Late at night.
In the Knights of Favonius' back courtyard, Noelle trained alone in her heavy armor, swinging her greatsword.
Her progress these past days was obvious to the naked eye—thanks largely to her sparring with Yaoyao each morning.
After all, hacking at training dummies endlessly was nothing compared to a real opponent.
The whoosh of her claymore cutting the air mingled with her heavy breaths.
Sweat poured down her back, but her eyes shone bright.
At this pace, she was certain—this year, she would become a true knight!
In the Knights' office, Jean stood by the window, watching the lone figure train in the courtyard below, a faintly helpless smile on her lips.
Ah, Noelle…
As the Order's most dependable maid, Noelle usually set everyone at ease. But sometimes, accidents happened.
Jean remembered one incident—when Noelle heard an adventurer was trapped in Dragonspine, she hadn't told anyone. She simply packed her gear and went in alone.
That day, the blizzard raged like a beast, erasing all traces of man in an instant. Even finding a safe path was hard, let alone searching for someone buried under snow.
Yet Noelle had pressed on. At last, she discovered the half-frozen adventurer in a cave.
By then, her own coat was soaked, her waterskin frozen solid. Cold and starving, she still summoned the strength to carry the adventurer down the mountain.
The adventurer survived—but Noelle collapsed, bedridden with fever for three days. The entire Order lost sleep worrying for her.
Thankfully, she recovered.
It wasn't the first time something like that had happened. Many veterans in the Knights felt deeply protective of her.
To keep the overly kind-hearted girl safe, Jean had to invent harmless duties to occupy her, avoiding dangerous missions. If true crisis struck, Kaeya usually stepped in instead.
During last year's Dragon Disaster, Noelle had been eager to confront the source herself, but Kaeya cleverly buried her under endless urgent errands inside the city until the crisis was over.
Noelle was still too inexperienced.
Yet tonight, watching her train, Jean had to admit—the girl's skill now rivaled that of regular knights.
If nothing went wrong, she would surely become a Knight of Favonius this year.
And then Jean would have to face a new headache—what duties to entrust her with.
After a while, Jean turned back to her desk to continue her endless paperwork.
---
Outside, on a branch, a tiny firefly glowed faintly in the dark.
Xiao had assumed the Dragon King and Venti would drink all night.
In his memory, the two were hopeless drunks—if they sat together with wine, the only outcome was an empty cellar.
Yet by midnight, both stopped, saying they needed sleep.
Xiao was surprised.
He thought he heard them muttering something about "Ionia"—phrases he couldn't make sense of.
Mountain Shaper and Moon Carver also said they were going to bed. Catching Xiao's puzzled look, they only smiled mysteriously and told him that after seeing Mr. Xia tomorrow, they'd take him somewhere fun in the evening.
Xiao didn't understand, but let it go.
Drinking alone at the table wasn't much fun.
So he rose and headed outside.
Might as well see Mondstadt's nightscape.
He wondered—would foreign nights also harbor evil spirits?
Noelle finished training, wiped her sweat, and shed her heavy armor. After resting a bit in the courtyard, she set out for home.
Her house wasn't near the Knights' headquarters.
Carrying her greatsword, she walked the familiar road.
Passing through a dark, deserted alley, she noticed a figure slumped in the corner, seemingly drunk.
Out of kindness, Noelle approached to rouse them.
But as she neared, she realized—beside the fallen body was a smaller, black shadow, whispering strange words.
Hearing her steps, the shadow turned its head.
Scarlet eyes glowed in the dark.
A chill ran down Noelle's spine, her feet faltering as though a beast's gaze had pinned her.
The shadow drifted closer.
Not walking—floating.
Not human.
In the moonlight, its form became clear: small as a child, draped in red cloth patterned with strange symbols along its sleeves and hem. Two thin ears jutted upward like a rabbit's. Its face was hidden—only those crimson eyes burned.
Noelle's pupils shrank.
She recognized this creature from Knight records.
The Abyss Order—A Pyro Abyss Mage.
Wielders of magic who fought with Pyro. For reasons unknown, Abyss Mages were fluent in the crude tongue of Hilichurls, capable of commanding their minds.
It was said they also knew fragments of long-lost ancient languages, using them to fuel their sorcery.
And they delighted in corrupting living beings with the Abyss' power.
Last year's Dragon Disaster in Mondstadt had sprung from such corruption.
Noelle gripped her claymore, eyes flicking to the slumped figure in the corner.
That mage must have been working a spell to enslave his mind.
Had she not interrupted, that man might have become a pawn of the Abyss—set to explode in chaos at some future moment.
The Pyro Mage chanted unintelligible words, a red flame blooming in its small hand. It hurled the fireball at her.
Noelle swung her blade, cleaving it apart midair.
That's it? Weak!
Against casters, the best tactic was to close the distance before they could unleash more spells.
Remembering the teachings of her seniors, Noelle charged straight at it, bringing her claymore down hard.
The mage clearly hadn't expected her decisiveness, making no attempt to dodge.
Hit—!
No.
Her blade halted just short.
A thin, red shield shimmered around its body, absorbing the blow with ease.
Those crimson eyes gleamed with sinister triumph. It let out a mocking laugh.
Another fireball materialized in its hand.
Noelle's heart lurched.
She had swung too hard, too fast—her claymore still caught in its momentum. She couldn't raise it back in time.
All she could do was throw an arm across her chest.
The fireball exploded violently—far stronger than the earlier one she'd shattered.
Cunning monster…
The thought flashed in her mind as she was blasted back, slamming into the ground.
Pain tore through her body.
The taste of blood filled her mouth.
Several bones felt broken. Her arm burned as if seared raw.
Her head throbbed where it struck the earth—her consciousness blurred.
So this… this was what her seniors faced every day?
Such a terrifying foe—and she hadn't even lasted a single exchange.
She was still far, far from being a true knight.
Coughing, Noelle struggled to rise.
She lifted her head—and froze.
The Abyss Mage floated directly before her.
Her gaze locked with those scarlet eyes.
Her mind swam, emotions boiling.
The mage whispered incomprehensible words.
A storm of fury surged inside her. Resentment, violence, despair—writhing like a tide.
Why…
Why, even after all my hard work, can't I become a real knight?!
Maid, maid, maid—everyone only ever sees me as a maid!
Another voice slithered into her mind, coaxing her gently:
It isn't your fault. The fault lies with…
A flicker of struggle crossed her eyes.
At that moment, a dark arrow whistled down from above, piercing clean through the Abyss Mage.
The creature froze, then crumbled silently into ash.
Noelle snapped back to herself.
And then—behind her, a familiar voice rang out:
"Noelle, are you okay?"