Authors Note: This might be a 3 chapter story? I'm not completely sure, and to be honest I'm not quite sure how to write Lumine here but I'll try my best. Originally I had planned on this only being from Aether's pov, but I might as well write from Lumine's pov too. And it's proving to be difficult for me, I had no outline or ideas on how to make Lumine but I think I made something decent ish. Anyways enjoy this chapter.
Lumine POV
I wake up from that nightmare as my eyes flash open. That same perpetual nightmare of Aether walking away from me, looking at me in disgust at finding out about the things I've done as the leader of the abyss. How long have I been asleep for? I wake up only to be greeted by a slightly red-ish sky and the faint smell of fire and ash from afar. There's countless clouds in the sky and I'm not able to tell if it's day or night. It's a bit bright, so maybe it's early morning? Anyways, it looks like I succeeded. The abyss destroyed all life on Teyvat, and along with those lives were Aether's friends and companions.
I'm sorry Aether. This was the only solution I could think of. You know why I had to do it right? You should know some information about the Sustainer of Heavenly Principals and how her powers work. She steals peoples ambitions by first materializing them as visions by having the Archons do that. Then when the vision holder dies their ambitions go to her, making her stronger. She kept a tight grip on the lives of humans here, treating them like cattle. So I had to cut off her power source by exterminating human life on this planet. Was this a stupid solution? Yes. I know there had to be a better one, but in truth I wanted to get back at her for separating me from you Aether. Haha…. That's quite the sentence I just thought. 500 years of solitude and almost no human interaction has really ruined my brain.
Aether, how do you feel about me right now? Knowing that your dear sister sacrificed all human life on Teyvat just so she could reunite with you and leave this dreadful place? That because of me all your friends died to my hands? Do you hate me? Please don't hate me my brother, please don't, please don't please don't please don't please don't hate me my dear Aether. If you end up hating me, I'll be really mad. I did all of this for you. If you show any other feelings other than admiration or thankfulness or love I'll force you to feel those things.
You're mine, my brother, my Aeth- What am I thinking? What's wrong with me? Was this really the only solution I could think of? Please don't hate me Aether. Please don't let this all be for nothing. Don't leave me, please.Dammit! What the hell am I thinking! Am I becoming obsessed with Aether? That's no good. My time with the abyss really messed me up more than I thought it did. I hope Aether still accepts me for who I am now. I need to calm down and take deep breaths, put a halt to all the negativity. Breathe in...and out...breathe in...and out. After that breathing exercise I just realized how sore my body is, but there are no wounds. Did Aether heal me? Thank you. I guess he did get his powers back. Is he the reason I'm laying on the sand right now? Where is he then? I'll try calling out to him.
"….." But I don't know how he'll react to me. Sure he healed me but is he actually happy at seeing me? Maybe him healing me was just a thanks for me giving him his powers back….. Great, I'm thinking negatively again. The only way to know how Aether feels is by asking him. I'll call out his name. "Ae-" Before I can fully call out to him, I hear his voice cutting mine off.
"LUMINE!" I look to my right and see him. He drops the fruit he has in his hands and comes barreling towards me. "Aether." 'Why does my voice sound like that?' I shoot up from the ground only to wince from the soreness, falling back down. He comes crashing down on me, embracing me in a tight hug, ouch! Although it slightly hurt at first, his grip on me becomes loose and more comfortable. He rests his head on my shoulder, one of his hands is on my back while another rests on top of my head, my hair. So you still enjoy my hair huh Aether? I'm glad. Now the only things I feel is warmth and happiness. I slowly reach my arms back around him returning his embrace, tucking my head in his neck. I missed this warmth so much, the feeling of safety. What's this wet feeling in my eyes? Am I starting to cry? The last time I cried was when I would travel Teyvat after we had gotten separated. Day in and day out tears would come out and never stop. I hear words come out of Aether.
"Lumine….you finally woke up. It's been two days since we got here. I was starting to worry you wouldn't get up." His voice is so kind and caring, filled with worry about my wellbeing, he's also crying. So then does this mean he's not upset at me? I'm too afraid to ask so I simply respond to him in kind. "Aether, thank you for taking care of me while I slept." Ah. Although I give him my heartfelt thanks, it comes out dry and empty. It must be confusing for him since I'm also crying. I'm not that surprised. I've only talked to a handful of humans in those 500 years of loneliness, so I'm terrible at showing my emotions.
