Chapter Text
There was always a rush when they were called heroes. A flush would always make its way up their necks as they brushed off the praise, refusing to accept the gifts for simply doing what they always have.
From world to world. Fight to fight. It was always the same rush. So similar to the rush of taking flight; yet starkly different. He always claimed it wasn’t a rush, but rather the comedown of adrenaline from the fight or the war.
She disagreed; there was always a glow in being told you’d saved lives. There was always a surge of happiness when someone told you that you’d changed their life for the better. She would always chase that glow because it always meant she was on the right path.
Paimon and Lumine stared at Jean with equally incredulous expressions. The people scattered around the room looked to Lumine with expectant expressions; just waiting for her to confirm their hope. Lumine felt a heavy pressure begin to mount on her shoulders as if each stare contained a physical weight.
Paimon turned to look at Lumine with wide questioning eyes, assessing her as if this was the first time she’d seen the outlander. She rose from her chair, floating towards Lumine until she was directly in front of her face; Lumine watched as Paimons’ face contorted in confusion while she scanned her face. Lumine let out a squeak of surprise as Paimon slapped both her hands on her cheeks, squishing and pulling them away from her face.
“Mmm… Paimon isn’t quite sure Lumine is the one you’re looking for! Barbatos could’ve just seen her as a perfect vessel to carry the anemo powers and granted them to her! Outlander or not,” Paimon announced as she continued to play with Lumine’s cheeks.
“Plus, Paimon has always seen the savior with long hair; always tied up somehow! Lumine’s hair is short and there’s no way she could braid it!” Lumine’s breath hitched at her floating companions' words, a fleeting image of a blond braid attached to a familiar head. She scrambled for the memory frantically, but it was gone before she could really catch hold of it.
“The tale of our savior has been around longer than the Archons have, in fact, the Archons expected the savior to stop the Archon war, according to certain sources. No matter what people have predicted and guessed at, this story has been passed down for thousands of years. I’m sure things like the length of their hair is guaranteed to be confused through all that time,” the man with red hair, Diluc, huffed, glaring down at Paimon. Paimon turned her face towards him and stuck out her tongue stubbornly, hands still locked on Lumine’s cheeks.
Gently, Lumine removed her hands and pushed the small girl back towards her seat, looking back towards Jean.
“I think you have the wrong person. I-I woke up on this world less than a year ago, and in that time I’ve barely ventured out of the small cove I awoke in. I was stopped by hilichurls, which apparently a single knight can deal with. I couldn’t save an entire world, I couldn’t even save a city.” Lumine ranted, her breaths becoming more and more erratic, much to the shock of the others in the room. The man with blue hair, Kaeya, stepped forward but a woman who had yet to introduce herself stopped him, sending a look to Diluc as well.
Jean stood with the intent to calm Lumine, but before she could get out from behind her desk the door to the cramped office flew open, startling most of its occupants, well except for Jean, who looked reassured, if anything. Paimon whirled around, ready to face the intruder while her companion was struggling to breathe, but a short boy dressed in green strolled into the room, a soft breeze blowing in around him.
“Hiya! Sorry I’m late everyone!” he announced cheerfully, eyes bouncing across the room before landing on Lumine as he let out a breathless gasp.
“Woah, the winds said you were beautiful, but I wasn’t quite expecting this,” he exclaimed loudly as he moved through the room until he was seated atop Jean’s desk, staring at Lumine with stars in his eyes. Lumine’s breathing had slowed slightly, enough that she blushed at the boy's words; never one to be prepared for compliments.
“Apologies, once again, this is Venti. He is also known as the God Barbatos. There are rumors of his return floating through the city, but only those of us in this room have confirmed it. He’s the one who granted you the anemo powers you possess now.” Jean explained lightly, brow furrowing every time she looked to the God sitting on her desk.
“Mmmhmm! I don’t often grant those powers, but the second you touched the statue, I could feel it buzzing in my veins. You’re the one. The savior. Though I’m not entirely sure what you’re saving us from at the moment. We’ll keep an eye out now though~!” He said in a sing-song tone, shooting Lumine a dazzling carefree smile. The traveler turned to Paimon with a wobbly smile, her eyes clearly attempting to send a message to her floating friend.
However, Paimon could be fairly oblivious, doing nothing but sending her new companion a bright smile of reassurance.
Those scattered around the room swore that their savior let out a slight whimper.
