Halfdan looked at Aether, Shao Yun, and Dainsleif one by one, then raised the greatsword in his hand, pointing it toward the Abyssal machine. He gave a small shake of his head, signaling refusal.
Dainsleif gazed at this last member of Khaenri'ah's royal guard, sorrow and helplessness in his eyes.
He softly called Halfdan's name, memories of the past flooding his mind.
Then Dainsleif let out a long sigh, his eyes turning resolute and unyielding.
He turned to Shao Yun, a determination beyond doubt shining in his gaze.
With a firm voice he declared, "Forgive me, Shao Yun. I've changed my mind… unless I die, I will never agree to this plan of restoration!"
Hearing this, Shao Yun's face showed a trace of melancholy.
He couldn't help but complain, "Oh my God, not again!"
What was going on with this Halfdan—how did he even appear? How had he accidentally triggered the Requiem of the Echoing Depths?
Shao Yun felt something was off. He recalled that night, and now, with Halfdan's sudden appearance, the timing seemed far too coincidental. This absurd play had become almost too absurd.
Something about that fool's deal with the devil wasn't right…
Aether's pupils constricted sharply as he stared at the Black Serpent Knight—Halfdan.
Memories of Khaenri'ah surged in his mind.
His expression shifted, and in that instant, he made a decision.
Then he said calmly to Dainsleif, "Dainsleif, there's no need for us to fight anymore. I've decided to abandon this plan."
Shao Yun was stunned at Aether's change of heart. Just because he saw Halfdan turned into a Serpent Knight, he gave up?
But then again, Shao Yun had no right to judge—after all, he had started down the wrong path first.
Seeing Shao Yun's silence, Aether wore an apologetic expression and said softly, "I've learned a lot from you. Now I have to learn to give up things that aren't realistic. Thank you for sharing in my madness this once… I hope you won't blame me for walking away."
Shao Yun shrugged indifferently. "You're Lumine's brother, of course I don't blame you. Besides, I was never interested in your restoration plan, so there's no reason for resentment."
After all, Shao Yun had only wanted to look around and leave.
But one thing after another had pulled him in, until even Aether and Dainsleif forced him to decide Khaenri'ah's future.
Only because Aether was Lumine's brother did Shao Yun choose to stand with him.
Since Aether no longer wanted to continue, Shao Yun naturally didn't care either.
…
With the departure of the Black Serpent Knight named Halfdan, this farce finally came to an end.
Dainsleif looked at Shao Yun, beckoning him gently. His tone was mild. "Shao Yun, there are some things I wish to discuss with you. May I?"
Shao Yun nodded in agreement.
Together they walked to the window of the nameless ruin that hung upside down from the ceiling.
Shao Yun took a cigar from his coat and offered it with a smile. "Want one?"
Dainsleif accepted it, examined it carefully, then handed it back with courtesy. "I don't smoke. Thank you."
Seeing he didn't smoke, Shao Yun lit it himself, drawing a deep puff and letting the thick smoke fill his mouth.
After a few drags, Shao Yun broke the silence first. "Before you ask me anything, I want to know—when did you and Aether stop traveling together?"
Lately, Shao Yun often suffered headaches, some memories fading, others multiplying, making him feel almost schizophrenic.
Dainsleif, this "living history," was the best person to deepen his understanding.
Dainsleif thought Shao Yun wanted to trade questions, so he recalled the past simply and explained, "Well… how to put it?"
"In short, it was when Aether met the Abyss Order's founder, Chlothar. He thought the Abyss might be a chance to save Khaenri'ah. That's when we parted ways."
Hearing this, Shao Yun immediately recalled—that was the Caribert arc.
Chlothar, that father, used his wife's corpse to cultivate strange Withering fungi.
He wanted to follow Sumeru's legends, turn his own son Caribert into a Hilichurl, and thereby gain the wisdom of the God of Wisdom.
But in the end, it wasn't the first or second Dendro Archon who answered him, but the Abyss.
Shao Yun quickly replayed this arc in his mind, then only gave a brief response.
"Oh…"
At this point, Dainsleif finally asked his own question.
"Now it's my turn. Do you trust Aether?"
Shao Yun replied with utter certainty, his tone natural and confident. "He's Lumine's brother—my brother-in-law. Because of that, when she's not by my side, I will trust him completely."
Hearing this, Dainsleif pressed further, clarifying what he meant.
"Hmm… let me rephrase. Do you truly believe Aether has never betrayed Lumine?"
At once Shao Yun grew wary, his guard up. "Should I take that as you trying to sow discord between them?"
Dainsleif, puzzled, asked in return, "What do you mean by that?"
Shao Yun puffed his cigar, his tone heavy with dissatisfaction.
"Because of something you once said, Lumine and I were briefly separated. So yes, I think you are trying to sow discord!"
Then Shao Yun recounted the events in Inazuma to Dainsleif in detail.
