[
System Notification : Extract Shadow ?
]
His eyes widened as his breath caught in his throat.
The system wanted him to use Arise. To bring her back—not as Paimon, but as a shadow. It reminded him of a similar case in Solo Levelling, an anime show he'd grown to love.
The temptation was there since she could come back and explain the visions and the glitches in his System.
But… at what cost? The loss of her free will.
Aden stared at her face. Even in death, there was a peacefulness he hadn't seen in her for years. In this world, she'd been tormented, emaciated and twisted by forces he still didn't understand. She had fought something alone for two decades—and now… she could finally rest.
To pull her back as a shadow slave was to rob her of that.
He closed the notification.
He wouldn't do it.
He wrapped her body in his cloak and leapt from the window, riding the wind silently with his newfound Anemo powers. He flew until he reached Starfell Lake.
A quiet, beautiful place—where the water always shimmered and the wind whispered gently through the grass. The same place where, all those years ago, when he started the video game, their journey together had truly begun. When he first accessed the powers of a Statue of the Seven.
He found a secluded grove near the Statue of the Seven and began to dig.The earth was soft and the work was silent.
He laid her down, folding her hands gently across her chest, her tiny body wrapped in his cloak.
When the final handful of dirt covered her, Aden collapsed beside the grave.
"I'm sorry, Paimon" he whispered.
Flashbacks began to rush through his mind.
"Paimon is not emergency food!" she'd always say.
He smiled faintly at the memory. He remembered her excitement at collecting Mora, the way her eyes sparkled every time treasure was near.
He recalled her panick during their battles with Stormterror, the way she remained at his side during their confrontation with the Raiden Shogun. How she cried with joy when they helped free Nahida.
He sat beside the grave long after it was filled.
Genshin without her, felt… hollow.
The following morning, Jean was the happiest mother in Teyvat when Aether (Aden) showed her his anemo power. Despite the wrinkles of age starting to show at the corners of her mouth, her smile was just as vibrant as when he first saw it twenty years ago.