A Secret Born From Ashes

A Secret Born From Ashes is the third quest of the Shadows Amidst Snowstorms Event.
==Steps==
# Head for Albedo's campsite
# Return to the adventurer camp
# Talk to Cyrus
# Go to Mondstadt's alchemy store
==Dialogue==
;(On login)
: Paimon: Guess what? Paimon's story is finished! Let's go see Albedo again!
;(Approach Albedo's camp)
: Paimon: Albedo!
: Albedo: Traveler, Paimon.
: Albedo: I suppose your story is ready.
: Paimon: Yup yup! How about you? Do you need some more time?
: Albedo: No need. I am also ready to tell my story.
: Paimon: Paimon calls dibs! Paimon first!
: Albedo: Please, go ahead.
: Paimon: Okay, here goes!
: Paimon: Once upon a time, there was an evil researcher who went into the mountains and did a crazy experiment on whopperflowers to transform their appearance. After a lot of pain and suffering, the whopperflowers finally took on a human form. Then, they stood by the side of the mountain to wait for unsuspecting bypassers...
: Paimon: To whoever spoke to them, they would ask some questions, such as: "Who am I?" "Who are you?"
: Paimon: If the bypasser got the wrong answer... The last sound they'd make would be a "yelp" before the whopperflower ate them alive in one bite!
: Albedo: Oh, truly frightening.
: Yes, Paimon is truly frightening.
: Paimon: What the... You two aren't scared at all!
: Maybe I'm just really tough, I don't know.
: Paimon: Don't go nitpicking, okay! If you didn't like the story, go write your own.
: Ooh, in that case, I would add some horror elements in...
:: After the whopperflowers eat someone...
:: They would turn into that person!
: Albedo: In other words, the whopperflowers would ambush and then completely replace their victims.
: And then adopt their newfound identity.
: Paimon: And then what? Go back to where the person lives? Enter their home!? Eat their whole family!? Aaaah!!!
: Paimon: Huh, Paimon made up this story, but now Paimon's the one who's scared by it...
: Albedo: It's a good story. May I write it down? I may bring it up in future conversations.
: Paimon: What for? Just to scare people with?
: Albedo: Yes.
: Paimon: You've got a real mean streak, Albedo!
: So what's your story?
: Albedo: Mine is a little longer than yours. It starts with an alchemist.
: Albedo: A great alchemist once created Subject One. Subject One was her proudest achievement, and successfully blended into human society. No one ever would have thought that this friend of theirs was in fact a synthetic human.
: Albedo: However, unbeknownst to Subject One, the alchemist had tried the same experiment many times before he had come into being. Some of the rejects from failed experiments had been discarded, but had not died.
: Albedo: Subject Two was one such failed experiment. He was swallowed by a great dragon that came to rest upon a snowswept mountain. Many years later, he was resurrected by the dragon's mysterious power.
: Albedo: He saw all kinds of people on the mountain, including... Subject One, who had somehow, miraculously, blended in among them.
: Albedo: Never in Subject Two's wildest imagination had he thought it possible for experimental life forms such as they to deceive everyone so successfully. He saw the way humans accepted Subject One as a friend, witnessed their affection as they addressed him by name.
: Albedo: This was what Subject Two wanted. Now, all that Subject Two desired was to replace Subject One and take the joy of his existence for himself.
: Paimon: Uhhh... Th—This is giving Paimon the chills. It's so scary...
: Albedo: Subject Two began to unfold his plan. He stole Subject One's books and notes and studied all that Subject One had learned from the alchemist. Subject Two was highly intelligent and he learned quickly.
: Albedo: He changed his face into an exact replica of Subject One's face. Then, he found a plant with mimicry capabilities and transformed it using dragon blood and alchemy.
: ...
: Albedo: And so, not only did Subject Two transform his own appearance to perfectly match that of Subject One, he also created a third entity: Subject Three.
: Paimon: What!? There's three of them now!?
: Albedo: But Subject Two wanted to become a perfected human. So, he erased the mark on both his and Subject Three's necks, for these marks were symbols of imperfection.
: He purposely erased it?
: Albedo: In my view, it was probably a subconscious act. An instinct.
: Albedo: He so desperately craved to become a perfect human being that he forgot something: Human beings are defined by their flaws.
: Albedo: Subject Two's plan was meticulously crafted. Subject Three would draw Subject One's attention. After Subject One disposed of Subject Three, he would assume the threat had now disappeared, and would let his guard down.
: Albedo: The next moment that Subject One was alone, Subject Two would make his move. He would eliminate Subject One and become the only one remaining.
