𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙩𝙧𝙪𝙚 𝙙𝙚𝙨𝙘𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙧

45 - the grand council of xenons

[SYSTEM INITIALIZATION]

Accessing: Freyr's Laptop

Playback Mode: Textual Perspective of "Xenon's Last Memory"

Timeline: Archon War era. *glitch* Precise date undeterminable due to dimensional timeline disruptions and time travel interferences.

Location: Khaenri'ah, Teyvat

Amid the chaos, I was still standing.

Everything's gone to hell, and it's because of me.

I played with the fire of alchemy, thinking I'd nailed it. The cure was for beings like me - molded entirely by alchemy's whims.

But Y/n? She wasn't just some alchemical creation like me. She was... different.

"Damn it all," I spat, my voice barely breaking through the surrounding inferno.

This was our home. Now it's ash.

Lightning cracked, like the universe was mocking my mistake. The smoke's burn, the scorching air - none of it compared to the cold inside.

And there, in the wreckage, was Y/n. Gone.

I cursed under my breath. "What the hell did I do?"

The weight of my guilt, heavier than any storm, bore down on me. Those tears? The cruel joke that I could feel anything at all.

They called me the perfect creation. That's a laugh. A joke. Perfect? Look around. Their ambition made me, but love? Empathy? They made me a monster.

In trying to save her, I destroyed everything. My so-called 'heart' did this. If I'd been any less 'human', Y/n wouldn't have existed in this mess, free from this pain.

That realization was a knife, twisting in. The irony? My 'perfection' was the curse that broke everything. This emotional core, it had to go.

This isn't just regret; it's clarity. I'd rip out this messed-up heart of mine. For her. For me.

***********

—Earth, present time—

Cleo reclined on the sofa, one leg draped casually over the armrest. In her hands was a device, the screen illuminating her amused grin as she nudged Xenon, who sat next to her with an expression of reluctant curiosity.

"Alright, bear with me. This part is pretty cool," Cleo urged, tapping through the virtual landscapes of Teyvat with practiced ease.

"Uh huh..." Xenon replied, his tone ripe with skepticism. He shifted, crossing his arms as he peered at the screen. "And this is meant to be... Tunigi Hollow?"

"Yup! Just wait till you see this..." Cleo trailed off as she guided her in-game character through the landscape. She expertly manipulated the controls, her excitement building as they approached their destination.

After a moment, she beamed triumphantly, pointing at the screen. "Voilà! The entrance to Khaenri'ah!"

Xenon squinted at the screen. "Okay, so you're at the entrance. Now what?"

Cleo hesitated before shaking her head with a sigh. "Now... well, now we do nothing."

Xenon blinked. "... What?"

"We can't go inside. Not yet, anyway."

Xenon's eyes narrowed as he glared at the screen, his lips pressing into a thin line. "So, you're saying... we came all this way just to stand outside a locked door?"