The night wind blew in through the window, making the bell on the table chime softly.
Ronava stood by the window, her silver hair streaming behind her in the wind as she gazed toward the distant Tenshukaku.
The rift to the Abyss had completely healed, and the night sky was peaceful again. Only a few faint traces of dark red light lingered along the edges of the clouds.
In the streets of Inazuma City, the Shogunate Army was clearing the battlefield. Residents emerged from the shelters one after another, their faces still showing signs of fright.
Lin En walked over to her and asked,
"Are you all right?"
Ronava didn't answer immediately. She was silent for a moment before turning her gaze away from the Tenshukaku.
"Why do you ask?"
"Because you seemed shocked when you saw Asmoday just now."
"We haven't seen each other in hundreds of years. Running into her this time was more unexpected than I imagined."
Ronava gave a brief answer, her tone flat, as if nothing had happened.
"Were you close before?"
She didn't answer.
"I don't think she wanted to fight you."
Lin En continued.
"When she blocked that shot of yours, she only defended herself. She didn't strike back. If she'd truly and completely betrayed the Heavenly Principles, she could have counterattacked after blocking it, but she didn't. She just left with Aether."
Lin En's reflection shone in Ronava's golden eyes in the lamplight.
"What are you trying to say?"
"I'm saying that maybe she isn't entirely on Aether's side."
Lin En leaned against the wall and folded his arms across his chest.
"Maybe she's just doing what she thinks is right, just like you chose to bring me along while you restored your power. You chose different paths, but that doesn't mean she sees you as an enemy."
Ronava looked at him and remained silent for a long time.
"You're always so naive."
"That's called optimism."
"That's called stupidity. One day you'll get used, and you won't even know how you died."
"You just thanked me, and now you're calling me stupid."
Ronava ignored him, turned, and went to sit on the bedding on the floor. She draped the quilt over herself and leaned against the wall, her gaze settling on the bell on the table.
"We'll go back to Tsurumi Island in a few days."
Lin En nodded.
"We do need to hurry. The Abyss has already made its move."
Lin En walked over and sat on the edge of the bed. He glanced at Ronava on the bedding, smiled, then lay down and closed his eyes.
Over the next few days, Lin En went outside Inazuma City to practice using Elemental Energy during the day and returned to the inn to rest at night.
Ronava occasionally went with him, sitting in the shade of a tree some distance away with her eyes closed.
On the evening of the third day, Lin En returned from outside the city to find that Ronava had already packed their belongings.
Two pieces of clothing, a few doses of medicine for injuries, dried food and water, and the bell. There wasn't much, and it all fit in a single bundle.
"We leave tomorrow."
She said.
"What about the boat?"
"It's arranged."
Lin En nodded.
The evening in Inazuma City was quiet, and the lanterns along the streets lit up one by one.
Early on the fourth morning, the two boarded a boat at the docks. This boat was a little better than the one Yae Miko had arranged. Its cabin was spacious, with more than enough room for four people to sit.
Ronava sat at the bow, her silver hair streaming behind her in the sea breeze, her golden eyes fixed on the distant sea.
The weather had been good these past few days. The sea was calm, and waves lapped gently against the hull. He closed his eyes as Anemo flowed slowly around his palm. After several days of practice, his Anemo was purer than before, and his cyclones were considerably more powerful.
"That nail is still inside the mountain on Tsurumi Island. Does that mean we have to go through that maze again?"
A few days earlier, Ronava had run into Yae Miko on the street and casually asked where the Celestial Nail was. Yae Miko had told her everything without holding anything back.
"No. The core of the formation has already been destroyed, and the mist is gone. We can go straight in through a crack in the mountain now."
"That's good."
After the boat had sailed for most of the day, Tsurumi Island's coastline appeared at the edge of their vision.
Unlike last time, there was no thick fog. The sky was pale blue, and sunlight fell across the island. They could clearly make out the outline of the distant mountain and the sparse vegetation at its foot.
The boat came ashore, and the two disembarked.
They followed the same route as last time toward the foot of the mountain. The stone pillars and fragments of clay pots were still there by the roadside. Lin En was very careful not to knock over the pots; after all, he remembered that in the game, they were filled with human flesh.
After walking for about half an hour, they made their way around to the other side of the mountain.
The huge crater left when Ronava blasted the monster out was still there, with rubble scattered around it. A massive crack in the rock wall led straight into the mountain.
Ronava walked up to the crack and reached out to sense it.
"The nail is just below."
She withdrew her hand.
"Let's go."
The two followed the crack inward. The passage was much shorter than the maze they had taken last time. Without the spatial distortion, the path was straight, and although there was a lot of rubble underfoot, it was steady going.
After walking for about fifteen minutes, they came upon an open space ahead. Its domed ceiling was high, and the rock walls on all sides were covered in dark gold patterns that glowed faintly in the gloom.
In the center of the floor, a nail as black as night protruded from the rock, the runes on its surface still flowing slowly.
Ronava stepped forward and pressed her hand against the nail.
"How long will it take this time?"
Lin En asked.
"Not long."
Ronava closed her eyes, and dark gold light poured from the nail into her palm.
Lin En stood guard beside her, Anemo gathering in his palm. The chamber had only one entrance, so if anything tried to come in, he could at least give advance warning.
A few minutes later, Ronava opened her eyes. Her golden eyes were brighter than before, and the pressure surrounding her had also grown considerably stronger.
"Done?"
"Mm."
Ronava withdrew her hand.
"I recovered a small portion of the power in Tsurumi Island's Celestial Nail."
Lin En breathed a sigh of relief, but another question came to mind.
"You said Phanes used Tsurumi Island's Celestial Nail to destroy an ancient civilization. So why leave some of its power inside?"
Ronava looked at him, a trace of gravity in her golden eyes.
"Because the nails aren't just weapons."
"They're also seals. Each nail is preventing Teyvat from becoming holy land. If I reclaimed all their power, Teyvat would become holy land and would no longer be suitable for humans to live in. The power I took was only a tiny amount."
"Would Phanes allow you to do that?"
"She's severely injured. At least for now, she won't interfere, and she can't act directly at the moment either."
"So the thing Aether obtained in Inazuma..."
"It may have something to do with the token, but I don't know exactly what it is. The token is in our hands now, so what he obtained should have been something Yae Miko used as a substitute."
The two walked out of the crack in the mountain into pleasant sunshine. The sea breeze carried the scent of salt and vegetation, and a few seabirds circled over the distant sea.
Ronava stood outside the crack, her silver hair glowing softly in the sunlight. She tilted her head and glanced at Lin En.
"Sumeru. There's someone I know there who owes me a favor."
"Someone in Sumeru owes you a favor too? Who?"
Lin En followed her, and the two made their way back toward the sea along the path they had come.