Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“I’m assuming you're wondering why I've gathered you all today.” Principal Dainsleif said to the trained eyes on him in the meeting room. It was 20 minutes after the final bell. Not a single sound was heard outside nor inside the room as the occupants waited for the man to speak once more.

Dainsleif simply sighed - a sigh that indicated that what the subject for the impromptu gathering of the dorm teachers and their respective student council members - had given the man a headache. 

“I've received an email from the principal of UA to do an exchange program between their second year hero classes and our own students.” 

Dainsleif quickly raised his hand to silence the upcoming onslaught of questions, concerns, and the occasional jab. 

“Please let me read you all the email before you all make your comments and queries,” The man pulled out his laptop, clicked a few times and cleared his throat once he found the email that made him scrutinise and analyse it for 3 whole hours before finally giving up. 

“Dear Principal Dainsleif, 

I would like to introduce myself: My name is Principal Nedzu of UA Academy. I have sent you this email to propose a deal of sorts that I think you'll take quite the interest in. 

Ever since the war that has left Japan in a state of disarray and a thin trust towards heroes, we would like to send our now second-year Hero Course students to Teyvat to not only get away from criticism of the media, but to improve themselves as heroes. We figured having them train with Vision holders will improve their leadership and team working skills and to rely on each other during combat. 

In turn, Vision holders will not only exchange their cultures, but learn about other cultures as well. We understand that the world doesn’t have a positive view on Teyvat, much less, Teyvat Academy. We hope that this exchange program will begin to open more opportunities for your students to explore the world and establish meaningful connections when they become full-fledged heroes. 

Please message back ASAP for a confirmation. Thank you for your time. 

Best regards,

Principal Nedzu”

When Dainsleif was done reading, the room was pin-drop quiet. No one spoke a single word. 

The clock on the wall above the door ticked the seconds down until finally- 

“This is obviously a trap.” 

“YEAH NO SHIT, RED!”

Kunikuzushi, or Kuni, screamed at the one who broke the silence first - a red haired man sitting opposite of them with his arms crossed and an unamused face adorned.

“What bullshit. “Opportunities for more students to explore the world and establish meaningful connections” my ass-”

“Please refrain from such language, Kuni.” A calmer voice from a girl with white hair and luminous green eyes gently scolded. The boy huffed but obeyed. 

“While I don't agree with Mr. Kunikuzushi’s specific wording, this email seems rather…callous.” Another man with dark hair in a rat tail and amber eyes observed. The rest of the occupants in the meeting murmured agreements. 

“I agree. It's abundantly clear that they're using the negative view on the country and academy as a scapegoat for the aftermath of the war and the mistrust in Japan’s hero society.” Dainsleif said. The words made everyone tense up. 

“And with the wording of the email , it's obvious that this Principal Nedzu knows it as well. Not to mention the use of the word “we”, which I'm assuming is not just mentioning the UA staff and the school board.” 

A tanned boy with long white hair narrowed his eyes and gritted his teeth as he hisses the words, “The HPSC and the government.” 

“Exactly. And I don't think I need to say out loud what they want to do.” 

Various sets of eyes glanced at each other in acknowledgement before Dainsleif closed his laptop with a resounding THUMP, bringing everyone’s attention back to the end of the table. 

“Not to worry now. I have already informed our Intelligence Agent and the Head of Security as well as other personnel that are currently “off-grid” to keep a very close eye on our visitors while they're here.” 

“You're agreeing with this? We don't know how long they'll be staying.” Says a girl with purple hair styled into cat ears. 

“It doesn't matter how long they'll be staying. It's what they plan to do while under our country’s surveillance that matters.” 

“You say this as if you have this all planned out already,” A man with blue hair and an eye patch over his eye pipes out, a knowing smirk on his lips. 

“We do. We have eyes and ears outside of Teyvat, after all. Our Natlan and Snezhnaya comrades have been generous with the info they have.” Dainsleif quirks up a smirk of his own. 

A heavy sigh came from the left side of the table. A woman with pink hair and kitsune ears also has a grin of her own. 

“It's been a while since I've had something to play with. The school year so far has been rather boring, I was starting to age faster.” She yawns. 

“Please note that they don't know what we know. The students they're planning to send possibly don't know as well, only hearing baseless rumours such as how our school implements abusive tactics-” 

A scoff can be heard somewhere in the room.

“-Do your best to counter those rumours and their visionism when they enter and keep it professional. Getting defensive will give them the idea that we are hiding something when we are not. Also inform your respective dorm students of this first thing early tomorrow morning. We need to prepare as soon as we can.”

“So…we're really doing this, huh?” A nervous voice muttered. Everyone turned to look at the source, a girl with white and blue hair with heterochromic eyes hunched up in the chair she's sitting in. 

Dainsleif let out another weary sigh. “It was about time anyways. The tension between us and the entire world has been unbearable. And now that Japan’s hero culture is being questioned and scrutinised, we are bound to be brought into the discussion as much as we dislike it.” 

“And for good reason too. I seriously cannot understand the glamorization and putting heroes on the same level as gods. It's near cultish might I say,” Another woman with blue hair and piercing lavender eyes exclaims. 

“Save your reservations in your own time. For now, meeting dismissed.” 

Everyone filed out of the meeting room until it's just the Principal left sitting all alone. He ran his fingers through his hair again before opening his laptop and constructing a new email in reply. 

“Challenge accepted, UA.” He whispered.

Chapter Text

Nobody really knows the history of Teyvat, except for, well, the Teyvatians themselves. But it would be fair to assume that most, if not, all the world believed it is an authoritarian country with all its borders closed off. 

It doesn't help either that they are situated smack dab in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, isolated and far away from any coastlines. It made it impossible to take some sort of boat to make contact with land. Others tried flying over it to get a view of the landscape but were only met with heavy and dense clouds and fog.

No news has come from the mysterious country. Any kind of communication from international organizations, namely the U.N, have been immediately shut down by a mysterious group, oddly named “The Heavenly Principles”.

When news broke to the outside world, that's when the theories arose.

Most were right to assume that Teyvat must be a heavily religious society, given the word “heavenly”. Others would go to the extreme and say the citizens were brainwashed into believing gods exist and they were all in a widespread cult. 

Heroes from around the world took this information at face value, and in all their self-righteous and “duty to save the people” attitude, tried to infiltrate the country. 

They were only met with harsh gusts of wind, rocks sharp as spears thrown at them, and violent strikes of lightning. 

It was safe to say that Teyvat didn't like outsiders. 

After the incidents, all international leaders gathered to tell the world, in a lack of better words, to leave the country alone. 

And it was like that for the past century. But it didn't stop the conspiracies and unrest on social media. 

However, that all changed 50 years ago when news had spread that Teyvat was opening not only their borders, but their own hero school. 

Many tried to get in, most out of finally wanting to see the country itself and the school, having no interest in being heroes, much less the other courses they offer. 

This was however shut down when another piece of news was released: the school itself sent in letters to specific kids - namely quirkless kids. 

And not just any quirkless kids - quirkless kids that were gifted something called a Vision.

Immediately, conspiracy forums flooded with posts. Theorists began making videos on what a Vision is. Researchers who've combed through the limited information of Teyvat from the outside would scramble and try to make sense of this new information. 

Finally, like sensing the pandemonium both offline and online, an anonymous source posted the following on the r/teyvatconspiracries subreddit: 

“According to my own findings, Visions are a sort of tool granted to quirkless people, namely young kids and teenagers (the youngest who received one, according to my sources, was only 5 years old). They come in various types, each of them granting a source of unknown power but no further information on that. My sources all tell me however they have not even the slightest idea WHO gives out these Vision things, so my best bet is that Teyvat Academy grants them. That's why they give out personalized letters instead of accepting letters of admission or even hosting exams. Do with this information as you will.”

And didn't that just open a whole can of worms?

Many people nowadays believe what they're told, especially online. But some had their doubts on the validity of the post, especially coming from an anonymous person. 

Society didn't understand or accept Teyvat nor those who wielded Visions. And when society doesn't understand or accept, the prejudice begins. 

“So the quirkless get these Vision things as compensation for not having a quirk? What a joke!”

“Aren’t Visions just basically support items? Seems like cheating if you ask me. Relying on something instead of your own strength and skills” 

“Can they even be considered a hero school training heroes if they're told to only use these Visions? Seems like a recipe for a PR disaster.” 

“Wait, they said the youngest to receive one was 5 years old? What the hell kind of school grants a potentially harmful tool to an infant and invites them to train?” 

With that comment, a new wave of rumors spread like wildfire. Rumors on how Teyvat Academy are recruiting children, granting them these Visions, and inviting them to their school to groom them into child soldiers. 

More and more quirkist and now, visionist, rumors circulated the web and eventually made their way to real life conversations and debates. Calls and protests were made to give rights to Vision holders and save them from the abuse of both the country and school. Others merely scoffed, still holding onto that Vision holders are just compensating for something they never had in the first place. 

And just recently, another anonymous source, this time on Tweeter, that TA sends their students on dangerous missions, adding to the rumored “grooming” and “harsh training” they apparently endured will give them the ‘go ahead’ to send them away on assignments that could potentially lead to death.

The pressure has accumulated over the years. And now that Japan is coming out of its war against All For One, an underlying yet overwhelming tension made itself known in the air. 

Which leads to where the U.A staff are today. 

“As you're aware, I've sent an email to the principal of TA to organize a sort of exchange program to let both Class 2-A and 2-B into their borders and study there under the guise of finding evidence of their misconduct and abuse,” Nedzu begins the faculty meeting. 

“....And?”

“They've accepted. Principal Dainsleif actually replied back hours after I sent the initial email. He seems quite eager, might I dare say.” 

“Or it's just them being cocky they won't get caught,” Aizawa Shouta, better known as the now retired Eraserhead, mumbles. 

“Could be. Regardless, this can save both UA’s and the HPSC’s reputations. We've been in hot water ever since the Paranormal Liberation War. If we do this, we can get on the public’s good side again.” 

“Still can't believe the HPSC’s letting our kids go on another potentially dangerous venture. Can't they just employ the remaining Pro Heroes to investigate?” Present Mic exclaims. 

“And may I remind you of the state Japan is in right now? The Pros are already stretched thin as it is. The HPSC had no other choice but to offer this to UA. And this could also be our chance for them to get off our backs as well. We potentially don't have to worry about them breathing down our necks for every move we make if we succeed at this one mission.” Nedzu informs. The mammal looks at his staff with knowing eyes. Every one of them couldn't help but silently agree. 

“Aizawa, Vlad, inform your students of the details and tell them to pack their bags. You'll all be heading out this Sunday.” Both teachers nod. 

“I've also been informed that I need as many eyes on school premises as well to catch any suspicious activity, so Mic and Toshinori, you'll be going with the classes as well.” The two men nod as well.

“You'll all have new laptops and burner cell phones delivered to you by the HPSC in the next coming days to relay information and to avoid getting tracked. I'll also be keeping tabs on all of you. Remember to be discreet and don't let your guard down.” 

“Yes sir!” 

“Good. Meeting adjourned.”

Chapter Text

“Good, you’re all here,” Aizawa drawled out right as he entered Class 2-A’s front doors. He texted in their class’ group chat that he had a very important announcement to make and to meet in the main area after the staff meeting.

All 19 of his students were sitting nervously, backs straight and stiff. Good. So they did learn something right.

“I was expecting to make this announcement tomorrow morning during homeroom, but due to the urgent nature of said announcement, we need to be prepared as soon as we can.” From this, the tension in the room became thicker.

“Don’t tell me we have to fight another war!” Ashido shrieks.

“No way! Our luck is just getting worse and worse!” Kaminari adds.

“Is a new villain trying to take over All For One’s spot already?” Sero proclaims boldly.

“Quiet, you hellions!” Aizawa shouts. Even though he hadn’t lost his quirk completely, he can no longer use it for more effective means, not just in battle. So he had to resort to the common method: yelling.

“The reason I have gathered you all today is because the HPSC has assigned 2-A, as well your sister class, 2-B, to an important mission that involves traveling overseas.”

Immediately, the students burst into chatter. Iida, seeing the teacher’s irritation growing, speaks above the others.

“Everyone please quiet down! Let Aizawa-sensei finish before making comments!”

Once everyone quiets down, Aizawa continues.

“Now then, have any of you heard of TA, or Teyvat Academy?”

This time, murmurs of confusion swept through the hero students until Midoriya put his hand up. “Do you mean the private hero school located in the closed region?”

“They don’t do entrance exams from what I heard. They just send letters as well as visions to quirkless individuals they express interest in,” Yaoyorozu recalls.

“Visions? Like…the apparently powerful tool they also send in with those letters?” Jirou perks an eyebrow up.

“I heard they send kids as young as 5 these vision things, as well as assign them to do dangerous hero missions!” Ashido shouts.

“What?! That’s so unmanly! What kind of hero school operates like that?” Kirishima proclaims angrily. 

Aizawa cuts in. “We, as in the entire world, have not seen what these visions look like, much less how the heroes that graduate from there operate. The HPSC as well as other hero organizations' best bet is that they specialize in underground heroes. This also contributes also to how little we know of the history of Teyvat itself as outsiders.”

He continues. “TA, or Teyvat Academy, is one of the two major schools that are located in Teyvat, but TA offers a hero course. TA is rumored to be the most dangerous hero school due to its methods of training on its students as well as sending underage and poorly trained children to hero missions, whether it be busting a nefarious ring or “taking care” of dangerous villains. And the fact that they’re looking for specifically quirkless students and giving these visions out, the HPSC suspects more sinister activity is going on. They believed several students may have died under their watch. The other students are believed to have endured harsh discipline and training, as well as being blackmailed or silenced in other ways to keep them from transferring.”

At this, Class 2-A was overcome with shock and horror. Others, like Bakugou and Shinsou, showed indifference. At the implication of why TA might be sending quirkless kids letters to their school only to put them though such things left a sinking feeling in Midoriya’s stomach.

“The HPSC’s mission for us is to go undercover at TA and gather as much evidence as possible under the ruse of an exchange program. Since you all barely made it out alive in the fight against AFO and his followers, use your quick and critical thinking skills as well as situational awareness to do this mission successfully. Once the program is over and we gather enough evidence, we can take the school, and potentially the governing body of Teyvat, to court.” 

“When will we be leaving, sensei?” Uraraka puts her hands up.

“Sunday. We still have a week ahead of us. On Friday, start packing. I’m not going to bother telling you to get your parents' permission. You’re all old enough to do that. Meeting over. Get some sleep.”

And with that, Aizawa trudged out of the dorms, leaving the class in silence. 

“Soo, is anyone else excited or…?” Ashido starts awkwardly. 

