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《✧》
Ever since he had been sent to Mondstadt, the thickening sense of homesickness was bound to Albedo. He had never dared to go so far as to call it a home. Home was where you’d rather be, but he didn’t exactly know where he would have rather been. He’d felt disconnected, stranger with the present he’d inhabited and yet unable to touch the varsal world he sought to understand. Reveling in the beauty and arcanum of the world were noble endeavours, but seeing beyond the thin, chimeric veil of figuratives was as moot as any fish climbing a tree.
He was jaded and bored, and despite his devotion to alchemy, his interests swung inevitably and nothing stayed long enough to promise him meaning sans collaterals. Albedo was intimately familiar with the life he had led in all monotonous glory, and perhaps it’d have always stayed that way if he left it up to chance.
But chance itself had different intents.
It was this chilly, morne early morning that something unusual happened, though it was becoming somewhat of a dreary pattern. While en route to the laboratory, Albedo felt a sharp pain slice its way into his palm, as if something had cut his skin open, and the nick was a vivid chasm. Upon the glance he took at his palm, he perlustrated a slit wound among prophetic wobbling lines pulsing with scarlet. Blood under vaulting sunlight appeared ever so pearly as it stillared down Albedo’s wrist. He stood unflinching, more curiosity than agowilt, following the bright paths with his eyes—he shook his head and broke pensiveness in inertia’s realization.
It’d been months since he first noticed the insidious bruises that began marking his skin alight. He had at first guessed he must have scratched himself in his sleep or during an experiment that demanded his hands’ acumen, but sometimes, it would be too random for it to be a mere coincidence. Too random to be random, he thought. The momentary ache colored the experience a shade more noisome and undeniable too. He couldn’t help but wonder if it had been a sign. The inevitable loss of control over his own body, such that the wounds had adumbrated disaster to come, his skin a mural.
But Albedo had decided not to draw that conclusion just so. His brain was furnished in a way that had prevented many a disappointments, and still, even devoid of regrets, the future had cast a looming silhouette. He would thus refrain from inutile thought processes, albeit it had always been hard for him to dismiss hypothetical occurrences. The potential was there. ’Useless trivia’ was something he’d had a quite hard time grasping—no knowledge was useless, whatsoever.
He wiped the blood in the back of his shorts and let it dry on his cloth inconspicuously, then proceeded to perambulate towards the lab’s entrance.
Albedo could tell someone had already occupied the office, automatically assuming Sucrose inasmuch as the lights were on, and he could hear skittering, spry indications of it, until—
Albedo rushed in the room whence a shriek came.
“Sucrose? Is that you?” He called out her name before he could see anything at all. The door was ajar and if he didn’t peer inside first, he could have stepped onto the floor covered in smithereens and with vapid yellow liquid.
Judging by her skittish responses, she didn’t notice Albedo’s arrival yet, and was busy worrying about the mess she’d left in her wake.
“Oh no... H-how will I manage to clean this up now?” She muttered in rapid panic. It wasn’t the first time it had occurred to Albedo that Sucrose was soft-spoken. So soft. Her words aired like cotton candy that could suffocate one with pure, undiluted sweetness.
She then took a few deep breaths to calm down and sort it out. Ah...I think I saw a mop somewhere around... she thought to herself and pivoted to fetch it from the cabinet.
“Eek!” She yelped and jumped in sudden terror as she descried Albedo at the door. “Mister Albedo! I-I didn’t see you come in... How long have you been watching?” Her face went pallid, but the drainage didn’t last a jiff longer than a glance. Heat rushed to her cheeks. Her ears twitched upward, if blushing wasn’t enough sign of her distress and discomfiture. She was, in her defense, prone to get more frustrated and flustered when she spent entire nights executing experiments.
“Long enough.” He said. Looking around, Albedo’s gaze was met with pieces of glass across the floor and a desk cluttered with disorganized papers. “Your dedication to research is admirable, but you ought to take better care of yourself.” He sighed at last.
