Let me paint the scene for you.
Birds chirping. Grapevines swayin'. The Dawn Winery looking bougie as always. Fancy mansion, fancy gate, and somewhere inside—probably fancy grapes that taste like dreams. All of us are gathered here, squad-style, in the courtyard like it's a Marvel crossover episode.
Jean's here. Diluc's brooding in 4K. Venti's probably three sips into being tipsy. Lumine's chillin' with crossed arms. And me? Standing there with maximum drip and confidence.
Jean glanced at me and, without missing a beat, went:
"Huh… nice outfit."
AND I—LOOK.
I HELD MY HEAD HIGH. I STRAIGHTENED THAT COAT LIKE A MODEL ON A RUNWAY.
"Thanks," I said, casually flicking my anime hair like I was in a shampoo commercial. "It's called fashion. Ever heard of it?"
Jean gave this soft, polite smile. You know the one. Like she was lowkey judging but also like, 'okay he kinda slays.' I felt it. Recognition. Validation. Achievement unlocked: Approved by Acting Grand Master.
Meanwhile, Diluc started his whole mysterious anime speech about the Abyss:
"The Abyss… is dangerous. We still don't know much about them. But they've long held enmity toward humanity."
Bro talks like he's narrating a drama trailer.
Paimon, as always, with the tactical confusion: "Paimon is confused. You're the Anemo Archon Barbatos… Why do you need help from humans?"
A VALID QUESTION. I looked at Venti too like, "Yeah bro, explain yo'self."
Venti sighed, then did the dramatic twirl with his lyre like he was about to drop some deep lore.
"Well, you see… each of the Seven governs their own region, right? And I—I let Mondstadt govern itself. A land of freedom. That's how I wanted it."
Jean added, completely unprompted but with NPC cutscene energy, "He once said: 'Go forth and establish a city of freedom without rule.' Those words have not been forgotten by the people of Mondstadt."
I turned to Lumine, whispered, "Jean got that memorized like it's gospel."
Paimon giggled. "You're such a devotee, Jean."
Then she turned back to Venti. "But maybe you're just a bit too carefree… or lazy."
BOOM. Right in the ego.
Venti tried to laugh it off, strumming his lyre like "I'm just a silly little guy," but bro's eyes were definitely hiding pain.
He went, "Well… I've been gone from Mondstadt for a long time. I'm probably the weakest Archon now."
And me?
In my brain?
CAP!
Bro, I've played Genshin. I've seen the lore. This dude ain't weak. He's sus. In the powerful way. Like 'hidden stats' kind of sus. I stared at Venti while squinting like I'm in an Ace Attorney cross-examination.
"You're hiding something, you mysterious anime bard…"
Even Diluc dropped his signature edgy line. "Such a humble god. Is it a blessing… or a curse?"
BANGER LINE. Would've clapped if it wasn't weird.
Anyway, Lumine finally clapped her hands like a teacher trying to control the class.
"Okay, back to the topic."
Diluc nodded, doing that anime glare. "There's been signs of the Abyss near Dawn Winery. They've been moving. Strategically. It's likely… they're planning something."
You know what that means.
BATTLE TIME, BABY.
We all nodded. Team synchronized like a cutscene squad before the boss fight. Weapons ready. Energy up. Shigeru drip checked. Let's go.
We marched toward the reported location. The Abyss doesn't know what's coming.
Team Mondstadt +1 Idiot with Style?
Unstoppable.
***
Okay. So boom.
We just bodied a bunch of Abyss mages like it was Tuesday afternoon and I wasn't semi-panicking inside. Everything was great—until Venti suddenly froze mid-laugh like he just got hit with a lightning bolt from Zeus himself.
"That power…" he muttered, eyes going wide.
And you know it's serious when the Bard goes from ha-ha wine to holy-shit vibes in 0.5 seconds.
Paimon, of course, hovered over with the energy of a concerned mom, like, "Venti? What is it?"
But bro just kept staring at the sky like the anime opening started.
So I chimed in, "Yo Venti, you good? Or did your Spotify just shuffle to an old heartbreak song or something?"
He blinked. "This… this energy. It's the same one that's been interfering with my connection to Dvalin."
