Thousand-Puppet Pavilion
Reminiscence: Threnodian - Leviathan
Nightmare: Crownless
Story & Voice
Lore beats, character story moments, and voice lines to learn more about Yangyang: Xuanling.
Character Story
1A Record of Failure
That evening, an extra pair of chopsticks sat on the family's table.
"I hear your child wants to join the military? Which one is it?" Over after-dinner talk, the guest sipped her tea and put the question to her parents.
"Mm... clear eyes, a pure heart. The sort who can endure hardship." The guest studied that still-childish face and smiled. "Seems you have some grounding already. Where did you learn it? A training hall? They teach no true craft there. If you want to take the field against an enemy, what they teach is not enough."
"Come, show me what you've learned so far." The guest rose and stepped down into the courtyard. "I can't enjoy your mother's cooking for free."
"All right." With her parents' nod, she drew out the wooden sword she used for daily practice, came before the guest, and took her stance.
Who the guest was, she didn't know, only that she was a friend of her parents. But sharp as she was, Yangyang understood why the woman had come to dinner that night, and why she'd offered to test her.
Her parents stood behind her wish, but they would have her see, too, how many trials still lay between her and its fulfillment.
She threw herself at her first trial, like a fledgling beating its wings for the first time, reaching for the open sky.
...
"Good spirit. A shame your talent is ordinary, nothing like those one-in-ten-thousand prodigies. On the path of the martial arts, you could give your whole life and still never reach the end."
The instant she sank to the ground, she felt as though she'd returned to her very first day at the training hall.
Knowing nothing. Lost and adrift.
"Your mother's spoken to me of your other gifts. Take up her craft instead, and I have no doubt you would surpass her in no time." The guest picked up the wooden sword she'd dropped. "Even so, do you still want to keep on?"
She nodded, reached out, and gripped the hilt held out to her.
...
After that, every dozen days or so the guest would call at Yangyang's home, and never left without offering Yangyang a pointer or two, now of swordplay, now of strategy. She wouldn't let Yangyang call her "Master," insisting she was only a guest cadging meals, driven by some strange whim to tutor a friend's child.
"If I may ask... when will I know that I'm ready?"
"Hmm... let's do it this way."
The next morning, a wooden post stood in Yangyang's yard. Black-gray through and through, its surface hard as iron. Even a real blade would struggle to leave a mark.
The guest took up Yangyang's wooden sword and swung it lightly. A fierce gust passed, and the blade had bitten three inches deep.
She pointed to the deep gash. "When you can do the same without your Resonance Ability, you'll be ready."
...
The seasons fled. Two years went by.
The girl's face had shed its childhood softness, and the post bore cuts beyond counting, deep and shallow alike.
She held her breath and squared her stance. The flash of the blade was like wind, lifting a carpet of leaves from the ground.
"..."
The stroke, freighted with two years of perseverance, sank scarcely a tenth of an inch past the surface.
Today was the day she'd agreed with her parents to leave home for Jinzhou.
She hadn't met the mark her "Master" had set before setting out, but set out she did.
She bowed deeply to the post and left the wooden sword behind in the courtyard.
After farewells to her parents and sister, she walked past Mingting's walls. Just as she was about to pass the first checkpoint, she caught sight of a figure in the distance.
"Forgive, Master. I failed."
"And what if I told you that you might never do it, not in a lifetime of trying?"
"Then I think... I'd grieve a little while."
"But that would not stop you, would it?"
"No."
"Good." The "Master" patted her head and turned away toward the city. "Know that this world holds things you'll never be able to do, and then..."
"...walk on, all the way."
2A Record of Beginnings
She once believed she had glimpsed the "truth." She once believed she knew, clear as day, for whom her sword should be raised. That she could weigh "right" against "wrong," tell "good" from "evil." That a measure lived in her heart. But the more places she walked, the more she found that measure could not be taken to everything in the world.
Some held pure goodwill at the start of their paths, yet had everything ended in tragedy. Some were steeped in sin, yet sheltered the happiness of others with that very evil. The world was too intricate, so intricate that a whole life might not be enough to fathom it.
And then there came a time when she let go even of fathoming.
It was in Yuezhou. A mother had begged her help in finding the child stolen from her.