“Yes,” her squeaky voice reached a yet higher pitch than usual, “I’m sorry for the trouble. Y-You don’t have to clean this mess up, I mean it! I’m sorry, I’ll see to it right away.” She hurriedly fixed her glasses and attempted to redirect her attention to one of the many problems at present
“It’s fine, just—don’t be reckless.” He bent down, reaching for the pieces, flipping them with nail so as not to unleash another loose barbaric flow. “Have you by any chance, broken more flasks today? Or anything, for that matter.”
She nodded the answer and Albedo immediately felt a sinister premonition creep up on his senses about it.
Sucrose had surmised the worst. She’d wronly inferred that Albedo would be upset at her, but that was seldom the case. As for Albedo, he merely considered these as inconsequental accidents. Nothing notable, for her. Were it anybody else, well.
“Hm... Then, would you be so good as to lend me your hand? May I take a look at it?” He probed, his hand already reaching out. Sucrose remained silent and let him inspect, her eyes curious as Albedo carefully removed her gloves. He held Sucrose’s wrist firmly and turned her hand around to observe her palm thoroughly. Without much forward thinking, he caressed the wounded spot with his thumb.
“When did you cut yourself?” He raised an eyebrow as his suspicion enlarged.
It was at this moment that he’d realized the cuts on their palms were in undeniable alignment if his mind superimposed them transparently. Albedo had doubts about the whereabouts of other wounds no longer; he tugged Sucrose’s sleeves only to see scratches on her forearm, around her elbow.
“Ah... ah, this? I-I can’t recall... I must have been so caught up in research, I reckon I—”she broke off. Her typical stammering was to be adored. Although given the situation, unhelpful.
“I see. Hm...” He leaned in a tad closer. Close enough to hear Sucrose’s bated breaths. “Don’t worry. I was just curious.” He smiled at her wanly and let go of her hand, giving her glove back. “Put a band-aid on your hand before putting this back on.” He suggested.
Albedo, even beyond confirming his assumption, didn’t intimate it to Sucrose. It would not have been unusual for her to pull off something outlandish and catastrophic in order to study it. For her own benefit, he kept it a secret. For now. He would have rather saved that hassle for another time, and besides, he still had to find a more profound understanding of this odd, peculiar connection.
What in the world could have caused this? Or has it always been this way?
“Ah... Okay, I will.” She said, mind racing before coming to a sufficient standsfill. “Mister Albedo, would you mind taking a look at these modifications?” She dug herself amidst paperwork to find some documents. Sucrose was meek, yet excitable and bubbly in the right parameters.
“Not at all. What is this?” He asked, catching a glimpse of Sucrose’s lengthy report, which had included results compounded from a spreadsheet. Always so meticulous, he thought, what a magnificent mind.
For no discernible reason, he was also fond of her handwriting. Her letters curved just right.
“Base-modified Sweet Flower essence, Mister Albedo!” She exclaimed. “I’ve modified some amplifier concoctions so that mixed potions would taste mellifluous, rather than... bitter. At first, I intended to simply neutralize the pH levels of certain potions, since all that acid is detrimental to the health long-term... Sugar doesn’t alter pH levels, so the Sweet Flower essence in itself doesn’t make any changes other than making it sweeter." She walked over to the table to finish rambling, “That is why I had to create a reaction that produced a weaker base instead of lactic acid, and I managed to extract it from a different part of the Sweet Flower. I might have gone a tad overboard… I actually kept some of the finished product here, in case something goes wrong...” Sucrose sighed in relief, then attraced Albedo’s attention to a bowl of liquid.
“Is that so? Interesting.” He dipped his finger into the bowl of Sweet Flower essence mixed with an oil to check it himself. He liked dabbling in sweets very much, and never minded testing Sucrose’s new inventions. Come to think of it, the bitterness of these essences did chagrin him quite a lot. Had she known this?
“Oh! And since it’s a geo element amplifier, t-that calls for a physical test!” She suggested. “If that’s okay with you...” she added, now more amicably than before. Her diffident nature did not tarry long. “Please, please, Mister Albedo! I’m sure great results await!” She stared at the ground and made small circles with her foot, hiding hands behind her back bashfully. “Besides, I don’t know anyone else with a geo vision...”
That sounded an awful lot like she’d made this specifically for him, which wrung a brighter inner smile from Albedo than he would have admitted.
