Variations on the Song of the Dragon and Freedom

Alright, we made it. Time for round tw— Huh?

Was this bubble this color before? Is something wrong?

I'm not sure. It was like this when I came to check on things this morning.

It's the Abyss...

Wh—What? That... That can't be! How would the power of the Abyss even get in there?

You sure know your stuff, Traveler. That's where my head went too. But, I don't know... something is different about this power.

What does that mean?

It seems to be in an "embryonic state." Like an egg that hasn't hatched, the dark clouds before a storm, or... an omen before disaster strikes.

Of course, the world within the magic bubble is imaginary, so the same should be true of this Abyssal power... at least for now.

You created this magic, right, Alice? Do you have any idea what's going on here?

New magic does often come with its issues. So, I can't say I'm entirely surprised something like this would crop up.

As for a solution, however, I'm afraid I need more information first.

One thing is for certain, at least... Given the current threat, we'll have to close off the bubble to event participants.

My apologies, Miss Alice. I know you've made a promise to Klee, but I'm not sure you'll be able to keep it.

...

Uh, have we ever seen Alice look this serious...?

Breaking a promise to Klee...

Unprecedented crisis notwithstanding, it's too soon to just throw in the towel. What we should be focusing on is how we're going to fix this.

Are we talking about the Klee situation or the Abyss situation...?

Both! Now, I have my suspicions, but I'll need someone to head into the bubble and confirm a few things.

It's not like we can avoid going in there, right? We have to nip this crisis in the bud, after all.

I agree. We have to take action.

Alright. I'll go convince Klee to play somewhere else for now and then head right back.

In the meantime, Nicole, be a dear and keep observing the bubble from out here. Oh, and provide any fixes you can while the rest are inside.

I don't know, Alice. There are quite a few unknowns here. It's not like I can force people to head in there and take that risk. We angels aren't miracle workers...

...You sure about that?

...Fine, I'll do what I can. Just be quick, okay? This is your magic, after all.

Well, guess this is our best option. We're definitely not gonna sit back and watch!

What was today's story meant to be again?

The part where Barbatos uses the Lyre to summon Abyss-corrupted Dvalin.

Then, everyone joins forces to fight him inside Stormterror's Lair, purges him of Abyssal influence, and there you have it... happy ending.

Yep, that sounds like how it happened...

Well, we've got the gang from back then all here. Let's go in and find out what's happening.

Count me in too. Potential threat or not, if there's even the slightest chance Mondstadt is in danger, I need to get to the bottom of it.

...

Jean?

It's nothing. I was just feeling a bit... nostalgic, getting to work together like this again.

Yeah, yesterday felt like that too.

Yes, but that was for fun. That which confronts us now is a real crisis. So, I suppose the memories just... came back to me all at once.

Ooh, look at you getting all sentimental! That's a first!

I... Ahem. Well, I suppose I am a bit too high-strung most of the time.

Hey, don't be embarrassed to say what you feel. I think that's how things should be. It's how we all grow closer.

Besides, the more you open up, the less people will be surprised like Paimon here when you choose to share something.

Just look at Paimon, no filter whatsoever, word vomits whatever comes to mind... And that's what makes her so... endearing and approachable.

Hah, it's about time you gave Paimon a compliment, Tone-Deaf Bard... Hang on, was that a compliment?

Before we set off, I just want to stress that whatever is happening in the bubble right now is a huge unknown.

I was able to maintain contact before, but right now, all I can observe within is chaos. So, I imagine communication might be cut off as well.

It might be difficult for us to guide you, so proceed with caution.

Don't worry. This isn't our first time leaping head-first into a dangerous situation.

There's also a last resort I can fall back on if worst comes to worst... Though it would mean all our recent hard work going to waste.

You mean... destroying the bubble entirely?

Yes. If it comes down to it.

Alright. I'll monitor the situation from outside, and provide whatever external fixes and support I can in the meantime.

Understood. Prepare for the worst, hope for the best. Sound good?

Alright, let's go.

Look, it's Jean!

Whoa... I—Is this Mondstadt?

Didn't we all come in at the same time? Where are the others?

The bubble must be highly unstable right now.

Look! There's Venti... surrounded by a whole bunch of monsters!

