Dottore opened his eyes, his gaze quickly shifting from initial disorientation to his characteristic composure as he stared at the pristine white ceiling above.
The air was thick with the antiseptic smell of medicine, and the shadowless surgical lamp illuminated the room with relentless intensity.
Dottore was intimately familiar with places like this—it closely resembled his own laboratory, though subtle differences indicated this was one he hadn't visited before.
When he attempted to use his powers, he confirmed that his Delusion had been taken away, and his body was bound by an unknown energy that prevented movement. The faint aura leaking from a Sealing Array permeated the room.
Clearly, he had been captured and brought here.
Yet Dottore had no memory of how he had been captured or by whom.
He remembered being on his airship, heading to Fontaine to study the Melusine—ancient beings with harmonizing properties, abundant energy, longevity... and even the ability to convert seawater into Primordial Sea Water.
Just as he was enjoying hotpot and singing, a sharp pain flashed through his head, and the next thing he knew, he was here.
It seemed he had been ambushed.
But it's so strange, he thought. I was on an airship, ascending to such a great height precisely to avoid trouble.
Even if someone discovered me, approaching in this utterly empty sky would surely have been detected by my Fatui subordinates, who would have alerted me.
As for betrayal, while not entirely impossible, I handpicked my most loyal men. There might be one or two traitors, but their numbers couldn't possibly be large enough to pull off such an operation.
Besides, my own strength is considerable. No mere Fatui soldier could have taken me down with a sneak attack.
Dottore couldn't make sense of it, but he knew someone would soon arrive to unravel the mystery. He could already hear slow, deliberate footsteps approaching from the distance, each step like a weight pressing down on his chest, his mood growing heavier with each footfall.
"You're awake."
The owner of the footsteps finally appeared—a remarkably young man in a white lab coat.
Dottore sensed no presence emanating from him, not even the aura of life itself. The man seemed to belong to another world entirely.
"Who are you?"
"To dare strike against me... I must commend your courage."
Dottore remained unfazed, even after discovering that his connections to the outside world had been severed—likely due to the Sealing Array deployed within the laboratory.
He knew that if his enemies dared to act against him, they must have some advantage. His chances of survival were slim.
But Dottore wasn't afraid of death. His only regret was dying before fully unlocking the potential of the Melusine treasure.
"Me?" The man nodded, then spoke:
"I am No. 1, Monsieur Dottore."
"A pleasure to meet you for the first time. I hope you'll show me the ropes."
"While I say that, I'm sure you're already familiar with our other members. Let's consider ourselves acquaintances, shall we?"
With those words, No. 1 plunged Dottore's spirits to rock bottom.
Ever since the Fontaine incident, the Fatui had been investigating this mysterious force that posed a threat to their grand schemes. Yet they had uncovered virtually nothing.
This was precisely what made them so terrifying. To know that such a vast organization existed on Teyvat yet remained so deeply hidden, revealing not a single flaw.
Only when this force finally moved would they be able to uncover any clues.
Now that Leader No. 1 himself had stepped forward to speak with him, Dottore's fate was essentially sealed.
Yet, in this desperate situation, Dottore blurted out:
"Just what kind of being are you?"
Hearing Dottore's words, No. 1's lips curled into a faint smile.
"I am a being just like you."
No. 1 spread his arms wide, gesturing to his white lab coat.
"It's quite obvious—we both share a passion for research."
"And today, Monsieur Dottore, you are my experimental subject."
Upon hearing this, Dottore's pupils constricted slightly.
Seeing this reaction, the smile on No. 1's face deepened.
"Relax, Monsieur Dottore."
"You should be quite familiar with this sort of thing."
"It's just that before, you were the one standing in my position, studying experimental subjects. Now, the experimental subject has become you."
"These are necessary sacrifices in the pursuit of truth. I believe Monsieur Dottore, above all others, should understand this perfectly."
"We are kindred spirits, after all."
"Heh heh heh..."
Dottore chuckled softly, facing his impending doom with composure, though he was somewhat surprised not to meet his end at the hands of his Prime.
"Very well, it's getting late. Let's begin."
No. 1 smiled as he stuffed a wad of gauze into Dottore's mouth, simultaneously producing the necessary instruments.
Even in his final moments, Dottore remained preoccupied with the Melusine research he hadn't yet begun...
-
Inside the New Fortress of Meropide Prison, as they watched Dottore No. 6 leave with Neuvillette, the other Dottore Segments' expressions darkened.
His behavior is far too abnormal, they thought. It's as if he's become a completely different person. Yet after merging our memories, we found no anomalies in him.
Moreover, he's still in the Mind Chatroom. We can even exchange sarcastic remarks with him.
When something deviates so sharply from the norm, there must be a hidden cause. Let's first rule out the possibility of him being replaced.
