Chapter Text
Lumine was bathed in a strange feeling. The world around her felt intangible— with no real appearance or features. However, there was a prevalent noise— the sound of muffled voices.
There seemed to be three of them, speaking over top of one another. Yet, none of them shared the same tone. One sounded vaguely agitated, but another was louder than it. The third was the quietest of the three, making it the hardest to grasp. But the faint voice spoke the most of the three.
It was impossible to make out what the voices were saying, despite how Lumine tried. The harder she tried to focus on the voices, the quicker a new noise began to overshadow them. It sounded as if the wind was beginning to accumulate in the intangible space— unable to escape and growing wilder by the second. Pressure built in Lumine’s head as the wind completely drowned out the voices.
A soft hand landed on Lumine’s shoulder,
“You still with me, traveler?”
Lumine opened her eyes to a squint, adjusting to the light from the sun. A cloudy blue sky laid above the lush and beautiful landscape of Mondstadt. From the city’s front gate, much of the mountains could be seen basked in sunlight. The bustling of people beyond Mondstadt’s gate filled Lumine’s ears.
“Ah, sorry— I’m just adjusting to the atmosphere of Mondstadt again,” She replied, rubbing her eyes. “It’s a lot different than Sumeru.”
“You’re willing to speak the nation's name— that’s a good sign.” A familiar, blue-haired knight teased. “I take it your travels in Sumeru weren’t awful, then?”
After finishing her journeys in Sumeru, Lumine had agreed to come visit Mondstadt before her departure to Fontaine. Kaeya was the one who suggested the visit, curious to hear about Lumine’s adventure in the land of wisdom. He had been waiting for her at Mondstadt’s gate when she arrived.
Lumine thought back to her adventures in Sumeru, trying to find the best answer to Kaeya’s question. But the harder she thought about it, the foggier things seemed to be.
Lumine remembered traveling through Sumeru— she could still feel the dampness on her skin despite being far away from the rainforest. Yet, the exact details of her travel escaped her. She didn’t hardly remember making her way to Mondstadt, either…
“It was…” Lumine hesitated. “...interesting, I guess.”
She shook her head in dismay.
“I must have travel brain— the details escape me.”
Kayea let out a small chuckle. He placed both of his hands on Lumine’s shoulders and turned her towards the city.
“Perhaps some food will help,” He suggested. “I did promise you lunch, after all. We can talk more after we sit down.”
Leaving no room for Lumine to argue, Kaeya ushered her further inside the city of Mondstadt.
All around them, people were on the move. Mondstadt seemed to be at its normal level of hustle and bustle— a familiar atmosphere that gave Lumine a sense of calm despite how chaotic it was.
Many people noticed Kaeya and Lumine walking through the streets and offered a wave. A few even tried to interact with them along the way. But by the time Lumine and Kayea reached Good Hunter, everyone seemed to forget they existed. Even Sarah was inexplicably missing, although Kaeya paid no mind to her absence.
Kaeya leaned forwards in his chair, resting his elbows on the table and his head in his hands.
“So tell me,” He began. “How exactly is Mondstadt so different from Sumeru? I’m curious.”
Lumine let out a thoughtful hum.
“Well… Sumeru is…” She recalled both the lush jungle and scorching desert. Despite their stark differences, they both had something in common… “…mysterious.”
“Mysterious?” Kaeya repeated, requesting elaboration.
“It carries an air of anticipation wherever you go… it’s full of boundless dark corners— places where anything could hide…” Lumine paused to formulate her thoughts. “It’s… a nice place— it is. It’s just… you’ve always got to be on your guard. Mondstadt doesn’t feel quite as threatening, I guess.”
Kaeya’s eyes drifted elsewhere as he mulled over her words. He offered a nod of understanding as his eyes landed back on Lumine.
“Then tell me,” He asked. “How do you feel right now? Being back in Mondstadt?”
“That’s a weird question.” Lumine remarked.
Kaeya leaned back in his chair, retracting his arms from the table.
“Humor me.”
“Okay. I feel….” Lumine paused. “...safe.” She decided on.
