Memories of The Forgotten Star

by Naughty Tome

After they finished exploring Mona's mirage, the group of friends can finally starts their summer vacation in the paradise known as Golden Apple Archipelago. But wait! Something is missing... The four people turned all of their heads towards one person. "Where is your mirage, Traveler?" (THIRD CHAPTER IS OUT PARTLY!)

3. Rising (INCOMPLETE)

I working on this chapter for almost a year now and I would like to finish it as soon as possible, however, I will be super busy for the rest of this month and the next one so I won't be able to complete it. But still, I feel like I've been delaying this for long enough, so I decided to post the first part instead. Hopefully, I could be able to write the rest of the chapter as soon as possible, :(

Anyway, enjoy! And... Sorry :'(

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Chapter 2

"Mama, Papa, I need to talk to you about something. Something very important!"

The voice of youngest child of the household rang in the air, the living room inside the mansion suddenly came into a complete silence. The wide open pair of golden eyes that belongs to the youngest daughter stared at the eyes of her parents in front of her who stared back at her in return.

She was seated on a single chair, while her parents are sitting on a larger couch. Her elder brother stood on one side to her right, like that of a knight to a princess, or an advisor to a commander. Meanwhile on her left, there's her first, only, and best friend. The child that is younger than her, who has a long beautiful white cotton hair that was tied into twin tails. After what happened last time involving her and her beloved big sister, the child had decided to stick close to her one and only friend, especially after the latter had sacrificed her own health just to save her. Currently, the white haired girl is standing on the left side of the blonde haired girl, while holding closely her beloved pet, a kitten with blackish blue fur which she named "Scara."

"What is it my dear? Also, how are you feeling today? Does your body still hurts?" The voice of the father spoke up, full of concern.

It is but only a few days after the family had found their precious daughter in such a catastrous state. Her body is full of bruises from top to bottom, the doctor had said that she also suffers from some minor internal bleeding in some areas. It was bad to put it lightly, they even express their surprise that she even still alive at this point, especially after the three day coma she went through. Although she has recovered enough to move freely around the house and not lying all day in bed, her bruised body is still all covered in bandages.

"I'm fine, Papa. I can move around just fine now, even though some parts of my body and my joints still hurts." The girl replied, raising a single arm up, wincing a little from the small pain she's feeling.

"It's better that you continue to get some rest, Lumine. Don't worry about school, your health is far more important." The mother spoke up, putting a single hand on her chest.

"I know, Mama. But, I really wanted to talk to you about this." The girl with blonde hair, Lumine, replied while her eyes are downcast, looking at her hands that are gripping the hem of her skirt tightly, sweats raining down her forehead and she gulped down nervously.

"After the incident that took place several days ago. Lumi had made a surprising discovery related to what happened during that time. She and I have discussed it thoroughly, and after gathering some evidence, and gives it all some thoughts, we think that it might be better to consult it you two." Aether added, he sensed the nervousness coursing through his sister's body, and he's willingly helping her during this tense situation, reaching out to put a single hand on her shoulder, and give it a squeeze, which visibly makes her a little relaxed for a bit.

Their parents didn't say anything after that, but they silently look at each other before nodding their heads to gesture for their daughter to explain what is currently swirling inside her mind.

And now that both of her parents have given her the approval to speak, there should be no more obstacles for her to finally give them the words in her mind. And yet, she's still finds it difficult to speak, let alone parting her lips to make a sound. Just what is it that made her unable to speak out like this? Was it merely because she was nervous of what her parents reactions would be? Or was it because of fear? Does she fear for the outcome of what she's about to tell them? It seems to be right.

For all her life, the youngest daughter have always been known that between her and her brother, she was the inferior one, she was the shadow that follows upon the light that her brother brings, a mere images of him, reflected upon a dirty and broken mirror. Her parents had always thought that, other people had always sees that, and she herself have always accepted that. Aether is better, Aether is smarter, Aether is friendlier, and Aether is stronger. While Lumine is... Well... Lumine is nothing, just like a shadow that follows her brother, blank and featureless, with no interesting qualities whatsoever.

But now however... Now that Lumine reflected upon her life for the past four years, she realized that perhaps that mindset of hers has been wrong this whole time.

Sure, she may be nothing in the eyes of other people unlike her brother before, but in recent years, the girl has finally for the first time in her life, gained something that she could call hers.

She gained a kind and beautiful girl that she could call her friend, she gained the title of an older sister from having to befriend and take care of her, she received the generosity and love from someone else other than her own family for the first time, heck she even got her first enemies as well, if those bullies count as one that is.

Her life has changed, and few good things have happened to her. What else does she needs other than the required strength to protect those that she just received? Her meek and timid self are not enough to protect those that she cherish. She need power, more power.

After mentally composing herself, the blonde haired girl took a deep breath, before straighten her sitting posture. She looks at her parents eyes in full seriousness with pursed lips, preparing to say it now.

"Mama... Papa... I think... I think I might possesses the gift as well."

The instant she said that, her parents eyes blown wide open in shock, her mother jerked in surprise in her seat, while her father suddenly stood up, as if a bomb had just been thrown into him, making him reflectively trying to get away. Their eyes are all glaring daggers towards Lumine, and the blonde girl finds herself fidgeting once more under their gaze. Their breaths hitched in their throats, she could feel it, even by a mere mention of this alone had already made them react this way, the girl wonders if she could even goes any further beyond this point.

"What the goodness are you talking about, Lumine?" Her father was the first one to spoke up after a while of silence. Still with that disbelieved look on his face while the tone of his voice are serious. "If you think of telling us a joke, then this isn't a funny one, you shouldn't even take it lightly either, you know that this is not a laughing matter."

Her father sounds so intimidating right now, but Lumine and Aether knew better than anyone that their parents are merely looking out for them, and all of this they did is out of affection for both of their children, nothing more.

"It's... It's not a joke." Lumine replied a bit timidly, shaking her head with her eyes closed. The blonde girl then turned her head to look towards her mother who was still sitting on her couch, eyeing her daughter in shock and also disbelief, but still, there is a small glints of emotions inside her eyes that telling the little girl that her mother had knew the answer already somewhat, the more reason why she should be the one to support this claim. "Mama... You know that already... Didn't you?"

Instantly, all eyes in the room glanced towards the mother, who stayed silent for a while under their gaze. She looks down on the floor, eyes full of mixed up emotions, most notably uncertainty and discomfort. With everyone in the room are expecting for her answer, she could not afford to keep the silence forever.

"I... I had my guess." The mother replied after a while, sighing as she does so.

Her father then turned his head to look at the mother, slightly shocked, glaring at her with a disbelieved look.

"Darling... You knew?" Asked the father, to which the mother nodded her head.

"That day... When Nahida-chan asked me to follow her to the woods, she told me that Lumine is being assaulted by a bunch of bullies who wanted to beat her up for revenge." Their mother began, wincing as she recalled the memory. "She told me that they're pretty strong, so I enlisted the help of several people. We searched through the woods, with Nahida as our guides, and eventually finds the spot where Lumine was last seen. Lumine is... In a very bad condition, just like when she was bedridden in the first day, however... There is something odd when we found her that day." The mother explained, her hands gripping at the white dress she's wearing, a little bit too tightly for comfort.

