Sometimes, thinking too much only leads to pain.
Take Vortex God, for instance—he was on the verge of exploding with rage, yet utterly powerless to change anything.
Perhaps… that's what they call fate—the thing you can't fight, no matter how hard you try.
"No! I'll fight back!"
Vortex God roared in fury.
He had lived a life of nothing but suffering.
Over two thousand years ago, during the Archon War, he had lost to Morax, the Geo Archon. Since then, he'd spent millennia bound beneath the ocean floor by a single stone spear.
Only he knew the torment of being unable to move for ages beyond counting.
And when he finally broke free, ready to unleash his wrath—he discovered that the whole thing had been a setup, a mere illusion, a scheme by that old bastard Morax to achieve his own ends.
That realization filled Vortex God with indescribable bitterness.
If that were all, perhaps he could have swallowed his pride and endured it—he wasn't Morax's equal, after all.
But now, with the exposure of the Abyss Order's new plan, even that fragile calm shattered.
They wanted to use his body parts to make some "mechanical god"?
Vortex God trembled with indignation.
Has he ever wronged these lunatics?
Was it really necessary to go this far?!
[Gu Chen]:So unfair! When will ordinary gods ever get divine rights? When will we rise up?! (sarcastic)
[Kaeya]:Now that I think about it… Vortex God's actually kind of pitiful. (funny)
[Zhongli]:You've suffered much, Vortex God. (facepalm)
[Venti]:I've seen something tragic, but this? This takes the cake. You've carried too much, old friend. (Hu Tao·teasing)
[Baizhi]:sigh…
[Vortex God]:Hateful! Hateful! Hateful!!
[Dainsleif]:At least now you can prepare for whatever the Abyss Order plans next.
[Vortex God]:Morax—you'd better keep watch for me! If those maniacs get to me and actually succeed in making that abomination, the results will be catastrophic! (Thoma·kneeling)
[Zhongli]:Morax is dead, how could he possibly do such a thing?
[Vortex God]:Fine, fine! I'll dive back under for safety—just need to make sure those creeps don't sneak up on me again!
[Vortex God]:First I'm sealed away, and now I have to guard my own corpse from scavengers—what kind of life is this for a god?!
[Gu Chen]:Sympathy! (evil grin)
[Kaeya]:You can practically feel the resentment radiating off him. (snicker)
[Vortex God]:Wait, no—hold on! I just found someone who understands my pain!
[Wolf King]:…
In the video, the group had arrived at Wolvendom, once ruled by the Wolf God, Wolf King.
After his death, only his lingering spirit remained, guarding the land he once called home.
But when Gu Chen's team arrived, they found Abyss Heralds performing a ritual there—and Razor and his wolf pack struggled desperately to fend them off.
"The closer we get to their goal, the stronger their resistance. Typical of the Abyss," Dainsleif said coldly.
Gu Chen glanced at Lumine, nodding slightly.
She understood at once, gripped her dull blade, and charged in.
Dainsleif followed right behind.
Lumine was no helpless girl in need of constant protection.
After her journey through Liyue, she had gained command over Geo energy, now able to wield both Anemo and Geo seamlessly—overwhelming the Herald with dazzling, dual-element strikes.
[Wolf King]:I was just watching peacefully, and now they've dragged me into it? Unbelievable. (Qiqi·collapse)
[Vortex God]:See? Now you know how I feel! (Qiqi·collapse)
[Keqing]:I'm more curious about what Dainsleif said earlier. He clearly resents the Archons, yet at the same time tells others neither to trust them nor to hunt them. That's… contradictory.
[Dainsleif]:It means exactly what it sounds like.
[Zhongli]:...
[Kaeya]:Is it because the Seven were responsible for Khaenri'ah's fall?
[Lumine]:I don't get it. Anyone care to break it down? (Sucrose·innocent look)
[Heizou]:Not enough intel to say for sure, but here's what we know: the Seven destroyed Khaenri'ah, so the Abyss wants revenge on the nations of Teyvat—and maybe even Celestia itself.
