Castle in the sky

by BreakItDwn

Summary:

The job was supposed to be a simple one but trapped inside a domain with Zhongli and Xiao, her body on fire with need and about ready to lose her mind, Lumine was starting to realize things had very quickly spiraled out of control.

or

Kinda a sex pollen fic if the sex pollen was an ancient parasite.

It had taken Lumine some time to get used to how sweltering the summer weather was in Liyue. Mondstat’s summers in comparison were very dry, somehow a faint breeze always present. She had been running on fumes the past two weeks, taking job after job and all she wanted to do was find a nice shady spot where she could lie down and forget about her problems for a few minutes. Though, rest in general was not kind and it was better to keep herself busy so she wouldn’t have to remember.

She had seen her brother for the first time since that Unknown God had sent her into a five hundred year slumber. She’d had dreams of finding Aether, of having to fight the god that trapt them in Teyvat only to have a teary, welcome reunion. Aether, ever the cry baby between the two of them, would probably cry and despite trying to hold back, she’d probably cry right along with him. After so long spent searching Teyvat endlessly for him, they would be whole once more.

It was such a wonderful fantasy and one that had thoroughly been shattered. She’d found her brother by a statue chained upside down and a corpse that had been left in dark ruins forgotten. There was nothing of the sensitive brother she knew, the expressive man who couldn’t hold a poker face to save his life.

This person had been as cold as a fresh blast of cryo, eyes so dead it was only the fact that he talked and breathed that reassured her he wasn’t some lifeless doll. He had looked the same as he ever did, just as she remembered him, and yet the man she’d met in those ruins was undoubtedly a stranger.

She had learned the unforgiving truth from the horses mouth, her brother who couldn’t hurt a fly was working with the Abyss. That he was the Abyssal prince himself.

But instead of reaching out to her as she did him, instead of embracing her like she had hoped he would, he had dismissed her with a few paltry words. He had looked her in the eye and chosen to abandon her and when he disappeared into that portal it felt like he was taking half of her heart with him.

So despite her reassuring words to Paimon she had decided to throw herself into commission after commission. Traveling Liyue beneath the unforgiving summer sun, pushing herself to the absolute limit because to stop and rest would be to remember.

Today’s job was a high paying one, retrieving an artifact from a newly discovered ruin. A group of archeologists had discovered the place, found the artifact, only to be chased away before they could grab it. Hence them commissioning her. Her track record was spotless and beyond her title of the Saviour of Liyue she was well known for all the adventuring work she did.

It was a standard job and the perfect way to avoid thinking on things she’d rather forget.

Today was unique compared to most days though, her capable travel guide wasn’t by her side for the first time in a while. She had been running the both of them ragged and Paimon had needed a break. She had originally want Lumine to also rest, reasonably worried at how much she’d been pushing herself, but when it became obvious that wasn’t going to happen she let Lumine coax her into taking the day off.

From what the fairy had told her she was planning to spend some time with Xiangling.

What she wasn’t expecting was finding Zhongli of all people on her way to the city gates. The tea house she passed was a small, austere building in one of Liyue Harbors busiest markets. It had an outside patio and that was where she found him, sipping tea and looking like he had no worries in the world.

He looked like he was taking some time to himself so she was just going to leave without saying anything but as if sensing her, his eyes found her automatically in the busy crowd. She could see the way his lips curled up at the ends in a barely there smile as he waved her over.

Well then, there went that idea. She couldn’t very well just pretend she hadn’t seen him now.

The teahouse was mostly empty and he directed her to sit across from him on one of the cushioned patio chairs. They were surprisingly comfortable.

“How fortuitous to see you here on a day like this, a truly pleasant surprise. It has been some time since we’ve last spent time in each other's company.”

That was very true. While they tended to meet up, both of them had been incredibly busy as of late and their schedules just never ended up aligning. It had been strange going so long without seeing him after spending so much of her time with my his side.

“It’s definitely been too long, things have been…. Incredibly busy for me.”

“That does not surprise me. As the Saviour of Liyue you are in high demand from many. Even news of you is a common topic among the Liyue’s citizen’s.”

She couldn’t help but grimace at that, she knew that she had turned into somewhat of a celebrity and she hated it, none of what she did was for recognition. “I don’t know why people would be so interested in what I do, a lot of my jobs are simple courier missions and that’s not exactly illustrious. Plus I’m no savior, I didn’t do much.”

“Oh? I must disagree with you.” He sipped at his tea, regarding her with the full weight of his attention. “Without you the Adepti and the Qixing likely would not have united in the manner they did. And while I had planned for that the ties you were able to forge between them is why Liyue is now as prosperous as it is now despite losing their archon. Not only that you singlehandely took it upon yourself to fight Osail and halt his advance. To many that is quite heroic, it makes sense why you are such a beloved figure.”

Ugh, she had been dealing with it for a while now in both Liyue and Mondstat but being looked to as some celebrity made her uncomfortable. Zhongli was completely entertained at her expense it seemed because he just gave that soft, rolling chuckle that always made her chest feel warm.

“You are a humble woman and while that is one of your many good qualities, you’ve also done much for Liyue. For me. It is only natural that everyone’s eyes are on you and that they admire all you’ve managed to accomplish.”

“That doesn’t mean I have to like it, having that much attention on me is uncomfortable.”

“It certainly can be, the responsibility and weight that come with that recognition is a heavy one indeed. I do have to ask though, where is your companion? It is rare to see you to apart.”

“Ah, we’ve been working a lot the past few weeks and she just needed a break. I managed to convince her to let me handle this on my own, though I did have to bribe her with some chicken mushroom skewers from one of her favorite food stalls.”

“I'm sure she was quite happy with that bribe.” When he leaned forward, elbows braces on the table it felt like her could see right through her, could tell just how destroyed she was on the inside and how she was chasing job after job to mask it. “If Paimon should need a break would that not also imply your need to rest too? I was not going to say anything buit I must tell you that you look…. very drained.”

“Wow, that’s a nice way to tell me I look terrible.”

“Terrible?” A look of honest confusion settled on his face. “You have never once looked terrible and even tired your beauty still shines through just as brightly.”

She felt how her face absolute caught fire at how he sounded. “Don't just say something like that! I swear, I have no idea how you manage to say something so corny with such a straight face.”

“Was that truly so ‘corny’ as you put it? I was merely stating what’s fact. It seems the sensibilities of the people of today have changed much from what was acceptable in the past.”

“Guh, you realize that’s even worse Zhongli?” Her face was probably bright red and while she was no blushing virgin, there was always something about Zhongli always did that did that to her. “How you can talk like that is a mystery to me but if you keep talking like that people are going to get the wrong idea.”

“Oh?” He arched one of those perfect damn eyebrows, it was unfair how attractive this man was. “I don’t care much about what others think Traveler, I had assumed you knew that well enough by now.”

This man would be the death of her.

Thankfully though he decided to have mercy on her and change the topic. “Well considering you are working what job have you taken today?”

She leaned back in her seat, it was much easier for her to talk about work. “I was commissioned to retrieve an artifact from a newly discovered temple. The temples defenses repelled them before they were able to grab it.”

“Defenses.”

“Yup. From what was reported they were attacked by shades, both human and monster. Thankfully there were no casualties but two of their group were seriously injured.”

“Shades.” He put his fist under his chin in thought, a far away look in his eyes. “It has been a long time since I have heard of shades that were corporeal enough to attack people. Unless their souls are twisted by magic shades remain just that, shades. Echoes of the past.”

“I’ve encountered some shades in my journeys too and that’s usually the case. They’re typically harmless.”

“To even be able to have the cognizance to actually attack people is also strange, they aren’t typically conscious enough to do so. Something must have latched onto their souls to bind them to the mortal realm, or the temple in this case. Such a peculiar situation.” He looked right back at her, seeming to have made up his mind about what he was about to say next. “Tell me Traveler, may I accompany you?”

Of all the things he could have said she hadn’t expected that. “I don’t mind you tagging along but don’t you have work to do? I don’t think Hu Tao would be too happy if you just upped and disappeared on her to come with me. Or worse, she’d be mad at me for kidnapping you and I don’t want to deal with an angry Hu Tao.”

“Thankfully that is not an issue. Apparently I have too many ‘sick days’ accrued and she all but forced me to take the next few days off. The concept is strange to me but despite everything she is my boss and what she says must be followed. So I am completely free to accompany you, especially since you don’t have your usual companion with you.”

“It definitely makes me feel better having you come along. Do you know anything about a temple that uses shades to defend it?”

“I have not heard of that method being used in a very long time. Millenia ago many demons and gods attempted to use that method to build themselves armies but the technique requires an incredible amount of magic to create. They could just be artificial constructs but if they’re not it would be in everyone’s best interests to deal with this promptly.”

He was entirely right and it had been something she’d been thinking about ever since she’d received the information on the commission. While her job was to retrieve that artifact if these shade were actually souls that had been twisted and bound to the temple then she needed to find a way to free them. The best scenario were that they were just soulless constructs but if they weren’t she had seen enough soul magic in her time to know how tortured those shades were likely to be.

Soul magic was probably her least favorite type of magic, just because both her and Aether had seen the many ways it could go wrong. She was grateful though that Zhongli had the time and willingness to accompany her. He was an incredibly powerful man and if something went wrong then there was no one else she’d rather have by her side.

Plus it would be nice to spend some time with him after so long. They’d often traded stories, him telling her of Liyue’s early days while she would regale him with tales of her and her brothers journey traveling the celestial path from world to world. He was always fascinated by all the different world’s she’d visited and it was only with him that she ever shared those stories.

She was undeniably fond of this man so to be able to spend time with him? Her heart was screaming at her to say yes.

“Well then, welcome to the party. We don’t have our usual tour guide so I guess I’ll do my best to show you around.”

“I am looking forward to it then. Let me pay my bill and we’ll get going.”

