The voice sounded as though it had risen from the bottom of the abyss, carrying an ancient, bewitching echo.
Lin En's fingertips trembled slightly. Something deep inside his mind was trying to control him.
The scene in his mind shifted. He stood high in the sky, with the vast lands of Teyvat beneath his feet. The seven elements-anemo, geo, electro, dendro, hydro, pyro, and cryo-flowed around him like orbiting stars.
The power was so immense it was suffocating. It seemed he could possess it if he only nodded.
"Young man, do you desire it?"
"I do, but... I'll climb to the top of the world on my own."
Gritting his teeth, Lin En flung the cube away. The blue cube arced through the air and landed on the stone chamber floor with a crisp clatter.
The voice vanished, and the vision in his mind shattered.
Lin En panted and took a step back.
"What the hell is that thing? It even tried to control me."
He muttered the complaint under his breath.
Albedo stepped forward and crouched down to examine the cube, excitement flickering in his eyes.
"It's probably an ancient creation from Dragonspine... There's an enormous amount of elemental energy stored inside it."
He reached out, picked up the cube, and turned it over in his palm.
"I need to take it back for research. It can also serve as evidence. I won't let it affect anyone again, so I'll have to leave first."
With that, he turned and walked toward the passage.
Ronava stood nearby, her gaze shifting from the cube to the unconscious fake Albedo on the floor.
"Lin En."
She spoke.
"Hm? What is it?"
"Bring him along."
Lin En paused and followed her gaze to the fake Albedo on the floor.
"Bring him? Isn't he already down?"
"Take him."
Ronava's tone brooked no argument.
"Follow that man."
Lin En didn't understand, but Ronava had already turned and headed for the stone chamber's exit.
He had no choice but to crouch down and hoist the unconscious fake Albedo over his shoulder.
When they emerged from the passage, Albedo saw the fake Albedo on Lin En's shoulder and paused.
"What are you bringing him for?"
"Ronava said he'd be useful."
Lin En told the truth.
Albedo didn't ask any further. He simply nodded and put the cube in his pack.
"I need to return to Mondstadt first. This cube needs to be studied in a safer environment. If it activates again, the mountain could still be affected."
"Thank you."
Lin En spoke.
Albedo waved a hand, and his figure disappeared into the vast expanse of ice and snow.
Lin En breathed a sigh of relief. He was just about to ask Ronava what they should do next when he noticed her staring in the direction Albedo had vanished, her golden eyes narrowing slightly.
"Let's go."
"Where?"
"Keep following him."
Lin En froze for two seconds, and the fake Albedo on his back nearly slipped off.
"You mean... you think there's something wrong with that Albedo?"
"He picked up that cube too naturally."
Lin En's heart skipped a beat. He recalled the way Albedo had crouched down to pick up the cube. It really had been too natural, as though he had known all along that it was there and what it was. Then he suddenly thought of the Albedo on his back.
"Don't tell me the one on my back is the real Albedo?"
"Yes."
"Don't tell me you knew all along? When did you find out?"
"When we first met. The puppet wasn't breathing, but he was panting."
"We're screwed. We did something bad!"
"Let's follow that man first and see what he's going to do."
The two followed the real fake Albedo from a distance, his figure appearing and disappearing through the curtain of snow. He didn't head north toward Mondstadt City, but turned up the mountain instead, climbing a steep, hidden trail buried in snow.
The path led to the summit.
Albedo remained unconscious on Lin En's back. Halfway up, they came across a camp and left Albedo inside to rest.
Gritting his teeth, Lin En followed Ronava, placing each foot in the holes her steps had left in the snow to avoid missing his footing.
The fake Albedo moved quickly. He was unbelievably familiar with the mountain's terrain, barely hesitating over his direction once in the snowstorm. Every step was so precise it was as though he had walked the route thousands of times.
About two hours later, they reached the highest point of Dragonspine.
The snowstorm suddenly stopped there. The summit was a broad, open platform, with ancient stone pillars and runes faintly visible beneath the ice.
At the very center of the platform, an enormous nail, snow-white all over and marked with blue patterns, floated in the air, pointing straight at the sky.
The Skyfrost Nail!
Albedo stood before the Celestial Nail with his back to them, his white coat flapping in the fierce wind and his blond hair blown into disarray.
Then he reached out and tossed the cube into the air.
Bang! The blue cube exploded in midair, breaking into nine equal fragments.
Lines of blue energy connected the fragments, forming an enormous three-dimensional array that pressed down from overhead, enveloping the entire Skyfrost Nail.
The runes on the Celestial Nail's surface suddenly lit up. Blue light clashed violently with the cube's energy, producing a piercing hum.
Albedo's body began to change.
He turned around. The face that belonged to Albedo was melting like a mask scorched by a raging fire. The color drained from his golden hair, turning it silver-white, and vast patches of dragon-scale patterns appeared on his skin. His pupils contracted into vertical slits, red as blood.
He grew taller, and a pair of translucent wings spread from his back as he knelt and bowed toward the nail.
"That's a dragon!"
Shock showed on Lin En's face. There were actually remnants of the dragon race left on the mountain.
The dragon remnant stood before the Skyfrost Nail, looking up at the blue runes flickering across the Celestial Nail and the energy array. Slowly, he spoke.
"A thousand years ago, the Heavenly Principles destroyed our civilization."
His voice was like ice cracking, filled with an ancient sorrow.
"Today, humanity will pay!"
He raised one hand, and the nine fragments pressed down on the Celestial Nail at once.
"I don't need power."
He spoke softly.
"I only need revenge."
Ronava did not move. She stood at the edge of the platform, her silver hair streaming behind her in the fierce wind, her golden eyes reflecting the blue light flickering across the Skyfrost Nail.
The dragon knelt before the Celestial Nail. The array formed by the nine fragments was stripping away the runes on its surface layer by layer, and each time a layer came off, the nail shuddered violently.
"Aren't you going to stop him?"
Watching Ronava stand motionless, Lin En was thoroughly puzzled. This person... this dragon wanted to take revenge on humanity, so why wasn't she doing anything?
"Why should I stop him?"
Ronava asked in return.
Lin En froze. That was the Skyfrost Nail, a creation the Heavenly Principles had left on Teyvat. If this dragon gained control of its power, Mondstadt and Liyue would be finished.
"It's not time yet. Wait a little longer."
Ronava spoke calmly.
Lin En thought it over for two seconds, only half understanding. But since Ronava had said to wait a little longer, she must have been confident she could defeat the dragon.
"All right, we'll wait a little longer."