Everyone lined up to the edge of the cliff with their windgliders on. At the start of class, Venti had led us past the clearing, through the trees, and to the far edge of campus that dropped off to the island's forests far below. He didn't say much, only to grab our jackets and that he wouldn't be responsible for any colds that popped up in the next few days. It wasn't hard to guess what we'd be doing, and the whole class was buzzing with energy.

The Sakoku Order was officially over, and we could finally glide around the island.

"Listen up, everyone!" Venti shouted.

The shouting was due to the heavy winds that cut through the air. Upon close inspection, the beginnings of a storm were brewing somewhere up in the atmosphere. Venti was already gliding in the empty space across from us, though I wasn't sure how he was able to glide up, down, and side-to-side with no visible Anemo or natural wind currents to catch in his windglider. When it came to Venti's talents in the sky, I was always amazed by how skilled he was. His personality was less than professional most times, but it was moments like these when I was reminded of his status as an instructor.

"Today's class is going to be very exciting! I can't predict the weather, so we'll have to manage with what is given to us today. I think a challenge is always fun, anyway. I won't ask anything fancy of you since this is our first chance to practice beyond the clearing. Just hop off the cliff and glide down to the beach." He pointed to where land met the ocean. "I'll go there first and set up a beacon so you can see your destination clearly. First off, let me cover a few air rules. Get it? It's like ground rules, but because we'll be in the air then—oh, never mind! At this point, you all know how to properly deploy your windgliders via the jump method, and today you have my permission to start the drop method. Allow me to demonstrate."

Venti glided back over the cliff and landed soundlessly where we huddled together. Then, he simply walked off and let gravity take him down. Loud gasps rang out, and though I was fairly certain he would be fine, I couldn't help but lean over the edge to watch with worry. Sure enough, Venti's windglider snapped open and a current of air drew him back up to meet our faces.

"See?" he winked. "It's simple. Instead of running and jumping before deploying the windglider, you can deploy it as you freefall in the sky. Not everyone here has enough stamina to glide down the entire island mountain in one go, and that's okay! If you're too tired to glide any longer, but you're too high in the air, close your glider, and don't be scared to fall. Once you get close enough to the ground, deploy once more and you'll have a safe landing. I call this tip the 'Parachute.' Other than naturally gliding to the ground and falling from a safe distance, there is one other method that we will not be using—plunging. This method isn't possible without a weapon to steady yourself, and you'll be at risk for some serious damage if you attempt to plunge all on your own. Got that?"

Everyone nodded.

"Great! What's next…oh, right! There's one thing that separates our previous gliding in the clearing from today's cliff adventure, and that's making use of the environment." Venti descended with his windglider until his body was parallel to the cliffside. Once again, we leaned over the edge to get a good look at what he was doing. He grabbed onto the rock and closed his windglider. Then, Venti let go—falling for just a moment before using his windglider once more to lift him up. "The cliff-catch is more advanced, and it doesn't do anything to conserve stamina."

Amber cupped her hands around her mouth to ask. "Then why do it?"

Venti shrugged. "If you fall off a cliff without meaning to, you can cliff-catch to bring yourself back up. Just make sure you have stamina to spare for the climb."

I was fairly certain I had enough stamina to glide down the mountain, but it was hard to judge the exact distance from where we stood. Because I didn't want to overestimate myself and potentially crash land in the middle of the forest, I made a mental note to keep an eye out for good landing spots along the way. There was just one issue with that, though.

"If we stop to recover stamina, how do we get back up in the air afterward?" I asked.

"Another great question," Venti nodded. "If you find yourself landing in the forest—I'm sure many of you will—keep an out for these little guys." He lifted a palm to reveal a bright orb that lazily twirled around. It vaguely reminded me of a Seelie, but it was much smaller and had a pair of bug-like wings. "This is an Anemograna. You'll find Anemogranum scattered about, but they generally group themselves in threes. Collecting them together will generate enough Anemo to form a full-fledged wind current. You'll also find naturally occurring wind currents in the air to give you an additional boost."

