"As the tale goes... atop Mt. Firmament, a radiant glow stretched across the sky, and in an instant, the clouds parted, the snow ceased, and the heavens cleared. There, amidst it all, stood a silver-haired maiden, as though a goddess had descended..."
After bidding farewell to the Sentinel, Rover's heart was filled with mixed emotions. The snow and wind atop Mt. Firmament had melted away, replaced by the stirring of spring thunder—a sign of nature's revival, perhaps the very herald of the Awakening of Insects.
"As a participant in history, you must intervene, make choices, and witness the evolution of civilization."
The Sentinel's lingering words echoed in Rover's mind as he gazed into the distance, where the faint silhouette of Hongzhen shimmered beneath the azure sky.
The gales had weakened compared to before, making the descent far easier than when he had braved the storm with Jinhsi to challenge the Sentinel.
A trace of relief flickered in Rover's heart. After all, according to the Sentinel's address, he was the Lady Arbiter—even if not the highest authority, he was at least the ruler of Jinzhou. If he were to recklessly join the Fractsidus, wouldn't that be rebelling against the very territory he had fought for?
At this thought, Rover couldn't help but chuckle wryly. But then, a sudden sense of foreboding exploded in his mind, and the Tacet Mark on his hand began to glow. Abby hastily emerged from it.
"This... this is a spatial rift! Rover, get out of here—now!"
The air shattered like broken glass as fissures multiplied, revealing a deep, dark void. A tremendous suction force made it nearly impossible for Rover to resist.
Abby immediately positioned himself in front of Rover, desperately pushing him away from the black hole. But in the next moment, Rover lost his footing and, clutching Abby tightly, was swallowed into the abyss.
...
"So... you're a wanderer from beyond this world?"
A soft, childlike voice reached Rover's ears as he gradually opened his bleary eyes and sat up, his hand gripping a handful of sand.
Is this... a beach?
Struggling to his feet, Rover spotted his sword resting on a reef not far ahead.
"Ah! There's actually someone here!"
Just as Rover picked up his weapon, he heard the same voice again. Instinctively, his hand tightened around the hilt of his blade.
"Wait, we're not bad people! I'm Paimon, and this is Aether. We're just travelers who ended up here."
Seeing the Echo-like creature that resembled Abby hastily explain, Rover gave a slight nod and sheathed the gleaming blade.
"My name is Rover. Where... is this?"
The moment he spoke, both Aether and Paimon froze. Paimon circled around Rover several times before exclaiming,
"Judging by your outfit, you're not from Mondstadt, are you? Don't tell me you're from another world too?"
Rover lowered his head in thought, brows furrowing. During his travels in Jinzhou, he had gained a general understanding of Huanglong, but he had never heard of a place called Mondstadt. Was it a region beyond Huanglong?
"I'm not sure if this is the world I know. When I was traveling in Jinzhou... I had already lost my memories..."
Hearing the hesitation in his voice, Aether handed Rover a grilled fish.
"Since you're searching for your past, and I'm traveling to find my sister, why don't we journey together?"
Rover accepted the fish and nodded, but before he could speak, he felt the Tacet Mark on his hand vibrate. Abby immediately popped out.
"Ooh, is there food?"
Abby's eyes locked onto the grilled fish in Rover's hand. Though drooling, he didn't immediately snatch it, instead staring at Rover with pleading eyes.
"Go ahead."
With a sigh, Rover handed the fish to Abby.
"Hey, you've got a guide too?"
Paimon flew over to Abby and poked his round cheeks. Abby, still munching on the fish, pulled it away and stared at Paimon with a puzzled expression, then sniffed the air.
"You smell weird... not like an Echo at all."
Rover, who had been talking with Aether, froze. If Paimon wasn't an Echo, then what was she?
"Just call her emergency food. When I first fished her out, she ate over a dozen of my grilled fish skewers in one go."
Aether, not realizing the gravity of the situation, chuckled as if joking and handed another skewer from the fire to Rover.
"No, what I mean is..."
Before Rover could finish, several Hydro Slimes appeared, drawn by the noise. Aether, as if accustomed to this, readied himself for battle.
These Tacet Discords aren't in the records... Could this really be a new world?
Rover touched the gourd on his back. Ever since arriving here, the Pangu Terminal inside it had stopped functioning, though the Data Bank was still operational.
Could I still convert these into Echoes here?
"Rover, I'm going in too!"
As Abby eagerly prepared to charge, Rover grabbed him and pointed at Paimon, who had already taken cover.
"Go protect Paimon. Besides, I want to test if I can obtain Echoes here."
With that, Rover dashed forward. As the Slimes attacked, he dodged, and time around him seemed to slow. His eyes sharpened as he gathered Spectro energy into his palm, then struck a Hydro Slime. The elemental force erupted, sending the Slime flying before it collapsed lifelessly.
But it wasn't over. The other Slimes tried to swarm him, only to be repelled by the floating blades surrounding Rover. In moments, the invading monsters were dealt with.
Aether studied Rover intently, astonished by both his techniques and that inexplicable power.
Most importantly, during battle, Rover had moved at an unbelievable speed, closing the distance and striking the Slimes in an instant...
But Rover paid no mind to Aether's surprise. Instead, his attention was drawn to the fact that after defeating the Hydro Slimes, they had indeed dropped an Echo!
Just as Rover hesitated, Abby whooshed over and absorbed it.
"Tastes like drinking water... kinda sticky. Not a fan."
Abby patted his little belly, grumbling his review. Paimon, witnessing this, stood frozen in place.
Aether noticed Paimon's odd reaction and quickly asked what was wrong.
"This... what is this...? These phantom-like things don't exist in Teyvat at all!"
"An Echo? Resonators absorb these to fight and stuff, right?"
Abby said it as if it were the most natural thing. Aether, having only wandered Teyvat for two months, waited for Paimon's explanation.
Paimon scrutinized Rover and Abby, then sighed and threw up her hands in resignation.
"Alright, now I'm sure you're definitely wanderers from another world. These things you call 'Echoes'—no one's ever discovered them here before."