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When the Traveler had asked Nahida for help, of course Nahida agreed! Nahida owed the Traveler her life. Even if it meant leaving Sumeru for a bit, Nahida had to admit that seeing the world outside of Sumeru for herself was exciting.
Hundreds of years trapped in the Sanctuary, now with nothing but her own responsibility… it was freeing. And Nahida was eternally grateful.
The Traveler had a knack for changing Teyvat as they went. Descenders tended to do that. It was wonderful that their particular one was so kind. When Nahida heard of the Moon Maiden’s plight, she set off to Nod Krai immediately. Sumeru would be alright without her… they had been alright for five hundred years, after all.
Ah, Nahida had to stop thinking like that! She had told herself that such self-deprecation was illogical. It was just… hard in practice.
Nahida followed the Traveler’s instructions to the cavern below. It was a beautiful sight. Nod Krai was beautiful in every way—Nahida had seen it in many dreams before, but in person… It only reminded her of how much she still wanted to experience.
The room glowed with pulsing blue flowers. Nahida instantly took interest in them—she was the Dendro Archon, after all. They were aloof and ethereal, a stark contrast to the warm and bountiful plants of Sumeru. She leaned down, letting her power sink into the flowers in an effort to learn more.
“Who goes there?”
Nahida gasped. She stood up abruptly, feeling a little embarrassed that she had gotten sidetracked so easily. “I’m Nahida, the Dendro Archon!” she said lightly, hoping to come across as welcoming. “And you?”
A girl with black hair and closed eyes stood still in front of the glow of the moon statues. Her dress flowed out behind her. “The Dendro Archon,” Columbina muttered, completely ignoring Nahida’s question. “What could you want from me?”
Columbina’s voice carried a tone of fear and uncertainty. Nahida saw the flowers around her edge closer to purple. Interesting… so they responded to Columbina’s emotions. “I don’t want anything from you,” Nahida said. “I was sent to help you!”
“Sent?” And, in an instant, the flowers around them flashed from purple to red. Nahida took a hesitant step back. “Who sent you?”
“Perhaps that wasn’t the best word for it,” Nahida admitted. She thought for a moment, then smiled, unfazed by the glowing red around them. “Maybe a metaphor can help. When a little bird leaves its nest for the first time, its mother nudges it forward, so it sends itself into the air… But the little bird does not protest, because it knows that this is necessary.”
Columbina was silent. She tilted her head slightly. “I do not understand,” she said.
“That’s alright,” Nahida said. “What I really mean, is that a friend recommended that I visit you. There was no obligation. I came because I wanted to. And that maybe…” Nahida offered her a smile. “We can be friends!”
Columbina didn't move. “Friends?”
“The Traveler told me about you,” Nahida told her. “You were born five hundred years ago out of the ashes of a dead god. Your followers took you in and placed upon you expectations that you could not fulfill. So, in the end, you broke free and sought your own path… did you not?”
Columbina did not respond, but the flowers turned back to blue. Nahida took this as a good sign.
“... Then, I would like to share with you my own story,” Nahida said softly, taking a step forward. “I… lost my memories and all my power five hundred years ago,” she said, looking at her hands. “Leaving me with this vessel and only a fraction of what I had before. My followers found me, and at first they were so happy!” Nahida let a sad smile play on her face. “Oh, Archon. We finally found you. Our people are so excited to meet you. But then they realized that I wasn’t enough.” Nahida paused. “Sorry, then they thought that I wasn’t enough. So they put me in the Sanctuary of Surasthana. I was trapped there for five hundred years, until recently the Traveler helped me out.”
Columbina did not move from her spot, but Nahida saw her shoulders relax slightly. “Surely a prison made by mortals couldn’t best a god. Couldn’t you escape?”
“I could,” Nahida admitted. “But I… I didn’t think that I could.” Nahida laughed to herself. “When you’re born to the crushing weight of expectations… it has consequences on you.”
They stood in silence for a moment. Columbina looked like she was thinking. The little breeze that filtered in through the cavern rustled through their dresses.
“... I’m sorry,” Columbina said finally.
Nahida smiled. “It’s quite alright. Like a mint melting beneath the tongue… loss is bitter, but can be sweet.”
Columbina was silent again. She looked away.
“What do you want in return for your friendship?” she asked quietly.
Nahida blinked. “Huh?”
“I have nothing to give to the God of Wisdom,” Columbina lamented. She took a step back and sat down on the stone of the moon. “I have given all that I can. If it is information you want… there is no information that I have that you do not.”
Her voice was so melodic it almost sounded like she was singing. Nahida felt her heart sink.
“No,” Nahida said. “You don’t have to give me anything. I just want to be friends.”
Columbina’s chest rose up and down. Nahida guessed that she was confused. “I don’t understand,” she said again.
Nahida walked even closer, offering her a comforting smile. “That’s alright, it’s hard for me, too.” Nahida reached the spot next to her on the stone moons. She looked at it. “Can I sit next to you?”
Columbina gave her a stiff nod. Nahida plopped down next to her. Well, it was more beneath her, because the spot where Columbina was sitting was higher than hers, making Nahida seem shorter than she already was. But that was alright. It was a psychological thing, you see—the higher someone was relative to you, the more powerful they seemed. Nahida didn’t want to make Columbina afraid, so she’d rather sit below her than above.
Then again, Columbina’s eyes were closed. Did she even see? Nahida pondered this for a few moments, then opted to think about it later.
“Sometimes,” Nahida continued. “I still think that I’m not enough. Which is ridiculous, because I know that I’m very qualified to be Sumeru’s archon. It’s just…” Nahida’s voice was calm and level, but the brightness in it had faded, revealing a bit of pain underneath. “It’s really difficult to get rid of old habits, especially when you’ve been told it from the moment you were born.”
Columbina looked at her. Or, she moved her head to face Nahida’s. Her eyes were still closed.
“Well, my point is,” Nahida said, sitting up straight and placing her hands neatly on her lap. “You don’t have to give me anything. You don’t have to give anyone anything. This is your life, and you can make your own choices. I want to be friends not because I want anything in return, but because I care about you.”
Columbina was still silent. Did Nahida say something wrong? She searched her expanse of knowledge for everything she knew about conversation. No, Nahida was pretty sure she said it all right. This was a common thing for mortals comforting each other to say. Nahida breathed a sigh of relief.
“Is that…” Columbina’s voice was quiet and unsure. “The wisdom you are giving me?”
Nahida nodded enthusiastically. “Yes. And you don’t have to give me anything for it. Is that okay with you?”
Columbina took a few moments to think. But then she nodded. “Okay.”
“Okay,” Nahida repeated. She let a smile appear on her face, more genuine this time. “As for the ‘friend’ thing… I’m giving you my friendship, and you don’t have to give me anything. But if you want…” Nahida took Columbina’s hand tentatively. Columbina froze, surprised. Her hand felt cold. “... You can give me your friendship in return.”
Columbina’s hand felt as stiff as stone. But then it loosened. She let out a shaky breath. “Okay.”
Nahida’s smile only grew wider. She let go of Columbina’s hand.
Columbina looked right at her. Or, at least, the place where her closed eyes were did not stray from her.
"Friend," Columbina said.
Nahida met her eyes. "Yes?"
“You are enough,” Columbina stated, as if it was the most obvious fact in the world.
Nahida gasped despite herself. It was her turn to be surprised, it seemed. She looked away quickly, trying to gather the slew of thoughts and feelings that had jumped in her head. Her heart pounded against her chest.
Nahida blinked away tears. “Thank you,” she said quietly.
Columbina, for the first time since Nahida had met her, smiled.