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“It will be ok Lumine!” Paimon said as she tried to cheer up the blonde girl. She did her best to muster whatever positivity she had left. “You will find him again! Paimon just knows it! Cheer up!”
Lumine let the words her friend spoke sink into her head but despite Paimon’s best effort, her comforting words did nothing to ease the pit of anxiety in her stomach. The pair were currently sitting just outside of Liyue Harbor on one of the cliffs overlooking the city and the sun was dipping below the horizon to give away to dusk. The sky, the shadows, shapes and textures, all reflected against the glass-like surface of the sea that bordered them.
Despite the picturesque scenery before them, Lumine felt nothing but pure, unadulterated dread.
How could Aether just…turn away from me like that?
Lumine drew her knees to her chest and rested her chin on them. “I’m fine.”
Her voice came out barely above a whisper and Paimon’s brows drew together in concern.
Did he…forget me?
“Are you sure?” Paimon coaxed gently. She wasn't at all convinced, but she didn't want to pry. It had been a long day.
Lumine stared out before her but registered nothing. Not the beautiful scenery nor the gentle wind caressing her face.
She had been searching for him for so long and for him to cast her aside like she…what? Meant absolutely nothing to him?
How could he?
Her thoughts continued to run wild and she felt panic slowly churning within her.
Not now. Please, no…
She gripped herself tighter, trying to ground herself back to reality.
Did he even TRY to search for me too? Even just ONCE in the archons-knows how many years I was sealed away?
The thoughts wouldn't stop; question after question. Her heart rate was increasing to the point she could feel it hammering against her ribs. Her breathing was becoming labored and she felt bile rising up the column of her throat.
“I’m fine” she repeated once more in a croak.
Despite being far away from the ruins, she couldn't get the scent of death out of her lungs. That acrid stench that rolled off every surface in waves.
And when they had finally reached the end…reached Aether…
His eyes… the indifference all over his face…
Judging by the complete apathy he showed to seeing her in that dank, horrible place…
“I’m fine…” she whispered to a question that was never asked. Her voice wavered around the lump in her throat.
…No. She didn't think Aether had looked for her at all.
The realization pierced her heart; fracturing it into tiny pieces. Her forehead came forward so she could bury her face into her knees; wanting nothing more than to curl into a ball and make herself as small as possible. She squeezed her eyes tight in a vain attempt to keep the tears that pricked them from falling.
“Lumine…” Paimon coaxed, concern creasing the little sprite’s features.
With darkness settling throughout the land and the warm, inviting glow of Liyue harbor below her, Lumine did the one thing she hadn’t done during her whole journey up to that point.
She cried.
——————
“Paimon thinks you should take a break…” her small companion tentatively said as she watched the last hillichurl Lumine was fighting disappear into black wisps. “You’ve been at this non-stop for days it seems…”
Lumine wiped the sweat from her brow and ignored the way her body screamed for rest. It was about mid-day, and the afternoon sun was beating down her back. “Just one more commission to finish Paimon.”
I don't have time to stop. I have to get stronger.
It had been a few days since their encounter with Aether and Dainsleif and Lumine had been feeling no better since that night overlooking Liyue Harbor. She couldn't remember the last time she had let tears overwhelm her like that, and she had been rewarded with a pounding headache and the first of many sleepless nights.
Now the pair were killing time until their trip to Inazuma.
“But…” Paimon started as she watched Lumine head towards the camp of hilichurls she needed to eradicate.
Lumine switched her sword to her non-dominant hand and flexed her fingers while she walked. They were stiff from the white-knuckle grip she had been employing recently.
She hated that she had been reduced to a crying mess; overwhelmed by sadness. She felt like a child again.
Because you're weak.
Her thoughts whispered poison into her ears.
That's why Aether left you…
Again.
Lumine scowled to herself and tossed her sword back to her other hand. She raised her arms, locked her elbow and immediately charged forward to engage the camp; her drawn sword gleaming menacingly in the sunlight.
Spurred by adrenaline and anger at her own self-doubt, she effortlessly swung through the hillichurls that rushed her while dancing around the aggressive mitachurl that charged her; she intended to save him for last.
And she did.
She dodged the blazing ax it wielded by ducking to the ground; feeling the immense heat as it sliced horizontally through the air a mere few inches above her head. Using the opening it created, she lunged forward to sink her blade into its chest. The mitachurl let out a strangled cry as it fell backwards and Lumine used that momentum to propel herself forward and let her sword pierce the rest of the way through its body.