“A physical test, you say?” He pursed his lips, contemplating. Possessing the sort of forbidden knowledge he did, he felt reluctant in complying. Still, the mind wandered. He caught himself wondering whether it worked the other way around... Could he have possibly hurt her?
“Alright, Sucrose. I do have a couple unfinished projects in Dragonspine. Would you like to come along?”
“O-Of course! When are we going?” Sucrose’s ears stood up and her face got red and smiley all over again. She truly wore her heart on her sleeve. The sonorous throbbing in Albedo’s chest and throat overwhelmed him in a trice.
“Whenever you’re ready.”
“I-I’ll get ready right away!” Her eyes were practically sparkling. The idea of those glimmers ever dulling…
Sucrose was always glad—if not a little overzealous—to set off for an adventure in the name of discovery, intrigued to test. Maybe his patience’s limits, sometimes. It wasn’t hard to worry for her.
“You ought to dress more warmly if you plan on staying in the mountains. Even if we have a camp, who knows what could happen. Ah, and one more thing... Should anything happen, if you just want to turn back, do inform me.”
“Thank you! Thanks a lot!” She repeated. “Ah... I need to prepare my mixture and put on some more appropriate clothes... You can go ahead, Mister Albedo. D-Don’t wait for me! I’ll catch up!”
“Don’t be silly, Sucrose. I’ll wait for you outside. Join me as soon as you can, okay? Don’t worry about cleaning. We can clean together when we’re back.” A faint smile lit up his face and as he left the room. He looked back at Sucrose once more, concerned.
《✧》
While waiting for his assistant to get afoot, Albedo opened up his sketchbook and drew whatever came to his mind. But lately, all drawings had been a reconstruction of but one thing. A reason to stay and the highlight of a miserable life.
Sucrose’s picturesque, moreover expressive figure drew his attention to her. Albedo enjoyed illustrating her shapes, her expressions and every little momentum he could memorize. And in that fashion, his observation was detailed enough, translating enough.
For instance, Sucrose’s downy ears would twitch up and down when she got excited. When her incandescence was most ablaze, she was most irresistible. It was, admittedly, extremely hard to resist petting her head sometimes. Neither of them were particulary touchy and physical, so that was out of question. Albedo would sometimes wish otherwise, bewildering to himself as he did.
Lost in thought, his mind’s eye travelled far and above to conjure her. But so did his mind’s tongue, one much less acquainted with candor.
It seems my problems shrink when I’m with you... Hmm... I wonder, do you feel the same?
If the things he had never said out loud were to be put in a collection, he could fill a book the size of an encylopedia. And nearly all of them would relate to Sucrose. He’d found his way to her in a ruthless wilderness of thoughts, solacing in her contently.
But merely drawing her hardly sufficed the famished mind. He told himseld that he wouldn’t get attached, and that he would push through unblemished solitude on his own.
Albedo espied his sketch.
Her unevenly drawn smile stripped her vibrancy.
Her batting eyelashes were not benevolent enough.
It wasn’t good enough.
It wasn’t her.
And that had scared Albedo.
We live in the unaltered asininity with accumulating debris. I am afraid I won’t be here to spectate the nascent world siege those who had lived in it previously and those who had been bethrothed to its storied nature. I, too, shall depart one day.
But not without preserving you.
In close proximity to him, Sucrose made an understated appearance, quietly stepping next to Albedo. Admiring his artwork, she tapped on his shoulder with her forefinger.
“Ah, Sucrose. It’s you.” He turned calmly at her, to which she averted her eyes, hazarding them upon the page decorated with a sundry of doodles. She couldn’t help but recognize herself amidst the chaos of lines.
“What is... this, Mister Albedo, if I may ask?” She ventured boldly.
“I hope it does not disturb you.” He prefaced. “I have sketched you, but it still... Try as I might, it doesn’t quite capture you. It’s only ever so similar. And when I take a better look at the sketch, I think to myself, are you really like this? No... It’s inanimated. And while linework is replaceable, my moments with you aren’t. Moments bright with personality and movement.”
“E-eh?” Her ears perked up with interest.
