The long journey through Apam Woods was surprisingly light. Through a few well-timed shortcuts and jumps, they had managed to walk around most of the heavy rainforest. Now, as the last hour of sun lit up the afternoon, they had found the use of an old camping site from the Rangers. It was sparsely forested, next to a river and with an already prepared campfire spot. The paranoid Pupil had made sure no threats laid around the area, and Faruzan was just happy to rest properly ever since Caravan Ribat.

Their idle chatting had evolved too. It was no longer monologuing from Faruzan's side. Her Pupil, it seemed, had decided to be awfully insistent on sharing details of himself. Because everyone deserves the truth, or something like that. She guessed he was just preparing himself to tell her whatever he wanted to say.

"No, I never saw the need of having friends. Even in my previous… enterprise, I stayed away from most of my coworkers. Only a few of them approached me, seeing me as a useful tool for their endeavours." He kicked away leaves and dead matter from the campsite. "Well, there was this one idiot, constantly nagging me for a battle of the ages. Just a naïve fool blinded by a little bit of strength. He even had me act like a damn babysitter once, he's lucky I didn't try to kill those kids. He even wanted to repay me by having a tea party with me. Or a date, I didn't care enough."

"Youngsters tend to overestimate their own competence the moment they attain a bit of knowledge," Faruzan added. "There are many students like that fellow. Not as violent or as… welcoming, I suppose."

"The opposite is also true. I stumbled upon this girl a few times, never willing to use her powers for her own benefit. Her attempts at persuading me were quite amusing, especially since I tried to kill her. She was so sure of her theories that someday reality will strike back and leave her for dead. I sure hope I can see that moment with my own eyes, nothing would make me happier."

"Handicapping yourself in the name of selflessness is quite selfish. Someday, somewhere, you might run into a problem that you could have prevented and chose not to. For example, being trapped like an idiot because you thought you were so much better than everyone else. And you didn't need to tell anyone where you were heading."

"Don't… wallow in self-deprecation. It doesn't help." Those words were quite a step up from his previous attempts, where he simply ignored Faruzan. "Moving on, you always know what to say, do you? Part of me wants to see you crash and burn as well. But I like what you say, so I don't mind it that much. Yet."

"My, my, you're being so amiable I'm having trouble discerning if you were just pretending to be crude. Did you have pent-up tension that you released by punching strangers?" The light tease was not something her Pupil enjoyed much.

"Sure. Would you have helped in some other way?" He shoved a few rocks into the campfire pit and threw whatever sticks he deemed dry enough.

"I probably could, quite proficiently as well. And then you'd complain about me doing anything. I like being pampered, but I also like doing what I want to do." Faruzan took a pebble from the ground and threw it at the Pupil. It bounced on his hat. "Like lightning up a fire."

"Is the princess feeling shackled? You forced me to carry you. So now you're going to stand back while I do this." He produced a small flintstone out of his inventory and, barehanded, scratched it against his skin.

"This is why your only positive encounters are with people who just want to either beat you up or prove you wrong." She was about to step in when embers started to grow in the makeshift camp. "Did… you light a fire with your hands?"

"Of course." He dismissed her question as if it was obvious and stoked the growing fire. "Seeing how much progress we've made today, we should reach Sumeru City by tomorrow midday." As the fires grew in intensity, he shoved a couple of sticks more and glanced at Faruzan. "Are you holding up well? You fell asleep when I carried you. Any nightmares?"

"Oh, sorry about that. I don't think I dreamt of anything… I'm tired but my body doesn't feel as weary as yesterday. My hands don't feel as sensitive either, and neither do my feet. Everything else is the same, I think… My sense of taste seems to be returning to normal because that stale food you gave me for lunch was disgusting."

"It wasn't bad when I made it last week." He stood up, satisfied with the fire, and turned towards Faruzan with a smirk. "Guess what's for dinner? More stale food."

"No sir, that campfire has a pot." She pointed to a nearby flattish stone. "Cutting board!" Then to a nearby river. "Fish!" And finally, to herself. "The cook!"

