The light within the blizzard intensified, two Visions circling in mid-air, their cyan and ice-blue radiance intertwining like a soft veil, enveloping two slowly materializing translucent figures.
Lydia lay sprawled in the snow, her frostbitten fingertips sinking deep into the frozen ground. Her pupils constricted to pinpricks as she stared at the figures—they were identical to her parents from her dreams.
"Papa? Mama?" Lydia's voice trembled like a withered leaf in the wind, each word scraping raw against her throat.
She raised a hand, shaking slightly in the frigid air. She feared this was an illusion conjured by the Abyss, poised to shatter her last vestiges of hope.
Tears blurred her vision, tracing icy paths down her cheeks to crystallize into tiny beads at her chin, which fell with faint plink sounds onto the snow.
The man smiled first, the fine lines at the corners of his eyes matching those in her dreams. "Lydia, my little girl, you've truly grown up."
His form was translucent, radiating a faint warmth. When his gaze swept over the ice-encrusted wounds on her arm and the dried blood at the corner of her mouth, the pride in his eyes instantly transformed into heartache.
"Through our Visions, we've heard your every cry—from the moment the Cathedral took you in, to when you stood before the Traveler to confront the Poison Dragon Knight, we've been watching over you the entire time."
The woman slowly approached, her hand gently brushing Lydia's frost-reddened cheek.
Though there was no physical contact, Lydia felt a familiar warmth wash over her.
"Silly child, don't cry anymore. Your tears will freeze and sting your face." Her fingertips settled on Lydia's hand, her gaze filled with tender affection.
"Why... why didn't you appear sooner?" Lydia's pent-up tears finally burst forth, streaming down her face.
"I've been searching for you for so long... Every birthday, I waited in the Cathedral, chasing after every adventurer I saw to ask about you. When monsters chased me, I was so scared I'd never see you again..."
She remembered those nights curled up in the Cathedral's corner, clutching her Vision and crying herself to sleep. She recalled the first time she wielded Festering Desire, the black aura lashing back at her.
All her loneliness and grievances surged through her defenses, erupting into uncontrollable sobs.
The man crouched down, leaning toward her as if to pull her into his arms. "I'm so sorry, my little girl."
"We were trapped in the Abyss's prison. We could only draw strength from the bond between you and your Vision. It wasn't until the two Visions resonated just now that we finally pried open a sliver of space."
He looked up at the Vision slowly rotating in mid-air, his voice filled with remorse. "We were too useless to protect you, forcing you to put yourself in danger time and again."
The woman gently grasped Lydia's hand, warmth flowing through their souls, tender yet resolute. "Don't blame yourself. You've done far better than we ever imagined."
"You've defended Mondstadt and protected your friends."
"You can't imagine how proud we were to see you stand alone and take charge."
Her gaze shifted to Lumine, struggling to rise in the distance, then swept across the Favonius Knights on the city walls, their eyes bloodshot as they desperately tried to break through the encroaching darkness. Her voice softened.
"Look, so many people care about you and need you. Don't let sorrow trap you, okay?"
Lydia nodded fiercely, tears blurring her vision as she stared fixedly at her parents' figures, afraid to blink.
Afraid that in the blink of an eye, everything before her would vanish.
"I will... I'll defend Mondstadt and protect Lumine and everyone else..." Her voice trembled with tears, yet radiated an unprecedented determination.
The man smiled and ruffled her hair. "Good girl. We believe in you."
He pointed to her Vision, his voice gentle. "If you ever miss us, hold this Vision in your hand. As long as you think of us, we'll be right beside you."
As soon as he finished speaking, their figures began to fade into transparency.
Lydia reached out to grasp them, but her hand passed through the frigid air. She could only watch helplessly as her parents' figures gradually dissolved into the Vision's radiant glow.
"Papa! Mama!" she cried out desperately in the direction where their figures had vanished, her voice piercing the howling blizzard. But only the wind-whipped snow answered her, leaving not even a trace of warmth behind.
Snowflakes landed on Lydia's eyelashes, melting into icy droplets that slid down her cheeks before freezing into tiny ice crystals in the blizzard's frigid embrace.
She could no longer restrain herself. Ignoring the stinging pain in her knees from scraping against the snow, she struggled to her feet and stumbled toward the heart of the blizzard.
