A few days later.
On a weekend, the Knights' Order invited Yuxie and Eula to join them for an internal outing to enjoy the outdoors.
Everyone arrived at Starfell Lake, located in the Starfell Valley.
The lake was clear, with white cranes perched on the shore, and in the middle of the lake, there was a small island with a statue of the Seven Archons.
In short, the scenery was beautiful, and it was a great place for a picnic.
In such a beautiful place, one's mood would naturally improve.
Venti was also invited this time, due to his outstanding performance during the snow mountain incident.
At this moment, Venti was sitting by Starfell Lake, holding a wine jug.
Yuxie walked over and sat beside him.
"Venti, thanks again for your help last time in the snow mountain. If you hadn't arrived in time, things might have gotten really complicated."
Venti turned his head and smiled at Yuxie.
"Good thing I arrived in time, or I wouldn't know how to explain it to Vennessa."
"Did we… get along well in the past?" Yuxie asked, not for the first time.
"Of course we did. We were so close that sometimes she'd even ask me to leave." Venti spoke with a hint of playful resentment.
"Is Vennessa… over there now?" Yuxie looked up at the island floating in the sea of clouds above.
If he remembered correctly, at the end of her story, Vennessa had ascended to the Sky Island.
"Probably, though I don't know if I'll ever have the chance to see her again." Venti opened the wine jug, took a sip, and smiled.
Yeah, who knew if he'd ever get to meet Vennessa again?
Although he didn't have memories from that lifetime, even if they met, Yuxie probably wouldn't recognize Vennessa. But if possible, he would like to meet that legendary figure from Mondstadt.
How did he and Vennessa meet in that lifetime? What had they experienced together?
A breeze brushed over the surface of the lake, interrupting Yuxie's thoughts. Following the wind, Yuxie noticed that Jean was standing at a high point in the distance. For some reason, he sensed a hint of sorrow in her posture.
"Venti, you rest here, I'm going to take a look around." Yuxie stood up. "I'll call you when the food is ready."
"What's for food?" Venti looked excited.
"That depends on what Eula, Amber, and Lisa catch." Yuxie rubbed his chin.
He walked to the side where Jean was still gazing into the distance.
"Jean," Yuxie greeted.
"Yuxie, it's you." Jean glanced at him briefly before continuing to look out at the scenery.
"Aren't you going to join Eula and the others for fishing?"
"I'm not good at fishing." Jean smiled gently. "What about you? Why aren't you going?"
"Because I think you don't seem very happy," Yuxie said. "If you don't mind, you can tell me what's bothering you. Maybe I can help."
Jean was momentarily taken aback.
"...I feel that my abilities are still far from enough. Last time, at the snow mountain, it was you and Mr. Venti who solved the crisis, and I didn't do anything. I've been thinking, if I were the one in the Wyrmrest Valley at that time, would I have been able to solve the problem?"
"I've asked myself that question several times, but it seems there's no answer. I inherited Lady Vennessa's title and became a Dandelion Knight, but I'm still far from being mature enough."
"You are definitely a competent and mature Dandelion Knight, there's no doubt about that," Yuxie said firmly. "If you don't believe me, we can go to the streets of Mondstadt and ask any random passerby. They'll surely speak highly of you. And I'm sure Vennessa would recognize you as well."
"Wh-why do you say that?" Jean asked, hesitating.
"Because you always help others without thinking of yourself. You may not know this, but many people in Mondstadt trust you deeply because you've proven through your actions that you are truly worthy of the Gunnhildr surname and the title of Dandelion Knight."
"..."
"So, stop saying things like you're not mature enough. You need to believe in yourself. If Vennessa saw that her title was inherited by you, she would definitely smile with pride."
A gentle breeze brushed past, ruffling Jean's hair at her temple. Suddenly, Jean realized that she had been overthinking everything.
As a Dandelion Knight, as the vice-captain of the Knights of Favonius, what she should be doing wasn't doubting herself, but focusing on doing her duties well and striving even harder.
"Thank you, Yuxie. I understand now." Jean turned her head and gave him a small smile.
"Then cherish the present moment and go join everyone," Yuxie said, returning her smile.
But suddenly, Yuxie felt a wave of dizziness wash over him.
Strange images flashed through his mind.
It was like the dream he had on the snow mountain. In the vision, there was a calm lake, and in the center of the lake sat Durin, quietly sobbing.
"I'm sorry…"
Durin was still apologizing.
This time, Yuxie suddenly understood that the apology was directed at him.
But why?
"Yuxie, what's wrong?" Jean's worried voice brought Yuxie back to reality.
Yuxie slapped his forehead lightly and smiled gently.
"It's nothing. Let's go. Let's see what fish Eula and the others have caught."
The day passed quickly, and the outing came to an end with cheerful laughter.
Such moments were always hard to part with, but like all joyful times, they eventually had to come to an end.
As everyone bid their farewells, they each headed home, agreeing to meet again when they had the time.
Mondstadt, the city of wind and freedom, was growing on Yuxie.
He liked the streets here, he liked the people, and he liked the wind that blew through the city.
If he could continue living here with everyone, living together until the very end, Yuxie felt that there was nothing wrong with that.
That night, Yuxie dreamed again of the scene he had seen on the snow mountain.
The same lake, the same scenery, the only difference was that Durin had stopped crying.
Yuxie walked up to Durin's side, and Durin slowly turned to look at him.
This time, Yuxie knew it was a dream.
"We meet again," he said.
"I'm sorry..." Durin responded.
"Why are you apologizing to me?"
"..." Durin was silent. Though it no longer wept, there was a deep sorrow in its eyes, as if it were repenting.
It was like a child who had done something wrong—Durin looked at Yuxie, silently pleading for forgiveness.
"I'm sorry... I've hurt you."
"You hurt me?" Yuxie paused. "Are you referring to what happened on the snow mountain some time ago?"
"I've made too many mistakes, and I can only atone with my death, but you're a good person. You shouldn't have..."
This made Yuxie furrow his brow.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry... it's my fault I hurt you..." Durin 's eyes filled with tears again, which fell into the lake, creating ripples.
The morning sunlight dispelled the dream, waking Yuxie.
Yuxie slowly opened his eyes and sat up.
He looked at his hands, where faint, dark crimson light flickered on his arms.
In an instant, Yuxie felt something ominous within the glowing light. A flood of images surged into his mind.
He saw calamity arriving—fire spreading across the land, people displaced and desperate.
For some reason, Yuxie understood: these were the images from centuries ago, when Durin had brought about the calamity.
And the dark crimson light on his arm was the power that had always resided within Durin. It was the source of the influence that had led Durin to bring forth the disaster.
Perhaps it was because he had been in close contact with the "resurrected" Durin last time, and that power had transferred to him.
This was not good news. This was a thing of calamity, and it should not exist in the world.
End of chapter
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