The aftermath of the battle at Stormterror's Lair left a strange, heavy peace over the group as they trekked back toward the city of wind.
The massive dragon was free, the sky was clear, and the "Yellow Demon" had officially become a local legend.
But as they neared the cathedral, the weight of their "tactical insertion" began to set in.
Lumine walked beside Venti, her gaze fixed on the horizon where the sun was beginning to dip.
The adrenaline of the fight had faded, leaving a hollow ache in her chest.
"Venti," she started, her voice barely a whisper.
"That boy in the woods... the one leading the Abyss. You saw him a top of that cliff , didn't you? During the fight, I felt... I felt like he was watching us."
Venti's usual playful bounce slowed.
He didn't look at her, his eyes focused on the broken strings of the Holy Lyre cradled in his arms.
"The threads of fate in Teyvat are tangled, Traveler. Some souls wander, and some are led. "
"But the wind carries all memories eventually. For now, focus on the victory you've won today."
Lumine gripped the hilt of her blade.
"He's my brother. I know it."
Leo, walking a few paces behind, watched the exchange through his HUD.
[SOCIAL ANALYSIS: TENSION 85%]
[ADVICE: INITIATE HUMOR OR DISTRACTION]
Leo didn't initiate a distraction.
Instead, he looked at the Blank Ridewatch in his digital inventory.
It was cold.
It felt like a tombstone for a future that hadn't happened yet.
As they reached the grand plaza, a frantic figure in white and blue came charging down the stairs.
Barbara, the Deaconess, looked like she hadn't slept in three days.
Her pigtails were frayed, and her eyes were rimmed with red.
"The Lyre!" she gasped, skidding to a stop. "Please tell me the Holy Lyre der Himmel is safe! I heard... I heard a giant grasshopper crashed through the roof! The Sisters are in a frenzy!"
Venti stepped forward, radiating a calm, saintly aura that would have fooled anyone who hadn't seen him chugging cider an hour ago.
"Fear not, dear Deaconess. The relic has returned from its... pilgrimage."
He held out the Lyre. To Barbara's eyes, it glowed with a celestial, golden light.
The wood looked polished, and the strings hummed with divine energy.
"Oh, thank the Archons!" Barbara reached out, her hands trembling.
"Wait," Lumine whispered, stepping forward. "Venti, this is a bad idea. We should tell her the truth."
"Yeah!" Paimon added, hiding behind Leo's shoulder.
"That thing looks way too shiny. It looks like... like it's made of lies!"
Leo, however, didn't say a word.
He stood off to the side, his hands in his pockets, a sharp, mischievous glint in his eyes. He checked his HUD one last time.
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]
[ILLUSION STABILITY: 92% - DECAYING]
Leo's mouth twitched upward He wasn't going to help them fool Barbara .
He was going to accelerate the punchline.
"It's so beautiful..." Barbara whispered, her fingers inching toward the Lyre.
Venti placed the instrument in her hands.
"A gift from the wind itself. Treat it with—"
"Now" Leo muttered.
Before Barbara's fingers even fully closed around the frame, Leo turned on his heel and sprinted toward the city gates with the enhanced speed of a marathon runner.
"HEY, BARBARA!" Leo yelled back over his shoulder, his voice echoing across the plaza.
"THAT BARD BROKE THE LYRE DURING A DRAGON FIGHT! THAT'S JUST A GLITTERY FAKE! RUN PAIMON LEAVE THE BARD!"
As if on cue, the golden glow around the Lyre flickered and died.
The "divine" wood turned into splintered, charred timber.
The strings snapped with a pathetic twang, dangling like dead spiders.
The frame itself was cracked nearly in half.
The silence that followed was deafening.
Barbara stared down at the wreckage in her hands.
Her brain seemed to short-circuit. Her eyes went wide, her pupils shrinking to pinpricks.
"Broken..." she whimpered.
"The Holy Lyre... is... BROKEN?!"
A terrifying, hydro-charged aura began to swirl around her.
The sweet Deaconess was gone; in her place was a woman who had just seen her religion get drop-kicked by a drunken bard in green.
"YOU DRUNKEN BARD!!!" she shrieked, her voice reaching a pitch that probably shattered windows in the library.
"Ah... eheh..." Venti laughed nervously, backing away.
"I believe I hear a very important poem calling me from... everywhere else!"
Venti vanished in a gust of feathers.
Lumine and Paimon stood frozen, staring at the furious Deaconess.
"I'M GOING TO FIND YOU!" Barbara screamed at the sky, clutching the broken wood.
"AND I'M BRINGING THE ENTIRE CHOIR!"
Leo, already halfway to the bridge, let out a bark of laughter.
[RP EARNED (CHAOS): +150]
[CURRENT RP: 350]
"Being a hero is great," Leo muttered, glancing at the city gates.
"But being a menace is free."