Chapter 135

"Sigh…" All her thoughts eventually condensed into a low, heavy sigh. Rosalyne knew that she truly couldn't escape anymore.

Once, she had used her life's flame, burning at the cost of her own life, to incinerate the monsters before her. Hatred and endless pain had twisted her, corrupting her soul, turning her from an innocent girl who sought knowledge into the woman she was now—La Signora.

This haze of despair had come to a halt in Inazuma. Rosalyne realized that, although she had been forced into it, her shattered life seemed to have found a new sun from this moment onward.

She thought that perhaps she had long since grown numb to the scorching flames and the anger that once consumed her. Looking at Akio, who was so close to her, Rosalyne's delicate face seemed to carry an indescribable depth of meaning.

"Lord Akio…" This was the first time in months that Rosalyne had addressed Akio with a title other than "Master," which made him glance at her with slight surprise.

"I'd like to give you a few things. Would you have time to listen to my past?" Rosalyne spoke softly, her voice carrying an infinite sense of desolation and sorrow that everyone present could feel.

"If you're willing to share it with us, I'd be more than happy to be your listener," Akio replied, his tone gentle, sensing the difference in her voice. He set aside his usual aloof demeanor when speaking to her.

Rosalyne seemed taken aback by Akio's unexpected gentleness. She stared at him for a moment before a flower as vivid as fresh blood appeared in her hand. The flower was beautiful, delicate, and warm, but an ordinary person would likely hesitate to touch it, for it was engulfed in flames.

Despite its fragile appearance, the flower bloomed amidst the fire. As Akio took the flower from her hand, he could feel that even a mortal could hold it. The flames, though intimidating, were gentle and emitted no heat.

"Hundreds of years ago, the calamity took everything I was promised—the people I cherished, the past I held dear, and the bright future I envisioned. All of it turned into fleeting bubbles, lost in the chaos."

"I burned myself, using my soul as the foundation for the flames, trying to incinerate all the monsters in the world and extinguish all the suffering of humanity."

"I was born from smoke and ashes. Because I chose the path of infernal fire, the fields I walked through turned to ash. Only this flower, an ordinary one by all accounts, has resisted the flames and continued to bloom for centuries."

Rosalyne looked at the flower and said softly, "Lord Akio, I give it to you."

Akio nodded, holding the fiery flower. He knew it was a coveted artifact for those with Pyro Visions in the game—the Witch's Flower of Blaze. He could feel the immense energy within it, a true treasure for any Pyro Vision holder.

Next, a flaming feather appeared in Rosalyne's hand. Unlike the flower, the feather burned with such intensity that the air around it distorted from the heat, making it impossible for an ordinary person to touch.

"After I became the Crimson Witch of Flames, I resented Barbatos for his inaction. If not for his incompetence, how could Mondstadt have fallen into such a crisis?"

"I burned away the monsters that plagued Mondstadt, but when I returned from the wilderness, the people of Mondstadt shut their doors and drove me away… But to me, it meant nothing…"

"What?! You were protecting Mondstadt from monsters! How could they drive you away?!" Hiiragi Chisato exclaimed, her eyes wide with indignation. "The people of Mondstadt are so ungrateful!"

"Typical Mondstadt babies," Akio sneered.

"It doesn't matter," Rosalyne shook her head calmly. "I don't need understanding, I don't need comfort, and I don't need anyone's pity. Someone had to burn away all the pain to bring new hope to this city."

"No one understood my feelings. Only this bird kept me company. But one day, I lost control and burned it, leaving only this feather that refuses to be consumed by the flames."

She handed the feather to Akio, who took it without hesitation. The intense heat didn't burn his skin, and the raging fire seemed to calm down in his hand.

"This… is the last item I can offer." A sand timer filled with a scorching liquid appeared in Rosalyne's hand. The sand timer was exquisitely crafted, and the hot liquid inside flowed slowly, seemingly endless despite its constant dripping.

The appearance of the sand timer triggered her memories. Rosalyne fell silent, staring at it in a daze.

After a long while, she finally snapped out of it and handed the sand timer to Akio. "I named it 'Witch's End Time.' When the time within it runs out, it will mark the end of the Crimson Witch of Flames. From the very beginning, it was the start of her path to destruction."

Rosalyne didn't seem to care about this. In truth, from the moment she became the Crimson Witch of Flames, Rosalyne had already died. When she burned everything away and was found in the wilderness by the Jester and brought to Zapolyarny Palace, the Crimson Witch of Flames was no different from a corpse—a mere shell striving for the Tsaritsa's pure and flawless ideal.

Akio took the sand timer and examined it closely. The liquid inside flickered, as if it were about to run out at any moment.

The power of the Crimson Witch of Flames came from burning herself. From the moment Rosalyne chose to become the Crimson Witch, the eternal flames would continue to burn until they consumed her entirely. If it weren't for the Tsaritsa's protection, she would have turned to ashes long ago.

"Ding~ Master has obtained the Witch's Three-Piece Set. Unlocked SSS-level Herrscher of Sentience Authority. Unlocked Authority Forced Replication once."

"Authority Forced Replication: Can replicate the authority of any being in Teyvat and obtain their corresponding elemental power."

"To think it directly unlocked the full power of the Herrscher of Sentience!" Akio was slightly surprised. As for the Authority Replication, was there anyone or any god in Teyvat he couldn't defeat? He didn't pay much attention to it.

With the Herrscher of Sentience's authority, he had a better plan to save Rosalyne.

At this moment, both Hiiragi Chisato and Kujou Sara felt deep pity for the woman before them. Her past was filled with such sorrow.

Raiden Makoto sighed with emotion. Mondstadt, known as the City of Freedom, had experienced such a tragedy. That carefree Anemo Archon, an ancient god with immense power, had allowed such a thing to happen under his rule?

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