I took one last look at myself in the mirror as the soft golden light of the setting sun cast a warm glow across the room. It was finally time to leave. The two days since Childe left the house had dragged far too slowly. I'd kept myself busy with commissions, trying to make use of the time.
One of those commissions was for a man who suffered from persistent headaches. His ususal remedies weren't working, so Katheryne, aware of my skills, had asked if I could take a look. It seemed like a chronic condition, so rather than wasting time with ineffective treatments, I decided to prepare something that would at least ease the pain until he was diagnosed properly.
I mixed an opium and apple cider vinegar solution—a remedy I learned from my mother—and soaked a cloth in it, so he could apply the poultice to his forehead for relief. as I finished preparing it, my mind wandered to Childe's letter. Though it wasn't my place to make a decision for him, his father seemed to be suffering from a similar affliction. I couldn't help but feel a nagging urge to help him somehow.
I kept a portion of the solution for myself, deciding to somehow give it to Childe when I saw him. I handed the rest of the solution to Katheryne.
As the last of the light from the sun faded, I felt the weight of the evening ahead, the dinner with Zhongli and Childe. What an ironic night, I thought to myself.
I checked my satchel one last time to make sure the solution was securely packed before heading out. As eager as I was for the dinner, I felt anxious to meet Zhongli again after all these years. We'd exchanged only a few words after that faithful day, and they mostly consisted of warnings and advice. So I couldn't say that I truly know him. Still, I wanted to thank him once again and show him how far I'd gotten. After all, he was the one who had made it possible for me to escape my past and start anew.
I was lost in thought when I bumped into someone. "I'm so sorry ma'am, I–" I began, but my words caught in my throat as I looked up and saw who it was.
A sharp surge of frustration and anger rose within me the instant I recognized her. "You."
The woman stood before me, her cryptic smile as unsettling as ever. "Ah, hello dear. To see you again, how nice it is." she said as though we were old friends. Behind her, I spotted the fortune tellers cart, tucked in a quiet corner of Liyue Harbor. I had no idea how she managed to get it here, let alone park it in such a spot.
But what unsettled me more than the cart was the memory of those strange dreams, the haunting images of the monkey. I was sure she had something to do with it. "Stop messing with my head." I said, the anger bubbling over. "I know what you're doing."
"What you are talking about dear, I do not understand." she said, her voice laced with mock innocence.
"The dreams. I know you're causing them. Make them stop."
She tilted her head, as if pondering my words, and a slow, knowing smile spread across her face. "So dreams, it is." she hummed to herself. "Not my doings they are, but the price, which pay you must."
"The price? What are you talking about? I already payed you."
"Oh no," she replied. "The messenger I am only. This price... hmmm yes, this price pay you must to the universe."
I narrowed my eyes, my heart racing with anger and confusion. "You're making this up."
"No, no. Make something like this up, how dare I?" She laughed softly, her eyes twinkling with amusement. "Comes with a price, every message from the future. But fret not, for a blessing this price is."
"How is having constant nightmares of you and that stupid monkey a blessing?"
"Stupid?" She gasped dramatically. "No fool Iosef is! Wonderful and most wise, he is."
I clenched my jaw in frustration, my patience thinning. "Answer my question."
She leaned in closer, her voice dropping to a near whisper, the cryptic aura around her thickening. "A warning those dreams are. The curse, only the method of delivery is. So, of what you see... beware."
"Why should I trust you? Archons know you'll start talking about some cure ritual or whatever. How do I know this is not just another ploy to get me to pay you to fix me?"
She shook her head, a slight chuckle escaping her lips. "Ask for more money, I will not. Think, dear, misled have you ever been by my fortunes?"
I paused, considering her words. The fortunes were never that precise, but whether it be a simple sentence or a poem, they've had a way of reflecting the truth until now. "I guess not." I admitted, though doubt lingered at the back of my mind.
