Pain!
It hurts!!
My head hurts!!!
Mo Yue's dream wedding with Yelan was shattered by this sudden pain. The beautiful scene before her eyes was instantly destroyed, replaced by pitch darkness.
While sleeping soundly, Mo Yue felt as though her head had been struck hard by a wooden stick. No— more than that. It was as if something sharp had pierced directly into her temple, twisting and stirring inside her brain.
Under such agony, it was impossible for Mo Yue to keep sleeping. But something even more terrifying happened—
She knew she was awake. She wanted to turn over, curl up like a shrimp, and clutch her head as though that might relieve the pain.
——But she couldn't move at all! Her body was completely paralyzed.
The only thing Mo Yue could control now… was her own thoughts. And under such intense pain, the brain's natural defense mechanism kicked in, forcing her to think of other things to distract herself from the torture.
"No… didn't my medical report just come out two days ago? Didn't it say I was perfectly healthy? Why does my head hurt so badly in the middle of the night?"
"Could it be from staying up too late, rushing my manuscript? Did I give myself a brain hemorrhage…? Isn't this way too unlucky?"
"No… Chinese New Year is almost here. I want to go home, see my parents, tell them about my success in writing a novel… I don't want to keep being exploited like this. Otherwise, it's only a matter of time before I die young."
Perhaps because of this self-protection mechanism, the searing pain gradually lessened. What had been continuous, unbearable agony became intermittent stabbing.
If the earlier pain was like a sharp knife churning inside her skull, now it was more like a blunt blade, sawing slowly at her brain.
It still hurt like hell — but compared to before, Mo Yue could at least move her limbs.
She instinctively pressed her hands beneath her body, trying to push herself up. But the moment her palms touched the "mattress," she froze.
"Wait… this isn't my bed. This is… sand?"
Her adrenaline spiked. That weak body of hers bolted upright, black eyes darting around in horror.
A barren wasteland stretched around her— no, more like a desert. A dead, black desert.
No stones, no bushes, not even a withered weed. Nothing.
Mo Yue tilted her head back. The familiar blue sky and white clouds were gone, replaced by a suffocating black void that radiated death and despair. Even the sun, which should have shone brightly, hung overhead like a black wound in the heavens.
"I… I only took a nap. Why does the world look like the apocalypse when I wake up?" Mo Yue's voice trembled. She was no hero of novels, no indifferent protagonist accustomed to strange worlds. She was just a social animal, an ordinary girl. Right now, she was terrified — terrified that some monster might leap from the darkness and devour her at any moment.
Her gaze swept over the endless black desert. Fear didn't vanish, but it dulled as time ticked by.
Summoning what courage she had left, Mo Yue forced herself to walk forward, step by step, hoping to find the slightest trace of human life in this desolate land.
Suddenly, her vision dimmed. She instinctively looked up — only to see a vast shadow blotting out the already-dark sky.
Her breath hitched. That overwhelming silhouette loomed high above her, heavy and immense. Fear she had barely suppressed surged back like a flood. Her chest tightened, breath came in ragged gasps. Her mind screamed at her to run, but her legs felt like they were weighed down with lead. She could hardly move them, let alone flee.
This shadow hadn't been there when she first awoke. Which meant — it had to be some kind of flying creature.
The realization brought no comfort. Countless thoughts flashed through her head, none of them useful.
With a hollow sense of resignation, Mo Yue closed her eyes. "So this is it…" She opened her arms as if to embrace her death, welcoming it with the despair of a broken vessel.
Sand blasted into her face as a thunderous crash shook the earth. Rough grains struck her skin, but strangely, her heart felt almost calm.
"Maybe… this is what it feels like to face death?" she thought, waiting for claws or fangs to tear her apart.
But the killing blow never came.
Nervously, Mo Yue cracked her eyes open— only to nearly faint.
A massive dragon's head filled her vision, golden vertical pupils staring down at her with a mixture of doubt and mockery.
The dragon spoke, its voice dripping with contempt. "What's the matter? A mere Descender brought to this point already? Frightened half to death just from one look at me?"
Then, almost begrudgingly, it added, "Don't worry. I won't harm you. On the contrary… I want to make a deal with you."
Mo Yue forced her eyes fully open, trembling as she beheld the impossible creature before her.
A dragon. A real dragon. Its scales gleamed jet-black, its aura suffocating.
Her thoughts scrambled. I'm… a descendant of dragons. I'm a descendant of dragons. This dragon won't hurt me… right?
Taking a shaky breath, she asked, "Wh-Who are you? What do you want from me?"
The dragon snorted, impatient. "My name is Nibelung— Dragon King, one of the Seven Ancient Elemental Dragon Sovereign. I want to make a deal with you."
