A/N: I have no excuse for this delay; it was truly my fault. I should probably start writing short chapters because writing long chapters isn't working, and sooner or later I'll have to start working, and that will consume a lot of my time.
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Continuing where we left off....
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I say the name of the girl I'm seeing with my own old eyes, almost unable to believe that even in this abyss I still remember her name.
By some miracle I still remain, by some miracle I still have a flame of life within me.
Around my neck, a small cord swayed slightly. In its center was a golden star. Its glow was almost imperceptible, but even so...
Its light still shone, visible to me. I let out a slight smile, holding back a slight urge to laugh at the absurdity of the situation, since my consciousness is now gradually returning.
"Who would have thought I'd see you here again... After all this time... Well... You're not the real Lumine. You're just a projection of a memory I kept hidden. Who would have imagined that you would indirectly save me. Heh. Oh... I can't forget you either, Paimon."
Neither of the two figures responded to my words. How could they? They are both just echoes of a memory I can't forget.
"You're right. I've been sleeping in this dark abyss for a long time, and I don't know if I'll have another opportunity to rise again."
As I say this, I begin to move my body, swimming towards where Lumine and Paimon are, my right hand extended, trying to reach Lumine's hand.
"Thank you for still being by my side after everything."
The moment my hand is about to touch Lumine's, it disappears in small, bright lights along with Paimon, but even so, I continue to swim to get out of the depths of this black sea.
My hand emerges from the black sea along with the rest of my body. I see a black sky with only a black hole in the center, a sight that gives a feeling of pure emptiness.
For some reason, I manage to stand using the black water itself as ground. I have some difficulty maintaining my balance, but I manage to stay steady after a few seconds.
"This... must be one of the manifestations of IX that Acheron told me about, and it's happening inside me. Amazing, as if my life couldn't get any worse."
During my brief moment of sarcasm, I felt a drop fall on my hair, then another. This wasn't ordinary rain; after all, given the place I was in, everything happening was abnormal.
The ocean itself began to move as if responding to my presence and my having emerged from the depths.
Small ripples grew in the black sea, circles spread for kilometers as if something were breathing beneath those waters and heading towards me—I had this premonition.
I stood motionless. I knew what was about to emerge, that the entity arriving had sensed my presence. The ocean opened before me in this dark place. There was no explosion, much less a roar.
The waters simply parted, and a huge shape began to slowly emerge; first a horn, then another, black scales breaking through the surface. Dark red lightning bolts coursed through every crack of that colossal body. A gigantic tail struck the sea, and the impact made this entire mental dimension tremble.
The dragon observes me, its golden eyes showing no anger or hatred, only pure confusion at seeing me standing.
It is at this moment that the great Dragon begins to emanate an electric light that causes it to gradually shrink until the creature changes appearance and form, becoming a copy of my appearance with the difference of horns, scales, and a dragon's tail.
A silence fell between us for a few seconds until she spoke first, breaking the silence.
"Why did you come back? Didn't you get what you wanted so much? Why are you only now rejecting your death wish?"
I remained silent after hearing my counterpart's words because her question made sense; I wanted to accept my death after everything I'd been through, I wanted to finally be able to rest forever.
But that's not what happened, and because of that, I can't accept this rest while I still have things I can't let go of.
My counterpart slowly tilted her head, and an expression of irritation slowly appeared.
"I thought you would never return. That you gave up on this journey of yours, the one you abandoned after you failed in your objective."
I remain silent after hearing her words and tighten the cord around my neck, as if I were seeking comfort or the presence of someone, even though I know she isn't there.
"You're right in what you said. I really wanted to finally rest forever after failing to bring Mash and my world back. But I still have unfinished business that I need to fix. Besides, my will is still alive, so as long as the embers of my willpower are burning, I won't stop."
I said this with a faint blue flame emanating from my right hand, and I know whose flame it is, and I let out a slight smile. It seems that even in this abyss, a certain Avenger of Flames still helps me.
My counterpart let out a low sound, something between a laugh and a sigh, as if she had heard something she couldn't understand.
"So that's all you needed? A weak vengeful flame that you think has the power to go against the conclusion of the destiny you sought?"
