Early the next morning, Lin En left the inn with Ronava.
The little dragon had been left in the room, where it lay fast asleep on a pillow. Lin En had left it a small piece of roast meat before he went. The little creature had blearily opened its eyes, glanced at it twice, and gone back to sleep.
Mornings in the City of Mondstadt were pleasant. The sunlight was gentle, and the air carried the scent of grass.
Ronava had changed back into her usual clothes today, looking efficient and aloof. The two walked side by side along the road to Windrise.
Venti was already there, beneath the great tree at Windrise.
He hadn't brought his lyre today. When he saw Lin En approaching, he waved with a grin, but his gaze soon fell on Ronava behind him.
Venti's smile froze for a moment. He spoke quietly to Lin En as he drew near.
"Why did she come too?"
Ronava heard him mutter and answered.
"Looking for someone."
That was all Ronava said. She then went to the great tree and leaned against its trunk, arms crossed and eyes closed. She was like a statue, out of place amid the wind and sunlight around her.
Venti blinked, turned to Lin En, and lowered his voice.
"So that's what the Ruler of Death is like?"
"You'll get used to it."
"All right, then."
Venti shrugged and paid her no more attention. He turned to Lin En and began the day's training.
"Yesterday you learned to feel the wind. Today you'll learn to set it in motion. The biggest difference between Anemo and Geo is that Geo is stable, while Anemo flows. You don't need to control it. You just need to guide it."
Venti held out his hand, palm up. A gentle current of air passed between his fingers like a transparent ribbon.
"Give it a try."
Lin En took a deep breath. Guided by the faint perception coming from the emerald-green bead Venti had given him, he set the air swirling in his palm.
Yesterday's practice had given him a slight grasp of it, but he was still a long way from making the wind truly obey him.
He tried several times. Though he could form a vortex, it dispersed as soon as he released it, like sand slipping through his fingers.
Venti patiently guided him from the side, occasionally reaching out to correct his posture or telling him to stop and feel the wind's direction again.
Ronava sat beneath the tree with her eyes closed, seemingly unconcerned by it all. But whenever Lin En glanced over, he noticed her brow was slightly furrowed, as though she were sensing something.
After practicing for about half an hour, Lin En could finally make a vortex spin steadily for more than ten breaths even after throwing it.
Venti clapped his hands.
"Not bad, not bad! At this rate, you'll be able to use basic Anemo attacks in a few days."
Lin En wiped the sweat from his forehead. He was about to say something when everything around him suddenly felt strange.
The wind stopped.
Blades of grass hung motionless in the air. A bird in a distant treetop held its wings spread, as though frozen in time. Even the words Venti hadn't finished speaking congealed in the air, his expression caught on the verge of a smile.
The entire world stood still.
Only Lin En, Ronava, and the white figure in the tree could move.
"Ronava, have you become like this?"
Ronava opened her eyes and straightened up from the trunk, her golden pupils turning toward the source of the voice.
It was a woman. She leaped lightly down from a branch of the massive oak at Windrise, landing without disturbing a single leaf.
She wore a plain white gown, its hem embroidered with unrecognizable runes, fluttering gently in the still air. Her white hair was nearly transparent and fell to her waist, and a huge metal ring rested on her head.
Her voice sounded as though it came from far away, yet also as though she were speaking right beside his ear. It had an ethereal quality that did not belong to this time and space.
Lin En knew this was Istaroth, the Ruler of Time. He looked at Ronava and saw no surprise on her face.
"I knew you'd be here."
Ronava's tone was flat, as though she had long been waiting for this moment.
Istaroth's gaze moved from Ronava to Lin En. She tilted her head, and strands of white hair slipped off her shoulder.
"Is this the Descender?"
Her voice carried a hint of languor. She took two steps closer and studied Lin En as though examining a curious object.
Her gaze made the back of Lin En's neck prickle. He wanted to take a step back, but found he couldn't move his feet. He wasn't restrained; rather, this still space seemed unwilling to allow him any unnecessary movement.
