Lora: "?"
Why was Apep cursing gods now? "Presumptuous water"? As if she had chosen to be presumptuous.
Apep continued, "Amid this boundless yellow sand, neither water nor grass can exist. You cannot survive here."
"Apep, we came to save you!" Nahida called out to Apep, who was hidden within the yellow sand.
"I do not need saving, least of all from you. Buer, Egeria!"
Apep's voice grew colder as she said icily, "You are no different from Amon. You have existed for only the briefest moment, yet you rely on the glory of the heavens and proclaim yourselves lords of the earth. And you, Egeria, usurped the Source of Life and seized the Primordial Sea! You prevented the birth of the Hydro Dragon..."
After hearing Apep's words, Lora nodded and said, "Yes, yes, yes... It's my fault. I confess. I shouldn't have become the Heart of the Primordial Sea, I shouldn't have usurped the Source of Life, and I shouldn't have made the Hydro Dragon Sovereign work for me... Ah, no, the Hydro Dragon Sovereign works for my daughter..."
"You..." Apep was momentarily stunned by how readily Lora admitted guilt, then by the muttering that followed.
Standing behind Lora, Nahida said to Apep, "Apep, I know you hate gods, especially gods like Lora and me. But you are already very weak. Why not set that hatred aside for now? With Lora and me here, you can be properly treated."
"Set it aside for now?" Hearing Nahida's words, Apep sounded as if she had heard the joke of the century. In a low voice, she said, "Foolish Buer... Even if you cure me, I will not thank you! By doing this, you are personally reviving the dragon that will destroy Sumeru and the Seven Nations!"
"You're just sick," Nahida said quietly.
"And seriously sick at that," Lora added.
Apep gave a cold snort. "That's right. Time brings all things to an incurable end. Though I am gravely ill, my mind remains clear. I am not like those ancient dragons who compromised with you! Especially the one from Fontaine!"
"Should I call him over?" Lora asked.
Apep: "..."
Nahida said to Apep, "There is no need for things to reach that point. What we need is not confrontation, but the truth."
"Hmph... The truth? That is the shackle from which even the God of Wisdom cannot escape..." Hearing Nahida's words, Apep snorted with disdain. She looked at Nahida and said, "I have already paid a terrible price for the truth. Sooner or later, you will too..."
After saying that, her figure once again disappeared into the wind and sand, vanishing without a trace.
Watching Apep retreat into the depths of the desert, Lora and Nahida both sighed helplessly. The great Dragon Sovereign who had once ruled the entire rainforest had now lost her emerald form and kept company with endless yellow sand.
Even so, Apep must still long for the vitality that once filled Sumeru's lands.
"Let's follow her," Nahida said to Lora.
The wind and sand could not stop the footsteps of two gods.
As they continued deeper, they eventually arrived at a vast underground hollow. In the distant stone wall, they could see an enormous opening, with golden light shining out from within.
Nahida stood before the stone wall, gazing at the massive cavern. In a solemn voice, she said, "Apep, our positions are different, and so are our understandings of the world and order. But we were both born from elemental power, and we have both suffered greatly from Forbidden Knowledge.
"At our core, we are the same, and we have the same enemy to face. That is why I believe we should not cut off communication because of prejudice. No matter what you think, who you hate, or what you have done because of that hatred, I do not care, nor do I expect your gratitude."
"Apep, we came to save you. Not only you, but your people and the people of Sumeru as well," Lora added after Nahida finished speaking. "Even if you intend to destroy The Seven and the Seven Nations, you still need a healthy body, don't you?"
"Besides, do you really want to see your people continue to wander without a home? They have been searching for a way to save you, and they have always wanted to return home. At the very least, you should face the lives you created," Nahida said to Apep.
Seeing no reaction from the cavern, Lora suddenly said, "Don't you want to go to Fontaine and mock Neuvillette once your body is healed? As the Hydro Dragon Sovereign, being born in a human form can't be a good thing for you Dragon Sovereigns, right?"
She sold Neuvillette out without the slightest hesitation.
The moment Lora finished speaking, an enormous suction force erupted from the cavern and pulled both her and Nahida inside. After a dizzying whirl, the two of them found themselves inside Apep's body.
Lora rubbed her backside as she got up from the ground. Looking at the gray-black, deathly green surroundings, she muttered, "Couldn't you have been a little gentler..."
It was almost as if she could hear Apep's disdainful laughter beside her ear.
Lora: "..."
Next time, she would have Fontaine flood this entire cave!
Nahida and Lora continued deeper. Eventually, above a pool of water, they saw the Heart of Oasis hanging upside down, Apep's energy core.
Just as Nahida took out the Fire Seed in her hand and prepared to release its power, Apep's voice rang out again. "Are you truly going to do this? As one of the first Dragon Sovereigns, the moment I fully recover will be the moment I bring punishment down upon the usurpers."
"But you will be saved. The people of Sumeru and your own people will also be saved," Nahida said softly to Apep.
Hearing this, Apep fell silent.
Nahida lifted the Fire Seed high, ready to release it. Yet the elemental power within the Fire Seed was not enough to revive the Heart of Oasis.
"How could this be... Was its elemental power consumed along the way?" Nahida was shocked by what she saw.
Lora gently patted her shoulder and said, "Don't worry. I'm here, aren't I? Do it with me."
Hearing Lora's words, Nahida let out a breath of relief and nodded. "Okay!"
The Hydro Archon and the Dendro Archon joined forces, releasing the purest and gentlest elemental power in all of Teyvat.
The two streams of elemental power merged together, enveloping the Heart of Oasis. As the elemental power continued to flow into it, the Heart of Oasis gradually began to awaken from its lifeless, ashen stillness.