A narrow stretch of level ground lay at the bottom of the cliff, hemmed in by sheer rock walls. Looking up from below, Lin En couldn't see the top. Only a few rays of sunlight reached down, barely enough to see the way.
The valley floor was covered in loose stones and dead leaves. It was damp and cold, and the smell of earth and moss filled the air.
Lin En reclined against a rock, his chest aching as though someone had smashed it with a hammer. Every breath brought a stabbing pain. He couldn't use his left arm at all, and it hung limply at his side.
He looked down at his right hand. The talisman paper Zhongli had given him had shattered into several pieces, and the amber glow it had shown when charged with Elemental Energy had faded completely.
The talisman paper had saved him from another fatal blow, but the remaining impact had still struck him full force.
He turned to look at Ronava beside him. She lay quietly among the loose stones, her silver hair spread beneath her, her face pale and her lips pressed together slightly, as though she were asleep.
Lin En reached out to check her breathing. It was steady and deep. He felt her wrist, and her pulse was steady too. She had probably fallen unconscious from exhausting too much of her power and would wake after some rest.
He looked down at her face. Unconscious, Ronava was different from usual. Her perpetually aloof face was completely unguarded, and a trace of blood marked the corner of her mouth, left there from the fight.
Lin En reached out and gently wiped away the blood with his sleeve. His fingertips brushed her cheek, which was cool and soft. He paused for a moment, then quickly withdrew his hand and looked down, wiping the blood from the corner of his own mouth with the hem of his clothes.
"Are... are you all right?"
Paimon floated beside him, her little face deathly pale.
Lin En coughed, and the taste of rust welled up in his mouth again.
"Do I look all right to you?"
He turned his head and spat out a mouthful of blood, then took a few breaths.
The pain in his chest made his vision go dark, but he still reached for his backpack. His rations were gone, and his waterskin had burst. All that remained was a healing pill and a piece of candy. He took out the pill, pried Ronava's mouth open, and put it inside.
Ronava's brows immediately furrowed, and even unconscious, she mumbled indistinctly.
"So bitter..."
Lin En couldn't help laughing, but the movement pulled at his chest and made him gasp with pain.
He put the piece of candy in her mouth too. Only then did Ronava's brows slowly relax, and she grew quiet.
He looked at her and gently pinched her cheek, then withdrew his hand and pretended he hadn't done anything.
But that slight movement sent a sharp pain through his left hand and chest.
He looked down at his left arm. There was an obvious bend halfway down his forearm; it was probably broken. A few of his ribs were likely broken too. Every breath felt like a needle stabbing into him.
"We can't stay here."
He spoke to Paimon.
"There's no food or water. We have to get out quickly."
Supporting his left arm with his right hand, he slowly stood, his legs still trembling. He looked around. Towering rock walls enclosed the valley floor like a deep well, with no slopes or cracks they could climb.
"How are we supposed to get out?"
Paimon floated beside him, looking around. The more she saw, the more despairing she grew.
Lin En looked up at the sky. From the valley floor to the cliff top was at least several dozen meters. His Anemo was nearly exhausted, and his left arm and chest were badly injured. Climbing up was out of the question; even walking a few steps was difficult.
"Paimon."
He spoke up, and Paimon turned to him, her little face full of unease.
"You're unhurt. You can fly up and find the Traveler, and get her to rescue us."
Paimon froze, and her expression immediately changed.
"M... me? But it's dangerous out there..."
"If you don't go find her, we'll all die here."
Lin En's tone was calm, but his gaze was serious.
Paimon opened her mouth, then looked at the unconscious Ronava and back at Lin En's deathly pale face and visibly broken left arm. She gritted her teeth, her little fists clenched tight.
"Okay... I'll go."
Lin En summoned the last bit of Anemo in his body. A current of wind struggled to gather in his palm, lifting Paimon and sending her upward. She flew higher and higher, soon becoming a tiny white speck before vanishing into the mist at the top of the cliff.
The moment his Anemo ran out, Lin En's knees finally gave way.
He fell to the ground, his back against the rock. His chest heaved, every breath bringing a stabbing pain, and his vision darkened in waves.