“Ah, even if I were the savior you speak of, I’m not sure I would be much assistance… I can only remember bits and pieces of my past and I’m sure none of that included… saving worlds from some unknowable evil! How could you even expect that from someone you’ve only just met? How could you trust someone you’ve only just met with something so important?” Venti frowned at Lumine, Jean mirroring the god's expression.
“We’re not leaving everything on your-”
Three sharp knocks sounded on the door before it opened, effectively cutting Jean off.
“Ma’am! Apologies for the interruption! We’re getting reports that Springvale is under attack! All of the villagers fled to the city gates, but it seems that whoever drove the people from their homes have followed them to the gates of Mondstadt.”
“How many are there?” Jean asked calmly, moving from her desk until she stood in front of the knight.
“It’s hard to tell Ma’am. We’ve had to close both gates in less than five minutes. It… seems as if the Fatui who were stationed inside of the city have already left…” A soft swear spilled from Jean's lips.
“Have my sister gather everyone in the cathedral. Sir Kaeya and I will be down momentarily; until then station all the guards at either entrance.” With a nod the knight was off, shouting orders to others along the way.
“Diluc, you’re with me. Kaeya, you and Lisa head for the side entrance into Mondstadt. Venti will gather those in the Adventurers Guild with Amber and direct them to the front lines. Everyone clear?” Nods of affirmation came from everyone in the room before they rushed out of the room, leaving only Lumine and Paimon to stare blankly at the door.
“Paimon thinks we should help the best we can… it sounds like things are bad,” Paimon said with a worried glance towards Lumine.
Lumine was at war with her own mind; refusing to connect dots that had been so blatantly displayed for her. Sure she’d been able to fight the hilichurls and defend herself valiantly, but that didn’t mean she’d spent her entire life fighting; as if she had the capability to save this world. There was no way she was the apparent god that the people of this world looked up to, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t help them, her mind argued. The few people she’d met since arriving had been nothing but kind; be it cause they thought she was their savior or not. It was her duty to repay that kindness.
As if listening in to her thought process the winds stirring in her body rose, ushering her towards the door with their fervor. She looked to Paimon and nodded her head sharply before following the same path she’d taken with Amber into the building. Just as she was leaving the building she heard a small explosion from within before a small girl dressed in red appeared, a small determined smile on her face. When she caught sight of Lumine she paused, a look of fear washing over her face before it shifted.
“You’re Lumine!” The girl exclaimed cheerfully. “Amber told me all about you! Are you coming to help save the city? Jean told me I wasn’t allowed to help, but I can totally help! I can stand on the city wall and rain down treasures on them~! Jean won’t even know!” the girl giggled before slipping her hand into Lumines and pulling her along through the city.
“Are you by chance Klee?” Paimon asked as she flew behind the pair.
“Yep! Amber left in a hurry so I knew something was wrong, but with you here I’m sure everything will be fine! You’re our hero!” Lumine winced at the small girl's words while simultaneously feeling a warm glow in her chest; a familiar glow at that.
The three of them screeched to a halt as they came upon the ledge before the plaza, eyes wide as they took in the chaos in front of them. Lumine was quick to spot Diluc and Jean fighting back to back, hilichurls swarming the area around them. A few knights were strewn to the sides, those still standing blocking incoming attacks from hitting those who’d been injured. A boy covered in bandages was fighting next to a girl dressed in black and purple; each with their own elements surging from their weapons.
“It looks like it would damage the city if you attack with bombs… lets see if we can help out at the other entrance,” Lumine said, still watching with wide eyes at the brutal force the hilichurls were showing. Klee nodded and began dragging Lumine to the other entrance.
“Paimon is this normal for hilichurls to be this organized? They never once were this strategic when attacking before; in fact, I thought they were kind of dumb for their lack of battle strategy.”
“Paimon thinks there is something else going on… Paimon has heard that abyssal mages are pretty good at controlling hilichurls… but to plan such a large attack out of the blue… we should ask Jean about it.” Lumine nodded as they approached the second entrance.
She spotted Kaeya and the woman she hadn’t been introduced to using their element together to quickly take down their enemies, another small woman with ice powers assisting them from behind. Lumine did a double-take when she noticed cat ears perched upon the small woman's head, but brushed it aside as she noticed Amber taking aim on the city wall. A girl who was simultaneously dressed as a maid and a knight fought in front of a girl with minty green hair, the pair working quickly to knock hilichurls out of the way.
