For once, Lumine woke up in a furnished room.

It dawned on her that she finally got a place to rest that wasn't a hastily made cover of sticks and leaves or some damp cave.

Looking to her side, she could see Paimon still sound asleep. The sun was hanging low in the sky, filling the room with its warm glow. The clock on the nightstand read 7:42 AM.

Because of her tiredness, she never bothered to explore the room the Knights provided for her. After such a hectic day, hiking around Mondstadt, fighting a dragon, retaking a temple, all in one day to boot, she crashed on the bed as soon as the room's door was closed.

She slowly flipped the covers off herself, careful not to take them away from Paimon, and stood up stretching an arm over her head, yawning. She opened the only other door in the room besides the one that leads back into the hallway and was met with a bathroom, including a shower.

Before she could turn it on, though, she heard a knock at the door. Walking back out to the main door, she opened it and was greeted with a silver haired girl in what looked to be a cross between armor and a maid dress holding her signature white and blue outfit.

"Here are your cleaned clothes as promised." The girl spoke as she handed the outfit to Lumine.

"O-Oh. Thanks…" Lumine replied.

The girl bowed her head before walking down the hall. She looked down at herself and realized she was in pajamas remembering that before she went to sleep, a maid came by and asked if there was anything she could do. Knowing she didn't have any other sets of clothes; she asked the maid if it was possible for her outfit to be cleaned overnight. She was thankful that was the case.

Stepping back into the bathroom, the sound of rushing water greeted her as she turned the shower knob. Stripping off the pajamas, she stepped into the shower and felt the warmth envelop her. She closed her eyes, letting the water cascade over her, washing away the troubles that had gathered ever since arriving in Teyvat.

As the droplets caressed her skin, Lumine's thoughts drifted. Her only family getting ripped away from her. The weeks spent alone with no direction in the wilderness before finding Paimon. All she wants to do is find her brother and leave. It was so frustrating.

The rhythmic patter of the water on the tiles was broken by the drips of tears. Stifled sobs were muffled by the stream from the showerhead as she gave into anguish, tears mixing in the water with every gasp of air.

The shower became her only moment alone from everything, where she could finally let loose the frustration and pain that had festered since she got here. Momentary respite, a moment alone to let her vulnerability show.

She leaned against the wall of the shower, cheeks puffy and eyes red. Despite the sorrow plaguing her heart, there was still a faint shimmer of hope. She finished cleaning up and did her best to make it look like she wasn't crying.

She left the bathroom dressed in her cleaned outfit and was met with Paimon now awake. "Lumine, good morning. I'm getting hungry and you've been in there for a while-'' She paused seeing Lumine's face. "Hey… Are you alright?"

"I'm fine." She dismissed. "You said you were hungry?"

"Umm... Yeah. Paimon wants some Fisherman's Toast from Good Hunter." Paimon responded.

"That's doable. Let's get going, then." Lumine opened the door back out into the Knights' Headquarters.

"Are you sure you're alright?" Paimon asked catching up to Lumine.

Lumine glared at Paimon before quickly softening her expression and dismissing Paimon's questioning again.

The two exit the Headquarters and start down the path with the goal of Good Hunter in mind. Walking past the fountain out front of the hotel, Paimon gets her attention. "Hey isn't that Jean?" Lumine looked towards the hotel, and standing out front was none other than The Acting Grand Master herself. "Who's she talking to?" Paimon asked.

Lumine looked at her, Jean was visibly annoyed, though only mildly.

Walking closer they could start to overhear their conversation.

"...Which is what has brought us to this point in the first place. If you are unable to promptly deal with the Stormterror threat, then leave the defense of Mondstadt to the Fatui." The woman in purple said as she gestured to the man in red standing beside the main door to the hotel. "We can put an end to Mondstadt's dragon issues. All we need to do is bring that monster to the-"

"'Monster'?" Jean interrupts.

"Yes. What's your point?" The woman in purple questions.

"I'd expect a more professional attitude from your diplomats." Jean crosses her arms in irritation. "Yet here you are saying you want to 'put an end' to one of The Four Winds of Mondstadt?! I won't have any of this nonsense in front of the Knights of Favonius."

Jean was slightly taken aback when the diplomat started giggling. "It's not as crazy as you make it sound… Perhaps we should ask the two who did fend off the dragon. Maybe they would like to join the Fatu-?"

