[You step outside the gates of the Knights of Favonius.]
[The Archon looks at the scenery with a wicked smile.]
[From this endless stream of desire, you can feel Jean's overwhelming love for you.]
[But you can't feel happy about it at all.]
[Because that love and desire have become the Archon's food, pouring endlessly from Jean into it.]
"Jean! Leave! Get away from me—now!!!"
[In your consciousness, you shout and shout, trying to wrestle control of your body back. But the Archon has crushed you completely—no matter how you struggle, it's useless.]
[Suddenly, Black mist bursts from your body, engulfing the nearby knights.]
"Aaaahhh!!!"
[Their faces twist into madness. They draw their swords and begin slashing wildly at the air.]
[Jean and Lisa, walking at the front, sense the danger. With quick sidesteps, they avoid the black mist rushing toward them.]
[From afar, they see you, wreathed in black smoke. Within that mist, faintly outlined, is the shape of a three-headed monster.]
"!!" Lisa stares in shock. "How is this possible? Yesterday, it wasn't anywhere near this strong!"
Jean and Eula's love is really that intense?
So intense that in just this short time, the Archon's power skyrocketed?
[The Archon's eyes rove over Lisa. "Don't worry, Lisa will protect you."]
[Then, the black mist surges toward Jean and Lisa at terrifying speed.]
[They easily dodge it—but the other knights aren't so fortunate.]
[Those brushed by the mist go mad instantly, their faces twisted. They turn on one another with weapons drawn, chaos exploding through the ranks.]
"If the mist spreads any further, every knight in the order will be corrupted! We have to take down that body—now!"
[As Lisa shouts, she unleashes her Elemental Skill. Bolts of lightning crash down on the black mist.]
[The Archon herds the knights into its path, using their bodies as Shields against the storm.]
[The ones struck collapse to the ground, spasming under the shocks of lightning.]
[The Archon steps casually across their twitching bodies, striding forward without a care. With each step, more knights are wrapped in black smoke.]
"Jean! Why are you just standing there?! Stop him!!" Lisa roars.
[Jean grits her teeth. She doesn't want to raise her weapon against you, but the battlefield is slipping out of control. She knows she has no choice.]
[Drawing her Sword of Favonius, she dashes forward, weaving past lashing streams of black mist.]
[Her speed carries her right up to the Archon. At the last second, she tilts her blade aside, striking not with the edge but with the hilt, aiming for the side of your neck.]
[She's trying to knock you unconscious—without hurting you.]
[The Archon easily catches her wrist and sneers.]
"This is how you think you'll stop me? Do you take an Archon for a joke?"
[Black smoke bursts out in a fresh torrent, latching onto Jean.]
"Give me more power!"
"!!!"
[Jean's steely gaze falters as the mist invades her mind. In an instant, madness overtakes her. Memories flash—every moment she's shared with you.]
[Cape Oath… the office of the Knights of Favonius… a fleeting smile between the two of you…]
[The scenes blur into one beautiful image: on Cape Oath, your face leans closer, whispering words of love.]
"Jean, I really like you. Let's stay together forever."
[In reality, Jean's eyes have turned pure Black. Even the whites are consumed by rolling smoke.]
"Kael…"
[She shuts her eyes tight, trembling, waiting for your kiss to fall.]
"Damn it!" Lisa curses, seeing Jean completely enthralled. She summons another Elemental Skill, thunder crashing down toward your head._
[The Archon, holding Jean by the waist, sidesteps the strike with ease.]
Even Jean's fallen.
This bastard may be brain-dead, but it's still an Archon—its power can't be underestimated.
If this continues, it'll only grow stronger—feeding not just on Jean's love, but on Barbara's and Eula's too.
All of Mondstadt will be corrupted!
Kael knew it was time. He had to end this.
"System, switch to Sensory Mode."
[Confirmed. Switching to Sensory Mode.]
The scene shifted.
Kael now stood outside the Knights of Favonius headquarters in Mondstadt, Jean dazed in his arms.
"No!!! How could you possibly take back control?! Impossible!!!"
The bastard's furious howls echoed in his mind.
But with Kael's return, the Black mist flooding the area rushed back into his body, vanishing without a trace.
Jean slowly regained her senses in his embrace.
"Kael…?"
She blinked, confused, until her gaze fell on the knights lying unconscious around them. In a flash, her eyes hardened.
The Archon.
The one holding her couldn't be Kael—it had to be the Archon!
She had been corrupted moments ago—she knew it!
Jean drew her Sword of Favonius, ready to strike—
But just before the blade touched him, she froze.
Because he wasn't fighting back.
He simply stood there, waiting for the blow.
"Kael… it's really you, isn't it? You're back…"
Jean stared into his clear eyes, her own sword lowering.
