With a soft pop, Noah, Kiana, Elysia, and Lumine appeared near the entrance of Old Mondstadt Capital. They were here at the request of Grand Master Arundolyn, tasked with checking the area and possibly requesting aid from the Wolf of the North, Andrius.
"Ughh... still feels awful, but at least I didn't throw up this time," Kiana muttered, wiping her mouth.
"Y-Yeah... it's not as bad as our first few tries," Elysia added, still a bit pale as she clutched her stomach.
Lumine took a few deep breaths not just to shake off the dizziness from the Apparition jump, but to brace herself for what lay ahead.
Noah glanced at the group, his gaze lingering on Lumine. Her reaction reminded him of the conversation they had with Arundolyn just hours before.
-----
Inside the Knights of Favonius headquarters, Noah and the girls followed a knight through the stone corridors toward the Grand Master's office. When they reached the door, the knight knocked twice. A second later, a commanding voice from inside called, "Come in."
They stepped inside as the door creaked open. The room felt tense. Rostam stood near the desk, his usual flamboyant air nowhere to be found, his face drawn and serious. Beside him was Deacon Ragan, looking equally worn. At the center, seated behind his desk with hands clasped, was Arundolyn, the current Grand Master of the Knights of Favonius his expression grave but composed.
"Sir, I've brought the guests from the Adventurers Guild." The knight saluted.
"Good work. You're dismissed," Arundolyn said with a nod.
The knight bowed to those present and quietly exited. Once the door closed, an uncomfortable silence settled.
"Umm... did we come at a bad time?" Elysia asked gently, her voice cutting through the tension.
"It's alright. No need to worry," Deacon Ragna said with a reassuring chuckle, giving Rostam a firm pat on the shoulder.
Rostam inhaled deeply, visibly trying to compose himself. When he finally looked at them, his voice steadied. "Apologies for the mood. Welcome, everyone, to the Knights of Favonius."
Noah and the girls exchanged glances before nodding with polite smiles, sensing something more behind the atmosphere.
Once the introductions were done, Arundolyn rose from his seat with composed dignity. "Welcome, Mr. Noah, Miss Kiana, Miss Elysia, and Miss Lumine. I'm Arundolyn, the current Grand Master of the Knights of Favonius. I've heard quite a few stories about your achievements."
Noah stepped forward and accepted the handshake offered, his tone respectful. "The pleasure is ours, Grand Master Arundolyn."
Kiana, Elysia, and Lumine followed, greeting him with brief, polite handshakes of their own.
"We heard you had a request for us, Grand Master?" Noah inquired, though his eyes caught the subtle twitch from Rostam, and how Deacon Ragna quietly held him back with a glance.
".....Yes." Arundolyn also saw Rostam's reaction but kept his attention on Noah. "Mr. Noah, you do have the ability to teleport, correct?"
Noah blinked. "...Yes, I can. It's limited, but manageable."
Arundolyn nodded and closed his eyes briefly, folding his arms. The tension in the room spiked. Rostam was visibly struggling to keep himself composed, with Ragna quietly grounding him.
After a few seconds, Arundolyn opened his eyes.
"Mr. Noah, on behalf of the Knights of Favonius, we would like to request that you and your companions to go the Old Capital of Mondstadt, to check the area and see one of Four winds, Lord Dvalin."
----------
"You girls alright?" Noah asked as he scanned the city ruins, keeping alert for any signs of danger.
"Ugh... I'm okay. Let's get this over with," Kiana muttered. Elysia and Lumine gave small nods in agreement.
Noah took the lead, guiding them along the path toward Center Tower.
"We attempted to send knights ahead, but they couldn't proceed deeper due to the Abyss's interference," Arundolyn had said. "We're hoping your group, being small, elite, and have access to teleportation magic can accomplish what others could not."
As they walked, Arundolyn's words played in Noah's mind. His gaze sharpened as the taint of the Abyss grew stronger around them. Kiana and Elysia tensed at the oppressive presence. Lumine, turned pale, until Elysia gently reached out, grounding her with a soft touch.
Then Kiana heard it again. That familiar voice. The one that sounded like hers, whispering from somewhere deep inside. Kuh! this voice again. This Abyss is really nasty!
Kiana's thoughts were cut short when Noah swiftly drew his Lightsaber-Lux and cleaved through the Rifthound lunging at them. The sudden attack jolted the rest of the girls into action as more creatures emerged from the shadows.
Though still shaken, Lumine steadied herself and summoned a burst of Anemo energy, pulling the enemies together in a compact vortex.
Elysia followed up with a graceful volley of shimmering pink crystal arrows, striking with pinpoint precision.
