Chapter Text
"Your era has come to an end... Balladeer."
Lumine's voice sounded sternly around the domain, a defeated Scaramouche kneeled before her. Her heavy breaths echoed as blood trickled down the tip of her sword onto the puppet's shoulder. However, he didn't seem one bit tired. His eyes followed the trail of stained blood on her dress, to her skin, then to her face, slowly. "So it has." he said, sorrow coating his voice. But it was soon that Lumine felt something threatening her confidence. "...so it has." he repeated, that time a smile creeping onto his lips.
Lumine shuddered, and before she could react her eyes caught the green light emitting from the man's chest— the walls and floor melted into a swirl of color, the moon and stars fell from the sky into a hurricane. The last thing she saw was the balladeer's smirking face, red eyeliner dripping into his mouth like blood— the last scene she could understand, the last thing that engraved itself into her memory.
Then it was dark, quiet and cold.
Not a memory, a thought, or a sense was active. There was nothing, she was nothing. But her ultimate goal remained, her final destination...
There once was a guiding star, leading the way through the unknown with a hand holding all the suns of the world. It was cradled by warmth, though its touch was fading from her mind.
Oh, if only...
"Aether..." she heard herself whisper, voice strained and in pain.
Maybe... She was crying.
The battle had tired her, both body and soul. It felt as though time kept moving, never reaching a milestone or catching a second's break. So she closed her eyes— it mattered not what would happen, she simply wished to rest.
"Aether?" a familiar voice repeated her call. With the might of a storm, everything returned— her senses, her thoughts, herself. She knew that voice all too well, bursting her eyes open immediately. Only beginning to awake, everything in the world seemed like it was trying to swallow her; the soft futon beneath her, the warmth of the cackling fireplace, the honey light on the ceiling and the shadows casted upon the close walls. And most importantly, the worried face looking at her. Bright red shadow framing deep blue eyes, a pale face, and what she could only describe as a mask on a soul... Such a sight reminded her of all the fury she was just feeling before everything went dark.
But... Something was different. No, everything was different. She didn't feel any danger from him, his clothes were different and his expression was soft— unfamiliar gentleness in his gaze. He didn't look like the balladeer or scaramouche. "... Kunikuzushi?" she mumbled, and he listened.
"Kunikuzushi...? Ah, you must be a fan of inazuman theater." he commented, his voice soft alongside the soothing sounds of fire breaking down wood. Her eyes caught the leaves upon the yumemiru wood outside, then to the wooden wall and the sliding tatami doors. "... But I've never heard of a character named Aether." he continued, an eyebrow raised as he thought.
Despite the conclusions Lumine had reached in that short amount of time, she couldn't help but feel her stomach turn when she heard her brother's name on that man's tongue. "... Don't." her breath was heavy on her chest, she could barely speak. Scaramouche, or rather, the youth was quick to spread his lips and say something before— "Don't speak of him with," she heaved, sweat starting to form on her forehead. "that voice." hatred, pure unbridled hatred. She stared at the youth with a piercing glare, the blanket above her sliding down to show the bandages wrapped around her chest and arm, slightly red and coming unloose from her careless motions.
When her eyes focused again she saw the youth guarding someone behind him, someone small... A child. Those tiny hands of his were holding onto the fabric of the youth's yukata, knuckles white. She took in a breath, quick to calm herself at the sight, but the sweat forming on her skin only grew thicker. Her gaze widened from a glare to an expression of shock. "What's... Happening?" she finally asked, only noticing then that she had raised herself onto her elbows.
"We, we found you injured on a bed of dandelions and took you in to treat your wounds." the youth spoke, only slightly letting his guard down. "Apart from that... We know nothing of your situation."
Lumine laid down, wincing from the throbing ache in her back. "Did you," she tried to speak again, only to shut her eyes in pain.
"You came with nothing but your clothes. I left them to dry outside after washing off the blood." he explained, hoping she wouldn't have to speak while in such a condition.
"No, no." she whispered, then took in a sore breath. "Paimon." she let out, hoping her little partner wasn't there with them.
"If by Paimon you mean someone else, I saw no one near you." his eyes brightened when he saw the relief in Lumine's face. Could Paimon be her enemy? He wondered.
The little boy behind the youth reached out, placing two white flowers next to her head. "These ornaments are yours..." he mumbled, a little shy in front of the foreign face. The youth gave him such a gentle gaze, his lips raised into a proud smile.
Lumine's heart burned.
She knew then, none of this could be possible.
He was cruel, wasn't he? He mocked the world and fought back with trickery, laughed in the face of justice and whatever was kind.
Perhaps in the balladeer's last attempt to off her he used the last bit of his strength to make use of the dendro gnosis' power. Maybe he meant to send her to a more painful world but failed, or maybe something tragic was awaiting her in this one. That, she could not tell.
But he... Once was kind, wasn't he?
No, that doesn't matter. She just hoped with all her might that Paimon and Nahida were safe.
Lumine seemed to calm down and turned to look at the ceiling. Even if she was on guard, even if this youth was indeed Scaramouche playing a trick on her, she knew her wounds gave her no fighting chance. All she could do was just... Rest.
