Looking around, Fischl found a zombie girl staring expressionlessly at her.
So… it was her nemesis.
Fischl's eyes sharpened with gravity.
A while later, Amber arrived at the back of the Cathedral. She was there on Captain Jean's orders, filling in for Kaeya's shift while he rested.
Seeing the group, Amber waved cheerfully.
Both Qiqi and Fischl, who had been locked in silent tension, shifted their eyes to her.
"Sister Amber, don't you have work today?" Xia Lin asked curiously.
Amber shook her head with a smile. "I just got back from scouting. I've got a couple days off, so I thought I'd come play with you all."
Xia Lin brightened. "Great! We're going treasure hunting today!"
"Treasure hunting?" Amber and Fischl blinked in surprise.
Xia Lin quickly explained the note they had found in the library. Amber's eyes lit up. "That sounds amazing—count me in!"
Fischl stayed quiet, but her glittering eyes betrayed her interest.
After some discussion about the note's prophecy, Amber added, "Oh, and I came today to see if Miss Xianyun has finished modifying my Wind Glider."
"Sister Xianyun is incredible. I'm sure it's done already," Xia Lin assured her.
Amber grinned. "That'd be perfect. By the way, where's Xiangling?"
"She's over there," Xia Lin said, pointing out her room.
Amber jogged off eagerly, eager to find her best friend. But just as she reached the door, it opened—and Cloud Retainer emerged.
"Amber?"
"Miss Xianyun!"
"You're here so early?"
"Hehe, I came to play!"
"Play?" Cloud Retainer considered, then quickly deduced. "You mean, you came for your Wind Glider, didn't you?"
Amber scratched her head sheepishly. "Hehe, well… also that. Is it finished?"
"Of course. Come see."
Cloud Retainer led her back into the room. In the center stood a newly modified pair of Wind Gliders.
Amber gasped. "This is mine?!"
"Yes," Cloud Retainer nodded. "During the modifications, I noticed the wings were too worn, so I redesigned the pattern."
Amber blinked. "Pattern?"
"The designs on the surface. I didn't have time to ask your opinion first, so tell me if you don't like it. I can adjust it."
Amber waved her hands quickly. "No need! It looks wonderful already. Thank you so much, Miss Xianyun."
"Not just me," Cloud Retainer added.
"Hm?"
"Mr. Xia came by last night to discuss the designs with me."
"Then I must thank him too!"
"Don't pack them away yet. The paint isn't fully dry. Wait here—I'll fetch a hot blower to speed it up."
"Thank you, Miss Xianyun."
She stepped out. Amber wandered curiously around the room, spotting a test tube on the desk.
She remembered Xiangling mentioning this. "Is this the tube for collecting Breaths of Joy?"
She lifted it and blew experimentally into it. Nothing happened.
Cloud Retainer returned, handing her the blower. "Here."
"Thanks." Amber set the tube back down and busied herself with drying the wings.
Cloud Retainer glanced at the tube, hesitated, then picked it up herself and exhaled into it.
Strangely, a swirl of lavender-pink mist appeared inside.
Her breath… already counted as [Breaths of Joy].
She gazed at the vapor, and suddenly understood the happiness Shenhe and Ganyu carried.
Once the dye was dry, Amber packed her Wind Glider and stepped outside, where Klee had also arrived. The group then headed out together for breakfast at a local restaurant.
Over the meal, they overheard patrons at the next table gossiping excitedly about last night's [Darknight Hero].
Everyone listened intently, savoring the urban legend.
Afterward, they all went to the Knights of Favonius headquarters. The girls chattered about seeking clues to the treasure map in the library.
Walking the hall, Xia Zhi spotted Noelle, diligently mopping as always.
Seeing him, her eyes brightened, and she hurried over. "Good morning, Mr. Xia!"
"Good morning, Noelle," he replied with a nod.
Blushing slightly, she said, "About that meal the other day… I'm so sorry for troubling you."
Xia Zhi smiled. "Think nothing of it. How's your swordsmanship coming along?"
She nodded earnestly. "Thanks to your guidance, I feel I've improved a lot."
"That's good to hear."
Inside the library, Qiqi sat quietly reading when Fischl approached her.
Expressionless, Qiqi looked up. "Something you need?"
Fischl lowered her voice. "What do you think of that [Darknight Hero]?"
Qiqi blinked. "What do you mean?"
"I mean," Fischl said seriously, "maybe we could become Darknight Heroes too—help people."
"Sorry," Qiqi said flatly. "Not interested."
Oz, perched on Fischl's shoulder, interjected, "But don't you think this could be a way to spread Mr. Xia's faith?"
Qiqi had been about to walk away, but at those words, she paused.
That… did sound reasonable.
---
The little girls, brimming with excitement, hurried off to search for books.
Xia Zhi went over to a corner and took out the map Venti had given him.
He tore it into four pieces and tossed them lightly into the air.
They transformed into streaks of light and silently merged into four different spots within the library.
Around nine in the morning, Xia Zhi once again used the white cat's "Shared Vision." He saw that the Cryo nun had already returned to her room. She had changed into fresh sleepwear and was curled up in bed catching up on sleep.
