Roxas, Jean, Diluc, and Venti were greeted with cheers and praise as they entered the gates of Mondstadt.
"They did it! They took down Stormterror!"
"I can't believe it! Mondstadt's finally safe again!"
"Roxas, you're amazing!"
The former Nobody greeted everyone with a wave and a smile, feeling slightly uncomfortable with all the attention.
"Roxas! You made it!"
Roxas's face lit up as he saw Noelle sprinting towards him at breakneck speed, still wearing the coat he'd given her.
Noelle practically leaped into his arms; Roxas managed to catch her and spin her through the air before setting her down and hugging her.
"Oh! I almost forgot!" Noelle took off Roxas's coat and returned it to him. "I believe this is yours. I...took the liberty of washing it earlier today."
Roxas accepted his coat and sniffed it. "Hey, it smells like roses."
It smelled like Noelle.
Roxas donned his coat, feeling its familiar warmth envelop him.
"So...you truly did have the means to face the dragon."
"Oh, hey, Kaeya." Roxas waved. "Didn't see you there."
Kaeya smiled. "In all seriousness, great job, Roxas. To bask in the presence of Mondstadt's new hero is quite the ego boost. And that's coming from a longtime Knight of Favonius."
"What are you plotting this time?" Paimon prodded.
"Me? Oh, nothing." Kaeya waved a hand dismissively. "I'm actually trying to figure out what others are plotting. That's why I'm here. It's somewhere...quiet. I can collect my thoughts better that way."
"What thoughts have you been collecting?" asked Roxas.
"The Abyss Order," replied Kaeya. "Or...should I say...the Heartless?"
"You knew?"
"Master Jean told me," said Kaeya. "And she said you know them well."
"Unfortunately."
"Well, here are my thoughts," said Kaeya. "A dragon wreaks havoc in the city, and the Acting Grandmaster leaves the city to combat the threat. That'd be the perfect time for the Abyss Order to send a frontal assault in the form of the Heartless, wouldn't it? Think about it, Roxas. If you were the Abyss Order, would you squander this absolutely golden opportunity by sending out nothing more than a few Hilichurls?"
"You're right..." Roxas agreed. "Something's not adding up here."
"Which is why I'm trying to get to the bottom of it," said Kaeya. "So I waited for their next move. Then came the day all hell broke loose in Stormterror's Lair...while you, Diluc, and Master Jean were out fighting him. And just as the Hilichurls' cries sounded outside the gates...I saw shadowy figures lurking in the city itself."
"Did they have yellow eyes?" Roxas asked.
"Some of them did, yes," replied Kaeya. "But most of them were actually Abyss Mages. So I approached them for a little...shall we say...fraternizing? I managed to gather some...interesting intel from them."
"What'd you find out?" asked Paimon.
"One thing that's very important," said Kaeya. "They're united under not one, but two leaders. And it was those leaders who devised the plot to turn Dvalin into a weapon of mass destruction at their beck and call."
"How the heck did you even get them to tell you that!?"
Kaeya laughed it off. "Let's just say I'm blessed with some...linguistic skills. But there's more. The leaders of the Abyss...have a name. They're called...the Prince and the Princess."
"Doesn't ring any bells to me," said Roxas.
"Now, I'm sorry to cut this reunion short," said Kaeya, "but I think Amber's headed this way. Probably still angry with me for being 'absent' during the attack. I'd best be going."
Kaeya rushed off towards the Knights of Favonius headquarters.
Amber scoffed. "One minute, I see Kaeya, the next minute he's gone. Clear sign of a guilty conscience."
"Hey, he does a lot behind the scenes," said Roxas.
"He'd say that exact thing to talk himself out of trouble," Amber chided. "But anyway, I'm exhausted...and hungry. Wanna grab a bite to eat?"
"Yeah...but I'm probably gonna get something to go," said Roxas. "There's a...certain spot I like to eat in."
"Oh, okay!" said Amber. "No worries, then." She turned to Sara, who was still running Good Hunter for the few people still looking for dinner. "One Sticky Honey Roast, please."
