The silence in the Lanes Between was pierced by the roar of engines. A sleek black aircraft with a white stripe down the middle cruised through the space between worlds, piloted by a lone Keyblade Wielder.

"'May your heart be your guiding key.' What does that mean?" Roxas thought aloud. "Master Yen Sid always says that right before any of us leave for something, but it's gotta have some kind of hidden meaning."

On the surface, it was a fancy way of telling someone to follow their heart, but was there something else to the phrase? Roxas wasn't sure, but it was all he'd been thinking about since Twilight Town had disappeared from the radar map on his Gummi Ship.

That same radar map suddenly beeped, catching Roxas's attention. There was a world dead ahead; this one wasn't registered in the extensive maps of the Lanes Between.

Roxas felt something - a sort of gravitation towards this unknown world. The gravitation was not physical, as he could feel it in his chest.

His heart.

Roxas knew what to do. A few button presses set his Gummi Ship on autopilot with a set course to land in this world.

"You! Over there! Blonde guy with the black coat! Help!"

Roxas didn't hesitate to leap onto a rock in the water to assist the drowning sprite. He summoned Oblivion and grasped it by its blade, careful not to cut himself. The sprite grabbed Oblivion's hilt and allowed Roxas to pull her to safety.

"Whew! Thank you so much! Paimon really owes you for that one!"

"Paimon?" Roxas eyed the floating sprite, who gestured to herself.

"Oh, that's your name. Nice to meet you."

"So what's your name, stranger?" asked Paimon.

"I'm Roxas."

"Roxas...Paimon's never heard a name like that, but it sounds really cool!" said Paimon. "You're not from around here, right?"

Roxas shook his head. "I'm not even sure where 'here' is."

"Wait, Paimon gets it now!" said the sprite. "You're from another world, right?"

"H-How do you know about the worlds?"

Paimon shrugged. "Almost everyone here in Teyvat does! It's just a bit of a taboo conversation subject, that's all."

"Oh, okay."

"Hey, Roxas." Paimon flew close to his face. "Since you're not from this world...Paimon will be your guide!"

"You'd do that?"

"Sure!" Paimon gave him a warm smile. "It's the least Paimon could do after you saved her life!"

"Well...alright, I accept."

"Then it's settled! Paimon won't let you down!"

Roxas grinned at her. "I'm counting on you."

"Come on!" said Paimon as she flew towards a gully. "There's a city this way!"

"So...Roxas," said Paimon. "Why'd you come to Teyvat?"

Roxas hesitated. "It's a long story, but I'm on a...personal trip. To learn more about myself, I guess."

"Oh, okay!" Paimon didn't ask any further questions as she guided Roxas toward a distant city with towering windmills.

"Hey, what's that statue over there?" Roxas pointed to a nearby statue, depicting a hooded figure with wings holding a glowing green orb.

"That's a Statue of the Seven!" Paimon replied. "There are seven Archons - gods - here in Teyvat, each one having one nation. We're in Mondstadt, the land of Barbatos, god of the wind. He's also called the Anemo Archon."

As she said that, Roxas felt a cool breeze anoint his face. "What's Anemo?"

"The element of the wind," said Paimon. "There's also Geo, Electro, Dendro, Hydro, Pyro, and Cryo."

"So, if Anemo is wind...that means Geo is earth, Electro is lightning, Hydro is water, Pyro is fire, Cryo is ice, and Dendro is..."

"Grass, nature, that sort of stuff," Paimon finished.

"Oh, okay."

"Hey, you!"

Roxas stopped in his tracks as Oathkeeper and Oblivion appeared in his hands.

A young woman - a little older than Roxas - leaped from the trees and landed with a graceful somersault, her chocolate brown hair flowing behind her in the breeze. She had a recurve bow strapped to her back.

"May the Anemo Archon protect you, outlander!" the red-clad brunette said firmly with a hand on her hip. "I am Amber, and as an Outrider for the Knights of Favonius, I welcome you to the land of freedom, Mondstadt!"

"I'm Roxas," said the former Nobody, dismissing his Keyblades.

"Hmm..." Amber thought for a moment. "Doesn't sound like any local name to me."

"What'd you expect?" said Roxas. "You said it yourself, I'm not from around here."

"I guess I did," said Amber. She turned to Paimon. "And this...mascot. What's its deal?"

"Paimon is not a mascot!" the sprite exclaimed, stomping her foot onto a nonexistent surface.

