The Wind’s Lost Children

Mona!" Bennet exclaimed, not sounding all too happy to see the witch once more. Her red and purple cloak waved in the wind, adorned with tarnished gold that helped to weigh it down. Her sneer broke Fischl's silence. 

"Twas this only such a mere glimpse of stupidity?" Fischl screamed. "Thou truly is a court jester of marvels!"

"I don't understand," Mona brushed a hand through her hair. "Why are you so mad? And who's the boy behind you?"

"Razor not boy!" Razor growled at her. The cocky woman backed up before brandishing her tome. 

"I took out the camp when you two idiots weren't helping," Mona shrugged it all off. "I don't see the problem"

Fischl crossed her thin arms. "Then perhaps the stars are as doomed as they appear to be. Bennet, explain what we witnessed in Mondstadt's town square at once!"

Bennet nodded, a solemn look crossing his face. "The knights of Favonious are split. Jean seems to be unconscious, and the plan is to have the abyss order attempt to cross the bridge to take them all out at once. We were going to stalk this camp before night and then take it out. Now the attention will be tracked here. More importantly, they will be attracted to us"

"Well, I'll be!" Mona threw her hands up into the air. "Perhaps if someone had explained the plan?"

"Mayhaps thou shant run off at any moment!"

"Razor has plan!" the wolf boy shouted over them. The trio of adventurers stared at him in shock before Mona broke out into uproarious laughter. 

"The kid has a plan?" she asked. "Truly remarkable"

"Abyss attracted to scent," he nodded. "Not place"

"Yes," Fischl put her hand up to her mouth, hiding a shock of laughter as she realized Razor's plan. "That's right"

"Lady has perfume," Razor proceeded to pace back and forth. Mona produced a small grey bottle of elegant perfume. 

"Hey!" she protested as he tried to snatch it from her hands. "I'm short on money right now! And this is all I could afford!"

Fischl grabbed it from Mona. "What else lays upon thou's conniving mind?"

Razor took the bottle, smashing it at Bennet's feet. The white-haired boy screamed in shock, protecting his eyes.

"Bad luck man," Razor explained. "Abyss will be attracted to scent"

"Are-" Fischl's voice replaced the formal tone with concern. "Are you sure?"

"I'll lead them to the bridge," Bennet nodded. "And then the knights' plan will come into play!"

"Do not wreck your own mortal vessel, my attendant of the night!" Fischl demanded, her green eyes glowing as the sun began to lean across the horizon, dipping gently beneath the surface. "Be careful!"

"Yeah," Bennet shrugged her off. "But I'd do anything for Mondstadt. You have to understand that"

She nodded, letting go of his arm. "Then tis it decided?"

"Yeah!" the bandaged teen threw his hand up into the air, stuck in his trademark pose. "Let's go endanger my life!"

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"Master Albedo!" Sucrose nearly tripped over a jutting rock as she adjusted her glasses, scanning through the ancient code Albedo had passed her. The alchemist himself jumped over a ruin's cascaded pillar. "Master! Where are we going?"

Albedo ran a hand through his flush face, pulling sweat off his ashen locks. "The Thousand Wind's Temple..."

"Thousand Wind... Thousand... Oh!" Sucrose racked her brain for the information. "A large circular building departed many eons ago by an unknown race"

"Like us?"

"Huh?"

Albedo pivoted, blocking his suddenly pale face. "Nothing. Continue; I fed you this information for a reason"

"Yes... um," the green-haired assistant pulled out her own scroll, trying to allow the information to rise on its own. "It's found to be nearly impossible to enter. Many would agree that it's cells ar- wait!"

Albedo took off, already in awe at the sight. "We're here," the alchemist announced. Sucrose studied his expression, surprised for a moment.