“We just got out of a war against one of the biggest villains the world has seen and you think this is a time to be thinking that this mission is a vacation? Do you hero students think this is all just a game?” Shinsou sneered at the girl. Ever since Aoyama was revealed to be the traitor, he was formally expelled from the school. His seat was now replaced with Shinsou. Though they fought together in the war, it was clear Shinsou still held a lot of resentment towards the hero students. 

“Hey man, lay off. After everything Aizawa-sensei said to us, we need to look on the positive side of things!” Countered Kirishima.

“And how has that gone for you? People are distrustful of you guys and the school for good reason. You guys are nothing but attention seeking brats who think the world is all sunshine and rainbows because you got a good quirk still after everything.” 

“What does that have to do with the mission we have assigned to us?” Todoroki bluntly asks, staring deadpan at the purple-haired boy. 

Before anyone said a word, Yaoyorozu clapped her hands to bring everyone's attention. 

“Todoroki is right. We need to focus on the mission ahead. If we get personal grudges and feelings in the way, we won't be able to complete this mission together as a team. Students like us are being abused by TA and it's our job to help our fellow heroes-in-training, even if we don't know them personally.”

“Who fucking cares if it's our job or duty? Quirkless shits who use whatever crutch they can get and think they can become heroes with that are as useless as any other quirkless shit who doesn't have a crutch. This is a waste of my time.” Bakugou snarls before getting up from his seat and trudging upstairs. Even after all he and his class has been through, Bakugou never changed at all. But others couldn't help but silently agree with him…

“I'm not saying they don't need help, but Bakugou is right. They're just quirkless people with a crutch. Maybe it is true they're getting abused and some even dying because their constitution and minds aren't developed to handle the pressure,” Ojirou says. 

Midoriya’s stomach churned more.

“This is really not the time to delve into the specifics! What Yaoyorozu said is true! We mustn't let personal views get in the way of this! It's up to us to watch and listen carefully while we're at TA so we can bring this school to justice!” Iida yells, arm chopping through the air.

“Yeah, yeah, what Iida said!” Uraraka emphasizes excitedly. 

“Besides, I bet the TA students would love for us UA students to be there so they don't have to worry too much about being abused. They can feel safe and maybe even convince some of them to transfer after we take down TA! This could be our chance to show them what kind of fun stuff we can teach them! It'll be great!” 

Somewhere in the middle of the ocean…

“Mr. Zhongli, forgive me for being rude, but you cannot be serious right now.” A boy with a short, blue bob haircut and amber eyes with his hand up spoke. His face held nothing but discontentment and slight disgust. 

And judging by the other faces in the classroom, the other students thought the same thing. 

Mr. Zhongli, head teacher of the Liyue dorms, only sighs and shakes his head. “Unfortunately, Mr. Xingqui, I'm not lying. Principal Dainsleif has struck a deal with Principal Nedzu of UA to do an exchange program. The second-year hero students, 2-A and 2-B will be arriving at TA on Sunday.” 

“Don't tell me this has anything to do with the abuse allegations online,” A girl with midnight-colored hair and bright orange eyes whispers solemnly.

“We don't need to concern ourselves with that. All we ask of you to do is to remain respectful and on your best behavior when they arrive. You're representing TA while in and out of school, so please be at your best, lest we give them an…unsavory impression…” Even though Mr. Zhongli didn't say it out right, it was clear that even the tiniest bit of misbehavior or inconsistency will give UA the wrong idea. 

“Wait. Does she know about this…?” Another girl with dark skin and wearing spiked accessories asks timidly. All the hairs on each person's neck were raised up like a cat immediately, even Zhongli. The air in the room turned more tense.

“Considering that the sky didn't turn red from what I've seen, no…” A boy with brown and red hair mumbles. 

They've seen and heard pictures and stories about the apparent Head Director of Education of the Teyvat School Board, also referred to as “Madam”. The last time anyone has seen her was during the opening ceremony of TA, which was 50 years ago. Nobody has heard or seen from her since. Stories say she only shows up when something major happens to either the school or the region. And considering that UA are outsiders coming here, it's a surprise she hasn't appeared, red sky and all. 

Looking through the few documented photos displayed in the main hall of the academy, it sent chills down everyone's spined. A blank look adorning her pale face. Flowing white hair and burning bronze- colored eyes staring into anyone's soul who dared look at her directly. She’s a cold beauty, one may say.

“Maybe she'll appear once UA arrives…?” A boy with icy blue hair shrugs. 

“As if! It's been 50 years! She could be dead for all we know!” Yet another girl says with brown hair and flower-shaped pupils. 

“Please refrain from saying such ludicrous things, Miss Hu Tao. I can assure you that “Madam” is alive and well.” Zhongli gives a pointed and stern glare to the girl who shrinks in her seat by the intensity.

“Regardless, heed what I've previously said. Be on your best behavior and at least try to disregard whatever negative prejudice they say. It's not worth your effort. The teachers will handle it.” 

“Yes, Mr. Zhongli.” 

The bell rang and school continued as usual. But everybody, staff and students alike, have already been informed of what's to come on Sunday. 

And the tension in the air was nothing but asphyxiating. 

At lunch, almost everyone in their own cliques and friend groups gossiped. No doubt the news of UA coming to Teyvat had already spread outside of school and into the mainland.

“You guys are not thinking on the good side! This could be an opportunity to make new friends!” Yoimiya, an Inazuman dorm student with blonde hair and sunset eyes says to her lunch table companions. 

“Not like I don't agree with you, Yoimiya. It's just that…the cons outweigh the pros in this kind of situation…” Thoma, a boy with blond hair and green eyes reluctantly replies, taking a bite of his dango. 

A few tables down, a girl with bright green hair poked at her salad as she joined in with the conversation at her own table. 

“Do you think it'll be safe for them to be here? What if something happens?” 

“Don't worry, Collei. Me and Cyno here will make sure you and everyone else is safe. Right Cyno?” An older student with fox ears harshly nudges the aforementioned boy beside him, who was busy sorting a set of cards. 

“Uh…yes, of course.”

Another few tables, this time near the front entrance of the cafeteria, a similar conversation is taking place. 

“It'll be overwhelming, I won't lie. But fear not! For I, the great magician Lyney and our dear sister Lynette will distract them with our performances so that they'll not spare a single stare at you, Freminet!” A dashing boy with moonglow eyes announces flamboyantly.

“O-okay… I can handle that…I think…” Responds Freminet, a freckled teen who’s holding a mechanical penguin in his lap. 

The rest of the day went by quickly with no other surprise announcements. But an air of uncertainty hangs above the school as the days pass by. 

Chapter Text

3 days before…

“I wonder what Dainsleif wants,” A boy asks a girl as they wander the empty corridor of TA. Huge arch-shaped windows lined the right side of the hall, letting in the afternoon sunlight. Their footsteps echoed against the polished tiled floors as they searched for the principal's office. 

“It better not be another mission. We just came back from one.” The boy's companion groaned in exasperation.

“I thought you like going on missions, Lumine,” The boy replies as glanced over the doors to locate their destination. 

“I do! It's just that it's been back-to-back as of recently. Usually he gives us breaks or gives them to our friends. But now it's been non stop. Something must be up!” Lumine exclaims. 

“Well, you don't know that unless we ask.” The boy said before finally locating the principal's office. 

“Here we are,” He knocks a few times and both wait for an answer until-

“Come in.” A muffled voice answers.

The boy opens and both peered inside to see the principal’s blond hair buried in paperwork at his mahogany desk. He peered at them with tired but expectant eyes. 

“Aether. Lumine. Please take a seat.” 

Both wasted no time as they closed the door and took a seat in the two chairs situated across the desk; Aether on the left, and Lumine on the right. 

“Thank you for coming at such short notice. Now to start things off: how was your recent mission?” The principal asks once they settled down.

“Same as ever. Bunch of Abyss Order crooks wanting to take over the world and whatnot,” Aether shrugs nonchalantly. 

Honestly, they're not sure why they just give up at this point since no matter what schemes they come up, the TA Twins will always thwart them. 

But then again, villainous organisations like the Abyss Order don't just quit just like that after a hundred failed attempts. 

“Good, good. I'm sure you know that I'm expecting a report by you two before the final bell tomorrow.” Both of them nod. 

“However, that is not the topic of today's meeting so I will keep the explanation brief: the hero students and staff of UA are coming here to the academy and I want you two to be representatives of the school and show them around.” Dainsleif heaves out in one breath. 

The duo stared at the man before them in shock silence, looked at each other, then back at the man. After a few seconds, Lumine broke the silence.

“Wait wait wait wait wait wait! Since when was UA coming to TA?” 

“Since Monday.”

“And you want us to be representatives of TA? What does that even entail?” 

“It means any sort of questions and queries they might have will be directed towards you, as well as showing them the courses, dorms, rooms, extracurricular activities, and clubs of the school.” Dainsleif explains.

“So we're just glorified tourist guides babysitting a bunch of prejudice, geo slime-for-brain kids?” 

“Lumine-” Aether tries to intervene but Dainsleif beats him to it. 

“I understand your convictions with what the outside world thinks of us, but I've chosen both you and Aether specifically because you are the school’s top students. I believe you two represent what this academy stands for. Freedom to choose, belief in eternity, fighting for justice, and everything else in between. We need to show to not just UA, but the entire world that we're not at the bottom of the food chain. We're not here for war or a worldwide takeover. We're here to make a statement. And what this school represents is that statement.” 

Dainsleif finishes his speech, the room now quiet. A bird chirps outside the tinted window behind the intimating head of the world's “dangerous” hero school. 

Aether sneaks a look at Lumine, who never takes her blazing glare at Dainsleif. The tension slowly builds until Lumine heaves in a sigh of defeat.

“Fine. I'll do it.” Lumine says before continuing, “I'm not going to like it but as long as we're with our friends and Aether also agrees.” 

“I do agree,” Aether nods firmly. 

“Then that settles it. The rest of the school has already been informed of UA’s arrival. Make sure you make the proper preparations. Handling 39 students isn't going to be easy, especially with what kind of…rumours they might have heard.” 

Lumine scoffs and rolls her eyes. 

“Thank you principal. Have a good rest of your night.” Aether and Lumine bow before taking their leave. 

The door clicks shut. The man sits in silence before getting up and turning to face the window that overlooked the courtyard of the academy. His reflection in the window mirrors a feeling of seriousness and uncertainty.

“I know you have eyes and ears everywhere. Your lack of appearance means you approve of this plan.” 

Dainsleif let's out a long-winded sigh before continuing.

“I just hope you know what you're doing.”

In the Fontaine Dorms…

Long ago, when Venti relayed the rumours of TA being ‘abusive’ towards its students, Zhongli laughed. 

Fucking laughed. 

He hadn't heard that blockhead laugh that hard since…ever. 

And clearly, the other dorm teachers at the table were just as surprised as they were, judging by their expressions. 

The day after the surprise outburst that had the man having the occasional chuckle every time he thought about it hours after that bomb drop, Venti brought it up to Zhongli, only for the man to dismiss it. His excuse was that Venti was drunk and must have imagined it. 

Venti wasn't drunk that night. He hadn't had that much to drink and he had the other dorm teachers as witnesses, even though they would never admit it. 

It had been a wonderful night for Venti. The bi-weekly tea party for him and the others is perfect to catch up and tell others about their dorm students’ shenanigans. Just having a good time with his long-time friends. 

But not this time.

Not only are Murata and the Tsaritsa not here, this month’s tea party had a sense of dread and uncertainty in the air after the news Dainsleif dropped in the staff meeting. Poor Furina tried to dispel it by letting the others taste her newest pastry she learned to bake. 

Even though Furina is no longer a dorm teacher because of a certain incident, the others allowed her to still host tea parties whenever it's her turn and didn't treat her any differently even after the incident. They still considered her one of their own.

Venti could see the whole weight of the world fell off Furina’s shoulders after they told her that. His heart ached for both her and her twin sister. 

Now, Venti played into Furina’s attempt to diffuse the tight tension in the Fontaine dorm's leisure area as he bit into the girl's overbaked, yet delicious macarons. 

“It's great Furina! Thanks!” Venti said with his mouth full, spraying crumbs on the table. 

“Bar-Venti, please chew with your mouth closed next time.” Zhongli scolded from across the table. The only response was Venti sticking his tongue out to annoy the man. 

A cough resounded, calling attention to everyone at the table. Nahida, the youngest of them and Sumeru’s dorm teacher, looked at them with an uncharacteristically serious look in her eyes; a total shift from her usual playful personality. 

“I want to call attention to the elephant in the room before we forget about it entirely…” She says quietly, bringing the room into an awful silence. 

“Agreed. This matter needs to be handled with the utmost care. One wrong move and we have a mess of our own making on our hands.” Inazuma’s dorm teacher, Ei, replied in a diplomatic voice. 

What an absolute mood killer. Venti groaned. 

“Can't we talk about this tomorrow? I just want to drink and not think about Japan’s war heroes, literally, coming into our turf,” The Mondstadt dorm teacher bemoaned before chugging a glass of dandelion wine Furina had already prepared for him. 

“We have 3 days until they arrive. We can't delay this any further. If we do, we risk the HPSC and possibly the Japanese government-” 

“Finding the gnoses and taking our powers for their own benefits?” A new voice interrupts from the front door. 

Everyone turned to see Monsieur Neuvillette, Fontaine's dorm teacher. A grave look held in his mauve eyes, speaking of the dire situation they are in. 

“M-Monsieur Neuvillette! A pleasure as always to see you back after a long day in the office! Please join us for some tea and macarons!” Furina bowed deeply, nervously bouncing on her toes as she did so. 

“No need for such pleasantries, Miss Furina. I am sure everyone here can understand, as the situation we are now placed in has abandoned such things.” The Iudex of Fontaine nods knowingly to the 4 dorm teachers seated at the table. They nod back as well. 

“Thanks to our Natlan and Snezhnayian heroes and informants, we long found out that both the HPSC and the Japanese government are wanting to get a hand on vision holders for…upsetting things I cannot bear to name. They as well want to know how visions work and how they are made.” 

Venti couldn't help but roll his eyes. To be honest, it was a fair observation, knowing the outside world knows nothing about how visions work in the slightest. But could you really blame him for thinking it was a stupid observation either? 

If only they knew what true power lies in visions and the ones who wielded them.

Neuvillette continues, “This exchange program is used to find the “exact location” of that power. For this, we must secure the locations of the gnoses as well as never speak of them during the tenure that U.A is here.” 

“Nobody has seen the gnoses in years. Only Dainsleif and the Madam know of the exact location and they refuse to tell us dorm teachers, much less, anyone. So shouldn't it be safe to say they are already secured?” Venti inquires. 

