No one knew how much time had passed.
Paimon floated beside Lumine near the campfire, watching the flames dance as she let out a long sigh, complaining in boredom.
"Ugh, staying here with nothing to do is so boring…"
She thought back to the days when she and Lumine adventured across Teyvat.
They crossed forests, climbed mountains, explored ancient ruins, living every day as if they could find a treasure chest at any turn.
But now, being trapped here left Paimon feeling utterly dejected.
Nostalgia welled up in her heart as she murmured, "I really want to run free in the outside world again!"
Beside her, Lumine cast her a glance and replied calmly, "Aren't you already flying?"
Paimon froze, lost for words.
She quickly corrected herself, "Then let's say free flying! Anyway, I just really want to get out of here."
Lumine looked around the cavern and sighed, "Yeah… before we knew it, an entire day had passed."
Paimon's eyes widened. "A whole day? It feels like it's been months!"
Afraid Lumine might think she was exaggerating, she quickly added, "Okay, maybe not months, but at least twenty days or so, right?"
At that moment, Shao Yun, who had "slept through the whole night," finally woke up.
Rubbing his neck as he walked over to Lumine and Paimon, he asked curiously, "You two sure got up early! Don't tell me you stayed up all night without closing your eyes…"
Lumine quietly met his gaze, nodded slightly, and answered softly, "Yes. After you fell asleep, Paimon and I just couldn't feel sleepy. Even when we lay down, we couldn't rest."
"In the end, the two of us just sat by the fire, staring at each other until now."
Hearing Lumine say she had lain on the ground, Shao Yun scratched his head in embarrassment. "Oh, sorry… I completely forgot to set up a place for you two to rest last night. My mistake…"
But Lumine only smiled gently, shaking her head as she pointed to the others, who were all alert and awake as well.
"It's fine. Nobody else felt sleepy either, so none of us chose to rest. Even if you had prepared something, no one would've used it."
"Just earlier, Yanfei and Yelan went out to search for a way forward. But for now, we don't know what they've found."
As the saying goes, "speak of the devil and he appears." Just as Lumine mentioned Yanfei and Yelan, Yanfei happened to return to camp.
Wearing an apologetic expression, she addressed the group. "Sorry for keeping you all waiting. But unfortunately, I couldn't find any clues or a way out."
Kuki Shinobu stepped forward with a jug of clean drinking water, offering it kindly. "Here, Sister Yanfei, drink some water and rest."
Yanfei took the jug, tilted it back for a gulp, and felt the cool water slide down her throat, refreshing her instantly.
Grateful, she smiled at Shinobu. "Thanks, junior sister. Honestly, I wouldn't even have remembered to drink water if you hadn't reminded me. I really appreciate it."
Handing the jug back, Yanfei turned toward the direction Yelan had gone, her eyes full of worry and expectation.
"I wonder how Yelan's side is going…"
And as if the heavens heard her wish, Yelan returned soon after.
Unlike Yanfei's fruitless search, Yelan brought back encouraging news.
"Everyone, I've made an important discovery."
At her words, the group gathered quickly, all eyes fixed on her.
Yelan pointed back the way she came and explained in detail. "I found a passage over there that looks like it leads to an unknown area."
Hearing this, Arataki Itto jumped up from the ground, face glowing with excitement. "For real? You found a way out? That's awesome!"
Paimon's eyes sparkled as she exclaimed, "An exit, an exit—we finally found an exit!"
Kuki Shinobu, however, kept her composure and offered cautious advice. "I doubt it's that simple. Everyone should be prepared for anything."
…
The group followed Yelan to the end of the passage.
Paimon scratched her head as she stared at what looked like a dead end, mumbling, "Huh… doesn't look like there's anything special here."
But Yelan pointed at the stone wall ahead, explaining seriously. "I checked this wall closely earlier. Something's off about these stones. They seem covered by a special spell—an illusion, concealing a hidden passage behind them."