[Tartaglia]:Those Abyss freaks really are insane, huh.
[Navia]:Wait—I just realized something! (bright idea)
[Gu Chen]:Go on.
[Navia]:Think about it—when the Abyss Herald fought Miss Lumine, didn't its power feel familiar?
And since Lumine's a traveler from beyond Teyvat, the only one connected to her… is her brother!
[Venti]:That does make sense!
[Sangonomiya Kokomi]:Do you all remember what Venti said when we first met him?
'One such as you, standing in the sun, may become a hero—
but in the shadows, you could just as easily bring calamity.'
Maybe he knew something all along! (Kokomi·thinking)
[Kaeya]:Come on, bard—quit hiding things! Explain already! (Thoma·kneeling)
[Diluc]:The more his words start making sense later, the more suspicious he becomes. Typical bard behavior.
[Gu Chen]:I hate cryptic people the most! (furious)
[Paimon]:And yet you've become one yourself. (shrug)
[Venti]:Ahaha~ I'm sure the video will clear things up soon! (Hu Tao·cute pose)
The scene moved quickly.
After freeing Wolf King's spirit, the group made their way to the Stormterror's Lair.
[Dvalin]:Holy winds—thank the stars they're here for the "plow machine's eye" and not me! I nearly had a heart attack! (trembling)
[Gu Chen]:Or maybe… they were after you. You were just lucky someone intervened.
[Dvalin]:…
[Vortex God]:Haha! Misery loves company! Welcome to the club!
[Tartaglia]:Back where it all began, huh? Man, watching them fight makes me itch for a brawl. Any chance Liyue's prison has sparring partners? (Klee·pleading eyes)
[Paimon]:Gu Chen's just… standing there watching again. (helpless)
[Zhongli]:From a rational perspective, he's letting Miss Lumine temper herself through real combat.
[Lumine]:You're not wrong—this Abyss Herald's pretty strong. Dain and I together can only hold it off—wait, who just attacked us from behind?!
As Lumine and Dain gained the upper hand, a dark figure suddenly appeared, striking both of them back.
"That—That person… could it be?!"
Paimon's eyes went wide.
Lumine froze.
She had heard that voice described so many times.
And now… she was seeing him with her own eyes.
"Brother!" she gasped.
"Lumine…" Aether's voice was low, almost pained.
"I finally found you!" Lumine's voice trembled with joy.
"Wait, Lumine—he just shielded the Abyss Herald from your attack.
Your brother… might be with the Abyss…" Paimon whispered, horrified.
Aether frowned.
"Lumine, why are you with him?"
"What?" Lumine blinked, stunned.
After so long apart—
The first thing he did was question her companion.
"Aether," Dainsleif said quietly, "we meet again."
"Lumine, you shouldn't be traveling with that man.
He is my enemy," Aether said flatly.
"Wait—what are you even talking about? Stop saying things I don't understand!" Lumine cried.
"But you must hear me out.
Don't join Dain in trying to stop me.
Don't interfere with the Abyss."
Then Aether began to speak of Dainsleif's past.
But Lumine didn't want to hear any of it.
"Just come with me, brother.
Let's go home."
"Home…?
Yes, anywhere with you is home.
But not yet.
I can't move on to another world until this one's done.
Not until the thrones above are drowned in the Abyss."
"Listen to me, Lumine."
"I've already taken one journey.
You must do the same—reach your own destination.
Let this world leave its mark upon your eyes."
"We will meet again.
Don't hurry.
I have all the time in the world to wait for you…
We've always had enough time."
When his words fell, Aether turned and stepped through the dark portal with the Abyss Herald.
Dainsleif immediately followed—but Lumine, reaching desperately, grasped only empty air.
[Furina]:Everyone! I—I have a theory!
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