Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

“So… What you’re trying to say is that you fell here… from another world? But when you wanted to leave and go on to the next world, your path was blocked by some unknown god?”

The sky shimmered, an endless expanse of clouds stretching around them. Katsuki and Izuku stood side by side on a floating platform, their fingers brushing for the briefest moment before Izuku glanced at him. Their eyes met, emerald and crimson locked in a silent vow, before lifting their gazes to the figure emerging from the massive, four-pointed star portal above. Two slightly smaller portals flanked it, their red and black forms pulsating with dark energy.

“Outlanders, your journey ends here.”

Izuku’s breath hitched. His white and blue cape fluttered in the wind, the flower tucked behind his ear trembled. “Who are you!?” he demanded, eyes narrowing.

“The Sustainer of Heavenly Principles.” The woman’s voice was cold, absolute. Her gold eyes gleamed with authority. A long red cape billowed behind her, her white hair cascading past her shoulders. 

“The arrogation of mankind ends now.” 

A cube flickered into existence in her palm, then another massive cube manifested right where they stood. Katsuki and Izuku propelled themselves into the air just in time, wings of light keeping them aloft as they drew their swords.

Izuku’s sword gleamed, its crescent-shaped crossguard curving elegantly, while Katsuki’s blade bore a straight crossguard, rigid and unwavering. Two forces, opposite yet in perfect sync.

They surged forward as one.

The woman watched with a look of indifference. With a flick of her fingers, a cascade of cubes materialized, launching toward them in relentless chase.

The pair wove through the sky, twisting between towering white columns and archways, their movements sharp, instinctive. Behind them, the cubes followed, closing in fast.

Katsuki twisted midair, narrowly avoiding a set of cubes slicing past his side. Izuku was just ahead, his grip firm on his sword, green eyes blazing with determination as he dodged.

Izuku dove low, skimming past another platform, Katsuki followed, the two of them moving in sync, dodging, weaving, closing in.

They were almost there— just one strike—

The woman smirked.

Black-and-red cubes exploded outward. Katsuki veered right, barely escaping, but—

“Izuku!”

Izuku’s body locked up as the cubes wrapped around him in a suffocating grip. His eyes darted to Katsuki, fear flashing across his face— but not just fear. Something else. A silent plea as the cubes swallowed him whole.

No.

No, no, no—

Katsuki’s chest tightened, his breath caught somewhere between a snarl and a gasp. He lunged forward, reaching, but Izuku was already slipping through his fingers. Then, in an instant, his form shattered, scattering into a thousand tiny cubes before reforming into a single, glowing gold fragment in the woman’s hand.

Oh shit. Oh fuck. Oh no. No, no, no, no, no.

His heart pounded, a violent hammering against his ribs, drowning out everything else. This wasn’t happening. Couldn’t be happening. One second Izuku was there, close enough to touch, and the next—

Gone.

Something inside him cracked, splintered so deeply it hurt to breathe. But he didn’t break. He couldn’t.

What showed was rage.

A vicious, all-consuming fury that burned hotter than the breath in his lungs. His vision blurred, his body moved on its own, sword raised in a reckless, desperate strike—

But the explosion came before he could reach her. A flash of white. A searing crack of energy splitting the air.

The next thing he saw was red and black.

The woman lifted her hand, sending the cubes at him. They latched onto his arm first, locking around his wrist, then spread— wrapping, crawling, consuming him.

His body seized. His breath came in ragged, furious bursts. He struggled, muscles straining uselessly against the unrelenting force engulfing him.

“Wait!” His voice broke. “Don’t go!” He fought harder. “Give him back to me!”

The cubes devoured the last of him, and the world went dark.

“And just like that, the god took away my husband.”

Katsuki’s voice is quiet, trembling, as he drags a stick through the sand, sketching the image of the god and the cubes. “Some damn seal was cast on me, and my power’s gone. We used to travel from world to world, but now… we’re stuck in this one.”

The wind rolls in off the ocean, tugging at his white-and-gold scarf. Katsuki exhales sharply, rubbing a hand down his face. “How many years ago was it?” He lets his hand drop, staring at it, flexing his fingers before curling them into a fist. His jaw clenches. “I don’t fucking know.” His grip tightens. “But I’m gonna find out.”

A tiny floating girl hovers beside him, her silvery-white hair bobbing with her movements. She’s small, barely the size of his arm, dressed in white with pink and gold accents, her dark cape, scattered with stars, billowing behind her as she looks at him with wide, curious eyes full of compassion.

"I was alone from the moment I woke up," he admits. "Until I met you two months ago."

"Yeah! Paimon owes you for that!" she pipes up, hands on her hips. “Otherwise, Paimon would’ve drowned!” she squeaks sheepishly, rubbing the back of her neck. Then, perking up, she puffs out her chest with an eager grin. “So Paimon will do her best to be a great guide!”

Katsuki thinks back to the day he fished the annoying ass girl out of the lake, and snorts.

Paimon twirls in the air, spinning playfully before gesturing toward the cliffs. “We should head off! Let’s get going!”

She zips ahead, her voice carrying over the ocean breeze. Katsuki lingers for a moment, staring out over the waves that stretch endlessly toward the horizon.

He exhales, then pushes himself up and follows.

Katsuki jogs after Paimon, cutting down a few water-blob-things that dare to lunge at him. His sword slices through them with ease, leaving nothing but ripples of defeated ooze behind. He scales a small cliff with a grunt, gripping the edge and hoisting himself up in one swift motion. “Where the hell are we going, anyway?” he mutters, shaking off the dirt from his hands.

Paimon beams at him. “We’re off to a Statue of The Seven!”

Katsuki has no idea what the hell that means, but he follows her anyway. He jogs through the forest, snatching up a few sparkling plants and fruits along the way. Who knows? Might be useful later.

Then he hits a clearing and stops just short of a cliff’s edge. Below stretches a spectacular view— a shimmering lake, a city sprawled in the distance like something out of a storybook. At the lake’s center, perched on a tiny island, stands a towering stone structure with a column-like base and an intricate carving at the top.

“That’s a Statue of The Seven!” Paimon chirps, pointing at the island. “There's a few of these statues scattered around to show The Seven’s protection over the world.”

The Seven…? Katsuki frowns, the name unfamiliar yet vaguely significant.

“Among the seven gods,” Paimon continues, as if reading his damn mind, “This god controls the wind.”

Katsuki nods along.

“Paimon’s not sure if the god you’re looking for is the Anemo God, but, Paimon’ll take you to the Anemo God’s place first and there's a reason why~” she sings.

Katsuki starts making his way down the slopes, heading toward the water’s edge. The little brat keeps yapping at him as he follows.

“As we all know, poetry and language flow like the wind,” she grins, flipping in the air ahead of him. “There’ll definitely be someone there who knows about your husband!”

Katsuki rips a yellow flower out of the ground and stuffs it into his pocket. Could be useful.

“Whether the gods answer you is a different story, but you never know unless you try.”

Her voice is grating, headache-inducing, actually, but Katsuki can’t deny she’s at least feeding him useful information.

They finally reach the lake’s edge. Katsuki glances at the girl expectantly. “So what now?”

“You can swim right over!” Paimon says, way too cheerfully.

Katsuki groans. “How come you get to fly, huh?”

“Paimon doesn’t make the rules!” she giggles. “C’mon! Let’s hop to it!”

Katsuki rolls his eyes, stepping into the lake. The water laps against his boots, cold but bearable. He wades in slow, then huffs, mutters, "Fuck it," and dives forward, slicing through the water with powerful strokes. Within moments, he reaches the island, stepping onto the sand and shaking the water from his arms.

The statue looms over him. Tall. Ominous. Its stone wings stretch wide, a hooded figure cradling some sphere.

That must be the so-called Anemo God.

Katsuki steps forward, pressing his palm against the golden emblem at the base. The second he makes contact, the whole thing lights up.

Teal-green light bursts from the emblem, spiraling upward, tracing the curves of the statue before settling into the sphere in its hands.

Katsuki takes a step back, eyes narrowing— then, a glowing orb shoots out of the statue, heading straight for him.

His body tenses. He throws up his arms, instincts screaming at him to dodge, but the damn orb doesn’t stop. It sinks straight into his chest.

A rush of energy surges through him. Katsuki gasps, clutching at his breastplate as teal-green light pulses from the center of it. His breath hitches, muscles tightening against the sudden force.

What the hell just happened?

Then, a small chime rings out. Katsuki furrows his brows and fishes a worn scrap of paper from his pocket. It’s blank—at least, it was—until, suddenly, a map takes shape, a tiny section of land labeled Mondstadt appearing while the rest of the page stays empty.

“Okay, what the fuck was that?” Katsuki snarls, pointing an accusatory finger towards Paimon.

Paimon flutters closer. “Did you just feel the elements of the world?” she asks.

“I don’t know what the fuck I just felt!” Katsuki snaps, folding up the map and stuffing it back into his pocket.

Paimon gives him a thoughtful look. “Seems all you had to do was touch the statue and you got the power of anemo!” She crosses her arms, looking wistful. “As much as they may want it, people in this world can never get a hold of powers as easily as you.”

Katsuki glares. “The fuck’s that supposed to mean?”

Paimon grins. “It’s because you’re not from this world!”

Katsuki exhales sharply, rubbing his temples. Of course, this annoying little brat wasn’t going to actually answer his questions.

She just continues to yap.

“If we keep heading west, we’ll eventually reach Mondstadt, the City of Freedom.” Paimon gestures to the city in the distance. “Mondstadt is the city of wind because they worship the God of Anemo. Maybe you can find some clues there!”

Katsuki raises a brow. “You don’t say.”

Paimon giggles. “There are also lots of bards there! Perhaps one of them has heard news of your husband!”

Katsuki rolls his eyes. First, she won’t explain shit, and now she’s talking about poetry and bards like that has anything to do with finding—

“What the hell does any of this have to do with finding my husband?” he snaps.

Paimon just smiles. “The elements in this world responded to your prayers and Paimon thinks that's a lovely sign. Let’s go!”

Of course, no actual answer.

Before Katsuki can press the issue, the ground suddenly trembles. A cluster of molten-red blobs ooze into view, their bodies pulsing like embers.

“Pyro Slimes!” Paimon exclaims.

Katsuki raises his hands in defense, and to his surprise, a powerful gust of wind erupts from his palms. The force lifts the slimes into a fiery cyclone and flings them away.

What the hell —?

“These are the powers you got from the statue of the seven,”  Paimon chimes.

Oh.

Paimon pouts. “Paimon’s so jealous! Why doesn’t Paimon get cool fighting powers?!’

Katsuki snorts. “Hey, at least you can fly. That’s cool.”

Paimon perks up immediately, puffing out her chest.

Another chime rings. Katsuki pulls out the map again— this time, a golden marker gleams over Mondstadt .

Looks like that’s where he’s headed.

