I Accidentally Got Isekai'd To Teyvat!

Alright. New loop. Same smell. Possibly worse. Definitely more dust.

I've had enough of this shit.

I mean, don't get me wrong, beating up Azar? Therapeutic. Extremely satisfying. Ten outta ten, would punch again.

But we still haven't saved Dunyarzad, which means everything we've done up to this point has basically been the equivalent of beating up a fire hydrant while your house is still on fire.

"I've had enough of this shit," I muttered under my breath. Again. For maybe the sixth time this loop.

Lumine, ever the graceful chaos queen, gave me a small sigh and nodded. "Alright. Let's head back to Nahida first."

I grinned. "Yep. Time to visit my designated stress reliever."

Paimon blinked. "You mean Nahida?"

"Obviously. Little radish has emotional support capabilities. FDA-approved. Probably."

So off we went. Back to the shrine, or the tree, or wherever Nahida was meditating her divine little heart out.

As usual, the moment I saw her, I didn't even hesitate. I picked her up like a sacred plush toy and plopped her on my shoulders.

Greg, my ever-suffering shoulder buddy, squeaked indignantly. And like clockwork, he evac'd to Lumine's shoulder with the speed of a traumatized pigeon.

Paimon just stared, mouth half open. "You're just gonna keep doing that, huh?"

"Until she files a formal complaint or throws me with psychic powers, yes."

Nahida let out a little laugh. "I don't mind. I like the view from up here."

See? Supportive. 10/10. Would carry again.

But then Paimon's voice piped up with the grace of an airhorn at a funeral. "...We're still in the same day!"

Lumine crossed her arms. "As expected. It's not as simple as we thought."

Paimon whipped around to Nahida, all righteous indignation. "Wait a second—you knew last night that we didn't break out of the samsara! Why didn't you tell us?!"

Nahida blinked gently, like a cat watching someone panic over spilled water. "Would there have been a point? You would've spent the night with new worries, with tomorrow still out of reach."

"Wow," I said. "So you lied to us for bedtime story purposes."

"I didn't lie," she said sweetly. "I just curated your emotional arc."

"Same thing."

Nahida smiled again. "I thought a brief moment of hope might help you clear your minds."

Paimon puffed up. "Paimon thought the dook-dook did that! ...Ugh, whatever. I guess you were looking out for us after all."

Nahida tilted her head. "Of course. In the time we've been together, you two have been everything to me."

Paimon choked on air. "Uh... Paimon's flattered and everything, but maybe you're taking things a little fast..."

Nahida giggled. "What I mean is, even though I asked you to solve this puzzle, you're still the only ones who can see me. If you weren't here... I might as well not exist. That's why you've been everything to me."

"Okay, now that's the most poetic existential crisis I've ever heard," I muttered.

Greg nodded solemnly. Which was weird. Because he's a Lizard.

Paimon blinked. "Uhh... Nahida's talking about confusing stuff again..."

"Don't worry," I whispered. "She's just being Moon-core."

Nahida clapped her hands once. "Anyway! Enough chit-chat. So, Traveler—did the new clues help you gain a better understanding of the situation?"

Lumine's face turned Serious Mode. "The time loop theory is incorrect."

I blinked. "Wait what? Since when?!"

Paimon whirled around. "Huh?! Why are you scrapping your theory?!"

Lumine pointed calmly. "Dehya's been improving in combat. Dunyarzad's condition is worsening. In a simple loop, everyone's physical state should reset."

"Unless Dehya is just secretly grinding XP during bathroom breaks," I offered.

Nobody laughed.

Rude.

Nahida gave a soft nod. "So what's your new hypothesis?"

There was a dramatic pause. I adjusted Nahida on my shoulders like she was a GPS recalculating directions.

Lumine said, "We aren't in a time loop... Our memories are being erased."

Paimon gasped. "Ooooh! So that beep we hear every night... It's not a restart sound—it's a delete notification!"

I tapped my chin. "So it's like, 'Congratulations! Your brain has been formatted! Would you like to install Windows Confusion 11?'"

Greg made a sound. Even he didn't find it funny. Harsh crowd.

Paimon nodded frantically. "That's why people still think it's the day before! It's the next day—but their memories are gone! And muscle memory can't be wiped—that's why Dehya's improving!"

Nahida looked at us like proud teacher watching students solve math with crayons. "A brilliant deduction."

Paimon preened. "So are we right?!"

Nahida: "To put it simply, it's like mistaking a Pyro Crystalfly for a firefly in the night. You lose sight of its true nature when you focus only on the glow."

Paimon stared. "...That isn't simple at all!"

Lumine frowned. "Still the wrong conclusion?"

Nahida tilted her head again. "Why don't you go talk to Miss Dehya again? You might learn something new."

