The battle was over, but the echo of the fight lingered.
The crew walked quietly through the fractured remnants of Stormterror's Lair. The winds, once twisted by corruption, now flowed gently—unburdened, as if exhaling for the first time in centuries. Kiana held Elysia's rose close, her expression distant. Lumine trailed slightly behind, glancing back once as though expecting something to follow.
At the edge of the cliff, the wind shifted.
A lilting melody drifted through the air. Then a voice, soft and teasing:
"Quite the storm you've stirred, skyfarers. The winds carried your names long before your feet touched Mondstadt's soil."
Perched upon the massive tree of Windrise, a figure sat—lean and graceful, dressed in flowing green garments that fluttered like leaves in the breeze, a lyre resting gently on his knee. The branches around him stirred as if responding to his presence, wind chimes ringing from nowhere. His teal eyes shimmered with mischief and timeless wisdom, like twin mirrors of the sky.. His teal eyes shimmered with mischief and wisdom.
A figure in green.
Kiana blinked. "Uh… who's that?"
Lumine narrowed her eyes. "That's... the bard. I've heard his songs in the plaza."
"I've been many things," the Bard said, hopping down effortlessly. "But today, let's say I'm just a friendly wind curious about those who don't belong to this world—and yet seem destined to protect it."
His eyes locked with Noah's, playful yet piercing. "Especially you, silent one. The wind bends around you... but does not carry you."
Noah remained still. The Force whispered in response.
the Bard turned to the group more broadly, tone shifting. "The corruption here was just a wound—but not the source. That lies further south. Beneath the snows of Dragonspine."
Kiana raised an eyebrow. "Okay, hold up. You show up out of nowhere, know who we are, and expect us to just believe you?"
Elysia folded her arms gently, tilting her head. "You speak in riddles and poetry, but that doesn't explain how you know so much about us."
He gave a theatrical bow. "Guilty. But the winds tell many secrets—if you know how to listen. And I've had a long time to listen." He straightened and placed a hand over his chest with a mock-serious flourish. "I am Venti, a bard of Mondstadt, singer of skies and sipper of the finest ciders this world has to offer. And… perhaps something a little more, if you believe the songs."
Lumine's eyes narrowed. "You're no ordinary bard."
"I'm whatever Mondstadt needs me to be," Venti said with a wink. "A song when there's sorrow. A whisper when there's fear. And sometimes… a guardian, when freedom is threatened."
Noah studied him in silence. The Force offered no alarm—only curiosity. Whoever this was, his presence resonated with the land itself.
After a pause, Noah spoke, his voice even. "Perhaps you're the Anemo Archon."
Venti's smile didn't falter, but his eyes flickered with interest. "Oh? And what gave me away?"
"The Force," Noah replied simply.
Kiana blinked. "Ahh… it's the Force thingie again."
Elysia chuckled lightly. "When in doubt, trust the space wizard."
Lumine gave a small smile. "That's starting to sound like his answer to everything."
Venti let out a melodic laugh, brushing a hand through his hair. "Fascinating. To deduce divinity through a power even I can't name… The winds were right to whisper about you."
"You accepted my guess far too easily. Most would deny being a god, or laugh it off. But you didn't." Noah asked, his tone calm but firm. "What makes Dragonspine important that made you accept it easily and ask help from us?" He glanced toward Venti with a faint narrowing of his eyes. "Why now?"
Venti's expression sobered. "Because something is stirring. Durin's corpse still sleeps beneath the frost—but the Abyss has found a way to awaken echoes of his will. If they succeed, Mondstadt won't survive what comes next."
Elysia crossed her arms, frowning. "Durin?" she repeated quietly, the name unfamiliar yet heavy on her tongue. She glanced toward Lumine, then to Venti. "That name... it carries weight."
Lumine nodded slowly, her expression tight. "Durin was a monstrous dragon, created through alchemy. It attacked Mondstadt long ago, and was slain by Dvalin—one of the Four Winds, the Dragon of the East."
Venti gave a slow nod, confirming Lumine's account. "Yes. The beast's corpse crashed into Dragonspine," he said solemnly. "Its blood seeped into the snow, its breath still clinging to the cliffs. That frost—unnatural and thick with sorrow—never melted. The Abyss saw an opportunity in that unhealed scar, and now, it's feeding on it. Even in death, Durin's essence lingers—twisted, restless, and dangerously receptive to darker wills."
Elysia's gaze darkened. "So this wasn't the end. It was just the beginning."
Venti nodded solemnly. "Even Archons can't see into every shadow. That's why I need help—from those who carry stars in their wake."
Before anyone could reply, a loud pop cracked through the air, followed by a multicolored swirl of light and smoke.
"AND HERE I THOUGHT I WAS THE DRAMATIC ONE!"
A glider burst through the treeline—spitting sparks, flowers, and confetti. Landing in a barely controlled tumble came a woman with wild crimson-pink hair, goggles on her forehead, and a grin that could rival a storm.
"Ah, you must be the infamous crew I've been tracking!" the woman declared, hands on her hips. "Kiana, white hair, dimensional aura, slightly unstable power signature? Check. Lumine, already breaking the rules of this world's physics? Double check. Elysia, radiating that unmistakable elegance wrapped in dangerous charm? Triple check. And you—"
She turned to Noah. For the first time, her voice dropped to something softer. A mix of recognition and memory.
"…Captain."
Noah's hand hovered near his belt, uncertain. "Do I know you?" His brows furrowed slightly as her words echoed. "And why did you call me... Captain?"
"Not yet," she said with a wink. "But maybe you did. Once. Or maybe… you will, in a moment not yet written, but long remembered."
The others glanced between them.
Venti raised a brow. "You're being more cryptic than me today, Alice. That's impressive."
Alice chuckled, then looked at Kiana thoughtfully. "There's something about her. A resonance. Like a spark that once danced beside someone I knew."
She looked back at Noah, her expression turning just slightly wistful. "You left something behind in Teyvat. Or rather… you will. A legacy waiting to bloom. Perhaps in a moment not yet lived, or one that echoes backward from a future you've yet to meet. When the time comes, Captain… you'll understand."
Noah didn't answer. But his gaze lingered on her longer than he intended.
Alice gave a dramatic bow, one hand sweeping to her chest with the flair of a stage magician midway through a disappearing act. "Oh, where are my manners? Alice, renowned adventurer, alchemist extraordinaire, destroyer of conventions and, some say, Mondstadt's most explosive mind—literally." She straightened, her grin unrelenting. "Also, part-time dimensional researcher and full-time troublemaker. But you can just call me Alice."
Venti cleared his throat. "Back on track. There's an ancient rift beneath Dragonspine. Leylines twisted by Durin's remains—and the Abyss is stirring them again. If left unchecked… well, Mondstadt won't stay free for long."
Kiana stepped forward. "Then we go there. We stop it."
Elysia nodded. "Together."
Noah turned toward the mountain peaks in the distance, snow swirling faintly at their tips. He could feel it already—the storm waiting beyond the frost.
"We'll go tomorrow morning," he said.
Alice smiled. "Then I'll prepare the bombs."
There was a pause.
"…Wait," Kiana said slowly, eyes narrowing. "Are you coming with us?"
Alice tilted her head playfully. "Well, of course! Someone has to make sure the dramatic entrance matches the dramatic solution."
Elysia gave Noah a sideways glance. "Did we… recruit her?"
Noah blinked, then sighed with a touch of resignation. "I don't think we had a choice."
Lumine exhaled, a mixture of amusement and mild dread crossing her face. "Great. A walking firework show is joining the mission."