A few weeks after her triumphal return, Faruzan had developed a sort of routine with her Dearest. He'd show up at her workshop an hour after sunrise and they'd have a sort of improvised breakfast. Afterwards, he'd help around with whatever daily task Faruzan had envisioned and would disappear the moment midday arrived. His explanation was that he had to take care of his Guardian, so he couldn't stay for much longer. Then, he'd suddenly reappear shortly before midnight, though it was nothing more than a goodnight visit.

As far as she knew, he didn't interact with anyone else. He talked about his Guardian, and it was clear he respected her a lot. However, he was quite adamant in refusing to schedule a meeting or anything of the sort. Upon further questioning, he'd answer: "She'll come to you when the situation is appropriate".

Faruzan was too busy to inquire much more. The modern world was trying too much to ruin her career to actually care more than she should about it. She tried and tried, but apparently, Haravatat studies had grown niche and those who remained shunned her. And her speciality had been absorbed by the Kshahrewar Darshan, which continuously acted like arrogant brats. Modernise yourself, Madame Faruzan! Your research was useful, but the world has advanced! You sure look younger than expected!

A century of failed tests had not made her waver in the slightest, but a month's worth of continuously being belittled, being classified as an old coot, a product of the past… After scolding a few students for such disrespect, they no longer talked directly to her face. But she knew that was just a fool's solace. The way they looked at her… with either pity or mockery, someone not to be taken seriously, weighed down on her.

Even those she had made a certain bond with shared those same traits. Kaveh pitied her too much, and Layla seemed to avoid her ever since… that misunderstanding. That Alhaitham or whatever was unapproachable either way. If anything, General Mahamatra had been the most normal out of all of them, even with the horrible circumstances of her first meeting. And that was because he had a job to fill.

Without her Dearest around, it was a very lonely endeavour.

And it was in those moments when she missed her family and her old friends the most.

She had fooled herself into believing everything would be back to normal once she got her job back. That normalcy hadn't returned. Faruzan was sure it would never do so.

With those thoughts dragging her down, Faruzan finished touching up one of her latest projects. There wasn't much else she could do.

Sun had barely set a few minutes ago. Yet coldness had gripped her heart again. That hated cold. Nightmares were a constant thing whenever sleep trapped her, and interiors still put her on high alert. Being alone inside a building was horrible, and it was worse when it was dark.

Someone knocked on her office door. Who was it? A prank? The Matra again?

Whoever it was, Faruzan walked over and opened the door. There was nobody around. A hallucination? Just like back in her entombment?

"Hello." A meek voice lured Faruzan's eyes downwards. It was a little girl. "Good evening."

An eccentric child with an inherent aura of cuteness. That's what Faruzan's first thought was.

"Good evening." Faruzan crouched down to her eye level. "Are you lost?"

The girl held up a wooden box, not much bigger than Faruzan's hands. She recognised the pattern on its lid.

"I need help solving this."

"Oh, is that so?" Faruzan picked up the box. "Do your parents know you're here?"

"I don't have parents." The girl answered, with not a shroud of pity. It was either maturity or a lie. Somehow, the former seemed more likely.

"Well, neither do I. Have you heard about me? Is that why you're here?" Seeing how the girl nodded in response, Faruzan just followed her along. "Okay then, come."

The door to her office opened wide, letting the girl in. She explored around, curious about the various trinkets around her office/workshop before Faruzan herded her towards the main desk. Luckily, she had two chairs, so Faruzan offered one to the girl.

"So, what do you need help with?" The Scholar asked, sitting down as well.

The girl placed a small box on the desk. The box had a small drawer on one of its sides. On top of it, there were 9 tiles with different patterns. Each tile was a square divided into different coloured triangles. In the middle tile, there was a small hole. But nothing seemed to be inside of it.

"I've gotten this far." The girl continued. "There's a seam on the side of this tile." She pulled on one of the tiles, moving one line of tiles outward. This left an empty space which allowed one row of tiles to move. She did so and then stopped. "I don't know what to do now. The drawer still doesn't open and you can't move more tiles. Maybe the hole has something to do here… But nothing comes out."

Faruzan giggled. "Well, the tiles now make a new pattern, right? Do you know what it is?"

The girl looked at the tiles, which now resembled a ninja star.

"I don't know?"

