Mondstadt — Windrise.
Barbatos, who was on the verge of helping Dvalin purify the corruption within him, stared intently at the light-screen before his eyes.
The voice from earlier had been brief, yet it managed to recount the most critical chapters of Teyvat's history in one sweep.
Having regained some clarity, Dvalin let out a low growl.
"Barbatos… that blackened sky it mentioned—does it mean…?"
Barbatos gave a light nod.
"Mhm. Khaenri'ah."
As one of the Seven, Barbatos would never forget the brutality of that war.
Endless tides of pitch-black monsters had swept across the land, eroding the Seven Nations.
All living beings suffered.
"This light-screen… what exactly is it?" Barbatos muttered.
"To know even those events… and to even mention the Heavenly Principles…"
Yet what truly surprised him was what the light-screen said about the future.
"Is it asking us… to witness what is yet to come?"
"Hmm?"
Barbatos paused.
"What a fascinating screen."
"It even allows everyone to communicate together in some special space."
He curiously studied the light-screen.
Just by forming a thought, one could communicate with everyone across Teyvat.
For now, however, it seemed no one dared to be the first to act.
"Ehe… maybe I should—"
"Barbatos, what are you thinking now?"
Dvalin shot him an annoyed sideways glance and reminded him sternly:
"We still don't understand what this thing is. Don't mess around. If this is some trick by the Abyss Order and you fall for it, it'll be troublesome."
Fontaine.
Furina sat slumped alone on a sofa.
Even the little cake in her hand had lost its sweetness.
She was breathing heavily, one hand repeatedly pressing against her chest.
"Showing the future…?"
"If that's the case, then Fontaine's prophecy would be included too…"
"But…"
Furina stared at the light-screen, doubt filling her eyes.
Could this thing truly show everyone the future?
"If it really can…"
"Then it should show me in the mirror—saving Fontaine from the prophecy."
"At that point, my identity would be exposed."
She pondered for a long time.
Then suddenly, her spirit lifted.
"As long as Fontaine can be saved, that's enough."
"Even if my identity is revealed, and everyone sees the future, they'll surely walk the path that leads to salvation."
"Even if I'm met with resentment for deceiving them… so be it."
Mondstadt City.
Knights of Favonius Library.
Jean, still troubled by Dvalin's recent attack on Mondstadt, waited anxiously, her emotions mixed.
"Jean, you're worrying again," Lisa said with a wry smile, shaking her head.
"Lisa, perhaps we can find a solution to the dragon crisis through the future," Jean replied, glancing at her.
Lisa didn't respond.
By instinct alone, she felt that things were far more complicated than they appeared.
Everything the light-screen had spoken of was deeply unsettling.
As a once-in-a-century genius acknowledged by the Sumeru Akademiya, Lisa had never found any record in history matching what the screen described.
The Year of Hidden Flames.
The Primordial One.
A reversed catastrophe.
A blackened sky.
The twins from beyond the stars.
Most terrifying of all—it mentioned the Heavenly Principles and the Abyss.
From what the light-screen implied, even the gods of the Seven Nations seemed insignificant.
Then what did that make the Four Winds?
What did it make Dvalin, the East Wind?
"It did say it would show everyone's future…"
Lisa murmured to herself.
"Well. Since we can't figure it out, we might as well wait and see."
Outside Mondstadt.
With Lumine's help, Amber quickly cleared out the Hilichurl camp.
The appearance of the light-screen hadn't affected her sense of duty in the slightest.
Once the task was complete, the three hurried toward Mondstadt City.
"Traveler!"
Amber suddenly seemed to recall something, her expression brightening.
"That light-screen claims it'll show the future of everyone."
"It'll definitely show your lost sibling too."
"That should help you find them, Traveler."
Amber's passionate smile was infectious.
Lumine was just about to thank her—
When Paimon suddenly gasped.
"Look! The light-screen—it looks like something's appearing!"
[The chessboard of Teyvat's fate has already been laid out.]
[Where will the future's destiny lead?]
[The Abyss seeks to drown Celestia, seize the authority of the Heavenly Principles, and erode Teyvat.]
[At the final moment, the Sustainer of Heavenly Principles placed her hope in the Fourth Descender, entrusting her with the Primordial Loom of Fate as a safeguard.]
[Should Teyvat truly be engulfed by the Abyss, the Fourth Descender may use the Primordial Loom of Fate to reweave and restore all of Teyvat.]
[However, as the Heavenly Principles and the Abyss clash fiercely, an even greater crisis approaches Teyvat.]
[The Fifth Descender—one who comprehends the past and the present.]
[He acknowledges the Heavenly Principles' love for Teyvat's beings, yet denies her methods.]
[He believes many lives do not deserve the right to be rewoven and restored.]
[Before that, he will declare war upon the Seven Nations of Teyvat and carry out the Human Instrumentality Plan.]
[...]
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