Diluc watched the trio until they vanished from sight, then lowered his gaze. After a moment's thought, he decided to quietly message his people in Mondstadt to ask about the Traveler's recent movements—had they truly left the city?
While Diluc set that in motion, Kairo, Ying, and Paimon had already passed Dawn Winery.
With Seele's Hunt-path skill, "Ripple," boosting their pace and Ying riding the wind, they soon reached Wolvendom.
Even at midday, Wolvendom lay in a muted dusk. Sunlight sifted through the canopy and shattered on damp earth in broken coins. The air was wet and green with the smell of soil and grass. Leaves whispered as the breeze combed through them, like the forest speaking under its breath. Roots braided across the ground; slick stone and tangled wood turned every step into careful work. When night fell, this was the wolves' domain—howls often rang across the empty groves, thin and cold.
The three unconsciously slowed as they entered. Pressure hung in the air, the feeling that any moment something might burst from the brush.
"So this is Wolvendom, huh? Definitely not a tourist spot," Paimon muttered, peering around. "Do we have to cut straight through?"
"No. We can skirt the edge," Ying said after checking the map. "Adventurers rarely come in here."
"Eh—what the—? Ying! Kairo!" Paimon jabbed a finger ahead.
A cluster of Hydro Slimes wobbled in a meadow, blue skins gleaming as they hopped lazily. There were a lot of them—way more than you'd expect in wolf country.
Paimon scratched her head. "Are we sure this is Wolvendom? Looks more like Slime-dom."
"Odd," Ying agreed, frowning. "I thought this area was dangerous because of wolves, not… that."
She glanced at Kairo. "Why so many Hydro Slimes here?"
"Monsters don't read maps," Kairo said, unbothered. "Ecosystems are messier than names. 'Wolvendom' doesn't mean only wolves. Some pockets are livelier than you think."
Paimon still looked dubious. "It's just… weird! And Hydro Slimes, of all things?"
"They're in the way. Better clear them," Ying decided, drawing her sword. "If we try to walk past, they'll rush us anyway."
That had already happened a dozen times the previous day. Ying wanted to let weak monsters go when she could. Sadly, slimes didn't share that mercy; if they saw people, they chased.
Before Kairo could speak, Ying was already moving.
The smaller Hydro Slimes noticed her and spun as one, snapping into attack. Compact bodies flickered through grass, fast and nimble; cold Hydro sprayed in arcs to slow her steps.
"Good thing I warmed up," Ying said calmly, meeting them head-on.
Thunk! Wind-edged steel flashed; the closest slime burst into spray.
But then—
A low, burbling roar rolled through the pack. The other slimes swelled like balloons, bodies ballooning to several times their normal size, aggression spiking with their mass.
"They're getting bigger?!" Ying's eyes widened as "cute" turned to hulking—edges hardened, watery tendrils whipping like knives.
Hovering by Kairo, Paimon gaped. "Since when can Hydro Slimes do that? And they're tougher—your easy one-shot didn't pop it!"
Ying slid back a step to slip a rush, then cut in again.
Whish—THUMP! Wind split water; the big slime's body warped and churned, splashing hard—but it didn't go down. If anything, it came on angrier.
"They're beefier and hit harder," Ying judged, tightening her grip.
"Careful!" Paimon warned. "If they keep growing, this could get nasty!"
A cold shadow moved past Ying's shoulder.
The Everwinter Shade acted.
Frost crawled out from beneath its steps. It raised its ice axe and carved a clean line through the nearest slime; Hydro flash-froze mid-lunge, a blue statue that shattered a heartbeat later.
Ying exhaled and eased her blade down. "Right. I forgot—we have a vanguard."
The Shade didn't pause. Another swollen slime crashed forward; a short, brutal hew split it, and the follow-through froze what remained. One after another, the slimes fell—no time to attack, no time to flee. Size didn't matter against that killing cold.
Paimon whistled. "Okay, that's ridiculous. Even super-sized, they're paper in front of that thing."
Ying nodded, half relieved, half impressed. She'd expected at least a workout. Instead, the Shade turned it into warm-ups.
Kairo watched, satisfied. As a rift-born phantom, the Everwinter Shade was even more effective in Teyvat than he'd hoped. It handled most ambushes before they became problems—exactly what he wanted on the road.
Time slipped by. The clearing emptied.
"Let's move," Kairo said, flicking a hand.
The Shade turned smoothly and took point again. Where it stepped, a film of ice laced the ground; the air itself felt cooler. Hilichurls that thought they were hidden learned they weren't. Dendro Slimes that tried to erupt from the turf never made it above the grass—one downward chop ended the attempt.
Soon the trees thinned and the light widened. Paimon's mood floated with it—until a wrong sound scraped from the woods ahead.
Three wolf-shaped monsters drifted into view.
They weren't wolves. They were massive and limbless, parts of their bodies floating apart from each other as if hung in the air by invisible wire. Their hide was a cold, ashen white; their skull-like heads were too large; eyes flickered gold and violet in unsettling alternation. Bone-like spikes jutted from their frames, faintly glowing, making the air itself feel heavier.
Paimon's wings twitched. "Uh… that's a wolf? Are wolfs supposed to fly?"
"They don't look like wolves at all," Ying said, brows knitting.
The trio spiraled in the air, then locked into a stiff hover when they spotted the travelers. The forest seemed to hold its breath. Their scanning gaze gleamed with predatory cold.
"Rifthounds," Kairo said, eyes narrowing. "Didn't think our odds would hit them. They gnaw at the borders between worlds—tougher than regular beasts. If they bite you, it's Corrosion—not a normal wound."
The Shade answered first. It met the closest Rifthound with a falling chop that iced flesh and murdered momentum. The other two raked with black-stained, rock-heavy claws; Corrosion steamed off them like smoke—but the Shade wasn't a living body to rot. It stepped through their swings and drew two exacting arcs.
Frozen shards hit the dirt. Silence returned in three breaths.
Paimon's voice dropped to a reverent whisper. "Still feels like cheating… the good kind."
The Shade moved on, methodical as ever. Wolvendom's hazards dwindled behind them.
Far deeper within the grove, a tangible chill coiled, and a rasping voice rode the wind.
"Outsider wolves… culled? Interesting."
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