Chapter Text
In all his years as a Fatuus, Mezzetino had seen many strange, inexplicable things. But this? This was a whole other level of strange.
It started as a normal expedition, up into the mountains in the North of Snezhnaya. There were reports from the locals that something was bothering the laylines, and so as the Fatui’s elemental specialist Mezzetino had set out to see what was going on. Il Dottore had offered to send a segment with him - apparently his latest line of research had him looking into the laylines. Stepping on Mezzetino’s toes at every possible moment more like - but thankfully he’d managed to turn the good Doctor down.
Looking at the sight before him he couldn’t decide if he regretted that decision or not.
The moment he’d set foot on the mountain he’d felt the layline disturbance, unsurprising given that even the visionless locals had noticed it. It seemed to be caused by something in the sky, not that Mezzetino could tell what exactly it was, but it needed cleansing regardless. He and his men had quickly set up camp whilst scouts hurried around, finding the exact perimeter of the disturbed area. It was bigger than expected and Mezzetino felt a surge of annoyance at the realisation he’d have to stay overnight to get it all cleared away. Still, it needed doing and so with a sigh he began his work.
Identify the area. Temporarily seal off the laylines so the disturbance can’t spread. Then start untangling the mess of energies that had knotted themselves up. As he worked he felt a strange feeling of expectance. It wasn’t unusual for him to get a sense of what had twisted up the energies of the land, but this was the first time that they’d gotten knotted from expectation. What could they even be expecting anyways?
He found out a few hours later.
Between himself and his few trained agents, the majority of the elemental energy had been dispersed throughout the non-tangled laylines on the mountain by sunset, which left just the laylines themselves to deal with, far easier without the mess of elements attached to them. That job fell to Mezzetino alone however, so they broke for the evening. With any luck he could untangle them by lunchtime the next day and still make it back to Zapolyarny Palace by night. And so it was that he had just been served his evening meal that he received the news.
“Lord Harbinger, sir!” One of his personal attendants said as he rushed into the tent, taking a knee swiftly. A breach of protocol to barge in like that, but Mezzetino could overlook such things (unlike some of his colleagues), especially if the situation was urgent. Which it certainly seemed to be, based on his attendants rushed demeanour. He put down his spoon of Ukha, mildly annoyed at being interrupted.
“What is the matter, Grigory?” He asked, voice firm. “You may stand.”
Grigory stood up, and Mezzetino caught a slight twist of worry around his lips.
‘Strange.’ He thought. ‘What could possible worry him with a Harbinger here?’
“Sir, the scouts have reported what appears to be a falling star, heading straight for the camp.” Grigory reported, snapping his heels together. “I also saw it myself and can confirm their opinion that it will land near our camp, if not on top of it.”
A falling star huh? That was unusual. Mezzetino could see why Grigory was worried, but he was confident they’d be okay. After all, he wasn’t the Tenth of the Fatui Harbingers for nothing. So Mezzetino stood and followed Grigory out of his tent to the centre of their encampment. Lifting his head to the sky he took a moment to appreciate the dancing lights in the sky, the blues and greens he’d grown up under. In the midst of all that colour however, he saw it. A bright white speck, growing larger by the second. His men were right, it did seem to be on course for their encampment. Reaching his hands up he cast around for the elemental signal of the star swiftly approaching the ground. It should be simple enough to-
Wait.
What?
A shiver ran down his spine. He could sense the stars energy and yet, it wasn’t like any energy he’d ever felt before. In fact, the more he examined this strange feeling, the more convinced he became that whatever this was, it wasn’t of Teyvat.
And what an astounding thought that was! He knew about the False Sky, all the Harbingers did, and he was also aware of the fact that nothing was ever supposed to enter or leave the Firmament. And yet? Here was something that must have passed beyond the World’s Border! The thought was both exciting and terrifying at the same, and Mezzetino unconsciously clenched his jaw. This was going to be such a headache.
“Lord Mezzetino, sir?” Grigory interrupted his thought process, sounding a little more panicked than before. “Is everything alright?”
Mezzetino opened his eyes, not realising he’d shut them to picture the flow of foreign energy clearer. The star was much closer now, hence Grigory’s panic. Some of the agents around were murmuring a little, clearly concerned why their Lord Harbinger wasn’t acting yet. He rolled his eyes behind his mask, he’d find out later who had been doubting in him and have them sorted out. For now though… he traced a circle in the ground with his foot, the line beginning to glow with his signature geo colouration as he brought his arms around in a loop, tracing a sparkling line of energy in the air around him.
