The battlefield of Mondstadt slowly descended into silence.
Only hours earlier the sky had been torn apart by the furious roars of Dvalin, and the city had trembled under the assault of the Abyss Order. Now the once-chaotic streets were filled with the sounds of recovery—soldiers shouting orders, medics tending to the injured, and citizens carefully stepping outside their homes.
At the center of the ruined plaza stood Amber, breathing heavily as she steadied herself.
Her bow still trembled in her hand.
Before her stood Aether, the mysterious adventurer who had appeared at the most crucial moment.
Amber looked at him with sincere gratitude shining in her eyes.
"Thank you…," she said softly, her voice still shaking slightly from the earlier battle. "If you hadn't come when you did, I—"
She stopped herself mid-sentence.
For a brief moment, the brave Outrider of the Knights of the Favonius looked unusually vulnerable.
Aether smiled gently and shook his head.
"You don't need to thank me," he replied calmly. "I simply did what anyone would do."
Amber stared at him in disbelief.
"Anyone?" she repeated.
Then she laughed softly.
"Trust me… not many people would jump in front of a Blazing Axe Mitachurl like that."
Aether shrugged lightly.
Before Amber could continue the conversation, distant cries for help reached her ears.
Her expression instantly changed.
The brave and energetic knight returned.
"We can talk later," she said quickly. "There are still wounded soldiers everywhere."
Without wasting another moment, she turned and ran toward the battlefield where several knights were struggling to carry injured comrades.
Aether watched her leave.
For a moment, the wind blew gently across the battlefield.
Then Aether looked around.
Many soldiers were still lying on the ground.
Some of them groaned in pain.
Others were unconscious.
But something else caught his attention.
Dark, faint purple energy clung to their wounds.
The unmistakable corruption of the Abyss.
Aether frowned.
"So this is the Abyssal corruption…" he muttered.
Without hesitation, he walked toward the nearest wounded knight.
The soldier was clutching his arm in pain.
"Abyss… corruption…" the knight whispered weakly.
Aether knelt beside him.
"Stay still," Aether said calmly.
The knight looked confused.
Then Aether gently placed his hand over the corrupted wound.
For a moment nothing happened.
Then suddenly—
The dark energy began to move.
Like mist being drawn toward a powerful vortex, the Abyssal energy flowed directly into Aether's body.
Within seconds the wound cleared.
The knight blinked in shock.
"The corruption… it's gone!"
Aether slowly stood up.
He felt nothing unusual.
No pain.
No discomfort.
"Interesting…" he whispered.
One by one, he moved across the battlefield, helping the wounded soldiers.
Each time the same thing happened.
The dark corruption vanished the moment he touched it.
Nearby knights watched in amazement.
"Who is that guy?" one soldier whispered.
"I don't know… but he just purified Abyssal corruption with his bare hands!"
Even Amber, who was carrying a wounded soldier, stopped for a moment to watch.
Her eyes widened in disbelief.
"Seriously… who is this guy…?"
A Quiet Night in Springvale
By the time the battlefield was completely cleared, the moon had already risen high above Mondstadt.
Aether quietly left the city.
He returned to his small rented house in Springvale.
The wooden door creaked softly as he stepped inside.
The small house was peaceful.
Aether sat on the edge of his bed.
For the first time since arriving in Teyvat, he allowed himself to relax.
But sleep did not come.
He lay down and stared at the ceiling.
The events of the day replayed endlessly in his mind.
The destruction.
The battle.
The overwhelming power of Dvalin.
"The world here is far more dangerous than I expected…" he murmured quietly.
Outside the window, the night wind rustled the leaves.
Aether closed his eyes.
Then suddenly—
He felt something.
His eyes opened instantly.
A strange sensation crept along his spine.
He slowly turned his head toward the window.
And froze.
Someone was standing outside.
A shadowy figure.
A feminine silhouette.
The figure stood silently behind the glass window, staring directly at him.
Aether immediately sat up.
"Who's there?" he asked calmly.
The figure did not respond.
The silence became heavy.
Aether stood up and walked toward the window.
"Show yourself," he said firmly.
Still no answer.
The moment he reached the window—
The shadow disappeared.
Aether frowned.
He immediately opened the door and stepped outside.
The night air was cold.
The village of Springvale was silent.
He scanned the surroundings carefully.
Nothing.
No footsteps.
No movement.
Whoever it was had vanished completely.
Aether stood there for several seconds.
Then he sighed.
"…Strange."
Finally he returned inside and closed the door.
This time exhaustion finally caught up to him.
Within minutes, Aether fell asleep.
The Price of Freedom
The next morning.
Under the great tree known as the Symbol of Mondstadt's Hero, two figures stood quietly.
The wind gently moved the leaves above them.
One of them was Venti.
The other was La Signora, the Fatui Harbinger.
Signora crossed her arms as she looked at him.
"Well then," she said coldly. "It seems the city survived."
Venti smiled faintly.
"Thanks to your cooperation."
Signora's lips curved into a faint smirk.
"Don't misunderstand me, Bard. I did it because of our agreement."
She stepped closer.
"Now fulfill your promise."
For a brief moment, Venti remained silent.
Then he reached into his cloak.
