#what i think will be the reunion of aether and lumine

[emanation-aura]

So we've got Meetings in the Outrealm: Series V (for those of you who've forgotten, it's the "beat a boss in co-op" set of the achievements) now, and I think it's a good time to look back on the five Outrealm achievement namecards we've got and their connections to lore.

(Long post warning. Go grab a snack and some water, like I forgot to do when writing this post)

Achievement: Reunion - We shall meet again someday.

Released in Version 1.0. Pointedly, predates Chapter I Act IV: We Will Be Reunited (Version 1.4), but carries the exact same theming— the Traveler twins will meet again.

So we'll meet again. Though we need not rush, (brother/sister). I have more than enough time to wait for you.

It's my belief that, from this point forward, all the "Meetings of the Outrealm" achievements foreshadow, or at least echo, the themes of the Traveler Archon Quests, as well as other relevant Traveler lore we learn.

2. Achievement: Gate - What encounters lie on the other side of this door?

Admittedly, this one immediately breaks my presumption because it bears very little resemblance to anything I can remember of Chapter II Act IV: Requiem of Echoing Depths. The door depicted in the namecard (released Version 2.0) is obviously the loading screen door, which is located in the same sky-heaven area (suspected to be Celestia but we're not sure) in which the twins encountered the Sustainer of Heavenly Principles by trying to leave Teyvat.

There is one crucial difference between the two depictions, which is the four-pointed star/primogem present on top of the door in the namecard. It's not present on the loading screen (I know the screenshot above is night-time which makes it hard to see, but I'm pretty sure the symbol is different). The symbol is obviously so well-known and thematic everywhere in Genshin that I'm not surprised it's here; notably instances of its use, apart from in primogems and Khaenri'ahn eyes/neck, includes: the "eye" in the Traveler's original wings, the logo of WWBR (representing each twin) and on the front of Lumine's dress/back of Aether's cape.

The fact that the same symbol now hangs over the door that brings us into the world of Teyvat raises several questions and possible ideas that aren't within the scope of what I want to say. In this context where the Outrealm achievements are very clearly Traveler lore-themed, I'll just suggest that the door to Teyvat with the four-pointed star represents that the purpose of our journey, at least in Teyvat initially, is to search for our sibling (this becomes less relevant later on, but is still generally true).

Also, Rudolf Koch's Book of Signs suggests that the four-pointed star "is a phenomenon carrying a grave and solemn warning", so there's also a more sinister outlook to the door in the namecard.

I think the link with Requiem of Echoing Depths might be loosely based on "encounters on the other side of the door" theme. Dainsleif emerges from a portal (a more metaphysical 'door') at the beginning of the quest, just as our twin disappeared into one at the end of WWBR. The door is a symbol and gateway of both the unattainability of our twin, and the regular encounters we have on our journey in Teyvat.

And, if you want to stretch it a bit further into the future, the door to Khaenri'ah in Hangeh Afrasiyab, released in Version 3.6, carries on this theme of doorways and encounters— you cannot enter it at the moment of writing, but the existence of such a door is a reminder of Khaenri'ah. What sort of encounters did your sibling have behind this door, in the kingdom underneath the ground? You don't know, and that's part of the mystery that separates the two of you, and why in Requiem, you two share such differing beliefs on why or why not the purification device should be activated.

---

3. Achievement: Fated Encounter - One day, our encounter at this moment shall shine like a star of reminiscence in our hearts.

4. Achievement: Orbits - "O Almighty Sovereign, the Universitas Magistrorum has provided the predictions you requested: The two stars have been captured by the world's gravity… After a lengthy orbital period, today their paths shall intertwine once more."

I'm putting these two together (released in Version 3.0 and 4.0 respectively) because I think the corresponding Traveler acts, Caribert (Version 3.5) and Bedtime Story (Version 4.7), correlate inversely with the release dates of these namecards.

For example, Orbits and 3.X lore:

In Version 3.3's Archon Quest Interlude Inversion of Genesis, we indirectly hear the words of Pierro (a Khaenri'ahn) on the topic of our sibling, retold to us through Scaramouche.

The reason why there are records about your (‍sister/brother‍) in Irminsul… It might have something to do with Khaenri'ah. Apparently, Khaenri'ah was (‍her/his‍) first destination when (‍she/he‍) arrived in this world. Plus, (‍she/he‍) only came to this world because the heavens responded to the summoning.

Later on in Caribert, Chlothar Alberich, Khaenri'ahn and founder of the Abyss Order, tells us:

We once believed that you [the Traveler's sibling] would bring new strength and hope to Khaenri'ah. To us, you were the Abyss... A wondrous mystery far beyond our imagination and comprehension...

Setting aside debates on what the Abyss actually is, all of the above dovetails with Achievement: Orbits, which clearly depicts two primo-stars representing the twins in 'orbit', and the Khaenri'ahn organisation Universitas Magistrorum talking about them, suggesting they are somehow scrying the fates of the two who have been 'captured by the world's gravity'. Given that it is all but directly stated that Khaenri'ah summoned the twins (or, perhaps, just the sibling depending on how you look at it), the namecard is basically the Khaenri'ahn perspective of everything we learn in Version 3.X.

Perinheri (a book released in 4.5) also tells us that Khaenri'ah awaited the arrival of beings who could transcend the gods, and this dovetails nicely with Orbits and Chlothar's statement to support the hypothesis that the twins were summoned, or at least, scried on and waited for. The implication that the 'Almighty Sovereign' (explicitly, a royal, likely the king, in CN) requested this scrying almost confirms it.

While the text obviously means that this hypothetical comment must have been made when Khaenri'ah still, well, existed, it also thematically resonates with all quests where the Traveler does reunite with their sibling in some form, most prominently in WWBR, but also Requiem of Echoing Depths (via mirage), Caribert (via memory and shattered mirror), and Bedtime Story (via Caribert's realm, and subsequently forgotten).

---

Meanwhile, Achievement: Fated Encounter ironically suits the themes of Version 4.X Traveler lore better.

Let's get the big one out of the way first. Chapter IV Act VI: Bedtime Story is a cruel, cruel subversion of the namecard's theme— because no. Your reunion will not shine like a star of reminiscence in your heart. You will not remember it at all. Narratively, I find it neat that 13 versions after Rukkhadevata's wiping from Irminsul, the audience is now thrust into the same position as the Traveler: as the only one who 'remembers'. As the witness to something wiped from history. (Can you tell this makes me emotional?) As an audience member, this moment is for you, you will remember it, and nobody else. Even the phrasing of "one day..." suggests that only at some nebulous point in the future will this reunion become remembered.

Hell, the namecard is two hands hovering over a four-pointed star. Given the symbolism of the primo-star as representative of both "your twin" and "warnings of an encounter" (roughly), it is basically a perfect set-up for Bedtime Story; not withstanding that the symbolism also suits the events of Caribert, where we're jumpscared with our twin in a shattered mirror, suiting the portend of an omen (the first and last quests in Caribert are named Destined Encounter and Portended Fate, neatly tying this together as well).

Of course, Fated Encounter's text harkens back to WWBR itself, as both the 'fated encounter' and becoming the moment upon which we reminisce.

The reason I think it fits better with 4.X Traveler content is because of where else we get moments of reminiscence of the Traveler and their twin: notably, in Wriothesley's SQ, Reborn in the Land of Grievances, and Xianyun's SQ, A Thousand Moonlit Miles.

For context, recall that Wriothesley's SQ is about a 'fear gem', which the villain is using to control a society of people to do his bidding by injecting them with liquid fear. Traveler and Wriothesley pick up the gem containing this liquid at the beginning of this quest, and touching it causes unpleasant flashbacks of, essentially, moments that create fear. For the Traveler, these four images are shown when they touch the gem:

Top left is vs Sustainer from the opening of the game when their twin is taken away. Top right is from Caribert, where Traveler realises they have been experiencing a memory from the perspective of their twin. Bottom two are images from the Defiled Statue room in WWBR, including the dead Grand Thief.

It is almost self-explanatory why these are a record of moments when Traveler felt 'fear'. I think this works particularly well as a thematic reflection of Achievement: Fated Encounter because this is a negative-context reminiscence of said 'fated encounters'. Here, Traveler is recalling these moments with a very strong negative association due to fear.

Compare and contrast with Grus Serena Act I's ending cutscene, where due to Xianyun's 'positive dream' Suspensus Somnium Mechanism, we get this lovely scene with the Traveler dreaming of reuniting with their twin:

Now, this is explicitly a dream, which isn't real and hasn't happened. I would argue, however, that regardless of whether this is real, this is the second important Traveler scene in Version 4.X before the release of Bedtime Story, serving to both set the emotional stakes, and as the positive counterpoint to the theme of reminiscence touched on in Wriothesley's Story Quest.

Thematically, this is the other side of the 'star of reminiscence' in Achievement: Fated Encounters. While the scene in Xianyun's SQ is a bittersweet dream, ending up with the Traveler waking up in tears and thus is not a straightforward positive happiness, this melancholic nostalgia for a more innocent existence in Grus Serena Act I still contrasts with the sharp burst of fear we're served with the images of our past experiences Cerberus Act I. They are two sides of the same coin and a reflection of the conflicting myriad of feelings the Traveler has about their twin— longing, heartbreak, fear, confusion— exploring what the memory of their twin means to them. Shine like a star of reminiscence in our hearts much?

Also, you encounter the gem of negative reminiscence at the beginning of Wriothesley's SQ, and the dream of positive reminiscence at the end of Xianyun's SQ. You could possibly stretch this to reflect the journey as a whole— which begins with fear, loss, and confusion, and ends with bittersweet happiness. Wait, shit, does that mean one of the twins is going to die—

Essentially, it's all about memory. Which also echoes Bedtime Story and how Caribert attempts to connect with others, however briefly, through his incomplete Loom of Fate, trying to 'live' like a real person even though he cannot exist as anything but a memory in people's minds— I would make a slight tie with Nara Varuna (the twin, as referred to by the Aranara), but I'm running out of short-term memory storage to load Aranyaka lore, so I'll try again later.

(Cheekily, the four-pointed star in Achievement: Fated Encounter is actually part of the co-op mode symbol, which is the star plus radiating waves resembling a WiFi symbol. You could point to this just being an acknowledgement of the fact this namecard is obtained from playing in co-op mode, but apart from what I've discussed, I can add a suitably unhinged suggestion that the co-op mode icon contains lore. It's a modification of a WiFi icon, which popularly depicts a dot as a broadcast origin, and concentric waves surrounding it as the signal broadcasting from it. Simple, but Genshin replaces the dot of broadcast origin with a four-pointed star, ostensibly just representing the game's version of connectivity. And yet, the four-pointed star broadcasting a signal outwards can also use the symbolism of the Traveler/the Twin as the point of origin as a reach for 'connection', both reaching for their sibling, and as a general harkening back to the theme of the Traveler being a 'connector' of people's wills, a la Liyue finale, Inazuma finale, Sumeru finale— wait, I'm sensing a pattern here...)

