Archive of Our Own

You hold the map that could lead you to Liyue. Before Traveler and Paimon left Sumeru for Lantern Rite, they drew a path that could lead you to the Chasm safely. Once you finally reached the end of the tunnel, the sun’s warmth kissed your skin. Your eyes widened at seeing the new scenery. Just a few minutes ago, Sumeru’s area was full of green grass and tall trees. Now in front of you are towering hills and red-to-orange grass.

You looked around, and there was nobody. You carefully looked at the map again and followed the path your friends had given you. The area ahead was quite dangerous. You tried your best to stay low and avoid being noticed by the treasure hoarders, especially the Fatui that are camping as well.

The place was difficult to travel over. You wonder how those two even managed to explore. But then again, it is the traveler and his companion that almost every nation’s population knows. You won’t even be surprised if another cataclysm happens and they’ll be once again the heroes that would save the world.

It took you time to reach the exit. It was already the afternoon. You turned around to see the view before sitting down under a tree’s shade to rest. You wonder what had happened to shape the area into such a spiral. You’ll take your time to explore Liyue, so for now, you won’t worry about anything and try to enjoy the Lantern Rite for the next few days.

After that, you continued your journey and finally left the Chasm. You followed the road and once the night arrived, you finally reached Liyue Harbor. You looked in awe to see the lively city. A festival will be held soon so there were many lanterns and other decorations around.

You took a few steps and immediately found another Katheryne. This was your 4th time seeing her. First on Snezhnaya, then Sumeru, then Fontaine. You went to greet her and she did as well.

“Welcome to Liyue! Are you here for the Lantern Rite?”

“Yes. I won’t be doing any commissions for a few days. Will that be alright?” you asked.

“Of course! You can come anytime once you’re ready to do one or need any help. Happy Lantern Rite!” The robot placed her hand on her chest as she gave you a smile.

“Thank you. Happy Lantern Rite to you as well, Miss Katheryne.”

With that, you looked around to find an inn to stay at for the next few days. You asked some locals for help and finally booked one room. Today was quite exhausting. It’s better to rest and regain your energy to go all out tomorrow.

You approached the window and opened the curtain. You looked down to see the busy streets. Many people are preparing for their stalls and kids are running around the area, having fun. You let out a sigh and looked up at the sky. The stars are shining. You smiled as you let the night breeze blow your hair.

After a while, you closed the window and sat down on the bed. Your hand made its way to your pocket and pulled out your stuff. Your wallet, the mirror, and the little doll of your friend. And when you picked up the folded paper of your family’s portrait, something slipped from inside it. You raised your eyebrow, wondering what it is, and picked it up. There you see it, a photo of Nahida smiling and Wanderer with his arms crossed on his chest. You smiled. It hasn’t been a day and you already miss them.

You turned the photo and found writings on the back.

“Have fun on your journey! Take care and come back if you’re tired! -Nahida.”

“Stay safe. You better come back to me. -Wanderer Kuni, since you like to call me that.”

You let out a chuckle. Maybe you should start calling him Hat Guy like the others. Or perhaps "Kassachi," as it translates to that in the Inazuman language, Nahida taught you. After all this time, you still don’t know what to call him. You’ll hold on to Kuni since he didn’t really mind it.

You looked back at the photo and it gave you an idea. Maybe it wouldn’t hurt to try and write your own diary and buy a kamera to preserve a moment. You thought about buying those items tomorrow and maybe even a bag as well.

With a long sigh, you placed your stuff next to your pillow and flopped on the mattress and looked at the ceiling. You grabbed the little doll of Wanderer and observed it.

It still feels surreal that you’re in Liyue once again. The last time you were here was three years ago. It was during the time when there were meteorites falling from the sky and Scaramouche was tasked with investigating. He brought you with him during his travels to Liyue and Mondstadt around that time but you never had the chance to look around, as you were kept in the Fatui camp for your safety.

Now that you’re here again, you’ll get to explore around freely and have fun. Even though you’re alone now.

You put the doll next to you and stretched your arms, letting out a groan. “Goodnight, Kuni.” You lie down in your usual sleeping position, placing your arms on your chest, and then close your eyes, succumbing to your tiredness and calling it a day.

…

The next day arrived, and you took your time to walk around the city. You stumbled across a restaurant. You see a young girl in the kitchen cooking with impressive skill. Her dad went back to the counter and asked what you wanted to eat. Obviously, a doll like you has no need to consume food like Wanderer. However, you like the taste of many dishes.

You took your time to look at the menu. You could feel your mouth water just by looking at each dish. Once you were ready, you ordered a Dragon Beard Noodles and a Honey Char Siu. After that, you wait at one of the tables. You notice how many people are eating here. It must be a popular restaurant.

After a few minutes of waiting, the young girl at the kitchen you saw brought your meal. “Here ya go, mister! Enjoy your meal at Wanmin restaurant!”

“Thank you, miss…”

You watch her go back to the kitchen before looking down on the freshly cooked noodles and meat. You grabbed the chopstick and stared at it first. You weren’t used to using one since Fontaine and Sumeru never really used them. During your time at Snezhnaya, they don’t either. Wanderer taught you to use one back then but it has been a long time.

With a small sigh, you split the chopsticks and tried your best to hold them and slurped the noodles. It was delicious. Too delicious, actually. You wonder how many years it took for that girl to get her cooking skills this impressive. It’s no wonder why there are so many people eating here early in the morning. Each bite just made you want to eat more.

Before you knew it, you had already finished them. You let out a satisfied hum before going to the counter and paying for your meal.

“Here’s your change, young man!” Chef Mao then looked you up and down. “Say, you don’t look like a local here. A traveler from afar?”

“Oh, um, yes. I came here from Sumeru.” You gave him a nod.

“Well, you picked the right place to have your breakfast! Come by anytime again!”

“Thank you, sir. Happy Lantern Rite.”

“Happy Lantern Rite to you too!” He then continued to take the other customers’ orders.

You resumed your stroll and looked around the many stalls. You ended up buying a bag that’s big enough to put your stuff inside. You also bought two notebooks and some pens. Then lastly, a kamera. Just as you were about to find a corner, you meet Aether and Paimon.

“Oh, Traveler and Paimon. Greetings.” You waved your hand.

“It’s you! We knew you were planning to visit Liyue!”

“For Lantern Rite, I assume?” Aether asked and you gave him a hum and nod.

“Well, where’s that guy?” Paimon looked around, trying to find a certain someone.

You slightly tilt your head, confused. “That guy?”

“Who else? Hat Guy!”

The blonde man looked around as well. “Is he not with you?”

“Oh, Kuni? Well…” You scratched your head, feeling a bit shy. “He’s not here. I… I came here alone. I decided to travel like you two.”

“Huh!?” Both Paimon and Aether shouted as their eyes widened, surprised.

“Woah, really?! That’s great then! You can finally travel the world like you wanted!” Paimon clasped her hands.

“So that’s why you asked those questions that night.” Aether placed a hand on his hip.

You gave him another nod, remembering that time just a few days ago at Sumeru. It was when you three just finished a commission together and went to eat dinner. You asked him if traveling alone was lonely and he responded that it depends on the person. It really does. You feel a little bit lonely without Wanderer but you push those thoughts away. After all, he had more days when he was away during your time at Snezhnaya. And during those times, you were fine.

Or perhaps it’s just different because this time, you’re the one who’s away.

“Also, thank you for your help marking my map again.”

“It’s no problem! The Chasm is a hard place to cross anyway!”

“You two seem to be in a hurry," you noticed.

“Ah, right! We need to bring these boxes to this Gaming guy!”

Aether then explained. “A guy asked us to help him deliver these to Yilong Wharf.”

Even during Lantern Rite, they’re both busy. “Just make sure to have time to celebrate the festival, you two…”

“Don’t worry! We will!” Paimon then waved her hand in goodbye.

The traveler did the same too before they carried the boxes and left. You had spent many moments with those two and they helped you a lot. You’re forever grateful for them so you couldn’t help but worry for your friends.

Now that you’re alone once again, you resumed your plan of finding a quiet corner. You ended up walking to a small bridge, a bit away from the streets. You took out your items from your pocket, putting them in your newly bought bag. Leaning close to the railing, you hold your notebook and pen, starting to write yesterday’s date on the first page.

”Today for the first time, I went to pursue my long-awaited wish to travel the world. Kuni walked me to the bridge before I finally left Sumeru. And him. The Chasm area was wide and dangerous, but I got to Liyue Harbor safely. It was already night when I got to find an inn for the next few days. It was scary being alone for the whole day yet also exciting. You’re all grown up now. You can do it, me.”

You grabbed your kamera and ended up taking a picture with a bit of a low angle and with your awkward smile. You sighed at seeing your crappy skill and printed it out then pasted it to the page, just below your writings.

Perhaps this diary idea of yours isn’t so bad. Once your journey is done, maybe you can show these to Kuni, and the two of you can watch how much you grew up. Well, that is if you even did, which you do hope for.

You put your stuff inside your bag and then you looked up at the bright sky. You smiled. “Mother, I’ll do my best to live my life like you always wanted me to.”

—

The last night of Lantern Rite had finally arrived. You stood at the same bridge at the corner, away from the people. Everyone and you as well are looking above, watching the lanterns fly high. That was until the lights around the city suddenly disappeared. The people wondered if there was a power outage. You quickly grabbed onto your sword, looking around your surroundings.

Then all of a sudden, everyone heard the beat of the drums. You looked down at the city and saw a person standing on the surface of the water, holding a huge cat-like head. It reminded you of the Rishboland Tigers from Sumeru. All eyes were on him as he performed a dance. You looked at him in awe and once he finished his performance, you clapped your hands with everyone.

After that, a strong gust of wind blew the kites up in the sky, flying along with the lanterns. Your eyes shine as you watch them alongside the fireworks.

“Woaaahh!! Isn’t this beautiful, Kuni—” You looked at your side and saw no one. You froze for a moment, processing what just happened. You looked down with a small frown before forcing yourself to smile as you looked up again.

You hold onto the doll of him, facing him to the sky too. “I wish you were here with me…”

…

At the highest mountain of Vissudha Field, a little silhouette of a man can be seen. He stood up there with some Aranaras with him, watching the lanterns from far away, just like he promised. A small smile appeared on his face as he held the doll of you that he made yesterday.

“Yes. They are beautiful…”

—

It has been five months since you arrived at Liyue. Two of your diaries are already filled and you’re now ready to write in your third book. You’re currently in your room at Wangshu Inn, spending the last day before you head towards Mondstadt.

Feeling like you need fresh air, you went out of your room. You were about to ask the owner of the building, Ver Goldet, if you were allowed to enter the highest floor when you saw that there was no one on the reception counter. You looked down to see no one in the kitchen. Ah, right, you saw many visitors during your dinner on the first floor. They must be busy at the moment.

You’ll apologize later, so you walked up the stairs. You promise it’ll only take a few minutes. You leaned on the railing, feeling the cold breeze on your cheeks. You sighed and looked at the view.

It’s almost unbelievable that four months have already passed. Time really passes by quickly when you’re having fun. During those months, you learned more about the nation of Geo. The Chasm, the Adepti, the fight with Osial with the traveler’s assistance and more. Most stories you have heard are praises for the traveler. How crazy that guy is, fighting so many gods. Your curiosity about him only increased. That guy might be a god himself too.

Every week, you and Wanderer would send letters to each other, taking turns. Now you hold out the letter you received earlier.

“I assume you already left Liyue or on your last night by the time you receive this. Be careful on your way. If you’re tired, come back to me us. Don’t push yourself. Stay safe.

Nothing interesting happened this week for me. Just helping some annoying students with their essays. And the General Mahamatra asking me to play his stupid card game and telling me his corny jokes. What about you? Let me know your first week in Mondstadt next time.

– Kuni.”

You couldn’t help but let out a chuckle reading his letter. You smiled more when you saw the word “me” being scratched. You let out a sigh as you closed your eyes, feeling the wind.

After that, you composed your posture, ready to head back to your room when all of a sudden, you felt a presence behind you. You quickly turned back and saw a man smaller than you. He seemed to be wary.

It was awkward when no one dared to say anything. You gulped, speaking first to get out of the tension. “Umm, I’m sorry for going up here without permission… It was just a quick breath of fresh air. I’ll be going back to my room now…”

Before you could leave, Aether and Paimon suddenly appeared with the blond guy holding a plate of almond tofu.

“Aether, Paimon?” Your eyes widened before you approached them and smiled.

The two called out your name in surprise, not expecting to see you too.

“What are you doing here?” the traveler asked.

“I’m spending my last night here before heading to Mondstadt tomorrow morning. Umm, does this floor allow guests? I only took a moment to get myself some fresh air.”

“Oh, yeah, it’s totally fine!” Paimon responds.

“I felt your presence. I thought it was you who was already up here,” the man finally spoke.

“Oh, yeah? Well, I think you got too excited.” Aether chuckled and the other man crossed his arms and let out a huff.

“Oh, right, introductions.” With that, Paimon introduced you to the Adeptus named Xiao. She also told him your name.

You placed your hand on your chest and bowed. “Pleased to meet you, Sir Xiao.” You mentally told yourself to get your grip together, not wanting to look stupid in front of one of the Yakshas. Finally! You meet him! It made you nervous to be in the presence of such a big deal.

“… Same to you too.” The truth is, this is not the first time he saw you. During those five months of exploring Liyue, he saw you many times. But he didn’t bother showing up or approaching you. He’d just see you coincidentally and would think, “Oh, this guy.” then move on with his day.

You then watch Aether give him the plate and continue their conversation. You stood there in silence, staring at them for the moment. The way the traveler spoke to him and the way Xiao spoke remind you of yourself and Wanderer. You begin to imagine and see yourself as Aether, Paimon as Nahida, and Xiao as Wanderer. Deep down, you already missed them.

“Hey, are you listening?” Paimon’s voice snapped you back. “Woah, are you okay? You were kinda spacing out there for a while.”

You shook your head. “Oh, I apologize. I should head back to my room and rest…”

“Alright then... Have a good night and stay safe on your journey tomorrow!” She waved her hand. 

“We’ll stay here until tomorrow afternoon. If you need any help, just ask us,” Aether says.

You gave them a nod and thanked them. Before you left, you gave them one last glance. After that, you had a good sleep that night.

—

“Who are you?”

You gulped as you turned around and saw the tip of the sword near your neck. There you see a man with ashy blond hair and a four-pointed star on his neck. How did this happen? Well…

It was early in the morning when you left Wangshu Inn. You bid goodbye to Traveler and his companion before walking on Duhua Marsh’s road. On your way, the snowy mountain on the right caught your attention. You were confused whether to take the normal path or let your adventurous side’s curiosity win. In the end, you pick the latter.

You continued to follow the path to the snowy mountains. Once you were near, you felt the cold embracing your body. It’s been a while since you saw snow. The first and last time was during your time in Snezhnaya. You can’t believe it’s been three years since then.

Your hand gripped your bag as you carefully walked around. There were many monsters, but you tried your best to avoid them and not cause a fight. There are also Fatuis surveilling an area. Even to this day, you continued to hide away from them. It annoys you how they are almost at every spot in Teyvat.

You arrived at a wide space area, but there’s a Frostarm Lawachurl in the middle. You made sure to stay low and not be noticed. As you continued to follow the path, you saw a broken bridge. You stared at it for a moment before sighing. It seems like you’re going to have to use your power to cross it.

However, before you could do so, you noticed a camp on your right. There was no one guarding the spot. Your curiosity took over you, and you approached it.

Whose camp is this? Wait, could it be from the Fatui? You looked around, and not a single symbol of the organization could be seen. Instead, you found many bottles for potions, a liquid that’s glowing, books, and a canvas with a painted hilichurl in it.

Why is the owner away from the city? What if there’s a bad guy from Mondstadt you didn’t know, and they hide here!?

Just as you were about to leave, you heard a voice behind you. “Who are you?” Then you see the tip of the sword near your neck. And that’s how you got into this situation.

“I-I apologize…! I’m a traveler from Sumeru!”

He narrowed his eyes. “Not with those kinds of clothes. At least try to be decent at lying.”

“I’m from Fontaine, but I stayed in Sumeru! I meant no harm, I promise…!”

The man still couldn’t believe you. But just as he was about to pull the blade away from you and hear you out more, you spoke again.

“I’m a friend of Traveler and Paimon! I’m not a bad guy, I swear!” You blurted out, panicking.

His eyes widened when you mentioned his friends. “Traveler and Paimon?” He quickly withdrew his weapon. He placed his hand, apologizing. “My apologies. I thought you might be a disguised Fatui member. Lately, they’ve been camping in many areas nearby.”

You let out a sigh of relief. You didn’t believe that worked. You apologized to Aether and Paimon in silence, planning to take advantage of their name to clear your identity in the future.

“Sorry again… I came from Liyue and planned to visit Mondstadt. But this mountain caught my eye…”

“No, I should be apologizing instead. You were just a traveler from afar, and I might’ve ruined your visit here.”

“No, no, it’s fine… I think it’s a good idea if you’re being extra careful. You were just doing your job, and anyone can lie about their identity.”

“Oh?” His eyebrows raised, looking at you suspiciously.

“W-Well, not me! I, umm, really did come from Sumeru. I wanted to be a traveler like Aether and Paimon… So, umm… I wanted to visit Mondstadt…”

You looked at him hesitantly, and he only stared at you blankly. It made you even more nervous. Ah, you wish Wanderer was here. He could’ve handled this smoother. Or better, he might not even get in this situation at all.

Socializing with strangers is still difficult for you. You were not exactly talkative, and you simply let Wanderer speak for you back then. Now that you’re alone, speaking with people will be unavoidable. You’re going to have to improve your communication skills soon.

The man lets out a chuckle before introducing himself. “My name is Albedo, the chief alchemist of the Knights of Favonius.”

An alchemist, huh? Your mother was also an alchemist. You bowed and introduced yourself as well.

“It’s dangerous to be alone in Dragonspine. If you’re heading to the city, it’s my job as a knight to guide you out.”

Dragonspine, huh… So this is what this mountain is called. But why Dragonspine? You don’t see a Dragon’s spine anywhere…

“Thank you, Mr. Albedo…”

He helped you get through the broken bridge, using his skill that creates a flower that lifts the two of you. Once you two crossed to the other side, your gaze went down. Your eyes then widened at seeing a huge spine covered in snow.

Albedo noticed you looking down at Durin’s spine with dread and curiosity. As you both walked, he told the history of the poor dragon who was corrupted and had to be forced to die. You wonder why the dragon got corrupted.

After a while, you made it out of the mountains. You thanked Albedo before continuing to walk on the path that leads to the city. It was past lunchtime when you arrived. The guards welcomed you, and you gave them a small nod, feeling shy.

It didn’t take a second for you to immediately see Katheryne. You greeted her like you did back in Liyue. You asked her if there’s a restaurant she recommends and pointed in the direction of Good Hunter. It only took a few steps for you to see it.

“Oh, are you a visitor? Hello, dear guest! What would you like to order?” Sara greets you. She then recommended the sticky honey roast to you, and you ordered one as you kept hearing Paimon mention it many times. It must be delicious.

After finishing the tasty meal, you sat down for a while, giving your legs and stomach a rest. That was when you noticed two Fatuis behind the railing, staring at you and whispering to each other.

