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Lumine didn’t want her brother to get hurt. It was the last thing she would ever want.
And yet, for what she must do, sacrifices must be made.
So she lets her brother get hurt, from small injuries to big injuries. Just to slow him down from finding what she’s trying to prevent.
And yes, despite letting her brother get hurt- she would never ever want him dead.
But then… Why isn’t she moving?
Aether is right there, just a few feet away in front of her. Bleeding out on the grass and barely moving. Still breathing- but it comes out in wheezes.
And she’s not helping.
It’s so clear how close he is to letting go, she’s heard him try to speak several times- only gurgles coming out alongside blood that trails down his cheek. He was trying to call out to someone.
And she can just barely make out the names he’s trying to call alongside the word ‘help’. But her own name on his lips is crystal clear to her.
Lumine’s heart clenches when he stops moving.
Just when she finally snaps out of her foolish decision to just stare and do nothing- she couldn’t let her brother die- but something… Happens. His eyes suddenly widen, and Aether says something that Lumine can’t make out.
When nothing happens, he tries again, but louder.
Xiao, he’s trying to call.. For the adepti?
What could he possibly do for him-?
Lumine backs up when the adepti appears, but not in front of Aether.
Right in front of her. His back facing her direction, but he’s close enough that if she just reached her hand out she could touch him.
But why Xiao? Why now would he wish to help someone he barely knew?
…
..When Xiao heard his name called, he froze in place.
He’s never heard his name sound so desperate on someone’s lips before.
The adepti leaves behind his favorite meal in front of him in an instant, teleporting towards where he heard his voice be called upon.
And in front of him is Aether, laying in a puddle of his own blood and looking unnaturally pale.
Xiao knows there’s someone behind him. He can feel their presence. But he had no time to properly think about them, he instead races forward and immediately gathers Aether in his arms.
Before the person he felt behind him can even react, he’s teleporting away.
Lumine is left staring.
Her fist clenches and she lets out a single cry. She immediately brings up a hand to cover her mouth and silence herself, not wishing for the abyss to possibly hear.
She barely felt anything when she had looked at him, Aether practically dead and pleading for her to save him despite not even knowing she was there. She only felt her heart clench when he gave up. Then, when he called for someone other than herself…
Jealousy, this was jealousy. That’s what was burning in her gut rather than despair or sadness. Or the need to save her Brother.
Lumine was jealous that Xiao was able to come when he called, because that meant he felt something for him.
Where Lumine felt nothing at all.
The painful want to know her Brother again, to be close with him while he wishes to find her so badly. Because where he felt everything for her, their relationship was still fresh on his mind…
She felt five hundred years pass without him and slowly forgot. Going through all the stages of grief and expecting to never see him again.
Letting go of him.
And now he’s back.
And in her way.
She falls to her knees, hand leaving her mouth and her eyes staring forward at the blood still staining the grass. While tears still fall from her cheeks, she goes quiet.
She can’t afford to care.
Not when she’s so far ahead.
…
“Xiao… I felt her there.”
“Mm…”
“Did I do something wrong?”
“No.”
“Then why didn’t she help me?”
“...”
“Sorry.”
“Don’t apologize.”
“...Okay.”
Xiao can only helplessly run his hand through Aether’s blonde hair, urging him to sleep. He had so much healing to do.
And Xiao didn’t want him to see the anger swirling in his eyes.
As soon as he sees the battle with sleep end, Xiao disappears.
...
And Lumine has to avoid getting her head sliced off by a spear when blue appears so fast in front of her she can barely dodge out of the way.
She hadn’t moved from her spot for an hour, needing her time to get her emotions back in check and forget all that had just happened. She should’ve been smarter and left as soon as Aether was gone.
Lumine jumps another step back when Xiao thrusts his spear forward, and she’s just about to leave through an abyssal portal to escape his wrath when-
“What if I told you he was dead?”
She freezes.
Her eyes instantly lock onto Xiao’s, the adepti’s filled with untamed rage and thirst for revenge.
It reminded her of herself.
She breathes in, he’s lying, she breathes out.
“If he were dead you would’ve killed me already.”
The air grows tense, Xiao’s eyes trail over her face. Most likely looking for any sign of regret or sympathy- his hand tightens around his spear and he takes one step back.
“You don’t care, do you?” He questions, and Lumine looks once to his weapon- the sharp blade not failing to catch her attention. Then, her eyes meet the adepti’s again, though more solemn.
“Five hundred years ago I did.” She breathes in, “But time does a lot to wipe away old feelings. I envy you being able to come to his call so easily, as I was not able to do the same. I thought that I would, feel something- that is. But I don’t.” She breathes out, and turns her back to him. “I want to be his sister again and love him, but I can’t afford to be selfish right now. Not when a war is well on its way.”
She steps forward, one foot through the portal-
“Hypocrite.” Xiao hisses out under his breath, but she still hears it.
She stops and turns her head towards him.
“What?”
“For as long as Aether is alive, I will not kill you for his sake.” Xiao says, though a threat is clear in his tone. “Although, as I am now, I could never willingly kill again. Nor if I saw someone on their death bed, would I let them pass on without ensuring I have done all that I can to help them stay alive. And that is why he called for me when he realized you weren’t coming. Because he knew you were there, Lumine, and he knew you could hear him.”
