"Jean, what's the hurry? They said they'd be here soon." Lisa closed a thick book and slid it back onto a crowded shelf.

"I know." Jean sighed. "But those sightings of Stormterror outside the walls...as soon as we meet, we must-"

"Oh, relax," Lisa chided. "I'll lend a hand when the time comes."

A door opened. "Master Jean. Lisa. We're here."

Kaeya entered the library with Outrider Amber in tow, along with two unfamiliar faces. One was a small floating fairy creature, and the other was a black-clad blonde with some sort of strange aura about him.

"Ah, good," said Jean. "And you've brought them."

"...I see." Jean turned to the two outlanders in the room. "Welcome to Mondstadt, key-bearing travelers."

"Oh, no, Roxas is the one with the Keyblades," said Paimon.

Roxas nodded, summoning Oathkeeper and Oblivion for Jean to see.

"Fascinating," said the Acting Grandmaster. "I've only ever read about the Keyblade in books and fairy tales, but...to think it's actually real..."

"Jean?" Lisa prodded. "You're spacing out again."

Jean snapped back to reality. "O-Oh! Sorry."

Lisa turned to Roxas and Paimon. "So, you sweeties are gonna help us out?"

"Yeah." Roxas chose to ignore Lisa's flirting. He was much too young for her, after all.

"Oh, good," said Lisa. "Because the elemental sphere and ley lines in Mondstadt are more tangled up than a yarn ball after a kitten's done playing with it. And I'm a mage, so that means my skin is one particle away from a full-on breakout."

"I can help," Roxas offered. "After all, I'm here on a journey of self-discovery, aren't I? Maybe I should learn more about myself by helping others."

"That's a good way of thinking," Jean complimented.

"Learned from a friend."

"Anyway," said Kaeya, "we need a plan."

"Agreed," said Jean. "With Stormterror's more direct attacks, we may be able to cut off this problem at the source."

"Yes," Lisa added. "I've managed to reveal the sources of its power with some magic of mine. They lie in the old Four Winds Temples, but only three of them."

"Then our objective will be to take care of the three that house those sources," said Jean.

"Actually," Roxas interjected. "I can try taking care of them myself."

Kaeya looked intrigued. "Oh? Getting overconfident, are we?"

"He has every right to be," Paimon refuted. "You should've seen him tear up those Hilichurls earlier."

"The ones I went to go clear out," Amber added. "I ran into Roxas and Paimon on the way to the Hilichurls' camp, and Roxas offered to take care of them. And then he took care of them in, like, thirty seconds, tops."

"The Four Winds Temples have been abandoned for centuries," Jean pointed out. "They're likely crawling with monsters."

"And?" Roxas prodded.

Jean sighed. "I'm saying it's too dangerous for you to go alone."

"Come on, just trust me on this. Hey, look, if it makes you feel any better, I'll come back here and ask for backup if things get dicey."

"He makes a good point," Lisa said to Jean. "I trust him, don't you?" Lisa looked at Roxas rather closely. "I see a warrior in those eyes. A warrior who's gone through a lot of hardship and come out on top."

"Okay," Jean said, finally caving. "Roxas, if you're sure you know what you're doing, I'll let you fly solo."

Roxas nodded. "I won't let you down, Master Jean."

"Keep in mind that time is against us," Jean said to everyone present. "The storm is growing more rampant by the minute. There's no point in playing defense anymore."

"Paimon had a feeling we should've brought Amber," Paimon sighed. "Her Pyro Vision would come in handy right now."

"Vision?"

"You don't know what a Vision is?!" Paimon exclaimed. "You saw Amber's, right? It's that little orange gem on her hip, the one that glows! There's a Vision for each of the seven elements, and gifted people with strong ambitions can get one."

"Oohhh, I get it," said Roxas. "But, we don't need Amber's help. I've got fire of my own."

"What do you mean?"

"Observe." Roxas summoned Oblivion and pointed it at the thorny vines obstructing the path. "Firaga!"

A ball of flame shot from Oblivion's tip and burned away the thorns.

"Oh, wow!" said Paimon. "You really came prepared!"

"I've got stuff similar to most of the other seven elements, too," said Roxas. He jumped down from a higher floor into a lower room, killing a Hilichurl before it could react in time.

A loud horn resounded from elsewhere in the temple. "Oh, great!" Paimon said sarcastically. "You must've alerted them! Get ready!"

"I've got it!"

