good luck to everyone wishing for kazu/heizou/klee! extra luck for the weapon banner wishers, though they're both decent :)

It was just one monster. One measly, little geovishap hatchling.

I stabbed the training sword into the ground, hauling myself back up and watching the monster roll around erratically. It would have been much easier to take it down with a Vision. Given that this was Physical Combat, everyone was at a disadvantage. Ever since the Arataki Gang brought a fresh supply of monsters, our class has been fighting them head-on for training.

First, we fought the easy ones: hilichurls and slimes. Now, the difficulty was changing to more elite enemies. Childe had just defeated a group of specters before it was my turn—a feat close to impossible without a bow. We were on our own now, no more partner collaboration in preparation for the final. At the end of the semester, each of us had to defeat an upper-level monster within five minutes. Alone.

Though, partners could still support each other in training—which left me dodging this Geo menace on my own while Childe watched from the sidelines.

"It's going to slash at you next," he shouted.

The geovishap hatchling was still rolling around, so I wasn't sure how Childe knew its next move. Wiping the grime off my face, I impatiently waited for it to halt. There was no sense in me charging now and getting thrown back a second time.

It zig-zagged all around the forcefield of energy we were contained to. Each of the sparring circles was converted into mini-battlegrounds as students fought off their own monsters. With the entire class occupied, there was no pressure in killing this hatchling with finesse, but I was more concerned about time. Because the final would be timed, I had to get used to finishing quickly.

Easier said than done.

At last, the hatchling slowed. My guard dropped slightly as I advanced, sword gripped and ready to land a hard hit. A claymore would be more useful against this enemy, but every monster had a weak spot. I just had to get close enough to find one.

Standing on its hind legs, the monster marched toward me and raised both rocky arms into the air. Childe was right. I darted to the side as the slashes came down.

My turn.

I attacked with my weapon as the hatchling took time to recover. One thing I noticed about Geo opponents was that their bulk hinders mobility. I used this to my advantage, gutting its underbelly with two hits before pushing it back with a charged attack. The monster jumped back and made digging movements that drew an exasperated sigh from me.

Once it went underground, it was a waiting game.

It disappeared into the earth, leaving behind two Geo particles that I immediately dove for. A simple Geo shield surrounded my body, and I hoped the hatchling would resurface before it dissipated. If my prediction was right…this shield could be used to my advantage, but only if I could pinpoint where the monster would pop up again.

Closing my eyes, I felt for the Geo energy that lay dormant within me. This could very well be a shot in the dark…there. I could feel the hatchling scurrying around. The subtle vibrations in the ground hinted very little, but the elemental energy coursing in its body was like a beacon to me.

I positioned myself to where I sensed the strongest Geo presence right as the hatchling burst from the ground in a shower of dirt. It collided with the Geo shield, the impact sending it flying into the air before landing on its back. The first time this happened, I thought it was a fluke. Now, I knew for sure that the hatchling stood no chance against the shield made from its own essence. Even better, its limbs would continue to flail in the air long enough for me to land the final blow.

Childe whistled from the side as I angled my blade. Searching around the hatchling's reinforced body, I found the biggest weakness where there were no Geo plates. The eyes.

My jaw clenched, and I averted my gaze at the last second. I didn't need to see its death. Once my sword slid through its left eye socket and made contact with the ground below, the hatchling's body instantly began to dissolve as all monsters did. Shreds of black and red drifted away in the wind.

The forcefield around me vanished.

I plucked my blade from the ground before winding around to face Childe. He wore a proud grin—eyeing the spot where the monster had taken its last breath—and clapped.

"Quick, clean, and efficient. If I had to give any pointers, it would be that you could have taken it down after the first attack rotation. Did you really not see the pattern?"

"I was too busy trying not to get pummeled into the ground. With all the spinning that thing did, it's a miracle I didn't fall dizzy." I brushed off the remaining dirt from my clothes. "You're lucky those specters were Pyro. There's nothing dirty about fire."

"Specters," he grumbled. "Cowards to a fault. I would have knocked them out in half the time if they kept closer to the ground."

More forcefields disappeared as other students finished their opponents. This was the final run of the day, and I should head to the locker room quick if I wanted to clean up before Vision Studies. Childe was in no rush to return his weapon, but he kept up with me all the same.

"Are we still on for later?" he asked.

"I should be asking you that. Thoma's already reserved the books, so we have full access. Are you sure you can keep still long enough for research?"