The waters and lightning began to swirl around my counterpart's body, gradually darkening the sea and sky even more with each turn.
"Ridiculous! You're pathetic! Having gotten what you wanted, you still think you have the right to continue living?! You failed to save your world, you failed to bring Mash back! All your goals were a failure or were thwarted, therefore you have no reason to still be standing!"
The entire ocean sank under her weight, and I could feel an enormous pressure emanating from her.
"While you had given up on living, I continued breathing. Just accept the end you desired and return to the abyss."
My counterpart opens her draconic wings, and red lightning crossed the void, making it clear that she is in control of this place, compared to me, who only has control of my will and my still weak soul.
But even so, I can't let that stop me. With this flame burning brightly inside me, I can't let this opportunity pass.
The necklace around my neck began to glow; the golden light reflected off the creature's black scales, and for a brief moment, the eyes of my other "self" wavered.
It doesn't surprise me that she recognizes this necklace; after all, we are the same person from the end of the day, so it makes sense that she recognizes it.
"So you still keep this... Even after you betrayed her during her journey."
"I already apologized for that, and I've already faced the consequences of my actions! And that's why I have to go back and see her again! And to do that, I need to return to the real world!"
I hold my pendant firmly and look at my other "self" with an expression of pure determination, ready to fight at any moment.
My counterpart remained silent for a few moments with her eyes closed until, when she opened them, all hesitation had vanished.
"Alright... If that's your choice..."
The ocean exploded in gigantic waves, and the white light above the sea began to fade. Darkness enveloped the horizon, and my counterpart summoned the same dragon that had appeared before, only this time in the form of a specter.
The dragon let out a roar that echoed across the entire dimension, and the sea responded with thousands of columns of black water rising around me like a prison.
My other self stared at me one last time, this time with a cold expression.
"Then show me... that you've finally found a reason to keep living."
The moment she said that, the dragon's specter vanished, and a colossal shadow appeared behind me.
I could barely keep up with the dragon's speed, and a red flash crossed the horizon. I could only react by instinct; I raised my arms, forming a small barrier.
The spectral dragon's claws struck my barrier. The impact broke the water, and the entire sea exploded around us.
I was thrown back like a leaf in the wind, and still in the air, I could see the dragon spinning its body, and a huge tail came like a meteor.
I tried to cross my arms again, but it was too late. The blow hit me squarely, and my body pierced dozens of columns of black water before reaching the surface.
The ocean opened a gigantic crater, and the cord slipped from my neck. The white flower sank slowly. I tried to reach it, but the dragon was already above me; its wings covered all the remaining white light.
The dragon opened its great jaw, and scarlet lightning concentrated between its fangs. An energy gradually grew until the sea itself began to tremble. I knew that if I received this attack head-on, there was no guarantee I would be able to stay standing, but I had no other alternative; my only option was to defend myself and prepare for the worst.
Then... the draconic breath was unleashed, and the light completely vanished from my sight. A great pillar of scarlet light covered a large part of the endless black sea, leaving a huge hole in the air that was quickly filled.
After a few seconds, I regain my consciousness and swim back out of the abyss, using the water's surface as a foothold. I see that the dragon's specter has disappeared, and only my counterpart, representing my mind, stands before me.
"I should have expected you to be stubborn, but I didn't imagine you'd be this stubborn, to the point of escaping IX's influence for the second time."
"Heh. For a representative of my mind, you really underestimate me. I'm determined to keep moving forward and I won't accept death until my willpower is exhausted!"
I say this with a brief moment when the blue flames of vengeance manifest in my right hand, though only for a brief moment that my counterpart notices.
"Alright. If that's the case... Then let's see how long your willpower will last."
As I say this, my Alter Ego disappears before me, and I widen my eyes. I only have a few seconds to react in time.
CLANG!
We collided, fist against fist. The impact opened a circular wave on the sea where we both stood.
I decided to retreat to have time to devise a plan, but my counterpart was already behind me and she kicked me, which I managed to block, but she started kicking again and again.
Each movement was familiar and each attack seemed to anticipate my next action. I tried to change direction, but my Alter Ego followed. I managed to make a sword appear in my hand, but my counterpart did the same thing.