"Onee-chan was attacked by three bullies that day, they all strong and tall." Nahida, the little girl with white cotton hair, the special guest of the family, added with a nod of her head. "They are so mean, and... So unforgiving. They want to beat me up all because Scara peed on their bike." The little girl muttered out loud, hugging the dark haired cat in her arms closer to her chest. "They say a lot of mean stuff, and they told me that onee-chan wouldn't be the same as before once they're done, that's why I rushed in here to ask for auntie's help, before returning there as quickly as possible, because I don't want onee-chan to get hurt. But... I-I was too late, and by the time we get there, onee-chan is out cold, and so does the other three."

"Wait, what?"

"Those boys were unconscious as well." The mother replied, leaning her body forward while intertwining her fingers and placed her hands in front of her mouth. "We didn't exactly know what happened, but upon closer inspection, they seemed to get a pretty hard bump on their head, like they were being pushed away really hard against the surrounding trees or the ground, all of this can be seen from the blood trickling down their foreheads." The mother explained, her expression looking somewhat somber. "I didn't have enough time to care about them, because I was focused on Lumine only, and brought her back home where she was comatose for three days."

"Is that so..." The father muttered in response, looking conflicted on what he just learned. "But is there any other evidence that suggests that it was caused by it?"

"I have one." Everyone turned their heads to look at the boy with blonde hair. "A day after we returned back home, I went to check on those three, see if they needed to be taught another lesson or not for messing with Lumi again while we were away." Aether ignored all the stares his parents give him at the moment he said the word 'Lesson' and continues his explanation instead. "The moment they see me, it look like they've just seen a ghost. Chickening away in fear, they would've escaped if it wasn't for me to catch up with them. I interrogate them one by one about what they did to Lumi, and would've forced them to repent using force if necessary, but they surprisingly surrendered easily. They explained everything to me, from start to finish of the entire ordeal, including the part of when they got knocked out."

"I... I didn't remember anything after they tried to cut my hair..." Lumine muttered softly, twirling the sideburns of her now short hair, she's still having a hard time adjusting the sensation of no longer having long hair that draped behind her back, maybe a year or two will do. "My mind and my sight are just pure white at that moment... And I couldn't hear clearly... So... What happened, brother? What did they tell you?" Lumine asked, looking at her older brother with an expectant and curious look.

"They said that you're a monster." Aether answered, causing everyone to stiffen in place.

"A what?" Nahida asked, a little shocked at what she just heard.

Aether sighed and shook his head a little. "They said that at that moment, just before they lose consciousness, a bright light suddenly engulfed Lumine's body, and a touch to her body is like holding into a fire, or at least one of them said that." Aether explained, his golden eyes glanced towards his sister who sat on the couch beside him, her eyes looking directly into his. "They release their hold because of that, and before anyone could react, an invisible force pushed them away from her, and that was how they were knocked out." A smirk appears on Aether's face as he snorted a little. "They blamed it on Lumine, and that's why they become fearful of me who has a "monster" as a sister. But hey, at the very least they'll never be brave enough to mess with us ever again."

After Aether's explanation, everyone stayed silent, and the room was quiet for a while. Their father finally sits down back on his couch, sighing as he puts his palm on his face, thinking. The twins also stayed silent as they waited for their father's further response, sitting there with their eyes looking at their father.

After a few minutes have passed, their father finally released his hand from his face, his eyes stared directly into Lumine's golden ones. Looking at her with an unreadable expression.

"Alright... Let's approach this matter slowly... First thing first, my dear Lumine, what are your feelings about this?" Her father asked, intertwined his fingers as he placed his hands on his lap.

"I... I don't know, papa." Lumine replied with a shake of her head. "This is all so new to me... I still can't believe it either, it's all so sudden and... I never imagined that I would be like this."

"Hmm... I see. That is very understandable." Her father nods his head before asking again. "Then... How about a demonstration? Can you show us what you can do?"

"I... I can't." Lumine replied timidly, looking down at her own palms. "I... I tried several times before, trying to imitate what Aether can do, but I can't do it, or at least, not yet."

The father releases a sigh after hearing that, closing his eyes as he once again ransacks his mind for thoughts. Right now, he feels really confused about what he must do, or what decisions that he must made. As the head of the family, as the father of his twin children, as their guardian who has sworn to protect his children from those people in the government, who surely will take them away from him once they learned of the unique qualities that his child possesses, both of them, now with this revelation.

He felt a hand was placed on his shoulder, and gave it a gentle squeeze, he opened his eyes to see his wife looking at him tenderly, in concern and reassurance.

"I know that you have your doubts, my dear, but even so, this is but a miracle that is out of our control, one that we cannot change nor can it be prevented." The mother of the twin golden siblings muttered softly, smiling at her husband with a tiny yet gentle smile. "Fate is strange thing, I know. But perhaps, even this is a blessing from the heavens that we just don't know yet so long as we see it from only one point of view." The mother then looked at her daughter, who had her eyes on her parents. "There is no harm in this, no one would suspect anything as long as we kept it hidden. And besides, even if those naughty children tell someone about this, no one's going to believe them since they're just a child."

"Mom is right, dad." Aether added with a nod of his head. "I know about this better than Lumi, I can teach her, and if all of our assumptions turn out to be correct, then she'll just have to learn to hide it from the public, just like I do."

Their father looks back and forth between his wife and his son, and also to his daughter who stays silent the whole time, seeing the slightly pleading look on his son's face, or his wife's warm smile of reassurance. And so, he made his decision. He'll be granting their wish.

"Alright, alright, I understand." The father sighed as he glanced towards his daughter. "Lumine, from now on, you'll be homeschooled here with your brother, no need to go back to school again five times a week." He said, causing Lumine to widen her eyes in shock.

"Wha- Really?! I-I mean... I-Is that really okay?" Lumine asked timidly, a part of her was a little excited and happy, while others are very hesitant at the news.

"Yes." Her father nodded in confirmation. "I still have my doubts of whether you have the gift in you, my dear child. But I can't risk it if it turns out to be true." He said with a small shake of his head. "I'll be dealing with the matters of her resignation soon, but as for now, I want you try testing out your new abilities, and demonstrates it to me, it doesn't have to be tomorrow, or anytime soon, just when you finally can do it, okay?"

"Understood. Thank you, papa." Lumine nods her head in gratitude, smiling slightly, after finally convincing her parents into listening to what she faced with, without any major problem that she feared before.

"H-Hold on!" A voice spoke up, and everyone turned their heads towards the little girl with white hair named Nahida. "If onee-chan is not going to school anymore like Aether onii-chan, then doesn't that mean that I can't see onee-chan anymore?"

Ah, that's right, both Nahida and Lumine used be always together during school hours. As friends, they usually spends their sweet time playing and studying together, though they are separated by age differences, they are still close nonetheless, for they have only each others as friends after all, aside from Aether being the third wheel of course.

Now that it has been decided that Lumine will no longer attend school in favor of homeschooling with Aether, the time where they can be together is cut short, no longer will they be able to see each other again so very often now that they are separated by not only time difference, but also places.

"Hey, it's okay Nahida, it's okay." The blonde haired girl stood up from her chair and placed her hands on both the younger girl's shoulder, making the white haired girl to look up at the older one, while also ignoring the sharp glare coming from the cat Scara, who had itself covered in her looming shadows. "We can still be together, alright? After all, it's not like school is taking a full day away, we can still play in the afternoon once we're done."

