We were just walking.
Like, literally just walking on the path to Mondstadt. I was already practicing my cool stride, imagining myself looking like some mysterious extra-dimensional traveler with a dark past, a tragic backstory, and a killer theme song playing in the background—until Amber turned to us with that sunshine voice of hers and said, "I'm currently clearing out nearby Hilichurl camps. There's one just up ahead!"
And guess what? There actually was.
A group of Hilichurls chilling like they owned the place. One of them even looked like it was roasting marshmallows. Too bad they were about to get roasted.
Well... not by me.
Because the moment Lumine and Amber charged in like badasses, I followed behind all hyped up, ready to pretend I was useful... and then I got SMACKED across the field like a fly with unpaid rent. One swing. That Hilichurl yeeted me straight into the nearby bush like I was made of paper mache and regrets.
Surprisingly, it didn't hurt much.
I blinked. Sat up. Patted my limbs. Still alive. Huh.
"...I'm a lucky motherfucker," I muttered, brushing leaves off my hoodie.
Lumine and Amber handled the rest like it was another Tuesday. Arrows flew, swords sliced, and the Hilichurls went flying.
After the dust settled, Lumine walked up to me, nudged me in the ribs -rude, by the way,- and whispered, "You said we'd fight a group of Hilichurls. And it actually came true. Did you just predict that, or... did you know?"
I grinned. Proudly. Like a man who just guessed all the answers on a test and somehow got a perfect score.
"Of course I knew. You better believe me," I said, dusting off my hoodie like I'd contributed something other than comedic relief. "And you should also believe me when I say... I know a lot about Aether."
That got her attention. Her expression flickered. She didn't say anything, but I could tell. The gears in her head were turning.
No spoilers, though. Nope. I'm gonna keep it spicy. Bit by bit, I'll tell her everything. Not just drop the whole damn script.
As we walked towards Mondstadt, Amber and Paimon started chatting. Well. Paimon was chatting. Girl's got a mouth powered by an Archon battery, I swear. Nonstop. From ingredients to "emergency food" jokes to Lumine's mission to find her brother—she covered all of it in the span of five minutes. Possibly less.
Meanwhile, I was vibing, hands behind my head, walking like a guy who didn't just get bodied by a wooden club.
Then Lumine nudged me again. "You also mentioned that we'd fight that dragon. Is that true?"
I grinned. Wide.
"YOU will fight that dragon."
Her eyes narrowed. Paimon stopped mid-sentence.
"Wait—WHAAAAAT!?" she shrieked.
Oh yeah.
Shit's about to get real.
Alright. So.
We finally made it to Mondstadt.
No dramatic explosions. No tragic backstory reveals. Just a bunch of tired feet, a cutie bunny girl, and a floating emergency food still yapping her lungs out. Business as usual.
"Allow me to welcome you again to Mondstadt, the city of freedom!" Amber said with this proud sparkly look on her face, arms spread out like she just cast a magic spell to reveal a kingdom. Cue choir music and slow-mo camera pan.
And yeah. I won't lie. It was pretty damn gorgeous.
Windmills turning lazily under a golden sun, fresh breeze in the air, people walking around like they didn't have a dragon flying around trying to trash the place every other weekend.
"Things have been a bit rough lately with Stormterror showing up," Amber continued, leading us through the gates. "But with the Knights of Favonius and Acting Grand Master Jean at the helm, we're doing our best."
Oh, Jean. Right. The workaholic with trust issues and paperwork trauma. But hey, she's a waifu material, the mom of Mondstadt!
I tried to walk cool and confident, like I belonged here. Keyword: tried. Because the moment we stepped past the gates, my dumbass tripped over a cat.
Smooth.
Amber gave me a look. Lumine sighed. Paimon floated away like she didn't know me.
Anyway, we were escorted straight to Katheryne, the famous Adventurers' Guild receptionist and certified NPC queen.
"Ad astra abyssosque!" she greeted, voice chipper as ever.
God. I swear that phrase triggers something in my brain now. Trauma maybe. PTSD from dailies.
Amber introduced us like we were big shots or something, and Katheryne gave us her standard tour guide routine. I nodded the whole time like I was actually paying attention. I wasn't.
Because guess what time it was now?
Wind. Gliding. Bullshit.
Now, I've watched Lumine glide down the railings and roofs like she's the lovechild of a hawk and a sky goddess. Me? I couldn't even glide down a short slope without nearly faceplanting into someone's cabbage cart.
"Here's your glider!" Amber handed me the wings like they were harmless toys.
Little did I know these things were basically legalized near-death experiences.
First try? Slammed into a wall. Second? Windmill blade to the face. Third? Catapulted into a stall and got a free apple to the mouth. By the tenth, I stopped counting. By the twentieth, I was spiritually out of body.
"Lumine, you're up next!" Amber said cheerfully.
She jumped off the edge like it was nothing. Graceful. Effortless. Not a single wobble.
"Show-off," I muttered under my breath.
Paimon cheered, Amber clapped, and I was still tangled in a bush from attempt number ninety-seven.
Eventually, by some miracle or pure dumb luck, I actually glided properly.
