One Day Later: - 

"Your injuries are fine right?" 

A few low growls and scuffles answered back to the question.

"Why I didn't come back with them?" 

A nod.

"Ah... I got injured, so they sent me back to Mondstadt so that I wouldn't get hurt again"

The growls grew a little more aggressive and they were accompanied by aggressive shaking. The shuffle grew a little agitated, as if the owner was alarmed, shocked, or perhaps both at the same time.

"I never held anything against you Dvalin" 

She is talking....to one of the Four Winds..

She is talking...to a dragon...

Amber rubbed her eyes, before staring at the scene before her. 

It was a scene right out of a fantasy novel. The heroine conversing with a being that possessed capabilities far beyond her own, and yet, the beautiful woman held a conversation with the creature. She possessed glittering eyes that seemed to ingrain itself deeper into every single person it meets.

It was truly an enchanting sight.

The dragon's massive body was curled around the resting Divyasree, who's eyes were half-lidded and drowsy. Her dark chocolate hair was in a lose braid, a few strands escaping the style as she tried to rest. She leaned against his body, although it seemed that she did not place all her weight against his scales. The creature had one of his wings above her, forming a dome of shade from the sun. The dim light did nothing to hide the glow of the brunette's eyes, nor the simple grace she possessed even while simply lying down.

Dvalin's head rested on the ground between his forearms, his complete teal eyes gazing tiredly at the brunette who quietly responded to his growls as if she were talking to the next-door neighbor. 

How am I supposed to escort her back to Mondstadt like that stupid Captain asked me to?!

A sudden growl emanated from Dvalin, whose intense gaze swept across the environment around them.

"Hm? There's someone here? Can you tell who it is?" The brunette raised her resting head, her tired eyes sweeping around the clearing with the dragon's. 

Amber flinched when the two pairs of eyes came to rest themselves in her direction. The giant blue lizard growled once more, lifting his head and somehow narrowing his eyes in her direction. Puffs of smoke escaped from his jaws and the knight could only let out a peep as she ducked behind a tree. 

"No, please don't attack Dvalin. I know who she is." The brunette reassured her companion

A pause, before the voice called back out to her.

"Amber? Are you there?" she called out to the archer. 

Sheepishly and hesitantly, the knight stepped out from behind the tree and walked slowly towards the eighteen-year-old. The protector of Mondstadt continued to growl wearily at her, his wing shifting lower to cover the taller female.

"She's a friend Dvalin. She won't hurt us" 

Divya decided to meet the knight half-way, so she got up and walked out from underneath the wing. Sighing in relief, the Outrider quickly explained the reason for finding her. 

Isn't Jean being a little too overprotective? First Kaeya and now Amber were sent to take me back to Mondstadt? Isn't she doubting my ability to stay alive a little too much?

Despite being a little disappointed at the Acting Grandmaster, she nodded in agreement. It was then that an alarming thought struck the eighteen-year-old.

"Wait.. has Lumine already arrived at Mondstadt?"

"Hm? Oh yes!! I just informed the Traveler to meet up with Master Jean at the Church" Amber said, her eyes showing her obvious confusion and uncertainty regarding the abrupt question.

SHIT SHIT SHIT!! ISN'T SIGNORA SUPPOSED TO MAKE AN APPEARANCE RIGHT NOW?! 

"Then we should hurry" Quickly bidding the dragon farewell along with a promise for another visit, she started to speed walk away from the knight who had to jog to keep up with her long strides. 

"Wait what's the rush? Did you forget to tell her something?"

"More like i forgot to tell her to do something"

The platinum haired woman gazed at the luminescent gnosis that greatly resembled a chess piece in quiet curiosity and hatred. Her cold grey eyes then laid themselves on the unconscious archon and the still struggling blonde traveler. She scoffed, her red-tinted lips curling into a grimace. She did not want to deal with such rodents personally, but unfortunately, orders were orders.

Her black fatui mask covered the right half of her face, and her hair flowed gently with the wind as she turned away from the traveler.

"Well, we have what we came here for. Come, before our dear Favonian friends arrive" Her lilting voice spoke with authority, causing the fatui agents to bow their heads whether it be by fear or by respect. 

"Leave nothing for them to find" were her last orders before she started to walk further away from the entrance of the church.

Lumine's head was hit hard, and she fell to the ground. Her head was pounding, searing pain blinding her as she feebly tried to stop Signora from escaping with the gnosis. 

It hurt. It hurt too much. Her eyes burned and the pain drew the blackness around her vision. 

T-the gnosis...

"LUMINE!!" A loud voice rung through the air, hurting her head a lot more. 