Venti closed his hand into a fist, and the Anemograna disappeared once his fingers opened up again. I already knew his connection to Anemo was strong, but it was still surprising to see him manipulate Anemo spirits so easily. How had a self-proclaimed bard gotten to this level of elemental mastery?

He clapped his hands together. "One last thing—don't take today's exercise too seriously. I know a few of you like to compete." He wagged a finger at me and Amber. "But it's important to focus on your stamina, know your limits, and get used to the difference between a controlled gliding environment and a natural one. Above all, have fun! If you like today, I highly encourage you to consider joining the after-school club that I personally advise—Synchronized Gliding!" He placed his hands on his hips, still gliding in the air. "Such a sweet moment this is. My students…you are like baby birds flying from the nest for the first time."

"Can we go now?" someone complained.

"Okay, okay!" he giggled sheepishly. "I'll go to the destination now to place the marker, and you guys are free to start gliding."

With that, Venti turned away from us, and his gliding speed somehow increased beyond anything I've ever seen. In the span of just a few breaths, his green-clad body was nothing but a speck that disappeared in the distance. I gasped in awe of his display of power. As promised, a golden beam of light flickered to life, shining high and bright in the sky. There was no question where he wanted us to land.

Amber straightened the fit of her windglider next to me. "Venti said that competition shouldn't be on our minds."

"Right," I smirked. "It doesn't matter who makes it there first. We should focus on our gliding technique and landing safely."

"Of course, of course."

We stared at each other with daring looks.

"On your mark," she grinned.

I braced my legs. "Get set."

"Go!" we said together, running off the cliff's edge and deploying our windgliders at the same time.

In my peripheral vision, I saw my classmates also make the exciting jump, and we all began our descent down the island. Aggressive wind whipped through the air, and I cast a second look up at the clouds. Venti said the weather was a good challenge, and I couldn't agree more.

For some reason, I found myself grinning from ear to ear. A laugh bubbled up in my throat as the island's beauty took my breath away from this viewpoint. There was the forest, yes, but there were also jagged pillars of stone that stuck out from the greenery, sparkles of pondwater that peeked from under the conifer trees, the faint scent of ocean salt met with wood and dirt, and an overall sensation of freedom. It felt like I was spreading my wings—windglider—for the first time. There was nothing that could hold me back from carving my path in the sky as I pleased.

I heard Amber let out a whoop of delight and noticed she had her outrider goggles on. With the wind picking up in different directions, she made a smart choice by bringing them. I squinted my eyes to keep them from drying out, but there wasn't much else to do besides work with what nature threw at us. Somehow, she gained more height than me, and I looked around for any helpful wind currents.

A few of my classmates glided below me, and some were already beginning to tap out of their stamina. I watched with curiosity as Venti's drop method was put to the test, and everyone seemed to be doing well for the most part. There was one guy in particular who looked like a baby bird who had yet to grow in all of its feathers.

Huffman.

He was trying the drop method but seemed to chicken out each time. Close. Open. Close. Open. I winced at the thought of how the whiplash might feel as he constantly deployed the windglider over and over. Not only would that be putting a strain on his body, but on his windglider as well. Huffman was close enough to the ground that I wasn't worried about him completely wiping out.

I should have been focusing on myself.

A sharp gust of wind swooped at me horizontally, and I flailed my outstretched arms in surprise. For just a moment, I lost my balance, but one moment was all it took for the left wing of my windglider to fold in on itself with the right one following quickly after. I swallowed a shriek as I was now facing my own impromptu drop method.

Steadying my form and flipping my windglider into position, the wings snapped back to normal as I caught myself in the sky. I breathed a sigh of relief. Luckily, the fall only lasted for a few seconds, and I was still on track to land on the beach with no pitstops.

