Marginal1.1

-Go to Childe’s house.

Paimon: Let’s go see how Childe is doing. After you fainted, Georgi took him away in a rush that Paimon couldn’t ask what’s going on. Hopefully he’s not in huge trouble.

You walk closer to the small cottage then suddenly a trap falls beneath you.

Paimon: Watch out! Woah! That was close… Who put this here? Could it be Georgi to keep Childe inside? Let’s move carefully and not trigger any traps.

You get closer while avoiding the traps. Before the house, you saw a familiar face.

Paimon: Is that Georgi? He seems on alert. Let’s walk around to avoid any suspicion…

Georgi: Who goes there!?

Paimon: It’s just us!

Georgi: Traveler and Paimon. Please be quiet. Follow me.

Traveler: Is Pulcinella back?

Georgi: Yes. After Young Lord ran away, someone reported him. So they decided to take more serious actions.

Paimon: Oh, so that’s why everywhere is surrounded by traps.

Georgi: No, not for that. It was Tecmessa who placed them. Traps don’t follow the main road in case kids might step on them. She was worried that someone in the fatui might try to control Lord Harbinger by using his family.

Traveler: Why do they want to hurt their harbinger?

Georgi: I don’t know. But she was quite worried about the recent ambushes.

Paimon: Are they ok?

Georgi: They are fine, don’t worry. However, Tecmessa was warry of other harbingers for so long she sent me to check on them and bring any information that can be useful to her. During the last meeting, I was assigned as a guard. It was then we heard they planned to send Lord Tartaglia to the domain.

Paimon: Knowing how dangerous that place is, Tecmessa snatched behind him and informed Pulcinella about us. So that he would have stayed out of Kitezh.

Traveler: Until he found out her actual intentions.

Georgi: Precisely. Lord Harbinger never wanted her to go either due to her sickness. He never trusted her abilities nor believed she could survive. Unfortunately, his worries were on point. If you weren’t there, she could have came back with Mistleteinn Sword.

Paimon: Don’t blame Traveler! S/he was poisened by the abyss.

Georgi: This still doesn’t change the outcome. Lord Harbinger got so mad, when a troop areived to bring him back, he beated them to death. Luckily, I was with him. He listened to me to a degree.

Paimon: Oh, what should we do? Tecmessa fell into abyss with the sword and we can’t reach her.

Traveler: Is there anyway we can call Skirk?

Paimon: You are right! If she is in the abyss, Skirk can find her.

Georgi: You mean Young Lord’s master?

Paimon: Yup, she is basically our friend now.

Georgi: Hide! Someone’s coming.

Pulcinella and his men leaves the house, followed by Telimir.

Telimir: Please forgive my son’s misbehavior. He never learns when to stop.

Pulcinella: I’m forgiving him for this once only because I have respect for our citizens. You are an honest person and I believe that you can tame your child. Until then, he is prohibited to leave until a second order and will not be briefed on any intelligence updates.

After they left, you got inside.

Antonia: Are they gone?

Peribora: sigh, yes they are.

Paimon: Hello everyone.

Anthonia: Traveler, Paimon. Terrible timing, really. My brother is in trouble.

Artyom: You must be the Traveler. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you.

Arseny: Come on Teucer, let’s go grab the fishing nets.

Teucer: What about Ajax? Where did he go?

Arseny: He’ll join us later.

Big brothers give each other a nod as Teucer follows one and leaves.

Artyom: We are sorry that you had to see us like this. But I assume this is not the first time Ajax has been suspected as a criminal.

Paimon: Yeah, especially after committing many crimes throughout the nation.

Artyom: Hehe… He is not in the backyard. The best he can do right now is to train. He kept murmuring about that rabbit hole he fell in and the mysterious master who took him in. Dear mother was worried he might try to run away again until we found the traps around the house.

Traveler: We saw them too.

You mean Tecmessa’s traps.

Artyom: Hm… Must be true. She always had been a good help. Such a pity she disappeared. We are all worried but we know waiting is our only option.

Paimon: That’s why we are here. Ajax can’t go anywhere but we can. If he can give us any clues, we can go find Tecmessa, or Banu.

Artyom: That sounds like a plan. I’ll inform him you are here.

-Talk to Childe

You see the young harbinger slashing the training dummies with fury until they turned into dust.

Artyom: Ajax, your friends are here.

Childe: I’m busy right now.

Paimon: Hello Childe.

Traveler: We just saw Pulcinella.

Did they find Tecmessa?

Childe: Why do you care? Aren’t you the one who pushed her?

Paimon: It was an accident! Traveler was seeing hallucinations.

Childe: Doesn’t matter anymore. I can’t go behind her. No one’s telling me what’s going on, I’m left out by my own coworkers. Arlecchino sent her men to watch my moves. Georgi doesn’t allow kids to leave without informing Pierrot first. I can’t get any help from anyone outside and they just kicked Pulcinella out. How am I supposed to stay calm when everyone’s treating me like a criminal?

Artyom: You are beating yourself for no reason. There was nothing you could do.

Childe: If I were stronger, none of this would happen. I had to be there faster.

Georgi: And you’d still fail.

Paimon: Georgi?

Georgi: My warnings were always ignored at the meetings. You were there too. No matter how strong you are, the human body has a certain capacity. If you hadn't disregarded your own life and listened to your friends' warnings just once, this wouldn't have happened. You can only survive there for half an hour without losing your mind. Frankly, it was a stroke of luck for you that Tecmessa fell into the abyss. Look at Traveler. S/he is a perfect example of ignoring one’s warnings and going against the grain.

Paimon: OK, don’t rub it on our faces.

Artyom: Mom is upset seeing you distancing yourself from the rest of us. It’s not only your grief. We are all worried about her, that’s why we are here with you. To be honest, the reason Anya wasn’t bringing kids was that she was too afraid of Pulcinella. Now that he’s gone, we can focus on our problems. Think of this as an opportunity to gather and find a solution. Ask Arseny. He was friends with Valya from the intel gatherers.

Childe: That’s right! We can also ask our friend.

Traveler: You mean Mona, right?

Paimon: Yup. She is an astrologist. She can tell where we can find her.

Georgi: Would you look at that?

Childe: Fine. Not like I can go anywhere. By the way, Georgi. You have to stay. There is something I need to talk with you about.

Georgi: As you command, sir.

Paimon: Then, let’s go find Mona! We have a friend to save.

-Talk to Mona

Mona: Traveler and Paimon. What are you two doing here?

Paimon: Mona! We need your help.

Mona: Hush! Wait a second. I think I found her.

Paimon: You found Tecmessa? Wow, you are fast.

Mona: Who? Ah, no. I meant the distorted constellation.

Paimon: Paimon remembers it. You were talking about a constellation having two different reflections at the same time.

Mona: Yes. Apparently, this constellation has been passed down on two different people at the same timeline for the first time ever. Until now, fate had been passed down from an ancestor to another person. During the Dziady Night, you can see this much more clearer. Years ago, an object fell from the sky over one of ███’s star. Possibly another wandering star or one tied to another constellation. With the impact, the fate of two stars had conjuncted and started to swirl around the two stories.

Paimon: You mean two people out there are fighting over the end of a story? But how is this possible? At the end, they will follow a common story, right?

Mona: I’m not quite sure. But this specific constellation ███ is also named as Orion Gelidus. And both of the reflections show significant differences despite their similarities. I assume that ███ is the original one since I can track the previous owners.

Paimon: And who is that?

Mona: You won’t believe it but it’s the Cryo Archon Tsaritsa herself.

Paimon: What!?

Traveler: Are you sure?

So the other person should be someone close to Tsaritsa.

Mona: In a sense, yes. Although they indeed crossed paths multiple times, that doesn’t make them close or similar in many ways. Have you heard of the story of “Maiden and The Hero From Beyond The Sky”?

Traveler: Never heard of it.

Can you remind me?

Mona: There are countless versions of this tale. An undefeatable hero descending from the skies discovers an ancient kingdom sunk beneath the dark sea by the dragons. He sails to find the dragon and slays its head to find the key of this ancient kingdom. The fight between them takes days until he defeats the beast. On his way to the treasure of the gods, he meets a beautiful maiden. She was the princess of this ancient kingdom who lost everything. They fall in love immediately and he promises to bring her kingdom’s glory back to her. But while trying to trespass the holy gates, the heavens above punish him for his ignorance. He was not meant to enter the glorious kingdom as he was merely a servant. Out of grief, the maiden either ends her life or goes on a journey to bring him back to life and loses her life during her search. Which sounds pretty similar to what Tsaritsa is going through. She is following her fate perfectly. However, the second person is causing some blurry images.

Paimon: How is that? Are they trying to fight back with fate?

Mona: I don’t think it’s intentional but their second fate is combining and affecting their road. Right now, they follow both the hero's and the maiden’s story.

Paimon: Hero… Could it be a star from the hero’s constellation? Can you check his fate too?

Mona: I did, but it doesn’t seem like the case.

Traveler: I have a guess.

Mona: You do? Would you mind sharing the name?

Traveler: It’s the person we are looking for.

She might be Tecmessa.

Paimon: Are you serious? Why do you think so?

Mona: Hm. Let me have a look.

Traveler: When you think about the story, it makes sense. She is a descender who came beyond the skies. She went to find Kitezh while Childe was under house arrest. She fought the monsters and fell into the abyss. If she didn’t intervene with Fatui’s plan, then Childe would follow the story. And Tecmessa would go to find him, possibly die in the process.

???: Oh, my. Someone stepped off-script.

Paimon: Who’s there?

Alice: Hello my favorite heroes. We meet again. In a way.

Paimon: Alice! What are you doing here? As a Dodoco?

Mona: Mizz Alice. What brings you here? Don’t tell me she is here as well.

Alice: Ah, no. Barbie has other issues to handle. However, I had to come and check on you. You might have guessed the reason already.

Paimon: You are here for Tecmessa, right?

Alice: Indeed. You guessed her story mostly correct. I still remember the day she fell like a star on the fatui’s tree. Oh, boy. It was a hard fall for sure. At first, I wasn’t sure if we had to keep or send back to her home planet. But after the damage she had and fatui capturing her, I could not possibly lay my hands on her easily. She was the one who hit the constellation. I’m not sure what exactly happened, but her fate had merged with Tsartitsa’s and with Teyvat’s script. Unfortunately, there was nothing I could do to prevent her from changing the script. And here we are. She already started to change things.

Paimon: Wait a second. So she is changing the whole plot, is that it? What should we do then?

Alice: My suggestion would be leaving her in the abyss and making sure she never comes back.

Paimon: We can’t do that!

Alice: Then we don’t have any other options but wait. Fate flows at its own speed. Forcing it to change or fasten up the process only causes deformations on the system. I know waiting is hard, but if her fate will change, then it must shape itself. Right now, she is trying to be the hero and save the people she loves. But this will cause a missing role at hand.

Paimon: If Tecmessa becomes the hero, and Childe is also the hero… Then we need a maiden too.

Alice: Exactly. We need someone to be served at. No stories are complete without a princess to protect, am I right? Meanwhile, why don’t you find the candidates to help you?

Paimon: We surely can. Let’s count all the names we can ask.

Mona: Mizz Alice. May I ask what will happen to Tsartitsa’s fate if she manages to change her fate? Sharing the same constellation and ambition surely should affect her fate as well. But what if Tsartisa continues to follow the old fate? We already should have all the roles necessary for her story. This would only create a new story line and end the cycle. I couldn’t detect any changes in Tsartitsa’s story yet.

Alice: That’s an interesting point of view. You might be correct. However, we can’t take any risks here. She can either be an extra or exchange roles. We must be prepared.

Paimon: Leave it to us. We will come up with a list soon.

Alice: I’ll come to check on you soon. Until then, take care.

Paimon: And she’s gone. So are we going to leave her alone and go check for others?

Mona: Mizz Alice has a point. Intervening with fate any further is dangerous. I can offer help to find candidates for your story. But we should let her go on her own journey and decide what type of story she wants. Unlike Durin, who managed to live as an extra as Mizz Alice said, your friend’s fate will affect others intentionally or not. The whole story will change…

Paimon: Don’t worry Mona. We’ll fix this. You don’t need to worry.

Mona: What worry? I’m so excited! This type of thing never happened before. And I’ll be the one who records it first. Finally I can beat my master and show that I’m not someone she can look down on anymore.

Paimon: You take any opportunity to beef with your master, huh?

-On the other side

Somewhere deep in the abyss, Skirk lights a camp fire for two. Tecmessa was pacing back and forth around, sometimes bringing whatever Skirk asks automatically and returning back to her small walk in the same circle.

Skirk: … Pass me the pot.

…

Skirk: No, not this one. The bigger one.

…

Skirk: … Give me the rock over there.

…

Skirk: The shiner one.

Tecmessa: How am I supposed to know which one?

Skirk: We don’t even need rocks. Let’s start with the main issue.

Tecmessa: growl!

Skirk: I know you are worried, however, if you mean to fight an entire organization with a cursed sword, then you must be prepared.

Tecmessa: It’s been months already! Who knows how long it has been on Teyvat.

Skirk: You trust your speed too much. That’s why you are restless. Eventually, your rush will cause you to fail. You are not from this world, just like me. But this doesn’t mean we are invincible. The sword will eventually corrupt your mind. If you want to use it, you must train harder. Train until you lose and regrow your limbs. Just like your horn.

Tecmessa: Don't bring my horn up please.

Skirk: The weapon you possess is extremely strong. If you fail to use it properly, it will destroy your body. You’ll never be able to master it.

Tecmessa: Wow, thanks.

Skirk: Knowing your weaknesses is the first step to get stronger. Your body was at the edge of shutting down, you are sick. Probably due to Teyvat’s ecosystem. Once you return, the sword will crush you. What do you think your option here is?

Tecmessa: … How long can I keep up?

Skirk: That’s the right question. But the answer is not too long. I’d say a maximum of ten minutes. That’s why you should make a strong plan. If you want to get stronger from the short way, then there is nothing I can offer you but food. You are on your own. Make your decision.

Tecmessa: …

-At the Fatui Meeting

Pulcinella: Tell your majesty that I have done nothing but serve her with the utmost respect. Taking me away from the plan we created together is unjust.

Pierrot: You failed to keep a kid inside his room, Mayor. Maybe you should sit and think about your failure before deciding what is justice for the sake of our majesty.

Pantolone: Not like I want to interfere, however, the cost of Tartaglia’s actions damaged the whole budget for this project. Not only were the supplies expensive but also rare. Most of them were shipped all the way here from Inazuma, prepared before La Singnora’s passing. We are unable to retrieve any further supplies, and limited to reuse the broken equipment. Your lack of control cost Northland Bank a huge debt.

Pulcinella: And who may it be to vote for that monster to go?

Arlecchino: May I ask, how did it end up with the candidate you suggested went to Kitezh? Isn’t that what you wanted, dear Rooster? You were favoring the young harbinger so much that not only he managed to bring a stranger into our plans, but also ruined the whole plan by destroying our supplies and losing the very first thing we were searching for. I would not usually agree with Regrator, but in this case, throwing others under the mistake to cover yours is not something we would accept.

Pulcinella: My dear Knave, if that’s what you are thinking, then I assume you would volunteer to solve this crisis wholeheartedly. We know the House of the Hearth has its hands full with the rebuilding of Fontaine’s infrastructure. However, having such talented soldiers under your hand, you must be able to send some of them for the upcoming rescue operation.

Arlecchino: …

Pantolone: Well, what a pleasant surprise. I would never guess my dearest colleague would land a hand to cover the detriment of Northland Bank.

Arlecchino: Knowing how dangerous that place is, did you actually believe that I would sacrifice any of my children by sending them into the abyss?

Pulcinella: We’ve been listening to you this whole time, Knave. It’s your turn to take responsibility and pay your penance.

Pantolone: May I suggest a way to find common grounds. We won’t be able to get anywhere if we keep arguing like this. Right now, far parties of this meeting have a restraining order, which does not make things fair for profit makers. However, with Arlechhino’s strong disagreements, we are circling around the same caliber like goats tied to a stick. First of all, we need to redefine our purpose.

Pierrot: Right now, your majesty Tsaritsa asks you to find and bring back the Misltetenn Sword. She wishes no longer to witness the harm of innocents, and search for a veil to protect her people from the upcoming enemy. In her words; she watched a Nail erase a nation in a breath and no longer wishes to watch Snezhnaya vanish the same way.

Georgi: Your grace, I must have a word here.

Pierrot: You?

Georgi: If you may… We recently received a letter from a provider from Sumeru. A specialist in ancient mechanics. She claims she can construct a dampener to revert the entropic effect of the Mistilteinn Sword.

Pantolone: A reversion device? Are you talking about Miss Gizzal? I thought she was in contact with... Oh, now that makes sense... *chuckles* If the sword was forged to slay a Divine Nail and failed, what makes her think she can tame its backlash? That's a huge gamble to bet on.

Georgi: If her calculations are correct, the shockwave unleashed from the collision of the blade and the nail will turn Snezhnaya into dust within seconds. I've seen it myself. The ghosts of Kitezh in that domain were from the time of the incident. God Luchezar might have managed to destroy the nail, but it cost the lives of his people. My Lord, if the sword is pulled without the dampener, it will release a pulse of Abyss energy combined with god remains. If we manage to survive with a miracle, The Heavenly Principles will see the spike and unleash the curse of-

Pierrot: Don’t say it again.

Georgi: … Yes.

Pulcinella: A valiant warning, Commander Georgi. But the Tsaritsa's gaze is fixed on the future of Snezhnaya with greatness, not ghost stories. She is willing to let the surface weather the storm if it means Snezhnaya survives the night. If you are worried about the abyss raid that might occur, we need to strengthen our front lines. As for the manpower needed to secure the site... My suggestion still stands. The House of the Hearth has many capable soldiers who can endure Kitezh's environment. Ignoring the fact that one of the examples managed to escape with the Misletenn Sword... We shall utilize them for the primary extraction.

Arlecchino: My children are not fodder for a project built on unstable math, Mayor. I refuse to commit them to a site where corruption is a statistical likelihood.

Pulcinella: Are you refusing to collaborate when we finally found a common ground as you wished? This is a direct opposition to Your Majesty's wish and treachery.

Arlecchino: Your common ground option is to sacrifice anyone disposable for your own interest while ignoring many warnings. We all wish Tsaritsa’s success.

Pierrot: The extraction proceeds. Arlecchino, you will provide the logistics. Pulcinella will oversee the deployment and give the required number. Commander will make sure that this device will not have any flaws that can put our citizens in danger... The Tsaritsa has seen enough nations vanish to know that a bruised land is better than a erased one.

After everyone leaves, Arlecchino pulls Georgi close.

Arlecchino: So, what did you talk with him?

Georgi: Traveler is on her/his way to receive the machine. Tsaritsa will not be attending herself, so that decreases the number of threats.

Arlecchino: There is still something you didn’t tell me.

Georgi: You probably know already. But breaking into the domain will only unleash the Wild Hunt. No matter how many times I warn them, the Wild Hunt corruption inside Kitezh is not a force we can simply defeat. That’s why that place should be sealed for good.

Arlecchino: However…

Georgi: However, Traveler and young lord will break the seal before anyone else to go to the deepest place of abyss.

Arlecchino: Why didn’t this surprise me?

Georgi: Ah, the young lord always thinks with instincts. Sometimes I wonder if he actually uses his brain.

Arlecchino: Watch out now. Insulting your superior might result in severe punishment. But I agree with you. What other instructions did Tecmessa give to you?

Georgi: You would be surprised if I told you she managed to change the actual cargo with something else. Our little device is on its way to Mondstadt right now.

Arlecchino: Oh, that little demon. She never liked Tsaritsa from the beginning. We can’t allow all of her hard work to go in vain. Come, we should stop them.

-Go to Kitezh

The wind howls across the tundra. You see the gates of Kitezh rumbling afar under the sky gleaming the shades of purple.

Paimon: Why does the air feel so... heavy here? The entrance didn’t look like this when we left here…

As you get closer, the scenery looks more crowded with detailed silhouettes.

Paimon: Traveler look. They have the main cargo Georgi mentioned. That must be where the device is hidden! But look at all those soldiers... If they spot us, they'll raise the alarm and we'll have the whole Fatui army on our heads before we even reach the gate.

-Reach the Primary Cargo Crate (0/2)

You crouch behind a stack of iron beams. A Fatui Skirmisher and a Pyroslinger are guarding the area in cross walking. You have no chance to pass through them. To distract them away, you aim and throw a heavy stone.

Pyroslinger: Did you hear that?

Skirmisher: Let’s check it out!

They rush toward the noise, leaving the path to the cargo tents wide open.

-Reach the Primary Cargo Crate (1/2)

Now that the path is clear, you have to find the specific marked crate Georgi said. The cargo area is filled with identical wooden boxes.

Paimon: Who are we going to find which one is the right one? Oh, look. Did you see the mark? That must be it!

As you approach the box, Oprichniki Thunderblitz Gvardiya’s eyes start to glove to detect any threats.

Paimon: Be careful. Do not let her catch us.

You slowly ‘pry’ on the box. Every time she turns around, you have to stop until her focus is somewhere else. Finally, you manage to break them apart without alarming anyone.

Paimon: Great. We’re done here. Let’s move onto the next one.

You ‘pry’ on the next box, being careful about Oprichniki Thunderblitz Gvardiya around.

Paimon: Nice, we found it. This must be the thing Fatui will use to open the gates. Let’s meet Childe at the entrance and hand it to him.

-Reach the Primary Cargo Crate (2/2)

The entrance is heavily guarded by a line of Legionnaires. They aren't moving; they are standing like statues, facing the violet void of the gate. You and Paimon have to crawl through the back of a pile of rocks.

Paimon: Whew... we made it this far. The guards are right there, but they seem scared of the gate. Childe should be here soon too, so let’s get over the plan once more. First, we’ll hand the device to Childe. Then he’ll send the guards away so we can get inside without being distracted by anyone. Once we are back in the cathedral, he’ll use the device to open the portal once again and we’ll get Tecmessa back with the Missiletenn Sword.

Traveler: But we should be careful about other Harbingers.

Paimon: Right, they are coming here too. We must be sneaky, hiding in the shadows like ghosts from the afterlife. No one can see us.

Tartaglia: Traveler, Paimon. You are here.

Paimon: Woaaah!

Tartaglia: Hush! Calm down, it’s me.

Paimon: Darn it, you scared the hell out of Paimon. Don’t sneak behind people.

Tartaglia: Sorry. I couldn’t just come from the main route without catching attention. So, did you find it?

Paimon: Here you are.

Tartaglia: I knew I could trust you comrade. Wait for my signal before following me. I have to make sure they leave first.

Paimon: We got this.

You watch Tartaglia go over and talk to soldiers. After a moment of hesitation, soldiers leave without a complaint and you see the signal.

Paimon: This is the signal. Come on, let’s follow him before they return.

-Enter domain

Childe: This should be the place. She took the sword from this stone. Right behind it, there was a gate leading deeper into the abyss.

Traveler: Childe… About what happened.

Sorry for not listening to you and Tecmessa.

Paimon: Yeah. If we talked to you guys first, none of this would happen. Now because of us, both of you got into trouble.

Tartaglia: … Sigh. There is no need to apologize. You are my friends after all. Things happen all the time. I know you didn’t mean any harm. This place is more dangerous than any of us could imagine. Even you can’t handle it easily. I doubt there was anything to do at that point. I’m just glad that you are alright, comrade. And now we have a chance to save my other friends, thanks to you. Surely, Tecmessa will forgive you once she’s here. Don't let the guilt settle in. You think Tecmessa is in there holding a grudge?

Paimon: Well, kinda. She was never fond of us in the first place.

Tartaglia: Don’t be like that. She is just shy, that’s all.

The device starts to run with a growling sound. It tries to gather enough energy to open a portal huge enough for them to enter.

Traveler: It’s working!

Tartaglia: Yes it is. Comrade, once we are done with this, come to our place to celebrate the Dziady night. We still have time.

The heavy thud of boots echoes at the main hall. You see familiar faces behind a masked guy approaching you.

Pierrot: You truly never learn, Ajax. This is your strength and weakness, rushing into conclusion without thinking. Your selfishness, your desperate need to be the hero, will cost this nation its future. You think yourself as a savior, but you are merely a child playing with a match in a library. You don’t understand the power under your palms yet act like you can change anything.

Tartaglia: I’m the one you send when the work gets bloody! A child can’t finish what I’ve accomplished until now. All of you keep things away from me, and when you can’t you keep me away from everything. No one’s sharing anything and expect me to know it all in an instance. Even Tecmessa didn't trust me enough to tell me the whole plan! How can you expect me to not act selfish when all I know is what is expected of me?

Pierrot: We have to be everything while being reduced to nothing. What is expected from you is predetermined by your fate, yet everyone here is trying to reverse the story except you.

Paimon: What are you talking about? He has more control over his life than any of you guys. Stop trying to control him.

Pierrot: Then let me use an anecdote for you. You are a child of this land, then you must know the story of Maiden and the Hero From the Stars.

Tartaglia: What does it have to do with me?

Pierrot: I see you as my own, Ajax. Not only because you remind me of myself with your determination, but there is a phenomenon that should not happen. Fate is written for a person at a time. But when you live longer than you are supposed to, passing the torch of fate becomes no option. That’s why you have to share your fate. The story of that legendary hero lives for me, and you. I know your urge to become something since you are destined to become the hero. The one who sought the Kingdom fell in the deep sea to prove his strength. He tore open the gates, just like you. Thinking he was bringing light and power that can defy anything. Instead, he brought the frost that swallowed everything he owned. Even the people he loved the most. I’ve seen their fall myself. Lived long enough to understand the consequences of your actions. Yet you are trying to bite the hand leaning to help you. You must compose yourself once and listen.

Tartaglia: … Why are you telling me this now? This still proves my point. If you were so scared that I could have done something wrong, why didn’t you just tell me? I can’t stand it anymore… I hate when people lie to me. How can you prove you are not lying?

Pierrot: My words might fall weak. That’s why I brought someone who you might trust… Pulcinella? … Where is he?

Two harbingers were sat back by the massive claymore Georgi swung right outside the domain.

Pantolone: Georgi?! What is the meaning of this?

Pulcinella: And I trusted you with your righteousness. Is that how you pay respect to those who raised you to the position you are today?

Georgi: I’m standing where I always wanted to be. I protect those who I oathed to. It doesn’t matter if you give me titles. I will always be against those who hurt my people.

The device started to rumble with load hums as it was overloaded. The gears inside started to spin so fast, it was harder to see it. It was tense like the air inside as you drew your sword next to your friend to protect the device. Pierrot seemed disappointed rather than upset.

Pierrot: You know I don’t want to do this. You are still young. I give you one more chance to think. Then I assure you, The Tsaritsa will forgive your flaws.

Tartaglia: Not even a chance. I’ll face my punishment when the time comes. But when that happens, I want my friends to be there, safe and sound. If not, I will never forgive myself.

Lightning bolts rained down directly on you. Paimon, terrified by the deafening roar, first wanted to hide behind you, but the moment she realized the machine was unattended, she frantically floated there. Childe, with his massive sword slung over his shoulder, had unleashed the Foul Legacy, shot beams of light from its eyes. Pierrot on the other hand, looked worryingly calm. He took one step front and it was enough for both of you to attack from both sides with lightning illuminating the sky.

Somewhere far away, the great Astrologist Mona Megistus was in awe to witness the greatest phenomena that an astrologist can ever see before her master and masters before her.

Mona: This can’t be happening right now… The stars are switching positions. But where did she…

“And the gates of the And when the hero reached the gates of the golden kingdom, his heart swelled with pride. With an ambition no hero before him had ever achieved, he pressed his hands against the gates and pushed them open until they were wide. This triumph, like all his other victories, would be passed down through generations, regardless of the hardships he had faced. He couldn't recall feeling such excitement even in his days on the dark sea, in his fight with the fearsome sea monster, or in the battle against the treacherous warrior who sought to defeat him—even when he had raised his sword and utterly destroyed that monstrous creature.”

Tartaglia slammed his giant sword over Pierrot and broke the floor of the cathedral until outside, the whole pathway was split in two and covered with floating dust. However, even this attack was too slow for Pierrot and with a single slash, he managed to stick the Foul Legacy to the wall.

Paimon: Please work. Work faster!

“All this determination and sorrow, solely to make the woman he loved happy, ███ ... When the gates opened, the gods granted him the thing he most desired: her face. Under the blinding lights of the heavens, he saw her…”

Device let a high pitched creak and throw countless wandering bolts almost hitting Paimon, you, and even Pierrot. The void was cracked and something fast—faster than the wind itself, passed through you with lighting behind and hit Pierrot.

“The hero beyond the stars… Has finally arrived.”

Mona: Is that a new constellation’s birth?

It was clear Pierrot was struggling from the impact. With relentless force, Tecmessa charged at him with the Melestenn Sword, using her own vision's power. The clings from the clash of weapons echoed with accumulating lightning bolts behind Tecmessa. When neither had the power to continue, they withdrew their weapons only to release a bigger impact blowing both back. Pierrot didn’t lose time to regain his posture. However, Tecmessa was faster as she appeared right behind him with her bow before he could react and fired accumulated electro energy, blowing him up. The old man rolled on the floor for a few minutes before getting back on his knees. When he faced what was coming on him, his eyes widened in fear. Tecmessa raised the sword high up over her head to deliver the final blow induced with her elemental powers.

Tecmessa: You can’t hurt my family! Not our Ajax!

Before the sword fell on him, it fell on the ground with clingings and Tecmessa disappeared right behind. Tartaglia in his Foul Legacy form had grabbed her in his arms and pushed her aside. They were both beaten up well from all the fights to a point Tartaglia’s armor was falling apart. It hasn’t been damaged this badly since the Narwhal incident and yet, he could barely stand up. So he had to place her down, calmly and slowly.

Tartaglia: It’s alright… You are back…

Her hands knotted into his scarf, her fingers trembling, and then the dam broke. She cried. She cried like a child found in the dark after being left behind. Holding on whatever she could find of him as if the other person might dissolve into smoke if she let go for even a second. A few steps away, you knelt by Paimon’s side. She hid right on time before the device broke into pieces and released a shockwave. Paimon shook her head, dazed but fine. Both of you could relieve once the tension was over after seeing your friends reunited. Forgotten after the event, Pierrot groaned while forcing himself up onto his knees. He simply watched the scene he tried to prevent with his all might. And that's when realized what he could have done if he fought back then.

-Go to the detention zone

As the group stands before the court, Pierrot’s voice carries through the icy halls of Zapolyarny Palace. Two convicts are dragged beneath the feet of Harbingers placed on the podium. Right behind Pierrot, on one side Pulcinella and Pantolone were standing with disgruntled expressions. On the other side, Arlecchino and Tartaglia were placed, their bodies more stiff from anxiety of the unknown. As Tecmessa and Georgi reached under the podium once Peruere stood, Pierrot spoke.

Pierrot: Her majesty the Tsaritsa had decreed as follows; I hereby pardon your crimes, and bestow upon you new names. Your title and the legacy of bloodshed are now yours to bear. From this way onwards, may your sword turn your enemies to ashes for your queen, you two-faced, wicked Captain. Your songs shall carry the screams and agony of anyone who goes against our way, with hate and no love left for humanity, my Balladeer. From now on, you will serve your majesty with utmost loyalty and devote your lives to her campaign.

Pulcinella: Both of you are granted new titles and codenames as the part of Fatui Harbingers, chosen suitably to your abilities. First of Harbingers, the commander of Fatui army Il Capitano Georgi, your name shall be Spavento.

Georgi: M-My lords… You are honoring me with such titles after what I’ve done?

Pierrot: It takes a greater strength to go against your ideals in order to protect your people. You served your majesty until the very end even though you had to draw your sword against your comrades. You proved your strength enough.

Pulcinella: And for you-

Tecmessa: Ah, no thanks. I don’t want it.

Arlecchino and Tartaglia slapped their faces synchronously on this idiot.

Pierrot: Can you explain why? Are you not satisfied with your number?

Pulcinella: You're pushing your luck too much for a traitor.

Tecmessa: Traitor? I was never a part of you guys anyway. Why should I join now? Your harbinger kidnapped me, tortured me for years, used me and almost killed me for several occasions. And most of them weren’t even necessary. There isn’t a reason for me to follow a depressed old woman who couldn’t get over her grief for centuries. Her pain is going to cost my family’s life. It already took someone special away from me. Why should I help you to kill the rest?

Pierrot: Is that your final decision?

Tecmessa: I’d rather break my other horn-

Tartaglia: She meant she is grateful and wants to continue to work with me.

Tecmessa: Ouch!

Tartaglia left the podium to get on her level, then grabbed her horn and pushed her head down.

Tartaglia: I think she wants to continue to work with me due to her attachment issues, right?

Tecmessa: I will bite your hand off, if you break this one too.

The doors had opened and familiar faces walked out all together.

Paimon: Finally it’s over. Oh… It’s nice to see you back again Tecmessa.

Tecmessa: You tried to kill me!

Paimon: Ok, ok! Calm down. You know it was unintentional.

Traveler: You are not dead though.

Tecmessa: You will be once I heal up.

Tartaglia: Ho! Ho! No need to be hostile. Surely we’ll all look back at this moment and laugh together.

Tecmess: Do I look like laughing to you?

Paimon: Who would feel happy after being taken to court anyway? Oh, almost forgot. How did it go? Are you guys in trouble?

Georgi: Not at all. In fact, we wouldn’t be in a better situation.

Tecmessa: Talk on your behalf.

Scapino, Balladeer. The Sixth Of the Eleven Fatui Harbingers

Paimon: Wow! You are promoted? Just like Knave here, huh? Tsaritsa must love those who kill her soldiers. Seriously, what’s her gain on this?

Arlecchino: Have you heard the saying, keep your friends close but your enemies closer? No one would dare to have such powerful enemies while she can control them to a degree. Though, I doubt anyone other than Childe can control our little imp friend here.

Tecmessa: What? We were getting along too. Are you jealous, Peruere? My interest shifted from you.

Arlecchino: Last time I remember you were acting like a rebellious teenager to avoid me. Guess your aging speed works the same for your maturity. Therefor I have no worries over a kid like you.

Tecmessa: Wha- I- Grrr!

Traveler: How old are you anyway?

Are you a fae or something else?

Tecmessa: Old enough to smack your but. No one knows where I came from or what I am since there isn’t another of me in this world. Neither do I remember after the amnesia… My memory is in pieces. I blame Fatui for that. Now that I even got promoted… When will this nightmare end?

Tartaglia: Come now. It’s not that bad. Now you’ll be freer on your agenda.

Tecmessa: That means now I must do both your paperwork and mine. And I hoped they would give me a raise…

Paimon: They don’t? Being a Harbinger sounds worse than you guys make it look like. Why are you doing his job anyway? Actually, you should ask Tartaglia to do yours. He is a senior afterall.

Tecmessa: That’s actually a great idea.

Tartaglia: Um…

Arlecchino: Being a Harbinger comes handy on different occasions. However, due to her reactions inside, Tecmessa is not given any facilities to control over. Pulcinella does not trust her well yet after her uprising. But I will talk to Pierrot and assign you to the Delusion Factory in Inazuma. The farther you are from the mainland, you’ll have more freedom and slowly cut your ties. Think of it a long term process of retirement.

Tecmessa: Oh great. Now I’m being Scaramouche. Give me a hat and a theme song too while on it.

Georgi: Who?

Tecmessa: A little man who is surprisingly shorter than you. Wish you two could meet again, then you wouldn’t worry about your height.

Paimon: Uh-oh!

Georgi: … !!!

Tartaglia: Um… We better leave now. Mom must be worried sick after I left without a warning. See you then.

Tartaglia grabbed Tecmessa and started to run. You followed right behind.

Georgi: I will catch you eventually! And shrink your bodies by folding you in two!

-Somewhere far away

Around the tea table at the outskirts of Mondstadt, a group of witches sit and chat. Young successor Scarlette serves everyone tea in their matching teacups.

Alice: I must say, you might be the best teacher in the world, Barbie. Our little Mona managed something none of us could even if we tried.

Barbeloth: Are you belittling my abilities behind empty praises? Hmph. That brat would have no idea where to look if I hadn't guided her.

Nicole: But isn’t this our purpose, to guide our successor so they could reveal the secrets of this world? I think you should give Little Mona more credits.

Octavia: It’s not an everyday job to record a missing constellation. We lost an important story from Teyvat’s chapters forever—one that has been passed down ever since the beginning of human history on this world.

Alice: To be honest, I’m still conflicted on allowing her to stay. Who would have thought that once she descended, she would be blessed by the first lover(snowmaiden) in history? If I knew she would have such an impact on our fate system, I would simply send her back to space.

Caelan: Come now aunt Alice. We know you wouldn't do such a thing. After all, she brought us one step closer to what we have been searching for.

Octavia: It’s still a shame… Such a great story will come to an end with Anastasia. I should talk to Mona and ask her to share her notes regarding the lost fate.

Scarlet: I’ve been listening this whole time, but may I ask what will happen to Tsaritsa?

Barbeloth: Nothing particular. The stars that have been holding her fate are not missing, they are just rearranged. Constellations are just recording passing the ambition and fate of previous generations to the new ones. Once it’s sealed, you cannot change it. You might encounter some choices in life, but those are mere illusions.

Alice: Little Banu was not supposed to be recorded by the fate system. Not until the first lover saved her life. After bringing the beginning of the story in our timeline, the story could not simply continue. That’s why it started to be erased slowly. Once it reaches Anastasia, the story of the Snowmaiden will disappear.

Nicole: Although we searched for someone to replace her, it was a temporary solution. For just a moment, that guy Ajax shared the story in order to rewrite hers. But once the constellation created its new form, everything went back to normal.

Octavia: To simply put, we have a new character introduced in the upcoming chapters. But the old ones remain.

Caelan: That makes me wonder. If fate can be broken, perhaps it can be healed too. Since Mona managed to record the old fate, then we can manipulate another constellation to recreate it.

Barbeloth: That would be blasphemy! Fates should not be messed around. Our purpose is to read the fate and control the mechanism. Intervening with the natural flow of this world would only lead to chaos. We can let this one slide to observe how a constellation becomes a threat in the future. But no one can dare to disrupt the course of fate. We’ve seen what happened to Gold. You were young, Caelen. But you must remember it as well.

Caelen: I’m just talking hypothetically. Changing one’s fate requires more energy than you can calculate. But what if we created an artificial constellation? A fate that has not been designated to anyone. Only we can choose who to grant it and how to shape it. I found M’s letters sent to Octavia before her passing. Would you like to fill us in?

Octavis: Readers should know where to draw the line between fantasy and reality. If you get lost in the fantasy world, you will forget the capabilities of your existence.

Caelan: Was your Wonderland also a fantasy? Or was it a prototype that got leaked to our world? I think it’s worth giving it a shot.

Alice: I believe we should change to a more pleasant topic. Oh! Who wants some music? Why don’t we invite a great bard to cheer us up?

Caelen: That would be a wonderful idea, Aunt Alice.

Barbeloth: Young boy, please get those ominous thoughts out of your head.

Caelen: I might as well…

P.S: Thank you everyone who red through my story. I really enjoyed writing them. Although the name of the sword constantly changed, here’s a concept art for both of my main characters and the Misteteletienn Sword🌹⚔️ But that doesn’t mean the story ended! Next, I’ll be back with my dearest twink uncle 🩵 until then bye bye 👋

-Take a stroll around the city.

Paimon: Hey, look! It’s Childe. Shall we go say hi? Hmm… He seems busy though. Who was the other guy he talked to? 

Childe: Ha? Are my eyes deceiving me? Isn’t my favorite sparing buddy and little food vacuum?

Paimon: Hey! Only Paimon can give funny nicknames to others!

Childe: Haha! Ok ok, that’s a bad habit of mine that recently occurred after returning home. It’s been so long since last time hanging out with my sibling, now we make sure to make better use of it. Tonia has been picking up with me over the smallest issues, I had to learn to fight back. 

Paimon: Don’t tell Paimon you are losing against a little girl.

Childe: What’s wrong with that? She has always been like this. A tongue sharper than blade can wound the mightiest of the warriors. My biggest concern is that she might want to become a politician one day like Rooster. Then who knows what would she do to me. Just thinking about it gives me shivers.

Paimon: By the way, wasn’t that Sergey just now? Did Georgi and others return?

Childe: Huh? How do you know them? Don’t tell me you plan to replace me. Is it because of the rumors? Just so you know, he might be strong, but I’m still his superior. 

Paimon: What rumors? We met him during their expedition. They were in huge trouble. 

Childe: Really? He must be quite fond of you then. Georgi never forgets good deeds.

Traveler: So, what’s the rumor?

Childe: hmph. He is quite feared among soldiers and praised by Capitano. His strength is admirable. The first day he joined the troop, he was challenged by a more intimidating opponent. It was an unauthorized duel, and can be charged with harsh punishments. However, after hearing that Georgi almost killed the challenger, Capitano raised him in ranks and made him his right hand. 

