"You two… and Mr. Thoma."
Qiu Nian cast one last glance at the distant sea before turning back toward Lumine, Paimon, and Thoma.
"What is it?"
Paimon asked, hands behind her back.
"I have something to attend to."
"I'll have to excuse myself for now."
"I've heard that entering Inazuma from Ritou requires certain procedures."
"These are some Mora—please handle it for me."
"If there's anything left after, you may split it among yourselves."
He handed over a heavy pouch.
Around one hundred and fifty thousand Mora.
He remembered—when Thoma handled things before, it only cost Lumine and Paimon six hundred Mora.
Thoma froze slightly at the sight.
He had spent years in Ritou—
Yet he had never met this man.
So how did Qiu Nian know so much about this place?
"You seem to be in a hurry."
"Alright, we'll take care of it."
Lumine nodded and accepted the pouch.
Qiu Nian inclined his head—
Then walked off.
With a single turn—
He disappeared from their sight.
—
"…Why so mysterious?"
Paimon scratched her head.
"Haha…"
"This Mr. Qiu Nian really knows Inazuma well…"
Thoma murmured thoughtfully.
"What is he going to do?"
Xuehua frowned.
[He's going to meet the pink-haired fox, right?!]
[I knew it!]
[Wait—he looked at the sea before leaving…]
[Something's there??]
—
Beneath the sea—
A figure drifted silently.
White hair flowed with the currents.
Red eyes shimmered faintly.
Her clothing was unlike anything from Teyvat—
And her stockings seemed to contain a moving starfield.
Cold. Detached.
Like a being from another world.
"…I was noticed."
She murmured softly, staring toward Ritou.
That moment—
When the young man turned—
It felt as if he had crossed space itself—
And looked directly at her.
What… was that feeling?
She couldn't describe it.
The Seven Archons…
The Descender…
Even her own master…
None of them had ever made her feel this way.
Not the Abyss.
Not elemental power.
None of it.
—
"…!"
Her pupils suddenly shrank.
She remembered.
A memory surfaced—
A child kneeling on the earth.
A massive star descending from the sky.
That suffocating weight.
That endless, silent void.
An absolute, inescapable despair.
—
But…
This feeling—
Was different.
Similar—
Yet not the same.
Her expression calmed.
She didn't understand the difference—
But she was certain of one thing.
That man's power…
Was connected to it.
Faintly.
Almost imperceptibly.
Perhaps only because she wielded Abyssal power—
Could she sense even this much.
And yet—
There was another force within him.
Completely opposite.
But this time—
She couldn't detect even the slightest trace.
And she knew—
What little she sensed before—
Was intentional.
If he hadn't allowed it—
There would be nothing.
Only void.
—
Whether it was absolute nothingness—
Or that faint connection—
Both were enough to prove one thing:
He was terrifying.
And yet—
She did not fear him.
Because—
There was no hostility.
Only a trace of… goodwill.
—
"…Why is he beside the Descender…"
She frowned slightly.
"…Should I meet him?"
She rose from the sea's surface—
Gazing toward Ritou.
Hesitating.
—
On the streets of Ritou—
Qiu Nian walked leisurely.
He raised a hand—
Catching a falling maple leaf.
A breeze passed.
Behind him—
She appeared.
Silent.
Watching.
For a long moment—
She said nothing.
—
"What should I call you, miss?"
Qiu Nian turned.
His voice calm.
"Skirk."
She replied simply.
At this distance—
That sense of void became even clearer.
If not for seeing him—
She would think there was no one there.
Even the wind—
Flowed around him—
As if passing through emptiness.
—
For years—
She had avoided forming connections.
Gathered information cautiously.
Lived mostly within the Abyss.
Only the Descender had been worth observing.
Until now—
There was another.
—
Qiu Nian smiled faintly.
He had already seen—
Her limbs were formed by Abyssal power.
Her strength—
Came from the Abyss itself.
Skirk…
Childe's master.
And her master—
One of the Five Sinners.
—
Interesting.
She had been observing Lumine all along.
AUTHOR NOTE :
I"m Alright Now You Dont need to worry thank you all for your love.
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