"Speak for yourself." Someone interrupted walking up to the two nonchalantly, whom Lumine recognized as Phineas. "Something is up with that dragon, and I intend to find out what it is without the need for unnecessary bloodshed." He states as he glares at the delegate.

The delegate huffed. "Fine then, that's enough negotiation for today. At this stage it's simply… an amicable exchange of constructive opinions, no?" She turns around and starts to walk back into the hotel but stops and turns her head back towards Jean and Phineas, "I'll be sure to make… thorough notes." She walks back into the hotel followed by the man in red behind her who closes the door.

Jean pinches the bridge of her nose and sighs, turning toward Phineas as Lumine and Paimon approach as well.

"Ah, Lumine, Paimon, I take it the accommodations were to your liking?" Jean greeted.

"They were plenty comfortable. Thank you." Lumine nodded.

"So, she sounded like a real piece of work, huh?" Phineas joked.

Jean stifled a small chuckle and nodded her head. "If only I could openly share your views. The aftermath of the last Stormterror attack is finally settled, but the pressure from the delegation has become too big to be ignored."

"Delegation? From Liyue or Inazuma?" Paimon spoke up.

"Snezhnaya." Jean said, "They follow the Cryo Archon. Their envoys go by a particular name: the Fatui. Ever heard of them?"

"I've come across a few of them wandering Mondstadt before I met Paimon, though I mostly stayed away from whatever they were doing." Said Lumine.

Phineas shook his head, "They don't sound like the most good-hearted people."

"I'll have to agree, I don't believe that they have Mondstadt's best interests at heart." Jean cast a downward glance at the floor. "The Fatui have always coveted Barbatos' power." She revealed. "If anything comes up about Stormterror, we'll be sure to let you know… I'm afraid I've been letting some paperwork sit for too long, so I'll be off now." With that she walked back towards the Headquarters.

And then she was left with probably the only other person who had a similar run in with the god that attacked her and her brother. However, she still has only told her full story to Paimon, No one else knows why she is even here in the first place.

"Say… Lumine, right?" Lumine was broken from her thoughts as Phineas spoke up.

"Y-yes that's me." She confirmed.

"You seem like you know this place better than me, do you know of any good places here to eat?" He asked.

Well, she was just about to head to that Good Hunter place that Amber recommended her to go try. Surely, he could come along too, right? "Paimon and I were headed to Good Hunter, a place we were recommended to try. You can come with us if you would like."

Phineas hummed as he thought about it, "Sure, I don't see why not."

Lumine nodded her head and walked off towards Mondstadt Square. Walking past the central fountain with Paimon and Phineas in tow, she arrived at Good Hunter and opened the door. Inside, they were greeted by a waiter and then requested a table for three.

"Right here in the middle of the square, and I walked right past it twice." Phineas huffed, as Lumine and Paimon chuckled at his misery. "Hey, it's not that funny."

"I mean…" Paimon shrugged, "It's a little funny."

The three sat down at the table offered by the waitress and placed their orders. Two Teyvat Fried Eggs for Lumine, a plate of Fisherman's Toast for Paimon, and a set of Chicken and Mushroom Skewers for Phineas.

"So…" Lumine started after the waitress left with their orders, "How has your morning gone?" She asked to fill the awkward silence.

"It's been insightful, I bartered with the local Blacksmith for some of this place's currency. Mora, they call it." He explained as he held up a small gold coin with a triangular symbol minted in the center.

"We've also picked up a bit of the stuff from the Hilichurls in the Temple of the Falcon when we cleared it out with Outrider Amber." Paimon said.

"I was on my way back to the Knight's Headquarters to see if I could find Kaeya, but then I ran into Jean talking to that delegation." Phineas summed up. "I think you know the rest." Lumine nodded in understanding.

"So, how has yours gone?" He asked.

"O-Oh! Well, it went… normally, I suppose. Woke up, cleaned up, then left for breakfast." Lumine stammered out. Paimon stared at her with concern. "So… How did your temple go?" She asked to change topics.

"It went well, all things considered. Slimes and Hilichurls, I think they're called, are easy to deal with on their own. But I can see how dangerous they can be in large groups, like Goblins or Pirates." Lumine gave him a blank stare not quite knowing what he was talking about.

