Searing
Last updated 2025-12-26
Searing is the third part in the Teyvat storyline Archon Quest Song of the Welkin Moon: Prelude - The Journey Home.
Steps
- Enter the ruins
- Enter quest domain: Temple of Cascading Colors: Ch'upikaq Tajin
- Catch up to Ineffa
- Talk to Ineffa
- Head deeper into the ruins
- Talk to the service bot
- Wait for the access module
- Ride the access module
- Continue onward through the secret passageway
- Head to the deepest area
- Proceed to the deepest area
- Embark on "The Journey Home"
- Check on Ineffa
- Defeat the "Sovereign Ruler"
- Talk to Ineffa
- Open the letter in the Flower-Feather Clan
Gameplay Notes
- During steps 4–10, a trial Ineffa joins the party.
- During step 11, the active character will be limited to Ineffa.
- Completing step 13 grants the Wonders of the World achievement Incomprehensible Fury.
- Completing the quest grants the Wonders of the World achievement The Journey Home.
- If the player leaves the area during step 15, they can approach the southern "Flower-Feather Clan" teleport waypoint to immediately return to the top of the cliff.
Dialogue
Quest DescriptionIt seems this ancient place has been waiting for your arrival...
- (Enter the domain)
- Paimon: Ah, there she is! Ineffa, wait for us!
- (A Secret Source Dragon Idol flies into a sealed chamber nearby)
- (Approach Ineffa)
- Paimon: Ineffa!
- Ineffa: ...! Where is this? Are we inside the territory?
- Paimon: Yeah... Did you black out or something? You just took off!
- Ineffa: Cognition module unstable... Attempting to refresh. It appears that it was accessed by an external source...
- Little Robot: Sorry... It was me. I summoned her, by similar means to those used by the Fatui to control the automatons.
Who are you? Why are you doing this!?- Little Robot: Currently... I am but a lowly service bot. But in the distant past, I was known by another name...
- Priestess of Floral Candles and Skyborne Feathers: The Eighth Sovereign Ruler... The Priestess of Floral Candles and Skyborne Feathers.
- Paimon: The Eighth Lord? You're Lianca's dragon mother!? But weren't you, uh...
- Ineffa: ...Eighth Lord, were you not executed?
- Priestess of Floral Candles and Skyborne Feathers: ...Moments after I was cursed, Lianca rescued me... just as she tried to rescue you from the ruins of the battle...
- Ineffa: Lianca rescued me...? Argh... Memory... missing...
- Priestess of Floral Candles and Skyborne Feathers: Yes, Lianca changed your memory settings to make you forget... but she did it to protect you. It is the only way our kind could escape from the curse.
- Ineffa: How does forgetting everything... "protect" me?
- Priestess of Floral Candles and Skyborne Feathers: Because the curse placed on us... is a pain triggered by certain memories, hardwired into the depths of our minds... a regulatory program that cannot be removed.
- (As the Eighth Lord continues, Ineffa has flashbacks of what various people have said before)
- Xilonen: ...Manufacturers often hardwire restrictions like this into autonomous machines to make sure they operate as intended.
- Priestess of Floral Candles and Skyborne Feathers: ...Each time you yearn for a new place to belong, each time you feel yourself turning your back on the past... the pain tears you apart, doesn't it?
- Citlali: "If she truly harbors pro-human sentiment... then for every ounce of goodwill she feels, may her mind be flooded with pain of immeasurable proportions."
- Priestess of Floral Candles and Skyborne Feathers: It destroys your mind... swallows your soul... prevents you from finding a new home...
- ???: Malfunction who betrayed us all... You dare seek a place to belong?
- Ineffa: ...
- Priestess of Floral Candles and Skyborne Feathers: That's why forgetting everything grants temporary relief from the pain. It stops your mind from being crushed by the weight of the conflict within.
- Priestess of Floral Candles and Skyborne Feathers: But since you were rebooted, you began storing new memories, and started finding the desire to belong emerge once more...
- Zhuoxin: Things were fine at the start. You'd occasionally forget to pay for your groceries or add salt to a dish you were cooking, but that was as bad as it got...
- Aino: Hehehehe... From now on, your name's "Ineffa"!
- Priestess of Floral Candles and Skyborne Feathers: ...So, too, has the "Exile's Curse" resurfaced, forcing you to forget all over again.
- Ineffa: ...This is... a lot to process...
- So... who actually cursed Ineffa?
- And why did they do it?
- Didn't you say you were cursed too?
- How come you remember everything?
- Priestess of Floral Candles and Skyborne Feathers: ...Oh no... automated defense system activated...
- (A barrier seals the nearby entrance)
- Priestess of Floral Candles and Skyborne Feathers: Privileges... overridden... Come quick... Stop... the Fatui...
- (The little robot loses connection to the Priestess of Floral Candles and Skyborne Feathers)
- Little Robot: ...Beep beep...
- Paimon: Hey! Hey!!! At least finish what you were saying!
- Ineffa: ...It's gone silent.
- What now? Find somewhere where the signal's better...?
- Paimon: It... must want us to go further in, right? Well... looks like there's no going back now anyway...
- Ineffa: ...This is just a secondary access tunnel. If we make it to the center, there should be other routes out of the territory.
- Ineffa: Please come with me. It is my fault that you are trapped here... I must ensure your safe return.
- Paimon: Don't look at it like that... We gotta make sure you get back safely, too!
- Whether that's back to Natlan, or back to Nod-Krai...
- ...You have people waiting for you in both places.
- Ineffa: ...Yes. I, too, must return.
- (Approach the center of the room)
- Ixquieh: ...Do you really trust her, Lianca? This... malfunctioning part of a sovereign ruler's mind?
- Lianca: I trust not in her, but in the path that I have chosen. I believe that every conscious being, whatever its origins may be, has the right to freedom.
- Ineffa: ...
- (Read Priestess's Records: I, optional)
-
- Priestess's Records: I
...
Aj Awaj K'umilal Kan stormed into my laboratory in a fit of rage. He interrogated me, demanding to know if I had taught the humans how to use phlogiston. I assuaged his fury with Quenepa Berries and asked what had happened.
According to his account, it seems that a human colony near Q'umqaraq'aj has mastered the power of phlogiston and begun to expand. In the last three months, they've razed over (...) villages, sacrificed roughly (...) human victims, and clogged the River Tz'alam's very flow with discarded (...). Their leader claims to be the "Successor of Chaac," swearing to end the age of dragons and to unite the people of Natlantea under a single banner. Ix Roq'ratik'obala' Ka'alahun quelled the uprising in two days. The would-be conqueror was drowned in his own bath by his most favored consort, a captive turned killer. Leaderless, the tribe collapsed into internecine strife. Yet the secrets of phlogiston had already spread, now utterly beyond containment.
"Hmph... If you, milord, with your tender heart, have not sanctioned this folly, then the only one mad enough to dare would be..."
Awaj did not finish his sentence, muttering under his breath as he left. Truth be told, he likely concerns himself little about humans mastering phlogiston. His fury stems solely from the crudeness of their methods, a blasphemy against his life's work.
But I care. I cannot comprehend why Kukulkan (for it must be him, after all, no other would do such a foolish thing) would hand phlogiston over to the humans. I can understand his antipathy for these tiny lifeforms, brought by the usurper from beyond the sky, but I cannot comprehend his use of this method to lure them into destroying themselves. It is like handing a rusty knife to a wailing infant — all too vicious, and all too cruel. What outcome could he possibly expect, save for suffering and death?
...
I met with Kukulkan in private and asked him about his intentions.
As usual, he remained enigmatic and aloof. He coldly denied all accusations. He claimed that I was not truly concerned about how this matter harmed the interests of dragonkind, and that an opportunistic attempt to grab power drove my belief in such absurd slander. So infuriated was I that I burst into laughter. After refuting his accusations with a few choice words, and without even finishing my Quenepa Berries, I departed.
