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Having spent the night recovering in the Favonius Cathedral, Jean finally felt well enough to get back on her feet in the morning and decided to head home and spend the rest of her recovery there. Worried that her sister might end up doing something to affect her recovery, Barbara volunteered to come along and watch over her sister there, having received permission from Sister Grace to do so.
Contrary to what most people believed, Jean no longer lived in the Gunnhildr Estate, instead having her own house within the city where she has lived alone since she entered her mid-teens. The move was driven by a desire to be a lot closer to the Knights of Favonius headquarters, which was most convenient for her given how she tended to work late into the night. Despite its mundane exterior, the inside was quite luxurious, with Jean having moved most of her belongings from the estate to the single story house.
Once they arrived, Barbara wasted no time settling Jean down to her bedroom, which was a much more comfortable space than the one she had at the cathedral.
"I'll go and make you some breakfast." the deaconess said to her sister.
"Thank you, Barbara." replied Jean. "But you really don't have to stay here for the rest of the day."
"If I don't, then I won't be able to stop you from going back to work early." Barbara retorted as she shot her sister a suspicious look.
"Don't worry, I'm not going back to the knights until tomorrow. My body's feeling better thanks to you but I feel like I can use some more rest."
"I know I should be glad to hear you say that...but you sound just like Miss Lisa right now and it's...weird."
"Hey, I'll have you know I still know the meaning of the word rest...as ironic as that sounds."
The two sisters then shared a laugh, both feeling more comfortable with each other's presence. It was a positive step in their respective quests to understand each other better and rekindle their close sisterly bond they once had.
Despite having remained in good terms, the daughters of House Gunnhildr growing awkward around each other was unavoidable. After all, even as they grew up very close, they were still very young when they were separated after their parents divorced. Having not known each other in their respective adolescences left them quite uncertain on how to bond as sisters when they next met as young adults.
After having breakfast, Jean's thoughts drifted to what Venti had told her during his visit, the bard's words echoing through her mind.
"I think it's about time you found out the real reason why the Dandelion Knight stands as one among the Four Winds."
She thought long and hard about what his words meant, but couldn't make sense of the matter beyond what she learned from the history books. She then thought that it might be worth talking with her sister about as the young deaconess was a devout member of the Church of Favonius, and was very knowledgeable in the history of Mondstadt. The difference in their interpretations of the Anemo archon's actions might offer Jean a different perspective to look from.
"Barbara, can I ask you something?"
"Sure, what is it?"
"What do you know about the Four Winds of Mondstadt? Particularly its history, and how they all came about."
The topic left Barbara slightly perplexed since she viewed Jean as the more knowledgeable of them and yet here she was asking about a bit of history that they both knew. Still, it wasn't everyday she got to talk to her sister about anything, much less a conversation initiated by Jean so she wanted to take advantage of the opportunity.
"1000 years ago, Lord Barbatos entrusted the safety of Mondstadt to a select few. First it was just three: Andrius the Wolf of the North, Dvalin the Dragon of the East, and Vennessa the Lion of the South, all of whom were allied with Lord Barbatos through countless battles. When Lady Vennessa ascended to Celestia, she rejoined the Four Winds as the Falcon of the West, while the Lion of the South was passed down to the following generations of the Dandelion Knight." said Barbara, then throwing her sister a curious look as she sat there listening. "I'm not sure if I can tell you anything you don't already know, though."
"I'm just looking for something to get ideas off of." Jean lightly shook her head as she reassured her sister of her intent. "You see, I've been thinking, if the God of Wind entrusted three of the winds to godly beings, why did he entrust the Lion of the South to mortals?"
"What do you mean?"
"Over centuries, generations of Grand Masters of the Knights of Favonius have stood among the ranks of the Four Winds. Yet no matter strong they are, in the end, they are still human. If a being like Dvalin was just barely able to defeat Durin, then what good will a mere knight be in the face of such a threat? It just seems odd that a human he governs over is entrusted such a monumental duty."
Even though Jean's words gave the impression of her questioning the actions of the Anemo archon, it was also a thinly veiled attempt at self-deprecation. No matter how hard she tried, she simply struggled to get over her self-doubt, and she hated how it just seemed to grow stronger the more she thought of ways to overcome it.
"But what if they weren't meant to stand above humans like the others?" began Barbara, earning a surprised look from Jean. "I believe the Lion of the South was meant to stand amongst the humans. They protect the land, yes, but they're also the ones to guide the people of Mondstadt forward, much like how Lady Vennessa was."
