Dvalin attacked Mondstadt, filling the city with raging storms.
"What should we do next?"
Amid the chaos, Venti, hidden in the shadows, turned to Felina and asked.
Felina replied, "Quick, summon a gust of wind and toss them onto Dvalin's back."
Thus, with Venti's intervention, there came the scene during the storm disaster where a sudden strange gust of wind carried Paimon and Lumine onto Dvalin's back.
As for whether Lumine and Paimon might fall off, Felina wasn't worried.
Felina was gambling—gambling that the Abyss Order controlling Dvalin in secret wouldn't dare harm Lumine and Paimon.
Of course, even if the Abyss Order was ruthless, Felina and Venti had plenty of ways to ensure that Dvalin would take Lumine and Paimon away safely.
As expected, the Abyss Order controlling Dvalin in the shadows recognized Lumine as the blood relative of their prince.
Or rather, the one directly controlling Dvalin in secret was none other than Aether himself.
In any case, Dvalin, who had initially intended to shake Lumine and Paimon off, eventually stopped his movements. Under the barrage of rocket fire, he carried them away and dropped them off at a safe location.
Through this sequence of events, Felina successfully framed Lumine and Paimon as "criminals."
When Lumine and Paimon returned to Mondstadt after three days of adventure, the Knights of Favonius, already coordinated with Felina, appeared immediately and arrested them on the spot.
The information and portraits of Aether that the Knights had received were all provided by Felina.
Caught in Felina's trap, Lumine and Paimon were unable to explain why they had coincidentally interrupted the Anemo Archon's efforts to comfort Dvalin.
They couldn't explain why the Hilichurls had bowed to Lumine.
Nor could they explain Dvalin's attack on Mondstadt or his apparent special treatment toward them.
Of course, they could argue, "If we were really behind all this, why would we even return to Mondstadt? What could we possibly gain?"
But just as many criminals like to return to the scene of their crimes, even this argument wouldn't clear their names.
Moreover, whether they were truly guilty didn't actually matter.
What mattered was that someone needed them to be guilty.
The elaborate setup and traps laid around them were merely to create a justification for their sentencing.
In the end, they were unable to refute the accusations and were sentenced to death by the Knights of Favonius.
Even though Aether, as the prince of the Abyss Order, was consumed by his obsession with revenge and restoring his kingdom, Lumine was still his sister.
Having traveled through countless worlds together, the unbreakable bond of blood made it impossible for Aether to ignore his sister's death sentence.
What's more, the dragon disaster in Mondstadt had been orchestrated by the Abyss Order. Lumine had unwittingly been caught up in the incident and was sentenced to death as a result.
How could Aether possibly stand by and watch his sister be executed for something he himself had caused?
In the end, Aether fell into the trap meticulously designed by Felina, Venti, and the Knights of Favonius.
"So, this execution targeting Lumine wasn't just a trap specifically set for me," Aether said, realization dawning.
"You deliberately let me take them away so you could use them to locate the Abyss Order's base!"
"Exactly," Felina replied with a faint smile and a nod.
Some might wonder: didn't Aether consider that taking Lumine and Paimon to the Abyss Order's base might expose its location and endanger the entire Abyss Order?
Aether had thought about it, but Felina had prepared for this scenario.
First of all, Felina's visit to Mondstadt was conducted in secret, and Aether had no idea the Hydro Archon was present in Mondstadt.
Aether believed that this was merely a trap laid by the Knights of Favonius to lure out the Abyss Order.
He didn't think the Knights of Favonius had the capability to track down the Abyss Order's base.
Moreover, at the execution site, Acting Grand Master Jean, the Spindrift Knight Eula, Cavalry Captain Kaeya, and Librarian Lisa—all of the Knights' current top combat forces—were present.
The scene was also heavily fortified with soldiers.
The Knights had put on a convincing show, presenting an image of deploying their entire elite force to "use this execution to lure out the Abyss Order and engage in a desperate battle at the site!"
This elaborate setup successfully misled Aether. Coupled with his desperation to save his sister, he instinctively pulled her through the portal without considering the consequences.
By the time he realized something was wrong, Felina and Venti had already followed him.
"Even so, the Abyss's teleportation network is incredibly complex. There's no way you could have tracked this place!" Aether exclaimed.
"Unless..."
Aether stopped mid-sentence and looked at Lumine and Paimon.
Though he didn't say it out loud, his expression made it clear: unless something had been planted on Lumine and Paimon to trace them.
"It seems you've figured it out," Felina said, glancing at Paimon and Lumine.
"I'm sorry, but do you recall when we first met and I extended my hand to you? In that brief handshake, I left a mark—my mark—on you both."
"No matter where you go, I can use that mark to find you."
"So, when your brother fell into the trap and brought you here, he inadvertently revealed the location of the Abyss Order's base to us!"
"Arghhh! This is so infuriating!"
"Damn it! So it was you scheming against us all along?!"
Upon learning the truth, Paimon stomped her feet furiously in the air.
"I was so scared! I thought we were really going to be executed!"
"I deeply apologize," Felina said with a tilted smile, looking at Paimon and Lumine.
"But do you remember what I said to you at the very beginning?"
"I told you I promised you'd reunite with your brother safely, though the process might be a bit complicated and thrilling."
"And now, I've fulfilled my promise to you."
"I'm truly sorry for involving you in this scheme."
Felina turned her gaze to Lumine. "But you've been in Mondstadt for a while now. You must have learned, at least to some extent, about what the Abyss Order has done here."