Cue dramatic tension. The camera zooms in. Everyone's silent.
Meanwhile, in my head, I'm monologuing like:
Yeah, that kind of energy's like when your girlfriend has a toxic best friend who keeps whispering shit in her ear, like 'He doesn't deserve you' and 'He still uses a wired mouse' —and boom, breakup city.
A bitter bitch energy, if I ever felt one.
Diluc, being Mr. Justice-and-Flames, steps forward, cape flowing like it paid rent. "Then we take the beast down."
But then he looked at Jean, 'cause he's not dumb. She has the moral compass of a Disney protagonist.
Jean nodded, voice calm but determined. "If it comes to that… as a Knight of Favonius, I will lead the charge."
Paimon gasped like she just saw a plot twist. "So we are going to fight Stormterror?"
But then Venti pulled out his concerned boy energy.
"Wait. There might be another way," he said. "I believe the Traveler… and Shigeru… might be able to help."
Lumine perked up like she unlocked a quest.
Me? I already knew what was coming. I've played this game. I sighed.
"Oh boy… this is the part where we gotta do the aerial battle scene, isn't it?"
Venti smiled, full of mysterious bard energy. "Indeed."
Bruh.
Can I get a side quest where I don't have to get launched into the sky with a bow and PTSD?
But first, we had to unseal Stormterror's Lair. You know, the giant ominous tower area that screams "final boss lives here."
We walked in like a cutscene squad. Everything was calm.
Then out of nowhere—
Hilichurls.
Dozens of them. Probably the same ones that beat my ass three days ago when I tried to solo grind at level 10.
Not this time, buckos.
I cracked my knuckles and stepped forward like a budget anime protagonist with a redemption arc.
"Stand back. I got this."
Lumine raised a brow. "You sure?"
"Sure as the sun rises in Mondstadt, baby."
Paimon: "Shigeru no—"
Too late. I was already mid-air with my sword out, screaming like a man who drank three Monster Energies and watched a compilation of anime fights.
Slash. Dodge. Roll. Parry.
Okay maybe I missed one dodge BUT—
I was winning. Hilichurls were flying like they forgot how gravity works.
I landed with a superhero pose and a grin. "That's what I'm talkin' about!"
Paimon blinked. "Wha—when did you get this good?"
I brushed invisible dust off my coat. "Anime logic, baby. Now go on Venti, do your thing."
Venti started singing or praying or humming with his lyre to the wind gods -which is himself,- I don't even know. But boom—
Barrier? Gone.
One step closer to squaring up with a damn dragon.
We walk in. The vibes? Immaculate. Tension? Building.
I stopped in front of a locked seal. "Can't open that one."
They all stared.
I turned around. "Follow me. Trust."
We walked. I glided over a broken bridge like I've done it fifty times in my past life.
Which I have. On my phone.
Lumine chuckled. "You really do know this world better than anyone else. I believe you now."
I nearly tripped.
"Bruh. You just believe me now? What about the cool prediction I made like ten quests ago? Or the time I literally said the treasure chest was behind that fake wall and was right?"
She giggled. "That was luck."
"LUCK?!"
Jean: "Can we focus?"
Right. Stormterror. Serious business.
We got to the wind currents. The path upward. The route to the dragon himself.
I looked up. "Man, this is gonna be a whole thing, huh."
Lumine smiled, and with a grace that made the wind itself jealous, leapt into the current.
I followed suit.
And Paimon was like, "Please don't die!"
"Thanks for the vote of confidence, floating food."
And with that, we soared upward.
The wind roared around us. The lair loomed ahead. No turning back now.
Top of the tower? Unlocked.
Barrier? Still up there about to yeet us if we ever get close.
Dragon showdown?
Coming soon to a battlefield near you.
And so we made it to the top. Yup. We're alive. Not splattered like a slime on a Monday morning thanks to those angry tornadoes that could've sent us flying into Celestia's DMs. Honestly, I was bracing myself for impact but hey, plot armor be blessed. And believe me, if there's anything stronger than Diluc's claymore or Jean's work ethic, it's the undying force of my accidental luck.
