Paimon came back to her senses. "What we saw... was Scaramouche's past, wasn't it? A lot of the information matches up."
"But how does the deity Haypasia mentioned connect to Scaramouche?"
Haypasia, however, was delighted—almost manic. "You saw it, didn't you? You felt it! The noble deity, the noble will, the noble emotions!"
"What a pity, what a pity that what beats in my chest is a filthy human heart! O great deity, will you forgive me? Will you save me?"
Nahida shook her head. "You can see it, can't you? She's not fulfilled—she's most likely..."
[Tighnari: I don't understand why these people seek knowledge from gods. Isn't true knowledge something you gain through your own practice and exploration?]
[Lumine: Maybe they just want to take the easy way out?]
[Paimon: Reaping without sowing. They're being far too naive.]
[Ningguang: Perhaps they just want something for nothing. They imagine knowledge or Mora falling from the sky—but that's simply impossible.]
[Nahida: I've warned them many times not to try gaining divine knowledge through such means. But the mad scholars keep appearing, one batch after another.]
[Ningguang: It's like gamblers. Every gambler thinks they're the lucky one. But in reality, the end of every gambler is total ruin.]
[Paimon: Why is that? Don't gamblers win some and lose some?]
[Ningguang: Winning and losing certainly happen. But they only stop gambling when they've lost everything.]
[Lumine: I've learned something new again.]
[Paimon: Still, she really is insane. Even such simple visions were enough to drive her mad.]
Coming back to her senses, Lumine scolded loudly, "Wake up!"
Haypasia covered her face. "Why... why are you being so harsh with me too? Why does everyone avoid me?"
"I found the wisdom of the divine! I should be praised! I became the one who explored the darkness and found the light!"
"That's how it should be."
"Am I... already insane?"
The surroundings were unusually quiet. Lumine was the first to sense something wrong and quickly moved away.
A large number of mercenaries surrounded them from all directions. Lumine drew her sword to fight, but the mercenaries came from every side. When she looked back, an enemy's weapon was already about to strike Nahida.
Lumine rushed over, but Nahida was still hit. In the final moment, Lumine could only reach out and touch Nahida's hand.
Darkness engulfed her.
When Lumine woke up, she looked at her own hands, then looked around.
At the center of the Sanctuary of Surasthana stood a cage.
A very, very small cage.
[Nahida: This is... where I live.]
[Paimon: Nahida, you live in a place this small?]
[Nahida: My consciousness can roam through the Akasha, so I'm not completely alone.]
[Paimon: But this place doesn't even have a toilet!]
[Nahida: I don't eat anything either, so I don't need to use one.]
[Furina: What? Five hundred years without tasting food? Then your life...]
[Nahida: As a god, I don't need to eat in the first place.]
[Furina: But eating isn't just about filling your stomach—it's a way to find joy!]
[Navia: When I come to Sumeru, I'll definitely have Nahida try my cooking. My macarons are delicious!]
[Nahida: Mm, mm.]
Scaramouche's face flashed past. Following the consciousness, Lumine also saw a huge mechanical construct underground in the Sanctuary of Surasthana, crackling with Electro light. Scaramouche was positioned where its head would be.
Then Lumine fell into darkness again.
When she woke up once more, she was inside a forest.
Paimon noticed something was wrong with Lumine and asked, "Nahida, are you alright? No, wait—Lumine, is that you? Lumine, are you back?"
Tighnari's voice sounded. "Hmm? Has she returned to being herself now?"
"It's me." Lumine hadn't grasped the situation yet. "What just happened?"
Paimon explained, "Nahida was controlling your body earlier. It seems that before Katheryne's puppet was destroyed, she urgently transferred her consciousness into you."