The ones who took the child were a local faction that worshipped an evil god, a pack of maniacs whose hands were drenched in sin, creatures no longer fit for the word "human."
When she stormed their stronghold alongside the local
In that moment, every thought burned away in her mind. All that was good and fair, she flung far behind her.
...
It was only when the soldiers of the Ministry of War had finished clearing the field and clapped her shoulder that she realized it was over.
She heard a faltering drip, falling from her the tip of her sword where it bit the earth. Unbinding her hair, she found the ribbon her mother had given her soaked in a red too stark to bear.
She couldn't clearly recall what passed in that stretch of time. Had she taken a life? And if not this time, then so long as she walked this road, the day would come.
She knew that if she would not face so plain a truth, her sword would hold no true strength.
Still, the taste of it was bitter.
Setting out again, she washed her ribbon clean of its stain, but not the gloom from her eyes.
Even with that mother's heartfelt thanks, even having guarded the joy of the innocent, she couldn't return them a single honest smile.
Carrying that broken heart, she came alone into Jinzhou, and stood at the heart of a square that looked out toward the City Hall. She knew where she ought to go next, but her feet felt cast in lead, and she could not bring herself to take that one step.
...
"Hey—why're you standing here by yourself? Are you lost or something?"
"I'm Chixia, a Jinzhou Patroller—well, 'trainee' Patroller. Anything I can help with, just say the word! Oh right, are you hungry? Listen, when you're in Jinzhou you have to try Panhua's Restaurant..."
...Until a frank, easy girl her own age struck up a word with her. Until that girl took her hand and pulled her off toward all that she hadn't had the chance to know.
3A Record of Friendship
...
"Greetings. My name is Baizhi..."
"—Yangyang! What's for lunch today? Auntie called us over to try a new dish she made. Oh, but those Wuthercakes we had together last time were..."
"Pardon me, but the investigation begins this afternoon. I'm afraid there won't be time for the two of you to eat."
"Even an army marches on food. Whatever it is, it can wait till after we've eaten... and, uh, who are you...?"
"..."
That day, when those verdant eyes met the flame-red pupils for the first time, the very same thought likely rose in both their minds at once: "There's no way I'll ever get along with this person."
"Haha..." Two utterly different temperatures flanked her on either side, and yet, strangely, she felt neither awkward nor ill at ease.
It was as if she had known all along this meeting would come; as if it was written that the three of them should come to know one another just this way.
Tense as the air between them was, she thought, they were still looking at each other.
"Well then. Let's buy something to take along and eat on the way." She clapped her hands lightly and offered a middle path. "Baizhi, fieldwork takes stamina too. You can't head out on an empty stomach."
"Mm... a fair suggestion."
"Then let's try that place that opened last week... No. Yangyang, you decide."
That was the first time the three figures—blue, white, and red—walked side by side down the streets of Jinzhou.
...
"Yangyang, this is a new remedy Huaxu has just developed. Take it to Chixia, would you? A dose of this and her cold will clear up in a day or two."
"I can, of course. But Baizhi, won't you bring it to her yourself?"
"Mm..."
...
"Oh, Yangyang, Auntie Panhua fried up some dishes. Take them along. Isn't Baizhi working late tonight? These can be her midnight snack."
"I can, sure... but Chixia, you could bring them to her yourself, you know."
"Uh..."
...
And so the days went by, one after another. No memories cut to the bone, no dramatic turns like something out of a play.
Across countless days, plain as water, they came slowly to know one another, by ways direct and indirect.
"Baizhi, about the investigation coming up... Chixia happens to know that terrain well, so I made a point of asking the
"Ahem... for Yangyang's sake, that is. With me leading the way, nobody has to run all over the place, and the job goes quicker too..."
"Understood..." Baizhi closed the file in her hands and shut her eyes a moment in thought. "So then..."
"...What's for lunch today?"
4A Record Sealed Away
"You'll find yourself often roughing it in the wild being an Outrider, and your hair's a handful to manage. This hat should keep some of the wind and rain off. I think you'll find it quite practical."
"None of that matters, not a bit. What matters is—Yangyang's going to look lovely wearing it, right?"
"Thank you... Baizhi, Chixia."
She took the gift from her friends' hands and put it on her head.
And in that instant, she felt like reliving a scene from many years ago.
...
