Chapter Text
"Hello?" A light, saccharine tone had called out, echoing faintly. "Please, open your eyes. I promise you I mean no harm."
Heavy lids slowly fluttered open, revealing hues of pale gold, reminiscent of moonlight on a clear night. Flins blinked slowly, rubbing his eyes somewhat. Apparently he had fallen asleep in the underground library whilst writing his usual reports pertaining to his duties as a Lightkeeper. An airy giggle pulled his attention, his gaze now quickly settling on its source.
A young woman, with short blonde hair, with a soft smile that was radiant and warm, and such unique eyes, almost as if the sky itself had dropped down to become her vision. The Ratnik paused for a moment, noting that a pale, ethereal glow surrounded her form, and the fact she was semi transparent.
Was she a lost soul? Well, it's certainly not the first time spirits have come to him with their problems. And thankfully, Flins was more than happy to help.
"Forgive me for waking you," the woman said with a small bow, her voice apologetic, "...but you were the only one I could come to."
Flins raised his hand and shook his head. "Please, it's quite alright Miss," his tone was humble and polite as he spoke. He stood from his seat at the stone table he was working on to properly introduce himself to the young lady.
"My name is Kyryll Chudomirovich Flins," he says with a bow of his own, an arm behind his back and a hand over his chest like a proper gentleman, "...for simplicity's sake, you may call me Flins for short. Now, might I inquire your name, Miss?"
"My name...." she trailed off, those lovely eyes of hers closing before she tilts her head and that soft smile of hers now bears traces of melancholy.
"My name is Tholindis."
Flins' head shoots up from his bowed position, eyes widened somewhat and astonishment now drawn quite evidently upon his normally stoic features. He wasn't one who could be surprised easily, but had he heard this woman correctly? Tholindis. The Tholindis. The woman who-
"You share a similar expression with my Rerir when you're shocked, Mr. Flins," the blonde had all but confirmed with a light chuckle, as if she were able to read his thoughts. "Speaking of, that's why I've come to you tonight. I'd like to talk to you about something pertaining to Rerir."
The Lightkeeper's lips pursed subtly at that. She certainly didn't seem like she was here for any sort of revenge. Did she even know that Flins had helped in banishing the Rächer of Solnari from Teyvat? Albeit only temporarily, but the notion still stands. The spirit had said she had no intent to harm him, and he certainly couldn't sense any maliciousness from her. Needless to say, his curiosity was piqued.
"I am open to hearing you out, Miss Tholindis. However, I must ask something first," he motions to the Khaenrian woman's current state. "You're dead, yes? From what I have seen from both Sir Dainslief and Rerir, I thought that the Khaenrian people were cursed with immortality. So how is it you were able to pass on?"
Tholindis shook her head. "Only pure blooded Khaenrians were subjected to the Curse of Immortality," she places her hand over her chest, "Those who were not, were cursed in a different way." With that, she then points to a small silhouette in the corner of the library, one that Flins instantly recognizes as a Hillichurl, docile and curled up as if it were in a significant amount of pain. He is also quick to notice that it has the same hair pin that the spirit is currently wearing.
"My family was an off-shoot of the Crimson Moon Dynasty of Khaenri'ah, and had long since severed ties with the main branch, which included marrying and bearing descendants that were not fully Khaenrian. Those who held such blood were cursed to become monsters of the Abyss." Tholindis' voice was quiet, yet somber as she spoke, and a thin frown had claimed her lips. "Currently, I am close to death. I used every ounce of strength my body had left to make my way to Nod Krai and keep my memories in tact as best I could instead of following the other Hillichurls deep into the Chasm in Liyue. And now, I'm using what little energy I have left to request something of you, Mr. Flins."
"Do you wish for me to pass on your final words to Rerir?" Flins asked, his gaze softening somewhat. He admired the endurance and determination Tholindis showed in what were her final days. What a cruel fate for anyone to be subjected to. Perhaps it would give the Sinner some much needed closure to at least hear his dearest's last wishes, or maybe the mere fact that he had not been there when his beloved had passed on would infuriate him to no end. Nod Krai would undoubtedly feel his wrath for robbing him of a reunion, no matter how bittersweet, with his would be fiancé.
"There is that, yes, but I have another request as well." Tholindis responds, her eyes meeting with the Lightkeeper's, her expression resolute.
"I would like for you to care for Rerir in my stead."
Flins' eyes widened once more, his breath hitching as he just stared blankly at the woman, trying to process what she had just said. Her words kept repeating in his head 'Care for Rerir in my stead', and it just made him even more speechless. Surely she didn't mean what he thought she meant? Did she know exactly what it was that she was asking of him?
"Oh dear," the blonde had gasped, murming to herself while waving a translucent hand in front of the man's flabbergasted face, "Oh no, I think I broke him... Excuse me? Mr. Flins? Are you okay? Hello?"
