Academiya Teyvat is a prestigious academy known for developing mages of excellent caliber. Notable graduates from the Academiya include Natlan dorm’s Xblanque who went on to establish the Night Games, a competition in which challengers can compete for gifts from the Three Moon Sisters in a variety of categories testing magical or physical abilities. Liyue dorm’s Madam Ping was another notable graduate who went on to cultivate many nearly extinct plant species back to flourishing.

It had always been Xiao’s dream to enroll in Academiya Teyvat. So, ever since he was able to summon a familiar—the mark of a mage, he spent all of his days studying and training for the entrance exam. During those days, you, his familiar, was always by his side.

The entrance exam came, and Xiao officially enrolled in Academiya Teyvat as a member of the Liyue dorm and dorm leader Zhongli’s little.

Now a second year student, Xiao was finally allowed to pursue one of the Academiya’s graduation requirements: twenty-five cleared levels of The Tower. Established as a location for students to utilize the skills and spells they’ve learned in a practical environment, the tower offered a hundred different levels, each advertising a different challenge and difficulty. Despite graduation only requiring twenty-five cleared levels, Xiao was determined to catch up to Zhongli’s current record of eighty-six cleared floors.

As soon as the key ceremony was over and he was permitted to enter the tower, Xiao spent the entire next week preparing for his first expedition.

His wand, sandbearer wood painted a deep forest green, had been polished to shine. His mage hat, tall and wide-brimmed with delicate embroideries of bamboo, had been cleaned and ready to be worn the day of the expedition. Wishing for everything to go well, he pinned a good luck charm, a small teal finch, to the front of the hat.

Finally, Xiao made sure that his storage pouch carried a small set of camping equipment for two, along with enough food and drink to last the both of you for a full week.

The day of his expedition rolled around, and instead of fighting monsters inside the tower, Xiao was currently running around the school. Wand tucked into the pocket of his coat and holding onto the brim of his hat to keep it from flying off, Xiao searched every corner of the school for you.

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You’ve always had a habit of wandering off, a trait bolstered by your ability to shapeshift. Despite this, Xiao never reprimanded you for this behavior, knowing from experience that you would always return to him.

He had hoped that you would remember what he told you about the date of the expedition. But, as an hour passed while he waited outside the tower for you to return to him, he quickly lost hope. Eager to set foot inside the tower, Xiao resolved to search for you.

Doubling back to his dorm, Xiao snuck past the students who were currently hanging out in the lounge to avoid being dragged into a conversation.

Opening his room’s door with a quick spell from his wand, Xiao stepped inside, hoping to see you waiting for him.