You can’t help but wonder. If Scaramouche erased only himself, that must mean the Fatui still remembers you, right? Which makes your question. What was their memory of you if the reason you were there was because of the Balladeer? Could it be that the past was rewritten and you were saved by another Harbinger instead? Or was it still a mystery, and everyone wondered why you were there? But many saw you enter Scaramouche’s chamber when, right now, his seat is empty. Could it be that they think you were the previous sixth Fatui Harbinger? No, that’s stupid. That wouldn’t make sense. They knew you were just an ordinary doll who was rescued by someone, and that someone is Scaramouche, who they had already forgotten.

Confused. That’s how you felt.

When you paid for your meal and walked up the stairs, planning to see the big statue, the two Fatuis approached you. You became on guard.

The woman, Lyudmila, asked if you were the puppet that the Doctor abandoned on Sumeru. Your eyes widened in surprise. Indeed, you were abandoned, but with Scaramouche. The man, Mikhail, then asked if you really were the doll that the Fatui had rescued years ago. So instead of Scaramouche, it was changed, and they found you instead.

You lied and told them that you had an accident and you malfunctioned, making you forget some of your memories. To your relief, they actually believed you. “If I may ask, what was I doing at the Fatui again?”

“Well…” The two looked at each other first before the woman spoke again. “You were found by one of our teams during their expedition to Fontaine. Our Lords had a meeting and let you stay in the 6th’s chamber.”

The man spoke. “As for the reason for that, we don’t know as well.”

“I still think they were trying to unleash his full potential and had a plan for making him the 6th Harbinger.” Lyudmila faced him.

His eyebrows raised. “You think so? Well, it would make sense since the 6th seat has been empty for years… But why abandon him all of a sudden?”

You listened to them both carefully. So that’s how much changed. Their voices had become background noises. What happened to the people you interacted with back then? Your spar with Tartaglia? That time The Marionette dressed you up? What did those memories turn out to be now?

You heard the guy’s voice snapping you back. “Hey, umm, we heard Lord Dottore used you to fight the traveler to get the Dendro Archon’s gnosis. How did you manage to escape?”

“Yeah, I’m curious about that too. Did he almost kill you and was that how you had a malfunction?”

Your eyes widened in shock at hearing what they just said. So the past was changed to that. Instead of Scaramouche, they assumed it was you who fought the traveler instead.

“... Perhaps,” you respond. You then bowed your head, thanking them. “Thank you for telling me this. Umm… will you tell this to the Tsaritsa?”

The two looked at each other again before the woman spoke. “We weren’t tasked to report if you’re still alive.”

“It would be different if it were you who left us, not the other way.”

You felt relief. “I see…”

“But I just want to give you a warning…” Mikhail crossed his arms. “If you’re planning on revenge, then it’s better to give it up. Lord Dottore is a powerful man.”

“Not only that, but we Fatui will have to fight you.”

You took a step backward. Your eyes narrowed. “Of course. I have no plan to.”

And so, the two walked away, going back to the spot they were before. Such a weird encounter and yet you learned a lot. You’ll have to tell this to Wanderer in your next letter.

After that conversation, you continued to walk up the stairs, heading towards the area where the massive statue is. You then noticed a crowd just in front of it. Curious, you moved closer and saw a young-looking guy at the center. The people, including you, listened as he told a story. His voice and the way he spoke his words in such a poetic way captivated you.

Before you knew it, the tale was already over. Everyone gave him applause, and so did you. As the people began to walk away, you stayed at the same spot, looking at the huge statue behind him and the green bard back and forth. You were confused.

“Oh? Hello there, traveler from…” He eyed your appearance before giving you a big smile. “From Fontaine perhaps? Hmm, but I somehow feel the wind of Sumeru from you too… Welcome, welcome! What brings you here?”

“Oh, umm, hello there, Lord Anemo Archon…?”

Venti’s eyes widened before he let out a laugh. You flinched and looked at the statue again.

“A-Are you not? Sorry, you look exactly like that statue…”

Is that not a statue of Mondstadt’s god? It definitely is, but why does the bard look exactly like him? A lot of people were surrounding him earlier too. Or is cosplaying a god normal here?

“Ahaha! What’s your name, dear Fontainian-Sumerian traveler?” He took a step closer and placed his hands behind him.

Flustered, you stuttered and said your name. You hear him let out a hum.

“Say, got anyone to guide you around here?”

“No… But I’ll be fine. I like to explore—"

He grabbed your hands. “No, no. I insist!”

“T-Thank you… But I don’t know how to repay you…”

Just like that, his eyes sparkled as if he’d been waiting for you to say that. “Well, if you really want to pay me back…”

And so, Venti, the bard who introduced himself, spent the whole afternoon with you, explaining anything about the nation. Their god’s name, the cathedral, the Knights of Favonius, and more. That night, the two of you were at Angel’s Share, and you paid him for a bottle of the famous Dandelion Wine. You sat down there next to him as you drank your apple cider and watched him drink the wine with such happiness.

Your first day in Mondstadt was quite bizarre, unlike in Liyue. An alchemist was about to kill you at Dragonspine, and then this cosplayer of Barbatos became your guide for the rest of the day and is now drinking wine at a bar. Even so, you had fun. And tomorrow, you’re excited to explore more.

Venti rests his cheek on his palm as he watches you staring blankly at your juice. He can see the excitement in your eyes as you are busy with your thoughts. He smiled.

—

Two months had passed. During those days, you learned more about the nation of freedom. You became friends with many, such as Venti, Albedo, Fischl, Bennett, and more… There were so many of them and they were so friendly. You finally understood why Aether said this place was another home for him. It really did feel like one. You couldn’t explain it in words, but Mondstadt made you feel at peace. Whether it’s because there isn’t much mountain to climb, unlike Liyue, or many monsters and enemies roaming around, like in Sumeru.

As you expected, the traveler and his companion are heroes of this nation as well, earning them their titles: Honorary Knight. It only increased your curiosity and interest in the blond guy. It really is no wonder why many people are fond of the two.

Speaking of the knights, you also got interested in the KoF. There were many knights that were great in combat, and sometimes, you'd keep an eye on them and take inspiration from their skills. Especially the Cavalry Captain, Kaeya. Both of you are sword users with a cryo vision. However, due to your shyness, you couldn't ask for help. But fortunately, you’re friends with Venti and he’s friends with him. So there was a time when you spent the day with him together, chatting and having a spar. In the end, you never won. It was only expected. Kaeya had more experience. Still, it gave you more inspiration and motivation to improve your skills.

During your commissions, you’d bump into two adventurers like you. One is a very interesting lady with a raven. At first, you couldn’t understand what the girl was saying but you were glad her companion would translate and simplify her words. You continued to listen to her as she yapped even when you couldn't catch what she was saying most of the time. Because of that, Fischl was a bit embarrassed about why you were still staying and looking so interested. So every time you two meet, you’d listen. That’s how you two became friends.

The other adventurer was an unlucky guy. It was a day you were just heading back to the city, as you had already finished your commissions, when you saw him locked inside a hilichurl’s cage with the monsters guarding him. You saved him and he was really grateful. After that, you’d sometimes see him when roaming around and would save him if he was in trouble. You didn’t mind his bad luck and became friends with him. Because of that, he cried with joy. You two fought side by side when doing commissions together.

Today was a sunny day with a warm breeze. You just received the letter that Wanderer would usually send you every 2 weeks. Except this time, it was a week early and was from the Dendro Archon instead.

“Apologies. I know you must be hoping it’s Hat Guy’s letter, but right now, he’s absent and we don’t know where he went. Same with Nilou. I tried to contact Aether and Paimon, but I still have no news from Katheryne. However, I found a book and someone told me that Nilou was reading it the last time she saw her. It might have something to do with their disappearance. So for now, we can only trust the traveler and Paimon to keep them safe. The cover of the book seems like some kind of storybook. So we can only hope they’re in no danger. For now, your exchanged letter with him will sadly have to be postponed, and let’s wait for them to return from their journey.

- Nahida”

Your eyes widened at reading the letter. Wanderer is away and you’re not there by his side. What if he’s in danger again? You know that Aether is there to save him but what if he fails? What if Wanderer does something reckless again? What if Kuni disappears again in this world? What if—

You felt a hand on your shoulder. “Yahoo~! Hm? That look on your face…” It was Venti and now he’s looking at you with worry before taking a peek at the letter. He read it and you still stood there, frozen, and your mind was panicking.

His eyes slightly widened seeing Nahida’s signature. He didn’t expect you to be friends with his fellow god. He let out a fake cough and then patted your shoulder, calling your name to snap your back to reality. “Sorry, sorry! I kinda read the letter, hehe!”

He summoned his lyre and played a tune. You eventually calm down. “Are you feeling better now?” he asked.

You placed your hand to your chest and exhaled. You nod. “Thank you, Venti...”

The bard smiled. “Was passing by and saw you! Goodness, what got you so scared?” He nudges his elbow to your arm. “Relax! The traveler is there with your friend!”

“Yes, but…” You simply can’t help but be worried. You want to trust Aether and Paimon to keep an eye on him.

Venti watched you stare at the letter again. A gentle look is on his face now. “You can always trust those two. So worry not and prepare your next letter once your dear friend returns.”

He’s right. You should trust Aether. Besides, Wanderer can take care of himself too. He’s not careless and will do fine. “Yeah… You’re right.”

Venti looked at you with a small, gentle smile, seeing you finally back at ease. He then took you to Good Hunter’s for lunch.

On your way, a little kid bumped into you. A cute little red creature who was staring at you both with a pleading look before she hid behind Venti’s cape. And there in front of you two is none other than the Acting Grand Master, catching her breath.

“V-Venti! And our dear visitor!” She lets out a sigh as she puts a hand on her head. “Have you two seen Klee?”

You stood there confused while Venti acted like he is too. “Klee? I think I saw her headed towards the cathedral.” He points his finger and then lets out a small laugh. “What did she do this time?”

Jean lets out a groan. “She blew up all the fish at Starfell Lake…”

Venti couldn’t help but laugh. “Haha! Again? Well, not that surprised since it’s her.”

You stood there in bewilderment. That adorable kid who’s hiding Venti right now? The very same girl?

“Well, thank you for telling me where she went. Sorry for bothering you two—” And before Jean could walk away, she noticed a strand of hair behind his cape. She gave him a deadpan look and he awkwardly looked away. Sighing, she spoke, “I can’t believe you would help her… Klee. Come out now.”

The kid let out a surprised noise, exposing herself. She hesitantly revealed herself as she pouted and looked down. Then all of a sudden, she grabbed your leg and asked for help. “Big brother! Please help me!”

Venti couldn’t help but laugh again. Jean crossed her arms and scolded her. “Don’t listen to her. She’s not as innocent as you think she is.”

Klee continued to pout and made sad noises. Eventually, she let go of you and looked down at the ground in shame. “Klee’s sorry, Master Jean…”

“Good. Now let’s head back to the solitary confinement room.”

“I don’t want to! I want to, uhh… I want to hang out with big brothers!” She then held yours and Venti’s hands.

“Huh? Klee! You’re being selfish right now!” Jean approached her and grabbed her wrist.

“Nooo! I want to play with them!”

Before Jean could take her away, someone approached them. “Hm? What’s the commotion here?” It was Albedo.

“Wah!! Big brother Albedo!” Klee immediately ran towards him and embraced him.

Jean’s eyes widened at seeing the man. Usually, he stays at the snowy mountain. “Albedo? Welcome back.” She smiled. “What brings you here?”

“Greetings, Master Jean, Venti and…” He recognized you immediately. He smiled and spoke your name. You and Venti greeted him as well. Albedo then carried Klee in his arms. “I’m here to gather materials for my experiment. Don’t worry.”

The acting grandmaster placed her hand on her chest as she nodded, understanding. “Sorry to interrupt but I need to bring Klee to the HQ.”

Klee clings to his big brother as she gives him a pleading look. “Big brother Albedo…”

He sighed and gave her a small smile. “Fine. Don’t worry, Jean. I’ll bring her back later after lunch.”

“Yay!!” She cheered.

Jean was reluctant at first but she accepted and let the two siblings have a moment for now. “I trust you to do that then. But after lunchtime, I expect her to be there.”

After that, Jean left and headed back alone. You and Venti invited the two siblings for lunch and ate at Good Hunters. The four of you chatted as you ate. Albedo introduced you to her younger sister, Klee. It was almost a miracle that this is your first time knowing her after two months in Mondstadt. You still couldn’t believe a kid like her bombs fishes.

After lunch, you and Venti went to Starsnatch Cliff and spent the rest of the day together. But deep inside, your mind was still back at the letter Nahida sent you. You do hope Wanderer and the others are okay.

Surrounded by the cecilias, Venti plays his lyre while you’re lying down beside him as you enjoy the breeze. Without knowing, you ended up taking a nap. He let out a chuckle when he saw you falling asleep. He paused his music and brushed a hair away from your face. He smiled before looking above at the sky, seeing the perfect weather for a nap. With that, Venti also lay down next to you and rested.

…

The next week came and you received another letter. This time, it was from Wanderer himself. You couldn’t help but smile in relief.

“I read the letter you sent to Lesser Lord Kusanali. Sorry for making you worry. Everyone is fine and is back to Teyvat. Some of us got teleported to another world.”

You continued to read as he explained everything that happened. As you did, a name caught your eyes, and your body went cold. Durin. What? Durin? Are you reading that correctly?

“He saw me writing this letter and kept asking who you were. I told him about you and he wanted to take a picture and deliver it to you. He hopes to be friends with you as well.”

You picked up the photo of Wanderer and Mini Durin. Just like he explained, he turned into a small dragon. He seemed like a friendly creature. But you still can’t help but be in shock. Was this just a coincidence? Or Does Mini Durin have any connection to the Dragonspine Durin?

You stare at the photo, specifically the dragon. Durin. The dragon whom Barbatos and Dvalin killed many years ago and now his remains lie on the snowy mountain. Albedo. Yes, you have to find Albedo and tell him about this.

In a hurry, you picked up the letter and photo and put them inside your bag. You head towards Dragonspine. However, Albedo was nowhere to be found.

You ended up waiting at his camp until a few hours later, when you finally saw him. He asked why you were here. You explained Wanderer’s letter and to your surprise, he knew and even told you he met Wanderer and Mini Durin. He explained more and even told about himself and the Hexenzirkel.

As he continued to do so, you only kept getting surprised. There were so many things that you didn’t know. Klee’s mother was part of the witches? Same with Albedo and Durin—no, Dragonspine Durin and Mini Durin were different, he says. You scratched your head, getting more confused but Albedo was patient to explain it to you.

“Did you catch everything?” he asked.

You let out a groan. “Uhh… More or so…”

He chuckled. He went to prepare you both some tea.

“Thank you… for explaining everything to me, Albedo,” you awkwardly smile.

“It’s no problem. He told me to tell you anyway.”

You raised an eyebrow. “He?”

“Hat Guy.” He handed you a cup of the tea he just brewed and you thanked him. “He had a feeling you’d come to me.”

It felt so weird hearing someone call Wanderer "Hat Guy." Usually, you would only read that name during your exchange of letters with him. This was the second time you heard someone call him by that name. Paimon was the first one.

“Him, huh…” You sighed. “He knows me very well…”

Albedo eyed you as you took a sip. “You two must be close then.”

You smiled. “We are.” More than Albedo will ever know.

—

Time passed and it’s been five months since you arrived in Mondstadt. It was time to say goodbye to the land of freedom. You truly did enjoy your time here. The wind was different here and it’s peaceful. Truly a good place to settle in. But you’re not here for that. Your home—new home—is Sumeru. And with Wanderer.

Before heading to Dornman Port, you turned around and looked at the city. One last time, you picked up your kamera and took a photo of yourself. You had already said goodbye to your friends. Everyone will miss you but you promised that one day, you’ll visit again. And you hope you won’t break it.

“Leaving already?”

You heard a voice behind you. You didn’t have to look to know who it was. “Going to miss me?” You then turned around and faced him.

Venti gave you a small sad smile. “Very.” He then joked around. “Boooo… Who will treat me to meals and wine now?” He pouts.

You let out a small laugh. “... I really did enjoy my stay here. Thank you for taking care of me.”

He stared at you in silence for a moment. A gentle look on his face now. “Is that so? I’m glad then.”

You gave him a nod and walked past him. Before you could take another step, he called out your name.

“May the wind bless and guide you, my dear visitor.”

You stood there and looked at him. Somehow, his vibe today was different. You smiled back and bowed your head. “Thank you, Lord Barbatos.”

Silence. After that, the only noise that came was the wind. It immediately felt awkward so you quickly spoke again. “Oh, umm, cosplayer of Lord Barbatos…?”

Venti looked at you with widened eyes before laughing. You stood there, both confused and embarrassed.

“See you then.” He spoke your name.

Your smile returned and you gave him a hum. He never denied nor confirmed everytime you brought it up. Even so, the thought of having spent the entire time with the Anemo Archon made you feel happy. You waved your hand goodbye and turned around. Finally, you made your way to Dornman Port.

—

Reaching the port, you tried to find a ship that headed toward Inazuma. The thought of the nation excites you. It was Wanderer’s homeland. And his mother is the very person who’s ruling that place. You hope to see her but at the same time, you’re also afraid.

“Hm? You’re heading towards Inazuma, young man?” A woman asked you and you nod. “Well, you're in the right place! My ship will be heading there in two hours!”

“T-Thank you, ma’am.”

“We’ll announce later once we’re ready to go!” The woman then left and helped her men move heavy items.

In the meantime, you looked around and went through stalls. After a few hours, you’re already onboard. There were some people like you, heading to Inazuma as well. You didn’t know anyone on the ship so you stayed at a corner outside, watching the sea. It was your first time getting on a ship. This one was really big.

“There you are!” The woman from earlier showed up. She smiled and waved her hand. “Hey there, young man! I’m Beidou, Captain of the Crux!” She offered her hand.

You shyly shook her hand and gave her a small smile. You then introduced yourself.

“So, if you don’t mind me asking, why are you heading to Inazuma?” she asked.

“Oh, umm… I wanted to travel and it’s my next stop.”

“Travel, huh? That's a good answer.” She looked up at the clear sky. “See the world before it’s too late. There are many that are waiting for you to be discovered.” She then grinned at you. “So if you ever need a ride, you can always call for me and my people! This ship will take you anywhere!”

You gave her a nod. After that, she left. You slid and sat down, letting out a sigh. Again, you’re going to meet new people. You’re still not used to socializing, but you’re almost there. You hugged your bag and watched the sea once more. This will be a long ride.

…

It was past midnight. There are only a few people still awake. You are at the same corner with a borrowed lantern as you write in your 5th diary book. It was when a man around your height approached you.

He gave you a polite smile. “Can’t sleep as well?”

“Oh, uhh…” You don’t really need to sleep to survive but this man doesn't know that you’re not human. Now that you think about it, during your time at Mondstadt, did anyone notice you not breathing? You have a feeling that Venti knows, though.

“Yeah…” You closed your diary

“Oh, apologies. Did I interrupt you?”

“Oh, no! It’s fine…” Crap, it was awkward. Suddenly your social skills just disappeared the moment you needed them. Just when you were fine talking with Venti and the others too…

The man sat next to you and introduced himself. “My name is Kazuha. Pleasure to meet you.”

