"Clorinde, over here!"

The girl with violet hair soon spotted the younger girl within the crowd at the plaza which they agreed to meet at, waving enthusiastically at her to catch her attention. They walked down the streets together, exchanging stories and catching up with their lives since the last time they met.

Which was actually just three days ago.

She met up with the twins regularly ever since their first meeting at the Opera Epiclese and they soon became fast friends. She found herself acting somewhat like the stern older sister to them due to her seniority. Naturally, she learnt of their history and how they met the enigmatic Lucian, one of the strongest swordsmen she ever came across.

In her opinion he could have made a good duelist but he doesn't seem interested in the role. He's content being an adventurer and had risen through the ranks quickly enough to finally allow them to leave the sewers and buy themselves a place of residence on the surface within the city. He still kept a relatively low profile, never the type to clamour for glory and fame, which was somewhat contrary to the characteristics of Fontainians and their huge love for drama and flair.

There was one day where Lynette finally worked up the courage to ask Lucian to teach her the art of combat. Things happened and Clorinde ended up having the opportunity to learn alongside Lynette as a fellow student. They are all similar in age so it's amazing how Lucian is already so skillful with a sword whereas she still has so much more to improve upon. If the Grand Duelist is an ideal that she strives to emulate, Lucian is a target that she is working hard to reach and one day be his equal.

Lynette and her walked past the statue in the middle of the plaza, the statue of the legendary Grand Duelist which the people of Fontaine seemed to hold in greater reverence than their current archon. The statue had been here for at least a thousand years so many features and details had eroded over the passage of time, especially the facial features of the figure which this statue was supposed to immortalise, but Lynette had jokingly remarked on more than one occasion that if one were to look at the statue from a certain angle you would have mistaken the Grand Duelist and Lucian to be one and the same.

Clorinde had to agree after she tried viewing the statue at the specific angle which Lynette mentioned. Lucian seemed to know an awful lot about Fontaine's history, especially about tales and stories that she could never read from any book. There's no evidence or basis that what he said had to be accurate since there's nothing that she could use to cross reference to, but for some reason she simply felt that it had to be the truth.

"How's your practice coming along?"

"I'm still not as good as you or Lucian…" Lynette sheepishly scratched the back of her head. While she can use a sword she's nowhere near the level of talent that Lucian or Clorinde had displayed.

"Take your time, there's no need to rush. You are already very good for your age," Clorinde reassured her. "How's Lyney and Lucian? I didn't get to see them the last time."

"Lyney is still shutting himself in his room trying to work out the next big magic trick, saying something that he has an idea and all he needs now is a dose of inspiration. Lucian still hasn't returned, last I checked with the Adventurer Guild he had accepted a commission to deal with the underwater monster problem."

"The ones just outside the city that had recently grown to be a big enough problem?"

"Yes, that one," Lynette affirmed as they walked past a boutique and a clockwork meka patrolling the streets. "Lyney and I are a little worried to be honest, since it's taking a little long."

"Things in Fontaine are a little unsafe recently," Clorinde agreed with her lips pressed into a grim line, "especially after the latest episode of the serial disappearances of young women."

"The culprit still hasn't been found?"

"I'm afraid not," the older girl sighed and glanced at the automatons patrolling the city in increased frequencies and numbers as of late. The entire city is being shrouded in fear and this is not the first time. It's the same thing happening again and again whenever another young woman goes missing without a trace.

"I don't think either of us had hit the age requirement to be a target of the serial kidnapper but in any case, keep your guard up at all times," Clorinde reminded the younger girl whom she had started to regard as a younger sister of sorts. The recent and latest victim of the disappearance case had also sparked righteous anger within Clorinde, especially when she's someone who aspires to one day be a Champion Duelist and shoulder the responsibility of protecting their archon and the nation's citizens like what the Grand Duelist had once done.

"I'm a little scared," Lynette admitted. "People vanishing into thin air like this… It just gives me the creeps."

"If the culprit behind the serial disappearances hasn't been apprehended by the time I become a Champion Duelist, I will make sure to get to the bottom of it," Clorinde vowed with firm resolution. Their nation is founded upon the belief of justice and it is only right for justice to be meted out on the behalf of those who had faced injustice. The culprit behind the disappearances should face the consequences of his or her actions.

The belief which their nation was founded upon should be upheld with unwavering resolution.

For a world that is fair and just.

