Echoes of the Anemo Dragon

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Orion's laughter softened at Xiao's discomfort and turned into a warm smile. "Hey, Xiao," he called, walking closer to him, "are you feeling good now? What was that about? Why did it affect only you?"

Xiao's eyes flickered a moment as he regained himself. His eyes reflected the burdens of his karma. "The crystal… it empowered something in me," he started, his voice very soft and controlled. "My karmic burden. It has been my curse across the centuries, a manifestation of the sins and suffering of the fallen. The crystal must have reacted to that and drawn out the darkness from within me, increasing it through my mind until I was completely consumed by it."

Orion's frown deepened as he listened, and his face fell serious as Xiao finished speaking. "So, it wasn't just the crystal, it was your past that then leeched onto," he said. 

Xiao nodded slowly, and his face seemed a measured neutrality. "It was. bad. But I have endured worse. This time, however, I couldn't fight it on my own. I am in your debt for intervening." 

Standing close by, Diluc gave a slight smirk. "Oh please, Xiao. They were underwhelming for one of those Abyss elite." 

Orion, who had been deep in thought since the fight, nodded in agreement. "That was also what I thought. It felt like they were fighting two battles at the same time—against us and against themselves. I feel like they should have been stronger." 

Eula caught the tone of his voice and arched an eyebrow with a smirk. "Orion, that's strange. You want your enemy to be stronger?" she teased, meaning that he probably needed more challenge.

But before he could answer back, Diluc was there to cut through, his tone far more serious. "I don't think Orion's talking about his lust for battle, Eula. And yeah, I felt the same way. They were rather weak… and their demeanor was strange, even for the Abyss." 

Eula paused in her thoughts after Diluc's explanation. "Maybe you are right," she eventually admitted. "There was something odd about them. It's almost as though they were being controlled or influenced by someone else." 

Orion nodded in agreement. "What if the crystal wasn't just doing something to Xiao? What if it was also influencing them in a way that it was making them weaker or less coordinated?" 

He crossed suited fingers over his chest, eyes narrowing at the thought. "That could be a possibility. But we should be careful here. If something exists that can weaken even the Abyss, it might be a bigger threat than we suspect."

Eula glanced around at the group; the conversation in general seemed to tamper the effects of the contents of her own bravado. "Then we should be prepared for anything. Let's keep moving, but watch your step carefully."

Orion hesitated for a moment, his mind replaying the cryptic words the Abyss Lector had whispered before their confrontation ended. The weight of those words pressed on him, an unsettling feeling gnawing at the edges of his thoughts. He glanced at his companions, all of them now more alert and on guard after the conversation about the weakened enemies. 

He considered telling them what he'd heard from the Lector. But something held him back. Was it uncertainty? Fear of what it might mean? Or he couldn't place a burden on them by telling the truth to them now, a truth that he himself hadn't totally fathomed yet?. 

He kept his silence, pushing the words back in his mind. "Not yet," he thought. "Unless I understand more I won't be able to share this." 

The group walked deeper into the underground passage. The path slowly became tighter as the temperature dropped with every step. The only source of light now was the flicker of Diluc's flaming greatsword and Orion's ball of flames as they slowly transgressed into the oppressive darkness, casting eerie, dancing shadows upon the walls. 

The group continued on into the passageway, their breaths visible in the cold air. The pathway slowly began to dwindle, restricting them to single file. The farther in they went, the heavier the atmosphere seemed to press, heavy with portent. With every step, each tread echoed more hollow than the last, then was swallowed by the tightening gloom on all sides. The cold gnawed its way into their bones, a chill that bit of its own accord into their resolve. Only the flicker of Diluc's flaming greatsword and the small orb of fire hovering above Orion's hand kept a faint light upon them, terribly distorted and shifting shadows along the rough walls of the passage. 

Their footsteps and the occasionally echoing dripping of water somewhere in the distance created a rhythm that seemed to grow more ominous with every passing moment. The passage began to widen again as they pushed further back into the darkness; the walls retreated into gloom until the group found itself in a cavernous chamber. The temperature continued to fall, and this cold now nipped at their skin, like the hot breath of some unseen, malignant force. The light from Diluc's sword and Orion's flame only just managed to struggle through this noxious darkness, but as they moved farther forward, another source of illumination began to light up the space: a faint, unnatural glow, casting off something massive in the center of the chamber. 

Orion glanced around, his voice low and tinged with unease. "Here I thought this was the way out since we broke the seal… But now, it feels like we're just going deeper… This place is massive." 

Xiao nodded, his expression serious as he surveyed the surroundings. "It reminds me of the Chasm back in Liyue," he remarked, his voice carrying a hint of recognition. "The same oppressive atmosphere, the same sense of something ancient and malevolent lurking just beyond sight." 