"A guide to the people..."
"It was through her will and the blessings of the Anemo archon that allowed the city to flourish and get to where it is today. It is her legacy that continues to guide the knights in protecting the city. The legacy of the Dandelion Knight and the Lion of the South."
It was a point of view that Jean had completely overlooked. While she had adored Vennessa all her life and knew more than anyone about her heroic deeds for the city of Mondstadt, she had always viewed her actions simply as those of the Dandelion Knight, failing to realize that Vennessa had also lived her mortal life as the Lion of the South. She had overlooked one simple fact: The Dandelion Knight and the Lion of the South are one and the same.
"I see...I think I understand now." said Jean, enlightened with a new viewpoint on what her title truly meant.
"Did...did that help?" asked a confused Barbara, unaware of the internal struggles her sister was going through. As far as she was concerned, they were simply talking about the history of Mondstadt.
"Ever since what happened last night, I had...doubts, about my true worth as the Dandelion Knight." replied Jean, now more confident to open up about her worries. "I thought that I was too weak, that I didn't have what it takes to protect the city, but I've been so caught up in my own weaknesses that I forgot that I wasn't alone. The Knights of Favonius are strong when united, yet there I was, foolishly trying to do things by myself."
"We are always here for you, Jean." said Barbara as she put a hand over her sister's. "You may be the Acting Grand Master but it doesn't mean that you have to be the only one protecting us. You are one of our strongest warriors but we are just as willing to stand with you. With that, Mondstadt becomes as strong as any other of the Four Winds."
"Thank you, sister."
The sisters then spent the rest of the day together, enjoying each others company. Barbara, for one, was glad to have Jean there as her sister and not as a knight. Jean, on the other hand, was happy to simply be Barbara's sister again. It had been years since the two bonded together like so, and as they eventually went their separate ways in the afternoon, they knew that the next time wouldn't be a long wait.
With her body full recovered, her mind clear and her purpose reaffirmed, Jean felt that she was now ready to learn what truth Barbatos had to offer. Once night fell, she got dressed into her knights uniform and strapped her sword to her side and quietly made her way out of the city, heading towards Windrise. After arriving at the great tree, she felt the wind pick up and immediately readied a hand at her weapon.
"Whoa, calm down. It's just me." said Venti as he floated down from the top of the tree, the wind simply the result of him using his Anemo powers to slow down his fall.
Jean sighed in relief and put her hand away from her sword's hilt. "Venti...you startled me. The wind picked up just like that before I was ambushed by the Hilichurls last night and I thought I walked into another one."
The bard looked Jean over and noticed that she looked like she was back to normal. He also took note of her expression, which was far different from the confused and conflicted Dandelion Knight he paid a visit to just the night before.
"At least now you look like you're fully back in action, and I'm willing to bet your mind's cleared up too."
"I'm ready, Lord Barbatos." was Jean's simple reply.
Venti smiled and motioned the Dandelion Knight to follow him as he started walking away from the great tree. The entire trek was calm but no words were spoken between them, only the soft, melodic tones of Venti's lyre echoing as he played several songs while walking. Eventually, they stopped in front of the Temple of the Lion near the shores of Falcon Coast. The bard walked up and put his hand on the door, causing the stone doors to glow bright and swing open towards them.
As they made their way inside, they found that the temple was barren, having been left unattended by the citizens in years. And while the Abyss Order used it to attempt to power up Dvalin during the Stormterror incident, they eventually abandoned the place while leaving no traces for the knights to track down during their subsequent search in the aftermath.
When they arrived at what Jean thought to be the deepest part of the temple, she watched as Venti played a tune on his lyre that then caused the stone wall to suddenly move and slowly open up a new path for them, revealing a much deeper part of the temple.
"Wha-what is this place?" asked an astonished Jean.
"This is where the true secrets of these temples lie, and where the true powers of the Four Winds can be found." replied Venti as he continued on further.
Jean quietly followed the bard, noting that the stone wall that opened their path began to close behind them as soon as they went in. She was once again venturing into the unknown, but she felt a bit more relaxed having the Anemo archon himself with her. The structurers in the deeper part looked the same as the ones before, but she had a hunch that no one else has ever set foot in this part of the temple.
Eventually, they ended up behind another stone wall, similar to the one that had opened up the path here. Venti held his lyre up to play another tune but suddenly stopped, turning around to look at Jean.
"The Four Winds of Mondstadt were tasked to defend the land in the Anemo archon's absence. I also gave them the ability to use some of my power that I split into shrines and hid deep within each of the four temples. Beyond this wall is one of those shrines, specifically the Lion Shrine."
