Columbina suddenly grabbed Coppelia's arm, her grip a bit tight.
"Coppelia," she said, her voice holding a barely perceptible urgency, "let's go back to the tent for a moment."
Coppelia was a little surprised, but she gave a nod to Gunnhildr and Venti before letting Columbina pull her back into the small tent where they were resting.
As soon as they were inside, shielded from outside sights and sounds, Columbina released her grip. She faced Coppelia, her tone uncharacteristically rushed and uneasy. "Time..."
"What's wrong?" Coppelia asked.
"Since you've met the 'Master of Time'," Columbina's voice was low, "you might know some things related to 'time.' I want to know..." She paused, took a deep breath, and asked the question that weighed most heavily on her mind. "In the future... do I make it back to the moon?"
Coppelia was completely caught off guard, her mind seeming to freeze for a moment.
I can't just say I'm a transmigrator who knows the future plot of Teyvat, can I?
But even though I know the future plot, when I transmigrated, the game had only been updated to Nod-Krai, just after the 'First of the Moons' version story.
How would I know if Columbina ultimately returns to the moon...?
Coppelia quickly weighed her options, choosing her words carefully. "I don't know. I have met the 'Master of Time,' but I am not acquainted with Them. I... also don't have the ability to foresee the future."
Columbina grew a bit agitated and took a small step forward. "But back in Mondstadt, why were you so determined to find that young bard? I couldn't see anything special about him. You didn't even know his name, yet you could describe his appearance. You said you wanted to find him to understand the situation, but as soon as you met him, you asked if he had seen 'another wind.' It was as if you knew he was bound to encounter 'another wind'..."
She took a deep breath and continued, her words quickening. "And when we met that red-haired knight, the first things you asked him about were the 'resistance forces' and 'overthrowing Decarabian.' It seemed like you knew they would inevitably resist and that they would succeed in overthrowing Decarabian. I originally thought you had visited those places and conducted investigations before you met me, but you didn't even know the way to get there..." Her voice was filled with confusion and a hint of hurt from being kept in the dark. "If you can't see the future, then why would you do all that?"
Having finally voiced all her doubts, Columbina fell silent, her chest rising and falling gently. Her blindfolded face was turned toward Coppelia.
Her brow was slightly furrowed. On one hand, it was due to her immense confusion. On the other, Coppelia had clearly hidden a great deal of information from her, which made her start to wonder what Coppelia's true motive was for so proactively helping her find the fragments of her power...
Hearing this long, logical, and direct line of questioning, Coppelia stood frozen, momentarily unsure how to respond.
She had always assumed Columbina was often silent because her lack of power had made her somewhat slow-witted.
But now it was clear that Columbina had been carefully observing her surroundings and thinking all along. Perhaps she had remained quiet out of caution.
After the mention of the 'Master of Time,' Columbina had finally found the opportunity to connect all the pieces and voice her questions...
In the end, Coppelia decided to temporarily avoid a direct explanation and prioritize soothing Columbina's obvious anxiety.
She took a step forward, reached out, and gently took Columbina's cool hands in her own, the movement slightly stiff.
"Columbina..." she called out.
Columbina didn't pull away, but she didn't relax either, merely "watching" her quietly.
Coppelia looked at her still-furrowed brow, realizing that simple physical contact might not be enough.
"Are you... afraid of me?" she ventured.
Columbina was silent for a moment before admitting in a low voice, "A little..."
Coppelia took a deep breath, knowing she couldn't be vague any longer.
"I'm sorry," she said sincerely. "I do... know some things about the future. But I can't tell you how I know them. It involves too many secrets, some of which might even be beyond this world's comprehension..." Her voice took on a heavy tone she herself didn't notice. "I don't know what consequences might be triggered if I were to speak rashly. That uncertainty... I'm afraid of it, too."
She squeezed Columbina's hands, emphasizing, "But there is one thing I must make clear to you. I genuinely want to help you, to help you reclaim your power and return to the moon. That is my promise. However, as for whether you ultimately succeed in returning... I truly don't know the answer. That is something that would only happen in the extremely distant future." She paused, then added in a firm tone, "But I believe that your wish... will definitely be realized in the end."
Columbina listened quietly, her tense body seeming to relax a little.
She asked softly, "Can you tell me why you can't say? What kind of danger would there be?"
Coppelia didn't answer with words.
She took Columbina's hand and led her out of the tent to an open area next to the camp.
The night sky was clear of clouds, filled with a multitude of stars. Coppelia raised her head, her gaze traveling over the vast snowy plains and mountains toward the northwestern sky.
Following the direction she indicated, Columbina also "looked" over.
At the edge of their vision, a floating island exuding a mysterious aura hung silently in the sky, as if it had been there for all eternity.
Celestia...
Columbina quietly "gazed" at that patch of sky for a moment before slowly lowering her head.
"I understand," she said softly, the anxiety and agitation in her voice seeming to subside.
In her fragmented memories, that place, that existence, still left some impression...
Coppelia looked at her and asked, "I kept many things from you before, which made you feel scared and uneasy, right?"
"Now..." Columbina gently squeezed her hand back. "Not anymore..."
The crisis was temporarily averted. Coppelia breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Let's go back and get some sleep. Relax a bit."
"Mm," Columbina nodded.
Coppelia held out her hand, and Columbina naturally took it. They walked back to the tent side by side in silence.
However, just as they had lain down, ready to fall asleep in the relatively warm haven Venti had created...
"CLANG! DING! DONG! CRASH—!"
An extremely abrupt, violent, and erratic noise suddenly erupted from the outskirts of the camp, brutally tearing through the tranquility of the night!
Coppelia, who had just managed to calm Columbina down and get her to lie down, shot up from her bedding, threw open the tent flap, and stepped outside, her fury barely contained.
Dammit! Who the hell is that?! Don't they know people are trying to sleep?!
___
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