#◟༺✧༻◞ events to be remembered in blue veins ┊addendum.┊

[twilightichor]

As you may have guessed, I had a field day the moment 「Bedtime story」 was released and as it's not so surprising of me, there is a whole lot I want to discuss about this AQ. This will be dumped under cut to hold onto the discretionary phase of the recent release of the 4.7 patch:

◜There's still hope for the two of you to reconcile. Irreparable damage has not yet been done. The Sinner you wish to know about... His situation is different. [...] His name is Vedrfolnir, "The Visionary." I'm loath to admit it, but... He is also my kin. My older brother.◞

𝐂𝐋𝐗𝐗𝐗𝐕𝐈. Finding out that not only Vedrfolnir turns out to be Dain's older brother, that he's in fact the Sinner from 「Caribert」 is very telling for a few important reasons. Number one is the fact that people who know Chinese have been saying that the description of the previous AQ that counted with Dain's participation contained a wording used for the author of Dain's introduction —a self-proclaimed prophet, or someone who knows about fate—. It gets particularly meaningful if we're to break it down now that we have this knowledge:

The confluence between the past and future. The original calamity had been overturned, yet the island in the sky set the earth to burn. Chalk pursues gold, in this time inopportune, the eclipse is swallowed by the crimson moon. The future must atone for bygone mistakes, as the bond familiar falters and breaks— of the same blood, elders and the youth... Such is the cycle of the world, in truth. Dain, what is that strand of blonde hair to you? Someone you must kill? Or the object of your penitence?

✧ If we look at the first two couple of sentences, it makes more sense that the one talking is someone who actually knows about what is happening with the world, but also with Khaenri'ah. What I want to focus on is the next line talking about the future atoning for bygone mistakes but even more interestingly yet, about the bond familiar breaking. This could be a reference of what happened between Dain and Vedrfolnir as the latter apparently betrayed the former. But we then have the last line interpellating Dain directly. People have been theorizing that this had to be about Lumine, others about another character we yet don't know or maybe we do that has a meaningful relationship with Dain— but with the new discovery of Dain having an older brother, and if he happens to have blond hair too, then it falls right in place if this is Vedrfolnir asking his brother about what he means to him. And, seeing Dain's wavering voice when calling out for Lumine when she claims that he's her enemy and his hesitation to even rise his sword at her even though it was his plan all along to make her fall in his trap, we know that even if he were to feel strongly in a negative way for another, that he's just as kind if not more— to the point that it impedes him to go through with his plans.

◜[...] He and his fellow sinners have long betrayed me, and long betrayed their nation. [...] "The Wise" Hroptatyr, "The Visionary" Vedrfolnir, "Gold" Rhinedottir, "The Foul" Surtalogi, and "Rächer of Solnari" Rerir. [...] They were once people of great esteem in Khaenri'ah, those who carried the hopes of the nation. They were the best of their peers, outstanding in their respective fields... The six of us, together... We should have been the ones to prevent the disaster, the ones to stop the Vinster King from continuing to rock the foundation of the world. Yet, deep within, the five of them craved something more. They could not resist the call of the Abyss, and divided among themselves a power that could destroy the world. So they became Sinners, but also transcendent beings, each in possession of world-shattering power. And when the cataclysm occurred, not one of them stood up in defense of their nation, not one came forward to prevent the tragedy... And for that, they shall never have my forgiveness.◞

✦ It's very interesting that, while he alongside the other five were supposed to stop the Vinster King from rocking the foundation of the world (I'll get to this later), he doesn't count himself among them. This could be because he doesn't want to put himself on the same level as them in terms of considering himself a sinner —and perhaps this is one of the things that must hurt him the most about what happened in Khaenri'ah in a personal level, to be branded as a sinner when in reality he... was looking for the good of not only the kingdom, but that of the world as well— and maybe even that he doesn't think of himself as grand as the others are. However, at the same time he must be at the same level as them in terms of having something great to offer in order to even prevent the cataclysm or stand in defense of Khaenri'ah by possibly fighting either the abyssal monsters, the gods or both. Not only that, but they must've held Dain to some level of importance as well in order for him to talk about betrayal. Because what would they care about betraying a no-one if he were one?

It's also worth noting that it is very possible that if he wanted to, he could've accepted the power of the Abyss within him and become one more of them, a transcendent being and all. But not only he didn't (and most likely the reason why the five of them didn't take him in consideration any longer), he's actively fighting it despite the corruption of half of his body and he's using a "power from beyond" that as per Skirk's words, that deserves its respect and merit. This power, as we've seen from his own uses and the small details here and there that could be a nod towards this same power as well, is in direct opposition to that of the Abyss. Moreover, Dain describes this power as a power that can defy this world [Teyvat]. So then, we have a world-shattering power [Abyss] and then a power that can defy this world [whatever Dain is using, which I'll get to later].