He shoves the map back into his pocket, wades into the lake, and swims across, water lapping against his arms. As soon as he reaches the shore, he takes off running through a lush field, the city of Mondstadt grows clearer with every step.

Then the wind picks up.

“Whoa! What is that!?” Paimon exclaims, pointing towards the sky.

Katsuki looks up just in time to see a huge blue dragon soaring overhead, its four massive wings flapping with an intensity that stirs the air, and its long, feather-shaped tail trails behind like a banner in the wind.

“It’s heading toward the heart of the forest! We must proceed with caution,” Paimon says, her voice growing serious for once.

Before he even processes the words, Katsuki’s legs are already moving. He races toward the path the dragon took, dashing across the field, jumping down small cliffs. He doesn’t stop until he’s deep within the forest, the trees towering high above him.

He pauses for a moment, his chest heaving, scanning the area. Then he spots something.

He quickly ducks behind a thick tree, peering through the branches with narrowed eyes.

There, in the shadows of the understory— the dragon .

And... a boy?

The sight makes his brain stall for a second. What the hell is this?

Katsuki holds his breath, trying to stay hidden as he watches the scene unfold.

“Don’t be afraid. It’s alright now. I’m back,” the boy tells the dragon, his voice soothing yet strangely intimate.

What the fuck?

“Is he… talking to a dragon!?” Paimon wonders aloud, her finger tapping her chin in disbelief.

Katsuki doesn’t even have time to process the implications of that, because suddenly, his palms begin to spark with that teal-green energy.

He and Paimon both look down at his hands, stunned. What the hell is this?

And then—

A roaring screech.

The dragon bellows with a force that rattles through Katsuki’s bones, the sound reverberating deep in his chest.

The boy shields his face with his arms, leaping away from the dragon, looking around with an irritated expression. 

Oh. Those big-ass green eyes. Katsuki feels a sharp pang in his chest. Fuck.

“Who’s there?” the boy calls, his voice sharp with a hint of annoyance.

As the shrieking continues, a wisp of that teal-green energy coils around the boy, and in a blink, he disappears.

And then, the dragon takes flight, its massive wings cutting through the air. Katsuki instinctively jumps back as the wind from the dragon’s wings hits him like a punch, the gust so powerful it nearly knocks him off his feet.

For a moment, everything is chaos, the ground shaking beneath them as the dragon soars into the sky.

Katsuki and Paimon are left utterly stunned, wide-eyed and silent as they stare at each other in disbelief.

What the fuck. What the actual fuck.

The dragon. The boy. What the fuck.

The wind finally settles, the forest eerily quiet once more.

“That was close. Paimon almost got blown away,” Paimon says, her voice trembling slightly, her eyes wide. “Luckily, Paimon managed to grab hold of your hair! Thanks!”

Katsuki rolls his eyes, trying to act annoyed despite his own pulse racing. “Lucky you didn’t pull my hair out, brat.”

Paimon ignores him, instead tapping her chin thoughtfully. “What was that? Paimon thought we were gonna get eaten.”

Her eyes narrow. “Hm. It definitely has to do with that weirdo who was talking to the dragon.”

That weirdo. Yeah. Fucking weird-ass, green-ass, dragon-loving boy.

“Yeah. That shit ain’t normal,” Katsuki mutters, clicking his tongue, still processing everything that just happened.

Paimon nods in agreement, before turning toward where the dragon had once stood. In its place, a red glowing teardrop-shaped crystal hovers in the air.

“There’s some kind of shiny red thingy over there,” Paimon exclaims, pointing eagerly, but Katsuki just rolls his eyes.

Yes, Paimon. I have fucking eyes. You don’t need to commentate every single detail. Katsuki grumbles inwardly, but he nods anyway, stepping closer. He’s not sure why, but there's something about this damn place that makes his skin prickle, and that crystal? Yeah, it definitely doesn't feel like something he should be messing with.

The crystal hovers in place. Katsuki frowns as dark, fragmented energy swirls around the base, twisting and warping. He doesn’t need to be a genius to know this isn’t some ordinary rock.

Paimon looks at it with wide eyes. “Paimon’s never seen a stone like this before.” She says it slowly, as if trying to figure it out in her head. “All Paimon knows is that it’s dangerous. Best we put it away for now.”

Katsuki’s fingers twitch at his sides. He doesn’t want to touch the damn thing. Who the hell would? But the look on Paimon’s face—the way her small hands wring together—tells him that he doesn’t have much of a choice.

“Fine, fine,” he mutters, before stuffing the rock into his seemingly bottomless pocket. 

Paimon watches intently, her wide eyes softening with relief. “We’ve got it! Now let’s get out of here!”

Katsuki barely suppresses a sigh. "Yeah, no shit." He gives her a curt nod before looking around. The silence of the forest presses in on them, and with a quick glance to make sure no more surprises are coming their way, he begins to move again.

Back to business. Time to head to the city.

Katsuki and Paimon make their way through the forest, and just as they are about to break into the clearing—

“Hey, you! Stop right there!”

The voice is loud, commanding, and completely unexpected. Katsuki’s instincts kick in, and before he even has time to react, a figure appears, leaping into their path with an energy that makes Katsuki’s already frayed nerves flare up.

A brunette girl, dressed in red with a scarf perched atop her head, shaped like bunny ears, stands there, hands on her hips. 

“May the Anemo God protect you, stranger,” she says, and Katsuki almost scoffs at the overly sincere tone. She places a hand on her heart and smiles wide, like she’s reciting a holy blessing instead of just standing there like a barrier.

Who the fuck does this chick think she is?

“I am Amber, Outrider for the Knights of Favonius.” She suddenly snaps into a dramatic salute. Katsuki’s eye twitches. “You don’t look like citizens of Mondstadt. Explain yourselves!”

Katsuki’s patience has been running on empty all day, and this girl is just pushing him closer to snapping. He opens his mouth to give her a piece of his mind, but before he can get the words out, Paimon, in her overzealous fashion, waves her arms in defense.

“We’re not looking for trouble!” she yells, her voice high-pitched and frantic.

Katsuki’s glare turns to Paimon, who’s clearly trying to de-escalate the situation, but before he can speak up, Amber crosses her arms, fixing them both with a scowl.

“That’s what all the troublemakers say.”

“Oh, I’ll be making trouble for you if you don’t get the hell out of my way,” Katsuki snarls, taking a step forward to shove past her, but the annoying girl, Amber apparently, is quick, moving into his path again with a firm stance, hand raised in a “stop” gesture.

“Halt! State your business. Who are you?”

Katsuki groans, feeling the pressure build in his temples. The last thing he wants is to stand here and explain himself to some dumb extra. He pulls at his hair in frustration. “I’m Great Explosion Murder God Dynamight, goddammit! Who the hell are you!?”

Amber freezes for a second, eyes wide. “A god? I’ve never heard of the Explosion God before. Surely, if there was a god in the area, Jean would know about it… Why didn’t she inform me? I apologize, Lord Dynamight.”

Katsuki blinks in disbelief, one eyebrow twitching. “I’m not actually a fucking god, you idiot.” He waves a hand dismissively, irritated. “Just call me Bakugou.” 

Amber looks more confused than ever, though she chuckles awkwardly, trying to smooth over her mistake. “Well… That doesn’t sound like a local name… And this… mascot. What’s the deal with it?” She folds her arms again, nodding towards Paimon who huffs in indignation, clearly not appreciating the term.

“Emergency food,” Katsuki responds immediately, the smirk on his face almost too wide as he watches Paimon bristle.

Paimon huffs, stomping her little feet in the air. “Hey! That’s even worse than being a mascot!” she protests, flapping her arms dramatically.

Katsuki just shrugs smugly in response.

“So…” Amber hesitates, eyeing them both carefully. “You’re traveling partners?”

Paimon eagerly nods in agreement. Katsuki, however, responds with a snort and an eye-roll.

“My only partner is my stupid fucking husband,” he sighs. 

Amber just stares at them for a long, awkward moment, trying to piece together everything she’s just heard. She blinks a few times, then finally clears her throat. “Uh… right. Well, look. There’s been a large dragon sighted around Mondstadt. Best you get inside the city as soon as possible,” she advises, her voice serious now. “I’ll escort you.”

Katsuki, of course, doesn’t need some stranger offering him protection. “Got nothing better to do?” he mutters, not bothering to hide his irritation.

Amber looks at him with a playful glint in her eyes. “I’m actually in the middle of something. But don’t worry, I can keep you both safe while doing that too.” She places her hands on her hips, her chest puffed out with pride like she’s some kind of expert warrior.

Then, just as quickly, her expression shifts, and the playful edge fades into suspicion. “Besides… I’m still not sure if I can trust you two yet.”

Katsuki’s nostrils flare in annoyance, and he almost laughs right in her face. Trust him? He couldn't care less whether or not this extra trusts him. But then again, the more people that do, the more information he can gather. His mind goes straight to his husband—who’s still nowhere to be found—and a sudden wave of frustration washes over him. He clenches his fists, but instead of letting it out, he takes a deep breath and pushes the anger aside.

“That’s a rather rude way to speak to guests,” he forces out through gritted teeth, his voice calm but biting.

Amber immediately looks guilty, though it doesn’t last long. “Oh, uh. I’m sorry. Probably not something I should say as a knight,” she mumbles. “I give you my apologies… strange yet… respectable travelers…”

Katsuki almost loses it at the word “respectable.” He’s so close to blowing her into oblivion with his new wind powers for the condescending tone, but somehow, he holds back.

“That sounded so fake!” Paimon accuses, her voice high-pitched and completely unimpressed.

Katsuki smirks, his eyes gleaming with amusement at the brat’s sharpness. “You tell her.”

Amber stands there, hand on her hip, her expression flickering between annoyance and confusion. She gives them both a pointed look. “Do you have something against the type of language usage prescribed by the Knights of Favonius handbook!?”

Katsuki tsks in mock disapproval, shaking his head as if it’s too much trouble to even bother with. “We got something against something,” he responds lazily.

Amber lets out a long-suffering sigh, clearly done with this back-and-forth, and then turns on her heel.

Katsuki rolls his eyes. Follows.

He hears the chime of the map again, and instinctively pulls it out of his pocket, his fingers brushing against the worn edges as he watches the small gold mark hover over a location just off the path they’re heading toward. Weird.

Amber’s voice pulls him out of his thoughts as she calls over her shoulder, her tone still far too cheerful for his liking. “So, suspicious travelers. What are you doing in Mondstadt?”

Before Katsuki can snap back with some sarcastic remark, Paimon’s already talking, her voice light and nonchalant as she flies next to him, keeping up with his pace without breaking a sweat. “Bakugou got separated from his husband during a really, really long journey,” she explains matter-of-factly. “Paimon is his travel buddy, helping him to find his husband!”

