Three sentences to make Furina feel guilty for eighteen days

Xingsu froze in place.

From afar, he saw that woman in black with her piercing presence, and his heart inexplicably clenched.

Unfamiliar, cold, domineering, lofty.

And yet-

So very familiar.

A bone-deep palpitation swept through him, yet his blank memory could find not a single fragment about the woman before him.

He did not know her.

Yet looking at her back inexplicably left him aching and suffocating, as though he had glimpsed a grand, devastating old dream he had utterly forgotten.

Faint sobs drifted over on the evening breeze, pulling Xingsu out of his tangled thoughts.

Coming back to his senses, Xingsu turned toward Furina, who was still slumped on the ground.

Furina, who had been forcing herself to remain on guard just moments ago, shed her tense shell. She clutched her legs tightly with both hands, her ornate top hat tilted to one side, her shoulders trembling slightly.

She bit her lower lip hard, trying to keep her sobs from carrying. Tears kept rolling from the corners of her eyes, soaking the lace trim on her clothes, and she could no longer maintain her usual flamboyant demeanor.

The little black-and-white kitten beside her cautiously rubbed against her leg, offering soft purrs to comfort her.

Xingsu slowed his steps and gradually approached the terrified girl, asking in a gentle voice:

"Um, miss, are you all right? That person just now..."

Like a frightened kitten curling into itself, Furina scrambled backward several times, her hands and feet pressed against the ground. Her exquisite skirt brushed over the damp, puddled paving stones, picking up little water stains.

Tears still lingered around her eyes, her nose was red, and her voice trembled from crying as she stammered with blustering bravado, "Y-y-y-you, don't come any closer! I-I am Focalors, the Hydro Archon! A-aren't you afraid I'll condemn you?"

As she spoke, she unconsciously tried to hide behind the little cow-patterned kitten beside her. Despite being scared to death herself, she still desperately put on the airs of a god, trying to intimidate this unfamiliar traveler with her divine identity.

Unfortunately, Xingsu had only arrived in Fontaine today and did not recognize her at all. Furina was nothing more than a name to him; he had never seen what this Fontaine superstar looked like.

Besides, the odds of encountering the Hydro Archon being assassinated on open ground in the middle of the night were no better than those of eating hot pot and singing, only for a band of bandits to suddenly appear, give you a ton of gold, then abduct you to the county town to marry Master Huang.

Speaking of which, was public safety in Fontaine really this bad? Criminals actually dared to openly carry out assassinations in the dead of night.

Right now, Xingsu could only think that this girl must have been frightened. It might even be...

Dissociative identity disorder-Xingsu had read relevant Vahumana books in the House of Daena during his free time.

To protect the host, the brain split the pain off into an independent personality. When the person encountered a fright or intense stress in adulthood, the dormant alternate personality would activate and take control of the body.

It seemed the second personality in this girl's subconscious believed herself to be Fontaine's lofty Hydro Archon.

It wasn't her fault. I should calm her down first.

"All right, all right, Lady Focalors. I am Morax, the God of War, and I'm here to help you."

"You!"

Furina was both angry and embarrassed. He had treated the imposing threat she had just put on as though it were a claim that Chlothar was five feet tall-not buying it. Her cheeks flushed red.

But seeing that he seemed to mean no harm, she looked Xingsu up and down. He did not look like a Fontaine local, and he appeared travel-worn.

Clutching her crumpled skirt, she braced herself against the ground and struggled to stand. She wiped the lingering tears from the corners of her eyes and forced herself back into the proud bearing befitting the Hydro Archon, firing off several questions to probe his background.

"W-where did you come from?"

Xingsu fell silent for a moment, then decided to chat with this poor, frightened girl.

"I'm a scholar from Sumeru."

"Then why did you come to Fontaine?"

"...Because I encroached on the sages' interests, the Akademiya drove me out of Sumeru."

"..."

Furina helplessly tightened her grip on the lace trim of her skirt. She still stumbled over her words, unable to muster even a trace of the Hydro Archon's airs:

"S-so that's what happened... The sages of the Akademiya would actually ostracize an innocent scholar?

"Th-then, why are y-you still here so late? Don't you have work tomorrow?"

"...I spent all day looking for work in the city. No one would hire me..."

"Th-th-th-then what about your family?"

"...I'm an orphan. I have no family."

"..."

I'm such a terrible person!

Someone was going to have trouble sleeping tonight.

Furina clutched the exquisite lace of her skirt, her fingertips twisting the fabric in panic. Guilt enveloped her like icy river water, leaving her unable to meet Xingsu's calm, forlorn eyes. She could only turn her head in a fluster to look at the kitten by her feet. Stammering, she used the last of her courage to utter the most timid words:

"S-sorry!"

"Ah, huh? No, you don't need to apologize. Um, you're all right now, aren't you? I just remembered I left my bag by the canal, so I'll say goodbye!"

With that, he gave a slight bow and turned to hurry toward the riverside before Furina could respond.

By the canal...

"!!! Don't do anything rash!"

As she spoke, Furina hurried after him.

The evening breeze swept over him, carrying the damp chill of the canal, as Xingsu rushed back to the bench where he had rested earlier.

But there was nothing beside the stone bench, only a few drops of night dew yet to dry on the ground. He searched all over the bench and the surrounding grass, his fingertips brushing the cold stone as he groped fruitlessly over and over. At last, all his movements abruptly froze.

A bitter sob welled up in his throat, and exhaustion and despair instantly crushed the last shred of strength that had sustained him through days of travel.

It seemed the author was right. Public safety in Fontaine really was terrible.

"...Gone, gone, it's all gone... My travel money... A whole year of my hard work..."

His helpless murmurs broke apart in the wind, hoarse and feeble.

That bag had held everything he owned-the dry rations Dehya had given him, every bit of Mora he had saved, and the Wisdom Network's core components and all his research manuscripts, which he valued as much as his own life.

His legs gave way, and he dropped heavily to his knees beside the icy bench. His frail figure curled up in the shadow of the dim streetlamp, like a helpless, abandoned child.

A flurry of hurried footsteps approached.

Furina had followed him all the way, her heart full of guilt. She had only just rounded the alley's corner when this sight caught her off guard.

To think he had heard my startled cry here and rushed over to save me, only to return and discover all his belongings had been stolen.

...She felt even guiltier.

Clutching her skirt, Furina approached quietly, step by step, her voice so soft it was as though she feared disturbing him in his grief:

"Um... I'm sorry... I'm really sorry. Why don't I help you?"

Xingsu turned to look at the girl who had hurried over. She had a mental illness herself, yet she had still come to help him. He forced out a smile that looked worse than crying:

"Thank you, but there's no need. You have it pretty hard yourself..."

"..."

What does he take me for?!