Even after spending so much time with him and watching him get used to learning how to manage his mora without spending all of it on things he didn’t need was still strange. He’d come a long way from that awkward god he’d been after handing over his gnosis, stumbling around like a geovishap through a china shop as he struggled to learn basic concepts that he’d never needed to know when he was the Geo Archon.

It made her feel strangely proud.

Bill paid they walked side by side from the tea house, through the bustling streets while she explained everything Kathyrne had told her about the temple which admittedly wasn’t much. She’d already covered the main portion of the information she’d been given at the tea house but Zhongli listened as attentive as ever regardless. Chiming in ever so often with questions of his own, not that she could answer most of them but she tried.

They were going into this with very little information which she wasn’t happy about but with Zhongli with her she was confident they could handle anything that might happen.

When she’d run out of information to share they just spent the rest of the walk in easy conversation. They hadn’t been able to actually see each other in a while and it was nice to have his steadfast presence by her side once more. Zhongli told her of just how much he’d been working and some of the mischief Hu Tao had gotten herself, and him by extension, into while she shared about all the differen’t jobs she’d been on.

She resolutely refused to think about Danslief and that damned ruin. About her other half that had rejected her, left her.

“I’ve known this from the first day we met but you really are a traveler in the truest sense of the word.” He’d told her after she’d recounted her most recent job that had taken her all the way to Fontaine.

She looked up at him in curiosity as they approached the cities main gate, nodding to the Milleth on guard she’d gotten acquainted with. “That’s a bit random to say.”

“Is it? I think it is quite an apt description. Like a crystalfly you fly around Teyvat, never staying in one place for longer than need be while you chase adventure after adventure. You are uncaged and free in a way I haven’t seen in a very long time. To have the freedom to journey the way you do… is fascinating to watch. It makes me wonder what it would be like to leave Liyue and travel the rest of Teyvat once more after so long, how much have things changed I wonder.”

“You can do that too you know, if you wanted to. You aren’t the Geo Archon anymore, you’re free to go wherever you want. Hell, you can come with me and Paimon. For all that Paimon can be a bit of a brat I promise that she’s a great tour guide.”

Again there was that barely there smile, a bit melancholic. “While you are correct that I am no longer this lands Archon I will forever be bound to Liyue, for as long as it stands so to will I remain here. I may no longer bear a gnosis but until this land erodes and turns to dust my place will always be here.”

“I won’t pretend I understand because I don’t but if at some point you ever do want to leave Liyue travel you can always come with Paimon and I.”

His hands laced themself behind his back as he looked to the blue skies, a deep sort of contemplation on his face. She wondered what exactly he was thinking about, what he saw when he looked to the sky and thought of the past.

“To be invited on your journey is truly an honor but just as much as you have your path I have mine. And that will forever be in Liyue.”

“My offer still remains. We’d be more than happy to have you with us.”

“Thank you Traveler.”

Compared to how far she’d needed to travel for some of her other jobs it only took them three hours to reach the temple Kathyrne had marked on the map. It was dilapidated, most of the stone completely weathered beneath the test of time. Broken statues and pillars were everywhere and she had to briefly wonder if it was safe to even go inside.

What struck her the most though was the sheer amount of foreboding energy that was rolling off it in waves. It was thick like syrup, latching onto her and making her feel like she’d been weighed down by the foulness of it. She hadn’t even gone inside but she already knew that this wasn’t going to be an easy or pleasan’t job.

How had a group of civilians gone in there and come out relatively unscathed? It didn’t make sense.

She moved towards the entryway but was stopped by Zhongli’s hand on her shoulder, she looked up at him in question.

“Ah, so he is indeed here already, how fortuitous…”

Before she could ask him what he meant her senses caught the way the air behind them displaced, the rush of energy and the presence of another person. She didn’t even think, just summoned her sword from her spatial inventory and cleaved an unforgiving path towards the intruders neck. To sneak up on them in that manner usually meant they were dealing with an enemy.

Her eyes widened and her sword paused, the gleaming edge of it barely kissing the skin of Xiao’s exposed neck. He hadn’t bothered to move or even defend himself, just stared at her dispassionately with those gleaming golden eyes of his, entirely unamused and completely unlike he had a sword to his neck.

She recoiled as if she been burned, sword already disappearing into motes of light as it returned to her inventory.

He gave a slight bow to Zhongli before nodding at her. “My lord, Traveler.”

“Shit, sorry about that Xiao. You scared me.”

“It is of no consequence , think nothing of it. What are you doing here?”

“I’m on a job right now and Zhongli’s tagging along. Got commissioned to retrieve a relic from the temple right here. What about you?”

His lips twisted at the idea of taking a relic from a temple, obviously finding it distasteful. “To steal from a temple of this sort? Mortals are truly more foolish than I thought. I sensed a sudden increase in the level of demonic energy in the area and was surveying the surroundings. It seems this temple is the source.”

“It is truly serendipitous that we’ve managed to run into you Xiao.” Zhongli told him. “Tell me, have you encountered any shades so far?”

“No, I have not. Shades?”

“Our commissioner reported being attacked by groups of shades when they tried to explore the temple. There were no casualties but two people were seriously hurt.”

Xiao managed to look even more displeased, brow furrowed and frown deepening. “It does not surprise me that this temple houses shades, the energy here is particularly dense. But if they are actual shades and not artificial constructs then this is an issue that must be addressed. To leave their spirits here to continue suffering is not an option.”

“Agreed.” She nodded. “That takes precedence over finding the artifact. If they are bound spirits then our priority will be freeing them from whatever is keeping them bound.”

“It is a bold claim to make to assume you have the power to free them from their binds.:

“Well, I’m just a bold person.” She smiled cheekily at him.

He didn’t bother responding and just huffed quietly.

Xiao was not a talkative man. He was curt and to the point and rarely wasted his words. When they had first met she had taken that as an indication that he was arrogant and snobbish, looking down on everyone he deemed a mortal. As they had gotten to know each other and develop a friendship she’d come to realize that was far from the case.

He was reserved and didn’t like to talk much but he was also one of the most steadfastly loyal people she’d ever met. Xiao cared deeply even if he didn’t say it and proved his intentions more through his actions than his words. He cared quietly with little gestures like leaving a salve on her bed when he’d known she was injured or inviting her to some of his easier jobs whenever he could tell she was feeling down.

No matter how brusque his words were she knew what was beneath them and she was incredibly fond of this surly man.

“So, we have the dream team then. You, me and Zhongli.”

Xiao looked alarmed at her words. “You? It’s too dangerous. There’s no telling what’s in that temple with how strong the demonic energy here is. Entering would be unwise.”

She arched a brow at him, entirely unamused. “So that means it would be perfectly safe for you to go in by yourself rather than all of us going in as a group?”

“I have more experience dealing with demonic energy. You don’t.”

“And Zhongli?”

“My lord should not have to lower himself to handle something like this when I am perfectly able to do so.”

“I see.” She deadpanned. “Well then I’m sorry to inform you that don’t get a choice in the matter. We’re going in that temple with or without you, I’m just extending you a courtesy as my friend to go with us.”

“You…are a foolish woman. There is no need for this.”

“And yet this is what’s happening.” She chirped, shooting him yet another cheeky grin. There was no way in hell she was going to let him go into hostile territory by himself when both she and Zhongli were right there. “We’re all going to explore the temple and free the spirits trapped here. As a group. Together. Isn’t that right Zhongli?”

Zhongli had just been watching the two of them go back and forth, a look on his face she could only describe as fond. “It does seem most logical.”

Ha! Lumine 1, Xiao 0. She got his boss's approval.

Xiao couldn’t argue with his lord and he turned to her looking entirely put upon. “Why must you be like this?”

She turned and walked toward the entrance, calling back at him over her shoulder. “If I wasn’t like this you would worry something was wrong. Plus, friends don’t let friends walk into evil temples by themselves.”

The temple itself was large but the doors were massive, slabs of stone as black as the night sky and decorated with intricate carvings of figures in the middle of what looked like a dance. They were shut firmly and when she tried to push them open they’d refused to budge. The report from the team of archeologists had reported that the front doors had been completely broken down when they’d discovered the temple, broken enough to leave the entrance completely open.

And yet the doors were right in front of her and completely fine. In fact, in comparison to the rest of the temple they looked new.

She shared that information with the two men behind her.

“The demonic energy here must have been dormant when they first discovered this place.” Xiao informed her. “It would make sense, it would have been incredibly weakened upon waking which would explain how a group of civilians managed to escape a place like this with their lives. The energy here has become active far quicker than is typical though for something like this.”

“Well regardless of the why’s unless we can find a way in we’re not going anywhere. I could try using elemental energy to break the door down but I don’t know how old this building is or how stable the surroundings would be if I used anemo to try and make us an opening. Worse case scenario I cause the temple to cave in on itself.”

“I do believe I can be of help here.” Zhongli pipped up. “I can break down the door without disturbing the surrounding stone.”

She felt dumb for not asking Zhongli outright. She could use geo energy but her control was incredibly lacking, especially in comparison to someone like Zhongli. To be able to finely tune his output to only break down the doors would be child’s’ play to someone like him.

Lumine just nodded and stepped aside, watching as he walked right up to the door. He raised his arm and put his gloved hand flat against the stone, entirely at ease. Power seeped out of him, heavy as it weighed down on her even from a distance. It was easy to forget how powerful the man was sometimes, to her he was Zhongli. Kind, stoic Zhongli who could be a bit of an airhead sometimes.

It was moments like this she was reminded of who he had been. The stone beneath his hands had begun to crack, small fissures that grew larger. Eventually what had been solid stone crumbled like tissue paper without disturbing any of the surrounding building.

“It’s always so fascinating whenever I watch you use geo.” She told him as they walked in.

“Funny. I feel the same way seeing you geo as well.”

The main room they walked into was massive, black marble floors and a large domed ceiling painted with even more figures of people dancing. The air here was thick with dust but there was no signs of any of the shades the previous group had reported. Beyond the oppressive energy that blanketed this place it was a standard temple.

