The wind swept them across the grassy plains of Windrise, the ground below receding rapidly as the rustle of leaves gradually gave way to the bustle of Mondstadt.
Soon, Mondstadt came into view.
Hovering above the city, Venti lifted his hand to brush away a wisp of wind, pointing toward the plaza within the city. His voice lowered. "Look, right there, in that corner."
Lumine followed his gaze, her heart instantly leaping into her throat. She saw a figure clad in obsidian black standing in the corner of the plaza.
The man had his back to them, a mask covering half his face.
The sunlight falling on him outlined a silhouette that did not resemble the brother in her memory.
The very instant their three pairs of eyes fell upon that figure, he turned his head as if by some psychic connection, gazing up at the sky over Mondstadt.
The gaze behind the mask was as sharp as a blade, locking straight onto Lumine's sight.
But when his eyes swept over Venti, his brow couldn't help but furrow slightly, as if he had sensed the aura of a God. He then stopped lingering, turned around, and walked quickly toward a nearby alleyway.
His figure soon vanished into the shadows cast by the buildings.
"Quick, chase him! He's getting away!" Paimon shouted in panic.
"If we let him escape, we'll lose our lead again!"
Venti immediately manipulated the wind to send the three of them diving down. Anemo energy condensed into a stable current beneath their feet, allowing them to land almost instantly in the same shadows where the figure had vanished.
But the alleyway was empty, with only small flowers in the corner swaying gently in the breeze.
The man's figure had already vanished without a trace, and even the faintest lingering aura had been completely swept away by the wind, as if he had never appeared at all.
"Where is he?" Paimon hovered in midair, spinning around to look everywhere, her tone filled with anxiety. "How did he suddenly disappear? He was clearly just here! Does he know some kind of invisibility spell?"
Lumine stood at the entrance of the alley, gazing down its dark and deep length.
There was no unfamiliar scent in the wind, only the characteristic freshness of Mondstadt.
A flicker of contemplation crossed Venti's eyes, his tone turning serious. "It seems this person is no ordinary individual."
"My wind can sense every single current within Mondstadt, yet he managed to vanish silently right under its watch. This is no feat a normal person could achieve."
"Either he has a special method to conceal his aura, or... he is connected to the Abyss, or some other faction."
Lumine stood at the entrance of the alley, gazing down its dark and deep length, unconsciously clenching her hand into a fist, her nails digging deep into her palm.
The outline of that pitch-black figure from moments ago flashed repeatedly through her mind; the broad shoulders and narrow waist were far from the lean figure of her brother in her memories.
Yet that gaze that shot through the mask, however, lightly pierced her heart. The wariness and sharpness in those eyes... seemed to recognize her?
"His build is not like him at all, but when he looked at me..." Lumine murmured softly, her brow furrowed tightly, her tone carrying a confusion and reluctance she herself hadn't noticed, "I just feel like something is wrong, as if... as if he knows me."
"Even if something feels wrong, it's useless now, he's already gone without a trace." Paimon floated to her side and gently patted her arm. "Even Venti's wind couldn't find his aura. Are we supposed to search Mondstadt house by house? That's just too ridiculous!"
Venti stood to the side, his fingertips plucking at a strand of pale green Anemo energy.
The strand of wind circled his palm a few times, as if searching for something, before finally dissolving into fine specks of light.
He looked up at Lumine, his eyes filled with contemplation, and gently tapped his chin with his fingertips. "Searching house by house is definitely not an option. Mondstadt is so large, and since he can evade the wind's detection, we might not find any trace of him even if we did search every home."
"However..." He changed his tone, his gaze suddenly falling on the Festering Desire at Lumine's waist.
The sword was now emitting a heart-palpitating aura, as if awakened by some power.
"Your Festering Desire vibrated slightly back at Windrise. Did you not notice?"
Lumine froze, instinctively reaching out to grasp the hilt of the Festering Desire. A cold sensation traveled through her fingertips, and the sword's blade throbbed more noticeably beneath her palm.
"Vibrate? I didn't notice at all... My mind was completely full of that stranger." She stared wide-eyed in astonishment.
"The Festering Desire has always had countless connections to the Abyss," Venti said slowly, his tone growing grave. "It most likely sensed an aura related to the Abyss."
"You mean that person is from the Abyss?" Paimon's mouth formed an "O" shape upon hearing this. "But he was asking for information about the Abyss earlier. Why would someone from the Abyss be looking for their own people?"
"That's the interesting part." Venti smiled, his lips curling into a playful arc, but there was no mirth in his eyes, only a flicker of wariness. "Either he's a traitor to the Abyss, trying to break free and find a way out..."
"And his reaction when he saw me clearly showed he recognized the aura of a God. This proves he's definitely no ordinary stranger. There must be a secret hidden behind him."
Lumine's heart quickened, and that inexplicable dull ache in her chest struck again.
"Or..." Venti drew out his words, a cunning glint flashing in his eyes, "the Festering Desire has sensed the Abyssal aura in Mondstadt once again."
He paused, his gaze sweeping across the bustling Mondstadt Plaza outside the alley entrance, his tone growing more certain. "He appeared nearby immediately after the Statue of The Seven disappeared. This is definitely no coincidence. It means his movements are closely tied to the Abyss's actions."
"Since the Festering Desire can sense the Abyssal aura, why don't we use this to our advantage and set a trap?"
Lumine's eyes instantly lit up, the confusion in them fading significantly. "You mean, we can use the Festering Desire's senses to find where he might appear, and then set an ambush in advance?"
"Exactly." Venti snapped his fingers crisply, and a wisp of pale green Anemo immediately entwined with the Festering Desire.
The runes on the sword's blade instantly began to flicker, their light pulsing on and off as if responding urgently to his power.
"The Festering Desire's perception of Elemental Power and the Abyssal aura is far sharper than our eyes and the wind. As long as we follow its reactions, we can trace the aura to find that person."
"And since he's been asking around for information about the Abyss, there's a high probability he'll appear in places related to it, like the original site of the disappeared Statue of The Seven."
Paimon also got excited, nearly bumping into Lumine's cheek. "Yeah, yeah! We can stake out those places and stop him the moment he shows up. Let's see how he tries to run away this time!"