Final Extra: Beyond the Endless Recursion of Time
"I can turn back time!"
A cutesy, confident voice rang out in the massive room where five people found themselves facing the end of everything.
A gigantic, imposingly-beautiful tree filled the room, and at one end of it stood a door.
This scene was all too familiar to one blond man. He had seen it countless times before, and the answer to the forthcoming question had always been the same.
Every single time this route had played itself out, Diluc had chosen her over finding the truth. Dain couldn't blame him, though. Their love was something truly special. Even a cold-hearted, disillusioned man like himself could recognize that much.
That's why, right now, he looked down with a bittersweet smile on his face, accepting another failure before it even arrived. How many more times would he have to experience this before he was free? He wondered if it was even a possibility. The Tree certainly couldn't tell him. After all, what lay beyond that door was outside of its reach.
"Correct. This is your final decision. We have come this far, all that remains is to decide what future - or past - you desire."
He spoke those words like an actor reciting a line he had practiced thousands of times. There was no point in prolonging the inevitable.
'Is it really worth it to turn back time?'
But this time, against all odds, the immovable moved. As Diluc considered his options, a small voice whispered to him questioningly, almost audibly.
'Perhaps this has all happened before? Don't you want to know the real truth this time…?'
Diluc wanted to argue with that voice. He missed Keqing, and wanted nothing more than to see her again. That was an indisputable fact. However, something nagged at his mind. Whether it was his conscience, or something else, he did not know, but it certainly struck a chord.
What the hell is actually behind that door?
The scene continued on, but the seed of doubt inside Diluc's mind had been planted, and now it was growing quickly. He felt as if he was on the cusp of discovering something unbelievable - something that would turn everything he had ever known upside down, and that anticipation beckoned him to go beyond the door, casting aside all else.
That was why, to the uttermost shock of Dainsleif, Diluc answered differently for the first time ever.
"…I don't think we should turn back time. I want to know the truth."
Dain wasn't the only one who was shocked. Kaeya and Jean looked panicked, and Traveler looked upset. This wasn't what they had expected at all. Diluc's love for Keqing had led them to believe that he would certainly choose to be with her again, even though only Dain knew how many times this scene had repeated.
"You… Just what the hell are you…?" Dain said, his gravelly voice low and serious.
The blond man's unshakeable confidence was suddenly gone. He glared at the red-haired man, studying him intently. This was something entirely new, and for the first time in centuries, he felt something.
It was fear.
Diluc looked around at the disturbed faces, feeling like he had said something he shouldn't have all of a sudden.
"Look, if this world just keeps repeating, doesn't that mean even this is a repeat?" he said, trying to justify himself.
The group was silent, before Kaeya spoke up.
"He has a point."
"Indeed. But this is most unexpected," Dain interjected. "You would choose an uncertain future over a peaceful life with your soul mate?"
Diluc's face clearly showed his hesitance. But in the end, that only lasted a few seconds. Then, he spoke again, with determination.
"I have to know the truth. That's all."
Paimon looked on, her face a little sad. Perhaps she had looked forward to turning back time and righting her wrongs; a second chance to show her companion her true feelings. Now, that opportunity had seemingly slipped away from her.
"I see," Dain said with a deep sigh. "Then let us go, there is no time to waste."
Stepping away from the group, he approached the great door, which shined with fabulous, multicolored light. His right hand approached it slowly, and finally touched it. With a small push, the door began to make a raucous grinding sound that echoed off the stone walls, and a crack appeared in the middle.
"I hope you can live with this, my friend," Dain said quietly under his breath.
Together, Diluc, Kaeya, Jean, Aether, and Paimon watched the door as it slowly opened. On the other side was complete darkness, giving no hint of what lay beyond. In fact, it seemed that nothing itself was beyond it.
Dainsleif – The Bough Keeper – silently beckoned them to come closer as the door finally stopped opening.
"Who's going first?" he queried.
"I think we should all go at once," Jean said, speaking up first.
"Sorry, Jean, but I have to disagree," Diluc replied, to her shock.
"Wh-What do you mean?"
"There's one of us who deserves to go first. He's earned that right."
Diluc looked over at the blond man who stood by the door. He reached out, putting a hand on his shoulder.
"Dain, you should be that person."
Again, Diluc had completely exceeded Dainsleif's expectations. What was that red-headed enigma thinking? Did he know something he shouldn't have?
"Why do you say that?" he replied, his face clearly giving away his surprise.
"You've been in this world longer than anyone. If there's something else beyond that door, you deserve to be the first to see it."
As Dain looked around at the faces surrounding him, each one was either nodding or smiling at him. This felt so strange, so out of place for him. He had tried so hard to play the villain, but in the end, this is how it turned out. The man cursed with eternal life… doomed to forever observe the finite possibilities within this closed world… had finally found the end.
And as the joy of the unknown filled his heart, he gave his answer.
"Thank you, my friends."
With a large, confident first step, he walked towards the door. And as his body disappeared into the darkness within, Diluc thought he saw a small smile spread across that man's face.
Then, just like that, they were only a group of five again. Diluc turned to the others, and gestured towards the empty place where Dain had just been.
"Now, let's go," Diluc said with a reassuring voice. "Let's all face the unknown together."
With a gentle smile, Jean nodded. Paimon and Traveler exchanged smiles of their own, and Kaeya just stared ahead into the void. None of them knew what awaited them where Dain had gone, but that void called out to them - beckoning them to some place new.
