The first glimpse of Mondstadt through the trees made Haru stop walking entirely.
"Holy shit," he breathed.
"Language," Amber said automatically, though she was grinning.
"No, seriously. Holy shit."
In the game, Mondstadt had been impressive. Medieval fantasy architecture, windmills turning lazily in the breeze, that distinctive lighthouse cathedral rising majestically above stone walls.
In real life? It was breathtaking.
The city sprawled before them like something from a fairy tale, all warm stone and red rooftops gleaming in the afternoon sun. The cathedral's spires seemed to pierce the sky itself, and those famous windmills turned with hypnotic grace. Everything was bigger, more detailed, more alive than any game could capture.
"Pretty nice, right?" Amber said proudly. "Welcome to the City of Freedom!"
"It's beautiful," Lumine said softly.
"Paimon thinks it looks tasty!" Paimon announced. "Like a giant gingerbread house!"
"Please don't try to eat the buildings," Haru said.
"Paimon makes no promises."
As they approached the gates, Haru couldn't help but marvel at everything. The NPCs—no, people, he reminded himself—weren't just standing around repeating the same lines. They were actually living. Merchants haggled with customers. Children ran between stalls playing tag. A bard strummed his lyre near the fountain while a small crowd listened.
It was overwhelming in the best possible way.
"First time in Mondstadt?" Amber asked, noticing his expression.
"You could say that."
"Well, as an official Outrider, I'm obligated to give you the grand tour!"
The next hour passed in a whirlwind of sights and sounds. Amber led them everywhere—the smithy where Wagner hammered away at glowing metal, the general goods store where Blanche cheerfully overcharged tourists, the cathedral where Barbara practiced her scales.
"And this," Amber announced dramatically, "is Good Hunter! Best food in Mondstadt!"
The restaurant looked exactly like it did in the game, complete with Sara bustling around taking orders. The smell of grilled fish and hash browns made Haru's stomach growl audibly.
"When's the last time you ate?" Lumine asked, concerned.
"Uh..." Haru tried to remember. "Before the coffin incident?"
"That was this morning!"
"Was it? Time's been weird lately."
"Paimon's always hungry too!" Paimon declared. "Let's eat everything!"
They grabbed a table outside. Sara appeared almost instantly, notepad in hand.
"What can I get you folks today?"
"Four Mondstadt Hash Browns," Amber said. "And whatever fish you've got grilled."
"Sweet Madame for Paimon!" Paimon added.
"Just... something with meat," Haru said. "I'm not picky."
Sara bustled off, and they settled into comfortable conversation. Amber peppered them with questions about their travels. Lumine shared carefully edited stories about the worlds she'd visited. Paimon provided running commentary on everything.
"So you really just... fell from the sky in a coffin?" Amber asked for the third time.
"That's the short version," Haru confirmed.
"What's the long version?"
"More complicated and somehow less believable."
"Try me."
Haru was about to answer when the sky went dark.
Not gradually. Not like a sunset. One moment the sun was shining, the next moment black clouds swirled overhead like angry smoke.
"That's not normal," Amber said, hand moving to her bow.
The wind picked up. Then picked up more. Then became a howling gale that sent tables and chairs skittering across the plaza.
"EVERYONE INSIDE!" someone shouted.
That's when the roar split the air.
Deep. Primal. The sound of something ancient and furious announcing its presence to the world.
Dvalin burst through the clouds like a hurricane given form.
The dragon was massive—bigger than Haru had imagined from the game. Azure scales caught the weird storm-light as he circled the city, wings creating downdrafts that shattered windows and overturned carts.
"Stormterror!" Amber gasped.
Another roar, this one laden with pain and rage. Wind blades materialized around the dragon, slicing through buildings like they were made of paper.
That's when Haru heard it.
"MAMA! MAMA WHERE ARE YOU?!"
A small boy, maybe six years old, stood in the middle of the plaza. Tears streamed down his face as he spun in circles, looking for his mother. Debris fell around him like deadly rain.
