Neutral could do nothing but run. They weren't even conscious of the decision to hightail it out of there - their mind was stationary, taking in the feeble attempts of communications between the Skirmishers and the mages, but their legs were working double time to get them away. They had no business with the Abyss and the Fatui in a single day.

They heard shouting behind them, heard the cackles of abyss mages on the chase, and cursed themselves for making their departure too noisy.

The path from the Whispering Woods was overgrown with bracken and twigs. Weather recently had been stormy, sending nature and supplies all over the place. Crates of wine had been carried to Archons knows where, trees had lost most of their leaves, and all of this chaos had caused the Knights of Favonius to work overtime to sort it all out.

Neutral could still hear the Skirmishers and mages after them, tripping over the fern littering the pathway.

"You bumbling fool! Are you blind? Get up!"

The commotion bought Neutral time - precious, limited time that they couldn't waste no matter what. A sharp right took them darting towards the Thousand Winds Temple.

Footsteps ceased. Frustrated cries faded into the evening song of the birds.

"You lost them? You lost them?! What if they heard our plans?? Then what? You unreliable fool!"

Neutral's detour meant that the road back to Mondstadt would be even longer now. The path was probably still littered with Fatui sniffing them out, and abyss mages were fast. They couldn't risk it. So much for a relaxing evening. They would be lucky if the Knights didn't skin them alive when they got back.

The sun was setting now, casting a dim gaze over Mondstadt. The path had cleared out now - the abyss mages had retreated to the cold of Stormbearer Mountains and the Skirmishers had resumed their posts in the woods. They tugged down the sleeves of their dress shirt, silently cursing themselves for not having the foresight to bring a jacket.

All was silent, until it wasn't.

The newfound chaos started when a group of wild boars came thundering out of the forest. Usually, this was a normal occurrence - a particularly unskilled hunter often startled more game than they caught - but what was not normal was the direction that the boars were coming from: Springvale.

From what Neutral knew about Springvale, almost every hunter was the best of the best, certainly incapable of startling such a group of boars like this. And no sharpened arrows were hurtling after them, hoping to strike a few down, so the only conclusion that Neutral could come to was that they were running away from something far more threatening than a hunter.

Neutral's hypothesis was proved correct when they neared the village in question and saw the entire place in utter disarray. Cottages were set alight, crumbling like marshmallows left on a flame. Mothers, fathers, and children alike were huddled in groups around the lake, some with singed clothes, others with soot-stained faces. Knights of Favonius rushed to and fro, carrying bags of salvaged remains from houses and (in some dire cases) people in their arms. One of the Knights made eye contact with Neutral. With mounting dread, they realized that it was the intoxicated Knight from earlier.

"Took you long enough, Awle."

"I-I'm so sorry! I was out taking care of something and I didn't get the message a-about the attack because there was another attack-"

"God, save the excuses for someone who gives a damn. Here, take this," in their arms he dumped a basketful of wilted flowers. "Dump 'em in the lake or something, just get rid of it."

"I- the lake? I couldn't possibly do that! It would poison the fish and-"

"Then do something with it! Make yourself useful for once in your goddamn life!"

With that, the Knight stormed past them. The bundle of flowers stained Neutral's apron a deep brown colour, and the smell made their eyes water. They'd have to throw it in the wash when they got back, and that would put their uniform out of action for the next two days. This job sucked.

Neutral's walk back to the City of Mondstadt was slow and miserable. They kept their arms crossed firmly over their chest, hiding the stain from prying, judgemental eyes. As they passed the gate, however, issuing a polite hello to the guards, the fleeting image of that detective from the Guild flashed in their mind.

He had been investigating the recent attacks...wouldn't it help for him to know about this one also? What if there was a link between them that would help him solve this mystery?

Neutral was still bitter, yes, but they had agreed to take upon the mission with full awareness of what would be in store for them. They could've easily refused, and pushed the matter onto another knight, so where did this gnawing frustration come from?

Neutral stopped in front of the Adventurer's Guild. They waited patiently for the woman in front of them to finish arranging a stack of envelopes.

"Excuse me? Katheryne, is it?"

The woman straightened, brushed off the front of her dress and smiled politely. "Ad astra abbysosque! How many I help you?"

"Hello, um, I was wondering if there was someone who worked here with a big blue hat and a dress?"

Katheryne blinked. "A hat and dress...Oh, you must be talking about Kayjax! Yes, he just collected his pay from here a few moments ago. I assume he's headed back to his apartment now. If you hurry, you might meet him on his way there. Here," she handed Neutral a crisp, neat map of Mondstadt city with Kayjax's apartment circled in blue, "I find it easier to distribute maps rather than give directions. Do let me know if you require anything else. I am always here."

