Disaster descended without warning.
Forbidden knowledge was spreading through Sumeru.
The desert.
Red sand like a boundless sea.
A colossal dragon rolled within that sea of sand—its massive body sometimes rising above the flowing dunes, sometimes thrusting out its head and letting out pained roars.
The rainforest was collapsing.
The once-picturesque scenery was swallowed by a deep, all-consuming black; the land was losing its life.
To the east of the rainforest—
The Great Chasm churned like the mouth of a spring, waves of monsters erupting upward like surging waters.
Farther northeast—
A draconic calamity soared high in the heavens, its massive body dimming the sky and clouding the earth in dust.
Across the southeastern archipelago—
Strange and unheard-of creatures appeared.
Their bodies were pitch-black, they moved like wolf packs, and their claws could tear through space itself, slipping into the void.
North of the rainforest—
Creatures as towering as mountain ranges appeared, their bodies stretching beyond sight.
Even more distant lands were not spared.
This sudden catastrophe shocked all who lived upon the earth.
Apocalyptic scenes unfurled across the Seven Nations of Teyvat.
And beneath the earth—
Lay a kingdom that belonged solely to mankind.
A nation that did not worship any so-called gods.
But not long ago, the heavens descended upon them.
The Heavenly Principles sought to cut this kingdom away from the world entirely.
War erupted.
Flames consumed the land.
Gods fell in battle.
A kingdom crumbled, its people weeping—this land, dyed dark red by firelight, echoed with human wails and fury.
The heavens remained indifferent.
Calamities spreading unchecked across the land were pierced and shackled by chains descending from above.
Cursed power flowed along the chains that sealed heaven and earth.
Humanity cried out.
The heavens had cursed them.
The impure of blood were transformed into monsters without intellect.
The pure of blood were granted the curse of immortality.
Eternal spirit—yet alienated from their own bodies.
[Tartaglia]: So this is what a battlefield between gods looks like? This is… a little too terrifying.
(Tartaglia: jaw-dropped)
Tartaglia was a battle maniac.
He feared no strong foe; he even sought them out.
But the scenes in the video made him feel fear.
When divine power descends, mortals cannot resist at all!
[Kuki Shinobu]: If not for seeing it myself, I could never have imagined the calamity was this horrifying… How much did the nations have to sacrifice back then just to hold it back?
(Paimon: shocked)
[Paimon]: There are people everywhere—every scene shows humans dying in droves…(Amber: help me)
[Heizou]: Not just humans. I even saw glimpses of Inazuma—Lady Hakushin, Lady Yae Miko, and even poor suffering Chiyo (Mikoshi Chiyo)!
(Paimon: shocked)
[Collei]: And the Aranara! And the Yakshas under Zhongli! And the Millelith! And Mondstadt's Knights of Favonius—and even Dvalin! Such a terrible calamity… It dragged the whole world down with it!!
(Collei: blank)
[Dvalin]: Don't bring that up. Bad memories. If I hadn't swallowed Durin's blood, I wouldn't have suffered for hundreds of years!(annoyed)
[Venti]: You saw it—I had no choice. Orders were orders. Even with my strength… once I returned, I was bound to fall asleep anyway, so you get it.
(Zhongli: spreads hands)
[Nilou]: This is bad! Really bad! The whole of Teyvat is suffering—Sumeru is no better! That mountain-sized Ruin Machine looks terrifying… Even if it's no match for Mr. Gu Chen, why did he have to absorb forbidden knowledge?!
(Diona: irritated)
[Collei]: The Dendro Archon must protect the world tree—if anything happens to it, Teyvat collapses. Her consciousness is connected to Irminsul. If Irminsul is corrupted—won't she be corrupted too?!
(Collei: blank)
[Kirara]: Does that mean Mr. Gu Chen cut the connection between the Dendro Archon and the world tree… so she wouldn't be harmed? And plans to take everything onto himself?!
