Disclaimer: I do not own Genshin Impact nor the front cover (Source/Link in my profile).
Short A/N: I wrote this way back in November during my AR40 days, back when I was still trying to get into writing again, and reading this at the moment I just knew it was very bad, but I put all my passion and everything into it despite of its terrible quality, so I decided I'll just publish it anyway in its completed but rough state, as it's because of this draft story that I now write once again and have the drive to continue.
I was initially inspired after seeing the teaser trailer "we will be reunited" (not the 1.4 archon quest) when I first wrote this, I was like it's about time I publish it after I browsed through my documents, so here it is, hope you enjoy lol
Story Quest Side A: Beyond the Abyss
~From the Shadows~
Somewhere in a remote area in teyvat, a place where the sun barely reaches, in the cold dead of the night inside a massive abandoned mansion where the howling winds echo, in a drab and dreary bedroom with aged furnitures and musty air, near a small dimly lit fireplace, a lone blonde haired girl sat.
The girl however isn't just any ordinary girl who laments the woes of everyday life, nor the prospects of a failed love life, no, for she is the Princess.
The current leader of the Abyss Order.
Gazing at the crackling fire, the young maiden's face swirled with complex emotions, her eyes reflecting a storm of inner turmoil..
Coiling her fingers around the thorn filled stem of a bluish white rose, she mused that if she squeezed hard enough, she would draw blood and end up freezing her palms given the rose's cryogenic nature.
Though she feels that she deserved pain, she attest that she deserves something much worse than just a simple numbing prickle.
What she needed to do was to atone, but not until the late future where the dust have all but settled, because if she paid for it now, all would be in vain.
Lumine understood that her actions for the amount years spent in Teyvat ever since she was separated from her brother, were not the most morally correct.
For years, she was an empty husk of her former self, unfeeling and apathetic efficient as destruction happened around her, indirectly and directly caused by her.
In fact, if she were to count the amount of times she had to see people scream and run away in terror as her army terrorised village after village, she'd find that she'll be needing 10 more pairs.
It was for the better, at least for someone like her, an outsider who's viewed hostile by a world against her from the very beginning.
And that was just the tip of the iceberg.
Did she enjoy it? She wasn't sure, sometimes she would find herself smiling in glee as she watched the symphony of chaos unfold, and on her worst days she would writhe in bed as voices haunted her dreams, and even her waking hours.
Did she feel guilty? Of course, everyday to be exact, she was just that good at hiding it.
Did she try any other way to achieve her goal without having to resort bloodshed? She wished she was smarter.
The constant questioning, whether or not what she had done was correct or not, was making her feel an anxiety she didn't even know she had.
In the past, she didn't dare crack open her psyche as she stained her hands, she found that the more she peered into it, the more she was sinking further.
At the moment though, she found that she was unable to pull away from the horrid memories.
A young boy screamed as the fire slowly crept up his legs, all while the princess detachedly watched on as the boy tried to reach out for his only surviving parent, who was all but crushed beneath a fallen beam, his anguished cries ringing loudly across the inferno that was plaguing the small village, before going silent as the flames engulfed him whole.
She blinked, she didn't need to touch her cheek to know that tears rolled down her face.
"Help me!"
The screams of terror were now a chorus of a twisted orchestra, the scenery all but dyed in orange and black haze.
"Why is this happening?!"
"Mommy where are you?!"
Most of the houses were now just pieces of burning wood more so than safe confines as the flames grew larger, the wounded people attempted to evacuate as most were now carrying each other.
No one managed to leave the ruined village, not with the huge stone walls that suddenly blocked their way as they were eaten alive by the fire they desperately wanted to escape from.
Suddenly, the voices were much louder than before.
"Why are you doing this?!"
"M-Monster!"
"Run away!"
"ARGH!"
BAM!
She didn't realize that she was now standing, her breathing ragged, face numb and stricken with tears.
She also didn't realize that she had hurled her sword at a random table at the far end of the room, smashing the dust filled vase along with it.
Closing her eyes, she inhaled deeply.
Breathe in, Breathe out.
She did so for a couple of minutes to ease her racing heart.
It seemed to have worked, as she felt more relaxed.
Pulling up her sleeve, she wiped her eyes and allowed her sword to disperse.
The voices were gone for now, and the vivid sight of a village in ruins
Sighing in strained relief, she sat back down.
She tried clearing her head before her mind dove into much darker territory, anymore would snap her already fragile sanity.
No use in trying to make sense of her terrible decisions of the past, and the more questionable ones at present.
She really tried justifying what she did, that it was all for the greater good, especially for her brother, now it seemed like she was just trying to reassure herself so that the crushing guilt wouldn't eat at her conscience, or what's left of it anyway.
