Book I: Anemo

Chapter 6: The Desolated Temple

The Temple of the Wolf. This was the destination Kaeya, Yun Jin, and I had been tasked with handling. Located a little over ten miles away from Mondstadt, the sun had nearly set by the time we finally reached the temple. We'd long since separated from Lisa's group, as the Temple of the Falcon they were dealing with was close to the city. I wouldn't be surprised if they had already finished up on their end by now.

Our trek had been made even harder with how crappy the path became the closer we got to the temple. In several places, the path had even been completely overgrown by grass. No one had come this way in years.

We drew to a stop at the entrance. Kaeya closed his eyes, sniffing the air. Yun Jin and I shared a look of confusion, and then he glanced back at us.

"Do either of you smell that?"

In my old life, discerning scents had never been one of my strong suits. Hopefully, this body was better. I tried to determine whatever Kaeya had smelled. After a few moments, a strange odor hit my nose. It was a charcoal-like smell, faint but noticeably different from the more natural scents it was buried amidst.

"Is something burning?"

"The scent of burnt Pyro Slimes," Kaeya confirmed, placing a hand on the hilt of his blade. "Something must have happened inside the temple. I imagine there will be all sorts of slimes, hilichurls, and whatever is giving Stormterror its extra power. It will be lively in there, indeed!"

Hilichurls. I'd heard the term a few times from Yun Jin and Bennett during our journey to Mondstadt. They had mentioned how odd it was that we hadn't run into any during our trip. From what I had gathered, they seemed to be Teyvat's version of goblins. I only hoped that they were nowhere near as bad as the goblins in Goblin Slayer.

"How dangerous do you think this will be?" Yun Jin asked, readying her spear.

Kaeya drummed his fingers against his sword's pommel. "Not that much. While it may be a bit busier inside than it normally is, I can't imagine that it would be too dangerous. After all, there aren't even any guards out here."

"So these hilichurls are just using this temple as a nice camp, then." Looking around, I could see a few footprints leading inside the temple. But it definitely seemed like a small group. Four, or perhaps five, humanoids.

"Indeed," Kaeya said and then sighed. "It's a pity that the Temple of the Wolf has been disturbed by such an atrocity. No one makes offerings to the Four Winds anymore, yet the old winds never vanish. We need to clear out the temple, for them."

I could agree with that. Even if I wasn't a personal follower of Mondstadt's religion, it was still a shame that a place like this had been left to monsters. With that said, why on earth were the shrines to what I could only assume were Mondstadt's tutelary deities abandoned? Were these Four Winds not important to the people of Mond anymore?

Kaeya walked up to the door, placing his hand against it. A low thrumming sound emanated from the stones, and the red energy coursing through and around the doorway transformed into a vibrant neon blue. When the entrance swung open, it revealed neither stairs nor a lift. Instead, a shimmering curtain of some strange substance filled the space. It was like staring into the night sky.

Before I even had the chance to ask any questions, Kaeya stepped forward and disappeared into the strange gateway. Yun Jin and I shared a glance and, with a nod, walked inside at the same time.

I wish I was able to describe what it felt like plunging through that starry void. But no words in any language could even come close to accurately describing the sheer otherworldly sensations that were passing through my body. I was in there for only a few moments, but it felt more like hours.

When my vision came back, Yun Jin and I were standing on a stone pathway, with Kaeya several feet ahead of us. My hand jumped up to my chest, clutching my shirt tightly. My body felt like it had suddenly been turned inside out and then back again, all in less than a second. I took deep breaths in an attempt to get over the shock. Next to me, Yun Jin nearly collapsed, held up only by using her spear to keep her upright.

Kaeya walked over, patting each of us reassuringly on the back. "Ah, forgot about that. The first time entering a domain can be quite the experience."

I half-heartedly glared up at him. That would have been nice to know before I stepped into that stupid portal. And we had to do this again for the third temple?

Trying to return to my senses, I began looking around.

The pathway we were on came to an abrupt end shortly behind where we had appeared. In that same direction, there were several ruined towers that may have once connected over here but were now unreachable without flight. Massive walls and arches of stone stretched up to form a ceiling. This whole place was underground. Despite that, it was strangely well-lit in here. Some of it was coming from nearby lanterns—which seemed magical in nature—but the rest looked almost like moonlight. The main structure of this temple spread out further into the cavern, though much of it looked ruined and grown over with vines. These vines carried another source of light in strange blue gems.

This was amazing. And this had been built how many years ago? The ancient people of Teyvat must have been incredible innovators.

Yun Jin soon regained her footing, and she also took a chance to marvel at our surroundings. "So this is what the inside of a domain looks like? Incredible."

I could practically see the notes she was writing in her head.