"B-But, school will be so lonely without you, onee-chan!" Nahida protested, she almost looks like she's on the verge of tearing up, and it pains Lumine to see her that way. "You are my... You are my only friend, every single day is always fun because of you, without you, I will be all alone, I have no one to play with me, or study with me... I don't want to be alone..."

And now she's actually tearing up, and Lumine quickly react to wipe away those glittering crystal from the corner of her eye.

"I'm sorry Nahida, I really am." Lumine leans forward, and pull the smaller girl into a hug, ignoring the way Scara meows in displeasure for being squished between the two, but it's okay though since Nahida quickly release him anyway, so that she could wrap her arms around the back of the blonde haired girl. "I really enjoyed our time together all these years, but sometimes, you gotta let go of something, because the world changes, and we cannot just stand still and do the same thing over and over again."

"Onee-chan... If we cannot be together again during the day... Then can I come here to visit every day?" Nahida asked, hesitantly, as if fearing that it will be rejected.

"Of course. Of course you can, you are more than welcome to come here whenever you want. And I promise you..." Lumine pushed Nahida away so that she could look at the white haired girl in her eyes. "...Once we are done with our activities during the day, me and Aether will show cool things that we can do, okay?"

Nahida's face brightens up visibly from that, and she nods her head happily.

"Okay! I hold you that, onee-chan. Pinky promise?"

"Pinky promise."

Lumine held out her little finger, to which Nahida holds with her own slightly smaller little finger. Sealing their promises to each other between friends, as the other room occupants watch with a smile on their faces. Happy to witness this moment between the two girls, whose friendship had made them become more of siblings.

~o~0~o~

"PHEW! Man, it sure feels like it's been AGES since we last stepped outside." Xinyan groaned as she stepped down the small flight of stairs leading to the garden, stretching out her arms upwards and grimaced when it made a popping sounds.

The others behind her only could nod their heads in agreement, as they also stretched their limbs and breathes on the fresh air of the outside world. Even though technically, they're not even in the real world right now, as they are currently inside the world of mirages created as the manifestation of their dear Traveler friend, Lumine, who is also not with the group currently, presumably still sleeping in the real world outside of this fake world.

Just a few hours ago, or days, with the accelerated time flow inside this mirage, the group of friends just had witnessed what it seems to the the childhood memories of Lumine.

From her lonely childhood with no friends, being bullied constantly for no apparent reason, a protective and caring brother with an apparent hidden talents, and also the appearance of her one and only friend in the form of the little girl known as Nahida. They have seen all, and suffice to say, they simply can't wait to see more.

However, over the last few hours they were here, the group are stuck inside the recreation of the giant mansion that was Lumine's house, watching some of their friends recollection of her childhood memories living inside the luxurious mansion, filled with maids no less. Though the memories stored inside the buildings are less exciting than the other ones they've seen before, it's still acceptable no less, but nowhere does it was pleasant for them to watch, especially when they must undergone several headscratcting puzzles for each memory they saw, effectively worning down the group slowly and turn them desperate for fresh air of outside. An opportunity that they only gets now.

"To think that we must do a bunch of grade school exams of all things to trigger some memories to appears... What was Lumine thinking?" Mona mentally groaned, it's not like it was hard to do for someone as knowledgeable as her, but the fact that they must do it for about sixty times is truly annoying.

It is equally unnerving as it was impressive to think that at such a young age she was already immersed so much in her studies like this. No wonder why the Lumine they know is such a knowledgeable individual now that they know her childhood was like this. Even until this day, Mona couldn't express how grateful she was in taking the blonde haired Traveler as her assistant.

"Yeah, Those tests are really sucks! Paimon is surprised that Paimon's head is still intact at this point." The floating pixie complained with a groan, shaking her head and slumping her shoulders.

"Paimon... First thing first, those are all just basic grade school tests with nothing is hard except for maybe those mathematics. And secondly, we did those, not you." Mona sighed with a shook of her head. Throughout the hours they spent inside the mansion, it was the four of them who had worked themselves to do all the puzzle solving, while Paimon was just floats there complaining about everything. It is so frustrating that it made veins pops up on Mona's forehead, which would've been visible if it wasn't for her giant hat.

"W-Well... At least Paimon helps in finding them." Paimon replied a bit hesitantly.

"Those are still nothing compared to all the braincells we burned." Mona retorted back, giving the pixie an annoyed look.

"Alright alright, that's enough bickering ya two." Before things get a little heated up between the two, Xinyan intervene between them, raising both of her hands. "Look, all that matters now is that we're finally outta the mansion, right? This ain't the time to fight over those crappy puzzles again."

"Miss Xinyan is right. Don't fuss over the small details you two." Oz, the flying familiar of Fischl also adds in, glancing at both Paimon and Mona who both scratches the side of their heads.

"Oz is right, Lady Megistus, go behave yourself." Fischl spoke up while crossing her arms across her chest. "My holy retainer's fragmented memories are still out there, awaiting for thou to uncover, we shan't delay it no more."

"Hmm, I wonder where the next memory would be." Kazuha muttered out softly, with his arms crossed across his chest, he looked around to a find a clue to where the group should head next. "The front gates are closed... So does that mean it will still took place in the mansion?" He asked to himself.

"Oh no... Paimon had enough with this mansion already! Please don't tell Paimon that we have to go inside again!" Paimon complained, looking absolutely done with everything she just experienced inside the place.

"Don't worry too much Paimon. I'm sure there's a reason why we all are able to go outside in the first place. If not for this place for having mercy for our brains, then it's gotta be because we're looking is outside, but just not beyond the gates." Xinyan said, also looking around the place.

"Well good then, because Paimon doesn't want to go back there anymore." Paimon breathed out a relief, before putting both her hands on her sides. "So then, if the next memories really are here, then we're are they?"

Just in cue with Paimon's question, a sound was heard by everyone as it rang through the air. They couldn't make it out clearly of what it was, but they're pretty sure that it sounds like something made out of wood, a plank maybe, hitting another wood. And coincidentally, it sounded just a little distance away from where they standing.

"Whoa, you guys heard that, right? A noise! Paimon thinks that's where the next memory comes from." Paimon widened her eyes in surprise.

"Yeah, and I think, it was just right over here." Xinyan nodded her head, turning around to point her index fingers towards her front, where there's a small clearing of grass.

The group approached the small clearing, the only spot within that luxurious garden where the ground is flat and open. Seems to be enough for several people to sit around in circles and doing things like playing or just simply lying down.

Their thoughts are proven correct, as several astral forms starts to take shape within the area, taking on the form of people the group had seen before while they are inside this mirage.

One of those are the form of the "main character" of the story retells by the mirage. A blonde haired girl, the younger version of the group's dear friend, Lumine. Accompanied by the illusion of none other than her own older twin brother, Aether, who is also in his younger appearance.

Standing at each opposite ends of the field. The two siblings could be seen carrying wooden swords, possibly self made. It seems like they're in the middle of a training session, and the group stayed silent as they watched over the memory being replayed.

The weather this morning looks perfect. The skies are clear, the wind is refreshing, and it doesn't blow strongly either. A perfect condition for one to train.

Their private class has just ended for today, meaning that she and her brother finally have some free time for the rest of the day. Not to mention that both their parents are out for work as well. This is a good opportunity for them to begin their secret activity, a training regimen made by her brother, Aether, just for her, conducted for the hopes that she would be able to better take care of herself in the future without the need of his constant aid.

