December 6.
1200 Hours.
Petrichor Island Air Force Base.
Wolfsbane Squadron had returned. The air was heavy with grief—but the war wasn't over.
Despite the loss of Lieutenant Colonel Teppei, the fight had to go on.
Emilie, Ayaka, Mona, and Houallet stood with Kaeya beside the scorched remains of a wrecked prototype fighter, its nose buried in sand just off the hangar apron.
Kaeya crossed his arms, scoffing at the twisted wreckage.
"Damn... look at this thing. Can't believe they still make birds like this."
Emilie gave a faint nod.
"Yeah... What even is this? And what do you mean by they?"
Kaeya stepped forward, gesturing to the shattered airframe.
"This is an experimental prototype. Might look like your standard jet, but under the skin? Totally different beast. They streamlined the hell out of it—reduced the number of parts, cut down manufacturing costs, but didn't sacrifice performance or durability. Cost-effective enough to build three of these for the price of one or two standard birds."
Emilie tilted her head.
"Okay, but again—what is this? And who exactly made it?"
Kaeya met her eyes.
"X-02 Wyvern. Built by North Dornman Imperatora Industries. Used to be the South Khaenri'ah Munitions Factory before the fall—now restructured under Teyvat, but still carrying some... legacy."
Houallet scratched the back of his head.
"So why the hell does Natlan have it? Isn't North Dornman under Mondstadt jurisdiction now?"
Mona chimed in.
"Yeah, but Khaenri'ahn tech being funneled to Natlan? That's not just shady—that's deep-state level stuff."
Kaeya sighed.
"Good question…"
He paused. Then:
"Speaking of Khaenri'ah... after the war fifteen years ago, Teyvat quietly brought in some of their ace pilots. Kept 'em around as part of an aggressor program to sharpen our own. Never officially acknowledged. Just whispers."
Houallet's eyes widened.
"No way. You're saying Teyvat has Khaenri'ahn aces flying under its own banner?"
Kaeya nodded slowly.
"All-rumor, of course. No records. Most of the current administration probably doesn't even know."
Emilie's eyes narrowed. She raised a finger.
"Wait... Natlan… Khaenri'ah… Aces… the 5050th…"
She took a step back in realization.
"It makes sense now."
"The 5050th doesn't exist—not officially."
Mona, Ayaka, Houallet, and Kaeya turned toward her.
"The Meka One incident—they relieved us. Flew F-15M/STDs."
"Then came Operation Retaliatory Blow at Sector Papa Alpha, Tepeacac Rise—they hit a damn college."
"And during the Marcotte City attacks—I heard that same voice on comms."
"It all lines up."
"The 5050th is a shadow unit—Khaenri'ahn aces under Teyvat's flag, doing black ops."
Houallet tapped his chin.
"That... would explain a lot."
Mona nodded slowly.
"Top-secret squadron, like Area 51 with wings. Makes sense they'd keep it hush-hush."
Emilie checked her phone.
"Speculation's over—we've got an op. Let's move."
They waved off Kaeya and Houallet, turned, and headed back toward the base interior.
Inside the halls, the trio made their way to the briefing room.
Waiting for them were Commander Courbevoie and Colonel Maksim.
Courbevoie scoffed.
"About time you showed up. We've got a real problem on our hands."
They took their seats as Maksim stepped forward to the projector.
"Let's get to it."
"Our ground forces are currently pinned outside Chuwen Fortress—deep in mainland Natlan. They've been stalled for the past 48 hours."
"If we let this continue, Natlan's going to regroup and launch a counteroffensive. We cannot give them that chance. We need to punch through and hit the capital."
"This is where you come in."
"You'll lead a full air assault on Chuwen Fortress. Wipe out their aerial defenses and soften up ground emplacements. Once the fortress is cracked open, our armored divisions will move in."
"This one's for Teppei."
Emilie stood silently, her hand already gripping her helmet. Ayaka and Mona followed without a word.
As they walked the halls toward the flight line, Mona broke the silence.
"Emilie?"
Emilie looked back.
"Yeah?"
"Are you okay?"
Emilie nodded once.
"I am. The fight must go on—for Teppei."
Mona hesitated, then:
"I know... but what about you?"
Another glance. This time, Emilie's voice was steady.
"I'll be okay. Don't worry about me."
Ayaka stepped in beside them.
"We've got each other's backs. Let's all come home in one piece."
Emilie gave a faint smile.
"Of course, Ayaka."
They split off, each heading to their own aircraft.
Emilie climbed the ladder of her Tomcat, settled into the ejection seat, and placed her helmet on her lap. After strapping in, she slid the helmet on and sealed the canopy shut with a hiss and a thud.
The twin TF30 engines rumbled awake beneath her. Her wingmates followed suit, lining up on the taxiway.
