Rex

Rex groaned as he felt things better around him. Sure. he was blind but he can still see.

Similar to bata and by using all his senses that were weakened after his gnosis disappeared and when his vision got broken. It was still above those of a regular human, allowing him to 'see' in a way.

Sadly, he can't play video games as much and is as good as he used to.

Right now, he was on his hospital bed while playing his guitar. He can no longer the gnosis, as mister master Zhongli called it, in him. But he can still feel the wind and use it to a smaller degree, while his mastery of geo had vanished.

So, right now, he was gently plucking the strings of his lyre. while looking at the skyward atlas. He might be blind but the book was special and he can read it just like normal. Strangely enough, Venti has been missing and he did not hear anything about master Zhongli.

Suddenly, Rex sneezed as he looked around.

"Someone must be talking about me... I want Mapo tofu."

---

"Barbatos." Zhongli greeted as he sat on a boulder overlooking Liyue. A small wind sprite landed beside him and turned to Venti, his current vessel.

"Morax," Venti said with a smile while holding a bottle of Dandelion wine. "I have something to tell you."

"Oh?" Using the power of Geo, Zhongli created a table and a pair of seats for both of them.

"Rex's Geo vision got destroyed," Venti said as he poured the geo archon a glass.

Zhongli merely let his brow rise as he looked at his friend.

"And My vision went back to me." Now that surprised the Geo Archon.

"I see. It seems like I have some idea about this. Maybe Your Gnosis has overloaded his body with elemental energy and his Geo Vision took the brunt of it and it got destroyed as a result."

"Probably," Venti Shrugged as he took a sip of his wine. "But he can't use it anymore. The Geo element I mean."

"Pardon me?" Zhongli looked at the windborne bard who sighed.

"I was there. I saw the Geo symbol and it looked like a masterless vision. But he can still use the subspace inside it." Venti said as the lord of rock thought deeply about it. His young student was highly skilled in controlling the element of Geo. "And he lost his eyes when Dvalin attacked him. Rather... his eyes were destroyed by the combined toll of his recently awakened Gnosis and his Geo Vision."

"That is troubling. I never had any problems with my Gnosis." Zhongli said as he thought about it.

"Me too."

"The loss of a vision can easily be negated by mastery of the Adeptus arts. And I can carve new eyes for him. Just like I once did."

"You're going to do all that? For him? Don't get me wrong. I'm overjoyed that you will help him but why?" Venti asked as he looked at the lord of Geo.

Closing his eyes, the lord of rock remembered his master, the one who taught him many things. 'Remember Morax. A master will do anything to help his student.' He can still remember what he looked like after all these years. It was just like yesterday when he was just a young Adeptus and was found and raised by him. His master's short black hair danced in the wind as he used his spear.

"Because. He is my student." He said sincerely as the lord of rock remembered the first time he met the boy. He was kind and gentle yet cursed by the world just like Havria. He refused to let another tragedy happen once more. Especially to his student. "I can prepare several adepti sigils for him to use, It can hopefully compensate for his missing geo capabilities."

"Good! I can bless him. I mean I did cause this mess and maybe I can make him a pseudo-Anemo vision." Venti said while Zhongli just chuckled.

"Very well. It will take me a while to prepare the sigils, eyes, and books." Zhongli said as he finished his glass.

"Same here! But I would probably be busy. Some upstarts from the Abyss Order and her men are hunting me down on my territory."

---

"Must be someone talking about me," Rex said with a hum before perking up. Someone was approaching. He did not know who it was but... wait. This smell... it was aunt Theresa and miss Himeko. Along with... who? She kind of smelled similar to Kiana and Aun... Principal Theresa.

"Rex? Are you awake?" Theresa called out as she opened the door to see Rex looking at them through his blindfold.

"How did Kiana get older?" Rex asked as he looked at the visor-wearing woman.

"Kiana? Rex, Kiana isn't here.

"strange. oh yeah, she is shorter than her." He said referring to the girl, Amber.

"Wait. How did you know about her?" Theresa asked as she approached her nephew.

"Oh, in a way. I can see." Rex said as he let his lyre down.

"Really?! How?!" Theresa asked, jumping up and down eagerly. 'Maybe this can help.'

"How can I explain... Oh, I can 'see' in a way thanks to my senses. Mostly my hearing. just like Echolation." He told them. "Sadly, I can only 'see' outlines, no color. He said as he looked at them. "Also, my other senses got sharper and I smell better." He told them.

"That's amazing! Rex, this is Amber. He is Grandpa's secretary." Theresa said as she motioned towards the girl.

"Hello, Mister Rex. I am here to talk about your treatment. It has been fully sponsored by..."

"I'm stopping you right there, Miss Amber," Rex said as he sat straight. The air around him shifted as he looked at Amber. "Please take a seat first." He told her. Theresa was about to protest. She'd sacrifice even her own anime collection just to have him healed and prolong his life.