"You want to cook? What have I done to deserve this?" His shoulders slouched. "Oh, right."

"You're a traveller, surely you've brought more than prepared food?" He showed no willingness to answer, so Faruzan was more direct. "Show me what foodstuff you have."

Succumbing to her strict voice, he acquiesced and placed most of his random ingredients. Besides the obvious vegetables, there were two tiny square boxes and a small, dark bottle.

"…Radishes? A mostly empty bag of flour? What did you expect to make with this?" Faruzan took the bottle and unscrewed the cap. "Vegetable oil?" Putting it down, she picked up one of the small boxes and opened it. "Oh, it's a saltcellar. And the other one has ground black pepper. Just this? That's the only spice you have?"

"I found them in a box behind a sealed temple. Don't be picky. And did you want to overwhelm my senses with spices to hide your bad cooking?"

"Ha! You're the one eating stale food with… whatever this is. Is this how you live while adventuring?"

"You could say I don't eat much. The only reason I even have food on me is because of…" His eyes looked away for an instant. "Well, basic survival. Of course. Everyone needs to eat."

"Ah, so now you need to eat? You were adamant with your I don't need to eat, wah-wah." Faruzan smiled at her own awful impersonation.

"Very funny." Unsure of whether to feel angry or laugh, he shrugged away her attempt at joking. "Anyway, I know how to cook as well. You don't need to do it."

"Would it hurt you to not overburden yourself so much? I can work something out with these few ingredients, but it needs protein to be a hearty meal." Faruzan was absorbed by thought for a long ten seconds until she snapped awake. "Catch a fish. Or two! Medium size! And no catfish."

"Yeah, sure. Do you want a massage too?" He responded mockingly, standing up from the stone seat.

Faruzan ignored the sarcasm. "Okay! You can either fish or give me a massage."

He considered the offer for a brief second but ultimately turned towards the flowing river below. He removed his vision, attaching it to the brim of his short's waist belt. Then, he quickly undressed his coat and hat, throwing them at Faruzan and shot up towards the sky above the river. She couldn't quite tell what he was doing, but as long as she had an eye on him the anxiousness was not unsurmountable.

As she watched whatever he was doing, she absentmindedly placed the hat away and started to fold his coat. It had a faint aroma of rose otto perfume blended with the smell of petrichor which… made for a somewhat awful scent. She gathered that their skirmish in that oasis left them both smelling awful.

He didn't strike Faruzan as the type of man who would wear perfume. But he was a walking dissonance, so it wasn't impossible. That reminded her, perhaps her favourite primrose perfume was still in production. The name of the artisans eluded her foggy mind… They were a famed group though. And yet, she couldn't remember. How much had she forgotten?

The train of thought stopped as the Pupil dived with extreme speed into the river, creating a brief mountain of water that splashed all over the alluvion. Then, he calmly flew out of the water with two unidentified fish in each hand. Afterwards, he calmly landed on the campsite.

"Died from shock." He mentioned looking at the two medium-sized fish. One of them flopped for one last time as he said so. "…After death spasms."

"Post mortem, you mean. That was certainly fast anyhow."

"Post, past, I don't care. A painless, quick death is the best I can offer."

Passing by Faruzan, a trickle of water followed him along. She stared at his black underclothing for a long while before growing self-conscious.

"Don't you… want your coat back?" Faruzan offered, her eyes obsessively glued to the ground.

"I rather get dried first." He answered, putting the two fish on the flat stone. "So, now what do you... What? Did you lose something?"

"Oh, no. It's strange to see how fashion seems to have changed so much in a century. Also, aren't you embarrassed? You're not leaving much for the imagination."

The Pupil paused for an instant checking his chest and abdomen for an instant before shrugging. "I don't really see the issue, but if you're going to complain just give me the coat back."

Faruzan quickly shook her head. "It's fine! If it's normal nowadays, I suppose I'll just have to adapt myself… Normally, you wouldn't let other people see you in… well…"

"I'm pretty sure people weren't so prudish back in the day. Don't tell me you were that sheltered? The I've never seen someone else naked kind of sheltered? The what the hell is that thing dangling kind of—"

Flustered and not expecting this sudden topic, Faruzan just said the first thing that came to mind. "I'm not sheltered! I've seen people naked!"