"Ah, there's the problem. This pattern is a ninja star! Do you know ninjas? From Inazuma? Stealthy spies armed with these stars. Do you know what they do with them?"

"Hmm… Throw them?"

"Exactly. They throw it and the star spins around. So? Try to spin it."

Quite eager to finish the puzzle, the curious girl spun the box around in a quick manner. The moment it stopped, the drawer opened.

"Oh! You did it!" Faruzan exclaimed while clapping.

"But there's nothing inside. It's empty." Her words sounded disappointed, but her tone was more curious than anything else.

"Was it now? Don't you feel proud of solving it? The journey to resolve the puzzle is the reward. In this case, the means justify the ends. You could have torn it open and opened the drawer, but that is not the point of a puzzle. It's an exercise of mind."

Placing back the drawer where it belonged, the girl slowly returned the puzzle to its original shape.

"When a puzzle is done, do you throw it out?"

"Do you throw a book out once you're done reading it? Hmph, that's not a good example for a kid. Your favourite toy, do you—" Faruzan stopped talking as a sudden realisation crossed her mind. "Hey, I made this."

"Did you?" The girl placed the box back on her desk. "You can keep it then."

The triangles, the spinning, the hidden pattern. She made this a century ago. Not this exact puzzle, but she had made a similar prototype.

"They sell this at a store." The girl answered as if she knew what Faruzan thought.

"Did they just scavenge my belongings or…?" Faruzan muttered before clearing her throat. "Well, I've helped you." She reached out to an open bowl on the top corner of her desk. It was filled with candy. "Here, for you."

"Thank you, Madame Faruzan!" The kid took the candy and carefully checked it. "Butterscotch and black liquorice flavour…?"

"Oh, yes, take as many as you want."

Faruzan offered the candy bowl, but the girl reluctantly declined. Then, her green eyes looked right into Faruzan's.

"It seems you can't remember our previous conversations. You treat these encounters as nightmares, even if I manage to subdue those fears. It seems I can't help you as much as I believed."

"What do you mean?"

The girl just smiled. "If you expect life to be like it was before, you will likely be disappointed. Your puzzle doesn't contain a reward, it's the journey that makes it. You've searched for the kеy to your door whose locks are all shattered and dead. In your joy of return, you were not ready to feel all of yesterday's dark lamentation." Her words stunned Faruzan. Melodic, and sorrowful. "Time gnawed you silent and numb like a cricket held inside its fist. Now that you're free, your chirp is no longer the same. But to say that's a bad thing would be a mistake because your song is now louder than the rest. So chirp without shame, Faruzan."

The stirring inside Faruzan's stomach was abrasive yet somehow recomforting. It was as if the girl understood her with wisdom no other people had shown, bar her Dearest. How could such a being exist? It was almost as if Buer herself was talking through her.

That couldn't be the case. This had to be a dream.

And that realisation forced her to snap awake.

"Chirping…" Faruzan rubbed her eyes as she sat up in her chair. She had fallen asleep on her desk. She glanced around it, but she saw no butterscotch candy anywhere. "What a weird dream…"

She stood up and wandered towards the open window. The sun couldn't have hidden more than an hour away. The lack of sleep must have gotten to her, and she fell asleep for a couple of minutes.

Faruzan leaned against the window and observed the slowly fading Sumeru City below. Lights were slowly lit up. People started to return to their houses. In that regard, nothing had changed.

Perhaps it was true. She should cherish what she had accomplished so far, rather than compare herself to the past. Mom was never going to return, neither were her friends or colleagues. Drowning in sorrow was not what Faruzan did. Not then and certainly not now either.

"Oh, right… I thought all that in a dream, right? I should have written it down."

"Write down, what?"

Faruzan jumped on the spot as a shadow suddenly appeared floating in front of the window. A moment of panic later, she breathed in relief as her Dearest flew and sat on the window sill.

"Geez! I need to put a bell on you!" Faruzan fixed her hair between continuing. "You should knock first or… Start saying things such as Good morning or Good night to greet people."

"I'm doing enough by just appearing, don't complain." He gave her a once-over. "Did you just wake up?"

"No. Enter already, I have to give you something."

He acquiesced, not saying much as he landed on his feet and leaned against the window.

"I've been thinking about it, and I think I should start appreciating what I have gained in this first month of freedom."