“We cannot risk anything here, Barbatos. If they found out that all 7 gnoses power visions and they all fall into the wrong hands, I'm afraid another Cataclysm might be imminent. And this time, the entirety of Teyvat will suffer.” 

At ‘Cataclysm’, the hairs on the dorm teachers’ backs stood on end.

“The reason Principal Dainsleif hasn't said anything to you yet is because he wanted me to relay this information to you all as the-” 

Venti sighed and shook his head. 

“Yeah, yeah. I get it. Keep quiet about the gnoses and play along like we're a bunch of underdeveloped monkeys so Japan’s saviours can rescue us from the 'abusive hero school'.” Sarcasm dripped from his words.

“Such imprudent rumours they are,” Ei shakes her head in disbelief. “I'm sure that U.A is no sanctuary either.” 

“We can save that discussion for another time. So am I to assume everyone is on board then?” 

5 ‘yes’s resounded in the dorms. 

“Very good then. Now, let's enjoy a little bit of leisure. A calm before the storm, if you will.” Neuvillette smiles. 

Midoriya couldn't sleep at all all night. He kept staring at the ceiling on his bed, thinking about Teyvat and visions and all the other mysteries surrounding the closed region. 

He hadn't thought much about the topic as a child, only focused on heroes and quirks. But now that they were all going to Teyvat, it sprung a new curiosity within him. And with that comes a daunting question: 

Why wasn't he given a vision?

A seed of envy grew in his mind and stomach. Was he really such a useless, quirkless Deku that even TA didn't see any worth in giving him a vision? Something wasn't adding up. 

Unless…

They knew he was going to get OFA in the future?

Midoriya shook his head. No! It can't be? TA didn't have any sort of foresight quirk, right? So….magic?

Midoriya shook his head more violently this time. What a stupid thought! There was no such thing as real magic! Quirks of all kinds existed, yeah! And magic quirks existed, so there's that! 

But a lingering thought still haunted Midoriya at the back of his mind. 

What if though?

What if magic that didn't involve quirks really existed? 80 percent of the world holds some sort of superpower they are all born with. With that fact, anything in this world is possible.

Midoriya continued to toss and turn before the overflowing thoughts of real magic and conspiracies drifted him off into slumber. 

Chapter Text

1 day before…

As the logical and rational person he is, Aizawa is not looking forward to this trip. 

Teyvat Academy itself is an illogical place full of equally illogical people. 

This so-called “school” is installing false hope into quirkless people by giving them visions; supposedly support items that act as crutches.

Yes, Aizawa is retired now after sustaining major life-altering injuries during the war. Back then he had a capture scarf. When that didn't work, he had Erasure to end things quickly. Nobody at TA had any sort of quirk to fall back on. 

Quirkless people, or should he say, Doves, are naturally underdeveloped and weak and lazy. They're coasting through life by using these visions. Add cheaters to the list of things Doves are known for. 

So what if they are children that are dying on dangerous hero missions? With how their minds worked, they didn't think about how treacherous these missions were and naturally, nature took its course by purging the weak.

And for the abuse, statistics show that Doves have lower intelligence than the rest of society. So it was only logical for the teachers to show them their place.

It was as simple as that.

And when they eventually “save” the students, they'll be handed over to the HPSC and the government to be taken care of. Any person with a brain could read between the lines to see what that meant. 

Whatever means of getting rid of the un-evolved, Aizawa didn't care. The faster that population disappears, the better for society. Strong and useful quirks will rise to the top, while those at the bottom will die. 

And that included quirkless people who used visions.

What he and his Hell Class are going to do at their school should be an act of mercy for them: getting their heads out of the clouds and seeing the real world for what it truly is. The world has no need for dreams and fantasies. The world is cruel and cold. 

Aizawa will do whatever it takes to drill that into the TA kids, even if it means putting them in a hospital bed. Harsh, but then again, Doves are fragile and sensitive. It won't be long until they end up in an unmarked grave, their name insignificant, so who cares? It was only logical in Aizawa’s eyes. 

He was shook out of his thoughts when microphone feedback ringed in his ears. 

Nedzu had called for a meeting in the auditorium that involved 2-A, 2-B, and a handful of Pro Heroes who haven't quit their careers after the war. 

After discussing with the reinstated HPSC president and the Minister of Japan, he gained both of their approval to send in a few selected Pro Heros to investigate TA alongside the hero students in the foreseeable future. As much as the HPSC and the government want to take down TA ASAP, the current situation in the country is a higher priority for them. So they only allowed a few of Nedzu's choice. 

Nedzu was standing on the podium so everyone could see him. He cleared his throat and started speaking. 

“I’ve called you all here today to inform you all personally of what's to come. Recently, Teyvat Academy has accepted our offer to do an exchange program. However, they do not know that it is merely a front to expose the evil deeds for the world to witness.” Nedzu grins. 

Outbursts rang across the auditorium, making some flinch and cringe. The Pros shouted in shock and excitement before Endeavor burst into flames. Literally. 

“Quiet, you idiots!” He shouted. The whole crowd ceased the noise and the hero returned to normal slowly. 

“Continue.” Endeavor says, more demands really. Nedzu nods and speaks once more. 

“Both the HPSC and the government anticipate that while Teyvat and the school revolve around these visions, they as well accept quirkless people with no visions. Their guess is that they're treated horrendously and are forced to do things that put their livelihoods in danger.” 

Aizawa can't help but roll his eyes in the little corner he's tucked in. He knows Nedzu shares the same sentiment as him when it comes to Doves. 

He has seen the rat throw away any sort of acceptance letters from a few of them, asking if it can be accepted, followed by a list of useless achievements that meant nothing to anyone. 

In Nedzu's words, “I just don't believe those with no power should be in a position of power.”

This is one of the few times he and Nedzu agreed on something. 

However, his idiot colleagues didn't seem to feel the same way. 

“How prudent! Preying on those who can't defend themselves? Is there no end to such evil?” Best Jeanist proclaims loudly. 

“What a bunch of grade-A assholes! Once I get my hands on whoever's in charge, I'll crush them! Mirko slams her fist into palm, a wave of anger radiating off her. 

“Class 2-A and 2-B have been given this mission. With how much hardships they've been through, the TA students should feel safe to come forward and show them the horrors of what they're subjected to.” He nods both classes right at the front of the audience, with various cheers and nods of acknowledgement.

“Aizawa and Vlad King will accompany them, as well as Present Mic and Toshinori. However, I've already sent them a list of selected Pros I wish to send over to the school in order to cover more ground but they have not been approved yet.” Nedzu proclaims gleefully, much to the disappointment of the other Pros in the room.

A hand arose from the crowd suddenly from the muted chatter. 

“Do you have a question, Mount Lady?” 

“Yes. How long will the students be staying at the academy?”

Nedzu strokes his chin before replying, “It should be for 2 months but we are hoping for a longer stay to gather sufficient evidence. We can't leave any stone unturned after all. I'll be discussing it with the Principal of TA in the future when the deadline comes.” 

Another hand rose through the crowd.

“Yes Hawks?” 

Standing with a lazy posture, the winged hero asks, “Are the World Hero Association not gonna do anything?”

Nedzu hums, “Considering that Teyvat has a record of refusing to communicate with international organizations, I’ve gotten the conjoined permission of the HPSC president and the Minister of Japan that whatever we do to expose the unbecomings at the academy is entirely up to us. Interrogation, snooping, whatever it means to bring this evil excuse of a school and to gain the public favor back to our side and show that heroes are here to stay!” 

Nedzu concluded the presentation with his signature sadistic grin. 

“We’ll save these students and bring Teyvat Academy to international justice!” 

The students and Pros cheered. Excitement stewed in the air at the thought of finally taking down Teyvat Academy. 

Aizawa merely scoffed and had the urge to tell them all to shut up before a few Pros came to the podium to make long-winded and useless speeches about bringing TA down.

Even if no one said it out loud, it was rather stupid of TA to accept such an offer when their whole shtick is staying in their own region. 

But they are a closed country with seemingly no communication to the outside world and housed quirkless people. They could be close to their monkey ancestors if he were to guess; stupid and their constitutions not strong enough to follow the path of evolution.

Aizawa groaned at the prospect of explaining simple things to such low creatures when an excited voice broke its way through the chatter.

“The TA students will be so thankful for us for saving them!” Uraraka excitedly cried out. 

“This is going to be the best program ever!” Ashido chants. 

“This is going to be the worst program ever.” Freminet groans into his pillow of the spacious student lounge he and almost all Elemental Course students are in. 

Everyone in the room shared the same sentiment; rolling their eyes and heads in exasperation and barely holding back groans and sighs. 

It was after school hours once again with how no noise was made outside the student lounge that was so big enough it could fit a whole lecture hall of people. 

Everyone was in the group chat when they all voted to meet here to discuss the dreaded day to come. But it was more like a pity session rather than an actual discussion. 

“Razor doesn't like this. Lupical may be in danger,” A silver haired boy with red eyes reiterated, resounding another chorus of groans and sighs.

“Ok, instead of whining and complaining, how about we actually talk like normal human beings for once?” Kuni was getting tired of this and they were just 5 minutes into this impromptu meeting. 

“Can't we just chuck my Ushi at those suckers and call it a day?” Itto, a Geo Course student with white hair and oni characteristics asked from his face-down position on the couch near a window. 

“I'm sure your dorm teachers told you not to use excessive violence on the UA kids, yes?” Amber, a Pyro Course student asked from an armchair she was seated in. 

“It would be funny though,” Xingqiu shrugs nonchalantly, his eyes never taking off the book he's reading. 

“Yanfei, you're a law student. What are the chances that UA is going to actually bring the school to international court for the alleged abuse?” Hu Tao asks a pink haired girl beside her. 

“With how everyone is half focusing on us and the other on the aftermath of the war, the chances are high seeing how the world will lean towards UA's side…” Yanfei predicts before sighing. 

“Seriously, how did this get the approval of Principal Dainsleif and the Teyvat School Board? Are they trying to get us mocked and harassed?” 

“Pretty sure it's the opposite. They know what's up and want to teach them a thing or two, if you know what I mean…” An Anemo Course student, Heizou, winked. 

“Let’s just hope they don't cause any problems, maybe?...” Cryo Course student Mika trails off nervously, causing everyone to look at him with deadpan expressions. It made the blond even more nervous. 

“That's impossible, Mika. Jean said the exact same thing but even she couldn't convince herself of that.” Bennett, a boy from the Pyro Course says solemnly. 

“Are Aether and Lumine back yet? Maybe they can solve this since…y'know? Twin power and stuff?” Xinyan, another Pyro Course with a punk looking aesthetic shrugs.

“They're back but Principal Dainsleif assigned them to be the representatives of the school and give the UA brats a tour. They're probably banging their heads on the wall as we speak,” Shinobu, a student with green hair from the Electro Course, relays to the others. 

The room fell silent, everyone brewing in their misery for what's to come.

“Hey Cyno? What do you think of all this?” Collei hesitantly asked the boy from across the room. He was listening to the conversation the entire time from his seat with a serious look on his face. 

As part of Sumeru’s student council, this program, or rather, the real reason for the program, is a huge deal. And with how both UA and Japan operate itself, this could pose a threat to the entire school and nation. 

He clears his throat and says, “Seeing as how all of Teyvat is not fond of how hero society works on the outside, it's going to be quite the cultural shock to them when we show them how things operate around here. Besides the Abyss Order, we don't stand solely on the whole hero and villains concept. We just want to train vision holders to use them properly to protect and give quirkless people a hopeful future.

They create many grand heros like All Might and Endeavor, but whatever influence they have left after the war, much less their names, have little meaning to us here. They are on our grounds on our territory. Therefore they play by our rules.” 

At this, the students perked up, beaming at the realization. 

“Even though I'm in charge of the Sumeru dorms, I want to reiterate that even though we're all encouraged to be on our best behaviors, do show them what we all stand for. Be it for freedom, justice, eternity, contacts, wisdom, war, love, etcetera. We don't need their approval to do anything. Don't let their words and prejudice get to you and go about your day. Keep your minds and eyes open and your head high, but don't let your walls down either.” 

When Cyno finishes, the student breaks into applause and cheers. Even those like Xiao and Kuni nod in approval. 

“Great speech comrade! Great speech!” Ajax, or rather Childe, cheered with grandiose clapping. 

The cheering soon died down as soon as someone else caught their attention by whistling. 

“Ahem,” Kokomi, a star student of the Hydro Course, started to speak as well.

“I would like to turn our attention to another topic: criminals and villains.” 

Most looked at her in confusion before she reiterates. 

“As you all know, a society with such a heavy reliance on heroes will see a world as only black and white. The terms ‘criminal’ and ‘villain’ are often mixed up and confused, thinking they both mean the same thing.” 

Xingqiu, who has now put down his book, chimes in.

“Yes, seriously. They would see a father stealing food from a stall to feed his starving child because he has no money and equate that to committing homicide. It's ridiculous!” 

“No wonder there's a problem with overcrowded jails. Most of them don't deserve to be there!” Heizou huffs, crossing his arms. As a promising detective, he knew a thing about classifying whether someone should be called a criminal or a villain. 

“I’m guessing we’ll leave it to you with the hydro visions to discuss what justice means to us to those heroe wannabes. There's a good chance that some of them are actually good kids who want to do better,” Diluc, a Mondstadt student council member says. 

“Wow, it's unlike you to see the positives, Diluc. Did you change your mind?” His brother, Kaeya, also part of the Mondstadt student council, quips. 

All he got in return was a warning glare.

“Back to what Cyno said,” Kokomi steered the conversation away from the bickering brothers. 

“Their society is very reliant on the whole heroes versus villains concept. This could explain why they don't provide things such as financial aid, support groups, mental health programs, or even therapy: they're dependent on villains and criminals to exist. Of course, there is much more to it.” 

Kokomi supplies helpfully as the students nod and murmur in agreement. 

Diluc mentioned there is a chance that maybe some UA kids do actually want to do good and they aren't arrogant to actual Pros who do the same too. All Might was considered one, but with how overreliant the outside world is of him and how he unintentionally left the weight of the whole world in his still-teenage successor’s shoulders, it left a bitter taste in TA’s mouth. 

This whole debacle put the whole school, and in the bigger picture, the whole nation between a rock and a hard place. 

“All of this wouldn't happen if we weren't labeled a hero school. Whose decision was it to label us a hero school?!” Kuni threw his hands up in the air in annoyance. 

“To gain more popularity is my best bet. The whole world worships heroes after all,” Kazuha says wistfully, making Kuni groan. 

“Their mistake, honestly.” Tighnari pipes in, shaking his head. 

“They're training to be heroes though, right? Let's take Diluc’s example and hope they're some good apples in there,” Yoimiya tries to lighten the mood.

