When I returned to the city of Mondstadt, I was greeted with fear and awe. After all, though Dragonspine was quite far away, the aftereffects of my battle with the Golden Wolflord could be felt even from Liyue. It wasn't everyday when these people would suddenly see a second sun appear momentarily across Teyvat.
"Did she do that?"
"Is this what it means to be adepti?"
"So cool…"
I smiled politely as I waved back, though I asked if I could meet with Rostam to report what I'd found. The knights were more than eager to come to my aid, and soon enough I was led back to Rostam's personal office.
The man's eyes lit up when he saw me enter, and he quickly stood up. "Lady Xinyue?"
"Sir Rostam." I greeted, before my small smile fell away. "As I promised, the monster that devastated your men has been slain. Unfortunately, much of Dragonspine was damaged during our confrontation." I bowed slightly. "I could only ask for your forgiveness."
"It's fine, it's fine!" He grinned. "If anything, I'm glad it's only Dragonspine that got damaged. No one lives there anyway."
But when my smile refused to return, his grin fell. He could sense that something was amiss despite me completing my task. "Lady Xinyue?"
I sighed. "I had believed that my presence would fade once I brought down that beast." I looked at him. "I had arrived to complete a Story—to vanquish the darkness and save Mondstadt from its Fate. And once I have accomplished that, my reason for existing in this world would cease to exist."
He took a breath. "And since you're still here…" He didn't finish, but he didn't need to. I nodded slowly, and his expression became grave.
"Are there anything suspicious you or your men have noticed as of late?"
He frowned deeply. "I am not sure, but-" He stopped for a moment, before his eyes widened. "No, it couldn't be…" He whispered in horror.
"Sir?"
Rostam collapsed into his chair and sighed. "Some time before your arrival, we received a message from Dvalin, the dragon of the Four Winds." He traced a nervous finger across his desk. "He had intercepted an 'aberrant creation' that came from a distant land, and told us that he might not be able to defend us as he fought it away."
I frowned. "And I assume he has not returned."
He sighed. "No he hasn't."
My frown deepened. I…wasn't one to easily doubt the words of another, but something about the story being told felt wrong. Misplaced, almost. As if the order of events had somehow been switched up. And the more I thought about it, the more odd it felt to me, despite knowing practically nothing about this modern Teyvat.
But those mysteries were better left for a later time. Right now, one of Mondstadt's protectors was likely fighting some monster that came from Khaenri'ah. And if he fell, then it'd definitely spell disaster for Mondstadt.
[Main Mission has been updated!]
[Mission: Bring down the Calamitous Creation -Durin-, alter the fate of Mondstadt, and in doing so, save the heart of the Crimson Witch]
And my Genshin System evidently agreed with me.
I was more than ready to leave, but then someone knocked on the door. "Excuse me sir, but Rosalyne has come to visit." A knight said from outside.
Rostam's eyes widened to a frankly comical degree as his jaw fell. "S-She's back?" He took a breath, and then smiled. "She's back!" Rostam immediately jumped from his seat and rushed out the room. And there, he came face to face with a beautiful woman who smiled as she saw him. "Rosalyne!"
"Rostam!" She called back, and soon both of them were hugging each other without a care in the world.
I smiled wryly as I watched the two. It was clear that she was the lover Rostam had drunkenly spoken about a few days back. She was previously Mondstadt's librarian before she became a scholar, having gone to Sumeru's Akademiya to further her studies. He'd been worried when he last received a letter about her returning, and all that tension finally melted away as he held his lover tight in his arms.
I subtly used my Anemo to diminish my presence as I retreated deeper into Rostam's office. Better let those two's reunion be uninterrupted.
In the meanwhile, I closed my eyes. I was confident I hadn't seen anything off during my time here in Mondstadt, but Dvalin's battle with Durin seemed to still be going. Could this battle maybe be occurring somewhere underground, much like how the Golden Riftwolf was hidden within Dragonspine? Or maybe they were in Liyue, since it was neighboring Mondstadt and all.
No, that wouldn't make sense. If both were fighting at all, I should've felt it by now. Everyone should've felt it by now. That wasn't something that could be hidden just by being in Liyue or underground.
…unless the battle was already over, and Durin was now hiding.
Again, that same feeling of wrongness flared up. For some reason, it felt like Dvalin was the one that should've won—that Durin would've never become a threat to Mondstadt at this time. This was not how things were supposed to be.