“Stand back Grigory.” He ordered, not needing to look to sense his attendant step out of the way. Mezzetino breathed deeply, eyes fluttering shut for a moment as he felt the energies of the world flow through him. He reached out to the laylines twisting and writhing somewhere beneath him, borrowing a little of their power with a silent thank you to Irminsul. With a snap of his arms upwards and his eyes flying open, a burst of geo energy shot from his hands as the circles he’d traced glowed even brighter. The blast was no mere physical manifestation, as other vision holders tended to use, but rather a concentrated beam of geo energy. It struck the falling star with an energetic explosion, the ensuing blast knocking the star off course and away from the camp. The agents all around him breathed a sigh of relief, but Mezzetino wasn’t ready to head back to his meal yet.
“Prepare an expedition team, immediately.” He barked, turning on his heel to head towards his tent. “We’re going to investigate the star as soon as it lands.”
He made it a few steps before thinking of something else, throwing over his shoulder “And when we get back to the palace, not a one of you is to mention anything about this to any of the Doctor’s men without my order.” The last thing he needed right now was that crazed maniac learning Mezzetino had gotten his hands on something from beyond the false sky. Knowing Dottore’s proclivities, Mezzetino wouldn’t even get a look in before the star was swiped from beneath his nose by the Second.
Ten minutes later, after Mezzetino had suited up in his tent he led a group of his men towards the location where his watchmen said the star had landed. It wasn’t far from the campsite, and Mezzetino silently cursed that he had left it so late to act. The star could’ve quite easily destroyed the entire camp, and had he acted any later he might not have been able to divert it enough to avoid any destruction. After a short time they reached the edge of the crater that had been left in the mountainside, the sides still crumbling somewhat. He hadn’t been entirely sure what to expect the star to look like, but what lay at the centre of the crater certainly wasn’t it.
A young man, probably around Mezzetino’s own age, lay unconscious on the ground. No star to be seen, just a human.
“Sir-“ Grigory began, uncertain. “Is that…?”
He didn’t need to finish the sentence. Mezzetino shook himself into action, pushing the whirling questions to the back of his head. He’d get answers in due time.
“Keep an eye out for any further danger.” He ordered his men. “Grigory, you and Kseniya with me.” The two attendants nodded, following Mezzetino as he began his decent into the crater. It looked to be roughly twenty metres across, could this really have been caused by the young man on the floor? He didn’t appear to have any visible injuries - how could a normal human survive a fall like that, not to mention the explosion Mezzetino caused to divert the “star”? As he approached, he looked around with his elemental sight. As expected, the only elemental energy he could sense - aside from the energy of the ground, air, and nearby vegetation - was his own geo elemental signature. Turning his attention to the body a few metres in front of him - body, because surely no one could have survived all that - he focused on the energy inside it. As he’d sensed before, whoever this body once was hadn’t been from Teyvat. The hair on the back of his neck prickled at the thought. As soon as they got to the body, Kseniya began looking it over, checking for damage.
“Lord Harbinger, sir! His heart is still beating!” She exclaimed in shock.
“Impossible!”
“I’m certain my Lord, but he’s not breathing properly. It’s like he’s suffocating.” Kseniya elaborated, shifting the body, the man, into a better position.
A million questions burned in Mezzetino’s head, but he gave the order for Kseniya to start attempting resuscitation regardless. Perhaps some of his questions could be answered if they could save the young man. It took a few minutes, but finally the man took one shuddering breath on his own, and the three Fatui relaxed slightly. He was still unconscious, but somehow he was alive. Mezzetino knew immediately he could not let the man out of his sight until he knew exactly what was going on here. Bending down he gathered the man into his arms - ‘Huh. He’s surprisingly light’ - and began to walk back towards their encampment. He would wait as long as it took for the man to wake up. He needed answers.
***
In the end Mezzetino had to wait for two whole days. He had his men erect a new tent directly next to his, where the unconscious young man slept, whilst a healer kept checking up on him. Mezzetino also dispatched a messenger back to Zapolyarny Palace, informing the Tsaritsa that something had come up, and his return would be delayed. Benevolent as ever, Her Majesty sent back a missive telling him to take as long as he needed, as all he was missing was the Second and the Ninth arguing as per usual. Not for the first time, Mezzetino was grateful for Her Majesty’s long leash on her Harbingers actions (and sense of humour).
Sandrone had also sent a very passive-aggressive note, reminding Mezzetino that she had scheduled another tea party in a few days, and that she would not be best pleased if he missed it again. He’d chuckled when he read that.
