The sky is turning purple as well as yellow with the sun setting.
Waiting all alone in a southern field while reading a book, Lisa sighs as she closes a book and looks to her left.
She can see Amber, Kaeya, Lumine and Paimon appearing as she's surprised to see Lumine and Kaeya covered in blood.
"Oh dear. Kaeya, did you put this little cutie through your shenanigans?" Lisa asked as she looked at Kaeya funny.
"Don't look at me, I did my job. Now she's all yours." Kaeya lets Lumine go as Lumine rolls her eyes and leaves the group next to Lisa.
"Yeah, don't ask. Paimon and I are wondering if you can keep Lumine from going on a rampage. I don't think we can trust Kaeya with her." Amber requested.
"So that explains why cutie is a mess. Honestly, Kaeya, can you be less violent towards a newcomer?" Lisa sighs out of disappointment.
"Sure thing, Lisa. I'll be less of a killer and more of an antihero." Kaeya clicks as he points, promising that he'll behave less savagely.
"Anyway, here's a cloak. We need one to hide." Paimon holds out a cloak for Lisa to put on.
"Hm? I mean Amber wears one, but Kaeya?" Lisa asked.
"He decided not to." Paimon answered.
"Then I suppose. Thank you, Paimon." Lisa bows and takes the cloak and puts it on.
"Now, Lumine, behave yourself." Paimon warns Lumine.
Lumine sighs, knowing Paimon is acting like a mother again which makes her want to strangle Paimon in order to shut her up.
As the breeze is getting cooler, Lumine and Lisa turn around as the gate opens, only for Lisa to giggle.
"So, are you ready, cutie?" Lisa asked.
Lumine remains silent as she nods, wishing she would dip out and find her brother by now.
If only she and Venti worked together.
"Good luck, Lisa, Lumine!" Amber calls as she waves with excitement.
"Don't die! Okay, ladies!?" Kaeya calls as he's waiting for the result.
"Be careful, you two!" Paimon shouts while letting Lumine and Lisa know.
Finally, both girls are setting foot into the temple while they begin their quest together.
But Lumine's condition is not in good shape.
Temple of the Lion
The Temple of the Lion of the South Wind, just like other temples, is huge with unusual yet different structures, giving Lumine the impression that it's all a test to her.
Holding her Pocket Grimoire, Lisa can see dripping waters as they hit the ground and a few went through, falling into a bottomless world.
"This is the Temple of the Lion. Just like other temples, it's abandoned, which is unfortunate." Lisa said while leaping in a quiet room.
While both Lumine and Lisa are still going forward in this temple, Lumine looks at Lisa, thinking how different she is compared to Kaeya and Amber.
"Hm? You seemed concerned. Is there something you need?" Lisa asks.
Lumine has nothing to say and moves on while ignoring Lisa's question.
Lisa had a feeling that Lumine is not in a mood to stand around and chit chat.
Then, the duo stops at a steep area, only to see Cryo and Hydro Slimes as well as some unknown masked creatures that are vanishing, only for the Hilichurls to show up and talk to them.
Now some Hilichurls are holding crossbows, leading both Lumine and Lisa to grunt as they hide.
"You seemed to have something in mind, cutie." Lisa can tell what Lumine is thinking about.
"You have electro. If water and electricity mixes, then there's a chance that you can fry them." Lumine points downward as water is the answer to what's around the Hilichurls and Slimes.
"Oh. It seems you actually have something in mind. You're smarter than I thought. I guess first impressions aren't everything."
Lumine doesn't want to say anything, but viewing her as a dumb savage beast is poking her the wrong way which makes her want to stab someone's head.
Even though Lisa didn't explicitly say that, it's implied that she thinks Lumine is nothing but kill which is half true to her.
Finally, both Lumine and Lisa nod, giving Lumine the chance to charge and jump as far as she could, alerting the Hilichurls and the Slimes to fire the shards and arrows towards Lumine herself.
Little did they know, Lumine releases a bunch of swords between her fingers as she carries 6 under her cloak and chucks as many swords down as she can until she holds the last Dull Blade for Lisa to use her electro skill on.
