"Beep—"
Aether was dazed for a moment, staring at the ceiling above him. A faint buzzing echoed deep in his mind, as if something was ringing.
"What are you spacing out for? Today's the Sabzeruz Festival!"
Paimon pushed the door open, excitedly flying in circles mid-air.
Sabzeruz Festival?
Aether's thoughts gradually returned to reality. He shook his head, dispelling the haze in his mind, then gathered himself and stepped outside.
Dunyarzad was already waiting for him not far away.
"Good morning! Aether overslept a little, hehe."
Dunyarzad quickly shook her head.
"No, no! I just woke up too early... This day has finally arrived. Every minute and second is as precious as gold."
Aether nodded in agreement. Over the past few days, he had seen how much Dunyarzad had poured into preparing for this day.
And so, Dunyarzad led Aether to participate in this unique festival.
"Many vendors have voluntarily set up stalls for the Sabzeruz Festival—and they even refused subsidies."
Paimon didn't quite understand but respected their decision.
"So these vendors care about more than just money, huh?"
Dunyarzad stopped at a fruit stall, examining it carefully.
"Is this... the Seven Flavors Table?"
The stall owner, Amar, was taken aback before smiling.
"Oh-ho! You recognized it at a glance. Not many people know about it these days."
Afterward, Dunyarzad explained to Aether what the Seven Flavors Table was—a custom during the Sabzeruz Festival where people would place seven different dishes on the table, symbolizing the seven virtues of Sumeru's deities.
At a fortune-telling stall, they met a student named Zimiyah.
"Would you like to try alchemical divination? It's said to have been invented by the Lesser Lord Kusanali."
Paimon curiously floated forward.
"The guest can provide any two items they have on them that can serve as alchemical materials, and I'll perform a random alchemy process."
Aether scratched his head, puzzled.
"If the alchemy is random, wouldn't it fail easily?"
Zimiyah nodded, placing the alchemy apparatus on the table.
"Failure is the point. This divination method interprets the meaning based on the residue left after the alchemy fails."
Aether's lips twitched. That seems... way too arbitrary?
Seeing his expression, Dunyarzad covered her mouth with a chuckle before patiently explaining:
"In the Lesser Lord Kusanali's philosophy, all things in existence are interconnected, and everything points toward fate. This, too, is a form of wisdom."
Aether suddenly had an idea. He took out two materials that Rover had once given him and handed them to Zimiyah.
"This is... fire and a tree?"
Zimiyah sounded uncertain. He turned around, flipping through the books behind him, but the result remained unchanged.
"So, what does it mean?"
Dunyarzad asked softly.
"Hmm... Fire represents... the beginning of all things... and the tree represents... cycles."
Zimiyah was clearly inexperienced, stammering for a while before finding the meaning in the book.
Dunyarzad thoughtfully stroked her chin.
"Beginnings and cycles... That sounds quite mystical."
Paimon, ever straightforward, didn't dwell on it too much and went back to her usual teasing.
"Fortune-telling is always all cryptic and mysterious. If it weren't, it wouldn't be fortune-telling!"
As they ventured deeper, they heard the cheers of children.
"Faris! Faris!"
The shopkeeper clapped his hands loudly.
"Yo-ho, soldiers! Line up properly if you want your Yalda Candies as a reward!"
Paimon glanced at Dunyarzad.
"Weird hat, weird guy."
That was Paimon's assessment. Dunyarzad laughed.
"The Flower Knight Faris is a kind of symbol. In the past, the person playing the role of the Flower Knight would ride on a float and was very popular among children."
Once the children dispersed, the shopkeeper playing Faris chatted with Dunyarzad and also asked Aether to pick one of the five boxes of candy on the table.
"Are all five boxes different flavors?"
Aether guessed. Seeing the shopkeeper nod, he thought for a moment before choosing Box No. 3.
"Congratulations! It's lavender melon-flavored candy!"
Paimon looked at Aether in disappointment, while he raised an eyebrow.
"Aren't you called the Flying lavender melon?"
"That's what that bull-chucker came up with! I don't like it at all! I wanted the Sunsettia-flavored one!"
Paimon stomped her feet mid-air in frustration, pointing at Box No. 4.
Aether shrugged helplessly and continued following Dunyarzad.
...
Rover pushed open the door. Inside, it was eerily quiet, as if everyone had vanished.
Many desks had been neatly organized, with documents and papers arranged—clearly not a sudden accident but a premeditated operation.
"Abby?"
Abby emerged from an Echo, sniffed the air, then pointed in a direction with a gleam in his eyes.
"Remember when Aether gained the Dendro element?"
Rover recalled the moment, immediately understanding Abby's implication.
"The Dendro Archon is inside, right?"
Yes—back in Liyue, Abby had identified Zhongli's true identity by scent. This time, with the Dendro Archon nearby, Rover steadied himself.
He had reason to suspect that the Dendro Archon was behind this. Though he didn't know why she would plunge all of Sumeru City into a dream, he needed to find out—because Aether was involved too.
Following Abby's guidance, Rover pushed open the door ahead—and froze. He suddenly realized that things had just gotten even more complicated.
....
"Dehya's skills are amazing!"
Paimon praised.
Earlier, after parting ways with Dunyarzad at noon, they reunited in the afternoon at the designated spot—only to find Dunyarzad surrounded by mercenaries. Fortunately, Dehya showed up and sent them running.
"You're hurt."
Dunyarzad noticed the wound on Dehya's arm, but Dehya waved it off like it was nothing.
"Getting hurt is part of the job. I'll scout around to make sure no one else tries anything against Dunyarzad."
With that, Dehya left. Aether helped Dunyarzad sit on a bench by the roadside—her complexion didn't look good either.
"I have Eleazar... It's already in the late stages."
The same illness as Collei's.
Dusk had arrived, the golden hues of the setting sun dyeing the sky above Sumeru City.
Dunyarzad looked up at the clouds, her lips curving into a faint smile.
"Ever since I was little, I could only sit in bed, staring blankly out the window. This time, I ran away because I didn't want to have any regrets.
The smiles of the people celebrating the Sabzeruz Festival, friends like Dehya and you who support me... At least now, there will be many, many people who remember that I existed in this world, right?"
Aether spoke softly.
"I'll remember you."
Paimon quickly added.
"A-as long as you don't forget me, I won't forget you either! Ah—no, even if you forget me, I'll still remember you!"
Watching Paimon's flustered reaction, Dunyarzad's mood lightened. She gazed at the rising moon in the distance.
"Truthfully, the courage to run away came from the Lesser Lord Kusanali. Without her encouragement, I never could have taken that step..."