After convincing Lumine to go clothes shopping tomorrow, I went over to Paimon and patted her head. She seemed to like the Valberries.
"Looks like you like the Valberries, Paimon?"
She looked at me while eating, and spoke—with pretty much no table manners. The Valberry juice was dripping from her mouth.
"Mhm! Paimon really likes Valberries!"
I can see that, Paimon. …Now I'm hungry too.
I glanced at Lumine. She was lying on the bed, staring at the ceiling. In the dim room, her hair spread across the new bed I bought created a soft, contrasting glow. She really was a beautiful girl. …I need to focus, she doesn't think of me that way.
"Hey Lumine, are you hungry?"
She turned her head toward me, and the moment she heard the word 'food,' her eyes lit up. She must really love eating.
"Yes. What are we going to eat?"
I opened the fridge I built myself and took out the meat.
"Meat. Come on, let's cook it in the yard. Or if you want, you can lie down on the bed while I prepare it."
I stepped outside into the yard and placed the meat onto the sticks above the campfire I used previously. Then I ignited the wood with a pyro elemental bomb.
"What are those things you keep throwing, Kane? You used something like that when we fought that Hilichurl horde too."
Guess Lumine had come out to join me instead of resting.
I sat across from the fire, gestured for her to sit next to me, and she did.
I took out a Hydro elemental orb from the pouch I kept them in and held it out to her.
"These things are called Elemental Orbs. I… call them bombs. The weird part is that nobody uses them."
Lumine took the orb and examined it.
"That's strange… I've seen how you use them with my own eyes. They're extremely effective. Really? No one uses these?"
It was normal she found it odd. Teyvat people really had no vision…
"I'm serious. Without these, things would be much harder for me. I don't have a Vision. But with these, I can fight. Teyvat's people really don't think. With an opportunity like this, they don't even try…"
As soon as I finished speaking, I realized I said something I shouldn't have yet.
Lumine seemed to understand what I implied. But for some reason, she didn't ask.
"I see. …I'm keeping this orb. I like how it feels."
"It's yours."
As I rotated the meat over the fire, Lumine spoke again.
"Today was… strange, wasn't it? Dangerous, but… I don't know why, I really had fun."
I turned to her and smiled.
"You like danger, I guess. Strange, yeah. Fun? Debatable. But I had fun too. Even though our lives were on the line, it was interesting."
I turned the meat again. The heat from the fire warmed our faces.
Lumine giggled. Her golden hair looked as if it was glowing in the firelight.
"Maybe because I'm used to danger. I've been alone for a while… Sharing things with someone feels nice."
She looked away from the fire and met my eyes.
…It felt like she was giving me a thankful look.
I smiled back. …God, this girl makes me smile too much.
"You're welcome."
It seemed Lumine still had more to say.
"When I talk with you, I don't think too much, Kane. You feel… trustworthy. Everything feels easier."
These aren't the kinds of words you'd normally say to someone you just met, Lumine.
I turned the meat again. It was getting darker.
"Honestly, I expected you to be more cautious around me. You're even sharing a house with someone you barely know. And a guy, at that."
She laughed while looking at the fire.
"There's something strange about you. You're not a bad person. I can feel that. And… there's a familiar feeling too. I don't know why. And you helped me. There has to be a reason, right?"
Sometimes the way your intuition spikes stresses me out, Lumine. Are you doing this on purpose?
Once the meat was ready, I split it into two plates. I gave one to Lumine. Paimon must've already fallen asleep since she didn't show up after smelling the food.
"A reason, huh… Well… We were walking together before the Hilichurl attack. Even if I were alone, I'd still have fought. And… nobody would leave a girl like you behind."
"That's it? …That simple? …Is it because I'm a girl?"
No no no, that's not what I meant at all, Lumine.
"N-no. Don't get me wrong. It's not because you're a girl. It's just… it's been a long time since I felt like this. Having someone beside me feel this natural… It's been a very long time."
The wind strengthened the fire slightly. Lumine turned her gaze from the flames to me.
"Thank you for being honest."
…
…
"I'm usually honest… The problem is, people rarely want to hear it."
"I want to hear it."
Oh… I… don't know what to say to that.
A silence formed. I genuinely didn't know what to say.
"I don't think our meeting today was just coincidence, Kane. My intuition tells me we're going to do great things together."
Changing the subject was a good call, Lumine. …It felt like a weight left my shoulders.
"I'm glad we met too. …For both of us."
Lumine looked up at the sky and studied the stars.
She spoke while looking at them.
"When you talk like this, I feel safe."
"I'm doing my best to keep you safe."
After hearing that, she turned her gaze away and looked at the fire again.
…Maybe I said something that could be misunderstood. …I only meant that to keep things going smoothly, I need to protect you. …But in my current state, I'm not sure how I will.
I realized I should change the subject.
"Lumine. Tell me about yourself. …What do you usually enjoy doing?"
She noticed I changed the topic, and relaxed.
"I… honestly haven't had much time to think about what I enjoy. …Surviving took priority."
She smiled softly.
"But there are a few things. I like discovering new places. Quiet forests, high cliffs, the sea breeze… And fresh air, starry nights. They help me breathe."
We both kept eating while talking.
"So… you're an adventurer? Easy to guess. But I didn't know you were someone who liked starry nights."
Lumine shook her head.
"It's not about adventure… More like… freedom. Knowing where I am. Seeing where I'm going. Maybe… I even like getting lost a little."