Hearing it, Dainsleif was stunned into silence for half a minute before he recovered.
He had once followed Abyssal traces to Inazuma and heard rumors of Baal's death and Yae Miko's succession as Raiden Shogun.
But he never believed the second Raiden would die so easily with the Fatui.
He had always thought Ei secluded herself in pursuit of eternity.
His voice dropped low. "So, it was you who killed Baal! I always thought she faked her death for eternity, passing authority to Yae Miko."
Then he paused, and with some resignation said, "But if she wounded Lumine, and you killed her for Lumine's sake… that does match your character."
Shao Yun drew the last puff of his cigar, then tossed it to the ground and crushed it underfoot.
His face twisted with frustration. "And all because of you! Because you told Lumine not to walk the path of resisting and hunting the Archons, she misunderstood me!"
Dainsleif frowned, recalling he had indeed said such a thing to Lumine, never imagining it would have such consequences.
"What I said wasn't wrong. Don't put too much faith in the Archons, but also don't walk the road of slaughtering them."
"But knowing Lumine, I'm surprised. After hearing you killed Baal, she didn't leave you?"
Shao Yun glared at him fiercely. "It was that close to breaking us apart."
"But luckily, all I could think of then was killing Baal, while remembering everything Lumine had said to me…"
"And with some unexpected help, we barely got through Inazuma."
Having said this, Shao Yun's emotions spiraled out of control, slipping into near "blind devotion."
"Now we're simply traveling. But if anyone dares threaten Lumine or Paimon, I'll kill them without hesitation!"
"For the sake of a better world, I'll pay any price!"
Seeing Shao Yun's unstable state, Dainsleif grew wary. "To be honest… right now, I'd almost count you among my 'enemies.'"
After all, in this blind loyalty, if Aether ever convinced Lumine to join the Abyss, and brought Shao Yun with him, the world would be lost.
Aether could still separate himself from the Abyss… but who knew what the future held?
If one day he truly became the Abyss's will incarnate, the result would be disastrous.
As the saying goes: when you gaze long into the Abyss, the Abyss also gazes into you.
Shao Yun snapped back angrily, "I don't want to put a bullet in your skull and then apologize to Lumine. So don't think that just because she tolerates you, you can act recklessly around me!"
Seeing Shao Yun's violent swings in mood, Dainsleif sighed helplessly, then asked again, "All the same, before I go—I must ask once more. Do you truly believe Aether has never betrayed Lumine?"
Shao Yun answered firmly, "We're family. Even if we don't live together now, I believe Aether would never harm her."
Dainsleif nodded at that, and gave a remark heavy with meaning.
"In that case… if you are so certain, then someday you and Lumine must prove to me that you are better suited than I am to save him."
Just then, Shao Yun felt a pang in his chest, followed by splitting pain in his head.
He clutched his skull, forcing a facade of calm, muttering nonsense.
"That's too far away… I might not even live that long!"
Concerned, Dainsleif asked, "What do you mean? What do you mean you might not live—"
Shao Yun shook his head hard, blinking rapidly, pretending ease. "Nothing. Just nonsense. Forget it."
Dainsleif studied his strange behavior, but chose not to press further. Instead, he changed the subject.
"By the way, those thirty silver coins you showed me last time—you didn't give them to the Abyss, did you?"
Shao Yun patted the Legend of the East satchel at his waist. "They're still with me."
Dainsleif visibly relaxed, his tone lightening.
"That's good. Then I'll take my leave. Tell Aether for me—in one hour, I'll resume striking the Abyss."
As he turned to go, he remembered something.
He looked back at Shao Yun. "Oh, one more thing. Your Vision—it seems stained with blood?"
Shao Yun looked down at the crimson gem at his waist. On the skull-shaped casing were two dried streaks of dark violet blood.
He waved it off casually. "Oh, that? Doesn't matter. I'll just wipe it clean."
…
After Dainsleif left, Shao Yun returned to Aether's side.
At that moment, Aether was gazing upward at the pool above, the one that eased the curse, his eyes filled with something indescribable.
When he noticed Shao Yun return, he slowly withdrew his gaze and asked, "Has Dainsleif left?"
Shao Yun adjusted his hat slightly. "Yeah. He left. He also said for the next hour, he won't trouble the Abyss."
Aether sighed with a strange ease, then gave Shao Yun's arm a gentle pat, his face showing a complicated expression.
"Well… so the dream of restoring our people is over. You know, you and I are alike—we both quit halfway."
"What's that saying? If you're not family, you don't enter the family's door?"
Shao Yun was about to respond when suddenly, a hallucination rang out in his mind.
…
「"Listen. Let things run their course. What must happen will happen. No one can interfere with its progress, and no one can change the fated facts."」
「"Madness is in my bones, unique, untouched by the outside world. It is not my fault, nor anyone else's."」
「"Just live in the damned present. When the moment comes—pull the trigger!"」
…
「"If you fear death, don't be an outlaw!!!"」