She have done some learning and training about martial arts before, so for this time, it's time for her to learn about swordsmanship instead. For she has been always a fan of swordfighting in fictional books or movies, with her eyes tend to glimmers in wonder and awe as she watched closely of how they swings and move their swords beautifully. She wanted to learn to do those things too, and luckily, now she has the opportunity to self taught herself along with her brother.

"Hey, onii-chan. Do you think I can learn how to perform all those cool moves in they did in movies?" The little girl with short blonde hair called Lumine asked her twin brother, who has an identical hair like her except that it's darker and longer.

"You can, if you do enough training and dedication." The older twin of the two, the small boy called Aether, answered his sister's question as he turned around to face her.

They came to stood on top of a small clearing inside the garden of their mansion, standing at the opposite end of the field. On Aether's hands, he held two small swords fit for someone of their age to wield. It was made out of wood and roughly doesn't look like a sword at all. After all, he is the one who crafts them by himself, creatively carving out a big chunk of a fallen tree to make it closely into a shape of a sword, all of it he done for the purpose of training with his sister.

"Okay, let's start now, shall we? Here, take one of this." Aether tossed one of the wooden swords in his hand to Lumine, who catches it a bit clumsily. "We'll start from the very basic first."

"The basics? What are we going to do?" Lumine asked curiously, tilting her head to the side.

"Well... There are many ways from where we should begin. Keep in mind that I don't know all the details myself, I just simply read it from the book." Aether explained with a shrug of his shoulders.

Their parents were never allowed them to learn or practice how to fight due to... Many reasons. But still, they allowed him to learn some basic self defense, but not much more.

But of course, being the kid that he is, his family regulations are not one that he'll always obey to. Do not be mistaken, he does love his family dearly, and he's fully aware that all the limitations that his parents had given him and also his sister now that they had learned of her secret talent, is all nothing but to protect them both from this cruel world, to prevent them from being taken by the fates that had befallen some other children.

And that's why he sneakily snatched some books from various libraries, all of which are those that contains the materials that his parents has forbid him to learn. Things about martial arts, the sword techniques of various ways, and even some books about battle strategies too. All of which he enjoys reading and practicing in secret.

Aether would've shared the forbidden knowledge he's learned with his sister too if it wasn't for their family initial beliefs of her possessing no extraordinary talent. And that's why he take it upon himself to make himself stronger in order to better protect his beloved sister, even if it means that he must always do it.

But now however... Now that Lumine has proven herself to be no less special than her twin brother, and that they can now be closer together thanks to their parents who let Lumine to stay with him, Aether can finally share the knowledge he possesses with his sister. And if the time comes where the situation calls for it, the two can fight together side by side, as twins.

"There are many ways where we could start. For starters, let see how you use a sword first, try to swing it around and show me some moves, okay?" Aether spoke up after a while of silence.

"Some moves? Um... You mean like how they did it in those movies?" Lumine asked, looking at her brother in wonder and confusion.

"Whatever you have in mind." Aether replied back, stepping back a little, crossing his arms as he watch his sister carefully.

Nodding her head in understandment and also as a way to reassure herself. The girl held the wooden sword in her hands with both of her palms. And then, remembering what she saw in movies and story books, she began to swing her sword around. Doing moves and striking a pose with it, imagining herself doing the same thing as what she thought inside her mind. But of course, the same thing couldn't be said from another person's point of view.

While Lumine is imagining herself dancing with her sword like an expert swordswoman. What Aether saw on the other hand, is a child swinging around a stick and pretending to be cool with it. Just the mere sight of it makes him wanting to laugh, but not wanting to hurt his sister's feeling, he hold it back in favor of silently savoring the moment in the back of his mind as rememberance for later in the future.

"Uhm... Paimon doesn't know what to say..." The white haired pixie among the group muttered out loud as she scratched the side of her head.

"Well, this is pretty much normal, especially when it comes from a kid. After all, I was also the same back when I was a child. I don't master the Isshin Art instantly, it takes a lot of time and training for me to master it." Kazuha muttered, crossing his arms across his chest as he watched the illusionary little Lumine practicing with a wooden sword. "But still... I guess that after getting used to seeing Lumine's magnificent performance with a sword for so many times, it really does makes me feel a little weird seeing her doing such clumsy moves like that." The white haired boy chuckled a little.

"Yeah, you're right. But at least it's comforting to know that she'll eventually become a skilled swordswoman that she is today. Don't cha think?" Xinyan asked to which everyone nodded in agreement.

"How... How was it?" Lumine asked as she let out a deep breath.

"Laughable." Aether simply replied. When Lumine gives him a pout for that response, the blonde haired boy snorted, covering his mouth to hold back his laugh which resulted in Lumine giving him an even more annoyed look. "Sorry, sorry, I can't help it, alright? It's just that, the way you swing your swords around, it really looks like a baby being given a toy wizard wand."

"Aether... You big meanie." Lumine puffed her cheeks in annoyance.

"Okay, okay, I'll stop. Let's be serious from now." The oldest of the twins clear his throat as he began to explain things. "Based from my observation, I conclude that there is a lot that you need to learn, a lot." He explained, earning an audible gulp from Lumine. "I'll give you some examples. First thing first, your grip..."

Approaching her, Aether get to behind Lumine, and circle his arms around her to take both of her hands on his hold. The little gasped a little in surprise, but soon relaxed once her brother starts to demonstrate his point.

"When you're holding a sword, be sure to have a firm grasp on the handle. You don't want to accidentally drop it and stab yourself after all." Aether squeezed Lumine's hands in his palm, strong and firm. "A real sword is gonna be a lot heavier than this. So unless you're an expert, use both hands to deliver a strong and precise swing with the blade. And next, is your legs..." Using his own foot, Aether shifted both of Lumine's legs and spread it wide enough to the side. "It needs to be in a stasis position so that you could get a good grip on the ground and not break your stance."

"Wow onii-chan, you know a lot about sword fighting, huh?" Lumine look at her brother in slight shock and awe.

"Heh, it was all only the basics really." Aether smirked.

"You know, Paimon always wonders of what kind of sword fighting styles that Lumi uses." Paimon muttered out loud, causing the other four to turn their heads to look at her. "You know how those samurais or even the Nobushis from Inazuma had several different fighting styles, right? Like Kazuha, who practiced the Kaedehara Sword Art, or Ayato and Ayaka, who uses their family's sword fighting style."

"Hmm, you're right. But one thing I know for sure however, is that whatever the arts she's fighting with, it is not one that comes from Inazuma." Kazuha answered, before crossing his arms across his chest. "Still though, it doesn't stop her from using Inazuman arts. I still have no idea where she learnt that." The white haired boy muttered, recalling a not too distant memory of him witnessing how his blonde haired friend displayed a different fighting style from what she usually goes by. A sword art that is unmistakably one that has been practiced by the bloodlines of his family.

Even now, he still has no idea from where she learned to use it. With such a perfect precision no less, as if she's already used it many times before. Does she learned that from mimicking him, or...

"Well, if we're lucky enough, we may as well learned what it is. This is Lumine's memories we're seeing after all, stuff like that might appear sooner or later." Xinyan added, her eyes did not move away from the memory being played in front of them. The illusion of little Lumine and Aether starts to clash their wooden swords against each other, imitating the way swordfighting looks like, but of course, with no seriousness and more of like a play or training.

