"Everything has a cause ... and every cause has its effect."
Even the strongest beings must bow to this truth.If the Heavenly Principles were to reverse time across Teyvat, it would not be a simple fix. All life born in that intervening period would be erased.That is the effect of such a divine cause.
And Phanes — as the one who once shaped all could never bring himself to destroy that which he now cherished most, humanity.
Ronova sighed, the weight of that truth settling on them.
Phanes looked at the three Shades.His expression, still unreadable, held a note of.. regret.
"Before anything else, I owe you all an apology," he said. "For taking so long to awaken.You must've suffered, watching everything unfold unable to act because of me."
That stunned them. All three stared, eyes wide.
Phanes tilted his head slightly, confused.
"...Is something wrong?"
Naberius now in control of Rhinedottir's form was the first to recover.
"No… everything's fine."
The others nodded quickly in agreement, though shock still lingered on their faces.Phanes let it pass.
"Then let's begin."
His voice became colder. Divine again.
"First the barrier around Teyvat must be restored and strengthened. No one enters. No one escapes."
He turned to Istaroth and Naberius.
"That task is yours."
Then his gaze landed on Ronova.
"As for you — locate every group that dared plot against me.Every mortal, every god, every faction that mistook my silence for weakness."
"Make a list of them."
With that, he ascended the golden stairs — his figure fading into the divine light.
Only once he was out of view did the three Shades allow themselves to breathe.
A heavy silence passed between them — until Istaroth finally spoke, her voice weary.
"He's changed…"
She looked to the others.
"He's more… human than he was. More easygoing, almost.And yet... more divine than ever before. More extreme in his judgments."
Naberius folded her arms, deep in thought.
"I wonder if that's a good thing.. or a very, very bad one."
Ronova, always the most composed, gave them both a look.
"The Heavenly Principles has its reasons. Whether we understand them or not is irrelevant."
She turned away.
"We have work to do."
And so, the meeting was dissolved.
Some time later, Naberius and Istaroth arrived at the heart of Celestia — a place invisible to mortal eyes, yet overwhelming in presence.
A colossal light hovered in the void, radiant but hidden from all but divine beings.In the center of that light a blue-green sphere, suspended in stillness.
Teyvat.From the outside, it looked like a perfect, living world — cradled in golden threads of power, protected by a weakened, flickering barrier.
Naberius looked upon it with quiet awe.
"It's been five hundred years since I've been here," she said, voice low.
Istaroth crossed her arms, her golden eyes narrowing.
"We wouldn't even be able to touch it if the Heavenly Principles hadn't granted permission."
As if on cue, Naberius extended her hand toward the great light. The surface rippled gently at her touch.
"It's weakened… far more than I expected. No one's maintained it for too long this was bound to happen."
Istaroth yawned and floated a little closer, her presence serene but clearly tired.
"Let's finish this quickly. That meeting drained me more than I thought. I need a good a sleep to pass the time."
Naberius didn't respond not because she was tired, but because she had energy to spare. Still, she gave a faint nod.
"Alright. Let's begin."
Together, the two Shades raised their hands.Light gathered around their fingertips Naberius with the soft glow of life, and Istaroth with the golden shimmer of time.
They pressed their palms into the barrier.
The divine energies surged forward weaving themselves into the framework around Teyvat, repairing cracks, reinforcing bonds, and strengthening the seal.
A soft pulse echoed through the void.
The world would remain untouched.. for now.
On the other side of Celestia —A room, dim and hollow, steeped in silence.
The décor marked it clearly as a woman's quarters, yet it felt more like a tomb than a living space. Everything was motionless.
Ronova lay on her bed —Not resting, but staring blankly at the ceiling, a black scroll held loosely in one hand.
The parchment shimmered faintly in the darkness.Its title glowed in mocking golden light:
Enemies of the Heavenly Principles(Handwritten in a strangely cute, ornate script)
She unrolled it with a sigh, her cold crimson eyes drifting lazily down the names.
At the top of the list:
The Cryo Archon
The Sinners
The Archons
The Abyss Order
Hexenzirkel
…and five more groups below.
Ten targets.All deemed threats to the order Phanes now swore to enforce.
Ronova's gaze lingered on the first name —The Cryo Archon.
Her expression soured.
"Of all of them…" she muttered to herself, "she's the weakest and the most troublesome."
A flicker of annoyance passed over her features.Despite her modest power, the Cryo Archon had caused endless complications. Always meddling. Always collecting the shattered pieces of a person who should have remained dead.
"Why do you chase ghosts?" Ronova whispered to the scroll, though she knew the answer.
She hated this task.Not the hunt death was her nature. But the list… the names… the people behind them.
She wasn't sure if Phanes had changedBut she knew that the rules hadn't.
And punishment always comes even for those who mourn.
After reviewing the scroll once more, Ronova let out a quiet sigh.With a flick of her fingers, the black parchment vanished in a soft shimmer of crimson light.
She glanced around her room.
"So depressing..." she muttered.
The walls were bare.The air, still.The silence — heavy.
She lowered herself onto the bed once more, crimson wings folding tightly around her like a cocoon. Her eyes closed slowly.
Shades did not need sleep.They were far beyond such mortal needs.
But still, they slept — not out of necessity, but for a sense of calm.It was easier to face eternity with a clearer head.
And so, wrapped in darkness and half-formed thoughts,Ronova drifted into slumber.
chapter end..
---------------------------------------------------
Chapter Question: Why does Ronova hate the task she's been given, even as she accepts it so quietly?
The answer awaits in the next chapter.