As promised, when night came, Mondstadt didn't celebrate too much. Food was still shared, but there was no alcohol this time—much to the displeasure of many. But the people of Mondstadt had already endured months of no alcohol, so abstaining from drinking for a few more nights wasn't going to make them keel over.
Once midnight came, Mondstadt finally fell quiet as the people went to sleep and the knights returned to their patrols. And in that silence I found myself sitting at the highest point of the city's chapel, idly watching as the moon slowly moved across the red-stained sky.
I slowly rolled the [Astral Token] between my fingers as I gazed across the entire city. It hadn't even been a week since I arrived in this city, and it was already beginning to feel like a second home. I loved Liyue with all my heart, but I had to admit that it felt stuffy at times; maintaining my image as some elegant god wasn't something I took pleasure in.
But here? The people partied with abandon even during what felt like the end of the world—celebrating the fact that they had lived instead of the fact that their lives could end soon. The gentle winds blew, carrying with it whispers of hope and the scent of incoming summer.
Yet, deep in my heart I knew,
"This world isn't real, is it?" I whispered, staring at the [Astral Token] in my hands.
When I destroyed the peak of Dragonspine with my final attack, the aftereffects could certainly be seen from the farthest corner of Liyue. Since Liyue was my home, I somewhat feared I might've caused some panic, and I discreetly took off towards Liyue a few hours back to see if anything was going on.
I did find Liyue, but the place felt empty. The lands looked as I remembered, if a little different due to the years that had gone by, but the vitality that I remembered from my Liyue was missing. The place felt more like a stage—or even a prop.
And when I tried using [Hawk Eyes] to see all the way to Liyue Harbor, all I'd found was a faded mirage that vaguely looked like my home. It was trippy to look at, and the more I stared the more painful it felt.
[The User is correct]
I sighed as my System finally answered. I wasn't sad that the Liyue here wasn't real—I at least knew that my Liyue was fine. But the fact that this Teyvat wasn't real meant that this Mondstadt was destined to end. The people's lives, their stories—all of them would be completely washed away once this Adventure ended.
If anything, it kinda reminded me of the Lostbelts, and how those were ended in service of the Human Order. The people who lived in them might've been aberrations of the truth, but surely they mattered as well-
I-
What was I thinking about?
I winced. Ugh, another headache. I probably thought of something taboo. For a moment I considered forcing myself to remember, but I knew what'd happen if I tried. And I don't think I fancied fighting Durin while I was in the middle of recovering from a brain hemorrhage.
"Lady Xinyue?"
I blinked, and turned around to find Rosalyne. She'd just climbed up from the set of stairs behind me, with a lantern held in her hands. "Rosalyne." I greeted, placing a calm smile on my face. "What a surprise. For what reason are you still awake?"
"Organizing the library, mostly." She rolled her eyes. "Gods, I was only away for a few years, and they already made a mess of it." I chuckled at her annoyance, and she smiled at me. "How about you? Why are you still awake?"
I hummed. "I've yet to feel the need to rest." I patted the space next to me, and Rosalyne nodded as she sat next to me. "Alas, I must confess that I don't wish to slip into sleep anytime soon. I wish to etch this Story into my memories." I smiled sadly. That was especially true now, since this world would disappear once I finished this Adventure's main Mission.
Rosalyne was quiet for a moment, seemingly gathering her courage before she finally spoke. "You…mentioned that earlier. How you'll fade once you finish what you came here for."
I closed my eyes. "Indeed." The truth was the exact opposite, but she didn't need to know that. "My presence in this world is ephemeral. Once I have reached this Story's end, so too shall I fade."
"That's…" She pursed her lips. "Can that not be changed?"
I shook my head slowly. "This fate is set in stone."
She hummed, and then we both fell silent. I returned to gazing at the sky, admiring the contrast between the moon's silver-white and the crimson skies.
Then, she took a breath. "Then I'll just have to share my own stories, right?"
I blinked. "Hmm?"
Her face lit up as she placed her lantern down. "You're a Storyteller, right?" I nodded, and she smiled. "I know it's your job and all, but it feels a little unfair, you know? That you're the one completing this Story of saving Mondstadt while we can barely give anything back in return."
I smiled wryly. "As I mentioned, there is no need to-"
"We all have our own stories too, you know?"
My words were silent when she said that. Because-, that was true, wasn't it? This Teyvat might be a facsimile of the true world, but the stories it carried still existed. Even if this world faded once my Adventure ended, the fact that I was here wouldn't change.
"...yes, you're right." I whispered. I smiled. "Perhaps I've been too selfish as of late."
"Well, I wouldn't call it that. We're all just wrapped up in the end of the world and stuff." Rosalyne said, entirely too casual at the fact that this Teyvat was ending.
I huffed. "To our own, I suppose." I waved my hand, and out from my Inventory came an empty scroll, a brush, and a bottle of ink. I smiled as I dipped the brush into the ink. "If I may be so bold then, may I ask you to share your Story, Lady Rosalyne?"
She smiled back. "I'm more than happy to share."
And so she did.
