Knights of Favonius Headquarters, Mondstadt.
Amber and Jean stared tensely at the light screen, watching the standoff between Eula and Aerin.
In contrast, Paimon and Lumine appeared far calmer than the two of them.
Lisa, however, looked indifferent—there wasn't the slightest hint of worry on her face.
She was thinking.
Thinking about the words Aerin had used to tempt Amber.
Thinking about the way he deliberately provoked Eula.
Both actions shared the same core—
He was pointing the blade toward Mondstadt itself, using the unfair treatment the two had suffered as a lens through which to judge them.
"Yes… that's it."
Lisa's sudden excitement startled everyone.
"Lisa?" Jean blinked. "What are you talking about?"
This was unusual.
Normally, Lisa remained unshaken no matter the situation.
"What I mean," Lisa said slowly, "is that Aerin is testing Amber and Eula through his actions."
"Do you remember what the light screen said before everything began—about the Fifth Descender's ideology?"
The Fifth Descender… Aerin's ideology?
Jean, Amber, and Paimon froze, staring blankly.
Seeing their reactions, Lisa pressed a hand to her forehead and sighed.
"You all forgot already?"
Fortunately, Lumine, whose emotions hadn't fluctuated as wildly, still remembered.
"The Fifth Descender acknowledges the Heavenly Principles' love for the beings of Teyvat… but not her methods," she said softly.
"And he believes that many people are unworthy of being restored."
At Lumine's reminder, the other three finally recalled those words.
"What does that mean?" Amber asked hesitantly, turning to Lisa.
Lisa smiled faintly.
"With Aerin's abilities, there's no way he didn't sense Eula approaching."
"He timed everything perfectly—waiting for her to arrive and intervene."
"The moment you rejected his offer, Amber, you had already secured a chance to live."
Just like how the mutated Hilichurl Berserker had suddenly changed targets despite having a clear chance to kill Jean.
Those mutated Hilichurls acted through Aerin's collective consciousness.
For convenience, their actions must have been guided by pre-set behavioral logic.
Recalling the Hilichurls' bizarre actions—and combining them with the light screen's earlier warning—Lisa suddenly understood.
Take the Hilichurl archer hiding behind the tree, for example.
The knights it killed first were those who complained, those who grumbled about wanting the Traveler to deal with the Hilichurls so they could go rest sooner.
Those people—
They were the ones Aerin deemed unworthy of restoration.
"Um… Miss Lisa," Amber said awkwardly, "I still don't really get it."
"What Lisa means," Lumine said quietly, "is that if you had accepted Aerin's temptation and taken the Stigmata Serum…"
"…you would have died for sure."
Amber covered her mouth, eyes wide with shock.
"Th-Then the Stigmata Serum really does turn people into Hilichurls…?"
"I think the serum truly grants transcendent power," Lumine replied.
"But that doesn't stop him from killing you afterward."
"Especially if he lets you savor that power first—then kills you while you're still intoxicated by it."
That would be far more despair-inducing.
The Stigmata Serum came from Aerin's own hand.
Killing someone who had taken it would never be difficult for him.
Lisa analyzed the situation with the calm air of a lecturer.
Jean and Amber could only listen obediently, nodding along as realization dawned on them.
Yet as Lisa spoke, their expressions grew darker and darker.
Mondstadt was the freest city in Teyvat—
But excessive freedom had bred many unhealthy habits.
If Aerin enforced rigid standards without compromise…
He really might slaughter over eighty percent of Mondstadt's population.
"Isn't his ideology… a bit tyrannical?" Jean asked quietly.
"Everyone has the right to their own way of life. Why should he forcefully intervene?"
Sensing how heavy the atmosphere had become, Lumine quickly spoke up to break the tension.
Lisa sighed and forced a faint smile.
"In a world overflowing with power, whoever is strongest gets to decide the rules."
"Just as the light screen said—the Heavenly Principles and the Abyss treat Teyvat as a chessboard, fighting over ownership of the world."
"Aerin, as the Fifth Descender, may believe he also has the right to compete."
"So why shouldn't he step onto the board?"
"He might want to become Teyvat's ruler himself. And before that…"
"He intends to remove everything that displeases him."
"Rewriting the rules to his liking—there's nothing hard to understand about that."
With every word Lisa spoke, the room grew heavier.
None of them had ever imagined they'd be dragged into a war over the world itself.
On the side of the Heavenly Principles stood the Fourth Descender and the Primordial Loom of Fate.
On the side of the Abyss—forces deeply tied to the Abyss Order.
And now—
A completely independent Fifth Descender had appeared.
They still didn't even understand what "the Loom of Fate" or "restoration" truly meant.
The Heavenly Principles' faction was nowhere to be found.
Teyvat's future was a tangled mess.
But in the end—
This was a battle between gods.
What did it have to do with ordinary people like them?
Why were they the ones suffering?
The room fell silent.
Finally, Amber broke the quiet with a forced smile.
"If what Miss Lisa says is true, then Aerin is probably testing Eula as well."
"I'm sure Eula will pass his test."
"If she does… then he won't kill her either, right?"
Unfortunately, Lisa shook her head like a rattle-drum.
"Amber, I'm not trying to discourage you—but someone like Aerin is impossible to predict."
"I'm only analyzing based on the light screen and what we've seen so far."
"What truly determines everything… is his mood."
"He says he'll attack Mondstadt—but he might wake up tomorrow and head to Inazuma instead."
"Or maybe he just wants to watch us panic, slowly tearing ourselves apart from the inside."
"A person's mood changes with their surroundings."
"No one can guarantee what he'll do in the next second."
Lumine couldn't listen anymore.
None of this truly concerned her.
She walked alone to the window, gazing at the vast blue sky beyond.
Her heart felt unbearably heavy.
All she wanted was to find her sibling—to reunite with Aether, and then continue their journey in search of home together.
Instead, Teyvat had fallen into a war over the world itself.
And her brother had vanished without a trace.
So many people were in the chat—
yet not a single one could provide any information about Aether.
Even Aether himself had never responded.
Lumine didn't dare think too deeply about it.
She was afraid she'd break.
"…Sigh."
A thousand thoughts collapsed into a single, heavy sigh.
Her mind drifted to Aerin.
The Fifth Descender who knew Teyvat's past and present.
"Maybe he knows where Aether is…"
"I'll stay in Mondstadt for now. Maybe he'll show up."
"But… he has no reason to tell me anything."
Loneliness washed over her.
She remembered that meal they had shared.
She patted her cheeks and forced herself to steady her emotions.
"He should be easier to deal with than the Abyss Order or the Fourth Descender…"
"At least… we've met once before."
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