After sending Lumine back to her "family home," Su Xuan took Sikok away from the seaside domain and into another room.
Walking behind him, Sikok was still replaying Lumine's shocking words.
Her heart pounded wildly.
And before she could stop herself, an absurd image flashed through her mind—Su Xuan looping a black restraint around Lumine's throat.
Her thighs trembled.
She tried to steady her breathing.
Nervous? Yes.
But disturbed? Hardly.
To Sikok, such "twisted tastes" were simply normal. Nothing she hadn't seen before.
After all—her master was Surtrochi.
He enjoyed tormenting his foes. He would wait until the enemy had exhausted every last struggle before granting death.
He called it "consuming everything the opponent possesses."
Sikok had watched her homeworld fall to outsiders with her own eyes.
After becoming Surtrochi's disciple, she witnessed countless tragedies and ruin, enduring inhuman training.
So no one understood better than she did: only the strong have the right to speak.
The strong may act however they choose.
The weak can only endure.
A sudden jolt broke her from her thoughts.
She looked down—and froze.
Su Xuan's hand had already seized her proud curves without warning.
"Not bad."
His amused voice brushed her ear.
"Even though you lived in the Abyss and underwent brutal training, your skin stayed surprisingly well-maintained."
"Smooth. Pale. Soft."
He squeezed lightly, then casually sat down on a nearby chair.
"Since you followed Lumine here on your own, I assume you're mentally prepared for everything."
"No need for excessive talk."
"Before I teach you the Illuminating Rivers Sword-Art, I need to restore the four limbs you lost."
The moment he finished speaking, the Universe Mirror materialized above them, its surface reflecting Sikok's form.
Her rose-colored eyes narrowed.
"Relax," Su Xuan said. "The Universe Mirror is more versatile than you expect."
"Time adjustment can target individuals, not just the whole environment. It can even fine-tune specific parts."
"And even if temporal reconstruction can't restore your missing limbs, my Authority over Law can recreate them using your own DNA data."
"You won't experience any harmful changes."
Sikok shook her head.
"I was only wondering… must the sword-art be performed with a flesh-and-blood body?"
She had long grown accustomed to the Abyss-made mimicry limbs.
Her master Surtrochi also used an energy-constructed form most of the time.
To Sikok, whether the body was human or something else barely mattered.
Su Xuan spread his hands.
"The sword-art doesn't require a specific form. You could keep using Abyssal limbs."
"But I need your original form to be restored."
"So I'm restoring them."
"…"
The restoration went smoothly.
Sikok could no longer remember how long it had been since she last felt the weight and warmth of true flesh.
She clenched her fists—her strength was the same as before.
She lifted her leg—her power had not diminished.
Just as Su Xuan said, nothing had changed.
"How does it feel?"
Su Xuan lay lazily on the bed, propping his cheek with one hand.
The silver-haired girl nodded lightly.
"Normal."
"Good. At least now, wearing a swimsuit, you look far more natural than before."
"Although," he added, smirking, "when you're wearing formal attire, you can still cover your limbs with Abyssal energy. That star-sleeved, cosmic-silk look suits you."
"Fine," Sikok replied calmly. "If you think it fits, I have no objections."
Covering limbs in Abyssal energy was easier than breathing for her.
"Alright. Now that preparation is done…"
Su Xuan gestured for her to come closer.
"It's time for the special training before I pass you the sword technique."
"For the rest of the time, you'll squat with your hands behind your head—training both limb recovery and mental focus."
"Each squat should only make the slightest contact—no unnecessary depth."
"Not asking much. Just do… one thousand."
Sikok lowered her gaze, saw what she was supposed to "lightly touch," and her pupils contracted sharply.
"!?"
—
Deep beneath Teyvat, somewhere in the subterranean realms—
Space tore open in a pitch-black rift.
Two figures—one tall, one small—stepped out of the void.
"Good thing we asked your brother for the Abyss Order's spatial device before leaving," Paimon complained, waving her tiny hands.
"Otherwise, we'd have to catch an Abyss cultist again just to guide us."
"And I was this close to trying Xiangling's new dish…"
"Let's hurry and tell your brother the good news so we can go home. Didn't the boss say he'd take us to Fontaine?"
With Lumine's power and her backing, there was nowhere in Teyvat that could hinder her.
But because she didn't want to interfere with Su Xuan's plans, she avoided acting when he wasn't.
"No need to rush," Lumine replied.
"Even if I tell Aether now, we still have to wander around elsewhere for a while."
"At least three days."
Paimon blinked.
"…Right. Because Su Xuan needs time to 'educate' the new recruit."
"Exactly," Lumine said proudly, hands on hips.
A diary window popped open before them.
[Today's Surprise.]
[Sikok in a swimsuit (with restored limbs).jpg]
[When Lumine brought her to me, I was a bit surprised.]
[I originally thought we'd meet in Fontaine regarding the Star-Swallowing Whale.]
[I even suspected she might avoid me because of the diary copies, forcing me to hunt her down in the Abyss.]
[But I underestimated her dedication to becoming stronger.]
