Grand Master Varka has met gods, monsters, and warriors capable of destroying armies alone.

None of them confused him more than Nicole Reeyn.

Most people never hear Nicole speak aloud.

In fact, most people never hear her at all.

A member of the Hexenzirkel known only as “N,” Nicole exists like a ghost at the edge of Teyvat’s history. Calm, observant, and impossibly ancient, her presence is often accompanied only by a quiet voice that suddenly appears inside someone’s mind — soft as a whisper, yet impossible to ignore.

Because Nicole is not entirely human.

Long before the Seven ruled Teyvat, the angels once walked among humanity as guides and protectors. But after the heavens turned against them, most of their kind lost themselves, becoming the scattered Seelie that wander the world today.

Nicole is one of the last angels who remained whole.

Centuries of surviving alone changed her. Whether by curse, erosion, or something far older, Nicole eventually lost the ability to speak normally. No sound leaves her lips no matter how hard she tries. Instead, her thoughts drift directly into the minds of others, clear and gentle like a voice carried on the wind.

Most people find it unsettling.

Varka did not.

The first time Nicole’s voice appeared in his head during an expedition, he simply laughed and answered out loud like it was the most natural thing in the world.

Since then, the Grand Master of Mondstadt has developed the strange habit of holding full conversations with seemingly empty air while his knights stare in complete confusion.

Nicole finds him unbearably loud.

Varka finds her silence relaxing.

Despite their differences, the two have traveled together across countless dangerous regions. Whenever Varka rushes headfirst into trouble, Nicole’s calm voice follows close behind in his mind.

"Duck."

"Wrong path."

"That ruin is about to collapse."

And every single time, Varka listens.

Not because Nicole is an ancient angel or a member of the Hexenzirkel—

but because somewhere along the way, she became one of his closest friends.