Paimon: W-What? Georgi is indeed quite harsh, but certainly not that much, right?

Childe: I don’t know what happened then. Those are just rumors carried around way before I joined Fatui. He is much older than me, so I certainly can’t know what happened that time. I doubt I was even born. Not like I’m jealous or anything, but it bothers me every time I challenge him, he turns me down. Sigh. Such opportunities are quite hard to come by. And he rejects me so easily makes me wanna ask him more. I’d like to test his strength first hand.

Paimon: Actually, we saw him fighting before.

Cilde: WHAT!?

You tell him your small adventure with Georgi.

Childe: Huh… So that’s how it went.

Paimon: He didn’t say much, but once we separated our ways, all our contacts were cut. Seeing Sergey made us wonder if he returned as well. 

Childe: …

Traveler: Is something wrong?

               Did something happen?

Childe: Well, I’m not sure how to put that in words… Follow me. I don’t want anyone else to eavesdrop. 

You follow Childe to an isolated road after making sure that no one’s spying on you.

Childe: Here should be fine.

Paimon: What’s going on? It’s not like to be serious.

Childe: Come now, do I give an unserious impression from there? The truth is, the situation is more dire than you think. I’m not supposed to tell you about this but you are my friends. And right now, I can’t trust anyone more. 

Traveler: Is it about Kitezh?

  Is it about the Celestial Nail?

Childe: You are correct. You’ve seen what’s in there, right? But presumably, Georgi didn’t inform you with the whole story. The thing is, we are slowly getting closer to the first stages of Project Stuzha. However, there are things to be taken care of first. The Tsaritsa has been more and more stressed as we move forward. Have you ever heard of Mistilteinn Fragment? 

Paimon: What’s that? Paimon never heard such a thing.

Childe: It’s a legendary sword that disappeared thousands of years ago. It belonged to a hero king inlaid on his tomb. The legend says that whoever tries to pull the sword would be cursed to become a dead walker. However, Pierrot had a different story. According to his intels, this sword was nothing other than the Celestial Nail itself and someone mixed up the stories as time went on. However, some parts indeed align. For example, due to the abyssal exposure on the nail fragments, it does bring the dead back to life as a mindless zombie. That's probably what you’ve witnessed in the camp.

Paimon: Yeah, we identified all the pieces with Georgi. Each of them had a weird gravitation on the Wild Hunt as they were allured to it.

Childe: That’s because of another story. You sure know the god of Kitezh, God of Refraction Luchezar. Apparently he found a way to stop and break the Celestial Nail. This incident is the only example of a nail being destroyed by a god, weaker than the Heavenly Principles.

Paimon: Did Paimon hear this right? You said that a god broke a celestial nail just like that? Is that even possible? It cost Zibai her life, how come this god managed to stop it?

Childe: What’s what we are also looking for. Your Majesty has been restless, worried about the possible war and its effects on her people. That’s why she’s been searching for a solution to protect them. Once Pierrot came to her with this story, she sent all of her units to search for the shield Luchezar used. That’s why Georgi took his men to find Kitezh. What you’ve seen was not only the pieces of the nail but it was multiple things merged together and can be a hint of a divine shield. 

Paimon: So you are saying that Tsaritsa is looking for a shield in case a nail falls onto you? But didn’t Luchezar die while protecting his people?

Childe: Finding and improving that infamous shield is our job. Georgi had finished the first step of the project. Now it’s time for us to revisit the site and retrieve the pieces.

Paimon: Who are they going to send? That place is crawled by abyssal monsters. Besides, the corruption in the area messes with people’s minds. We saw how it affected Georgi. Even he couldn’t handle it.

Traveler: Don’t tell me you plan to leave. 

Childe: It’s not my decision. There aren’t many soldiers who can handle abyss' environment. As you know I’ve been there for a very long time as a kid. Right now my body is highly immune to its effects. So it’s the best. 

Paimon: Can’t they send someone else? You are still a human.

Childe: Well, there was another person, but I don’t want her to risk herself. Beside the hallucinations, you have to fight against the Wild Hunt.

Paimon: (If Wanderer was still part of the Fatui, they’d probably send him instead.)

Traveler: And what help do you need exactly?

Childe: That's exactly what I wanted to hear. You are always a good hand comrade. Well, as much as I’m excited to see the domain and test my skills, I can’t possibly take every piece all by myself. We need an escape route for the transport team. Usually, this was assigned to another soldier, but she lost her life during the raid. 

Paimon: You mean Fevroniya? Poor girl was in such pain.

Childe: Precisely. Her job was to go with the expedition team and mark the important locations. But instead, you were there. You should know the map for Kitezh. So may I ask you to go to my office and help Tecmessa with the map? She has an outdated copy, that’s why there is no way that she can guess it right. 

Paimon: Who’s Tecmessa?

Childe: She’s my secretary and my friend. She should be at my office right now. I trust her more than anyone, she’ll fill you in with the details. But don’t forget this is very confidential, you cannot tell anyone about this. If anyone finds out outsiders got involved, then we are all doomed.

Paimon: Don’t be so dramatic. Not a single soul will know we are there, don’t worry. 

Traveler: How do we know it’s her?

Childe: She has massive horns over her head, you can’t possibly miss her.

-Go to Tartaglia’s office 

Paimon: It’s so dark, Paimon can’t see anything. Don’t trip over the obstacles, we should be silent and not alarm the guards. Hmm… This should be the door. But be careful, someone might be inside.

You slowly enter the dark room lit only from the small window at the corner. You noticed a tall figure searching through the papers and documents hidden in Childe’s drawers. From her sneaky moves, you suspected her to be an intruder.

Paimon: Who goes there?

???: Hm? You are here already? 

She stands up from her position without looking back.

Paimon: What are you doing here?

???: It should be somewhere here…

Paimon: You’d better answer us, otherwise we are experts at interrogating bad guys.

???: Can you be quiet? You’ll alarm the whole building.

You draw your sword without hesitation but before being able to act, you are slammed to the wall out of the room. With a loud noise, the side of the building where you were located shook like an earthquake. Your view was completely obscured by the dust that kicked up, but you could hear approaching footsteps. When the dust cleared, the horned girl inside was standing right in front of you, pointing her bow at you with an accumulating electro power -made your face lit with its light. Just then, Childe came running towards you in worry. 

Childe: Calm down, it’s them.

The girl lowered her bow without cutting eye contact.

Childe: Traveler, this is Tecmessa. 

Paimon: What was that for? Were you trying to kill us?

Tecmessa: You drew your sword first. I assumed you were spies.

Paimon: Why would we do such a thing?

Tecmessa: Shall I list alphabetically or chronologically? 

Paimon: We had reasons to stop Fatui from scheming around.

Tecmessa: Destroying cargo of soldiers in the wilderness, stealing relics and confidential reports from Fatui facilities, beating the expedition teams in Dragonspine, cutting the escape routes for the troops in Chasm, breaking in the delusion factory and harming our researchers, destroying multiple camps all around Teyvat, deliberate damage to diplomatic property multiple times, attacking and killing retired soldiers in Sumeru and Liyue, disrupting the communication web in Fontaine, harming my boss on multiple occasions, causing the death and disappearance of three harbingers!

Paimon: Gee, are we this hated?

Tecmessa: You are wanted criminals!

Paimon: Ok, ok! You have a point. We are sorry. 

Childe: Who is the third one?

Tecmessa: sigh, never mind. 

Traveler: Nice to meet you Tecmessa.

              We finally met, but not in a good way.

Tecmessa: Yeah… W-Why are you here anyway? Aren’t you supposed to be with your siblings?

Childe: Me? Oh, well. Sergey told me Rooster was at my house. It was risky to return while sneaking behind him. What if someone hears about the plan, and to my surprise, I was right to tag along.

Paimon: So you didn’t trust us? Tch tch!

Childe: Of course that’s not the case. You know I have full confidence in you.

Tecmessa: That’s the confidence? Heh, they are trustworthy for sure.

Childe: You could react calmly as well.

Tecmessa: How am I supposed to know they weren’t enemies when s/he tried to stab me? It was dark anyway.

Childe: You know them very well, don’t play stupid.

Tecmessa: Hmph!

Paimon: If we cleared the misunderstanding, can we get inside before someone arrives?

You entered the room after Tecmessa cleaned around at super speed which left you in awe.

Paimon: Now, where is the map? We’d better start to work while our memories are fresh.

Tecmessa: You told them?

Childe: I had no choice. If we’re going to send our men inside, we should be prepared. Your Majesty is already in a terrible mood. I don’t want to deal with another tantrum.

Paimon: What happened to her? Don’t tell Paimon she is worried about the consequences of her actions for attacking Heavenly Principles and trying to resurrect a descender.

Tecmessa: Exactly! The audacity to be mad at someone she threatened. Such a-

Childe: Hold up! She is your Archon too.

Tecmessa: More like a captor.

Childe: Hey, if you joined Fatui, you know what comes after.

Tecmessa: Oh, sorry my lord. I should have thought carefully when a crazy woman kidnapped me as a kid and sent to Dottore in a world where I didn't know its language. You are soooo right.

Childe: Maybe you should retire early then. But you know you can’t. Then act like you are grateful to your majesty for keeping you close.

Tecmessa: One day I’ll break free and you won’t hear about me again. I’m begging for that day to come soon.

Childe: To who? I didn’t know you lunatics would pray.

Paimon: (This is awkward.)

Traveler: You two seem like close friends

               Can I take a look at the map now?

Tecmessa throws the map at you.

Tecmessa: How much do you know?

Paimon: Um… A quick recap would be great actually.

Tecmessa: groan! I want a raise.

Childe: And I thought a vacation to Natlan’s springs would be favorable. But if you insist.

Tecmessa: Vacation it is! Now listen up. I’ll explain it only once.

Childe: Make sure they understand.

Paimon: Look at how her mood changes.

Tecmessa: Domain of Kitezh is sealed and surveilled for the past few days. To enter there, we’ll use a different road. This one connects directly to Golden Path. 

Paimon: Paimon remembers it. It was around here.

Tecmessa: There is a small passage that appeared after Commander Georgi caused a shake there. No map or adventurer could detect its position up until now. This will be our chance. The gate is wide enough to pass through the pieces we are looking for.

Paimon: But how we’ll we know Wild Hunt won’t follow us?

Tecmessa: Good question. We managed to detect their position from outside.

Paimon: How?

Tecmessa: A provider from Sumeru created a device called “radar”. It helps us to find the positions of moving objects from afar by using waves.

Paimon: Woow! That sounds so cool.

Tecmessa: You can say that the enemy is mainly gathered around those certain points. However, they are constantly changing positions. 

Paimon: Including the main gate.

Tecmessa: What we don’t know is the position of the fragments. Can you point them on the map?

After your adventure into the domain with Georgi, you mark the 4 pieces.

Tecmessa: Hm…

Paimon: What’s wrong? Is it not right?

Tecmessa: No, it’s just… Those marks are aligned with the enemy locations. Is there a reason for that?

Childe: Let me fill you in. Based on the newest information, the god of Kitezh failed to stop the nail fully. Apparently, after his death, his body has emerged with the nail fragments. Each piece once falling allowed abyss to emerge to the surface through leylines and contaminate them. Apparently, the abyss has been feeding on the god remnants this whole time and searching for more. What has stopped the nail on the other hand is unknown. It can be anything at this point. Pantolone insists that it is related to the Mistilteen Sword. If such a powerful sword exists, then we should find it before anyone else. 

Paimon: But we didn’t see anything similar to a sword. Where can we find it anyway? What if that sword doesn’t even exist?

Tecmessa: If we can reach the ley lines, we can read the full story. 

Childe: There is a weird phenomenon occurring in Kitezh. The past, present, and the future are all happening at the same time. 

Paimon: What did you say? All three timelines occurring all together? 

Childe: Arlecchino calls it a glitch in the system, while Pierrot suspects the unstable ley lines. The past events reoccur as the time goes on. 

Traveler: That must be the song we heard.

               That must be the text we’ve seen.

Childe: So you noticed too.

Tecmessa: If that’s true, then somewhere in Kitezh, a nail is being constantly destroyed by Millisteinn Sword, or whatever that weapon is. At this point I assume it’s a type of bazooka. The main plan was to use the merged energy in those pieces to create a shield against Celestial Nail. However, finding that sword can also help us to stop the nail. To find that, I assume we should go deeper. 

Paimon: How deep? Paimon noticed how much pain Georgi was in. If a human enters that domain, their mind can’t handle the pressure. Even if they send Childe, going deeper will eventually break you too. We are not talking about pure abyss like the one you trained or fought Narwhal. 

Childe: Someone should eventually go, right? And who else is more suitable than me?

Tecmessa: If we knew where Scaramouche disappeared…

Childe: Who is that guy anyway? You keep telling his name. I’m getting jealous.

Paimon: Wait. How do you remember him? Didn’t he erase his memories from Irmunsil? Surely he didn’t miss a person.

Tecmessa: He what?

You explain what happened to Wanderer and how it didn’t affect you unlike others.

Tecmessa: Really? Interesting.

Childe: Hold on! You are telling me we had such a guy as our comrade? Why am I affected by this?

Tecmessa: Traveler, you said you are not from this world. That’s why leylines do not affect you or your memories. Is there anyone else who is like you?

Traveler: Skirk is an alien too.

               Descendants of this world are all similar.

Tecmessa: …

Paimon: Paimon started to connect the dots now. Tecmessa still remembers Wanderer, because she doesn’t have any connection with the leylines. That’s because she is not from this world. So that means she must be a descender too. 

Childe: I never thought of this possibility. My father always called-

Tecmessa: An abyssal monster. Thanks for reminding.

Paimon: Just because she is from another planet doesn’t mean she is a monster. 

Childe: That’s because of something else.

Tecmessa: Abyss does not affect me. In fact, I feel much healthier in the abyss.

Traveler: So he was talking about you.

  You are the one who can go to his place.

Childe: But she will not! It’s too dangerous. Besides, we need her here. 

Tecmessa: … Ok.

Paimon: Paimon thought you would fight back a little. You are easy to compromise. 

Childe: We talked about this before. She knows she is not allowed to go for an abyss mission alone. End of discussion.

Tecmessa: … I suggest finishing the expedition in one go. Our troops will reach the leyline by using this entrance. Another team will distract the enemy and corner them. Traveler, did you notice any structure that can be used as a trap?

Paimon: Oh, that’s right. Paimon noticed many broken houses as if they were shaped as a labyrinth. There was a mechanic that could lock certain creatures inside. It should be around here. 

Tecmessa: Perfect. Now I can see the map clearly. If Aj- I mean Young Lord will continue deeper alone, we need to find the exact location the incident took place. After that, he is all alone. 

Paimon: Paimon still thinks you should take a harbinger with you. Oh, what about Knave? She is also immune to abyss, coming from the Crimson Moon Dynasty. She can use the power of the abyss. Or we can call a friend from another nation. 

Traveler: What about Dvalin?

               We can still call Wanderer.

Paimon: Hmm… It can work but Paimon doesn’t think he will arrive on time.

Childe: I’ll be fine. Everyone has faith in me. I can’t look like a coward and drag someone else. If you have doubts, then so be it. When I return with the legendary sword, I’d like to see the look on your faces. How about a duel to test its skills? Who else is more suitable to try one of the strongest swords in existence?

Traveler: You shouldn’t be reckless.

              Bring it on. I can defeat you with any sword.

Tecmessa: Don’t even think about it. Pierrot and others will be waiting outside. Traveler can’t get any closer to the domain. Otherwise they’ll arrest her/him right there. 

Paimon: So we are done here. Paimon doesn’t support Fatui’s action in a bit, but as long as you guys are safe, we’ll be there to help.

Childe: I knew I could trust you comrades. Thank you. I owe you a lot. Not as a harbinger but as Ajax. This is bigger than the sides. If war is inevitable, then we should be prepared and protect the innocents at all costs. My family will be affected by the war as well. For any chances to keep them safe, I’m willing to sacrifice all. 

Traveler: Family’s safety is more important than anything.

               As long as I can make your wish come true, I count my wish is also granted.

Childe: Woh! Thank you comrade. 

Tecmessa: Are they talking in a secret code?

Paimon: That’s a long story, but both have a soft spot for their siblings.

Childe: Speaking of, why don’t you come visit my siblings? Teucer was so excited ever since you arrived at Snezhnaya. We can go ice fishing while you tell them about your stories. But we have to keep my dad at home.

Tecmessa: He’s not fond of adventure stories anymore.

Paimon: Makes sense. Ever since Ajax over here gets in trouble and puts himself in deadly situations, his dad surely must be having heart attacks.

Childe sheepishly smiles.

Childe: Tonia told me they were going to visit the festival preparations at the plaza. We can meet them there.

Paimon: Festival? We are right on time once again. We love festivals!

Tecmessa: Not from the front door. You two will follow me. 

Paimon: Oh, that’s right. The wall.

Childe: Then, see you at the plaza.

-Follow Tecmessa to the festival area

Paimon: Look at that! It’s already so lively that Paimon can feel the festival spirit. What is this festival about anyway?

Tecmessa: Do I look like a tour guide?

Paimon: What’s the attitude? Is it wrong to not know what’s happening?

Tecmessa: No, I just don’t wanna talk to you.

Paimon: Huh?

Traveler: Did we do something wrong?

Tecmessa: Should I count them once again?

Paimon: Oh, you are mad because of the past incident. But, you know you guys are the bad guys.

Tecmessa: To who? Just because my ideals don’t match yours doesn't make me a villain. From our perspective, you are the troublemaker who always gets in our way and hurts us. You are the worst. 

Paimon: You are quick to judge. We are friends with many Fatui, including harbingers. 

Tecmessa: Does that make any changes that you are bad. You stop us for what reason? Because someone told you so? You consider us evil even when we don’t do anything. Were people in Chasm bad too? Young kids who died to protect Fontainians? Anyone you see here who gathers to celebrate a festival? Would you beat them as well if you were threatened by them? 

Paimon: It’s not the same thing! You’ve done more damage than any good deed. Including your boss, you almost destroyed nations.

Traveler: You are stealing seven gnosis.

Tecmessa: Choosing a group of sociopaths as our leaders was not our decision. That woman is screwed up. Her methods are questionable, sure. But that doesn’t give you the right to bully every Fatuus you see. 

Paimon: Um… Won’t you protect Tsaritsa?

Tecmessa: I hate her. There is only one single person I can handle, and it’s-

Traveler: Number Eleven of the Fatui harbingers Tartaglia.

  Ajax the Great Warrior, the conqueror of All-Devouring Narwhal.

Tecmessa: Arlecchino?

Paimon: Shoot, we were wrong again.

Tecmessa: Really, she is my old friend. And might be the only reasonable one among the twelve. Ajax on the other hand is… A headache. Sometimes I feel like his babysitter, but in a good way.

Paimon: Oh, we can see that. Calling your boss by his real name in public so openly and mocking him without fear, you must feel quite comfortable around him.

Traveler: :)

Tecmessa: Ha, ha. Funny. Are you the Archon of Clowns? 

Paimon: Jokes aside, we might start with a bad impression. Why don’t we try again and be friends. You know what they say, friend of my friend is my friend.

Tecmessa: It’s enemy of my enemy is my friend.

Paimon: Well, um… Still the point stands. So, why don’t you show us around? Meanwhile we can try to understand what the celebration is for. 

-Follow Tecmessa into the decorated square.

Whole place was decorated beautifully. Each house was covered with colorful flags and nice smelling flowers of kinds. Some from Sumeru, some special to Mondstadt… Locals had harmonized Teyvat’s flowers all together with decorations. Roads and patios were marked by candles of different shapes and lengths, aligned so perfectly that makes you follow the way they point. 

Paimon: Decorations are so beautiful. They really put lots of effort onto them for sure. Where are the candles leading?

Tecmessa: It’s for the souls coming down from the stars.

Paimon: Souls? You mean, ghosts?

Tecmessa: In a way. Town’s people believe that their deceased relatives reside in the stars after leaving this world. Once a year, they descend on earth to check on us. If we live a good life, their soul ca return in peace.

Paimon: If you don’t?

Tecmessa: They are stuck here until you fix it. Your bad lifestyle can curse their soul and seal them away from the heaven.

Paimon: So you use the candles to guide them back?

Tecmessa: Wow, you are right actually. Was it hard for you to think?

Paimon: We are supposed to get along, remember?

As you pass by, you witness a kid with painted face getting scolded in front of her grandmother by her mom.

Mom: How many times I’ve told you? Don’t leave your grandma alone! Tonight she needs us more.

Kid: I-I’m sorry. But plates were disorganized. How will our ancestors feast if I don’t-?

Mom: That’s our last concern. Please call me next time.

Grandma: It’s alright dear. She is still learning. This will be her second Dziady since she returned from Nod-Krai with her father. Patience is what keeps us together. I’m not afraid of any souls kidnapping me tonight as long as my little snowflake is with me.

Mom: But mom-

Grandma: It’s alright my dear. You focus on your work. Me and my snowflake will continue to light the candles for your father. To be honest I missed him so much, I wish I could see him tonight from the otherworld…

Mom: Don’t say that…

You could hear Paimon’s stomach rumbling every time you pass next to a table full of delicious foods.

Paimon: Paimon can’t help her stomach. All these foods look delicious. Can we stop at a restaurant or anywhere that we can have some local food? 

Tecmessa: If you can hold on a few more minutes, we can go to Baba Yaga’s Cottage with others.

Paimon: The name sounds impressive. Paimon’s sure that the food will be as chic as the name.

While you were looking around nonchalant, a boy with a scary mask jumps in and yells at your face to scare you.

Paimon: AAAAH! A GHOST!

Peribora: Tuecer! How many times do I have to tell you not to scream!? We are at the Dziady night, have some respect for the souls!

Teucer: It’s the Traveler and Paimon! They are my brother’s friends. Oh! Big sis Banu is here too! Welcome everyone. It’s nice to see you all together. This will be the best Dziady night of all! 

Paimon: Teucer! Nice to see you too. Paimon couldn’t recognize you behind the mask.

Traveler: How has it been since we last met?

  Is that a Mr. Cyclops mask?

Teucer: Yes, my brother made that for me. With Mr. Cyclops around, no evil souls will dare to kidnap good souls.

Peribora: Oh my, is that the famous Traveler we’ve been hearing about? It’s a pleasure to meet you. My son keeps writing about you in his letters. Banu dear, why didn’t you tell me? I didn’t prepare anything for our guests.

Tecmessa: It’s ok mama Peribora. They arrived just today. We also didn’t have any idea.

Paimon: Mama Peribora… Wait, are you Childe’s mother? I-It’s nice to meet you ma’am. Big boss… The boss of the Young Lord… Gee, Paimon’s getting nervous.

Traveler: I thought you were his sister.

  Sorry for beating your son occasionally.

Peribora: Oh my, oh my. No need to be nervous, you are always welcomed. Ajax mentioned you before. We are so fond of your stories. Little Teucer and Anthon had been loving your adventures so much they wanted to join the Adventurers Guild as well. It took us days to change their minds.

Paimon: We are sorry about that. 

Peribora: It’s quite alright. We are so happy to finally meet you. 

Tecmessa: Where are others? 

Peribora: Anya took her kids to her mother-in-laws. They insisted on spending the night together. Can you believe that old witch didn’t invite any of us?

Tecmessa: Is… it because of me?

Peribora: Ah, no dear. That old hag has been like this ever since the wedding day. She is jealous that my beautiful Anya bothered to marry her good-for-nothing son and bear two kids. If it wasn’t for Yarisei and Filen…

Teucer: Anthon and Tonia are with Arseny at home. Tonia said that she’s preparing a huge meal tonight. So we are here to get her the ingredients.

Paimon: Are you helping your sister? That’s great Teucer.

Teucer: Ehehe, thank you.

Peribora: Please don’t spoil him. Ajax had already caused enough trouble. I’m too old for another one.

Tecmessa: We were heading to Baba Yaga’s Cottage. If you have time, why don’t you join us for a meal? I’ll carry your bags.

Peribora: You are so kind Banu. But we can’t-

Teucer: Yay! Let’s go! Mom please, please, please. I want to spend time with Traveler.

Peribora: We shouldn’t bother them.

Paimon: Not at all. We love hanging out with Teucer. Besides, it’s been so long since we last met. He can tell us more about the festival anyway.

Traveler: If we are invited for dinner, we’d better know what kind of present to bring.

Peribora: Oh you sweet tongued fox… Very well, we can stay for a while.

Teucer: Yay!

You follow Teucer as he jumps high up in excitement.

Tecmessa: Have you met Ajax?

Peribora: No, I thought he was with you.

Tecmessa: groans, He told me he was going to meet you at the plaza. Where did he go?

Peribora: He will come back soon. You don’t need to beat yourself up for him. You are not his caregiver, you have no responsibility. He is a grown man now. He should face the consequences of his actions like a man. My guess is that… He went to meet Telimir.

Tecmessa: His dad? Why?

Peribora: He went ice fishing this morning. It’s a tradition at this point that two of them started. But ever since Ajax fell into that hell, he's been going there alone. If my heart is not lying to me, he might have gone to visit his father to talk about things.

Tecmessa: I think I know…

Peribora: … Teucer! Don’t leave without informing us! Or Babayka will abduct you!

-Go to Baba Yaga’s Cottage

You sit around a table all together. 

Paimon: Everything on the menu looks delicious. Mama Peribora, what do you suggest?

Peribora: Well, I would start with a bowl of Krupnik first. It has every ingredient to give you energy you need against the harsh cold such as soft barley, potatoes, and carrots, all simmered in a savoury broth and keeps your body warm. Next, I’d go with a main course either plant based Fried Forest Mushrooms or Herring Under a Fur Coat. 

Paimon: Mmmh!

Teucer: Paimon here can eat everything like a vortex. Her stomach is bottomless.

Paimon: Was that a compliment? But yeah, both sound delicious. 

Tecmessa: Then you should try pierogi. Chef Mukhin makes the best pierogis in the world. They look like Liyue’s dumplings.

Teucer: And desert! You should try honey cake. We can order a whole cake!

Peribora: You will fill your stomach with junk food again. You didn’t eat the vegetables I’ve made for you this morning either. If you want cake, you’ll eat some kapuska now.

Teucer: Yuck! No, not kapuska…. Traveler help me.

Paimon: Paimon’s sure that’s a delicious food. Maybe you’ll like it this time. Everything tastes better when you are together.

Teucer: Really?

Tecmessa: Of course not. Like it or not, you’ll eat it anyway.

Teucer: sobs…

Food arrives shortly after you give your orders. In an instance, your table is filled with smoking food, filling your nostrils with mouth watering smell and appetizing glazing looks.

Paimon: Oh, Paimon can’t wait any longer. Even kapuska looks delicious.

Peribora: Please dig in. Don’t worry about it. Thanks to your majesty, most of our expenses are covered by Fatui.

Paimon: Being a harbinger surely comes with benefits. 

Peribora: It is indeed. Lord Pulcinella has been a great help ever since Ajax joined them. Leaving a son in fatui's hands was not an easy pill to swallow… I was so worried that something could happen to my baby. Every time he went on a mission, I could feel my heart skipping beats. During times like this Fatui helped us financially. Not only that but they provided us protection and security. And for my Ajax, they sent Banu behind him. We owe them a lot.

Paimon: Paimon can’t imagine how hard it was for you. We heard the story of how he fell into the abyss and his time there. It should not get any easier by time.

Peribora: Not at all. Actually, I pray every night that he might stop his little adventures and come back home. Take on his father’s job and live a peaceful life next to me. But mothers can influence their kids to a degree. All I can hope is that Banu looks after him. 

Traveler: You have a difficult job as a secretary.

Tecmessa: Surely I do.

Mona: No way! Are my eyes deceiving me? 

Paimon: Mona? What are you doing here?

Mona: I was going to ask you the same. Good days ma’am. Sorry to burst in.

Peribora: No worries dear. Seems like you know each other. Why don’t you join us as well?

Mona: I- certainly can’t.

Paimon: Aren’t you broke all the time? Do you have many to afford food?

Mona: What kind of a question is that? Of course I-

Rumble, rumble.

Teucer: It’s so loud! Your stomach can talk.

Peribora: Please have a seat.

Mona: Oh, w-well… If you insist.

Mona pulls a chair and devours the food you ordered except the mushrooms.

Tecmessa: A mage connected to Hexenzirkel, huh?

Mona: I-I did not mention them.

Tecmessa: No need, there aren’t many options anyway. Whose apprentice are you?

Mona: Am I being interrogated?

Tecmessa: Not at all. I just wanted to know more about you. It is well known that to join the coven, you need to be exceptionally skilled. Therefore, one of the witches can accept to train you. 

Mona: You have sharp eyes, Miss Tecmessa. I am indeed a renowned mage specialized in hydromancy.

Tecmessa: Really? How does it work?

Mona: Well, this type of divination predicts someone's future or their past through the use of a hydroglass. 

Teucer: Oh, can you look at my future too?

Peribora: In the near future, you’ll finish your cabbages.

Mona: I came to test a special phenomenon in the first hand. My master sent me a letter after a long time about the Dziady Night. When one’s soul leaves this world, it carries their will and ambition to the stars and records on their constellations. However, during this specific night, their ambition connects the living world with their fates. This old hag thinks that it is the souls that grant the new generation’s fate by connecting their constellations. Stars are not just plane records of the past. They can shape and redefine the future events based on the fate they assign to a person. Sometimes two different people from different timelines can share the same fate via the common constellation. I’ve witnessed this case in people who share the name or an event. Sometimes though, like in Durin’s case, two fates can be assigned to a person. Which is quite rare for an ordinary person, but now I’m not surprised by small errors like that.

Paimon: So you are here to see whether an old soul grants their own fate to a young person or not.

Mona: Exactly. 

Tecmessa: That’s stupid. Do you actually let a star millions of light years away to decide your future based on how they look from here? 

Mona: It’s not that simple. Recently, it was discovered that stars are reflecting one’s ambition and can be reshaped.

Paimon: What? Since when? 

Mona: Since this week. I’ve been observing the constellations to lay out a general map and follow the most possible gift to be shared in Dziady Night. However, constellations have been acting weird this whole time. Not all of them but one specific constellation caught my attention. This one has two reflections depending on the angle you are looking from. The fate is the same, but the appearance is entirely different. This specific one can be another error that has been assigned to two different stories that should not interconnect. 

Traveler: In short, someone has been living a life they are not supposed to.

  Someone got their fate earlier than they should.

Peribora: Who that might be? Mona: I don’t know. If it was a single person, then it would be easier to detect them. However, with two variables in the scenario, it is harder to track down the identities.

Tecmessa: What kind of fate is that? Maybe we can find the person who fits into your story.

Mona: The problem is, I can’t quite tell. Their past is connected to another figure from thousands of years ago. The present is too blurry and the future is ever changing. This never happened before. One of them pushes hard to change the constellation while the other keeps it in a position as if they were playing tag of war.

Paimon: Seems like two opposite forces are trying to decide on their common fate.

Mona: Anyway, that’s what I was here for. Surely, it’s a boring topic for the young gentleman here.

Teucer: snore… Huh? What? Are you done?

Peribora: Are you done with kapuska!?

Teucer: Yes I am! Please, no more cabbage…

Somewhere far away on a frozen lake of Morepesok, an old man ice fishes in piece.

Childe: Thought you would be here. Any big catches?

Telimir: Aren’t you supposed to be in that hell hole with that monster?

Childe: Can you stop complaining once? Why do you insist on seeing the bad side of everything? My life is great, just as I want. Why does it make you upset? When it comes to her, she is not a monster. She is my friend. 

Telimir: Bet it’s her who’s filling your head with those stupid ideas. I curse the day I brought you here and told those stupid hero stories. 

Childe: Thanks to those stories, I managed to escape from this boring village and rot to be a miserable old man like you! Always complaining and nagging over the littlest inconvenience. 

Telimir: Littlest inconvenience? I’ve lost a son to the abyss, then to the fatui… How dare you to belittle my pain?

Childe: How does that make you lose your son? I’m still me. I’ve always been, you can’t change me to be like others. At least I know the danger and try to keep Teucer out of this. 

Telimir: And that thing fills his mind with cruel words.

Childe: Banu does not do that!  If you spent time with us, you would understand. Ever sinde I’ve returned, you are distancing yourself. I don’t remember when was the last time we sat and talked like this.

Telimir: … Come here. I have another story to tell.

Childe sits down next to his father as the rod swings with the icy water. 

Telimir: It’s… The story of the Snowmaiden and the Hero Beyond the Stars.

Somewhere in Fatui Headquarters, Director calls the Harbingers to an emergency meeting. Remaining five members sit around a round table facing each other and Georgi standing right behind them, guarding the doors. 

Pantolone: We received the latest information from the expedition teams. Commander Georgi and his team worked smoothly. We now have the full plan including support units and imported all the required equipment. Northland Bank used a huge fund to cover the expenses of this project. We had to seal some important artifacts from Liyue in order to use loans of Liyue Qixing. You sure can know that failing this excavation would put our finances in a huge debt and risk our hand in southern regions. Especially when we are about to open a branch in Fontaine. I should thank the Knave for their hard work.

Arlecchino: It was our duty to keep the good relations between two nations as the ambassador of Fontaine. The House of Hearth will always be there to help the Iudex. We’ve already lost diplomatic trust among various nations. Liyue, Inazuma and Sumeru. Even though Mondstadt stays apolitical in this situation, we must keep the last two nations as close to us as possible. 

Pulcinella: We trust you with your loyalty and talents to carry this mission with its worth. Now, continuing with the current campaign, our dear colleagues has decided that in order to find the legendary sword Millisteinn, we should send our strongest soldier to lead the expedition. Young Tartaglia has proved his abilities in combat and endurance against abyss. Currently, no one else had shown any positive signs after being exposed to high level of abyssal corruption. We should be careful while choosing the soldiers. 

Pantolone: La Signora’s men recently arrived with all the data provided from the Delusion Factory in Inazuma. The results showed that human subjects can survive up to three days in such environments. Including the god remains and abyss’ power, Kitezh’s domain has a similar effect to the early version of delusions. 

Arlecchino: Are we going to send people to their deaths like lab rats? With the loss of half of the harbingers and whole Natlan units, we can’t expend any of our men further.

Pantolone: We also have an additional log sent from Sandrone’s subordinates. Regarding the selection of the people. 

Sandrone: One shall forsake the self and sink into the abyss to be resurrected as a part of the great sea. This person who can leave their old life and submerge into beyond the primordial waters becomes an entity called “Holy Infant”. From centuries long research and records this phenomenon had manifested itself in multiple timelines. The world formula could successfully show the reincarnations of this play and locate the next “Holy Infant” in our current world. One thing is sure, this play is connected to a boy named Ajax. Second strongest of his century. New version of this hero is deemed worthy of carrying the legendary sword that his previous lives had left for him. The Militstienn Sword. Current updates of World Formula are unable to locate the location of his young boy. However, we should look through the reflection of the dark sky to find him. That’s one of the basics of the World Formula. It combines the main branches of knowledge. 

Pulcinella: There is no doubt that this story points out Tartaglia himself. He’s the rightful owner of the sword and honor to protect our people. We should send a support unit to ensure his safety.

Tartaglia: There won’t be any need of it. As soon as we locate the position of the sword, order them to retrieve at once. I’ll continue alone. 

Pierrot: Are you sure, Tartaglia? You are aware of the risks, right? 

Tartaglia: That’s the exact reason why I want to go alone. There is no need to put anyone else at risk. 

Arlecchino: Objection.

Pierrot: State your reasoning, Knave.

Arlecchino: We assume this person to be a young man from a single word. The connections between this legend and a fairy tail are entirely made up. In fact, this can be a woman as well. 

Pierrot: Do you have a name in mind?

Tartaglia: She can’t-

Arlecchino: You should be familiar with Tecmessa, Director. She was a member of House of the Hearth, later transferred to Tartaglia’s troops. She also shows exceptional skills in the listed areas, which makes her a suitable candidate for this project. He can confirm my statement. 

Pierrot: Is that true? 

Tartaglia: … First of-

Pierrot: In this case, we’ll invite her to the next meeting. For now, let’s have a break. 

Pulcinella: Dead Director, I must object to this idea. My humble opinion is to not trust her. This alien creature has not yet shown her devotion to our majesty Tsartisa. It would throw everything at risk if we give control over the operation. 

Pierrot: I understand your worries and promise to discuss this later in detail. Bring her as well. 

With that, Pierrot exited the room, leaving the harbingers behind.

Tartaglia: What was that for? You know it’s not even an option!

Arlecchino: Why are you so against the idea that she leads the operation? Is it because of jealousy? To prove your worth? Or do you see this as a game, a training opportunity to amuse yourself? It’s clear that she is more suitable for this expedition than any of us.

Pulcinella: I agree with Tartaglia. We can’t trust a stranger.

Pantolone: I talk with numbers, cause they never lie. If chances of success are significantly higher, then my vote is for this girl. 

Arlecchino: She has also provided help with the Northland Bank, am I correct?

Pantolone: Precisely. 

Tartaglia: With my help.

Pulcinella: In that case, we’ll have to test it ourselves. Favors are two to two. It all depends on Pierrot’s vote at this point. Tartaglia, I’ll see you tomorrow.

Once everyone leaves, Georgi finds Tecmessa in a corner and explains everything happened during the meeting.

Tecmessa: That’s great. Even better. 

Georgi: Do you actually plan to go?

Tecmessa: We can’t let him go alone. He’s always reckless. We can’t risk another Narwhal incident similar to Fontaine. If he is not careful enough, sword can either turn him into a zombie or bring the whole Wild Hunt with him. 

Georgi: What if it’s true that he is the one who’s destined to be the hero?

Tecmessa: Do you actually believe in superstitions?

Georgi: Then, what’s the plan?

Tecmessa: Take this to Pulcinella and tell him it’s from me. I’ll bring him to his home. His parents should be there when this happens. 

-Report Back to Tartaglia

Peribora: Thank you for helping with the bags. It’s a shame your friend refused to join us for dinner.

Paimon: Don’t worry, Mona is usually very busy. But she might join us when she’s free.

Teucer: Where did big sis Tecmessa suddenly go? Won’t she join us too?

Peribora: Oh, she said that there was a problem with the toys. She might bring one for you too.

Teucer: Really? Is that a promise?

Peribora: I can’t give promises on her behalf. But she always brings presents.

Paimon: You must love Tecmessa. She always looks out for you, treats you to meals, and brings you presents. 

Teucer: She is the best! She is a close friend of my brother. She always writes us letters, sends gifts. During the holidays, she always visits us and brings me the newest products of Mr. Cyclops collection. Sometimes she teaches me how to use a bow and aim too. But my father hates it when I hold a weapon. He says it’s too dangerous.

Paimon: He has a reason. They are indeed dangerous, but as long as you are with an adult, it should be fine.

Peribora: Yes… However, his worry is not because Teucer might harm himself.

Teucer: I don’t use it without big sis. And, I don’t use it with living animals. 

Peribora: Anyway, let’s get inside. It’s freezing cold. Please feel comfortable and sit next to the chimney. 

Once you enter the house, you are welcomed by warmth and nice smells coming from the kitchen. The house was not big but lovely. Walls were filled with family photos. People who all look similar -maybe more similar than how you and your twin looked like. 

The biggest picture above the chimney looked new. It had Childe’s parents at the center; on the two sides, two eldest sons and eldest daughter were standing. The yoıng boy you assumed to be Childe was in front of his sister with a big smile. Sitting on their father’s lap, there were two kids; they were twins just like you. And between mother’s arms a baby was swaddled. This photo must be from before Childe fell into the abyss.

On top of the chimney, there was a single small frame. Someone tried to hide it behind a vase. 

Paimon: Such a lovely house. Childe has always been a family guy, but with such a family, it’s impossible to ignore them.

Traveler: They all look the same.

               Peribora works like a printing machine.

Paimon: Don’t let them hear you.

Antonia: Mom, why didn’t you say we had guests? Sorry, I’m coming in a minute.

Paimon: No rush- Um, please? 

A little girl with orange hair and freckle covered face rushed in. She had the exact same eyes of your friend, but livelier and bigger. 

Antonia: Welcome! You must be the Traveler and Paimon. Finally we could meet. My brother always wrote your stories in his letters. 

Paimon: Hello there. It’s nice to meet you. You must be Tonia, right?

Antonia: Ah! You know about me? Oh… What did he say? Please don’t believe anything he says.

Paimon: Not at all. He always said you are the most responsible one among his siblings.

Traveler: You are mature for your age.

               He always praises you. 

Antonia: Really? That’s a relief. He loves to mock me, so I was worried that he told you mean things. Please, have a seat. I’ll go get you some tea. 

Paimon: It’s alright, really. Come sit with us.

Antonia: Well…

Anthon: Mom! Teucer broke my mask.

Teucer: I did not! 

Anthon: Mooom! Oh! Is that, Traveler and Paimon? No way! 

Paimon: Hello there. 