(Venti: shocked)
[Beidou]: Ugh, this is making me anxious! Forbidden knowledge is like a terminal illness—ignoring it is impossible, but dealing with it costs lives! Why did King Deshret research it in the first place?!
(angry)
[Kaeya]: Don't slander him—King Deshret researching forbidden knowledge was centuries ago. The video's timeline is five hundred years in the past. This time, the outbreak was caused by the fall of Khaenri'ah!
[Lumine]: @[Prince] Speak!
[Prince]: This has nothing to do with me! I really don't know!
(Zhongli: spreads hands)
[Dainsleif]: There are sinners in the kingdom, but Aether is not one of them.
[Layla]: So scary… The people turned into Hilichurls under the curse… but why were some unaffected?
[Dainsleif]: This was Celestia's curse upon Khaenri'ah.
Those with pure blood gained immortality.
Those not born of Khaenri'ah were twisted into monsters.
Different bloodlines—but they were all children of the kingdom.
Dainsleif's eyes filled with pain.
These scenes awakened his memories.
He had watched his people collapse, cursed—watched them turn into monsters, powerless to stop it.
[Xingqiu]: Wait, that makes no sense—why do purebloods get immortality, while impure bloodlines turn into monsters?!
(Heizou notices something)
[Dainsleif]: To force us to bear hatred and powerlessness… to drown in eternal regret and despair. Eternal soul, yet the inside decays… even my memories are beginning to blur.
[Furina]: Terrifying…
(Paimon: shocked)
[Venti]: So… anyone brave enough to @ that person?
[Gu Chen]: @[Sustainer of Heavenly Principles]
[Kaeya]: Master, you're amazing!
(Keqing: thumbs up)
[Sustainer of Heavenly Principles]: Humans will pay the price for their greed and curiosity. The forbidden must not be touched—this is a divine decree.
[Yoimiya]: So Khaenri'ah touched forbidden knowledge too? In the footage of King Deshret, his civilization looked so advanced… Don't tell me that was all from forbidden knowledge?!
(Sayu: alert)
[Yun Jin]: The Three Questions of the Dendro Archon and the Goddess of Flowers made it clear—touching the forbidden never brings good. King Deshret's end proves this. If Khaenri'ah touched it too, then Celestia destroying it makes sense—if forbidden knowledge fully corrupts Irminsul, Teyvat ends.
(Yun Jin: horrified)
[Prince]: Isn't it possible they didn't study forbidden knowledge, but something like the ley lines instead?
(Kokomi: pondering)
[Dainsleif]: It no longer matters. Watch the video. Remember the suffering of my people.
The curse from above spread.
On the burning earth, countless humans twisted into monsters.
Their faces contorted hideously—their bodies shrank, darkened, and withered, only their nails retaining a hint of color.
Realizing they had turned into monsters, the people of Khaenri'ah were terrified.
They could not accept it.
Could not accept that humans had become such grotesque beings.
Speech faded.
Wisdom crumbled.
In mere moments, living humans became wordless monsters.
[Amber]: Uh… if Hilichurls were all once humans, then… h-how many people have I been killing…?
(Amber: help)
[Keqing]: Unbelievable… Hilichurls used to be just like us.
(Paimon: shocked)
[Eula]: So from now on… do we need to avoid Hilichurls in the wild?
(Eula: let me see)
[Zhongli]: Rationally speaking, yes—they were once humans. But factually… they are now wholly monsters. Cross the hurdle in your heart. They disrupt human society just the same.
[Tartaglia]: I cleared out a few blocking my patrol route before watching the video. I felt guilty—now I don't! They return to the ley lines and are born anew with its flow. Who knows how many cycles they've passed? They aren't human anymore.
[Sustainer of Heavenly Principles]: Correct.
[Dainsleif]: Indeed…
[Paimon]: The topic is too heavy. Even if we want to accept it, that hurdle won't be easy to cross… Just don't attack Hilichurls that don't attack people, okay?
