Melanta

Melanta, also known as the Watcher of Melancholy, is a quest-exclusive NPC that appears in the World Quest Series A Long Day in the Mountains. He^[2] is a Watcher of the Temple of Space and was created by Asmoday for the purpose of maintaining the status-quo in the temple.

Profile

Melanta was created by Asmoday alongside Nihilita as Watchers of the Temple of Space. She named them after the two things she could least deal with: "nothingness" and "melancholy."^[3]

Tasked with maintaining order, uplifting select individuals via the Apathic Interval,^[4] and silently observing Teyvat, they upheld Asmoday’s decree that the temple exist for preservation, with all innovation forbidden.^[2][5]

Appearance

Melanta resembles Nihilita, but has a few key differences. Its wing is on the right side instead of the left, its feathers are brownish-red instead of white, and its head is shaped differently.

Quests and Events

World Quests

• A Long Day in the Mountains
  • Chapter 2: Hell
    • Lion's Celerity
  • Chapter 3: Judgment
    • The Final Judgment

Story

Past

Eventually, Asmoday disappeared from the Temple of Space. After her departure, Nihilita opened his eye^[1] after countless aeons of nescience and beheld the truths of the world.^[6] In doing so, he defied Asmoday's will, left the temple, and abandoned his duties as a Watcher. Melanta, however, remained in the Cage of Suchness, steadfast in upholding his master’s rules and condemning Nihilita as a traitor.^[2]

As the other Shades began allowing minor changes, Melanta, driven mad by longing for his creator and the transgressions against Asmoday's established rules, sought to restore everything to its original state. He punished deviation by transforming the temple’s inhabitants: transforming people in the Mahavaipulya Chamber into pages for blurring the line between fact and fiction by writing their own novels,^[7] smashing those at Luyang Academy into ink blots within paintings,^[8] and turning those in the Desert Pavilion to sand and exiling "Maukie" for “defiling the laws of space.”^[3]

When Raumhilda arrived at the temple and witnessed the suffering caused by Melanta's tyranny, she created the Path to the Heavens at the cost of her memories and confronted Melanta. Failing to reach an accord, she promised her sister Zeitlind come and defeat him one day. In a fit of rage, Melanta destroyed half of the Corridor of Nothingness and severed the path.^[5][7]

Present

During the World Quest Series A Long Day in the Mountains, the Traveler and Paimon meet Zeitlind and later Nihilita, who entrusts the juvenile Watcher Dex to them and asks them to free the Temple of Space from Melanta's control. As they restore its areas and liberate its people, Melanta fails to stop them, eventually losing control and turning the sky and all the temple's structures red.

Reaching the Cage of Suchness by offering Zeitlind’s memories, the Traveler confronts Melanta. When asked, he cannot explain the Traveler's Sibling’s fate and becomes upset when the Traveler mentions Nihilita, calling him a traitor. After being defeated by the Traveler in battle, Melanta finally understands why Nihilita left: all creations were free the moment Asmoday left. He admits that his actions, including exiling Maukie and severing the Path to the Heavens, have triggered his self-destruction. Justifying his deeds as an attempt to "correct" others, he confesses his jealousy of Nihilita’s freedom and his desire for Asmoday’s approval before ultimately self-destructing, addressing his final words to Nihilita.

Trivia

Etymology

• Melanta likely comes from the Ancient Greek word mélās (Ancient Greek: μέλας "dark; black"), which is also the etymology of the English word "melancholy" (mélas (Ancient Greek: μέλας), melan- (Ancient Greek: μελαν- "black, dark, murky") + kholḗ (Ancient Greek: χολή "bile")).

Other Languages

Change History

References