A purple meteor started from the Sumeru Desert and traversed half of Teyvat, crossing the Sumeru Rainforest and spanning the Liyue Mountains and Rivers.
To the average person, it might have seemed like a legendary comet, rare and fleeting. Some marveled, while others made wishes. But beings at the level of a demon god knew exactly what it was.
In Liyue Harbor, Zhongli sat at Third-Round Knockout, leisurely sipping tea while listening to Tian Tiezui embellish old tales of Rex Lapis. Suddenly, he was jostled by a girl, almost spilling his tea.
"Zhongli! Look! It's a shooting star, a purple shooting star. Make a wish, make a wish! Maybe your wish will come true," Hu Tao exclaimed, standing on her tiptoes and pointing at the purple meteor streaking across Liyue's sky.
Zhongli glanced up at the purple meteor illuminating half of Teyvat's sky and nodded. "A shooting star... Yes, making a wish on a shooting star has been a beautiful tradition since ancient times."
Meteor? No—that wasn't a mere meteor. It was the essence of a demon god.
A hint of anticipation glimmered in his golden eyes.
"That aura... I recognize it. It belongs to an old friend," he thought.
With the wear and tear of age no longer affecting him, he could recall the end of the Archon War two thousand years ago, when he invited the victors of the Seven Nations to gather and drink tea, composing poetry among the clouds.
"Could she be returning? What a pleasant surprise."
Although the new Celestial Law was far more powerful than the previous one, it lacked the cold indifference that Fanes had. Allowing a dead demon god to return... this was unexpected.
A smile formed on his usually stern face. As Liyue's protector, he knew this must have been a reward for Inazuma's success. Old friends were reuniting after centuries.
As the oldest of the Seven, and having witnessed even Fanes, Zhongli knew a few secrets: demon gods never truly die. But resurrecting one required Celestial Law's permission, or it would be seen as overstepping.
Hu Tao, noticing Zhongli's smile, exclaimed, "Oh my! Zhongli, the stoic as an adeptus, can actually smile? The sun must be rising in the west!"
Those nearby couldn't help but laugh.
"The young Hall Master is teasing Mr. Zhongli again, hahaha."
"But it's true! I've never seen Mr. Zhongli look this happy before."
"When I first met Mr. Zhongli, I thought he was an immortal straight out of a legend," someone else added.
Hu Tao nodded fervently. "Yeah, watching old man Zhongli, so stern all the time, he could be an immortal, you know? Come on, Zhongli, tell me, are you one?"
The playful girl elbowed Zhongli, who could only reply with a helpless smile, "If I were an immortal, why would I agree to work as a consultant at Wangsheng Funeral Parlor?"
"Good point," Hu Tao conceded. "Then what makes you so happy today, Zhongli?"
"It's nothing, really. I just find that today's story from Tian Tiezui is more captivating than usual," he replied.
Tian Tiezui was overjoyed. Praise from Mr. Zhongli, who was as knowledgeable as an adeptus, was no small honor. Being recognized by him was almost like becoming the most renowned storyteller in all of Liyue.
---
At Narukami Shrine, as Takumi finished speaking, Raiden Ei and Yae Miko, uncertain, looked at him with questioning expressions.
"It's coming," Takumi said.
Yae Miko blinked, her fox ears twitching slightly. "Coming? What's coming?"
Raiden Ei's eyes widened suddenly as she sensed the approaching presence—one both familiar and distant, yet unmistakable. It came from over the sea. Her emotions surged uncontrollably, her purple eyes trembling.
"My sister's aura! That's her!"
Without hesitation, she transformed into lightning, streaking toward the sky. A purple meteor approached, but it wasn't heading toward her—it was descending upon Narukami Shrine.
"My sister's demonic essence!" Raiden Ei tried to grasp it, but it slipped past her, shrinking as it neared the shrine. Eventually, it was no larger than an egg, coming to rest in Takumi's hand.
"The essence of the demon god... The core fragment, to a demon, is indeed their essence—the very foundation of their being."
Takumi toyed with the "Core Fragment of the Law of Thunder" in his hand as he spoke. Demon gods are, at their core, manifestations of the rules of Teyvat, each manifestation anchored to a core.
Yae Miko was awestruck. "Is that her true essence?"
Coming to her senses, her heart raced. If a demon god could be resurrected, surely the former head priestess of the Kitsune Saiguu could as well.
"The consciousness of Raiden Makoto still exists within the space of Musou Isshin. With this fragment, she can be reborn."
Takumi then glanced at Raiden Ei, whose face was a mix of desperation and hope. He wondered if teasing her would provoke her, but he decided against it. He tossed the fragment to her instead.
Raiden Ei caught the fragment and, with trembling hands, took out Musou Isshin. Carefully, she inserted the core fragment into the "consciousness space" of her sister.
The birth of a new demon god in Teyvat caused an immediate reaction throughout the elemental rules. Thunder rolled across Narukami Island, and ley line energy surged like a broken dam, converging upon the Grand Shrine. The mixture of ley line energy and purple lightning began to inundate the sacred grounds of Narukami Shrine.