Running off the tallest platform in the clearing, I leaped into the air and let my windglider catch in the Anemo current rising above. The wings at my back snapped open and my body was carried high enough to see the entirety of campus.

Gliding back to the ground, I faced the first obstacle that Venti had brought in for this week's lesson. A giant, floating boulder.

"Gliding in the wild won't always be clear skies and fun times," he informed at the start of class. "When navigating difficult terrain, such as mountain ranges, you need to be able to make sharp, accurate turns."

The open field was sectioned off into lanes with different obstacles to maneuver around. Most of them were rock pillars or floating boulders like the one in front of me, but some were obnoxious balls of dirt that exploded on contact. Venti called them foggy-groggy kaboomballs.

"The goal is to glide from the platforms to the edge of the forest," Venti instructed. "Try your best to stay elevated with Anemo currents in the area. If at any point you feel unsafe, or that you're nearing too close to the cliffside, do not hesitate to make a premature landing. Those of you who still haven't perfected free-gliding, come with me!"

From my height, I could make out the few specks that consisted of Venti and a handful of other students working on hopping off the platforms.

I easily dodged the levitating rock in front of me, sinking lower before rising in another gust of Anemo. After swerving around a few more obstacles, the line of trees that marked the finish line came into view.

"Aw, I was just about to beat you!" Amber landed beside me just after I had touched down.

"We landed at the same time."

She placed her hands on her hips. "Another round!"

I laughed and jogged beside her to the start. "Maybe I'll let you have this one."

"You'd better put in full effort. Otherwise, I couldn't call myself a true gliding champion!"

"Everyone at this school is so competitive." I sighed and began to climb up the platform. "I love it."

I waited for Amber to reach the top beside me, and we took off at the same time after sharing a mutual nod. Weaving in between the floating rocks and exploding dirt balls was the easy part. I'd soon figured out that keeping an eye out for a consistent source of Anemo was key if I wanted to avoid landing before reaching the forest.

"No, no, no!" Amber whined beside me when she missed a gust of Anemo—it died down just before she was able to reach.

I craned my head to laugh as she descended. "Maybe next time you should—"

I'd collided with a foggy-groggy kaboomball and got a mouthful of dirt in my mouth. Swatting away the dust that clouded my eyes, I resisted the urge to cough up a lung and spat out the residue. Eyes stinging, I fought to keep my vision clear, else I collide with another dirtball.

It was Amber's turn to laugh. "You should watch where you're going."

At this point, we had both failed the task at hand and landed in the middle of the obstacle course. Looking up at the rocks and dirtballs above us and then to the finishing area, I fought off a smirk after formulating my next move.

"Race you there!" Amber was already taking off in a sprint and my jaw fell open.

I started after her, digging my heels into the ground. "That's cheating!"

"Oh, don't tell me you weren't about to do the same thing."

She slapped a hand on the bark of the closest tree one second before I could tug her backward and claim victory. She panted in weak laughter. "I'm always one step ahead."

I leaned against the tree to catch my breath. "We'll see about that. I call for a rematch."

"You're on. You think there's still time left in class?"

Glancing back to where Venti's group was, I watched as Huffman tripped over his feet on his way off the platform. Venti immediately conjured enough Anemo to break his fall, almost tiredly so, as if he was more disappointed than surprised. Huffman, looking worn and forlorn, began to climb back up again.

I nodded. "Plenty of time."

The class passed quickly as we competed again and again. My back tickled as beads of sweat began to trickle down, and I noticed Amber's red face as a sign of her own weariness. Without a spoken word, we both decided a break was in order and we silently collapsed onto the lush grass covering the clearing.

I stared above at the blue sky, watching the silhouette of other students gliding by as my heart rate returned to normal. Glancing to the side, I watched Venti struggle with another student that couldn't keep her left-wing open. I felt bad for him, handling so many students by himself. Maybe I could help out?

Propping myself up on my elbows, I considered my own level of ability. Gliding felt natural to me, even after just one week of practice. Then again, I was just a student—a first-year at that. I had no place teaching others who were on the same level as me. But maybe if there were two of us offering to help out…

I looked down at Amber, but the suggestion died down as I watched her sigh deep into slumber.

