A bonfire lights up the Speakers' Chamber inside the Stadium of The Sacred Flame. 5 figures were seated around the fire, which is still low to the point their faces were unseen due to the darkness.

"So, you have witnessed it, right? Her power?" A male voice is heard, filtered by the dark masked helmet that he is wearing.

"Indeed. I do know that vision holders have a potential to reach divinity, but she... Like what you mentioned, is no normal being." A woman's voice replied, the tip of her hair emitting cinders.

"She struck fear into the Fatui, so much so that most of our veterans dare not to step out of Snezhnaya."

"Knowing the Traveler, after his task here is done, he will go there. Doing nothing will just make it worse for you and the Tsaritsa."

"Her majesty is furious that our forces feared a maiden in a serf's uniform. Even he tried to reason with her about the Maid-Knight, but to no avail. After careful consideration, we had to erase every single record of our forces encountering her, starting from when she effortlessly defeated the 11th in Liyue."

"Is he alright?"

"He suffer panic attacks whenever he laid his eyes on her."

"If she is so powerful that even a warrior that enjoyed fighting more than life itself became overcome with fear, then it is a problem. Especially considering you were a witness to her creation. How her mother insisted that she is subjected to this experiment that you mentioned."

"That woman should have never met that witch who calls herself the writer of the Teyvat Travel Guide. Her vendetta has led to this, a seemingly unstoppable creature that has a risk of awakening her original purpose, and undo all that we have done to hold the Abyss back."

The woman then leaned forward, the light of the fire revealing her to be Mavuika.

"I sensed that power too. This 'Original Her' that Kachina told me. Our warriors will keep an eye on her as well, and when the worst case happens..."

The fire burned brighter, illuminating everyone in the room, consisting of The Captain, Kinich, Mualani, and Xilonen.

"We will eliminate her."

---

Ayaka, Nilou and Lynette stayed behind at the Serenitea Pot as the three of them were the most exhausted of the six maidens in the group during the battle. 

A portal opens, revealing Aether, Paimon, Noelle and Furina who walked out and approached the settlement before them.

"It's been a few days since the battle. Hopefully the tribes are getting back to normal..." Paimon said as she stretched her arms, still half asleep.

"The Maid did say that the Flower-Feather Clan got harmed the most. We will visit them today, right?" Furina asked.

"Mm." Noelle nodded.

"Keqing should be waiting for us there too, considering she helped out with the reparations as well, like what she did for Poisson." Aether said, as he led the group towards the settlement.

However they stopped at a bridge, where they see a girl in the middle of it, whistling around. Right before Aether wanted to talk to her, a woman's voice speaks out behind the group.

"I'd leave her be."

The group turned around to see Chasca and Chuychu behind them, and Noelle bowed to greet them.

"The warriors of the Flower-Feather Clan are a proud bunch, who never show their vulnerability in public, even if they've gone wingless." Chuychu continued.

"Oh, Chasca, Chuychu!"

"Good to see you again, Traveler, Paimon. And you, stranger. Thank you for saving Chuychu."

"It is nothing big, Miss Chasca."

"Nothing big!? Miss, I am forever indebted to you, or else I would have died becoming a riftwolf's dinner or worse, an Abyssal Corruption's victim!"

"Maid, you should know that your helping others are sometimes beyond nothing big. If it weren't for you, what would have Chasca done?" Furina asked.

"It really is nothing big, Lady Furina. In fact, Aether could have went to her rescue first before me back then."

"And he arrived 10 seconds later than you did. That's a big gap, stranger."

"This is getting nowhere, guys..." Paimon tried to break the conversation, but then Aether slapped her mouth shut as she is being rude.

"Let's please change topics. What's going on with that girl on the bridge?"

The group learns that the girl's name is Coyllur, and that she recently failed a trial to become a qucusaur rider, which earned her the moniker as a 'wingless' like some others in the Flower Feather Clan. Chuychu then noticed Noelle's facial expression becoming melancholic.

"H-Hey, what's with the sad face all of a sudden?"

"Before she joined me in my journeys, she was a candidate for the Knights of Favonius..." Aether explained.