Amber’s pace slows slightly, and Katsuki can feel her eyes shift in his direction as if she’s taking stock of him. “Oh, looking for your family… huh.”

Katsuki doesn’t reply immediately. His mind’s too busy chewing over that one word. Family. Izuku wasn’t just his husband. He wasn’t even just his family — the way Amber put it. No, Izuku was so much more. He was woven into Katsuki’s soul, tied together by something deeper than mere flesh and bone. A connection that transcended time and space, a bond that ran so deep it felt like a tether in his very chest. His twin flame. His other half. 

And now half of him was missing.

Katsuki tries to swallow that feeling, but it sticks in his throat, heavy and burning. He can’t show it— he can’t. He’s not some sad sap. Izuku’s out there somewhere, and he won’t stop until he finds him. He’s not weak. He’s not giving up.

Amber’s voice interrupts his spiraling thoughts again. “Let me finish my other stuff first, and then I can help you put up posters around the city,” she offers, her voice softer, almost pitying. That look she’s giving him— yeah, it doesn’t sit well. He doesn’t need sympathy.

Katsuki grits his teeth. “I don’t need your damn pity,” he mutters under his breath, more to himself than to anyone else.

Amber’s expression falters for just a moment, but she recovers quickly. “It’s not pity,” she says, her tone shifting, but there’s still something that feels… off. Something like a lingering sadness in her eyes, though he’s not sure if it’s for him or her own reasons.

Paimon flits closer to Amber. “What is it that you need to finish doing first?” she asks, her tone all innocent and eager.

Amber grins at the question, her smile wide and confident. “It’s simple. You’ll see!” she says with a wink, and then skips down the path ahead of them.

Katsuki watches her go, narrowing his eyes. There’s something about her that rubs him the wrong way. She’s too... bright. Too cheerful. Too perfectly annoying.

Still, he follows her, barely aware of Paimon’s excited jabbering next to him. His mind is already turning, calculating, his senses on high alert. Something’s coming. Something he can’t quite put his finger on yet.

He just hopes it’s not more trouble.

Though, knowing his luck? It probably is.

They make their way down the path, and when they round a bend they come across another strange sight: a statue, floating just barely above the ground, its edges glowing with a faint red light.

Katsuki stops in his tracks, eyes narrowing as he takes in the sight. “The fuck is that?” he growls, jerking his thumb towards the strange pillar.

Amber barely glances at it before shrugging, dismissing it entirely. “Hm? Oh, that? Just some old pillar,” she says with an air of indifference, continuing to walk without a second thought.

Katsuki, however, isn’t so quick to dismiss it. He frowns, his instincts tugging at him. He steps forward, his boots crunching lightly on the path beneath him, and reaches out to touch the red-tinged pillar. The moment his fingers make contact, the red light shudders and shifts, turning a bright, cool blue.

That’s odd.

Katsuki stands there for a second, staring at the now-blue glow, but Amber and Paimon have already moved ahead, completely oblivious to whatever the hell just happened. He snorts, more irritated than anything, and quickly jogs up to catch up with them.

But no sooner does he move than—

“Hilichurls!”

From the woods ahead, a horde of goofy-looking goblins lurches forward, their raggedy clothes and wild, uncoordinated movements adding an almost ridiculous element to their menacing appearance. 

Paimon squeals in panic, hovering close to Katsuki’s side.

Katsuki rolls his eyes, already annoyed. He doesn’t have time for this shit.

Amber swiftly whips out her bow. “Get ‘em!” she orders. Without missing a beat, she knocks an arrow, the string pulled back with expert precision. The arrow flies through the air, leaving a trail of flame in its wake, and strikes one of the hilichurls square in the chest. The monster is instantly engulfed in flames, its body disintegrating into light fragments as it fades away.

Katsuki watches the entire scene with mild interest, but his focus quickly shifts to the other hilichurls who are already charging toward them. Amber explains between shots that her task is to clear out this particular camp of monsters, as they’ve been getting too close to the city recently.

Katsuki doesn’t need any more explanation. He’s already stepping forward, drawing his sword from his side. The hilichurls charge at him, but they’re so clumsy that he barely even has to think.

He slices through the air with his blade, severing a hilichurl’s wooden club before slamming the flat of his sword into its gut, sending the creature sprawling. A gust of wind erupts from his other hand, knocking another hilichurl off its feet and sending it flying back into a nearby tree.

“Stand back!” Amber calls suddenly, her voice sharp, and Katsuki glances over just in time to see her tossing something small into the air.

What the hell?

The object is a plush bunny, of all things. It looks entirely out of place—a stuffed toy in the middle of a battle—but before Katsuki can think too hard about it, Amber shouts, “Go go Baron Bunny!”

The moment the plush hits the ground, it explodes in a burst of fire and force, sending all the hilichurls nearby flying through the air like ragdolls. The remaining goblins disintegrate in a flash of light, their bodies vanishing as the explosion consumes them.

Katsuki watches in stunned silence for a moment.

Now that was cool.

He smirks, almost impressed. "Alright, that was actually pretty good," he admits, his voice carrying a mix of begrudging respect and approval.

Amber shoots him a confident grin, pleased with herself. “Heh, nothing to it,” she says, placing her hands on her hips with a satisfied smirk.

“You surprised me with your moves there… Thanks for the backup, by the way. How’d it feel?” 

Katsuki smirks. “Like a damn warm-up.”

Paimon tilts her head, tapping a finger against her chin. “Now that you mention it, why are the hilichurls camped out here? Aren’t they supposed to stay further out in the wild?”

Amber sighs, her expression darkening. She explains that ever since the dragon, Stormterror, started wreaking havoc, the Knights of Favonius have been stretched thin dealing with the aftermath. With less protection, hilichurls have begun moving closer to the city. But at least clearing out this camp makes the area a little safer.

Despite the city being just ahead, Amber insists on escorting them the rest of the way. Katsuki doesn’t argue, he just lets her take the lead, even as he rolls his eyes.

As they step onto the bridge leading into Mondstadt, Katsuki notices a kid standing off to the side. Well, not alone— he’s surrounded by a flock of pigeons. The second they get closer, the kid shouts at them.

“What are you doing?! You scared the pigeons away!”

Katsuki stops, glancing down at the brat. “They’re just birds. They fly away.”

The kid’s lip trembles. His fists clench at his sides. “What happens if one day they leave and never come back? Just like daddy…”

Katsuki’s breath catches, his body going rigid. His first instinct is to scoff, tell the kid to suck it up, that birds don’t think like people. They leave, they come back, or they don’t. Nothing you can do about it.

Because he knows what it’s like— to lose someone, to wonder if you’ll ever find them again. To wake up every damn day with that gnawing uncertainty, that empty space where they’re supposed to be.

His jaw tightens. His hands curl into fists at his sides.

He wants to tell the brat that if something you love disappears, you don’t sit around waiting. You go after it. You fight tooth and nail to get it back. No matter the cost.

But the way the kid is making him think all sentimental, and the stupid, pathetic look on his face, is really pissing him off.

So instead, he says, “Fuck off.”

Katsuki, Paimon, and Amber stride ahead through the towering stone archway, stepping into the heart of the city. Mondstadt sprawls before them— stone buildings lining the streets, massive windmills turning lazily overhead. A bustling market stretches out in front of them, the clang of a blacksmith’s hammer ringing through the air, mingling with the rich scent of flowers and freshly cooked food.

Amber turns to them with a bright smile, throwing her arms wide. “Let me officially introduce the city of wind, dandelions, and freedom! Travelers under the protection of the Knights of Favonius, welcome to Mondstadt!”

“Finally, no more having to camp outdoors!” Paimon cheers, kicking her feet in the air. But her excitement fades as she looks around. “But… the city folk don’t look too cheery.”

Amber’s smile dims. “Everyone’s been put out of place by Stormterror recently,” But then, as if flipping a switch, her confidence returns. “But everything will turn out fine, as long as Jean’s with us!”

“Jean?” Paimon echoes, tilting her head.

“Acting Grand Master of the Knights of Favonius,” Amber explains. “Jean— defender of Mondstadt! With Jean on our side, even the viscous Stormterror will be no match for us.”

Damn. Seems like this Jean person is a big deal.

“Before I take you to the Knights of Favonius Headquarters, I have a present for you, Bakugou,” Amber says, grinning.

Katsuki crosses his arms, unimpressed. “I don’t need your damn charity.”

Amber laughs, waving a hand. “It’s not charity! It’s a reward for helping me clear out that hilichurl camp.”

Katsuki raises a brow. “A reward, huh?”

“Why doesn’t Paimon get a reward!?” Paimon huffs, floating up in protest.

Amber chuckles awkwardly. “This reward is useless to you, Paimon.”

Paimon crosses her arms, grumbling.

“But!” Amber adds quickly. “I’ll treat you to something else. A Mondstadt delicacy— Sticky Honey Roast.”

Paimon immediately perks up, clapping her hands in delight. “Sticky Honey Roast!”

“Come with me, we’ll head to the city’s highground,”  Amber says, motioning for them to follow.

Katsuki trails after her, weaving through the stone streets. They pass the bustling market, stalls overflowing with food and goods, past a fountain, and—

He spots another one of those floating red-lit pillars. Just for the hell of it, he taps it as they pass. The glow shifts from red to blue. Weird.

He follows behind Amber and Paimon, but then nearly trips over a pair of kids charging through the streets. One of them, a girl in a red hat with an overstuffed backpack, bolts past without a second thought. The other, dressed in a red pinafore with long, flowing white hair, stops in her tracks and stares up at him, her red eyes gleaming.

“I’m sorry, mister,” she says, trembling like she’s afraid of him.

Katsuki glares down at her. “Better watch where you're going, brat.”

The girl nods quickly and hurries off after the other kid.

He catches up to Amber and Paimon again.

They climb a flight of stairs. 

Then another. 

And another. 

And another.

Goddamn it, why does this city have so many goddamn stairs?

Paimon floats effortlessly beside him, chirping about something or other. Katsuki scowls. The brat is damn lucky she doesn’t have to walk.

As they ascend, Amber explains how Stormterror’s rampage has driven most of the usual crowds away, except for the local tavern, which is apparently doing better than ever.

Finally, they reach an open plaza dominated by a massive statue. The figure looks just like the one at the Statue of The Seven— cloaked, winged, arms outstretched like it’s cradling the sky. But this one is massive, at least five stories tall, looming in front of an impressive stone cathedral with towering spires and intricate stained glass windows.

This city really loves its god, huh?

Amber turns to him with a bright grin. “So, the present I want to give you is a windglider!” She holds it out, looking proud. “Outriders use them to ride the wind.”

Katsuki gives her a thoughtful look. “You’re telling me I can use this thing to fly?”

“Mhm!” Amber nods. “I brought you up here so you can test it out right away!”

Paimon hovers closer, eyeing the glider. “You're really excited about this, huh?”