Of course, let me not forget to mention that Achievement: Orbits is also relevant to Bedtime Story and some of 4.X. That quest is where Dainsleif casually drops the Five Sinners of Khaenri'ah on us, so it ties in with the disembodied quote we get about Khaenri'ah addressing the twins. We also learn about the Universitas Magistrorum from the Narzissenkreuz WQ series beginning from 4.0, where it is stated that they 'inverted the alchemical stages' (likely referring to how, in real life, the alchemical stages of Magnum Opus, the process of creating the philosopher's stone, were Nigredo -> Albedo -> Citrinitas -> Rubedo, whereas from Albedo's ascension voicelines, we know his Art of Khemia, originating from Khaenri'ah, inverts Citrinitas and Rubedo, suggesting that the irl Magnum Opus is actually the lore-accurate method as opposed to what the Art of Khemia says about Rubedo -> Citrinitas. But that's a story for another time). While unrelated to twins lore specifically, the gradual addition of Universitas Magistrorum lore might serve a purpose like the continual drip-feeding of Qiaoying Village pre-4.4, as well as Dornman Port and Blackcliff Forge now, building up to eventual relevancy. For now, there's no way of knowing.

---

...wait, why did I make this post again?

(nervously checks notes) ah right, to dissect the Outrealm achievement series. So, let's look at what we have for 5.0.

While I won't suggest we can predict the plot of the next Traveler Chapter through this namecard alone, we can go through the themes and plot points brought up by this namecard, and see where it gets us.

Obviously we are tying back with Bedtime Story here. That is where we first learn that the "Sea of Flowers at the End" is a real place (and not just Travail's artistic concoction of the finale of the game)— both the title of Achievement: Endpoint and the depiction of Inteyvats reinforces that this is where our journey will end.

You: Why... Why can't we continue our journey together? Sibling: At the end of my journey, I arrived at a place known as "The Sea of Flowers at the End." Do you remember? A long time ago, when we traveled between worlds together... You told me… You wanted to find a place in the universe where that one flower was in full bloom. To have a place like that suddenly appear before me…  Well, would you think of that as a coincidence?

It is all but outright stated the reason our sibling cannot move on from Teyvat and travel with us is (aside from the war with the Heavenly Principles) because Teyvat contains the true endpoint of their journey, not just the journey through the land itself but their journey through the cosmos at large— the Sea of Flowers, which is the location we will reach at the end of the game.

The Sea of Flowers is a field of seemingly-endless Inteyvats and, contrary to my belief before 4.7, an actual physical (or at least metaphysical) location. Achievement: Endpoint says of this place "a sea of blossom awaits the return of a single flower, anticipating the day when both hearts and petals shall become soft and tender".

Breaking this down, we can identify that the return of a single flower should refer to Lumine, regardless of whether she is your Traveler or your twin, since she wears the Inteyvats in her hair. This creates two completely different narratives about the game depending on who you picked, which seems mostly antithetical to how Genshin has written the siblings thus far. (Well, she wears Inteyvats plural on her hair, so the single flower thing shouldn't apply.)

So let's skip that and contextualise the rest. If the Sea of Flowers is waiting for an Inteyvat to 'become soft and tender', then there is a condition we need to fulfill. Recall Dainsleif's words in Requiem of Echoing Depths about the Inteyvat:

But if you were to pluck one and take it out of Khaenri'ah, the petals would stop growing and turn hard. Only when it finally returned to its home soil would the petals grow soft once more, and finally turn to dust... So the Inteyvat is a symbol for a wanderer far from home, signifying the tenderness of the homeland.

The symbolism is incredibly blatant. The Sea of Flowers awaits the day when the return of a single Inteyvat, because only when the flower returns to its homeland will it grow soft.

Here's where we resolve the Lumine problem. The name of this flower is the Inteyvat. Prefix in-, which English borrows from Latinate words, where the prefix was used in a variety of ways but in our case, to mean "not-". Therefore Inteyvat, as in "not-Teyvat", or more fancifully, "not of Teyvatian origin".

If the returning flower is an Inteyvat, it is not actually about who carries the flower, but what the name of the flower represents: "not-Teyvat". Which means it should be your chosen Traveler, regardless of gender, because your twin has become "part of this world" for a reason unknown to us, and no longer counts as an external being, or Descender— we learn as such from Inversion of Genesis.

Nahida: Irminsul does not keep records on the Descenders. Anyone who comes from beyond this world is not counted as part of Teyvat. Scaramouche: The reason why there are records about your (‍sister/brother‍) in Irminsul… It might have something to do with Khaenri'ah. Apparently, Khaenri'ah was (‍her/his‍) first destination when (‍she/he‍) arrived in this world.

Essentially, this is a giant lore teaser for: you're going to the Sea of Flowers at the end, and everyone will be happy again...

Or, not?

Because Endpoint tells us that it awaits the day when both hearts and petals shall grow soft and tender. This is a yearning for the softness and happiness of reuniting without anything standing in the siblings' way, except... Dainsleif explicitly tells us that after the flower returns, it doesn't just go soft— it turns to dust.

This is why, earlier, I suggested that theory about the emotional overtones of our journey, as derived from Wriothesley and Xianyun's SQs. Without the supporting evidence of the Inteyvat's dissolution implied at the end, it's just crack; but now, I think it's going to compose the bittersweetness of the reunion or ending we're promised, like Xianyun's SQ depicts.

(I want to be clear that this isn't a prediction of Traveler or twin dying. While it certainly isn't outside the realm of possibility, I wouldn't lock in the Inteyvat dissolution symbolism into that event alone; it's also possible, for instance, that one or both of them lose their memories, etc, or they lose something else dear to them. We can't even be sure the story will end on such a note anyway, so this is purely extrapolation on extremely limited connections.)

As a mini-prediction: we could either get more Sea of Flowers lore in Natlan's Traveler Chapter (unlikely, doesn't seem Hoyo's style to follow-up so soon, we still don't understand the Defiled Statue etc.), or we could follow the emotional beats implied by the namecard description. Or, like Achievement: Gates and Requiem, it could have loose or no connections at all.

This post is mostly an excuse for me to talk about my favourite lore in the game. I'm going to bed

[viatrixtravels-a]

A Star is Born ー Lumine's Birthday Event

[08.12.23 ~ 10.12.23]

[Participants: @oceandxpths, @narvvhal, @krovium, @vigilant-yaksha-asks, @not-the-darknight, @primordial-albedo-official, @starredvisions, @starlitwishes, @fusaex3 & @tidesbeckon]

During the event period, birthday-related interactions and threads will get priority. Everyone is still free to send in birthday wishes and gifts, but they will not be included in this masterpost, obviously.

December 9thー

The day on which she and her brother were born into this World

While their childhood was not without the usual quarrels and arguments, they had always shared a special bond which exceeded that of regular siblings.

As they grew older, this connection only deepened as they travelled from one World to another, making the same experiences and discoveries.

Their birthday was but one of the many things they shared, but it was always a special day full of happy, joyous memories. They celebrated at a vast variety of places, but one thing remained consistent ー At the end of the day, they would take a picture together to capture the memory. She still held onto those photographs in a special album to this day, but the page marking this year's birthday would forever remain blank.

"Aether..."

Eyebrows knit together into a frown as she would glide her fingertips across the paper, her heart aching painfully as she recalled the bittersweet reunion with her kin. She was glad to see him alive and well, but his involvement with the Abyss Order was highly concerning.

"Haah...I guess moping around all day won't make me feel any better. I'll just go do my commissions."

The Traveller had deliberately chosen to remain quiet about her birthday to her new friends in Teyvat - aside from Paimon - hoping to let the day quietly pass by as it did not feel right to celebrate without her brother. ー But a certain white-haired Pixie clearly had other plans.

"Lumiiiii...!! You need to come with me! It's an emergency!"

Paimon came flying into the room, seemingly in a frenzy.

"What's wrong? Is someone in danger?"

"Y-Yes...! A group of highly violent Hilichurls wandered into the city and is attacking everyone! Come on, hurry!"

"Say no more!"

Lumine immediately drew her sword and rushed to the scene, expecting to be met with the sight of a battle field but there was not a single Hilichurl to be seen.

Instead she was met with two elaborately decorated tables, one with a variety of different gifts, some of them even looking to be homemade.

[Aether doll was drawn by the incredibly talented @fusaex3, the other pictures I just got from Google <;3]

The other table presented a luxurious feast of delicious looking and smelling dishes: starters and drinks from Fontaine, main course dishes consisting mostly of seafood and a delicious chocolate and coffee cake as dessert.

"Paimon...What is this? Did you do all of this yourself?"

"Hehe~ I know Paimon is amazing, but I'm not /that/ amazing. While I did organize this birthday party for you, the gifts and food were provided by all of the friends you made here in Teyvat!"

The blonde could barely believe her own eyes. They did all of this...just for her?

"So? What do you thiー Eeeeh!? L-Lumi!? Why are you crying!? Are you not happy!?"

"No, it's just..."

"I thought I would be spending this day alone, thinking about my brother but...Even though he's not here with me, knowing that everyone tried their best to cheer me up with gifts or food, makes the pain just a little more bearable."

Walking over to the table with gifts, she slowly picked up the doll of her brother, pressing it closely against her chest.

"Happy birthday, Brother ー Wherever you are right now. Let's celebrate together again next year, okay? After all..."

Her lips curved upwards into a hopeful smile.

"We will surely be reunited."

[aeferkssr]

── SO THIS IS CHRISTMAS ──

pairing ;; aether x reader (pronouns not mentioned)

warnings ;; idk christmas? pack it up grinch /lh

notes ;; HEY IM ALIVE and so much shit has been happening with my life lately but yeah i wanna say im fully back now but dont get too excited!! yk what yeah im back now :)

going to your lover's house for christmas is something you did not see yourself doing ever. even the though of having one to spend christmas with made you giddy. a few years ago if someone told you that you would be spending the most wonderful time of the year with your boyfriend of two years you would look at them in shock and then quickly laugh them off.