"Ah, you mentioned a collaboration with some Amurta scholar. So that's how they teach biology. Those sick bastards, I knew I should have done more than just some lightning."

"I regret the moment you decided to open up. Can we return to the fish, for the love that is mighty?!" She hastily placed down the coat on the wooden stump and walked over to him. "You have a knife, right? That's basic equipment."

He showed the same flint from before and imbued anemo energy through it. The edge became ethereal and quite sharp. "Are you going to do it?"

"Of course."

She kneeled next to the flat stone and was handed over the knife. An instant displeasure suddenly emerged through her body. Her hands did not feel as dextrous as a century ago. Her grip was shaking, barely able to do the minute, fine movements required for filleting a fish.

"That's not normal." The Pupil said, taking back the knife. "Are you sure you're fine?"

"Y-Yes! I just spent a century writing, that's all. I just need to recalibrate this too, nothing else…" Disappointed, she sulked in place. "You do it, then."

"Alright. It's been a couple of years ever since I last saw how to do this." He mentioned, flicking the knife between his fingers. "Inazuma's cuisine is centred around seafood, so I remember seeing common folk performing all sorts of plates. But I've never actually done this."

Steeling some resolve, Faruzan recomposed herself. "It's only hard the first time because you've never done it. Even though I have not done it many times, only when I visited… Who was it? Ah, my uncle who lived in Port Ormos. Oh well, we'll learn along the way if it doesn't work."

She fixed her posture and approached her Pupil, her long hair getting stuck to his soaked body. He didn't seem to care, so he took one of the fish and placed it in front of him.

"I think the first move is to remove the guts. You have to make a slit from its anus all the way to its head." He followed her instructions dutifully. It was the first time he became worthy of the title of Pupil, and it was just for… filleting a fish. It was somewhat depressing.

"Guts spilling out, a familiar sight." He chuckled amusingly until he saw Faruzan's stare. "Now what?"

"Well, reach into its throat and cut it. Then, remove all the guts."

"It's better to not waste anything. I suppose I'll feed it to the remaining fish." He did as told and picked up the vile guts and cast them aside.

"Focus." Faruzan quickly gathered his attention. "Now… Er… cut below the gills and the fin. Until you feel the spine, that's right." He did as told, without any peculiar jokes. "The head is almost completely separated. Was that supposed to happen? I think so. Now, turn the blade parallel to the fish's spine and cut up to the tail."

"Not the first time I—" Faruzan elbowed him on the ribs.

"No talking while I'm giving out a bad lecture." She reminded him. "So, quiet down and follow my instructions…"

After a few minutes, the Pupil had been properly taught how to perfectly fillet a trout. Though they had lost a bit of meat after removing the fishbones, it was overall a pretty good first attempt.

"If you had told me a month ago I would have been doing this, I would have laughed at you. I can't say I expected you would know this." He stared at the four fillets and put the knife down. "So, what now, Chef? You were really bad at this."

"S-Shut up, you try to remember stuff after a century of thinking the same topics." She stood up, her knees screaming in pain. "We have oil, so why don't we try something? Remove the skin from the fillets and let's fry it. After you put some salt and pepper, of course. I think I liked it! It comes out so crunchy and nice!"

"That I do know how to do."

The cooking side of things was relatively easy. Salt and pepper on the skins, fried for a short time until they were nice and crunchy. Then, the flour-covered fillets plus some spice were cooked for a bit more time. And after retiring the fillets, she added the chopped-up radish along with its greens.

It didn't take much time. Since they lacked plates, they moved the pot over to the flat stone and put all the food inside its hot interior. The Pupil had only one kind of utensil, and those were a pair of chopsticks that had seen little use.

"I know how to use them!" She tried to take them but stopped. "Oh, but I can only use spoons. You saw how my hand trembles if I try to make any other shape…"

"That's not how you recuperate. Come on, you can use them as a stabbing tool if it's so hard." He made her pick up the utensils, not too sure himself.