Checking to see if anyone else had nearly wiped out from the unpredictable wind, I saw that Huffman encountered the opposite problem. A wind current had carried him higher than he was before, and his jerky movements told me he was panicking. Some of his panic passed over to me as I worried about his stamina. Wasn't he trying to land earlier? Is he in the right state of mind to do the drop method properly?

I watched him try.

Half of his windglider was slipping off, and he shouted for help.

Archons, this was bad. Venti was nowhere near this area of the mountain, and it was hard to tell if anyone else noticed Huffman who could help him in this situation. Craning my neck, I judged the distance of where Huffman was awkwardly tilting downwards, where I was, and how far we were from the ground.

This could work.

I took a reassuring breath.

This could also not work, and we both may find ourselves in the infirmary today.

"Huffman!" I shouted and angled my body to shift until I was directly underneath him. "Close your glider!"

He continued to wobble. "I-I can't! I'm too high in the sky!"

I held out my arms. "I'll catch you!"

"Wh-What? No! There's no way you'll be able to catch me and manage your own windglider. We'll both fall!"

A valid point, but there weren't many options if he wanted to live.

"Just drop already!"

I watched him teeter from side to side inconsistently before ultimately closing the wings of his windglider completely. Bracing myself for the impact—he didn't look like he weighed too much—I eyeballed Huffman's descent as he let out another shout of fear.

Just as I planned, he landed right in my arms. Just as I worried, the impact jarred me and we both careened wildly while I readjusted my balance. Already, I felt the strain of carrying Huffman on my stamina, and I decided to fold in my windglider's wings before it depleted completely. We dropped like a stone and the wind loudly rushed past my ears to a point where it almost blocked out Huffman's girlish squeals. Almost.

Spying the trees that rushed up to meet us, I deployed my windglider once more, and my whole body jerked as we were abruptly pushed up by the wind. My arms and back muscles screamed with effort, and I grit my teeth under the pressure.

"We're falling the rest of the way," I hissed out.

"We're—" he choked. "What do you mean we're—ah!"

It wasn't up to me. My body gave out, and my windglider snapped shut. Instead of considering myself lucky, I thanked the lack of bad luck that the freefall was short. Upon smacking into a collection of branches that broke our fall, muscle memory from Venti's drills on safe landings took over.

It still hurt.

"Are you okay?" I groaned.

Huffman wheezed.

"Verbal response," I rolled onto my back and stared up at the sky. "I'm going to need a verbal response."

He mumbled incoherently before clearly saying, "I see stars."

I coughed out a laugh. "That's good enough, I guess."

"You saved my life."

I stayed quiet to let my brain catch up to what just happened.

"I was thinking a million thoughts while I was up there. I can't believe Instructor Barbatos actually had us go for such a drastic change of pace out of nowhere. With this weather, he should have called it off for another day. Seriously, I know I can't be the only one who—"

"Shh," I waved a hand in the air, not quite sure where Huffman had collapsed. "I need some silence."

"Me too, me too," he shut up.

Time stilled.

The birds chirped.

I reset.

"Alright," I rolled over to push myself up with my elbow, wincing at the ache in my bones. "Time to get back to it."

Huffman was lying a few paces away with half of his face smeared with dirt. I wiped at my own face to make sure it didn't look as beat up and was happy to see my hands come away clean. Now, it was a matter of making sure his closed eyes meant he was just resting and not dead.

"Huffman," I nudged his shoulder. "Wake up."

He gasped and held a hand up to his chest—dramatics. "I fell asleep! How long was I out? Has search and rescue come to get us?"

"You took a full five-minute nap." I rolled my eyes. "We don't need search and rescue. We need to look for the Anemogranum. Do you think you can stand?"

He crawled over to the base of a tree and used that to haul himself up.

I frowned. "On your own."

Huffman let go of the tree, looking unsure of himself, but he didn't topple over. Then, we both took a moment to stretch out our limbs. Inspecting my windglider, I found that everything looked normal. No rips or tears. I looked over Huffman's as well, and his was in the same shape.