"O-Oh… right, you guys don't know what I'm talking about." Phineas hummed as he took a contemplative stance. "I'd be lying if I said I didn't feel a little out of my element in this new world, or at least that is the running theory." Phineas began, "As I've never seen anything like this place anywhere on Terraria, not even the slimes are the same."

"I can't help but wonder where that god sent me." As he uttered those words the scene replayed itself in her head. Her brother's terrified expression as he was consumed by the cubes. Her strike absorbed like it was nothing. She started to tear up once again as dark thoughts plagued her mind. What if she never saw her brother ever again?

"Lumine?" She could still hear her brother calling out to her. It was haunting.

"Lumine." Make it stop.

"Lumine!" She was forced out from her spiraling thoughts as a hand reached out and clasped her shoulder. Phineas had a mild look of concern and Paimon looked scared.

He slowly took his hand off her shoulder, her breathing staggered. "Are you okay?"

"W-What did she look like?" Lumine spoke through tears. "The god…?" She asked, completely ignoring his question.

Phineas frowned but relented. "White hair, orange eyes, whole arrogant demeanor?" It definitely sounded like her, but why attack them both unprovoked? It made no sense, and it made her head spin.

"So, we were both attacked by the same being." Lumine concluded somberly.

"You were confronted by the same god that Lumine was?!" Paimon turned to Phineas with a look of shock.

Phineas nodded in confirmation "Which is why I've wanted to have a chat with you… I couldn't help but notice your reaction when I told my story to everyone right after we drove off Stormterror." Phineas admitted.

Lumine tensed, debating on whether she should tell him, but ultimately relented. "My brother, Aether, and I… We're world travelers, we travel from world to world, experiencing the various cultures they have to offer…" She smiled remembering the good times they had together, but the smile quickly faded. "And then we came here."

"I don't remember much, vague memories of a great calamity but Aether and I tried to leave quickly. But then we were stopped by her. She attacked us after saying something about mankind's arrogance. She took my brother, and then she sealed my powers and took me too." Lumine retold.

"Then I woke up in the wilderness about 3 months ago, stuck in the form of a Human, and without anything but the clothes on my back." Lumine finished. "Then I fished Paimon out of a river about a month later." She spoke, turning to Paimon. "She taught me the language they speak here, and then we traveled to Mondstadt to find any leads on my brother or the god that separated us…" She trailed off.

"Just to get wrapped up in a situation you have no stake in." Phineas finished her thought. She glanced up at Phineas. "I know the feeling, even if I am helping Mondstadt of my own volition."

"How could you ever know how I feel?" Lumine bit back.

"Do you think I ever wanted to be the champion of Terraria? The one to risk my life and countless others on some insane quest out of the blue?" Phineas asked rhetorically.

"Listen, this god attacked the both of us plus those close to us completely unprovoked." Phineas began. "You want to find your brother and leave. I want to find my friends and family but also get revenge… No one attacks my friends and lives to talk about it." He clenched his fist; she could see the embers of determination in his eyes. "That's why I want to ask for your help."

"Help me find my friends, and I'll help you find your brother and recover your power."

Lumine was stunned, taken completely by surprise that he would even offer to help. "I know we barely know each other, but we both have similar goals."

"How do you know if your friends are even here?" Paimon asked.

"Does she know if her brother is even here?" Phineas asked back while gesturing to Lumine. "I don't know if they are, but I know that God has them somewhere. What I do know about this place is that each nation has their own Archon. I figured who else might know more about the god that attacked us than the gods that oversee the elements?"

Lumine thought about his proposal, as a warmth stung her eyes again. The prospect of someone who completely understood her situation not only existing, but offering to help her find her brother was astounding.

"Lumine…" Paimon looked to the girl who was now trying to hold back tears.

"I- Did I say something wrong?" Phineas asked worriedly.

"Ah, n-no you didn't. It's just… well…" She wiped away a tear. "It's nothing. I'm glad to have your help." She wore a warm smile on her face.

Phineas nodded and sat back to lounge in his chair, as the waiter brought out their food to their table. Lumine was happy to no longer be alone in this while Paimon seemed content with her toast. Breakfast never tasted so good before.


