Location: Entrance to Stormterror's Lair (Old Mondstadt)
Current Form: Human
Status: Impatient, criticizing ancient architecture
The wind barrier surrounding Old Mondstadt was a wall of solid, roaring hurricane force. It shredded trees, pulverized rocks, and made Paimon spin like a top.
"It's too strong!" Paimon yelled, holding onto Aether's scarf for dear life. "We can't get through this!"
Venti stepped forward, holding the Holy Lyre. "The wind here is wild. It has forgotten the song of freedom. I can try to create a tunnel, but it will take time to harmonize with the—"
CRUNCH.
Venti stopped. Everyone turned.
Raiden was standing at the edge of the barrier. He had simply... taken a bite out of the wind wall.
"Needs salt," Raiden mumbled, chewing on the compressed Anemo energy.
He took another bite. And another. The impenetrable storm wall didn't shred him; instead, it warped into his mouth like spaghetti being sucked up.
"Or," Raiden swallowed, wiping his mouth, "We could just eat the door."
He gestured to the man-sized hole he had just chewed through the storm. "After you, ladies and gentlemen."
Diluc stared at the hole in the hurricane. "He defies all logic."
"That's his charm!" Venti chirped, skipping through the gap. "Come on, before the wind fills it back in!"
Inside the barrier, the ruins of Decarabian's city loomed. The tower in the center pierced the sky, surrounded by floating debris and wind currents.
"We need to reach the top," Jean assessed, looking at the bridge that led to the central tower. "But the bridge is broken. We'll need to activate the light actuators to—"
"Jean," Raiden interrupted, placing a hand on her shoulder. "You're thinking like a gamer doing a puzzle. Think like a dragon."
"Like a... what?"
"Grab on."
Before Jean could protest, Raiden grabbed her by the waist. He grabbed Diluc by the back of his coat.
"Hey!" Diluc protested.
"Going up!"
Raiden didn't sprout wings this time. Instead, he utilized [Gravity Manipulation] (derived from the sheer mass control of his Dragon form). He simply inverted gravity for himself and his passengers.
They fell upward.
Aether and Venti, who could fly/glide, followed behind, laughing.
They soared past the broken bridges, past the wandering Hilichurls, and past the intricate puzzles that were supposed to take hours to solve. They landed on the top platform of the tower with a heavy thud.
Jean stumbled, disoriented. "That was... efficient. But nauseating."
Diluc fixed his coat, looking ruffled. "Warn me next time."
"Where's the fun in that?" Raiden grinned.
On the roof, waiting for them, was not Dvalin.
It was a Ruin Guard. And a Ruin Hunter. And for good measure, a Ruin Grader.
"Intruders detected," the mechanical voice of the Ruin Grader buzzed. Its eye glowed with dangerous energy.
"I'll handle the big one!" Diluc summoned his claymore, flames igniting the blade. "Time for... retribution!"
"I'll take the Hunter!" Jean drew her sword, wind gathering around her.
Raiden looked at the standard Ruin Guard. It started to spin, entering its "helicopter" mode to charge him.
"Great Sage. Analyze construct."
"Subject: Field Tiller (Ruin Guard). Composition: Chaos Core, Iron, Ancient Runes. Fighting Style: Spin-to-win."
"Spinning? I can do that."
Raiden didn't draw a weapon. He held out his hand.
[Water Manipulation: Whirpool].
A sphere of high-pressure water formed in his palm. He threw it at the spinning Ruin Guard.
SMASH.
The water didn't just hit the robot; it got caught in the gears. The Ruin Guard's spinning momentum worked against it. The water acted like a hydraulic press, forcing the metal plates outward until the machine tore itself apart from the centrifugal force.
Bolts and gears rained down.
Raiden caught a Chaos Core out of the air.
Crunch.
"Tastes like copper and old math," Raiden noted, swallowing the core.
Raiden turned to see Diluc finishing off the Ruin Grader with a massive Phoenix slash.
"Show off," Raiden called out.
Diluc huffed, sheathing his sword. "Focus. The dragon is coming."
Venti stepped to the center of the platform. The wind howled, mournful and angry.
"It is time," Venti said, his voice solemn. He raised the Awakened Holy Lyre.
He began to play.
The sound was transcendent. It wasn't just music; it was a memory. It carried the scent of Mondstadt's flowers, the feeling of the wind on a cliffside, and the promise of freedom.
The storm clouds swirled. A massive shadow descended.
Dvalin appeared.
But he wasn't attacking. He was hovering, his dragon eyes wide, the red glow in them flickering.
"BARBATOS...?"
"It's me, Dvalin," Venti said softly, still playing. "I'm sorry I was late. You don't have to be alone anymore."
For a moment, it seemed to work. Dvalin lowered his head, the corruption receding.
Then, a bolt of purple lightning struck the Lyre.
ZAP.
Venti gasped, dropping the instrument.
"Did you really think a song would be enough?!"