Maybe it was the sleepless nights or the exhaustion of working non-stop catching up to her, but it wasn't until she felt the white-hot, searing pain in her arm did she notice the lone hilichurl with its bow across the camp from her.
How did I miss you?
Her left arm now immobilized, (and with a rather unsightly arrow sticking out of it), Lumine charged the last enemy just as it was loading up another arrow, and promptly ended the fight.
Enemies now exterminated, she sank to her knees trying to catch her breath. She released her sword, hearing it land with a thud, to swipe once more at the sweat beading down her face.
“That's…unpleasant…”
She grimaced at the arrow protruding from her bicep and gave a tentative pull to see how far it was lodged in her. “Pretty deep.” She hissed when all it did was pull against the tender flesh of her muscle.
“That's it!” Paimon shrieked as she flew towards her, now having caught up. “That's it! You're done! You are getting rest, NOW!”
Lumine didn't even have the energy to argue with her.
——————
Being relatively in the area, the pair had made their way to Wangshu Inn. Stumbling up the stairs, it had only taken one glance from Verr Goldet before Lumine was immediately whisked to a room and her injuries tended to.
“You don’t look well,” Verr Goldet chided gently while she wrapped the wound on Lumine’s bicep with sterile cloth. The arrow she pulled from her lay discarded on top of bloody rags and extra dressings she had brought.
“I’m fine. I was just caught by surprise.”
Lumine didn't miss the way her hand stuttered before she resumed her task. “That doesn't seem like you.”
Lumine didn't know how to respond to that so she opted to keep her lips pressed in a thin line.
Verr Goldet finished her task after tying the ends of the cloth into a small knot and started gathering the remaining supplies into her arms.
“You need to rest and it doesn't look like you have been eating enough. You will stay here tonight.”
Lumine opened her mouth to refute her offer but the sharp look she was immediately given had her quickly closing it again. Instead, she nodded once and let her golden gaze fall to her clasped hands in her lap.
Satisfied, Verr Goldet crossed the room to take her leave. “Please rest now. We will keep Paimon busy and well fed, so please, do not worry about her.”
With one last look and a smile for the traveler who had helped everyone so much, she left the room and closed the door with a soft click.
Alone with her thoughts once more, Lumine turned to look out the window and watched as the afternoon sky bled into darkness.
I'm still not strong enough. Aether said so himself.
Her brows knit together in thought as she mulled through their most recent encounter.
Why is he working with the Abyss?
How long has he been awake?
He knows Dainsleif.
Why did he leave?
Why doesn't he want to be with me?
What does all of this have to do with Khaenri'ah?!
Those thoughts wouldn't leave her head ever since she saw him; like a never ending loop. He wanted her to complete the same journey he had…
But what does that mean?
If she could just get stronger, be faster, see what Aether wanted her to see…
Would that be enough? Enough to pull him back?
She raked a frustrated hand through her short crop of blonde hair and blew out a sigh in exasperation. All she was left with were more and more questions. Questions she didn't think would be answered any time soon.
She stood up from the bed and paced from one end of the room to the other; trying to quell the restlessness she was plagued with.
But it wasn't enough.
She felt like a caged animal; like the walls of the room were closing in on her.
She needed air.
——————
It had been a long day for the Conqueror of Demons.
Xiao sighed as he materialized on the upper balcony of Wangshu Inn. He sat cross-legged and closed his eyes; willing the pain of his karma to ebb and grant him some respite.
Voices from the Inn below carried on the winds to reach his ears and among them, he could hear the high-pitched lilt of Paimon happily chatting with Verr Goldett and Yanxiao. If she was here, that meant the traveler had to be as well, (after all, one was rarely seen without the other).
He idly wondered if she would grace him with a visit only to immediately curse under his breath and shake his head to banish the thought.
It had started with Lumine bringing him a plate of Almond Tofu when she would be in the area helping with a request or commission. His name would fall from her lips in a soft question; wondering if he was there.
He, of course, would be; given the fact that he told her to call for him should she need anything. However, seeing as she hadn’t been in danger, he kept his distance. His own confusion on why she was willingly seeking him out caused him to remain hidden in the shadows to silently observe her.