Swimming underwater and clearing out the monsters terrorising Fontaine's waters was actually an enjoyable experience to him. At the same time, the rising water levels and the prophecy which he had heard in passing were also something which he's highly concerned about. It was a greater cause of concern when he learnt that the water levels only started to rise in the very same year he was last reborn. It got to the point where even he was starting to suspect himself to be the cause or trigger of the prophecy.

Unfortunately, he has no idea about what might cause the prophecy to come true or what prompted his archon to make such a prophecy. While word has it that the prophecy came from the last words of his archon, he personally had no recollections of his archon ever saying something similar to that effect. Perhaps she made that prophecy after his demise and her last words were conveyed back to Fontaine through somebody else. He did recall that they ventured to Tunigi Hollow with a contingent of their strongest warriors so someone might have brought back her last words without his knowledge.

He resurfaced and swam back to shore after ascertaining that the monsters that he was tasked to wipe out per the commission request had been thoroughly dealt with. The aquatic monsters living in Fontaine's waters is a recurring problem that will always be present due to the ecology here. On one hand, driving the monsters into extinction would lead to overpopulation of the fishes and algae and inevitably screw up the order of the natural ecology due to the lack of natural predators, something which Fontaine would definitely want to avoid. On the other hand, their presence threatens the livelihoods of many people who rely on the gifts of mother nature to make a living. Ships couldn't go in or out nor could the divers and fishermen do their jobs if those monsters were around.

Thus, it's necessary to keep the aquatic monster population in check every now and then. There can't be too many of them dwelling in Fontaine's great lake- or sea as the locals prefer to refer to it as- but there cannot be too few of them as well. It's a tricky problem that requires a delicate touch.

He instantly evaporated the excess water from his clothes using his mastery over the hydro element and took the opportunity to take a slow stroll along the beaches. It will be a long walk back to the city but at least he will have some private time for himself to enjoy the peace and quiet in solitude. Lyney and Lynette are good children but taking care of them on his own can still be a very stressful experience at times. Being a good role model for impressionable children is simply not his forte.

His place is on the battlefield and in the duelling rings. A sword that cuts down any and all that his archon pointed him to; that was his purpose and the only thing which he can confidently claim to be good at.

His steps took a short pause when he sighted the presence of a small hilichurl camp just right ahead. He had no idea where and how this monster group came to be because he certainly did not know of their existence 500 years ago.

What he does know is that they pose a threat to Fontainians and thus, are threats to be removed with extreme prejudice. To defend Fontaine and her people is a duty and responsibility that he had sworn to uphold till the end of time or his life, whichever came first.

He drew his sword and continued walking towards the hilichurl camp. This sword is just an ordinary sword that he bought from the owner of Beaumont Workshop at a discount, there's nothing much to it and it is as plain as its appearance.

"YA!"

His unhurried steps eventually caught the attention of the hilichurl archer perched on the watchtower. The archer fitted an arrow on its crossbow and quickly fired an electro-infused arrow at him. He merely gave the projectile a passing glance, his steps still forging ahead and his hand holding onto his sword finally moved.

"En Garde."

The power of hydro answered his call and he took a defensive stance, easily parrying the attacks that were fired at him from a distance. A hydro shield came into being to protect him and he charged ahead into the fray, just like how he had once done for his archon for thousands of years against enemies that were far more terrifying and dangerous.

He blinked and reappeared before the hilichurl archer and his sword swiftly slitted its neck and the monster disintegrated into dust. Cyclones were conjured by an anemo samachurl and threatened to swallow him whole, only for the monster to realise that its attacks could never break through the shield of water surrounding him.

He swung his sword and three crescent blades of water were fired, cutting down the samachurl and assisting it to reunite with its brethren which he just sent to the afterlife. More hilichurls started to charge at him and hoped to overwhelm them with their superior numbers. His response was to infuse the power of hydro onto his weapon and meet them head on. More bodies turned to dust and the former Grand Duelist soon found himself face to face with a hydro hilichurl rogue.

The rogue swung its crudely made scythe and the Grand Duelist parried the blow, catching the monster off balance and causing it to take a few steps backwards from the parry. He thrusted his sword and the monster frantically made another slash to block the attack.

"A hilichurl capable of infusing hydro onto a weapon, interesting," Lucian thought to himself as he purposefully lowered his skill level to match those of the monster, curious to see the extent of its abilities since it's rare to run into a hilichurl rogue that he had been hearing about so frequently from his fellow adventurers. Such a monster is of no threat to him, but their presence often spells certain doom for the average adventurer who does not have the ability to wield the elements. Even vision holders might lose their lives to these monsters if they are careless.

