened children, with a cruel smirk etched on his face.
"NOOOOOOOO!"
Artoria's voice, laced with subtle powers of divinity, thundered across the area like a lion's furious roar!
Without hesitation she launched herself into the area below, hurling herself down like a lightning bolt!
She didn't just fall; she descended like an avenging angel, a harbinger of righteous divine fury!
Her landing was not one of grace, but more of a pure, unadulterated force!
The impact cause the very ground she landed to cracked and buckled beneath her armored boots creating a crater several dozens feet in diameter!
Strong and forceful shockwaves generated from her impact washed over the crime scene causing the horde of perpetrators to stumble back!
Their smug confidence evaporating in an instant, replaced by the raw, primal fear of the unknown!
The blonde goddess rose from the dust with her emerald eyes burning with an divine wrath that promised nothing but unadulterated retribution!
Theseveral souls of the King of Knights inside her roared in righteous fury for the injustice that had occured in front of her!
THEY WILL BE AVENGE!
SHE WILL HAVE JUDGEMENT!
She briefly contemplated whether or not she'll use either Excalibur or Rhongomyniad on these pathetic excuses of walking carcasses!
But she relented…
THEY DON'T DESERVE TO WITNESS THE LIGHT OF HER WEAPONS!
Herfistsalone were enough to do the talking (STRENGTH LEVEL EX)!
The possible leader of the murders, the large gruff person with an axe, tried to regain his composure after witnessing the wrathful woman who just suddenly descended upon his group like a meteor!
"Who... who the hell are you?!" he stammered, raising his weapon defensively.
Artoria replied with a voice so cold that it seemed to make the very air around them still.
"YOUR DEATH."
With a speed that defied mortal comprehension, she moved like a blur.
The very world seemed to slow to a crawl for her.
In the span of a single heartbeat, she closed the twenty meter gap between herself and the leader.
Her fist, clad in gleaming divine steel gauntlet, shot out in a punch towards the man's chest.
The effect was CATASTROPHIC.
It was as if the man had been hit by a metalbattering rammoving at the speed of sound.
A dull thump echoed, followed by the grotesque explosive sound of bones and flesh blown into pieces!
The mangled corpse was then launched backwards like a ragdoll, flying over thirty meters before crashing into a large boulder with a sickening crunch.
The remains of the body slumping into a broken visceral heap.
PANIC ERUPTED.
The remaining criminals and murderers screamed and scattered, dropping their stolen goods and fleeing in sheer terror!
But there was no escape…for they had been judged by a god!
Artoria became a whirlwind of controlled destruction.
She moved like a phantom in a blur of silver armor and blue fabric.
One man went down with a single, precise kick to the head, his head blowing instantly splattering his neural remains into countless gory pieces!
Another was lifted into the air by a casual backhand and thrown into two of his fleeing companions, the three of them collapsing in a tangle of broken limbs!
One poor fool tried to jump on her with a knife, only for Artoria to grab his face and CRUSHED IT!
The Carnage went on and on!
The furious goddess didn't even broke a sweat.
It was less of a fight and more of a one sided bloody massacre!
But for the seething goddess it was nothing more than a pest extermination.
In less than ten seconds, it was over.
Thirty criminals in various unrecognizable states laid dead amongst the bodies of their victims.
There was silence all over, only to be interrupted by the whimpers of the two children and the gentle whisper of the wind.
Artoria stood amidst the carnage, bloody all over from the splattered remains of her victims.
She was heaving not from exertion, but from the surging, righteous fury that still pulsed through her entire being.
She slowly turned towards the huddled children, her harsh expression softening instantly as she looked at their terrified, tear-streaked forms.
There faces and little body mostly covered by a large blanket.
Being conscious about her current appearance, she performed a simple cleaning spell on her entire body, washing away the blood and grime from the improtu battle that had just happened.
She then took a gentle step forward, her massive otherworldly power now contained, causing her very presence to be as calming as a summer breeze.