It took a considerable amount of effort for her fingers to do what she wanted. At the very least, this wasn't a knife so failure didn't end up in injuries or worse.

Tentatively, Faruzan picked one of the crispy fish skins.

A few oddly loud bites after, Faruzan swallowed. "It's actually good. A bit oily, but… Here!"

Her hands struggling to maintain the necessary force, she managed to pick up another fried skin and offered it to her Pupil. He hesitated, but ultimately bit down and ate it.

"…I prefer the texture to the flavour. But I suppose it's not inedible." He watched how Faruzan readjusted her fingers with her other hand. "You're doing good. Come on, feed me more."

The Pupil had not shown any eagerness to eat before, so seeing him show any eagerness made her quite happy. Like a proud grandma seeing her grandchild eat greedily and happily.

So she took a while to properly pick another portion and calmly drove it up to his mouth. He closed his eyes, opened his mouth and motioned to place it inside. She didn't mind the request and followed through.

As he was chewing, however, Faruzan realised something.

"Hold on… are you eating because you like it, or because you enjoy giving me orders?"

He opened one of his eyes and audibly swallowed. "Thirty-seventy. Well, forty-sixty. I was hoping you'd care more about eating from the same source. Seems you're just too old-fashioned."

"I mean, we only have these chopsticks. I would rather have my own, but I don't really…" Faruzan trailed off. "Let's not change topics. You feed me now. Weirdo."


The food was relatively good. It was hot, which did wonders for the small quantities they actually ate. But for the little ingredients they had, it felt like heaven. For Faruzan, at least. Her Pupil seemed more content in simply forcing her to eat more than he did.

Not too long after, the night enveloped the campsite. The temperature didn't drop much, but something about the warmth of the campfire, its light and its smoke was enough for them to sit relatively close to it. As their talks reached a standstill, Faruzan asked her Pupil to give her back the relic crossbow they had snatched from those Hunters.

"Would you mind doing something for me?" Faruzan gave him the notebook she had used previously. "Can you write down what I say? You know how to write, right?"

"I do. And what for?"

Faruzan picked up the crossbow, inspecting it from all sides.

"I'm going to tear it down and attain the core. I'm bored."

He shrugged. Aided by the light of the campfire, he could write somewhat efficiently. He dutifully watched how she turned the weapon upside down, pivoted it side to side and finally made it rest on her lap upright.

"Simple enough. It's a linear actuator." Faruzan fully removed the cover of the crossbow-like weapon and revealed its insides. Then, she nudged her Pupil. He got the hint and started writing. "As you can see, unlike a normal generator that uses rotational movement, it moves this shaft right here in a line. Hence the name." Faruzan pulled on the trigger, making the actuator twist and groan. Nothing happened, however. "Since there's no cover to redirect the energy, it can't be used as a weapon anymore. The release of energy is premature and wide, but notice how the actuator still does its job."

She glanced back at her Pupil, who seemed to dutifully write down her thoughts. Except he was showing a small, out-of-place smile.

"…As I was saying, something else was giving it the burst of energy. The actuator is not being used." Faruzan's hand hovered above the shining core. She stopped short of touching it. "I'd need more tools to properly disassemble this. But I am quite sure the hunters built this themselves. I don't think they truly understood the purpose of the actuator either since they lubricated the rod here."

Faruzan applied some pressure on the rod, twisting it away from her. It immediately snapped, disconnecting the crossbow's body from the ancient technology. "Bronze makes for a shoddy material." She took the rod and showed where the snap had occurred. "See how I twisted the rod yet the stress marks are perpendicular? It was already falling apart. The core was too powerful for the material used."

The Pupil took the small rod, running his fingers through the snap marks. There was a certain melancholy in his hardy stare. "An unfit vessel, huh? Wrong material, wrong purpose."

"Well, not a vessel. But yes." She pushed the crossbow's head with little strength and it fell apart to the ground. "Oh. You took the full brunt of this thing before. Can you hold the core for a moment?"

