The towering walls of Mondstadt finally appeared before us, bathed in the warm rays of the setting sun. The sky was painted in hues of orange and violet, and the city looked peaceful—almost too perfect.
"Look, Hotaru!" Amber exclaimed excitedly, stretching out her arms as if presenting a grand spectacle. "The City of Freedom! Isn't it beautiful?"
"It's even more beautiful than I imagined," Lumine replied with a soft smile.
"Paimon wants to go to the Adventurers' Guild! Or eat something! Or check if there's any hidden treasure in the fountains!"
"I want to go to the Knights' headquarters and show Jean the fish I caught!" Klee shouted, waving her backpack around.
Amber let out a nervous laugh.
"That... won't be necessary, Klee. I think Jean is still traumatized from the floating barrel incident."
I silently observed the city's tranquility from a distance. But something made me frown. The air felt thick, charged with energy. And then, the wind shifted.
A deafening roar—like the crack of a storm and the howl of the sky—shook the heavens.
Everyone looked up.
From the horizon, cutting through the clouds with an overwhelming presence, a colossal azure figure emerged like an arrow of fury. It was Stormterror—Dvalin. His body, a mix of sky blue and midnight blue, shimmered like a living jewel. His six wings beat with an irregular yet powerful rhythm, each flap generating swirling vortices of wind. His eyes burned with an ethereal blue flame, like will-o'-wisps, and the scales on his wings glistened like flowing water.
A piercing screech split the sky, and Mondstadt trembled.
"I-Is that...?!" Paimon stammered, floating backward in shock.
"Stormterror!" Amber shouted, instinctively stepping forward. "What's it doing here again?!"
Dvalin descended like a shadow of judgment. His claws struck a nearby tower, obliterating it in an instant. Stones and beams were sent flying like projectiles. The people of Mondstadt screamed, fleeing through the streets as the dragon soared overhead, unleashing razor-sharp winds from his wings that tore off rooftops and toppled entire towers. One of his talons slammed into the main square, splitting the ground and shattering statues.
Chaos reigned.
Klee clung tightly to me, her childlike excitement replaced by shock and fear.
"W-what's happening, Mr. Dan Heng?"
I knelt to her level, looking at her calmly as the blue flames of Dvalin reflected in my eyes.
"Klee," I said softly, placing a hand on her head. "Don't be afraid."
She looked up at me with shimmering eyes, clutching Dodoco to her chest.
"Are you going to fight him?"
I didn't answer immediately. My gaze turned toward the sky, where Dvalin was beating his wings above the cathedral, roaring once more as the Knights scrambled below, helpless.
Finally, I looked back at the little girl.
"Before that…" I paused slightly, my eyes gleaming with a golden light. "I want to show you something interesting."
Klee blinked.
"More interesting than fishing?"
A faint smile touched my lips.
"Much more."
Panicked screams spread like a wave through Mondstadt. As chaos raged in the skies, with Stormterror's colossal wings beating furiously, I held Klee firmly and gently set her down in a safe corner between the city's pillars.
"Stay here, Klee," I said with absolute calm, as the air around me began to distort. I closed my eyes for a moment, and when I opened them again, I felt a blue glow flash across my pupils. I raised my arm toward the sky, and a black spear materialized in my hand, wreathed in a razor-sharp aura. Then, metallic wings emerged from my back—sharp and majestic, gleaming with a cold brilliance. Two blue gems pulsed within each wing, like hearts of contained wind.
"Rafael"
From atop the cathedral, I sensed Venti's gaze upon me, filled with astonishment.
"That power...?" the wind carried his whisper to me. "That's not just control over the wind... It's absolute. As if the very atmosphere obeys him."
My wings beat once, and in an instant, my body shot upward with blinding speed, leaving behind a trail of turbulent currents. Within seconds, I was face-to-face with Dvalin, who roared in fury, his body glowing with the corrupted blue light of the Abyss.
I pointed my spear toward the sky, and a black chain unfurled from my arm, linking with my wings. They began to warp, merging into the form of a silver bow inlaid with the same blue gems. My spear, as if responding to a silent command, transformed into a black arrow that fit perfectly against the bowstring.
"Tsuofuel"
The arrow cut through the air.
No. It cut through the sky.
The wind pressure surrounding it was so intense that it distorted space itself. This wasn't just a projectile—it was judgment. I saw the moment Dvalin realized it. The way his eyes widened, just for an instant. He moved, faster than his massive size should have allowed. And he dodged the arrow.
But the wind...
The shockwave hit him like an invisible wall. I watched him stagger mid-flight, his wings losing rhythm. The roar he unleashed wasn't of pain—but something more primal.
Instinct.
Fear.
He hadn't been wounded. Not even touched. Yet deep in his draconic soul, he knew: if that arrow had struck him...
He would have vanished.
With a screech that shook the nearby mountains, Dvalin twisted in the air and fled. He beat his six wings with desperate fury, as if the wind itself burned against his scales.
I watched him go. The bow dissolved in a burst of blue light, and the metallic wings folded back into my shoulders before fading entirely. The breeze returned, soft and gentle, as if the world itself exhaled in relief.
I descended. The streets were silent, the quiet broken only by the hesitant footsteps of those emerging from hiding. Many stared at me, but none spoke. Perhaps they didn't know what to say.
Klee ran up to me, her eyes sparkling.
"That was amazing! You have the coolest wings ever! Can I have some? Can you teach me?"
I chuckled softly. Klee's energy was contagious, even amid the smoldering wreckage of a city under attack. I was about to answer when hurried footsteps caught my attention. Turning, I saw a group of soldiers marching through the main street, dust and debris swirling around them.
The banner of Mondstadt fluttered on their cloaks.
The Knights of Favonius.
At the forefront, like a leaf guiding the wind, came Jean. Her bearing was firm, her expression composed despite the chaos—proof of why she was called the Acting Grand Master. Beside her were Kaeya, Lisa, and other knights, some with minor injuries, their armor still dust-covered.
Jean stopped near me and raised a hand.
"Knights, fan out and search for survivors. Prioritize the wounded. Every second counts!"
"Yes, Acting Grand Master!" they shouted in unison before dispersing in all directions.
Kaeya shot me a crooked smirk as he passed.
"Quite the entrance," he murmured teasingly. "I like your style, stranger."
I didn't respond. He didn't seem to expect one.
Once the others had moved away, Jean turned to me. Her expression softened, though her eyes still carried exhaustion.