Phineas enjoyed those skewers, it's been almost a day since he last ate, so he was glad to have gotten something. Breakfast only cost him about 500 Mora, which was practically pocket change if selling off some of his materials from Terraria was anything to go by. After selling off about a fourth of his iron to the blacksmith at the gate he was given a hefty sum of Mora in the 5-figure range. So, he would be financially stable for a while. It was a shame that they wouldn't take his world's currency here though.

Looking to his left, Lumine and Paimon seemed to be in the middle of a conversation as they caught up to him. "...don't think he's a bad guy." He heard Lumine speak to Paimon.

"But he was still there when we first saw Stormterror, so he has to be involved in some way." Paimon argued.

"Are you talking about me?" Phineas asked, now curious about their conversation.

"No." Lumine shook her head, "We were talking about someone else we met when we first saw Stormterror."

"He looked just like that guy over there!" Paimon pointed to a person in seafoam green holding a musical instrument of some kind running up the stairs.

"I think that's him, actually." Lumine stated.

"What?! Well, what are we doing sitting here? Let's go follow him!" Paimon yelled before flying off after the person.

"Paimon Wai-" Lumine huffed at her antics, "Well, let's go follow her."

Lumine ran towards the stairs after Paimon left Phineas by himself out front of Good Hunter. He debated whether he should follow but eventually decided to run after them and catch up. Luckily, his Terraspark boots let him do just that, as he quickly caught up to the two. They were following the seafoam person from a distance, watching him climb up the stairs further into the city.

"So, who exactly is this person we're spying on all the sudden?" Phineas asked in a hushed voice to the two as they left their spot to follow him further up more stairs.

"When we drove off Stormterror yesterday, it wasn't the first time we saw the dragon." Lumine explained.

"We saw the dragon touch down in some woods not too far out from Mondstadt on the way here. When we got to where it landed, we saw it speaking with the guy we're following right now." Paimon followed up.

"But then something happened, and the dragon noticed us before roaring and flying off and leaving that tear shaped crystal, I showed to everyone last night. The green person disappeared in the chaos, and we haven't seen him since."

"Until now, that is?" Phineas asked rhetorically as they followed them up more stairs towards the cathedral's courtyard. Lumine only nodded in response.

As they get up the last flight of stairs they look around for a moment before hearing a soft harp-like melody coming from a crowd gathered in front of the large Barbatos statue. The three of them gently pushed towards the front of the crowd to find the source of the melody.

Standing in the center of the crowd playing a Lyre was the person they were tracking down across the city. They had a look of silent focus as their hands strummed across the strings. The melody came to a crawl as the figure spoke up.

"What is to be sung transpired in the days of yore, When the divine archons still walked the earth. A dragon cast his curious gaze on the world below as he parted from the heavens that gave his birth." The boy looked towards the clouds before strumming some more.

"The dragon sought truth amongst common folk, but mortal trifles only fogged his mind." They spoke fluently, and strummed so perfectly that not a single note was out of place as if they had told this story for hundreds of years. "The windborne bard strummed his strings dolce and the Holy lyre answered his questions kind. The dragon was but a child full of wonder, and soared the heavens free from care."

"The bard's songs invited him to sing along, for he yearned to let all perceive him fair. Enchanting legends the bard and dragon were, but the tides of despair soon engulfed the land;-" The melody slowly became more foreboding and sinister as the boy continued his tale. "The lion fang perished and the falcon flag slept. As a vile dragon approached Mondstadt in lone stand, over the Cathedral loomed death and his friends. Of the people's agony the bard soon sang."

"The soaring dragon heeded his grave calls, and amidst the windstorms a brutal war sprang." Of all the stories that Phineas has heard through his life, he couldn't shake the feeling that something about this one felt like more than just a fairytale, as the bard's melody took a more somber tone. "Blood of venom sent the sky dragon into slumber, only to awake to be expelled in abhor. 'Why do people in this age loathe me so?' But the Holy Lyre replied no more."

"Wrath and woe, vigor and venom, Poured from the dragon's bitter eyes. The dragon's curse sprawled in silence, But the Lyre could no longer soothe his cries." As the person finished their tale, the crowd applauded the performance and others left some Mora as a tip.

"Wait, you guys are… Oh that's right! You're the ones that scared Dvalin away." The seafoam boy spoke to Lumine and Paimon.

"Dvalin? Who's that?" Paimon asked curiously.

