After completing the system's quests, Aether had ranked up from his base stats.
[
Abyssal Monarch
Main Ability : Arise
Sub Ability : Absolute Resonance
Level : 4
HP : 11000
ATK : 5500
Crit Rate : 15%
Crit DMG : 120%
Intellect : 5
Mana : 250
]
They soon emerged from the domain gate slowly—Sucrose's arms bracing Razor as he limped beside her, and Aether following behind, Barbara's lifeless body held gently in his arms.
The space outside was chaos.
Wounded adventurers lay sprawled out on makeshift mats. Bloodied bandages, broken weapons, and collapsed tents dotted the grass. Some were sobbing. Others stared blankly into space, too shell-shocked to speak. A few still hadn't realized their teammates weren't coming back.
Aether stopped cold.
All around them were the living and the dead.
"...What the hell happened?" Razor croaked.
Before anyone could answer, a voice cut through the noise.
"Sucrose!"
Albedo appeared out of the crowd, sprinting to them. He wrapped Sucrose into a sudden, desperate hug.
She froze in surprise, but quickly clung back, letting out a short, choked sob against his chest.
"Thank the stars," he breathed into her hair.
But when she pulled away, she noticed it—his sleeve was pinned up. His left arm… was gone.
Her hands flew to her mouth. "A-Albedo…"
Albedo gave a small, almost amused smile, like he was trying to downplay it. "I got off easy. Eula and I were cornered by ten ruin guards. She bought me time to escape." His smile faded. "They've rushed her to Mondstadt. She's... still fighting."
Sucrose blinked hard, trying to process all of it.
Then Albedo's gaze turned. He saw Aether.
He saw Barbara.
Aether was kneeling now, placing her body down on a patch of untouched grass. He folded her hands over her chest, brushing her hair away from her face with a care that was almost too gentle to watch.
Albedo walked over slowly. His voice dropped.
"…I'm sorry, Aether."
Aether nodded.
An older man stepped forward, the heavy clack of his cane silencing the murmurs in the field. His weathered face bore the solemn calm of a man who had seen far too many battles. Around him stood senior adventurers—stern, silent, and bruised. Their presence alone demanded respect.
He took a breath and raised his voice—not yelling, but speaking with the gravity of command.
"I am Cyrus. President of the Mondstadt Adventurers' Guild."
Everyone turned to him. Even the sobbing quieted.
"I came here today to congratulate our newest recruits… to witness your first steps into this life of honor. Instead—" his voice faltered just slightly, "—I find myself standing before broken bodies, wounded spirits… and the dead."
The silence thickened. Eyes dropped. A few people choked back sobs. Razor lowered his head.
"I will not insult your pain with empty words," Cyrus continued. "I will not tell you that this was part of the risk. I will not pretend that what happened in those domains was natural. Because it wasn't."
He straightened his back. "The domains were altered. From within. What awaited you in there were monsters meant for veterans—Ruin Guards in formation. Ruin Hunters. Abyss mages."
Gasps rippled through the crowd.
"The kind of enemies that even seasoned adventurers treat with caution. You were sent in as recruits—and you were thrown into a massacre."
Some in the crowd broke then. A young woman crumpled to her knees. Another recruit stood up, rage trembling in his voice.
"You knew this could happen!" he shouted. "And you still sent us in there like bait!"
A chorus of anger rose up—others now shouting too.
"You called this a training run!"
"My whole team is dead!"
"You lied to us!"
Cyrus raised a single hand. The crowd fell quiet, but the emotions still churned like a storm.
He looked across every face.
"You're right."
The confession hit like a blow.
"The Guild failed you. And for that—I apologize. Not with formality, not with politics. As a man who sent you in expecting safety… and greeted you out with blood on your clothes and death on your shoulders."
Aether watched quietly, saying nothing. Sucrose leaned on Albedo, who looked on with eyes golden and unreadable.
Cyrus pressed on.
"An investigation has already begun. The Guild is working alongside Mondstadt's best. S-Rank adventurers Mona and Klee have been dispatched. Though retired, Jean and Diluc have agreed to lend their strength. We will find out who or what corrupted the domains."
He paused. "And when we do, they will pay for every life lost here. I give you my word."
The tone of the crowd shifted. The outrage gave way to grief. Some nodded. Some wept. Some just stared.
Cyrus lowered his gaze for a moment.
He turned to one of the captains. "Make sure they're taken home in carriages. All of them. Fed. Cleaned. Treated."
Then he looked at the crowd again. "Rest. Grieve. And when the time comes… if you still have the strength to fight… we will call you back. Ad astra abysosque."
He gave a final nod and stepped back, letting the command settle in the hearts of everyone present.