Kaeya gestured to the sole pathway in front of us, leading further into the temple. "Well then, let's get started."

Walking through the hallway, I noticed a strange structure off to one side. It was an extremely angular archway, as if a square had been stabbed into the ground. Vines wrapped around it, though they seemed to not be completely natural. As we got closer, the vines began glowing with a green light, and a strange warmth filled my body. Glancing over, I managed to catch Yun Jin's and Kaeya's visions pulse in sync with the glowing branches.

"It's a Door of Resurrection," Kaeya explained. "You often find them in domains. Staying near them can revitalize you due to the Dendro energy flowing through the vines."

So, a healing checkpoint, huh? Hopefully, that didn't mean there was a deadly boss battle up ahead.

Continuing on, the broken ceiling revealed a towering part of the temple. Kaeya pointed up at it.

"If I'm not mistaken, the end of the temple should be just up there."

"You can tell that from here?" I gave him a quizzical stare.

"After years of dealing with things like this for others, I've picked up a lot of experience."

Our conversation was interrupted by the sound of a scream. Kaeya tensed up and rushed forward. Yun Jin and I were quick to chase after him.

The pathway soon opened up and abruptly dropped off into a lower chamber. If there was a staircase here at one time, it had long since fallen to ruin. Sandwiched against one wall was a young man dressed in green garb. He was surrounded by strange humanoids wearing masks and holding clubs.

"Hilichurls," Kaeya said tersely, immediately drawing his sword as he leaped down.

He rushed to the nearest one, holding up his blade. His vision glowed. And with a quick thrust of his sword, a shower of ice shot out from the tip. It engulfed the nearest hilichurl, and it became frozen in an icy shell.

I shook off my surprise, leaping down into the foray as well. I raised my halberd and charged at the hilichurl closest to the strange man. With a heavy blow, the axe-head of the halberd cleaved deeply through the hilichurls shoulder and chest. It wasn't sharp enough to go clean through, but it went deep enough. The hilichurl collapsed to the ground. Black blood flowed from its wound into the shallow pool of water covering the ground.

"Kill you!" A strange voice reached my ears, and I turned around to see another hilichurl leaping at me.

Yun Jin was there to stop it. She appeared in front of me, vision aglow. Her Geo barrier exploded as the enemy's weapon made contact with it. The hilichurl was launched backward, but she didn't let up. Instead, she jabbed her spear forward. The still dazed hilichurl went lifeless as the blade pierced its heart.

Had it just been my imagination, or had that hilichurl…

Out of the corner of my vision, I saw the last hilichurl rushing towards Mister Green. I ran forward, swinging my halberd.

The tip of the spear-point just barely grazed the goblin-like creature's body. Despite the minor injury, it let out a terrible and loud scream. I used its shock to my advantage.

I didn't have enough time to get the halberd into a good position again. So instead, I lifted up my leg. Then, with all my strength, I slammed my foot into the hilichurl's abdomen. It crashed into the nearby wall with a violent thud, its club dropping to the ground. Before it could regain its bearings, I raised my weapon.

"Hurts! Hurts! It hurts! Scared! Scared! Scared!" The words unmistakably came from beneath the mask of my enemy. A child's voice.

My arms stopped.

The hilichurl lunged at me, pushing me to the ground. Dark, gnarled hands reached for and wrapped around my throat. Despite its small stature, the hilichurl was surprisingly strong. I struggled to push it off me as my airway was forcefully constricted.

I was saved when Kaeya's blade severed my would-be killer's head from its shoulders while Yun Jin's spear pierced its chest. Pushing the dead hilichurl off, I took deep breaths.

What… What was that?

"You okay?" Kaeya asked, his hand extended. I grabbed it, and he pulled me up.

I nodded, massaging my neck. I wouldn't be surprised if that hilichurl left some marks behind with how hard it was squeezing.

"Thanks for the save." I picked my halberd back up, flicking the blood off it.

Yun Jin approached me, a worried look crossing her features. "What happened? It looked like you just froze."

I frowned, recalling the voice of the hilichurl. "Yeah. I heard it speak. Its words, its tone… It sounded like a little kid."

To my surprise, both Kaeya and Yun Jin were looking at me like I was crazy.

"What are you talking about?" Yun Jin''s expression was concerned.

"Did you hit your head or something?" Kaeya asked as he cleaned off his blade. "Hilichurls barely have the mental ability to speak their own rudimentary language, let alone Teyvan."

My eyes widened. Had I been the only one to hear that hilichurl? There was only one thing I could think of that was the cause.

Sophia… Was this my translation thing at work?

#Answer. That is correct. As was explained before, any form of spoken communication is automatically interpreted.#

So I was right. I would normally love that. But not this time. I clenched my fist.

