The trek back to Mondstadt was marked by the orange glow of a setting sun dipping behind the Cider Lake. Leo walked with a slight limp—not from injury, but from the sheer "kickback" of the Rising Hopper's physical exertion.
Every time he used a suit, it felt like his DNA was being rewritten and then snapped back into place.
"750 RP," Leo muttered, his eyes flickering toward the HUD. "Two pulls if I wanted to gamble. But let's see what the city's mood is first."
As they crossed the stone bridge back into the city, the atmosphere was different.
The panic of the dragon attack had settled into a weary, buzzing energy.
Citizens were clearing debris, and the Knights were stationed at every corner.
But near the massive statue of the Anemo Archon, a crowd had gathered.
Not out of fear, but drawn by a melody that seemed to weave through the wind itself.
A boy in green—the same one Lumine had seen in the woods—was plucking at a wooden lyre.
"That's him!" Paimon whispered, pointing a tiny finger. "The tone-deaf bard!"
Venti looked up as the group approached.
His eyes, a bright, mischievous teal, locked onto Lumine first, then drifted toward Leo. A knowing smirk played on his lips, as if he could see the "Rider" energy humming under Leo's skin.
"Ah, the brave travelers return," Venti sang, his voice light as a breeze.
"One who commands the wind without a Vision, and another who... wears the stars as armor. How very poetic."
"You were in the woods," Lumine said, her voice firm.
"You were talking to Dvalin."
"Talking? Oh, we're old friends," Venti replied, strumming a chord.
"But he's a bit... grumpy lately. All that purple 'makeup' the Abyss Mages gave him hasn't helped his complexion."
Venti hopped down from the statue's pedestal and circled Leo, sniffing the air.
"You smell like... electricity and grasshoppers. And something very, very fast.
Is that a 'Vision' from a world where the gods use gears instead?"
Leo crossed his arms, leaning back.
"It's called technology, Bard. Though, considering I just kicked a Ruin Guard into next Tuesday, I'd say it's pretty effective."
"Technology... or destiny?" Venti's eyes twinkled.
"But even a hero of gears needs to eat. And I believe our dear Captain Kaeya promised a feast, didn't he?"
Kaeya stepped forward, clapping a hand on Leo's shoulder.
"Indeed. To the Angel's Share? The first round is on the Knights."
As they turned to head toward the tavern, Leo's HUD suddenly pulsed with a jagged red warning.
[WARNING: TEMPORAL ANOMALY DETECTED]
[LOCATION: MONDSTADT CATHEDRAL SHADOWS]
[THREAT LEVEL: UNKNOWN]
Leo stopped mid-stride. He looked toward the darkened corners of the Cathedral's plaza. There, leaning against a stone pillar, was a figure that didn't belong to Teyvat.
The figure wore a long, tattered grey coat and a hat pulled low.
But what caught Leo's eye was the camera hanging around the man's neck—a pink, no magenta vintage-style SLR.
"Is that...?" Leo's heart hammered.
The man raised the camera, snapped a photo of the group, and faded into the shadows before Leo could even call out.
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]
ENCOUNTER RECORDED: THE PASSING-THROUGH PHOTOGRAPHER
RP EARNED (OBSERVATION): +50
LEO'S REMAINING POINTS: 800
"Leo? You coming?" Amber called out, noticed him staring at the empty shadows.
"Yeah," Leo said, his voice low. "Just... thought I saw a ghost."