"If I may..." the youth began, "Your bandages must be changed."
She waved her hand. Not now.
—-—-–
She couldn't sleep that night. Could be that she slept plenty before she awoke, or because her mind was especially active that moment. She began reminiscing about the day she had just lived.
Her body tensed whenever the youth was near despite everything she saw of him being anything but a threat, and watching that child around him made her legs scream to run and protect him.
But it was always the opposite that happened.
In that situation, she was the true suspicious individual. The scary foreigner who glared daggers at the innocent adult, the man of the house. If only her body would stop wanting to fight.
Apart from that, the day went by in a very mundane manner. She was left to rest in that room with a few books nearby, but she was more interested in the sounds she would hear.
The happy giggles from the child, jokes and stories that left the youth's lips before he'd shush the child as to not bother her. Then she'd smell the comforting scent of dinner, the sound of vegetables getting chopped and the sizzling of the pot— everything felt so normal.
The youth offered her a plate, telling her of the medicinal herbs he had used.
She found it ironic.
The very same person who pierced her chest... No, they were different. That young man no longer exists in the real teyvat.
Before she knew it, the sun had risen. She heard the sounds of birdsong before she saw the sunshine through the window. Then she looked out, noticing how sakura blossoms were beginning to bloom. Ah, so winter had just passed in this world.
Not long after, she heard a knock on the door. She watched as it slid open to reveal the youth, a bucket and a cloth in his hands. "Good morning." he greeted, entering the room and setting the items next to Lumine's futon. She blinked as he sat, noticing more items in the corner of her eyes.
"I will take care of myself, there's no need for you to do it." she said immediately once the youth began to drop a liquid into the water. Although she hoped she sounded healthy, her voice was still shaky, and it took everything in her to ignore the pain in her chest.
"Nonsense. Not only can you barely speak, but we've waited long enough. Your wounds will get infected at this rate." he said, pausing right before grabbing onto her blanket. "I'd like to at least ask for your cooperation."
She stared for a moment or two, blinked once or twice as well. She remembered how he was the one who treated her wounds to begin with, asking for nothing in return— he even washed her outfit, and gave her a room to rest in and food to eat. Denying his help then and getting worked up would be very rude, wouldn't it? Even if it felt weird to be treated by the same person who... Well, gave her those wounds to begin with.
So she complied. Lumine pushed herself upwards, the youth quickly yet gently helping her rise. She sighed once she was up, her eyebrows furrowed from the soreness of her muscles. She's an adventurer, after all, having to lay down for so long alongside her injuries... Archons.
They started from her back.
He slowly pulled the old bandages apart, revealing more of her scars. The youth noticed during the first time he patched her up: though she looked frail she was surely one who had fought and survived countless battles. He gazed at the scars for a moment, before picking up the cloth.
"This will sting." the youth warned as he brought up the cloth towards her wound. She braced herself, her shoulders tensing up when it touched her.
"You know a lot about humans despite not being one." she commented, a small chuckle leaving her lips.
He seemed to pause for a second before responding. "What makes you think I'm not?"
Her lips parted, her smile gone. I'm not supposed to know that. "Oh, no, I just assumed."
She didn't hear anything in reply.
Until he rinsed the cloth, and pressed it against her skin again. That time she hissed, feeling the burn a little deeper. "You seem to have healed a lot faster than a human would." he sounded rather sour.
"I eat a lot of vegetables."
"Is that so?"
She hummed in agreement, hearing him lightly sigh behind her. "Can you turn around?" he asked. Once again, and she complied, turning her sore body with his help.
Normally, Lumine would've been uncomfortable with someone else seeing her topless, but alongside it seemingly not being the first time— the youth seemed very... Innocent. Even more so with how she'd hear him play with the kid.
She found him rather endearing.
... Huh.
He began cleaning the front wound, Lumine wincing at the sting once again. But that time, she followed it by a rather conspicuous sound. "Ow~" His eyes widened slightly as he looked up at her cheeky smile, clearly confused— or just taken aback? Still, she could see light pink on the tip on his ears.
Now, that wasn't the balladeer she thought she knew.
"I'll be more careful, then..." he said, awkwardly, as he slowly continued to tend to her. She wanted to laugh at his reaction, but felt a piercing pain in her chest right before she did— it seemed as though her body didn't want her to joke around.
At last, after he tended to the wound on her arm and some of the smaller cuts on her body, came time for the new bandages.
She tried her best to properly lift her arms, but every inch of her body screamed at her when she did. However, it didn't seem to bother the youth, so he reassured her before reaching forward to wrap it around her. She felt him get close, the wind around him entering her zone. He smelled of lavender and firewood, a duo she never thought would create such a comforting scent. He wrapped the bandages securely around her, asking if it bothered her at every turn.
In such a short amount of time, Lumine's view of that face changed. His voice, his eyes, his lips, instead of fueling her fury by then they simply intrigued her.To think the balladeer would be so welcoming and caring. Or, at least, he used to be.
He finished what he came to do.
When the youth stood to leave, the air welcomed in a slight coolness.