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Heart and Mind is the fourth quest in Skirk's Story Quest, Crystallina Chapter: Act I - Whispers Betwixt Stars and Night.
Steps[]
- Investigate the strange scene
- Follow the strange creature
- Talk to Skirk
- Exit the threshold between the soul and dreams
Dialogue[]
Quest DescriptionSkirk's strength is returning quickly but she still doesn't seem to be satisfied. She thinks something's wrong with her body and hopes to solve her problems through meditation. You arrange to see her in a couple of days. Hopefully, everything works out as planned...
- Paimon: *yawn*... Morning.
- Paimon: Skirk is still meditating, huh... It's been two days already! Shouldn't she be awake by now?
No idea.- Maybe it's not going too well...
- Paimon: Hm... Paimon can't think of anything we can do to help... Oh, wait! Breakfast! That's it! Paimon will go get breakfast! Skirk is gonna be starving when she wakes up!
- Paimon: Be right back!
- (TravelerTraveler): (Skirk looks so serene, almost like she really is asleep...)
- Strange Creature: ♪~
- You again!
- What are you doing here?
- Strange Creature: ♪~
Step DescriptionTwo days have passed and Skirk has yet to emerge from her meditative state. At this point, the strange creature reappears. After a flash of blinding light, standing before you, you see...
- (If Special Story Mode is left)
- Return to the threshold between the soul and dreams
- (TravelerTraveler): (This place feels familiar, but where am I exactly...)
- (TravelerTraveler): (There are towering cliffs, withered trees... and a strange river flowing from the horizon all the way here. But it's broken up several times along the way, with a waterfall at each break point.)
- (TravelerTraveler): (On closer inspection, the color of the water is changing. The closer I get to the lower portion, the darker it becomes. Almost as if...)
- Strange Creature: ♪~
- Did you bring me here?
- Then, that must mean this is...
- Strange Creature: That's right! This is Skirk's inner world. Think of it as the threshold between the soul and dreams.
- Strange Creature: This isn't your first time here, but what you remember is probably a space covered in darkness. I only managed to illuminate a small portion for you back then.
- It talks!
- So, you can speak...
- Strange Creature: Hehe, actually, it's my first time talking to someone like this.
- Strange Creature: I only managed to break free and bring you here because the injury weakened her power. I guess that's why I can speak again, too.
- Strange Creature: Call it "fate" if you want. I think that's the word they use in this world for lucky coincidences like this, right?
- Strange Creature: Now, before I take you to her, I gotta ask... You're the first outside visitor to ever come here. So, what's your impression of this place?
- What is that river?
- Why are there so many cliffs and waterfalls?
- Strange Creature: Ah, you noticed.
- Strange Creature: This river represents Skirk's strength.
- Strange Creature: Strength accumulates over time. It is the summation of a person's lived experience. So, this river is where all the fragments of Skirk's life should converge into a single stream of memories and emotions, flowing forward as one.
- Strange Creature: But, as you can see, this river has been severed numerous times... It's because Skirk doesn't like who she was in the past.
- Strange Creature: When all she sees reflected in the river is a disgraceful shadow of who she was, she cuts through water and rock with the sword of "reason," severs her connection with the past, and begins anew.
- (TravelerTraveler): (Wait, that reminds me of something...)
- Surtalogi: You must learn to shut out all the pointless emotion, crush the self that makes you weak, and become master over your physical form.
- Skirk: This isn't my first taste of failure or losing power. When you fall, you get back up again and become stronger, that's how it is.
- (TravelerTraveler): (I see. So, it was Surtalogi who taught Skirk to replace all emotion with reason.)
- (TravelerTraveler): (And since then, it's been a constant process of abandoning, refuting, and erasing her past self. I suppose that's the secret to her strength...)
- (TravelerTraveler): (But... it's such a sad thing to think about. What has she been through? Why does it have to be this way?)
- Strange Creature: The answer to one mystery invites another question, I see.
- Strange Creature: Let's follow the river upstream. There among the cliffs, among the memories etched into her heart, lies the truth of it all. Soon, you'll understand everything.
- (Approach the Strange Creature)
- (TravelerTraveler): (This looks like a coastline. Huh, I recognize the drawing on the sand...)
- (TravelerTraveler): (Wait... Isn't that the picture I drew for Paimon? Why is it showing up in Skirk's memories?)
- Strange Creature: I've always thought that, even when falling leaves don't come from the same tree, they can still form bonds of kinship when they meet.
- Strange Creature: Like meteors, you both made a journey through the stars — both travelers who have landed on a planet that is not your home. Yet, when she first noticed your presence, although she hesitated for a moment, she still chose to walk away, indifferent as ever.
