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Lumine has seen countless skies in her lifetime. In these skies, she saw the birth of new planets and galaxies, and the stars being reborn into something far more primordial than she can possibly fathom.
It’s in these skies that she, along with Aether, have traveled to new worlds beyond, bearing witness to countless events that have turned personal as their journey continues. Lumine and Aether never strayed far from each other, but knowing that they were always gazing upon the same sky brought her a comfort that she could never possibly replace. To her, the skies will always be her home as long as Aether is by her side.
But the skies in Teyvat are different. Aether must have sensed it, too, given how he wanted to make haste and leave this world at once. The Unknown God that had separated them was one of the few anomalies when it came to the sky. She seemed intangible, wholly made of stardust and galaxies, yet the air around her was near suffocating. Almost as if she resisted everything that touched her.
Those memories are all fuzzy now.
“Lumine?” A familiar voice calls out to her, breaking the blonde out of her thoughts. She turns her head to see Paimon floating close by, the pixie’s face contorted with concern.
“I’m alright,” Lumine immediately reassures her. It has become a habit now; since Paimon had joined her on her travels, she has found herself in a daze more and more. The years she has been asleep has brought her nothing but endless thinking, both the memories and what-ifs have become blurred that she can’t tell what is reality and what is fiction.
But there is one harsh reality that Lumine must face even though her mind begs to tell her it’s fake: Aether is with the Abyss Order.
Coming across this truth has worn her down, a sense of urgency running through her veins as she realizes her end goal now. It is nothing compared to saving Dvalin or fighting the Overlord of the Vortex. Her mind feels as clouded as the skies that thundered down on them as the Crux Fleet sailed through the thrashing waves and perpetual rain. The storm brewing in her head is filled with only thoughts of meeting the rest of the Archons, and learning the truth of Teyvat that Aether so wished to have her come across.
The ship creaks around her as the combined forces of the Crux Fleet mates all do their best to sail through the storm. Through the floorboards she can hear Beidou shouting commands at her crew.
Lumine sighs inwardly before reaching into her bag and pulling out a small journal and pen, turning her attention to Paimon once more.
“Shall we write down our findings, Paimon?” She asks the little pixie. Her travel companion still gives her a worried look but she nods, slowly flying closer to Lumine’s side before she settles on Lumine’s lap.
She knows Paimon would do just fine floating next to her as she writes down the events of today, but even Lumine can’t deny that having the pixie so close to her gives her a sense of comfort amidst the clouds and rain. One of her hands gently tousled Paimon’s hair as the other flips through the pages of the worn journal, landing on a blank page. Lumine uncaps the pen, writes down the date, and begins to jot down the events of today.
It’s raining again. We’ve been sailing through the storm for nearly three days. I’m surprised that I haven’t gotten seasick at this point, but poor Paimon seems to be hanging on by a thread.
“Hey!” Paimon protests as she reads what Lumine wrote down. The blonde snickers as she continues writing.
I had known that we would be sailing through a storm for a majority of our trip, but to know this is all at the expense of a god wishing to keep outsiders out… I can’t imagine how my meeting with the Raiden Shogun will go.
Beidou says that, with enough luck, we will be arriving in Inazuma within two days. Despite all the rain and storms, the trip has been going rather smoothly. I have Beidou to thank for that. Were I sailing with anyone else, I fear that the ship would’ve crumbled the first day we encountered thunder.
I can’t quite remember the last time I have properly sailed on a ship. Aether doesn’t have much experience despite insisting that he can and will learn, but he never had much luck setting sail, even before we started traveling. I can still remember how our boat careened into the lake not even a minute after we tried sailing. He seemed a bit disheartened, but I tried my best to cheer him up. Maybe he can learn a thing or two from Beidou… or maybe she can just teach him everything he needs to know from the get go.
I’m not sure what troubles I will encounter on Inazuma when I set foot there, but I can’t waste any more time on the what-ifs. If I must bend the rules, I will do as such to find myself face to face with the Raiden Shogun. I need answers from her… and I will get them.
“Is that story about the boat true?” Paimon asks once Lumine stops writing. She gazes up at her with those wide blue eyes, ones that seemed to hold the entire galaxy in her gaze.
“Of course it is,” Lumine lets out a small laugh at the fond memory. “It’s one of the very few memories I can recall about Aether. He was always stubborn, insisting that he can do something but when he performs it he always messes up.”
Paimon laughs alongside her. “Does he do that on purpose?”
Lumine shakes her head. “The worst part is that he genuinely always messes up. At one point, these inhabitants from one of the planets we traveled to thought that he was mocking them. Had I not stepped in, we would’ve been in a bigger mess than we bargained for.”
Her lips curl into a small smile.
“Aether sounds like a funny guy. I think we would get along just fine,” Paimon giggles, curling her body into Lumine’s. Lumine wraps her arms around her, letting out a sigh she didn’t realize she was holding in.
“I think so, too,” She whispers.
“Hey, Lumine… do you have any other stories about Aether?”
If she was honest, she’s not sure if she does. Throughout her travels, she had told Paimon every small instance that reminded her of her travels with Aether across other planets and galaxies. She found comfort in Paimon; she bears the blessings of the stars, the constellations interwoven into her fate as a sign of good fortune. For this very reason, it’s why Lumine puts so much trust in her. The stars never lie to her (except for the stars of Teyvat, but she would dare not say that aloud in front of a certain astrologist). It’s why Lumine tells all her stories about Aether to Paimon.
It’s possible she has told all of them by now, the ones she can remember at the very least. Being asleep for 500 years can mess with your memory, Lumine finds.
However, there is one story that she kept dear to her heart over the past year. The first time her and Aether left home, and started exploring wherever they possibly could. She smiles.
“I do,” Lumine tells her. Paimon’s eyes light up with intrigue.
“I want to hear them!” She says excitedly.
“Alright, alright,” Lumine laughs, running her hands through Paimon’s hair again in an attempt to calm her down. “It’s a rather personal story. One that I haven’t told anyone else except for you.”
The trust she has for Paimon is unparalleled. She can’t imagine a better suited traveling companion to accompany her on this journey. She knows Aether would be happy to see her have someone by her side, someone to keep her company in his stead where they can’t be side by side. Their circumstances have changed, but with Paimon by her side, she’s always reminded that for now, she will always be staring at the same sky as Aether. And that’s all the comfort she needs in order to continue her journey.
Lumine clears her throat, smiling at Paimon’s wide eyes full of pure curiosity.
“Let me tell you the story of a boy who swam amongst the stars, and bore witness to the birth of a thousand more.”