You know, some mornings you wake up thinking, "Wow, today's gonna be chill. Maybe a little treasure hunting, a little monster slaying, some friendly banter with your besties." And then there are mornings where you wake up, step forward, and BAM — Hilichurl-infested death cavern with torch-lit drama and abyssal overtones.
Guess what kind of morning this is?
"Look! Crates! Torches! Suspiciously placed environmental storytelling!" Paimon pointed ahead with her usual level of high-pitched anxiety. "There are signs of Hilichurl activity here! Could these be the ones the requester was talking about?"
Ah yes, the requester. The commission. The adventure. The decision we all definitely won't regret later.
Dainsleif, majestic cape flapping like he's modeling for a tragic perfume commercial, narrowed his eyes. "Hmm... Requester? Is that the reason why you ventured here into this place?"
I grinned, finger-gunning like the professional I am. "Yup yup! You're correct, big bro! We took a commission from the Guild to investigate the Chasm which we'll probably regret later!"
I may or may not have thrown finger guns in the air. Lumine looked away. Paimon floated two inches higher in disappointment.
I gestured toward the crates like I was unveiling an ancient secret. "And this... this would be our first clue!"
Dainsleif, already regretting joining our party, tilted his head. "Do you want answers?"
"...I want breakfast more."
A beat.
Paimon and Lumine both gave me the synchronized deadpan stare of disappointment. 10/10, truly Olympic-level synchronization.
Paimon floated over to Dainsleif with pleading eyes. "Do you know something about this?"
And of course, Dain, with the voice of a thousand backstories, goes, "As it happens, I do."
Lumine's eyes widened like she just unlocked a hidden achievement. "Huh? Did we miss something?"
Dain was about to launch into his TED Talk about existential despair, but I cut in with a smile. The kind of smile that says yes, I know too much and I'm about to drop a bombshell.
He caught the look and muttered, "So you knew as well, huh?"
"Yup," I said, and spun on my heel like I was in some edgy stage play. "Feels like you're being lured here, ain't that right, big bro? Like it's been calling for you... asking you to stay... maybe whispering creepy lullabies or something?"
Silence.
And then, Dain paused. His expression didn't change much, but I saw the weight in his eyes.
"You're not wrong," he said quietly. "It probably involves the Curse we Khaenri'ahns suffered from. Let's investigate further."
Translation: We're in deep trouble, and the Abyss Order is probably setting up another one of their Scooby-Doo traps.
We continued moving forward. Crates. Rocks. Darkness. Torch-lit mystery corridors. The usual. Dain, ever the lore machine, decided to drop another knowledge bomb mid-stroll.
"Do you know why Hilichurls wear masks?" he asked.
I twirled my finger like a bored alchemist. "I'm not really sure since I only did this quest once in my previous world, but it's... to hide their appearance, right? Since compared to what they once were—or how they remember themselves—it's terrible and causes them great despair."
Boom. Lore dropped. Score one for the chaos gremlin.
Just as I was about to congratulate myself for being unusually profound, Dain froze. And when Dain freezes, you know something's about to go horribly wrong.
"Conversation's over," he said, his voice suddenly sharper than my sword. "Brace yourselves."
"W-What is it?" Paimon squeaked.
Dain's gaze narrowed. "We're under attack."
AND THEN — BAM! Two Black Serpent Knights, emerging from the shadows like unwanted relatives at a family reunion.
Lumine didn't hesitate. She bolted forward like a flash of divine fury. Sword raised. Hair glowing. True main-character energy.
And me?
I... I hesitated.
I don't know why. I've fought worse. Fought weirder. Fought louder. But something about them made my legs freeze. My grip tightened on my sword, yet I couldn't move.
One of the knights raised his blade. Lumine clashed with the other. Dain turned and looked at me. No judgment. Just understanding.
And with a calm nod, like he already knew, he said, "...Do it."
That was all I needed.
"I'm sorry," I muttered.
And I charged.
I didn't summon lightning. I didn't roar some epic anime battle cry. I just plunged my blade straight into the chest of the Black Serpent Knight before me.
Clean. Painless. Final.
It didn't scream. Didn't fight back. It just... looked at me. Eyes glowing faintly behind the helmet.
And for a second, I wondered — who was he? What kind of man stood here centuries ago, laughing and breathing and hoping?
But the light faded. And he was gone.
***
You ever have that moment when you do something serious—like really serious—and you suddenly forget how to function as a person? Like your body's moving, your brain's doing somersaults, and your soul just... checks out?
Yeah. That's me right now.
My sword clattered to the ground with the most depressing clink sound I've ever heard. My hands were just... there. Floating uselessly in front of me like I'd just discovered they exist. I stared at them. Couldn't stop staring.
I mean—I just stabbed a dude.
A knight. A Black Serpent Knight. Who may or may not have once been a decent man who liked poetry or kittens or long walks through cursed kingdoms.
And me? I was standing here like a traumatized fish.
"Shigeru!"
Soft hands grabbed mine. I looked up.
Lumine. Her expression was full of worry, her golden eyes wide and searching my face like she was looking for cracks.
