A New Day
The sound of knocking awakened Hiroshi, who had just gone to sleep. When he opened the door, he found Fischl standing there, her face filled with urgency.
"Hiroshi! The vision I saw during my patrol of the three thousand realms was true. A massive shadow has descended from the sky, blanketing Mondstadt!"
Without waiting for a response, Fischl grabbed Hiroshi's hand and began pulling him toward Mondstadt.
"Late last night, a massive meteor shower fell from the sky, landing across Mondstadt's lands," Fischl explained. "My servant Katheryne has requested me to invite you to help save Mondstadt. We must hurry!"
"A meteor shower?"
Hiroshi, still disoriented after his usual training, felt puzzled. He quickly expanded his senses as Fischl dragged him along. The images of half of Mondstadt appeared in his mind. Under the faint moonlight and starlight, he saw adventurers and the Knights of Favonius tending to injuries and damages caused by the meteors.
Hiroshi's expression turned serious. The space around him rippled, and in one step, he and Fischl arrived in Jean's office.
Bright lights illuminated the room as Jean anxiously worked through piles of documents, her tapping foot betraying her stress.
"Jean! What's the situation?" Hiroshi asked. "Are there casualties?"
"Hiroshi?!"
Jean looked up in surprise, then relief. Setting her pen aside, she stood and bowed. "Hiroshi, it's as you must have already seen. The Knights and the Adventurers' Guild are fully mobilized, but we're short on manpower since most of our elite knights are away."
Jean continued, "The villages in Windrise were hit hardest since the meteor shower occurred late at night. I'm tied to coordinating the rescue efforts here. Can I ask you to assist in Windrise?"
"Leave it to me!" Hiroshi replied without hesitation. Turning to Fischl, he asked, "Amy, do you have a task? Will you join me in Windrise?"
Fischl nodded. "My mission is to patrol Mondstadt and find the source of this calamity. Windrise is a good place to start. Let us also pick up our new teammate, the 'Great Astrologist' Mona, from the Adventurers' Guild before we head out."
"Let's go!"
Grabbing Fischl's hand, Hiroshi turned back to Jean. "We're leaving now."
With a ripple of space, Hiroshi and Fischl vanished from the office. Jean clasped her hands together in prayer.
"May the Anemo Archon Barbatos watch over Mondstadt," she whispered.
At the Adventurers' Guild, Mona was trying to use her astrology to understand the cause of the disaster. However, the chaotic environment made concentration impossible. Frustrated, she sighed, watching the adventurers rush in and out of the guild.
"When will my teammates arrive?" she muttered.
"We're here, Mona!"
Startled, Mona looked up to see Hiroshi and Fischl standing before her. Relief washed over her face.
"Hiroshi, Fischl! Finally, you're here. I thought I'd be assigned to someone else. I didn't realize how many investigators the guild actually had."
"You're with us," Hiroshi said, grabbing her arm before she could say more. The space around them rippled again, and in an instant, the three of them were at the great oak tree in Windrise.
The scene was grim. The grassy meadow beneath the oak tree was now a makeshift camp filled with wounded people being carried in by frantic rescuers.
"Miss Barbara! Please help this man. His house was struck by a meteor, and the blast has left him gravely injured!"
"I'm coming!"
Barbara, dressed in her nun's habit, hurriedly ran toward the injured man, accompanied by another nun. Meanwhile, the sky above grew darker as another wave of meteors streaked across the horizon.
Suddenly, a brilliant purple lightning bolt erupted from the distant skies of Liyue, shattering the falling meteors before they could reach the ground. In Windrise, the camp erupted in fearful cries as the remaining meteors hurtled toward them.
Barbara glanced at the heavens, biting her lip. Despite her fear, she dashed toward her next patient. "Even if I can't stop the meteors, I will do everything I can to help those in need."
"Anemo Archon Barbatos, please protect Mondstadt!" she prayed.
Under the oak tree, Mona stared at the falling meteors and the purple lightning from Liyue. "So that Yuheng Star who treated me to dinner is this powerful?! But what about these massive meteors?"
"Mona."
Hiroshi placed a hand on her shoulder. "Please use your astrology to uncover the cause of this disaster. Leave the sky to me."
A blue chat interface appeared before Hiroshi as he quickly messaged Ruri Gokou and Lumine, explaining the situation. Moments later, a flash of light signaled their arrival.
Surveying the camp, Ruri nodded at Hiroshi. "I'll handle the injured."
"Thank you," Hiroshi said, then turned to Lumine. "Lumine, protect Mona and Amy while they investigate the source of this calamity. The stars above Teyvat are a lie; this meteor shower must be the result of someone's actions. Find them."
Clenching his fists, Hiroshi added, "Whoever dared disrupt my sleep will pay. I'll strap them to Klee's bombs and send them to the sun!"
Brilliant, multicolored light radiated from Hiroshi's hands as he locked onto every meteor in the sky. With a powerful punch, he unleashed a dazzling beam that lit up the night sky. The despair of the people turned to hope as Hiroshi's light eclipsed the falling meteors, dispelling the darkness.
As dawn broke, the wind carried away the remnants of the night's terror. The first rays of sunlight pierced the horizon, heralding the arrival of a new day.
Dawn had come to Mondstadt.