With a start, Lumine felt Klee’s hand ditch hers as she rushed off into the chaos, shouts following the explosions that came in her wake.
“Is that Klee?! How did Klee get out?!” The woman who hadn’t introduced herself yelled.
“Hi, Miss Lisa! You’re looking great today!” Klee shouted excitedly, barely visible in the mass of hilichurls and knights.
“Miss Klee! Be careful, you’re going to hurt one of the knights!” the maid-knight shouted after a particularly large explosion.
“Are you just going to keep standing here or are you going to get your butt down there and help!” Paimon shouted in Lumine's ear suddenly, abruptly startling her out of her daze. She gave a rough nod of her head in thanks before vaulting the wall and landing amidst the chaos.
With her sword in hand, she began to block attacks for those around her, using gusts of wind to push back those she couldn’t get to in time. Most of the knights let out rough ‘thank you’’s and praise to her sword skill as she moved through the crowd of dwindling hilichurls. Lisa, according to Klee, gave her an odd look when she blocked one of the arrows a hilichurl had sent her way, but with the attack still going Lumine didn’t stop to question it.
She found herself fighting alongside Kaeya for a bit, her smile turning feral as she began to match his energy. It felt as if he had one eye on her the entire time, despite only having one visible eye, but Lumine could tell it was a hostile gaze, but rather a gaze full of admiration. At one point her eyes locked with his and he sent her a salacious smirk before striking the hilichurl that had been aiming for her. A blush colored her cheeks as she began to break away from the bold man, heading towards the outside of the city where Klee was reigning terror.
Most of the knights left standing began to follow her out the gates, taking out the last few hilichurls who weren’t smart enough to retreat. Though the sounds of metal hitting metal had decreased, it was clear there was still fighting going on at the front gate and Lumine didn’t hesitate to follow the sounds until she could help out again.
When the bridge came into sight she was startled to see it so backed up with enemies, but an immediate reaction began within her.
With a large gust of wind, she blew her way through the hilichurls until she was standing on the bridge, sword clashing as she felt her power building up; into what, she wasn’t exactly sure. The hilichurls began to overwhelm her, their swords leaving sharp scrapes in her skin as she gritted her teeth, power surging in her fingertips. Just when it felt like she could no longer take any more, she released a pained cry, pushing all the surging power from her body.
She watched with wide eyes as a small tornado ran across the bridge; sending hilichurls in random directions until it reached the end and dissipated. She stood stock-still for a moment, glancing down at her extended hand in wonder. Her ears were slow to pick up sound again as the rushing winds around her died down. When she looked back up, the bridge was still empty but a tall man with orange hair that gleamed in the sunlight of Mondstadt.
Harsh shouts filtered into her ears suddenly, yelling her name, but she was too slow to look away from the man with such a conflicted expression on his face. Lumine felt the tip of a sword plunge into her side as she took in desolate hope that warred with disbelief and shock on his features. She forced herself to look down at the sword now sticking out of the front of her body, jerking when it was pulled roughly back out.
Sound rushed into her ears again, along with the pain that she’d been so desperately ignoring. With practiced ease, despite her pain, she whirled around, striking the hilichurl down with ease. She chanced a look back towards the bridge but found the opposite side empty now. Her eyes scanned her surroundings as she placed a hand tightly over the hole in her side.
Jean and Diluc were no longer fighting back to back, but rather chasing after the few hilichurls left. The boy covered in bandages was helping the fallen knights out of the area, assisted by the girl dressed in black and purple. Klee was distracted picking up the scrolls that some of the hilichurls had dropped, unaware of the hilichurl who was sneaking up on her. Lumine couldn’t blame her, the battle felt over, but the hilichurl didn’t get the same message sword raised cruelly in the direction of this child.
Lumine was quick to act, placing herself between the young girl and her attacker; but she wasn’t quick enough to stop the blow completely. Watching in slow motion as the sword struck across her chest, she couldn’t help but think a strike that powerful would’ve killed the cheerful girl, and despite the overwhelming pain that followed it, she couldn’t have been more glad she stepped in front of the strike.
Her stamina was waning as her injuries caught up with her, her breath coming out in desperate pants as she raised her sword to knock the hilichurl down. Lumine could feel her legs shaking as the sounds of battle subsided entirely, a harsh familiar silence taking its place. Her ears were still buzzing, the whispers of a forgotten conversation ringing in her ears as she stuck her sword into the ground so she could lean on it.