"YES! FUCK YEAH!" I screamed, mid-air. Kids below cried. A nun gave me the sign of Barbatos.
But hey, victory.
Then, just when I thought I could breathe, the sky darkened.
A familiar roar echoed in the heavens. That iconic dragon shriek.
"It's him!" Paimon yelled, pointing up. "Stormterror!"
I squinted upward. Dvalin.
Majestic. Deadly. Very much not a fan of architecture.
And then, like the protag she is, Lumine ran up to the tower without hesitation. And me? I sat back, watched her be all heroic and stuff. If I had popcorn, it would've been peak cinema.
"Go Lumine! Yeet that dragon back to Celestia!" I cheered from below like a soccer mom.
And yeet she did.
With the elegance of a starborn warrior, Lumine flung her anemo powers like a boss. Dvalin didn't even stand a chance. The dragon let out this defeated roar and flapped off into the horizon, probably going back to his lair for a fullbody massage session.
I slumped back, exhausted from... well, watching. But hey, moral support is a form of effort.
And that was just the beginning.
Next stop: probably the big Mondstadt drama arc. Y'know—Knights, Abyss Order, betrayal, wine, more yelling.
I'm gonna need a nap first.
Or a drink.
Or both.
***
The wind finally settled.
Amber rushed to check on Lumine like the caring ball of sunshine she was, practically doing a little hop of concern. "Are you okay? That was amazing! You handled Stormterror like a real pro!"
Meanwhile, I? I was still standing there, hands in my pockets, like that one meme of the chill guy who just watched the apocalypse and went, "Nice weather today." Yeah. That was me. The whole place could've been on fire and I'd still be like, "Hmm, smells toasty."
You know who wasn't chill, though? Kaeya.
Then came the clap clap clap.
Oh no.
Here we go.
And there he was—Captain I-Have-A-Cape Kaeya. Clapping like he'd just seen some five-star theatre performance. His smug face made me wanna shove a Windwheel Aster down his throat. Not because I hated him or anything. Okay, I lied. I kinda did. Look, I'm Team Diluc all the way, alright?
Kaeya tilted his head, smirk firmly in place. "That was quite the performance. Are you a hero... or a threat?"
Bro.
She just saved the whole-ass city.
Relax.
Lumine blinked at him, probably trying to decide if he was flirting or recruiting. Spoiler alert: it's both. It's always both with Kaeya.
Amber, still in full golden retriever mode, quickly jumped in to save the convo. "Kaeya, this is the Traveler and her companion Paimon! She's looking for her brother—the one that got taken by that beautiful floating lady who introduced herself with way too many words."
"The Sustainer of Heavenly Principles," I chimed in, rolling my eyes. "Honestly, it should've been me, not Aether. Wouldn't mind getting abducted by a mysterious cosmic baddie. Probably painful. Probably deadly. Probably worth it."
Kaeya turned to me. Wrong move, sir.
Amber hesitated. "Oh, and this is—"
"Shigeru," I cut in smoothly. "No last name. No nonsense."
Kaeya raised an eyebrow. "You don't look like you're from around here."
"That's because I'm not." Smirk.
Look, he was trying to be slick. But I've read his lines before. Man runs on half lies and full drama. Meanwhile, I was built different. I was running on caffeine and the will to simp for Nilou.
Kaeya was still giving me the side-eye, but I wasn't having it. Especially when he kept calling her Traveler.
"Traveler this, Traveler that," I muttered under my breath. "It's Lumine. Put some respect on her name, NPCs."
Paimon, floating nearby, was babbling something about what just happened, but I tuned her out like white noise. If I focused any harder on Kaeya's smug face, I would've manifested a vision just out of spite.
He kept his smirk like it was glued on. "Well, regardless, it seems Mondstadt owes you a great deal."
Lumine gave one of her classic modest nods, you know, the kind that says "Aw shucks, I only risked my life and potentially my soul to save you guys, no biggie."
Anyway, after all that tension disguised as a polite chat, Amber said we should head to the Knights of Favonius headquarters.
Ah yes. The promised land. Time to meet Mondstadt's overworked queen—Acting Grandmaster Jean, the Mom of Mondstadt. Respectfully.
As we started walking toward the building, I leaned in and whispered to Lumine, "Hey. During that fight, someone started talking to you, right? Kind of... echoey voice? Don't worry about it. Just some drunk bard who's a sorry excuse for a god."
Lumine stared at me like I just told her the sun was fake.
"But he's useful later," I added, giving her a thumbs up.
She just nodded slowly. Confused. Concerned. Possibly questioning all her life choices that led to meeting me.
Honestly, mood.
Paimon floated ahead, chatting with Amber like always. Probably something about emergency food or mushrooms or treasure—honestly, I was too busy admiring how Lumine managed to look calm and composed after fighting a dragon while I almost passed out from air sickness on the glider. One day, I swear, I'll look cool too. Just you wait.
But hey, at least I call her by her actual name.
And with that, we headed off to see Jean.
__________________________________
End of Chapter 4
Quest completed: Kick Dvalin's ass
Rewards: Nothing... But maybe a free glider.