"No... you can't leave me," she sobbed, her voice cracking against the howling wind and snow. Each desperate cry tore at her throat.
She plunged into the eye of the blizzard and halted before the two Poison Dragon Knights, tilting her head back to gaze at their cold, armored forms. Her voice pleaded, "Papa..."
Before she could finish, one of the Poison Dragon Knights suddenly swung his fist, a black, condensed punch of dark energy grazing her cheek.
With a deafening crash, the rock behind her shattered into fragments, shards of stone striking her arm and leaving bloody streaks.
Lydia staggered back two steps, a crimson stain spreading across the snow from the blood seeping from the corner of her mouth.
Yet the unwavering determination in her eyes remained undiminished as she turned to the injured Poison Dragon Knight. "Mama..."
The knight's response was an Ice Blade coalescing at her fingertips.
The blade, wreathed in bone-chilling poison mist, slashed viciously across Lydia's arm. Blood gushed from the wound, freezing instantly upon contact with the frigid air.
"Why... why don't you recognize me anymore...?"
Tears mixed with blood streaked down her face, dripping onto the snow, only to be swallowed by the blizzard.
Lydia's exposed skin turned mottled purple from the frostbite. Again and again, she charged forward, only to be hurled back by the Poison Dragon Knight—tripped by chains snaring her ankles, impaled by Ice Blades piercing her body.
Finally, when she was kicked to the ground once more, Lydia collapsed, panting heavily as she lay sprawled in the snow.
Snowflakes landed on the nape of her neck, numbing her skin, but this chill was nothing compared to the icy dread that seeped from her bones.
Lying face down in the snow, her chin pressed against the frozen ground, she watched as the two Poison Dragon Knights moved step by step toward the Vision...
The warm memories of the past could no longer align with the two cold, mindless bodies before her, capable only of attacking.
"So... you're really gone..." Lydia murmured to herself, her voice so faint it seemed the blizzard might swallow it whole.
They could hear the Vision's call, yet they couldn't hear her hoarse cries of "Papa," "Mama"...
They would harm her now, never again holding her protectively in their arms as they had when she was a child...
The truth she had refused to believe now pierced her heart like icicles—her parents had long since departed forever.
Before her stood only puppets bearing their skeletal remains.
Her tears had long since run dry, leaving only a frozen, stinging ache in her eyes.
Lydia's fingers dug deep into the snow, ice crystals packing under her fingernails, yet she felt no pain.
She turned her head, gazing at the distant silhouette of Mondstadt.
There lay Amber, waiting for her return in her sickbed; Barbara, ready to sing "Happy Birthday"; Sister Grace, who had watched her grow up; and the Tavern, preparing for her birthday party...
The people she longed to protect, the promises she yearned to fulfill—these glimmering, steadfast lights gradually dispelled the lingering obsession in her heart.
Just then, a gentle azure light suddenly pierced through the blizzard and descended from the heavens.
It was a brand-new Anemo Vision!
The Vision, like a miniature sun, slowly descended before Lydia, radiating a warm glow amidst the wind and snow.
She gently reached out and grasped it. The familiar Anemo energy surged through her palm and into her body, dispelling some of the bitter cold.
No longer inherited, no longer borrowed.
This was the proof she had earned through her unwavering resolve to protect Mondstadt.
This was... her very own Vision!
Lydia slowly rose to her feet, the Vision's light illuminating her tear-streaked face. The fragility in her eyes gradually gave way to resolute determination.
The image of that bard—the one who always loved to drink, who indulged in her childish antics, who had grown up alongside her—flashed through her mind.
They had promised to search for her parents together, vowing to stay united whether it took ten years... or twenty.
Yet now, clutching her own Vision and gazing at the Poison Dragon Knight in the distance, Lydia smiled.
She no longer needed to go to Dragonspine, no longer needed to wait for the future.
This reunion was nothing like she had imagined.
There were no warm embraces, only cold armor and mechanical attacks.
They might have forgotten her, but she had found them.
Lydia turned her head to glance at Lumine in the distance, her lips moving in a silent apology. "Lumine... I'm sorry... I won't be able to help you find your brother anymore."
