For a brief moment, clarity returned to Dvalin's eyes, but it quickly sank back into painful struggle.
The Abyss Mage clung to Dvalin's spine, whispering dark, poisonous words relentlessly into the dragon's ears.
"Don't let him fool you! He's definitely here to destroy you. Humans are all alike—his words are merely excuses to stall for time."
Physical agony and mental torment battered against Dvalin's dwindling sanity. With a roar of frustration, he thrashed, trying to shake off the irritating voice on his back.
But the mage's whispers continued, charged with some strange, maddening power. The dragon's eyes grew increasingly crazed, though the last shred of sanity kept him from harming the human standing before him.
"That's not true!" Jiang Bai shouted louder, determined to overpower the mage's manipulation. "The Anemo Archon is trying everything to save you! He was tricked by that Abyss Mage beside you and severely wounded—he can't even use his powers anymore, but he's still desperately trying to save you! We've spent all this time searching for a way to help! Nobody has abandoned you!"
Seeing that the Abyss Mage wasn't stopping, Jiang Bai stepped up his verbal offensive.
You think you're good at driving a wedge? Let's see who's better!
"Don't listen to that mage! The people of Mondstadt only hate you because it manipulated them! It wants to turn you into its puppet!"
As he spoke, Jiang Bai took out the fragments of the Skyfrost Nail that Albedo had given him, hoping to alleviate Dvalin's pain.
The fragments radiated a soft blue glow, causing some of the crimson rage in Dvalin's eyes to recede slightly.
Noticing Jiang Bai's words were having some effect, the Abyss Mage quickly intensified its whispers. "Poor dragon! Humans are nothing but liars. They spoke of hunting you down only days ago. Don't let this human deceive you!"
Before Dvalin could even react, an excited, childlike voice suddenly echoed from above, interrupting everything.
"It's the big dragon!"
Klee had appeared, carrying her half-finished flower crown. Its shape was already clear, though several Cecilia flowers were still missing.
She had come running after hearing the dragon's roars. After days of searching, she finally saw the great dragon again.
"Hello, big dragon! I'm Klee!" she called joyfully, jumping down and waving enthusiastically with the flower crown.
Both the Abyss Mage and Dvalin were utterly stunned by Klee's sudden entrance.
Even the dragon's maddened expression cleared slightly in surprise.
Jiang Bai seized this unexpected assist without hesitation. "See, I wasn't lying! This child has been searching everywhere for you these past few days, desperate to apologize to you!"
Dvalin regarded the tiny girl. She genuinely seemed thrilled to see him, with no fear at all reflected in her eyes.
After a moment's hesitation, he asked, "Why do you wish to apologize?"
He couldn't recall ever meeting this child, yet he was curious to hear what she had to say.
Klee gazed up into Dvalin's eyes. The dragon lowered himself, and she saw clearly his eyes, once a pure sky-blue, now bloodshot, clouded with suffering and exhaustion.
Seeing the great dragon in such agony, her nose started to sting.
She stepped forward, stood on tiptoe, and gently wiped away the tears rolling down his face with her small hands.
Though the corruptive power in those tears stung sharply, she didn't stop.
Tenderly stroking his cheek, she mimicked how her mother used to comfort her when she cried.
"Don't cry, big dragon… No one hates you. Everyone was just tricked."
Jiang Bai stared, utterly speechless.
He watched, astonished, as Dvalin's breathing gradually calmed under Klee's gentle touch, his red-stained eyes gradually regaining their former clarity.
"We didn't recognize you, big dragon. We mistakenly thought you were evil. But you're Mondstadt's hero! Klee feels really sorry, so Klee wants to apologize…"
Klee continued her heartfelt apology, her voice sincere and full of innocence.
She had no ulterior motive—just a pure, childlike desire to apologize from the bottom of her heart.
Dvalin felt the sincerity, shattering the Abyss Mage's manipulative lies.
Seeing Dvalin regain some sanity, the mage grew desperate, urgently shrieking, "Don't let her deceive you, poor dragon! They're here to hunt you down!"
"Shut up!"
Dvalin roared, crimson spikes flashing ominously on his spine. The gust from his anger tossed Klee away, making her tumble several times on the ground.
Klee sprang back up, glaring furiously at the Abyss Mage. "You're the bad guy! You tricked the big dragon! Klee's gonna punish you!"
The Abyss Mage jumped around wildly, brandishing its staff. "Hmph! You said you weren't here to hunt him, yet now you draw your weapons!"
"Jiang Bai!" Klee turned to Jiang Bai for approval.
Jiang Bai leaped upward, supported by wind, and landed securely on Dvalin's back. With a few powerful kicks, he knocked the irritating water-shielded Abyss Mage—desperately clinging to Dvalin's back to protect itself—down onto the ground.
He might not break its shield immediately, but knocking it away was easy enough!
"Klee, blow it up! I'll take responsibility!"
"Jumpy Dumpty, go boom!"
A rapid barrage of explosions pounded relentlessly against the Abyss Mage's shield. Panicking, the mage tried teleporting back onto Dvalin, but the dragon had already lifted off, flying out of teleportation range.
Startled by the attack, Dvalin began thrashing violently. Jiang Bai clung desperately to the spikes, struggling to stay balanced.
Seeing Dvalin nearly lost to rage again, Jiang Bai shouted into his ear, braving the fierce winds:
"Calm down, Dvalin! We're here to help you!"
"I'm not even from Mondstadt. I don't know exactly what happened between you and the city, but I know many people like Klee want to apologize. Plenty of Mondstadters still remember you as their Dragon of the East!"
The conflict between Dvalin and Mondstadt had been deliberately escalated by schemers. All they needed was proper communication to resolve this misunderstanding.
Jiang Bai didn't know how much impact his words would have, but saying them was better than silence.
Under Klee's relentless bombardment, the Abyss Mage screamed as its shield shattered, dissolving into ashes.
Only when it vanished completely did Klee realize what she had done. Horror filled her expression instantly.
"Klee blew someone up! Klee did something terrible!"
Bursting into tears, she collapsed onto the ground, wailing uncontrollably.
Hearing Klee's cries, Dvalin slowly calmed, ceasing his struggles.
Jiang Bai's lips twitched. He'd shouted himself hoarse, but clearly Klee's crying was more effective.
Seeing Klee's tears worsening, he quickly jumped down from Dvalin's back and gently comforted her, patting her back. "Don't worry, don't worry. It wasn't human, just a monster! And it didn't die—it ran away. You didn't do anything bad. Klee didn't hurt anyone."
---
Mm~ How delightful it is to have such devoted admirers gather here. Are you pleased, my dear children?
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Until next time, my beloved adventurers...
-Freya