Darkness pressed against Hine's senses. She felt weightless, suspended in a void that offered neither comfort nor recognition. There was no sound, no warmth, only a profound emptiness. For a brief, horrifying instant, she thought perhaps this was the end, that Ronova's strike had claimed her completely. The fire that had once burned so brightly within her chest felt extinguished, leaving only the faintest echo of life.
Then, without warning, a warmth unlike any she had felt before began to seep into her body. It started as a whisper along her veins, subtle but persistent. The void that had surrounded her receded slightly, replaced by a soft radiance. Her eyes opened, and the darkness retreated further, revealing a golden glow that seemed to emanate from everywhere and nowhere at once.
Hine's chest heaved as breath returned in ragged gasps. Her limbs, once heavy with lifelessness, trembled and flexed under their own power. The shard, which had fallen beside her in the obsidian palace, now floated gently at her side, faintly aglow. Warmth coursed through her fingers as she reached for it, instinctively understanding that it was more than just a tool—it was a tether to life itself.
"You are awake," a voice said, calm and deep, carrying both authority and a curious kindness.
Hine turned her head, eyes wide, to find a figure standing before her. Light refracted around them, shifting in impossible patterns that seemed to radiate from the very air. It was Naberius, the Ruler of Life, whose presence alone seemed to breathe vitality into the surroundings. Hine's heart stumbled in disbelief.
"Why… why am I alive?" she managed to whisper, voice trembling with confusion and awe.
Naberius knelt slightly, eyes steady on her. "Because it is my will," the Ruler said softly. "You have endured what no ordinary soul could withstand. You have faced Death itself, and yet you rise. That is a testament to your resolve, to the strength you carry within your bloodline."
Hine struggled to sit up, her body still weak from the obliteration she had endured moments ago. The memory of Ronova's overwhelming strike made her stomach lurch, the sensation of her first death still vivid and raw. "I… I cannot understand. She… she killed me. Completely. There was nothing left."
Naberius' expression remained calm, but there was a weight in the gaze that Hine could feel pressing gently, as if reality itself acknowledged the truth of the Ruler's words. "Yes. She struck you down. Yet life is not bound solely to the end that Death administers. You carry something extraordinary within you, a spark that even the Ruler of Death cannot permanently extinguish. For you, I grant a reprieve. You shall awaken again, and again if needed, until your journey reaches its destined purpose."
Hine's mind reeled. "You mean… I can… live again? Even if she kills me?"
"Yes," Naberius replied, voice firm yet gentle. "But you must understand, this is not a gift to be taken lightly. To respawn is to endure the memory of each end. Every failure, every strike, every moment of destruction will be etched into your soul. You will not simply rise unscarred. You will carry the weight of each death, and with it, the knowledge of what it means to defy the inevitable."
Hine swallowed hard, the shard's warmth in her hand grounding her. The thought of reliving the obliteration she had just suffered made her chest tighten. Yet beneath the fear, there was a spark of determination. Her resolve, which had carried her from Natlan across dangerous lands, from icy peaks to star-lit plains, flared once more. She had promised Mavuika she would find her. She had vowed to meet the Rulers of Teyvat, no matter the cost. And now, she understood that cost more clearly than ever.
"I… I will do it," Hine said, voice shaking but steady. "No matter how many times she strikes me down, I will keep going. I will find my sister. I will endure."
Naberius' eyes softened slightly. "Good. Resolve is what separates the extraordinary from the ordinary. But remember this: the loop is not without consequence. Every time you are struck down, you will feel it. Your mind will remember, your body will ache, and your soul will carry the weight. You must prepare yourself for the trials ahead. Only with unwavering determination will you be able to reach her."
Hine nodded, trying to absorb the gravity of the words. Each death would be a lesson, a punishment, and a reminder. But it was also a path, a way to endure beyond the limits of a mortal body. And if the shard had been any indication, she was not completely powerless. There was something divine within her bloodline, something that even the Ruler of Death had not fully accounted for.