Undeterred, Lumine would instead leave the dish on the railing of the balcony for him and muse to the floating pixie that they must have missed him and they would catch him next time.
By the fifth time or so, (and still just as confused as the previous attempts), Xiao allowed her to, in her words, “catch him”.
She had been so startled by his appearance that she had almost dropped the plate she carried. It had only lasted for a moment before that surprise immediately gave way to a smile so beautiful that it rivaled every star in the night sky in beauty.
She had been happy to see him. Before he could stop it, Xiao had found himself thinking that maybe he should have appeared before her sooner.
After graciously accepting her gift, he had urged her to keep her distance; not wanting her to be affected by the poisonous karma that rolled off him. Instead, he had been granted a giggle that he could only equate to chimes as she told him it had no effect on her.
“See?” she said as she took his hand to raise it between them and pressed their open palms together.
He would have flushed at the contact if he hadn't been so surprised. He could only watch in fascination as the black vapor that twisted and consumed his very being dissipated where their bodies made contact.
“Impossible…” he had whispered to himself; unable to tear his eyes away from their hands. He had given his fingers, the ones pressed to hers, an experimental wiggle and watched how her own absorbed the movement.
No Karma breached her pristine white gloves and for him, it retreated further up along his forearm.
Almost like his very hand had been purified.
He had been snapped out of his thoughts when that same giggle reached his ears once more.
“If only you could see your face right now!”
This time, that flush did crawl up his face as he yanked his hand back. “You have no respect for the Adepti…” he had grumbled as he crossed his arms over his chest.
Lumine’s giggles had then morphed into laughter.
That night had cultivated the start of a friendship between the two warriors and would lead to many more where they would spend hours having conversations under blinking stars.
She would tell him about her brother and stories of distant worlds beyond his wildest imagination.
One night, he had asked about her homeworld but she had given him a small shake of her head.
“I…I don't really remember it anymore.” She had replied with her head tilted back to the sky. “Aether and I have been traveling for so long.”
They had fallen into a comfortable silence before her voice, soft and sad, broke the quiet.
“I can’t remember a time where we weren't together.”
Hearing that, Xiao had silently vowed to help her find him, no matter what.
After that, something had shifted between them, though what it was Xiao couldn't say. Something just felt…different.
He found that he would look for excuses to be in her company, whether that was occasionally helping with her commissions or even sparring.
He looked forward to seeing her.
Xiao clucked his tongue in annoyance and wondered how that happened. Since when did he crave the company of another being? When did it register that the millennia of solitude was finally getting to him?
He glared out at the serene night before him, almost personally insulted by it.
How had he not noticed her getting so close? How had he not noticed that he was making more frequent trips to the Inn for a chance to see her? How had he not noticed how relieved he felt when she chose to spend part of the Lantern Rite festival with him?
And now, here he was once more. Perched on the roof with his amber eyes trained on the landing below waiting to catch sight of her.
He narrowed his eyes to glare at nothing. “How irritating.”
His ears picked up Paimon’s happy trills stating that she was going to go wake the traveler so she could eat.
Xiao's eyebrows drew together in thought. She was resting? That didn't seem like her, (she was usually so full of energy at this time), though who was he to pretend he knew her mannerisms.
He was immediately brought out of his thoughts when he heard the little fairy wail.
“She’s gone!”
His blood felt cold in his veins hearing the declaration. The Traveler was missing? Before he could even think about his actions, he teleported to Wangshu Inn’s kitchen where Verr Goldet was trying to console a terrified Paimon. Fat tears cascaded down her cherub face as she tried to figure out where Lumine had gone.
He ignored the shocked and surprised look on Verr Goldet’s face. “Master Xiao?”
“Xiao?” Paimon croaked as she looked up to see him. She immediately wedged herself out of Verr Goldet’s arms only to slam into him; Her tiny hands grabbing fistfuls of his shirt.
“You have to go find her!” She pleaded in earnest. “She hasn’t been well! She could be hurt! Or in danger!” Xiao could only watch as a fresh wave of tears gathered in her eyes. “Paimon knew she shouldn't have left her alone!”
“I…” he felt the words get lodged in his throat.
Noticing everyone staring at him and waiting for his response, he cleared his throat and tried again. “Alright. I’ll find her.”
Not wanting to stick around and see more shock on everyone’s faces, (he didn't even put up a fight! How embarrassing…), he disappeared to start the hunt.