"Oh, ok. Thanks for the help, Katheryne. See you later!"

"Farewell, and thank you for supporting the Adventurer's Guild."

"You're back in time, Neutral. We were expecting you."

Neutral stood at the doorway, arms politely behind their back, smiling a wobbly smile. Social interactions remained their Achilles heel, and it did not help that this person - Kayjax, was it? - had eyes that seemed to unravel them like a ball of yarn.

"You were...you were expecting me?"

"Yes, we were. Me and my assistant, I mean. And a friend. Judging by the stain on your apron, I assume you just returned from the attack in Springvale? Do come in. It's rather cold outside."

Before Neutral could politely refuse, they were ushered inside, given a hot drink and seated on a chair in Kayjax's living room. It wasn't really a living room, though. The walls were lined with bookshelves, and even more piles of books covered the floor. In fact, Kayjax's assistant, who had introduced himself as Adam, was currently seated on a stack of thick encyclopedias. And his other friend, who didn't seem all that interested in chit-chat, was idly flicking through the pages of the newspaper curled up on the floor like an autumn leaf.

"So, Yasmine was attacked by abyss mages in Stormbearer Mountains. I dispatched Neutral to sort it out, and you seem to have done the job. That's good. Aside from the current issue in Springvale, which I trust is already being dealt with, everything seems to be alright, except for the hilichurl gatherings on the outskirts of Mondstadt. But they're so close to Liyue that I don't see why we should bother with them when they'll be another nation's issue soon enough. Is there anything else to report?"

"Look, I'll be frank," said Yasmine. "I don't want to be here longer than I have to. I've told you everything I need to know, and I have a business that's being eaten by loan sharks right now, so can I please leave?"

"And risk being attacked once again? Adam here can't defend you forever, dearie."

"But I can try!" Adam replied with such newfound energy that Neutral jumped. "I can't be everywhere at the same time, but I can escort you back to Liyue!"

"I don't live in Liyue."

"Oh. Where do you live."

"Sumeru."

"Oh. I can't escort you that far." Adam scratched the nape of his neck. "Sorry, Yazzie."

"I don't do well with nicknames," Yasmine said, but Adam did not hear.

Neutral took another sip of their drink. They replayed the conversation they had heard in Stormbearer Mountains, the communication between two very different forces. "Um, there is something I wanted to mention, but I...uh, I don't know if it's that necessary..."

"Just spit it out, please," said Yasmine.

"Right, uhm...when I was coming back from the mountains, I heard- well, I saw these Fatui mercenaries talking to abyss mages. They weren't really talking, though. Trying to talk in abyss language, but it wasn't going well. I don't remember much they said since they noticed me before I could commit the words to memory. I'm sorry if that's unhelpful."

Adam pressed his lips into a thin line. "That's not good, right?"

"That's really not good. So they're teaming up. The Fatui have no business with the Abyss unless it benefits them, and it usually doesn't. Well then," he set his chalk down and sat cross-legged on the ground, "let's kick our brains into gear and figure out why the y're suddenly buddies."

"I'm sorry, 'our'? I don't even live here. Why do I-"

"Sorry Yasmine, but I'm afraid I can't let you go anywhere until the Knights have this under control. And if I don't have a valid explanation for them, they'll take me for a fool. Right, Neutral?"

"Well, I-I wouldn't use that exact wording, but the Knights usually prefer some logic behind these claims. They wouldn't appreciate going to investigate something like this without a decent explanation for why the Fatui might be bothering with the Abyss in the first place. It's actually in the handbook."

"Exactly. So, Yasmine, I'll offer you an ultimatum. Option A: you go to your apartment and remain in Mondstadt for the next few weeks. Yes, weeks," he added when Yasmine opened their mouth to protest, "because, as I've mentioned, I can't let you go until the Knights have this under wraps, and by the time we've come to a conclusion to give them and they've deemed the area safe, you can't go anywhere. Option B: you suck it up and help us with this. I guarantee that you'll be home safe and sound in the next few days if you do. So, what's it going to be? And don't give me that look, stormcloud. They're solid options."

Yasmine's face was very stormy indeed. They inhaled deeply, then exhaled. "Fine. I'll help with this, but then I'm leaving and pretending that this never happened. God, all this drama just because I wanted some valberries...no rest for the weary, I suppose."

