Chapter 62: Kachina Sacrificed?
Paimon floated mid-air, her hands rubbing her belly as she enthusiastically imagined the upcoming feast. The mere thought of roasted otherworldly beast meat had her drooling, her eyes sparkling with culinary anticipation. However, her daydream of endless barbecue was abruptly cut short by the harsh intrusion of reality.
Mualani jogged over, her face flushed with excitement. She had sought out Lumine and Paimon with a singular goal in mind: dragging them out for a spontaneous sea fishing trip.
The moment the trio stepped past the boundaries of the People of the Springs encampment, the salty breeze was broken by the sound of frantic footsteps. Tunina sprinted toward them, her chest heaving, gasping for air as if she had run halfway across Natlan.
"Hey! Mualani!" Tunina braced her hands on her knees, struggling to catch her breath. "Just now... our team that went to the Night Warden Wars... they returned!"
"Really? That is great news!" Mualani and Paimon cheered in perfect unison. A soft, relieved smile graced Lumine's face.
News of victory always carried a sweet, exhilarating weight.
Mualani immediately leaned forward, her eyes scanning the path behind Tunina. "What about Kachina? Has she returned too?"
Tunina straightened up. The bright enthusiasm in her eyes dimmed, replaced by a heavy, suffocating shadow. Her next words felt like a bucket of ice water crashing over their heads.
"It is just... Kachina..." Tunina swallowed hard. "She unfortunately sacrificed herself in the final battle."
"What?!"
The smiles on Lumine and Paimon's faces shattered. A cold, invisible hand seized Lumine's heart, squeezing the breath from her lungs.
Paimon's small face turned completely pale. Large, glassy tears instantly welled up in her eyes, threatening to spill over. "Kachina... sacrificed herself? How... how could this be...?"
Lumine's jaw locked. Her hands curled into tight fists at her sides, her fingernails digging into her palms. That lively, earnest Natlan girl who had looked up to her in the arena, who had called her Master with such bright-eyed admiration... dead?
Fortunately, Tunina did not possess the habit of leaving people in despair for long. She quickly waved her hands, her voice rising in urgency.
"But do not worry! According to Natlan's traditions and rules, after winning the Night Warden Wars, we hold the Ode of Resurrection in the Stadium of the Sacred Flame! It is for all the brave warriors who sacrificed themselves in the Abyss. Kachina will definitely come back!"
"Ode of Resurrection? Resurrection?" Paimon blinked, the tears still swirling in her eyes. Her small mouth dropped open into a perfect O-shape. Her brain visibly struggled to process the massive emotional whiplash.
Lumine exhaled a long, shaky breath. The taut, painful tension in her shoulders relaxed slightly, though a lingering heaviness remained anchored in her chest.
Sacrifice. Resurrection. Natlan's rules were undeniably miraculous, yet they carried a heavy, underlying current of cruelty. To die and be brought back meant one still had to experience the cold reality of death first.
"Yes, the Pyro Archon will personally guide the heroes' souls back from the Night Kingdom." Tunina nodded with absolute certainty. "The ritual is about to begin right now. You need to hurry to the Stadium of the Sacred Flame!"
Mualani placed a hand on her hip, a bittersweet understanding in her eyes. "It is good that we won. After all, it was her first time participating. Facing such cunning enemies from the Abyss, making mistakes is inevitable."
Tunina's expression brightened again. "Exactly! I am sure Kachina will be able to hold her head high this time!"
There was no time to waste on further conversation. The trio immediately pivoted and set off toward the Stadium of the Sacred Flame at a brisk pace.
The journey was steeped in a heavy silence. The usual cheerful chatter between Paimon and Mualani was entirely absent.
Unable to hold back her swirling thoughts, Lumine broke the quiet. She asked Mualani and Tunina for more details about the Abyss, the nature of this endless war, and the weight of these continuous sacrifices.
Mualani's usual carefree demeanor vanished. Her expression grew solemn as she gazed toward the towering silhouette of the Stadium of the Sacred Flame in the distance.
"Lumine, Paimon," Mualani began, her voice steady and quiet. "In Natlan, fighting is to no longer fight, and sacrifice is to no longer sacrifice."
She paused, letting the words hang in the warm air. "This is the belief we have held onto for generations. With every Night Warden War, we pray it will be the last. We hope that one day, the threat of the Abyss can be completely and permanently quelled."
Mualani looked down at her hands. "Kachina's sacrifice... it was for this exact goal."
Those words struck a deep, resonant chord within Lumine and Paimon.
They had traveled across many nations. They had witnessed far too many sacrifices. Vennessa's legacy in Mondstadt, the nameless Millelith soldiers who held the line in Liyue, the fierce resistance fighters of Inazuma who gave their lives for a fleeting hope.
To protect the things people cherished, someone always had to step forward into the dark. Mualani's simple phrase perfectly encapsulated that heavy, noble burden.
As they continued their hurried march, Lumine opened her system interface. She quickly typed out a message to the multiversal chat group, needing to update her friends.