Our blades clashed. Once. Twice. Three times. Sparks illuminated the darkness in this place covered by IX's influence. This time I managed to retreat successfully, having time to breathe.
She knows my movements, obviously she knows, we are the same person, the difference is that we represent different aspects and that makes this battle complicated.
My Alter Ego smiled, finding this battle we were having amusing. Seeing her smile irritates me, seeing her act that way, but I remain silent to prevent my anger from taking over.
"You're overthinking it. Which is ironic coming from me of all people."
This time I decide to advance towards her and attack, but Alter Ego dodges my attack and continues to taunt me.
"And you continue to be very predictable."
I spin my body, swinging my sword towards my enemy's head, but the blade passes centimeters from Alter Ego's face. This time, I manage to hit her and see a cut that went through her shoulder.
My counterpart recoils from me and blood falls into the sea, but as I expected, the wound begins to close.
"Regeneration... That's not fair! Why do you have it, but I don't?!"
"On a battlefield, nothing is fair. Besides, I'm the one controlling the body. You're just a passenger who didn't accept your own stop."
She advanced again, going for the counterattack, and I managed to block her attack. It was at that moment that we both disappeared and reappeared over the sea in a sequence of rapid blows.
Neither of us could dominate the other because we knew each other perfectly. It was at that moment that I realized something. My Alter Ego always attacked to survive; she never wasted movements, never risked more than necessary, and never fought out of pride. She was efficient, cold, and perfect.
But that's precisely why she's predictable to me, and I have a reason why I'm still fighting, and I can't accept defeat in this empty place.
I decide to wait for her and let my Alter Ego advance. I didn't block the attack and let the blow pass. The Counterpart's sword pierced my shoulder. The pain was agonizing, but I managed to prevail and not let it shake me, and I continued to move forward.
I held Alter Ego's arm and rested my own forehead against hers, smiling confidently.
"I got you."
The Counterpart's eyes widened in surprise, not expecting this bold idea of mine, and I chuckled at her reaction.
"You would never risk it if it meant dying. So I decided to take advantage of that."
Alter Ego remained motionless, and I seized the moment, throwing her into the sea with all my strength.
BOOM!
The black surface exploded from the impact of Alter Ego sinking into the dark sea, but she emerged a few seconds later with blood streaming down her face.
She touched her own lip and looked at the blood I had managed to draw out, and then she began to laugh.
"I understand. So I'm not going to hold back against you anymore. If you really want to take back control of your life, then attack me with everything you've got."
My alter ego said this, causing the spectral dragon to reappear behind her, but this time she merged with the dragon and began to transform.
The black sky began to crack due to the immense power emanating from the transformation, and the draconic energy exploded strongly enough that I had to cover my face and hold on tight to avoid being blown away.
The creature opened its wings, and lightning exploded around this dark dimension, and the creature let out a roar that pierced the sea. Wasting no time, the dragon charged towards me like a runaway train.
I raised my arms to prepare for the attack, but the impact threw it far away, and I ended up crossing the black ocean. And when it managed to regain its balance, the dragon was already on top of me, showing no mercy.
A gigantic jaw opened, and flames and red lightning concentrated in its throat, and I, experiencing this for the second time, had an expression of surprise; I recognized the danger immediately.
"Shit..."
The dragon launched its attack, and an explosion engulfed everything, darkening my vision again. The white light vanished, and the black sea rose to the sky.
I fell again, deeper and deeper.
The cord slipped from my neck; the white flower began to sink beside me. I tried to reach it, but my fingers slipped through it. The cord began to sink deeper and further until the light disappeared.
And for the second time, I sank back into the black sea, but this time I had lost the strength to try to rise again.
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The Abyss
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Darkness.
There was no pain.
No cold.
Not even the weight of the water.
I just sank once more.
The black sea embraced my body as if finally offering it what I had longed for for so long.
Eternal rest.
"It's so silent..."
I closed my eyes and for the first time since the destruction of my world, everything seemed distant. The voices disappeared. The battles disappeared. The memories disappeared.
It was easy to forget... I just had to keep sinking a little more and a little more...
Until then...
