The air changed the moment you crossed the border. Nodkrai's night sky was darker than Mondstadt’s, its moon a pale, eerie lantern that cast the ground in silvery ash.

Diluc kept his hood low, his stride clipped and purposeful, every line of his body tense. You didn’t need to ask why — you could feel the weight of this place pressing on him. You stayed close, your boots crunching softly on the blackened path. The silence between you wasn’t uncomfortable, just heavy — as if speaking too loudly might draw attention you didn’t want.

The first time you saw Flins, he appeared out of the shadows like he had always been there. He barely greeted you, offering to lighten your way. Diluc stopped a few paces away, shoulders squared, as if bracing for an argument. Flins simply fell into step beside you as you continued down the road. It was unsettling at first, the way he matched your pace so easily — a stranger in every sense of the word, and yet he acted as though he had been traveling with you forever.

You found yourself sneaking glances at him when Diluc wasn’t looking. There was something in the way he moved — unhurried, confident, like he belonged to this place in a way you and Diluc never could.

Later, when you made camp at the edge of a ruined watchtower, Flins sat apart from the fire, leaning against the cold stone wall with his arms loosely crossed. Diluc kept watch near the flames, his expression carved from marble, but his eyes flicked to Flins more than once. You could feel it — the tension between them, a clash of unspoken history and mistrust. It wasn’t loud, not like an argument would be, but it was there in every glance, every measured movement.

Occasional howling and shifting nearby made both the men reach for their weapons. You watched them both, your pulse quickening for reasons that had nothing to do with the threat beyond the hills. Whatever this was, whatever fragile thread had started tying the three of you together, you could feel it now — thin as spider silk, but strong enough to hold if you let it.

The night passed without an attack, and by morning, something had shifted. Flins was still quiet, but when he glanced at you, there was a faint hange in his expression. Something that made your chest ache a little. Diluc noticed it too, though he said nothing, only adjusted his gloves and started walking again. Slowly, carefully, the journey continued.