When I first woke up on the shores of Starfell Valley, I found myself in a land blessed by idyllic breezes, carrying the scent of dandelions – gifts of the Anemo Archon, Lord Barbatos of wind and freedom. Then when Paimon and I entered Liyue, under the governance of the Geo Archon, we encountered a vastly different nation, one whose landscape and people were carved of the same, unyielding stone. Now as I step foot onto this verdant path, I sense the Dendro Archon’s vitality, breathing life and wisdom into the very earth itself. It’s as if the life forms themselves – both flora and fauna – are more sentient, more responsive to my presence than those of former lands. Around me, mere mushrooms seem to glow with energy. Up ahead, giant cream poppies as tall as two men – or would you call them starflowers? – adorn the road in welcoming warmth.
Of course, I never would have guessed that this fertile land lay right beyond a dusty old mining tunnel in the Chasm. When Paimon and I emerged from that creaky hole, she became giddy with delight.
“We’ve made it to Sumeru!” She squeals. “We’ve made it to Sumeru!”
“Evidently so,” I reply. “Now our objective should be to head to Sumeru City and find an audience with the Lesser Lord Kusanali.”
Paimon pouts at me. “You’re no fun! Look at these gorgeous flowers – oh! And what is that bird?” She points towards a turquoise-green bird with a large red bill. As if noticing our attention, the bird turns one eye at us, squawks in warning, and flies off.
“You’ve scared it away,” I say. “I believe that bird is called a ‘toucan?’ Or perhaps a ‘dusk bird?’ Anyway, we ought to be more careful. Who knows if these exotic animals are deadly, or these mysterious plants are poisonous?” Though colorful, this world does not elicit a sense of stability.
Grumbling, Paimon flies in circles in annoyance. After a couple of seconds, she settles down and returns to our business at hand. “Well speaking of Lesser Lord Kusanali,” she says, “we haven’t heard too much about her, but she doesn’t seem to be the same deity who abducted your brother.”
I nod. “Nonetheless, Sumeru is known as the ‘Nation of Wisdom,’” I say. “I imagine that the God of Wisdom may be able to provide us with useful information.”
“Okay, sounds like a plan!” Paimon agrees chirpily. Then her face drops. “But Paimon doesn’t know the way to Sumeru City.”
“Don’t you see that Statue of the Seven in the distance?” I point towards the glowing tower in the distance, on a sharp plateau beyond the leafy undergrowth. “If we climb up there, I am certain we will be able to see–”
“No wait a second, look!” Paimon exclaims, cutting me off. “There’s someone up ahead!”
Indeed, a woman has emerged from behind one of the patches of vines. She’s dressed in white robes, trimmed with blue and gold. Her sage-colored hair is cut short, and a pair of glasses sits delicately upon her nose. A Sumeru scholar, from the Akademiya perhaps. “Perfect timing,” I say. “Now we can just ask for directions instead of wandering off like lost adventurers.” Which, technically we are.
Paimon flies over and says in her most polite voice, “Hello! We’re, uh, not from around here and we seem to have gotten a little lost. Could you help us with some directions?”
I was expecting at least a greeting, but the stranger walks calmly on, as if Paimon and I are not standing mere paces away. Bizarre.
“Hey you, over there!” Paimon shouts, evidently confused. “Could you give us directions?!”
“Huh?!” The woman misses a step and stumbles, startled. She shakes her head violently as if to dispel demons and continues walking again.
Paimon turns to me, vexed. “There’s no way she could have missed that. Is she ignoring us on purpose?” She huffs and puffs, little face turning red.
“Calm down. Don’t get worked up,” I say slowly. “Maybe there is some reason she ignored us. Even so, she may be heading somewhere with more people. Let’s follow her discreetly.”
We step through the marshy undergrowth, picking our way around ferns and these monstrously large poppies. The scholar sets a brisk pace, following the path towards a waterfall. I am sure we are making quite the ruckus, splashing through the stream and mud, but the woman does not seem to hear us at all. She simply turns around a mossy corner and disappears. Paimon and I hurry over. We do not want to lose the first human we’ve encountered in Sumeru. Once we near the waterfall, however, a small cave emerges in the side of the rock, carved out by natural forces and refined by human hands.
