Chapter Text
When Katheryne told her there was a blonde man with unusual clothes visiting Mondstadt, Lumine couldn't help the way her heart leapt to her throat. After months spent worrying about Aether, putting up missing posters and asking the Archons themselves for help, had she finally found him? Completely by chance? She barely paid attention to what the Adventurer's Guild commissioner and her own floating companion said, too busy thinking about reuniting with her brother. She sprinted towards the tavern, leaving Paimon to yell as she tried to keep up.
It was with much disappointment that she found the strange adventurer was most definitely not Aether; even with his back turned to her, she could see how the man was much taller, his blonde hair lighter and missing Aether's signature braid. But still, she thought to herself, if he's from a different nation, maybe he might've seen him. It was a long shot of course, but desperation had already rooted itself inside her chest after being away from her brother for so long. And so, she tried calling out to him, though the stranger seemed to be too distracted by something else to hear her. It was only when she introduced herself as the Traveler that he seemed to get interested.
"A fellow traveler, you say? Please, join me," he finally answered. As she sat across him, Lumine couldn't help but stare; the man was odd alright. He was dressed in a black and blue garb she had never seen before, his chest adorned with a strange, ornate symbol. The outfit looked far too elegant for a simple traveler, and the dark colors contrasted heavily with the cheery atmosphere of the tavern, making her wonder where in the world he was from, to dress like this. But that wasn't all; the man also donned a dark mask on the right side of his face, that did nothing to hide his piercing blue eyes, with pupils shaped like stars, much like Kaeya's. Her curiosity was piqued, to say the least.
"Why are you traveling, if I may ask?" The man asked politely, interrupting her thoughts. "I'm looking for my brother. What about you?"
"I seek to oppose the Abyss Order," he stated matter of factly, and Lumine was surprised by the answer. It was more fitting than him simply being a normal traveler, but still, she only got more curious. "Forgive me, I forgot to ask your name."
"Oh, I'm Lumine." She watched his eyes shift to Paimon, who eyed him with open suspicion; the pixie had never been very good at being subtle. "And the little one?"
"That's Paimon, my emergency food," she joked, hoping to annoy her enough that she'd stop glaring. Thankfully, it worked.
"Hey, that's not funny, y'know!"
"My name is Dainsleif," the man introduced himself, ignoring Paimon's outburst. "Do you have business with me?"
"Hmm. Could I commission you to help me?" She asked out of curiosity, to which Dainsleif nodded. "Sure, though I only take commissions that involve the Abyss Order. Also, I will require advance payment." Lumine's eyes went wide at that, before she narrowed them in suspicion.
"...How much are we talking about?" Based on what he'd said, she assumed he was a very skilled fighter, and if he specialized in fighting the Abyss, then his rates must've been high. She wasn't exactly lacking or Mora, but she wasn't prepared to spend a fortune on someone that might not be able to help her in the end.
"500 Mora and three answered questions."
She blinked at him, even more surprised. "That's all?" Paimon asked, glaring at him again. "Indeed. We can settle the answers now, if you wish."
Lumine traded a look with Paimon, though her mind was mostly made up; there was no harm in trying with a price like that, and if he turned out to be dangerous, she could easily take him on. She slid a gold pouch his way before nodding, and Dainsleif nodded back before beginning his interrogation.
The questions were… not what she had expected. She assumed he'd ask personal questions, or something related to combat, not… not direct and very informed inquiries about her adventures in Mondstadt and Liyue. It set off many alarm bells when he referred to the archons by their human names, which only made her more curious about who this man was. How could he know all of this? Should she be concerned? Was he with the Fatui, maybe? Something told her that wasn't it, though she couldn't rule the possibility out. Whatever the case, Dainsleif proved himself to be a fascinating (if dangerous) mystery.
Once his questions had been answered, Dainsleif told them about a supposed re-infiltration of the Temple of the Falcon, and so they headed there, hunting the Abyss. As they made their way through the domain, Lumine kept her eyes on the mysterious man, trying to gleam some more information about him. Unfortunately, Dainsleif was very elusive, seeming to be very careful to give away as little as possible. That only cemented her growing belief that he was hiding something.