From everything I had been told, I'd expected hilichurls to just be the standard monsters of this world. I'd expected them to be little different than wild beasts. This revelation changed things. I could understand them… So what made them any different from other humans?

#Query. Would you like to turn off the automatic translation of the hilichurl language?#

I wanted to say yes. It would make things so much easier. But I couldn't just avert my eyes and pretend I hadn't found out about this.

No, Sophia. It's okay. Keep the translation on.

I'd figured the time would come when I would have to kill another sapient being to protect myself or someone else. I just didn't realize it would come so soon. But I couldn't let this knowledge hinder me.

I returned my attention to my companions and smiled. "I guess you're right. The adrenaline must have made me hear things."

I wouldn't burden them with this knowledge.

"Don't push yourself too hard." Kaeya patted me on the back, then turned to the young man we rescued. "And how about you, Jack? What on Teyvat are you doing here?"

The now-identified Jack shuffled nervously. "I was investigating the area around the temple, and I noticed that group of hilichurls outside the temple. I thought something might be up, so I followed them inside. But I got too close, and they discovered me…"

"You should have returned and given a report, or at least grabbed reinforcements. Entering the temple alone was foolish."

"I know. I just thought… If I could prove myself here, it would help my upcoming ranking test."

"You can't increase your ranking if you're dead." Kaeya crossed his arms, staring sternly at Jack, before sighing. "Well, what's past is past. Come on. We still have some business inside the temple, but we'll escort you out afterward."

Jack nodded silently, and Kaeya sheathed his blade. With a new temporary companion, we made our way further into the temple.

As we left the room, I glanced back at the bodies of the hilichurls. While I wasn't sure if they even had gods of their own, I offered up a short prayer for their souls. Hopefully, in their next life, they'd be able to find peace.

The path we were following eventually came to a dead end, but we were now just below the area Kaeya had said was the end.

"Looks like we're here." I looked around for a path. "What now?"

Kaeya stepped up towards the rising tower that we needed to ascend. As he got close, his hair and loose clothes blew upwards violently. He looked over his shoulder.

"Here we go. Time to put that wind glider to good use."

With that, a pair of wings sprung open from Kaeya's back, and he floated up to the higher level. Jack followed close behind him. I prepared to open my own wind glider but was stopped by a pull on the back of my shirt. I looked back to see a worried Yun Jin. And it didn't take long to figure out why.

She didn't have a wind glider.

I glanced up, then looked at Yun Jin. It should work… After all, Lumine had been able to do it for me. And I weighed a lot more than Yun Jin did.

"I have an idea," I told her, then gave her a sheepish smile. "Sorry about this."

"What are you—Eep!" Her question was cut off as I picked her up into a princess carry—the only suitable way to carry a lady, according to my sister—and walked over to the updraft.

"You ready?"

Her face was lightly flushed, and I tried my best to ignore how close our bodies were. This was made more challenging when she wrapped her arms around me and gripped tightly.

"Yes." Her voice was so quiet that it was almost a whisper, but I could still hear the tinge of embarrassment in her tone.

I'd get this over with fast.

My wind glider opened, the wind buffeting us as we ascended. Yun Jin's grip on me intensified, and I made sure to keep my hold on her strong. I refused to drop her.

When we reached the top, I quickly got my foothold on solid ground and let Yun Jin off. She brushed and fiddled with her clothes.

"…Thank you."

I nodded quietly in reply, not trusting myself to speak right now. Instead, I looked over to Kaeya, who was grinning slyly. I had to resist the urge to flip him off.

We continued forward, going deeper into the temple's heart. Along the way, we dealt with a group of pyro slimes and a few traps.

"You know, you two aren't bad fighters," Kaeya said to Yun Jin and me as we moved across a path he had frozen for us to get over some spikes. "We should have Jean grant you titles and make you knights."

Yun Jin smiled mirthfully. "As lovely as that sounds, I don't think that will work out for me. I am quite happy in Liyue."

Kaeya laughed. "I'm sure you are. Miss Yun-Han Dire—"

Whatever Kaeya had been trying to say, it was interrupted by Yun Jin leaping forward and pushing her hands over his mouth.

"Shh! Shh!" She exclaimed desperately, a pleading look in her eyes.

Meanwhile, Kaeya's words, even if they were probably made partially in jest, were occupying my thoughts.

A knight, huh? If my younger self had heard those words, he would have been over the moon. A smile tugged at my lips as I remembered those days, fighting imaginary monsters as the "Paladin of Hallowed Justice." Of course, I probably looked ridiculous pretending to fight random objects with a plastic blade and shouting things like "Purgation Sword!" But I couldn't help but look back on that time fondly. Things had been much simpler back then.