And after hearing everything, the two understood what Noelle went through, as Chuychu raised a hand over her mouth in surprise at what she heard.

"T-That's terrible. If I was the acting grandmaster, I would have made her pass her test in the first try!"

"That's the issue. She was still too young and naive back then, always helping others even to the point it's become a blind help. She did mature up during our journeys together, but I have to admit..."

Aether looked at Noelle, who is still gazing at the Coyllur who is still whistling for a qucusaur's approval. Seeing this as an opportunity he approached the two step-siblings and admitted what he felt.

"I miss the old her."

Chasca's ears perked up when she heard Aether's word, before she looked to see Noelle herself. However, her focus then switched from Noelle to a qucusaur gliding in the air right above them. Noelle turned her gaze back to Chasca, and shook her head, signaling that even she felt bad having to leave Coyllur alone.

Chasca and Chuychu then took their leave, as Aether then approached Noelle.

"It's not like you to not try help."

"If Miss Chasca advised against it, then so be it."

"That's our maid, alright." Furina sighed, with a smug smirk.

Aether then devised a plan by indwelling the qucusaur from earlier, and fly in front of Coyllur, which Furina and Noelle doubt will work, as Aether doesn't know a qucusaur's definitive ecology and styles during flight. And this turns out to be true as Aether is frozen midair when Coyllur told him about the tricks that she failed to learn while riding a qucusaur, only for Chasca to whistle, signaling Aether to fly away upon knowing.

After the fiasco is over, the group headed into the Flower-Feather Clan Settlement, where Chasca gives them a tour of the location. At one point several children who were previously doing daily combat training stopped to meet and greet Aether, and at awe with both Noelle and Furina's presence. One of the children, Yatlan offered Chasca some volcano cake, which the group took as a sign of apology for the children interrupting the tour. However, after tasting the cake, Noelle followed Yatlan to her family's home leaving a facepalming Furina.

"Where'd she go?"

"Chasca, if that kid's parents' shop get closed for a week, you know the reason."

Aether's explanation caused Chasca to tilt her head in confusion, however, after seeing Noelle walking out of the shop, she widened her eyes when she saw the owner, depressingly nail on a 'closed' sign on the door of the shop.

"I...I see, that stranger's an excellent cook."

Shortly afterwards, one of the children from before, named Kotimy, told Chasca that an Uncle Cusco is looking for her, as she missed her abyss checkup 3 times in a row. This led to Chasca and Chuychu sneaking away for the time being leaving Aether to contend with Cusco.

"Noelle. Me and Paimon are going to explore a bit more of the settlement, why don't you and Furina go and get to know Chasca more?"

"As you wish."

"Maid, I haven't accepted--"

"Furina. Please."

"Alright, Aether." Furina sighed lazily.

Doing as Aether wanted, Noelle and Furina caught up to Chasca, speaking to an older woman who seems to be one of the tribe's elders. The woman introduced herself as Allpa, who greeted both Noelle and Furina warmly.

The duo learned that Chasca was once a feral child raised by a qucusaur who she deemed as her 'mom', and that when she first arrived in the tribe she clashed against anyone who tried to take care of her. However time passed, and now Chasca is pretty much civil, and is the tribe's strongest peacemaker.

Afterwards they learn more about the wingless, and that several candidates are now sulking in their failure after their trials. When asked if Noelle wanted to check on the wingless, she refused, and stayed behind with Allpa.

"You're the talk of the town after that stunt you pulled a while ago, stranger. I have to admit, that kind of power, being able to fly without the need of a qucusaur... what exactly are you?"

"It's... complicated, Elder Allpa--"

"Please, forgo the formalities!" Allpa chuckled.

After Noelle explained the reason behind her power, Allpa let out a whistle of awe, as she clutched onto her Anemo vision holder.

"Although... Not everyone can transcend. It really is a rare occurrence."

"...Oh." Allpa's smirk drooped.

Afterwards, Allpa left, telling Noelle that she wanted to announce a retrial for the wingless the next day, and that Noelle is welcome to watch. The next day, after learning that Aether has went to the Night Wind tribe, Noelle stuck around Chasca's tribe to attend the flight trial, and watched in awe as Chasca flew through the air with her rifle-like weapon.

