Lumine led Lydia, Bennett, and Paimon on the way back to Springvale.
The closer they got to the town, the thicker the monster aura in the air became, and even the wind carried a faint, sickly sweet scent of blood.
When they reached the town entrance, the group stopped in their tracks in unison.
Springvale, where cooking smoke once curled peacefully upward, was now completely deserted. The town was a mess, as if it had been swept by a hurricane: the doors and windows of the wooden houses were smashed to pieces, with wood chips scattered everywhere; the animal hides drying by the doors were torn to shreds and stained with black drool.
"Is anyone there?!" Lydia shouted anxiously, her voice echoing through the empty town before quickly dissipating in the wind.
Her grip on Festering Desire tightened as she sprinted into the nearest wooden house.
Inside, tables and chairs were overturned, clay pots were shattered across the floor, and deep scratch marks from monsters scored the walls—yet there were no bloodstains to be found.
"Don't panic, let's split up and search." Lumine patted her shoulder, her gaze sweeping over the pervasive wreckage. "If something had happened to the residents, it wouldn't be this clean."
Lydia nodded, teaming up with Bennett and Draff to head toward the east side of town, while Lumine took Paimon to search the west.
Lumine looked at the monster drops scattered on the ground; they had obviously been dropped only recently.
"Lumine! Look at this!" Lydia picked up a badge, her voice trembling with the relief of surviving a disaster. "It belongs to the Knights!"
Lumine leaned in, her fingertips brushing across the badge. "There is no blood on the ground, and very few signs of battle. This means the Knights made a prepared evacuation. The residents should be safe."
"The battle must have just ended. They definitely took the residents to seek shelter." She paused, her eyes grave. "But Springvale is so close to Mondstadt. If the Abyss monsters have already reached here, the situation is worse than we thought."
Not daring to linger, the group hurried along the road toward Mondstadt.
They encountered quite a few monsters along the way.
Hilichurls, slimes, Mitachurls...
However, none of these monsters bore that terrifying Abyss black mist, and their strength was the same as usual.
Working together, the group quickly dispatched the monsters blocking their path.
"Fortunately, the Abyss hasn't spread to this area yet." Lumine wiped the stains off her Dull Blade, her tone softening slightly. "But since Springvale has already been attacked, Mondstadt's defenses will definitely be tightened."
Sure enough, as they saw the Mondstadt City Gate from a distance, the group noticed something was wrong.
The city gate, which usually only had Lawrence and Swan standing guard, was now lined with fully armed Favonius Knights.
The heavy city gate was tightly shut, leaving only a narrow gap.
The knights' vigilant gazes swept over every approaching figure, and the air itself was thick with tension.
"Halt! State your identity!"
When one of the knights saw the group, his gaze fell on the Festering Desire in Lydia's hand, and his expression instantly darkened.
"That sword... Who are you people?"
"It's us! Don't attack!" Paimon quickly floated forward, waving her small hands frantically. "I'm Paimon, the Traveler's guide! This is the Honorary Knight Lumine, and Lydia from the Cathedral!"
Lawrence leaned in for a closer look, recognized Lumine and Lydia, and quickly stepped in front of the group.
After clearing things up, the vigilant knights finally relaxed.
"Sorry, the number of monsters has surged recently. Master Jean gave a strict order to thoroughly inspect anyone suspicious." He waved his hand and pulled the gate open. "Hurry inside. Don't linger outside the city."
Looking through the gate at the familiar streets of Mondstadt, Lydia couldn't help but softly exclaim, "In all my life, this is the first time I've ever seen the Mondstadt city gate closed."
She walked up to Swan, stood on her tiptoes, and asked, "Brother Swan, why are there so many more guards?"
Swan sighed, reached out to ruffle her hair, and said in a grave tone, "A lot of monsters have been swarming in recently. Master Jean is worried that the monsters will attack Mondstadt. Not only has she increased the guard presence, but she's also ordered us to evacuate all residents within Mondstadt's borders into the city."
