“Where is this?”
Mei dreamily woke up. She immediately realized her body was completely paralyzed, weightless, confined in an indefinite space, so pitch black that there was not a single trace of light to shape her surroundings. She tried to move, struggling to escape, but every effort was just a desperate scratching in the void.
Suddenly, a sound echoed down from the dark emptiness. It did not come from any direction, but seemed to resonate from the embracing space itself, carrying an ancient, bone-chilling sense of authority. The voice was intermittent, scratchy, as if trying to pass through an invisible barrier or being extremely far away.
“Don’t struggle... it’s useless... Mei.” The mysterious voice, carrying the weight of power, just spoke out like that.
“Who is speaking? And where am I? How do you know my name? Supreme God, please answer this humble one!” Mei rattled off in extreme confusion, trying to maintain a polite tone.
A soft sigh echoed, carrying the weight of time.
“Before... humble... now... not.” The intermittent voice calmly replied, but the implication concealed a bitter truth.
“The Chosen One... The Savior... Don’t deny it.” The voice affirmed, full of commanding intent.
“Who is The Savior now!? You got the wrong person, it’s not me!” Mei shook her head, and though her body did not move, her mind churned in denial.
In her head, countless crazy thoughts poured out non-stop, countless game Lore hypotheses were drawn up. But in the end, only one question remained, tied to reality.
“Wait, don’t tell me you are the one who brought me here!?” Mei asked loudly, her gaze fixed straight ahead at the source of the sound.
The mysterious voice chuckled softly upon hearing Mei's question, a fragmented sound carrying a bit of tired humor, but it quickly returned to its solemnity. It seemed to also want to converse normally, but was too weak to utter a complete sentence.
“True... but... not my intention... Rather, the will... of Teyvat.”
“The will of Teyvat...” Mei repeated vaguely.
Her entire being felt extremely bewildered, tens of thousands of questions about game Lore jostled and echoed in her mind, trying to reorganize this mess of knowledge.
“Wait, was this ever a thing in the game? Who exactly is this voice? Heavenly Principles? The Four Shades? Or someone else? Nicole?”
The mysterious voice did not reply to Mei's aimless muttering, just let out a soft sigh. The resonance began to fade, as if it was being pulled away from the connection.
“...Do your duty well... I... shall go now.”
At this moment, as if suddenly remembering the most important goal of survival, Mei hurriedly intended to prop herself up, but then remembered she was still immobile in the air.
“Wait! Then how can I return to my world?” Mei shouted, using all her mental strength to ask the divine entity.
“Go to... the Grand Conclusion...”
The scratchy voice then completely disintegrated, being sucked into the pitch black emptiness, leaving Mei alone with the inexpressible silence and despair.
---
Mei woke up with a start, panting. Her body felt strangely exhausted; the paralyzed feeling from the dream still lingered on her skin, and her limbs ached, as if she had been forced to move through a cramped space.
“Thank goodness, it was only a dream...” Mei sighed in relief.
She looked around, searching for safety. But then, she felt something was wrong. Mei’s head was resting against something soft, yet indescribably firm. Her eyes fell upon a familiar deep black coat.
“Master Diluc!” Mei immediately sprang up, quickly retreating to the opposite side, her voice trembling with embarrassment.
“I... I...” she stammered, unable to speak.
Diluc glanced at her, then looked back out the window, his voice indifferent.
“It’s nothing, it looks like you had a nice dream.” Diluc spoke, his eyes still intently focused on the window frame.
Mei lowered her head, looking down at the floor of the carriage, gripping the hem of her skirt with both hands, not daring to look toward Diluc again.
“I’m sorry... Master Diluc, I bothered you.” Mei said softly.
“Mm.” Diluc replied, his tone emotionless.
The atmosphere in the carriage became stifling again, just like at the beginning silent, without a human sound, only the clatter of the wheels and the occasional neigh of the horse.
After a moment, Mei let out a heavy breath, trying to regain control of her emotions. She looked out the window, gazing at the deep black night outside, silently wondering how long she had slept. Then, she thought about that strange dream, murmuring to herself:
“The Grand Conclusion that voice spoke of... Does it mean the ending of Genshin Impact?”
