"If She No Longer Dreams of You..."

Hide and seek, hide and seek, where did Mary and her friends go? ♪ To a great sea without borders, to the place from which all lives flow. ♪

Hey there!

Oh, hi!

I'm sorry. I was just preparing some tea and didn't notice you. Come, sit. Snacks will be ready soon!

Ooh, snacks!

Yes, and ours are very good.

Ah, but I must say this first. We can only start once the bell rings. It would be quite rude to do otherwise.

Where are you from, by the way? Why, you are a fascinating combination, aren't you? A handsome young man, a small little Oceanid, and your beautiful, floating friend.

Hehe. Paimon's Paimon, and he's 旅行者!

...

(Huh. Is it just Paimon, or does Ann look unhappy?)

(She might have been reminded of something.)

Ah, and this Oceanid is our friend, Ann!

Oh, my. A fine name indeed. In that case, please call me Mary-Ann.

Huh. Just like in the book Canotila found.

Yeah. That's... really odd...

This is a flower garden that we've painstakingly taken care of. Lovely, isn't it?

I've heard Basil say that caring for children is like caring for a flower. You need good soil, sufficient sunlight, frequent watering, and you can't let them grow however they want.

Hehe, sounds like this Basil is pretty smart!

In fact, we must get rid of pests from time to time as well.

Uh, actually, Basil sounds pretty dangerous too.

Ah, she is very capable indeed. Making snacks, caring for flowers, she can do it all. It would be nice if I could introduce her to you.

I have been caring for the flowers here all this time, in the hopes that some friends might come, and I might show them how they have bloomed. And well, here you are!

Well... It's a shame that they aren't in bloom right now, though.

Well, we just need to water them, and they'll be fine!

Hide and seek, hide and seek, where did Mary and her friends go? ♪ To the halls of sea-born foam, to watch the sunflowers in bloom. ♪

Aren't they beautiful?

Eh? That was quick!

Well, they've been waiting for friends to arrive, after all. And with your arrival, ah, they were so excited! All they needed then was a little encouragement, a little rain to get them going.

Huh, so that's how it is... Nature really is amazing, huh?

Do you like them, Ann?

They're very beautiful, like gleaming gold.

I knew you would. I love them too, after all.

You're from a very, very faraway place, aren't you, 旅行者? What sort of flowers bloom there?

(Describe the flowers your sister wears in her hair.)

Ah... Those do sound like lovely flowers.

But I fear that they'll be hard to find now.

旅行者...

...Then let us speak of other flowers! I've always been in Fontaine, and I've never gone elsewhere. That said, a friend of mine has been to Sumeru. I heard from him that there are many flowers there that can't be found here.

Those that grow on cliffs, ones that only open at night. Some even grow on cacti...

Haha, and that's when he realized that there were no cacti in Fontaine, and had to give me a separate explanation. He was always the serious sort, and he was the smartest of us when we were young...

Ahem. Sorry, I'm talking to myself. It must be a little too exciting for me, meeting new friends like this. Well, then, Paimon. Have you seen any special flowers?

Um, Mondstadt's dandelions come to mind!

Dandelions! Oh, do you have any of their delightful seeds with you?

Uh, well, we might?

Dandelions, dandelions, bloom, bloom, bloom~ ♪

Ah, yes! What sort of flower is a dandelion?

Huh. Paimon thought you knew! Well, um, how should we put this... The dandelion flower is made of many tiny white flowers, and these white flowers have seeds on them.

When the wind blows, these tiny flowers will scatter along with the wind, and they will take root and sprout elsewhere, eventually making new flowers. Cool, huh?

Wow, they really are. I didn't know such a flower existed, but I have heard about something similar!

Ooh! What sorta flower is that?

It's not a flower, but it's a story about water. In a certain place, there was a peaceful body of water...

Later, with disturbance, there came ripples, and droplets appeared in those ripples, droplets that had life in them. This life left the water, and turned into different forms.

But though they were all made of water, gulfs opened between them due to these differences. Each drop of life was very weak, but each was beautiful in its own way.

The dandelions you spoke of, Paimon, reminded me a lot of that story. A flower that was once united as one would be separated, would bloom, and each piece would become itself.

But a single drop of water is weak and will dry up easily. Together, they will be strong... and yet, they will no longer be themselves. Is that how it is with dandelions, too?

Do you think that's a good thing?

Um... Paimon doesn't really get it. What do you think, 旅行者?

They may be weak, but the distance is necessary.

...I think I understand where you're coming from, 旅行者.

What you're talking about sounds like what happened to Al, Petit Chou, and the others. To help us, they melded into one, turning into that big bubble...

Yes. I still remember.

Well. It might be meaningless to say this now.

Let's have a little walk again, shall we? Ah, yes! I can take you to see our dog!

Feels like that book we saw in the Institute of Natural Philosophy...

Huh. Paimon doesn't know. But it feels different somehow...

Paimon wants to say that the book's contents were really weird, but it's really not much when compared to this, is it?

The world should be like this, not like how it is outside. Children should be able to play under the sun and in the grass without fear of hindrance or harm.

