Genshin Impact:The one who likes to observe

The sky stretched endlessly above Liyue, vast and untamed.

Theo sat atop Cloud Retainer's—no, Xianyun's—back, the wind rushing past him, carrying the crisp scent of mountain air.

Neither of them spoke.

For a long moment, there was only silence.

Then, finally, Xianyun broke it.

"Where would you like me to drop you off? Qingyun Peak?"

Theo's brain immediately screamed in protest.

"HELL NO."

Qingyun Peak was an even bigger death trap than Mt. Aocang.

Steep cliffs. Ridiculously hard-to-navigate terrain.

And worst of all—

Moon Carver was probably there.

If he ran into the real Moon Carver…

His entire lie would be exposed.

And then?

Game over.

"I'd rather get struck by Raiden Shogun's Musou no Hitotachi than risk that."

Thinking fast, Theo pointed randomly at the ground below.

"You can just drop me here."

Xianyun tilted her head slightly.

"Huh? Not at Qingyun Peak?"

Theo forced a confident grin, masking the sheer panic inside.

"Uhm! My master told me to always work out, so climbing down by myself will help me build muscle little by little. It's like training!"

To make it more believable, he even flexed his arm slightly.

"Come on, buy it, buy it, buy it—"

Xianyun hummed thoughtfully.

"That is… an unusual method. But I suppose Moon Carver has always had strange ways of teaching."

Theo nearly cried tears of relief.

"Holy shit, she actually bought it."

"Very well," Xianyun said, beginning her descent.

Theo silently celebrated.

He was finally free.

Or so he thought.

Because the next thing he knew—

She was diving.

FAST.

"Wait, WAIT—WHY IS SHE SPEEDING UP?!"

The wind slammed into him like a truck, his stomach twisting as the world blurred past.

Theo clutched onto her feathers for dear life.

"OH SHIT—"

With unnatural speed, Xianyun swooped down toward the mountains, heading straight for a ledge.

And before Theo could even process what was happening—

She flipped.

And let go.

"AHHHHHH—"

Theo plummeted through the air.

"SHE DROPPED ME?! THIS DAMN OLD BIRD—"

The ground rushed closer and closer.

He barely had time to think—

CRASH!

Theo hit the ground with a loud THUD, rolling uncontrollably before coming to a stop on his back.

Everything hurt.

"…Ow."

Xianyun landed gracefully beside him, completely unfazed.

"See? Now you have a proper workout."

Theo groaned.

"Yeah, sure. If breaking every bone in my body counts as a workout."

Still—he survived.

That was all that mattered.

With a grunt, he pushed himself up, brushing off the dirt and mentally noting never to trust an Adeptus again.

Xianyun observed him for a moment before speaking.

"If you are Moon Carver's disciple, then I assume you know how to reach his domain from here?"

Theo froze.

Shit.

Of course, she'd ask that.

His mind scrambled for an answer.

"Say something, dumbass!"

"Uh—y-yeah! Of course! I know exactly where to go!"

Xianyun gave him a slow, measuring look.

"...Do you?"

Theo laughed awkwardly.

"W-Well, I might have… forgotten the exact path! You know, memory and all, haha… But I can figure it out!"

Xianyun sighed. "Hah… What a troublesome disciple you are."

Theo's eye twitched.

"Lady, you have NO idea."

She studied him for another second before speaking.

"I will not interfere in your journey. But if you ever find yourself in need, you may seek my guidance again."

Theo blinked.

Wait.

Did she just… acknowledge him?

Like, for real?

Guilt hit him like a rock.

"Damn… I kind of feel bad for lying now."

But not bad enough to confess.

"Of course, Xianyun! I'll keep that in mind!" He gave a respectful bow, hiding the fact that he was planning to disappear the moment she left.

Xianyun nodded before stepping back.

"Then, farewell."

With a single powerful beat of her wings, she ascended into the sky.

Theo waited until she was just a speck in the distance—

Then immediately turned the other way.

"Time to RUN."

His plan?

Get as far away as possible.

Preferably to Mondstadt.

Or Inazuma.

Or literally anywhere Moon Carver wasn't.

But as he was about to move—

A rustling sound came from behind him.

Theo froze.

Slowly, he turned around—

And his heart stopped.

A group of Hilichurls stood there.

Watching him.

Their red eyes glowed ominously, their wooden clubs resting on their shoulders.

Theo gulped.

"Oh, come on."

Then, the biggest one—the Mitachurl wielding an **axe—**took a step forward.

And roared.

Theo's brain short-circuited.

"HELL NAH—"

Without thinking, he turned on his heel and sprinted.

"WHY IS IT ALWAYS ONE THING AFTER ANOTHER?!"

He ran until—

Suddenly, a solid wall appeared in front of him.

Theo skidded to a stop.

"Well, well… whose luck is this?"

His panicked expression shifted.

His breathing steadied.

His stance changed.

Then—

He dashed straight toward the wall.

At the last moment, he kicked off the surface, twisting his body mid-air—

Before turning to face the Hilichurls head-on.

His eyes locked onto the sharpshooter first.

Target acquired.

With lightning-fast reflexes, he lunged forward, grabbing the Hilichurl's head and yanking it away from the others.

Theo dragged the struggling enemy further and further—until they were separated from the group.

The Hilichurl thrashed, trying to escape—

But Theo's fingers tightened.

Then, he said:

"Hmmm..."

With a sharp, calculated twist—

CRACK.

