After eating their fill, they played for a while longer as the setting sun painted half the sky in shades of red.
Morax and the others returned to Tianheng Mountain, each carrying a lantern and writing down their wishes. Even Morax himself carefully penned his own.
"May Liyue forever prosper in peace, its people live in harmony and happiness. May Brother Elliot return soon, so that we may conquer Mondstadt together and become among the Seven."
When he finished, he read it over one last time.
"Hmm…" Once he was sure there were no mistakes, he prepared to place the note inside the lantern.
But before he could, Morax suddenly froze, his hand halting midair.
He stared at the paper again—and found a blank spot where words should have been.
Morax frowned slightly, his eyes fixed on the empty space.
"'Hope… someone returns soon?'" he murmured, puzzled.
The spot where a name should have been was inexplicably left blank, and the sight filled Morax with confusion.
In his memory, only Guizhong and Marchosius had become his true allies among the gods during the Archon War. All the others had been suppressed by him.
But… Guizhong and Marchosius had been killed by his own hand not long ago, and only recently revived. It couldn't be them he was referring to as the future Seven, could it?
Then who could it be?
Morax's brows knit tightly together. He felt as though he had forgotten something—something deeply important. He searched his mind, trying desperately to grasp it, but the harder he tried, the more it slipped away.
Seeing his strange expression, the others gathered around, concern in their voices.
"Lord Morax, what's wrong?"
"I feel… like I've forgotten something. I can't remember what it is, but it seems important," Morax said, his face clouded with thought.
"Forgotten?" the others echoed in confusion.
At that, Morax unfolded the note he had written.
When they saw it, everyone exchanged puzzled looks. None of them could tell who or what name was supposed to fill the gap.
But it was clear—it must have been a person's name.
If it were a name, though, he should have written it directly. Leaving it blank and thinking about it later didn't make sense.
"Do you have even a vague impression?" Guizhong asked. "Maybe you just forgot the name, but surely you'd remember his face, or what he did. Someone fit to become one of the Seven—there's no way you'd forget them that easily."
She found the missing space just as strange, though she too couldn't explain it.
"No… I've forgotten everything. His face, his nature, his abilities—all of it."
Morax searched through the endless span of his memories, replaying thousands of years in his mind, hoping to catch even a single trace—just one small detail.
If this person had been truly important, he shouldn't have forgotten them so completely. And if they weren't, then why had he written those words at all?
"Please, Lord Morax, try to remember. That person must have meant a great deal to you. After all, that sentence, if complete, should have read: 'I hope he returns soon, so that we can take Mondstadt together and become the Seven.'"
As Morax sifted through his memories, something seemed to catch his attention—an inconsistency, a missing thread.
He… He suddenly realized that his memory of how he had met Ganyu was faint as well. The details of bringing her back to Liyue were blurred, as though seen through fog.
"Ganyu, do you remember how we first met?" Morax asked.
"Of course. Back then, I was still a bit chubby and was being bullied by a god at Cuijue Slope. Then, Lord Morax appeared and drove the god away. After that, I followed you and asked to join Liyue."
Ganyu spoke seriously. That memory remained vivid to her even now.
Hearing her words, Morax's blurred recollections began to sharpen. Yes… that was how it happened.
"What about the rest of you?" Morax turned to the other Adepti.
"The Lord Emperor brought Ganyu to Jueyun Karst that day," said Cloud Retainer. "You easily dismantled all of my mechanisms. It was thanks to your guidance that my craftsmanship improved so quickly."
Hearing her words, Morax nodded thoughtfully. That once-fuzzy memory grew clearer once more.
When a person's memory of an event becomes hazy, and someone who shared that experience recounts it in detail, it's natural to accept their version as truth.
It's like forgetting whether you turned in your homework—if your classmate says you did, you'll believe them. Or like leaving home and suddenly wondering whether you turned off the gas or the computer—if someone who left with you says you did, their answer becomes your certainty.
Because both of you experienced it together—if the other person remembers it clearly, you instinctively trust their recollection.
When Elliot vanished from everyone's memory, those who had once shared moments with him unconsciously searched for someone else to fill that void.
And Morax became the perfect substitute.
Thus, both the Adepti and the Yaksha now clearly remembered—it was Morax who had brought them to Liyue.