They both smiled at the same time, tiny bubbles rising from their lips like a string of ellipses suspended in the deep sea, slowly floating toward the surface and shimmering with a delicate light reflected from the moon.
"Actually..."
"Actually..."
Their words clashed in unison.
Both fell silent, then subconsciously yielded the turn to speak to the other, only to crash again the very next second.
They were like two actors in a sketch, clumsily trying to let the other speak first; and like a pair of children who had just learned to "take turns playing with a toy."
Wanting to express themselves, yet also wanting to take care of the other.
Clumsy enough to bring tears to one's eyes, yet full of tacit understanding.
"Actually, we are no different."
This time, as if they had made a prior agreement, they split the sentence in two.
The "she" on the left said, "Actually, we," and the "she" on the right continued, "are no different," finally piecing together a complete sentence.
The moment the words fell, memories surged forward like a tide, rapidly overlapping between the two.
It was the same bowl of Yunlai White Tea that Zhongli had personally fed to her lips, the tea warm, its fragrance lingering at the tip of her nose.
It was the same bamboo ruler that Cloud Retainer had tapped on her head; when the ruler descended, it brought a gentle rustle of wind, the pain bringing tears to her eyes, yet she still stubbornly straightened her back.
It was the same fish promised to the Traveler, to be grilled until it was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, and Lumine had smiled then, saying, "I'll be waiting."
She patted her chest and guaranteed, "I will definitely let you eat the most delicious grilled fish," her eyes shining with earnest determination.
It was the same candy placed into Tartaglia's palm, its sweetness drawing their hearts a step closer.
Two seemingly completely different lives, like two ribbons roughly tied into a knot.
Before, they always felt the knot tightening, both becoming each other's "burden," but only now did they suddenly realize that they had always been the same string, just randomly folded by the palm of Fate.
Both had mistakenly believed they had become a "plurality," and so they began to oppose and hurt each other.
"They are all calling for 'Yunqin,'" the "she" on the left said softly, a deep longing flashing in her eyes as if gazing at distant lights. "Every time I heard it, I wondered, could it be that one time, the one they were calling for was me?"
"They were calling for both you and me," the "she" on the right responded gently, a relieved smile curling her lips as she reached out and pressed her hand lightly against the water film. "They never divided us into two. It was we ourselves who first divided ourselves into real and fake."
"Then let's stop dividing real from fake."
"Alright, no more dividing."
They simultaneously extended their fingers, gently tapping the thin film of water.
No force, no hesitation, like touching a fragile dream, like acknowledging the regrets in their hearts.
The moment their fingertips touched, the water film burst like a bubble, making no sound at all, yet causing ripples to spread across the entire deep sea, even the surrounding currents turning gentle.
Only one voice remained in the darkness, yet it carried a double echo, clearly resonating within the deep sea, filled with unprecedented resolve:
"I am Yunqin,"
"The Yunqin born from the vortex,"
"The Yunqin spoiled by Liyue."
"And also the Yunqin who returned everything to Liyue, dragging herself into the vortex."
The current suddenly reversed, a massive pull coming from the bottom of the deep sea, like a mother's embrace, dragging "her" deeper.
This time, there was no resistance, no pushing away, no hesitation whatsoever.
The previous struggles, the previous unwillingness, the previous resentment, all vanished into thin air at this moment, leaving only a heartfelt, willing journey.
"Let's go..."
"Together..."
"If someone must bear it all..."
"Then let the one who bears it also keep the right to be cherished."
The last giant bubble rose from "her" lips, clearly reflecting familiar faces within: Zhongli's golden eyes full of concern; Lumine's face showing anxiety; Tartaglia's silly grin still arrogant, a piece of candy in his hand, as if waiting for her return.
The bubble rose into the air, bursting gently with a "pop."
The shattered light fell back to the seabed like stars, like a reverse meteor shower, each wisp of light carrying the warmth of memory, all pouring into the same chest.
Thus, the vortex of the deep sea suddenly ceased, the raging seawater gradually calmed, the dark purple Abyssal aura receded like a tide, revealing the clean white sand on the seabed.
Moonlight once again shone straight into the deep sea, piercing through layers of water ripples, like a golden pillar of light, falling upon the girl who was neither the "Vessel" nor the "Innocent One."
She slowly opened her eyes, fine water droplets clinging to her long eyelashes, her pupils simultaneously reflecting the broken crown of the god and the myriad lights of Liyue Harbor.
The majesty of the god and the warmth of the mortal world intertwined in her eyes, neither conflicting nor jarring, but instead forming a strange and harmonious glow, like the fusion of the deep sea and dawn.
"I am Yunqin."
This time, she used only one voice.
It was the aura that belonged solely to Yunqin, possessing both the heavy resilience of the Geo element and the inclusive gentleness of the Hydro Element.
Like the mountains and seas of Liyue, always side by side and forever bound.
"That's right..."
She gently raised her hand, and golden Geo light and blue Hydro light simultaneously radiated from her body.
The two elements no longer opposed each other, no longer rejected each other, but instead intertwined like old friends meeting again after a long separation, forming a dazzling pillar of light that shot straight from the deep sea to the sky, tearing through the dark energy that shrouded the battlefield above, bringing light back to this patch of sea surface invaded by darkness.
"The one who came back to keep her appointment... (to die)."
-
On the other side of the battlefield, Xiao Qin felt Hydro Qin's weakness, and a vicious smile instantly flashed in her eyes.
She struggled to crawl up from the sea surface, and the dark energy around her body surged again, appearing even denser than before, and even faintly revealing a destructive aura.
She charged madly toward Zhongli and Venti, her voice piercingly shrill: "Without her, let's see who can still stop me!"
"Morax, Barbatos, today I will make you, and this Liyue Harbor, die together!"
Xiao Qin was charging toward Zhongli and Venti with violent dark energy, which was also mixed with unwilling roars.
The attacks of Osial and Beisht grew more fierce, and the original forms of the gods themselves seemed to be completely eroded by the Abyss.
The dark energy around Xiao Qin was as thick as ink, but just as she charged halfway, less than a hundred meters from the Dual Gods, the seawater beneath her feet suddenly surged up without warning!
It was not a violent wave kicked up by the gods' attacks, but a vortex with a strange pulling force. The seawater condensed like a living creature, transforming into countless blue water ropes that suddenly shot out from beneath the sea surface, instantly binding Xiao Qin's ankles, waist, and arms.
"What?!" Xiao Qin's pupils constricted sharply.
She instinctively channeled the dark energy to break free, but the water ropes possessed an incredibly strong binding force. The more she struggled, the tighter they coiled around her, and the dark energy was even swallowed whole upon striking the water ropes.
Xiao Qin looked down at her feet, only to see the entire sea surface slowly changing color. The dark purple seawater shed its gloom, once again revealing a clear blue.
Countless tiny rock particles rose from the seabed, intertwining with the seawater to form a massive web of water and rock that trapped her firmly in its center.
"Impossible! You clearly already..." Xiao Qin's words choked in her throat, the dark energy all over her body violently churning in shock.