章 17: Domain

As we went on our way to the first Domain, we encountered some Hilichurls.

"Stay back Aether. We'll show you what we're capable of."

I nodded and jumped a few ways off. Let's see what the Knights of Favonius is capable of.

There were ten Hilichurls. Seems easy to deal with. First, Amber threw her Baron Bunny as a decoy. Once they all got close enough to the bunny, Amber shot it with a Pyro infused arrow. The explosions eliminated three of them.

As for the others, Lisa summoned a purple lamp that laid down a field similar to that of Albedo's flower. The lamp periodically hits the Hilichurls with lightning bolts. Only two went in on her field though.

Kaeya… is like a sadist. He seems to enjoy the fear the Hilichurls have. He defeated two of them with the ice orbiting him. Jean just yeeted them in the air. She did this one by one. What the actual hell is with their fighting style?!

I sighed and waited for them to finish their little celebration.

I looked behind me and noticed something strange. The air was wavy, almost like there was heat on that spot. It wasn't really all that hot out here, so seeing this is quite strange. However, just a second later, it moved. That was when I noticed it. It was in the shape of a man. I quickly made a shield by instinct and blocked a knife coming my way. It was an assassins knife.

"Tsk, to think you'll be able to see through that."

The invisible man jumped back then revealed himself. He was wearing a mask and a hooded cloak with red linings.

"What the? What is a Fatui Agent doing here?!" said Jean.

Fatui Agent? What?

"This kid right here is about to ruin our plans. WE are the ones who should kill Stormterror."

I kinda felt the wind getting stronger when he said "kill". Venti's listening in huh?

"Yeah, no. I'm not killing him, I'm saving him."

"Fool! The only way to stop this storm is to kill-"

I didn't let him finish as I turned into air and appeared behind him. I rendered him unconscious by hitting him and just let him fall to the ground. I didn't have the willpower to kill a person yet, but if they get in my way again, I won't show mercy. I really wanted to end this storm after all.

"Y-you made me nervous there for a second. I thought you were gonna kill him…"

"Pfft! Nah, that would make me look like a criminal. However, I have a question…"

Just before saying my question, I made sure to release as much pressure as I can so she won't lie.

"What do they mean by they were the ones supposed to kill Stormterror?"

"Well…"

Jean explained that the Fatui was collecting artifacts related to the Archons. Since Dvalin is a friend of Barbatos, they might gain something after killing him.

"Hah… No matter the world, there will always be someone wanting power."

I sighed and just faced the truth.

---

When we got to the Temple of the Falcon, we talked about how we were supposed to take care of the challenges inside first. And yes, we just left that guy lying in the middle of the grasslands.

However, we really didn't need to do this because as soon as we entered…

"You… are you even human?" said Kaeya.

"Hm? Of course I am."

I was currently walking leisurely while my Anemo arrows were killing all of the Hilichurls that blocked my path. It was actually pretty scary on how you could kill these things so cleanly. I could have just let Jean and the others handle this, but I need to make my sword stronger. Even without me using it, as long as I'm its owner, it will get strong with each kill.

When we got to the innermost part of the Domain, we saw a large teal crystal that was emitting powerful winds. Is that the thing that's giving Dvalin his ability to continue the storm?

I walked slowly and touched the crystal. Powerful. The crystal was really powerful. It would be really dangerous if someone used this. Could I?

"Everyone, stand back."

I stabbed the crystal thinking that I could somehow absorb it, but alas, all of it was in vain.

The crystal shattered and nothing else happened. I was honestly disappointed in the outcome, but I guess that's what I get for being too greedy for power. I sighed and took a look around. This place looks kinda good.

"Can someone claim a Domain?"

"Not that I know of…"

Hm, should I try it?

I pondered for a while before finally deciding on trying it out. I stabbed my sword to the ground and the purple linings on the sword began to flow to the ground. It was spreading all over the Domain in high speeds.

"What are you doing?" asked Amber.

"Claiming the Domain."

"Ara, is that even possible?" asked Lisa.

"I don't really know, but with the power of this sword, it might be possible."

The purple material continued on to flow until I suddenly felt a connection to the Domain. It made me feel a bit more powerful.

"I guess it worked."

"Eh?" they all said in unison.

I tried to prove it by making the appearance of the Domain more simple. When I finally thought of what to make it look like, the ground shook as if there was an earthquake. I made it to just like an arena with a throne in the middle. I could adjust it anyways, so doing this is fine.

"Y-you really did claim the Domain…" said Lisa.

I may not have gotten the power of the crystal, but at least I got myself a Domain.

I then later on learned that Jean's sword, Aquila Favonia, is actually connected to the falcon on which this Domain was dedicated to. Well, now onto the next one. Although, I think I won't claim any more Domains. I might not be able to do it again since I already have one.