All in all, it's fascinating to me the sense of duty and responsibility he has for a world that he doesn't agree with due to the gods, but also love for a kingdom that he doesn't agree with either but would face the gods for because no matter how enshrouded in darkness it was, there were still innocent people who wanted nothing to do with the obsessions with the Abyss and just wanted to live a life outside the gods' gaze. And that despite arguably the world [more like the gods, but I believe it's a fair metaphor to use gods and the world given the influence the former have on the latter] betrayed him too, he's still fighting for it, its safety and its people.

✧ Next I'd like to mention Dain's not only sentience for the Ley Lines to the point where he can feel when his memory is toyed with or that there is a disruption within them, but how deeply he's intertwined to the point of actually being in pain because of it. This is important to keep in mind as it may be linked with the power Dain uses, not just because some of the characteristics that are explained in René's investigation of the Khvarena vs the Abyss, but arguably identical visuals if we're to look at the trail that Caribert's last piece of consciousness leaves behind and his power:

If the last trace of consciousness is meant to be considered as a soul, we know that Ley Lines not only carry the memories of Teyvat or the seven elements to sustain it, but souls as well. So whatever Dain's power is supposed to be in the future, I'm more confident to say that it may be linked to Irminsul and, granted that it's from "beyond this world" and if HYV wants to give a nudge towards other titles of their universe, maybe related to the Imaginary Tree, even. Because as it stands, what we saw so far about Dain's power is the manipulation of reality (taking for example the eye of the first Field Tiller and that he was able to remove it from the automaton without damaging neither the eye or the robotic case, same goes for a reasonable explanation of why Dain's been keeping the eye inside his body; he can also seize telepathically an Abyss Herald; manipulate his speed...) and outright collision with the abyssal power by negating it completely.

This is it for the small study of 「Bedtime story」 for now in regards of Dain and while I'd like to be more direct with what I want to do with his background, I'll share a couple of things that I'm still mulling for a more extended post.

✦ Given that Gold is stated to be the creator of the abyssal wolves and it's also said in 「Perinheri」 that they were actually a thing during the Crimson Moon dynasty, as there was a part of the knights that tamed them, it's safe to presume that this manner of transcendence started all the way back then. It's also possible that it happened at different timeframes, as this concerns other five four individuals, but I'm tempted to make Dain be as ancient too in his own manner of transcendence that isn't connected to the Abyss, but to Irminsul. Which is somehow ironic because so far, those stated to be prophets / saints or have some manner of visions of the future are linked to Irminsul one way or another. This same logic could, perhaps, apply to Vedrfolnir before he gave in to the Abyss.

✧ I want to continue with the main point of this blog, which was the premise of Dain being the second heir of the Gnostic Chorus (and Light Prince of 「Pale Princess and the Six Pygmies」 while the first heiress was Asmoday, also known as the Unknown God. Having an older brother doesn't erase the possibility of perhaps having others too, so based on recent thoughts about the direction I want to have with Dain, I've decided that I'll establish a sygyzy between Dain and Asmoday, where the latter is demonic whereas the former will act as the counterpart as per the Shem HaMephorash, a group of angelic opposites to the demons of the Ars Goetia. In his case, he'd have another name in a similar fashion as gods have an alternative demon name, being Vasariah —also known as archangel Zadkiel—. As established before in this blog, his life in Celestia is wiped from his memories the moment he descends to Khaenri'ah. Furthermore, as it's leaked in the continuation of the books of 「Pale Princess and the Six Pygmies」, I'd find it heavily poetic that he gets to be the one to get rid of the Abyss after all the harm it's done to Teyvat, but also to himself in a personal and familial way.

[reginrokkr]

𝐂𝐂𝐗𝐗𝐗𝐈𝐕. There is nothing in particular that corroborates that Dain was able to see the future during Khaenri'ah days like Vedrfolnir (and if he did, most likely it wasn't anywhere as grand as his older brother's gift for divination as he described the Sinners to be the best each in their respective field), but there is something compelling about both of them being able to either because of a possible connection with Irminsul (in Dain's case at least it's obvious, but perhaps it's the same for Vedrfolnir too) or out of some innate ability that runs in their family.

[twilightichor]

𝐂𝐂𝐗𝐈𝐕. Lately, I've been thinking about people saying that Vedrfolnir has reasons to stop caring about Khaenri'ah after he was blinded by its last king and in what position this would leave Dain for seeking vengeance on his own brother too, despite this fact (one I believe that would make him upset too, even lose his faith not so much in the whole kingdom as in the king which could've led him to be the one committing regicide). Specially when, unlike Lumine who puts the blame on Dain for failing to protect Khaenri'ah, he doesn't blame the Five Sinners including his older brother for the same— but because they didn't even try.