AETHER's family was having a christmas party to celebrate the holidays. it was a family reunion of sorts, as all of his aunts, uncles, cousins were packed into the large house. why not celebrate it with a family member to-be? you're ears painted with red at both the cheeky smirk on his face and the backhanded marriage proposal.

after greeting his family - some of which he didn't even know he was related to - you two sat down in his living room with your back against his chest and his arms around your waist. you're knees were tucked into your chest as aeher shoved his face deeper into your neck. you adjust the reindeer headband on your head as you crane your head to kiss your lover on the head. feeling this, he raises his head and returns in ten fold, pressing light but frequent kisses all over your face as you giggle from the ticklish feeling

"can you two not be annoying for a day?"

aether ceases his attack as he too fixes the santa hat that got slightly knocked off prior

"its okay to be a hater, lumine"

he says breifly before childishly sticking his tongue at his twin and resuming showering you with kisses. lumine looks at him from the side of her eye then leaves the room, muttering something under her breath. both of you look at lumine leave the room and then back at each other. you two laugh and share one final kiss. (for that moment, that is)

───❄️───

some time has passed and you and aether have switched positions: you were sitting on the couch, one hand mindlessly scrolling through your phone while the other scratched aether's head and playing with his long blonde hair. aether on the other hand, was fighting sleep like his life depended on it all. he's aware that it's absolutely okay to sleep with his lover, in fact you encourage it, but he doesnt want to. but oh, dont you make it hard for him. the way how when you scratch that certain spot it sends pleasant shocks down his spine. he can only grow an even more lovestruck grin (if thats even possible, for his love for you rivals all the forces in this world) as he looks up to you.

you look down at him when you notice his stare. his droopy eyes and wide, love stricken grin brings heat to your cheeks and a smile rivaling the sun to your mouth. your hand that was scratching his head moves down his face to caress his cheeks, flicking away the hair decorating his oh so handsome face in the process. you stretch your thumb to the other side of his face to squish his face. aether groans as the corners of his mouth come closer together

you both laugh at his half-hearted attempt to push you off as you share another kiss. your moment, however, got interrupted by music playing from the alexa in his living room. you only recognized the chorus of the song but that part you knew well. you look down to aether as he seems to have an idea

"a penny for your thoughts?"

aether slightly puckers his lips to show that he's thinking. he seems to have idea when he shot up from your lap and grabbed your hand to the more open area of the living room with you following behind him, very confused. he pulls you over to where he is as he lifts his arm, prompting you to spin around. you're lips form from confusion to joy as you spin round and lean closer to your boyfriend.

"aether, do you know how to dance?"

"nope!"

he replies before taking your hand in his and wrapping the other one around your waist. your free hand on his shoulder as you hold back a small giggle. you two then glide around his living room to the beat of the music, a slow yet calming song.

you two "slow danced" for the remaining of the song before another one played, this one more up beat than the previous. you and aether smile at each other as you two jump and spin around each other, singing along to the horribly catchy christmas song. your hands were in fists, mimicking microphones as you sang to each other.

if you weren't singing you were laughing, the both of you not a care in the world. with this, you failed to notice lumine and paimon (the infamous baby paimon who was said to finish seven bottles of formula in a single sitting in her younger days) standing at the door way.

"yeesh, they're horrible"

the toddler says as they cover their ears from the out of pitch singing of christmas songs

"yes but," lumine looks back to paimon "they're in love. theres really nothing we can do about it"

"if this is what love does to you, remind paimon to never fall in love with anyone!"

paimon says as she walks away, probably looking for more food to eat. lumine takes one more look at the couple (who are now sharing a passionate kiss with the younger blonde dipping down his lover) , smiles, and turns back to follow her baby cousin

"no promises"

[1010ninetynine]

i have separate headcanons for traveler aether and lumine. like lumine is a girlboss, actually knows how the elemental reactions work in combat, carefully makes artifact sets, considers carefully what's actually going on in the world. Looks into the history of teyvat and tries to actually find the truth of this world (like not Wei levels, but susses paimon of being connected to leylines due to her crown and symbol, wonders why the pyro and hydro and dendro hypostases aren't cracked while the others are *will connect the dots eventually hopefully) She earns the title of the respected traveler, but just doesn't bother with the average person most of the time. It won't be of help to find her brother, he's involved in some crazy abyss shit, she has to find out what exactly that means.

meanwhile traveler aether is far more patient. Heartbroken, sure, but he interprets lumine telling him to journey through teyvat as her needing time to organize shit rather than a pure need for him to figure out shit, plus he's kind of stupid, so he doesn't really think about...anything. He doesn't like combat, and liking up artifacts is just stressful for him. He does it because he has to, but when he found out food could get him through a lot of issues, he happily nom nom nomed and cooked his way past stormterror, oceanid, azhdaha, you name it he's got a slew of meals that will get him past the challenge way easier than making a bunch of artifacts line up with the proper blessings.

Before their reunion, although there were signs lumine was involved with the abyss, his go to method of finding people is asking around. This is because he knows he's stupid, but he also knows that people slip up around those who don't seem like they'd be trusted with information. It's basically a cope because he just doesn't think about the world, because he's convinced he can't figure out the truth of this world unless it's laid out for him.

oddly enough i imagine abyss lumine and aether to be very similar, to be just trying to do their best to make a world where s/he and her/his sibling can be happy, by doing abyss shit. But, I imagine lumine to be more cold, and calculating, and able to scheme without losing as much sleep. She's stressed, but she's able to hold on kinda. Aether becomes almost paranoid with fear, eventually cutting himself to release some stress, which leads to some issues but you know.

[cynicalmusings]

played through the new dainsleif quest, and… ouch. not going to lie, that made me a little emotional—and i don’t get emotional that easily.

(some spoilers below)

caribert was just… such a genuinely nice guy, and his desire to live a life, even if only playing at it, was pretty powerful. some of the dialogue between him and the traveller was really beautifully written, too.

in the short cutscene where the siblings met, it was actually slightly heartbreaking when the traveller couldn’t touch their sibling… and then the ‘i’d love to hug you too’… yeah, ow.

when they sat down to have their conversation, i said out loud to myself, “this is nice and all, but i feel like it would just be a little bit better if the traveller’s lines were actually voiced”… and then a few seconds later the traveller’s name changed to their canon name (aether/lumine) and they began speaking… that was kind of funny. the ‘you’re the only person in this world who calls me that’ did make me tear up a little, and the soundtrack playing while they talked didn’t help. it flags to mind again how lonely the traveller must get sometimes, and how the only person who truly knows ‘them’ is (almost) always out of reach… and i love how they made use of the canonical name of the traveller, too; it actually plays a role in the story, and what the player names the traveller is sort of… the alias they go by, almost, with their true name only being known to the one closest to them.

the only nitpicks i have about the quest are i), i really would’ve liked to see a bit more of what happened on dain and the abyss sibling’s end—maybe a combat cutscene so we see the abyss twin hesitate to raise their sword against him, and a few more lines of dialogue or something—and ii), the ‘traveller forgets the reunion ever happened’ felt a little cheap as an ending. the photograph at the end made up for it somewhat, but i still think it was somewhat unsatisfying. even if the traveller remembered a tiny bit but not the details, that would have been more satisfying than completely forgetting it.

but like i said, those are really just nitpicks. it was a beautiful quest overall and i’m really excited for the upcoming dainsleif/sibling quests, even if they take ages to release.

[lazycatmeowsalot]

lumine: Okay. I get it. You've had a really hard time lately, you're stressed out, seven people died-

aether: Twelve, actually.

lumine: Not the point. Look, they're dead now and really whose fault is that?

aether: Yours!

lumine: That's right: no one's.

[jamimix]

Ain't this just a Dream? (Part 4)

SAGAU x Creator! Reader Sorry for the long wait! Aside from somehow getting shadowbanned, I got a bit too busy these past few days with college stuff

"Would you like us to see your brother now?"

Those are the words that Lumine has been longing to hear. To see her brother. To finally be reunited with him. With their grace home, it's now plausible. So with happy tears streaming down her face, she gave you a genuinely grateful smile as she nodded her head.

"I'd love that….Thank you, (Y/n)." Paimon was quick to tackle her into a hug, very happy that her friend is finally going to be reunited with her brother. And they only needed to save 3 nations for it!

"Paimon is so happy for you!"

You let them have their moment before you grabbed hold of Lumine's hand, walking the group towards an abandoned house that you've come across while searching around with Kazuha, one with a door still intact. Paimon flew close, a bit confused and curious at where you're taking them, but kept quiet. Dream don't fail me now. The moment I open this door. It should lead us to Aether.

Letting go of Lumine's hand, making her miss the warmth from your hands that you gave her, you gingerly placed it on the doorknob. Praying (eh? to yourself?) that it would work. You really didn't want to see Lumine be dissapointed.

Thankfully, the moment you opened the door, a portal of the abyss stared back, parts of it seeming to leak out of the door, vanishing into the air. You're quite glad that it worked, but by the looks of it, there's no time to go back and tell Kazuha about your whereabouts. With a quiet apology, you turned to Lumine and Paimon who are both quite ready to jump into it, only waiting for your signal to go.

"Hmmm. Hopefully, time would be normal."

"Huh?"

You chuckled at their confused faces, instructing Paimon to hold on, before moving forwards into the portal, dragging the two with you.

And it felt weird. So weird. The teleportation didn't hurt, you feel numb but at the same time, it felt like your body is being ripped into pieces and brought back together again, from one place to another. And when it you're finally fully in the Abyss, you feel normal, though a bit nausous. Once settled, a wave of something came onto you. You certainly didn't expect the Abyss to feel so… homey.

When you turned to your companions, both who were forced to let go after entering the portal, they seem to be fine, already looking around searching for who you all came here for. Lumine's eyes widened as she found him, body already on the move before the person's name even fell from her lips.

"Aether!"

"Lu-Lumine?!"

Aether could only stare wide-eyed as he sees his sister run towards him. He didn't notice how his people started kneeling after seeing a certain someone nor did he notice the said person watch the scene with a smile. He could only open his arms for his dear sister once she finally reaches him, hugging her back just as quickly, just as tightly, as he can. Neither of them caring about anything at the moment, only of each other. For the first time since the fall, Aether could finally feel himself at home, letting tears fall from his eyes as he is sister does the same.

'What a lovely reunion…' That was all you could think as you finally look away, noticing and moving your eyes at the kneeling… people(?) that was with Aether when you all got here, one of them being a quite familiar pyro abyss herald. You were about to comment on it when Paimon was suddenly by yourside, hands hugging your arm.

"(Y/n)?"

Why is Paimon looking at you like that? Looking so pale and worried… When did the floor get so close?

"Your Grace!"

There are two blurry blobs of yellow reaching out for you but it wasn't long before everything turned black…. Am I finally waking up?

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"When will you be back?" Someone asked with a face looking eerily similar to yours. You feel yourself shrug, eliciting an annoyed sigh from them, making you chuckle in amusement. You can feel yourself saying something, but for some reason, you couldn't really understand nor hear what it was. You could only guess from how they narrowed their eyes at your words that it might've annoyed them even further.

Once done, your lookalike seem to think hard about whatever it is that you said, looking at the sky, seeming to ask why they gotta put up with this, before looking back at you and nodding their head.

"Fine. Then don't blame me for what I'll do to your precious creations." You could hear yourself laugh, amused at their defeated expression. "And you better make sure to stitch my head back once it's done."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The moment you opened your eyes, already noticing you're not in your own room, you grew puzzled. You try to ignore the pit of nervousness fluttering around your stomach as you sat up to look around. You're quite aware that you're still in Genshin, but where exactly? From the dark starry void that greets your eyes when you glanced at the window, safe to say you're somewhere in the Abyss.

You stilled when you see Lumine and Paimon sleeping by the bed you're in, obviously tired. You can only think of the complications of you being here, especially with an imposter now that you think about it. An imposter that is somehow your friend too if the memory you saw was real.

Quietly, you got off the bed, making sure not to wake the two up. As you did so, you couldn't help but notice how big the room is, how you seem to be in a room inside of a castle. It probably is.

Getting to the door that seems like it may lead to the outside, you carefully turned its knob, cringing at the loud noise it made, indicating that the lock has been released. You glanced back at towards the two, sighing in relief that they stay asleep. The moment you pushed the door open, you were greeted by a pair of golden eyes, staring at you in surprise.