“Do you?” Kaeya sounded doubtful.
Lumine raised an eyebrow at him.
“I’m in the presence of the Cavalry Captain of the Knights of Favonious— is that so shocking?” She teased.
“You pretend to have more trust in me than you do,” Kaeya said easily, as if he were certain. “But I’m from Khaenri’ah, aren’t I?”
Kaeya’s word caught Lumine off guard. They seemed kind of… random. Out of left field. And with the look on Kaeya’s face, it was hard to know what he was thinking.
Lumine hesitated to respond. Her smile didn’t waiver, though— she assumed it must’ve been some kind of tease.
“I mean— that doesn’t automatically make you a bad person.” Lumine reasoned.
“Doesn’t it?” Kaeya challenged, almost playfully. “Dainsleif is from Khaenri’ah, but you’ve never truly trusted him. Then again, your brother is the so-called prince of Khaenri’ah…”
Lumine’s smile faded as her blood ran cold.
Kaeya knew Dainsleif was from Khaenri’ah, but Lumine had never shared her thoughts on him. Even if it could be inferred, Lumine had never shared her brother’s secret to anyone aside from those who already knew. And Kaeya was not one of those people.
Whatever grasp Lumine had on the conversation went completely out the window. She glanced from Kaeya to the street, just to see if anyone else was having a similar experience. It was only then that she realized everyone else was gone.
The hustle and bustle of Mondstadt had completely disappeared. The people who filled the streets were suddenly nowhere to be found, leaving the city in complete silence.
How long had they been gone? They were there before, weren’t they?
Lumine’s headache began to return. She clutched her forehead with her hand, looking back at Kaeya. He seemed far too calm for the situation they were in– as if it was all expected.
“And if your brother is from Khaenri’ah,” Kaeya continued. “I wonder what that makes you…”
Filled with a sense of dread, Lumine dropped both of her hands to the table to push herself up. But just as she applied pressure to the table, a sharp cracking noise came from below her hand.
Lumine glanced down to see a familiar mirror resting below her hands. The glass was cracked to the point of nearly shattering, forming the same pattern as before.
Lumine stumbled back, quickly retracting her hands. She tripped on her chair, nearly losing her balance.
She continued to back away from Kaeya, her eyes glued to him. Kaeya simply smiled, without a single care in the world.
Something was wrong— very wrong. But before Lumine could even begin to figure it out, her back collided with another person.
Just as Lumine turned to apologize, the entire scenery changed. It was a seamless transition from the city of Mondstadt to the Nantiamen tree in Liyue — as if she had been there all along.
Lumine blinked a few times, trying to grasp the sudden change in scenery. Nantianmen was just like she remembered—- quiet and peaceful, decorated with beautiful, yellow leaves that fell from the Dragon-Queller. Yet, there was a hint of eeriness in the air– a feeling that created a pit in Lumine’s gut.
There was no time to dwell on her location though, as Lumine instantly recognised the figure she had bumped into. The long ponytail draped down the tall man’s back made him easily identifiable. It was hard to forget the Geo Archon, after all.
Zhongli stood facing away from Lumine, seemingly oblivious to her presence despite the fact that she had run into him.
“Zhongli?” Lumine asked. “How did I get here?”
Zhongli gave no response.
“Zhongli! What’s going on??” Lumine tried again, desperately.
“...I’m afraid I can’t answer that.” Zhongli replied, still facing away from her. “This is my contract.”
The familiar phrase hit Lumine like a sack of bricks. To be tossed in her face a second time felt like an insult— yet it also inspired a sense of panic.
“But-“
Desperate to provoke a better response from him, Lumine reached out and grabbed Zhongli’s shoulder. He slowly glanced over his shoulder at her, causing Lumine to release him.
In place of Zhongli’s facial features was… nothing. His face was just a slab of skin and nothing more.
Lumine stumbled back, trying to put as much distinct between them as she could.
Zhongli had a face— she distinctly remembered what his facial features looked like! So why were they missing? Or was this the real Zhongli at all?? He said the line verbatim to the real Zhongli, but how was that possible??