We should go help him.

Yeah!

Ah, perfect timing. C'mon, let's show these unwelcome guests the door.

Hey, Diluc is over there!

All good, Venti?

Very much so, thanks to your timely arrival. But, Mondstadt looks like it's in bad shape.

The story's all messed up now.

Yeah! The city's crawling with Abyssal monsters! It's almost like... we've already lost.

I'm not sure what happened, but the rest of our group might need backup. Let's find them first.

Good point. Let's go!

——

Look, it's Dvalin! Is it just Paimon, or... does he look way worse than back then?

You're right. The corruption has spread throughout his entire body. If we had failed to purify him in real life, I imagine this is what would have become of him.

Wait, it looks like something's falling!

It's his tears...

Like the ones we purified in the past?

Yes, but at this point... These tears are essentially crystallizations of Abyssal power.

If left unchecked, they will continuously summon Abyssal monsters, and this disaster will never end.

We also need to get our hands on one of them.

Right, so I can purify it.

No, this degree of corruption cannot be cleansed. Besides, we need them in their corrupted state if we want to summon Dvalin.

I doubt the pure sound of the lyre can reach him in his current state.

Sounds like this whole thing is still gonna end in a confrontation, though. Just like back then...

Yes. I wasn't certain before Dvalin showed up, but now I'm sure this situation is more than simple chaos.

It seems more like... an alternate version of events, and I have some idea of how it came to be.

Well, monsters abound no matter where we look. You choose where to go, and I'll follow.

Huh? What happened?

Th—The statue's broken!

The Grand Master should be over there. C'mon, let's hurry.

We're here to help!

Perfect timing. Let's do this!

Looks like we're all back together. Everyone in one piece?

Yes. The Honorary Knight arrived just in time to help us out.

Now that we've collected Dvalin's tears, the monster attacks appear to be easing up, too.

I'm sure you've noticed, Varka, but the city is pretty much a ghost town at this point.

Yeah, we should get out of here. No sense wasting our strength.

This place should be safe from monster attacks for now, at least.

Anyone there? The communication function bugged out again. Do you copy? It's me, Nicole. Alice just got back too.

Yeah, we can hear you now! What's going on!?

When designing this experience, we cut out the part where Traveler cleanses the Abyssal power, and we didn't think to replace it with a different sequence of events. I think what we're witnessing is a direct result of that.

Alice and I thought the events in the bubble would be independent from each other.

But since the magic is contained in one place, it appears a causal link has formed between all the events within it...

And so, because Dvalin was never purified, we've encountered a major bug.

I knew it.

So, what we're witnessing now is like an alternate version of events where the Honorary Knight never appeared in Mondstadt.

Wait but, even if Traveler never showed up, you could have done something, right, Venti?

The Abyss is a far greater enemy than one person can face. I could have handled that specific situation, sure, but it wouldn't have gone quite so well.

If I'm not mistaken, you've seen how that version of the story goes yourself, right, Varka? Through the mages' scryglass?

Yeah, it was a kind of... prophecy. It felt so real, I doubt I could ever forget it.

In the end... You were able to seal Dvalin away, but you were wounded in the process.

But if Dvalin was sealed, how did things get to this point?

Because a seal doesn't solve the root problem. Over time, the Abyss would just grow stronger and stronger, deteriorating Dvalin's consciousness until there was nothing left.

Wait, does that mean what we saw earlier was...

The aftermath of Dvalin breaking free from the seal... That's right. He is in dire straits.

The power of the Abyss has fused with his flesh and bones. Purifying him now, in this state, is no different than sentencing him to death.

...

So, if we want to resolve this crisis...

We have to kill Dvalin.

I know that sounds intense. But remember, this is a fictional world. The real Dvalin is right as rain, and a lot more mellow than this one, that's for sure.

We have our solution, so let's hop to it. Should be a piece of cake for a group like this.

No time to lose, right? We've got Klee waiting for us, after all.

Hahaha, she's playing somewhere else right now, so we do have some time. Of course, the sooner we resolve this the better.

...You're right. This is the only way.

I know Dvalin means a lot to you. If this is too hard, you can leave it to us, y'know. No need to scar yourself over a game, right?

I'll be fine. I was... prepared for that possibility back then, too.