“Paimon thought we would find a secret village, not a hermit!” She sighs, dejected. “She couldn’t possibly be living in this pit, could she?”
“What do you want to do now?” I ask. Perhaps we should have headed for the Statue of the Seven after all.
“Do we try asking her for directions again?” Paimon asks.
The woman looks deep in concentration, huddling over an ornate pot of incense. “Maybe we shouldn’t bother her,” I say. It looks like she’s meditating, and she deserves some privacy within her own home.
Paimon nods and takes a deep breath in. “What an exquisite smell!” She closes her eyes and hums dreamily. I take a sniff too, and a pungent aroma fills my senses. A piquant mixture of spices, flowers, and fruit – though what in particular, I cannot say. “It’s coming from that censer,” Paimon continues. “This is not your typical home, but at least it smells nice!” The scent is everywhere, and I can see the colors of each spice lifting from the burner – bright oranges, subdued corals, mellow yellows.
“What’s the matter?” Paimon exclaims in alarm. “You don’t look good.” I try to shake my head to dispel the colors, but the world is spinning now – green leaves, mixing into the sky and the lovely aroma. “Something is not right,” I gasp.
“Is the smell making you sick? Paimon doesn’t feel anything,” a distant voice says. A muted alarm goes off in my head, but the corners of my vision are darkening. I hear a name shouted at me – my name? Then the world turns completely black.
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I don’t remember falling, but I’m lying on the ground under an eerie sky. I blink my eyes several times, but I cannot seem to see clearly. Even out of focus though, the sky is bright. Am I lying on the root of a tree? I struggle to sit up, but my head clears a little. As far as I can see, the world is an empty vastness, tinted a dreamy shade of camellia blossoms, save for a network of roots like the one upon which I sit. The air is comfortable, neither hot nor cold.
As my gaze follows the roots towards the center of this world, I see a huge trunk rising elegantly from the ground. It leads up to a dazzling array of leaves, lighting up the world in their warm colors. This tree is otherworldly, more ethereal than the great oak at Windrise or the Sacred Sakura of Narukami Shrine. Its leaves seem to be whispering something.
Standing up, I walk slowly towards the base of the tree. The incoherent sounds become louder and clearer as I near the tree. "For-get me," the leaves seem to say. "World, forget me." Who are you? I want to ask, but the same phrase is only repeated over and over, like whispers on the wind of a place that should have no wind. As I take another step forward, however, a searing pain burns through my head. The leaves are blinding, and my world turns white, into nothingness. World, forget me.
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"Are you sure it's not serious? She's been out for days," a familiar voice says.
"Yes, I'm sure. Relax," replies a new female voice. "Believe me, master is extremely knowledgeable. If he says she's going to be all right, then there's absolutely nothing to be worried about."
I squeeze my eyelids open just a sliver. Paimon's hovering over me, in a small rustic cottage. Filtered sunlight streams through the rattan window shades, filling the room with a warm, afternoon glow. A thin blanket covers my body, and I appear to be lying on a low cot.
"Are you awake now?" The unknown voice belongs to a cheerful teenage girl, outfitted in practical clothing for trekking through the forest. Her warm-toned hair falls to her shoulders, and she has a radiant smile.
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Hearing this, Paimon zips around in joy. "Thank goodness! You're finally awake!" Never have I been so happy to see her too.
"Where am I?" I whisper hoarsely. My throat is dry from the days I've apparently been out and my mouth tastes bitter.
"This is Gandharva Ville," the girl says. "It was originally built by the scholars as a place to rest in the rainforest. Now it's mainly used by the forest rangers as a base of operations."
"How did I get here, and who are you?" I ask.
"My name is Collei. I'm a ranger trainee. My master and I found you passed out on the ground during our daily patrol, so we brought you here."
