The morning sun of Sumeru felt different today. It wasn't just the humidity or the filtered green light of the Divine Tree; it was the sensation of a chapter closing. Ren woke up, splashing water on his face, washing away the lingering, heavy emotions of the dreamscape and the secret grief of a forgotten god.
When he stepped into the living room, he found Ningguang already standing by the door, looking impeccable as always. The alumni house was stripped of their personal touches, the books returned, the teacups washed.
"The luggage is already stowed in the Eclipsing Star," Ningguang said, smoothing her gloves. Her amber eyes held a gentle, knowing warmth. "All that remains is the farewells. I suspect there are quite a few people who would wish to see you off."
Ren nodded, slinging his small satchel over his shoulder. "Yeah. Let's go."
Their departure tour began in the heart of the city, at the Grand Bazaar. The subterranean market was buzzing with a lighter, happier energy than before. The shadow of the Sages was gone, and the theater was alive.
Nilou was there, practicing a new step. When she saw Ren, she practically danced over to him. "Ren! You're leaving?" Her expression was sad, but her smile remained bright. "Thank you for everything. The next time you come, I promise, I will dance the Dance of Sabzeruz just for you. A private show."
"I'll hold you to that," Ren promised.
Nearby, Dehya leaned against a crate, her arms crossed, looking fierce and proud. Beside her stood Dunyarzad. The young woman, who had been frail and bedridden for so long, was standing on her own two feet, vibrant and healthy. The Eleazar was gone.
"Safe travels, kid," Dehya grinned, ruffling Ren's hair. "You've got a lot of guts."
Dunyarzad bowed deeply. "May the Dendro Archon guide your path, Ren. You helped save us all."
Next, they ascended to the entrance of the Akademiya. Tighnari and Collei were waiting. Tighnari's ears twitched as they approached, a look of professional satisfaction on his face.
"The forest is healing," Tighnari said, shaking Ren's hand. "The Withering Zones are receding rapidly. A strange but welcome respite for the forests."
Collei stood slightly behind him, fidgeting with her scarf. She looked at Ren—the boy who had treated her like a ranger, not a patient. The boy who had cooked with her under the stars.
Suddenly, she stepped forward. Her movements were stiff, fueled by a burst of nervous courage. She wrapped her arms around Ren in a quick, fierce hug.
It lasted only a second before she pulled back, her face flushing bright red, but she didn't retreat.
"Thank you," she stammered, her violet eyes shining. "For… for treating me like a normal person. Be safe, Ren."
Ren smiled, touched. "You too, Collei. Take good care of yourself."
Inside the House of Daena, the atmosphere was hushed but busy. Faruzan intercepted them near the elevator, looking imperious.
"Leaving already, my student?" she huffed, placing hands on her hips. "And just when you were beginning to grasp the fundamentals of Primal Construct joint articulation! Hmph. Well, do not neglect your studies. I expect a full report on Liyue's mechanical history sent to me by courier."
Nearby, Layla looked up from a stack of star charts, blinking sleepily. She gave a slow, drowsy wave. "Bye, Ren… safe travels… may the stars watch over you…" She slumped back onto her book, and Ren smiled, wondering if the Other Layla was listening too.
Finally, the ascent. They took the winding path up to the Sanctuary of Surasthana. The air there was pure, charged with the presence of the Dendro Archon herself.
Ren was surprised to see that they weren't alone. Standing outside the great doors were Lumine and Paimon, chatting quietly with Nahida.
"Ren!" Paimon waved enthusiastically. "We came to say goodbye too! Lumine said you'd be here!"
Lumine smiled, looking more relaxed than she had in weeks. "We're heading back to the rainforest to finish some commissions before we move on to the northern section of the desert. There is a huge sandstorm waiting to be experienced. But we couldn't leave without seeing you off."
Greetings were exchanged, but Ningguang, with her sharp intuition, noticed the way Ren was looking at the Dendro Archon. There was a question in his eyes, a need for a private moment.
"I will go and prepare the pre-flight sequence for the Eclipsing Star," Ningguang announced smoothly. "Lumine, perhaps you could walk with me? I have a few… inquiries about the Chasm that I believe only a witness could answer."
