Kaito and Jean, unaware of any omen, left the city along the well-worn paths toward Windrise. The road to the Thousand Winds Temple passed along its edge.
Kaito had taken this route before with Diluc, heading toward the Wolf of the North's domain. A little farther ahead, a forest shortcut branched off into dense trees and uneven ground.
Jean's pace was fast.
"Jean, conserve your stamina," Kaito said. "At this rate, we'll need to rest before we even reach the temple."
"Sorry. I'm used to this speed," she replied, slightly embarrassed.
She slowed to match him—then unconsciously surged ahead again moments later, boots striking the path with disciplined urgency.
"…Sorry." She stopped and waited.
Kaito didn't tease her. He simply shifted his position, walking half a step ahead where she could see his back and match his cadence.
"Follow my pace. Quiet steps," he said. "The forest carries sound."
Jean nodded, focusing on her breathing and footwork. Whenever her stride started to pull forward again, Kaito raised two fingers in a small signal, and she corrected immediately.
At that moment, Kaito's system chimed:
[System Notification]: Cultivation target added — Jean
Name: Jean
Level: Lv.15
Element: Anemo
Skills: Gale Blade Lv.1, Dandelion Breeze Lv.1
Jean heard the faint tone and glanced over. "Focus—we're on a mission."
"We are," Kaito replied. "And staying in rhythm keeps us from wasting energy."
They pushed deeper along the shortcut. Loose stones and roots made the terrain treacherous; one wrong step could twist an ankle and ruin the whole operation. Jean stayed alert, but the urgency in her still kept trying to drag her faster than needed.
A shriek split the air.
A hilichurl with a flaming torch charged from the brush, heat flickering wildly as it barreled toward them.
Jean's hand went to her sword instantly. "Contact!"
"Pull it away from the trees," Kaito said, already shifting to a safer angle. "Don't let it light the brush."
Anemo gathered at Jean's palm.
"Gale Blade!"
Wind condensed, seized the torch-bearing hilichurl, and yanked it forward—then blasted it away in a clean arc that snuffed the threat before it could close the distance.
"That counters torch carriers well," Kaito noted, scanning the perimeter.
"Camp ahead," Jean said, voice tight. "Stay ready."
They cleared the small encampment—only to find far fewer hilichurls than expected.
Troubling.
Smoke drifted up the cliffside and drew an Abyss Mage to the ridge above. Kaito immediately signaled for silence and guided them into cover beneath the trees.
They waited.
The Abyss Mage hovered, suspicious, then drifted away when it failed to find a target.
Once the pressure eased, they circled up the slope carefully—and the real problem revealed itself.
Below them was a ritual site: an Ice Abyss Mage at the center, hilichurls on patrol, and an Anemo Hypostasis hovering like a living storm.
Too many targets. Too many variables.
"We prioritize the tear crystal," Jean said calmly, eyes narrowing as she assessed the field. "We take what we came for and return with the Knights."
"I'll try something," Kaito replied, already drawing his blade.
Geo power surged—heavy, grounded, resolute.
"Dual elements…" Jean murmured, her attention snapping to the weapon as Kaito shifted his stance. "And that's Wolf's Gravestone?"
"Surprised?" he asked without looking back.
"Yes," she answered honestly, then tightened her grip on her sword. "But later."
Kaito struck.
The ritual structure shattered under a single technique—stone collapsing, sigils scattering, the formation breaking like glass. The sudden disruption forced the patrol to stumble and reposition, and the Abyss Mage's control faltered for a crucial moment.
They didn't stay to admire the result.
They moved.
Night fell. Clouds swallowed the stars.
By the time they reached the Thousand Winds Temple basin, the air had thickened—charged, uneasy, like the world was holding its breath.
A crimson Tear Crystal hovered above the ground.
Beside it stood a dormant Ruin Guard, silent as a tomb statue.
Kaito's eyes sharpened. "I'll take the crystal. Watch the machine."
Jean stepped into position without hesitation. "Understood."
Kaito lunged—
And rain exploded from the sky.
Lightning danced along wet stone.
The Ruin Guard's head twitched.
Its core flared awake.
"…Damn," Kaito muttered.
The first missile screamed out. They split—one to draw fire, the other to flank. Jean's Anemo cut through rain and debris, pulling space open where it mattered. Kaito used terrain and timing, forcing the Ruin Guard to turn, to overcommit, to expose its core.
The downpour turned the ground into a slick hazard. The storm drowned footsteps and warped distance.
But it also masked their approach.
Jean drew the machine's attention with a sharp burst of wind. Kaito closed in, blade heavy, footsteps measured.
A final opening.
Together, they pierced the core.
The Ruin Guard staggered—then collapsed into the mud with a dull, defeated crash.
Kaito grabbed the Tear Crystal and purged it immediately. The crimson haze peeled away as if scraped off by an invisible hand.
[System Notification]: Purification complete.
They didn't linger.
They found shelter beneath a fallen archway and lit a fire with careful, efficient movements. Rain hammered down in sheets, loud enough to swallow the world.
Jean changed into dry clothing behind a cloak and checked her gear, then sat near the fire, posture straight even through exhaustion.
Kaito secured the perimeter, then returned to the warmth of the flames and set the purified crystal safely aside.
Jean stared at the rain for a long moment, then spoke quietly—voice steady, not sentimental.
"For tonight, I'm off duty," she said. "We rest. At first light, we move."
Kaito nodded once. "Good. Sleep in shifts. The storm makes everything bold."
Outside, thunder rolled over the ruins—endless and cold.
But the crystal was clean.
And that meant the mission had paid off.
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