Kaito wasn't worried about Mona spilling secrets.
Aside from him, she didn't really have close friends in Mondstadt. And as for the Knights of Favonius—she had no connection to them. If anything, they were only useful when she needed to dump trouble onto someone else.
The three of them finished their late-night meal together.
Lumine offered to wash the dishes, but Mona smoothly stepped in before she could.
Kaito didn't even look surprised. "Once you're done, pack the leftovers and take them with you."
"O-okay," Mona answered at once.
Lumine wanted to insist. As a traveler, pulling your own weight was basic courtesy. If she could wash the dishes, she should.
But then a thin sheet of Hydro swept over the bowls and utensils.
Everything turned spotless in seconds.
Lumine froze.
"You're really going to compete with a Hydro Vision holder over dishwashing?" Kaito asked blandly.
"…Fair." Lumine had to concede.
Arms folded, Kaito watched Mona pack the leftovers, then spoke like he was discussing the weather.
"Starting tomorrow, for the next month—Mona, come here every night after seven. Sara will prepare that soup for you. You'll take it home."
"Huh?!" Mona stiffened. "Kaito, that's not necessary!"
"It's a course of treatment," Kaito said, tone flat—no room for negotiation.
Mona went pale. "W-wait—do I have some kind of illness?!"
Lumine blinked, intrigued. "Is this… food therapy?"
"Something like that." Kaito gave a small nod. "One month. We'll see if it works."
If it didn't, the Mora was just the price of an experiment.
Mona flashed forward in a shimmer of water and grabbed his hand, panicked. "Is it… serious?!"
"Not like that." Kaito met her eyes. "But if you keep living like this, then yes—eventually you'll wreck yourself."
For someone who acted so high and mighty, she was frighteningly good at starving herself.
"…Understood." Mona swallowed. "I—I'll listen."
Still jittery, she hurried out with her packed food like the night itself was chasing her.
After she left, Lumine asked softly, "She isn't staying the night?"
"She has her own place," Kaito said, honestly confused. "Why would she?"
Lumine's cheeks warmed. She lowered her head a little.
So… she'd misunderstood. Mona and Kaito weren't that kind of close.
"Rinse your mouth and sleep," Kaito said, turning away. "Travelers don't make a habit of sleeping in."
Lumine shook her head quickly. "I've never slept in."
Then she hesitated, like she'd finally made a decision.
"Kaito… I want to show you something."
"Oh?" Kaito raised a brow.
From Paimon's space, Lumine pulled out a crimson crystal.
The instant it appeared, a cold, ugly pressure flooded the attic—like something poisonous had been uncorked.
"That—" Kaito snapped his fingers. A burst of Anemo slammed the window shut.
He didn't want anyone outside seeing even a glimpse.
Lumine held the crystal in both hands, nervous. "You know something, don't you? Paimon and I found this outside the city today. The dragon was there… and there was also a green guy."
She bit her lip. "I thought it might be useful to you."
She'd originally planned to show it to the Knights.
But after hearing Kaito speak so openly about the Knights and the Fatui… she'd decided to bring it to him first.
Kaito's expression turned serious. "This is Dvalin's Tear. It looks like this because it's been saturated with a powerful curse."
"Dvalin…?" Lumine repeated. She'd heard the name before—she was pretty sure even that "wind" voice had used it.
Kaito asked, "Do you remember the Four Winds of Mondstadt?"
"North Wind Wolf, West Wind Falcon, South Wind Lion, and East Wind Dragon," Lumine answered immediately.
"Right." Kaito tapped the crystal lightly, careful not to hold it for long. "The Wolf is the North—Andrius. The Falcon represents Mondstadt's protectors—today, that role sits with the Knights of Favonius. The Lion is the Dandelion Knight—Jean, in this era."
His gaze sharpened. "And the East Wind Dragon is an ancient wind dragon who still exists today: Dvalin."
Lumine's eyes widened. "So… Stormterror is Dvalin?"
"And that's why we only needed to clear three of the Four Winds' temples," Kaito said. "Because the fourth belongs to Dvalin himself. He can't 'borrow' power from his own temple the way he can from the other three."
Lumine frowned. "But if he's one of Mondstadt's protectors… why would he attack Mondstadt?"
Kaito lifted the crimson crystal slightly. "This is your answer."
His voice was calm—almost clinical.
"When something in your body goes wrong, it shows in what you shed. If even a single tear is overflowing with this much cursed power… imagine what's happening inside him."
Lumine's shoulders sank. "So… knowing that doesn't really help, does it?"
"It helps," Kaito said simply.
He placed his palm over the crystal.
A transparent prompt flickered across his vision.
[System Notice]: Curse power detected inside the crystal. Purify it?
Kaito chose Yes.
A clear, gentle light bloomed in his hand.
The wicked red glow collapsed fast—like ink washed out of water. The oppressive aura dissolved into nothing.
In a few breaths, the crystal transformed into a fist-sized, perfectly clear gem—pure Anemo energy shimmering inside like a sealed storm.
"This kind of crystal is dangerously dense wind-element energy," Kaito said. "If someone handles it stupidly, it can overload a Vision holder. Sooner or later, it'll be useful."
Lumine stared. "Kaito… you purified it?"
"You can too," Kaito said. "This curse doesn't work properly on Travelers from another world."
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