Player World.
The screen froze on Angie, her sword raised against Gosoythoth.
"She's dead... Angie is going to die too..."
At this moment, Chen Xiyao felt less grief and more of an unprecedented surge of reverence.
Yes, reverence. Respect.
Seven nations, each with a Pure Soul. In the end, they all perished.
Reflecting on each of them, their short lives of barely over a decade had radiated unparalleled brilliance. The Goddess... what kind of being was she truly?
The comments section erupted into a frenzy.
Angie was the second Pure Soul the players had encountered in the game... a companion...
Her presence had graced Mondstadt, Liyue, Inazuma, Sumeru, and Natlan—to the players, she was an old friend.
Her departure was impossible to accept...
[ "Let them all die! All seven are dead! Ha ha..." ]
[ "My chest feels so tight... Even at the very end, she gripped her weapon, ready to challenge such a formidable foe!" ]
[ "Ugh, this game... It's... it's just too much!" ]
[ "What will Childe do now?!" ]
[ "So this is how she died? I knew it was coming, but still..." ]
-
The perspective shifts back to Lumine's group.
Following the shimmering pink thread, the trio traversed the deep, pitch-black corridor.
Suddenly, Lumine halted mid-stride, as if sensing something. She turned back.
"Angie..."
Two clear streams of tears traced paths down her cheeks, dripping into the pitch-blackness below.
Wiping her tears away, Lumine faced forward again and continued her swift progress in the direction indicated by the pink thread.
Guided by the thread, the trio finally reached its end after about seven or eight minutes.
With a crisp shattering sound, the boundless darkness around them shattered like fragile glass, shattered by an unseen force.
Ahead lay a shimmering barrier, its surface rippling like water. The pink thread appeared to end here, having pierced through the barrier.
Mavuika and Aether joined Lumine, their eyes scanning the surroundings warily.
Their journey had been fraught with peril: first the purple-black wall, then those accursed Abyss Monsters! Even now, they couldn't shake the dread that more obstacles lay ahead.
Wounded and drained, Mavuika, Lumine, and Aether had little strength left to confront further challenges.
Moreover, as the saying goes, the closer you get to the end, the more insurmountable the obstacles become.
Unlike Mavuika and Aether's apprehension, Lumine only hesitated for a moment before stepping forward. As she pierced the barrier, her body was gently enveloped by boundless light.
A vast expanse unfolded before her. Beneath her feet lay a mirror-smooth surface of water, reflecting everything above yet seeming bottomless, as if connected to another starry sky.
At the center of this mirrored lake stood an unimaginably colossal Pink Crystal Tree, the sole source of light in this realm and the terminus of the pink thread that had drawn them here.
Tiny motes of pink light drifted through the air, like countless slumbering sprites. The luminous dust slowly danced, occasionally coalescing into petal-like shapes before silently dispersing, imbuing the entire space with an atmosphere of tranquil sweetness.
Though there was no wind, the Crystal Tree emitted a faint, ethereal hum, like a forgotten lullaby hummed in someone's sleep.
"This place..." Mavuika whispered, afraid to speak too loudly lest she disturb the sacred stillness.
Natlan... such a place actually exists...
"Traveler, we should... Hmm? Traveler?"
A sudden flash, and Lumine vanished from right in front of Mavuika and Aether, without a trace.
"Lumine! Lumine?!"
"I think the Traveler is trying to awaken the Goddess..." Mavuika speculated. She sensed no danger here; on the contrary, she felt warmth, comfort, and even noticed her injuries healing.
The Traveler had been right in front of her moments ago, yet now that she was gone, Mavuika couldn't even reach the spot where she had stood.
They were being gently blocked by the towering pink Crystal Giant Tree. This barrier wasn't forceful or malicious.
Therefore, Mavuika concluded that the Traveler must be fulfilling her mission!
Aether gradually quieted down, his gaze sweeping across the surroundings.
He prided himself on his familiarity with many places in Teyvat, yet he had never witnessed such a scene. Before this tree, Aether felt no urge to resist.
This was partly because the pink Crystal Giant Tree felt like Mom herself, stifling any rebellious thoughts. But it was also due to the sheer, unimaginable power radiating from everything here.
If this was the appearance of the Goddess in her slumber, what splendor must she possess in her full glory?
-
Lumine, who had vanished from Mavuika and Aether's sight, hadn't gone anywhere else. She remained in the same spot, as if existing in different times within the same space, making them unable to perceive each other.
Ever since arriving here, the Unrelenting Will in Lumine's hand had been trembling incessantly.
As the tremors grew more violent, Lumine loosened her grip, and the Unrelenting Will slipped from her grasp.
Whoosh—
The Unrelenting Will shot toward the towering Pink Crystal Tree, with Lumine hastily following behind.
At that moment, the pink thread also reversed its course, surging directly into the Unrelenting Will.
Before Lumine's astonished eyes, streaks of purple and ice blue began to streak across the sword's blade.
-
Correspondingly, the interface of Unrelenting Will reappeared on the players' screens:
[Unrelenting Will: This blade contains a fragment of the souls of your seven friends. Journey with them by your side, and perhaps you won't feel so alone. ]
[Special Effect: When the Traveler uses Elemental Energy, gain an additional 1400 Attack Power. ]
-
Seven distinct colors segmented the sword's blade. Unrelenting Will ceased its trembling and returned to Lumine's hand.
This time, it was Lumine's hand gripping the sword that trembled. The souls were now bound to the blade... Angie, Qingge, and the others had sacrificed themselves to...
Yes, I should have realized sooner. That faint, otherworldly sensation had been telling me all along, hadn't it?
But how could Fidelle's soul...?
Could it be Angie?
Remembering the inexplicable sensation she'd felt earlier, Lumine's last shred of hope vanished completely.
Angie... she might already be...
"Stupid Angie..."
Lumine sniffed hard, knowing this wasn't the time for sentimentality. With tear-filled eyes, she charged forward.
The closer she got, the more Lumine realized just how colossal the Pink Crystal Tree truly was—it seemed dozens of times larger than Irminsul!
As she approached the Giant Tree, Lumine wondered how she could awaken the slumbering Goddess.
The moment this thought crossed her mind, the Unrelenting Will in her hand suddenly reacted.
"Is it you I need? But how do I use you?"
Lost in thought, Lumine reached the base of the Giant Tree. Her keen eyes immediately noticed a hollow space between the roots and branches below.