“That might be why sceneries are easier to depict and transfer to paper than sentience. The trees flutter every now and then, the wind may carry dust or the like. And yet, they are commutable. Humans, on the other hand...” he sighed deeply. “Ah, my apologies. That must have been too much to begin with. What I mean to say is, your enthusiasm is inspiring. But I don’t mind it if you have your own interpretations.” He carried on with sketching mindlessly.
“No, no, it’s alright, Mister Albedo! It’s a little flattering, that’s all.” Sucrose shyly placed her hand on top of Albedo’s in which he held the pencil so that he would stop doodling for a moment, and intertwined their fingers as he loosened to let go of the pencil. “Even if you draw my portrait because you want to capture a moment, that’s fine by me as long as you remember that I live on in your memory. T-The way humans function is really spectacular, truly! I understand wanting to secure them!”
Sucrose had a way with words despite her trouble with anxious enunciations. The abstract allured her. Her words reminded Albedo of that alien feeling—of how glad he was when he saw her crossing the room. Wonderstruck, Albedo could merely carve the threads and flutters of her soaring mint hair into his memory.
Plus Sucrose was seen as an elusive entity to onlookers. Her wayward curiousity drove her to many grand discoveries, but beneath the surface was a vulnerable and cautious young woman who’d wanted to protect her dreams at all costs. That was, even in invisibility, certainly something Albedo had respected about her. A myriad of them could watch from distance, but Albedo had the privilege of following her throughout her journey to her coveted paradise.
Albedo cleared his throat and looked at her, eyeing for a short while before moving away and putting the sketchbook away into the depth of his coat. “Let us get going, shall we?”
“Yes, let’s!” She adjusted the backpack with a tight hook on her shoulders and followed Albedo, who led the way.
Sucrose’s heart was beating in her throat. There was no turning back. It was a short journey with just the two of them…
It would have been untrue if one said she had exacted no ulterior motives; of course she’d passionately wanted to test her potion, but she’d wanted to be with Albedo just as much. It has only occurred to her quite recently that her mentor was just as precious to her as alchemy.
Once they arrived at the foot of the mountains, Albedo turned to Sucrose before moving further into subzero temperatures. The temperature had already dropped significantly.
“Hmm... where do you say we should begin, Sucrose? You know best what you had in mind.”
“We could start by settling down at our campside.” Sucrose recommended, fairly. She had a minor issue with the glisten sticking onto her lenses, forcing her to clean it every few minutes just to see ahead of her nose. “I’m sure we can find a small target while we’re here.”
“You’re right. Carrying around all that will only encumber us sooner than we would like, I assume. Do you need help?” He offered, then began walking again sedately, slow enough for Sucrose to catch her breath as he edged into the territory. Strong wind rose up and Albedo grabbed Sucrose’s arm to keep her as close as possible. Her face, in stark comparison to her body, felt awfully hot even as she entered colder lands.
“N-No, I can carry it just fine.” She shifted closer.
“If you insist. Ah—stay close. I think you are not as layered as it would have been optimal.”
“It’s fine.” She had to repeat, lest to trouble Albedo. “know, I know—I just got so excited, I didn’t have enough time to dig out more climate appropriate clothes...” she admitted. Tucked away for the nicer weathers.
“If you say so.” His fingers haphazardly touched Sucrose’s hand.
She didn’t budge.
《✧》
After they dumped their backpacks at Albedo’s previously set up camp, Sucrose explained the type of experiment she wants to execute once there are enemies nearby. Leaving the camp, they headed toward the Outskirts.
"The effect will presumably last for around three hundred seconds, s-so you don’t have to rush..." she noted while walking, looking for an encounter. Normally, this place was filled with slimes and hilichurls, but not today. "Um...Mister Albedo, I’ll need you to drink this as soon as you spot something." she handed Albedo a glass of her potion. It looked dense, barely liquid; not very appetizing.
"Those hilichurls will do." he pointed a finger into the distance where a small group of hilichurls were dancing around the fire, near a bigger, frozen lake. He quickly drank the concoction; he could sense some sort of odd empowerment in his body. A slight shock, perhaps.
