"I once fought a battle against a mysterious god with my brother and lost. After my brother was taken away by that unknown god, I fell into a deep slumber. Upon waking, I embarked on a journey to find him." Lumine sighed. "I don't know what has happened to him."
"I was happy when you said you had news of my brother. I met him not long ago, but I couldn't understand a word he said. He was like..."
"A riddler?"
Raiden Makoto listened to Lumine's story, but she seemed to have discovered something different. It turned out that Lumine and Aether had already reunited.
"Um..." Lumine turned back to look at Raiden Makoto, gazing into the girl's pale violet eyes. "So... if you could just tell me what you know, that would be enough."
"I'm actually the same, I suppose..."
"After being awakened by Ayaka, I had lost most of my memories. I remember having a sister, but I didn't know who she was or what she looked like, so I also set out on a journey to find her." Raiden Makoto smiled. "But now I know who my sister is and where she is."
"You... are just like me?" Lumine stared directly at Raiden Makoto's flawless, beautiful face, suddenly feeling a sense of kinship with her.
"Yes."
"You already know who your sister is and where she is, so have you gone to find her?" Lumine was curious; she was beginning to wonder what kind of person Raiden Makoto was.
Raiden Makoto shook her head.
"I don't know if I should go to her... after all, the current me isn't the person I used to be. My sister also thinks I have already passed away."
She only remembered that her sister existed, but all her memories regarding Ei were completely blurred. Having transmigrated from another world, she didn't know if she should see her sister right now.
In fact, Raiden Makoto originally intended to see Ei, but Yae Miko's words had discouraged her.
She had to know why Raiden Makoto had been resurrected, and she had to recover those memories so she could meet her sister in the best possible state.
"Sigh..." Lumine let out a sigh. "I can't give you any advice either. We're both in the same boat."
"Indeed."
"Fellow wanderers in the same plight."
"You just said... you've already seen your brother?" Raiden Makoto was curious. What she knew seemed to be limited to Lumine's experiences in Mondstadt. Lumine's brother was involved with the Abyss, and his goal seemed to be to resist the Heavenly Principles.
She knew nothing else.
"Yes."
"I see."
"But he only said things I couldn't understand at all before disappearing right before my eyes." Lumine's expression held a hint of anger. "Brother clearly knows..."
"Perhaps he is trying to protect you, Lumine." The corners of Raiden Makoto's mouth curled up slightly as she said in a gentle tone, "One day, you and your brother will be able to meet again."
The reunion of Lumine and Aether was absolutely inevitable.
"Thank you, Sister Zhen."
Lumine's golden eyes revealed a touch of gratitude. "Has anyone ever told you that you're a very gentle person? Sister Zhen..."
"Uh..."
"Maybe... I suppose so." Talking so much with Lumine was actually to gain her trust, and on the other hand, it was a form of recognition. She felt that with Lumine's power, she could help her.
She was, after all, a weak girl, not skilled in combat.
"What exactly was that great catastrophe five hundred years ago..." Her intuition told her that her brother becoming enemies with Dainsleif was also because of that great catastrophe five hundred years ago.
But no matter how she asked Venti and Zhongli about Khaenri'ah, they would never tell her anything about it.
"Sister Zhen, do you know anything about Khaenri'ah?" Lumine turned her gaze to Raiden Makoto. Since Thoma had said Raiden Makoto was all-knowing, she planned to seek information from her.
"Khaenri'ah?"
"I don't know."
Hearing Lumine say "Khaenri'ah," she felt a slight palpitation in her heart. The more Raiden Makoto thought about Khaenri'ah, the more her head began to ache.
The headache became excruciating... Raiden Makoto clutched her head with a pained expression. Seeing her in such pain, Lumine began to panic.
"Sister Zhen... Sister Zhen... What's wrong!" Lumine's cry of alarm drew the attention of Paimon and Thoma, who were talking nearby.
"Makoto... Makoto?! Are you okay!"
Not just them, even Kamisato Ayaka ran out from behind the screen. Ayaka's face was pale with alarm. Seeing Raiden Makoto lying on her side clutching her head, she said in a panic, "Did something happen to Makoto?"
"Makoto?"
However, Kamisato Ayaka's call received no response from Raiden Makoto. Ayaka then turned to Lumine and shouted angrily, "What did you do to Makoto? If anything happens to her, even if you are the hero who solved the trouble in Liyue, I will hold you accountable!!!"
"I..." Lumine was flustered and bewildered. She had only mentioned Khaenri'ah to Raiden Makoto; how could she have known this would happen?
"I..." She began to stutter, not knowing if it was truly her fault.
"Milady, we should worry about Makoto first." Thoma had never seen Kamisato Ayaka lose her temper like this, but he knew that Raiden Makoto was the priority right now.
"Yes, let's check on Makoto first." Kamisato Ayaka snapped out of it, but her face was still filled with worry. "Makoto, what's wrong?"
"What's wrong with Sister Zhen?" Paimon looked at Lumine, who had been talking with Raiden Makoto, but she only saw confusion and helplessness in Lumine's eyes.
"I don't know... I don't know why Sister Zhen became like that..." Lumine said anxiously, large drops of sweat rolling down her forehead. She even began to feel guilty.
"It's all my fault... I shouldn't have mentioned Khaenri'ah to Sister Zhen..." Lumine felt that it was because she had mentioned Khaenri'ah that something went wrong with Raiden Makoto, and her tone was full of self-reproach.
"Khaenri'ah?"
"Are you saying that after you mentioned Khaenri'ah to Makoto... she..."
"Yes."
Kamisato Ayaka couldn't help but exchange a look with Thoma. She blurted out, "Although I don't know what this Khaenri'ah you speak of is, could it be that Makoto's memory loss is because of Khaenri'ah?"
"I... I'm okay..." She just had a bit of a headache. Along with the pain, past memories began to surface in her mind, though most were blurry.
Except for the images of that day.
When the Eclipse hung in the sky, there were overwhelming flames and endless monsters.
"I'm fine, don't blame Lumine. It's just a bit of a headache... I can manage..." She endured the pain; she was aware of everything happening outside.
"Makoto... are you really okay?"
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