Finding her wasn't difficult. It's not like he created bonds and made promises with every person that he came across, so he was somewhat in tune with Lumine at all times. All he had to do was go somewhere quiet and try to feel out her energy.
He teleported to the top of Mt. Aozang and closed his eyes. He took a few deep breaths to clear his mind and then searched the lands of Liyue for her presence.
And found that she wasn't far from him.
He wasn't surprised that of all places, she fled to Jueyun Karst. It was one of the few places that she could go and be generally undisturbed.
Closing his eyes once more, he let himself be transported to the basin of the area until he materialized a few feet away from her. He didn't want to immediately disturb her, so he chose to sit cross-legged on a rock and watch as she practiced her swordsmanship.
With nothing else to do, he took the time to study her unabashedly and found that he was unable to tear his gaze away from her.
The moon bathed her in silver light and cast her in an ethereal glow that made her look like some divine being. Her hair appeared almost platinum and her skin was so pale it was practically translucent.
He watched as she spun and dodged around an imaginary foe. Her movements were a graceful precision akin to a deadly dance; her skirt fluttering around her with every strike.
He had come to know her by this fighting style, but it was while watching her closely that he started to notice how unwell she was. Movements that were usually fluid like water, instead wavered mid-strike. He could see the way her hands shook while gripping the hilt of her sword and her muscles remained coiled in unrelenting tension.
She was exhausted. That much was obvious.
Xiao frowned at the wrappings on her left bicep. It seemed she had been a little too reckless and didn't feel the need to call for his aid.
He knew she was an accomplished fighter and could take care of herself, but that didn't mean he liked seeing her injured.
His musings were interrupted by her soft voice cutting through the eerie silence.
“Spar with me.”
——————
She had known the moment he had appeared. The soft gust of wind was a give-away in and of itself, but she could feel the way his gaze bore down on her back from across the clearing.
She was always hyper-aware of his presence.
Had she called for him? She didn't think so. Lumine wouldn't consider herself vain, but she certainly didn't want him of all people seeing her like this.
Delirious.
Half-mad with exhaustion.
A mess of tears that wouldn't stop no matter how badly she wished they would.
She paused her movements to let her sword fall to her side and with her other hand, furiously swiped at her eyes. She took a deep breath that shook when she exhaled; her lungs rattling in protest.
She needed another distraction; needed to distract him as well.
Uttering her request, she turned to face him and felt her breath catch in her chest.
He sat further away from her, regarding her with a gaze so intense that she almost withered underneath it. In the darkness, illuminated by slivers of moonlight, his amber eyes seemed to glow like a beast stalking its prey.
His relaxed position was deceptive. Even though he sat with legs crossed and hands clasped, Lumine could see the way his shoulders squared and his spine remained pin-straight. His muscles were coiled in anticipation of potential unperceived danger, ready to engage an unknown enemy the second it made itself known.
He looked every bit the powerful adeptus she knew he was.
She swallowed nervously in a useless attempt to heal her dry and aching throat.
“Please…” she whispered into the wind.
Xiao felt his heart constrict at the visible pain in her voice. “I think that would be…unwise,” he replied, choosing his words carefully. “You're not in peak form.”
Lumine narrowed her eyes, insulted at the matter-of-fact way he addressed her. “I’m fine.” she hissed as she raised her blade at him. “I’m only asking once more.”
Xiao regarded her, unblinking. He studied the way her body swayed in fatigue and noted the dark circles under her eyes. Her pale skin seemed even more so and fresh tear stains glittered on her face like silver rivers.
Fine was the furthest thing she was.
Wordlessly, he rose from his sitting position and with a flick of his wrist, summoned his spear. With sure, powerful strides, he walked towards her until he was a mere ten feet away.
The jade points gleamed menacingly in the moonlight as he bent his knees to take his fighting stance; waiting for her move.
Lumine gave him a small, grateful smile…
...and then she charged forward.
Anticipating her assault, Xiao braced himself and immediately brought the handle of his spear up; just in time for her blade to come swinging down.
The sound of metal clashing against stone was almost deafening, but undeterred, Lumine immediately recoiled back to swipe horizontally at his midsection. She found that she was still too slow when Xiao, once more, angled the handle of his spear down to block her strike.
She pirouette around him as a deadly graceful dancer, trying to land a hit on him and only grew more and more frustrated when he blocked each and every one.