"Did you seriously fall asleep outside?" I prodded her arm. "The sun is shining."

No reaction.

"Hm, what a shame it would be if I got some extra practice. I'd be leagues ahead of you by tomorrow."

Amber snored softly.

I smiled at her peacefulness before pushing off the ground and brushing bits of grass off myself. I'd practice for the sake of my own progress. I doubt an extra glide or two would separate our abilities.

Climbing up the platform ladder once more, I was beginning to feel a strain in my arms and winced at the thought of what that meant for my later class. I should focus on more legwork in Physical Combat, then.

After a quick stretch, I inhaled deeply and sped off the platform with an exhale. The wind tousled my hair and I felt my body grow lighter as Anemo swirled around the windglider. Gliding with Amber was fun, but being alone up in the air was another experience.

I twirled around a boulder and ducked under a foggy-groggy, almost sensing the Anemo before it even arrived and letting it carry me further along the course. A simple routine settled into my bones as the whistling winds blew past my ears. The breeze kissed my cheek, a cool reprieve from the sun in a cloudless sky.

A shadow crossed from above.

Okay, maybe one cloud in the sky.

I spared an upward glance, keeping in mind to avoid another foggy-groggy collision, but there was nothing there. Weird.

A buzzing noise zipped by my ear, not at all like the melodic wind.

I reared backward at the sound, gliding into Anemo carrying me high enough to catch sight of anything out of the ordinary. Scanning the clearing, there was nothing suspicious that stood out.

And then, a shivering cold bloomed at my back.

Not again.

Spinning around to catch the source of my dilemma, there was only empty space. Well, save for the blurred movements of a tiny, blue…was that a bug?

Before I could get a clear image of the thing, it zipped behind me with surprising speed. Anticipating another cold attack, I threw my right arm out behind me and blocked the icicle aimed at my windglider on instinct.

I faltered, clutching my arm.

The school equipment was spared from further damage, but my wrist was stinging with pain. What the hell was that thing?

Fighting in the air wasn't going to happen, so I carefully descended into a downward spiral. It would be faster to simply deactivate the windglider mechanism and freefall until the last moment, but Venti had insisted we not attempt that until after we successfully glide down the cliffside.

Unfortunately, my spiraling was too slow for the evil little creature.

Two more icicles shot at my wings. I dodged both—barely—and nearly knocked into a pile of rocks. I did my best to keep the pest in sight, but I wasn't counting on three more flying out of nowhere.

"You've got to be kidding me," I muttered and angled my windglider to go faster, but it was no use.

A shower of ice was descending upon me, and this time I wasn't so lucky with all of my dodges. One shard struck me square in the back and I felt the familiar sensation of the wings refusing to move properly.

This was bad. I still had a long way down, and the next Anemo current was a good distance away. Torn between making a safe landing and not returning to the ground as a living popsicle, my luck worsened as a wretched brown ball floated in my path.

I had to deal with these bugs. It was hard to keep track of how many were flitting around me now. All I knew is that they could easily keep track of me. The floating dirtball was fast approaching, and a sudden idea popped into my head. Only gods knew if it would work.

"Alright," I grit my teeth. "This seems rather unfair. I think it's time I introduce you lot to my little friend. Fiends, meet Foggy-Groggy."

Drooping down my windglider for a moment, I allowed myself to fall underneath the foggy-groggy and swung my leg with a hard kick at the dirtball. The satisfying smack of my foot on the orb launched it into the sky, exploding all around the little buggers.

I let out a whoop.

Then, my stomach dropped—along with the rest of my body.

My short-lived victory came to an end with the realization that my windglider, frozen solid in some places, refused to reactivate. I tried to scream, but the sound got caught in my throat as wind tumbled all around, and the ground came up to greet me. I held my hands out in a poor attempt to break the fall.

Something flashed before my eyes and the world slowed. Was that my life?

No, it was bright wisps of the wind. Venti.

My composure relaxed with the knowledge that I could live to see another day, but the Anemo that had swirled up to catch me suddenly stuttered and faded away.