From below, 2 Slimes are stabbed as 4 Hilichurls dodge with one of them cut by his ankle and fall.
This signals Lisa to use her skill, raise her arm by firing out her electro skill and hit a sword that is covered in sparks, only for it to rocket down towards the ground and stab the ground.
Then electric sparks spread all over as it finally caught the Hilichurls, leading them to scream out in agonising pain as their body burns all over by the electro sparks covering them.
Finally, they're all left for dead as their bodies burn. While their bodies remain black, their fur, loincloth and their masks darkened after being the victims to the dupion of water and electricity mixture.
After Lumine lands on the other side safely, Lisa glides down towards Lumine as she uses the Wings of First Flight, the same one Amber has, assuming Kaeya has one as well.
"Ufufu. Looks like I underestimated you, cutie. Although they're tough, let's not be reckless, okay."
Lumine nods and moves forward with Lisa coming along, leaving the corpses behind without looking back.
Their next step is to find the crystal of the Stormterror.
With the crystal all alone with no one around, everything is peaceful and the enemies are nowhere to be seen.
The only activity in this area is a sword slashing down vertically, splitting the crystal in 2 as it falls to pieces.
Lumine and Lisa are successful.
"Looks like that's three, knowing you, Amber and Kaeya break them in other temples." Lisa said.
Lumine nods and then looks at the warp as she's about to set foot on it.
"I couldn't help but notice that you don't speak."
Lumine stops after what Lisa just said to her.
"Throughout our quest, you've been silent all this time, yet you only speak out at a certain time." Lisa calls Lumine out, which catches Lumine off guard.
Lumine sighs and then pulls down the hood of her cloak and then looks at Lisa with those golden eyes after revealing her pale face.
"I only speak when necessary. Also, I got something important to do once this quest is over."
"And what is important to you?" Lisa is curious to know.
Lumine tries to open her mouth, but is unable to express her answer which leads her to close her mouth and look away.
Then she's gone; through the warp portal while Lisa is left alone with an unimpressed look.
"No answer. Honestly, cutie, you're a difficult one." Lisa sighed.
As Lisa follows along through the warp, the temple is no longer in use anymore.
Windrise, the return to the surface.
Lumine and Lisa have returned to this breezy surface, both girls stop as they come across Amber, Kaeya and Paimon playing cards together while waiting.
"Oh? Playing cards without me? Honestly." Lisa can tell if they're bored or abandoning
"Oh! Hey, Lisa! You're back with Lumine!" Amber cheers while waving.
"So, how is she?" Kaeya asked.
"Oh, this cutie is well behaved. If only I was her big sister." Lisa sighs, thinking of the possibility of raising Lumine like an older sister does.
"Hm… How well behaved?" Paimon asks out of suspicion, squinting her eyes while looking at Lumine.
"Well, she's certainly calculating when it comes to fighting monsters. I know she's vicious in some way, but let's give her a chance." Said Lisa.
"Sure thing!" Kaeya is all for Lumine to stay.
"You only accepted because she kills a lot like you!" Amber snaps.
"Are you guys seriously letting her in because she killed the monsters!? Ugh! Well, at least it's better than being alone since we found a way to restrain her." Paimon sighed.
"Then it's settled. Welcome to the Knights of Favonius." Lisa calls as it surprises Lumine and Paimon.
"Huh!? Are you saying we're a part of your group!?" Paimon exclaimed.
"Tch! Not interested." Lumine spat out.
"Huh?" Amber, Kaeya and Lisa stop as they hear what Lumine said.
"But why?" Amber asked.
Lumine has her reason as she looks away from the knights.
To Paimon, it's no surprise that Lumine declined that offer.
Even the trio can tell what Lumine is after.
"It's about something important." Lisa said, worried that Lumine is hiding her truth.
"Well, knowing her, it's that certain boy she's been searching for." Said Kaeya while putting his hands behind his head.
"Is that why you don't want us to help you?" Amber asked.
"Wrong." Lumine speaks out in a very harsh tone.