"What's so funny?" Kaeya waved a hand in front of my face—I must have been lost in thought.

I shook my head. "Nothing, really. Just reminiscing."

Kaeya had a quizzical look but shrugged his shoulders. Whether he believed me or not, I couldn't tell.

"Anyway," Yun Jin spoke up, "there's something I have been wondering. Why are the sources of Stormterror's power within temples to the Four Winds?"

"Ah, that." Kaeya grimaced, then raised a finger. "Well, that's probably because Stormterror itself was once one of the Four Winds."

You could hear a pin drop in the silence that followed. Shock spread across Yun Jin's face, and I was sure my own expression was incredibly similar. But this did make sense, in a way.

I'd wondered what reason Stormterror would have for attacking Mondstadt. It seemed to have had no motivation. If it was just doing it for the sake of destruction, it would have done a lot more damage before leaving. If Mondstadt had taken something important to it, Stormterror wouldn't have retreated so easily. Instead, the attack earlier seemed almost like a warning.

But with this revelation, things began to come together. If all the temples to the Four Winds were in the same condition as this one, it would surely seem like the people the dragon had once pledged to protect had forgotten all about him. Whether they actually had or not was irrelevant—and even I leaned towards the belief that the people of Mondstadt had, at least partially, or the temples would be in better condition.

Lisa had said the dragon had been revived. So that meant that it had been seriously injured, killed, sealed, or something along those lines. If Stormterror had done so while trying to save Mondstadt's citizens, no wonder it was angry that they had forgotten not only itself but its fellow Four Winds as well.

Surprisingly, the one who spoke up first in response to this news was neither me nor Yun Jin.

"Wait!" Jack shouted, looking absolutely shocked. "Are you serious? Stormterror is one of those legendary Four Winds?"

Kaeya shrugged his shoulders. "Can't say I know the full story. If you're interested, you can ask the Acting Grand Master about it back in Mondstadt."

That was definitely going on the itinerary. I'd been expecting that we'd eventually have to actually fight Stormterror. But with this knowledge, perhaps there was another way. If I could learn more about the dragon, we might be able to negotiate with it. If it was one of the Four Winds, it had to be more than just a mindless creature.

Approaching the end of the path, another Door of Resurrection activated nearby. We were finally at the top of the temple. To our left was a sheer drop. And on our right, the building where we would surely find a source of Stormterror's power.

Through the open door, I saw a strange stone pulsing with energy. Thankfully, there didn't appear to be any more enemies here. However, the emptiness made the sizeable open room seem even more massive. Besides the crystal and four supporting pillars, the chamber was completely void of everything.

With Kaeya leading the way inside, I could practically feel the strange energy the stone gave off rolling across my skin. Yun Jin approached the crystal cautiously.

"Is this giving Stormterror its power?" She held her hands out toward the mysterious stone but was careful not to touch it.

"It's probable," Kaeya replied, grabbing the hilt of his sword. "Let's deal with it."

I stepped forward. "I'll take care of it."

I wasn't sure how tough this crystal was, so I was nervous about using my weapon on it. Luckily, I had another option, and I held out my hand. According to Kaeya, my battle with Stormterror had been witnessed by everyone on the ground. So there wasn't really a point in trying to conceal this any longer.

Moments later, a series of Akasha Bullets ripped through the crystal. Apparently, it was not a very strong type of mineral, as it shattered like glass, even from a low-power Bullet.

I turned back around to see Kaeya and Yun Jin looking at me with wide eyes. Why on earth were they looking at me like that?

"What?" I asked them, picking up a piece of the stone and transporting it into my Akashic Storage.

"What do you mean 'what?'" Kaeya asked, looking absolutely floored and confused for the first time since I'd met him. "What the hell was that?"

"Why are you surprised? I used the same thing when Lumine and I were dealing with Stormterror. You said everyone could see us."

"You were like a thousand feet in the air!" Kaeya exclaimed, looking absolutely exasperated. "We saw you go up and got a general view of how things were going. But with how high up you were combined with the storm, I don't think anyone could have made out details."

Oh. Well… That explained why no one asked about my strange powers. Way to go, me. You managed to out your own secret. No getting out of it now, I guess. I rubbed the back of my neck.

"I still don't really understand everything about this power, but I've had it for as long as I've been alive." In this world. "I know it's not one of the seven elements, so I was trying to keep it under wraps. I wasn't sure what people would think."

Talking about it, it really came to mind just how little I knew about my own powers. The only reason I was even capable of using Akasha as effectively as I had been was thanks to Sophia helping out. If it was just me, I doubted I'd be able to use it safely around others.

Yun Jin placed a hand on my back. "I won't tell anyone if you don't want me to."