I saw a flicker of mischief flash her gaze. "Good. A small compensation, I would like to offer for those nightmares." She reached into a hidden pocket of her long, colorful skirt, the fabric tingling with tiny spherical bells. After a moment of rummaging, she handed me a small slip of paper. "Going to make you pay for this, I was. But in a good mood today, I am."
I took the fortune, studying it cautiously. "You took this fortune for me while I wasn't even here?" I asked, skeptical.
"No hold on fortune, time has. And not bound by your presence a fortune is, for not spun by your hands alone, the threads that wave your life are. Stirred by unseen forces, events set into motion long before your choices, they are. No coincidence, our meetings are, child. Hmm, yes. Of a change that has altered the course of your life, the very fact that you standing before me now speaks. Whether your doing it was, or the work of another whose shadow stretches across Teyvat... That, say I cannot."
My heart skipped a beat, and a chill crept up my spine as her cryptic tone wrapped around me. "Changed the course of my life..." I murmured. "You mean someone's been deliberately making decisions for my life without my knowledge?"
"Not deliberately it needs be. What their actions cause, they may not even realize. For you too, the same goes."
The pieces of my past began to twist, memories flickering in my mind. I met Childe because I went to that ball. But I only went there because someone had bumped into me, dropping the flyer I picked up by chance. And the second time, he had come to the Abe's house, a couple he had known for a long time. Could it really be possible that all of this was set into motion by him?
Her voice dropped into a whisper once again, the air around us thickening as I leaned in closer to catch her words. "But beware, child. Those on the move, there are... People with intentions not so bright."
Each word dripped with an unsettling gravity. Those people she spoke of must be the Fatui. There was no other explanation. "Do you have any idea what's really going on?" I asked, with only a small part of me clinging to the faint hope that she might give an answer.
She shook her head. "Only the messenger I am, dear. The only help I could offer, that fortune is."
I looked down at the slip of paper, its edges crinkling in my grip as my heart raced. Without thinking further, I unfolded the fortune and read it.
The path of the one bound to the somber shall be ended by the touch of the light,
For only brightness stirs the shadows of the eternal night.
The words felt heavy, ominous, as if they were speaking directly to me. Something about them pressed against my chest, a weight I couldn't ignore. Though the idea of ending the dark seemed virtuous, something didn't sit right with me. Perhaps it was the atmosphere, thick with foreboding, or the fear wrapped around my entire body. But I was sure of one thing, this fortune was bad news.
As I stood there, grappling the weight of the fortune, I glanced up to question the woman again. But to my astonishment, she was gone, and so was the cart. The space where they stood was empty, as if they had never been there at all.
A cold breeze swept through the alley, sending a shiver down my spine. I glanced around, searching for any sign of her, but the bustling streets of Liyue Harbor continued on, oblivious to the uncanny encounter I had just experienced.
My heart raced as I kept looking. I had to find her. I turned back from the corner and raced into the middle of the street, my heart pounding with every step. I pushed past the people who drifted by, each one a blur of motion.
People were after me, the Fatui was after me. I knew that already, but I never truly wanted to believe it. They were planning something. I was in danger. Someone controlled my fate. How was that even possible? Did I have a hand in this? People I cared about were in danger. How to stop it? Where did I even have to look? Snezhnaya? It was cold... the room and the castle. And big. Too big. But I still felt claustrophobic. I bumped into someone, I think he shouted at me... she? Her voice was muffled. Childe, Childe! Did he walk the somber? Or my mother? Or me? Mikahil? No, can't be. But they were all tied. My life. My fate. What even was my fate? How did this word even get into my vocabulary? Was I just a puppet? I surely were. But where was the end?
My breaths were shallow, and my body trembled. Everything, everyone felt like it was closing in—suffocating, like there was no way out. Then, a sharp, familiar voice broke through the fog in my mind.
"Snowdrop?"
It was Childe's voice. I looked around, my eyes wide and my chest heaved as I tried to steady myself. He stood there, but I couldn't make out his expression.
The world didn't stop spinning, but somehow, hearing his voice was enough to break the hold the panic had on me. My breathing steadied, just a little, though my heart was still racing. I clung to his gaze, desperate for something to hold onto.