A small light appeared. Not above me, but beside me. It was a white flower floating in the darkness. The petals swayed as if there were a wind that that world had forgotten.
With what little willpower I had left, I extended my hand, and the instant her fingers touched the flower...
The black sea disappeared from my sight, and I now found myself sitting on a hill illuminated by the sunset, a wind carrying the petals through the air.
Lumine was kneeling before me, holding two small cords. Lumine, Paimon, and I were in an empty forest in Natlan, camping for the night.
"It's crooked this time."
I looked away after hearing Lumine's words, feeling a little embarrassed.
"I've never been good at these things. Besides, it was your idea to put me in charge of doing them! I don't know why you had such a silly idea."
Lumine chuckled softly, finding my response amusing, which only increased my irritation with this whole silly situation.
"You're a traveler like me and you've managed to save your world more than once... but you can't tie a cord properly? Pretty pathetic for a Fallen Star."
I grimaced in disgust after hearing Lumine and looked at her, annoyed by her laughter.
"I was focusing more on the survival of my world than shifting my attention to these little things. Besides, you have no right to laugh at me since you're terrible at it too."
"Yes. But unlike a certain stubborn someone, I know how to see my weaknesses and learn from them."
Paimon floated beside us, crossing her small arms with a dissatisfied expression.
"Paimon said you two would end up fighting over this again."
Lumine chuckled after hearing Paimon's words, and she finished tying a white flower-shaped pendant, delicately placing it in my palm.
"This is for you."
I looked at the cord Lumine had given me in my hands and glanced at her with a confused expression.
"This is for me?"
"That way you'll never forget the way back. After all, we both know that when we finish our journey here in Teyvat, we'll probably go our separate ways."
I remain silent after hearing her words, and I pick up another, simpler cord with a small golden star in the center, which I hand to Lumine.
"Then you keep this one."
Lumine observed the cord with the star reflecting the sunlight, and she looked at me with a curious expression.
"Why?"
I let out a slight, shy smile and slightly avert my gaze, knowing the words I was about to say.
"Because stars always find their way to each other."
With those words, my memory froze, the wind stopped, the colors faded, and the hill began to crumble, and I returned to the bottom of the black sea. The white flower was still in her hand.
"You're right... I failed to bring them back, and nothing I do will change the past."
With those words, I begin to swim upwards, but with more speed and with my heart ablaze with conviction, and then I grasped the cord with a white flower in my hand.
"But I would be disrespecting their memory and wishes if I ended my journey here!!!"
At the bottom of the abyss, a crystalline current emerged, a vibrant, transparent blue, and this current began to push me to the surface with a force strong enough to hurl me out of the sea, leaving me suspended in the air above my transformed Alter Ego.
"I will use this new life to forge a new future for myself!!!"
"Tch! How long will it take you to learn to accept your past choice?!"
With those words, my Alter Ego unleashes another beam of red lightning from her jaw in my direction.
Without hesitation, I summon a golden spear in my right hand and fly towards the rapidly advancing beam of lightning.
"Ahhhh!!!"
Pointing the tip of my spear towards the beam of light, my spear connects with my Alter Ego's attack, splitting the scarlet beam in two and clearing a path for my advance.
Gradually, my speed increases, and at the same time, that flame of vengeance engulfs my entire body. Seconds later, I transform, gaining golden horns on my forehead, red scales on my shoulder and arm, and longer hair.
My Alter Ego notices this change, but isn't quick enough to react in time. Like a lightning bolt, I pierce through my Alter Ego's draconic body the moment my own body is covered in... Electricity.
After my attack, the black sky begins to change color, transforming into a sea bathed in the light of the arriving sun, and due to the explosion of the attack, the waters that were in the air begin to fall upon us both.
Silence fell in the air until my Alter Ego begins to transform back into her humanoid form, and she stands behind me, her back to me, with the large hole in her chest that I caused.
"Alright. I lost. You can go. And this time, never look back."
With these last words, my Alter Ego disappears in the same way a Heroic Spirit returns to the Throne of heroes.
The sunlight illuminates the sea and my face, and I look at my left hand, which is holding the cord with the white flower that represents Lumine.
"This time... I will come back for you. I swear it."
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To be continued...
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