"Amazing, huh?" Furina asked.

"It is."

"And let me ask you a question, Maid... you slept in."

"...Eh?"

"Last night a caravan was attacked near the trial zone."

"P-pardon my neglection, Lady Furina."

"The caravan was attacked by a qucusaur, but by the time me and Chasca went to help the flying beast already left. Luckily the cargo was intact."

"What's in the cargo?"

"Phlogiston Wings. One of the caravaneers is a Fontainian named Isidore, and he told me everything about what it did, simply because... well, I'm me." She cleared her throat smugly.

When Noelle heard it, she is at awe. A technological invention that allows a person to fly without using a glider or riding a qucusaur. And that the tech is unveiled in a bit. And sure enough they see Coyllur alongside one of her trial partners using the phlogiston wings, which resembled a back-worn jetpack powered by phlogiston energy.

"I need to go back to Fontaine, see the Research Institute to help improve my Force Armor. The phlogiston wings gave me an idea. Also, Maid. If the qucusaur from before came back to attack, you're on your own with Chasca."

"Understood, Lady Furina."

"Oh. And here's what clues I got left from the caravan attack the other day. Now toddle-oo~"

And as soon as Furina left through an Adeptus portal that Noelle opened, a qucusaur attacked another caravan before Noelle can inspect what Furina gave her. However when Noelle arrived, Chasca has already resolved the problem, and the qucusaur fled. As it turns out, this qucusaur, named Coya, is Chasca's 'sister' back when she lived with her 'mom'. Chasca's departure from her old home is seen as a personal betrayal by Coya, who seems to hold a deep resentment as a result.

"Also, Miss Chasca. Lady Furina told me that she found this... a bloody qucusaur quill."

"Yes. It was found worryingly close to the caravan the other day. And said caravan consists of the same people, which were this Isidore fellow, and his two merchant companions."

The two continued to discuss about the problem, until they come with a solution, to speak with Chasca's 'mom', and learn the reason behind Coya's attacks. After travelling to the small island northwest of the settlement, they find Chasca's 'mom', Chimpu. They devised a plan where Noelle and Chasca eavesdrop on Chimpu and Coya's conversation concerning the attacks. And later on, what they found is heart wrenching.

Said caravan was working for someone who took away Coya's child, and before more explanation can be given, a rain of arrows hailed down towards the mother and child. Noelle and Chasca quickly sprang out of their cover, and find out that the culprit was none other than Isidore and his caravan.

"C..Chasca!? What are you doing here!?" Isidore asked, as his companions aimed their crossbows at Chasca and Noelle.

However, the three of them froze on the spot, unable to move. Noelle's eyes are glowing, and beneath the trio's feet, are circles made of geo, constricting their movement. Isidro attempted to use the phlogiston wing to break free, only for it's power source to malfunction.

"Miss Chasca. Please."

The sudden deep tone surprised Chasca, who immediately nodded, and threw the power source to the distance, to which it then exploded violently.

"Alright, stranger. It's done--"

Chasca widened her eyes when she sees Noelle standing in front of Isidore, and slapping him across the face.

"Why did you do this? Who sent you?"

"B-Boss... Argh!" The elderly merchant tried to help, but his ankles were then contorted as Noelle manipulated the geo circle beneath his feet.

"S-Stranger, that's enough!"

"I-I'll answer! It's Tepal!"

The two then interrogated Isidore further, and finds out that Tepal was the one who designed and created the phlogiston wings by capturing qucusaurs in the wild, essentially making him and his underlings poachers. The worse thing is that Tepal only sends orders in writing, and never a direct meeting in person. Shortly afterwards Allpa arrived after witnessing the explosion, and after Chasca asked her about Tepal, Allpa's only clue is that Tepal was an outsider from the Children of Echoes tribe who became Wingless after failing a flight trial, before going back home.

"Stranger. Meet me at the trial zone tomorrow. I have to ask Xilonen about this Tepal figure."

"Understood, Miss Chasca."

In the end, Isidore and his companions were arrested, and Noelle returned to the Flower Feather Clan's settlement to rest for the day.