Dream [4k]

An endless sea of ice stretched before Gabrielina as she walked across its frozen surface. The Milky Way spanned the sky overhead, and several enormous dark shapes swam beneath the ice.

On the distant horizon, three moons were slowly rising over the frozen sea. Half of each disk had climbed above the ice while the other half remained below the horizon, their craters clearly visible.

The ice reflected the half-disks of the white moons, joining their halves in the sky to form three perfect circles.

A girl sat amid the moonlight, fishing. Her long sea-fishing rod hung over a hole in the ice, where deep-blue seawater pooled.

Gabrielina gradually realized that she was probably dreaming.

"What the hell?" Gabrielina stopped behind the girl. "Are you enjoying yourself?"

It went without saying that the girl fishing was the system. A scene like this could not be natural-at least, not anywhere in present-day Teyvat. And the only one capable of bringing such a scene to life, with this much time on her hands, was the system.

"Our first meeting. Do you think the scenery's pretty? They really ought to put it in Genshin Impact, don't you think, host?" the system said with a smile.

Her outfit certainly looked suited for ice fishing: a heavy black wool coat, finely made deerskin boots, and a bearskin hat covering her ears, with a few strands of black hair peeking out against her cheeks, pale from the cold.

The only things that seemed to hold any warmth were her golden eyes, burning just as fiercely as Gabrielina's own.

"Then could you please make somewhere less cold next time? An island full of pretty girls in swimsuits, something like that... I might feel like chatting with you then." Gabrielina shivered and sat beside the system, hugging her knees.

"Are we supposed to admire the moons in this freezing weather? I'm about to freeze to death..."

"Cold? But your body is lying under soft covers. Perhaps another girl, equally naked, is even holding you."

"...We both have our clothes on."

Looking at the girl's flushed cheeks, the system shook her head helplessly and handed something over.

It was a soft cashmere scarf, wrapped around a warm little heater.

Gabrielina put on the cashmere scarf and held her hands close to the hand warmer. Warmth immediately flowed into her body, bringing her limbs back to life like a vampire freshly risen from the grave.

She had to admit that this queen of lesbians was pretty considerate. Thinking back on their conversations, although either she or the system usually ended up furious, they always reminded her of the world before her transmigration.

Once she had warmed up, the girl began examining her surroundings.

Three enormous full moons, a silent sea... Fishing side by side was rather romantic. If only she had a little flask of good liquor, and Lumine in place of the system...

"You seem to be thinking something very rude," came the system's icy voice.

Gabrielina scratched her head awkwardly. Before she could come up with an excuse, the system handed her something else: a flat metal flask.

"McKinley Whiskey. The earliest polar explorers loved it," the system said. "Supposedly, once you drink this, you can jump straight into the icy sea for a winter swim."

"So you can cosplay Professor X too? How do you know everything I'm thinking?"

Gabrielina opened the flask and took a small sip. It really was just as the system had said, like Diluc's ultimate had landed straight in her stomach. Heat spread throughout her body, warming her from head to toe.

"Because you're my host, and I'm your system. Strictly speaking, I exist specifically to serve you. Of course I know what you need." The system smiled faintly. "Just as I've always known that you need other girls to give you some tender loving care."

"You bastard! This, this... This is practically forcing an innocent girl into prostitution!" Gabrielina glared fiercely at the system, though her tone lacked the force of her words. "Right, you don't understand love at all."

"Those stubby legs, that washboard chest, that baby face-you look like you're still growing!"

The system turned to look at Gabrielina, wearing a pitiful expression as though she might burst into tears. "Xiao Xue, that really hurts. Honestly, you're the one I care about most. I didn't even keep a second flask for myself."

...Was she calling me by my real name? Ugh, gross...

"Care about me? Does caring mean making me find someone else to be my master? Did you eat your own conscience?"

"..."

"You know, we could have been really good friends. I can tell she likes me a little... Or maybe she likes my wings. But definitely not my body! Give it up, System. I'd sooner get together with Paimon than Lumine. Your ship is already dead!"

After a brief silence with still no reply, Gabrielina looked up at the girl beside her.

