True to his word, I didn't have to wait long before Kaeya had reappeared. Fully clothed, he had me sit at his desk and recount every last detail of the strange dream. After I went over it once, he insisted I tell it again slower. I rubbed at my arms as I ended with how the shadows came for me and pulled my body towards the ominous throne.

"I see," he murmured from his spot on the bed. "Well, this isn't good."

I sat at his desk, and we both scanned the bulletin board of Kaeya's research. He pushed up from the bed and immediately swiped two items from the board, ones that I recognized. It was the Kamera photo and vague verse. Kaeya walked to the desk and placed them down so I could see them clearly.

"Assuming this dream you had wasn't a dream at all," he said. "I believe we can draw the conclusion that Celestia Academy and the Abyss Order had some sort of an arrangement made when the institution was first founded. The Academy has since voided this agreement, though the Abyss Order doesn't seem to have come to terms with that."

I nodded. "Then, just last year, the Abyss Order found some type of power, a Source, that would have given them an edge to face Celestia adequately—to be strong enough to take revenge."

"Until it went missing." Kaeya leaned against the desk. "The Source went missing one year ago. This sounds familiar, does it not? Who do we know, or rather, who do we not know went missing last year?"

"The Champion," I gasped. "The winner of the Grand Tournament that the Academy holds each year. You said there were no records of the previous winner."

"Everyone's memories of the Champion are also gone. I think the Source and the Champion are one and the same. To win the Grand Tournament, you need to be the strongest student with endless potential. Our lost Champion is definitely the Source that the Order desires."

"Is that why the Champion disappeared?" I wondered aloud. "To stay hidden from the Abyss? Could they have been so powerful as to erase the memory of their own existence?"

"It doesn't matter that they disappeared. If the Champion was hoping to dissuade the Abyss Order from taking control, it didn't work." He pointed to the verse copied down in his neat script.

"Streaking star against the skies,

Shadows kiss the edge of light;

the Abyss Order will appear in Celestia Academy's territory when Comet Paimon arrives. I'm certain of it.

Blood and power reward a prize,

the transaction of power for a reward," he paused. "Every thousand years, when the original Tournaments had taken place, Celestia's fortunes grew by an immense amount. This just so happens to also be when the Abyss Order made its presence. A Champion was heralded, a Source of power was gained.

Ties of yore bloom into sight.

They made an agreement of some kind. One which both the Abyss Order and Celestia Academy benefitted from. Power for prestige. The Champion for fortune."

Kaeya set the verse down back onto the desk, and I stared at it with disbelief. His interpretation, while reasonable, couldn't possibly be true. The Abyss Order was a force that terrorized Teyvat—it was pure evil. Why would Celestia Academy, a place dedicated to build up its students to be strong enough to fight the Abyssal monsters, strike a deal with the enemy? Prestige and fortune were hardly valid bargaining chips.

"I know what you're thinking," Kaeya sighed. "And I don't want to believe it either. However, when you think about it, morality often matters little to those who crave status, who desire prestige, who want to come out on top."

With those words, the first thing that came to mind was Childe. I had no doubt that he would do anything to obtain more power. Was he like the Abyss, wanting to be strong enough to take down anything in his path? Or was he like Celestia, striving to be the best for the sake of world recognition and fame? No, this was bigger than Childe's fantasies of being number one.

"They handed the Champions over to the Abyss," I whispered in mild horror. "Just so they could get richer than they already were, and they did this for ages. Those weren't winners. The ancient Champions were sacrifices."

"But," Kaeya snapped his fingers. "Celestia stopped. For whatever reason, the Academy didn't follow through with their deal a thousand years ago. A Champion was spared, and the Abyss Order did not receive their Source."

I scoffed. "That's supposed to make it better?"

"At least we know Celestia Academy will have no intention of turning in this year's Champion," he sighed. "Though, now that I have some idea of what we're dealing with, the appeal of winning the Grand Tournament has dulled somewhat." Kaeya sat back down on the edge of his bed, and the mattress dipped under his weight.

We fell into silence, and I found myself distracted by the old Kamera photo of the cave mural. The jagged lines of black that reached up from the earth eerily reminded me of the shadows that existed in my Abyss dream. There was no denying it. The verse and the photo—they were both a record of the past and promise of the future.

"Lumine, what aren't you telling me?"

"What do you mean?" I frowned. "I told you everything I could remember from my dream. If you want, you can look at the brief notes I took."

He leaned forward to rest his elbows on his knees. "According to your dream, which I would prefer to call a vision at this point, the Abyss Order sees you as their new Source. The shadows were after you, taking you towards the throne."

"That's what it seemed like."

"I cannot fathom what sort of power the last Champion had to draw the attention of the Order. Champions in the past have been strong, yes, but never to such an extreme degree." Kaeya studied me. "No offense, but you have no Vision. What power could the Abyss Order have possibly sensed from you?"

I tensed at his inquiry, and I'm sure he noticed. Visions weren't the only source of power. Now that Kaeya brought it up, it was obvious that the only reason the Abyss Order saw me as a Source was because of my ability to use Anemo with no Vision. The amount of power needed to wield an element with no conductor was undoubtedly a sign of immense strength. While I myself have been unable to explore this ability to its full potential, I have no doubt that the Abyss Order would find some way to harness it. They would use me, my power, to carry out their sinister goals.

"Well? Care to enlighten me?"

My mouth dried up as I thought about revealing my secret. I had planned to tell Thoma after realizing he was someone I could trust. With the looming possibility of Celestia whisking me away to some fortified facility to keep me contained, I didn't want to risk the information getting into the wrong hands. Though, the more that I thought about it, Kaeya was the only one who I could talk to about the Abyss situation. Before, it was a matter of my personal well-being. Now, with the threat of a full-on Abyss Order invasion, the lives of everyone at the Academy—and probably others—was at stake. Staying silent would do more harm than good.