Diluc's grip tightened on his sword, his eyes narrowing as he scanned the chamber. "Whatever this place is, it shouldn't exist," he said firmly. "We have to clean it out. There's no telling what kind of horrors could be unleashed if we leave it untouched."

The faint glow in the center of the chamber began to intensify, revealing the outline of something massive and imposing. The group's unease deepened as they realized that they had stumbled upon something far more sinister than they had anticipated .The shape resolved into horrific detail as they drew closer. There, chained and impaled upon the cold stone ground, lay the Great Dragon of the East; his enormous form bound by thick, cruel chains pulsing with dark energy. These chains bit into his scales, wrapping around wings and limbs to pin him down as some kind of cursed offering. Huge crystals burst from his body, jaggedly cutting through the flesh and embedding into the stone below, oozing through a strange viscous liquid glowing with an eerie otherworld light. The crystals hummed softly, vibrating with a sinister resonance that seemed to resonate deep inside the very soul of the group. 

This was a grotesque and surreal sight before their eyes, like being in a nightmare set loose. Once a proud symbol of freedom, a protector of the Mondstadt, now stood this pitiful tragic figure of torment. His body was in a contorted state, in agony. That once shining set of eyes vibrantly shining was now dull and almost lifeless. The wings that could once span the skies now torn, pinned, with the strength sapped by abyssal chains and crystals. It had been a cave taut with alien energy, pulsing, as Dvalin's labored breath did now, and then each exhale rattled the chains. 

It was Diluc who broke the silence, his voice a low, harsh whisper that was incredulous, angry. "Dvalin!" he exclaimed, his eyes widening in shock and recognition. For a moment, the usually composed warrior appeared stirred by the scene before him; his tightened hand around the hilt of his sword, as if for balance. 

Orion stepped forward, his breath catching in his throat as he gazed on the scene before him. His eyes dilated with a mix of awe and horror fighting for dominance. "A dragon?" he uttered under his breath, hardly able to believe his eyes. Before them was the creature, impaled upon the ground by countless dark crystals—where once-great form was now bound by sinister pulsations. "Look at the number of those crystals holding him… This is nothing compared to the statue earlier."

Diluc's eyes were on the fallen dragon. His usually stoic face faltered in the light of what lay before them. His voice trembled, such a rare fusion of anger and sadness, as he said, "Not any dragon, Orion… this is Dvalin, the Dragon of the East, protector of Mondstadt." His fists clenched; flames from his greatsword flickered in response to rising emotions. "To see him like this… It's an affront to everything he stands for! We have to free him. Whatever force is behind this, will fucking pay!" 

Eula's face was set with determination and grimed with sorrow, her normal brag dropping. "We just have to do something," she said, firm but at the same time somewhat anxious. "This… this is terrible."

Xiao, who so far had been silent, moved forward, his eyes squinting slightly as he took in the task. "One of Four Winds of Barbatos," he muttered quietly, tone laced with sorrow and a deep-seated anger. "In this state… It has to be them, but I am not one hundred per cent sure yet. This situation follows even more along the path of Abyssal methods, unless..." There was the faintest glimmer of realization in his eye, but he kept his thoughts to himself, the weight of the situation pressing down upon him.

At this, Orion gazed at Xiao with real worry. "what do you know? What are trying to say?" he asked, as if by asking he could win some further elaboration.

Xiao remained silent for a moment, his expression unreadable. "Let's just focus on freeing him," he finally said, his voice filled with resolve. "Worry not, I won't hold you back anymore." He donned his mask and armed himself with his polearm, a surge of raw energy emanating from his body that left the others momentarily speechless

Inspired by Xiao's preparedness, Orion followed the same suit. He drew out his own polearm from his back, eyes flashing with grim determination. Glimpsing at Diluc, he could easily see the extent of emotional attachment there was between that dragon and him. "I'll do whatever it takes to break those binds," Orion vowed, his voice resolute. "I've shattered that crystal before and I'll do it again, no matter how many there are now, even if it costs me dearly."

The moment Orion had concluded his vow, the entire cavern began to shake with a disturbing force. The intermittent lighting emanating from Dvalin's amethyst companions immediately ceased, and an ominous silence claimed the chamber. Then, without warning, the blackness covering the furthest reaches of the chamber came to life. From the darkness came the wave of shadowy figures, materializing from their very forms. At the head of the pack, a small army of Abyss Mages swirled in their elemental auras, ominous and floating, surrounded by squad of Knights on both sides, dressed in dark, jagged armor. Their swords gleamed in the dimness, and their hollow stares rested upon the group. 

The Abyssal forces continued to chant, in that low, distorted voice that was filled with unnerving breaks, as though even to say their words were to fight against something. "The seal… must stand… this is the will of the A…" The sentence broke; their voices fractured, as though fighting something beyond the limits of sight. The very dissonance that had overcome them earlier, that sense of pause, seized them again. 

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Don't forget to empty your PowerStones/Comment and Review, the All-Father commands it.