Antonia: Stop yelling around! Seriously Anthon, when will you grow up?

Childe: Look who has arrived?

Kids: Brother!

Ajax and his father enter the house with giant fish as tall as he stands. Kids rush towards the gate as they circle around their big brother.

Teucer: Where is big sis Banu? Wasn’t she with you?

Childe: She’ll join us later. 

Telimir: Tonia, take this to your mother.

Antonia: Ok! 

Telimir: Ah, this must be the famous Traveler. Welcome to our humble cottage.

Paimon: It’s nice to meet you sir.

Telimir: Seems like we hit the target big. That fish won’t be enough for us. Haha!

Childe: Will Anya and kids join too?

Telimir: Who knows? Your mother insisted, but her good-for-nothing husband is still mommy’s baby… Will, erm, your friend join too?

Childe: Banu. Yes dad, she will.

Telimir: …

Paimon: He doesn’t even try to look happy.

Telimir: I’ll bring the foams. Tell her to wear it on her horn. That thing will poke someone’s eye.

Childe: So, what do you think, comrade? I know they can be loud sometimes.

Traveler: It feels like family.

Childe: I’ll take this as a good sign. By the way, Traveler. Can I ask for a small favor? I hid the presents outside so the young ones wouldn’t try to open them in secret. Can you bring them in while I distract them?

Paimon: Piece of cake. But only if you brought us presents too.

Childe: Of course. What kind of question is that? Do you think I would forget my friends? Actually Paimon, yours has a special ribbon.

Paimon: gasp! Really!? Come on Traveler, why are we wasting time? Let’s take them in and start the celebrations!

You go outside to find the presents Childe hit. After finding some of them and digging them out from the snow, you heard some footsteps approaching.

Paimon: This must be Tecmessa. Let’s give her a scare, shall we? Hehe!

As you hide behind snowy bushes, person gets closer.

Paimon: Boo!

Georgi: Huh? 

Paimon: Wait, Georgi? What are you doing here?

Georgi: Paimon? Traveler!? Why are you here?

Traveler: We asked the same.

Georgi: Hold on. You are not supposed to be here. 

Crunch!

Georgi: Come here!

Paimon: What are you-

Georgi pushes you at a corner behind the house and covers your body with his cape.

Georgi: Be quiet.

The door knocks and kids rush to answer. After a few seconds of mumbling, you hear the conversation moving to the living room.

Antonia: Brother! Your friends, um… They came. Anthon, can you and Teucer help me with groceries?

Teucer: But we just came. Hey! Stop pulling!

Peribora: Please excuse children. I thought it would be better without them interrupting.

Pulcinella: Thank you for your cooperation, Misses. I’m sure kids would be upset after hearing what I’m about to say.

Childe: What’s going on here? Why are your soldiers in my house?

Pulcinella: Dear Childe, let’s have a seat first.

Childe: No, explain yourselves! Tecmessa, why are you with them? Are you hurt?

Paimon: Tecmessa? Is she the one who brought them here?

Georgi: Hush!

Pulcinella: She told us everything. Working with the enemy and letting them get involved with our plans -top secret files that are prohibited to share with third parties. Betrayal to your majesty is the biggest of the crimes, Tartaglia.

Childe: You told them?

Tecmessa: I had no choice.

Pulcinella: You are lucky she brought the matter to me first. If Pierrot hears about it, he would take all of your titles. However, I agreed for a more efficient punishment.

Telimir: Lord Pulcinella. Please excuse my son’s behavior. His attitude has gotten worse ever since he returned from Fontaine. 

Pulcinella: Silence! Do not interrupt. Tartaglia, from now on you are taken from all the projects related to Project Stuzha. You’ll be in home arrest until we retrieve the Missleteinn Sword and present it to our Archon. 

Tartaglia: You know you can’t do that! Who do you plan to send instead?

Pulcinella: As we discussed in our meeting, as much as I disagreed at first, Tecmessa proved to be a more suitable candidate.

Tartaglia: I don’t allow it! She works for me.

Tecmessa: Starting an argument instead of pleading will only make it worse.

Childe: You stay out of it. 

Pulcinella: Commander Georgi will be watching over you in case you might try to run away. Do not disappoint me, Childe.

You heard soldiers leaving and clatters a few times. Once he decides everything is safe, Georgi lets you go.

Paimon: Paimon can’t believe Tecmessa has done such a thing! He trusted her.

Traveler: She has been working for others this whole time.

  You knew about this?

Georgi: Things are more complicated than you think. For now, it’s best for the young lord to stay here. Please, try to calm down and not get in trouble. I’ll be around if you need me. Right now, Lord Tartaglia needs some peace…

-Follow Tecmessa

Paimon: We can’t let her go away. Come on, let’s catch up with her.

You follow her to the fatui camp around the domain, but wait until they go inside. You had to sneak in without being noticed. Once you get inside the domain, you lose track of her.

Paimon: Where did she go? She is super fast. We should stop them before it’s late.

You find fatui soldiers around the nail’s piece.

Paimon: Remember, they are supposed to trick them inside those labyrinths. Let’s use it to lock them in.

You trap fatui inside using the mechanics.

Soldier: Hey, what’s going on!? Let us out! Commander will hear about it.

Paimon: Come on, let’s go back. Huh, do you feel that?

Leylines shows a road surrounded by people. They are all clapping and cheering. 

Paimon: What’s going on here? Hmm, this road looks familiar without people. It looks like the one leading to the cathedral. 

Traveler: The image is changing.

You see Tecmessa walking through the same road and reaching the cathedral, but she is extremely glitched.

Paimon: There she is! Did she find the sword? Traveler, fast forward the vision… 

Traveler: !!! 

Paimon: She did find the sword. Quick, we should catch up with her before it’s too late!

You follow the road covered with abyssal monsters. As you go deeper, you feel abyss is getting stronger. Dark clouds cover your vision and a voice is whispering to your ears.

Paimon: Hang in there Traveler! We’re always there.

You break into the cathedral. At the other end of the atrium, Tecmessa is standing next to the sword.

Paimon: Stop right there!

Tecmessa: Huh? Traveler? Paimon? Why are you here? It’s too dangerous at this point, please return to the surface.

Paimon: Not until we stop you!

Tecmessa: Why? You helped us to prepare the whole plan. Why stop it now? Are you out of your mind or just confused by the abyss?

Traveler: You betrayed Childe!

               You lied to us!

Tecmessa: What? No, wait. This is not the time. You have to leave now. 

Paimon: Or what? 

Traveler: We will take our friend’s revenge!

Tecmessa: You don’t make any sense, be more specific.

Paimon: You betrayed Childe and snatched behind him, so you could be the hero.

Tecmessa: You mean, the sword?

Paimon: Exactly!

Tecmessa: I didn’t want him to come, because if you look at Traveler, corruption here is extremely dangerous. 

Paimon: Traveler are you alright?

Tecmessa: Of course not. S/he is already affected. We are too deep in abyss, maybe deeper than Night Kingdom you went to in Natlan. Humans can’t survive for too long and turn into monsters. I think troops should have returned already. Follow them, they’ll show the way out.

Paimon: Actually, we locked them in a cage…

Tecmessa: YOU WHAT!?

Paimon: We thought you were scheming before us. 

Tecmessa: You- Grr! Get out now! This is my last warning! 

You feel the abyss is getting in your head. Everything they talked was filtered slowly. Paimon’s screams got louder mixed with Tecmessa’s growls. She must be in danger, Tecmessa was hurting people. You had to stop her!

-Defeat Tecmessa

You drew your sword to get on her. Every time you thought you caught her, she teleported to a far distance and left you with a glitched clone to confuse you. If you couldn’t take it down on time, she’d hit you with hard arrows back to back. 

Paimon: “T-Traveler! S-stop—! Th-that’s not—!

“GeT heR oUT! tRAitOR! TRAITOR!”

Tecmessa: Wak— p!

You finally got close enough to deliver a blow, two, three. But she hit you back and escaped. From your back, she unleashed a strong blow that struck you like thunder. Your life flashed before you for a few seconds. When you woke up again you grabbed your sword. Her demonic voice echoed.

“Hahaha! The sword is mine!”

Tecmessa: Idiot— Sn-p OUT!

You were getting weaker. When she noticed that, Tecmessa threw a hard punch that made you come back to reality. Paimon looked worried and Tecmessa could almost kill you.

Paimon: Traveler! Are you alright? 

Tecmessa: For now, this should be fine. But you have to leave soon. Please free the soldiers as well. I’ll try to contact the camp. 

Paimon: How will you do that? We are too deep in abyss.

Tecmessa: By using this.

Paimon: Is that, a Dodocominication device?

Tecmessa: A what? Well, that is a communication device but I don’t know the name. The same provider of “radar” made a patch of these. If I press this button…

Beep— Beep— Boop—!

Zzzz!

Tecmessa: Huh?

Paimon: Is it not working?

Tecmessa: But it worked perfectly just now. I’ll try again.

The device refused to work. Its uneasy sounds traveled through the corridors of the cathedral and showed your location to Wild Hunt. 

Rumble! Rumble!

An expended army of Wild Hunt was running towards you. Headless zombies crawling through and over any obstacles on the way including each other. When they finally reached the gates, Tecmessa pushed you aside and grabbed her bow. Consecutive hits, multiplying arrows were hitting and pinning the wild hunt down. She could throw up to six arrows at once or accumulate  dense electro energy and take a group all together by electrocuting them using the water beneath them. 

Paimon: They keep coming! 

Tecmessa: Paimon, do you see any other exits?

Paimon: Got it! I’ll flow around. Ugh… Aaaah! No, no! Not there. This one is blocked.

Tecmessa noticed some of the monsters. They were the soldiers who came with her. Their bodies were unharmed but corrupted by the abyss and turned into Wild Hunt. Some of them were newbies who joined last month or young boys who were excited to serve Tsaritsa. Some had kids at home, sometimes brought to work and showed around. Without hesitation she blew them up with precise aim. 

Tecmessa: My arrows… I don’t have any arrows!

A bullet went over her head, looking back it was from Wild Hunt. Soldiers still had their guns with them before death. 

Paimon: All exits are blocked. 

Tecmessa: Stay with Traveler. 

Tecmessa rushed toward the sword and grabbed the hilt. If this sword could break a Celestial Nail, it could easily destroy the dead army. But corruption got worse and seeing that, Traveler’s mind started to ring alarm bells and blow Tecmessa away with the sword using anemo powers. Sword broke free from the stone in Tecmessa’s hands. But a gate opened right behind her. Tecmessa got pulled inside the abyss with the sword and disappeared. All of a sudden your vision returned to normal but it was too late. 

Paimon: Tecmessa! 

Under the bullet shower, you and Paimon took cover.

Paimon: We can never make it!

Monsters were approaching with the elimination of the threat. They got closer and closer until outer lines started to fly over and hit the ground unanimated. Georgi jumped in the middle of the crowd and slashed a large circle. He was moving by swinging his greatsword and opening a path. 

Georgi: Traveler! 

Monsters re-appeared before you reached him. Then a familiar imposing figure struck them all. 

Paimon: Childe too? Wasn’t he under house arrest? 

The two got each other’s back and destroyed half of the monsters. This allowed you to jump in and join them. Together, you wouldn’t be able to defeat them all, but at least you managed to escape the domain. Georgi was carrying you and Paimon in his arms, jumping over stones while Tartaglia in his Foul Legacy slayed the road. Thus, you were out. Paimon floated around you to make sure you were feeling ok. 

Georgi: Where is the nurse?

The landing was hard for you, your head was still dizzy. But you had to get better once Tartaglia grabbed your collar and pulled closer.

Childe: What happened there!?

Paimon: H-Hold on! Let us explain!

Childe: Where is she? And the sword! 

Georgi: Not to mention the whole troop is now dead. 

Paimon: W-What’s going on here? What happened?

Oprichniki Bombardier: Ugh… My arm! I don’t feel my arm!

Fatui Agent: Hang in there! The medics will be here soon. Fevroniya, please. Open your eyes! Fevroniya!

Voice of Anguish: Someone send help here! We have wounded soldiers here!

Voice of Worry: We don’t have enough stretchers. Help me to carry them!

Paimon: Paimon can’t stand watching them in pain… We should help them.

A group of soldiers stands firm on the borders of the camp. Facing them, a crowded army of wild hunt approaches the camp. Fatui soldiers’ numbers are small and most of them are injured. However, a determined and strong voice shakes their hearts with encouraging words.

???: Keep your positions! None of them will pass through.

Soldiers: Yes, sir!

-Help them to defeat the enemy.

Wild Hunt retrieves its forces and leaves the battle field empty. Many soldiers fall on their knees, waiting for help to arrive. A single soldier in front stands firm and glorious. He stuck his claymore into the ground and rushed to help his fallen comrades.

???: Hang in there. I’ll take you to safety. Is there anyone who can walk?

Paimon: We are.

???: Who are you two? Where did you come from? This place is not safe for civilizans. Please seek safety immediately.

Paimon: No, no! You got us wrong. We are here to help. S/he is the Traveler.

???: Traveler? What… Ugh, nevermind. Please, help me to carry the soldiers back to the camp.

You and the mysterious guy carry all the soldiers back to camp. Soon enough, the support units arrived at the scene to provide first aid. 

Traveler: You should show your wounds as well. 

   You look tired.

???: Ugh… Thank you for your concern, but I’m alright. It’s just the exhaustion caused by panic, that’s all.

Paimon: You seemed worried. Paimon never saw anyone fight like that while protecting others. You took down three big bosses all by yourself.

???: I didn’t count how many enemies I defeated, or looked at their sizes. Anyone in my position would do the same.

Traveler: We haven’t met before, I assume.

???: No, this is the first time. But I’ve heard a lot from you. The Honorary Knight, Tumaini… And the trouble maker who interferes with Your Majesty’s plans.

Paimon: Oops!

???: But let’s put the titles aside. You were a great help there. I owe you all those people’s lives. Thank you.

Paimon: It’s ok. Anyone in our position would do the same, right?

Georgi: You are right… I'm Commander Georgi. The Acting Commander of the Northern Legions. I used to work under Il Capitano. However, after he went on the expedition to Natlan, I hold command within Snezhnaya’s borders. 

Paimon: Wow! So you are the big boss of Fatui.

Georgi: Not quite right… I’m still a soldier who is responsible for other soldiers, that’s all.

Traveler: It seems like you underestimate your job.

Georgi: Not at all. I take my job very seriously. However, if you assume my rank and authority based on the length of my title, you’d be mistaken. A longer title doesn’t mean higher statues. If that was the case, then Il Capitano is quite a banal title. But look at the power he holds solely with his name.

Paimon: Paimon gets it now, you are a huge fan of Captain. 

Georgi: Who can blame me? I worked with him for decades. Everything I learned is from him. 

Paimon: Wait, hold on. How old are you exactly? You look so…

Traveler: Young.

  It’s the height…

Georgi: inhales… You are lucky that I owe you from earlier. However, here is a warning. Do not! Bring my age up again. Understood?

Paimon: Yes… Got it…

Traveler: Seems like he doesn’t like talking about his height.

Georgi: Anyway… I know the camp is quite chaotic but, would you like to stay for dinner? Night is about to fall, and I can’t let you two wander in the wilderness while danger is alarmed. Please, be our guests for tonight. You can leave with the first lights of the dawn.

Traveler: You are too kind.

  Thank you for your invite.

Georgi: Don’t mention it. You may rest in my tent. I’ll come to your visit after checking around briefly.

Paimon: We can join you if that helps. Besides, it’s faster if you work in teams.

Georgi: Oh, um… I didn’t consider it. Well, you are welcome to tag along. 

-Follow Georgi

He approaches a group around the campfire. Soldiers look cold and shivering despite the heat radiating from the fire.

Georgi: Is everything alright here? Were you in the front lines?

Andrey: N-N-No sir. W-W-We were the rescue team.

Olga: I-I was t-there… When W-W-Wild Hunt attacked. 

Georgi: You must have been infected… Even as a member of the rescue team, you are not prepared for such simple things. You are supposed to ready the emergency blankets and wrap the infected soldiers. Do I have to teach you the basics?

Andrey: N-No sir…

As Georgi scares the hell out of them, he gently wraps each soldier with a thick blanket and places them closer to the fire. The heat hugs their whole body as shivering stops.

Georgi: Always carry your kit. I don’t want to deal with your irresponsibility next time.

Andrey: Understood.

-Follow Georgi

You notice a shaking soldier trying to hide behind a pile of boxes.

Maksim: I-I don’t wanna go… I don’t want to go. Not the wild hunt-

Georgi: What’s going on here!?

Maksim: Commander!?

Georgi: Why aren’t you in your position, Maksim?

Maksim: I- Um… So, ugh… I-I don’t think I can.

Georgi: Are you wounded?

Maksim: No-

Georgi: Are you dying?

Maksim: No!

Georgi: Then what’s stopping you!? You have an oath to Tsaritsa and a promise to keep your comrades. Have you forgotten? Until the day your blood runs dry, hold your weapon and fight with all your might. The strength will be granted to you by Your Majesty. We don’t shelter whimpering cowards here in my troop. Now tell me, what are you?

Maksim: A soldier…

Georgi: Louder!

Maksim: A SOLDIER!

Georgi: What are your orders!?

Maksim: To protect my comrades!

Georgi: And how do you do that?

Maksim: I’m marching back to my position, sir!

Georgi: You are not fast enough!

Poor soldier runs away leaving snowy clouds behind.

Paimon: Geez! Do you actually have to be so harsh on him? Poor guy was having it rough.

Georgi: If he was not ready to take his responsibility, then we’re all gonna die during the next attack. I don’t keep useless pests in my troop. We are talking about an army. Soldiers who are ready to fight and win. If you can’t face death, then stay home and cook dinner like a housewife you are. 

-Follow Georgi

In between soldiers rushing around to help each other, one of them with heavy boxes hit Georgi while running and made everything in his arms fall over the short commander.

Ivan: Ugh, watch where you are- Commander? Commander Georgi! M-My apologies, I didn’t see you there.

Georgi: groan, I can tell. Hoping that it’s because of your poor eyesight.

Ivan: Y-Yes, yes I’m partially blind. Actually, I covered my eyes while running. I wasn’t looking.

Paimon: Can’t you just accept that you are too short to be seen?

Ivan: Aah! I’m sorry, Commander! Please forgive me! I’ll be more careful, I promise. I-I’ll be back on my work a-and then, then I’ll run 30 laps around the camp!

Paimon: What?

Ivan: 300!

Paimon: Wow, chill! Aren’t you too harsh on yourself?

Georgi: Just do your job. But, I’ll personally check on you. Am I clear?

Ivan: Yes! Of course! 

The soldier rushes off with the boxes Georgi handed him.

Paimon: Why are you so harsh on them?

Georgi: If you ever bring up my height again, I’ll use you as a lighthouse to mark our location to our comrades. Hope you can carry a giant lamp while tied to a pole.

Paimon: W-What did Paimon say? Traveler, you wouldn’t let him hurt Paimon, right?

Traveler: I can’t interfere with the battle of dwarfs.

               You are too small to hold.

Paimon: Are you mocking Paimon or both of us? 

-Follow Georgi

Paimon: Paimon can’t imagine working with you. You terrify the whole soul out of your men’s body. 

Georgi: No war is earned with kindness. They left their mother’s laps long ago, they need to stand up all by themselves. I can’t wait for any crybaby to get mentally ready, nor the enemy. Do you think Wild Hunt would respect their little panic attacks before slaying us? Oh, poor baby. Should I call you mom? Come give me a hug. And get sliced in two by a cursed axe. 

Paimon: Ok, ok. Paimon gets it. No need to explain in gruesome details. 

Georgi notices a soldier hiding in a corner and slowly approaches from behind.

Georgi: Halt! What are you doing here?

Boris: Ah! C-Commander, I’m sorry. I needed a small break. I’ll be back on my place right away.

Georgi: Why haven’t you visited the infirmary?

Boris: W-What?

Georgi: Do you have a death wish? That’s not how you tend your cuts. If you are going to act like a hero, at least be a smart one. You’ve been working for Captain for the last 12 years and still don’t know how to use bandages? Then go to a doctor, idiot! You turned yourself into a mummy, not only you wasted our supplies but also bleeding like a woman on her special day. Do I need to explain everything from scratch? Now get out of my sight.

Boris: Y-Yes sir. My apologies.

Soldier leaves with his neatly wrapped wounds and extra rolls in his arms. 

Paimon: When did you learn first aid?

Georgi: Why didn’t you learn it yet? Aren’t you adventurers?

Traveler: I’m kind of an expert.

          Our recovery methods can be hard for you to understand. 

Georgi: Yeah sure. Sigh, why don’t you two go to my tent and get some rest. I should check for a few more things, alone. 

Paimon: We get it. You don’t want us to stick our noses into your top secret job. We are on our way.

Paimon and you get into Georgi’s tent. It was bigger compared to an average tent. Inside was warm and cozy with electrical heaters and soft mattress. A study desk was placed in the middle with stacks of papers and unfinished letters. From the mark left here and there, it was obvious there was more furniture inside the tent but they were moved somewhere else. 

Paimon: Do you think Georgi had more beds or couches here? Paimon definitely thinks he had at least two more chairs. Look at the marks around the table. They also seem fresh. Do you think he took them out for soldiers? Paimon thinks he is a great leader. First of all, he cares for his comrades. Did you see how he blocked those attacks coming to that soldier while fighting off an enemy? He does take his duty seriously, that’s for sure. But Paimon can’t help and thinks that he is not taking care of himself. He should check his wounds too. Even if he hadn’t taken any damage. Paimon couldn’t see his small body inside the crowded enemy forces. He was moving so fast.

Georgi: Ah, there you are. How is it? Did you find it comfortable?

Traveler: It’s great.

  It feels a bit empty.

Georgi: Glad you liked it. Sorry that we didn’t have any proper seats. The support unit was more crowded than we expected, which is a good thing of course.

Paimon: Paimon guessed you’d do such a thing.

Georgi: Did I leave such an impression? People would assume that I’m a heartless beast. I rather intimidate people with my existence.

Paimon: You look rather adorable.

Georgi: growls

Paimon: Eeek! Sorry, Paimon totally forgot.

Georgi: sigh. Anyway, I brought you some food. Hope you like it. It will keep you warm and restore your energy. 

Paimon: Oh, it smells delicious. 

Georgi: Please, dig in.

You devoured the food Georgi brought for you. The warmth of the meal swept the cold away and relaxed your tensed bodies. Soon after, the exhaustion overwhelmed and made you loosen on your seats.

Georgi: You seem quite content. That’s a good sign.

Paimon: Yeah, that might be the best food Paimon had ever had since we arrived at Snezhnaya. It was so tasty.

Georgi: You’re welcome. 

Paimon: By the way, Paimon is dying to ask this. What are you doing in the middle of nowhere with such a large group? Knowing it’s dangerous outside, why don’t you go back to the center?

Georgi: We are not allowed to change our position as we wish. The orders are strict. No one can return until we finish our mission.

Traveler: And it’s something you can’t share with me.

Georgi: Unfortunately, no. Not because of your statues as a wanted threat to Fatui and Your Majesty Tsaritsa, but also because you are an adventurer. In our logs, you are considered as a civilian. That’s why we can’t risk your life by involving you into our mission. You’ve already done enough for us. As the commander in charge, I must ask you to stay here until the threat is gone and not get involved with our job.

Paimon: Don’t worry, we understand that much… Still, that curiosity won’t go away easily. Paimon is so used to Fatui’s schemes that thinking of them doing a good deed is kind of a myth at this point.

Traveler: You weren’t saying that while eating their food.

Paimon: The two have nothing in common! You know what Paimon meant.

Georgi: I understand your worry. To be honest, I was also curious about your motives. 

Traveler: We were just strolling around.

    You know the adventurers.

Georgi: Yes, I do. Oh! That reminds me, you were in every nation so far. And I assume you met at least most of the Harbingers already.

Paimon: That’s right. Although not all of them were pleasant meetings, we made pretty good friends with some of them too.

Georgi: I hear about your adventures from Young Lord and Tecmessa. Even the Knave seemed to have a soft spot for you. That is unusual for her.

Paimon: Since you are of high rank in the Fatui, you must be close with Harbingers.

Georgi: Not in the way you think. I’m not friends with them. I worked with many of them on different occasions, however, I was specifically assigned under Capitano. And from the look on your faces, you want to know about Tartaglia and Arlecchino as well.

Paimon: And Columbina too. Ever since she went back to the moon, Paimon misses her so much. 

Georgi: Well, Lady Columbina was quite unique… She gave chills to many of us when she first arrived in Snezhnaya. With her weird speeches in riddles and constant glitchings, she spook out our lower ranks. However, I heard that she had changed ever since she returned to Nod-Krai. 

You tell him about your adventures in Nod-Krai.

Georgi: I see.

Paimon: Your experience with her must be different from ours. Seems like returning home did change her.

Traveler: What about other Harbingers?

Georgi: Recently I’ve been hearing from La Signora’s troops a lot.

Paimon: Signora? But wasn’t she…

Georgi: She did. However, her troops are still stuck in Inazuma waiting for higher orders. The harsh reality is that once the Harbingers are done with a region, they don't really care about the rest of their men. Tsaritsa's order is that if you face the risk of jeopardizing the mission or if logistical support is insufficient, you must make sacrifices.

Traveler: That’s what they’ve done in Chasm too.

  They left their troops to die in Chasm.

Georgi: I’m informed about the situation. Lord Tartaglia assigned his secretary for diplomatic agreements. However, they were cut once he woke up the God of Vortex, Osile. Right after that, Qixing stopped interacting with us and Pulcinella ordered everyone on the surface to retrieve. But I know, not every soldier had received the orders. So they will continue to wander aimlessly until the end of their lives.

Traveler: I wouldn’t expect Tsaritsa to take things this far.

Georgi: After spending years with her, nothing surprises you. Lady Tecmessa tried to keep the close relations, but she was blocked from both sides. Same with Inazuma. After La Signora’s death, our communication with recruits in the Delusion Factory was cut. Last we heard about them was the logs of the cargo ship to Watatsumi Island.

Paimon: Thanks to you and your delusions, we lost many of our friends. No need to remind us.

Georgi: No one forces you to use them. Actually, in some cases, it is prohibited to use a delusion unless you pass certain tests. Some delusions are even more hazardous. For example, my dendro delusion has not been used on a low rank recruit. It contains high risks of poisoning and might cause Eleazar as a side effect.

Paimon: Wait, that was a delusion? Paimon couldn’t even tell.

Traveler: If it’s dangerous, why are you wearing it? Georgi: Years ago, Dottore found a component in Tatarasuna from an unknown source and wanted to experiment on that. He found a way to invert the remnants of deceased gods into elemental energy and channel it to elemental manifestations like visions. That’s how we first established the Delusion Factory. Later on, his research was stolen by a little cat and carried to Sumeru on a ship. Following his trails, we found a young desert woman using dendrograna to control witherings. Dottore had a deal with this woman and bought her gadget’s graphics. If he could control the corruption by using the power of a pure dendro element, then it was possible to reverse the process. However, there wasn’t a strong subject to test his new findings at the moment. Thus, he invited me to help him as a test subject. All I need to do is to keep using it. Sometimes when it feels unbearable, I use my hydro vision to nullify the effects.

Paimon: That’s a relief at least. That crazy Doctor finds a way to hurt people in every way possible. Paimon doesn’t even want to give him an ugly nickname ‘cause he is already ugly from inside out. We can use his name as a bad word.

Georgi: Ahaha. Don’t let him hear you, or he might get mad.

Paimon: Hmph! Let him hear it all. Paimon is not afraid as long as Traveler is with her.

Georgi: It’s nice to trust someone so much.

Paimon: We have such a special bond that it can’t break apart. Yawn! But we have to separate for the nights.

Georgi: I’m sorry. You must be tired, yet I kept you.

Traveler: Don’t mention it.

  It was fun to talk to you.

Georgi: The pleasure is mine. Then please, don’t be shy. You can sleep at any time you like. I’ll be outside if you need me.

Paimon: Wait, where will you sleep?

Georgi: Uh… I don’t plan to sleep tonight anyway. I’m on watch duty. Besides, we just received a wild hunt attack. Half of our forces are injured and unable to hold a weapon. If I don’t stay on guard, they might come back. Please, rest well. If we need any back up, all of our warriors should be well rested.

Paimon: Understood. Please don’t push yourself. At least have a seat.

Georgi: Thank you for your concern. Good night.

You lay down on Georgi’s bed and the mattress welcomed you immediately. The soft material of the bed relaxed your bodies with the help of the warm meal on your bellies. It didn’t take long for both of you to drift into a deep sleep and take a good rest until the next morning.

Paimon: yaaaawn! Good morning Traveler. Wow, that was a nice sleep. Paimon never guessed camp beds could be this comfortable.

Traveler: They must have designed it specially for him.

Paimon: Like, how all leaders should sleep well so they can command better? That makes sense. When you mention it, he didn’t bother us the whole night. Do you think everything is alright outside?

-Go check outside.

Paimon: Huh, the support unit must be pretty busy all night. Paimon doesn’t hear anyone crying anymore. 

Wounded soldiers were sitting around the camp. Everyone seemed tired. After searching through the camp, you found Georgi on guard duty outside of the camp all alone. He looked tired but tried to keep his head up.

Paimon: There you are.

Georgi: Ah, Traveler and Paimon. Did you sleep well?

Paimon: We did. Thank you for giving us your tent.

Georgi: Don’t mention it.

Paimon: You should take some rest too. You look exhausted.

Georgi: I know. But I can’t ask anyone else to take the guard. They need to recover from yesterday.

Paimon: How about we take your place. We are quite well rested. So I won’t be a problem. Beside, the Traveler here is fighting against the Wild Hunt for sports.

Georgi: I’m well aware of your abilities… Very well then, a small break wouldn’t hurt anyone. The Wild Hunt’s presence was absent for so long, I doubt they would come back any sooner. I’ll leave here to you then. 

You take your position as Georgi wobbles away back to his tent. No sight of the enemy has appeared for a while. 

Paimon: Seems like everything here is under control. Should we go check other areas as well in case someone might need help?

-Walk around the camp (0/3).

You slowly approach wounded soldiers. 

Paimon: Hello. We are here to check on you. How do you feel? Need anything?

Fevroniya: Ugh… Who are you? You are not supposed to be here. Please go back to a safe point. Ngh!

Yuily: Hey! Don’t force yourself. You are still recovering. Apologies, this area is for heavily injureds. Is there anything I can help you with?

Paimon: We are here to check if anyone needs our help. 

Traveler: You look exhausted.

Yuily: It’s nothing. If Commander hadn’t blocked the enemy, we would be able to carry anyone to safety. Right now, we wait for supplies to arrive.

Paimon: Make sure to get some rest. Hmm… From your uniform, you must be a medic, right?

Yuily: Yes. Normally, I’m responsible for the wounded soldiers. After the invasion, many of our comrades got injured. My job is to go to the war zone and take the fallen soldier to safety. However, the attack was so dense that we couldn’t get there to carry them. Fevroniya was in the middle of the Wilderness Hunters and received a fatal blow. If Commander Georgi hadn’t arrived on time, she could have died. Still, her condition is critical.

Paimon: Is there anything we can provide?

Yuily: You are too kind. Well, to be honest we are in dire need of water. From cleaning the wounds to lowering body temperature, washing our hands… That would be a great help if you could fill those buckets.

-Fill the buckets with water.

Yuily: Wow! You are fast. Thank you both. You have no idea how big of a help it was.

Paimon: Don’t mention it. If there is anything else you need, just give a call.

Yuily: I might as well.

Fevroniya: UGH!

Yuily: Sorry, I must be back to work.

-Walk around the camp (1/3).

Paimon: Look over there. The road is blocked. This must be where the supplies will arrive. Let’s break it through.

Sergey: What’s going on here?

Paimon: Uh-oh. Did we mass it up?

Sergey: You! Is this your doing?

Traveler: Sorry.

               We wanted to help.

Sergey: Why are you apologizing for? We were trying to get rid of those blockers. We don’t have enough soldiers so we were planning to reach out to the Commander.

Paimon: phew! Paimon worried for a second.

Traveler: Is there anything else you need?

Sergey: Well, since you asked. We have some obstacles over there too. Can you get rid of them?

Paimon: Won’t even sweat.

You destroyed all the obstacles.

Sergey: Not bad. You are pretty strong. Have you ever considered joining a special force?

Paimon: We may not be the most suitable candidate for this type of job.

Sergey: Ah, that’s a shame. Anyway, if you change your mind, we can always use your strength. 

-Walk around the camp (2/3).

Paimon: Do you hear that smell? It’s like… sniff. Something’s burning.

Kikimora: Ugh! Too much, too much! Put the fire out!

Nikita: Ah, I’m trying. 

Paimon: Hey, you are gonna burn down the whole camp! 

Kikimora: W-We needed a huge bonfire to boil the medical fabrics. But this is too much. I’ve told you not to put too many branches.

Nikita: Y-Yeah, but you didn’t tell me when to stop.

Paimon: It’s not time to accuse each other. The fire is growing.

You extinguished the fire with the power of hydro.

Nikita: Aww man… Those are useless. They all shrinked

Kikimora: M-Maybe we can cut them into pieces to use as bandages. Quick, bring me the scissors.

-Return to your position.

Paimon: This should be it. Let’s go back to the watchspot and see if everything is fine. 

You return to where Georgi left you, only difference is that he has also returned. He seemed to be waiting for your return.

Paimon: Georgi! Aren’t you supposed to be resting?

Georgi: I did. It was short but enough to regain my strength. I’m used to having short naps during the day from spending time with Captain. He also had sleeping issues. Naturally, I’d stay awake to accompany him during the night. 

Paimon: Yeah, Paimon remembers Captain had trouble falling asleep from all the souls of fallen Khaenri'ahn soldiers he absorbed into his heart. 

Georgi: Yes… Oh, I almost forgot you guys met in Natlan. Captain wrote about you in his letters and a young fella who loves cabbages. 

Traveler: He must be talking about Ororon.

Georgi: Thus, once I woke up, I felt bad to leave you here all alone and decided to check on you. To my surprise, you weren’t here. But some recruits said that you were quite a help for them.

Traveler: It’s nothing important.

               We took a small stroll, that’s all.

Paimon: People seem to rely on you a lot. Whenever they have a problem, they mention you like you can magically make it disappear. 

Georgi: Great power comes with great responsibility. I have a tendency to rush on others’ help but this might cause them to over rely on me and slack off. Nowadays, I try to ignore them on purpose. It’s like taking care of a little kid. If you look at them every time they cry, they’ll never grow. 

Paimon: You’d be a strict parent for sure.

Georgi: We are soldiers. We must be- 

Rumble, rumble.

Georgi: Something off.

Paimon: It’s coming from the camp!

Nikita: Aah! Someone, help!

Georgi: What happened?

Yuily: I was taking care of Fevroniya. I-I turned around for a second and she started to cry in pain. When I turned back, she was like this!

Paimon: Wild Hunt? From the camp?

Georgi: Call all the medics to a safe place. Abandon all the wounded soldiers! They might have been affected, or worse… Fevroniya’s situation was already dire. I don’t think she’d have any chances to survive.

Paimon: So you say that, she died and turned into a monster?

Fatui Soldier: They are rising! Everyone, get to the safe space!

Georgi: Traveler, get my back. 

Paimon: Are you going to fight your comrades? B-But-

Georgi: They are dead, Paimon. The kindest action to take is to end their misery.

-Defeat the mutated enemy

Paimon: They keep coming. There is no end of it. Traveler, be careful.

Soldier: They are coming from the south facade! 

Paimon: That’s where the infirmary is!

Soldiers escape from the tents as Wild Hunt arises from behind. Georgi jumps in and slays the monsters with his claymore. 

Fatui Agent: Commander, what about others?

Georgi: ngh… 

Soldier: They are coming! 

Georgi: Traveler. We need to activate the Tideseal. I’ll distract them. 

As Georgi rushes onto the enemy, you activate the seal and dispel the permeation of the Wild Hunt.

​​-Assist the wounded soldiers

Paimon: What may cause the Wild Hunt to appear inside the camp? Wasn't the seal supposed to protect you guys?

Georgi: Unless you activate it, not necessarily. We are too close…

Paimon: Close to what?

Georgi: … Check on the woundeds, see if their viability is good enough for evacuation. If not, leave them here. We retrieve our forces back to the eastern camp.

Soldiers go back to their positions.

Georgi: Traveler, follow me. 

You follow him out of the camp. No one can eavesdrop nor spy on you since you are standing on an open field. 

Georgi: As you can guess, we are here for a mission. Although I can’t share the details, this place is extremely dangerous. I sent a messenger to the nearest Harbinger to seal the area. However, I want to scout ahead and report them to the possible dangers.

Paimon: All by yourself? No way! It’s way too dangerous.

Traveler: Allow me to help you.

Georgi: I knew you would say something like that… I’d prefer you to stay here and escort the soldiers back to the camp, however, there is no point in stopping you from doing as you please. 

Paimon: Hehe, we never miss an opportunity for a great adventure. Besides, who knows what type of treasure is waiting for us.

Georgi: Sorry to ruin your dreams but there won’t be any treasures Paimon. The place we are going in is corrupted by the abyss. It’s also the reason why the wild hunt could have appeared inside our camp. The Abyss influence is so strong in this area that it affects the newly deceased immediately. I believe an army of death walkers are waiting for us inside. 

Paimon: If you are trying to scare us and change our minds, you have to try harder. ‘Cause we already made up our minds.

Traveler: Not even gigantic Breacher Primus who eats flying objects can scare us.

Paimon: They don’t even have a mouth! Next time at least try to find a real threat if you want to scare Paimon.

Georgi: Very well… Then follow me.

-Investigate the corroded are underwater

Paimon: What is this place? Paimon has a bad feeling about here.

Georgi: … This place has been contaminated by abyss centuries ago. It was an ancient kingdom called Kitezh that was destroyed by the Heavenly Principles. 

Paimon: So that means there is a Celestial Nail at the center of this lake, is that correct?

Georgi: … Yes.

As you proceed deeper, you encounter tall buildings broken into pieces by fountains flowing in reverse. The water reaches above where you came from. The reflection of the sun breaking from the lake water enlightens the kingdom of Kitezh. A glamorous cathedral stretched upwards from the heart of the city, surrounded by four statues with their faces whipped off. 

The phantom sound of bells began to echo as you stepped into the city.

Paimon: Wah! What was that?

The sounds were accompanied by a choir rising from each corner; men and women, children, they all began to sing an old melody of the ancient Kingdom of Kitezh. 

You encountered some ancient texts:

One who emits beams of light,

Guided the prayers of the night.

Souls of Kitezh are forfeit,

The Black Hordes pressed to the gates;

So the people under command of Luchezar raised walls of stone,

And barred the Golden Path from all.

As you proceed deeper following the Golden Path, the murmurs of the city increase almost as if it was alive. People are singing the same melody which now you can understand the words.

♪♪ Praise to God in the highest!Bless us, O Luchezar:Guide and prosper the nations,Never withhold your light.

May the god bless his goodwillAnd conquer the spirit of evil.Laughters, chants and the spaceMay all be yours Today, tomorrow, and every dawn. ♪♪

Paimon: This place gives Paimon chills… Ugh, when will we reach there? Also, what were we looking at again?

Georgi: … I’m not allowed to share this information with you. 

Paimon: Oh come on! We are in this together. Can’t you at least explain to us what we are about to face?

Traveler: I know you don’t trust us yet, but we are not your enemy.

Georgi: sigh… Fine. But you’ll promise to keep it as a secret.

Paimon: You can trust us with secrets. We never betrayed a friend before and don’t plan to at this point.

Georgi: The story says: There was once a glorious kingdom of Kitezh ruled over current Snezhnaya's territory. Its power reached so far that even the Heavens were mesmerized by its glory. The ruler here, Luchezar, God of Refraction was loved and worshiped by many that he gained the favour of the Heavens and beyond. They call him “One whose power bends and ties the space”. If you ask Pierrot, he suspects that this god had a connection with the Four Shades. Those giant statues around the cathedral proves his theory.

Paimon: So you mean, a god was so strong that he gained the support of the shades on his back? Doesn’t that sound similar to Zibai’s story?

Traveler: She was the daughter of Istaroth and had her favor.

Georgi: I can’t tell for sure, but we can clearly see that people of Kitezh worshiped the higher entities. However, after the kingdom got corrupted, Heavens sent their divine punishment. It later submerged here, under Lake Svetloyar. However, what we see above is not the real lake we see on Teyvat, but its mere reflection occurred due to Luchezar’s powers. Another thing is that we never managed to find the Celestial Nail sent on the kingdom. The legend says that Luchezar managed to break the nail into pieces before it reached the ground and it scattered around, causing disruption on the ley lines. Another one says that he sacrificed himself in order to protect his people and his powers contaminated the area by merging with the abyss. Regardless, there is a confirmed correlation between the Celestial Nail’s impact and the current instability of the abyss. 