The Hilichurl went limp.

Theo blinked.

"Whoa. Their necks are pretty sturdy. What kind of workout do they do?"

Suddenly, the Hilichurl's body vanished into nothingness.

Theo's eyes narrowed.

"I see… it's just like the game. But no item drops, huh? I understand now."

Before he could process further—

The Mitachurl roared, lifting a flaming axe.

Theo's eye twitched.

"Uhh… isn't that kinda unfair? And where the hell did that Pyro Slime even come from?!"

The Mitachurl swung.

Theo dodged, barely avoiding the flames.

His breath came ragged.

His hands ached.

His legs burned.

And yet—

A wild grin spread across his face.

"Well then…"

He cracked his knuckles.

"Let's see what I can really do."

(To be continued)

(Author's Note: Seems like it will continue in another chapter…

Just kidding, there's actually more below.)

The flaming axe swung toward Theo in a deadly arc.

"Oh, hell no—"

He ducked, barely avoiding the searing flames. Heat licked at his skin as the Mitachurl's axe slammed into the ground, scorching the earth beneath it.

Theo staggered back, eyes darting between the remaining Hilichurls and the raging Mitachurl.

"Damn… I'm outnumbered."

He needed a plan. Fast.

Then, his gaze landed on one of the club-wielding Hilichurls.

A grin spread across his face.

"Let's test something."

He bent down, grabbed a rock from the ground, and chucked it at the Mitachurl.

The rock bounced off the creature's helmet with a dull thud.

The Mitachurl growled, clearly annoyed.

But instead of attacking Theo—

It bent down and picked up a Pyro Slime from the ground.

Theo's eyes twitched.

"Uhh… where the hell did that Pyro Slime come from? I literally didn't see that on the ground before!"

The Mitachurl fused the slime with its axe, flames roaring to life as the weapon burned even hotter.

Theo clicked his tongue.

"Oh, come on! That's cheating!"

The Mitachurl roared and took a stance.

Theo's instincts screamed at him to move.

The giant spun in place, swinging its flaming axe like a deadly tornado.

Theo backpedaled fast.

"Nope. Nope. That's definitely dangerous."

Thinking quickly, he grabbed the nearest Hilichurl by the arm—

And threw it straight at the spinning Mitachurl.

POOF!

The Hilichurl was instantly obliterated.

Theo blinked.

Then, he smirked.

"Oh? That actually worked?"

Without hesitation, he grabbed another Hilichurl.

"And stay away from me!"

FLING.

POOF.

Another one down.

He grabbed a third and hurled it straight into the Mitachurl's axe.

POOF.

The Mitachurl suddenly stopped spinning.

Theo narrowed his eyes.

"Wait. It stopped? Did it just realize I was using it to kill its allies?"

The Mitachurl turned to him slowly, its red eyes burning with rage.

Theo swallowed.

"Yep. It definitely figured it out."

The last remaining Hilichurl beside him backed away slowly.

Theo sighed.

"Well, might as well finish the job."

Before it could react, Theo grabbed the Hilichurl by the wrist, spun in place, and launched it into a nearby stone wall.

CRACK!

The Hilichurl went limp, vanishing into nothingness.

Theo dusted off his hands and nodded.

"That works too."

Now, only the Mitachurl remained.

The towering creature let out a low, menacing growl.

Theo stretched his arms.

"Alright, big guy. Just you and me now."

The Mitachurl gripped its axe tightly, eyes locked onto him.

Theo exhaled slowly.

Then, the Mitachurl charged.

Its flaming axe swung down, aimed straight at Theo's head.

Theo's eyes widened.

"Shit!"

He stepped back—

Only to hit a wall.

His heart sank.

"I'm dead."

The burning blade descended toward him—

Theo dropped to the ground, crouching low.

CRACK!

The axe slammed into the wall, embedding deep into the stone.

Theo stared at the massive blade just inches away from his face.

Then, he grinned.

"Well, guess I'll end it here, huh?"

In one swift motion, he jumped off the wall, using it as leverage.

Landing on top of the Mitachurl's axe, he pressed his weight down.

The weapon loosened from the stone.

Before the Mitachurl could react, Theo lunged onto its massive arm, grabbing onto its wrist.

The Mitachurl snarled, trying to shake him off.

But Theo was already moving.

"Mind if I borrow this?"

He gripped the flaming axe, using the momentum to swing his body.

Mid-air, he twisted vertically, spinning like a corkscrew—

And hurled the axe straight down.

SLASH!

The burning blade sliced clean through the Mitachurl's chest.

The creature let out a final growl—

Before vanishing into nothingness.

Theo landed on the ground with a grunt.

The impact sent a sharp pain through his legs.

"Dammit… I think I messed up my landing."

His hands ached. His breathing was unsteady.

Then—

"Bluergh—"

He vomited.

"Ugh… swinging my body like that was a terrible idea."

With a sigh, Theo leaned his back against the wall, closing his eyes.

A tired smile crossed his lips.

"Well… at least I survived."

His body felt weak. Every limb screamed in protest.

Yet—

A thought crossed his mind.

"Guess all those years of military training and martial arts actually paid off."

He chuckled.

Then, he frowned.

"But damn… this body is so fragile."

He stared up at the sky, watching the clouds drift lazily.

His vision blurred slightly. His exhaustion finally caught up to him.

"Maybe… I should rest for a bit."

His eyes fluttered shut.

And just like that—

He drifted into unconsciousness.

(To Be Continued•••)