Not long after dawn on the third day after finding the young man however, Mezzetino got word that he’d begun to stir. He’d mostly been sat around waiting honestly - the laylines being much easier to untangle after the man had landed, it seemed that he was what they’d been waiting for which was… difficult to swallow but Mezzetino had pushed it to the back of his mind so as to not start questioning the entire universe. This day however, he’d taken his troops out for a training mission further up the mountain, to attempt to get his mind off the many questions he had. He left the troops up there under Grigory’s watchful eye and rushed back down to the camp as fast as he could. Finally he was going to get answers.
The man was still unconscious when he barged into the tent, but the healer assured Mezzetino that he’d be awake soon, so he resigned himself to sitting next to the bed and waiting. As promised it wasn’t 30 minutes later that the man’s eyes slowly opened, blinking away the crusted sleep that had formed whilst he was out cold and trying to sit up. He was clearly a little weak still however, and instead collapsed back onto the bed. Mezzetino stood from his chair and approached the man.
“Well now,” he began, noting how the man’s eyes locked onto those of his mask with a look of shock and fear, “you certainly took your time coming round. I was beginning to think bringing you here had been pointless.”
A lie, even dead the man’s body would’ve been incredibly useful.
The man opened his mouth to speak, but the dryness of his throat prevented him from doing so. Mezzetino picked up the half full glass on the bedside table, and lifted the man’s torso as he helped him drink. After he finished the water, the man cleared his throat and attempted to speak again.
“Who are you?” He asked, voice still weak from disuse these past few days. Mezzetino clicked his tongue.
“You don’t recognise me? How terribly rude of you. But allow me to introduce myself -“ he placed a hand on his chest, dramatic flourishes are the one thing the Harbingers have in common after all “-I am Mezzetino, The Shaman, Tenth of the Fatui Harbingers.”
The man blinked at him slowly.
“That’s a very… impressive title. I’m, uh. I’m Callum.”
“A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Callum.” Mezzetino nodded. “Now if you don’t mind I have a few questions about how you came to be here.”
“Speaking of,” Callum interrupted, “where is here exactly?”
“This is a temporary campsite in the mountains in the north of Snezhnaya, a country in the world of Teyvat. But you, Callum, you are not from Teyvat, are you?”
The question was rhetorical to an extent, Mezzetino could already tell from the foreign energy flowing through Callum’s veins, but he was interested to see what his answer would be.
“No I’m not.” Callum replied honestly, his brows furrowing in confusion. “I’ve never heard of Teyvat - or Snezh-whatever-you-said - before. Is this another world of some kind?”
“You seem to be taking this information surprisingly well.” Mezzetino mused. Archons knew he wouldn’t be so calm if their roles were reversed. Callum coloured slightly.
“Ah, well.” He began. “There’s this particular genre of stories I like to read that revolve around characters being transported to another world. I always assumed they were just fiction, but I guess that’s what’s keeping me from truly freaking out yet.”
And then, softly to himself he whispered “Can’t believe I’m living in an Isekai… did I get hit by a truck?”
Isekai? The word sounded Inazuman in nature but it wasn’t one Mezzetino was familiar with. Maybe the Balladeer would know more…
Speaking of language however,
“And what language would you say we are speaking right now?” He asked Callum. The man had started their conversation in Common Teyvan, and so Mezzetino had followed his lead, but he wondered if Callum had a different name for it.
“Uh, English?” Callum blinked. “I’m guessing maybe I can just understand whatever you’re saying through weird magic means?”
“Perhaps.” Mezzetino agreed. “What about Snezhnayan? Can you understand this?” He asked, slipping easily back into his native tongue. Callum tilted his head to one side, not unlike a confused dog.
“I have no clue what you’re saying, but it sounds like Russian to me.”
“How about Inazuman?”
“Is that Japanese?”
“Fontainian?”
“That sounds French.”
“Maybe Sumerian?”
“Arabic?”
“Do you understand Mondstadtisch?”
Callum’s eyes widened. “Oh! I know that one!” He replied in Mondstadtisch, although his accent was a little strange.
Interesting. Mezzetino made a mental note of that.
“So, how exactly did you come to be in Teyvat? And how in the Tsaritsa’s name did you survive falling from the sky like that?”
Callum looked shocked. “What do you mean I fell from the sky?”
“I meant exactly that. There was a star that was falling on our camp, I diverted it and lo and behold when we came to investigate where it landed all we found was you.”
“That’s not possible.”
“You crossed into another world and yet your confusion lies with your means of arrival?” Mezzetino shook his head. “Regardless, just tell me how you came to Teyvat.”
Callum seemed to think for a moment, before scrunching up his face in pain. “I can’t remember.” He ground out. “My head hurts when I try and think about it.”
Short-term Amnesia huh?