Sucrose ran towards the hilichurls and Albedo followed, eventually drawing out his sword. He could barely catch up to her before they spotted the pair of alchemists. Luckily, Albedo was an alchemist acumen – no wonder his reflexes were excellent; he dodged their attacks with ease and used the elemental burst to knock them out in no time. His movements were smooth and he certainly seemed stronger than before.
"What a performance, Mister Albedo! Wait a moment, I –" the sheer cold badly dried out her skin and she could barely lift a finger. She was chilled to the bone. "I need to take some notes of my observation." she pulled out a tiny notebook and somehow – god knows how – wrote down everything she’s seen.
"Mister Albedo, you are feeling dizzy?"
"No."
"Anything strange? Is your stomach alright? Nothing...tingling?" she asked.
"No. Is it supposed to be?" he frowned; though his face was more smug than scared.
"...Ah- n-no, not at all, everything seems to have worked accordingly! Look, there are some slimes over there!" she got distracted not even a moment after; Albedo had no other option but to oblige and stay close to her. Sucrose wasn’t helpless at all, still, Albedo now knew she was fragile. He can take hits, but can she? He would rather not test that.
Out of nowhere, a hoarse growl echoed, slowly approaching – taking heavy steps in the inches of snow, the mysterious monster was but a shadow; Sucrose jerked up and glanced at Albedo with visible concern.
"What was that?" she looked behind herself, just in case.
"If there were hilichurls, we mustn’t rule out the possibility for mitachurls to appear here. We should move; could have upset one of them with this slaughter." he advised; but it was too late.
"M-Mister Albedo, be careful! T-That thing is behind you-" she almost froze to the spot; Albedo pushed her away promptly, but couldn’t avoid a direct blow into his back that sent him onto the ground. Sucrose cried out in pain, clueless as to where the ache came from, since apparently she didn’t hit anything herself.
"Sucrose-" he couldn’t bring himself to say anything else before the mitachurl slammed its head into his calf; which hurt the two of them tremendously, although Albedo had a higher pain tolerance. The only luck was that the horn didn’t hit him – he knew he had to be more mindful, even if he feared for Sucrose to get gravely injured.
Sucrose backed out, crawling, although continuously assisted Albedo with the use of her vision; distracting and pushing the mitachurl so that Albedo would gain time to stand up and focus. He knew he could rely on Sucrose, and gave her a nod as thanks, then proceeded to finish the mitachurl off on his own, smeating it down cruelly. He brandished his sword in order to protect the injured Sucrose, and despite his very same injury, he had enough willpower to override the stabbing pain in his calf.
Thankfully, the effect didn’t wear off just yet.
She caressed her leg before attempting to get up. As soon as he could, Albedo rushed to Sucrose, who could walk just fine, albeit more weakly.
"Are you alright?"
"Y-Yes, I’m fine, but...are you?" she dusted her clothes to get rid of all the snow that sticked onto them.
"Don’t worry. I’ve endured worse. Are you positive you want to continue this experiment? Besides...going any higher won’t serve us well. We should head back."
"Okay." she was hesitant. She sighed; her breath froze in the open air as she opened her mouth. "Ah...but I...I really wanted to record one last result...I still have samples to try..." she held her head as if she had a headache from dissatisfaction. "I won’t give up just like that, Mister Albedo! Please, l-let’s proceed further."
Sucrose and her stubborn habits...
it certainly made Albedo’s heart smile.
《✧》
The closer they got to the top of the mountain, the more bleak and frigid the weather became. It was hard to see behind and beyond themselves without proper lighting. They were lucky to still see the path beneath their feet, as the sky turned invisible and only the tenebrous environment remained. Towering pines were hiding one another, the whistling air sounded foreboding and haunting.
This balmy weather was not a good sign; perhaps the calm before the storm. Winter’s scent was overwhelming to the lungs.
Climbing higher, they reached a certain point where the nature was intact and clear. Sucrose stood at the edge, taking pleasure in the scenery in that safe area. Everything was covered in grey, blue and white; a taste of freedom.
"I-It’s fascinating, Mister Albedo!" she took off her glasses to clean them with a piece of cloth, then pushed it back onto her nose bridge. "The air feels very refreshing up here. I can feel my lungs getting cleared out!" she stretched and even yawned.