I stared at the fire.
Her words got to me a bit.
I usually didn't get into these kinds of conversations with people.
We really did have a lot in common.
"I don't think you could ever get lost, Lumine."
Lumine blinked, looking a little flustered but pleased.
"What does that mean?"
"I think… wherever you go, the world puts you on the right path. Like every step you take has meaning. …I don't know. That's just how it feels."
She thought for a moment. Then softly:
"…That was nicely said."
A few seconds of silence followed.
…
…
…
Lumine took a deep breath and continued.
"What about you, Kane? What do you enjoy? Not just surviving or working… Something you genuinely like?"
Does it show that much that I only care about survival? I didn't know.
I thought for a while.
"It's not as simple a question as I thought… But I guess… there are two things."
Lumine looked at me curiously.
"What are they?"
"First… quiet moments. Moments like this. Not plain silence, but that short window after danger, when I'm alive, and I don't have to plan anything. When no one expects anything from me. When I can just breathe."
Lumine nodded.
"I understand that."
I continued.
"And the second thing… this feeling. Knowing I'm not alone. It's… rare for me. Thanks for that."
She didn't take her eyes off me.
"It's rare for me too."
The wind gently swayed her hair. The firelight reflected on her face.
Her answer brought a small smile to my face.
"So you don't mind hanging out with me?"
She kept looking into my eyes. I was getting a little tense.
"If I minded, I wouldn't be here. I feel safer with you. Is that strange?"
…
…
"It's not strange. I feel the same."
We both finished eating. Stomachs full.
Lumine stood and stretched.
"Yaaawn… It's getting late. I'm exhausted. I'm going to sleep. …Goodnight, Kane."
I told her goodnight, and she walked inside. The wind gently tugged at her white dress.
I put out the fire in front of me, washed my face in the river, and went inside, throwing myself onto my bed. It was too dark to see Lumine's bed.
…
After a while, I fell asleep.
…
…
…
I'm dreaming. That's strange. I don't dream. The only dreams I've ever had were about Eula. What's going on?
There's no one here. …And right now… Why am I in my house from the real world? Everything is dark. The light switch doesn't work. I can't see beyond the window. It's like a black curtain is covering everything. I can barely see in front of me.
I left my room and started walking. Since I couldn't see well, I walked slowly.
Then I heard a noise in the kitchen.
I headed there.
When I entered the kitchen—
…Eula?
…Why is she holding a knife?
…Why are her eyes black?
"Eula?"
I called out to her. She stared into my eyes for a few seconds.
"You disappointed me. …You didn't even try to talk to me at first. And now you're flirting with another girl. …You're a failure."
She suddenly lunged at me. This time my reflexes worked better, but I still couldn't stop the knife from plunging into my heart.
It hurts—IT HURTS!
The pain was real. I couldn't speak from the shock, so I just stared at her.
She pulled the knife out, blood pouring down my chest. She pushed me and I fell backward.
She leaned over me, grabbed my hair, lifting my head slightly.
"This happened because of you. Don't ever breathe the same air as me again."
And she slit my throat. I died choking on my own blood.
…
…
…
"What's happening…?"
I found myself in my room again. The darkness still clung to everything.
…I'm not going to the kitchen again.
The things she said keep echoing in my mind.
…It hurts.
I sat on the bed and waited.
…I just waited for the dream to end. But I felt hollow.
I heard footsteps outside the door.
I hid inside the closet. Through the crack, I saw the door open and Eula step inside again. She still had the knife.
…She was looking for me.
She checked under the bed. I held my breath with my hand. My heart was shaking.
…I'm scared. Why did this happen?
Suddenly the knife pierced through the closet door, stabbing me in the stomach. I coughed blood roughly.
"G-gh!"
She pulled the knife out and opened the closet. My legs felt useless. I fell toward her. She caught me and looked into my eyes.
She was still beautiful.
…Why are you doing this to me? What did I do?
"Stop looking at me with those eyes."
She slit my throat again. And I died.
The pain got worse each time.
…I can't handle this.
…I need to escape.
I returned to the room again.
Again.
…
…
…
Again.
It wouldn't stop.
No matter what I did, she found me and killed me.
I tried jumping out the window—she found me.
I hid in other rooms—she found me.
I played dead—she killed me anyway.
I tried talking—she killed me.
…She wouldn't stop.
Please stop.
…I can't take it…
She kept going.
The pain wouldn't fade anymore. I started scratching my skull with my nails. My eyes trembled. I lost count of how many times I died.
…
…
…
100,
200,
300,
My mind was breaking apart. I started hitting my head against the walls.
The dream wouldn't end.
I only had one option left.
I hid in another room. After I heard her searching my room, I ran to the kitchen and grabbed a knife.
She would find me anyway.
So I waited by the kitchen door, trembling, grinding my teeth.
If I couldn't do it this time, I would never escape.
I heard her approaching.
Slowly… she opened the door.
She bent down to open a cabinet I'd left slightly open. She thought I was hiding there.
The moment she opened it—
I stabbed her in the throat.
She turned toward me, but it was too late.
…I…
I killed the girl I loved.
…Even if it was a dream.
…Even if she killed me countless times.
…It hurts.
Please, let this end.
Her body turned to dust.
Then the room, then myself.
…After some time, I woke up.
I woke up in my house in Teyvat, soaked in sweat.
…I… I don't feel well.
…I buried my face in the pillow and started crying.
…I just wanted everything to end.