Lydia gazed up at Mondstadt, a faint smile curving her lips. "Amber, remember to eat properly. I really liked your Baron Bunny..."
A deep sense of regret seemed to linger in her heart.
Yet the thought of her parents being right before her made those regrets feel fleeting and weightless.
Stupid Venti, thank you for agreeing to help me find my parents. Thank you... for staying with me for so long, Lydia murmured inwardly.
Clutching her Vision tightly in her palm, she resolutely charged toward the two Poison Dragon Knights.
Sensing her movement, the knights swung their fists at her chest, the dark energy surrounding them threatening to devour her.
Lydia didn't dodge. Instead, she spread her arms wide and, at the moment the fists landed, embraced both Poison Dragon Knights in a desperate hug!
Venti, you were right. I deserve to be selfish just this once. Pressing her cheek against the cold armor, she felt as if she could still sense her father's warmth from years ago. This time, I won't leave you again.
Papa, Mama, I'm taking you... home.
Tears streamed down her face, freezing instantly into icy crystals on the armor.
Ice Blades and poisoned fists struck her back simultaneously. A tidal wave of agony washed over her body, yet she smiled with profound tenderness, as if finally fulfilling a lifelong wish.
Suddenly, the three Visions erupted in blinding light, their combined energy coalescing into a massive sphere that enveloped her and the two Poison Dragon Knights.
-
High above, Venti was locked in a fierce battle with Durin. When he sensed the familiar elemental fluctuations rising from the ground, his expression twisted in alarm, his eyes widening in panic. "No! Lydia!"
He desperately tried to break free from Durin's grasp, unleashing the full force of his Anemo power.
Yet the Demon Dragon seemed immortal, its shattered form instantly reassembling while the Abyssal aura within its body intensified.
Sensing Venti's intention to flee, it erupted with an even more terrifying Abyssal aura, ensnaring him completely.
The sheer power of the Abyssal aura held Venti captive, temporarily immobilizing him.
-
Dawn was breaking, and the first rays of sunlight finally pierced through the heavy clouds, illuminating the battlefield of Mondstadt.
Tears welled in Lydia's eyes, blurring her vision.
Gathering the last dregs of her life energy, she activated her Vision, her voice barely a whisper: "By the wind I swear, by the ice I bind, protect Mondstadt, my beloved home, protect... my family..."
Elemental Power surged from her body like a gentle tide, swiftly engulfing her and the Poison Dragon Knight.
Under the resonance of dual Anemo elements, her Vision spun faster and faster, accelerating the freezing process. First her ankles, then her torso, and finally even the smile on her face was frozen in crystalline ice.
When the light faded, only a massive ice crystal remained on the battlefield. Lydia clutched the two Poison Dragon Knights tightly, her head resting against one of their shoulders, her face serene and smiling, as if she were merely asleep.
Almost simultaneously, Durin, high in the sky, let out a piercing roar of agony.
Its heart, deep within the Poison Dragon Knights' bodies, shared the same origin.
As the ice crystal solidified, that pulsing crimson heart ceased to beat altogether.
The Demon Dragon's colossal body lost its life force and plummeted from the sky like a kite with a severed string, crashing heavily onto the ice crystal with a resounding boom!
Crack—
A crisp, ear-splitting sound echoed across the battlefield as the massive ice crystal instantly shattered into countless tiny shards. The icy fragments scattered with the morning breeze, gradually dissipating along with Durin's colossal body.
The blizzard gradually subsided, and sunlight bathed the battlefield.
Lumine stumbled to the spot where the ice crystal had shattered, collapsing to her knees in the snow. Her hands trembled as she frantically dug through the drifts, only to find a single, cold snowflake.
She watched the scattered ice fragments melt in the sunlight, tears finally bursting forth. Choking on sobs, she cried out that name: "Lydia, Lydia, no..."
The wind swept over Mondstadt's walls, carrying the distant scent of Cecilia flowers, as if whispering an unfinished promise.
On the ground lay only a Vision, its light extinguished, resting quietly in the snow that hadn't yet melted.
A new day had dawned...
This day was Lydia's birthday...
She received no birthday cake, heard no birthday song.
With the most valiant sacrifice, she had given herself, Mondstadt, and her departed family an ending that would never be forgotten.