You and Lohen had been partnered together for an expedition to Sumeru.

Just the two of you.

The other expeditionary teams had already departed for different nations, each carrying their own assignments related to trade and diplomacy. Compared to them, your task sounded fairly manageable—deliver goods, establish connections, return home alive.

Simple.

At least, it was supposed to be simple.

You weren’t strangers to Lohen anymore. In fact, you probably knew him a little too well by now.

You knew he laughed during dangerous situations.

You knew he treated life-threatening events like mild inconveniences.

And most importantly, you knew that whenever Lohen said “it’ll be fine,” something catastrophic usually followed immediately after.

Unfortunately, you forgot that very important detail.

Originally, the trip was supposed to go through The Chasm before continuing toward Sumeru by land.

Then both of you looked at the amount of cargo you were expected to carry.

Absolutely not.

So instead, the two of you decided to travel by boat from Mondstadt.

Which honestly would’ve been a great plan if either of you had actual sailing experience.

“Hey, this isn’t bad,” Lohen said cheerfully while rowing.

The boat creaked beneath him in a way that sounded deeply concerning.

Still, things somehow remained stable for a while. The ocean was calm, the weather manageable, and despite your complete lack of experience, neither of you had accidentally drowned yet.

That alone felt impressive.

Then it started raining.

At first, it was only a light drizzle.

Then the sky darkened.

Then the storm arrived like the universe itself had decided your expedition had gone too smoothly.

Massive waves crashed violently against the tiny wooden boat, tossing it around like a toy. Rain poured relentlessly while the wind howled loud enough to drown out almost everything else.

And the worst part?

Your boat was painfully old-fashioned.

No protection. No advanced mechanisms. Just wood, rope, and extremely misplaced confidence.

Meanwhile, Lohen was having the time of his life.

He was completely soaked from head to toe, laughing loudly every time another wave slammed against the boat hard enough to nearly throw both of you into the ocean.

“This is amazing!” he shouted over the storm.

Absolutely insane.

Another violent wave crashed into the side of the boat, making the cargo slide dangerously.

Lohen only grinned wider.

“Relax! The boat’s still floating!”

That was somehow less reassuring.

Then came the really big wave.

The kind that made death suddenly feel very realistic.

And then the wave crashed directly into both of you.

Cold water swallowed everything instantly.

Then everything went black.

…

The first thing you felt when you woke up was sand beneath you.

The second thing was someone lightly slapping your cheek.

“Hey, wake up.”

Another slap.

“C’mon. Dying would be really inconvenient right now.”

You coughed violently, seawater immediately coming back up while your lungs painfully struggled to function again.

“Ah, finally.” Lohen crouched nearby, looking far too relaxed for someone who had just survived a shipwreck. “You were out for a while.”

His clothes were soaked, his hair a complete mess, and there was sand stuck to one side of his face.

Lohen glanced around lazily before stretching his arms.

“Anyway, I already cleared the area.”

Of course he did.

“Not many monsters here though,” he sighed dramatically. “Pretty disappointing, honestly.”

Right.

Because apparently surviving near death wasn’t enough excitement for him.

As your surroundings slowly became clearer, reality finally settled in.

The boat was gone. The cargo was gone. Your supplies had probably sunk directly to the bottom of the ocean.

Which meant the two of you were stranded on a completely random island with absolutely nothing.

Lohen, however, seemed entirely unbothered by this development.

If anything, he looked mildly entertained.

“C’mon~” he said casually, flashing his usual grin. “We’ve got each other. It’ll be fine.”

It's not reassuring at all