"Thank you for your help," I say. "I am indebted to you and your master."
"Oh n–no, not at all! I didn't do much really," Collei stammers shyly, and her cheeks redden. "By the way, how are you feeling now? Any discomfort?"
I push myself up effortlessly and sit facing her. My body feels strong, with no sign of that headache from earlier. "I seem to be fine," I say, "except for a bitter taste in my mouth."
My response elicits a laugh from Collei. "That's master's herbal medicine! He fed you some when you were unconscious." She walks towards a shelf and picks up a bottle. "Right. Before I forget, master mentioned you should take more medicine once you wake up." She picks up a bowl to pour out some medicine, but the bowl slips from her hands and shatters on the earthen floor. Brown liquid splashes everywhere. "Oh no!" She exclaims.
"Collei, what is the matter? Did you spill the medicine?" Shouts a male voice from outside. "As I've told you many times, you must be careful with these. I will make another batch for you once I'm finished here."
"Sorry master," Collei shouts back nervously. She hurries to grab a set of rags to clean up the mess.
"Now the 'Guide to Avidya Forest's Edible Fungi' is clearly posted on our bulletin board," he continues from right outside our cottage, "but if Farbod forgets which mushrooms to avoid one more time, I'll have no choice but to leave the guide somewhere even more visible – like a right smack on his forehead so others can remind him to be." We hear the smacking of one fist against the other palm.
"This is the second time he's come down with food poisoning this month," says another voice, perhaps an assistant or a fellow ranger. "I will make sure to reprimand him."
"Yes, please do," says the first voice. "If on the off-chance, Farbod simply enjoys having little imaginary fairies dance before his eyes, then we'll just let him be. But the next time he requires any of our medicine, be sure to charge him accordingly."
At this moment, a young man – Collei's master I presume – opens the cottage door and steps inside. Atop his head are two tall ears, and his dark hair has accents of the forest. He's dressed more colorfully than any ranger I've seen (a grand total of one, but one can imagine), with a sunflower pinned his vibrant teal cloak. "So how are you doing? Feeling better?" He asks me in an offhand manner.
"Oh," says Collei, "this is my master, forest watcher Tighnari. He is chief officer over all the rangers here in Gandharva Ville."
"Pleased to make your acquaintance," I say respectfully. "Thank you for saving me."
Tighnari nods dismissively. "I already briefed Paimon about why you fainted in the forest, but now that you're conscious, let me explain it to you too," he says matter-of-factly. "Here in Sumeru, scholars of certain schools, or Darshans, dedicate their lives to living and meditating in isolation. A number of them reside in this very forest. To enter a transcendental state of meditation, it is common practice to burn a certain incense, known as Spirit Borneol – a psychedelic substance when used in high concentrations. It can alter your perception of the world by directly acting upon your brain."
I nod. This information lines up roughly with the little I observed, before falling unconscious.
"In search of directions, you stumbled upon the living quarters of a scholar named Haypasia, who was burning the very Spirit Borneol I mentioned," Tighnari continues. "To the vast majority of people, this incense simply smells nice. After all, the active compound is rather diffuse in commercial incense. For a very select few, however, a small quantity can severely impact cognition – as you yourself experienced." He takes a deep breath after his lecture and concludes, "Make sense?"
"Yes," I say. This was more detail than I was looking for, but welcome, nonetheless.
"Now tell me," says Tighnari, "Did you undergo any hallucinations while you were unconscious? Out-of-body effects? Near-death-experiences?"
I look at Paimon, and she looks back at me, confused. "Well, I did see a big tree," I say. "It was at the center of the world, and it was whispering over and over, 'forget me, forget me.'"
Tighnari's eyes narrow and his face goes blank for a split second, before quickly regaining his smiling composure. He turns towards Collei and says, "tell the others to suspend delivery of patrol logs to my place for now."
"Huh? W-Why?" Collei asks. She looks a little flustered.