"I'll have the usual," Roxas added. "To go, of course."
"Alright," said Sara. "One Sticky Honey Roast and a to-go plate of Northern Smoked Chicken."
"Oh, Noelle! You're actually here."
Noelle looked over her shoulder, beaming when she saw Roxas join her atop the cathedral. "I just had a feeling I'd be able to see you up here, so I climbed up to the roof and waited for you."
Roxas sat down next to her and took a chomp of his chicken.
"Roxas?"
"Hm?"
"With Stormterror gone..." Noelle hesitated, "...what are you going to do now?"
Roxas thought for a moment while chewing the chicken in his mouth. "I...I think I'm going to leave Mondstadt for a while. I wanna explore the other seven nations, too. They've all got issues that need to be resolved, I'm sure."
"You...want to help them?"
"Yeah," replied Roxas. "That was my plan. I want to learn more about myself...about my heart...by helping others."
"That's a wonderful way to do that," Noelle praised. "See, Roxas...this is what I like about you. You help others indiscriminately, without expecting anything in return."
"Well...there's always something I want in return," replied Roxas. "Not physical stuff...but to know more about my heart."
"I...I guess this will be the last time we have dinner like this until you come back..." Noelle said wistfully.
"Hey." Roxas placed a hand on her shoulder. "I'm not gonna be gone forever. I'll come back and visit. But even when I don't...I'll always be with you. Right here."
He pointed to Noelle's chest, right where her heart was.
"You've got a strong heart, Noelle," he said. "One strong enough to give you the dedication you have to helping others. And...well, who knows? Maybe something else will notice the strength of your heart, too."
"What do you mean?"
"A strong heart isn't just what'll help you join the Knights," said Roxas. "With a heart like yours...you might be able to wield a Keyblade one day."
The cathedral shimmered as light from the morning sun poured through the stained glass windows. Roxas had gone inside to meet with Jean and Venti. It was time to return the Holy Lyre der Himmel to its rightful place.
"Roxas, this is Barbara, the Deaconess of the church." Jean gestured to a girl with blonde pigtails and bright blue eyes. "She's here to retrieve the Holy Lyre."
"May the Anemo Archon protect you." Barbara greeted Roxas with a voice sweeter than candy. "I'm...not really in any position to speak compared to our Acting Grandmaster, but I still want to thank you on behalf of all of Mondstadt. Thanks to your efforts, everything was resolved peacefully. I can't even begin to imagine how an all-out war between the military and the dragon would've ended..."
"And now the Fatui have no choice but to shut up," said Jean.
"Good," said Roxas. "They're probably super annoyed that things didn't work out the way they wanted."
"Right," Jean agreed. "And they lost their best excuse to pressure the Knights of Favonius. They gained nothing from a diplomatic standpoint, only proving how vexatious they can be."
"It certainly sounds like quite the story," Barbara mused. "So, did you bring the Holy Lyre with you? We cannot ask you to defend it permanently." She sighed. "The Seneschal has been pressing me for a while now."
"Oh, yeah, we've got it," said Paimon. "But, it's kinda...um...how does Paimon say this..."
"You don't have to worry, I'm not collecting rent," Barbara assured her. "The church has always received special funding."
"Oh, no, it's not that," said Roxas. He eyed Venti. "Show her."
Venti sighed, pulling out the broken Lyre from his pocket.
Barbara gasped. Her baby blue eyes widened as though they would pop out any second.
"The Holy Lyre!" Barbara cried. "Oh, Lord Barbatos..." she clasped her hands together, falling to her knees, "even if I atoned for these sins for the rest of my life, it still wouldn't be enough!"
Venti sighed. "Roxas, mind helping me out?"
Roxas nodded.
The Holy Lyre hovered just above Venti's hands. Roxas held out an arm, channeling light into the Lyre as Venti channeled Anemo energy. With the joined forces of white light and a calming green breeze, the Holy Lyre was good as new.
"Wha-!?" Barbara got to her feet, snatching the Holy Lyre and hugging it tight like an old friend. "But how!?"
