I am feeling better now, but my sense of smell is still kinda bad. I wonder how long that will take to recover...
A familiar warm feeling spreads through your body. Smiling, you stretch your stiff limbs and open up your eyes. Just as you expected you are surrounded by lush greenery.
On the grass next to you sits the exact same young girl with white hair as always. "Hello (Y/N). I am so happy to see you again! How was your day?"
"It was... okay, I guess. Me and my friend were doing some research, but without any success. So that was a bummer. The rest of the day was nice though. We ate some really great food for dinner. Just thinking about it makes my mouth water... And how was your day?"
"Nothing peculiar happened... Shall we play some games?"
"Sure. How about- Ah Nahida, before I forget it: Are you, by any chance, familiar with the current Dendro Archon? Me and my friend where asking around the streets, but for some reason nobody seemed to know anything at all. And since you appear to have some more special powers with the dream-visiting stuff, I was hoping that you would have some interesting intel on Lesser Lord Kusunali."
Nahida musters you for a few seconds before answering. "Why would you be interested in the Lesser Lord and not the Greater Lord Rukkhadevata?"
"Why should I be looking for dead people..? I guess, sure, Sumerians haven't accepted the death of the former Archon, but that doesn't mean that we have to play along with that nonsense. Not unless there is a proper reason for it anyways. So, do you know her by any chance?"
"No, I don't... know her." There is hesitation in her voice. And also a hint of... sadness?
"...You don't sound all so sure about that. Seriously, you can trust me and my friend with that info. We aren't planning to assassinate her or anything. We simply want to ask her something."
The small girl remains silent, starring at the ground next to her.
"Please, you-" Now that you think about it, those differently-colored tips her hair has are oddly similar to the ones Venti, Zhongli and Ei have... The green color would fit the element. And wasn't the Dendro Archon often depicted as a child in fan art as well? "Hey Nahida... Could it be that you are Lesser Lord Kusunali?"
Once she hears your words, she immediately tenses up and grips the hem of her dress. This sadness you noticed earlier has become more prominent now. "Why does our conversation always have to lead to this topic...?"
"Always? This is the first time that I brought this up... And why do you want to avoid this topic to begin with? Me and Aether really mean no harm." Even if she isn't looking at you, you offer her the warmest smile you can.
"I don't hate the question by itself. It is just that I don't want you to hate me."
Reassuringly you put your hand over hers. "But why would I hate you for being an Archon? You are so kind and far nicer to be around than-" Memories of your previous encounters with the Archons flash before your inner eye. The serious conversation with Dainsleif about gods as well. An unpleasant feeling creeps over your spine and you instinctively withdraw your hand.
"Better than all the other Archons you have met so far. Not as uncanny as Barbatos, not as violent as Ei and not as persistent on a contract as Morax. I know. You already have told me all of it. This is the core problem. Due to your previous experiences, you have grown weary of gods and I don't want to stain our friendly relationship with that knowledge."
This didn't make sense to you at all. "I don't understand... When did I ever tell you all of this? I can't remember having ever talked about all of this."
"That's because I took those memories from you. Every time you brought this topic up I made you forget that part of your dream. I am very sorry, but it is better if you don't know about my identity as Lesser Lord Kusunali. I doubt I could help you with your problems to begin with. After all, I am nothing more than a shadow of Greater Lord Rukkhadevata..." You still can't see her face, but based on her voice you can hear that she is close to crying.
"Please don't say such things about yourself! You are your own great person and shouldn't compare yourself to others. I... I don't hate you, even when I know that you are an Archon. Just because of the things that happened with the other Archons, I can't just say that you are a person to fear as well. That's the same as if I said all humans are bad just because I met a few ássholes! -Sorry for the language, but you get what I mean, right?"
"I know that you are trying to be sincere with your words, but in the end your sub-consciousness tells a different story. You did withdraw your hand once you remembered your past, did you not?"
"No, I didn't-"
Nahida lifts up her right hand and puts it on your forehead. Finally, you get to see her face. Tears are flowing down her cheeks and there is a pained smile on her lips. "I believe it is pointless to argue beyond this point. Sleep well, (Y/N). Maybe next time is going to... be... a more pleasant... dream..."
Before you can retort, everything turns pitch black.
You slowly wake up, the sun shining right into your eyes. Annoyed, you pull your blanket over your face.
A light chuckle is audible from a corner of this room.
Giving up on the hopes of sleeping some more, you sit up straight. "There is nothing to laugh about! ...Also, good morning."
"Good morning to you too (Y/N). While you were fast asleep, I used the time to buy us breakfast. We should start eating as long as it's still warm and fresh." Smiling gently, Aether points at the set table next to him.
After having stretched your tired limbs, you walk towards your blond friend to sit down next to him. "You don't have to stand up so early to buy us breakfast, you know? At the very least you could wake me up as well so that we can go together. I kinda feel bad if you do all the work..."
"It's really no problem to me. We had a nice refreshing walk and avoided all queues that would form later in the day."
"We also met that blond guy from yesterday evening. He told us to tell you how sorry he was for causing you to get hurt. Ah, and he also said that he would gladly invi-"
"Paimon." Aether interrupts the floating child mid-sentence. "There was nothing more he said. Do you want your bread with the red sauce or with the yellow one, (Y/N)?"
While your sleepy brain is processing the words that were thrown at you, Paimon sighs, shaking her head. There is no point in arguing with the Traveler. If he doesn't want you to know, then he doesn't. She knows better than to press on topics she shouldn't.
After breakfast, your little group sets out to question passengers for new information yet again. And, again, without any results. Why was it so hard to find any useful intel on the fúcking god of this nation? Something in the back of your mind is screaming that it shouldn't be this way, but you couldn't figure out where this feeling came from...
I know I am the author, but I am really looking forward to the next chapter :)
Until then, I hope you enjoyed reading and stay healthy!