The air beneath the Windrise oak was calm, its ancient branches whispering softly as the wind carried the fading warmth of sunset.
Lumine sat cross-legged on the grass, golden hair brushing against her shoulders. Her amber eyes were fixed on Venti, who—wine cup in hand—was smiling that same infuriatingly relaxed smile of his.
Yet beneath that carefree grin, there was something else. A weight she couldn't quite name.
Venti sighed dramatically, then leaned back against the tree. "As a traveler from another world, it's only natural for me—Barbatos, the Anemo Archon—to keep an eye on you. You're… a rather unique existence here, you know?"
His tone was playful, but his gaze was sharp. "I had to make sure you weren't a threat to Mondstadt."
"So the bard disguise," Paimon interrupted, tilting her head. "It's so you can blend in, huh? To talk to people and drink for free?"
"Partly," Venti admitted with a mischievous grin. "Though I'd like to think I also do it for the music."
He turned to Lumine again, his expression sobering. "Even now, with your strength still recovering, I can tell—you were once far stronger. That power hasn't vanished. It's just… dormant."
Lumine hesitated, fingers curling slightly. "Then maybe you can answer this, Venti. Do you know a god—a woman with white hair—who stopped my brother and me when we tried to leave this world? She captured him… and sealed me here."
Her voice trembled, but she forced the words out. "Do you know who she is?"
Venti fell quiet.
His gaze flicked briefly toward Kael, sitting beside him in silence. The being Lumine described could only be one—the Sustainer of Heavenly Principles. The embodiment of Teyvat's laws. The very being Kael now partly embodied.
Telling her the truth now would be… disastrous.
"That wasn't Kael," Lumine said quickly, mistaking his hesitation for confusion. "It was a goddess. She appeared out of nowhere when we tried to leave. She's strong—stronger than anything I've ever seen. My brother and I…"
Her voice softened, almost breaking. "We didn't stand a chance."
Venti exhaled slowly. "Your brother… yes. I've seen him."
Lumine's head snapped up. "You have?!"
Venti's tone grew grave. "In the Abyss."
The words hit her like a hammer.
"In… the Abyss?" she repeated. "No. That can't be. He—he would never…"
Her mind reeled. The Abyss was chaos incarnate. Aether knew that better than anyone. Why would he ever join them?
Unless… he wasn't captured.
Unless he chose to go there.
"Was he taken?" she asked quietly. "Or… did he go of his own will?"
Venti's eyes softened. "That's something even I can't say for certain. But… I can tell you this much: five hundred years ago, your brother and his companions played a role in a great calamity—one that nearly tore this world apart."
Lumine froze. "A calamity?"
Venti nodded, voice low. "Your brother wanted to help Khaenri'ah, a human nation beyond Celestia's favor. They sought freedom—knowledge untouched by the gods. But in doing so, they attracted something darker. The Abyss answered their call."
Kael's gaze darkened, his hand tightening slightly around his cup.
"That war," Venti continued, "wasn't simply between nations. It was a collision between human ambition and divine law. The world still bears its scars."
He met Lumine's eyes. "When the Sustainer of Heavenly Principles appeared, it wasn't out of malice. It was to stop them. To preserve the balance of this world.
And when you and your brother tried to leave…" Venti hesitated, then sighed. "Maybe she feared it would happen again."
The truth was cruel—but so was Teyvat.
Lumine lowered her head, the ache in her chest growing heavier.
"So… everything that happened to me…" Her voice was quiet, trembling. "…was because of my brother?"
Silence.
Paimon floated closer, looking unusually unsure. "Lumine…"
Venti said nothing. For once, even his music could offer no comfort.
The truth hung between them—unforgiving, inevitable.
"If you want to blame someone…" Venti said at last, his voice heavy with a god's weariness, "then blame your brother… for causing trouble long before you woke."
Lumine didn't respond. She didn't cry. She simply looked down at her hands—the same hands that had fought, healed, and reached out to Aether so many times across countless worlds.
Now they felt… empty.
After a long pause, she lifted her gaze again. "Where can I find her—the white-haired goddess?"
Venti sighed. "That's not something I can answer. She stands above even us Archons. The Seven may rule their nations, but the laws of heaven are beyond our reach."
He studied her for a moment, then smiled faintly. "Traveler, when you continue your journey, remember this: don't chase only the end. The path itself matters too.
The birds, the winds, the songs, the people you meet—all of it is part of your story. The destination doesn't define you. The journey does."
His words were softer now, almost lyrical.
Lumine stared at him for a long while, then nodded. "…Thank you. I'll keep traveling. I'll find the truth about my brother, and about what happened five hundred years ago."
Venti chuckled lightly, though his eyes betrayed concern. "Just be careful, Traveler. The Abyss doesn't forgive curiosity. Don't let it swallow you too."
"I understand its danger," Lumine replied, her tone resolute. Then she turned to Kael. "Kael—you seem close to the Geo Archon. Could you… introduce me to him?"
Kael smiled faintly. "Morax and I are bound by a contract. And part of that contract means I can't reveal his mortal identity."
Lumine frowned slightly but didn't push. "I see. I'll find my own way, then."
Still, a small thought lingered in her mind: if Kael was this close to both Archons… perhaps he wasn't as simple as he appeared.
Kael stood, brushing the grass from his coat. "I'll be leaving for Liyue soon. The ley lines there are in turmoil. If I don't intervene, the corruption might spread."
Paimon's eyes widened. "You're leaving already?!"
Kael smiled. "Mondstadt's safe for now. It's time I moved east."
Lumine glanced at him. "Then I'll stay here a while longer. Acting Grand Master Jean said the Temples of the Four Winds are still tainted. Until we clear them, the monsters will keep returning. It's my duty to help."
Venti grimaced, rubbing the back of his head. "Ah… the Temples, right. Those things have been a mess for centuries. I'd help, but…"
He coughed into his hand, pretending to look frail. "I may or may not have spent all my divine energy in the last fight. I'm on… a bit of an Archon cooldown."
Lumine gave him a flat look. "Convenient."
"Hey!" Venti protested. "Even gods need naps!"
Kael smirked. "He's telling the truth. His power's drained. Give him a few decades—he'll be back to singing off-key in no time."
"Hey!" Venti threw a grape at him.
As the laughter faded, Lumine turned thoughtful again. "Kael… that attack you used earlier—the one that destroyed the three Golden King Beasts—what was that?"
Kael chuckled. "Oh, that? I call it Rasenshuriken. I modeled it after a move from a story in my world. A manga, actually."
Lumine blinked. "A… manga?"
Paimon tilted her head. "What's a mango?"
"It's not food," Lumine said quickly, suppressing a laugh.
Kael shrugged. "If you want to learn it, I can teach you. But your elemental control might not be enough yet. It's… volatile."
"I'll take that as a challenge," Lumine said, a spark lighting her eyes.
Kael smiled, seeing a glimpse of her old fire return. "Good. You'll need it. The road ahead only gets harder from here."
The wind shifted, carrying the faint echo of Dvalin's roar from afar.
Somewhere deep in Mondstadt's heart, the city's people sang songs of victory and freedom.
But as the last light of dusk faded behind the hills, Kael could feel it—the tension lingering beneath that peace.
The Abyss hadn't retreated. It was merely waiting.
And soon enough, the wind would carry its shadow once more.
To be continued