With no hesitance, Faruzan approached her Dearest and hugged him. It wasn't exceedingly tight or loose, it almost seemed like a greeting more than anything. Perhaps that's why he took a second to react and hug her back. She looked up at him, thinking of every little interaction they had ever since their first meeting. Perhaps she hadn't been expressing herself properly, quite ironic for a Haravatat scholar. That being said, there would be no hesitance anymore.

"Hey," Faruzan started. He blinked after what seemed like an eternity, which Faruzan took as an acknowledgement. That was enough, if he was paying attention, then there were no doubts in her mind. "I love you."

Her Dearest answered almost straight away. But Faruzan knew how his thought process has lasted an eternity. He must have thought about this situation, of what words to choose, a million times. There was no doubt that, in his usual insightful way, he'd give an answer par to none.

"Okay." He was stupid, no doubt about it. "Why though."

"What, do I need a reason? I'll make a full dissertation then. You are the breeze that uplifts my spirit towards—"

Judging by the sheer scale of his blush, that was not something he expected. "Please no."

"You ask for a reason and then dislike my whimsical answer. Fine. You don't like compliments even if you truly are smart, insightful, compassionate, kind—"

"You're just doing it on purpose, aren't you? It's fine if you compliment me. In fact, you should do it more. Continue."

They both smiled at their favourite back and forth, but Faruzan didn't let it continue.

"No, I don't think I will. At least, not until you tell me if you love me as well."

Unlike last time, he had a proper answer. "Words are tiresome and hard to string together to create any sort of beauty within them. I am not quite sure what love really is like, but I was told that love hurts… Since I would like to continue being with you endlessly, it's either a divine punishment or love." He stopped, caressing her cheek. "As dry as it may seem, I love you. I have nothing more to add."

The soothing warmth he emanated multiplied tenfold in Faruzan's senses. Had he ever told those words to anyone else? She didn't care. They were hers now. Her old life was so far away, that she couldn't imagine a life without him.

To prove that she was serious about her love, Faruzan leaned against him and, quite differently from the first time, kissed him on the lips. There was no hate, spite or negativity like on that fateful night. It was mellow, brimming with love and happiness that had been locked up inside her for a century. Evidence. Proof that even after her entombment, things could still go forward. That happiness was still within her reach. It was not a lie, it was a breeze!

How she wished she could hear his thoughts! Nonetheless, when she pulled back and opened her eyes, he seemed pleasantly surprised. As if he didn't expect a show of affection, but hoped it was true anyways.

"What was it you said? Deeds, not words?" Faruzan coyly asked.

"Hah. You remember that. And I recall you called me a horrible human being?" He brazenly smirked.

"Well, that depends on your mood. Right now, you're better than anyone in this forsaken institution." She poked his chest. "I suppose… I do feel a bit younger now."

"What can I say, I'm here to help." He said so but took a step back against the window.

"Yes, but… You also can receive my help. You've refused it so far, but maybe… Maybe now you'll accept my help?"

His smile wavered, clearly uncomfortable with the request. "You don't need to do anything, it's fine."

"But I want to help you. Maybe you can become better because of me, don't you want that? We can uplift each other, not as pupil and master, but as confidants."

A million thoughts crossed his mind. "In what way do you want to help? Rather, what do you think I need help with?"

"Oh, lots of things. For example, your language is too crass, you don't say what's on your mind unless I ask you, you stare too much, you hiss like a cat, you don't talk with other people like you demonstrated with Kaveh and that other guy… But I suppose… That's part of your charm. So, maybe I can take a look at you."

"A look at me? You want me to knock out some clueless girl again?"

"No! Layla hasn't talked to me ever since! But that's not the point. Listen, maybe I can fix your back."

His answer was almost instantaneous. "No."

"Why not?"

"Because no."

She had backed down last time, but not now. Faruzan was facing her fears thanks to him, so she had to do the same for him. That would be the best outcome.

"Give me at least a reason. That's all I'm asking for. Are you scared?"

Anger flickered through his eyes before being tamed by Faruzan's comforting eyes.

"I'm not scared. I've already told you the reasons; it brings back bad memories from another time. You don't need to see me in such a pathetic state."

"You've already seen me in plenty of pathetic states. That wasn't easy for me either, but you'll find it's much easier when it happens with someone you trust. You don't think any less of me because of my issues, right?"

