Chapter Two

Bennett leaped into the air and came down hard, slamming Pyro energy into the ground to set up a healing ring below his feet. Kaeya danced along the edge of the circle, not quite in the range of Bennett's healing abilities. His sword flashed in the light of the flames.

"Captain Kaeya! Get inside the circle for healing!" Bennett called, fending off the chortling Pyro Abyss Mages with futile strikes.

Kaeya ignored him for a brief moment, his dark gaze locked the Dendro Samachurl he was fighting. Frantically the tiny Hilichurl dragged up one thornbush after another in a vain attempt to stall the knight. But Kaeya was too fast. With a final lunge past the end of a thorn-infested vine, he landed the final hit. "Pass the message on, Mage," he said, his tone dangerously lighthearted. "I'm not someone to be crossed today."

The enemy dissolved as Kaeya wove back in a teleport and reappeared beside Bennett. He launched a wave of icicles from his sword, forcing the Abyss Mage to back off of Bennett. But the Captain looked rough. A thin smear of scarlet blurred the edges of a glancing blow across his temple, and his sword arm bore several burns. Finally Bennett's healing activated, and the young Adventurer saw the moment that it sank into Kaeya's bones. The knight's face eased slightly, and he surged forward with renewed strength. "Freeze!"

This time, the Cryo burst broke through the Mage's shield, bringing the startled Abyssal monster crashing to the ground. Kaeya struck with blinding speed, and Bennett used his attack to charge his next blow. With a yell, the Adventurer stabbed forward, his sword alight with Pyro.

Their combined strength melted the Abyss Mage's remaining resistance.

"There," Bennett panted. "That's done! That just leaves—" He turned and face the fires still merrily flickering across the campsite, "—all of this to clean up. Better hop to it, I guess."

"Can't say there's a better time than now, I suppose." Kaeya's teasing remark matched his actions. His Cryo Vision glowed as he started towards the nearest patch of fire.

With a tiny sigh, Bennett dismissed his sword and followed the Captain.

It only took two steps before he tripped over the Samachurl staff again.

oOo

By the time they'd put out the last of the blaze, Bennett was scorched and exhausted. There was a new bruise on his forehead from when he'd fallen over the staff, and his left sock had a new hole in the heel. But all of that was pretty normal for him. He stood in the center of the blackened camp, his normally bright green eyes dulled with weariness. "Did-did we get all of it?"

Kaeya surveyed their surroundings before sheathing his sword at last. "Looks like it." Shaking his hair back, he glanced over at Bennett with a cheerful wink. (Or blink. Bennett was never quite sure with that eyepatch.) "You hungry?"

Bennett gave the fireplace a blank look. "Uh… You want to cook something after all that?"

Smirking, Kaeya stated, "It would be a shame to waste the fire that we worked so hard to organize, after all." He dropped down beside the coals and began rummaging in his inventory. "Hm, I'll have to let Albedo know that his Pyro-infused fire-starter was a bit too potent. Maybe he can tame the next batch down."

After all the heat and adrenaline of fighting the near-wildfire, the breeze felt extremely cold on Bennett's exposed arms. He shivered. Sitting down across from Kaeya, he mumbled, "Someday my bad luck is going to get somebody killed, and there won't be anything I can do to stop it."

"Hey, there's no need to talk like that," Kaeya interrupted, concern edging the glance he tossed at Bennett.

In the face of the devastation Bennett knew he'd just caused; he couldn't quite summon his usual optimism. "But it's true," he protested. His stomach felt hollow, although it wasn't from hunger. The wind shifted again, blasting him with the lingering smoky scent from the burned foliage around them. "I mean, I can handle my bad luck. But when it comes to other people… I feel pretty responsible for all the bad stuff that happens when they're around me."

Kaeya abandoned the food he'd been preparing and stood, rounding the campfire to crouch in front of Bennett. He pinned the younger man with a piercing gaze as he caught Bennett's shoulder. "Listen to me. Your bad luck doesn't define you."

Bennett was utterly flabbergasted. "How can you possibly say that?! My bad luck affects everyone around me! It's too dangerous to stand next to me during a lightning storm. If there's a chance of an avalanche, anyone on my Adventurer Team will be caught in it. You were just trying to get some food going, and I managed to blow up our entire camp and burn your favorite cape down! Next time I might not be able to jump in before something goes really wrong."

"Hey. Hey!" Kaeya glared at him, his usual lightheartedness nowhere in sight. "That's enough of that!" His grip tightened on Bennett's shoulder. "Your bad luck does not define you. It's influenced you, sure. But do you want to know what I see when I look at you?"

Bennett tried to shrug.

"There's many a man who, in your situation, would become bitter. Pessimistic. Accepting of whatever ill befalls them next. But you, Bennett, have taken the challenge given to you at birth, and you've surmounted it. You've become a man of character. Someone who can always see the bright side of things. Who does not allow anything to stand in his way." Kaeya's bright eye searched Bennett's, stormy determination written in its depths. "You are an overcomer, Bennett. And because of what you've endured, you've become stronger in spirit than almost any man your age."

Bennett blinked hard. "That's… that's a lot."

Kaeya released him, sinking back to balance over his heels. He casually draped his forearms across his knees without letting his stern gaze shift from Bennett's eyes. "But it's true."

"What about when my bad luck affects other people, though?" Bennett hesitated, then added, "You—you really loved that cape, didn't you? And because of my bad luck, it's gone."

Kaeya spared a long look over his shoulder at the forlorn mound of ashes, then swung around to meet Bennett's contrite look. "Not really. The cape doesn't matter."

"It… it doesn't?"

"No. It's the memories that matter, and I can't lose those. Sure, I'm sad to lose my cape, but really, it's just an object like anything else." Kaeya shrugged. "What's important is that you and I are perfectly fine. And whatever you think about your bad luck, circumstances are often beyond your control. So you can't take responsibility for everything. Things happen, Bennett. Even if someone died while with you, there's no way to pin it to your own personal luck or lack thereof. You can't control other people's choices." He considered for a moment, then added, "What you can control is your reaction. And you, Bennett, understand that better than anyone I know. 'He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty. And he who rules his temper, than he who captures a city.'" With a final search of Bennett's face, Kaeya nodded to himself and rose, returning to his task at the campfire.

Bennett sat for a long time, considering his friend's words. By the time Kaeya handed him a Fruity Skewer, he felt a lot better about himself. He accepted the food and asked timidly, "So… do you have any other capes you can use?"

Kaeya threw his head back in laughter. "Haha, let me worry about that. You just focus on recovering a bit of energy. There's still a Ruin Guard up in Dadaupa Gorge, or so I hear. Perhaps if you were up to it—"

Bennett's eyes lit up. "Oh, yeah! I think there might even be a bounty on that one! Let's go for it after lunch!" He bit down on his Fruity Skewer, his renewed enthusiasm not even dented by the wood sliver he got in his tongue as a result.

Author's Note: Thank you to the guests who have left such kind comments on my fanfictions! I'm glad that my imaginings are enjoyed by other people, too. It's very fun for me to write these fanfictions, and while I'm currently in a busy season and am not able to post as frequently as I'd like, your words are so encouraging. God bless!