And I think that there is more to this if by some chance, the prophecy that angered king Irmin enough to blind Vedrfolnir and to put him in a dangerous enough situation to need saving from Dain (relevant enough to save Khaenri'ah in the process as a secondary thing, at that) was about the kingdom's fall as a consequence of their king's actions. I firmly believe that if Dain didn't know why Vedrfolnir was put in that situation, that he would know about the prophecy he gave the king and this will be important for what I'm about to say in a bit. Moving on, this continued on having Lumine absorb an unlimited abyssal power (let's remember from Chlothar's words that it was believed in Khaenri'ah that the Abyss can contest the gods and potentially overthrow them, to think of a valid reason why Lumine was being used that way), making of her as it is described in the wind glider "the key to the world's near-annihilation" aka the Cataclysm.

Now, I don't believe her to be the only reason for the Cataclysm nor Khaenri'ah's destruction, more so the beginning of a chain of effects that would happen later on that ultimately brought destruction to Khaenri'ah and wrecked havoc all over Teyvat. I say this because if the fact that she was made to absorb unlimited abyssal power was enough for her to become the key, then I have zero doubts that dividing that abyssal power (either the same or to have an opening to more of it from the same source) among the five that would later be known as the Five Sinners added fuel to the fire.

This is what I think that made Dain so upset about the Five Sinners (four of which he had also gathered to save Vedrfolnir, if we're to think of them as the "brilliant young ones of the age"). These were people who carried the hopes of the people of Khaenri'ah, thanks to who the kingdom was even saved once, only to end up contributing to its eventual destruction. If the content of the prophecy bestowed to king Irmin was the nation's destruction, irregardless of how vague or detailed it may be in combination with a brilliant mind such as Vedrfolnir's was described (to add more, his schemes with the Abyss Order + Fontaine's prophecy), he could think of ways of preventing that from happening if there was any love for the country left in him (I'd understand the case being the opposite, though). And even if there was none, to defend it.

What makes me confused and a good reason why I think that it fuels Dain's anger towards him is his involvement with the Abyss Order and the possibility that its creation was just one more step towards some goal he has. Just like when someone has the ability to glimpse into the future may try to avoid it, they can also tip the scales in the right direction to make it happen. And as far as the Abyss Order goals' go, strangely enough, they seem to align with the common belief in Khaenri'ah that the Abyss can overthrow the gods and thus plunge the whole world into darkness due to some vendetta they have against those people who decided to continue their lives under the Seven (there are several item descriptions and/or dialogues from Abyss Order-aligned enemies that talk about ignorance and wanting to force the "truth" on the people). The reason why this confuses me about Vedrfolnir is that this take was probably aligned with his own, and that still he chose to do nothing to prevent the disaster in Khaenri'ah by becoming one of the reasons it happened in the first place, too.

[twilightichor]

𝐂𝐂𝐗𝐈𝐈. Just made myself some time to complete the Natlan Interlude and I have to say that it's quite harrowing what these people had to go through in terms of hallucinations and other symptoms related to the abyssal exposure. Once again, I find myself thinking about what life in Khaenri'ah must've been like with the perpetual exposure to the Abyss, including very dark things like those obsessed with it thinking something along the lines of "it must be a blessing to be that way" and feeding even more into their belief that the Abyss can conquer even the gods. Moreover, there is something Iansan says that makes me think about something else:

���Seems like the key to getting through to them is whatever they cherish the most. Kind of like their last spark of hope... [...]◞

I'm aware that she's meaning what the people inflicted by the Abyss cherish the most as a last resort to their recovery, but I couldn't help but think back about how Dain described those who we presently know as the Five Sinners: people of great esteem in Khaenri'ah, those who carried the hopes of the nation. While he doesn't include himself among the five (since some time I was sure that it's because he doesn't count himself as a sinner in the same manner as he does them), he was indisputably one among the six pillars of Khaenri'ah so to speak. It's quite curious the notion that they were revered as these people's "spark of hope", each on their respective fields. Not necessarily going around healing people, but giving them hope each excelling in their field of expertise that does give some hope that things can be better in the future. In Dain's own field, I would see him as a more battle-oriented strength, aiding mostly those of the high standing positions not solely because of his role as the captain of the Black Serpent Knights, but also because he comes from an important background, too.

One thing that crossed my mind and that seems to be a common interpretation of others is the fact that those "young brilliant ones of the age" he had gathered in order to save his brother and Khaenri'ah with it as something secondary may be who we know as the Five Sinners sans Vedrfolnir, who was imprisoned at the time. Although this is quite conflicting with the fact that Gold isn't precisely young, granted that the wolfhounds are of her creation and have existed since the age of the Crimson Moon Dynasty, and it also conflicts with the the prospect that, if they were revered so highly, then why turn to Lumine as their hope and not the others too? This is, unless we're once again talking about an even more clearly divided society that not all of them believed in the Abyss and originally, neither of the Six were aligned with it until something happened. This will still remain as a very big plothole for me, but the point still stands.