"Slashes are wide but not swift, it's easy to slip past their guard to get close and end them with a stab to their neck or heart once you know what to look out for," Lucian noted to himself as he continued to bait the monster to reveal more of its tricks. He was taken by surprise when the hilichurl rogue took out a hydro slime from practically nowhere and threw it at him.

"Okay, totally didn't expect that," he muttered to himself. The hilichurl rogue looked stunned when he saw how he emerged from that attack unscathed but quickly summoned another huge hydro slime and poked it repeatedly with its scythe, prompting the slime to launch bubbles at him that he easily popped with every swing of his blade. The hilichurl rogue kicked the slime at him in a last desperate attempt of trying to turn the tide of the battle through the element of surprise. Clearly, that did not work out.

He blinked towards the monster and ended its life once he had seen enough to understand its limits, granting the monster a swift and painless death as his final act of mercy. A few more powerful slashes of his hydro infused sword utterly destroyed the monster camp and he sheathed his sword once the deed was done.

"Wonder if the guild knows about the presence of hilichurl rogues here," Lucian thought out loud as he took out a notebook and a pen to jot down what he had just learnt from his earlier battle. Water is the way of life in the Nation of Justice and it's not uncommon for the people here to use waterproofed products. His notebook and pen were some of the everyday commodities that people here frequently use, the kinds where divers can use to note down their findings even in the depths of the water surrounding their city. Ah, the wonders of alchemy.

"Ad Astra Abyssosque! Welcome back, Lucian. How did it go?"

"Dealt with the monsters, here's the proof," Lucian handed over the proof of completion for the receptionist who he knows is a bionic puppet that looked and acted surprisingly lifelike. Technological developments in certain fields had progressed in ways that are far too incomprehensible during his 500 years of absence and he had given up trying to understand how it came to be.

"I would also like to report the sightings of several hilichurl camps marked out on my map here, including one with a hydro hilichurl rogue. I had already taken them out but their increased presence around the city is certainly worrying. Here, this is what I learnt about the battle habits and the abilities displayed by the hydro hilichurl rogue that I encountered. You might want to add this into the adventurer's handbook."

"Ah, thank you for reporting this to us, I will bring this up to the guild master," Katheryne looked alarmed at the news as well. She will never dismiss the concerns of the adventurer that had been rising through their ranks at an unprecedented speed. The fact that he could clear out a handful of hilichurl camps on his lonesome without suffering a scratch is already a testament to his strength.

"Hey, if it isn't Lucian? You are back!"

"How did it go?"

"Want to join us for a drink?"

Kathryne smiled at the sight of the adventurers lounging about in the guild building that were greeting Lucian's welcome with overwhelming enthusiasm. The quiet teen is a popular figure here, not just because of his unparalleled skills with a sword and his unblemished perfect track record of a hundred percent successful commission completion rate, but also because he selflessly brought back information that had possibly helped saved the lives of many other adventurers and even those from the Maison Gardiennage.

The bulk of the adventurers in the adventurer's guild do not possess a vision. To them, taking on monsters is no different from risking their lives for the promised monetary rewards. Many adventurers lost their lives when they encountered monsters far too dangerous for them to handle. Sometimes, if it's a new breed of monsters with unknown abilities, many more lives might have been lost before somebody managed to live through the encounter and bring back useful information for either the adventurer's guild or the Maison Gardiennage to formulate a plan to bring the threat down.

That changed when Lucian joined the guild a few years ago. The powerful swordsman had not only survived numerous dangerous encounters with a wide variety of monsters, but also brought back crucial information of these new unknown threats that allowed many adventurers to make informed and sound judgement calls that allowed them to return back home safely. The mortality rate of the adventurers in the adventurer's guild of the Fontaine branch had plummeted significantly ever since Lucian joined them.

It really is no wonder why he's so well-liked among the adventurers here.

"Are you not joining them for a drink?" Katheryne asked when the teen headed for the exit instead.

"I have children to look after," the teen sighed. He knows that they can take care of themselves but to him, they will always be children that he cannot help but worry over until they become adults since they are his responsibility now. Hopefully Lyney wouldn't burn down the house while trying to come up with one of his newest tricks when he was gone. His last attempt had been too explosive for his liking.

"Aren't you a child yourself?" Katheryne questioned curiously. The teen didn't look like he had entered adulthood yet and he already is acting like he's an old man.

