Genshin Impact: Awakening in the Darkness

"What do you plan to do?" Xuan Qing took off his glasses, closed the file, and looked directly at the bard opposite him: "They have already seen you. Do you... intend to use the tactic of luring the enemy in deep?"

"Grandpa Qingyue, let's leave the Mondstadt matters to the Mondstadt people. All we need to do is give them a push. If I have to do everything myself like you and Grandpa, I'll be exhausted!" Wendy said dejectedly.

"...Take it out."

"what?"

"Hand, the corruption of the abyss is no joke." Xuan Qing grabbed Wendy's hand and used his own power to purify the power of the abyss. Wendy breathed a sigh of relief and finally relaxed.

“I sense they’re back. Go do what you need to do as soon as possible. I still have some things to check.” Xuan Qing withdrew his hand and opened his book again. It contained some information about the characters. Little Xuan Yue was already on his head, shaking her head and laughing happily.

"Alright, alright, sigh~ I won't disturb your time together, I'm off." Wendy muttered a few words before leaving the tavern.

Not long after he left, Xuan Qing removed the soundproof barrier, since there were still a bunch of forces lurking downstairs monitoring the situation.

——Boundary line——

“There’s something you didn’t mention earlier.” Paimon and Sora left the Knights’ headquarters and discussed something quietly in a corner.

At that time, when Paimon and Kong were on their way to Mondstadt, they saw a boy in a green cloak comforting a dragon. They were inadvertently exposed, and the dragon quickly flew away. The boy also disappeared without a trace, leaving behind only the crystal with the mark of "filth".

"I want to investigate it myself first."

"Hmm, you do remember him, that green guy!" Paimon caught a glimpse of someone wearing similar clothes out of the corner of his eye, and he looked very familiar: "He's dressed in the same green as that passerby downstairs."

Kong also noticed and agreed, "It really is the same color number, what a coincidence."

"Right? Right? But... why does that person seem more and more like... "

Kong and Paimon looked at each other, then suddenly realized what was happening. They stared into each other's eyes, and one word came to mind: chase!

Xuan Qing, who had just left the tavern, saw the stranger and the little white elf chasing after Wendy's trail, darting through the bushes and climbing walls.

In other words, can't Wendy just walk up the stairs properly? Does he have to play around just because he can fly? But then Xuanqing thought about it again. Wendy seemed to have been chased for stealing alcohol several years ago, so if he wanted to hide his tracks, very few people could find him.

"Wish them good luck."

"Chirp chirp chirp!" Xuan Yue chirped something in Xuan Qing's ear. Xuan Qing said gently, "Okay, I'll buy it for you. What else do you want? Apples? We still have some at home. We can go and buy some sunset apples though..." Xuan Qing led Xuan Yue in the opposite direction from Kong and the others...

Over here, Kong and Paimon arrived at the central square of Mondstadt, where the green figure they had spotted was surrounded by a large spectator. Kong and Paimon joined in the fun, squeezing into the crowd, and saw the man holding a harp, playing and singing:

The story I'm about to tell begins in ancient times.

At that time, the gods still walked on the earth.

A dragon descended from the sky, filled with curiosity about everything in the world. Seeking answers, it couldn't comprehend the chaos of the mortal realm. The Wind Singer played its harp, and the Sky Harp answered its questions. The dragon was merely a curious child, simply flying carefree. Even now, it listens to poetry, wanting to learn to sing, so that all things may understand its heart.

The singer and the dragon became legends

A dark age soon followed. The lion's fangs decayed, the eagle's banner fell silent, and another dragon approached Mondstadt. Suffering cast a shadow over the cathedral, and lamentations were rekindled in poetic verse. The sky dragon answered the call and fought the dragon to the death in the storm. The sky dragon swallowed the dragon's venomous blood and fell into a deep slumber. Years later, no one recognized its resurrected form.

Why do people nowadays despise me?

The Sky Harp remained silent. Anger and sorrow, life and poison mingled, turning into tears that streamed from the dragon's eyes. The poetry was silent; the corruption took effect easily. The Sky Harp could no longer speak.

After Wendy finished playing the poem, he waited for the crowd to disperse and then saw the stranger still standing there, watching him.

"Ah, you are... Oh... You're the ones who scared Dvalin away back then, right?" Since it's our first meeting, it's best not to be too obvious.

