(Kazuha x Tomo) Ephemeral Autumn Leaves

9. Wisdom from the Sands of Sumeru

The two soon said their goodbyes to Zhongli, though not before the mysterious man asked if they had any mora to pay for the wine he'd purchased. Kazuha was baffled at how such a well-dressed man could happen to have not a single coin on him. What a strange individual. Kazuha never happened to have much money on hand himself, but luckily Cyno was willing to pay the bill. Kazuha was about to head back to the Alcor, but it seemed Cyno didn't quite want to part ways just yet.

"I have some questions, if you don't mind answering," he asked sheepishly.

"Oh...? Sure..." Kazuha didn't know how much he could offer, but decided to fulfill the boy's wishes.

"Firstly, who was it that told you that the Priest may know of a way to rekindle a Vision?"

"Guuji Yae, the chief priestess of the Grand Narukami Shrine in Inazuma."

"The chief priestess...?" Cyno repeated with a nod. He seemed to be piecing together a puzzle in his mind as Kazuha spoke, though Kazuha couldn't tell what conclusions he was drawing. Pulling out a scroll and a pen, the boy hastily began to jot down notes. "Secondly, you said that the purple Seelie had been following you since you left Inazuma. Do you mind sharing more details on when it first appeared to you, and when it has appeared to you since?"

The question struck a chord in Kazuha's heart as he was reminded of his first encounter with the Seelie, on the day that Tomo was struck down by the Musou no Hitotachi and he was forced to flee from Narukami Island. Nevertheless, he recalled to the curious scholar how this Seelie had appeared to him during the storm, guiding him to safety, and how it had likewise reappeared to him during his ascent of Mount Yougou and over the waves as he departed from Ritou. Cyno said nothing as he nodded with excitement, continuing to scribble down notes as Kazuha spoke. Finally, Kazuha brought up the most recent encounter, when the Seelie had appeared over the street and guided them to Mr. Zhongli.

"This Seelie acts in an extremely peculiar manner compared to others," Cyno pointed out. "Typically, they will guide travellers to a Seelie Court, though I have heard of instances where they will grow an attachment towards certain individuals and follow them around. You said that this Seelie first appeared to you on the day your friend who wielded an Electro Vision was slain by the Raiden Shogun's Musou no Hitotachi, correct?"

Kazuha flinched at those words, but nodded simply. "Correct."

Cyno tapped his pen against the scroll and furrowed his brow as he fell deep into thought. "The Seelie are said to be the remnants of a race which once existed, one that withered away after their civilization was struck by calamity, and they were punished by eternal separation, cursed by being robbed of their memories. However, not all the Seelies withered away, though there is a lack of information on what happened to those who maintained their humanoid forms..."

Kazuha didn't know exactly where Cyno was going with this, but remained silent as he listened to the other boy ramble on.

Cyno snapped his finger as a glimmer of light filled his eyes. He seemed to have come to a conclusion. "If descendants of that race still exist today....then I suppose it could be possible that they might take on the form of Seelies when they pass on from this life."

Kazuha blinked in confusion, trying to comprehend exactly what the scholar from Sumeru was proposing. "Are you suggesting that...?"

"The Seelie which is following you around is the spirit of your friend who was slain by the Musou no Hitotachi," Cyno nodded. "Of course, this is just a hypothesis, however, the details all line up. This is...a fascinating theory to say the least! I must publish a paper on this when I return to Sumeru Academia!"