It took a moment or so, but Flins did recover, shaking his head before putting a hand to his mouth while he cleared his throat before speaking.
"I beg your pardon, Miss Tholindis. I must have misheard what you said-"
"You heard correctly," Tholindis commented, taking a step closer to the Ratnik. "Why does it come as such a shock to you? You already keep his heart, don't you?" She points to the lantern resting at his hip.
Flins arches a brow at that question. "How do you know something like that?"
That gentle, yet somber smile returned to her visage before she spoke. "How do you think I knew to come to Nod Krai? My heart heard his, calling out for me. Even now it cries out with such loneliness and pain. Can't you hear it, Mr. Flins?"
The man shakes his head. Honestly he's more surprised that the small, crystalline fragment in his lantern has any life left within it after the Traveler purified it. Then again, Nefer had borrowed the fragment when she investigated Rerir's past, but there was a difference between storing old memories and new ones. Could the fragment even hold new memories?
"May I see it?" Tholindis asks softly, "I promise to return it to you."
That sentence now sounds so strange in Flins' ears, but regardless, he nods and unfastens the lantern from his belt and opens the glass casing. His hand delves into the azure flames for a few brief moments before it retreats and something is seen enclosed within his gloved palm.
Tears prick the corners of Tholindis' eyes, and a mixed smile crosses her tiers as Flins presses the remnants of Rerir's heart into her hands.
"My dearest, my darling Rerir..." The words escape her mouth as she brings the fragment close to her own heart and closes her eyes. The sight is both sweet and heartbreaking. Rerir truly was quite lucky to have found someone like Tholindis, and she in turn was just as lucky to have someone who would move heaven and earth to be by her side once more. So then why was she so willing to let him go?
"I apologize, Miss Tholindis," he hated to interject during such a moment, really he did, "But, perhaps now you can see why I reacted the way I did to your request? The love you carry for Rerir is simply...on an entirely different level. I can't hold a candle to either of you. The man jumped into the jaws of the Abyss to chase after you, endured hells that would crush others willpower to dust... Why wish for him to move on and find another?"
Tholindis stayed silent save for a few sniffles here or there, taking the time to dry her tears with her sleeves before looking up at Flins again, taking his hands with a gentle motion and laying Rerir's heart back within his palm. It was then that he heard it, it was faint, but it was there. He couldn't help but let out a gasp. A thrum of life, a heartbeat. He could practically feel the fragment pulse in his hands as Tholindis held them.
"My life will soon come to an end. Rather than seeing him so distraught and tearing himself apart, I wish for him to be happy above all else. I wish for someone to hold him close, to comb their fingers through his hair while whispering the sweetest of comforts, for him to smile and laugh and to have fun," the spirit lets out a chuckle at the latter end of her statement, "...Did you know that he's an excellent dancer? He even helped guide a klutz like me who had two left feet in the ballroom. He's also the the type who broods a lot, as I'm sure you noticed. He needs someone to poke fun at him and keep him on his toes. You seem to be very good at that from what I could see in his heart, I guess being a Fae helps with that, right?"
"Hn... I suppose it does." So that fragment can hold newer memories, she wouldn't have been able to discern that he wasn't human otherwise. "However, I honestly don't think he'll stop chasing you, even at your own behest."
The blonde haired woman gives an exhausted sigh at that reply. Her head hangs low and her eyes look so tired now, it also appears that the luminescence that surrounded her had started to pale and fade. "We had a saying back in Khaenri'ah, that a caged bird sings far more sweetly when it flies free. Seeing him happy will in turn make me happy." She looks back up at Flins once more, his hands still in her own. She slowly and gently guides them to his own chest and coaxes him to press the fragment against his own beating heart like she had done. Flins has to quickly hide his face behind the high collar of his overcoat as he can feel his cheeks starting to become flushed.
"And if I can help another with their own loneliness, then all the better," she tilts her head and gives that warm and radiant smile. It's a stark contrast to her now fading form.
This time, it's Flins who lets out a weak chuckle. This woman was experiencing her final moments, and instead of worrying about herself, she makes sure a superfluous Fae isn't so excruciatingly lonely, while also giving her blessings and wishing nothing but happiness for her dearest. Humans will never cease to amaze him with what they are capable of doing.
"Rerir truly is lucky to have you, Miss Tholindis."
"And you will be lucky to have him, Mr. Flins." she playfully retorts, taking a step back and letting out an exhale. Her transparent form slowly starts to shrink and loses detail until Tholindis is nothing but a small sphere of light. The sphere floated towards the Hillichurl in the corner, disappearing into its tiny body. Soon the Hillichurl is moving, though it's struggling heavily, like that of a dying animal. It crawls and stumbles up the stairs of the underground library. It gets as far as the shoreline of the island before it collapses and stops moving entirely just as dawn starts to break.
