(Tomorrow is Sunday, I can't upload tomorrow, so now I uploaded 6 chapters today)
The world returned to me in pieces. First came the low, rhythmic murmur of voices, too indistinct to be understood. Then came the scent of disinfectant and crushed mint leaves, the signature sterile smell of the Cathedral's infirmary. Finally, came the feeling—a profound, bone-deep exhaustion, as if every ounce of energy had been meticulously scooped out of me, leaving behind a hollow ache.
I opened my eyes to a familiar sight: the high, frescoed ceiling depicting the Anemo Archon. A soft, comfortable bed. A crisp, white sheet pulled up to my chest. It seemed I was making a habit of waking up here.
"He's awake." The voice was Kaeya's, stripped of its usual playful cadence and replaced with a quiet note of relief.
I turned my head, my neck protesting the movement. The Captain was sitting in a chair by my bedside, not in his usual ostentatious uniform, but in a simpler, dark tunic. He looked tired. A small tray on the nightstand held a glass of water and a single, perfect Wolfhook, its deep crimson a stark splash of color in the white room.
"Welcome back to the land of the living, Arthur," he said, a faint smile touching his lips. "The healers said you suffered from acute elemental exhaustion. Apparently, containing a miniature sun is rather taxing on the system. You've been asleep for nearly a full day."
"The informant… Elias?" I croaked, my throat feeling like sandpaper.
"Alive and recovering," Kaeya assured me, passing me the glass of water. "Thanks to you. He's weak, but he'll make a full recovery. You saved his life, Arthur. Along with the rest of ours."
I drank the water gratefully. "The device?"
"A pile of scorched scrap metal, currently being studied by the Knights' most trusted alchemists. We won the day. Rest. That is your only duty right now."
Just then, the door to the infirmary burst open and Jean rushed in, followed by a more hesitant Eula. Jean's face was pale, her usual flawless composure replaced by a raw, frantic worry. She stopped short at my bedside, her eyes scanning me for injuries.
"Arthur! Barbara told me you were here," she said, her voice trembling slightly. "She said you exhausted your elemental power. Are you alright? Does anything hurt?"
"I'm fine, Jean. Just tired," I reassured her.
Eula lingered by the door, her arms crossed, her expression a carefully constructed mask of indifference. "Hmph. To think a few Fatui thugs and an alchemical trinket could leave you bedridden. You clearly lack stamina. You must train harder if you wish to remain a worthy rival."
Kaeya chuckled softly. "He single-handedly contained an explosion that would have leveled the entire warehouse and half the pier, Knight Eula. I believe we can forgive him a bit of fatigue."
Eula's cheeks flushed a faint pink, and she pointedly looked away, unable to muster a retort. Her concern, it seemed, was directly proportional to the sharpness of her words.
The three of them stayed with me for a while, a strange but comforting trio. Kaeya, my enigmatic captain. Jean, my earnest, caring friend who now shared a fraction of the burden of my secrets. And Eula, my proud, fiery rival whose own way of showing friendship was to demand I be strong enough for her to one day overcome. Looking at them, at the different facets of my new life, the exhaustion felt worth it.
Two days later, once I was steady on my feet, Kaeya brought me to a secure room deep within the headquarters to speak with Elias. The informant was a wiry man with sharp, intelligent eyes that had seen too much. He was pale and gaunt, but his gratitude towards me was palpable.
"I owe you my life, Knight Arthur," he said, his voice raspy. "I thought I was done for. That cold… it seeped into my bones."
"Just 'Arthur' is fine, Elias," I said gently. "Tell us what you saw. Everything you can remember."
Elias recounted his capture. He had gotten too close, noticed the secret entrance, and was ambushed by the Electrohammer Vanguard. He spoke of the lab, the experiments on the elemental creatures, and the cold, professional demeanor of the Fatui agents.
"But there was someone else," he said, his voice dropping to a fearful whisper. "They only came at night. Always cloaked. Even the Fatui… they seemed nervous around this person. They deferred to them. They weren't giving orders, not exactly, but their presence changed the whole atmosphere. It was this person who delivered the main components for that… that machine."
"Did you see a face? A name?" Kaeya pressed, his tone sharp.
Elias shook his head. "Never. Just a dark cloak and a strange way of moving, almost… liquid. But I saw a symbol. Once. On the clasp of their cloak, it caught the torchlight." He described it with shuddering precision. A serpent, coiled and eating its own tail, with a single, weeping eye in the center of the coil.
My Instinct flared, a cold spike of recognition. That wasn't just a random symbol. I had seen it before, in my old life. In the deepest, most obscure lore files of the game. It was a sigil associated with the Abyss Order. But this was different. Older. More… fundamental.
Kaeya's expression was grim. He thanked Elias for his courage and promised him protection and a handsome reward. As we left the room, he was silent for a long time.
"The Abyss Order and the Fatui are typically enemies," he mused, more to himself than to me. "For them to be collaborating, even indirectly… or for a third party to be manipulating both… this conspiracy runs deeper than we imagined. This 'serpentine eye' is a threat we don't yet understand." He stopped and looked at me. "Varka has classified this operation at the highest level. The official story is that we shut down a high-level smuggling ring. Only the five of us from the council know the truth about the destabilizer and this new symbol. You are now a keeper of one of the Knights' greatest secrets, Arthur. This burden will not be a light one."
