Act 1, Scene 6
8th of the 10th Cycle
Aether walked out of the Knights of Favonius Headquarters with a pleased smile on his face. Not only did they agree to help search for his sister, the Knights also rewarded him a Wing Glider and corresponding permit.
With the free time he had, he began to tour the city in a way he didn't get to yesterday. The people were in mourning, he could tell, the smell of wine and blood mixed together in the evening breeze. Flowers were being laid at the base of the Statue as songs were sung. Even in the aftermath of great tragedy, Mondstadt wouldn't stop singing.
9th of the 10th Cycle
The city was in organised chaos. Captain Hertha had mobilised the Logistics Company and was calling for volunteers to rebuild the city; great swathes of men, women and children responded, eager to help.
As Aether looked down on the battlements of the city walls, he could see Head Mage Lisa and Chief Alchemist Albedo leading a cadre of magi and alchemists out of the city gates as people watched in curiosity.
From the corner of his eye, he saw people climbing to the top of the various windmills in the city, one even climbed up to the Statue of Barbatos' outreached hands. This time, it was his turn to watch in curiosity as people scattered ashes out unto the winds, blowing them far and wide.
So this was how Mondstadters honour their dead, he mused, by releasing them onto the winds. How apt. Idly, he wondered what Paimon was doing, she had been missing since she imbued him with her powers.
11th of the 10th Cycle
Tensions were growing in the city. Quartermaster Kaeya had just led a squadron of knights to forcefully commandeer the fishing boats at the Northern Wharf and provided no answers as to their purpose. The many blacksmiths in the city too, were confused, Captain Hertha had just commissioned them to forge great spheres of cast iron connected to thick metal chains.
12th of the 10th Cycle
Mondstadters watched as the Fatui were evicted from the city. It appears they had not only started a diplomatic spat on Order grounds by accusing the Knights of incompetence but a religious spat on Church grounds as well by offering to kill the great dragon, one of the Four Winds. Some scoffed at their stupidity, others cheered.
Aether took notice, it seems that not many harbour hatred for the dragon. After asking around, he finds out that many believe that they were punished by the Anemo Archon for some reason.
24th of the 11th Cycle
Lisa's and Albedo's respective squadrons had returned together. By the afternoon bell, Captain Lawrence and her men had manned the commandeered fishing boats and set off across Cider Lake, everyone could tell they were searching for something.
By the evening bell, off-duty knights were talking about how the magi and alchemists who had returned this morning had immediately locked themselves inside their laboratories and libraries and had yet to emerge.
In the Angel's Share, a certain red-haired tavern owner took notice of all the whispers and rumours circulating his establishment, and resolved to investigate. He wouldn't need to.
25th of the 11th Cycle
The ball and chains forged by the blacksmiths were completed. People watched as the knights hauled the chains to the Northern Wharf and fixed them to massive nets, with the balls hanging onto the corners.
Three of these nets were made, and were fixed onto three pairs of boats, so that each pair will be dragging a net between them. The people joked, what kind of fish were the knights attempting to catch?
As the makeshift trawlers set forth, some daring fishermen volunteered to swim to the bottom of the lake to make sure the nets were dragging along the lake bed. They were.
By the evening bell, thousands watched in awe as the knights dragged a massive scaly yet feathery wing onto the shore. It hummed with Anemo.
Act α, Scene 6
Things were happening in the Lunar Palace.
There was no time to waste. Bardings and saddles were fixed onto horses, glimmering silver armour was put on by the many knights willing to give up their lives on the Prince's command, or perhaps they were emboldened, as the Prince was riding with them.
The civilians were being herded like cattle down into the catacombs, where they would wait for the rest of the knights to join them. The sole remaining Royal Guard of Khaenri'ah, Dainsleif, was fetching the now Prince Alberich from his room.
Lumine stood on the walls and watched as the First and Third formed up behind the Palace gates. Once, each Order boasted up to 4,000 men each, now the First and Third combined barely surpassed half that.
Prince Eclipse rode in front of them on his horse, clad in dark blue armour, full helm tucked under his arm.
"Knights! Dames! I will not lie to you all, I will not fill you all with false hopes like my father did before me. All of you are going to die!" No one spoke a word.
"So when all of you die, die defying the divine." The Prince hissed, yet heard clearly by all.
"So scream! So rage! So cry! Cry, for we humans have our Humanity, and we will not give it up even in the face of Celestia!"
"Tonight, we are going to die killing gods!"
A raucous cheer, and the Prince nodded in satisfaction and put on his helm. He took his lance from a page.
The Second Order loaded the railguns, each shot filled with starlight.
The drawbridge lowered, and the metal grates of the gatehouse lifted. Each moment felt like an eternity.
A horn was blown. Once, twice, three times. All knights, charge.
The Prince's stallion started, and the rest followed. The Chivalric Orders of Khaenri'ah thundered out of the gatehouse without missing a stride, forming into wedge as they advanced.
With her golden eyes, Lumine could see the vanguard of the enemy host staggering, eyes wide open. They were the Fire Goddess' troops, lightly armoured, but made up for it in skill and viciousness. They had probably demanded to be the vanguard. Problem is, no amount of skill nor savagery will stop heavy cavalry at full tilt.
Heart rising in her throat, she watched as the knights of Humanity lowered their lances of gold and sped from a canter to full gallop. It shan't be a sight she would soon forget, the sight of their spell-forged armour blessed by stars, charging at a divine host.
Sitting on an elephant bedecked in jewels, a green god with roots for hair hastily stood and erected a wall of thorns in front of the Fire Goddess' painted warriors as the Winged God's angels blew great hurricane winds towards the charging knights with their wings.
Lumine flinched, when she saw the knights ride through the hurricane like a fish through water and into the wall of thorns. A beat later, and the Knights of Khaenri'ah broke through and kept charging.
The now known Nature God was up in his castle-like seat, gaping as the knights rode through his Authority without missing a beat. The Fire Goddess had her face set in a rictus snarl as she helplessly watched her prided warriors be cut through like wheat in the way of a scythe.
They were distracted, she thought. Mistake.
Lumine gave the order to open fire herself.
For the second time that day, the wrath of a thousand stars fell upon the divine.
The legion of angels were ripped apart where they flew, the Fire Goddess screamed in rage, agony, and sorrow as she was torn to pieces. But the Nature God had it worst, on the ground and slow-moving, when the smoke cleared, she saw he had been completely vaporised.
She gave the order to fire at will.