"Haah... That was tiring. But, it's kinda fun too." Lumine breathed out, sitting down on the ground trying to catch her breath after some hours have passed since they began.

"Yeah... I know that swordfighting is serious matter, especially given to the state of this world we're living in. But still, there is nothing wrong in having fun with it." Aether replied back, also sitting down on the ground due to the exhaustion.

It's already past noon, apart from them already exhausted and feel like that was enough for the day, someone from their family ought to return home sooner or later, and they absolutely cannot let their parents know of their activities here.

"We should packed up these things. Mom and Dad won't be happy if they ever saw as doing this." Aether said, slowly standing up to stretch his arms, taking his wooden sword from the ground as well.

"Yes." Lumine nodded, standing up, she approached Aether and handed him her wooden sword, to which he took it. "Say Aether... Do you think that Papa and Mama would ever let us go outside?"

The sudden question from Lumine made Aether stiffen, he looked up to see his sister's eyes, full of questions and uncertainties.

"By outside you mean... Outside of the city, right?" Aether asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah..." Lumine nods her head. "I know that it is a dangerous world outside, but... Does it mean that we really have to spend the rest of our lives stuck in this one city?" The little blonde haired girl asked, various emotions are visible on her face, making her brother concerned upon seeing it.

"I... I do not know, sister." Aether answered in all honesty, shaking his head a little. "But you know full well the reason why father never let me, and now also you, to spend too much time on the outside, he don't want people to know, to find out what we truly capable of." The oldest of the twin said, and Lumine didn't reply to it at all, she does looks like she wants to, but she decided against it, only to keep quiet instead before nodding her head as understandment.

Before their conversation can continues on any further, the front gates of the mansion opened, sending both twins to jerk in surprise and for a split second, try to run away and hide from their possible parents that just come home while they were talking. But their brief panic eventually receded once they saw who it is that entered the garden. The little girl with white cotton hair that is the twins' close friend happily skipping down the pathway into the mansion, still wearing her school uniform and her backpack, and trailing a little behind her, is her pet kitten called Scara.

"Ah! Onee-chan! Onii-chan! You're here!" The little ball of energy exclaimed once she saw the twins on the park. Earning a small wave of greeting from Lumine, Nahida wastes no time to run and to give her beloved onee-chan a hug.

"Paimon still can't understand what they were trying to imply here." The floating emergency food muttered confusingly as she crosses her hand. "They all keep saying: hidden abilities this, natural talents that. It was as if Lumi's brother and then Lumi also now have some kind of long hidden power or something, and yet, all these memories we saw barely even shows any of it." She said with a little shook of her tiny head.

"Hmm, at this point, I think that might as well be what happened here." Mona replied with a little sigh, she is just as unsure as Paimon too and also everyone else, added with the fact that she can't use astrology to do any kinds of devination as long as it was related to Lumine. All of the group can do is to make assumptions of what's they're about to see later on in this mirage of memories of their dear Traveler friend.

"Perhaps what these illusions of a distant past talking about is unrivalled might of the illustrious Traveler that rivals even that of the gods." Fischl added, putting a hand on her chin as she guessed.

"I have the same idea with Mein Fraulein. Lady Lumine does have shown some incredible talents that no ordinary people can do. Perhaps maybe this mirage can give us a little bit of insight of when or how she came to be that powerful." Oz flapped his wings, rather quickly than usual, as if giving the impression of him nodding his head in agreement.

"Hmm, yeah, you may be right. Lumi did say one time that she was born with the power she possesses. And if all of our assumptions now are correct, then Paimon can't wait to see how our Lumi becomes the great warrior that she is today." Paimon exclaimed with a smile, putting both hands on her sides and looking excited.

"Ah, and speaking of "today" it seems like the memory we saw just now has ended." Kazuha chimed in, looking at the garden that is now empty after the illusions of little Lumine and her friends are gone.

"Huh, you're right. Where did they go? Did they all just disappear?" Paimon scratches the top of her head, glancing around to look for the illusion of her best friend, only to find her nowhere to be seen.

"They went inside the mansion. Seems like we must follow them again." Xinyan answered, sounding very displeased, probably from the fact that they have to go inside again after the hours they spent trying to get out.

"UGH! Seriously!? Is this mirage is all a set up to mess with us or something? We literally spent HOURS to try getting out of that place, solving multiple tiring puzzles just to get out, and now they want us to go back? Ugh, Paimon is so angry!" Paimon loudly complained, throwing tantrums and kicking her feet in the air.

"Calm down Paimon." Mona muttered, giving the tiny pixie a side eye. "This mirage are built based on Lumine's memories, things that she remembers, or rather, what she wants to remember." The astrologist lets out a heavy sigh as she put a hand on her forehead. "This world around us is the physical manifestation of that, just like the our mirages. In other words, Lumine nor anyone else has control over the structure of this place, all of it was determined by the host's inner thoughts, which on this case happens to be Lumine. And that was just my theory also."

"Hmm, so what you're saying is: all that is happening is caused by Lumi's thoughts?" The white haired small creature asked, to which Mona replied with a simple nod. "But isn't she supposed to be sleeping right now? So how is that possible?"

"I'm pretty sure that this mirage was created long before today, Paimon." Kazuha answered. "But if it wasn't, then perhaps her dreams should be the one to blame, if she even has one that is."

"Anyway, we're wasting time out here." Xinyan spoke up, butting in into the conversation between the three. "Lumine and her brother has gone into the mansion long ago, we should hurry up and follow them. Remember, we've fixed up the machine that those Fatui folks use to create these mirages, if we don't hurry up, then this place will be gone soon!"

"Lady Xinyan of Liyue is right. The honored Prinzessin Der Verurteilung will not be able to bear the thought of leaving this place, before she witness the truth behind it." Fischl monologued, closing her eyes and crossing her arms, looking a little impatient.

"Nmm... Xinyan and Fischl is right, we have to keep going." Mona nods her head, releasing a tiny sigh.

"Eeep! You seriously want to go back into that mansion?" Paimon looks at her shockingly.

"Do we really have a choice here?" The black haired astrologist glared at her. "The only other options is for us to go back into the real world, but even that is not possible unless we reached a certain point of memories in this mirage that would allow us to go back outside."

And now that she think of it, Mona starts to wonder of how long will it be until they're allowed to go back to the real world, in all the previous mirages, the group has to traverse the giant dungeons in order to access the hidden memories of everyone, and once they reached a certain one that can be deemed important, they all will automatically be teleported back outside. Will Lumine's mirage work in the same way too? But all of the memories that they have witnessed so far are all important, does this imply that that'll be an even important ones out there? What kind of memories would it be, Mona wonders.

Oh, and another important thing to not: usually, it only takes a few hours for the group to be able to reach the important parts of their mirages. But for this one however... It feels like they've been here for more than half a day already. Just what is going on inside Lumine's head?

"Paimon, if you're gonna keep insisting on not going back inside, then we're going to leave you here." The floating creature gasped upon hearing Xinyan's words. "All you have to do then is to sit back for hours upon hours until we finally find a means to get back, but at least you'll have no need to "solve" any more puzzle, right?"