A glowing emerald object appeared in his hand.
The Anemo Gnosis.
Signora's eyes widened slightly.
"So it really is the Gnosis…"
Venti held it out toward her.
"A promise is a promise."
Signora slowly accepted it.
She examined the divine artifact carefully.
"Remarkable…" she whispered.
For a moment, even the arrogant Harbinger looked impressed.
Then she closed her hand around it.
"Well then," she said. "Our business here is finished."
She turned away.
"Farewell, Barbatos."
Without another word, La Signora departed, leaving Mondstadt behind as she began her journey back to Snezhnaya.
Venti watched her leave.
The wind carried a quiet sigh.
Mondstadt Returns to Peace
Life in Mondstadt slowly returned to normal.
Amber led cleanup operations across the city.
Jean, the Acting Grand Master, worked tirelessly to prepare a detailed report about the Stormterror Incident.
Diluc resumed managing his tavern, Angel's Share, transporting barrels of wine back into storage.
Albedo locked himself in his laboratory, studying the remnants of Abyssal energy.
Kaeya inspected the wounded knights personally, making sure every soldier received proper treatment.
Little by little, peace returned.
A New Journey Begins
Later that day, Aether returned to Mondstadt.
He approached the familiar counter of the Adventurers' Guild.
"Ad Astra Abyssosque!" greeted Katheryne.
"Welcome back, Aether."
Aether smiled slightly.
"Do you have any commissions available?"
Katheryne checked her records.
"There is a delivery request," she said.
She handed him a sealed letter.
"This letter must be delivered to another Katheryne in Liyue Harbor."
Aether "Another Katheryne???"
Katheryne "Yes, there will be Adventurer's guilds all over the nations of Teyvat. Consider them all as branches. Each of them maintained by Katheryne, a similar version of mine."
Aether "Similar version of you?? You just make it sound like you are a robot or something."
Katheyrne "Hmm... Rather than a robot, a puppet seems to be good choice."
Aether shocked. Silence.
Aether "Wait a minute....., So you are saying that you are not a human."
Katheryne with a straight and emotionless face "Yes, exactly. I am a puppet. But, I am not authorized to reveal my manufacturer's name to you."
Aether whispering to himself with a sober expression" Ahhh, I just got fooled. I was thinking of inviting you on a date. Ahhhhhh..... I need to be more careful from now on."
Katheryne tilted her head and looked confused.
Aether "Good, I'll take the delivery request for today."
Aether took the Commission. Just as he turned to leave—
A familiar voice stopped him.
"Well well… heading somewhere already?"
Aether turned around.
Standing behind him was Lisa, the elegant librarian of the Knights of the Favonius.
She smiled playfully.
"Jean would like to see you at the Knights Headquarters."
Aether's Decision
Inside the grand office of Jean, several familiar faces were waiting.
Jean, Kaeya, Diluc, Lisa, and Venti.
Jean stood up as Aether entered.
"Aether," she said warmly.
"Thank you for coming."
She bowed slightly.
"On behalf of Mondstadt, I would like to thank you for your heroic assistance during the Stormterror Incident."
Aether looked slightly embarrassed.
Jean continued.
"As a token of our gratitude, I would like to grant you the title of Honorary Knight of the Knights of the Favonius."
The room became quiet.
Everyone waited for his answer.
But Aether gently shook his head.
"I'm honored," he said politely.
"But I must refuse."
Everyone looked surprised.
Jean tilted her head slightly.
"May I ask why?"
Aether smiled calmly.
"I helped Mondstadt because it was the right thing to do… not because I wanted a title."
He continued softly.
"And being a knight means responsibility. Duties. Restrictions."
He looked toward the open window where the wind blew gently.
"I value my freedom."
Jean stared at him for a moment.
Then she smiled knowingly.
"You remind me of someone."
Meanwhile, Diluc in his tavern Sneezed "Achooo..." Diluc while clearing his nose with his handkerchief. "Am I getting a cold or is somebody talking about me? "
Back to the headquaters
Venti laughed.
"I like this guy!"
Jean nodded.
"Very well. Your decision is respected."
She then handed him a big Luxurious chest.
"Please accept these artifacts as our gratitude."
Aether opened the chest.
Inside were several powerful 5-star artifacts.
"Thank you," he said sincerely.
Before leaving, Aether asked one final question to Venti.
"What happened to Dvalin?"
Venti smiled.
"He's resting safely in Stormterror's Lair."
The Nation of Contracts
That evening, Aether returned to Springvale.
He equipped the powerful artifacts.
Then he looked towards the distant mountains.
"Time to move forward…"
With a powerful leap—
His wings appeared.
Aether soared into the sky.
Below him, the city of Mondstadt glowed softly in the evening light.
He flew across rolling green plains.
Over sparkling rivers.
Across forests dancing in the wind.
Eventually the landscape began to change.
Golden mountains rose toward the sky.
Massive stone pillars pierced the clouds.
Waterfalls cascaded down cliffs like silver ribbons.
The land radiated ancient beauty.
Aether unfolded his map mid-flight.
He smiled softly.
"Liyue… The Nation of Contracts."
The golden land stretched endlessly before him.
And with the wind guiding his wings—
Aether flew forward into his next adventure.