“Now that you’re awake, would you allow me to perform a simple energetic checkover on you.” It was phrased as a question, but both of them knew it wasn’t. Callum nodded, though the worry was evident in his face. Unfounded of course, Mezzetino really was only going to perform a check-up on him, for now at least. “This may feel strange.” He cautioned, and Callum grit his teeth. He pulled back the cover on the bed, taking brief note of the strange clothes the man was wearing, before placing his hands at the soles of Callum’s feet. He shut his eyes and began checking the flow of energy within Callum’s body, slowly moving his hands up his body as he did so. His legs seemed fine, his torso was fine too, save for the heightened heart rate as Mezzetino dragged his fingers across Callums chest, tracing his sternum. That was to be expected, he was in a stressful situation right now. He took a quick detour along the arms - both of which were fine - before his hands came to rest on either side of Callum’s head. Unlike Dottore, Mezzetino couldn’t speak to the physical state of the man but at the very least the energy in his body flowed the same as any other human and didn’t seem to be blocked anywhere. The head was the trickiest part to check however. Mezzetino stood there for a while, monitoring the flow of energy. Everything seemed mostly normal, except-
Aha! There was indeed a blockage! The energy in his mind was being blocked from reaching something specific… Mezzetino snatched his hands away from Callum’s head as a powerful spark of energy shocked him.
“What just happened?” Callum asked, looking concerned. He also looked cold, so Mezzetino returned the blanket.
“Someone has placed a seal on something specific in your mind to prevent you from accessing it, and it appears to have a self defence mechanism too.” Mezzetino stated, moving back to the chair where he’d waited for Callum to awake. “Do you know if this happened in your home world?” Callum shook his head and Mezzetino sighed. He already had his suspicions on who had placed the seal, but it would be incredibly troublesome if this truly was the work of the Heavenly Principles or their shades.
***
The healer decided that Callum wasn’t in any state to travel just yet, so Mezzetino reluctantly decided to wait until the next morning to set off. He did however ensure all preparations were made for their departure, and sent a messenger to Her Majesty, requesting an audience with her as soon as he returned. The messenger also carried word to his subordinates in the palace to prepare a room in his wing for Callum, to prepare to begin testing on his unique constitution, and to make sure Dottore wouldn’t get in the way. So the next morning then, after eating breakfast and relieving himself, Mezzetino boarded his carriage and departed for Zapolyarny Palace, leaving behind only the crater from which he had dragged Callum’s unconscious body.
Mezzetino had decided Callum should ride with him, as the healers couldn’t be too certain about his physical state given that he was from beyond Teyvat, and Mezzetino could detect the changes in his condition sooner than anyone else. That said, he’d really had nothing to worry about - having slept and eaten well the previous day Callum was as full of energy as could be, happily watching out the window as the snowy landscapes of Snezhnaya passed by with not a hint of faintness. That was good, it meant Mezzetino could begin his research immediately after his audience with Her Majesty.
After a few hours of travelling in silence, Callum finally spoke up.
“So where exactly are we going?” He asked, not taking his eyes off the view. Mezzetino really didn’t think it was that impressive to look at.
“We’re going to Zapolyarny Palace.” He answered, instead of commenting on how there were much more interesting sights elsewhere in Teyvat. “That is the ancestral home of Her Majesty, The Tsaritsa. Once there we will have a brief audience with Her Majesty, to inform her of your unique situation, before we get you settled into your new lodgings.”
The tests he would run could be explained later. Except-
“Are you going to experiment on me?” Callum finally shifted his gaze from the snowscape, eyes startlingly sharp as they met those of Mezzetino’s mask. He didn’t appear scared, how curious.
Mezzetino found himself now the one looking out of the window. There was something unusual about the man’s eyes that he couldn’t quite place, but whatever it was unsettled him. Him! A Harbinger!
He took a moment to collect his thoughts before answering.
“In a sense, yes. Though it would be more accurate to call them tests. My speciality is elemental energies, the fabric of our world that makes up every being upon Teyvat. Every being save for you, since you came from beyond the Firmament you have a different energetic makeup than we do. It is therefore my duty to learn more about how these foreign energies work, especially since they don’t appear to be at odds with the latent light energy of Teyvat, unlike that of the Abyss. I do wonder-“
He caught himself, realising he was about to go off on another of his long rambles about his research. A side-glance at Callum however revealed he was still staring directly at Mezzetino, not a hint of boredom on his face.
“Well, all that can wait for later.” He amended. “Just be glad it was I who found you and not my coworkers. One of them has a habit of taking apart his playthings to see how they work.”
Callum didn’t flinch - Mezzetino had to give him credit for that - but he did seem satisfied with the answer, leaning back in his seat and crossing his arms silently. A shame, Mezzetino had been hoping he might have more questions. They sat in silence for the rest of the ride.