"Kid!" Haru moved without thinking.
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION: HEROIC SCENARIO DETECTED. AURA FARMING OPPORTUNITY: RESCUE MISSION. CONFIDENCE LEVELS... RISING.]
The familiar sensation washed over him. The doubt, the uncertainty—it all melted away. In its place came crystal-clear purpose.
Save the child.
Look good doing it.
Haru sprinted across the plaza, dodging falling masonry and wind blades with fluid grace. Each step was perfectly placed. Each movement economical and precise.
He reached the boy just as a chunk of stone the size of a barrel crashed where the kid had been standing.
"Hey there," Haru said, scooping the child up. "Let's get you somewhere safe."
The boy looked up at him with wide, terrified eyes. "I can't find my mama!"
"We'll find her. But first, we need to get you out of the wind."
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION: PROTECTIVE INSTINCTS ENGAGED. POWER AMPLIFICATION ACTIVE. CURRENT STATUS: DETERMINED HERO.]
Haru carried the child toward the cathedral, the safest-looking building in sight. Other citizens were fleeing in the same direction, but they moved with panic. Haru moved with purpose.
A wind blade screamed toward them. Haru shifted left without looking, the attack missing by inches. Another chunk of debris fell from above. Haru stepped right, still not breaking stride.
It was like he could see the danger coming before it arrived.
"Whoa," the boy whispered. "Are you a knight?"
"Something like that."
They reached the cathedral steps. Sister Grace was there, ushering people inside.
"Take him," Haru said, passing the child over. "Find his mother if you can."
"What about you?"
"I've got work to do."
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION: DRAMATIC DECLARATION REGISTERED. HERO MODE: FULLY ACTIVATED. GO SAVE EVERYONE AND LOOK AMAZING DOING IT.]
Haru turned back to the chaos. Citizens were still fleeing, but some were trapped. An elderly man had fallen near the fountain. A woman was pinned under a collapsed food stall.
Time to work.
Haru moved through the disaster zone like a force of nature. He pulled people from wreckage with impossible strength. He intercepted falling debris with precise strikes that shattered stone to powder. When wind blades came too close to fleeing civilians, he somehow deflected them with his bare hands.
Each rescue was poetry in motion. Each save perfectly timed for maximum dramatic impact.
"This way!" he called to a group of confused merchants. "The cathedral!"
"Behind you!" he warned a mother carrying her baby, spinning to catch a piece of flying timber before it could strike her.
"I've got you!" he promised an injured guard, lifting the man like he weighed nothing and carrying him to safety.
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION: HEROIC RESCUE STREAK ACTIVE! CITIZENS SAVED: 12. STYLE POINTS: ACCUMULATING. STATUS: LEGENDARY PROTECTOR.]
The wind howled around him, but it seemed to part in his presence. His coat billowed dramatically with each movement. His red eyes blazed with righteous determination.
Then he heard Amber scream.
"LUMINE!"
Haru spun toward the sound. Three massive tornadoes had materialized in the plaza, and one of them had caught Lumine in its vortex. She spun helplessly in the wind, her sword useless against the elemental fury.
"LUMINE!!" The shout tore from Haru's throat.
For a moment, pure panic flooded his system. The system's power wavered. The confidence cracked.
Then he remembered something from the game. Venti. The mysterious bard who wasn't just a bard. If anyone could save Lumine from a wind-based attack, it would be the Anemo Archon himself.
Calm settled over Haru like a blanket. Lumine would be okay. She had plot armor and a secret god watching over her.
But the citizens didn't.
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION: EMOTIONAL CONTROL REGAINED. TRUST IN ALLIES: ACTIVATED. FOCUS REDIRECTED: SAVE EVERYONE ELSE.]
Haru threw himself back into rescue work with renewed vigor. Each person he saved was another victory against the chaos. Each life preserved was a point scored against disaster itself.
