On Starsnatch Cliff, Jean stood with the Aquila Favonia in hand, locking eyes with Dvalin in the sky. The atmosphere was exceptionally tense. If Dvalin refused to leave, Jean was prepared to confront the dragon alone.
"Lumine, look over there! That bird looks really strange!"
"Go on, go hide somewhere, Paimon. Now's not the time for food. We might be fighting any second now. If you want Sweet Madame, I'll make it for you tonight when we get back."
Lumine brushed Paimon aside impatiently. Was this emergency food's head filled with nothing but water? In this situation, even making it back alive wasn't guaranteed.
"Okay then. Paimon wants two whole Sweet Madames!"
"No, no, wait! I wasn't thinking about Sweet Madame! I wanted to ask you, Lumine, have you ever seen a bird that's completely on fire?"
Paimon shook her head, nearly led astray by Lumine. But thinking about getting two Sweet Madames tonight, she decided to be magnanimous and forgive her.
"A bird on fire? Paimon, you're not scared out of your wits, are you?"
"Don't worry, I'll protect you."
Lumine gripped the Fillet Blade tightly, her eyes filled with determination. Paimon was genuinely touched, but she really saw a bird on fire!
"Lumine, I'm not scared silly! Look, look! Right there! It's getting closer and closer!"
To get Paimon to stop fussing, Lumine glanced perfunctorily in the direction she pointed. She hadn't paid it much mind, but this glance revealed there really was a 'bird' wreathed in flames flying straight towards Starsnatch Cliff.
"I have a feeling that thing isn't a bird... I feel like I've seen it somewhere before."
Lumine muttered under her breath. Venti, who had been putting on a performance all along, also glanced over curiously. Hmm, that thing looked a bit familiar. But he couldn't quite remember where he'd seen it.
As the flaming 'bird' drew closer to the cliff, Lumine finally managed to make out its shape. Oh, it was a cannonball! She really thought it was a flaming bird.
Wait... a cannonball? The next second, cold sweat drenched Lumine's back. What the heck? Where did this cannonball come from? Why was she encountering something like this here?
"It's a cannonball! Everyone, get down!"
Prompted by Lumine's shout, Venti finally remembered. Why did this thing look so much like the bombs Alice used to make? Had Alice returned to Mondstadt? Had Mondstadt just solved one internal crisis only for another to pop up? Mondstadt really had it tough.
With no time to think further, Venti directly tackled Jean and Diluc, who were shielding him, to the ground. Although Jean and Diluc didn't know what was happening, the Anemo Archon probably wouldn't harm them, so they didn't struggle.
The Abyss Mage behind Dvalin had no idea what was going on. Seeing the Anemo Archon suddenly drop to the ground, it thought Venti was submitting to the Abyss.
Imagining the scene of reporting this good news to the Prince and getting promoted, the Abyss Mage couldn't help but chuckle.
"Hah! So the Anemo Archon is nothing special. Huh? Why is it getting hotter and hotter?"
The Abyss Mage turned its head just in time to see a sphere wreathed in raging flames smash directly into its face. The mask used to conceal its features was instantly consumed by the fire.
If Dvalin had been in its normal state, it would have sensed this intense concentration of Pyro energy. Unfortunately, the dragon was now consumed by hatred, its remaining intelligence probably not even matching Paimon's.
BOOM!
With a deafening roar, violent Pyro energy exploded right behind Dvalin. The blast wave sent a clueless Paimon flying.
"Waaaaaaaaaah! Lumine, help, help, help, help meeeeeeeee!"
Paimon flailed her little arms in the air, screaming for Lumine's help. But the ringing in her ears from the explosion made Lumine completely unable to hear her cries.
Poor Paimon was carried farther and farther away by the blast wave, finally crashing headfirst into the branches of a large tree before coming to a stop.
A few seconds later, feeling something wet splatter all over her, a puzzled Lumine cautiously lifted her head to glance at Dvalin. The dragon's injuries made her freeze. 'Holy moly, this cannonball was that powerful?'
Large swathes of Dvalin's body were covered in burn marks. The feathers that once covered it were now half scorched, sticking tightly to its skin and making the dragon's frame appear shrunken. The spot on its back directly hit by the cannonball was now a horrifying wound. Crimson flesh sizzled under the residual Pyro energy, and the air was filled with a tantalizing aroma of roast meat.
"No wonder Xiangling wanted to use dragon meat for her dishes so badly. Dragon meat smells this good..."
Lumine swallowed. If she didn't know the massive gap between her strength and Dvalin's, she'd genuinely consider carving off a piece to try.
"Maybe after Dvalin recovers, I can ask Venti if he can get a piece of meat from him..."
Lumine stared at Dvalin with the eyes of a food critic, her gaze darting around as if looking for the choicest cuts.
Dvalin, stunned by the 'firework' Klee had made, remained motionless for several seconds. Finally, its nearly useless brain registered the pain wracking its body. The sudden agony made Dvalin let out a pained howl.
Perhaps the movement was too abrupt. The flesh around the wound, which had been cauterized by the Pyro, split open again. Dragon's blood, infused with Anemo energy, gushed from the cannonball wound, raining down on Lumine and the others on the cliff once more.
As the Pyro energy dissipated, a black mushroom cloud slowly blossomed behind Dvalin. The cloud seemed to announce the end of peace in this place, climbing and blooming ever higher into the sky.
"Is Dvalin... growing mushrooms on its back?"
Jean stared blankly at Dvalin's back. Venti, the Anemo Archon, had no idea how to explain this to Dvalin now. It looked like he'd have to activate his backup plan.
The Abyss Mage who dreamed of reaching the pinnacle of the Abyss was even more unfortunate. The merit of manipulating Dvalin could have earned him a promotion and raise. Instead, this unlucky soul was blasted to ashes. Even the Ley Line Sprout it held was completely incinerated by the Pyro in the explosion.
Dvalin's agonized howls pained Venti greatly. He reached out a hand, wanting to comfort the dragon, but Dvalin would have none of it. A blast of Anemo energy sent Venti tumbling head over heels.
"Barbatos! This matter between us is not over! Next time... I will kill you!"
Severely wounded, Dvalin knew it was no match for Venti now. Leaving behind a final threat, it flapped its nearly featherless wings and flew unsteadily towards Stormterror's Lair.
"Dvalin..."
The sight of Dvalin's retreating, struggling form filled Venti with deep guilt. He never expected a seemingly surefire plan to encounter so many complications.
"Jean, since when did Mondstadt have weaponry of this caliber? Has Alice returned?"
Diluc wiped the sticky dragon's blood from his clothes, feeling extremely uncomfortable. Jean shook her head. If Alice had really returned to Mondstadt, the city would have been in an uproar already.
"Venti, have you seen Paimon? Where did Paimon go?"
Meanwhile, as Dvalin flew, the influence of the corrupted dragon blood within it deepened. Without the Abyss Mage's guidance, a cruel idea took root in its muddled mind. It believed all these Mondstadt people who had betrayed it deserved death. Only blood could quench the fury in its heart.
This thought echoed incessantly in Dvalin's nearly mindless brain. Spotting what seemed like two weak humans in a forest below, it opened its maw and unleashed a torrent of Anemo energy upon the woods.