"Where is Alice?!" Riven shouted, his voice echoing through the chamber. "She clearly knows who I am—so please, just tell me where she is!"
Jean remained calm, though there was a hint of sympathy in her eyes. "I'm sorry, Riven. I truly don't know. She left Klee in my care and vanished shortly after. No note, no message. Just… gone."
Riven exhaled sharply, frustration burning in his chest. But despite the dead end, a spark of determination remained in his gaze.
"At least now I have something," he muttered. "Alice… she knows who I am. That's why she left the note. And the hair clip."
"She's the first real lead I've had."
"Listen closely," Jean said, her tone calm but firm. "Alice isn't just anyone. She's one of the most respected—and unpredictable figures in all of Teyvat."
Before Jean could continue, a faint glow pulsed from within Riven's pocket. Startled, he reached in and pulled out the old note. It shimmered, then burst with light as the words on it began to shift and change before his eyes.
A woman's playful voice echoed faintly in his mind as the message revealed itself:
"Hello, darling!
If you're reading this, then my little message found its way to you, how delightful!
Now, before your head starts spinning with questions: yes, I do know who you are. But let's not ruin the fun all at once, shall we? The truth is scattered across Teyvat, like stardust waiting to be gathered. So, travel. Explore. In each nation, you'll find pieces of yourself tucked away, waiting to be rediscovered.
And when the time is right… you'll decide whether or not to come find me.
"Oh! And one more thing, my little pumpkin, Klee. Her explosive spirit is a lot like yours, you know. And once she hears that you and I were old friends, she may start calling you 'Uncle.' Don't be too surprised, that's just her way of showing affection."
Until then… goodbye for now."
The note dimmed, its glow fading like starlight.
"So… we were friends, then? And now she wants me to explore the nations? Great. Just great," Riven muttered with a sigh.
Before he could think further, the door burst open with a tiny whirlwind of energy.
"Jean! Jean! I'm sorry! I lost my super-duper secret treasure again!" a small voice cried.
Riven turned and blinked. There stood a little girl with bright red eyes, long elf-like ears, and a massive backpack nearly half her size. She looked up at Jean with pure panic and innocence in her face.
Jean's eyes widened.
"Klee! Where exactly did you lose it this time?"
"Umm… I think it rolled toward the lake when I was making my new Jumpty Dumpty! But don't worry! It didn't explode… yet!"
Before Jean could say another word, Klee was already zipping out the door like a firework.
A loud BOOM echoed seconds later from the direction of the lake.
…
At the rear of the Knights of Favonius headquarters just after the chaos caused by little Klee—lay a quiet training yard where seasoned knights and fresh recruits came to spar. The clang of wooden swords and barked instructions filled the air, but Riven sat apart from it all, near the edge.
In his palm rested a small hair clip.
He cradled it gently, as if afraid it might disappear if he held it too tightly.
Deep within Riven's subconscious, a memory stirred—a faint hum, like a melody lost to time. Though it refused to surface, held back by an unseen force, the emotion remained… vivid and unshaken.
"What… is this?"
A voice echoed within the void of his subconscious, ancient and laced with wonder.
"I crafted it for you," came the gentle reply, warm and resolute.
"I learned that mortals exchange gifts to express affection. So… I wished to do the same."
A soft, melodic laugh followed—like the chime of a wind bell on a sacred peak.
"Then I shall treasure it. A token of your sentiment… received with joy."
Riven closed his eyes, focusing inward diving deep into the fog of his mind. The object in his hands, the hair clip, was something he had crafted himself. Of that, he was certain. Just as he was certain the one he gave it to… was long gone.
The memory itself was blurred, fractured and incomplete, like shards of a dream but the emotion woven into it clung to him, unshakable.
This delicate piece belonged to a part of him now lost to time.
And yet, in his grasp, it felt like a key…
"Say, Riven," came a familiar voice beside him.
Kaeya sat on the bench, arms resting casually on his knees, his gaze flicking to the trinket in Riven's hand. "You've been staring at that clip for a while. Got me thinking if that note was right, if your past is nothing but pain and misery… why keep digging? Why not let it go?"
Riven stayed silent for a long moment, eyes fixed on the jewel-encrusted silver. Then he exhaled softly.
"Ever since I woke up weeks ago, all I've wanted is to know who I am. Where I came from. I didn't expect the first clue to be something so small." He carefully slipped the clip into his pocket, then looked out toward the training yard, where two knights sparred in the afternoon sun. "But… even if Alice is right and my past is nothing but pain, I still need to know."
He leaned back, letting his head rest against the wall. "I don't want to live a hollow life. Our pasts, good or bad, shape us.
"Without my memories… who even am I?" Riven muttered, his voice low. "A man who woke up in a world he doesn't recognize. A man with no purpose. No reason to… live."
He trailed off, the weight of those words lingering in the air. Then, he shook his head, steadier this time.
"No. Deep down, I'd always be wondering. I need to know. Even if the truth hurts—no, especially if it does. I want to remember who I am… and where I came from."
He gave a small, sad laugh.
"Well, that settles it," Kaeya said, standing up with a grin. "I'll help you out."
Riven blinked. "Wait, help me out? How exactly?"
Kaeya gave a half-smile, already strolling toward the nearby weapons rack. "Before you go chasing after your past… or this mysterious Alice, you should probably make sure you won't get yourself killed out there."
He plucked a wooden sword from the rack and tossed it to Riven. "So. Let's spar. I can't have my new friend dropping dead on the road, now can I?"
Riven caught the sword, its weight familiar in his grip. He gave a slow nod, a hint of a grin tugging at his lips. "Alright, then. Let's see what I've got."
"Good," Kaeya said, settling into a ready stance, his own blade raised with ease. "Now… show me what you got."
Author's Note
If you woke up in a strange world, would you chase after your past, knowing it was filled with pain and hardship?
Or would you leave it behind and carve a new path forward?