Nata.
Fire-deity Mavika paced the room, worried to the point of agitation.
Ever since Su Xuan had asked Buye'er to place cell towers and phones across Teyvat—and had Ningguang open sales points in Nata—Mavika had been the first to buy one. The first and only thing she did with the phone was post on the forums.
She couldn't openly beg Su Xuan to save the Night-God nation from the Abyss, of course. But she tried every euphemistic trick she could think of, dropping hints and coded pleas into the post in the hope of catching his attention.
Nata needed Su Xuan more than any other nation right now.
Days passed with no reply. Frustrated, Mavika rushed to the Ningguang stall and begged the sellers to pass a message back to Liyue via the daily star-barge deliveries. She wanted a face-to-face with Ningguang—Ningguang being the steward of Liyue's authority, after all.
Ningguang spared time for Mavika. It turned out Mavika was also a diary-copy holder, and she wanted Ningguang to forward her plea to Su Xuan. Ningguang agreed—of course she would pass it on. If Mavika was a diary-copy holder, their paths would cross sooner or later anyway.
Besides, the nations were already building an economic commonwealth in practice. Cultural exchange, foreign cuisine, goods—these things could travel even if people couldn't. It was only a matter of time before Fontaine, Nata, and Snezhnaya joined in on the same networks.
What nobody expected was that Su Xuan's journey would be interrupted by the Keeper of Fate's descent. He had followed the Keeper straight to the Sky-Islands.
"Mavika, stop pacing — you're making me dizzy," the leopard-like elder sister Hino Ning fussed, rubbing her temple. "Is this your motorcycle track?"
"Also, Ningguang-san and Yelan are here. Don't pace in front of guests." The obsidian-haired Chitraly offered a polite rebuke.
"Sorry, I'm just too anxious." Mavika forced a smile at Ningguang and Yelan.
From Su Xuan's diary notes, Mavika already knew something important: by borrowing the Death Regent Yonavah's power and combining it with the Sacred Fire, a single devastating strike could very likely pulverize the Abyssal blight buried deep in the Night-God nation. The cost might be everything—memory, life—but it could save Nata.
Mavika didn't fear that price.
But Yonavah's help came with strings. She'd set rules for Nata's salvation: unless the six legendary tribal heroes awoke, the Sacred Fire couldn't be fully unlocked. The awakening depended entirely on the heirs of those legends—they couldn't be forced. So far, only Hino Ning had shown any sign of awakening. The other five were silent.
"It's fine, Fire Deity,"Ningguang and Yelan said with quiet smiles. "Don't apologize. We understand."
They were veterans; they understood the anxiety that comes with hope. Su Xuan's arrival was a light for so many burdened leaders—once you had seen what he could do, you wanted him for your country yesterday. Hope made the heart impatient.
"Nata's leyline is not like the others," Mavika went on. "Our people cannot travel freely. If the Abyss stirs and strikes, we must be ready early." She sighed.
Ningguang comforted her: "As a diary-copy holder, even if you don't seek him, he will come. He is interested in restoring the wasted faith of the people—he will want to talk to you. Be patient."
Mavika calmed. She had been overly urgent. If Su Xuan was going to use ancient tech left by the old Dragon Empire and combine it with faith-power, Nata's problem had a real chance.
Then Mavika suddenly remembered something else. "I recall the diary asked us all to prepare ourselves—to 'be awakened'. What exactly does that mean?" She looked to Ningguang and Yelan, hopeful for advice.
Chitraly, Hino Ning, and Chaska all watched Ningguang and Yelan expectantly. But the two elders exchanged embarrassed glances; they looked reluctant to speak.
"Sorry, perhaps I pushed too rashly," Mavika said, placating. "If it's awkward to say out loud, no problem."
Ningguang smiled, but she was evasive. "It's not a great secret, but it's hard to explain by words alone. Let me write it down. After we leave, you can open the note."
Mavika accepted without hesitation. Knowing what the diary hinted at would help them work with Su Xuan later—avoid surprises. Ningguang and Yelan left, but not before a warning: [The answer may shock you. But trust me; it is the 'awakening' Su Xuan mentioned.]
Back in their room, the four women gathered and carefully unsealed Ningguang's note.
"...What? Energy exchange between xing (spirit) and xing (qi)?" Mavika read, eyes wide. "There really is a way to grow stronger like this? Su Xuan is extraordinary..."
Chitraly, Hino Ning, Chaska—each had the same stunned look. Mavika's focus on that single line was almost comically literal, but the message itself was enough to stir anxious hope.
Meanwhile, Su Xuan had granted Focalors (Fucalos), Furina, and the rest with time-space access to the Jade Pavilion, then followed Asmode's sliced space directly to the Sky-Isles.
This place was strange and boundless. From this vantage one could see the entire Teyvat in a single sweep — even the pockets of inner-spaces and otherworldly grottoes. You could peer into the borders of life and death and see distant worlds.
"I'll notify the others," Asmode said, polite.
Su Xuan waved a hand: "No need. I can sense where they are."
Asmode blinked. The way Su Xuan could perceive even those tucked inside pocket realms was astonishing—the man's perception overlapped whole inner worlds. Even though Teyvat was constructed from many such spaces, they could not hide from him.
Asmode felt a thrill. If anyone could be called the new steward of this world, Su Xuan was the obvious candidate. He didn't want the throne—yet he shaped nations simply by existing. That made him an ideal ruler in her book: no selfish interference, merely stewardship through strength.
She mused: when the First Ones awaken, they would not blame her for allying with such a figure. If anything, having Su Xuan stand between them and cosmic threats was a relief.
Asmode scanned the strange pocket-space. Her face darkened slightly. "I'll still go tell them," she decided.
Su Xuan leaned in and whispered: "They're hiding. Don't disturb."
Asmode blinked. "Are you sure?"
He nodded, amused. "Absolutely. It's actually quite fun." He smiled like a kid about to play a prank. "Think of it like Surtur's old habit: he's so strong he gets bored. I get invited everywhere, and sometimes I like to play hide-and-seek. Watching them squirm is part of the entertainment."
Asmode considered him, then slowly smiled to herself. "I see.""You like to toy with them?"
Su Xuan patted her shoulder: "This kind of craft is maybe a blind spot for you."
Asmode: "Ah?"
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