Thunk.

Sara's fifth arrow lodged itself deep within the target. She lowered her bow, surveyed the range around her, and moved to retrieve the five arrows that decorated the hilichurl dummy at the far end of the space.

"This would go a lot faster if we didn't have to wait after each round of shots," I sighed, tapping my pencil on the interview notebook.

Kaeya shrugged beside me, and we both watched her fiercely tug each arrow free. "It can't be helped. She has a training schedule even more strict than Keqing's."

"Well, her responses hardly measure up to Keqing's," I mumbled.

Four lines. That's all I've recorded from Sara's interview so far. Unlike the other interviewees, she insisted that the interview be conducted at the same time as another activity. While Kaeya asked his questions, she gave an answer just as fast and short as the arrows she released. I initially thought this meant the interview would end in record time, but I hadn't accounted for the time it took Sara to go back and forth between discharging and retrieving her arrows.

Her motivation to participate in the Grand Tournament? It's preparation to become a warrior in Inazuma's army.

How did she prepare? Usual training—no specifications beyond target practice, strict meal plans, and cleaning.

Did she wish she'd done anything differently? No.

What aspect of the Grand Tournament did she enjoy? Nothing. It was neither entertaining nor disastrous.

Was Sara this stern all of the time? It's impressive that she competed as a first-year, so I would believe she lived her whole life with set rules that guaranteed growth and success. Still, we weren't getting anywhere with her lack of motivation to carry on a conversation. Even Kaeya's charm wasn't working.

I felt a yawn coming along and eyed the sun that still hung low in the morning sky. There was some lingering tiredness in my body—sleep hadn't been easy last night. I wasn't sure why exactly, but I had a hard time staying asleep after waking up from a dream in the middle of the night. Whether it was a normal dream or something Abyss related, I couldn't tell. After having wild dreams for so many nights, I was bound to forget some of them.

Remembering felt important, though. For some reason, a longing ached in my chest once I woke. The sensation lingered even now, and I tried to dig into the memory of that dream.

Once all of the arrows were collected, Sara pivoted sharply and stalked back toward us. She looked alert and ready for a battle at all times. The determination set in her eyes snapped me back to attention, and Kaeya asked the next question.

"In what area was the Grand Tournament lacking? Was the competition difficult for reasons other than purposefully designed?"

This was it. Most of the complaints have given us some sort of clue regarding the Champion. Now that I knew Enjou was involved, the chance for new information on him heightened my interest.

Sara didn't hesitate with her answer. "The system that determined the winner for each trial was too arbitrary. Timed events and races were easy enough to interpret, but many others were subjective."

"Subjectivity is sometimes necessary," Kaeya said. "Especially when the Grand Tournament is challenging the participants' creativity."

Sara fired two arrows in quick succession. "I do not agree with the partner system. If only one competitor is allowed to win the Champion title, then competitors should focus on their talent as an individual."

Three more arrows cut through the air, and she was back to retrieving.

"That's the most she had to say out of all the questions so far," I said. "Which is what we wanted, but not like that."

Kaeya shrugged. "We were lucky that the other five had anything relevant to our situation, to begin with. I'm surprised Sara is the only one we've spoken to who didn't encounter anything strange."

I couldn't complain too much. It's not like students competing in the Grand Tournament anticipated anything strange to happen. Sara was clearly perceptive, and she definitely would have noticed a mischievous Enjou or an oddly powerful competitor controlling multiple elements.

"Will you be participating again this year?" Kaeya asked once Sara returned.

Her eyes flicked from the target to Kaeya. "Only if you can guarantee that the problem areas I mentioned won't be recurring."

"I think you may have mistaken the purpose of this interview. The student council has no control over how the Grand Tournament is conducted."

"Then what is the purpose?"

"To give us an insight on how the Grand Tournament is perceived by its competitors. We were thinking of publishing an article on the topic for the rest of the student body to read. I'm sure everyone else would find it interesting."

"That doesn't sound related to the student council at all," she tutted. "Shouldn't articles and such be left to the newspaper club?"

Kaeya laughed with ease. "It seems you've taken the reins of this interview from me."

"Are there any further questions?"

"I'm fresh out at the moment."

"Then I would prefer that you let me fully concentrate on my training." Sara nodded astutely before facing the archery range.

Arrows were flying before Kaeya could get another word in, and he stood there in silence for a moment before looking at me. We both shrugged.

That was the end of the interview, then.

I didn't know how to feel. On one hand, we could finally get to meeting as a group to discuss all of the information learned. From there, we would determine how we could use that information to our advantage, how we could keep the Abyss Order from kidnapping me, and how we could avoid revealing my secret to Celestia Academy. On the other hand, this final interview somehow felt like a nail in the coffin. The end of the line. There was nothing more for us to investigate. What if all of this wasn't enough?

Pure optimism drove me to believe that the five of us really could make a difference and find a way, but logic built on our current intel said otherwise. There was no point in souring my mood by entertaining the thought of things going south. I would simply not think about it.

Not until tonight, that is.