Paimon: Then what are we supposed to do? Do we find and destroy the nail pieces?,

Georgi: Don’t be silly. Even with the power of Traveler here we can’t possibly destroy them and restore the ley lines. All we can do is to detect the main leakage and report to Pierrot. Besides, I’m not here for the nail. 

Paimon: Then why are you here? Don’t tell Paimon you’ve been lying to us this whole time.

Georgi: It’s something you don’t need to know. 

Paimon: Oh, so we became strangers.

Georgi: ngh… Look, all I need for you to do is to prevent any abyssal creature from leaving this place. The rest is a classified Fatui operation. 

Paimon: Fine! Just so you know, if you need our help with any puzzles, you are on your own.

Georgi: Fair. Come on, follow me. 

-Follow Georgi deeper on the Golden Path

You encounter an ancient text on a mural. It displays three gates connected to each other:

Gods have forgotten about us. They disappeared one day, taking the light within. People of Kitezh tried to dig out their way, only finding their tombs. Names of our children with their upcoming generations. Years piled up as we saw death and life in one space. 

The rest of the text is damaged. 

Georgi: Hide!

With Georgi’s warning, you hid behind a collapsed wall of an ancient building. Looking over it, you could easily see abyssal creatures walking around. 

Georgi: We must be close. Monsters gathered around four locations. South, north, northeast, and westsouthwest. We need to find a way to block their way and keep them still. 

Paimon: Do you see a type of seal or mechanism?

Georgi: It’s too far for me. 

Paimon: Age is catching up with you old man.

Georgi: … 

Traveler: pfft!

Georgi: Be careful.

-Defeat Abyssal creatures (0/4)

You made your way towards one of the marked locations where the abyss emerged. After defeating the enemy forces, Georgi kneeled to investigate the area.

Paimon: What’s that? Did you find something?

Georgi: Traveler, Paimon, does this piece remind you of anything?

Traveler: Nothing particularly.

  A shiny rock?

Paimon: Hmm… Now you mention it, it does resemble something but Paimon can’t remember what. It’s not from a place we see everyday.

Georgi: It’s a Celestial Nail. At least a small fragment. Right underneath is a strong ley line flowing and infused with this piece.

Paimon: So you say that there was a power that could break a giant nail into pieces? How is that possible? 

Georgi: I don’t know, but assuming from the locations Wild Hunt gather, they are driving towards the other pieces. If we can cut the ley line flow in the area, we can stop the invasion.

-Defeat Abyssal creatures (1/4)

After defeating the enemy, you encountered a travel log:

The expedition team dispersed. Some of us returned to the surface before even reaching the Maly Cathedral. We lost many soldiers during the invasion of Wild Hunt. The abyssal corruption is too strong that we can clearly see the side effects on our remaining scouts. 

It starts with hallucinations. Soldiers started to show psychotic behavior. They all started to sing the hymn of Kitezh. Sounds from the past combine with the voice of the present… We can hear the warnings of our echoes. Stay back! Stay back ———! We must return to the main camp.

-Defeat Abyssal creatures (2/4)

After defeating the enemy, Georgi fell on his knees in pain. 

Paimon: Georgi! Are you alright? Maybe we should return. We stayed here for too long already.

Georgi: ngh… I’m- I’m fine.

Traveler: You don’t look well,

  We should retrieve and wait for a Harbinger.

Georgi: No, it’s alright. I can continue. We are so close to the end.

-Defeat Abyssal creatures (3/4)

“shh—kkk— Stay ba— … return to the—“

“—Commander—“

Screams of thousand souls haunted your ears. From every corner, every turn, their screechings echoed and followed your steps.

“Why?”

Woosh!

“—abandon us—“

“you left them to die— YOU KILLED THEM—“

“Wild Hunt… here… here.”

“You little man… So small, and so fragile.”

“Foolish mortal!”

Paimon: Where is this sound coming from? Georgi, please stay close.

Georgi: ngh!

Your vision starts to get blurry. Everything glitches around you as your mind succumbs to madness. 

Captain: An—log—

Paimon: Who was that?

Captain: —failed—mur—er—

Georgi stops as his head spins. Images from the most unexpected places fill his mind in the most twisted and blurry way. Ghosts of his fallen comrades were screaming to his ear constantly trying to dig his brain out. This must be how Capitano was feeling… He couldn’t keep his eyes open. Everything was dark as he fell into a void. He could see the possessed comrades, rising from the tents. Each of them, shifting into gostreque monsters in agony. He left them behind and allowed the abyss to consume their bodies. He didn’t go to save them… When he entered the infirmary, he saw more soldiers groaning and contorted. Instead of carrying them out, without checking if any single of them were safe and alive, he slayed them all with his claymore… He killed them… The great commander, petty man… Whose strength comes from a giant weapon to severe heads. The pain in his chest, unstoppable spasms his heart had under the pressure over his shoulders made him shrink. He was becoming smaller and smaller as people he killed were rising up, looking down on him. This was abyss whispering, but wasn’t it true? He will always be a small guy who can’t save anyone. What’s the point if you can’t carry your weapon to protect. Cutting throats like a coward. Only small dogs would bark so loud to look intimidating. You… —wshh— 

Captain: —disappointed me— Georgi!

Georgi: ARGH!

As he collapses, you kneel next to Georgi to support his body.

Paimon: You can’t continue in this state. We should return.

Georgi: No! hiss… We are almost there… ngh! I should go… there.

Georgi passed out with severe pain and laid face down. An army of Wild Hunt, sensing Georgi’s weakness, spawned and surrounded you from every corner.

Paimon: We are trapped! Georgi, please wake up! 

Wild Hunt: RAAAWR!

Paimon: AAAAH! 

You swing your sword to open an escape path by repelling the enemy. However, more enemies were reappearing than the ones you defeated.

Paimon: They keep coming. We should get out of here!

A Wilderness Hunter raises its axe behind you before being able to react. Its giant shadow falls over you as the axe descends upon. Paimon covers her eyes while shielding Georgi’s head with her small body. Right after that, thick vines restrain the axe and the hunter; with a strong squeeze, it dissolves back to the ley lines.

Paimon: gasp! Georgi, you are fine!

Georgi: Traveler, give me your power one last time.

As Georgi grabs the hilt of the claymore, his body tenses. His hydro vision and dendro delusion combines their power over the weapon and slams it to the ground after a huge swing. Enemy forces fall back with the impact. You follow his steps marching towards the Golden Path, slaying as many hunters as possible. Abyssal grasps break through the ground to restrain you, but Georgi easily slices them off before they can reach you. The exit is so close.

Paimon: There it is!

As you blast the enemy forces on the way with pyro infused attacks, Georgi bursts in to boost your power and clears a wide ranged area, opening the distance between you and the hunters greatly. Paimon passes through the gate, followed by you. Before Georgi catches up to you, he turns around for a final blast. His elemental powers accumulate around his claymore and with a single swing, the huge army loses half of its soldiers line after another. His greatsword continues to swirl and hit the corners of the gate with an impact challenging the greatest earthquake, making the rubbles block the path between you and the enemy. Paimon gets out safely as the sun’s rays welcome you through the snowy clouds. You give your hand to Georgi, helping him to climb easier. He grabs your arm firmly as one of his comrades and gets to safety. 

-Talk with Georgi

Paimon: That was close! Phew! So, what is gonna happen to them?

Georgi: I don’t know.

Paimon: What do you mean you don’t know!?

Georgi: To be honest with you, I never expected things to escalate like this. I knew ley lines had some sort of malfunction here, but who could have thought it would summon an army of Wild Hunt. We managed to block the enterence, this must be enough for now. Now we need to return to camp and retrieve our forces.

Paimon: But we can’t leave here unattended, right? From our time in Mondstadt and Liyue, we learned that sealing a corruption only allows it to build stronger. Just like Azdaha and who know in an alternative reality Dvalin, the might get much more crowded. Then how do you plan to defeat them?

Georgi: That’s… Not our priority right now. At least something we can’t solve here all by ourselves. I’ll arrange a meeting with others. I’m sure that Harbingers will come up with a better solution. I’m just a mere soldier after all.

Paimon: Don’t sell yourself short. Paimon thinks you are the strongest and most capable soldier of all. Besides, you are the only one who led the whole troop. Paimon doesn’t see any Harbingers around.

Traveler: What happened to you there?

               How do you feel now?

Georgi: It’s just… sigh. Nothing. I must get exposed to the abyss too much. 

Paimon: We got so worried out there. Lucky that you are fine now.

Georgi: Yeah… 

Georgi walks back to the place where smoke is rising. The camp can be seen clearly from where you stand. As you approach, the snow crushing beneath your feet, it starts to snow gently over your hair. Looking up, you see stars flicker in the dark sky behind the clouds as if they are moving. 

End of Alveus Eridani Act I

Fatui Log:

Paimon: W-What’s going on here? What happened?

Oprichniki Bombardier: Ugh… My arm! I don’t feel my arm!

Fatui Agent: Hang in there! The medics will be here soon. Fevroniya, please. Open your eyes! Fevroniya!

Voice of Anguish: Someone send help here! We have wounded soldiers here!

Voice of Worry: We don’t have enough stretchers. Help me to carry them!

Paimon: Paimon can’t stand watching them in pain… We should help them.

A group of soldiers stands firm on the borders of the camp. Facing them, a crowded army of wild hunt approaches the camp. Fatui soldiers’ numbers are small and most of them are injured. However, a determined and strong voice shakes their hearts with encouraging words.

???: Keep your positions! None of them will pass through.

Soldiers: Yes, sir!

-Help them to defeat the enemy.

Wild Hunt retrieves its forces and leaves the battle field empty. Many soldiers fall on their knees, waiting for help to arrive. A single soldier in front stands firm and glorious. He stuck his claymore into the ground and rushed to help his fallen comrades.

???: Hang in there. I’ll take you to safety. Is there anyone who can walk?

Paimon: We are.

???: Who are you two? Where did you come from? This place is not safe for civilizans. Please seek safety immediately.

Paimon: No, no! You got us wrong. We are here to help. S/he is the Traveler.

???: Traveler? What… Ugh, nevermind. Please, help me to carry the soldiers back to the camp.

You and the mysterious guy carry all the soldiers back to camp. Soon enough, the support units arrived at the scene to provide first aid. 

Traveler: You should show your wounds as well. 

   You look tired.

???: Ugh… Thank you for your concern, but I’m alright. It’s just the exhaustion caused by panic, that’s all.

Paimon: You seemed worried. Paimon never saw anyone fight like that while protecting others. You took down three big bosses all by yourself.

???: I didn’t count how many enemies I defeated, or looked at their sizes. Anyone in my position would do the same.

Traveler: We haven’t met before, I assume.

???: No, this is the first time. But I’ve heard a lot from you. The Honorary Knight, Tumaini… And the trouble maker who interferes with Your Majesty’s plans.

Paimon: Oops!

???: But let’s put the titles aside. You were a great help there. I owe you all those people’s lives. Thank you.

Paimon: It’s ok. Anyone in our position would do the same, right?

Georgi: You are right… I'm Commander Georgi. The Acting Commander of the Northern Legions. I used to work under Il Capitano. However, after he went on the expedition to Natlan, I hold command within Snezhnaya’s borders. 

Paimon: Wow! So you are the big boss of Fatui.

Georgi: Not quite right… I’m still a soldier who is responsible for other soldiers, that’s all.

Traveler: It seems like you underestimate your job.

Georgi: Not at all. I take my job very seriously. However, if you assume my rank and authority based on the length of my title, you’d be mistaken. A longer title doesn’t mean higher statues. If that was the case, then Il Capitano is quite a banal title. But look at the power he holds solely with his name.

Paimon: Paimon gets it now, you are a huge fan of Captain. 

Georgi: Who can blame me? I worked with him for decades. Everything I learned is from him. 

Paimon: Wait, hold on. How old are you exactly? You look so…

Traveler: Young.

  It’s the height…

Georgi: inhales… You are lucky that I owe you from earlier. However, here is a warning. Do not! Bring my age up again. Understood?

Paimon: Yes… Got it…

Traveler: Seems like he doesn’t like talking about his height.

Georgi: Anyway… I know the camp is quite chaotic but, would you like to stay for dinner? Night is about to fall, and I can’t let you two wander in the wilderness while danger is alarmed. Please, be our guests for tonight. You can leave with the first lights of the dawn.

Traveler: You are too kind.

  Thank you for your invite.

Georgi: Don’t mention it. You may rest in my tent. I’ll come to your visit after checking around briefly.

Paimon: We can join you if that helps. Besides, it’s faster if you work in teams.

Georgi: Oh, um… I didn’t consider it. Well, you are welcome to tag along. 

-Follow Georgi

He approaches a group around the campfire. Soldiers look cold and shivering despite the heat radiating from the fire.

Georgi: Is everything alright here? Were you in the front lines?

Andrey: N-N-No sir. W-W-We were the rescue team.

Olga: I-I was t-there… When W-W-Wild Hunt attacked. 

Georgi: You must have been infected… Even as a member of the rescue team, you are not prepared for such simple things. You are supposed to ready the emergency blankets and wrap the infected soldiers. Do I have to teach you the basics?

Andrey: N-No sir…

As Georgi scares the hell out of them, he gently wraps each soldier with a thick blanket and places them closer to the fire. The heat hugs their whole body as shivering stops.

Georgi: Always carry your kit. I don’t want to deal with your irresponsibility next time.

Andrey: Understood.

-Follow Georgi

You notice a shaking soldier trying to hide behind a pile of boxes.

Maksim: I-I don’t wanna go… I don’t want to go. Not the wild hunt-

Georgi: What’s going on here!?

Maksim: Commander!?

Georgi: Why aren’t you in your position, Maksim?

Maksim: I- Um… So, ugh… I-I don’t think I can.

Georgi: Are you wounded?

Maksim: No-

Georgi: Are you dying?

Maksim: No!

Georgi: Then what’s stopping you!? You have an oath to Tsaritsa and a promise to keep your comrades. Have you forgotten? Until the day your blood runs dry, hold your weapon and fight with all your might. The strength will be granted to you by Your Majesty. We don’t shelter whimpering cowards here in my troop. Now tell me, what are you?

Maksim: A soldier…

Georgi: Louder!

Maksim: A SOLDIER!

Georgi: What are your orders!?

Maksim: To protect my comrades!

Georgi: And how do you do that?

Maksim: I’m marching back to my position, sir!

Georgi: You are not fast enough!

Poor soldier runs away leaving snowy clouds behind.

Paimon: Geez! Do you actually have to be so harsh on him? Poor guy was having it rough.

Georgi: If he was not ready to take his responsibility, then we’re all gonna die during the next attack. I don’t keep useless pests in my troop. We are talking about an army. Soldiers who are ready to fight and win. If you can’t face death, then stay home and cook dinner like a housewife you are. 

-Follow Georgi

In between soldiers rushing around to help each other, one of them with heavy boxes hit Georgi while running and made everything in his arms fall over the short commander.

Ivan: Ugh, watch where you are- Commander? Commander Georgi! M-My apologies, I didn’t see you there.

Georgi: groan, I can tell. Hoping that it’s because of your poor eyesight.

Ivan: Y-Yes, yes I’m partially blind. Actually, I covered my eyes while running. I wasn’t looking.

Paimon: Can’t you just accept that you are too short to be seen?

Ivan: Aah! I’m sorry, Commander! Please forgive me! I’ll be more careful, I promise. I-I’ll be back on my work a-and then, then I’ll run 30 laps around the camp!

Paimon: What?

Ivan: 300!

Paimon: Wow, chill! Aren’t you too harsh on yourself?

Georgi: Just do your job. But, I’ll personally check on you. Am I clear?

Ivan: Yes! Of course! 

The soldier rushes off with the boxes Georgi handed him.

Paimon: Why are you so harsh on them?

Georgi: If you ever bring up my height again, I’ll use you as a lighthouse to mark our location to our comrades. Hope you can carry a giant lamp while tied to a pole.

Paimon: W-What did Paimon say? Traveler, you wouldn’t let him hurt Paimon, right?

Traveler: I can’t interfere with the battle of dwarfs.

               You are too small to hold.

Paimon: Are you mocking Paimon or both of us? 

-Follow Georgi

Paimon: Paimon can’t imagine working with you. You terrify the whole soul out of your men’s body. 

Georgi: No war is earned with kindness. They left their mother’s laps long ago, they need to stand up all by themselves. I can’t wait for any crybaby to get mentally ready, nor the enemy. Do you think Wild Hunt would respect their little panic attacks before slaying us? Oh, poor baby. Should I call you mom? Come give me a hug. And get sliced in two by a cursed axe. 

Paimon: Ok, ok. Paimon gets it. No need to explain in gruesome details. 

Georgi notices a soldier hiding in a corner and slowly approaches from behind.

Georgi: Halt! What are you doing here?

Boris: Ah! C-Commander, I’m sorry. I needed a small break. I’ll be back on my place right away.

Georgi: Why haven’t you visited the infirmary?

Boris: W-What?

Georgi: Do you have a death wish? That’s not how you tend your cuts. If you are going to act like a hero, at least be a smart one. You’ve been working for Captain for the last 12 years and still don’t know how to use bandages? Then go to a doctor, idiot! You turned yourself into a mummy, not only you wasted our supplies but also bleeding like a woman on her special day. Do I need to explain everything from scratch? Now get out of my sight.

Boris: Y-Yes sir. My apologies.

Soldier leaves with his neatly wrapped wounds and extra rolls in his arms. 

Paimon: When did you learn first aid?

Georgi: Why didn’t you learn it yet? Aren’t you adventurers?

Traveler: I’m kind of an expert.

          Our recovery methods can be hard for you to understand. 

Georgi: Yeah sure. Sigh, why don’t you two go to my tent and get some rest. I should check for a few more things, alone. 

Paimon: We get it. You don’t want us to stick our noses into your top secret job. We are on our way.

Paimon and you get into Georgi’s tent. It was bigger compared to an average tent. Inside was warm and cozy with electrical heaters and soft mattress. A study desk was placed in the middle with stacks of papers and unfinished letters. From the mark left here and there, it was obvious there was more furniture inside the tent but they were moved somewhere else. 

Paimon: Do you think Georgi had more beds or couches here? Paimon definitely thinks he had at least two more chairs. Look at the marks around the table. They also seem fresh. Do you think he took them out for soldiers? Paimon thinks he is a great leader. First of all, he cares for his comrades. Did you see how he blocked those attacks coming to that soldier while fighting off an enemy? He does take his duty seriously, that’s for sure. But Paimon can’t help and thinks that he is not taking care of himself. He should check his wounds too. Even if he hadn’t taken any damage. Paimon couldn’t see his small body inside the crowded enemy forces. He was moving so fast.

Georgi: Ah, there you are. How is it? Did you find it comfortable?

Traveler: It’s great.

  It feels a bit empty.

Georgi: Glad you liked it. Sorry that we didn’t have any proper seats. The support unit was more crowded than we expected, which is a good thing of course.

Paimon: Paimon guessed you’d do such a thing.

Georgi: Did I leave such an impression? People would assume that I’m a heartless beast. I rather intimidate people with my existence.

Paimon: You look rather adorable.

Georgi: growls

Paimon: Eeek! Sorry, Paimon totally forgot.

Georgi: sigh. Anyway, I brought you some food. Hope you like it. It will keep you warm and restore your energy. 

Paimon: Oh, it smells delicious. 

Georgi: Please, dig in.

You devoured the food Georgi brought for you. The warmth of the meal swept the cold away and relaxed your tensed bodies. Soon after, the exhaustion overwhelmed and made you loosen on your seats.

Georgi: You seem quite content. That’s a good sign.

Paimon: Yeah, that might be the best food Paimon had ever had since we arrived at Snezhnaya. It was so tasty.

Georgi: You’re welcome. 

Paimon: By the way, Paimon is dying to ask this. What are you doing in the middle of nowhere with such a large group? Knowing it’s dangerous outside, why don’t you go back to the center?

Georgi: We are not allowed to change our position as we wish. The orders are strict. No one can return until we finish our mission.

Traveler: And it’s something you can’t share with me.

Georgi: Unfortunately, no. Not because of your statues as a wanted threat to Fatui and Your Majesty Tsaritsa, but also because you are an adventurer. In our logs, you are considered as a civilian. That’s why we can’t risk your life by involving you into our mission. You’ve already done enough for us. As the commander in charge, I must ask you to stay here until the threat is gone and not get involved with our job.

Paimon: Don’t worry, we understand that much… Still, that curiosity won’t go away easily. Paimon is so used to Fatui’s schemes that thinking of them doing a good deed is kind of a myth at this point.

Traveler: You weren’t saying that while eating their food.

Paimon: The two have nothing in common! You know what Paimon meant.

Georgi: I understand your worry. To be honest, I was also curious about your motives. 

Traveler: We were just strolling around.

    You know the adventurers.

Georgi: Yes, I do. Oh! That reminds me, you were in every nation so far. And I assume you met at least most of the Harbingers already.

Paimon: That’s right. Although not all of them were pleasant meetings, we made pretty good friends with some of them too.

Georgi: I hear about your adventures from Young Lord and Tecmessa. Even the Knave seemed to have a soft spot for you. That is unusual for her.

Paimon: Since you are of high rank in the Fatui, you must be close with Harbingers.

Georgi: Not in the way you think. I’m not friends with them. I worked with many of them on different occasions, however, I was specifically assigned under Capitano. And from the look on your faces, you want to know about Tartaglia and Arlecchino as well.

Paimon: And Columbina too. Ever since she went back to the moon, Paimon misses her so much. 

Georgi: Well, Lady Columbina was quite unique… She gave chills to many of us when she first arrived in Snezhnaya. With her weird speeches in riddles and constant glitchings, she spook out our lower ranks. However, I heard that she had changed ever since she returned to Nod-Krai. 

You tell him about your adventures in Nod-Krai.

Georgi: I see.

Paimon: Your experience with her must be different from ours. Seems like returning home did change her.

Traveler: What about other Harbingers?

Georgi: Recently I’ve been hearing from La Signora’s troops a lot.

Paimon: Signora? But wasn’t she…

Georgi: She did. However, her troops are still stuck in Inazuma waiting for higher orders. The harsh reality is that once the Harbingers are done with a region, they don't really care about the rest of their men. Tsaritsa's order is that if you face the risk of jeopardizing the mission or if logistical support is insufficient, you must make sacrifices.

Traveler: That’s what they’ve done in Chasm too.

  They left their troops to die in Chasm.

Georgi: I’m informed about the situation. Lord Tartaglia assigned his secretary for diplomatic agreements. However, they were cut once he woke up the God of Vortex, Osile. Right after that, Qixing stopped interacting with us and Pulcinella ordered everyone on the surface to retrieve. But I know, not every soldier had received the orders. So they will continue to wander aimlessly until the end of their lives.

Traveler: I wouldn’t expect Tsaritsa to take things this far.

Georgi: After spending years with her, nothing surprises you. Lady Tecmessa tried to keep the close relations, but she was blocked from both sides. Same with Inazuma. After La Signora’s death, our communication with recruits in the Delusion Factory was cut. Last we heard about them was the logs of the cargo ship to Watatsumi Island.

Paimon: Thanks to you and your delusions, we lost many of our friends. No need to remind us.

Georgi: No one forces you to use them. Actually, in some cases, it is prohibited to use a delusion unless you pass certain tests. Some delusions are even more hazardous. For example, my dendro delusion has not been used on a low rank recruit. It contains high risks of poisoning and might cause Eleazar as a side effect.

Paimon: Wait, that was a delusion? Paimon couldn’t even tell.

Traveler: If it’s dangerous, why are you wearing it? Georgi: Years ago, Dottore found a component in Tatarasuna from an unknown source and wanted to experiment on that. He found a way to invert the remnants of deceased gods into elemental energy and channel it to elemental manifestations like visions. That’s how we first established the Delusion Factory. Later on, his research was stolen by a little cat and carried to Sumeru on a ship. Following his trails, we found a young desert woman using dendrograna to control witherings. Dottore had a deal with this woman and bought her gadget’s graphics. If he could control the corruption by using the power of a pure dendro element, then it was possible to reverse the process. However, there wasn’t a strong subject to test his new findings at the moment. Thus, he invited me to help him as a test subject. All I need to do is to keep using it. Sometimes when it feels unbearable, I use my hydro vision to nullify the effects.

Paimon: That’s a relief at least. That crazy Doctor finds a way to hurt people in every way possible. Paimon doesn’t even want to give him an ugly nickname ‘cause he is already ugly from inside out. We can use his name as a bad word.

Georgi: Ahaha. Don’t let him hear you, or he might get mad.

Paimon: Hmph! Let him hear it all. Paimon is not afraid as long as Traveler is with her.

Georgi: It’s nice to trust someone so much.

Paimon: We have such a special bond that it can’t break apart. Yawn! But we have to separate for the nights.

Georgi: I’m sorry. You must be tired, yet I kept you.

Traveler: Don’t mention it.

  It was fun to talk to you.

Georgi: The pleasure is mine. Then please, don’t be shy. You can sleep at any time you like. I’ll be outside if you need me.

Paimon: Wait, where will you sleep?

Georgi: Uh… I don’t plan to sleep tonight anyway. I’m on watch duty. Besides, we just received a wild hunt attack. Half of our forces are injured and unable to hold a weapon. If I don’t stay on guard, they might come back. Please, rest well. If we need any back up, all of our warriors should be well rested.

Paimon: Understood. Please don’t push yourself. At least have a seat.

Georgi: Thank you for your concern. Good night.

You lay down on Georgi’s bed and the mattress welcomed you immediately. The soft material of the bed relaxed your bodies with the help of the warm meal on your bellies. It didn’t take long for both of you to drift into a deep sleep and take a good rest until the next morning.

Paimon: yaaaawn! Good morning Traveler. Wow, that was a nice sleep. Paimon never guessed camp beds could be this comfortable.

Traveler: They must have designed it specially for him.

Paimon: Like, how all leaders should sleep well so they can command better? That makes sense. When you mention it, he didn’t bother us the whole night. Do you think everything is alright outside?

-Go check outside.

Paimon: Huh, the support unit must be pretty busy all night. Paimon doesn’t hear anyone crying anymore. 

Wounded soldiers were sitting around the camp. Everyone seemed tired. After searching through the camp, you found Georgi on guard duty outside of the camp all alone. He looked tired but tried to keep his head up.

Paimon: There you are.

Georgi: Ah, Traveler and Paimon. Did you sleep well?

Paimon: We did. Thank you for giving us your tent.

Georgi: Don’t mention it.

Paimon: You should take some rest too. You look exhausted.

Georgi: I know. But I can’t ask anyone else to take the guard. They need to recover from yesterday.

Paimon: How about we take your place. We are quite well rested. So I won’t be a problem. Beside, the Traveler here is fighting against the Wild Hunt for sports.

Georgi: I’m well aware of your abilities… Very well then, a small break wouldn’t hurt anyone. The Wild Hunt’s presence was absent for so long, I doubt they would come back any sooner. I’ll leave here to you then. 

You take your position as Georgi wobbles away back to his tent. No sight of the enemy has appeared for a while. 

Paimon: Seems like everything here is under control. Should we go check other areas as well in case someone might need help?

-Walk around the camp (0/3).

You slowly approach wounded soldiers. 

Paimon: Hello. We are here to check on you. How do you feel? Need anything?

Fevroniya: Ugh… Who are you? You are not supposed to be here. Please go back to a safe point. Ngh!

Yuily: Hey! Don’t force yourself. You are still recovering. Apologies, this area is for heavily injureds. Is there anything I can help you with?

Paimon: We are here to check if anyone needs our help. 

Traveler: You look exhausted.

Yuily: It’s nothing. If Commander hadn’t blocked the enemy, we would be able to carry anyone to safety. Right now, we wait for supplies to arrive.

Paimon: Make sure to get some rest. Hmm… From your uniform, you must be a medic, right?

Yuily: Yes. Normally, I’m responsible for the wounded soldiers. After the invasion, many of our comrades got injured. My job is to go to the war zone and take the fallen soldier to safety. However, the attack was so dense that we couldn’t get there to carry them. Fevroniya was in the middle of the Wilderness Hunters and received a fatal blow. If Commander Georgi hadn’t arrived on time, she could have died. Still, her condition is critical.

Paimon: Is there anything we can provide?

Yuily: You are too kind. Well, to be honest we are in dire need of water. From cleaning the wounds to lowering body temperature, washing our hands… That would be a great help if you could fill those buckets.

-Fill the buckets with water.

Yuily: Wow! You are fast. Thank you both. You have no idea how big of a help it was.

Paimon: Don’t mention it. If there is anything else you need, just give a call.

Yuily: I might as well.

Fevroniya: UGH!

Yuily: Sorry, I must be back to work.

-Walk around the camp (1/3).

Paimon: Look over there. The road is blocked. This must be where the supplies will arrive. Let’s break it through.

Sergey: What’s going on here?

Paimon: Uh-oh. Did we mass it up?

Sergey: You! Is this your doing?

Traveler: Sorry.

               We wanted to help.

Sergey: Why are you apologizing for? We were trying to get rid of those blockers. We don’t have enough soldiers so we were planning to reach out to the Commander.

Paimon: phew! Paimon worried for a second.

Traveler: Is there anything else you need?

Sergey: Well, since you asked. We have some obstacles over there too. Can you get rid of them?

Paimon: Won’t even sweat.

You destroyed all the obstacles.

Sergey: Not bad. You are pretty strong. Have you ever considered joining a special force?

Paimon: We may not be the most suitable candidate for this type of job.

Sergey: Ah, that’s a shame. Anyway, if you change your mind, we can always use your strength. 

-Walk around the camp (2/3).

Paimon: Do you hear that smell? It’s like… sniff. Something’s burning.

Kikimora: Ugh! Too much, too much! Put the fire out!

Nikita: Ah, I’m trying. 

Paimon: Hey, you are gonna burn down the whole camp! 

Kikimora: W-We needed a huge bonfire to boil the medical fabrics. But this is too much. I’ve told you not to put too many branches.

Nikita: Y-Yeah, but you didn’t tell me when to stop.

Paimon: It’s not time to accuse each other. The fire is growing.

You extinguished the fire with the power of hydro.

Nikita: Aww man… Those are useless. They all shrinked

Kikimora: M-Maybe we can cut them into pieces to use as bandages. Quick, bring me the scissors.

-Return to your position.

Paimon: This should be it. Let’s go back to the watchspot and see if everything is fine. 

You return to where Georgi left you, only difference is that he has also returned. He seemed to be waiting for your return.

Paimon: Georgi! Aren’t you supposed to be resting?

Georgi: I did. It was short but enough to regain my strength. I’m used to having short naps during the day from spending time with Captain. He also had sleeping issues. Naturally, I’d stay awake to accompany him during the night. 

Paimon: Yeah, Paimon remembers Captain had trouble falling asleep from all the souls of fallen Khaenri'ahn soldiers he absorbed into his heart. 

Georgi: Yes… Oh, I almost forgot you guys met in Natlan. Captain wrote about you in his letters and a young fella who loves cabbages. 

Traveler: He must be talking about Ororon.

Georgi: Thus, once I woke up, I felt bad to leave you here all alone and decided to check on you. To my surprise, you weren’t here. But some recruits said that you were quite a help for them.

Traveler: It’s nothing important.

               We took a small stroll, that’s all.

Paimon: People seem to rely on you a lot. Whenever they have a problem, they mention you like you can magically make it disappear. 

Georgi: Great power comes with great responsibility. I have a tendency to rush on others’ help but this might cause them to over rely on me and slack off. Nowadays, I try to ignore them on purpose. It’s like taking care of a little kid. If you look at them every time they cry, they’ll never grow. 

Paimon: You’d be a strict parent for sure.

Georgi: We are soldiers. We must be- 

Rumble, rumble.

Georgi: Something off.

Paimon: It’s coming from the camp!

Nikita: Aah! Someone, help!

Georgi: What happened?

Yuily: I was taking care of Fevroniya. I-I turned around for a second and she started to cry in pain. When I turned back, she was like this!

Paimon: Wild Hunt? From the camp?

Georgi: Call all the medics to a safe place. Abandon all the wounded soldiers! They might have been affected, or worse… Fevroniya’s situation was already dire. I don’t think she’d have any chances to survive.

Paimon: So you say that, she died and turned into a monster?

Fatui Soldier: They are rising! Everyone, get to the safe space!

Georgi: Traveler, get my back. 

Paimon: Are you going to fight your comrades? B-But-

Georgi: They are dead, Paimon. The kindest action to take is to end their misery.

-Defeat the mutated enemy

Paimon: They keep coming. There is no end of it. Traveler, be careful.

Soldier: They are coming from the south facade! 

Paimon: That’s where the infirmary is!

Soldiers escape from the tents as Wild Hunt arises from behind. Georgi jumps in and slays the monsters with his claymore. 

Fatui Agent: Commander, what about others?

Georgi: ngh… 

Soldier: They are coming! 

Georgi: Traveler. We need to activate the Tideseal. I’ll distract them. 

As Georgi rushes onto the enemy, you activate the seal and dispel the permeation of the Wild Hunt.

​​-Assist the wounded soldiers

Paimon: What may cause the Wild Hunt to appear inside the camp? Wasn't the seal supposed to protect you guys?

Georgi: Unless you activate it, not necessarily. We are too close…

Paimon: Close to what?

Georgi: … Check on the woundeds, see if their viability is good enough for evacuation. If not, leave them here. We retrieve our forces back to the eastern camp.

Soldiers go back to their positions.

Georgi: Traveler, follow me. 

You follow him out of the camp. No one can eavesdrop nor spy on you since you are standing on an open field. 

Georgi: As you can guess, we are here for a mission. Although I can’t share the details, this place is extremely dangerous. I sent a messenger to the nearest Harbinger to seal the area. However, I want to scout ahead and report them to the possible dangers.

Paimon: All by yourself? No way! It’s way too dangerous.

Traveler: Allow me to help you.

Georgi: I knew you would say something like that… I’d prefer you to stay here and escort the soldiers back to the camp, however, there is no point in stopping you from doing as you please. 

Paimon: Hehe, we never miss an opportunity for a great adventure. Besides, who knows what type of treasure is waiting for us.

Georgi: Sorry to ruin your dreams but there won’t be any treasures Paimon. The place we are going in is corrupted by the abyss. It’s also the reason why the wild hunt could have appeared inside our camp. The Abyss influence is so strong in this area that it affects the newly deceased immediately. I believe an army of death walkers are waiting for us inside. 

Paimon: If you are trying to scare us and change our minds, you have to try harder. ‘Cause we already made up our minds.

Traveler: Not even gigantic Breacher Primus who eats flying objects can scare us.

Paimon: They don’t even have a mouth! Next time at least try to find a real threat if you want to scare Paimon.

Georgi: Very well… Then follow me.

-Investigate the corroded are underwater

Paimon: What is this place? Paimon has a bad feeling about here.

Georgi: … This place has been contaminated by abyss centuries ago. It was an ancient kingdom called Kitezh that was destroyed by the Heavenly Principles. 

Paimon: So that means there is a Celestial Nail at the center of this lake, is that correct?

Georgi: … Yes.

As you proceed deeper, you encounter tall buildings broken into pieces by fountains flowing in reverse. The water reaches above where you came from. The reflection of the sun breaking from the lake water enlightens the kingdom of Kitezh. A glamorous cathedral stretched upwards from the heart of the city, surrounded by four statues with their faces whipped off. 

The phantom sound of bells began to echo as you stepped into the city.

Paimon: Wah! What was that?

The sounds were accompanied by a choir rising from each corner; men and women, children, they all began to sing an old melody of the ancient Kingdom of Kitezh. 

You encountered some ancient texts:

One who emits beams of light,

Guided the prayers of the night.

Souls of Kitezh are forfeit,

The Black Hordes pressed to the gates;

So the people under command of Luchezar raised walls of stone,

And barred the Golden Path from all.

As you proceed deeper following the Golden Path, the murmurs of the city increase almost as if it was alive. People are singing the same melody which now you can understand the words.

♪♪ Praise to God in the highest!Bless us, O Luchezar:Guide and prosper the nations,Never withhold your light.

May the god bless his goodwillAnd conquer the spirit of evil.Laughters, chants and the spaceMay all be yours Today, tomorrow, and every dawn. ♪♪

Paimon: This place gives Paimon chills… Ugh, when will we reach there? Also, what were we looking at again?

Georgi: … I’m not allowed to share this information with you. 

Paimon: Oh come on! We are in this together. Can’t you at least explain to us what we are about to face?

Traveler: I know you don’t trust us yet, but we are not your enemy.

Georgi: sigh… Fine. But you’ll promise to keep it as a secret.

Paimon: You can trust us with secrets. We never betrayed a friend before and don’t plan to at this point.

Georgi: The story says: There was once a glorious kingdom of Kitezh ruled over current Snezhnaya's territory. Its power reached so far that even the Heavens were mesmerized by its glory. The ruler here, Luchezar, God of Refraction was loved and worshiped by many that he gained the favour of the Heavens and beyond. They call him “One whose power bends and ties the space”. If you ask Pierrot, he suspects that this god had a connection with the Four Shades. Those giant statues around the cathedral proves his theory.

Paimon: So you mean, a god was so strong that he gained the support of the shades on his back? Doesn’t that sound similar to Zibai’s story?

Traveler: She was the daughter of Istaroth and had her favor.

Georgi: I can’t tell for sure, but we can clearly see that people of Kitezh worshiped the higher entities. However, after the kingdom got corrupted, Heavens sent their divine punishment. It later submerged here, under Lake Svetloyar. However, what we see above is not the real lake we see on Teyvat, but its mere reflection occurred due to Luchezar’s powers. Another thing is that we never managed to find the Celestial Nail sent on the kingdom. The legend says that Luchezar managed to break the nail into pieces before it reached the ground and it scattered around, causing disruption on the ley lines. Another one says that he sacrificed himself in order to protect his people and his powers contaminated the area by merging with the abyss. Regardless, there is a confirmed correlation between the Celestial Nail’s impact and the current instability of the abyss. 

Paimon: Then what are we supposed to do? Do we find and destroy the nail pieces?,

Georgi: Don’t be silly. Even with the power of Traveler here we can’t possibly destroy them and restore the ley lines. All we can do is to detect the main leakage and report to Pierrot. Besides, I’m not here for the nail. 

Paimon: Then why are you here? Don’t tell Paimon you’ve been lying to us this whole time.

Georgi: It’s something you don’t need to know. 

Paimon: Oh, so we became strangers.

Georgi: ngh… Look, all I need for you to do is to prevent any abyssal creature from leaving this place. The rest is a classified Fatui operation. 

Paimon: Fine! Just so you know, if you need our help with any puzzles, you are on your own.

Georgi: Fair. Come on, follow me. 

-Follow Georgi deeper on the Golden Path

You encounter an ancient text on a mural. It displays three gates connected to each other:

Gods have forgotten about us. They disappeared one day, taking the light within. People of Kitezh tried to dig out their way, only finding their tombs. Names of our children with their upcoming generations. Years piled up as we saw death and life in one space. 

The rest of the text is damaged. 

Georgi: Hide!

With Georgi’s warning, you hid behind a collapsed wall of an ancient building. Looking over it, you could easily see abyssal creatures walking around. 

Georgi: We must be close. Monsters gathered around four locations. South, north, northeast, and westsouthwest. We need to find a way to block their way and keep them still. 

Paimon: Do you see a type of seal or mechanism?

Georgi: It’s too far for me. 

Paimon: Age is catching up with you old man.

Georgi: … 

Traveler: pfft!

Georgi: Be careful.

-Defeat Abyssal creatures (0/4)

You made your way towards one of the marked locations where the abyss emerged. After defeating the enemy forces, Georgi kneeled to investigate the area.

Paimon: What’s that? Did you find something?

Georgi: Traveler, Paimon, does this piece remind you of anything?

Traveler: Nothing particularly.

  A shiny rock?

Paimon: Hmm… Now you mention it, it does resemble something but Paimon can’t remember what. It’s not from a place we see everyday.

Georgi: It’s a Celestial Nail. At least a small fragment. Right underneath is a strong ley line flowing and infused with this piece.

Paimon: So you say that there was a power that could break a giant nail into pieces? How is that possible? 

Georgi: I don’t know, but assuming from the locations Wild Hunt gather, they are driving towards the other pieces. If we can cut the ley line flow in the area, we can stop the invasion.

-Defeat Abyssal creatures (1/4)

After defeating the enemy, you encountered a travel log:

The expedition team dispersed. Some of us returned to the surface before even reaching the Maly Cathedral. We lost many soldiers during the invasion of Wild Hunt. The abyssal corruption is too strong that we can clearly see the side effects on our remaining scouts. 

It starts with hallucinations. Soldiers started to show psychotic behavior. They all started to sing the hymn of Kitezh. Sounds from the past combine with the voice of the present… We can hear the warnings of our echoes. Stay back! Stay back ———! We must return to the main camp.

-Defeat Abyssal creatures (2/4)

After defeating the enemy, Georgi fell on his knees in pain. 