- Why?
- (TravelerTraveler): (Hmm... If I think about it, it's not surprising at all. After what happened at Wanmin Restaurant, it's obvious she prefers to disappear from other people's lives.)
- (TravelerTraveler): (She hasn't seen Childe in years, either... I doubt she's ever made a connection with this world of her own volition. What I'm seeing now is a microcosm of her entire life.)
- Strange Creature: Seems like you've answered your own question.
- Strange Creature: Skirk sees herself as a trespasser in this world. She's made a conscious choice to avoid altering its path. But, the reason for that decision stems from events much earlier on in her life.
- Strange Creature: Let's keep going. It's still a long way to the source of the river.
- Surtalogi: You now have what it takes to wield immense power. From this day forth, I shall teach you no more.
- Surtalogi: No one can become a worthy warrior through imitation alone. I have given you fangs and claws — now, you must learn to hunt.
- Skirk: You wish me to travel the world beyond on my own, Master?
- Surtalogi: Indeed. Make new friends, embark on your own journey, and piece together a new future from the shattered remnants of your past.
- Surtalogi: We will still have contact through the Abyss. But know this: One day, I will take the life you work so hard to rebuild and reduce it to ashes — just like the "fire" that haunts your mind.
- Skirk: ...!
- Skirk: Why... would you do that?
- Surtalogi: I have told you before. Fear is the catalyst for human evolution.
- Surtalogi: You have tasted loss. You have known fear so deep it can be felt in the bones.
- Surtalogi: But, as living beings, we all have an instinct to detach from that which harms us. And, thus, pain dampens over time, and the acrid taste of fear becomes but a distant memory.
- Surtalogi: Yet now, I have bestowed upon you the gift of fear eternal. It will drown you in the nightmare of your childhood, or it shall drive you to defeat me whatever the cost.
- (TravelerTraveler): (That figure next to Skirk looks familiar. Right! I saw the same figure during the battle against the All-Devouring Narwhal...)
- Strange Creature: That is what Skirk's master, "The Foul" Surtalogi, looked like at one point in time.
- At one point in time?
- So, he can change form?
- Strange Creature: Of course. As a higher being, physical form is a triviality to him.
- Strange Creature: He could appear as a beast, a human, or even a monster that defies description. The form you see him in here, clad in Abyssal armor, is the one he usually wears when traveling through the stars.
- (TravelerTraveler): (I used to think Surtalogi and Skirk were just master and disciple, like Skirk and Childe.)
- (TravelerTraveler): (Now, I see why Skirk chose to distance herself from humanity. Surtalogi told her to put down roots here, while at the same time threatening to destroy whatever life she managed to create.)
- Skirk: For certain reasons, I need to bridge the power gap between me and my master as quickly as possible. But, first, I need to understand the source of his strength.
- Skirk: To do that, I need to follow in his footsteps, walk the path he once walked. And somewhere along the way, I'll find out how to defeat him. That is my sole focus and purpose.
- (TravelerTraveler): (So, that's what she meant. But, I still don't understand why Surtalogi would do that. From what he said, I didn't pick up on a conflict between them.)
- Strange Creature: I'll let you in on a little secret — the real Surtalogi is terrifying.
- Strange Creature: The scope of his power is impossible to understand until you experience it first-hand. It is absolute — the power to crush all things.
- Strange Creature: Shall we keep going? Let's see... we're about halfway there.
- (Approach the Strange Creature)
- (TravelerTraveler): (This must be Skirk when she was a kid.)
- Strange Creature: We've made it quite a ways already! This is Skirk when she first began training under Surtalogi.
- Surtalogi: I have set your broken wrist. Tomorrow, you're to train twice as hard.
- Skirk: ...
- Surtalogi: No tears this time... Good. Attempting to garner sympathy through tears is a habit of the weak — a pitiful, useless ploy.
- Skirk: Can I ask a question, Master? Why did you save me?
- Skirk: I keep thinking... maybe it would be better if I had died. I wouldn't be haunted by that fire all the time. I wouldn't have to go on like this...
- Surtalogi: I saved you because I have a plan for you.
- Surtalogi: It has been too long since I fought a battle that demanded my full strength, and I hunger for it. Every so-called genius and prodigy I have faced has crumbled like sand underfoot. Before me, even fate bends the knee.
- Surtalogi: So, I will teach you everything I know, train you by whatever means necessary... In the hope that, one day, you might surprise me.
- Skirk: But, I don't want to draw my sword against you, Master!
- Surtalogi: What you want matters little.
- Surtalogi: Among the boundless sea of stars, the cries of the weak are but faint murmurs that disappear into the void. You of all people know that well.
