Two thousand five hundred years of long waiting. The number weighed heavily on her heart.
Columbina sat on the edge of the bed, her face somewhat pale, her fingers unconsciously clutching the sheets beneath her.
Coppelia watched her in this state and spoke to comfort her. "No need to worry too much. There is actually a way to pass this time a bit faster."
Columbina turned her head to look at Coppelia. "What way?"
"Sleep," Coppelia said. "For long-life species, this is the most convenient way to pass a long period of time."
Coppelia had long considered how Columbina should travel to that future.
She guessed that the other party would fall into a deep slumber in some hidden corner of Ilha Hiisi, only to suddenly appear two thousand years later.
The Children of the Frost Moon would prophesy her return and witness the entire process. For them, this would be the "Birth of the New Moon God."
Perhaps she would even sleep alongside the Moon Spirits; this would explain why, two thousand years later, a pile of Moon Spirits surrounded her the moment she "awakened."
Find a safe place to sleep, and wake up in the future. For her, this was the safest and easiest path.
Sleeping until two thousand five hundred years later... Indeed, if she closed her eyes, she wouldn't perceive the passage of time, and naturally wouldn't feel the torment. Columbina felt this method was feasible.
Feeling slightly more at ease, Columbina asked another question that concerned her: "Are you willing to sleep with me, to go to the future two thousand five hundred years from now?" She looked at the other with eyes full of anticipation.
Coppelia's body was composed of Abyss power; unlike ordinary life forms, she should also be able to exist for a long time. Sleeping alongside her for two thousand five hundred years shouldn't be a problem.
However, Coppelia shook her head. "Sorry. I can't accompany you." Her voice was calm. "Your future does not have a place for me. I also have my own future."
Her own future... Columbina felt a sense of loss again, but also curiosity about Coppelia's future. "What is your future like? I want to accompany you for a while, just like you accompanied me."
Coppelia stared at the hanging wisteria in the distance, her gaze somewhat empty. She remained dazed for two seconds.
She was equally lost regarding her own future. After bringing Columbina to Nod-Krai, her mission seemed to have ended.
So, she answered offhandedly, "Probably... traveling around this world, I suppose."
"Traveling?" They had just experienced such dangerous events; why run around everywhere? Columbina couldn't understand. "But this world is full of danger. Why not go home?"
She still remembered discovering Coppelia on an uninhabited beach. That the other appeared in such a place might mean she was like herself—forced to leave home for some reason.
The word "home" stunned Coppelia. Her brows locked tight as she fell into recollection.
Columbina noticed her demeanor and held her hand. "Can you not return to your own home either?"
Thoughts tumbled through Coppelia's mind, and she felt a wave of茫然 (blankness/confusion).
I can't go back... I have no home in this world. I crossed over here; the world before I crossed over counts as home, but is there any way to return? Moreover, my body from before I crossed over is likely dead. Even if I could go back, would I still be the original "me"?
Not only that. Out of the corner of her eye, she glimpsed her hair and skin, which had turned pale due to the influence of the Abyss power. The power within her was still faintly restless. She could imagine the scene of that power going completely out of control and tearing her to shreds.
The more she thought, the more stifled her chest felt. She lowered her head, her gaze falling on the quilt before her. Her fingers clenched the fabric tight, released, then clenched again. An unprecedented sense of loneliness and helplessness, like a cold tide, slowly drowned her.
Columbina seemed to sense the sinking of her emotions. Like herself, she was someone with a home she couldn't return to.
Columbina found a direction. The hand holding Coppelia's tightened slightly. "I want to help you go home. I can go to many places in this world."
Coppelia lifted her eyes, glanced at her, then looked away. She wanted to say "no need" directly, but feared hurting the other's heart. She took a breath, trying to make her tone appear steady. "You have your road to walk, and I have mine. My situation... is relatively complex."
Columbina pressed on, "Is your home... also like the moon, outside the False Sky?"
I can't exactly say it's on Earth... Coppelia went along with her words. "It is indeed outside the False Sky, and in a place very, very far away. Forget it, there's really no need to worry about me..."
Before she could finish, the chaotic power within her body surged violently. She hurriedly pulled her hand back from Columbina's palm, clutching her abdomen tightly. She gathered all her mental focus inward, beginning a silent and arduous confrontation.
Enduring until the internal restlessness subsided once more, Coppelia slowly opened her eyes. As soon as her vision cleared, she saw Columbina sitting by the bed, her face leaning very close, the corners of her mouth pressed downward in an expression that looked ready to cry.