Adam clapped his hands together. "Right off the bat, I'd like to suggest this: the Fatui work under the orders of the Tsaritsa, right? And the Tsaritsa has this vendetta against the rest of Teyvat, I've heard. Something about them damaging Teyvat as a whole and stopping her from challenging the divine. So, what if the Fatui and the Abyss are teaming up to make that happen?"

Neutral frowned. "You mean that the Fatui strive to...to destroy all the nations? Because they're in the way? When you put it that way, it makes sense, I suppose. I've heard that the Fatui Harbingers are planning to steal the Gnoses because they allow the Archons to resonate with Celestia or something."

"Maybe the Tsaritsa has nothing to do with this," Yasmine replied. "And maybe the Abyss don't, either. The Fatui are pretty far from Snezhnaya right now. How could they get orders from so far away? Maybe they're just attempting communication for the fun of it. To pass the time."

"Yeah, that would make sense. I know if I was so far away from home, I would do something to have some fun. And with the materials the Fatui hold, even the mercenaries, a couple of rogue abyss mages going on the offensive just because of some miscommunication wouldn't be that hard to deal with. I'd even find it funny."

"Well, that's you, KJ," replied Adam. "Maybe the Abyss doesn't have anything to do with it, and the Fatui have everything to do with it."

"But that doesn't make sense," said Yasmine, "because the majority of attacks have been from the Abyss. Sure, they're better at attacking, and there are more of them, but are you seriously thinking that it's coincidental? Doesn't it make sense that the Fatui are plotting from the inside, and are sending the Abyss to stir trouble?"

Yasmine's words were met with troubled silence. For a while, nobody knew what to say. Neutral busied themself with the books on the floor, stacking and unstacking and stacking again.

"I don't want them to destroy Teyvat," Adam whispered.

"Yeah, that would be kinda inconvenient for me," replied Yasmine, scowling. "Of course we don't want them to destroy Teyvat! What are we gonna do?"

"Neutral, how many days offs do you have per year?"

"Me? I- I, um, I think it's about a month's worth of day offs. I'm not supposed to use them at once, but there are around thirty to thirty-five days off I can have per year since I'm expected to work most days a week. Why?"

"You're gonna need to take a month off. We're going on a mission."

"This is just out of curiosity, Scapino, but do you know the history of Dragonspine?"

Crevaise stirred his soup idly, watching the sliced radish swim around the murky pool of tomato sauce. He had hoped that Scapino knew a thing or two about nutritional value, but alas, his expertise was confectionary, and anything out of his comfort zone would not go down well. His spin of radish veggie soup was nothing more than a bowl of soft radish floating miserably in watery tomato paste.

"Hmm, that's a good question. Dragonspine was originally named Sal Vindagynr, was it not? For reasons unknown, Celestia brought the Skyfrost Nail down upon it, reducing a mountain once rich with verdant landscapes to the freezing, lifeless wasteland we find ourselves upon. Though I must ask, why did you choose to come here? I much would've preferred to stay in Snezhnaya with the other Harbingers, and I know you would have, too."

"I cannot help but wonder," said Crevaise, ignoring Scapino's question, "if Celestia destroyed Sal Vindagynr for the same reason that they destroyed Khaenri'ah. Khaenri'ah knew too much. They found out the underlying truth about this world, and Celestia would not let that go unnoticed. It's a shame. So much beauty came from that nation of cursed starlight, and now there will be no more."

Scapino scoffed. "You won't catch me complaining. The fewer ruin machines, the better." He gazed at the inactive ruin grader only a few paces away, snow gathering in its open hands - claws? He wasn't sure - and repressed a shudder.

"They're very interesting to study, however," Crevaise's fingers grazed over their notebook. "If you take apart the anatomical structure and closely examine the offence and defence mechanisms within...oh, it's truly fascinating. Truly, truly marvellous. I remember devoting so much time into designing new, better, stronger ruin machines that-"

"Crevaise, you're fourteen. Don't you have a hobby? Playing games? Reading books?"

"This is a hobby. It's very interesting. Here," he threw over his notebook to Scapino, who caught it with a look of confusion plastered on his countenances. "Take a look inside."

The anatomical structure of a Field Tiller (or Ruin Guard, as they are more commonly known) is that which I have found so very interesting for many years. It is only natural that I devote my time to the creation and modification of such fine machinery, and I am pleased to believe that my inventions are proof of my efforts.