"Let Paimon see!" the faerie demanded.
"No!" Barbara exclaimed. "I don't know how you fixed it, but I'm never letting you touch the Holy Lyre again!"
"Eh, fair enough." Roxas shrugged. "Don't think we'll be needing it again anyway."
"Good!"
Barbara left in a hurry.
"We...ah, we should be going," said Venti. "That trick I used to repair...let's just say it won't hold forever."
Roxas followed Venti out of the cathedral.
Two figures sprang from the shadows. A pair of Fatui agents prepared to slash Venti with their daggers.
Roxas noticed just in time, darting to the bard's aid and knocking the Fatui back with his Keyblades.
A blast of frosty wind nearly blew Roxas away. Venti's legs were encased in a prison of ice.
In bursts of white energy, familiar beings appeared between Roxas and Venti.
BGM: Organization XIII - Kingdom Hearts 2.5 ReMix
They were lesser Nobodies. Snipers, to be exact.
"Ah, at long last," crooned a woman's voice. "Mondstadt's rodent of a ruler, in the flesh."
Darkness appeared and pooled together to form a portal. A Corridor of Darkness, Roxas realized.
Someone emerged from the Corridor. A familiar man with a scarred face, white-streaked black hair, and an eye patch.
"Xigbar!?"
"Well, look who it is, Signora!" Xigbar guffawed. "If it isn't the traitor. It's Braig now, buddy. Got it memorized?"
"That's Lea's line!"
"Traitor, you say?" Signora sneered. "You have history with the Keyblade wielder?"
"That's a long story," Braig replied. "I'll tell ya later."
"Hm, very well." Signora approached Venti. "Scurrying through the streets, scrounging for leftovers...what a pathetic excuse for a god."
Venti strained against his icy prison. "Resident rodent...beats invasive vermin-"
Signora punched Venti across his face. "Don't talk back to me, insolent bard."
Roxas reared his Keyblades, only for the two Fatui agents from earlier to grab his arms and hold him in place. The Sniper Nobodies all trained their crossbows on him."
"Nice clothes," Venti quipped. "Did your mommy make 'em for you? Or did your one-eyed boyfriend?"
Signora gritted her teeth. "Should've held your tongue."
She reared her hand, thrusting an open palm into Venti's chest. Her arm pierced through, as though she were ripping out his heart.
A burst of green energy flashed as she pulled out her arm. "So...this is a Gnosis, isn't it?"
"It...It is..." Venti groaned. "Pretty...isn't it...?"
"As if!" Braig scoffed. "I wouldn't be caught dead wearing that thing!"
Signora sauntered up to the downed Venti, kicking him further to the ground. "We have what we came here for, Braig. Let us go, before our dear Favonian friends arrive. You still have that special coat, yes?"
"You got it." Braig handed her a black coat identical to both his own and the one Roxas wore.
Signora put on the coat as Braig summoned a Corridor of Darkness. The duo disappeared through the Corridor.
The Sniper Nobodies disappeared as one of the Fatui agents struck the back of Roxas's head, knocking him unconscious.
End BGM
"Ah, he's waking up!"
Roxas's eyes fluttered open as his head throbbed. "Ngh...what...what planet am I on...?"
"The same as before, don't worry," said Barbara.
"Wait..." Roxas recalled what had just transpired. "Venti! Where is he!? Is he okay!?"
"Um...I can't say for sure," replied Barbara. "I used my elemental powers to heal you after I found you and Venti unconscious out here. Venti woke up first, but my healing didn't work on him. That's never happened before, but he just said it was 'completely normal' and then left."
"Did he say where he was going?" asked Paimon.
"Something about 'the symbol of Mondstadt's hero,'" said Barbara. "I wanted to stop him, but my si-Master Jean told me to let him go. How strange..."
Windrise is connected to the Anemo Archon, Roxas pondered. So maybe Venti went there to recover.
"It feels like I only ever come here when things are going wrong..." Venti sighed. "Why don't I do this more often?" He turned around. "Ah! Roxas, I didn't see you there."