The way he fought, struggling and looking out of breath, the desperation smeared on his face as he tried to fight off those damnable creatures with his flimsy sword, His long pony tailed blond hair billowed with the wind as his head nearly got smashed with a club before narrowly dodging.
It was her brother, looking very much the same and with a fire she didn't want to see get snuffed out.
It tugged something inside her that was thought to be long gone.
Worry.
Because she knew that not only was he powerless in this world, but also because of his kindness that will surely cost him one day.
Longing.
Because for years, she never had anyone close to her but him.
Sadness.
Because they were on both ends of the moral spectrum in this world, she was one of the evils that needed to be rid of while he represented the new light to eradicate that evil, even if it meant that he'll go down with it.
Fury.
Because she realized that he's now one of the pieces in this twisted board game that fate had placed them on, which all began when they naively thought the new world they entered would warmly greet them.
All of the different array of emotions and feelings in a span of a minute, as if a fire lit inside her heart, she hastily left the scene before her brother could catch sight of her.
Without her knowing, she had once again entered into an emotionally charged recollection, this time involving how she saw her brother for the first time in years.
She breathed in deeply once again, biting her lower lip to prevent the tears from pouring once again.
It was always a known fact that she was emotionally stronger than her brother, but even she had her limits.
"..."
"...Why now?"
Grumbling, she felt that the old strangely comfortable rocking chair where she sat, couldn't alleviate the plethora of negative emotions.
The ambiance and cold nature of the huge empty mansion she currently resided, didn't help bring even a small sense of calm and peace to her clouded mind like it used to either.
The temperatures of the night were freezing and the miniscule warmth of the fireplace certainly didn't help, but she found that the cold never bothered her anyway.
Tracing circles on the arm of the chair as she continued to take in deep breaths.
'Focus.'
It became as a sort of routine ever since she started this crusade, she relied on different breathing techniques to quell herself.
She closed her eyes, extended her hearing beyond her current location and listened to the noises outside, and began counting the amount of flower petals she had plucked for the past week.
It eased her just a bit.
Now that she managed to recollect some sort of semblance of a cohesive thought process, she opened her eyes and casted it at the fireplace once again.
She really wanted to bear hug him at that time, consequences be damned.
Of course she didn't do anything, she knew she couldn't, well at least not yet, with everything happening and a lot of things set in motion, a tearful sibling reunion was not appropriate.
The revelation really put a wrench in her plans.
She couldn't just give up her goal, not when it was slowly but surely coming to fruition.
Her earthly desires were gone, her moral compass skewed, and even gave up feeling anything at all, for the sake of finally be able to settle her score with destiny.
At least that's what she tried to convince herself, again who was she kidding?
She was barely holding herself together as it is, and it all started collapsing when she saw him.
Why was it that of all times she's starting to feel emotions, it was in the worst possible timing ever?
And why did her brother have to complicate things even further?
Adding to that, her brother was so weak, she was sure that he'll get himself killed one of these days.
She sighed bitterly.
Despite the turmoil she was feeling, it somewhat comforted her knowing that her brother was actually awoken and is abled, and with company, which she still didn't know if she could entrust to follow every step he makes, it was strange how suspicious the small strange and annoying floating creature was being, but for now she'll leave it as is, seeing as it hasn't done anything to him yet.
If it turned out it was something that would eventually betray him or become a danger to him, it would make for a nice stew or something.
It was a lot better than being sealed who knows where and god knows for how long after the bitch of a Goddess separated them and dragged them into this hellhole.
Steering herself into a more calculating part of her mind. The Princess re-evaluated her plan, before it was cause as much destruction and stir chaos into major cities before going into the next phase of destabilisation, now it included her brother and how she'll have to get around him while still benefitting his safety, she would have to be careful and avoid attacking cities where he's currently at and target somewhere else.
She also devised on assisting him in getting stronger in some way, lest he'll be killed in the crossfire if everything went according to plan.
For once such drawbacks didn't anger her nor make her want to hit something.
Of course anything that included her brother had to be a priority.
She didn't know what to do if he gets killed, or eventually get into deeper trouble due to his exploitable kind nature, hence the reason why she started sending those Abyss mages to monitor him everyday, and just recently even she'd set up an automated activation for majority of the ruin hunters scattered everywhere whenever he happens to run into their vicinity.
It was also to get him into shape, with how weak he'd been since the Unknown God had attacked them.
A little bit of tough love wouldn't hurt, beat him till he's blue until he's forced to become stronger, he has no choice really.
She didn't want her brother to stay weak once the time came, even though it wasn't his fault for being the way he was.
'Brother...'
Lumine allowed a ghost of a smile to play on her lips, when she saw that he was the same knucklehead of a brother back in Mondstadt, with the same innocent face, the same goofy expression he'd make whenever he's having a difficult time, and while he's not as strong as his former self to the point that she could snap him like a twig, he was the same lovable, sassy and protective brother nonetheless.
