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A weak consciousness awakened on a soft patch of grass beneath a tree swaying in the warm breeze. It was nightfall; the moon had already begun its triumphant rise across the starry sky. Ronova, formerly one of the Four Shades, pushed herself onto her hands and knees and lifted her head off the ground. Slowly, she became more aware of her surroundings. The trees were recognizable to her and revealed exactly where on Teyvat she was.
"This is Inazuma," she realized. "How did I get here? I was in-" She stood up completely as the reality of her situation dawned on her. A sense of existential dread washed over her. The question of how she got to Inazuma was quickly overshadowed by the question of why she still existed at all. Ronova felt powerless as never before. Bound to the ground and forced to move on her two feet, she walked a few steps. Her body was sensitive, the moist blades of grass on her soles and the wind running over her naked skin sent unfamiliar sensations through her. Her clothes were gone, but that was of little concern to her. Arriving at a small pond, Ronova caught a glimpse of her reflection. The person staring back at her felt unfamiliar, a seemingly young woman, fair-skinned with white hair, but Ronova knew it was herself. Everything that had visually marked her as the Shade of Death was gone, logically so after losing her authority.
Images started to flash in front of her mind's eye. She saw herself, on a battlefield, a strong attack made by an artificial type of vision descending onto her, and herself, manipulating the celestial nail. Those memories compelled Ronova to gaze up at the sky.
"I infused the celestial nail with Eitr, so why does the sky look so... unthreatening?" Surely, she thought, the calamity set in motion by her could hardly have been averted. Ronova neither felt remorse for her actions, nor pity for her parting gift being reduced to nothingness. Indifference and confusion dominated her mind. She continued walking through the forest aimlessly, trying to calm her thoughts that were spinning in circles. Eventually, she reached a cliffside and sat down, dangling her legs over the edge. She saw the lights of Inazuma City from afar as well as the ominous thunder clouds above Seirai Island.
"This world. Was it always this beautiful?" It was at that point that Ronova acknowledged her new reality: She turned into a mortal woman, with no purpose and no place she belonged to in this big world, which seemed near endless now.
The sound of branches snapping caught her attention. She turned her head in the direction the noise came from, then heard it again, louder. Someone or something was approaching. Ronova stood there, assessing the situation and waiting for whatever was drawing closer to show its face. A young man appeared from within the woods, holding a tree branch above his head to slip underneath. His outfit was Inazuman through and through, a short-sleeved kimono with a haori coat loosely worn over it. His hakama pants disappeared inside his boots. His hair was white, just like Ronova's with a single red streak, matching the color of his eyes which widened as he noticed Ronova standing there, unclothed with the moonlight reflecting on her bare skin.
At that moment, Ronova understood the unusual situation they both were in. An unfamiliar feeling surged through her mind and body. She instantly crouched down to cover herself up. Her arms instinctively moved to shield as much as they could. She felt the heat rising on her face, nearly overwhelmed by the strange feeling.
"Is this shame?" she wondered. "Why am I covering myself? I have nothing to hide. He already saw everything..." And yet, Ronova could not stop cowering in shame. She could not even look at the man.
"Here, take this," the young man said as he removed his coat and laid it over Ronova like a blanket. She simply nodded and wrapped the fabric around her body, loosely tying it. It was just long enough to cover everything.
"What are you doing out here all on your own? And without any clothes or belongings, nonetheless?" he asked with a hint of worry in his voice, despite sounding calm and collected.
"I don't remember," Ronova answered him. She realized the opportunity to ask about what happened to the world. Surely every last person should know what happened with the celestial nails. "The last thing I remember was the sky glowing in a heavenly light." His mouth opened in recognition.
"I see. So you were affected by that strange anomaly. It's not too long ago that the issue has been resolved. I guess it's natural for some effects to still linger."
"Resolved?" Ronova repeated. "How did that happen?"
"I don't know the details, but it required the joint effort of all nations and their archons. They averted a great catastrophe."
"I see." Ronova was unsure how to feel about this. If all seven nations came together as one, perhaps humanity deserved its survival.
"The air is getting colder. I've set up a camp nearby. You must be hungry, I will share some food with you," he told her with a gentle smile. Ronova was astonished by his altruism. She walked alongside him, two steps behind.
"Oh, my apologies, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Kaedehara Kazuha. I'm a wandering samurai. Do you remember your name?" he asked as he looked back at her.
"Ro-" Ronova assumed every last soul in Teyvat knew her name after everything that went down in Snezhnaya, so she stopped before she accidentally revealed her true identity. "Romina," she finally said, unsure where she got the fake name from.
"Romina..." Kazuha repeated, as if savoring the sound of the name. "My tent is up ahead, we're almost there."
They made it past the forest line into a clearing close to the cliff's edge. A simple tent, not more than a large sheet of fabric held up by a tree branch, stood there. In front of it, the crackling embers of a campfire glowed within a circle of stones. Ronova sat down on a tree stump close to the fire pit, while Kazuha gathered a bundle of dry sticks he placed inside his tent and stacked them on top of the embers. He stoked them to relight the fire, humming a soft tune as he did and smiled once the first flame emerged from the embers. Ronova watched him intently. The flickering flames lighting up his face in an orange hue, showing relaxation and contentment. A mortal man with merely a few decades left to his life. The same truth she faced, yet she didn't feel her days being numbered.