"Master Albedo... there's something wrong with your face"

The shadow of a grin approached Albedo's face. "This is it, Sucrose. We can protect Mondstadt"

His face betrayed his own emotions, showing that half-moon hanging lazily upon the white clouds of his face. In truth, he had never been more excited for something. "We should study the cells"

"Absolutely," Sucrose's face grew flush as she fumbled with her tome. "I'll protect you if the need arises, Maste-"

"Don't bother," Albedo coughed. "In fact, I'll protect you. And please, don't call me 'Master'"

"Yes, Mast- oh no!"

The young girl fell to her knees in embarrassment. "I shouldn't have-"

"Sucrose... it's fine. Just please promise me that you won't needlessly hurt yourself"

"Yes," she nodded adamantly. "Now... are we to check the cells first?"

"Absolutely," Albedo took off against the deep green grass, hopping over the stone towers pulsing in the deep red sunlight still hanging onto the world. "Now... Sucrose... I'd like to paint a picture"

"Now?" Sucrose asked. 'I find that painting a picture is hardl-"

Albedo didn't spend a second heeding her words; within a moment, his painting supplies were withdrawn, lying discarded upon the grass. "A moment is only envisioned once. It's important for artists to take it down the moment they realize its purpose. I need a canvas. As much as you can give me, Sucrose"

"Y-yes! But what are you planning?"

Albedo dropped down to his knees, holding a thin paintbrush. "Don't raise your voice at this, but I believe this to be an Abyss order base"

"Oh!" Sucrose exclaimed. "You mean..."

"Yes. There are to be hilichurls swarming the area. We have but a mere hour to ready my labyrinth"

"Labyrinth? You can't mean-"

"Hilichurls have a very low attention span," Albedo explained. "If they were to see a series of paintings similar to the place they are now, I doubt they'd take much time to ponder. However, there have been studies in the past; Ella Musk created poetry that seemed to bring out a different side of the hilichurls, provided you used the correct words. Paintings should have the same effect"

"So you're saying..."

"Hilichurl's have a very intricate design upon their masks," Albedo went to his parchment, streaking orange paint across the canvas. When he swiftly finished one, Sucrose handed him the next. "Now... if they were to be brought to life..."

He held his hand up to the parchment. "Life is created through imagination and concentration... and with the correct methods of alchemy and creativity one will find that...."

The mask design popped up from the parchment, lying on the grass. "One can create a world"

"Master Albedo!" Sucrose clapped her hands together. "That's amazing!"

"I shall create duplicates of their masks," Albedo announced. "Armies of them. They should remain disoriented unless an Abyss mage is to point them in the right direction"

"But what shall we do then?"

Albedo's hand fell to his side, caressing gently around the hilt of a golden sword. "Then we shall have to make quick work of them"

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To say that the knights of Favonius are a hearty bunch would be true; a jolly group as well. But without their leader, one attribute they seem to lack is... well...

"We are so gonna die!" Amber screamed, falling from the sky. Her brown hair stuck up at the edge, her goggles lying strewn as she jumped to the bridge. 

"Did you finish the bombs?" Lisa asked, looking up from her book. 

"Yes," the outrider held up her head, giving the older woman a thumbs up. “But... I don’t know if this is gonna work. What if there are too many hilichurls?”

“Then we have to get up and fight,” Lisa yawned. “To be quite honest, I haven’t the foggiest idea of what we’ll do then”

“Marvelous!” Amber smiled despite herself. “Kaeya? Do you see them?”

“They’re heading this way!” The man shouted from atop his vantage point. He hand sat on top of his sword, fidgeting with the holster. “But... what is with them?”

“Huh?” Amber asked. “Wait... I think I see the glow!”

The trio of knights bolted up, running to the bridge. Before them stood the valley facing Mondstadt, crisp, clear lakes encircling green grass and drawn-in dandelions. In the midst of the darkness held a flickering flame, darting back and forth like a will o wisp.

“Barbara!” Lisa commanded. “I need you to get Jean to wake up!”

Barbara looked up from her sister, where Diluc sat, cradling her head between his knees. “She’s getting better, but can’t guarantee it!”

“What are those fires, Lisa?”

Lisa glanced over to Amber, her drawl growing heavy. “Those were Abyss mages”

“Were they the leaders we heard about?”