That night, I sat in my room, the silence of the house a stark contrast to the storm of thoughts in my mind. The Fatui. The Doctor. A secret faction using an ancient symbol. A plot to destabilize the nation. I was a key player in a shadow war I was only just beginning to comprehend. My Anemo Vision pulsed softly on my desk, a symbol of my place in this world, my power as a Knight of Mondstadt.
And yet… something felt incomplete.
I had been so focused on my Vision, on being "Arthur the Knight," that I had neglected the very core of my being, the foundation upon which this new life was built. The power of the Heroic Spirit. The golden light of Mana Burst. I had treated it like a dangerous foreign object, a last resort to be feared, rather than an intrinsic part of myself.
Closing my eyes, I turned my focus inward, past the gentle hum of my Anemo Vision, and reached deeper. I sought out the familiar, dormant hearth of my internal power. For weeks it had been quiet, overshadowed. But now, I consciously, willingly, poured my focus into it. I didn't try to ignite it for a fight. I simply… acknowledged it. I accepted it. This is me, too, I thought. The Knight of the Wind and the King of Knights. I am both.
It was like whispering a magic word. The hearth inside me didn't just spark; it blazed to life with a warm, welcoming roar. A torrent of golden energy surged through me, not painful or destructive, but invigorating, as if reconnecting a severed limb.
And then, the System, which had been so quiet for so long, responded with overwhelming force.
[CRITICAL SYSTEM UPDATE INITIATED]
[Host's conscious acceptance of Core Template Identity has been registered.]
[Analyzing recent combat data... Heroic Deed: "Selfless Containment of a Catastrophic Detonation" has been processed.]
[Vessel analysis complete. Host's physical and spiritual maturity has reached a new threshold, capable of sustaining a higher output.]
[Synchronization Rate protocols are being recalibrated for accelerated growth.]
A brilliant, golden progress bar filled my vision.
SYNCHRONIZATION RATE: 18.70% ... 20% ... 22% ... 25.75% (+7.05%)
The jump was massive, more than I had gained in years. My body felt stronger, my mind clearer. The world seemed sharper, more defined. The System wasn't just a passive overlay anymore; it was actively integrating with me on a deeper level.
[Synchronization Rate has surpassed 20% threshold.]
[Inheritance System: Knights of the Round Table] ... AWAKENING SECOND KNIGHT.
The familiar image of the Round Table appeared in my mind's eye. The second seat, beside Bedivere's, began to glow with a light as pure and brilliant as a flawless diamond.
Second Knight Awakened: Sir Lancelot du Lac
The Knight of the Lake, The Perfect Knight, The Berserker
The legend of the one who was simultaneously the greatest and most tragic of the Round Table. His unparalleled martial skill was a marvel to all, a standard to which all other knights were measured.
Inheritance Skill Unlocked:
Eternal Arms Mastery [Rank A+] (Latent)
The ultimate martial skill that prevents the degradation of combat skill, regardless of mentality or circumstances. In its current latent state, it provides a profound, passive boost to the host's innate talent. Learning speed, combat intuition, and physical proficiency with all forms of weaponry are massively accelerated.
Inheritance Noble Phantasm Unlocked:
Knight of Owner - A Knight Does Not Die with Empty Hands [Rank A++] (SEALED)
An ability that bestows the properties of a Noble Phantasm upon any object the user recognizes as a "weapon." The rank and power of the object are dependent on its historical significance and the user's mastery.
[SEALED - Unlock Requirement: 30% Synchronization Rate.]
Next inheritance available at 40% Synchronization Rate.
I sat bolt upright in my bed, my mind reeling from the sheer magnitude of the upgrade. Lancelot. Lancelot. The strongest knight of the Round Table. Eternal Arms Mastery… it wasn't just a skill; it was a conceptual advantage. My "prodigy" status wasn't just talent anymore; it was now backed by the legend of the Perfect Knight. Every swing of my sword, every step I took, would now be guided by an instinct for martial perfection. And Knight of Owner... the potential was limitless. A tree branch, a broken bottle, a simple rock—in my hands, they could become legendary weapons. It was sealed for now, but the promise of it was a terrifying and exhilarating thought.
I stood up and walked to the corner of my room where my standard-issue Knights of Favonius sword rested in its sheath. I picked it up. The change was instantaneous and profound. The weight, the balance, the texture of the grip—I understood it on a level I hadn't before. It felt less like a tool in my hand and more like a part of my own body, an extension of my will.
I looked at my Status screen. My two primary power sources were still listed separately: Arthur Pendragon Template (Internal) and Anemo Arts (External). They were still incompatible, two powerful forces at odds within me. But now, I saw the path forward. My old goal was to master my Vision to fit in. My new goal was to master both. I would be the dutiful Knight of the Wind for the world to see, and I would secretly nurture the power of the King of Knights within. One day, I would find a way to bridge the gap, to make the golden light of Mana Burst harmonize with the free winds of Anemo.
Looking out my window at the moonlit city I had just defended, I felt a new sense of completeness. The dangers were greater than I had ever imagined, the conspiracies darker, the secrets heavier. But for the first time since coming to this world, I felt my own power was finally beginning to catch up. The foundation had been reset, and it was stronger than ever. I was ready.