The petite, black-haired girl was staring intently at the hole in the ice, both hands gripping her fishing rod. She looked like an old monk deep in meditation, as though she would not budge even if Heaven's Strike came down on her.

A little annoyed, Gabrielina nudged her calf with an elbow.

"Hey, what are you fishing for?"

"Host, I'm fishing for a 'fish.' A big 'fish.'" The system finally answered, though her expression held an ambiguous smile. "You're right. Although you're definitely going to end up with Lumine, love can't be forced. But I still have to do something for you, don't I?"

"Once this 'fish' takes the bait, the [Heavenly Principles] will bow at your feet as well. With both the might of the Flügel and its power, you'll be capable of anything-practically David bearing the power of Jehovah of hosts!"

"...What nonsense are you talking about?" Gabrielina set the flask beside her feet and looked at the system's face.

The girl fell silent again, letting Gabrielina study her. Only the fishing rod and whatever lay beneath the sea seemed to interest her.

She was still smiling, but at some point a trace of icy menace had crept into that smile.

Gabrielina unwound the scarf, tossed aside the hand warmer, and turned to leave, heading away from the three enormous moons. She did not know where she was going. She just felt that she should stop wasting her breath on the system. The girl was either talking dirty or acting like some religious charlatan... They had absolutely nothing in common...

With a splash, the fish the system had been waiting for took the bait at that very moment.

Gabrielina instinctively looked back. Amid the overlapping reflections of the three moons, the girl raised her fishing rod high, the line drifting through the air as it dragged something out of the water...

A gigantic black dragon! The enormous creature rampaged across the sky, shrieking and roaring, and actually crushed two of the moons!

What the hell! She had never imagined that the system's catch would be a dragon! An enormous black dragon!

Is this still fucking Genshin Impact!?

Before she could scream, the system reached out, grabbed the dragon by the neck, and stuffed it into the fishing basket beside her feet. No one knew how she had managed such a thing, but she had done it with ease.

"All right, grilled fish today. Hmm... It might not be suitable for breakfast, so let's save it for dinner! We'll make seven cuts so the flavor can soak in better." The system slung the fishing basket over her shoulder and turned to leave.

"Leave quickly. The god of this sea is dead, and the flames that will bury this world are about to ignite..."

The roar of the tide swept toward her. Trembling, Gabrielina looked back and saw black seawater surging through cracks in the ice into the sky, clashing fiercely with flames descending from above. The ice collapsed beneath her feet. Tides and fire tore the entire world apart, and the final moon shed a tear of blood.

She struggled to fly into the sky, only to watch helplessly as the tide swallowed her...

In the faint morning light, another dream was gently wrapped in shimmering light and a delicate fragrance.

Paimon's noisy voice could still be faintly heard.

"Lumine-"

"Lumine-!"

"I'm~ hun~gry~~!!"

The shrill calls came one after another, reaching Lumine's ears ever more clearly until her slender brows knitted together. Half asleep, she reached a small hand out in front of her, trying to pin down the noisy little creature.

But instead of catching Paimon, her palm encountered something else, warm and soft.

*...?*

What is this... A stuffed toy? A pillow? No...

Her head was foggy, and she could not quite process it yet. Lumine slowly shifted closer. The scent lingering around her nose was not the familiar floral fragrance, either.

After her lashes fluttered for a moment, she opened her eyes.

A dazzling array of colors filled her vision.

She stared blankly for several seconds before realizing that it was not an actual rainbow.

That's... Gabrielina's hair? When did she snuggle up to me again...

Lumine blinked in confusion, gradually realizing that she had indeed spent another night in the same bed as this beautiful girl.

The girl with cherry-pink hair slept quietly beside her.

Her back was turned to Lumine, her tall, slender body slightly curled up. Her delicate shoulders were partly exposed, and her silky long hair lay scattered across the white sheets. A few strands rested against her cheek and lips, rising and falling with her steady breathing.

It was Gabrielina.

Asleep, she lacked the heart-stoppingly powerful presence she usually carried. She was like a quiet, insecure cat of some precious breed.