"Hey, we all have our secrets." Kaeya grinned, shooting a look at Yun Jin, who gave a stern glare back at him. "Who am I to reveal yours, especially since you're helping us out and all."

Warmth spread through my chest at the offer from the two. These two were the best companions I could ask for.

Then, the three of us turned around to look at the last member of our party. Jack looked absolutely nonplussed by what was going on. Which, considering he didn't have a Vision, probably explained the reason. To him, all supernatural abilities probably didn't seem to have much difference.

"What are you looking at me for?"

Kaeya walked over to Jack, staring at him with a look that was too saccharine to be genuine. "You're going to swear to keep this quiet too, right?"

"Is it even really that big of a deal?" Jack asked, glancing at me. "It's just some weird ability. No one would really care about it."

Kaeya's eyes closed, and he placed a hand on Jack's shoulder. "And I'm sure Cyrus wouldn't care if he found out that you charged in here on your own and were nearly taken out by a small group of hilichurls. I'm sure that wouldn't affect your upcoming ranking test at all."

Jack paled faster than a ghost that had just found out it had died. He nodded his head violently in understanding, agreeing not to speak to anyone about what he saw here while begging Kaeya not to tell Cyrus anything. Kaeya could be pretty evil when he wanted to be.

As Kaeya walked back over to inspect the remains of the shattered crystal, I approached him.

"You know, Jack was probably right. You didn't have to be so hard on him."

Kaeya shook his head. "No. You had the right idea in hiding that power of yours. Some people in Teyvat wouldn't have the best intentions in mind if they learned that there was someone capable of wielding power outside the norm. From now on, I'd recommend not using that power if you're not by yourself or with those you don't trust, at least until you're strong enough to defend yourself on your own."

"I'll be careful," I glanced over to where Yun Jin was consoling a shaking Jack. "And if it really is as dangerous as you say, I'm glad the first ones I revealed this to were you two."

Kaeya raised a brow and asked with a playful tone, "Oh? And why's that?"

I rolled my eyes, giving him a nudge on the shoulder. Acting like he didn't know, he really couldn't take anything seriously.

"Because I trust you, of course."

"…" Kaeya looked at me silently, then his usual smile returned. "Well, you got me there. I'll take care of finishing up in here. Why don't you and Yun Jin go ahead and take Jack outside and start a camp? It's probably late out by now."

"How do we do that? There wasn't exactly an exit where we came in."

"Domains usually have a mechanism at the end that brings those who touch it back outside. There should be a button to activate it around here somewhere."

After a few moments of looking, I managed to find a strange engraving on one of the nearby pillars. Pressing my hand against it, a column of light appeared in the center of the room.

Yun Jin, Jack, and I walked up to the magically-created exit. With a lack of hesitation that spoke to experience with this kind of thing, Jack stepped forward into the light. He disappeared moments later, body fading away like a spirit. Yun Jin followed suit right after.

As I prepared to go through, I heard Kaeya call out, "Don't make our camp right outside, just in case more hilichurls decide to try to make this place their home in the night. Go to that ruin we passed on our way here, the one with the strange glowing beacon on top of one of the walls."

"Roger that!"

And with that, I entered the beam of light. I felt a strange tug on my body. It started at my navel and slowly spread throughout my body. I began to feel lighter and lighter until, finally, all I could see was darkness.

###

Kaeya watched Zachary fade away within the teleportation circle, being transported back to the surface. Satisfied that the process was complete, he turned to look down at the crystal that had been sending power to Stormterror. He grabbed one of the broken pieces and lightly tossed it into the air.

The empty room was utterly silent, with only the distant noise of wind blowing through the underground cave breaking the monotonous lack of sound.

If Jack hadn't distracted them further back, the hilichurls probably would have headed back here. An ambush, waiting for whoever came to investigate and deal with the Stormterror problem.

"But with their limited intelligence, there's no way hilichurls organized an ambush like this on their own." Kaeya crossed his arms. "So why don't you go ahead and come on out?"

A dark chuckle reached his ears, and Kaeya turned around to see a creature in blue robes and a white mask float into view from around the furthest pillar. An Abyss Mage.

"I figured you were behind this." Kaeya uncrossed his arms, and a smug grin spread across his face. "But you guys are really losing your touch. Even a nobody from the boonies was able to figure out you were involved, more or less."

Sure, Zachary was wrong about some of the details and seemed to have no idea about the Abyss Order, but he had easily figured out that a third party was involved. Plus, the insinuation would probably piss the mage off, and there were fewer things Kaeya enjoyed more than getting on others' nerves.

Sure enough, the Abyss Mage's posture changed, and Kaeya could tell even through the mask that its eyes were narrowed. It raised the staff in its hand and began chanting in a language foreign to all the nations of Teyvat. It was preparing to attack.