Childe halted for a moment before hanging his bow on the rack. "Research? I thought today was training."

"That's tomorrow," I reminded him and lowered my voice. "Training today on top of going all-out in class will only weaken us over time. Tomorrow is a simple fitness room day, so we'll have plenty of energy to tap into elemental training after that. Today, we're focused on Domain research. If that's not your style—"

"I'll be there. Don't worry, it'll take more than a stuffy library to whittle down my resolve to find answers for you." He leaned in close, reaching out a hand to brush at my jaw. "There was dirt."

I slotted my sword with a smile, tucking my chin to hide a blush. "I need to shower."

"And wash away the victorious aura from your fight? What a shame."

"You need to shower." I scrunched my nose. "You smell like ash."

"Is ash something that smells so bad?"

I opened my mouth to respond with a simple "yes" until the smoky scent began to linger. On Childe, it wasn't so bad after all. If anything, it complimented how hot-headed he could be sometimes.

"Well," I mumbled. "Maybe not."

I half expected him to go with the compliment and embrace his own victorious aura. To my surprise, he looked disappointed instead.

"That's too bad. It would have been nice for something like that to keep nosy people away. Lumi, I worry that my imposing reputation is crumbling away to…approachable advice-giver." He shuddered at that, the dramatic. "How could this have happened?"

"Well, you're not the inconsiderate jerk that you used to be," I said in the kindest tone possible. "Maybe others have noticed and have started to look up to you. Isn't being a role model a good thing?"

Childe scoffed at that, and I was reminded of who I spoke to. "I never asked to be a role model. People need to mind their own business and stop sniffing around."

"Sniffing around?" I raised a brow.

"The first instance was a random student who came up to me not long ago. He claimed to be from Snezhaya as well, so I spared time to hear him out. What a waste that was. He kept pestering me about what my plans were for the future and if he could help me in any sort of way."

"Okay, that is a bit weird," I conceded. "What other instances were there?"

Childe ran his fingers through his hair, staring off for a moment. "That was the only one. It stuck out to me enough to be a bother, so one time is already too many."

"No harm, no foul?" I shrugged.

"For now. No harm to him, for now. Despite being a total stranger, he wanted to know about my future. Now, I understand charting your path in life ahead of time, but that's something to figure out on your own. As far as my future's concerned, what I know for certain is that I want you in it." His eyes hardened. "And I'll be damned if he tries to throw himself in that mix."

"Alright," I patted his arm. "I'm sure he had no idea. Cut the guy some slack for wanting to power up, yeah? You were probably in his shoes at some point."

He looked back at me. "If you say so."

"I do say so."

I smirked confidently, and he smiled right back. His eyes dropped lower then, lifting a knuckle to my jaw once more. There must be more dirt.

"Did you get it?" I asked.

His attention flicked back to my eyes. "Get what?"

"The dirt."

Childe's lips quirked into a quiet smile, and I felt his thumb brush over my chin. A shiver threatened to take over at the light touch, but I held it back. Somehow, I felt even more out of breath than when I fought the geovishap hatchling. Did Childe know what he was doing to me?

"There was never any dirt. I wanted to get a proper look at you one last time before we separated. Nothing's changed," he pulled away. "Stunning, as always."

My brain stuttered. Though I wasn't sure if I'd ever get used to this, I did know one thing. I needed a shower. A cold one.

The rest of the day went by fast—too fast. Even hours in the library with Thoma and Childe researching Domains and studying for classes had felt like a mere blip. Already, dinner had passed. Another day was completed, and that was one less day before winter break. Our deadline was approaching.

It wasn't the threat of Enjou reappearing in a dream that kept me awake. It was the fear of wasting time. I stifled a yawn, reexamining every detail we'd uncovered.

Professor Morax had touched upon the existence of Domains more than once. Though, his lectures focused more on the history behind them. Some Domains were memories of ancient civilizations. Other Domains were relics of failed aspirations. My desklamp's glow illuminated the History notes alongside our intensive research. The library had more to offer, but I wasn't sure what to make of it.

Each Domain in the records we found was unique in its own right. If we could get in, the Domain hidden on this island could very well challenge us with puzzles, limit our time, and even affect our ability to fight normally. There was no way of knowing the inside of a Domain without first getting inside it.