[As expected of my adorable Lumine—she delivered her right to my door.]
Lumine puffed out her chest.
"See? That's my value."
Paimon: "…"
—
In Sumeru, a purple-haired little girl with gold-rimmed sunglasses rolled on the floor in frustration.
Sikok had only come to exchange for Mora, yet the blonde auntie somehow stole all the credit!?
—
Fontaine, Palais Mermonia.
Furina was happily scrolling the forums.
She tapped past Hu Tao's "Wangsheng Funeral Parlor Discount Bonanza!" advertisement—
And froze.
"Star-Swallowing… Whale?"
"What is THAT supposed to be?"
"Why is it in Fontaine!?"
She stiffened completely.
There were no whales like that in Fontaine's waters.
Not in myths, not in history—nothing.
"And Su Xuan and Sikok, one from beyond the cosmos, one from beyond the world…"
"They're coming to Fontaine because of it?"
Disaster.
Pure disaster.
As if the apocalyptic prophecy wasn't enough, now there was a cosmic whale?
And judging from the fact that both Su Xuan and Sikok would appear for it…
This whale was horrifyingly dangerous.
"Could… could it be worse than the prophecy?"
She paled.
But after a moment, she blinked.
"…Actually, if we're already doomed, adding one more catastrophe doesn't change much."
"But when is he coming to Fontaine?"
"And what can I do to ensure he helps us?"
The diary continued.
[About Sikok.]
[She seems cold.]
[How cold?]
[She once said—]
['Weak mortals do not deserve to remember me. For them, forgetting is a blessing.']
[Even in Fontaine, facing the fully-powered Water Dragon King and the adorable Lumine—]
[She said—]
['To defeat the Star-Swallowing Whale without relying on power from beyond the world… you have earned the right to speak with me.']
The girls reading along collectively widened their eyes.
They remembered Su Xuan mentioning a dragon who achieved a complete form and stepped into the Fate System—
So that was the Water Dragon King.
Still—
Who spoke like that!?
Weaklings don't even deserve to remember her!?
[Her attitude isn't because she looks down on others.]
[But because, in her mind, such detachment is a form of protection.]
[Her childhood shaped this.]
[She was bright, clever, mischievous—often skipping lessons out of boredom.]
[One day, a merchant fleet from beyond the world arrived. Sikok heard tales of the cosmos and longed to grow up quickly, so she could see it herself.]
[She never knew that disasters arrive faster than adulthood.]
[Her people welcomed the visitors warmly.]
[Allowed them to survey their world.]
[But those outsiders decided her race was too adaptable to harsh environments—too potentially dangerous.]
[So before this small civilization could rise, they issued an extermination order.]
[Her entire home was wiped out.]
[Only Sikok survived thanks to Surtrochi's intervention.]
[And her people never even understood why the guests they'd welcomed turned on them.]
Reading this, the onlookers felt the taste of bitter melon spread across their hearts.
Betrayed for no reason.
Destroyed for existing.
How could anyone remain unchanged after that?
Meanwhile, back in the room—
"Hu…"
Sikok exhaled shakily as she continued her squats.
Her legs trembled from the constant electric-like shock each time she made the required light contact.
At this rate, she doubted she could reach a thousand reps before collapsing.
To distract herself, she asked softly,
"You're writing all of this now… to disrupt my mindset?"
Smack!
A clear slap echoed behind her.
Sikok jolted.
Su Xuan chuckled. "What do you think?"
"Or are you still bound by the memories of your past?"
"…"
She understood immediately.
Her master had once told her to use pain to kill her memories—to be reborn from them.
"You're like my master," she said with a trembling voice.
But Su Xuan shook his head.
"No, no. I am nothing like Surtrochi."
"I'm writing this because it's simply part of my daily life."
Sikok inhaled sharply.
Is this something a normal person would say!?
"But someone who's wandered the cosmos with Surtrochi," he added, eyes amused,
"should understand this much—shouldn't you?"
She lowered her gaze and nodded slowly.
"Yes. All disasters stem from our own weakness."
"Good," Su Xuan said, signaling her to keep going while he continued writing.
[I spoke with Sikok briefly.]
[She fully understands now why her home was destroyed.]
[Weakness. Nothing more.]
[No one can control what others think—or prevent their actions.]
[As the Arbiter of Will once said—]
['If I destroy you, what does that have to do with you?']
[If you want to protect yourself and those you love, you must simply become stronger.]
[Her understanding didn't come solely from tragedy—]
[But from Surtrochi's teachings.]
[He showed her, through reality itself, the fate of the weak.]
[In Teyvat's universe, two calamities exist.]
[One is the Abyss—always slacking off, yet inherently destructive.]
[The other is Surtrochi—the "Extreme Evil Rider," Sikok's master.]
[A cosmic calamity equal to the Abyss itself.]
"...Huh!?"
The girls who were reading along nearly jumped.
Surtrochi—one of Khaenri'ah's Five Sinners—
is a calamity on par with the Abyss!?
What kind of revelation was this!?
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