We stepped onto the ancient stone like a bunch of tourists who didn't pay for the full museum pass. The wind howled around us like it was trying to sing us offstage, but nah—we weren't leaving just yet. The whole squad's here, staring at this ancient ruin like it's the final boss in a gacha event. But plot twist—we can't proceed. Some dusty ol' ancient Mondstadt seals were guarding the way like the world's most annoying doormen.
"Looks like it's sealed by some sort of ancient mechanism," Venti muttered, all serious-like. His tone had that dramatic pause like he was about to drop some lore so heavy it'd cause an earthquake.
Before anyone could go into another history channel episode, I raised a hand. "Yeah, yeah, stop with the dramatic buildup. Here's what's up: Old Mondstadt ruins, ancient seals, cool story, but let's cut the small talk. You see that glowy thing over there? Yeah, Lumine—grab that and slot it into that thingy over there. It's the light actuator. Easy clap."
Lumine didn't even question me this time. Growth.
She nodded and got to work. Trust. That's what that is. Took her a few quests, a lot of running, and a bunch of near-death experiences but we're here now. She placed it in with elegance, and a satisfying hum echoed as the mechanism lit up like it just had its first coffee of the day.
Venti stepped forward, eyeing the surroundings with a calculating gaze. "These ruins were once part of Old Mondstadt's heart. It's said they sealed them off to protect something valuable."
"Yeah, yeah. Valuable and ancient, blah blah," I waved her off, grinning. "Unless that 'valuable' thing is Mora or pizza, I ain't interested."
Paimon floated up, hands on hips. "Hey! That's kinda rude, you know! What if there's a legendary treasure or something?"
"Then you can have it, floating gremlin. I'm here for plot progression."
"Don't call Paimon that!"
"Alright, time to divide and conquer," I said, stretching like a man about to mow a lawn he doesn't even own. "You power couple—Diluc and Jean—handle that one over there. Paimon and Lumine, head north. And Bard-boy?"
Venti blinked innocently. "Yes?"
"You're with me, east side. Let's go mess up history."
As we moved out, I looked back to see the others already getting to work. Good. Efficient. I like that. The ruins were creepy, like the kind of place you'd find a cursed kitchen knife or a grandma that speaks in riddles. Vines crawled along the walls, and every step echoed like a mini jump scare.
Random hilichurls showed up, as expected.
"Y'all ever just... camp?" I asked as I roundhouse kicked one mid-sentence. "Seriously, how do you keep popping up like grass?"
Venti giggled behind me, twirling his lyre like he's not watching me throw hands with literal goblins. "Do you enjoy this kind of chaos?"
"Chaos? Nah, this is therapy. They bullied me once. Now it's personal."
We eventually did the thing—found the actuator, flipped the switch, badda-bing-badda-boom, light seal gone. Across the ruin, other seals blinked out one by one. It was like the world's slowest light show, but I'll take the victory.
I dusted my hands and turned to the bard. "Told you I knew what I was doing."
He smiled, eyes half-lidded like he knew some secret I didn't. "For an outlander, you seem to know a lot about this world."
"That a compliment or a threat?"
"Maybe both," he sang.
"Let's get back before I report you for cryptic behavior."
We reunited with the others. Diluc and Jean were already back, looking like they just finished an important business meeting with destiny. Lumine was smiling faintly, and Paimon was chewing on some dried meat she definitely didn't ask permission to take.
"The seal has been... unsealed," Jean announced, placing a hand over her chest.
"Ooooh~ fancy wording," I clapped. "Alright, enough lore dumping. Shall we beat some dragon ass now?"
Diluc adjusted his gloves like he was preparing to shake hands with a war crime. Lumine nodded firmly, the kind of nod that says I'm ready to fly into hell with sparkles.
Paimon punched the air. "Let's gooooo!"
And Venti? He just started whistling. Of course.
And into the ruins we marched—squad deep, energy chaotic, monologues incoming. Next stop? Stormterror's personal concert.
He better be ready for a remix.
__________________________________________
End of chapter 12
Quest Completed: Unlock the Seals of Old Mondstadt
Side Quest: Beat Up Some Random Hilichurls (Again)
Rewards: Revenge against the Hilichurls, +1500 XP (Probably from the Hilichurls I killed), +50 Primogems, and +5 Lumine trust points.