And based on more recent reports from the mages, he's been helping out a lot of people, and despite his snarky remarks he'd still do it anyway.
The lovable fool, really.
She wished she'd get a chance to speak with him in the future, if such an opportunity ever presented itself.
Back then she couldn't tolerate his talkative and ear-grating voice, now she dearly missed hearing how he'll go on an endless chatter about the most mundane things like small trinkets he'd find or sharing stories of a weird bartender.
She wondered if his voice still cracked whenever he gets defensive or just a bit emotional, she lets out a small giggle at the thought.
If there was one thing she'd never actively do, was to fight her brother, if however the circumstances led to that point, she'll never kill him even if she was left with no choice.
He was the only thing left in the world that was out to get her after all.
And besides, their journey was yet to end, there are still more places left to explore once they can finally leave this forsaken world, she'll be damned if some destiny crap that was being shoved down their throats would end their sibling connection.
Before she could wistfully reminisce of better days, her expression soured as three abyss mages appeared in her temporary quarters, no doubt bearing news she knew she wouldn't like.
And she was right.
She tried not to let out a frustrated grunt at the latest news, of her brother being in Liyue and getting tangled in whatever affairs the wretched city had.
First their God gets killed, which she wanted to kill herself but apparently someone else beat her to it, then her brother becomes a suspect because he just happened to be there at the scene, and now he'd become yet another errand boy to a progressive city who seems to not have a single competent leader in managing a crisis, like say their God getting assassinated.
Once again, he was being forced to play the hero role.
She never wanted to be on the opposing side, one where the world itself was against her, but she'll be damned because if it wasn't she'd be out there with her brother helping him get out of the mess he didn't even create.
Yet here she is, the villainess that needs to go down because the world deems it so, and for that she has no choice but to press forward with what she's got.
And she has the perfect plan to help him, but not without its fair share of mischief.
She smiled wrily, she remembered the last time when she wanted Aether to suffer all those years ago, she supposed that a slight misstep in his daily errands that would derail his path just a bit, which will prevent him with interfering with her plans, should be enough to buy her more time, and maybe a small satisfaction to her needs of seeing someone suffer.
And speaking of someone suffering.
Her face scrunched up in annoyance and anger, remembering what the mage before her had just done.
"F-Forgive m-me! P-Please have mercy!"
Delivering a strong but swift kick, she stomped hard on the ice mage as it whimpered under her heel on its chest.
It could feel that its vision was slowly fading with the lack of air entering its windpipe.
"I specifically told all of you that you can hit him hard or freeze him, anything that will push him to fight back, riiiiight?~" The Princess said in a sweet singsong voice as she drilled her heel deeper, "but I never told you that you could smash him to pieces now did I?~"
The ice mage paled.
"H-How-"
"Of course I know, you useless good for nothing glorified popsicle maker."
Of course she knew, she made sure that there was another mage watching everything that went on with their fight against her brother from afar, and it reported back immediately, and what she learned certainly made something in her snap.
She ought to remember to punish the other two later.
"You think that I don't know how you nearly smashed him while he was frozen, that nearly made him crippled if it wasn't for the help of his party?"
The only reason why she allowed ice mages to fight her brother was because he always had help to unfreeze him, and that he really needed to learn how to get past being frozen, but in this instance his party were not as fast so it nearly cost him his upper body, if it wasn't for dumb luck he would've been crippled, she made a note to warn them not to hastily attack him while he was frozen next time, at least until he's strong enough to avoid getting frozen all together.
Honestly, her brother could be really stupid and reckless sometimes.
'Endearing but foolish.'
Her smile only widened as she pressed her heel even harder.
"I-I d-didn't k-know I-I-I s-swear! I-I p-p-promise n-n-not to d-do i-it a-a-again m-m-my l-l-lord!" The ice mage wheezed, hoping that unlike the previous underlings whom faced her wrath, it wouldn't die of suffocation like they did.
The Princess looked at it with an empty expression, before her sadistic grin returned.
She pressed even harder than before, and now the ice mage most likely looked as blue as its robes beneath its mask.
"P-Please!-"
It begged, hoping that she would at least allow it a few more seconds to live.
The mage could see its life flashing before its eyes as the last vestiges of light was slowly leaving its sight.
Fortunately for it, She lessened the pressure on its chest.
It sighed in relief, inhaling copious amounts of air.
"T-Thank yo-"
Only for it receive a kick square on the face.
"GAH!"
It was sent flying towards the huge double doors of the bedroom, groaning, it tried standing up only for it be pulled by an invisible force back towards the princess.
She pulled it up close to her face, and the mage felt that it was staring in the eyes of the devil incarnate itself.