Paimon: Georgi! Are you alright? Maybe we should return. We stayed here for too long already.

Georgi: ngh… I’m- I’m fine.

Traveler: You don’t look well,

  We should retrieve and wait for a Harbinger.

Georgi: No, it’s alright. I can continue. We are so close to the end.

-Defeat Abyssal creatures (3/4)

“shh—kkk— Stay ba— … return to the—“

“—Commander—“

Screams of thousand souls haunted your ears. From every corner, every turn, their screechings echoed and followed your steps.

“Why?”

Woosh!

“—abandon us—“

“you left them to die— YOU KILLED THEM—“

“Wild Hunt… here… here.”

“You little man… So small, and so fragile.”

“Foolish mortal!”

Paimon: Where is this sound coming from? Georgi, please stay close.

Georgi: ngh!

Your vision starts to get blurry. Everything glitches around you as your mind succumbs to madness. 

Captain: An—log—

Paimon: Who was that?

Captain: —failed—mur—er—

Georgi stops as his head spins. Images from the most unexpected places fill his mind in the most twisted and blurry way. Ghosts of his fallen comrades were screaming to his ear constantly trying to dig his brain out. This must be how Capitano was feeling… He couldn’t keep his eyes open. Everything was dark as he fell into a void. He could see the possessed comrades, rising from the tents. Each of them, shifting into gostreque monsters in agony. He left them behind and allowed the abyss to consume their bodies. He didn’t go to save them… When he entered the infirmary, he saw more soldiers groaning and contorted. Instead of carrying them out, without checking if any single of them were safe and alive, he slayed them all with his claymore… He killed them… The great commander, petty man… Whose strength comes from a giant weapon to severe heads. The pain in his chest, unstoppable spasms his heart had under the pressure over his shoulders made him shrink. He was becoming smaller and smaller as people he killed were rising up, looking down on him. This was abyss whispering, but wasn’t it true? He will always be a small guy who can’t save anyone. What’s the point if you can’t carry your weapon to protect. Cutting throats like a coward. Only small dogs would bark so loud to look intimidating. You… —wshh— 

Captain: —disappointed me— Georgi!

Georgi: ARGH!

As he collapses, you kneel next to Georgi to support his body.

Paimon: You can’t continue in this state. We should return.

Georgi: No! hiss… We are almost there… ngh! I should go… there.

Georgi passed out with severe pain and laid face down. An army of Wild Hunt, sensing Georgi’s weakness, spawned and surrounded you from every corner.

Paimon: We are trapped! Georgi, please wake up! 

Wild Hunt: RAAAWR!

Paimon: AAAAH! 

You swing your sword to open an escape path by repelling the enemy. However, more enemies were reappearing than the ones you defeated.

Paimon: They keep coming. We should get out of here!

A Wilderness Hunter raises its axe behind you before being able to react. Its giant shadow falls over you as the axe descends upon. Paimon covers her eyes while shielding Georgi’s head with her small body. Right after that, thick vines restrain the axe and the hunter; with a strong squeeze, it dissolves back to the ley lines.

Paimon: gasp! Georgi, you are fine!

Georgi: Traveler, give me your power one last time.

As Georgi grabs the hilt of the claymore, his body tenses. His hydro vision and dendro delusion combines their power over the weapon and slams it to the ground after a huge swing. Enemy forces fall back with the impact. You follow his steps marching towards the Golden Path, slaying as many hunters as possible. Abyssal grasps break through the ground to restrain you, but Georgi easily slices them off before they can reach you. The exit is so close.

Paimon: There it is!

As you blast the enemy forces on the way with pyro infused attacks, Georgi bursts in to boost your power and clears a wide ranged area, opening the distance between you and the hunters greatly. Paimon passes through the gate, followed by you. Before Georgi catches up to you, he turns around for a final blast. His elemental powers accumulate around his claymore and with a single swing, the huge army loses half of its soldiers line after another. His greatsword continues to swirl and hit the corners of the gate with an impact challenging the greatest earthquake, making the rubbles block the path between you and the enemy. Paimon gets out safely as the sun’s rays welcome you through the snowy clouds. You give your hand to Georgi, helping him to climb easier. He grabs your arm firmly as one of his comrades and gets to safety. 

-Talk with Georgi

Paimon: That was close! Phew! So, what is gonna happen to them?

Georgi: I don’t know.

Paimon: What do you mean you don’t know!?

Georgi: To be honest with you, I never expected things to escalate like this. I knew ley lines had some sort of malfunction here, but who could have thought it would summon an army of Wild Hunt. We managed to block the enterence, this must be enough for now. Now we need to return to camp and retrieve our forces.

Paimon: But we can’t leave here unattended, right? From our time in Mondstadt and Liyue, we learned that sealing a corruption only allows it to build stronger. Just like Azdaha and who know in an alternative reality Dvalin, the might get much more crowded. Then how do you plan to defeat them?

Georgi: That’s… Not our priority right now. At least something we can’t solve here all by ourselves. I’ll arrange a meeting with others. I’m sure that Harbingers will come up with a better solution. I’m just a mere soldier after all.

Paimon: Don’t sell yourself short. Paimon thinks you are the strongest and most capable soldier of all. Besides, you are the only one who led the whole troop. Paimon doesn’t see any Harbingers around.

Traveler: What happened to you there?

               How do you feel now?

Georgi: It’s just… sigh. Nothing. I must get exposed to the abyss too much. 

Paimon: We got so worried out there. Lucky that you are fine now.

Georgi: Yeah… 

Georgi walks back to the place where smoke is rising. The camp can be seen clearly from where you stand. As you approach, the snow crushing beneath your feet, it starts to snow gently over your hair. Looking up, you see stars flicker in the dark sky behind the clouds as if they are moving. 

End of Alveus Eridani Act I

Fatui Log:

-Take a stroll around the city.

Paimon: Hey, look! It’s Childe. Shall we go say hi? Hmm… He seems busy though. Who was the other guy he talked to? 

Childe: Ha? Are my eyes deceiving me? Isn’t my favorite sparing buddy and little food vacuum?

Paimon: Hey! Only Paimon can give funny nicknames to others!

Childe: Haha! Ok ok, that’s a bad habit of mine that recently occurred after returning home. It’s been so long since last time hanging out with my sibling, now we make sure to make better use of it. Tonia has been picking up with me over the smallest issues, I had to learn to fight back. 

Paimon: Don’t tell Paimon you are losing against a little girl.

Childe: What’s wrong with that? She has always been like this. A tongue sharper than blade can wound the mightiest of the warriors. My biggest concern is that she might want to become a politician one day like Rooster. Then who knows what would she do to me. Just thinking about it gives me shivers.

Paimon: By the way, wasn’t that Sergey just now? Did Georgi and others return?

Childe: Huh? How do you know them? Don’t tell me you plan to replace me. Is it because of the rumors? Just so you know, he might be strong, but I’m still his superior. 

Paimon: What rumors? We met him during their expedition. They were in huge trouble. 

Childe: Really? He must be quite fond of you then. Georgi never forgets good deeds.

Traveler: So, what’s the rumor?

Childe: hmph. He is quite feared among soldiers and praised by Capitano. His strength is admirable. The first day he joined the troop, he was challenged by a more intimidating opponent. It was an unauthorized duel, and can be charged with harsh punishments. However, after hearing that Georgi almost killed the challenger, Capitano raised him in ranks and made him his right hand. 

Paimon: W-What? Georgi is indeed quite harsh, but certainly not that much, right?

Childe: I don’t know what happened then. Those are just rumors carried around way before I joined Fatui. He is much older than me, so I certainly can’t know what happened that time. I doubt I was even born. Not like I’m jealous or anything, but it bothers me every time I challenge him, he turns me down. Sigh. Such opportunities are quite hard to come by. And he rejects me so easily makes me wanna ask him more. I’d like to test his strength first hand.

Paimon: Actually, we saw him fighting before.

Cilde: WHAT!?

You tell him your small adventure with Georgi.

Childe: Huh… So that’s how it went.

Paimon: He didn’t say much, but once we separated our ways, all our contacts were cut. Seeing Sergey made us wonder if he returned as well. 

Childe: …

Traveler: Is something wrong?

               Did something happen?

Childe: Well, I’m not sure how to put that in words… Follow me. I don’t want anyone else to eavesdrop. 

You follow Childe to an isolated road after making sure that no one’s spying on you.

Childe: Here should be fine.

Paimon: What’s going on? It’s not like to be serious.

Childe: Come now, do I give an unserious impression from there? The truth is, the situation is more dire than you think. I’m not supposed to tell you about this but you are my friends. And right now, I can’t trust anyone more. 

Traveler: Is it about Kitezh?

  Is it about the Celestial Nail?

Childe: You are correct. You’ve seen what’s in there, right? But presumably, Georgi didn’t inform you with the whole story. The thing is, we are slowly getting closer to the first stages of Project Stuzha. However, there are things to be taken care of first. The Tsaritsa has been more and more stressed as we move forward. Have you ever heard of Mistilteinn Fragment? 

Paimon: What’s that? Paimon never heard such a thing.

Childe: It’s a legendary sword that disappeared thousands of years ago. It belonged to a hero king inlaid on his tomb. The legend says that whoever tries to pull the sword would be cursed to become a dead walker. However, Pierrot had a different story. According to his intels, this sword was nothing other than the Celestial Nail itself and someone mixed up the stories as time went on. However, some parts indeed align. For example, due to the abyssal exposure on the nail fragments, it does bring the dead back to life as a mindless zombie. That's probably what you’ve witnessed in the camp.

Paimon: Yeah, we identified all the pieces with Georgi. Each of them had a weird gravitation on the Wild Hunt as they were allured to it.

Childe: That’s because of another story. You sure know the god of Kitezh, God of Refraction Luchezar. Apparently he found a way to stop and break the Celestial Nail. This incident is the only example of a nail being destroyed by a god, weaker than the Heavenly Principles.

Paimon: Did Paimon hear this right? You said that a god broke a celestial nail just like that? Is that even possible? It cost Zibai her life, how come this god managed to stop it?

Childe: What’s what we are also looking for. Your Majesty has been restless, worried about the possible war and its effects on her people. That’s why she’s been searching for a solution to protect them. Once Pierrot came to her with this story, she sent all of her units to search for the shield Luchezar used. That’s why Georgi took his men to find Kitezh. What you’ve seen was not only the pieces of the nail but it was multiple things merged together and can be a hint of a divine shield. 

Paimon: So you are saying that Tsaritsa is looking for a shield in case a nail falls onto you? But didn’t Luchezar die while protecting his people?

Childe: Finding and improving that infamous shield is our job. Georgi had finished the first step of the project. Now it’s time for us to revisit the site and retrieve the pieces.

Paimon: Who are they going to send? That place is crawled by abyssal monsters. Besides, the corruption in the area messes with people’s minds. We saw how it affected Georgi. Even he couldn’t handle it.

Traveler: Don’t tell me you plan to leave. 

Childe: It’s not my decision. There aren’t many soldiers who can handle abyss' environment. As you know I’ve been there for a very long time as a kid. Right now my body is highly immune to its effects. So it’s the best. 

Paimon: Can’t they send someone else? You are still a human.

Childe: Well, there was another person, but I don’t want her to risk herself. Beside the hallucinations, you have to fight against the Wild Hunt.

Paimon: (If Wanderer was still part of the Fatui, they’d probably send him instead.)

Traveler: And what help do you need exactly?

Childe: That's exactly what I wanted to hear. You are always a good hand comrade. Well, as much as I’m excited to see the domain and test my skills, I can’t possibly take every piece all by myself. We need an escape route for the transport team. Usually, this was assigned to another soldier, but she lost her life during the raid. 

Paimon: You mean Fevroniya? Poor girl was in such pain.

Childe: Precisely. Her job was to go with the expedition team and mark the important locations. But instead, you were there. You should know the map for Kitezh. So may I ask you to go to my office and help Tecmessa with the map? She has an outdated copy, that’s why there is no way that she can guess it right. 

Paimon: Who’s Tecmessa?

Childe: She’s my secretary and my friend. She should be at my office right now. I trust her more than anyone, she’ll fill you in with the details. But don’t forget this is very confidential, you cannot tell anyone about this. If anyone finds out outsiders got involved, then we are all doomed.

Paimon: Don’t be so dramatic. Not a single soul will know we are there, don’t worry. 

Traveler: How do we know it’s her?

Childe: She has massive horns over her head, you can’t possibly miss her.

-Go to Tartaglia’s office 

Paimon: It’s so dark, Paimon can’t see anything. Don’t trip over the obstacles, we should be silent and not alarm the guards. Hmm… This should be the door. But be careful, someone might be inside.

You slowly enter the dark room lit only from the small window at the corner. You noticed a tall figure searching through the papers and documents hidden in Childe’s drawers. From her sneaky moves, you suspected her to be an intruder.

Paimon: Who goes there?

???: Hm? You are here already? 

She stands up from her position without looking back.

Paimon: What are you doing here?

???: It should be somewhere here…

Paimon: You’d better answer us, otherwise we are experts at interrogating bad guys.

???: Can you be quiet? You’ll alarm the whole building.

You draw your sword without hesitation but before being able to act, you are slammed to the wall out of the room. With a loud noise, the side of the building where you were located shook like an earthquake. Your view was completely obscured by the dust that kicked up, but you could hear approaching footsteps. When the dust cleared, the horned girl inside was standing right in front of you, pointing her bow at you with an accumulating electro power -made your face lit with its light. Just then, Childe came running towards you in worry. 

Childe: Calm down, it’s them.

The girl lowered her bow without cutting eye contact.

Childe: Traveler, this is Tecmessa. 

Paimon: What was that for? Were you trying to kill us?

Tecmessa: You drew your sword first. I assumed you were spies.

Paimon: Why would we do such a thing?

Tecmessa: Shall I list alphabetically or chronologically? 

Paimon: We had reasons to stop Fatui from scheming around.

Tecmessa: Destroying cargo of soldiers in the wilderness, stealing relics and confidential reports from Fatui facilities, beating the expedition teams in Dragonspine, cutting the escape routes for the troops in Chasm, breaking in the delusion factory and harming our researchers, destroying multiple camps all around Teyvat, deliberate damage to diplomatic property multiple times, attacking and killing retired soldiers in Sumeru and Liyue, disrupting the communication web in Fontaine, harming my boss on multiple occasions, causing the death and disappearance of three harbingers!

Paimon: Gee, are we this hated?

Tecmessa: You are wanted criminals!

Paimon: Ok, ok! You have a point. We are sorry. 

Childe: Who is the third one?

Tecmessa: sigh, never mind. 

Traveler: Nice to meet you Tecmessa.

              We finally met, but not in a good way.

Tecmessa: Yeah… W-Why are you here anyway? Aren’t you supposed to be with your siblings?

Childe: Me? Oh, well. Sergey told me Rooster was at my house. It was risky to return while sneaking behind him. What if someone hears about the plan, and to my surprise, I was right to tag along.

Paimon: So you didn’t trust us? Tch tch!

Childe: Of course that’s not the case. You know I have full confidence in you.

Tecmessa: That’s the confidence? Heh, they are trustworthy for sure.

Childe: You could react calmly as well.

Tecmessa: How am I supposed to know they weren’t enemies when s/he tried to stab me? It was dark anyway.

Childe: You know them very well, don’t play stupid.

Tecmessa: Hmph!

Paimon: If we cleared the misunderstanding, can we get inside before someone arrives?

You entered the room after Tecmessa cleaned around at super speed which left you in awe.

Paimon: Now, where is the map? We’d better start to work while our memories are fresh.

Tecmessa: You told them?

Childe: I had no choice. If we’re going to send our men inside, we should be prepared. Your Majesty is already in a terrible mood. I don’t want to deal with another tantrum.

Paimon: What happened to her? Don’t tell Paimon she is worried about the consequences of her actions for attacking Heavenly Principles and trying to resurrect a descender.

Tecmessa: Exactly! The audacity to be mad at someone she threatened. Such a-

Childe: Hold up! She is your Archon too.

Tecmessa: More like a captor.

Childe: Hey, if you joined Fatui, you know what comes after.

Tecmessa: Oh, sorry my lord. I should have thought carefully when a crazy woman kidnapped me as a kid and sent to Dottore in a world where I didn't know its language. You are soooo right.

Childe: Maybe you should retire early then. But you know you can’t. Then act like you are grateful to your majesty for keeping you close.

Tecmessa: One day I’ll break free and you won’t hear about me again. I’m begging for that day to come soon.

Childe: To who? I didn’t know you lunatics would pray.

Paimon: (This is awkward.)

Traveler: You two seem like close friends

               Can I take a look at the map now?

Tecmessa throws the map at you.

Tecmessa: How much do you know?

Paimon: Um… A quick recap would be great actually.

Tecmessa: groan! I want a raise.

Childe: And I thought a vacation to Natlan’s springs would be favorable. But if you insist.

Tecmessa: Vacation it is! Now listen up. I’ll explain it only once.

Childe: Make sure they understand.

Paimon: Look at how her mood changes.

Tecmessa: Domain of Kitezh is sealed and surveilled for the past few days. To enter there, we’ll use a different road. This one connects directly to Golden Path. 

Paimon: Paimon remembers it. It was around here.

Tecmessa: There is a small passage that appeared after Commander Georgi caused a shake there. No map or adventurer could detect its position up until now. This will be our chance. The gate is wide enough to pass through the pieces we are looking for.

Paimon: But how we’ll we know Wild Hunt won’t follow us?

Tecmessa: Good question. We managed to detect their position from outside.

Paimon: How?

Tecmessa: A provider from Sumeru created a device called “radar”. It helps us to find the positions of moving objects from afar by using waves.

Paimon: Woow! That sounds so cool.

Tecmessa: You can say that the enemy is mainly gathered around those certain points. However, they are constantly changing positions. 

Paimon: Including the main gate.

Tecmessa: What we don’t know is the position of the fragments. Can you point them on the map?

After your adventure into the domain with Georgi, you mark the 4 pieces.

Tecmessa: Hm…

Paimon: What’s wrong? Is it not right?

Tecmessa: No, it’s just… Those marks are aligned with the enemy locations. Is there a reason for that?

Childe: Let me fill you in. Based on the newest information, the god of Kitezh failed to stop the nail fully. Apparently, after his death, his body has emerged with the nail fragments. Each piece once falling allowed abyss to emerge to the surface through leylines and contaminate them. Apparently, the abyss has been feeding on the god remnants this whole time and searching for more. What has stopped the nail on the other hand is unknown. It can be anything at this point. Pantolone insists that it is related to the Mistilteen Sword. If such a powerful sword exists, then we should find it before anyone else. 

Paimon: But we didn’t see anything similar to a sword. Where can we find it anyway? What if that sword doesn’t even exist?

Tecmessa: If we can reach the ley lines, we can read the full story. 

Childe: There is a weird phenomenon occurring in Kitezh. The past, present, and the future are all happening at the same time. 

Paimon: What did you say? All three timelines occurring all together? 

Childe: Arlecchino calls it a glitch in the system, while Pierrot suspects the unstable ley lines. The past events reoccur as the time goes on. 

Traveler: That must be the song we heard.

               That must be the text we’ve seen.

Childe: So you noticed too.

Tecmessa: If that’s true, then somewhere in Kitezh, a nail is being constantly destroyed by Millisteinn Sword, or whatever that weapon is. At this point I assume it’s a type of bazooka. The main plan was to use the merged energy in those pieces to create a shield against Celestial Nail. However, finding that sword can also help us to stop the nail. To find that, I assume we should go deeper. 

Paimon: How deep? Paimon noticed how much pain Georgi was in. If a human enters that domain, their mind can’t handle the pressure. Even if they send Childe, going deeper will eventually break you too. We are not talking about pure abyss like the one you trained or fought Narwhal. 

Childe: Someone should eventually go, right? And who else is more suitable than me?

Tecmessa: If we knew where Scaramouche disappeared…

Childe: Who is that guy anyway? You keep telling his name. I’m getting jealous.

Paimon: Wait. How do you remember him? Didn’t he erase his memories from Irmunsil? Surely he didn’t miss a person.

Tecmessa: He what?

You explain what happened to Wanderer and how it didn’t affect you unlike others.

Tecmessa: Really? Interesting.

Childe: Hold on! You are telling me we had such a guy as our comrade? Why am I affected by this?

Tecmessa: Traveler, you said you are not from this world. That’s why leylines do not affect you or your memories. Is there anyone else who is like you?

Traveler: Skirk is an alien too.

               Descendants of this world are all similar.

Tecmessa: …

Paimon: Paimon started to connect the dots now. Tecmessa still remembers Wanderer, because she doesn’t have any connection with the leylines. That’s because she is not from this world. So that means she must be a descender too. 

Childe: I never thought of this possibility. My father always called-

Tecmessa: An abyssal monster. Thanks for reminding.

Paimon: Just because she is from another planet doesn’t mean she is a monster. 

Childe: That’s because of something else.

Tecmessa: Abyss does not affect me. In fact, I feel much healthier in the abyss.

Traveler: So he was talking about you.

  You are the one who can go to his place.

Childe: But she will not! It’s too dangerous. Besides, we need her here. 

Tecmessa: … Ok.

Paimon: Paimon thought you would fight back a little. You are easy to compromise. 

Childe: We talked about this before. She knows she is not allowed to go for an abyss mission alone. End of discussion.

Tecmessa: … I suggest finishing the expedition in one go. Our troops will reach the leyline by using this entrance. Another team will distract the enemy and corner them. Traveler, did you notice any structure that can be used as a trap?

Paimon: Oh, that’s right. Paimon noticed many broken houses as if they were shaped as a labyrinth. There was a mechanic that could lock certain creatures inside. It should be around here. 

Tecmessa: Perfect. Now I can see the map clearly. If Aj- I mean Young Lord will continue deeper alone, we need to find the exact location the incident took place. After that, he is all alone. 

Paimon: Paimon still thinks you should take a harbinger with you. Oh, what about Knave? She is also immune to abyss, coming from the Crimson Moon Dynasty. She can use the power of the abyss. Or we can call a friend from another nation. 

Traveler: What about Dvalin?

               We can still call Wanderer.

Paimon: Hmm… It can work but Paimon doesn’t think he will arrive on time.

Childe: I’ll be fine. Everyone has faith in me. I can’t look like a coward and drag someone else. If you have doubts, then so be it. When I return with the legendary sword, I’d like to see the look on your faces. How about a duel to test its skills? Who else is more suitable to try one of the strongest swords in existence?

Traveler: You shouldn’t be reckless.

              Bring it on. I can defeat you with any sword.

Tecmessa: Don’t even think about it. Pierrot and others will be waiting outside. Traveler can’t get any closer to the domain. Otherwise they’ll arrest her/him right there. 

Paimon: So we are done here. Paimon doesn’t support Fatui’s action in a bit, but as long as you guys are safe, we’ll be there to help.

Childe: I knew I could trust you comrades. Thank you. I owe you a lot. Not as a harbinger but as Ajax. This is bigger than the sides. If war is inevitable, then we should be prepared and protect the innocents at all costs. My family will be affected by the war as well. For any chances to keep them safe, I’m willing to sacrifice all. 

Traveler: Family’s safety is more important than anything.

               As long as I can make your wish come true, I count my wish is also granted.

Childe: Woh! Thank you comrade. 

Tecmessa: Are they talking in a secret code?

Paimon: That’s a long story, but both have a soft spot for their siblings.

Childe: Speaking of, why don’t you come visit my siblings? Teucer was so excited ever since you arrived at Snezhnaya. We can go ice fishing while you tell them about your stories. But we have to keep my dad at home.

Tecmessa: He’s not fond of adventure stories anymore.

Paimon: Makes sense. Ever since Ajax over here gets in trouble and puts himself in deadly situations, his dad surely must be having heart attacks.

Childe sheepishly smiles.

Childe: Tonia told me they were going to visit the festival preparations at the plaza. We can meet them there.

Paimon: Festival? We are right on time once again. We love festivals!

Tecmessa: Not from the front door. You two will follow me. 

Paimon: Oh, that’s right. The wall.

Childe: Then, see you at the plaza.

-Follow Tecmessa to the festival area

Paimon: Look at that! It’s already so lively that Paimon can feel the festival spirit. What is this festival about anyway?

Tecmessa: Do I look like a tour guide?

Paimon: What’s the attitude? Is it wrong to not know what’s happening?

Tecmessa: No, I just don’t wanna talk to you.

Paimon: Huh?

Traveler: Did we do something wrong?

Tecmessa: Should I count them once again?

Paimon: Oh, you are mad because of the past incident. But, you know you guys are the bad guys.

Tecmessa: To who? Just because my ideals don’t match yours doesn't make me a villain. From our perspective, you are the troublemaker who always gets in our way and hurts us. You are the worst. 

Paimon: You are quick to judge. We are friends with many Fatui, including harbingers. 

Tecmessa: Does that make any changes that you are bad. You stop us for what reason? Because someone told you so? You consider us evil even when we don’t do anything. Were people in Chasm bad too? Young kids who died to protect Fontainians? Anyone you see here who gathers to celebrate a festival? Would you beat them as well if you were threatened by them? 

Paimon: It’s not the same thing! You’ve done more damage than any good deed. Including your boss, you almost destroyed nations.

Traveler: You are stealing seven gnosis.

Tecmessa: Choosing a group of sociopaths as our leaders was not our decision. That woman is screwed up. Her methods are questionable, sure. But that doesn’t give you the right to bully every Fatuus you see. 

Paimon: Um… Won’t you protect Tsaritsa?

Tecmessa: I hate her. There is only one single person I can handle, and it’s-

Traveler: Number Eleven of the Fatui harbingers Tartaglia.

  Ajax the Great Warrior, the conqueror of All-Devouring Narwhal.

Tecmessa: Arlecchino?

Paimon: Shoot, we were wrong again.

Tecmessa: Really, she is my old friend. And might be the only reasonable one among the twelve. Ajax on the other hand is… A headache. Sometimes I feel like his babysitter, but in a good way.

Paimon: Oh, we can see that. Calling your boss by his real name in public so openly and mocking him without fear, you must feel quite comfortable around him.

Traveler: :)

Tecmessa: Ha, ha. Funny. Are you the Archon of Clowns? 

Paimon: Jokes aside, we might start with a bad impression. Why don’t we try again and be friends. You know what they say, friend of my friend is my friend.

Tecmessa: It’s enemy of my enemy is my friend.

Paimon: Well, um… Still the point stands. So, why don’t you show us around? Meanwhile we can try to understand what the celebration is for. 

-Follow Tecmessa into the decorated square.

Whole place was decorated beautifully. Each house was covered with colorful flags and nice smelling flowers of kinds. Some from Sumeru, some special to Mondstadt… Locals had harmonized Teyvat’s flowers all together with decorations. Roads and patios were marked by candles of different shapes and lengths, aligned so perfectly that makes you follow the way they point. 

Paimon: Decorations are so beautiful. They really put lots of effort onto them for sure. Where are the candles leading?

Tecmessa: It’s for the souls coming down from the stars.

Paimon: Souls? You mean, ghosts?

Tecmessa: In a way. Town’s people believe that their deceased relatives reside in the stars after leaving this world. Once a year, they descend on earth to check on us. If we live a good life, their soul ca return in peace.

Paimon: If you don’t?

Tecmessa: They are stuck here until you fix it. Your bad lifestyle can curse their soul and seal them away from the heaven.

Paimon: So you use the candles to guide them back?

Tecmessa: Wow, you are right actually. Was it hard for you to think?

Paimon: We are supposed to get along, remember?

As you pass by, you witness a kid with painted face getting scolded in front of her grandmother by her mom.

Mom: How many times I’ve told you? Don’t leave your grandma alone! Tonight she needs us more.

Kid: I-I’m sorry. But plates were disorganized. How will our ancestors feast if I don’t-?

Mom: That’s our last concern. Please call me next time.

Grandma: It’s alright dear. She is still learning. This will be her second Dziady since she returned from Nod-Krai with her father. Patience is what keeps us together. I’m not afraid of any souls kidnapping me tonight as long as my little snowflake is with me.

Mom: But mom-

Grandma: It’s alright my dear. You focus on your work. Me and my snowflake will continue to light the candles for your father. To be honest I missed him so much, I wish I could see him tonight from the otherworld…

Mom: Don’t say that…

You could hear Paimon’s stomach rumbling every time you pass next to a table full of delicious foods.

Paimon: Paimon can’t help her stomach. All these foods look delicious. Can we stop at a restaurant or anywhere that we can have some local food? 

Tecmessa: If you can hold on a few more minutes, we can go to Baba Yaga’s Cottage with others.

Paimon: The name sounds impressive. Paimon’s sure that the food will be as chic as the name.

While you were looking around nonchalant, a boy with a scary mask jumps in and yells at your face to scare you.

Paimon: AAAAH! A GHOST!

Peribora: Tuecer! How many times do I have to tell you not to scream!? We are at the Dziady night, have some respect for the souls!

Teucer: It’s the Traveler and Paimon! They are my brother’s friends. Oh! Big sis Banu is here too! Welcome everyone. It’s nice to see you all together. This will be the best Dziady night of all! 

Paimon: Teucer! Nice to see you too. Paimon couldn’t recognize you behind the mask.

Traveler: How has it been since we last met?

  Is that a Mr. Cyclops mask?

Teucer: Yes, my brother made that for me. With Mr. Cyclops around, no evil souls will dare to kidnap good souls.

Peribora: Oh my, is that the famous Traveler we’ve been hearing about? It’s a pleasure to meet you. My son keeps writing about you in his letters. Banu dear, why didn’t you tell me? I didn’t prepare anything for our guests.

Tecmessa: It’s ok mama Peribora. They arrived just today. We also didn’t have any idea.

Paimon: Mama Peribora… Wait, are you Childe’s mother? I-It’s nice to meet you ma’am. Big boss… The boss of the Young Lord… Gee, Paimon’s getting nervous.

Traveler: I thought you were his sister.

  Sorry for beating your son occasionally.

Peribora: Oh my, oh my. No need to be nervous, you are always welcomed. Ajax mentioned you before. We are so fond of your stories. Little Teucer and Anthon had been loving your adventures so much they wanted to join the Adventurers Guild as well. It took us days to change their minds.

Paimon: We are sorry about that. 

Peribora: It’s quite alright. We are so happy to finally meet you. 

Tecmessa: Where are others? 

Peribora: Anya took her kids to her mother-in-laws. They insisted on spending the night together. Can you believe that old witch didn’t invite any of us?

Tecmessa: Is… it because of me?

Peribora: Ah, no dear. That old hag has been like this ever since the wedding day. She is jealous that my beautiful Anya bothered to marry her good-for-nothing son and bear two kids. If it wasn’t for Yarisei and Filen…

Teucer: Anthon and Tonia are with Arseny at home. Tonia said that she’s preparing a huge meal tonight. So we are here to get her the ingredients.

Paimon: Are you helping your sister? That’s great Teucer.

Teucer: Ehehe, thank you.

Peribora: Please don’t spoil him. Ajax had already caused enough trouble. I’m too old for another one.

Tecmessa: We were heading to Baba Yaga’s Cottage. If you have time, why don’t you join us for a meal? I’ll carry your bags.

Peribora: You are so kind Banu. But we can’t-

Teucer: Yay! Let’s go! Mom please, please, please. I want to spend time with Traveler.

Peribora: We shouldn’t bother them.

Paimon: Not at all. We love hanging out with Teucer. Besides, it’s been so long since we last met. He can tell us more about the festival anyway.

Traveler: If we are invited for dinner, we’d better know what kind of present to bring.

Peribora: Oh you sweet tongued fox… Very well, we can stay for a while.

Teucer: Yay!

You follow Teucer as he jumps high up in excitement.

Tecmessa: Have you met Ajax?

Peribora: No, I thought he was with you.

Tecmessa: groans, He told me he was going to meet you at the plaza. Where did he go?

Peribora: He will come back soon. You don’t need to beat yourself up for him. You are not his caregiver, you have no responsibility. He is a grown man now. He should face the consequences of his actions like a man. My guess is that… He went to meet Telimir.

Tecmessa: His dad? Why?

Peribora: He went ice fishing this morning. It’s a tradition at this point that two of them started. But ever since Ajax fell into that hell, he's been going there alone. If my heart is not lying to me, he might have gone to visit his father to talk about things.

Tecmessa: I think I know…

Peribora: … Teucer! Don’t leave without informing us! Or Babayka will abduct you!

-Go to Baba Yaga’s Cottage

You sit around a table all together. 

Paimon: Everything on the menu looks delicious. Mama Peribora, what do you suggest?

Peribora: Well, I would start with a bowl of Krupnik first. It has every ingredient to give you energy you need against the harsh cold such as soft barley, potatoes, and carrots, all simmered in a savoury broth and keeps your body warm. Next, I’d go with a main course either plant based Fried Forest Mushrooms or Herring Under a Fur Coat. 

Paimon: Mmmh!

Teucer: Paimon here can eat everything like a vortex. Her stomach is bottomless.

Paimon: Was that a compliment? But yeah, both sound delicious. 

Tecmessa: Then you should try pierogi. Chef Mukhin makes the best pierogis in the world. They look like Liyue’s dumplings.

Teucer: And desert! You should try honey cake. We can order a whole cake!

Peribora: You will fill your stomach with junk food again. You didn’t eat the vegetables I’ve made for you this morning either. If you want cake, you’ll eat some kapuska now.

Teucer: Yuck! No, not kapuska…. Traveler help me.

Paimon: Paimon’s sure that’s a delicious food. Maybe you’ll like it this time. Everything tastes better when you are together.

Teucer: Really?

Tecmessa: Of course not. Like it or not, you’ll eat it anyway.

Teucer: sobs…

Food arrives shortly after you give your orders. In an instance, your table is filled with smoking food, filling your nostrils with mouth watering smell and appetizing glazing looks.

Paimon: Oh, Paimon can’t wait any longer. Even kapuska looks delicious.

Peribora: Please dig in. Don’t worry about it. Thanks to your majesty, most of our expenses are covered by Fatui.

Paimon: Being a harbinger surely comes with benefits. 

Peribora: It is indeed. Lord Pulcinella has been a great help ever since Ajax joined them. Leaving a son in fatui's hands was not an easy pill to swallow… I was so worried that something could happen to my baby. Every time he went on a mission, I could feel my heart skipping beats. During times like this Fatui helped us financially. Not only that but they provided us protection and security. And for my Ajax, they sent Banu behind him. We owe them a lot.

Paimon: Paimon can’t imagine how hard it was for you. We heard the story of how he fell into the abyss and his time there. It should not get any easier by time.

Peribora: Not at all. Actually, I pray every night that he might stop his little adventures and come back home. Take on his father’s job and live a peaceful life next to me. But mothers can influence their kids to a degree. All I can hope is that Banu looks after him. 

Traveler: You have a difficult job as a secretary.

Tecmessa: Surely I do.

Mona: No way! Are my eyes deceiving me? 

Paimon: Mona? What are you doing here?

Mona: I was going to ask you the same. Good days ma’am. Sorry to burst in.

Peribora: No worries dear. Seems like you know each other. Why don’t you join us as well?

Mona: I- certainly can’t.

Paimon: Aren’t you broke all the time? Do you have many to afford food?

Mona: What kind of a question is that? Of course I-

Rumble, rumble.

Teucer: It’s so loud! Your stomach can talk.

Peribora: Please have a seat.

Mona: Oh, w-well… If you insist.

Mona pulls a chair and devours the food you ordered except the mushrooms.

Tecmessa: A mage connected to Hexenzirkel, huh?

Mona: I-I did not mention them.

Tecmessa: No need, there aren’t many options anyway. Whose apprentice are you?

Mona: Am I being interrogated?

Tecmessa: Not at all. I just wanted to know more about you. It is well known that to join the coven, you need to be exceptionally skilled. Therefore, one of the witches can accept to train you. 

Mona: You have sharp eyes, Miss Tecmessa. I am indeed a renowned mage specialized in hydromancy.

Tecmessa: Really? How does it work?

Mona: Well, this type of divination predicts someone's future or their past through the use of a hydroglass. 

Teucer: Oh, can you look at my future too?

Peribora: In the near future, you’ll finish your cabbages.

Mona: I came to test a special phenomenon in the first hand. My master sent me a letter after a long time about the Dziady Night. When one’s soul leaves this world, it carries their will and ambition to the stars and records on their constellations. However, during this specific night, their ambition connects the living world with their fates. This old hag thinks that it is the souls that grant the new generation’s fate by connecting their constellations. Stars are not just plane records of the past. They can shape and redefine the future events based on the fate they assign to a person. Sometimes two different people from different timelines can share the same fate via the common constellation. I’ve witnessed this case in people who share the name or an event. Sometimes though, like in Durin’s case, two fates can be assigned to a person. Which is quite rare for an ordinary person, but now I’m not surprised by small errors like that.

Paimon: So you are here to see whether an old soul grants their own fate to a young person or not.

Mona: Exactly. 

Tecmessa: That’s stupid. Do you actually let a star millions of light years away to decide your future based on how they look from here? 

Mona: It’s not that simple. Recently, it was discovered that stars are reflecting one’s ambition and can be reshaped.

Paimon: What? Since when? 

Mona: Since this week. I’ve been observing the constellations to lay out a general map and follow the most possible gift to be shared in Dziady Night. However, constellations have been acting weird this whole time. Not all of them but one specific constellation caught my attention. This one has two reflections depending on the angle you are looking from. The fate is the same, but the appearance is entirely different. This specific one can be another error that has been assigned to two different stories that should not interconnect. 

Traveler: In short, someone has been living a life they are not supposed to.

  Someone got their fate earlier than they should.

Peribora: Who that might be? Mona: I don’t know. If it was a single person, then it would be easier to detect them. However, with two variables in the scenario, it is harder to track down the identities.

Tecmessa: What kind of fate is that? Maybe we can find the person who fits into your story.

Mona: The problem is, I can’t quite tell. Their past is connected to another figure from thousands of years ago. The present is too blurry and the future is ever changing. This never happened before. One of them pushes hard to change the constellation while the other keeps it in a position as if they were playing tag of war.

Paimon: Seems like two opposite forces are trying to decide on their common fate.

Mona: Anyway, that’s what I was here for. Surely, it’s a boring topic for the young gentleman here.

Teucer: snore… Huh? What? Are you done?

Peribora: Are you done with kapuska!?

Teucer: Yes I am! Please, no more cabbage…

Somewhere far away on a frozen lake of Morepesok, an old man ice fishes in piece.

Childe: Thought you would be here. Any big catches?

Telimir: Aren’t you supposed to be in that hell hole with that monster?

Childe: Can you stop complaining once? Why do you insist on seeing the bad side of everything? My life is great, just as I want. Why does it make you upset? When it comes to her, she is not a monster. She is my friend. 

Telimir: Bet it’s her who’s filling your head with those stupid ideas. I curse the day I brought you here and told those stupid hero stories. 

Childe: Thanks to those stories, I managed to escape from this boring village and rot to be a miserable old man like you! Always complaining and nagging over the littlest inconvenience. 

Telimir: Littlest inconvenience? I’ve lost a son to the abyss, then to the fatui… How dare you to belittle my pain?

Childe: How does that make you lose your son? I’m still me. I’ve always been, you can’t change me to be like others. At least I know the danger and try to keep Teucer out of this. 

Telimir: And that thing fills his mind with cruel words.

Childe: Banu does not do that!  If you spent time with us, you would understand. Ever sinde I’ve returned, you are distancing yourself. I don’t remember when was the last time we sat and talked like this.

Telimir: … Come here. I have another story to tell.

Childe sits down next to his father as the rod swings with the icy water. 

Telimir: It’s… The story of the Snowmaiden and the Hero Beyond the Stars.

Somewhere in Fatui Headquarters, Director calls the Harbingers to an emergency meeting. Remaining five members sit around a round table facing each other and Georgi standing right behind them, guarding the doors. 

Pantolone: We received the latest information from the expedition teams. Commander Georgi and his team worked smoothly. We now have the full plan including support units and imported all the required equipment. Northland Bank used a huge fund to cover the expenses of this project. We had to seal some important artifacts from Liyue in order to use loans of Liyue Qixing. You sure can know that failing this excavation would put our finances in a huge debt and risk our hand in southern regions. Especially when we are about to open a branch in Fontaine. I should thank the Knave for their hard work.

Arlecchino: It was our duty to keep the good relations between two nations as the ambassador of Fontaine. The House of Hearth will always be there to help the Iudex. We’ve already lost diplomatic trust among various nations. Liyue, Inazuma and Sumeru. Even though Mondstadt stays apolitical in this situation, we must keep the last two nations as close to us as possible. 

Pulcinella: We trust you with your loyalty and talents to carry this mission with its worth. Now, continuing with the current campaign, our dear colleagues has decided that in order to find the legendary sword Millisteinn, we should send our strongest soldier to lead the expedition. Young Tartaglia has proved his abilities in combat and endurance against abyss. Currently, no one else had shown any positive signs after being exposed to high level of abyssal corruption. We should be careful while choosing the soldiers. 