As she began to lose consciousness, the blonde could vaguely see a tall figure sprinting towards her from the side, brown hair being the only feature she could distinguish. She could only utter a small sound, a strangled cry for help before the black void engulfed her as she succumbed to the pain. 

Signora on the other hand, was irritated at the continuous interruption. She turned, and nodded to the mages that accompanied her, a silent command to finish off the other girl that had stepped in. 

Divya dove to the side as the one of them blasted electricity in her direction. She didn't know if she should have thanked or cursed her luck regarding the fact that the Eighth Fatui Harbinger ignored her and continued on her way. 

It didn't matter. The brunette didn't arrive on the scene for the Gnosis. 

Completely avoiding interacting with the Fatui agents, she skidded to the ground as she frantically checked her friend's body. The brunette had only but a second to exhale in relief before she once again had to avoid an attack.

Damn it!! This wouldn't have happened if I had just played the game instead of listening to Aditya and Prakash ramble on about every single quest!!

Should I have even intervened? Wouldn't the storyline already have begun to deviate?!

But I can't just sit and watch Lumine get hurt-! But the storyline- The future could change for the worse!! I can't let that happen to her- but she's going to get a lot more injured in the future- 

DAMN IT!! STUPID OVERTHINKING TENDENCIES!!

FOR THE RECORD WHERE EVEN IS PAIMON?!

"Ah!" A Fatui agent had snuck up on her whilst she was drowning in her thoughts. He had raised his fist and punched her across the head, causing her to slam against the steps at the entrance of the Cathedral. Her head crashed against the sharp edges of the marble steps, forcing her to collapse to the ground. 

The eighteen-year-old groaned, her head pounding endlessly. Sharp bursts of pain reverberated inside her head, and her eyes burnt from the intense pain. The pain was somehow even worse than a migraine, and she had to struggle to remain conscious. 

However, that had to be the least of her concerns, for upon noticing the agents inch towards her with malicious intent, she knew she had to make a split-second decision.

The story has already changed with my appearance. I can't stop it. There is no point in trying to not change it when the butterfly effect is already in motion. 

"JEAN!!!" She yelled out. 

The Fatui skidded to a stop, their masks hiding their wide eyes. Growling in irritation, one of them tried to reach for the brunette again.

"JEAN!!" Another yell.

The man paused, glaring harshly at Divya before the four turned to leave. 

"JEAN!!" 

Diluc didn't understand how he heard her. Her voice shouldn't have reached as far as it did, but he heard it. She had called out for the Acting Grand Master, but his body acted on its own. His feet took him to her before his mind could form coherent thoughts. He had already begun to speed walk towards the source of that desperate yell for help.

By the time he reached the Favonian Church, it appeared that some of the knights were already on the scene. 

Although, once again, they arrived too late.

How inefficient...

On the scene, the red-haired man identified the deaconess, the acting grand master, and unfortunately, the Cavalry Captain. 

His body turned cold at the sight of the three unconscious bodies lying by the steps leading into the church. The Traveler and the bard (now someone he could identify as Barbatos) were the ones currently getting treated. 

Divya lay by the entrance, her body upright despite the fact that her eyes were closed. The Cavalry Captain seemed to be holding onto her, questioning the Acting Grand Master and seemingly giving out orders to a few other knights. An inspection had been initiated, as the knights had been mobilized and had begun to search the perimeter. 

Kaeya...

Diluc, for some odd reason, seemed to get more irritated the longer he witnessed the blue haired man's hold on the eighteen-year-old. Her head was leaning against his chest, his arms going around her waist and upper back protectively as he supported her weight. From this angle, he could notice the knight subconsciously shielding her still figure whilst also avoiding touching her head. 

From the posture, he guessed that she had been hit hard over the head and had thus fallen unconscious upon impact. 

But, the sight of Kaeya holding Divya...

How infuriating...

The red-haired man scoffed, crossing his arms and forcing himself to stare at the scene a little longer, if only to check if the brunette would get the medical attention she required. 

He didn't particularly enjoy the feeling in his chest, nor the growing urge to rip away Kaeya's arms from Divya and hold her instead. 

It was confusing, so he did his best to ignore it and focus on the activities before him. 

After a few passing moments the tension in his body dissipated upon noticing Venti gain consciousness. The deaconess had moved onto Divya and the traveler, her hands out as she began to heal them. 

Diluc's creased eyebrows relaxed when he noticed the brunette beginning to stir as she moved away from the knight and blink her eyes open. 

He let his arms drop to his side and with one last look at her and, admittedly, a glare at Kaeya, he began to make his way back to the Tavern. He didn't notice the confused and concerned glance that the eighteen-year-old had given him. 

As long as everything within Mondstadt returns to normal