Kazuha… You had a feeling you’ve heard that name before. You introduced yourself as well. “Pleasure to meet you as well, Mr. Kazuha.”

He chuckles. “Kazuha will do.”

You couldn’t help but stare at him, trying to remember where and when you heard his name before. “Umm, if I may ask… May I know your last name?”

“My last name?” He slightly tilts his head before smiling. “Kaedehara. My name is Kaedehara Kazuha.”

Kaedehara… Kaedehara Kazuha… Wait, Kaedehara Kazuha!?

Then that’s when you finally remembered. It was the name that Aether mentioned to you and Wanderer back then. The man with an Anemo vision and the descendant of none other than Niwa Hisahide, the man whom Kabukimono—Wanderer once treated as his family.

You couldn’t believe your eyes. Kazuha is in front of you. You will definitely write this in your next letter to Wanderer.

“Hm? What’s wrong?” He watched you turn quiet.

You snap back and shake your head. “Sorry. Just got something on my mind…”

“The reason why you couldn’t sleep?”

“Oh, uhh, yes.” You lied.

“If you have any worries, I’m here to listen. But…” He rested his chin on his palm. “The wind tells me that you’re lying.”

You’ve been caught! How did he even know? The wind told him? Is it because he has an Anemo vision? You silently curse at Venti.

A certain bard woke up that night and sneezed, wondering who could be thinking of him at this hour.

You scratched the back of your head. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to…”

He lets out a chuckle. “Well, it’s none of my business. I'm not forcing you to tell. I’m just wondering why you would lie.”

Well, it doesn’t really hurt to tell him what you are… right? What would he even do with it? Take an interest in you and experiment with you? No, Kazuha is definitely not that kind of person.

“Well… The truth is, I’m not human. I don’t really need to sleep, so I’m here…”

The other man let out a small hum. “That explains why I can’t see you breathing.”

Your gaze went lower to his mouth, seeing the smoke of his breathing from the cold night. You looked at yours and there was nothing. “... It was that obvious.”

Kazuha chuckled again. He changed the topic. “So… what made you want to visit Inazuma?”

A small smile on your face now. “I wanted to travel around Teyvat and Inazuma is my next stop.”

“Travel, huh? What made you want to travel?”

“I…” You looked at your diary. “... I’ve always wanted to. Many years ago. And only now was I able to. Thanks to my friends.”

“I see.” He looked up at the sky full of stars. You did as well.

After that, the two of you chatted for another hour until Kazuha had to head inside his room and sleep. A few hours later, the sun rose, and you could see Inazuma getting near. When the ship finally arrived, you paid Beidou for your ride. You thanked her once again and waved goodbye to her and Kazuha, who just woke up and was still feeling sleepy.

You took your first steps in the land of eternity. You could immediately tell the change of the wind from here. It was nothing like Sumeru, Liyue, and Mondstadt. The atmosphere here felt more… distant and cold. You shook off the feeling and walked to the city. You’re finally here at Wanderer’s homeland.

—

Two weeks had passed. You were back to your routine, doing commissions and improving your combat skills. Especially now that most enemies wandering around the nation are samurai and machines.

It was a night and you were cleaning your blade until it could reflect your face. You stared at yourself for a while, trying to think back to the past months that passed so quickly. It’s been ten months and it might not have been that long for immortals like you, but when you think about it, you’re already starting to miss Sumeru. But you're not planning to come back just yet. Not when you wanted to explore every nation first and see Wanderer's reaction to your growth. Just the thought of it excites you and boosts your pride.

Hehe… He’ll be so proud…

All of a sudden, you heard a noise outside. You quickly became on guard and peeked through the window. It was already late and most people were already asleep. So who is that suspicious man?

You quickly got up and exited your room. You stayed in the shadow and watched the man look around to see if there was anyone watching him, and then he broke into the house.

Before you could move and stop him, you felt a hand holding your wrist. You were about to summon your sword, but the guy told you to be quiet.

“Shh… Let’s not act rashly," the guy with green eyes says. “Let’s wait for the right moment.”

You didn't know who this man was, but you listened to him and continued to hide. You stared at him but he was focused on watching the house that man entered. You focused again and the two of you waited for him to exit.

After a while, the man finally came out, holding a box. You assume there might be an expensive item inside it. You and the green-eyed man followed the robber and continued to hide in the shadows. You two end up reaching Konda village. The man ran towards the back and met up with two samurai.

“Did you bring it?” One of them asked.

“I did! Haha! This is too easy!” He handed over the box and the two samurai opened it to see if it was the real deal.

You heard the green-eyed man sigh. “Another case like this. When will they ever learn?” He stood up, revealing himself. But you continued to hide.

The red samurai noticed him. He scolded the man who stole the box for letting someone follow him. The green-eyed man told them to hand the box over or else he’ll arrest them. However, they protested and pulled out their blades, ready to fight instead.

He sighed. “I’m warning you three. Hand it over.”

“Like we will!” The red samurai dashed and used his sword to attack him.

Fortunately, he dodged. He used his anemo vision and fist to punch the samurai. While the robber hid behind the three, the purple samurai ran towards him, about to strike his unguarded back. But before that could happen, you stepped in and clashed his blade with yours.

“Thanks!” he said.

You gave him a small hum, then used your cryo vision to freeze the samurai’s blade with his hand. He backed away and tried to get rid of the ice. Before the other could stand up from the punch, you used your power to make a thread and boost your speed. You ran in a circle, tying the two of them together. Then you froze their legs so they wouldn’t be able to run away.

The robber saw the scene unfold, surprised that his bosses were defeated. He turned around and was about to run away until he saw the green-eyed man.

“Going somewhere?” He then grabbed his wrists and tied his arms.

After the unexpected event, you help him bring the three men to the police station. You watch him open the box and see jewelry.

“As expected. It’s that case.” He let out another and closed it, handing it to one of the patrol soldiers. They’ll hand it back to the owner the next morning and interrogate the three later so they’ll find their basement and bring back the many previous stolen gems.

“Thank you for helping, our dear visitor!” He faced you.

“It’s really nothing…” If anything, you were glad that you were there. You’ve been feeling the urge to fight more and train your strength and vision.

“My name’s Shikanoin Heizou!” He handed you his hand.

You shook it and introduced yourself as well. If you’re being honest, you’re already feeling tired of introducing yourself so much. You do like meeting and being friends with new people but it would be a lie if you said you weren’t tired of it. You somehow envy Aether for having Paimon to do that for him.

Heizou handed you a bag of mora. “Here for your assistance!”

You shook your head. “It’s fine, truly… I was just cleaning my sword when I heard some noise. It’s really nothing.”

He keeps handing it to you and you continue rejecting it. He gave up. “Fine… Then let me treat you to a meal next time we meet again.” He smiles.

“Sounds good to me.” You smiled back and then left, heading back to your hotel room. You sat back on your bed and looked at your sword that was dirtied again. You sighed and grabbed the rug, cleaning it once more.

—

There are sixteen Automatons surrounding you. Nine charging their attack and seven aiming lasers at you as you run in a circle. It was the perfect time to use the new technique you had been mastering for a while now. With a smirk, you used your cryo vision to summon another you. You gave him a nod, signaling him to do the formation. While he floats in a circle around the enemies, you stand there and use your power to summon a cryo sword. Its handle almost freezes your hand.

You lift it, pointing to the sky. The other you quickened its pace and used a thread made with cryo, tying and forcing the enemies together. Once it was done, your eyes lit up, scanning the enemies and radius.

“Version 1, 79%. Lock on!”

Then you used your strength to thrust the cryo sword to the ground, causing the area to freeze. The enemies are beginning to freeze from below, slowly going up.

You let go of the sword and stood up, then summoned blades on your feet to slide smoothly to the icy field. Then you joined with your other version. He held your hand and he turned into another cryo sword. You held it tight and dashed to the tied enemies, unleashing a strong strike, cutting every single one of them in half.

You let out a sigh and turned around, then dispelled the power. You watch the machines disappear, only leaving the items it usually drops.

A big smile appeared on your face, proud of what you just did. You clenched your fist and looked at it.

Yes!! I finally pulled it well!!

Before you knew it, you jumped in joy as you made happy noises. And when you realized it, you quickly stopped and stood there for a moment. You then looked around to see if anyone saw you. Good thing it's just you alone. If there was, you would've just used your new technique on yourself just to hide from the embarrassment.

“... Since when was I this expressive?” You asked yourself. Just three years ago, you were still timid and almost expressionless. You used to overthink a lot back then too. Now your mind is quiet and no longer chaotic. You didn't even realize it but you improved a lot. And it made you so damn happy.

The memories of your older self are coming back. You smiled. “Mother… I did it…”

You stretched your arms and let out a satisfied groan. You then went to grab the dropped items and headed to your next three commissions. The day had only just started.

…

You head back to the city, walking towards Katheryne. She thanked you for completing today's tasks and handed you the rewards.

And then a miracle just happened. Something very rare just occurred and you were lucky that you were there when it happened. You saw people flock next to Katheryne's counter. Specifically on the stall that usually stands nearby it.

You took a peek to see what the commotion was, and then you saw two women chatting. The other was buying the stall's dango milk.

“You're really drinking all that, Ei?” the woman with pink hair asked.

The woman with a thick, long braid gave her a hum in response. She then drank one and let out a satisfied sigh. You couldn't help but stare at her. There was something familiar about her but you couldn't quite put your finger on it. But then you heard two ladies from the crowds in front of you whisper to each other.

"It's the Raiden Shogun…!”

“No way! With Lady Yae Guuji too!”

Then your eyes widened at their words. It was the shrine maiden whom you had heard a lot about. And most importantly, Raiden Shogun. Wanderer's… younger sister? You heard from him before that Shogun was the creation after him. But Yae Guuji called her Ei. Aether did tell you about her situation, where she now shares the same body with the Shogun. So you assume that his creator is the one controlling the body right now.

As Ei continued to speak with Miko, a certain someone from the crowd caught her eyes. The two of you made eye contact. It was only for a split second before you looked and backed away. That was the last time you saw her before the two of them headed towards the Grand Narukami Shrine… Or so you thought.

It was already almost midnight. You were out of the city, near the sea. You stood there, letting the cold wind blow your hair. You took off your footwear, put it aside, and walked to the water. It was a peaceful and vulnerable moment for you. A time you always need, at least every once in a while, to just forget everything.

You closed your eyes and let your feet move you around. You danced with the wind as you hummed a tune. With every few steps, you’d use your cryo vision to freeze a small spot until you eventually just stop feeling the water altogether. You’d spin and lift your arms, just freely moving your body without any thoughts. Dancing wasn’t your strongest suit yet you’ve been doing it for a while now and it eases your mind.

With the last tune and movement, you raised both of your arms towards the bright moon. Then your hands slowly made their way to your chest as you finished your dance.

But then you hear clapping behind you. Your eyes opened wide and you quickly turned around. Then you see her, Raiden Shogun—or Ei. She had a small smile on her face.

“You’re a very good dancer,” she says with her gentle voice.

You froze and felt something rising in your head. Probably the equivalent to human blood. You feel your cheeks turning warm in embarrassment. You wanted to run away, but not when it’s her you’re escaping from. And not when you’re still in shock.

She noticed your lack of response. “Sorry. Did I disturb you?”

It took you a while to muster up the courage and reply to her. For some reason, you get nervous with her. Perhaps it’s because she’s the electro archon… Or because she’s Wanderer’s mother. “N-No, ma’am…”

You avoided eye contact and continued to look down. You walked back to the land and were about to grab your footwear, already thinking of an excuse to leave, but she spoke again, clearly wanting to have a conversation with you.

“Pardon me. Correct me if I’m wrong but…” She placed a hand under her chin as she stared at you intensely. It made you even more nervous. “Are you perhaps the young man who was fighting the Automatons at Araumi?”

A surprised look showed on your face. She was watching you earlier in the morning?

“I couldn’t help but watch your fine skills. Your bladework is impressive.”

A compliment by a god!? It’s definitely high praise! You feel honored! “I still have a lot to learn…” Your hand rubs the back of your neck, feeling shy now.

“I see you trying to use your vision’s full potential.” She looked at your cryo vision. “What you did back there was splendid.”

“I-It’s really nothing… I still have to train more…”

Ei crossed her arms and hummed. “Well, some adjustments are needed with that technique of yours. Let me ask you this: what will you do if your opponent is strong enough to destroy your string? And that they’re immune to being frozen and also have the ability to destroy the copy of you? One that is quick enough it wouldn’t let you do your formation and interrupt you from preparing your technique?"

You were silent. You didn’t have any answer to those. You looked down in shame, realizing that you have too many weaknesses… And just when you were proud that you were able to pull it off well earlier.

She sees you having a small frown on your face now. “Don’t be discouraged. I think this skill of yours has potential. Instead, use those questions and find a way to hide—no, remove your weaknesses.”

You looked up to her and gave her a nod. “Thank you, ma’am…”

“Say, have you met with the Maguu Kenki yet?”

“Maguu Kenki?” You slightly tilt your head.

Raiden nods her head. “Yes. I had a feeling you’d enjoy sparring with that puppet. And you both have some similar skills.” Her gaze shifted towards the other island. “Yashiori Island. You’ll find it there.”

You followed her gaze. Yashiori Island. You still haven’t explored the other islands yet. Only the Narukami Island for now. Maybe it’s time to explore again.

Bowing your head, you thanked her once more. “Thank you…”

Ei stared at you again. You wanted to know if there was something on your face that you were unaware of.

“May I know your name?”

“Oh, umm, I’m…” You stuttered and introduced yourself

She spoke your name. “You’re… not human, are you?”

You froze again. The woman only continues to catch you off guard. You slowly nod your head. It’s fine telling her, right…? “Yes… I’m not human, ma’am.”

“Please call me Ei.” She placed a hand on her chest. “You’re a puppet, aren’t you?”

Again, she shocks you. Just by looking, she already knows what you are. “... Yes, miss Ei. I’m a doll.”

“A doll, huh…”

The woman walked and leaned closer, eyeing your features, which made you feel more shy and insecure. Inside your mind, you were calling for Wanderer’s help.

“I can tell that your creator loves you dearly.” Without warning, she gently held your left arm. You let out a gasp, feeling yourself ready to explode. This was too much for you.

She used her hands to feel your hard yet soft arm. “Such an impressive work they did with you. I wonder what materials they used… I’d like to ask, who’s your creator?”

Your creator… Your mother… “Matryoshka. She’s the one who made me…”

“Matryoshka? A name I have never heard before.” She let go of you and took a step back. She smiled. “I’d like to have a chance and chat with her someday.”

You paused. Your gaze went down to the sand. A small sad smile is on your face now. “I fear that's impossible now. She’s… no longer here.”

Her eyes slightly widened before she made a small frown. “My apologies… and my condolences…"

You shook your head and reassured her. “It’s fine, miss Ei… and thank you…”

Silence. There was an awkward pause after that. But Ei spoke. “I too lost someone dear to me… So I know how it feels to lose a kin as well.”

Your eyes widened as you listened to her. You watch her look up at the starry sky. Then you did as well. It felt odd how you were just panicking earlier and now you’re calm. You’ve been preparing if you ever meet her and expect her to intimidate you and she did. But now, for this one moment… You don’t see her as a frightening god, but just as her, Ei… A person who empathizes with you.

For the rest of that night, you two had a conversation, giving you some points for training and telling each other your worries, and sometimes just the comforting silence until the sun was ready to rise. You enjoyed your time with her and you couldn’t believe that you spoke with the Electro Archon for hours. So as a thank you, that afternoon, you asked one of the soldiers guarding Tenshukaku to deliver the dango you bought for her.

—

It’s been four months since you first arrived in Inazuma. You’ve been exploring each island and training your swordskill and the technique that you still haven’t come up with a name for yet. For now it’s only called—

“Version 2, 90%! Lock on!”

The Maguu Kenki was caught off guard when the three of them were focusing on the wrong one, a copy of yours. You successfully thrust your blade to the ground, revealing the new power you mastered, locking them in a domain. The icy field then starts to freeze their legs. Finally, after so long, you successfully managed to freeze them all. With enough training and stubbornness, not giving up and ignoring their immunity. But you worked hard, and your cryo power is now affecting them.

The wind copy of the puppet used its power to throw Anemo attacks at you but your blade parried them. The main body watches your other copies reveal themselves. There are five of you now. You smirked and the five of you began the formation. Your domain prevents the puppets from moving quickly. Your three copies float and use their bodies to create thorny vines, wrapping around them. Their body is now frozen and only their head is left.

The other copy is left with you, the one who deceived the Maguu Kenki earlier. He held your hand and turned into a sword, a long and sharp blade. You used your strength on your legs to dash forward and finally dealt the strike to the three Maguu Kenkis. The wind and ice puppets disappeared, while the main body’s armors were left scattered in pieces. Seems like it’ll take a while until it stands up again. You stretched your arms and let out a long groan, feeling satisfied with today’s win.

As you were collecting your rewards, you felt a presence on your shoulder. It was the copy of you. And he just… stares at the reward. For some reason, this certain clone that you summon is more special than the others. The other three didn’t have any colors, while this one has your full appearance. And now he’s slowly having his own consciousness… What’s next, your voice? A small part of you is a bit scared that one day he’ll turn against you. But then again, you have the power to dispel him.

You tried to speak with him. “Let’s head back to the city?”

He was quiet but then he nodded his head as a reply. You placed your rewards in your bag, planning to sell them later. While you walked, he was floating and looking around. And when you both arrived in Kannazuka, he was staring at a certain area. The Tatarasuna.

“Something caught your eye?” you asked but he didn’t respond. He just… continued to stare at the place. “Want to look around?” And as if he were waiting for your approval, he immediately floated and headed inside. “Hey, wait—!" You ran and followed him.

You two walked around the area. There was nothing noteworthy. It was simply just a destroyed area. Not a single soul remains and lives there… Well, there are some Fatui camping in some spots. The place was… quiet and lonely.

You know the history about this island, yet you can’t help but wonder what would’ve happened if the Doctor had never come here 400 years ago. But then again, if he never did, Wanderer—Kabukimono would’ve stayed here in Inazuma. And then no one will save you, and you will continue to rot in your destroyed home. Nevertheless, you wish Wanderer’s fate didn’t reach Dottore’s palm… even if that meant you two never crossing paths.

You shake your head. There was no point in thinking of the impossible. You’ll leave it to another universe—if there is ever one.

Hours passed, and your copy had rested and disappeared. You were walking around the city when you noticed the kid that usually prays to the small shrine playing a card game with a tall man with white hair with his friends behind him cheering for him.

“You can do it, boss!”

“Here, take this!” The man with two horns placed a card on the floor.

You took a peek and they didn’t notice you coming behind them and watching as well. You immediately realized that it was the card game the General Mahamatra was so passionate about. You’d sometimes watch him back when you were in Sumeru. After a while, the tall man lost and the kid cheered.

“Yay!! I won!” Shouta jumps in joy. He then looks at him smugly. “Now our promise, mister.”

“Urk…” Hesitantly, the man gave him the snacks from his pocket. “Just you wait… I’ll win next time!”

“Haha! I’ll wait!” The kid then left and headed back home.

One of the man’s friends sighed. “That was our dinner, boss…”

“What will we do now?”

