I shall Protect You

A way to help a Friend

Who has the audacity to hurt her beloved? Anger boiled within her. "Who hurt you?!". Tighnari rushes inside to see what all the yelling was about. Collei wasn't too far behind. "What's with all of the ruckus so early in the morning?". So many possibilities ran through her head. 

Who could've hurt Xiao? Is it the mysterious boy? Lily fiercely glares at him. Collei enters and notices that Lily is awake. "Oh my! You're awake!". Collei ran over to the couple. Lily protectively wrapped herself around Xiao as she approached.

These two could be hostile or she's just blowing everything out of proportion again. Tighnari quickly noticed the same protection that Xiao made before. His mind connected the dots. No wonder they're so protective of each other. "Easy, there. Just like I said to your lover, we mean you no harm". 'Calm your nerves, Liliana. These two helped Xiao out when he injured himself'. 

With her mother's words she finally calmed down. Lily releases her grip on Xiao. "I apologize for my rudeness earlier". Tighnari shakes his head "You did nothing wrong. Protecting someone you love is understandable".

Since she calmed down, Lily was told what happened until she woke up. Xiao was exposed by the withering in the forest and was treated by Tighnari. Just to be on the safe side Tighnari did an exam on Lily to see if she was affected even though Collei checked her as she slept. 

Luckily, she wasn't, he just wanted to make sure. After her checkup Collei brought Lily around the village while Xiao rested. This place looked exactly like her village except with more greenery. Her old village had more of a Fontaine look to it.

The village was full of life. So many villagers around that greeted Lily as she walked with Collei. Although Lily was shy at first, she quickly warmed up to the villagers' kindness. It was like when she was little. The villagers in her old village all loved little Lily. 

But that all changed when she got older. They grew more distant due to her father not letting them near her. Lily also went into the forest to help Collei gather some herbs. It's the least she could do for their help. She was also happy that Collei wasn't scared of her.

Returning to the village was easy but not for Collei. She began to show signs of fatigue. Lily notices this and runs over to help her. "Are you alright?". Collei nods "I-I just need to catch my breath". Lily grew concerned for her. "I can help you back...". "No! Don't touch me!". Lily's hand is slapped away from her. 

Collei began to tremble slightly "I'm sorry but I can walk on my own". Lily was very confused about what just happened. 'Hm, it seems this child has a massive amount of trauma'. "Along with a mysterious disease" said Hisano.

Their words only made Lily's worry grow. She doesn't want to leave her here. "Collei, I won't touch you but please allow me to ease your pain". Collei glances at her and thinks for a few minutes then nods. "Thank you". Lily summons her power and lets it sink into Collei's skin. 

The fatigue and pain from earlier dissipate. Collei's strength returns to her. She looks at Lily with an astonished look. "W-What was that?". Lily can't answer that but gives her a vague answer. "It's part of my vision's power...".

That seemed to satisfy Collei's curiosity. "Thank you...". The two were silent as they got back to the village. Lily returns to where Xiao was as Collei went to visit Tighnari. Even though they leave very soon Lily couldn't help but wonder what this mysterious disease is and if she could help her in any way. 

A/N: Hi Everyone! Poor Collei. Before 3.3 I felt bad for her. Her condition was sad. But if there's a way to help with her pain then certainly Lily will help her! Just got done with Al-Haitham's story quest. Wow, that was a doozy. So excited for the Lantern Rite that starts tomorrow! 

See you soon! 

-Aria