There was plenty to focus on before that. Like meeting with Professor Morax during his office hours. And that dream I had. Why did it make me feel so sad when I could barely recall the details?

"Have you been inspired to take up the bow and arrow?" Kaeya called out from the entrance.

I hadn't noticed him walk away. Honestly, with how my thoughts have been taking over recently, it's a miracle I was able to pay attention to what Sara had to say at all.

I stuffed the notebook back into my bag and caught up to where Kaeya waited for me. "If I had the time for that, I'd rather spend it back in my bed."

"So would I," he grinned as I passed.

"Asleep."

"Now where's the fun in that?"

A smile spread on my face, and I let Kaeya distract me with flirts all the way to the dining hall. Not for the last time, I thought of how lucky I was to be with him. The scales of luck might be heavily tipped in my favor when considering the people I've met in these past months. Except, it balanced out when I remembered how unlucky catching the attention of the Abyss Order was—and still being without Aether.

It's been a long, long time.

My heart squeezed, and I felt a rush of that same emotion when I woke from that dream. Yearning and sadness mixed with surprise.

Something compelled me to look up at the sky just before we went inside. It was milky white—the overcast obscuring any blue while still spreading the sun's bright light. Familiar in an unfamiliar way. It was such a big, open space.

There was nothing for me to see in the sky, so what was I searching for?

"Hey, you coming inside?"

My eyes drifted downward back to reality. Kaeya offered a hand, looking slightly concerned. Almost as a test, I held his hand to see if that was what I needed. Would this ground me? Was human connection what I was missing at this moment?

Yes and no.

I was content to be here…and not. Though disconnect still confused me, I flashed Kaeya a reassuring smile and pulled him forward to where food waited. To where my friends waited. Everything would be as it should—almost everything.

Clink.

I twitched as the sound of Professor Morax's teapot making contact with the glossy desk broke me from yet another train of thought. Daydreaming wasn't a good idea right now if I wanted to stay in his good graces.

This was my first time in his office, and it wasn't at all like I had expected. Rather than a typical office setup, he sat in an oversized upholstered chair with enough cushioning to curl up and take a nap. His desk was free of clutter—a few rock ornaments and a simple tea set were the only decorations. A similar arrangement of rocks, antiques, and teaware was on display in wooden cabinets with glass faces. Two large potted plants had welcomed me at the entrance, both were nearly identical and came from cuttings of Liyuen trees that I recognized.

I assumed all instructors would have shelves of books and stacks of papers waiting to be graded. Professor Morax's office felt more like a resting place to enjoy afternoon tea, which was exactly what he was doing.

"Are you sure you don't care for any osmanthus tea?" he asked after taking a slow sip.

"I had a lot to eat for lunch, so no thank you."

"Don't hesitate to let me know if you change your mind. There is plenty to share its rich taste with."

The tea certainly did smell nice, but I didn't want to accidentally overstay my welcome. Knowing how he was in lecture, it was all too easy for Professor Morax to settle into a handful of topics for an indiscernible amount of time. Sharing a pot of tea would surely be a gateway to me staying here for forever, and I'd already spent quite a bit of time discussing our class topics.

"I do believe we've covered much of the Liyue Qixing's history with the adeptus and how they've compromised managing the state of Liyue up until now," Professor Morax said. "In a similar vein, it would be best for you to go back in the textbook and review the adeptus' contributions to the Archon War. You'll find that information on page five-oh-eight."

He didn't have the book or any notes in front of him. How could he remember so many details—down to the exact page numbers? Readily knowing all information relating to history probably came with the job description, but I didn't think I'd ever reach that level of memorization.

I could barely remember a single dream from last night.

"This might be a little off-topic, but how are you able to remember everything so well?"

"Advice I can give to my students is to go beyond rote memorization," he said. "Your brain can only retain so much by rereading the same lines of text multiple times. Of course, it isn't possible for any active learning to take place when history is the subject you're working with. Instead, I suggest you compare different events in relation to one another. Understanding how event A leads to event B and so on will strengthen your mental association with history."

Right, he thought I was asking in the context of history. Mental associations would unfortunately do nothing to bring back that dream. I might be better off abandoning it entirely.

"As for how I, myself, am able to recall everything in such detail…I have been on this land for a long time, and have come to know a thing or two."

Certainly more than a thing or two. I didn't want to be rude by asking his exact age, but he seemed to possess the wisdom of an old man. Now I was torn between continuing this conversation and questioning how he maintained such a young look.

"Have there ever been things that you wish you could forget?" I asked.

"Not every memory is a happy one, but that doesn't mean they should be left to fade away. Everything in life holds some measure of importance, and only by holding on to these past memories are we able to act out our future accordingly." Professor Morax looked at me with curiosity. "Is there anything, in particular, you are struggling to keep within your mind?"

I pressed my lips together and nodded. "It's not related to class, though. I don't think you'll be able to help much with a dream."

"Miss Lumine, I told you once before that I am here for you. Who better to be an instructor in life than a professor of history?" he smiled. "Dreams can be rather fickle. The more you try to interact with one, the more it stubbornly refuses to comply. May I ask the reason why you wish to remember?"

