The screen shifted. This time, it was a sorrowful Nahida who opened her eyes. The background was filled with gray, and her voice carried pain and sadness.
"The flower carriage rocks to and fro, and Nahida opens her eyes."
The background suddenly shifted, becoming blood-red and desolate. A small, frail Nahida awoke in this ruined land. The sages of the Akademiya discovered her and, without explanation, seized her and dragged her away. In Nahida's eyes, there was only confusion.
[Paimon: Desolate, ruined... Where is this place?]
[Zhongli: The blood-red sky is familiar. This is not long after the Cataclysm in Khaenri'ah. This scene is not from the future but from the past. After Greater Lord Rukkhadevata sacrificed herself to purge forbidden knowledge, Lesser Lord Kusanali was born.]
[Paimon: So this scene is not Nahida celebrating her birthday, but the day she was born.]
[Zhongli: Generally speaking, that should be the case.]
[Nahida: Yes. I was born on that day.]
[Ningguang: The flower carriage in the second scene was even simpler than the first. Could the sequence of the video be playing in reverse, moving from the future back to the past?]
[Yae Miko: Based on what we have seen, that seems to be the case.]
"In her dreams, the Knight of Flowers and his attendants discovered her."
"Oh Archon, we have finally found you. Everyone is looking forward to meeting you."
In the video, Nahida was pulled into the Akademiya. The onlookers stood by with blank expressions.
The scene shifted. Nahida was imprisoned in a cage, reaching out helplessly.
"The Sabzeruz Festival has begun. People gathered around her, spinning joyfully in circles."
"Until Nahida boarded the flower carriage, waving goodbye to everyone."
The scene shifted again.
Nahida opened her eyes, her body enveloped in green energy. As the view zoomed out, the full picture emerged. The green energy was a cage.
"The flower carriage rocks to and fro, and Nahida opens her eyes."
"She said, 'Nahida's birthday is today.'"
"Happy birthday, Nahida..."
The screen went black.
[Paimon: Nahida... was imprisoned?]
[Nahida: Yes. It has been five hundred years. But it is not so bad. After all, Ei spent five hundred years in seclusion within the Plane of Euthymia.]
[Lumine: But you were imprisoned right after you were born. You have not yet seen the beauty of this world.]
[Nahida: I have seen it. Through the livestream.]
[Lumine: Why... why did this happen? You could have resisted.]
[Nahida: As a newly born deity, I did not have Greater Lord Rukkhadevata's power or wisdom. I suppose I was... unwanted.]
[Candace: That night, Aaru Village experienced a powerful earthquake. Houses were on the verge of collapse. At that time, a mad scholar crouched in a corner, pressing his hands to the earth. A faint green light emanated from him. No matter how strong the earthquake was that night, not a single house in Aaru Village collapsed, and there were no casualties. Was it you who helped us, Dendro Archon?]
[Nahida: I am very sorry. I am far from being able to do that. My power is too weak to calm the earthquake. Protecting the houses alone already exhausted my strength.]
[Lumine: Nahida, have you been all alone this whole time?]
[Nahida: No. I have all of you. Chatting with everyone through the livestream during this time feels as if you are all by my side.]
[Paimon: Let us go rescue Nahida. Zhongli, will you help us?]
[Zhongli: I am no longer the Geo Archon; I am merely an ordinary person. But I can offer my assistance as an ordinary person.]
[Venti: Ehe, I am no longer the Anemo Archon either, just a street performer. I can help too.]
[Yae Miko: I have been wanting to travel as well.]
[Tartaglia: A great battle against the Akademiya? Fighting. Excellent!]
[Paimon: Nahida, once we rescue you, we will celebrate a proper birthday for you.]
[Ningguang: I think I understand the content of the livestream now. The first scene was from the future. Nahida has been rescued and is the beloved Dendro Archon of Sumeru. The second scene also took place in the future. It showed Lumine and Paimon rescuing Nahida. The people around them in that scene were likely those who helped rescue her. That was Nahida's first birthday. There was not enough time to prepare, so the flower carriage was somewhat simple. The third scene was the day Nahida was born.]
[Nahida: So the first scene was my future birthday? It is truly beautiful.]