"What are we going to do next?"
Jesse walked out of the West Wind Cathedral with his hands clasped behind his head, the setting sun casting a golden rim on his Anemo Hilichurl Rogue mask.
He lazily kicked at the small stones on the road, still feeling a bit unsatisfied by the recent farce.
"Let's go find Klee, we don't have anything to do right now."
Elliot's mask reflected a rainbow light.
"There shouldn't be many monsters left in Mondstadt now."
He pointed to the calm Cider Lake in the distance—usually, you could at least see a few Hilichurls fishing here, but now there wasn't even a Water Slime.
"Klee? Are you sure you won't cause trouble?"
Lumine's golden pupils narrowed slightly, her gaze sweeping back and forth among the quartet; she knew these guys' antics all too well.
Paimon floated in front of the four, hands on her hips: "Paimon thinks I need to supervise you properly!"
Her small cape flapped in the wind, but unfortunately, she only reached Matt's knees, making her deterrent effect approximately zero.
"Don't say that~"
Matt scratched his head, his mask glowing with a gentle blue light.
"If anything happens, we'll take responsibility ourselves."
No sooner had he spoken than the Electro element bottle at his waist "accidentally" fell to the ground, blowing up the flowerbed in front of the cathedral into an abstract art piece.
"Everyone, I think we have something to do now."
Zane suddenly spoke up, his detector emitting a piercing alarm.
"Hmm?"
Everyone turned their heads in unison.
The instrument's needle in his hand swung wildly, and the display flashed a warning: [Abyss Energy Concentration: Extremely High].
"There's an Abyss aura nearby..."
"To make the instrument react from this far away, there must be a tough opponent..."
He "clack" a thunder hammer, its head entwined with leaping electric light.
"Well said, let's go!"
Jesse's nunchaku instantly ignited with elemental power, and a battle-ready smile appeared beneath his mask.
Following the detector's guidance, everyone passed through the Whispering Woods outside Mondstadt City.
The deeper they went, the more oppressive the atmosphere became.
Twisted thorns covered the tree trunks, and puddles on the ground glowed with an ominous purple light.
"Crack—"
Zane suddenly stopped, extending his hand to block the others.
In the clearing ahead, a cloaked figure stood with their back to them.
"Dainsleif..."
the quartet stopped simultaneously, their expressions beneath their masks turning solemn.
They recognized the figure standing in the forest clearing—a dark blue cape fluttering in the breeze, and an eye revealed beneath a half-mask, as if it had seen through a thousand years of time.
"Hmm?"
Dainsleif, who was currently clutching an Abyss Mage by the neck, turned his head at the sound.
When he saw who had arrived, the force in his hand unconsciously increased a few points, and the unfortunate Abyss Mage immediately rolled its eyes.
"Who is he? Do you know him?"
Lumine keenly sensed the change in atmosphere and gently nudged Jesse with her elbow.
Jesse's Wind Walker mask switched to database mode: "We know him; he doesn't know us."
He lowered his voice a few shades.
"Dainsleif, the last captain of the Khaenri'ah Royal Guard, known as the 'Twilight Sword'."
"By the way,"
Elliot interjected at this point.
"He once traveled with your brother."
"He knows my brother!"
Lumine's pupils suddenly contracted, her voice trembling slightly with excitement.
She instinctively took a step forward but was stopped by Zane's outstretched hand.
"Everyone, I can hear you."
Dain casually crushed the Abyss Mage's shield in his hand, and the Abyss Mage immediately slumped to the ground like a ragdoll.
He turned to face everyone.
"I do know Aether, but I'm not clear on his current whereabouts."
His gaze swept over the quartet, finally resting on Lumine.
"In fact, I'm also looking for him."
Zane's detector suddenly emitted a rapid "beep-beep" sound.
He adjusted the parameters on the instrument: "Judging by these residual Abyss energies, is there an Abyss Herald nearby?"
Dain's cape fluttered without wind, and the surrounding air seemed to grow heavy: "Yes."
A sarcastic curve appeared at the corner of his mouth.
"Thanks to you, the Abyss Order's plans in Mondstadt and Liyue have all collapsed."
He kicked the unconscious Abyss Mage at his feet: "They originally wanted to corrode the residual God's soul in Wolvendom, but because they were afraid of being discovered by you..."
At this point, he gave the quartet a meaningful look.
"They've been lurking and observing nearby, but unfortunately—"
Dain suddenly swung his sword, a blue light flashed, and the bushes behind them were neatly sliced off.
A Hydro Abyss Herald, who was preparing a sneak attack, revealed itself, staring in shock at its severed arm.
"—I couldn't catch the mastermind."
Dain shook his head regretfully, watching the Abyss Herald escape through a teleportation portal.
Lumine eagerly stepped forward: "About my brother..."
"I don't know any more than you do."
Dain interrupted her, his gaze, however, remained on the quartet.
"These few, though..."
The tip of his sword lifted slightly.
"The aura about you is very special."
Jesse's nunchaku suddenly burst into flames: "Want to fight?"
"Now is not the time."
Dain's figure began to become transparent, as if melting into the air.
"Tell that Anemo God..."
His voice grew more distant.
"Celestia's 'eyes' are watching all of you..."
As the last echo faded, Dain completely disappeared into the twilight.
Only the unconscious Abyss Mage on the ground proved he had indeed been there.
Paimon floated next to the Abyss Mage and poked it with her finger: "What about this guy?"
Zane took out a rope: "Take him back for interrogation."
Lumine still gazed in the direction Dain had disappeared, her fingers unconsciously clenching: "He must know more about my brother..."
Elliot took out a bucket of water and splashed it on the unconscious Abyss Mage, waking it up: "Hey! Where did your boss run off to?"
The awakened Mage saw the four Hilichurl masks, immediately rolled its eyes, and fainted again.