The crisp air of Mondstadt brushed softly against me face as the grand city came into view. The sound of birds, the murmur of traders, and the distant melody of bards filled the wind. Amber, walking proudly beside Me and Paimon, grinned and spread her arms wide.
The massive wooden gates of Mondstadt swung open, revealing a city carved from stone and song. My first impression was one of verticality and wind. The city was built on an island in the middle of a lake, its architecture a harmonious blend of sturdy stone foundations and elegant, wind-catching spires. Cobblestone paths wound their way up, connecting bustling lower plazas to higher terraces. Brightly colored banners, predominantly blue and white, fluttered from every available pole, each emblazoned with the symbol of the Favonius Knights. The air was filled with the scent of baking bread from the nearby Goth Hotel and the distant, melodic strains of a bard's tune.
"Welcome to Mondstadt! The City of Freedom!" she announced with enthusiasm, her voice carrying the pride of a Knight of Favonius.
Me and Paimon both marveled at the sight before them. Beyond the towering city gates stood cobblestone streets lined with colorful buildings of white plaster and red rooftops, wooden beams crossing their façades like ribbons. The air carried the scent of flowers and freshly baked bread from the nearby market.
Windmills stood tall, their sails spinning gracefully in the afternoon breeze. The Favonius Cathedral rose proudly in the city's center, its stained-glass windows casting kaleidoscopic rays of light across the plaza. The knight banners fluttered high, the insignia of Mondstadt—an eagle in flight—dancing in the wind.
Amber turned to me with a warm smile. "As the Outrider of the Knights of Favonius, I officially welcome you both to Mondstadt! And… as a small thank-you gift for helping me clear out that Hilichurl camp…" She rummaged in her pack before pulling out something beautifully crafted.
It was a Wind Glider.
The glider's frame was polished silverwood, light yet durable, with wings of emerald fabric lined in gold embroidery. Intricate Anemo patterns spiraled across the cloth, faintly glowing as if the wind itself flowed through them.
"This is a Wind Glider, Mondstadt's pride and joy," Amber explained, holding it up with a gleam in her eyes. "Every Knight earns theirs after proving themselves in service. But since you already helped us out… consider this a gesture of appreciation."
My eyes softened as he took the glider. "Thank you, Amber. It's beautiful."
"Paimon wants one too!" the little companion exclaimed, fluttering around him eagerly.
Amber laughed. "Maybe once you earn your wings, Paimon!"
She crossed her arms playfully, then pointed toward the cathedral spire. "Alright, Aether! Let's test it out. Glide from the top of the cathedral and land near the city's main gate. Think of it as a beginner's trial!"
I nodded. With Polymath and his innate Traveller skill, mastering the glider was the work of a single, effortless descent. He didn't just glide; he soared, catching thermals with an instinctive grace that made the glider seem like a natural extension of his body. He landed softly before a wide-eyed Amber.
"Wow!" she exclaimed. "You're a natural! I've never seen anyone pick it up that fast!"
Her compliment was cut short by a deafening, pained roar that shook the very foundations of the city. The sky darkened as Stormterror descended, his corrupted form casting a terrifying shadow. Tornadoes, violent and purple-tinged, erupted throughout the city, tearing at rooftops, splintering market stalls, and sending citizens screaming for cover.
1) Scene 1 - 🌬️ The First Glide
The wind rushed past my ears as he leapt from the cathedral balcony.
The glider's wings spread wide—light as a feather, steady as the breeze. The air around him responded almost instinctively, swirling with gentle currents that lifted him higher. His Anemo affinity resonated with the wind itself, allowing him to balance perfectly midair.
Amber and Paimon watched from below, hands shading their eyes.
"Wow!" Paimon gasped. "He's so good at it already!"
Amber smiled, genuinely impressed. "He's a natural. Even some of our Knights struggle their first time…"
I landed softly near the gate plaza, the glider folding behind him like a pair of sleeping wings. Amber ran up to meet him.
"Not bad at all!" she said with a proud grin. "Looks like you've got the wind's blessing already."
I chuckled softly. "Maybe the wind just likes me."
Before Amber could respond, a deep, resonant roar echoed through the sky—followed by a violent gust that sent banners flapping wildly.
2) Scene 2; 🌪️ Stormterror Descends
From beyond the horizon, the Dragon of the East—Stormterror, Dvalin— emerged, its enormous wings tearing through the clouds. The creature's scales shimmered with turquoise light as cyclones began forming across Mondstadt, tearing through rooftops and throwing debris into the air.
Citizens screamed and fled.
Amber's expression hardened as she readied her bow. "It's Stormterror! We have to evacuate the people—!"
I turned to Paimon. "Paimon, stay close to Amber."
"What are you gonna do?!" Amber shouted over the roaring wind.
I looked skyward, eyes glowing faintly with emerald light. "I'll get him away from the city."
Before either could protest, a sudden whirlwind surrounded me. He leapt—right into one of the cyclones.
3) Scene 3; 🌬️ The Sky Battle Begins
Within the storm, my Great Sage activated.
[Suggestion: Use skill 'Degenerate' to construct an aerial foothold. Combine wind affinity for stabilization.]
Do it! I thought, feeling the two skills intertwine within him. A new, instinctual understanding bloomed.
I stretched out his hand. Magicules flared around him, the wind bending to his will. Using both his Wind Manipulation from Tensura and Wind Magic from Yuno's arsenal, he created plates of compressed air beneath his feet—small translucent disks glowing faintly.
["Degenerate" activation successful. New Unique Skill created: "Anemo Style; Aerodynamic" (空力, Kūryoku).]
Instantly, I stabilized my wild spin. With each step, a shimmering, solid plate of compressed air formed under his boot, allowing him to run on the sky itself as if it were solid ground. He now had a battlefield. The air solidified beneath me, allowing me to run across the sky. I dashed forward, leaving trails of wind in my wake.
