Mo Yue didn't understand. If this was supposed to be a preview livestream… then why wasn't there even a single basic barrage of comments on her screen?
Or… was this some twisted prank from Nibelung itself?
She wasn't sure. Originally, her plan had been fairly simple, now that she was the "Yaoguang Star" of Liyue, she had plenty of opportunities to travel to the other six nations. That meant when the Traveler eventually arrived, she'd have all sorts of excuses to follow them on their journey across Teyvat.
If I can cling to this so-called Child of Destiny, this "Fourth Descender," maybe I'll find another way home someday…
The idea seemed reasonable enough, but turning it into reality step by step… felt far too difficult.
Especially after what she had just witnessed — the strange "Special Program Preview," the Teyvat Chapter Storyline Preview PV that suddenly contained extra lines of dialogue she didn't remember, and worst of all… her own character illustration actually appearing in the program.
Those three shocks alone were enough to rattle Mo Yue's mind — especially the last one.
She slumped back against the carriage seat, staring at the sheet of paper before her as it dimmed into darkness, caught between mental collapse and the gnawing anxiety of her uncertain path.
The next instant, that completely blackened "blank paper" seemed to be kneaded by some indescribable hands, gradually taking the shape of a chess piece.
Mo Yue noticed immediately. Even as one of Liyue's Qixing, she had weathered countless storms, but something this ghostly— this uncanny —was a first.
This wasn't Xianzhou, nor Tsurumi Island. Where were these strange phantoms coming from?
Humans always fear what lies beyond their comprehension. Mo Yue was no exception.
As she watched the chess piece slowly take form — eerily resembling a black-and-purple king piece from the chess of her past life — she instinctively wanted to shout, as if making noise would steel her courage.
But… no sound came. Her voice, her throat, felt completely crushed under some invisible weight.
Worse— she couldn't move. Her limbs were as though chained tightly to the seat with invisible restraints.
All she could do was watch as the dark chess piece drifted closer and closer to her chest.
Fear clawed at her. Yet, just as the piece neared her heart, she felt strangely calm.
No life flashing before her eyes. No sentimental review of her bizarre but magical existence. Only a single thought:
So after all these years… I still can't go back, can I?
The next instant — a searing pain ripped through her, as if her heart had been ripped out and replaced. The agony was beyond any human endurance. Her consciousness collapsed instantly into unconsciousness.
It felt like sinking into a bottomless swamp. No matter how she struggled, she could not rise — only sink deeper into the darkness.
Perhaps… this is what dying feels like, she thought, closing her eyes in resignation.
Then, ripples appeared in the void. First white, then violet. Two waves of energy spread across the darkness, lightening her body, easing her spirit.
Unnoticed, she had shifted from lying down to standing. She felt solid ground beneath her feet. Slowly, she opened her eyes.
Before her floated a glowing sphere of white light.
For reasons she couldn't explain, instinct told her: if I touch this light, I can return to my body.
With no other choice, she trusted that instinct. She stretched out her hand and touched the orb.
The light flared, dazzling, like a white sun. She shut her eyes against its brilliance.
When she opened them again — she was back in the carriage.
Like a drowning woman gasping for air, Mo Yue sucked in great lungfuls, sweat dripping down her face. Was it all a dream? Just a nonsensical illusion born of homesickness?
She wiped her forehead, trying to steady herself.
Just as she convinced herself it had been nothing more than a dream — a voice, neither male nor female, whispered into her ear:
"I've returned your thing to you. Now… go and explore your own destiny. The Fifth Descender… no, perhaps I should say… 'Soul from Another World.'"
Mo Yue's pupils shrank sharply. But… she had already "died" twice, had seen ghostly anomalies beyond reason. Instead of fear, her emotions split between curiosity and anger.
Curiosity — over what this "thing" was that had been returned.
Anger — at the thought of being toyed with like this.
But those emotions didn't last. They soon gave way to the polished poise of the "Yaoguang Star" known across Liyue.
Leaning back in her chair, she mulled over the cryptic words.
My thing…? Wasn't that supposed to be Nibelungen's compensation? Did some other existence snatch it away?
But who? At this point in time, "Heavenly Principles" should still be asleep. The Archons — "The Seven" — their authority was far below that of the Geo Archon. Could it be those Four Shadows?
But they are from Celestia… why would they permit a so-called 'calamity's inheritor' like me to roam freely across Teyvat?
Thoughts swirled endlessly, without conclusion. Frustration gnawed at her.
She raked her hair irritably, trying to release the tension.
And then — before her, the familiar "blank paper" appeared once again.
On it were written just a few words:
"Genshin Forum."
.
.
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