"This is not how I thought I'd be spending my time in Mondstadt!" Riven shouted, gripping tightly to a wooden fence post as a violent whirlwind tore through the city.
Beside him, Kaeya clung to the same post, his long coat whipping wildly in the wind. Around them, panic gripped the streets—cries of alarm, debris flying, the once peaceful city now in disarray.
"You know," Kaeya called over the roar of the storm, "this isn't the first time that thing's attacked, but it is the first time it brought a storm into the city!"
From across the plaza, a voice shouted, sharp and commanding. "Hold your ground!"
A tall man with fiery red hair stepped into view, the force of the wind barely seeming to faze him Diluc, Kaeya's estranged adoptive brother, and a force to be reckoned with.
But Riven's attention snapped away from him to something far more pressing: a small figure, clinging to the side of a building.
Klee.
She was laughing, giggling, even eyes squeezed shut like she was enjoying a ride at a fair. But her tiny fingers were slipping.
Without thinking, Riven's body moved on instinct. He launched himself from his perch, wind tearing at him, and caught her just as her grip failed.
"Weeee~! Oh hi, mister! Nice to see you again!" Klee beamed.
"How are you smiling at a time like this—?!" Riven started, then remembered she was just a child. A child too used to chaos.
As they soared through the air, the shadow of Stormterror loomed above its wings cutting through the sky, its presence a harbinger of fear. Riven looked up, heart pounding… but amid the roaring winds, he heard it.
A voice—faint, desperate calling for help.
And something else.
A pull. A whisper deep within him, not just echoing in his ears… but in his very soul.
Then he snapped back to the moment they were flying fast. Too fast.
A stone building was rushing up to meet them.
Riven wrapped his arms tightly around Klee, twisting his body so he'd take the brunt of the impact. The two of them crashed through a glass window, shards slashing across his back and shoulders as they slammed into the floor of an empty inn.
CRASH.
He hit the ground hard. His vision blurred. Blood dripped from his mouth as he coughed, pain surging through his ribs.
Klee blinked, finally realizing the danger. Her smile faded. "W-Wait… Mister? U-Uncle Riven?!"
She scrambled to his side, her small hands gently touching his face. "No… no, no! You're bleeding!"
Riven winced but forced a shaky smile. "You're safe… that's what matters…"
But the winds weren't done yet.
Another surge blasted through the broken window, yanking curtains and shattering furniture and this time, Klee was caught in it. Her tiny frame began to lift from the ground.
"KLEE!" Riven roared, pushing through the pain. His hand shot out and caught hers just in time.
In that split second, Riven didn't know what had happened as a sharp burst of ice exploded across the broken wall, sealing the gaping hole in a crystalline barrier. The storm was cut off, and the pressure dropped instantly. Klee, who had been seconds from being swept away, landed softly right into Riven's arms.
She clung to him tightly, tears welling in her eyes. And then she cried, her small frame trembling.
Riven held her close, breathing hard, his body still aching. But something was… different.
His wounds—they'd stopped bleeding. Thin layers of frost shimmered across them, sealing them shut with unnatural cold.
He looked down at Klee, still sniffling in his arms. Slowly, gently, he wrapped his arms around her and held her close.
"It's okay now," he whispered. "You're safe. I've got you."
And for the first time in a long time, a strange warmth bloomed in his chest.
This warmth when was the last time he felt this he slowing close his eyes
"Fenn… Fenn, your mother is speaking to you, young man."
A soft giggle rang out like wind chimes in the breeze. A small boy with tousled blonde hair and eyes as blue as a summer sky came bounding across a sun-dappled field, his hands cupped carefully around something glowing.
"Mom, look!" he beamed. "I found this beautiful Lumafly! I caught it all by myself!"
The woman, gentle-eyed and golden-haired like her son, knelt to meet him. Her voice was soft, but steady, like a lullaby. "Oh, sweetheart… you should let it go. It might miss its family."
The boy looked down at the delicate creature fluttering in his palms. Its wings shimmered like pale starlight. He hesitated, lips pursed… then nodded.
"Okay," he whispered, and opened his hands. The Lumafly rose gently into the air, spiraling upward into the golden light.
Just then, a deeper voice called from inside the nearby cottage, rich and warm.
"Where are my little stars hiding?"
"Dad!" the boy cried, eyes lighting up, and he ran toward the house.
Before Riven can see more that images shattered and Riven reopen his eyes
With the storm finally fading and the dragon no longer in sight, peace slowly returned to the city.
Riven let out a quiet breath, his body still aching from the chaos. In his arms, Klee had dozed off, her small frame rising and falling gently with each breath completely at peace now that the danger had passed.
"That child… he didn't look like me," he murmured to himself. "So was that… my memory? Or someone else's?"
He sat up slowly, the image of the boy and the woman still flickering behind his eyes. The name Fenn echoed in his head.
Why did it feel so real…?
Riven looked back at Klee, then exhaled, steadying himself. Now's not the time…
He turned toward the door—only for it to burst open with a loud crack.
"Oh my Archons, my wall!" a voice shouted from the hallway.
Riven staggered out of the damaged inn, wincing as each breath pulled at his ribs. But then his eyes widened as he glanced back. The shattered window, the frozen air, the ice that sealed the opening Cryo. That power had come from him.
A grin tugged at the corners of his mouth. So… I can use elemental energy. He almost laughed, but his ribs protested too sharply for that.
"Oh good, you're both alright," Kaeya called out as he jogged up, a mix of concern and relief on his face. "For a moment, I thought you two were done for."
Klee blinked open her eyes, rubbing them with small fists. "Mmm… where's Dodoco?" she asked sleepily.
Riven gently reached into the folds of his coat and placed the familiar stuffed toy on the ground beside her.
She brightened instantly. "Dodoco!"
Then Riven tilted his head. "Say, Klee… Can I ask you something? Who's your dad?"
Klee picked up Dodoco, hugging the plush tightly. She tapped her finger to her lips, thinking.
"Hmm… Mommy said he was a very naughty man. And he vanished before I was born!"
Riven's eye twitched. "Yikes. What a terrible dad you've got, Klee…" He patted her head softly. "But you've got a lot of people who care about you now, alright? So if you ever see a big bad dragon again, run the other way, got it?"
She nodded enthusiastically. "Yup! I promise!"