Paimon nodded. "Right. She did help us last time. Let's go!"

Lumine turned to me. "You coming?"

I waved her off. "Nah. You go. I'm gonna try something weird and potentially illegal."

They stared at me.

I shrugged. "Hey, someone's gotta be the wildcard. Might as well lean in."

Lumine sighed. Paimon rolled her eyes. They left.

I gently lowered Nahida onto the ground and dropped into the nearest chair like a man preparing to make horrible decisions with too much confidence and not enough sleep.

"Alright, little radish," I said. "Time to go full chaotic mode. I might actually squeeze out the last two functioning brain cells I've got."

Nahida smiled, her voice gentle but firm. "You already know who you are, don't you? You've been through so much, and yet here you are, still standing, still making jokes like the world isn't falling apart around you. That kind of resilience... it's not something that can be faked."

She paused for a moment, then added more softly, "And even when the timeline shifts, even when the world forgets—some truths cling to the soul. You are not just a visitor in this world, Shigeru. You are becoming a part of it."

I blinked, then grinned. "Wow, that was deep. Like... 'philosopher-tree-deep.' Do you teach poetry on the side or something?"

I leaned forward slightly, hands in his pockets. "But hey, if the world's gonna keep dragging me into existential crises, at least I got cool people like you, Lumine, and Paimon along for the ride. And snacks. Preferably with cheese. Or skewers. Or those really spicy noodles."

She touched her fingers together, murmured a few words, and closed her eyes.

I exhaled. Then closed mine.

Time to do the stupidest thing I've ever done.

And I once tried to deep fry a Radish Slime.

Let's go.

***

Okay.

What the actual flying onion-scented hell is happening.

This isn't just your usual Monday-level crisis. This is like waking up, realizing you're in a dream, realizing the dream is looping, then realizing you forgot to bring pants to the dream and your math teacher is a floating radish. Or—worse—Nahida's disappointed in you.

Which she probably is.

Because right now? I'm supposed to be the guy who knows this. I've played this game. I've sat through this arc. I've simped Nilou. Cried over Nahida's suffering. I know what the fuck this is supposed to be.

But I don't remember how it ended.

GOD—PAIMON WHERE IS MY MEMORY DLC—

And okay look, I remember fighting scorpions and giant bird ladies. I remember trauma. But the specific part where the world loops like a scratched DVD? That part's hazy.

Nahida was standing nearby, calm and mysterious as always, but hella cute—like a tiny omnipotent plant CEO who probably owns stock in existential crises. Her head tilted slightly, eyes gleaming with quiet understanding—or pity. Probably pity. Yeah.

"So," she finally asked, her voice soft, "What are your conclusions?"

I blinked. My mind scrambled to find a coherent sentence, juggling thoughts like 'I forgot to save my game' and 'Do plants dream of electro sheep?'

"I think... I think we're in a time loop," I muttered, rubbing my temple. "But it's not just any loop. Something feels wrong. Like... like something's missing. Like we're being erased—not just reset."

I paused. "Like someone's slowly hitting the delete key on everyone's souls."

She nodded.

Bitch. She knew.

"And... I think it has to do with dreams. Right?"

Nahida smiled faintly. "Yes. You're beginning to understand."

I squinted at her. "You've read my mind before, haven't you?"

Another nod. "I have. And your origin... it's not the same as Lumine or Paimon's. Not even close. What you see, what you think—your thoughts are layered, tangled in places I can't fully grasp. But you hide it under that foolish smile. That's why I trust you to figure this out."

...Goddamn.

Nahida really out here giving me an existential performance review.

Still, her words sat heavy. Because they were true. I've always hidden my thoughts behind jokes. Behind grins. Behind "hey look over there, I'm gonna eat this suspicious mushroom" type energy. But inside?

I've been thinking. Overthinking. Always thinking.

I started pacing. "Okay. Okay. Think, Allen. I mean—Shigeru. Same guy. Different existential crisis."

And now it clicks.

I know how this ends.

The Irminsul.

I gasp like someone just hit me with a divine brick of lore.

"Nahida... the Irminsul. That's it, isn't it? That's what's at the core of this whole samsara. The dream loop—it's not just repeating time. It's rewriting memories.

This place, this cycle, is siphoning information. Realities. Replacing history with fabricated dreams. And we're trapped in it."

Nahida's eyes sparkle. "You've realized it."

"Because," I continue, pacing now, the pieces clicking faster than a spammed mouse button. "The Akademiya—those robe-wearing bastards—used forbidden knowledge to manipulate dreams via the Sabzeruz Festival. Dunyarzad, the loop, the city—everything here is being rewritten over and over again. But the cost of looping isn't just time—it's existence."

"Correct."