"Indeed."
So touched by the sight, Albedo felt like he had nary a thing to worry about. With Sucrose by his side. That dark fog above his head...was it dissolving at last?
"You’ve been awfully quiet, Mister Albedo. I-I hate to be...nosey, but is something troubling you?" she inquired rather politely. Sucrose’s manner was effete when it came to interacting. Even if it was someone she was familiar with by now.
At the same time, everlasting snow began to fall from the skies.
"Not right now." he stepped right next to Sucrose. "Something has...indeed been on my mind lately. I don’t mean to overwhelm you with anything of the sort." his gaze fell at her assisant.
"I-I really don’t mind!" but his secret has already piqued her interest now, "Surely, Mister Albedo can handle it. I n-never thought anything could be a challenge for someone like you. Maybe if you give it some time." she suddenly remembered the earlier experience that she stayed quiet about until now; she felt a sudden need to mention it, however surreal it was to her. "You know, at the lake...I couldn’t help but notice something extraordinary."
"I guess I know what you’re talking about. I noticed it too."
The atmosphere turned eerie.
"You knew, Mister Albedo?" she curiously tilted her head. "Why...why didn’t you tell me?"
"That is because I was not entirely sure about it. What’s more...I didn’t want you to come to grief because of your headstrong curiousity. Knowing the most unpleasant side effects, hopefully you won’t do anything...questionable to yourself." he explained it as briefly as he could. "These reactions...I wonder what could have triggered them. I do believe further investigations are required but the weather’s not suitable for such a dangerous task. For now...Is this supposed to be part of ontogeny? Or is it something else we don't know of yet?"
"Ahhh...That theory doesn’t quite hold water in my opinion..." she noted quickly. All they could do was guess. How could they make it stop? Or is it even worth stopping?
"I believe you. This world truly is full of mysteries. It is up to us, alchemists, to unravel them. Now, how could we utilize this newly found connection?"
Sucrose put on a bitter face.
"Maybe, maybe we should try to fall in love..." she whispered, thinking she only spoke in her mind.
"I...am unsure about that." he frowned dismissively. Not entirely because he found himself incapable of it, no, on the contrary – he cherished Sucrose too much to disappoint her. Albedo never intended to offend her. I wish I could say this is for the best.But his head was telling him it would be inappropriate. Now is not the right time to confess.
"Waaa- ah- I j-just...my tongue slipped, I meant- um...something else." Sucrose corrected herself; she was so embarrassed of herself, she almost hid under the nearest rock she could find. No, she would have buried herself alive beneath the snow if it wasn’t for the genius to be oblivious. She waited to be scolded – but Albedo didn’t react at all. He smiled ever so faintly; why is it that he looked like he was in pain? "B-But if only you saw yourself through my eyes, Mister Albedo!" she actually smiled sincerely at him. She bit her lower lip and blinked several times before getting to speak again.
"Our notions aren’t as different, after all." in response, Sucrose’s ears were twitching playfully. The storming wind picked up and the girl had to keep her hat on her head to save it from flying off. ”It’s better if you steer clear of the cliff.” said Albedo.
"Mister Albedo..."
"I’ve told you countless times to call me just ’Albedo’, Sucrose." he cut in, "What is it?"
Sucrose shook her head.
"Ah...N-Not important." she scratched the back of her head. Her cheeks were flushed in deep red, both from the cold and her current state of emotion. "You see, I, um...I’ve always wanted to see S-Starglow Cavern myself! The cavemouth is...almost right behind. I also...would like to see certain terrain effects from the inside."
"Sure."
《✧》
But the cave was a mere temporary haven for them from the forthcoming blizzard; the cave was a dangerous place for anyone to wander to just like that, although they didn’t plan on staying long nor venturing inward to the core. Especially since the core was known to be a nest of lawachurls. A completely deserted area where many people went missing.
"This cavern is beautiful! It’s like we’re inside of a diamond!" she stood utterly in awe, captivated by the crystallized environment that hugged them around. "I-I’m glad you’re here with me..."