"Wah! Ah, um... Nope! No, no, no. Paimon definitely didn't want that." The floating creature violently shakes her head. "Okay, okay, fine! Paimon will not complain anymore! We'll all definitely be going into the mansion, no matter what the puzzle that awaits us. And Paimon promised that Paimon will help this time, okay? As long as it stays is Paimon's capabilities." The little emergency food said with a determined nod.

"Oh? That's surprising, never thought that you would go that far." Mona muttered, genuinely looking surprised.

"J-Just... Just promise to treat Paimon to some Sticky Honey Roast later, okay? No buying super expensive astrology devices again this time!"

"Gah?! How could you be so demanding of me?"

"C'mon fellas, stop arguing already!" Xinyan butted in before an argument could spark into existence between the two. "We all now agreed to go inside again, and that's all that matters. So we should just hurry up and go in already while we still have time."

"Lady Xinyan is right. Quit fighting you two." Even Oz joined in as the mediator.

"Hmph, fine. This eventful trip has shed some light on me after all, I'll definitely be able to write some new articles for the Steambird." The black haired girl with twintails said with a sigh, deciding to drop the subject.

"Good. Now since everyone agrees, let's enter the mansion, shall we?"

With Kazuha leading on the front. The group approached the front door of the enormous building. Placing his bandaged hand upon the surface of the door, the Inazuman boy gently pushed the door open with a silent creak. And once the door has been fully opened, the group of friends couldn't help but gasped upon seeing what lies behind that door.

They were expecting to see the view of the giant main hall of the mansion, that consists of several corridors leading to various rooms scattered throughout the building, and a pair of staircases on the left and right side that leads to the top floor. But instead of all of that, once they pushed open the door, what they saw was a bright flash of light that burst out of the room and engulfed them all, swallowing everyone into a sea of bright light.

Paimon screamed upon feeling her body being wrapped around by something that isn't solid or gaseous. It's like being drowned in water but they don't get wet, it's really weird.

Through the small gaps between her fingers that she use to cover her eyes, Paimon saw how the extreme bright light around them slowly receded into a normal degree. And the odd sensation of them bathing in the light is slowly fading away too. Given enough courage, the pixie uncover her eyes, looking around to see her surroundings.

"Huh? We're back here!"

Cue to Paimon's words, everyone also uncover their eyes to see where they are now. What they saw was a giant room with dim lighting, filled with multiple bookshelves that make up the walls and even the ladders leading up to the upper section. In the center of the room, there's rows of long wooden tables with chairs on its sides, stacks of books, papers, pens, and other stuff littered the tables. Once the group saw these, they instantly recognize the place they found themselves in. It was the massive study room within the mansion, the place where Lumine and Aether would spent the majority of their time studying books and being homeschooled.

"Huh, isn't this the library? Why are we here? Is this another memory of Lumine being homeschooled again?" Mona asked in confusion, looking around to find if anyone else is in the room.

"Hmm... Judging from the color of the sunlight, it seems like this is around the afternoon. Lumine's study time should've end long ago." Kazuha answered, his maple red eyes looks around the room and the way his surroundings are dyed in dark orange colour thanks to the sunlight that came through the windows.

"Huh, you're right. So why are we here then?" Paimon asked in confusion.

"Perhaps that will answer your question." Mona pointed at the center of the room, making everyone's eyes glanced towards that direction and found three astral projection of three figure in there.

"Ah! That's Lumi! And Aether! And also... Huh? Isn't that their dad?" Paimon stroked her chin as she saw the three figures that are just some distance away from where the group are standing.

"Looks like another memory is being played. Come on, let's go check it out." Xinyan said a bit excitedly, so everyone nodded in agreement and approached the scene played before them.

The dark orange light of the afternoon sun pierces through the windows of this giant library inside their home, bathing everything in the room with it's glow and make the atmosphere looks somewhat kinda looks like something straight coming out from a novel.

But that's not all...

This entire sequence looks and feels like something like that inside a storybook that she likes to read when she's younger, a climax where things suddenly got revealed and all secrets are laid bare for the readers to read and imagine. Or perhaps... That is exactly what's about to happen here.

In this particular day, the father had called the twins to see him in the family's personal library, he didn't state exactly why he called them here, but from the tone of his alone, both Aether and Lumine could already feel that this is something serious, hence why he choose the library as their talking place, where the maids won't interrupt or overhear their conversation. Their mother is nowhere to be seen, perhaps she was included in the list of people that shouldn't hear their conversation, or maybe she was simply busy somewhere else and their father can told him everything later on.

Aether closes the door behind him after both twins are in, sealing it tight to not any sounds out. Both twins glance their indentical eyes towards the center of the room, where the tall man with platinum blonde hair who is their father standing. His back turned towards them, head leaning down as he is busy reading a book that he holds in his hands, silently turning the pages with a silent sound that echoes throughout the empty library.

Lumine give Aether a look, and his brother replied with a shrug. Together, they slowly approach their father, hands holding each other in order to calm the waves of nervousness coursing through the younger twin's veins.

"You've probably wondering why I called both of you here..." Before they can say anything, their father already addressed them. "There's no need to be so nervous, my sweet Lumine, I didn't call you here because I'm upset or anything."

The little blonde haired girl gasped in surprise a little upon being directly addressed. How did he even know that she's feeling super nervous right now? Was it because of just how often she's like that?

Thankfully though, there's Aether on her side who gives her hand a gentle squeeze, to remind her that he's here to support her. Turning his head to look at the tall figure before her, the young golden haired boy spoke up.

"Why did you call us here, father? Something important that you need to discuss with us?"

"Hmm... Yes, I do have something that we really need to talk about." Their father said with a solemn nod. Closing the book in his hands and placed them down on the table. "I've given it some thoughts for a while, and contemplating whether I should even talk about it or not so many times. But I figured... It's time for you to learn the truth."

"The truth...? What... What are you talking about, Papa? You're talking weird..." The little girl whispered softly, backing away slightly from the tall man before her.

Sighing, their father slowly turned around to look at them, and it was at that moment that the two realized that he was actually holding another item in his hand, and after their father fully turned his body, they finally saw what it was.

"I believe you know what this is, hmm? Aether?"

The twins gasped upon seeing the wooden sword that Aether had made for the two to train. When not in use, the elder twin has to make sure that the swords should be placed in the most secretive place that he could hide them, that is to say, his closet, because that is once place in his bedroom that the maids are forbidden to open. Yet somehow, their father managed to found it through an unknown means. This spells only trouble for them.

"Judging from your expressions, it seems like my thoughts are correct." Their father hummed, causing both of them to gulp.

"Oh no! Lumi is in trouble! Quick! We have to help her!" Paimon turned to look at the others with a panicked expression.

"Paimon, these are just illusions, please keep that in mind." Mona sighed heavily, shaking her head.

"Father... How did you...?"

"Let's just say I put two and two together." The tall man said while smirking a little, putting down the wooden sword on the table. "Oh and besides, I observed one of your recent trainings, that was some fancy movesets Lumine, pretty good."

"Um... Are we in trouble?" Lumine fidgeted in place, eyes downcast, feeling guilty and ashamed, like a child expecting some punishment from her parents.

Their father sighed once again as he reaches down, making Lumine squints her eyes. However, he did not have any intention to harm her, and instead gave her a gentle headpats, one that can soothes her mind.

"I'm not mad at you, Lumine. Please just listen to what about to say, okay? You too Aether." The little girl looks up to her father face, seeing him giving her a gentle smile, and it makes her heart finally calms down unexpectedly, as if any bad thoughts in her head suddenly gone in an instant. "Go sit down if you want, it's better than just standing around."