No doubt in his mind. "Of course not."

"The same's for me. You don't need to pretend, okay?"

He turned around, leaning against the window, seemingly deciding his next move. He drummed his fingers against the window sill and turned back.

"Fine. But if I say to stop, you stop. Is that clear?"

"Crystal."

It was clear by his sudden silence that he hated what was happening, even if Faruzan tried her best. He once again undressed his coat and, unlike last time, also displaced his bodysuit. He picked up Faruzan's chair and sat backwards on it. He rubbed the back of his neck.

"Somewhere in my nape, I feel something that shouldn't be there. Because of it, I can't really… open my back. If you remove that, I will be more than grateful."

The body marks that his bodysuit sported seemed to be more than just stylish. His body had a sort of line pattern that Faruzan couldn't fully understand. Was it an energy efficiency measure? It was not for movement, that was for sure or… Was it just aesthetic? The mark on his nape, that inverted electro symbol, did seem to be a tattoo. So perhaps that was the reason.

She really should have taken some advice from an Amurta scholar.

Before trying anything, Faruzan picked up a stool hidden by books and sat behind him. She wrote down and sketched his plethora of scars. Five circular scars, around two centimetres wide. Two beside his shoulder blades, one on his lower spine and two on his dorsal. There were bigger scars as well, though those seemed to have healed up much more nicely than the small ones.

She felt around the scars and then focused on the issue on his nape. There were what seemed like vertebrae and… Something was stuck. Try as she might, there was a strange lump that did not want to budge.

"I suppose my forceful… removal and fall messed up my back."

A finger trailed his spine, feeling for any other strange lumps. None she could sense.

"So you have something stuck between your thoracic and cervical vertebrae… I'm not a biologist, but I am quite sure you'd be bedridden if you were a normal human." She noted down the issue and sketched the circular scars. "I should ask an Amurta scholar for…"

"No. If you can't manage then that's it. End of story."

This was more than simply being stubborn. She understood that he wanted to keep it a secret, but… It was quite obvious that this was more than a technical issue. More than a mental block, it was making him revive an experience he did not want to repeat with strangers. Just like her and really tight spaces.

"Do you have tweezers or something? Open a hole and get out whatever's in there."

"How about a less insane proposition? You took the brunt of an enhanced crossbow to the neck and came out unscathed. I can't pierce your skin, at least not without building something…"

That being said, her Vairambhaka gear could perhaps pierce it. Originally it was supposed to enhance capabilities, but it should also do it backwards. Lessen the resistance of a target. The circular scars were also thinner, which would be an ideal point to enter. He had two right beside his shoulder blades, so it was relatively close to the nape.

"Pain is imperative for animals to find out if they're in peril." Faruzan asked as she rummaged around her desk for tools. "So I assume you feel pain."

"I do, just like any other being. That being said, my resistance is unmatched. I can take whatever you throw at me."

"I'm not in a rush to find out that ceiling." Faruzan found a pair of long tweezers and sat back down behind her Dearest. "Here's what I'll do. I'll try to cut into the blockage. If I can't pierce your skin, I'll cut in your scar tissue. I assume there will be a hole going in deeper, but I will stick these tweezers between your skin and endoskeleton. From there, I will pull out whatever's in your nape. I assume local anaesthetic won't work. Do you want alcohol or… Something to bite into?" Faruzan asked, leaning over his shoulder.

"No, alcohol has no effect on me. And I will probably break whatever you give me, I'm stronger than you think." He avoided her eyes. "Listen, I don't need any remedy. I can take the pain. I've endured worse."

"I am not doing this to hurt you, idiot. The less I hurt you, the better."

Regardless, Faruzan searched around the trinket-full bookcases. After a bit of prodding around, she found a small metal rod, not much thicker than a finger.

"It's a bit small… But it's tungsten. Super strong, like the kids say. It should hold up nicely. If you bite into it really hard, the pain might be a bit more tolerable."

"I don't need it." He took the metal rod and gave it a test bite. It was strong. "It'll hold up for a moment, I suppose. Why do you even have this?"

"To shove it up your rectum next time you talk back. I'm going to clean my tools and I'll be right back."

"No need." He snapped back an answer. "You have water around, right? Rinse it with water and swirl it with anemo. That will be enough."

Anemo was supposed to be purifying, but it still seemed kind of hazardous.