She had been staring at one of the mosaics when the power in the temple shifted. The energy, so dark and negative, roared to life. It felt like a physical thing, the howl of the damned that echoed through the empty halls. It made her hair stand on end and she instinctively summoned her sword.

What she hadn’t expected was for the remnants of the door Zhongli had destroyed to rapidly reform, sealing them inside as the demonic energy continued to grow.

“Shit!” She cursed running to the doors. “Zhongli, can you break through the doors again?”

Instead of answering he stepped up the same way he’d done before and in the same manner, flooded the doors with his power. Only this time, instead of cracks appearing before it fell apart the door remained unaffected. A frown marred his face as he stared it down. “The power here has completely sealed us in. I would be able to break through it but doing so would hurt both you and Xiao in the process.”

She cursed in her mother tongue.

Xiao stepped up beside Zhongli to examine the door on his own. “This place… it’s no longer a temple. It’s turned into a domain. I can’t teleport out of here.”

Great, so not only could Zhongli not just break them out of there Xiao’s teleportation was also out.

“Did it not drag the previous group in because it was still waking up?” She asked Xiao. “Because even though they were attacked this place remained a temple, it didn’t turn into a domain.”

“That is likely. They must have awoken whatever is residing here. Whatever the case may be this place is drowning in demonic energy, the only chance we have to get out is to find the source and destroy it.”

“Well this is going fantastically.” She huffed. “Okay, then! So we need to try and explore further in. If we keep following where the energy is leading us eventually we’ll get to the source.”

“A good plan.” Zhongli commended.

So began their walk through the empty halls, following where the energy continued to grow stronger. It wasn’t long until they encountered the shades the archeology team had reported. There were six of them, three humans and three metachurls. Just as they’d feared it was obvious that they were spirits who’d been bound to the temple.

Just looking at them was terrible, bodies made like viscous tar as their agonized wails echoed against the stone walls. Their souls had been trapt there and twisted into something completely wrong, an abhorrence against the nature of the world.

They had been lumbering creatures, slow in their agony as they struggled to move. Between her and Xiao they had them dispatched quickly, not even needing Zhongli to get involved.

The deeper into the temple they went the more shades attacked them and even just being near them was nauseating, a sense of wrongness that made her want to recoil and get as far away as she could.

“Who would do something like this.” She muttered as her sword cleaved through yet another shade, slicing the apparition in two. “To mutilate so many peoples souls like this…. Is beyond evil.”

“In the past there were many who attempted to utilize this tactic to create the perfect army. Creatures that don’t need to sleep or eat, will follow any order and will reform some time after being struck down.” Xiao told her matter a factly. “However the ones who succeeded were few and far inbetween. The amount of power needed to create and maintain this is incredibly high. The only thing we can do for any of them is to find the source of whatever’s causing this and destroy it.”

She nodded grimly, there was no way in hell she was just going to leave these people to suffer. Who knew how long they’d been bound here.

The hallways stretched long like a never ending maze and with every room they entered the stronger the shades they had to fight became. They were no longer facing agonized creatures who barely knew how to use their own bodies, instead they were forced to defend themselves from skilled fighters that felt no pain or fear.

Eventually Zhongli had been forced to step in when they’d been rushed by a large group, using his shield to protect her when one of the shades had lunged at her to stab her in the side. She had been occupied fighting with the shade in front of her and if it wouldn’t have been for his quick reaction time she would have been nursing a stab wound.

If Xiao rained down on their enemies like a storm then Zhongli swept through them with all the absolution of a tidal wave, his polearm striking down shade after shade. Both of them were practically forces of nature.

Finally, the tide slowed and Lumine dispatched the final shade. She was breathing heavily, sweat on her skin as she tried to catch her breath.

It made her feel marginally better that Xiao was nearly as breathless as she was considering Zhongli looked entirely unbothered. “They are quickly becoming stronger the further in we go.”

After walking through another set of hallways, fighting more shades as they went, they finally came to where the noxious energy was strongest. They entered a room that while wasn’t small, also wasn’t the largest room they’d encountered. Mosaic’s decorated the walls and statues of warriors lined the room.

Just being inside felt wrong and everything within Lumine told her to turn around and run the other way. She may not have felt the energy as acutely as Xiao or Zhongli did but even she could tell just how vile it was.

What stood out the most through was the single altar built into the middle of the room. It was simple with carvings similar to all the ones she’d seen on their way here but placed atop it was single crystal flower.

It was beautiful, a rich shade of red that sparkled with power, and had been made so life like she felt like she could practically see the delicate petals sway in the wind. Even just looking at it from afar she could tell how much power it held.

It felt like that flower was the epicenter of everything, a black hole devouring everything around it. If she had to describe how it felt like she’d probably say that it felt oppressive, somewhat like death.

“That’s… the artifact they described.” She stated, walking forward cautiously, Xiao and Zhongli following behind her.

“This doesn’t seem to be the entirety of what were searching for.” Zhongli stated.

“What do you mean?” She asked, she felt like this was exactly what they were looking for.

“By itself this object wouldn’t be able to create a domain like this. From what I can sense it is only a portion of what’s created this place. Xiao?’

“I agree. I still don’t know what could have created something like this though. Do you have any idea my lord?”

Zhongli narrowed his eyes at the flower in thought. “I have some ideas but nothing concrete. Once I’m more sure I will let you both know.”

“Alright, well lets try to destroy this then.” She told them both, hands on her hips. “The less power whatever’s controlling all of this has the better our chances of fighting them.”

“Don’t touch it Traveler.” Xiao warned it. “It is dangerous.”

With that being said she had first tried a blast of anemo only to have the thing not even budge. She poured blast after blast into the thing, wind currents so strong it could easily rend stone, and it remained entirely unaffected.

Xiao tried next to the same effect and even Zhongli had stepped in to see if maybe he could destroy it. Nothing they did worked.

“The energy of the domain is maintaining it.” Zhongli settled on. “I could destroy it but doing so would be the same as me breaking through the domain and it is very possible that might kill or seriously injured you two.”

This was just getting better by the second.

The next thing they tried was examining the room to see if there was an exit but no matter how they searched none of them found anything. This place was a dead end and Lumine was starting to understand that maybe this place, the energy here, had led them here for a reason. When she’d voiced as much to the two of them, both of which had already long since figured that out.

Ultimately they were trapped and out of options. Or not technically.

This place had brought them here for a reason and she would wager it had something to do with that flower. Xiao had warned her against touching it but was that the only way to move forward? She knew the idea was beyond dangerous and foolish. For all she knew touching it could kill her but given what she’d seen of the temple so far she doubted that.

A swirl of energy rolled around her at those thoughts, like the pleased purr of a cat. It was tar and cloying as it wrapped around her and she got the impression that she had struck the nail on the head. It had led them here to touch the crystal flower.

“Traveler!” Xiao’s hands were on her shoulder in an instant. “Are you alright? The energy, it was surrounding you.”

He rarely ever touched her and his bare palms were warm against her exposed shoulders. “I’m fine. I was just trying to figure out what it wanted in allowing us here and I guess I got it right.”

His eyes shapened at her words. “What did it tell you?”

“It didn’t tell me anything. Just… I guessed that it had brought us here to touch that flower and I was right. That’s what it wants us to do.”

Xiao cursed. “To touch that means death. The amount of power in there would be dangerous for anyone to touch.”

“Not necessarily.”

His gaze was back on hers, a question and a demand all in one. Even Zhongli was looking at her.

“It… everything we’ve seen has shown me that it doesn’t want us dead.”

“That’s makes absolutely no sense .”

“This place has enough power to send shade after shade after us and yet it didn’t. We had to fight but it wasn’t anything we weren’t capable of handling. This place isn’t looking to kill anyone, if anything I think it’s using us for something else.”

Again the energy rolled in response to her word, a damning affirmation of everything she’d said.

“Then what, why was it sending them after us in the first place? Why not allow us to just enter?”

“A test.” Zhongli pipped up from behind them and just as it had done the energy rolled around at his correct answer. “It was testing us. To see if we would suit it’s needs and it seems it’s found us sufficient. What those needs might be I’m not sure.”

So if they want to have any chance of getting out of here than they’d need to play along and touch the flower the way it wanted. To do so was dangerous and she had no guarantee that it wouldn’t outright kill whoever touched it besides the confirmation she’d gotten from the ambient energy. Demonic energy that was inherently evil.

But not doing it would mean being stuck here. Thoughts of her brother, of his words and of her journey flashed through her head and even though she knew it was stupid, she’d already made her decision.

“I’ll do it. I can touch the flower.”

“Absolutely not.” Both of them turned to her, biting out the words with surprising intensity.

“That is perhaps the most foolish idea I’ve heard from you yet.” Xiao told her. “To play into this places hand should be our absolute last option.”

“And it is our last option. We are stuck here with no way out. We can’t destroy it and Zhongli can’t break through the domain without risking killing us. Like it or not I think we’re already on our absolute last option.”

It spoke volumes that he didn’t outright argue with her, just looked like he’d sucked on a lemon. They all knew she was right, the energy here had trapt and maneuvered them to whatever it intended for them. And though she might not know what would happen she also knew that being stuck here wasn’t an option.

For any of them.

“Then I’ll do it.” Xiao gritted out. “There’s no reason for you to put yourself so needlessly in harms way.”

“One of us would be a better choice.” Zhongli spoke, drawing their attention. “You may not be mortal but you are not an adeptus. We would have a much better chance of withstanding whatever energy this artifact contains.”

“That might be true but if we’re going to face whatever comes after we’re going to need the both of you over me. Xiao, you’re able to teleport and our best chance at getting us out of here. Zhongli, you’re able to shield both of us and out of the three of us you’re the strongest with the most knowledge about possible ways to find an exit of some sort.”

“You’re not expendable!” Xiao snapped.