Lastly, the thought of naming Dain as the Twilight Sword. For one, I believe this must've been a very big honor for him granted that he's so serious in the art of swordsmanship and according to a leak, it's an actual ideal too but it's also so telling that he was seen something akin to a light in Khaenri'ah despite how arguably dim the twilight light may be (I still stand that he may represent the blue hour, which is also one of the moments within the twilight) —it's the moment where the sun goes down, after all—, because no matter how little the light is, it's a big deal in a place where the sun didn't exist and everything must've been mostly dark unless they had created an artificial sun of their own on the same fashion as it was done in Enkanomiya.

[twilightichor]

𝐂𝐗𝐂𝐕. Caribert's actions to make Dain lose the eye of the first Field Tiller in order to reach faster to the phase of near-completion of the Loom of Fate made him lose the upper hand he had over the Abyss Order in their Loom of Fate operation, it's nothing short of a big blow when keeping in mind how dangerous their actions can be for the entire world— even more so now that they can actively weave new Ley Lines. No matter if they cannot replace the already existing ones or serve as a continuation of them, they can cause damage hard to discern in its totality and the notion that the highest visible figure of the Abyss Order doesn't know what to do with the Loom of Fate now that it's completed makes the situation even more worrisome. In addition and from a more personal perspective, it's also akin to being one step behind in his own quest to foil his brother's plans regardless if this is the manner of vengeance he's taking towards him or not.

But despite all of the complicated feelings this brings to him —mainly in the form of a temporary defeat—, he doesn't hold any grudge towards Caribert. When learning about the truth more in detail (which he probably would on his own if Lumine didn't spill the beans for him already, or if Caribert didn't sent him a message similarly as he did to the villagers of Vimara Village), one of the feelings he would have is of guilt due to the fact that a great part of his suffering was indirectly caused by his own brother, so there is a degree of responsibility there that he can only alleviate by not feeling bitter about him. If it weren't for Vedrfolnir inspiration so that Chlothar founded the Abyss Order and to pass Abyssal power on his own son, perhaps the suffering he had until then wouldn't be nearly as dramatic as it ended up being— leading to his own death as a necessity to put in motion the Loom of Fate.

Furthermore, it is not out of following with the Abyss Order's plans that he wanted to do all of this, but out of a two-sided plan both selfish and selfless. For all the care Dain has for the hilichurls as proven in 「Requiem of the Echoing Depths」 and his own desire to let those people (people, yes, because they used to be) meet their end / live their lives as they've chosen under these new circumstances, he would find Caribert's desire to pass down that tranquility he felt when his father told him a bedtime story noble and kind of him, perhaps he would even be grateful of soothing the hilichurls in a way that Dain would never be able. About the other side of the plan that may be deemed more selfish —described that same way by Caribert himself—, he wouldn't blame him for wanting to know what it'd feel like if he had a chance at life to begin with.

In conclusion, Dain doesn't have hard feelings on Caribert. His actions led to a blow on his own progress against the Abyss Order and by extension against his own brother which adds a complicated taste to his mouth, but if there is something that describes him is that he doesn't victimize himself as the Abyss Order does nor he allows himself to drown in his own misery. He's one step back now and with something less as a weapon against the Abyss Order, but he will raise again and keep going as he did for the last hundreds of years.

[twilightichor]

𝐂𝐂𝐗𝐈. Following the spirit of soffday, Dain likes to hold his partner and by extension, be held. All his life he's been a protector as a knight, in Khaenri'ah and for the following 500 years through his actions behind the scenes in favor of humanity, so it comes as a natural action for him to have his partner between his arms and physically ensure them nonverbally that they are safe. As for the inverse, specially as those 500 years pass by, it helps him have a moment of respite to hide from the world. To remind himself that he can have a moment for himself, and also to feel something soft and tender for once, considering that he struggles with his own suffering due to the curse, the corruption and incidentally, due to the modifications or the pain the Ley Lines are going through.

[twilightichor]

𝐂𝐂𝐗. Thinking back about Dain's sensitivity to the Ley Line condition and his reactivity via pain as if it's his own when they're manipulated, it made me consider that he might be equally affected (probably worse) when a disorder is shaking them or they're being corroded with the abyss. This reminded me that up to some point, the canon divergences I wrote for him are to include his involvement in events that required the cleansing or correction of Ley Lines (Tsurumi Island, partly Enkanomiya) and Irminsul emanations (such as the Sacred Sakura or the Weeping Willow) and that this detail that's been made official during 「Bedtime story」 gives him one more reason to act on these by himself. Unless mentioned in the future if we get to know what the title of Bough Keeper is about, not necessarily out of a priority of his, but because of his understanding of how the world will be affected if it's left unchecked and also because the pain he experiences as if he, himself, were an extension of Irminsul and thus makes him feel when something is amiss.

