It was her alright. Or at least someone that looked identically like her, only her outfit was different, but still looked like something she would wear in this weather... but her eyes. There was none of that beautiful shimmer in them - she looked like an empty shell and I was terrified of what he did to her.
"Oh my! If it isn't our Childe! And with two archons no less!" He said spreading his arms and mockingly bowing to the two men next to me. "And whatever that is..." He added looking at Paimon that for once ignored being belittled. She was just as shocked as anyone else, but she was the only one who wasn't looking at The Doctor with rage - instead she looked at Lumine that just stood there motionless as if waiting for something. He realized the object of her gaze and grinned wide with his awful smile. God, was I glad he always wore his mask cus if I saw any more of that face I'd probably want to crash it against the frozen pavement right now. "Isn't my latest creation amazing? Oh wait... Weren't you that pixie companion of her that we heard earlier?" He asked looking at me and I honestly regretted the fact that I didn't make sure my report from Liyue was witnessed by no one else than Tsaritsa and Signora, maybe then he wouldn't find a new test subject in Lumine.
"What did you do to her?" Asked Venti getting visibly angry which surprised even Zhongli. I heard that the anemo archon was an ultimate pacifist and didn't even try to fight back for his gnosis once it was taken so I certainly didn't expect to see the angered look in his eyes once he saw the girl standing in the back.
"Just some small experiment of mine." Dottore laughed. He was always high of himself. Well, he was pretty strong and experienced, but I think that I could easily stand on even ground against him right now. "I wonder, why don't I test it in combat..." He mumbled and I knew what he meant instantly. He started walking towards the golden-eyed girl and then Zhongli suddenly lanched at him, with a polearm in hand - however, something that none of us expected was that Lumine was the one, who stood between him and Dottore - blocking Morax's attack with a sword, but not her usual sword - it was one of those that doctor was working on.
"Zhongli, move back!" I shouted but before he heard me, his weapon shattered in his hands. Luckily he evaded her back strike at the last moment.
"What just happened?" Asked Venti summoning a bow into his hand.
"Lumine..." pixie whispered.
"Dottore was working on energy-absorbing weapons, anything that's using magic won't work against it," I said moving my sight on the man himself as he slowly tried to step away. "Trying to run back to your hole?" I figured and patted Venti on the shoulder, quietly telling him to try to withstand the attacks for as long as they can as I moved into the side alley. Luckily for me - I knew well, where Dottore's lab was and it was the only place where he could go right now, so I followed hoping to find whatever was controlling the girl in this place.
Childe ran off after the other harbinger. The fact that we couldn't use our abilities against her wasn't much of an issue since neither I nor Barbatos had any intention of hurting Lumine, she was a friend after all and unlike Childe - we didn't like the idea of fighting friends.
"Lumine get a hold of yourself!" Screamed the little floating creature in the background with a pleading voice that you would never imagine to leave her lips. She was probably just as desperate as us to get the traveler to get back to her senses... That is if the girl that we fought even was the traveler. For this being had no soul in it and both me and Barbatos could probably sense it. Whether it was her actual body or not, we couldn't tell - but it definitely was just an empty shell... As if her eyes didn't expose this much. They were completely dead. Dry to the point no light would be reflected in them but she had no need to scratch them or even blink since such a soulless existence doesn't feel the need to live not to care about their well-being. That said, it probably also was the reason as to why she brainlessly launched at me time after time, not analyzing any of my movements making it easy for me to dodge but not giving us any time to react, since she didn't react to the fatigue of her body either. She was like a robot.
I wasn't sure what was happening in my mind. I could see what was happening outside even though I was sure that I never left the glass container, the creature in the one next to me did. She was given my clothes and some weird unfamiliar weapon... And now... She was fighting. Continuously trying to attack Zhongli... Venti was there too but he clearly didn't know, what to do... I didn't know what to do either. I didn't want to fight my friends but all I could do was see what that other one had before her eyes. I couldn't control her movements but I felt that the power was drained from me anyway... Probably because of these cords again.
I saw Childe with them earlier but he wasn't there anymore... Dottore left as well. Did he betray us again? Did he plan this all along? No, he couldn't have. Neither Venti nor Morax would be stupid enough to let themselves be fooled and Paimon also trusted him enough to be there with him. Childe probably wasn't a bad person after all... He probably had a reason to fight me before just as much as he had a reason to try and protect me even though he had no strength to do that at all... And now he was here with Paimon and Zhongli, even Venti was here. Did it mean that they came to help me? I honestly never thought that I'd be the one needing help from them someday. What was I even doing here? Dottore betrayed his orders, didn't he? He didn't go to the abyss but brought me here instead. How did he do that again? I didn't remember.
"Pixie! Go after Childe!" I heard Zhongli call out to Paimon. It was weird hearing them echoing in my head even though I wasn't physically there. If I could do anything I would tell them where I am and stop attacking... But I couldn't. I could only watch as my copy brainlessly attacked Zhongli, not even bothering to dodge Venti's arrows when he shot them, but she probably didn't feel any pain. I did though. It was like all the cords in my body had us connected somehow... Like she sucked my power out through them, while all I got back was what her nerves felt - but even feeling the pain I still couldn't move or fully open my eyes for that matter.