Once the fire was going strong, Kazuha took out a leather wrap and opened it to reveal three fish, the day's fresh catch. He used a pocket knife and sharpened three sticks before impaling the fish with them. He stuck the stakes into the ground close to the fire, so they could slowly get grilled. Ronova watched him with curiosity and fascination, she could tell he was used to camping out in the nature and preparing food.
"It's important not to place them too close to the fire. Otherwise they will burn on the surface while the inside stays raw," he explained to her. Ronova simply nodded. It sounded logical, yet she never had to think about cooking before.
They watched the fire blazing away in unison, a comfortable silence between them until Kazuha noticed something glowing from the corner of his eye.
"Ah, it's a firefly!" he excitedly exclaimed. "How nice, I was afraid the fire might scare them off."
More and more fireflies lit up, forming a sea of light which bathed the two in a comforting glow. Ronova looked around with her jaw agape. She had never seen this spectacle of nature before.
"I once heard the ones lying in the grass are the females, waiting for a partner. And those flying in the air are the males, looking for a female," Kazuha explained to Ronova.
"You seem to know a lot about nature," she commented, still admiring the view.
"Not exactly," he replied. "A merchant told me that. I met him on a night just like this, with just as many fireflies in the air. I have to say, I've seen this several times before, but it never fails to amaze me with its beauty." His eyes wandered to the three fish and then to Ronova.
"The food will take a moment longer. Say Romina, do you know how to dance?" he asked while holding out his hand for her to grab.
"Dance?" she repeated. She almost instinctively reached for his hand, but stopped. "I've never danced before."
"That's okay. Just follow my lead," he said with a reassuring smile.
Ronova took his hand and Kazuha helped her get up from the tree stump. He pulled her closer into his embrace, wrapping his arms around her waist. Ronova gasped at the physical contact. She hesitantly placed her own arms around his neck, her palms nervously resting on his back. Kazuha began swaying from side to side, slowly to allow Ronova to follow his movement.
"Don't you need music to dance?" she asked him.
"Nature will be our music. The wind, the rustling leaves, the chirping insects."
"I see." She listened. By all means, it did not sound like music to her, but the noises were comforting in their own way.
They continued slowly dancing alongside the fireflies around them. Ronova's eyes started tearing up. Perhaps it was the physical contact, the scenery, or the combination of both. Her fingers dug deeper into his skin, she didn't want him to see her tears. She failed to understand why she had to cry. The shared moment was so beautiful it felt like tearing her apart.
Ronova rested her chin on Kazuha's shoulder. In a strange way, she felt a sense of belonging like never before.
The smell of grilled fish reached her nose. Kazuha felt it too and broke the contact to check on their meal. To Ronova, it felt as if something important got taken from her. She saw him remove the stakes from the ground through blurry eyes. She wiped the tears away before he could notice them.
"Here, take one," Kazuha told her and offered her one fish.
They sat down and began feasting. It was one of the most basic dishes one could cook up in the wilderness, yet it satisfied Ronova beyond anything she could've imagined. She finished eating her fish much quicker than Kazuha, who was taking his time enjoying the food.
"You must be really hungry," he commented once he noticed she was done already. "Here, you can have the last one as well."
"Thank you," Ronova answered and took the fish, this time trying not to devour it as quickly as the last. She began to feel guilty for relying on the young man so much.
"I was a Shade of the Heavenly Principles, I shouldn't depend on a mortal," she thought. "But so am I now and I know nothing about being one."
Kazuha finished his own fish and threw the skewer into the fire, followed by Ronova and her two skewers.
"It's late. We should get in the tent," Kazuha said.
"We?" Ronova repeated, feeling the heat rise on her cheeks.
"Yes. There is no other place around where you could stay the night."
He started to slowly remove his clothes, revealing his body, well-toned and scarred, showing his experience in combat. The view of his naked skin and the muscles moving under it as he removed his clothes was fascinating to Ronova. She couldn't help but stare. Once he was down to his underwear, he lay down in his tent on a padding made from leaves and brushwood. He unfolded his blanket, pulled it over his body, and turned his head toward Ronova.
"You can join me, it's okay. The Inazuman summer nights can be surprisingly cold."
Ronova stood up and walked the short distance to the tent. She looked at the coat he lent her, remembering that she was naked underneath.
"Just keep it on," Kazuha told her and lifted the blanket for her to slip under.
Ronova was still hesitant, but had to admit it was the only safe way to spend the night. She joined him under the blanket, keeping her hands to herself in an effort not to make direct bodily contact. But something deep inside told her to reach out and feel his warmth, the smoothness of his skin, and the texture of his muscles.
"Lean on," Kazuha said, his voice already sleepy.
"What?" Ronova asked him, but she got no reply. He had already fallen asleep, peacefully snoring.
She slowly reached out and hesitantly placed her hand on his shoulder. There was no reaction from the sleeping man. Ronova shifted closer until one of her knees touched his thigh and her chest was pressed against his back. The hand on her shoulder moved further, touching the ground in front of his neck, with her forearm wrapping over his chest.
The bodily contact and the heat radiating from his body felt good and comforting. Ronova had no trouble falling asleep on her first day as a mortal.
"Perhaps I should follow this man for a while," was the last conscious thought she had before peacefully drifting off.
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At the same time, somewhere far away, unreachable and unbeknown to the mortals, two entities sharing the same body, watched over them.
"My dear Rhinedottir. It seems for the first time, I fully agree with your sentiment and actions. This seems a suitable ending for our former colleague."
"No need to flatter me, Naberius. Besides, you can hardly call this an ending now, can you? It's an all-new beginning and I'm curious how the story goes."