She smiled softly at him because despite the situation they were in, he genuinely cared about her and it warmed her heart. “Do you trust me?”

Zhongli’s expression shuttered, he looked just as uncomfortable with the idea as Xiao was. “This isn’t a matter of trust Traveler, to sacrifice yourself in this way isn’t necessary.”

“We both know that’s not true.”

They needed to find the actual source of all of this and if listening to the temple would give them that chance she was willing to take that gamble. Like Zhongli had said, she wasn’t mortal. And though she may not be an adeptus she was a being made of stars. She could endure whatever the temple wanted from the far better than any human of this world was capable of.

She didn’t bother waiting for their reply. Lumine always had a bad habit of acting before she could think it through and she carried that on now as she stepped forward to grab the crystal flower. In her palms she was struck by the heat of it. It was warm, beating like a heart and in her touch she could feel how the energy had begun to wrap around her, triumphant.

It began to glow blindingly bright in her grip but she couldn’t drop it, couldn’t move as that disgusting energy began to seep into every cell in her body. There was a strong sense of wrongness and then a sense of warmth and comfort that washed away that initial discomfort.

For the first time since she’d found her brother, that warmth allowed her to fully breathe.

It coiled within her and settled deep in her gut.

The light got brighter and brighter until she was forced to close her eyes if she didn’t want to go blind. When the light faded and she managed to blink out the stars in her vision she opened her eyes to find they were no longer in the room with the altar.

It reminded her so much of Cloud Retainers adeptal domain. They were on one of many floating platforms in the sky, a massive sakura tree towering above them while its roots winded along the circumference of the platform. Beneath them was a waterfall with crystal blue water in a land with all sorts of colorful flowers growing. There was the touch of a gentle breeze and it was so far removed from the vile energy suffocating the temple it was jarring.

Before she could think much on the change, hands were on her face, forcing her to look at Xiao who looked angrier than she’d ever seen him. “You absolute fool! What in the name of the Archons were you thinking?!”

“It… it was the best choice. And I’m okay.” And she was okay, that warmth wasn’t hurting her. If anything it made her comfortable enough to want to curl up and take a nap. “See? I was right, we were able to move forward.”

He looked like he was actually about to snap but Zhongli spoke up from the side. She would have tried to look but Xiao’s hands were still on her face and keeping her gaze forward. “Xiao is right, that was absolutely foolish.”

She couldn’t see him but she’d never heard him sound so thoroughly displeased, not quite angry but on the verge.

“I’m sorry.” She bit out, she wasn’t actually but figured it might help her case if she apologized. “But is there a way out, or did anything change?”

Xiao looked like he wanted to say something before he swallowed it back, studying her as he searched for something, his hands still on her face. The feel of his skin against hers was incredibly good and made her want to slump into him, to wrap herself around as much of him as possible.

That warmth was rolling inside her and she sighed pleasantly, leaning further into his hold.

“I can’t sense any sort of opening.” She heard Zhongli mutter. “If this continues I might need to resort to forcefully breaking us out but that has a possibility of killing one if not both of you.”

She’d always thought so, but his voice was really nice. He could talk to her for hours about nothing and she’d still be happy about it.

“Tch!” The fingers on her face tightened. “My lord!”

“What is it?” Zhongli was by their side in an instant and she was finally able to see him.

“This space. It’s connected itself to her like a parasite. I can’t remove it, can you?”

Zhongli took Xiao’s place, hands on her face and she felt sad that she couldn’t actually feel his skin through his gloves. She heard him curse and it was jarring, she’d never heard him curse. “I can’t, not without destroying her in the process. It’s latched onto her to drain something but I’m not sure specifically what. Lumine do you feel alright?”

She blinked at her name. She’d never heard him use her name, he had only ever called her Traveler. It was nice hearing her name on his lips she wanted to hear more of it.

She had wanted to tell him yes, because she actually felt quite good but she was struck with some clarity and she realized how abnormal she actually felt. How sluggish and pleasant she felt when there was no reason for her to feel that way.

“I feel… warm.”

“Warm?”

“Really warm. My brain kinda…feels like mush.”

There was worry present in how he looked at her and she felt a rush of his power mix within her. She had vaguely felt it when both him and Xiao had checked her but this was entirely more invasive than either examination had been. It felt like he was shifting through her very soul and she whine at how uncomfortable it was.

“This… is not good.” Zhongli said

Panic begun to swirl alongside the warmth at his words. “What’s happening to me?”

His hand left her face and she tried not to chase them to force them back to where she wanted. “I believe I’ve figured out what we’re dealing with. It’s a type of parasite that I had believed died out long before the archon war began. It hides itself in objects or in this cases domains to find a host to latch on to. They drain specific types of energies or feelings, specifically what it takes from you varies between parasite. Some may drain anger or even fear. This one has had many years to build up its power, enough to create a domain to hide itself and shades to defend it. Right now it is attached to you.”

Yup, the panic was warring with the pleasantness of the warmth. “What does that mean for me?”

“It means we need to get you out of here as soon as possible. It will be easier to deal with outside of its domain. Xiao?”

“I’m not able to find any ways out my lord and there’s a barrier on the platform that’s keeping us within. I have not sensed any weak points yet.”

“Keep looking and Traveler why don’t you sit down. You don’t look well.”

She had the vague thought she wanted to hear him say her name again but she listened to him without complaint. She was terrified and sitting down sounded like a great idea. As soon as she managed to though that warmth started to spread. It was a slow crawl through her veins that made her breath hitch. It felt so good.

That pleasantness though was short lived as heat started to pool between her legs. She was absolutely mortified at how she clenched down on nothing, the ache of being empty beginning to set in. Like kindling being thrown into the flames, that ache quickly started to burn through her.

It had felt good before but now it was just becoming painful.

Xiao and Zhongli were talking but all she could focus on was how close Zhongli was as he knelt next to her, how that ache just got worse. Trying to relieve some of the pressure she rubbed her thighs together but it only made her want even more.

“Traveler?” She heard Zhongli say, his hand going to her shoulder. It was such a minimal touch and entirely platonic but ever since she’d sat down it felt like her body was actually burning. She was so horny she could cry and to her shame a breathy little moan escaped her at the contact, unconsciously leaning further into it.

He pulled away as if he’d been burned, concern even more present. She had never been more embarrassed in her life than she’d been in that moment.

“Sorry.” She panted out. “My body just feels weird.”

“Weird?”

She refused to actually have this conversation with him but she knew she needed to tell him something. “Hot. Really, really hot.”

She knew he’d be able to read between the lines or maybe he’d just be able to tell with how she was a shaky, red faced mess. Moaning at the most simple contact. Regardless she saw the way understanding dawned on him and she was so grateful there wasn’t any sort of judgment there. She might have actually died if there had been

“Just try to breathe through it, we’re still looking for a way out. You will be okay.”

She just nodded and tried to focus on breathing through whatever this parasite was doing to her. She was okay at first but the longer she tried to fight it the worse it became, now outright pain as her body screamed for her to just reach between her thighs to make herself feel better. She felt being empty like a physical thing and she knew that she needed to get something inside her or she was going to actually lose her mind.

She was aware that Zhongli and Xiao were watching over her and with how close Zhongli was it made the temptation harder to fight. She was outright panting at this point, pained whimpers leaving her. All she could think was how large his hands were and how it would feel if he fingered her.

If her took her would he be a dominant lover or a passive one?

What about Xiao? Would he be as possessive as she imagined him? Overwhelming her and using her for his own pleasure.

She could feel how soaked she was at the idea.

The pain continued to get worse and those pained whimpers were becoming outright whines. Lumine had a high pain tolerance, she’d broken most of the bones in her body and had been stabbed many times over but this was quickly becoming one of the most excruciating things she’d ever experienced. Nothing was making it any better and all she wanted to do is stuff herself full of her own fingers.

Zhongli leaned in even further, his hand against her forehead in concern. He had taken off his glove and she could see how his skin was black like obsidian, golden sigils and lines traveling up into his sleeve. What would his naked body look like, she wondered but she couldn’t stop the moan that left her at his touch if she tried. Having his actual skin against her made her want even stronger.

“You’re burning up,”

“Hurts.” She whine and leaned into his touch, hands wrapping around his wrist to move his hand against her cheek. She nuzzled into the palm of his hand, happy he’d taken off his glove. “So bad. Touch helps.”

There was a look that crossed his face she never seen before as he stared at her rubbing her cheek into his hand, tears in her eyes and face flushed with pain. It was gone before she could put a name to it though.

“Xiao?”

“I’m…here, traveler.”

Lumine’s eyes turned to where she’d heard his voice and she was happy to see that he wasn’t standing too far away. There was an intensity in his eyes golden eyes she’d never seen on him before either. He looked guarded, jaw clenched and hands white knuckled over his polearm.

She was happy he was so close but the fact they weren’t touching her like she needed hurt. The whimper she made was absolutely pathetic and if she were more aware she would have been completely ashamed of herself for making it.

They shared a look above her, a whole conversation passing between them before Zhongli turned back to her. “Traveler…Lumine. If you need to… relieve yourself you can. I can tell how much pain you’re in.”

Shame boiled further inside her and if she wasn’t so embarrassed she would find it funny how right when she thought things couldn’t get worse life just laughed in her face. There was a part of her that could still think rationally that refused to even consider that option. She refused to masturbate in front of her friends.

But at the moment she was ruled by that part of her that was in so much pain and hornier than she’d ever been. It latched onto the idea and she had to bite her lip to keep herself from moaning like a whore in heat. There was the solution to all the pain she was in, he’d given her permission after all. So it should be okay.

She nuzzled further into his hand, inhaling the woodsy scent with an undercurrent of something that reminded her of fresh earth. Her hand moved with a mind of its own as it reached beneath her skirt, slipping into her bloomers and automatically slipping two fingers inside of herself. She was so soaked she could hear the squelch of her fingers pushing in.