What?

The ground sped up once again and I landed. Hard.

My left foot hit the ground first and slipped on the grass, twisting at an angle. A sharp twinge of pain shot up my leg and I immediately curled inward to cradle the injury.

"Lumine!" A voice called from afar and similar shouts followed.

A flurry of footsteps rushed up to where I had pulled myself into a sitting position, and nearly half the class had ceased their gliding activities to see what was going on. Venti broke through the crowd, his face contorted with concern.

"What happened here?" He knelt down to examine the injury. "Did you fall?"

"I…the shooting icicles…" Wheezing through the pain, I tried to form a coherent sentence. "I kicked the foggy-groggy at them. And then—Anemo. Your Anemo. It stopped and…"

"You kicked a foggy-groggy?" Amber barreled through.

Venti held her back. "Please give us some space. Everyone turn in your windgliders. Class is done for today!"

The pain in my ankle was beginning to dull, and I rolled it once with only minimal discomfort. "It's okay. I think I only twisted my ankle a little."

"You're lucky if that's the case." Venti helped me stand. "A fall from that height…it's a miracle you hadn't broken a leg. Or some ribs. Or both legs and all of your ribs."

I winced at the image he brought up.

"Are you sure you're alright?"

I gingerly leaned half of my weight on my left side, testing the movement. "I…I think I can manage."

"To be safe, I want you to visit the school infirmary." His bright eyes flicked from my ankle to my face. "You can tell me about what happened after we make sure you aren't seriously hurt."

I nodded and carefully detached my windglider. "You might want to take a look at this before the next class goes in the air."

"I can walk you to the infirmary!" Amber swooped under my shoulder. "Here, let me take your bag."

"I can hold my own bag. Don't you have a class to get to?"

"Well, yeah, but it's just horticulture. I'm sure it'll be fine if I'm just a little late."

"Absolutely not."

"What?" she frowned.

"Horticulture with Professor Baizhu?"

"Um, yeah?"

I stole my bag from her. "Go to class, Amber. He's absolutely going to tank your grade if you don't show up on time."

"Oh, come on. I'm sure he'll understand once I explain the situation."

"I don't want you to risk it. Go. I have lunch this period anyways. I can take all the time that I need to get to the infirmary."

Amber stared at me for a beat and I stared right back before she folded. "You're so stubborn."

"Don't be late!"

She gave one last pointed look at my ankle. "Make sure you get that checked out."

I assured both Amber and Venti I would be going to the infirmary as soon as I left the clearing, but it didn't occur to either of us that I wasn't quite sure where that was until I was alone on the way back to the main campus, facing a fork in the path.

I looked to the left and then the right, flexing my ankle to keep the dull pain at bay. My ankle wasn't the only part of me hurting. I was reminded of the hit I took on my wrist as a warm throb settled in. Venti was right. It could have been worse. A shiver ran through me at the thought of my broken body lying in the center of that field.

Suddenly, a feminine sneer came from behind. "Getting a little cold?"

I snapped my head around to see who approached.

There stood Cicin, with a smirk planted on her pale lips. A frosty blue lantern hung from her hand, even though there was plenty of light in the morning for her to have no need for it.

"What are you doing here, Cicin?" I narrowed my eyes. "I've already had enough pests bothering me today."

She giggled. "Oh? I see you've become familiar with my pretties."

Holding up her odd lamp, she shook loose more of those icy blue bugs from earlier. They zipped out from the lamp and darted in every direction, staying close to their master. Cicin gestured forward and they all fluttered to encircle their target—me.

"Ambushing after underhandedly injuring a fellow student." I clenched my fists. "Wow, you're a real fighter."

"We warned you. You shouldn't have rebuked our offer."

I scoffed. "To get so-called stronger? This isn't strength."

"You're right. This is a reminder to mind your place."

"What are you talking about? I haven't done anything to you. I haven't done anything to anyone."

"You shouldn't be associating yourself with Tartaglia," she tutted. "He is far too powerful to hang around with the likes of a Visionless student like you. Signora has plans for him, and she doesn't want to entertain the thought of you as a distraction."