"It is alright now little ones. I'm here. No one's gonna hurt you again…I promise." she said with warm and gentle voice which was stark contrast to the destructive tone she utilized just moment ago.
She gently removed the cloth that was hiding them, feeling no resistance when doing so…
And then she saw a sight that made her breath hitch and her heart ached.
She saw what looked like a 5 years old little girl with blonde hair that was almost a similar shade as compared to her, tied in a cute ponytail.
Her eyes were a light shade of blue, stained and moistened by tears.
She's wearing a cute white and blue frilly dress that appeared to have patches of dirt on it.
She's clutching an infant child that appears to be less than a year old with a fluffy tuft of blonde hair similar to the older child tied in two adorable pigtails.
The poor baby was sniffling, she probably crying nonstop throughout the entire ordeal.
The scene broke Artoria's heart and her once dormant maternal instinct that she had buried deep in her heart for the last five years, suddenly surged up when she saw the state of these two children.
As she stepped closer to them, she saw a dead body just a few paces away from them.
It belonged to woman that bored the same shade of blonde hair as the two children before them.
The woman had her throat slit with a large still bleeding gash on her stomach.
She had a broken sword at hand.
"She must be these children's mother. She probably died protecting them." Artoria said somberly.
That very thought alone made Artoria's divine blood boil once again.
Her anger towards those worthless piles of carcasses has increased tenfold!
Now, she felt that killing them with her armored fists was too merciful and that they should have suffered a much, MUCH CRUELER FATE!
'Maybe I can find a way to drag their blasted souls back from the afterlife and subject them to unfathomable eternal torture!' she contemplated.
But now, there were far more important matters at hand. Namely the safety of these two poor innocent souls before her!
She knelt down in front of them, her heavy armor making a soft clinking sound.
She gently removed her gauntlets and her bare hand before them, a gesture of peace.
The little girl flinched, but when her blue eyes fully met the strange lady's emerald gaze, all of her fears vanished.
Something clicked inside the mind of the child, as hereyes widen in recognition at the sight of her savior.
Something about the mysterious lady before her…seems familiar….
'Could she possibly be?'
"You're safe now little ones." Artoria repeated, her voice a soft murmur.
"I will not let anyone harm any of you. I promise."
She slowly, carefully, reached out and gently rested her hand on the girl's small shoulder.
The girl's trembling subsided in an instant, and the sniffling of the small infant in her arms ceased.
"My name is Artoria," she said with a motherly smile.
"What are your names, little ones?"
The little girl sniffled, her small voice trembling.
"He…hello ma'am, my…my name is Jean," she whispered.
"And... and this is my baby sister Barbara."
She looked down at the adorable baby, who was now staring up at Artoria with wide, curious eyes, her tears forgotten.
Artoria smiled, however deep down she froze.
'Wait a minute….J…Jean? Barbara? Aren't those the names of the Favonius characters from Mondstadt?!' Artoria panicked.
The Acting Grand Master/Master of the Knights of Favonius and the Deaconess/Idol of the Church of Favonius?!
Artoria looked closer and to her eternal shock and surprise, the two little angels before her DOES ACTUALLY LOOK LIKE THE CHARACTERS SHE ONCE PLAYED IN THE GAME…only this time though, they were more pint-size, utterly adorable and cute!
'Was...was I isekai'd during the wrong time period?!'
'Was I isekai'd to the past, years before the Traveler and Paimon even showed up?!'
'DEAR GOD, this changes everything! This can potentially change the course of this world's history!'
'IS THIS EVEN THE MAIN TIMELINE?!'
The weight of this revelation settled upon her like a crown heavier than any thing she had previously worn.
Her entire worldview was turned upside-down! This isn't about her new life anymore nor is it about her planned journey…
No, something MORE PRESSING is happening right before her eyes, and one wrong move might cause a catastrophicalteration that could potentially turn too big for even her to handle!
...…..
But….as irresponsible as it may sound, for her, none of those things matter right now.