"I…" I hesitated. "I don't need a Vision to do what you do."

"You mean fighting?" He narrowed his eye. "Yes, I'm well aware."

I shook my head. "No. That's not what I meant. Listen, what I'm about to tell you is something I haven't told anyone before."

"You can trust me, Lumine. Whatever it is, I'm on your side."

"I can control Anemo."

He stared at me. Blinked. Slowly, a dubious expression began to form on his face.

"I can prove it."

"Please," he waved a hand. "A demonstration would be most appreciated."

A bundle of nerves unfurled from within me, and I tried to contain the shakiness in my hands to a minimum. After hiding my ability for so long, I would finally be showing someone else. Some part of me wanted to create a grand display of Anemo, to impress Kaeya with what I could do. And yet, I knew that I had to carefully conjure the Anemo and keep it small. With no sword on hand to manage the flow of energy, my body would be completely spent.

"Take your time." Kaeya's expectant gaze never left me.

Drawing in a breath, I visualized the elemental energy that normally resided in my core. Within my chest, the familiar Anemo power whirled in a tight ball. I prodded at the energy, allowing it to release itself and expand until the power had spread to cover my entire body. It left me feeling so light, I wouldn't be surprised if I lifted from the chair I sat on. I'd learned that my stamina drains the fastest when Anemo is in this state, so I quickly condensed the power to just my right hand before it could materialize.

The Anemo took shape. Floating in my palm was a tiny whirlwind. Its power was so strong that I could hear the wind whipping around, and its teal glow cast dancing shadows around the room.

I looked to Kaeya to find that his lips had parted in shock. He focused on the Anemo, unblinking.

After confirming that Kaeya had no reason to doubt me now, I dispelled the Anemo and immediately felt the draining effects on my body. After barely getting any sleep last night and going all out yesterday, I was in poor shape.

I crossed my arms."Do you believe me now?"

"That was," he breathed. "Incredible."

I smiled. "I know."

"How long have you been able to do this?"

"I found out during the second week of school. We were practicing elemental reactions in Vision Studies. A bunch of Dendro slimes had come after me. The next thing I knew, I had swirled them to death."

"Are you sure you have no Vision?"

"Positive."

"What else can you do? I know it's wild enough for you to control Anemo with no Vision, but I have to ask, are there any others?"

"Any other elements?" I raised my brows. "No, Archons no. Using Anemo alone is extremely draining for me. I'd only just figured out that I can take most of the strain off by using it with a weapon in hand. I can't imagine being in control of two elements."

"Do you have any idea how you're able to do this?"

"No."

"Are you certain? What was your exposure to Anemo like before you realized this power?"

I thought about it. "Nothing, really. The only thing I can think of is when Venti would conjure Anemo currents for us to use in Beginner's Gliding. Everyone was exposed to that, though. I don't see why it would have affected me any differently."

Kaeya rubbed his jaw. "It's hard to say. No one else knows you can do this?"

"Like I said before, you're the first that I've told."

"Why?" he frowned. "Why would you keep this a secret? It's…you're incredible, Lumine. I've always sensed it, but this. My, you're full of surprises."

I wrung my hands. "It's because of what will happen to me if the Academy finds out. I heard from Professor Minci that if a student is found to wield an element with no Vision, they would be confined for the safety and protection of others. According to her, someone like me is too inexperienced, too volatile to be trusted to handle this power. They would send me away, Kaeya. I would have to—" A thought occurred.

"What is it?" Kaeya stood and walked over to me, concerned.

"Disappear," I finished. "I would have to disappear. Kaeya, I don't think the Academy would send me away solely for protection."

Understanding dawned on his face. "They'd do so to hide you. They would want to hide your power to avoid being discovered by the Abyss Order."

I, too, stood and began to pace around the room. "Do you think that's what happened to the Champion? That being a Visionless element wielder is what made them so exceptional?"

"If we're right about this, then I could see why you would be the ideal candidate for a Source," he murmured. "And I could see why the Academy would want to keep you safe—to keep everyone safe."

I halted. "You can't turn me in. Kaeya—"

"Don't worry." He stepped in front of me. "I wouldn't dream of letting them send you away from me. I meant it when I said you can trust me. The Academy's idea of safety doesn't quite align with mine. If hiding away the first Champion didn't work to stop the Abyss Order's schemes, what's to say doing the same with you would? We're better off facing the threat than retreating from it."

"Okay," I let out a sigh of relief. "Okay."

"Besides, with the monsters breaching the Academy's defenses for the first time yesterday, there's no telling if they'll be able to keep you safe anywhere else."

"Actually," I lifted a finger. "This wasn't the first time monsters made it to the island."

He frowned. "What are you talking about? I would have known if there was another attack."

I proceeded to recount the time Childe and I were tasked with rescuing little Timmie from the forest. Kaeya didn't look surprised when I got to the part where we found the hilichurl camp. Instead, he looked disturbed once I mentioned that this same information was given to Katheryne right after it happened.

"If you told Katheryne, then I should have caught word about this," he murmured. "How peculiar."

"Would something like this normally fall into the jurisdiction of the student council? I wouldn't have thought you were given the capacity to handle such matters."

"You'd be right," he smirked. "If you told Katheryne, then she would have told the administration. I prefer to keep myself in the know of all administrative affairs, so it perplexes me how something of this magnitude hadn't reached my ears. This can only mean one thing. Do you know what that is?"

If Kaeya would have found out about the hilichurl camp after Katheryne passed the message on, then for him to not know about it…"Katheryne never told anyone."

He crossed his arms and nodded. "The next question is why, and it's high time we find out. Say, why don't we take a little trip down to the head secretary's office?"