Under the authority of the Thousand Winds, the timely reinforcements of Dvalin and Alice turned what should have been utter despair into victory for Mondstadt.
Cheers erupted across the city, shaking the air itself.
Many citizens still didn't understand why the dragon who once brought the Stormterror Crisis had suddenly become an ally—but that hardly mattered. For Mondstadt, this was unquestionably good news. When something brings salvation, few bother digging into the details.
With the battlefield cleared, smiles filled with post-war joy appeared on countless faces.
They had won.
And with one victory came confidence—experience that made people believe Mondstadt would stand a better chance against Aerin's future attacks.
Moreover, such a grave matter could not possibly escape Grand Master Varka's attention.
Rumor already had it that the expeditionary forces were beginning their return to Mondstadt.
Outside the city walls, however, Jean remained calm, her expression neither celebratory nor relieved.
Yes, they had repelled the mutated hilichurls—but the true mastermind, Aerin, had never shown himself.
As long as he remained at large, Mondstadt would never truly know peace.
Thus, once the battle ended, Alice and Amber mounted Dvalin once more, using the Thousand Winds to search for any trace of the hidden enemy.
At that moment, Jean stood on the bridge with Lumine and Paimon, waiting for news.
"I still can't believe it," Paimon muttered, finally able to gossip again.
"That guy who grilled wild boar so well… was actually the one attacking Mondstadt."
Earlier, Amber had told them that the mutated hilichurls were controlled by a man named Aerin.
Lumine and Paimon had initially thought it was just someone with the same name.
But after Amber described his appearance, both of them had gone pale.
It really was that Aerin.
Boom—!
A sudden thunderclap exploded overhead.
Lumine looked up. The sky, which had been clear not long ago, was now choked with dark clouds.
"Is it about to rain?" she wondered aloud.
"That's weird," Paimon muttered. "It was sunny just a moment ago."
Then she froze.
A shadow was flying toward them from afar.
As it drew closer, they recognized it—Dvalin, carrying Alice and Amber, returning to Mondstadt.
"Acting Grand Master Jean, they're back!" Paimon called out.
Jean immediately focused, following their gaze. In moments, Dvalin's massive form hovered above the bridge.
Two red-clad figures leapt down, landing steadily on the stone.
"Alice… Amber…" Jean stepped forward.
She was about to ask about their findings, but the moment she saw the gloom on Amber's face, she already understood.
The investigation had yielded nothing.
"That's really strange," Alice said, frowning deeply.
"If we couldn't find someone through normal scouting, that'd be one thing…"
"But Barbatos himself used the Thousand Winds to assist us—and we still found nothing."
Her unease deepened.
"Could it be that Aerin suffered some kind of backlash while controlling the mutated hilichurls?
That he was killed by his own creations, his body collapsing and vanishing?"
"…Or," Alice hesitated, eyes narrowing,
"is his existence on a level higher than Barbatos, making even the Thousand Winds unable to detect him?"
The thought lingered—but she quickly dismissed it.
No matter how long Barbatos had slept, he was still a god who wielded the authority of Anemo.
At the very least, he should not be so easily surpassed.
"For now, we'll leave it at that," Dvalin's deep voice rumbled.
"I'll remain near Mondstadt. If Aerin makes another move, I'll be able to sense him."
Everyone looked up at the hovering dragon.
"That's all we can do for now," Alice said with a shrug.
"With the weather like this, searching further would be pointless."
"Alright then, Dvalin," she waved. "You can go."
Dvalin nodded slightly.
Jean kept her gaze fixed on him. Just as he turned to leave, she suddenly called out:
"This disaster was only overcome because of your help."
"Thank you… East Wind Dragon of Mondstadt."
Dvalin froze midair.
His massive body shifted slightly before he replied in a low voice:
"…Until next time."
With a powerful beat of his wings, he flew off into the distance.
"He got shy!" Paimon giggled, pointing after him.
"Hehe, what an unhonest dragon."
Her comment made Alice and Jean pause—then smile at each other.
But when Jean noticed Amber's downcast expression, her smile faded.
During their search for Aerin, they had also tried to locate Eula.
Finding neither trace forced a grim possibility into their minds.
Jean felt her heart ache for Eula—but she still planned to comfort Amber somehow.
Yet as she passed Lumine, she noticed the Traveler staring up at the sky, her expression oddly tense.
"Traveler?" Jean asked. "What is it?"
Lumine frowned and pointed upward.
"I keep feeling like something huge just flew behind those clouds."
"A huge shape?"
The others followed her gaze.
"There's nothing there," someone said.
"Lumine, maybe you're just exhausted."
"Yeah," Paimon added quickly. "You must be starving after the battle!"
"Let's head back into the city and celebrate. There's gotta be tons of food!"
Still, Lumine hesitated.
"Was it really just my imagination…?"
As she turned to leave, she glanced back once more.
Suddenly—
Lightning flashed within the clouds.
A colossal silhouette appeared again.
It was shaped like Dvalin—
but larger, with a long trailing tail, soaring above the storm clouds.
"Wait—look!" Lumine shouted.
BOOM—!
A bolt of lightning tore down from the heavens.
The blinding flash struck something midair.
The next instant, everyone looked up—
and their breath stopped.
The Dvalin who had just flown away
was struck by lightning—
and came crashing down from the sky.
Alice: "!!!"
Jean: "!!!"
Amber: "D-Dvalin…? What happened to Dvalin…?!"
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