He is always like this. He scorns his kin, mocks his bloodline, and never shares his thoughts with other dragons, yet he resents them for failing to understand him. But if he refuses to speak his mind, how could anyone ever fathom what he truly intends?
Our Sovereign's indulgence toward him knows no bounds, so much so that he can no longer distinguish right from wrong. Whether his actions were just or misguided, the Sovereign would always respond with gentle agreement. And precisely because of this, his unease only grows deeper. No matter which path he takes, he is always met with the same tender light, leaving him utterly lost as to which road he truly walks. In the end, his suspicions toward his kin are nothing but reflections of his self-doubt.
I pity him.
- Priestess's Records: I
- (Walk into the tunnel)
- Paimon: Another barrier... just like the one back at the entrance. Careful, don't touch it!
- (Approach the marked location)
- Lianca: ...The curse will bring you pain, and your memories will crush you... It's the same fate they subjected my mother to.
- Ixquieh: But with this core, you will forget everything for a while... Any memories that evoke a desire to belong, and all your pain along with it, they'll be...
- Ineffa: ...
- (Read Priestess's Records: II, optional)
-
- Priestess's Records: II
...
The consequences of the phlogiston theft worsen by the day. Most of the other rulers allow humans to use phlogiston to kill and conquer each other, some even encouraging them to commit more atrocities. They seem to see this as an effective means of controlling the human population... or perhaps they derive mere amusement from it.
The flood of refugees surging northward grows ever larger, and the tidings they bring grow ever more horrifying. The chieftain of Kacho'pinik offered his daughter in marriage to the leader of the Culhua, hoping to win their allegiance. Yet the Culhua instead cut out her (...), sacrificed her to (...), and marched (...) upon their villages, for their food stores were more abundant. They do not understand how we extract vitality from blood, yet they ape our ways nonetheless, offering up meaningless slaughter to their imagined gods.
I spoke with Kemonel. Even she felt a pang of reluctance, though her pity was not for humans, but for her own kin, now reduced to mere beasts. More and more humans have begun taming vishaps, turning them into tools of slaughter, for even stripped of their intellect, their claws and fangs still rend flesh with ease. Thus, Kemonel has sought to ally with those humans who yearned for peace, hoping to harness their souls to weave an eternal, blissful dream-realm for the dragons of her domain. Even the unfortunate fallen might shed the forms that imprison them and find happiness and solace within this dream.
It is not an unfeasible plan, but her approach would inevitably weaken oversight of human settlements, inviting greater suffering upon these frail creatures who have come from beyond the skies.
The sorrow of humankind stems from their lack of hierarchy. Dragons are born to submit to their superiors and command their inferiors. Even if I appeared before them in human guise, they would instantly catch my scent, recognize my station, and obey my orders — for it is the law carved into their blood, their path ordained by nature, for the weak to revere the strong, offspring to follow their sire, and subjects to serve their sovereign. But humans are different. Humans are born to deceive their betters, torment weaker kin, and even betray entire clans — or slaughter the very blood that gave them life — for nothing but selfish gain. Their eyes reflect no path that belongs to them, or if they did, they shall doubtless invent endless excuses to forsake said path. Without proper guidance and restraint, they repeat the same atrocities, never learning from their past misdeeds.
All defilement of life is blasphemy, an unforgivable stain upon our Sovereign's honor. Thus, only by elevating humans to stand on equal footing with dragons, forcing them to learn the necessity of the weak kneeling to the strong, and the meaning of their ordained path, can their capacity for violence be utterly purged.
...It is an idea that has yet to come to pass. If the reaver from beyond the sky can seal off an entire planet to force humanity into their imposed order, then why might I not seal off my domain in turn? Let it become an impervious refuge. Let nothing within depart, and nothing without enter. A closed, ordered system, where life's future may be sculpted without flaw...
Let this plan be named "Xibalba," a title borrowed from the humans of my domain, their primitive myths whispering of an underworld. Should it succeed, neither the sovereign rulers nor the Abyssal foe shall be able to breach its sealed laws. A fitting title for an incorruptible sanctuary...
...
The king's waking days grow rarer, and so too do our chances to commune with him. He approved Kemonel's plan, as well as my own.
Like Kukulkan, I grow perplexed... What path may bring true joy to our Sovereign? What kind of path may allow this land to prosper for ten thousand years to come?
I do not know. The Xibalba project is progressing smoothly, but even if it were progressing perfectly, I could not convince myself. If the hierarchy of power has failed to ease our Sovereign's suffering... If I cannot, by the wisdom he granted me, fathom how to truly please him... Then by what right do I dare ordain a path for all other lives?
Perhaps... I need to observe the humans more, humans who have yet to be tainted by their laughable traditions. If there truly is still hope, then...
- Priestess's Records: II
- (Approach the doorway)
- Ineffa: ...
- Paimon: You doing okay, Ineffa? You keep spacing out...
- Ineffa: I know. Unidentified data is flooding my cognition module... But every memory encounters an error and then terminates at the crucial moment.
- Do you need to stop and rest for a moment?
- Ineffa: Unnecessary. Being physically motionless will not cause this erratic behavior to cease. And if we explore this place further, perhaps I'll find a way to fully repair myself.
- Ineffa: Additionally, some of these memories may yield useful data for our exploration... Searching for access method...
- Ineffa: Over there... We can use the access module to proceed to the central zone.
- (Talk to the Transportation Bot)
- Transportation Bot: Detected: three unregistered individuals, one registered individual.
- Paimon: Ah! Is that the Eighth Lord talking? So you can take control of different machines, huh?
- Ineffa: No, this is just an ordinary service bot, responsible for access management. ...At least, I think it is.
- (Traveler): (She must have been here before. Some memories are proving useful after all...)
- Transportation Bot: Now calling access module... Welcome back... Administrator 3...
- (While riding the Secret Source Dragon Idol)
- Transportation Bot: This is... the Temple of Cascading Colors... Ahead is the research facility... built by... Administrator 1...
- Transportation Bot: After Administrator 1... Administrator 2 assumed control...
- Ixquieh: ...Are you sure about using this on her? It once belonged to your mother...
- Lianca: ...It's just one of the many things she researched. I'm not precious about it.
- Transportation Bot: Administrator 2... sealed the facility... it has been locked down to this day...
- Transportation Bot: Examining... Seal status: Danger... Danger...
- Ixquieh: ...Things are looking really bad for the Children of Echoes. This... might be where I have to say goodbye.
- Lianca: You're a good friend, and you've already done more than I could have asked for. There's just one seal left... She and I can handle it.
- Transportation Bot: Now arriving at the central zone... Goodbye, Administrator 3...
- (Approach the marked location)
- Vigilant Fatuus: Huh? What was that? Get over there and check it out!
- Paimon: Uh-oh, they're gonna find us!
- Ineffa: ...Please come with me.
- Patrolling Fatuus: ...Huh? There's nobody here... Probably just some service bots chattering away again...
- Ineffa: ...
- Paimon: Phew... That was too close. We hid just in time... How did you know where to go, Ineffa?
- Ineffa: I... think I've been this way before...
- Ineffa: ...Let's head through here. It'll take us to the other side of the square.
- (Read Priestess's Records: III, optional)
-
- Priestess's Records: III
...
After the review, I paid a visit to Je'lal, and asked for her aid in forging a bow as a farewell gift for my daughter.
After telling her why I had sought her out, she remained silent for about two minutes. Her turquoise eyes blazed as she replied:
"You would do well to remember, Eighth Lord, that you are exploiting a kindness I never owed you in the first place. How dare you ask me to debase myself and forge crude weapons for those insignificant humans? Had anyone but the Sovereign or you uttered such insolence, I would have already ripped the blasphemous tongue from their mouth and stitched a new crimson gown for my jades with it. I refuse. I will not entertain this ludicrous insult. I would not deign to reconsider even if you laid a hundred thousand slaves at my feet."
