"July 11th, XXXX"
"Shanghai."
"Mihoyo Headquarters – Late Night, Scriptwriting Department."
- Colleague A (leaning back and exhaling): Whew! Finally done with that deadline.
- Colleague B (rubbing their neck): Seriously! It feels like my whole body just relaxed after submitting it.
- Colleague B: Mei, how are you doing? You done yet?
Mei looked up while her fingers continued dancing across the keyboard.
- Mei: Almost done! You two go on ahead, don’t worry about me.
- Colleague A: Alright, we’ll head out then. Be careful on your way home.
- Colleague B: See ya!
- Mei: Bye, take care!
The two colleagues quickly packed up and dashed out like a gust of wind—no doubt eager to enjoy the rare moment of peace after a long, exhausting day.
Left alone, the office fell into a quiet emptiness, with only the rhythmic sound of keystrokes echoing through the room. Mei found herself drifting into thoughts of the past…
- Mei: This company has everything—great benefits, amazing coworkers... but what’s with this mountain of deadlines always falling on our team!?
- Mei: I worked so hard to get into Mihoyo, but all I do now is fight deadlines!?
From the very first time she came into contact with games developed by Mihoyo, she was impressed and overwhelmed by the many unique worlds they created: intriguing like Honkai Gakuen, desperate and dark like Guns Girl Z, or helpless and desolate like Honkai Impact 3rd.
She didn't know since when, but she had developed the wish that one day she would also become an employee of Mihoyo, in order to create profound stories and convey many lessons about life, purity/innocence, and positivity, just as they are currently doing.
After finally getting into Mihoyo, Mei had initially struggled to adjust to the fast-paced work environment. Her coworkers were so passionate, almost overwhelming. But over time, she realized they were all bright minds with bold, even crazy ideas just like Mihoyo’s motto: “Tech Otakus Save the World.”
Click!
The final keystroke resonated, snapping Mei back to reality.
“Oh! Good Heavens, it’s finally finished!” Mei exclaimed.
The young girl gleefully hit the Save button and stretched her arms, beginning to pack her things to head home. Suddenly, an unsettling sensation washed over her. The ground beneath her feet began to shudder, like a stifled gasp for air. There was no explosion, no blinding light - only a sudden, jarring hollowness, as if a fragment of the world had just been carved away.
The space before her eyes collapsed.
A black hole opened silently. It did not roar or rage; it simply existed like a jagged fracture in reality, devouring the surrounding light. Every color was stretched, distorted, and then vanished. The edges of the rift were indistinct, blurred like wisps of smoke, but its suction was unmistakable—cold, absolute, and Brook no resistance.
Mei didn't even have time to scream.
Her body was yanked from the floor, the sensation of weightlessness hitting her so violently that her stomach cramped. The air fled her lungs in a broken gasp. Her fingers reached out instinctively, clawing at the invisible void, but it was all in vain.
The world she knew sound, light, direction shattered like a broken mirror.
In that floating abyss, she could only discern a faint, profound darkness. Mei felt a whisper brushing against her ear, but it was so soft that the words remained elusive.
“Who... who is speaking?” Mei murmured.
Suddenly, a searing pain tore through her entire body, as if her internal organs were being shredded, pulled apart piece by piece. The agony lasted only for the space of a heartbeat, followed immediately by a surge of warm light enveloping her frame. Mei’s consciousness finally flickered out, and she drifted into a deep faint.
Thump!
When she opened her eyes once more, the sharp scent of damp grass and night dew rushed into her lungs.
- Mei: Huh!? What just happened? Where am I!?
She sat dazed for a moment, scanning her surroundings. Something about this place felt oddly familiar… and comforting.
Slowly, Mei stood up. The chilly air and faint moonlight gave everything a ghostly glow. The plains stretched out before her, dotted with trees and small lakes. In the distance, soft lantern light flickered from what appeared to be an inn—so tranquil, it almost felt like a dream.
- Mei: The scenery... the mountains, the trees… it all feels so familiar.
Her face suddenly paled. Her heart raced.
She turned and spotted a stone bridge that looked eerily like one from the game…
- Mei: No way... don’t tell me I’ve transmigrated into Teyvat!?
- Mei: No, no! This has to be a dream! I must’ve collapsed from overwork and now I’m just hallucinating all this.
- Mei: Yeah, that’s it. Totally just a dream.
She laid down and squeezed her eyes shut, hoping it would all disappear.
5 minutes later:
Nope. Still here. There’s no way this is real… I live in the 21st century for crying out loud. Technology and science are too advanced for this fantasy junk to be happening… huhu…
10 minutes later:
Any second now… I’ll wake up…
15 minutes later:
She sat up, dusted herself off.
- Mei: Ugh… fine. It’s already nighttime, I better find a safe place to stay.
Following the faint light in the distance, Mei began walking toward the inn.
- Mei: Of all people… why me!?
- Mei: What did I do to deserve this!? Is… running from deadlines a sin now!?
Even though she complained, her feet kept moving forward.
Suddenly, a shadow loomed behind her. A hulking Hilichurl crept closer without her noticing.
YAAHH!!! It raised its axe and swung downward.
- Mei (screaming): AHHH!!
- Mei (thinking): I can’t dodge it in time!
Her body froze in terror—she couldn’t move, couldn’t think—until…
WHOOSH!
A gust of wind tore through the air. A sharp strike cleaved the Hilichurl’s head clean off.
- Mei: What the—!? That silhouette… it looked so familiar!
The moon was momentarily hidden by clouds, making it hard to see clearly.
Terror gripped her. She’d never been in a life-threatening situation like this. Her body trembled, her breath caught in her throat.
Then the clouds parted.
Moonlight spilled across the land—and Mei’s eyes widened in awe.
Standing tall before her was a young man, watching as the Hilichurl disintegrated into black mist. He looked like a predator who had just finished the hunt. The moonlight lit up his sharp features.
His black hair, streaked with jade green, fell into a stylish short-back-long-bang cut. His clothes, elegant yet battle-ready, made him look like a celestial being descending to the mortal realm.
But most striking of all were his golden amber eyes—cold, distant, like he wanted nothing to do with the world, yet so mesmerizing it was impossible to look away.
- Mei: Wha…what… the he—!?
- Mei: It’s… it’s really…
Before she could finish her sentence, the young man glanced her way—then vanished like a breeze.
- Mei: OH MY GOD!!! XIAO!!! That was Xiao! The real one!
- Mei: Aaaaah! If I ever make it back, I’m telling everyone about this!!
Mei was overwhelmed—torn between fear and exhilaration. She had somehow been transported into a game… but also just met her favorite character in real life.
She didn’t know what to feel anymore. But one thing was clear: she was way more thrilled than terrified. After all—what fan wouldn’t be, after meeting their idol?
Suddenly, realization hit her like a bolt.
- Mei: Wait… plains, lanterns, that inn, and Xiao…Could this be—Dihua Marsh!?
- Mei: Which means… that inn must be Wangshu Inn from the game!
- Mei: Oh well… whatever happens, I need to survive first.
- Mei: Still… now that I’m here, I have to see what these characters are really like in person. Especially Xiao. Hehe.
And so, the small girl continued walking toward Wangshu Inn, completely unaware that this was only the beginning—
Of a journey with no way back.
A journey where her pen and her knowledge would rewrite the fate of this entire world.
“No matter who you are, there will always be a place for you beneath Teyvat’s starry sky.”