“I’m so sorry! I got distracted! Are you alright Miss Lumine?!” Klee asked loudly, jumping from foot to foot in a frenzied dance. Lumine raised a hand to the slice against her chest, surprised to find it wasn’t as deep as she expected. She gave Klee her best smile, a warmth filling her chest at the awe-struck look Klee gave her in return. A muffled cough rose from her chest causing Klee’s brow’s to scrunch together in concern.
“I’ll get Miss Jean for you right away!” Klee said with a shout, running back towards the gate.
“Miss Jean! Lumine is hurt! She needs help!” Klee’s shouts were easy to hear over the quiet that had settled among those still around the gates. Jean and Diluc appeared in front of Lumine quickly, Klee guiding them with Paimon suddenly in tow. Paimon paled when she caught sight of her new friend while Jean and Diluc carefully schooled their expressions.
“Are you alright Miss Lumine?” Klee asked quietly, eyes darting to the sword Lumine was using to keep upright.
“Well… I may not be “hole-y” myself, but I’ll be fine,” Lumine said in a strained voice, an equally strained smile on her face as she looked at Klee. It was quiet for a brief moment as her small audience stared at her, but then Klee broke out into quiet giggles, efficiently making Lumine’s smile less strained.
“D-did you just make a pun about the literal hole punched through your body?!” Paimon asked loudly, silenced only by the sharp look Jean sent her before glancing down at Klee.
“Klee, you did a great job, but we will most definitely be having a talk about this later. For now, though, it would be great if you could run ahead to the cathedral and let Barbara know we have people coming who need medical care. This is something only the fastest Spark Knight can do, so can I trust you?” Jean asked carefully, watching as stars bloomed in Klee’s eyes.
“Yes, Miss Jean! I won’t let you down!” She began running off immediately, only pausing just before she left their range of sight. “You’ll help Miss Lumine right? Amber said she’s the savior, but even the savior can get hurt; she did help us a bunch today… clearing that whole bridge of the bad guys was so cool!” Klee squealed, not waiting for anyone's reply before running towards the cathedral.
Once she was out of sight, Lumine let out a shaky sigh, pulling her hand away from the hole in her body, grimacing at the amount of blood on her hand. Paimon let out a shocked gasp, flying around Lumines back to see that the sword had gone all the way through.
“I don’t think it hit anything important, but it would probably be a good idea to have this healed,” Lumine said lightly, glancing between Jean and Diluc. “I hope you’ll let me take refuge in your city for the time being, savior or not.” The weak smile she shot Jean told the Grand Master that Lumine wasn’t expecting to receive the refuge she sought.
“Of course, let’s get you to my sister. She’s the city's best healer. Diluc will you escort Lumine while I help the other injured get to the cathedral safely?” The red-haired man nodded, immediately moving to pick Lumine up, but she simply shook her head and pulled her sword from the dirt; using it to help stabilize her as she walked. Behind her back, Diluc exchanged a worried expression with Jean before quickly following after Lumine, Paimon in tow.
Most of those who had helped in the short battle were gathered in the plaza, helping those who were injured or merely discussing the battle with those they’d fought along with. Lumine’s breathing had gotten shallower as she walked through the plaza, focusing on nothing but staying upright. She could feel the concern in Diluc’s gaze, paired with the panic in Paimons.
“Y’know, when Paimon said we should help in any way we could, Paimon didn’t mean sacrificing yourself or getting injured this badly!” Paimon was floating around her sword, keeping an eye on Lumine’s hand so her crutch wouldn’t slip from her grasp.
“I-I think I remember someone else saying something similar, a long time ago Paimon… but I couldn’t really help it. It was as if my body was possessed with the need to help. Suddenly I knew I could fight, and had the power to go along with it. I’ll be fine anyway, there was no sacrificing done today.”
They’d made it out of the plaza before anyone spoke again, though Lumine got the feeling that Diluc wasn’t the talkative type anyhow. But someone who clearly was approached.
“Kaeya not now, report back to Jean and do your job,” Diluc growled as the blue-haired man approached, his professedly permanent smirk seemingly gone. He completely ignored Diluc as he slid up to Lumine’s side.
“I think that was quite an impressive feat traveler. Especially for someone who doesn’t know how to fight… and taking that hit for Klee as well; you’re practically an angel in Jean’s eyes I bet. Wormed your way in quite quickly haven’t you?” Diluc let out another irritated grunt, but Kaeya simply held up a hand to silence him. Lumine stopped her small shuffling steps, leaning on her sword as she attempted to catch her breath before sending a short-lived glare towards him.