"Yeah," he said softly. "I'm back."
With a choked cry, Jean threw herself into his arms.
"Thank goodness… thank goodness…"
"Jean!"
From a distance, Lisa shouted. "Be careful!"
"Lisa, it's not the Archon—it's Kael. He's back! He's himself again!"
Lisa looked around. The signs of corruption on the knights were gone. Her eyes widened—Kael truly had returned.
"…Impossible," she whispered. "No one has ever come back after full possession by an Archon… and this is the second time…"
Kael gently eased Jean from his arms.
"Kael?" Jean looked up, puzzled.
His expression was grave.
"I can't hold it back for long. If it takes me again… I'll hurt you."
"Leave?" Jean asked, bewildered. "Where will you go?"
"The Archon will always cling to me. My death is the only way to end this."
"No!" Tears rimmed Jean's eyes. "No—it won't end like this! In Sumeru, they can seal it away. We'll take you there—right now!"
"It's too late," Kael said calmly. "My consciousness won't last the journey. Before we even reach the gates, the Archon will take over again. And then… death will still be the only end. Better I die now—before I can hurt any of you."
He wiped away her tears, smiling faintly.
"At least… I can choose how I go."
Jean's head shook furiously, tears spilling unchecked.
Mondstadt or Kael.
Duty or love.
The choice tore her apart.
"I promised you…" she sobbed. "I swore I'd never let you go again… we promised each other…"
"Jean… you're a good leader. You wouldn't want to see Mondstadt fall to the Archon. You know I'm right. One death for peace in Mondstadt—it's a bargain worth making."
Jean wanted to scream at him.
No… it's not worth it. Not at all. You're worth more than everything else put together. I won't let you die.
But her reason whispered otherwise.
She was the Dandelion Knight. She couldn't sacrifice an entire city for one man.
Reason and love tore her in two.
Her mouth opened… but no words came. Only helpless sobs.
Seeing her broken, Kael knew he had convinced her.
He silently drew the dagger from his boot, turning it toward his heart.
Jean stood frozen, head bowed, tears splashing onto the ground.
He had died so many times in these simulations that death no longer frightened him.
But suicide still demanded courage.
He gritted his teeth, raised the blade—
And suddenly, a blast of Cryo froze his arm solid.
He turned to see Eula Lawrence running toward him, panic on her face.
"Kael! Stop! What are you doing?!"
She had come to see him before his supposed trip to Sumeru—and stumbled into this scene.
Hands trembling, she wrenched the dagger from his grasp.
"I can't suppress the Archon anymore," he said quietly. "Only my death can protect Mondstadt."
"No! Jean said once you get to Sumeru, they can seal it away, didn't she?"
Eula turned to Jean, desperate for confirmation.
But Jean's face was streaked with despair and tears. She stayed silent.
"Jean… Captain Jean! Say something!" Eula shook her shoulders. "Didn't you say once he got to Sumeru, it would be fine? Didn't you say everything would be alright?!"
Jean's tears flowed endlessly. Head bowed, she stayed silent no matter how Eula pleaded.
Eula's arms fell limp, her expression hollow.
"…Didn't you say… everything would be alright?"
Kael couldn't bear it.
"It's not her fault," he said. "It's my choice. I'd rather die to protect Mondstadt…"
Eula's eyes reddened. Her tears spilled in torrents.
"No… there has to be another way. Don't do this, Kael… there has to be another way…"
He gazed at her gently.
"This is the only way. You, who've always guarded Mondstadt, must understand me."
Eula broke down, sobbing uncontrollably, shaking her head again and again.
"There has to be another way… there has to be another way…"
Kael's expression hardened.
"Give me the dagger. Time is short. I can't hold it back much longer. I don't want any of you to kill me—that would be too cruel. Let me die by my own hand, with dignity. Please."
He looked at her firmly.
"Eula. This is my last request."
She trembled all over as she placed the dagger back in his hand.
"Kael… I love you… I really love you… I love you so much…"
Her words spilled out in a rush, as if pouring out every ounce of feeling she'd ever hidden.
She wanted him to know—just once—how deep her love truly ran.
His eyes misted over. He stroked her hair softly.
"I know."
Her interruption eased his fear.
This time… he would face death differently.
Pain lanced through his chest. Blood spilled from his lips.
He felt his body caught in someone's arms, Eula's tear-streaked face above him.
He tried to smile. Tried to speak. But only blood poured out, soaking her chest.
Choking, he forced a few ragged words past the blood.
"…I… love… too…"
His eyes closed.
"Kael…? Kael?!"
The breath against her ear faded. Eula's expression froze—then shattered into despair.
[This life simulation has ended.]