[Location: Outside Mondstadt Cathedral]
[Time: 11:45 AM]
The reunion was short-lived. Jean and Diluc had split off to handle the Knights of Favonius and the crowds, leaving Aether, Paimon, and Venti to return the Holy Lyre der Himmel to the Cathedral.
I tagged along with Venti, my claws clicking softly against the cobblestones. My hackles were raised. The air didn't smell right. It was too still. Too cold.
"You're tense, little one," Venti noted, hugging the broken lyre. "The crisis is over. Let the wind relax your shoulders."
"The wind is fine," I growled low in my throat, scanning the shadows of the cathedral entrance. "It's the chill I don't like."
We stepped out of the Cathedral's massive wooden doors. The plaza was empty. Unnaturally empty.
"Aether, get back!" I barked.
Snap.
The sound of fingers snapping echoed like a gunshot. Instantly, a gale of biting frost swept through the plaza. The temperature plummeted from a sunny spring day to the depths of Snezhnaya in a heartbeat.
Ice crystals erupted from the ground, encasing Venti's legs. Aether tried to draw his sword, but two Fatui Skirmishers—Electro-Hammer Vanguards—surged from the invisibility of their stealth tech, slamming their hammers down. Aether was knocked back, tumbling across the stone.
"Well, well. The rodent comes out of its hole."
The voice was elegant, dripping with disdain. A tall woman walked out from the shadows. A crimson mask, a white coat, and an aura of freezing arrogance.
La Signora. The 8th Fatui Harbinger.
"And look," she sneered, her pale blue eyes drifting over Venti, then landing on me. "The Anemo Archon has a new pet. A deformed lizard?"
"[Analysis]!"
[Great Sage]
Threat Level: Calamity (S-Rank).
Magicule Count: Extremely High.
Suggestion: Retreat. Winning probability: <1%.>
"Shut up. I'm not running."
"You..." Venti struggled against the ice, his face pale. "You are..."
Signora didn't let him finish. She raised a hand, preparing a blast of Cryo to silence him.
I moved.
"[Steel Strength]! [Thought Acceleration]!"
I launched myself off a pillar, moving faster than a normal eye could track. I didn't aim for her head—she'd block that. I aimed for the hand casting the magic.
CRASH.
I slammed into her forearm. My jaws clamped down on her Cryo shield.
CRUNCH.
"[Predator]!"
I ripped a chunk of her magical barrier away, swallowing the raw Cryo energy.
"What?!" Signora stumbled back a step, genuine surprise cracking her mask of indifference. "You... you ate my magic?"
"Tastes like mint and narcissism," I spat, landing between her and Venti. I flared my wings, growling. "Back off, witch."
Signora's eyes narrowed. The air around her grew heavy. "Disgusting creature. Know your place."
She flicked her wrist. A massive spike of ice, sharp as a spear, materialized and shot toward my chest.
"[Shadow Motion]!"
I melded into the shadow of a nearby statue, dodging the spear by a hair's breadth. I popped out behind one of the Fatui Skirmishers who was guarding Venti.
Slash.
My claws, reinforced with [Dragon's Haki], tore through the Skirmisher's armor like paper. He shouted, dropping his hammer.
"Aether! Get Venti!" I yelled.
Aether scrambled up, rushing toward the Archon.
"Insolent pests," Signora sighed. She looked bored. "I tire of this."
She raised her hand again. This time, she didn't aim a projectile. She unleashed a wave of absolute zero cold.
"Great Sage! Resistance!"
[Great Sage]
The wave hit me.
It felt like my blood had turned to glass. My muscles locked up. I was thrown backward, skidding across the frozen pavement, smashing into the base of the Barbatos statue.
"Gah...!" I couldn't move my legs. Frost covered my eyes.
Signora ignored me. She walked casually up to Venti, who was still trapped.
"At last," she whispered. She reached into his chest. Venti gasped, his eyes going wide as she pulled. The wind screamed.
She withdrew her hand, holding a glowing chess piece. The Gnosis.
