20: The Story Begins

In the end, the task of saving Dvalin was forcibly pushed onto Saphir's shoulders by none other than the infamous slacker god, Venti. Of course, Saphir protested vehemently, but she was no match for that damnable fish for excuses.

"Let's be clear—if I go all out and that dragon gets hurt, don't come crying to me," Saphir muttered, resignation in her voice.

Venti chuckled. "Don't worry, don't worry. Dvalin's pretty sturdy!"

As they chatted, they made their way toward their next destination.

"So what's the plan now?" Saphir asked, estimating that the real storyline was about to begin.

Venti thought for a moment. "Let's head to Whispering Woods first. There's a domain there that pays tribute to the West Wind's eagle. Dvalin's been circling around Stormterror's Lair recently, and I can use the domain's power to summon him."

Saphir raised an eyebrow in disdain. "Aren't you the Anemo Archon? You need external power just to call your own servant?"

"Ehe~ But my Gnosis is in your hands now, isn't it? That makes you the wind god, not me. I'm just a regular ol' bard with no divine strength left," Venti replied, utterly shameless, picking up the pace.

Saphir rolled her eyes and followed with a sigh.

Before long, they arrived at a clearing in Whispering Woods. Venti pulled out his lyre and began to play, communing with the domain tied to the Eagle of the West, gathering strength to summon Dvalin.

By the time he was ready, the sun had already risen. Saphir was leaned lazily against a tree nearby, half-asleep from boredom.

A gust of wind stirred—then a massive shadow swept in from the north with startling speed.

Dvalin had arrived.

Venti's eyes lit up as he saw the dragon. His old comrade, his friend who had once fought beside him to defend Mondstadt and defeat Durin the black dragon—seeing him in such agony now filled Venti with urgency and pain. But now, perhaps, there was a chance to save him.

"Barbatos... is that you... Have you returned...?" Dvalin's voice was hoarse, disoriented. He landed shakily, his massive head lowering toward Venti, trying to focus his gaze.

Saphir also stepped forward, standing beside Venti. Even though Dvalin's form was unusual, she had to admit—he was impressive, powerful, and yes… handsome.

"Don't be afraid, Dvalin. I'm back," Venti said gently, reaching out a hand to touch his friend's lowered head.

But just then, a strange elemental disturbance rippled through the woods behind them. Dvalin flinched. His already frayed nerves snapped.

"ROAR! Barbatos!" the dragon bellowed. "You... You're trying to deceive me too!?"

Fury, grief, confusion—all these emotions surged through him at once. Dvalin's mind fractured anew. With a deafening roar, he lashed out, slamming a claw toward Venti.

"Watch out!" Saphir called just in time.

Venti gracefully leapt back, narrowly dodging.

The plan had failed. All the patience, all the care—undone in an instant. Venti looked behind them toward the treeline. A golden-haired girl and her floating white companion emerged, having unknowingly triggered Dvalin's rage.

Venti looked up to the sky where Dvalin had taken flight again and sighed heavily.

"You go. I'll handle things from here," Saphir told him, patting his shoulder. She let out a long sigh—of course the plot couldn't be skipped. Everything had unfolded too fast; she hadn't even had time to change forms.

Venti nodded dejectedly and disappeared in a gust of wind.

"He... He vanished!" the floating creature exclaimed, wide-eyed with lingering fear. "I really thought we were gonna get eaten!"

The golden-haired girl remained on guard. Though the dragon and the bard were gone, a mysterious, black-clad woman still stood before them.

"Paimon, be careful. She doesn't look easy to deal with," the girl warned.

Now aware of Saphir, Paimon peeked cautiously from behind her companion.

"She's not leaving… Is she going to fight us, Lumine?" she whispered.

Saphir eyed the two of them—rookie travelers, clearly.

"You two," she said flatly. "Caused quite a bit of trouble."

"Trouble?" Paimon blinked, confused. "But we didn't do anything!"

Lumine caught on faster. "You mean the burst of wind just now?"

That elemental wave—yes. She'd felt it clearly. It had come from within her.

Saphir nodded and turned toward Mondstadt. "Don't just stand there. Walk and talk."

Lumine quickly caught up. This was the first real person she'd met since waking up—aside from the bard—and she instinctively wanted to get closer.

"I'm Sharp," Saphir said. "Just a humble adventurer, though I've never actually registered with the guild. You probably have a lot of questions, but there's no need to rush. I'll explain it all, little by little."

"I'm Paimon, and this is Lumine. She's a traveler from another world," Paimon introduced cheerfully, now more relaxed.

Saphir glanced at the floating mascot and chuckled. "Paimon, huh? You look fun. Emergency food, right?"

Lumine paused, then smiled and nodded. "Yeah, emergency food."

"Paimon's not emergency food! Paimon is Paimon! The best guide in all of Teyvat!" she shrieked, puffing up with indignation.

Ignoring the tantrum, Saphir turned to Lumine. "You touched the Statue of The Seven, didn't you?"

Lumine nodded, explaining how she'd received the power of Anemo from it.

Saphir considered this for a moment before replying. "In Teyvat, people don't usually gain elemental powers that way. Elemental energy is typically accessed through Visions—like this." She gestured to the crimson Vision embedded in the tool pouch on her thigh.

"That's a Vision?" Lumine asked, eyes narrowing.

Saphir nodded. "More or less. Ordinary Visions grant two abilities—an Elemental Skill and an Elemental Burst. Use the Skill to charge the Vision, then release it all at once in the Burst. But mine doesn't follow that system. Don't mind it—let's just say I'm a little different."

Paimon, ever confused, raised her hand. "Then… how did you get that kind of Vision?"

Saphir smirked. "Beats me. Maybe it's just something special—like you. After all, you can use elemental power without a Vision. That's pretty special too, isn't it?"

Paimon nodded slowly. "Mmm… that makes sense. I think."

Seeing they were on the same page, Saphir continued, "That elemental pulse you released earlier disturbed Dvalin. My guess is it's because the power you got from the statue is the same as Barbatos's—hence the resonance. That's why I said you'd caused trouble."

"Dvalin… the dragon?" Paimon shuddered. "He was terrifying! I thought he'd swallow me whole!"

Lumine chuckled. "His mouth's way too big. One Paimon isn't enough. Probably needs ten."

"Ten?! Lumine, protect me! I don't want to be eaten!" Paimon shrieked again, burying herself in Lumine's arms.

"But why would wind power disturb Dvalin like that?" Lumine asked, gently comforting her partner.

Saphir looked to the sky, her voice soft. "Because Dvalin is a creature of wind. He's one of Barbatos's loyal servants."

"Wait—then you're...?" Lumine's eyes widened.

"Don't overthink it. I'm not the wind god," Saphir said quickly, waving a hand.

She wasn't lying—she wasn't the Archon. But she did carry the Anemo Gnosis.

Lumine seemed convinced and murmured, "Then that man in green... He must be the real wind god."

Saphir shot her a glance but didn't deny it.

As the three of them strolled through the woods, a sudden voice rang out behind them.

"Hey! You two—wait up!"

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