For her….as someone who had once been a mother, the most important thing right now is the safety of this two children, possibly orphaned children before her.
'Maybe their father is still alive somewhere. Probably waiting for them in Mondstadt City.' she thought to herself.
'What was his name again? Seamus Pegg?'
Regardless, the very sight of these two poor innocent souls made her heart ache…
A heart that had once belonged to a mother who lost her child due to her foolishness.
'Jean…she's even the same age as her before….before…'
Artoria stopped herself from delving deeper into that scarred past.
Powerful she may be, but that emotional scar from her past might be too much for her to bear right now especially that she's facing a careful yet monumental task.
"I will take you to a safe place little ones, don't worry." Artoria declared, her voice regaining its regal timbre.
"But before, there are some things I must do first."
Looking deep into the memories of her now merged existence, she recalled a myriad of spells, magecraft, that would best help with the situation.
Cleaning, Self-Mending…Preserving…these are the ones she needed the most right now.
"Sweeties, do like to see some magic?" Artoria asked as the eyes of the two children before her slightly widen in excitement.
With a flicker of her fingers a translucent bubble formed around the two sisters encapsulating them.
Then, like a miracle, all fatigue and even grime the covered their two precious little bodies began to fade away!
'Anti-fatigue and Self-cleaning spells, as Castoria would call them. Pretty useful in this situation.'
Artoria smiled as she looked at the now giggling little girls, particularly at Barbara who was now wiggling her tiny baby hands in joy!
"Now, stay here little ones. 'Auntie Ria' has some important things to do Okay?"
Artoria then proceeded to get up and walked towards the corpse of woman who now laid dead with a sword in her hand.
'If I recalled correctly, the name of Jean's and Barbara's mother is Frederica…"
"There's a high likelihood that this woman must be her, especially with the resemblance."
Artoria knelt down and carefully took the corpse of the fallen warrior into her arms, allowing the two children to at least witness their mother for one final time.
Yet, to her surprise something odd happened.
Jean upon witnessing the body of her supposed mother, simply turn away. Barbara too, stopped giggling and scrambled closer to her elder sister, hugging her.
'Strange? Why did they reacted like that?' Artoria wondered.
That was not a normal reaction that any child should exhibit, especially towards their parents.
Something must be wrong.
But regardless, she must first atleast perform the somber task of providing one last act of dignity to the innocent lives who had fallen that afternoon.
Artoria proceeded to gather the victims body one by one.
Some had their limbs hacked, while there was one man who's head had been cut off.
"Despicable wretches!" she growled in anger at the victims of her earlier rampage, the soulless murderers who had committed this vile act!
She continued to gather everyone…every piece of them and carefully laid them on the side of the road.
There were about a total of 15 victims, including Frederica.
Six women and eight men. Probably household staffs or servants.
Artoria then performed both 'Self-mending spell' and a 'Preservation spell' which not only stitched up the body parts that were torn but also reconstructed the victims appearances before they met their gruesome end.
One act of kindness, from the living to the deceased.
She then conjured 15 white shrouds and carefully laid them over each of the victims.
And when all was finally covered she conjured two final spells.
The first one created a bed of flowers around the bodies of the fallen, while the second created a sort of protective barrier - a small bounded field that would preserve their bodies from decay and prevent any wild animals from scavenging them.
Artoria then silently offered some prayers for the victims.
Praying to any other gods that might hear her that their souls would find eternal peace.
When Artoria finished her task, she then turned her attention to the mangled carcasses of the murders who had perpetrated the massacre.
"Even in death, you fools DO NOT DESERVE AN OUNCE OF RESPECT AND DIGNITY!" She growled
She then walked to the nearest killer, or rather to the nearest torso of the killer….
….and proceeded to KICK IT towards an open patch of grass several yards away.
She began doing the same act in all that was left of the killers.
She didn't use her hands, she used her armored heeled-boots. Kicking and even occasionally grinding what was left of them.
She funneled her seething rage towards those murders in this undignified act.