"...What is it, Yangyang?" At a temple fair ablaze with lanterns, her sister noticed her halted before a stall, gazing spellbound at something on the shelves. "Ah, is it that hat you want? Mm... not bad at all! Look, look, it's even got a little bird stitched on it."
"But it's so expensive..." She glanced at the price on the shelf, looked down at the coins clutched in her hand, and edged back a step. "Come on, sister. We said we'd go buy maltose candy together..."
"Mm! Knew it'd look great!" Before she could even come to herself, the hat was already sitting on her head.
"Sister...?! You can't just take what isn't yours..." She fluttered for a moment, then saw Suisui draw a pouch from who knows where and dangle it before her eyes.
"Hehe. Yangyang, you've got no idea how deep your big sister's pockets run." Suisui grinned slyly, coins jingling in the pouch. "It's just one hat. To my little treasury, that's a drop in the bucket."
"But that's money you worked so hard for..."
"Oh, what's the harm!" Suisui caught her hand and pulled her off toward the livelier stalls. "I'm your big sister! What's mine is yours, and what's yours is mine too, of course..."
...
To her, from the very moment of her birth, having a "big sister" was simply something she took for granted.
She took for granted the laughter and the roughhousing together. She took for granted the sharing of every little thing. She took for granted... her constant presence in each day of her life.
Not until she made that decision did she realize she was about to bid farewell to everything she'd once taken for granted.
If she didn't take that step, she could never become the "self" she longed to be. And if she did take it, every bond she knew and leaned on must be remade into something new.
She sealed everything about her sister away in her home in
She didn't know. But she did know that...
...Right here, right now, the warmth coming down from atop her head was no different from all those years ago.
She knew she was no longer the little girl who'd run after her sister through the temple fair.
She knew her sister's next letter would arrive next month.
5An Unsent Record
When you first awoke, you had forgotten everything. Yet those golden eyes of yours tell me that what you carry, what you've lived through, may reach far beyond anything I can imagine.
You always rush to the front of everyone without hesitation. You're always set on putting yourself at the eye of the storm.
Is that a choice you make? Or has it already become instinct?
You always... take a bigger step than the rest. And no matter how many once walked at your side, you always... end up where none of us can follow.
But I don't believe there's any such thing as a soul fated to be alone.
Maybe I only want to do this for my own sake.
I just want to protect someone... well... someone who knows so little about protecting {Male=himself;Female=herself}.
Though the time we shared may be, against the whole of your journey, no more than a single wave on a boundless sea.
Still, this feeling, this impulse... It has nothing to do with worthiness or with time.
It's simply my own... extravagant wish.
I hope that, in joy or in sorrow, through fair days or foul, when you need someone to lean on, when you need someone to confide in, I can be standing at your side.
I hope...
...
Her pen tip came to a stop.
She stared at the half-written letter, reading it over, silently, again and again.
In the end, she folded the sheet, slipped it into an envelope, and tucked it away beneath her drawer.
She drew out a fresh sheet and began to write again.
Rover, how have you been lately? Is everything going well?
Voice Lines
Thoughts: I
...I thought that when I saw you again, words would come pouring out—so many that I wouldn't know where to start. But... now that you're really here, my heart is so full of joy that it pushed everything else away.
Thoughts: II
A lot has happened in <te href=850091>Jinzhou</te> while you were away. I've written to you about the long and short of it. Yet, some stories are just better told face to face, right? So, the adventures you mentioned in your letters—the <te href=850109>Black Shores</te>, <te href=850097>Ragunna</te>, Septimont, and <te href=260004>Lahai-Roi</te>—would you share them with me again?
Thoughts: III
The role of a Xuan Watcher... Though it's only a temporary undertaking, I'm still orienting myself. Sometimes I catch myself worrying about Jinzhou. But Chixia, Baizhi, <te href=850118>Magistrate Jinhsi</te>, and General Jiyan... these names bring peace just at their mentioning. I hope that one day, my name can bring that same reassurance to others.
Thoughts: IV
The night before I left for Xuanfang Hold, I had a nightmare... In it, I was searching for a person... someone I'd never actually met. It wasn't until I woke up that I realized that person was <i>you</i>. But like what you said in your letter—a dream is only a dream. Now that I can see you, touch you, and feel you... I don't think I'll ever have a dream like that again.