"Such a weak god," she scoffed. She turned, looking at the stunned Aether and the frozen lump that was me. "And weak protectors."
She walked over to Venti—who was slumped on the ground, gasping for air—and raised her leg.
KICK.
She booted the Archon in the ribs, sending him sliding across the ice.
Something inside me snapped.
My vision went red. It wasn't the [Predator] instinct. It was the memory of Andrews. The memory of watching Akari being threatened. The feeling of being helpless.
"DO... NOT... TOUCH HIM!"
A surge of purple lightning—my own innate power mixed with the Abyss energy I had eaten earlier—erupted from my body. The ice shattering off my scales.
I forced my frozen limbs to move. I roared, a sound that shook the windows of the Cathedral.
I lunged.
Signora turned, her eyes widening slightly as a ball of lightning and teeth flew at her face. She raised a barrier, but she was a split second too slow.
SCREECH.
My claws raked across her arm—the arm holding the Gnosis. I didn't get the Gnosis, but I tore through her expensive coat and drew blood.
"You filth!" She shrieked, her composure breaking.
She blasted me point-blank with a burst of Cryo energy.
BOOM.
I was blasted out of the air, crashing into the stone floor hard enough to crack it. My consciousness flickered. The cold was seeping into my core.
[System Alert]
Unique Skill [Predator] has analyzed [Blood of the 8th Harbinger].
Acquiring Skill: [Cryo Manipulation].
Acquiring Skill: [Ice Sovereign's Aura] (Incomplete).>
Signora clutched her bleeding arm, staring at me with pure hatred. "I should skin you alive right now, wyrm."
"Signora," one of the agents called out nervously. "The Knights... they are coming."
We could hear shouting in the distance. Jean and the others were returning.
Signora glared at me one last time, then at Aether. "Consider this a mercy. Next time, I will turn you into a statue."
She vanished in a swirl of frost, taking the Fatui and the Gnosis with her.
The plaza fell silent, save for the wind.
I lay on the cold stone, shivering, unable to stand.
"Raiden!" Aether ran over, falling to his knees beside me. Paimon was floating around Venti, checking if he was alive.
"Did... did we get it?" I mumbled, my jaw stiff.
Aether shook his head, looking down. "No. She took it."
I closed my eyes.
"Damn it."
I was weak. Even with cheats, even with [Great Sage], I couldn't stop one Harbinger. I had scratched her, sure. But she had walked away with the prize.
I need more power.
I need to eat more.
Liyue... I thought as darkness took me. I'm going to eat every god in Liyue if I have to.
[Location: The Cathedral Infirmary]
[Time: 2 Days Later]
I woke up to the smell of apples.
I opened my eyes. I was lying on a soft bed—well, three beds pushed together to accommodate my bulk. Barbara was nearby, humming a tune as she organized potions.
"Oh! You're awake!" Barbara beamed, rushing over. "Lord Barbatos be praised! Wait, I mean... thank the wind!"
I lifted my head. My body felt stiff, but the pain was gone.
"Where is everyone?"
"Jean and the Honorary Knight are meeting at Windrise," Barbara explained. "Venti... er, the Bard... is there too."
I stood up, shaking out my wings. My scales felt different. Harder. Cooler to the touch.
[Status Check]
Name: Raiden Ragnvaldr
Species: Lesser Dragon (Variant)
Element: Electro / Anemo / Cryo (New)
Rank: A- Rank (Rank Up!)
I had ranked up. Surviving a hit from a Harbinger and eating her magic had pushed my evolution forward.
"I'm going to them," I said, hopping off the bed.
"Wait! You need to rest!"
"I've rested enough. I have a tree to climb."
I walked out of the Cathedral. The sun was shining on Mondstadt, but the city felt different to me now. It wasn't just a game world anymore. It was a battlefield.
And I needed to upgrade my gear.
"Great Sage," I thought as I took flight toward Windrise. "Pull up the blueprints for the 'Motorcycle Eradicator'. And tell me where I can find a Ruin Guard engine."
[Great Sage]
"Perfect. Breakfast."