This place does feel pretty comfy, yeah. Paimon feels way better than she did back when we were adventuring throughout the kingdom. There was no sunlight there at all!

...

Never mind that... This place really is nice! It's gotta be Princess Lyris's garden, right? Say, 旅行者, when our adventures are over, why don't we find a place like this to live?

We can eat tasty fruits, plant lots of Sweet Flowers, and we can invite our friends over as guests! We could all live together happily. What do you say?

Eh, sure.

Hehe, then it's agreed! Still, we should focus on helping Ann find the Princess first, huh?

Hide and seek, hide and seek, where did Mary and her friends go? ♪

Huh? Sounds like someone's singing over there...

Noble Sir, it is an honor to receive food from you. A pleasure to see you again as well, Ms. Mary-Ann.

?

Oh, you good doggie!

Um... good doggie?

And how do you do, dear little Miss?

Well, uh, thanks for being polite and all, but... Ann, what's going on?

I don't know... But this can't be Mori.

He has always kept me company.

Hmm. Does this mean that we've been wrong all along about what dogs really look like?

Water can take any shape, and life can choose what form it must take. This, however, has nothing to do with its essence. That is a different matter.

Ah, didn't Al say something similarly weird?

I have heard something similar said, that the body is a prison that restricts evolution. That person was once a child, like all the others.

We and many others heard him tell many stories. About how all life was originally formless, like water, and how there were no barriers between souls, thus allowing them to compose an endless story.

Many have forsaken their bodies, for if water can be withdrawn from blood, so too, can will be drawn out from one's form.

...But if you were to try to sprinkle water on the blackened dust that remains, it will not become blood again.

Ann?

I... I remember something... Even though I really didn't want to.

How much do you remember, Ann?

...I don't know. There's just this flood of... feelings and scenes. Happy words and angry ones... I'm not sure...

I understand.

You go first, alright? And remember, be a good dog.

Understood. See you, Ms. Mary-Ann. See you, dear guests.

Oh, this is bad. The number of things that don't make sense just keeps going up! If we hadn't seen the dog, Paimon would've forgotten all that stuff already!

Didn't we say we were going to rescue Princess Lyris?

That's right...

My apologies, but there is no Princess here. Only us. Today, we were simply fortunate to receive guests.

But this is the end of the path. She has to be here!

But Mary-Ann said...

Um, so, that's gotta mean that one of you is mistaken, right?

Right? 旅行者?

Hmm...

Of course! You've got the bigger brain here, don't you?

Paimon, all we experienced so far was just a "story."

Wait, b—but didn't we team up with the Narzissenkreuz Adventure Team to defeat Narcissus's henchmen? Wasn't that real?

Think about it for a moment, Paimon...

Is there even a Narzissenkreuz Kingdom amongst the seven nations?

Huh. You're right. Paimon didn't think of that!

So, the adventure team... Al, Petit Chou, Colonel Kate, Jak, Mori, the two of us... and our adventures... They were all just characters in a story?

No, that can't be! Paimon can't accept that!

Didn't we encounter all kinds of stuff after going through the portal in the tower? There's a lot of stuff there that wouldn't fit if this was just a story.

Y'know, like how there was no Holy Blade mentioned at the start, and how a sealed tower still had monsters and Bubble Formations inside it!

Paimon... I think I understand what 旅行者 is trying to say. So, all the things that happened after we ascended the tower are things outside the realm of the story. Is that right?

More accurately, those parts of the story have not yet been written.

So, the Holy Blade, Narcissus... These were still inside the story. It's just that they had not been arranged correctly yet.

Um, Paimon still finds it hard to imagine anyone who would create such a huge building just for a story...

I believe the structure already existed.

It was just used as the setting for the story.

...

So that means that the things I recalled along the way were things that happened here before... and I'm just a character in a story...

You're not merely a character.

The fact that you can think about this means that you can remember it.

But if that's the case, who is Ann...?

I am... Ann. I must rescue Princess Lyris...

Alright, 旅行者, Paimon, and dearest Ann. Our time is up. I enjoyed our time together, but I'm afraid it is time for you to leave.

Why did you have to say it was fiction if you already knew? Spare a thought for Ann's feelings, at least...

Hmm?

Mary-Ann...

Ugh, y'know, Paimon's sure we've heard this name before...

What? What happened!?

B—But...!

Shh. There's no need to say anything, Ann.

I once heard my best friend tell a story about a beautiful princess trapped in a high tower.

Before you arrived, I had a dream. I dreamed that I was a small, brave Oceanid, and we set out to save the Princess...

And perhaps there are princesses in this world, and dragons, too. But I also know that the world's affairs are rarely this simple. Why would a dragon be concerned with a princess, after all?

After waking up, I would find this dream laughable, yet nostalgic, every time I thought about it. Do you remember now, Ann?

No! There has to be some other way. If I can't save Princess Lyris... Then what of my birth? My only wish? Do they have no meaning?

Don't say that, Ann.

