"Wait…! Isn't that Mr. Albedo's place?!"
"How could it explode? Did an alchemy experiment go wrong?!"
"No way—Mr. Albedo's workshop has never had an accident before!"
"Looks like something went wrong this time… I hope he's alright."
"That blast was terrifying… the whole workshop's wrecked! How powerful was that explosion?!"
"Mr. Albedo's got a Geo Element Vision. He should be fine… right?"
Thick black smoke billowed above Mondstadt's gate.
The acrid stench of burnt alchemical reagents filled the air.
Inside the shattered workshop, faint elemental flames flickered, as though some violent alchemical reaction had yet to fully subside.
"Wooo—!"
A sharp horn blast echoed from the city gate.
The Knights of Favonius on patrol rushed toward the scene. Clad in silver-white armor, they drew their weapons, sealing off the surrounding streets while shouting:
"Everyone, stay back!"
"Clear the area! There might be a secondary explosion!"
Experienced knights dashed into the blast site, scanning the debris-strewn interior for survivors, while the younger squires sprinted off to headquarters to report to Acting Grand Master Jean.
"How could the alchemy lab blow up like this?"
"Maybe one of his experiments went out of control?"
"But Mr. Albedo's tests never fail!"
"Whatever happened, we need to clear the area first."
The knights exchanged tense looks, their nerves taut as bowstrings, fearing that something worse might still occur.
Inside the workshop—
Billows of black smoke coiled through the air, thick with the stench of burning reagents.
The heat shimmered, carrying traces of alchemical residue. Amid the wreckage, a golden Geo barrier glowed faintly—solid and crystalline like amber—sealing off what remained of the explosion's aftermath within a narrow radius.
The pattern of elemental sigils flickered across its surface, resisting an invisible shockwave.
At its center stood Albedo.
"Cough… cough…"
Soot smudged his usually pristine white coat and fair face, lending him a rare air of disarray. His normally immaculate composure looked rather—well—singed.
Yet his teal eyes remained calm, sharp, and calculating.
His right hand still maintained the stance for channeling his Geo Element Vision. Golden Geo light pulsed faintly in his palm, sustaining the protective alchemical barrier.
If he hadn't set up the defensive formation in advance, the explosion's force would have torn through not only the lab—but the entire street beyond.
"…Careless," Albedo murmured softly, lowering his gaze to the ruined workstation beside him.
What had once been a carefully arranged bomb prototype was now reduced to a charred pile of fragments.
And even now, above the blackened debris, faint ripples of violent energy lingered in the air—weak, yet unstable.
"This energy signature…"
Narrowing his eyes, Albedo extended a hand, brushing through the air. Threads of alchemical light coalesced at his fingertips as he attempted to analyze the residual force.
But the instant he made contact—his pupils contracted sharply.
"This power—more furious than Pyro, more unstable than Electro—was a destructive force beyond the Seven Elements."
Albedo fell silent. He slowly drew back his hand, gathering Geo light to dispel the lingering force, though the tremor in his heart remained.
"…Incredible."
Just a brief contact was enough to tell him how dangerous it was.
Without his barrier, that blast might have seriously injured him—
—or worse.
If the Geo shield hadn't contained the shockwave, the entire street around the lab would have been annihilated.
His expression darkened. He stared at the faint traces still pulsing in the air.
"How… was such an energy stored inside a bomb?"
He had studied countless elemental reactions.
He had even examined the Delusions wielded by Fatui.
But this—this was something else entirely.
Pure annihilation.
A force even he couldn't fully analyze.
"Who in Teyvat tampered with my bomb? What mechanism could even conceivably produce this?"
His mind spun rapidly, running endless simulations of possible explanations—
and every result only deepened his frown.
"If a weapon like this spreads…"
He shut his eyes briefly—and the vision came unbidden:
A blast ripping through Mondstadt's streets, the ground splitting apart, elemental shields shattering like glass, ordinary citizens swept away before they could even scream—
This wasn't alchemy.
Nor was it an elemental reaction.
This was destruction itself.
If such power were ever misused, the catastrophe would be unimaginable.
Most concerning of all…
Yesterday, Klee had been carrying an entire backpack of these things.
The bombs were indeed made by him—but this energy inside them? That definitely wasn't his doing.
Bang bang bang!
A frantic knocking came from outside the workshop.
"Mr. Albedo! Are you alright?!"
It was the Knights of Favonius. They'd reached the door at last.
"Cough— I'm fine," Albedo replied, clearing his throat. "I just need to tidy up… and please, send for Acting Grand Master Jean."
"Yes, sir!"
Outside, the knights exchanged relieved looks.
Thank the Archons—Mr. Albedo was unharmed.
A lab explosion was one thing—such accidents came with research.
But Albedo himself getting hurt? That would be a disaster.
He wasn't just an alchemist—he was also a Vision bearer.
Whenever the Stormterror or hordes of monsters attacked, his presence on the defensive line made all the difference.
Meanwhile, at the Knights of Favonius Headquarters—
Jean sat behind her desk, reviewing reports while her mind weighed Mondstadt's growing unease.
Ever since she'd seen the remains of the Fatui elite who'd been slain near the city the previous night, her sense of foreboding hadn't eased for a moment.
Outwardly, Mondstadt seemed calm again…
Yet Jean could feel it—something dark was stirring beneath the surface.
"Boom!"
A deafening explosion suddenly tore through the air.
Jean's expression changed instantly. She rose from her seat in alarm.
What happened?
Where did that come from?!
The blast sounded even louder than the one at Cider Lake yesterday!
She rushed to the window—and her pupils shrank sharply.
Far in the distance, black smoke coiled into the sky over one of Mondstadt's streets.
"That's… the city gate district?!"
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