Floating above Dvalin's head was an Abyss Mage (Electro). But behind him, a tear in space opened.
The Abyss Herald from Wolvendom returned. And this time, he brought friends. Two Abyss Lectors (Pyro and Electro).
"Corrupt him!" The Herald commanded. "Shatter the Lyre!"
The Abyss Mage fired another bolt at the Holy Lyre.
CLANG.
The bolt didn't hit the Lyre. It hit a hand covered in black scales.
Raiden stood in front of Venti, smoke rising from his palm.
"You guys are like cockroaches," Raiden sighed. "You just don't know when to quit."
Raiden looked at the Abyss Herald.
"You interrupted the concert," Raiden stated. "I was enjoying that."
"The Dragon of the Void," The Herald hissed. "Our Prince has warned us about you. You are a glitch in the loom of fate. But today, Stormterror belongs to the Abyss!"
The Abyss Lectors began chanting. Dvalin roared in agony as the corruption spiked, the purple blood clot on his neck pulsating.
"IT HURTS! BARBATOS, YOU BETRAYED ME AGAIN!"
Dvalin thrashed, his massive tail smashing into the platform. The floor crumbled.
"Aether! Jean! Diluc! Handle the Abyss freaks!" Raiden ordered. "I'm going to have a chat with the lizard!"
Raiden didn't wait. He jumped off the platform.
"Raiden!" Paimon screamed. "You can't fly in human form!"
"Watch me."
Mid-fall, Raiden's body exploded in black mist.
ROOOOOOOAAAARRRR!
The roar shook the foundations of the tower. From the mist, a creature emerged that dwarfed the Ruin Guards.
Raiden, in his full True Dragon glory. Obsidian scales, silver glowing veins, massive wings that blotted out the sun, and horns that looked like crowns of the void.
He was smaller than Dvalin in length, but his presence was denser. He slammed into Dvalin mid-air, the two dragons engaging in a dogfight that looked like a mythological painting come to life.
"WAKE UP, DVALIN!" Raiden's voice boomed, not through ears, but directly into everyone's minds.
Dvalin bit Raiden's shoulder. Raiden didn't flinch; his [Physical Nullification] absorbed the impact.
Raiden grabbed Dvalin by the horns.
"Look at me!"
Raiden's silver eyes locked onto Dvalin's corrupted red ones.
Inside Dvalin's mind, the dragon saw a vision. Not of the Abyss, but of Raiden standing in a white void, holding a giant eraser.
"Hold still," Mental-Raiden said. "I'm deleting your browser history."
Outside, the battle raged. Diluc and Jean were dismantling the Abyss Lectors with practiced efficiency. Aether was dueling the Herald.
"Now, Aether!" Raiden roared from the sky, pinning Dvalin in a hover. "Hit the clot!"
Aether jumped onto a wind current Venti created. He soared up, sword glowing with Anemo.
He struck the purple spike on Dvalin's neck.
Simultaneously, Raiden activated [Beelzebuth].
He bit down on the corruption cloud exploding from the wound.
SLURP.
The massive cloud of toxic abyssal energy was inhaled instantly.
Dvalin went limp. The red glow in his eyes faded to a soft, clear blue.
He fell toward the platform.
Raiden dove, catching Dvalin's massive body with his own, slowing the descent. They landed on the tower roof with a gentle thud.
The Abyss forces, seeing their prize purified, opened a portal.
"This is not over!" The Herald shouted. "The Loom of Fate cannot be—"
"Shut up," Raiden (back in human form) snapped. He threw a [Chaos Core Missile] (the one he ate earlier) at the portal.
It exploded, knocking the Herald into the void with a comical scream.
Silence fell over the tower.
Dvalin opened his eyes. He looked at Venti.
"Barbatos..."
"Dvalin!" Venti rushed forward, hugging the dragon's snout. "You're back!"
"I... I feel... light," Dvalin rumbled. "The voices are gone. But... I feel strange. Something is... missing."
"I ate the bad vibes," Raiden said, leaning against a pillar, picking his teeth. "You're welcome."
Dvalin looked at Raiden. "YOU. THE ANOMALY. YOUR SOUL... IT IS VAST. DARK. BUT NOT EVIL."
"I get that a lot," Raiden shrugged.
Jean sheathed her sword, letting out a breath she had been holding for days. "Mondstadt is saved."
"For now," Diluc corrected, though he looked relieved.
"Hey!" Paimon zipped over to Raiden. "You turned into a dragon again! And you talked in our heads! That was so cool! Can you breathe fire? Can you roast a boar for Paimon?"
"Paimon," Raiden smirked. "I can roast a mountain. But right now... I want apple pie."
"One nation down," Raiden thought. "Six to go."
"Notice. Massive Geo Energy spike detected in Liyue Harbor. The Rite of Descension is approaching."
Raiden's eyes sparkled. "Zhongli is about to fake his death. I can't miss that performance."