Thoughts: V
I know that after this reunion, the time will come for us to part again. But this time, our shared memories are the stories we lived, we didn't have to reduce them to words in letters. And, through the bittersweetness of our parting, our next meeting may be all the more worth looking forward to... Who knows? Maybe next time, I'll be the one coming to see you.
Yangyang's Hobby
My sister used to take me kite-flying all the time. She'd joke that as long as I was there, we could catch a breeze even on a windless day. But when we were competing to see whose kite flew higher, she'd watch me like a hawk to make sure I didn't cheat—not that she'd stand a chance catching me if I did.
Yangyang's Trouble
I've crossed paths with all kinds of people on this journey. Some walked with me, some passed me by, and some... drew the line against me. With them, there was no middle ground nor room for compromises, no matter how much of ourselves we shared. I know there will be more of this kind the further down this path. But it won't stop me from moving forward. My ideals and faith have forged the blade I carry. It protects at the same time as it cuts... Should the day come when I must point it at others... my resolve was made long ago.
Favorite Food
My mother's cooking... My sister and I both love it. Though neither of us can say we love it as much as Father does. After all, it was her cooking that captured my father's... Ahem—if you're curious about its taste, {PlayerName}, I could try my hand at it. I haven't quite mastered her touch yet, but... I'd probably improve faster with a good taste tester.
Disliked Food
Food I dislike? Hm... I'm not a picky eater. But when it comes down to it... eating alone makes the heartiest meal taste bland.
Ideals
Protection takes many forms. It can be stepping up for the defenseless, lifting someone out of hardship, or simply offering a quiet ear for someone who's hurting. But whatever the case may be, you must be strong enough to support others. That is why I must press on along my path. I don't dream of gaining the power to protect the world, but for now... I want to stand by your side. Together, I believe we can protect so much more.
Show more voice lines (68 remaining)
Chat: I
The sword once enshrined in Xianling Village... I didn't realize until the very end that it carried a faint trace of a Xuanling Bird's frequency. Their last songs were echoes of agony and grief. But I can sense the undercurrent of love and longing layered within. It's a melody intricately woven with many sounds, a tribute to life.
Chat: II
I had never been to <te href=270001>Xuanfang</te> before, and yet... the Streams here feel strangely familiar. After learning the legend of the Xuanling Birds, I've started to sense their presence in the Streams... If only they still existed in the world—no, call it a hunch, but I know they shall re-emerge, and one day, the people of Xuanfang will see them soaring through the skies once more.
About Suisui
My sister... she's always been a pillar of confidence and reliability. I grew up following in her footsteps, convinced there was nothing in this world she couldn't handle. She's not perfect—she can be stubborn and has a bad temper. Sometimes, I catch a glimpse of her vulnerable side when she tries to compose herself and she thinks I won't notice. To the world, she wears many masks: the noble lady of a great house, a cunning rival, the resourceful president of the commerce guild. But to me, she is simply my sister.
About Jinhsi
<te href=850118>Magistrate Jinhsi</te>... she carries herself with such poise that it masks her age. I wonder if she feels she doesn't measure up to more experienced leaders, or to the person she envisions herself becoming. What she doesn't see is that, to me and to every citizen of Jinzhou she's ever helped, she's already the best Magistrate we could have asked for.
About Cartethyia
The Blessed Maiden of Rinascita, a wandering knight... I can picture her drifting across the land of Rinascita like untethered winds from here on. You see a resemblance between us? Well, our Tacet Marks are both on our foreheads. Though that's probably just a coincidence. We can both transform, too—uh, not in the same way... But when it comes to it, if I could transform into a more "mature" version of myself—Hmm, I don't think I can quite picture that.
About Liangyu
In <te href=270001>Xuanfang</te>, Liangyu has been such a huge help to me. Since I'm serving as an acting Xuan Watcher, that technically makes her my superior. She often wears a frown, but once you get to know her, you'll see how deeply she cares for the people she holds dear. Like soft spring rain that quietly nourishes the land, she gives so much of herself in secret—and she gets so shy whenever anyone finds out.
About Mother
My mother... She was once a renowned composer in <te href=850093>Huanglong</te>. Father told me she won a music competition when she was even younger than I am now. These days, she's stepped away from the spotlight to focus on our family. Some people say her talent has faded, but that, of course, is only a rumor. My sister and I grew up surrounded by her compositions. They far outnumber even Father's vast collection of books.