"Hm? Sure." He seemed a bit lost in thoughts but followed along. "How do I exactly do that?"

"See how there are three metallic triangular prisms floating around it? Press them all down and the same time. The core will shut down."

Putting down the notebook, he followed her directives. Immediately, the core shone brightly one more time before shutting down. Something had gone wrong, however, as the prisms suddenly detached and almost fell to the ground if it wasn't for Faruzan.

"Hmm… One is damaged. The remaining three are in top condition, those hunters at least knew basic maintenance." She observed the prisms for a while longer until she remembered her Pupil. "What you're holding looks like a metallic ball now, but don't throw it away. Give it to me, and please write down what just transpired."

Unbothered by the order, he handed the core over and wrote down everything that had transpired.

"Ah, I just love how King Deshret's technology tessellates perfectly."

"Hm." He seemed to want to say something but wrote away his question.

"Tessellate means to fit together perfectly," Faruzan said as if that was his question.

"I wasn't confused. Merely, it is interesting to see the distinction between this and your cooking directions. You were quite nervous, unsure of everything. Now? You're in your element. Like watching a master artisan chip away at its work, it is rewarding to see how you work."

Faruzan vacillated to answer straight away, unsure if this was a genuine compliment or bait to trigger an awful comment. "Well, I… have a century of expertise in this subject. Even more so than language. There's no substitute for experience."

"Perhaps." The mere mention of her entrapment soured the mood of the two of them. The Pupil chose to stop the conversation, but she continued.

"Do you have any hobbies?"

"Do I look like someone who has hobbies? It may seem like I wander from place to place, but I always have an objective in mind. I'm anathema to the concept of free time. To waste time in idle activities is counterproductive." He answered with a certain disdain at the question as if it had been asked a million times before.

With the fire crackling in the background, Faruzan put down the remains of the core on her lap.

"For someone who doesn't have free time, you sure are wasting a lot of time now."

"I'm not wasting time, I'm purely pragmatic. My objective is to get you to the city. Like all my objectives, I'll do whatever it takes to achieve them. Keeping you in a good mood is simply the best option."

"Whatever it takes? Didn't you say you weren't a toy?"

"Ugh, you're back to asking pointless questions." He closed the notebook and tossed it to the ground. And then he turned on the stone seat to face Faruzan. "So you want to play a game, just like in the oasis. See who makes a fool out of the other one?"

"If you want to call it that, sure." She gained some time to think with a well-timed cough. "I just want you to answer my questions. And I'll answer yours. That's all. One question each, how about it?

He didn't react, his body leaning slightly forward. "And if I refuse to answer?"

"Eternal silence until we reach the City." There was no hesitation. She meant it.

"Really, I don't… I wasn't bothered by you not talking, the issue was that—"

"I will take that question as your first one, so now it's my turn." Faruzan used whatever reason to seize the initiative back. "Why are you in Sumeru?"

His head skewed to the right. "I owe someone my life. My guardian. Don't tell that to anyone."

"Oh! Literally? Or on a personal level that—"

"You said only one question. My turn now," He rested one of his elbows on his knee and gave her a half-smile. "Are you acting like this because I saved you from the clutches of the desert, or because you genuinely like me?"

Faruzan thought about it while moving the crossbow from her lap to the ground below. "…I want to say the latter, but I can't be sure. Your words make it hard to like you but your actions say otherwise. I suppose you wouldn't be a good Haravatat student."

"If even after settling down in Sumeru City you still think the same, I suppose we could meet once in a while." He answered, earning a frown from Faruzan.

"…My turn then. Why are you so eager to disappear?"

"I'd say the question is why do you want me around? I serve no purpose after this. I'm not fit to be your Pupil, and the only thing I'm good for is beating up people. If you want an escort for your travels, I won't complain. For anything else? I don't see the need." He leaned back and crossed his arms. "So, are you going to answer that?"

His questions were calm and so was his posture. But Faruzan couldn't help but feel intimidated by such direct inquiries.

"Well… because we have fun. Is that not enough?"

