Night settled gently over Mondstadt, pooling along the rooftops like cool ink. The lanterns lit one by one, soft amber halos blooming across the streets. The laughter of festival goers drifted on the breeze, wrapped with the warm scent of roasted meat and honeyed fruit.
Kael stepped out of the Deer Hunter restaurant, wiped his hands, and let the quiet click of the door fall behind him. He still tasted spice and charcoal on his tongue. A small comfort after a long day.
In his other hand, the bio-wave scanner pulsed faintly.
A reminder that this world still hid more than it showed.
He raised it, watching pale ripples flicker across the tiny screen. The device hummed, as if impatient.
"Alright, alright. I get it," Kael murmured, feeling a small smile tug at his lips. "Work time."
He walked into the evening crowd. Warm light spilled across cobblestone, mixing with the chatter of merchants trying to sell their last goods before closing. Children chased each other between stalls, scarves fluttering behind them like tiny capes.
It felt peaceful.
And peace, he'd learned, was usually the last warning before trouble happened.
He adjusted the scanner to urban mode. The soft chiptune beep changed pitch, narrowing its sensitivity. Blue lines swept outward, scanning the streets, the walls, even the crates stacked in alleys.
The scanner lit up instantly.
Kael raised a brow.
"Fruit stand resources. Not surprising."
He moved on.
An alchemy herb behind a closed window.
A trace of fire slime residue under a wooden bridge.
Even someone's pet cat registered as a faint organic wave.
He couldn't help but chuckle at that one (^_^)
But then the scanner flared sharply.
Not the warm shimmer of normal flora.
Not the steady rhythm of human presence.
Something subtle. Faint. Elemental.
Kael followed the signal down a narrow lane.
The noise of the city softened. Older stone buildings leaned together like old friends. Vines draped from windowsills. A cool wind brushed the stone, stirring the grass.
And there… glowing softly in the shadows…
A cluster of blue-tinted dandelions.
Kael blinked.
"…Dandelion Seeds?"
He crouched, watching one sway under the breeze. A pale glow shimmered at the edges, flickering like starlight caught in a petal.
He reached out.
A gentle pulse of Anemo brushed his fingertip, cool and clean like a breath drawn after rain.
They were beautiful.
They were valuable.
And completely unusable.
Because he had no Vision.
No bottle to store Anemo seeds.
Nothing except a scanner that kept reminding him what he couldn't touch.
Kael clicked his tongue and looked away. "Great. Highlight all the things I can't have. Perfect."
Still, he harvested what he could.
Mushrooms.
Minor herbs with elemental traces.
Even a few stray mineral fragments some merchant must've dropped without noticing.
By the time he finished, his small bag was half-full.
"Not bad. For a walk."
He felt a little proud. Maybe tomorrow's commission pay would finally look less tragic.
He started toward his rented room, letting the lanterns guide his steps. The air was cooler now. Quiet enough that his own breathing felt loud.
Which was why he noticed it immediately.
The shift in footsteps.
A rhythm that did not match the street.
Five shadows moving with purpose.
Kael slowed.
Up ahead, in the circle of lamplight, figures stepped out of the alley.
Black and crimson uniforms.
Armored plating.
Decorated collars.
Faces half hidden by masks.
Their presence bent the atmosphere, the same way a blade drawn in a quiet room did.
Fatui.
Kael's eyes narrowed.
They weren't hiding their approach.
They wanted him to see them.
He stopped. Quiet. Steady. A muscle in his jaw ticked once.
"So it starts tonight," he murmured under his breath.
One of the men stepped forward.
Their boots clicked on stone.
Five against one.
Kael sighed, lifting his bag slightly to secure the strap.
"Was hoping for dessert before trouble," he said softer, almost amused. "Guess that's not happening."
The Fatui soldiers spread out, blocking the road completely.
The lantern behind them flickered.
The scanner in Kael's pocket gave a single, sharp beep… as if warning him.
Kael met their gaze calmly.
"Alright then," he whispered.
"Your move."