Hearing "Seven Ancient Elemental Dragon Sovereign" and "Nibelung," Mo Yue froze. She stammered, "C-Can I… ask a question first?"
"Ask, though I'll warn you— I've been here far too long. There are many things I no longer know."
Mo Yue hesitated, then whispered, "This… isn't Earth, is it?"
Nibelung rolled his eyes in a very human gesture. "This is Teyvat. Not your so-called Earth."
Mo Yue's face drained of color. "No… no, don't tell me… I've transmigrated? Into Teyvat? Into Genshin Impact?!"
She wasn't just a Yelan fan, she was also something of a self-proclaimed scholar of Genshin lore. She knew the histories, the timelines, the deep lore. Her brain struggled to process the fact that the dragon before her was one she'd only ever read about.
"Wait. Wait, wait, wait. You said this is Teyvat? You're the Ancient Dragon King Nibelung? The Dragon King who even fought against the First Descender, Phanes?!"
Nibelung regarded her with surprise. "You are… more knowledgeable than I expected. But your power is nowhere near a Descender's. You're just a mortal soul. How did you even come here?"
Mo Yue ignored the question, blurting desperately, "Then— you must know how to send me back! You must have a way, right?!"
For once, the black dragon fell silent. His nature was to speak little — his only wish had been for her to accept his inheritance. Yet loneliness in this dark sea had worn him down. Against his own instinct, he answered.
"I don't know where this 'Earth' of yours is, nor what it truly means." His golden eyes narrowed. "Even if I had the power, your body is clearly in Teyvat. Otherwise your consciousness wouldn't be here. I cannot separate one from the other."
He let out a low growl. "And besides— I do not have that kind of spatial authority."
Mo Yue's face crumbled. She shouted, voice raw, "But Chinese New Year is coming! My parents are waiting for me! I finally achieved something in my writing, and then this happens?!"
Her voice cracked with grief. "If I disappear, my parents will be devastated! They'll worry themselves sick!"
The dragon roared, his voice shaking the very desert. "Enough!"
Mo Yue froze, stunned into silence.
Seeing her calm down, Nibelung huffed. "I never said there was nothing I could do. Stop panicking like a hatchling."
His golden eyes burned. "I can send your consciousness to Teyvat proper. There, you can search for answers yourself. If you have the ability— seek out Phanes and demand the truth from Him."
"You now face two choices," the Dragon King continued, voice edged with impatience. "First, I send you back directly, and you fend for yourself. Second… you make a deal with me."
Mo Yue forced herself to think. Her heart screamed to deny reality, but her mind knew better. With a hoarse sigh, she asked, "What's the difference between the two?"
"I'll tell you this much," Nibelung rumbled. "I don't know why a soul from another world was pulled here. But if you leave as you are… you will be hunted endlessly by Celestia until you die."
Mo Yue stiffened. "Why?! What did I do wrong?!"
"You carry my aura now. Since you know I fought Phanes, you should understand what that means."
Silence fell. Then Mo Yue's dark eyes hardened. "Then you'd better compensate me."
The Dragon King started to snap back, then stopped. A trace of weariness flickered in his gaze. "…I can. But you will bear the consequences."
"What consequences?"
His golden eyes glimmered with old resentment. "Tear apart this false sky for me. Let the sheltered ones see clearly who their enemies truly are."
Mo Yue's lips trembled. "That's… such a huge responsibility. What kind of compensation are you even offering?"
Nibelung's voice lowered, deep and resonant. "I will grant you power— the power to weave together fragmented Elemental Authority. And more than that… the ability to reclaim pieces of that authority from the other Ancient Dragons who still walk this land."
He exhaled, eyes dimming. "But it is tainted. My tainted authority. If Apep still survives, seek her for aid."
Mo Yue's heart pounded. "And what do I need to do?"
"Travel the Seven Nations," Nibelung commanded. "Find the Ancient Elemental Dragons. Take their fragments, and reclaim what was stolen from me by that wretched thief. Complete this, and you will wield an element in its entirety."
Mo Yue's lips pressed together. She dared not gamble on whether his words were truth or deception. Survival mattered more than anything now. Going home was already a distant dream — first, she had to live through Teyvat.
At last, she lifted her head. "I'll do it. I'll make the deal."
The Dragon King's gaze softened, if only slightly. With a sweep of his claws, a pitch-black gate materialized before her.
"I do not know your true identity," he said gravely. "But once you accept this power… I hope you will see it through."
Mo Yue drew in a sharp breath, eyes fixed on him. "I will."
Then, without looking back, she stepped into the gate.
"…Because I want to go home."
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