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Immortality is something many strive for.
To escape death, to become permanent in a world always changing.
To ensure their loved ones end up okay or even join them.
But immortality is just a fantasy. Erosion is a fate not even the gods can escape. Everything has a time limit.
Except for two beings. Observers. The twin stars that came to this little world of ours. But one is sleeping. So, the other will travel without them.
But immortality is a curse, is it not?
∞
“Lumine.”
“Huh? Oh, uh- “
A loud groan escaped his mouth.
“I am SO sorry, Dain, uh, I’ll be up just- “
“It… is fine. I have already cooked a meal.”
That dream again. Nightmare? It’s difficult to differentiate between them at this point.
That… God. Goddess, who cares. The “Sustainer of Heavenly Principles” it called itself. It would never escape her memories for as long as she lived. And she would live long. Such is the fate of a wandering star, after all.
Enjoying a good breakfast with Dainsleif, she tried to push the memories to the back of her head. She had to continue exploring, after all. If not to find the god, then at least to find her brother. The one she left behind. His face of panic was still burned into her memory.
Focus, Lumi. You’ll ruin your appetite at this rate.
“Mmngh~ That was good! Where to next, Dain?”
“… You still have crumbs.”
Quickly wiping her mouth, she once again asked.
“Where. To. Next. Dain?”
Dain was frankly a bit terrified of his new travelling companion. She claimed to be from another world and frankly he didn’t want to find out whether or not she was telling the truth.
“… Cujie Slope. We should be there by next dusk.”
“Jeez, aren’t we supposed to be going TOWARDS Liyue? And stop talking like a poet, Dain, you sound like you’re brooding.”
“You were the one who wished to see the mountains, were you not? And Morax is very rarely in Liyue in the first place.”
“No comment on the brooding, then?”
“Lumi. Please.”
“Fiiiine, I’ll stop teasing. Welp! The tents packed up, off we go!”
∞
She had a bad feeling. She had always had a bad feeling, especially when they returned to Kaenriah. There was something here, that wouldn’t end well for any person here.
And she didn’t like that.
Even if she was a traveller at heart, Teyvat was now like home to her. Kaenri’ah especially. A civilisation that did not believe in the gods seemed impossible to most yet it lived. And it would continue to live.
She hoped with all of her heart that it would. Even when she got them to calm their fanaticism, the bad feeling would not go away.
“Lumine.”
Dain’s voice broke her out of stupor.
“Huh? Uh, what were we talking about?”
Dain was already used to it. Lumine was acting distant recently. A bit out of it, always having an unfocused gaze. And her nightmares almost killed them on several occasions, but she was fine now.
He hoped that she was.
“We were talking about our return trip. We’ve already gotten to the edge of Snezhnaya, now we just need to get back quickly. I can’t be the only person to have noticed how strangely the animals are acting.”
Lumine has a terrible premonition.
“…Hey Dain?”
“Yeah?”
“Who… did we leave in charge while we were gone?”
“Why are you asking this?”
“Just answer, Dain.”
Her voice was a bit more cutting than necessary, but she needed to know.
“It was Duke Alberich, why?”
“…Wait. Duke Alberich? Mr. Chlothar?”
“…Yes?”
Oh no.
No no no nonono.
“… Dain. How do we get back to Kaenri’ah as quick as possible?”
Dain was about to ask why, but the look of panic on her face told him otherwise.
“We can get there quickest in about 2 weeks. No breaks though.”
“You can get there faster, right?”
“…?”
“Go. Don’t wait for me.”
“Lumine, I- “
“Dain.”
“…”
Dain begrudgingly packed up his equipment and prepared to leave.
“…Why are you telling me to go?”
“Bad feeling. Very bad feeling.”
Lumine’s instinct was always top notch, so he realised the severity of the situation.
Dainsleif got ready even quicker.
“…I will see you there, my lady.”
“Sure. Don’t die, emergency food.”
“… Who in the world could be like you?”
“Ehe, maybe not in this world!”
Dainsleif left with the help of a flying field tiller customised for travel.
That was the last time Lumine had known a semblance of peace.
∞
Please please please-
She could smell it. The destruction.
Ash filled the sky as screams filled her ears. The fires burned all around her as she ran as fast as her legs could carry her, even with them screaming in protest.
And then she saw them. The cubes.
The cubes that took her away from her brother was now taking her home away from her.
Her legs finally gave out as she collapsed not too far away from the site of destruction.
Kaenri’ah was in it’s final throes of death, now. The tillers and giants fought their hardest but the might of gods was not something a machine, no matter how miraculous, could face.
The worst part was that this was not the only place that this war had affected. Someone, and she feared she knew exactly who, had unleashed the abyss unto the world.
She could feel the aftershocks even out in Natlan. Gods had already perished, after all. Many more were to come in the following… month? weeks? days? She couldn’t even remember how much effort it took to get here, let alone time.
Her pale blonde hair was already covered in soot and ash and destruction and-
Is Dain okay? Are… are any of them okay?
She was friends with many gods, after all. She had helped a lonely wind sprite in Mondstadt. She had even helped the Aranara in their time of need, so they would help her now right?
…Right?
Lumine was already quite old at this point, at least by human standards. So, while she had not lived through the Archon War, she had lost people, people she cherished. She should be used to it right? Right?! But this was too much, too much too much toomuch toomuchtoomuchtoomuchtoomu-
“-INE!”
A shout had thrown her out of her thoughts.
“Dain… sleif?”
He was covered in blood and certainly not in any condition to walk, but yet he persisted.
“W- Wait you should r-really sit do- “
“Lumine. Breathe slowly. You’re hyperventilating.”
“I – well – can you really blame me I mean I- I- I am watching my home – OUR home – go up in flames with the help of the same thing that took my brother away, Dain, can you REALLY blame-“
“Lumine!”
Caught off guard, she felt no choice but to listen.
“Good. Breathe. In and out. Slowly.”
The sounds of combat still rung out over head.
She could still taste the foulness of ash in her mouth.
She could smell blood. So much blood-
“Hey. Hey! Ignore everything else and focus on me. Just my voice if you really need to. Close your eyes and focus on my voice. Calm down, Lumi.”
She finally grounded herself, using his advice.
“You back with me?”
“…Dain. What happened.”
“We need to leave first; I’ll tell you later- “
“Tell me now!”
“Lumine, please it isn’t safe- “
“Dainsleif.”
Her voice was meek, quiet even. But to Dain, it was the most terrifying thing he experienced in this war.
“I order you, as honorary Queen of Kaenri’ah, to tell me what happened here.”
He caved. He had to. So, he told her. About Pierro, about the veil of sin, about the foolish king who still tore it away. About Chief Alchemist, Rhinedottir, and the abyss she had released onto the world.
About the curse of immortality. And the curse of the wild.
Lumine had a grave expression.
“… We will decide what to do later. Let’s- Let’s get out of here for now, okay?”
Her voice was shaky and uncontrolled, the anger she had only moments before turning very quickly into despair. Yet, she still tried to seem strong. For her. For her brother. For Dain.
The both of them got up and turned to go above ground.
Together, they left the destroyed city behind.
A wandering star and her loyal companion had left their home.
Now, they had all the time in the world.
∞