Chapter 20 - My Apologies

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"Nee-chan, ittekimasu!"

(English Translation: "Elder sister, I'll be going now!")

Matte! IKANAIDE!

(English Translation: Wait! DON'T GO!)

"Sayonara, Ayame-san."

(English Translation: "Goodbye, Ayame.")

YAMETE! YAMETE KUDASAI! YAMETE, YAMETE!

(English Translation: STOP! PLEASE STOP! STOP IT, STOP IT!)

I burst awake, my palms soaked in cold sweat, fumbling for my grip on reality.

I-it was just a dream . . .

Rubbing my temples, I yawned, gazing listlessly out the window.

I wondered what everyone I had met along my journey was doing at the moment.

Acting Grandmaster Jean of the Knights of Favonius, Master Diluc of Dawn Winery, Miss Eula of the Lawrence Clan, Captain Kaeya of the Favonius Cavalry, Mister Albedo of Dragonspine, Lady Ningguang and Lady Keqing of the Liyue Qixing, Mister Zhongli and Director Hu Tao of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, Miss Yun Jin of the Yun-Han Opera Troupe, among hundreds and thousands of others.

To think that there were so many lives as complex and intricate as my own, to think that there were so many Visions sparkling in the starlight, each glow as brilliant as my own . . . it was a terrifying thought, and yet, it made me feel at ease.

Craving a breath of fresh air, I twisted the doorknob open, stepping quietly into the hallway and exhaling carefully.

Before I could continue, the red thread around my finger began to glow fervently, and I felt a sudden tightness in my chest.

W-what's happening . . . ?

I grasped the railing of the staircase to stabilize myself, the familiar trail of the red thread winding towards the gates and out into the cold.

Scaramouche's mansion?

Struggling against the pain, I burst into his residence, weaving through the dark corridors and throwing open the doors of his bedroom with all my might.

What in the world . . .

Broken shards of glass were strewn across the carpet, and the furniture was smashed to pieces, the walls dripping red.

"Scaramouche!"

He turned to me slowly, blood trickling from the corners of his lips, and faced me with a certain vulnerability that I had never seen in him before.

"R-Rin . . ." he stammered, bewildered. "Y-you should leave. Before it gets worse . . ."

I dashed over to him, my heels shattering the broken glass, and knelt down to inspect his condition.

This isn't good. I need to make sure he's safe before I deliver him to the Shogun--

My heart clenched, as if being crushed by some invisible force, and I clutched my chest just as Scaramouche fell to the ground.

My head was spinning, but I gritted my teeth, pressing Scaramouche's face into my shoulder to stifle his screams of agony.

I wrapped a hand around his waist. "Scaramouche, listen to me. Focus on my voice, okay? I'll protect you. I'm here."

"I-I can see her," Scaramouche whispered weakly. "I can see her out of the corner of my eye, in the mirror, I can see her everywhere! I'm scared, I'm scared, I'm scared . . ."

𝙗𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙡𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜'𝙨 𝙜𝙡𝙤𝙬 // scaramouche x ocWhere stories live. Discover now