Night.
Moonlight poured down.
Callas sat at his desk, having finished the last task of the day.
He stood up and stretched his muscles.
Suddenly, a coughing fit struck him.
"Cough cough… cough cough…"
The violent coughing drained him of energy, and he had to sit back down.
After a while, the discomfort from the coughing gradually faded.
He let out a long sigh.
It seemed that his health was deteriorating day by day. If this continued, would he really have five more years?
The doctor probably counted the days when he'd be bedridden and unable to get out of bed as well.
Callas gave a self-deprecating smile, then stood up and left the study, heading to the living room.
It was getting late. Navia was sitting on the couch, holding a book about cooking, reading silently.
"Has Yuxie not come back yet?" Callas asked casually.
This was no longer a surprising occurrence. When Yuxie still lived in Poisson Village, he often came home late.
"Mm, he's really something. Just got back to Poisson Village and still hasn't come home this late." Navia's gaze shifted away from the book, and she seemed a little 'angry.'
"Don't worry about him. He's not a child anymore." Callas said. "I'm a little tired, so I'll go rest. Don't stay up too late yourself. Girls should get enough sleep, otherwise, your skin will start to suffer."
"I know, Dad." Navia responded.
After that, Callas went back to his room.
Navia sat alone in the living room and picked up her book again.
The light flickered, casting Navia's shadow on the wall.
Time passed, and before long, sleepiness began to take over. Navia's eyelids grew heavy.
She leaned back on the sofa and fell asleep.
Light footsteps were heard.
Yuxie's figure appeared in the living room.
Seeing Navia sleeping on the sofa, Yuxie couldn't help but smile in slight helplessness. He then went to his room, took a blanket, and covered Navia with it.
Navia's eyes were closed, her breathing even, her sleeping face serene.
Yuxie gazed at her for a long time without looking away.
"Do you like her?" ChangSheng coiled around Yuxie's shoulder suddenly spoke in a soft voice.
Yuxie froze.
"Is this really the right thing to do? To save her father, the time you can spend with her might be limited." ChangSheng spoke again, its voice soft.
"There's no right or wrong in this. To change fate, one must always pay some price." Yuxie responded quietly, turning and walking toward Callas' room.
The room was dark, with no lights on, a little dim.
Callas was already fast asleep.
Standing at the bedside, Yuxie looked at the man who had "started" his current life, and said nothing.
"Let's begin." After a long pause, he whispered.
A soft and faint glow began to emanate from Yuxie's hands, gradually enveloping his entire body. It expanded further, eventually surrounding Callas as well.
The secret method was activated.
Yuxie closed his eyes. In an intangible way, he could feel many things.
The pain of the illness, the weakness throughout his body—many of Uncle Callas' sensations were transmitted to Yuxie through this secret method. In return, Yuxie transferred his own vitality to Uncle Callas.
Time slowly passed, and beads of sweat appeared on Yuxie's forehead.
The illness in Uncle Callas' body had not yet been completely eradicated, but the sensation of it deeply rooting into the lungs had caused Yuxie to feel unsteady on his feet. Yet, he did not stop.
Not enough.
There was still more to do.
Yuxie had no other thoughts. He just didn't want to see Navia and her father part so soon.
If he had never come to Teyvat, if he had always been a mere observer, perhaps he would have respected the original outcome, respected the idea of "everyone has their own fate."
But he was here now. He was no longer just an observer.
The outcomes that once seemed unsolvable, the knots that could not be untied, now lay within his ability to unravel.
So, what was there to hesitate about?
In life, there are always some things that make you willing to pay any price. You know well what the consequences will be, yet you still go forward without hesitation.
That is the strange and complicated nature of humanity.
"I knew it would come to this." ChangSheng looked at the scene, softly muttering to itself, a look of reluctance in its eyes.
The faint glow faded, and the room returned to darkness.
Yuxie's form swayed, barely managing to stand steady.
His clothes were soaked in sweat, and beads of sweat dripped down his cheeks.
Perhaps due to his unfamiliarity with this secret method, Yuxie had nearly transferred all of his vitality to Uncle Callas in order to completely eliminate the stubborn illness in Callas' body.
[Remaining Lifespan: 65 Days]
...
Furina lay on the bed, the light still on in the room.
For some reason, she couldn't sleep tonight.
It was already past midnight, yet there was no sign of sleepiness.
From time to time, her mind drifted to Yuxie's face and the things he said earlier.
"Why did he ask me what I would do if one day I'm no longer the Hydro Archon?" Furina muttered to herself.
Thinking of this, Furina suddenly sprang up from the bed.
The feeling in her heart grew more and more wrong.
"Could it be that Yuxie...?"
Suddenly, a sense of fear blossomed in Furina's heart, but at the same time, a certain hope emerged as well.
She was afraid that her secret would be discovered, that all the efforts of so many years would go to waste. But at the same time, she desperately longed for someone to understand her current situation, someone who could share her pain, even if only a little.
If that person were Yuxie...
But... Furina knew very well that from that day forward, she was destined to walk alone in loneliness.
Reason triumphed over emotion.
"Yuxie, I hope this is just my illusion. I hope you don't know anything..."
...
In the dead of night, Yuxie returned to the hotel room, and ChangSheng also returned to Bai Zhu's body.
Everything had been completed. Yuxie sat in a chair, holding a cup of water, his face looking haggard.
"Are you okay?" Bai Zhu asked with concern.
"I'm fine." Yuxie said calmly.
"I have one question. Although I've asked Bai Zhu countless times, I still want to ask today." ChangSheng lifted its gaze to Yuxie. "Is it really worth it to do this?"
"This question..." Yuxie looked at his reflection in the cup of water. "Whether it's worth it, I don't know. But I think, if I had the chance to do it again, I would still choose to do the same thing."
He could start his life over again, but Uncle Callas only had one life, and Navia only had one life.
So he could not find a reason not to do it.
"I really don't understand you people more and more." ChangSheng shifted its gaze to Bai Zhu. "Maybe I never understood you at all."
Yuxie gave a faint smile and did not speak further.
Neither Bai Zhu nor ChangSheng broke the silence.
Outside the window, the night sky was studded with stars, and the bright moonlight bathed the entire Fontaine Court. The tall buildings of Fontaine Court seemed to sleep like a baby.
Looking out the window, Yuxie's gaze reached the point where the beautiful night sky, destined not to remain in memory, faded beyond view.
End of chapter
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