It had been too long…
He had lived in Teyvat far too long…
From his first life until now, years had passed.
In this world where letters were the only means of communication, Elliot had forgotten something—
Beacon fires.
The oldest and most primitive form of sending a signal.
He had completely pushed it from his mind.
During Yide's days on the island, Elliot had always kept an eye on him. He had even suspected, at one point, that Yide might be a pirate.
But the man had gone out to sea with Miyagi and returned with him.
From beginning to end, Miyagi had shown no sign of anything unusual.
That had been enough to ease Elliot's suspicion that anything could have happened while they were out.
Yide had never received a letter, nor sent one.
Elliot had therefore concluded that he was alone—and even if he wasn't, there was no way for him to contact anyone else.
What he hadn't accounted for was Miyagi's obliviousness—so trusting that even after boarding a pirate ship, he hadn't noticed a thing.
And this time, when Elliot left Watatsumi Island, only Kinta and Rina knew.
Both of them were people he trusted.
He never imagined that the moment he told Rina, she would tell Yide.
If the first two miscalculations were other people's mistakes, then the last was his alone.
Because the fundamental reason he believed Yide posed no threat…
was simple—
Yide was just one man.
One man couldn't stir up any real trouble.
And Elliot was only leaving for two days. In that time, he couldn't possibly contact the outside world.
The small boats on Watatsumi could only reach the nearest Yashiori Island, and rowing to any farther islands would take at least two days.
As for sending letters—impossible. This was still an era where messages were carried by hand.
But he had forgotten the simplest method of all—
A beacon fire.
With just a little time, you could send a column of thick black smoke high into the sky.
Even islands far away could spot it, especially on a clear day.
It wasn't common even on earth, and here in Teyvat, it was something he had never seen—
Which was why Elliot had completely overlooked such a fast and simple way of sending a signal.
"…I doomed them."
"I should have thought more… I should have thought more…"
The thought of Watatsumi Island's current state stabbed through him like a blunt knife.
Self-blame didn't kill you outright. It cut slowly—piece by piece—until every shred of flesh was gone.
It was a wound that would stay for life, one even time couldn't wash away.
...
Less than ten minutes later, Elliot spotted the large ship.
The pirates, too, noticed the figure in the sky.
From above, Elliot saw them—two children tied to the middle of the deck.
A boy. A girl.
Rina's children.
Beside them stood a bearded man with a vicious face.
In each hand, he gripped one child by the neck, grinning up at Elliot with malice.
Crack!
Without the slightest hesitation, the bearded man twisted the little boy's neck.
...
In that instant, Elliot's eyes went wide—and then lost their focus entirely.
Sound vanished. A sharp, stabbing ring filled his ears.
His heart felt as though it had been smashed by a massive iron hammer.
It was as if some evil spirit had clamped a hand around his throat, choking the air from his lungs.
Darkness swallowed his world whole.
He dropped slowly from the sky, pupils trembling wildly.
The boy's crumpled body on the deck seemed to split into multiple overlapping images in his eyes.
The bearded man grinned at him, still clutching the little girl, her mouth open in a silent scream.
Foolish villains who take hostages to negotiate with heroes only exist in stories.
Real killers never intended to bargain.
They knew—even if Elliot paid a king's ransom for the children, he would still find them and slaughter them in the end.
Which meant from the moment he appeared, there had never been room for negotiation.
And they didn't plan to fight to the death, either—because they knew one thing.
Heroes…
are easier to control alive.
"…Why?" Elliot's feet touched the deck, his voice hollow, his body moving like a corpse.
"Why? Because you came here." The bearded man laughed, squeezing the little girl's neck.
"Because…"
"I came here…?" Elliot stared blankly at him.
"That's right. Don't you get it? You killed that boy."
"If you'd just stayed on the island and not come after us, why would I have killed him? He was worth a fortune to us."
Yide strolled leisurely up beside him, smiling with every word.
"I see…"
"…It's my fault."
"I was born under a cursed fate… bringing misfortune…"
"The people on that island… they suffered because I came…"
"So that's how it is…"
"If I die… everything will be better, won't it…"
And in that moment—
The last glimmer of light in his eyes…
Was gone.