His whole expression dropped. "Fun is not what I would consider this trip. That's just your warped perspective. See, this is why I keep telling you to not let yourself be manipulated. Everyone will try to take advantage of that uncalibrated perspective. Except me, of course. And people better than me."

"Okay then." Faruzan crossed her legs and flicked her hair. "Do it. Take advantage of my supposedly deluded state."

He studied her glimmering eyes. "Maybe I've been manipulating you all along. And since it's my turn to ask, I'll ask. How can you confirm that I am not manipulating you? Since you say I'm so kind, I'll answer that for you. You can't do that, and I'm not sure if I can either. That's why I'll just go my own way after this and leave you to flourish in peace."

There was a moment of doubt, but Faruzan understood.

"Do you think I'm manipulating you?" She asked. "You said you don't like being abandoned. Yet the first chance you have, you're running away. Because you think that if you do that, I won't abandon you."

His calm expression hardened and his eyes narrowed. "Be careful with your next choice of words."

"You're not answering."

The stand-off didn't last for long but it felt like hours. It wasn't Faruzan who wavered this time.

"It's hard for me to trust someone. I just feel… like you are using me to feel better after feeling nothing for so long."

"I wouldn't say I'm using you any more than you are using me. And use is not the word I would utilise. We're not a one-use handkerchief. We're more like… Hm… Towels! You use it to dry yourself and then you clean them for the next time. But in the end, you use them for many other things as well."

The Pupil cackled a laugh, stifling Faruzan's enthusiasm. "Towels. Seriously? Is that the best analogy you can come up with?"

"Oh, ha-ha. My point is… I'm not throwing you away after this. And I hope you don't do the same… Even if you don't want to be my Pupil, I would be happy if we were friends."

There was a brief silence as they both stared at each other. "Friends? I wouldn't go so far. You do owe me breakfast. So I suppose I won't let that go yet. You should invite me around to your house too, I need to try your bed."

"W-Well, I don't… have a bed…Or a house." Faruzan stammered an answer.

"You forced me to sleep with you, I would assume you'd have to let me sleep in your house on your own accord."

"Oh, that's what you meant." She awkwardly forced a cough. "You know, maybe you can sleep beside me again tonight. And… maybe you'd trust me more afterwards."

Faruzan certainly wasn't too sure of what she was offering. But regardless of what it was, the Pupil wanted none of it.

"No." He stood up and picked up his folded coat. He calmly put it on as he continued. "I already told you, it should be fine if you're outside. You didn't have a nightmare before, so that's good. I'll wake you up if it happens."

"Okay. Good." Faruzan stood up as well. "Maybe we can take turns standing on guard and…"

"No. I'll be fine. Sleep all you can." He gave her a once-over. "I… trust you can do so."

"Of course! Good night hug?" Faruzan extended her arms only to receive the cold shoulder.

"No. Start sleeping."

She pulled out her tongue in clear defiance, only to be flipped off by her Pupil. Afterwards, she used a pre-made spot of the Rangers to lay down next to the fire and fall asleep.


The chamber had reclaimed her mind and festered in her dreams. It was cold. Dark and cold, like always. It was the same, every hour, every day, every year.

Nothing had changed. Except for one thing.

The sound of shifting sand.

As far as she could tell, that chamber had no distinct sounds. A small hum. The scratching against the walls. Her own breathing. Her voice thinking out loud to retain a semblance of sanity. Those sounds were her only companions through the years.

But the falling sand was not one of them.

A wide hole had appeared on the far end of the small chamber, with sand continuously seeping in from the outside. Deep entranced by the dream, Faruzan saw no gaps in the logic of this sudden development.

Something came out of the hole. That figure clad in warmth from her first dream.

The figure turned and left the chamber, at a speed Faruzan couldn't quite follow.

So she scrambled to the sudden exit, quickly seeing that she had to climb a wide and tall dune.

It was hard going. The sand was loose and it was hard to get a grip on it. Every now and then she slid off to the ground and had to begin again. But she pushed on.

Above that sand, she could taste it.

