On both the high-end iPhone and the hardworking Android, the scene was the same: a sea of warm gold rising into the blue. For a moment, the hardware didn't matter. The heat of the processors and the difference in resolution faded away, leaving only the shared magic of a digital tradition held in the palms of their hands. "Worth the lag," Leo joked, plugging in his power bank.

"Did you get the Xiao lanterns ready?" Kai asked, his thumbs dancing across the glass.

"Worth the storage space," Kai agreed, capturing a screenshot that would look perfect as his new wallpaper. AI responses may include mistakes. Learn more

The glow of the in Liyue Harbor was so bright it seemed to spill out of the screen, illuminating the two friends sitting on a park bench.

They played in a comfortable silence, the rhythmic tapping of fingers blending with the distant sounds of the real-world city around them. In the game, they stood their characters—Aether and Lumine—side by side on the docks. As the clock struck midnight in Teyvat, thousands of lanterns began their ascent.