“Well that’s because the wind is the heart and soul of Mondstadt!” Amber beams. “Enough talk, let’s give it a whirl! It’ll be easy, but make sure you pay attention to my instructions.”

Katsuki rolls his eyes. Yeah, yeah. He’s got this.

Amber hands him the grayish-brown wings, and he straps them onto his back. Stepping onto the stone fence surrounding the statue, he takes a single breath, then, without hesitation, launches himself into the air.

The wind catches, the glider’s wings snap open, and suddenly, he’s soaring.

“You’re doing it! You’re doing it!” Paimon cheers, zipping alongside him.

Katsuki smirks, throwing her a cocky glance. “No shit. Knew it’d be eas—”

Bam!

He slams face-first into the side of a stone building. The impact knocks the air out of his lungs as he scrapes down the wall, landing with a graceless thud atop an awning.

Paimon bursts into hysterical laughter.

Katsuki groans, rolling onto his back, then glares absolute murder at her. “Shut the hell up.”

Paimon barely stifles her giggles, clutching her stomach. “Were you about to say it was easy, Bakugou?”

His scowl deepens, brows furrowing so hard they might fuse together. He lifts a hand, gusts of wind crackling between his fingers. “I said, shut the hell up!”

Paimon yelps and floats back, still snickering.

Grumbling, Katsuki hops off the awning, deploying the wind glider again. This time, he locks his focus ahead, adjusting to the wind as he spots Amber waiting by the fountain near the market. He angles down, picks up speed, then snaps the wings shut, plunging straight to the ground with a dramatic thud.

He straightens, dusts himself off, and smirks at Amber, ready to make some cocky remark about mastering the glider—

Then the air shifts.

The wind picks up. The bright blue sky dims as thick clouds roll in overhead, swallowing the sunlight.

“The sky…” Amber murmurs, gaze fixed upward, voice tinged with unease.

Then, the dragon returns.

Stormterror roars as he tears across the sky, his massive wings slicing through the air. He dips low, carving between the buildings, shrieking as panicked citizens scatter, screams filling the streets.

He soars back up, letting out an earth-shaking bellow. The sky churns, and cyclones of wind spiral down from the clouds, slamming into the city.

Amber grabs Katsuki’s forearm, yanking him toward cover, but before he can react, a cyclone latches onto him.

The wind wrenches him upward.

Katsuki is flung high into the sky, Mondstadt shrinking beneath him. Before he can fully process it, Stormterror streaks past, sending another violent gust that hurls him even higher— above the storm clouds, into an eerie, open blue. The city vanishes beneath the thick sea of white.

“Oh shit,” he mutters. Gravity catches up, and he plummets. In a last-ditch effort not to splatter across the ground, he deploys the wind glider. The wings snap open, halting his fall.

Paimon, floating beside him—because of course she got sucked into this too—blinks at him. “Huh? How are you staying afloat like this with just the wind glider?” 

…Good question.

Before he can answer, a soft and airy voice echoes through the wind.

“I’m preventing your fall with the power of a thousand winds.”

Katsuki tenses. “What the fuck?”

“Concentrate,” the voice continues. “See yourself grasping the wind. Harness its energy.”

“The hell? Who are you? Where are you?” Katsuki twists midair, scanning the sky, but there’s no one in sight.

The dragon’s path comes into view again, and instinct takes over. Katsuki shifts forward, propelling himself through the air, and lets loose sharp bursts of wind toward Stormterror’s back. The two spiral through the sky in a dizzying chase, cutting through the clouds as Katsuki keeps up the assault.

Until Stormterror suddenly whips his head around, lets out an ear-splitting shriek, and shoots straight up, higher and higher, until he vanishes into the atmosphere.

Katsuki narrows his eyes, watching him disappear.

Tch. Coward.

With a sharp turn, he glides back toward the city, spotting Amber up at the statue. He lands beside her with ease, touching down as if none of that just happened.

“Are you okay? Are you hurt?!” Amber asks urgently, her voice laced with concern as she grabs Katsuki by the shoulders.

Katsuki brushes her hands off with a sharp shake. “I’m fine , damn it,” he grumbles.

Then, a slow, dramatic clap echoes through the air. Katsuki turns his head, spotting a man dressed in dark attire, his navy blue hair tousled, an eyepatch covering one eye. The guy’s vibe screams flamboyant pirate ... or some kind of overly dramatic villain.

He gives Katsuki a once-over, that uncovered, diamond-pupiled eye scanning him with interest. “You’ve actually got the power to go up against the dragon…” The man smirks, crossing his arms. "Are you a new ally... or a new storm?"

Katsuki’s eyes narrow, irritation flaring. "I’m Great Explosion Murder God Dynamight , buddy."

“A god , you say?” the man echoes, placing a hand on his hip and jutting it out. “My, my, how fortunate we are to be in your divine presence.”

Katsuki scowls, then plants his own hand on his hip and juts it out further.

The man’s eye twinkles. He takes a step closer, smug and lazy, and— damn it he’s tall. Katsuki has to tilt his head up slightly to keep glaring at him, which only makes him scowl harder.

“Should I be groveling at your feet then?” the man muses, voice like silk. “Or do you prefer a more… personal kind of worship?” He flips a coin into the air, the metal catching the light before he snatches it back with a smooth clink.

Katsuki grits his teeth, heat prickling at his neck. “That’s not—” He exhales sharply, eyes rolling, looking away as if unbothered. Then, he lifts his hand and sparks a glowing constellation. The sparkles hover above his palm, flickering in the air like a miniature galaxy. His voice drops, casual but firm. “I already got someone who worships the ground I walk on. And he’s the only one that matters.” He folds his arms, still aggressively jutting his hip out.

The man mirrors him with an infuriatingly amused expression, crossing his arms, jutting his hip even further like they’re in some kind of silent battle for dominance. “Is that so? Well—”

“Uh, hate to interrupt you two,” Amber cuts in, looking between them, “but Stormterror is attacking Mondstadt! Kaeya, Bakugou, we need to—”

“Now, now, Amber.” Kaeya wags a finger at her, chuckling. “Are you perhaps forgetting something?”

Amber sighs. “Right.” She gestures at the man. “This is Kaeya, our Cavalry Captain.” Then at Katsuki and Paimon. “These two are travelers from afar, Bakugou and Paimon.”

She quickly explains that Katsuki is on a journey to find his missing husband, Izuku.

Kaeya hums, giving Katsuki a once-over that feels a little different this time. “I see. Welcome to Mondstadt. Though you haven’t arrived at the best of times I’m afraid.” He places a hand over his chest with a dramatic sigh. “I understand the anguish of being separated from family.” 

Katsuki stiffens. Family. There’s that damn word again.

“I’m not sure why you’re looking for the Anemo God,” Kaeya continues, smirking as he tilts his head, “but everyone has their secrets, right?”

Katsuki scowls, but before he can tell him to mind his damn business, Kaeya chuckles and waves him off. “Relax. I won’t press you for more.”

Katsuki has never wanted to press someone more. Preferably into the damn ground. 

“On behalf of the Knights of Favonius, I would like to extend our thanks to you for your help just now,” Kaeya says, smiling. It seems earnest, but there’s something about this guy that puts Katsuki on edge.

"Yeah, well, didn’t have much of a choice, did I?" Katsuki huffs, rolling his eyes.

Kaeya only arches a brow, unfazed. “Your fight to defend the city against the dragon was witnessed by no small number of citizens. The Acting Grand Master is very interested in meeting you, and formally invites you both to the Knight’s Headquarters.” He gestures toward Katsuki and Paimon.

The trip to headquarters is a pain in the ass, mostly because it means going back down so many stairs. Katsuki resists the urge to just launch himself off the ledge and use the glider to fly his way to their destination, but the sharp look Amber shoots him when he even shifts in that direction convinces him otherwise. He stomps down instead, muttering under his breath until they reach a massive stone fortress, its entrance flanked by knights gripping polearms. Kaeya gives them a curt nod as they pass. Katsuki scowls at them for good measure.

Inside, Kaeya swings open a heavy wooden door, revealing a grand chamber where a blonde woman, her hair slicked into a neat ponytail, her attire crisp and formal, stands locked in what looks like a tense conversation with another woman. This one’s got waves of brown hair, a wide brimmed and pointed purple hat, and a black-and-violet dress that rides the line between ‘sorceress’ and ‘high-class escort.’

"Jean, I’ve brought them," Kaeya announces.

The blonde turns her head toward the group, eyes flicking over Katsuki. They gather in the center of what must be the Grand Master’s office, and Kaeya launches into an explanation of the earlier events— the dragon, the spectacle of a fight Katsuki put up against it, and how, once the dust settled, he tracked down Katsuki and Paimon, investigated their stories, and brought them here.

Jean listens intently, nodding along as Kaeya finishes. Then she offers them a calm, practiced smile. “Mondstadt welcomes you, windborne travelers.”

She introduces herself as Jean, though Katsuki could’ve guessed that already, Amber wouldn’t shut up about her the whole damn walk over. Then she gestures to the other woman, the one draped in a purple cape and a dress that’s far too suggestive for the title that follows.

Lisa, the... librarian?

Interesting getup for a damn librarian, Katsuki thinks.

“Ooh!” Lisa exclaims, pressing a finger to her bottom lip. “Are you sweeties here to help us out?” She bats her lashes, voice sickeningly sweet. “You’re both so adorable,” she giggles.

Katsuki feels the wind snap between his fingers before he even makes the conscious decision to react.

“Sweeties?! Adorable?!” He hisses, stepping forward. “Listen here, you—”

Paimon zips between them, tiny hands pressing against his shoulder. “Bakugou!” she whisper-yells. “Remember why we’re here! Keep it together!”

He tchs, rolling his shoulder to brush her off, gritting his teeth so hard it’s a miracle they don’t crack.

Lisa, either oblivious or just enjoying the reaction, continues as if nothing happened. “Sadly, the timing is regrettable. Stormterror has caused quite the ruckus since its recent resurgence. Simply put, Mondstadt’s elemental sphere and leylines are now akin to a yarn ball in the paws of a kitten.”

What?

“For a mage, it couldn’t get much worse. My skin is one elemental particle away from a full-blown breakout.”

Well, okay. A mage. At least that explains the outfit, Katsuki guesses.

Jean sighs, cutting in. “If it weren’t for this interference, the Knights of Favonius would have better ways to help you than just putting up missing person posters,” she says solemnly. “We simply ask that you repose in Mondstadt while we assist in locating your husband.”

“Look, I ain’t ‘reposing’ anywhere, got that?” Katsuki scowls. “You all can sort out your dragon problem, but I need to find my husband. Nothing’s gonna stop me from that.”

Jean’s expression is weary, but she nods. “If you insist…”

“Bakugouuu,” Paimon whines, floating closer. “We should help them. We still need to gather as much information as we can and find the Anemo God before we move on!”