“That was only a prediction, not an actual fact,” The man corrects, making the girl pout.

“Whatever they do, let's keep a good balance: don't get our hopes up, but keep an open mind.” Chongyun suggests. Everyone agrees silently. 

The sun was starting to set and it wouldn't be long until someone, mostly Neuvillette, would come knocking to tell them all to head back to the dorms. They all said their goodbyes and turned in for the night. 

The calm before the storm, as most would say. Just 1 more day until UA is upon them. 

“This just in! Reports say that UA principal, Nedzu, has struck a deal with the Teyvat Academy principal, Dainsleif, to conduct an exchange program between their respective schools! This will be the first time anyone, outside of those with visions and the quirkless population, will step foot into Teyvat soil!

Little is known about the closed region and its school as they only give acceptance letters to quirkless individuals and give them supposedly powerful tools known as ‘visions’. Since its opening of its doors 50 years ago, scientists, anthropologists, high profile politicians, and even the common citizen are dying to hear what this mysterious place is like! We'll have more details as the story develops.” 

“Fuck.” 

Chapter Text

The TA Twins could've passed off today as any other ordinary day. Sunbeams peaking through the clouds, birds singing the same songs, and the cool air tingling their skin. It would've been a perfect spring day…if it weren't for what today's occasion was. 

“Lumine, stop forcing yourself to smile like that. It scares me a bit.” Aether comments as he adjusts the tie of his school uniform for the hundredth time this morning. 

“I'm just practicing, that's all.” The girl grits out though her teeth as her mouth contorts in an unusual way, forcing herself to make an uncomfortable smile. 

Both of them wait outside on the front steps of Teyvat Academy. They woke up extra early today to prepare everything and in order. They had the idea of telling the other dorms to be orderly as well, but they knew quickly that they didn't need to relay the same information twice with how tense the atmosphere in the air is.

“Ah, you two are here already,” A smooth voice echoes behind them. Both turn to find Zhongli sprint-walking, smoothing the wrinkles of his suit. Being the oldest of the dorm teachers of TA, Dainsleif assigned him to help the twins in welcoming UA and answer some of the potentially difficult questions they decided to throw at them and neither of them had the answer to. 

“Apologies for being late. Everyone has been scurrying around and some needed some soothing for the big day ahead.”

“No worries, Mr. Zhongli. Sorry we couldn't help in either way. We know you guys can handle yourselves so we just went up ahead and wait for UA to come.” Aether says.

The man nods, “Good, good.” 

The trio were quiet for a moment before Lumine spoke up. 

“So how do they get here again?” 

“Ah, both classes take separate planes to Portugal, all sponsored by the HPSC so they can move faster because getting a flight from Japan to Portugal is a day-long flight-” 

Lumine scoffs at the mention of the HPSC but lets her brother continue.

“-then they take a boat here, which is about 4 hours. Then finally, they take a bus.”

“Wait, did you say boat?” Lumine asks.

“Yeah, why?”

“You don't think…” The girl trails off and for a few seconds they look at each other before their faces flash of understanding. 

“Ohhhh…” 

“If I may, I'm assuming you both have come to the conclusion that Captain Beidou and her crew were assigned to take UA here by their ship.” Zhongli muses. 

“Yeah, but why? Shouldn't a normal ship crew be assigned to do that? Not saying Captain Beidou can't handle it herself-” 

“I can assure you both that Principal Dainsleif and Ningguang have given the captain and her crew strict guidelines to follow when interacting with UA. They left hours before anyone could wake up to head off early.” The amber-eyed man assures the twins. 

They huffed in relief. “That's good to know. Captain Beidou doesn't follow the rules at all, but I trust she knows how dire the circumstances are and can take Ningguang’s words seriously when the situation calls for it.” Aether concludes. 

“And besides, who is a better person to show what TA is all about then a pirate captain?” Lumine giggles. 

“Hm, I wonder if Kazuha is with them though…”

“No, I saw him earlier this morning in the Mondstadt dorms. I couldn't talk to him since we were in a rush but I heard something about ‘calming them down’.” Aether recalls. 

“Ah, right. Kuni and Xiao are not happy about this at all, I'm guessing.” 

The soundly named ‘5nemo’ boys include the 4 male students of the Anemo Course: Xiao, Kuni, Kazuha, and Heizou and the head teacher, Venti. Together, they make a chaotic, yet well-balanced group. With Xiao and Kuni as the stoic ones, Venti and Heizou as the happy-go-lucky ones, and Kazuha being the balance between them all. It didn't really come as a surprise to hear Kazuha having to lightly lecture the two, and possibly by extension, Heizou. Venti, despite his irritating attitude to some, can keep his professionalism. It was Xiao and Kuni that needed to keep their cool, knowing their attitudes towards UA and hero society as a whole. Heizou needed some light scolding too, as his overly flirty personality might be over the top and can put off the students and staff from there as well. 

“I mean, no one is.” Aether deadpans, making Lumine huff in agreement.

Suddenly, the sound of an incoming vehicle sounded in the distance. After a few moments, the front of a bus rolls up, driving on the designated road towards the school and past the gardens. Aether and Lumine straightened their postures, while Zhongli cleared his throat. 

“Here they come. Remember, best smiles everyone.” Zhongli recites, the twins nodding in return. 

Let the show begin.

“This is…”

“No way. Is that…”

“Quite unorthodox…”

“WHAT THE FUCK IS A PIRATE SHIP DOING HERE!!!”

The 39 students, plus the 4 teachers, couldn't help but agree with Bakugou’s outburst as they stared slack-jawed at what they assume is a pirate ship parked on the shores of a local port. 

Normally a flight from Japan to Portugal would last a whole day, but thanks to the HPSC, they got two of the fastest planes sponsored by them to fly out Japan's heroes into other countries for international missions to fly within only a few hours. Portugal was the closest country to where Teyvat is located, facing West of the Atlantic Ocean. 

All students had to go to sleep earlier than usual so they had enough energy to get their suitcases and get their bodies up to get to the airport. Many whines and groans sounded, but a deathly stare from Aizawa made them all shut up. Bakugou was the most pissed. Even in the ungodly hours in the morning, he still had anger brewing inside him like a volcano. Not because he had to wake up early, but because he had to go on this trip. He did say it was a waste of his time, but he still went on anyway. 

Besides that, all the students and staff were wondering how they'll get to Teyvat once they land in Portugal. Irritatingly, Nedzu called on the teachers at the last minute to tell them about their next means of transportation and then relay it to the hero students. Something with dramatic timing. 

“According to Principal Dainsleif in the response email I've received to my initial email, they will send in a ship to pick you up and sail you towards the region.” Nedzu recites a few hours before UA’s departure. 

“And who might that be?” Yagi asks. 

“He did not say.” Nedzu shakes his head, making Aizawa groan tiredly. He had enough of this and they haven't arrived at TA yet. 

“I'm assuming you'll just have to wait and see.” 

Wait and see is right because a supposedly highly-acclaimed school sending in a pirate ship of all things? Is this some sort of joke?

The sound of heels clicking against the wooden floors of the dock got everyone out of their stupor and turned towards the sound. 

A woman with long brown hair, an eye patch, and Chinese-looking attire greeted them with an easygoing smile and waved. 

“Ahoy there! You're UA, right? I'm Captain Beidou, captain of the Crux, my crew, and the Alcor, this beauty you see before you.” 

It took a moment before Toshinori cleared his throat and approached Beidou. 

“Greetings, er, Captain. I am Toshinori Yagi, former number 1 hero and heroics teacher of UA.” He lent his hand out to shake. The man would hope introducing himself first as the former number 1 will get them into her good graces despite the loud greeting they've received. 

However, the bony man didn't notice Beidou’s smile for a split second, faltered, then quickly picked back up. She took his hand and shook hard. 

“What an honor it is to be in the presence of the former number 1 hero! I've heard of your achievements and I'm impressed by your deeds! The young generation of heroes is in good hands it seems!” The woman continues to shake Yagi’s hand and spew compliments and phrases in an underlying condescending way. The students and the rest of the teachers look on in confusion and concern, mostly for Toshinori as his arm looks like it’ll detach from his shoulder at any moment. 

“Anyways, both you and myself are on strict schedules so let's board. We can talk more while we sail.” Beidou stopped shaking Toshinori’s hand abruptly, causing the man to almost collapse on his ass and holding his arm to steady it. UA made room for the woman as she walked and boarded her ship using the walkway.

‘That woman is strong.’ Toshinori murmurs in his mind, joining back in with the students and his colleagues. He swore he felt a twang of electricity spark from her hand and traveled up his arm as well.

“Excuse me, Beidou-san-” Iida starts. 

“Captain, please. None of that honorific business.” Beidou interrupts. 

“Right, Captain Beidou. Are you sure this ship is safe to sail? Do you even have a license to sail? If this is how TA operates-” 

“I assure you kid, I've taken the necessary steps to make sure I'm qualified to sail and my crew always cleans up and makes sure the Alcor is clean and operating well before we set off. Don't assume things you have no idea about.” Although not outright, a sense of tension and irritation coated the pirate's words. Iida begrudgingly left it at that. 

“Let's not waste time. Get on.” Aizawa orders, as did Vlad King. Both classes shuffled onto the ship, where they were greeted with people, most likely Beidou’s crew moving supplies, cleaning, and doing maintenance on the ship. When Beidou stepped onto the ship, all of them ceased what they were doing and saluted to their captain. 

“At ease everyone. This is the UA second-year hero students and teachers we'll be escorting to Teyvat Academy. I'll have you all move their luggage to the storage room. Please make them feel welcome while at sea, alright?” 

“Yes captain!” 

The crew went to work immediately, taking all the luggage and moving it. Aizawa couldn't help but be begrudgingly impressed by how efficient they are at their job, whatever pirates do. 

“If you need a place to rest or something to eat, please let one of my crewmates know. I'll be sailing the Alcor the whole time, so I won't be able to answer some of your more curious questions about Teyvat or the school.” Beidou tells the group. 

Without waiting for a response, Beidou barks out orders. 

“Hoist the flags! We're setting sail! Destination: Teyvat Academy! Approximate arrival time: 8 am!” 

“Aye, aye captain!” The crew answered in unison and everyone got to work while UA watched from the sidelines. The ship’s walkway detached from the dock and some felt underneath their feet what is presumably the anchor being raised back from the sea floor. 

“Wow, they're like an actual pirate crew!” Ashido whispers excitedly. 

“Though I would've preferred a more…civil means of transportation, the crew looks to be orderly and seem to know what they're doing.” Iida says, much to the annoyed side glances of some of the crewmates he received without noticing. 

Aizawa let out a low groan before getting out his sleeping bag, putting it on and flopping down for a nap. He doesn't want to be awake for 4 hours straight staring at nothing but water. 

“While we are here, let's try asking the crew some questions. Maybe they'll be more open then Captain Beidou is.” Kendou, now class 2-B’s class rep suggested. Iida and Yaoyorozu nodded in agreement and began their search for answers. 

“Excuse me, miss? I don't mean to bother you but would you mind answering a few questions? Yaoyorozu asks.

“It depends. What are you going to ask?” The woman she was speaking to didn't seem interested in the slightest but decided to be polite. Orders from the captain after all.

“Well, I was wondering what Teyvat is like? Both as a country and as a school.” 

The woman takes a few moments to think before shrugging. “I don't go to TA but Teyvat as a region, it's a beautiful place. Lots to see.” 

“Can you explain more?”

“Like what?” The woman is beginning to grow irritated, not liking that her answer wasn't enough. Yaoyorozu tries to remain unfazed but begins to fidget. 

“How do they operate? What are-” 

“Hun, I'm a pirate, not a tour guide. All my life has known is the ocean. Little to no time to go on land since we have places to go. If you want to know more, go to TA yourself.” 

At this point, the woman was done being polite and rolled her eyes as she picked up a crate and carried it off, ending the conversation right then and there. 

Yaoyorozu stood there in shock. The creation hero expected hostility of course. They are the first visitors coming into their homeland after all and it is expected to meet with a certain degree of apprehension. But it still took her off guard. 

Yaoyorozu took a second to pick her composure back up. It was best not to question the other crewmates after that exchange. Even though she had to persist, she also didn't want to cause a scene already when they're on their way to TA. She was lucky the woman acted the way she did. Who knows how the others will react if she continues questioning?

She decided to regroup back with Iida and the others. But from the looks on their faces, they had similar experiences as well. 

“They're correct in saying it's not their job to tell us what is going on at TA or Teyvat since they're sailing so much. But I wish they could explain more…” Kendou recalls, looking disappointed. The vice rep of 2-B, Shouda Nirengeki nodded along as well. 

“Or they could've been instructed not to say anything by the government body residing in Teyvat or the school. Possibly both. There is still the possibility that the “Heavenly Principals” have brainwashed their citizens into not speaking about the abuse that happens within the school walls.” Yaoyorozu predicts.

“How despicable! Swaying the common citizens into thinking there is nothing wrong going at the school! We must stop this immediately!” Iida whispers, arm chopping, the exaggerated motion being the opposite of his hushed proclamation.

“As much as I want to ask more questions, we don't want to cause a commotion already while we're on the way to the actual school. Let's gather our energy before we arrive there. We should tell our classmates too.” Kendou instructed and the group nodded before breaking off.

The rest of the students and teachers tried to do small talk with the crew, subtly trying to get information as well, but were only received with rejection and glares of irritation. They’re doing their jobs here and have no time to indulge in pointless conversations. Bakugou was the most agitated. He would rather take a swan dive off a roof then hang out with his extra classmates or a bunch of Quirkless, useless pirates. He should be training at this time but instead is stuck on a ship surrounded with nothing but water. What bullshit. 

Meanwhile, Yagi snuck in looks at the captain from time to time, trying to assess her from his perch. But nothing seemed awfully suspicious about her. Her attire is interesting, however. Was she from China that moved to Teyvat? It would make sense since TA takes in the Quirkless around the world and gives them visions, but she looks much older then a regular high school student. Perhaps she’s a graduate. Speaking of which, there was no sign of a vision on her, not that Yagi is supposed to know what it looks like since the entire world doesn't know what they look like. But details say it's a physical tool, and there is no sort of ornament or object on Beidou’s person. Perhaps she's hiding it? He did feel a shock of electricity when she shook his arm…

He looked over to Midoriya, who was beginning to nod off to sleep. The poor boy must be tired from having to wake up so early. He thought about what the boy has been through, from the USJ, to the war. He saved countless people and had a heart of gold. He wouldn't put him to feel immense empathy for the Quirkless children being abused in TA’s walls and form a sort of kinship with most of them when they arrive, always wearing a smile yet weighed down by cruel words and covering bruises and injuries.