“When the Traveler has passed through all the regions and arrives at the final ending...”
Mei turned back inside, looking at the bracelet on her wrist again, unable to stop fiddling with it, an inexplicable feeling washing over her.
“And what is this Savior business again... did they give me the wrong script!?” she muttered internally.
Suddenly at this moment, the carriage stopped. Very quickly after, Viber came from behind, his voice hurried.
“Master Diluc, the road ahead has been blocked by rubble! We cannot proceed!”
Diluc frowned slightly, opened the carriage door, and stepped out. He looked intently at the landslide area, then cautiously approached to inspect it. He touched the surface of the rocks, feeling their erosion, and the fissures on the surface indicated they had only recently been destroyed.
Mei also stepped out of the carriage to approach where Viber was standing, intending to greet him, but she froze when she caught sight of the old man’s eyes. A gaze that held both chilling cruelty and an inexplicable sense of satisfaction and malicious pleasure. This made Mei unconsciously step back, feeling immensely uneasy.
After a moment, Diluc returned, arms crossed, letting out a sigh. His voice was as steady as before, but laced with an unreadable caution.
“The road is completely blocked. There are traces of an explosion, it must have been brought down just a few hours ago.” Diluc mused, voicing his speculation.
Elzer also stepped down from his carriage, along with a few other merchants. Looking at the road, he raised an eyebrow slightly.
“Who did this?” Elzer spoke up, his voice serious, yet still maintaining his usual politeness.
“Who caused it doesn't matter anymore, first we must quickly transport the wine barrels back to the Dawn Winery!” Viber hurriedly cut Elzer off.
“Master Diluc, I have a proposal...” He turned toward Diluc, pointing his hand toward the forest on the left, where there was a large dirt path that the carriages could pass through.
“Let us temporarily cross Eirk Forest to return to the Dawn Winery. Although the distance is slightly longer, this is currently the best option.” His voice was passionate and strangely certain.
“Eirk Forest... I heard it is a golden route for adventurers, suitable for exploration, because of its pristine nature and lack of wild beasts.” Elzer looked at Viber, stating the information he knew.
Diluc pondered for a moment, then nodded. His eyes grew colder, but his voice remained calm as if nothing was amiss.
“Mm, let’s go. These wine barrels cannot be left outside for too long.”
Having said that, Diluc stepped back into the carriage, looking down at Mei who was still dazed. A gloved hand gently reached out, urging her.
“Get in the carriage.”
“I’m coming right away!” Mei hurriedly replied, grasping Diluc's hand, and stepped up the high stairs to enter.
The carriage turned off the main road, beginning to roll onto a faint and bumpy dirt path. The previous smooth, peaceful feeling disappeared, replaced by continuous rough shaking.
Eirk Forest immediately enveloped them. The thick, ancient tree canopies extended overhead, forming a dark and humid archway. The twilight light was filtered through the thick layer of leaves, leaving only faint weak spots of light, like peering eyes spying through the darkness.
The air became more stifling and colder than outside. The narrow dirt path gradually shrank, only wide enough for the carriage to pass. The twisted, moss-covered trees stood close together, creating countless long shadows that danced and swayed to the rhythm of the carriage wheels, like lurking figures slowly closing the circle of encirclement.
Unlike the fresh nature of the morning, the forest was unusually silent. There was no sound of insects, no bird chirping. This silence was heavy, as if the forest was holding its breath, waiting for something.
The clattering sound of the wheels and the horse's tired panting were the only noises breaking the silence, but they only highlighted their isolation and unease.
The convoy had traveled for quite a while, estimated to have covered more than half of the forest. Upon reaching the deepest part of Eirk Forest, the stifling feeling they had experienced grew even stronger, completely overpowering the coldness of the forest.
At this moment, a piercing sound of “Crack… Crack…!” rang out from above, penetrating the thick canopy of leaves. That dry, brittle sound quickly turned into a terrifying sound of air being ripped apart, as if something gigantic was being torn away from its roots.
In that brief moment, a giant black shadow collapsed, a massive ancient tree with rotten foliage and exposed, shattered roots, falling directly toward the carriage of him and Mei.