Katsuki narrows his eyes at her. He’s really not in the mood to dick around with a dragon. And he sure as hell doesn’t have time for whatever ‘leyline’ bullshit the witch was going on about. But… as much as he hates to admit it, the floating little menace has a point. Better to milk this place for info now than waste time backtracking later.

“Fine,” he huffs. “I’ll help.”

“Good,” Kaeya smirks. “In that case, we need a plan.”

“With Stormterror directly attacking Mondstadt, we have an opportunity to cut this problem off at the source,” Jean says.  “Lisa has revealed the sources of Stormterror’s power with her detection magic.”

“They’re located in the abandoned Four Winds’ Temples,” Lisa explains. “Stormterror’s abilities can be attributed to it drawing power from them.”

Jean nods. “Our objective is to deal with three of the four temples. I trust everyone understands why we are only dealing with three.” She scans the room, and everyone nods.

Katsuki squints. “Uh, no? No, I don’t.”

At the same time, “Paimon doesn’t.”

The group ignores them.

“Knights of Favonius, time is against us,” Jean continues, like that didn’t just happen. What the fuck. “The storm is rampant. There is no point in maintaining a defensive position. We need to take initiative and act before the situation escalates.” 

They lay out the plan— Amber will take the Temple of the Falcon, Kaeya the Temple of the Wolf, Lisa the Temple of the Lion. And for some goddamn reason, Katsuki is supposed to go with all of them.

Katsuki jogs alongside Amber, down the city’s endless stairways from hell, over the bridge, and through the winding trails of the outlying fields until they reach a stone archway embedded in a rocky cliffside.

“This is it.” Amber stops and turns to face him. “One of the deserted Temples of the Four Winds.”

She gestures toward the massive stone doors, pulsing faintly with a pale red light. The whole thing looks ancient, abandoned.

“These temples have been left to waste for years,” Amber explains. “The people of Mondstadt almost never come here.”

Katsuki frowns. For a city that seems obsessed with its god, why don’t they visit its temples?

“There’s a chance there’s a monster nest or a hilichurl camp inside,” Amber warns, then sighs. “Even Stormterror has given up on its own temple.”

The dragon’s what now?

“Did you just say ‘its own temple?’”

“Yes…” Amber hesitates. “I know it’s hard to believe, but Stormterror was once one of the Four Winds.”

“Huh!?!” Paimon shrieks.

Katsuki’s still processing that when Amber suddenly tenses, eyes darting around. “Wait! Did you feel that?”

He blinks. Stares at her.

“The wind…” She taps her chin. “Something’s off.”

He blinks again.

Amber shakes it off and gives him a determined look. “Let’s go in and take a look. Be careful, Bakugou. The dragon’s power is disturbing this area.”

They march up the stone steps, and as they reach the entrance, the massive doors swing open on their own, silent, ominous, like the temple itself already knows they’re here.

Inside is a maze of hallways, the stone walls crumbling apart to reveal a massive cavern bathed in orange light. 

Amber clears the path with precise shots from her fire-ignited bow, burning away thorny shrubs like it’s nothing. Cool.

Behind one of the now-charred shrubs sits a conveniently placed, worn wooden chest. Katsuki eyes it skeptically, brow twitching.

“Go ahead!” Amber encourages. “There’s all kinds of forgotten treasures hidden in random places. Opening a chest is like unwrapping a gift!”

Katsuki lifts the lid cautiously. Inside, a few gold coins and some purple crystals glint up at him. Sweet. He shoves them into his pocket.

They press on through the temple until they reach an open room a level below. A horde of hilichurls is camped out beneath them, completely unaware. Amber doesn’t hesitate, she tosses her bunny plush down into the middle of them.

The thing explodes on impact, vaporizing a handful of monsters into dust. So fucking cool. She takes out the rest with a few well-placed flaming arrows before Katsuki even has the chance to jump in.

He scowls. When the hell is he gonna get some action?

They glide down to the lower level, moving through the dimly lit hallways deeper into the temple. Then, another room, another pack of hilichurls.

Amber throws out an arm, halting Katsuki in his tracks. She presses a finger to her lips. Stay quiet.

Then, she nocks an arrow and aims at a red barrel tucked in the corner. The second her flaming arrow strikes, it detonates like a goddamn bomb. The blast sends hilichurls flying, the walls shaking, debris raining from above.

Holy shit.

The surviving hilichurls whip around, screeching, weapons swinging. Some are still on fire but charge anyway. Katsuki grins, unsheathing his sword in one hand and slashing through the first wave while his free hand launches slicing wind strikes at the rest.

“Go to hell,” he snarls.

But then— Amber. She’s surrounded, a full circle of monsters closing in. Katsuki lunges toward her, ready to cut them down—

“Let it rain!”

Amber’s smug voice rings out, and before he can reach her, a storm of flaming arrows crashes down from above, piercing every single one of the hilichurls. Fire erupts, leaving nothing but embers in its wake.

They push deeper into the temple until they reach an impassable crevasse, the rest of the ruins stretching out on the other side. A conveniently placed stone monument sits at the ledge, carved with a red flame symbol.

Amber wastes no time, shooting a flaming arrow at it. The second it ignites, a sudden burst of wind shoots up from the depths below.

“A wind current!” she exclaims, and without hesitation, she jumps off the ledge, glider spreading wide as the updraft carries her across.

Katsuki stares after her, then down at the seemingly endless pit below.

“Well, shit,” he mutters.

“What’re you waiting for?!” Paimon hovers beside him, hands on her hips.

“Easy for you to say, brat. You’re not the one who could fall to their death.”

Paimon giggles, then suddenly shoves him off the edge.

“Fucking hell!” Katsuki yells, arms flailing before instinct kicks in. He snaps his glider open, the wind catching him, sending him soaring across.

When they land, he whips around, eyes burning into Paimon, who giggles behind her hands.

Before he can strangle the floating little shit, Amber calls out.

He turns, and what the fuck is that?

A teal-green, egg-shaped mass swirls in front of her, wind and glowing energy whipping around it like a miniature hurricane.

Amber exhales. “Dragon’s breath… is that where the power’s coming from?”

Katsuki glances between her and the thing, brows furrowed.

Amber meets his gaze and smirks. “Let’s smash it.”

Fuck yeah.

Katsuki whips out his sword and slices the damn thing apart in one clean motion.

The thing dissipates, swirls of wind dying down into wisps, then nothing.

“Phew, I’m tired.” Amber wipes her forehead, exhaling hard. “But at least this way, we’ve helped Jean out.”

Oh no. Here she goes again.

“In the past, we were at least able to defend the city and keep it safe. This, of course, is mostly thanks to Jean.”

Jesus fucking Christ. Katsuki’s known Amber for a day and has already absorbed an obscene amount of Jean-related trivia against his will.

“But with Stormterror attacking the city itself…” She looks away solemnly. “‘The winds change, so do our tactics.’”

“Sounds deep.” Katsuki deadpans.

“It’s what Lisa likes to say.” Amber smiles, then perks up. “Speaking of which, the Four Winds we were discussing earlier… If you ever want to learn more about our history, you can ask Lisa—” She abruptly cuts herself off, her face turning bright red. “I’m not saying I don’t know our history! It’s just—! A librarian is supposed to be more knowledgeable than an Outrider, right…?” She crosses her arms defensively, still visibly flustered.

Katsuki tilts his head, smirking at her rambling. Peppy, go-getter attitude mixed with awkward nervousness and an absurd amount of trivia? Shit. Reminds him of… someone.

“Calm down, Cherry Bomb. Didn’t accuse you of anything.”

Amber chuckles awkwardly, then clears her throat. “Anyway, I need to report back to Jean. You should go help Lisa and Kaeya.” And before Katsuki can respond, she takes off, hopping the ledge, glider catching the updraft as she soars back the way they came.

Katsuki glances around the now-empty temple. “Well, nothing else to do here. Better get moving.” He looks at Paimon, who nods in agreement. He turns to follow Amber back the way they came, when a sudden chime rings out.

In the center of the room, a golden chest materializes.

Well, shit. That’s not weird at all. Just a fucking golden chest appearing out of thin air. Totally normal.

He sighs. Fuck it, free money.

Opening the chest, he finds a decent stash; gold coins, purple crystals, and a few weird-ass four-pointed star gems. Nice. He pockets everything without question.

Then, as he looks up, he notices something else— a column of glowing blue light, a formation of four diamond shapes flickering within it.

Against his better judgment, he steps closer. Weird. He lifts a hand, fingers barely brushing through the light and then—

A flash.

The next thing he knows, he’s outside the temple, staring up at the stone doors.

What the hell?

Did he just… fucking teleport?

He whips around, completely bewildered. Paimon, floating beside him, looks just as lost.

“What the fuck was that?” he demands. “What the fuck just happened?”

Paimon blinks at him, wide-eyed. “Paimon doesn’t know! You touched that light in there, and suddenly, bam! We’re back here!” She waves her arms for emphasis. “But we better head over to the Temple of the Lion, Lisa must be waiting for us!”

Katsuki exhales sharply, rolling his eyes as he pulls out the map. The next temple is far south, near the coast and in the direction of a snow-covered mountain.

He shoves the map back in his pocket and starts jogging.

As Katsuki makes his way, his eyes are drawn to the massive tree standing alone in the middle of an open field, its thick branches stretching wide as the wind rustles through its leaves, gnarled roots anchoring deep into the earth as if it had been there for millenia. A creek winds beneath it, its waters trailing into the river which leads towards the coast. 

He doesn’t linger, though, he presses on, making his way up an incline toward the temple perched at the edge of a sheer cliff. He tears through several small Hilichurl camps along the way, clearing them out with ease.

Then, something catches his eye, a bright blue glow hovering beneath the shade of an apple tree. He narrows his eyes, trying to make out the shape. It shifts, pulsing and transparent, with a single, radiant eye at its center. A faint, twinkling sound hums in the air around it. The hell is this thing? A ghost? Some kind of monster? The thought crosses his mind, but as he steps closer, an odd sensation washes over him— this thing doesn’t feel hostile.

The moment he reaches it, it suddenly darts away, floating up the hill. Katsuki doesn’t even question why his feet move after it, just that some instinct tells him to follow. It leads him to a small stone pillar jutting from the grass, then settles atop it, flickering like a tiny blue flame in a torch.

Before he can process what the hell just happened, the ground rumbles. A chest erupts from the earth with a violent thud, sending dirt flying and nearly making him jump out of his damn skin.

“Holy shit,” he grunts, scowling at the glowing little wisp. “What the hell are you? And why’d you lead me to this treasure?”

The creature pulses, flickers. No answer.

Katsuki shoots a glance at Paimon, one brow raised. She only shrugs.

“Okay then. Well, I’m gonna take this. Thanks or whatever.” He cracks open the chest, scooping up the coins inside before giving the creature one last look. Then, without another word, he and Paimon continue up the slope toward the next temple.