"Do you remember what the Anemogranum look like?" I asked him.

He nodded. "Bright blue. About this big," he pinched two fingers together. "Groups of threes, right?"

"Right," I smiled. At least he wasn't completely helpless. "Let's find some before class is over. It'd be embarrassing if Amber ends up double-backing to find me—she'll never let me live it down."

The area of the island we landed in had more rocks than trees, and it was a miracle we hadn't smashed directly into a boulder. No amount of fall practice would have done anything to prevent damage from that. While crashing into the trees wasn't the worst thing, I bet landing in one of those ponds I saw earlier would have felt better. I'd take soaked clothes over stinging scrapes any day.

"Look," Huffman pointed ahead. "I think that's one."

I followed his finger to a tiny patch of grass where a flicker of light swirled in a circle. Sure enough, it was an Anemograna.

"Nice work, Huffman. The other two should be nearby."

Venti wasn't very clear on how we were supposed to collect the Anemogranum, and I assumed we could grab it just as he held one in his hand. To my surprise, my fingers didn't even make contact before the tiny Anemograna floated to me and lazily orbited my body. The softest caress of wind touched my skin, and I was reminded of how Liyue Harbor cats would rub themselves on my legs when I had treats.

Huffman cleared his throat. "You know, out of all the people who could have jumped in to save me, I'm glad it was you."

Oh boy.

"Really?" I chirped lightly. "Why is that?"

Not this again.

"Well," he paused. "I was hoping you could help me with something—er—someone."

I hesitated before making any assumptions. "What do you mean?"

"There's this girl that I like," he chuckled. "You know her really well, actually. I noticed you hang out a lot in class and during meals and stuff, so I was hoping you could maybe give me some pointers? Y'know, to get her to like me too."

"Who?"

"Amber."

I nearly tripped over in shock. "Amber?"

"Yeah," Huffman blushed. "She's kind of the girl of my dreams. So bubbly and excited, always lending a helping hand, obsessed with her cute little bunny doll, and so much more. Have you ever just melted into her honey-brown eyes or noticed the silkiness of her glorious hair? Amber is just…wow. I don't think I can ever get over her beauty."

"Amber is great," I agreed. "But I'm not sure if she's looking for a—"

I stopped myself. Was Amber looking for a relationship? There wasn't a doubt in my mind that she was a hopeless romantic. After seeing the look of pure joy on her face whenever I brought her good news about my guys, I could only imagine how she would react if she were in my shoes. Just how big was her match-making heart? Well, our situations were a bit different. I had no idea how Amber felt about Huffman.

I looked at him, really looked at him. Decent form, styled hair—a bit too styled, but that's okay. Sky blue eyes that looked nice enough. Yes, Huffman was nice. Amber was beyond amazing, though, so I wasn't sure if just Huffman would cut it. Still, I didn't want to shrug off the possibility entirely.

"Amber likes competition," I said as we continued our Anemogranum search. "Not too serious competition, though. She likes having fun more than she cares about winning. She also gets distracted very easily, which can be a good and bad thing."

"There's nothing bad about Amber," he objected, completely enamored. "She's flawless."

I ignored him. "She's got a curious soul, is a pro at hunting, hates Wolfhook juice, loves coffee—which explains a lot."

"What can I do to get her to like me?" he pressed.

The question went through one ear and out the other as I caught sight of the next Anemograna. Just like the first, it attached itself to my personal space once I got close enough, and now I had two tiny globes encircling me. One more to go.

"Hello?" Huffman tapped his foot. "Amber tips?"

I frowned. "What did you want from me, again?"

"What can I do?"

I thought about it. "Amber also loves honest people, being a very honest person herself. She's really good at catching people's intentions early on, too. It might be best to just be yourself."

"Be myself?" he gawked. "I don't stand out."

I threw my hands up in the air. "Well then, I don't know."

"I thought you were friends."