[twilightichor]

𝐂𝐂. An important detail to keep in mind about lengthening one's lifespan is that being affected by the Abyss can make that possible without necessarily undergoing the transcendence phase. A good example of this is that a saurian's life doesn't exceed a century, and yet the Mountain King has endured for five centuries now for that same reason despite how uncomfortable it must've been due to the lasting effects of the Abyss. Whether this takes a special constitution or anyone can be eligible to enduring a longer lifespan without any transformation into a transcendent being of the Abyss remains to be seen, but it does beg the question if Khaenri'ahns and those who dwelled in the Abyss (the Crimson Moon dynasty exiles) had longer lifespans than any other regular human.

[twilightichor]

𝐂𝐗𝐂𝐈𝐗. For quite some time ever since the beginning of Natlan's wave, I've been wondering why Neuvi would say that dragons like him wouldn't be welcomed there. But after revising the lore we have thus far about them, I think that I'm starting to make more sense of his words and the reality is that by human standards, there is a very good reason why someone like him would be unwelcome there, and that is the fact that humans have been oppressed. On one side, we have the pyro sovereign that impeded their growth, dragons that devoured the envoys (seelies, I presume— but at the same time they were also caught in the wave of the course and being shunned from the heavens, so it's cool to see this multi-faceted concept going on) that were actively helping humans out to progress and navigate in life and punished at the smallest thing they attempted to do. And on the other one, there is the revered Sage of the Stolen Flame, a half-dragon / half-human himself, once a follower of the pyro sovereign until his fall and who had a deep hatred towards dragons. However, praised as he was and despite collaborating with Xbalanque, who he got compassion from, his deeds had his own agenda and it wasn't entirely selfless or kind towards humans, either. Whether this agenda was eventually discovered or lost to the annals of time will remain to be seen.

But what fascinates me the most about this is that through how little we know about the dragons but also the pyro sovereign specially, it isn't so "pyro sovereign bad bad". There is a very likely reason why he hated humans and treated them the way he did, and that is the fact that they're the creation of the usurper that came to their world and did as he pleased after being hostile towards his own kin. In addition, reading through the lore plus looking over at those two murals in one of the WQs where two dragons are depicted (and which bear striking resemblances, yet the coloring scheme makes them different) makes me believe that the pyro sovereign was corrupted by the abyss. Or at least, that's what a few artifact descriptions imply, which wouldn't be too far-fetched either. Mainly because the abyss caused great damage and its essence was lethal to dragons themselves, despite Nibelung's belief that he could contest the gods through Forbidden Knowledge. Likewise, and this remains unknown until Otchkanatlan is released, there are also tales about the creation of weapons / devices / relics that can clash with the abyss and that they were of the dragons' creation.

[twilightichor]

𝐂𝐗𝐂𝐕𝐈𝐈𝐈. The notion that Khaenri'ahns have been taking after some of the dragon customs (if the aeonblight drake and ruin drakes weren't enough as is, already suggesting that their conception wasn't on pure imagination alone) is back with full strength if we consider that, in reality, the dragons prior to the Primordial One's arrival in Teyvat were the first to create automatons like that. Just like in Khaenri'ah, these machines were used for tasks such as building cities under the harshest of conditions, investigation matters and fighting.

[twilightichor]

By the time I will post this I'll already have completed 「Bedtime Story」, meanwhile here are some thoughts as I go through the quest without delving too much into each of them:

✧ It's very interesting to see how this quest is foreshadowing right from the very beginning Natlan in a way, with the thematic of someone without a name vs the importance there seems to be in the [Ancient] name in that nation.

✦ I keep talking about how level-headed Dain is, but I was amazed once again by this when he asked Aether if he thinks Lumine has betrayed him. Considering that he himself is in the position where his own brother actually has and that their relationship is apparently irreparable (there might be some relation with the fact that he figured out the whole truth of what happened with Vedrfolnir, whereas Aether still didn't), it would've been quite easy to spill some venom not necessarily to cause harm and shit talk Lumine behind her back (and even still, they had that dispute hundreds of years ago and still have) and still he not only doesn't, but he cheers Aether a bit by saying that their relationship isn't to a point of no return. The capacity this man has of staying logical despite being the emotional individual he is at times is genuinely outstanding.

✧ Without reading too much into it due to lack of information, the way Dain makes sound that the five sinners betrayed the nation and him seems to suggest that perhaps all six of them shared something in common until they didn't (this beyond the fact that it seems like they were the pillars of Khaenri'ah) or that they gave him their word that they were going to do something which eventually they didn't. We only know a little more about Vedrfolnir, Rhinedottir and Surtalogi so far, but presuming that the missing two are just as powerful in their respective fields as the former three seem to be, it is quite interesting to think that Dain might've been similar if not an equal to them enough to earn their respect beyond the fact that he's Vedrfolnir's younger brother.

