Author's Notes:I'm really having fun doing this story, so far. Hope I can keep this up and not get bored of it since I also have artworks that I need to finish. I would like to acknowledge all the reviewers of this story for giving me great ideas. Truly, your reviews, feed-backs and suggestions can help make the plot of this story more interesting in the future. So, please keep em' coming!

Enjoy!


Chapter 3 - Dance of the Frozen Blades

As their piercing gazes locked, the aura they emitted inside Jean's office became more and more chilling. Any more increase of power and they could turn the temperature around them to absolute zero.

"Tell me your name, Knight of Frost…" Jin asked while parrying the Spindrift Knight's giant claymore.

"Eula." She answered. "Eula Lawrence."

"You have impressive strength." He smiled under their cold feet. "You even cracked my katana."

As everyone around them stood shocked, Jean was the first to react and go near them.

"Eula!" She began. "Please, stop! What are you doing to the Hero of Ikaruga?!"

Her pleas were ignored but she still tried to stop the clash. She placed a hand on Eula's shoulders to try to calm the situation down. Jin's expression returned to normal, and he swung his katana to effortlessly push Eula back which shocked her in surprise.

"It's okay, Jean…" He said as he sheathes his katana back into place. "I could easily tell from the look in her eyes."

It was then that Jin placed a hand on his lips, and then he laughed. No, it's not a mocking laughter; it is truly a genuine laugh of happiness which surprised Lumine and Paimon. They had never seen him like this before. All the time he was traveling with them, he has been cold, aloof and mysterious - an enigma they can't solve. But, this…

"You wanted to spar with me, don't you?" He continued while he wiped a bit of tears in his eyes.

It was then that Eula blushed heavily in embarrassment and lowered her head in shame. Jean, however, is not surprised by this. The Hero of Ikaruga is indeed a very intelligent young man and is very observant. Eula has very poor communication skills due to her being an outcast to the city of Monstadt and she has quiet the attitude of striking first before words. She is a very misunderstood young woman in this city. But for Jin, he deduced her personality just by locking eyes with her.

"Please, forgive Eula, Jin…" Jean smiled nervously and a drop of sweat formed on her head. "She has a very poor way of communicating her intentions to people."

"I'm… I'm sorry for my misconduct, legendary hero…" Eula said while closing her eyes.

"It's fine…" He replied. "I've experienced far worse things than that in my own family. Although, you could have just asked nicely."

"So, Eula…" Jean began while still holding Eula's shoulders. "Do you have a request for the legendary hero?"

Eula gulped and tried to return her composure to normal. She struggled to look at the legendary hero's eyes who is still smiling at her.

"M-m… may I…" She struggled with her words as the blush on her cheeks became even more heavier making her beautiful face look like a ripe tomato. "M-may I please have the honor of sparring with you, legendary Hero of Ikaruga?!"

She finally blurted out, and Jin also laughed again for a bit. "It would be my pleasure."

Eula was shocked at his acceptance. She had never known that the legendary hero is a very open-minded individual. She attacked him first, and he just finds it very amusing instead of offending.

"But, your sword…" She asked, worried that she had permanently damaged his weapon.

"Oh, this?" Jin looked at his beloved katana. He un-sheathes the blade again to reveal that the cracks she made with her claymore earlier is no longer there. The weapon looked brand new and the ice blade is still shining brightly.

"Don't worry…" He continued. "No matter how many times Yukianesa's blade cracks, all it takes is for me to sheathe it again, and the hilt forms a completely brand new ice blade again."

"The Nox Nyctores: Yukianesa…" Jean and Eula both said in amazement. "The legendary hero's frozen blade that destroyed Susano'o and the Black Beast…"

"Let's take this outside then, shall we?" Jin said while walking slowly to the door.

Eula nodded in response and both walked side-by-side to the exit.

"Well, that went well, don't you think so, Traveler?" Paimon said while wiping the sweat off her tiny forehead.

"Yeah…" Lumine responded while trying to compose herself. "Honestly, those two almost gave me a heart attack."

"My apologies about Eula…" Jean said while closing her eyes in sadness.

"Jin also said something about experiencing something far worse with his family…" Lumine placed a hand on her chin.

"The Kisaragi family…" Jean suddenly blurted.