At last, Diluc stepped forward, and the others followed suit. Together, they strode into the darkness on the other side of that door, and in the twinkling of an eye, it was all over.
The first thing Diluc was conscious of was blackness. An unending, ceaseless void that surrounded everything absolutely. At first, he wasn't sure if he even existed, but soon he knew without a doubt that he did.
Not only him, but innumerable others.
In fact, this scene felt so familiar that his chest stung.
He looked around, spotting the faces of countless human-like forms in the midst of the black emptiness. Keqing was there, right by his side. On the other side was his brother, talking with a tall, red-haired man that Diluc knew so well. Aether and Lumine were standing together nearby, with smiles on their faces. And surrounding them were countless friends and acquaintances, all arranged like a flowchart of humanity, connected by the invisible bonds they had shared in that life.
Turning towards that tall, red-haired man, Diluc met his gaze for the first time in years.
"Father…"
And that stern man let a small smile spread across his face.
"Good to see you again, son."
Holding back tears, Diluc nodded, and wrapped his arms around his dad. Right then, he was no longer the bitter, cynical young man that had grown to hate the world. He was a little boy again, looking up to his dad with wonder and admiration, safe inside his arms.
Kaeya looked on, wiping an overflowing tear from his eye.
After Diluc finally let go of Crepus, the young man stopped to look around again, taking in as much as his mind could comprehend.
There were so many people it boggled the mind. Even Childe was there, with his brother by his side. And in the distance, a blond man stood, surrounded by a group of brawny soldiers, smiling widely as they firmly embraced him one by one.
Ah, he made it after all.
Diluc smiled as he took it all in. He started to notice more and more as time passed, if time was even real anymore.
Their faces certainly looked incredibly real, though. Diluc felt chills and a surge of excitement as he noted every detail. It felt like a dream that had become lucid, yet simultaneously more real… more tangible than anything he had ever felt before.
Suddenly, he heard a kind, nostalgic voice from behind him, and a strong hand gripped his shoulder.
"You finally made it, friend."
Diluc whirled around to see Zhongli standing there, a gentle smile on his face. Sticking surprisingly close by his side was Hu Tao, grinning and waving. Diluc smiled widely, and quickly reached his hand out, grasping Zhongli's in a firm, friendly handshake.
They both certainly wanted to spend more time catching up, and Diluc was almost desperate to ask him about the details of their current situation, but something interrupted that friendly moment - something that simply couldn't be ignored.
A tiny point of light appeared in the infinite darkness. It gradually grew larger, coming closer, until it illuminated every face with a gentle glow. Everyone turned towards it, unable to ignore the presence of something besides that infinite void of blackness. Something was clearly happening.
However, none were prepared for what came next.
A voice - commanding, yet kind and soothing - spoke out from above, from precisely where the light emanated.
"I see you all have arrived. What an unexpected conclusion."
No one could say a word as the voice spoke, rattling their very chests. Yet somehow Diluc felt no fear.
"You have all reached the end of your Journey."
"What?"
"That's what this is?"
Several voices could be heard questioning the entity, but it didn't stop yet.
"We have watched over each of you as you experienced life in that world."
"Even you. Yes, you."
"I know you're there."
"You've been watching, observing all along, haven't you? Even though you didn't ever select a "character"… What a shame. Now you'll never get to enjoy a peaceful eternity alongside those you met in that world. But in the end, it really was a truly, truly beautiful world, wasn't it?"
The voice continued its inconceivable monologue, and I… Well, I just listened. It was all I could do now.
"That world, that precious time... it no longer exists now. This is the future that was chosen. Who am I to trample on such compelling feelings? My only job was to hear out the final wishes of those within this world, those that found their way to the very end of it all. Now, it would seem that my purpose has come to an end."
The voice paused, as people looked at one another. Some knowingly, others in confusion. As the voice continued, the sea of faces turned back towards the solitary light glowing in the darkness.
"All of you, prepare yourselves. You are about to go back to a world that is much different from that mostly peaceful, serene land called Teyvat."
"In that land, there was always hope, always a way to start over and try again. Your destination is not the same."
"There will be trials unlike anything you've experienced in lifetimes. Perhaps, for some of you, only despair awaits. Regardless, you are going back to a world that is real."
"No matter what hardships you face, you must continue to live, and live happily. Show love to others, and it will find you where you are. That is the truth that surpasses all. As long as you remember that fact, you will be able to continue on, no matter what comes your way."
"Now go forth, my friends, and live."
The echoes of that voice slowly died out, and I watched as one by one, the sea of faces started to fade into nothingness. As they disappeared, friends embraced, and lovers shared final kisses. Diluc and Keqing faded from existence with their arms wrapped tightly around one another, with nothing but pure love in their eyes. And I'm not certain, but I think I saw a smile on Crepus Ragnvindr's face as he and Kaeya watched the pair depart.
At last, silence reigned.
I was the only one left in that world.
Soon, though, even my own consciousness started to fade away. It seemed that I wouldn't even have time to fully consider the implications of what I had seen and heard here. It left me with a bittersweet feeling as my senses dwindled away to nothing.
I guess this was really the end, huh? Strangely, I wasn't afraid of the darkness that was steadily consuming my existence. It felt comfortable, familiar even. I wrapped my arms around myself as I embraced the end, prepared to face the world beyond once again.
But really, that world was such a beautiful place. I'll miss it dearly…
That was my final thought before my consciousness waned, like the last embers of the fireworks those two saw that day.
Ad Infinitum