"The previous asshole who prodded around didn't even do that, so don't complain. Come on, I'm getting cold."

Every word he uttered just made her angrier. Not because of his attitude, but because of what he was implying. Nevertheless, Faruzan followed his instructions, using a water bottle she had to not leave the room. After cleaning it with anemo, she took a small jar of oil.

"Err… Since you're not human, can I lubricate the tweezers with this? It will hurt you less."

"Stop worrying about such stupidities. I've felt worse pains."

Now he was getting annoying. "Well, I'm doing it! If you get a horrible infection and die, it's your fault for not stopping me!"

Heaving heavily he turned around and picked up the lubricant bottle. He opened it and, to Faruzan's bewilderment, stuck a finger inside and then licked it. He spat it out almost immediately.

"This is what you use to lubricate cogs? It should be fine. I'll just sweat it out. Or piss it, one or the other."

"Good! You sweat? Wait, you urinate? Questions for later." She sat back down and summoned her Vairambhaka gear. Faruzan tapped his shoulder again. "Are you ready?"

"Let's get this over with."

The Vairambhaka gear floated into position and with the power of her vision, she tried to cut into his nape. However, much like that crossbow bolt, her gear simply bounced away. She tried one more time but did not want to hurt him more than needed. So she switched to plan B, the scar tissue. This time, the Vairambhaka gear drilled into the scarred tissue of his back. He moved a little, his whole body tensing up. It took five seconds to properly open the tiniest of holes.

"Okay, I'm in. Tell me if you can't take it." She picked up her long tweezers and slowly inserted them into his back. "It's… quite loose. Your skin does not feel attached to muscles."

"That is not normal. It doesn't matter, keep at it." His speech stopped abruptly.

"I feel a lot of things between your skin and skeleton. It does not feel like muscle or..."

He grunted an answer. "There should be nothing there. Whatever it is, remove it."

Her long tweezers morphed the skin above it, squirting out from the wound a purple liquid. Nevertheless, Faruzan picked up the strange foreign object and pulled it out. The object was a collection of strange, iron wool-like bundle of filaments. They were covered in whatever substance lubricated him inside. They were very sharp as well.

"Insulation, perhaps?" Faruzan muttered, before noticing that he was bleeding that purple substance quite profusely.

"Don't bother with the bleeding. Whatever that thing is, I want it out. Remove the blockage."

Again, before the hole healed, Faruzan cleaned the tweezers and inserted them back into his skin. She made it deeper this time, almost reaching his column before the fibres stopped her again. Repeating the process, she removed the foreign fibres until, finally, she reached what was causing the blockage.

"It's a metal, it seems to be stuck to your bone, rather, to your carcass." The Vairambhaka gear flew beside his neck. "I'm going to pull it out slowly."

The object was firmly stuck, but with the help of her gadget, she slowly pulled it out.

"I can handle more pain, don't be slow and methodical." Her Love quickly said, either impatient or confused at her approach.

At this point, his constant reminder of his endurance was getting asinine. Was he just reminding himself?

"I won't hurt you more than this."

A sickening smell poured out of his wound as Faruzan pulled out what seemed to be part of a nozzle. Stained in that purple ooze and a dark jelly, it reeked of death. She assumed it was his version of an infected wound. Without thinking about it twice, she grabbed her half-full water bottle and threw the object inside.

"We'll have a little breather, okay?" Faruzan placed down her tools. She looked at her Dearest, but he didn't seem to be pleased with her break. "What, anything to say?"

"You don't need to be so cautious. I can take it." He answered, looking back at her.

"I don't want to hurt you, why don't you understand that? The ends don't justify the means." She picked up one of her cleaning rags, saw the sorry state it was in, and placed it back down. She didn't think he'd bleed like a normal human. "I'll clean one of these. I'll be right back."

"No." He quickly turned back and held her arm. "Don't leave. That blood… will disappear on its own."

He had put himself in a vulnerable position. She understood it. This was no different from her attempts against claustrophobia back in Aaru village.

"Okay then. Can I ask what is it? It feels like blood, but it's not that abundant either."

"Some sort of… congealed electro jelly. You will need your pyramid gadget to clean it afterwards, or the ambience will be electrified." He twirled the metal rod around his fingers. "It didn't hurt as much as I expected."

"My fingers can work miracles."