A group of about ten Hilichurls rushed into the room, pointing at Roxas as if commanding each other to go kill him. Another monster came in behind them: a bigger, more muscular version of a Hilichurl. Paimon gasped. "That's a Mitachurl! Roxas, be careful!"

Roxas managed to tear through the Hilichurls with ease, but the Mitachurl's endurance and durability gave him some problems. It was tedious, but Roxas managed to take the titan down.

Paimon floated over. "Honestly, I don't even know why I was worried."

"Now, how in the name of Kingdom Hearts do we get up there? Oh, wait!" Roxas summoned his Naught Glider, grabbed Paimon, and flew up to the other side of the large gap. "Easy!"

"Paimon thinks normally you'd have to activate that Pyro Monument back there to trigger something that would help you get up here," said Paimon, "but you really thought of everything, huh?"

"Rule number one of world-hopping," said Roxas. "Don't pack lightly. Never pack lightly."

"Hey, look over there!" Paimon pointed. "That might be what's drawing power from the temple for Stormterror!"

"Not if I can help it!" Roxas summoned Oblivion and hacked the cyclone-engulfed crystal to pieces.

Paimon blinked. "Wow...that was quick."

"We've got two more temples to go." Roxas dismissed Oblivion.

"That girl's in trouble!"

Paimon pointed to a silver-haired girl in armor and a maid's outfit battling a horde of Hilichurls and Slimes with a claymore. Suddenly, more monsters appeared: creatures of shadow, with beady yellow eyes.

Roxas gasped, gritting his teeth as he summoned Oathkeeper and Oblivion. "Heartless!"

"Those shadow things?" asked Paimon.

Roxas nodded. "They fear the Keyblade because it's their one true weakness."

"Well, get down in there and help maid-knight already!"

Roxas leaped into the lower room and stood firm between the maid-knight and the horde of enemies. "Leave 'em to me!"

White light trailed behind him as he darted through the horde, slashing at them all the while. Roxas leaped into the air and swung his Keyblades in a circle, taking down an entire swath of flying Anemo Slimes. The Hilichurls and Heartless (Neoshadows, to be exact) all fell to Oathkeeper and Oblivion.

Roxas dismissed his Keyblades and turned to the maid-knight girl. "You okay?"

"Oh, yes, I'm fine!" replied the maid-knight. "But that was simply amazing!"

"What?"

"The way you defeated all those monsters, of course!" said the maid-knight. "You're just like Master Jean! Oh...wait, you know of her, right?"

Roxas nodded. "I met her earlier."

"Oh, you did?!" the maid-knight exclaimed. "I'll be honest, I'm a bit envious, but I'm happy for you at the same time. I look up to Master Jean very much. Oh! Where are my manners, I never told you my name! I'm Noelle, maid of the Knights of Favonius."

"Roxas, Keyblade-wielding outlander." Roxas did a double take. "Wait, the Knights have maids?"

"A few, yes," said Noelle. "But I'm training to become a knight myself!"

"That would explain the armor," Paimon said as she floated over.

"Oh, anyway," said Noelle, "you said your weapons were called 'Keyblades', right?"

Roxas nodded. "Yeah."

"I-I hope you don't mind, but..." Noelle hesitated, "may I...see them?"

"...Sure, why not?"

Roxas summoned Oathkeeper and Oblivion, holding both out to Noelle. The maid took Oathkeeper from him, examining the ornate Keyblade before giving it a few test swings. Suddenly, Oathkeeper disappeared from her hand and returned to Roxas's. "Do they do that?"

"Yeah," said Roxas. "They only stay in the hands of their chosen wielder."

"And you were chosen by not one, but two Keyblades!" Noelle exclaimed. "That means you had to be worthy of wielding two, right?"

"Well..." Roxas trailed off, "it's...a long story. And a complicated one, too."

"Oh, I don't mind at all!" Noelle assured him. "If you wouldn't mind me accompanying you, you can tell me the story as we travel through the temple."

"Wait a minute," Paimon interjected. "Noelle, what are you doing in here anyway?"

"I was searching for cabbages for some farmers in Springvale," Noelle replied. "I remember that Hilichurls tend to keep crates full of it in their camps and that the Four Winds Temples have a lot of Hilichurls, so I came in here looking for them."

"Wait, wait, wait," said Roxas. "You...came in here...and risked your life...for cabbages?!"

"Well, they aren't going to bring themselves back to Springvale, aren't they?"

Roxas put a palm to his forehead. Man, what is with her?

"We should be able to ride that wind current with our Wind Gliders," said Noelle. "Wait, Roxas, do you have one?"

