"I never imagined… there were such secrets, Celestia, the Seven Archons…"
"Then… what about the Abyss?"
Beidou was silent for a moment before shaking her head.
"The Abyss also seeks to rebel against Celestia, but their approach is far more extreme. The Prince of the Abyss Order, he's the brother of the Traveler I brought here."
"The two of them were once travelers who crossed the sea of stars."
"For some reason, when they arrived in this world, Celestia blocked their way. After that, other things happened…"
"Khaenri'ah was the spark that ignited everything. Now, the Abyss's goal isn't just to overthrow Celestia, they want to destroy all seven nations."
"The Abyss and we are not allies. Most members of the Abyss Order are people who were cursed during Khaenri'ah's downfall."
Beidou sighed helplessly.
"They're pitiable, yes, but that doesn't change the fact that they're our enemies. When we meet them, we're as incompatible as water and fire."
Kokomi's expression dimmed, and she let out a quiet sigh.
"It seems we've already been drawn into a vast whirlpool… I wonder how many lives this war against Celestia will claim."
Beidou shook her head.
"Even if you refuse to join the alliance, you can't stay uninvolved. Once the war between Celestia and the Tri-Nation Alliance begins…"
"Celestia will summon all Seven Archons to fight. Inazuma won't be able to escape. By then, you'll have no choice but to take sides."
"With the three nations united, no one on Teyvat can oppose them. If you resist, you might be destroyed, but if you do nothing, Celestia will drop another Skyfrost Nail and wipe Inazuma off the map."
"This war will engulf all of Teyvat, no one can hide from it."
"Besides," she added, "back in Liyue, I heard the Geo Lord say something, Inazuma and Celestia already share a deep blood feud."
At that, Kokomi froze, staring at Beidou in confusion.
Beidou wasn't the type to be mysterious. She pointed to the ground beneath their feet.
"Under Watatsumi Island lies the ruins of an ancient nation, the Byakuyakoku, doesn't it?"
That wasn't a secret, at least not to Kokomi.
"Yes. The ancestors of Watatsumi came from the depths of the sea."
Beidou shrugged.
"The Byakuyakoku was destroyed by Celestia."
"…"
Seeing Kokomi's expression falter, Beidou continued, dropping yet another shocking revelation.
"The being you worship, Orobashi, do you know how he truly died?"
Kokomi instinctively wanted to say he was slain by the Raiden Shogun's blade… but something in her heart hesitated. That explanation had never fully made sense. She looked up at Beidou seriously.
Beidou nodded.
"Yes, your records say he waged war to win land for his people in the east, and that the Raiden Shogun killed him."
"That part is true. But the Raiden Shogun… had no choice."
"Orobashi discovered something beneath Watatsumi Island, in the ruins of the Byakuyakoku. Something about Celestia that was never meant to be seen."
"It was a secret of Celestia, something no living being is allowed to know."
"Orobashi realized that because he had learned that secret, the entire people of Watatsumi would be doomed to die with him…"
"Just like the Byakuyakoku… just like the ancient nation buried beneath the snowy mountains."
"Her people were cursed into becoming Hilichurls, their civilization erased from existence."
"Orobashi, in order to protect your civilization, chose to march east to his death, he sought it willingly, and was slain by the Raiden Shogun."
"He died, but in exchange, your people survived. Otherwise, Watatsumi Island would now be nothing more than ruins."
Kokomi's pupils trembled; the fan in her hand slipped and fell to the ground.
"Lord Orobashi…" she whispered.
Beidou sighed softly, her tone tinged with helplessness.
"Every god is, ultimately, human in heart."
"The Geo Lord once said that Orobashi was one of the gentlest gods. He ruled peacefully, guiding his people with kindness and order."
"But one day, Celestia decreed the start of the Archon War, to choose seven rulers over Teyvat. Orobashi was defeated by the Geo Lord and fled from Liyue."
"On his journey through Inazuma, he encountered the ancestors of Watatsumi Island."
Kokomi picked up the thread, her voice low and trembling.
"'If you still yearn for the light, then know that one day you shall lose it again.'"
"'My life and death mean little, humiliation, disgrace, the shame of survival, I have borne it long enough.'"
"We always believed that Lord Orobashi was the gentlest of gods!"
"He led us back into the sunlight… gave us a life beneath the open sky."
Beidou nodded, sighing deeply.
"Exactly. Orobashi had originally planned to head into the dark outer seas, far from the world's reach, but then he met your ancestors."
"He wasn't a god who would cling to life. When he saw the secret he should never have witnessed, he chose death, so that you might live on beneath the sun."
"He died beneath the Raiden Shogun's blade, ensuring that you, the people of Watatsumi, could remain unharmed, basking in the light."
"His death saved your island, and made Celestia withdraw its gaze of destruction."
"There are countless stories like his. That's why we, all of us, share an unshakable hatred toward Celestia."
"Celestia… is the enemy of every being in Teyvat."
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