Jean drew a slow breath and the light in her eyes shifted with thought. "I understand. Let us inspect the scene."
The two quickened their pace without further conversation and headed toward the eastern street.
Before long, they arrived.
Under the night sky, the Knights of Favonius had already sealed off the area according to Kaeya's earlier orders. No civilian could come close.
"Acting Commander."
The knights straightened at once when Jean approached.
Jean nodded slightly and swept her gaze across the surroundings. Her attention settled on the bodies lying on the stone pavement. Even with her experience, her expression darkened the moment she saw the condition they were in.
"Fatui elites…"
She crouched down and examined the corpses. The wounds matched Kaeya's description exactly. Every strike was swift and fatal. Severed limbs, clean fatal cuts, and almost no signs of resistance. Whoever struck them moved fast enough that the Fatui did not even have room to breathe, much less fight back.
The lingering black flames in the air confirmed that a Delusion had been used.
Jean's expression grew heavier. She touched one of the scorched marks on the ground, feeling the faint heat still trapped within it. "This energy signature is more violent than Delusion black flame."
Kaeya stood with his arms crossed, eyes sharp. "I noticed it too. It is not just black flame. There is another energy here, something far stronger. It feels even more destructive than fire. Can you identify it?"
Jean closed her eyes and steadied her breathing, sensing the lingering resonance in the air. When she tried to analyze the strange signature, a jolt of unease ran through her. It did not feel like any standard element.
It felt like the residue of destruction.
Jean opened her eyes, voice steady but edged with doubt. "This is not fire. It is something higher, something closer to pure destructive force. Stronger than any Delusion."
She turned her gaze toward Kaeya, a mix of caution and inquiry in her eyes. "Who in Mondstadt could wield this kind of power?"
"My guess is the Fatui themselves."
Kaeya's frown deepened. "No one else performs this kind of research. You know how Delusions came about."
Jean nodded slowly. "It does resemble the Fatui's methods."
But the more she spoke, the more she felt something was off. The memory of the calamity caused by earlier Delusions in Mondstadt passed through her mind. "However… with Fatui elites dead here, the conclusion contradicts itself."
"You are forgetting one more faction."
Kaeya's eyes narrowed. He had only begun the sentence when Jean's pupils constricted sharply.
"The Abyss Order."
"Exactly."
Kaeya nodded. "Only the Abyss Order has the means to come and go without trace. Abyss Mages can open spatial gates and move in and out of the city without sound. And Amber reported Abyss Order activity outside Mondstadt recently."
Jean frowned. "But Abyss Mages usually act alone. This level of lethality does not match them. Could it be an Abyss Herald? Yet even then, why target a handful of Fatui elites? What purpose would that serve?"
"That is what troubles me."
Kaeya shook his head.
Jean suddenly halted. A thought flashed through her mind. She looked up toward the dark sky, sifting rapidly through every report she received today. A faint memory surfaced.
Eula's message.
The explosion at Starfell Lake.
"Kaeya."
Jean turned to him, her tone notably sharper. "This evening, I received a transmission from Eula."
"Oh?"
Kaeya raised a brow, suddenly more attentive. "To make the acting commander react like this, I assume the message is important."
Jean ignored the tease. Her voice was low. "Eula detected a violent explosion near Starfell Lake. She also found an unusual energy signature in the area."
Kaeya's lazy smile faded. His eyes sharpened. "Unusual? The same type as this?"
Jean nodded. "Most likely. She described it as more violent than fire, more destructive than Delusion black flame."
Kaeya frowned. His mind linked every clue together.
The blast at Starfell Lake.
The dead Fatui elites in the city.
The black flame of a Delusion.
The destructive energy lingering here.
Piece by piece, he could see where it led.
"The Abyss Order," Kaeya said quietly. A trace of a smile formed on his lips, though there was nothing pleasant in it. "Only the Abyss Order can move this quickly and appear in so many places without warning."
Jean's expression stiffened. The Abyss Order was active across all of Teyvat. A faction of nonhuman beings opposed to surface civilization. Their presence anywhere was a danger.
If they had begun stirring near Mondstadt again…
"Then this is not a simple attack," Jean said softly. Her eyes were cold and resolute. "They would not infiltrate Mondstadt for no reason. They would not kill a few Fatui elites for nothing."
"They must have a deeper plan."
"Indeed," Kaeya replied. "The Abyss Order never acts without motive. So what will you do, acting commander? We cannot sit still."
Jean's gaze sharpened. Her voice was decisive. "Kaeya, take a team and increase patrols around Mondstadt, especially near Starfell Lake. Since Eula sensed that energy, we must confirm the Abyss Order's movements. Speak to her tomorrow. She should still be nearby. Inspect the area and see if the energy matches what we found here."
"No problem."
Kaeya shrugged. "But keep in mind that the Abyss Order is elusive. They will not leave clues easily."
"That is exactly why I need you to handle it," Jean replied. "Your investigative skills surpass anyone else's."
Kaeya smiled lightly, not denying it. "Then I am honored."
His eyes drifted over the battlefield again, where the Knights continued securing the area.