My Time in Teyvat [Tales of Luna, Book 2]

Chapter 38 - A New Friend, a New Plan.

"Hey, wake up." A voice called out. "Hey! If you don't want to go crazy in here, wake up and come with me."

Yuji opened her eyes and saw the infinite nothingness of the Abyss before she spotted a short man wearing a large hat.

"You won't take me alive." Yuji tried to yell but mumbled instead. "I just- do you- my pouch."

"What?" the little man asked as he kneeled by her.

Yuji momentarily thought of grabbing him by the neck, but realized she didn't have the energy to do so.

"I can't reach my pouch, can you get it for me?" She asked, hoping this was a friendly man.

Much to her relief, the man looked over at where her pouch had fallen and grabbed it as he took a peek inside.

"Ugh, what the- what is that?" the little man seemed repulsed.

"It's my food." Yuji said, too weak to scold him for being rude. "Bring it here."

To his credit, he did bring it over, even if making a funny face. Yuji stuck her hand inside the bag and realized that all of her food had been mixed and mashed together, possibly from the fight.

Still, she grabbed a handful of the goop that remained of her delicious foods, and started eating it.

The little man looked horrified. Even gagging a little.

"You know, I could have just teleported us out of here and gotten you something better to eat."

"It's okay, I can still taste everything this was supposed to be." Yuji said as she continued to eat.

Suddenly she remembered all the good food she had eaten with her friends. With Tartaglia and-

Luna. This wasn't how it was supposed to be.

Tears started to stream down her face.

Why does it hurt so much?

"Dude, stop eating that, you don't have to act like it tastes good." The little man said as he took her food pouch away from her. "You are literally crying and I don't blame ya, that looks nasty!"

Yuji didn't have the energy to correct him and so she simply smiled.

"Who are you?" She asked as she looked around once more at the formless blue darkness that seemed to be moving around them, constantly keeping them trapped at the center of it. She had walked and launched herself towards a single direction this entire time and she still couldn't get out. "And can you really get me out?"

"I can do anything with these bad boys." The young man showed what looked like two small trinkets, one green and one yellow. "Who would have thought I'd get two gnoses without even having to fight?"

Yuji didn't know what that meant, she initially wondered if she should trust this little man, but figured she didn't really have much of an option. Luna had abandoned her.

A tear rolled down her face again as she thought about that.

"Hey, you really gotta stop crying if we are going to hang out." He said as he made the two trinkets disappear and extended his right hand towards her. "Come on, let's get out of here."

"Why are you helping me?" Yuji asked, feeling unwanted. "What do you gain from this?"

"Nothing." He said bluntly as he raised his extended hand and adjusted his hair a bit. "But I've been where you are. I know what it's like to be abandoned by the one you thought cared for you the most. To be cast out by them like you were nothing."