"These two will remain here for a couple more days. They can sleep in this room, and I'll bunk with Amir," he replies. "Go on now!" He waves her off and Collei disappears through the door.
"Wait a second!" cries Paimon. "Why can't we leave?"
"It's for your friend's own safety," Tighnari replies. Addressing me, he says, "I was planning to let you continue on your journey after you finished your medicine, but it appears that your mind is still fragile. You must stay in Gandharva Ville while you recuperate until further observation."
"I feel fine," I object. Really, I feel no ill effects at all – no remnants of headache or any physical pains. "Besides, we need to reach Sumeru City."
"Don't be so hasty. As long as you can discern right from wrong, I promise you will understand the gravity of the situation once I explain it to you in full." he says in a cautionary tone. "Few people are affected Spirit Borneol, and fewer still hallucinate. From what you've told me, not only did you fall unconscious, but you also experience a powerful hallucination. This suggests that your mind is not in the best of shape, however well you profess to feel."
"I'm sure no harm will come to me if I leave now," I protest. I don't want to stay here drinking bitter medicine every day.
"If you still don't believe me, take a whiff of this," Tighnari says, opening a jar from the shelf and waving it towards me.
A familiar scent wafts towards me, and I suddenly feel faint. Spices and colors. I press my hand against the wall for support, but Tighnari has pressed the lid back onto the offending jar. I take a few deep breaths to ground myself and glare at him, furious.
"See, even if you feel fine right now," he says, "you could pass out at any moment. As a forest watcher, it would be most negligent of me to let you walk into the perils of the forest in your current condition. Ferocious animals, dangerous ravines, who knows what you will encounter? Next time, you may not be so lucky to have Collei spot you in the bushes."
What are the chances of encountering another hermit scholar? I want to ask, but I stay quiet.
"Now, my recommendation is that you finish the course of your medicine and remain within this village where we can observe you, until you stop having adverse reactions to this substance," Tighnari says coolly.
"Fine," I say, giving in. A couple of nights couldn't hurt.
"Good. Now lay down and get some rest while I prepare another bowl of medicine for you," he says, seemingly relieved. With a nod at Paimon and me, he leaves us in silence.
Beside me, Paimon sighs. "Sumeru is a dangerous place. Paimon knows we need to find Lesser Lord Kusanali, but you don't look too good. It would probably be best if we stay here until you recover." I remain silent and stare out the window, so Paimon flies in front of my face and says, "Lumine! Are you even listening?"
"It's strange," I say slowly.
"What, your reaction to that incense?" she asks, concerned. "Or how you're feeling right now?"
"I mean my body does feel a little weird, but what I mean is," I say, "I don't think I was experiencing a hallucination."
"You mean your vision of the big tree and red skies was real?" Paimon says. "Are you sure your mind is okay?"
"I'm not sure," I say. "To your first question only," I add quickly. "It felt very real, like I was standing deep underground, but what did the reddish-violet skies signify? Does that tree have anything to do with Khaenri'ah?"
Paimon looks perplexed, but then agrees, "considering how different you are from the rest of us, Paimon trusts your judgment for now." She flies in a circle and comes back. "Why didn't you say something then? If Tighnari misdiagnosed you, it may cause more harm than good. He's cooking that medicine right now."
"You're missing the point," I say. "Did you notice how his eyes shifted when I mentioned that tree? He knows something, and he's trying to hide it from us."
"What could he be hiding?" Paimon asks.
"I don't know, but we need to find out," I say, "and it appears that Tighnari does not want to tell us."
Paimon nods in understanding. "So that's why you were so quiet earlier," she says, "but if he won't tell us, what do we do? They'll notice if we leave the village."
"We can start by talking to Collei," I say. "We will ask her about the Dendro Archon and Sumeru customs. It would not be unexpected, as we're strangers to this country." I lean back on my pillows and look out the window. The rays of setting sun cast a golden glow on the inside of this cottage. Despite our tumultuous arrival to Sumeru, I can't help but feel at peace with this lush land around us. Land of Dendro, here we are.