After all, the Prime Dottore alone possessed the ability to create and control Segments. Even the other Segments lacked access to this knowledge, making it virtually impossible to create a new Segment for replacement.
Furthermore, No. 6's memories aligned perfectly with his previous records. Unless this was a Segment within a Segment—a Segment personally crafted by Dottore No. 6 himself.
With this possibility eliminated, the Dottore Segments found themselves stumped.
They refused to believe that Dottore No. 6 was truly so naive as to think Neuvillette could prevent his ultimate erasure by the Prime. He wasn't a three-year-old Segment anymore, and even at that age, he wouldn't have been so foolish.
But if he's doing this, he must have a deeper reason. We just lack the necessary information to understand it.
After some contemplation, Dottore No. 1 suddenly noticed a key point and initiated a group chat with the other Dottore clones in the Mind Chatroom.
[ Have you noticed what he said earlier? About the Dendro Archon trading the Gnosis for our lives? ]
[ I was in Sumeru with the Prime before, so I know some details about the Gnosis. ]
[ Currently, we can't pinpoint the Gnosis's location, nor can we meet the Dendro Archon. ]
[ For her, the Sanctuary of Surasthana is both a prison and a shield. ]
[ With our current capabilities, we can't breach the Shield without significant cost. ]
[ Therefore, the terms of the Prime's deal with the Dendro Archon might actually be met. ]
In truth, the situation wasn't as dire as Dottore No. 1 made it out to be. While the Sanctuary of Surasthana's defenses were formidable, they weren't insurmountable.
The real challenge lay in breaching the Sanctuary while ensuring the Dendro Archon's safety.
They could defeat, humiliate, and imprison the Archons of other nations, but they absolutely could not slay them. Otherwise, there would be no place for them on the Teyvat continent, and even the Cryo Archon of Snezhnaya might hunt them down.
This was the Prime Dottore's true concern. Compared to this, continuing the search for the Gnosis in the void seemed both safer and more likely to succeed.
[ So did he know something in advance? ]
[ If such a situation arose, the Prime would absolutely do it. We would all be annihilated. ]
This deduction further soured the Dottore clones' mood.
It wasn't that they feared death. Driven by their thirst for knowledge, they were even curious about what death would feel like.
But that didn't mean they were willing to accept a being who completely controlled their fate, especially when that being was another version of themselves.
Apart from slight differences in strength and talent, they were essentially the same person as the Prime. Yet their destinies were entirely at his mercy—an unbearable prospect for anyone.
Since they were all fragments of the same individual, all the Dottores knew that the Prime would eventually erase them. If they were in his position, they would do the same.
[ It seems he intends to use Neuvillette's power to eliminate the Prime. ]
Upon hearing this hypothesis, the Dottores began to weigh the possibilities. Their final conclusion was:
Though the risks were immense, it was worth trying!
While the other path—directly collaborating with the mysterious force—was also an option, they were currently constrained by Neuvillette and unable to pursue it. Therefore, joining forces with Neuvillette became their only viable option.
Most importantly, ever since Dottore No. 2 arrived in Fontaine, none of them had any way out.
[ While we were still plotting our escape from this place, he had already figured everything out. ]
[ We are all "I," yet why is the disparity in our thinking so vast? ]
[ Perhaps this divergence is precisely what the Prime sought. ]
-
In Sumeru, Dottore encountered something that truly challenged his title as "The Doctor."
Previously, after thoroughly examining the second Fatui soldier and finding no abnormalities, he sent him back.
The surgery had been remarkably successful. He had avoided damaging any critical organs, even meticulously avoiding blood vessels. Yet, the soldier had gone mad.
He transformed into a mindless beast, tearing at anyone he saw alive and causing a significant incident.
Naturally, Arlecchino stormed into his laboratory that very day, splitting the door with a single strike and demanding answers.
At first, Dottore assumed she had come to settle accounts over the first Fatui soldier's case. He frowned and began explaining that medical treatments always carried risks. If she was going to make trouble over a single failure, she might as well not bother seeking his services in the future.
However, when Arlecchino demanded to know exactly what he had done to the second Fatui soldier, Dottore realized something was amiss.
Then he saw the Fatui soldier's corpse, along with two victims and several injured survivors, and his mind was thrown into turmoil.
He had thoroughly examined the Fatui soldier at the time, finding absolutely nothing wrong. He had even assured Arlecchino of this. Yet, against all expectations, this incident had occurred.
Now, Dottore meticulously re-examined the corpses, including the victims' remains, but found no anomalies. All indicators remained normal.
After great effort, he finally managed to calm Arlecchino down and send her back. Alone in his laboratory, Dottore pondered where he had overlooked something.
For hours, Dottore remained without an answer. Then, his third experimental subject arrived.
As before, the Fatui soldier showed no abnormalities upon examination. His brain activity was perfectly normal.