She wasn’t gentle as she started to move, setting a hard and desperate pace. Her body was on fire and she was finally able to give it what needed. She had to shift her leg enough so she could hit that perfect spot inside her.

She panted like a bitch in heat into Zhongli’s hand, so turned on and so embarrassed at the same time. His thumb, that had been rubbing her cheek, shifted to run against the flesh of her lip. She didn’t even think as she drew it into her mouth, tongue wrapping around it as she sucked.

She looked into Zhongli’s eyes and found something she’d never thought she’d see. Desire. He was watching her finger herself, sucking on his thumb, like he wanted to devour her. She’d never thought she’d ever see him look at her like that but all she knew in this moment that she wanted to see even more.

She was already so on edge that it didn’t take long for her to reach that cliff. Her orgasm built quickly and the need burned through her just as hard. She was going to cum on her fingers in front of Zhongli and Xiao, and though she couldn’t see Xiao she knew he was there.

“Zhongli m’close.” She moaned mindlessly around his thumb, keeping his gaze and savouring the heat there, “So close.”

Her hand was beginning to cramp up but she didn’t care. She needed to finish and that overpowered any other discomfort she might have felt. Her muscles began to tense and her moans were just getting louder and louder. The shame fed into it and made her finger herself even harder.

“Go ahead, Lumine. Just do what you need.”

She had never minded being called Traveler because that was what she was. She and her brother had been travelers for a very long time, the title was hers just as much as her own name. But hearing it from Zhongli, voice hoarse with want, was enough to give her that final push.

When she came it completely overtook her, her body locking up while she squirted around her fingers. She choked out his name through it, broken and so painfully desperate. The rush rose until finally she’d begun to come down. She went completely boneless, absolutely drained as she leaned into Zhongli.

To her frustration cumming hadn’t done anything to abate the burning ache inside her. If anything it made it worse, like the flood gates had been open and she was swept away in the rush. Its was so painful that tears had actually begun to leak from her eyes.

She pushed herself further into Zhongli, long past shame in the need to make the pain go away. She started pumping her fingers again, the need so strong she couldn’t stop herself if she tried.

“Still hurts.” She whined. “Need more.”

At this point she was plastered to his side, face pressed into his chest while she continued to finger herself.

His hand swept back her bangs from her sweaty forehead and she could tell he wanted to. He was staring down at her in the way a predator would look at its prey.

“Lumine….”

“Please.” She begged, “Need you so bad.”

He swallowed and despite his obvious desire she could see that he was conflicted so she decided to just take the initiative. Pulling her fingers from her cunt, the ache of being empty a necessary evil, she slipped one leg over him and settled into his lap.

She didn’t know why he wouldn’t take her when she was so willing, when she could feel how hard he was for her. Hands on his shoulders she rolled her hips against him and the drag against her clothed clit had her throwing her head back with a cry. She humped herself against him with as much fervor as she’d fingered herself, chasing another orgasm.

“Please, please please.” She babbled. “Need you so bad Zhongli.”

She felt more than the heard the guttural growl he let out before his hand grabbed at her hips, forcing her to grind herself down against him.

“You. Are too tempting.” He kissed down her throat, sucking marks as he went. “The most tempting thing I’ve ever seen.”

She brought her mouth to his as they kissed. Just like the way he’d looked at her he absolutely devoured her, controlled her mouth and tongue. It was like a rush of electro was coursing through her.

When he pulled back though to lift her off his waist she let out another pathetic whine, more tears leaking from her eyes at being robbed of the please she needed.

The kisses he pressed to her cheek was so sweet but so far from what she needed. “It’s okay dear, you’ll get what you need. I just want to taste you.”

He knelt between her open legs, kissing her ankle and up her leg. She could feel his lips through her stockings and had never resented them more. He crooked his fingers into her bloomers, pulling them off and kissing the rest of the way up her inner thigh. Sucking a mark so painfully close to where she needed him.

He pulled back once more and she wondered if this man was just doing his level best to drive her crazy.

“Can I take off your dress love?”

She didn’t even respond, keeping his gaze she reached behind her to loosen the bodice of her dress with a practiced hand. She was so happy to lift the damn thing and throw it to the side leaving her completely bare for Zhongli who was staring at her like she was Celestia herself.

His hands immediately began to explore, running up the planes of her stomach to palm at her breasts. She felt so good being able to feel his touch and when he rolled her nipple between her fingers she cried out his name.

“By the gods you cry so beautifully.” He sucked once more at her throat, kissing down her body as he sucked in a nipple. He didn’t stay there though, just continued his path down to her core until his mouth was right where she needed him. “I wonder what other noises I can get you to make.”

Then his mouth was on her clit and she screamed. It was so perfect, the drag of his tongue against her and when get slipped down to lick at her entrance, lapping up her slick, her toes curled and the only thing she could say was his name.

He licked right back up to her clit and pushed two fingers into her. Earlier she had wondered how it would have felt to have his fingers inside her and now she knew, it was everything she’d wanted and then some. His fingers were both larger and longer so he was better able to hit that sensitive spot inside her than she had been. He knew exactly how to use his hands.

Zhongli ate her out like a man starving as he started a steady pace. She wanted him to be rougher, to push her further, but right now she was just basking in the sensation of his mouth against her cunt, fingers curling inside her.

There was one thing on her mind though.

Xiao.

She found him standing as far away as he possibly could, head turned to the side and jaw clenched.

“Xiao.” She panted out.

His face snapped to hers and she was happy to find that his eyes were filled with just as much desire as she’d seen in Zhongli. He was stoic and trying not to indulge himself but she could see that he was just as hungry for her. He watched her fall apart with his lords face in her cunt.

“Need you.”

And wasn’t that the absolute truth. For all the relief Zhongli was giving her she was still burning. He was here and he wasn’t using her, taking her. She needed to rectify that immediately.

“Traveler…I can’t….”

Zhongli took that moment to suck viscously at her clit while he thrust hard into her and she screamed.

She could see the resolve in Xiao crumbling.

“Please. I need you too. I want you.”

He looked at the two of them, a million thoughts going through his head before he resigned himself to whatever he was thinking about. With a weary sigh he stepped forward, closer and closer until he was kneeling in front of her. He pressed his mouth to hers and the kiss was just as hungry as the way he’d been looking at her earlier. There were so many unspoken feelings in that kiss and with Zhongli between her thighs she was finally beginning to quench that ache inside her.

Xiao’s hand explored her body, feeling every inch he could reach. When they grabbed at her breasts she grabbed his hand. As nice as this was there was something she wanted. “Want you in my mouth.”

He inhaled sharply at. “To say such a thing with how your face looks right now… you are just as much of a temptation as my lord said.”

He stood, his crotch right in front of her face. He loosened his belt but before he could do much else she palmed him through his pants, savouring the feel of his hardness and how he hissed out her name. She wanted to take her time, to savour him in the way she’d dreamed of doing, but she needed him.

She pulled him out of his pants and she could honestly say she loved how he felt in her palm. She drew her face close, kissing at his leaking head as his precum smeared against her lips. She wrapped them around his head, bobbing her head to take him in shallowly before working to take him deeper, hands pumping the area her mouth hadn't reached. Very quickly she managed to work him all the way down her throat, her nose pressed flushed against his pubic hair.

If she had been more aware the discomfort of taking him all the way that quickly would have been painful but as she was all it did was feed into the heat.

He groaned her name, twitching inside her mouth as he tried to keep his hips still. Breathing was hard and tears were continuing to leak from her eyes but she forced herself to meet his eyes. He was beautiful flushed above her and she kept eye contact as she began to bob her head.

It was difficult as Xiao was sizeable but very quickly she found a rhythm that worked. His hands twined in her hair and he’d begun to buck his hips into her mouth.

“You’re so good Lumine.” He gasped above her. “So perfect.”

She clenched around Zhongli’s fingers, moaning around Xiao. He bucked into her hard, grip pulling her face flush against him. She gagged hard and felt the way he pulled back, clenching so tight around Zhongli’s fingers she was surprised he could move them. He popped out of her mouth and she coughed, trying to get in some much needed air.

“Shit, I’m sorry Lumine. I got over eager.”

“It was good, I want it.” She told him raspily. “Want more. Harder.”

Zhongli pulled away from her cunt. “I believe she likes being treated roughly, she clenched hard around me when you fucked her mouth like that.”

This time when Xiao fed his cock into her mouth there was no gentleness, he gripped her by the hair and fucked her mouth. The pace was punishing and she could barely breathe, could barely see as he used her. It was exactly what she needed.

She started to feel the tell tale sign of that cord inside her begging to tighten. While Xiao fucked her mouth Zhongli started to thrust into her even more roughly, adding another finger to stretch her out further. He was putting so much force behind his thrusts that all she could do was cry, moaning around Xiao.

Her head was swimming and when Zhongli gave her clit another suck she knew she wasn’t going to last much longer. She was spasming around him and he took that as the sign to fuck his hand into her strongly enough that it jostled her entire body.

Her screams were muffled by Xiao’s cock as he thrust into her face like an animal in heat, only chasing his own high and using her face to do it.

She was so close and finally she was right back at the edge. Having her mouth fucked while being eaten out was exactly what she needed and as Zhongli crooked his fingers even further she was thrown off that precipice.

Zhongli fucked her through it, not minding the way she gushed around his face. The pleasure dragged on and on and she wondered how long an orgasm could last. Xiao hadn’t looked away from her once and now that she’d cum he’d taken that as a sign to fuck her mouth harder.

Zhongli milked her for all she was worth, leaving her twitching as she came down. He pulled away from her twitching cunt and she was finally able to focus entirely on Xiao. She made sure her tongue dragged on the underside of him, hollowing out her cheeks and sucking.

When his hip’s had begun to falter she knew he was close and it surprised her just how much she wanted his cum.