Lumine’s eyes frantically scanned the faceless figure, along with the world around him.
Yes, this was Liyue— everything looked just like she remembered it! But wasn’t she just in Mondstadt?? Talking to Kaeya, right? No, that didn’t sound right—- or did it??
Lumine’s grasp of reality was quickly escaping her, the final threads of her sanity close behind.
With fear consuming her mind and adrenaline pumping through her veins, Lumine lost all sense of spatial awareness. Her foot slipped over the side of the elevated platform, sending her tumbling to the ground with a startled yelp.
Closing her eyes, Lumine braced for impact with the rocks below. However, she never reached them. Instead, Lumine was greeted by the feeling of being caught.
A pair of gentle arms wrapped around her, causing Lumine’s eyes to snap open. The scene had changed again in the blink of an eye— from Liyue to Inazuma. This time, she found herself facing the Statue of the Omnipresent God.
Lumine felt a head hovering just beside her own.
“Help us…” A whisper rang through her ears.
Lumine quickly shot to her feet, throwing the arms off of her. She flipped around, ready to fight whoever had a hold of her. She was completely surprised to see a familiar face staring back at her with an empty gaze.
“Ah— Ayaka!” Lumine yelped. “What’s going on??”
Ayaka didn’t reply at first. The gap in conversation gave Lumine time to glance over her shoulder at the Statue behind her. Unlike Liyue, Inazuma was devoid of any feeling of peace. The only place that got close was Watatsumi Island, but the sense of peace that filled the island was ruined by the events of the delusion factory— at least, it was to Lumine.
Without any balance, the eerie feeling became a lot more prevalent. It created a nagging feeling for Lumine— like her brain was screaming that something was wrong, but she couldn’t figure out what it was.
“The people are suffering…” Lumine’s eyes snapped back to Ayaka.
Ayaka’s voice was faint, and nearly monotone. It didn’t fit the Ayaka Lumine remembered.
“Wha..?” Lumine tried to wrap her head around Ayaka’s words. Did she mean the vision hunt decree? “But I already fought against the decree-“
“Fighting…” Ayaka mused. “Yes, fighting is the only way.”
She began to walk backwards, away from Lumine.
Desperately confused, Lumine attempted to follow Ayaka, only to find her feet glued to the ground. Lumine reached out for her friend, hoping for some kind of assistance.
“My feet are stuck— Ayaka, hang on a second!”
But Ayaka continued to walk.
“We need your help. There is no other way.” She said. “People will suffer if you don’t help.”
Somehow, her words sounded familiar…. Not like they were spoken by her directly, but as if they were the gist of a message…
“I-…” Lumine felt a pang of guilt. “I know that–”
“Our dreams are on your shoulders.” Ayaka continued, finally stopping at the furthest edge of the platform. “You mustn’t fail us now.”
Lumine didn’t understand. Everything Ayaka said made sense, but it didn’t explain what was going on.
Lumine desperately searched Ayaka’s eyes for any semblance of emotion, or perhaps the answer she was looking for. But she was only met with the glow of lightning in return.
The rumble of thunder filled the air, followed by the scorching sound of lightning from the statue behind. Lumine instantly looked over her shoulders, taking in an involuntary gasp.
A large, purple eye symbol appeared, looking down on Lumine. Complete and utter terror grabbed hold of Lumine, rendering her unable to think and unable to move.
A large sword ripped through the sky, crashing down on the helpless traveler with the shadow of its owner behind it. Lumine instinctively blocked her head with her arms, her eyes snapping shut.
Lumine could hear the thunder intensify. Lightning followed the swing of the sword, marking impending doom for whoever found themselves on the other end of it.
Lumine waited in painstaking anticipation as the lightning traced her face. But suddenly, all noises were gone. The cut of the blade never came, only a deathly silence in its place.
Lumine opened her eyes to a squint, curious as to what was going on. But the instant she did, shattering noise erupted from the ground below her and Lumine began to fall.
The scene of the statue quickly faded into darkness as Lumine plummeted through the air. She reached up for the last shred of light, desperately wanting to grasp onto anything to stop her fall.
