Chapter Eighteen: The Enigma of Amnesia

"Paimon can’t remember either."

When asked by the Traveler, little Paimon scratched her head, furrowing her brows as she tried hard to recall past memories, but in the end, she just shook her head and said she couldn’t remember.

“Can’t remember?” The Traveler frowned slightly, his eyes full of puzzlement.

“Yeah!” Paimon nodded. “I only remembered some things from Teyvat when I saw the game you showed me before meeting you. Before that, I had no memory of anything related to Teyvat at all.”

The Traveler frowned deeper in confusion. “Then, Paimon, how did you and Lingfeng meet outside of Teyvat?”

When he and Lumine first met Lingfeng, Paimon was already by Lingfeng’s side.

They had instinctively assumed that Paimon and Lingfeng, like him and Lumine, had been together since the beginning of their journey.

After all, from appearances alone, little Paimon looked like a mascot.

Who would think to ask where a mascot came from?

So, they never questioned how Lingfeng and Paimon knew each other.

But now, it seemed Paimon had no memories of Teyvat, and Lingfeng never mentioned Teyvat when talking about his past, which likely meant he had forgotten as well.

If both Lingfeng and Paimon had no recollection of their past in Teyvat, then how did they begin their journey beyond Teyvat together?

At that moment, the Traveler recalled two days ago...

Since Paimon’s awakening, as he and Lumine regained their memories, the first thing that surfaced in their minds upon seeing Paimon was the game deeply connected to them: “Genshin Impact.”

At first, they thought it was just a coincidence.

After all, this was a world created by Lingfeng himself, so it wasn’t strange that some things might be subtly influenced by his memories.

This game called “Genshin Impact” might have been shaped under Lingfeng’s memory’s influence, making the Traveler and Lumine the protagonists, and Paimon their guide in the game world, leading them on adventures.

It coincidentally matched the impression the three of them held in Lingfeng’s heart.

Until two days ago, when Lumine, intrigued, played “Genshin Impact” with Paimon, Paimon suddenly told them she had met Lingfeng in Teyvat and that many events in the game were things they had actually experienced.

Only then did the Traveler and Lumine realize this game was more than just a game.

They wanted to ask Paimon more about Teyvat, but she said she couldn’t remember clearly.

However, Paimon vaguely recalled that Lingfeng once told her he was actually replacing someone else to fulfill a predetermined journey in Teyvat.

Based on this and their past encounter with Lingfeng, the Traveler and Lumine quickly pieced together the story.

They knew Lingfeng had a kind of precognitive ability.

So it was likely that after rescuing them from the quantum storm, Lingfeng foresaw the fate they were meant to face in Teyvat.

According to the storyline of “Genshin Impact,” one of the twins would be the savior of Teyvat.

Without them, Teyvat would most likely face destruction.

But at that time, the siblings couldn’t go to Teyvat because of the quantum storm.

Knowing Lingfeng’s character, he wouldn’t want to see a world lose its chance to survive because of his mistake.

So, Lingfeng decided to replace the two siblings and complete the predetermined journey in Teyvat himself.

Why Lingfeng didn’t just use his immense power to fix Teyvat’s problems...

Well—there are many things in this world that strength alone cannot resolve.

Just considering the twins’ experiences across many worlds, there are many possible reasons Lingfeng didn’t do so.

Perhaps Teyvat had some special nature, or it was something about Lingfeng himself.

But the exact reason was probably known only to Lingfeng.

Returning to the topic, the Traveler had initially thought Paimon couldn’t recall much because she had just awakened.

He asked the earlier question to see if Paimon would remember anything after witnessing their first encounter with Lingfeng.

But according to Paimon, she hadn’t been able to remember anything about Teyvat throughout their past journey, not just since awakening.

This was quite unusual.

Who had caused Paimon, and even Lingfeng, to lose memories of Teyvat?

With Lingfeng’s power, who could have done such a thing?

Unless...

“I know who did it!” Before the Traveler could continue his thoughts, little Paimon eagerly raised her tiny hand and exclaimed.

She struck her iconic hands-on-hips pose again, looking more proud than before, and boasted, “Lingfeng put something on Paimon that only he could willingly give, something no one else could get. It’s a token. Whenever he sees this token, he knows Paimon is his dearest partner!”

Hearing this, some of the Traveler’s doubts eased, and a quiet curiosity arose within him, wondering what mysterious item Lingfeng had given Paimon.

Before he could ask, Lumine, who had just come back to her senses, also asked curiously, “Paimon, what kind of token is it? Can I see it?”

The Traveler’s heart skipped a beat as he sensed a slight abnormality in Lumine’s tone.

Having known his sister for years, he quickly realized she was jealous.

(Lumine: Why has Lingfeng never given me something so special? (▼へ▼メ))

He looked at little Paimon, who was oblivious, and tried to signal her with his eyes, hoping she would be cautious and not show it.

If Lumine tried to snatch it, he wasn’t sure he could stop her.

If that happened, in this world where no supernatural powers could be used, helpless little Paimon would probably just watch Lumine gleefully hold the prize while protesting weakly.

With Lingfeng gone, the power balance between Lumine and Paimon had reversed.

Under such circumstances, Paimon was completely at a disadvantage against Lumine, having already been bullied many times lately.

(Lumine: The resentment I’ve held in my heart finally has a chance to vent. Hmph, hahaha, hehehe!!!)

Fortunately, Paimon’s next response thwarted Lumine’s scheming, much to the Traveler’s relief.

(Traveler: Phew, dodged a family violence incident.)

“Ugh, Paimon doesn’t know either.” Paimon hung her head in disappointment, like a deflated balloon. “Paimon only knows Lingfeng put the item on her, but Paimon can’t find it.”

The Traveler immediately understood—it was probably a special token only Lingfeng himself could see.

However, even without that token, the Traveler felt Lingfeng would still choose to bring Paimon along after losing his memory, just like when they first met in Teyvat.

When bonds between people grow deep enough, they no longer rely solely on memory.

Profound connections and tacit understanding gradually settle, becoming habits and instincts rooted deep within.

Knowing Lingfeng as he did, once he felt that instinctive closeness to Paimon, even if he couldn’t remember her, he would follow his heart and choose to take her along.

“Huh? Lumine, what are you doing?”

Just as the Traveler thought the family drama had been avoided, Lumine, obsessed with matters related to Lingfeng, clearly wasn’t ready to give up so easily.

She suddenly grabbed the downhearted Paimon off the sofa, holding her tightly.

Her hands searched over Paimon as if seeking some rare treasure, causing Paimon to squirm and protest loudly.

After a fruitless search, Lumine reluctantly put Paimon back and plopped down on the sofa, resting her face on her hands and puffing out her cheeks in displeasure.

The Traveler sighed helplessly; he was at a complete loss dealing with his headstrong little sister.

In fact, he had long grown used to Lumine bullying Paimon during their past travels.

Though Paimon was stronger back then, as a simple mascot, she was utterly inept at mind games, repeatedly falling victim to Lumine’s tricks.

But Lumine had been cautious not to go too far, fearing Paimon might snap and fight back.

At first, Lumine had been deceived by Paimon’s appearance, unaware of the power gap, and had suffered for it.

Later, she became smarter, always teasing Paimon to the edge of eruption and then stopping just in time, leaving Paimon furious but powerless to vent.

Now, with no need to worry about strength differences, Lumine had completely shed her restraint and acted without inhibition.

The Traveler shook his head; there was nothing he could do—only Lingfeng could intervene.

He just hoped that when they met Lingfeng again, Paimon would have a strong ally to resist the “Great Demon Queen” Lumine…