"Oh yes, Traveler…" Paimon said. "The Kisaragi family of which our friend Jin belongs to is one of the twelve most powerful families that rule the entire world along the Novus Orbis Librarium."

"I've heard of this organization before. They maintain peace and order around the world." Lumine replied.

"Yep. However, the NOL only interferes with affairs from other continents if the danger has already passed a certain level of threshold. Otherwise, they stand their ground." Paimon continued. "All of the Librarium's personnel and influencial leaders came from the twelve noble families called the Duodecim - the twelve Spears of the Librarium."

"And the Kisaragi family is one of these families?"

"Yep yep." Paimon placed a finger on her small chin. "Although the Kisaragi family was in-famous for it's strange ethics. It is said that they don't place value on bloodline or relations. They gather talented children all over the world to train and educate them and as a result, the Kisaragi family has many, many influencial leaders around the world."

"But, that kind of environment is a double-edged sword…" Jean suddenly replied and both Lumine and Paimon looked at her. "That type of environment is a complete breeding ground for Greed and Envy to boil up around it's members. Most of these so-called influencial leaders hire assassins to kill one another for selfish power and glory. And Jin has been constantly targeted by these assassins over the years because back then, Jin was next in-line to be the heir of this family."

"That is very scary…" Lumine responded. "So, our friend has pretty much suffered greatly and it's no wonder he is very distant and aloof."

"Indeed." Jean placed a hand on her chest. "Though the Hero is famous and legendary all over the world, many overlook the deaths, sufferings, and bloodshed he had to go through to gain that title. It is not a very pretty thought."

"So…" Paimon placed her hands behind her back. "That's the reason why he doesn't seem to like being called a Hero."

"What a burden to carry…" Lumine concluded while having a sad look in her face.

"But, worry not…" Jean replied. "word has spread that Jin has now become the official head of the Kisaragi family, and has dismissed all of the corrupt people within the family. Rumor has it that he even had to kill some of these people."

Lumine and Paimon gasped.

"In order to maintain peace and order, you have to be ready to stain your hands with blood." Jean looked down at one of her hands. "Even if it means killing those closest to you. Our official Grand Master, Varka, has done the same things to protect this city for a long time."

"Is that why you idolize Jin so much?" Lumine asked sheepishly.

Jean giggled for a bit. "So, you noticed it, too."

"I mean, it's so easy to tell based on your chemistry with him."

"I…" Jean struggled to answer. "My apologies but for a long time, I've been wanting to meet him. I wanted to emulate his ideals. That despite the bloodshed and suffering he endured, he remained firm to his devotion to maintain peace and order. I've only heard of him through tales and stories in the library archives so it's a huge honor for me to finally meet him in person. In a way, I could see Grand Master Varka in him."

"Speaking of which, we've heard that the official Grand Master is currently away on an expedition." Lumine said, switching the topic.

"Yes, he did." Jean once again looked at the clouds on her office windows. "And no word has come out yet about when he would come back."

"And who is that Eula person?" Lumine also asked curiously.

"Eula is…" Jean stuttered for a bit. "also a member of an infamous once-proud nobility of Mondstadt that were overthrown a long time ago - the Lawrence family."

"Who were the Lawrence family?"

Jean prepped herself to tell a story to the Traveler.

The Lawrence family.

Long ago, when Barbatos established the new city of Mondstadt, it was ruled by three powerful noble houses - The Gunnhildr Clan, Imunlaukr Clan, and the Lawrence Clan.

As time passed, the Lawrence clan, drunk with power, grew from conquerors to tyrants. They began to rule the city with an iron fist and enslaving those who opposed them. When Barbatos saw the damage they created, he collaborated with a brave and selfless slave named Vanessa and together, they began a revolt.

With the help of fellow slaves and the people, they successfully overthrew the tyrannical clan and forced them to leave the city, never to return again.

"And Eula is a descendant of this family?" Lumine asked.

"Yes, she is. But, she's different." Jean smiled. "She actually hates her own family and has helped defend the city many times before. However, the common folk of this city absolutely detests her because of her family name and so she is often misunderstood. Her own family also hates her and calls her a traitor."

