Lumine had never thought a day like this would come. She hardly dared to blink, and despite the warmth of the sun, she couldn't close her eyes. For then there was a chance that when she would open them again, it would all be a dream.

Instead she focused on the sensation of the stones of Fischl's castle beneath her feet the sea breeze rustling her hair, and the feeling of a hand intertwined within her own.

She stole a glance at him, and couldn't help but smile. Such a thought that she would be smiling at the near-destroyer of Liyue would have been as unthinkable as the Immernachreich's sudden apparition. That is, if it weren't for their battle with Scaramouche in Inazuma.

She hadn't realized until then, until he'd barely escaped the jaws of death yet again that she'd cared about him so much. He was still healing from the encounter, bandages and scars remained from Scaramouche's blade. Her healing could only do so much, and the doctors of Inazuma couldn't do much more than her.

Only time would help.

The problem with time was that it made both of them restless.

Lumine was grateful when Fischl invited them to the Golden Apple Archipelago—it was the exact sort of thing that they needed. A place to recover, to explore, to regain their strength for what was to come.

"You like what you see, girlie?" He grinned, and it took Lumine's breath away. Her cheeks felt as warm as a Pyro slime.

Too quickly, she turned her head back out to the sea. It looked like sunsettia juice, colored by the enchantment of Twilight. "I think I do."

She glanced back at him, and his grin had faltered somewhat. "What were you thinking about?"

Her eyes drifted up to the white streak in his hair. It had been barely present in Liyue, easily dismissible as the sheen of the sun. But it had gotten bigger after their failed battle against Scaramouche, and she suspected it was a little bit wider now thanks to the adventure with the Fatui. . .

She scowled. "You pushed yourself too much—you have to let yourself heal."

"Oh, come on, I didn't push myself that much." He waved a dismissive hand. "Besides, no one deserved a fate like that."

That was right. The Fatui that they had found on this island were his former comrades. She wondered if any had served under him directly, before they'd left to pursue that forbidden research.

"You're right." Lumine had no love for the Fatui—as strange as that sounded, with whatever it was that was happening between her and the former Harbinger—but even she couldn't stand to see them go mad like that.

"Well, you shouldn't worry about me so much." His grin returned as the grip in his fingers tightened—an attempt to reassure. "It's gonna take a lot more than that to take me down."

Lumine eyed him warily. She wasn't quite sure about why she held this fear so tightly. She knew that Childe was a strong foe, she'd fought him for the fate of Liyue. She'd seen him in battle against Scaramouche.

And yet. . .

She'd crossed so many worlds, met so many people—but nothing had ever gone this far. Aether and Lumine didn't dare, not when they had to keep moving, had to keep on traveling.

"This is all new to me." She hadn't been able to tell him—not yet. There were times that the way he looked at her, some of the things he said—she knew that he suspected the truth. Especially after what he'd learned about Zhongli. "Whatever this is."

She looked down to their linked hands. "Our contract."

"Hey."

She was slow to look up, to meet his ocean-blue gaze.

"I'm not going anywhere."

She found herself reaching for his cheek, leaning in for what only felt natural. Felt right. A kiss, a reassurance, a covenant.

When she pulled away, Childe let go of her hand to climb up on the precipice of Fiscal's castle.

"Think you can beat me to the second castle over there?"

Lumine grinned. "You're on."

With that, the two took to the air. As far as Lumine cared, if this was a dream, she could keep on sleeping.