Within minutes, four F-14s launched into the desert sky, heading back toward the heart of Natlan.
The mission to destroy Chuwen Fortress had begun.
An Hour into their flight. They are deep into Natlan territory At the rural area of Chuwen, Natlan.
The Three F-14A's hung low at 1600 Feet AGL.
As they neared the Fortress. Their Radio crackled
"Aw come on. This is our third try! There wont be a fourth!"
"Look we have support from the air today! The Squadron from Petrichor Island is here to help!"
"Petrichor? You mean. The Demons Of Emberhowl!?"
"Yes! The Demons are here to help us!"
"The saying is true then! Third Time's the charm!"
Emilie chuckled
"To our ground forces. This Is Captain Emilie of the Wolfsbane Squadron. We've arrived"
The ground troops responded
"Captain Emilie! Fantastic to hear your voice!"
Then another voice. Adressing to the Lieutenant Colonel
"Ma'am We got a message from the enemy!"
The Lieutenant Colonel Letellier then spoke
"This fortress will never be captured. Go back to your nation you Fontanian Swine"
She smirked
"alright then... Lets do this"
"Wolfsbane We're relying on you!"
Emilie responds
"Of course."
"Wolfsbane! Engage!"
"Roger, Soumetsu Engaging!"
"Starseer Engaging!"
Emilie slams her throttle to full afterburners. Descending towards the valley.
From the mist, The Big Fortress appeared, A Colosseum style Fortress.
Emilie dove right in between the fortress.
Immidiately she quickly gets locks for the pillboxes.
A lock on the pillbox on the right side of the valley.
Tone
"Fox Two!"
A Single sidewinder Streaks away.
Immidiately her Lock switches to another pillbox to the left side of the valley.
She Banks her F-14 Left.
Then.
She fires
"Fox Two!"
Another sidewinder streaks away.
Emilie turns hard to avoid colliding with the hill While climbing slightly. Then Levels out. The Fortress Entrance was directly in front of her. With two Tower bunkers.
She switches to her GBU Bombs.
Behind her. The Two Sidewinders explode. Hitting the Pillboxes Killing anyone that was inside.
She then begins a shallow dive. Alinging the drop recticle on her HUD with the right side Tower.
Then She squeezes the trigger.
The First GBU Bomb drops.
Then She banks Left. Turning towards the next Tower.
It was aligned without any more adjustments
Then.
She drops the bomb.
She slams the throttle back to full power and climbs high, Avoiding a collision with the fortress towers.
Direct hit.
The Two Bombs hits the Towers. of the fortress entrance. Exploding and killing the enemy troops inside
Up Above. Mona And Ayaka were engaged in a chase with JAS-39C's
Mona Weaves through the skies Pushing her F-14A To the limit.
The JAS-39C then snaps left Making a sharp 180.
Mona snaps her stick hard to the left and Pulls hard on the stick, The Turn sharpens. With the Wings Extending for maximum Lift.
Then For a split seconds she gets a lock. And Fires Two Sidewinders.
The Two Sidewinders Streaks away from her F-14A's railings
The JAS-39C snaps its nose up sky high.
But the Missiles found its mark.
Direct hit.
The JAS-39C Explodes. Its cockpit free falls from the sky. Slamming into the ground
"Starseer Splash!"
Then another explosion.
The Second JAS-39C Explodes. Ayaka's F-14A Flies through the cloud of black smoke and fire
"Soumetsu Kicking Ass!"
Emilie chuckles
"nice to hear!"
Their radio crackled again
"Allied Planes overhead! This is the Teyvat Armed Brigade! Requesting orders to penetrate!"
Emilie instantly responds
"Teyvat Armed Brigade, Penetrate We'll provide air cover!"
They responed
"Roger that! All Units MOVE FORWARD!"
"Here they come! There's no going back!"
Emilie glances to her left and spots A Blockage Of Tanks.
She quickly switches back to Her GBU Bombs and makes a sharp 180 Degree turn and dives straight for the tanks.
She adjusts her pitch to align the drop recticle.
Then.
She squeezes the trigger.
The GBU-12 Paveway II Drops from the belly. Silently falling from the sky.
Emilie pulls up to level flight.
She flies low near the Convoy of Allied Ground forces. Turning right towards an enemy AA And SAM Vehicle
Emilie keys her radio
"Starseer! Soumetsu! Enemy Planes Taking off from the runway!"
Mona responds. Already diving towards the Taking off JAS 39C's
"On it!"
Mona squeezes the trigger
The M61 Gatling gun fires
Tracer rounds hits through out the runway
Mona pulls up. firing down the line of planes departing.
All were direct hits.
The Enemy JAS 39C's never got the chance to gain lift, Exploding, or continuing down the runway until crashing into the wall on the other side.