“You're not fighting back!” she angrily accused. Breathing heavily, she circled around him; looking for another opening.
“Am I not worth the mighty Vigilant Yaksha’s effort?!”
Her eyes swept over him from top to bottom and when she brought them back to rest on his face, she found her ire growing.
He looked undeterred. Statue stiff with a textbook expression of calm on his face.
And she? With her shaking arms and wobbling knees? Her legs wanting nothing more than to give out from underneath her?
She felt panic take root in her chest; anxiety blooming like a decaying flower. Her heart, already in overdrive from the adrenaline coursing through her veins, almost seemed to speed up when the icy feelings of dread trapped itself in her rib cage.
“Do you also think I'm too weak?”
Confusion flit across Xiao’s face and chipped away his stoic expression. Was that what was bothering her?
He refused to let her words goad him into striking first, but this time, when she swung at him, he added enough force to push her back with his block.
“Satisfied?” he retorted as he watched the surprise flicker across her face when she stumbled backwards.
She righted herself as soon as she found her footing again. “Not even close!” Lumine yelled as she charged forward again.
Gathering all the strength she had left, she swung her blade overhead and almost cried out in frustration when she was met with his spear once more. Unrelenting, she brought her other hand to the hilt and braced her entire body into trying to push him back.
With their weapons of choice locked in a stalemate, Xiao peered through the space between them to look at her. His gaze never strayed from hers and when he spoke, his voice was even and level. “Tell me what's bothering you.”
Lumine’s brow went from being drawn together in concentration, to lax with surprise as she registered his words. “I already told you!” Her muscles were now screaming at her in protest and she knew she wouldn't be able to keep this up much longer. “I’m fine!”
Xiao narrowed his eyes at the very obvious lie and before she could even think to counter his next move, he quickly twisted his hands and spear to maneuver them underneath her arms. Using the least amount of force he could get away with, he knocked her arms up above her head and away to refute her attack and break her assault.
The counter attack succeeded in surprising her enough for her to lose her grip on her weapon and she could only watch helplessly as her sword spun through the air to land twenty feet away from them.
“You're lying.” he stated as he righted himself. “Spars over.”
He turned away to start towards the edge of the clearing to retrieve her fallen weapon.
Logically she knew that…
…But in her delirious, broken mind, only one thing repeated itself to her.
He’s leaving.
He’s leaving you.
Just like Aether.
She didn't know what came over her, but the hysteria bubbled up and out before she could reconsider her words. “Don't you dare turn your back on me!” she cried and with her fist pulled back, sprung forward to continue their fight.
Whatever plan Lumine had, (and later, when she would reflect on this with a clear mind, sucker-punching an adeptus was certainly not a smart one), was swiftly put to an end when her fist connected with Xiao’s open palm.
She never even saw him turn around again. His movements were so swift that in the blink of an eye, he had stopped her once more.
He immediately closed his hand around hers and jerked her forward. The next thing she knew, she was stumbling into his arms to crash against his chest; his other arm immediately came around her waist to tightly hold her small frame to his.
Shocked, Lumine struggled fruitlessly in his grasp but found she might as well have been encased in steel. Her efforts to free herself had her using what little energy she had left and she quickly tired herself out.
She slumped against him; her forehead coming to rest in the crook of his neck.
Xiao tried to ignore her warm, shallow breaths brushing against him and despite the blush that was now dusting his cheeks, he pressed the side of his face against her hair.
“Tell me what's bothering you.” he repeated once more; his voice dropping to a gentle octave that Lumine didn't think she had ever heard from him before.
Maybe it was all the exhaustion of the last few days. Maybe it was someone finally making her stop for a moment so she could no longer run from all the thoughts and feelings racing through her. Maybe it was the strong arms that held her and the steady heartbeat that echoed against her ear. Maybe it was the sweet smell of Qinxin flowers that always seemed to permeate him or the way his hair was softly tickling her face.
Maybe it was all of the above.
Whatever the reason, it was enough to finally sever the fragile tether that had been holding her together.
The words and tears poured out of her like a torrential downpour. The sobs that wracked her body were violent, and she fisted her hands into the soft silk of his shirt; both to ground her to him and because she was terrified he would suddenly evaporate from under her.
Just like Aether.
Will you leave me too?