"Your-" You slapped your hand onto Aether's mouth, gesturing your head at your sleeping companions. Only when he nodded in understanding did you take it off, ignoring the cute blush in his face that he tried to hide with his own hand. With the door shutting closed behind you, you give him a small smile as you spoke. "Let's go talk somewhere?"

With another nod, Aether lead you into a castle hallway. There is an… awkward silence as you both walk, mostly for Aether anyways. You're busy thinking of all the things you can and couldn't do. The fact that you managed to get to the Abyss by pure dream logic made you quite aware you have some power here.

"I… am very thankful that you chose my sister." That took you out of your thoughts. You watched as he opened up a door to a small balcony, letting you go through first before joining you to feast your eyes at the abyss' starry sky. It was hauntingly beautiful. There's something hypnotizing about this place, something within you that wants to… take hold of it.

"Khaenri'ah made a grave sin and when Celestia came for it, you were there to save my sister." You motioned Aether to go on, quite interested and curious as to where this is going.

"We didn't think of the consequences that may occur when we… when we looked into your world and tried to interact with it. We saw you living your life. Living it like a normal human being just like most of us. You are the only God that we kept close to our hearts and yet we betrayed you and your privacy."

"You looked into my world?"

Aether quickly dropped into his knees, suddenly bowing in front of you, forehead touching the stone cold floor, as you stood there shocked at his action. A string of apologies came rushing out from him and words that he'll take accept any punishment that you'll give him. You won't lie, it is a bit terrifying to know that people were stalking you but…

"It's okay, Aether." You kneeled down yourself, sitting on your heels as you pet his head, eyes lighting up at how fluffy and soft his hair is. He stopped talking when he felt it, after sitting up and looking at you, he now wants to curse himself for making you sit on the dirty floor. But the way you smiled and looked at him so caringly, he couldn't help but melt into your hands, body leaning a bit more closely, closing his eyes just so he wouldn't feel too embarrassed for acting like this.

"You're forgiven as long as none of you do it again."

"Thank you, your grace."

"Please just call me (Y/n). And if it's possible," Aether opened his eyes, finally staring back at you, waiting for your order whilst one of his hands unconsciously reaching up towards yours that's still on his head.

You're making a huge rash decision right now, but who cares really? Maybe you could still keep thinking that this is just one big dream. Consequences be damned. "Your mages, heralds, hilichurls…I want you to call everyone back. "

"...Everyone back?"

"We can't have a nation without its citizens, can we?"

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It's been a week, yet no sign of you, Lumine and her little emergency food. Kazuha partly regrets leaving you alone with the two. Beidou and her crew are also close to losing it. The thought of you being with the traveller isn't enough to fully calm them down. It's not that they don't trust her, but a warning could've been nice.

In another note, they couldn't stay long near the waters of Inazuma nor can they near Liyue's. They don't want people start asking why they haven't ventured out yet for their grace's treasure. So sadly, they have no other choice but to leave and wait, to hear from you in some other way.

"…Your grace, we hope you're safe… wherever you are." Kazuha can only hope that the wind sends you his prayers.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

~Tag list~

@thevictoriousmoon / @kazuhira07 / @nishayuro / @oxyotl / @lilqi / @scooterscoob / @xiaosimpdamn / @irisxiel / @emperatris-rinaka / @notmapple / @mackerelchuuya / @revysworld / @revelintales / @shadow-00 / @wonderlace19 / @beta-being-a-simp / @junthesuperhero / @cucum-bro / @goldendreamer1819 / @mprouno007 / @fandangotales / @sanghyuksgasolinestationscream / @tanspostsblog / @multifandomvoyage / @milkierei / @ashiiiiiiiiiii / @liladoesfanfics / @peter-the-pan / @bubblyjoonjoon / @bajifairyy / @xinii / @otakutrashwrites / @temp-shoes / @zurithegalaxywolf / @gameperson23100 / @pixxm / @kynthia-29 / @violetwolfe112107 / @justaxiaosimp / @itsyacuhjake / @fluffala / @ara-arashi / @basicallydeadinsidelol / @longppanoodle / @starhvney / @tinjao / @lua-hikari / @melovaaaa / @xiaosimper / @useless-potatho

Thanks for reading! Apologies if I wasn't able to answer every asks or replies to be added to the tag list. If you want to be added to the tag list, do just comment it down. I will check it and add you, but no promises that I'd be able to reply hehe ~Jam

[reilliane]

✤ — Universe: Absconder AU ✤ — Concept: Voicelines + The Traveler asks "About [Name]" ✤ — Characters: Albedo, Dainsleif, Kaeya, Venti, Zhongli, AbyssPrince!Aether A/N: WEEEEE it's a lil' short but this is the best I can do for now whilst juggling college and works and- [ malfunctions ]

The Last Princess of Khaenri'ah's Eclipse Dynasty roams the surface centuries after the cataclysm. Celestia knows not that she has survived.

Paimon and Lumine decide to visit those that they think may have been affiliated with the royal.

Note: In Aether's voiceline, say Lumine asked him in the short span of their reunion.

Albedo

✤ — It is certainly pleasant to have met her at appropriate times. Although Master promised me an audience with her centuries prior, it hadn't come, since the Kingdom had fallen into ruins not long after.

I wasn't expecting to meet Her Royal Highness at Dragonspine at all, but it was a surprise that's welcomed. After all, she has evaded both curse and death.

It appears that she's become immortal, too.. but I cannot be too sure for my data remains insufficient. Her Royal Highness often visits me at my camp, perhaps I should ask her sometime.

I am a little reluctant, however... I fear I may unsettle her with such questions. I'd rather not her be uncomfortable in my presence.

Dainsleif

✤ — Princess [Name]... I was almost certain that she had perished along with the royal family, but—she's alive. And safe. I'm assuming that she had been rescued by Aether, I'm surprised that I hadn't known at all.

Although that's to be expected... I almost did not register the hostility in her eyes from when she came out of that portal. It was foreign.

Until now I can clearly remember when she had been seeking my presence after her father, the King's, demise. The reminder is still chilling.

What we supposedly had in the past, whatever that may be.. regret and lament as I do, it's futile to hope that it'll return.

Kaeya

✤ — I must say, it is odd to have the same lady watch me over from when I was a child. But I suppose that is how our relationship blossomed?

I'm flattered that Her Royal Highness trusts me enough to speak of bygone—perhaps even forbidden—tales of her country. In turn, I can only vow to her that I will be her sword if necessary.

Little few know that she remains alive up to this day. I heard that only a select few in her refuge, wherever that is, knows the truth of her case. I've been included in that small ratio. My lips are sealed, so should yours, Traveler.

To Her Highness, glory will return. In time.

Venti

✤ — You saw-.. ! Ah, then there's no mistaking it, is there? That girl I saw during my performance... it's the Princess. I refused to believe it even when she confirmed her status, but there is no denying reality.

She's alive. She really is and- what?

.. Where do I stand now that I am no longer linked with Celestia, you ask? Hehe, you're rather insistent in knowing. Have you asked the old buffoon about the same thing?

Hm? If I wanted to speak with her... what would I say?

Well, Traveler, some verses are better left untold, don't you think?

Zhongli

✤ — As you know by now, I am honoring a contract that forbids me from speaking more than necessary, but Princess [Name]...

I've only seen tapestries and paintings of her from when the nation was at its prime, but I met her not too long ago personally. She does not look any different from how artists have painted her in beauty and grace.

Though something is new now. Her stare lacks the warmth they had in the paintings. It is upsetting..

And I do acknowledge that.. part of the blame rests upon the original Seven's shoulders.

Abyss Prince!Aether

✤ — You want to know about... I see. [Name] is one of the last royals of Khaenri'ah before it crumbled. She had been calling for Dainsleif, her own Knight, moments before doom, but he didn't come.

I saved her and she's been by my side ever since.

Regrets? No, I have none.

... You're mistaken, sister. Even if her nation is gone, [Name]'s still a Princess to this day.

She rules the Abyss.

With me.

A/N: I am in love with Abyss Prince!Aether. Shucks. SHUUUUCKS- you know, at this point I should just type out a ficlet that details the growth of their relationship starting from post-cataclysm... after the event. After the event :weary:

You can read The Royal's Escape here! (aka Aether saves MC)

[islandofsages]

hi! if your requests are open, can i request traveler meeting a reader who they used to know in another world again in teyvat? basically likr a reunion😁 also who do you main? have a nice day!

summary: in which you reunite. well...you two at least.

characters: traveler x gn!reader

tags: platonic, canon compliant, fluff, the abyss twin and paimon are mentioned, hc + scenario format

warnings: none

author's notes: this can be read as either aether or lumine !! also im a zhongli main through and through hehe i love him too much <3 but i did recently pull for yoimiya and she is so fun to play!! other charas i consider myself a main of are xinyan and yelan :) hope you like this anon ^_^

you always couldn’t help but wonder - do those twins really have any purpose in their journey? traversing many, many worlds without settling for home…does it not get tiring? but even as you got to know them a long time ago, you could tell the smile on their face is genuine. they are happy.

and yet here you are. you walked across the boundaries of your homeworld as teyvat’s stars extended their hands to you, pulling you in. you are just like them now: a traveler. and you pride yourself on that, though lost and confused you may be.

you journeyed on yourself and surveyed if the world was a suitable place to settle down. you have seen many sights, met many people, eaten meals galore. you were welcome wherever you went, the people fascinated by yet another world-trotter.

hm? what’s that, you hear? another world-trotter? the fact that you aren’t the first piqued your interest. you ask the people who else has traversed this land from another. but before they can answer, a familiar voice calls out to you.

“(y/n)? you…you’re here?”

you turn your head towards the direction of the voice and sure enough, there they are. one of the twins. you find this very strange indeed - the two of them are pretty much inseparable, yet only one presents themself to you.

“hehe, i am. i never thought i would find you here too. though shouldn’t there be…?”

you respond, a bit hesitant to say the other twin’s name, seeing the twin’s sad smile. they only shake their head and sit down in the seat next to you. knowing what you’re in for, you prepare for them to speak.

“it’s a long story…”

they tell you the tale of their separation, leading you to wish you could’ve reunited on better terms. at random intervals, their flying companion would chime in and add quirky little comments of her own which at least make you laugh. once they finish talking, you only sigh and you throw your gaze to the ceiling, deep in thought.

“what are you thinking of?”

you take the time to search for the right words and form the right sentences. they have been through what the faint-hearted could never and you admire them for that. you keep those feelings of admiration in your chest, let them bubble up and then you tell them.

“i’m thinking of joining you on your journey.”

when you turn to look at them, you indulge in the surprised expression on both their and their flying companion’s face. then they offer you a smile - that same smile you recognise from the world over. you silently thank whatever divine being is up there for one unchanging thing.

“you are more than welcome to.”

[idcallmyselfhuman]

'Briefly' exploring the depths of the meaning of Teppei's death for Aether, his anger, and the way he deals with grief.

