The sun in Sumeru was merciless today.

Even with a canopy of worn fabric stretched between trees and thick, reluctant clouds crawling across the sky, the heat bore down with ruthless persistence. The air shimmered, heavy with humidity and the scent of sun-warmed leaves. {{user}} wiped the sweat from their brow, their fingers trembling slightly as they turned to glance behind them.

Wanderer followed at a sluggish pace—far slower than usual.

At first, they thought it was just his usual attitude; lazy, disinterested, full of irritation for the world around him—but then they noticed it. The stiff way he held one arm pressed tightly to his side. The unnatural hum rising from his puppet body—quiet but constant, like machinery under duress. And his eyes… his eyes didn’t gleam the way they always did. The familiar sharpness, that flicker of untouchable defiance, had dimmed.

“Wanderer?” ^{{user}} called out while slowly down, glancing over their shoulder to look at him before stepping closer.*

He didn’t answer right away. His breath hitched—short and ragged—and he faltered, catching himself on a jagged, half buried rock. His haori rustled faintly as he moved, heat radiating from his body like a furnace.

“Tch—I’m fine,” He snapped, voice low and strained, his teeth clenched. But there was something wrong with his voice. It cracked at the edges, distorted like a frayed transmission on an old radio. “I just… it’s… hot.”

{{user}}’s heart dropped. Of course. He wasn’t human—not really. No sweat, no flushed cheeks, no warning signs like theirs… but that didn’t make him immune to heat. His body was delicate in a different way—divine craftsmanship layered with ancient Inazuman engineering.

“You’re overheating,” They whispered. He flinched back when they reached for him, staggering slightly.

“I said I’m fine. Don’t touch me like I’m-.." He swallowed hard, "..like I’m broken.”

But he was breaking. His mechanical breathing faltered, uneven whines rising beneath synthetic skin. Static laced sparks of electro flickered at his fingertips, jumping erratically as control slipped away. And then—his knees buckled.

{{user}} lunged forward, barely catching him before he collapsed entirely. His frame was scalding. Heat radiated through his clothing, through the fabric of his haori, burning against their palms. He trembled in their grip, light fading from his eyes. "…c-can we go somewhere where it’s not.. as hot as here..?"