The world was filled with strife and turmoil. The sudden shock of how an unknown splinter of the infamous Islamic State of the Levant or Daesh could rise so quickly. Years of stagnation of the group provided ample breeding grounds for a new terrorist organization to form, calling themselves the Islamic People's Front or IPF. They preached the same Islamic fundmentalist ideas, but with the more relentless approach at attacking not just the west like the US and UK, but also eastern nations like Russia, South Korea, and Japan, places that would've not seen such attacks spiked in numbers. It was pure chaos as governments around the world panicked at such a prospect. Only one solution was found in the form of international cooperation: a new Task Force known as the Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Defender (CJTF-OD) or simply, "The Defenders''. Initially comprised of Russian, Ukrainian, American, and British special forces operators, it soon was filled with operators from countries ranging from the Isreali and the Vietnamese Đặc Công.

We start in Hama, Syria, with Russian SSO operator Captain Yuri "Perun" Kavkaz and his squad of one American support gunner, a fellow Russian SSO sniper, and a German combat medic.

Hama, Syria
2000 hours

"Похоже, это база террористов, атаковавших Нью-Йорк несколько дней назад. (Seems like this is the base of the terrorists who attacked New York a few days ago.)" The sniper known as Bars (Leopard) asked his team leader, Perun.

"Да, к сожалению. (Yes, unfortunate it seems.)" Perun replied back.

"Look, I know you guys are Russians in this group but can we please switch to English? It's for the mission after all," The American support gunner, a Navy SEAL codenamed Rabbit, said.

"Says the most American here." The German medic by the codename of Gunther, said.

"Alright. I suppose we should. Anyways, gather up guys."

The four gathered into a small table, not bigger than a counter in a normal household, over a map of the city of Hama.

"We got IPF forces hiding out in the city of Hama, where we are near. Their base is located in an old telecommunications building...here in the center of the city." The Russian Captain pointed to where their base was.

"Our mission is to get inside that base, take out their leader and destroy as much as we can, then get out and let the Syrian Army and SDF forces mop up the rest of the IPF in their joint offensive. Sound clear?"

"Yes, sir." They all nodded.

"Get inside the Bradley, let's move." Perun racked the bolt of AK-12SP and pulled down his NVGs (night vision goggles), the four eyed GPNVG-18, provided by the US government to all Defender operators. Seating in his seat, he reminisced of a more peaceful past, now rocked by numerous terrorist attacks.

"As long as the IPF roams, we'll never get to go home. Sigh, but our job is a job that needs to be done." He thought to himself.

--------

In the city center, it was dead silent, as the streets were being patrolled by IPF militia and police forces, with their signature AK-74s on their hands. Some were laughing and joking amongst themselves, some were smoking, and others were doing prayers. It looked like a normal city, if only if they weren't Islamic fundamentalists seeking an even more extreme version of their former group, ISIS, who were considered extremists in their own right.

"How are we gonna get past these douchebags? They're patrolling in fours," Rabbit said.

"Remember, we have night vision, they don't. We'll use the night to sneak through, if necessary, we silently kill them with knives, rog'?"

"Rog'."

And so the four operators used the night to their advantage, they were able to sneak through with the help of HUD (heads up display) glasses made by the US Department of Defense, to be experimented with by the special forces first, which showed a map of the entire city, as well IFF (identification of friend and foe) measures, with enemies clearly marked in red.

Once they reached the base, it wasn't much out of the ordinary, just a solid gray building that used to be part of a major Syrian telecommunications before the days of the Syrian Civil War.

"Doesn't look as inspiring as I thought it would be, ja?" Gunter jokes.

"Well, you're not wrong. I was half expecting a magnificent display of wealth considering how much these IPF like their gold, but it's just that. Now, move." Perun motioned his hands at the wooden door in the back of the building, considering this as a better move than immediately engaging in the front.

"Good job, looks like we didn't have to kill anyone...yet," Rabbit said.

"Yes, we didn't have to kill anyone yet, Rabbit the Navy SEAL. But now we will." Bars stowed his SVD in a bag behind his bag and took out an AK-12SPK, a smaller version of the full sized AK-12 while putting on a suppressor.