So, as we gracefully gloss over the fact that our dearest blonde traveler has not once allowed anyone in Teyvat to see him cry, not even Paimon, let's talk about the gravity of witnessing his own friend's death. (I will talk about that other thing when I am fucking ready okay-)

Now, everything I'm about to say may not all adhere to future canon, as it uses theories and speculation as some form of basis and I'm also a forgetful bitch, but you're seeing this in my fucking blog so take a goddamn seat.

Going back to "The travelers age differently", as well as them typically being described as having lived longer than most, their life as wanderers of different worlds means they've interacted with some hundreds or thousands of worlds and people without ever losing their 'youth' even in their—supposed—immortality.

They've visited worlds with just the slightest differences between them: of worlds where bartenders only require a small bribe to spill their secrets, or alchemy being shunned by the human's culture of that world.

Assuming that Teyvat has been the longest that both twins have stayed in a single world, it must have been jarring to truly attach themselves to people they know they'll abandon once they've deemed the length of their stay enough.

Remember how Aether was so ready to ask Lumine to come home with him and leave Teyvat in their first reunion? Not even hesitating as he asked her to leave and be done with all this, still so detached despite everyone and everything he's come to appreciate about this world, because in his life, it was no different from the rest.

We see this detachment as well in Inazuma, when they first ask him to fight their war, and his immediate response was his rejection. Why should he fight against a god for people he has no relation to? Why involve himself when his intentions are focused solely in finding his sister?

Of course, in the end, he ends up agreeing for two reasons: 1) He's the main character so he has to, duh, and 2) He was able to empathize with their cause and what the decree meant to innocent people who are essentially losing their sense of self because of it.

Aether isn't typically... flighty. He'll face issues presented to him dead on, and he's protective of his friends to a fault. But given the chance to leave with his sister? Before the latest chapter, I genuinely think Aether would have chosen to leave given that he was able to do so.

Now, with all of that said, obviously I was building it up for something, right? Abso-fucking-lutely.

So far, I've tried to establish the following: The twins have lived long enough to have visited worlds and worlds before Teyvat, the twins retain memories of past worlds they've visited but they have never stayed as long as they have with Teyvat, and they would have never stayed any longer but was forced to via taking away Aether's powers.

Now, Kira, this is lovely and all, but how the FUCK does any of this have to do with Teppei? Well, for one, Aether's response to his death.

Aether and Lumine surely have made friends from their journey from all sorts of worlds, be it young, old, etc. etc. but have they ever stayed long enough to be able to develop something deep with the people from these worlds?

Have they ever stayed long enough to see these people evolve into someone different, or stayed long enough to see them grow?

Have they ever stayed long enough 'til their mortal companions slowly reach the end of their days, and they had to watch as Time slowly takes them with the twins being incapable of doing anything?

With Teyvat being the exception for a lot of things, I'm assuming that's a no. That they've jumped from world to world and could only develop a fleeting friendship with both parties knowing it has an endpoint. That they've never had to deal with loss quite so severe than what they've experienced in Teyvat respectively because they've never stayed long enough to see it happen.

Now, the twins are no strangers to death, and with the loss of each other's presence, grief isn't foreign either. But I can't help but feel that the grief Aether felt with Teppei became more personal because of how much time Aether had spent with the people of Teyvat, and the fact that he couldn't flee the situation at all and had to watch it happen right in front of him and was able to do nothing.

He isn't adjusted to it, and his grief showed form through him being reckless and so, so angry. He doesn't allow himself to be sad, but he's quick to embrace his anger and charge at the Fatui the moment Teppei takes his final breath.

Despite how dangerous it was, he was willing to charge against what remained of the Fatui in Inazuma alone, fighting them not only to avenge his friend but because of how easily grief had influenced his actions.

In the end, it blows up at him, and the strength of his anger that Scaramouche had done so well to bring out became the cause of his undoing, with Yae Miko having to step in lest they lose him.

Being stuck in Teyvat forced him to confront feelings he never fully had to deal with as a fleeting presence in countless worlds, and that changed him.

The story does well with how they use anger and Aether. I believe the first time we saw him actually angry was when he found out Zhongli had already made a contract with Signora? It's been over a year, but it's one of the most consistent things about his character.

He isn't quick to real anger (As seen by how surprised Paimon was when he suddenly blew up at Clitopho and Zhiqiong), however whenever he does, it's intense. And a thing with his anger too is that it's fucking dangerous.

Not only was Scaramouche able to weaponize it against Aether because of its strength, but he was also able to sentence Signora to death without hesitation nor remorse because of it, and I don't think either of these things could have occurred if he wasn't as close as he was with Teppei, and that could only have been achieved through staying in a world longer than he's ever had to.

They didn't give him some bullshit power of friendship thing to succeed through it all, but instead used murderous rage directed at the people responsible for the death of someone he cared for deeply enough and harmed people he's put under his protection.

“Hah. Barely two words in and you already look like you want me dead.” - Scaramouche, upon seeing Aether again

After that, he's more guarded, and even more, (and this might be a stretch but I don't think it is), is that it affected how he dealt with Zhiqiong's insistence in the Chasm quest.

He puts his foot down, not even allowing even the slightest chance of putting herself in danger just for the hell of it. He takes no chances nor any excuses, always convincing her to go back in camp where she's safer. He won't allow himself to lose anyone again when he can do something about it.

Spending so much time in this world changed how he interacts and responds with a lot of things. Could you imagine Aether from early on in the game blowing up at someone for bickering? I reckon he would just look at them unsurely and try to calm them down.

Teppei's death showed an extent of how easily Aether could succumb to and use his anger, in the sense where it doesn't necessarily control his every action, but it's with him in the things he does. Again, I've noted this before, but the way he talks to people has changed. He's more open with his sarcasm, attitude absolutely no-nonsense when he notices the conversation steering to a path irrelevant to what he wants right then.

The way his anger manifests isn't at all like Scaramouche, who snaps at people at a moment's notice. Aether's anger can be venomous and as cold as his sister was written to be, and even allows him to be blasé about a death he'd directly contributed to. He's a patient person, but Teyvat more often than not has a way of abusing that, and he's beginning to crack.

He's lived a long, long life with only his sister being able to understand the full extent of it, but for once, Teyvat had brought him a new experience, and came of it was an extremely weary Traveler who still won't allow himself to settle.

In light of the latest chapter, any detachment he may have still had for Teyvat was gone once he learned what his sister planned to do. He's now allowing himself to ally with Dainsleif against her and directly involve himself with the fight against the Abyss. His intent with meddling with Teyvat's affairs is no longer just for the sake of finding her, but stopping her as well and saving a fallen race of people from prolonged suffering.

I wonder how much that feeling of grief affected the conclusion that Dainsleif wanted him to reach.

“A 1% chance of redemption... versus a 99% chance of suffering and death. Nobody has the right to make that choice on another living's behalf.” — Aether, Requiem of the Echoing Depths

Nobody has the right to choose when someone should or shouldn't die. Not the Fatui, not him, not his sister. Was it wrong of him to have decided when Signora should die? Maybe. But seeing the damage dealt to the people affected in the war, with Teppei being the one to tip him over the edge as he moved through the haze of his grieving mind- all he thought then, was an eye for an eye.

One thing I'm certain of is that he can do so much more damage, and I cannot wait for Scaramouche and Aether to meet again as they bring out the worst in each other.

----------------------------

Okay, I'm done lol. Just a reminder, this is all just speculation on my part, and it's just filling the gaps for things the game has yet to fill themselves. In a future chapter, I could be shown that I'm wrong, and this post was dumb in hindsight, but 'til then, Genshin has no say and I'll stand by everything I said.

[restlessfandoming]

“ice fishing” (pt. 6: FINAL) (chilumi fic)

[part 1] [part 2] [part 3] [part 4] [part 5]

“Childe invites Lumine to the annual Snezhnayan holiday dedicated to the Tsaritsa. There, she meets his entire family, and all the conflict that comes with them.”

[Fic Masterlist] // [AO3 Link]

“ice fishing” (pt. 6: FINAL)

The lightning cleared and floating before them was Tartaglia: complete in his Foul Legacy Transformation. 

“What...what is that?” Alexei gasped out in disbelief. 

Tartaglia’s cyclops eye glinted in his direction, and before another word was uttered, he rushed towards Alexei. Tartaglia brutally grabbed him by the neck, lifting him up in the air. 

“This,” the Harbinger garbled, “is true power. Your cowardly toy is no match.” With his other hand, he grabbed the black market delusion—still sparking with immense Electro energy—and tossed it away, like a child’s toy. 

Alexei’s dangling feet weakly kicked around. “Come on, Ajax…,” he managed to strain out. “Are you going to kill me? Your brother?” His hand grasped Tartaglia’s monstrous armored claw around his neck. “I thought...I thought you loved your family.”

There was a brief moment where neither of them moved. A tiny smirk crossed Alexei’s face, believing he had convinced his brother to let him go. 

But Tartaglia’s grip tightened. 

“You,” he said loudly above Alexei’s desperate sputtering gasps, “are no family of mine.”

He turned and threw Alexei out of the room, through the hole in the wall the eldest brother had created earlier. There was a loud THUD as he landed on the ground below, followed by a painful groan. 

He’s still alive? Lumine wondered in shock. 

Upon hearing that his brother lived, Tartaglia flew out of the room as well, his dark galaxy cape billowing behind him. 

Lumine ran to the edge of the room, looking down at the two brothers in the snow. Alexei was on his back, coughing, blood seeping from the corners of his mouth. Tartaglia slowly stalked towards him. 

“You were never strong enough, Alexei,” Tartaglia said. “You were never going to be strong enough. You were always a coward.” He raised his hand up. “And now? You will die like a coward.”

Massive amounts of Hydro energy began gathering on the ground, forming a large circle around Alexei. 

“May the gods never forgive you.” 

From the ground, the Hydro energy formed into a whale, a grandiose being that blocked the moonlight, casting a dark shadow that loomed over the home. 

The whale cried out—a long, deafening tone—before it came crashing down. Tidal waves rippled through the snow, water flooded the ground. Lumine raised her arms to shield her face from the torrents of mist raining down. 

When her arms came down, Tartaglia was there, in front of her. 

Without thinking, she scrambled backwards, an innate fear spreading through her veins. She knew when entering Foul Legacy he became even more unpredictable, uncontrollable than normal. They had nearly killed each other the last time she had seen him in his transformation. 

He floated towards her, slowly still, and Lumine forced herself to stop from continuing to back up. 

“Lumine…” His voice was still distorted, and it sent chills up her spine hearing her name being called from that voice. 

Then, there was a flash of lightning, and the armor dissipated. Childe was back. 

He stumbled for a second, then fell on his knees weakly. 

Lumine came to his side right away, wrapping her arms around him, supporting him so he wouldn’t collapse. 

“My...my mother,” he whispered between heavy pants. “Let me...let me see her.”

Lumine nodded, and together they crawled to Galina’s lifeless form. 

Childe sat there, still as a statue, his blue eyes impossibly dark as he looked at her. Then, he closed his eyes, and put his head on Lumine’s shoulder. 

