Lin En and Ronava took the same Waverider they had sailed to Tsurumi Island, while Lumine and Paimon took another.
They turned the boats around and headed toward Inazuma's main island.
At first, the sea was fairly calm, its waves gentle. Starlight spilled across the water, breaking into countless silver scales.
Lin En leaned against the gunwale. Ronava had secured his left arm again, wrapping the bandages neatly, and it felt much more comfortable than before.
He glanced at Ronava. Her eyes were still closed, but her breathing was deeper than before. She was probably resting.
After they had sailed for over an hour, the wind suddenly changed direction.
The waves grew larger, and the boats began to pitch up and down. Lumine stood and looked at the distant horizon, frowning.
A thick bank of dark clouds was rapidly approaching, with flashes of lightning flickering faintly within it.
"It's going to rain, and it could be a downpour!"
Before she had finished speaking, rain was already pelting down in drops as big as beans. Within minutes, the calm sea turned turbulent. Waves struck the gunwales one after another, and icy seawater poured into the boats.
The rain woke Paimon, who screamed and clung to the mast.
"There's an island ahead!"
Lumine pointed ahead.
Through the downpour, the outline of a small island appeared faintly above the gloomy sea. It wasn't large, but a beach and a few crooked trees were visible.
Lumine turned the boat and rode the wind toward the island. Its bottom scraped across the beach with a rough grinding sound before coming to a stop. Lumine jumped out and dragged the boat ashore.
Lin En braced his right hand against the gunwale and climbed out, landing with both feet in the cold, wet sand. Pain shot through his left arm, making him suck in a breath.
Ronava stood on the beach, her silver hair soaked by the rain and plastered to her cheeks and shoulders. Most of her clothes were wet too. She glanced at the sky, then looked inland.
"Let's head inland and find somewhere to shelter from the rain."
The four walked a few dozen steps inland from the beach and found an abandoned wooden cabin behind several large trees. The roof was mostly intact, and though one door panel hung crookedly, it could at least keep the rain out.
Lumine and Paimon went in first, and Ronava helped Lin En inside.
Just before entering, Ronava looked back at the sea. Rain poured down, blurring the world.
It was dark inside the cabin. Lumine fished a piece of flint out of her backpack and found some scrap wood that had fallen from the cabin in a corner. It happened to still be dry, so she used it to build a fire.
The firelight flickered, casting the four figures' shadows on the wooden walls as warmth slowly spread.
Paimon huddled beside the fire and finally stopped shivering.
Lin En leaned against the wall with his left arm resting on his knee. In the firelight, a little color had finally returned to his pale face.
Ronava sat on the other side of the fire, her soaked silver hair hanging over her shoulders, her face shifting between light and shadow.
"Do you have anything to eat?"
Lin En hadn't eaten for two days. He thought the Traveler might have some food.
"No, Paimon ate it all."
Lumine showed Lin En her empty backpack.
The rain grew heavier. Lightning occasionally flashed, sending white light through the holes in the cabin, followed by rumbling thunder.
Sea wind swept through the gaps in the door, making the flames sway wildly.
Lin En leaned against the wall, listening to the wind and rain outside, and suddenly felt a little dazed.
From Liyue to Mondstadt, from the snowy mountain to Inazuma, and then to Tsurumi Island, the whole journey had taken only a month, yet it felt as though a long time had passed. He had never imagined that adventuring would be so tiring. Fortunately, he had company, just like the Traveler and Paimon before him.
"What are you thinking about now?"
Ronava's voice came from across the fire.
"Everything that's happened on the way."
Lin En looked up at her.
"It feels like so much has happened, but it also seems like hardly any time has passed."
Ronava looked at him, firelight dancing in her golden eyes.
"Do you regret it?"
"Regret what?"
"Following me."
Lin En was taken aback for a moment, then smiled.
"No. With you by my side, I'm happy every day."
Ronava didn't press him. She simply turned her gaze back to the fire, its light falling on her profile. Her expression was much softer than usual.
Watching the two of them being all lovey-dovey, Lumine couldn't take it anymore and interrupted.
"Once the rain stops tomorrow, we'll head back to Inazuma. Katheryne is still waiting for news."
"Mm."
Lin En nodded.
"Where will you two go after that?"