Pantolone: La Signora’s men recently arrived with all the data provided from the Delusion Factory in Inazuma. The results showed that human subjects can survive up to three days in such environments. Including the god remains and abyss’ power, Kitezh’s domain has a similar effect to the early version of delusions. 

Arlecchino: Are we going to send people to their deaths like lab rats? With the loss of half of the harbingers and whole Natlan units, we can’t expend any of our men further.

Pantolone: We also have an additional log sent from Sandrone’s subordinates. Regarding the selection of the people. 

Sandrone: One shall forsake the self and sink into the abyss to be resurrected as a part of the great sea. This person who can leave their old life and submerge into beyond the primordial waters becomes an entity called “Holy Infant”. From centuries long research and records this phenomenon had manifested itself in multiple timelines. The world formula could successfully show the reincarnations of this play and locate the next “Holy Infant” in our current world. One thing is sure, this play is connected to a boy named Ajax. Second strongest of his century. New version of this hero is deemed worthy of carrying the legendary sword that his previous lives had left for him. The Militstienn Sword. Current updates of World Formula are unable to locate the location of his young boy. However, we should look through the reflection of the dark sky to find him. That’s one of the basics of the World Formula. It combines the main branches of knowledge. 

Pulcinella: There is no doubt that this story points out Tartaglia himself. He’s the rightful owner of the sword and honor to protect our people. We should send a support unit to ensure his safety.

Tartaglia: There won’t be any need of it. As soon as we locate the position of the sword, order them to retrieve at once. I’ll continue alone. 

Pierrot: Are you sure, Tartaglia? You are aware of the risks, right? 

Tartaglia: That’s the exact reason why I want to go alone. There is no need to put anyone else at risk. 

Arlecchino: Objection.

Pierrot: State your reasoning, Knave.

Arlecchino: We assume this person to be a young man from a single word. The connections between this legend and a fairy tail are entirely made up. In fact, this can be a woman as well. 

Pierrot: Do you have a name in mind?

Tartaglia: She can’t-

Arlecchino: You should be familiar with Tecmessa, Director. She was a member of House of the Hearth, later transferred to Tartaglia’s troops. She also shows exceptional skills in the listed areas, which makes her a suitable candidate for this project. He can confirm my statement. 

Pierrot: Is that true? 

Tartaglia: … First of-

Pierrot: In this case, we’ll invite her to the next meeting. For now, let’s have a break. 

Pulcinella: Dead Director, I must object to this idea. My humble opinion is to not trust her. This alien creature has not yet shown her devotion to our majesty Tsartisa. It would throw everything at risk if we give control over the operation. 

Pierrot: I understand your worries and promise to discuss this later in detail. Bring her as well. 

With that, Pierrot exited the room, leaving the harbingers behind.

Tartaglia: What was that for? You know it’s not even an option!

Arlecchino: Why are you so against the idea that she leads the operation? Is it because of jealousy? To prove your worth? Or do you see this as a game, a training opportunity to amuse yourself? It’s clear that she is more suitable for this expedition than any of us.

Pulcinella: I agree with Tartaglia. We can’t trust a stranger.

Pantolone: I talk with numbers, cause they never lie. If chances of success are significantly higher, then my vote is for this girl. 

Arlecchino: She has also provided help with the Northland Bank, am I correct?

Pantolone: Precisely. 

Tartaglia: With my help.

Pulcinella: In that case, we’ll have to test it ourselves. Favors are two to two. It all depends on Pierrot’s vote at this point. Tartaglia, I’ll see you tomorrow.

Once everyone leaves, Georgi finds Tecmessa in a corner and explains everything happened during the meeting.

Tecmessa: That’s great. Even better. 

Georgi: Do you actually plan to go?

Tecmessa: We can’t let him go alone. He’s always reckless. We can’t risk another Narwhal incident similar to Fontaine. If he is not careful enough, sword can either turn him into a zombie or bring the whole Wild Hunt with him. 

Georgi: What if it’s true that he is the one who’s destined to be the hero?

Tecmessa: Do you actually believe in superstitions?

Georgi: Then, what’s the plan?

Tecmessa: Take this to Pulcinella and tell him it’s from me. I’ll bring him to his home. His parents should be there when this happens. 

-Report Back to Tartaglia

Peribora: Thank you for helping with the bags. It’s a shame your friend refused to join us for dinner.

Paimon: Don’t worry, Mona is usually very busy. But she might join us when she’s free.

Teucer: Where did big sis Tecmessa suddenly go? Won’t she join us too?

Peribora: Oh, she said that there was a problem with the toys. She might bring one for you too.

Teucer: Really? Is that a promise?

Peribora: I can’t give promises on her behalf. But she always brings presents.

Paimon: You must love Tecmessa. She always looks out for you, treats you to meals, and brings you presents. 

Teucer: She is the best! She is a close friend of my brother. She always writes us letters, sends gifts. During the holidays, she always visits us and brings me the newest products of Mr. Cyclops collection. Sometimes she teaches me how to use a bow and aim too. But my father hates it when I hold a weapon. He says it’s too dangerous.

Paimon: He has a reason. They are indeed dangerous, but as long as you are with an adult, it should be fine.

Peribora: Yes… However, his worry is not because Teucer might harm himself.

Teucer: I don’t use it without big sis. And, I don’t use it with living animals. 

Peribora: Anyway, let’s get inside. It’s freezing cold. Please feel comfortable and sit next to the chimney. 

Once you enter the house, you are welcomed by warmth and nice smells coming from the kitchen. The house was not big but lovely. Walls were filled with family photos. People who all look similar -maybe more similar than how you and your twin looked like. 

The biggest picture above the chimney looked new. It had Childe’s parents at the center; on the two sides, two eldest sons and eldest daughter were standing. The yoıng boy you assumed to be Childe was in front of his sister with a big smile. Sitting on their father’s lap, there were two kids; they were twins just like you. And between mother’s arms a baby was swaddled. This photo must be from before Childe fell into the abyss.

On top of the chimney, there was a single small frame. Someone tried to hide it behind a vase. 

Paimon: Such a lovely house. Childe has always been a family guy, but with such a family, it’s impossible to ignore them.

Traveler: They all look the same.

               Peribora works like a printing machine.

Paimon: Don’t let them hear you.

Antonia: Mom, why didn’t you say we had guests? Sorry, I’m coming in a minute.

Paimon: No rush- Um, please? 

A little girl with orange hair and freckle covered face rushed in. She had the exact same eyes of your friend, but livelier and bigger. 

Antonia: Welcome! You must be the Traveler and Paimon. Finally we could meet. My brother always wrote your stories in his letters. 

Paimon: Hello there. It’s nice to meet you. You must be Tonia, right?

Antonia: Ah! You know about me? Oh… What did he say? Please don’t believe anything he says.

Paimon: Not at all. He always said you are the most responsible one among his siblings.

Traveler: You are mature for your age.

               He always praises you. 

Antonia: Really? That’s a relief. He loves to mock me, so I was worried that he told you mean things. Please, have a seat. I’ll go get you some tea. 

Paimon: It’s alright, really. Come sit with us.

Antonia: Well…

Anthon: Mom! Teucer broke my mask.

Teucer: I did not! 

Anthon: Mooom! Oh! Is that, Traveler and Paimon? No way! 

Paimon: Hello there. 

Antonia: Stop yelling around! Seriously Anthon, when will you grow up?

Childe: Look who has arrived?

Kids: Brother!

Ajax and his father enter the house with giant fish as tall as he stands. Kids rush towards the gate as they circle around their big brother.

Teucer: Where is big sis Banu? Wasn’t she with you?

Childe: She’ll join us later. 

Telimir: Tonia, take this to your mother.

Antonia: Ok! 

Telimir: Ah, this must be the famous Traveler. Welcome to our humble cottage.

Paimon: It’s nice to meet you sir.

Telimir: Seems like we hit the target big. That fish won’t be enough for us. Haha!

Childe: Will Anya and kids join too?

Telimir: Who knows? Your mother insisted, but her good-for-nothing husband is still mommy’s baby… Will, erm, your friend join too?

Childe: Banu. Yes dad, she will.

Telimir: …

Paimon: He doesn’t even try to look happy.

Telimir: I’ll bring the foams. Tell her to wear it on her horn. That thing will poke someone’s eye.

Childe: So, what do you think, comrade? I know they can be loud sometimes.

Traveler: It feels like family.

Childe: I’ll take this as a good sign. By the way, Traveler. Can I ask for a small favor? I hid the presents outside so the young ones wouldn’t try to open them in secret. Can you bring them in while I distract them?

Paimon: Piece of cake. But only if you brought us presents too.

Childe: Of course. What kind of question is that? Do you think I would forget my friends? Actually Paimon, yours has a special ribbon.

Paimon: gasp! Really!? Come on Traveler, why are we wasting time? Let’s take them in and start the celebrations!

You go outside to find the presents Childe hit. After finding some of them and digging them out from the snow, you heard some footsteps approaching.

Paimon: This must be Tecmessa. Let’s give her a scare, shall we? Hehe!

As you hide behind snowy bushes, person gets closer.

Paimon: Boo!

Georgi: Huh? 

Paimon: Wait, Georgi? What are you doing here?

Georgi: Paimon? Traveler!? Why are you here?

Traveler: We asked the same.

Georgi: Hold on. You are not supposed to be here. 

Crunch!

Georgi: Come here!

Paimon: What are you-

Georgi pushes you at a corner behind the house and covers your body with his cape.

Georgi: Be quiet.

The door knocks and kids rush to answer. After a few seconds of mumbling, you hear the conversation moving to the living room.

Antonia: Brother! Your friends, um… They came. Anthon, can you and Teucer help me with groceries?

Teucer: But we just came. Hey! Stop pulling!

Peribora: Please excuse children. I thought it would be better without them interrupting.

Pulcinella: Thank you for your cooperation, Misses. I’m sure kids would be upset after hearing what I’m about to say.

Childe: What’s going on here? Why are your soldiers in my house?

Pulcinella: Dear Childe, let’s have a seat first.

Childe: No, explain yourselves! Tecmessa, why are you with them? Are you hurt?

Paimon: Tecmessa? Is she the one who brought them here?

Georgi: Hush!

Pulcinella: She told us everything. Working with the enemy and letting them get involved with our plans -top secret files that are prohibited to share with third parties. Betrayal to your majesty is the biggest of the crimes, Tartaglia.

Childe: You told them?

Tecmessa: I had no choice.

Pulcinella: You are lucky she brought the matter to me first. If Pierrot hears about it, he would take all of your titles. However, I agreed for a more efficient punishment.

Telimir: Lord Pulcinella. Please excuse my son’s behavior. His attitude has gotten worse ever since he returned from Fontaine. 

Pulcinella: Silence! Do not interrupt. Tartaglia, from now on you are taken from all the projects related to Project Stuzha. You’ll be in home arrest until we retrieve the Missleteinn Sword and present it to our Archon. 

Tartaglia: You know you can’t do that! Who do you plan to send instead?

Pulcinella: As we discussed in our meeting, as much as I disagreed at first, Tecmessa proved to be a more suitable candidate.

Tartaglia: I don’t allow it! She works for me.

Tecmessa: Starting an argument instead of pleading will only make it worse.

Childe: You stay out of it. 

Pulcinella: Commander Georgi will be watching over you in case you might try to run away. Do not disappoint me, Childe.

You heard soldiers leaving and clatters a few times. Once he decides everything is safe, Georgi lets you go.

Paimon: Paimon can’t believe Tecmessa has done such a thing! He trusted her.

Traveler: She has been working for others this whole time.

  You knew about this?

Georgi: Things are more complicated than you think. For now, it’s best for the young lord to stay here. Please, try to calm down and not get in trouble. I’ll be around if you need me. Right now, Lord Tartaglia needs some peace…

-Follow Tecmessa

Paimon: We can’t let her go away. Come on, let’s catch up with her.

You follow her to the fatui camp around the domain, but wait until they go inside. You had to sneak in without being noticed. Once you get inside the domain, you lose track of her.

Paimon: Where did she go? She is super fast. We should stop them before it’s late.

You find fatui soldiers around the nail’s piece.

Paimon: Remember, they are supposed to trick them inside those labyrinths. Let’s use it to lock them in.

You trap fatui inside using the mechanics.

Soldier: Hey, what’s going on!? Let us out! Commander will hear about it.

Paimon: Come on, let’s go back. Huh, do you feel that?

Leylines shows a road surrounded by people. They are all clapping and cheering. 

Paimon: What’s going on here? Hmm, this road looks familiar without people. It looks like the one leading to the cathedral. 

Traveler: The image is changing.

You see Tecmessa walking through the same road and reaching the cathedral, but she is extremely glitched.

Paimon: There she is! Did she find the sword? Traveler, fast forward the vision… 

Traveler: !!! 

Paimon: She did find the sword. Quick, we should catch up with her before it’s too late!

You follow the road covered with abyssal monsters. As you go deeper, you feel abyss is getting stronger. Dark clouds cover your vision and a voice is whispering to your ears.

Paimon: Hang in there Traveler! We’re always there.

You break into the cathedral. At the other end of the atrium, Tecmessa is standing next to the sword.

Paimon: Stop right there!

Tecmessa: Huh? Traveler? Paimon? Why are you here? It’s too dangerous at this point, please return to the surface.

Paimon: Not until we stop you!

Tecmessa: Why? You helped us to prepare the whole plan. Why stop it now? Are you out of your mind or just confused by the abyss?

Traveler: You betrayed Childe!

               You lied to us!

Tecmessa: What? No, wait. This is not the time. You have to leave now. 

Paimon: Or what? 

Traveler: We will take our friend’s revenge!

Tecmessa: You don’t make any sense, be more specific.

Paimon: You betrayed Childe and snatched behind him, so you could be the hero.

Tecmessa: You mean, the sword?

Paimon: Exactly!

Tecmessa: I didn’t want him to come, because if you look at Traveler, corruption here is extremely dangerous. 

Paimon: Traveler are you alright?

Tecmessa: Of course not. S/he is already affected. We are too deep in abyss, maybe deeper than Night Kingdom you went to in Natlan. Humans can’t survive for too long and turn into monsters. I think troops should have returned already. Follow them, they’ll show the way out.

Paimon: Actually, we locked them in a cage…

Tecmessa: YOU WHAT!?

Paimon: We thought you were scheming before us. 

Tecmessa: You- Grr! Get out now! This is my last warning! 

You feel the abyss is getting in your head. Everything they talked was filtered slowly. Paimon’s screams got louder mixed with Tecmessa’s growls. She must be in danger, Tecmessa was hurting people. You had to stop her!

-Defeat Tecmessa

You drew your sword to get on her. Every time you thought you caught her, she teleported to a far distance and left you with a glitched clone to confuse you. If you couldn’t take it down on time, she’d hit you with hard arrows back to back. 

Paimon: “T-Traveler! S-stop—! Th-that’s not—!

“GeT heR oUT! tRAitOR! TRAITOR!”

Tecmessa: Wak— p!

You finally got close enough to deliver a blow, two, three. But she hit you back and escaped. From your back, she unleashed a strong blow that struck you like thunder. Your life flashed before you for a few seconds. When you woke up again you grabbed your sword. Her demonic voice echoed.

“Hahaha! The sword is mine!”

Tecmessa: Idiot— Sn-p OUT!

You were getting weaker. When she noticed that, Tecmessa threw a hard punch that made you come back to reality. Paimon looked worried and Tecmessa could almost kill you.

Paimon: Traveler! Are you alright? 

Tecmessa: For now, this should be fine. But you have to leave soon. Please free the soldiers as well. I’ll try to contact the camp. 

Paimon: How will you do that? We are too deep in abyss.

Tecmessa: By using this.

Paimon: Is that, a Dodocominication device?

Tecmessa: A what? Well, that is a communication device but I don’t know the name. The same provider of “radar” made a patch of these. If I press this button…

Beep— Beep— Boop—!

Zzzz!

Tecmessa: Huh?

Paimon: Is it not working?

Tecmessa: But it worked perfectly just now. I’ll try again.

The device refused to work. Its uneasy sounds traveled through the corridors of the cathedral and showed your location to Wild Hunt. 

Rumble! Rumble!

An expended army of Wild Hunt was running towards you. Headless zombies crawling through and over any obstacles on the way including each other. When they finally reached the gates, Tecmessa pushed you aside and grabbed her bow. Consecutive hits, multiplying arrows were hitting and pinning the wild hunt down. She could throw up to six arrows at once or accumulate  dense electro energy and take a group all together by electrocuting them using the water beneath them. 

Paimon: They keep coming! 

Tecmessa: Paimon, do you see any other exits?

Paimon: Got it! I’ll flow around. Ugh… Aaaah! No, no! Not there. This one is blocked.

Tecmessa noticed some of the monsters. They were the soldiers who came with her. Their bodies were unharmed but corrupted by the abyss and turned into Wild Hunt. Some of them were newbies who joined last month or young boys who were excited to serve Tsaritsa. Some had kids at home, sometimes brought to work and showed around. Without hesitation she blew them up with precise aim. 

Tecmessa: My arrows… I don’t have any arrows!

A bullet went over her head, looking back it was from Wild Hunt. Soldiers still had their guns with them before death. 

Paimon: All exits are blocked. 

Tecmessa: Stay with Traveler. 

Tecmessa rushed toward the sword and grabbed the hilt. If this sword could break a Celestial Nail, it could easily destroy the dead army. But corruption got worse and seeing that, Traveler’s mind started to ring alarm bells and blow Tecmessa away with the sword using anemo powers. Sword broke free from the stone in Tecmessa’s hands. But a gate opened right behind her. Tecmessa got pulled inside the abyss with the sword and disappeared. All of a sudden your vision returned to normal but it was too late. 

Paimon: Tecmessa! 

Under the bullet shower, you and Paimon took cover.

Paimon: We can never make it!

Monsters were approaching with the elimination of the threat. They got closer and closer until outer lines started to fly over and hit the ground unanimated. Georgi jumped in the middle of the crowd and slashed a large circle. He was moving by swinging his greatsword and opening a path. 

Georgi: Traveler! 

Monsters re-appeared before you reached him. Then a familiar imposing figure struck them all. 

Paimon: Childe too? Wasn’t he under house arrest? 

The two got each other’s back and destroyed half of the monsters. This allowed you to jump in and join them. Together, you wouldn’t be able to defeat them all, but at least you managed to escape the domain. Georgi was carrying you and Paimon in his arms, jumping over stones while Tartaglia in his Foul Legacy slayed the road. Thus, you were out. Paimon floated around you to make sure you were feeling ok. 

Georgi: Where is the nurse?

The landing was hard for you, your head was still dizzy. But you had to get better once Tartaglia grabbed your collar and pulled closer.

Childe: What happened there!?

Paimon: H-Hold on! Let us explain!

Childe: Where is she? And the sword! 

Georgi: Not to mention the whole troop is now dead. 

-Go to Childe’s house.

Paimon: Let’s go see how Childe is doing. After you fainted, Georgi took him away in a rush that Paimon couldn’t ask what’s going on. Hopefully he’s not in huge trouble.

You walk closer to the small cottage then suddenly a trap falls beneath you.

Paimon: Watch out! Woah! That was close… Who put this here? Could it be Georgi to keep Childe inside? Let’s move carefully and not trigger any traps.

You get closer while avoiding the traps. Before the house, you saw a familiar face.

Paimon: Is that Georgi? He seems on alert. Let’s walk around to avoid any suspicion…

Georgi: Who goes there!?

Paimon: It’s just us!

Georgi: Traveler and Paimon. Please be quiet. Follow me.

Traveler: Is Pulcinella back?

Georgi: Yes. After Young Lord ran away, someone reported him. So they decided to take more serious actions.

Paimon: Oh, so that’s why everywhere is surrounded by traps.

Georgi: No, not for that. It was Tecmessa who placed them. Traps don’t follow the main road in case kids might step on them. She was worried that someone in the fatui might try to control Lord Harbinger by using his family.

Traveler: Why do they want to hurt their harbinger?

Georgi: I don’t know. But she was quite worried about the recent ambushes.

Paimon: Are they ok?

Georgi: They are fine, don’t worry. However, Tecmessa was warry of other harbingers for so long she sent me to check on them and bring any information that can be useful to her. During the last meeting, I was assigned as a guard. It was then we heard they planned to send Lord Tartaglia to the domain.

Paimon: Knowing how dangerous that place is, Tecmessa snatched behind him and informed Pulcinella about us. So that he would have stayed out of Kitezh.

Traveler: Until he found out her actual intentions.

Georgi: Precisely. Lord Harbinger never wanted her to go either due to her sickness. He never trusted her abilities nor believed she could survive. Unfortunately, his worries were on point. If you weren’t there, she could have came back with Mistleteinn Sword.

Paimon: Don’t blame Traveler! S/he was poisened by the abyss.

Georgi: This still doesn’t change the outcome. Lord Harbinger got so mad, when a troop areived to bring him back, he beated them to death. Luckily, I was with him. He listened to me to a degree.

Paimon: Oh, what should we do? Tecmessa fell into abyss with the sword and we can’t reach her.

Traveler: Is there anyway we can call Skirk?

Paimon: You are right! If she is in the abyss, Skirk can find her.

Georgi: You mean Young Lord’s master?

Paimon: Yup, she is basically our friend now.

Georgi: Hide! Someone’s coming.

Pulcinella and his men leaves the house, followed by Telimir.

Telimir: Please forgive my son’s misbehavior. He never learns when to stop.

Pulcinella: I’m forgiving him for this once only because I have respect for our citizens. You are an honest person and I believe that you can tame your child. Until then, he is prohibited to leave until a second order and will not be briefed on any intelligence updates.

After they left, you got inside.

Antonia: Are they gone?

Peribora: sigh, yes they are.

Paimon: Hello everyone.

Anthonia: Traveler, Paimon. Terrible timing, really. My brother is in trouble.

Artyom: You must be the Traveler. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you.

Arseny: Come on Teucer, let’s go grab the fishing nets.

Teucer: What about Ajax? Where did he go?

Arseny: He’ll join us later.

Big brothers give each other a nod as Teucer follows one and leaves.

Artyom: We are sorry that you had to see us like this. But I assume this is not the first time Ajax has been suspected as a criminal.

Paimon: Yeah, especially after committing many crimes throughout the nation.

Artyom: Hehe… He is not in the backyard. The best he can do right now is to train. He kept murmuring about that rabbit hole he fell in and the mysterious master who took him in. Dear mother was worried he might try to run away again until we found the traps around the house.

Traveler: We saw them too.

You mean Tecmessa’s traps.

Artyom: Hm… Must be true. She always had been a good help. Such a pity she disappeared. We are all worried but we know waiting is our only option.

Paimon: That’s why we are here. Ajax can’t go anywhere but we can. If he can give us any clues, we can go find Tecmessa, or Banu.

Artyom: That sounds like a plan. I’ll inform him you are here.

-Talk to Childe

You see the young harbinger slashing the training dummies with fury until they turned into dust.

Artyom: Ajax, your friends are here.

Childe: I’m busy right now.

Paimon: Hello Childe.

Traveler: We just saw Pulcinella.

Did they find Tecmessa?

Childe: Why do you care? Aren’t you the one who pushed her?

Paimon: It was an accident! Traveler was seeing hallucinations.

Childe: Doesn’t matter anymore. I can’t go behind her. No one’s telling me what’s going on, I’m left out by my own coworkers. Arlecchino sent her men to watch my moves. Georgi doesn’t allow kids to leave without informing Pierrot first. I can’t get any help from anyone outside and they just kicked Pulcinella out. How am I supposed to stay calm when everyone’s treating me like a criminal?

Artyom: You are beating yourself for no reason. There was nothing you could do.

Childe: If I were stronger, none of this would happen. I had to be there faster.

Georgi: And you’d still fail.

Paimon: Georgi?

Georgi: My warnings were always ignored at the meetings. You were there too. No matter how strong you are, the human body has a certain capacity. If you hadn't disregarded your own life and listened to your friends' warnings just once, this wouldn't have happened. You can only survive there for half an hour without losing your mind. Frankly, it was a stroke of luck for you that Tecmessa fell into the abyss. Look at Traveler. S/he is a perfect example of ignoring one’s warnings and going against the grain.

Paimon: OK, don’t rub it on our faces.

Artyom: Mom is upset seeing you distancing yourself from the rest of us. It’s not only your grief. We are all worried about her, that’s why we are here with you. To be honest, the reason Anya wasn’t bringing kids was that she was too afraid of Pulcinella. Now that he’s gone, we can focus on our problems. Think of this as an opportunity to gather and find a solution. Ask Arseny. He was friends with Valya from the intel gatherers.

Childe: That’s right! We can also ask our friend.

Traveler: You mean Mona, right?

Paimon: Yup. She is an astrologist. She can tell where we can find her.

Georgi: Would you look at that?

Childe: Fine. Not like I can go anywhere. By the way, Georgi. You have to stay. There is something I need to talk with you about.

Georgi: As you command, sir.

Paimon: Then, let’s go find Mona! We have a friend to save.

-Talk to Mona

Mona: Traveler and Paimon. What are you two doing here?

Paimon: Mona! We need your help.

Mona: Hush! Wait a second. I think I found her.

Paimon: You found Tecmessa? Wow, you are fast.

Mona: Who? Ah, no. I meant the distorted constellation.

Paimon: Paimon remembers it. You were talking about a constellation having two different reflections at the same time.

Mona: Yes. Apparently, this constellation has been passed down on two different people at the same timeline for the first time ever. Until now, fate had been passed down from an ancestor to another person. During the Dziady Night, you can see this much more clearer. Years ago, an object fell from the sky over one of ███’s star. Possibly another wandering star or one tied to another constellation. With the impact, the fate of two stars had conjuncted and started to swirl around the two stories.

Paimon: You mean two people out there are fighting over the end of a story? But how is this possible? At the end, they will follow a common story, right?

Mona: I’m not quite sure. But this specific constellation ███ is also named as Orion Gelidus. And both of the reflections show significant differences despite their similarities. I assume that ███ is the original one since I can track the previous owners.

Paimon: And who is that?

Mona: You won’t believe it but it’s the Cryo Archon Tsaritsa herself.

Paimon: What!?

Traveler: Are you sure?

So the other person should be someone close to Tsaritsa.

Mona: In a sense, yes. Although they indeed crossed paths multiple times, that doesn’t make them close or similar in many ways. Have you heard of the story of “Maiden and The Hero From Beyond The Sky”?

Traveler: Never heard of it.

Can you remind me?

Mona: There are countless versions of this tale. An undefeatable hero descending from the skies discovers an ancient kingdom sunk beneath the dark sea by the dragons. He sails to find the dragon and slays its head to find the key of this ancient kingdom. The fight between them takes days until he defeats the beast. On his way to the treasure of the gods, he meets a beautiful maiden. She was the princess of this ancient kingdom who lost everything. They fall in love immediately and he promises to bring her kingdom’s glory back to her. But while trying to trespass the holy gates, the heavens above punish him for his ignorance. He was not meant to enter the glorious kingdom as he was merely a servant. Out of grief, the maiden either ends her life or goes on a journey to bring him back to life and loses her life during her search. Which sounds pretty similar to what Tsaritsa is going through. She is following her fate perfectly. However, the second person is causing some blurry images.

Paimon: How is that? Are they trying to fight back with fate?

Mona: I don’t think it’s intentional but their second fate is combining and affecting their road. Right now, they follow both the hero's and the maiden’s story.

Paimon: Hero… Could it be a star from the hero’s constellation? Can you check his fate too?

Mona: I did, but it doesn’t seem like the case.

Traveler: I have a guess.

Mona: You do? Would you mind sharing the name?

Traveler: It’s the person we are looking for.

She might be Tecmessa.

Paimon: Are you serious? Why do you think so?

Mona: Hm. Let me have a look.

Traveler: When you think about the story, it makes sense. She is a descender who came beyond the skies. She went to find Kitezh while Childe was under house arrest. She fought the monsters and fell into the abyss. If she didn’t intervene with Fatui’s plan, then Childe would follow the story. And Tecmessa would go to find him, possibly die in the process.

???: Oh, my. Someone stepped off-script.

Paimon: Who’s there?

Alice: Hello my favorite heroes. We meet again. In a way.

Paimon: Alice! What are you doing here? As a Dodoco?

Mona: Mizz Alice. What brings you here? Don’t tell me she is here as well.

Alice: Ah, no. Barbie has other issues to handle. However, I had to come and check on you. You might have guessed the reason already.

Paimon: You are here for Tecmessa, right?

Alice: Indeed. You guessed her story mostly correct. I still remember the day she fell like a star on the fatui’s tree. Oh, boy. It was a hard fall for sure. At first, I wasn’t sure if we had to keep or send back to her home planet. But after the damage she had and fatui capturing her, I could not possibly lay my hands on her easily. She was the one who hit the constellation. I’m not sure what exactly happened, but her fate had merged with Tsartitsa’s and with Teyvat’s script. Unfortunately, there was nothing I could do to prevent her from changing the script. And here we are. She already started to change things.

Paimon: Wait a second. So she is changing the whole plot, is that it? What should we do then?

Alice: My suggestion would be leaving her in the abyss and making sure she never comes back.

Paimon: We can’t do that!

Alice: Then we don’t have any other options but wait. Fate flows at its own speed. Forcing it to change or fasten up the process only causes deformations on the system. I know waiting is hard, but if her fate will change, then it must shape itself. Right now, she is trying to be the hero and save the people she loves. But this will cause a missing role at hand.

Paimon: If Tecmessa becomes the hero, and Childe is also the hero… Then we need a maiden too.

Alice: Exactly. We need someone to be served at. No stories are complete without a princess to protect, am I right? Meanwhile, why don’t you find the candidates to help you?

Paimon: We surely can. Let’s count all the names we can ask.

Mona: Mizz Alice. May I ask what will happen to Tsartitsa’s fate if she manages to change her fate? Sharing the same constellation and ambition surely should affect her fate as well. But what if Tsartisa continues to follow the old fate? We already should have all the roles necessary for her story. This would only create a new story line and end the cycle. I couldn’t detect any changes in Tsartitsa’s story yet.

Alice: That’s an interesting point of view. You might be correct. However, we can’t take any risks here. She can either be an extra or exchange roles. We must be prepared.

Paimon: Leave it to us. We will come up with a list soon.

Alice: I’ll come to check on you soon. Until then, take care.

Paimon: And she’s gone. So are we going to leave her alone and go check for others?

Mona: Mizz Alice has a point. Intervening with fate any further is dangerous. I can offer help to find candidates for your story. But we should let her go on her own journey and decide what type of story she wants. Unlike Durin, who managed to live as an extra as Mizz Alice said, your friend’s fate will affect others intentionally or not. The whole story will change…

Paimon: Don’t worry Mona. We’ll fix this. You don’t need to worry.

Mona: What worry? I’m so excited! This type of thing never happened before. And I’ll be the one who records it first. Finally I can beat my master and show that I’m not someone she can look down on anymore.

Paimon: You take any opportunity to beef with your master, huh?

-On the other side

Somewhere deep in the abyss, Skirk lights a camp fire for two. Tecmessa was pacing back and forth around, sometimes bringing whatever Skirk asks automatically and returning back to her small walk in the same circle.

Skirk: … Pass me the pot.

…

Skirk: No, not this one. The bigger one.

…

Skirk: … Give me the rock over there.

…

Skirk: The shiner one.

Tecmessa: How am I supposed to know which one?

Skirk: We don’t even need rocks. Let’s start with the main issue.

Tecmessa: growl!

Skirk: I know you are worried, however, if you mean to fight an entire organization with a cursed sword, then you must be prepared.

Tecmessa: It’s been months already! Who knows how long it has been on Teyvat.

Skirk: You trust your speed too much. That’s why you are restless. Eventually, your rush will cause you to fail. You are not from this world, just like me. But this doesn’t mean we are invincible. The sword will eventually corrupt your mind. If you want to use it, you must train harder. Train until you lose and regrow your limbs. Just like your horn.

Tecmessa: Don't bring my horn up please.

Skirk: The weapon you possess is extremely strong. If you fail to use it properly, it will destroy your body. You’ll never be able to master it.

Tecmessa: Wow, thanks.

Skirk: Knowing your weaknesses is the first step to get stronger. Your body was at the edge of shutting down, you are sick. Probably due to Teyvat’s ecosystem. Once you return, the sword will crush you. What do you think your option here is?

Tecmessa: … How long can I keep up?

Skirk: That’s the right question. But the answer is not too long. I’d say a maximum of ten minutes. That’s why you should make a strong plan. If you want to get stronger from the short way, then there is nothing I can offer you but food. You are on your own. Make your decision.

Tecmessa: …

-At the Fatui Meeting

Pulcinella: Tell your majesty that I have done nothing but serve her with the utmost respect. Taking me away from the plan we created together is unjust.

Pierrot: You failed to keep a kid inside his room, Mayor. Maybe you should sit and think about your failure before deciding what is justice for the sake of our majesty.

Pantolone: Not like I want to interfere, however, the cost of Tartaglia’s actions damaged the whole budget for this project. Not only were the supplies expensive but also rare. Most of them were shipped all the way here from Inazuma, prepared before La Singnora’s passing. We are unable to retrieve any further supplies, and limited to reuse the broken equipment. Your lack of control cost Northland Bank a huge debt.

Pulcinella: And who may it be to vote for that monster to go?

Arlecchino: May I ask, how did it end up with the candidate you suggested went to Kitezh? Isn’t that what you wanted, dear Rooster? You were favoring the young harbinger so much that not only he managed to bring a stranger into our plans, but also ruined the whole plan by destroying our supplies and losing the very first thing we were searching for. I would not usually agree with Regrator, but in this case, throwing others under the mistake to cover yours is not something we would accept.

Pulcinella: My dear Knave, if that’s what you are thinking, then I assume you would volunteer to solve this crisis wholeheartedly. We know the House of the Hearth has its hands full with the rebuilding of Fontaine’s infrastructure. However, having such talented soldiers under your hand, you must be able to send some of them for the upcoming rescue operation.

Arlecchino: …

Pantolone: Well, what a pleasant surprise. I would never guess my dearest colleague would land a hand to cover the detriment of Northland Bank.

Arlecchino: Knowing how dangerous that place is, did you actually believe that I would sacrifice any of my children by sending them into the abyss?

Pulcinella: We’ve been listening to you this whole time, Knave. It’s your turn to take responsibility and pay your penance.

Pantolone: May I suggest a way to find common grounds. We won’t be able to get anywhere if we keep arguing like this. Right now, far parties of this meeting have a restraining order, which does not make things fair for profit makers. However, with Arlechhino’s strong disagreements, we are circling around the same caliber like goats tied to a stick. First of all, we need to redefine our purpose.

Pierrot: Right now, your majesty Tsaritsa asks you to find and bring back the Misltetenn Sword. She wishes no longer to witness the harm of innocents, and search for a veil to protect her people from the upcoming enemy. In her words; she watched a Nail erase a nation in a breath and no longer wishes to watch Snezhnaya vanish the same way.

Georgi: Your grace, I must have a word here.

Pierrot: You?

Georgi: If you may… We recently received a letter from a provider from Sumeru. A specialist in ancient mechanics. She claims she can construct a dampener to revert the entropic effect of the Mistilteinn Sword.

Pantolone: A reversion device? Are you talking about Miss Gizzal? I thought she was in contact with... Oh, now that makes sense... *chuckles* If the sword was forged to slay a Divine Nail and failed, what makes her think she can tame its backlash? That's a huge gamble to bet on.

Georgi: If her calculations are correct, the shockwave unleashed from the collision of the blade and the nail will turn Snezhnaya into dust within seconds. I've seen it myself. The ghosts of Kitezh in that domain were from the time of the incident. God Luchezar might have managed to destroy the nail, but it cost the lives of his people. My Lord, if the sword is pulled without the dampener, it will release a pulse of Abyss energy combined with god remains. If we manage to survive with a miracle, The Heavenly Principles will see the spike and unleash the curse of-

Pierrot: Don’t say it again.

Georgi: … Yes.

Pulcinella: A valiant warning, Commander Georgi. But the Tsaritsa's gaze is fixed on the future of Snezhnaya with greatness, not ghost stories. She is willing to let the surface weather the storm if it means Snezhnaya survives the night. If you are worried about the abyss raid that might occur, we need to strengthen our front lines. As for the manpower needed to secure the site... My suggestion still stands. The House of the Hearth has many capable soldiers who can endure Kitezh's environment. Ignoring the fact that one of the examples managed to escape with the Misletenn Sword... We shall utilize them for the primary extraction.

Arlecchino: My children are not fodder for a project built on unstable math, Mayor. I refuse to commit them to a site where corruption is a statistical likelihood.

Pulcinella: Are you refusing to collaborate when we finally found a common ground as you wished? This is a direct opposition to Your Majesty's wish and treachery.

Arlecchino: Your common ground option is to sacrifice anyone disposable for your own interest while ignoring many warnings. We all wish Tsaritsa’s success.

Pierrot: The extraction proceeds. Arlecchino, you will provide the logistics. Pulcinella will oversee the deployment and give the required number. Commander will make sure that this device will not have any flaws that can put our citizens in danger... The Tsaritsa has seen enough nations vanish to know that a bruised land is better than a erased one.

After everyone leaves, Arlecchino pulls Georgi close.

Arlecchino: So, what did you talk with him?

Georgi: Traveler is on her/his way to receive the machine. Tsaritsa will not be attending herself, so that decreases the number of threats.

Arlecchino: There is still something you didn’t tell me.

Georgi: You probably know already. But breaking into the domain will only unleash the Wild Hunt. No matter how many times I warn them, the Wild Hunt corruption inside Kitezh is not a force we can simply defeat. That’s why that place should be sealed for good.

Arlecchino: However…

Georgi: However, Traveler and young lord will break the seal before anyone else to go to the deepest place of abyss.

Arlecchino: Why didn’t this surprise me?

Georgi: Ah, the young lord always thinks with instincts. Sometimes I wonder if he actually uses his brain.

Arlecchino: Watch out now. Insulting your superior might result in severe punishment. But I agree with you. What other instructions did Tecmessa give to you?

Georgi: You would be surprised if I told you she managed to change the actual cargo with something else. Our little device is on its way to Mondstadt right now.

Arlecchino: Oh, that little demon. She never liked Tsaritsa from the beginning. We can’t allow all of her hard work to go in vain. Come, we should stop them.

-Go to Kitezh

The wind howls across the tundra. You see the gates of Kitezh rumbling afar under the sky gleaming the shades of purple.

Paimon: Why does the air feel so... heavy here? The entrance didn’t look like this when we left here…

As you get closer, the scenery looks more crowded with detailed silhouettes.

Paimon: Traveler look. They have the main cargo Georgi mentioned. That must be where the device is hidden! But look at all those soldiers... If they spot us, they'll raise the alarm and we'll have the whole Fatui army on our heads before we even reach the gate.

-Reach the Primary Cargo Crate (0/2)

You crouch behind a stack of iron beams. A Fatui Skirmisher and a Pyroslinger are guarding the area in cross walking. You have no chance to pass through them. To distract them away, you aim and throw a heavy stone.

Pyroslinger: Did you hear that?

Skirmisher: Let’s check it out!

They rush toward the noise, leaving the path to the cargo tents wide open.

-Reach the Primary Cargo Crate (1/2)

Now that the path is clear, you have to find the specific marked crate Georgi said. The cargo area is filled with identical wooden boxes.

Paimon: Who are we going to find which one is the right one? Oh, look. Did you see the mark? That must be it!

As you approach the box, Oprichniki Thunderblitz Gvardiya’s eyes start to glove to detect any threats.

Paimon: Be careful. Do not let her catch us.

You slowly ‘pry’ on the box. Every time she turns around, you have to stop until her focus is somewhere else. Finally, you manage to break them apart without alarming anyone.

Paimon: Great. We’re done here. Let’s move onto the next one.

You ‘pry’ on the next box, being careful about Oprichniki Thunderblitz Gvardiya around.

Paimon: Nice, we found it. This must be the thing Fatui will use to open the gates. Let’s meet Childe at the entrance and hand it to him.

-Reach the Primary Cargo Crate (2/2)

The entrance is heavily guarded by a line of Legionnaires. They aren't moving; they are standing like statues, facing the violet void of the gate. You and Paimon have to crawl through the back of a pile of rocks.

Paimon: Whew... we made it this far. The guards are right there, but they seem scared of the gate. Childe should be here soon too, so let’s get over the plan once more. First, we’ll hand the device to Childe. Then he’ll send the guards away so we can get inside without being distracted by anyone. Once we are back in the cathedral, he’ll use the device to open the portal once again and we’ll get Tecmessa back with the Missiletenn Sword.

Traveler: But we should be careful about other Harbingers.

Paimon: Right, they are coming here too. We must be sneaky, hiding in the shadows like ghosts from the afterlife. No one can see us.

Tartaglia: Traveler, Paimon. You are here.

Paimon: Woaaah!

Tartaglia: Hush! Calm down, it’s me.