Suddenly, Lumine hit the ground and rolled. The sounds of hustle and bustle returned, but something was different this time.
Wincing as she sat up, Lumine scanned the area around her. She instantly recognized it as Sumeru city, fairly close to the Grand Bazar.
“What are you doing on the ground, silly?” A kind voice said.
Lumine glanced upwards to see a familiar figure hovering over top of her. She quickly pushed herself to her feet, gaining some assistance from the woman.
“Dunyarzad!”
Dunyarzad giggled a little.
“You sound surprised. We agreed to go to the Sabzeruz Festival together, didn’t we?”
“The Sabzeruz Festival…” Lumine repeated, a strong sense of panic kicking in. “Wait!”
Lumine grabbed Dunyarzad’s shoulders. “We can’t–”
Suddenly, Dunyarzad’s figure glitched out of existence, causing Lumine’s hands to drift into the gap where she once stood.
Lumine blinked a couple of times.
“What–”
“Oh, Traveler,” The same voice as before came from behind Lumine, causing her to flip around.
Dunyarzad was suddenly at the other end of the path, offering a tired wave.
“You’re early– I can’t believe you beat me here!”
Lumine’s mouth fell slightly agape as Dunyarzad approached.
“But you were just-” She tried to reason, reaching out for Dunyarzad.
Again, just as they touched, Dunyarzad disappeared.
“Hey, Traveler,” Her voice came from the left, but Dunyarzad was nowhere to be found.
“Good morning, Traveler,” Everytime it came from a different direction, sounding more and more monotone than before.
Lumine looked to and fro, trying to figure out where the voice was coming from.
“Dunyarzad?!”
“Traveler…”
“Dunyarzad!”
All outside noises filtered away as the world around Lumine began to freeze. All of the people and animals that were moving came to a halt, and the world around her began to discolor.
People glitched in and out of existence, buildings disappeared and were replaced in an instant.
“Can’t go back-” Lumine’s own voice echoed among the chaos. “Can’t go back!”
The ground below her feet began to glitch away, forming a hole into seemingly nothingness. Lumine didn’t know what to do at first, her mind muddled with confusion and panic.
Her hesitant proved to be her downfall, as by the time Lumine got her feet moving, she was too slow to outrun the growing gap.
Unlike before, this fall didn’t last nearly as long—- just as Sumeru city disappeared from sight, Lumine was thrown onto a root of Irminsul.
The giant tree towered over Lumine, just as she had remembered it. But it’s ethereal glow seemed to be dying out, and a decay was quickly spreading throughout the tree.
“Let the world forget me…” Murmurs of Greater Lord Rukadavata’s voice echoed through the air.
Lumine pushed herself to her feet. A sense of horror washed over her as she watched large branches from the tree fall off.
“We saved Irminsul!” She yelled back, trying to overpower the murmurs with what she knew to be true. “Everyone already forgot you!”
“You didn’t…” The voice became more demented than before. “While you still breathe, my memory lives on…”
The decay shot down into the roots as if it were a planned attack, eating away at the ground below Lumine’s feet. She quickly looked from left to right, spotting a root nearby.
Just as Lumine pushed off of the root, it snapped below her— stunting her jump. She didn’t get high enough to reach the nearby root, despite how she reached for it.
With nothing left to catch her fall, Lumine plummeted into the darkness below. She watched as the giant tree collapsed in on itself and disappeared from view.
Her hand extended to the fading world above her, Lumine screamed as darkness encased her descent.
This time, she felt, there was nowhere left to land.
And yet, she could feel a gentle pair of hands cup her face.
“Traveler,” A faint voice called her name. “Traveler–”
With every call, the voice got louder. It almost reminded her of a voice she had heard much earlier…
“Traveler!”
Lumine’s eyes snapped open.
“Finally.” The hands retracted from her face.
A figure was kneeling beside her, draped in blue. His face was all too familiar, which hit Lumine with a sudden realization.
She looked around frantically. The world around her was completely black, just as it was before. Somehow she was sitting on solid ground, but there were still no color nor features to the void around her.
