The moment Hine stepped beyond the Gate of Eternities, the world she had known vanished. The solid ground of the glassy plain dissolved into an endless expanse of shifting lights and colors, a realm that seemed suspended between the heartbeat of existence and the quiet of eternity. The air itself shimmered, heavy with a gravity that pressed against her chest, yet light enough to make her feel as though she were floating. Stars, larger than moons, hovered suspended in clusters, their glow refracting into streams of gold and violet. She blinked, unable to comprehend the immensity before her.
"This… this is Teyvat?" she whispered, her voice trembling with awe. It sounded fragile, insignificant against the vastness around her. The Silent Soul was beside her, as steady and calm as ever, yet even they seemed to pause, taking in the realm with a reverence she had never seen.
"It is not all of Teyvat," they said softly, their eyes scanning the horizon of this ethereal plane. "This is the domain of the Rulers, a place that exists between the threads of time and life. Mortals rarely, if ever, set foot here."
Hine took a hesitant step forward. The ground beneath her feet was unlike anything she had ever known. It shimmered with a translucent opalescence, reflecting light that seemed to come from nowhere yet everywhere at once. With each step, the surface rippled like water disturbed by a gentle wind. Her reflection followed her in strange, shifting ways, sometimes tall, sometimes short, sometimes fractured into multiple selves. Her heart raced as a quiet sense of insignificance washed over her. Here, in the presence of beings she had not yet met and powers she could barely imagine, she felt both fear and wonder entwined.
"Stay close," the Silent Soul warned, their hand resting lightly on the hilt of a sword she had not noticed before. "The beauty here is not merely for admiration. The realm tests the mind, the spirit, and the body. One who succumbs to its seduction risks losing themselves forever."
Hine's gaze wandered. Rivers of liquid light flowed without direction, carving paths through air and space. Floating islands, each massive and crowned with strange crystalline flora, drifted slowly above her. Occasionally, a soft chime resonated from one of the islands, a note that seemed to tug at her memory, stirring feelings she could not name. The scale of it all was disorienting. Mountains hovered suspended midair, their peaks grazing clouds that seemed made of liquid silver. She wanted to touch everything, explore it all, yet even a single step felt fraught with consequences she could not predict.
"This place," she murmured, her voice almost lost in the hum of the realm, "it feels… alive."
"It is," the Silent Soul agreed. "Not alive as you know it. It does not breathe or speak. Yet it remembers. It sees. It weighs intentions, thoughts, and courage. Everything here has purpose."
Hine's fingers instinctively curled around the shard at her side. The warm pulse it emitted seemed stronger here, as if it too recognized the gravity of the space. She pressed it against her chest, drawing a measure of comfort from its faint glow. The shard had guided her through cliffs, avalanches, and Night Beasts. It had been her companion, her shield, and now it was a beacon in a realm that challenged her understanding of reality.
As they moved forward, the colors around them shifted subtly. Golds became pale blues, blues deepened into violet. It was as if the realm itself responded to her emotions, bending the scenery with an awareness that unnerved her. She caught glimpses of silhouettes in the distance, beings whose forms shimmered with faint luminescence. They did not approach, yet their presence was undeniable. Watching. Waiting. The Silent Soul did not comment, but Hine felt the warning in their silence.
"Are these… the Rulers?" she asked, her voice barely a whisper.
"No," the Silent Soul said. "Not yet. This realm is their threshold. Their domains lie beyond the paths you see. Here, you walk in their shadow. You feel their weight without meeting them. It is an initiation of sorts, a test of worthiness."
Hine took another step, and the ground rippled under her. She felt it beneath her feet like water, yet firm enough to support her weight. Her reflection fractured again, splitting into multiple images that mimicked her movements with subtle variations. Each reflection carried a slightly different expression—determined, fearful, curious, skeptical. She stared at them, realizing the realm was forcing her to confront herself, not just her surroundings.
Her heart raced. "I… I have to be ready," she whispered. "Ready for whatever comes next."
"You must do more than be ready," the Silent Soul said quietly. "You must understand why you are here. What drives you. What you are willing to risk. The Rulers do not grant access to those who act out of mere desire. They judge by conviction."