"Okay, I need to know." Roxas got straight to the point. "What the heck is a Gnosis? Is it your heart?"
"Ah, yeah...that." Venti sounded more downcast than usual. "This isn't something I can discuss with ordinary people, but, well, you're not exactly ordinary, are you? I suppose I'll let you in on my little secret."
"Okay, go."
"You know the Visions," said Venti. "They're external magical foci that only certain individuals can wield. In that regard, they're very similar to the Keyblade. Though Visions alone aren't necessarily weapons. They just channel elemental powers. In truth, any who hold a Vision can ascend to godhood and reach Celestia. I have a feeling that perhaps any Teyvatian Keyblade wielders may be the same. We call such people allogenes."
"Paimon's never heard of them before," said the faerie.
Venti laughed, closer to his usual demeanor. "That's because only Archons are supposed to know that. We don't need Visions. Instead, each Archon carries a Gnosis that resonates directly with Celestia."
"Then what about that thing on your hip?" Roxas pointed to the Anemo Vision attached to Venti's belt.
"Oh, this?" Venti looked at it. "It's a fake. I carry it around to avoid suspicion."
"So what about that Signora woman?" asked Paimon. "What's her deal?"
"Signora is number eight of the Fatui Harbingers," replied Venti. "She and the other ten Harbingers have been given almost godlike executive authority by Snezhnaya's ruler, the Tsaritsa, and with that came strength surpassing all other mortals. And yes, the Tsaritsa is one of the seven Archons, reigning over the frozen north from Zapolyarny Palace. The Harbingers all answer to her."
"What about that guy who called Roxas a traitor?" said Paimon.
"I can't say I know anything about him," replied Venti. "But I'm sure Roxas does."
Roxas sighed. "That was Xigbar, a member of Organization XIII. He goes by Braig now, and he called me a traitor because...because I was a member of the Organization. I was important to them because I can wield the Keyblade. Keyblades can extract hearts from both Heartless and from people. And it was the Organization's goal to gather millions upon millions of hearts to create a sort of replica of the center of all worlds: Kingdom Hearts. They would attain ultimate power...and become whole again. The Organization also commands creatures called Nobodies - empty shells without hearts resulting from when a strong heart is transformed into a Heartless. Because of their lack of a heart...Nobodies don't truly feel emotion...or even truly exist. And...it's not just the lesser beings that are Nobodies. The members of the Organization themselves are Nobodies, too. Their original hearts were just strong enough to the point where they remained somewhat human."
"So if the Organization people are Nobodies...and you were a member...does that mean you're a Nobody?" asked Paimon.
Roxas's face fell. "...I was. But I somehow developed a heart within my body...and I'm my own person now. So are the rest of the members of the Organization, actually. Even Braig. But it seems like he's still up to no good despite the Organization being gone. I don't think he's been made a Fatui Harbinger...but he's definitely working with them very closely. But enough about me...what about the Tsaritsa? What's her deal?"
"Well, the seven Archons don't always get along," said Venti, "but I never thought one Archon would plot to steal another's Gnosis."
"Was the Tsaritsa always such a jerk?" asked Paimon.
"I'm not sure," said Venti. "I knew her well a few centuries ago, but I can't say the same now. See, a catastrophe happened five hundred years ago, and afterward, she cut off all ties with me. But we can save that discussion for another time. Now that you've saved Mondstadt, what're you planning now?"
"If the Tsaritsa stole your Gnosis," replied Roxas, "chances are she'll probably go for the other Archons', too. I'm going to head to the other seven nations to warn them."
"That sounds like a plan," said Venti. "I'd advise heading for Liyue. It's not far from Mondstadt."
"Oh, I went there the other day, actually," said Roxas. "Great views on the mountains."
"Heh, can't help but agree there," Venti mused. "Anyway, the Geo Archon reigns over Liyue personally, unlike me. But the people only see him once a year, at the Rite of Descension, which is when he gives his divine predictions. That sets the course of the economy for the coming year."