The air seemed to be compressed. The screaming of snapped dry branches, the horrifying rustle of leaves dragged down by the colossal trunk, and the fierce whistling of the wind sounded like a death warning.
Using his experience and keen instinct, Diluc immediately opened the door, leaped onto the driver's seat, grabbed the reins and the whip. He strained to tighten the reins, whipped the horse hard on the rump, forcing it to gallop at full speed.
The horse suddenly felt pain and terror. It panicked, instinctively galloping forward like flying, its hooves carving up the damp ground. The carriage shook violently, severely swaying on two wheels, as if about to overturn immediately.
The driver lost his balance, almost tumbling out of the carriage but was held tight by Diluc with one hand. Inside the carriage, Mei was in a state of extreme confusion, torn between the sensation of being tossed and trying to cling to her seat to avoid being thrown out.
“Wtf!? What the hell is going on? Is it an ambush?” she screamed in her mind, completely losing control.
The carriage continued to dart forward, just as the tree trunk crashed down with a thud, the ground shook violently, and dust and rotten leaves scattered everywhere. The carriage had just managed to slip past the danger zone.
“BANG!”
An earth-shattering sound echoed throughout the forest, like a clap of thunder. The heavy ancient tree crashed to the ground, the tremor spreading, causing the smaller trees around it to also sway and shed leaves. It perfectly blocked the path, severing the road for the remaining carriages in the extreme panic of everyone behind.
The tree was as huge as a fallen tower, its width would require five large men to fully embrace. Diluc looked up above, toward where the tree had just fallen, his sharp eyes full of vigilance, not missing any details.
At this moment, Viber peered out his window with bright eyes containing satisfaction and malicious pleasure, while Elzer immediately jumped out of his carriage and quickly approached the ancient tree.
“Is everyone over there okay?” Elzer spoke up, his voice so rushed that he lost his usual polite demeanor.
Diluc quickly pushed the driver toward the carriage door, commanding him in a low voice to get inside, and then stepped in himself. Mei, hearing the familiar voice, snapped back to her senses, immediately leaned out the window, and loudly replied.
“We are fine! But the path here is blocked, we can’t— Ah!”
Before she could finish her sentence, Mei was grabbed by the collar by Diluc, and yanked back inside the carriage. He frowned slightly, his voice like a command that allowed no resistance.
“Stay still in here, don’t lean out anymore.”
Having said that, Diluc looked toward the ancient tree blocking the road, speaking loudly, emphasizing every word for Elzer to hear clearly.
“Elzer, you and everyone in the convoy must quickly return to the old road, find help from the people outside. We will find our own way.” His voice was cold, allowing no refusal.
“Master Diluc...” Elzer murmured. He wanted to stay and help Diluc, but he knew that staying now would only hinder his master.
He let out a sigh, trying to regain his usual courteous demeanor, and walked toward the merchants, forcing a smile as he spoke, trying to maintain calm to reassure them.
“Everyone, we must quickly turn back to find help, we should not waste any more time.”
In the convoy, some merchants still didn't understand what was happening and noisily discussed the tree, while others complained about this tumultuous journey. But there were still a few people who grasped the current situation, urging everyone to quickly get back into the carriages and rush to find reinforcements.
The convoy departed, and gloom once again enveloped the forest. Elzer sat in his carriage, hands clasped together, impatiently burning with anxiety, knowing that he was leaving Diluc in the lion's den.
“What happened certainly wasn’t a coincidence; someone is aiming for us... specifically Diluc, which is why he pushed everyone away from the danger... I must hurry.”
Back at Mei and Diluc’s carriage, the space was shrouded in darkness. Now, the only light illuminating this spot was perhaps the lamp hanging outside the carriage.
“What happened, Master Diluc?” Mei asked, still startled, her voice still trembling.
Before Diluc could reply, he immediately sensed something ripping through the air and rushing toward them. He did not hesitate, using his strength to push Mei forcefully forward. In that instant, a dry “Clang!” rang out, the projectile had embedded itself deep into the door, just centimeters from Diluc’s face. The driver also quickly retreated closer to the seat, and all three were in a state of extreme vigilance.