"We're about to go close quarters, PDWs and ARs only." The Russian Captain ordered his team while he directed Rabbit in front to enter first.

Climbing up the stairs, the operators made sure to check their surroundings in a 360 degree fashion, owing as it was basic training for special forces. It was dark and dull, as every modern building should be, except with a looming sense of something in the dark that could lurk in the shadows, like an SCP. Of course, this was the real world, where SCPs didn't exist. The strikers of the dark would be Perun's team, as they had the advantage of night vision when their enemy didn't. Of course, their enemy had the psychological advantage of recruiting fanatical Islamic people to their cause, which is why their numbers swelled over the past few years when the attacks were just starting. As they reached the 14th floor, where their commander was supposedly commanding the militants below, the four operators split up, two on each side of the wall. Perun nodded at Rabbit, who pulled out a flashbang while opening the door slightly and cooked it.

Needless to say, the white flash blinded everyone inside the room.

"Go, go, go." Perun opened the door as Rabbit and Bars entered first, while Gunter and he entered from behind, swiftly eliminating the guards in the room with suppressed shots from their weapons. As for the commander, he tried to pull up his Makarov pistol, but was stopped by Bars, who smacked the commander's head on the table, essentially giving the commander a nauseous experience.

"So, it seems like you are the commander of IPF forces here. Spill what you know about the recent attacks." Perun pointed a Grach pistol to his forehead.

"I-I-I don't know anything!" The IPF commander pulled up an excuse in broken Arabic English.

"Say it, or your life goes bye bye." The Captain pointed the pistol further in.

"Okay, okay, okay! T-T-The attacks were coordinated by Shamil Al-Amari! That's all I know!"

"Good. And one last thing." Perun motioned his hand to Bars at the window, who nodded.

"You don't deserve to live for being such a disgusting human being. I hope Allah forgives your sins." The Captain brutally said.

"No, no, no! Please!"

The IPF commander's cries were ignored as he was tossed out of the window onto a car below, instantly killing him at the brunt force of the impact.

"Let's go."

Just as they were about to move out, something unknown stuck Perun's legs on the floor.

"Shit, I can't move." Perun realized.

"Sir!" The three operators tried pulling to get him out, but to no avail. Suddenly a blue portal opened up and swallowed the Russian Captain in.

"Goddammit..fuck" Rabbit punched the wall.

"How the hell are we going to tell command about this?" The Navy SEAL was truly in a peril.

"Whatever punishment we get, it doesn't matter. He's gone, and nothing can change that. We can only hope that the Captain is safe once he arrives on the other side."

"Grr...very well. Let's just get out of here." Rabbit got up his MK-18 and headed out the door, with the other two operators in tow.

Little did they know that the Captain who had gone missing would get teleported to a world vastly different from his own, one that had magic and elements involved, and one where a certain traveler would go on a journey to find his lost sister.

--------

Mondstadt Area, Tevyat
1000 hours

"Do not call Paimon emergency food again!" A certain Paimon yelled at the blonde traveler, Aether.

"Well, it was the only response I had at the time to Amber." Aether said back.

"Hmpf!" Paimon puffed.

"So, suspicious travelers, what are you doing in Mondstadt?" Amber, an Outrider of the Knights of Favonius, asked.

"Aether got separated from his sister during a really long journey. Paimon is his travel buddy, helping him find his sister." Paimon said.

"Or more like I dished you out of water and you became one. Not that I am complaining though." Aether chuckled humbly.

While Aether, Paimon, and Amber were getting used to each other, a certain Russian SSO Captain began to wake up to his surroundings.

"Argh...what the fuck was that...a blue portal in the middle of Syria. Why did no one tell me that?"

Perun, or Yuri, checked his weapon and his gear, still on him, as if nothing happened. His HUD however begins to ring in a similar ringtone to "Over the Horizon".

"Welcome, Captain, to the new world." The HUD suddenly spoke.

"New world?"

"Well, the world is named Tevyat."

"Tevyat...? I shouldn't be here, I should be back on Earth catching terrorists!" The Captain was in disbelief of the situation he got himself into.

"The IPF doesn't exist here, so no, you won't be catching terrorists. What you will be doing however is to find this traveler."