If one debunks the humanoid structure of a Field Tiller and examines the complex mechanism inside, they will be met with a wide array of components. The largest component, taking up quite a bit of space in the Field Tilled's upper chest, would be the primary source of ammunition: missiles. Each Field Tiller holds six. There's an ancient legend that the first Field Tiller to leave Khaenri'ah wound up severely injured by Lupus Boreas, the spirit residing in Wolvendom, and fled to Stormterror's Lair. Any person that the Field Tiller sensed entering would be attacked by those same missiles. The people of Mondstadt believed it to be an act of revenge from the late Decarabian and donned the event the 'Tyrant's Final Fury." Shortly-

Scapino closed the book and rubbed his eyes. He shifted his shoulders uncomfortably. "Wow. We really need to get you a hobby. And some friends, too."

"You are my friend," Crevaise said, snatching back his book indignantly. "So are Celeste, Chloe and Krone. I don't need anyone else."

Scapino grinned. "D'aww, I knew you always liked me! C'mere, c'mere." He pulled Crevaise over to him and hugged him tightly. "Am I your favourite?"

"You know I don't play favourites. But yes, as far as friends go, you are pretty high up there."

"I knew that under all of that tough exterior was a little kid!"

"I am no kid. I'm-" Crevaise stopped themself to break out into a ferocious yawn, "older than you think."

"Mhm, whatever you say," Scapino ruffled his hair affectionately. Without warning, he lifted Crevaise (he was almost feather light, strangely so) and threw him over his shoulder. "Right, let's get you to bed. You've been up for hours."

"Wha- I most certainly have not! Put me down, Scapino! I haven't finished my research yet!"

Scapino poked his side. Crevaise dissolved into a giggling mess, and had he just a little less composure he was fairly sure he would've squealed. He allowed himself to relax as Scapino settled him under the tent, though his fingers remained clutched around his notebook.

"Let go, Crevaise. The research can wait."

"You...you will have to...prise this book from my-" another ferocious yawn, "cold, dead hands."

Scapino paused. Smiled. Laughed. "Dear Crevaise," he wiped tears from the corners of his eyes, "you're not nearly as intimidating when you're half asleep. I'll leave your book on the table, alright?"

Crevaise did not hear, for he had already drifted into slumber. The curtain of hair over their face fluttered as he breathed. Scapino straightened, brushed off his clothing and pulled on his gloves.

Now, onto more pressing matters.

"Listen, this is the only way for us to get back into the boss's good books. He's still pissed that you screwed up the last robbery, you get me? But hey, you can stay here and whine about how scared you are-"

"I'm not scared! I'm just being cautious, y'know? That guy and his kid looked like they were no joke! That kid's eyes...god, they're so red. Like blood."

"But did you see his bag? I betcha it's got hundreds of thousands of Mora!" Hands rubbed together. "Come on already, it's dark. We'll be back before you know it with pockets lined with gold! He'll be totally defenceless if that old man he was with is already down for the count. Let's go."

"I'm afraid you'll do nothing of the sort, gentlemen."

There Scapino stood, in all his elegant glory, his Vision glinting in the moonlight. He looked surprisingly calm, even pleased. "Let me spare you the trouble and make you aware of the fact that the kid you're talking about is most definitely not defenceless. You'd be hard-pressed to get a single page of his notebook, let alone the contents of his bag. But if you insist on trying anyway, I'm afraid I'll have to stop you."

"Oh, yeah? You and what army?" The treasure hoarder on the right, a scrawny, peanut-haired man with a scar running across his lip, made a show of looking left and right. "'Cause I ain't seeing no one with ya. Unless you're planning to take us on alone? Usually, I'd call out unfair play, but..." He cracked his knuckles and steadied his stance, "I think I'll make an exception. Once we're done with you, that little boy's Mora will be ours for the taking."

The hoarder next to him, a slightly taller man with mulberry hair and a lumpy, misshapen nose, remained uncertain and unsteady. "Fern, are you sure about this? There are so many other people we could get some Mora from...I'm getting bad vibes from this man. The boss won't kill us for letting this one go, right?"

Scapino's laughter drowned out Fern's response. "You get bad vibes from me? Dear oh dear, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to scare you! It's not my fault your friend here has a leaky mouth. But if you run along now, I won't have to extend the punishment to you, will I?"

"Don't even think about it, Arthur," growled Fern. "What are you, a pussy? Didn't you hear what I said? We take this one down, and then get that boy's Mora!"

Arthur looked from Scapino, to Fern, and back to Scapino again. He did not move.

"Ah, okay." Scapino's gloved hands closed around the hilt of his sword. "That's a shame. I had hoped that you'd have enough sense to know when to run, but it seems not."

It began to rain.

In the distance, a young boy screamed.