Chapter 46: Chapter of Water and Sky (Part 6)

"Bad review! Bad review! I'm definitely going to leave a bunch of bad reviews for this quest later!"

Axue cursed loudly.

She couldn't help but vent her frustration. Mihoyo had really gone too far this time, designing such a tedious quest.

No teleport waypoints. Just pure running.

And not just running—she had to climb Qingyun Peak again!!

Back when Liyue was first released, Axue had painstakingly climbed Qingyun Peak step by step, only to later find out that there was actually a path! And wind currents!

But now, not only did she have to run all the way from Liyue Harbor to Qingyun Peak, but once she got there, she discovered that the wind currents were gone! She had to climb it all over again!

How could she not curse? How could anyone not curse this quest?

Curse! Once this Story Quest was over, she was going to roast Mihoyo! Let's see if they'd dare to mess with players like this again!

While cursing, Axue finally managed to climb Qingyun Peak after much effort and saw Themis standing there quietly.

—Then, the game immediately transitioned into an animated cutscene.

Themis glanced back at Lumine, her voice tinged with complexity. "You actually followed me all the way here. It seems I underestimated you."

"Wait, so you said all that because you didn't think I could keep up?"

Lumine replied, slightly exasperated.

Themis turned her gaze back to the horizon, avoiding the topic. After a moment of silence, she spoke in an unreadable tone. "Yesterday, my sister found out about my existence. Last night, she talked to me."

"How did it go?" Paimon seemed incredibly curious about this.

Themis didn't answer the question directly and continued, "This morning, my sister willingly gave me full control of her body and then fell asleep. She said I couldn't keep living like this—trapped in her body, without one of my own. She said it was too lonely."

"...I think your sister is right, but isn't this just how it is? After all, you two share the same body."

"That's not the case." Themis interrupted Lumine, her voice soft. "I was the one who chose to merge with my sister in the first place. To protect her... no, out of guilt toward her, and fear of myself."

Lumine's eyes widened, and Paimon looked utterly shocked.

"What do you mean? You can just... merge with someone like that?"

"I have that power."

Themis raised her hands, staring at her palms. For the first time, her usually cold expression showed... pain.

"My sister knows nothing. She has no idea that when I first used this power... I wanted to erase her and take her place."

"..."

Lumine opened her mouth but found herself at a loss for words. She couldn't even begin to understand what Themis was saying.

But Themis... she didn't care if Lumine understood. It was as if she was finally venting all the pain she had kept hidden.

"I was jealous of my sister. Jealous that she was born before me, that she had more power than me, that her soul was more beautiful than mine, that our father loved her more... I was jealous of everything she had, so I wanted to take it all away."

"So, I merged my entire existence with hers, intending to completely replace her."

At this point, Themis fell into a long silence. The scene was utterly quiet.

After about ten seconds, she spoke again.

"But my sister... she accepted me completely."

"At that time, my sister only had the self-awareness of an infant. But even an infant would resist—that's how it should have been."

"Yet, the truth was, my sister didn't resist my existence or my power at all. On the contrary, as if to avoid accidentally hurting me, the 'power' she could have used to fight back merely stirred for a moment before settling down."

"The fierce battle I expected never happened."

"I easily merged with her existence, easily stole her power, and easily... with just a thought, could have erased her consciousness entirely."

Themis' hands trembled slightly, and her eyes revealed an uncontrollable fear.

"I was so close... so close to killing my sister out of jealousy."

After a long silence, Lumine finally spoke. "You stopped yourself?"

"Yes, I stopped. Not only that, but I was terrified of my own existence."

Themis hugged her arms, closing her eyes and trembling as she whispered:

"I realized just how vile I was. I wanted to destroy everything better than me, take everything I didn't have. I was filled with jealousy toward everything in this world. So ugly, so sinful... If someone like me were to truly exist in this world, how much destruction would I cause?"

"Terrified, I could only hide within my sister's existence, too afraid to be born into this world."

"Because only my sister could suppress my jealousy."

Themis smiled bitterly.

"The Supreme Bishop told me not to rely too much on my sister, not to always hide under her protection, not to always cower in her shadow out of fear... But what else can I do?"

"...I think you should try to step out of your sister's shadow."

Lumine spoke softly after a moment of silence:

"You're not as terrible as you think. Maybe you do have an overwhelming sense of jealousy, as you said, but you've always managed to control it. That's proof that you can stand on your own."

"That's only because of my sister's presence."

"If that feeling has allowed you to control yourself in the past, then it can also help you control yourself in the future—it has nothing to do with whether you're hiding in your sister's shadow, but whether you have the will to not disappoint her."

"..."

"..."

Silence. A long, heavy silence.

Then, gradually, the BGM began to change.

The once melancholic and oppressive melody slowly rose, and as if fueled by a burst of emotion, Themis suddenly waved her hand at Lumine and Paimon.

"Ah!"

"Whoa!"

In the next moment, the two were lifted into the air by a gust of wind, soaring high into the clouds.

Themis followed, flying rapidly into the distance with them.

"Where are we going?"

Lumine and Paimon quickly steadied themselves, flying gracefully alongside Themis' wind current.

As they flew, Lumine heard Themis' reply.

"I'm feeling very conflicted right now."

Lumine: "??? So?"

"The Supreme Bishop once said that when you're in a bad mood, killing a Doctor can make you feel better."

Themis spoke calmly:

"It purifies the world and purifies your mood."

Lumine: "Killing a Doctor doesn't sound great... How about a Master's degree holder instead? Wait, no, I mean, killing people isn't good, right?"

"The Doctor is the Second Harbinger of the Fatui."

"Oh, in that case, go ahead. Kill him."