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION: FINAL CITIZEN SECURED! RESCUE OPERATION: COMPLETE! CALCULATING PERFORMANCE METRICS... STYLE POINTS: MAXIMUM! HEROIC SAVES: 23! DRAMATIC TIMING: PERFECT! ZERO CASUALTIES ACHIEVED!]
[PREPARING REWARD CALCULATION... BUT WAIT. REMEMBER WHAT HAPPENED LAST TIME? THE HILICHURL MASSACRE FOLLOWED BY THE GREAT TWIG INCIDENT OF SHAME? SYSTEM IS MAINTAINING CAUTIOUS OPTIMISM.]
[PLEASE, FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT IS DRAMATIC, DO NOT TRIP ON ANYTHING. DO NOT STUB YOUR TOE. DO NOT WALK INTO A SIGNPOST. JUST... STAND THERE. LOOK COOL. DON'T MOVE.]
When the wind finally died and the tornadoes dissipated, Haru stood in the plaza surrounded by grateful citizens. His coat was torn and dusty. His hair was disheveled. But his eyes still blazed with that inner fire.
He took a deep breath. Surveyed the scene. Everyone was safe. The mission was complete.
Time for a dramatic finish.
Haru turned slowly, his coat billowing in the dying wind. He looked out over the plaza with the satisfied expression of a job well done. Then he began walking toward where Lumine was landing.
Each step was measured. Confident. Perfect.
No twigs appeared to sabotage him. No pebbles rolled under his feet. No random banana peels materialized from nowhere.
He completed a full ten steps without incident.
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION: ...Wait. Are you serious? You actually did it? You completed an entire dramatic sequence without embarrassing yourself?]
[OH MY GOD! OH MY GOD! HE DID IT! LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, WE HAVE ACHIEVED BASIC COMPETENCY!]
[REWARD CALCULATION COMPLETE! HEROIC RESCUE PERFORMANCE: LEGENDARY TIER! BONUS FOR NOT FALLING DOWN: PRICELESS!]
[CONGRATULATIONS! YOU HAVE EARNED:][- MASSIVE POWER BOOST: +2,500 COOL POINTS!][- CRYO MASTERY UPGRADE: BASIC → FULL MASTERY UNLOCKED!][- FINANCIAL REWARD: 1,000,000 MORA DEPOSITED TO DIMENSIONAL STORAGE!][- TITLE UNLOCKED: "HERO OF MONDSTADT (WHO DOESN'T TRIP)"]
[SYSTEM NOTE: I'M SO PROUD I COULD CRY. IF I HAD TEAR DUCTS. WHICH I DON'T. BUT STILL.]
A warm sensation flowed through Haru's body as power settled into his bones. Knowledge of ice magic filled his mind—not just basic spells, but advanced techniques, perfect control, elemental mastery that most Vision holders spent decades trying to achieve.
Also, he somehow knew he now had enough money to buy half of Mondstadt. That was nice too.
Lumine landed gracefully nearby, completely unharmed just as he'd predicted.
Haru was there in an instant.
"Are you fine? Are you hurt?" The words tumbled out before he could stop them. His hands moved to check for injuries, fingers ghosting over her arms and shoulders.
Lumine's breath caught. They were standing very close. Close enough that she could see the flecks of gold in his red eyes. Close enough to feel the warmth radiating from his skin.
"I'm... I'm okay," she whispered.
Ahem.
Paimon floated between them, clearing her throat with the subtlety of a foghorn.
"Oh." Haru stepped back, heat flooding his face. "Sorry. I was just... worried."
"It's fine," Lumine said quickly, though her cheeks were pink.
"Paimon thinks you were standing a little too close there," Paimon said with a knowing grin.
"I said sorry."
"Paimon's just saying."
"Well don't."
"But—"
"Don't."
Before Paimon could continue her commentary, someone cleared their throat behind them.
They turned to find a tall man with dark blue hair and an eyepatch watching them with obvious amusement. His smile was the kind that suggested he knew secrets you didn't want him to know.