"Seems like he works a lot harder than you," Paimon teased.
"Heh, you're not wrong." Venti adjusted his hat. "By the way, if you want to meet the Geo Archon, you've gotta get to the Rite of Descension. It happens tomorrow afternoon, so I'd advise heading out as soon as you can. If you miss it, you'll have to wait another year."
"What!? Why didn't you say that earlier!?" Roxas stopped leaning against the large tree. "Paimon, we're heading to Liyue!"
"Wait, one moment." Venti stopped him.
Roxas turned around.
"Roxas," said Venti, "as you set off on your journey, do not forget your reason for it. I have a feeling that there is more to this than just aiding the seven Archons."
"You're right." Roxas nodded. "I'm on a journey of self-discovery, learning more about myself by helping others."
"Yes," said Venti. "This journey on which you're about to embark - and all that comes with it - it'll all be a part of your heart. The birds, the songs and the cities, your best friends and your worst enemies...all of that will become a part of you. The closer you grow to understanding your light, the greater your darkness becomes. But don't use the light as a crutch, and don't give in to the darkness. Find a balance within your heart. So don't rush it. Stop and smell the Windblumes every once in a while."
"I understand," said Roxas.
"Then you'd best be off," Venti advised. "But don't forget to say goodbye to Noelle."
He winked.
BGM: Destiny's Union - Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep
"Hey, Noelle."
"Roxas? Oh, you haven't left yet!" Noelle smiled. "I was worried I wouldn't get the chance to-"
She was cut off when Roxas threw his arms around her and pulled her close.
"O-Oh...you're leaving now?"
Roxas nodded. "Yeah. But...this isn't a goodbye. It's more of a...'see you later, alligator.'"
"Heh..." Noelle sniffled. "You know...I don't know why...but something in my heart just...gravitates towards you, like a moth to a brand new lamp. Perhaps it's because you're almost like a lamp. You're a beautiful glow, shining even in the deep darkness of night."
"But I'm not just light," said Roxas. "I'm darkness, too. You can't have one without the other. Light without darkness is blinding, and darkness without light is an endless void. I don't want to be one or the other. I want to be a balance of both."
"Your Keyblades certainly reflect that," Noelle remarked. "Speaking of which...I wanted to give you something."
Noelle pulled away from the hug. "I...I was doing some reading in the library yesterday, and I found a book on the Keyblade. I found out that the chain and the pendant on the end aren't just for show."
Roxas nodded. "They're what give the Keyblade its form," he said. "Changing the keychain changes the Keyblade...sort of. It's still the same Keyblade, but with a different appearance and often a different function or strength."
"I...wasn't exactly sure what would constitute a keychain worthy of a Keyblade," said Noelle, "but...I made this in the hopes that it would be useful to you."
She handed him a keychain with a shining emblem of a rose attached to it.
"You made this yourself?"
Noelle nodded. "You...said you liked handmade things, didn't you?"
"I...I love it...thank you."
Roxas hugged her again.
He let her go, summoning Oathkeeper and swapping its normal keychain for the one Noelle had given him. In a flash of light, Oathkeeper's blade grew in length to the size of a greatsword. It was substantially heavier; Roxas had to use both hands to carry it.
The light died, revealing a Keyblade that resembled a thin-bladed greatsword with a blade wrapped in a thorny stem. The teeth of the Keyblade looked like a beautiful rose with petals colored like the sweetest red wine.
"It's amazing..." said Roxas. "It'll take some getting used to, but I might be able to use this in certain situations. Did you come up with a name for it?"
"I did learn that Keyblades are usually named," replied Noelle, "but I didn't think to come up with one. Actually, what are your Keyblades called?"
"Oathkeeper and Oblivion," said Roxas. "The one I put the keychain onto is Oathkeeper. But this one..." Roxas hefted the new Keyblade, "...I think I'll call it 'Dutiful Rose.'"
"That sounds wonderful," said Noelle.
Roxas dismissed Dutiful Rose, reaching out to hug Noelle again.