Blue Planet — Villa
After a brief pause, Luo Chen continued.
"Rukkhadevata's final plan was simple in theory — unite humanity's wisdom."
"Then use that collective intelligence to counter the catastrophe."
"To do that, she created a system called the Akasha."
"The Akasha Terminals used in Sumeru today are merely tools developed by the Akademiya based on her original design."
"With the Akasha system in place, she successfully unified human knowledge."
"And then— she gave everything she had."
"Human wisdom plus divine power."
"Together, they nearly purged all Abyssal corruption from Irminsul."
He paused slightly.
"But this time… she was not as fortunate as she had been thousands of years ago."
"Back then, she merely exhausted her strength and became childlike."
"But this time, she was infected by forbidden knowledge."
"And like King Deshret…"
"She fell."
Sumeru's disaster neared its end soon after.
With the help of the Forest King, the Aranara, the Akademiya, and even some surviving Khaenri'ahns—
The calamity was finally quelled.
But the cost was devastating.
The Forest King was gone.
Countless lives were lost.
And most importantly—
They lost their god.
Greater Lord Rukkhadevata.
A second Dendro Archon was found.
Nahida.
But under the pretext of "protection,"
The Akademiya locked her away inside the Sanctuary of Surasthana.
Five hundred years passed.
Until the arrival of the Traveler changed everything.
With Lumine and her allies' help—
Nahida stepped out of her cage.
She resolved the lingering forbidden knowledge.
She fulfilled the promise to Apep.
And Sumeru entered a new era.
Chat Reaction
"…That's it?"
The chat exploded.
The ancient history was detailed.
The Cataclysm was detailed.
But Nahida's era—
Glossed over.
Suspiciously brief.
Just like Inazuma before its turning point.
Which meant—
Something major was coming.
Blue Planet — Villa
Luo Chen sighed softly.
"In previous evaluations, I described Morax and Beelzebul with the word 'tragic.'"
"But for Nahida—"
"I use a different word."
"Miserable."
"One word difference."
"A world apart."
He continued.
"Formal evaluation, item two—"
"Misery."
"Misery One: A Bird in a Cage."
The Bird in the Cage
Five hundred years ago—
After Rukkhadevata's fall—
The sages found a newborn god in the rainforest.
They brought her back.
Named her Lesser Lord Kusanali.
At first, they were hopeful.
She resembled the child-form Rukkhadevata.
She was the new God of Wisdom.
They expected brilliance.
But they soon realized—
She was… just a child.
No vast divine knowledge.
No inherited omniscience.
Just innocence.
In that moment—
They accepted that Rukkhadevata was truly gone.
And so—
Under the name of "protection,"
They confined Nahida to the Sanctuary of Surasthana.
They used her Gnosis to maintain the Akasha.
She had the title of Archon—
But none of the authority.
None of the strength.
And gradually—
Through deliberate suppression—
She disappeared from public memory.
Thus—
A god became a caged bird.
An image appeared.
Small figure.
Green light.
Golden cage-like architecture.
Lonely.
Five Hundred Years of Solitude
She liked games.
The Akademiya did not indulge her.
So she requested wood and tools.
Built her own toys.
Played alone.
And after brief happiness—
Loneliness returned.
The toys were stored away.
Then—
Using knowledge drawn from the Akasha—
She built a dream.
In it—
There were Dusk Birds soaring the sky.
Shroomboars sleeping underwater.
White radishes growing on apple trees.
Crystalflies with mismatched wings.
A whimsical paradise.
A child's world.
In that tiny private sanctuary—
She was happy.
But what is a dream—
If not an escape from unbearable reality?
If she had not been lonely—
Would she have needed to create it?
It was because of that loneliness—
That she cherished Lumine and Paimon so deeply.
Not merely because they freed her.
But because—
They were her only true friends.
Kamisato Estate
Lumine's hands clenched.
She had known Nahida was imprisoned.
But now—
She understood what five hundred years truly meant.
No conversation.
No companionship.
Just a child alone in a gilded cage.
Rage flared again.
The Akademiya.
Unforgivable.
Paimon stomped.
"If we can't beat them, we can at least keep her company!"
Lumine's eyes lit up.
"Yes."
"And we don't even need to bring food."
She patted her chest proudly.
"I have the Gourmet Supremos Tablecloth."
Moments later—
Using the Anywhere Door—
They appeared before Nahida.
The little Archon stared in shock as a door materialized within the green barrier.
Lumine stepped out smiling.
"Surprise~!"
"You won't be lonely anymore."
Nahida's lips trembled.
Tears fell.
Not from sadness.
But from warmth.
"Lumine… Paimon…"
Behind them, Ayaka quietly closed the door and left them to their reunion.
For the first time—
The Sanctuary echoed with laughter.
Fontaine
Furina watched in silence.
Five hundred years in isolation.
Five hundred years of performance.
Different cages.
Same loneliness.
Neuvillette noticed her expression.
"We should visit Sumeru more often."
"And invite her here."
Furina smiled.
"…Yes."
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