Lin En looked at Ronava. She had remained silent, clearly unwilling to talk to the Traveler, so he answered for her.
"We'll probably spend some time recuperating."
Lumine paused. When she had previously told the Tsaritsa about Ronava's whereabouts, the Tsaritsa had said she had already instructed the Fatui in the field to watch for Ronava and keep a close eye on Lin En.
The fire crackled. Outside, the rain gradually eased, the downpour giving way to a steady drizzle.
Paimon was fast asleep, lying on Lumine's lap with her little mouth slightly open, breathing evenly. Lumine leaned against the wall with her eyes closed too, but her hand remained on Paimon's back, and she stayed alert.
Only Lin En and Ronava were still awake in the cabin.
The two exchanged a glance across the fire. Ronava's gaze seemed especially serene in the firelight, and Lin En's heart began to beat a little faster under it. He was just trying to think of something to say when Ronava suddenly spoke.
"Your hand."
"What?"
"Your left hand."
Ronava stood, walked around the fire, and crouched beside him.
"Let me see."
Lin En held out his left arm. Ronava pressed her hand against the bandages, and black energy seeped in, tracing the contours of his bones.
She pressed very lightly, and he could barely feel the pressure through the bandages, but the places she touched still felt warm.
"It's healing fairly well."
Ronava withdrew her hand.
"It should recover in a few days."
"Thank you."
"Why are you thanking me? I should be thanking you."
Ronava didn't stand up right away. Instead, she remained crouched beside him, turning her head to look at him. Firelight fell across her from the side, edging her silver hair in warm gold, and his face was reflected in her golden eyes.
"Lin En."
"Mm?"
"What you said at the bottom of the cliff today."
"Which part?"
"You said you wouldn't die so easily before you'd repaid what you owed me."
Lin En looked at her, his heart beating a little faster.
"Yeah. What about it?"
Ronava's gaze lingered on his face for a few seconds. She hesitated, then leaned in and pressed her lips very lightly to his.
Lin En's breath stopped for an instant.
Ronava's lips were cool, damp with rain and faintly salty and bitter in a way he couldn't quite describe. It was like sea wind rushing into his lungs, leaving him completely dazed.
He hadn't even had time to close his eyes. In the firelight, her lashes hung low, and strands of silver hair brushed his cheek, damp and carrying an exceedingly faint, cool fragrance.
Then she pulled away.
It was quick and clean, as though nothing had happened. Ronava stood, her silver hair slipping from her shoulders, and returned to her seat across the fire. The whole movement was smooth, without a moment's hesitation.
Lin En's right hand was still resting on his knee, his left arm stiff in midair. He sat frozen in place.
The fire crackled, and sparks leaped upward. He finally came to his senses.
"...Ronava?"
His voice was a little hoarse.
Ronava didn't look at him. Her gaze rested on the fire, flames dancing in her golden eyes, making them brighter than usual and harder to read.
She raised a hand and tucked her soaked silver hair behind her ear, the gesture as natural as if she were simply tidying herself.
"Go to sleep."
Her tone was as flat and calm as ever, as though that moment just now had been an illusion the thunder had shaken into Lin En's mind.
But Ronava's face was slightly red, and the cool sensation still lingered on his lips, carrying a hint of the sea's salt.
"You..."
Lin En's Adam's apple bobbed. The questions in his head crowded together, and in the end, he picked out the most pathetic one.
"Why?"
Ronava finally turned her head and glanced at him.
Her expression was cold, and there wasn't even a hint of a curve to her lips, but something was surging in those golden eyes, like the sea on a stormy night, deep and restrained.
"You talk too much."
"..."
Lin En started to say something, then closed his mouth.
Ronava looked away and stared at the fire again. Several seconds passed before she spoke, her voice a little lower than before.
"Didn't I ask whether you regretted following me?"
"Mm."
"My answer is that I don't regret it either."
Lin En looked at her. The warmth of the fire spread from the soles of his feet all the way to his chest, and the pain in his left arm seemed to be drowned out by those words. He chuckled softly.
Ronava frowned.
"What are you laughing at?"
"Nothing."
Lin En leaned back against the wall and rested his right hand on the bandages around his left arm, unconsciously pressing his fingertips against the place she had touched.
"I just think my life really might be worth more than I thought."