The group nodded with solemn expressions and made their way into Mondstadt.
The streets were much more deserted. The usually bustling markets were empty, with only armor-clad knights hurrying by, the clanking of their armor echoing through the streets.
Occasionally, a few residents could be seen carrying bundles and walking toward the Cathedral. Some had bandages wrapped around their arms with faint bloodstains seeping through, clearly having been injured in clashes with the monsters.
Lumine, Paimon, and Lydia bid farewell to Bennett and Draff.
Arriving at the Knights of Favonius Headquarters, they pushed open the door to Jean's office, immediately hearing the low, murmuring voices of Jean, Lisa, Kaeya, and Diluc deep in discussion.
"Sister Jean!" Lydia was the first to speak up.
The group turned around simultaneously, their eyes immediately falling upon the Festering Desire in Lydia's hands.
A faint Abyssal aura lingered on the sword; even though it was suppressed by Anemo, it still made their hearts tighten.
"Here's what happened..."
Lumine stepped forward and recounted everything in detail—the attack in Springvale and Lydia awakening a Vision.
After listening, Lisa walked over to Lydia, her gaze falling on the Vision at her waist. The Vision was currently glowing with a faint white light, its Anemo patterns faintly visible.
She reached out and gently touched the outer casing of the Vision, her tone full of surprise, "To think you can use someone else's Vision... this is an extremely rare occurrence in all of Teyvat."
"I didn't expect our Mondstadt to be hiding such a formidable little girl." She gently poked Lydia's cheek with her fingertip. "Before, I only knew you as a troublemaker. I didn't expect you to be so good at fighting, too."
Lydia's cheeks instantly flushed red. Lowering her head in embarrassment and gripping the hilt of Festering Desire, she whispered, "I-I just got lucky... When I saw Bennett was in danger, the power just suddenly came to me."
"Alright, let's put that aside for now." Jean put away her surprise.
She pointed to the dense cluster of red dots on the map, her tone turning solemn once again.
"According to the latest intelligence from the Scout Knights, a large number of monsters with an Abyssal aura have emerged in Dragonspine. And these monsters are very strange—Hilichurls, slimes, and even the Treasure Hoarders, groups that should be attacking each other, are now acting as if organized, separately attacking Mondstadt's territory."
"Monsters can be seen in Windrise, Starfell Lake, Brightcrown Canyon, and more... even at the Dawn Winery."
"The winery has fallen?" Lydia's head snapped up, her eyes wide as she looked at Diluc. "What about Adelinde and the others? Are they okay?"
Diluc nodded, his tone softening slightly. "I received the news beforehand and already had Adelinde evacuate everyone into Mondstadt. There were no casualties."
Lydia breathed a sigh of relief, but the uneasiness in her heart did not diminish.
From what Jean had said, Mondstadt was now no different from being surrounded.
Dawn Winery was Master Diluc's home. If even he had to temporarily avoid the brunt of the threat, the situation in Dragonspine must have deteriorated to the extreme.
"Now, Springvale, which is closest to Mondstadt, has also been attacked..." Jean's gaze swept over everyone, her tone heavy. "We must prepare for the worst—these monsters will likely attack Mondstadt in the near future."
Silence filled the office.
Just then, Lydia suddenly looked up. "Then... what about Teacher Albedo and Venti? Is there any news about them?"
The words were like a stone tossed into a calm lake, and the silence instantly thickened.
Jean turned her head away with a complicated expression, Lisa's smile faded, and Diluc and Kaeya exchanged a glance without saying a word.
Clearly, they had no news regarding Venti and Albedo.
Lydia pressed her lips into a tight line, her nails digging deeply into her palms and leaving several red marks.
She lowered her head, her long eyelashes drooping to conceal the glimmer of tears in her eyes. "They still couldn't make it back for my birthday?"
Though her voice was quiet, everyone in the hall heard it clearly.