“My boy-” Midoriya jolted awake from the sudden announcement.

“Sorry, my boy. I didn't mean to startle you.”

“I-its fine. What is it that you want to talk about?”

“I understand that you of all people will sympathize what the students at TA are going through. I just want to make sure you are extra careful when interacting with them lest we scare them into not saying anything. Always read in-between the lines and don't let their words or actions they put on the outside dissuade you. You understand, yes?” 

“Y-yes, sir….” 

“Good. Get some sleep, my boy.” 

For hours, it seemed like they were out at sea for the whole day if it weren't for the sky changing from a velvety indigo backdrop to a warm, glowing orange and yellow and the scout from the crow’s nest shouting, “LAND AHEAD!” 

The sleeping students (mostly all of them) woke up from their short hours of sleep and stood up and stretched. As the ship slowly gets closer, they're met with a scenery seen in all cheesy American romance movies.

Surrounded by towering trees and mountains, the land of Teyvat stood out from the warm sky, the cooler colors standing out. But what peeked everyone's interest was several tall buildings off in the distance that went deeper into the land, almost camouflaging in the evergreens.

“Captain, is that Teyvat Academy up ahead?” Vlad King asked over the bellowing crashing waves that rocked the ship. 

“Heh, sure is. It's situated upon a hill to accommodate the many courses and students they house.” 

“Many…courses? I thought this was primarily a hero school.” Yagi frowned. 

Beidou resisted the urge to roll her good eye. “You'll see what I mean. Anyways, there'll be 2 buses waiting for you. One will load all your luggage so it can be taken to your own dorms while the other will take you straight towards the school for your tour.” 

“How generous.” Aizawa drawls sarcastically, sluggish from being woken up. 

“Teyvat seems quite…small. But according to reports from previous Pro Heroes, the land is quite large from the few glimpses they could get. Is this some sort of trick? Misinformation like this is improper-” Iida starts on his tirade.

“That's because TA is not located in Teyvat itself. This is a man-made island made specifically to situate the school in.” Beidou delivers the bombshell of news with a nonchalant tone akin to commenting on the weather. Several students' jaws drop.

“Why were we not informed of this in the first place?!” Yagi bellowed, beginning to grow irritated. With how many sudden surprises that weren't said earlier on TA’s part, it was starting to make Yagi’s already low opinion of the school drop further. This is both irresponsible and negligent-

“Beats me,” Beidou shrugs, ignoring the looks of disbelief and agitation of UA.

“Why would there be a man-made island specifically created just to run a school?” Sero looked at the captain in confusion.

“Trust me, kiddo. You'll see why when TA’s hero course do their training. Those kids don't mess around.” Beidou says, sweeping her gaze towards all of them in silent forewarning.

“Bullshit! What can a bunch of useless, Quirkless fucks pretending to be heros with crutches do?” Bakugou snarls.

Beidou chooses to ignore that.

“Captain, my student has asked you a question. It'll be unprofessional if you don't answer it.” Aizawa advises in a dangerous voice.

“Only if he rephrases his question more appropriately.” Beidou quips back. 

Aizawa looks at Bakugou, face contorted with anger, even so early in the morning. 

“Hell fucking no! Why should I be all prissy and polite to a bunch of weaklings that should've died off ages ago?” Bakugou all but screams. 

Well, there goes any sort of civilized conversation. And they were just about to dock too.

“Aizawa, was it? Can you please take care of your student?” Beidou at this point has lost all patience and cool and so done. Her mood further plummeted when not one of the fellow students or other teachers was reprimanding him. 

Aizawa merely shrugs. “Just let him have it out. It'll be over soon.” 

Beidou nearly balks before a lightbulb goes off in her head. “Oh, if I were to tell this to Principal Dainsleif about one of the UA students acting up before they even arrived at the school and already causing a commotion? He doesn't take well with people insulting his students and acquaintances, I’ll have you know.” 

At this, everyone stiffens up. Even Bakugou.

“Such a shame. You came all the way here just to turn back. Not only is it a waste of my time, but yours as well.” Beidou bites back with all the snarkiness in her. 

“Now, are you going to behave? Or shall I inform the Principal of this exchange? The choice is yours-” 

“Bakugou, shut up and sit down. That is an order.” Aizawa sneers, not even bothering to look at the explosive boy, who merely huffs and drags his feet away from the group. Instead, he turns his steely gaze to the captain.

Beidou, not once, wavers. 

“I hope you know blackmail is a serious offense.” Aizawa tries his hand.

“And I hope you know Quirkless discrimination is also a serious offense.” Beidou shoots back before turning her attention back to steering the ship, ending the conversation. 

The rest of the way was silent and with no incident, save for the bomb kid’s friends trying to comfort him only to be screamed at to leave him alone. Beidou is surprised the boy even has friends from that attitude of his.

Once they docked, the Crux immediately went to work unloading the luggage off the Alcor and to the dock. Much like their captain, they want UA off as soon as possible after that exchange. 

The bus drivers, at least the one who’ll drive UA to TA, is friendly. With a tip of his cap, everyone gathered into the bus seats and set off, the bus with their luggage inside already had left early. 

The road to the school for the most part was smooth, the path smooth and leveled. The last few minutes as the bus began driving up the hill (really, a mountain) were the complete opposite however, with everyone inside almost getting concussions from almost hitting the windows beside them. 

“Sorry there, chaps! Even a seasoned driver like me has trouble traveling this part of TA’s path!” The bus driver exclaims, much to everyone's annoyance. Uraraka almost had to get one of her convenient barf bags she took with her just in case, having foresight that the drive will be less than smooth if the changing environment and the bus almost going fully nose up as they drove along wasn't a telltale sign.

But the surprises weren't over yet as the bus finally drove safely on top of the hill. The hero students clambered over each other as they stared in astonishment. 

The school- scratch that- a literal palace disguised as a school greeted UA as the bus drove along between what was assumed to be the school’s gardens. Fields of crops of unknown origin sat row by row in front along the sides. Up ahead, a mountain stood rigid and strong across from the academia. Underneath, the ocean’s waves crashed against the base, slowly but surely eroding the rock overtime. The morning sunlight casted shadows against the towers, making them look even more grandiose and slightly intimidating. Speaking of the towers, now that they were looking up close, it looked like they barely just touched the clouds high in the sky. Ivy scaled up the stone, slowly obscuring bits and parts of the building. It was something out of a fairy tale, a made up fantasy story. Most of the kids pulled out their phones to capture this spectacular sight. The 1-A girls, especially Mina nearly deafening everyone with their excited squeals. 

“This is straight out of something from a storybook! This is so cool!” Ashido shrieks. 

“Quite extraordinary,” Yaoyorozu comments quietly, taken aback from the unexpected sight. 

“Pretty sure this is bigger than UA itself from the looks of it.” Tsu adds in as well. 

Midoriya, while not expressing explicit joy, looked to TA with reverence. Tsu could be possibly right. It looks, if not, 3 times bigger than UA. If the outside is this big, who knows what the inside would look like? He'll have to start on a new analysis notebook on TA and the students soon.

The more apprehensive side of the group was the exact opposite, however. 

“Just because it's a larger school doesn't make up for their incompetence. None of you have taken into consideration that the bigger the school, the more difficult it is to do our mission. Shut up, sit down, and get your heads in the game.” Aizawa seethes, even without raising his voice and causing everyone to go silent. For a brief moment, Midoriya sees the bus driver look up to the interior mirror above him, casting the unassuming Aizawa a Look™. Right. He called the school ‘incompetent’ and didn't expect the bus driver to listen in. Great first impression.

At the front along with Aizawa, Yagi, Present Mic, and Vlad King looked at each with puzzled looks. They were definitely not expecting such a huge building to be TA. They were thinking something more smaller and borderline dilapidated, depicting an unsafe environment. They all thought the towers towering the trees of the island were just for show and Captain Beidou was just exaggerating about the TA hero kids needing so much space to train.

Bakugou barely contained himself, smoke billowing from his hands just slightly. Fucking Quirkless extras. Compensating for shit that they don't have with some shitty fancy building. Since they were rejects of society, they had to one up the world by hiding behind false luxuries. Not only are they worthless and incompetent, but liars as well. Just like shitty Deku.

They drove past the gardens (the official ones, the bus driver says) right outside the front gates of the institution. An array of flowers and shrubs shaped into elegant patterns adorned the grounds. At the center, a marble fountain sits, a masterpiece in a museum of already breathtaking artworks. Two dragons were sculpted, depicting them carrying the larger, bottom basin. The students took pictures yet again, more quietly this time so as to not stir the wrath of their teachers (mostly Aizawa). 

The bus slows down significantly before pulling into a stop.

“We’ve arrived at your destination, folks!”

“Welcome to Teyvat Academy, UA. My name is Zhongli, one of the dorm teachers here. These are Aether and Lumine, twin representatives that will be guiding you through your tour and answer any questions you may have.” The man bowed to the group as the latter arrived onto the front steps of the school. 

“Please to meet you,” The twins say, bowing in unison.

Yagi, being the designated representative for UA it seems, also bows.

“It is a pleasure to be here. I am Toshinori Yagi, former number 1 hero and Foundational Heroics Studies teacher of UA. Thank you for taking us into your wonderful institution. It definitely isn't something we were expecting.” Yagi says, trying to make polite conversation. 

The twins glanced at each other with deadpan looks at the backhanded compliment so Zhongli took over. 

“Yes, it is quite impressive. It's easy to get lost inside if you're not familiar but Principal Dainsleif puts his full trust in the twins to help you through during your stay here. Of course, I'll be here to chaperone.” The amber-eyed man replies. 

“Isn’t it unprofessional for the principal of TA to delegate this task to the students? The principal and vice principal should be the ones taking us on this tour! What if you miss out of your studies-” Without anyone asking, Iida fills the air with his questions. 

“Both the principal and vice principal are very busy people.” Zhongli cuts in, thankfully ending the triad with a sort of finality in his voice, leaving no room to argue. Thank god for his endless patience. 

“Now, if no one has any further questions, we shall start with the tour. Aether, Lumine, lead the way.” Zhongli passes the task to the duo.

“Right! First, let's start with the dorms! Most students are still getting ready for classes but it wouldn't hurt to introduce them to you guys. Plus, you all get to see your own dorms!” Aether exclaims. 

“We get our own dorms?” Ashido giddily asks.

“Well, they're not dorms specifically made for you intentionally. They were meant for other courses we may implement into the future.” Lumine answers. 

“How many courses do you all exactly have?” Ojirou questions, eyebrow raised. 

“If I'm thinking on top of my head….possibly 20? Probably more than that…” Aether says thoughtfully, not noticing the UA group looking in shock. 20+ courses? That's a little over 3 times the amount of courses they have at UA. And they're adding more?!

“Anyways, let's get on.” Lumine nods her head off to the side, presumably where the dorms are located. They began their trek off to the side of the campus. 

The dorms are all located in a grassy field, just a few meters apart and only a 5 minute walk from the actual campus. There are numerous sets of dorms, all divided by pathways designated for students to follow to avoid the bumps and curves as there was a slight hill. As for the dorms themselves, they all looked exactly the same. There was nothing eye-catching about them, contrasting the elegant front they gaze upon their drive here. All built with red bricks and black-colored tiles for the roof.

“These dorms you see here are all separated based on course. We'll just be visiting the hero course dorms since they're the ones you'll be working with more often. You'll get to know the other students in the other courses in due time.” Aether announced to the crowd as they walked along the path. 

“First are the Mondstadt dorms. The head teacher here is Mr. Venti.” 

They approached the dorm, all like the others in appearance. Except for a strange symbol on top of the entrance, depicting a windmill with wings. 

Aether, without knocking, opens up the dorm’s front doors, only to be met with smoke escaping, making everyone cover their eyes and mouths. A fire alarm blares deafeningly from inside.

“What the hell?” Kirishima explains. “Did something happen?” 

A gust of wind suddenly burst through the door, confusing everyone further, messing up their hair and clothes. The fire alarm abruptly stops.

“Sorry about that! Just a little accident is all!” A chirpy voice says. Everyone squinted, rubbing their eyes to get ash out of their eyes to see who was speaking. 

A young girl in twin braids and bright teal eyes greeted their sights, a smile adorning her face.

“Aether, Lumine, Zhongli! Good morning~! Are these the UA students?” She sing-songs towards the trio, who mutely nodded. 

“What was that about?” Jirou questions, saying what everyone (excluding Aether, Lumine, and the girl) is thinking in their minds. 

“Just an accident, like I said. One of our students isn't allowed to be in the kitchen because of his bad luck. But of course, they're still kids and don't listen very much.” The girl shakes her head. 

“Ah, right! I almost forgot to introduce myself! The names Venti, head teacher of the Mondstadt dorms, head teacher of the Anemo course, and your resident bard! I only take song requests if I feel like it, so sorry about that!” Venti winks playfully, making UA try to wrap around her quick-fire introduction.

“Wait, but Lumine-san that you were a ‘Mr’...” Midoriya mumbles. 

“That's because I'm actually a boy!” Venti chirps. 

“WHAT?” Everyone shouts.

“Venti! Is everyone alright?!” Another voice shouts from inside the dorm. A blonde girl with a ponytail ran up to the others before taking notice of the crowd.

“Oh, UA is here already?” She asked before making a bow.

“Greetings. I am Jean, the teacher’s assistant of the Anemo course as well as Mondstadt’s dorms vice president. I wield the power of anemo and use a sword in combat. We welcome you to our school and home.” 

“Would you like to come inside? It smells smoky, but I promise it's all under control.” Venti offers.

“That would be nice…” Yagi agrees, looking back at his fellow teachers with a questioning look, who gave him one back. Except Aizawa, who looks irritated by the passing second.

Inside, the dorm is styled in European-styled decor and design, similar to that of Germany. The front entry was a spacious foyer, with two chairs sitting near a wall at the front, a game of chess sat at the table between them, ready to be played. 

“Has everything been taken care of?” Venti shouts out, his voice echoing off the walls. 

“Y-yes, Mr. Venti! Be right there!” A voice, a boy, stutters out from the dormitory. A few seconds later, a trio of students came out, looking slightly sheepish. 

“Kids, UA. UA, kids.” Venti gives a rather lackluster introduction, making Jean stare at him, slightly reprimanding.

“Aheh~ Sorry about that! These are Bennett, Fischl, and Razor. Just a few of the kids you'll meet in the Mondstadt dorms. Most of them have already gone to school to get ready for class. Not sure about the others though, but they're probably sleeping in.” Venti shrugs. 

“I'll see if they're some that are still sleeping in,” Jean trudges off up the stairs, presumably to the bedrooms of the students. 

