"Opening a path between Teyvat and the world beyond, or enhancing the power of the Master behind that eye—neither of these outcomes is what we desire."
Teyvat's sky is a falsehood, like a massive eggshell encasing the entire world.
What appears to be a cage is actually a shield.
Before, no one knew what lay beyond Teyvat's borders, only that the Abyss originated from beyond.
Now, it seems the Abyss has always coveted Teyvat. The colossal eggshell—the False Sky—likely serves primarily to protect Teyvat.
The connection between the Heavenly Principles' slumber and the Abyss's invasion remains uncertain.
Rukkhadevata: "Venti is right. Our only recourse now is to find and protect the Person of Pure Soul. Traveler, having journeyed through many nations, do you have any leads regarding the Person of Pure Soul?"
"The Person of Pure Soul..."
Lumine pondered for a moment before replying:
"They... should all be young women, born on the same day, November 11th. They likely possess Visions, each with different Attributes, and there should be one in each nation..."
"You already know about Mondstadt, Liyue, and Inazuma. As for Sumeru..."
Lumine's throat felt like something was lodged in it, preventing her from speaking.
After struggling for a moment, she gave up and changed the subject. "I know about Snezhnaya too. Her name is Angie, and she's the adjutant to the First Seat of the Fatui Harbingers, the Captain. She's also Childe's younger sister!"
"Childe..." Zhongli lowered his head in thought.
"I haven't been to Fontaine or Natlan yet, so I don't know who they are," Lumine added.
Rukkhadevata, the incarnation of Irminsul, naturally couldn't remember anything Irminsul had erased. But the goddess was remarkably intelligent.
The Abyss's three God-level combatants had invaded Sumeru earlier. This couldn't have been a simple invasion. She had long suspected something more, but every time she tried to delve deeper into the matter, her mind grew hazy.
Now, with the revelation about Pure Souls, Rukkhadevata had a new hypothesis.
"Traveler, you mentioned Sumeru just now. Since each nation may have a Person of Pure Soul, and you've already traveled through Sumeru, have you perhaps met her?"
Lumine whipped her head around to stare at Rukkhadevata, her heart pounding with shock.
After Silaya was erased by Irminsul, Lumine had subtly mentioned her to others countless times, but no one could comprehend what she meant.
Even the adorable Aranara couldn't grasp the slightest hint of what she was trying to convey.
How could Rukkhadevata possibly guess this? Could it be because she was the avatar of Irminsul?
When Rukkhadevata saw the look in Lumine's eyes, she understood: it was indeed the case! Her heart suddenly pounded violently as she continued her conjecture.
"The three God-level combatants who attacked Sumeru earlier... were they after Sumeru's Pure Soul?"
Lumine nodded.
The three observing Gods turned to look, and even little Paimon gazed at Lumine in disbelief.
There's even a story like that? How come Paimon never knew? I always thought we just hadn't found Sumeru's Pure Soul yet...
Rukkhadevata: "You can't speak of her, and no one can remember her, as if she never existed. There's only one explanation for this: she has been completely deleted from Irminsul, hasn't she?"
Lumine nodded again.
Rukkhadevata: "I've always felt that my revival was missing a crucial piece. The method recorded in my memories seemed sufficient at first glance, but I knew Irminsul couldn't achieve it... at least, not a corrupted Irminsul."
"Only Nahida and I can control Irminsul. I understand Nahida as well as I understand myself. If reviving me required sacrificing her, neither of us would ever choose that path."
"So, it wasn't us who deleted her, right?"
"Mm," Lumine confirmed.
Greater Lord Rukkhadevata continued, "If it wasn't us, then it must have been her own doing... She seized Irminsul's Authority, absorbed the Forbidden Knowledge in my place, and was subsequently deleted by Irminsul, right?"
Greater Lord Rukkhadevata's hypothesis was audacious, even bordering on madness. At least, to her current understanding, no one—not even a god—could accomplish such a feat.
Yet she voiced her conjecture nonetheless. As the Lord of Wisdom, she embodied the spirit of bold speculation cherished by scholars. Even if her hypothesis contained inconsistencies, if she felt it was plausible, she would dare to voice it.
Lumine stared into Greater Lord Rukkhadevata's eyes, stunned, before nodding firmly.
Hiss~
Greater Lord Rukkhadevata took a deep breath, grappling with the profound implications of her own words.
First, make a bold assumption, then ponder its feasibility.
"If she seized Irminsul's Authority, she shouldn't have been able to delete herself. This is an irreconcilable paradox, isn't it?"
If she could have deleted herself, she wouldn't have waited so long.
Lumine still couldn't bring herself to reveal everything about Silaya.
But Greater Lord Rukkhadevata had already pieced together most of the truth.
"When someone is erased by Irminsul, every trace of their existence vanishes completely, as if they had never existed in this world. Traveler, you're an outsider, which is why you can still remember her."
"The Abyss is also an outsider. They crave Pure Souls and possess a keen sensitivity to them. When the Pure Soul vanished, the Abyss grew desperate, triggering the attack on Sumeru by three God-level forces."
Venti, who had been listening attentively, finally pieced together the situation:
"So, there was indeed a Person of Pure Soul in Sumeru, but she had already used Irminsul to delete herself. Because she was deleted in Buer's place, she saved Buer, purged the Forbidden Knowledge's pollution from Irminsul, saved Irminsul, and completely erased her soul, preventing the Abyss from ever obtaining it. She set a trap for the Abyss?"
Rukkhadevata looked toward Lumine. Seeing her nod, Rukkhadevata's breathing grew more rapid.
This...
Rukkhadevata knew that Persons of Pure Soul were special, but... she never imagined that Sumeru's Person of Pure Soul could possess such extraordinary abilities.
The paradox of self-deletion that had plagued her for centuries—this girl had resolved it in just over a decade.
No, not even a decade. By the reckoning of time, it might have been only a few years, or even a few months!
A genius!
She is the true genius!
Rukkhadevata had completely forgotten about Silaya, but even in her amnesia, knowing what the girl had accomplished still pierced her heart.
Her life shouldn't have ended this way!
Zhongli, Venti, and Ei also sighed with mixed emotions. The girl from Sumeru was indeed formidable, but in their hearts, their own nations' heroes remained the greatest, the most unique!
Ei, recalling Yuna's collapsed form, lost all desire for comparison. She clenched her jaw and lowered her head.
"What... what was her name?"
Lumine: "You know I can't speak her name, or even recount her deeds..."
Rukkhadevata fell silent.