"Wow, how does she go about life so normally?" Paimon asked, feeling slight remorse. "I mean, the Lawrence family is kinda similar to the Kisaragi family when you think about it."

"How, indeed…" Jean answered. "It's best for you to ask Eula herself when you get the chance, Traveler."

Before their conversation can continue, a handsome and charming knight bursted into the office room.

"Sorry for barging in suddenly, Master Jean, but we have an emergency." The knight said.

"Captain Kaeya, what news from the mark?" Jean stood up from her seat.

"A mysterious ruin was found southwest of here that is rumored to be a den of an Abyss Order agent." He said. "We've sent adventurers and knights to investigate it but none of them returned alive."

"Abyss Order…" Jean's expression turned to one of anger. "They've shown themselves now that we have a crisis."

"Master Jean…" Lumine began curiously. "What is the Abyss Order?"

"They are a legion of powerful monsters from the Abyss who has a hatred for humanity." Jean replied. "They have terrorized the continent of Teyvat for a long time. But, they haven't been very active recently until just now. We have to go into that ruins and find out if it's true that an agent of the Abyss Order is using it as a hiding den. We don't know what could they be up to."

"This sounds serious, Traveler… " Paimon looked at Lumine and the latter nodded.

"Traveler…" Jean stood up from her seat. "May I request for you to investigate this ruins to find out if the rumors are true? Of course, Captain Kaeya will be going with you."

"I'm going to help as much as I can!" Lumine said without hesitation.

"Yep, you can count on us!" Paimon also said. "Oh, and who knows, maybe we can also find some shiny, shiny treasure inside there. Right, traveler?"

"There you go again, Paimon."

"Hehehe…"

"You have my thanks, Traveler." Jean bowed her head. "Captain Kaeya. Please, take of them and return safely."

"As you wish, Master Jean." He said while flashing a charming smile. "Well, shall we depart then, Traveler?"

"It's just too bad that we don't get to watch Jin and Eula's duel." Paimon said disappointingly. "But, I guess this is something much more important."

"I want to see it, too." Lumine replied.

"Maybe if we hurry, we can still catch up to them." Paimon concluded while grinding her tiny wrists.

As Jean escorted the three out of the castle, when they opened the castle door, they saw Jin and Eula standing in the staircase and a huge crowd of people are gathered below them and cheering loudly.

"I can't believe believe the Hero of Ikaruga is here in Mondstadt!"

"The legendary Hero of Ikaruga?! He's so handsome and young! I can't believe it!"

"He is the one! He is the one who can put an end to Stormterror and save Mondstadt!"

Jin is clearly hearing these townsfolk sing his praises. But, he just sighed in disbelief. It's the same thing over and over again just like back in his continent. People cheering empty praises at him left and right like he is some kind of divine deity or something.

"All hail the Hero of Ikaruga!"

This is awkward for him. Lumine, Paimon, Kaeya and Jean soon walked beside him.

"You sure are popular, Jin." Lumine said while flashing a cheerful smile at him.

He gave no response to that. How did these people knew who he is? Who told them about his identity? He's been trying hard to hide it because this situation could pose a great danger to himself.

Eula also looked at him and forced a smile. She can't help but be a little jealous of the hero beside him since it's the complete opposite of the townsfolk's treatment of her. Come to think of it, how is she going to have a peaceful spar with him in this situation?

Jean cleared her throat and spoke to the people. "My dear citizens!"

And the crowd finally went silent.

"I would humbly request for you to disband! The legendary hero has some pressing matters to attend to!"

Jin looked at Jean with a smile of relief, as if to silently thank her for taking the crowd away from him and Jean gave him a wink as a response. The crowd slowly walked away from the castle but not before two female children ran up the staircase before Jin and presented him some wreathe made of dandelions.

"Please, take these gifts, mister Hero..!"

Jin, at first, was shocked. But how could he say no to the sweet faces of these innocent little girls? He went down at their level so the girls can see his face more clearly and placed the crude necklace of dandelion flowers around his neck.

"Thank you, little one's…" He said while gently patting both of the children in their heads in which they graciously accepted and giggled happily like little kittens.

When the children left, Jin motioned for Eula to walk with him in front of the square in front of statue of the Anemo Archon to start their game.

"Well, Traveler…" Kaeya cleared his throat. "We should get moving to the ruins."