This was because of Childe? I wouldn't have guessed that he had any connection with the Twin Mages, but that goes to show just how much I don't know about him. His playful, albeit sometimes unhinged, nature around me goes against what other students have to say about his character.

"If this Signora has an issue with me, she should tell me herself. Better yet, why don't you just tell Childe off instead of sneaking up on me? Oh, don't tell me you're scared."

Cicin scrunched her nose before stepping backward, her bugs following in retreat. "Hmph, I've done my job. If you don't want to heed our warning, so be it. I wouldn't mind letting my pretty little cicins reduce your body temperature to zero. Watch yourself." With one final glare, she turned and walked off into the trees, melting in with the foliage until she disappeared.

A sigh escaped me, and I unclenched my fists. I hadn't actually planned on fighting her right then, not with my wrist and ankle being out of commission. If she really continued to attack with those…cicins…I'm not sure what would have happened.

Focusing on getting to the infirmary, I took a left turn in the path and kept close attention to my surroundings—lest another person tries to ambush me with their power complex. Luckily, I had a break this period after switching Physical Combat classes. There was plenty of time for me to look for the infirmary, but my movement was slow as I tried to avoid straining my ankle any further.

My stomach growled.

Well, I couldn't expect to be healed while on an empty stomach. A detour to the dining hall was in order, and while I found the Teyvat Fried Egg and Lighter-Than-Air Pancakes appetizing, I only had enough time to scarf down a Sunsettia before the period was almost over.

I considered whether or not my infirmary search should continue, or if I should head to Physical Combat. Thinking of Instructor Xiao, I'm sure he wouldn't appreciate any student showing up late—let alone not showing up at all.

"I have no mercy," he once said during class. "If you cannot stand your ground alone, forget it."

Yeah, I should get going.

Panting, I kept a straight face as I participated in the warm-up laps around campus. I took care to step lightly with my left foot on the way to class, but I couldn't afford to cut any corners under Xiao's watchful eye. Though just a warm-up, he treated every aspect of Physical Combat as a vital component of one's fighting ability. Building and maintaining stamina was a foundation of one's skill.

"What's the matter with you today, Lumi?" Childe slowed his pace to speak to me. "You're normally tripping over roots trying to get ahead of me."

I twisted my face in a scowl and huffed. "Liar. I've never tripped over a root."

He'd noticed that I was off my game, then.

I mustered up the physical energy to increase my speed and the mental energy to block out the steadfast throbbing in my ankle. Refusing to back down, Childe sped up once more and caught up. We were several paces ahead of the rest of our class, for each of these warm-up laps seemed like an invitation for a challenge rather than practice for Childe.

"If you're not tripping over roots, then you're slipping in puddles," he egged on. "Seriously, you look like you should take a break. It's alright if I'm a natural winner. I'm used to it."

"One more lap. I'll beat you. You'll see."

Childe laughed at my declaration and gave me a look that said we'll see about that. He lingered for a few moments longer, doubt crossing his eyes for a second before he shook it off and followed with a sprint. I was left in his dust, and I could hear the footfalls of my peers approaching.

Pushing forward, I didn't notice the gnarly tree root sticking out of the ground. My left foot caught the root and I winced as a stab of pain shot up my leg. Thankfully, I was able to avoid falling over, and I was even more thankful that Childe went ahead. If he'd seen me actually trip over a root…I would never hear the end of it.

Reluctantly, I decided it was best to not run too hard—for now. I continued at a steady pace, allowing my ankle to recover and catching my breath. While students passed on my left and right, I paid no heed to them. As long as I performed well during today's activity, I'm sure Xiao wouldn't call me out.

"Hey, you doing alright?"

I spared a glance to the side and saw Thoma running alongside me.

"Yeah, just taking it easy today."

"Are you sure? You're normally going head-to-head with Tartaglia during these warm-ups. Plus, you seem really spent for just a run."

"I'm fine, really."

Thoma looked down. "You're limping. What happened to your left leg?"

I squeezed my eyes tight as one particularly uneven step jolted my ankle. Thoma noticed this, of course, and his frown only deepened. "Lumine."