"What's wrong?"
I opened my mouth. Nothing came out.
Like, do you ever get the kind of guilt where your vocal cords go on strike?
Dainsleif let out a sigh behind me. The man walked up like he was about to deliver a sad poem and tapped me on the shoulder. Real dramatic.
"I appreciate your hesitation. I truly do," he said, voice smoother than any NPC deserves. "But now that the curse has engulfed them... and they fight with none of the honor they once had... you made the right decision, younger brother."
You'd think that'd make me feel better.
But NOPE. My trauma levels were still sky-high.
"But still—!" I snapped back.
Dain turned. Looked me dead in the eyes with that eternal sleep-deprived poker face.
"You did great."
And you know what?
That hurt more than an insult.
I gritted my teeth and looked away. My hands were still shaking.
"Paimon was so worried!" she suddenly burst out, floating up to my eye level like an anxious balloon. "What happened to you back there?"
Dain answered instead, stepping in before I could mumble something awkward and melodramatic.
"They are the Black Serpent Knights," he explained. "They are my former comrades in arms. Shigeru wasn't able to think straight—guilt weighed him down. He probably recognized them."
Ah. Yep. Spot-on.
Because I did. I remembered one of them. From my dreams. Or memories. Or my past life. Whatever the Archons are calling it these days.
Lumine looked at me again, her brows furrowed, a deep crease of concern carved into her usually calm expression. And then—
Suddenly.
She hugged me.
Like. Just—hugged me.
Full-on face-in-her-chest hug.
I blinked. My brain blue-screened.
Her hand gently rubbed the back of my head. "It's okay. You did what you had to."
And naturally.
Naturally, dear reader.
My dumb, idiot brain decided to reboot not with emotional resolution, but with absolute, chaotic gremlin energy.
"...Hehe. Lumine's chest... smells nice."
BOOM.
Sudden uppercut.
I'm not joking. I flew. Like—my soul briefly left my body and waved at the Celestial gates.
"YOU ABSOLUTE PERVERT!!" Lumine's voice cracked through the cave like thunder.
Paimon made the exact face of someone who wants to be angry but is also trying not to laugh. "You were doing so well for like, TWO SECONDS!"
I landed on my butt. Dusted myself off. Coughing.
"...I'm sorry, guys. I lost my chaos—I mean, my cool for a bit there."
Dain just gave me the look. You know the one. Older sibling disappointment mixed with tired mentor patience.
I stood up. Stared at him. The cave was quiet again. My expression hardened.
"Big bro," I muttered. "Let's unravel this together. And set them free, yeah?"
Dainsleif's gaze softened just a little. A faint smile curved his lips.
"...Let's move out."
Paimon floated in a slow circle, clearly holding back her giggles. Lumine was still pouting like someone who got her last slice of cake stolen. And me?
The idiot was back.
We walked forward again. More rocks. More torch-lit anxiety corridors. Honestly, Teyvat's interior decorating style is doomcore and I'm sick of it.
Then—
Dainsleif stopped.
He looked up, eyes narrowing.
And there it was.
Another Black Serpent Knight. But this one... different.
Taller. More presence. Like, boss-fight-vibes-level presence.
It didn't attack.
It just stood there. Watching us. Then—
Gone.
Like an Abyss ghost ninja.
"...What the heck?" Paimon squeaked. "Was it trying to say something?!"
"I dunno," I muttered. "Maybe it was shy. First-day-on-the-job syndrome. Happens to the best of us."
Lumine gave me the side-eye. "Shigeru."
"What?"
"Stop talking."
"...Y-Yes, ma'am."
We continued deeper. Whatever that thing was... it wasn't done with us. Not even close.
But for now, we moved.
Together.
And hopefully, this time I'll remember to be emotionally responsible before I start sniffing people's hair.
Okay. Deep breath. Just when I thought things were finally calming down after the whole "emotional breakdown while being hugged by a hot blond traveler" thing, the universe—or maybe just Teyvat's architects—decided to drop another weird puzzle-looking energy thingy right in front of us.
And when I say puzzle-looking, I mean it looked like something that should've come with a user manual. Or, you know, a Do Not Touch Unless You're a Certified Electro Technician sign.
"There must be something in there, like a mechanism or something," Paimon says, floating beside me like a concerned balloon with commitment issues.
"Puzzle time?" Lumine chimed in, and I swear, her eyes lit up like she was about to speedrun this thing with no skips.
But before either of us could even say hydroculus, Dainsleif just casually raises a hand, mutters something under his breath like a moody Final Fantasy character, and BAM—the strange energy just... disappears.
Gone. Poof. Just like my chances with Keqing.
"How convenient," I said, blinking at the suddenly clear path.
Dain didn't even look smug. Just shrugged and said, "Kaenri'ah's technology. Abyssal power. Two things I couldn't be more familiar with. They're cheap tricks to me."
Like, bro. Just say you're built different and move on. Leave some mystery for the rest of us, okay?