“Excuse me, but you keep bringing up terms such as “Mondstadt” and “anemo”. We know nothing of those terms,” Vlad King speaks up. 

“Jean-san said something about her using a sword too. What's that about?” Satou also points out.

“Allow me,” Zhongli says. “Mondstadt is one of the 7 nations that make up Teyvat. We sort our hero students from the nations they are from for the dorms for convenience sake.”

“WHAT?” The UA crowd shouts once again.

“So Teyvat isn't a singular region, but a region made up of different nations? That's quite fascinating…” Midoriya mumbles quietly to himself before some glare at him (mostly Bakugou) to shut up. 

“I've…never heard of such a thing…” Yagi recovers from the news. 

“We weren't expecting you to, to be fair. We know there is little information about us as a region in the outside world.” Venti points out. 

“Correct. There is Mondstadt, Liyue, Inazuma, Sumeru, Fontaine, Natlan, and Snezhnaya. As for anemo, it is one of the 7 elements that power our visions.” 

UA seemingly perked up as the word ‘vision’ was said. 

“Elements? Like elemental quirks?” Todoroki raises his hand. 

“Yes, but it's very different from the elemental quirks you're used to seeing. Anemo is the power of the wind, geo is rock, electro is lightning, dendro is nature, hydro is water, and cryo is ice. Each nation represents an element and concept tied to it. Mondstadt is the city of freedom and represents the anemo element. In the Anemo course where I teach those who wield anemo visions, I help each of them understand what freedom means to them individually.” Venti explains.

Zhongli continues with his own explanation. “Liyue is the city of contracts and represents the geo element. Not in a literal sense, but those of the geo visions, or rather the nation of Liyue, are taught that every living being has a social obligation and or role we serve to not just each other, but to society as a whole. Liyue is also home to the largest trading port in the entirety of Teyvat as well.” 

“Would that make those with these…geo visions more stronger to be heroes since they're taught this concept?” Midoriya pipes up curiously. 

“Not necessarily. No element or concept is lesser than the other. You'll learn more about the other elements and what ideals they tie to when we visit the other dormitories.” Zhongli smiles kindly to the boy. Midoriya nods as he scribbles in his notebook.

“As for the sword thing, every student that wields a vision wields a weapon to channel the vision’s power into. So far, we use swords, claymores, catalysts, which are basically just tomes in different shapes, bows, and polearms.” Lumine clarifies. 

“You use weapons? Isn't that cheating?” Shinsou sneers.

“Don't you use support gear?” Aether asks, confused. 

“Weapons are considered to be support gear, yes, but in UA, we are taught to not rely on them as much.” Aizawa states. 

“I see…” The twins, Venti, Zhongli, Bennett, Fischl, and Razor could sense the animosity from Aizawa’s voice from the way he said that.

“Ah, kids! Introduce yourselves!” Venti quickly steers the conversation before the atmosphere becomes tense. 

A boy with white hair, a pair of green eyes and a bandage over his nose stumbles. “Shoot, right! I'm Bennett! Pyro course student and I use he/him pronouns. Also I use a sword! Not meaning to sound rude, but it's best to stay away from me with my bad luck and all.” 

“What?”

“Bennett has a tendency to bring bad luck on him and others throughout most of his life. He hasn't been struck with it as much since attending the academy, but as you can see, it still happens from time to time.” 

Now that they took a closer look, the boy's clothes looked singed just a tiny bit with a smell of something burning coming off of him. So that was him earlier.

“Are you sure this isn't some quirk at work? Luck quirks are extremely rare…” Midoriya jumps in. 

“Nope. I've had tests done on me since I was a kid. No quirk on me, plus TA wouldn't take me in even if I did. Call it some sort of supernatural force at work.” Bennett laughs half-heartedly. 

“Yeah fucking right.” Bakugou scorns.

“I am Fischl von Luftschloss Narfidort. She/her and I use my Edelstein der Dunkelheit in combat as well as a bow to bring my enemies to their knees! I have a trustworthy raven companion, Oz, but he is currently not here! It is an honor to meet you all.” A girl in blonde pigtails monologues.

“Uhhh….” Kirishima stutters.

“She just likes talking like that, don't mind it. She uses an electro vision by the way.” Bennett translates. The girl looks to the boy in shock, seemingly betrayed that her act had been torn apart by him. 

“I am Razor. I use electro. I want to use my power to protect my lupical. He/him.” The last boy with wild white hair and red eyes introduces himself. His speech and mannerisms were interesting and his uniform looked slightly disheveled. 

“Is he…feral or something?” Hagakure asks.

“Hagakure-san! It is rude and insensitive to say such a thing to someone!” Iida shouts. Finally something good came out of that boy’s mouth. 

“That I cannot say since his circumstances are private. But he is learning bit by bit.” Venti says. 

“Hey, are those what visions look like?” Midoriya points to Bennett's side. On his hip attached to a chain is a red gem, slightly glowing. All of them do, including Venti and Zhongli. Aizawa turns back slightly to glare at his class. Their observation skills still need practice. How troublesome. And of course it was the Problem Child to have noticed.

“Right, I keep forgetting that the outside world doesn't know what visions look like!” Bennett fidgets with his vision. “Yep, here they are!” 

The entire UA crowd gathered around the boy, much to his surprise and dismay, to see the tool that was granted to the Quirkless. Almost as fast as they flocked, outcries began to sound.

“It's…just a gem?” Kendou cocks her head to the side.

“This rock is a vision? I thought it would be something cooler…” Hagakure whispered under her breath, sounding disheartened.

“ THIS is the thing that is giving you extras powers? How fucking pathetic can you get?” Bakugou leers at the trio, making Bennett nervous, Fischl uncomfortable, and Razor baring his fangs.

“Alright, alright! That's enough!” Venti used a bit of anemo to slightly push back the crowd away from his students. 

“I’d like to ask that you don't crowd around my students, lest you trigger a panic attack.” The usual sunny and mischievous teacher suddenly had a shift in personality, glowering at the group. 

His eyes glowed an ominous teal.

“It wasn't on purpose-” Toshinori began but Zhongli held up his hand, a universal sign to stop.

“We prioritize our students' safety, first and foremost. And accosting a young boy because of something you haven't seen before is highly unprofessional of those who are becoming heroes, yes?” The elder announced. Some had the decency to look ashamed and took a step back and let Bennett have some personal space, but of course, someone has to open their mouth.

“Why? Afraid we might find out about your little secrets? That you're using cheap and tactless tools to make yourselves bigger and stronger? You Baselines sure love to prove the world wrong when really it pushes you further away from being seen as equals-” Shinsou starts before Venti slams his hand against the decorative table resting near the front entrance, startling everyone out of their stupor. A smile was etched on his face, but it didn't reach his eyes. 

“I think it's about time you 3 should go. Class is starting soon and we don't want to be late now.” Venti sing-songs. Without a word, the 3 kids grabbed their bags and made haste out the door. 

“Shinsou, correct? I would like to politely ask that you don't use slurs in front of my students. We may be hosts but guests should show the same respect, wouldn't we agree?” Venti gives the purple-haired kid a sharp look, one that could pierce one's soul. 

Shinsou merely scoffed and rolled his eyes so Yagi, being the peacemaker as he is, bows in apology.

“Apologies, Mr. Venti and Mr. Zhongli. The young ones are merely excited to see how you, erm…folks work! And the slur use is just outdated terminology that hasn't been corrected yet! After all, we're not just here to learn about how TA’s alumni are culminated, but also how the Quirkless learn and overcome their struggles!” Toshinori grins, trying to emulate his smile when he was still All Might but it was clearly wavering. In the back, Midoriya shrinks at his hero, excusing Shinsou’s poor behavior. 

Me and All Might are biologically Quirkless. So why is he defending all this?

Venti looked at Zhongli, who looked at Aether, who looked at Lumine. Dainsleif didn't say anything about UA learning about Quirkless people. And Baselines have historically been used as a slur against the Quirkless population, yet this fool claims for it to be used to refer to them as such as “outdated terminology”. And none of the other teachers are reprimanding or correcting the kid for his behavior.

Not even into the first day and this school is causing so many problems. 

After a beat of silence, Venti turns to UA.

“Well, since you're so polite and we at TA are so forgiving , I'll let it slide this time since it's the first day. But I sure hope there aren't any more sort of incidents like this ever again.” Venti beams, knowing full well that this won't be the last time someone decides to be bigoted.

“O-of course, of course. Ah, Mr. Zhongli! Should we be headed off to the next dorm then? Toshinori pushed so he can end this conversation right now.

“Yes. Thank you for allowing us to give us an introduction, Mr. Venti. We shall be going now.” Zhongli turns to the group. “Everyone, please meet outside so we can continue the tour.” Everyone awkwardly shuffled outside with Zhongli on their tail, but Venti quickly stopped the man before he could exit.

“Good luck with this bunch. Celestia knows you might need it.” Venti hisses in his old friend’s ear. 

Zhongli merely hums and nods before joining the rest. Venti sighs and rests himself on the frame of the entrance and watches them go down the path.

“The wind carries all, UA. Not that you'll be able to know with that ignorance of yours.” 

The braided boy then catches sight of a tuft of emerald hair on a boy, scribbling away in a notebook as he tries to catch up to his classmates. Midoriya is his name if he remembers correctly. 

“But perhaps… There may be some hope after all.” Venti looks on in curiosity, the crowd becoming smaller and smaller.

“Up next are the Liyue dorms! Like what Mr. Zhongli had said earlier, he is the dorm teacher as well as the head teacher of the Geo Course!” Aether chirps as he tries to dissipate the tense atmosphere after that confrontation with Venti. They arrive at the next building with a symbol above the door depicting a scale weighing two gemstones inside a diamond-shaped frame.

They open the entrance, a faint smell of tea and incense brewing wafting through the air. Inside, the dorm is decorated in Chinese decor. Traditional paper lamps hung from the ceiling, casting the room in a warm glow. Hiryu Rin of 2-B, being of Chinese descent, seems to perk up at his culture being represented.

“Ah, good morning Mr. Zhongli!” A peppy voice chirps. Hu Tao, accompanied by a few others, greeted their teacher. 

“Good morning, everyone. This is the UA students and staff. They just arrived this morning, so we are giving them a tour.” Zhongli supplies.

“Ah, I see!” Hu Tao chirps. She looks at the group with a practiced smile. Most are taken aback that the girl’s pupils are shaped like flowers.

“Hu Tao, 77th Director of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor and Pyro course and polearm-wielding student of Teyvat Academy.” She bows, taking off the hat she's wearing to avoid it from falling.

“Wha-? Director of a funeral parlor?” Uraraka squawked. 

“Well, someone has to bury the dead, yes?” Hu Tao looks at the group in curiosity. 

“You're a hero-in-training, but you're also a funeral director…” Jirou raises an eyebrow.

“I don't see why that's so farfetch! This role has been passed down in my family for generations! I might be surrounded by death but I also want to help people grieve and move on. A funeral director’s and a hero’s kind of overlap in those aspects, don't you think?”  Hu Tao says.

No one says a word. 

A hero who is a funeral director who wants to save people and help them grieve? That doesn't make any sense!

“Well anyways, you guys want to introduce yourselves?” Hu Tao asks her friends.

“Hi, I'm Xiangling and I use she/her pronouns. Future chef and hero in the making! I'm both in the hero course and culinary course! I also run the cooking club here at TA! Oh, and I have a pyro vision as well and I use a polearm!”

“Um…I'm Chongyun. He/they for me. Cryo course student and use a claymore. That's all you need to know about me…” 

“Xingqiu at your service, my lieges. He/him and hydro course student who uses a sword. I am a mere bookworm so if it seems like I'm ignoring you if I pass you in the hall, I'm just reading, so don't take any offense.” The boy bows politely, but there was a sort of stiffness in his movements. His smile seemed tight and faker than plastic. 

“Any questions before we move on?”

Ashido’s hand shot up. 

“Yes?”

“I just realized you guys are wearing different school uniforms then the students in the Mondstadt dorms? All your uniforms look different actually. Do you guys have customized uniforms?” 

“Why, we customize them ourselves!” Hu Tao grins.

The UA students looked at each other in shock. “Huh?”

“As long as we look somewhat formal and are wearing the symbol of the school as well as a tie or bow that signals what course we are in, we can customize our uniforms to fit our style! Isn't that cool?” 

“Surely you all have dress codes, right? This is very irresponsible of the school-” Iida starts off yet again. 

“At TA, we allow our students to dress however they want to show off they are unique in their own ways, as well as express creativity and innovation. We do have dress codes, such as no tops that barely cover or short-shorts. As long as they have the school's crest and look somewhat formal, we give them the good ahead.” Zhongli says in his endless patience. 

“It is pretty cool…” Hagakure mumbles. She was a bit jealous that TA allowed such a thing. Meanwhile, UA? Not so much.

“Also, all our uniforms are resistant to our visions to avoid them being burned, wet, etcetera since we keep them on our persons at all times. And sometimes, we ask our head fashion course teacher, Miss Chiori, to make some of our accessories. She also makes all our hero costumes as well!” Xingqiu adds.  

“You guys have your hero costumes made in-school? That's so-” 

“Mr. Zhongli, if we are done here, we'll like to move on to the next dorm.” Aizawa cuts in, voice growing inpatient.

“Yes, we shall. You 4 better hurry.” Zhongli turns to the quartet. 

“Yes, yes!” Hu Tao huffs as they all headed off. 

“See you guys soon!” They all wave before sprinting off to the school.

“Everybody seems so…lively here…” Yagi whispers to Present Mic.

“It might be a trick. Keep your eyes and ears open, ya hear?” The voice hero whispers back. Yagi nods before they all continue off.

“The next dorm, the Inazuma one, is quite far away due to the dorm teacher’s ideal. So does anyone have questions that they have right now?” Lumine pipes up at the front, turning her body to face UA.

“Ohh~ I have one!” Uraraka raises her hand.

“Yes?” 

“Do you guys have any festivals?” 

“Oh yes, lots! Each nation has their own festivals they celebrate! In Mondstadt, there's the Windblume Festival, the Weinlesefest, and Ludi Harpastum! In Liyue, there's Lanturn Rite and the Moonchase Festival and Inazuma has the Irodori Festival-” 

“I-I mean like the Sports Festival! Like the one we have at UA? Where we show off our quirks for Pro Heroes to scout out for internships!”

“Oh.” Lumine deadpans. “No, we don't have that here.” 

“Why not? How can the students here do internships and stuff like that and get their name out there?” Uraraka’s face took on a sullen look.

“Because how we work with internships is different from yours. Students in the hero course do commissions all over the region to help out locals under the Adventurers' Guild. Through the Adventurers' Guild, many different factions of Teyvat scout out those students and take them under their wing either with express interest in getting them into their ranks but most prefer to go solo.” 

