"Goodbye, Sister Eula."
"Goodbye…"
Sitting on Beibei's back, Klee and Qiqi waved their little hands toward Eula before turning to pat Beibei's head, urging it to run toward Hiroshi and Kuroneko ahead.
"Brother Hiroshi, where are we going?"
Tilting her head, Klee curiously asked, "Weren't we called by Captain Jean to help Brother Albedo?"
Holding Kuroneko's hand, Hiroshi smiled as he looked at the world gradually turning white again. "Albedo needs to stay in the cave to research everything there."
"As for us, we need to investigate what the Fatui are searching for."
"Besides," he added, glancing at the massive snowstorm vortex above, "there's an unusual presence up there that needs attention."
At the frozen lake behind them, Eula was tying up the Fatui soldiers scattered across the surface. Her hand, glowing with icy blue light, struck down with a resounding smack, freezing them solid.
Satisfied with her handiwork, Eula clapped her hands and turned to the floating Fatui soldiers still on the lake. Smiling, she remarked, "Making me clean up your mess. I'll remember this grudge."
On the snowy slopes, trees stood steadfast in the frozen ground, their branches heavy with white snow.
"Hiroshi, we'll part ways here," Kuroneko said, patting Beibei's head and narrowing her eyes at the storm above. Flashes of lightning lit the sky as the massive snowstorm loomed over the mountaintop. Beneath it, a faint light flickered.
"Alright," Hiroshi nodded. "Stay safe. I'll be going ahead."
With a burst of spiritual light, Hiroshi transformed into a streak of light, soaring into the sky.
Holding Kuroneko's hand, Klee watched Hiroshi disappear and asked softly, "Sister Kuroneko, why won't Brother Hiroshi let us go with him?"
"Because we still have a task from Captain Jean," Kuroneko replied, patting Klee's head with a smile. "Don't forget, there are still Fatui bad guys on this mountain searching for something."
"Hiroshi sensed something strange and went to investigate, so we're splitting up. He'll check things out, and we'll take care of the bad guys."
"Once we chase off all the bad guys, we'll meet up with Hiroshi again."
"Oh~!"
Understanding dawning on her face, Klee nodded rapidly, raising her hand to point ahead. "Klee almost forgot there are bad guys here."
"If those bad guys go after Brother Albedo, that would be terrible!"
Patting Beibei's head, Klee commanded, "Beibei, run! Let's go beat up the bad guys!"
"And then we'll have an adventure at the mountaintop. It looks so fun up there~!"
Watching Klee and Qiqi dash off, Kuroneko glanced up and followed them.
Amidst the raging snowstorm, Hiroshi looked at the increasingly dark surroundings and pointed forward. A spark of fire appeared at his fingertip, transforming into a brilliant sun.
The freezing cold capable of chilling souls was driven away by the blazing golden sun. With a flick of his finger, Hiroshi sent the sun piercing through the endless ice and snow, creating a path.
Stepping through the cleared road, Hiroshi entered a place untouched by anyone for countless years. Looking up at the shimmering aurora in the sky, he then turned his gaze toward an object he had sensed.
In the gently falling snow, a massive, broken stone pillar was frozen into the ground below. A force of eternal frost lingered on it.
Hiroshi's expression shifted slightly as he descended toward the pillar. Standing beneath the eternal ice, he frowned at the frost-covered ruins around him. Undoubtedly, a once-prosperous civilization had flourished here, radiating its glory.
However, considering the map Eula had retrieved from the Fatui, this place should have been lush and green.
The enormous pillar imbued with eternal frost had fallen from the heavens, destroying the ancient kingdom.
Ice spread from the mountaintop, turning the once-green land into a frozen wasteland.
The map indicated that Mondstadt had remained icy in ancient times. This event likely occurred thousands of years ago during the Archon War. Mondstadt became habitable only after Venti, the Anemo Archon, dispelled the snow and ice.
"So, did Venti choose not to dispel the ice of Dragonspine, or was he unable to?"
Hiroshi stroked his chin, deep in thought. Both Venti and Zhongli had always been cryptic, revealing nothing.
Now, at Dragonspine, this mystery deepened.
Looking up at the sky, Hiroshi's eyes glimmered with an unspoken thought. "Could this be the work of that floating island in the heavens?"
Spiritual light flickered in his eyes as Hiroshi turned his gaze downward. Among the ice, broken white tree branches were frozen in place.
Reaching out, Hiroshi retrieved a branch and carefully compared it to another in his memory, his eyes narrowing.
"I'd rather not get involved, but I don't want to be caught unprepared if something happens."
With a swirl of multicolored spiritual light in his palm, Hiroshi struck the ice with a powerful swing.
Amid the sound of shattering ice, Hiroshi murmured, "This world seems more precarious than ever in my eyes."
Crack! Crack!
Fragments of ice broke away, and Hiroshi clenched his fist as he watched the ice before him fracture further.
"Let's unveil your secrets piece by piece and see what you really are."
Gathering the scattered ice fragments, Hiroshi crouched and picked up the branch that had been frozen inside.
"As expected."
Feeling the same power as the branch he had once obtained from an Abyss Mage, Hiroshi's brows furrowed.
"So, this nation was colluding with the Abyss, which led to its destruction by the gods above?"
Boom!
Suddenly, the entire mountain began to quake violently. Countless ice and snow cascaded down in torrents from the peaks.
For the first time in ages, the snowstorm enveloping Dragonspine began to subside. Amid the fading storm, a massive pillar rose from the ground, floating high in the sky.
Rays of sunlight pierced through the dissipating storm, illuminating the eternally frozen land below.
At the base of Dragonspine, a Cryo Regisvine rose from the ground, propelled upward by a giant, glowing red tree.