"We are friends."

"Then you should know."

Annoyance pricked at me. "If you like her so much, you should be able to figure it out on your own."

"But you—"

"Listen, buddy," I whirled on him. "I don't owe you anything. As a matter of fact, you owe me for saving your life. The least you could do is stop whining."

His eyes dropped to the ground, and he stayed quiet for a moment before mumbling, "I'll go look for the last Anemograna."

Huffman made a quick exit, and I briefly worried if I was too harsh on him. I replayed the conversation in my head. Nope. Totally deserved. Amber could do better, honestly.

With my reaction well justified and Huffman off on his own search, I decided to not waste any time and resumed scanning the general area. Venti said the Anemogranum hung out in groups, so the last one shouldn't be too far. My suspicions were right, and it didn't take long at all before I stepped into the last Anemograna. Once the three of them swirled together around me, a rush of Anemo surged forward and created a massive upward wind current—just as promised. This would easily lift us back into the air, and I called out to Huffman.

"I got it!"

Silence.

"Huffman?"

Nothing.

A mixture of worry and exasperation rose within me, and I momentarily abandoned the wind current to look for my headache of a classmate. He couldn't have gone far. Before I even took five steps, Huffman sprung from the bushes, and I jumped back in surprise.

"Archons, you startled me."

"I found the last Anemograna!" he said proudly.

I frowned. "What are you talking about? I just grabbed the last one. Look," I pointed to the wind current. "That's our ride back up."

"Huh? But I could have sworn I saw an Anemograna."

"Maybe it belongs to another set," I shrugged. "No matter, we have what we need."

"Phew, at least we didn't have to chase after them."

I froze. "Chase after them?"

"Yeah," he blinked at me. "The Anemogranum. The ones we got stayed nice and still, but the one I just saw kept floating away from me every time I got close. I decided to come back and find you before I ended up getting too lost."

"Are you sure it was an Anemograna?" I looked past him, searching for any signs.

"It was blue and glowy. Oh! I guess it was a bit bigger than the others. That's how I was able to find it so quickly. Huge orb. Do you think it'll make an even bigger wind current?"

I think what Huffman saw wasn't an Anemograna at all. His description matched my experience with a Seelie. Could it be the same one? I desperately wanted to go check it out for myself, but one look at Huffman told me he would either get in the way or become some sort of liability. Besides, if I went off on my own, I could imagine four people in particular who wouldn't be happy about it. Venti expected us by the end of class, anyway.

I sighed. "Let's just head up before the wind current disappears and we have to look for the Anemogranum all over again. Are you ready to give gliding another try?"

"Amber likes gliding geniuses, right?"

"Ah, sure she does."

He puffed out his chest. "I'll go first."

I watched Huffman sling on his windglider and double-check the fastenings to make sure it wouldn't flop off a second time. Then, he walked directly into the wind current and only had to hop once before his windglider fully extended, carrying him high into the sky. I tracked him carefully, using a hand to shield my eyes from the wind as he became a vague blob. A steady vague blob. Good.

It was my turn, and I copied what Huffman had done. Just like that, we were back in business. Except, now I felt some pressure to hurry to the destination. There were a few students left in the air, but they were all well ahead of us. I leaned forward sharply, directing my windglider towards the beacon of light where Venti was waiting.

The weather wasn't nearly as dramatic as during the start of class, and I had enough faith in Huffman's gliding abilities that he wouldn't fall apart again. Or at least, not as terribly as he did the last time. My body still ached from the tumble, but I ignored the subtle pain and embraced the burn in my muscles from keeping my arms held out and windglider properly supported. Focusing my full attention on spatial awareness, I made use of the telltale signs of a wind current in the making.

The beacon of light grew brighter as I neared the beach, and I noticed figures gathered together in the same spot. One of them was jumping up and down, waving her arms in the air as if to signal me. A smile grew on my face as I embraced the breeze once last time before hovering above the sand.