"And aren't you acting too human for a puppet?" He replied in kind as he made his exit.

He started his walk back home. Water flows across the city through the countless fountains and waterways that meander across the city in an intricate network. Water is their most abundant resource because their land is situated in the realm of water. Water is how his archon and he periodically kept tabs on the latest happenings within their city and he kept his ears sharp for any interesting information that the flowing water might whisper to him.

"Serial disappearances of young women?" He frowned when he heard faint whispers from the water about the recent disappearance case that had the city covered in a veil of fear while he was away to undertake that commission request. Unfortunately, he was unable to learn more from the flowing water as it was only a few years since his last rebirth and as such, his power is still in a weakened state. There is a limit to what he can currently learn from the flowing water. It will take a while before he would finally regain his full power that he once wielded as the Grand Duelist, power that will be able to put him on equal footing with the gods that preside over their respective territories in Teyvat.

A quick asking around with the locals filled him in on what he did not know. It appalled him that this case had been an unsolved mystery for decades and the very knowledge of it sparked a silent fury within him and he inwardly vowed to get to the bottom of this. As the Grand Duelist of Fontaine, he will never let such an injustice slide nor could he ever let this slide. It is his duty to protect the nation and her people.

What on earth is that pompous archon doing? What on earth is Neuvillette doing? His archon left the nation in their hands and this is how they run the nation?

The cold sensation of water dripping from above prompted him to look up. The skies are weeping again. As much as he wanted to get to the bottom of this injustice the earliest he could do so would be tomorrow. It's getting a little late and he's a little worried about the twins who had somehow become his responsibility to take care of.

He also has other things to worry about now. Would Lynette and Clorinde also fall under the age group where they could also be potential targets of the kidnapping? That is also a concern that he has to address and if so, he has to think of ways to guarantee their safety in the worst case scenario where he's not around and they become the targets of the perpetrator.

He sighed. Why did it feel as if Fontaine had gotten increasingly unsafe as compared to five centuries ago? What on earth had Focalors and Neuvillette been doing during his absence?

"Never be too quick to judge, Lucine, for there always are two sides to a story. As upholders of justice we have to be patient. We have a duty to collect all the facts and consider every perspective of all parties involved, and only then should justice be delivered. Anything less would be injustice to the parties involved."

He fought the urge to berate the two individuals and clamped down on his inner irritation. Say what you want about his archon and her questionable dramatic personality, but she's weirdly wise whenever the philosophy of justice is involved.

He's not shy to admit that he has his own personal opinions regarding how Focalors had governed Fontaine, but he has to also acknowledge that it has been 500 years and there are many things that had gone on in his absence that he would not be aware of. Focalors might have her own struggles to deal with as the new Hydro Archon that succeeded his own which might have resulted in the developments which he had observed 500 years into the present.

It's true that the poverty issue is a serious problem that needs to be addressed. Focalors definitely could have done better such that her people at the bottom of the social ladder would not need to live within the sewers, but the inequality of wealth was a problem that even his archon wasn't able to resolve with her limitless wisdom. Expecting Focalors to be able to do what even his archon couldn't would be unreasonably harsh on her.

Furthermore, Fontaine is still widely acknowledged for being the most technologically advanced nation, one of the most prosperous and richest regions, and generally speaking Fontainians' standard of living and quality of life are still much better when compared to the people living in other regions of Teyvat. That means that she has to be doing something right for the past 500 years even if she acted like a pompous brat whenever she made her public appearances. Focalors' contributions to Fontaine's progress in such matters cannot be ignored either.

His archon was right. It's not fair of him to judge Focalors' shortcomings simply because he had only seen how the unglamorous side of the nation had worsened since his departure. He should also similarly consider how Fontaine as a whole had progressed in this same time period as well. It's only fair to Focalors and Neuvillette. His own personal bias had temporarily clouded his judgement, that is very unbecoming of the Grand Duelist.

"It's alright to err, even the divine err from time to time. I am an archon but even I make mistakes too. What's important is recognising the follies of your ways and striving to not repeat that same mistake. That is the purpose of "justice", to help humanity recognise the error of their ways, punish them accordingly for the mistakes they had made, and thereby encourage them to not repeat it. You can argue that "justice" is a method of deterrence or a form of corrective punishment, you can argue that it is an authoritarian method that forces people to submit to a set of rules and laws agreed upon by society that not everybody wants to be a part of, but what's the point in justice if people do not fear and respect it? How would society and humankind function if there's nothing keeping the darker side of humanity at bay? How would we be able to protect the innocent then? The innocent majority that just want to live their lives in peace?"

