At the plaza of the Anemo Archon.
Amber was still giving warnings.
"You absolutely have to follow my instructions, got it?"
"Every year in Mondstadt, there are tons of people who end up with broken bones because they did not use their Wind Glider properly."
"Whoa, that scary?"
Paimon's expression turned nervous. "Good thing I can fly on my own."
"If you use it properly, there is no problem at all. And with me, Mondstadt's gliding champion, here with you, you can relax."
Amber patted her chest, full of confidence.
"Gliding champion?"
"So Amber is actually that amazing?"
Paimon said in exaggerated awe.
Amber seemed to remember something, her expression turning a little awkward. Clearly not wanting to dwell on that topic, she cleared her throat and said, "Mm, anyway, do not worry about it. Let us get started."
"Lumine, all you have to do is jump from here and open your Wind Glider at the same time."
Amber demonstrated, leaping from the circular stone platform in the middle of the plaza. Her Wind Glider unfurled in an instant and carried her forward, landing her neatly beside the fountain in front of the Goth Grand Hotel. She waved up at Lumine, who was still standing above.
"Alright."
Lumine jumped as well.
Whoosh...
Her body, which had been falling rapidly, steadied the moment the Wind Glider opened. It felt as if a current of wind rose up to support her.
She tried adjusting her angle a little, and glided toward Amber's position.
"Lumine really has talent. Keep at it and you might even end up competing with me in Mondstadt's Gliding Championship."
Amber encouraged her.
"There is a gliding competition?" Paimon asked.
"If there is a champion, there has to be a competition."
"Then what is the prize for first place?"
Paimon instantly got excited. "Can I enter too?"
"Uh..."
For once, Amber did not know how to answer.
"Amber, it looks like things inside the city are a little chaotic."
Lumine spoke up then.
From up in the air just now, she had seen many Knights of Favonius moving around. It felt different from normal patrol routes.
"Really? Then we can ask someone about it later."
Amber was curious as well.
"That guy?" Paimon pointed.
At the entrance of the Goth Grand Hotel stood a brown haired man in black and red clothing, with goggles pushed up on his head.
He seemed to notice their gazes and snapped impatiently, "What are you looking at? If you have nothing to do, stay away. This is Fatui territory."
"..."
Amber stuck out her tongue and hurriedly tugged Paimon and Lumine away. "Let us keep our distance from that lot."
She snorted under her breath. "All they did was book out the Goth Grand Hotel and they already dare call it their territory. So arrogant. If I catch them slipping up somewhere, the Knights of Favonius will make them regret it."
There was open hostility in her tone.
"Who are they?" Lumine asked.
"The Fatui, a diplomatic envoy from Snezhnaya. Strictly speaking, they do not have much to do with us."
Amber waved the matter off. "Let us continue. Next we will glide to the fountain plaza in front of Good Hunter. If you can do that, your first test is complete."
She pulled Lumine behind the hotel, then jumped off again herself.
Lumine hurried after her.
From midair, she saw that Good Hunter had already closed up shop, its doors and windows all shut tight, and even the general goods store across from it seemed to be in the same state.
The fountain plaza, which had been lively not long ago, was eerily silent now.
She was still wondering about it when a powerful gust of wind blew in from beyond Cider Lake, carrying a chill deep enough to cut to the bone.
The great windmills inside Mondstadt, which usually turned lazily in the breeze, suddenly spun at high speed under the force of the gale. Posters, flyers, trash, and countless leaves were all swept up into the air.
The sky was visibly darkening, heavy dark clouds gathering at an unnatural speed.
"A storm?"
Amber pulled the goggles hanging around her neck up over her eyes, disbelief thick in her voice. "Mondstadt is a city under the Anemo Archon's protection. A storm this violent should not be possible."
"The wind's direction..."
Lumine suddenly clenched her pale fist.
Roar...
Far away, at Brightcrown Canyon, a dragon's roar split the sky and rolled over Mondstadt like thunder.
Stormterror, the six winged dragon of wind, descended wreathed in hurricanes and clouds like surging waves.
Its enormous body shattered countless rooftops as it passed.
Screams of terror rose from within the city and were quickly drowned beneath the madness of the wind.
"Hey, hey, hey, it really showed up!"
At the Knights of Favonius Headquarters, Jensen, Kaeya, Jean, and Lisa all rushed out.
They stared up at Stormterror sweeping through the low sky over Mondstadt.
"Good thing we did the evacuation early," Kaeya said with a rare hint of relief.
"Why would Stormterror suddenly attack Mondstadt?"
Jean's voice was tight with anxiety.
This kind of unexpected situation had caught her completely off guard.
Even with the Knights already moving to evacuate the citizens, if they could not drive Stormterror away or calm it down quickly, the damage inside the city would only grow worse by the minute.
"This chaotic elemental energy..."
Lisa brushed her fingers lightly over the skin of her arm. "No wonder it makes people irritable."
Roar...
While they were still assessing the situation, Stormterror soared higher, then rose to a stand over the city, its huge body rearing in the air. It opened its maw and unleashed a deafening roar at the statue of the Anemo Archon below.
It was manipulating the wind.
Or perhaps, it was... desecrating the Anemo Archon.
Wild Anemo energy gathered, twisting into a pitch black tornado that dropped from the clouds and fell toward the statue.
But some unknown force caused the black twister to veer off course and rampage through the city instead.
"This is bad."
Jean's expression changed drastically.
"That is..."
Jensen saw a figure lifted into the sky by the black tornado.
"I am going."
He could not hide the urgency in his voice.
His Wind Glider unfolded with a snap. In the next instant, his body moved, riding the chaos of the storm winds as he shot up into the sky.
This was not a game.
If anything happened, he would not be able to bear the consequences.