The eternal night of death envelops us. At the end of the world, only extinguished hope remains. Beneath the flickering flame of justice, every human hiding underground roars with unwilling fury.
When it bears the suffering from a distant world beyond,
Death often becomes easier than living.
Struggle often becomes harder than liberation.
At this moment, the nightmare belonging to the world of Teyvat arrives.
-----Prologue
.....
Some say that infants are born from their mother's suffering. After enduring countless hardships, they eventually return to eternal slumber beneath the earth.
People often glorify suffering, believing that growth is impossible without tragedy.
But this is merely the perspective of some.
Suppose—just suppose—you were now facing death. You would look back on your life.
In this life, were you ordinary or accomplished? What words would you use to summarize your existence?
Joy? Or fear?
Given another chance, would you choose to start over?
If it were me, I would only hope that every decision you made would leave no regrets.
No! I already regret it so much!!!
A roar—like a collapsing mountain, like tidal waves, like thunder bursting through the clouds—sent everything flying with a surge of force.
The deafening roar echoed across the scarred land. Purple cracks stained with eerie gashes spread beneath the colossal figure of the Tacet Discord, under which only a few black dots remained.
The shadow cast by its massive arm engulfed the ants beneath its feet. The accompanying personnel had already closed their eyes, recalling the earlier topic.
I already regret it so much!!!
The expected pain never came. The personnel slowly opened their eyes to see a young man wielding a violet scythe standing before him. With a single, effortless slash, the seemingly invincible Tacet Discord was annihilated.
"Q-Quick... let's go! Are you insane!? Another wave of Tacet Discords is coming!"
The personnel stammered. The youth quickly crouched down, slinging the man's arm over his shoulder, and looked ahead.
"Aether, clear a path for us!"
Another figure emerged ahead. A blade crackling with lightning swept through the air, scattering the smaller Tacet Discords before they could gather.
Rover swiftly surveyed the surroundings. As the Elite-class Tacet Discord fell, Common-class ones surged forward in a frenzy. Sensing the personnel's injuries, he paused briefly, pulling out a crossbow to fire.
"The... the supplies... We can't abandon the supplies..."
The personnel tried to break free, but Rover held him firmly.
"If you go back for the supplies, you won't make it out! I can't guarantee your safety in the middle of a Tacet Discord wave!
Supplies can be replaced. People can't!"
Rover shouted, dragging the man forward step by step. Fortunately, Aether had already cleared the path ahead.
"But these are life-saving supplies... Without them, how will you survive?"
Rover fell silent—whether because he couldn't refute the point or because the roars of the Tacet Discords behind them forced him to quicken his pace.
Half a month had passed since the Tacet Discords appeared in Fontaine. Its people could only rely on this rudimentary method to transport survival supplies.
"Maybe... maybe dying would be better... Hah... hah..."
The personnel trembled uncontrollably, his voice shaky. The ground beneath them rumbled intermittently.
His mutterings went uninterrupted as Rover continued moving toward Aether.
"Paimon's already prepared the interference signals."
Aether gripped his Dull Blade, vigilant of their surroundings. Rover nodded.
"Then get ready. Once we enter the passage, have Paimon release the signals. We need to shake off the Tacet Discords before reaching the safehouse."
The personnel's tense body stiffened again. He struggled weakly against Rover's grip.
"Just leave me... Don't let everyone else perish because of me... Those demons from the sea will devour everything..."
Amidst the despairing words, Rover tightened his hold and pressed forward.
"You volunteered to deliver these supplies, risking your life for others. If you can entrust your life to us, why can't we do the same?"
The personnel fell silent for a moment before finally relenting with a sigh.
"So I won't abandon you either."
That was Rover's promise.
"But I've heard... the resources in Poisson are already stretched thin. One more person would only..."
The personnel pleaded in a desperate whisper:
"Before setting out, I was already prepared to die. Please... just let me go..."
Rover didn't respond further, quickening his pace. Aether, too, remained silent, clearing the path ahead.
"One more person consuming resources means one less for someone else. I... I don't want to burden you..."
Rover reversed his grip on his blade, slicing through an approaching Tacet Discord. While the creatures were still feeding on the fallen Elite-class Discord, they had to escape before more gathered.
"Don't worry about that. We have professionals handling distribution."
The personnel pressed his lips together, his pale face etched with resignation. Before he could speak again, Rover cut him off.
"If we didn't save you, we wouldn't have gotten these supplies either."
To emphasize the point, Aether pulled open his backpack to show the man.
"Besides, the people of Poisson need hope. Saving one more person means one more ally."
Finally, Rover met the man's gaze firmly.
"Sometimes, living requires courage too."
The personnel shut his eyes and stopped resisting, allowing Rover to guide him forward. His ashen lips trembled with sorrow.
"But... the rescue... failed again..."
.....
From the moment the Tacet Discord wave landed in Fontaine, the Lament from another world arrived, heralding the beginning of this world's nightmare.
They spread in all directions, a terrifying tide sweeping across Fontaine. Every citizen was shrouded in the shadow of death.
It was a sudden, merciless assault. Unhindered by human complacency, they destroyed the glories of civilization and slaughtered every living thing in sight.
Disaster became locusts, swarming across Fontaine's war-torn land.
And behind the Tacet Discord wave, the Primordial Seawater began surging from the depths. The sea level rose at an alarming rate, spreading unchecked along the coastlines.
"To maintain contact with other regions, we must dispatch Vision-bearers to deliver supplies. Participation is voluntary—I will force no one."
Neuvillette issued the decree in the Court of Fontaine. Special Training Teams and the Marechaussee Phantom mobilized to secure the surrounding areas, carving out safe routes.
The initial rescue operations succeeded, delivering supplies and intel to various regions. But as time passed, disaster followed.
At some point, the scattered Tacet Discords began converging periodically into waves, targeting human strongholds. Even someone as strong as Rover could only retreat.
Meanwhile, the Primordial Seawater had encroached upon the Court of Fontaine, cutting off the capital's rescue efforts. Even they now faced dissolution.
Where could people flee now? With no means to receive outside information, how could decisions be made?
In his final message before communications failed, Neuvillette told Fontaine's people:
"The rising sea carries concentrated Primordial Seawater. High tide will briefly flood the land.
No Fontainian may touch the water. Only after the tide recedes can you return.
For the Primordial Seawater will dissolve all Fontainians."
Someone once asked Neuvillette:
"If we dissolve in the water, are the demons born from it the reincarnated souls of those who perished, here to judge Fontaine's sins?"
No one could answer.
....
This calamity flung open the gates to hell. On an island nation like Fontaine, there was no escape—no refuge.
Amid endless death and wailing, the Tacet Discords roamed aimlessly, gathering ceaselessly. Across this fledgling land, the footprints of Lament spread.
Before death, humans could only entrust their fragile lives to fate.
But fate shows no favoritism.
At first, some tried fleeing Fontaine by ship, only to discover:
The ocean had become a forbidden zone. Violent waves and eerie violet waters drowned those seeking escape, dragging them down like Atlantis, feeding the abyss.
People everywhere cried for aid, but as the Primordial Seawater swallowed the Court of Fontaine, routes were reclaimed by Tacet Discords again and again.
The eternal night of death envelops us.
At the end of the world, only extinguished hope remains.
Beneath the flickering flame of justice, every human hiding underground roars with unwilling fury.
When it bears the suffering from a distant world beyond,
Death often becomes easier than living.
Struggle often becomes harder than liberation.
At this moment, the nightmare belonging to the world of Teyvat arrives.