Finally after, after less than 10 minutes of kicking and punting all 30 remains into that one open patch of land, Artoria pointed her right index finger towards the pile of corpses….
…..and proceeded to BLAST THEM OUT OF EXISTENCE with a light-based attack similar to that of a laser!
It was the same attack she used earlier that day against a giant Boulder near a Hilichurl camp.
The attack OBLITERATED what remained of the murdering gang. Instantly turning their corpses into ashes that were then subsequently scattered in the wind.
"Good riddance."
With her anger satiated, and the remains of the victims carefully placed by the roadside, Artoria proceeded to walk back to the two children, who thankfully were not looking at the blatant disrespectful act she just did with a bunch of corpses.
She then cancelled out her previous erected bounded field and carefully scooped up both children into her arms with a grace that belied her armor.
She cradled Barbara close to her chest, with the little baby girl immediately snuggling unto her.
Jean, without any signs of resistance, clung to her, burying her little face unto Artoria's the blue hoodie which smelled faintly of ozone and something impossibly ancient and clean.
The somewhat intimate touch and contact of the two children lit the warm maternal fire in Artoria's heart.
A fire that she thought was all but snuffed out more than 5 years ago.
The memories of her past lives, not just the ones she had back on Earth but also from the souls that now shared her being, steadily resurfaced.
Memories of young woman who was told that she's having a baby.
Memories of an arduous pregnancy, with no partner to stood by her.
Memories of her daughter's birth, a the subsequent smile she made after hearing her first cry.
Even memories….of a young rebellious knight, who only craved for attention and recognition….a young knight in red, who has the same exact face as her.
The pain, the regret, the aching emptiness of the bonds that were been broken before they could even fully bloom.
All were swirling within her, actively reminding her of her losses. The very sins that she had to endure.
But now, holding these two small, fragile lives in her arms, Artoria felt something she never thought was still possible.
A fierce, protective love that surged through her with the force of a tidal wave.
For all the wrongs she had done, for all the sufferings she had endured, that fierce spark of maternal love….
Speaks to her….
Calls to her….
Away from the gaze of the two wards she now held closely in her arms, Artoria began to silently shed tears.
'Is this my chance? A second chance to right the wrongs of my past?'
'To be the guardian I had never been, the protector I had always aspired to be?'
'To…to be the mother, I could never be?'
She looked at the bodies she had perfectly placed by the roadside over a bed of flowers, a grim reminder of the reality and fragility of this world.
But she also saw the city of Mondstadt in the distance, a beacon of freedom and hope, especially for these two children who had now clung to her like a lifeline.
Without a second thought, the King of Knights, the Once and Future King, the Displaced Goddess from another world, MADE HER DECISION….
SHE HAD MADE HER CHOICE.
She would take them there, to their city.
She would find their father or any other relatives who she would deemed willing to care for them.
And if need be....if no one else would be willing…
SHE WOULD RAISE THEM AS HER OWN!
She would give them the life they deserved, a life of love and safety, a life free from the horrors she had endured.
With that simple decision, her plans for a life of glorious adventure were over before they had even begun.
The Goddess Rhongomyniad, the King of Knights, had found a new purpose.
She would be a guardian.
She would strive to be a good role model.
She would once again…be a mother.
She turned her back from the dead, her gaze now fixed towards the city of wind and song.
With two children secured in her arms, she began her walk towards the City of Mondstadt.
She was now goddess with a heart once again filled with maternal love, ready to face whatever challenges this new life had in store.
She didn't know what the future now holds, especially now that she had thrown herself into the story, like a wretch thrown into an ensemble of clockwork gears.
But for the first time since she had awoken in this strange new world, she felt a sense of peace, a sense of belonging, especially now that she held these two most precious children in her arms.
She, after a very long time, now felt at home.
____________________
Its cold….it has always been cold as far as the little girl can remember.
Ever since she was old enough to think, little Jean had always viewed her life as dull, grey and cold.
She lived in a big mansion far from the outskirts of the city. It was bigger than anything she had seen before, apart from the city's Cathedral and the Knights of Favonius headquarters.
