The world of Genshin Impact.
Sumeru.
Sanctuary of Surasthana.
The night was already deep.
Nahida curled her body, floating within the transparent vessel.
Her small form had been imprisoned within these few square inches for five hundred years now.
She had just returned from a child’s dream.
That child had dreamed of their favorite toy—a mechanical bird that could Sing.
In the dream, the child held the bird and laughed so happily.
Nahida had stood by and watched, feeling that pure joy, and her own lips couldn’t help but curve upward.
But dreams always end.
Upon waking, there was only deeper loneliness.
She opened her eyes, gazing up at the high dome of the Sanctuary of Surasthana.
“Can I…
really become a worthy deity?”
She said softly, her voice echoing through the empty palace with no response.
She was used to it.
Lowering her head, she pulled her knees even tighter to her chest.
Just then.
A soft green light suddenly flickered in the air.
Nahida snapped her head up.
That light glowed from the void in front of her, rippling out circle by circle like a stone cast into a calm lake.
The center of the light grew brighter and brighter, until finally—
“Pop.”
A soft sound.
An egg appeared out of thin air before her.
It was a pale green egg, about the size of an Aranara, with mysterious dark green patterns flowing across the shell.
It suspended there quietly in mid-air, then slowly descended, landing right in Nahida’s open hands.
Nahida was stunned.
This was the Sanctuary of Surasthana.
A sealed space.
A cage that had imprisoned her for five hundred years.
She looked down at the egg in her arms, her large emerald eyes full of surprise.
How could an egg appear out of nowhere?
She carefully held the egg with both hands and leaned in to look closer.
The eggshell was slightly warm, carrying a fresh scent of greenery.
She tentatively reached out with a wisp of divine power—
Rich vitality, like plants sprouting in spring.
Pure Dendro Energy, of the same source as hers, yet seemingly a bit different.
“Who…
are you?”
She asked the egg.
Naturally, the egg did not answer.
Nahida looked down at this life that had suddenly appeared in her arms; her five hundred years of unchanging loneliness were breached by a small opening at this moment.
She held the egg a little tighter, her small face pressing against the shell.
“My name is Nahida,”
She said, her voice very soft,
“I am the deity of Sumeru.
Though…
I’m not a worthy god yet.”
She reached out, her slender fingers gently tracing the patterns on the shell.
The movement was cautious, as if she were stroking the most precious treasure in the world.
“But…”
Nahida paused, a hint of tenderness she hadn’t even noticed herself surfacing in her eyes.
“Since you chose to come to my side, then…
can I become your family?”
Moonlight fell quietly, illuminating her pale little face.
The egg still did not respond.
Nahida’s lips curved into a faint smile.
“No response means it’s settled then.”
She held the egg even tighter, curling up inside the vessel and protecting the egg in her bosom.
For the first time in five hundred years, she felt something warming her—not a borrowed temperature from outside a dream, but a warm feeling arising from within her own heart.
“I will definitely make sure you are born.”
She whispered, her tone as serious as if she were making a vow,
“No matter what you look like, no matter what you are…
I will take good care of you.”
Nahida looked down at the egg in her arms and suddenly remembered something.
“Oh right, I need to give you a name first.”
She thought for a moment, looking toward that thin sliver of moonlight outside the Sanctuary of Surasthana.
“Five hundred years of loneliness, in exchange for you falling from the sky…”
She murmured softly to herself,
“When I was trapped in the darkness, you came with the light.”
She lowered her head, meeting the ‘gaze’ of the egg in her arms—even though the egg had no eyes, she just felt like it was looking at her.
“I’ve got it.”
Nahida’s eyes crinkled as her smile became gentler than the moonlight.
“I’ll call you—Amid.”
She paused, her voice as light as a falling leaf.
“It means…
hope.
My hope.”
The patterns on the eggshell brightened slightly, like a heart beating.
Nahida held the egg even tighter, her small body curled in the vessel with the warm egg in her arms.
For the first time in five hundred years, she felt that this cage didn’t seem quite so empty anymore.
“Goodnight, Amid,” she said softly.
“Tomorrow…
I’ll tell you stories.”
The moonlight fell silently.
Inside the Sanctuary of Surasthana, a small deity holding an egg that fell from the sky closed her eyes.
This time, she had a smile on her lips.
When the youth woke up again, he felt as if he were soaking in warm water, surrounded by a blur of green light.
His consciousness was hazy, but he vaguely heard a voice—very light, very soft, like the rustling of wind through leaves—saying something.
“…My name is Nahida…”
“…Can I become your family…”
“…Amid…
my hope…”
He wanted to open his eyes, but his eyelids felt as heavy as lead.
He wanted to speak, but he couldn’t even open his mouth.
Finally, he could only think dizzily:
Nahida…
is it the Nahida I play in the game…
This voice…
sounds so nice…
What Amid…
is that the name given to me…
So sleepy…
His consciousness grew hazier and hazier.
Finally, he sank completely into a warm, green ocean.
But before that, he seemed to feel something—a pair of small hands were carefully holding him, protecting him in their embrace.
Those hands were a bit cool.
But the embrace was very warm.