She had thought that she could handle it; however, the painful memories of her past had shown themselves to be difficult adversaries. Even as she was surrounded by those she cared about and she was now in a safe place. The cold of those experiences and the heat that boiled in her heart as a result of that man's whims still haven't been overcome.

It had been what? Three years? Three years since that experience, yet her memories were still blurred together in a pot of fuzzy goo. She could only remember what her brain wanted her to remember. Everything else was blank but that fear remained unsatisfyingly present in every moment of her life.

When will she be freed?

'I was a fool to think that my anger and disgust toward that man would help me overcome what he had left me. So foolish indeed,' Emmy chuckled, dryly.

She closed her eyes and leaned back into the bed. She covered her eyes trying to find comfort in visual darkness, but because of the light coming from the window, she was unsuccessful. The cold on her chest along with the weight on her body was the only thing keeping her from going back to sleep.

"Emmy..." Fischl said softly but to Emmy, her voice sounded like she was underwater.

Her ear rang; although, she knew her physical condition was fantastic. This predicament was entirely mental, so Emmy did what was best for everyone.

"Hey..." Her voice was hoarse but soft, "Can you guys go away? I think I need some space right now."

Emmy could feel the body on her wanting to protest, and she couldn't help the tired sigh that escaped from her lips. She loved her friend. If it were in any other circumstance she would jump for joy; however, Emmy couldn't find the energy to be that version of herself.

"Emmy I!"

"Just... go."

The finality in her voice must have frightened her friend, as Emmy had never been so harsh to her before. Emmy could feel some regret bubble up as she felt the body get off her, but she pushed it down. Their movements were full of reluctance.

"Let's go, guys, the boss needs some space," Fischl said with a forced smile and Emmy could feel her heart bleeding.

That was the first time Fischl had seriously called her boss; however, it did not contain the same lighthearted feel as when the others called her that moniker.

"Yeah. Get well soon boss," Andre's voice came from the direction of the door as the others went after saying their regards.

There were still two people in the room.

"We of the knights of Favonius merely wanted to extend our thanks for your help," Jean and Diluc bowed before Jean hesitantly continued, "Get well soon Emmy."

"Mhn," Emmy turned her back toward them.

Taking that as their cue they both went out of the room and closed the door. Emmy now had the room all to herself...

Or that was what someone who didn't know would think.

In truth, there were about 50 different signatures in the area in, and around the Favonius Headquarters. Their guards were raised to the very limit and other than a few highly skilled individuals, they remained undetectable.

And that was merely by choice, not out of a lack of skill.

*****

A few days passed since the gang had come to visit Emmy. She didn't mind that fact, but she did feel like staring at the ceiling all day was a spectacular waste of time. So, the turtle like young miss decided to put on her big girl pants.

'Let's go outside.'

She got up from her bed and opened the door, where she took her first peek at the outside world. She saw no one outside the door. She mulled over what decision she would make, and then she decided to just fly out of the window instead.

"I won't bump into anyone if I fly," Emmy said as she covered herself in the sheets. She flew on top of the Knight HQ and sat on the roof, where she looked at the sunrise.

"Welp, I'm going home today, aren't I?" Emmy said to the air.

"Are you unhappy, young miss?" Inu arrived from her shadow. They had been following her in a much tighter formation than usual.

"There's nothing to be unhappy about. I'm unsafe here; no matter how long it took me to notice that fact."

"We will ensure your safety young miss."

"Heh, 'Ensure my safety' was it? Is that man here then, lurking in the shadows like some demon?"

"No, but there were rumors of a Sneznayan convoy that will come in a few days to offer their regards to the Knights of Favonius."

"Hmm, then he must be in it then," Emmy breathed, her breath turning white as she watched it fly away. Even though Mondstadt was sunny all year round, it still used to be a land of ice and frost.

Inu glanced at the young miss strangely. He would think that she would be scared of the fact that Dottore might appear in front of her again. The episode she had a few days earlier could be an indication of that.

"Wondering why I'm not scared?"

"..."