"Where is the Silent Soul?" Hine asked suddenly, glancing around, expecting the familiar presence that had guided her through the high passes, across star-lit plains, and through night-beast encounters.
"He watches from the threshold," Naberius replied. "He cannot enter fully here. The domain of the Rulers of Life and Death has boundaries even he cannot cross. Yet his guidance will continue, albeit indirectly. You are not alone, but you must learn to face certain trials on your own."
Hine felt a pang of longing for the presence that had quietly guided her through countless dangers. The Silent Soul had been patient, silent, and unyielding, showing her the dangers and wonders of the path while remaining mysterious and distant. And yet, Naberius' words made her understand that some steps had to be hers alone. She could rely on him, but the next stage of the journey would test her independence as never before.
The chamber around her seemed to shift subtly. Light and shadow interwove in patterns that defied comprehension. Murals depicting the cycle of life and death adorned the walls, illustrating the balance that Naberius maintained. The child, who had stood before Death itself only moments ago, now sat in awe, absorbing the knowledge imparted by both her survival and the lessons embedded in the very architecture of this place.
Naberius stepped closer, extending a hand. Warmth radiated from their touch, flowing into Hine, knitting together the remnants of pain and exhaustion from her first obliteration. The shard in her hand pulsed in harmony with the Ruler's energy, glowing brighter than ever. Hine felt her strength returning, not fully, but enough to stand. Enough to take her next steps.
"You must understand, little one," Naberius said, voice low and measured, "longevity is not merely about the extension of time. It is about endurance, about the capacity to persist through trials that would break others. What you face now is a precursor, a taste of what is to come. The Ruler of Death will strike without hesitation, and each time you fall, it will test your resolve further. You must rise with every strike. This is the path you have chosen."
Hine gripped the shard tightly, her small hands shaking, yet a fire burned in her eyes. The first death had not broken her. The pain had been unimaginable, yet she had survived. Naberius' intervention had reminded her of the power of life itself, the spark that could defy even the most absolute end.
"I understand," Hine said. "I will endure. I will not falter. No matter what she does, no matter how many times I fall, I will keep going. I will find Mavuika."
Naberius nodded, as if confirming a decision that had been written into the fabric of fate itself. "Then rise, Hine of Natlan. Rise and prepare yourself. The journey is far from over, and the trials to come will test every fiber of your being. Remember, life and death are not enemies here. They are teachers. And now, you have been granted the first lesson of endurance."
Hine rose slowly, her legs trembling, her body still aching from the first death. Each movement reminded her of the fragility of her mortal form, yet also of the extraordinary gift she had been granted. She was alive, though the memory of obliteration lingered like a shadow. She would not forget it, could not afford to. That memory would drive her, sharpen her, and fortify her against the horrors ahead.
Naberius stepped back, their form dissolving into the golden light that had first awakened her. "Go now," they said. "Walk forward with the knowledge that even in the face of Death, there is a path. And on that path, you will find the strength to endure beyond measure."
Hine took a deep breath, feeling the shard's warmth in her hand and the pulse of life that resonated through her veins. She looked toward the threshold where the Silent Soul waited. Though she could not yet see what lay beyond the next trials, she knew one truth above all: she would rise again, face Death again, and endure whatever came to reunite with her sister.
For the first time, the weight of immortality rested on her small shoulders. And for the first time, Hine felt both the terror and the exhilaration of a life that could not be taken so easily, a life that would rise from every obliteration until her purpose was fulfilled.
The first respawn had come, and with it, a resolve sharper than any blade. The journey was far from over. Death had been faced and survived. The lessons had begun. And Hine of Natlan would not be denied.
The chamber was quiet, but in the faint pulse of the shard, in the rhythm of her heartbeat, and in the lingering warmth of Naberius' touch, Hine felt something profound. Life was fragile. Life was powerful. And life, in its purest form, could endure even the impossible.