"You okay?" he asked with a light tone. He reached out, but hesitated.
Without thinking, my body moved on its own. I took a step towards him, stumbling slightly, then pressed my forehead against his chest. "I... I don't... know." My voice trembled, barely a whisper against his jacket.
"Just breathe, Snowdrop." His voice, low and soothing, vibrated through his chest as he gently ran his hand through my hair. "Slow and deep. You're alright."
My breath caught for a moment, but his touch, calm and steady, urged me into a rhythm. Slowly, I followed his lead, inhaling deeply, then exhaling, each breath a little steadier than the last.
His warmth made me forget about the cold, and the steady rise and fall of his chest beneath my forehead was a simple reassurance that grounded me in that moment. My thoughts were still jumbled, but they had quieted.
"Better?" he asked softly.
"Yeah... I think so." I whispered. I didn't want to pull back just yet. I felt warm and safe, as if everything was too far away on the horizon, like nothing could reach me here. It was ironic, considering he was the threat itself, but I strangely trusted him now.
"Just... can we stay like this for a while?" The words left my mouth before I could think them through, but embarrassment was a world away from me at that moment. I needed this right now, even if I couldn't explain why.
For a brief moment, there was silence. The rise and fall of his chest stopped, and his heart beat quickened. But then, he chuckled softly and once again begun to thread his fingers gently through my hair. His other hand moved to my back, spreading warm pressure as he held me against himself. "As long as you need, Snowdrop."
His hands moved with purpose, stroking my hair, tracing light patterns around my back. He wasn't hurrying, wasn't pulling away, wasn't asking anything of me. It was as if he understood exactly what I needed: time, and his presence.
We stood like that for a while. I listened to his heartbeat as I took in the faint smell of citrus soap that clung to his skin. My breathing slowly steadied, and the frantic thoughts that had consumed me faded, completely clearing my head. I didn't want to pull away, but eventually, I knew I had to.
His hand left my hair, his other hand tracing my back in one last, steady motion before withdrawing. I pulled away just enough to look up at him, and at that moment, I saw something I hadn't seen before. It wasn't obvious, but it was there. An almost imperceptible flush at the tips of his ears and his nose, a soft warmth that betrayed him in a way his usual composure couldn't.
"You're alright now." he murmured.
I nodded, my gaze lingering on his face, searching for any other signs of vulnerability. And then, I was suddenly locked in place, unable to look away. I just wanted to watch him, really see him. My eyes traced the sharp line of his jaw, the subtle dip of a scar near his chin, one I hadn't noticed before. His freckles, faint but there, scattered across his nose and cheeks like they'd been dusted on by accident. His red lips were parted slightly, like he wanted to say something but held it back. Even the way his eyebrows furrowed ever so gently, it was like I was seeing him for the first time with all the small imperfections that made him more... human.
There was something disarming about this, seeing him so close, softer than I'd ever known him to be. The usual sharpness in his eyes had dulled, replaced by warmth. It reassured me. For a fleeting moment, the world felt smaller, quieter, as if it belonged to just the two of us.
Childe's lips quirked up slightly, breaking the silence with a teasing tone to his voice. "You know, if you keep staring like that, I might start thinking you're falling for me."
I blinked, heat rushing to my cheeks as I looked away, my heart betraying me with a faster rhythm. "I-I wasn't—" The words stumbled and I paused, trying to collect myself.
He chuckled. "Whatever you say."
A moment of quiet stretched between us again, but this time it felt more comfortable, almost grounding. He had changed the topic to take my mind off the thing I was panicked over the moment he saw an opening. And it'd worked.
He shifted slightly, his gaze moving to the street ahead. "It's getting late," he said, his tone light and casual. "Wouldn't want to be late to the dinner, right?"
I managed a small smile. "No, we wouldn't."
With a final glance, he stepped away, leaving a small space between us. I followed quietly, my mind calmer now, though the warmth of his touch lingered.