"His status is indeed unusual. He doesn't belong to Teyvat, nor is he subject to the Heavenly Principles' laws."
A hint of amusement entered her voice.
"Asmoday has followed a new master. Have you made a choice of your own as well?"
"We don't have that kind of relationship."
Ronava spoke.
"Say what you like."
The woman chuckled softly and pursued the matter no further. She turned to face Ronava and reached out to her side. A ripple spread through the air, and a spear emerged from the void, settling into her palm.
The spear was black from end to end, its shaft wrapped in intricate runic patterns. Pale golden light flowed along its tip, like death incarnate, given solid form.
She casually tossed the spear over. Ronava raised a hand and caught it in one smooth, natural motion, as though accepting something that had always belonged to her.
"Here's what you wanted."
Ronava gripped the shaft, her fingertips brushing over the runes. Silver light shone from the spear and slowly faded again. A faint flicker passed through her eyes, as though she had been reunited with an old friend.
"Thank you."
"Don't thank me."
Istaroth waved a hand.
"It was no use to me anyway. I don't fight. But you..."
She looked at Lin En again, her golden eyes scrutinizing him in a way that made him uncomfortable.
"Are you really planning to take him with you to face Phanes?"
"Even if he were a mortal, I would take him with me."
"Oh? Interesting. It seems your relationship is rather special. We were apart for only a little while, yet you've changed so much. In that case, I'll give him another gift."
A small wisp of the power of time gathered in Istaroth's hand. The green bead Venti had given Lin En floated out from his chest and stopped in midair.
The bead shattered. A tender sprout grew from each fragment, then grew into a sapling. Finally, an Anemo Vision fell out, and the saplings rapidly withered.
The Vision floated into Lin En's hand.
"Hmm?"
Istaroth noticed something and waved her hand. The bell Lin En had obtained on the snowy mountain flew into her hand.
"This doesn't belong to this time and space, and it doesn't belong to you either."
"Wait!"
Lin En was somewhat anxious, but Istaroth paid him no further attention.
"All right, Ronava, I won't meddle much in your affairs. But there's one thing I'll tell you in advance: Snezhnaya has already noticed that you're not dead."
Ronava's brow furrowed slightly.
"They would have found out sooner or later."
"Good, as long as you know."
Istaroth turned to give Lin En one last look. There was something in her gaze he couldn't understand, like some distant expectation.
"Here's what you wanted. If there's nothing else, I'll be going."
She raised a hand and snapped her fingers.
The frozen world began to move again.
The wind resumed blowing, the bird continued to fly away, and the words Venti hadn't finished finally came out of his mouth.
"So what you're going to practice today is?"
Venti froze. He looked at the spear that had suddenly appeared beside Ronava and sensed the lingering trace of time in the air. He understood everything.
"Just now... the Ruler of Time was here?"
"No."
Ronava stood up, and the spear in her hand turned into a streak of silver light and vanished.
Venti looked at Lin En. Lin En looked at Ronava, then at Venti, and finally chose to go along with her.
"No. Why?"
Venti stared at him for several seconds, then slowly narrowed his eyes.
"Your expression can't fool me. I definitely felt..."
"You felt wrong."
Ronava interrupted him in a flat tone.
"Keep practicing."
Venti opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but ultimately closed it again.
He went back to stand in front of Lin En, but he was clearly distracted for the rest of the training.
While Venti was lost in thought, Lin En stole a glance at Ronava and found her looking his way too.
What was the story behind that spear?
Why had Istaroth given it to her ahead of time?
Had Snezhnaya already noticed her?
Lin En suddenly felt that no matter how warm the sunlight in the City of Mondstadt was, it couldn't dispel certain approaching shadows. A fierce battle lay ahead.
He took a deep breath and returned his attention to the little vortex in his palm. The wind flowed around his fingertips, light and free.
He had to be faster.