"Yes, I share the same sentiment. Sucrose, I-"
The rumbling of the insides...the rumbling felt like an earthquake that shook icicles off the walls and left nothing behind but shards. Rocks were moving and even hilichurls panicked – was it really a thing from the same species?
Something was coming.
Albedo suspected a thing or two. Judging from where the sound came from, he...no, that couldn’t be. It’s not the time yet. Oh, he knew far more than he would ever admit it to even himself. The same exact reason he didn’t trust his control was –
"Hurry, we have to go." he grabbed Sucrose’s hand and pulled her with him, running toward the exit and trying to follow the light while he can.
"Ah! A-Already? W-We barely got here- what’s going on?What’s this?"
"That is no ordinary earthquake. The dissonances of such a thing...I doubt that’s even a hilichurl in the first place. Or anything we have recorded, for that matter."
"Then what could it be?" she asked. The unknown was frightening. Sucrose didn’t want to die in a place where the wind doesn’t blow.
"We don’t have enough time to figure it out."
Right before reaching the exit, the blizzard outside constrained them inside, trapping the two alchemists between frustrated wild monsters and frostbite; it was only a matter of time which comes first. All sorts of hilichurls’ growls echoed through the cavern, and the whine was unpleasant for the ears like someone was hitting a cauldron.
"Listen, Sucrose," Albedo put his hands on her shoulders and looked her in the eyes. "I can’t tell you what this is, but if anything...just run." he said, "monsters usually go haywire when something like this occurs. The two of us won’t stand a chance. Find safety, I’ll lure them away. You can get away, but not for long."
"M-Mister Albedo?" she asked; but failed at finishing it.
"It’s fine. Just go."
Sucrose nodded, and even though she trusted Albedo, she understood that something was wrong. So very wrong. She ran out of the cave, into the blizzard – she was getting snowblind and she could only hope she’s going in the right direction, but she reached dead end by the edge; she didn’t see any of it and fell right into the abyss.
"Ah! H-Help!" she shouted loudly enough for Albedo to still hear her while falling from above.
Albedo turned around, for a moment pausing his attack. He’s been searching for her even before they met; they can’t be going in two separate ways now, can they? He decided to rush out of the cave to look for Sucrose, nowhere to be found. As he reached the same edge, the many monsters cornered him and he couldn’t physically deal with so many of them at the same time.
No time to stay here...I have to jump.
He looked behind his shoulder, and before the wild monsters could smash him into dust, he jumped down the chasm covered in mist.
Albedo had to measure the risks, but had no time to do so whatsoever; landing in glacial water, he looked for Sucrose. The floating body near him almost gave him a heart attack, but he swam to her and managed to tuck her up to proper land. If they had jumped just a metre off, their bodies would have hit the ground – he didn’t want to think of that scenario, even when he calculated it.
The moment he pulled Sucrose out of the lake, he kneeled by the girl’s side. Albedo tried to keep his cool, he really did – but for change, his immediate instincts came first; he carefully removed Sucrose’s tight collar and attemted to unzip the back of her dress just to drain water out of her. When he saw her cough, he put a hand under Sucrose’s head and lifted her chin. He turned her face aside so that water would flow out of her mouth or nose. And without second thought, Albedo looked at her and strongly pushed his lips against hers as he tried to revive her, even though she has only temporarily lost consciousness, presumably from the fall.
Reciting an orison is useless, but he kept going. Stay alive.
While Sucrose was just coming to herself and her senses, Albedo was mortified. The very first that he almost destroyed was Sucrose. But as soon as she breathed and he could feel her pulses once again, he kept his mouth on hers. Whether to make sure she gets enough air or to kiss her while she’s awake, he couldn’t let her go. Not anymore.
The first sign of her returning to life was the twitching of her ears.
"Albedo..." she moaned, unbeknownst that her lips are occupied. Sucrose’s eyelids were wrinkling, trying to open themselves. Opening her tired eyes, everything else seemed like a blur, except for Albedo. She didn’t realize it yet – but by the time she did, Albedo pulled back to check on her.
"Sucrose? Are you hurt? Ah – of course you are. Look at me." he cupped her cheeks with his hands benignly, rubbing them and hoping for the gloves to warm her face up. He didn’t care that he was just as drenched.