“No,” the librarian deduced. “There must be someone more; Amber, you’ve reported that there were Abyss mages surrounding Mondstadt in the last month, correct?”

“Yes,” the perky brunette recalled. “There was a growing number”

“Precisely,” Lisa cleared her throat, pulling her shirt back up to cover herself from the chilling winds. “They were being organized. But why this date?”

“Because it’s the festival,” Amber retorted, hands on her hips. “Duh. I thought that much was obvious”

“Yes,” Lisa put a finger to her plush lips, green eyes crossing as they focused on the sight. “But do hilichurls know of our ceremony? I think it’s rather odd that the monsters should figure it out” 

“You’re right!” Amber gasped. “But that would mea-”

“Jean’s awake!” Barbara exclaimed, her musical voice ringing through the streets. “Quick! I need something for her to drink”

Diluc held out a thin flask. “Excuse me?” Barbecue pushed the bottle back. “We don’t need her getting drunk!”

“Relax,” Diluc’s deep voice countered Barbara’s shrieks. “It’s just grape juice”

“I-” Jean coughed, leaning up off of Diluc’s lap. “What time is it?”

“Drink first,” Diluc ordered. Surprisingly, the grandmaster obliged, pouring the juice down her throat.

“The attack has started,” Kaeya mumbled to Jean as he jumped down to the ground. “Our plan is just about to be set off”

“Plan?” Jean coughed once more. “Wait! You can’t-”

“Now, Klee!” Amber shouted over her boss, looking down towards the small child positioned at the entrance. 

“Jumpty jumpty!” Klee exclaimed with glee, letting out three gargantuan bombs that bounced across the bridge. The hilichurls that had begun to create hordes scoffed at it, their primitive minds still able to dodge the bombs.

“Kaboom!” Klee stomped, causing the explosives to detonate. Within seconds, the entire bridge fell into the lake surrounding Mondstadt, drowning armies of hilichurls.

“We did it!” Amber cried. “We saved the city!”

“Except,” Diluc pointed out. “You didn’t”

The knights stared back at the water incredulously. Kaeya’s mouth fell agape. The floating Abyss mages simply stood there. Perhaps that’s the wrong word; after all, it’s exactly what doomed their plan.

Before the group could scream out in frustration, a purple glow began to highlight the sky. Electricity darted to and fro, catching on the abyss order’s cloaks.

“It’s...” Jean took a moment to recall the detail.

“The Prinzessin der Verurteilung has arrived!” Fischl, Bennet and Mona hoped from the sky, with the two girls landing gracelessly. Bennet fell flat on his face with a loud crunch.

“I’m fine!” He cried, despite the audible sound of his own face. Behind him stood a feral looking teen, his long grey hair reaching the back of his hip.

“Razor help!” The wolf bout helped his friend up with a toothy grin. “All better!”

“But...” Jean stuttered. “How did you get here? You were-”

“The bard of the gusts gave us his calling, using divine magic of the gods!”

“Who...” Jean’s voice drifted off as Venti tiptoed out from the shadows.

“I hope I’m not late,” Venti smiled, plucking a few notes from his lyre. “Is everyone alright?”

“No?” Bennet looked down toward a bit of gravel embedded in his hand.

“Yeah!” Venti cried. “Then Windblume can go on!”

“That’s it?” Jean scoffed. “After all that, you truly-”

“Wind,” Venti leaned into Jean. “Is chaotic. It’s spurred by the simplest things. And sometimes, we have to just let ourselves be guided by it. So the festival must begin; after all, the dandelion puffs don’t stay forever!”

Jean smiled, tucking a small dandelion from the garden below behind her ear. “Wind doesn’t have to be controlled. I tried to work through my plan, and at the end of the day? All my friends worked through it better than I did. I threw away their words... and you found them”

“I like to give people chances,” Venti grinned at the scene before him; the festival was nearly under way, with the knights whooping into the sky, filled with glee.

“And sometimes, we barely even notice. The wind often picks up the lost, even when we don’t even know”