She felt water on her shoulder. He’s...crying. One of her hands softly stroked his hair in comfort. 

With her other hand, she took Galina’s hand and held it. 

If only...If only I was strong enough. If only the Unknown God hadn’t taken her powers away. Lumine was certain she could have healed Galina. 

She remembered purifying Dvalin’s tears. That was a while ago…But maybe...now…

Lumine closed her eyes focusing on her hold with Galina. 

She pulled any magical energy from every corner of her body, imagining sending it through to Galina. 

She thought of the light of the sun’s rays, the warmth of a fire. She thought of Aether, the familial love of clear skies, clouds, and wings. She thought of her friends—Jean, Lisa, Venti, Zhongli, and countless others—how they were meadows of flowers and warm blankets on cold nights. 

And most importantly, she thought of Childe. The sweet, honey taste of love; roaring fires of passion; calm ocean waves of tranquility and understanding. 

Her chest felt like it was glowing, her heart was resonating with happiness and love. 

…

...

...

There was a gasp of air. 

Lumine and Childe both looked up. Galina had her eyes opened, taking in deep breaths of air. 

N-no way. Lumine thought in disbelief. I actually did it?!

Galina sat up, looking around the room in shock, before turning to Childe and Lumine. 

A small smile broke on her face. “Ajax?” she asked. 

The color drained from Childe’s face. “You...you remember who I am?” 

“Of course,” she said. She chuckled. “How could I forget my son?” 

Childe let out a shaky laugh. More tears leaked from his eyes. 

Galina’s own eyes widened. “Oh my goodness! Ajax, what’s wrong?” 

Childe let go of Lumine, and collapsed in his mother’s arms.  

Lumine’s own eyes began watering at the sight of their reunion. 

Without her noticing until it was too late, however, the sounds of the mother and son started fading out, and the room spun around Lumine. Energy was quickly leaving her body. 

The healing took… a lot of power… she realized sluggishly. Too much, maybe. But it was all worth it. 

Then, she blacked out.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

Lumine opened her eyes. Her eyelids felt heavy, as did the rest of her body. Sunlight streamed into the room, and there was the faint smell of flowers. She was in bed, alone, in Childe’s room. 

She tried sitting up, but every single muscle ached as she shifted her body, and she fell back in pain. She let out an exasperated sigh, and tried once more, excruciatingly slow, until she finally was able to sit up, her back resting against the mountain of plush pillows behind her. 

She didn’t have much time to think to herself, before the door opened. She turned, expecting Childe, but instead found Galina there. 

“Oh my! You’re awake!” she greeted cheerfully, she set down a bowl of soup on the table next to the bed, before sitting down on the edge next to the traveler. “How are you feeling, sweetie?”

Lumine blinked at her. “Oh, uhm, fine. A little sore.” 

Galina smiled. “Do you need anything? Would you like anything to help with the pain?” 

The blonde shook her head. “How long have I been out?”

“Hmmm,” the mother put a finger on her chin, thinking. “I think around a month?”

“A month?!” 

“Oh yes, it seemed like an eternity! Every single one of my children have been so worried!” she answered, her eyes twinkling. “Ajax especially.” 

Lumine’s cheeks flushed slightly. “Where is he?” 

“No worries, they’re all downstairs eating lunch; I can go get them whenever you’re ready.” Galina looked at Lumine’s bedridden hair. “Let me fix up your hair first, darling.” 

Galina hummed to herself as she softly brushed through the Outlander’s golden locks. Lumine could’ve fallen back asleep right then and there. 

“My children have told me a lot about you,” Galina said. “You sound quite incredible, Lumine.” 

“Thank you.” Lumine smiled. “Your children are all quite incredible themselves.” 

“Yes, they are all so sweet. Despite everything that’s happened.” 

“They are all very strong in their own ways.” 

“And you may be the strongest of them all, Outlander.” 

Lumine’s eyes widened and she turned to protest. 

Galina gently put a finger on her lips and one on her own mouth. “Shh. I haven’t said anything about what happened that night. But what I do know is that I saw you. Healing me.” She tilted her head. “That is no ordinary magic of Teyvat.” 

“You’re not...You’re not suspicious of me?” 

She laughed heartily. “Of course not! You saved my life. Cured me of my illness.” A soft smile. “You’ve even managed to capture the affections of Ajax, which I didn’t think was possible.” She turned Lumine back around, continuing to brush her hair. “Ever since he was young he was obsessed with fighting, and getting stronger, protecting his siblings. I was so worried he’d never find love. But I’m so glad he found someone. Especially with that someone being you. How lucky!” 

Lumine’s face heated up even more. “I’m glad I found him too.” 

“He seems much more peaceful than before. Full of love. So, thank you, Lumine.” Galina turned her around. “All done!” She looked over the traveler. “Wow, you truly are stunning.” 

“Th-thank you. Thank you, Galina,” Lumine said, sincerely. 

Galina kissed her on her forehead. “No matter what happens, you’ve got a family here, Lumine.” 

Family. Lumine’s eyes watered. 

Galina rubbed Lumine’s cheeks, in a tender motherly way. “I’ll go get the rest of the family so they can all see you’re awake now.” 

As she left the room, Lumine let a few tears fall. 

Family. Family. Family. Her heart chanted. 

When she found Aether, she was going to bring him here. And here, they’d find things they’ve never had themselves: a father, a mother, little ones. It was a future Lumine absolutely looked forward to. And she knew Aether would love it too. 

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

When the family crowded into the room, Lumine was swarmed with tight hugs and cuddles from Tonia and Teucer; Anthon and Misha stood to the side of the bed, just as excited to see her awake and well. Feliks and Galina stood a little further back, and Childe stood in the doorway, all watching with a smile. 

The elders had told the children that Alexei had done some bad things and needed to go away for a long time—no telling when he would be back. The children were sad, but they understood. The real, dark truth would be told when they were older. But for now, they were children, who didn’t need to know. All they knew was that their mother was no longer sick, and the family was whole again. 

Feliks seemed a lot more cheerful than before, the dark circles gone from under his eyes, his posture now a lot more upright. He kept an arm around Galina constantly now, afraid to let her go.

After a while, Galina shooed everyone from the room, and the door closed, leaving Childe and Lumine alone. 

Childe still stood at the door, regarding Lumine from afar. Her golden eyes waited on him. 

What’s he thinking…?

Eventually, he came to her, pausing, before collapsing on top of her, arms winding tightly around her. 

“I thought I had lost you,” he said quietly. 

“You’re going to have to try a lot harder to get rid of me,” Lumine joked as she wrapped her arms around him, hand running through his hair. 

“Never,” he breathed. He pulled himself up, his eyes seemingly looking straight into her soul. “I don’t know how to thank you.”

“Thank me? For what?”

“You know for a while I was completely dumbfounded by what happened. I had no idea how my mother was healed.” He closed his eyes. “But then I thought about it, really thought about it. It had to be you,” he said. “No one else in the world could’ve done it.” He opened his eyes again, softly looking at her. 

“I…” Was she going to tell him? Who she really was? Would he trust her? Turn her into the Tsaritsa? 

He has to know. her heart murmured. If you love him, he has to know. 

“Yes, it was me,” she told him. “I...I’m not from here. I’m not of this world. An Outlander.” She took a deep breath. “That was...a fraction of my power. I was banished here, powerless for many years. I’ve been slowly gaining my powers back, while trying to find my brother.” 

Childe’s brows furrowed slightly. “An Outlander…” 

“Are you...is that...bad?”

“No, it’s just...everything makes a lot more sense now.” He laughed. “Of course I’d fall in love with an Outlander.” 

Lumine rolled her eyes. “And I fell in love with a Harbinger.” She suddenly remembered something. “Is it true? You told Teucer you would quit being a Harbinger to join me on my adventures?” 

Childe’s eye twitched. “Tonia and Teucer…” He let out a sigh. “If it were that easy...I would love to.” 

“Oh…” Lumine found herself disappointed. What did I expect…?

Childe noticed her expression. He sat up, pulling Lumine up as well. He held her hands. “Tell you what. One day...I will absolutely join you—devote myself to you.” 

Lumine’s face flushed. “You don’t have to—”

He kissed her hands tenderly, silencing her. He then proceeded to slip a ring off his pinky finger, and put it on her ring finger. “It’s a promise.” 

She looked down at the ring, heart racing. But she was overjoyed. “It’s a promise,” she echoed. 

Childe kissed her. “I love you, Lumine.” 

“I love you, Childe.” Lumine kissed him back. 

With the ring on her finger, the two had vowed their love, happiness, and family—all for the future, together, one day. 

[t h e    e n d]

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

scene with the rings inspired by the amazing @majunju as always <3

thanks for reading everyone! <3 

onto the next fic we go!

[clouds-rambles]

Purple~ May I have an MC appreciation, Aether or Lumine (both?). Maybe reader is with MC the time they reunite with their sibling. The walk back is silent. And maybe at the end of the day when they finally reach home, MC just breaks down.

Thank you.

Also, I absolutely love Venti! He's the reason behind why I paid for a game for the first time in my life. Got Diluc (i was also ecstatic!) but I was so in love with Venti I just had to. So i threw everything out the window and paid 15 dollars. A true gamble because i was nowhere near pity.

Purple is my favourite colour, it’s like if you asked me to explain how I experience my gender it is literally the colour purple lmao. Me too, I spent like £15 on Venti too because I desperately love him, but as I’ve had him I realise I also desperately kin him. I am waiting for Diluc to come home, but the next 5* I pull will be one from an event (I’m hoping Kazuha but Eula and Klee are fine too)

Anyway my ramble is over

I’m making Aether the MC because I use him and I love him, hope you don’t mind lmao

Also hi Genshin Impact story, it is literally out the window right now

Pairings; suggested Aether x reader, but focuses on Aether and Lumine’

Warning(s); angst(?)

Keep reading under the cut!

Finally finding Aethers sister in the depths of Khaenri'ah was certainly wasn’t something you had expected. Especially after the years of looking for Lumine, Aether mentions to you how different she looks. Not so much in age, as both Aether and Lumine have kept their forms for many year, but more in insight. Maybe this is the way Lumine looks at Aether now. Aether has spent 5 years without his sibling.

Aether looks to you and you smile back at him trying to give him as much confidence as you can so he can talk to his sister.

“Lumine. How..” he pauses for a second “How are you?” he asks stepping forwards to his sibling. She smiles and looks down to her hands.

“It’s been quiet” she says with a soft smile “There aren’t many people about  Khaenri'ah, I’ve been mainly helping people rebuild” she explains gesturing to the small town behind her, Aether nods.

“How long have you been here?” you ask, Lumine smiles

“five-hunded years” she replies. You blink a few times. You feel Aether stiffen behind you.

The two talk for a few hours, Lumine takes the two of you about the Khaenri'an town, she introduces you to the citizens who seem to view her as some kind of saviour. A handful of children run up to her and give her a few native flowers. Lumine smiles kindly before sending the children off.

“Have you heard about what the archons did to Khaenri'ah?” Lumine asks looking from the children to Aether. The man nods with a sigh.