"Right…" Lumine agreed and waved her hand at the two people in front of her. "Hey, you two play nice!"

Both Jin and Eula suddenly stopped to look at Lumine and smiled at her, then continued walking forward.

Jean went with Jin and Eula to oversee their duel. She wants to see a glimpse of her idol's power, if even for just a tiny bit.

As both swordsmen readied their fighting stances, Eula brandished her giant claymore, wielding it masterfully like holding a piece of feather. As a response, Jin placed his hand in front of his katana's hilt, ready to unsheathe it to strike at any time.

"Don't pull any punches on me, legendary hero." Eula demanded.

Jin simply flashed her a smirk as a response. Eula took that, however, as a sign of provocation.

"Here I go!"

She dashed forward to him.

"She striked first." Jean whispered in her mind. "Typical of her."

"Haaaaaahhhh!"

She tried to bring down the full weight of her claymore unto her opponent. But, Jin simply blocked her powerful strike with the hilt of his sword. He lifted one of his eyebrows, as if to say to her that she's going to have to do better than what she just did.

With simply using the hilt of his sword, he pushed Eula's claymore away from him with so much force that she is sent flying.

"Tsk!" Eula groaned in annoyance and she tried to strike him again, but he did the same thing and just pushed her away with using just the hilt of his sword again.

"Such power! Jin is just standing at the same place and purely playing in un-matched defense." Jean analyzed Jin's fighting style. "He is not taking this seriously…"

Meanwhile, Lumine, Paimon and Kaeya arrived at ruin's location. However, they spot a group of people dressed like some sort of thieves with bandanas covering the lower part of their faces. Kaeya motioned for them to hide in a nearby bush.

"What are the Treasure Hoarders doing here?" Kaeya said.

"Who are those?" Lumine asked.

"Treasure Hoarders are an international organization with only one purpose - snag every piece of treasure they can get their hands on as per their namesake." He answered. "Looks like their planning on going inside those ruins to look for hidden riches."

"Hmph!" Paimon crossed her arms. "I won't let some pesky thieves steal whatever treasure is in there. That treasure belongs to Paimon!"

"Paimon, really…" Lumine placed a palm on her face.

"Let's get rid of them first." Kaeya then motioned for them to move forward.

"Halt!"

When the thieves heard whatever is behind them, they immediately readied their weapons.

"The Knights of Favonius!" One of them declared.

"You better step away from the ruins, gentlemen." Kaeya warned. "This area is in the jurisdiction of the Knights of Favonius."

"We won't give away the treasure that easily, pretty boy." The leader of the thieves answered back. "Boys, get em'!"

Kaeya sighed in annoyance. "Looks like you don't plan on coming quietly. Very well, then."

Both Lumine and Kaeya summoned their respective weapons and easily took care of the marauders without any visible efforts. The thieves bowed their heads in defeat hoping for mercy.

"Please, please don't kill us..!"

These guys are pathetic. They don't even have any innate elemental powers of their own and instead just wield them artificially in bottles that they just throw around carelessly like molotov cocktails.

"I'm placing you all under arrest!" Kaeya declared while making his rapier disappear.

They tied the Treasure Hoarders together up on their arms and legs to keep them from escaping.

"Now, you folks just stay here." Kaeya said with a smirk while brushing his arms. "We'll come back to take you into custody later once we're done here."

It is at this time that a familiar face jumped off the slope to suddenly greet them.

"Woah-woah-woah!"

The girl said while prepping herself again to not lose her balance.

"Oh, it's Captain Kaeya and the Traveler…" She said.

"Nice to see you again, Amber…" Lumine waved a hand at her.

"Captain, are you going inside the ruins?"

"Sure do." Kaeya replied. "We need to investigate a possible rumor if it's true."

"Cool! I'll come with you guys!" Amber declared. "It's getting kinda boring scouting all the time."

"Sounds good to me." Lumine answered. "Let's get going then."

Kaeya then placed a hand on the seal of the ruin and it slowly opened.

"Be careful…" He warned. "There's no telling what sort of things we might encounter inside so stay alert."

Both the girls and Paimon nodded and proceeded inside with caution. As they fully emerged themselves on the dark corridors, the door of the ruins closed behind them with a loud thud.

