Before them stretched an infinite, boundless space, a realm devoid of time, of rules, of everything that defined reality. Here, there lay an endless sea.
Its waters were not transparent but pitch-black, speckled with faint, scattered points of light. Towering above that sea stood a great, luminous tree. The tree was magnificent, spanning across past and future, radiating a grandeur as though it bore the weight of the entire universe.
Ei stood speechless, utterly awestruck. She looked down at the abyssal waters beneath her feet—so deep their bottom was invisible—then back at the radiant tree. An indescribable feeling stirred within her.
Beside such wonders, the continent of Teyvat seemed entirely insignificant. Though she was a god of Teyvat, everything she was amounted to nothing before this sea and this tree.
The sea could swallow her effortlessly. The tree could crush her with a single thought. Elemental power? Even the authority of the Heavenly Principles would be meaningless here. Unconsciously, Ei tightened her grip on Yuki's hand.
"What... is this place?" Suppressing the turmoil in her heart, she turned to him and asked.
"This is the true full form of your world." Yuki smiled gently at her, noticing the faint beads of cold sweat on her forehead.
"The true full form? Our world?" Despite her anxiety, Ei latched onto the key phrase in his words.
"Yes. Have you forgotten, Ei? The world you're from and March's world—they both exist under the same sky." Yuki gave her a reassuring smile, reminding her.
Ei's eyes widened in sudden realization, the memory of his earlier explanation flooding back.
Inside the chat group, March, too, remembered.
March: "So you're saying that outside our universe... this is what it looks like?! It's breathtaking!"
Akane Nishino: "I can't imagine the space beyond the universe could be like this."
Huaizhu: "But aside from the tree and the sea, there's nothing else visible. Where exactly are March's world and Ei-sama's world located?"
Huaizhu's question left some members of the group puzzled. Galacta, however, didn't share their confusion. After all, the Marvel multiverse spanned countless dimensions, endless realms, and an almost overwhelming variety of strange phenomena.
She had seen more than her share of bizarre landscapes. There was no need for her to guess—she already knew that their universe was either part of the great tree or the sea beneath their feet.
"Do you see that tree in the distance? One of its branches is the world March calls home—the universe of Star Rail." Yuki gestured toward the Imaginary Tree, explaining not just to Ei but also to March, who was watching the livestream.
"That's... a single branch of that tree?! Incredible." Ei's face filled with astonishment as she gazed at the tree once more.
The tree had so many branches. If each branch represented an entire universe, then there were countless universes out there. The thought only deepened her awe. How immense must the power of this tree be, to support so many worlds? Still, having witnessed far grander things—the full scope of the myriad realms—she quickly composed herself.
Back in the chat group, March was also processing the fact that her universe was just a branch of a tree.
March: "Wait—my universe is just a branch? That's not what I expected!"
Saeko: "What were you expecting, March?"
Seitenshi: "Yeah, what did you think it would look like?"
March: "Hmm… something more dramatic, more awe-inspiring. I mean, it's my universe we're talking about! (Proud face)"
Athena: "No, this is already awe-inspiring enough. Even Yggdrasil, the World Tree of the Norse gods, pales in comparison."
As the chat buzzed with discussion, its members examined the scene from every angle in stunning high-definition.
Having torn her gaze away from the Imaginary Tree, Ei turned to Yuki with the question that mattered most. "And Teyvat? Is it also on the tree?" She had a sinking feeling the answer was no—and asked him to confirm.
"No," Yuki shook his head.
Then, in a flash, he moved them both to the base of the Imaginary Tree. It had looked so close before—but in reality, they had been trillions of light-years away. Standing at the foot of the tree, Yuki pointed down at a tiny speck drifting on the surface of the sea.
"There. That's Teyvat." He said it plainly—just like that.
Ei looked down, and her mind roared like thunder. That nearly invisible speck—that was her world? If they hadn't been this close, and if that speck hadn't been giving off a faint glow, she wouldn't have even noticed it.
Watching it flicker uncertainly on that vast, dark sea—sensing how it could be swallowed by the next great wave—she finally understood.
Akane Nishino: "I get it now. The 'Abyss'—it's this sea, isn't it?"
Marika: "That's what it seems like."
Without needing Akane to spell it out, Ei had already understood. The so-called ominous Abyss was none other than this sea itself. With every wave that rose and fell, the sea's power gnawed away at Teyvat without pause.
Near the mote of dust that was Teyvat, Ei noticed many other specks—long since dimmed, cold, and silent. Those worlds, she realized, had ultimately succumbed to the erosion, extinguished by the relentless tide.
Voice trembling, she turned to Yuki and asked him directly. Her grip on his hand tightened again—and trembled.
"Yes," he said. "But that's not the final ending. The final ending is that they merge completely with the Sea of Quanta, not even a grain of sand left behind. Gone. Forever."
As Yuki spoke, dizziness washed over Ei. Her body swayed, leaning into him. She felt as though all her strength had been drained—couldn't even lift a hand.
The fate Yuki was describing—it was horrifying. Merge completely with the Sea of Quanta? Then every living being in Teyvat… all of them would be gone. The people of Inazuma she had sworn to protect… they would be wiped out by this sea. What a terrible fate.
Ei shut her eyes tight, her fear palpable. She leaned entirely against Yuki, her body trembling slightly, as if she could already see that bleak future unfolding.
Realizing how shaken she was, Yuki let her be. He knew the weight of this revelation would take time to absorb. He waved his hand—and in an instant, the scene shifted. They were back in the tea room of Tenshukaku.
He had hoped that returning here would help Ei calm down. But seeing her make no move to pull away from him, her shoulders still pressed close, he knew just how deep the shock had gone.
With a quiet sigh, he decided to be kind and let her lean on him. He sat still and said nothing, breathing in the faint fragrance that wafted from her.