"It feels important. Whatever happened in that dream changed me. Even though I was asleep, it felt like my eyes had opened for the first time, but now that my eyes are actually open…everything is cloudy. The only thing that sticks around is this feeling of sadness."

Professor Morax stared into his tea with no comment. Of course, I already expected there would be no realistic way that he'd be able to help with a memory only I could retrieve. The only real solution would be to hope that I dreamt of it again.

"Are you aware that rocks can contain memories?"

"Rocks?"

"Yes," he nodded. "While nothing can exist forever, the memories within ore are maintained the longest when rooted in strong emotions."

"I'm not a rock."

A deep laugh erupted from him. "You most certainly are not. What I mean to say is perhaps this dream you had was an extension of an existing memory—an existing emotion—that you already had."

"If it already existed, then I should at least be somewhat aware of what happened. Sure, I've forgotten dreams before, but this is the first time that it feels wrong for me to have forgotten. Each time I think I come close to remembering, my mind hits a roadblock."

"A roadblock?" his eyebrows rose. "It could be what I mentioned earlier—not every memory is a happy one. Your subconscious may simply be protecting you from the sadness caused from that memory."

I had no reason to, but I seriously doubted that.

"Or…if not an internal struggle, there may be an outside force that has intervened."

The Abyss Order.

No, that didn't make any sense. Enjou wanted me to remember every detail of his pro-Abyss propaganda. It's just…the Abyss Order was the only outside force that has ever tampered with my mind. Who else would dare to do something like that—assuming they had such a powerful ability?

Professor Morax quietly drank his tea while I thought this over. He didn't question why anyone would want to erase my dream even though I would have been curious if someone approached me with the same topic.

Erasing a dream—a memory. The possibility wasn't very realistic but strangely felt right.

Erasing a person.

It couldn't be…could it?

"Have you thought of something?" Professor Morax asked, though there was a gleam of wisdom and knowledge in his eyes that revealed more than just speculation.

He'd said that he was here to help—that all of the instructors here were—but it was Celestia Academy that erased one of their own students from history. Did Professor Morax lead me to this conclusion on purpose? If so, why?

This reminded me of the interaction I had with Venti. As employees of the Academy, they were expected to abide by their responsibilities and rules even more than students. And yet, Venti had given me secret information just as Professor Morax was offering a direct link to the disturbance of my memory with Celestia Academy's power to do so. One was vaguer than the other, but the sentiment still stood.

"I may have," I said carefully. "But I can't figure out the reason why this outside force even bothers. Do you think it's for my safety?"

That's what Venti had said.

"Answering that question would only be possible if I knew the exact information you seek. Though, in my personal opinion, ignorance does more harm—if any good."

He didn't say it directly, but that was a no. Just like Venti, he didn't agree with what Celestia Academy was doing, but that seemed to be all the information they were allowed to give. I had my doubts before, but I believed Professor Morax. He really was on my side—or just leaning on the fence.

Whatever spell that has been put in place prevented me from remembering what was in my dream, and it's probably a who instead of a what. The who in question had to be the Champion. Why would I dream of him? And why was I sad about it?

Before I could pry any further, there was a knock at the door.

"Come in."

I turned in my seat to watch the door open. Was it another student here to ask for history help? The timing was unfortunate, but I had already been here for a while.

Catherine popped in and waved something white in her hand. An envelope. "Sorry to interrupt, but I wanted to drop this off."

"What is it?" Professor Morax held out his gloved hand to accept the sealed stationery from her.

"A notice from the headmaster," she said. "I promise I didn't look inside, but I have a sneaking suspicion that you're set for a meeting soon. Speaking of meetings, I have to get to one shortly. Have a good one!"

He waved goodbye and slipped the envelope into his desk drawer as she bounced out of the room, leaving the door open.

"I'm afraid I have to cut this session short. Are you confident in your preparation for the final?"

We were done with the conversation, then. I tried to ignore the disappointment and instead appreciated what information he'd already offered.

With some reluctance, I stood. "I'll keep working on it. Thank you for your time and advice, professor."

"Of course," he smiled. "Please remember all that I've said."

Oh, I would.

As I left Professor Morax's office, I somewhat rushed out of the administration building. This was where Celestia Academy's faculty gathered to conduct their work and make decisions. Though I knew there were good instructors here, a decision had been made to mess with our memories. I itched to be as far away as possible from this space before they could rob me of any more.

Rocks have memories.

Out of everything Profesor Morax told me, that line was the most unrelated to my situation. An ordinary rock didn't do anything but appear yellow under Elemental Sight. Despite that, I didn't think any part of our conversation was insignificant. We both agreed I wasn't a rock, but he didn't know about my not-so-distant connection to Geo. This power not tethered to a Vision might be able to break through the memory spell.

I just had to figure out how to use it.

i accidentally deleted the list of typos i was collecting, so all i have to offer is: assicians

good luck to everyone wishing for kokomi and ganyu 3