The Anemo element vanished instantly upon contact with the dark energy, like snow meeting a blazing fire, without even a ripple.
Lumine's hand, gripping the Prototype Rancour, trembled slightly as Geo energy coalesced around her into a pale golden barrier.
Yet she could still feel the bone-chilling cold brought by the dark energy. It seeped through her skin into her body, making her shiver all over.
She scanned her surroundings warily, hearing only her own heartbeat and distant, muffled shouts. Her heart raced with anxiety and fear: "Aether? Venti? Lydia? Where are you?"
Paimon screamed in terror, completely unable to tell her direction. She could only instinctively fly toward any light, her voice thick with sobs: "What do we do?! I can't see! Is everyone okay? Don't leave me alone!"
In the darkness, only the Abyss Knight's cold and eerie laughter echoed, gliding through the ruins like a ghost, filled with endless malice: "The game has only just begun... All of you who abandoned me, betrayed me, will become sacrifices for my revenge!"
"Venti, didn't you want to protect her?"
"I'd like to see if you can still protect your beloved girl in this endless darkness!"
-
The Abyss black mist was as thick as ink, devouring not only all light but even the Elemental Power in the air, which was torn to shreds.
The group was trapped within, each facing a desperate situation.
The Anemo Perception Network Venti had spread was instantly devoured the moment it touched the edge of the black mist. The few remaining cyan-green light particles on his fingertips were like a candle in the wind.
He could only grope his way forward by memory, stumbling with every step, his heart filled with worry for Lydia.
Aether and Dainsleif found themselves standing back to back without realizing it, their Elemental Power barely sustaining a safe zone about half a meter square around them.
But the dark energy was like greedy vines, burrowing into the Elemental Barrier through its gaps.
Lumine gripped the Prototype Rancour tightly, its blade glimmering with a faint Geo element glow in the darkness.
She had to test the ground with the tip of her sword before each step, for fear of falling into a trap set by the Abyss.
Only the sound of her own rapid heartbeat reached her ears; even her shouts to her companions seemed to be sucked away by the black mist.
Lydia curled up on the cold ground, arms tightly hugging her knees. The fragmented memories of her torture by the Abyss and the suffocating sensation brought by the black mist tore at her mind over and over.
Her consciousness gradually blurred, and her lips kept murmuring "Venti," her voice so faint it was almost inaudible.
Paimon's voice echoed in the darkness, but she couldn't find any familiar figures, so she could only spin around in place helplessly.
Venti walked through the darkness, lost and confused, the broken stones beneath his feet making the soles of his feet ache.
At some point, the flat ground became rough and uneven.
In this dead space that not even the wind could penetrate, he felt such powerlessness for the first time.
As the Anemo Archon, he once commanded air currents to cross mountains and rivers.
But now, he couldn't summon even a single breeze that could carry a message.
Suddenly, a faint light flickered amidst the black mist ahead. That light bore the familiar scent of wind, like a candle flame swaying in the darkness, instantly igniting his hope.
Venti stumbled forward, running toward the light, his cloak tracing a messy arc behind him.
The moment he passed through an invisible barrier, a howling storm suddenly filled his ears, stinging his eardrums with sharp pain.
The sight before him made his pupils shrink, his eyes filled with shock and complexity.
This was Mondstadt...
But it was not the City of Freedom he had personally created.
Stone walls were enveloped in a violent storm. The sky was so gloomy it seemed about to crush everything, and a black tower, towering into the clouds, stood in the distance.
The tower's spire was hidden in the dark clouds, exuding a suffocating sense of oppression.
This was the predecessor of Stormterror's Lair, the Old Mondstadt from the era when Decarabian, the Lone King of the Tower, ruled!
In the howling gale, the familiar land now filled with the scent of despair, and even the air carried a metallic tang like blood.
A flash of pain crossed Venti's eyes; the tragedy from a thousand years ago was playing out before him once more.
And now, he didn't even know how to intervene.
-
At the same time, Aether and Dainsleif were yanked from their spot by a powerful pulling force, and the darkness before them abruptly vanished.
They stood amidst a complex of magnificent buildings, the streets so wide they could accommodate ten carriages side by side. The structures on both sides were carved with intricate patterns, yet they were covered in a thick layer of dust, and the empty streets exuded an eerie silence.
The air was filled with an ancient and mysterious aura, and they could faintly sense a power that shared the same origin as the Abyss but was purer. This was Khaenri'ah, before it had been destroyed by the Seven Gods.
"I never expected the power of the Abyss to be able to manipulate time and space." Aether clenched his fist, golden Elemental Power swirling in his palm, his eyes filled with gravity. "It seems their scheme is even larger than we imagined."
Dainsleif snorted coldly, yet his gaze could not hide a trace of vigilance. "Khaenri'ah hid countless secrets before its fall. The Abyss sending us here will never be just to let us admire the scenery."
No sooner had the words fallen than the sound of synchronized footsteps echoed from ahead, their rhythm as heavy as drumbeats striking the hearts of the two.
They subconsciously stopped their bickering and turned their heads in unison.
Seven figures emerged slowly from the end of the street. The leader was enveloped in the heavy aura of the Geo element, while the others each radiated the unique pressure of gods.
It was the original Seven Archons!
Their gazes were cold and devoid of warmth, looking at Aether and Dainsleif as if they were two outsiders who had intruded upon sacred ground.
"It looks like we're in for a tough fight." Dainsleif took a deep breath, stronger Elemental Power condensing at his fingertips.
Even in the face of the Seven, he did not take a single step back, though beads of sweat trickled down his temple and jaw, clearly feeling the immense pressure.
Aether also tensed his nerves, golden light erupting around him to form a dazzling shield of light.
-
Elsewhere in the black mist, Lumine knelt on the ground, shielding Lydia behind her.
Seeing the girl curled on the ground, cold sweat beading on her forehead as she groaned in pain, Lumine's eyes filled with fury, her knuckles turning white from gripping the Prototype Rancour.
She was about to charge toward the Abyss Knight, but the other raised a hand to stop her.
"Don't be in such a hurry, Traveler," the Abyss Knight said, a cold smile curving her lips, her tone mocking. "I've prepared a 'grand gift' for you. You wouldn't want to miss it."
She clapped her hands, and the black mist behind her surged violently as a familiar figure slowly emerged.
When Lumine saw the newcomer, her pupils constricted, and the Prototype Rancour nearly slipped from her grasp. "Yunxuan? How are you here?"
"Don't call me by the wrong name, Traveler." The newcomer chuckled, her voice crisp yet laced with a chilling madness.
It was Yunqin, who should have been dead!
She wore the same dark purple armor as the Abyss Knight, but this time it was forged not from ice, but from pitch-black obsidian.