But. Himeko stopped her. She was about to glare at Himeko but she noticed that she was nervous.

"Are you aware of Contracts, Miss?" Rex asked, sounding like an experienced negotiation.

"Why yes. But I fail to see the connection."

"Let me paraphrase that. What do you want in return, rather, what does the overseer want in exchange?" Rex asked bluntly as he looked at her.

"Pardon me?" Amber felt a cold sweat drop on her face.

"I know and respect my great-grandfather, but I know how he is. He won't do this without a reason." Rex clarified as he held his lyre and plucked a string, releasing a soothing sound.

"I must say that I don't know what you are talking about," Amber said as she looked at him.

"Miss Amber. I happen to take Contracts seriously. A person I admire and respect me has taught me the significance of a contract, legal or personal." He told her as he plucked more strings. "What does he want?" He asked as he looked at Amber. "Or, you can tell me what you want yourself, Overseer." He said as he plucked the strings of his lyre before looking at the nurse that just entered.

"Oh? Impressive? As expected of a highly praised ore appraiser." The nurse smiled as she reached in and pulled the mask that hid his real face and clothes. "It has been a while. Congratulations for dominating the Ore Appraisal industry, Rex."

"Grandpa?!" Theresa shouted as she looked at the blonde. "Since when?!"

"Around... 6 in the morning, I think?" Rex cut in as he picked a string and plucked it. "I noticed that your scent was different than the other," Rex said as he looked down at his lyre.

Otto hid his surprise well. "Yes. and You got a tattoo," he said, referring to the green pinwheel on his cheek.

"Oh, that appeared while I was fighting... I mean while I was rescuing a friend." He said, almost slipping up about his fight with Dvalin, but it was enough.

"Theresa, Himeko, will you two give us time to catch up?" he asked and Himeko's eyes glazed over.

"I.."

"We understand, sir overseer," Himeko said as she gently nudged Theresa away.

"Grandpa?" Rex asked as he felt something from his grandfather.

"Rex. I was worried." He said as he took an apple and peeled it with a knife. "Theresa called me and told me you were injured." He said.

Rex gulped. "Yeah. The tornado just appeared out of nowhere." He said as he held his lyre. His body was screaming at him.

"I see." Rex reacted. Holding his lyre, He jumped away from his bed and pulled all the strings of his lyre while aiming it at his great grandfather's hand only to collapse as a golden feather entered his mind.

"Sorry, Rex. But great-grandpa needs to know what happened." He whispered as he gently set the boy down on the bed and tucked him in before using the Fenghuang down to peek into his great-grandson's mind.

As he was about to dive into his mind, Otto saw it. The resentment Rex suffered. His poor great-grandson suffered for so long... is this the price? can he continue with the plan?

As he peaked through the memories, Otto narrowed his eyes at the blurred angel that descended from the sky and gifted his great-grandson some food and water to drink. The moment he looked at the chess piece glowing a soft teal, he was pushed out of Rex's mind,

"Overseer!" Amber's shout woke him up. What? Wasn't he near Rex? "Can you hear me?" She asked and Otto saw it, he was pushed back into the wall hard enough for a crater on it to form.

"Amber." Otto said calmly as he dusted off the dust on his clothes."

"Yes, sir?"

"Prepare the necessary treatment. There might be a way for us to increase his lifespan." Otto said seriously. He did not want to lose another family member again. Losing his sworn brother was already hard enough. "And have one of our best partners prepare an anti-Honkai spear weapon."

"Yes, sir."

---

In London.

---

A drunk Durandal hiccuped as she entered her shared apartment with Reve. She said nothing as she walked and collapsed on the couch. She held her aching head. It has been a day and she hasn't seen him since yesterday. She was a bit annoyed that her co-workers actually forgot to invite him but waved it off.

It was a general rule of thumb that she was not allowed in the kitchen after an incident that got her and the rest of her squad be scolded and chewed out by him and Rita for hours. She was just happy she got a meal from Both him and Rita.

As she was resting, a familiar smell attacked her ears and in an instant, she found it, her favorite meal! Egg fried rice.

Happily taking a spoon and the huge bowl, she started eating it happily.

"I'm home!" Reve called out as he entered the living room. He was dressed in his casual clothes that were wrinkled in some places.

"Welcome back." She said weakly while eating the rice.

"Hangover?" he asked while receiving a nod. Reve walked past her and her eyes narrowed, is that cologne? That was not hers... nor Rita's.

"Reve... Here." She said as she used her spoon and fed him. She was jealous, who was the girl he was with?

---

Under a cherry blossom tree by a lake, a sleeping pair of women snuggled with each other. Their hands held tightly as they moved a bit. White and pink mixed with each other as a shrine maiden and holy woman slept by each other.