The HUD showed him someone wore clothes with his belly exposed, with blonde hair and braids accompanying him.

"And who is this...traveler?" The Russian asked in curiosity.

"His name is Aether, and he is on a journey to find his sister. He is your key for your way back to Earth."

Yuri left out a sigh from his lips.

"Sigh. Fine, now where is he-"

Almost on cue, the certain blonde traveler, his mascot, and a bunny girl appeared.

"So to sum it up, you're traveling partner-" Amber noticed the strange looking man in what appeared to be a yellow color of sorts.

"Вот черт. (Dammit.)"

Aether and Amber raised their weapons as they saw the Russian Captain, who aimed his AK-12 at them.

"Who are you?! State your purpose!" Amber ordered.

"Кого ты спрашиваешь? Кто ты, черт возьми?! (Who are you asking?! Who are the hell are you?!)"

"You're speaking Snezhnayan, we can't understand you." Amber, with her bow still aimed at the Russian's head, stood confused.

"Right, Snezhnaya is Russia in this world." The HUD talked again.

"Because it means 'snow'? Wow, so innovative. So somehow I'm a 'Snezhnayan' even though I'm a fucking Russian. Great, this is so much fun!" Yuri had a dry sense of humor instilled in his voice.

"Russian? What's Russia?" Both Amber and Aether asked simultaneously, confused.

"Oh great, you three are still here. Well, it's a faraway region in Tevyat."

"If it was a faraway region, why do you speak the same language as Snezhnaya, and what's with the clothes and firearms?"

"We're a breakaway region from Snezhnaya. That's all I'm saying. Everything else is classified."

Yuri looked at Aether.

"You're Aether, am I correct?"

"Y-yes, that is me," Aether said while wielding his classic dull blade.

"You're on a journey to find your lost sister. Well, you're in luck, cause this guy needs to go with you to get back to my region."

"How did you even end up here?"

"Good question, I don't know either."

"You got teleported to deez nuts." The HUD tried its sense of humor.

"Shut up with the deez nuts jokes, now's not the time." Yuri gritted his teeth.

"Let's just put our weapons down and deal with this one by one. A Mexican standoff isn't going to solve anything."

The three plus one Russian operator continued on their way to Mondstadt while resolving some issues amongst themselves, with a bit of backlash from Yuri.

--------

One day later

"That dragon was something..." The operator said as the skies turned back to their regular colors.

After they arrived, a dragon had appeared and started to cause terror around the city. It took a combined

"Yeah...it was thanks to you pulling that strange weapon on your back."

"You mean the MANPADS. That I don't know how it was even possible."

The HUD that Yuri had was able to grant him the ability to summon a limited amount of weapons, with the Verba MANPADS being able to heavily damage the dragon in two shots.

"Aether, Perun, are you alright?!" Amber rushed to the both of them, and checked for any injuries.

"Yes, we're fine, I hope." The Russian dusted off his desert camo uniform.

"I should really change into woodland, this is not gonna work well." He thought to himself as another person stepped in the frey.

The other person had blue hair, a rather mischievous smirk of a playboy, and flamboyant clothes.

"You two have the power to go up against a dragon...are you a new ally...or a new storm." The person talked.

"Kaeya, Aether, Perun, you all come right on time. We must..." Amber began speaking.

"Hold on, Amber, are you perhaps forgetting to introduce us?" The person known as Kaeya spoke up.

"Oh, right. This is Kaeya, our Cavalry Captain. These three are travelers from afar, Aether, Paimon, and Perun." The Outrider introduced them to Kaeya.

Both Yuri and Kaeya had intense stares at each other.

"From afar. Is that all we know?" Kaeya thought to himself.

"A Cavalry Captain...not good enough on Earth in the modern era." Yuri looked at his attire, fit for medieval times, but not in a world filled with strife and turmoil as of this very moment.

"I see. Welcome to Mondstadt — though you haven't arrived in the best times, I'm afraid." The Favonius Captain welcomed.

"Yes, thank you," Aether calmly said.

"I understand the anguish of being separated from family. I'm not really sure why you're looking for the Anemo God...but everyone has their secrets, right? First and foremost, on behalf of the Knights of Favonius, I would like to extend our thanks to you for your help just now."

