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It was a long journey from Fontaine to Natlan.
Resaying quiet "hellos" to anybody she had met a year prior when she traveled through the dry, sandy sea that was Sumeru, it took a few weeks to reach the abandoned harbor that was constructed seemingly many lifetimes ago to sail across the salty, dangerous sea to the now secluded nation that was Natlan.
Nobody ever came nor went from that place, Paimon had prattled off during one of their many camps they'd make together in the desert. For five-hundred years, and maybe even more before that, Natlan was always secluded from the rest of Teyvat, in their own little world. Some say they're ruled by god-fearing dragons, the last of their kind, fearful to show Celestia what they had done to their war-mongering god. Others say that their Archon is abusive and iron-fisted as can be, ruling her nation with a steeled heart and cold eyes, letting none escape her brutal gaze.
"And what do you think she is?" Lumine had asked one night under the brightest stars.
"Paimon thinks she's misunderstood," was all that little fairy said.
It took a while longer to find a suitable raft across the ocean, but soon enough they touched down at an equally abandoned harbor, buildings of a mysterious make crumbled to dust and barely standing. Nobody's been here for centuries except for the scarce starving rodent.
The land before her was the epitome of a dying nation, ravaged by war.
Mountains in the distance are split in half, lava spewing like rotting blood and volcanic ash permeating the air like a thick miasma. Water is scarce and seeing a blade of grass or a healthy branch belonging to a tree was even scarcer. Some animals are bone-thin, foaming at the mouth as their stomach dissolves from within—the bottom of the food chain and barely worth anything to more successful predators unless they were coming back from a hunt gone bad.
Paimon tightly grabbed her forearm in fear as another starving wolf growled hysterically at them, eyes wild with hunger. It was struck down in an instant by Lumine, more of a mercy kill than anything else.
"Paimon doesn't think your brother's here, Traveler...!" she wept mournfully as they pressed forward. Deep scratches punctured the earth, the embers of lava filling the gaps.
What the hell happened here?
Paimon continued to babble—"Paimon never thought Natlan was this bad... Ooh, Traveler, we should leave, please! Paimon thinks Snezhnaya looks beautiful this time of year!"—but Lumine paid her no mind.
Deeply, she knew, that her lost brother was not here. He was not anywhere in any of the nations she visited aside from the brief glimpse in Mondstadt. None of the Archons assisted her, not even the eldest one of Liyuean make. She'd visit, be forced to save a starving nation, and then leave with more questions than answers.
Deeply, she knew, Natlan would be no different. She can already smell the underlying quest gifted to her generously by the Archon or someone of most importance. It was only a matter of time.
Yet, despite almost four, five years of being conscious on this planet, she felt the intrinsic draw to assist those in peril. It was like a deep fear of hers, being brought to life. Help them, and they may help you, old words filter through her mind, said by her mentor of days past; old words so ancient she's unable to remember the face of who uttered their wisdom unto the twins.
She almost turned around at that thought. Nobody here's ever given her the time of day after she's helped them. Take, take, take, take, and take some more.
What's a few more years? She huffed to herself.
Lumine was shaken out of her reverie by Paimon furiously patting her shoulder. "Traveler— Traveler, Traveler! Look!"
She blinked.
Ahead was a sparkling city; a diamond in the rough. Pearly white towers high in the air gleam against the ash-buried sun, surrounding a marble-like city full of colorful tapestries, flags, and banners. It looked like she'd stumble upon Celestia in its heyday, a version of heaven in a league of its own (not that she'd ever seen it, but her imagination always runs wild thinking about it). Compared to the scarred land around her, it was almost like stumbling upon an oasis in the Sumeran desert. Jarring in its own right.
Her first thought was that it's fake, just a show. Something they both had conjured up in their time of need. She was used to Abyssal tricks by now, surely, after having gone through the depths of the Chasm.
Just to satiate Paimon, Lumine trudged forward, curious herself what the outcome would be. Friend or foe? Real or fake?
Human or Abyss?
A few minutes into her walk, spotlights were blasted onto her figure. She covers her face with her arm and stops in her tracks. No shouts were uttered, no demands made, just an eerie silence like she'd stumbled upon something she wasn't supposed to see.
Figures. At least five, some with polearms and others with swords and shields.
Lumine shrugged Paimon off of her arm and drew her blade, a festering desire borne of a dragon's hatred. She assumed a natural stance, her eyes still shielded.
"Who goes there?" one of them spoke the common tongue with an assumed Natlani accent. It was a thick accent, almost too hard to understand.
"I am a traveler of a distant land," she responded. "Me, and my companion, arrive in peace. We seek to venture behind your white walls and receive shelter away from your harsh lands."
"How are we to be sure you mean well?" the same one asked. "What is your goal?"