✦ Special vengeance talk bullet point. I talked about this recently, so I won't go deeper into it again. However, it's quite ironic to see that Dain's stance on the gods so far was one of bitterness at best to describe it somehow, meanwhile he looks and sounds very angry when talking about them and claiming that he'll never forget their names. Even though he's been affected by the memory erosion, it speaks to lengths that his drive for vengeance against them is so high that, if we were to imagine a what if he were to become say a Black Serpent Knight fiend with no more intelligence or memories, what would persist of him would most likely be his wish for vengeance against all five of them.

✧ More talk about the six: besides five of them being described as carrying the hopes of Khaenri'ah (while Dain put himself out of this, it remains uncertain if it's because he didn't consider himself that important or because he doesn't want to be associated to them in a group together beyond the scope of stopping the Vinster King to prevent the disaster + protecting Khaenri'ah), it's quite telling how powerful they are to become like some kind of regulating system of the monarchy at the time, either by the people's desire or as a thing they attributed to themselves precisely due to that power / influence they had over Khaenri'ah.

✦ The transcendent being notion is heavily interesting if we think about Jakob and René, who became such themselves and if we think about how Vedrfolnir used this exact terminology himself. Suffice to say and just judging Gold alone (and potentially Vedrfolnir too, considering the prophecy of Fontaine and that those stone slates were quite ancient in olden ruins), it's not surprising to believe that all five of them pushed the limits of mortality that would've corresponded to them as humans (?) before the Cataclysm. Given that this seems to be linked to the five of them sharing among them the power of the Abyss, it's quite intriguing to think if Dain himself is a transcendent being or if his mortality limits were nuked strictly by the curse.

✧ Assuming that the power of the Abyss is equal to the world-shattering power he speaks of, it's very interesting how this serves as a contraposition (or maybe not so much contraposition) to the power of beyond Skirk mentioned, supposedly wielded by Dain to defy this world.

◜The six of us, together... We should have been the ones to prevent the disaster, the ones to stop the Vinster King from continuing to rock the foundation of the world. [...] And when the cataclysm occurred, not one of them stood up in defense of their nation, not one came forward to prevent the tragedy... And for that, they shall never have my forgiveness.◞

✦ This here makes me a bit confused as to what to think. By the way this is worded either out of convenience (HYV has a long track record of making Dain's speech be purposefully blurry / uncertain, it's never a matter of hearing him say that the sky is blue and the reality being like that— there is always more to it), it seems like if they stopped the Vinster King, they would've prevented the disaster (unless these two are different things). I say this because later he mentions that the sinners didn't lift a finger to prevent the tragedy nor defend the nation during the cataclysm, supposedly a result of not preventing the tragedy when something could've been done about it time before the cataclysm erupted.

✧ To conclude with the Sinners talk, the notion that if they're left unchecked they could do irreparable damage to the world which... considering it's related to the power of the Abyss and what was caused in Fontaine alone because of Narwhal, hence because Surtalogi, it wouldn't be all that far-fetched to even think about.

✦ Perhaps this is attributed to Dain's intellect and no more, but for someone who is struggling with erosion and how it affects his memories, it's quite intriguing that he'd know what is something that was falsely implanted in his mind if up until that point he had already lost some of his memories.

✧ Ironically I've been talking recently about his capacity of looking at things from a broader perspective / having a very down-to-earth mindset and I think this is yet another example of that: there could be other things Dain could be focusing on just at the notion that someone could implant memories, but not only he doesn't do that, but he realizes on the spot that they're still after the eye of the first Field Tiller and thinks ahead of time to lay a trap for the Abyss Order, as there is something quite clear that makes him think it's impossible for him to have given the eye. And yet Caribert makes him believe that he handed over the eye to Aether and Dain is fine with that wtf.

✦ How does that eye even make it inside Dain's body hello?

✧ Following the miscellanies alongside other subtle details about him throughout his quests, it was abundantly clear to me his connection to Irminsul. But to see him grunt in pain because the Ley Lines were being tampered with to implant in him a new memory really seals the deal for me that the connection he has with Irminsul must be considerably deep to even experience pain. As that is some big sentience that even Paimon points out and that I don't think was seen before except for Rhukkadevata— and she was a divinity and Irminsul's avatar.