And mostly because TA cares about their students' safety, unlike what you guys think and not like UA would understand by broadcasting minors on national television without their or their parents’ consent . Lumine wanted to say so badly. She held her tongue before it was too late.

“So what do you guys do for a tournament?” Kirishima asks, not seeming to absorb what Lumine just explained. 

“We play cards.” 

“What?” 

“Here we are! I keep forgetting how long this path was! Then again, walking here time and time again makes you used to it.” Aether interrupts the conversation.

The Inazuma dorm, like Aether said in the beginning, is far more isolated from the other dorms, completely away from the rest and standing out like a sore thumb. Cherry blossom trees stood tall near the entrance, the pink and white petals blowing in the gentle breeze, creating a slight shower of color over the students. A symbol of a torri overarching a circular symbol was bolted on above the door. 

Aether knocked lightly on the door 3 times before stepping back. A few seconds passed by before the door opened ajar, revealing a girl with sky blue hair and deep blue eyes with a beauty mark underneath her right eye. 

“Oh, good morning Aether, Lumine, Mr. Zhongli. Oh, and UA is here too! The girl greets in a low whisper. “Sorry, Miss Ei is doing her morning meditation right now and doesn't want any disruptions. But she expressed before that she will allow UA in as long as they don't make any noise.” 

The twins and Zhongli before they all gestured quietly for UA to come inside. Confused, they enter. Inside, the interior was structured to look like the inside of a traditional minka house with the tatami floors, sliding paper doors separating the different rooms, and a few tapestries hanging from the walls. Another person, similar in appearance to the girl who greeted them, sat at a table with a calligraphy set in front of him and a tea set resting beside him. He looked up from his seat and made eye contact with the UA group.

“Good morning, Aether, Lumine, and Mr. Zhongli. Ah, and UA is here too.” He says in an unfazed voice before getting up. 

“Greetings, everyone. I am Kamisato Ayato, one of the members of the Inazuma student council and head of the Kamisato Clan. Hydro course student and wielder of a sword as well.” 

“And I am Kamisato Ayaka. I am also a member of the Inazuma student council and I handle the internal and external affairs of the Kamisato Clan. I wield a cryo vision and sword.”

In unison, they both bowed. 

“Kamisato….why have I heard that name before?” Iida squints at the two. 

“Ah, that is because-” 

“You're the Kamisato Clan, one of Japan’s last clans before suddenly disappearing. I thought you guys died off.” Ojirou rudely snides, crossing his arms. 

Ayaka seemed to stumble on her words while Lumine looked seconds away from throwing hands with the tailed boy before Aether had to discreetly hold her back. 

“That is misinformation. We did not “die off”. We simply were given an offer to move here on the promise to ensure that the Kamisato bloodline will survive. With the media and the rest of Japan not particularly liking the head of a historical clan being Quirkless holding political power, I did what I had to do to ensure my sister’s safety and to continue our legacy after our parents passed.” Ayato iterated. Like Zhongli, he had tremendous patience, but a sharp glint in his eyes said otherwise. 

“I-I see… Apologies about your parents…” Toshinori laughed nervously. 

“It's all in the past. Now, Ayaka, would you mind explaining the concept of eternity to UA?”

“Ah, yes! Inazuma represents the ideal of eternity and the element of electro. Right now, Miss Ei is in a bit of a transitioning stage, trying to redefine what eternity as a whole so she can teach the Electro course students. But she did make a vague statement about it once during dinner once during this transitioning period. She said “eternity is like fireworks; they only last a couple of seconds, but what they symbolize and the ideas they represent and persevere is what matters”.” 

“An…interesting explanation…” Vlad murmurs. 

“But then again, one of our students, Yoimiya, made that original explanation, but with a more proficient vocabulary to suit Miss Ei…” Ayaka trails off.

“Overall, eternity is not about individual desires or survival. It's about the collective force that pushes for progress. A building burnt down twice created with new material still serves the same purpose and it has always been the same building.” Ayato further explained. 

“A wonderful ideal to express in your hero work for erm…what are they called again? Ah, the electro course students!” Toshinori jumps in, making the twins roll their eyes at the old man’s attempt to be included in any sort of conversation.

“Funnily enough, Yoimiya carries a pyro vision, so she isn't taught the concept of eternity necessarily. But as upholders and citizens of Inazuma, with or without an electro vision, we all hold an idea of eternity in our minds and hearts. It's what will allow Inazuma to carry on as a nation for as long as we stand and honor those who've fought for our nation.” Ayaka concludes with a smile. 

“This seems rather…spiritual…” Shouji thinks out loud. 

“Is there something wrong?”

“It’s just…your guys’ dorms are really far away from the others and all this talk about eternity and spiritualism stuff is quite different from what we're taught at UA….” Uraraka starts.

“What Uraraka-chan is getting at is we don't believe that stuff. Japan has moved on from that sort of spiritualism years ago when quirks arrived.” Tsu bluntly corrects.

Ayaka looked taken aback. “I-I see. Well, Teyvat and Japan are different after all-” 

“Yeah, don't really get this traditional stuff either. I thought this was used for aesthetic purposes. I didn't know you Quirkless folks like preserving history that much since it's all in the past.” Kaminari looks around the dorms with a questioning gaze. 

Quirkless people into outdated Japanese culture and history? Ironic since quirkless people are a thing of the past goes the unsung phrase.

“We’ll be late for classes, Ayaka.” Ayato, thankfully interrupts before the discussion can cause more unwanted discord. Seriously, can they stop with this? Aether and Lumine asked in their heads. 

“Right! We'll be working together as heroes-in-training so we'll be seeing each other soon! Please take care!” The Kamisato siblings bow before going off.

Great. They keep scaring off the students because of their unchecked biases and not keeping their mouths shut and listening. 

“Let's keep the tour going,” Zhongli suggests and with that, everybody takes their leave out of the building. 

Aether and Lumine strided up ahead so they could be out of earshot of UA, a fuming Lumine taking unnecessary big strides in her walk.

“Seriously, if I hear another word out of their mouths, we're calling off the tour. And their teachers aren't doing jack about it!” Lumine hisses to her brother.

“You gotta hold on a little longer, sis. Just 2 more dorms.” Aether soothes. 

“Yeah? We still have to deal with them, representatives and all,” Lumine shoots back.

Aether merely sighs as they walk the path to the Sumeru dorms next. 

They were back on track to the normal pathway, walking up to the next dorm with lots of vines twirling up the cracks of the building and foreign plants not-native to Japan (or any country in the world) decorating the sides. Zhongli this time walked over to the door and knocked. The symbol above the entrance this time was a giant tree with leaves and branches outstretched.

A boy with short purple hair and judgment seeped into his eyes greeted them. He took one look at the UA group and rolled his eyes before turning his head back and shouting down the hall.

“Everyone! The UA sh- brats are here!” He opens the door wider and leaves without saying anything else. A much more unique greeting in response to UA’s arrival as most  sweat-dropped from the boy’s refusal to converse with them.

“Ah, hello everyone!” A girl- no, a child's voice sounded. 

A little girl with dark skin and white hair waves at them, an innocent smile adorning her soft features. UA took a second to gawk before criticism and protests sounded.

“This is a child!” 

“How can TA allow this?”

“No way a toddler is a fucking teacher at this lousy excuse of a school-” 

“So the rumors are true!”

“SHUT THE FUCK UP!”

UA paused their verbal onslaught to the boy that greeted them earlier, now fuming and baring his teeth. 

“It's way to fucking early for this shit so can you keep it down?” The boy grits out more slowly and less harshly, but holds the same amount of bite. 

“Kuni, remember what me and the others have told you.” The girl says gently to the boy. At her voice, he visibly calms down before huffing and disappearing behind the door. 

“Excuse Kunikuzushi for his misbehavior. He has…conflicting thoughts when he heard that UA would be coming to TA.” The girl sighs.

Yeah, we can tell . UA resounded in their minds.

“Where are my manners? My name is Nahida, Sumeru’s dorm teacher and the Dendro course’s headteacher as well. Sumeru as a nation and the element of Dendro represent the ideal of wisdom and I teach how wisdom can be found in all subjects and studies.” 

“Well I'm sure we'll get along splendidly, Miss Nahida! Being in the hero industry for so many years, I have some wisdom of my own under my belt!” Yagi boasted, followed by his signature laugh, or at least, his attempt at it before spitting blood into his handkerchief and making everyone cringe. Nahida remains unphased. 

“Why yes! I have much to discuss with you it seems, so I look forward to conversing with you should we have the chance to talk.” Nahida beams at this notion. Meanwhile, Aether and Lumine give Nahida shocked looks while Zhongli gives one of acknowledgement. 

“I would love to chat with you as well! But may I be so bold as to why you're teaching here at such a young age? I don't want to question TA’s methods (the whole reason why they're here is because they are), but this seems highly…unethical.” 

“If you continue to belittle Miss Nahida, I would like to ask you all to leave at once,” A new voice joins in. Everyone turns up the stairs to see a boy with tan skin and long white hair staring down at them with vermilion eyes.

“Now, now Cyno. Not you too. I am merely about to explain myself.” The child chides the boy before turning her attention back. 

“My mother, Rukkhadevata, was the previous dorm teacher and Dendro course teacher before her sudden passing. As her daughter, I took up the mantle at a young age and graduated early in order to continue what my mother’s teachings. I understand your hesitation and doubt, but I have my student council as well as my other fellow dorm teachers to help me.” Nahida explains.

“I'm-I’m sorry to hear that-” Yagi stumbles once again being caught off guard by these young children upholding such hefty duties.

“What's with all the racket downstairs? I'm trying to-” A new voice yet again echoes from the stairwell. 3 pairs of footsteps sprinted down the steps before pausing abruptly.

“Oh the UA kids are here! I completely forgot,” A man with blond hair and eyes similar to Cyno’s adjusted his earring.

“You just remembered now of all times? It seems picking arguments with me for trivial reasons has made you forget important details now,” Another man with gray hair and different colored eyes replies smarmy to the blond. 

“Why you-”

“Knock it off you 2, geez,” Retorts the final man with fox ears- wait, fox ears?

“My name is Tighnari, Dendro and botanist course student and club leader of the gardening club. I also work with Doctor Baizhu and his assistants in the medical ward to heal any injuries the students have because most of us are very injury-prone, especially the hero course students.” The fox-eared boy grumbled that last part, making Nahida giggle.

“Kaveh. I'm also a Dendro course student as well as an architecture course student.” The blonde greets, now smiling this time. 

“Al-Haitham.” The grey-haired man says.

“...Nothing else?” Present Mic presses.

“I'm not going to waste my time introducing myself over trivial greetings. You'll know who I am in time.” The man supplies rather unhelpfully and rudely, causing Kaveh to elbow the man in the ribs.

“Can't you be more polite?” He hisses before Cyno goes last.

“Cyno. General Mahamathra and Electro course student. I am part of Sumeru's student council and my duty as the General Mahamathra is to enforce both TA’s and the Akademiya’s academic integrity. Anyone using any forbidden knowledge and banned material to further their research will be paid a visit by me.” The white haired boy introduces.

“The Akademiya?” Yaoyorozu tilts her head to the side.

“The Akademiya is the other school that resides in Teyvat which is located in the nation of Sumeru. Many from all over the region come to that school to become scholars in the 6 Darshans; Amurta, the study of biology, Rtawahist, the study of astronomy, Spantamad, the study of alchemy, Haravatat, the study of semiotics, Vahumana, the study of aetiology, and finally, Kshahrewar, the study of technology and architecture.

A few years ago, the Akademiya was run by a corrupt man by the name of Azar. With the help of TA and outside assistance, we overthrew Azar and the corrupt sages that were working with him and decided to pseudo-join the two schools together to prevent anything like that happening again. The Akademiya is in safer hands thanks to a new Grand Sage and even the students from there come to visit us. It also explains why most of my students look much older than the rest of TA. They've all since graduated from the Akademiya and are currently studying at TA to further their education in their respective Darshans and also to help the Dendro course students. Think of TA as a sort of post-graduate education for them out of college or university.” Nahida clarifies.

UA looked shell shocked by that extreme history lesson. What on earth is happening in Teyvat? 

“Of course, not all of my students have been to the Akademiya. Dehya, for example, is a Pyro course student, has never joined the Akademiya prior to coming to TA and is training to protect her tribe with the use of her vision.”

“Miss Nahida, not to be rude but your story has an inconsistency in it. You said that these 4 have graduated from the Akademiya yet in order to be in the hero course, one must obtain a vision sent out by TA, meaning that they had visions prior to coming to TA!” Iida points out. The UA students mumble, clearly agreeing with what the boy is saying.

“Yeah! And why do you have fox ears? Aren't people with quirks not allowed to be here?” Sero points to Tighnari. 

“Since when did we say we want to become heroes? We just study and tutor the Dendro course kids!” Kaveh points out.

“Did you just assume that those with visions want to become heroes? Because that is an incorrect assumption,” Al Haitham crosses his arms. 

“What? But is this not a hero school?” Kirishima argues.

“Please quiet down!” Nahida announces, her soft voice contrasting the harsh yells and getting their attention onto her. 

“I'm sure you have many questions but we have to leave now. Collei, Kirara, and Yaoyao are waiting inside the school awaiting their lessons. Please excuse us.” Nahida gestured for the 4 to come along and added, “Kuni, you're coming with us as well.” 

A groan resounds down the hall and the Kuni boy emerges from out of nowhere and shuffles along with the rest and Nahida behind. 

“I'll be sure to answer all your questions as soon as you learn more about the hero course and how TA works. Please take care and enjoy your stay!” The little girl concludes and skips along the path.

“Must you be so confrontational towards them? I'm sure if you gave them more time to explain-” Zhongli begins.

“I don't have time for a girl to be yapping her tragic story to us. Let's move on.” Aizawa scowls and nearly shoulders checks Zhongli on his way out, 2-A following behind. Zhongli sighs and looks at the twins exasperatedly. 

“Like what Venti said. All the luck we need.” Aether tries to assure with little success.

They were not looking forward to UA to meet either the Fontaine dorm residents or the Hydro course students. Not because they're rude or impolite, quite the opposite actually. But because both the nation and element represented the ideal of justice. And UA, and by extension, most of the world have a black and white view of what justice is thanks to the bias about certain quirks and hero society as a whole. Meanwhile, TA students have a variety of views of what justice is and means. Justice is a broad and subjective term, and that is something for the world that has yet to wrap its head around.

“The next dorms we're visiting are the Fontaine dorms! The nation represents Hydro, the water element as well as the ideal of justice…” Aether trails off, wanting to gauge the reactions of the group.