Let's go. Stormterror's Lair awaits.

This is it. Ready, everyone?

Hah. More than.

Of course. I just hope I learned a thing or two since the first time around.

Haha, guess I'm the newbie, huh? Good thing I'm a quick learner, then.

What about you, Traveler? This was your first big fight in Teyvat. Were you nervous back then? How about now?

I'm not nervous. We've all grown a lot since then.

We overcame this challenge once, and we can do it again.

Paimon believes in you!

Then let the mournful cries of this lyre, tainted and defiled, summon a familiar now utterly warped.

Ugh...

You alright, Barbatos?

Turning the surging Abyss into musical notes is no simple task...

But how could I claim to be the finest bard in Teyvat if I didn't rise to the occasion?

■■■■■, ■■■■■... I have heard enough!

You call me forth ■■■■? ■■■■■■■!

Phew, made it. Thanks for the assist.

It looks like Mondstadt is in dire straits... Did you see any Knights or civilians on the way here?

No...

Hm, then my initial suspicion could be right... The Knights have abandoned the city and evacuated all civilians to a different location.

A—Abandoned the city...?

In the face of unrelenting Abyssal attacks, it's possible they had no other choice. But, none of that matters now.

An empty city has its advantages. We won't need to divert our attention to protecting civilians, for one.

Oh, and this thing... It looks like one of Dvalin's tears. I don't feel good about just leaving it here.

That happens to be just what we were hoping to find. Let's take it with us.

Wait, what about Varka? Have you seen him?

No, I'm not sure where he is. We'll just have to keep looking.

Looks like it was a happy ending after all.

It was kinda like a Choo-Choo Cart ride — it had its fun moments and its thrills. All in all, Paimon had a great time.

Guess it wasn't without some collateral damage, though... Sorry about the window, Jean.

It's fine. As long as the building itself is intact, I consider that a win. I'll arrange for the window to be replaced at a later date.

In any case, we were lucky Dvalin arrived when he did. It would have been tricky to deal with a flying opponent otherwise.

I suppose I could've created a gust of wind to whisk us up, but I'm not sure our gliders would have survived the process.

Honestly, after everything we faced, I can't believe Alice still decided to bring Klee in there to play. She's a daring one, that's for sure.

I mean, can we be certain there aren't other bugs that just haven't cropped up yet?

I suppose that speaks to the confidence the mages have in their magical mastery.

Heh, if I know Alice, the whole bubble could've been blown to bits, and Klee still wouldn't have had a single scratch.

Her abilities do speak for themselves, I suppose.

So, what now? Anyone down for a drink? My treat.

Hm, sounds like a great idea, but tonight, it's on me. I happen to have a bottle of fine wine set aside just for the expedition team.

Haha, even better. Count me in.

Say no more. You had me at " fine wine"!

Alright, let's head over to my place then. You're coming too, right, Jean?

I'm afraid not. There's still a lot of work to do...

So what? The world's not gonna end if you push it off. C'mon, we never get a chance like this.

Hm, I suppose that wouldn't be a problem... if you head back to headquarters with me after we're done and help make up the work.

Uh, on second thought. How about you just... join us when you're done with that!

What about you, Honorary Knight? Gonna tag along?

Okay. All's well that ends well, am I right? To the bar, haha!

Looking for me?

I'm glad. I wanted to thank you for helping me keep my promise to Klee. She had a splendid time in the bubble.

Nicole came with us to make sure all was in order and prevent any similar incidents from happening in the future.

*sigh* You live and you learn. It's rare, but even the Dodo-King isn't immune to a small slip-up here and there, I suppose.

So, it's all fixed?

Yes, quite. The recording work is done as well, so now all we have to do is play it on loop.

It should be smooth sailing from here on out. Anyone and everyone can now enjoy the bubble at their leisure.

Nicole will keep an eye on them, of course.

Hmm... I wouldn't put it quite like that. It was more like... a "fate that will not come to pass."

Huh? What's the difference between the two?

Let us not forget, the courageous dragon slayer in the story? Well, in real life, he had already left on an expedition to Nod-Krai at that time.

Of course, that doesn't mean Dvalin would have escaped his destined death, for another hero would have come along and paid a painful price for victory.

