Angel's Share was brightly lit inside, with streamers and balloons hanging from the ceiling, dandelion-patterned tablecloths neatly spread, and the sweet aroma of cake filling the air.
Lydia wore a light green gown, its hem sweeping the floor, a brilliant smile always on her face as she mingled with the crowd of well-wishers.
"Lydia, happy birthday!"
A young man approached with a wine glass in hand, a cheerful smile on his face, but Lydia stared at his face, her mind going blank.
She remembered this was a familiar face, yet she couldn't call out his name for the life of her.
She could only smile and raise her glass in response, a few drops of wine splashing out as the glasses clinked, landing right on the young man's hairline, who, in his excitement, spilled the wine from his glass directly onto the head of the person behind him.
"Oh! Sorry, sorry!" The white-haired youth apologized while hurriedly raising his hand to wipe the unlucky victim.
The awkward scene drew light laughter from the surrounding crowd.
Lydia quickly apologized, but her heart was filled with confusion: Who is he?
Is he from the Knights? Or a companion she met while adventuring outside the city?
The sense of familiarity was so strong, yet she couldn't grasp even a single shred of related memory.
Not far away, a young girl with twintails was chatting incessantly to a crow, muttering Chuunii lines about the "secrets of the Abyss" and the "truth of the world."
The crow cawed from time to time as if in response.
Lydia frowned slightly as she watched them.
She felt these two looked familiar as well, but her memory held only a blurred shadow, and she couldn't even recall their names.
On the other side, a man in red and a blue-haired knight leaned against the bar, talking in low voices with serious expressions, as if discussing an important matter.
Lydia gazed at their backs, her mind still blank, only vaguely sensing that the two should be very close to her.
"Lydia-sister, come try the cake Klee made!" Klee ran over holding a piece of cake decorated with firework-shaped frosting, interrupting her thoughts.
Lydia took the cake and smiled as she rubbed the top of Klee's head. Whose child was this?
Noelle moved through the crowd with a tray, refilling wine and passing around snacks, a gentle smile on her face as she constantly said, "Please enjoy," and "Can I help you?"
Lydia watched her busy figure, hearing the people around say "Thank you, Noelle," but she couldn't recall any specific fragments related to her, as if the name was just a meaningless symbol.
In the Earth Live Stream, the players watched Lydia play along with the fake crowd like a puppet, yet they were powerless to help.
Just then, Venti's voice came: "Lydia, come over and meet the guests~"
Lydia looked toward the sound and saw Venti standing in the center of the tavern, followed by six people of various builds.
They were dressed in magnificent clothes and radiated a majestic aura, clearly the gods of the other six nations.
Lydia's heart instantly pounded, she smoothed her skirt, and quickly walked over.
She could clearly recognize Venti, and also caught a glimpse of Rex Lapis, who wore a black robe and had a steady temperament, among the crowd.
Zhongli's appearance was exactly the same as in her memory, which gave her a strange sense of peace.
But for the remaining five gods, she could never see their faces clearly, as if a thick mist covered them, only allowing her to vaguely see their general outlines, with even their genders and clothing details blurred.
"What's going on?" Lydia subconsciously shook her head, thinking she was dizzy from drinking too much.
But as she looked closer, the mist still lingered, forming an impenetrable barrier.
A flicker of unease crossed her mind, but it was quickly overshadowed by her excitement at meeting the gods. Perhaps the divine majesty was simply too powerful for a mortal to behold directly.
"This must be Ms. Lydia," Zhongli was the first to speak, his voice steady as ancient rock, carrying a reassuring strength. "Thank you for protecting Liyue and Mondstadt. You've worked hard."
"Lord Rex Lapis is too kind. It was my duty," Lydia replied quickly, her cheeks flushing slightly, her palms sweating from nervousness.
Venti stepped forward with a smile and gestured as he introduced them: "This is the god of Inazuma, this is the god of Sumeru..."
He recited each god's name, but as Lydia heard them, they sounded only strange and hollow, like a sequence of meaningless syllables she couldn't even remember.
Each god nodded to her, offering blessings and words of thanks. Their tones were gentle yet devoid of warmth, sounding like a pre-programmed script.
Lydia forced a smile to respond, but her heart grew increasingly uneasy. This wasn't the meeting with the gods she had imagined. There was no awe or authenticity, only an inexplicable sense of detachment and eeriness.
She subconsciously gripped the Festering Desire in her hand, its cool hilt bringing her a moment of calm.
But just then, the Festering Desire suddenly trembled violently.
"What's wrong?" Venti noticed her odd behavior and asked, raising an eyebrow.
Just as Lydia was about to speak, fragmented images flashed through her mind: Yunqin's final smile, Osial and his wife's resolute gazes, the starlit sky filling the ruins...
These shattered memories surged like a tide, bringing a sharp pain that made her head throb.
"The Abyss..." she murmured unconsciously, her eyes instantly reddening.
The atmosphere in the tavern froze. The lively music stopped abruptly, and everyone's movements ceased, including the "gods."
Their eyes turned hollow and cold as they all looked at Lydia, as if watching a puppet out of control.
Venti quickly walked up to her, a gentle smile on his face, yet his tone carried a faint, imperceptible pressure: "Lydia, what did you say? What is the Abyss?"
His voice seemed to possess a bewitching magic, slipping through her ears and into her mind: "Lydia, are you too tired? Are you just imagining things?"
The surging memory fragments suddenly blurred, yet the sharp pain remained unabated.
Lydia clutched her head and slowly crouched down, her knees hitting the floor with a heavy thud.
"The Abyss... The Abyss..." she murmured unconsciously, her voice broken and agonized, tears uncontrollably streaming from her eyes and staining her pale green skirt in small, damp patches.
The surrounding guests' eyes instantly turned unprecedentedly cold. They backed away as if avoiding something filthy, creating distance from her.
Faces that had been smiling just moments ago now held only indifference. Some crossed their arms, others frowned slightly, their gazes filled with alienation and impatience, as if they were looking at a madwoman making a scene for no reason.
Lumine froze, shocked by this sudden scene. She looked at Lydia, crouching on the ground in agonizing wails, and then at the cold expressions of the people around her, feeling as if her heart was being squeezed by something.
She instinctively took two steps forward, only to be nailed to the spot by the eerie atmosphere.
"Lydia, stop this." Venti slowly crouched down, his tone still gentle, yet carrying a hint of unquestionable guidance. "Is your delusional disorder acting up again?"
"In this world... there is no such thing as the Abyss."