He schooled his expression and shot her a sly look. "We'll see about that."

"Well, if you have time for jokes, let's continue."

Same as before, Faruzan gently pressed the back of his neck. Unlike before, something wanted to give in but there was still some sort of blockage there. This time, she could feel the shape of a similar-sized object.

So using the round scar on his left, Faruzan repeated the process.

The Vairambhaka gear opened a hole, removed the iron fibres blocking the path to his nape, and removed yet another metal splinter from his endoskeleton.

Finally, she pressed his back once again. Nothing. His skin showed some signs of redness and swelling. But there was no strange lump.

"How do you feel?" Faruzan picked up her notebook and wrote down even more hypotheses.

"Sore." He quickly stood up, rubbing his nape. "That's enough."

"Hm? But maybe your back still doesn't open. I haven't treated your wound either…"

"It doesn't matter. I'll heal on my own." He quickly dressed up, refusing to look at her.

"What's wrong? Did it hurt too much?"

He took a moment to turn around, his face devoid of emotion. "No."

Faruzan had seldom seen him like this, though it was already quite clear that whatever was going on through his mind was not good. And knowing him, if he hadn't revealed it already, he'd never do it unless she pried. The only thing she knew was that, whoever had performed maintenance on him beforehand, was his deadly enemy. Putting two and two together was easy, perhaps this person abused him in some way. Maybe she should just encourage him for going so far already. Or, perhaps…

"You did superb though. Come'ere." Faruzan held his hands. He seemed to be shaking ever so slightly. "Whenever you're ready, I'll be here to listen, okay?"

Perhaps her words were chosen poorly because he brought his head down in shame. "Right."

Seeing no improvement, Faruzan hugged him tightly. Her hands got slightly zapped for some unknown reason, but she didn't let that disturb her and caressed his battered back.

"Come on, what's wrong? I'm not going to leave you. See, maybe… the reason I managed to escape from my entombment was to help you out, don't you agree? Maybe the Gods wanted us to meet and…"

Her attempt at cheering him up had the opposite reaction, as he suddenly hugged her tightly and started crying as he had never cried before. She wanted to say it was out of happiness, but that would be lying to herself. Something was weighing on his mind heavily, maybe this situation just made him relent and stop holding it in.

"It's alright, Love. Just let it all out. I'm here for you."

In reaction to those words, or maybe following her request, his crying turned into a bawl that broke her heart. How long had they known each other, and how few times had he let his well-kept attitude slip into that humane soul? Had he been keeping it all in all this time, and only now did he feel comfortable showing this side? Or maybe she shouldn't have pushed him into helping mend his wounds. That was the only reason she could understand.

As his crying turned into a whimper, Faruzan let go of the hug. She cleaned the tears off his cheeks and planted a kiss on his forehead.

"Did it bring back bad memories? I'm sorry." Faruzan whispered, brushing his hair aside. "I'll be more mindful if it happens again, okay?"

Instead of answering, he chose to hug her again.

"I'm sorry." He muttered, before mumbling something she couldn't quite hear. Then, he pulled back, rubbing his eyes and clearing his throat as if nothing had happened. "I don't deserve any of this. What I've done…"

"What you've done? If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't be where I am right now. And even without that, I still love you. Nothing will ever change that, no matter what you think of yourself."

His eyes glistened again. "Right..."

Faruzan smiled and kissed him once again. He returned the kiss. It seemed to last both an eternity and not long enough.

"You suck at kissing." Her Dearest promptly said with a bit of his usual vigour.

"I'm not… shut up."

"The issue… The issue is this city is hell, we should get out of here." He took a step back and ambled towards the window.

"Well, I've planned out a trip to Gandharva village. A collaboration with an Amurta scholar. It'll be part of an Akademiya project, so at least it'll be free…ish. As long as I deliver."

"I meant without… Fine, that's good too." He looked at Faruzan. "Night's young, even if you aren't. Let's get out of this sickly office."

"Are you inviting me out on a date?" She cooed quite happily.

"Sure, this time, I'll investigate your body." He found his own occurrence quite funny. "No, I like watching the sunrise. Will you be able to keep up?"

"Hmph, who do you take me for? Of course I can."

Somehow, she felt closer than ever to her Dearest. As if exhaustion and sadness were blown away as his winds descended.

It really felt like nothing could go wrong.