The Archon of Wayward winds [Honkai Impact Fanfic]

[Chapter 4 - And so the Emperor wields his blade]

In a forest with the sun smiling down on each leaf while the wind danced around the mighty bodies of each tree, a shadow blurred through the branches. The shadow bounced off gracefully like a bird in flight with each step. 

Jumping off a tree branch, the shadow landed on a boulder to reveal one Rex Crozzo dressed in green-themed clothes. A small smile formed on his face despite the way his eyepatch limited his depth perception. Like the wind, the young man raised his arm, pulled an arrow in his bow hand, and aimed.
Like a meteor falling from the sky, the arrow soared through the air and pierced a metallic drone mid-flight. 

"Not bad. This bow is great." The young man praised the weapon in his hand before pulling out an arrow on a quiver located at his back. Like an eagle sweeping down for its prey, the young man stabbed the arrow into a poor rabbit's head, killing it instantly. "And a nice dinner too." 

While his body was not as strong as the one he had before he arrived in this timeline, Rex made it up with experience. 

Expertly butchering the rabbit, the young man found himself in front of a pot of rabbit stew after an hour. It was a nice day. He needed to train more, and the best training available was in the headquarters. A place where a certain someone he can no longer trust is. 

"Well, I do have training with miss Himeko later." The young man said with a smile. He missed his homeroom teacher a lot. Major Murata Himeko was one of the only people in the academy who did not care if he was a guy. Everyone was equal to her. When the news of her death reached his ears, he was devastated. she was the older sister he never had, but he did not hold it at the Herrscher. 

"I can have Harbinger back until I can use Soulium to construct Loewenberg." His Greatsword, Mountain Lion, is a unique god slayer class greatsword given to him by the overseer after he held the line. It was later destroyed when he had to retreat against the Herrscher of Domination days before he died. 

If you want a sword, you can just will it, Ehe! The wind is free and versatile. The only limit to the freedom you have is your imagination.

Who was that guy speaking to him? That voice was nostalgic, and he started to hear it ever since he got back. Whatever, he needed to do some training. 

That's not nice! I can help you train for a price. I'm pretty strong, you know?

"Oh shit... I'm haunted!" Rex groaned out while he poured the delicious stew he cooked for himself in the middle of the forest. 

That's rude! I'm not a ghost. I'm the remains of the personality and power of the former Anemo Archon, Barbatos! You can call me Venti!

"Okay... What do you need?" 

I want wine! Also apples! I will help you manifest your powers if you give those to me. 

"... What's the catch?" Rex asked as a small white, and blue creature around the size of his hand appeared in front of him 

====

Theresa Apocalypse was worried.

Her adopted son, her little boy, was acting strange.

"I'm back." Hearing his voice, the short and child-like principal looked at her son and froze. His hands were covered in blood, along with his cheek. It did not belong to him. "I already ate,"

Theresa noticed the bow on his back.

"Rex... What happened?" Theresa asked her son. "You were not in school."

"Well, I was training in the forest, and I lost track of time." He told her with a shrug. "I got hungry, so I hunted a rabbit."

"Wait.... how did you?"

"I butchered it, skinned it, and disposed of the innards properly." He said casually.

Something was wrong. Despite being an introvert, her son wouldn't just hunt an animal...

"I see... "

"I, I need a favor, principal," Rex said.

"What is it?" She asked while Rex's eyes glinted with an aqua green aura.

"I need to get my greatsword as soon as possible." The young man remembered it. The day where anti-entropy attacked. He fought their leader and was knocked out quite quickly but not after taking an arm.

It was petty, but he will kill that son of a bitch.

"You're still a student." Theresa refused.

"I'll buy you manga." Her boy compromised.

"Fine... but no hunting again and no skipping after this."

"Can't promise that mother," he said. He missed her a lot. A certain someone appeared in his kind, a person he met in Singapore. "Also, do you know a man named Siegfried?" he asked, and the Apocalypse's eyes widened.

===

Rex hummed as he fixed his uniform. Today he was going to train with Miss Himeko, but she was late. Pulling out a training greatsword, the young man smiled.

He remembered his friend, one he met in the future, and how she had his back. Chuckling, he gave it a few test slices and nodded. Moving gracefully, the young man danced in the air like a gust of wind.

Smiling as he finished his stance, he remembered something Venti had told him earlier. Focusing the power of anemo into his hand, the young man went to a simple draw stance and pulled out a sword of wind.

"Holy shit!" He called out while looking at the blade. Sadly, it made him lose focus, and the edge instantly disappeared. Off to the side, Professor Yang watched with narrowed eyes.

"Could he be..." He whispered before leaving.

"I wonder. If there is someone else who is in the same situation as I am." he thought out loud before an image appeared in his mind.

It was of a young man with brown hair and amber eyes overlooking a city with a green-clad bard on top of a tree playing a lyre.