It was envy, it was relief...
It was the stirring realization: "So, I can be this brave too."
It turned out that the "naivety" she had always loathed was actually the very thing she most longed to possess.
Her gaze slowly drifted down, landing on her own trembling hands.
These hands had once condensed Hydro Element blades, gesturing countless times in Morax's direction.
They had once clenched into fists, nails digging into her palms, swearing to make those she hated pay the price.
In countless late nights, they had gently stroked her own wounds, telling her, "Hate them, grow stronger."
But now, these hands couldn't even maintain the purifying melody.
"I clearly... wanted to help too." A wave of bitterness rose in Hydro Qin's heart, and her nose tingled slightly.
She recalled the Liyue Harbor she had just seen—even amidst the flames of war, those scattered lights still burned.
She recalled the scene when she met the "other self," and the light that sparkled in the other's eyes when they agreed to protect Liyue Harbor together.
It turned out that toward this place she had once hated to the bone, and toward these people who had once hurt her, she had long since developed a sense of belonging that even she herself hadn't noticed.
It wasn't Liyue she had hated, but the version of herself that longed to be accepted yet was always rejected.
It wasn't Morax she had resented, but that unrequited longing for "family."
"Father... Mother..." Hydro Qin's gaze swept across the chaotic battlefield, drifting toward the vortex in the distant deep sea.
It shimmered with a faint glow, the source of her bloodline.
It was the "home" she had yearned for countless times in her dreams.
A home without the Abyss, without seals, only the gentle faces of her parents.
She recalled the madness of Xiao Qin controlling Osial and Beisht, and the murky eyes they had when shrouded in dark energy. A powerful wave of regret surged in her heart, drowning her like a tide.
"I'm sorry... I couldn't let you see the real me."
How she wanted to rush over, grab Osial and Beisht, and tell them, "I'm not just a monster who knows only hatred."
How she wanted to call them "Father" and "Mother" properly in a world without the Abyss or misunderstandings, even if only once.
But this wish, at this moment, was like foam in the deep sea, ready to shatter at the slightest touch.
Her body sank a few inches further, and the scene before her began to blur. Yunqin's golden light, Xiao Qin's dark energy, and the lights of Liyue Harbor all gradually melded into a single mass.
The roar of the battlefield in her ears also grew distant, leaving only the sound of her own increasingly faint heartbeat.
Hydro Qin instinctively raised her hand, her fingertips stretching toward Liyue Harbor, trying to grasp something.
Perhaps it was the hem of Yunqin's robe, perhaps a lamp at the harbor, or perhaps that warmth of "family" she had never possessed.
But her fingertips only passed through the void, grasping nothing.
"Don't... give up, Yunqin," Hydro Qin silently pleaded in her heart. A final flicker of light suddenly flashed in her fading eyes, like a candle flame before it burns out. "Liyue... I leave it to you."
She could feel her consciousness rapidly dissipating, like a beach being swallowed by the tide, yet there was no fear in her heart, only a faint sense of relief.
At least, she had done something to protect.
At least, she had finally understood what she truly wanted.
Not hatred, not revenge...
But the warmth of being needed, of being accepted.
With her final glance, she looked toward Liyue Harbor.
-
Hydro Qin gently closed her eyes, her long eyelashes drooping to conceal the regret and relief deep within. Her body lost all strength, falling slowly toward the sea like a fallen leaf.
Yunqin's body lay on the sea's surface, blood gushing from the wound in her chest where Xiao Qin had pierced her, staining the water beneath them red.
The icy seawater had already touched the tips of their hair, carrying the unique salty chill of the deep sea. Just as they thought they would sink completely into darkness, a pale blue film of water suddenly rippled around them.
The water film glowed with a soft light, cradling her steadily like a mother's palm.
The force of the fall and the pain in her chest vanished abruptly, replaced by a gentle yet irresistible pull that drew their consciousnesses toward each other.
Their robes swayed gently with the current, like silk ribbons fluttering in the wind.
The water pressure grew heavier, pressing against their eardrums like two sheets of taut paper. Every breath met with salty resistance, making their chests ache with a dull pressure.
Yet the heartbeat in their chests sounded incredibly loud, as if someone were striking a bronze mirror within, sending tremors through their entire bodies and causing their fingertips to tremble faintly.
"Hey, are you scared?"
A voice, cool yet tinged with curiosity, suddenly echoed in her mind, like a sound rising from the depths of the ocean, carrying the dampness of water.
That was the voice of "Hydro Qin," the part of herself who bore the destiny of the Scion of the Gods.
"I'm scared... but, even if I am, I must finish this."
Another voice, gentle yet resolute, immediately replied, carrying the warmth nurtured by the mortal world of Liyue.
That was the voice of "Yunqin," the part of herself who was taught by Zhongli and cherished by the Adepti.
Two voices layered from the same vocal cords, creating a double echo, like a mother and daughter's whisper, like a promise between sisters, and even more like a child talking to herself in a mirror.
Both intimate and strange, both familiar and distant.
On the left was "she": the Blood of the Vortex flowed within her body, a faint aura of the Hydro God swirling around her, and a coldness swept by fate lingered between her brows.
That was the self called "Hydro Qin," the "Scion of the Gods," an existence born from the deep sea vortex and burdened with the god's expectations.
On the right was also "she": the Geo Vision at her waist glowed with a soft golden light, reflecting a warmth that filled her eyes.
That was the self called "Yunqin," the "Disciple of the Adepti," a young girl raised with the pampering warmth of Liyue and who regarded protecting Liyue as her mission.
They gazed at each other through a thin film of water, as if separated by a mirror that could never be broken.
They could clearly see the emotions in each other's eyes and feel each other's heartbeats, yet they could never touch each other's fingertips.
"I envy you."
The "she" from the Vortex side spoke first, her voice tinged with a faint, imperceptible melancholy.
"You've smelled the Almond Tofu of Wangshu Inn, so sweet it could melt in your heart; tasted the Grilled Fish of Wanmin Restaurant, so fresh it could be remembered for a lifetime; been protected by Master, and surrounded by friends chatting and laughing."
"But I can only smell the salty brine underwater, only be sealed within my own body, without even a single chance to 'live for myself'."
"But we are the same."
The "she" from the Liyue side shrugged, a deep sense of resonance flashing in her eyes as she raised her hand to touch the Vision at her waist.
"You were placed with great expectations by the ocean, bearing the destiny of the Scion of the Gods; while I was 'strictly watched over' by the Adepti, getting my head tapped by Master even when trying to sneak out to play."
"Neither of us ever had the chance to live properly for ourselves, both of us bound and driven forward by 'expectations'."