About Father
When I was little, Father always told my sister and me that he was just an ordinary teacher, desiring nothing but an early retirement. It wasn't until much later that I realized what kind of "important figures" his students were... The day I left for <te href=850091>Jinzhou</te>, he gave me a pen. He said that whether I was happy or sad, it was better to write things down than to keep them bottled up inside. He was worried that I wouldn't find someone to confide in while I was away, but fortunately, I found you.
About the Streams
The Streams... For the longest time, they weren't actual voices. But at some point, something changed. A faint, flickering echo emerged, like a distant, dreamlike call. Since then, I've begun to hear so much more, from both the past and the present. I don't know yet what this shift means, but I've braced myself for whatever it may bring. The wind has taught and guided me. Perhaps, it's up to me to search for the final answer. And I believe it lies within the wind.
Birthday Wishes
Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you... Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you... As always, this song is specially for you.
Idle: I
Fly... Fly high...
Idle: II
Mm... Hehe...
Idle: III
...Phew, a long journey starts with a single step.
Self-Introduction
Former <te href=850139>Outrider</te> of the <te href=850086>Midnight Rangers</te>, now the acting Xuan Watcher of Xuanfang Hold—Yangyang. Oh, was that a bit too formal? Mm... a lot has changed, so I figured a proper reintroduction was expected. But between the two of us, no more needs to be said, right? Anyway, let's keep looking out for each other out there.
Greeting
...Long time no see, {PlayerName}.
Join Team: I
Follow the wind's lead.
Join Team: II
I'm right here with you.
Join Team: III
Don't worry. Leave it to me.
Ascension: I
I'll learn to master this power as quickly as I can...!
Ascension: II
Sounds could be weighty. Jadeite could be made light.
Ascension: III
In the surging currents of the Streams, I hear the constant whispering of the name—"Votary of the Voice." Does it refer to me? Or...?
Ascension: IV
These wings will soar across the skies and the wilds, reach shores no one has set foot on before... and build a bridge that channels all voices of the world.
Ascension: V
I entrust this feather to you. It's more than a charm—it's my vow. Even if your journey takes you somewhere winds don't blow; even if the Streams no longer carry your voice... As long as you carry it and call my name, I will find my way back to you.
Basic Attack: I
Not a chance!
Basic Attack: II
Winds, on me!
Basic Attack: III
Tempest!
Basic Attack: IV
Gone with the wind!
Heavy Attack: I
Sever the discord!
Heavy Attack: II
Set the tone!
Heavy Attack: III
Drain the foul!
Aerial Attack: I
Fall!
Aerial Attack: II
To the ground!
Aerial Attack: III
Let the winds roar!
Aerial Attack: IV
Sounds flow!
Aerial Attack: V
All shapes dissipate!
Resonance Skill: I
Blade of righteousness...
Resonance Skill: II
Stance shift!
Resonance Skill: III
Feathers to blades!
Resonance Skill: IV
Strike the wicked!
Resonance Skill: V
Winds return!
Resonance Skill: VI
Swift as wings!
Resonance Liberation: I
All sounds... ceased!
Resonance Liberation: II
All world, fall to silence!
Resonance Liberation: III
Wings unbound, silence resounds!
Intro Skill: I
Ceaseless sounds!
Intro Skill: II
My blade sings!
Intro Skill: III
Voice unleashed!
Intro Skill: IV
I've got this, Sister!
Intro Skill: V
Rain ceases, wind rises!
Dodge
Saw that coming!
Counterattack: I
Reverse!
Counterattack: II
Deflect!
Dodge Counter
Weakness exposed!
Injured: I
...Getting rough.
Injured: II
...Stay focused!
Injured: III
I must... protect everyone...
Fallen: I
Deafening... silence...
Fallen: II
Sorry... I couldn't...
Fallen: III
The Streams... have stopped...
Echo Summon
Harnessed from the source.
Echo Transform
Channeled as my blade!
Enemies Near
The Streams cautioned... Watch out!
Glider
Spread my wings.
Sensor
The wind brings a message.
Dash
Stay close to me.
Supply Chest: I
A gift from the wind.
Supply Chest: II
Hope you find these useful.
Supply Chest: III
Every bit counts.