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"Lisa, Albedo, and Master Tighnari—we found all three of them in the library right away. But the topic they were discussing… breathing underwater. At the time, I really wanted to ask—can something like that actually be achieved?"
"Alchemy is very amazing, especially Mr. Albedo and Miss Lisa! Let me give two easy-to-understand examples. Mr. Albedo can use alchemy to bring the things he draws into existence, even if only temporarily. And Miss Lisa can even make a magical potion that turns people into little pigs—also temporarily. The two of them are people I truly admire!"
"Turning people into little pigs… I think I vaguely remember that… Back when it happened right in front of me, I didn't think much of it. Now that I look back on it, it was really dangerous and magical at the same time…"
Sucrose looked a little surprised. "You've actually encountered that kind of potion too?"
"Yeah. That was a story from a long time ago, when I first came to Mondstadt…"
When it came to the deepest part of her past, Collei had spoken, yet didn't know whether it was right to tell a new friend these things. She hesitated, stopping herself from continuing.
Sensing Collei's distress, Sucrose gathered her courage and asked proactively, "I remember you said that the wish you want to make after obtaining the 'lantern of utmost joy' is to change your personality. But after spending these past few days together, I honestly don't think there's anything wrong with your personality at all. Is something troubling you?"
"..."
"Ah… asking something like this so suddenly, when we've only known each other for a few days, might be too rash of me! But I was selected by the Knights of Favonius as this year's 'Windblume Festival Special Envoy,' you know. With that title comes responsibility—during a festival that symbolizes gratitude and love, my duty is to do whatever good I can for everyone. So, if there's anything on your mind, please tell me!"
"Sucrose… I… I actually don't really know how to get along with Amber and the others."
"But if I didn't observe wrong, you and Amber are very good friends, right?"
Collei silently nodded. She took two deep breaths before explaining, very uncertainly,
"I value Amber as a friend very much… but… I don't know, maybe the problem is me…
"When I first came to Mondstadt, I was very immature. I was extremely guarded and unfriendly to everyone… Amber practically chased after me, trying to be my friend.
"If it weren't for her, I might not be standing here today. Precisely because of that, I admire her so much. I wanted to imitate her and become someone like her.
"But as the years passed, I realized something… I can never become Amber.
"Rather, that idea itself was ridiculous. There isn't a single thing about us that's the same, from head to toe. My personality isn't very good either—I get nervous easily and overthink everything…"
"Please don't say that," Sucrose objected. "No two people in this world are exactly the same. Amber's personality is wonderful, and so is yours."
"…Sucrose, would you… be willing to listen to my past? A story that's a bit long, and not very interesting."
"For me, being able to hear what's in someone's heart is the highest form of trust. Because… um… you've probably already noticed that I'm not very good at chatting. But as long as you're willing to talk, I'm willing to listen!"
Collei took another deep breath. Then, having made up her mind, she began to tell that long, not-very-interesting story.
"About half a year ago, I was still suffering from a strange illness called Eleazar. No one had ever truly cured it before. But the Fatui deceived my mother, telling her they could eradicate Eleazar, when in reality they just wanted to use me as experimental material…
I fell into the hands of that 'Doctor,' someone who never understood what respect for life meant. He used remnants of gods to conduct experiments on me and other children. That period was extremely painful… many children died, only a few survived. My Eleazar really was suppressed, but in exchange I had to endure the suffering brought by the god remnants.
During that time, my mother once came looking for me. One time, I heard her calling my name, and then… then I heard the voices of the Fatui. They actually said something like, 'How troublesome. Deal with it yourselves'…
From that day on, I never saw my mother again.
Later, by chance, many of us children managed to escape. But we were wounded, cursed, and sick. There was no place for us in the normal world. We could only keep wandering… or rather, fleeing. Many people died to nature, or to the curse.
Once, we were chased by wild beasts. In the chaos, I was knocked by the last remaining companion and nearly fell off a cliff. I grabbed onto a tree branch and reached out my hand to her. She just looked at me with a complicated expression, then ran away on her own.
But she didn't escape the beasts. Only I did—trapped on the cliff, narrowly surviving. I became the last survivor among us…
From that moment on, I learned never to reach out my hand to anyone again.
