Furina had a dream.
She dreamed that she was not the Hydro Archon, but an ordinary resident of Fontaine.
In her dream, she was an orphan, sent to an orphanage as a baby, with no parents, and raised by the teachers there.
But perhaps due to her innate nature, she was very timid, afraid of thunder, afraid of crowds, afraid of loneliness... In short, she was afraid of many, many things.
The teachers taught her not to be afraid, to be brave. She was very obedient and tried to face her fears, but each time she ultimately retreated due to fear.
Time slowly passed, and she grew up in the orphanage until she was six years old.
During this time, due to her personality, she always felt somewhat out of place with the other children, even subtly ostracized by them. She even earned the nickname "Coward."
She didn't like this nickname. Every time the other children called her that, she would get very, very angry inside. However, whenever she tried to retort, she would back down again.
She didn't dare to speak to others...
And when those people called her by her nickname, after everyone had left, she would feel very, very upset.
She would hide alone under the covers, and then tears would stream down uncontrollably. She also wanted to be like others — to play happily with the other children and make friends with them.
However, she was inexplicably afraid. She was afraid to speak to others. Every time she mustered the courage to call out someone's name, seeing them turn to look at her would make her very, very nervous — and then she would just run away.
She didn't know why she was like this, but she was simply afraid. She wanted to overcome it, but every time she tried, that inexplicable fear would always appear and completely engulf her.
At six years old, she had no friends in the orphanage.
However, one day, a girl suddenly appeared.
It was a very nice day, but her mood wasn't too good.
Because today, the orphanage organized a small activity — which was compulsory, encouraging all children to participate. She, being the most shy and afraid to talk and interact with others, was also forced to join the activity.
She was placed into a small group.
After several mini-games, their group's score was far behind, and the reason was her.
She felt very guilty, extremely guilty, yet she didn't even have the courage to say she was sorry.
Children are innocent. Because their group's score was behind, they didn't get extra snacks, and naturally, they were a bit upset.
Under the guidance of the orphanage teachers, these children remained kind, but because they didn't get extra snacks, they were ultimately a bit angry with her.
So, after the activity ended, no one in their group was willing to talk to her.
How did she feel at that time?
Fear, unease, guilt, and... self-hatred.
After dinner, the children in their group only received one dessert as a reward, while the other children had many snacks. In fact, the first-place group each received an additional three bags of snacks.
Feeling the envious glances of the others in her group, she only wanted to crawl under the table, because she felt it was her fault — that it was because of her that the other children didn't get snacks.
She ran away with her dessert, to a small corner she often went to.
She tried to find some peace and comfort there.
However, this time, when she found her secret base, a girl was quietly sitting there.
She had seen the girl before — she was from the first-place group, and the other group members seemed to center around her, encircling her.
She must be very popular, right? How amazing... How... envious...
She lowered her gaze slightly, tightened her grip on the dessert, and then prepared to turn and leave. However, the next moment, the girl spoke:
"Hello, would you like to sit together?"
The girl's voice seemed to carry an unknown magic, instantly calming her down; even the panic in her heart settled with it.
She suddenly discovered with surprise that she didn't seem to be afraid anymore!
She bravely nodded gently, then tentatively took a step in the girl's direction. After confirming that she hadn't run away due to fear, her eyes instantly lit up!
The girl moved aside, leaving enough space for her to sit. After a brief hesitation, she sat down next to the girl.
"Are you alone?"
"Mm…"
She was a little shy, because this was her first time mustering the courage to chat with someone else — and also her first time speaking to another girl like this.
The girl, having received an answer, nodded slightly and placed the snack she held in her hand onto hers.
"I don't like to eat it, you have it."
The girl said this.
The girl's action made her a little flustered. This was the first time she had received a gift from someone else...
She looked at the girl, wanting to say something, but when she saw the girl's calm, deep blue eyes, the words she wanted to say inexplicably wouldn't come out. She could only nod blankly, then take the snack, lower her head, and then say nothing more.
She wanted to say thank you, but for some reason, she didn't dare to speak. Looking down at the snack in her hand, she could only stare blankly.
She tried hard to pull her attention away from the girl and focus on the dessert, beginning to eat it in small bites.
Soon, she finished the dessert, with only a few crumbs left on the plate.
She was still craving more. Having lived in the orphanage since childhood, she rarely had the chance to eat dessert. Occasionally getting a piece of candy was already a big deal, and a dessert like this was a once-a-year treat.
However, the next moment, an untouched dessert was pushed in front of her.
It was the girl — "Liu Yuan".
"You really like it, have it."
The girl's tone was calm, without much emotion, her deep blue eyes a little vacant, but she was genuinely looking at her.
She couldn't quite remember what happened next, nor how she took the cake. In short, she just took it and then ate it in small bites.
And the girl just stood there watching her eat the cake little by little.
That was her first time alone with the girl, and also the first time someone had actively spoken to her and given her something delicious.
That dessert was very delicious — even better than the first piece of dessert she had just eaten...
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