"Could you tell me more about the Abyss Order?" She asked once they had a reprieve from the Abyss Mages' attacks, and he spared her a glance before looking away.
"The Abyss is chaos, a morass of inconceivable madness that encroaches upon this world's very foundations. The creatures of the Abyss desire to overthrow the archons."
"You sure know a lot about them, huh?" Paimon noted, and Lumine couldn't help but notice the strange look he gave her. "You could say we have some… history."
Things only got more interesting when they headed to Stormterror's lair, in a last ditch effort to find the Abyss Herald Dainsleif had been looking for, and he mentioned once having a traveling companion.
"Huh, where is this person now? Why aren't they with you?" Paimon asked, ever oblivious, and the blonde man sighed, looking away. "He… no longer travels, I'm afraid." Lumine could tell there was more to that statement, though she couldn't figure out what. Just who was this traveling companion of his, and what had happened between the two of them? Was this related to his earlier remark about 'having history' with the Abyss? Lumine stashed all of this information in her brain, attempting to put them together like puzzle pieces, though there was clearly a lot more she was missing.
All this thinking was completely thrown out the window, however, when she felt a faint, familiar presence on the cliff. She tore her eyes away from the other two and their discussion to stare at the empty spot, furrowing her brows.
"What is it?" Dainsleif asked, and Lumine could feel her heart beat faster as she was filled with hope. "I sense something familiar. On that cliff." His eyes were sharp as they stared between her and the cliff, before he nodded. "Let's go see what it is, then."
When they reached the cliff, the area looked just as empty as it had from afar. She could see no sign of activity, nor any monsters that could've drawn her attention.
"Are you sure you felt something, Lumi? It doesn't look like there's anything here," Paimon asked, voice laced with concern, and Lumine nodded, gritting her teeth in frustration. It was then that she noticed that Dainsleif had wandered off, and was now crouched by what remained of an ancient road.
"What did you find?" She asked, crouching next to him, and it was only then that she noticed the large footprint left on the ground. "This is a Ruin Guard's footprint. Look, it trampled that dandelion over there." There was something mournful about his voice when he said this, but Lumine couldn't dwell on it for long, because as soon as her eyes fell on that dandelion, she froze. In just a second, flashes of memories appeared before her eyes; she saw a city in ruins, Aether’s face, and the goddess who had separated them.
When Lumine came to, Paimon was shaking her tiny hands at her face, clearly concerned, while Dainsleif watched her with a furrowed brow.
"Lumi! Finally! You're back! Are you okay?" The pixie asked worriedly, and she had to blink her tears away before she could answer. "I'm fine."
"Did you see something, just now?" The blonde man asked in a serious tone, to which she nodded.
"I saw Aether."
"Woah! You saw your brother?" Paimon gasped, and Lumine nodded.
"Touching the dandelion seems to have triggered a vision… interesting. Must be because you're related," Dainsleif theorized, though she struggled to process his words when her mind was focused on that vision.
"I have to find out what this means. We have to—"
"Calm down, Lumine," he interrupted her, offering a hand to help her up. "Vexation and anxiety are the enemy of rational thought. Your journey has only just begun, has it not? At least you know he's still in this world."
She took a deep breath, standing up and blinking a few stray tears away before looking at Dainsleif. "You're right. There's still time. And I will find him."
As Lumine thought about it more, she realized; maybe it wasn't a coincidence that they found signs of Aether while hunting for an Abyss Herald—maybe he had fought them as well, or maybe… she shivered. Maybe he had been captured by them. She kept these thoughts to herself, though it did give her an idea.
"You should come with us, Dain." The blonde man blinked at her sudden comment. "Pardon?"
"I have a feeling the things we seek might be related. If we stick together, we can kill two birds with one stone!"
"Oooh! A new member for the Traveler's squad!" Paimon chimed in excitedly, and Lumine couldn't help but grin. "It isn't much of a squad if it only has two people."
"Well now we have three! Right, Dain?"
Dainsleif watched their exchange with an unreadable expression before sighing. "Fair enough. Though only for a little while. There are certain things I need to do by myself."
"Welcome to the squad, partner," Lumine joked, still grinning as she shook his hand, and though the brooding man didn't smile, she did see his eyes soften a little.
"I’m glad to be here."