"Oh, that's just my emergency food supply," Roxas joked with a wry smirk.

"That's even worse!"

"So, you're traveling partners?" asked Amber.

"More or less," replied Roxas.

"Well, bad news," said Amber. "There's a massive dragon that's been on the loose lately. You'd best get to safety as soon as you can."

"I can handle myself," said Roxas.

"That's what everyone who can't handle themselves says," Amber refuted. "Besides, the city isn't far. I can walk you there...if you're willing to do me a small favor."

Roxas shrugged. "Sure, I'm game."

"Great! Just follow me."

Amber led Roxas and Paimon further down the path.

"So...Roxas, right?" said Amber. "What brings you to Mondstadt?"

Paimon answered for him. "He's traveling the world on a journey of self-discovery!"

"Yeah," said Roxas. "And the whole emergency food thing was a joke. Paimon's actually with me as a guide after I saved her from drowning."

"He used this weird, dark-looking key to pull Paimon out of the water," Paimon added. "I think he took it out again when he heard you coming."

"A dark key?" Amber tilted her head.

Roxas summoned Oblivion and Oathkeeper. "They're called Keyblades," he said.

"I've never heard of a key-shaped sword before," said Amber. "Let alone someone carrying two of them."

"They're pretty effective," Roxas pointed out.

"Actually, that may be a good thing," Amber realized.

"What do you mean?"

"You'll see. This way!"

Roxas followed Amber up a hill. The Outrider suddenly grabbed the sleeve of Roxas's coat and dragged him into a bush with her.

"What was that for?" said Roxas.

Amber put a finger to her lips. "Shh! You want those Hilichurls to hear you?"

"Hilichurls?"

Amber pointed. "Those things over there."

Roxas saw an encampment filled with strange masked monsters.

"Those things have been getting way too close to the city," Amber sighed. "I came out here to clear them out, and I was on my way to do that when I ran into you."

"I can take 'em." Roxas cracked his knuckles.

"Are you sure?"

Roxas nodded. "I've handled worse. How bad can they be?"

"Alright...go get them."

Roxas sprang from the bush as Oblivion and Oathkeeper appeared. Before one Hilichurl could signal his presence, Roxas ran it it through with Oathkeeper. He reared his right arm and hurled Oblivion at an archer Hilichurl. The two Keyblades reappeared in his hands and he darted in for the kill on the remaining two.

"Wow!" said Paimon as she and Amber emerged from the undergrowth. "Roxas, that was amazing!"

Roxas dismissed Oathkeeper and spun Oblivion like a baton before doing the same with it. "Didn't even break a sweat."

"You definitely surprised me there," said Amber. "That move you did where you threw one of your Keyblades at the archer Hilichurl was really clever."

"Gotta think on the spot," Roxas pointed out. "How'd those things end up so close to the city?"

"Normally they're a lot further out," said Amber. "But because that dragon - Stormterror - has been out and about a lot more, our orchards have been destroyed."

"That's gotta hurt the economy," Paimon mentioned.

"Oh, it has," said Amber. "When the storms blow through because of Stormterror, there's usually a few injuries, so the Knights of Favonius have been...pretty tied up with helping people and defending the area. That said, this area should be a little safer now, thanks to Roxas absolutely tearing those Hilichurls to shreds."

That elicited a small laugh from the Keyblade Wielder in question.

"And here we are!" said Amber. "The city of wind, wine, dandelions, and freedom...outlanders Roxas and Paimon, welcome to Mondstadt!"

Roxas looked around. "Sure is lively here," he deadpanned sarcastically.

Amber sighed. "Everyone's been tense because of Stormterror recently," she said. "But as long as Jean's around, everything'll be ay-okay!"

"Who's Jean?" asked Paimon.

"The Acting Grandmaster of the Knights of Favonius. Jean - the Dandelion Knight."

"Kind of a weird title, but alright," Roxas muttered.

"With Jean on our side," Amber continued, "Stormterror is nothing to worry about."

"She definitely sounds strong," Roxas agreed.

"And that she is," said Amber. "Now, before I take you guys to the Knights of Favonius headquarters...Roxas. I have a present for you. You can think of it as thanks for clearing out those Hilichurls."

"What?!" said Paimon. "Why doesn't Paimon get a present?"

"Well," replied Amber, "you won't have any use for this reward. But...I can treat you to some Sticky Honey Roast later. It's a Mondstadt delicacy."