“I understand that you’re concerned about your city, and more than anything you want to assure that the people around you are safe. But I know not how to assure you of that, at least not yet. I can say I have no ulterior motives, but that’s not entirely true. I bear no ill will towards this city nor its people; in fact, in the short time I’ve been in Mondstadt I’ve had nothing but pleasant encounters, so I won’t hesitate to help. But you have no reason to trust the words I say. So maybe one day my actions will prove my motives, but until then, feel free to be wary and keep those you love safe. It is no skin off my back; in truth, I think I would hold some respect for you for that very reason.” She glanced away as Kaeya’s clearly carefully constructed mask crumbled, overtaken by surprise. Without another word she resumed her steps, gritting her teeth and biting her tongue against the pain.
Kaeya must’ve opened his mouth to a reply because Diluc cut him off with a harsh “Not now,” before he resumed following after Lumine. Diluc was clearly antsy to help Lumine, but it wasn’t until they made it to the next flight of stairs that Lumine found herself stumbling, hand catching on Diluc’s arm as she tried to keep from face planting.
With no hesitation this time, Diluc swooped Lumine up with ease, carrying her bridal style up the stairs. He attempted not to jostle her with how severe her injuries appeared, but the slight groans and whimpers told him he wasn’t doing a spectacular job. She made no objections, however, just easily looping her arm around his neck so her weight was more evenly dispersed. At one point Paimon began to flutter almost a top Lumine, face contorted in worry.
“Paimon doesn’t think she’s looking too good… Lumine’s really pale,” Paimon said as she knotted her fingers together. Diluc glanced down, well aware they were almost at the cathedral, but when he saw that Lumine’s eyes had fluttered shut, he picked up his pace, carrying her at an almost full run into the building.
Klee and Barbara had worked quickly, setting up beds and clearing out space for the wounded, but one look from Barbara told Diluc how unprepared they were for injuries this bad.
“Was it that bad? Were all the knights wounded so horribly?” Barbara asked in a harried voice as soon as she reached the pair. Diluc grunted and shook his head, following after Barbara as she guided him to the most secluded hospital bed.
“Most of the knights have fairly minor injuries, from my observation. They were all fighting inside of the city, and any time one of them took a particularly hard strike they were immediately pushed towards the back. Lumine… rushed to the bridge when the side entrance was cleared. Amber said the bridge was completely covered by the Abyssal Order, but she cleared it so quickly. That’s where this stab came from, I think,” Diluc explained as he set the traveler down on the bed, motioning to the hole that was still covered by her hand.
“And the strike across her chest? It’s really quite deep. It will most definitely scar.”
“Klee says she blocked a blow from hitting her.” Barbara took in a sharp breath at that, sending a scalding look towards Diluc.
“This would’ve been a killing blow if it had hit Klee! Why was she out there?!” Barbara hissed, keeping her voice down as best she could as to not disturb the citizens.
“I don’t think she was supposed to be down there, and judging by the smoke coming from the headquarters, she likely blasted her way out. Let’s just be glad that someone was watching over her.” They both glanced down to Lumine, though Barbara hadn’t really looked away, quickly dressing and prepping her wounds as she talked. A thought popped into her mind as she finished covering the brutal gash on her chest.
“Who is this woman, by the way? I haven’t seen her around the city before I don’t think.” Paimon, who had been quietly listening to the conversation, worry for her new friend keeping her lips sealed, glanced at Diluc, curious of his answer.
“A traveler… new to Mondstadt. She was in the headquarters when a knight barged in, though I don’t think Jean was expecting her to follow and help out,” Diluc explained carefully. Barbara narrowed her eyes, scanning his face carefully before sighing and returning her attention to Lumine’s wounds.
“Well, whoever she is, it’s clear she had no obligation to the city. I’ll thank her greatly when she awakes.”
Diluc gave a thoughtful nod before excusing himself to assist Jean, only sending a worried glance towards Lumine before leaving. Paimon watched anxiously as Barbara began to prepare the stab wound for stitches, almost fainting when the needle was pulled out. Lumine’s small companion refused to leave her side, despite the somewhat sickening surgery Barbara was performing. Despite having known the outland for less than a handful of days, Paimon was awfully attached already; swearing to stay by her side till she awoke.