“You know, I thought your mind might be a bit more extravagant than this,” Lumine’s eyes snapped back to Wanderer. He looked and sounded a bit annoyed. “Perhaps you’re duller than I thought. What a wasted trip.”
Lumine began crawling backwards, away from Wanderer. He raised an eyebrow at her, looking unimpressed.
“What are you–” He began before she cut him off.
“N-no more! I can’t—” Lumine’s heart was thrumming in her ears. She could already imagine what kind of horrors she might see relating to her run-ins with the Balladeer. “P-please just-”
Wanderer’s expression changed when she spoke. He was obviously surprised to see the almighty traveler in distress.
“Breathe,” Wanderer said, sliding back to her side.
Lumine tried to push herself away again, but he grabbed her shoulder. She instantly started to swat at Wanderer, desperate to get away from him. Lumine’s swatting only seemed to irritate Wanderer.
“Hey– hey!” He grabbed a hold of her wrists, forcing her to stop.
Lumine looked back at him with swimming, fearful eyes. Wanderer loosened his grip, but didn’t let her wrists go.
“Breathe.” He instructed gently.
Lumine did as she was instructed, but with much hesitation. Her panic was beginning to quell, but she still eyed Wanderer with distrust. To emphasize his point, he took a deep breath for Lumine to mirror. She attempted to do so, but Lumine’s inhale was very shaky.
“Slower, don’t stress your lungs.” Wanderer said upon hearing the nature of her first breath.
Rather than taking another breath, Lumine asked,
“W-why are you doing this..?” Her voice was quiet, nearly a whisper.
“Just keep breathing.” Wanderer countered, but it only seemed to make her more determined for an answer.
“What… do you want from me?”
Wanderer let out an annoyed sigh, releasing her wrists.
“What makes you think I want anything from you?” He asked, merely to regain her cooperation.
“You’re here, trying to help me…” Lumine recoiled her hands to her chest. “You must want something in return, right..?”
Had she been any other person, Wanderer would’ve easily denied that notion. Can’t good be done just for good’s sake? Lesser Lord Kusanali was always preaching about it.
Yet, the familiarity of which Lumine offered her reasoning made Wanderer realize just how true it was. In Lumine’s eyes, the word ‘help’ indicated some kind of trade—- nothing was ever given without needing something in return.
“I’m here because I was asked to be here,” Wanderer stated, simply. “and I’m helping you because otherwise you’d die of a heart attack. I have no other intentions.”
Lumine’s hands slowly sank down to her lap. She opened her mouth to give a response, but found herself at a loss. Slowly, she hung her head.
“...I’m sorry you had to come here…” She gripped the fabric of her dress, her hands beginning to shake. “My mind is a mess right now… this isn’t a pleasant place to be…”
Wanderer was a bit surprised at how Lumine managed to figure out what was going on with only as much as a quip to go off of. But surprise aside, she was right. The area they were in held a very heavy atmosphere– one that made it quite uncomfortable for both occupants.
“You should be dreaming right now— living through some whimsical creation based on your own desires…” Wanderer reached out, gently placing his hand on the top of Lumine’s head.
Lumine flinched, surprised by the sudden touch. She looked up, tears rolling down her face. Wanderer recoiled his hand, resting it back on his lap.
“Yet, we find ourselves here.” He continued. “You’re convinced this is what you deserve— an endless, empty void, or perpetual suffering.”
He was making reference to Lumine’s earlier experiences— nightmares, if she had to guess.
“Not even your unconscious mind will let you rest… It’s almost fascinating, isn’t it?” Wanderer looked past Lumine as he finished, causing her to look over as well.
A small figure stood many feet away, emanating a soft, green glow.
“Troubling, but fascinating indeed.” She agreed.
“Nahida..?” Lumine asked, surprised.
Nahida offered a gentle smile in return.
“Her stats have evened back out,” She glanced over at Wanderer for a moment. “I’ll release you back to the waking world in a moment. Thank you for calming her down.”
Wanderer gave a nod of understanding.
“As for you,” Nahida said, looking back at Lumine. “I think it’s time I explain what’s going on.”