Yet, the mansion itself was always dreary, cold and occasionally dusty.
The several maids and servants who served within it always wore an apathetic and hallowed out expressions, like they didn't even like their jobs.
The vast gardens surrounding the mansion were so…. desolated.
The little girl had heard that it was once filled with rows upon rows of apple trees, an orchard cared for by her great, great grandfather and grandmother.
But sadly, the great garden or orchard was now but a shadow of its former self.
But the 'coldest' person…the coldest thing the little girl had ever encountered was none other than her so called mother, the one many addressed as Frederica.
Frederica, or 'dear mother' as Jean was forced to call her, had a very icy and unapologetic personality.
She would rarely give any attention to Jean let alone her youngest daughter Barbara, other than just asking for their current whereabouts inside the mansion.
The only times Jean would see her were during the morning when she would depart to work, and during the evenings when she arrived back.
For the little noble child, her mother was always cold, but not this cold.
Things got worse about a year ago, just days after Jean's fourth birthday, when Jean's father, a promising young priest and former adventurer named Seamus Pegg was killed in an accident, when his carriage fell off a cliff during one stormy afternoon.
Frederica's already icy demeanor turned frigid after hearing her husband's demise. It did not help that the noble woman was pregnant at that time with her second child, the one who will be named Barbara.
In hindsight, Frederica and Seamus relationship towards one another wasn't the best.
The couple would constantly bicker with one another over mundane things.
Frederica would often accuse her husband of spending more time in the church than at home, while Seamus, on the other hand would often point out Frederica's overzealous commitment to her work as a sword instructor and captain of the Knights of Favonius.
The two would quarrel back and forth throughout the night, not knowing the profound impact their fights had to their daughter, Jean.
And as the months go by after the passing of Seamus, life inside the Gunnhildr mansion remained dull and hard as ever, especially for its now two young occupants.
Throughout most of the day, Jean would usually be seen playing alone in her room.
The little girl wasn't even allowed to go out in the gardens, for Frederica had forbade it.
She would often read books and play with worned out toys that according to the head maid belonged to her mother.
The nurse maids often bring a fuzzy and crying Barbara to Jean whose presence alone was enough to calm the often needy infant.
The two sister would then enjoy the company of one another, with Jean reading some story books to her babbling baby sister.
Sleep was measured, and must be enforced on time, as per Frederica's instructions.
Jean would be all alone in her bed, with the darkness eventually lulling her to sleep.
But baby Barbara had it worst.
Separated from her sister, the maids would often give up trying to lull the often crying baby to sleep.
They would often just leave the helpless crying infant alone in her crib.
The exhaustion from her near constant crying would often be the sole reason that would cause the little baby eventually fall asleep.
It was miserable existence.
The two little girls continued to endure but for how long?
Just as all hope seemed lost for the two children, a mysterious whimsical visitor arrived in their mansion, opening a bright new door for the two young Gunnhildr heiresses.
About a month after Barbara was born, a mysterious blond-haired lady with long sharp ears, wearing ared colored dress and a large hallowed out objectthat somewhat resembled a hat, came to visit their mansion.
The mysterious woman was accompanied by Frederica on a tour around Mondstadt, and she introduced herself as Alice.
When Alice saw the dreary state of the children, she secretly gave them hope….in a form of a story book.
"This my Little Jean is a book pertaining the tale of a brave young mage from a far distant land who was once casted out of her home filled with fairies, for being unable to wield the most basic of powers!"
"She was actually a friend of mine! I actually met her during one of my earlier travels abroad when I was still young." Alice foundly remembered.
"Even in just a short span of time, the two of us quickly became the best of friends! She's the one to first taught me about magic spells, the ones that do not rely on the usage of elemental energies."
"She even taught me how to make Pipe Bombs! Thanks to her, my mind and heart were opened to the wonders of explosions! Buuutttt her Pipe Bombs were a bit crude in appearance, totally unappealing!