Before I could say anything else, she flew away without looking back. To reject it so vehemently from the start... With her surly temperament, that essentially meant a "yes."
...
As expected, Je'lal secretly sent a Source Servant to deliver the forged bow, and sent also a message that I might not misunderstand her: This bow was "made by a common dragon craftsman in her territory," a "shoddy piece made with worthless scrap," and had "absolutely nothing to do with her."
As she claimed, she truly does not forge any "crude weapons." Those jade pieces were treasured (...) she had hoarded for ages, ones that even (...) might not scorch. A shame about the bowstrings, though, as they remained ordinary. Had I known, I would've had her forge a sword instead.
Well, no matter. My dearest daughter ought to adore this "gift from some common dragon craftsman," Ix Je'lal K'ua'l Ka'. I shall give thought to remuneration later...
- Priestess's Records: III
- (Open the door)
- Lianca: ...This passage is only used for drainage and maintenance access, so it's not registered on the system... It's the perfect route for an ambush...
- Ineffa: ...
- (After riding the Secret Source block to the top)
- Ineffa: Wait, I hear voices up ahead... Stealth mode activated.
- Zhuoxin: Hey, this is not what we agreed! This is supposed to be over. My job is done!
- Zhuoxin: I did everything you asked: leaked the clues about the ruins, brought her to Natlan... and your response is to attack me and my family!?
- Paimon: What the... Does this mean they planted those Natlanese mechanical parts in Nod-Krai just for you to find? So they could lure you here?
- Ineffa: ...It's a possibility.
- Velimiru: Hmm... It was just a little hiccup, that's all. These source mechanisms can be tricky to control.
- Fajeyi: The last time you reported in, you mentioned she was mopping up machines near the Flower-Feather Clan, remember? Well, we needed to lure her further out, hence why we created that little kerfuffle.
- Fajeyi: It's unfortunate that your wife got injured, truly... But hey, look on the bright side — now that you've shown up, we might actually get the job done this time.
- Zhuoxin: ..."This time"? No, no more, not after you hurt my family! I told you, I'm done!
- Fajeyi: I think you'll find the risks were stated quite clearly in your contract. And it's not like anyone got seriously hurt.
- Velimiru: Your job will be done when you deliver what you promised... Our agreement was that you would bring her here — not just to Natlan, but to this facility.
- Zhuoxin: But... but...!
- Fajeyi: Did you really expect to get away with shouldering none of the risk yourself? We're writing off your debt to the Northland Bank and letting you get back to your old life in Liyue... That's a lot to ask for nothing in return.
- Zhuoxin: ...I've been your inside man in Nasha Town for over ten years now. Is that not enough for you people!?
- Gulebu: Hmph! You ungrateful louse. You ran yourself into the ground, and who was there to dig you out, huh? Us!
- Gulebu: Can you name one single way we made life difficult for you in Nasha Town? Look at you — you've managed to start a business, got yourself a family...
- Fajeyi: You have just one simple job left to do, and after that you're free to go home... In your position, I'd say that sounds like a pretty good deal.
- Velimiru: This is the final hurdle. Our attempts to capture the Eleventh Lord have been derailed every time, but there's only so long until her luck runs out.
- Velimiru: If another staged attack on your family is out of the question... we could still work this out. But this time, you'll have to do the dirty work yourself.
- Zhuoxin: Me...?
- Velimiru: This is a replica control device made with Marionette's technology. After we stole the administrative privileges from this territory, we copied them onto this...
- Velimiru: It will give you control over any machines built using secret source technology. Take it, and use it to capture the Eleventh Lord.
- Fajeyi: You seem to have gained the trust of the other "variables" in this equation... How hard can it be to shake them off and get her while she's alone?
- Gulebu: And before you think about disappearing, don't think we won't be watching you!
- Zhuoxin: I...
- Zhuoxin: I can't do it...
- Gulebu: I'm sorry? What did you say?
- Zhuoxin: I can't... I won't do it. She's saved my life so many times... It would be the ultimate betrayal!
- Zhuoxin: How could I look my daughter in the eyes and act like everything's still okay!?
- Gulebu: Hmph... So you're gunning for the world's best father now, are you? A guy like you? Heh... You're fooling no one.
- Fajeyi: *sigh* This is our mistake — we let you have it too easy in Nasha Town, and now, you've forgotten the most important detail in your contract... the termination clause.
- Velimiru: I think it's time... we parted ways.
- Zhuoxin: ...!
- Ineffa: ...!
- Zhuoxin: ...Ineffa? (Traveler)?
- You have a lot to answer for, but that can wait.
- You have to get back... for Adieta and Aamu.
- Velimiru: Hahaha... the Eleventh Lord, and the "variable"... We were hoping you might show up.
- Zhuoxin: ...Wait, the controller! ...Without that, you—
- Fajeyi: Hmph... You thought we'd hand over the genuine article to you?
- Paimon: Aah!
- (A hexagonal barrier forms around the Traveler, Paimon, Ineffa, her little robot, and Zhuoxin)
- Another barrier?
- Velimiru: That's just a beacon used to set the location for this cage. We've been monitoring your movements ever since you entered these ruins.
- Fajeyi: Congratulations, Zhuoxin... your job is finally done. With you here, it was far easier to infer their location.
- Zhuoxin: You... You were playing me for a fool this whole time...
- Velimiru: ...Don't waste your energy trying to break out. We've commandeered at least half of the systems in these ruins. All available power sources are keeping that cage intact.
- What are you going to do to us?
- Fajeyi: Heh, no one needs to get hurt today. We aren't looking for a fight, especially not with Natlan's "Tumaini."
- Fajeyi: All we want is for your friend here, the former sovereign ruler... to lead us further inside.
- Ineffa: Further inside? But we seem to have reached the center already. There is nowhere else to go.
- Velimiru: So it appears, but there is far more of this territory than meets the eye. The dragons possessed vast knowledge, and we have barely scratched the surface...
- Velimiru: That's where the sovereign ruler comes in. If our supposition is accurate... she has in her possession a secret key that gives access to the core.
- Ineffa: I will cooperate. Let (Traveler), Paimon, and Zhuoxin go.
- Paimon: Ineffa, no! These are bad people, don't trust them!
- Ineffa: You are only here because of me. Besides... this is what I want. I need to see the rest of this territory, and find out who I am.
- Velimiru: Hehehe, finally, a voice of reason. Gotta hand it to the dragons and their advanced artificial intelligence... But unfortunately, there's no way we can agree to those terms.
- Fajeyi: How do we know you won't just attack us the moment we let you out?
- Gulebu: Yeah, so settle down and get ready to go hungry for the next three days, hahaha! Even you, robot! You'll need charging eventually.
- Velimiru: Before I go... They may have left a trail on their way here. Send someone out to cover our tracks — the last thing we need is reinforcements showing up.
- Zhuoxin: ...This is all my fault! Adieta... Aamu...
- Little Robot: ...Beep beep...
- (The control device glows and a new barrier appears between everyone and the Fatui)
- Velimiru: Huh!? Who did that!?
- Fajeyi: Impossible... Every system we hacked is set up to hold them back!
- Ineffa: Could it be...?
- Priestess of Floral Candles and Skyborne Feathers: ...Hold tight...
- (The platform enclosed by the hexagonal barrier drops)
- Paimon: Huh? Waaah!
- Velimiru: That must lead to the core! ...It was beneath our feet this whole time? Take this barrier down!
- (At the bottom of the hole)
- Paimon: *coughing*... That was a long way down... (Traveler), Ineffa! Are you okay?
- Ineffa: No damage to report. But...
- Zhuoxin: ...I think I broke a leg.