When he reaches the top, he pauses, glancing back down at the field below, then at the city of Mondstadt in the distance. Its windmills turn steadily, the cathedral’s spires pierce the sky. It’s beautiful, in a way. Peaceful, almost— if not for the swirling black storm looming directly above it.

Katsuki exhales sharply, fingers tightening at his sides.

Fuck.

He should be out there, tracking down Izuku, getting some goddamn answers. But here he is, running fucking errands for people he doesn’t even know. And the worst part? He can’t stop himself. Not when he sees a problem right in front of him. Not when he knows he can help fix it.

Goddamn it.

A sultry, teasing voice pulls him out of his thoughts.

“Hey, cutie.”

Katsuki whips around, coming face to face with the woman who leans against the temple entrance with a slow, lazy wave.

Lisa.

She bats her lashes at him, smirking.

“You’re here to help me out, aren’t you? How sweet of you.”

Katsuki’s eyes roll so hard they might pop out of his skull.

“Yeah, yeah. Let’s get this over with so I can get back to what I’m actually here for, ya witchy-ass hag.”

Katsuki brushes past Lisa, striding toward the temple doors, only for them to once again open automatically, like they know exactly who he is.

Inside, he steps onto a stone walkway, and— holy shit. Blue mist curls through the air, thick and eerie, while floating platforms hover and shift overhead, forming a scattered path toward the temple’s main structure. It looms in the distance, tall and commanding, bathed in an ethereal glow from the blue-lit pillars flanking it.

"I knew it," Lisa hums, stepping up beside him. "There is a strong elemental energy coming from deep within the temple." Her gaze sweeps across the vast space before settling on the looming structure, its entrance just out of reach. "Paimon, are you able to float across?" she asks, hopeful.

Paimon shrugs. "Wouldn’t be able to do much even if Paimon could."

Lisa exhales through her nose, scanning the area before jogging toward a powerful wind current spiraling upward at the walkway’s edge.

"Then let’s ride the wind, shall we?"

Lisa hops gracefully into the wind current, and Katsuki follows, the updraft carrying them higher into the temple. They jog through the winding hallways, cutting down a few lava blobs along the way, Katsuki barely breaking a sweat, until they hit a dead end.

The room is sealed off on the other side, a monument with an electric-looking symbol sitting dead center. Lisa wastes no time, pulling out a book— wait. Katsuki knows she’s a librarian, but is she seriously about to read?

Oh— never mind. She hovers it open with one hand while the other crackles with purple lightning, sending a burst of energy straight into the monument. A grimoire? What the hell else is she hiding?

Before he can think too hard about it, the wall ahead rumbles open, and they move on.

Until— serious roofing problems. The next room’s entire floor is submerged in water, and for whatever reason, a group of hilichurls has decided this is their prime hangout spot.

Katsuki unsheathes his sword, ready to cut through them, but Lisa plants a hand on his chest, stopping him in his tracks. "Wait here, cutie," she hums, smiling way too much for his liking. "Wet enemies are my specialty."

She winks.

Ew.

Ew. Ew. Ew.

Lisa saunters forward, barely sparing him another glance. "Come a little closer," she coos, and then electricity surges through the water, frying every last hilichurl in a single strike.

With the pests handled, Katsuki trudges through the water toward another updraft waiting at the far end of the room. They step into it, riding the current even higher into the temple.

Of course, the second they land, the room is crawling with more hilichurls and those weird slimy water blobs.

"Stand back, sweetie," Lisa smirks, breezing past Katsuki before he can even roll his eyes. Sprinting to the center of the room, she hurls a blast of electricity into the air, where it crackles and materializes into some floating, lamp-looking vessel. Sparks burst outward, spiraling and frying every enemy in its radius.

Okay. What the fuck is up with this chick and her powers?

As they cross the room, Katsuki’s mind runs through all the bizarre shit he’s seen today. He touched a weird statue and suddenly had wind powers. Chased a fucking dragon into a forest, only to find it having a seemingly intimate conversation with some green twink. Got blasted into the sky and had to fight said dragon. And now he’s running through temples that seem to ignore every law of space and time with all their floating platforms and endless voids.

Did Amber have powers too? Well, yeah. Either that, or she’s some kind of pyrotechnic genius who’s mastered the ability to spontaneously combust shit— not exactly the scientist type. So, fire powers. Makes sense.

But this Lisa chick? She’s not just tossing out zaps, she’s materializing electricity into some crazy-ass floating lamp weapon like it’s nothing.

What the fuck.

They reach the edge of the structure, the main part of the temple still way too far off, separated by about 500 feet of pure nothingness. No bridges, no rails, just a bottomless pit waiting to swallow them whole. But, of course, there are some conveniently placed floating walkways hovering back and forth midair.

If they time it right, Katsuki figures they can hop across and make it to the other side in one piece.

So that’s what they do— waiting for a walkway to hover close enough, jumping onto it, then waiting for the next. Rinse and repeat.

As they stand around waiting for one particularly slow-moving platform to get its ass over here, Katsuki decides to ask:

“So… you some kind of witch or something?”

Lisa glances at him, eyebrow arched, smirking like she’s amused.

“I mean, your powers. And your book thing… your, uh, grimoire? Just wondering how exactly you can control electricity.”

“Oh.” Lisa giggles, patting the purple-jeweled amulet resting between her collarbones. “You’re wondering about this gem.”

Uh. No..?

But now that she’s pointed it out, Katsuki squints at it, sees the way it glows, the way it’s got that same electric symbol as the monument from before. Hm.

“Uh, yeah.”

“You’re kidding. This is a Vision.”

Katsuki stares at her.

“It’s used by the chosen to draw on elemental powers.”

What?

“In terms of mysticism, I suppose you could call it a magical lightning rod.”

Uh…

Before he can ask what the hell that means, their next platform finally drifts close enough, and they hop their way across until they reach another updraft leading straight into the main temple.

“You’ve never seen a Vision before..?” Lisa asks, chuckling as they ride the wind current. “Just where exactly are you from…?”

They land with a soft thud.

“Well, actually—” Katsuki starts.

“Are you a hilichurl with some level of reasonable intelligence?” she interrupts, laughing.

And just like that, the chick is right back on his shitlist.

The jog from outside the temple to within is short, and Katsuki immediately catches sight of the familiar teal-green glow emanating from inside.

“No, I doubt it. Hilichurls aren’t exactly known for their smarts. And you—” Lisa glances at him “you’d more or less qualify to be a magister’s apprentice.” A wink. Ew.

They approach another one of those things. The weird wind egg.

“Oh, it’s another one of those consolidated wind things,” Paimon muses aloud.

“Break it, and we can head home and relax,” Lisa says.

Without hesitation, Katsuki lifts his palm and sends a blast of air straight into it. Thank fuck. Feels good to blow off some steam.

The thing dissipates instantly. 

“Dragon of the East, Lion of the South, Wolf of the North, Falcon of the West…” Lisa muses, tapping her chin. “They are the Four Winds of Mondstadt, affiliated with Barbatos, the God of Anemo.” She glances at Katsuki, eyes shining with some kind of passion for knowledge or whatever. “The Dragon of the East, Stormterror— its real name is Dvalin. Though most in Mondstadt seem to have forgotten that in all this ‘Stormterror’ business.” She shrugs. “So now you know why Dvalin is only able to channel three of the Four Winds’ power. Because it has been consuming itself from the beginning.”

Consuming itself? “Why?” Katsuki asks.

“Because of hatred, I presume.”

Paimon’s face twists, somewhere between confusion and sadness. “Hatred..?”

Lisa crosses her arms. “Hatred for Mondstadt,” she states matter-of-factly, her smile calm. “Hatred drove it to become something more powerful than the wind itself— to become Stormterror.”

“But why would one of the Four Winds…” Paimon trails off, visibly struggling to piece it together. And yeah, Katsuki is right there with her. “...Hate the city it’s supposed to protect?”

“Uh…” Lisa offers a small shrug. “As a child of Mondstadt, it’s something that’s really hard to say aloud.” Her eyebrows furrow slightly, and she smiles, though it looks a little sad. “There’s an old book, written over a century ago, that you may inquire into if you wish to know the details.”

And just like that, Lisa decides she’s had enough of this shit and announces it’s time for her to go home and put her feet up. Without waiting for a response, she turns on her heel and heads back the way they came.

Katsuki, on the other hand, knows that if he just waits a moment…

A chime rings out.

Right on cue, a beam of blue light and a golden chest materialize. Like clockwork.

He can’t be the only one who notices this. It’s just too damn convenient. Why the hell doesn’t anyone else just teleport?

Katsuki starts to wonder why he even bothered coming with Lisa in the first place. The hag seemed to have it handled just fine on her own. But hey, at least he got a snippet of useful info about visions or whatever— and now, free money. So. Yeah.

He pockets the loot, steps into the light.

Time to get the hell out of here.

Katsuki lands outside the temple with a sharp crack of his boots against stone. He pulls out the map, tracing his path— the Temple of the Wolf is almost a straight shot north. Hell, he can already see the archway and doors perched on the cliff from here.

“This is gonna be a trek,” he mutters, debating if he should even bother. Something about Kaeya pisses him off to no end. But fuck, he already agreed to help, and he never backs down from a challenge.

He exhales sharply. “Let’s go, brat.” He nods at Paimon, who’s still floating beside him, then jumps off the ledge, gliding toward the next temple.

But something catches his eye.

That damn tree. The big-ass one.

And now that he’s looking, there’s something glowing red beneath it. Another one of those useless floating pillar things? No clue.

Curiosity wins out before logic does. He veers left toward the tree.

Katsuki glides over a hilichurl camp, skims past the river, then lands on the far shore near the tree. The red glow is stronger up close, but it’s not one of those weird floating pillars— it’s another statue of the Anemo God.

Huh. Same one.

As he steps closer, his hand moves before he can think, palm pressing against the stone. The glow shifts from red to blue. Cool.

His gaze drifts upward, drawn to the tree. Something about it keeps him rooted, studying the way the thick trunk twists and curves skyward, its massive canopy spilling cool shade over the clearing. Glowing, moth-like insects flicker around the branches.

The river is calm. Cranes wade in the shallows, ducks drift along the current, even those weird blob things are splashing around like they don’t have a care in the world. They’re actually kind of… adorable. Not that he’s gonna let himself dwell on that thought.

He exhales, soaking in the quiet, the stillness before the next storm. Then, without another glance back, he turns on his heel..

Katsuki sprints across the open field, then powers up the incline toward the temple. He tries to slip past a hilichurl camp, saving his strength for whatever’s waiting inside—

But the bastards aren’t having it.

They jump up, weapons raised, and rush him. Tch. So much for conserving energy. A few quick slashes of his sword, and they drop like flies. He doesn’t slow, doesn’t waste time, just keeps climbing.