She began with her time in Sumeru, learning as a student of the Akademiya. She learnt many things there about Teyvat and the underlying rules that laid in this world, of Elemental Energy and how to manipulate it, of the history of Teyvat spanning thousands of years ago.
She also went on a tirade about the Akademiya's professors and sages. Apparently they were quite obstinate due to her being an outsider, which-, well. I wrote down her complaints on a separate scroll, just in case.
She then went over her time in Sumeru in general, of the city, the oasis, and the deserts. One of her favorite pastimes was simply exploring the deserts, which she could easily do due to her having a Pyro Vision. She had a much more pleasing review regarding the region in general, and she mentioned that she'd like to go back there as a wanderer once all of this was over.
I held back a sigh at that, knowing that wasn't something she could do. I doubted Sumeru even existed anymore.
She then came to her life in Mondstadt. Of her younger days as an adventurer, earning her Pyro Vision after a particularly difficult escape, becoming Mondstadt's lead librarian, falling in love with Rostam, before finally hardening her resolve to continue studying and leaving for Sumeru.
And finally she told the story of Mondstadt itself. Of how Old Mondstadt was shrouded by an ever-present hurricane that both shielded and imprisoned the people. How a resistance group soon formed, with a nameless bard and a wind sprite as its leader. Of the ensuing battle against Decarabian, and the victory that cemented Barbatos as the Anemo Archon of Mondstadt.
It was…a lot. By the end of it, I'd filled up four whole scrolls, with another half-written with Rosalyne's complaints about the Akademiya. Some of what I'd written felt off, but I didn't give them any mind. After all, at this moment, I was writing down the Story of Rosalyne's life. And a Story didn't always align with history.
At that point, several hours had gone by. The moon hung low in the sky, and it wouldn't be long before sunrise. I'd half-expected Rosalyne to fall asleep a couple hours back, but even now she remained energetic. Maybe being a Vision holder made them more resilient?
Rosalyne winced as she watched me put the finished scrolls back into my Inventory. "Ah, that was a lot, wasn't it?" She smiled wryly. "Sorry about that."
I shook my head. "There is no worry. These Stories are just as important as any other." I smiled. "And I enjoyed my time doing so. I admit that I have explored little past the confines of Liyue."
She went quiet for a moment, before she smiled. "Then I'll make sure to show you around Sumeru someday." Her eyes were filled with determination. "We'll meet again. I'm sure of it."
I closed my eyes. "Indeed." I whispered, smiling slightly. "That would be a nice dream, wouldn't it?"
If only that was possible. We were both confined by the edges of this Story—this world destined to reach its epoc, and I destined to return to my own.
If only. I Wished it was possible. That one day we would meet again.
If only.
…
A few hours later, when the morning had arrived, I found myself at the bridge once more. The people were there to see me off, for real this time. It was not a secret that I would not be returning, though Rostam and Rosalyne had hidden the fact that I would 'disappear' from this world.
"It's been a great pleasure to be here." I said to the two, smiling slightly as my halo appeared atop my head. "It has been an Adventure unlike any other, and I am blessed to have been given the opportunity."
Rostam grinned back. "No, it's us who're lucky to have met you, Lady Xinyue. You have given us hope during these times, and we'll make sure to carry it forward."
Rosalyne smiled. "Same here. I don't know what I'd do if I came back to find my family hurt." Her eyes darkened for a moment. "Or if I'd even have a home at all." She bowed. "So thank you, Xinyue. For everything."
I only smiled as my white wings extended behind me. Great winds billowed around me, and my eyes glowed bright blue as I took one last glance at Mondstadt and its people. "My time here has been short." I whispered, fond. "But it has been wonderful to have met you all."
Slowly, I began rising into the air. And once I did, everyone began giving their farewells. The children and nuns and knights, their smiles bright.
"Goodbye, Lady Xinyue!" Rostam said as he watched me ascend.
"Let's meet again!" Rosalyne chimed in.
I grinned as I rose into the air, and once I was level with the clouds, I turned and left behind a contrail as I flew.
I was flying North-East from the city of Mondstadt for a single reason. I still hadn't found Durin. He probably wasn't in Liyue, considering most of the region was empty and lifeless. He wasn't in Dragonspine. He probably wasn't underground, since Mondstadt didn't have the Chasm like Liyue did.
Which only left the oceans North-East from the city. The maps Rostam gave me didn't show any land beyond the shores, but he admitted that it was only that way because no one had actually managed to reach that far.
And so the clouds parted as I flew as fast as I could.
.
.
.
"She's gone, isn't she?" Rosalyne whispered, her smile turning sad.
"She is, yes." Rostam said, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. "But it doesn't change that she came here. She's still the one who came to our aid when we most needed it."
"Mm. That's true."
He smiled slightly as he looked up at the skies. At the slowly fading contrails Lady Xinyue had left behind.
If Xinyue was truly her name.
Because there were just too many coincidences. Her control over Anemo, her white wings, her healing, her similarities to the statue placed at the city's center, even her feat of cleaving the mountaintop of Dragonspine-
It was all so very familiar, wasn't it?
He smiled and closed his eyes. "Thank you, Lord Barbatos."