The sudden appearance of that colossal head plunged the entire world of Teyvat into dead silence.
There was no longer any need to speculate about how large it truly was.
The mere fact that it tore open the fabric of the universe with one hand was more than enough to tell everyone what kind of existence they were facing.
What shocked people even more was this—
It knew Aerin.
Not only that, it spoke as if the two had known each other for so long that even the concept of time had lost meaning.
Mondstadt — Cathedral of the Anemo Archon
Venti jumped straight onto the table in excitement.
"I know it! I knew it!"
"That must be the friend Aerin mentioned—the one who cast the future projection!"
Dvalin had been present at the time as well.
He clearly remembered Aerin saying that the light screen was placed by an old friend of his.
From the moment Aerin encountered this being, the projection began to unfold.
In other words—
Both Aerin and this cosmic giant were fully aware that their past selves were peering into a future that already belonged to them.
"This… this is Lord Aerin's friend?" Venti muttered, his voice trembling.
"He's… far too terrifying."
Fear flickered uncontrollably in his eyes.
In Venti's mind, only someone like Bella—reckless enough to provoke Aerin—would dare face such an existence head-on.
If it were him, and a head of that scale suddenly appeared in his consciousness, he was fairly certain he'd be scared out of his wits.
"But Barbatos," Dvalin asked hesitantly,
"then why would such a being save Bella?"
That was the part he truly couldn't understand.
"I… don't know either," Venti admitted, scratching his head.
"All we can do now is watch."
["If you and Aerin are friends, then why save me?" Bella asked, unable to hide her confusion.]
[The colossal being replied calmly, "Because at least you are not afraid of him."]
[Then, the massive head explained everything to Bella.]
[A history belonging both to Aerin—and to itself.]
They possessed a purely will-based power, known as Spiral Power.
This power required no cultivation.
As long as one's will was strong enough, and one's heart broad enough—
They would grow stronger every single second.
Not merely stronger.
They would evolve.
"No cultivation…?"
"Growing stronger every second?"
In a world beyond Teyvat—
Surtalogi collapsed into his chair.
No wonder the Valkyries always said they couldn't even understand themselves anymore—why power kept surging into them day after day.
It wasn't mysterious at all.
Through their connection to Aerin, power was being constantly supplied to them.
"…So much power that it's casually given away?"
He laughed weakly.
Then coughed up a mouthful of blood.
For someone who had sacrificed everything in pursuit of strength—even kneeling before the Abyss—
This revelation was devastating.
While he struggled endlessly to grow stronger, those with Spiral Power evolved even while sleeping.
Not just stronger—qualitatively different.
Like waking up one day with elemental power transformed into abyssal force…
and waking up the next day with that abyssal force evolved yet again.
"It's not fair…"
His vision darkened as he collapsed unconscious.
[The colossal head continued its explanation.]
[Once Spiral Power fully awakens, its wielder is known as a Spiral Awakened.]
[Such beings are capable of things beyond imagination.]
They transcend causality—and can reverse it.
They transcend time and space.
They transcend everything—and control everything.
They can alter concepts themselves.
A single thought could erase an entire universe.
The next could give birth to a multiverse.
Bella listened, her anger growing by the second.
"You people are insane!" she snapped, hands on her hips.
"I've seriously been picking fights with monsters like this?!"
Conceptual alteration?
Her mind went blank.
"So… my resurrection—was that a concept change?"
The colossal head laughed softly.
"That only takes a thought."
It then told her another, far older story.
Both it and Aerin were Spiral Awakened.
Once, there had been many like them.
But as their power evolved, some began to view all other life as insignificant.
They slaughtered freely, abusing Spiral Power without restraint.
The Awakened split into factions.
Some believed they should seal themselves.
Others believed absolute power justified absolute freedom.
Eventually, disagreement turned into war.
A war where Spiral Awakened slaughtered one another.
"Aerin never joined either side," the colossal being said slowly.
"He believed that losing oneself to power was proof of weak will."
"So he became everyone's enemy."
The massive head tilted slightly, as if lost in memory.
"By now… only he and I remain."
Bella's gaze sharpened.
"And you?"
"I opposed the use of Spiral Power. I believed in self-sealing."
"So in the end… only one of us can remain."
"As for reviving you—"
"I simply found you interesting."
"Now that you understand how terrifying he is… will you still oppose him?"
Bella thought for a moment, then shrugged.
"I've died before. What's one more time?"
"As long as I can annoy him, I'm satisfied."
The colossal being froze—then burst into laughter.
"Interesting."
"I'll grant you some new power."
"Because Aerin and I exist on the same level, this interference will prevent him from erasing you with a single thought."
It bestowed upon her:
Authority to observe other worlds
Permission to open pathways between multiple worlds
Power that transcends time and causality
Then came the warning:
"This power will fail in the world Aerin occupies."
"You cannot alter causality or time there—unless he allows it."
Venti and Dvalin stared at each other, stunned.
"So… the 'friend' Aerin mentioned…"
"…is someone who must eventually be killed."
Only one of them could survive.
Venti's mind completely shut down.
Still—
What the cosmic giant said rang true.
Some agreement must exist between it and Aerin.
Otherwise, the future projection could never have been placed over Teyvat.
"Maybe they intend to settle things in another way," Venti muttered.
"If they fought directly… the aftermath would be unimaginable."
"And yet, Aerin's concept-altering power could still clean everything up."
He clutched his head in agony.
"My brain can't keep up anymore…"
Dvalin trembled.
All he could think about was one thing—
Bella now possessed power capable of opening paths to multiple worlds.
She would return.
And when she did—
Another storm would engulf Teyvat.
Fontaine — Palais Mermonia
Furina had just woken up when her eyes suddenly lit up.
"That Bella actually obtained such terrifying power?"
Sigewinne tilted her head in confusion.
Clorinde coughed heavily.
"Lady Furina… your reaction is a little concerning."
Furina hurriedly explained:
"I mean—someone like Bella will definitely cause trouble."
"If she can observe other worlds and open connections, she'll bring outsiders to Teyvat."
"That means… Aerin might not have time to deal with Fontaine."
"And now that the cosmic giant has appeared, he'll definitely focus on that instead."
Clorinde finally understood.
She sighed in relief.
"In Aerin's eyes, that probably isn't a problem at all."
Sigewinne nodded.
"That being clearly knows where Aerin is—but didn't act."
"That alone means he isn't confident he can defeat Aerin."
"So he revived Bella to act as a vanguard."
Even as they spoke calmly, fear gripped them all.
An existence that could tear the universe apart—
And yet still wary of Aerin.
Just how far had Aerin gone?
[Bella clenched her fists, feeling the new power surge within her.]
"A single thought… and I became something unimaginable."
She then looked at the colossal being.
"Tell me—what exactly are you and Aerin?"
"Gods?"
"Or monsters?"
The being fell silent for a long time.
Meteors streaked past its enormous head.
Finally, it spoke.
"That's a strange question."
"We never told you this, did we?"
"We achieved everything through will alone."
As the voice echoed through her consciousness, Bella blinked—
And saw a human figure standing before her.
An ordinary adult male in appearance.
No cosmic scale.
No incomprehensible mass.
"I and Aerin…"
"…have always been human."
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