Yes, Furina-sama! [Genshin Impact]

Starsnatch Cliff, located in the mountainous region east of Mondstadt's Starfell Lake, rises tall beside the coastline like a ladder to the heavens. At night, if you stand at the cliff's peak and look up, it feels as if you could reach out and pluck the stars, hence its poetic name.

Normally, this is Mondstadt's favorite spot for couples. For their safety and to aid star observation, the Knights of Favonius maintain a lookout post here, with members assigned to patrol daily.

However, due to the dragon crisis, Starsnatch Cliff had long been deserted, saving them the trouble of clearing the area.

When Richard's group reached the peak, it was already afternoon. The mountain's wind alternated between gentle and biting cold, carrying the ocean's dampness. Coupled with the vast view, it brought a subtle sense of calm and comfort.

"Let's begin." Richard didn't waste words; he handed the Holy Lyre der Himmel directly to the bard.

Charlotte, realizing what was about to happen, aimed her Kamera at Venti. She was about to press the shutter when she noticed something odd: her Kamera's viewfinder showed Venti not as a boy but as a glowing, emerald figure.

Yet when she looked up from the viewfinder, Venti clearly stood there, a young bard gently strumming and singing.

"How strange… Is the Kamera broken? It shouldn't be, I just had it serviced at the Kamera Workshop last week…" Charlotte scratched her head in confusion.

She then snapped a couple of test shots of Furina, which came out perfectly fine. Relieved yet puzzled, Charlotte wondered:

'Why can't the Kamera capture Venti?'

"It's because the Anemo energy around him is too dense," Richard's voice suddenly sounded right by her ear.

Charlotte nearly jumped out of her boots. "M-Mr. Richard!"

"Miss Charlotte, it's dangerous here. Once you're done taking pictures, head back to the lookout tower. It's actually a good spot for shooting, you'll be able to get the entire dragon in the frame," Richard reminded her kindly.

"R-right, thank you." Charlotte didn't insist on staying. Partly, this was agreed upon from the start; partly, she knew staying would only get in their way.

Once at the lookout tower, Charlotte realized it really was an ideal spot, just within the Kamera's range. With a slight zoom, she could clearly capture Richard and the others.

The only thing that puzzled her: how Richard had known in advance that this was the best vantage point.

But she had no time to think further. As she steadied herself at the tower, a strong gust nearly blew her beret away, and a massive shadow swept across the sky, accompanied by a deafening dragon's roar.

Stormterror Dvalin had arrived!

Charlotte quickly aimed her Kamera at the gigantic dragon. However, just like with Venti, the image showed only a blurry emerald glow. Unlike Venti, though, this glow was slightly weaker, though she could faintly see the dragon's form.

Suspended in the air, Dvalin looked down at the people on Starsnatch Cliff as if they were mere ants.

"It's you… There's nothing left to discuss…" Dvalin's voice was deep, strained, as if suppressing pain.

"Is that so? Or am I mistaken? Your eyes… they look like they remember this tune…" Venti gently ran his fingers over the strings, calming the trembling melody.

"Hmph…" The dragon's tone softened a little, a flicker of memory flashing in his eyes.

"They… they can actually communicate…" Jean watched the scene with a complicated expression and a new guess about Venti's true identity.

Just as everyone thought things were heading in the right direction, they only needed to purge the poison tumor on Dvalin's back and he'd be free…

The Abyss descended.

From behind, Dvalin floated an Abyss Mage in white robes, wearing a mask carved with intricate patterns. Like a treacherous courtier whispering into a king's ear, it hissed:

"Don't be fooled, poor dragon…"

"He abandoned you long ago…"

"See? Now he comes to deceive you again…"

The Abyss Mage's voice carried a strange magic, dragging the calmed Dvalin back into madness.

"Barbatos…"

Dvalin seemed to sink into an illusion woven by the Abyss Mage; in his eyes, the people on Starsnatch Cliff became hideous hunters, each wielding weapons to slay him.

"Hate! Rage!"

"You are Mondstadt's enemy now, there's no turning back!"

In midair, the Abyss Mage stacked layer upon layer of shackles onto the dragon, arcane runes of the Abyss appeared in the void, as if cheering on the dragon's wrath.

"These people… they came with you, to hunt me?!"

With a roar, Stormterror swooped down at the group on Starsnatch Cliff, the very winds of heaven turning into a raging storm.

Against such power, the people below looked pitifully small.

Furina bit her lip, her face pale; she hadn't imagined it would come to this.

'Am I really about to die here?'

Suddenly, she felt a gentle push at her waist, nudging her forward.

Already trembling, Furina stumbled at Richard's push, nearly falling over.

'Richard!' Furina cursed him silently.

The great dragon overhead noticed the small figure suddenly pushed forward, and let out a roar that made the air tremble.

"Eek!" Furina squeaked, a tiny, terrified squeal.

"Lady Furina, your performance is up," Richard's voice drifted into her ear through the roaring wind.

Furina: ?!!

Though still panicked, once she heard Richard's words, Furina instantly transformed from a trembling white dumpling into the dignified Archon she was. She assumed a practiced prayer pose.

The Abyss Mage froze. 'What was this? Begging for mercy?'

But the thought barely lasted. The Abyss Mage suddenly felt weightless, as if it were turning into light.

No, it was turning into light!

In horror, it looked down at the Abyss circle beneath its feet, both it and its circle were dissolving into particles of light, scattering into the air.

"No… What is this?! My power-" Before it could finish, its whole body vanished like pencil marks erased cleanly from paper.

"It's… gone?!" Paimon gaped at the unbelievable sight.

