Act 1, Scene 7

26th of the 11th Cycle

The risk he took was calculated, but man, was he bad at math. Aether had severely underestimated the city's love for their god.

It turned out alright, at first. Everyone was too shocked to make any actions. Someone had severed the dragon's wing straight from its body. Not to mention its size, the wing was too large to fit through to the Northern Gate so the knights had to drag it around the city to the Lion Gate.

The size didn't stop being a problem. The width of the wing, from claw to feather tips, took up the entire breadth of the central avenue leading up to the fountain. It could hardly fit inside the Knights' Headquarters. As such, by the end of the day, not a single soul inside Mondstadt's walls didn't catch at least a glimpse of it.

Who dared harm one of the Four Winds? The Dragon of the East no less!

That was the common thought in Mondstadt. As the Investigation Company took in the wing for safekeeping and, well, investigation, the Church began to stir. The Cardinals of the Church argued that the wing should be in possession of the Church, as it was a sacred object tied directly to Lord Barbatos.

As for the populace, shock and awe did not turn to relief as they realised the dragon would not be harming them any longer as Aether expected. It turned to rage.

Already, people were protesting in front of Knights' Headquarters, demanding the perpetrator be brought to justice. The Church, seeing no point in intervening, even joined them. This all put immense pressure on the Knights, whose authority in the city was dropping fast.

As for himself, Aether was hiding in one of the guest rooms located in the Headquarters. The window overlooked the entrance, where he could see a crowd demanding his head. It appeared that a knight had let loose that it was an outsider who had harmed the dragon, and many of the people who were under the Statue on that they testified as well.

Where they were once cheering him, now they were after his life. Ungrateful, he thought.

Aether turned away and closed the curtains. All the while, he could hear Paimon's haunting laughter in his head.

Act 1 Scene 8

3rd of the 12th Cycle

It was a sennight later that Paimon returned.

She told him that imbuing him with her power had greatly weakened her, and that him using it carelessly against the dragon used up more than she had expected. So much, in fact, that she could no longer project herself unto the mortal realm.

Which is why she spent a week inside his head, regathering enough power to give herself another form.

Aether complained to her that she was uninvited to his head, but Paimon shot back harshly.

"Why did you use so much power then, blockhead!? And who would want to be inside your mind anyway, the only thing in there is your sister! Are you a siscon!?"

Aether didn't know what a 'siscon' was, but he had a distinct feeling that it was an insult.

In any case, she was present when Grand Master Gunnhildr told him of their plan and his role in it. He had to admit, the plan was quite cunning, and totally unexpected of the seemingly honourable Grand Master. He had a feeling Kaeya played a part in making it.

4th of the 12th Cycle

That's why he was now standing on a wooden platform just outside the Headquarters entrance, hands and feet bound in rope, standing before what felt like the entire population of Mondstadt. He winced.

Grand Master Jean stood in front of him while the rest of the Knight Captains stood behind him, ready to act should he attempt to escape. Kaeya gave him what he assumed to be a reassuring smile. Regular knights formed a barrier in front of the platform, stopping the crowd from getting too close.

After they settled down, the Grand Master spoke.

"Hear me! Acting in my authority as the Acting Grand Master in the absence of Grand Master Varka, I hereby inform; this is the official announcement and stance of the Knights of Favonius regarding our possession of the Dragon of the East's wing, and the fate of Aether, of no clan, the man who had inflicted grave bodily harm said dragon!"

She took a deep breath. Then explained.

First, she revealed that the Knights were not guarding Aether, but keeping him in custody until they made up a suitable punishment for him. Which they now had. Next, she explained that the Knights were not planning to keep the wing permanently, which is why they saw no reason to acquiesce to the Church's demands.

As she spoke, Aether could tell that the audience was getting impatient. They didn't care for all of these complications, they just wanted him dead.

One particularly brave woman finally shouted, interrupting the Grand Master. "We don't care! Just tell us what happens to him!" She pointed angrily at him.

She said the word 'him' with so much venom he could feel himself dying inside a little. Paimon laughed in his head.

Grand Master Gunnhildr coughed into her hand. "As I was saying, this is the stance of the Knights on the matter;" Aether could feel the anticipation building, "it is not up to us to decide." She finished.

They didn't like that. But before the crowd erupted into flame, the Grand Master shouted.

"It is up to the Dragon of the East to decide his fate! At first light in two days, the Knights of Favonius will be mobilising the 1st, 4th, and 8th Companies as well as 1,000 additional men for an expedition to Old Mondstadt!"

She pressed on, "There, we will seek an audience with the Dragon, and return him his lost wing. Furthermore, we will leave this man, Aether, to their mercy, so that the Dragon can judge the man rightly!"

Everyone was stunned, as they had expected, all anger lost within a moment. Aether could see several people in Church attire gaping, eyes wide open. A man with vibrant red hair and noble's clothing was looking directly at the Grand Master, eyes narrowed.

But the person that caught his attention the most was a young, feminine-looking bard dressed in green. The bard was looking directly at him, as they locked eyes, the bard's green eyes shone with power.

Visions of men and women dressed luxuriously, laughing as they held wine glasses, slaves at their feet. They died horribly, wind spirits tore at them, ripping their clothes from their skin, then flesh from their bones. He saw entire mountain ranges cleaved apart by massive otherworldly storms, torn from the bedrock as if they were weeds in a garden. He saw a city burning, a scene straight from hell, as a legion of a thousand angels rained damnation upon them.

God, he realised. Barbatos himself.

Fuck.