But Kaeya didn't draw his sword. He had no need to.

A whistling-like sound tore through the air, followed by the sound of pounding footsteps. The mage's concentration broke, the magic circles it had been conjuring disappearing in an instant.

Kaeya didn't even budge as several balls of flame flew past him from behind. The faint image of a figure was cloaked within the fire, rushing towards the Abyss Mage. It was the tall figure of a man. Someone, Kaeya was all too familiar with. His adopted brother, Diluc Ragnvindr.

The man was on top of the mage in an instant. With flames still licking off his body but not harming him, Diluc gripped the mage's face. He spun around, tossing the mage against the ground toward Kaeya. The mage skidded across the floor, its mask cracking from the force. Diluc rushed forward again, removing the claymore from his back.

The Abyss Mage tried to regain its bearings. It floated into the air, one of its arms hanging limply from its side. It must have been broken during the throw. But if the Abyss Mage was hoping that some vertical distance would keep it safe from Mondstadt's resident Darknight Hero, it was sorely mistaken.

Diluc leaped into the air with ease despite the weight of his weapon. Flames flowed across the large blade as he brought it down. The mage attempted to bring its staff up to block the blow, but it would prove useless.

The momentum of the attack and the weight of the sword was more than enough to break even the sturdy staff of the Abyss Mage. Nevertheless, the enflamed blade continued on, cleaving the mage in two.

The two halves of the Abyss Mage fell to the ground, with Diluc landing gracefully soon after. Kaeya clapped, perhaps a bit too sardonically.

"Knights of Favonius…" He barely even turned around as he extinguished the flames around his weapon. "Always so inefficient."

"Agree to disagree," Kaeya said as he faced his estranged brother. "However, your involvement in this just made things a whole lot more interesting."

Diluc scoffed, returning his greatsword to his back. "I didn't do this for your enjoyment."

Kaeya placed a hand over his heart and gasped in mock surprise. "You wound me! And after I made sure that the others wouldn't stick around here so you could have a clean getaway."

Diluc merely glared at Kaeya. It was a look that would have caused many other people to shiver and made their blood run cold. Kaeya was used to such eyes, though. He had been for nearly four years. Ever since their father died. Ever since Kaeya had told Diluc the truth about himself.

"You know you don't have to be all lone crusader like this all the time," Kaeya said as Diluc headed toward the exit. "Jean would love to have you helping. You don't have to rejoin the Knights or anything; even I wouldn't ask that of you. But why don't you join us in dealing with the final temple? I'm sure there will be plenty of enemies of Mondstadt for you to work out your anger issues against."

"Not a chance."

Kaeya wasn't surprised. Even if Diluc's life depended on it, Kaeya doubted his brother would ever directly team up with the Knights of Favonius. It was a shame too. Not only would his strength be a great asset, but Diluc's information network was second to none when it came to effectiveness and reliability.

An idea briefly crossed Kaeya's mind. Perhaps Diluc's sources would be able to dig up some more information on the enigma that was Zachary.

A young man who could understand the former citizens of Khaenri'ah, wielded strange powers, and was from a place that couldn't be found on a map? Zachary was holding more secrets than just that bizarre ability of his. Kaeya was willing to bet every Mora he owned on that.

But he shot down the idea just as quickly as he had thought about it, saying nothing and allowing Diluc to leave the temple.

While Zachary was hiding secrets, Kaeya knew he wasn't a threat to Mondstadt. He had a good eye for people, after all. And Kaeya had no wish to put Zachary in Diluc's crosshairs. No. Kaeya would have to deal with this investigation on his own. He couldn't trust anyone else with this task.

That thought brought to mind the words Zachary had said just before leaving.

"' I trust you,' huh?" An empty chuckle left his throat, a hand reaching up and gingerly touching his eyepatch. "That brings back memories."

###

"And that should be enough," Yun Jin muttered to herself as she placed a final few branches into the small pile she was carrying. Along with Jack, she and Zachary were still waiting for Kaeya. In the meantime, they were getting a campsite set up.

"Ahahaha! Yes! Suck it, Nature!" Yun Jin turned around to see Zachary cackling. Without having the convenience of Bennett's Pyro Vision, he'd been attempting to get a fire going by rubbing a pair of sticks together instead. After twenty minutes, he had finally succeeded and got an ember to catch the tinder on fire.

Which was why it was such a shame when his laughter inadvertently ended up blowing the newborn flame out. The despairing wail that left his mouth would have made even the most cold-hearted of people wince in sympathy. But even so, he picked his sticks back up and tried again.