: Albedo: He would secretly replace the Subject One of everyone's memories, and inherit his identity, residence, clothing, sword, name, and friends.
: Albedo: People would have no idea that the individual they knew had become somebody else from one day to the next.
: Paimon: Uhh, uhh, this is way too scary... Paimon's never gonna be able to trust anyone again...
: Albedo: But just before Subject Two could carry out his plan, a unique stranger entered the mix. Subject Two tried to make contact with this person, but found that they could somehow sense he was different from Subject One.
: Paimon: ...
: ...
: Albedo: What's wrong? Are you scared?
: Paimon: What happened then? What happened to the stranger?
: Albedo: He became a new stage in Subject Two's plan. One more person that Subject Two had to dispose of.
: Albedo: It's as if there were three identical roses in a garden. Only one of the three was a fine specimen, while the other two were defective specimens that bore poisonous thorns.
: Albedo: In all the world, only the gardener who tended to them could tell which was the good specimen.
: Albedo: People do not like poisonous plants. Only a perfect rose can fetch a high price. If the inferior specimens wanted to conceal the fact of their worthlessness, they would have to take the gardener out of the picture using their poisonous thorns.
: Albedo: This is exactly what Subject Two was thinking. So he hid in the shadows and waited patiently. Maybe soon, he would get his chance to become truly human.
:: (This is not just a story...)
:: (These are real events. Albedo is trying to tell me the cruel and unbelievable truth.)
: Paimon: Whew, that was intense. So what happened after that? Did Subject Two's plan succeed? Uhh, Paimon can't bear thinking about it...
: Albedo: Fortunately, it is just a story, and even in this story, Subject Two did not succeed. But you can never let your guard down on Dragonspine.
: Albedo: Monsters mutated with Durin's power and blood are also creatures of Rhinedottir, just like me. You must beware of all such creatures.
: Don't say that! You're not a monster, you're my friend.
: Albedo: I'm glad to hear that. It's okay. I know what I am. You and I are both "different," so there is no need for me to hide the truth from you.
: Albedo: The only thing is that sometimes, when I think about how mighty the power of alchemy is, I feel so small.
: Albedo: As beings who set foot in this world, how arrogant are we in desiring to control our destiny, and in desiring to create?
: Albedo: Is creation an arrogant act, Traveler? If not, why do we call the ones that created us and control us, "gods"?
: Albedo: If it is, then what qualifies us to call ourselves creators? How far must we take our reverence and respect, and what purpose does it serve?
: How did you feel when you took out the impostor?
: Albedo: Nothing special. But...
: Albedo: ...Whenever I think about it, I feel a twinge of grief.
: Paimon: Poor Albedo...
: ???: Helloooo! Traveler! Are you here?
: Paimon: Hey, is that Amber?
: Eula: Thought we might find you here.
: Amber: We're here to deliver a message from Cyrus. There's gonna be a big event down at the base camp, and they want you there too, Traveler.
: Eula: Winter camp is nearing its end. Apparently, even provisional instructors are required to attend.
: Paimon: Looks like we need to go, Albedo. Bye for now.
: Albedo: Then I won't keep you. I have some things to attend to here, so forgive me for not seeing you down.
: Amber: Don't worry about it! There've been no issues getting up and down the mountain recently.
: Eula: Is everyone ready? Let's not keep them waiting.
;(Talk to Albedo again)
: Albedo: Go ahead. You're one of their instructors, no?
----
;(Approach the adventurer camp)
: Paimon: Huh? Who is this guy...
: Is he... Joel's father?
: A gigantic version of Joel...
: Amber: Allow me to introduce Joserf. He's Joel's father.
: Joel: Dad! This is that traveler I was telling you about. The traveler's helped me out loads in the past, and this time we even built a snowman together.
: Joserf: Joel has told me everything about you. I can't thank you enough.
: I'm glad you're finally reunited...
: I'm glad you're okay...
: Paimon: Wow, this is amazing!
: Paimon: Wait a second. Why is Cyrus discreetly wiping tears away, and what is Pallad doing here?
: Amber: Pallad is the hero of the hour this time! Go on, Pallad, tell us what happened in your own words.
: Reckless Pallad: Okay... *clears throat*...
: Reckless Pallad: The weather was fine on that fateful day, and I had a feeling that lady luck was smiling down on me. So I trusted my gut and set off to explore somewhere new. Somewhere dangerous. Because where there is great danger, there is also great treasure.
: Paimon: Why does this sound so hard to believe...
: Reckless Pallad: But I had only been away from the group for a very short while, when...
: Reckless Pallad: I fell down a slope and just started rolling...
: Bennett: Uh-oh...
