"Don't be so sad, Buer. At a moment like this, you should feel the joy of having found the final 'answer' instead." Greater Lord Rukkhadevata looked at Nahida and comforted her softly.
"This is the answer. Everything I wished for lies in those words..."
She spoke slowly.
"Let the world completely forget me."
Lora looked at her in silence, sorrow reflected in her water-colored eyes, just as Rukkhadevata had once looked at her when she herself stood at death's edge.
Gods born from the very origin of Teyvat possess a status more sacred than ordinary gods, yet the burdens they bear are far crueler, and they are more easily affected.
She was like that. Rukkhadevata was the same.
If Forbidden Knowledge were ever to pollute Teyvat again, then Nahida would one day face the same fate.
This was the destiny beings like them could never escape.
With a smile on her face, Rukkhadevata walked toward Nahida.
She embraced Nahida, and with that embrace, accepted her own death.
"We all dwell beneath the Tree of Wisdom,
trying to read the world.
Reading from the soil, reading from the rain.
Then becoming a white bird,
climbing to the highest branch.
At last, I grasped that most vital leaf.
...
I am the one who posed the question,
and also the one who sought the answer.
To save the world through the dreams of mankind,
that was once my answer.
And now, you too have found your own answer.
I will return every dream
to the people of this world.
People of Sumeru, farewell.
May you enjoy sweet dreams tonight..."
Amid the drifting leaves, Forbidden Knowledge was erased, and Eleazar faded with it.
Lora could feel the suppression she had placed on Dunyarzad and Collei disappear.
But at the same time, she felt the memories of Rukkhadevata gradually fading from her mind.
As she watched the former Archon slowly turn transparent and vanish completely, confusion and helplessness appeared in her eyes for the first time.
Scenes from the past flashed before her eyes, then became impossible to remember.
When she first appeared in Fontaine as a god, she had received an invitation from Rukkhadevata to attend the gathering of Sumeru's three gods...
When she became the Lord of Amrita and brought blessed rain to the rainforest and living waters to the desert, Rukkhadevata had stood beside her in admiration...
Then that image gradually blurred in her mind.
Every figure in those memories became Nahida.
All of them became Nahida's past.
As time moved forward, the place where she and Nahida stood returned to the Akademiya, back to where they had been before entering that space.
Lora stood there.
Nahida stood there as well.
Then Lora suddenly realized something.
It seemed she still remembered...
Within her vast memories spanning thousands of years was a special set of memories lasting just over twenty years. In those memories, the former Dendro Archon known as Greater Lord Rukkhadevata still remained.
Yet throughout the rest of her millennia of memories, that existence had vanished, leaving only Lesser Lord Kusanali.
After the first moment of shock, Lora accepted all of those memories.
The forest would not remember.
But now, she would.
And Lumine, who knew Rukkhadevata had existed, would as well.
Neither she nor Lumine belonged to Irminsul.
Lora's gaze fell on Nahida.
"Nahida, are you all right?"
"Ah... I... I'm fine... Little... Egeria, we just saved Irminsul, didn't we?"
Nahida paused, then turned to look at her.
"But why do I feel like I'm crying?"
Hearing the way Nahida addressed her, Lora understood.
At this moment, Nahida's memories had already adjusted. She now understood herself to be the original Dendro Archon who had merely become smaller and lost her memories.
"I don't know where this feeling in my heart comes from, but... I just feel so sad..."
Nahida pressed a hand to her chest and frowned.
Lora did not know what to say either. She walked over and gently rubbed Nahida's hair.
Nahida muttered softly, "Egeria, I only became smaller. I'm not a child. Don't pat my head..."
Lora withdrew her hand.
"Call me Lora. Remember that."
"Understood." Nahida nodded lightly.
Looking at her, Lora could not help feeling emotional.
Strictly speaking, Rukkhadevata no longer existed.
Nahida no longer existed either.
In today's Teyvat, all that remained was the so-called Nahida, the form left after Rukkhadevata became smaller.
As Lora thought this, her eyes shifted toward another direction.
There stood a figure wearing a sharp, pointed mask.
The moment she noticed him, Lora said, "Be careful, Nahida."
"Don't worry, Lora."
Nahida stood beside her, eyes fixed on Dottore without any trace of panic.
"Dottore, you still dare show yourself? Do you think we have no way to deal with you?"
Lora looked at him coldly.
Dottore slowly walked toward them as he spoke.
"As expected of the God of Water. Even without sitting upon the divine throne, you can still suppress the power of ordinary gods."
"Speaking of that, I'd like to ask you something."
Lora took out the god-remnant that served as the divine power core of Shouki no Kami.
"Where exactly did you get this god-remnant?"
"If I answer that question, would you be willing to hand over the Gnosis in your possession?"
Dottore answered with a question of his own.
Lora sighed helplessly.
"Are you childish, or am I? It's only a god-remnant. Judging by it, it's Electro in nature, likely from one of those in Inazuma. I was only asking. Whether you answer or not makes no difference to me."
"Exactly. Since my answer means nothing to you, why should I answer?"
Dottore spoke calmly.
"I appeared here today only to negotiate with the God of Wisdom and the God of Justice."
"Right now, there are three Gnosis in front of you, and you cannot take even one of them. Negotiate? Why should I negotiate with you?"
Lora looked straight at him as she asked.
Dottore sighed again.
If he had only been facing Nahida, he would have been confident in taking the Gnosis.
But now he was facing both the God of Wisdom and the God of Justice together. Taking the Gnosis by force was practically impossible.
That was, of course, assuming he had no trump card left.
Dottore spoke slowly.
"Perhaps you would be interested in exchanging the Gnosis for the lives of certain people."
"Who?" Nahida asked.
"Not many," Dottore said unhurriedly. "Just everyone who played a part in your plan."