Someone opened the door to the laboratory. Probably Dottore came back. I could hear nervous footsteps running towards the container where I was. A short while after they stopped I felt like even more power was being drained from me, but I still couldn't move. Energy slowly leaving me. He probably realized that there's no way that this copy of myself can defeat them and needed to power her up more... But it still won't work... No matter how much energy he would take from me, it wouldn't...
*Crack*
Suddenly I heard the glass shatter. The green liquid around me was lowering and my body along with it.
"Lumine!" I heard someone calling out to me and suddenly I felt a weird unexpected warmth.
I slowly opened my eyes to see Paimon floating above me as I was sitting against the broken glass, covered with unfamiliar dark brown clothing, laid out with fleece inside, after a short moment I realized that this is the same looking cape as the one Childe and Zhongli wore. After looking a bit to the side I saw Childe kneeling next to me but facing the doctor that stood at the other end of the room.
"Paimon." He said suddenly in a different tone than I was used to hearing him speak with. The last time I heard him speak like that was when he was talking to a fatui recruits, before realizing that Teucer and I watched him from the side. He always spoke with a warm and cheerful manner when he talked to me, but I never seemed to acknowledge it. Was his current tone the one he had when he was in his harbinger state? Or was he purely angry about something? But what would he be angry about? Dottore going against his orders? I meant he definitely knew, who was supposed to research abyss, right? "Stand back a bit. You're going to get in the way." He added. With each word, his voice seemed angrier and angrier. I couldn't see Dottore, but I could tell that he took one step back from the sound that echoed around the room. Childe on the other hand took a step forward.
"It's ten years too early for you to measure yourself with me, Childe." He said, yet no matter how he seemed to be cocky - you could easily hear a bit of fear in his tone. I think that it was justified, Paimon also looked scared for some reason and she clearly looked at Childe, not the other he this scary when he was angry? I remember him being a bit angry at me once when he thought I took the gnosis... but his voice was completely different back then. He sounded excited about fighting. This time all you could hear in his voice was pure rage. I didn't see what happened next. I closed my eyes after seeing a flash of electro in the corner of my eye that appeared multiple times. They weren't saying anything anymore but I could tell that Childe had the upper hand and that he probably used his transformation again. He was enraged. Paimon had wide opened eyes as if being terrified of what she saw there. After another flash, she suddenly came closer to me as if trying to protect me from something but before she reached me I realized that I'm being carried by someone. I opened one eye still being a bit blinded from all the sudden flashes to see Childe holding me. He hasn't transformed after all. He did have his mask on, but he wasn't transformed. He wasn't hurt at all either - which made me wonder how strong he was right now seeing he was able to take on another harbinger without going all out. He quickly placed me on the floor at the other end of the room and disappeared again. This time I could see clearly, what was happening. Dottore was scared. Paimon was scared as well. Childe was mad.
Much madder than I could ever imagine he would me. He didn't say a word while Dottore shouted to him something that I couldn't exactly make out. Then another flash blinded me and the next thing I saw was Doctor being slammed against the wall and Childe rushing towards him in his - now transformed form. Being millimeters from his opponent he stopped. His hand almost touching the face of another harbinger, probably ready to crash it against the wall if it wasn't for the sudden appearance of someone much more important than his battle score.
I was so close. Less than a second and this man's head would be crushed against the wall along with his dumb mask, but they had to interfere for sure and freeze my movements when I was so close. I removed the mask from my face also disabling the delusion and moved my eyes to the source of the cryo magic seeing Her Majesty standing at the door and Signora looking down to weakened Lumine sitting on the floor against the wall with nothing but my cape covering her.
"What is the meaning of this?" Said Tsaritsa and Dottore instantly bowed, as did I for that matter. She wasn't someone I could just ignore after all, no matter how much rage was boiling in me. "Weren't you supposed to go to the abyss with her?" She said and I opened my eyes widely. Why would they send Lumine to the abyss? She was strong, but it was still too dangerous for only the two of them.
"Your Majesty, I know I disobeyed, but I found a way to make better use of the girl." He said looking up, a mad smile visible under his partially destroyed mask.
"Did I tell you to look for one?" She said. Tone serious and the temperature in the room decreasing making me shiver a little from the cold. He didn't answer this question, he only looked down and apologized. "Tartaglia." She said suddenly to which I raised my head instantly. "What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be part of Liyue fund management right now?"
"I apologize." I said bowing for a moment before standing straight again. "I had to leave because-..." I stopped using the corner of my eye to look towards Lumine, who was now being tended to by Signora. "It was a personal matter. It won't happen again." I said putting my head down then up again. I could see Her Majesty looking to Lumine after I did it and then she seemed to smile for a split second.
"I see." She said then ordered a few of the fatui that stood behind her to take Dottore with them. "I will think of how to react to your small disobedience later. Dottore on the other hand needs to face immediate consequences I'm afraid." She said looking at the man. She was a gentle soul, but when it came to the ruling - she knew how to treat people that 'misbehaved' and Dottore was probably about to feel it on his own skin.
"I want you to come to the Palace. I already sent the two archons there." She looked to Signora that ordered her subordinates to take Lumine with them and I didn't know, how I felt about it. The last time I saw her do that led to this situation, but apparently, she didn't do anything bad to her.
"As you wish." I said bowing once again and then, placing the mask I held it at the side of my head as I usually did, and left the slightly massacred laboratory.