In only took a few more sharp thrusts before he yanked her face flush against him, forcing himself deeper than he’d been and cumming with a broken, drawn out groan of her name. It was such a beautiful sound and she made sure she swallowed everything he gave her and when pulled out it was to the sight of her open mouth to show him she’d swallowed everything.

“By the Archons Lumine,” He hissed as he knelt down to her level, kissing her so thoroughly that she forgot about everything but him. “I have never seen a more perfect sight than you around me, taking everything I give you.”

“‘M Good?”

There was a flash of an expression that passed to quickly for her to name but it was Zhongli who answered. He grabbed her face to kiss her as well, tongue wrapped around hers as he kissed her just as stupid as Xiao did.

“You were very good my dear, a very good girl.”

She preened at his words nuzzling into him.

The scene would have been sweet had she not still had that burn consuming her. Her orgasm hadn’t done much to ease the pain and she was thankful that these two were here. There wasn’t anyone she would have wanted in this situation.

“Still hurts. Need more. Please?”

“Are you sure about this Lumine?” Zhongli made sure she was looking at him, could understand what he was saying. “Heat of the moment or no, there’s no going back after this and though I don’t mind getting you to cum with my mouth to help but I’m not one to sleep around if I fully take you. Doing this would make you mine, ours. Are you fine with that?”

She had a brief moment of clarity at his words and she considered his question but she already knew what her answer would be. “That’s okay. I want it, you. Both of you. To be yours. Wanted both of you for a while.”

Zhongli was all fondness when he kissed her, so gentle and loving. As soon as he pulled away another hand grabbed her face and Xiao dragged her into another kiss just as caring. It felt final, like she’d signed herself away and they had sealed the contract but she could care less.

She would give these two men everything if only they would keep touching her.

—---------------------------------------------------------------

At some point she had lost the ability to speak, so lost in her own pleasure that words were impossible. She was sat with her bare back pressed to Zhongli’s chest, him just a naked as she was. If he had been beautiful clothed the him without all his expensive clothing was breathtaking. He was lean but had well defined muscles, body lined with sigils and lines that glowed an unearthly gold. His arms held her against him, those hands playing with her breasts, touching whatever he could while Xiao was knelt between her open thighs.

Xiao was just as naked and she was grateful to be able to see him without his clothes, just like with Zhongli she had often wondered how he’d look on her lonelier nights when she chased her feelings away with her hand between her legs. He was more wiry than Zhongli but no less muscled, streamlined in a way that spoke of the speed he was able to move.

His fingers were five deep inside her, pushed to the knuckles as he worked her open. They had been prepping her for so long that she had no clue how much time had passed. The only thing she knew was their touch, Xiao fucking her with his fingers and how she was pushed from one orgasm to the next.

He had started with two fingers and when he’d deemed her ready enough he added a third. She’d already cum multiple times by that point but he just continued to prep her and she lost herself in the sensation. It wasn’t the type of full she wanted but it was good enough to pacify the pain.

When he added a fourth finger she had actually started crying as she came. He forced her through another orgasm before he’d added a fitfh and by that point she was absolutely incoherent. Tears running down her cheeks and snot on her face as she sobbed openly..

He was fisting her open at this point and she was so stretched around him. His hand hit every spot inside her she’d never even known she’d had and when she came it was with a ragged scream, body twitching too drained to move, as she gushed around his hand.

She couldn’t even squirt anymore and she was rewarded by Zhongli bringing his mouth to hers, kissing her as Xiao continued to push her pleasure even further.

She had never cum so much in her life, never thought it was possible. But as Xiao pushed her to yet another peak, flinging her over it as she cried out she had to wonder how many orgasm’s it was possible to have before she broke,

She was in pain and yet the agony she was feeling fed into the pleasure creating a cocktail of sensation that felt better than anything she’d ever experienced. Lumine knew they needed to prep her but even wrung out as she was, she was still impatient. She needed both of them inside her, to just take from her and fuck her through the pain untill it felt good again. She wanted to be absolutely wrecked, completely destroyed so that she would never be satisfied by anyone but them ever again.

Xiao had been sucking marks into her thigh, teeth worrying at the skin, and when he looked up at her the sight he made between her thighs was one that would forever be seared into her brain. If he had looked hungry before than he was absolutely ravenous now, a quiet intensity that threatened to take her over completely. “You’re doing so good Lumine, such a good girl for us.”

They had figured out that she enjoyed the praise, how they would tell her she was a good girl, and they absolutely abused the hell out of it. Again she sobbed into Zhongli’s mouth as she clenched down hard around him.

“The best.” Zhongli agreed as he pulled back, kissing and biting down her neck to mark her just as much as Xiao had been. She couldn’t see his expression but his voice was rougher than she ever remembered hearing it. “Did you know how many times I’ve seen you in that dress of yours and wanted to just bend you over and take you? I regret not taking you sooner. But now we’ll both fuck you and make sure to keep you full. Would you like that treasure?”

She really wanted to say but all she was able to verbalize was a choked out moan,

“You can’t even talk right now, can you?” Zhongli noted and she got her first look at him since he’d sat behind her. Just like Xiao he was looking down at her like she was a meal made just for him, starving for her and so painfully intense she couldn’t breathe for a second. “That’s okay though, you don’t need to talk. All you need to do is relax and let us take care of you.”

The burn of her pleasure was building once more and it felt so good it hurt. Every orgasm that swept over her took a piece of her every time, breaking down everything that was Lumine and turning her into something she didn’t recognize. It would have scared her but with Xiao’s fingers stuffed inside her and Zhongli pinching and twisting her nipples, his cock pressed against her back, all she felt was desire.

She wanted them to break her.

He fisted her roughly, putting actual force in his arm and it sent her into yet another round of tears as she writhed in Zhongli’s hold. His arms were a unyielding brace around her as he held her in place, her legs shaking as she was pushed to yet another orgasm.

“Tell me Lumine, are you going to cum? I can feel you clenching hard around me.” Xiao stared at her with half lidded eyes as he pressed a kiss to her knee. “You’re beautiful when you cum, nothing in Teyvat could compare. Will you cum on my hand again? I want to see your face again when you break.”

His words only spurred her on as she rose higher and higher. She was right at that edge, all she needed was something to just push her a little further. To give her that release she so needed.

“Be a good girl for us and cum.” Xiao said.

That was all she needed and came hard. Her throat was hoarse and yet she still managed a shrill cry as she came, clenching down hard on him to draw him in further. He just continued to fist her through it and she cried out something vaguely resembling his name. It felt like he was purposely trying to draw it out but finally she started to come down.

When he pulled out of her she whined at the loss. She was still hurting but having him inside her helped.

Xiao kissed her cheek sweetly. “Don’t worry, you won’t be empty for long.

“Indeed.” Zhongle agreed, kissing her other cheek. “You’ve been so good for us I think it’s about time you deserve a reward.”

With that he lifted her onto his lap and did what she had needed him to do for so long. With his free hand he grabbed his cock and fed it into her gaping hole. No matter how long she lived there would never be a better feeling than Zhongli slowly fucking into her. They had prepared her well enough that there wasn’t much of a stretch.

His heated grunt was music to her ears and he dived right back onto her neck, sucking the marks he’d already made. “You feel so good dear.”

They were kind enough to give her a second to get used to the feeling before Xiao moved forward, pressing her between them. When his cock hit her entrance it caught for a second, the muscle tight, before he began to push.

If she’d though that she was stretched out on his hand the feeling of him fucking his way into her felt like it was going to split her in half. It caught for a second before there was a give and slower than Zhongli, he began to thrust inside.

He bottomed out and she went from being so empty to being stuffed full of the both of them. She honestly had no clue what type of noises she was making but she was sure they were loud, unhinged and desperate.

They both groaned and the sound was absolutely filthy. Neither of them moved though and Xiao leaned forward to press his face into her neck, the side opposite of Zhongli. Her limbs weren't responding the way she wanted them to but she was still able to bring a hand to his hair, running her fingers through it.

For a minute the three of them just breathed, their ragged breaths mixing with one another in the silence.

It was peaceful, to be this connected with them but then the burning took over once more and she knew that she needed them to start moving. Since there weren’t she took the initiative and rolled her hips against them. All three of them moaned at that.

Blessedly they took the hint and finally starting fucking her. Having both of them inside her, the burn of the stretch and the way they hit every spot inside her she needed Lumine felt something in her crack, break beneath the force of the pleasure they were giving her. She was so perfectly full and when one of them would pull out the other would push in.

She was babbling something as they grabbed her hips to force her down on their cocks but she couldn’t tell what she was saying. If she had thought that how many times she’d already cum would have ruined the pleasure for her then she was absolutely wrong. It felt better than anything.

Maybe she would have been in too much pain to enjoy this is she was her regular self but the flames burning beneath her skin overrode all of that. Pain or discomfort didn’t matter. They were using her and it was everything she’d wanted and more.

“Gods,” Zhongli hissed into her ear, voice as wrecked as she felt. “You are so perfect Lumine.”

Xiao captured her mouth with his own as he thrust into her, pace picking up as he fucked her with more force. When he pulled back Zhongli did the same, kissing her even more stupid than she already was as he worked her up and down their cocks even faster.

“Ours,” Xioa growled out as he sucked at her neck viscously, marking up the side opposite of Zhongli.”All ours.”

“Ours.” Zhongli agreed. “Our good girl, isn’t that right?”

Their words rushed through her and this time when she started sobbing again she clenched down hard enough to cause the both of them to groan. She was theirs, completely and utterly theirs. Everything she was belonged to them and she wished she could actually talk and tell them that but all she could do was let them take whatever they wanted and be pliant enough for them to use.

She was stretched enough that they could both pick up the pace and they took full advantage of it as they both started to pound into her. Her body was jostled with every thrust and she’d been forced to hold onto Xiao for dear life.

The slapping of skin and their moans were the only thing audible in the space they were in and it as she bounced on their cocks. Her thighs clenched as their hands wondered. She was stuck in a sea of touch; them inside her, their hands all over her and their mouths sucking and kissing wherever they could.

