Chapter Text
They both stayed like that, wrapped around each other's arms as the truth came to light. Lumine sinks into Aether's right shoulder, babbling apologizes over and over again as if she were a broken record. Aether's head was spinning from all the confusion and exhaustion that Lumine had brought to him. His eyes were still red and puffy from the tears he had spent his energy on.
After a while, the headaches gradually decreased. Both began to slowly calm down from the emotional high. Their arms reluctantly slid away from each other's back. They stood still, neither one of them having the courage to speak up.
You should say something, Lumine struggles internally. She needed to fix whatever this situation was anymore.
"So uh, what now?"
Yeah, real smooth Lumine. Not awkward at all.
Aether didn't smile back like he used to- Lumine flinches, restraining herself to not recoil away -nor does he make any indication or a gesture to answer her. Aether just stood still. Living the moment, breathing all the same, yet empty as the abyss itself.
Lumine fiddles with her hands behind her back. Wondering if she should just leave and never come back here ever again. It would spare them both the inner turmoil. Just as she was considering doing just that, Aether silently breathes out in frustration.
"I thought you were my sister. And I was really glad to see you safe and sound." Aether begins a smile so out of place laced on his lips. Lumine stands still, waiting patiently for his next words.
"But you've tricked me. Multiple times at that. You were very... cruel. To keep up the act. Pretending to be my real sister and everything." to add to that Aether smiles a bit more widely, this time looking straight at Lumine.
"I'm never going to forgive you for that."
The wind curls through their hair. The birds were singing, and the trees around them danced in the breeze as the silence continues.
Lumine swallows down air. "I- yeah, that's fair enough." she mumbles.
From above the fake sky, much more vast than the universe, fate howls in satisfaction. This world would not face its doom just yet.
Ever since that day, Lumine did not dare to enter his world ever again. Instead, they communicated with each other from their own worlds.
"Hey, Lumine?" Ever since that day, Aether began asking a lot of questions. And Lumine had to hold back from throwing herself off Dragonspine's highest point when she noticed his questions were less from innocent curiosity, but more from burnt out and his realization that his journeys had been pointless.
"Yes?" Lumine answers despite all that because she will always answer no matter what happens.
"When will I get to see my sister again?" Aether doesn't know why he had asked such a question. Perhaps Aether had thought he could still keep his hopes up even after losing every single one of them.
"..." Lumine goes silent.
"I know you're stronger than me." Aether knew Lumine had traveled far longer than him.
"Of course I am." Lumine answers. It was the truth after all. Lumine was far stronger than him.
"That means you know much more, right?" Aether pushes because he needs some sort of lead. Anything to stop the brutal reality telling him that he had nothing left. That his real sister purposely left him while the Lumine he traveled with wasn't his real sister at all.
"Yes, but I haven't finished my journey either. So until we find our siblings, let's stick together, okay?" Lumine promises because that's the only thing she could keep for the time being.
"...Alright." Aether doesn't keep up the conversation.
Lumine knew Aether's feelings were justified. From his perspective, he had lost his sister to the unknown god, found his sister(who was actually Lumine) again just for his sister(who was actually Lumine) to leave, for his sister to come back as the abyss princess, and for his sister(who was actually Lumine) to return to him as if nothing had ever happened. For Aether, the lines of reality and fantasy had been stomped on, run over, and put back together just because Lumine couldn't be a decently reasonable person and tell Aether the truth from the very start.
And yet even so, deep in her heart she wished she could be forgiven, undeserving as she was. That everything could go back how it was.
Lumine she, wanted that. More than anything fate could reach them. Aether, the one Lumine had climbed rooftops with was not her brother(her cruel brother who just left her in that domain, and never appeared in front of her in the Chasm) and perhaps never will be. However, Aether was still someone she had promised to travel Teyvat with. Even if that Teyvat was not her own.
Lumine just wanted to have fun again. And she wanted Aether to have fun again as well.
So with that in mind, Lumine makes up her mind and takes action.