Over Liyue — The Jade Chamber
"Travel through time? A stranger from another world…"
A beautiful woman—dressed in elegant silks, her white hair flowing and her crimson eyes reflecting the sun—murmured as she gazed at the ethereal diary hovering before her. The faint glow of the tome illuminated her refined features.
Its appearance had been sudden—almost as if it had bound itself to her by some mysterious contract.
When she didn't need it, the diary would vanish at a wave of her hand. When she wished to see it again, it would reappear just as easily, like a memory called back to the present.
"Lady Ningguang, a document requires your review."
Her secretary, Baiwen, approached, bowing respectfully.
"Leave it there," Ningguang replied, her voice calm and composed. "I'll review it shortly."
"Yes, Lady Ningguang." Baiwen placed the papers upon the ornate desk, but upon noticing the faint crease in her superior's brow, she hesitated.
"Lady Ningguang… is something troubling you? You seem a bit uneasy."
"Of course," Ningguang said, her gaze fixed on the glowing book. "It's because of this diary in my hand."
Then she paused—realizing something.
"Ah? Lady Ningguang, you aren't holding anything," Baiwen said carefully, confusion flickering across her face.
That remark only deepened Ningguang's suspicions.
Baiwen had served her for years. She was meticulous and attentive—if anyone could see what Ningguang was seeing, it would be her. And yet… she couldn't.
"You can't see it?" Ningguang's tone was half-question, half-confirmation.
"What are you referring to, my lady? What can't I see?" Baiwen asked, perplexed.
"The diary I'm holding," Ningguang said firmly.
Baiwen looked again, panic surfacing. "But, Lady Ningguang… there's nothing there. Should I summon the alchemists from Sumeru's branch for an examination?"
"No," Ningguang replied, regaining her poise. "That won't be necessary. You may return to your duties."
"…As you wish, Lady Ningguang."
After Baiwen left, Ningguang sat back in silence, eyes glinting like polished jade.
Am I the only one who can see this? she wondered. Or does it require a Vision—a divine eye—to perceive it?
***
Inazuma — Narukami Taisha Shrine
"Oh my… a visitor from another world?"
A soft, teasing voice broke the silence atop Mt. Yougou. A woman with long, fox-like ears, dressed in red and white shrine garments, gazed at the floating text before her. Her rose-colored hair shimmered beneath the sunlight, and her golden eyes curved with amusement.
"But compared to Alice… this one seems rather ordinary," Yae Miko murmured. "Then again, that's hard to say. According to what's written here, this man—Vaen Corith—only recently acquired this diary."
Her tails flicked lightly. "Still, I'm far more curious about the impact this inexplicable diary will have on Teyvat itself."
She closed her fan and smiled faintly. "Come to think of it… if I have one, then Lumine—or perhaps Aether—might as well. Now that would be interesting."
Her grin deepened. "How intriguing, Vaen Corith. Let's see what kind of uproar you'll bring to Teyvat with this little gift."
"It's been far too long since I've had entertainment this promising."
***
Mondstadt — Knights of Favonius Headquarters
"Jean, can you see it?"
The sultry voice of Lisa Minci drifted across the office. Her eyes gleamed playfully behind half-lidded lashes as she watched the blonde woman before her.
"Lisa? You mean… you have one too?" Jean asked, genuinely surprised.
"Of course," Lisa said with a stretch. "But tell me—can you see it?"
Jean frowned. "That's an odd question. Shouldn't you be asking whether I have one?"
Lisa tilted her head, thinking. "Hmm. I asked around earlier—several of our knights, in fact. Every one of them said the same thing: I'm holding nothing."
"What?" Jean's expression hardened.
"Could it be because they don't possess Visions?" Jean asked, setting aside her paperwork, her tone growing serious.
Lisa shook her head. "I even asked one of our Vision bearers. He couldn't see it either."
"I see…" Jean said quietly, lost in thought.
"So perhaps," she murmured, "only those who also hold a diary can see others' diaries?"
"That's one theory," Lisa replied lazily, leaning against the wall. "But we shouldn't rule out other conditions either."
Jean sighed. "You may be right. I'm letting this distract me too much."
Lisa chuckled. "Relax, Jean. That Vaen Corith fellow is in Mondstadt, isn't he? He even called this city 'the place where his dreams began.' Why not wait until he arrives and observe him for ourselves?"
Jean nodded. "You're right. I was being too hasty."
Just as Jean reached for another document, the pages of the diary began to turn on their own. New words appeared, written by Vaen Corith himself:
[Damn it! The game's knowledge doesn't help much here. Can someone explain why even a Hilichurl can beat a guy my height—one meter eighty—and make me run for my life?!]
Both women blinked, exchanging glances. Across Teyvat, every diary owner reading the same text silently shared the same thought:
Well, Hilichurls are still monsters, after all. Ordinary humans can't really compare.
At that moment, most diary holders began to believe that Vaen Corith was indeed just a normal person.
[Ah, finally safe. Seems most of these hillbillies have more muscle than sense.]
Vaen used the newly awakened Anemo power to drive away the Hilichurls surrounding him. Sitting down beneath an oak, he bit into a ripe, sweet Sunsettia, writing idly within the diary through sheer thought.
[Now that I think about it, after Mondstadt's Dragon Crisis, wasn't there an event where Abyss Mages led Hilichurls to attack the city?]
[Thinking of it that way makes things feel more balanced.]
Those words sent ripples through the hearts of the other diary holders.
The Dragon Crisis of Mondstadt had not yet occurred. The Knights of Favonius were still struggling to handle Stormterror's corruption. The very idea that Abyss Mages might lead Hilichurls to attack the city afterward—was unheard of.
The Abyss leading such a revolt against one of the Seven Nations? Impossible. Unless… the Abyss had grown far bolder than anyone imagined.
***
Far away, in Inazuma's Tenshukaku, Raiden Ei read the same line, frowning slightly.
"Barbatos… it seems the erosion of time has dulled your vigilance more than I thought."
***
[Alright, that's five hundred words for today. Let's see what reward I can sign in for.]
"'Sign in'?" murmured Ningguang back in Liyue. "Could that be the diary's true purpose?"
Across Teyvat, those who possessed diaries wondered the same thing.
And among them, a few couldn't help but complain quietly:
"Five hundred words a day? That's nowhere near enough to read!"