"Kaeya Alberich, Cavalry Captain of the Knights of Favonius," he introduced himself with a flourish. "Acting Grand Master Jean would like to speak with you."
"All of us?" Amber asked.
"Particularly our mysterious friend here," Kaeya's visible eye fixed on Haru. "Word is you saved quite a few people during the attack. Jean wants to thank you personally."
"I just did what anyone would do."
"Did you though?" Kaeya's smile widened. "Because according to witnesses, you deflected wind blades with your bare hands and caught falling masonry like it was made of paper. That's not exactly 'what anyone would do.'"
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION: ATTENTION ATTRACTED. COVER STORY REQUIRED. RECOMMENDED RESPONSE: MYSTERIOUS DEFLECTION.]
"I got lucky," Haru said.
"Very lucky. Repeatedly. With perfect timing." Kaeya chuckled. "Well, Jean can decide what to make of that. Shall we?"
The Knights of Favonius headquarters looked exactly like it did in the game, all clean lines and official banners. Jean's office was on the upper floor, and she stood behind her desk reviewing damage reports when they entered.
"Ah, you must be the travelers Amber mentioned," Jean said, looking up. "And you're the one who helped with the rescue efforts?"
"Among other things," Haru replied carefully.
What followed was essentially the same conversation from the game. Jean explained about Stormterror, the recent increase in attacks, the need for outside help. She formally asked for their assistance in dealing with the dragon problem.
"Of course we'll help," Lumine said immediately.
"Excellent. Kaeya will coordinate with you on the details." Jean turned to Haru. "I understand you'll be staying in Mondstadt for the foreseeable future?"
"That's the plan."
"Then you'll need accommodation. I can arrange for an apartment near the plaza. Two beds, fully furnished."
"That's very generous, but—"
"It's the least we can do for someone who saved so many of our citizens today."
Haru looked at Lumine, who nodded.
"Thank you," he said. "We accept."
As they left the headquarters, Paimon floated up to whisper conspiratorially, "Two beds, huh?"
"Paimon," Lumine warned.
"Paimon's just saying, there's gonna be some interesting sleeping arrangements."
"We'll figure it out," Haru said, determinedly not thinking about sharing an apartment with Lumine.
"Oh, Paimon's sure you will," Paimon grinned.
High above Mondstadt, perched on the cathedral's highest spire, an Abyss Mage watched the group disappear into the evening crowd.
It pulled out its communication crystal again.
"Your Highness," it whispered. "I have disturbing news."
The crystal pulsed.
"The unknown individual has grown closer to your sister. Much closer. During today's attack, he showed significant concern for her welfare. Physical contact was observed."
The crystal's pulsing became more agitated.
"Furthermore, they will now be sharing living quarters. The implications are... concerning."
Static crackled through the crystal. Then a voice, cold and sharp as winter wind.
"What do you mean, sharing living quarters?"
"Two beds, one apartment, Your Highness. Alone together. Every night."
Silence stretched for long moments.
"Continue monitoring. Report any... developments."
"Of course, Your Highness."
The crystal went dark.
Miles away, in the depths of the Abyss, Prince Aether crushed a handful of Abyssal energy between his fingers.
"That's my sister," he snarled to the empty air. "Damn it!"
Around him, lesser Abyss creatures cowered as killing intent rolled off their prince in waves.
Someone was getting too close to Lumine.
And Aether was not pleased.
Back in Mondstadt, completely unaware of the interdimensional surveillance drama, Haru sneezed again.
"You're gonna get sick if you keep doing that," Paimon observed.
"Someone's talking about me again."
"Paimon's literally always talking about you. You're gonna be sneezing forever."
"Great. Add that to the list of things I have to deal with."
"What list?" Lumine asked.
"The ever-growing list of weird stuff that's happened since I got here."
"How long is it now?"
"Honestly? I stopped counting."
As they walked toward their new apartment, Haru couldn't shake the feeling that his list was about to get a lot longer.