“Should we find Shinobu?”

“Relax, gang! We still have the ramen coupon!” he reassured them.

“But boss, we still can’t afford enough for all of us…”

“Alright, alright. Then we split them up. Me and—Wait, who’s this guy?” The oni finally noticed you.

His gang turned and saw you behind them. They shrugged their shoulders, not knowing who you are. Awkwardly, you waved your hand. You didn’t mean to watch for too long. “Umm, hi…”

“Hm? You lost or something?” He asked. “Or are you interested in playing too?”

You scratch the back of your head. “Oh, no, I…  just got distracted.”

Then suddenly, Itto had an idea. He called for his gang to gather and whisper to each other. You wanted to tell him that you could still hear them. Seems like he had a plan to challenge you and ask for dinner if you lost. You couldn’t help but let out a chuckle. They’re not even hiding it.

“Hey there, bro!” He faced you again, staring at you with his beaming eyes. “What do you say about a challenge?”

“Sorry, but I don’t have any TCG cards…”

“Oh, you don’t have one? Umm…” He tried to find Shinobu’s cards that she left and trusted him with. “Here! You can borrow one of my gang’s!”

You reluctantly took the box. He and his friends begin to explain the details, like how you need three characters and thirty support cards. But as they did, you’d get distracted by how pretty the cards are. Once you got the gist of it, you started to pick your characters. Earlier, you saw Venti’s card, so you picked him first. After that, you picked Shenhe. You remember seeing her a lot when you eat at the Wanmin restaurant. You miss Xiangling’s cooking now.

You continued to search for other characters and then your eyes widened at seeing Wanderer.

Kuni… had a TCG card!?

He was the last person you’d see being included in this game. Since when did they add him? Moreover, how did they even manage to make him agree to this?

“You’re interested in that guy?” The oni said, and you almost choked by his use of words. “That guy’s pretty tough!”

Tough, huh? You picked him and your team consists of Venti, Shenhe, and Wanderer. His eyes widened at your choice of characters.

“Hey, you sure you never played this before? Your team is actually pretty good!”

Is it? Or is he just trying to make you feel better? You’ll never know.

After picking your team, you began to pick your thirty support cards and it took you a while. Everything was so complicated and confusing. It was hard to memorize each card, so you’ll just hope they’ll point out if you’re making any mistake.

“Alright! Let's begin then!”

…

“Hell yeahh!! I won!”

You let out a sigh as you lost. It was so close. His last character was only with two hp left but you ran out of dice. You smiled as you watched him celebrate with his gang. “It’s my loss." You hear them cheering even more.

“Hey, buddy, you’re actually pretty good at this! You sure this is your first time?” he asked curiously.

“Well… I actually used to watch someone play this back then,” You confessed.

He placed his hand under his chin. “So that explains it—”

“Itto.” A woman with a mask called out his name. Her hands are crossed around her chest. “Aren’t those my cards?”

The four men jumped, almost afraid of her. Itto says, “S-Shinobu, you’re back!” He then tried to explain to her. “Don’t worry! This guy just played with me! Once! He didn’t have any cards so we let him borrow yours!”

You watch her look at you with her violet eyes. You gulped and gave her a small nod. “G-Greetings…”

Shinobu sighed and placed a hand on her waist and faced Itto. “Well, that's enough games for today. Let’s go get dinner.”

Itto panicked. “Oh, well, umm…”

Her eyebrow raised when they turned silent. “What’s wrong?”

You noticed Itto looking at you. Well, a deal’s a deal. “I lost the game so I’ll be treating you guys to dinner.”

Shinobu’s eyes widened and then he gave her gang a cold glare. “Just what did you say to our visitor?”

Before the others could speak and defend themself, you interrupted her. “Miss Shinobu, right? It’s fine. I used your cards without your permission and even lost.” You watch the four men hiding behind you… Someone who’s clearly shorter than them. It was almost funny to look at.

“No, don’t help them, umm…” You introduced yourself and then she spoke your name. “You don’t have to do anything. These guys can be pushy sometimes. You probably didn’t even plan to play with them.”

Well, that was true. You only wanted to watch. However, despite your loss, you still had fun. You’re beginning to understand why Cyno would be so passionate about this game. It’s very complicated yet it’s fun thinking of a strategy.

“It’s fine, truly. I had fun playing with them.”

“Well, if you say so… But you don’t have to treat us.”

You see Itto and the others having a troubled look on their faces. You know that their dinner was given to the kid earlier so they probably don't want to say it and trouble Shinobu and be scolded by her. So you came up with a lie. “It’s perfect timing since I’m also heading out for dinner. I don’t mind having some company.”

The four men cheered in joy while Shinobu was still hesitant. “Are you sure?”

It’s been a while since you ate anyway. Furthermore, the last time you ate with someone was your promise with Heizou. So it’s been months since that last encounter. “Well, if you guys want to eat with me.”

“Hell yeah, man!” Itto held your shoulder and pulled you closer. “Thanks a lot!”

The six of you entered Uryuu restaurant. You let them order as many as they want, and you reassured Shinobu that you’re fine with it. Seeing this many people smiling and being happy because of you made your chest warm. The sight of eating together with many people truly made you feel in bliss. You missed those times when you used to eat dinner with your family.

Itto raised his cup of drink. “And for our new friend here! Cheers!”

Everyone, including you, raised their cups. “Cheers!”

—

It’s been five months since you traveled to Inazuma. It’s now time to say goodbye. As promised, you rode the Crux again and were greeted by Beidou and Kazuha.

“Hey there, kid! Did you enjoy your stay?” she asked you.

You didn’t just enjoy it. You were truly grateful for the experience. You had fun exploring and, more importantly, training with the Maguu Kenki. You feel yourself getting stronger, all thanks to it. “Very much.” you answered.

And so, the ship headed towards Fontaine. You’re going back to your homeland and this time, you’ll do more, unlike your last visit. The thought of going back again after more than a year excites you. It felt like a vacation after Inazuma's gloomy scenery.

The next day arrived and you reached the nation of Justice. You bid farewell to them and walked around Lumidouce Harbor. It was your first time stepping here. The last time you entered was at the other entrance. You ride one of the boats that guide you to the city. You smiled as you looked at the familiar place again. It was still the same big city that you knew back then.

You headed towards the Hotel Debord and booked your room like last time. The worker behind the counter immediately recognized you. She greeted you and asked if your friend was with you. You told her no, that Wanderer isn’t here and you’re alone. After that exchange of words, you headed to your room, putting your bag on top of a table. You went to the window and opened it, feeling the breeze on your skin. Today is a good day. Maybe you’ll visit Chiori later, the person who made your current outfit.

—

“Mini Durin is planning to go back to Mondstadt. Albedo told me that he’ll give him a human body and I trust him. Hmph… Seems like he made his own decision. Reminds me of you… How come you two are leaving me once you made up your minds? Whatever. Not like I miss you or anything, but… you should come back and visit. I miss Lesser Lord Kusanali missed you.”

You read Wanderer’s letter. You thought for a moment, contemplating whether to come back or not. But you’re stubborn and patient. Not yet. And besides, it’s only been a year and five months since you left. It’s only like a few weeks to you immortals.

As you read his letter, your mind went to his mention of Mini Durin. Albedo, huh? You wonder how he’ll ever achieve that. But then again, it’s him. He’s a genius.

You hummed. A human body for Mini Durin. You wonder what he’d look like… It would be funny if he’s not going to be mini now and would be taller than Wanderer and Albedo. On the other hand, he’s still a baby dragon. Maybe he’d be as tall as the adorable Klee.

You rest your chin on your palm as you read more of his letter. The more you did, the more you started to miss him. Perhaps you’ll send a picture of you in next week’s letter. You picked up the photo he sent you. This time it was him with Mini Durin and Nahida. The two of them are beside him, smiling, while he is on his usual resting face.

“Not even a smile for me?” you pout as you look at his face.

Once you’re done reading, you put the letter in your envelope with the other collection of the previous ones he sent to you. You sighed as you looked at your items. You’re already on your 9th diary book. Maybe it’s time to buy a new bag.

So you went out of the hotel that morning and looked around the stores to buy one. One that’s not too big and the straps are strong enough for traveling. And when you finally bought one, a sad look appeared on your face. Does that mean you'll throw the old one now? But the memories you carried with it… The scent… Ah, you probably look creepy now. But you can’t help it. Not when you get attached so easily. The old bag was still fine, so maybe you’ll just fold it and put it inside your new one! Yeah!

A smile on your face now. There was no need to throw it away.

You head back to the hotel, but then you notice two familiar ladies and one that’s not, sitting at the table as they drink tea. It was Navia, Furina, and a lady with violet eyes. You haven’t met her before.

Navia immediately noticed you. She waved her hand and called out your name. “Hey! You’re back!”

You approached their table and greeted them. Furina almost didn’t recognize you but you reminded her of your short meeting back when you were buying cakes for Nahida. She let out an “Ohhh!” when she finally remembered you. You politely bowed your head to the other woman.

“Oh, I see you two haven’t met yet!” Navia then began to introduce you both to each other.

“Greetings,” Clorinde smiled.

They offered you a seat and you listened to Navia as she told the others how you knew each other. You ordered yourself a tea as well and listened to their chatting. And if you’re being honest, it felt a bit awkward. You felt like you weren't supposed to be here. What if they’re having… You don’t know, maybe a girls outing? And you’re just a random guy… that nobody invited—Well, actually, they offered you a seat.

Clorinde noticed your silence. She asked, “Is there something wrong?”

The other then looked at you. You motioned your hand in no. “I-I’m fine. I just… feel like I’m interrupting you ladies…?”

“Nonsense! If the traveler and Paimon suddenly appear, we’d invite them as well with no hesitation too!” Navia responds, and the other two agree.

Clorinde spoke. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but… could it be because you’re a guy?”

The three of them then stared at your appearance. You're mentally panicking again and you want nothing more than for your chair to eat you up.

“It’s not really a problem for me. I mean, you look feminine enough.”

“I agree," Furina says to Navia.

You felt your cheeks warming. Do you, though? You have never really thought about your appearance. All you know is that you looked pretty average—not saying that your mother didn’t do an incredible job at making you. It’s just that in this world, there are so many good-looking people and you think that you’re just in the middle. Or maybe even lower than that.

And you’re also a doll. Matryoshka definitely created you to be more… what's that word? Androgynous? Yes, that. It’s just that when she let you pick your clothes for the first time, you picked the ouji style rather than the lolita one, unlike your younger sister, Kano, the second doll. Ever since then, you've been used to wearing clothes that aren’t that feminine.

You’re also used to living as a guy. You have a deeper voice too. Actually, if you tried enough, you could do a girl’s voice. Maybe you’re just used to your current one.

You wonder what would’ve happened if you picked the dress instead. Perhaps you’d fit in with Furina and the others more…

That night, you stared at yourself in the mirror. You closed your other eye as you tried your best to apply eyeliner, one that Navia gave to you earlier.

“You should try putting on some makeup! Here, an eyeliner! I think it’d suit well! Hm? It’s fine! You can have this! I have more of it anyway!”

Again, you messed up, putting too much red. You grabbed a tissue and wiped the corners. “This is harder than I thought… How does Kuni even do this?” You remembered him painting his eyeliner when it fades in every few weeks.

All of a sudden, the copy of yours appeared. You jumped when you saw him behind you and ended up messing up your line. You looked at your eye and sighed.

“What?” You gave him a deadpan. He still can’t speak but he now has the ability to appear whenever he wants but only for a short time. At least for now.

He taps your shoulder, asking you to turn around. You did so and he held your hand and led you to the bed. You both sat down on the mattress and he took the eyeliner from you. He began to apply it. You were surprised but you closed your eyes for him.

This moment was… weird, to say the least. Imagine seeing two of you and one is putting eyeliner on the other. This doesn't happen every day. Yet it felt comforting. This copy of yours knows you better—hell, this is you, so it’s natural. It felt nice having someone for company, even if it’s just another you.

Once he was done, he led you back to the mirror. You opened your eyes and saw the makeup. He stood closer and pressed his cheeks next to yours, comparing you two. Such a small change yet it made you look much better. He smiled, as if hearing your thoughts, and then handed you the eyeliner and closed his eyes.

You chuckled. “Alright, fine.” You applied the makeup to him as well.

—

Today you planned to relax and walk around the Beryl Region and enjoy the view. Your copy wanders around and picks up flowers, making a flower crown. And when he finished it, he placed it on your head. You thanked him and he smiled happily and continued to find more flowers to make one for himself too.

After time passes, your clone is becoming more and more different from you. You still don’t know how this happened. You have no answers. But he seems to like you a lot so you have no worries about him doing anything bad.

As you both walked—well, floated for him—you saw a familiar figure walking towards the pond. And when he noticed your presence, your copy hid and disappeared, making his flower crown fall to the ground. It was Neuvillette. You smiled and approached him.

“Sir Neuvillette!” you beamed, happy to see him again.

The tall man smiled back. “It’s you. Welcome back.” He noticed your lack of a companion. “Is the man with the big hat not with you?”

You told him that you’re alone and have been traveling for a year now. It was nice seeing him again after a year. You’re still very grateful for what he did for you.

He eyed your appearance. “You changed a lot.”

He was right. You did. On your first time meeting him, you were still wearing your old clothes and had no vision. You were also quiet and more nervous. But now, your old self feels like a distant past. Traveling alone made you more confident and gave you courage.

You asked him why he was here. Usually he’d be locked in his office or go to the Opera Epiclese to be a judge. It was rare to see him outside the city. He answered that he had a day off and planned to visit Merusea Village.

And before you could ask what that place was, melusines suddenly appeared from the pond. They celebrated, happy that Neuvillette visited them. They all end up dragging you both to their home, welcoming you as well. You don’t mind it one bit. They were all adorable. You became friends with many of them as they showed you to their village. You didn’t know a place like this exists here. That day you had fun.

—

“Dear Diary, today I’m leaving Fontaine once again. I had so much fun exploring the sea and land. I met so many friends too, but in the end, I never got to see Lyney, Lynette, and Freminet again. Maybe next time.”

You eyed your surroundings as you were back at your destroyed home, visiting for one last time. There really was nothing left but you still walked around. You found the spot where you were sitting back then, when you were waiting for your family to come back, and Scaramouche found you.

“I visited home again. It barely looked like the house I used to live in 500 years ago. I miss it but there's nothing I can do now. I didn’t find anything, so I left empty-handed."

You rode the elevator at Fontaine’s entrance. You looked back once again, saying goodbye to your beloved homeland. After that, you ride a waverider to travel across to the Sumeru desert.

“The past five months have been so much fun. My sword skill and cryo power had improved a lot. And also, the clone of me was able to speak a few words now!”

During your travels to the desert, your friend didn’t appear a single time. Probably by how hot the area was. You can’t blame him. So you head towards Natlan alone.

“I will miss Fontaine again but I can always visit back. So today, I’m leaving and will start my journey to Natlan, the nation of dragons.”

When you reached the entrance and walked past the Children of Echoes, your eyes widened at the vast area. You see so many dragons. Others are on the land, while some are flying. Natlan was a beautiful place. Your eyes sparkled and got excited to explore the land. But you held back. For now, you have to find an inn to stay at.

On your journey to the city, you’d see dragons staring at you. Most of them are friendly. One small dragon even approached you. You find her adorable and end up petting her. When her family is certain you’re friendly, they will all flock to you. It felt like heaven after suffering from the heat of the desert. You wonder what these adorable creatures are called.

It took you hours to reach the city. Well, it would’ve taken under an hour if you didn't get distracted so easily. You booked a room and excitedly went out and explored. And before you knew it, the sun was beginning to rise. You didn’t even realize that the night just passed, and it was already the next day.

You were at the top of Teticpac Peak, sitting on the cliff. You watch the view and let the breeze blow your hair. And just before you can jump down and use your glider, someone catches your eye. You watch him use his power to create some kind of rope and he swings around in the air. Your eyes widened, interested in his skill.

The man ended up reaching the mountain where you were at. After he landed safely, he stretched his arms, and suddenly a… talking yellow paper appeared? No, that’s not a paper. What the hell is that?

“Ughh, when will you fall and die?! ”

The man deadpanned to him. “Maybe never.” He rolls his eyes and leaves while his companion follows him whining.

You stood there, still processing what just happened. What you saw there looked so fun and you wanted to try it too.

After a few weeks of staying in Natlan, you see so many vision holders having fun ways to use their power. You saw a girl surfing on a shark, a woman with tires on her shoes, and, hell, even a lady riding a huge gun, flying in the sky!

Now that you think about it, the thought of a way to use your cryo vision to help you with exploration never crossed your mind. Actually, you did have one but not really. You do use your power to create ice blades on your footwear to slide easily during your technique when you freeze a field. You never thought of using it outside of that.

One day, after resting, you woke up early and went outside and tried to do your new idea. You used your cryo vision and summoned the blades on your feet. But when you did, you immediately fell to the ground. It was hard to balance since the ground wasn’t slippery so you couldn’t skate. So how will you do it without summoning your domain?

After a few minutes, you finally have an idea. You take a step and carefully use your power to freeze the spot you're standing in. You slowly walked while doing it and when you looked behind, the ice was too thick. You want them to melt after a few steps. So for the whole day, you focused on controlling your power.

It was nearing dark when you finally did it. You were skating on land and enjoying it. You stopped after a while, feeling your energy drained out. You used your cryo vision too much today.

Unexpectedly, your copy pats your shoulder. He handed you berries. “Here… You did well.”

You’re still not used to hearing your own voice. "For me? Thank you.” You took a bite, giving you just enough energy to head back to the city.

The next day after, you continued to practice and tried skating to the wall. It didn't really end up so well. You fell many times and would barely land yourself safely. It took you a few more days until you reached higher. And when you finally did, you lost your balance. But before you could fall, your copy used the cyro rope to catch your body. You looked up and thanked him. You focused again and continued to skate through the wall. Then you successfully skated to the top of the Teticpac Peak.

“Yes!!” You then high-fived with him.

“Yay! You did it!” He clapped his hands.

You smiled. “Wouldn’t have done it without you.”

He became silent. He stared at you with a blank face before looking away, feeling shy now. Your eyebrows rose. He really reminds you of the past self. The old, shy, and timid you. Curious and also willing to help.

The sun was still visible, so you asked him for his help to assist you in skating down. He seemed eager and gave you a hum.

It wasn’t until the next week that you mastered it. It was way harder when going down. Once you were done with that, you practiced skating to Ameyalco Waters. It was way easier to skate to the water than to climb a wall so it only took you a day.

The clone clapped his hands as he stood on the land, watching you have fun. You approached him and pulled his hand. He let out a gasp when he felt you giving him blades on his feet as well. The two of you laughed as you skated through the water while many Koholasaurus were watching you both.

It was fun… Really fun. You never realized how much you yearned for a companion since you left Sumeru. You missed Wanderer. Deeply. So this copy of yours filled the void inside you in the meantime. And you wanted more than to protect the two of them, your loved ones. Your dear savior and another you who has his own consciousness. Both gentle and brings you peace. Your two best friends.

—

Four months had passed. You explored all of Natlan’s Island. Except for one. The Easybreeze Holiday Resort.

Your clone tugged at your clothes. “Come on… I want to go there…” He pointed at your map.