: Bennett: (Did my bad luck rub off on him when we ran into each other on the mountain?)
: Reckless Pallad: The place I fell to was somewhere I didn't recognize, and I'd sustained a few injuries. I remember thinking to myself: "This is the worst luck I've ever had in my whole life"...
: Bennett: (Uhh...)
: Reckless Pallad: ...Then I met Joserf. He'd heard the sound of me falling and came out to see what was going on!
: Bennett: Huh...?
: Paimon: Wow, so it was completely by chance, then.
: Reckless Pallad: I thought he must have been someone from the Adventurers' Guild here for the event. But after a few words of conversation, it was clear that he was having memory problems. He didn't even know his own name.
: Reckless Pallad: The temperature was freezing, and there was no time to deal with all that there and then, so I convinced him to come back to the camp with me and figure everything else out after we got there.
: Reckless Pallad: We got back to the camp, ran into Joel, and the moment he saw him, he froze for a second, with this completely stunned expression on his face, and then he started crying out: "Dad! Dad!" That's when Joserf suddenly started to remember.
: Joserf: My memory has still not fully recovered, but Joel and his mother... they are the only ones that I will not... no, that I cannot forget.
: Joel: Daddy...
: Joserf: Daddy's right here, Joel. Daddy's right here.
: Paimon: Joserf, don't you remember anything else at all?
: Paimon: The Boar Princess, feeding the foxes...?
: Joserf: I'm sorry, I have no recollection. Maybe it's because of the head trauma? I'm not sure...
: Joserf: I woke up and found myself covered in blood. My things were gone and there was nothing to indicate who I was or how I got there.
: Joserf: I crawled into a cave and settled in for a slow recovery. After my legs and feet were a little better, my hunting skills were what kept me alive.
: Joel: Dad... I was so worried about you.
: Joserf: I'm alright now, Joel. Don't cry, daddy's not going anywhere. I'm here to stay.
: Bennett: Ah... This is good... This is good...
: All's well that ends well.
: Reckless Pallad: You know what though, I definitely think my luck got worse after running into Bennett on the mountain.
: Bennett: I knew it! Urghh... I... I just...
: Reckless Pallad: No, no, I just meant, if it weren't for you, there's no way I ever would've run into Joserf on a mountain this huge!
: Reckless Pallad: Besides, we got back safely, didn't we? So don't blame yourself. Maybe sometimes miracles can only happen when you get just unlucky enough.
: Bennett: ...Pallad... Hehe, when did you become such a smooth talker, huh?
: Reckless Pallad: Huh? Am I? I—I was just... telling the truth...
: Joel: Oh, yeah — I wanna say thank-you to the Traveler, Uncle Cyrus, Aunty Eula, and Aunty Amber. Thanks everyone.
: Joel: You all helped look after me, and I'll always remember it.
: Joel: But I guess I can't take the snowman with me, or it'll melt once it leaves Dragonspine... it's such a shame...
: Eula: ...Oh, I can help with that. One moment.
: Paimon: Huh? Eula?
: Eula: ...Here. Take this. It's powdered rime — just add it to your snowman, and it will never melt.
: Joel: Wow! Really? This is awesome! You're the best, Aunty Eula!
: Joel: Dad, I have an unmeltable snowman now! Hahaha, how cool is that!
: Joserf: How can I ever repay you all...?
: Don't mention it.
: We are all delighted for you.
: Joserf: Thank you all. Thank you from the bottom of my heart...
: Joel: Dad, I wanna go move the snowman. Can we do it now, please?
: Joserf: Okay. I'll be leaving with Joel now. I'm sure I'll see you all another day.
: Cyrus: Very well, very well... It's time for Pallad and I to have another discussion concerning his breaches of adventurer discipline.
: Reckless Pallad: Huh? B—But Cyrus... I think I kinda made up for my mistakes this time, y'know...
: Paimon: See you guys.
: Eula: Oh, I made this for you and Amber. Think of it as a winter souvenir.
: Amber: Are you sure? This must be really important to you.
: Eula: Come on, now, just take it. No need to make such a fuss.
: Paimon: Wow, now our snowman won't melt either. Great!
: Thank you, Eula.
: I'll treasure it.
: Eula: ...You're welcome. Just keep it, that's all I ask.
: Eula: Amber and I have some business to attend to now. See you later.
: Paimon: See you!
: Paimon: Everyone's gone. Seems like they've all got their own stuff to do now...
: Paimon: Oh! You know what? We've been on Dragonspine all this time, and somehow Paimon still forgot to ask Albedo about how to make a fruit jucifier machine that can keep the juice fresh... Ugh...
