By the time Lin En finished washing the last bowl, the sky had already darkened.
A fierce wind blew in from the direction of Liyue Harbor, laden with dampness, and shook the dilapidated wooden hut behind him until it seemed ready to collapse.
He looked up at the roof. It was already riddled with holes. It was fine on a sunny day, but if it rained, water would pour in through them, making the place impossible to stay in. They needed to find somewhere else to go.
Inside the hut, Ronava's long white hair hung loose over her shoulders as she gazed through a hole in the paper window at the pitch-black storm clouds outside.
"There's going to be a downpour."
Her voice was as cold as ever, as though she didn't care. Although a Ruler would never fall ill under normal circumstances, her authority had now been taken away, so it was hard to say.
"This hut won't hold up."
Lin En stood up, brushed the dust from his hands, and turned to pack up their few belongings. In truth, all they had were a few pieces of dried food and a flask of water.
"Liyue Harbor isn't too far from here. If we follow the mountain path ahead southeast, we should get there in under an hour. There are inns there where we can rest."
"Why didn't you take me to Liyue Harbor in the first place?"
Ronava interrupted him. She didn't understand why Lin En had chosen to rest in this remote wilderness instead of Liyue Harbor.
"I was afraid someone would recognize you. Things are different now. This hut could collapse at any moment."
Lin En would never admit that he'd only had a one-hour power trial card. Its effects had run out just as they got here, and he'd had no strength left...
He tucked the bundle against his chest, walked over to the bed, and crouched down.
"Then let it collapse."
Ronava turned her face to look at her, her silver-gray eyes frighteningly cold, but this time Lin En didn't back down.
"Ronava."
He called her name, his tone growing serious.
"Do you really think you're still the Ruler of Death? You don't have your authority, and you haven't recovered. If the hut comes down, you'll die!"
"So what?"
"Aren't you afraid of dying?"
"Me, afraid of dying? I'd already prepared myself for death, but then some fool suddenly appeared and saved me."
"I don't want you to die. You're all I have now."
At those words, the hut fell silent for a moment.
He was telling the truth. If she died, he wouldn't survive either, and he didn't know a single other person in Teyvat. He would have to rely on her in the future.
Ronava seemed as though something had struck a nerve. She lowered her eyes and remained silent for a long time before finally giving a cold snort.
"Hmph. I didn't expect you to be so loyal and devoted."
Did that mean she agreed?
Lin En breathed a sigh of relief, stepped forward, and crouched down with his back to her.
"Climb on. I'll carry you."
Ronava looked at the man's back before her and frowned.
"I'm not so helpless that I need someone to carry me."
"You're injured, so you can't walk fast. Besides, the mountain path is slippery. If you fall, it'll be even more trouble for me."
Lin En looked back at her and spoke earnestly.
"We need to hurry. It's about to rain."
Ronava hesitated for a few seconds.
Extremely reluctantly, she reached out and placed her hands on his shoulders. Lin En supported her thighs with both hands and stood up steadily.
A delicate fragrance drifted into Lin En's nose. It wasn't the scent of the medicine she'd been drinking these past few days, but seemed to be her natural scent.
Ronava was much lighter than he had imagined. A Ruler who had once held the authority over life and death was now as thin as a leaf that could be blown away at any moment.
The first drop of rain fell just as they stepped out of the hut.
Lin En quickened his pace and ran southeast along the mountain path he remembered.
Ronava lay against his back. The rain quickly soaked her silver hair. She said nothing, but Lin En could feel her breath against his neck, slightly warm.
The rain came faster and harder than expected.
In just half the time it took to drink a cup of tea, rain was pouring down. The mountain path turned to mud, and he slipped with every step.
Lin En's view was obscured by the mist thrown up as the heavy rain struck the ground.
Ronava's body heat grew increasingly noticeable against his back. With their clothes soaked through, the thin barrier between them was almost nonexistent.
"There's a cave ahead."
Ronava's voice sounded close to Lin En's ear, alerting him.
He had no time to wonder how she knew and immediately turned toward the front left.
Sure enough, after a dozen or so steps, a cave entrance twice a person's height appeared before them.
The cave wasn't large, but it had enough room for several people. Its walls were dry rock, and the floor was covered with a layer of crumbled dry moss and fallen leaves. Someone seemed to have lived here, but it looked as though it had been abandoned for a long time.
Lin En carefully set Ronava down and helped her sit against the innermost wall, then used his body to block the wind and rain blowing in through the entrance.
Lin En panted and wiped the water from his face.
"How are you? Did your wound get wet?"
Ronava looked down coldly at her shoulder. A wound there had already scabbed over, but the rain had soaked it, leaving its edges slightly pale.
She shook her head and was about to speak when she saw Lin En suddenly rummaging inside his clothes. Curious, she asked:
"What are you looking for?"
"A fire starter."
After rummaging for a while, Lin En pulled it out. He had made it earlier when he had nothing else to do. Fortunately, he had wrapped it tightly in waterproof leaves.
He found some dry moss and dead twigs in the cave and piled them together, then crouched down and carefully blew on the fire starter until it caught.
The fire caught, and the whole cave instantly grew warmer.
Ronava's gaze fell on Lin En's profile. The flickering firelight illuminated his rain-soaked features, leaving her momentarily distracted.
"Come here."
Lin En looked up, startled for a moment too.
"Hm?"
What does she want now? She usually can't wait for me to get lost, but now she's asking me to come over.
"Come here. Sit closer."
Ronava's voice had lost its usual coldness, but it was very weak.
"If you freeze to death here, I won't have a servant to look after me."
Lin En's mouth twitched. She was still as arrogant as ever, but he obediently moved over.
Half an arm's length separated them. The heat from the fire warmed their faces, and their soaked limbs finally dried off.
The stone walls muffled most of the rain outside the cave, leaving only a dull pattering.
The silence lasted a long time.
There were still a few unused pieces of firewood left in the cave. Lin En added a few to the fire, making the flames grow larger and the cave a little warmer.
He suddenly felt something soft wrap around his arm. Turning his head, he saw it was Ronava. Her clothes had almost dried in the fire's heat.
A cold wind blew in, and her shoulders contracted almost imperceptibly.
"What's wrong?"
Ronava didn't answer. Instead, she edged closer to him, and her face turned red.
"Could it be?"
Lin En placed his palm on her forehead, then pulled it away at once from the heat.
"She really does have a fever. This won't do. I have to think of something."
Lin En hesitated, but still took off his outer garment, wrung out the water, dried it over the fire, and draped it over her.
"So Rulers can get fevers too? No, her authority has been taken back, and she's badly injured. Until she recovers, she's just an ordinary person. It's normal for her to get a fever."
He looked down again and saw Ronava's baby-fat cheeks.
"It should be all right if I give them a pinch, right?"
With that, he reached out and pinched one.
"So soft!"
The rain was still falling outside the cave, and there was no telling when it would stop.
"Ronava, you have to hang in there. My life is in your hands."