Paimon: Darn it, you scared the hell out of Paimon. Don’t sneak behind people.

Tartaglia: Sorry. I couldn’t just come from the main route without catching attention. So, did you find it?

Paimon: Here you are.

Tartaglia: I knew I could trust you comrade. Wait for my signal before following me. I have to make sure they leave first.

Paimon: We got this.

You watch Tartaglia go over and talk to soldiers. After a moment of hesitation, soldiers leave without a complaint and you see the signal.

Paimon: This is the signal. Come on, let’s follow him before they return.

-Enter domain

Childe: This should be the place. She took the sword from this stone. Right behind it, there was a gate leading deeper into the abyss.

Traveler: Childe… About what happened.

Sorry for not listening to you and Tecmessa.

Paimon: Yeah. If we talked to you guys first, none of this would happen. Now because of us, both of you got into trouble.

Tartaglia: … Sigh. There is no need to apologize. You are my friends after all. Things happen all the time. I know you didn’t mean any harm. This place is more dangerous than any of us could imagine. Even you can’t handle it easily. I doubt there was anything to do at that point. I’m just glad that you are alright, comrade. And now we have a chance to save my other friends, thanks to you. Surely, Tecmessa will forgive you once she’s here. Don't let the guilt settle in. You think Tecmessa is in there holding a grudge?

Paimon: Well, kinda. She was never fond of us in the first place.

Tartaglia: Don’t be like that. She is just shy, that’s all.

The device starts to run with a growling sound. It tries to gather enough energy to open a portal huge enough for them to enter.

Traveler: It’s working!

Tartaglia: Yes it is. Comrade, once we are done with this, come to our place to celebrate the Dziady night. We still have time.

The heavy thud of boots echoes at the main hall. You see familiar faces behind a masked guy approaching you.

Pierrot: You truly never learn, Ajax. This is your strength and weakness, rushing into conclusion without thinking. Your selfishness, your desperate need to be the hero, will cost this nation its future. You think yourself as a savior, but you are merely a child playing with a match in a library. You don’t understand the power under your palms yet act like you can change anything.

Tartaglia: I’m the one you send when the work gets bloody! A child can’t finish what I’ve accomplished until now. All of you keep things away from me, and when you can’t you keep me away from everything. No one’s sharing anything and expect me to know it all in an instance. Even Tecmessa didn't trust me enough to tell me the whole plan! How can you expect me to not act selfish when all I know is what is expected of me?

Pierrot: We have to be everything while being reduced to nothing. What is expected from you is predetermined by your fate, yet everyone here is trying to reverse the story except you.

Paimon: What are you talking about? He has more control over his life than any of you guys. Stop trying to control him.

Pierrot: Then let me use an anecdote for you. You are a child of this land, then you must know the story of Maiden and the Hero From the Stars.

Tartaglia: What does it have to do with me?

Pierrot: I see you as my own, Ajax. Not only because you remind me of myself with your determination, but there is a phenomenon that should not happen. Fate is written for a person at a time. But when you live longer than you are supposed to, passing the torch of fate becomes no option. That’s why you have to share your fate. The story of that legendary hero lives for me, and you. I know your urge to become something since you are destined to become the hero. The one who sought the Kingdom fell in the deep sea to prove his strength. He tore open the gates, just like you. Thinking he was bringing light and power that can defy anything. Instead, he brought the frost that swallowed everything he owned. Even the people he loved the most. I’ve seen their fall myself. Lived long enough to understand the consequences of your actions. Yet you are trying to bite the hand leaning to help you. You must compose yourself once and listen.

Tartaglia: … Why are you telling me this now? This still proves my point. If you were so scared that I could have done something wrong, why didn’t you just tell me? I can’t stand it anymore… I hate when people lie to me. How can you prove you are not lying?

Pierrot: My words might fall weak. That’s why I brought someone who you might trust… Pulcinella? … Where is he?

Two harbingers were sat back by the massive claymore Georgi swung right outside the domain.

Pantolone: Georgi?! What is the meaning of this?

Pulcinella: And I trusted you with your righteousness. Is that how you pay respect to those who raised you to the position you are today?

Georgi: I’m standing where I always wanted to be. I protect those who I oathed to. It doesn’t matter if you give me titles. I will always be against those who hurt my people.

The device started to rumble with load hums as it was overloaded. The gears inside started to spin so fast, it was harder to see it. It was tense like the air inside as you drew your sword next to your friend to protect the device. Pierrot seemed disappointed rather than upset.

Pierrot: You know I don’t want to do this. You are still young. I give you one more chance to think. Then I assure you, The Tsaritsa will forgive your flaws.

Tartaglia: Not even a chance. I’ll face my punishment when the time comes. But when that happens, I want my friends to be there, safe and sound. If not, I will never forgive myself.

Lightning bolts rained down directly on you. Paimon, terrified by the deafening roar, first wanted to hide behind you, but the moment she realized the machine was unattended, she frantically floated there. Childe, with his massive sword slung over his shoulder, had unleashed the Foul Legacy, shot beams of light from its eyes. Pierrot on the other hand, looked worryingly calm. He took one step front and it was enough for both of you to attack from both sides with lightning illuminating the sky.

Somewhere far away, the great Astrologist Mona Megistus was in awe to witness the greatest phenomena that an astrologist can ever see before her master and masters before her.

Mona: This can’t be happening right now… The stars are switching positions. But where did she…

“And the gates of the And when the hero reached the gates of the golden kingdom, his heart swelled with pride. With an ambition no hero before him had ever achieved, he pressed his hands against the gates and pushed them open until they were wide. This triumph, like all his other victories, would be passed down through generations, regardless of the hardships he had faced. He couldn't recall feeling such excitement even in his days on the dark sea, in his fight with the fearsome sea monster, or in the battle against the treacherous warrior who sought to defeat him—even when he had raised his sword and utterly destroyed that monstrous creature.”

Tartaglia slammed his giant sword over Pierrot and broke the floor of the cathedral until outside, the whole pathway was split in two and covered with floating dust. However, even this attack was too slow for Pierrot and with a single slash, he managed to stick the Foul Legacy to the wall.

Paimon: Please work. Work faster!

“All this determination and sorrow, solely to make the woman he loved happy, ███ ... When the gates opened, the gods granted him the thing he most desired: her face. Under the blinding lights of the heavens, he saw her…”

Device let a high pitched creak and throw countless wandering bolts almost hitting Paimon, you, and even Pierrot. The void was cracked and something fast—faster than the wind itself, passed through you with lighting behind and hit Pierrot.

“The hero beyond the stars… Has finally arrived.”

Mona: Is that a new constellation’s birth?

It was clear Pierrot was struggling from the impact. With relentless force, Tecmessa charged at him with the Melestenn Sword, using her own vision's power. The clings from the clash of weapons echoed with accumulating lightning bolts behind Tecmessa. When neither had the power to continue, they withdrew their weapons only to release a bigger impact blowing both back. Pierrot didn’t lose time to regain his posture. However, Tecmessa was faster as she appeared right behind him with her bow before he could react and fired accumulated electro energy, blowing him up. The old man rolled on the floor for a few minutes before getting back on his knees. When he faced what was coming on him, his eyes widened in fear. Tecmessa raised the sword high up over her head to deliver the final blow induced with her elemental powers.

Tecmessa: You can’t hurt my family! Not our Ajax!

Before the sword fell on him, it fell on the ground with clingings and Tecmessa disappeared right behind. Tartaglia in his Foul Legacy form had grabbed her in his arms and pushed her aside. They were both beaten up well from all the fights to a point Tartaglia’s armor was falling apart. It hasn’t been damaged this badly since the Narwhal incident and yet, he could barely stand up. So he had to place her down, calmly and slowly.

Tartaglia: It’s alright… You are back…

Her hands knotted into his scarf, her fingers trembling, and then the dam broke. She cried. She cried like a child found in the dark after being left behind. Holding on whatever she could find of him as if the other person might dissolve into smoke if she let go for even a second. A few steps away, you knelt by Paimon’s side. She hid right on time before the device broke into pieces and released a shockwave. Paimon shook her head, dazed but fine. Both of you could relieve once the tension was over after seeing your friends reunited. Forgotten after the event, Pierrot groaned while forcing himself up onto his knees. He simply watched the scene he tried to prevent with his all might. And that's when realized what he could have done if he fought back then.

-Go to the detention zone

As the group stands before the court, Pierrot’s voice carries through the icy halls of Zapolyarny Palace. Two convicts are dragged beneath the feet of Harbingers placed on the podium. Right behind Pierrot, on one side Pulcinella and Pantolone were standing with disgruntled expressions. On the other side, Arlecchino and Tartaglia were placed, their bodies more stiff from anxiety of the unknown. As Tecmessa and Georgi reached under the podium once Peruere stood, Pierrot spoke.

Pierrot: Her majesty the Tsaritsa had decreed as follows; I hereby pardon your crimes, and bestow upon you new names. Your title and the legacy of bloodshed are now yours to bear. From this way onwards, may your sword turn your enemies to ashes for your queen, you two-faced, wicked Captain. Your songs shall carry the screams and agony of anyone who goes against our way, with hate and no love left for humanity, my Balladeer. From now on, you will serve your majesty with utmost loyalty and devote your lives to her campaign.

Pulcinella: Both of you are granted new titles and codenames as the part of Fatui Harbingers, chosen suitably to your abilities. First of Harbingers, the commander of Fatui army Il Capitano Georgi, your name shall be Spavento.

Georgi: M-My lords… You are honoring me with such titles after what I’ve done?

Pierrot: It takes a greater strength to go against your ideals in order to protect your people. You served your majesty until the very end even though you had to draw your sword against your comrades. You proved your strength enough.

Pulcinella: And for you-

Tecmessa: Ah, no thanks. I don’t want it.

Arlecchino and Tartaglia slapped their faces synchronously on this idiot.

Pierrot: Can you explain why? Are you not satisfied with your number?

Pulcinella: You're pushing your luck too much for a traitor.

Tecmessa: Traitor? I was never a part of you guys anyway. Why should I join now? Your harbinger kidnapped me, tortured me for years, used me and almost killed me for several occasions. And most of them weren’t even necessary. There isn’t a reason for me to follow a depressed old woman who couldn’t get over her grief for centuries. Her pain is going to cost my family’s life. It already took someone special away from me. Why should I help you to kill the rest?

Pierrot: Is that your final decision?

Tecmessa: I’d rather break my other horn-

Tartaglia: She meant she is grateful and wants to continue to work with me.

Tecmessa: Ouch!

Tartaglia left the podium to get on her level, then grabbed her horn and pushed her head down.

Tartaglia: I think she wants to continue to work with me due to her attachment issues, right?

Tecmessa: I will bite your hand off, if you break this one too.

The doors had opened and familiar faces walked out all together.

Paimon: Finally it’s over. Oh… It’s nice to see you back again Tecmessa.

Tecmessa: You tried to kill me!

Paimon: Ok, ok! Calm down. You know it was unintentional.

Traveler: You are not dead though.

Tecmessa: You will be once I heal up.

Tartaglia: Ho! Ho! No need to be hostile. Surely we’ll all look back at this moment and laugh together.

Tecmess: Do I look like laughing to you?

Paimon: Who would feel happy after being taken to court anyway? Oh, almost forgot. How did it go? Are you guys in trouble?

Georgi: Not at all. In fact, we wouldn’t be in a better situation.

Tecmessa: Talk on your behalf.

Scapino, Balladeer. The Sixth Of the Eleven Fatui Harbingers

Paimon: Wow! You are promoted? Just like Knave here, huh? Tsaritsa must love those who kill her soldiers. Seriously, what’s her gain on this?

Arlecchino: Have you heard the saying, keep your friends close but your enemies closer? No one would dare to have such powerful enemies while she can control them to a degree. Though, I doubt anyone other than Childe can control our little imp friend here.

Tecmessa: What? We were getting along too. Are you jealous, Peruere? My interest shifted from you.

Arlecchino: Last time I remember you were acting like a rebellious teenager to avoid me. Guess your aging speed works the same for your maturity. Therefor I have no worries over a kid like you.

Tecmessa: Wha- I- Grrr!

Traveler: How old are you anyway?

Are you a fae or something else?

Tecmessa: Old enough to smack your but. No one knows where I came from or what I am since there isn’t another of me in this world. Neither do I remember after the amnesia… My memory is in pieces. I blame Fatui for that. Now that I even got promoted… When will this nightmare end?

Tartaglia: Come now. It’s not that bad. Now you’ll be freer on your agenda.

Tecmessa: That means now I must do both your paperwork and mine. And I hoped they would give me a raise…

Paimon: They don’t? Being a Harbinger sounds worse than you guys make it look like. Why are you doing his job anyway? Actually, you should ask Tartaglia to do yours. He is a senior afterall.

Tecmessa: That’s actually a great idea.

Tartaglia: Um…

Arlecchino: Being a Harbinger comes handy on different occasions. However, due to her reactions inside, Tecmessa is not given any facilities to control over. Pulcinella does not trust her well yet after her uprising. But I will talk to Pierrot and assign you to the Delusion Factory in Inazuma. The farther you are from the mainland, you’ll have more freedom and slowly cut your ties. Think of it a long term process of retirement.

Tecmessa: Oh great. Now I’m being Scaramouche. Give me a hat and a theme song too while on it.

Georgi: Who?

Tecmessa: A little man who is surprisingly shorter than you. Wish you two could meet again, then you wouldn’t worry about your height.

Paimon: Uh-oh!

Georgi: … !!!

Tartaglia: Um… We better leave now. Mom must be worried sick after I left without a warning. See you then.

Tartaglia grabbed Tecmessa and started to run. You followed right behind.

Georgi: I will catch you eventually! And shrink your bodies by folding you in two!

-Somewhere far away

Around the tea table at the outskirts of Mondstadt, a group of witches sit and chat. Young successor Scarlette serves everyone tea in their matching teacups.

Alice: I must say, you might be the best teacher in the world, Barbie. Our little Mona managed something none of us could even if we tried.

Barbeloth: Are you belittling my abilities behind empty praises? Hmph. That brat would have no idea where to look if I hadn't guided her.

Nicole: But isn’t this our purpose, to guide our successor so they could reveal the secrets of this world? I think you should give Little Mona more credits.

Octavia: It’s not an everyday job to record a missing constellation. We lost an important story from Teyvat’s chapters forever—one that has been passed down ever since the beginning of human history on this world.

Alice: To be honest, I’m still conflicted on allowing her to stay. Who would have thought that once she descended, she would be blessed by the first lover(snowmaiden) in history? If I knew she would have such an impact on our fate system, I would simply send her back to space.

Caelan: Come now aunt Alice. We know you wouldn't do such a thing. After all, she brought us one step closer to what we have been searching for.

Octavia: It’s still a shame… Such a great story will come to an end with Anastasia. I should talk to Mona and ask her to share her notes regarding the lost fate.

Scarlet: I’ve been listening this whole time, but may I ask what will happen to Tsaritsa?

Barbeloth: Nothing particular. The stars that have been holding her fate are not missing, they are just rearranged. Constellations are just recording passing the ambition and fate of previous generations to the new ones. Once it’s sealed, you cannot change it. You might encounter some choices in life, but those are mere illusions.

Alice: Little Banu was not supposed to be recorded by the fate system. Not until the first lover saved her life. After bringing the beginning of the story in our timeline, the story could not simply continue. That’s why it started to be erased slowly. Once it reaches Anastasia, the story of the Snowmaiden will disappear.

Nicole: Although we searched for someone to replace her, it was a temporary solution. For just a moment, that guy Ajax shared the story in order to rewrite hers. But once the constellation created its new form, everything went back to normal.

Octavia: To simply put, we have a new character introduced in the upcoming chapters. But the old ones remain.

Caelan: That makes me wonder. If fate can be broken, perhaps it can be healed too. Since Mona managed to record the old fate, then we can manipulate another constellation to recreate it.

Barbeloth: That would be blasphemy! Fates should not be messed around. Our purpose is to read the fate and control the mechanism. Intervening with the natural flow of this world would only lead to chaos. We can let this one slide to observe how a constellation becomes a threat in the future. But no one can dare to disrupt the course of fate. We’ve seen what happened to Gold. You were young, Caelen. But you must remember it as well.

Caelen: I’m just talking hypothetically. Changing one’s fate requires more energy than you can calculate. But what if we created an artificial constellation? A fate that has not been designated to anyone. Only we can choose who to grant it and how to shape it. I found M’s letters sent to Octavia before her passing. Would you like to fill us in?

Octavis: Readers should know where to draw the line between fantasy and reality. If you get lost in the fantasy world, you will forget the capabilities of your existence.

Caelan: Was your Wonderland also a fantasy? Or was it a prototype that got leaked to our world? I think it’s worth giving it a shot.

Alice: I believe we should change to a more pleasant topic. Oh! Who wants some music? Why don’t we invite a great bard to cheer us up?

Caelen: That would be a wonderful idea, Aunt Alice.

Barbeloth: Young boy, please get those ominous thoughts out of your head.

Caelen: I might as well…

P.S: Thank you everyone who red through my story. I really enjoyed writing them. Although the name of the sword constantly changed, here’s a concept art for both of my main characters and the Misteteletienn Sword🌹⚔️ But that doesn’t mean the story ended! Next, I’ll be back with my dearest twink uncle 🩵 until then bye bye 👋

-Go to Childe’s house.

Paimon: Let’s go see how Childe is doing. After you fainted, Georgi took him away in a rush that Paimon couldn’t ask what’s going on. Hopefully he’s not in huge trouble.

You walk closer to the small cottage then suddenly a trap falls beneath you.

Paimon: Watch out! Woah! That was close… Who put this here? Could it be Georgi to keep Childe inside? Let’s move carefully and not trigger any traps.

You get closer while avoiding the traps. Before the house, you saw a familiar face.

Paimon: Is that Georgi? He seems on alert. Let’s walk around to avoid any suspicion…

Georgi: Who goes there!?

Paimon: It’s just us!

Georgi: Traveler and Paimon. Please be quiet. Follow me.

Traveler: Is Pulcinella back?

Georgi: Yes. After Young Lord ran away, someone reported him. So they decided to take more serious actions.

Paimon: Oh, so that’s why everywhere is surrounded by traps.

Georgi: No, not for that. It was Tecmessa who placed them. Traps don’t follow the main road in case kids might step on them. She was worried that someone in the fatui might try to control Lord Harbinger by using his family.

Traveler: Why do they want to hurt their harbinger?

Georgi: I don’t know. But she was quite worried about the recent ambushes.

Paimon: Are they ok?

Georgi: They are fine, don’t worry. However, Tecmessa was warry of other harbingers for so long she sent me to check on them and bring any information that can be useful to her. During the last meeting, I was assigned as a guard. It was then we heard they planned to send Lord Tartaglia to the domain.

Paimon: Knowing how dangerous that place is, Tecmessa snatched behind him and informed Pulcinella about us. So that he would have stayed out of Kitezh.

Traveler: Until he found out her actual intentions.

Georgi: Precisely. Lord Harbinger never wanted her to go either due to her sickness. He never trusted her abilities nor believed she could survive. Unfortunately, his worries were on point. If you weren’t there, she could have came back with Mistleteinn Sword.

Paimon: Don’t blame Traveler! S/he was poisened by the abyss.

Georgi: This still doesn’t change the outcome. Lord Harbinger got so mad, when a troop areived to bring him back, he beated them to death. Luckily, I was with him. He listened to me to a degree.

Paimon: Oh, what should we do? Tecmessa fell into abyss with the sword and we can’t reach her.

Traveler: Is there anyway we can call Skirk?

Paimon: You are right! If she is in the abyss, Skirk can find her.

Georgi: You mean Young Lord’s master?

Paimon: Yup, she is basically our friend now.

Georgi: Hide! Someone’s coming.

Pulcinella and his men leaves the house, followed by Telimir.

Telimir: Please forgive my son’s misbehavior. He never learns when to stop.

Pulcinella: I’m forgiving him for this once only because I have respect for our citizens. You are an honest person and I believe that you can tame your child. Until then, he is prohibited to leave until a second order and will not be briefed on any intelligence updates.

After they left, you got inside.

Antonia: Are they gone?

Peribora: sigh, yes they are.

Paimon: Hello everyone.

Anthonia: Traveler, Paimon. Terrible timing, really. My brother is in trouble.

Artyom: You must be the Traveler. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you.

Arseny: Come on Teucer, let’s go grab the fishing nets.

Teucer: What about Ajax? Where did he go?

Arseny: He’ll join us later.

Big brothers give each other a nod as Teucer follows one and leaves.

Artyom: We are sorry that you had to see us like this. But I assume this is not the first time Ajax has been suspected as a criminal.

Paimon: Yeah, especially after committing many crimes throughout the nation.

Artyom: Hehe… He is not in the backyard. The best he can do right now is to train. He kept murmuring about that rabbit hole he fell in and the mysterious master who took him in. Dear mother was worried he might try to run away again until we found the traps around the house.

Traveler: We saw them too.

You mean Tecmessa’s traps.

Artyom: Hm… Must be true. She always had been a good help. Such a pity she disappeared. We are all worried but we know waiting is our only option.

Paimon: That’s why we are here. Ajax can’t go anywhere but we can. If he can give us any clues, we can go find Tecmessa, or Banu.

Artyom: That sounds like a plan. I’ll inform him you are here.

-Talk to Childe

You see the young harbinger slashing the training dummies with fury until they turned into dust.

Artyom: Ajax, your friends are here.

Childe: I’m busy right now.

Paimon: Hello Childe.

Traveler: We just saw Pulcinella.

Did they find Tecmessa?

Childe: Why do you care? Aren’t you the one who pushed her?

Paimon: It was an accident! Traveler was seeing hallucinations.

Childe: Doesn’t matter anymore. I can’t go behind her. No one’s telling me what’s going on, I’m left out by my own coworkers. Arlecchino sent her men to watch my moves. Georgi doesn’t allow kids to leave without informing Pierrot first. I can’t get any help from anyone outside and they just kicked Pulcinella out. How am I supposed to stay calm when everyone’s treating me like a criminal?

Artyom: You are beating yourself for no reason. There was nothing you could do.

Childe: If I were stronger, none of this would happen. I had to be there faster.

Georgi: And you’d still fail.

Paimon: Georgi?

Georgi: My warnings were always ignored at the meetings. You were there too. No matter how strong you are, the human body has a certain capacity. If you hadn't disregarded your own life and listened to your friends' warnings just once, this wouldn't have happened. You can only survive there for half an hour without losing your mind. Frankly, it was a stroke of luck for you that Tecmessa fell into the abyss. Look at Traveler. S/he is a perfect example of ignoring one’s warnings and going against the grain.

Paimon: OK, don’t rub it on our faces.

Artyom: Mom is upset seeing you distancing yourself from the rest of us. It’s not only your grief. We are all worried about her, that’s why we are here with you. To be honest, the reason Anya wasn’t bringing kids was that she was too afraid of Pulcinella. Now that he’s gone, we can focus on our problems. Think of this as an opportunity to gather and find a solution. Ask Arseny. He was friends with Valya from the intel gatherers.

Childe: That’s right! We can also ask our friend.

Traveler: You mean Mona, right?

Paimon: Yup. She is an astrologist. She can tell where we can find her.

Georgi: Would you look at that?

Childe: Fine. Not like I can go anywhere. By the way, Georgi. You have to stay. There is something I need to talk with you about.

Georgi: As you command, sir.

Paimon: Then, let’s go find Mona! We have a friend to save.

-Talk to Mona

Mona: Traveler and Paimon. What are you two doing here?

Paimon: Mona! We need your help.

Mona: Hush! Wait a second. I think I found her.

Paimon: You found Tecmessa? Wow, you are fast.

Mona: Who? Ah, no. I meant the distorted constellation.

Paimon: Paimon remembers it. You were talking about a constellation having two different reflections at the same time.

Mona: Yes. Apparently, this constellation has been passed down on two different people at the same timeline for the first time ever. Until now, fate had been passed down from an ancestor to another person. During the Dziady Night, you can see this much more clearer. Years ago, an object fell from the sky over one of ███’s star. Possibly another wandering star or one tied to another constellation. With the impact, the fate of two stars had conjuncted and started to swirl around the two stories.

Paimon: You mean two people out there are fighting over the end of a story? But how is this possible? At the end, they will follow a common story, right?

Mona: I’m not quite sure. But this specific constellation ███ is also named as Orion Gelidus. And both of the reflections show significant differences despite their similarities. I assume that ███ is the original one since I can track the previous owners.

Paimon: And who is that?

Mona: You won’t believe it but it’s the Cryo Archon Tsaritsa herself.

Paimon: What!?

Traveler: Are you sure?

So the other person should be someone close to Tsaritsa.

Mona: In a sense, yes. Although they indeed crossed paths multiple times, that doesn’t make them close or similar in many ways. Have you heard of the story of “Maiden and The Hero From Beyond The Sky”?

Traveler: Never heard of it.

Can you remind me?

Mona: There are countless versions of this tale. An undefeatable hero descending from the skies discovers an ancient kingdom sunk beneath the dark sea by the dragons. He sails to find the dragon and slays its head to find the key of this ancient kingdom. The fight between them takes days until he defeats the beast. On his way to the treasure of the gods, he meets a beautiful maiden. She was the princess of this ancient kingdom who lost everything. They fall in love immediately and he promises to bring her kingdom’s glory back to her. But while trying to trespass the holy gates, the heavens above punish him for his ignorance. He was not meant to enter the glorious kingdom as he was merely a servant. Out of grief, the maiden either ends her life or goes on a journey to bring him back to life and loses her life during her search. Which sounds pretty similar to what Tsaritsa is going through. She is following her fate perfectly. However, the second person is causing some blurry images.

Paimon: How is that? Are they trying to fight back with fate?

Mona: I don’t think it’s intentional but their second fate is combining and affecting their road. Right now, they follow both the hero's and the maiden’s story.

Paimon: Hero… Could it be a star from the hero’s constellation? Can you check his fate too?

Mona: I did, but it doesn’t seem like the case.

Traveler: I have a guess.

Mona: You do? Would you mind sharing the name?

Traveler: It’s the person we are looking for.

She might be Tecmessa.

Paimon: Are you serious? Why do you think so?

Mona: Hm. Let me have a look.

Traveler: When you think about the story, it makes sense. She is a descender who came beyond the skies. She went to find Kitezh while Childe was under house arrest. She fought the monsters and fell into the abyss. If she didn’t intervene with Fatui’s plan, then Childe would follow the story. And Tecmessa would go to find him, possibly die in the process.

???: Oh, my. Someone stepped off-script.

Paimon: Who’s there?

Alice: Hello my favorite heroes. We meet again. In a way.

Paimon: Alice! What are you doing here? As a Dodoco?

Mona: Mizz Alice. What brings you here? Don’t tell me she is here as well.

Alice: Ah, no. Barbie has other issues to handle. However, I had to come and check on you. You might have guessed the reason already.

Paimon: You are here for Tecmessa, right?

Alice: Indeed. You guessed her story mostly correct. I still remember the day she fell like a star on the fatui’s tree. Oh, boy. It was a hard fall for sure. At first, I wasn’t sure if we had to keep or send back to her home planet. But after the damage she had and fatui capturing her, I could not possibly lay my hands on her easily. She was the one who hit the constellation. I’m not sure what exactly happened, but her fate had merged with Tsartitsa’s and with Teyvat’s script. Unfortunately, there was nothing I could do to prevent her from changing the script. And here we are. She already started to change things.

Paimon: Wait a second. So she is changing the whole plot, is that it? What should we do then?

Alice: My suggestion would be leaving her in the abyss and making sure she never comes back.

Paimon: We can’t do that!

Alice: Then we don’t have any other options but wait. Fate flows at its own speed. Forcing it to change or fasten up the process only causes deformations on the system. I know waiting is hard, but if her fate will change, then it must shape itself. Right now, she is trying to be the hero and save the people she loves. But this will cause a missing role at hand.

Paimon: If Tecmessa becomes the hero, and Childe is also the hero… Then we need a maiden too.

Alice: Exactly. We need someone to be served at. No stories are complete without a princess to protect, am I right? Meanwhile, why don’t you find the candidates to help you?

Paimon: We surely can. Let’s count all the names we can ask.

Mona: Mizz Alice. May I ask what will happen to Tsartitsa’s fate if she manages to change her fate? Sharing the same constellation and ambition surely should affect her fate as well. But what if Tsartisa continues to follow the old fate? We already should have all the roles necessary for her story. This would only create a new story line and end the cycle. I couldn’t detect any changes in Tsartitsa’s story yet.

Alice: That’s an interesting point of view. You might be correct. However, we can’t take any risks here. She can either be an extra or exchange roles. We must be prepared.

Paimon: Leave it to us. We will come up with a list soon.

Alice: I’ll come to check on you soon. Until then, take care.

Paimon: And she’s gone. So are we going to leave her alone and go check for others?

Mona: Mizz Alice has a point. Intervening with fate any further is dangerous. I can offer help to find candidates for your story. But we should let her go on her own journey and decide what type of story she wants. Unlike Durin, who managed to live as an extra as Mizz Alice said, your friend’s fate will affect others intentionally or not. The whole story will change…

Paimon: Don’t worry Mona. We’ll fix this. You don’t need to worry.

Mona: What worry? I’m so excited! This type of thing never happened before. And I’ll be the one who records it first. Finally I can beat my master and show that I’m not someone she can look down on anymore.

Paimon: You take any opportunity to beef with your master, huh?

-On the other side

Somewhere deep in the abyss, Skirk lights a camp fire for two. Tecmessa was pacing back and forth around, sometimes bringing whatever Skirk asks automatically and returning back to her small walk in the same circle.

Skirk: … Pass me the pot.

…

Skirk: No, not this one. The bigger one.

…

Skirk: … Give me the rock over there.

…

Skirk: The shiner one.

Tecmessa: How am I supposed to know which one?

Skirk: We don’t even need rocks. Let’s start with the main issue.

Tecmessa: growl!

Skirk: I know you are worried, however, if you mean to fight an entire organization with a cursed sword, then you must be prepared.

Tecmessa: It’s been months already! Who knows how long it has been on Teyvat.

Skirk: You trust your speed too much. That’s why you are restless. Eventually, your rush will cause you to fail. You are not from this world, just like me. But this doesn’t mean we are invincible. The sword will eventually corrupt your mind. If you want to use it, you must train harder. Train until you lose and regrow your limbs. Just like your horn.

Tecmessa: Don't bring my horn up please.

Skirk: The weapon you possess is extremely strong. If you fail to use it properly, it will destroy your body. You’ll never be able to master it.

Tecmessa: Wow, thanks.

Skirk: Knowing your weaknesses is the first step to get stronger. Your body was at the edge of shutting down, you are sick. Probably due to Teyvat’s ecosystem. Once you return, the sword will crush you. What do you think your option here is?

Tecmessa: … How long can I keep up?

Skirk: That’s the right question. But the answer is not too long. I’d say a maximum of ten minutes. That’s why you should make a strong plan. If you want to get stronger from the short way, then there is nothing I can offer you but food. You are on your own. Make your decision.

Tecmessa: …

-At the Fatui Meeting

Pulcinella: Tell your majesty that I have done nothing but serve her with the utmost respect. Taking me away from the plan we created together is unjust.

Pierrot: You failed to keep a kid inside his room, Mayor. Maybe you should sit and think about your failure before deciding what is justice for the sake of our majesty.

Pantolone: Not like I want to interfere, however, the cost of Tartaglia’s actions damaged the whole budget for this project. Not only were the supplies expensive but also rare. Most of them were shipped all the way here from Inazuma, prepared before La Singnora’s passing. We are unable to retrieve any further supplies, and limited to reuse the broken equipment. Your lack of control cost Northland Bank a huge debt.

Pulcinella: And who may it be to vote for that monster to go?

Arlecchino: May I ask, how did it end up with the candidate you suggested went to Kitezh? Isn’t that what you wanted, dear Rooster? You were favoring the young harbinger so much that not only he managed to bring a stranger into our plans, but also ruined the whole plan by destroying our supplies and losing the very first thing we were searching for. I would not usually agree with Regrator, but in this case, throwing others under the mistake to cover yours is not something we would accept.

Pulcinella: My dear Knave, if that’s what you are thinking, then I assume you would volunteer to solve this crisis wholeheartedly. We know the House of the Hearth has its hands full with the rebuilding of Fontaine’s infrastructure. However, having such talented soldiers under your hand, you must be able to send some of them for the upcoming rescue operation.

Arlecchino: …

Pantolone: Well, what a pleasant surprise. I would never guess my dearest colleague would land a hand to cover the detriment of Northland Bank.

Arlecchino: Knowing how dangerous that place is, did you actually believe that I would sacrifice any of my children by sending them into the abyss?

Pulcinella: We’ve been listening to you this whole time, Knave. It’s your turn to take responsibility and pay your penance.

Pantolone: May I suggest a way to find common grounds. We won’t be able to get anywhere if we keep arguing like this. Right now, far parties of this meeting have a restraining order, which does not make things fair for profit makers. However, with Arlechhino’s strong disagreements, we are circling around the same caliber like goats tied to a stick. First of all, we need to redefine our purpose.

Pierrot: Right now, your majesty Tsaritsa asks you to find and bring back the Misltetenn Sword. She wishes no longer to witness the harm of innocents, and search for a veil to protect her people from the upcoming enemy. In her words; she watched a Nail erase a nation in a breath and no longer wishes to watch Snezhnaya vanish the same way.

Georgi: Your grace, I must have a word here.

Pierrot: You?

Georgi: If you may… We recently received a letter from a provider from Sumeru. A specialist in ancient mechanics. She claims she can construct a dampener to revert the entropic effect of the Mistilteinn Sword.

Pantolone: A reversion device? Are you talking about Miss Gizzal? I thought she was in contact with... Oh, now that makes sense... *chuckles* If the sword was forged to slay a Divine Nail and failed, what makes her think she can tame its backlash? That's a huge gamble to bet on.

Georgi: If her calculations are correct, the shockwave unleashed from the collision of the blade and the nail will turn Snezhnaya into dust within seconds. I've seen it myself. The ghosts of Kitezh in that domain were from the time of the incident. God Luchezar might have managed to destroy the nail, but it cost the lives of his people. My Lord, if the sword is pulled without the dampener, it will release a pulse of Abyss energy combined with god remains. If we manage to survive with a miracle, The Heavenly Principles will see the spike and unleash the curse of-

Pierrot: Don’t say it again.

Georgi: … Yes.

Pulcinella: A valiant warning, Commander Georgi. But the Tsaritsa's gaze is fixed on the future of Snezhnaya with greatness, not ghost stories. She is willing to let the surface weather the storm if it means Snezhnaya survives the night. If you are worried about the abyss raid that might occur, we need to strengthen our front lines. As for the manpower needed to secure the site... My suggestion still stands. The House of the Hearth has many capable soldiers who can endure Kitezh's environment. Ignoring the fact that one of the examples managed to escape with the Misletenn Sword... We shall utilize them for the primary extraction.

Arlecchino: My children are not fodder for a project built on unstable math, Mayor. I refuse to commit them to a site where corruption is a statistical likelihood.

Pulcinella: Are you refusing to collaborate when we finally found a common ground as you wished? This is a direct opposition to Your Majesty's wish and treachery.

Arlecchino: Your common ground option is to sacrifice anyone disposable for your own interest while ignoring many warnings. We all wish Tsaritsa’s success.

Pierrot: The extraction proceeds. Arlecchino, you will provide the logistics. Pulcinella will oversee the deployment and give the required number. Commander will make sure that this device will not have any flaws that can put our citizens in danger... The Tsaritsa has seen enough nations vanish to know that a bruised land is better than a erased one.

After everyone leaves, Arlecchino pulls Georgi close.

Arlecchino: So, what did you talk with him?

Georgi: Traveler is on her/his way to receive the machine. Tsaritsa will not be attending herself, so that decreases the number of threats.

Arlecchino: There is still something you didn’t tell me.

Georgi: You probably know already. But breaking into the domain will only unleash the Wild Hunt. No matter how many times I warn them, the Wild Hunt corruption inside Kitezh is not a force we can simply defeat. That’s why that place should be sealed for good.

Arlecchino: However…

Georgi: However, Traveler and young lord will break the seal before anyone else to go to the deepest place of abyss.

Arlecchino: Why didn’t this surprise me?

Georgi: Ah, the young lord always thinks with instincts. Sometimes I wonder if he actually uses his brain.

Arlecchino: Watch out now. Insulting your superior might result in severe punishment. But I agree with you. What other instructions did Tecmessa give to you?

Georgi: You would be surprised if I told you she managed to change the actual cargo with something else. Our little device is on its way to Mondstadt right now.

Arlecchino: Oh, that little demon. She never liked Tsaritsa from the beginning. We can’t allow all of her hard work to go in vain. Come, we should stop them.

-Go to Kitezh

The wind howls across the tundra. You see the gates of Kitezh rumbling afar under the sky gleaming the shades of purple.

Paimon: Why does the air feel so... heavy here? The entrance didn’t look like this when we left here…

As you get closer, the scenery looks more crowded with detailed silhouettes.

Paimon: Traveler look. They have the main cargo Georgi mentioned. That must be where the device is hidden! But look at all those soldiers... If they spot us, they'll raise the alarm and we'll have the whole Fatui army on our heads before we even reach the gate.

-Reach the Primary Cargo Crate (0/2)

You crouch behind a stack of iron beams. A Fatui Skirmisher and a Pyroslinger are guarding the area in cross walking. You have no chance to pass through them. To distract them away, you aim and throw a heavy stone.

Pyroslinger: Did you hear that?

Skirmisher: Let’s check it out!

They rush toward the noise, leaving the path to the cargo tents wide open.

-Reach the Primary Cargo Crate (1/2)

Now that the path is clear, you have to find the specific marked crate Georgi said. The cargo area is filled with identical wooden boxes.

Paimon: Who are we going to find which one is the right one? Oh, look. Did you see the mark? That must be it!

As you approach the box, Oprichniki Thunderblitz Gvardiya’s eyes start to glove to detect any threats.

Paimon: Be careful. Do not let her catch us.

You slowly ‘pry’ on the box. Every time she turns around, you have to stop until her focus is somewhere else. Finally, you manage to break them apart without alarming anyone.

Paimon: Great. We’re done here. Let’s move onto the next one.

You ‘pry’ on the next box, being careful about Oprichniki Thunderblitz Gvardiya around.

Paimon: Nice, we found it. This must be the thing Fatui will use to open the gates. Let’s meet Childe at the entrance and hand it to him.

-Reach the Primary Cargo Crate (2/2)

The entrance is heavily guarded by a line of Legionnaires. They aren't moving; they are standing like statues, facing the violet void of the gate. You and Paimon have to crawl through the back of a pile of rocks.

Paimon: Whew... we made it this far. The guards are right there, but they seem scared of the gate. Childe should be here soon too, so let’s get over the plan once more. First, we’ll hand the device to Childe. Then he’ll send the guards away so we can get inside without being distracted by anyone. Once we are back in the cathedral, he’ll use the device to open the portal once again and we’ll get Tecmessa back with the Missiletenn Sword.

Traveler: But we should be careful about other Harbingers.

Paimon: Right, they are coming here too. We must be sneaky, hiding in the shadows like ghosts from the afterlife. No one can see us.

Tartaglia: Traveler, Paimon. You are here.

Paimon: Woaaah!

Tartaglia: Hush! Calm down, it’s me.

Paimon: Darn it, you scared the hell out of Paimon. Don’t sneak behind people.

Tartaglia: Sorry. I couldn’t just come from the main route without catching attention. So, did you find it?

Paimon: Here you are.

Tartaglia: I knew I could trust you comrade. Wait for my signal before following me. I have to make sure they leave first.

Paimon: We got this.

You watch Tartaglia go over and talk to soldiers. After a moment of hesitation, soldiers leave without a complaint and you see the signal.

Paimon: This is the signal. Come on, let’s follow him before they return.

-Enter domain

Childe: This should be the place. She took the sword from this stone. Right behind it, there was a gate leading deeper into the abyss.

Traveler: Childe… About what happened.

Sorry for not listening to you and Tecmessa.

Paimon: Yeah. If we talked to you guys first, none of this would happen. Now because of us, both of you got into trouble.

Tartaglia: … Sigh. There is no need to apologize. You are my friends after all. Things happen all the time. I know you didn’t mean any harm. This place is more dangerous than any of us could imagine. Even you can’t handle it easily. I doubt there was anything to do at that point. I’m just glad that you are alright, comrade. And now we have a chance to save my other friends, thanks to you. Surely, Tecmessa will forgive you once she’s here. Don't let the guilt settle in. You think Tecmessa is in there holding a grudge?

Paimon: Well, kinda. She was never fond of us in the first place.

Tartaglia: Don’t be like that. She is just shy, that’s all.

The device starts to run with a growling sound. It tries to gather enough energy to open a portal huge enough for them to enter.

Traveler: It’s working!

