Chapter Text
Lumine felt suffocated.
She didn’t know whether it was the excessive amount of grilled tiger fish she had consumed, or if it was the constant exposure to flashing lantern lights, but her head was starting to spin.
The cheerful noises of the crowd only grew larger, eyes darting around as her senses grew weary of even the slightest sound or thump.
Why is this happening? She thought, reaching out to the nearest item she could lean on. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying her best to drown out the noises with both hands covering her ears.
Dammit, where’s Paimon when I need her? She cursed under her breath, right before she sees a floating figure approaching her with a concerned cry.
“Lumine! Are you okay?” The pixie places a hand on her shoulder hoping to provide some support. “Wh-what’s wrong? Are you sick? Did something happen?”
Concern was evident in her voice as she desperately tries to decipher what was happening. Lumine, still struggling to even focus on her little companion’s voice, is unable to answer.
“Please, Lumine! You need to tell me what’s wrong, I-I don’t know what to do!” Paimon floats to the front of Lumine’s face, forcing her eyes on her.
For a moment, Lumine is able to hold her attention on Paimon. She stayed silent as she watches Paimon’s brows knot with worry and confusion.
Paimon’s panic only grows larger when she doesn’t receive a reply.
“This is bad, Paimon’s gonna call for help!” She says, making sure Lumine is able to stand on her own as she floats over to the nearest millelith on duty.
Lumine looks over her shoulder, seeing the blurry image of Paimon speaking with someone.
She couldn’t tell who.
“Paimon…?”
“Please, sir! She looks like she could collapse at any moment!” Lumine could barely make out a single sentence as Paimon and the unrecognizable figure approached her.
“Traveler, would you-…… assistance-…..” Lumine hears the noises start to die down, but so does the stranger’s voice.
Lumine looks up to focus her eyes on them as they stepped closer. The sight of this person makes her gasp, heart stopping.
No.
It can't be.
“…Aether?”
Why is he here?
How is he here?
Where has he been all this time-
“Ma’am, I am not aware of this Aether you speak of,” the man says.
She blinks, the previous image of her missing twin distorting into a millelith guard standing in front of her.
“I am Hongyu, a millelith guard, at your service.”
Lumine blinks again, brows furrowing. “What?”
“Lumine! Please tell Paimon what’s wrong, you look like you’re about to faint!” Paimon flies into her view again, blocking the millelith guard. Lumine takes a second to fully process what she had just witnessed.
Was I hallucinating?
“N-no, I’m just a little uh… light-headed, I guess.” She shakes her head, rubbing her temples. She quickly thinks of a possible excuse. ”Probably the festive atmosphere getting to me.”
“I would suggest taking a rest, traveler. Festivities can be delayed, health comes first.” The guard spoke again. “We certainly can’t have an esteemed guest getting hurt during the Lantern Rite.”
It really is just a millelith guard. Her face scrunches in disappointment.
“Uh huh! Paimon agrees!” She nods vigorously, eyes still filled with concern. “Besides, we’ve celebrated a lot today. Let’s just head in for the night.”
Lumine didn’t know whether to say yes or no.
She felt fine now, but she was certain. She was absolutely certain of what her eyes saw.
It felt incredibly real, too real for it to be a mistake. So were the emotions bubbling inside of her. It's all too real for it to be a hallucination.
She wanted to stay. What if - in case of the rare chance that - her brother really was here? What if they were in the same city, only to not have crossed paths yet? What if that ‘hallucination’ was a sign?
“Let’s go, Lumine!” Her thoughts were halted as Paimon had already started pulling her by the hand.
“No, wait-“
“You heard the millelith, health comes first!” She didn’t stop pulling, although not really strong enough to stop Lumine from breaking free.
“Hnnngh, what if it was the grilled tiger fish Paimon made you eat?" Paimon thinks out loud, a wave of guilt hitting her in the head. "Paimon feels bad, Paimon is really sorry!”
While begrudgingly following her pixie’s trail, Lumine looks into the crowd once more.
She realizes it was a bad choice as soon as she sees a glint of blonde hair amidst the crowd.
The rowdiness of it, the trail of a long braid, it has to be-
Her steps halted abruptly, causing Paimon to get pulled backwards.
“Ouch! Hey, what gives?”
Before Paimon could further complain, Lumine was already gone.
“Eh? Lumine?!”
Looking up, she could see a spec of white fabric pushing quite messily through the crowds.
“Come back, Lumine! Eugh- Where are you going anyway?” She pushes her small figure into the sea of people as well.
“Oof!” Paimon clashes face first onto a small back with blonde pig tails. She balled her fists,
Paimon’s had enough!
“Lumine! Stop making Paimon worry so much, you-“
“He was here.”
Paimon blinks, surprised. “Huh? Who-“
“He was right here, Paimon." Her voice strained. "My brother.”
“But that can’t be right, we’ve been all over Liyue tonight and there was no sign of him before.”
Paimon's eyes widen when Lumine turns to her, tears in her eyes.
“I saw him!”
Paimon couldn't help her brows that curl upwards in pity.
She gently puts a concerned hand on Lumine’s shoulder once more, hoping to provide even a little bit of comfort.
“Well, Lumine uh-“ Paimon’s voice lowers to a slow whisper.
Even she couldn’t bear to say it. “Sometimes, what we see can… stray from the truth.”
Paimon feels her chest tighten as Lumine’s expression tenses, brows knotted in denial.
“But don’t worry! Paimon will help you find him, and we’ll spend the next Lantern Rite together!” Paimon tries to sound as cheery as usual, hoping it would ease the atmosphere and soothe Lumine’s hurting heart.
Though without a response, it only makes the sentence sound even more depressing as silence hangs over the two.
It took all the energy left in Lumine for her not to burst into tears at that very moment.
Is this what people mean by 'so close yet so far away'?
She hated this- whatever this is. It’s torture, excruciatingly painful torture.
She could imagine what it’d look like with Aether here. She could see him smiling as they released their own lanterns together. She could see him scowling as he complained about his own handwriting. She could see him-
“Lumine… Let’s call it a night, shall we?” Paimon keeps her voice gentle, hoping Lumine could relax if they exited the city.
Lumine stares at the hand stretched towards for a long second and offers a small smile.
“Thank you, Paimon.” Her smile slowly falters, expression filled with uncertainty and slight guilt. “But I need to be alone for now.”