A pale hand extended from beneath the covers, clutching the bedsheet tightly. Perhaps she was having a nightmare. Her delicately furrowed brows gave her such a heartbreakingly fragile look that Lumine frowned too.

Her forehead seemed to hurt terribly.

Lumine propped herself up with one hand and gently pressed her forehead with the other, lifting her head to look around.

The familiar wardrobe, the carved vanity with its large mirror, the bay window facing the street... Yes, this was definitely their hotel room.

We agreed on the plan with Diluc last night, and then... What happened after that?

She tilted her head and thought for a while, fragments of memory trickling back.

Last night... Gabrielina, Paimon, and I were at the tavern. Venti said he wanted a few drinks, and Gabrielina kept pestering him to teach her to play.

And then... Then I got a little thirsty while we were talking, and I think I gave in and had some alcohol too... I had another glass of Dandelion Wine... Gabrielina and I started clinking glasses and drinking like a pair of idiots, babbling nonsense. I've forgotten what we said. Then I started getting sleepy...

And then, apparently, there was no "then."

She had no idea how she had gotten back to bed, or what time she had returned. She remembered nothing.

Gently lifting the covers, she discovered that she had not even changed into her nightclothes. She was still wearing her dress... Had Gabrielina carried her back? But she had been drunk too, so perhaps she had simply flopped down here in a daze... and fallen asleep?

Tch, looks like she can hold her liquor better than I can...

At that thought, Lumine raised a finger almost without thinking and tentatively reached toward Gabrielina's cheek.

Smack!

Before she could touch that exquisitely soft skin, her wrist was seized.

"...Huh?"

While she was still stunned, the entire bedroom abruptly darkened. A hum swept past her ears, followed by a stab of pain in her wrist. The next instant, a delicate yet powerful fist shot straight toward her face with a rush of wind.

You kill people in your sleep too!?

Tilting her head to dodge the blow, Lumine scrambled toward the edge of the bed on all fours while shouting, "Stop! Gabrielina, it's me! It's me!"

Thump-whoosh!

Amid flying sheets and pillows, Gabrielina rose into the air.

She slowly opened her eyes in midair. Her golden eyes, brilliant as the sun, flashed with sharpness for an instant before quickly clouding with confusion.

That oppressive presence vanished as quickly as it had appeared.

"Uh, what... are you doing?" Gabrielina asked in confusion, looking at the girl lying on her back beside the bed with one leg still draped over it.

She settled back onto the bed, and her slender right arm, which held terrifying elemental power, slowly lowered. Only then could Lumine finally breathe a sigh of relief.

They had slept together twice now, and each time was more... thrilling than the last.

Rubbing her reddened wrist, Lumine rolled her eyes at Gabrielina in annoyance and repeated her question with extra emphasis. "What are you doing?"

Watching the girl climb back onto the bed with her hair in complete disarray, Gabrielina tucked the strands that had nearly gotten into her mouth behind her ear and smiled awkwardly.

"Sorry, Lumine. I had a... nightmare."

"A nightmare?" Lumine paused, then huffed indignantly. "Then why did you hit me? Did I scare you in your dream!?"

Though she did not let Gabrielina off verbally, Lumine still leaned forward considerately and wiped the thin sheen of sweat from her forehead.

With a touch of helplessness, she gently stroked the girl before her, disheveled and tense, yet still as beautiful as a goddess.

Like her, Gabrielina had not taken off her clothes. After a night's sleep and those vigorous movements just now, the thin, wrinkled scraps of pure-white fabric on her body had long since slipped down.

Large expanses of snowy skin were exposed to the faint morning light, along with a cleavage that was not particularly deep, but was clearly more substantial than her own.

Before the other girl could look her way, Lumine hastily averted her gaze.

...Tch.

Should've just squeezed it till it burst earlier.

"What's wrong?" Gabrielina asked in puzzlement.

"No, nothing." Lumine shook her head. "Was it really scary, that dream of yours?"

Gabrielina did not answer. She simply floated silently down to the floor and stood beside the bed. After scooping up the still-sleeping Paimon, she turned toward the bathroom.

"Let's get ready and go eat... I'm a little hungry."

The door slammed shut, and shortly afterward, the patter of running water drifted from inside.