"It was wiped out by a special power… like it was purified," Lumine said, glancing deeply at Richard.

But before they could fully process what had happened, Lumine noticed Richard's lips move, though no sound reached her ears.

Judging by his lips, he seemed to say: "Down."

'Down?' Lumine frowned.

Then, Dvalin above suddenly seemed to be struck by an irresistible force, and the swirling winds around him dissipated. The mighty dragon dropped from the sky, crashing down heavily on the clearing not far in front of them.

One could tell by Dvalin's flailing wings, he hadn't fallen by choice. His own body had simply stopped obeying him.

His instincts and will struggled within, but instinct won out. Some other unseen force pressed down on him, too.

Meanwhile, the poisonous tumor on his back dissolved and healed, the vile blood purged away. As the corruption vanished, Dvalin's struggles grew weaker and weaker, until they ceased entirely.

The fury in his draconic eyes faded, replaced by calm, the old Guardian of the Four Winds had returned.

Furina felt the raging wind die away. She slowly opened the eyes she'd squeezed shut in 'prayer' (fear), only to find Dvalin lying right in front of her. She jolted in shock, her little ahoge hair standing straight up.

Before the massive dragon, Furina looked absurdly small; her frail figure seemed like it could be blown away by a single breath.

But trusting Richard, Furina forced herself to resist her body's instinct to flee and stood her ground.

"Lady Furina, it's over."

Only when Richard's voice reached her ear did Furina's tense body finally go limp, so soft, in fact, that she nearly collapsed on the spot.

Luckily, Richard stepped forward in time to steady her shoulders, letting her lean against him so she wouldn't fall in front of everyone.

Seeing this, the others looked over in concern. Richard explained calmly, "It must be because Lady Furina expended too much power just now; she's exhausted."

'Makes sense!'

Everyone expressed their admiration for the Hydro Archon's power, everyone except Venti, who stood behind them, making exaggerated winks at Richard, which made his eye twitch.

After a while, Furina's trembling legs regained some strength, but she still didn't really want to get up from someone's arms. This feeling of being able to rely on someone… she found it oddly addicting.

Still, Furina eventually pushed away from Richard's chest, responding to everyone's thanks with reserved grace.

Seeing this, Paimon looked at Venti and said, "Furina was amazing just now, huh? Right, you so-called bard who's actually a god?"

"Ahaha, you caught me~"

"I wasn't praising you!"

While Venti and Paimon bantered, Jean came over to join in.

"Lord Ba- I mean, Lord Venti, now that it's over, will you return to Mondstadt to see your people?"

"Haha… you didn't just now realize who I was, did you, Jean? But thank you for still calling me Venti. As for confessing my identity to everyone in Mondstadt, let's skip that. I'd like to enjoy a bit more freedom!" Venti waved it off, handing the now spent Holy Lyre back.

"Also, could you please return this to the cathedral for me?"

"Understood, Lord Venti." Jean didn't press the issue, respecting Venti's wish. She took the Lyre, bid farewell to Richard and Furina, and set off for Mondstadt.

She still had to clear up misunderstandings for the citizens; there was no time to waste.

Meanwhile, Furina watched Venti approach, her mind in a panic. Did he see through something?!

"Hydro Archon Focalors, in the name of Barbatos, I offer you and your Secretary General my sincerest blessings, oh wait, my thanks."

What Furina didn't expect was that Venti didn't expose her; he acknowledged her as the Hydro Archon, letting her breathe a sigh of relief.

"N-no need to be so formal. I just did what I promised Richard. If you want to thank someone, thank him instead." Furina hurriedly shifted the credit to her Secretary General without the slightest greed for glory.

She just wanted to hurry back to the Fontaine Embassy in Mondstadt and enjoy a calming afternoon tea.

This Mondstadt trip, a dragon, an Anemo Archon, had been far too much for Furina's nerves. If she'd known, she'd never have come.

Seeing her expression, Venti didn't push further. Instead, he turned to Dvalin, placing a hand on the dragon's head and conjuring an orb of light with the other.

"It's been a long time since we sat together like this, Dvalin."

"Honestly, lying here like this is uncomfortable. Could that man lift his decree?" Dvalin's voice sounded a little aggrieved.

"Uh…" Venti looked at Richard.

Richard made a small gesture with his fingers, and Dvalin was finally able to stretch his body freely.

Venti merged the orb of light into Dvalin.

"This is the Wind God's blessing? But… I'm no longer one of the Four Winds." Dvalin sounded surprised, puzzled by Venti's act.

"Title or not, you still guard us all the same, don't you?" Venti smiled.

"From now on, fly even freer with my blessing."

After catching up with Dvalin, Venti walked back to Richard's side, watching the dragon disappear into the distance. He said, "Seems like Dvalin doesn't want to talk to you, but judging by this, your power is almost fully back, isn't it?"

Richard didn't care about Dvalin's attitude. Seeing Furina chatting with Lumine and the others, not paying attention to him, he shook his head and said, "Not that easy… I'm not the original K anymore."

"That's true, no matter how alike a reincarnation is, they're never exactly the same. Besides, you two… aren't really that similar," Venti said knowingly.

"Anyway, what you promised, hand it over?" Richard held out his hand without a shred of politeness.

"Got it, got it. How could I stiff the Dragon King?" Venti chuckled, pulling from his pocket the agreed-upon prize, the Gnosis.

If you ignored the dense Anemo energy inside, it looked just like a finely carved chess piece.

Just as Richard reached for his prize, an arrogant woman's voice echoed from the path they'd come.

"Very well, hand over Mondstadt's Gnosis, and I might let you all walk away alive…"