[Nilou]: Let's keep watching. I'm so worried for Mr. Gu Chen!
(thinking)
[Collei]: If Mr. Gu Chen absorbs all the forbidden knowledge… what will he become? Will he turn into a monster? Will the Dendro Archon have to kill him herself?! No—please no!!
(Collei: blank)
[Gu Chen]: This is not imagination time. Stop your absurd fantasies.
(subway old man with phone)
In the video—
The scenes from other nations were brief.
Gu Chen had already obliterated the Ruin Machines and the monster tide in Sumeru.
What remained was the forbidden knowledge—far worse than centuries ago.
Knowledge that cannot be understood brings madness.
Gu Chen and Buer understood its danger—and understood this outbreak was far worse than the last.
Last time, King Deshret suppressed it, so it did not spread far.
But now, even if King Deshret were revived, he couldn't suppress it for even a moment.
Irminsul, once dreamlike and pure, was blotched with black filaments spreading like living things.
To Gu Chen, forbidden knowledge was a disease.
The world rejected it, like a body resisting a virus.
If the virus was not removed, the body would sicken and worsen.
His fingers were already embedded in Irminsul's trunk—only the back of his hand remained outside.
Even that was stained with abyssal black; darkness curled up his arm.
More and more forbidden knowledge poured into him.
Its volume was immeasurable, like an ocean.
But Gu Chen had his own method.
Blackness drilled into his flesh and bones.
Pain like steel needles spread through his arm.
His consciousness was pulled, whispers echoing endlessly.
He felt as if he stood on a cliff, an abyss beneath.
Forbidden knowledge urged him—tempted him—to jump.
Blackness reached his organs.
His insides churned—
sometimes like ten thousand ants consuming his heart,
sometimes like hammers pounding his bones.
He felt as if drowning.
Water rushed into his nose, throat, lungs—filling him entirely.
Gu Chen's mind blurred.
A soft hand, warm and gentle, touched his back.
Immense vitality flowed into him.
"Please… don't continue…"
"This is my mission."
Buer spoke through sobs, eyes brimming with tears.
Gu Chen glanced at her. "What once was no longer matters. I won't allow a cup of water to put out a wildfire."
"But that wildfire is burning the thing you need to live… Even if you don't want to, that water must be poured…"
She choked.
Her aura shifted—
she was no longer the childish God of Wisdom, nor a lively girl—
but a nearly omniscient Archon.
"Buer!"
Gu Chen's voice deepened.
Buer's consciousness reconnected to Irminsul.
"With the wisdom of Sumeru's people, we can fix this," she said softly.
Gu Chen lifted her chin with his fingers, forcing her to meet his eyes—eyes filled with indescribable sorrow.
"Where does forbidden knowledge come from?"
"Outside the world… from the Abyss," she answered instinctively.
"And where do I come from?"
"Outside the wor—"
Her expression froze.
She shook her head violently. "No—no, you can't!"
"Buer, I know exactly what you want to do."
Gu Chen sighed.
He pressed a finger to her brow.
Radiance bloomed.
A light surpassing all colors descended—vast, formless power.
Her link to Irminsul severed again.
Her body felt lighter.
The corruption in her mind, long-festering, washed away.
For the first time in ages, she felt pure, clear, and unburdened.
But she could not be happy.
"We think too alike. You want to use Sumeru's wisdom and then sacrifice yourself to cleanse forbidden knowledge."
"It could work."
"But don't forget—your mind is linked to Irminsul. To remove the corruption, you must remove yourself first!"
Buer whispered, "I know… As long as everyone forgets me, it will be fine…"
"No one is willing to forget you!" Gu Chen's voice was stern.
"We just need to break off the purest branch from Irminsul. I'll grow back in a few years," she insisted.
"A flower that only looks similar," Gu Chen said coldly.
Buer froze—unable to respond.
Gu Chen lowered his gaze.
Blackness was nearly covering him entirely.
"Our time is running out."
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