He turned to glance at Ronava beside him. She was still sleeping quietly, the piece of candy in her mouth, her brow relaxed.
"Don't let anything happen to you."
He spoke softly.
Then he closed his eyes and leaned against the rock wall, letting his last shred of consciousness slip away before he sank into darkness.
He didn't know how long he had been unconscious.
When he woke, Lin En tried moving his fingers. His right hand still worked, but the pain in his left arm was worse than before. His whole arm felt as though it were on fire.
He took a deep breath, and a sharp pain stabbed through his ribs, nearly making him faint again.
"Don't move."
A familiar voice came from beside him.
Lin En turned his head. Ronava was awake, crouching beside him with one hand pressed against his uninjured right shoulder. Her face was still pale, but her golden eyes had regained their usual sharpness. She had only lost her power for now and needed time to recover.
"You're awake."
Lin En's voice was hoarse.
"Mm."
Ronava withdrew her hand. Her gaze swept over his left arm and chest, and her brows furrowed slightly.
"Your left arm is broken, and at least two of your ribs are broken."
"I know."
"Did you take the impact for me?"
"Mm."
Ronava looked at him, something churning in her eyes.
She was silent for a few breaths, then reached out and gently pressed the injured spot on his chest. Lin En sucked in a sharp breath, his whole body tensing.
"It's supposed to hurt."
Ronava withdrew her hand.
"Your internal organs aren't injured. You're lucky to be alive."
"Zhongli's talisman paper... saved me."
Ronava's gaze fell on the fragments of talisman paper scattered among the loose stones.
"It blocked the most fatal blow for you. The remaining impact broke your bones, but it didn't injure your heart or lungs. Looks like we'll owe him another favor."
She stood and looked around. The valley floor was narrow and enclosed, with rock walls rising straight up on either side and hardly anywhere to climb.
Her gaze fell on a protrusion halfway up the cliff wall. She studied it for a few seconds, then looked away.
"Where's Paimon?"
"I sent her up to find the Traveler."
Ronava turned and glanced at him.
"She agreed?"
"Mm."
Ronava was silent for two breaths, then gave a soft hum that sounded like either a laugh or a sigh.
"Aren't you afraid she won't come looking for you?"
"It's the only way now. You've lost your power and still need to recover."
She returned to Lin En's side, crouched down, and pressed her hand over the broken part of his left arm. Black energy flowed from her palm, extremely faint and thin. Lin En felt warmth spread from the injury, and the pain eased a little.
"Don't move around."
Ronava spoke.
"My power hasn't recovered yet. I can only stabilize it for now. You'll still need to rest after we get back."
"When did you wake up?"
"Just now."
Ronava kept her hand on his arm.
"When I woke up, there was a sweet taste in my mouth."
Lin En's ears grew slightly warm.
"Did you give it to me?"
Ronava turned to look at him.
"Mm. The medicine was too bitter, and you couldn't swallow it, so..."
Ronava looked at him, her gaze lingering on his face for a few seconds before she returned her attention to his arm.
The black energy wrapped around the fracture layer by layer, forming a flexible binding that wouldn't press on the injury but would keep the bones from shifting out of place.
Lin En leaned against the rock wall, watching her tend to his injury with such concentration.
"Ronava."
"Mm."
"You said before that you'd lived for thousands of years."
"Mm."
"In all those thousands of years, has anyone ever blocked an attack for you?"
Ronava's fingers paused, and she was silent for a few breaths.
"No."
"Then I'm the one who took the first and second hits for you."
Lin En spoke with pride in his voice.
"Mm."
She gave a simple reply.
"I still owe you a favor."
Lin En smiled.
"Before I've paid it back, I won't die so easily."
Ronava stared at him blankly for two seconds, then lowered her head and continued tending to his arm. But Lin En noticed that the corners of her mouth had curved upward a little more than before.
"Don't talk. Save your strength."
The black energy drew tight, filling the last gap. Ronava withdrew her hand and gently placed his left arm on a flat rock.
"Done."
Lin En tried moving his fingers. It still hurt, but it was much better than before. He leaned against the rock wall and looked up toward the top of the cliff.
"I wonder how much longer Paimon will take."