The white cat jumped onto the bed, peering down at her.
Her sleeping posture—slightly curled up—was telling. Much like Xia Lin's, it spoke of a lack of security.
Leaping back down, the cat noticed the two bowls on the floor had been refilled with fresh jerky and water. For her to care so much about a stray cat… clearly, she wasn't as cold as she seemed.
The white cat padded into the bathroom. By the wall sat a bucket filled with her discarded clothes. Sniffing the air, the cat detected a faintly strange scent. It climbed onto the rim of the bucket and nosed at the clothes inside.
There—brownish stains.
Dried blood.
But back on the bed, the cat hadn't smelled blood on her at all. Which meant… the blood wasn't hers. It belonged to someone else.
So… what had she gone out to do last night, to come back splattered like this?
Xia Zhi broke off the "Shared Vision."
There was clearly more to this nun than met the eye.
He couldn't help but think of Yelan.
Because of her work, she often carried out missions best kept from the public eye. Sometimes, when she stopped by his shop, she also bore the faint scent of blood.
He wondered briefly—how were Yelan and Yanfei doing down in The Chasm? With the Vigilant Yaksha guarding them, they should be safe.
The library was enormous, its collection vast. For the little girls, searching without direction proved difficult. After spending the entire morning at it, they still hadn't found a single map fragment.
They looked dejected.
So, at noon, Xia Zhi fashioned a simple "Detection Locator" for them. It bore four glowing dots that flashed when near a book containing a map fragment.
That little touch gave things the air of a real treasure hunt, and the girls' spirits rose again. Even Fischl, intrigued, joined them in the search.
By afternoon, Charlotte didn't stay in the library. She had signed up for the Photograph Contest, and to win, she needed pictures taken outside. At her request, Amber went with her, serving as a local guide.
Inside, after more than two hours of searching, the girls finally unearthed the four books that held the map fragments. The last was none other than Flowers for Princess Fischl.
Fischl lowered her gaze to the book in her hands, her expression turning faintly dazed.
There is a story.
Long, long ago, in a land far, far away, there lived a very small little girl.
Her parents were adventurers, constantly busy. She grew up in the library, wandering a thousand universes through its pages. She became the Immernachtreich, the Princess who summoned down the Thunder of Judgment, the one who bound her fate with that of a jet-black Night Raven…
"Amy, what book did you read today?" her parents would ask upon returning from their travels.
And she would tell them about the story she'd read in her beloved series.
"…And then he said: Fischl von Luftschloss Narfidort, thou art the Prinzessin der Verurteilung, my proud daughter. Whatever else you do, never forsake nobility and dreams."
"Oh-ho, that's a fine tale. Since you love it so much, let's call you [Little Fischl]," her father said with a gentle smile, ruffling her hair.
"Little Fischl, you are a remarkable princess, my pride and joy. Whatever happens, never abandon nobility and dreams."
Those tender words of kindness and praise lit her heart like a lantern.
But time spent with her busy parents was always fleeting.
Immersed in fantasy novels and out of step with those around her, whenever she felt lonely, whenever she hurt, she reminded herself:
"I am Fischl, a remarkable princess. Even Father and Mother acknowledged it…"
"Never forsake nobility and dreams… For these are the trials laid upon the Princess."
Just as the universe of Flowers for Princess Fischl inevitably fell to entropy and perished, so too did the little girl who lived in dreams inevitably begin to grow.
On her fourteenth birthday, children who never understood Fischl once again mocked her.
It was nothing more than a trivial trial, the sort of setback any noble princess must endure. Her parents would understand—surely. She thought so.
As Princess, she must never forsake nobility and dreams.
But when she returned to them seeking comfort, what greeted her was weary gentleness:
"Ah, Amy. You're already fourteen. It's time to step away from those childish fantasies…"
That familiar voice pierced her chest like a red-hot rapier.
That midnight, hidden away in the familiar library, the girl sensed an alien gaze upon her. She heard the beating of wings that belonged to no creature of this world.
Through tear-swollen eyes, she met the gaze of a black Night Raven not of this realm.
That was the moment she gained her Vision. The moment she met Oz.
Fischl clenched the book tightly.
She raised her head. Ahead, the three little girls clutched their map fragments, running happily toward Xia Zhi. In her eyes shimmered the faintest envy.
Treasure hunts, maps…
She knew this book well—she had read it countless times in the library. Never had it contained a hidden map fragment. Yet today, suddenly, it did.
She knew Xia Zhi's true nature. Naturally, she understood that all of this was something he had prepared especially for them.
Her parents had been kind, yes—but compared to him, they fell short.
If, when she had sought solace back then, they had spoken with such warmth… she might never have met Oz at all.
Lowering her head, Fischl stared at the book's cover and whispered: "Oz."
"Yes, my lady?"
"Our legend will never end."
"But of course."
Fischl smiled faintly. Her fingers brushed her eyepatch. With her uncovered eye, she glanced toward Qiqi, sitting quietly with her book.
The Prinzessin der Verurteilung—no. Tonight, the Magical Girl of Judgment would begin her hunt.