"Watch closely, I'll smash it open with my fists!"
Arataki Itto rubbed his wrists, steadying his stance. In the next moment, his fist shot forward with a gust of wind, slamming directly into the protruding door.
"Wait, boss—!"
Kuki Shinobu reached out, but before she could finish, a heavy collision echoed, followed by Arataki Itto's pained scream.
"Owww! Damn it, this door's way too hard!"
Kuki Shinobu sighed and stepped forward, unlocking the mechanism in front of the door. Instantly, the door swung open.
Everyone looked helplessly at Arataki Itto, who was frantically blowing on his reddened fist. Yelan even turned her head away, as if afraid his foolishness might be contagious.
"See? I told you—everyone knows you're an idiot."
Paimon spread her hands and teased.
"I—I was just testing the door's durability! I... I already knew there was a mechanism!"
Arataki Itto stubbornly retorted, and Kuki Shinobu nodded along, accustomed to his antics.
"So… what's behind the door? An empty room?"
Aether squinted, trying to make out what lay beyond. Arataki Itto thumped his chest confidently and declared:
"Don't worry, I'll still take the lead this time!"
But the moment he stepped through the door, a figure dressed in Inazuman attire suddenly appeared before him.
"Begone, evil spirit! You're the one corrupting my child—begone!"
With that, the person flung a handful of beans at Arataki Itto, sending him scrambling away in terror.
"He's scared of beans?"
Yelan crossed her arms, raising an eyebrow at the comedic scene.
"Yes. The boss is an oni, and oni have a weakness—they fear beans."
Kuki Shinobu explained, and Yelan immediately understood why he had cursed her with a dinner full of beans earlier.
"T-Too scary! I'm not going in there!"
Arataki Itto shook his head—a rare sight—clearly unwilling to face whatever lay beyond the door.
Kuki Shinobu had her suspicions. She stepped inside, only for a familiar woman to appear beside her, chattering incessantly.
"Shinobu, I've found you a shrine maiden job at the Grand Narukami Shrine. Stop running around and taking all those exams—this job is stable and secure..."
Before she could finish, Kuki Shinobu pressed a hand to her forehead and walked back out.
"Sorry, that's my mother. She's always nagging me about the jobs she arranges for me. It's something I hate facing the most—being forced into actions against my own will. Even if being a shrine maiden is a good job, I value freedom and acting on my own desires far more."
After hearing this, Yanfei had a rough understanding of the phenomenon behind the door.
"So, what lies beyond is a scene we're unwilling to face? In that case… I don't think I have anything to fear."
Yanfei was confident, but the moment she stepped through the door, she was immediately overwhelmed by a flood of civil disputes, clutching her head in frustration.
Jiyan watched everything in silence, his eyes flickering with unspoken memories.
"Are you thinking about the Battle Beneath the Crescent?"
Rover, noticing Jiyan's troubled state, struck up a conversation.
Jiyan nodded, staring at the tightly shut door before speaking slowly:
"Yes. I keep wondering whether my decision that day was the right one. From the outcome, my snap judgment did preserve our fighting strength. But sometimes, I can't help but think—if we had held our ground, was there even the slightest chance that General Geshu Lin could have defeated Ovathrax, the Threnodian of War?
I've asked myself countless times—was there a better decision to be made that day? So…"
After listening to Jiyan's lengthy words, Rover patted his shoulder.
"If you want to resolve this burden, step forward. I'll be right behind you, supporting you."
Encouraged by Rover, Jiyan finally steeled himself. Once Yanfei exited, he strode straight through the door.
...
"So… have you found your answer?"
Just like that day, the Retroact Rain fell endlessly. Jiyan watched as the scenery around him shifted—the familiar base, the familiar soldiers, the familiar Tacet Discords…
The nightmare of that day unfolded before his eyes as if it were yesterday.
Geshu Lin's voice rang out behind Jiyan, as cold as ever.
"Perhaps you were right. This rain… it came too suddenly…"
Geshu Lin raised his head, letting the raindrops—falling upward into the sky—trickle over his fingers. The eerie drizzle sent chills down one's spine.
Jiyan lowered his gaze before turning to face Geshu Lin.
"But this is our only chance. And yet, you're worried about so-called 'ghosts,' trying to convince me to stop. Tell me—will you respond to the lives we hold dear with nothing but silence?!"
Jiyan said nothing. This dialogue had played out too many times—in his dreams, in the previous Retroact Rain. Geshu Lin's frustration, his own silence—it was a scene repeated endlessly.
But this time was different.
Jiyan spoke.
"General Geshu Lin, there are many ways to cherish those around us. I can't guarantee that every decision I make is correct, but our victory cannot be built upon endless sacrifice.
You once said that for the sake of victory, we must fight—keep fighting, even if the cost is ten, a hundred, a thousand lives… But such meaningless sacrifice only buys the slimmest chance of success. General Geshu Lin, I cannot agree with your methods."
Geshu Lin laughed—a loud, mocking laugh that echoed unnervingly through the Retroact Rain.
"To me, you and I are the same kind of person. The only difference is that you're too cautious. We were so close…"
Jiyan tightened his grip on his spear and shook his head again.
"I do not regret my decision. Perhaps… General, there is one thing we share—we both draw our blades for our beliefs, for those we care about."
Geshu Lin stared at Jiyan for a long time before finally pointing in a certain direction behind him and exhaling slowly.
"Then prove it to me, General Jiyan."
The surroundings faded, and Jiyan walked out.
No one dared to speak. Even Paimon could sense that the scene and the conversation had carried an unbearable weight.
So… that world really is far harsher than Teyvat.
Paimon finally understood why Rover had acted the way he did when meeting Venti in Mondstadt.