But, what we saw in the bubble was what happened after Dvalin broke free from the seal. So, couldn't Varka have been back by then?

Hehe... Dear Paimon, you're free to ponder such questions yourself, of course, but it's of little use to ask them aloud.

Word to the wise — do not lose sleep over all those "what ifs," over the "fates that will not come to pass." It's an exercise in futility.

Those who can observe fate see both the good and the bad of what could have happened.

But, all that matters is what did happen. Those alternate fates are nowhere near as important as the world that exists in the here and now.

Uh... Alright...

There's something else...

Ah, you're saying it was as if the bubble itself had become contaminated?

I suppose some "gunk" could have stuck to my luggage while I was wandering the "border," and got mixed into my magic without me noticing...

Haha, just kidding. I would never be so careless.

Your intuition is spot-on, Traveler. What developed in the bubble was a nascent form of Abyssal power that, if left unchecked, would evolve into the real thing.

What, so it didn't come from outside? It just... appeared out of thin air?

The Abyss is perilous, cunning, dangerous, obsessive, and most infuriating of all, a complete and utter mystery. I'm sure you've seen for yourself how complex it can be.

The Hexenzirkel has been observing its energies for a long time, and I think Barbeloth's interpretation is the most accurate.

The essence of the Abyss lies in the hatred carried by all the fates that will not come to pass.

The hatred carried by fate...

This world is filled with conflicting elements. That one thing should happen signifies that a different possibility has been eliminated.

These events can be small, almost trivial. I had Sweet Madame for lunch today, for instance. That means the "Alice who chose Tea Break Pancakes instead" is no more.

Of course, they can also be events that threaten the world, such as my friend Rhinedottir's decision to tap into the Abyss. In that instant, the tale of a future in which she remained pure was gone forever.

So then, the question at the heart of it all is this... Why must these fates be the ones to disappear?

Ahh, Paimon gets it. It's hatred that stems from not being chosen.

Precisely. The magic we wove this time involved recreating the past. However, some of the variables we added allowed a certain amount of these "unchosen fates" to come very, very close to reality.

And, thus, the Abyss showed its teeth. Of course, much like always, it is not existence that it seeks... but the destruction of all.

In the end, though, it wasn't a huge issue. Things like this happen on the "border" all the time.

I see.

It has quite the victim complex, that's for sure.

It's obsessed with entering this world at all costs. And that is precisely why we must protect our lives and those of our loved ones.

Because, when you think about it, to exist in this world is to be a spark of luck amidst countless possibilities. How precious is that?

Having crossed swords with the Abyss many times...

Ah, Alice. You're here.

I'm truly sorry about this, but per the regulations of the Knights of Favonius, I'm afraid I must send you to confinement.

Whatever for? Things turned out just fine with the magic bubble.

Besides, if that's what this is about... Shouldn't Nicole come along, too?

It's not about the bubble. We received word that a number of fish have been injured as a result of explosions near Starfell Lake...

As I'm sure you're well aware, fish blasting is strictly prohibited.

Oh dear...

Run, Klee! Save yourself!

She's already inside.

...

Guess it's a day of firsts for the Dodo-King, huh...

...*sob* Farewell forever, Traveler. You shall never see me again!

Thanks for the help.

I know everything we encounter in this bubble is imaginary, but these monsters sure fight like the real thing. It's a bit too true to life.

Don't worry, as long as we collect Dvalin's tears, we can use this Abyssal power to our advantage.

I see... In that case, let's get moving.

Have you seen Varka, by the way? We haven't found him yet.

No, he might be at the upper levels. Let's search together.

Here, I'll draw him for you. Look, this is the bad guy who made a whole bunch of trouble for Daddy. It's all his fault Daddy couldn't make it back this time.

That big meanie! We should blow him up!

That's right, he is a big meanie! But, thanks to the Honorary Knight and his friends, he's not going to be much trouble anymore.

Yay! The Honorary Knight is the best!

Ah, that explains the loud noise I heard outside. So it was Dvalin who fell into the river...

Considering his size, the fact that he broke a single window and not the entire wall seems like a feat of magic in itself.

Thanks for helping with the repairs, you two. This place looks as good as new now.

Does that count as a great feat of alchemy, then?