" あなたは怒っていますか？"
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A young man with pitch-black hair, his bangs covering one of his silver like eyes. Over his shoulders was a dark cloak, with the hood covering his head. He stood in the marble office of a scholar, lazily flipping across a book.

Having been conscious for months, he had grown tired of staying in Sumeru. The blank vision hanging from his hip flashed the abyss, before returning to its pure state.

"Hello, Cyno." He blandly greeted the lancer of Sumeru heritage, his red-orange eyes glaring daggers him. The man was sitting on Cyno's seat, reading one of his books, as he owned them. It was obviously annoying to the Polearm user, as he released a tired sigh.

"What are you doing here, Noir?" Cyno asked, but the man merely leaned back on his chair. He ignored the clear indication that Cyno wanted him gone.

"How cruel~.... I'll be leaving for Monstadt in the dawn, so why must you be so mean to this humble peasant?" Noir pouted, resting his arms and head on the desk.

Cyno scoffed. The one in front of him was no commoner but a diety long forgotten. He just insisted on being lazy, while the rest of Teyvat held the possibility of a war between the archons once more. Although he could not easily despise him, as Noir had every reason to lay low. His lack of power and weakened state was worrying for the sustainer of balance.

"What is your reason to venture to the city of freedom?"

"It has been a while since I felt Barbatos's Gnosis taken, by the Tsaritsa of all people too. I've gained enough power and am able to leave now." He stated bluntly slowly standing up. His pure white turned into obsidian bearing the mark of Sceo. Ribbons of shadows wrapped around his arm forming a claw over it.

"You do not need to worry about this lowly Commoner." Noir smiled, walking past the grey-haired man as if he was a ghost gliding across the room.

"May the Dendro Archon watch over that lazy God...." Cyno whispered, worried about the man that had just left. Months did he dwell under him, to only leave him confused and curious about the topic of himself.

.

"Barbatos would surely skewer me if I just appeared out of nowhere." He grumbled appearing in the outskirts of the Wolvendom. He stared at the ruins that were once old Monstadt, now known as Stormterror's Lair. Dvalin flew over the vast sky, surely the dragon of the east would be able to sense him...or rather a bearer of his element. His raven hair turned into its opposite, a snowy white.

Ironically it contrasted to his name, Noir, which meant black. "Maybe I should change my name to Blanc...." He chuckled but he knew that he would stay as Noir. Trudging across the forest of wolves, none of them were able to sense him. He was merely a shadow under the shade.

strong winds blew past him, carrying an aura all too familiar. His surrogate vision and divine aura dispersed leaving a normal Mortal in his stead. To avoid suspicion who summoned his sword, seemingly frightened of the sudden power he witnessed.

As a teal glow erupted, a bard clad in green frantically searched around himself, until his cerulean orbs landing on the alarmed albino boy. He met familiar silver eyes, jumping to conclusions.

"Astaroth?" He asked, but the boy's face scrunched up. Unlike the Astaroth he knew, this boy was young and cautious, very much different.

"Who?" Noir asked the strange bard. Upon further inspection, Venti didn't sense any kind of godly aura or gnosis...he was just that good at hiding it.

"AHAHA~ Forgive this foolish bard traveler. I had mistaken an old friend of this stranger." Venti bowed in apology but the tone of disappointment laced his voice. Noir tilted his head curiously, retracting his blade.

"A bard? From the city of Mond then, perhaps you could guide me there." He suggested, pointedly staring at the bard. Venti flinched slightly at the strict tone and expecting stare, laughing awkwardly. He complied, the least he could do for alarming the stranger.

"I am Venti the bard. Pray, tell what is this good sir's name?"

Venti was half hoping that the boy's name was even close to Astaroth in any way.

"Noir." An odd name, but Venti smiled sadly. It had no similarities to the name Astaroth, not even close.

Idiot...the name Noir could be pertaining to that of my power over darkness. Noir sighed, following the bard to the city of dandelions. As they stepped in the city walls, Noir felt the winds of freedom dance around him, acting as if he was awed. He had visited the city numerous of times, but the renovations were simply marvelous in his opinion.

"Good sir, may I ask where you hail?" Venti asked anothe question. He was very much curious of the stranger, wanting know more, incase his speculations were false.

"I came from Sumeru but I'm a Sne-" Cutting himself of, Noir fell silent giving the bard a nervous look. It made Venti more curious.

"I'm a Snezhnayan."

Venti's eyes went wide. The disappointment came crashing down at the mans origins.

"Although- I was born in Snezhnaya, I was not raised there. My family is of travelers, so I was brought along in their journey." He explained, avoiding any such misunderstanding and any relation to the fatui. There were those travelers who had families come along with them, it was not impossible for such an occurance.

Venti although still gloomy that this stranger was not an old friend, couldn't help but feel enraptured. His eyes were to alike to the god he once and still call friend, but his strict and cautious demeanor contrasted to the often easy-going and slightly lazy Astaroth.

Under the cloak he wore, a glass orb flashed in Venti's eyes. The color of obsidian covered the orb, startling the Archon, hope brewed inside him until his eyes focused on Noir's belt. There was nothing there. Venti forwned, had he imagined the vision hanging from the boy's be? He hoped not.

Venti took the time to tour Noir around the city, greeting some citizens who recognized him as the best bard in Mond. Venti found himself enjoying the company of the quiet stranger, who somehow kept asking questions of the city he was so proud of. Noir easily noticed the several changes in mond, which included the absent tower that was created during the Aristrocrat Era. He was delighted know that it was torn down, rather then making it a monument. He would have ordered his shadows to bring it down if he was allowed.

"Thank you...for being a guide, Venti." Noir emphasized his name, but the bard didn't notice. He was to delighted singing tunes of his own, to not mention the shadows moving behind Noir. It made the albino haired boy frown that Venti was quite ignorant.

"Perhaps we could get ourselves a drink some time! I know a place that serves great dandelion wine." Venti grinned, gesturing to the direction of the best tavern in Monstadt. It was still noon but there were many customers hoarding the tavern. "Angel's share is the best in Mond. The wine is especially good when Master Diluc is managing the bar."

A single name caused Noir to be interested.

"I'm Diluc Ragnvindr."

So that little boy has finally grown... A faint smile etched on to his lips, reminiscing the memory of the Muratan descendant.

"I'll...think about it. Now, I must retire, my journey from Sumeru has been tiring." He sighed, trudging to the inn they passed by. The thought of Angel's share piqued his interest, lingering in his thoughts until he crashed on to the bed.

"Shame...Murata got to him first." He grumbled. His silver eyes glowed contorting the shadows around him. The city of Mond by no means had any disturbances, ever since he came to know that Dvalin has returned and Stomrterror was vanquished but there was an unknown entity walking in the City of Dandelions.

"Nyx." He whispered and a black snake crawled up his arm. It's ghostly eyes could easily scare others, but to Noir, it was a comfort.

"Find the unknown entity. Make it quick." The snake hissed, vanishing into the shadows and into the city.

As noir slept, his concious was transferred to the snake, named Nyx. He felt an oddly familiar presence, stopping to see a blonde girl clad in purple. A raven, one that spoke flew beside her and a bond had surrounded them.

"Midnight, Phantasmagoria!" The girl yelled transferring he conscious to her raven and both flew over the city.

'Midnight Phantasmagoria.... So She's Amelia's Descendant.'

Nyx continued to slither across the city until she stopped at a blonde-haired boy. Noir nearly jolted at the sight of him, he looked all to similar to an acquintance of his. One he had met many centuries ago, when he awoke once again.

"Why in Celestia's name is the princess's brother in Mond?"