[Genshin Impact - Lumine]: We might not be able to attend the beast feast today. We have an emergency on our end. Natlan's Night Warden Wars just ended. We won, but Kachina sacrificed herself in the battle.
[Genshin Impact - Lumine]: Right now, we are rushing to the Stadium of the Sacred Flame to participate in Natlan's Ode of Resurrection. It is said that as long as the warriors win the Night Warden Wars, the sacrificed can be resurrected. We will only know the specific details once we get there.
The moment she hit send, the chat group exploded into a flurry of activity.
[Zenless Zone Zero - Belle]: Sacrifice? Resurrection?! Oh my god! Is Kachina okay? Is Natlan's ritual really that powerful?!
[Honkai: Star Rail - Stelle]: Resurrection from the dead?! Are you serious?! That is insane! Is it even more direct than the power of The Abundance?!
[Honkai: Star Rail - Dan Heng]:...Overturning the fundamental rules of life and death. This matter is no small feat. There must be extremely strict restrictions or heavy costs involved in such a process.
[Honkai: Star Rail - March 7th]: How could this happen... Kachina seemed like such a sweet, good child! Lumine, Paimon, do not worry! Kachina will definitely be resurrected!
[Pom-Pom cheering image]
[Genshin Impact - Zhongli]: Natlan's Ode of Resurrection is essentially based on the special Ley Line rules of the Night Kingdom. It achieves the rekindling and resurrection of the souls of the deceased. It is a highly specific mechanism used exclusively to combat the Abyss's invasion, and it can only function within the borders of Natlan. Trust this generation's Pyro Archon; she is quite capable.
[Zenless Zone Zero - Wise]: Mr. Zhongli makes a logical point. Lumine, Paimon, focus on the present situation. Trust the Pyro Archon and the established rules of Natlan.
[Genshin Impact - Paimon]: Thank you, everyone! We are almost there!
[Genshin Impact - Paimon]: Just now, Mualani said something incredibly philosophical. Paimon thinks she said it perfectly! 'Fighting is to no longer fight, and sacrifice is to no longer sacrifice.' I never expected Mualani, who always looks like such an energetic and carefree girl, to actually have such deep insights into life.
[Honkai: Star Rail - Stelle]: Fighting is to no longer fight, and sacrifice is to no longer sacrifice... That is so well said! I am claiming that line! It is mine now! I need to think about where I can dramatically use it later.
[Pom-Pom pondering image]
[Honkai: Star Rail - Dan Heng]: Perhaps it is only through experiencing immense hardship that such deep insights can be gained. That is the true voice of a guardian.
[Zenless Zone Zero - Belle]: Mm! Paimon, do not be afraid. Kachina will definitely come back to you! We will wait for your good news! Oh, and about Mr. Zhongli's beast feast, we will definitely save the absolute best parts for you two!
[Honkai: Star Rail - March 7th]: Right, right! We will save a massive portion for Kachina too! To celebrate her safe return!
[Genshin Impact - Zhongli]: Precisely. This otherworldly beast is far too massive anyway. It would be exceedingly difficult to handle the cooking process without Paimon's expert culinary assistance.
[Genshin Impact - Zhongli]: If there is anything you cannot resolve on your end, please call upon me at any time.
Reading the warm, immediate comfort and unwavering support from their multiversal companions, the anxious knots in Lumine and Paimon's stomachs finally began to loosen. A renewed sense of strength and clarity washed over them.
Lumine closed the chat interface. She no longer paid attention to the glowing screen, focusing entirely on the dirt path leading up to the massive structure ahead.
The Stadium of the Sacred Flame was already packed to the brim with people. The atmosphere was a complex, swirling mix of overwhelming enthusiasm and heavy solemnity.
The victory in the war had brought immense, tearful joy to the populace. People dressed in their finest, most vibrant traditional garments stood shoulder to shoulder, holding their breath as they awaited the promised miracle.
Pushing through the outer edges of the crowd, Lumine and her companions spotted a familiar figure. Kinich stood near one of the massive stone pillars, his arms crossed, watching the central stage.
He turned his head as they approached, his expression calm but his eyes reflecting the same quiet anticipation as the rest of the crowd. "It seems I made it, just in time."
After the four of them reunited, they shared a silent, knowing look. Without needing to speak a word, they turned and began pushing their way together toward the higher ground of the arena's inner ring.
They had a singular, unified goal. They wanted to be standing right at the front. They wanted Kachina to see their familiar, smiling faces the very second she opened her eyes and returned to the world of the living.
High above the roaring crowd, the flames roared to life.
The solemn Ode of Resurrection began.
[Inorin's Note:
Enjoying the story? Dropping a quick review, comment, or Power Stone means the world to me and keeps these daily updates flowing!
Want to read 50 chapters ahead or just want to help keep a shameless translator alive? (My livelihood actually depends on this, haha 😭). You can support me directly here:
(P.S. Just remove the brackets and replace the [.] with a regular dot . to use the links!)
✨ Patreon (50 Advanced Chapters): patreon[.]com/InorinTL
☕ Ko-fi (Support / Sponsor): ko-fi[.]com/InorinTL
Thank you so much for reading and keeping this project alive!]