Setting her collection of firewood down, Yun Jin took a seat on a nearby stone that was probably once part of a wall. Close by, Jack had already lied down and fallen asleep. The stress of the day must have finally gotten to him. She turned her gaze back to Zachary and his attempt to create a spark.

He was single-mindedly focused on his task, desperately trying to rebuild the needed friction. His tanned skin, which greatly reminded Yun Jin of Xinyan, was matted with a thin sheen of sweat. With a lot of panting and effort, he finally succeeded once again. He was quick but careful this time to get the lit embers into the ball of tinder. Once the fire was lit and safe from being extinguished by a stray breeze, Zachary took a deep breath and leaned back on his hands.

"H-Heh. Victory." His smug look was contrasted by the utterly exhausted expression on his face.

A light laugh left Yun Jin's lips. Zachary truly was an amusing person. Ever since they had met, he had just continued to surprise her. She could still remember how shocked and happy she had been when he hadn't recognized her name as the Yun-Han Opera Troupe's leader—the troupe was quite famous, even outside of Liyue. So naturally, she had been trying to keep it that way.

It wasn't that she wanted to keep secrets from him, though she hadn't exactly lied to Zachary at all. No, her reason was simple. This was the first time she was able to get to know someone without her name and reputation hanging over her. While Xinyan and Xiangling were her dear friends, even they had known about her beforehand and had naturally acted a bit formal at the beginning. But Zachary, without that knowledge, had treated her as just an ordinary girl from the very beginning. It had been a novel experience.

With him rested up a bit more, Zachary got to work on preparing a simple dinner. He was making do with just some fruits, berries, and some meat Yun Jin had bought and prepared before leaving Mondstadt. Yun Jin offered to help, but he rebuffed her attempts and simply asked her to rest easy. As he skewered each piece of meat, Zachary squeezed some sunsettia juice onto each one.

Skewering the meat and placing it above the open flame, he sat back and ran a hand through his dark, chestnut-colored hair.

"Man," he suddenly said, getting Yun Jin's attention, "this really reminds me of the old days."

"What do you mean?"

Yun Jin was curious. Zachary hadn't talked about his past, other than the brief story he had given her and Bennett when they first met. Though, considering his village had been wiped out by bandits, she could understand why.

Zachary didn't respond for a few moments, taking a handful of berries and eating. "…When I was younger, my family didn't really have a home for a while. We moved from location to location, living in a tent and camping out. Every night, we'd sit around a fire just like this, eating whatever we could afford. We eventually managed to get a house, but I always did kind of miss the time we'd spend together like this."

In spite of the smile on his face, it was bittersweet. His golden eyes held a deep melancholy. It reminded Yun Jin of the look that would sometimes cross Zhongli's face when he spoke about the ancient tales of Liyue.

Zachary reached forward, taking the meat out of the flames and inspecting it. Then, with a silent nod, he handed one of the large skewers to Yun Jin. She gratefully accepted the portion handed to her.

Taking a bite, her eyes closed in bliss. She rarely got to enjoy foods like this. Her parents and elders were always careful about what they prepared for her. Luckily, Xiangling could always make delicious meals while adhering to such strict guidelines. But this was something different, and she made sure to savor every last bite.

"Brendan would have loved to meet you," Zachary said after swallowing down a bite of his dinner. "Ah, that would be my little brother."

Yun Jin's eyes widened. So Zachary was an older brother? Actually, it kind of made sense in a way.

"I didn't realize you had siblings."

Zachary nodded, a giant grin on his face. "Two younger ones. Brendan was a major theater kid. He loved acting and singing, and he was really good at it too! My sister, Maisie, had an incredible eye for art, and she absolutely loved designing all sorts of things. They were the best siblings a guy could ask for."

"I can tell how much you loved them. You must have been a great big brother."

His expression soured again, and his left fist clenched tightly. "No. They deserved someone better than me."

Yun Jin frowned. Zachary clearly had cared deeply for his siblings, so she couldn't see them having a bad relationship. So what was he talking about?

"I may not have known you for long," Yun Jin told him, "but I know that if I had a brother who was even half the person you are, I would consider myself blessed. I'm sure your siblings felt the same."

"…Thank you." His bitter smile lightened up somewhat, but there was still a touch of sadness. "What about you? Any brothers or sisters waiting for you back home?"

"Unfortunately not. I'm an only child. So I'm actually a bit jealous. I've always wondered what it would be like to have a larger family." She folded her hands in her lap. "I mean, I have two friends who are like sisters to me. But it's not quite the same thing."

"I know what you mean." A thoughtful look came over his face. "Speaking of family, can I ask you a question?"

"I don't know if I'll be able to answer it, but go ahead."