✦ I'm positive that I mentioned how "coincidental" some of Dain's actions during the 「Caribert」 quest were, so I won't get back to those. But to add one more as a genuine follow-up to that quest, it's surprising how eerily similar the ruins where he leads the Abyss Order and Aether in are to those where Vedrfolnir was. And Dain hasn't experienced that memory Lumine had 500 years ago... apparently. Locations are different, that's for sure. But there is an undeniable level of excitement at seeing how these ruins mirror the others that makes me wonder how deep can Dain look into things (aka Ley Lines? Irminsul? Some connection to his brother because brothers™?).

✧ To add to the sus from before, the Cryo Abyss Herald was also introduced during the 「Caribert」 quest and he was guarding the entrance to a larger room where Vedrfolnir was.

◜The Abyss Order is putting something in motion. If you return to Vimara Village, I suspect you might finally have the opportunity to locate the missing villager.◞

✦ I've discussed in the past about Dain's foreseeing abilities but sir, what the heck— (I say as this is what exactly happens after Aether leaves the ruins lol).

✧ Although it would be easy to think that his grunts are signs of memory implantation in his mind, the fact that Caribert implanted the last false memory before they entered the cave refutes this. This is because Dain's last reaction (and the most painful one, as even his voice was intertwined with the pain he felt) was when they were already in the last chamber of the ruins they were last together. This concludes that his sentience isn't just on himself and to figure out what said false memory is (as he does notice that), but it's a genuine sentience on the Ley Lines and the disturbances they're suffering.

[twilightichor]

𝐂𝐋𝐗𝐗𝐗𝐕𝐈𝐈𝐈. Pondering more on Dain's statement about the Five who eventually became Sinners, I can't help but think about one of the things Chlothar says to Lumine:

◜We once believed that you would bring new strength and hope to Khaenri'ah. To us, you were the Abyss... A wondrous mystery far beyond our imagination and comprehension... ...And the one who controls the Abyss can control everything! We yearned for that future. We looked to you to take us there.◞

And that this must've been the way Khaenri'ah thought of the Five before they abandoned their own kingdom in pursuit of more self-centered goals or manners of achieving "perfection" as Skirk puts it, according to Surtalogi. The thing that caught my attention the most is, if according to Dain these Five were the ones who carried the hopes of the people of Khaenri'ah, then why be so desperate to trust into a star they purposefully altered the trajectory so it would land to Teyvat? I'm quite inclined to believe that the Five have long left Khaenri'ah before this even happened, or else it's hard to understand why people would even go as far as to name Lumine as the princess of Khaenri'ah.

The reason why I'm not including Dain in this bunch is because he has already suggested that he didn't agree with the ways of Khaenri'ah, but that nonetheless you should respect its laws despite what your personal beliefs are. This leads me to think that, while someone so grand that he could do something not only to prevent the cataclysm, but to stand in the defense of the kingdom even though for that he would have to face the gods and Abyss mess— it is simply that he wasn't on the same ship as part of the society and the Five in regards of the Abyss. Otherwise he could've been a sixth Sinner alongside the others perfectly fine. This is also a good foundation to believe that, while the people of Khaenri'ah still had Dain at that point and that he could be what they had left as someone who can carry their dreams— it's also likely that while he was respected by many, he was also repudiated by following the same logic Chlothar delivers in his speech to Lumine but shifting it slightly to Dain's case.

All that being said, I'd like to think that while it seems that believing in the Abyss was the mainstream in Khaenri'ah, that there were also those who wanted just to be left alone and live in peace without the gods' intervention that would cherish Dain deeply and that, actually, he'd be a great advocate for carrying their dreams. If anything because we know that he's a reserved individual and that he wouldn't shoot himself on the foot to say aloud that the Abyss sucks, but he'd also be intelligent enough to put himself aside from all that nonsense. Specially by seeing what happened to the Five, or even more personal yet— to his older brother.

[twilightichor]

𝐂𝐗𝐂𝐈𝐈𝐈. One of the things that inspire curiosity about the disposition with which Dain has been keeping himself with for the past 500 years is the knowledge that he's seeking vengeance on the five Sinners for not stepping forward for Khaenri'ah's defense —granted that their efforts in combination to his own would've been sufficiently relevant to cause a change, which seems to be the case— and yet, his heart continued to be as kind. We could argue that the form of vengeance he's enacting is being a nuisance against everything that his brother has caused with the foundation of the Abyss Order, but even there seems to be some degree of hesitation in his actions. Mainly because he didn't find the heart to raise his sword against Lumine as the maximum exponent of the Abyss Order as things stand, even if it were to be a means to an end which he could— Lumine herself gave us a glimpse of Dain's strength (a man worth an army on his own) and admitted that she wouldn't have been able to defeat him even after 500 years. In the end, the kindness of his own heart became the biggest enemy to his wish of vengeance.

[twilightichor]

𝐂𝐋𝐗𝐈𝐈𝐈. Today I woke up earlier than usual and chose violence upon seeing yet another couple of details missed in translation that make me salty, specially because they're related with Travail and, once again, with the subtlety play Dain is known for in many miscellanies.

