The starlight faded, leaving only the faint fragrance of Glaze Lilies in the ruins, interwoven with the sobs of Lumine and Lydia.
Blood was still seeping from Lumine's arm. The Geo Elemental Light Membrane over the wound had long since shattered, and every movement pulled at her muscles and bones, sending a piercing pain through her.
Yet this physical agony seemed so insignificant compared to the grief over the deaths of Yunqin and the Osial couple.
She stared at the center of the empty ruins, where the starlight had once been brightest. Now, only tender green shoots swayed gently in the breeze, as if in silent mourning.
Yunqin's final smile, the resolute gazes of the Osial couple, Yunxuan lying in a pool of blood...
The scenes replayed endlessly in her mind, like a dull knife repeatedly carving into her heart.
Hatred for the Abyss grew like wild vines, strangling her internal organs, nearly suffocating her.
These monsters had not only taken Yunqin's family but had also destroyed the peace and attachments of so many others.
She would avenge them, no matter what.
Lumine took a deep breath and fiercely wiped the tears from her face with her sleeve, forcing herself to stand up.
Her legs felt weak, each step like treading on cotton, yet her spine remained straight.
She turned to look at Lydia, who sat slumped on the ground. The young woman was still immersed in grief, her snow-white hair clinging messily to her cheeks. The Festering Desire lay discarded beside her, and her eyes were so empty they were heartbreaking.
Lumine's mind raced with a thousand thoughts. She wanted to go forward and comfort her, to tell Lydia that they still had each other.
But as the words reached her lips, only a heavy silence remained.
Grief enveloped them like a tide, rendering any words pale and powerless.
She hesitated for a moment, then finally took a step toward Lydia, only to stop abruptly after a few strides.
Her back, framed by the dappled light and shadow, appeared exceptionally frail yet exuded an unquestionable resolve.
She turned her head slightly, her voice as hoarse as if it had been scraped by sandpaper, carrying a faint, barely perceptible tremor: "Lydia, you... should go back."
"Go back to Mondstadt. It's safe there."
These words struck Lydia's mind like a thunderclap.
Her vacant gaze suddenly focused, and she snapped her head up, staring at Lumine's back, her heart feeling as if it were being squeezed by an invisible hand.
That familiar feeling of being left behind struck her again, even more intense than when she was isolated in the black mist.
She recalled the helplessness of crying alone in the deep night when her parents passed away, the despair of being imprisoned by the Abyss, Venti's protection across time and space, and Yunqin's final charge before her sacrifice.
Was Lumine going to leave her behind too?
Lumine could clearly feel the sudden tension in the young woman's aura behind her, along with the spreading sorrow and panic.
Her heart clenched violently, countless "I'm sorry"s surging in her mind, yet she couldn't utter a single word.
She dared not look back, afraid to see Lydia's reddened eyes, afraid to see her fighting back tears, and even more afraid that she would break down completely in the face of such vulnerability.
The Abyss's conspiracy had not been unraveled yet, "His" threat still lingered, and the road ahead was bound to be fraught with dangers.
She could not let the people around her suffer any more harm. Lydia had already endured too much, and she deserved to live a peaceful life back under the sunlight of Mondstadt.
Lumine clenched her teeth, ceased her hesitation, and walked into the depths of the ruins alone.
The area still retained a thick Abyssal aura, perhaps hiding the clues to solve the mystery, as well as the dangers she must confront.
Her back was resolute, every step she took heavy, yet she did not shrink back in the slightest.
Lydia watched that gradually receding figure, and Yunqin's final smile as she died suddenly flashed through her mind.
That smile held no regret, only relief and entrustment; a surge of strength suddenly erupted from her heart, dispersing the spreading despair.
She abruptly raised her hand, gripping the Festering Desire by her side tightly. The dark purple runes on the blade's surface faintly lit up in response to its owner's will.
Pushing off the ground, she stumbled to her feet. Her snow-colored skirt was still stained with dust and tear marks, but her eyes were no longer empty; in their place was determination and resolve.
She took a deep breath, set her steps in motion, and chased after Lumine. Her voice carried a hint of choking sobs, yet it remained exceptionally clear: "I'm sorry, Lumine... But leaving a friend behind, I just can't do it."
Lumine's steps paused, her back tensing slightly.
Lydia caught up quickly and stood beside her, the Festering Desire gripped tight in her hand as its dark purple glow intertwined with the Geo elemental glimmer around Lumine. "Venti is still waiting for me, and we promised we'd go back together. The Abyss's conspiracy has not been unraveled yet, and Yunqin and Yunxuan's sacrifices cannot be in vain. I still haven't..."
At this point, she paused. An image surfaced in her mind: a figure identical to herself, clad in Abyss Armor. Those cold eyes, that pure malice, were like a thorn driven deep into her heart.
"I haven't even settled things with myself. How could I desert the battlefield now?"
Lydia's voice rang out with conviction, an unyielding fire burning in her eyes.
She could no longer run away. She could no longer be weak.
She would personally end that "self" who represented darkness and despair. She would see the world properly on behalf of Yunqin and the others, and more importantly, she would make the Abyss pay the price it deserved.
Lumine slowly turned around, her eyes reddening again as she looked at Lydia's resolute gaze.
She opened her mouth, but the thousand words she wanted to say finally formed into a single, hoarse "Thank you."
In the Earth Live Stream, Lu Nanqing watched the two figures standing side by side on the screen. Tears rolled down her cheeks once more, yet a gratified smile curved her lips.
The bullet chat was instantly flooded with messages like "Fighting side by side" and "Never back down." The players were deeply moved by this bond, and their previous sorrow gradually transformed into the strength to move forward.
Deep within the ruins, the black mist had not yet fully dissipated, faintly exuding a heart-palpitating sense of oppression.
Lumine reached out to support the stumbling Lydia. The two leaned on each other, struggling forward through the rubble-strewn ruins passage.
The pain of their wounds, their depleted stamina, and the heavy sorrow in their hearts made every step feel exceptionally heavy.
The dark purple runes of the Festering Desire sword flickered, as if guiding them forward, yet also as if resonating with the lingering Abyssal aura in the depths.
"Just a little longer..." Lumine gasped, her voice weak but resolute. She raised her hand to wipe the sweat from her forehead, but when her fingertips touched her wound, she hissed in pain. "We should be reaching the end soon."
Lydia nodded, her snow-white hair damp with sweat and clinging to her pale cheeks.
The hand gripping the Festering Desire sword trembled slightly, her arm already numb with exhaustion, yet her gaze remained clear.
Yunqin's entrustment, Venti's waiting, and the bond with her other "self" acted like beams of light, supporting her and preventing her from collapsing.
After walking for an unknown amount of time, just as the two were about to collapse from exhaustion, a blinding light suddenly pierced through the darkness ahead, dispelling the surrounding chill.