Well, it was the perfect time. The past months had been full of training and exploring. A vacation sounds good. “Alright then.” You closed your map and sat down on your bed. Your legs crossed. “But we’re heading there on our own. If I run out of energy, it's your turn to skate and carry me. Sounds good?”

He pouts. “Fine…”

The two of you sleep and rest well that night. Clueless about what you both would receive the next morning.

…

You woke up the next day and got Wanderer’s letter. He was a week early. It was supposed to be your turn. Confused, you read the writings but then you froze and you ended up dropping your mug. Your copy appeared, wondering what the noise was. He saw your eyes widen. He floats next to you and reads the letter as well.

“I’m currently in Nod-krai, with Durin and Albedo. Aether and Paimon too. I never told you that I’ve been here for some weeks now. I just wanted to write this and say that I won’t be able to send any letter for next week… or many more, who knows. I’m here to finally settle my score with Dottore. Don’t worry. I won’t get reckless. I’ll be back to Sumeru soon, so you don’t have to come here. Don’t let me interrupt you on your travels. Just wanted to let you know in case you get worried like last time. Stay safe and… Come visit again. It’s been two years. I miss you.

-Wanderer, Kuni, Hat Guy.”

Wanderer is in Nod-krai. And he’s there to fight with the Doctor…!? You had to reread again, making sure you were getting it right.

Kuni will fight Dottore.

Worried. That’s how you feel. Why was Dottore there anyway? How did Wanderer know he'd be there? Regardless, Wanderer will face him and you’re anxious. You trust him not being reckless but it’s Dottore we're speaking of here. A dangerous man who hurt him before. You don’t want that to repeat.

Your copy helped you pack your bag. He looked at you, almost with a small frown. “Let’s go. Let’s be there for your Kuni.”

You felt bad. You wanted to take him to the resort. And you can see in his eyes that he really wanted to. Perhaps next time. You held his hand. “... Sorry. I promise I’ll take you there after we’re done.” You gave him a small smile.

He shook his head. “That can wait.” He smiled as well. “So let’s help your friend first.”

Your clone never met Wanderer. But if he’s someone dear to you, then he’ll help you protect him.

You’ll make it up to him later.

—

“Heroes don't attack from behind… Guess I’m no hero.” Aether stabbed Dottore in his back.

“This is most…” The Doctor turned to look at him. “Disappointing.”

Aether backed away and continued to hit him and defend himself. He used his anemo, swirling it with his pyro, sending an attack to the man. After that, he used his electro to speed himself up and went behind the 2nd Harbinger. He dashed in and was about to take the moon marrow, but the Doctor used his power to put him down on the ground. Aether groans.

But then all of a sudden, the barrier broke from an explosion. Anemo attacks Dottore and he shields himself. And there flies Wanderer, meeting eyes with him before holding Aether to help him escape.

“A new face… Interesting.” He uses his power to attack the two, hitting them with lasers.

Wanderer groaned when it hit the back of his shoulder, but he focused on flying and exiting with the traveler, carrying him away from the area. Albedo and Durin followed them after. The rescue was successful.

Once the two of them landed on a safe spot, Aether asked, “Hat Guy? How did you get here?”

“You’re still gonna call me “Hat Guy” after that, huh?” He gave him a deadpan look.

The traveler thanked him, appreciating his rescue. But when Wanderer coughed, he got worried and also felt bad now that he couldn't use the same trick and take his chance to take Dottore out anymore. But Wanderer told him that he doesn’t blame him. Rescuing him was an important goal as well.

After that short conversation, Albedo and Durin arrived. They asked if Aether was alright and he was. Dottore didn’t harm him. However, just before they could enter the city, monsters suddenly showed up, blocking their way.

“Tch, we don’t have time for this.” Wanderer clicked his tongue.

“I’ll handle them.” Durin pulled out his weapon, ready to use his pyro vision to burn the enemies.

Just when the four of them prepared for battle, a cold fog appeared and the enemies suddenly got frozen. Everyone looked in shock, wondering what just happened. They watched as thorny vines made out of cryo hugged the bodies then tightened and ended up killing the monsters in pieces. And when the fog dispersed, Wanderer became speechless.

“Hope I made it in time.” You dismissed your power and placed a hand on your hip.

Aether called out your name. Same with Albedo and Durin. Your eyes immediately went to the dragon boy. So this is how he looks with a human body now. Quite different from what you imagined. You greeted them, seeing Albedo and Aether haven’t changed one bit. And when you finally faced Wanderer, you smiled.

“I’m back, Kuni.”

He was still in shock from what just happened. He eyed you and your appearance didn’t change much but he can see your growth. You’re different from the last time he saw you. The memories of your goodbye from the bridge came back but he shook his head. Now’s not the time for getting sappy. He crossed his arms. “Hmph, after two years.”

“Hehe, I wanted to surprise you! So… Am I all grown up now?” You leaned closer, waiting for his answer.

He looked and backed away. “... I suppose so.”

But you two were interrupted by Albedo. Right, there are still more important matters to do. Quickly, everyone headed back to the Curatorium of Secrets. And on your way, Albedo explained the situation. You immediately got the details. So the main goal here is to defeat the Doctor and bring back Columbina. You told them that you’ll help and they appreciate your aid.

And when everyone finally reached the place, you froze at seeing two familiar faces. Everyone greeted the other back and asked if Aether was okay. You hid behind Wanderer and he knows the reason why. But a tall man with long blue hair immediately noticed you and asked who you were. Albedo introduced you and the two lady Harbingers instantly recognized you.

Sandrone’s eyes widened. “What?!” She approached and looked at you. She still remembered that time when she dressed you up. “You!? You’re alive!?”

Arlecchino spoke your name. “It’s you, right? The doll that the Fatui saved years ago.”

Everyone’s eyes are on you and it made you even more anxious. Albedo and Durin were confused. You never told them that you had a connection with the Fatui back then.

Wanderer was about to respond but you stopped him. You stopped hiding behind him and revealed yourself. “... Yes, it’s me.”

Sandrone and Arlecchino looked at each other. The tall woman spoke. “Are you here for revenge?”

Confused, you asked why she’d assume that. But she reminded you and told you that Dottore abandoned you at Sumeru. You almost forgot about that, so you lied and nodded in response. Actually, you kinda are since you’re still mad about what he did to Wanderer and when he abandoned you two as well.

“I’m here to help defeat him too and bring back Miss Columbina.” You placed a hand on your chest.

Everyone welcomed you to the party. After that, Paimon and the others returned. The floating companion hugged the traveler, crying as he finally returned. You watched them having their moment and your gaze went to Wanderer.

He noticed your stare but he didn’t look back. “What?”

“Nothing.” You smiled.

Everyone then began to discuss a plan on how to bring Columbina back. You stood there and listened to everyone. You almost jumped when a sudden voice came to your mind and a lady appeared, sitting on the sofa. You didn’t know who she was but Wanderer whispered and told you that she’s one of the Hexenzirkel, Nicole. You then remembered. Albedo explained it to you back then.

They continued to discuss, but Sandrone revealed to them that her calculation to solve a way to bring back Columbina halted. She told everyone that she had run out of computing power. There was no way to solve her problem for now, so Arlecchino called off and dismissed everyone, telling them to rest in the meantime. Everyone left and headed out to find more clues.

You were about to call out for Wanderer but he went out with Aether. So then Sandrone approached you.

"You…you're really the last person I’d expect to join us.” She eyed you up and down. You changed a lot the last time she saw you. “I really thought you were gone.”

You scratched the back of your head. “Well, I’m still here…”

“Good. We need as much help as possible.”

…

“Still, computing power is the real issue here. How do you plan to solve it?” Albedo asked.

“About that… it’s been sorted.” Sandrone led them to the other room.

And here they saw Wanderer floating with his legs crossed. And you were next to him as you kept an eye on him.

“Hat Guy?! What’s happened to him!?” Paimon asked in worry.

Durin approached his body. “Hat Guy… Can you hear us?” But there was no response from the man.

Albedo placed a hand under his chin. “Hat Guy mentioned that he was a puppet. It seems that his functions are currently shut down.”

The 7th harbinger then began to tell them what happened earlier. Wanderer let her borrow his core to continue her calculations. You were even against it at the start, like she was as well, but you trusted her to handle it with care. Even so, seeing Wanderer like this made you concerned. If this is his decision, then you’ll respect it.

Sandrone told them that Wanderer only trusted the two brothers, Aether and you. But Aether has his own task to do and yours is to help fight Dottore. And so the two of them are in charge of looking after his body.

Earlier, you were confused about what choice you would make. Protect Wanderer or fight Dottore? You picked the latter. You trust Albedo and Durin to watch over him. You’re not one to meddle in someone's business, but Wanderer is unconscious. You wanted him to have his revenge for the Doctor as well. So you’ll carry his pride and fight Dottore for him. And for making him suffer for so many years. It’s unforgivable.

…

A couple of days passed. Everyone had discussed their plans on fighting Dottore and defending Nasha Town. Sandrone’s formula of bringing Columbina back was almost done. She just needs more time. But Dottore had other plans and his subordinates began to raid the town. However, you and the others are prepared to defend the place.

After fighting many of his minions, he finally showed up. You stood there at the back, holding your weapon tightly. It's been a long time since you saw him and his presence only made you furious.

Dottore…!

He seemed to have noticed you but didn’t really pay attention. He transformed into his false god appearance and he used the two moons' and the artificial one's power to open the false sky. He transported you and the others into the huge palm, away from the land.

The man floated up in the air as he looked down at everyone. “The experiment begins.”

You watched him bring down three pillars. You jumped behind one of them to not get hit by the next attack. But the next thing everyone knew was that Flins was already gone. The Doctor had put him in another space, trapping him. Next was Lauma, then lastly Nefer. After that, the only ones left were you and Aether.

Lasers were about to hit him but you used your power to skate in front of him and used your sword to hit each beam. The blonde traveler thanked you. Now that you know his moves, you can focus on your strategy, your formation. You used your power to freeze the sharp blades he’d sent flying but it was futile and they’d just broke free. You clicked your tongue as you dodged the attacks. If that’s impossible to be iced, then can you even do it to Dottore?

While you were parrying his attacks, you didn’t notice him moving behind you. When you finally turned around, his hand grabbed your neck and lifted your body to his level. You gasped. Aether shouted your name in worry, but he couldn’t come and help you. He’s parrying the never-ending assaults he's getting.

Dottore spoke. “It’s you… I didn’t expect to see you here. Interesting.” He pulled you closer and inspected your death glare. He smirked. “I had the impression you had already died back then.”

You let him hold you for now. After all, the goal is to give Sandrone more time. So you smirked back. “And you're still alive, Doctor. Isn't it about time you pass away?”

He frowns, not liking your attitude. “You changed. Don't I remember you being too shy and scared back then?”

You never get to see him much back then. You were mostly cooped up in Scaramouche’s chamber. And mostly, just avoiding him since the 6th told you so. And now you understand why, unlike back then. You replied back, “Maybe you're getting too old now to remember.”

Irritated by your words, he used his free hand, ready to thrust into your chest. But before that could happen, you used your cryo vision and wrapped your thorny vines, starting from his hand that was holding your neck. He watched in bewilderment and tried to throw you away but you continued to tie him and freeze his hand.

“Version 6, 96%. Lock on!”

A domain suddenly appeared. He felt his body turning cold and decreasing his movement speed. He scanned for who shouted and found another you, with a blade thrust into the ground. Confused, he looked at the body he was holding with his hand.

Your copy then smirked and disappeared, turning into the vines as he tied him, slowly freezing his body. He groaned in annoyance, shifting his gaze to the main body from the ground. All this time, you were hiding while your clone distracted him.

You and Aether took this opportunity to strike him. He used his electro to dash towards him and immediately switched to pyro while you used your power to skate and create a cryo sword. Then you both attacked him at the same time and ended up wounding him. But Dottore broke free from the ice, making you both back away. The wound on his waist immediately cured as he used one of the moon’s powers to heal him.

He watched you stand up next to our copy and found it interesting. “Two of you, huh… Reminds me of my segments. Don’t tell me you took inspiration from me.”

“Now why would I take inspiration from you out of all people?” you respond.

He chuckled bitterly. “And here I was slightly hoping you were secretly looking up to me.”

Mad, you held your sword tighter. “Never even in my next life.”

You and the traveler continued to attack him while dodging his attacks at the same time. Dottore kept an eye on you since this is his first time seeing your skills. You noticed his stare and it creeped you out. You then continued to use the same skills, hiding your trump card for now.

Except the false god had other plans. So he focused on getting rid of you first so that he could be alone with the blonde traveler. You picked up your pace and parried his attacks, together with your clone. He couldn’t recognize which one is who now that you both move too fast.

One of his sharp blades flew towards you, but then your clone pushed you and took the hit instead. You heard him gasp in pain. You glanced at where he was pierced, and your body tensed. The cut was under his chest, in the middle. It’s you and your copies’ weakness.

Dottore used his power to control the blade and brought the copy’s body close to him. He grabbed his neck again. “Hmm… Not the main body.”

You tried to dismiss your copy but you couldn’t control him. You communicated to his mind. “What are you doing?! Retreat right now!”

The clone didn’t listen and planned to freeze Dottore’s hands again. But the Doctor wasn’t going to fall for the same trick. He throws his body away, rolling to the ground and he coughs.

Furious, You let your emotions get ahead of you. How dare he hurt another friend of yours!

Aether shouted your name in worry, telling you to calm down. But your mind was already settled on heading straight on and killing him. You finally used your new skills, summoning three of the colorless copies. You four went to your formation, surrounding the Doctor. One holds a spear, the other has a bow, the third carries a claymore, and you hold two swords, one you always carry and the other that was made with cryo.

The false god watches in delight. “Truly interesting.”

The traveler watches three of you rush towards him, attacking without any stop, while the other shoots arrows like there's no tomorrow. He focused as well and attacked.

Dottore continued to dodge and hit everyone with the laser until eventually, one by one, your copies were defeated. He smirked now that he knows which spot to hit.

You silently cursed as you watched yourself alone again. You resumed defending yourself as the sharp blades kept flying towards you. You were too focused on doing that and didn’t expect lasers to hit the blades on your footwear, making you unable to skate and lose balance. Before you could fall, another blade headed towards you, fast too. You braced yourself for a sharp pain, but your eyes widened when your copy teleported in front of you and got hit as well.

You scream as you feel a pain from your core. You looked down at the blade but it was wrapped with cryo. You felt it entering your body, protecting your insides from being further damaged. You looked at your clone as he could barely open his eyes.

“Wha-... What the hell are you doing…” You asked in pain. You winced, feeling your core getting frozen. You copy forced out a small laugh before coughing. The hole in his weakness is much bigger now. You asked again, “Why aren’t you listening to me…! You should—" You coughed as well. “... Retreat for now.”

Aether noticed your situation but Dottore wasn’t letting him take his eyes off him. The two of them continued to fight.

You feel yourself ready to shut down. The pain was too much but you know that your copy is only doing it to protect your body and preserve your core, even when it already has a hole in it. Just like him but yours is smaller compared to his. You can’t even imagine how much pain he’s bearing right now.

You muttered, “Hey… Listen to me. Ughh, disappear now… Please…” However, you feel your chest heavy when he only gives you a smile. “What… What are you smiling for? This is no time for that… Urk, I knew you’d one day stop listening to me… But why now of all times…”

You pant as you try to get away from the blade but it only hurts you even more. You tried to control him, to make him vanish. You couldn’t anymore. You have no power over him now and it’s all because he’s denying your authority.

“Stop that… Follow my order,” you said with anger.

He called out your name. It felt weird hearing it with your voice. It’s his first time saying it too. “I… I might have to sleep now…”

Confused but you felt relief. “Yes, do that… Please rest for now… You did well already…”

He smiled and looked you in the eyes. “You better live…”

When he said that, you felt uneasy. “Of course I will… Come on… I still have to take you to Natlan’s Resort…”

He leans his head on our shoulders. Hesitantly, his arms embraced you. “Maybe in another time…”

“What do you mean?” You looked at him with worry, but you hugged him back. “Don’t worry. Once this is over, we’ll go there… I promise.”

He closed his eyes as he kept his smile. He spoke with a weak voice. “Thank you…”

But then you heard a crack. The copy’s body broke into pieces like glass. He turned colorless. This wasn’t his usual way to disappear, so what was going on?

He spoke again for the last time. “See you later…”

You watched each piece of his body disappear from the air. And when he was fully gone, you felt a tear in your eye.

“See you later..." He didn’t say goodbye. So why did you still cry?

Once Dottore let you have your moment, he focused on you again. "That's enough talking for you, doll.” He controlled the blade on your chest and placed you in the air. You screamed in pain, ending up coughing your body’s blood.

The traveler called out your name. You could barely open your eyes anymore and you watch him fight Dottore all by himself. But when you saw Sandrone appear and join, you felt relief. That means Aether won’t be alone now.

You already did your best to help the Marionette stall the Doctor. You can only hope her formula will succeed and bring Columbina back. Sadly, you won’t be there to see Dottore die. Even when you promised to yourself to be there for Wanderer’s sake too. In the end, you’re still weak. You need to train more. So you hope your best friend, your copy, will be there to help you again.

Then you finally closed your eyes, feeling yourself shut down.

—

Wanderer slowly opened his eyes. His vision was blurry at first. He blinked a few times.

“Hat Guy!” Durin called his name in relief. “You finally wake up!”

He looked at the dragon boy next to him and slowly looked around and saw Albedo.

Albedo approached him and asked, “How are you feeling?”

Wanderer stood up, placing a hand on his chest. He shook his head as he felt no pain or any memory loss. “I’m fine.”

Durin smiled and told him what happened. When he told him that Dottore was finally defeated, Wanderer felt relieved yet also bitter as he wasn’t there to witness it. But this is for the better, right? He's finally gone for good.

When he asked the two where you were, they both turned quiet. Durin looked down, having a frown on his face.

He raised his eyebrow. “Hm? What’s that look on your faces?”

They didn’t answer. He watched with confusion when Albedo exited out of the room. However, when he returned, Wanderer saw him carrying your body.

His eyes widened. It’s not what he’s thinking, right? This isn’t real. He probably had a small malfunction. He should go and confront Sandrone for not handling his core carefully because why are his eyes playing tricks on him?

The alchemist hands your body to him. He carried you and slowly fell to the floor. He caressed your cheek and called out your name. Once, and then a few more times. “Hey… Wake up…”

There was no way for everyone to know if you were still alive. Just like Wanderer, you don't breathe to live. But this doesn’t mean you’re gone, right? You’re probably just asleep.

His gaze shifted down and finally saw the hole under your chest. He watched in horror when he saw your state. His hand slowly touched the frozen part of the hole.

Albedo looked away with a small frown. "Unfortunately, he and Miss Sandrone didn’t make it…”

Sandrone was dead too? Wanderer couldn’t believe it. The two of you were taken by the Doctor.

“So… you’re the one who put back my core?” Wanderer asked.

Albedo nods. “Yes. That’s why I asked if you were fine earlier.”

“Then…” Wanderer hugged your body closer to him. He slowly faced up to Albedo with despair, looking at him as if he were his savior. “Albedo… I have a request… I’ll do anything in return…”

The alchemist hummed. “I know. I will do my best.”