The atmosphere around Lumine and the knights is getting more and more tense as Lumine is getting to the point of unsheathing her sword.
If Lumine tells them about the Stormterror, then things are about to get messy, even Paimon is keeping her mouth shut.
"You're hiding something." Kaeya said bitterly.
"What if I am?" Lumine hisses.
"If it's about the Stormterror, tell us." Lisa pleads, knowing Lumine isn't the type of person to go out and murder her allies.
"Lumine. We need to tell them." Paimon whispers closer to Lumine.
"If we do, then this'll be a risk to our progress." Lumine grunts.
Even though she might run, it'll end badly for her and Paimon and Lumine herself rarely worry about her and Paimon which is something she feared for a while.
Lumine lowers her Dull Blade slowly while furrowing her eyebrows and clenching her teeth.
"Why…"
Before things escalate, a gusty wind is starting to blow, stopping the group from raising their weapons as the wind is getting stronger.
"ROOOAAARRR!" A loud roar has caught the group off guard which is above them.
"Is that- Ah!" Amber was interrupted as she shrieked.
Then a storm happens.
The wind is strong enough which causes the group to brace themselves, causing Kaeya to stab his sword on the ground.
"Girls! Hold on!" Kaeya shouted as he started to get serious.
After Amber and Lisa grab onto Kaeya as the trio are being blown by a strong wind, even Lumine and Paimon are holding on to each other with Lumine's blade on the ground.
"Lumine! He's here!" Paimon yelled.
"Who!?"
"The Stormterror!"
This had Lumine quickly look up at the sky as she sees a familiar silhouette that appears to be an unusual dragon which shows his eyes flashing green by creating more aero magic.
"D-... Dvalin!?" Lumine gasped.
Before the group hold on to each other, the wind is getting more and more stronger which summons the stormy tornadoes that are surrounding the group all over the field.
But Lumine is close to it which causes her to be lifted from the ground as she and Paimon exclaims.
If only they had something to support them.
"You two are in peril. But there is a way to prevent your fall."
Lumine grunts, knowing a familiar voice is there to help her.
"You need wings. Wings that can help you fly."
"Wings! But how are we going to find one!?" Paimon asks.
Lumine is losing her grip while trying to keep herself from falling into a storm.
What's worse, the wounds Lumine relieved from the Hilichurls are opening up as her blood comes out of her arms and her torso, even her face.
Then she turns towards Amber, Kaeya and Lisa.
"Your glider! I need your glider!" Lumine shouts.
"What!?" Amber also shots as the wind is too loud.
"Give me the damn glider!" Lumine yelled.
"Eh!?" Amber exclaims.
"She can use mine." Kaeya chuckles.
"Kaeya!?" Amber shrieks.
"Relax, Amber, I'm sure she can make it." Said Kaeya.
What Amber doesn't understand is why Lumine and Kaeya are alike which shows their least favourable actions and their opposite attitudes.
"Kaeya, are you that suicidal?" Lisa asks while still holding onto Kaeya.
"If anything, she's suicidal. I'm just doing what's right." Kaeya laughs and then takes off his glider by shuffling his shoulders, pulls it off and holds it out towards Lumine and Paimon. "Hey! Take it!"
"Kaeya, are you sure!? She doesn't have the gliding licence for this!" Amber points out.
"I know. But if she falls without it, then she dies." Said Kaeya.
"Same goes for you!" Amber yelled.
"Ahaha! Don't worry, I have different ways of landing." Kaeya laughed, reaching his arm towards Lumine and Paimon while Lumine held Paimon as far as she could for Paimon to reach the wind glider that looks like wings.
"Almost… Got it!" Paimon growls, clenching the wind glider desperately and yanks it for Lumine to instantly put it on her back.
As Kaeya yells along with Amber and Lisa's scream, Lumine and Paimon are pulled into a storm as Paimon screams whereas Lumine gasps.
"Lumine!" Amber yelled.
"Oh my! She's not the only one being taken to the storm!" Lisa points at a bunch of monsters that are also being put into a tornado, meaning they ended up disappearing out of nowhere.
