[Yelan believes in strength, and her combat ability is exceptionally powerful.]
[Your own fighting skills are fairly average, but ever since childhood, you have displayed Elemental Power far surpassing that of ordinary adults.]
[Now, your Elemental Power is even greater than it was back then.]
[With the help of your elemental skills, dealing with the Fatui's attacks no longer poses much difficulty for you.]
[You and Yelan coordinate seamlessly, water and ice intertwining as freezing reactions trigger one after another.]
[The Fatui attacking you are frozen one by one, able only to watch helplessly as the two of you harvest their lives like reapers.]
[Before long, only the hulking man wielding the ice spear remains, struggling desperately to hold on.]
[You grip a sword formed entirely of ice and plunge it into his heart without hesitation.]
[You look into his terrified eyes and smile faintly.]
["What I want has never been The Knave's mercy… what I want is her life."]
[After piercing his heart, the ice melts into water and vanishes without a trace.]
[His life, like that ice, dissipates forever.]
["So you have a Vision too? You hid it well."]
[Yelan knows you carry many secrets, but she never imagined that you possessed a Vision.]
[For someone like her, who values power and intellect above all else, it is difficult to comprehend how anyone could gain such strength and still restrain themselves from using it.]
[You understand what Yelan means and simply reply calmly.]
["Whether I have a Vision or not doesn't affect my ability to gather intelligence."]
[Yelan studies you intently, a flicker of fascination passing through her eyes.]
[She smiles at you.]
["That's true."]
[After wiping out the Fatui squad, you and Yelan continue on your way and return to Liyue the very same day.]
[As soon as you arrive back at Yanshang Teahouse, several of Yelan's subordinates surround you.]
[These people had been taking turns watching over Chenxi.]
[When you see the guilt and panic mixed on their faces, your heart sinks.]
[Did something happen to Chenxi…?]
[They tell you that Chenxi disappeared several days ago.]
[While staying at Yanshang Teahouse, Chenxi had always been obedient and well-behaved, gradually lowering everyone's guard.]
[No one expected that during a shift change, she would seize the chance to escape.]
[Back in Mondstadt, you had already sensed that the Fatui were preparing for a major move.]
[And Liyue has always been one of Snezhnaya's primary targets.]
[Yet Chenxi went missing at such a critical moment.]
[Yelan immediately mobilizes manpower to search all of Liyue for Chenxi's whereabouts, while Ningguang dispatches the Millelith to assist.]
[Even so, after turning Liyue upside down, there is still no trace of Chenxi.]
[You spend every day consumed by anxiety.]
[You fear that she may have already fled back to Snezhnaya, or worse, been captured by the Fatui operating in Liyue.]
[You are now a traitor to Snezhnaya. If Chenxi is caught by the Fatui, the consequences would be unimaginable.]
[They might use her to restrain you.]
[Or worse… they might hurt her…]
[While you were away from Liyue, Hu Tao continued to persist, bringing her band to Yanshang Teahouse every morning.]
[It wasn't until someone at the teahouse told her you had gone to Mondstadt on assignment that she finally stopped.]
[Like you, Hu Tao can see ghosts.]
[Perhaps she learned that you had returned to Liyue from them.]
[Only a few days after your return, she began coming to Yanshang Teahouse every morning with the band again.]
[This time, however, you never appeared before her.]
[Chenxi's disappearance strikes you like a blow to the head, forcing you awake.]
[Hu Tao's presence has always made you feel at ease and relaxed, which is why you fell in love with her.]
[She is the last remaining light in your dark world.]
[But once a person relaxes, they expose weaknesses and become vulnerable.]
[You cannot allow yourself to continue like this.]
[Your feelings for Hu Tao are nothing but a burden to you now.]
[You have more important things that must be done…]
[You promised your mother that you would protect Chenxi…]
[You once swore that you would make the Fatui pay…]
[You no longer need that light.]
[Let yourself fall into darkness forever.]
[After Chenxi goes missing, you leave early and return late every day, searching all over Liyue for clues.]
[At the same time, you continue investigating Fatui intelligence, hoping to uncover even the faintest lead.]
[You are so busy that your feet barely touch the ground, and Hu Tao appears in your thoughts less and less.]
[One morning, the funeral music that had woken you every day fails to sound.]
[Hu Tao has understood your meaning, and she no longer comes to disturb you.]
[This is the outcome you wanted, and also the outcome you feared most.]
[Perhaps this is for the best.]
[Everyone you love, everyone you care about, seems to end up unhappy.]
[Hu Tao keeping her distance from you is the right choice.]
[You thought you could let go of your feelings for Hu Tao.]
[But one day, she suddenly blocks your path.]
[She looks withered, like a flower that has lost all its vitality.]
[The moment you see her in this state, a sharp pain still pierces your heart.]
["Kael… why?"]
[Hu Tao asks you in a hoarse voice.]
[You used to dote on her so much.]
[No matter how unruly or unreasonable she was, you always stayed by her side.]
[Why did you suddenly seem like a completely different person?]
[Hu Tao has been thinking about this question nonstop.]
[You used to unconsciously reveal a heavy heart.]
[Even when you smiled, there was always an emptiness in your eyes.]
[You would often leave Wangsheng Funeral Parlor without warning…]
[Only now does Hu Tao realize that she never understood you as well as she thought.]
[She had assumed that with your family gone, you felt lonely, and that was why you acted this way.]
[Looking back now, everything feels suspicious.]
[What exactly are you hiding?]
[Hu Tao grips your hand and speaks softly.]
["Kael, why? Why did you become like this…"]
["Zhongli said you have things you want to do, and that I can't force you to change."]
["But I really miss the Kael you used to be…"]
["Can you tell me what you're trying to do?"]
["Kael, let me stay by your side. I'm not a child anymore. Let me help you…"]
[Faced with Hu Tao's plea, your choice is…]
[1. Tell her everything, your past, your hatred, and let her share the burden with you.]
[2. Continue to hide the truth and keep her away from these troubles.]
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