Later, driven by revenge, I followed the Fatui's trail to Mondstadt. The city guards feared I would spread disease and forbade me from entering the city. Meanwhile, the Fatui who had persecuted us sat in a carriage, posing as diplomats, openly leaving the city through the gates.
I killed them, using the cursed power they had given me. And in the chaos, I slipped into Mondstadt.
That was when I met everyone from the Knights of Favonius.
Mr. Kaeya always looks like he's smiling, but he's actually very strict. Acting Grand Master Jean looks extremely serious, but she's actually very gentle. Lisa looks gentle—and truly is gentle. A diplomat's death is no small matter. They already knew I was highly suspicious back then, yet not a single one of them chose to hand me over to the Fatui. They really are wonderful people.
As for Amber… the first time we met, I nearly hurt her because my curse went out of control. But she was always concerned about me. She ignored my strange appearance, wrapped in bandages, and took me to the top of the Favonius Cathedral to see the view. She took me flying with a Wind Glider, brought me to the library to look up the information I wanted, and took me to play at the Ludi Harpastum. We ate piled-up food, drank ginger soda, played ring toss, and watched circus performances.
Then I was chosen as a participant in the magic trick 'Disappearing Act' and locked inside a sealed box. The darkness triggered memories of being captured by the Fatui, and I became extremely uneasy. There happened to be a short knife inside the box. The moment Amber found me and opened it; I stabbed at her without hesitation. I will never forget the fear in her eyes at that moment…
Fortunately, it was a toy knife.
Amber didn't ask anything. She even comforted me instead, as if nothing had happened.
After that, Amber saved me again from Mr. Kaeya's hands. And after learning that I was the one who killed the diplomat, she still chose to tolerate me and help me, at least until I explained my reasons.
Lisa even invited Cyno to help seal my curse. The Fatui, however, treated me as a precious test subject and wanted to capture me again. Amber protected me once more, and Mr. Kaeya cleverly handed over someone disguised as the culprit to the Fatui to resolve the matter. I heard that the impostor later defeated the Fatui escorting him midway and successfully escaped.
And in order to control my illness and curse, I bade farewell to everyone in Mondstadt, followed Cyno to Sumeru, and became Master Tighnari's student.
After that, my Eleazar was cured. Although I told Amber in my letters that we'd meet again at the next Ludi Harpastum, I really couldn't hold back. That's why I ran back to Mondstadt as early as the Windblume Festival to visit everyone."
It was heavy—so overwhelmingly heavy.
It was precisely such a past that had shaped Collei into who she was now.
If she hadn't experienced all of this, what would she have become?
Sucrose couldn't help but wonder.
"I… I'm not very good at comforting people, and I won't tell you that you have to think positively or anything like that. Let's just sit here for a while, okay? Think about nothing, and just sit quietly."
"…Thank you, Sucrose. Just saying it out loud already makes me feel much better."
"..."
"..."
"Actually, when I'm sad, I talk to my flasks too. Even though I don't have such a heavy past, I really feel like we're very similar… feeling awkward and at a loss in front of strangers, rehearsing conversations in our heads even with people we know, afraid of saying the wrong thing and making things awkward. And learning under a genius isn't easy either…"
"That's true!"
"Hey, look at that cloud in the sky. Doesn't it look a bit like my test tube?"
"Uh… I… I think… sorry…"
"Alright then… maybe we're still just a tiny bit different, at least when it comes to vision."
"Haha. Alright, alright. Let's not waste any more time because of me. Cheer up and let's continue our work." Collei took out the list of prophecy candidates and counted while comparing. "We also ran into Amber, Klee, Noelle, and Eula, who were patrolling together, so we found three more people."
"That means all that's left are Mona, Mika, Bennett, Razor, Cyno, and Victor… Among them, Miss Lisa said that Razor, Bennett, and Mika were together, but unfortunately we didn't run into them. I wonder how Lumine and Paimon are doing. They went to look for Mona first, right? With astrology to help, things should go pretty smoothly."
"Master Tighnari also said that Cyno went to the tavern to play cards, but we didn't find him earlier at the Cat's Tail. Should we go check again?"
"If he's playing cards at a tavern, it doesn't necessarily have to be the Cat's Tail. I think this time we can try Angel's Share."
"Mm, either way works."
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