With that, she lifted her hand and performed a small technique, dispelling the illusion with ease.
Everyone's eyes widened as a new path revealed itself.
"Wow! There really was a hidden path back there!" Paimon shouted in delight.
Arataki Itto cheered even louder. "Yes! Finally, we can get out of this cursed place!"
Lumine clapped softly, praising Yelan. "This is all thanks to you, Yelan."
Kuki Shinobu looked at her with concern and asked, "Miss Yelan, your willpower and observation are impressive, but you haven't rested, have you? Do you want to take a break before going further?"
Yelan shook her head calmly. "Don't worry about me. I'm not tired."
Then she made a proposal. "Since we're all here, let's go in together and explore what lies ahead."
Paimon flitted eagerly in front of them, practically bursting with anticipation. "Let's go! I can't wait to get out of here!"
Together, they ventured down the newly revealed road until they came upon a hidden domain.
Inside, they encountered another familiar puzzle mechanism.
Naturally, solving it fell to Lumine, who excelled at such tasks.
While she concentrated on the puzzle, everyone suddenly heard Xiao's faint, broken voice echoing through the domain.
It sounded as if he was in danger.
After much effort, they managed to make contact, but his voice remained fragmented.
Even while in peril, Xiao urged Shao Yun and the others to leave quickly.
Eventually, while searching for Xiao, they discovered a section of the domain's floor had dissolved, revealing a passage to another space below.
Without hesitation, they jumped down, hoping to find him.
Shao Yun, meanwhile, realized he had finally reached the place that mattered most to him—the ruins where he would have to face the deepest fears in his heart.
Of course, the others assumed Xiao was simply waiting behind the great gate of the ruins.
Arataki Itto, as reckless as ever, swaggered right up and shoved the gate open.
But instead of Xiao, what greeted him was a swarm of flying beans.
The Oni from Inazuma yelped in fright, stumbling back several steps, terrified by the beans.
Still, being the stubborn type, he quickly regained his composure and shoved the gate again.
And once again, more beans flew out.
As the group debated trying again, Itto finally realized the problem, covering his nose and mouth as he spoke with difficulty. "If anyone else wants to open it, be my guest. I'm done."
He pointed randomly—and his finger landed squarely on Paimon.
"Next up is you, Paimon!" he declared without hesitation.
Paimon shrieked and darted behind Lumine, shaking her head violently.
"No way, no way! You guys open it—I'm too scared!"
Seeing this, Kuki Shinobu glanced at Shao Yun, then stepped forward resolutely.
"Let me try."
Standing before the gate, she pushed it open. Inside appeared her mother, urging her to return and become a shrine maiden.
Shinobu recoiled instantly—returning to that life was worse than death to her.
She told everyone firmly that she would never go back to being a boring shrine maiden.
Still, her attempt revealed the truth: this domain forced each person to confront their greatest fear.
Curiosity flared among the group.
After Shinobu, Yanfei volunteered and stepped up. But what she saw was not monsters or demons—it was the most troublesome civil dispute case imaginable.
As the saying goes, "Even a just judge cannot settle family quarrels." Just the sight of it gave Yanfei a headache.
…
Scratching her hair in frustration, she sighed and muttered, "Ugh, of all things, a civil dispute? This is the worst…"
Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, she turned to Shao Yun and asked cautiously, "So then, Mr. Shao Yun, do you plan on seeing yours?"
Arataki Itto glared at him and shouted, "Of course he has to! You're a murderer—I want to see if you actually fear anything!"
He leaned forward, trying to read Shao Yun's expression.
Kuki Shinobu quickly intervened, gently urging, "Boss…"
Then she looked back at Shao Yun and said reassuringly, "Mr. Shao Yun, you don't need to force yourself."
But Shao Yun waved her off with a relaxed smile. "It's fine. Honestly, I want to know what I'm afraid of too."
With that, he strode toward the great mysterious gate.
As it slowly creaked open, it revealed the sight of the thing that terrified him most.