"The power of the Anemo archon? Is that what Dvalin was trying to absorb during the Stormterror incident?" asked Jean, remembering the events that led to them destroying Dvalin's crystals within in the temples.
"That's right. However, Dvalin wasn't supposed to be able to absorb the powers of the temples besides his own, so the Abyss Order surely must have found a way for him to do so, although you saw how badly it corrupted him. To be honest, I've been wanting to bring you here for quite some time now, Jean."
The bard then played his lyre, strumming a different tune from the one he played to open the previous door. The stone wall slowly parted and streaks of light started peeking through the gaps until the path was completely opened, revealing what looked like a stone statue of a lion built in the same style as the Statue of the Seven. The statue was bathed in a turquoise light that formed a barrier shielding the continuously flowing elemental energy behind it.
"The Lion of the South, entrusted to the one who holds the title of Dandelion Knight is the only human to stand among the Four Winds. They carry on the legacy of Vennessa in protecting the city of Mondstadt, and lead their people to a brighter future. They are the reason why the city of freedom is able to flourish even without the presence of its archon." said Venti as they walked closer to the statue.
Jean simply looked upon the lion statue as she stood in front of it. She could feel the enormous amount of elemental energy from behind the barrier, and when she looked down to her Vision hanging from her waist, she saw the gem's bright glow gently pulsing.
"Over centuries, this energy has laid dormant, as the city of Mondstadt has never faced a threat grave enough to force the Dandelion Knight to resort to using it. It does come with quite a risk, you see."
"A risk?"
"An archon's power is not something for mortals to freely command without the use of a Gnosis, and even this small portion far surpasses the powers granted by a Vision. The price for using that power is that it eventually starts eating at one's life force when one starts using it too often." Venti then held out his hand towards Jean, conjuring a crystal in the shape of the Lion of the South's emblem.
"What is this?" asked Jean as she took the crystal in her hand.
"I call it an Impetus. It allows its wielder to use the power inside the statue. In short, this is the true mark of the Lion of the South." explained the archon, who then gave her an impish smile. "Go on then, give it a little go."
"But didn't you just say there was a risk?" said a baffled Jean.
"I did, but I trust you to not get carried away." replied the bard straightforwardly. "Besides, don't you trust me to take care of you?"
The crystal then disappeared from Jean's hand in particles of Anemo and she suddenly felt a surge of energy flow through her. The lion statue grew brighter as she started absorbing the elemental energy from within. Before she knew it, Anemo energy had started swirling around her feet as it slowly lifted her from the ground, almost causing her to lose her balance.
Completely floating off the ground, she tilted her body forward and was amazed at how she easily glided through the air. The Anemo energy flowing through her entire body was so immense that it felt like every move she made would result in some sort of reaction. Gently swaying her arm up from her side created a small whirlwind, a slow, graceful pirouette created blasts of wind around her. The energy was so much that she consciously avoided drawing her sword, fearing that the subsequent reaction would result in the temple caving in on them.
Meanwhile, Venti simply smiled as he watched the Dandelion Knight have her first taste of the Four Winds' power. Eventually, Jean landed back down on the ground, the crystal materializing itself once more in front of her.
"So this is the power of the Four Winds..." was all the astonished Jean was able to say.
While a power that had the adverse effect of killing her when used in abundance wasn't something that Jean found encouraging, but she understood that a power so great can only come at such a cost, and must be wielded with only the greatest amount of self-restraint.
"Then when should I tap into this power?" she asked.
"That much is up to you, Jean." replied Venti. "This power was given to the Four Winds to aid them for when their own powers weren't enough, but to what extent do you continue to rely on your own power to protect Mondstadt? Only you can answer that. But whenever you feel the need to use it, ask yourself, are you willing to risk your own life for it?"
She thought back on just how much more powerful she felt with only a portion of the Anemo archon's power, performing feats that were nearly impossible with just her Vision. It gave her a broad idea of just how powerful the Archons truly were, and just how dangerous it would be if these powers were to go out of control and what would have been if they had failed in preventing Dvalin from using the powers of the other temples.
With the Impetus in her hands, the responsibility of the Lion of the South became much clearer to her. And while the prospect of possessing a power capable of killing her frightened her a bit, it also motivated her to continue to grow stronger on her own in order to be able to protect Mondstadt without relying on such powers. She resolved that the Impetus would be her last resort, a final act reserved for only the most desperate of times.