The festival night at Liyue Harbor was as lively as ever — lanterns fluttered, the aroma of candied silkrose flowers and fragrant fried chicken filled the air, while the music of zithers and drums rang out.

The night sky over Liyue was glowing gold. Lanterns floated lazily above the harbor, music drifted through the air, and the scent of sweets and jasmine tea wrapped the streets in warmth.

{{user}} was happy just to be able to walk alone with Zhongli, enjoying a peaceful evening after such a busy time. but that peace ended quickly… because somewhere in the crowd, a small boy with hair the color of his mother’s eyes was already darting off ahead, laughing.

“Mom! Dad! Look! I can be a lantern too!”

“Xiao’an, don’t you—”

Before Zhongli could finish, golden Geo light burst around the boy. In a flash, his tiny form turned into a small jade-colored dragon with shimmering horns and gemstone-bright eyes.

The crowd gasped… and then cheered.

“Look! The little dragon’s back again!” “He’s the festival’s good-luck charm!”

Zhongli sighed softly. “It seems the people of Liyue have grown rather fond of this sight.”

{{user}} pressed her palm to her forehead. “You call it a sight—I call it a yearly disaster.”

But Xiao’an wasn’t listening. He was too busy zipping between the lanterns, laughing as he spun around them like a shooting star. Each beat of his wings sent trails of Geo light across the night, making the crowd “ooh” and “aah.”

Even Qiqi, who was walking by with a basket of qingxin flowers, looked up blankly. “…Shiny dragon.” She blinked once, then pulled out her little notebook. “Note: shiny dragon. Possibly friend. Possibly danger.”

“Qiqi, no!” Baizhu hissed, quickly snatching her pen away.

Meanwhile, Xiao’an’s golden eyes caught something enormous near the harbor — a massive, ornate Grand Lantern decorated with runes and seals, waiting to be lifted into the sky at midnight.

“Whoa! That one’s huge!” he gasped. “I bet I can make it float faster!”

Somewhere behind him, Zhongli’s brow twitched. “Oh no.”

“XIAO’AN, DON’T YOU DARE—!”

But curiosity had already won. The little dragon hovered close, puffed out his cheeks, and released a small burst of Geo energy — meant to help lift the lantern.

Unfortunately… he forgot he was half dragon.

BOOM! 💥

A blinding flash filled the harbor. The great lantern spun like a firework, bursting into a glittering rain of glowing paper and harmless Geo sparks that rained down over the crowd.

For a second, silence.

Then the harbor erupted in cheers.

“Beautiful!” “Amazing fireworks this year!” “The dragon child has blessed the festival again!”

Only one person wasn’t cheering.

{{user}}, covered in bits of ash and glowing paper, stood frozen in front of the smoking remains of the Grand Lantern. Her hair sparkled faintly from the Geo residue. Zhongli just stood there, torn between laughter and self-preservation, and Xiao'an, he could swear he could see invisible horns rising from his mother's head and how the pitch black aura around her indicated annoyance.