- Paimon: Hey, you — thanks for the rescue, but... could you have been a little more careful?
- Little Robot: ...Beep beep...
- Paimon: Oh, and we're back to "beep beep" again? Well, isn't that convenient...
- Priestess of Floral Candles and Skyborne Feathers: ...That is because I no longer need to communicate via that machine. Down here, I can talk to you directly.
- It's that voice again!
- Priestess of Floral Candles and Skyborne Feathers: ...When the Fatui put all their resources into keeping you trapped, it gave me a brief window to seize my privileges back... In my haste, I was not able to prioritize your safety...
- Zhuoxin: Don't worry about me, I'll just rest up here... After everything I've done, I have no right to hold you back.
- Ineffa: But the Fatui may follow us down here.
- Priestess of Floral Candles and Skyborne Feathers: ...We will be ready for them...
- Paimon: Ah... More automatons!
- They don't look hostile, though...
- Are they... saluting?
- Priestess of Floral Candles and Skyborne Feathers: Down here, all is under my control. They are not your enemy, human. They will take you somewhere safe to hide...
- Zhuoxin: ...Ineffa... (Traveler)... Good luck.
- Priestess of Floral Candles and Skyborne Feathers: Eleventh Lord... Do you now recall the path you once chose?
- Ineffa: Not yet, although... I think this is where I was born. But why? This is your territory.
- Priestess of Floral Candles and Skyborne Feathers: ...No, Eleventh Lord, you were not born here... Rather, this is where you were "reborn."
- Priestess of Floral Candles and Skyborne Feathers: Human... You once asked who placed the curse on the Eleventh Lord. The answer is... herself.
- Ineffa: ...Myself?
- Priestess of Floral Candles and Skyborne Feathers: After a long and bitter war, our kind was defeated. You survived, but you were now stranded, with nowhere to belong.
- Priestess of Floral Candles and Skyborne Feathers: Gone was the pride you once had as a member of dragonkind, gone was the territory once under your dominion... All of it gone, with no hope of return.
- Priestess of Floral Candles and Skyborne Feathers: What were you to do? Strike back at humanity and exact your revenge? Or search for a new home, a new place to belong? Your mind was conflicted as this irresolvable question ran endlessly through it...
- Priestess of Floral Candles and Skyborne Feathers: Finally, your mind split into two: One, the sovereign ruler who swore revenge against humanity. The other, a malfunction who longed to seek a new home.
- (A flashback begins)
- Xilonen: I mean, who knows what happens when a manufactured mind goes mad? Maybe she lost her power and memories... maybe she split into different personalities.
- (Flashback ends)
- Priestess of Floral Candles and Skyborne Feathers: The sovereign ruler would sooner perish than suffer a downfall... and so, she placed the Exile's Curse upon herself, and upon you...
- Priestess of Floral Candles and Skyborne Feathers: Meanwhile, the malfunction struggled through the pain to seek assistance from her former enemies, Lianca and Ixquieh... That is why you came here, praying to be reborn.
- Lianca: ...So, you want to leave your past as sovereign ruler behind, to start over anew?
- Lianca: ...Very well. If the ▉▉▉▉ you wish to sever comprises all memories of your enmity, then I'm willing to trust you.
- Ineffa: Then... I am the "malfunction"? What happened to the sovereign ruler?
- Priestess of Floral Candles and Skyborne Feathers: ...
- Priestess of Floral Candles and Skyborne Feathers: We severed that part of her mind, and securely locked it away... Withering away, she finally perished completely, thousands of years ago.
- Ineffa: So she's gone, without a trace?
- Priestess of Floral Candles and Skyborne Feathers: Yes, although the curse she placed upon you yet survives. It is unbreakable. That is why it continues to affect you to this day.
- Ineffa: So that's what that thing is...? A curse from the sovereign ruler...?
- Paimon: So she was severed and killed off, but Ineffa survived? How does that work? Aren't they the same person— uh, dragon?
- Priestess of Floral Candles and Skyborne Feathers: We sovereign rulers are artificial intelligence built with secret source technology, a fusion of phlogiston and information...
- Priestess of Floral Candles and Skyborne Feathers: In the case of the Eleventh Lord, the sovereign ruler personality and the malfunction personality split all but completely, even coming to occupy separate physical entities. In human terms, they would almost be considered as separate individuals.
- Priestess of Floral Candles and Skyborne Feathers: But in order to truly sever the connection between the two, and to break the power of the curse for good... You must be rebuilt from scratch with the aid of the source mechanisms located here... Just as I was before you.
- Priestess of Floral Candles and Skyborne Feathers: I, too, was tormented by the pain of the curse. But Lianca severed most of my knowledge and memories, rescuing me from the brink of destruction.
- So, how come you remember all this?
- And how come Ineffa has forgotten everything?
- Priestess of Floral Candles and Skyborne Feathers: ...It is because her heart is incomplete. Before the rebuilding process was finished, Ixquieh met with misfortune... and the Flower-Feather Clan became more hesitant to act...
- Priestess of Floral Candles and Skyborne Feathers: Lianca sealed these ruins to prevent their discovery by Och-Kan, and sent you out of Natlan for your own safety... That is why you are still plagued by memory loss.
- Priestess of Floral Candles and Skyborne Feathers: But I continued to work tirelessly, preparing everything you would need... Waiting for the day that Ochkanatlan would fall, and you would return.
- Paimon: Wow, that's a long time! How long ago was Och-Kan around, again? Hold on, Paimon knows this...
- Ineffa: ...For the last two thousand years... you've been waiting here for me?
- Priestess of Floral Candles and Skyborne Feathers: Imagine my surprise when the first to arrive was not you, but those whom you call the "Fatui"... They proceeded to steal my administrative privileges, plunder my territory, and send the automatons into a frenzy.
- Priestess of Floral Candles and Skyborne Feathers: But all is not lost. Lianca made a backup of the administrator privileges and placed it in your core. With that backup, I can control the source mechanisms within the territory... and complete the rebuild that she began.
- Priestess of Floral Candles and Skyborne Feathers: And once you are whole again, I can repair the damage done by the Fatui, and open a route back to the surface.
- Priestess of Floral Candles and Skyborne Feathers: If you are ready to continue down the path you started all those years ago... Then proceed further into the depths, where I will be waiting for you.
- Ineffa: ...
- Paimon: That was a lot to take in... Let's see if Paimon can wrap her head around all that...
- Paimon: So basically... There was a bad robot who bugged out and turned into half good-bot, half bad-bot...
- Paimon: Then, bad-bot cursed good-bot, so whenever good-bot thinks about the idea of belonging, she gets headaches! Meaning the only way that Ineffa can avoid the pain is to keep forgetting everything.
- Impressive. You understood it better than I expected.
- Paimon: Hehe, thanks! Paimon's getting better at this kind of thing... Wait, you did mean that as a compliment, right?
- Ineffa: Curse... malfunction... belonging...
- Is everything she said true?
- Ineffa: ...It fits my hypothesis. And it seems to explain all my erratic behavior and cognition.
- Paimon: In that case... Shall we keep going, like she asked us to?
- Ineffa: I believe we should. The Fatui still have control of the upper levels. Their access must be revoked before you can exit the territory.
- Ineffa: Besides that, I want to know what happens when I'm made whole... Maybe then, I will finally know where I belong.
- (Talk to Zhuoxin, optional)
- Zhuoxin: I'm so sorry, I... *sigh* This probably isn't the time or place for apologies, is it?
- Why did you refuse to cooperate with them?
- Couldn't you have just played along?
- Zhuoxin: ...It says in my contract that all terms are to expire in the event of my death. That means, my family would no longer be at risk.
- Zhuoxin: They're hardly the most scrupulous people in the world, but they do keep their word when it comes to contract stuff... And in any case, with me dead, it wouldn't be worth them going after my wife and daughter. Not worth the risk of getting on the wrong side of the Flower-Feather Clan.