Seeing her open her eyes, Columbina spoke immediately, her voice trembling. "I want to help. Don't refuse me..." As she spoke, she reached out and took Coppelia's hand.
Coppelia's heart tightened. In the future, they were destined to part. She couldn't intervene in the other's fated trajectory; Teyvat's fate was written as such. The problem lay in how to say goodbye. Disappear silently? Or say "never see you again" to her face? Either way would break the heart of the person before her.
She held Columbina's hand back tightly, using some strength. "Don't be sad," she said. "I will let you help, but not now. Wait until I deal with the Abyss power in my body properly, then we will solve this problem together."
Hearing her promise, the dark clouds on Columbina's face dispersed instantly. The corners of her mouth lifted, blooming into a bright smile. "Then it's a deal. Let me help you; no backing out."
This emotional shift was so fast it caught one off guard; surely no one had taught her this? Coppelia couldn't well retract words already spoken, so she could only smile as well. "No backing out."
Columbina finally released her hand, hopped cheerfully off the bed, and floated toward a corner of the Court of the Silver Moon with a skip and a jump. When she returned, several floating fruits with bright red and yellow skins followed beside her.
"The animals in the forest led me to find these," she gathered the fruits before her. "They're very sweet." She picked up a small one; a faint light shimmered at her fingertips, and the peel peeled away neatly, revealing the crystalline flesh.
She brought the fruit to Coppelia's lips. "You weren't very happy when talking about going home earlier. Eat some of this; you'll be happy after eating."
Coppelia opened her mouth and bit down. The flesh burst between her teeth, and thick, sweet juice instantly filled her mouth, carrying a refreshing scent of vegetation. The overly direct sweetness made her squint subconsciously, saliva secreting in large amounts. She chewed a few times and swallowed.
Just as the thing in her mouth slid into her esophagus, a second peeled fruit was presented to her lips.
Coppelia bit down again, mumbling indistinctly while chewing, "You eat one too."
Columbina peeled one for herself and put it in her mouth. She took small bites, her cheeks puffing out slightly. As she ate, a smile spilled out from the depths of her eyes, as sweet as the taste of that fruit.
Coppelia watched her smile, and something in her heart felt like it had been gently bumped.
She, who had always felt lost regarding her future, suddenly knew what she should do in this moment.
Right now, there was a high probability Columbina would fall into a long slumber. Having accompanied her this far with such difficulty, she absolutely could not let her fall asleep with a mourning face. She should fall asleep wearing a smile, arriving at the other side harboring anticipation for the future.
However, she had to solve this damned Abyss inside her body first. Accompanying her in this half-dead state, Columbina wouldn't be happy either.
Coppelia sped up chewing the pulp in her mouth, swallowed, and looked at Columbina, saying, "Sorry for saying things that made you sad earlier. I've thought it through; even if my home is hard to find, there will always be a way. It's just that I need some time to think of a good solution." She paused, then asked, "Are you willing to wait for me?"
Columbina nodded vigorously, the motion large. "Mhm!"
She finished the fruit in her hand as well and said, "I also need to become a bit stronger."
She thought for a moment, her tone becoming serious. "I want to retrieve the other part of my Spatial Authority. I want to make my power core complete."
She wanted to help Coppelia, but her existing power made her feel inadequate. Speaking of power, she was very concerned about the "broken authority" the Khaenri'ahns had mentioned. Her core was still in a shattered state; even after absorbing the Essence of the Eternal Moon and the Lunar Force dissipating from Ilha Hiisi, it had failed to bridge the gap.
"It seems related to some powerful existence, called Xiu... Xiu..." She tried hard to recall.
"Xiuhcoatl?" Coppelia interjected.
"Right. The people underground in the desert said the other part of my authority is with him. Do you think that's true?" Having experienced a life-and-death deception, she dared not fully believe the words of those strangers.
"It should be true." Inferring from the trajectory of the moonstones' distribution, the damaged core in Columbina's body had flown out from the direction of Natlan back then. It was reasonable for the other half of the authority to remain in Natlan.
"If I want to get it back, what should I do?"
It's not like you absolutely have to get it back... Coppelia wanted to dissuade her. The Dragon race was too dangerous, and their attitude towards the "Three Moons" would likely not be friendly. If Columbina went, she might very well encounter attacks.
But on second thought, the future Columbina possessed the complete Frost Moon Authority, which meant she must have successfully retrieved the missing part.
Coppelia pondered for a moment and said, "You don't need to do anything."
Columbina revealed a puzzled expression.
Coppelia explained, "A hero named Xbalanque will appear in Natlan. He will lead humanity to overthrow the rule of the Dragon race and kill the Fire Dragon King Xiuhcoatl."