- Skirk: Yes, Master.
- Strange Creature: From that day forward, all she knew was grueling training, emptiness, and fatigue.
- Strange Creature: After some time, her talent bloomed, and she gained control over her emotions like her master. Uh, how should I put it...
- Strange Creature: It was not that human emotion disappeared from her heart, but that reason came to dictate all she was allowed to feel. I suppose it was at this point that she became the Skirk you know today.
- (TravelerTraveler): (So, Surtalogi saved Skirk from a disaster when she was a child and never even tried to hide his ulterior motive.)
- (TravelerTraveler): (I suppose that leaves one final mystery... What really happened with the disaster back then?)
- (TravelerTraveler): (Surtalogi's final words to Skirk were cold and cruel. But, Skirk's reaction made it seem like it was a truth she knew all too well. I have a feeling it all comes back to what happened back then.)
- Strange Creature: Ah... We're nearly there!
- Strange Creature: I almost don't want to reach the end... Well, shall we? This is the final stretch.
- (Approach the Strange Creature)
- Strange Creature: Ah... These are Skirk's happiest memories.
- Strange Creature: What a simple and carefree time it was — wisps of clouds dotted the sky, the sun bathed everything in golden light. And when song filled the air, not even the shyest of flowers could resist swaying along.
- Strange Creature: This is Skirk's homeland. She was so curious about everything as a child, always skipping school to go exploring instead.
- Strange Creature: There was so much to discover — the treasures at the bottom of the sea, the secrets beyond the stars, and that "merchant ship" packed with adults wearing those strange clothes... Yes, the ship. That was the beginning of the end.
- Strange Creature: It was a spaceship. When it arrived, the people that disembarked wore smiles on their faces and spoke of friendship. They claimed to be merchants from a neighboring planet looking to establish trade.
- Strange Creature: Skirk's parents, her relatives, her neighbors... Everyone welcomed the newcomers with open arms and allowed them to explore the planet. To them, the visitors were guests and should be treated with hospitality.
- Strange Creature: No one had any idea of what was to come. Several months later, an army of unknown origin arrived without warning and carried out a ruthless campaign to destroy everything, and everyone, on the planet.
- Strange Creature: Skirk had skipped school that day, like so many times before, so she was not caught in the immediate wave of destruction. But, when she came home that day, only fire and ruin awaited her.
- Strange Creature: Countless people cried out to her for help, people she knew and loved — friends and relatives, the little girl who lived next-door, the shop-owner with the bad leg, the bad-tempered teacher she had made fun of just that morning...
- Strange Creature: Their lives were discarded like worthless trash. As the fire consumed one life after another, Skirk was helpless. All she could do was run. And so she did. She kept running until an unexpected figure crossed her path.
- Strange Creature: If Surtalogi hadn't been there in that moment, the fire would have claimed her life too. And there she would have remained, left to rot in the scorched earth, with no answer as to why any of this was happening.
- So...
- Why did those people destroy her homeland?
- Strange Creature: ...
- Strange Creature: Because she and her people were seen as a "threat."
- A threat?
- Did they do something bad?
- Strange Creature: As the initial merchant ship explored the planet, they discovered that it hadn't always had the condition to support life. Yet, there was evidence of human activity even during the periods of extreme heat or cold in the past.
- Strange Creature: Further research revealed that, over time, the people of this planet had evolved the ability to adapt to any type of environment or energy source.
- Strange Creature: For that reason, the outsiders viewed them as a "potential threat," and decided to eliminate them before the threat could rear its head. And so, the army was called, and the so-called danger was wiped from the face of the planet.
- Just because of speculation?
- All those innocent people...
- Strange Creature: Senseless, isn't it? Deemed a threat because of a gift they didn't even know they had. Perhaps it was their own innocence and kindness that doomed them. But, in the end, that was lost to the blaze as well.
- Strange Creature: If those with power get to decide good and evil, then all you can trust in is the sword in your hand. And so, before death could claim her, she ran. She ran and never stopped.
- Now I see why Surtalogi's threat is such a terrifying prospect for her.
- And now I see why she distances herself from the world.
- Strange Creature: No one wants to relive their most painful moments... Well, that brings us to the end of the story. This is as far as we can go.
- Strange Creature: Skirk is waiting over there... for both of us.
- Strange Creature: Let's go to her. It's time to fulfill my purpose... and my greatest wish over all these years.
- (Approach the Strange Creature)
- Skirk: ...
- Skirk: So, all this, just so you could bring (himhim/
herher) here? - Strange Creature: I have things to say to "you"... Well, to "me."