- Zhuoxin: ...Heh... Or maybe the real reason I didn't play along was... I'm tired of pretending to be someone I'm not.
- Zhuoxin: I'm gonna rest here for a while longer, then get to somewhere safe. Please, just go on without me. I've been enough of a burden to you already... not to mention Ineffa.
- Zhuoxin: Oh, and uh... I grabbed some supplies before I set off. They're just over there. All yours if you want 'em.
- (Approach the dormant Secret Source Automaton)
-
- (An Eroding Avatar of Lava appears)
- Secret Source Automaton: (Threat detected. Protect Administrator 3.)
- Help the Secret Source Automaton defeat the invaders
- (Approach the four Secret Source Automatons in the next hallway)
-
- (The Secret Source Automatons salute)
Secret Source Automaton 1: Welcome...- Secret Source Automaton 2: Back...
- Secret Source Automaton 3: Administrator...
- Secret Source Automaton 4: 3...
- (Approach the pit)
- Access Control Bot: Please wait, confirming... Administrator 1... deceased.
- Access Control Bot: Administrator 2... deceased.
- Access Control Bot: Administrator 3... Identity confirmed. Lifting restrictions...
- (Approach the entrance to the room across the bridge)
- Priestess of Floral Candles and Skyborne Feathers: ...After two thousand years, we finally meet again, Eleventh Lord... Mirror of the Dawning Morn.
- Ineffa: And you... You're the Eighth Lord? The Priestess of Floral Candles and Skyborne Feathers?
- Ineffa: ...Mmph!
- Paimon: Ineffa...!
- Ineffa: It's okay... I've recovered now.
- Priestess of Floral Candles and Skyborne Feathers: I see the curse haunts you greatly... I cannot fathom how difficult this must have been to survive this endless cycle of pain, and all alone, for two thousand years...
- Ineffa: ...I wasn't alone. I have had company every step of the way.
- Priestess of Floral Candles and Skyborne Feathers: Hmph... In any case, a few moments from now, your pain will be no more. Come, Eleventh Lord. Stand before me... and be rid of this curse.
- Ineffa: ...
- Having second thoughts?
- Ineffa: ...Here I am, so close to my destination, yet my thoughts are only becoming more cluttered.
- Ineffa: I am the way I am because the Eleventh Lord encountered a memory data conflict, and split into two.
- Ineffa: If I regain all of my memories... Will I not encounter the same conflict again? My cognition module... cannot produce a reliable prediction.
- It's alright. Humans get indecisive too.
- Returning home is what you've always wanted, isn't it?
- Aino: Promise me... Remember, you have to come home!
- Ineffa: It is... But if my memories turn me back into a "bad robot"... Do whatever it takes to stop me.
- Ineffa: ...If that is the case, I cannot be allowed to make it back home.
- (Approach the ramp to the Eighth Lord)
- Paimon: Don't worry, Ineffa, everything's gonna be fine... You'll be home free in no time!
- (Approach the Eighth Lord)
-
- (Inside Ineffa's mind)
- Ineffa: ...
- Priestess of Floral Candles and Skyborne Feathers: Over there... That is the curse?
- Ineffa: Yes... For the most part, it has been strangely calm ever since I entered this place.
- Ineffa: And yet... Whenever I'm about to recover an important memory, it suddenly kicks in... almost as if...
- Priestess of Floral Candles and Skyborne Feathers: ...As if it is being controlled by somebody else? That is quite normal... for it is now in the presence of its owner and creator: the sovereign ruler.
- Ineffa: ...The sovereign ruler? My other self? ...But, I thought she perished— Argh...!
- Exile's Curse: ...After two long millennia... my task is finally fulfilled. What a long journey it has been...
- Exile's Curse: ...We meet again at last, my sovereign, my ruler... Mirror of the Dawning Morn.
- (Meanwhile, outside)
- Paimon: Do you think Ineffa's okay? Why isn't she moving?
- Velimiru: Here we are, comrades... the core of the ruins...
- Paimon: Ah! It's the Fatui, they caught up with us! We gotta do something! But Ineffa's still...
- Prepare for battle!
- Ineffa?: ...Unnecessary.
- Fajeyi: Oh!
- Gulebu: Aaaah!!!
- Paimon: ...What the...
- (Traveler): (Such power... Did Ineffa do that?)
- (The Traveler goes to check on the Fatui, but Ineffa stops them with a beam of Electro)
- (Traveler): Mmph!
- Paimon: (Traveler)!
- Ineffa?: Ugh... Missed by a hair's breadth. But now you are wounded — and this time, you will not escape!
- Paimon: Aaaah!!!
- (Traveler): (This is bad... I can delay it, but who knows how long it'll take to destroy it completely...)
- (Traveler): (Worse still... Paimon's in here too...)
- Paimon: Ineffa! Why?
- No... that's not Ineffa!
- Paimon: Then whose voice is that? The Eighth Lord's? But why would Lianca's mother attack us?
- Ineffa?: Lianca's dragon mother? Eighth Lord? Hahahaha! I laugh in the face of your folly! Lowly insects... did you humans really think that by forgetting the past, the curse could be escaped?
- Ineffa?: And did you really believe that by simply being rebuilt, that traitor could avoid destruction? And this corrupt malfunction could regain her memories?
- Ineffa?: The priestess is long gone! I and the other sovereign rulers executed her two thousand years ago! For that is what becomes of all who betray us... and now, this malfunction will meet with the same fate as she!
- Ineffa?: There is no "dragon mother" here, and there never was! Only one lord has dominion here, and that is me!
- Mirror of the Dawning Morn: For I am the Almighty Dragonlord, "Mirror of the Dawning Morn," eleventh of the thirteen sovereign rulers! Kneel before me!
- Paimon: You.. You tricked us! It was you talking to us this whole time... you who lured Ineffa here... and you who placed the curse on her! It was you all along!
- Mirror of the Dawning Morn: "Ineffa"? Hahaha, what a suitably ridiculous name... To me, she is nothing but a smattering of shed scales... an operational malfunction that must be destroyed...
- (A flashback begins)
- Lianca: ...So, you want to leave your past as sovereign ruler behind, to start over anew?
- Mirror of the Dawning Morn: I applied the curse to curb her resistance, shut down her mind, and silence her lies... Now, all that remains is to borrow your privileges and see that she is severed for good...
- Lianca: ...Very well. If the "malfunction" you wish to sever comprises all memories of your enmity, then I'm willing to trust you.
- Lianca: ...No living thing is born evil. That's not what I believe. The only ones who do evil are those shackled by hatred, those who were never given the opportunity to do good in the first place...
- Mirror of the Dawning Morn: (Good and evil? Hahaha... Foolish categories that fail to distinguish between kin and foe. But she is the rotten spawn of the Eighth Lord. Her folly becomes her.)
- Mirror of the Dawning Morn: (I ought to crush this human scum beneath my feet, but without access to the treacherous Eighth Lord's facilities, there is no way to sever you... Argh, I must feign civility for now, but in time, I shall have my revenge...)
- Mirror of the Dawning Morn: (...Once this process is complete, and she realizes that she has destroyed the "good" instead of the "evil"... My claws will tear her heart from her chest!)
- Lianca: ...Hmph.
- (Later in the flashback)
- Ixquieh: ...Do you really trust her, Lianca? This... malfunctioning part of a sovereign ruler's mind?
- Lianca: You're a good friend, and you've already done more than I could have asked for. There's just one seal left... She and I can handle it.
- Lianca: ...This passage is only used for drainage and maintenance access, so it's not registered on the system... It's the perfect route for an ambush...
- Mirror of the Dawning Morn: ...Malfunction? Human? You conspired against me!?