Lumine stepped forward and gently patted her back, her tone softening. "Lydia, the situation is critical right now. Once everything passes, I'll help you throw an even livelier make-up birthday party!"
"Besides, Jean also said that the monsters attacking the city is just the worst-case scenario. Maybe everything will be fine by tomorrow!"
Lydia looked up, squeezing out a smile that looked worse than crying. Her eyes were red, but she shook her head. "There's no need... I want to be alone for a while."
After she finished speaking, she turned and walked out the door. Festering Desire brushed against the doorframe, making a slight sound.
Lumine subconsciously reached out, wanting to call out to her, but swallowed the words right as they reached her lips.
She knew how terrible Lydia was feeling right now. Those unspoken worries and her expectations for her birthday were all being weighed down by the shadow of the monsters.
Saying more wouldn't help; it was better to let her be alone for a while.
Watching Lydia's back disappear out the door, the people in the office couldn't help but sigh.
"This child... had always been looking forward to Venti and Albedo attending her birthday," Jean murmured softly, her tone full of heartache. "She even told me before that she had prepared the strongest wine to fight Venti to the bitter end."
"Her care for Venti is something we've all seen," Lisa said quietly.
Lumine fell silent for a moment, then suddenly looked up. "I'll go check on her, lest she overthink things by herself and run off to somewhere dangerous."
The others agreed to Lumine's request and told her the place Lydia would go whenever she had something on her mind.
Lumine followed the street toward the Cathedral, and under a tree behind the Cathedral, she spotted Lydia's figure.
The girl had her back to her, crouching on the ground. In front of her was a simple wooden cross, and placed before the cross was a withered Cecilia flower.
That was the one Venti had personally given her a few days ago.
Lumine lightened her footsteps, standing far away, not daring to approach.
The wind gently brushed through the leaves and landed on the tips of Lydia's hair.
She crouched on the ground, her fingertips repeatedly tracing the grain of the wooden cross.
"Mom, Dad..." Lydia's voice was choked with sobs.
"Tomorrow is my birthday. I can use your Vision now, and I can also easily fight monsters using Favonius Bladework. Don't you think I'm amazing?"
"Venti and Teacher Albedo, honestly... they promised they would come to my birthday party, but now it's a question of whether they can even make it back safely..."
She gently pressed her face against the cross. The cold wood touched her scalding cheeks, and she finally couldn't hold back her tears. They fell onto the grain of the cross, spreading into a small wet patch.
The wind swept up the fallen leaves on the ground, circling her once as if to silently comfort her.
Lydia's shoulders trembled slightly, her suppressed sobs masked by the rustling of the leaves.
"In the past, whenever I was upset, Sister Grace would always pat my head and say, 'Lydia is the bravest.' But actually, I'm not brave at all. I'm so scared... scared that they will end up like you, never to return."
Listening to these broken whispers, Lumine felt a complex swirl of emotions as she hid behind the tree.
Did this girl, who usually loved to laugh and fool around, really have such a fragile side?
The "Mom and Dad" the girl mentioned... that crude cross seemed to be her final memento of her parents.
Lumine quietly took a few steps back and did not approach her.
At this moment, what Lydia needed was not comfort, but a corner where she could pour her heart out—a moment to pretend that her parents were still by her side.
Lydia stayed there for a long time, and Lumine watched from her corner for just as long.
It wasn't until the setting sun stretched Lydia's shadow out long that she slowly stood up and carefully wiped the dust off the cross.
"Mom, Dad, I should go back now." She patted the dirt off her hands, forcing a faint smile on her lips. "When everything is over, I'll come see you again!"
"When the time comes, I'll definitely teach Teacher Albedo and Venti a good lesson! I'm going to pinch that stinky Venti's face hard, so they know that I, the great Lydia, am not to be messed with!"
With that said, she turned and walked towards the Knights, her snow-white ponytail swaying behind her, her footsteps steadier than when she arrived.
All those unspoken fears and longings seemed to have been left here along with her tears, left... in the whispers to her parents.