The scene abruptly shifted, and a bone-chilling cold instantly enveloped Lumine.
The setting had changed to the wilderness, where the ground was covered with the fallen bodies of the Millelith. Blood stained the grass red, and the air was thick with the nauseating stench of blood and Abyssal aura.
Black mist swirled around Yunqin, her eyes filled with despair, like a lonely soul abandoned by the entire world.
She stumbled forward toward the black-robed figure, her steps unsteady yet filled with a near-devout persistence. That was Rex Lapis, the one she once revered as her faith, who had taught her to control rock and given her warmth.
But Zhongli simply stood there coldly, his black robes billowing without wind. The Vortex Vanquisher in his hand gleamed with a frigid light, the runes on the spear devoid of any warmth.
The moment Yunqin drew near, he didn't even spare her a glance. He simply raised his hand without hesitation, and the long spear, like a golden bolt of lightning, pierced straight through her chest.
Yunqin's eyes flew open, her pupils contracting in shock.
She stared in disbelief at the spear in her chest, then looked up at Zhongli, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth and staining her chin red.
She tried to speak, but could only manage a faint, raspy wheeze.
Yunqin stared fixedly at the man before her, her eyes filled with confusion, pain, and a lingering trace of supplication.
She wanted to know what she had done wrong.
"Useless thing." Zhongli's voice was terrifyingly unfamiliar, devoid of any warmth, like ice shattering on the ground, the sound of its breaking carrying a bone-chilling cold. "I raised you only to see if I could erase the beastly nature in your bones and make you submit to Liyue. Since that has failed, what use is there in keeping you?"
These words were like poisoned daggers, stabbing cruelly into Lumine's heart.
She felt a bone-deep chill and couldn't stop trembling, her fingertips clutching her clothes so tightly her nails nearly dug into her flesh.
She couldn't imagine how much Yunqin's heart must have ached when she heard those words.
The scene before her eyes shattered again, like a broken mirror, countless shards dispersing in the air.
Lumine shut her eyes tight, and when she opened them, she was back on the Dragon's Head at the Rite of Descension.
Yunqin stood right before her, her eyes bloodshot, the crimson color almost overflowing.
"Lumine, stay." She looked at Lumine, her gaze filled with a near-humble supplication, as if she were grasping at a final straw for survival. "In this world, you don't have to look for your brother anymore. I can bring him here right now!"
Just as the words fell, a familiar voice came from behind Lumine, gentle yet tinged with a hint of detachment, like a spring breeze that instantly froze Lumine's body: "Lumine?"
It was Aether!
The blood in Lumine's entire body seemed to freeze instantly, and even her breathing stopped.
She didn't dare to turn her head, afraid that if she did, she would see her brother's familiar face, afraid she would be unable to stop herself from drowning in this false warmth.
"You won't have to face those complex human hearts either. You can have whatever you want. We can live here together, wouldn't that be wonderful?" Yunqin's words were coaxing, as if she were luring her to fall into the darkness.
Lumine took a deep breath, her chest heaving violently as if she had made some kind of resolution, the hesitation in her eyes replaced by determination.
Seeing this, Yunqin slowly walked forward and gently hugged Lumine.
Her embrace was light, carrying a faint fragrance, the familiar scent in Lumine's memory.
Yunqin's voice carried a trace of a choke, like a child acting spoiled, yet it also revealed a deep sense of insecurity: "You are also my good friend. Wouldn't it be wonderful for us to be together in the new world?"
At that moment, a sharp pain shot through her chest.
Lumine swiftly drew the Festering Desire, the dark energy on the blade's body resonating briefly with the darkness within Yunqin's body.
Immediately after, the cold blade of the sword pressed against Yunqin's neck, its sharp tip already touching her skin and leaving a thin red mark.
"I'm sorry, Yunqin." Lumine turned her face away, unable to bear looking into Yunqin's eyes, her voice trembling uncontrollably yet remaining exceptionally firm. "Precisely because you are my friend, I can't bear to watch you fall further into this false world! I will take you back to the real Liyue, where people are still waiting for you to wake up!"
She raised her hand and swung the sword. The moment the blade was about to touch Yunqin, the surrounding illusion shattered violently, like broken glass. Countless shards dissipated in the air, revealing the true scene behind it.
Lumine snapped awake, and what met her eyes was the familiar night sky.
The sky was covered with thick, dark clouds, and thunder rolled. Purple lightning streaked through the clouds, illuminating the eerie Blood Moon high above.
It looked like a bleeding eyeball, staring fixedly down at Liyue Harbor, as if it might drip blood at any moment.
Yunqin was still sitting on the Blood Moon, her crimson eyes staring fixedly at her, her expression a complex mix of emotions.
There was the hurt of betrayal, the dissatisfaction at being "awakened," and a trace of relief that even she herself hadn't noticed.
"I never expected you to be the third one to wake up." Yunqin's voice was terrifyingly calm, without a single ripple, as if she were speaking of something that had nothing to do with her.
Lumine froze and instinctively turned her head, only to see Venti and Zhongli standing beside her, having appeared at some unknown point.
Venti held his lyre, his divine attire shimmering faintly in the night.
His brow was furrowed, his expression grave, and his fingertips still rested on the strings, clearly having just broken free from the illusion.
Zhongli stood with his hands behind his back, the Geo patterns on his black robes gleaming with an ancient luster under the Blood Moon's light.
His eyes were deep, and his entire being radiated a heavy Geo element pressure, like an immovable mountain.
Yunqin slowly stood up, her skirt tracing an arc in the air with her movement before she finally floated beneath the Blood Moon.
The Hydra moved its massive body to her feet, its nine heads letting out a deafening roar at the three of them simultaneously.
Dark green venom dripped from its fangs, splashing onto the sea's surface and kicking up black bubbles.
"So, could you tell me, what kind of... beautiful dreams did the three of you have?" A strange smile curved Yunqin's lips, one devoid of any warmth. "It just so happens that my mother also wants to hear how you treated her... obedient daughter."
Zhongli, Venti, and Lumine all froze in astonishment.
Before they could even process the meaning of the word "mother," a world-shaking roar suddenly erupted from the deep sea.
The sound carried a dense Hydro Element and Abyssal aura, like countless sea beasts roaring in unison, causing the entire sea surface to churn violently.
Beside the Hydra, a colossal figure slowly rose from the ink-black seawater. She was entwined in surging waves and dark energy, her scales shimmering with an eerie light under the Blood Moon.
It was none other than the Abyss-corrupted Beisht!
Her appearance caused the waves to instantly soar a hundred feet high!
The monstrous waves towered into the sky, as if they would completely swallow Liyue Harbor, and even the Blood Moon in the sky trembled slightly from this power.