Roxas shook his head. "Don't need it."

"Right," said Paimon. "Roxas has this thing that lets him fly. He can ride on it and it shoots lasers at things! He even used it to repel Stormterror when it attacked Mondstadt."

Noelle gasped. "That was you?!"

"Yeah."

"You grow more and more amazing by the second, Roxas!"

Noelle unfurled her Wind Glider and jumped into the artificial updraft, riding the wind to the top of the nearby wall. "Up here, Roxas!" she called.

Roxas closed his eyes, surrounding himself in a violet aura as he called upon Flowmotion. He darted from wall to wall, bouncing higher and higher until he reached the top alongside Noelle.

"And here I thought I'd seen everything you can do!" Noelle commended. "You're just incredible!"

"Noelle, I have known you for not even fifteen minutes, and you've given me more compliments than every friend I've ever had combined. And...well, that's saying a lot."

"Well, what about you isn't something to compliment?" said Noelle.

I could name a mile-long list of things, Roxas thought, deciding against saying it aloud.

"Roxas, may I ask you something?"

Roxas cut down a Hilichurl. "Go ahead."

"You...don't seem to have a Vision, right?" Noelle inquired. "Yet you can still use elemental energy."

"It comes from the Keyblade," said Roxas. "Instead of having a lot of power in one element, Keyblades let their wielders use a whole bunch of elements. And there are even a few that Vision wielders can't use. Like gravity and time. But...there's one element most Keyblade wielders can't use, and that's Geo. If I'm not mistaken, your Vision is Geo, right?"

Noelle nodded. "Yes...and, well, I've always wondered why mine is of Geo, of all things. I mean, I'm aspiring to be a Knight of Favonius, and Geo is the furthest thing from Anemo..."

"Why would that matter?" said Roxas. "I'm sure there's at least one other Knight who has a Geo Vision."

"Oh, yes, there is!" Noelle remembered. "That would be Albedo, the Chief Alchemist. Perhaps having a Geo Vision isn't what's keeping me from becoming a Knight..."

"Well, what have you been doing to become a Knight?"

"I've been training very rigorously every day!" Noelle replied. "And I've been studying chivalry, too. Both strength and chivalry are core principles of knighthood."

"What's your training routine?" Roxas asked.

"Oh, just some basic strength and endurance," said Noelle. "A hundred push-ups, a hundred sit-ups, a hundred squats, and running two laps around Mondstadt as a morning routine."

Roxas nearly fell over from shock. "And you call that basic?!"

"Oh, is it not enough?" Noelle said worriedly.

"No, that's not it, it's way too much!" Roxas exclaimed. "You...should probably cut down on that. You'll tire yourself out."

"Oh, it's not so hard!" Noelle assured him. "I find it quite easy."

Just how built is this girl?! Roxas mentally screamed.

Roxas took a moment to compose himself. "Well...Noelle. Maybe what you need isn't strength or chivalry - well, okay, those are important - but you already seem to be good at both."

"Then...Then what do I need?" asked Noelle.

Roxas slowly approached Noelle, placing a hand on his chest. "A strong heart."

"H-How do I know if my heart is strong?"

A pause from Roxas. "...To be honest, I'm not sure. It's...not really something you find out, but something those around you notice. I'm...still learning about my own heart."

"Why?" asked Noelle. "Surely no one knows your heart better than you do."

"That's...not entirely true," said Roxas. "And the reason why is a long story. But...right now, I've got some business to take care of in here. You got what you came for, right?"

Noelle nodded. "Yes, I believe I have all the cabbage."

"Then you should probably head out," Roxas advised.

"Oh, but I can't bear to leave you in here alone!" Noelle said, her voice filled with sorrowful concern.

Roxas placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Hey, I can handle myself."

Noelle sighed. "If you say so...but, if you don't mind...could we meet up again once you're done in here? I'd...I'd like to get to know you more."

Roxas smirked. "It's a date."

"Roxas, in there!" Paimon pointed. "See that crystal?"

Roxas nodded. "And I don't want to see it." He rushed forward with Oathkeeper and Oblivion, shattering the crystal with the dual Keyblades.

From the corner of the room, Roxas heard a distorted cackle. He turned towards it, seeing a strange masked figure hover out from behind a pillar. Its chest bore a blue Heartless emblem.

"What the-" Roxas readied his Keyblades. "You're a Heartless?!"

The Heartless (mage?) chanted some sort of incantation, sending blades of compressed water at Roxas. The former Nobody prepared to charge.