"Hence I created my own patented Dodoco bombs!"
"Yes! You hear that Alcas?! My Dodoco bombs are much cuter than your precious Pipe bombs!" Alice shouted momentarily remembering her friendly dispute with her friend about the nature and practicality of bombs!
Noticing the confused expression of her sole audience, Alice recomposed herself and began retelling her tale.
"Ummm..anyways, my friend and I had a wonderful time together. Though unfortunately we had to part ways, especially after she undertook an arduous journey for the sake of her people."
Alice momentarily paused as she looked over the window with a nostalgic expression.
"I wonder where she is right now…my dearest friend. I've heard rumors from my numerous subsequent journeys that she pulled a sword and became a King.
"There were other rumors too that mentioned her establishing an eternal kingdom of sorts somewhere, yet those rumors were nothing more but rumors and I cannot even verify their authenticity."
'Hey come on Alcas! Just tell me your real name! Please, pretty please!'
'I said no Alice! We fairies have a strick rule not to tell our true name until we come of age! So you just have to wait!'
Alice took a deep breath, as if trying to prevent herself from shedding a tear.
"If she were here, my little coven would have one more active member. Her abilities would truly be of great help especially with all the bad things that had been happening around right now."
Alice then looked back at Jean and smiled.
"I made this book in honor of her. It describes our journey together. I also included those rumors involving her, anything to keep my dearest friend's memory alive."
Alice then handed the book to Jean, with the little girl gently receiving it.
"This book is entitled, The Fairy Knight's Journey. Read it well little one, for my friend's story never fails to inspire those who were deep in despair."
Alice careful look over Jean's feature and then let out a hearty chuckle.
"You know my little listener, your face kinda reminds me of her. Yours greatly resembles that of her, the only thing that is off is the eye color!"
"Maybe, you're actually a child of her, brought here in Teyvat through some unknown means hahaha!"
Alice joking laugh at the absurdity of the thought….
Not knowing that her very last words, which were meant to be a joke were interpreted by the small child before her in a very different way.
A child who was desperately seeking the love and comfort of a mother….a true mother.
Thus the seeds of doubt, began to grow in the little girl's mind and heart.
Ever since that encounter, Jean would always be seen carrying that story book wherever she goes.
She would often be found reading through all its chapters and would often share the story with her baby sister, who in turn, would babble happily about the tale, as if the little infant understood its words!
But the most profound impact the storybook had with the child was its alteration of the child's concept of parental origin.
Due to the hope that it brought and the life she had experience, Jean started to believe that the person being portrayed in the story was none other than her actual real mother….
The Fairy Knight, Alcas.
The little girl started to address the character Alcas as her 'Mama', silently when she's alone.
During the night when she's all alone in her dimly lighted room, she would often speak to the book as if believing that it would somehow bring her words to her 'Mama'.
She started to believe that like her Mama, she too was brought to the mansion when she was still a baby, inside a basket!
She believed that her elusive Mama was still on a sort of dangerous journey and that she had to leave her and her sister Barbara within the care of her friend's (Alice) friend, Frederica.
And she ultimately believed that ONE DAY, HER MAMA WOULD RETURN and they would be a family again!
However, that was not the strangest thing that had occured…
Every night Little Jean would dream of her, and the dream would always be the same.
In a vast field of verdant grass and flowers, her Mama would be seen opening her arms as the little girl would run towards her for a tender embrace.
She would often tell her Mama about her day, and about how Frederica and the maids had always been cold and mean to her and baby sister Barbara.
Those dreams that she encounters every night, would always give Jean so much hope, especially that they all end in the same heartfelt manner.
They would always end with apromise.
"My precious daughter, someday, I will be with you. I promise."
Jean would always cling to that promise. Even if it only occured in her dreams.
To her innocent heart and soul, that promise was worth more than all the Mora in the world!
It was a promise that kept her going even in the darkest of times.
And to her surprise, she would not have to wait long…
One day, Frederica brought her and her sister on a journey to Springvale to check on some 'clan related stuff'.
