"This... this is... an upside-down city?"
Paimon stared wide-eyed at the city jutting out from the enormous rock dome above them, shock written all over her face. "This feeling... it's just like..."
"The inverted Statue of The Seven we saw in Mondstadt," Lumine added.
"You saw something like this in Mondstadt?" Lora asked.
Lumine nodded slightly.
"When we returned to Mondstadt for the Windblume Festival, something strange happened. Back then, in an underground cavern beneath Mondstadt, we saw a Statue of The Seven hanging upside down. It felt just as eerie as this."
"But that was the Abyss Order's doing. And now this inverted city..." Paimon murmured thoughtfully. "Could the depths of The Chasm also be connected to them? Are they behind this too?"
"The Abyss Order..." Lora gazed up at the inverted city.
She didn't know exactly what was happening here. She only vaguely remembered that the city seemed to have fallen along with the celestial nail that created The Chasm, which was likely why it now hung here in this inverted state.
Just as the three of them were about to investigate, a sudden flash of light appeared behind them. A figure dressed in purple-black clothing stepped out from a tear in space and landed behind the group.
"Ah!" Paimon yelped in surprise.
Lumine spun around and stepped back, already gripping the Traveler's Handy Sword. But when she saw who the sudden arrival was, she let out a small breath of relief and put the weapon away.
"Dainsleif?" Paimon frowned and quickly introduced him to Lora. "Lora, this is Dainsleif. We met him in Mondstadt. He's a bit mysterious, but he's not a bad guy. I think he used to travel with Lumine's brother."
Lora quietly looked him up and down. The man wore his usual half-mask.
He had also noticed her. The moment he saw her face, a flicker of shock appeared in his eyes. Then he saw Lora raise a hand with a faint smile, making a quieting gesture from an angle Lumine and Paimon couldn't see.
"Hello, Dainsleif. I'm Lora Chaya. Nice to meet you."
He fell silent when he heard the greeting. His mind raced as he tried to process the situation. He glanced at Lora, then at Lumine and Paimon, and finally—under her calm, smiling gaze—gave a small nod.
"Hello, Lora."
"Long time no see, Dainsleif!" Paimon and Lumine walked over to him. Paimon frowned. "Wait… why did you suddenly show up here?"
"The Chasm? So this place is The Chasm?" He looked genuinely surprised. "A place even I've never set foot in before?"
After a moment, he explained:
"I was chasing an Abyss Herald earlier. After I cornered him, he used the same old trick again. I followed him through a portal and ended up here."
"You mean their portals can lead here?" Lora frowned slightly.
"If they can establish teleportation nodes in a place like this, then something here must have caught their attention."
"Could it be that inverted city?" Paimon glanced nervously at the city hanging above them.
"The miners told us they saw lots of hilichurls come here, but not a single one ever left. It's super creepy!"
"I see. No wonder you came here. Ordinary travelers and adventurers wouldn't usually approach a place like this." He nodded before turning to Lumine and Paimon. "Do you want to know why the hilichurls have been acting so strangely?"
"You know?" Lumine asked in surprise.
He nodded. "I do."
"Does it have something to do with that upside-down city?" she asked.
"It's understandable that you wouldn't know," he replied. "What's unusual about this place is that it weakens the effects of the curse."
As he mentioned it, his gaze briefly drifted toward Lora standing nearby.
She noticed the look but said nothing.
Lumine frowned slightly as she thought over his words.
"You mentioned the curse earlier. You said the people of Khaenri'ah were cursed—and that you've been suffering from it for hundreds of years. Now you're saying the hilichurls stay here because it eases that pain. Could it be..."
Dainsleif took a deep breath and nodded. Looking at Lora, he slowly said to Lumine:
"That's right. The hilichurls are the citizens of Khaenri'ah."
Lora remained silent.
It wasn't because she believed the gods had done anything wrong during the catastrophe long ago.
She simply couldn't be bothered to comment.
"Do you know why hilichurls always wear masks, Lumine?" he continued. "It's because they fear what they've become. Their current appearance is nothing like what they once were, and that terrifies them."
"And when one of them senses that it's approaching 'death,' it will search for a final place to stay. For them, somewhere that can ease the pain of the curse would be the best coffin."
"So that's why so many hilichurls come here, but none ever leave?" Paimon said quietly, her chest tightening. "They... those hilichurls came here to wait for death..."
However, just as the atmosphere began to fall silent, two Black Serpent Knights suddenly rushed out from a dark corner and attacked.
Lora stepped forward.
With one hand she grabbed Lumine by the shoulder, while casually tossing Paimon behind her with the other. Hydro elemental power surged outward, condensing into several sharp water spikes that shot forward and pierced straight through the two knights, eliminating them instantly.
"Whoa! That was close! Good thing you were here, Lora!" Paimon patted her chest, still shaken, staring at the defeated enemies.
He let out a soft sigh and nodded toward Lora.
"Indeed. Very impressive. The Black Serpent Knights were no match for you."