Mondstadt, in the early evening, was still dotted with lights, and even with the Dragon Scourge and the encroaching darkness, it couldn't dampen the Mondstadters' enthusiasm for fine wine.
However, this scene was noticeably absent in one particular house.
"Ellin, why are you going to bed so early today?" Herman asked when he saw his daughter getting into bed so early.
Normally, he would be poring over those spine-chilling swordplay books until late at night.
Why the sudden change today, going to bed so early?
"Hehe, Dad, you don't need to worry about it. I'm just trying some things out," Ellin chuckled, then pushed Herman out.
The idea of being able to fight in a dream was a bit too extraordinary. So, to avoid trouble, Ellin didn't explain it to Herman.
"Alright then! It's good to sleep early," Herman nodded, not pressing further. It seemed his daughter had a secret of her own.
"Click!" After seeing Herman off, Ellin immediately turned off the lights and eagerly got into bed...
"Ugh..." Ellin opened her eyes. Before her was pitch black.
Ellin reached out into the darkness and touched a rough stone.
She seemed to realize something, and with a forceful push of both hands, she shoved aside the stone slab covering her.
"This is..." Ellin sat up from the coffin, looking at everything before her with a hint of terror.
Countless coffins were haphazardly stacked here, and the pale, withered trees bore no hint of green. The pervasive mist carried no fresh scent; instead, the air was tinged with an indescribable stench.
As far as the eye could see, there were only tombstones so weathered that no inscriptions were legible. Together with the crumbling walls, they formed a silent and desolate scene.
"Clang!" Ellin unconsciously shuffled backward, then heard the crisp sound of metal striking stone.
Ellin turned around and looked down, only to see a straight sword appear beside her, seemingly out of nowhere.
It had a somewhat broad blade, and a counterweight iron ball at the end of the hilt. Its unique shape, compared to other straight swords, made it look like an enlarged dagger.
The originally iron-white blade was permeated with traces of rusty red, making it hard to distinguish whether it was rust or indelible blood.
Broadsword — A straight sword with a wide blade, suitable for slashing. Its wide horizontal attack range is advantageous when facing many enemies. However, conversely, in confined spaces, it can easily strike walls and rebound.
Weapon Art: Stance — A normal attack following the Stance can break the balance of a shielded enemy from below; a heavy attack allows for a lunging upward thrust, adaptable to various situations.
This time, Yu Jin wasn't messing around. The straight sword he tossed to Ellin was called the Broadsword. It was originally a random weapon he'd picked up.
Yu Jin found it easy to use, so he kept using it. He used it to kill Hollows, kill madmen, kill Lords of Cinder, kill gods... In short, this straight sword had killed everything imaginable.
And because of that, it had become somewhat different.
Ellin picked up the straight sword, and what she found magical was that as soon as her hand touched the Broadsword, a warm current surged into her body.
Her heart calmed considerably. After a few deep breaths to steel herself, Ellin stepped out of the coffin and began her formal exploration.
She looked at the trees not far away. Their pale bark had many wrinkles, looking just like human skin.
"Whew—, don't be afraid, it's just a tree," Ellin took a few deep breaths, tightening her grip on the Broadsword.
"Splash~" Stepping out of the coffin, Ellin arrived at a hollow, where a considerable amount of stagnant water had accumulated.
Ellin cautiously looked around. It was very quiet, so quiet that it made her a little scared.
Soon, the scenery before her changed. A slightly wider platform appeared, with one or two black-robed figures slumped around its edges.
Ellin felt a surge of joy. What could be happier than seeing companions in such an environment?
So, she quickened her pace and ran over.
"Hey! You guys..."
"Roar..."
The Hollows slumped on the ground caught the scent of a soul. Their instinctive craving for souls awakened them.
They roared and charged at Ellin. Their broken swords swung wildly, and their swaying bodies made one wonder if they would simply collapse to the ground.
"Hey..." Ellin hadn't yet adjusted her mindset. Faced with the Hollows charging at her, her first reaction was still to tell them to stop.
Unfortunately, their humanity had long since faded, leaving only instinct, and the instinct to devour souls was precisely the strongest.
Although the Hollows came fiercely, they were ultimately no different from wild beasts. In fact, they were even more fragile than beasts.
"Splat!" The Hollows' remaining blood sprayed from their wounds, staining the water in the hollow a vivid red.
"Ugh—" Ellin trembled as she leaned against a tombstone, retching.
She lived in Mondstadt, a beautiful and peaceful place. Although she strived to become a knight, to be honest, she had only had a few proper fights, let alone killed anyone.
Ellin recovered herself. She bent down and looked at the lifeless Hollows. Then, another wave of dread washed over her.
Although she had already realized during the recent experience that these guys probably couldn't be considered human, seeing them in person still sent shivers down Ellin's spine.
Pale skin tightly wrapped around bones, with no trace of flesh in between. These guys looked like skeletons covered in a layer of skin.
It was hard to imagine them surviving in such a state, and still being able to spray so much blood.
Ellin composed herself and continued along the path. After leaving the unsettling graveyard, she arrived at a cliff.
"Clatter!" Pebbles at Ellin's feet tumbled down, and she cautiously peered over the edge of the cliff.
"So high..." Ellin swallowed. She had never seen such an anomalous landscape.
Because below the cliff, she saw endless mountain ranges, and the peaks of these mountains were covered in pristine white snow.
This was simply impossible for a normal geographical environment!
"Forget it, why bother with these things?" Ellin shook her head, then proceeded along the only narrow path by the cliff edge.
Along the way, after dealing with a few more Hollows, Ellin felt her state of mind had made significant progress.
Now she stood before a doorway, through which she could see a wide circular plaza, still filled with numerous tombstones, and a giant iron man half-crouching in the center of the plaza.
Ellin looked at the Broadsword in her hand, then at Gundyr, who was almost as big as a Ruin Guard, in front of her.
She felt that her small frame wouldn't even be able to withstand one of his punches.
Ellin glanced around, then saw a string of shimmering pale yellow runes at the doorway.
She felt a premonition and stepped forward to touch the runes. The pale golden runes flickered a few times, then vanished.
Soon, a somewhat exasperated voice reached Ellin's ears.
"Hey, hey, hey? What's going on? I was just about to defeat that guy on horseback!"
A phantom appeared in Ellin's eyes, then that phantom became more and more solid. Finally, a guy whose aura was completely different from this world appeared before Ellin.
It was Feng, who had just been fiercely battling the Tree Sentinel!
He had now given up fighting Malenia. Each time, he was instantly killed, which made him feel a bit defeated. Was he really that weak?
So Feng decisively fled the Haligtree, dying countless times in the process. But luckily, he finally found a portal and ran to the weakest Limgrave—actually, Yu Jin sent him there because he was dying too much.
"Inazuman?" Ellin asked, somewhat uncertain, looking at Feng's attire.
"Hmm? Who are you? Did you also receive guidance from the senior?" Feng was also very curious and surprised to see Ellin.
He looked around, then exclaimed in surprise, "You're really brave. The things in this world are too creepy; I don't even dare to explore. You actually started fighting directly here, I admire you."
"Huh? Is that so?" Ellin also looked puzzled. From this person's words, were there other worlds?
"It seems you've just received guidance from the senior, haven't you?" Feng smiled. Then he confidently said, "It's okay, I'll lead the way!"
With that, Feng charged towards Gundyr.
"Hey! Wait for me!" Seeing this, Ellin also followed him in.'
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