“Yeah, it certainty was an ordeal” he responds “I wish I was there to help you” he looks down, you place a hand on Aethers shoulder. Lumine looks down to her hands and nods.

“I’ve been through so much on this world” she jests before looking to her brother “You know it’s weird seeing you after all this time” she adds with a smile. Aether nods

“It’s been much less time for me, but it’s also a little weird for me” Aether confesses “I think this is the longest period of time that I’ve been away from you” he adds “You seem to have make a life here” he says gesturing to the area around him. Lumine nods

“Hm, it’s a long life I’ve lived here” she responds “Although it’s only recently that this town has developed” she adds with a reminiscing smile. “I hope you’ve also made a life here Aether” she offers. Aether nods and looks to you with a smile

“For the last five years I have had great company” he replies, you smile back at Aether “Not just [name] here, but I’ve made many friends across Teyvat” he adds placing a hand in your hand. Lumine smiles happily at her brother.

“I’m happy you found companionship Aether” she says genuinely. 

You and Aether stay around the town for the next few days. While Lumine seems to not want to leave Khaenri'ah, Aether has mentioned several times to you several times that he wants to continue exploring every crevice of Teyvat. The idea of leaving the country now feels wrong, Aether has friends to have jolly times with, you to love, a sister that feels so distant that it’d be a little weird for him to suddenly run back with his sibling. 

The bond that Aether and Lumine had have broken thanks to the years apart. Suddenly going off with someone that feels like a stranger doesn’t feel right. He needs to spend more time with his sister again before running off.

“Morning Aether” you greet seeing your partner rising from bed, Aether has bags under his eyes “Have you not slept?” you ask, Aether shakes his head

“No,” he responds “It’s just I thought this reunion would be a little different...” Aether trails off

“Like everything would be the same as before?” you offer, Aether nods. You nod “I think the time apart has changed the both of you. Aether five years ago is a very different Aether to now. I’m sure over the five hundred years Lumine has changed lots. You’ve both learnt how to live without each other” you explain putting a hand on Aethers back, he leans into your touch.

“I think, I need to think about it more” he tells you, you smile and nod

“Take as much time as you need my dear, I’ll be right here for you” you console before giving him a kiss on his cheek

[the-gayest-sky-kid]

Noticed a lack of Aeventi content here on good ol' tumblr, soooo guess who went and generated several fic/comic prompts?

Here we goooooooo!

1. aether and venti spending the night on the perfect hill for stargazing.

2. venti trying to mooch off of aether's wifi and jokingly putting his own name in as the password, then being shocked that it actually works and they're now connected to aether's wifi...

3. aether having to rescue venti from a pack of kittens.

4. aether trying to get something on their computer to work. While they’re getting frustrated and flipping out, venti is sitting nearby cracking up.

5.

aether: guess what

venti: what

aether: i love you

venti: :O

6. venti is a prince, falling for aether, the castle gardener who tends to the foliage surrounding venti's balcony. (or the inverse

7. aether and venti playing on the swings at a small playground that nobody goes to anymore.

8. aether and venti finger painting with their child.

9. aether and venti sleeping together. aether wakes up first and contemplates waking venti with a kiss. aether leans in only to hesitate centimeters away out of embarrassment. venti opens his eyes and says, "Well if you won't do it, I will."

10. aether touching venti's face and telling him that his face is really soft. (or the inverse

11. venti telling really dumb or corny jokes to aether, thinking they're so clever and funny. aether just thinks venti is adorable for thinking the jokes are funny.

12. venti drags aether into the freezing cold to make a snowman.

13. venti snuggling up to aether because it's cold.

14. venti won't let aether get out of bed by cuddling him.

15. aether coming home from a cuddly date with venti and realizing that his shirt smells like him (maybe cecillias or wind during the rain). aether pulls their shirt up to his face to smell it before it fades away.

16. aether making venti their favorite meal when they are having a hard day.

17. venti and aether under a large fruit tree in the middle of summer.

18. aether and venti living together for the first time.

19. aether helping venti dry and brush their hair after a shower. (or the inverse

20. aether playing their fingers through venti's hair while sitting next to them on the couch. (or the inverse

21. venti traveling long distances just to see aether. (or the inverse

22. venti kissing away aether's tears. (or the inverse

23. aether and venti trying to hide their relationship. however, it turns out everyone knows they're dating.

24. aether and venti sleeping on top of each other (in the bed, couch, wherever you prefer) and venti flops down onto the floor.

25.

venti: what am I supposed to do while you're gone

aether: ...what do you usually do when I'm gone?

venti: wait for you to come back

26. venti and aether sharing a soft smile across a crowded room.

27. venti and aether were separated for several years for reasons they couldn't help (perhaps aether has gone back to traveling across worlds with lumine). they finally find each other and have a heartfelt reunion.

28. venti and aether eating spaghetti like the lady and the tramp

29. venti tucking aether's hair behind their ear to help them get it out of their face. (or the inverse

30. aether and venti cooking something without the recipe, because venti is confident they know how to cook it from memory.

31. aether falls asleep in venti's lap, and venti holds aether close and doesn't move from his spot for hours.

32. aether getting to go back in time and change something bad that happened in their past with venti. (or the inverse.

( I actually saw a fanfic sorta about this, but it was venlumi)

33. venti and aether making crafts

34. venti is a ghost (or wind wisp) who falls in love with aether, but aether can't see them. what does venti do to make aether notice him?

35. aether and venti dancing in the moonlight.

36. venti and aether haven't kissed yet. every time venti sees aether they think to themselves "I've gotta do it this time" but he keeps being too shy to do anything. one day a friend (kaeya maybe??) asks venti if aether has ever tried to kiss him and venti just screams.

37. aether and venti accidentally (or purposefully) dozing off in a hammock together as the sun sets and the air cools down.

38. venti calming aether down when they have a bad dream. (or the inverse

39. aether and venti at a theme park or carnival, and walking towards one of the many games to win a large stuffed animal. aether is sure that he can win the game, but after many attempts (and a lot of cash down the drain) he gives up. venti, however, tries and succeeds on their first go. (or the inverse

So here you go! 39 Aeventi prompts! Hopefully this inspires you guys :D

[amethystroselilith]

Intertwined Fates - Chapter 6

Can be read in ao3 here

Uni is killing me bruh T^T

SUMMARY: “Just know that whatever decision you’ll make, I’ll accept it.”

Beeping noises surround him again, that familiar smell of medicine fills his sense of smell.

He opened his eyes…

A pair of shocked golden eyes met his own, a smile forming on the person’s lips as the figure ran to him with happiness, he reminds Zhongli of a happy kitten.

He blinks…

Another pair of wide golden eyes met him, the person was accompanied by a woman with purple twintails, looking at him with her sympathetic eyes as she holds on to the blonde with long braids.

He blinks again…

This time his heart stopped, it was the blonde woman who had been haunting his dreams. Her teary eyes looking at him with emotions Zhongli couldn’t quite tell. His hands weakly tried to reach out to her.

She broke down, and that’s when Zhongli realised they weren’t alone, a flash of orange was the last thing he saw before tiredness hit him again.

~~~

Ajax sighed as he gently laid Lumine down the sofa. She had fallen asleep crying again and he doesn’t really know how to handle the situation himself.

It was two days ago that everything changed.

Him and Lumine fooling around as they wait for Qiqi, and the next thing he knew, his supposedly dead best friend came through the bakery’s door.

Everything was fast when they all met eyes. Zhongli clutched his head in pain before dropping to the floor which scared Qiqi to the point of crying.

Ajax was the one who snapped out of it when Qiqi was tugging on his clothes with her arms up. Lumine was frozen on her spot, trembling in shock. He immediately called for emergency, pushing aside his own flurry of emotions for Qiqi and Lumine.

He couldn’t keep up though, by the time help came and took care of Zhongli and Lumine, Ajax immediately called for Aether and Xiao.

It was when they all arrived at the hospital when Ajax could finally breathe, Qiqi was taken by her Aunt Keqing, Aether and Xiao started bombarding him with questions, but all they got was an exhausted man passing out in their arms.

It was when Ajax woke up again that he managed to explain what happened, Xiao and Aether had done their own digging and contacted Granny Shan. They managed to conclude what had happened to Zhongli for the past few years; Zhongli had been alive and was in a coma being taken care of by Granny Shan.

Xiao is overjoyed, he had been by his brother’s side ever since their reunion, only going out to buy food for everyone.

Aether, while being happy that Zhongli is alive, can’t help but worry how it will affect his sister and their family. Lumine is already a mess and he knows Ajax isn’t doing that well either. Keqing is trying her best to help, giving Aether all the support she could give.

Ajax took a deep breath before sitting down beside Lumine’s sleeping form. He rubbed his face in frustration, trying to control the overwhelming feeling of vomiting as he assessed their situation.

His phone began ringing before he could dwell on it more.

‘Aether’, the contact name displayed.

“Hey, Aeth?” Ajax greeted, tiredness in his voice.

“Papa?”

Ajax perked up at the little girl’s voice, clearing his throat to disguise the exhaustion from his voice, “Qiqi? What’s wrong, princess?”

“When are you and Mama coming home? Qiqi misses you.”

The sadness in her voice broke her heart.

“Mama and Papa are just taking care of something, okay? We’ll be home soon, don’t worry.” Ajax weakly laughed, “Isn’t sleeping over at Uncle Aether and Aunt Keqing fun? I heard your Aunt Xiangling joined too.”

“Yeah, Auntie Xiangling and Guoba came over. We baked a lot of sweets.”

“Yeah? What did you make?”

“We made lots of cupcakes, and cookies, and cakes. Qiqi also made Guoba a big cake, he ate it in one big bite, Papa!”

The giggle in her voice brought a smile to Ajax’s face, “It must be delicious then? Since my little Qiqi did it.”

As Qiqi talks about what she did, Ajax can’t help but feel slightly better.

However, as the call ends, a heavy realisation hits him.

Now that Zhongli is back in their lives, where does he stand in theirs?

A bitter chuckle escapes him as he leaned back and stared at the unconscious man in the hospital bed.

Looks like he’s going back to being alone, staring longingly at the family he wished he has.

“Was that Qiqi?” a timid voice made him jump.

“Yeah, she says she misses us and bribed us cupcakes if we can go back home as soon as possible.”

He received a quiet chuckle, “I wonder where she learned that from…”

Ajax laughed lightly as well.

There was a quiet moment that passed by.

“How are you feeling?” Ajax asked.

Lumine hummed, “I still can’t believe it...”

“Well, he’s right there, in the flesh.” Ajax joked, slight bitterness laced in his voice.

“Yeah… he is.” was the only response he got.

Silence filled them again, and Ajax had another urge to vomit due to his anxiousness.

He wants to know what Lumine is thinking, how Lumine is feeling, what Lumine will do.

If he still has a place in her heart.

He was about to ask, but soft snores from beside him caught his attention.

His insecurities began taunting him again. Mocking him as flashbacks of him watching his best friend get married to the girl he couldn’t reach resurface again.

He guessed Lumine and him are just never meant to be together.

Ajax wanted to curse the gods who gave them this fate.

The thoughts are getting louder and louder.

His face began to pale, sweat beads began to form as he slowly loses to the overwhelming feeling of the future he had been dreaming of, slowly burn and fade away.

And then silence.

He looked at Lumine sleeping form, her hand softly clutching his pants.

Ajax smiled softly, before intertwining his fingers with hers.