"I'm sorry." Those words slip through my lips, again with no emotion. What exactly am I apologizing for? My inability to show basic human empathy, for not being a good person, or my actions that I know ended in the death of millions, including Aether's other loved ones? Aether slowly moves his head back to get a look at me. The warmth and safety start to dwindle. My tears keep rolling down my cheeks. I feel his hand jerk on my back. Is he hesitating on deciding if he should console me? Th-then he is upset at me? Of course he is, am I some kind of idiot? Why wouldn't he be? Those ugly thoughts from earlier start crawling back up. No, stop that, Aether is right here with me, that's all that matters. He stares directly into my eyes, tears still falling from mine as his began to calm. It's kind of embarrassing being stared at so thoroughly. The face he's making seems to be one of mainly confusion, with other emotions scattered about, probably because of my apology from earlier. There must be a storm happening inside of him.
What kind of face am I making right now? I intently look at Aether for as long as possible, trying to engrave his looks back into my brain so I never forget him. Are you also doing the same my brother? It looks like he isn't, still keeping that mixture of thoughts and feelings. It looks like he also doesn't know what exactly I was apologizing for.
"Ahh….um….d-don't worry about it," he weakly mutters out, breaking eye contact and letting go of me. No, please don't let go, don't take me away from your embrace. Dammit, it's so cold and lonely now, just like always. I hate what the abyss has done to me. I knew Aether would develop some negative feelings towards me, but it pains me seeing it in action. Reluctantly I let go of him and wipe my tears away. Things have become awkward now.
"Oh, you're probably hungry right? I went to go pick up some fruit. Sit up while I go get them." As he finishes saying that, I feel hunger pangs hit me. I watch as Aether gets up to go get the apples and sunsettias he dropped earlier. Although it's only for a few seconds and just a small distance, seeing him walk away from me fills me with unease and sorrow. It reminds me of my horrendous nightmare. Again, what kind of face am I making right now? If only I had a mirror. The water is right there but our surroundings are dark even though it's morning. Doubt I'll be able to see my reflection clearly. I struggle to sit up but manage. Aether comes back with the fruit, handing me an apple while he hangs on to one. He keeps some distance from me, but not too far. I accept the apple and take a bite. Seeing I took a bite, he begins eating. We sit here in silence as we slowly eat our apples and sunsettias. Only the sounds of wind and water can be heard every now and then. We finish eating and drowsiness starts to set in.
"Lumine, you're still not anywhere near being at decent health. I'll keep taking care of you so please, go back to sleep, I won't go anywhere till you wake up." He turns his head towards my general direction, but doesn't look at me. His tone is one of care and consideration. Nothing like me at all. This is the first thing Aether has asked of me since we reunited. I suppose I should be a good sister and do as he says.
"Okay," I weakly whisper, stealing a glance at him before laying down and closing my eyes. Sleep almost instantaneously takes over. The final things I hear is Aether sliding a bit closer to me, just a bit. And this time, for the first time since that nightmare started, I don't have it. I'm happy.
Aether POV
'Her face looked so…..dead.' She was crying, but that face and look in her eyes made it seem like someone had put water in a robots eyes and told it to act sad. The robot having no artificial intelligence simply stood there doing nothing.
"I knew your time alone would have done heavy damage, but I didn't expect this much. It's gonna be a lot of hard work to get you back to your cheery self Lumine." She stirs in her sleep the moment I call out her name. She starts to grasp at the air around her with both of her hands. "Aether…." I wince at the call of my name. She's searching for me. I move away from her reach. Seeing her awake really filled me with joy, wrapping my arms around her made me feel safe and whole. I want to console her, grab her hand, but…the effects of her actions are really starting to sink in and dig deep now that I'm alone again. That because of her my friends are dead. Now their deaths are starting to make themselves fully known in my head. I know now that Lumine is safe, she woke up and is healing alright. So it's okay right? It's okay if I start crying again, start mourning them even a little? The dams break. Tears start forming and falling. I can't stop crying, wailing. Sobs and sighs and hiccups escape my mouth. Hopefully Lumine stays asleep for a long time, maybe a day so my puffy red eyes go back to normal.
