Chapter 16. The Descender
Shocked, Paimon and Lumine's expressions were exceptionally stunned. Their mouths were wide open; they had completely not considered this possibility.
The Abyss Order's Prince?!!! This?! What kind of situation is this?!!!!
At this moment, Lumine also seemed to understand why Kuki Shinobu had been hostile towards her. If this identity were revealed, people on the continent of Teyvat would probably all be hostile towards her.
The words about the Abyss Order from Jean still echoed faintly in Lumine's mind. That gentle yet resolute Acting Grand Master, along with the Knights of Favonius, would certainly respond with great "kindness" if the truth about the Abyss were confirmed.
For a brief moment, Lumine stood there in a daze. She did not think that Futsu Mitama and the others were deliberately deceiving her. When they first spotted her in the crowd, the vigilance and faint hostility in their expressions had been unmistakable.
Which only made everything more confusing.
What exactly had her brother done? What she could not accept was this—how could her brother possibly join the Abyss Order?
That was impossible.
As his sister, she knew him better than anyone. No one in this world understood him more than she did. And yet, he had become the Prince of the Abyss Order?
No… that wasn't right. There had to be something else.
A conspiracy? The interference of that mysterious god? Or had her brother lost his memory?
In an instant, countless possibilities surged through her mind, each one trying to explain away the truth she did not want to face. She had already witnessed what the Abyss Order was capable of—driving monsters to attack civilians, intercepting caravans, attempting to overthrow Mondstadt City. Everything they did pointed clearly in one direction.
They were not a force of good.
She could not accept that her brother would stand among them.
"Oh, this…"
Paimon was the first to recover. She immediately floated in front of Lumine, spreading her arms protectively as she looked at Futsu Mitama, Kuki Shinobu, and Sangonomiya Kokomi.
"There must be some kind of hidden reason!" she insisted. "Even if the Traveler's brother is the Prince of the Abyss Order, she can't possibly be the Princess of the Abyss Order, right?!"
Futsu Mitama looked at her and chuckled lightly.
"She can be."
Shinobu nodded as well. Given how the Abyss Order revered the Prince, it would not be surprising if they extended the same reverence to his sister.
Futsu Mitama had already experienced this firsthand. When he previously clashed with the Abyss Order, he had seen how absolute their loyalty was. An Abyss Mage captured by them had endured days of interrogation without revealing anything, repeatedly stating that everything was for that "great one." Even an Abyss Lector, arrogant in defeat, had immediately bowed in submission upon seeing the Prince, begging forgiveness for his failure.
From this alone, it was clear—
If Lumine's identity were exposed, the Abyss Order would not hesitate to elevate her to a position of equal importance.
Paimon immediately panicked. "Th-this… this…!"
She waved her hands anxiously. "That can't happen! If the Traveler is connected to the Abyss Order, she won't be able to go anywhere freely anymore!"
Her voice grew more frantic. "She'll be wanted everywhere! The Abyss Order is hated in every nation!"
(Hmph, as if she wasn't wanted everywhere)
Lumine remained silent.
There was nothing she could say.
With her brother standing as the Prince of the Abyss, even if she denied everything, who would believe her?
"Alright, I won't tease you anymore."
Seeing Paimon's panic and Lumine's silence, Futsu Mitama smiled faintly and waved it off. "If there's something you want to know, just ask. There are some things even I don't fully understand, but for most matters, I know quite a bit."
Shinobu nodded slightly. Even now, she still did not know where Futsu Mitama obtained so much information, but there was no denying that he knew far more than ordinary people.
Kokomi also smiled gently. If Futsu Mitama didn't know something, he could simply ask within the Chat Group. Whether it was Zhongli, Yae Miko, or Albedo, there were always reliable sources.
Not to mention Raiden Makoto, Greater Lord Rukkhadevata, Venti, and others. As for Raiden Ei—
Kokomi wisely chose not to think about that.
"Eh?! Really?"
Paimon blinked in surprise. She had not expected that, even after learning about Lumine's connection to the Abyss, Futsu Mitama would still be willing to help.
Lumine herself looked equally surprised.
Why?
She could not understand.
"Mm." Futsu Mitama nodded. Looking at her, a faint trace of familiarity flickered in his eyes.
"Then…how did you meet my brother?" Lumine asked directly.
Futsu Mitama thought for a moment before answering honestly. "His subordinate, an Abyss Lector, tried to kill me and take something from me. You can think of it as a very valuable treasure. Worth over a billion mora."
"Wha—what?!" Paimon's eyes lit up instantly. "O-over a billion mora?! Traveler, did you hear that?! That's enough for us to live comfortably forever!"
Lumine's expression also changed slightly. Even for her, who had opened countless chests across Mondstat, the concept of that amount was staggering.
Paimon clenched her fists. "That's basically a life-and-death situation! If someone tried to steal something like that from me—even if they failed—I'd remember them forever!"
Lumine nodded lightly before asking, "Did he succeed?"
"No." Futsu Mitama smiled faintly. "I nearly killed him instead."
"Then your brother appeared. He was far stronger than you. And he wielded an ancient, magnificent sword."
Lumine's gaze flickered. She subconsciously glanced at her own weapon, then quietly put it away.
Futsu Mitama continued recounting what happened that day, including what he encountered in Mondstadt. He even mentioned how, just as he was about to resolve the dragon crisis, he was abducted by the Abyss Order and taken into the Abyss, only to be rescued by three Archons.
"Wait!" Paimon suddenly reacted. "You're…Futsu Mitama?!"
Lumine's eyes widened slightly as realization dawned.