"So the Abyss Order really was trying to hide something here?" Paimon asked, her voice a mix of curiosity and slight dread. Same, girl. Same.
Lumine stepped forward, tilting her head. "Was this upside-down city built by Khaenri'ah?"
Dain gave her a side-eye that could vaporize a Ruin Guard. "Not necessarily. The closer we draw, the more I am inclined to conclude that these ruins belong to a more ancient civilization still. The Abyss Order simply got here before anyone else."
Paimon puffed her cheeks. "Even older than Khaenri'ah? Paimon can't even imagine back that far..."
Okay, look. Even I can't imagine back that far, and I have the attention span of a pinecone.
Dain nodded again, his voice a gravelly echo. "That said, the architecture here does somewhat resemble that of Khaenri'ah. At least, it would... if it were the other way up. Let's move forward."
Simple. Efficient. Mysterious. This guy's basically a human lore drop.
"Hey, be careful, guys! The road ahead is—WOAH, WHOA WHOAAA!"
Listen. In my defense, I tried to warn everyone. I did. Like a responsible, mature, occasionally wise traveler. But apparently, the universe heard that and said, "Wouldn't it be funny if he almost fell to his death again?"
Because guess what? The floor was not flooring.
I tripped. Not dramatically. Not epically. Just... dumbly. Feet caught on nothing. Slipped like a hydro slime on ice. Arms flailing. Screamed a little too high-pitched. Dainsleif didn't even flinch. Lumine gasped. Paimon yelled something like, "SHIGERU, NO!"
Meanwhile me? I saw my life flash before my eyes.
...Which, to be honest, was mostly food, people yelling at me, and that one time I tried to flirt with Ningguang and got banned from Liyue Harbor's Jade Chamber permanently.
Thankfully, I didn't fall to my doom.
Dain caught me. Well, more like he caught the back of my coat with one finger. ONE. FINGER. Like a boss.
"You should watch your step," he said dryly.
"Yeah, well, maybe the floor should WATCH ITSELF!" I snapped back as he hoisted me upright like I weighed nothing.
Lumine was at my side instantly, concern in her eyes. "Are you okay?"
"Physically? Yes. Emotionally? I may never recover."
Paimon wheezed. "Paimon thought you were gonna die again!"
"You and me both, floating emergency food."
And then, because the universe LOVES me, I stepped forward again and my shoe made that little creak sound.
"NOPE," I declared, stepping back so fast I nearly moonwalked. "I am officially putting in a motion to ban all floating platforms, abyss-infused cities, and weird puzzle zones until further notice."
Dain kept walking like nothing happened.
This guy's probably fought, like, twelve gods and a betrayal dragon. Meanwhile, I nearly died because of uneven flooring.
Life's fair like that.
Anyway, we press on.
The city ahead looks like it was designed by someone who took one look at gravity and said, "Nah." Everything is upside-down, sideways, or in impossible geometries. Ruins hanging above us, buildings sticking out like spikes, glowy runes doing interpretative dance on the walls.
"If I get motion sick and puke, will it float upwards or downwards?" I asked.
Paimon snorted. Lumine smacked my arm.
"This place is making my brain feel like it's doing a handstand inside my skull," I muttered.
We kept going. Every now and then, Dain would mutter something mysterious, point at a symbol, or do that thing where he looks into the void like he's trying to remember how taxes work.
Me? I mostly tried not to die again.
There were stairs that led nowhere. Platforms that only existed when you didn't look at them. And a weird glowing cube that may or may not have winked at me.
"Okay, I'm officially done pretending I understand any of this," I said, arms flailing. "Can we just find the evil thing, beat it up, and go get dinner?"
"We're not here to fight something," Dain said, still looking stoic and heroic.
"Great," I muttered. "We're on a field trip from geometry hell."
Eventually, we reached this huge circular structure. The floor glowed with runes, the air buzzed, and in the middle was...
"Is that a coffee table?" I asked.
Dain ignored me.
"That must be it," Lumine whispered.
Paimon floated up. "It's... ancient. You think this is what the Abyss Order wanted?"
"Maybe it's a giant co-op board game," I said. "Winner gets an ancient artifact, loser gets thrown into the void."
Nobody laughed.
Tough crowd.
I stepped closer, ready to poke it, and Dain grabbed my arm.
"Don't," he warned.
"Touch-activated explosion trap?"
He said nothing. Just gave me that big brother stare like I was about to lick a ley line.
Sigh.
I really want to go home.
____________________________
End of Chapter 71
Quests Completed:
*Defeat the corrupted remnants beneath The Chasm alongside Dainsleif.
*Face the emotional consequences of hurting someone you might've known.
* Gain more trust from Dainsleif through shared combat and conversation.
*Solve the mysterious seal puzzle to unlock deeper chambers of The Chasm.
Rewards:
*Lumine Hug (Limited-Time Buff): +10 Morale, +2 Emotional Stability, lasts until next chaotic incident.
*One (1) Silent Anxiety Loop Installed
*+1 to Emotional Depth
*+5 to Brooding Potential
*+15 Affinity with Dainsleif
*Access to Lower Floors