Lumine understood the cue. "Of course, Lady Ningguang."
They drifted away towards the landing platform, leaving Ren alone with the small God of Wisdom.
Ren turned to Nahida. She looked… lighter. The heavy burden of 500 years of imprisonment and confusion seemed to have lifted from her shoulders.
"How are you feeling, Nahida?" Ren asked gently.
Nahida took a deep breath, closing her eyes and savoring the air. "I feel… fresh," she said, a small, puzzled smile playing on her lips. "Like a fog has lifted from my mind. The Irminsul is quiet."
She looked at him, her green eyes clear. "It feels as though a great weight has been removed from the world, though… strangely, I cannot recall exactly what the weight was. Only that it is gone."
Ren felt a pang of sorrow in his chest. She didn't remember Rukkhadevata. She didn't remember the sacrifice. Only the relief remained.
"I'm glad," Ren said softly. "You deserve peace."
He hesitated, then asked the question that had been burning in his mind since he woke up. "Nahida… yesterday. Why were you inside the Irminsul? What were you doing there?"
"Ah, yes," Nahida nodded. "I was searching for information. About Lumine's brother."
She glanced toward where the Traveler had walked. "I have already told her. The Irminsul records everything in Teyvat. But… her brother's information is there. Yet Lumine's is not."
"Because she is a Descender," Ren murmured. "Someone from beyond this world."
"Precisely," Nahida said. "But her brother… the records say he suddenly appeared in Khaenri'ah. He traveled the world after the cataclysm. To the Irminsul, he is a native of this world. It is… a contradiction."
She looked at Ren, her expression turning serious. "But I was not only looking for him. I was also searching for you."
Ren stiffened. "Me?"
"Yes," Nahida said. "You are an anomaly, just like the Traveler. You told me you are from another world. So, I wanted to see if the Irminsul held any record of you."
Ren held his breath. "And? What did you find?"
Nahida shook her head slowly, her brow furrowing in confusion. "I am… stumped. It is unlike anything I have ever encountered."
She floated a little closer, her gaze intense. "The Irminsul… it registers you as a native of Teyvat."
Ren blinked. "What? But… I'm not. I remember my old world. I remember waking up."
"I know," Nahida said soothingly. "But the tree does not lie. It sees you as belonging here. However…" She paused, searching for the right words. "Your history… the records before your arrival in Liyue… they are fragmented. Broken. It is like trying to read a book where the pages have been torn out and burned."
She looked deep into his eyes. "It is almost as if… Ren was 'reborn' in Liyue. As if your history before that moment has been severed from the timeline. Cut away."
Ren felt a chill. Severed. Just like the boy in the mirror had said. "An anomaly who transcends time and space."
"I could see glimpses," Nahida continued, her voice low. "Flashes of data in the void. I saw links to the Fatui. Dark experiments. Cold rooms. But I cannot perceive a clear picture. The data is… obscured. Deliberately hidden."
She sighed. "What I can deduce is this: You are of Teyvat, Ren. Your body, your blood… it belongs to this world. And yet, at the same time, you are not bound by its rules. You can wield elements without a Vision. You can touch the consciousness of gods. You exist inside and outside the system simultaneously."
Ren looked down at his hands. "That… doesn't really answer anything, does it? It just makes it more confusing."
"Answers are rarely simple," Nahida said wisely. "In this scenario, all I can say is that finding out your history will be similar to tracing footprints on sand during a storm."
She placed a hand on his shoulder. "The Irminsul cannot tell you who you were. It can only tell you who you are. If you want to know the truth of your past, of the Fatui, of the girl in your memories… you must trace those footprints yourself. You must walk the path back to the beginning."
She looked at him with a serious, divine weight. "But Ren… there is one more thing. Something I saw in the scattered data fragments. Something about… the nature of your existence."
She hesitated, as if unsure whether to burden him with this final piece of the puzzle.
"What is it?" Ren asked.
"Your 'constellation'," Nahida whispered. "In Teyvat, everyone's fate is written in the stars. The Irminsul reflects this. But when I looked for your star…"
She pointed up at the daytime sky.
"It wasn't there."