"Dvalin? Who's that?" Paimon asked, puzzled. Sora couldn't help but remind her, "It's the name of the Stormterror."

"Oh! I remember now! But don't most people call him Stormterror? Why do you call him that... Are you two very close?" Paimon bombarded him with questions at once.

Wendy accepted it readily, immediately using his favorite line: "Guess~"

Paimon: -_-‖ "Kong, I feel like this person is weird."

"Um... hello, who are you...?" Out of politeness, she still stepped forward to inquire about the other person's identity.

"Hello, stranger from afar. I am the bard, Wendy. To be precise, I am the three-time winner of the 'Munde's Most Beloved Bard' title. What can I do for you?"

"Since you recognize us, there's no need for further explanation, right?" Paimon crossed his arms, clearly indicating that it was obvious what they wanted to see him about.

Wendy, however, shrugged, indicating she had no idea, which made Paimon stomp his feet in frustration: "Hey! You don't have to pretend to have amnesia all of a sudden! Sora, can you show him that?"

Paimon cautiously questioned Sora, since the item was on him. Sora didn't object, but when he took out the tainted crystal, he was somewhat stunned. Paimon was also surprised, and Wendy had an unexpected expression on her face.

"Oh! This is—"

"Huh? The crystals were purified? When did that happen?"

Sora himself was also somewhat surprised: "It was red just now with the Knights, I don't really know what's going on now."

"This is Dvalin... these are the tears shed by Stormterror from its pain." Venti quickly changed his tune, afraid of arousing suspicion.

"Tears?" Paimon's little head was full of questions, but Wendy didn't answer her for the time being. Instead, he took out another crystal that hadn't been purified yet. It was because of it that he was also corrupted by the power of the abyss. It was really fortunate that Xuanqing was in Mondstadt, which allowed him to catch his breath.

"I have another crystal here... see if you can purify it..."

He reached out and placed the crystal on his hand. The originally blood-red crystal slowly lost its filth, revealing its original appearance.

"Eh--"

“You truly possess incredible power…” Wendy exclaimed. “Someone like you is destined to be sung in the poems of bards. Standing in the sun, you will surely become a hero; standing in the shade, you will also bring disaster…”

“Ah… but I don’t have time to compose a new piece for you right now. Even if Dvalin isn’t defeated, his life force will rapidly fade… he will burn himself out in his rage…” Wendy’s eyes were filled with melancholy, and Sora nodded, saying, “I also feel sorry for Dvalin…”

Even so, Wendy expressed her gratitude to Sora, but also indicated that she needed to leave. Paimon, of course, wouldn't miss any opportunity to ask a question: "Where are you going?"

"To the Symbol of Mondstadt Heroes. Goodbye!" With that, Venti ran off.

"What a strange person." That was Paimon's assessment.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

The symbol of Mondstadt's heroes is, of course, the largest tree outside Mondstadt with the widest canopy. At this moment, a golden bird perches on Venti's shoulder, while he leans against the tree trunk, eyes closed in rest.

"So this is your method." Xuanqing, who was in the tree, sensed everything that was happening. No matter what, this was not a reason to hide the traveler in the tree or kidnap his Xuanyue.

"Isn't it just because it's such a coincidence?" Wendy said with a slight smile and her eyes closed.

Here's what happened: Xuan Yue didn't want to buy the Sunset Fruit, so Xuan Qing took him to the wild to pick it themselves. He'd finished his business for the day and had plenty of time, so taking Xuan Yue for a walk in the wild didn't bother him; there was nothing outside the city that could threaten them. They picked wild fruit and enjoyed the scenery, and before they knew it, they'd arrived at this tree.

Just then, Wendy suddenly flew over. She was a little surprised to see them. With Kong chasing after them, she didn't have time to catch up. In her haste, she used the wind field to blow the unsuspecting Xuan Qing up into a tree. Xuan Yue reacted quickly and managed to escape the wind field's range, but ended up in the hands of the Wind God.

Indeed, everything was too coincidental.

Xuan Qing sighed and decided to have a proper discussion with him after this matter was over; he wouldn't bother arguing with the patient for now.

"They're here." Wendy whispered to Xuan Qing through the wind.

Xuan Qing also concealed his aura to save face, even his figure became blurred. When Kong and Paimon arrived, Wendy quietly used a gust of wind to return Xuan Yue to his family.

Xuan Qing gently combed Xuan Yue's feathers, no longer bothered by the earlier incident.

You are smart...