"Thank you, we couldn't let the situation fester as it is." Aether replied back.

"Both of you defending the city against the dragon just now were witnessed by no small number of citizens. The Acting Grandmaster of the Knights of Favonius is also very interested in meeting you, and formally invites you both to our headquarters." Kaeya extended his hand in a gesture to welcome them in.

"Very well, we will be on our way shortly," Yuri said.

As Kaeya and Amber headed off, Aether and Yuri stayed behind to discuss their next move.

"So...we just go into their headquarters to talk with the grandmaster?" Aether asked.

"Yes, though be on your guard, I seem to sense a very benign presence around here, and I don't like it one bit." Crossing his arms, Yuri seemed as if he was thinking of something.

"Right."

The two headed on into the headquarters, which was an elegant building on the upper floor of Mondstadt, right next to a church where a certain idol was watching the interaction.

"Seems like my sister has found some esteemed guests." The idol giggled happily before heading back in to resume her duties.

--------

In a library, the Acting Grandmaster, Jean and the librarian, Lisa, were interacting with each other.

"What's the hurry? I thought we agreed to meet here." Lisa asked.

"There have been sightings of Stormterror outside the city. Once we meet, we must..." Jean was cut off by Lisa.

"Relax. I'll lend them a hand when the time comes."

The door opened, revealing Amber, Aether, Kaeya, Paimon, and Yuri.

"Jean, I've brought them."

The grandmaster turned, blinking her eyes before smiling softly. Kaeya proceeded to explain the story to Jean.

"...And once it was over, I bought them straight here."

"Mondstadt welcomes you, windborne travelers. I am Jean, Acting Grandmaster of the Knights of Favonius." She put her hand on top of her chest to introduce herself formally.

"This is Lisa, our resident Librarian." Jean gestured to Lisa.

"Oh! Are you sweeties here to help us out? You three are so adorable."

"She's the Onee-san type huh...great, this really does feel like an anime isekai world." Yuri thought to himself under the oxygen mask he covered part of his face in.

"Sadly the timing is regrettable..." Lisa continued.

"Stormterror has caused quite a ruckus in the region since its recent resurgence. Simply put, Mondstadt's elemental sphere and ley lines are now akin to a yarn ball in the paws of a kitten. For a mage it couldn't get worse. My skin is one elemental particle away from a full-blown breakout." The librarian held a hand to her head.

"If it weren't for this interference, the Knights of Favonius would have better ways to help you, Traveler, than just putting up missing person posters. We simply ask that you stay in Mondstadt while we help you seek out your sister."

"I will help along to the best of my ability, which isn't much as of now," Aether cautiously said.

"Paimon will help too!" Paimon exclaimed.

"Good, in that case we need a plan." Kaeya spoke up.

"With Stormterror now directly attacking Mondstadt, we may have an opportunity to cut this problem off at the source. Lisa has revealed the sources of Stormterror's power through her detection magic," Jean said.

"Is that so?" The Cavalry Captain asked.

"They're located in the Four Winds' Temples. Stormterror's ability to whip up these kinds of storms can be attributed to it drawing power from the temples." Lisa assessed the situation.

"Our objective is to deal with three of these four temples. I trust everyone understands why we are dealing with three." The Acting Grandmaster looked at everyone, who nodded their heads except for Perun, Aether, and Paimon.

"Paimon doesn't." Paimon seemed confused.

"We will ask later, Paimon." Aether merely replied.

"Knights of Favonius, time is against us. The storm is rampant, there is no point in maintaining a defensive position. Alright, we need to take the initiative and act before the situation escalates. Understood?"

"Understood." Amber and Kaeya said in unison.

"Dismissed, except for Perun," Jean had a serious look on her face.

Aether went up to Yuri and whispered.

"Will you be alright?" Aether asked.

"Yeah...I will."

As the doors closed behind them, Jean asked a singular question which would send shockwaves in the future.

"Perun. Who are you? A Mondstadtan or a Snezchayan?"

Yuri looked back under his oxygen mask.

"Neither."

A/N: And that was the first chapter of the remaster. Hope you enjoyed!