"Dvalin is Stormterror, remember what Lisa told us in the headquarters last night?" Phineas answered.

"Huh? …Oh right! But umm, why do you call him that, are you two meant to be close or something?" She asked, turning back towards the bard.

"Oh, so close…" Answered the fellow in green.

"Ahh… hello…" Lumine spoke to the bard.

"Good day, outlander. Seems we meet again." The boy placed a hand over his heart, "I'm Venti the bard. Three-time winner of 'Most Popular Bard of Mondstadt,' to be precise." Venti spoke with an air of pride. "So, what do you need from me?"

"It's about Dvalin… what we saw in the forest." Lumine said, pulling out the red crystal that was left behind from Stormterror.

"Oh, this is… Dvalin, he… The anguish he feels has brought him to tears." Venti revealed, staring at the red crystal.

"Lumine, -" Phineas spoke, holding a hand out to the crystal, "if I may. I want to try something." Lumine nodded and handed the crystal over to him. Holding it in one hand, he could feel the negative emotion from the crystal but tried his best to ignore it. He dug around in his inventory for an old tool that has since fallen to the wayside but still has its occasional uses, like right now for instance.

Pulling out a light blue pouch with a yellow drawstring he looks at the pouch for a moment, remembering the last time he restocked them a few days before those cultists showed up at the Dungeon. "God, it seems so long ago now," he mumbled.

"What did you say? Paimon could barely hear you just now…" Paimon asked Phineas.

"It was nothing. Now, -" He stuck his hand into the pouch, pulling out some sparkly blue powder, "I wonder what would happen if I-" He sprinkled the powder over the tear and watched as the tear shimmered a bright white as wind swirled around the crystal in his hand, picking up the leftover powder that clung to it and swirling it away in the wind. As the white shimmering died down, what was left in place of the once vicious and red crystal was now a mellow and blue teardrop shaped crystal.

"Dvalin…" Venti spoke up once again, "He was once such a gentle child. Now so full of rage and suffering." He had a somber look as he held another corrupted teardrop crystal in his hand. "I also came across a teardrop crystal, can you purify it?" He handed it off to Phineas.

He nodded as he took the crystal and another handful of Purification Powder and combined the two, the same gale of winds swirling around the powder as the crystal changed from red to white to blue.

"You… really do have some wonderful abilities, maybe you'll end up getting written into a bard's poem. A warrior too kind, but alone he is confined. Though with companionship so tight, one would be weary of his might… Alas, I've really not the time to compose a melody for you at this moment."

Well, he couldn't say for certain that anyone had made a story in his honor before, so even if it was just a short poem, it was a first. "Anyway, even if Dvalin is not taken down, his life will still wither away in the breeze." Venti adopted a thousand-yard stare. "He'll burn himself out in the flames of anger…"

Lumine stepped forward, "Is there anything we can do to help?"

"Purifying the Teardrop Crystal helped me greatly, but I've already devised a plan of my own."

"Oh? And what plan would that be?" Paimon asked smugly.

"Seeing this tear has brought to mind a friend to dear." Venti replied. "Well… one must be going." He said as he started to walk away.

"Hey! Where're you running off to!?" Paimon demanded to know.

"To the 'Symbol of Mondstadt's Hero.' Bye-bye~" Venti said as he ran off down the stairs of the courtyard.

"So cryptic… Lumine what do you think?" Paimon inquired.

"Of Venti? He definitely knows more than he lets on, we should go follow him."

"You know… despite never meeting him before, his voice sounds familiar. Reminds me of the one that spoke to me when driving off… Stormterror…" Phineas trailed off as he thought back to the moment when he took to the skies above Mondstadt.

"We don't know for sure, but what is the 'Symbol of Mondstadt's Hero?' what is that?"

"Oh, Paimon knows! It's that huge tree you can see all the way over there!" She floated over to the railing and pointed towards the huge tree that Phineas recognized as Windrise.

"Windrise… hmm… I think I might know a way we can get there before him." Phineas said as held out a bottle of bubbling blue liquid to Lumine.


AN:

Wow! What? A new chapter? That's weird. This is probably the longest one to date.

Thanks Valve for Updating Team Fortress 2 again. :)

Thanks to iDrmzIt for being my lore consultant.

See ya next time.

-Spoopy