The silence was broken when the carriage pulled up outside of the palace, its regal towers gleaming under the thick layer of ice encasing them all, colours dulled by the blue of frost but no less impressive. The cobbled stones outside rang with the sound of footsteps as Fatui ran around with the million-and-one things that needed to be done. Upon the arrival of the carriage however they all stood to attention, forming neat lines either side of the path to the palace’s entrance.
“I take it from the title and the palace this ‘Tsaritsa’ of yours is the ruler around here?”
Callum asked as he hopped down onto the well-grit cobbles, grimacing at the cold. He had been given a spare cloak to throw over his unusual outfit, but without the many layers the natives wore he was certainly feeling the effects of the weather now he was out of the heated carriage.
Mezzetino chuckled lightly as he descended the carriage steps, coming to stand slightly in front of Callum.
“She is much more than just a ruler, she is our Archon - our god.” He focused on the star-shaped finial and placed one hand reverently over his heart. “And what a benevolent god she is.”
The reverence was all for show of course. He, like the rest of the Harbingers, hardly thought of her as a god at all anymore. In fact, he did wonder if the Tsaritsa herself even thought that way after all these years. Regardless, the agents stood around certainly did - and it wouldn’t go amiss to instil a little divine fear into the newcomer - so the show must go on. He bowed his head and muttered some pointless rote prayer as the agents around him followed suit, before marching onwards with Callum in tow. The grand front doors opened for them, and he lead the way inside, weaving through the maze-like corridors until eventually they came to a stop outside the throne room, where Her Majesty would take the occasional outside visitor. With a nod to Kseniya and Grigory to stay outside, Mezzetino waved lazily and marched forwards as geo-formed hands opened the door before them. No matter how many times he had been in here, the room was still astounding. The floor was gleaming porphyry, polished to perfection until it reflected the many chandeliers hanging over the room, each lit with a green flame. The walls were lined with large tapestries featuring heroic scenes from Snezhnaya’s past, and heavy drapes framed the windows. The room screamed ‘regal’, though Mezzetino had to hide a smirk as he laid eyes on the one seated on the throne at the end of the room.
‘She hates this room so much.’
“Your Majesty!” He said aloud instead of his thoughts. He walked until he was a respectable distance away before taking a knee. Behind him Callum awkwardly copied. “I have returned from my mission, though as you have been informed there was more to it than first appeared.”
The voice that answered was soft, like the falling snow, yet clear like the crack of ice.
“So I see.” The Tsaritsa mused, her black veil fluttering slightly from her breath. “Who are you, boy?”
Callum made to stand, but a newly formed geo hand on his back kept him in place.
“My name is Callum, Your Majesty. I’m not from Teyvat.”
“That much is apparent. Tell me boy, how did you come to be in Teyvat. How did you get past the firmament?”
“I have no idea.”
“It would appear, Majesty,” Mezzetino began, taking the lull in the conversation as permission to speak, “that someone has placed a rather complex memory seal on the boy. Its nature is that of light energy.” The last words he said as delicately as he could, but still he felt as his Archon’s eyes snapped to him.
“Is that why you have taken such an interest in this child, my Tenth?” She asked, voice as level as ever. Mezzetino had learnt to read between the words and the ice cold delivery, and to speak in kind.
“It is indeed.” He agreed simply. “Though I must add that it will be remarkably informational to see how he responds to Teyvat’s energies, this seal is something I believe I alone could remove.”
The hidden meaning went unsaid, but the Tsaritsa heard it regardless, nodding minutely.
“And what of the Second? I’m sure when he hears of the boy’s arrival he will be eager to find out what makes him tick.”
A warning.
“I believe my finesse in these matters to be superior to those of the Second, Majesty.”
A plea.
“I agree. Dottore’s method’s are effective but not without waste. I will grant you sole custody of the boy, until such a time as you see fit to involve the other Harbingers. But I expect frequent reports back from you, my Tenth.”
An assent, a humorous one at that.
Mezzetino breathed a sigh of relief, bowing his head deeper before standing up. Feeling the geo hand on his back disappear, Callum did the same.
“I thank you, your Majesty. I’m certain this will be a most productive time.”
The Tsaritsa nodded, waving for their dismissal. Mezzetino and his new charge turned to leave, before that icy voice rang out once more.
“Mezzetino? Get the boy some better clothes. He’s shaking like a mutt.”
Mezzetino stifled a laugh, turning and bowing once more to her Majesty in answer, before he walked out of the room with a very confused Callum in his wake.
Now he had his Archon’s blessing, the testing could begin.