“Justice? Surely this group will be more eager to be heroes than the rest we've met! Not to be doubtful, but the rest of the dorms we've visited didn't seem enthused or their ideals don't seem to align with the hero's way!” Iida robot-chops the air as he speaks, almost whacking Midoriya in the back of his head. Aether beams his disarming grin, more forced than natural.

“Of course! Great minds think alike afterall…” He says, though a thin veil of sarcasm covers his words. No one but his sister and Zhongli notice.

They stopped in front of the entrance of the dorm, a symbol of a fountain above this time. A smaller fountain with seahorse statues sits nearby, sprouting water. Before either of the trio can knock, the door opens by itself, revealing a large man with salt and pepper hair and cool blue eyes kneeling down next to a girl with pale blue and white hair, bunny ears(?), and rose pink eyes. 

“Do you have your- Oh, hello! Visitors at this hour already?” The man speaks and stands up and oh wow he's huge . His gaze sweeps at the crowd behind the 3, connects the dots and his eyes turn from surprise to calculating, like UA is a threat , then back to normal. 

“Ah, UA! Welcome to the TA and the Fontaine dorms. My name is Wriothesley, the Head Security of TA and this here is Sigewinne, my daughter and one of the nurses that helps Doctor Baizhu in the medical ward. Say hi.” He adds the last part gently.

“H-hello. I'm Sigewinne. Pleased to meet you…” The young girl bows before hiding behind Wriothesley’s leg. UA coos and awes at the girl and even the twins and Zhongli couldn't stop their hearts from melting at the display despite knowing Sigewinne since she was enrolled into the school.

“Oh yes. Did you pack everything? First-aid kit? Food? Water? Homework-” 

“Don't worry, daddy! I have everything! Just like what papa taught me!” Sigewinne beamed, breaking out of her shy shell and looking to her father. 

“Alright then!” Wriothesley chuckled. “Then I'm sure you can find your way to the school then. Don't be late and stay safe!” 

“Bye daddy! See you at lunch!” The young girl waves goodbye and heads off to TA with a hop in her step. 

“Erm, shouldn't you be escorting her? She's just a little girl! What if she gets hurt?” Kinoko of 2-B exclaims, making others shout in agreement.

“Kids these days grow very fast and learn quickly, so I have full trust she can find her way. She is also a nurse, so she also has that responsibility to balance as well.” Mr. Head Security explains.

TA’s students are more well adjusted than I initially thought. Yagi muses. Surely such pressure can put a toll on the quirkless.

“Anyways, I'm sure you're hoping to get a peek inside our fine home. Please, come in.” Wriothesley gestures for all of them to come in. Inside, the dorms’ walls are lined in fancy blue and white wallpaper. A chandelier hangs above, both the sunlight and artificial light making the crystals shine and glitter. The smell of warm pastries wafts the air. Some of UA’s stomachs began grumbling at the scent.

“Oh! You must be UA!” A new voice speaks up. Heads turn to see a girl with luminous blond hair and twinkling aquamarine eyes sitting at a table with a pastry stand with various baked goods piled on and a teacup in hand. A geo vision sits near her hip with ruffles as decoration. By her side are two men dressed in black suits and sunglasses.

“My name is Navia Caspar! Welcome dearest guests from afar!” She curtseys and the men do the same as well. 

“This is Silver and Melus, my butler and attendant respectively, who escort me around and help me take care of the day-to-day tasks I must do.” 

“Are you someone important by chance if I may ask?” Yaoyorozu inquires.

“Why yes! I am the esteemed president, leader, commander-in-chief, executive director, and Boss of Spina di Rosula, an organization in Fontaine that helps the citizens and investigate any case that needs solving! I am no professional lawyer or detective, but I have handled a few investigations under my belt.” Navia grins. Unlike the others they have met so far, she seems genuine and not tense or uncomfortable.

“Impressive titles for someone of her status…” Vlad murmurs to no one in particular. 

“With such impressive feats, I'm sure you have a good sense of judgment and justice as well, Miss Navia! I'm sure you'll be a fine hero someday!” Yagi declares in his now non-existent flare. 

Navia, while her smile never leaves, her body language becomes rigid at the word ‘hero’. “Why yes, for my father, who was the leader of the Spina before he passed, held a great sense of those and I wish to become as commendable as him one day. Even with my impressive titles and feats, I still have much to learn!” 

The rest of UA nod and hum in approval. This girl seems to embody the mind of what a hero means.

“Erm…Mr. Wriothesley sir? You said you're the Head Security here in TA. What does that entail? I haven't heard of someone in that position before…” Midoriya mumbles shyly.

“Oh, well, it means I'm responsible for the security of the school. I make sure no strange or unusual activity goes on and I enforce the policies and protocols that are placed to secure and protective sensitive information.” The man explains.

“What sensitive information?” Yagi presses. Wriothesley looks at the man and raises an eyebrow.

“I don't see how that is any of your business-” Seeing how he isn't going to let this go, I may as well give him some sort of truth. “But we have a lot of high profile teachers and students here at TA and this school is often used as a sort of meeting ground for the elite all around Teyvat. There is a lot to be protected here, both people and information alike. I used to be the Administrator from the Fortress of Meropide, a de facto prison in Fontaine, so I'll say you're all in good hands, not to toot my own horn, of course.” 

“You used to be a prison guard? Is that where you got your scar from? So manly!” Kirishima bursts with enthusiasm. He eyes the scar near Wriothesley’s left eye, similar to Aizawa’s.

“Ahaha, thanks kiddo, but this was formed by a different situation…” Wriothesley trails off, looking thoughtful for a moment before returning to the present.

“Ah, you must all be hungry. Miss Navia, would you like to offer them your pastries?” 

“Oh yes! These macarons were made fresh this morning by yours truly! Would you all like some?” Navia asks.

Most of them brightened at the offer of food, but the teachers spoke up before they could say yes.

“Declined. We can make our own food. Surely the dorms we'll be staying in will have kitchens. We don't need handouts.” Aizawa intervenes crudely.

“Our students can handle themselves. Thank you for your offer however.” Vlad says. A little bit more polite but nonetheless a bit hostile. The students’ faces turned solemnly and forlorn.

“A-Alright then. Well, the offer is still on the table. Please come by the dorms if you ever feel famished for something sweet. Our doors are always open.” Even with the hostility, Navia never wavers when confronted. 

“Thank you, Miss Navia.” Several of the UA kids say their thanks as well. “By the way, who is the dorm teacher and assistant of the Fontaine dorms? I don't see them around…” Yagi looks around.

“Mister Neuvillette and Miss Furina are currently at the school, getting ready for their own classes to teach. Both are especially busy people as the rest of the staff, but I'm sure the twins and Mr. Zhongli can introduce you to them.” Wriothesley clarifies.

“Of course. Then we will be heading off now. Thank you for your time, Mr. Wriothesley and Miss Navia. Have a good day.” Zhongli nods.

“Yeah, see you guys around!” Aether and Lumine wave goodbye. UA say their goodbyes as well before heading out. 

When the door closes, a long, uneasy silence hangs in the air before Wriothesley speaks up.

“We're on rocky waters now, Miss Navia. Please keep your eyes on them if you can.” Wriothesley fixes the tie on his suit.

“Of course, Your Grace. I'll dispatch our best men out. Spina di Rosula is thinking about branching out outside of Fontaine after all, so why not use this opportunity to set the blueprint?” Navia sips her tea in thought.

“Heh. Add ‘business woman’ to your resume then.” The burly man smirks in a teasing tone.

“I'll think about it.” The woman smiles.

Outside, a much more different conversation is taking place.

“The next dorms are the Natlan and Snezhnaya dorms but unfortunately, every one of the teachers and students there are dispatched for the many missions and assignments from Dainsleif, the Adventurers' Guild, and even from Celestia themselves, so we would cutting our dorm tour here.” Zhongli lectures at UA. At the mention of “missions”, UA tenses up. 2 whole dorms’ worth of students and teachers going out on missions? That's beyond cruel even with teacher supervision. They're enabling this sort of norm for those poor kids.

“Can I ask what these missions are?” Present Mic boldly asks. 

“The details of the missions of our students and other staff are highly private and not to be disclosed to anyone not involved with said things.” Zhongli sharply cuts in, glaring at the hero. “Frankly, I don't know why you're asking such things when it's not in your position to ask such things in the first place.” 

Present Mic bites the inside of the cheek before responding, “Sorry about that.” 

"What kind of missions are they doing?" Kirishima whispers to Sero.

"Besides what we were told, probably manipulating other poor quirkless kids to join TA." Sero whispers back

"Yeah same." 

Zhongli pretends to ignore that and continues. “Since the dorm teachers are also the head teachers of their respective Elemental courses, they have substitute teachers to take their place for the time being. Miss Arlecchino is the substitute for the Pyro course and Miss Shenhe is the substitute for the Cryo course.” 

The refined gentleman turns to UA. “Now, shall we get started with the school tour?”

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This announcement is an amalgamation of 2 things. But before going into it, I'll like to sincerely apologize to the readers who've been looking forward to an update for so long. I know I have made promises that I ultimately cannot keep regarding the next chapter, leading you all and getting your hopes up all for nothing. And for that, I'm sorry.

Firstly and most importantly, the Natlan trailer and Hoyoverse's long-stemming racism and whitewashing of different cultures. After seeing the trailer and what others have to say, I can no longer sit here and support a company that has continuous ignore their own fans demands for better representation for their people and culture. This is NOT a Western problem as even Chinese fans, Hoyo's main audience, have complaints about the upcoming characters not being dark-skinned. 

If you couldn't tell, racism of any kind is not something I take kindly and any sort of racist or hoyo white knighting comments will be deleted on sight. Educated yourselves and listen to what to people have to say. Both SWANA and Indigenous cultures have been used as nothing more then an aesthetic and never putting in any other deep thoughts into what they're trying to "represent". People saying "wait ur turn for Natlan" when others rightfully complained about Sumeru's missed representation don't give a single fuck about why this is so important to those who've waited for so long to be represented in any sort of media, only for it to be whitewashed and shown in poor taste to where it's borderline malicious. This is why I added in that Sumeru's characters are dark-skinned in this fic because THAT IS WHAT THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO LOOK LIKE. It's not blackwashing, which btw, DOESN'T EXIST, as I had to block someone for calling it that when I made this change. 

I'm sorry if what I said is jumbled or some parts make sense as I am not an expert on either SWANA or Indigenous cultures, but I sincerely wish future gacha games don't follow down Hoyo's path in representing cultures that have history of colonizers whitewashing and most cases, commit culture genocide on both SWANA and Indigenous people. 

Secondly, my interest of both Genshin and MHA has been dying down. My hyperfixation on MHA has been dead AGES ago as I no longer keep up with the manga or anime. And with the heated complaints of the new trailer, my hyperfixation on Genshin has dwindled significantly. Other interests, such as Project Sekai and my own original stories have been at the forefront for the past months and I simply don't have much energy for either Genshin or MHA to continue this fic unlike in the beginning. 

With all of this said, I am officially putting this fic on an INDEFINITE HIATUS. 

Thank you to all these who've supported me with your comments in both the comment section and the bookmarks and leaving kudos. Thank you to those who gave me advice and lore ideas. Thank you to those who took inspiration from my work. Thank you all so much for everything. 

And before I leave, here are some resources that you can help to stop the genocide on Palestine:

daily click: arab.org

donate esims: gazaesims.com  

care for gaza: gofundme.com/f/careforgaza 

donate feminine hygiene kits: piousprojects.org/campaign/2712 

call for a ceasefire: ceasefiretoday.com

Thank you all again. Take care ♥

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Hi...so it's been a while since the last update...almost a year in fact. I have an important announcement to make:

THIS FIC IS GOING TO BE REDONE

This is no late April Fool's joke. This fic will be redone under a new title as well as more proper formatting and structure.

"But I thought you said you were done with Genshin/Hoyoverse" And I still am. I still do not support the company. What motivated me to bring this fic back from the dead was the many ideas and plans I had written down but never gotten written out. Maybe there was a part of me back then that wanted to redo this fic, and eventually I gave in.

Important notices however: I will NOT be taking any sort of story suggestions or ideas from readers. Characters are fine, but not in terms of the story or plot. I have already have the ideas I want to include in this fic as this is MY work that is catered towards me specifically because I enjoy this concept. If you enjoy this fic, that's great. If you don't, that's great too. But please don't write out long comments about what you want to see in the work. It gives me unnecessary stress.

Secondly, I had someone comment a long paragraph about a fic idea they have. Similar to the first notice, PLEASE DO NOT DO THIS. If you have a fic you have in mind, GO AHEAD. I'm not the boss of you nor I am the "inventor" of genshin x mha fics.

Lastly, I want to apologize for my passive aggressive tone in some of my comments I made in response to the readers of this fic. I am not good with words and struggle with tone. I am sorry to those who were off put by my attitude. I will be considerate of my tone of voice and words in the future.

I hope you look forward to the refined version of this work. Have good day/afternoon/evening.

P.S There is no set schedule for the reworked version unlike this fic where it updated once a week. I'm a adult now with adult responsibilities keeping me busy so please be patient.

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heyyy so this is not an update on the current rewrite of this fic. the prologue is very much in its WIP phase. this is an entirely different thing

im working on another series that is bnha adjacent and need ideas; specifically on different industries that could be affected by the emergence of Quirks, the corruption it could bring and how people can 'rebel'. if you need anything specified, please tell me so. tysm <3

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I'm very sorry again for the double posting on a dead fic that has nothing to do with the rewrite but this has been bugging me for weeks now. I need help finding a fic that is on quotev.

It's OC centered where they have the quirk to summon beings but are sentient and have personalities but doesn't want to be a hero. They also have a twin sister who's basically Bakugou 2.0. They attended aldera alongside deku and bakugou and dislikes them both heavily. deku bc he keeps being a stalker and asking invasive questions and I don't need to explain why they dislike bakugou. they do the hero exams and get the highest score but wants to be put in general ed instead. this story is mainly just a retelling of mha through the oc's perspective with lots of character bashing and being one of the few somewhat good instances of deku bashing. if I remember correctly, the author doesn't have an AO3 account and posted the link to this story in the comments of a fic when talking about deku's flaws about stalking others and writing about their quirks without permission and trying to convince others to be heroes bc of their quirks when they clearly do not want to, making deku look quirkist. If anyone has a quotev account or even knows the fic where this author posted the link to this story, it is much appreciated !!!1!1!

that's all I got. sorry again for the double posting that is not on the topic of the rewrite. I promise it's being worked on. Ty for your guy's patiences as well as the comments you all put in the previous chapter. Much love <3

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Erm.... new fic just dropped

Ok bye lmao