That seemed to calm her down, as Paimon's mouth began to water.

Amber turned back to Roxas. "Follow me, if you don't mind. We'll need higher ground for this."

"Here it is!" Amber handed her gift to Roxas. "This is a Wind Glider!"

Roxas accepted the Wind Glider from Amber, but then remembered something. "Hey, remember how you said this reward wouldn't be of any use to Paimon? Well...it may not be that useful for me, either. I've already got something that can let me fly."

Amber looked disappointed. "Oh...sorry."

"No, no, it's fine," said Roxas. "I should've told you earlier."

"You wouldn't have known to tell me," Amber pointed out, seemingly cheering up a little. "Besides, I wanna see that thing you use to fly. But...then again, I feel bad for not being able to repay you for clearing out those Hilichurls..."

"Don't worry about it." Roxas put a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Really. It wasn't any trouble. I mean, you're supposed to help your friends with things, right?"

"Um...guys?" said a worried Paimon. "Is it just Paimon, or is the wind getting really strong...?"

What was once a pleasant summer breeze had evolved into gale-force winds howling past Roxas's ears as storm clouds blanketed the sky.

A colossal reptilian beast roared through the air with its three sets of wings, swooping dangerously low. Dark tornadoes began to form in the streets of Mondstadt as unfortunate civilians who happened to be outdoors ran for their lives.

"Uh, Roxas, now might be a good time for that flying thing you mentioned!" Amber said hurriedly.

"Right!" Roxas held out his hand, and in a flash of light, a somewhat familiar vehicle appeared. It was not his Gummi Ship; it was something akin to a hovering bicycle armed with laser cannons. Roxas recalled from his time inside Sora; he'd seen Riku driving it during the final battle against Xemnas.

Roxas ran forward and leaped onto the hovercraft he'd affectionately called his "Naught Glider" and took to the skies to quell Stormterror.

"Hey, ugly!"

Stormterror let out an earsplitting roar as Roxas provoked it. It went for a charging bite, chomping nothing but air as Roxas sped away and managed to get behind Stormterror's back. His thumbs held down a pair of buttons on the handlebars. A stream of white lasers burned through the air and peppered Stormterror's back. The dragon screamed in agony.

Back down on the ground, Amber heard a familiar voice. "What's happening here?!"

"Kaeya!" shouted Amber. "Look up there!"

Amber pointed skyward, showing Kaeya the fight going on between Roxas and Stormterror. The Outrider turned to Paimon. "Do you have any idea where he got that thing?"

Paimon shrugged. "Paimon just met him barely an hour ago, your guess is as good as Paimon's."

Up in the sky, Roxas barely managed to evade a sweeping claw from Stormterror, who roared in anger at Roxas's tenacity. "Aw, too slow to catch me?" Roxas jeered. "Just give up already, lizard lips!"

Roaring again, Stormterror let off a blast of wind with a sweep of its wings, sending Roxas off his Naught Glider and plummeting to the ground below.

Amber gasped. "Roxas!"

Luckily, Roxas broke his fall with a quick Aeroga spell.

"Flowmotion!"

A violet aura surrounded his body as he darted across the street to a nearby lamppost, using that lamppost to fling himself back into the sky and summon his Naught Glider. From there, it was rinse and repeat in his battle with Stormterror.

"How the heck did he do that?!" Paimon exclaimed. "He not only survived a fall that definitely would've killed him, but then he managed to get himself back into the sky without that bike thing!"

As Roxas continued to play a deadly game of cat-and-mouse with Stormterror, a foreign voice entered his head. Y'know, I was gonna help you fly had you taken that Wind Glider, but I guess you didn't need it in the end!

"What the-" said Roxas. "Who are you? Why the hell are you in my head?!"

The voice didn't respond.

"That was weird." Roxas kept his fire focused on Stormterror.

Unable to deal with any more of Roxas's attacks, Stormterror roared as it shot off into the skies like a missile.

Satisfied, Roxas swerved his Naught Glider towards the ground, drifting into a landing and dismissing it as he jumped off.

"Roxas!" Amber exclaimed hurrying over and gripping his shoulders. "A-Are you hurt?"

"No, I'm fine, are you hurt?" Roxas replied.

"I'm good," said Amber.

Someone cleared their throat.

Roxas turned to see a darker-skinned man with blue hair and an eye patch approaching with slow applause. "So...you have the means to face the dragon. But...are you a new ally...or a new storm...?"