The Enemy Radio was frantic
"Its them! They're back again!"
"This is their third time! Even brought Air Support with them!
"All our Planes Are Down! They never even got the chance to lift off!"
"Our ground forces are in shambles! They really are the Emberhowl Demons!"
"Demons? They are no demons!"
Ayaka Swooped in low. Firing her Gatling gun towards Enemy Vehicles And Ground forces.
Emilie dove hard and fast Aiming towards a group of Tanks
She aligned her drop reticle again.
"Bombs away bombs away!"
She squeezes the trigger
Two GBU 12 Paveway II's drops from her belly
"Out of Bombs!"
Emilie slams her throttles to full afterburner and slams her stick back towards her. Pulling the Nose Of Her F-14 Up
The GBU's were a direct hit.
The Tanks Explode. Metal and shrapnel carving their way, Piercing through everything in its way.
Emilie banked hard right, A right wing hard over. And Began diving.
This time. Towards the Exit Control tower.
Emilie Switches to her sidewinders.
Immidiately gets a Lock.
Tone
"Fox Two Fox Two!"
Two Sidewinders launch from their railings
Emilie banks hard right and turns sharply
Their Frequency crackled
"Allied Fighters! We're breaking through the North wall! We're almost there!"
Emilie nods
"Keep it Up!!"
The Sidewinders found their mark. One Missile hits the wall. But another breaks through the glass and detonates inside,
Emilie makes another pass, Aiming towards the Second Control tower.
Lock
Tone
"Fox Two!"
Two More Sidewinders streaks away from her Railings
Emilie banks hard right again. Making a sharp turn back.
Direct hit.
The Two Sidewinders found their way inside the Control room. And Explodes.
Their radio crackled once more
"Damn. The Emberhowl is really turning this place upside down."
"I mean. They're called Emberhowl for a reason right? They are definitely demons on our side"
Then another voice
"Heh. My sister is flying up there."
"What!? Your Sister is one of the three demons!?"
"Yeah. Go get them Nats Ayaka.."
Ayaka smiled
"That's my brother. Love ya too bro"
Then another
"They're the four wings of Petrichor island right? Why i can only see three?"
"Don't you know? Only the good little boys and gals can see the fourth one!"
Emilie's breath choked up.
But. She remained focus.
And then—
Cheers erupted across the comms, loud and full of adrenaline.
"Yahooo!!! We made it through! We fucking showered them!"
Another voice broke through, more composed but no less proud.
"Excellent work. Send those Nats a message—loud and clear."
A pause.
"This fortress is secure. Repeat, fortress captured successfully. We're taking Natlan back—one stronghold at a time!"
The background roared to life—ground forces, support crews, and battlefield survivors all letting loose their victory cry.
"Teyvat! Teyvat! Teyvat! Teyvat!"
From the cockpit of her F-14A, Emilie gave a short laugh, not of arrogance—but of pride.
"Say, Soumetsu—why not give your brother a message? He's down there with them, right?"
Ayaka gave a soft nod, her voice calm but tinged with emotion.
"Hey, Brother. It's me… Ayaka."
There was a pause. Then a familiar voice crackled in, less filtered through combat, and more through warmth.
"Sis… It's great to hear your voice. You doing okay up there?"
Ayaka gave a soft laugh, her eyes scanning the horizon.
"Could be better. Took a few tight turns and caught some flak. But yeah—I'm doing okay."
Ayato's voice came back with a chuckle of relief.
"You know… the ground forces here? They're always saying the same thing. 'As long as the wings of Petrichor are in the skies, we'll make it through.'"
He paused, then added with pride:
"Three aces in old birds—F-14s no less—and you're still the deadliest thing up there."
Ayaka smiled beneath her oxygen mask.
"Haha, that's the truth."
Emilie cut in gently, her voice commanding but warm.
"Alright, you two—time to wrap it up. We've got a debriefing back at Petrichor waiting for us. And fuel to take before that."
Ayaka took a breath, then gave her farewell.
"Take care of yourself down there, okay? Don't do anything stupid while I'm gone."
Ayato responded, his tone filled with pride and something quieter—protectiveness.
"You too, Ayaka. Keep your friends safe up there… and come back to us."
Down below, Ayato looked skyward. Around him, soldiers raised their fists in triumph. Others saluted.
In the skies above Chuwen, the three F-14A Tomcats formed up into tight combat spread, banking gently northeast—heading home. The golden light of evening reflected off their wings, streaking across the battered valley they'd just turned into a battlefield—and a victory.
But their mission wasn't over just yet.
Ahead lay Tepeacac Rise. A mid-air refueling operation. Tight coordination. Precision flying.
Another long breath.
Their day was far from over.