He holds you tighter. “Please…”

—

Two weeks had passed since Dottore was defeated. The damage he had caused was slowly being fixed. Except you and Sandrone. Albedo wasn’t able to help you.

“I already had melted the ice but the main problem is after that. His core was damaged, almost half of it. Someone like me who doesn’t know what it’s made of would have a higher chance of causing more harm to it. Even if I did have the items, I need the blueprint. His body is a vessel. One wrong move on his core, and I might reset him.”

“But you still have to do it! We have to fix him…!”

“Even if there’s a chance he’ll forget everything? Forget you?”

“...”

Wanderer carried your body to the ship after he finished bidding farewell with Aether and Arlecchino. He hugged your unconscious form close to him and he headed back to Sumeru. Stressed. That's how he currently feels. He still needs to find a way to fix you. Once he arrives at Sumeru, he has to help Nahida with the Irminsul. And lastly, he still feels uneasy. Even when Dottore was already dead.

Once the ship arrived at the Bayda Harbor, he carried your body behind him. He slowly walks as his gaze is down to the ground. He wanted nothing more than to see you open your eyes. But he thought it was too good to be true. Everyone always leaves him. Katsuragi, Niwa, the nameless kid, and now… you. Of course. The world has to take you away from him too.

“This world be damned.”

He halted his walk and fell to the ground. His arms pulled you closer in front of him. Then finally, he cried. His tears fell to your face as he caressed your cheek. He pressed his forehead against yours.

He spoke your name in a weak voice. “Don’t leave me too…”

…

Once he was ready to head back to the city, he carried your body again. This time, he carried you in front, holding your shoulder while the other was under your knees. He looked at you one more time before continuing his walk.

When he reached the city, some people were staring at him. His face probably looked like a mess right now. He recalled seeing his eyebags when he checked the ship’s mirror earlier. It doesn't matter. He has to go back to the Sanctuary of Surasthana and meet with the Dendro Archon.

And just when he was about to take another step, a lady approached and interrupted him.

—

You slowly opened your eyes. You faced down and looked at your hands.

“What happened…”

You looked around and just realized that… You’re back at the house!? What’s going on? Why are you here?

You stood up from the bed and walked around the room. Ah, it’s been a long time now. You forgot this is what your room looked like. A sudden wave of nostalgia is flooding in. You made a small, sad smile. You still don’t know why you were here. But it doesn’t matter. Not anymore. You’re back to the past. To your home.

“Wait, I’m back to the past… Does that mean…”

You hurriedly went to the door and opened it. You looked around and saw no one. You felt… a bit disappointed.

“Right… that’s too much to ask for…”

You went next door, entering your younger brother’s room, Ugo, the fourth doll. You looked around with your hands behind you, not wanting to touch and accidentally break anything. You see many pictures of crystal flies on the walls. You remember him being so interested in them and even taking care of one.

The next room you visited is your younger sister Violet's, the sixth doll. She was always interested in gems. You see her collection on her table. You remember that one time she gave your mother a necklace with a gem of the same color as Matryoshka’s eyes during her birthday. It was a big celebration with you and the others preparing for the feast. And when she complimented your cooking, it made you so happy. It really was a fun day.

You visited each of your sibling’s rooms. As you did, you couldn’t help but tear up. It’s been so long. You still remember staying inside here for years, just reading and doing housework, back when you were still afraid of the sun’s heat. Back when you envied your family when they could go outside. You always wanted to travel the world like those protagonists from the stories you read. Having powers and being able to wield weapons. And look at you now. You grew up.

You wiped your tears and checked each room. You entered the library, the storage room, the basement where your mother would do her experiments, the kitchen, and the bathroom. Then lastly, you find yourself standing in front of the dining room door. You grabbed the doorknob, hesitating to open. Back then, everyone would be at the table by the time it’s dinner. No one would be missing.

Slowly, you opened the door. What lies ahead made you stand there in shock. Your family was standing there, waiting for you.

“Welcome back!” Your siblings greeted you and they celebrated your return.

Matryoshka stood in the middle with a soft look on her face. She opens her arms and calls out your name. “Welcome back.”

Without any hesitation, you ran towards and hugged her. And when you felt her body, knowing she was really there in front of you, your grip tightened. You didn’t even notice your clothes changing to the one you used to wear back then. You felt your tears coming back once more.

“I’m back, mother…”

—

“Here’s the list you need to gather. I have the rest with me.” The lady gave the paper to Wanderer. Without waiting another second, he quickly used his anemo vision to fly to Fontaine at high speed.

The Dendro Archon watched as he left before looking back at your body as you lay down on your bed in the room you shared with him. She held your hand, looking at you with sorrow.

Then she eyed the mysterious woman. “... Are you certain you have the power to bring him back?”

The lady put down her cloak’s hood, revealing her face. Her red eyes met with hers. “Even if I swear on my own life.”

Wanderer returned in only a few hours. He pants, as he has used too much of his power for today. Nahida approached him with worry and told him that he should’ve taken his time. The lady with red eyes grabbed the items he brought.

He coughed as he watched her remove her cloak, revealing her appearance. She used her power to start her experiment and fix your core. But when she summoned a puppet to assist her, both he and Nahida stared in bewilderment.

The puppet was your creator.

—

You sat next to your mother as you ate the feast with them. Your siblings chat to each other, talking about their day and their interests. You watch them as you miss this sight. You always loved listening to them.

Matryoshka called you, wanting to chat with you. “How have you been? Was the outside world what you have always been hoping for?”

You nod. “It was fun!” You beamed as you then told her about your journey.

She listened to your story, happy to see you being this chatty. She wonders if you were even the same person she knew back then. “I’m happy to see your improvement.” Her hand pats your head and you close your eyes and lean to her touch.

You then remembered Wanderer, your best friend and savior. When you told her about him, she saw your eyes shining.

“Kuni… is a dear friend of mine. I… I’m glad I met him.”

She smiled. “I’d like to meet him one day.”

“I’ll make sure to introduce you both to each other.” You placed a hand on your chest.

You took a bite of your meal, watching your sisters and brothers once again. Violet, Ugo, Shin, Isabella, and so on… They haven’t changed one bit—the same personalities, appearances, and voices. Yet you did, the last person they’d expect when you continued to trap yourself in the mansion back then.

If only they continued to grow up like you did…

When you watched over them, you suddenly realized something. There were only twenty of you, excluding your mother. Confused, you were about to ask your mother but someone knocked on the door. You looked back.

“Why don’t you open the door, dear?” Matryoshka asked you.

You complied and stood up from your seat. When you opened the door, your eyes widened.

“... Huh?”

It was your clone, the other you.

“Wait, am I late to the party?” He scratched the back of his head.

You stood there, frozen. The memories are coming back. Your fight with Dottore. And when you two were pierced by his blade.

“What’s that look for? Not happy to see me again?”

Without another second, you hugged him. He let out a gasp, surprised by the sudden squeeze.

“You… Why are you here?” you asked him.

He pouts. “You’re not happy…?”

“I didn’t say that, you idiot.” You leaned back and eyed him again, still processing that he’s really here. “I… I thought I wouldn’t be able to see you again…”

The clone raised his eyebrow. “Did I tell you that I’d see you later? Well, here I am. By the looks of it, you don’t seem that happy…”

You gave him a deadpan look. “Stop putting words in my mouth.” You held his hand and smiled. “I’m happy to see you again.”

He smiles back. Behind you, you heard your mother’s voice.

“Who’s this friend of yours?”

Your siblings' attention is on both of you. They stood up from their chairs and walked to you two.

“Big brother, who’s this guy?”

“Woah! He looks a lot like you!”

“Not just a lot, it is exactly like him. The eyes and hair. That’s literally another him.”

“Hey there, mister. What’s your name?”

You chuckled as you watched your sibling get curious. Your copy turned shy and hid behind you. You held his hand, reassuring and reminding him that you’re with him. You happily introduced him to your family and offered him a seat next to you, inviting him to your family’s feast.

All of them wanted to be friends with him and the others had already started to call him "big brother" as well. Shyly, he accepted them all and they cheered. You chuckled at seeing the sight. It almost felt like a memory of how it used to be back then. The shy and timid past you with your family at the dinner table.

Everything felt surreal. It’s too perfect. It felt like heaven…

Although, there’s only a certain someone that’s missing. Wanderer. But you can’t be too greedy. This was already enough for you. If you had a human heart, you would’ve already melted and exploded. You’ve never been this happy before.

You don’t even know how many minutes, hours, or days had already passed. You continued to sit in your chair and chat with your family and your friend. You couldn’t stop smiling. You were too damn happy.

Then suddenly, the door opened. Everyone turned quiet. You stood up from your seat and instead of seeing the hallway behind the door, it was a pure glowing light that was almost blinding your eyes. And when you turned around, everyone was standing behind you.

Your copy placed a hand on his chest. “Looks like it’s time…”

You watch everyone smiling at you. Matryoshka stepped in and held your hand. “Your journey is far from over.”

Confused. “Yes… I still want to travel. And…” You looked at your copy. “I need to keep my promise and bring him to Natlan’s Resort.”

Your copy’s eyes slightly widened before giving you a small sad smile. He stepped in as well, holding your other hand. “I look forward to it."

But when they let go, the light behind the door suddenly dragged you slowly, not even waiting for you. “Wha–!” You looked back on them, looking desperate.

No. Not yet. You don’t want this to end so soon. You still want to stay here. You want to continue chatting with them. It doesn’t matter if it takes days, hell, even years. You still want to spend more time with them.

You still want to stay in this blissful moment.

“Wait, I’m not ready yet—! ” You shout.

Your eyes became teary as you watched them stand there, smiling at you. Your siblings waved their hands goodbye.

"Goodbye, big brother!”

“We'll see you another time!”

“You better not come back here so soon again.”

“Be careful next time.”

“Uwaahh… I still want to spend more time with you, but goodbye, big bro!”

“Take care, big brother.”

“We’ll wait for you again. We’re all patient.”

“Wahhh! I’ll miss you!”

“Hic… Don’t forget about us…”

“I better not see you here again, got it!? I… Waaahh… I’ll miss you, big brother…!”

“Look what you did, making them cry. Hmph… we’ll see each other one day again. So we’ll all wait.”

“Big brother! Bye bye!”

“Have a safe journey!! Bye, big bro!”

“Tch… You better go back. We’ll hang out again one day, so take your time.”

“See you, big brother!! Don’t worry about us!”

“Don’t stress out. We’re patient. We’ll see each other again.”

“Uuwaahh… Big brother… I’ll miss you so much… Take care!”

“Hic… We promise to wait. So… we’ll see you again!”

“Big brother… See you.”

Your tears run down your cheeks. You called each one of their names. Then your mother called out yours.

“Take care, my son. Remember… We love you.” She looked at you with a gentle smile on her face as she waved her hand with the others too.

Your clone waved his hand as well. “Farewell.” Then he spoke your name.

Desperate and feeling hopeless, you tried to fight back the light that’s pulling you out to the door. You cried and shouted, “Mother!!”

The last thing you saw was your clone, having a bitter smile. Both he and your mother held hands and she patted his head. Everyone turned around and went back to their seats. Then the light blinded your eyes.

…

Your empty eyes opened and a tear fell to your cheek. You spoke your copy’s name, your name.

Wanderer’s eyes widened as he finally saw you awake. You blinked a few more times before processing what just happened. You first saw the ceiling, a familiar one. Slowly, you sat up and saw your friend and the Dendro Archon with a face of relief.

Without any warning, Wanderer jumped in, his hat falling to the floor, and hugged you. Very tightly. Surprised, you blinked your eyes again, now finally fully conscious.

“Ku…ni?” You said his name with a weak voice.

He didn’t let you go. His grip only tightened. His hand holds on to you behind while the other is on the back of your head. “You really have no idea how much you made me so damn worried…”

You leaned on his shoulder. “Ahh… Did I make you worry again? Sorry… It won’t happen again…”

“Hmph, you better be… If you do anything stupid again, then I’ll… I’ll kill you and myself.”

Your body flinched and your eyes widened at his words. You rubbed your eyes and couldn’t tell if he was joking or not.

Nahida sighed. “You know I won’t let that happen…” She looked back and smiled at you. Her small hand held yours. Her eyes turned teary. “I’m glad you’re awake… We missed you. Welcome back home.”

Your eyes meet hers. You cried, beating her to it. Home, huh…

“I’m back, Kuni, Lesser Lord Kusanali…” You closed your eyes, letting the tears fall down to your cheeks.

You hugged Wanderer for a bit longer. When you finally remember what happened before you passed out, you panicked and stopped hugging him.

“Wait, what happened to Dottore!? Did we win!?”

Wanderer let out a small huff when you let go of him. He wiped his tears first before leaning back to face you. "Relax," then gave you a small smile. “Yes, we won.”

You sighed in relief. “Finally… He’s really gone for good…”

You and Wanderer sat down on the bed as Nahida explained what happened. You were glad that everything was over and that Columbina was back. But it quickly turned into a frown when you heard the news about The Marionette. Your fist clenched. If only you didn’t shut down so early, you might’ve saved her…

Wanderer told you what Arlecchino said to him and Aether about Sandrone’s possible backup plan and bringing her and Pulonia’s core back to the Fontaine Research Institute. Maybe it’s not the end for her yet. You do hope so. Maybe one day she’d recover like you did.

Wait, speaking of you recovering, who fixed you? Only your mother knows how your body works and she’s no longer here. You blinked again, rubbing your eyes. It felt weird waking up after a shutdown. The last time you did was when your mother placed her cryo power inside you, hoping you’d conquer the sun’s heat back then.

Your eyes looked around, seeing Wanderer and Nahida. Then you finally noticed the silhouette at the corner. You stood up and stared at the person with a cloak. You asked the two who they were. Nahida did the honors, telling you that that person was the one who fixed your core.

Fixed your core? Who is this person?

When she removed her cloak, you didn’t recognize her. But when you looked at her red eyes, you instantly remembered. You stood there in shock.

“... Kano?”

“It’s good to see you again.” She smiled with her lifeless eyes. “My dear brother.”

You took a step closer, hoping this isn’t a dream. You’re not having any errors, right? This is really your younger sister in front of you. The second doll.

You rushed in and hugged her. Your eyes tear up once more. “Kano… Kano… It’s really you…” You keep calling her name between hiccups.

Her arms hesitantly embraced you. She closed her eyes. “... I’m glad you’re still alive.”

“That’s my line…” After all, everyone left during the war and you were alone in your house. You waited for them to return only for 500 years to pass and Scaramouche was the one who found you instead.

You leaned back and your hands held her cheeks as you eyed her appearance. Just like you, she changed. But she was way more different than she had been in the past. Her long hair was gone, replaced by a short haircut. She also doesn’t wear a dress any longer but a suit instead. Her eyes that used to shine were replaced with lifeless ones. Just what happened to her while you were still waiting back at the house?

She looked at you with a small smile. “Yeah… I don’t blame you for thinking I’m gone as well.”

You backed away and wiped your tears. “So only you survived, huh…”

“We still don’t know for certain,” she said and it almost made you feel hopeful. But then she held out her hand for you. She spoke your name. “Assist me. Let’s bring back our family again.”

You, Wanderer, and Nahida were confused with what she meant. You looked at her with a small frown. “W-What do you mean?”

Kano used her power again, summoning her puppets. The three of you watched her with bewilderment. All the dolls she summoned had your family’s appearance and even you. “Now that you’re here, I’m sure we can do it.” She took a step closer, waiting for you to reach her hand. “Let’s do it, brother… Then we can go back to what we used to.”

You stared at her hand and when you looked at her puppets, your chest felt heavy. “Kano, I…”

She ended up reaching for your hand instead. She held you tightly. Her empty eyes looked at yours, ones that are still shining so bright. “We can do it. We can go back… We can build our home again. Isn’t that what you want as well?”

The puppets behind spoke and tried to encourage you to join her. Their voices… were slightly different from the original. You looked at your sibling with worry. Just how many years did it take her to create 21 puppets? And even gave them their own voice? But there was something different. They’re all missing so many things. Like other details and designs, but you can tell Kano tried her best to build them with her memories. Then most of all, they lack emotions. They… They weren’t your family. All obvious copies that Kano was desperately trying to recreate.

You took a step back and pulled your hand away from hers. “I… I’m sorry, Kano.”

Her eyes widened. “What?”

“I… I can’t help you. This… This is wrong.” You looked at her with a frown on your face.

Kano’s glare turned cold. “What’s that look for… Don’t you want them to come back?”

“I-I do, but…” You sighed. “Kano, what you’re doing is wrong… They’re all dead now. The best we can do is move on."

“Move on?” She faced you with a betrayed look on her face and it did nothing but hurt you even more. “Are you even my big brother? The same person who loved nothing more than his family? Don’t you want to relive the past?”

Your eyes looked down and placed your hand on your chest. “I do… More than anything.”

“... Then why?”

“Because I already found my new family.” You looked back to Wanderer and Nahida. He looked away, holding the tip of his hat while the god placed her hands behind her back and smiled. You looked back to Kano again, meeting her eyes.

“And I’ve never been happier... I met so many new friends during my journey. The past two years of my traveling have been so much fun. It was my first time seeing the world outside those walls of our home with my own two eyes… And it’s all because I’ve already moved on, Kano. I already accepted everything.”

She took a step backward and only continued to give you a look of betrayal. “... You moved on.”

You nod your head. “I did… Because this is what mother would want—"

She grabbed your collar and looked at you with anger. And finally, her eyes shed tears. “You… You can’t just move on…”

You looked away from her gaze. “... I’m sorry, Kano. You should move on as well. What you're doing… isn’t the right way to cope… You’re only hurting yourself more.”

“You think I want this!? I…!” She leaned on your chest, crying. “I can’t move on! I missed everyone… I missed you… I missed Master… I missed them…”

“Them?” you thought to yourself.

Of all of your siblings, she had always been the calm and composed one. So seeing her like this made your chest hurt. Gently, you hugged her again, hoping it’d bring her comfort. Now that you’re here.

She sobbed. “I suffered for a hundred years… feeling lonely and helpless. Yet I didn’t give up… Because I still have the hope that my siblings are there waiting for me to be rescued as well…”

Your eyebrows raised. “Rescued as well?” you asked.

Kano backed away from your touch. Two of the puppets approached her and wiped her tears. She thanked the dolls, while they only gave her a smile. You looked at them and they weren’t based on your siblings. It was an unfamiliar boy and girl.

She held both of their hands. “My saviors… A dear friend of mine. And… My love.”

—

Kano’s consciousness came back. However, she couldn’t open her eyes. She couldn’t speak and she couldn’t move her body. She panicked. Where was she? All she felt was the heavy sand surrounding her body.

She tried to recall what happened. The last thing she remembered was the cataclysm. The moment when she pushed her creator away from an attack and it hit her instead. Matryoshka pulled her body close and kissed her forehead, apologizing. Kano used her last strength to open her eyes again but she saw her mother already lying on the ground. She tried to crawl and reach for her, to check if she was alive, but she shut down and blacked out.

That’s all she could remember. She wonders how long she has been buried here. How deep was she in? Is the war even over? If so, who won? Did Matryoshka live? Did she bring the others back home and fix them? Did she forget about her? Was she not able to find her body? Or… did she abandon her?