"Mmmr..." she blinked, looking like she just woke up from a fever dream. Her fluffy hair seemed so thin, and all the threads stuck on her face. Albedo peeled them away and picked her up. He could have sworn she purred when he did that.
The mountain behind him reflected in the limpid water, its peak coruscating thanks to glistening snow. The water was calm; the rumbling has stopped. The mountain was calm again, too.
This wasn’t it, was it?
Albedo thought his nemesis came; but Sucrose melted into his arms and the fear disappeared.
He frantically looked for fire, any fire. A camp carved in rocks was vacant, and at least, safe. Not the warmest and cosiest, but it was enough for just one night. He went inside and saw a subtle fire alight.
Sucrose felt her face heat up terribly when she processed what just happened – she couldn’t believe. She wanted to get up to save Albedo from further trouble.
"Don’t overexert yourself. You need to rest. I don’t think we can leave today. If my calculations are correct, the camp shouldn’t be far from here." he peeked out before looking back at Sucrose “though it would be a foolish decision to find a way back now.” he put Sucrose down and she embraced herself.
"Yes, I agree...ah...The blizzard will only get heavier, r-right?"
"That’s what I am thinking, too. We have to stay put here. Oh. Sorry about your clothes..." he warned Sucrose as she felt her back getting colder and colder. She reached behind, blushed to the core, but sighed in relief.
"I’m...I’m sorry for dragging you with me, Mister Albedo. This turmoil is wholly my faaau- ahchoo-" she sneezed, then sniffed and wiped her nose with the back of her hand. Albedo found that sneeze rather adorable. His faint smile brought warmth into Sucrose’s heart.
"Hm? It’s nothing. This expedition was an excellent way to test our bond."
"Y-you make it sound so...ssso.." she set her teeth on edge and quivered. Albedo walked towards her and leaned down, scratching her head, now with more confidence than ever before.
"Intimate?" he finished. Sucrose caught him laughing for the first time in a long time, if not for the very first time. He sat down next to Sucrose and her head fell on his shoulder.
"Mister Albedo, perhaps that’s a little bit of an exaggeratio– Uhm, I- I didn’t mean to underestimate or nitpick about your choice of word, just-"
"Yes, I am aware."
"Is it really okay if I call you...Albedo?" Sucrose clung to Albedo’s shirt as tightly as she possibly could with what little strength she had left in her body.
"I told you so... You’re still cold, aren’t you?" he worriedly looked down at Sucrose, and she nodded and responded by burying her cheek into Albedo’s chest like it was a fluffy pillow. The way she was breathing was chilling, alarming to Albedo – it was shaken and dashed. She couldn’t swallow any more frosty air.
They huddled up and cowered in the back of the cave to warm themselves up. The crackling and sizzling fire was not much, but it kept the freezing cold under control for some time. Albedo took off his coat and subtly placed it around Sucrose, then hugged her closer.
"Don’t close your eyes yet," he said, lightly shaking her in his embrace. "stay awake, Sucrose." he whispered. His hands stroked the girl’s arm, who kept dozing off. Even though she knew Albedo was warm enough to keep her alive, vigorous heat didn’t quite reach her. But she didn’t want Albedo to let her go. Even if those were my last moments...wouldn’t it be better to die in the arms of someone you love, rather than the cold, hard ground? she thought.
May the amber blaze in her eyes keep shining bright.
And maybe, just maybe, Albedo can still relearn how to live. Retrieve vitality.
The sole fallacy in his reasoning used to be the lack of the simplest emotion known to mankind. To find the logic to glue smithereens of clues together, he first must open his heart and hang his fears upon a freshly blossomed way of florid thinking. Is this home?, he pondered. He put his hand on top of Sucrose’s head and couldn’t help but smile at the sight.
The answer lay right in front of him unadorned.
He would not have guessed and not even in his wildest dreams had he dreamed—chalk, indeed, has a soul. Chalk and fiber, interchangeable and compatible.
The transition from night to day in the mountains would soon dawn upon them and everything would be alright again, though perhaps not quite the same
Brushing her ear tenderly, and listening to her sleepily purring, Albedo pledged a promise.
To protect your smile, I shan’t get hurt.