The stone walls of the prison cell were cold and silent.
Deep beneath Liyue Harbor, away from the sounds of the bustling streets and golden markets, Aether sat alone in the darkness.
The chains binding his wrists rattled slightly as he shifted his position against the wall.
Outside, distant tremors shook the city.
The battle was still raging.
The war against Osial, the ancient god of the sea, had begun.
Yet Aether remained seated.
His eyes were closed.
His thoughts were elsewhere.
For a brief moment, he considered helping.
He imagined flying into the battlefield.
He imagined standing beside the people of Liyue.
He imagined saving lives.
But then another memory surfaced.
The rotten eggs thrown at him.
The hatred in the eyes of strangers.
The accusations.
The prison cell.
The beatings.
The humiliation.
The hunger.
The loneliness.
One memory after another flooded his mind.
His fingers tightened.
"Why should I help them?" he whispered.
The words echoed through the empty cell.
"They never listened."
His voice grew quieter.
"They never believed me."
Another tremor shook the prison.
Dust fell from the ceiling.
Aether slowly lowered his head.
His golden eyes stared at the floor.
"I never wanted any of this."
Silence answered him.
Outside, another deafening roar echoed across Liyue.
The roar of Osial.
Aether closed his eyes.
This time, he made his choice.
He would not interfere.
He would remain where he was.
Meanwhile...
The situation in Liyue Harbor had become desperate.
The mighty Osial towered above the sea like a living disaster.
His colossal serpent heads twisted through the air.
Each movement generated monstrous waves.
Each roar shook the mountains.
The destruction continued.
"Evacuate everyone!"
Ningguang's voice echoed across the battlefield.
"Move them away from the harbor immediately!"
The Millelith obeyed without hesitation.
"Move!"
"Protect the civilians!"
"Get the elderly first!"
Thousands of people rushed inland.
Panic filled the streets.
Children cried.
Merchants abandoned their shops.
Families fled carrying whatever they could.
Far out at sea...
Osial unleashed another attack.
One of his heads opened its enormous mouth.
A massive sphere of Hydro energy began gathering.
The ocean beneath him churned violently.
The energy sphere expanded.
Larger.
Larger.
Larger.
Then—
BOOM!
The attack erupted forward.
A devastating beam of blue energy tore through the harbor.
Buildings vanished.
Stone walls exploded.
Wooden docks shattered into splinters.
Several ships were completely obliterated.
The shockwave spread throughout the city.
People screamed.
The sea itself seemed to split apart.
Above the harbor...
Xiao, Cloud Retainer, Mountain Shaper, Moon Carver, and Shenhe continued their assault.
But even they were struggling.
Osial was simply too powerful.
"Watch out!"
Xiao shouted.
Another serpent head lunged toward him.
Its enormous jaws snapped shut.
Xiao vanished using Lemniscatic Wind Cycling.
A burst of Anemo energy carried him away.
The serpent head bit nothing but air.
Cloud Retainer unleashed countless Adeptal projectiles.
Golden bolts rained down upon Osial.
Explosions covered his massive body.
But the ancient god endured.
"He is recovering too quickly!" shouted Mountain Shaper.
Another wave erupted.
Several Adepti were forced backward.
Even Xiao gritted his teeth.
Osial was gaining the upper hand.
Slowly.
Relentlessly.
Inevitably.
High above everything...
Atop Mt. Tianheng...
A lone figure watched.
Zhongli.
The former Geo Archon.
The true Morax.
His golden eyes observed the battlefield.
Observed the destruction.
Observed the suffering.
Observed the absence of one particular traveler.
"Aether..."
Zhongli spoke softly.
His expression remained calm.
Yet there was disappointment within his gaze.
"I had hoped you would come."
The wind carried his words away.
No answer came.
Only the distant roar of Osial.
Zhongli sighed.
"It seems your wounds run deeper than I thought."
His eyes slowly closed.
For several seconds, he remained silent.
Then he made his decision.
"I can wait no longer."
Golden light erupted around him.
The mountain trembled.
The earth responded to its ancient ruler.
The Geo energy surrounding Zhongli expanded.
Brighter.
Brighter.
Brighter.
Until his human form vanished completely.
A massive golden sphere of elemental energy shot into the sky.
Like a falling star moving in reverse.
It crossed the heavens.
Traveling directly toward the Golden House.
Inside the heavily guarded chamber rested the sacred remains of Rex Lapis.
The Exuvia.
The dragon body displayed during the Rite of Descension.
The golden sphere entered the chamber.
Silence followed.
For several moments...
Nothing happened.
Then—
A thunderous roar shook all of Liyue.
ROOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRR!!
Every person froze.
Every soldier stopped.
Every Adeptus looked toward the sound.
Even Osial paused.
The walls of the Golden House exploded outward.
Golden light illuminated the heavens.
A gigantic dragon emerged.
Majestic.
Ancient.
Overwhelming.
Golden scales covered his enormous body.
Geo energy flowed around him like rivers of light.
The sky itself seemed to bow before his presence.
"Rex Lapis..."
"Morax..."
The people stared in disbelief.