For so long, Kano was stuck on the ground. She wanted nothing more than to move and pull out her core so she could pass away. Being conscious but not being able to do anything made her go insane. She even wished she had never woken up again.

Then hours, days, weeks, months… Years had passed. She didn't know how long it had been since she woke up nor what year it was already. It wasn’t until five years later when she heard a voice above her. She wanted to shout and scream for help but she couldn’t find her voice. But when she tried to move her finger, she did, even if it was small.

“I told you—wait, Lenz. My power detects something.” A woman’s voice can be heard.

The man summoned his sword, preparing for battle. He looked around. “Where?”

“I think it’s under us?”

“Under?” He looked down. “You sure? We're at the deepest level of the map.”

“I saw it.” She looked at her power that replicates that map. “It was only for a brief moment, but something glowed. There was a movement.”

“What if it’s monsters?” the guy asked.

“Or what of a secret cave!?” The girl’s eyes beamed. “Imagine the treasures we’ll find!”

“Then what moved?” his eyebrow rose.

Her finger scratched her cheek. “Urk, that’s what I wanna know too…”

“Ugh, fine… Better get prepared if it’s something dangerous then. Probably a monster that’s been stuck there and just guarding the chest.”

“Probably! I’ll prepare my bow!”

Lenz used his geo vision to dig down and after a while, the two adventurers finally saw a part of Kano’s body, her hand. She wanted to signal them and let them know that she needed help. The woman jumped back when she saw her try to move her finger. The guy did as well, suddenly afraid of what the two of them just discovered.

“Eek! Lenz! There’s someone’s body! The hand just moved!”

“Crap… Should we bury it back? Or are we cursed now?” His face started to sweat.

“S-Stop saying such things!” The woman hid behind him.

Instead of the usual monsters they had fought, the two of them didn’t expect to discover someone’s body. What will they do now? Run away?

Kano was desperate. She didn’t want them to leave her. She tried her best to move her hand, giving them a hint of help in sign language.

The man immediately noticed it. “Hey… This person is asking for our help.”

“H-Help? We shouldn’t! We don’t know who this person is! What if it’s tricking us!?”

“That’s possible… Let’s leave then?”

Kano panicked, but it was already too late. The man used his geo power to hide what he just dug. The two of them left.

“Damn it…!” Kano felt herself in despair. “Master… I don’t think I can come back anymore… I’m sorry…”

She waited again for someone to discover and help her. But it didn’t take a whole day for her to hear another set of footsteps. She heard the same voices from before. Are they back? Why?

“You sure about this, Cecilia?”

“I… I couldn’t stop thinking about this since we left. Maybe we should help…”

“Alright. I know how your intuition is always correct… But if something happens, you better prepare yourself.”

“I will. Be careful too…”

Lenz uses his power to dig faster. And soon, they finally scooped out Kano’s body. But she still couldn’t open her eyes and speak. The man held the body and tried to wipe the dirt off her face. “Hey, Lia… Who do you think we just dug? ”

She kneeled down and hesitantly held her hand, checking her pulse. “That’s weird… We saw her hand move but… she doesn’t even breathe…”

“That’s strange… Say, you don’t think we just did something forbidden, right?”

Cecilia’s eyes widened. “Like… This girl was actually a prisoner here?”

He nods his head. “Yeah… I mean, we’re here at Sumeru. We’re just visitors here…”

“S-Should we bury her back then?”

Kano panicked inside. She didn’t want them to leave her again. This time, she tried to gather her strength and open her eyes. And when she finally did, the two noticed. The man panicked and let go of her body, standing up and holding his sword. Meanwhile, the other girl was still kneeling, looking at her with worry.

Kano opened her mouth but no voice came out. That was all Cecilia needed and she held her body this time.

“This lady definitely needs our help.” She looked at her companion.

The man sighed and scratched the back of his head. “I know how persistent you can be… Fine. Let’s help her.” He then carried the doll’s body on his back.

“Thank you, Lenz.” She smiled but the guy looked away, feeling his cheeks warm.

“L-Let’s go… It’s getting late.”

“Yeah!”

The two of them carried her body back to their camp. It wasn’t until a week later when she finally found her voice again. It was in the morning and the two of them were outside, eating their breakfast.

Kano spoke for the first time in a long time. “Year…”

Cecilia was the first one to notice. She quickly put her plate on the ground and moved inside the tent. Lenz followed as well.

Her eyes slightly opened. “What… year… now…”

“Year?” Lenz then told her what the date was. It has already been around 350 years since the war was over.

She couldn’t believe it. It’s been so long. Even if she goes back home, Matryoshka is no longer there waiting for her. She wasn’t there to see her pass away.

Kano closed her eyes and let her tears flow. Cecilia was surprised and she instantly grabbed her towel and wiped her tears. She hoped this would at least give her comfort. The two could only hope she'd recover soon so they'd finally know who this mysterious lady was.

…

A month passed since they found her. The two of them ended up bringing Kano back to Mondstadt, to their home. They thought that maybe it was time to head back to their homeland. It’s been a while since they returned, and both of their families happily welcomed them back. The two of them explained to them how they found Kano. She ended up staying at Cecilia’s house.

Cecilia’s family ended up helping and taking care of her as well. When Kano was finally able to move a bit and speak again, they celebrated, happy for her to slowly be close to recovering. And when she was finally in the right state of her mind, her two saviors introduced themselves.

“My name is Cecilia! 25 years old and!” She showed her back, revealing her pyro vision. “I have the power to wield the fire! So if you ever need light and warmth, Ceci is right here!” she cheerfully introduced herself.

The other man sighed and looked at Kano. He placed his hand to his chest. “You may call me Lenz. I’m 24 years old and…” He showed his geo vision from his hip. “I wield geo. When Lia and I travel, she mostly handles the campfire and I use my vision to construct a small camp for us.”

“The two of us are adventurers! And childhood friends!” Cecilia adds.

Kano stared at them before introducing herself too. “My name is Kano and I… I don’t know my age anymore… I don’t have the God’s blessings.”

The two of them smiled. Lenz then sat down at the edge of the bed. “So… Miss Kano–”

“Just Kano is fine.”

“Alright, Kano… Will you finally tell us what you are?”

“Lenz, we shouldn’t force her!” Cecilia sat next to her. “Let’s give her time! She’s still healing!”

Kano was hesitant at first but these two saved her. She owes them her life. Without them, she would’ve stayed buried for more years. And so, she starts to tell more about herself. Her origin, her identity, how she was at Sumeru… It was the only way to repay them. The two of them listened carefully and even felt sympathy towards her.

“Have you two heard the name… Matryoshka?” she asked.

The two looked at each other first before shaking their heads, telling her no. She figures. It’s been years now. But still, she doesn’t know if her siblings are alive and if they’re back at their home. She wonders if everyone was still living together or, perhaps, others had already left and walked their own path.

“I know I’m already asking for too much, but… Is it possible for you two to take me back to Fontaine?”

“Fontaine? Right now?” Lenz raised his eyebrows.

“Yes… Please. I need to go back home.”

“Hey, hey!” Cecilia gently pushed her back down to bed when she tried to get up. “You’re still recovering!”

“But I need to return… My siblings must be worried about me.”

Lenz spoke. “You should rest for now. We promise we’ll bring you there, alright? We already planned to visit there next time we go out.”

“We did! So let’s be patient, yeah? What you need now is to get your energy back and be fully healed!”

Kano looked down on her hand. “Understood…”

…

It wasn’t until another month later when the doll could finally walk again. Cecilia let her borrow her clothes when they traveled to Fontaine. And when they finally reached the nation, Kano had never felt more hopeless. The mansion, her home, which was on the highest mountain of the West Slopes of Mont Automnequi, was now gone. She tried to look around to see if there was anything, even just a single piece of its existence left. There was nothing.

Lenz helped her look around too. “Are you sure this is the place?”

“I’ll use my power to see if there’s anything!” Cecilia used her power. There she sees many spots glowing, and some are moving a lot. The other two took a peek as well.

“Might be monsters roaming around,” Lenz said. When the three of them looked around, there weren't many living beings. “Probably underground? Let’s try to find the entrance.”

The three of them searched. Cecilia eventually found a hole and she called the other two. They entered the cave and looked around with caution. Hours passed and it was already dark. While the other two had fallen asleep, Kano still continued her searching.

Days passed yet they couldn’t find anything. Unbeknownst to them, a puzzle was hidden and waiting for them to be solved. A way to the mansion.

The three of them left empty-handed. They both watch Kano face down, obviously in pain. She asked, “Cecilia… Did we really find every single one of them?”

“Yeah… I can only detect ones that move. Sorry, Kano.” She frowned, feeling regretful that she couldn’t help her more.

Lenz sighed and brought them back to the camp. “Don’t look so down, you two.” He then tried to cheer them up, especially the doll lady. “Hey, maybe they just moved somewhere?”

Kano looked at him, almost with hopeful eyes. “Somewhere?”

“Yeah! I mean, it’s been a while, right? Also, you have so many siblings! Maybe we’ll find one of them during our journey!”

“Journey… You two don’t mind if I join?” she asked.

Cecilia gave her a smile. “Of course not! The more the merrier! Lenz and I are planning to travel the whole world! But hey, if you’re still feeling unwell, we won’t force you. You can go back to Mondstadt and stay there. We'll just let you know if we ever find one of them!”

“You idiot. How are we gonna know if it’s one of her siblings?" The man crossed his arms and gave her a deadpan look.

Cecilia pouts. “Hey! We can always just ask them! Besides, Kano was buried down there for a long time! She needs more time to heal!”

“She looks perfectly fine to me. I mean, she managed to walk here from Mondstadt.”

“But she never had any experience with traveling like us! She might get tired easily!”

Kano watched them argue. She chuckled and they both noticed. It was the first time they had seen her smile. Even if it was small. They looked at each other and grinned.

The doll shook her head. “It’s fine. I want to come with you two. If you don’t mind.”

Cecilia leaned towards her. “You sure? Traveling around takes so much energy… You only rested for two months.”

“I mean, I can just carry her,” Lenz said.

The two girls looked at him. Kano declined. “No, it’s fine. It’s not proper for someone like me…”

“Someone like you? What, are you too high and mighty to be carried by someone like me?” he teased.

“No, not like that…” 

Back then, her siblings depended on her more than her older brother. After all, she is her mother’s right hand. The one that assists her with experiments. Or perhaps because she was originally created for that purpose. To serve Matryoshka and her older brother. Until she changed her mind and welcomed her to the family, making Kano her first daughter.

Kano always knew that she was supposed to be the outsider. But Matryoshka always showed her love like the others, so she trusted her and didn’t let her negative mind consume her. Because she is part of the family now. Their second doll, big sister Kano. And she had never been happier to be accepted by them.

“I’m simply not used to relying on someone,” she responded.

“Even when I had already carried you all the way to Mondstadt before?” Lenz slightly tilts his head.

“Well, that was… different.”

“And how will it be different if you don’t have the energy to travel? You still won’t be able to walk like back then.”

Kano groans. He was right. “... Fine. If I feel weak, I’d have to rely on you both.”

Cecilia chuckled. “We can take turns! You’re not that heavy anyway!”

“Unlike someone I know,” Lenz gave her a smirk. Cecilia’s cheeks turned red and she gave him weak punches. The two of them continued to bicker.

Kano slightly smiled. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to trust these two after all.

—

It had been seven years since they found Kano. They all became close friends and traveled Teyvat together. The three of them became a team with good synergy. With Kano’s fast movement with her spear, Cecilia’s arrows with her pyro, and Lenz with his sword and geo skills.

However, they did not find any of her family. Kano had already moved on, though. After all, she already has them. Her new family. And she’s never been more grateful. She’s glad that she met them.

But happiness doesn’t tend to last for long. That night, Cecilia’s life took a dark turn.

They were at Natlan. It was midnight and they were asleep when all of a sudden, Abyss Lectors appeared out of nowhere. Their rest was interrupted and they quickly prepared for battle. Kano and Lenz were fighting the enemies head on while Cecilia was behind them, shooting her arrows. She didn’t realize an Abyss Herald appeared behind her and before she was hit, Lenz pushed her away. He was about to use his geo to defend himself but he was too slow.

Cecilia froze, seeing a deep cut on his chest. She watched his body fall to the ground as his blood splashed.

There were too many of them so Kano shouted at her. “Cecilia!! Run away!!” But when she turned around, she saw her standing there frozen while Lenz’s body was lying on the ground. Her body tensed. She grit her teeth and dismissed her spear. She ran towards them and carried both of their bodies.

Kano took a glance back and the monsters are still chasing them. “Hey, Cecilia, snap out of it!!” She eyed the girl on her left arm but she was still in shock of what just happened. The doll only continued to grit her teeth as she ran away, carrying both their bodies.

Once they were far enough, Kano crashed on the ground, feeling exhausted. But she quickly went to check on Lenz. Cecilia sat up and watched her checking on him.

“Damn it!” she cursed, panicking. If only she were blessed by a vision, maybe she could’ve healed his body. “Hey, Ceci, do you have any med—”

Cecilia was crying. Kano paused before snapping out of it. She grabbed her shoulders.

“Hey! Wake up! We need to save Lenz! Do you have any—”

She shook her head slowly. “Kano, you don’t understand…”

“What do I not understand!? We need to hurry and save him!”

Cecilia began to sob. She closed her eyes and her dirty hands tried to wipe her tears even when they only continued to flow. “Lenz… Lenz is…”

Kano looked back to his body, seeing his lifeless eyes. The hole was on his chest, near where his heart is.

“Lenz is already dead…”

Kano checked his body again. She didn’t know that was the spot where the human heart was. She had always thought it was at the center, just under the chest, like hers. Her red eyes looked at the hole and saw parts of his organs ripped out. His heart was gone. Kano pants. She felt like throwing up.

“Lenz… Lenz… ahh…” Cecilia crawled towards his body. She held his cheek. “No… You can’t leave me…”

Kano bit her lower lip and looked away. It was an ugly sight. It hurt seeing Cecilia cry. And most of all, it hurt not being strong enough to protect a precious friend of hers. One of her saviors too.

Cecilia held Lenz’s body as she cried for him that night. Since then, nothing felt the same.

…

The two of them carried his body back to Mondstadt. Both of their parents mourned for their loss. Especially Lenz’s older brother, Allen. The funeral was immediately held.

Cecilia was broken. Her childhood friend, her best friend, and… her crush. He was gone from her life. And she wasn’t able to tell him her feelings. She was too late. And this regret ate her alive after his funeral. She locked herself in her room. The once cheerful girl now lost her spark.

Kano gave her space. But she would at least visit her once a week to let her know she’s not alone. She still has her. And she knows the grief of losing someone dear as well.

The doll sits in front of the grave, putting flowers on his tombstone. “Lenz… I’m sorry I wasn’t there to save you… If only I had a vision too. Maybe, just maybe, I could’ve helped you… It hurts. It hurts, Lenz.” A tear ran down her cheek. “Is this what humans feel too? My chest feels so heavy…”

Her gaze shifted up to the sky. “We both miss you…”

—

Four years had passed since his death. Kano continued to try her best and bring back Cecilia’s shine in her eyes. She wanted her to smile again.

“Ceci, I brought you silk flowers. A merchant from Liyue visited the city earlier.” She picked up her vase, replaced the water and flowers, and put it back on her table.

“Kano…”

“Yes?” She sat down next to her. Cecilia leaned her head on her shoulder. Kano hugged her and brushed her hair with her fingers. “What is it? Do you need anything?”

She shakes her head. Her eyes closed and she leaned into her touch. Kano didn’t say anything else and spent the day holding her. Just like always.

It wasn’t until two months passed that Cecilia was slowly but surely getting her spark back. They resumed their travels. But just the two of them this time. They both never went to the place where the incident happened. They continued to stay close to the city, not wanting to get into another accident. Even so, it helped Cecilia to heal faster and try to move on.

However, when nine years passed, their travels came to an end. Cecilia came back as both of her parents were on their last breaths. Again, her dear ones are gone in her life. Her family was gone and she’s now alone, as she had always been an only child. But Kano stayed by her side.

Cecilia took care of her father’s vegetable farm. She already had her fun and traveled the world, so now she lives back in her homeland, selling them for profit. Kano helped her with it, from building her own stall and growing the plants.

“You really don’t have to stay here, Kano… You don’t owe me anything.”

“I want to,” she responds. “I don’t mind living here with you anyway. It’s nice to relax after our travels, so this felt like a vacation.”

“A vacation, huh?” the other chuckled.

Now it was only the two of them. Kano continued to be at Cecilia’s side. So long as the other had already started to have wrinkles on her face. Up until she doesn't even have the strength to get up from her bed anymore. And now, her beautiful blonde hair had already turned white.

Kano enters her room as she holds a bowl of vegetable soup. She pulled a chair, bringing it next to her bed and sat down. She blows the spoon before feeding it to her.

Cecilia slowly took a bite and gave her a satisfied hum. Her voice was already weaker than it was when she first met her. “Thank you, Kano… It’s delicious.”

“I’m glad you think so," Kano smiled.

Months then years passed in a blink of an eye. Cecilia’s body was growing older and weaker. And now on her bed, she was already on her last breath. Her friend was beside her bed, keeping an eye on her. Cecilia turned to face her, slowly opening her eyes to see her again.

Kano continued to have the same youthful look on her face. She was just as beautiful as the day she and Lenz found her.

“Kano… Can you hold me?”

“Of course, Cecilia.” She smiled and sat on the mattress, embracing her body. Her hands hold her back to support her. “Like this?”

“Yes… just like this…” She leaned into her touch. “Thank you… Kano… for everything…”

The doll shook her head and hummed. “No, I should be thanking you… Without you and Lenz, I wouldn't have met such lovely people. You two gave me hope and reason to live… Thank you, Cecilia.”

“Is that so?” She chuckled before letting out a cough. “I’ll tell him that later then…”

She held her slightly tighter. “I trust you with that…”

Cecilia closed her eyes.

“Goodbye, Kano…”

Kano kissed her forehead. Then finally, her tears reached down her old face.

“... Goodbye, Cecilia.”

—

Kano sits in front of Cecilia's and Lenz’s graves. And now she’s alone. Once again.

“I hope you two are doing well up there. I miss you both.” Kano tried to force a smile yet failed. Her eyes shed tears as her arms hugged her knees. She held the small dolls that she made after both of their deaths. “What do I do now? I… I’m lost…” She sobbed. “I want to join you two… I want to see your faces again… I want to see Master and my siblings…”

Ever since Cecilia passed away, Kano barely left her house. She stayed there, refusing to leave her second home. She kept every item that still had her scent. And the ones with precious memories. She didn’t want to lose them too.

She attempted to rip off her core many times, but death scared her. Every time she imagines it, she remembers how Lenz died. It must be painful. But what if it isn’t since she’s a doll? What if she can just do it so she can reunite with her dear ones? But what if her siblings are still alive? But she never found a single one in almost half a century of her journey…

Questions like these keep playing on her mind. She was going insane. She wanted nothing more than to rip out these emotions that were consuming her. And for the first time in her life, she cried loud. She shouts their name. Asking and pleading. Desperate and hopeless. Full of despair and full of pain.

She wants to shut down.

Her hands pulled her hair as she cried alongside the rain. She looked at the frame of her with Cecilia and Lenz on the wall. She sobbed.

