In the end, Lumine collapsed into Aether's arms, tears streaming uncontrollably down her face.
Throughout her journey, she had endured so much, lost so much. Her heart had become a tattered, bleeding mess, each wound weeping fresh blood.
She desperately needed comfort, and Aether was precisely the person to provide it.
Aether gently patted Lumine's back, his own eyes beginning to redden.
His own journey had been arduous enough. He had hoped that with the shifting tides of fate and the restoration of peace in Teyvat, his sister would be spared such hardship...
But it was now clear that Lumine's path had been no easier.
Only when her tears had completely soaked Aether's shoulder did Lumine finally regain her composure and pull away.
As Aether felt Lumine's absence, the emptiness in his arms left him with a sudden sense of loss.
Regaining her senses, Lumine noticed everyone gazing up at the starry sky above. There, purple-black and pink energies continued to clash and intertwine.
Mavuika and The Captain had already departed while Lumine and the Temporal Husk were locked in their intense battle.
They couldn't intervene in the celestial conflict, but they could still influence the ongoing war within Natlan.
The Gods waited for over half a day, but the battle in the starry sky showed no sign of concluding. Judgment decided to take Lumine back to Natlan first.
Lumine's injuries were severe, and even with Rukkhadevata's initial treatment, she hadn't fully recovered. Coupled with her severe mental exhaustion, she desperately needed rest.
Lumine felt a slight reluctance about returning to Natlan. After all, Tartaglia and the other Fatui Harbingers were there, along with Ailina, who served under Angie.
Angie had been perfectly fine when she left with Lumine, but now she had returned in this state. How could Lumine face Childe? How could she face any of them?!
Even though none of this was directly her fault, the guilt she felt remained undiminished.
Paimon too...
Ah, right, Paimon!
Too preoccupied with the chaos, Lumine had subconsciously overlooked her companion. Now, recalling their earlier exploration of the Serenitea Pot, she suddenly realized Paimon hadn't been there!
Lumine immediately submerged her consciousness into the Serenitea Pot. There, beside the cultivated fields, lay Paimon's tiny figure, fast asleep.
As her consciousness drew closer, she observed the little creature breathing evenly, sleeping soundly.
A smile stretched across Lumine's lips.
What a carefree little one.
-
Natlan.
The Abyss threat here had been completely eradicated, thanks to the pervasive reach of the Ode of Resurrection. Following the recent ritual, Natlan had achieved near-zero casualties!
The only confirmed deaths during the war seemed to be those of Angie, Ishkab, and Fidelle, all Pure Souls.
Despite such a resounding victory, a heavy atmosphere still hung over all of Natlan.
Everyone knew that the conflict here was merely a sideshow; the true battle, the one that would determine the outcome of the war, raged in the Dark Sea beyond the horizon, its colossal clashes echoing across the land.
That night, the makeshift base erected on Natlan's outskirts had been transformed into a Fatui stronghold.
All the Fatui Harbingers and soldiers had encamped there.
Around a campfire, "The Captain," "The Damselette," "The Knave," "The Marionette," "La Signora," and "Childe" sat in a circle.
A tense silence fell over them, broken only by the occasional crunching sound of "The Maiden" devouring grilled meat.
"The Captain" recounted everything that had transpired in the Dark Sea, his deep, resonant voice echoing around the fire, painting a vivid picture of the battle that had surpassed mortal comprehension.
Though Lumine and the Temporal Husk's duel hadn't concluded when he returned to Natlan, its aftershocks had already erupted multiple times, shattering the Dark Sea itself.
"To... actually obliterate the entire Dark Sea..."
"Truly... a terrifying power," The Marionette murmured to herself.
Columbina's chewing abruptly stopped, her oil-stained lips pressed into a thin line.
"That Traveler..." Lady Rosalyne whispered, her voice trailing off as her gaze fixed on the flickering flames.
Suddenly, Tartaglia jerked his head up, his blue eyes filled with urgency and worry. "Captain! What about Angie? She's been with the Traveler all this time. Is she... is she alright?"
Tartaglia's words immediately drew the attention of all the Harbingers, their gazes snapping back to Capitano.
Capitano silently shook his head, his heavy helmet concealing his expression.
"I saw no sign of Angie. The battle's intensity was too great, its aftershocks too devastating. We couldn't approach and had no way of knowing her condition."
"On the way back, I questioned Mavuika about Angie. She clearly knew something but refused to tell me."
Capitano's voice was heavy with foreboding. He knew that if Angie were safe, Mavuika wouldn't have hesitated to reassure him. This could only mean something had happened to Angie.
Tartaglia and the others shared the same unsettling premonition. A wave of dread instantly gripped Tartaglia's heart.
The color drained from his face in an instant, leaving his usually battle-lustrous blue eyes filled with panic.
He bolted to his feet, his sudden movement knocking over the wooden stake behind him.
"What exactly happened to her?"
Tartaglia's voice rose involuntarily, tinged with a tremor he didn't even realize was there, and a raw, undisguised urgency.
"Captain, did the Pyro Archon really say nothing at all? Not a single word?"
Capitano shook his head again.
"How could this be...?"
Tartaglia took a deep breath, but it failed to quell the turmoil in his heart.
The campfire's flickering light danced across his face, yet failed to pierce the rapidly gathering gloom in his eyes.
The oppressive silence of the other Harbingers weighed on him like a massive stone, nearly suffocating him.
Just as the suffocating silence stretched on, a faint but distinct series of footsteps approached from the distance.
All eyes turned toward the sound, where the golden-haired Traveler—Aether—emerged alone from the camp's shadows, his face etched with unconcealed exhaustion and his body still bearing traces of dust and lingering energy residue.
After returning to Natlan, he first settled the exhausted Lumine before coming here.
His arrival immediately drew the attention of all the Harbingers.
This was the one the Traveler had been searching for all along—her blood relative!
The Captain immediately stood up. He had fainted during the battle and hadn't noticed Aether leaving.
Aether first met the Captain's gaze. Though he couldn't see the Captain's face beneath his mask, he recognized him.
Thrain, Sentinel Knight of Khaenri'ah...
Aether placed his right hand over his chest and gave the Captain a Khaenri'ahn military salute. The Captain silently returned the salute.
Now wasn't the time for formalities. Aether had come with a purpose.
After so many years as siblings, he knew exactly what Lumine was thinking. That's why he had come.
And he had brought...