The sound of running water along the waterways soothed his mind a little as the conversation he once had with his archon was being recalled with clarity.

"Then what if even "justice" is unable to correct the evil among humanity? What if they fully intend to repeat their past mistakes without remorse despite the punishments and it led to more people being hurt? Can we really say that justice has been upheld? How should "justice" be upheld then?"

His archon looked at him with a smile.

"That's what you are here for, my Grand Duelist. If even the laws of this nation are unable to safeguard my people's wellbeing from the small handful of great evil residing on this land that I govern, wouldn't that already mean that reasoning between justice and evil is impossible? "Justice" has to appeal to "reason" so it also goes without saying that "justice" cannot exist if there is no "reason", isn't that right?"

She summoned her sword that magically appeared in her hand as a gentle stream of water, the Sword of Spiritual Justice, and playfully twirled it with a sweet smile on her face.

"And if reasoning proves to be impossible, wouldn't it make sense for our Grand Duelist to remove the corruption in Fontaine with extreme prejudice to protect our people? How else are we going to protect the notion of justice that our nation is built upon which holds the fabrics of our society in place?"

She playfully tapped the flat side of her blade on his shoulder in an imitation of a knighting ceremony.

"Isn't that what you are here for, Lucine? You are here to enact justice upon the world for me."

AN: Wasn't expecting so many people to like this story to be honest. I had a little bit of free time so I decided to use it to write another chapter for this story to thank you guys for the love you had given to GDoF, but I foresee that I will be quite busy for the next few weeks because I will be working a lot of overtimes, so expect slow updates in the foreseeable future.

Also thought that it will be fun to come up with a character sheet for Lucian that would explain/ translate his skills into the in-game character stats that we are all so familiar with. This is really done for the lulz so don't take it too seriously. The following below will not be lore accurate and is subjected to changes, meaning to say Lucian can do much more with his power over Hydro compared to what is written below. I am also not an expert at analysing a character's stats so I also am not too sure how overpowered or underwhelming Lucian will be according to the skills and stats that I had given him on a whim.

In any case for those who are interested:

Character: Lucian

Constellation: Aquae Vitae

Element: Hydro

Talent

Normal Attack: Blade of Egeria

Deal up to five consecutive strikes. Charged attack: takes aim and fire three hydro blades, dealing Hydro Dmg

Elemental Skill: En Garde

Press: Drains 7% of Lucine's current HP. Lucian will blink to the nearest enemy and thrust with a sword, dealing Hydro Dmg. Increase Lucian's attack speed by 10% for 10 seconds and each normal attack lowers cooldown of En Garde up to a maximum of 3 seconds

Hold: Takes a defensive stance and parries incoming attacks, dealing Hydro Dmg to surrounding enemies when Lucian successfully parries attacks. Heals up to 10% max HP for a successful parry over a period of 3 seconds and gains a Hydro shield equal to 15% max HP that lasts for 10 seconds. Hydro shield has 250% increased Hydro Dmg absorption.

Elemental Burst: Sword of Judgement

Lucian dons the robes of the Grand Duelist, granting him the blessings of Egeria for 10 seconds.

Drains 10% of Lucian's max HP over 10 seconds. When Sword of Judgement is active, if enemy's HP is more than Lucian's HP, Lucian gains an additional 20% increased attack speed, 20% increased Hydro Dmg and En Garde's cooldown will be further reduced by 2 seconds. If enemy's HP is less than Lucian's HP, Lucian gains an additional 20% increased ATK, Crit Rate, Crit Dmg

He Who Enacts Justice: After using charged attack, Lucian gains Hydro Infusion for normal attacks for the next 10 seconds. If enemy is afflicted with Hydro or has a Hydro shield, Lucian's normal attack deals additional physical damage equal to 40% of ATK for for the next 10 seconds

Grand Duelist: When Lucian is above 50% max HP: Lucian gains increased 10% movement speed and attack speed | When Lucian is below 50% max HP: Regenerates 60% of ATK as HP when Normal and Charged Attacks hit enemies, gains additional 20% Crit Rate

Reborn Anew: Upon taking a hit that will spell demise, Lucian will survive at 1 HP and gain a shield equal to 20% of max HP, healing 3% of max HP for the next 3 seconds. 5 minutes cooldown.