His path leads him through ruins— what’s left of some ancient structure, its beams and archways crumbling into the landscape. Scattered stone pillars jut from the earth, remnants of something long forgotten. Weird.

Then, just as the temple comes into view, something else catches his eye.

A blue light, swirling and shifting among the ruins. It pulses, mist curling from its core like ghostly tendrils. This one is different from the glowing creature he encountered earlier. More ominous.

“What is that?!” Paimon squeaks.

He shouldn’t touch it. Definitely shouldn’t. But he reaches out anyway, and—

Oh, shit.

Blobs. Everywhere.

Fiery ones, and one massive purple bastard sparking with electricity. They stare at him with those beady white eyes, then lunge.

Katsuki doesn’t hesitate. His sword swings, the wind roars from his palm, and within seconds, the battlefield is nothing but piles of slime.

The blue mist vanishes. In its place, a huge blossom erupts from the ground.

He really shouldn’t touch this one. Probably.

…But fuck it.

The petals unfurl, revealing coins and jewels spilling onto the grass.

Uh. What the fuck?

Katsuki’s learned a lot today, and one of those things is to not question free money. He scoops it all up and shoves it into his pocket.

“You sure have a habit of finding trouble, don’t you, Bakugou?” Paimon giggles, nudging his shoulder.

“Shut up,” he grumbles, swatting her away.

“Let’s get this temple business over with so we can take a breather. Paimon is starving! ” she whines, flopping dramatically in the air.

Katsuki rolls his eyes but keeps moving. Right. Back to what he’s actually here for.

Jogging up to the entrance of the Temple of the Wolf, he spots Kaeya already waiting, leaned against the archway with that smug-ass smirk.

“You’ve arrived,” Kaeya drawls, pushing off the wall. “Come closer.”

Yeah, not happening. Katsuki crosses his arms, standing his ground.

Kaeya chuckles. “Can you smell that?”

“Burnt lava blobs?” Katsuki deadpans.

“Something must’ve happened in the temple.” Kaeya gestures toward the entrance. “I can imagine there’ll be slimes, hilichurls, and whatever is giving Stormterror extra power.” His smirk widens. “Oh yes, it’s going to be lively in there.”

Katsuki exhales sharply. “Look, I’ve already done this shit twice today. I don’t need a damn crash course.”

Kaeya hums. “Confident, are you? Alright then. Let’s head in.”

The doors glide open at their approach. Without another word, they step inside.

Kaeya glances at him, still wearing that smug smile. “Let me show you how the Knights of Favonius conquer our adversaries.”

Katsuki clicks his tongue. “Sure, buddy.”

The temple layout is familiar; stone hallways leading to open rooms crawling with monsters. Up ahead, he can already see trouble waiting.

Kaeya gestures toward the sky— or whatever passes for one. The crumbling ceiling gives way to a misty void, stretching endlessly except for a looming stone structure in the distance.

“If I’m not mistaken, the end of the temple should be up there,” he says, nodding toward it.

Paimon tilts her head. “Wait… how do you know that?”

Kaeya chuckles. “From experience.”

Katsuki raises a brow.

“The kind of experience you get after years of dealing with things like this for others.”

They push forward, stepping into the first chamber, a wide hall with shallow puddles covering the floor. Gross.

Before Katsuki can even unsheathe his sword, Kaeya surges ahead, palm outstretched. “Freeze!” A blast of cold mist sweeps across the room, locking hilichurls in ice. With one fluid motion, he grips his sword and shatters them into glowing fragments.

A couple of strays rush Katsuki, and he meets them with a sharp gust of wind, sending them tumbling.

So. With what that purple hag was saying earlier, he figures this guy must have some kind of ice “vision.”

“Traveler,” Kaeya glances at Katsuki as they move through the corridor, “unless I’m mistaken, you don’t seem to have a vision,” he states, as if reading Katsuki’s thoughts. “So how exactly are you able to channel elemental energy?”

“It was a very strange…” Paimon cuts in, fumbling over the words. “Phomena— Phenenema— ugh, something strange happened.”

Katsuki chokes back a laugh. Paimon smacks his shoulder.

They reach a passage blocked by a series of mechanisms shooting out flames. Kaeya steps forward, releasing a mist of ice that jams the mechanisms instantly.

At the end of the path, a wind current spirals upward. They leap in, letting it carry them higher into the temple.

When they land, a room full of lava blobs is waiting for them. Kaeya doesn’t hesitate, he sweeps his palm forward, sending out an icy mist. “Dodge this!” he challenges as the blobs freeze solid, then disintegrate into piles of mush.

Katsuki follows up with a sharp burst of wind, knocking the remaining ones back. “Get blown!” he shouts.

Kaeya pauses mid-stride, quirking an eyebrow.

Katsuki scowls, already bracing for some smug remark. “Shut up.”

Kaeya just chuckles and moves on.

Paimon, oblivious, floats closer to Kaeya. “So… your ice can interact with the other elements,” she muses. “Seems like when different elements mix, they trigger all sorts of special reactions!”

Kaeya snickers. “That’s some keen observation. We should get Jean to give you a title, make you a knight.”

Paimon giggles at the thought. Katsuki rolls his eyes.

They reach another obstacle, a section of the walkway is missing, replaced by a pit of spikes.

Kaeya smirks, dusting off his gloves. He steps forward, holds out his hand, and calls, “Cool it!” A bridge of ice forms over the spikes.

At least the bastard is useful for something. Katsuki clicks his tongue and crosses over.

On the other side, they climb a short flight of stairs and step into another chamber. Sure enough, another one of those weird wind eggs sits in the center.

Katsuki doesn’t wait for instruction. He strides forward, lets out a gust of wind, and watches the damn thing dissolve.

“Bravo, what a performance.” Kaeya claps, smirking. “You are, to my surprise, a well-trained knight.”

Katsuki squints at him, hand on his hip. “The hell’s that supposed to mean?”

Kaeya mirrors his stance, resting a hand on his hip. With the other, he gestures dramatically. “The battles you fought were sights to behold.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Katsuki waves him off. “You ain’t seen nothin’ yet.”

“No, really.” Kaeya places a hand over his heart. “The stories of your heroic deeds to save Mondstadt from destruction shall be known throughout the City of Freedom, well into the future.”

Katsuki stares at him flatly. There's no fucking way this guy is serious.

“Please do visit me at our headquarters when you have the time,” Kaeya adds with a smirk. Then, with a hand on his chin, he muses, “I also know a lovely tavern, if that’s more your thing.” He winks.

Katsuki scowls. “Is this some fucked-up way of asking me on a date? ‘Cause I already told you, buddy, I got a husband.”

“You can interpret the invitation however you like,” Kaeya replies smoothly, completely unfazed. He dusts off his gloves. “I can take care of the rest here. Go handle whatever other important business you have.”

Katsuki lets out a deep sigh, glancing at Paimon. They both shrug in unison.

“See you later then, bye-bye!” Paimon chirps.

And with that, they turn to leave the temple.

Are they really gonna have to go all the way back the way they came? Katsuki’s gotten so used to that teleportation trick that the idea of walking seems like a goddamn chore. But for some reason, the whole teleportation thing only worked when he was alone— and, lucky him, Jack Frost over here seems dead set on sticking around.

So, backtracking it is—

A snarky, sinister chuckle cuts through his thoughts.

Katsuki whips around.

Some kind of floating, dark, puffy rabbit-looking creep is drifting toward Kaeya, its ragged cloak billowing like it’s trying too hard to be intimidating, the scepter in its hand crackling with cold.

“You were behind this,” Kaeya says, voice light but edged with something sharper.

They lock eyes, Kaeya and the weird-ass ice bunny, like they have some history Katsuki isn't in on. Then, the thing starts chanting in some foreign language, raising its scepter—

Before it can finish, a streak of fire shoots past Katsuki, heat rushing against his skin.

His head snaps to the side just as some guy— tall, black coat, long-ass sword, and a mane of bright red hair—cuts through the air, his blade catching the creep dead-on. The thing lets out a garbled screech and crashes to the ground.

Katsuki takes a step forward, staring at the scene with his mouth slightly open.

“Knights of Favonius…” the redhead mutters, barely sparing Katsuki a glance before turning towards Kaeya. “Always so inefficient.”

Kaeya, of course, starts clapping slowly, eyes glinting with amusement. “Agree to disagree. But your involvement in this just made things a whole lot more interesting.”

Katsuki stays put, watching the two of them. He gets the distinct feeling this was some shit he shouldn’t be witnessing.

But damn if he’s gonna walk away now.

Kaeya rests a hand on his hip, watching the redhead with a lazy smirk. “Oh, Diluc, what an unexpected pleasure. I didn’t take you for the type to come to my rescue.”

The redhead, Diluc apparently, scoffs. “If you actually did your job, I wouldn’t have to step in.”

Katsuki blinks. “Damn. You two got issues or something?”

“Issues,” Kaeya echoes, amused. “How delightfully blunt.”

“It’s not issues,” Diluc mutters. “It’s—”

“Family history,” Kaeya finishes smoothly. “A tragic tale of brotherhood, betrayal, and— oh, right— you blinding me.”

Diluc exhales sharply. “Oh, for the love of— You are not blind.”

“Well,” Kaeya says airily, tapping the corner of his eyepatch. “I do have one less fully functional eye, thanks to you.”

Diluc pinches the bridge of his nose. “You don’t— I swear, you live to be insufferable.”

“Someone has to keep things interesting.” Kaeya leans in slightly, voice dropping just a bit. 

Katsuki glances between them. “Alright. I’m out. ”

Diluc scowls at Kaeya, then sighs, rubbing his temples. “Can you ever just—”

Kaeya interrupts him, “—Nope.”

Katsuki shoots Paimon a look, and she nods. “Yeah, let’s go.”

With a final glance at the bickering brothers, Katsuki turns on his heel, muttering under his breath. “God, enough with the bullshit.”

Paimon floats after him, shaking her head. “Paimon wonders if they’ve always been like this.”

It’s a pain in the ass, but Katsuki and Paimon eventually make it back to the entrance of the temple. And when those massive stone doors groan open, Paimon gasps.

“Look at the city!” She points toward Mondstadt in the distance.

Katsuki follows her gaze just in time to see the thick storm clouds unravel, dark winds dispersing like ink in water. Sunlight pierces through, warm and golden, painting the city in a soft glow.

“Phew! It’s finally done!” Paimon cheers, puffing out her chest. “All that ‘ley flow’ and ‘elemental lines’ stuff Lisa was going on about should hopefully be back to normal.”

Katsuki grunts. Good. Mission accomplished.

For the most part, anyway.

The immediate threat— the swirling storm, the dragon’s stolen power, has been handled. But the dragon itself? That bastard is still out there, lurking.

Still, for now, a break wouldn’t kill him.

He and Paimon start the trek back to the city, searching for a place to crash for the night. Katsuki keeps his eyes on the skyline, the windmills spinning lazily in the distance. His legs ache with every step.

