At the center of the water sphere, a slender phantom figure could be vaguely seen. It was Hydro Qin, who shared her origin but had always lived in pain and fragmentation.
With every ounce of power she condensed, her face grew paler. Her lips were pressed tightly together, and even her breath carried a faint tremble, as if she would completely collapse in the next second.
Yet her eyes remained clear. Her gaze passed over Zhongli's shoulder, landing precisely on Osial and Beisht. This was the plea of a daughter to her parents, and more so, an entrustment to another "self."
Zhongli felt the faint flow of divine power within her body. His golden eyes churned with heartache, but he did not stop her. He understood that this was the final salvation she left for her closest kin, and for another "self."
The water sphere, containing the phantom image of Hydro Qin's consciousness, slowly floated toward Osial and Beisht.
It was not large, yet it glowed with a soft but resolute blue light, like a bead concentrated with deep-sea starlight and dual yearnings.
Osial's massive pupil constricted slightly, and Beisht also ceased her silent sobbing, locking her gaze onto the water sphere.
Bewildered and anxious, they received it with utmost care, fearing that even a slight force would shatter this fragile gift.
The moment they touched the water sphere, a familiar bloodline resonance and dual memories instantly flooded their consciousness.
There was the concern Yunqin had hidden in her heart: Hydro Qin had never experienced a complete life, never felt pure family affection, and never smiled at the morning sun like an ordinary young girl.
More so, there was the grievance and longing surging within that strand of Hydro Qin's consciousness, a longing to be accepted, a longing to possess a life that truly belonged to "herself."
Within this water sphere was Hydro Qin's remnant soul, protected by Yunqin using her final divine power. This was the chance to start anew that she had fought for with her life for this "other self."
Osial and Beisht's pupils dilated to their limit, their massive bodies trembling violently from shock and emotion.
At the final moment of her life, this child still did not think of herself, but of this "self" who shared her origin yet had always lived in the shadows.
They looked up at Yunqin in Zhongli's arms. Her eyes had completely lost their color, yet they seemed to fall precisely upon them, the smile at the corners of her mouth carrying her final concern and entrustment.
That smile was like a key, unlocking the guilt that had weighed on their hearts for millennia, and allowing them to understand their daughter's true wishes.
She hoped that Hydro Qin could take her place, properly experience the love of family, and live a full life.
More than that, she hoped her parents could let go of the past and accept this child who shared their blood.
"Thank you, my daughter..." Osial's voice was as deep as the rumbling of the abyssal sea, choked with irrepressible emotion, each word weighing a thousand jin. "It is... I who have wronged you both."
Beisht's voice was so hoarse it was almost inaudible, yet it carried the utmost tenderness and resolve: "Thank you... Yunqin... Mother will protect her, will let her live a good life, see all the sights you wished to see, and experience all the warmth you were denied."
The water sphere shimmered gently in their hands, as if responding to their words, or as if Hydro Qin's consciousness were expressing its gratitude.
As their words faded, Osial and Beisht simultaneously channeled their divine power, slowly infusing the water sphere with gentle Hydro Element energy.
The moment it received the divine power of its closest kin, the water sphere erupted in a brilliant blue light.
A sky full of fragmented starlight gently scattered and circled around Yunqin, as if Hydro Qin were bidding a final farewell to this "sister" who had sacrificed her life for her, and as if Yunqin's consciousness were borrowing the starlight to embrace this world she cherished for the last time.
The starlight lingered for a moment, gradually coalescing into a slender band of light that wrapped around Hydro Qin's remnant soul and drifted with the sea breeze toward Liyue Harbor.
It swept past stone paths, crossed over cooking smoke, and circled around eaves, finally vanishing silently into a certain corner, hiding within the land that Yunqin had protected with her life, waiting for a brand new beginning.
Yunqin felt Hydro Qin's consciousness safely set out, and the smile at the corners of her mouth grew more genuine, tinged with the relief of a heavy burden lifted.
She slowly closed her eyes, her long eyelashes still wet with unshed tears. Her breath ceased completely, and the hand she had stubbornly reached out also fell limp, losing all warmth, yet it remained extended toward her parents and Hydro Qin's remnant soul.
Her fingertips curled slightly, as if trying to grasp the hands of everyone beside her, trying to hold onto this last warmth, but in the end, they fell powerless, completely losing their temperature.
Sunlight fell upon her pale face, making her smile appear even purer, as if she had never suffered the Abyss's torture, never borne the pain of being split apart, but was merely a young girl sleeping peacefully.
Paimon threw herself onto Lumine and sobbed loudly, her cries filled with helplessness and sorrow, heart-wrenching and pitiful.
Lumine stood up and slowly turned her back.
Above the sea, the sun remained bright, making the water shimmer and glisten; Liyue Harbor's lights still shone brightly, like stars fallen to the mortal realm.
Yet in everyone's heart, a void named "Yunqin" would forever remain, commemorating the young girl who used her life to protect Liyue, etching gentleness and bravery into her very bones.
Above the sea, the sun made the water shimmer and glisten.
Liyue Harbor's lights still shone brightly, like stars fallen to the mortal realm.
Yet a layer of gloom now shrouded everyone's heart.
The Abyss Knight's surprise attack and Yunqin's fall were like a heavy hammer, smashing mercilessly into everyone's hearts.
Osial and Beisht bore the guilt of "failing to protect their daughter," while Venti carried the pain of "losing a cherished person once again"...
This war against the Abyss would never end. Instead, it was just beginning.
-
The band of light dissipated, and Hydro Qin's figure slowly coalesced.
Her body was bare, the remaining Hydro Divine Power on her body spontaneously condensing into a plain white cloth, just barely covering her private parts.
Her skin was pale as first snow, and the innocence and fragility that had not yet worn off still lingered between her eyebrows and eyes, devoid of her past's hostility and pain.
Hydro Qin slowly raised her head, her gaze sweeping across the shimmering surface of the sea toward the direction of the battlefield, the place where Yunqin would forever sleep.
The wind blew the strands of hair on her forehead, and also fluttered the white cloth on her body.
Her lips moved slightly, her voice as faint as a mosquito, yet carrying an unprecedented sincerity and relief: "Thank you... Yunqin."
These two words, wrapped in the gentleness of the wind, drifted away.
It was gratitude to Yunqin for using her life to exchange a new life for her, and also gratitude to that "younger sister" who shared the same origin as herself, finally giving her the chance to experience a life that truly belonged to "herself."
Hydro Qin watched the crowd gradually approaching the seaside in the distance, watched the rosy clouds on the distant horizon, and gently raised her hand.
The warmth emanating from her fingertips caused the first glimmer of "life" to ripple within her hollow eyes.
This belated rebirth was the gift Yunqin had left for her, and also her gentlest response to this world.
"Yun... Xuan..."
"I will take the name Yunxuan and become the waves that will drown the Abyss!"