Your birth was a beautiful accident. As things stand, "I" can only wish for you to live on for your own sake. Go, see the world, and see how it has changed these past years.

I wish for you to have your own soul, memories, personality, and wishes.

I wish for you to be the master of your own fate, and to experience all the beauty of the real world. Can you do that for me?

It was a pleasure to meet you, 旅行者, Paimon — and it was my pleasure to meet you too, Ann.

But the Annapausis is our tomb. I do not wish for you to linger here.

Mary-Ann... Why are you saying that? We can find a way to help you, can't we?

Haha. I sense that you are good-hearted and powerful indeed. Thank you, Paimon, 旅行者.

I'm just someone who sometimes enjoys dreaming of lovely adventures and wonderful futures. But I know what happened in the past. I already know that there's no going back.

In the real world, everything has already ended... so this is farewell.

My, what a pleasant surprise. It has been a long time since I've met someone from outside. Where are you from?

Uh, well, we're...

Actually, Paimon's not sure either. We defeated the fell dragon Narcissus, and then we ended up here somehow...

The "fell dragon Narcissus," you say? That must've been a frightening foe.

Uh... Did you think so, 旅行者?

My, I've heard that Narcissus has hurt many, and has turned many kingdoms to ash. Defeating him was an impressive feat indeed!

Ooh, so you know about him, too? Great! We're from the Narzissenkreuz Kingdom, and we're looking for Princess Lyris. Do you know where we might find her?

"Princess Lyris," you say... I'm afraid I do not know.

But she should be here...

Is that the case, Ann? But I have lived here for a long, long time, and yet I have never seen any princess. Perhaps she might be somewhere else?

Is that so? But before we came here, we read a book about that princess, and how she's beautiful and kind and stuff...

I'm afraid I'm unfamiliar with any such person... On the flipside, you, 旅行者, do quite look like a prince from a distant land!

...

(You hear the sound of a bell...)

Eh? Is that the bell?

Yes! That's the signal for teatime. In the past, the children would throw down their wooden swords the moment they heard this bell, and they would come into the hall to have snacks!

They're not here now, but I think it best to follow the rules all the same. They'd be quite disappointed otherwise, I suspect. Well then, shall we?

Don't mind if I do.

Hurray, snacks!

How were they?

Well, they were great... Although Paimon couldn't really... taste them? Are you on a low-sugar diet or something, Mary-Ann?

Hmm? My apologies, Paimon. I just made them as I remember them, so I'm not sure if they'll taste all that good...

Oh, don't worry about it! At... at least Paimon's full now!

Well, in that case, let me take you all out on a stroll!

Ann...

...

I'm sorry, Knight 旅行者, Paimon...

I had already started to feel that some things were off earlier in the adventure. As you led me off the story's track, I started to understand and recall some things.

But I... still want to rescue "Princess Lyris." That is the reason for which I was born. I want to save her and bring this story to a happy end.

I mean, I don't even know who she is. I only know that she is a gentle, lovely princess, trapped due to Narcissus's invasion.

Don't worry, Ann, at least... at least we had fun while traveling with the adventure team, right?

...

Um, 旅行者... Did you know that things would turn out this way?

No. I thought we could help Ann.

Oh...

Well, if that's the case, we can still help Ann.

Huh?

Paimon didn't understand anything Mary-Ann said there at the end. Did you, Ann?

I did, sort of. I could sense that she was speaking of something terrible that happened in the past...

Well, Paimon feels that that's unfair — not just to you, Ann, but to us too!

That's why we've gotta find out what happened, at least. If we do, we can come up with some sort of plan!

Whether it be saving the Princess or figuring out what Mary-Ann said, or whatever, we just wanna help you, Ann! Isn't that right, 旅行者?

Okay...

Still, if this is all just a story, then there's one thing Paimon doesn't get. What role do we play, 旅行者?

I can't be sure, but I think we're most likely...

Undefined factors.

And that's why we can bring this story to an end.

Ah, Paimon gets it. So that's why Ann found us and brought us into the story.

You might not have thought about it, Ann, but since we've been able to knock this story off course, that means that we've opened all sorts of unknown possibilities. Isn't that right, 旅行者?

You could say that.

*sniff* Thank you, Knight 旅行者. Thank you, Paimon...

That's why we also need your help, Ann. And since we need to continue our adventure, well... Can you think of anything that could help us figure out what to do next?

Hmm... Let me think...

My memories contain a place known as the Narzissenkreuz Ordo. This place appears to have very deep connections to past events.

Huh!

That's true. Narzissenkreuz Kingdom... Adventure Team... Yeah, they seem connected, alright.

Do you have any idea where this Ordo might be?

No...

Oh, that's right. We're very experienced adventurers — if you need it found, we'll find it!

Huh, y'know, Paimon just realized that this name has something to do with the Kingdom and Adventure Team in Ann's story...

C'mon, we were busy adventuring — there wasn't that much time for Paimon to think!

Do you know of the Narzissenkreuz Ordo?

Yup, and we also met some people who are really connected to it. They might be able to help us.

In any case, let's go!