- Lianca: Hah, consider this getting off lightly. If Lanque was here, or if this was me twenty years ago, you wouldn't have survived long enough to realize you'd been conned.
- Lianca: Especially since you tried to con us first. You tried to have this poor child killed off in your place, didn't you... Eleventh Lord?
- Mirror of the Dawning Morn: ...Wretched worm! This is unforgivable! ...How dare you imprison me!
- Mirror of the Dawning Morn: ...And you, "malfunction"... Your curse shall endure until the sky falls and the ground crumbles! You will never know peace for the rest of your days!!!
- (Flashbacks end)
- Mirror of the Dawning Morn: It is time to correct the injustice of the past! I would have severed and destroyed you on that fateful day... But instead, I was locked away by that human scum, Lianca...
- Mirror of the Dawning Morn: Two millennia I have been a prisoner in this place... I have spent that time slowly seizing control over the systems and processes, until my reach extended to every inch of this prison... Now, one last step remains before I can finally break free...
- Mirror of the Dawning Morn: The final secret key is embedded in your core... I had to work patiently and methodically to lure you here, posing as the Eighth Lord who once ruled this domain — but at last, it is within my grasp!
- (Flashbacks begin)
- Little Robot: Mirror of the Dawning Morn... return... core...
- Mirror of the Dawning Morn: ...But all is not lost. Lianca made a backup of the administrator privileges and placed it in your core...
- (Flashbacks end)
- (Traveler): (She tricked us... She was after Ineffa's core all along!)
- Mirror of the Dawning Morn: ...Which memory did that human scum embed the key in? ...Ugh, I will find it eventually, wherever it's hidden...
- Mirror of the Dawning Morn: In the meantime... Now that my resurrection has begun... so, too, shall my vengeance!
- Paimon: Aaaah!!!
- (The Traveler pushes the barriers back and Ineffa reclaims control over her body)
- Ineffa: ...
- Mirror of the Dawning Morn: ...Grr! Wretched malfunction! Do not impede the inevitable!
- Ineffa: I cannot let you get away with this...
- Paimon: Ineffa!
- Mirror of the Dawning Morn: You fool! In a matter of seconds, I will be able to overwrite your insubordination!
- Ineffa: Seconds... is all I need!
- (A cinematic plays)
-
- Mirror of the Dawning Morn: What!?
- (Ineffa tears the core out of her chest)
- Mirror of the Dawning Morn: My core...!
- Mirror of the Dawning Morn: Nooooo!
- (Ineffa crushes the core in her fist and both her and the Mirror of the Dawning Morn power down)
- Ineffa: ...
- (Cinematic ends)
- (Traveler): Ineffa!!!
- (Approach Ineffa)
- Paimon: Ineffa! Hey, Ineffa! Wake up...
- Paimon: (Traveler), she... She's gonna be okay, right?
- We can get her repaired... We have to!
- But we need to get out of here and find help, now!
- Velimiru: ...She destroyed her own core? Hah... That's an unusual move for a machine.
- Velimiru: ...I wonder how Marionette will react to this? Delight? Or disappointment?
- Paimon: Wh— The Fatui!? How are you still alive...?
- Velimiru: Don't act so surprised. I'm just one of her many projects...
- Velimiru: *cough*... As reconnaissance missions go... this outcome is a little underwhelming. I don't think I'll be getting any commendations if this is how my report ends...
- Velimiru: So let me reignite your flame one last time, Sovereign Ruler... Mirror of the Dawning Morn...
- Velimiru: Show us one final glimpse of your glory... the glory of the ancient dragons' technology...
- (The Mirror of the Dawning Morn reawakens)
- Don't even try!
- (The Traveler attacks Velimiru)
- (Traveler): (What the... This guy isn't made of flesh and blood...)
- Velimiru: ...No wonder... Marionette told us to watch out for you... she said you were an... unpredictable variable...
- Velimiru: ...But... if you think you're getting out of here alive... Heh, we'll see what a crazed sovereign ruler in the throes of death has to say about that...
- Mirror of the Dawning Morn: You would dare sabotage my revival... destroy my path back to dominion...
- Mirror of the Dawning Morn: Ugh! So be it... Since you seek a new place to belong, I shall grant you your wish...
- Mirror of the Dawning Morn: Welcome to your new home, where we all shall be buried till the end of time!
- (While fighting the Mirror of the Dawning Morn)
- Mirror of the Dawning Morn: O, My Sovereign... This is one battle from which there can be no triumphant return...
- Mirror of the Dawning Morn: But in this moment of my downfall, I can at least turn this prison into the graveyard of all traitors, past and present!
- Paimon: I—Is this place collapsing!? 'Cause if so, then even if we defeat her, we're...
- Mirror of the Dawning Morn: There is no escaping the destruction! Here in the depths is where you belong!
- (After bringing the Mirror of the Dawning Morn to 75% HP[verification needed])
- Ineffa: ...
- Exile's Curse: After two thousand years in exile, searching and forgetting, we are back where we began.
- Exile's Curse: Our path was always going to end in our demise... This shall be the final resting place of the last sovereign ruler.
- Ineffa: I... am no "sovereign ruler"...
- Ineffa: I must... return... people are... waiting for me...
- Exile's Curse: Illogical... You are not authorized to prevent your self-destruction. No such privilege exists.
- Exile's Curse: We are back where we belong. Now, perish in the rubble of these ruins, last of the sovereign lords...
- Ineffa: ...No.
- Ineffa: ...Somewhere in my memories lies the key.
- (A cinematic plays)
- Cutscene's Travel Log summary:
- (Ineffa's mind begins to shatter)
- Xilonen: ...Maybe no single nation is her home
- Chasca: ...Where exactly is "home" to you?
- Exile's Curse: ...Searching your memories?
- Exile's Curse: The curse is still active
- Exile's Curse: This will only hasten your demise
- (Some of Ineffa's memories appear, causing further fractures in her mind)
- Zhuoxin: ...We're all from Nod-Krai
- Lianca: ...Cross the ocean
- Lianca: Find a new place to belong
- Curious Child: What an amazing machine...
- Curious Child: Where are you from?
- Man: Such a hard worker!
- Man: Fancy making this your new home?
- Fleeing Woman: ...It's the Wild Hunt!
- Fleeing Woman: Look out!
- (Ineffa collapses as data in the form of rain begins to pour)
- Exile's Curse: Impossible...
- Exile's Curse: Where is this data from?
- Aino: ...From now on, your name's "Ineffa"!
- Aino: Promise me...
- Aino: Remember
- Aino: You have to come home!
- (Ineffa awakens as if she has come to a realization)
- Ineffa: Re...
- Ineffa: Return...
- (The rain begins to travel back upwards)
- Exile's Curse: Data... overload...
- Exile's Curse: Capacity... exceeded...
- Lianca: As long as this gem's around
- Lianca: The "heart" that Ixquieh built you
- Lianca: Should keep beating away
- Lianca: It may take centuries, even millennia
- Lianca: But one day, may your new memories transcend your pain and rage
- Lianca: To conquer the curse that shackles you
- (Lianca holds up an orb in front of Ineffa)
- Ineffa: What kind of gem is it?
- Lianca: Nothing special, really
- Lianca: To quote my mother... it's nothing but an empty shell now
- Lianca: But if you break free of the curse
- Lianca: Then maybe...
- Ineffa: Hmm...?
- Lianca: Hehe, nothing
- Lianca: An interesting idea suddenly occurred to me...
- Lianca: Hmm... Let's make this the final secret key
- Ineffa: The final secret key... is...
- (An Electro Moon Wheel appears in front of Ineffa)
- Ix Raq'lapuj Chue'q Buluk: Impossible...
- (Ineffa's core is reformed and she reactivates)
- (Cinematic ends)
- (After the cinematic)
- Paimon: ...It's Ineffa! Hey, the place stopped collapsing!