Then he sees it.

Off to the left, high above the city, something weird. Like, really fucking weird.

Floating in the sky is what looks like a giant rock. No, not just a rock. There are buildings on it. Pillars and structures barely visible through the haze.

Katsuki rubs his eyes. Nah. He has to be seeing shit.

But when he looks again, it’s still there.

Some massive chunk of land, just hovering there.

His eyes narrow. Could that be..?

No. No way. It’s gotta be another one of this world’s freaky mechanisms, something he hasn’t wrapped his head around yet. Or maybe he is going insane. Or just fucking exhausted.

Probably that last one.

He blinks hard, looks one more time, and a drifting cloud swallows it up, like it was never there to begin with.

Katsuki exhales through his nose.

“Yeah. I’m losing it.”

Paimon glances over with a raised brow. “You okay?”

Katsuki scowls. “Don’t start.”

As the sun sinks lower, the sky turning that deep amber of late afternoon, something clicks. Katsuki frowns.

Today hasn’t just been one day.

The thought lands like a gut punch. Katsuki blinks, his steps slowing. When did one day turn into two? Three? More? Somewhere between that first statue, the rush to Mondstadt, the temples, the dragon— time unraveled, stretched thin, tangled into a mess he didn’t notice until now.

Sunsets. Moonrises. Again and again. How many? He doesn’t know. He missed them. Lived through them. Burned right past them.

His stomach twists, empty. His limbs ache, heavy.

When the hell did he last eat? When did he even sleep?

As they reach the stone bridge at the city’s entrance, Katsuki notices the flock of pigeons has returned. His gut churns. Fuck, is he really so starved he’s considering—

He glances around. The little brat obsessed with the birds is nowhere in sight. Surely the kid wouldn’t notice a couple missing. Surely this will have no later ramifications.

A sharp blast of wind sends a few pigeons tumbling to the ground, feathers scattering like confetti. Conveniently plucked. Perfect. Katsuki scoops them up, already picturing them skewered over an open flame. Pigeon kabobs. Yeah, that’ll do.

He strides into the city as the sun dips lower, making his way toward the marketplace. Food. Shelter. Those are the goals.

“Hey, Bakugou, there’s a lady over there waving at you,” Paimon pipes up, pointing toward a woman in a white and green dress.

Katsuki squints. “The hell does she want?”

“Let’s go see!” Paimon chirps, far too enthusiastic.

Reluctantly, Katsuki follows her to what looks like a market stall, or maybe more of a kiosk setup. The woman watches them approach, her expression calm, calculated.

“Welcome to the Adventurers’ Guild,” she says smoothly. “I am Katheryne. And actually—” her lips curl into a polite smile— “I’ve had my eye on you for a long time.”

“Had your eye on him, eh? Has he been causing mischief?” Paimon teases. Katsuki elbows her, earning a squeak.

“That is not what I meant at all,” Katheryne replies, clasping her hands together. “Being on the lookout for adventurers is part of my job. When I look at you, I see one with the potential to rival the great adventurers of legends.”

Paimon beams. “Paimon sees it too! Paimon always feels safe when adventuring with Bakugou!”

Safe? That’s ironic. Katsuki smirks, shooting Paimon a look that, if you squinted, might almost pass for something vaguely affectionate.

“Nevertheless, experience is far more valuable than potential. You must accumulate it to increase your rank within the guild. Time is of the essence, so allow me to brief you on—”

“Wait! Does that mean we’re official adventurers now?!” Paimon interrupts, bouncing in excitement.

“Do not worry, the Adventurer’s guild does not charge a membership fee or impose any kind of duties on its members.”

Katsuki narrows his eyes. “What’s the catch? Sounds too good to be true. This a scam?”

Katheryne remains unfazed. “There are plenty of benefits, but no drawbacks to becoming a member.”

Katsuki crosses his arms. “Like what?”

Instead of answering, Katheryne ducks beneath the counter. A moment later, with a heavy thud, she slaps a massive sack of coins onto the counter.

“The Adventurers’ Guild rewards you each time your adventure rank increases,” she explains.

Katsuki stares. “Holy shit, that’s a lot of money.”

“With your recent exploits, you’ve reached rank ten. These are your accumulated rewards.”

“You’re fucking with me.”

“Without further ado, please allow me to officially welcome you to the guild.” Katheryne straightens, hands neatly folded. “Ad astra abyssosque, adventurer. With effort, you shall reach the stars and conquer the abyss.”

Katsuki blinks at her. “Uh. Sure… So I can just take this and go?”

Katheryne doesn’t answer. Doesn’t react. She stares past him, face unreadable.

Katsuki waves a hand in front of her. “Hello?”

Nothing.

Guess she’s done talking.

With a huff, Katsuki grabs the bag of loot. Shit’s heavy.

At least now he had enough money to buy a real meal and a night at an inn for himself and the brat.

They weave through the market, past stalls stacked high with fresh produce and trinkets, until the scent of something warm and buttery fills the air.

“Ooh! Paimon can smell fisherman’s toast!” she gasps, eyes glazing over like she might start drooling on the spot. “A thick slice of soft white toast… topped with caramelized onions… Mmmmmm…”

Katsuki rolls his eyes but steps up to the stall anyway, ordering two helpings. They sit at a nearby table, the street lamps and firelight flickering from the restaurant’s stove casting a warm glow over the marketplace. Paimon munches happily, making little noises of delight, while Katsuki eats in silence, gaze drifting over the townspeople.

Then he spots Jean.

She’s standing off to the side, locked in what looks like an intense conversation with a woman in a long black coat and a weird-ass black mask. Even from here, Katsuki can tell the masked woman’s pushing for something, her body language confident, almost smug. Jean, on the other hand, looks pissed. Arms crossed, shoulders squared.

“I’d expect a more professional attitude from your diplomats,” Jean snaps, voice sharp enough to carry over the market’s chatter. “Yet here you are, talking about ‘putting an end’ to one of the Four Winds of Mondstadt?”

Oh, shit.

The masked woman chuckles, low, condescending. Katsuki swears he’s about to see the Acting Grand Master of Mondstadt throw hands. He strains his ears, but whatever the woman says next is lost in the market noise.

Katsuki just keeps chewing, watching the scene unfold like it’s free entertainment.

Then the woman walks off, and Jean exhales sharply, scowling after her. As she glances around, her gaze lands directly on him.

Katsuki freezes mid-chew.

Ah, shit. Did he just get caught eavesdropping?

Jean approaches, stopping beside the table. Her expression isn’t as pissed as before, but it’s not exactly easy either.

“You’re back,” she states, exhaling like she’s still trying to shake off whatever the hell that just was. “Thanks for your help, the elemental flow is finally stable, and the aftermath of Stormterror’s attack is settled for the moment.”

Katsuki keeps chewing. “Yeah, glad that’s over.”

Jean doesn’t acknowledge the half-assed response. “However,” she continues, tone sharpening,  “the pressure from the delegation has become too big to be ignored.”

“Delegation?” Paimon chimes in, mouth still full.

Jean crosses her arms. “From Snezhnaya. They choose to follow the God of Cryo.” Her brows pull together, irritation creeping back in. “Their envoy’s go by a particular name, The Fatui. Heard of them?”

“Oh, them! They’re super famous,” Paimon says, then swallows. “Wait, infamous is more the word…”

Jean shakes her head. “I don’t think killing Stormterror is the right course of action. The Cryo God’s Fatui have always coveted the Anemo God’s power. I don’t believe they have Mondstadt’s best interests at heart.” She looks away, scowling.

Katsuki watches her for a beat, then remembers something. Something he’s been keeping in his pocket. Something concerning.

“Speaking of powers…” He reaches into his pocket, feeling the cool edge of the object between his fingers. “There’s something I think the knights might wanna take a look at.”

Jean’s gaze sharpens. “Oh?”

“Let’s meet at headquarters in the morning,” she decides. “We shouldn’t discuss important matters out in the open… But you two should get some rest first.”

“Sure,” Katsuki says.

Jean nods and walks away, her posture still tense.

Katsuki wipes his hands on a napkin, then casually tosses it at Paimon, smacking her square in the face.

“Hey!” Paimon whines, peeling it off. “You’re gonna regret that!” She scowls.

“Just helping ya out,” Katsuki smirks, nodding at the crumbs clinging to her cheeks.

Paimon rolls her eyes but wipes them away anyway.

“Let’s find somewhere to sleep,” Katsuki mutters, already feeling the exhaustion pressing down on him. They push through the streets, climbing what feels like a thousand stairs, each step heavier than the last. By the time they reach the inn near the fountain, Katsuki swears he’s about to pass out standing up. The dim light spilling from the building’s windows might as well be a beacon from the heavens, promising a soft bed, maybe a pillow, and a few blissful hours of unconsciousness.

He reaches for the door handle, only for a figure to step in front of him, blocking his path.

Katsuki blinks, forcing himself to focus. The guy must’ve been standing there the whole time, but Katsuki’s too damn tired to have noticed. Dressed in a long black coat like the woman from earlier, the man stands firm, arms crossed.

“The Goth Grand Hotel has been reserved for the Fatui delegation alone,” he states coolly.

Katsuki’s gaze sharpens. One grey eye, the other an icy blue, with a scar twisting across the left side of his face. Half red, half white hair.

“Look here, Half and Half,” Katsuki scowls, too drained to deal with this shit. “I just had the longest goddamn day of my life, and I’ll be damned if you think you’re stopping me from getting some fucking sleep.”

“Sorry,” the man says, eyes narrowing. “But I can’t allow you to enter.”

Katsuki exhales sharply through his nose. “Fuck you.” He tries to step around him, but the guy mirrors his movement, blocking him again.

“Please, do not force me to take drastic measures.” His voice is calm, but his raised palm is already swirling with icy mist.

Katsuki flexes his fingers. Wind whips around his fingertips on instinct, building in his palms.

Paimon tugs urgently at his arm. “Bakugou… C’mon, let’s go. We really don’t wanna be picking a fight with the Fatui right now…”

Katsuki rolls his eyes. “Fucking hell.” He clenches his jaw, leveling one last extra menacing scowl at the Half and Half bastard before turning on his heel.

He considers looking for another place to crash, but every step feels heavier, his body dragging like dead weight. He stretches his arms, yawning.

He barely makes it to a bench a few steps from the hotel before flopping down with a heavy thud. His arms drape over the backrest, head resting against them. Paimon plops down beside him, shooting him a sleepy grin.

He’ll just close his eyes for a moment. Just long enough to gather himself so they can find a real place to sleep. Just a few seconds.

“Nighty night, Bakugou,” Paimon giggles.

Katsuki hums, barely processing her words. Before he realizes it, he’s already drifting, his mind searching for something— dreams of green curls and freckles, the warmth of a presence just out of reach.

Prologue: Act I
Completed