"Good, seeing as how you managed to finally get it into your thick head, despite my telling so in the past, now go and inform the others, and remember, if I find out again, and I assure you I have plenty ways to do so, that my brother comes out of a fight either missing a limb, an eye, or anything that can permanently or severely damage his person or worse yet, cripple him in some way, I will personally make sure that the last moments of your meager lives will be a literal hell, that it'll make you wish I finished you off instead, am I clear?"
The ice mage frantically nodded its head.
"I said. Am. I. Clear?"
With her voice cold as ice, she spawned her sword out of nowhere and pointed it at its throat.
The pitiful mage gulped.
"Y-Y-Yes m-m-m-my l-l-lord! l-l-loud a-a-and c-c-c-clear!"
"Good, now get out."
Kicking it again towards the huge double doors, this time with enough force that it nearly unhinged it, the ice mage bit back a pained moan and immediately stood back up before it hurriedly teleported its way out of the room.
"..."
"..."
"..."
She felt that she was a lot calmer now despite being ticked off moments ago, and was now able to think more clearly after disciplining the abyss mage.
Which only meant one thing, that she really needed to find a way to unwind when she's feeling stressed, having to resort to violence most of the time really isn't healthy, at this point she had become a sadist no matter how much she denied it, it was something that she'll need to try to get rid of in the future...
She didn't want her brother to see such a side of her, it made her feel ashamed.
She must've gone too far this time around, and it was kind of hypocritical of her to get angry at them nearly killing her brother, after all she also sets up groups of ruin hunters for him to fight against, which are more dangerous than the mages could ever be, but she digress.
It was for his own good she believes, he's survived fighting five at once already so it's a step in the right direction.
Sighing, the princess sat back down her chair, her burst of anger now completely drained, she took deep breaths once again as she cleared out her cluttered thoughts, deciding to focus on the more important news she'd received.
'Rex Lapis, huh.'
The Geo Archon was killed, which she didn't find surprising, it was going to happen eventually, what was suspicious though was how it was done.
She had questions though, whether or not the archon really was killed, either it was some kind of ploy or an actual assassination, she needed to assess it to make sure whatever is happening in Liyue won't paint a target on her brother's back.
She first had her suspicions on the Fatui as being responsible, but even they weren't willing to do something as drastic which could severe their ties with such a prosperous city.
Though more reports came in that one of her hidden mages sighted some Fatui agents coordinating with the officials of Liyue, hinting that there's a more complex situation happening behind the ruse that was the supposed Archon's death.
The overall political climate in Teyvat were a bit muddy and was hanging by a thread ever since the war, and with something as big as the death of an Archon? She bet that in a few months time anarchy and disorder will run rampant in Liyue, even with its already scummy business sector.
In short an economic and societal collapse might happen.
She didn't want her brother to be involved further than he currently is, otherwise she wouldn't be able to help him.
But knowing him, he'll try his best in bringing order and help preventing the city of contracts from collapsing, he's more of a goody two shoes than she is despite having such a rebellious attitude.
And she might be proven wrong, he'd already prevented Mondstadt from fully desecending into chaos, he might just save Liyue too.
At that, She couldn't help but smile despite knowing that what he's doing will only end up causing him more pain, she'll let it be for now.
'Seems like I have some strings to pull.'
And try she shall to divert the attention of whatever may be after him to her, she didn't want her brother to be on the receiving end of such deception and cruelty ever again, dealing with the Fatui in Mondstadt was already bad without being directly involved, she feared that he'll hit a lion's den much worse than the Fatui that'll make it impossible for him to escape.
She'll have to trust in him in dealing whatever debacle was happening in Liyue while she dealt with the outside forces that may try to snoop in, and once he's done he'll hopefully leave the city behind so that she could finally continue executing her plan.
Smiling genuinely for the first time in years, she buried a very small seed of hope in her blackened heart, that one day she'll be reunited with her brother and things will turn out okay.
That her years of causing grief and suffering would be paid for in full, and her eventual road to recovery after everything caves in on her, with her brother being there every step of the way, like it had always been before.
Humming a small tune that she distantly remembered from her childhood, of days where she was carelessly playing in the sun with her brother with nary a care in the world, she stared at the bluish white rose she'd found the other day, it was almost the same as the one she has on her hair.
It was blue not pure white, frozen instead of blossoming, but eventually it would melt away and reveal pure white and blooming petals.
The curtains for the next act were about to be unfurled, and she'll try her best, and in the shadows where he won't ever notice, to ensure that he doesn't fall into the abyss that she had sunken into, for she was still his sister afterall.
Maybe once all things have been said and done, all loose ends tied up and consequences paid, she'd get out of it too.
With renewed determination she didn't know she still had, and the weight on her shoulders suddenly becoming more bearable, she put out the fire and retired into the night.