She was being swept away in the intensity of it all and she didn’t mind in the least. Wanted them to completely take over everything inside her, to engrave themselves so deeply into her she would never be without them.

The pleasure they gave her was more intense than anything they had given her before. They both fucked into her like animals in rut and all she could think of was how happy she was to be theirs. She had wanted both of them for so long amd now she finally had them..

They were hers.

She felt that end approaching quickly. They were both violently fucking into her at this point, her nerves sensitive and overworked as they wrung out more pleasure that she’d thought herself capable of. Before she knew it, she was once more teetering on that edge, about to cum and and so close she could taste it.

Her nails dug into their skin as her back arched and she came with a scream. She’d thought she couldn’t squirt anymore but she gushed around their cocks. It felt like every one of her nerves was firing on overdrive, like she was melting.

It was the best orgasm she could ever remember having.

They kept fucking her as they chased their own release. It dragged out the orgasm and she genuinely didn’t know if it was healthy for one person to feel this much all at once. She was beyond oversensitive but the burn inside her purred in pleasure at being used.

She was slumped against Xiao and before she knew it, his grip on her waist turned even more bruising as he snapped his hips up a final time. Hie teeth bit into her shoulder as he came, she could feel the warmth spreading inside her and it had begun to settle what had been hurting her this whole time.

To her joy, Zhongli followed not long after, cumming inside her as he bit her other shoulder. She bore both their marks, carried both of their seed. It she could purr then at this point she would.

They were all completely spent as she slumped against Xiao, all of them trying to catch their breaths as they were sweaty and exhausted.

Finally, the pain was reduced to something more manageable.It wasn’t completely gone but the worst of it had been soothed when they’d cum inside her. Despite some discomfort she was still more sated then she’d ever been in her life and now that she could actually think outside the pain all she knew was that she was tired.

She just needed a minute to close her eyes.

“Lumine?” Zhongli asked, a soft kiss pressed to the back of her neck. “Are you alright dear?”

All Lumine was capable of was making a small noise of assent, yawning into where her face was pressed into Xiao’s shoulder while his fingers carded through her hair.

“Try to get some rest for now, Lumine. Don’t worry and just relax, we’ll take care of everything. ” Zhongli’s voice wrapped around her and between the two of them, she finally felt like she was okay. After weeks of running from the memory of her brother she finally found safety, a place where the memories couldn’t get her.

“Kay.” She managed to mutter after some concentration.

And wasn’t it funny that she wasn’t worrying at all? She trusted these two men more than anyone she’d met in Teyvat besides Paimon. She would be safe if she was in their arms so what reason would she have to worry.

Pressing a lazy kiss to Xiao’s neck she allowed herself to close her eyes. She just needed a second and she trusted the both of them to take care of her. She’d deal with everything in a minute.

—---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

When Zhongli had asked Lumine if he could follow her on her commission it was more on a whim than anything else. Of course he was concerned about a temple that had enough energy to create tangible shades but he knew she was skilled enough to handle it on her own. What had pushed his decision had ultimately been Lumine herself.

Zhongli was a man who enjoyed being alone and thrived best when he was by himself, that had always been the case. Yet after he gave up his titles, his gnosis and his claim to godhood he’d found that solitude wasn’t as comfortable as it had once been. He had wanted to live as the mortals Guizhong so loved, to allow himself to give up the weight being Archon carried, but despite living just as any normal human man would, he was still so irrevocably different that he felt lost.

Mortals thought and behaved differently from gods and though he found it fascinating, no matter how much he tried to study them and learn he was never quite able to understand them the way he wanted. He wasn’t able to emulate them how he yearned to. He was a god walking around playing a common man and a contradiction in and of himself. Not quite god and not quite mortal, he had lost his place in this world.

Very few people truly knew him, not as Rex Lapis or the human Zhongli but Morax, the person behind the titles. All the people he considered friends had long since departed from this world and the few adepti in Liyue were his subjects, to them he would always be their venerable lord. For the first time in his very long life he felt lost, like he didn’t know what his place was in this world and like he was just stumbling through it all.

He didn’t regret his decision to form a contract to hand over his gnosis, because despite the loneliness he still had never felt as free as he had than being Zhongli. He was freed from the chains of responsibility and he was able to pass on the duty to protect Liyue to the new generation. He was able to finally breathe,

He no longer had the weight of the world on his shoulders but he was also alone, unsure of his place in this new world.

Then the Traveler, Lumine, came. When they’d first met she’d been nothing more than a convenient piece on the chess board, a wild card to play in plans that had been set into motion hundreds of years earlier. She had performed beyond his wildest expectations and when she’d learned of his identity, his plans and watched him willingly hand off his gnosis to the Fatui she so hated he thought that would be the end of their interactions. She would resent him with good reason.

To his surprise that wasn’t the case. While she had been guarded at first they constantly ended up running into each other. They tended to frequent the same areas and before he knew it they’d begun to form a tentative friendship. Lumine knew who he was, his shortcomings and what he’d planned but still reached out her hand regardless.

She knew he was both Rex Lapis and Zhongli. She didn’t look at him with reverence and didn’t treat him like her lord. To her, he was just another man.

So was it any surprise when he started to realize that she chased the loneliness away? She was his first friend in a long time and he cherished her presence in his life.

Their friendship continued to develop over time until they ventured into Havria’s tomb. He had originally wanted her to come along not because he enjoyed her company but because as a traveler she would continue to travel worlds long after Teyvat had turned to dust. If this worlds history remained with her then it would never truly die.

And yet as they had stood on that cliff all he could focus on was how gold her hair and eyes were, how rosy and kissable her lips were. She was beautiful and he lost himself in it. He realized very quickly that those feelings of platonic friendship had changed into something more.

Zhongli was content with the friendship they had, the easy companionship they shared, and yet somewhere along the line he had begun to want more. She was a stunning woman, so bright and confident that he was drawn to her like a moth to flame. She was a loyal woman who followed her convictions, who always picked herself back up when she was knocked down to strike back twice as hard. She carried a kindness he rarely saw and he knew that she cared deeply.

She also wore a dress that pushed up her cleavage, that was so sinfully short he could see her bloomers whenever she bent over. She dressed in white, the color of purity and when he’d see her looking up at him, eyes so full of genuine care, all he wanted to do was bring her down to his level. To ruin and taint her, so her body would never forget he was the only one who could give her the pleasure she wanted.

A god he may be but at the end of the day he was still a man and Lumine was an absolute temptation.

At the end of the day though Lumine was a Traveler whose destiny was to journey across Teyvat. She was meant to go from world to world and would return to doing so when she reunited with her brother, all while he was forever bound to Liyue. This land was his lifeblood, something he’d built from the ground up and defended for thousands of years. Despite no longer being the Archon there was no way he could just leave.

Their versions of freedom were two different things and he knew that trying to court her how he wanted would do nothing but cause both of them pain.

Then they’d found the temple, had met with Xiao, and admittedly he’d been surprised. The amount of demonic energy the temple hid was only possible through thousands of years of steadily accumulating power.

While he could’ve broken out of the domain easily, breaking it would have caused a huge backlash of energy and even with his shields, that much demonic energy would seriously injure or kill Xiao and Lumine. They were stuck and despite how familiar the type of energy was, he couldn’t place what exactly they were dealing with.

Then Lumine, bright and beautiful Lumine, did perhaps the most foolish thing she could have done. She listened to the mass of demonic energy and touched what was likely a focus for it to hide behind.

His heart had stopped and he was struck with more fear than he could remember having, a potent feeling that bled into every cell of his body. It was unfortunately her foolishness that had allowed him to figure out what they were dealing with; arcane demonic parasites.

They were masses of demonic energy, sentient tumors, that latched onto their victims to induce whatever they required to feed themselves. The most common ones had been parasites that fed on anger and fear. They would manipulate their victims into feeling whatever they wanted until they were completely drained.

Death would always come soon after. It was a slow, agonizing death.

The last he’d seen one of these beings was well before the Archon war when he was still a young adeptus flying through the skies and none of them had been as powerful as the one before them. It had accumulated enough energy to create a domain to hide itself and bound an army of souls to guard it. It was strong and he was very limited in what he could do without hurting Xiao and Lumine but the idea of Lumine as a husk of herself like he’d seen from the other unfortunate victims, mind lost as the parasite drained her and she withered away, haunted him.

But it wasn’t anger or fear it fed from, and he’d been prepared to deal with either of them. She had been red faced and teary eyed with need, moaning so beautifully from a simple touch. It was easy to tell what it fed on after that.

Lust. It was forcing her to feel lust.

Originally he wasn’t going to do anything because she wasn’t quite in her right mind but when she started fingering herself, his thumb in her mouth pressing down on the rosy lips while her tongued laved against it, something inside him snapped. Lumine had been a sight, glassy eyed as her hand worked under her skirt. Then she’d moaned his name as she came and he knew without a doubt that it was the most beautiful sound he’d ever heard and that he was completely lost.

It was every one of his fantasies come to life and she was in pain, she needed him. He was just helping her.

Which led to where they were now, all of them a jumbled mess of sweat and limbs. Both of their cocks were still filling her but she was completely knocked out, slumped against Xiao. They had pushed her a lot and even with how resilient she was it had still been a lot on her body.

Despite the peace, how he wished he could just continue to bask in the afterglow and of finally having her in his arms after pining for so long, he could still sense the parasite within her. Now that it had been fed it was starting to burrow even further inside her and he knew that they needed to figure a way out quickly before it twined itself so deep removing it would cause permanent damage.

Or before it continued to force her into that burning lust until there was nothing of her left and her mind was destroyed under the weight of it.

Xiao was red faced, still breathing hard. His fingers were carding through her hair and Zhongli could see how fond he was of the woman in his arms as he treated her with a gentleness he’d never known the Yaksha to have. He had known Xiao cared for Lumine considering he allowed her to interfere in his own life but he hadn’t known until now that those feelings were the same as his.