Tartaglia: Yes it is. Comrade, once we are done with this, come to our place to celebrate the Dziady night. We still have time.

The heavy thud of boots echoes at the main hall. You see familiar faces behind a masked guy approaching you.

Pierrot: You truly never learn, Ajax. This is your strength and weakness, rushing into conclusion without thinking. Your selfishness, your desperate need to be the hero, will cost this nation its future. You think yourself as a savior, but you are merely a child playing with a match in a library. You don’t understand the power under your palms yet act like you can change anything.

Tartaglia: I’m the one you send when the work gets bloody! A child can’t finish what I’ve accomplished until now. All of you keep things away from me, and when you can’t you keep me away from everything. No one’s sharing anything and expect me to know it all in an instance. Even Tecmessa didn't trust me enough to tell me the whole plan! How can you expect me to not act selfish when all I know is what is expected of me?

Pierrot: We have to be everything while being reduced to nothing. What is expected from you is predetermined by your fate, yet everyone here is trying to reverse the story except you.

Paimon: What are you talking about? He has more control over his life than any of you guys. Stop trying to control him.

Pierrot: Then let me use an anecdote for you. You are a child of this land, then you must know the story of Maiden and the Hero From the Stars.

Tartaglia: What does it have to do with me?

Pierrot: I see you as my own, Ajax. Not only because you remind me of myself with your determination, but there is a phenomenon that should not happen. Fate is written for a person at a time. But when you live longer than you are supposed to, passing the torch of fate becomes no option. That’s why you have to share your fate. The story of that legendary hero lives for me, and you. I know your urge to become something since you are destined to become the hero. The one who sought the Kingdom fell in the deep sea to prove his strength. He tore open the gates, just like you. Thinking he was bringing light and power that can defy anything. Instead, he brought the frost that swallowed everything he owned. Even the people he loved the most. I’ve seen their fall myself. Lived long enough to understand the consequences of your actions. Yet you are trying to bite the hand leaning to help you. You must compose yourself once and listen.

Tartaglia: … Why are you telling me this now? This still proves my point. If you were so scared that I could have done something wrong, why didn’t you just tell me? I can’t stand it anymore… I hate when people lie to me. How can you prove you are not lying?

Pierrot: My words might fall weak. That’s why I brought someone who you might trust… Pulcinella? … Where is he?

Two harbingers were sat back by the massive claymore Georgi swung right outside the domain.

Pantolone: Georgi?! What is the meaning of this?

Pulcinella: And I trusted you with your righteousness. Is that how you pay respect to those who raised you to the position you are today?

Georgi: I’m standing where I always wanted to be. I protect those who I oathed to. It doesn’t matter if you give me titles. I will always be against those who hurt my people.

The device started to rumble with load hums as it was overloaded. The gears inside started to spin so fast, it was harder to see it. It was tense like the air inside as you drew your sword next to your friend to protect the device. Pierrot seemed disappointed rather than upset.

Pierrot: You know I don’t want to do this. You are still young. I give you one more chance to think. Then I assure you, The Tsaritsa will forgive your flaws.

Tartaglia: Not even a chance. I’ll face my punishment when the time comes. But when that happens, I want my friends to be there, safe and sound. If not, I will never forgive myself.

Lightning bolts rained down directly on you. Paimon, terrified by the deafening roar, first wanted to hide behind you, but the moment she realized the machine was unattended, she frantically floated there. Childe, with his massive sword slung over his shoulder, had unleashed the Foul Legacy, shot beams of light from its eyes. Pierrot on the other hand, looked worryingly calm. He took one step front and it was enough for both of you to attack from both sides with lightning illuminating the sky.

Somewhere far away, the great Astrologist Mona Megistus was in awe to witness the greatest phenomena that an astrologist can ever see before her master and masters before her.

Mona: This can’t be happening right now… The stars are switching positions. But where did she…

“And the gates of the And when the hero reached the gates of the golden kingdom, his heart swelled with pride. With an ambition no hero before him had ever achieved, he pressed his hands against the gates and pushed them open until they were wide. This triumph, like all his other victories, would be passed down through generations, regardless of the hardships he had faced. He couldn't recall feeling such excitement even in his days on the dark sea, in his fight with the fearsome sea monster, or in the battle against the treacherous warrior who sought to defeat him—even when he had raised his sword and utterly destroyed that monstrous creature.”

Tartaglia slammed his giant sword over Pierrot and broke the floor of the cathedral until outside, the whole pathway was split in two and covered with floating dust. However, even this attack was too slow for Pierrot and with a single slash, he managed to stick the Foul Legacy to the wall.

Paimon: Please work. Work faster!

“All this determination and sorrow, solely to make the woman he loved happy, ███ ... When the gates opened, the gods granted him the thing he most desired: her face. Under the blinding lights of the heavens, he saw her…”

Device let a high pitched creak and throw countless wandering bolts almost hitting Paimon, you, and even Pierrot. The void was cracked and something fast—faster than the wind itself, passed through you with lighting behind and hit Pierrot.

“The hero beyond the stars… Has finally arrived.”

Mona: Is that a new constellation’s birth?

It was clear Pierrot was struggling from the impact. With relentless force, Tecmessa charged at him with the Melestenn Sword, using her own vision's power. The clings from the clash of weapons echoed with accumulating lightning bolts behind Tecmessa. When neither had the power to continue, they withdrew their weapons only to release a bigger impact blowing both back. Pierrot didn’t lose time to regain his posture. However, Tecmessa was faster as she appeared right behind him with her bow before he could react and fired accumulated electro energy, blowing him up. The old man rolled on the floor for a few minutes before getting back on his knees. When he faced what was coming on him, his eyes widened in fear. Tecmessa raised the sword high up over her head to deliver the final blow induced with her elemental powers.

Tecmessa: You can’t hurt my family! Not our Ajax!

Before the sword fell on him, it fell on the ground with clingings and Tecmessa disappeared right behind. Tartaglia in his Foul Legacy form had grabbed her in his arms and pushed her aside. They were both beaten up well from all the fights to a point Tartaglia’s armor was falling apart. It hasn’t been damaged this badly since the Narwhal incident and yet, he could barely stand up. So he had to place her down, calmly and slowly.

Tartaglia: It’s alright… You are back…

Her hands knotted into his scarf, her fingers trembling, and then the dam broke. She cried. She cried like a child found in the dark after being left behind. Holding on whatever she could find of him as if the other person might dissolve into smoke if she let go for even a second. A few steps away, you knelt by Paimon’s side. She hid right on time before the device broke into pieces and released a shockwave. Paimon shook her head, dazed but fine. Both of you could relieve once the tension was over after seeing your friends reunited. Forgotten after the event, Pierrot groaned while forcing himself up onto his knees. He simply watched the scene he tried to prevent with his all might. And that's when realized what he could have done if he fought back then.

-Go to the detention zone

As the group stands before the court, Pierrot’s voice carries through the icy halls of Zapolyarny Palace. Two convicts are dragged beneath the feet of Harbingers placed on the podium. Right behind Pierrot, on one side Pulcinella and Pantolone were standing with disgruntled expressions. On the other side, Arlecchino and Tartaglia were placed, their bodies more stiff from anxiety of the unknown. As Tecmessa and Georgi reached under the podium once Peruere stood, Pierrot spoke.

Pierrot: Her majesty the Tsaritsa had decreed as follows; I hereby pardon your crimes, and bestow upon you new names. Your title and the legacy of bloodshed are now yours to bear. From this way onwards, may your sword turn your enemies to ashes for your queen, you two-faced, wicked Captain. Your songs shall carry the screams and agony of anyone who goes against our way, with hate and no love left for humanity, my Balladeer. From now on, you will serve your majesty with utmost loyalty and devote your lives to her campaign.

Pulcinella: Both of you are granted new titles and codenames as the part of Fatui Harbingers, chosen suitably to your abilities. First of Harbingers, the commander of Fatui army Il Capitano Georgi, your name shall be Spavento.

Georgi: M-My lords… You are honoring me with such titles after what I’ve done?

Pierrot: It takes a greater strength to go against your ideals in order to protect your people. You served your majesty until the very end even though you had to draw your sword against your comrades. You proved your strength enough.

Pulcinella: And for you-

Tecmessa: Ah, no thanks. I don’t want it.

Arlecchino and Tartaglia slapped their faces synchronously on this idiot.

Pierrot: Can you explain why? Are you not satisfied with your number?

Pulcinella: You're pushing your luck too much for a traitor.

Tecmessa: Traitor? I was never a part of you guys anyway. Why should I join now? Your harbinger kidnapped me, tortured me for years, used me and almost killed me for several occasions. And most of them weren’t even necessary. There isn’t a reason for me to follow a depressed old woman who couldn’t get over her grief for centuries. Her pain is going to cost my family’s life. It already took someone special away from me. Why should I help you to kill the rest?

Pierrot: Is that your final decision?

Tecmessa: I’d rather break my other horn-

Tartaglia: She meant she is grateful and wants to continue to work with me.

Tecmessa: Ouch!

Tartaglia left the podium to get on her level, then grabbed her horn and pushed her head down.

Tartaglia: I think she wants to continue to work with me due to her attachment issues, right?

Tecmessa: I will bite your hand off, if you break this one too.

The doors had opened and familiar faces walked out all together.

Paimon: Finally it’s over. Oh… It’s nice to see you back again Tecmessa.

Tecmessa: You tried to kill me!

Paimon: Ok, ok! Calm down. You know it was unintentional.

Traveler: You are not dead though.

Tecmessa: You will be once I heal up.

Tartaglia: Ho! Ho! No need to be hostile. Surely we’ll all look back at this moment and laugh together.

Tecmess: Do I look like laughing to you?

Paimon: Who would feel happy after being taken to court anyway? Oh, almost forgot. How did it go? Are you guys in trouble?

Georgi: Not at all. In fact, we wouldn’t be in a better situation.

Tecmessa: Talk on your behalf.

Scapino, Balladeer. The Sixth Of the Eleven Fatui Harbingers

Paimon: Wow! You are promoted? Just like Knave here, huh? Tsaritsa must love those who kill her soldiers. Seriously, what’s her gain on this?

Arlecchino: Have you heard the saying, keep your friends close but your enemies closer? No one would dare to have such powerful enemies while she can control them to a degree. Though, I doubt anyone other than Childe can control our little imp friend here.

Tecmessa: What? We were getting along too. Are you jealous, Peruere? My interest shifted from you.

Arlecchino: Last time I remember you were acting like a rebellious teenager to avoid me. Guess your aging speed works the same for your maturity. Therefor I have no worries over a kid like you.

Tecmessa: Wha- I- Grrr!

Traveler: How old are you anyway?

Are you a fae or something else?

Tecmessa: Old enough to smack your but. No one knows where I came from or what I am since there isn’t another of me in this world. Neither do I remember after the amnesia… My memory is in pieces. I blame Fatui for that. Now that I even got promoted… When will this nightmare end?

Tartaglia: Come now. It’s not that bad. Now you’ll be freer on your agenda.

Tecmessa: That means now I must do both your paperwork and mine. And I hoped they would give me a raise…

Paimon: They don’t? Being a Harbinger sounds worse than you guys make it look like. Why are you doing his job anyway? Actually, you should ask Tartaglia to do yours. He is a senior afterall.

Tecmessa: That’s actually a great idea.

Tartaglia: Um…

Arlecchino: Being a Harbinger comes handy on different occasions. However, due to her reactions inside, Tecmessa is not given any facilities to control over. Pulcinella does not trust her well yet after her uprising. But I will talk to Pierrot and assign you to the Delusion Factory in Inazuma. The farther you are from the mainland, you’ll have more freedom and slowly cut your ties. Think of it a long term process of retirement.

Tecmessa: Oh great. Now I’m being Scaramouche. Give me a hat and a theme song too while on it.

Georgi: Who?

Tecmessa: A little man who is surprisingly shorter than you. Wish you two could meet again, then you wouldn’t worry about your height.

Paimon: Uh-oh!

Georgi: … !!!

Tartaglia: Um… We better leave now. Mom must be worried sick after I left without a warning. See you then.

Tartaglia grabbed Tecmessa and started to run. You followed right behind.

Georgi: I will catch you eventually! And shrink your bodies by folding you in two!

-Somewhere far away

Around the tea table at the outskirts of Mondstadt, a group of witches sit and chat. Young successor Scarlette serves everyone tea in their matching teacups.

Alice: I must say, you might be the best teacher in the world, Barbie. Our little Mona managed something none of us could even if we tried.

Barbeloth: Are you belittling my abilities behind empty praises? Hmph. That brat would have no idea where to look if I hadn't guided her.

Nicole: But isn’t this our purpose, to guide our successor so they could reveal the secrets of this world? I think you should give Little Mona more credits.

Octavia: It’s not an everyday job to record a missing constellation. We lost an important story from Teyvat’s chapters forever—one that has been passed down ever since the beginning of human history on this world.

Alice: To be honest, I’m still conflicted on allowing her to stay. Who would have thought that once she descended, she would be blessed by the first lover(snowmaiden) in history? If I knew she would have such an impact on our fate system, I would simply send her back to space.

Caelan: Come now aunt Alice. We know you wouldn't do such a thing. After all, she brought us one step closer to what we have been searching for.

Octavia: It’s still a shame… Such a great story will come to an end with Anastasia. I should talk to Mona and ask her to share her notes regarding the lost fate.

Scarlet: I’ve been listening this whole time, but may I ask what will happen to Tsaritsa?

Barbeloth: Nothing particular. The stars that have been holding her fate are not missing, they are just rearranged. Constellations are just recording passing the ambition and fate of previous generations to the new ones. Once it’s sealed, you cannot change it. You might encounter some choices in life, but those are mere illusions.

Alice: Little Banu was not supposed to be recorded by the fate system. Not until the first lover saved her life. After bringing the beginning of the story in our timeline, the story could not simply continue. That’s why it started to be erased slowly. Once it reaches Anastasia, the story of the Snowmaiden will disappear.

Nicole: Although we searched for someone to replace her, it was a temporary solution. For just a moment, that guy Ajax shared the story in order to rewrite hers. But once the constellation created its new form, everything went back to normal.

Octavia: To simply put, we have a new character introduced in the upcoming chapters. But the old ones remain.

Caelan: That makes me wonder. If fate can be broken, perhaps it can be healed too. Since Mona managed to record the old fate, then we can manipulate another constellation to recreate it.

Barbeloth: That would be blasphemy! Fates should not be messed around. Our purpose is to read the fate and control the mechanism. Intervening with the natural flow of this world would only lead to chaos. We can let this one slide to observe how a constellation becomes a threat in the future. But no one can dare to disrupt the course of fate. We’ve seen what happened to Gold. You were young, Caelen. But you must remember it as well.

Caelen: I’m just talking hypothetically. Changing one’s fate requires more energy than you can calculate. But what if we created an artificial constellation? A fate that has not been designated to anyone. Only we can choose who to grant it and how to shape it. I found M’s letters sent to Octavia before her passing. Would you like to fill us in?

Octavis: Readers should know where to draw the line between fantasy and reality. If you get lost in the fantasy world, you will forget the capabilities of your existence.

Caelan: Was your Wonderland also a fantasy? Or was it a prototype that got leaked to our world? I think it’s worth giving it a shot.

Alice: I believe we should change to a more pleasant topic. Oh! Who wants some music? Why don’t we invite a great bard to cheer us up?

Caelen: That would be a wonderful idea, Aunt Alice.

Barbeloth: Young boy, please get those ominous thoughts out of your head.

Caelen: I might as well…

P.S: Thank you everyone who red through my story. I really enjoyed writing them. Although the name of the sword constantly changed, here’s a concept art for both of my main characters and the Misteteletienn Sword🌹⚔️ But that doesn’t mean the story ended! Next, I’ll be back with my dearest twink uncle 🩵 until then bye bye 👋

-Take a stroll around the city.

Paimon: Hey, look! It’s Childe. Shall we go say hi? Hmm… He seems busy though. Who was the other guy he talked to? 

Childe: Ha? Are my eyes deceiving me? Isn’t my favorite sparing buddy and little food vacuum?

Paimon: Hey! Only Paimon can give funny nicknames to others!

Childe: Haha! Ok ok, that’s a bad habit of mine that recently occurred after returning home. It’s been so long since last time hanging out with my sibling, now we make sure to make better use of it. Tonia has been picking up with me over the smallest issues, I had to learn to fight back. 

Paimon: Don’t tell Paimon you are losing against a little girl.

Childe: What’s wrong with that? She has always been like this. A tongue sharper than blade can wound the mightiest of the warriors. My biggest concern is that she might want to become a politician one day like Rooster. Then who knows what would she do to me. Just thinking about it gives me shivers.

Paimon: By the way, wasn’t that Sergey just now? Did Georgi and others return?

Childe: Huh? How do you know them? Don’t tell me you plan to replace me. Is it because of the rumors? Just so you know, he might be strong, but I’m still his superior. 

Paimon: What rumors? We met him during their expedition. They were in huge trouble. 

Childe: Really? He must be quite fond of you then. Georgi never forgets good deeds.

Traveler: So, what’s the rumor?

Childe: hmph. He is quite feared among soldiers and praised by Capitano. His strength is admirable. The first day he joined the troop, he was challenged by a more intimidating opponent. It was an unauthorized duel, and can be charged with harsh punishments. However, after hearing that Georgi almost killed the challenger, Capitano raised him in ranks and made him his right hand. 

Paimon: W-What? Georgi is indeed quite harsh, but certainly not that much, right?

Childe: I don’t know what happened then. Those are just rumors carried around way before I joined Fatui. He is much older than me, so I certainly can’t know what happened that time. I doubt I was even born. Not like I’m jealous or anything, but it bothers me every time I challenge him, he turns me down. Sigh. Such opportunities are quite hard to come by. And he rejects me so easily makes me wanna ask him more. I’d like to test his strength first hand.

Paimon: Actually, we saw him fighting before.

Cilde: WHAT!?

You tell him your small adventure with Georgi.

Childe: Huh… So that’s how it went.

Paimon: He didn’t say much, but once we separated our ways, all our contacts were cut. Seeing Sergey made us wonder if he returned as well. 

Childe: …

Traveler: Is something wrong?

               Did something happen?

Childe: Well, I’m not sure how to put that in words… Follow me. I don’t want anyone else to eavesdrop. 

You follow Childe to an isolated road after making sure that no one’s spying on you.

Childe: Here should be fine.

Paimon: What’s going on? It’s not like to be serious.

Childe: Come now, do I give an unserious impression from there? The truth is, the situation is more dire than you think. I’m not supposed to tell you about this but you are my friends. And right now, I can’t trust anyone more. 

Traveler: Is it about Kitezh?

  Is it about the Celestial Nail?

Childe: You are correct. You’ve seen what’s in there, right? But presumably, Georgi didn’t inform you with the whole story. The thing is, we are slowly getting closer to the first stages of Project Stuzha. However, there are things to be taken care of first. The Tsaritsa has been more and more stressed as we move forward. Have you ever heard of Mistilteinn Fragment? 

Paimon: What’s that? Paimon never heard such a thing.

Childe: It’s a legendary sword that disappeared thousands of years ago. It belonged to a hero king inlaid on his tomb. The legend says that whoever tries to pull the sword would be cursed to become a dead walker. However, Pierrot had a different story. According to his intels, this sword was nothing other than the Celestial Nail itself and someone mixed up the stories as time went on. However, some parts indeed align. For example, due to the abyssal exposure on the nail fragments, it does bring the dead back to life as a mindless zombie. That's probably what you’ve witnessed in the camp.

Paimon: Yeah, we identified all the pieces with Georgi. Each of them had a weird gravitation on the Wild Hunt as they were allured to it.

Childe: That’s because of another story. You sure know the god of Kitezh, God of Refraction Luchezar. Apparently he found a way to stop and break the Celestial Nail. This incident is the only example of a nail being destroyed by a god, weaker than the Heavenly Principles.

Paimon: Did Paimon hear this right? You said that a god broke a celestial nail just like that? Is that even possible? It cost Zibai her life, how come this god managed to stop it?

Childe: What’s what we are also looking for. Your Majesty has been restless, worried about the possible war and its effects on her people. That’s why she’s been searching for a solution to protect them. Once Pierrot came to her with this story, she sent all of her units to search for the shield Luchezar used. That’s why Georgi took his men to find Kitezh. What you’ve seen was not only the pieces of the nail but it was multiple things merged together and can be a hint of a divine shield. 

Paimon: So you are saying that Tsaritsa is looking for a shield in case a nail falls onto you? But didn’t Luchezar die while protecting his people?

Childe: Finding and improving that infamous shield is our job. Georgi had finished the first step of the project. Now it’s time for us to revisit the site and retrieve the pieces.

Paimon: Who are they going to send? That place is crawled by abyssal monsters. Besides, the corruption in the area messes with people’s minds. We saw how it affected Georgi. Even he couldn’t handle it.

Traveler: Don’t tell me you plan to leave. 

Childe: It’s not my decision. There aren’t many soldiers who can handle abyss' environment. As you know I’ve been there for a very long time as a kid. Right now my body is highly immune to its effects. So it’s the best. 

Paimon: Can’t they send someone else? You are still a human.

Childe: Well, there was another person, but I don’t want her to risk herself. Beside the hallucinations, you have to fight against the Wild Hunt.

Paimon: (If Wanderer was still part of the Fatui, they’d probably send him instead.)

Traveler: And what help do you need exactly?

Childe: That's exactly what I wanted to hear. You are always a good hand comrade. Well, as much as I’m excited to see the domain and test my skills, I can’t possibly take every piece all by myself. We need an escape route for the transport team. Usually, this was assigned to another soldier, but she lost her life during the raid. 

Paimon: You mean Fevroniya? Poor girl was in such pain.

Childe: Precisely. Her job was to go with the expedition team and mark the important locations. But instead, you were there. You should know the map for Kitezh. So may I ask you to go to my office and help Tecmessa with the map? She has an outdated copy, that’s why there is no way that she can guess it right. 

Paimon: Who’s Tecmessa?

Childe: She’s my secretary and my friend. She should be at my office right now. I trust her more than anyone, she’ll fill you in with the details. But don’t forget this is very confidential, you cannot tell anyone about this. If anyone finds out outsiders got involved, then we are all doomed.

Paimon: Don’t be so dramatic. Not a single soul will know we are there, don’t worry. 

Traveler: How do we know it’s her?

Childe: She has massive horns over her head, you can’t possibly miss her.

-Go to Tartaglia’s office 

Paimon: It’s so dark, Paimon can’t see anything. Don’t trip over the obstacles, we should be silent and not alarm the guards. Hmm… This should be the door. But be careful, someone might be inside.

You slowly enter the dark room lit only from the small window at the corner. You noticed a tall figure searching through the papers and documents hidden in Childe’s drawers. From her sneaky moves, you suspected her to be an intruder.

Paimon: Who goes there?

???: Hm? You are here already? 

She stands up from her position without looking back.

Paimon: What are you doing here?

???: It should be somewhere here…

Paimon: You’d better answer us, otherwise we are experts at interrogating bad guys.

???: Can you be quiet? You’ll alarm the whole building.

You draw your sword without hesitation but before being able to act, you are slammed to the wall out of the room. With a loud noise, the side of the building where you were located shook like an earthquake. Your view was completely obscured by the dust that kicked up, but you could hear approaching footsteps. When the dust cleared, the horned girl inside was standing right in front of you, pointing her bow at you with an accumulating electro power -made your face lit with its light. Just then, Childe came running towards you in worry. 

Childe: Calm down, it’s them.

The girl lowered her bow without cutting eye contact.

Childe: Traveler, this is Tecmessa. 

Paimon: What was that for? Were you trying to kill us?

Tecmessa: You drew your sword first. I assumed you were spies.

Paimon: Why would we do such a thing?

Tecmessa: Shall I list alphabetically or chronologically? 

Paimon: We had reasons to stop Fatui from scheming around.

Tecmessa: Destroying cargo of soldiers in the wilderness, stealing relics and confidential reports from Fatui facilities, beating the expedition teams in Dragonspine, cutting the escape routes for the troops in Chasm, breaking in the delusion factory and harming our researchers, destroying multiple camps all around Teyvat, deliberate damage to diplomatic property multiple times, attacking and killing retired soldiers in Sumeru and Liyue, disrupting the communication web in Fontaine, harming my boss on multiple occasions, causing the death and disappearance of three harbingers!

Paimon: Gee, are we this hated?

Tecmessa: You are wanted criminals!

Paimon: Ok, ok! You have a point. We are sorry. 

Childe: Who is the third one?

Tecmessa: sigh, never mind. 

Traveler: Nice to meet you Tecmessa.

              We finally met, but not in a good way.

Tecmessa: Yeah… W-Why are you here anyway? Aren’t you supposed to be with your siblings?

Childe: Me? Oh, well. Sergey told me Rooster was at my house. It was risky to return while sneaking behind him. What if someone hears about the plan, and to my surprise, I was right to tag along.

Paimon: So you didn’t trust us? Tch tch!

Childe: Of course that’s not the case. You know I have full confidence in you.

Tecmessa: That’s the confidence? Heh, they are trustworthy for sure.

Childe: You could react calmly as well.

Tecmessa: How am I supposed to know they weren’t enemies when s/he tried to stab me? It was dark anyway.

Childe: You know them very well, don’t play stupid.

Tecmessa: Hmph!

Paimon: If we cleared the misunderstanding, can we get inside before someone arrives?

You entered the room after Tecmessa cleaned around at super speed which left you in awe.

Paimon: Now, where is the map? We’d better start to work while our memories are fresh.

Tecmessa: You told them?

Childe: I had no choice. If we’re going to send our men inside, we should be prepared. Your Majesty is already in a terrible mood. I don’t want to deal with another tantrum.

Paimon: What happened to her? Don’t tell Paimon she is worried about the consequences of her actions for attacking Heavenly Principles and trying to resurrect a descender.

Tecmessa: Exactly! The audacity to be mad at someone she threatened. Such a-

Childe: Hold up! She is your Archon too.

Tecmessa: More like a captor.

Childe: Hey, if you joined Fatui, you know what comes after.

Tecmessa: Oh, sorry my lord. I should have thought carefully when a crazy woman kidnapped me as a kid and sent to Dottore in a world where I didn't know its language. You are soooo right.

Childe: Maybe you should retire early then. But you know you can’t. Then act like you are grateful to your majesty for keeping you close.

Tecmessa: One day I’ll break free and you won’t hear about me again. I’m begging for that day to come soon.

Childe: To who? I didn’t know you lunatics would pray.

Paimon: (This is awkward.)

Traveler: You two seem like close friends

               Can I take a look at the map now?

Tecmessa throws the map at you.

Tecmessa: How much do you know?

Paimon: Um… A quick recap would be great actually.

Tecmessa: groan! I want a raise.

Childe: And I thought a vacation to Natlan’s springs would be favorable. But if you insist.

Tecmessa: Vacation it is! Now listen up. I’ll explain it only once.

Childe: Make sure they understand.

Paimon: Look at how her mood changes.

Tecmessa: Domain of Kitezh is sealed and surveilled for the past few days. To enter there, we’ll use a different road. This one connects directly to Golden Path. 

Paimon: Paimon remembers it. It was around here.

Tecmessa: There is a small passage that appeared after Commander Georgi caused a shake there. No map or adventurer could detect its position up until now. This will be our chance. The gate is wide enough to pass through the pieces we are looking for.

Paimon: But how we’ll we know Wild Hunt won’t follow us?

Tecmessa: Good question. We managed to detect their position from outside.

Paimon: How?

Tecmessa: A provider from Sumeru created a device called “radar”. It helps us to find the positions of moving objects from afar by using waves.

Paimon: Woow! That sounds so cool.

Tecmessa: You can say that the enemy is mainly gathered around those certain points. However, they are constantly changing positions. 

Paimon: Including the main gate.

Tecmessa: What we don’t know is the position of the fragments. Can you point them on the map?

After your adventure into the domain with Georgi, you mark the 4 pieces.

Tecmessa: Hm…

Paimon: What’s wrong? Is it not right?

Tecmessa: No, it’s just… Those marks are aligned with the enemy locations. Is there a reason for that?

Childe: Let me fill you in. Based on the newest information, the god of Kitezh failed to stop the nail fully. Apparently, after his death, his body has emerged with the nail fragments. Each piece once falling allowed abyss to emerge to the surface through leylines and contaminate them. Apparently, the abyss has been feeding on the god remnants this whole time and searching for more. What has stopped the nail on the other hand is unknown. It can be anything at this point. Pantolone insists that it is related to the Mistilteen Sword. If such a powerful sword exists, then we should find it before anyone else. 

Paimon: But we didn’t see anything similar to a sword. Where can we find it anyway? What if that sword doesn’t even exist?

Tecmessa: If we can reach the ley lines, we can read the full story. 

Childe: There is a weird phenomenon occurring in Kitezh. The past, present, and the future are all happening at the same time. 

Paimon: What did you say? All three timelines occurring all together? 

Childe: Arlecchino calls it a glitch in the system, while Pierrot suspects the unstable ley lines. The past events reoccur as the time goes on. 

Traveler: That must be the song we heard.

               That must be the text we’ve seen.

Childe: So you noticed too.

Tecmessa: If that’s true, then somewhere in Kitezh, a nail is being constantly destroyed by Millisteinn Sword, or whatever that weapon is. At this point I assume it’s a type of bazooka. The main plan was to use the merged energy in those pieces to create a shield against Celestial Nail. However, finding that sword can also help us to stop the nail. To find that, I assume we should go deeper. 

Paimon: How deep? Paimon noticed how much pain Georgi was in. If a human enters that domain, their mind can’t handle the pressure. Even if they send Childe, going deeper will eventually break you too. We are not talking about pure abyss like the one you trained or fought Narwhal. 

Childe: Someone should eventually go, right? And who else is more suitable than me?

Tecmessa: If we knew where Scaramouche disappeared…

Childe: Who is that guy anyway? You keep telling his name. I’m getting jealous.

Paimon: Wait. How do you remember him? Didn’t he erase his memories from Irmunsil? Surely he didn’t miss a person.

Tecmessa: He what?

You explain what happened to Wanderer and how it didn’t affect you unlike others.

Tecmessa: Really? Interesting.

Childe: Hold on! You are telling me we had such a guy as our comrade? Why am I affected by this?

Tecmessa: Traveler, you said you are not from this world. That’s why leylines do not affect you or your memories. Is there anyone else who is like you?

Traveler: Skirk is an alien too.

               Descendants of this world are all similar.

Tecmessa: …

Paimon: Paimon started to connect the dots now. Tecmessa still remembers Wanderer, because she doesn’t have any connection with the leylines. That’s because she is not from this world. So that means she must be a descender too. 

Childe: I never thought of this possibility. My father always called-

Tecmessa: An abyssal monster. Thanks for reminding.

Paimon: Just because she is from another planet doesn’t mean she is a monster. 

Childe: That’s because of something else.

Tecmessa: Abyss does not affect me. In fact, I feel much healthier in the abyss.

Traveler: So he was talking about you.

  You are the one who can go to his place.

Childe: But she will not! It’s too dangerous. Besides, we need her here. 

Tecmessa: … Ok.

Paimon: Paimon thought you would fight back a little. You are easy to compromise. 

Childe: We talked about this before. She knows she is not allowed to go for an abyss mission alone. End of discussion.

Tecmessa: … I suggest finishing the expedition in one go. Our troops will reach the leyline by using this entrance. Another team will distract the enemy and corner them. Traveler, did you notice any structure that can be used as a trap?

Paimon: Oh, that’s right. Paimon noticed many broken houses as if they were shaped as a labyrinth. There was a mechanic that could lock certain creatures inside. It should be around here. 

Tecmessa: Perfect. Now I can see the map clearly. If Aj- I mean Young Lord will continue deeper alone, we need to find the exact location the incident took place. After that, he is all alone. 

Paimon: Paimon still thinks you should take a harbinger with you. Oh, what about Knave? She is also immune to abyss, coming from the Crimson Moon Dynasty. She can use the power of the abyss. Or we can call a friend from another nation. 

Traveler: What about Dvalin?

               We can still call Wanderer.

Paimon: Hmm… It can work but Paimon doesn’t think he will arrive on time.

Childe: I’ll be fine. Everyone has faith in me. I can’t look like a coward and drag someone else. If you have doubts, then so be it. When I return with the legendary sword, I’d like to see the look on your faces. How about a duel to test its skills? Who else is more suitable to try one of the strongest swords in existence?

Traveler: You shouldn’t be reckless.

              Bring it on. I can defeat you with any sword.

Tecmessa: Don’t even think about it. Pierrot and others will be waiting outside. Traveler can’t get any closer to the domain. Otherwise they’ll arrest her/him right there. 

Paimon: So we are done here. Paimon doesn’t support Fatui’s action in a bit, but as long as you guys are safe, we’ll be there to help.

Childe: I knew I could trust you comrades. Thank you. I owe you a lot. Not as a harbinger but as Ajax. This is bigger than the sides. If war is inevitable, then we should be prepared and protect the innocents at all costs. My family will be affected by the war as well. For any chances to keep them safe, I’m willing to sacrifice all. 

Traveler: Family’s safety is more important than anything.

               As long as I can make your wish come true, I count my wish is also granted.

Childe: Woh! Thank you comrade. 

Tecmessa: Are they talking in a secret code?

Paimon: That’s a long story, but both have a soft spot for their siblings.

Childe: Speaking of, why don’t you come visit my siblings? Teucer was so excited ever since you arrived at Snezhnaya. We can go ice fishing while you tell them about your stories. But we have to keep my dad at home.

Tecmessa: He’s not fond of adventure stories anymore.

Paimon: Makes sense. Ever since Ajax over here gets in trouble and puts himself in deadly situations, his dad surely must be having heart attacks.

Childe sheepishly smiles.

Childe: Tonia told me they were going to visit the festival preparations at the plaza. We can meet them there.

Paimon: Festival? We are right on time once again. We love festivals!

Tecmessa: Not from the front door. You two will follow me. 

Paimon: Oh, that’s right. The wall.

Childe: Then, see you at the plaza.

-Follow Tecmessa to the festival area

Paimon: Look at that! It’s already so lively that Paimon can feel the festival spirit. What is this festival about anyway?

Tecmessa: Do I look like a tour guide?

Paimon: What’s the attitude? Is it wrong to not know what’s happening?

Tecmessa: No, I just don’t wanna talk to you.

Paimon: Huh?

Traveler: Did we do something wrong?

Tecmessa: Should I count them once again?

Paimon: Oh, you are mad because of the past incident. But, you know you guys are the bad guys.

Tecmessa: To who? Just because my ideals don’t match yours doesn't make me a villain. From our perspective, you are the troublemaker who always gets in our way and hurts us. You are the worst. 

Paimon: You are quick to judge. We are friends with many Fatui, including harbingers. 

Tecmessa: Does that make any changes that you are bad. You stop us for what reason? Because someone told you so? You consider us evil even when we don’t do anything. Were people in Chasm bad too? Young kids who died to protect Fontainians? Anyone you see here who gathers to celebrate a festival? Would you beat them as well if you were threatened by them? 

Paimon: It’s not the same thing! You’ve done more damage than any good deed. Including your boss, you almost destroyed nations.

Traveler: You are stealing seven gnosis.

Tecmessa: Choosing a group of sociopaths as our leaders was not our decision. That woman is screwed up. Her methods are questionable, sure. But that doesn’t give you the right to bully every Fatuus you see. 

Paimon: Um… Won’t you protect Tsaritsa?

Tecmessa: I hate her. There is only one single person I can handle, and it’s-

Traveler: Number Eleven of the Fatui harbingers Tartaglia.

  Ajax the Great Warrior, the conqueror of All-Devouring Narwhal.

Tecmessa: Arlecchino?

Paimon: Shoot, we were wrong again.

Tecmessa: Really, she is my old friend. And might be the only reasonable one among the twelve. Ajax on the other hand is… A headache. Sometimes I feel like his babysitter, but in a good way.

Paimon: Oh, we can see that. Calling your boss by his real name in public so openly and mocking him without fear, you must feel quite comfortable around him.

Traveler: :)

Tecmessa: Ha, ha. Funny. Are you the Archon of Clowns? 

Paimon: Jokes aside, we might start with a bad impression. Why don’t we try again and be friends. You know what they say, friend of my friend is my friend.

Tecmessa: It’s enemy of my enemy is my friend.

Paimon: Well, um… Still the point stands. So, why don’t you show us around? Meanwhile we can try to understand what the celebration is for. 

-Follow Tecmessa into the decorated square.

Whole place was decorated beautifully. Each house was covered with colorful flags and nice smelling flowers of kinds. Some from Sumeru, some special to Mondstadt… Locals had harmonized Teyvat’s flowers all together with decorations. Roads and patios were marked by candles of different shapes and lengths, aligned so perfectly that makes you follow the way they point. 

Paimon: Decorations are so beautiful. They really put lots of effort onto them for sure. Where are the candles leading?

Tecmessa: It’s for the souls coming down from the stars.

Paimon: Souls? You mean, ghosts?

Tecmessa: In a way. Town’s people believe that their deceased relatives reside in the stars after leaving this world. Once a year, they descend on earth to check on us. If we live a good life, their soul ca return in peace.

Paimon: If you don’t?

Tecmessa: They are stuck here until you fix it. Your bad lifestyle can curse their soul and seal them away from the heaven.

Paimon: So you use the candles to guide them back?

Tecmessa: Wow, you are right actually. Was it hard for you to think?

Paimon: We are supposed to get along, remember?

As you pass by, you witness a kid with painted face getting scolded in front of her grandmother by her mom.

Mom: How many times I’ve told you? Don’t leave your grandma alone! Tonight she needs us more.

Kid: I-I’m sorry. But plates were disorganized. How will our ancestors feast if I don’t-?

Mom: That’s our last concern. Please call me next time.

Grandma: It’s alright dear. She is still learning. This will be her second Dziady since she returned from Nod-Krai with her father. Patience is what keeps us together. I’m not afraid of any souls kidnapping me tonight as long as my little snowflake is with me.

Mom: But mom-

Grandma: It’s alright my dear. You focus on your work. Me and my snowflake will continue to light the candles for your father. To be honest I missed him so much, I wish I could see him tonight from the otherworld…

Mom: Don’t say that…

You could hear Paimon’s stomach rumbling every time you pass next to a table full of delicious foods.

Paimon: Paimon can’t help her stomach. All these foods look delicious. Can we stop at a restaurant or anywhere that we can have some local food? 

Tecmessa: If you can hold on a few more minutes, we can go to Baba Yaga’s Cottage with others.

Paimon: The name sounds impressive. Paimon’s sure that the food will be as chic as the name.

While you were looking around nonchalant, a boy with a scary mask jumps in and yells at your face to scare you.

Paimon: AAAAH! A GHOST!

Peribora: Tuecer! How many times do I have to tell you not to scream!? We are at the Dziady night, have some respect for the souls!

Teucer: It’s the Traveler and Paimon! They are my brother’s friends. Oh! Big sis Banu is here too! Welcome everyone. It’s nice to see you all together. This will be the best Dziady night of all! 

Paimon: Teucer! Nice to see you too. Paimon couldn’t recognize you behind the mask.

Traveler: How has it been since we last met?

  Is that a Mr. Cyclops mask?

Teucer: Yes, my brother made that for me. With Mr. Cyclops around, no evil souls will dare to kidnap good souls.

Peribora: Oh my, is that the famous Traveler we’ve been hearing about? It’s a pleasure to meet you. My son keeps writing about you in his letters. Banu dear, why didn’t you tell me? I didn’t prepare anything for our guests.

Tecmessa: It’s ok mama Peribora. They arrived just today. We also didn’t have any idea.

Paimon: Mama Peribora… Wait, are you Childe’s mother? I-It’s nice to meet you ma’am. Big boss… The boss of the Young Lord… Gee, Paimon’s getting nervous.

Traveler: I thought you were his sister.

  Sorry for beating your son occasionally.

Peribora: Oh my, oh my. No need to be nervous, you are always welcomed. Ajax mentioned you before. We are so fond of your stories. Little Teucer and Anthon had been loving your adventures so much they wanted to join the Adventurers Guild as well. It took us days to change their minds.

Paimon: We are sorry about that. 

Peribora: It’s quite alright. We are so happy to finally meet you. 

Tecmessa: Where are others? 

Peribora: Anya took her kids to her mother-in-laws. They insisted on spending the night together. Can you believe that old witch didn’t invite any of us?

Tecmessa: Is… it because of me?

Peribora: Ah, no dear. That old hag has been like this ever since the wedding day. She is jealous that my beautiful Anya bothered to marry her good-for-nothing son and bear two kids. If it wasn’t for Yarisei and Filen…

Teucer: Anthon and Tonia are with Arseny at home. Tonia said that she’s preparing a huge meal tonight. So we are here to get her the ingredients.

Paimon: Are you helping your sister? That’s great Teucer.

Teucer: Ehehe, thank you.

Peribora: Please don’t spoil him. Ajax had already caused enough trouble. I’m too old for another one.