Something was wrong.
This world was wrong.
"Lady Xinyue?"
I blinked, and found Rostam and his lover now back in the office, both staring curiously at me. "Ah, forgive me. I do not wish to interrupt such a reunion between two fated lovers."
"T-That's-" Rostam chuckled weakly while Rosalyne blushed deeply.
Discreetly, I glanced at the necklace Rosalyne wore, and the bauble hanging from it. A spherical red jewel, with the artistic symbol of a flame drawn in its center. So that's what a Pyro Vision looked like—it was interesting to see other versions, since there were only Geo Visions in my Teyvat.
On that note, I wonder when Barbatos would appear in my Teyvat? Anemo Visions should start appearing once he becomes an Archon. And maybe then I could visit and give him a dressing down, just to make sure he didn't become as lazy as the Barbatos of this Teyvat.
[...]
I raised an eyebrow. My Genshin System hadn't said anything, but I somehow knew that it felt…amused? Exasperation? A mix of both?
"Ah, you are Lady Xinyue, correct?" Rosalyne then asked. I nodded, and she smiled. "Then I have to thank you for helping Mondstadt when I was still away." She grimaced for a moment. "I worried what would happen while I was away, and I was especially afraid when I saw that massive explosion that occurred at Dragonspine-" Rostam snorted, and she blinked. "What?"
I huffed. "I am afraid that it was I that caused that." I said, smiling slightly as she stared. "I was informed of a beast in Dragonspine. It was dormant within the mountain, and I had to resort to a more destructive measure to pull it out."
Rosalyne lost her words for a good minute, before she cleared her throat. "T-Then I have to thank you for stopping that beast from causing more harm."
I waved my hand. "It is of no issue. It would be a shame if Mondstadt's Story would end so abruptly, after all." I took another glance at the window, and hummed. "Alas, I'm afraid I must leave now. My task is far from done, and these lands remain in danger as long as your protectors remain unseen."
"Are you sure, Lady Xinyue? You just returned!" Rostam said. "Please, at least a day of rest? Surely immediately leaving to find Lord Dvalin would do more harm."
She frowned. "He's not wrong. I'm not too sure what's going on, but I know you just finished fighting some great monster. You must be tired." She smiled. "Don't worry, we're not helpless. You can rest, and we'll keep watch."
I couldn't help but smile slightly. Both of them had clearly seen the destruction I can bring onto this world, and yet they still worried that I was burning myself out. To offer a foreign entity like me shelter, to so brazenly proclaim that I could trust them while the world itself was ending,
Mortals truly were fascinating. No wonder why the gods hold so much interest in them.
…Wait. Did I really just call these people 'mortals'?
Damn it. Morax was infecting me.
I sighed lightly, before I smiled. "Very well. Then I will spend a day resting." My smile became a little sly. "But do make sure not to drink too much wine. I do believe your sword techniques are not suited for drunken practitioners."
Rostam chuckled weakly. "Ah-, yeah. I'll make sure to remind everyone not to go too wild tonight."
Rosalyne grinned. "And I'll make sure you don't drink yourself silly, dear."
He winced. "Oh come on. I'm not that bad."
""You are."" Both Rosalyne and I said at the same time. We stared at each other in surprise, before we laughed together.
Rostam slouched forward in defeat. "This is the worst…"
I raised an eyebrow. "Then do keep yourself accountable, sir. It would be an embarrassment for the Master Knight to be charged with public indecency, no?"
She gave me a dry stare. "It happened again?"
I nodded solemnly. "On the night of my arrival."
He could only groan in defeat.
.
.
.
Far away, on an island that would soon be uncreatively named the Nameless Island,
Dvalin weakly struggled as a blackened claw pressed his neck further into the ground, his mind slow due to the many injuries littering his body. The dragon that held him down—with scales as black as night and burning red eyes—grinned at Dvalin's obvious pain.
"YOUR LORD IS NOT HERE." It spoke, its voice mechanical and unnatural, much like the other creations let loose from Khaenri'ah.
"Barbatos-, will smite you down, monster." Dvalin growled out, before he cried in pain as one of its claws dug into his neck.
Its grin only grew wider. "EMPTY PROMISES." It leaned down, red eyes glaring. "CELESTIA CALLED. SIX ARCHONS ARRIVED."
Dvalin's eyes were wide. "No-, that can't be-!"
Durin continued laughing.