Seizing the moment, Noah channeled Force lightning into the swirling wind, triggering a powerful Electro reaction that shocked the entire pack.
With her bat in hand, Kiana struck down the paralyzed Rifthounds alongside Lumine, who followed through with clean sword slashes that left no room for recovery.
Noah casually tilted his head to the left as an arrow whizzed past, embedding itself into the skull of a Rifthound that had crept too close.
A quick motion of his hand brought a stone block crashing down on another that had leapt toward Elysia.
Within moments, the small pack of Abyss creatures lay defeated around them.
"...Okay, I admit that was cool," Kiana muttered, momentarily forgetting the ominous voice in her head.
Lumine blinked, then said with a puzzled look, "......Did we just wipe out a group of Abyss creatures... that easily?"
"Well~ that's the strength of family," Elysia chimed with a proud grin, already snapping a picture of their triumphant pose.
Noah let out a snort. "Let's keep moving."
They resumed their walk toward the central tower as they entered the ruined city ahead.
----
As they stepped onto the bridge leading into the city, Noah suddenly tensed. His eyes darted to the right six missiles were heading straight for them. The sudden change in his posture made the girls snap their heads in the same direction. Their eyes widened.
Before the missiles could hit, they froze mid-air.
"...Isn't this supposed to be a fantasy world!" Noah muttered, annoyed, as he suspended the missiles with the Force.
He scanned the source and spotted a robot definitely the one that fired them staring their way. Twitching with irritation, he flung the missiles back with a flick of his hand. A loud explosion followed as they hit their mark.
"Take that, you oversized tin can!" Noah snapped, clearly agitated. "This is a fantasy world! Not a Sci-fi world! Go back to where ever you came from!"
The girls blinked, momentarily stunned by his uncharacteristic outburst.
"...Does this happen often?" Lumine asked, tilting her head.
"Nope. This is a first," Kiana replied, eyes still wide.
Elysia, always quick on the draw, had already captured the moment on both photo and video. "I'm sooo keeping this!"
Kiana leaned in, whispering with a mischievous glint, "Ellie, we're getting copies, right?"
Lumine nodded in agreement.
Elysia grinned like a fox. Unbeknownst to Noah, the three girls he loves had just sealed an unspoken pact: blackmail by affection.
-----
After that small episode, they encounter more abyssal creatures as they go deeper the old capital. The group handled them with precise teamwork, cutting through the threat easily. Still, Lumine couldn't shake the chill creeping along her spine. The Abyss's presence lingered around, and Kiana flinched as the voice in her head grew louder the deeper they ventured.
"Lumi, how are you holding up?" Noah asked gently, his eyes scanning her pale face.
"...Still scared," she admitted, managing a faint smile, "but weirdly... I feel strong. Like I can keep going, no matter what's waiting ahead." Her voice trembled slightly, and a sheen of sweat clung to her brow but her grip on her sword didn't weaken.
"But of course! With Noah with us, we have the strength of a thousand! Right, Kiana?" Elysia chimed in with her usual cheer.
But Kiana didn't respond. Her hand went to her head, brows tightly furrowed.
"Kiana?" Noah was at her side in an instant, taking her hand as he let the Force flow through her.
"…Fuu… Thank you, Captain." Kiana exhaled, the tension in her body easing as the pressure in her mind dulled. Even the voice went silent.
"....Kiana, are you okay?" Lumine asked softly, reaching for her other hand.
"…Ahaha, somehow it flipped, huh? I was the one comforting you before." Kiana let out a weak laugh.
Lumine blinked, then gave a small smile but the concern in her eyes never faded.
Even Elysia's usual cheer had dimmed, her expression became serious.
"...Please don't worry. I just felt a bit affected by the Abyss," Kiana admitted. She had meant to say something else, but seeing their worried faces, she chose honesty.
"Should we retreat?" Noah asked, glancing at each of them.
"No. We're almost there. And whatever the Abyss is doing here, we need to stop it before it spreads across all of Mondstadt," Kiana said firmly.
"But Kiana... Abyss corrosion isn't something to take lightly. If something happens to you... to any of you.... I..." Lumine bit her lip. Elysia nodded in agreement.
"Geez, you're all worrying too much! We've got the Captain with us! As long as he's here, nothing bad's going to happen!" Kiana smirked, trying to lighten the mood.
"...Can we not pile everything on me? I'm only one guy, you know," Noah muttered dryly.
"See! Even now, he's totally relaxed and still holding my hand and he's enjoying it," Kiana teased, flashing their linked hands toward the two on how Noah took advantage the chance to hold her hand.