She was so lost in her pain that she barely felt it when Xiao gently lowered them to their knees to the soft grass below after her legs gave out from underneath her.
“He didn't want me!” she keened. “No explanation, no reasons, nothing!”
Xiao knew she had been looking for her twin and as she recounted her story of meeting Aether, he felt his heart twist painfully at the outcome she was now suffering from.
For the first time in a very long time, he felt powerless. He couldn't remember the last time he was ever in the position of needing to provide comfort to someone and he knew there were no magic words that could make this better. Nothing at this moment could make her whole again. Instead, he patiently listened and gently carded his fingers through her flaxen hair.
Lumine’s sobs echoed off the high walls around them until she had no more left in her. Energy completely spent, she remained slumped against him.
“I don't know what to do.” she whispered when her sobs ebbed to nothing. Her throat felt raw and tight, and her voice sounded horrible to her own ears. “Aether is my family. He’s all I have.”
She felt Xiao sigh below her and felt the reverberations in his chest when he spoke. “You will continue to search for him.” The feeling of his fingers combing through her hair and his knuckles gently stroking along her spine were starting to lull her into a drowsy state. “And when you find him again, because you will…” he cut her off before she could argue, “Call my name. I’ll knock some sense into him.”
Lumine smiled at that and couldn't help the breathless chuckle that escaped. The surge of warmth his words brought bloomed hope into her heart. Hope that she would see her brother again and hope that the next time she did, it would be enough to pull him back to her.
“...and you're wrong.” Xiao continued softly. “He may be your family, but he is not all you have.”
Confused, Lumine pulled away only far enough to stare up into his amber eyes. Her own golden ones silently begging for the answer to her unspoken question.
Xiao let his hands come to rest on either side of her face; his thumbs slowly brushing the tear stains away.
“You have helped many people and have gained many friends in your travels.” She could feel the warmth of his fingers through his leather gloves as they danced over her cheeks. “Friends that would do all they could to help you...”
His words trailed off and he could feel the flush on his face spread to the tips of his ears.
“...myself included. You're…important to me.” he concluded in a whisper.
Speechless, Lumine could only stare into his eyes; too terrified to even blink lest it destroy the fragile moment that had been created between them.
She exhaled the shaky breath she had been holding and let her own hands slowly raise to frame his face; elated when he didn't pull away from her.
His skin was soft beneath her fingertips and wisps of dark hair brushed against them. She studied his eyes, beautiful and unfathomably depthless with pupils she hadn't seen in shape before.
She trailed her own down the slope of nose to rest on his lips and she idly wondered if they would feel as soft as they looked.
Would it be ok?
She brought her eyes back up to his once more and searched his face for signs of apprehension to their closeness. Finding none, she slowly brought her face closer to his and only stopped when their lips were a breath away.
“Thank you Xiao” she whispered between them.
She then let her eyes flutter closed and gently pressed her lips to his.
She felt him tense beneath her; not used to the affectionate act. He went as still and rigid as the stone Liyue was known for, but he didn't pull away from her.
Undeterred, she slowly let her fingertips dance down his cheeks and his throat so she could circle her arms around his neck.
The feather-light touches seemed to bring him out of his shocked stupor so he could respond back. She felt him sigh through his nose as he relaxed into her, returning her kiss with equal pressure. His hands still remained on her face, but she felt him apply more pressure.
As if he thought she too would disappear from his grasp.
They stayed wrapped in each other's embrace for a few heart beats before they slowly broke their kiss. Instead of pulling away, they remained within each other's immediate bubbles; foreheads pressed together and noses gently brushing.
“You're important to me also, Xiao.” Lumine smiled gently, using his words before adding her own. “So very important.” Her fingers gently toyed with the soft hair at the base of his skull.
She sighed in resignation, not wanting the moment to end but knowing she needed to go back to the Inn. “I think I need to head back. Paimon must be worried.”
Her smile grew to a full blown grin at the very undignified snort he elicited.
“You have NO idea.”
Slowly, they rose to their feet and untangled themselves from each other; save for one hand each laced together.
In the blink of an eye, they were standing on the roof of Wangshu Inn once more and it was here, before heading downstairs to meet back up with her companion, that Lumine paused to turn to him.
Seeing the small smile he gave her, a smile only reserved for her, had her feeling lighter than she had in days.
He gave her hand a reassuring squeeze and she knew, as long as she had those important to her at her side, she could continue on.