Back in Mondstadt, Eula kept her pace of attacking her sparring opponent from every side. But, no matter what she does, she's always pushed away with just a parry from the hilt of his sword.

It was at this point that Eula is now getting emotional - she's getting angry. Jin could easily tell the bloodlust in her eyes because the precision of her strikes are getting weaker and weaker, and he could easily predict her movements. She tried to strike him from behind but his reflexes are just too good. He blocked her strike using only the sheath of his katana, surprising her, and she was forced to back away.

It's strange, there's not even any hint of bloodlust in his eyes; it's still pure and focused. He is definitely holding back on her. He hasn't drawn his blade even once.

"I told you not to pull any punches on me!" She said angrily. "How dare you!"

Jin crossed his arms. "It's a bother. You can't even move me from this spot."

Eula bit her lower lip in frustration. It's indeed true. It has been about half an hour since they started their duel and he hasn't even moved an inch. She has sparred with the Grand Master Varka before, and when she dueled with him, he was also holding back, but Jin is on a whole different level. He is definitely far more stronger than Varka.

If that's the case. Then the best she could do is just make him flinch, if only a little bit. After all, as long as she can point her sword in his throat, she'll win this duel.

She began to channel the power of her Cryo vision to her claymore, this made Jin's eyes widen for a bit. He never thought that she'd go this far. Her claymore is now emitting an aura of cold frost.

"Eula is really hell-bent on winning." Jean whispered.

"Let's see you block this strike." She said with an arrogant smile.

She lunged at him again head-on.

"Icetide Vortex!"

Inside the ruins, after disabling traps, avoiding pitfalls, and killing Hilichurls and Slimes along the way, the four companions arrived at the final gate leading to the final area of the ruins. There, they can see some sort of short-stacked mage wearing fur clothing and a noticeable mask with pointy beak covering it's face.

"So, it's true..." Kaeya said while him and the others slowly moved forward at the enemy in front of them.

"Humans!" The creature said while pointing it's magical staff at them. "How did you manage to come here?! My monsters and traps should have taken care of you!"

"Abyss Order Mage…" Kaeya said while pointing his sword at the hellish creature. "What is your purpose here in Mondstadt?"

"Isn't it obvious, human?" The creature threw mockingly. "It's the destruction of humanity! We will destroy your pathetic little city! We have been having trouble attacking your city directly because someone keeps messing up our plans!"

"Oh?" Kaeya flashed a mischievous smile. "Looks like some of our friends are doing their job correctly."

"It matters not, human! We will never stop until your city is burned away through the ashes of history! I am here trying to gather as much Hilichurls as I can muster to attack the city!"

"Not if I can help it!" Lumine responded while brandishing her weapon along with Amber. "We will stop you here!"

"So, you're the one responsible for the recent increase of Hilichurls causing troubles here recently." Kaeya concluded.

The creature laughed. "Foolish humans! I am but a single agent. Even if you kill me here, we are legion! We are many!"

The creature then levitated off the ground and erected a protective barrier around itself.

"Come kill me if you can, naive humans!"

"A barrier!" Paimon shouted. "Traveler! We can't harm that creature as long as that shield is up!"

"Then we're gonna have to crush it first!" Kaeya motioned for Amber to strike her arrows.

"I'll be watching your backs!" Amber armed her bow with three flaming arrows. "This is gonna burn!"

The Cryo Abyss Mage used the power of it's element to unleash multiple icicles around the arena but Lumine and her companions skillfully avoided each and everyone of them. Once Lumine and Kaeya got up-close and personal, the Abyss Mage panicked and teleported away a good distance.

"Damn you, humans!"

The Cryo Abyss Mage prepared to unleash another wave of falling icicles. However, the shield was already destroyed by Amber's constant hail of arrows, leaving the creature now weakened and vulnerable.

"Now, you two!"

Both Lumine and Kaeya charged forth and used both of their blades to slice the Cryo Abyss Mage in half, killing it and it slowly disintegrated into dust. But not before some final parting words.

"My death would mean little difference in the long run…" The creature said. "Let the destruction of humanity begin!"

After contemplating what the Abyss Mage dying words, the companions took time to gather themselves.