Even though the trio are safe, Lumine is not.
At the sky as the breeze is strong and Lumine is floating with the wind glider that helps her levitate which had her sighing with relief.
"You have found your wings. Thank goodness. Now concentrate. See yourself grasping the wind. Harness its energy."
"Lumine! Are you okay!? And… How're you able to stay afloat with just a wind glider?" Paimon arrives as she's in the same predicament as Lumine.
Lumine pulls out her sword as a large 6 winged shadow of a dragon flies around with its loud roar.
"Don't worry! Paimon will let the others know that you're okay!" Paimon nods as Lumine nods back, leading Paimon to go down as fast as she could.
Now Lumine is all alone.
What she promised is to not kill the Stormterror as he's something important to Venti, giving Lumine the impression that he and the Stormterror are close to each other.
Then a shadowy speed has caught Lumine off guard as her sword shattered and her cloak was torn apart, leaving her revealed in a bloodstained white dress that is her usual attire.
"Damn it!" Lumine had found out that she's unarmed by the Stormterror.
She's now doomed to face the dragon that's been causing a storm
A growl is close, causing Lumine to turn around and then a claw has caught her by slashing her down from the sky.
She screamed.
As Lumine is on the receiving end of the Stormterror's attack, Lumine ends up falling down through the forest trees and crash down on the ground as she's spreading the grass and releasing the soil, bleeding from her head, her arms and her torso to her upper legs.
She's losing more blood that she's unable to fight back, especially after the wounds open up which makes things a lot worse, causing her to cough out blood from her mouth.
What is this, she thought to herself, knowing that Teyvat is not as normal as she thought it would usually be.
With her vision blurring, a familiar person arrives as if he's protecting her.
While Lumine closes her eyes, a bard grunts after realising that his blessing is not enough.
"Stop!" The bard, Venti, yelled out as it stopped the Stormterror, leading the said Stormterror to land on the ground and struggle to hold himself back. "Don't be afraid. I'm here." Venti quietens his tone as he approaches the Stormterror, who was growling on his fours.
It's now quiet.
With Venti here, the Stormterror is slowly able to hold back as he comes closer to Venti with a low growl.
Before Venti got his hands on the Stormterror, a voice yelled "Lumine!" has caught Venti off guard as the Stormterror hastily leaves by creating a strong wind while flapping his wings as hard as he could.
"Ah! Wait!" Venti reached his arm, but was unfortunately lost after the Stormterror got away. "Who's there!?" Venti holds out his Skyward Harp, that is a bow, at the sounds that are approaching him and Lumine.
To his surprise, it's a bunch of strangers that are calling, leading Venti to walk backwards and vanish into a green wind of energy.
"I'm sorry." Venti apologises as he leaves, knowing these people are calling for her.
With Lumine all beaten up as well as being heavily wounded, Amber and Paimon are the first 2 to go near as both hands are holding Lumine's as Amber is on one side and Paimon on another.
"Lumine!? Lumine! Please wake up!" Amber begs while sounding desperate.
"Lumine! Don't die on us! Please! Lumine!" Paimon screamed, realising that Lumine isn't getting up at this rate due to the blood loss she suffers.
"We need to get her back to headquarters! Kaeya, can you help Amber out!" Lisa calls.
"Okay! Alright! Excuse me, Paimon." Kaeya approaches while kneeling down and pulls Lumine up by giving her a piggyback ride. "Hup! Let's go back. It's getting dark." Kaeya said, looking at the purple sky as it's about to become night time.
"Yeah. Let's hope Lumine's okay." Paimon worries for her own friend who was heavily injured.
"Of course she will be. The knights have the resources we need to heal her." Said Lisa while comforting Paimon and holding her by the cheeks.
"But will she ever not go out preemptively? From what I can tell, she really is hiding something." Amber said.
"It's a matter of time that she will answer." Lisa sighed. "Let's go."
"Right." Amber nods as she and Paimon are following Kaeya and Lisa.
There's one thing Lumine's worried about is the possibility of losing the very person she loved and searched for a while.
Let's hope he's okay.
Aether…