She looked at Columbina. "We don't need to participate in this war. We can wait for the war in Natlan to end, wait for the Fire Dragon King to die, and then go. Once they are done fighting, just go directly to find that remaining core."
"War..." Columbina understood the implication, then asked, "I want to go there and take a look."
Coppelia thought for a while. "You can go, but don't have too much contact with them. Don't get yourself involved." She emphasized particularly, "Especially do not get close to the Dragon race. Because of certain past events regarding the 'Three Moons,' the Dragon race might... not be very welcoming to you."
***
Coppelia watched Columbina's figure become transparent in the center of the Court of the Silver Moon, then disappear completely.
Columbina had gone to Natlan to pry into news of the war on that land. Since she decided to wait for the war to end before retrieving the missing authority, it was necessary to go look often. Otherwise, who knew when that war would finally draw to a close?
Her gaze still lingered on the spot where Columbina had vanished, silently reciting, "Safe travels."
Her line of sight moved, sweeping across this cavern hall decorated to be exquisite and dreamlike. The halo of the sea of flowers, the silhouettes of hanging vines, the scattered crescent white stones, and that quietly glowing "moon."
A wave of soft emotion welled up in her heart: Now, it's her turn to look after me. And she did it so well.
But she couldn't always wait for her to look after her. Lying here all day—what was that? The Abyss power in her body was indeed churning, bringing waves of sharp or dull pain, but she clearly still had hands and feet, and could still move.
Sleep by day, sleep by night—could she sleep that power away? She had to take the initiative to do something.
Coppelia took a deep breath, then slowly exhaled. She closed her eyes, sinking her consciousness into her body. That power was still surging violently, like a pot of boiling, viscous black oil, continuously impacting her internal organs and squeezing her bones.
Cold sweat seeped from her forehead, sliding down her temples.
This body would spontaneously absorb Abyss power, like a bottomless pocket. But it seemed to lack a "valve" to actively discharge it.
She had absorbed too much underground before; now it was all silted up inside, impossible to channel. She felt like a rubber ball inflated to its limit; she had to use all her spirit to press dead-hard against the inner walls from all sides to prevent bursting.
As long as her attention slackened slightly, and the pressure found a weak seam—pop—she would turn into fragments all over the ground.
To change this, she had to find a way to discharge this power. She began to think of possible methods.
The first method: Find an existence with stronger "suction" to suck the Abyss power out.
She listed this plan as the last resort. It was theoretically feasible, but its implementation was nearly hopeless. In this world right now, it was probably hard to find such an individual. Not everyone had a peculiar constitution like the yellow-haired Traveler.
The second method: Compress and drive the Abyss power to a specific part of the body, and then... cut it off. That Archon in Chenyu Vale seemed to have walked this path.
She opened her eyes, lifted her fingers, and stroked her own neck. The skin there was smooth, the touch complete; no traces could be found. One couldn't tell at all that a wound deep enough to see bone had once been cut here. This was proof of the body's powerful self-healing ability.
"For me, missing a bit of flesh probably isn't a big problem," she muttered to herself. "This method seems feasible."
But immediately, another thought popped up. "However, that Archon in Chenyu Vale didn't seem to truly shake off the Abyss's influence either. Should I give up this plan...?"
She shook her head, negating her own hesitation.
"No. My situation is different from his. My body is constructed of Abyss power to begin with; I don't need to shake it off completely. Moreover, I haven't become mad like him because of the power in my body."
She clarified her train of thought. "Retaining a small portion should be fine. As long as I can remove the majority and alleviate the pressure..."
"This method is feasible!" She reached a conclusion.
No sooner said than done. She refocused her spirit, attempting to use her will to drive that viscous power within her body, letting it leave the endlessly churning chest and abdomen area and flow toward the calf muscles on her right side.
She tried for a long time. There was more and more sweat on her forehead, and her lips were pressed pale.
But such an attempt failed without surprise.
That power did not "adhere" to her internal organs. It was her internal organs themselves; it was the constituent material of this body.
They were integral to "her," and simply could not be easily "moved" to a different position.
PS: Posting first, editing later.
____
👻🔥Seek: Walnut-chan🔥👻
🔥 New history: Reincarnated as Mahito, Watch Me Manipulate Everyone
✅ Read 40 chapters ahead of everyone else.
✅ Get cool exclusive stuff and updates!
Let's hit these goals:
🎯 100 Powerstones = 1 extra chapter for the public!
🚀140 MEMBERS = 5 extra chapters on all stories for supporters!
👻 P - Walnut-chan