I closed the wings of my windglider and dove into a safe roll onto the beach. Amber ran up to me as I brushed off sheets of sand from my clothes. The roll was a bad idea. I should have gone with an easy drop.

"Lumine! You finally made it." She looked more worried for me than proud of herself. "What took so long? One moment, you were gliding by my side, and then you were nowhere to be found!"

"I ran—flew into a bit of trouble. Then, I had to rescue Huffman."

"Huffman?" she gasped. "Is he alright? I don't see him with you."

"He's over there somewhere." I gestured to the few remaining specks in the sky. "We spent some time Anemogranum hunting and talked about…stuff. Say, what are your thoughts on Huffman?"

"He's pushy," she said dully.

I laughed.

"What?"

"Nothing," I shook my head. "Don't worry about it—or him. We'll just have to find someone else for you."

Her mouth popped open. "What do you mean? Lumine, don't make that face. That's my face."

"What's that I hear?" I cupped my ear with a hand. "Is that the sound of tables turning?"

"Oh, alright," she crossed her arms. "I was going to save this for later, but it'd be so much more fun to bring it up now."

I place my hands on my hips with a smirk. "And what might that be?"

"Not what," she chuckled. "Who."

I paled, dropping my hands. Not another.

"Ah, there you are!" Venti bounced over with a bottle in hand. A ruddy liquid splashed around inside, but I didn't remember him carrying that bottle at the start of class. "Lumine, Lumine, Lumine, I thought you would have been the first to land."

"I wanted to let Amber shine today."

"Yeah, right!" she pouted.

"I knew you two might have been competing despite my warning," he laughed. "This is good! I love to see it. Have you ever heard of the Grand Tournament? It's a fun little competition that the Academy hosts each year. There's always a major gliding component, and I have no doubt you two would crush it."

Amber's eyes widened. "A Grand Tournament? That sounds super cool. What do we win? Who can enter?"

I found it hard to muster up the same degree of surprise that Amber openly wore. Of course, I already knew what the Grand Tournament was, and I already knew the winner was awarded the title of Champion alongside a generous sum of riches. I expected Venti to say just that, but I doubted he would bring up the true history behind the tradition—if he knew at all.

"Anyone can enter," he grinned. "First-years through fourth-years, all students alike! No faculty or staff, of course. We're the ones who monitor the trials."

"Oh," she quieted. "I don't know if I'll stand a chance against the upperclassmen."

"I wouldn't quit just yet, ehe. Our last Champion was really something," Venti recalled. "He wasn't even an upperclassman, yet the third and fourth-years were constantly going toe-to-toe with the fella."

Hang on.

"The last Champion? As in from last year?" I stepped toward Venti, eager for confirmation.

"Uh," he looked at the bottle in his hand as if it had personally betrayed him. "Who?"

"The Champion," I repeated. "You said it was a he. Do you remember who he was?"

Venti scratched the back of his head. "Did I? I think I've had too much of this mystery drink I found half-buried in the sand. It's making me say the darndest things."

"Classic Venti," Amber smiled. "It's a wonder how you glide straight while drunk."

"Ehe, you know me." Venti winked and stuck out his tongue.

I stared at him, sensing something wasn't right. "That's not the only wonder."

"Would you look at the time?" Venti shot out his arm and pointed at his watchless wrist. "Class is nearly over."

Amber frowned. "But you said earlier we had enough time to listen to one of your songs on the lyre."

"There's been a slight change in plans. I just remembered we still need to go over the existence of wind hoops!" Venti avoided direct eye contact. "Wind hoops are quite rare, but you can find them after—ah, I can actually make a few right now! They'll guide us right back up the island, and you can be off to your next class."

I narrowed my eyes as he skipped away to inform everyone else.

"We should ask Childe about the Grand Tournament thing during dinner. I bet he'll have a lot to say about it." Amber hummed beside me. "That last Champion guy sounds pretty cool. I wonder who he is."

"You and me both."