- Strange Creature: I want someone to witness our reconciliation, even if it takes an argument to get there. And, (hehe/
sheshe) is the best choice in this moment. - Wait...
- Then, you must be...
- Strange Creature: Her suppressed emotional self. The version of herself she keeps locked in the recesses of her mind, stifled by reason.
- Strange Creature: All those rejected impulses, those discarded aspects of your past selves... They are a part of me now.
- Strange Creature: I am who you used to be, someone you have refused to face for too long. So, I came to face you instead.
- Skirk: You're wrong. I've faced you all along, and that's exactly why I keep you locked here.
- Skirk: Your existence makes me weak. Moments of joy and longing are when we are most vulnerable.
- Skirk: Don't forget, it was a penchant for goodness over reason that doomed our homeland in the first place. The vastness of the universe renders everything insignificant, our feelings most of all.
- Strange Creature: Even so, learning from the mistakes of the past doesn't have to mean erasing everything.
- Strange Creature: Strip yourself of your so-called weaknesses — emotions like kindness and empathy — and what makes you any different from the ruthless soldiers who slaughtered our people?
- Skirk: The difference is that I'm doing what is right — what is necessary.
- Skirk: I allow you to exist, but with limited freedom. That is the greatest kindness I can offer.
- Skirk: I've shouldered everything you couldn't carry. I rose above the numbness and emptiness, and it was cold, unfeeling reason that brought me this far. It made me who I am. It made me strong.
- Strange Creature: That is the problem. I want to shoulder those things together.
- Strange Creature: On the grand scale of the entire universe, maybe our feelings are vanishingly small, but why should that mean they don't matter? Emotion gives warmth to the cold expanse of space. It gives meaning to the world around us.
- Strange Creature: Think back to those nights of gazing at the stars, those afternoons of exploring the unknown. Think back and let them grant you peace, a brief respite from the pressure you put on yourself.
- Skirk: That isn't what we need.
- Strange Creature: It's exactly what we need!
- Strange Creature: Aren't you curious about why recovering your strength has taken longer than normal this time?
- Skirk: Finally, you get to the important part. That is the only answer I came here to find.
- Strange Creature: Then, look around. Look at your inner world.
- Strange Creature: You cast aside your dreams and curiosity, and in doing so you lost your original motivation. You severed all connection to who you used to be, so you can no longer draw strength from your past.
- Strange Creature: Now, the only things driving you forward are fear and survivor's guilt, but these cannot take you far enough. And so, this river — the source of your strength — grows more polluted by the day.
- Skirk: And you think that means I should seek help from a weak little thing like you?
- (TravelerTraveler): ...Your emotional self isn't weak.
- Skirk: ...
- (TravelerTraveler): The fact that she transcended time and broke free from her constraints to come and face you... That proves it.
- Strange Creature: Thank you for saying that. I knew bringing you here would be the right choice.
- Strange Creature: To be honest, I'm not here to argue with you. This isn't about who's right or wrong. And in fact, I agree that in order to make it through the wake of that tragedy, we had to distance ourselves from the pain through reason over emotion.
- (Skirk in ice)
- Strange Creature: But, what is right at one point in time isn't always right forever. I know you will never forget that fire. I know the fact that you were the sole survivor fills you with guilt.
- Strange Creature: And I know that among the voices that haunt you, mine is there too. Because deep down, you know that you didn't turn out to be the person you wanted to be.
- Strange Creature: All those unfulfilled hopes are like knives to the heart, and I don't want you to hurt anymore. So, even if you can't accept me, I hope, at least... that you can let go.
- Skirk: I keep thinking... maybe it would be better if I had died. I wouldn't be haunted by that fire all the time. I wouldn't have to go on like this...
- (Skirk's ice cracks a bit)
- Strict Female Voice: Your dad and I, we're not afraid to stare death in the face. But, we need you to survive.
- (Skirk's ice cracks more)
- Skirk: (I'm sick of being a kid... There's so many amazing things out there, and I'm ready to see them all!)
- (Skirk's ice cracks fully)
- Skirk: ...
- Skirk: I remember, there was a song Mom and Dad always sang when we went out to fetch water.
- Skirk: "Dancing water, the sand along your path is begging for your song and movement. Will you carry this burden with you on your journey?"
- Skirk: I am not the dancing water, and you are not the burdensome sand. But, if this is your wish... then I will carry you with me until the end.
- Strange Creature: Thank you.
- Skirk: ...I should be thanking you.
- (A cinematic plays)
-
- ???: Run, Skirk. Run!
- ???: -Please, Skirk... Save me... -Remember, leave no one alive
- Surtologi: Heed my words, Skirk
- Surtologi: Let fear take root in your soul
- ???: Why did you survive?