Flins had followed the Hillichurl to the shore, keeping his distance whilst observing and waiting. It's only when he sees the Hillichurl has died that his eyes close, and he bows his head solemnly before uttering a small prayer in the Fae language.
"Αντίο, Θολίντις. Είθε ο ύπνος σας να είναι τόσο άνετος και απαλός όσο το πρώτο χιόνι του χειμώνα."
It's not until noon that Flins returns to his lighthouse, actually feeling exhaustion clinging to him, more mental than physical. He had made sure to give Tholindis a proper burial, and marked her grave with the hairpin her Hillichurl body had been wearing. Afterwards, he had planned to return to the library and finish his reports, but decided against it. His mind was swarmed with so many thoughts it made his head spin, there would be no way he could focus on such a dull and menial task as writing out his reports. Instead, the Ratnik sets his lantern atop his bedside table, removes his overcoat and the heavier layers of clothing alongside his boots and slips under the covers of his bed.
It's a futile act, he can't fall asleep. He knows why.
Tholindis' final wish. Flins plans to at least try and honor it, it's the least he can do, but it will be no easy task. The Rächer of Solnari himself will make sure of that when he inevitably returns to Teyvat. It does not help that the Rerir that Tholindis remembered and the Rerir of the present were akin to night and day, so it makes it quite hard to imagine the Sinner being anything but cruel and ruthless to anyone other than his former love.
The Lightkeeper lets a sigh escape his lips before reaching for his lantern to retrieve the fragment from it once more. Just like before, he mirrors Tholindis' actions and brings Rerir's heart close to to his own.
"Well, now that I know this heart of yours can retain new memories, and you can tell when someone is poking around in said memories, I guess I won't have too much explaining to do when you return, right?" he starts to to speak, mostly to just try and empty his mind of all these thoughts swimming in his head, but also to try and establish a connection other than their battles.
"I'm not familiar with the funerary rites of Khaenri'ah, but I did give her a proper burial using the rites of Nod Krai. I'll escort you to her when you come back. She's overlooking the ocean and the spot is quite secluded, so not even the spirits will disturb you." His eyes become half-lidded and another airy exhale escapes his weary form.
"Afterwards, we should talk. Truth be told, I don't have much experience in this particular area. Partially from my own volition, and partly because I'm not human. Fae are..." he trails off for a fleeting moment, "...they are beings that love with all their entirety. We value intimacy quite highly, hence why it's so difficult to gain the affections of one. It's actually more common for a Fae to become smitten and court a human than the other way around." He's mainly rambling now, letting his thoughts loose as they come to him. It's also helping in easing his psyche, and he inadvertently clutches the fragment tighter.
"That means I'll have to follow your lead. I am willing to try if you are, so-" the Lightkeeper gets cut off not by the loud thrum of the fragment that rings in his ears. No, it is the fact a familiar voice now speaks to him in response.
"You talk far too much. That incessant babbling of yours is breaking my focus." One could easily hear the rage in Rerir's voice, coupled with despair and pain, but unlike the untamed wrath Flins had faced down before, this was more measured, almost controlled, like a powerful storm looming on the horizon and steadily making its way towards land.
Such a notion should have gave him great cause for concern, but all Flins could do was allow the beginnings of a smirk to etch itself so elegantly upon his visage.
"If you wish for me to stop, then you'll just have to find a way to hasten your return to Teyvat and make me."
The fragment pulsed and a low growl could be heard emanating from it. "Tch... I'll make sure you choke on those words. That is a promise, Fae."
"Mmn, I'll believe that once I feel your fingers close around my throat, Rerir." Flins replied in a smooth timbre. The only reply he got after that little bout of teasing was the hum of the fragment becoming louder and the heartbeat itself picking up somewhat. This garnered a breathy laugh from Flins, and his smirk faltered to a subtle smile as the fragment's rhythmic thrum had lulled the Fae into a state of relaxation.
The last time something like this occurred, he recalled, was when he had gathered quite a few fragments of the Sinner's heart. Alongside the pulse of life, a streak of crimson had ensnared his azure flames, their tantilizing dance reminiscent of the opposing forces of kuuvahki that was strewn throughout Nod Krai. He remembered watching his lantern a lot during that time, caught in the beckoning spell of flame and a beating heart. Flins' eyes now grew heavy with this in mind. It isn't long before they close fully, sleep finally coming to claim him.
Meanwhile, on his nightstand, the blue flames of his precious lantern fluttered jovially in rhythm to the fragment that was still in Flins' hand against his chest. Moments later, its body is twisting vigorously in a familiar dance against the deep red flare that had been so graciously welcomed inside.