Hours have passed since Lumine fell asleep. It's night time now. Another sleepless day. My eyes should be back to normal now, but there's no way to check. I need to sort out my feelings. The more time I spend fighting this battle inside of me is more time taken away from Lumine's physical and mental recuperation. I'm sorting myself out right now!
"Okay!" I lightly slap myself and start standing up. "Hmmmm….." Lumine stirs in her sleep again. Sorry about that sister, I was being pretty loud there. I did tell her I wouldn't go anywhere, but going to the shore should be fine. It's just a 5 second walk after all! Quietly and slowly I take a few steps to the shore, just barely out of the waters reaching zone. The sky and the surroundings aren't as red and orange as they were a few days ago. It's calmed down a lot. The smell of ash and fire barely makes itself known. Through a gap in the cloud full sky I catch a glimpse of the moon. The only moon in Teyvat that was always a full one, never waning or waxing. I turn my attention towards the horizon, listening carefully to the waves.
I'll start with the facts. Even after knowing that Lumine is the cause of my sadness right now, I still love her. I still want to be with her, to travel again and smile and laugh. I also know that I feel regret at myself for not being a good friend towards everyone. I didn't trust them enough, not knowing what their actions would be if I told them my sister was the abyssal princess, leader of the abyss, harbingers of distraught for the people of Teyvat.
But how can I balance being a good friend and a good brother? Do I have to choose one? Actually, do I need to even make this choice? What are the odds of something like this happening again? Both us being separated and having to make impactful decisions? Our journey in Teyvat was most likely a once in a lifetime scenario. So I don't have to choose right? Don't be so careless Aether, this is something important you have to make a choice on.
Having friends was definitely great, having other people I could rely on and share the good and the bad times. But I always felt lonely and empty. Being away from Lumine didn't feel right, like someone had taken away half of my motor skills and told me to keep on living like nothing happened. Being with Lumine, being her brother felt right, like it was what I was destined to be. Well, I was born as her brother, so in a sense it is my destiny. The joy and laughter she always gave me is something only she's capable of doing. The anguish and grief I'm going through right now is only something she's able of doing, of giving to me. The happiness and smile that spreads across my face when Lumine tells me she loves me is only something she can make me feel. The annoyance I get when Lumine refuses to get up in the morning is something only she can make me feel. The joy I get from eating her meals is only something she can give me. The guilt I feel when she takes a hit for me from the enemy is something only she can do for me. Only Lumine is able to make me feel all of this, not anyone else, and not my friends either.
"Oh." I stop staring at the horizon and look back towards Lumine. "Oh." An epiphany strikes me. What I want to be, what I choose is….
"I want to be with you Lumine….I-I want to be with you! I want to be your brother, from now and forever, I want to be right by your side, through all of it, the blissful and serene moments, and the heart wrenching moments too!" Tears start to fall again, but this time, they're happy ones. I fall to my knees and start crying again. Geez, I didn't know I was such a crybaby. I only cried 7 times through out the millenniums me and Lumine have been together. And now 4 times in one week? But now I know how I feel. Having friends is great, amazing even. But the only person, the only other life other than my own that I need and want in my life, the only camaraderie, the only love, the only friendship, the only bond is my sister's. Lumine's.
"I only need and want you Lumine, my dear sister." I wipe away my tears and stand up, going to sit near Lumine. The pain of my friends won't ever disappear completely, but now I'll be able to move on head held high. If something like Teyvat ever happens again, I'll choose you. You'll be the one first and foremost in my thoughts and actions. From here on out I'll live as Aether, Lumine's brother, and no else.
I feel amazing, like a new person has been born.
A smile blows out onto my face. It feel nice. An hour has passed and that smile still won't go away. I sit in silence as I listen to Lumine breathe, as I listen to the wind and feel it on my face, and as I hear the sound of waves calmly crashing onto the sand. I'm happy right now. All of a sudden the world becomes more bright. Oh, that's because the clouds stopped covering the moon. Silly me. All that crying tuckered me out. I bet my eyes are red and puffy again. I'm getting sleepy. I lay down and look at Lumine, this time with a genuine smile. "Good night Lumine." This time I don't dream about anything, knowing that when I wake up, the truth that I chose will be waiting for me, the ending that I chose and am happy with will be waiting for me.