- ???: Why was it only you?
- ???: Skirk
- ???: Did you become a positive light in this world?
- ???: Hey!
- ???: This doesn't have to be the end
- ???: "Life is a gift. Don't let darkness claim it"
- (Cinematic ends)
Step DescriptionSkirk stands alone in the threshold between the soul and dreams' ultimate depths. What thoughts are swirling through her mind?
- Skirk: So, you saw my memories then...
- Skirk: I once asked my master if "survival of the strongest" was the law of the universe.
- Skirk: He said no, "but in a world without order, those with no moral boundaries tend to be the ones who survive."
- That isn't true strength.
- Power is not a substitute for doing what is right.
- Skirk: That's why, after hearing his answer, an idea came to mind.
- Skirk: An idea that, one day, I would create a new world order, one in which there would never be another tragedy like that fire. One in which power was not the law of the land.
- Skirk: But, that means I must defeat him. Because my master, Surtalogi, is, at the core, a defier of all rules and order.
- Sounds like you have your work cut out for you.
- Skirk: Yes, and not just because of the gap in our abilities, but also because... I have no reason to see him as an enemy.
- Skirk: Although his decision to train me was not made out of kindness, he did everything a master should. He saved my life, taught me the sword and the principles of strength... And, for that, I respect him.
- But, he intends to face you in battle one day...
- Skirk: I know, and it's not something I want. But, Master never goes back on his word. I have to treat everything he says as a promise.
- Skirk: He's no longer in Teyvat, but he sends me messages through the Abyss every now and then. Most of them are simple greetings, or an answer to one of my questions.
- Skirk: Every time I hear from him, my heart skips a beat, and I wonder if this is the moment where he'll finally appear before me and tear down everything I've built to pieces.
- Skirk: Maybe that means I do live in eternal fear, just like he said. Yes, I respect him, but I'm also afraid of him. And, for that reason, the pursuit of strength consumes every moment of my life.
- Skirk: I don't know what Master has planned, but I have to be ready.
- If he does attack you one day...
- I'll help you.
- Skirk: Help me...? Why? This isn't your fight.
- (TravelerTraveler): Because if we want to build the world we both want to see... everyone has to be willing to fight for it.
- (TravelerTraveler): If we all do our part, we can make the entire universe a kinder place.
- (Talk to Skirk)
- (TravelerTraveler): (Skirk gazes into the distant sky.)
- (TravelerTraveler): (There's nothing else to do here. Should I leave?)
- Leave
- Don't leave yet
- (Back in Bubu Pharmacy)
- Paimon: Oh, you're finally awake!
- Paimon: Honestly, Paimon was gone for, like, two seconds, and then she comes back and finds you both unconscious? You scared Paimon half to death!
- Paimon: You're both okay, right?
- Skirk: What does it look like?
- Looks like your strength is back.
- You look stronger than ever.
- Skirk: Only water from the source can cleanse the rot and filth that flows from the past into the future.
- Skirk: I taught you to incorporate the experiences from your journey into how you fight. I suppose what happened today... will become an inseparable part of who I am.
- Paimon: Okay, so Paimon feels like she's missing some important context...
- Paimon: But, whatever. Paimon brought back tons of delicious snacks! Let's dig in!
- The three of you enjoy the snacks...
- Skirk: Alright, it's about time we finished what we started.
- Paimon: We're gonna deal with this thief for good, right?
- Finally!
- Let's show him what we're made of!
- Skirk: This time, I'm not going to tell you to hold back. But, having digested even more power in the meantime, he's going to be tougher than before.
- Skirk: The good news is, we have no reason to pull our punches this time. So, let's go. Same place as last time.
Gallery[]
Story Teaser- Abyssal Rivers, Lasting Star Trails - Genshin Impact
Other Languages[]
| Language | Official Name | Literal Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| English | Heart and Mind | — |
| Chinese (Simplified) | 心相 | |
| Chinese (Traditional) | 心相 | |
| Japanese | 心相 | |
| Korean | 심상 Simsang | |
| Spanish | El corazón y la mente | The Heart and the Mind |
| French | Cœur et esprit | Heart and Mind |
| Russian | Сердце и разум Serdtse i razum | Heart and Mind |
| Thai | จิตและใจ | |
| Vietnamese | Tâm Tướng | |
| German | Herz und Geist | Heart and Mind |
| Indonesian | Hati dan Pikiran | |
| Portuguese | Espírito e Mente | Spirit and Mind |
| Turkish | Kalp ve Zihin | |
| Italian | Cuore e mente |
Change History[]
Released in Version 5.7