Chapter 86 – The Abyss and Khaenri'ah

After a dizzying whirl, they found themselves atop a mountain.

It was midday, and sunlight shone over the area between Mt. Aozang and Dihua Marsh.

Dainsleif stared at Mr. Qiu Bai before him with a look of shock.

Lumine and Paimon, however, were already accustomed to such things.

“To possess such a terrifying ability…”

“Without even a Vision, yet capable of reaching this extent.”

Dainsleif furrowed his brow as he spoke to Qiu Bai.

“Hehe, now is not the time to discuss this.”

“Look at the Abyss Mages below—they seem to be rummaging through the Ruin Guards for something.”

Qiu Bai smiled at Dainsleif and shifted his gaze to the several Abyss Mages at the foot of the mountain.

“Is that so… The Traveler often does that too…”

“Things like Chaos Devices, Chaos Circuits, and the like.”

Paimon waved her hand dismissively as she spoke to Qiu Bai and Dainsleif.

“Right, those are very important materials!”

Lumine said with a smile to both Qiu Bai and Dainsleif.

“Pfft.”

Qiu Bai covered his mouth and chuckled quietly.

Lumine immediately turned her gaze to the one snickering, placing her hands on her hips and glaring at Qiu Bai with an indignant pout.

“But the Abyss Mages probably aren’t looking for those, right?”

Paimon waved her hand, reasoning that since those two materials were so common, surely even Abyss Mages wouldn’t have trouble finding them.

“The reason I’ve been investigating outside is because Abyss Mages occasionally venture out from that ruin to explore.”

“It seems they are trying to find a specific, precious item from the remains of the Ruin Guards and bring it back to the ruin.”

Dainsleif glanced at the three and shook his head.

“But judging by their disappointed expressions, at least for now, they haven’t found it.”

Dainsleif turned around and looked down. The group of Abyss Mages had returned empty-handed once again.

“Then why don’t we just capture a few Abyss Mages and interrogate them?”

“Master Diluc has used this method before—just be a bit cruel to them.”

Lumine looked at Dainsleif with confusion, not understanding why they couldn’t simply capture one to question.

“I certainly have no intention of showing mercy to these creatures…”

“It’s just that I have a vague sense that this matter holds extraordinary significance for the entire Abyss Order.”

“The truth of it cannot be obtained through mere torture.”

Dainsleif looked at the puzzled expressions of Lumine and Paimon and slowly explained.

“Alright, let’s not linger here any longer.”

“We’ll continue the pursuit.”

Dainsleif’s voice rang out as he then ran off in a certain direction.

“With Qiu Bai here, why does he still have to run?”

Paimon waved her hands in confusion.

“I don’t know, let’s follow and see.”

“Let’s go, Qiu Bai.”

Lumine glanced at Paimon, then at Qiu Bai, before also running in Dainsleif’s direction.

Seeing this, Paimon stomped her foot and flew after them.

Qiu Bai nodded and quickly ran to catch up.

After running for a while, they spotted several Abyss Mages and Ruin Guards up ahead.

Dainsleif and Lumine charged straight in, and before long, they had dealt with all of them.

“Whew, aside from the Abyss Order, Ruin Guards are quite active here too.”

“It feels like places where the Abyss Order lurks often have Ruin Guards wandering around. Is that just a coincidence?”

Paimon looked at Lumine and Qiu Bai, waving her hand as she spoke.

Then she scratched her head, unable to figure it out.

“There are no coincidences in this world; everything is a seed planted in the distant past.”

“Just like your appearance in this tavern… time merely waits for it to sprout.”

Dainsleif looked at Lumine, speaking in riddles.

“I… don’t quite understand.”

“I only heard about you by chance.”

Lumine stared blankly at Dainsleif, somewhat confused.

“It’s nothing, just some unnecessary musings.”

Dainsleif waved his hand, seeing Lumine’s bewildered expression.

“The connection between the Abyss Order and the Ruin Guards is certainly no coincidence.”

“They should be branches extending from the same root system.”

Dainsleif began to explain.

“Root system? Branches… what do you mean?”

Paimon tilted her head, hands clasped behind her back, looking at Dainsleif with curiosity.

“They both originate from an ancient kingdom destroyed five hundred years ago.”

“Khaenri’ah.”

Dainsleif explained to Paimon, his tone heavy.

“Huh? Khaenri’ah.”

“So that’s how it is… the Abyss Order and the Ruin Guards are remnants of Khaenri’ah after its fall?”

Paimon hugged her chest, sounding quite surprised.

“Speaking of Khaenri’ah, that really is a name from a very distant past.”

“Oh, right, as a guide, I should explain to the Traveler. Khaenri’ah is…”

Paimon turned around, about to explain to Lumine.

“I know the name Khaenri’ah.”

Lumine spoke slowly, looking at Paimon who was just about to explain.

“Eh…?”

Paimon looked at Lumine in surprise.

“Because I have… memories of Khaenri’ah.”

Lumine explained, placing a hand on her chest.

“You have memories?”

“But that’s a kingdom that was destroyed five hundred years ago.”

Paimon looked at Lumine, astonished.

“Is that so? Everyone has their secrets. You never pressed me about matters of time.”

“I won’t press you either, but if you’re willing to tell me, I’ll listen.”

“So, what kind of scene did you witness in Khaenri’ah?”

Dainsleif furrowed his brow, looking at Lumine as he asked.

Meanwhile, Qiu Bai stood behind them, arms crossed, listening with faint interest.

After some hesitation, Lumine recounted to those present the sea of flames in Khaenri’ah five hundred years ago, the strange golden-black cubes within the fire, the deity she later encountered, and then her reunion with her brother in Mondstadt.

However, her brother didn’t speak to her and instead walked directly into a deep purple portal.

“Wait.”

“Reunion in Mondstadt?”

Qiu Bai suddenly frowned. So it’s true—my arrival has altered some things.

According to the original sequence, Lumine’s meeting with her brother later would have been their first encounter. So why did they meet again in Mondstadt before that?

What has changed? Three hundred years ago was when Azhdaha and Morax fought their great battle.

“No…”

“The location of Azhdaha and Morax’s battle.”

“Was far from where Lumine awoke. That doesn’t match up.”

Qiu Bai stroked his chin, unable to figure out what exactly had changed no matter how he thought about it.

“Heh, this is getting more and more interesting.”

“I didn’t realize I’d changed so much. A chain reaction, perhaps?”

Qiu Bai mused inwardly, a slight smile on his lips as he looked at Lumine, who was still speaking.

“So that’s the complete sequence of events that happened back then.”

“I thought you encountered that unknown deity right from the start…”

Paimon looked at Lumine and spoke slowly.

“Well… after descending into this world.”

“Your initial awakening was when your brother roused you from the falling star.”

Dainsleif looked at the somewhat confused Lumine and began to explain.

“It seems your brother woke up before you did.”

“Just not sure how much earlier.”

Paimon looked at Lumine and shrugged as she spoke.