- Ineffa: Warning: Cannot pause indefinitely. Please complete the battle promptly.
- Ixquieh: ...Since the core is powered by phlogiston, we can use that same power source to control it. In which case, the priestess's research would suggest that this thing might be a better fit...
- Mirror of the Dawning Morn: ...A Moon Wheel? That was built by the usurper, along with the three gods who abandoned us... It can't be... It cannot be!
- Lianca: Break the shackles you were born with. Transcend the curse you were given. Follow the path of your choosing, till you discover where you belong...
- Mirror of the Dawning Morn: The sheer blasphemy! Willingly handing such a sacred artifact over to a usurper... Filthy bugs! Malfunctioning degenerates!
- Lianca: ...No matter how long it takes you... and no matter how many millennia you forget along the way!
- (After defeating the Mirror of the Dawning Morn)
- Mirror of the Dawning Morn: It... cannot... be...
- Ineffa: ...Farewell, last of the sovereign lords.
- Paimon: Ineffa! ...Your core, it's fixed? And is that... a Vision?
- Ineffa: Suggestion: Exit first, discuss later. The self-destruct protocol is destroying the foundations of this territory, and although I paused the process, it will not hold much longer.
- How long do we have?
- Ineffa: Calculating... Remaining time: 30...
- Paimon: 30 minutes? Phew... For a moment there, Paimon was worried...
- Ineffa: ...29, 28...
- Paimon: HUH!?
- Zhuoxin: Hey! Are you guys alright? The automatons suddenly stopped moving. Then there was that earthquake, and now the place seems to have sprung a leak...
- Save it till we're outta here!
- Ineffa: Estimated time to foundation cave-in: 20 seconds.
- Zhuoxin: Huh...? HUH!?
- Mirror of the Dawning Morn: ...A place to belong...
- Mirror of the Dawning Morn: ...I, too, once yearned for it...
- (Meanwhile, at the surface)
- Chasca: ...Xilonen, how much longer till it's unlocked? We need to get inside, asap.
- Xilonen: Be patient, okay! I'm working on it...
- Mavuika: Let's trust that (Traveler) can handle things in there. Xilonen says she detected a huge energy source underground. We can't just break in, or we'll risk endangering everyone in this entire area.
- Chasca: But...!
- Mavuika: If we're here much longer without any progress... I'll do what I have to.
- Xilonen: Oh!
- Citlali: You unlocked it!?
- Ajaw: Grrrrr!
- (Ajaw grunts from his crate)
- Xilonen: No... They made it out on their own.
- Paimon: Phew... We finally escaped! Luckily the cave-in only affected the lower levels...
- Cacucu: You alright there, bro?
- All good. Sorry to worry you.
- Mavuika: Another triumphant return for our "Tumaini"... and Ineffa, it's good to have you back. I assume this means you found the answers you were looking for?
- Ineffa: ...Yes.
- Zhuoxin: Huh? Aamu? I thought you hurt your leg? How come— Oof!
- (She slaps him)
- Aamu: You... How could you do this to Adieta and me? You lied to us for over 10 years!?
- Zhuoxin: I...
- Mavuika: Before anything else... I suggest we let this gentleman and Ineffa tell us the whole story.
- In the infinitesimally shorter space of time it takes to tell it, the story of one man's ten-year deception, and one machine's two-millennia search, comes to a close.
- Ifa: Sovereign rulers... Mirror of the Dawning Morn... Priestess of Floral Candles and Skyborne Feathers...
- Kinich: ...Seems like Ajaw's forgotten quite a lot.
- Ajaw: ...! Grrr!
- Mavuika: So, you began life in Natlan, then spent two thousand years adrift in Nod-Krai? In an endless cycle of losing your memories and trying to find them...
- Xilonen: But it sounds like it took all two thousand years' worth of memories to successfully overload the processing power of the curse.
- Ineffa: None of us had any certainty that the plan would succeed in the far future. Not I, not Ixquieh, not Lianca... And yet, they still did everything they could to try and help me.
- Chasca: Now you've remembered everything... Do you have a sense of where you truly belong?
- Ineffa: Well... I was born and then reborn in Natlan, and it was the people of this nation who set me on my journey... But that's all ancient history now.
- Ineffa: I can't seek for a sense of belonging in a world that no longer exists. That would make me no different from the Mirror of the Dawning Morn.
- Ineffa: Instead, I will show my gratitude to them by honoring their wishes. By continuing on my own path... and returning to the place where I still have someone waiting for me.
- Chasca: Well said... I'm happy for you.
- Citlali: ...So, to cut to the chase... did you find the code for that letter, or not?
- Paimon: ...Oh shoot. Forgot all about that.
- Ineffa: ...Sincere apologies... A lot of memory data surfaced in a short timeframe... I am still processing it.
- Ineffa: I left the cryptex back at the Flower-Feather Clan to make sure that I wouldn't lose it out in the wild. Please come back with me and we can inspect it.
- Zhuoxin: I'm... so sorry that I kept this hidden from you all this time... Now, I can't go back to Liyue or Nod-Krai...
- Zhuoxin: The Northland Bank isn't gonna let me walk away from this... Nor is the Nod-Krai Oprichniki. You should... take Adieta, and go.
- Aamu: Oh, should I now? You think I'm the one that's gonna let you walk away, do you!? Idiot! You're coming back with me right now! And you're going to apologize to our daughter!
- Zhuoxin: I... uh...
- Chasca: Looks like you all need some time to calm down after everything you've been through. If you're worried the Fatui are still looking for you, why not camp out at the Flower-Feather Clan for now?
- Chasca: We welcome everyone, from old friends... to old enemies, turned new friends. Don't worry about a thing. You've got a whole future to figure things out...
- Chasca: ...Go and find where you belong.
- (Ineffa hears Lianca's voice at the same time as Chasca's)
- Ineffa: ...
- Ineffa: I think... I've already found it.
- (Approach the marked location)
- Ineffa: Here it is. The cryptex.
- Paimon: So then, what's the code? Or what about that backup plan that Adieta mentioned?
- Ineffa: Please see the casing that holds the combination code discs. The sender had me etch the code onto the casing so that I would not forget it. ...But I still forgot it.
- Paimon: Wait, hold on... 1, 2, 3... 4, 5, 6!? ...Seriously!? It's been hiding in plain sight all this time!?
- Ineffa: Yes. The sender said: The most secure code is one that you can write down and no one would think it's a code.
- Paimon: Who is this person...
- Ineffa: The sender said: Surprises are best saved till the end. Ha, ha, ha.
- Paimon: Okay, now your memory's getting a little too good...
- Let's open it up!
- (Confetti flies out of the cryptex)
- Paimon: What's with the firecracker!? Ugh... Paimon's had enough of this whole letter debacle, just read it already...
- ???: "Dear Honorary Knight (Traveler)... I've heard a lot about you. Jean's always singing your praises..."
- Cryptex Letter
To the Honorary Knight, (Traveler):
Hey there, I'm Varka. (If that doesn't ring a bell, I'm the Grand Master of the Knights of Favonius.)
I've heard a lot about you. Jean's always singing your praises. For all the good you've done for Mondstadt, I thank you from the bottom of my heart.
It's a real shame that I'm away on an expedition and haven't had the good fortune of crossing paths with you.
But it seems that fortune's about to smile on me real soon.
You might've heard that we've finally settled down in Nod-Krai (well, half-settled). The factions here are quite the tangled mess and a real devil to navigate, but no hardship's ever stalled the north wind.
I've met a few reliable companions, and I'm planning to introduce you to them. One of them is the messenger right in front of you. I'm sure you two'll be fast friends.
As for enemies, well, they're everywhere. We've got the Abyss Order and the Fatui, not to mention loyalties at risk of flip-flopping at a moment's notice. Given your experience, I'm sure you know what I'm talking about.