The twins nods their head and took a seat on the chairs, while their father also take a seat on the opposite end of the table, face to face with them.

"So then, let's get started. So you two been training in some martial arts and swordfighting, why? Any reason to suddenly becomes interested in it?" The older man asked, looking at each of them curiously.

Aether raise his hand first, asking for permission to speak, to which his father did.

"I was very curious about it." The golden haired boy answered, a look of determination visible on his face. "Father, you and mother has forbid me to spend much time in the outside. The reason being is that I can't let people know about the great secret that I possess, a secret that could bring me trouble once the people come to learn of it." Aether look down at his hand, narrowing his eyes as he clenched his fist. "I know that all you wanted is to protect me, father. But this secret I possess... It can be used to help so many people, I even use it to save Lumine from those bullies. But still... Just like you said, there is always a risk of me exposing myself everytime I do unimaginable act that no other kids can do. And that's why I began to study martial arts, so it can be a facade to hide my secrets, by making it seems like I was a trained for self defence instead of through super natural means. Does that make any sense?" Aether asked back, his golden eyes looking up to his father's, expecting him to understand.

"Hmm, yes, I can see what you're up to." Their father reaches out and give Aether a pat on his head. "How very thoughtful of you to think like that, Aether, I'm very proud." The taller man said with a gentle smile, to which Aether returned with his own. "And then, what about you, Lumine? Do you share the same reason with your brother? Is that why you agreed with him to train together? Or did you have something different in mind?"

Lumine was silent for a moment before coming up with an answer. In her silence, her mind drifted back to the events that transpired the past several days and even years ago. Her meeting with her first and only friend, Nahida. Her vow to always protect her as someone who is precious to her, to never let her go in fear of losing something she has been working hard to get. And the great lengths she has to go in order to do that, even if it means having to hurt herself to shield those that she cares about.

And with that in mind, she answered his question.

"I... I wanted to become strong." She said with a burning passion inside her eyes, quite a big contrast to her meek self on the outside. "Back then, I may have did things all for the sake of matching up with Aether, Aether who has all the talemt, Aether who has all the attention, and Aether who gets all the love. All I want is to follow him on his footsteps, so that one day I could be the same as him, surrounded by friends and families. But that has changed..." The little girl put a hand on her chest, gripping her shirt tightly. "After I met Nahida-chan, I finally know what it feels like to have someone else other than my family to worry about me, someone else that I could talk with, laughing together as we had some fun, and cried together in moment of sorrows. She cares for me and I cared for her, I love her, she's like a little sister that I never have. That's why I wanted to become strong, because only with strength that I can protect those who are precious to me. I may have doubted my self whether I am able to do it in the past, but now... Now that I realized that I too was blessed with this gift that Aether also posses, I now believe that I can, I will become stronger, stronger until I could never lose anything."

Her voices echoes through the empty library, two pairs of eyes stared directly at her. In normal situations, she would be mentaly shaking from nerveousness from the weight of their gazes, but as of now however, the burning fire of passion inside her melts away any negativity, making her more confident.

"Well..." Their father spoke up after some time of silence havs passed, and Lumine felt like he's anout to say something big. "That was a noble cause you have, I'm impressed." He said with a soft smile, looking proud and happy. "I'm so glad that you have found your own reason, Lumine. You and Aether may have been twins, but it doesn't mean that you have to follow the same path of life, sometimes, it's better to follow your own different path, see where it guides you and how will it affect your relationship with your brother. I'm proud of you, sweet daughter of mine." He finished his sentence by giving her a pat on the head.

"Thank you, Papa." She responded softly, leaning in to the gentle touch of his big hands.

"Alright then, now that the two of you have submitted your answers, it's time to me to answer your questions." The older man cleared his throat as he crosses his arms on top of the table. "Now, which one of you who would like to ask first?"

The twins glanced towards each other, a knowing look appeared on both of their faces. Without saying a word they instantly know what the other are thinking, and so the oldest between the two asked first.

"You said before that you called us here because it's time for us to learn the truth. What is the meaning of this, father?" Aether asked, looking curious and also serious, he seems to know the hidden side behind their father's statement, and he's all for knowing about it.

"Straight to the point, huh? Well, since I didn't like to beat around the bush, I guess I'll just have to tell you now." Both of his children stared at him intensely, listening to every word he said. "This kind of thing that I'm about to tell you, it is something that normal children should've never known until they are an adult. But since the two of you are special, I shall tell you about... The truth of this world."

"H-Huh? What is happening? The whole world is crumbling!"

Suddenly, the moment the projection of Lumine and Aether's father finished up his sentence, the large room around them starts to abnormally cracked, like a piece of glass that has been struck by a powerful force. But the cracks aren't appearing on the walls or the floors only. Even the very air around them spots a crack, as if the fabric of space itself is being torn apart.

"C-Calm down everyone! This is gotta be just one of those transitions, I'm sure of it!" Mona said amidst the panicking group as the cracks spreads across the room even further.

"B-But why does it have to be this intense?!"

And then suddenly, without warning, everything crumbled away, including the very floor they're standing on.

"Eek!"

But despite that however, the group didn't feel like they were falling or anything. In fact, everything is normal as it were before, apart from all the space around them is gone and is now replaced by pure darkness that is.

"Huh? We're not falling?" Xinyan asked in a mix of confusion and surprise, moving her legs around to feel like that she was standing on a solid ground just like before, despite the fact that there's nothing below her feet or anywhere else.

"Gah, we're back to the dark spaces again? Why? Did Lumi seriously just lose her consciousness again by just listening to her dad's words?" Paimon questions, putting both hands on her sides as she pouted.

"I don't think losing consciousness will always be the reason for us to be placed in this place, Paimon." Mona said with a shook of her head. "Maybe it's simply because that is the end of the record, or maybe that is how far Lumine had remembered the memory of that day, hence why the world around is cracking and disappearing, because it may happenned so long ago that Lumine starts to forget things."

"Hmm, that does make some sense. But still, what are we gonna do now? Do we have to wait until we got teleported elsewhere again?" Xinyan asked, looking around to see if there are any glints of light in the distance just like before.

Right on cue with her question, suddenly, a large portion of the empty black space around them lits up. Everyone must cover their eyes at the sudden appearance of the bright light, squinting their eyes as they're trying to adjust with the light, and after a while later, when their eyes finally adjusted, they uncover their face to see a scene being played out in front of them.

"What is this? Is this a record of another memory? But why does this feels kinda different somehow?" Paimon asked, as she look at the new scene in front of them.

They are still standing inside the dark space that had replaced the library room, but as of now however, half of the dark space has been filled with by a scene, perhaps another record of Lumine's memories, however, the group collectively feel like it wasn't. Because not only did it not lined up with the previous record that they just saw, but the looks alone is also different, everything looks... Cartoonish to say the least, as if it comes straight up from a children's book.

"This scene before us looks more like it comes from my beloved kingdom of Immernachtreich. But that whole kingdom is none but a product of my imagination. If this whole mirage is built upon Lady Lumine's memories... Then how is this possible?" Fischl murmured as she puts a hand on her chin, before she turn her head to look at Mona. "Dear Lady Megistus, have you come up with any answer yet?"

