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" Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. " - Y/N
You regain consciousness to the sound of water dripping steadily, like a ticking clock. As the memories begin to flood back into your mind, you jolt up into a seated position, your eyes wide like saucers before you're pressed back onto the ground by a gentle hand.
"Don't move, witch girl. They'll hear us," Kinich's hushed voice alarms you slightly, but you do as he says, lying still until the footsteps above disperse. The moment they're out of earshot, Kinich lets go of you, and you sit up properly, trying to adjust to the darkness.
"Where are we? And I told you not to call me that..." You ask quietly, your mind still slightly dazed.
"Somewhere that they won't think to search." Kinich replies. Now that your vision is clearer, you can see the silhouette of a boy sitting in front of you, playing with something in his hands. He realizes you're looking, and cups your hands, placing the object into your palm. "I forgot to give you back your clip."
"My... oh." You slide the clip back into your updo, tucking the stray hairs back in place. "What do we do? They've probably alerted the Tsaritsa by now, I bet everyone is looking for us..."
He nods silently, thinking for a while, before finally giving you a response. "That simply means we have to get out of here as soon as possible, and return to Natlan. Are you affected by the lack of the Wayob's protection?"
"Huh?"
"I have the protection of the Wayob automatically as they sensed me leaving. But are you fine?"
You realize that Kinich wasn't aware of your true origins at all, and fidget with your hands as you reply to him quietly. "Oh... Kinich, I'm not from Natlan."
He didn't seem at all surprised by this. It seems he's seen quite a lot of oddities in Teyvat already. "So, where are you from?"
Your voice is but a whisper when you finally give him an honest reply. "Snezhnaya."
He snaps his head over, watching you with wide eyes. "You're from here? Then how were you all the way in Natl–"
Just then, a cracking of floorboards can be heard from above. You realize you're in a tunnel, but you couldn't make out just where you are. Kinich immediately reacts, ushering you along as he crawls downwards, disappearing in the darkness. You panic, and instantly follow suit, pathfinding with nothing but your own four limbs.
Light floods the place, and the two of you pick up the pace, winding through the narrow environment. Your eyes lock onto Kinich's body, going around the mazelike tunnels with ease, until you feel water below your hands.
"Kinich!" You hiss, doubting the boy's guidance.
"Don't worry. Sewer water." He murmurs back, continuing to crawl onwards. You hesitate, before following suit, hearing voices behind you get louder by the second. Your heart almost beats out of your chest, and the only thing you could do is trust this boy that you barely even knew.
But then, he wasn't at all a stranger.
And now, you're thrown into a position where you had no choice but to trust him, after being afraid of people for so long in your life.
Eventually, gentle moonlight illuminates the passage in front of you, and you let out a silent breath of relief as Kinich begins making his way out of the tunnel, his hair glowing under the new found luminescence. He gets to his feet as you reach the surface, extending a hand to help you out of the tunnel, which catches you off guard, but you take anyways.
"They're on our tail. You know exactly whom I'm talking about." He says, before taking off towards the nearby forest, the snow scattering itself across his hair. You immediately follow suit, boots sloshing as you wade through the ankle-deep snow. The north wind blows angrily against your bare skin, almost like the Tsaritsa's wrath has found its way to you once more.
Under Kinich's guidance, you find yourself reaching a little cave concealed by moss and vines. He pushes them aside, gesturing for you to follow him inside. Although it was just as cold as outside, it offered some form of concealment for the two of them, at least until the pursuing soldiers dispersed.
"So, now that they're not on our tails anymore, could I have your name?" Kinich asks, his eyes almost glowing in the darkness. Almost like a cat's.
"It's Y/N. I thought you were... aware," You whisper back, mimicking his body language and sitting with your back against the cave wall. Your head bumps against a stray icicle from the ceiling and you wince quietly.
"You have a very low profile identity. We've never really properly exchanged conversation, after all. I've always simply known you as the 'witch girl'."
The memory of Kinich seeing you for the first time flashes through your mind, and you sigh. "Are you... disgusted by what I can do?"
You feel a soft stirring in your chest, as you finally acknowledge the situation years ago, where Kinich first saw the magic you've learned from Mpenzi. Yet he shows no sign of judgment, despite how much you expected him to simply hate you for it. "You've saved my life twice, Y/N. Although it's strange that you can do... well, magic, why would I be 'disgusted' by it?"
A shiver runs down your spine, and you take a moment before you reply. "Mpenzi always said that if I let someone else find out I can do magic, they'll take me away, and ruin my life."
"You trust what that crazy healer says?" He replies patiently.
"She's my mother. Of course I trust her." Your eyes meet with Kinich's amber irises, and he holds the gaze.
"Yet you say you are from Snezhnaya. Mpenzi is Natlanian. How do you explain that?" He questions, trying to piece everything together.
You debate with yourself, wondering if it's worth it to trust him with all this. Yet he's proven himself to be a good person, and he's the only chance you have for survival in this everwinter land. So you take a deep breath, bracing yourself for, once again, another horrible recollection.
"Mpenzi adopted me after the Tsaritsa discarded me. My birth mother is... The deceased eighth of the Fatui Harbingers."