So apparently, the first detail that I read up is that the use of thrones or divine thrones of Celestia doesn't necessarily allude to a throne of power, given that gods in Teyvat are pretty much rulers. But instead, it's more so related with the concept of "throne of destiny" given that the Chinese term used for both thrones and constellations are one and the same. This could give some room for speculation and wonder if, when there is mention in Before Sun and Moon that the second throne came and warred against the Primordial One and 3/4 shades, a new vision of the future was also brought. Which, for better or for worse, could fall in place with Phanes' concerns about the rise of delusions and more that comes with Forbidden Knowledge. But knowing what's happening and the premise that at least to some extent he's responsible for the mess we're witnessing by the hands of the gods: even though the Second Who Came brought Forbidden Knowledge, in terms of raw knowledge is it actually negative or positive? And my reasoning to wonder this is that the Abyss is known for delivering knowledge and it's also known that the Abyss acts like some kind of gateway to influences outside Teyvat, and the potential that some of these tried to enter or are even aware of what's happening but their way to Teyvat is blocked. It would make further sense if we think that its skies are fake as yet another layer of "protection" from the outside.

And now what concerns Dain, he's always tied with destiny in some shape or form. Starting from the fact that he was searching his own destiny when he lost everything with Khaenri'ah's destruction, to his title as the confluence between the past and the future (future isn't exactly a 1:1 of destiny, but they are related), the fact that he has something to do with reweaving all threads of destiny and rejecting this world, which to my interpretation what he's rebelling against is the fate / Heavenly Principles as he keeps saying time and time again that he's an advocate that everyone is masters of their own destiny, as in saying that it's not being the case as things currently stand. To wrap this point up, it's curious that the Heavenly Principles (sometimes interchangeable with destiny / fate) started with Phanes and that, if the Second Who Came is meant to represent a new destiny, the Heavenly Principles continue to predominate.

◜That (divine) throne (of destiny) in the high heavens was never a seat reserved for you from the start.◞

Reading this brings something new in question: what isn't reserved for someone is that they can't achieve godhood despite that's what it's said to be the case (perhaps godhood but with a shit ton of small letters that no one reads) or that it is their destiny that they aren't allowed to choose? We have a "Loom of Fate" operation undergoing, and a new interpretation of Lumine's quote of "I won't rest until the Abyss has engulfed the thrones" is added if we re-shape the quote as "I won't rest until the Abyss has engulfed the constellations".

◜But oh, you who oversteps your bounds, do not stop walking here. For none can watch the fire burn from the other side of the river. Watch...◞

This here is what makes me salty the most, and it's because apparently the Chinese wording of "overstep" can also mean "to usurp". While for now I don't have anything major to say about this, it's the subtlety play that I talked about earlier that makes me raise an eyebrow because in the past (recent and distant) Dain proved to have a way with his words that at first glance and given the timing, it's hard to pay attention to as something relevant but once more information comes that is related to that, it makes you realize that his word choices aren't coincidental and this is one more detail that sheds some light with that. If anything because any knowledge about usurpers seems to be among the highest most classified knowledge of this world (there is an interesting ranking of that, but the lore is too extensive to make one of those) and as always, even though he doesn't state it openly, he once again says something that only those who know about it would understand.

[twilightichor]

◜I don't believe the Abyss Order is capable of altering reality like that just yet...◞

𝐂𝐗𝐂𝐈𝐈. This line here is particularly foreboding, as sometimes Dain's words tend to be, if we understand the magnitude of importance that being able to weave new Ley Lines has. No matter if it'll become a parallel reality to the true reality of the world. It suffices to have an image of the past engraved in the Ley Lines such as Chenyu Vale and have a strong enough will to manipulate these Ley Lines into reversing time in order to make a whole area look in a completely different way to sow chaos already.

Now, do that on the reverse. Have someone mad enough to wish upon the world to plunge its entirety into the Abyss. Have someone strong enough to be able to foresee the future and implant that memory of the future into the Ley Lines (because just as it retains the past, it also retains the future) and that will be enough to shape the world in that exact harrowing image. Which wouldn't be any different of how René envisioned the world to look like.

[twilightichor]

𝐂𝐗𝐂. Due to the feasibility Dain has of having lived for a very long time —arguably since around the foundation of Khaenri'ah—, I'm chewing on the thought that he's father of the sword art by the name 「Truthseeker」 and the pride he would have in those who learned it for adapting it to other weapons by following the same principle and teachings of the art. As the Twilight Sword and a man likely to be renowned for his skills in battle (Lumine herself states that when the Twilight Sword is ready for battle, any legions sent their way would be marching to their doom, her included), it would be possible for someone like him to spread his teachings in order to strengthen those people who want to enter the kingdom's army.