Meanwhile, in Wyrmrest Valley, icy winds whipped through the remnants of snow.
Albedo sheathed the Cinnabar Spindle and watched as Albedo Jr.'s body flickered briefly before dissolving completely into the wind.
This should have been a cause for celebration, yet the inexplicable unease in his heart only intensified.
Without a moment's hesitation, he spurred his horse toward Mondstadt.
The image of Lydia when she had last come to Dragonspine to find him flashed repeatedly through his mind, quickening his pace unconsciously.
Please, let her be alright.
The thought echoed relentlessly in his mind.
The sights along the way deepened his dread: the once-active monsters had vanished without a trace, the air hung thick with lingering gunpowder smoke and a faint metallic tang of blood, and even the wind carried a mournful chill.
When the battlefield finally came into view, Albedo froze in his tracks.
Across the frost-covered ground, ice shards glimmered coldly in the morning light. The Cryo crystals that had belonged to Lydia and the Poison Dragon Knight had shattered into countless irreparable fragments.
Venti stood at the center of the battlefield, a dimmed Vision clutched between his fingers. His pristine white wings drooped, and his usually cheerful eyes were now filled with sorrow.
Nearby, Lumine knelt on the ground, clutching a familiar black longsword tightly to her chest.
It was Lydia's Festering Desire!
Lumine's eyes were swollen and red, with tear streaks still clinging to the corners.
Hearing Albedo's footsteps, she turned her head, her voice hoarse and barely audible: "Albedo... you've come."
"Venti! Lumine!" Albedo rushed forward.
His gaze swept over the battlefield, taking in the scattered ice shards and dark red bloodstains. His heart clenched as if gripped by an invisible hand.
"What happened in Mondstadt? Why is Festering Desire in your hands? Where's Lydia?"
The barrage of questions struck Lumine and Venti's already fragile hearts like heavy blows.
Lumine opened her mouth to speak, but tears spilled over first, dripping onto Festering Desire's blade with soft, pittering sounds. She clutched the sword tighter, her shoulders trembling violently as she struggled to utter a single coherent word.
Venti lowered his head, gazing at the Vision in his hand. He gently rubbed its icy-cold shell, his voice so soft it seemed the wind might carry it away: "She... she left with her parents."
"Gone?" Albedo froze, as if he hadn't quite grasped the words.
He stared at the lifeless Festering Desire cradled in Lumine's arms, at the completely extinguished Vision in Venti's hand, at the patch of ground where even the snow lay still and lifeless...
Suddenly, a vivid memory flashed through Albedo's mind: his first meeting with Lydia, the girl's radiant smile.
Back then, she had pointed at her own nose, grinning, and declared, "Teacher Albedo, I want to learn Alchemy from you!"
Those vibrant images overlapped with the desolate scene before him, finally snapping him out of his daze.
In the next instant, Albedo slammed his fist into the ground.
A sharp crack echoed through the silent battlefield as the earth shattered.
Albedo's knuckles instantly swelled crimson, seeping blood.
Yet he seemed oblivious to the pain, his gaze fixed on the desolate patch of ground, his eyes vacant.
The war was indeed over. Durin's body had dissolved into the wind, the Poison Dragon Knight had been utterly destroyed, and Mondstadt's crisis had been averted.
But no one could bring themselves to smile, nor did anyone weep aloud. Instead, a heavy, complex emotion hung over the entire battlefield like a dense fog.
-
Three days later, Mondstadt held a grand funeral for the fallen Favonius Knights and Lydia.
The Cathedral was filled with white Cecilia flowers, their sweet fragrance mingling with the faint scent of candles, enveloping everyone in the air.
At the center of the high altar stood an empty ice coffin.
Lydia and her parents had vanished into the morning light, leaving behind not even a single shard of ice. The Knights could only bid her farewell in this symbolic way.
Noelle knelt before the ice coffin, clutching a cloth doll that resembled Lydia tightly in her hands.
The meticulously stitched seams still bore the marks of her late-night embroidery sessions.
This was the birthday gift she had planned to surprise Lydia with on her special day, but now it could only be held tightly in her grasp.
Choking back sobs, she whispered, "Lydia... I'm sorry. I never got to give you your gift..."
Barbara stood before the ice coffin, clutching a sheet of lyrics.
This was the song she had prepared to sing for Lydia's birthday.
But now, the singer remained while the listener had vanished without a trace.
Her shoulders trembled uncontrollably, her throat seized up as if blocked, and not a single note could escape her lips. She could only let her tears fall onto the lyric sheet.
Amber leaned against a pillar in the Cathedral, struggling to maintain her balance.
Her wounds hadn't fully healed, and every movement sent sharp pangs of pain through her body.
She gazed at the empty ice coffin, her eyes rimmed with red, her voice trembling with suppressed sobs. "Lydia... you said you wanted to take the Flight Test, right? There's a slot open now..."
Behind the crowd, Grace stared at the empty ice coffin. Suddenly, her vision went black, and she collapsed.
A nearby Favonius Knight reacted swiftly, catching her before she fell.