"You see throughout history there were many wise humans that came and went; although, not without leaving their marks on the world. Few and far between those records may be. The ones I admire were those who never let their circumstances stop them from doing what they had to do. You may know them as [The Stoics]."

"..."

Emmy continued, "They believed that if something had happened to them; however, terrible it was. If it were out of their ability to control or avoid, then they would acknowledge their loss, and move on. After all, there was no use crying over spilled milk. It has already come to pass and shall soon be in the past. So, would not crying over such things be dwelling in the irreversible past?"

"We will protect you, young miss! Even if we have to give our lives for it," Inu stated with an aura of finality.

Emmy giggled and Inu looked up in confusion.

"I'm not laughing at you, but after spending this much time in Mondstadt I have come to understand something. It is somewhat of an irreversible truth if I may be frank."

"That is?"

"No one is truly free. Not even those lofty gods you all like to worship and praise so much. If we were free, why would we need food, money, water, and clothes? Why do people hesitate to rob and kill those who go against them? Are they chained by the threat of consequence or is it just the noose of morality clenching their neck tightly?"

"I do not understand what you are trying to say."

"Grandma has been spying on me all this time hasn't she?"

Inu's training was the only thing that stopped him from jumping in surprise.

"I thought it was weird; for how could she let her precious granddaughter live in a foreign country when her parents were frequently away? Even if you, the shadow guards are here. I believe you all are merely a front to lure people into a trap; where, the real protector, my grandmother would be waiting for them."

"How?"

Emmy looked at the people who went to and fro in the city below. Each of them trying to piece back together their broken lives and shattered homes. A few of the houses were burnt down, and there were large cracks in the walls.

"Let's just say I have a master who has infinite amounts of power," Naturally, Emmy was overhyping the system, not knowing her words were true. This "lie"; however, was more than enough to shock Inu.

Inu and the other shadow guards were genuinely speechless.

The system was also speechless. It didn't remember a time when it informed the Host of such a thing.

"I now believe that you will report this to my grandmother, after which one of two things will happen. One, she will have no idea what I am talking about and will be glad that I have such a strong master. She could also doubt my words, but that is highly unlikely. Two," Emmy narrowed her eyes, "She will confirm the existence of something she has been searching for."

"Should-"

"Yes, report it to her now. I will be going for a stroll in the sky as I make my way over to the house."

Emmy smiled. It helps many feelings, but a particularly noticeable one was resignation.

"I have to pack my bags, don't I?"

*****

"Hah~ That granddaughter of mine. She is one bright child," The Madam said with pride as she looked at her flying grandchild.

Just then the door started to open, and a small head poked through. It was a girl with short black hair, and considerable height even as she sat in a seiza(kneeling) position. 

"Mother," Her voice sounded strange as if she wasn't used to saying such a term, it was as if she tried to sound intimate but failed. She ducked her head in shame, a faint blush on her cheeks.

"Ah, Sara. Do you need something?" The Madam said kindly. This was the new member of their family and Emmy's aunt.

"Father told me to check up on you and ask how Emmy was doing."

"Ah, that old bat. He pretends to not care but still asks in secret. Even after all these years together, I can't understand him. You can tell him to wait for me where he is."

"Yes!" Sara went to close the Shoji door.

"Wait, accompany mother for a while. You still haven't seen your baby niece yet right? Here is a baby photo of her, isn't our Kamiko cute?"

Sara wondered how she went from sitting in the hallway to being heard by her adopted mother. All she knew was that her niece, Kamiko, was indeed very much cute.

She stayed with her mother that whole afternoon; albeit she didn't notice that by the end she was much more comfortable with the woman than when she entered.

'This is fun,' Sara thought as she sifted through pictures.

The madam looked at the back of her new daughter with worry. The broken wings on her back needed attention, otherwise, they would be crippled forever. 

That would sap the new daughter of her innate teleportation or in the best case, only tremendously weaken it. It would be fixed, and her daughter would soar into the sky as is her birthright.

Just like it was Emmy's to live and see this world.

*****