Inside the ruins.
In front of the Defiled Statue of the Seven, Lumine, Paimon, and Dainsleif had already arrived.
"It seems we've arrived."
"A strange, withered... unpleasant room. I understand the bad atmosphere you mentioned now."
At this moment, the orb in the hand of the suspended statue was gone, and the Abyss power had been greatly reduced, but...
That unsettling feeling still lingered.
Lumine drew her longsword, ready to strike the statue.
They had already discussed it on the way here; this statue had to be destroyed!
Just as the longsword was about to strike the statue, an Abyss Herald suddenly appeared, blocking Lumine's attack.
"It's you again, and you, the enemy of the Order, Dainsleif!"
"I can sense a terrifying scent of blood on you. Is it from a pitch-black nightmare, or... Hmm?"
The Abyss Herald seemed to notice something, and after careful confirmation, he said again:
"Oh, oh... How dangerous. You also have that scent of decay, which feels familiar to me..."
"You and we are both dangerous things. But dangerous things outside the Order should be kept in cages..."
Dainsleif's face was cold:
"Tsk."
"Your tongue has probably decayed for too long..."
"It's time to cut it off!"
---
Player World.
After the 'Blazing Embers!' quest, players welcomed the second part of the 'We Will Be Reunited' quest.
Through previous conversations with Dainsleif, players more or less knew that the other twin had an unclear relationship with the Abyss.
It was even highly possible that the Abyss attack on Mondstadt was orchestrated by the other twin, so they returned to the original ruins with resentment.
: "Damn it, Abyss guy, kill him!"
: "This time, he definitely can't escape again!"
: "I don't think it's possible that the other twin did it. Think about it, since both twins are protagonists, it's unlikely that the other one would be set up to be so annoying, right?"
: "I don't know if everyone noticed, but this Abyss Herald emphasizes the Order, while that bastard emphasizes the Abyss."
: "What's the rush? From the plot, it's clear that the twins will meet soon, and everything will be clear then."
---
The Abyss Herald was strong, but still no match for Lumine.
After a round of combat, the Abyss Herald, knowing he was no match, opened a portal and attempted to leave.
However, this time he still did not succeed.
Dainsleif seized the opportunity and directly seized the throat of his fate.
No matter how the Abyss Herald struggled, it was futile; he simply couldn't break free.
At the critical moment, Aether slashed at Dainsleif with a sword, and the huge impact directly pushed Dainsleif back.
Lumine's pupils trembled as she looked at everything before her in disbelief.
She had been searching for Aether for a long time, always looking forward to their reunion, but now that she truly saw him, her heart was so complex.
"Your Highness, the Prince!"
The Abyss Herald knelt on one knee before Aether, saluting him.
Paimon looked at Aether, then at Lumine, back and forth several times, and exclaimed in surprise:
"Then, that person, could it be...? !"
"Aether!"
Aether looked at Lumine with a complicated expression: "Sister..."
Lumine slowly walked towards Aether, who simply watched. Five hundred years had passed; he had been separated from his sister for five hundred years...
Watching Lumine walk closer, Aether also took two steps forward.
But just then, Lumine suddenly drew her longsword again and directly attacked Aether.
Aether had not anticipated such a development, and while parrying, he quickly retreated:
"Lumine, what are you doing!?"
Lumine said nothing, only attacking with increasing force.
She naturally didn't want to kill Aether; after all, they were siblings, and her feelings for Aether were very deep!
However, with her friend dying right before her eyes, she couldn't do nothing!
Paimon was stunned by the scene before her. Wasn't Lumine always looking for her brother?
But why, now that she found him, were they fighting?
"Dainsleif, what do we do now? Quickly, think of something!"
"Dainsleif? What exactly did you tell my sister?"
Aether also began to question Dainsleif, then looked at Lumine:
"Lumine, we can talk about anything slowly. Don't believe Dainsleif's lies!"
Aether had already traveled through the Seven Nations, and his strength was naturally not comparable to Lumine's, but how could Aether possibly harm his own sister?
Not only could he not harm her, but he also had to prevent Lumine from hurting herself by using too much force, so he fought extremely awkwardly.
"Why did you kill Ruola!?"
After a while, Lumine finally spoke.
"Who!?"
Aether was first stunned, then suddenly remembered the commotion that person caused in Mondstadt, guessing that Ruola might have died in that incident.
He immediately explained:
"It wasn't me! That guy has nothing to do with the Abyss Order!"
While Lumine was momentarily stunned, Aether grabbed Lumine's hand, forcibly ending the absurd battle.
Lumine also stopped attacking, staring intently at Aether.
Seeing Lumine calm down, Aether released her hand, stepped back, and glared at Dainsleif:
"My patience with you has its limits!"
"I merely told her what she ought to know."
"Hmph!"
Aether took a deep breath:
"Lumine, I don't know what Dainsleif told you, but as your brother, I assure you, that guy truly has nothing to do with me; he comes from the Abyss, the true Abyss."
"I'm also looking for him; he's our enemy too!"
Lumine looked into her brother's eyes. After a long moment, she gently nodded, acknowledging Aether's explanation.
"Lumine, I don't know why you're with Dainsleif, but I'll give you a piece of advice: don't trust him. He's my enemy!"
"Aether." Dainsleif's expression was very complex.
"Lumine, don't stop me, don't stop the Abyss... Order."
Aether pointed at Dainsleif: "That person... Dainsleif. He is the Twilight Sword of the last Khaenri'ah Royal Guard. Five hundred years ago, he failed to prevent the destruction of Khaenri'ah."
"At that time, he was deeply afflicted by the curse of immortality, wandering the wilderness... only able to watch the people he wanted to protect turn into Abyss Monsters."
At the same time, in the live stream.
: "I knew it, although they both belong to the Abyss, but... the twins shouldn't be villains, erm... not pure villains!"
: "Are the Abyss Monsters all remnants of Khaenri'ah?"
: "It's the Abyss Order, you idiot! The true monster of the Abyss is that bastard!"
: "Thank goodness, thank goodness, otherwise, if her closest brother were an enemy, I can't imagine how heartbroken Lumine would be."
: "In that case, the target for revenge is clear: it's the Abyss!"
---
Aether: "Before the Abyss submerges the divine seats, I still have an unfinished war with the Heavenly Principles..."
"Heavenly Principles?"
"Listen to me, sister, I have already had one journey. So, you too must reach the end like me, only then can you see the world's essence with your own eyes."
The Abyss Herald opened the portal. Before leaving, Aether said to Lumine:
"We will be reunited."
"But there's no hurry, sister. I have enough time to wait for you."
Lumine immediately rushed forward, trying to grab Aether, who was about to leave:
"Don't go!"
"Our time... has always been enough."
With that, Aether walked into the portal, and Dainsleif also followed in at the last moment, disappearing into the ruins.
Lumine gazed at the floor of the ruins, her mind a bit muddled.
Her enemy was the Abyss, while her brother's enemy was the Heavenly Principles...
.
.
.
_