“What do I do…”

Kano tried her best to continue living. She really did. But not anymore ever since she realized her feelings for Cecilia after she passed away. Even when she knew the other liked the guy. Just like her for Lenz, Kano also regrets not telling her feelings. Even though she only realized it now.

She never knew why her chest felt warm when they started to travel again back then, up until she passed away. She never had any experience with this. She thought it was normal. But now that she’s gone, she wanted nothing more than to hug her and kiss her forehead again. And perhaps do more.

Her body lies on Cecilia’s bed, hugging her shirt. One that still has her scent. She closed her eyes and remembered the past, back when the two first found her. After that, she replayed the memories and locked herself in the room.

Days, months, then years passed. It’s been a decade since Cecilia passed away. Kano’s eyes turned empty. Those that used to shine were now gone. Just like her will to live. She halted her replay of the memories and finally sat up, feeling weak now. She eyed the clothes scattered around the room. Each already lost her scent. Everything was dusty and dirty now. Perhaps it’s time to clean.

When she finished cleaning the whole house, she found the picture frame of the three of them. She smiled. A bitter one. Before she went out and visited their grave for one last time. She placed both of their favorite flowers. Cecilias.

Kano sat there and removed the vines and grass, staring at their dirty tombstones. “I’ll be there soon…”

After that, she went back to the house. But before she could remove her core, a sudden strong gust of wind appeared. She shielded her eyes at the sudden light. Then there she sees an Anemo vision. Now she’s blessed by the gods.

She gently grabbed and inspected it. Then gave it a bitter laugh. “... What a joke. You think this’ll stop me? You’re too late… since a long time ago.”

Kano tossed it aside, throwing it to the couch. When she tried to head inside her room, her vision activated. The small dolls she made after Cecilia and Lenz floated in front of her and she jumped back. “What the hell—!?”

The dolls danced in the air happily, and then they held her hand, trying to comfort her. Kano noticed and she teared up. “What the hell… This isn’t funny.”

The two of them floated and they led her to the picture frame. She stared at it again.

“Humans… They’re fragile. They live so short. Yet it’s enough for a lifetime. Hah… I already explored the world. I have no idea what to do now. If only…” She looked down. “If only my lifespan was like theirs…”

The small dolls rest on her shoulders. She smiled. Just a little bit. Then she went to grab her vision back and looked at it with a determined look on her face now.

“Fine. Is this how you want to play with me, gods? I’ll do it. I’ll live for the sake of both of them. I’ll recreate them so…”

She clenched it on her chest. Her red eyes turned bright.

“I’ll never be alone again.”

—

You, Wanderer and Nahida listened to Kano’s story. You didn’t know she suffered as well. You’re beginning to understand why she’s doing this. She was in pain for more than a hundred years. She’s recreating her loved ones as her puppets because she doesn’t want to be left alone anymore.

Wanderer crossed his arms and looked down. A small frown on his face when he listened to her past. Something he’s familiar with. However, hers was more beautiful than his. His past was ugly. At least to her, she managed to love someone until the girl died, taken by time. Even so, what matters is the present. And her present is full of pain. Wanderer hopes she’ll find peace like him. And be freed by her past.

Kano placed a hand on her chest. “So I’m here in Sumeru again, to find if any of my siblings were buried like me, suffering down there with no one to help… and it’s been a decade. I will not give up.”

You looked at her with a frown. “Kano… How did you even make all these puppets?”

“You know why, my dear brother. I am my master’s right hand. I was there to aid her when she created the others.”

“But…” You looked at the dolls. “They all seem different…”

She placed a hand on her hip. “Naturally. I don’t have their original core after all.”

So that’s the reason why they all seem so… lifeless. Emotionless. “So they’re not our siblings. They have no memories of the past.”

Kano crossed her arms and looked down. “No… That’s why I’m trying to find the others. It doesn’t matter if their body is damaged. The core is the important part. I can simply give these ones to them.” She looked at you again. “It’s a good thing only your core was damaged. Otherwise, I would’ve placed you in this copy.”

You eyed the puppet based on you. “But… how did you even fix me?”

“How? Well, you do know there’s a small doll inside us, right? That’s how Master always made us. Our core is inside its chest, a small orb. The glass was broken and I always knew how to fix it. That’s why I asked that guy with the hat to gather the rest of the materials needed.”

Guy with a hat? Wanderer helped you?

“But what mattered was what’s inside it. And you already lost your other life.”

“Lost my—What!?” Your eyes widened, confused by her statement.

“That’s right. The power Master had on your core was broken. Fortunately, she always had a backup plan and placed another inside the small doll’s head. Simply put, what I did was place the second core inside the newly fixed glass. Think of this like… Two books. You continue to update both and when one gets burned, you still have the other. Hence why your memories are still there,” she explained.

You stood there in shock. “I… I didn’t even know that’s how our body worked.”

“It’s only expected because I was the only one assisting Master.” She let out a huff. “You should be careful next time. If this happens again, I won’t be there to save you. Master’s alchemy was special. Even I can’t recreate what's inside the orb.”

Wanderer listened to her. He’ll make sure to protect you next time.

You spoke again. “Thank you, Kano… Without you, I’ll…”

“It was only fortunate that I was around the city.” She looked at Wanderer and then back to you. “I knew he was carrying a familiar face. I’m glad it was you.”

You let out an awkward laugh. “Looks like I made you both worry…”

Kano sighed and retrieved her power, dismissing the puppets. “That’s why I’m here to search again… Because we have two cores. At least some of them are still alive somewhere…”

“Kano…”

“But I’m glad I met you again, big brother.” She smiled with her empty eyes. “Now I’m one step closer to bringing us back.”

You looked at her with a frown again. “Kano, there’s something I need to tell you..."

“And that is?” she raised her eyebrow.

You gulped and told her and the other two what you just saw when you were unconscious. That meeting with your family was probably in the afterlife and you somehow visited them.

When you finished telling them, Kano stared at you in disbelief. “... What? I think you just had a dream.”

Your eyebrows furrowed. “No, it wasn’t… Everything felt real, and most of all… you weren’t there.”

Kano’s eyes widened before she looked at you with a cold glare. “What do you mean? Are you saying that even in your dreams… I’m an outsider? Not part of the family? Because I was originally created to be a servant?”

“I-I didn't say that! What I meant to say is… Kano, everyone that was there had already passed away. They even bid me farewell and I was pulled back from that room because you saved me!” You reached out and held her hand with both of yours. “I owe you my life. And I want to help you too. You’re chasing an impossible dream. And what you’re doing now is… only making you suffer even more. Kano… I don’t understand how you even lived for years like this… Full of lies and… living with phonies."

Kano pulled back her hand and she eyed you with anger. “Then what do you want me to do? After all I did and worked hard to recreate your bodies… I can’t give up now.”

You gave her a serious look now. “Erase them. Each one of them."

“... What?” she asked in bafflement.

“It’s the only way for you to move on. The best you can do is accept their passing. I know it hurts, but I promise you… It’ll ease your burden.”

Kano couldn’t help but laugh. The three of you stood there and watched her do so. “My foolish brother… Say, have you ever loved someone?”

Your eyes widened and you felt embarrassed by that sudden question. “Well, I… I do love many people. Mother and the others. I love you too.”

She gave you a chuckle. She meant romantically but that still works. “Thank you for saying that. I love you as well.” She smiled. “You should tell your loved ones your feelings before it’s too late. Just like me… Because that regret continues to devour me to this day.”

You frowned, feeling sympathy towards her. But then again, you were the same too. You had so many things to say to your mother but you had the chance to say them when you visited your family earlier. Whereas Kano never met Cecilia again.

“That’s why I’m not erasing them. Because at least this time, I can tell how much I love them for all eternity even if… they’re all fakes.”

“Is that really how you want to live your life?” You asked.

“... No. Not at all. But it was the reason why I’m still here. If I never received my vision that day, I might’ve joined them too.”

“Well, you should put it to an end now.”

She huffed. “And why is that?”

“Because I’m here now.” You smiled. “Or are you too greedy and want more?”

Kano stared at you for a moment. “... I am. I am greedy. I want them too."

“Even if there are many new people willing to be friends with you?”

“Friends with me? Who?” Kano looked behind you. Wanderer faced away while Nahida waved her hand.

“Not only them, but also my friends around the places I traveled to. I’m sure they'd like to be your friends as well.” You held her hand, but this time, your grip was tight so she wouldn’t be able to pull it away like last time.

“Friends, huh… You just don’t know the pain of being friends with humans. They all... Have short lives and are fragile. That's why I… I tried to avoid them after Cecilia and Lenz. I don’t want to feel the same pain again.”

She was right. You still haven’t lived outside the house enough to experience one. Your chest felt a bit heavy when you thought of your human friends aging. It was definitely painful, but you’d never regret meeting them. Ever.

“You’re right… But that’s the beauty of life, isn’t it? We meet new friends. We part ways. We bid farewell. Then maybe one day we’ll cross paths again on the other border. However, if they’re immortals like us, then we can spend our lives together, full of bliss in eternity.” You placed a hand on your chest.

“But I know deep inside even us immortals won’t live forever. Everyone and everything will have their own ending. That’s why, now that we’re still alive, we should appreciate living for another day. Because that’s how life works.”

Kano turned quiet. After a moment, she said, “Hmph, you’re lucky your dear ones are immortals.” She looked at Wanderer and Nahida again. “You don’t know the pain I went through with Cecilia and Lenz.”

“I don’t. But we both still lost our siblings even when they were immortal like us. And that’s how life is. It’s full of pain, but it’s also full of happiness.” You leaned in and hugged her. “And I’m now here to ease your pain. Because you’re no longer alone, my dear sister.”

Kano didn’t hug you back. But she leaned her face on your shoulder. You began to sob. “... I missed everyone.”

You caressed her back, a gesture of comfort. “I know… It must’ve been a painful journey for you. Don’t worry. I’m here now.”

Your sister cried in your arms. She called your name many times. “I… I just want to see them again…”

“Me too, Kano…” You hugged her tighter. “But big brother is here… You’re not alone.”

Wanderer and Nahida watched you comfort your sibling. The god smiled at him while he only rolled his eyes and hid his face with his hat. The two of them gave you both your moment.

After a while, the tears died down and you both sat down on the floor. You wiped her face with your handkerchief. She continued to stare at you.

“... You changed. A lot.”

“Hm? Me? Haha… not really.” Your finger scratched your cheek.

“No, you totally did… I’m even beginning to question if you’re the same person I knew back then. You used to be so timid and quiet.”

You chuckled. “Well, people changed and you did as well. You used to be so expressionless. I didn't even know what was on your mind. I… I’m actually happy to see your vulnerable side for once.”

"So you enjoy seeing me suffering?”

“You know I don’t mean that!”

Kano let out a laugh. You did as well.

She then hugged her knees. “Well, I want to hear your story. What and who changed my awkward brother?”

You smiled and told your side as well. But first you asked Wanderer’s permission to tell her about his true identity. You were glad he let you. You didn’t want to lie in her face when she had just told her side of the story. And when she knew everything, she promised the three of you that she wouldn't tell a single soul.

“I didn’t know you’ve got quite the sob story as well. Ah, but not as gut-wrenching as mine.”

“This is not a competition!” You scolded her.

She laughs a bit. “You’re right… It’s just… I always envy you. Master—no, mother. She had always loved you more than the rest of us. And now you even get to live with your savior since he’s not human. You actually hit the jackpot.”

You frowned. “That’s not true… Mother loved us all equally. And I’m not lucky. I mean, I let my emotions get ahead of me and I ended up almost dying.”

“Well, you sort of did.”

“You know what I meant," you pout.

Kano smiled. It actually felt nice talking like this together. Back then the both of you were always awkward in your siblings’ eyes. It felt good chatting like this. With no filter whatsoever.

“So… What will you do now?” you asked her.

She looked down, feeling hesitant, but she made up her mind. “Well, I'll think about what you said… I’ll stop. Maybe.”

“Not maybe. I want you to promise me…”

“Fine… I’ll do my best.”

Then you smiled. “Good.”

Her hand caressed the back of her neck. “I might need some time to myself. I’ll probably head back to Mondstadt and visit Cecilia’s house again. At least for the last time…”

“I see…” You frowned a bit, hoping you could spend more time with her.

She noticed. “What’s with that look? I’ll come back after. We need to catch up. I know you still have many things to say to me, like your travel since you skipped that part earlier.”

You beamed. “Really? I’m glad then! I can wait!”

She smiled and muttered. “You really changed for the better…”

But your ears didn’t catch it. “I’m sorry, did you say something?”

“No, nothing.” She stood up. “I’ll wait outside. Your loverman and child have been waiting to talk to you since earlier.”

You stood up as well and tilted your head, confused. “Loverman and child?”

The two at the back heard her. Wanderer’s cheeks warmed and he quickly denied it. “I’m not his lover!”

Nahida points a finger to herself. She smiled but was confused. “Child?”

Kano gave them a small laugh. “I’ll wait outside.”

“Wait!” You stopped her. You went to grab your bag and hand her the drawn picture of your family and the mirror of your mother’s record. A tale of her past. “I… I want to give these to you.”

She eyed them and was surprised that you’re handing these to her. It was Matryoshka’s gift for you after all. “But… these are yours—”

“It’s fine. I have a copy of that picture. And I want to give the record to you.” You smiled gently. “You can go and listen to it. I know you miss Mother’s voice.”

Her eyes widened. She looked down on the items before smiling back at you. “Thank you… I’ll make sure to take good care of these.”

You gave her a hum and watched her exit the Sanctuary of Surasthana. You turned around and walked back to your friend and the Dendro Archon.

“Sorry for making you two wait.”

Wanderer lets out a huff. “Finally. Done with the family reunion.” But deep inside, he was happy for the two of you.

Nahida reached out and held your hand. She smiled and spoke your name. “Again, welcome home!”

You gave them a soft look. “I’m back… Kuni, Lesser Lord Kusanali…”

—

A month has passed since you woke up. Everything was resolved, and you halted your travels and stayed at Sumeru again. You’ll continue your journey in another time, but for now, you’ll rest back at your second home. With Wanderer and Nahida.

Kano came back a week ago after her visit to Mondstadt. You two spend time catching up again, spending the days talking, walking around Sumeru, and even sparring. She was clearly way stronger than you. It was expected since you have only been awake for not even six years yet.

However, when you tried to summon your copy to introduce him to them, he never appeared again. Only the same faceless and colorless ones. You spent many days trying your best to summon him and abuse your energy to use your power just to bring him back. But then you remembered meeting him with your family on the other side back then. You cried in grief, still in denial of his death. He didn’t even get to live for a whole year.

The others tried to comfort you. But you couldn’t move on just yet. He was your best friend. So until you’re ready, at least for now, you’ll still cry for him.

“This was when he helped me fight Maguu Kenki.” You showed the page of your diary to Wanderer. A page with a picture of you and your copy. You were making a peace sign while he was just staring blankly at the kamera. It was one of the days when he had just gained his own consciousness. Still confused about everything.

You and Wanderer are sitting on top of the mountain of Vissudha Field, the same spot where you two spent that day two years ago before you left for your journey. Aranaras are there as well, sitting and gathering flowers. Wanderer’s hands were busy making a flower crown while he continued to listen to you.

“Oh, and this was that time when we spent the day just training.” You smiled as you looked at the picture of you just finished taking a shower and your clone was helping you dry your hair.

The two of you spent the entire day up there, talking, while he listened most of the time. You told him how you became friends with Venti, how you met with Kazuha, that time when his mother noticed you, and so on… While you told your adventures, he could see a huge smile and excitement on your face. Traveling made you shine so much. And he couldn’t believe you changed a lot in just the past two years. He was happy for you.

You flip to the page when it was your last day at Natlan. The night when you and your copy were supposed to go to the Easybreeze Holiday Resort the next day. You eye the picture with a longing face. You were supposed to take him there, and now that’s no longer possible. Just like Kano, your regret was slowly eating you.

Wanderer noticed you were quiet all of a sudden. “... Miss him, huh?”

“Very much…” You nod your head. “He saved me. So I will live my life for him as well… There’s no point trying to bring him back and hurt myself… So let me mourn for him just for a bit longer.”

“Is that so?” He looked down and finished the flower crown. He placed it on your head. “Just… know that I’m here for you.”

You chuckled. “Of course. I won’t lock myself like my sister.”

“Not like I’d let you anyway.” He crossed his arms.

Speaking of your sister, you remember something she had told you back then. 

“You should tell your loved ones your feelings before it’s too late. Just like me… Because that regret continues to devour me to this day.”

You looked at Wanderer for a moment. He raised an eyebrow. “What are you staring at?”

With a bit of hesitation, you said, “I love you, Kuni.”

He looked at you with a blank face for a second before his eyes widened and his cheeks turned warm. “Wha–!? Where the hell did that come from?”

You closed your eyes and smiled. “Just remembered what Kano told me that day. I wanted to let you know that I love you too.”

He huffed and looked away. “I see…”

You continued to smile. Then slowly, you moved closer and leaned your head on his shoulder. He flinched.

“... You’re getting too confident. Don’t push your luck.”

You teased, “I don’t see you pushing me away.”

He didn’t respond, and you let out a small laugh. You pulled out your bag and grabbed the envelope that's full of the letters he sent to you back then.

He looked at them in surprise. "You... You kept those?”

You hummed. “I did… I didn’t want to throw them away.”

“You’re unbelievable.” However, Wanderer felt touched by that gesture. He wouldn’t admit it, though.

You looked up at the sky, full of stars. Tonight was peaceful and quiet. The Aranaras have already left, and now dendro crystalflies are flying around you two. You lift up a finger and one of them lands on it. You eyed the beautiful creature.

Wanderer watches you glow from the dark. Your eyes shine as you stare at it. But when you noticed him eyeing you, he quickly looked away.

“Hm? Something on my face?” you asked.

“Nothing.”

This time, it was your turn to stare at him. He groaned. “Stop that.”

“Why? You were staring at me just now too.”

He turned around and faced you again. The two of you looked at each other's eyes. It felt like time stopped for that moment. You stared at him, clueless. While he had other plans.

Wanderer slowly leaned close. His face was now next to yours. But he stopped. He leaned back, letting out a chuckle and smirk. “You should look at your hair.”

“My hair?” You looked up and saw many crystalflies above your head. You jumped in surprise and let out a small noise.

He laughed while you let out a sigh. “Sorry, was something on my face earlier?” you asked again.

“No, it’s nothing," he answered the same. His hand made its way to your head and patted you. You leaned close to his touch.

“So clingy,” he said.

“You’re the one patting my head.” You gave him a deadpan look.

After that, you leaned back on his shoulder. He didn't complain. Not when he likes you close.

Now that you’re back, you’ll make sure to make it up for the two years you've been separated from him. You already told Nahida, and she gave you two permissions, so you invited him to have a vacation at Natlan’s resort. With Kano as well, of course. Can’t leave your dear sister. When you mentioned her coming as well, you could've sworn you saw him pout for a moment.

This time, Wanderer won’t let you leave alone. He’ll make sure to be there to protect you. He doesn’t want to experience carrying your dead body anymore. He swears by his life to keep your beauty for eternity.

So no more saying "see you later." Because this time, you two will be together from now on.