: Paimon: Maybe we should try Timaeus again. He does seem pretty eager to please, after all!
----
;(Approach the alchemy store)
: Paimon: Timaeus!
: Timaeus: Traveler and Paimon. What can I do for you?
: Timaeus: Wait a minute... You've got that mischievous look on your face... you're not still thinking about that ridiculous juicer thing, are you!?
: Paimon: Timaeus, will you help us?
: There's no "us" in this situation, Paimon.
: I really have no stake in this either way.
: Timaeus: Well, if the Traveler isn't really interested then, uh, maybe I'll give this one a pass... It's just the weirdest request ever...
: Paimon: Nooo, but Paimon's Sunsettias are gonna go to waste without it!
: Timaeus: In the time it would take me to research something like that, I could probably pick those Sunsettias again ten times over...
: Albedo: New research project, Timaeus?
: Hmm?
: Albedo: We meet again.
;(Camera pans to the mark on Albedo's neck as he walks up)
: Timaeus: Albedo! Thank goodness. So the situation is, Paimon wants a machine that can turn fruit into juice and keep the juice fresh. I mean, surely it's—
: Paimon: Majorly important, that's what it is! If you can manage to invent this, we'll never have to worry about fruit going bad ever again!
: Timaeus: That's impossible! ...
;(Camera pans to Albedo's neck, which no longer has the mark)
;(A flashback plays — the Traveler recalls not seeing the mark on Albedo's neck)
: (...!?)
: (Wait, his neck!?)
: Albedo: Turning fruit into juice is not hard, but keeping it fresh is more difficult. But if you simply want to keep the fruit from rotting, there are many ways to achieve this.
: Albedo: Right, Traveler?
;(The mark on Albedo's neck reappears)
: (!!!)
: Your neck...
:: (The mark is back... Is this a prank!?)
: Paimon: What about his neck?
: Albedo: What's wrong? Is there something on my neck?
: ...No, it's fine.
: Albedo: From the look on your face, it's as if you thought I had just played a practical joke on you that was in exceedingly poor taste.
:: (So it WAS a prank!)
: Paimon: Albedo, you were saying? How do you stop fruit from going bad?
: Albedo: Well, one way would be to bury your fruit on Dragonspine, where the snow never melts all year round.
: Paimon: But then Paimon won't be able to eat them!
: Albedo: You could always live on Dragonspine.
: Paimon: No, no, too cold for Paimon...
: Albedo: Or you can give the fruit to me, and I would take it to Dragonspine for you.
: Albedo: But since you don't like the cold, you'd have to send someone else to pick them up when you want them.
: Albedo: This is where you come in, Traveler.
: Paimon: Suddenly sounds a lot more feasible with other people doing all the work... Okay then! Shall we go with that idea?
: Albedo: Fruit buried on Dragonspine will stay fresh for much longer. However, it is also possible that the fruit will sprout and grow into fruit trees.
: Albedo: Who knows, maybe the next time you visit, it will have grown into an orchard. You can water the trees, add fertilizer, and when they finally bear fruit, you will have some fresh Sunsettias.
: Paimon: Ahhhh...!? No way!
: Paimon: Then Paimon'll have to be a gardener. That's not the goal here!
: Albedo: Oh?
: Albedo: I don't think being a gardener is so bad.
:: (...)
:: (A gardener...)
:: (I didn't expect Albedo to joke about this. Doesn't he care about what the mark means?)
: Paimon: Albedo! Stop trying to get your hands on Paimon's super-sweet Sunsettias!
: Albedo: Hmm? It bothers you, does it?
: Paimon: Of course it bothers Paimon! They are the rarest super-duper sweetest Sunsettias ever. And they're not for you!
: Albedo: Okay. But they're just Sunsettias. I think you are only so attached to them because you don't have much fruit of this quality in your possession.
: Albedo: When someone's pockets are full and their spirit is fulfilled, they don't easily fall prey to this kind of yearning.
: Paimon: Hmm? Really...?
:: (...I see, that makes a lot of sense.)
;(Quest ends)
;(Talk to Albedo again)
: Albedo: Dragonspine is too cold for ordinary fruit trees to survive. But...
: Albedo: If, one day, Dragonspine did become home to gardens and orchards, there would be more reasons for people to visit. Perhaps, a little life is the key to attracting people.
: Albedo: Life may exist in all kinds of unfathomable forms and in all manner of unthinkable environments. Mysterious, yet tenacious... Perhaps this is what makes life so special.
==Soundtracks==
==Other Languages==
==Change History==
pt-br:Segredo nas Cinzas
ru:Секрет, рождённый из пепла
ja:埋もれた秘密