"I am looking for my twin brother. I lost him many years ago in a tragic accident. I travel Teyvat in search of him, either to find him well or to bury his corpse, to which I seek an audience with your Archon if she permits to discover his whereabouts."
"Many arrived here looking for their lost kin," another said, voice gritty and significantly aged. "Same story as you. They were Abyss playing tricks."
The wind howls, billowing sand and soot at its whim. Briefly, it obscures her small view of the five soldiers and her shoulders instinctively tense.
Nothing happened.
"I am no Abyss." It was an empty claim, she realized far too late. A common misstep and she fell face first into the pit.
"You reek Abyssal energy." A scoff. "You are not permitted. Leave at once."
Lumine scowled, but relented. "Fine." Shoulders still drawn tightly, she turned around and began to walk off, Paimon trailing quietly behind her, still looking at the soldiers.
The lights shut off with a slam, dousing her in relative darkness. If a city were to deny her entry, fine. She still has the rest of Natlan to discover, secrets to explore. She already knew her brother was not here, but that didn't mean she couldn't find riches to pilfer and sell.
A loud rustle, sounding metallic—
"Not so fast!"
Lumine spun around and lifted her sword just in time as a solar-scorched broadblade met her blackened metal. Fiery red hair belonged to the user, garbed in a vibrant red-and-white dress suited for battle, shining gold armor marking her shoulders, wrists, and chest.
Sparks flew as the lady jumped backwards, landing gracefully, kicking up sand and loose rock around her. She perched her blade atop her broad shoulders, smiling like she'd won the Fontanian lottery.
The lady looked like she stepped out of a fashion magazine. She had tan, bordering on brown skin with the most ruby-red eyes she's ever seen—it was as if the sun was her mother.
A thought crossed her mind in an instant—this was the Pyro Archon, surely. In all of her travels, the Archons were the ones with the most animated eyes. Them being the window to the soul surely held weight after staring them in the eyes.
Still though, despite the label she'd practically placed onto the lady, Lumine asked: "Who are you?"
The lady smiled, most likely already knowing that Lumine knew who she was. "My name is Mavuika, the Pyro Archon." Stabbing her blade into the sand, Mavuika slammed a fist onto her chestplate and bowed slightly before standing upright again. "And I am to assume you are the infamous Traveler, no?"
"Information from the outside doesn't so easily enter Natlan," is what Lumine replied with instead.
"That is true," Mavuika hummed. "But do understand that I am not so below as to hold myself to the same standards as mortal men. A God should know many things, no?"
"Surely then, you know my reason for coming?"
Mavuika smiled again. "You're seeking your brother, yes, so I've heard."
Lumine frowned. "Is there a condition for giving me that answer?"
"There is always a condition, my dear." Mavuika grabbed the hilt of her blade, swinging it to aim at an unflinching Lumine. "That is more certain than death itself."
"I fight you, and then what? Must I help your war-torn nation next?"
"If you win, you shall receive the answers you seek." She grinned. "As much as I'm sure you'd be saddened by the news, my Natlan does not require your assistance in any which way."
Thank god.
"And if I lose?"
She was expecting something along the lines of "You'll help out anyway haha", but instead the flaming god said with absolute conviction:
"You die."
"WHAT?" Paimon shrieked. "No, no way! Paimon objects!" She floated in front of Lumine protectively, her cheeks puffed out in anger. "Paimon doesn't care WHAT you are, you can't do that!"
"I think she just did, Paimon," Lumine muttered.
"Nuh uh, no way!" Paimon twirled to face her. "Paimon does NOT permit you to risk your life again! You've done that too many times and for what?! You couldn't win against The Knave, how do you expect to win against a God designated for WAR?"
"Arlecchino was... different, okay? Look, I'll be fine, okay? Trust me."
Paimon didn't look impressed.
Lumine sighed, her free hand moving to pat her on the head. "I won't abandon you, I promise."
Paimon frowned. Starry tears gathered at the corners of her eyes as she moved to grab Lumine's hand. "Don't... Please don't do it," she whispered quietly. "We... we can find another way. Please."
Mavuika watched on quietly before, in a commanding voice, she said: "Shall we begin?"
"NO!" Paimon howled, but Lumine pushed her softly aside.
"I'll be fine, Paimon. I promise." She winked. "I wasn't giving it my all during the Knave."
"Fine— FINE!" The fairy darted far away without saying anything else.
"A passionate companion you've got," Mavuika commented, watching her leave. "Very protective of you. I can see why you kept her along for the journey."
"Paimon's... Paimon," was all Lumine could say. "I wouldn't have her any other way."
Lumine raised her malignant blade to match Mavuika. "Shall we?"
"We shall."
In an instant, their blades clashed in a fiery dance of two gods.