"Well, it's more of a thought experiment than a question, really." He stared at her intently. "Say you end up dying and are given a choice to make. You could either go to the afterlife, where you'll eventually meet your family again. Or you can get a second chance at life, but with the condition that you'd never see them again. What would you pick?"

Yun Jin looked at him in confusion. What kind of question was this? "Huh?"

"It's a story from my homeland. I'm just curious. You don't have to answer if you don't want to."

Yun Jin barely had to think about it. "The first option, of course. I'd rather have my family than a million lifetimes."

A strange look appeared on Zachary's face, and for a moment, Yun Jin feared she had said something wrong. Then he laughed loudly and boisterously. While a part of Yun Jin felt relieved, a small voice in the back of her mind said this wasn't right.

"Yep! That would be the right thing to do!" A huge smile spread across his features. "Oh, and it looks like Kaeya's done with whatever he needed to do."

Sure enough, as Yun Jin turned around, she saw Kaeya walking over toward them. He sat opposite Zachary, who handed him the last piece of meat.

"Saved you some."

"Don't mind if I do." Then, taking the food in hand, Kaeya sighed dramatically. "If only I had a good drink to pair this with."

Zachary gave him a quizzical stare. "We have water, though."

Yun Jin stared at him. Was he being serious? Kaeya clearly had a similar thought in his mind.

With a slight chuckle, he said, "That wasn't exactly what I meant."

It took a few moments, but an embarrassed expression came over Zachary. "Oh, right."

Zachary coughed awkwardly, and Yun Jin decided to change the subject and faced Kaeya. "So, how did things go?"

He gave a thumbs up. "No problems. Everything went smoothly."

"That's good," Zachary replied. "So we'll join the others tomorrow and finish dealing with the third temple."

"About that…" Kaeya shifted his position slightly so that he could look at both Yun Jin and Zachary simultaneously. "I did discover something inside. I want to look into it some more, so I won't be joining you guys tomorrow."

Zachary reeled back in shock, and Yun Jin stared at Kaeya and concern. "But we don't know where the third temple is."

"Don't worry about that," Kaeya gestured to the sleeping Jack. "I'll have Jack escort you there. He should be willing to do it if I say I'll put in a good word with Cyrus for him."

First blackmail, now bribery. Yun Jin's perception of Kaeya was steadily changing. Rather than a knight, he would fit right in with many of the businessmen and politicians of Liyue Harbor.

"Well," Zachary said tentatively, "I guess that works out. Good luck with finding whatever you're looking for."

Kaeya gave a silent wave in thanks, then stood up with a stretch. "Well, it's getting late. You two should get some rest for tomorrow. I'll take the first watch."

Yun Jin was thankful for the offer. After everything that had happened today, she was exhausted. She doubted she would have been able to keep her eyes open if she had to keep on lookout duty first.

Moving onto the ground and finding a comfortable sleeping position, Yun Jin thought about her conversation with Zachary. Something about it was still bothering her. She just couldn't put her finger on what exactly it was. But she did know one thing.

If Zachary was hiding something that was hurting him, she'd be there to help him whenever he needed it. This she swore on her name as the Yun-Han Troupe's director… No, as his friend.

I was initially going to save this chapter for a few more days and try to get some more work done on the next one in order to try to start building up a backlog, but then I remembered that the new update goes up tomorrow (or today, depending on where you live or server you play on). So with that in mind, here it is. Thanks for the reviews, favorites, and follows, and I wish everyone who's planning on wishing for Dehya or Cyno luck. I'm personally saving up for Shenhe on the next set of banners.

The status of the poll is currently at 2 points in favor of Venti being genderbent, 1 in favor of Xiao, and 0 against either. So now it's looking like both are going to become female. Remember, you don't have to choose between the two, just whether you're in favor of one or both, or against one or both.

===(Behind the Scenes)===

This time we'll about some worldbuilding. Specifically in regards to weapons and how they are stored.

The weapon's being used by the characters who have been in a combat role so far are: Bennett with Traveler's Handy Sword, Kaeya with Cool Steel, Yun Jin with Prototype Starglitter, and Zachary with the plain old Halberd.

As for weapon storage, I have not incorporated the "disappearing" weapons from the game.

Based on one of the Traveler's voice lines, this seems like something unique to Aether/Lumine. However, there are few cutscenes within the game where this contradicted, namely with Diluc in his story quest (if I remember correctly). However, the manga also made a point of showing that Amber was in trouble when she forgot her bow, so that also complicates matters. Furthermore, several characters-such as Jean-have scabbards in their artwork, which wouldn't make sense if they could just make the weapon disappear.

In the end, I decided to lean towards that power being a Traveler-exclusive ability for this story, along with Zachary through the usage of Akasha. It makes a bit more sense, and it allows me to add another element to fights where characters can be disarmed during a fight.