They stayed in that rustic village for 2 days before heading back to their mansion.
On the last day however, Jean accidentally lost her book, her most precious book about her Mama.
The little girl frantically searched the entire logging house only to find it thrown in some well hidden garbage bin.
When Jean went back to the carriage, she saw Frederica with a furious look in her face.
"YOU BRAT! WHAT TOOK YOU SO LONG?! OUR RETURN TRIP HAD BEEN DELAYED FOR ALMOST AN HOUR BECAUSE OF YOUR IRRESPONSIBLE ACTION!" The Gunnhildr matriarch shouted causing the little five year old to tremble in fear as tears began to well in her eyes.
"But….but…my book.."
"THAT BOOK? Why do you even have that book in the first place?! A scion of the Gunnhildr Clan, much more so a daughter of mine should not spend her time dwelling on fairy tales!"
Frederica marched forward and much to Jean's horror, snatched the book from her daughter's hands and threw it to the mud.
"Nooooo!" Screamed the little girl as she threw herself to the muddy ground in order to recover her most precious possession.
The drama that was unfolding caused a commotion that ultimately lead Barbara who was inside the carriage to began wailing frantically, further inducing a headache to Frederica's now soured demeanor.
"Jean, get up this instant!"
The irrated matriarch dragged the little girl now covered in grime towards the carriage.
"MAMA! MAMA! MAMA!!!" Jean desperately cried out as she tried in vain to get her book back.
"SHUT UP! DIDN'T I TOLD YOU TO CALL ME 'MOTHER' INSTEAD OF USING THOSE RIDICULOUSLY POOR NAMES?! YOUR A CHILD OF THE GUNNHILDR CLAN, A NOBILITY OF MONDSTADT! YOU HAVE TO ACT LIKE ONE!"
Frederica then hastily threw her daughter inside the carriage before locking it.
She then went into the back and picked up the now muddy story book.
"Heh, Fairy Tales. In this world, only martial prowess and honored lineage matters not some unrealistic fantasy!" She said as she looked at the dirty book with disdain.
"You, didn't I ordered you yesterday to throw this garbage away somewhere my daughter wouldn't be able to find it?! Now look what your incompetence has done!"
Frederica screamed at a poor servant before she ordered one final damning move.
"BURN IT!"
Frederica threw the book towards the servant who then hastily dozed it with oil and lit it on fire, all the while Jean was seen desperately crying for her precious book, banging the windows of the carriage as she saw her only connection to her Mama burn to ashes.
With the final pages of the book burned into oblivion, Frederica ordered her entire Caravan to depart, not knowing that the journey ahead of them would be their last.
Inside the carriage, with only her little sister and a wet nurse by her side, Little Jean became an inconsolable mess.
Her book, her most priceless book. The book about her Mama's life was now gone.
"Mama…*sniff*...Mama…."
Her only source of hope…
Her only source of love…
Taken and burned infront of her very eyes.
It was the saddest moment of her young life…
.....
However, little did anyone know, the great wheels of the vast cosmic force known as FATE had began to turn at that very moment.
The little girl's sadness would not last for long, for the vast incomprehensible forces that govern the very complex machinations of existence, had decided at that very moment to grant that little child, the declining nation she's living in and the very world she inhabited a miracle…
A TRUE MIRACLE!
A miracle born from the serendipity of fate itself and the usage of the forces considered by practitioners from a particular reality as 'True Magic'.
The book, the very book that the child had held so dearly in her heart became aworld changing catalyst….
The catalyst that called forth an immeasurable force, a unique existence unlike anything that had graced that planet since its creation!
A being, a person, a goddess formed from the souls of so many, brought together by chance, and united through sheer act of providence!
Soon, the girl and her sister will no longer shed tears of sadness, for at that same day, at that same moment, on the other side of Mondstadt, the Fairy Knight, the Lioness, the mother that they had been waiting for so long had finallyarrived!
(End of Part Two: To be continued)
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