A barrage of flame interrupted his advance, nailing the Heartless in the forehead. A black-clad man with a red ponytail sprang through the doorway. He grabbed the Heartless by its mask and slammed it to the ground before picking it up again and hurling it into a wall. Roxas charged forward, beating the man to the kill and running his Keyblades through the Heartless's chest. A crystalline pink heart emerged from the dying Heartless.

"Didn't expect someone working with the Knights to actually be capable of doing crap," the redhead deadpanned.

"Who are you supposed to be?" Roxas asked.

"Ah, hello, old friend." Kaeya entered the room, smirking at the redhead. "Seems things are getting a lot more interesting than I thought..."

"Another gap, and the same old song and dance," said Roxas, summoning his Naught Glider and soaring over the gap with ease.

Man, what was with that Noelle girl? he asked himself. Why is she so...dedicated? Deep down, Roxas knew why. Just as Roxas's lifelong dream was to be his own person, so too was Noelle's to become a Knight. She's following her heart, Roxas realized. Her heart is what gives her that dedication...and my heart gives me mine.

"Hey, I'm back."

"Oh, hello, cutie," Lisa cooed. "Finally decided you needed help?"

"Nah," said Roxas. "I just wanted to ask you a few things. Besides, I'm already finished."

"Oh?" Lisa raised an eyebrow with intrigue. "Well then, ask away."

"About Stormterror," said Roxas. "Is it, like, a new threat, or...does Mondstadt have a history with it?"

"Well...both are true, in a way," replied Lisa. "It's never been hostile before, but Mondstadt does have a history with it. You know the temples, right?"

"The Four Winds temples? You mean the ones I've been clearing out?"

Lisa nodded. "You...You do know that Stormterror is only drawing power from three of the four, right?"

"Yeah," said Roxas. "Wait...you don't mean..."

Lisa nodded again. "Stormterror was one of the Four. It was known as Dvalin. But...now it's attacking Mondstadt."

"Why?" asked Roxas. "Why would it do that? Doesn't Mondstadt, like, worship the Four?"

"It...did," said Lisa, "but the Four Winds have sort of become antiquated over time. Dvalin...must've grown a hatred for Mondstadt because of it."

That hatred might've created darkness in Stormterror's heart, Roxas thought. And those sentient Heartless may have taken advantage of that...

"Roxas, over there! Some lady's waving at you!"

Roxas looked where Paimon was pointing. Sure enough, a woman with short black hair was waving at him from a booth in which she was standing. Shrugging, Roxas went over to speak with her.

"Ah, welcome to the Adventurers' Guild," said the woman. "I am Katheryne, and...I have had my eye on you for a while now."

"Ooh, Roxas, looks like you've got some attention from the ladies..." Paimon teased.

Roxas gently elbowed her. "Can it, or I will make you into my emergency rations."

Paimon stayed quiet.

"Being on the lookout for great adventurers is part of my job," said Katheryne. "And...when I look at you, I see a young man whose travels have taken him to places far beyond Teyvat...that is, to other worlds. I see within you the potential to rival the great adventurers of legends. Nevertheless, experience is far more precious to the adventurer than potential. You must grow in experience to rank up in the Guild. Now...time is of the essence. Allow me to brief you on-"

"Wait, wait, wait!" Roxas interjected. "I don't think I ever signed up for this!"

"Oh, do not worry," Katheryne assured him. "The Adventurers' Guild does not charge membership fees or impose any sort of harsh duties upon its members. In other words, there are no drawbacks and only benefits to joining the Guild."

"And what are those benefits, exactly?" asked Roxas.

"You are rewarded whenever your official Adventure Rank increases," said Katheryne. "If you wish to join, I can reward you with a new members' gift now, and more rewards will be given to you as you increase your rank. Actually, from all you've done so far, it seems you've already advanced several ranks ahead."

"Oh, okay, cool!" said Roxas.

Katheryne smiled at him, handing him a few golden coins (Mora, they were called) and other trinkets.

"Now, without further ado," said Katheryne, "please allow me to officially welcome you, our new avid adventurer, into the Guild! Here is your Adventurers' Handbook."

Roxas reluctantly accepted the handbook. "Looks more like an advertising pamphlet to me..."

"In a way, it is," said Katheryne. "But it does have a practical purpose, too. It is also proof of your membership. And with that, I believe that will do for today. Ad astra tenebris, Roxas! With effort and strength of heart, you shall reach the stars and conquer the darkness."