Hine tightened her grip on the shard. Her mind flickered back to Mavuika, to the promise she had made, to the sister she longed to see again. Every peril she had faced, every scar she bore, and every moment she had doubted herself, it all converged here. She had survived avalanches, Night Beasts, and the endless cliffs. She had faced visions of death and despair. She had unlocked flames within herself that she never knew existed. She was here not because of luck, but because of resolve.
The Silent Soul inclined their head slightly, sensing her determination. "Good. That resolve is what will guide you through this place. But remember, appearances here can deceive. Not all that is beautiful is safe. Not all that is dangerous appears so."
Hine nodded, feeling both apprehension and a strange exhilaration. She glanced at the floating islands above. One of them carried structures reminiscent of temples she had seen in ancient ruins, their spires glinting with otherworldly energy. She wanted to ascend, to reach them, but the Silent Soul motioned for her to continue on the ground path.
"The path is not linear," they explained. "You may climb, descend, or drift. Your choices shape the journey, but the realm observes your intentions with impartial judgment."
As they walked, Hine noticed faint trails of light winding through the expanse. Each trail shimmered with a unique hue, some warm, some cold, some strikingly bright. When her eyes lingered on one in particular, she felt a subtle tug at her heart, like a distant memory calling her. She wondered if the trails were guides, or perhaps lures. She had learned to be cautious. Not every invitation in the ethereal realm was genuine.
She stopped beside a pool of liquid starlight. Her reflection stared back at her, yet it was not her own. It bore an expression of weariness, of doubt, of longing. The shard pulsed against her chest as if urging her to face it. She knelt beside the pool, peering into it. Ripples distorted the image, showing her younger self, older self, even a version that seemed cloaked in shadow. She shivered. The realm was showing her not just the present, but fragments of what she could become.
"Do not falter at what you see," the Silent Soul said. "This place tests perception as much as courage. Fear of oneself can be more dangerous than any creature."
Hine straightened, taking a deep breath. Her fingers brushed the shard, and a warmth spread through her, steadying her. "I am Hine," she said aloud. "I am here to find my sister, no matter what waits beyond. No matter the cost."
The moment the words left her lips, the pool of starlight shimmered, and the reflections dissolved. A path of faint golden light appeared, stretching toward the floating temples above. Hine's heart leapt. The realm was responding. The Silent Soul gave a faint nod, their voice almost a whisper. "Then follow the light. But keep your resolve. There are many trials ahead."
Hine stepped forward, feeling the light beneath her feet like a solid ribbon of warmth. Her senses were overwhelmed—the gravity of the realm, the beauty of the stars, and the ever-present pull of the Gate behind her, anchoring and guiding. Every step brought new vistas: rivers of liquid crystal, forests of ethereal trees that seemed to hum in harmony, and floating cliffs that defied logic. The beauty was overwhelming, yet beneath it lay a weight, a reminder that this was a domain not meant for mortals.
She glanced at the Silent Soul. "Will we meet the Rulers soon?"
They shook their head slightly. "Sooner than you think. But they will not appear to you simply because you ask. You must prove the depth of your conviction, the strength of your will. This realm will prepare you, Hine. It will show you what it means to face beings who shape life, death, time, and space."
Hine's chest tightened. The enormity of the task ahead pressed on her, yet she could not turn back. She had already faced too much, come too far. Mavuika's face flashed in her mind again, her laughter, her warmth, and the promise of reunion. She gripped the shard tighter. Her flames, her determination, and her bond with her sister were all she needed to carry her forward.
And so, with the Silent Soul at her side, Hine continued into the heart of Teyvat's ethereal realm. Each step, each breath, each heartbeat brought her closer to the domain of the Rulers. The beauty of the realm threatened to overwhelm her senses, but she did not falter. She was Hine, sister of Mavuika, bearer of flames, and a seeker of paths beyond mortal comprehension. Here, in the threshold of eternity, she was ready to face the trials that awaited.
The expanse stretched endlessly, yet for the first time since she began her journey, Hine felt a strange clarity. This realm, with all its impossible beauty and disquieting gravity, had acknowledged her presence. It would test her, shape her, and reveal the truths hidden deep within. And when the time came, she would meet the Rulers of Teyvat, not as a mere mortal, but as a force unbroken by fear or despair.