"Yes, he is," Shinobu said, puzzled. "You should have heard of him."
Paimon scratched her head awkwardly. "We did… it's just… we didn't expect to meet you here."
"Jean told us to find you. We were planning to go to Inazuma—but instead we met you in Liyue."
Fate, it seemed, had its own plans.
"And why are you looking for the Anemo Archon?" Shinobu asked.
Most people would not actively seek out a god.
Paimon hesitated before answering, "Jean said he was the last person to see the Anemo Archon. So we wanted to ask him about it."
Then she looked at Futsu Mitama curiously. "But I don't understand—if you're connected to the Anemo Archon, how did you become the next Electro Archon?"
At that moment, Paimon's eyes were practically shining. Curiosity, gossip, and excitement were all written across her face as she leaned forward, clearly unwilling to let this matter go so easily. She wanted to know everything—how a person could be connected to both the Anemo Archon and the Electro Archon, and what exactly had happened in between.
Lumine also looked at Futsu Mitama with quiet curiosity. Even before meeting him, she had already heard fragments of his story. Someone favored by two gods—no matter how one looked at it, such a person could not be ordinary.
"Anemo Archon?" Kuki Shinobu repeated, her brows knitting slightly. "Why are you looking for him?"
Beside her, Sangonomiya Kokomi also showed a trace of confusion. In Teyvat, Archons were not beings one could casually seek out. Even in Inazuma, where everyone knew the Shogun resided within Tenshukaku, how many people truly dared to request an audience? Even the heads of the Three Commissions only met her occasionally, sometimes once a year, sometimes even less.
Liyue was no different. Everyone knew the Geo Archon protected the harbor, yet few would openly declare that they intended to find Rex Lapis. Most people sought the adeptus instead, climbing mountains like Mt. Aocang in hopes of gaining a trace of immortal fate.
And now, standing before them was someone who openly sought a Archon—
Moreover, someone with such a sensitive background.
How could they not be curious?
"Actually…" Lumine finally spoke.
Her voice was calm, but there was a weight beneath it. Slowly, she began to recount her past—how she and her brother were not from this world, how they had once wandered freely between worlds, and how everything had changed the moment they arrived in Teyvat.
She spoke of the cataclysm she had witnessed upon awakening, of the chaos that filled the land, and of her brother's decision to leave. She spoke of the unknown god who had appeared, blocking their path, and of the battle that followed—brief, overwhelming, and decisive.
They had lost.
Her brother had been taken.
She had been sealed, cast into a long, dreamless slumber.
When she awoke, everything had changed.
The disasters were gone, the world was peaceful, and the passage of time had become an unanswerable question. Left alone, she began her journey—to find that Unknown God, to uncover the truth, and to bring her brother back.
She spoke of meeting Paimon, of arriving in Mondstadt, of helping resolve the Abyss Order's conspiracy, and of being granted the title of Honorary Knight by Jean. She spoke of how she had learned of Futsu Mitama, and how that path had led her here.
When she finished, the surrounding fell into a brief silence.
Kuki Shinobu exhaled softly, feeling as though the amount of information she had just heard was almost overwhelming.
Kokomi, meanwhile, pressed her lips together slightly, her eyes filled with both shock and interest. The existence Lumine described—an unknown god capable of defeating beings comparable to The Seven Archons—was something that even Raiden Makoto had once referred to as a "taboo."
For a moment, both of them thought of the same possibility.
An existence comparable to The God of Time. An existence above The Seven Archons, one that even Venti treated with caution. The same being who had already suppressed him once.
If that were true—then the situation Lumine described was far more complex than it appeared.
"So that's the case." Futsu Mitama nodded slightly, his expression calm. "I understand."
He looked at Lumine and Paimon directly.
"In that case, I'll take you to see the Anemo Archon."
"Eh?"
"W-what?! Just like that?!" Paimon's reaction was immediate, her voice rising in disbelief.
Even Lumine was momentarily stunned. She had expected questions, doubt, hesitation—but not such a straightforward answer.
"Where is he?" she asked quickly, her voice steady despite the urgency beneath it.
Futsu Mitama shrugged lightly. "He's currently…restricted. But I have a way for you to contact him."
As he spoke, he sent out two invitations.
Lumine's body tensed instantly. She drew her dull blade, her gaze sweeping the surroundings with sharp vigilance. Paimon let out a startled cry and hid behind her, staring wide-eyed at the strange interface that had appeared before them.
Two options floated silently in the air.
[Yes]
[No]
"No need to be alarmed," Kokomi said gently, already understanding what Futsu Mitama was doing. "Just select 'Yes.' You'll understand soon enough."
Shinobu added with a faint smile, "Back then, I didn't even have the option to choose. I was pulled in directly. If you enter—you might be pleasantly surprised."
Paimon hesitated, her expression growing increasingly suspicious. "Why does this feel like a trap? What if our souls get locked up after we click 'Yes'? And then our bodies—"
"Why would I need to do that?" Futsu Mitama interrupted, clearly exasperated. "Do you really think I need tricks to deal with you?"
His tone was calm, but the meaning was obvious.
Paimon fell silent.
Lumine, however, did not hesitate any longer.
Without another word, she reached forward—
And pressed [Yes].
"Traveler!" Paimon yelped, then stomped her foot in the air. "Fine! If you're going, I'm going too!"
She clicked [Yes] as well.
In an instant, the world shifted.
A translucent interface unfolded before their eyes, filled with lines of text and unfamiliar names. The lively conversation within it paused the moment they appeared—
As if an entirely different space had just acknowledged their presence.
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