Elysia and Lumine both gave Noah a flat look, eyes narrowing in unison.
"...Ahem...", Noah cleared his throat and looked away but didn't let go of his hold.
Kiana just sighed with a half-smile, shaking her head.
A sudden blast of Anemo energy rattled the air, followed by the distinct roar of a dragon.
Their lighthearted moment ended as all four snapped to attention. Without a word, they bolted forward whatever the Abyss was planning, it was aimed at Dvalin.
-------
Dvalin flaped his wings hard, sending a roaring cyclone of Anemo toward the swarming Abyssal creatures creeping toward him.
"You foul Abyssal scum! How dare you defile this land again!" he roared.
In the midst of the raging storm, a tall, slender figure humanoid in shape, with unmistakably otherworldly aura. Cloaked in intricate robes etched with Abyssal runes, its garb has hues of dark and violet colors. Though it bore the semblance of a human, its glowing eyes and unnatural markings clearly shown that this being is not from this world a commander of the Abyss.
"Pitiful dragon... no matter how hard you resist, you're only delaying the inevitable," the Abyss Lector sneered. With a flick of its hand, abyssal creatures surged forward, latching onto Dvalin like parasites.
The sheer number overwhelmed him. Despite his efforts, Dvalin couldn't shake them off. With a pained groan, his wings gave out and he crashed to the ground.
The Lector strode forward slowly, watching as the corruption began to spread across Dvalin's scales. The dragon summoned his strength for one last roar, blasting the monsters away in a burst of Anemo wind but the curse is already covering him, digging deeper with every passing second.
"...Kuh.." Dvalin groaned, his breath ragged from the growing corruption.
"I told you, dragon. You were never going to stop us." The Abyss Lector raised its hand, crackling with Abyssal energy. Dvalin, his wings faltering and body heavy, braced himself. Barbatos… forgive me…
But before the Lector's hand could land its curse, an invisible force slammed into him, hurling the figure back through several stone walls in a shattering blast.
The Abyss creatures and Dvalin alike turned in stunned silence, watching as rubble buried the Lector.
Then, a rain of pink arrows came from above, piercing through the monsters with precise, elegant strikes. Their cries resounded before a hail bullets followed ending them.
A streak of blue-light and silver-metal slicing through the surviving enemies.
"Fuu... we made it in time!" Noah let out a breath of relief.
"...If we were just a second late..." Lumine muttered, wiping the cold sweat from her forehead.
"Who... are you people?" Dvalin asked, blinking in disbelief as he looked at Noah and Lumine. A moment later, two more figures dropped beside them.
"Nice save! That was way too close!" Kiana grinned, spinning her bat once.
"Hi~ there, Mr. Dragon! That was intense, wasn't it?" Elysia waved with a bright smile.
"Wha..." was all Dvalin managed to say being too stunned to form a proper response.
Suddenly, the rubble where the Lector had fallen erupted in a surge of crackling Abyssal and Electro energy, blasting shards of stone in every direction.
"YOU MEDDLESOME BUGS!!!" the Lector roared with fury.
The Abyssal force that followed sent a wave of pressure outward. Lumine staggered back, shaken, while Kiana clutched her head, the cursed voice once again clawing into her mind.
Seeing their state, Noah immediately stepped forward, covering them.
"Lumi, stay close and keep an eye on Ellie and Kiana. Ellie, I'm counting on you to cover them and deal with whatever comes next," he instructed calmly.
"...Noah?" Lumine whispered, worry etched into her voice.
".....Understood. Just don't do anything reckless," Elysia replied, drawing her bow with determination.
"Ughh... why won't you shut up already..." Kiana muttered through gritted teeth, struggling to steady herself against the voice in her head.
Noah released a small wave of the Force, gently calming everyone around him including Dvalin. It wasn't much, but it was enough to ease the pressure of the Abyss for a moment. Once he sensed they were fine, he stepped forward, both Lightsaber-Luxes in his hands.
"Hmph." The Lector scoffed, summoning another wave of Abyssal creatures from the rift before striding forward to meet Noah head-on.
Elysia raised her bow with focus. Lumine took a deep breath, forcing back the panic rising from her chest. Kiana gritted her teeth, putting her pistol away then summoning her bat instead. Her focus waning as the voice in her head tried to influence her. Dvalin lowered himself, ready to unleash a blast of Anemo at anything that got too close to then and to the human who had just protected him.
Without hesitation, Noah charged forward.
"Crush them!!" the Lector bellowed, as the summoned horde surged ahead and a bolt of Abyssal lightning shot toward Noah.
This was it, their first real battle against the Abyss.