Maybe he should have been jealous, territorial, But there wasn’t any of that, after all she had agreed to be theirs, both of theirs.

“My lord…” Xiao spoke, his voice hoarse. “The parasite is still attached to her.”

If only he could stay inside her forever but unfortunately they needed to deal with this. Unhappily he pulled his softening cock out of her, Xiao hissing at the sensation, He quickly threw on his clothes, not minding how disheveled he probably looked.

The sight of her sat on Xiao’s cock made him twitch, he wanted to go again. She had cried so beautifully for them and he wanted to learn all of the different sounds she could make. See how many noises they could draw out of her just for them.

“It is still there, yes. But we’ve managed to buy ourselves some time to find a way out.”

Xiao pulled himself out as well and Zhongli was greeted with the sight of their cum spilling out of her swollen, abused cunt. By the gods did he just want to fuck it back into her and given how Xiao was looking at her he was thinking the same thing. Unfortunately they both knew this needed to be dealt with first so Xiao had begun to dress both her and himself while Zhongli paced the length of the platform.

While he would have liked to have been the one taking care of her he knew that Xiao would do a fine job, he could trust her with him.

Closing his eyes, Zhongli reached out his senses, his own power seeping into the air. It was much the same as it had been before and for a moment he feared that he would actually have to resort to forcefully breaking them out of there but he managed to sense something that hadn’t been there before.

The energy within the domain wasn’t unlimited and required the parasite to routinely fill itself before going into hibernation, in feeding though it seemed to have spread itself thin. All of its focus and energy was on digesting what it had gotten from Lumine and as a result what had been a solid wall keeping them trapt was now thinned, weak points they could exploit.

If he used his power to drill a hole through one of those weak points, Xiao would be able to teleport them out of there. It would be easy to do but most importantly it would be safe, it wouldn’t put Xiao or Lumine at any risk and once they were out he could completely destroy the domain. It would allow him to kill the parasite at the source where it was housed, after all what was in Lumine was just an offshoot of it.

Killing it would also kill whatever was in Lumine, plus it would also free all the souls that were trapt here. They needed to hurry though because it would only be distracted for so long.

“Xiao.” At this moment he wasn’t Zhongli, he was Rex Lapis, a being of absolute power whose words were absolute. “It’s putting all of its focus on draining Lumine, there’s a weak spot thats formed where I should be able to break us out safely. Regardless, anything might happen. Protect Lumine.”

“Yes my lord.”

He knew for a fact that Xiao would protect her with his life so he turned away and allowed himself to fully focus. While he no longer had the limitless power of his gnosis he was still just as dangerous. There were other ways to supplement his power and that was taking the natural geo energy from the environment. While it wasn’t as efficient as his gnosis it was sufficient for his needs.

Geo energy was everywhere, anywhere the earth reached so to did that energy. It was a bit weaker here but would still work. Gathering what he could he reached out a hand and sent out a blast of energy so powerful to world shook, nearly blowing Xiao away as the domain quaked. It struck the sky and like it had hit a wall exploded.

The resulting explosion was massive and he’d had to use his shield to protect Xiao and Lumine from the shockwave and heat. As the smoke cleared they could see a massive crack in the sky, swirling black energy behind it. They could hear the sound of it shattering, cracks spreading like spider webs.

Finally it shattered fully, shards of the sky raining down on them. Where there had been an idyllic sky just moments before there was now a large uneven hole filled with demonic energy, The space had yet to react to his actions and he knew that they didn’t have much time before it retaliated.

“Xiao.”

Now that a space had been created Xiao didn’t need any prompting. Carrying Lumine with one arm he placed the other on Zhongli’s shoulder and just as the demonic energy had begun to roar in anger they disappeared in a burst of anemo energy. In a blink they were outside the entrance of the temple.

The hum of the earth was much louder than it had been in that domain and he knew that they weren’t quite done yet, that energy shifting to life as it realized it was about to be used.

“The connection is much weaker, but it’s still connected to her.” Xiao told him and Zhongli could sense the worry he was trying to hid.

“That is to be expected.”

“My lord?”

“I’m going to destroy the domain, it’s the only way to completely destroy the parasite before it can affect Lumine any further. And doing so will also free the souls it’s kept trapt here. I don’t know how strong the recoil will be so continue to protect Lumine.”

Xiao sucked in a sharp breath because he understood how much energy that would require. “But my lord, you no longer have your gnosis.”

“I was just as deadly before I ever received my gnosis.” His smile was sly and secretive. “And I have my ways.”

Xiao nodded and stepped back, Lumine tucked safely in his arms, still completely knocked out.

It was time to finish this.

Just as he had done in the domain he reached out into the world around him, calling the ambient geo energy that existed everywhere. It resisted at first, stone resistant to being shaped, but with skill he’d honed over thousands of years Zhongli made it to move. The gathered energy rolled into him and the more power he continued to call on the more he knew he was shining gold.

That power was unrefined and difficult to control but he was able to force the energy out of him, wrapping around the domain, golden bands of light shining around the temple. The demonic energy fought back against his hold but the more it lashed out the stronger the geo energy became, the immovable earth that trapt the parasite like it had tried to trap them.

His power became a cage that formed around it and it roared in opposition to what he was doing. He was thankful Lumine was passed out because she likely would have been in an incredible amount of pain with how he could feel it's energy inside her thrash. His cage completely surrounded it, golden lights completely entrapping it.

With a single gesture of his hand that cage collapsed in on itself, completely crushing and obliterating the temple and everything in it. The rush of power was massive and an earthquake shook to life beneath their feet as the earth shifted.

Not quite done, golden energy gathered around the rubble swirling and swirling as it condensed. Getting smaller and smaller. Once more he threw up his shield for the three of them as that energy spun and expanded in a violent explosion.

The resulting heat and shockwave completely obliterated the surrounding area and even through his shield, Zhongli could feel the explosion rattle his bones. In the end, as the smoke cleared all that was left of a parasite that had likely survived thousands of years was a smoking crater.

Zhongli released the energy he gathered and grimaced at how he had to forcefully direct it out of him and back into the ambient energy where it belonged. While using the surrounding energy like this could allow him strength it was also difficult to use and quite unwilling to listen to what he wanted it to do.

It was somewhat painful to purge it from his system too but it was doable.

He turned back to Xiao who was staring at the crater with something live reverence in his eyes. The adepti of Liyue all knew that he’d given up his gnosis and that he was weaker than he’d been before but none of them knew he had ways to work around that deficit.

He’d been strong before he’d ever received his gnosis and this was one of the many things he’d learned how to do to protect his territory.

Xiao blinked though before turning to Lumine, staring down at her intently before letting out a small sigh of relief. “The parasite is gone, my lord. She’s fine.”

“Good. Now we need to return to Liyue. She was … pushed harder than she needed to be and she’s going to need time to rest and heal. Can you transport us to my house?”

“Of course.”

When he walked up to Zhongli he handed Lumine over to him, so carefully as if she was made of glass and beyond precious to him. Xiao put his hands on Zhongli’s shoulder once more and just as it had been before the world swirled with a rush of anemo energy.

One second they were staring at the smoking crater where the temple had stood and the next they were out front of his house.

Xiao backed away immediately and though Zhongli had expected it he’d hoped that maybe he would’ve been wrong. “I must go. Please tell Lumine I hope she has a speedy recover and… that I’m sorry.”

“Oh? You’re going to leave?”

Xiao’s expression didn’t change much but Zhongli could tell the bitterness there. “It… it is not safe. For her to be around me with my Karmic debt, especially when she needs to heal. It would be best for her if I stay away.”

Zhongli had known Xiao for thousands of years and he’d served him loyally the entire time. He’d known Xiao long enough to know that wasn’t the entire reason he was primed to run. If he had to guess Zhongli would say he was likely embarrassed and ashamed with himself for acting out on such base, mortal desires.

He could have just let him go, after all it would allow him to monopolize Lumine all to himself. But they had agreed she was both of their and he wasn’t one to go back on his word, even ones spoken in the heat of the moment.

Plus, they would all need to sit down and have a conversation about everything that happened and how they were going to move forward from here once she woke up and felt up to it.

“If that is what you wish then I won’t stop you, however I will say that she will likely be incredibly confused and hurt about everything that happened when she wakes up. After all, Lumine was forced into feeling the way she felt and she will need reassurance afterwards that everything's okay. Having you there would help.”

He could see the way Xiao faltered and knew he just needed a small push. After all he didn’t want to actually leave, Zhongli knew. He wanted to stay just as much as Zhongli.

“I will not force you to stay but not having you there might be worse than having you there. She will need the both of us.”

And that was the final nail in the coffin, Xiao deflated and looked resigned even if he still thought leaving was the better idea. “As you say my lord. I will stay then. For now.”

Zhongli was happy that he’d decided to stay because what he said was true. Lumine had essentially had her body hijacked and forced to have sex, she would likely be incredibly conflicted when she woke up and having them both there to reassure her would be important.

He shifted Lumines weight to rest completely in one arm while he used the other to open the door. The familiar scent of his den washed over him and eased his nerves, this was a safe place to keep Lumine.

His first priority, their first priority, would be to take care of her. She would need a bath and some food when she woke. Her head was tucked into the crook of his neck and he could feel her breath against his skin. She was in his arms, in his den, where she would be safest.

His draconic instincts purred at that.

When he walked in Xiao followed behind him, closing the door.

She was theirs and nothing would change that.

Notes:

Well then... I had the idea for this fic and like the person with poor impulse control I am, actually wrote it. At this point someone's gonna throw me in horny jail.

I have an idea for an Ei/Lumine/Zhongli fic I wanted to write and a dead dove Lumine/Zhongli. I'm not sure what I wanna work on next tho but I honestly feel like I've just made a permanent place for myself in the sin bin.

Series this work belongs to:

• Part 2 of Lumine getting railed