The faint aroma of clean air. The shining sun. The chirping of birds. The rushing of water. The mutters of distant chatter. The distinct warmth that guided her through it. Everything that she had forgotten was right there. With that reminded, the dread, the constant sadness, the insufferable routine… Everything would disappear and be replaced by positive emotions.

Freedom was getting over this sand hurdle. And after that, she'd come back home. Her mother would cry after seeing her, but everything would return to normal. The Akademiya might call her reckless for investigating ruins on her own, but she had come back and now could resume her investigation. She could write a book about her experiences to warn any students of the dangers of these ruins. Turn this whole ordeal upside down! If she escaped, everything would turn for the better.

The crest of the dune was a few steps away. Freedom was just a few steps away. The end of her suffering was a few steps away.

Her hand grasped the tallest point of the dune, and though it gave away, Faruzan had reached it.

Or so she thought.

That morphless figure was waiting for her, staring down at her.

"Did you believe escaping would make you free?"

Without any time to protect herself, the figure stomped on her head and threw her down the dune. The fall was short-lived as she suddenly crashed against the cold ground of the stasis chamber.

Faruzan desperately glanced around the four walls, but there was no escape anymore. She ran up to one of them, clawing at every nook and cranny she could to make a hole, a dent, a scratch. Anything. But the wall was solid. The chamber had claimed her life and it would be that forever more.

Her heart clenched, her breathing became quick and ragged, and fear and anxiety asserted her body as their playing ground.

"Faruzan!"

Her eyes opened wide, completely unaware of what was going on. She caught a faint glimpse of someone, and in sheer panic, Faruzan bolted upright and punched the figure. An unparalleled terror engulfed her as it didn't flinch, or even react to her hit. She shoved and pushed away with her remaining hand, her tongue smashing words together in the unprecedented alarm that had taken hold of her being.

"Calm down, it was a nightmare." The voice suddenly became recognisable, and her eyes stopped darting around the place. "It's fine, you're with me. In the campsite, remember?"

Though the overwhelming fear did not cease, the sight of her Pupil did at least calm her worries of certain death. The hyperventilation did not cease, and neither did her shaky limbs.

The Pupil was crouching, staring directly at her deplorable state. Unsure of what to do, he fidgeted and looked around. "Do you… want some water?"

Faruzan shook her head and cuddled her legs, burying her head against her knees.

"Okay." He rubbed his shoulder, clearly uncomfortable. "Well, I woke you up. I'll be here."

He evidently had no idea of what he was doing. He hated himself for the sheer ignorance he was displaying. One of the strongest beings of Sumeru could do nothing besides staring and making sure she was safe at any moment.

Meanwhile, the dark greenery of the rainforest welcomed Faruzan again. Her hand hurt like hell, and so did her back. Controlling her breathing seemed like the most important task at hand, but what was a trivial task normally became a daunting endeavour.

Without thinking twice, she turned towards him and held up her hands with teary eyes.

"A… hug? I can do that." The Pupil was quite uncomfortable. It didn't compare to the despondency that occupied his empty body.

He couldn't do quite so much as it was Faruzan who hugged him first, hiding her face on his shoulder. Hesitant but willing to lessen her burden, he wrapped his arms around her. First very loosely, barely touching her, and then more tightly and securely. It didn't compare to the air-tight hold Faruzan had applied on him.

"You can match your breathing to mine. Like last night." He offered, his voice soft and mellow. "Nothing but breathing. Just my breathing and yours until they become one and the same."

For a while, it seemed to work. Faruzan calmed her hectic breathing and her heartbeat slowed down. But then she remembered the nightmare. About how everything she longed for was a faraway dream, and everything she had once loved had disappeared to the clutches of time. She had cried just once when faced with those ancient ruins. That was more out of shock than any rational thought.

Now, however, the closer she was to Sumeru City the more real those feelings became. She had focused on her Pupil to try and push those thoughts aside. And now she just couldn't take it any more. All that pent-up tension and sadness had all flooded out in a shameful display of sobbing and crying that paralysed her whole.

"I'm sorry," He unexpectedly whispered, caressing her hair as she cried.

Though the night was long, they didn't separate until the sun broke through the horizon.