Inside the Ruins, Lumine, Paimon, and Dain had arrived before the Defiled Inverted Statue.
"Looks like we've made it," Lumine said.
"Creepy, withered... This room gives me the creeps. Now I understand what you meant by the oppressive atmosphere," Paimon added.
The Orb that had once been held by the suspended statue was now gone, and the Abyss Power had diminished significantly. Yet...
The unsettling feeling persisted.
Lumine drew her longsword, preparing to strike the statue. They had agreed on the way here: the statue must be destroyed!
Just as her blade was about to strike, the Abyss Herald materialized, blocking her attack.
"You again! And you too, Dainsleif, enemy of the Order!"
"I sense a terrifyingly bloody aura on you. Is it from a pitch-black nightmare, or... hmm?"
The Abyss Herald seemed to notice something, scrutinizing Lumine before continuing:
"Oho... How dangerous. You also carry that scent of 'decay,' one I know well..."
"Like us, you are a dangerous entity. But any dangerous thing outside the Order should be caged..."
Dain's face was cold.
"Tsk."
"Your tongue must have rotted for far too long..."
"It's time to cut it off!"
-
Player World
After completing the "The Little Spark That Burned Away" quest, players eagerly awaited the second part of "We Will Be Reunited."
Through their previous conversation with Dain, most players now understood that one of the Twins had a murky connection to the Abyss.
It was even highly likely that the Abyss's attack on Mondstadt had been orchestrated by the Opposing Twin. Fuelled by resentment, they returned to the original ruins.
[Damn it, Abyss scum! Kill him!]
[This time, we absolutely can't let him escape again!]
[I don't think the Opposing Twin is behind this. Think about it—since both Twins are protagonists, why would one be written to be so unlikeable?]
[Did anyone notice? This Abyss Herald emphasizes the Order, while that dog only cares about the Abyss.]
[Relax, the plot's obvious. The Twins will meet soon, and everything will be explained.]
-
The Abyss Herald was formidable, but still no match for Lumine.
After a fierce battle, realizing his defeat, the Abyss Herald opened a portal to flee.
But this time, he failed again.
Dain seized the perfect moment and directly seized him by the throat.
No matter how the Abyss Herald struggled, it was futile; he couldn't break free.
In the nick of time, Aether slashed his sword at Dain, the massive impact forcing Dain to retreat.
Lumine's pupils trembled as she stared in disbelief at the scene unfolding before her.
She had been searching for Aether for so long, eagerly anticipating their reunion. But now that they were finally face-to-face, her heart was a tangled mess of emotions.
"Your Highness the Prince!" the Abyss Herald knelt on one knee before Aether, offering his respects.
Paimon glanced at Aether, then at Lumine, back and forth several times, before exclaiming in astonishment:
"That, that person... could it be...?!"
"Aether!"
Aether gazed at Lumine with mixed emotions. "Sister..."
Lumine slowly approached Aether, who simply watched her. Five hundred years had passed since their separation...
Seeing Lumine approach, Aether took two steps forward.
But just then, Lumine abruptly drew her sword and lunged at Aether.
Caught completely off guard, Aether retreated rapidly, parrying each strike:
"Lumine, what are you doing?!"
Lumine remained silent, her attacks growing stronger with each strike.
She certainly had no intention of killing Aether. After all, they were siblings, and her bond with him was very deep.
But her friend had just died right before her eyes—she couldn't just stand by and do nothing!
Paimon was stunned by the scene. Wasn't Lumine always searching for her brother? But why were they fighting now that they had finally found each other?
"Dain, what do we do now? Think of something!"
"Dain? What exactly did you tell my sister?" Aether questioned Dain, then turned to Lumine. "Lumine, we can talk this through slowly. Don't believe that guy Dain's lies!"
Aether had already traveled through the Seven Nations, so his strength naturally surpassed Lumine's. But how could he ever hurt his own sister?
Not only could he not harm her, he also had to prevent her from hurting herself by using excessive force, making the fight extremely awkward.
"Why did you kill Rola?!" Lumine finally spoke after a while.
"Who?!"
Aether was stunned at first, then suddenly recalled the chaos that guy had caused in Mondstadt. He guessed Rola might have died in that incident.
"It wasn't me!" he explained immediately. "That guy has nothing to do with the Abyss Order!"
Seizing the moment while Lumine was stunned, Aether grabbed her hand, forcibly ending this absurd fight.
Lumine did not attack again, staring fixedly at Aether.
Seeing Lumine calm down, Aether released her hand and stepped back, glaring fiercely at Dain:
"My patience with you has its limits!"
"I merely told her what she needed to know," Dain retorted.
"Hmph!"
Aether took a deep breath:
"Lumine, I don't know what Dain told you, but as your brother, I assure you—he has absolutely nothing to do with me. He comes from the Abyss—the true Abyss."
"I'm hunting him down myself. He's our enemy too!"
Lumine gazed into her brother's eyes for a long moment before nodding slightly, acknowledging his explanation.
"Lumine, I don't know why you're with Dain, but I'm giving you this warning: don't trust him. He's my enemy!"
"Aether..." Dain's expression was complex.
"Lumine, don't try to stop me. Don't try to stop the Abyss Order...."
Aether pointed at Dain: "That man... Dainsleif. He was the Twilight Sword of Khaenri'ah's last royal guard. Five hundred years ago, he failed to prevent the destruction of Khaenri'ah."
"Cursed with immortality, he wandered the wilderness... forced to watch as the people he swore to protect transformed into monsters of the Abyss."
Meanwhile, in the live stream chat:
[I knew it! Even though they're from the Abyss, the Twins aren't villains... well, not purely villains!]
[Are all the Abyss monsters remnants of Khaenri'ah?]
[It's the Abyss Order, you idiot! The real monster of the Abyss is that son of a bitch!]
[Thank goodness, thank goodness! If even her closest brother were her enemy, I can't imagine how heartbroken Lumine would be.]
[Now the target of our vengeance is clear: the Abyss!]
-
Aether: "Before the Abyss drowns the Divine Throne, the Heavenly Principles and I still have an unfinished war..."
"Heavenly Principles?"
"Listen, Sister, I've already journeyed this path once. You must reach the end yourself, just as I did, to truly see this world's essence reflected in your own eyes."
The Abyss Herald opened a portal. Before leaving, Aether told Lumine:
"We will be reunited eventually."
"But there's no need to rush, Sister. I have all the time in the world to wait for you."
Lumine lunged forward, trying to stop Aether from leaving:
"Don't go!"
"Our time... has always been enough."
With those words, Aether stepped through the portal. Dain followed at the last moment, both vanishing into the Ruins.
Lumine stared at the Ruins floor, her mind in turmoil.
Her enemy was the Abyss, while her brother's enemy was the Heavenly Principles...