Albedo

Alchemy is an ancient art, and many of its secrets have been lost to history. The few commonly known alchemy techniques of today are but enough to put some broken odds and ends together, saving you the money you would have otherwise spent on glue.

"Nay, alchemy is not so ignoble an art!" Or so most alchemists would protest.

But as far as the average citizen of Mondstadt was concerned, that was alchemy.

At least until the day Albedo suddenly appeared and decided to stay in Mondstadt.

This young man displayed the true prowess of alchemy to all, bringing with him a massive corpus of wisdom that even the Sumeru Akademiya did not possess.

"The universe is heaven reversed, and the earth is a dream lost to time. This is dust, the most basic form of complex life."

As if to provide evidence for this claim, Albedo lifted the burnt ash of the flower that once grew atop a Dendro Slime's head.

Seconds later, a Cecilia sprouted forth from the ash in his hand.

"And this... is new life."

Albedo has a very important job within the Knights of Favonius but does not often appear in public.

Still, he does not have the strange and eccentric temper that people tend to assume of academics. In fact, he is earnest in all his dealings.

He is, however, of the persuasion that it requires more energy to maintain relationships established on excessive enthusiasm.

As a result, Albedo's equivalent of friendship involves maintaining an appropriate degree of distance.

On days when he shuts himself away in his laboratory to focus on his work, or heads out into the wild to gather materials, no one in Mondstadt will be able to find him.

Yet Albedo's tendency to avoid social interactions does not make him a cold-hearted person.

He delights in giving guidance to his assistants, Timaeus and Sucrose.

He finds pleasure in giving his sketches to the citizens of Mondstadt.

Yet he cannot help but feel sincere disappointment that Lisa, for all her great talents, has chosen to remain a mere Librarian.

"Albedo got into Mondstadt because of his master's recommendation letter."

This statement is technically true. But Monstadt's gates are open to everyone, and he would have been quite welcome even without the recommendation letter.

In fact, Albedo's life in Mondstadt may even have been more comfortable without it.

This is because the recipient of the letter was the famed travel writer, Alice, an old friend of Albedo's master, Rhinedottir.

After receiving the letter, Alice considered its requests.

"So, Rhine said that you'll need a laboratory... And not one of a size that a civilian could build, either. Hmm... I know!"

And just like that, she threw him into the Knights of Favonius.

The work of the Knights was actually quite easy for Albedo, requiring only five percent of his energy.

The rest of his energy could be spent on experiments, with the Knights' full range of apparatus at his disposal, he thought.

And yet...

Alice has a daughter, named Klee.

Yes, "that" Klee.

"We'll be a family from now on, treat her like a real younger sister!"

From that day forth, cleaning up after Klee would come to take up most of Albedo's remaining energy...

Albedo has no memory of any blood relations. From as far back as he can remember, he was already adventuring deep within domains with his master.

Of course, Miss Alice, the Knights of Favonius, and that traveler who had a sense of the stellar depths about them... They are all important people. And yet his master is unquestionably the most special to him.

For Albedo, she is his only kin.

She was a cold and strict woman who raised him and taught him the secrets of alchemy.

"The universe is the sable essence of the true starry sky... Earth is the accumulated memory of time and being...

Chalk: that is you. Soil is where alchemy derives its name, and is the basis of all life. And this..."

She demonstrated her technique before him as a huge life form burst from its culture tank in a shower of shattered fragments.

"...This is new birth."

Albedo once led a simple and content existence.

There was no need for him to contemplate anything. Life was uneventful, its meaning consisted of nothing more than accompanying his teacher, doing what she asked of him, and meeting her expectations.

But one day, deep in the heart of a dungeon, master and apprentice discovered an artifact known as The Heart of Naberius.

And with that, his master disappeared, leaving naught but a note, a recommendation letter, and a classical text behind.

Upon the note was written: "Albedo, go to Mondstadt. Find my old friend, Alice, and give her the recommendation letter. Then, complete your final assignment."

The classical text was one of the last extant manuscripts of the Opus Magnum from his master's collection.

If one were to push the definition a little, she had left him another gift — the title of Kreideprinz, and with it, a written acknowledgment that she had nothing further to teach him.

In the past, Albedo's assignments had always been very difficult.

He had always believed wholeheartedly that his master would make good on her threat to leave him, should he fail.

But this assignment she had left to him was far too hard, far beyond the limit of his abilities.

Did this mean, then, that he was fated to never complete it, and thus never see his master again?

"Your final assignment: show me the truth and the meaning of this world."

The alchemy that Albedo commands is wholly different from any of the arts practiced in the Seven Nations of Teyvat.

Its lineage can be traced back to the nation of Khaenri'ah.

Khaenri'ah was an underground realm, with precious few natural fauna. As such, its alchemy focused more heavily on the creation of life.

This art of creation was known as "The Art of Khemia."

Albedo had learned of this in his youth from reading his master's notes.

The next stage after "soil" is "chalk," which was also something his master had mentioned.

"Chalk is the spotless soil, and was used to make primordial man."

Now, Albedo understands alchemy in far greater depth than he did in the beginning, and his knowledge on the subject is far more comprehensive.

"From soil was birthed chalk."

The profundity of this statement is well understood by Albedo now.

Such ineffable secrets are bound up with his fond memories of his master.

She was not his birth mother, but there is no doubt that his life stems from her.

"I hope this isn't just wishful thinking, but... when parents speak to their children about 'the meaning of this world'... surely they just mean the pursuit of a happy life?"

From time to time, Albedo finds himself musing on this sentiment.

Albedo's interest in drawing and painting began back in the days of traveling with his master.

At first, he would simply illustrate his notes with basic sketches. But he soon noticed that the process of rendering things in great detail helped him to intimately understand their physical makeup, which was of great utility to his alchemical studies.

Additionally, it also allowed him to enter into a pleasant state of clarity, in which he needed only to focus on observation and creating his artwork, and nothing else.

Eventually, Albedo became a master artist without ever having received formal tuition.

When strolling through Mondstadt, he enjoys sketching and painting all manner of living things, but particularly people in moments of joy.

Sometimes, he even gifts his artwork to his unsuspecting models, believing that when a work of art captures a transient moment of enjoyment, it is something worth treasuring.

Albedo continued to refine his skills in this manner, going from strength to strength — until one day, when he was taken aback by illustrations from Inazuma.

How was it that drawings of such generality could possess such narrative power?

Amazed, he decided to give it a go himself.

...Eventually, after collaborating with a certain novelist by the name of Xingqiu, "A Legend of Sword" was printed and published.

Unfortunately, it received lukewarm reviews, being lambasted as "a dictionary with divine illustrations."

Gaining a Vision came as no great surprise to Albedo.

When he received it, he gave it a single glance before continuing to engross himself in his work.

He barely felt any wave of emotion at all, as if this was something to be taken for granted.

As far as he is concerned, his Vision is merely a tool with which he can more conveniently conduct his research.

What truly sparks joy within him is turning the unknown into the known.

One day, he will understand all there is to know about this world — and Visions are no exception.