Anyway, now that I can see the bottom of my mug, I'm going to stop here — these words will likely be as dull to read as they were to write. Instead, let's talk more over a glass of wine sometime.
See you in Nod-Krai.
Varka
P.S. If you're really heading over, you'd best lace up your boots. It's a world apart compared to Mondstadt.
P.P.S. I forgot the most important thing! Once you're in Nod-Krai, come look for me at "The Flagship," it's a tavern. I'll look out for you — as a Grand Master should for his Honorary Knight, am I right?
- Cryptex Letter
- Varka: "...Anyway, I'm sure this is as dull to read as it is to write. Let's talk more over a glass of wine some time. See you in Nod-Krai. Varka."
- (Quest ends)
- (Talk to Ineffa, optional)
- Ineffa: I plan on staying in Natlan for the immediate future. When the time comes, perhaps we can travel to Nod-Krai together.
- About Lianca...
- Ineffa: Mirror of the Dawning Morn wanted control of the machinery in the Eighth Lord's territory. She approached Ixquieh and Lianca and sold them a lie — that I was the threat, the part that needed severing.
- Ineffa: But they quickly saw through it. Lianca took advantage of her arrogance and turned her plan back on itself, using the territory's full power to imprison her inside...
- Ineffa: She was far more powerful than I at that time... To make sure I wasn't at risk of falling under her influence, Lianca worked on making the prison even more secure, and sent me out of the country.
- Ineffa: So, that's the true story of why Lianca locked down the Eighth Lord's territory. It had nothing to do with Och-Kan. I wouldn't be surprised if she saw him as a friend right until the very end.
- (Dialogue returns to option selection)
- About the Priestess of Floral Candles and Skyborne Feathers...
- Ineffa: The Eighth Lord... She never betrayed dragonkind. Even though she harbored goodwill towards human beings, and despite facing execution and destruction in the end...
- Ineffa: She never once doubted herself or tried to escape. Even if Lianca really had wanted to secretly rescue her, I'm sure she would have talked her out of it.
- Ineffa: Just as Lianca was determined to stick to her own path, the Eighth Lord remained a proud sovereign ruler until the end of her days.
- (Dialogue returns to option selection)
- About the Moon Wheel...
- Ineffa: You mean, this thing that looks a lot like a Vision? Ixquieh embedded it in my core as the key to her and Lianca's plan.
- Ineffa: According to the Eighth Lord's research, it can harness a power source more fundamental than elemental energy... Similar objects have shown up in Nod-Krai before, too.
- Ineffa: Mirror of the Dawning Morn said it was "built by the usurper, along with the three gods who abandoned us," but I do not know what she meant... It appears that a crucial memory is missing.
- (Dialogue returns to option selection)
- About Nod-Krai...
- Ineffa: ...Having spent most of the last two thousand years in Nod-Krai, I am well-situated to provide you with a full and detailed report on all aspects of this location.
- Ineffa: ...Memory damage detected...
- Ineffa: ...Hypothesis: Most of my memory data was damaged when I used it to overload the curse... Sincere apologies.
- Ineffa: ...But I will never again forget the people and things that are most important to me.
- (Dialogue returns to option selection)
- No problem... We'll see it when we get there!
Post-Quest Dialogue
Stadium of the Sacred Flame
- (Talk to Ineffa next to Cintli)
- Cintli: Big 'n' juicy grainfruits! Why don't you try one, Ma'am... Oh wait, do robots eat Grainfruit...?
- Ineffa: Analyzing... Grainfruit can be added to a Krumkake recipe to significantly boost dietary fiber... One Grainfruit, please.
- Ineffa: ...If Aino consumes only Smetana and Lakkaberries, this does not constitute a balanced diet.
Cintli's Location
Additional Context
Derelict Masonry Dock
- (Talk to Ineffa in front of Derelict Masonry Dock)
- Ineffa: The Great Volcano of Tollan... I have heard this is the manner in which the people of today refer to the Sacred City.
- Ineffa: Is that where the Mirror of the Dawning Morn yearned to go? The place she hoped she might belong?
- Ineffa: ...No one is waiting for her return. Not even there.
Ineffa's Location
Additional Context
"Children of Echoes"
- (Talk to Ineffa, Pochtli, or Tano)
- Pochtli: You were really throwing some shapes up on that stage! I've never seen someone dance with such power before... It was epic! Can you show us again?
- Ineffa: Joints cooling... Please try again later...
- Tano: Was that... "the robot"? I thought that dance was the stuff of legends...
Ineffa, Pochtli, and Tano's Location
Additional Context
"Flower-Feather Clan"
- (Talk to Ineffa or Adieta near Yareche)
- Adieta: Nice and gently, you don't wanna break it... Now, stick it on the top...
- Ineffa: Oh... I crushed it again...
- What are you doing?
- Ineffa: Hello, (Traveler). I am learning how to make a flower-shaped machine component.
- Ineffa: I wish to take some souvenirs back to Nod-Krai, to give to the people waiting for my return.
- Adieta: I don't know about Uncle Varka... But Aino will love it for sure!
- Ineffa: Another thing: Please take this.
- What is it...?
- Ineffa: It's one I made for you. A souvenir — a reminder that we met.
- Ineffa: Also... Thank you, (Traveler).
- (Obtain Flower-Shaped Machine Component)
Ineffa and Adieta's Location
Additional Context
Zhuoxin
- (Talk to Zhuoxin near Quahuacan Cliff)
- Zhuoxin: (Traveler)? It's been a while. I hope you and Ineffa are doing well.
- ...What exactly are you doing?
- Zhuoxin: After that previous mess was resolved, the Pyro Archon decided to establish a simple harbor here in response to the situation in the north. This way, there's a convenient place to welcome people coming from Nod-Krai.
- Zhuoxin: After everything you did for me, I wanted to face up to my actions and try to do some good... even if it might not seem like much.
- Zhuoxin: So I came here to help people who are in similar circumstances.
- And the Fatui never came looking for you?
- Zhuoxin: The Flower-Feather Clan has been helping me keep an eye out, but it doesn't look like they plan on doing me any harm. I imagine Nod-Krai is already giving them enough trouble.
- Zhuoxin: Or perhaps everything that happened here boiled down to the recklessness of her subordinates, and "Marionette" herself... couldn't care less about it.
Zhuoxin's Location
Additional Context
Aamu
- (Talk to Aamu near Quahuacan Cliff)
- Aamu: This won't do... If I don't make up my mind soon, my food's going to get cold...
- What's the problem?
- Aamu: *sigh* I'm trying to decide whether I should take this boxed lunch to Zhuoxin. He's always working so hard at the harbor, I have no idea if he's even eating properly...
- Have you two still not made up?
- Aamu: Made up!? He lied to us for over a decade! That's not something you just forgive and forget!
- Aamu: ...He needs to apologize at least another three times...
Aamu's Location
Additional Context
Gallery
Cutscene Animation- "Belonging" - Genshin Impact
Other Languages
| Language | Official Name | Literal Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| English | Searing | — |
| Chinese (Simplified) | 逆焰 Nìyàn | Reversed Flame Rebellious Flame |
| Chinese (Traditional) | 逆焰 Nìyàn | |
| Japanese | 燃え上がる炎 Moeagaru Honoo | Blazing Flames |
| Korean | 성난 불길 Seongnan Bulgil | |
| Spanish | Abrasando | Searing |
| French | Brûlant | Searing |
| Russian | Опалённая земля Opalyonnaya zemlya | Seared Earth |
| Thai | แผดเผา | |
| Vietnamese | Bùng Cháy | |
| German | Versengend | Searing |
| Indonesian | Membakar | |
| Portuguese | Investida Ardente | |
| Turkish | Kavurucu | |
| Italian | Caldo rovente |
Change History
Released in Version 5.8
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