(This chapter is a flashback)
At 1 PM, Yu Xie sat under a tree by the square, watching the occasional passersby and the fountain in the center of the square that never stopped flowing.
It was an unbearably hot day, with the scorching sun roasting the earth. In such intense heat, there weren't many people in the square; sometimes it would take several minutes before someone would pass by.
In this weather, Yu Xie hadn't planned to go out, but he had to meet someone, so he made the trip.
But there was something strange—why did Rosalyne insist on meeting at the hottest time of the day?
Just as he was feeling puzzled and helpless, the sound of footsteps broke through his thoughts.
Yu Xie turned his gaze toward the sound.
He saw soft, golden hair and that familiar, beautiful face.
Rosalyne, dressed in a white dress, walked up to him with an apologetic look on her face.
"Sorry, I'm a little late."
Before leaving her house, Rosalyne had been indecisive about what to wear. After much hesitation, she ended up being late.
"It's fine, but why did you choose to come out at this time, when the sun is so strong? Aren't you afraid of getting tanned?" Yu Xie asked.
"I… I heard a rumor. It's said that there's an old woman who sells incense. Every summer, during the hottest part of the day, she sets up a stall. And if two people buy her incense together, their friendship will… last forever."
As she said this, Rosalyne's voice grew softer and softer, until her words were filled with bashfulness.
"Rosalyne..." Yu Xie wanted to speak but hesitated.
He could certainly sense Rosalyne's feelings for him. It was the sincere and deep affection of a young girl experiencing love for the first time, hidden in her eyes. Every time she looked at him, her gaze seemed to shine with a brilliant light.
Yu Xie, however, had never imagined that Rosalyne would have feelings for him.
The development of things seemed so different from the way the story was supposed to unfold...
"Let's go quickly. We should try to find that old woman from the rumor. What if it's true?" Rosalyne said anxiously.
Reluctantly, even though Yu Xie knew that such a rumor was nearly impossible to be true, he still agreed to accompany Rosalyne in search of the old woman.
Under the scorching summer sun, the two of them wandered through the streets and alleys of Mondstadt, until the sky gradually darkened, and the golden sunset bathed the city, casting a thin veil of gold over all of Mondstadt.
In the end, they didn't find the rumored old woman who sold incense.
Rosalyne seemed a bit disappointed.
Yu Xie looked at her with a feeling of sympathy in his heart.
This innocent girl always believed in others so easily, and in the end, it was she who got hurt.
"Rosalyne, let's take a walk by the Cider Lake," Yu Xie suggested after a brief hesitation.
"Mhm," Rosalyne nodded, giving him a faint smile.
By the lakeside at sunset, the two of them stood together.
The golden sunset reflected off the surface of the lake, making the water shimmer.
"We didn't find her today, but we'll try again tomorrow. After all, summer isn't over yet, right?" Yu Xie said.
"...Yu Xie, am I too naive? I should have known that rumor was fake from the start, but I still dragged you along to search with me..." Rosalyne's eyelids lowered.
"We'll find her tomorrow. I'm sure of it," Yu Xie said with a smile, looking at Rosalyne seriously. "Trust me."
Rosalyne stared at Yu Xie's smile for a few seconds, dazed, before her own smile blossomed once again.
"Mhm, then let's go look again tomorrow!"
"That's the smile I like to see. You look much prettier when you smile," Yu Xie said with a smile of his own. "By the way, Rosalyne, could you sing the song you sang for me last time?"
"Eh? Now? Here?" Rosalyne blinked in surprise, and a slight blush appeared on her cheeks.
"Is it not okay?"
"It's... not that it's not okay," Rosalyne hesitated for a moment, "Well, alright then."
With that, Rosalyne took a few steps forward, then turned around to face Yu Xie.
She took several deep breaths, looking a little nervous.
"Should I start now?"
"Mhm." Yu Xie nodded.
The sound of a heavenly song filled the air. Rosalyne stood there, her gaze focused and full of emotion, singing each note with the sincerest feelings.
Yu Xie closed his eyes, quietly listening, his heart fully absorbed in her voice.
...
The next day.
This time, Rosalyne and Yu Xie found the old woman who sold the incense and bought the incense together.
Rosalyne couldn't help but feel a burst of joy inside. But when she looked at Yu Xie, her excitement calmed down, and she suddenly seemed to understand something.
The rumor must have been false, but now she had the incense in hand. Could it be that it was because of Yu Xie...?
Rosalyne wanted to ask Yu Xie, but in the end, she didn't say anything.
She carefully put the incense away.
No matter what the truth behind this rumor was, the meaning of this incense was unique to her.
That day, under the sunset, Rosalyne's smile was particularly captivating.
Just like yesterday, the two of them walked along the shore of Cider Lake, enjoying the gentle breeze that came their way.
"By the way, Yu Xie, you've been in Mondstadt for a while now. Have you thought about getting a Mondstadt name?" Rosalyne suddenly suggested.
"A Mondstadt name?" Yu Xie hesitated for a moment. "Sure, but I'm not very good at picking names. Why don't you come up with one for me?"
"...Let me think..." Rosalyne pondered for a moment. "Ah! I've got it! How about the name 'Rostam'?"
Yu Xie was momentarily stunned.
...
"I'm going to the Sumeru Academia to study! Wait for me to graduate and come back! I'll work hard and graduate as soon as I can. You work hard in the Knights too!"
"When I return from Sumeru... I... I'll marry you!"
Rosalyne had always believed that the day of that promise would eventually come. She thought that one day, she would wear a white wedding dress for Yu Xie.
But when Rosalyne returned to Mondstadt, she didn't even get to see Yu Xie one last time.
All she saw was a vast sea of flames. The roaring fire seemed as though it was going to burn the entire world to the ground.
The laughter of the past was gone, replaced by painful wails.
Everything had been consumed by the flames, leaving only meaningless ashes, and the air was searing hot.
The places she and Yu Xie had once visited together were now engulfed in fire, the spots that held their memories slowly fading away in the flames.
Because of this sudden disaster, Rosalyne lost everything.
That innocent Rosalyne ceased to exist from that moment onward.
From then on, there was only the Crimson Witch of Flames, with fire flowing through her veins.
End of chapter
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