The greatsword's edge kissed Kai's throat.
Heat radiated from the steel—a branding iron poised to sear flesh from bone. Diluc's gaze was volcanic: simmering, destructive, utterly unyielding. Behind Kai, Paimon trembled like a leaf in a hurricane, her tiny fingers clutching their sleeve.
The Holoverse System blazed, crimson text searing Kai's vision:
[USER RESPONSE REQUIRED: 5 SECONDS]
[A) KISS HIM - SUCCESS RATE: 0.3%]
[B) KILL HIM - SUCCESS RATE: 1.8%]
[C) IMPROVISE]
Improvise. The word pulsed like a lifeline.
"I'm no spy," Kai rasped, salt and blood sharp on their tongue. "I'm looking for my sister. Taken by the Abyss." They didn't flinch. Didn't blink. Held Diluc's burning stare. "Your fire… it won't help me find her. But it will waste time we don't have."
Diluc's eyes narrowed. The Pyro along his blade flickered. A fraction. A hesitation.
[IMPROVISATION SUCCESS!]
[NEW QUEST: GAIN "DARKNIGHT HERO'S" TRUST]
[REWARD: PYRO RESONANCE UNLOCK]
[FAILURE PENALTY: TERMINATION]
Paimon shot forward, puffing her chest. "Yeah! And Paimon's their guide! Totally legit! So put the glowy sword away, Mister Tall-and-Scary!"
A guttural chitter cut through the tension.
From the shadowed crevices of the storm-washed cliffs, three Abyss Mages materialized. Hydro. Cryo. Electro. Their bubble-like shields shimmered, staffs crackling with malice.
"Trespassersss," hissed the Hydro Mage, water swirling around it like liquid claws. "The glowy one… Master wantsss it!"
Diluc's blade snapped toward the new threat. "Abyss filth." His voice was pure venom. "This changes nothing, Outlander. Prove yourself."
He moved.
Fire exploded. Diluc became a whirlwind of crimson destruction. His greatsword carved molten arcs through the dusk, meeting the Hydro Mage's shield in a hissing gout of steam. The Cryo Mage lunged, unleashing a wave of jagged ice. Diluc pivoted, blade intercepting—BOOM!—superheated steel met deep-freeze. Shards of ice and embers rained down.
Kai acted. No Holoverse prompt needed.
Focus. Pull.
The Anemo energy in their veins surged—a tempest answering their call. Wind shrieked, tearing at the sand, ripping the Electro Mage's crackling bolts off-course. Kai thrust their palm forward.
WHUMP!
A compact vortex slammed into the Cryo Mage, disrupting its icy barrage. The shield flickered.
"Now, Diluc!" Kai shouted.
He didn't hesitate. A brutal Pyro uppercut. CRACK! The Cryo shield shattered. The Mage screeched, vaporized in a burst of superheated steam.
[SYNERGY DETECTED: ANEMO + PYRO]
[SWIRL REACTION MASTERY: +3%]
[DILUC AFFECTION METER: +5% (CURRENT: 5%)]
Affection? Now?! Kai almost stumbled.
The Electro Mage cackled, unleashing a cage of purple lightning. Diluc grunted, leaping back as bolts scorched the earth where he stood. The Hydro Mage recovered, summoning watery tendrils to lash at his legs.
Kai saw the opening. The Electro Mage, focused on Diluc, shield humming.
Hydro… breaks Electro. The Holoverse hadn't taught them that. Instinct had. Teyvat's logic flowed through them now.
Kai sprinted, not toward the Mage, but toward the surf. They slammed their hand into the churning water.
[HYDRO ASSIMILATION REQUESTED]
[WORLD-INTEGRITY: -3% (TOTAL: -8%)]
Saltwater surged up Kai's arm, coalescing into a shimmering lance. They hurled it.
SPLASH-SIZZLE!
The water spear struck the Electro Mage's shield. Lightning fizzled. The shield popped like a soap bubble. Diluc was already there. A single, devastating swing. The Mage dissolved into violet mist.