Yet, shortly after the man returned to his unit, the laboratory door was once again cleaved open by a sword.
"Dottore, what the hell is this?!"
"What experiments have you been conducting on my people? Are you deliberately trying to provoke me?!"
Seeing Arlecchino's fury—poised to fight if he didn't provide a clear explanation—Dottore frowned deeply and asked, "The same as last time?"
"No, it's different."
"This time it's even worse!"
Arlecchino took a deep breath before recounting what had happened.
"Ever since my subordinate returned from seeing you, I've had him closely monitored, fearing a repeat of the last incident."
"But this time was different. For the first half-hour, he seemed perfectly normal."
"Then, right in front of numerous witnesses, he began to twist and distort, transforming into an Abyss Monster and unleashing carnage on my territory!"
Arlecchino pointed her sword at Dottore, the searing flames raising the surrounding temperature and radiating a terrifying killing intent.
"Dottore, you must explain yourself this time!"
"If you hadn't done something to him, how could such a thing have occurred?!"
Dottore's brow furrowed even deeper. As the one who had personally examined the Fatui soldier, he knew better than anyone else.
There was absolutely nothing wrong with the soldier—at least, according to his examination results.
"I need to examine the corpse."
Hearing Dottore's request, Arlecchino scoffed coldly. But she ultimately sheathed her weapon and gestured for the nearby Fatui soldiers to bring the body forward.
Dottore meticulously examined the monster's corpse and confirmed the presence of distortions caused by the Abyss. However, he hadn't used any Abyss-related tools during his initial inspection.
"Explain yourself, Dottore," Arlecchino demanded.
"I did nothing but examine it," Dottore replied calmly. "With so many experimental subjects available, I have no reason to lie to you about this."
Arlecchino snorted coldly. She had hesitated to act immediately precisely because of these considerations. However, Dottore bore responsibility for the situation, and his answer clearly dissatisfied her.
"You may observe the next examination, but remain silent, Arlecchino."
After a moment's consideration, Arlecchino agreed.
She had originally intended to request this, but Dottore had refused, citing the confidential nature of his examination methods. His willingness to relent now demonstrated his sincerity.
Thus, Arlecchino observed the entire examination of the third Fatui soldier.
During the more invasive procedures, Arlecchino frowned slightly but ultimately made no move to interfere.
Finally, after the Fatui soldier was brought out, Dottore temporarily forbade Arlecchino from taking him away, insisting he remain in the laboratory for observation.
This time, things went unexpectedly smoothly. After several hours of observation, the Fatui soldier showed no signs of abnormality.
However, this was a disastrous development for Dottore.
It only deepened Arlecchino's suspicions that he had tampered with something, and he was unable to identify the source of the problem.
Dottore had already sent men to inspect the route between the laboratory and Arlecchino's garrison, but they found nothing unusual. Yet, as if someone were deliberately thwarting him, the soldier's body, which he had judged perfectly normal, began exhibiting strange anomalies.
To rule out the possibility of this being an isolated case, Dottore performed examinations on a third and fourth Fatui soldier in Arlecchino's presence. The results were the same: no issues detected.
Could it be that the first two soldiers were the true anomalies?
It seemed their flesh and blood would require even more meticulous scrutiny.
As Dottore pondered this, he dismissed Arlecchino. However, she remained unconvinced by his repeated assurances that "everything is normal." She believed that roughly a third of her subordinates had been compromised by an unknown force and had already defected.
How could such a massive dataset all happen to check out as normal by sheer coincidence?!
"Dottore, are you even capable of this?"
"If not, just say so. If you can't do it, practice more."
"Don't bring up your past glories—times are changing fast."
Hearing Arlecchino's taunts, Dottore frowned slightly before replying, "Take your people away. I've only checked a few so far; there's no need to rush."
Arlecchino shook her head in dissatisfaction. She considered finding someone else—Dottore seemed utterly unreliable—but she had no better alternative. In the end, she suppressed the urge to leave.
"Let's hope there are no more 'accidents' next time, Dottore."
Arlecchino departed with three Fatui soldiers, while Dottore sent subordinates to follow them, instructing them to report any anomalies in the trio's behavior.
Having finished these arrangements, Dottore summoned another Fatui soldier. After conducting another swift examination, he sent the soldier back with instructions for his subordinates to remain in Arlecchino's camp and observe the soldier closely.
And then, the unexpected happened again.
This time, the Fatui soldier let out a bloodcurdling scream as his skin turned crimson, followed by blood gushing from all his orifices before he collapsed, dead.
His blood was highly poisonous, instantly incapacitating several Fatui soldiers who rushed to investigate.
Arlecchino's sword was once again pointed at Dottore, but he couldn't care less at this point. He seemed to dimly realize that Fontaine's chaos wasn't without reason...