"The Abyss Order has constantly harassed Mondstadt, controlled Dvalin to unleash the dragon disaster, and plunged Mondstadt into chaos."
"Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures. Your brother is the leader of the Abyss Order. Using you to find and stop him earlier spares him from committing more atrocities and saves more innocent lives."
"Atrocities? Spare him?"
As soon as Felina finished speaking, Aether let out a cold laugh.
"How easy it is for you to say!"
"Five hundred years ago, Celestia joined forces with the Seven Archons to destroy Khaenri'ah."
"The people of Khaenri'ah were cursed, turned into monsters, living every day in chaos and agony. Do you think they deserved that?"
"I—we—only want justice!"
"And you, one of the Seven Archons, what right do you have to speak to us like this?"
Aether's words were filled with anger as he lashed out at Felina.
However, Felina merely shrugged, indifferent to his accusations.
"And so? What does that have to do with me?"
Her tone was cold.
"You claim to be pitiful? Then let me ask you this—where did the Cataclysm five hundred years ago come from?"
"The Cataclysm was caused by Khaenri'ah, wasn't it?"
"You say you're in pain? Then what about the countless lives lost across the Seven Nations in that calamity?"
"How many have died from the Abyss's power over the past five centuries?"
"You stand before me claiming to be a victim, demanding vengeance against the Seven Nations. And what about us? Are we not victims as well?"
"You believe you're justified because you think you're a victim, so you can continuously attack and destroy Mondstadt, is that it?"
"What about the Mondstadters who were caught up in the Abyss Order's invasions and attacks, whose lives were disrupted or even ended?"
Felina showed no trace of sympathy.
Even if the Abyss had done nothing wrong—even if it were purely a victim—so what?
Regardless of that, Felina would not spare the Abyss today.
Why?
Because their positions were different.
At this moment, she stood with the Seven Nations. She was Mondstadt's ally, a god of humanity.
Regardless of whether the Abyss Order was right or wrong, their attacks on Mondstadt, their creation of the dragon disaster, were undeniable facts.
From the perspective of Mondstadt, and of humanity, the Abyss Order was the enemy.
Only by eradicating the Abyss Order could Mondstadt find peace.
Moreover, the Abyss's power continued to erode the world, and disaster could strike at any moment.
At this moment, with a group of Abyss Order members wielding Abyssal powers still active across the land, who could predict what they might do in the future?
Perhaps the Abyss Order had its secrets, and the people of Khaenri'ah had their grievances.
But as Felina had said, what did that have to do with her?
She was never someone with grand compassion for all.
She only wanted to ensure Fontaine's peace and protect Furina's future—that was enough for her.
As for the Abyss Order, they were actively destroying human homes and harming humanity, which meant they stood in opposition to humanity.
If their positions were destined to clash, they were enemies. And enemies needed to be eliminated to prevent future calamities.
Even Aether, along with the rest of the Abyss Order members present, understood this wasn't a matter that could be resolved through reasoning.
It was like a nation invading another due to famine or lack of resources. A country suffering from barren lands might feel justified in seizing fertile lands from another, claiming it as a righteous act. But the invaded nation would see them as evil aggressors.
Positions dictated perspectives, and perspectives couldn't be reconciled with words.
You have your justice, and I have mine. Only conflict and war could resolve the contradictions that positions create.
"Hydro Archon Focalors, Anemo Archon Barbatos—you've won this time, but don't think it'll be so easy to capture us!"
Aether glared at Felina with resentment. The Abyss Order members at the scene immediately opened teleportation gates.
The Abyss Order had constructed a vast and intricate leyline network. If they managed to escape through the portals, their trail would be lost again, and all the effort spent on this plan would have been for nothing.
However, just as they attempted to flee—
"Escape? In your dreams!"
Felina stepped forward and shouted, "THE WORLD!"
With her words, the power of the Law of Stagnant Water erupted!
A pale blue domain expanded instantly, enveloping the entire underground space.
In an instant, the entire area felt as though it had been thrown into a swamp. The thick, sluggish sensation permeated the space, slowing even the flow of time to a near halt.
It was as if the entire underground area had been put on pause, frozen in time.
Within the stagnation field, only Felina remained unaffected, able to move freely.
With a motion of her hand, she summoned a longsword formed from pure Hydro elemental energy. Under the effects of her acceleration laws, her figure vanished in a flash.
In just two seconds, Felina reappeared on the other side of the room, as if she had teleported.
"Time, flow again," she commanded.
The stagnation domain dissolved, and the flow of time resumed.
To Venti, Lumine, Paimon, and Aether, it appeared as though Felina had disappeared in an instant and reappeared elsewhere, like teleportation.
But at that moment, an unbelievable scene unfolded.
Shhk!
The sound of flesh being torn echoed through the space.
Under Aether's despairing gaze, streaks of water-blue sword light flashed among the crowd!
The sound of air being split by the sword, the blade cutting into flesh, and the anguished cries of the Abyss Order members all melded into a deafening symphony, like torrential rain pounding the ground.
Within the flashes of blue sword light, severed limbs and splatters of blood were flung into the air, only to crash back down.
"No!"
Aether's pupils dilated as he let out a pained roar. He reached out, trying to stop the slaughter of his subordinates.
But before he could do anything, a sharp pain exploded in his abdomen.
A powerful impact surged through his body.
Unbeknownst to him, the Hydro Archon's attack had already struck him.
In the end, he could do nothing. Coughing up a mouthful of blood, he collapsed onto the ground littered with the corpses of his comrades.
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