"Why do you wish to know about the God of Anemo?" Venti clasped his hands as his gaze shifted to Lumine, who was clinging tightly to Jibril. "Does it have something to do with Dvalin?"
Hearing this, Paimon immediately floated over and was ready to blurt out that the Archon was responsible for taking Lumine's brother, but the blonde interrupted her directly.
"Yes, someone told me about Dvalin's past."
Paimon scratched her head, somewhat puzzled, looking as if she wanted to speak but ultimately remained silent.
"Just how is it that everyone sees Stormterror? I'm quite curious."
Jibril merely raised an eyebrow as she silently gazed at him. Although she didn't say anything, her eyes had already conveyed the answer to Venti.
...No, he knew it himself.
"Ah, never mind! It's most likely not anything good, is it?" Venti sighed with a look of desolation on his face.
"That said, there's no need to rush..."
Before Jibril could finish, a piercing hum tore through the air, approaching from a distance.
"I have not been back in a while, it seems that there are a few who are unhappy with my arrival."
Venti pointed behind Jibril and Lumine. A fierce gust of wind swept over and a giant rock wrapped in a green light soared into the sky.
That was a common monster in the wilderness, the Eye of The Storm is formed when the elemental ley lines of a region are blocked.
"Watch out!" Lumine pushed Paimon away as she instantly slid sideways to dodge and her black sword carved an arc as it struck directly at the core.
Two Anemo Blades shot from her hands as it headed straight for the Eye of The Storm.
However, the attack merely grazed the monster's body and only shattered its outer core.
"Seems a bit strenuous, doesn't it~" Venti, at some point, had leisurely perched on a tree branch while plucking at his lyre. "Do you need help from Mondstadt's best Bard?"
The young man directly conjured a green bow from behind him and shot arrows as flew towards the center of the monster.
Jibril calmly dodged the Eye of The Storm, watching countless streaks of light approach. Her golden crossed eyes flashed and she secretly sighed as she thought. 'Seeing this in person...'
However, the powerful attack was swept away by the raging winds before it could even touch the core.
"Jibril!"
Lumine's voice, mixed with the chaotic wind, was almost torn to shreds but it still reached Jibril's ears.
The two girls' gazes met for an instant. Lumine had already leaped up, her feet precisely landing on the black substance condensed in mid-air. As Jibril forcefully swung her wrist, she lunged directly towards the Eye of The Storm.
Lumine's figure descended from mid-air like a golden star, her sword pointing at the monster's core.
However, the wind barrier seemed to sense the girl's intentions and the approaching threat, gathering all its elements to that one point, barely withstanding her attack.
The longsword stopped completely a few centimeters from the core, unable to advance another inch.
Of course, Jibril never expected a one-hit kill. Lumine was merely bait and her weapon was already prepared.
Venti looked at Lumine, who was about to fall from mid-air and snapped his fingers. A gentle breeze rose from beneath the blonde's skirt as it kept her suspended mid-air.
"Found it, your weakness!" Jibril's golden crossed eyes flared. Her figure vanished into thin air as she reappeared right next to the core in the next instant. With her hands clasped, she conjured a black claymore.
Boom—!
The claymore crashed down as it forcefully smashed the Eye of The Storm into the ground.
At the same time, Lumine withdrew her sword and unleashed her burst. Using the impact to retreat a distance, she gracefully dodged the rising dust as her clothes fluttered.
Her amber eyes held no joy of victory.
Venti watched the dissipating monster remain in the deep pit, his mouth twitching. He silently hid the lyre in his arms behind his back, thinking, 'Are girls nowadays all so... scary?'
"I truly didn't misjudge you, both of you are indeed extraordinary~" Venti leaped from the treetop while clapping his hands.
"So" Lumine sheathed her sword, her gaze burning as she looked at Venti. "Why are you here?"
As Venti withdrew his power, the blonde slowly descended from the air.
The faint connection with Dvalin, the familiar voice and the identical power to control air currents. If it was just a guess before, now the blonde was almost certain of Venti's identity.
But why did he seem... so lacking in majesty?
Lumine didn't mean to insult Venti. But the arrows he just shot didn't even break through the Eye of The Storm defense. In other words, Jibril seemed more god-like.
He couldn't possibly be acting, right? Slacking off? Would a proper god do such a thing? "Now then, you were saying someone had told you about the dragon?"
After Lumine recounted Lisa's explanation to Venti, he fell silent. Several seconds later, as if to express affirmation, he slowly nodded.
"Is that so? Quite the scholar I must say, that Lisa. She's not wrong. The conflict has reached this point, only because both sides have resorted to the use of force. His hate, however, did not arise from the people not making tribute to The Four Winds. Nor was it born from his own nature, but instead came about as a product of his degradation."
"Degra...dation?"
Both Lumine and Paimon were a little confused by Venti's statement.
"The black blood flowing through his heart has been touring him for years." Venti looked into the distance as his fingertips unconsciously plucked the lyre strings. "That's what has allowed for him to be led astray by the lies of the Abyss Mage."
"Abyss Mage? Never heard such a name."
Jibril was still inwardly complaining that since Aether was the leader, the Abyss Order was essentially Lumine's family business. Hearing Paimon's question, she also turned her head.
"Are they a bunch of grotesque, furry guys?"
Venti stroked his chin, trying to understand the Flügel's abstract description. "Hmm... not entirely... but close enough. They are from the Abyss Order, an organization comprised of non-human beings. They despise mankind. I don't know where they come from. All I know is that they hold deep hatred towards the human world."
"Eh? Jibril, have you seen them before?" Lumine asked curiously, looking into Jibril's eyes.
"Yes, I've dealt with a few in the temple with Kaeya before."
"Why didn't you say anything! And... you weren't hurt, were you?"
Jibril patted the greatsword lying at her feet, making two Bang sounds.
"...Oh."