"I know, I know. Just…let's finish this final lap. It's hard to run and talk for me right now."

He nodded silently and kept the same pace for the rest of the way. I appreciated the thought of keeping me company, but the waves of concern coming off of Thoma left me feeling too scrutinized.

At last, we reached the fighting ring and slowed to a stop. There were still a few students who needed time to catch up, so the rest of us were allowed to take a break for the moment. I spotted Childe doing push-ups alone, unsurprisingly.

I found a soft patch of grass and sat down, carefully massaging my ankle as inconspicuously as possible.

"See, I knew it." Thoma sat beside me. "Your ankle, can I see?"

"It's not much. Rough landing earlier in Beginner's Gliding, that's all."

"Why didn't you go to the infirmary?" He reached out to feel the slight swelling on my ankle. "This looks like a sprain, Lumine. I'm sure Instructor Barbatos would have let you go."

"Well, he did. I just couldn't find it."

Thoma sighed. "You could have asked someone to help you find it. Better yet, you should have opted out of going to class today. Rest is a priority."

"I'm here now." I shrugged. "Call me a dedicated student."

"You really are something else." He looked at me with a mix of awe and exasperation. "I can take you to the infirmary before Vision Studies to get that ankle checked out. Oh! I just remembered. I have some bandage wraps in my bag. Let me get them for you."

Thoma stood up and jogged over to where students stored their belongings. I watched as the remaining students began to file in, each one looking a bit worn. Pulling at the grass, I flexed my ankle once more and was surprised to find it didn't hurt so bad anymore.

Someone's shadow fell over me.

"Thanks, Thoma. I think I'm feeling better now. You don't have to do all that for me."

"Do what for you, exactly?"

I looked up to see that it was Childe, not Thoma, who approached. He was standing with his arms crossed, and his eyes were trained on mine before flicking to my injured leg.

"Nothing." I pushed myself off the ground and began walking towards the fighting ring. "Looks like Instructor Xiao is here. We should get with the rest of the class."

Childe stopped me and looked back down at my leg. "Is that why you were slower today? You should have told me."

"It's fine now."

"Really?"

I rolled my eyes. "Yes, really. Now c'mon, let's go."

"Hop on one leg, then. Go on."

Why couldn't he just believe me? I stared at him, his serious expression was unwavering.

"Fine." I stood on my left leg. "See? Just one hop and—"

I hissed as my knee buckled at the unexpected wave of pain, but I managed to straighten it out before I could fall over. Placing my right foot firmly on the ground, I coughed lightly and avoided Childe's eyes. "Anyways, we should get going."

"Girlie, if you're hurt, just tell me. You need to be in perfect shape in order for my victories to be well won."

Is that what this was all about? Of course, it was. "Back to calling me girlie again?"

"Does it bother you that much?"

"Well, it's not my name, but I wouldn't say I mind—"

"Perfect." Childe clapped me on the shoulder. "Now, don't go off thinking we've changed topics. I'll carry you to the infirmary if you're so stubborn."

I backed away. "You will not."

It was then that Thoma returned, a bundle of white bandages in one hand. He smiled as he approached, but that quickly faded once he took in Childe standing at my side.

"I brought the bandages. Do you know how to wrap them? I can if you want."

"She's fine." Childe stepped forward and held out a hand. "I can take the bandages."

Thoma ignored him. "Lumine, are you sure your ankle—"

"I said she's fine."

"She can speak for herself." I stepped around him and took the bandage from Thoma. "Thank you. My ankle is—was feeling better. That was before someone made me put it to the test."

I plopped myself down on the grass and began to hastily wrap it around my heel and ankle. Over the years, I'd gotten my fair share of injuries, many of which I earned during solo adventures not privy to Madame Ping. That meant I'd had to learn to take care of myself, otherwise, I'd be subject to an earful—a fate worse than the injury itself.

"There." I finished with a satisfied grin and stood up again. "Now we can finally get to…"

I lost the rest of my sentence after noticing the silent staring contest I found myself standing in the middle of. Thoma stood expressionless, unyielding against Childe's cold, harsh glare. What was going on with them?