Genshin Impact, I, a mere mortal, cannot accompany you to the very end.

"I want to live for someone, I don't want to die for someone."

Liyue.

Qingnuoyan still remembers this time and place.

On the last rainy night of late spring, when he awoke from the karmic turmoil of the towering abyss, Qingnuoyan returned to the wooden hut they had built together and said this to Ying, who had been waiting for him.

He saw that he had crossed that point in time and continued walking forward.

...

"Yes, it doesn't matter where the wind comes from or where it's going, as long as it feels comfortable."

"I have no past, nor do I know the future. My life is as short as the evening breeze in the valley. I will die at the bottom of the valley when the sun sets, but I can make many people more comfortable and happy. That is enough."

"Ying, you must always be happy and joyful, and never worry about where the wind goes in the end."

...

Qingnuoyan stopped in his tracks.

He no longer knew where he was, nor had he remembered the time.

He has no memory of this moment.

He saw wisps of smoke rising from the fishing village at the foot of the mountain, windmills turning slowly, and the waves and shimmering light shattering into a blur. He and Ying were on the cliff, the setting sun falling between them, melting even their shadows.

They must be traveling.

The current time... should be spring, early spring.

"Cape of Oath," Qingnuoyan recognized the name of the cape, which was quite famous in Mondstadt.

A trip to Cape Shigemori in early spring.

But he doesn't remember.

But he forgot, he forgot.

He couldn't tell the difference.

We haven't arrived yet...we still need to keep going.

In Mondstadt... it should be Kiyokawa's Whisper, past Kiyokawa's Whisper is Kiyokawa's Thunderclap, and in the early days of Kiyokawa's Thunderclap... lies the catastrophe of five hundred years ago.

Qing Nuoyan slowly exhaled and continued walking up the steps. More and more scenery flashed before his eyes, and he gradually lost his sense of direction and forgot his bearings. He only knew that he had to keep walking forward.

Consciousness began to slip away.

Lost in the torrent of time.

Time is blurred in the space of consciousness. Qing Nuoyan did not know how long he had walked forward, nor how far he had gone. He crossed a hundred years, and then another hundred years. He felt loneliness and pain. In the yellowing days, his heart also gradually withered.

Not here, not here either, keep going forward.

Qingnuoyan could hear the calls from ahead, and he could hear Ying's voice, so he walked forward.

"Traveler, you must keep going."

“Memory has shape, memory has flavor, and when all these tangible and flavorful memories are strung together, it is called ‘journey.’ Travel is the track of memory.”

Someone said softly.

The man had long, gleaming golden hair, was covered in blood, and had half his body shattered, imprisoned in a space. He handed over a book with the words 'Teyvat Travel Guide' written on it.

"The world will not forget you, but I will be forgotten by the world in your place. If no one recognizes me anymore, please remember me."

"Traveler, wishing you a pleasant journey and a safe trip."

Qing Nuoyan knew that it was also himself, but Qing Nuoyan did not know his name, because he was dead and all his memories had disappeared.

He has lost his way.

Consciousness and reason have also fallen asleep, only unconsciously drifting upwards.

What Qingnuoyan didn't know was that his name was Dain, and he was the Endblade of Keria.

The entangled fate... can help him find his direction and place in the long staircase of time and space, and from the Sword of the End Light to the Whisper of the Clear Field, and then to the Qingnuo Rock—he and Ying have been entangled for three lifetimes.

What Qingnuoyan still doesn't know is that he has already missed his destination. Before the Sword of Endlight died in the destruction of Keria, Qingnuoyan had already missed more than ten years.

Even more regrettably, he was unaware that he had missed his chance. He stepped over Dain and continued upwards, wandering aimlessly on the long staircase.

He can no longer hear Ying's voice...

I can't hear it anymore.

Twenty years, thirty years, forty years...

He gradually walked away.

I don't know how much time has passed; time has no meaning here.

Qing Nuoyan could no longer hear the calls. He could no longer go on and fell down the long steps. As he fell, his consciousness gradually faded from his sight.

The time of his fall was... 1,500 years ago.

A thousand years have been missed.

When Qing Nuoyan regained consciousness, he was surrounded by dazzling snow light, and he struggled to stand up.

It's still in Yingxiang Mountain, but it's not the Yingxiang Mountain I remember.

First, the sacred cherry tree that covered the entire sky was gone, and the Narukami Shrine was gone too. The foot of Mount Kage was originally Konta Village, but let alone Konta Village, there was not a single human settlement to be seen.

Only pure white snow covered the mountains and forests, creating a vast expanse of white. The surroundings were eerily quiet, as if the entire world had forgotten them. Frost fell from the pine and cypress branches, landing on the snow with a soft thud.

"What era is it now..." Qing Nuoyan said softly.

【...One thousand and five hundred years ago】

Human reasoning towards Qingnuo Rock Road,

Qingnuoyan, you have failed.

You failed.

It's been exactly two 500-year periods since 500 years ago.

As Qing Nuoyan listened to Ren Li's words, his shoulders trembled slightly. Pure white snow covered his shoulders, forming a thin layer of frost.

Should we go back?

He still held the red rope in his hand; Qingnuoyan could use it to return to the present.

"If I go back, can I come back again?"

There's only one chance, and now you can only go back... You've missed out on a thousand years.

He did indeed fail.

Qing Nuoyan slowly exhaled, his body swaying slightly, his lips moving as he softly said, "No."

"It shouldn't be like this..."

Walking in the realm of consciousness is like this... how can one succeed easily? For mortals, getting lost is the norm.

You're making time travel seem too easy.

Human reason is calm and peaceful.

[You think you can succeed just by working hard? Because of love, fate, and some so-called 'bond' between you? That love can transcend time and save everything? Those are just clichéd plots in dramas; in reality, you failed.]

[Mortal, where in this world is there such a good thing?]

You can never defeat time.

"I did fail."

Qingnuoyan's voice was very low.

"But I don't intend to give up."

Because once it's abandoned, a thousand years later, Ying will die, everyone will die, and the time that has been deceived and distorted will be repaired by reason.

Qingnuoyan's only fear was... but when he returned to the present, back to Yingxiang Mountain, he was all alone.

At that party, he was left drinking alone again.

I'm so lonely.

This is something he absolutely cannot accept.

“Human reasoning.” Qing Nuoyan recalled what Ti Baihe had said earlier, “No matter how much time has passed in the consciousness space, from the outside perspective, it is only a moment—is that right?”

That's right.

"That's great, I can make it to the party and get home before sunset."

Qingnuoyan whispered.

What do you want to do?

“This is a thousand years ago. I cannot modify any more history here, nor can I cause any impact... Otherwise, the timeline will be disrupted, and the maintainers will notice, otherwise the ‘reason’ will completely collapse.”

Qingnuoyan did not answer Renli's question, but said almost to himself, "But I can sit in the mountains without talking to or meeting any living beings, without causing any impact on the human world, then I can stay."

He can't see anyone.

What exactly do you want to do?

Qing Nuoyan raised his eyes, his azure eyes reflecting the pure white snow. He exhaled a breath of white air, watching the mist dissipate into the air.

"This is 1,500 years ago."

“I will wait in the mountains,” his voice echoed across the snow-covered plains, “for a thousand years.”

...

Are you crazy?

"Human principles."

Qing Nuoyan revealed that smile again, that lawless and unrestrained smile, "I can wait here for a thousand years, but only a moment has passed on Ying's side. I can still go back before dusk and attend that banquet."

[Mortal, a thousand years from now, you will have long since died of old age.]

The theory of lifespan.