I snap my fingers. "Fucking knew it. That's why I felt off. Why people around us seem duller. Their sense of self is eroding. Memories aren't just erased—they're overwritten. This isn't a loop. It's a slow deletion."

Nahida gave a small hum. "Exactly. But what must be done to stop it?"

I paused, rubbing my chin. "Okay... to stop the Samsara, we need to disrupt the dream's origin point—the source from which it continuously draws and rewrites reality. That source is the Irminsul, specifically how it's connected to the collective consciousness of Sumeru's people.

"They've anchored this cycle to the day of the Sabzeruz Festival. Every night, when everyone sleeps, the dream recreates the day again. It's a fake reality projected into everyone's minds. That's why people don't notice—it feels real, because their memories are being overwritten with fabricated ones the moment they wake up."

Nahida nodded with increasing seriousness. "And the longer the loop persists, the harder it becomes to extract the truth. The Irminsul branches absorb more false data and overwrite what once was."

"Right. So to break it, we need to plant a contradiction—a truth strong enough to clash with the dream logic. Once that contradiction roots itself, it'll cascade into the rest of the network. Like a glitch. Enough to wake the dreamers—or collapse the entire dream world."

"You're speaking of the Truth Anchor."

I snap again. "YES! Exactly! If I can remember something the dream can't overwrite—something real—and inject it into the loop, we might destabilize the whole thing."

Nahida smiled. "That is the key. And I believe only you have the capacity to do so. Your origin is detached from this world's logic."

My brain's doing somersaults now.

I'm literally a walking virus in their dream OS.

Hell yeah.

My eyes flicked over to Dunyarzad, who was quietly sitting nearby. Her eyes half-lidded, exhausted. And yet—there was a faint smile. Like something inside her believed we'd win.

I sigh.

"...We made it just in time, huh?"

Nahida nodded again, serene. "If we delayed further, Dunyarzad's existence would've been lost to the dream entirely.""Damn. If we waited any longer, you'd have to jump in too, little Radish."

She blinked, then gave a tiny amused huff. "You always call me that. I suppose I've grown used to it. It's kind of cute, in your weird way."

"Affectionate. Don't worry about it."

She rolled her eyes—like she's used to my crap. Which she is. And yet she still hangs out with me. Queen.

I cracked a grin. "Well. With Lumine running around trying every plan possible and me being the wildcard idiot genius that I am, we bought ourselves some precious time."

"And you've used it well."

"Oh please, I've been winging this entire thing. I'm one intrusive thought away from proposing to a statue if it had answers."

Nahida giggled softly.

I stood up, stretching dramatically. My signature grin plastered on my face like a sticker I refuse to peel off.

"Guess what, Nahida?"

She tilted her head. "What?"

I pointed at the sky. "Fuck you, Akademiya. You can't hold this idiot down."

I turned to Nahida, placing a hand over my chest like I'm in a musical.

"Alright, little Radish. It's time for me to mess things up. I'm about to make those old robes cry into their dusty records."

She smiled. Warmly.

I winked.

It's showtime.

***

Alright.

Let's get one thing straight.

I looked smart.

Which usually means something terribly stupid is about to happen.

Moments later, just as Nahida vanished somewhere with sparkly wisdom and tiny footsteps, Lumine and Paimon showed up—tired, dragging their feet, and looking like they've just run a marathon inside a philosophy lecture.

"Ughh... still nothing," Lumine muttered, sweat on her brow. "We even tried checking different spots around the city. I was thinking of testing what happens if we try to leave the city next."

"Ohh? Leave the city?" I said, grinning like a guy who definitely knew the plot twist before the loading screen.

They both paused. That's all it took.

That split second where I tilted my head, smiled, and squinted like the sun was made of smugness.

Lumine stared at me. Paimon stared harder.

"...Wait a second," Lumine narrowed her eyes. "You figured it out, didn't you?"

"That's his stupid face," Paimon added. "That's his 'I-know-something-but-won't-tell-you-until-you-suffer' face!"

Even Greg flicked the back of my head with his tiny lizard claw from my shoulder. That little traitor.

Lumine folded her arms. "Well? What is it?"

I clasped my hands behind my head. "Alright, alright, I'll tell you—just don't throw fruit at me this time."

"We only did that once," Paimon snapped.

I cleared my throat and began walking in circles like I was giving a TED Talk inside a glitchy dream.

"So. The entire Sabzeruz Festival? It's a loop. A Samsara. But not just your average repeat-y kind. This one is dreams on top of dreams. The Akademiya used the Sabzeruz Festival as a cover-up to rerun the same day over and over through dream manipulation. The Irminsul feeds false memories back into everyone's minds while they sleep. People think they're living a new day—but they're not. It's all fabricated."

"Uh huh..." Lumine said, trying her best to look focused.

