That magnificent strike shook the entire continent of Teyvat. Even the mighty ancient ancient gods didn't dare take it head-on, retreating instead into the sea that sealed them away.
The people of Liyue stood frozen, stunned. A brilliant sunrise slowly rose over the horizon, its golden light blanketing the land, as if clothing every person in a radiant robe of sunlight.
"Is the ancient god dead?"
"Are we saved?"
"Who unleashed that strike just now?"
Clearly, no one had yet grasped what had happened.
They looked around, dazed. The overwhelming panic had abruptly vanished, leaving a surreal sense of calm in its place.
It felt like a dream.
"It was a Liyuean the world had forgotten."
"Yes."
"A hero of Liyue..."
At that moment, Ningguang, standing among the people, looked out toward Eula in the distance, her heart sinking slightly.
"Even mortals... can frighten away ancient gods." Keqing, who was helping guide the crowd, murmured to herself.
...
Bubu Pharmacy.
"Qiqi... my head hurts..."
Qiqi stared out toward the harbor, her voice uneasy.
"What's wrong, Qiqi?" Baizhu quickly asked, concerned by her unusual state.
"Qiqi... feels like... she forgot something... something very important…"
"What is it? Did you write it in your notebook?"
"I don't know... Qiqi only knows... it's really important... more important than coconut milk…"
"There's nothing in the notebook... nothing written down…"
Baizhu frowned slightly, puzzled by her words.
He had never seen Qiqi like this before. Headaches? That had never happened.
Why now, all of a sudden…?
He had no answer.
"I see... maybe you just forgot to write it down."
"I shouldn't have forgotten... Qiqi... can't remember... it's something very important…"
As Qiqi looked at the rising sun, her eyes began to redden, tears welling up uncontrollably.
...
Wangsheng Funeral Parlor.
"Red hands, yellow wine, two orioles sing among green willows."
"Huh…?"
"Why did I suddenly think of that?"
Hu Tao found herself reciting a poem aloud without even realizing it. Even she was caught off guard.
She gazed out at the sunrise over the sea. Her cheek suddenly felt itchy. She reached up—and paused.
"Tears?"
"Am I crying?"
"Why…?"
She wiped at her face, muttering, "What's going on today…? Everything feels so strange…"
"Why am I crying... Why do I feel so sad...?"
She couldn't make sense of it. The more she wiped her tears, the more they flowed.
Thankfully, Mr. Zhongli wasn't at the parlor. If he saw her like this, he'd definitely laugh.
...
Jueyun Karst.
A stunning white-haired woman stood outside a cliffside cave, gazing out toward Liyue.
"Why is my heart so restless…?"
"Has the seal weakened?"
She gently touched the red cord wrapped around her body, the suffocating pressure in her chest nearly unbearable.
"What is this…?"
"Tears?"
"Why am I crying…?"
Since the day her father abandoned her in that cave, she had cried all her tears. In all the years that followed—more than a decade—she had never shed another.
She didn't even experience emotional fluctuations, let alone cry.
Yet now, for reasons she couldn't understand, the sorrow in her heart overwhelmed her, and tears flowed freely.
"I need to ask Master."
Wiping away the tears, she headed off to find her master.
...
Liyue Harbor.
Zhongli stood atop the Qunyu Pavilion, quietly observing it all.
"Thank you,"
he whispered.
His eyes carried the weariness of a long-forgotten past.
He hadn't even sensed when the Whirlpool ancient god broke free from its seal.
By the time he reacted, the ancient god had already taken form—three serpentine bodies—and plunged all of Liyue into chaos.
Though he had abdicated, if he acted now, it would violate his contract.
But for Liyue's sake, breaking the contract might be worth it.
He just never expected that Elliot, a mere mortal, would possess such power.
When Elliot had asked Xiao, "Do you believe me?" Zhongli's instinctive reaction had been: "I do."
Even though it sounded absurd—he was just an ordinary mortal, without even a Vision.
He wasn't qualified to challenge ancient gods, let alone one of the higher echelon.
But still, a voice inside told him:
Believe.
So, like Xiao, Zhongli believed in Elliot.
Elliot didn't just save Liyue. He restored the honor of the Archon of Contracts.
...
Liyue Harbor, at the pier.
Xiao stood silently, staring at where Elliot had vanished into the void.
His eyes were wide. A weight dropped in his chest.
"My karma... it's all gone…"
He couldn't help but be shocked—his thousand-year burden of karma had been taken away by Elliot alone.
He had never imagined being saved by a mortal.
Nor that a mortal's departure would bring him to shed his first tear in a millennium.
Why had he believed in someone he'd never met?
How could this mortal take away all his karma?
Why did his departure make it so hard to breathe, like something was lodged in his chest, choking him?
He couldn't understand it. None of it made sense.
Xiao turned to look at Eula, who was crying uncontrollably.
"Can you tell me his name?" he asked.
"An…"
"Elliot An…"
Upon hearing the name, Xiao felt even more suffocated.
It was like a massive hammer had slammed into his chest, leaving him breathless.
Eula slowly raised her most precious bone whistle to her lips.
Then, a gentle, melodious wave-like sound echoed across all of Liyue.
She was sending off her teacher.
In her own way…
She rose to her feet, stood on tiptoe, leapt, and began to dance.
The elegant and noble funeral dance began.
The whistle never stopped playing.
Each movement and step of the ritual dance was engraved deep in her soul. Whenever she wished to dance, her body would move on its own.
Everyone in Liyue Harbor was drawn to the pier.
They followed the soothing melody of the waves.
There, they saw a short-haired woman performing a graceful, moving dance.
Bathed in the golden light of dawn, her every motion radiated a sacred beauty.
Even the sea's waves seemed to dance along with her.
As the final step concluded, the soft wave-like melody faded into silence.
"To the hero of Liyue, our highest respect!"
Led by Ningguang, everyone bowed slightly and spoke in unison,
"Thank you, hero of Liyue."