"It seems we have a bigger problem in our hands." Kaeya blurted out nervously.

"No kidding." Lumine responded. "And then, there's still the matter with Stormterror."

"But…" Amber began. "If Stormterror wants to destroy the city of Mondstadt he could have done it easily at any time. Why is the dragon not going all-out?"

Lumine placed a finger on her chin. "While we were at Jean's office, Jin had actually concluded a possibility of Stormterror being brainwashed."

"I see…" Kaeya thought. "That could also explain why there are times when the dragon would attack and then back away afterwards. Somewhere in there, the original Dvalin is still intact and mentally fighting the curse."

"Could the Abyss Order have some connection to it?" Lumine asked.

"It's possible." Kaeya looked at the staff of the Abyss Mage they just killed, which is the only thing that remains from the corpse. "After all, the Abyss Order's goal is the complete annihilation of humanity."

A few moments of silence occured.

"Anyways…" Kaeya broke the beat of silence. "Let's head back to Master Jean and report what happened. Plus, I got some thieves to jail."

The other three nodded and the four of them used the magical device at the center of the room to quickly exit the ruins.

"Icetide Vortex!"

Eula's claymore once again clashed with the hilt of Jin's katana. This time, however, he could feel the full force of the strike. A shock-wave erupted from the clash. They're locking their eyes with each other again, just like earlier at Jean's office.

"Glacial Illumination!"

With those words, Eula's sword generated huge blades of ice from above and prepared to strike the hero down. The hero noticed the icicle swords and smiled. Eula eyes widened at the expression on her opponent's face. It is at this time that Jin finally drew his sword. With it, Jin used the blade to disarm Eula of her claymore and pushed her away with intense force, knocking her on her back.

Eula's claymore went flying and it landed beside her, stabbed at the ground. When she came to, Jin was no longer there in the same spot as before. He completely vanished.

"Where is he?!" She shouted as she quickly stood up.

"Your reflexes could use some work." a voice behind her said.

Jin is actually behind her the entire time. He's fast. Really fast. It's like he is teleporting but she knows that it's just an illusion; he simply moves faster than the naked eye can process that it LOOKS like he is teleporting but he is not. She couldn't even sense him until he spoke. She couldn't even speak. After a few seconds, he blitzes in front of her and pointed his sword at her throat.

"Looks like the duel is mine, Spindrift Knight." He declared.

Jean, who is overseeing the duel, sighed with relief. "It's finally over."

Eula collapses on the ground. She lowered her head in defeat. This was an absolute curb-stomp. He wasn't even taking her seriously.

Jin then offered her a hand up and she looked up at him.

"Your powers are impressive." He said while smiling at her. "Dueling with you is such a privilege, my lady."

She mockingly laughed. She took his hand and let him help her stand up.

"I was foolish to ask you to spar with me, legendary hero…" Eula said while dusting herself.

"No need to feel like that, Knight of Frost…" He responded. "Besides, you forced me to move away from my spot, yes?"

"Yeah, that makes me feel a little better…" She said sarcastically.

A few moments of silence passed between them. Silence, and then more silence. They are still looking at each other's eyes. It is then that Eula noticed that she is still holding Jin's hand. Her face turned bright red as a tomato and she immediately released her hand from his. She could no longer look at him in the eyes.

"Is something the matter, Eula?" He asked. Oblivious to what just happened.

"I-I.. It's… nothing!" She stuttered while holding back her embarrassment. "N-nothing at all!"

What is this feeling? Why is she suddenly feeling flustered when looking at him? Earlier, she was just angry at him for holding back on her. This is so strange and awkward.

"You're weird…" Was the only thing he said, making her blush even more.

"Well, you two seem to be having fun." Jean said walking towards the two and interrupting the awkward moment. "By the way, that was an amazing display of power, Jin."

He just gave her a smile and closed his eyes. It was then that he heard familiar voices.

"Heeeeeyyyyyyy!" Lumine and Paimon both shouted. "We're back!"

Jin looked at Lumine and Paimon. A small smile formed on his face.

It was a long day.

END


Author's Notes: So, what do you guys think? Hope you guys enjoyed reading this one! As usual, your reviews, feedbacks and suggestions are always welcome! See you all in the next chapter!

Next Chapter - Whimsical Bard