Tears appeared in many eyes.
Hope returned.
"It's him..."
"He lives!"
"The Geo Archon has returned!"
Morax rose into the sky.
His enormous wings spread across the heavens.
Then he turned toward the ocean.
Toward Osial.
The two gods locked eyes.
Ancient enemies.
Ancient rivals.
Ancient memories.
Osial roared.
Every one of his heads screamed simultaneously.
The sea exploded upward.
Massive waves rose around him.
Morax answered.
A roar that shook mountains.
A roar that echoed throughout all of Liyue.
Then the battle began.
Osial struck first.
Entire mountains of water rose from the ocean.
Gigantic tsunamis charged toward Morax.
Morax remained calm.
Golden Geo energy gathered around him.
The sea floor erupted.
Stone mountains emerged directly from beneath the water.
The newly created peaks collided with the tsunamis.
The impact shattered both.
Water exploded into the sky.
Osial launched dozens of Hydro spheres.
Each large enough to destroy entire districts.
They streaked across the battlefield.
Morax swung his claws.
Hundreds of stone lances manifested.
The Geo constructs intercepted the Hydro attacks.
Explosions filled the sky.
The heavens flashed blue and gold.
The battle intensified.
One of Osial's heads lunged forward.
Then another.
Then another.
Five gigantic serpent heads attacked simultaneously.
Morax dodged the first.
Blocked the second.
Crushed the third with his claws.
But the fourth serpent slammed directly into him.
BOOM!
The Geo Archon was thrown backward.
The impact shattered nearby cliffs.
A cheer erupted from Osial.
The ancient god pressed forward.
Massive geysers erupted beneath Morax.
Hydro energy exploded around him.
Several attacks struck directly.
Golden scales cracked.
Blood spilled.
The people of Liyue gasped.
"He's injured!"
"No..."
Even the Adepti looked worried.
Morax steadied himself.
His breathing remained calm.
His eyes never wavered.
Far below...
Xiao clenched his spear.
"Lord Rex Lapis..."
But Morax only smiled.
"Good."
The words surprised everyone.
"It has been a very long time since a battle like this."
Geo energy erupted around him.
The sky darkened.
Clouds parted.
The heavens themselves answered his call.
A meteor descended.
It was enormous.
Larger than entire districts.
Its surface burned with golden Geo energy.
Osial looked upward.
For the first time...
Fear appeared.
The meteor crashed.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!
The explosion illuminated all of Liyue.
Several serpent heads screamed.
The ocean split apart.
The shockwave reached the harbor.
Yet Osial endured.
Barely.
But he endured.
The ancient sea god emerged from the smoke.
Wounded.
Bleeding.
Enraged.
His remaining heads unleashed a continuous barrage of Hydro beams.
The ocean itself seemed to become a weapon.
Morax pushed forward.
Ignoring his injuries.
Ignoring the pain.
He raised both claws.
The sea floor trembled.
Mountains erupted upward.
Entire stone peaks emerged from beneath the ocean.
Then Morax transformed those mountains.
They became gigantic stone spears.
One.
Ten.
Hundreds.
Thousands.
The sky filled with Geo lances.
Osial attempted to flee.
Too late.
The stone spears descended.
Each impact shook the world.
One serpent head was pinned.
Then another.
Then another.
Osial roared desperately.
The ocean exploded around him.
He struggled.
Fought.
Resisted.
But Morax continued.
A final golden spear formed.
Far larger than all the others.
A spear worthy of ending gods.
Morax gathered every remaining ounce of power.
Including the strength of the Geo Gnosis.
Golden light illuminated the heavens.
"This battle ends now."
The spear descended.
The world seemed to stop.
Then—
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!
The ocean disappeared beneath the explosion.
The sky turned gold.
The earth trembled.
Every person in Liyue witnessed the moment.
When the light faded...
Osial remained.
But only barely.
His body had been completely pinned beneath countless stone lances.
His movements ceased.
His roars weakened.
His power faded.
Morax descended slowly.
"You fought well."
Geo energy spread across the battlefield.
Ancient sealing runes appeared.
Golden chains wrapped around Osial.
The seal activated.
Slowly...
The ancient sea god sank beneath the ocean.
His final roar echoed across the sea.
Then silence returned.
The battle was over.
The people of Liyue stared in awe.
Some cried.
Some laughed.
Many simply collapsed in relief.
The Adepti lowered their weapons.
Xiao silently watched.
His expression unreadable.
At the harbor...
Ningguang looked toward the distant dragon.
"So this..."
she whispered,
"...is the power that once won the Archon War."
High above the sea...
Morax looked toward the city.
Toward the prison hidden within it.
Toward the traveler who never came.
"Aether..."
he murmured quietly.
Then the Geo Archon closed his eyes.
Lost in thought.
Far beneath Liyue...
Inside a silent prison cell...
Aether heard the distant cheers of the city.
He heard the celebration.
He heard the people rejoicing.
And yet...
He remained seated alone.
Staring silently at the stone floor.
Unaware that the battle had already ended.
Unaware that Morax himself had returned.
Unaware that the fate of Liyue had just been decided.