Cape Oath.
It was more a tiny islet, hard to reach; the group had struggled to get there.
Remote and east of Mondstadt's Cape Promise, it sat far from the mainland.
They'd searched ages before finding a captain willing to sail them.
"The mighty Pointy-Hat Peak sure shrank." Stelle gazed at the few jagged rocks.
Legend said Barbatos had once swept the snow away for his people, reshaping Mondstadt.
A former mountain now lay beneath an endless sea.
Stelle marveled that Barbatos—today's Venti—could be ambushed at his own church; even weakened, he shouldn't be taken so easily.
"Hey, someone's over there!" Flying high, Paimon pointed ahead.
The figure wore a conical hat—easy to recognize.
"A Fatui Harbinger!" Stelle snapped her baton out at once.
Hearing the noise, the figure slowly turned.
"Hmph… you again?"
"Looks like he just woke from a dream," Lumine whispered.
"Someone broke free on his own?" Mona stared, stunned.
"Impossible for you doesn't mean impossible for me." The man sneered and faced them.
"Pity you're a step too late—my research is finished."
"So it really was you Fatui pulling the strings!" Paimon demanded.
"Relax, I've no time to play. We'll settle scores next time." His gaze swept the group and settled on Star.
"Much as I'd love to eliminate the problem right now…"
"Oh?" Star tilted her head. "We'll see who eliminates whom."
The man's strength was formidable—perhaps the strongest Star had met in this world—but she didn't think she'd definitely lose if it came to blows.
"Is that so? Then next time I'll enjoy testing you." A cold smile flashed; he turned to leave.
He seemed to have urgent business and wasn't about to linger.
"Wait! You entered that shared snow-mountain dream—what do you know about Leonard?" Mona called, voice sharp.
"Leonard? Who?" The man paused, frowning at Mona.
"I didn't meet any small fry in the dream, so I'll share: I've found something far more terrifying and important."
"The starry sky itself is one colossal lie."
"The sky? A lie? What do you mean?"
"I must confirm the truth. Farewell, novices." With a wave, hidden Fatui soldiers sprang out.
---
"Infuriating man!" Mona stamped her foot—right on a Fatui gunslinger.
The soldier yelped an oddly emotional scream.
"Mona, don't waste anger on him." Star slipped an arm around her, pulling her off the prone gunslinger.
No need to reward that fellow.
"Hmph!" Mona sniffed, but leaned into Star's embrace, accepting the head-pats.
Not far off, Lumine finished her own foe and walked over.
"That was one tough battle…" Paimon sighed.
To Star, the skirmish had felt little different from mowing grass.
"Didn't expect Mona to fight so brilliantly," Lumine said.
"Yeah, Mona's amazing."
"Of course—this is what happens when you rile me. You think I'm awesome too, right?" Mona asked Star.
"Absolutely. In every way, Mona's incredible," Star answered solemnly.
"Without Mona we'd still be clueless about this whole incident."
"Hmph, I wish that Fatui Harbinger could see how awesome I am." Mona brightened, then murmured, head lowered, "But if he was so shocked, he probably wasn't lying… Could Master's 'False Sky' mean something else?"
"The starry sky itself is a lie." Star too gazed up at the azure heavens.
She couldn't grasp the man's meaning, yet Mona didn't seem surprised.
Was this world less 'real' than it appeared?
If so, could she ever find her way back to the train? "Ahem—lost in thought. Let's finish the main job."
"Right."
They gathered around the jade-green stone still pulsing with energy—the meteor core. Until it was gone, the sleepers wouldn't wake.
"The elemental power and will within this stone are staggering," Mona murmured, staring at the floating core.
"I'll leave it to you." She looked at Star.
"Got it—stand back." Star hefted her baseball bat; once the others retreated, she smashed the core with all her might.
The core shattered far more easily than expected, crumbling to powder.
The dust drifted before them, drawing all into a shared illusion—the life of the Adventurer Leonard.
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