["The Vidyadhara have no parents or family. After birth, a mentor guides the young Vidyadhara in mastering Cloudhymn spells and various life skills."]
[Bailu looked at Dan Heng. "…Dan Heng, did you have such a mentor?"]
["If you're asking about Vidyadhara traditions, I never had that experience. I'm just a wanderer who can't return to my homeland, with only fragmented dreams of old acquaintances locked in conflict."]
[At this point, Dan Heng seemed to recall something, a faint smile tugging at his lips. "But on my travels, I've always met people who could be called mentors."]
["Ever since I can remember, it's always been the Dragon Masters telling me to do this or that, or the alchemists from the Alchemy Commission asking me to heal and save people. I don't even know if that counts as a mentor."]
[Bailu turned to Dan Heng with a bright smile. "You know, you feel a lot like the mentor I've been waiting for all this time. 'A wise bond in a past life, a mentor in the next'… Maybe we were friends or mentor and apprentice in a past life."]
["Danfeng's friend or disciple? Perhaps."]
[Dan Heng had initially worried that Bailu held only the title of Dragon Sovereign without its power, but now he realized he'd been mistaken. Bailu not only had it, but her Dragon Sovereign power was unique—capable of reweaving the seal and forming the mysterious roots, a force of life.]
[This was entirely different from the destructive power he wielded.]
——
Frieren: Beyond Journey's End——
"No wonder Dan Heng could unlock the Ambrosial Arbor's seal but not close it. He only inherited part of Danfeng's power."
"If their Dragon Sovereign powers could be combined, we'd see the full extent of the former Dragon Sovereign's strength, right? What a pity…" Stark's gaze shifted from Dan Heng, and he sighed regretfully.
"If Mr. Dan Heng leaves the Luofu with the Astral Express, doesn't that mean the Vidyadhara's Dragon Sovereign legacy will forever lack that part of the power?"
Fern felt that while it was great Dan Heng held part of the Dragon Sovereign's power, if it caused future Dragon Sovereigns to inherit an incomplete legacy, it wouldn't bode well for the Vidyadhara's long-term development.
"Fern, don't overthink it…" Frieren said. "Dan Heng is a Vidyadhara, too. Their defining trait is self-sustaining reincarnation. As long as he doesn't die out there, his soul will return to this ancient sea after his rebirth in a few centuries, bringing the rest of the Dragon Sovereign's power with him, right?"
But the Vidyadhara live long lives, and by then, Fern and the others might not be around to witness it. In a few hundred years, though, Frieren herself might have a chance to see a Dragon Sovereign with complete power. Thinking about it that way… it didn't seem like such a long wait.
——
[After briefly discussing their respective Dragon Sovereign powers, Bailu returned on her own.]
["Dan Heng, shall we go? March 7th and Uncle Yang are waiting for us up ahead," Stelle reminded from the side.]
["Mm."]
[Following Stelle, Dan Heng's steps paused before Dragonvista Rain Hall.]
[The wind swept across the stone steps before the hall, carrying the damp scent of the ancient sea. He looked up, his gaze falling on the weathered statue in the hall—its once-majestic form eroded by time, now battered and broken, with only the spear tip and its gaze fixed toward the distance, as if awaiting a promise that would never return.]
[—"Imbibitor Lunae! Don't just stand there daydreaming—the wine's getting cold!"]
[Dan Heng spun around, as if hearing that familiar voice again.]
[On the other side of the statue, four figures seemed to stand—Jing Yuan, his eyes smiling as he twirled a wine cup; Jingliu, her usually frosty face softened by a rare, warm smile; even the ever-stoic Yingxing had a touch of tenderness in his eyes; and Baiheng—]
[The Foxian woman downed her wine with a laugh, her eyes curving like crescent moons, the silver bell in her hair jingling lightly in the breeze.]
["Yingxing, don't frown like that."]
["Imbibitor Lunae, lighten up and smile a bit."]
["Baiheng, don't tease them. Those two are still hung up on their last match with Jingliu."]
["Want a rematch? I'm game."]
["…"]
——
Teyvat——
"Heroes of the mortal world, gathering and parting in time."
At Wangshu Inn, Zhongli gazed up at the past scenes of the High-Cloud Quintet, murmuring with emotion.
The High-Cloud Quintet's beautiful past stirred Xiao's memories, causing his brows to furrow almost imperceptibly, as if stung by his karmic debt or pierced by the flood of memories.
He lowered his eyes, something trembling faintly in his golden pupils.
In a fleeting moment—
He recalled Fushe sneaking in to doodle on his face while he rested, sometimes a clumsy turtle, other times a crude bird. He remembered Fadan always sprinkling dried Qingxin petals into his almond tofu, adding a hint of bitterness to its sweetness…
"Xiao, if you keep that stern face, you'll forget how to smile one day."
—His comrades voice rang in his ears, laced with playful teasing.
He shut his eyes tightly, turning away from the High-Cloud Quintet's scene on the Celestial Screen. Those warm memories now felt like thousands of needles stabbing at him…
His throat tightened as Xiao took a deep breath, struggling to suppress the torrent of emotions.
"…Remembering something?" Zhongli's voice carried a touch of concern.
"Mm."
The night breeze carried away a faint, almost inaudible sigh from Xiao's lips.
"Some… old matters with them."
——
[As the sun set, Dan Heng closed his eyes, a faint smile on his face as he prepared to leave.]
[But suddenly, a dark cloud spread from the direction of Scalegorge Waterscape, shrouding the twilight. By the time Dan Heng reacted, waves surged beneath his feet, and a sharp spear tip pressed against his throat, as if it would pierce through in the next second.]
[Slowly turning around.]
[Danfeng emerged from behind him, his near-identical face glinting with murderous intent.]
["How long do you plan to run?"]
[Dan Heng took a deep breath, a flash of resolve in his eyes. "It's time for me to go."]
["Go?" Danfeng stared at him expressionlessly. "The sea of stars is vast, but it has nothing to do with you or me."]
[Dan Heng tried to lower his head, but the spear tip tilted his chin up, forcing him to face the Dragon Sovereign behind him. "The Dragon Sovereign's legacy endures forever, constant as the ancient sea, unchanging through the ages."]
[Dan Heng angrily turned his head. "That's your past!"]
["No! As the Dragon Sovereign's reincarnation, you are my reflection. The sins of the past life are repaid in this one."]
["I… am not you!"]
[Cloud-Piercer appeared in his hand, its spear striking like an enraged dragon from the sea, forcing Danfeng back. The two stood with spears in hand, as if divided by a vast chasm.]
[Danfeng let out a low chuckle, slowly raising his head and saying coldly, "If you defy the clan's rules and sever the legacy, you'll fall into eternal oblivion, never to find release!"]