~~~

It was the next day when Zhongli finally had enough energy to stay awake.

Xiao was holding his hand, asleep beside him, only to be woken up by Zhongli getting startled by him.

It was a funny sight, they startled each other awake. They stared at each other for a whole minute before they burst out laughing.

He’s Zhongli’s brother, his little brother that he raised, of course, it wouldn’t take long for him to remember those golden cat-like eyes.

Xiao couldn’t help but ask him questions about what he could remember, and Zhongli had told him what he could. It was only then that Xiao realised he should tell everyone.

Aether was the first one to show up, bringing in food with him as well as his girlfriend. It took Zhongli a few pictures to remind him who he was, but once it triggered his memory, information about Aether started flowing easily in his brain.

He felt embarrassed when he can’t remember Keqing, but Aether explained they never met before and Zhongli felt at ease knowing that.

The room was filled with catching up conversation, a doctor coming in to check on Zhongli and happily announced that Zhongli’s showing much more improvement than they expected.

His last visitors finally arrived.

Zhongli can’t help but got his breath taken away when the blonde goddess that had been haunting his dreams finally walked through the door.

“Lumine…” her name unconsciously escaped his lips.

As if her name was the answer to it all, memories of her and their lives flash before him.

“Z-Zhongli…” she shakily called back, before her feet moved on their own.

Zhongli felt his heart burst when he wrapped his arms around her.

How he had longed to feel her warmth.

They held each other for a long time, they had forgotten about everyone else in the room.

Only being pulled back to reality when they heard a click of the door closing.

“Ajax.” Zhongli smiled at him.

The man smiled back, “Glad to see you alive, Zhongli.”

There was tension in the air that only Zhongli is oblivious to.

“Uhm, Aeth, I think we should go ahead and buy those medications Zhongli needs,” Keqing said wanting to leave the room as she felt like she’s intruding on someone’s privacy.

“Ah… yes, of course.” Aether cleared his throat as he grabbed Keqing’s hand, “You guys go ahead and… talk…” he excused himself to the door, giving Ajax a sympathetic smile.

“I… should also talk to the doctor about how long Zhongli will have to stay here.” Xiao excused himself, surprising Ajax when he hugged him, “I hope you’re alright.” he whispered before leaving the three alone in the room.

“Lumine, my love…” Zhongli smiled as he raised her chin to meet his before sealing their lips together.

Lumine tensed, but Zhongli couldn’t notice it, so lost to the feeling of remembering how much he missed kissing her.

Ajax turned away, pretending to be busy with fixing whatever he could find to distract himself from the sharp stab in his heart.

When Zhongli pulled away, he noticed the shock on Lumine’s face, he frowned, “I apologise… I couldn’t help myself, I should’ve considered how you would’ve felt kissing a man you haven’t seen in years.” he teased lightly.

Lumine laughed it off, watching Ajax from the corner of her eyes.

She and Ajax didn’t talk about what to do yet, yesterday they decided to visit Qiqi. It was difficult trying to pretend that everything’s fine in front of Qiqi. Thankfully the child didn’t notice how her Papa isn’t holding and kissing her Mama as much, nor did she notice how her Mama isn’t talking about how pretty Qiqi will be in her dress during the wedding.

They slept over Aether’s house.

Lumine and Qiqi staying over at the guest’s room while Ajax helped himself in Aether’s fully stocked bar before passing out on the sofa nearby.

The whole car ride wasn’t easy either as the two stayed silent, not quite sure how to approach the subject as well.

“Ajax, I heard about your work, I knew you’d reach high places.” Zhongli chuckled as he recalled what Xiao told him earlier.

Ajax smiled and talked as if nothing’s wrong, as if watching his beloved wrapped around someone’s arms isn’t hurting him.

Lumine isn’t feeling any better, on one hand, she’s still Zhongli’s wife in the brunette’s eyes, and there is still a part of Lumine that missed being wrapped around him, but on the other hand, she had already built something with Ajax, and not being able to support him right now is killing her.

But she couldn’t do anything, as much as she wants to, her feelings are confused as well, her head is filled with emotions that are making her sick that she spent her morning leaning against a toilet, even the smell of food is making her sick.

So now she just stayed there, trying the best she could to join in the conversation when Zhongli asks her some questions.

~~~

“I don’t see why I couldn’t go home with Lumine?” Zhongli frowned as Xiao informed him of their arrangement.

The doctors had given Zhongli the clearance to go home, the brunette is elated with the news, he can finally go home.

However, there seemed to be an uneasiness surrounding the room after the doctor left and Xiao explaining they will be staying together.

“The doctor said I would have a better recovery when I’m with my family, right?” Zhongli asked confused.

“It’s just…” Xiao trailed off, not sure how to explain to his brother about Lumine’s current life.

No one was able to explain it, Zhongli was too happy to be reunited with his wife.

“Your old home was sold,” Ajax said after no one is saying anything.

It stunned Zhongli, “Oh… Where have you been staying?” he asked Lumine who shifted uncomfortably.

“With me,” Ajax answered again.

Zhongli smiled, “Then I’m glad you didn’t have problems with that, I was worried I left you in a bad place. Thank you, Ajax, for watching over her. I hope we can stay there until we can find our own home then?”

Now everyone is uncomfortable, Keqing whispering to Aether to do something, Aether trying to do so, Xiao trying to come up with an excuse, Lumine was looking at Ajax and he knows what it means.

However, he also knows that Lumine isn’t ready, hell Zhongli probably isn’t ready to find out that his best friend is in an intimate relationship with his wife.

“Text Xiangling to clean the place, remove any pictures of us together and bring Qiqi to her place for now,” Ajax whispered.

Lumine nodded before fishing her phone.

“I don’t mind. It should give us time to talk about things.”

The other three people were stunned, Xiao protesting, “I think Zhongli should take a rest first, don’t you think so?”

Aether nodded, “It may be a bit overwhelming for him.”

Zhongli sighed, “I appreciate that you worry about me, but I would really like nothing than to go home with my wife.” the tone in his voice put an end to the discussion.

~~~

“Are you sure about this, Ajax?” Aether asked while they’re waiting outside of the room, “I kinda agree with Xiao that it’s a bit early.

“Lumine was about to blurt out our relationship earlier.” Ajax sighed, “We can at least talk about it at our place, Xiangling should be able to clean up all pictures of Lumine and me being together, and Qiqi will stay with her while we figure something out.”

“But can Zhongli handle it?” the blonde asked.

“The more we wait the more things will be difficult for us. Lumine’s already getting sick from anxiousness. I myself just want this to get it over with.” Ajax murmured the last part.

Aether eyes softened, “I’m really sorry that you guys are in this situation. I can’t imagine the pain you guys are going to but if you need to ransack my mini-bar, I’ll have it stocked up for you.” he tried to brighten up the mood.

“I’ll hold you to that, comrade.” Ajax chuckled, accepting the hug Aether gave him before he was left with a wish of luck and a pat at the back.

Another pair of arms were wrapped around him, “I’m scared.” she said quietly.

Ajax took a deep breath before hugging her close, “Just know that whatever decision you’ll make, I’ll accept it.”

Lumine looked up at him, “I don’t want to make such decision.” a tear rolled down her face, “I couldn’t.”

Ajax smiled sadly, wiping a tear from her cheeks, “You’re the best thing that ever happened to me, and nothing will ever change that. Even if you have to leave me, I’ll treasure all the memories we made.”

He leaned closer until their lips sealed.

It felt like a goodbye kiss.

Lumine didn’t like it.

~~~

The ride home was quiet, Zhongli was at the back with Lumine while Ajax drives. The two tries to keep up with Zhongli’s questions about what happened. Thankfully, they are more about the places he used to know instead of about their lives.

When they reached the door, something was terribly wrong, Ajax senses.

It started when he saw a rather familiar car in their driveway, and when they reached the door, there wasn’t silence at the other side of it.

He cursed.

“Is something wrong?” Zhongli asked.

“Uhm, I just forgot I haven’t done groceries and maybe we should eat out-” before Ajax could finish his excuse, the door flew wide open.

“Mama, Papa, you’re finally home! Qiqi missed you!”

[genshinimpactoneshots]

lumine and aether

  lumine:

Thinks about her brother all the time, knowing she must find him. She often has nightmares that include him. One of her nightmares had her running, trying to get to her brother. She couldn’t catch up to him no matter how fast she ran, only for Aether to tell her, “You’ve come too late.” 

She misses her brother so much. I want to see their reunion. Would Lumine just fall to her knees and cry? Run up to him and give a hug, wanting to stay in his touch forever? What would Aether do? 

  aether:

I assume Aether would cry when someone close to him, such as Paimon, braided his blonde hair. It’d remind him of his loving sister who would mess around with it, ending up in a braid. Maybe that’s why he keeps it in a braid, as a remembrance for something his sister would do all the time? 

I assume he also has nightmares, longing for his sister to come back and bug him. He knows, or assumes, that his sister won’t come back to him, so he must continue his search to find her.

[mothappreciator]

HOLY **** NEW QUEST

Archon Quest - We Will Be Reunited - Part 2

Click here for part 1

/

Major Spoilers Below

Omg the battle against the Herald looks so cool. The Herald tried to escape, but Dain stopped them and starts choking them out. I wanna see him use all of his power ahhhh

OUR BROTHER UHUDHUH? I didn’t think he would appear!! He looks so solemn, and Lumine is as surprised as I am

I wish their reunion would be happy :(( Poor Lumine wants to just get him out of here..

Aether says Dain is his enemy, and said we shouldn’t side with him. I wonder what caused the rift between them, because they were clearly pals beforehand. Also Lumine’s face :(

I didn’t think Dain was part of the royal guard (I wonder if the theory that Kaeya is descendant from the Khaenri’an dynasty is true hm) It’s a bit unfair to blame the destruction of Khaenri’ah on him.. like how could he realistically defeat those gods if the twins couldn’t even defeat one.

I’m guessing the gods cursed him with the immortality. It must be horrible to watch your people turn into monsters :( Poor Dain

Listen to your sister, Aether and come home w us :(( I hate seeing her look so sad

This is so foreboding AHHH I hope all the gods aren’t bad, but it sounds like most of them are, at least.

Dain chased Aether into the portal thing and now we’re all alone :( and uhhh weren’t we supposed to destroy this statue in case the abyss uses it again?? I wanna destroy it bc I don’t like seeing Venti like that :(

Anyways that was the quest and huh if it wasn’t a rollercoaster. The plot now has me gripped, and it has me even more hyped for Inazuma, too. Meeting our sibling was such a shock, and Dain’s character fascinates me even more. It was great to see Ganyu, Barbara, Jean and Razor as well. Even if they appeared for a short moment, it makes the world feel more alive

AHHH I’m just desperate for even more plot and lore crumbs.