However, there was one consistent trait among all of the Domains so far. A tree. I stared hard at the short descriptions I wrote down, noting the multiple times when a white tree was mentioned. The tree was always there, and it was always petrified.

But why?

Scribbles in different handwritings filled the margins. Thoma's ideas. Childe's drawings. I hadn't even noticed Childe steal my notebook, but there were doodles of trees all over. In terms of detail, there wasn't much but scraggly branches sparsely sprinkled with leaves.

There was also a smiley face. A heart.

More trees.

Roots overlapped and intertwined with one another. Childe must have run out of space, but there was something about these trees that made me pause. I traced over the lines with my finger, never having to lift it off the page. Connected.

If each of these Domains had the same, petrified tree, then the one on this island would also have one. They could all be connected somehow. Was such a vast, global root system really possible, though? How did it reach overseas?

A pressure began to build in my head, and I realized I'd been frowning in my concentration. I relaxed my face muscles, though my body remained tense. Brainstorming alone was a lot to handle. How did Kaeya do it?

Was he also brainstorming at this time?

I stared at my ceiling, picturing him in his room several floors above. Diluc, Childe, Thoma, and I were in charge of research and training while Kaeya handled the Grand Tournament interviews. The workload seemed evenly split enough, but I still felt that he could use the help. Of course, he insisted on working alone.

Kaeya insisted on a lot of things.

After spending several days apart, I'd let the space between us clear my mind. So, now I knew for sure that my decision to talk sense into him wasn't coming from an irrational broken heart. What we shared was as real as the imminent danger hanging over our heads, and I wouldn't allow the latter to consume us.

Tonight was my chance.

Snapping back forward, I piled my notes together as confidence gripped me. Yes, it was the middle of the night, but what better time was there to see him? Between classes, student council work, the interviews, and avoiding me, Kaeya was busy being elsewhere during the day. Right now, the only place he could be was in his room.

Besides, I had very important tree theory to go over.

A lightness filled my chest as I quietly slipped from my room and padded down the hall. Despite being worn from Physical Combat and the extent of my other classes, I buzzed with a newfound energy that carried me up the stairs. The remaining bits of hope for our relationship that I'd been holding down were bubbling up the closer I got.

At last, I reached Cryo House. Nerves crept in, battling with my courage. I held the papers in my hand tighter and stepped out of the stairwell, my eyes zeroing in on Kaeya's door the moment I entered the hallway. As if on cue, that exact door clicked open.

I let out a surprised gasp and instinctively stepped back into the stairwell. It was only when I found myself hiding behind the wall that I felt ridiculous for doing so. I'd come here to see Kaeya, so what would possess me to hide from him now of all times? The nerves were strong, slowly overpowering the courage, and I worried about my resolve.

Then, a new contender arrived. Curiosity.

Why was Kaeya leaving his room so late?

Curiosity won out in a heartbeat, and I felt mildly less ridiculous when I stuck my head out to peek into the hallway. He was closing his door now, about to walk away and—wait. That wasn't Kaeya at all.

This person was much shorter. Feminine. Cicin.

Time stilled.

A chill ran through me, though it had nothing to do with the temperature on this floor. My eyes may have deceived me at first, but I knew who I saw now. The hope I had felt—along with the courage, confidence, and curiosity—was washed away by a bucket of ice-cold water. Confusion was the replacement.

As Cicin lightly shut the door, I made out the faintest satisfied smile that settled on her face. The light tinkle of her giddy giggle reached my ears from where I stood. A small voice in my head noted how much she fit in. White hair. Blue pajamas. Cryo powers. She belonged here, and I didn't. She had been with Kaeya tonight while I…

I was granted one stroke of luck as Cicin turned to face away from me—toward the set of stairs at the other end of the hall. Even if she had come my way, I wasn't sure if I could move. Shock froze me in place.

I felt sick.

At this point, the dull pain in my heart was no stranger to me. This sharp pain was new. It only worsened when I finally took in a breath, and not even a hand to my chest provided relief. My mind buzzed with questions and rationales, but nothing could stop the cavern steadily growing in my chest.

Kaeya and Cicin.

I thumped the back of my head on the wall and fought a scream.

Kaeya and Cicin.

Instead, a weak, strangled cry escaped me. This discovery felt bigger than any Domain theory. My notes wrinkled as my fists clenched, but I couldn't bother to care. Caring hurt too much, and I would rather not feel anything at all. Unfortunately, what I wanted wasn't what the world had in mind.