Dvalin roared, the sound shaking the heavens.
"Alright then," I murmured, summoning a gust around his arm. "Let's get your attention."
"Great Sage, target the dragon's wings. Non-lethal, but get his attention."
[Command accepted. Executing "Anemo/Wind Magic; Piercing Tornado Needles."]
A dozen miniature vortexes materialized around me, elongating into sharp, whistling needles of concentrated wind. They shot forth, peppering Dvalin's wings and back. The dragon shrieked in surprise and irritation, its massive head whipping around to locate this new, airborne pest.
It saw me, standing defiantly in the sky. With a roar of fury, Dvalin charged.
[Proposing high-speed evasion. Synthesizing "Air Dance" derivatives with enhanced sensory processing. New Skill: "Riftwalk" (瞬光, Shunkō).]
The world slowed down. My senses expanded, processing the dragon's speed, trajectory, and the flow of the air itself. He became a blur of motion, Riftwalk carrying him in impossible arcs around Dvalin's snapping jaws and swiping claws. In his hand, a perfectly projected sword, a simple yet deadly copy of a Serpant Devourer anemo sword, materialized through his Magecraft.
But then I decided that i really needed to deal some quick damage to dvalin, So I traced yet another copy of "Serpant Devourer" to make myself a duel wielding set of swords to attack dvalin with surgical precision.
I combined the blades together with "Wind Style - Blade of Wind Jutsu" & "Wind Magic - Slicing Wind Emperor" in which enveloping both blades with a coat of condensed wind mana and charka thanks to my "Magicule batttery" that can allow my to use both sources of power (chakra or mana). And with each swing, crescent moons of condensed, razor-sharp wind launched forth, slashing against Dvalin's scaled hide from all directions. It was a whirlwind of steel and gale, a relentless assault meant to overwhelm and drive away.
From the ground, the spectacle was both terrifying and awe-inspiring. With Amber and Paimon stared in awe.
"He's—he's fighting Stormterror in the sky!?" Paimon cried.
Amber's jaw dropped, her bow hanging limply at her side.. "That's… that's impossible… No one can fight him like that!"
On a higher balcony, Kaeya Alberich, the Cavalry Captain, watched with his single visible eye wide open, his usual smirk utterly vanished. This was no ordinary Vision holder. The control, the sheer variety of Anemo manipulation—creating platforms, firing needles, moving at blinding speeds, launching wind blades—it was a mastery that surpassed even Jean's. Who is this man? he thought, a mix of alarm and intense curiosity stirring within him. Is he saving Mondstadt, or is he a new storm we cannot hope to control?
Below, the citizens, having found shelter, peered out as the destructive cyclones within the city began to dissipate, their energy seemingly drawn back to the dragon. They pointed to the sky, their faces a mixture of fear and hope as they witnessed the golden-haired stranger duel their ancient terror.
From above in the sky the fight when on and on, with slash after slash, trying my best to weaken dvalin, until I saw his opening. The cumulative slashes had enraged the dragon, but also weakened its corruptive aura. It was time to end this.
4) Scene 4; 🌪️ The Gale Duel
Dvalin turned its fury toward me, charging through the clouds. I activated another spell:
"Riftwalk (瞬光, Shunkō)!"
The world blurred. MY senses sharpened, every gust, every flicker of light slowed to clarity. I vanished and reappeared in bursts of wind, dodging Dvalin's claws and tail swipes as he slashed through the air with a projected sword—its blade infused with condensed wind chakra.
Each swing released cutting arcs of green light that tore through the dragon's defenses.
"Now!"
The wind howled as my magic reached its peak.
I sheathed both of my projected swords, not in a scabbard, but in a swirling vortex of my most potent Wind Magic. The air screamed as he poured a massive amount of mana and magicules into the blade, creating a colossal, visible blade of compressed storm around it.
The sword expanded, sheathed entirely in roaring gales.
"Slicing Wind Emperor — Twin Gale Strike!"
I shot forward like a meteor, his blades carving an X arc through the storm as he struck Dvalin with blinding speed.
The impact was a concussive blast of pure force. My swords, surrounded by the emperor's gale, struck Dvalin squarely on the back. The dragon let out a world-shattering shriek of agony, the corruption around it flaring violently before it recoiled, defeated and confused. With a final, pained beat of its wings, Stormterror turned and fled, disappearing into the horizon.
The sky cleared. The wind returned to a gentle breeze.
5) Scene 5 🌤️ The Aftermath
The winds settled. Sunlight poured over Mondstadt once more. Citizens peeked from their hiding places, staring upward at the lone figure descending gracefully from the sky.
I landed softly on the air platforms before touching down near the plaza. Amber and Paimon rushed toward him.
Amber was speechless, eyes wide in disbelief. "You… you fought Stormterror. In the air."
Paimon hovered close, puffing her cheeks. "Paimon almost had a heart attack watching that!"
I gave a faint, apologetic smile. "Sorry for worrying you both… and thank you for the glider, Amber. It came in handy."
Amber blinked, then laughed softly, shaking her head. "You're… something else, Aether."
The moment was interrupted by the sound of slow, deliberate clapping.
The sound of slow, deliberate clapping echoed in the sudden quiet. From the shadows of a nearby archway, Kaeya Alberich emerged, his signature smirk back in place, though his eye held a new, calculating depth.
"Bravo," Kaeya said, his voice a smooth, amused drawl. "To face Stormterror itself and live to tell the tale... You've got quite the power, stranger." He stopped a few feet away, his gaze intense. "So, let me ask you properly. The power to take on the dragon of storm himself... are you a new ally," he paused, the smirk widening just a fraction, "or a new storm itself?"