Lumine immediately looks away to hide her expression, unable to even process as Xiao continues.
“He now knows you were willing to let him die.”
Stop.
“Even if he wasn’t your Brother, even if you felt nothing towards him, you could have helped him. And you didn’t.”
Fucking Stop.
“You would have never gotten the chance to know him again, all because you didn’t want to grieve twice.”
I know that, stop talking.
“And all you can feel is envy for me? You almost let someone die, Lumine. You’re as cold as can be.”
Shut up. Fuck, why aren’t I walking away?
“You and Raiden would get along. Maybe you can meet and talk about how you left your own brother for dead and rejoice in eternity.”
“SHUT UP-” She snaps, turning around and expecting to meet a smug expression but-
Xiao is gone, leaving behind only blue sparks to indicate where he had been.
Lumine lets out one last enraged scream to the air and turns right into the portal.
She disappears, leaving behind the blood on the ground and the deathly silence that came after her yell.
Lumine cries to nothing that night, and wakes up the next day acting as if nothing ever happened in the first place.
After all, she can’t be selfish.
…
Aether awakens to a hand gripping his own and a quiet voice speaking to him.
“...Venti forced me to stay in Mondstadt alongside you for a little longer. Something about seeing the world outside of my ‘cave’ for once in my life, whatever that’s supposed to mean. I see plenty everyday, I don’t see why I’d need to see more. However he insists, and I.. Reluctantly tried something other than Tofu for once. It was… Good. I guess.”
What was Xiao talking about?
They were in Mondstadt? Wasn’t he in Inazuma?
Was the adepti just… Talking to him as he slept?
Aether’s eyes flutter open, making Xiao stop talking and eyes immediately snap towards his face.
He looks so worried, Aether thinks. Oh Xiao.
Aether wishes Lumine was right there beside him, but as his memory recalls…
She will never be beside him for as long as she is here.
And he will never have his sister again no matter how hard he looked and pleaded for everyone to help.
“I loved her, Xiao.” Is all Aether says.
“You still do.” The adepti responds in a whisper, “And you will figure it out.” He promises, wiping away the tears threatening to fall off Aether’s face onto the bed he lays on.
The blonde lets out a weak laugh, it’s pathetic, really. But Xiao does not comment on it, only leaning forward and resting his forehead against Aether’s.
“Your heart is far too big.” He says ever so quietly, “The world shouldn’t be so cruel to you and use it as it does.”
That gets an actual laugh out of Aether, though small. “I should consider calling you a hypocrite. You’re all talk and no bite when it comes to others.”
Xiao sighs out fondly, a hand coming up to pinch the blonde’s cheek gently. “Keep that a secret, won’t you?”
“Maybe.” Aether teases, and although the mood wasn’t exactly high- it felt a little lighter after what tragedy happened.
And it’ll have to do for now.
…
“Is everything okay, Princess?”
Lumine inhales sharply.
“No. But it will be. Leave me for now, I will update you.”
She watches the mage leave, and she must resist immediately letting everything release inside of her.
Memories of her brother assault her brain and she keeps stabbing them over and over again, trying to keep them away. She shouldn’t be remembering these so well, five hundred years should have washed them away.
Another one comes, and she halts before swiping it away.
…
“Come on Aether! Say ‘bee’! You can say ‘bee’, right? It’s super duper easy!”
A child version of Aether looks shyly to his twin sister, a little reluctant frown on his face as he stares down at a picture of a bumble bee provided by her.
“Honey, Aether can say ‘bee’, he just doesn’t want to.” Their Mother, Lumine thinks- or maybe another woman. Her memory is way too foggy to really remember her parents all that well.
“But if he doesn’t say anything, how will he speak with others?” Lumine turns back to Aether, pointing at the bee again. “Cmon Aether! For me, please? I haven’t heard your voice since I was like…” She counts her age on her fingers, right. She was six. “Um… Four… Yeah, Four!”
“You were two, honey.”
“He was talking when he was two??”
“Not really, to be honest. I think his own voice actually scared him when he tried it for the first time.” The woman sounds almost amused, and it makes the child Lumine huff.
“Well that won’t do! Aether, I promise your voice isn’t scary! You can do super cool stuff with it like..” Lumine whistles and blows raspberries, making Aether smile- but not quite laugh. “See? Super cool!”
Aether’s head tilts to the side, a contemplating look crossing his face.
Then, just when Lumine was about to give up and drag Aether to go play outside, he takes her hand with a determined expression and breathes in,
“Loveyou.” He breathes out in a very soft voice, quiet and really it’s barely anything but-
To Lumine it was everything.
A yell is heard and the memory fades away, she slams her sword against the ground in frustration.
Everything about her journey in this world was fresh and fueling her rage, yet her own feelings about the memories of her brother she still had weren’t there.
And that made her even angrier.
She picks up her sword and breathes in-
Her eyes close and she breathes out.
Lumine didn’t have time to care.
War was coming.
And she would be the one to stop it all.