Only the Hydro Mage remained. It shrieked, backing toward the sea.
"No escape," Diluc growled, flames wreathed around his blade. He charged.
The Mage's eyes glowed with desperate malice. It didn't target Diluc. Its staff pointed at Kai. A torrent of pressurized water, sharp as blades, erupted.
Kai braced, Anemo swirling defensively.
Diluc moved faster. He abandoned his attack, throwing himself sideways—directly into the water jet's path.
THWACK!
The force slammed into his shoulder, spinning him. He hit the sand hard, a grunt of pain escaping him. His sword clattered away.
The Mage cackled, raising its staff for a final strike on the downed Diluc.
Rage, white-hot and terrifying, flooded Kai. No. Not him. Not after Lumine.
"LEAVE HIM ALONE!"
Kai didn't think. Didn't assimilate. They reached—not for an element, but for the raw potential the Holoverse tapped. The boundary between magic and physics blurred.
Pressure. Density. Collapse.
The air squeezed around the Hydro Mage. Its watery shield imploded with a sickening POP. The Mage gasped, crumpling like a deflated bladder before dissolving into foam.
Silence fell, broken only by the crashing waves and Diluc's harsh breathing.
Kai staggered, a wave of dizziness hitting them. The Holoverse flickered erratically:
[UNKNOWN ENERGY USAGE: SOURCE - USER "KAIOS"]
[SYSTEM INTEGRITY SCAN INITIATED…]
Paimon zipped to Kai's side. "Whoa! That was… scary glowy! But also kinda cool! Paimon approves!"
Diluc pushed himself up, clutching his shoulder. His wine-dark gaze fixed on Kai, no longer pure fury, but a complex brew of pain, suspicion… and something else. Assessment.
"You shielded me," Kai breathed, staring at the spot where Diluc had taken the hit meant for them.
He retrieved his sword, sheathing it with a grimace. "A tactical error. Don't read into it." His voice was rough, but the edge had dulled. He looked at the dissipating foam where the Mages died. "That power… it's not just Anemo. It's… consumption."
He started walking away, limping slightly toward the cliffs. Then he paused. Without looking back, he spoke:
"Storm's rising. There's a cave. Half a mile east. Try not to get eaten by whopperflowers on the way."
It wasn't an invitation. It was a reluctant concession. A temporary truce forged in Abyss blood and saltwater.
[QUEST UPDATE: GAIN "DARKNIGHT HERO'S" TRUST]
[PROGRESS: 15%]
[REWARD: PYRO RESONANCE - UNLOCKED!]
A new warmth bloomed in Kai's core, distinct from Anemo's wild freedom—a deep, banked heat, steady and fierce. Like embers waiting for fuel.
Paimon tugged Kai's sleeve. "C'mon, Glowy! Fire-man caves are probably warm! Maybe he has snacks!"
As they followed Diluc's retreating figure into the gathering gloom, the Holoverse stabilized, its message cold and clear:
[SYSTEM SCAN COMPLETE]
[USER ALIGNMENT DETECTED: CHAOTIC GOOD]
[PENALTY FOR MORAL DEVIATION: PAIN INFLICTION PROTOCOL ENGAGED]
AGONY.
It lanced through Kai's nerves like white-hot needles. They gasped, stumbling to their knees in the sand.
"Kai?!" Paimon cried.
Ahead, Diluc stopped. He turned. Saw Kai doubled over, trembling violently, face contorted in silent suffering. His hand tightened on his sword hilt, knuckles white. Not in threat. In… confusion? Concern?
The pain receded as suddenly as it hit, leaving Kai shaking and drenched in cold sweat.
The Holoverse's final message pulsed like a bruise:
[THE SYSTEM DEMANDS EFFICIENCY. MORALITY IS INEFFICIENT. SUFFER. LEARN. OBEY.]
Diluc took a step toward them, his shadow long in the dying light.
"What," he asked, his voice dangerously low, "was that?"