"Wait, wait—lemme cook more!" I held out a finger dramatically. "The real kicker? Every time the loop resets, parts of people's existence start fading. Like, poof. Gone. Not just their memories—who they are gets erased slowly. Because the dream is overwriting reality itself. Not even just looping it—full-on dream hijack."

Paimon blinked. "Paimon's brain is overheating."

Lumine tilted her head. "I think... I get it. But also... I don't."

"Perfect reaction," I said proudly. "That means it's working."

Paimon scratched her head. "So what now, mister 'I know the answers but make it sound confusing'?"

"We break it," I said, dead serious. "We plant a contradiction inside the dream. Something the system can't overwrite. Something so real, it forces the entire Samsara to collapse."

Lumine perked up. "The Truth Anchor."

"DING DING DING!" I pointed at her like she just won a prize. "You're picking up on my genius, I see."

"Barely," she muttered.

Greg gave a disapproving side-eye.

"But seriously," I continued, "we need to get the others involved. Start whispering truths into the cracks. Nudge their minds. Break the illusion from within. That's how we save Dunyarzad, and everyone else."

I turned to Nahida—well, the spot where she was. Still, I imagined she was floating somewhere watching me through 27 different surveillance Sumeru trees.

"Catch up to you later, little Radish," I whispered with a grin. "We'll save everyone, just like we promised."

Nahida smiled, soft and knowing. "Don't forget, Shigeru. This is still a delicate realm of dreams. Be careful with your chaos."

"No promises!" I waved.

"Alright!" I clapped my hands once. "Let's go break some dreams."

And so we moved, like freedom-wielding clowns with a mission.

Cue Dream-Crashing Montage (Internally Narrated by Yours Truly):

We moved fast.

Lumine would walk up to people like, "Hey, don't you think it's weird that it's always the Sabzeruz Festival?"

Paimon would yell random truths like, "YOU ATE MUSHROOM SOUP YESTERDAY NOT TODAY!"

Meanwhile, I was poking scholars with sticks, whispering, "Hey bro, if today's today... then why do you have the same breakfast as yesterday... and the day before that? Hm?!"

Some started hesitating.

Some got headaches.

Some told me to go away.

But the cracks were forming.

We visited Dunyarzad again. This time, her eyes fluttered—her breathing steadier.

"Did we do it?" Paimon whispered.

"Almost," I said. "We need one last nudge."

That's when I remembered the dance. The one she wanted to see. Nilou. The emotional anchor of it all.

I whispered something to Lumine, and she nodded.

The next scene was pure emotion. Nilou danced under the same stars—again—but this time, something felt different.

Tears welled in Dunyarzad's eyes. Her lips trembled.

"It's beautiful..." she whispered.

Boom.

There it was.

The Truth Anchor.

The moment she remembered.

The Samsara shuddered.

Reality began to snap back. The false dream was unraveling like a badly knit sweater in a hurricane.

"WE DID IT!" Paimon shouted.

I looked to the sky, hands on my hips.

"HEY AKADEMIYA! GET REKT!"

Greg puffed up like a proud parent.

Lumine looked at me, genuinely impressed. "You really pulled that off."

"Told you," I winked. "Foolish genius. Trademark pending."

Paimon flopped on my shoulder. "Let's just go home. Paimon's done with dream loops forever."

"Home sounds nice," I said.But as we walked back through the shifting light of a dissolving illusion, I knew this wasn't the end.Just another step.And maybe—just maybe—the next dream we walk into won't be quite so tangled....Or it'll have more desserts. 

That'd be nice too.

____________________________

End of Chapter 104

Quests Completed:

*Enter the Dreamscape

*Convince Nahida You're Not Just Sleep-Talking

* Realize You Might Be Inception-ing Yourself

* Accept Nahida's Explanation Without Exploding

*Attempt (and fail) to Explain It Better Than Her

*Escape the Final Dream Loop

*Face Your Inner Doubt (a.k.a That One Version of You That Wears Glasses and Judges You)

*Don't Let Greg Drift Away in Dream Void

Rewards:

*+1 Knowledge of "Dream Samsara"

*+5 Nahida Affection Points

*+1 Existential Crisis (Non-tradeable)

*Greg slightly more confused than before

*+1 Philosophy Buff (Temporary)

*+10 Nahida Tolerance to Shigeru's Nonsense

*Paimon giggles 3 times (collectible laughter)

*+1 Emotional Clarity (Semi-permanent)

*+3 Inner Peace

*+1 Hug from Lumine

*Paimon now believes in parallel Shigerus

Achievement:

"Dreamwalker Idiot Who Somehow Won"

-You broke the infinite Samsara dream cycle with zero understanding of how it worked, armed only with pure vibes, dumb luck, and chaotic main-character energy. Also possibly yelling at a god. Somehow… it worked.