Grace had watched Lydia grow up, from the little girl crying for her mother at the Cathedral entrance to the young woman wielding Festering Desire, vowing to protect Mondstadt.
She had long considered Lydia her own daughter.
The Knight pinched Grace's philtrum. After a long moment, she slowly regained consciousness, her eyes snapping open as she gripped the Knight's arm, crying out, "Lydia... where's my Lydia?"
Klee squeezed through the crowd, still clutching the Doll Lydia had given her. The little girl pressed her small body against the edge of the ice coffin, standing on tiptoe to peer inside.
The empty ice coffin contained only a few scattered Cecilia flower petals, with no sign of her beloved sister Lydia.
Tears streamed down her cheeks like broken pearls, splashing onto the ice coffin with soft drip-drip sounds. "Big Sister Lydia... you promised to go fish blasting with Klee. Are you playing hide-and-seek with me?"
She tried to climb into the ice coffin to find her, but Albedo gently held her back.
Albedo crouched down, pulled Klee into his arms, and gently patted her back.
"Be good, Klee. Big Sister Lydia went to a beautiful place with Papa and Mama."
Klee's sobs pierced everyone's hearts like tiny needles.
The atmosphere in the Cathedral grew increasingly oppressive, even the candlelight trembling slightly.
Just then, Venti slowly stepped forward.
His hat brim was pulled low, but faint red streaks could still be seen beneath his eyes.
He gently patted Barbara's shoulder, his gaze falling on the songbook in her hands. His voice was as soft as the evening breeze: "Miss Barbara, may I play a song for Lydia?"
Barbara froze for a moment before realizing what he meant and hastily handed the lyrics book to Venti.
In the next instant, a golden light erupted from Venti's embrace.
A harp radiating a gentle glow slowly materialized—the Holy Lyre der Himmel!
Every Mondstadter who witnessed this widened their eyes in shock, even Lumine jerked her head up, her eyes filled with disbelief.
The Holy Lyre der Himmel was Mondstadt's most treasured relic. For Venti to summon it so casually was an unmistakable revelation of his identity as the Anemo Archon.
Venti offered no explanation, simply gently plucking the harp's strings.
His song drifted out, the melodious strains filling the Cathedral. His clear voice carried a faint sadness, yet it overflowed with tenderness.
The song floated through the Cathedral's windows, brushed over Mondstadt's streets, circled the base of the Statue of the Anemo Archon, and settled in the hearts of every Mondstadter.
As the final note faded, Venti gently lowered the Holy Lyre der Himmel, which gradually dissolved into golden light.
"To Mondstadt's little hero—Lydia."
-
Meanwhile, on countless players' screens across Earth:
A "Mission Complete" notification slowly appeared.
Immediately afterward, two golden treasure chests, engraved with Cecilia flowers, materialized in the air. As the chests opened, 20,000 Primogems, glowing with a golden light, lay quietly within—dazzling yet piercingly bright.
Players stared at the Primogems on their screens, their emotions a complex mix.
This was the "reward" Lydia had promised them.
But the "Primogem Mama" would never return.
"Mihoyo, you have no heart! Do you think 20,000 Primogems can ease our grief? I'd rather have Lydia back than take a single Primogem!"
"My Primogem Mama! Mihoyo, I'm gonna explode at you!"
"AHAHAHA! This is hell!"
The "Event Mission Complete" notification slowly faded onto the center of the screen. Countless players remained frozen on the funeral scene at Mondstadt Cathedral.
Lu Nanqing's fingertip hovered over the Esc key. Even though she knew it was just a game storyline, her heart felt like it was being squeezed by some invisible force.
A single comment popped up, followed by a flood of identical ones, instantly capturing her attention.
The Adventurer's Guild has a message from Lydia!
The barrage of comments drew everyone's eyes.
Lu Nanqing wiped away her tears and controlled Lumine to speak with Katheryne. A new dialogue option popped up:
"Ad Astra Abyssosque..."
Option:Lydia's Message
Lu Nanqing quickly zoomed in. Lydia's playful handwriting filled the screen:
"Thank you for adventuring with me! Oh, and I've hidden a little surprise under my bed in my room—consider it 'extra compensation'! Don't forget to grab it! — Lydia"
Lu Nanqing immediately steered the Traveler to Lydia's room, dragging out the chests hidden beneath the bed one by one.
They were identical to the treasure chest that had contained ten thousand Primogems earlier!
And there were five of them!
Lu Nanqing held her breath as the items popped up on the screen: Lydia's Gift for an Adventurer ×5. Tears blurred her vision once more.
"So Mihoyo thinks they can buy Lydia's life with just 70,000 Primogems? They don't care about the players' opinions at all!"
"This is straight-up blood money! Brothers, let's storm Mihoyo!"
"Waaah~ my Lydia! She was like a mother to me!"
"..."
Mihoyo's official website was once again "stormed" by players. In the comment section, they posted screenshots of their Primogems and Primogem chests from their inventories while denouncing the company's "countless misdeeds."
The game's popularity skyrocketed. Hashtags like #GiveUsBackLydia and #PrimoMamaTurnedIntoColdPrimogems surged to the top of trending topics.