"Hmm... I can't say if this is rightfully true or not, but... My guesses for now is that this is probably a product of Lumine's imagination." Mona answered, with a little uncertainty in her voices.

"A product of her imaginations? But Paimon thought we're inside her memories?" Paimon tilted her head.

"Well yes, that is true, but, it's also not." Mona clears her throat. "Let me explain. First off, you all know that feeling when you try to remember something that you've completely forgot, right?" The others nods their head as answers. "Well... When that happens, you know what to do, right? Usually, when people is trying to remember things that they completely forgot, they tends to use their imaginations to fill out the empty space that exists as a gap between the memories of before and after that forgotten memory. By doing this, a person can technically imagined and made their own versions of the past events. Some people are able to accurately imagined the event perfectly with their imaginations alone, while others are most likely to get their imaginations go haywire and made them remember things that shouldn't have happened. And if this theory is indeed correct, then what we are witnessing now is how Lumine interpreted the past events with her own version using her imaginations."

"Ohhh... Paimon see, it's a little complicated and confusing, but Paimon gets the gist of it." The little pixie said with a nod.

"Wait, but if that really is how it works, then how come we didn't see any sort of things in any of our mirages? Shouldn't we have one too?" Xinyan asked in confusion.

"Well... Maybe it's because all of those memories that made up our mirages stayed relatively fresh in our minds. I mean, at least I do, I don't know about you guys though." The black haired astrologist with a blue hat shrugged.

"Hmm... That does make some sense as well. All of our memories that are being shown in our respective mirages came from relatively not too long ago in our respective lives. But as for these memories however, and with Lumine's age..." Kazuha trailed off before finishing his sentence, but everyone already knows what he's saying.

None of them ever knew the the exact age of their beloved blonde haired friend, not even her close traveling buddy Paimon. And it's not like Lumine never tells them about it, but it's more like that every time someone asked her regarding the topic... She'll answer with them back with a question instead.

"My age... Hmm... I think I'm over a thousand, I can't recall the exact number... Ah, but wait, that was back in that world... The flow of time between here and there is extremely different, so I guess I'm probably tens of thousands? Or maybe even more?"

Yeah... None of them have dared to ask her about it again since then. Not after she forced them to sit down and watch as she made confusing and complicated maths that took a whole stack of papers worth of Acting Grandmaster's Jean daily paperwork and Tianquan Ningguang's combined.

"In any case, since this is still a part of this mirage, it means that it's still important. Let's watch it." Everyone nodded as the look in front of them and the show starts.

"This world was devastated before I was born..."

"A harsh, bleak place, where we live in eternal darkness."

"Where life is a struggle, and people live without hope."

"In this world... Where human lives are nothing but lifestock for them... The monsters."

"Nobody knows exactly how it happened, and it's not like there's someone who could tell me either."

"Only those who lived in that age and time could know... That despair... When those things suddenly appeared, and all was gone."

"Us humans... Or rather, what was left of it, can only hope to survive, survive long enough to see whatever the future has in store for us."

"Some people can only sit back and wait for that future to come. While for the others... They actively fight for it, fighting against destiny."

"That is the truth of this world. A hellish world with only a sliver of hope in the distance, too far for one to reach."

As the monologue ended, the dark space that surrounds them receded. And the group found themselves back in the library. Only this time, the light that penetrates through the windows are no longer glows with the color of dark orange. Instead, it now has the soft white glow of the moonlight. Which is exactly the case because now it seems like the time has shown to be night time.

"Huh, it seems like sometime has passed since we were away." Paimon muttered out loud, looking around at the dark library. Aside from the moonlight that lits up the room, no candles nor lamps are turned on in this room. "Okay, so... After that whole entire sequence... Does anyone have any idea what the heck is going on? Because Paimon doesn't understand."

"Hmm... It is pretty hard to understand what we witnessed just now, not only is the whole narration is vague, but the fact that this is a whole different world we're seeing also makes it impossible for us to arrive with any conclusions just yet." Kazuha replied, putting both of his hands on his sides.

"Yeah, I don't think I get the gist of it either. But still..." Mona put her hand on her chin, eyes looking down and looking concerned and confused. "All the implications it said was rather... Concerning..."

"A devastated world... Fighting against destiny... And... Monsters? Just what did those means?" Xinyan muttered questions openly.

"Whoa, really? Is that why onee-chan and onii-chan must hide?"

"Yeah... It is..."

"That voice! Is that Lumi and Nahida?"

The group was alerted with the sudden appearance of voices near them. They turned around to see there's a glass window nearby that opened up to the balcony, allowing the breeze of night air to enter. And standing on the said balcony, is the illusions of Lumine and her energetic childhood friend, Nahida. As well as the latter's pet cat who stood on the railings, looking at the scenery before them.

It seems like this is another memory being played, which the group deduced to be the continuation from before. And they silently listened the conversation between the two people of the distant past.

"Papa explained everything to us earlier... All of the words he said... It's anything but unbelievable, and yet... There's no denying it that it was the truth."

The girl with short blonde hair sighed, closing her eyes to emerse herself in the comfortable sensation of having a chill atmosphere surrounding her. Giving her the needed calmness as she explains everything.

"The world we're living on right now... It's not as beautiful as you think." Lumine said with a small shook of her head. "Outside of this city... Outside of this safe haven we're living on right now, there lies a world filled with pain and bloodshed. A world of monsters."

"Monsters... Onee-chan, do you think they really exists?" Nahida asked, sounding worried and also a little scared.

"I... I did know for sure... Because I never seen one myself. But... All of those books that father gave us, the newspapers, the artifacts... They speaks nothing but truth." Lumine said with a heavy sigh, opening her eyes as she looked into the distance. "Apparently, they are a race of malevolent, abnormal, and dangerous creatures that had roamed the land for hundreds or even possibly thousands of years. They feed on human flesh and blood, and often times attacks in a pack, many civilization had fallen because of them, and many people had fell prey to them over the course of centuries. This city is but one of the very few strongholds remaining that holds the human race together. But sooner or later... It may fall under attack too."

"Oh no..." The White haired girl besides Lumine muttered in fear. "Does that mean we're not save here? Are we going to die, onee-chan?"

Lumine snaps her head to look the younger girl beside her, seeing how the little girl with white cotton hair clutch both of her tiny hands on her chest, eyes looking down filled with fear and worry. There's even a hint that tears are about to spill from those cute little green eyes of hers. But Lumine doesn't let it.

The blonde haired girl quickly circles her arms around the smaller girl and pull her into hug. Feeling how Nahida stiffen against her body and stops her seconds away from Shedding those tears. Even Scara nearby couldn't help but to turn around to look at them.

"Hey hey, it's okay Nahida, it's okay." The blonde girl soothes the younger one, stroking her white hair gently and hold her closer. "Please don't cry, there's nothing to be afraid of, nothing to be worried about."

"B-But onee-chan... Aren't you scared too?" Nahida asked, looking up to stare at Lumine's golden eyes with her green ones. "You said that those monsters have killed so many people... Who knows if they're gonna come here next... Aren't you... Afraid too?"

"To be honest with you... I am." Lumine answered with a nod, narrowing her eyes with a look of uncertainty. "When I first hear it from father... And when he presented me with those proofs, I could not stop shaking as well. I was so afraid, so shocked by this revelation. I'd never guess that... All this time, we live in a world where us humans are in a constant danger. Where death tails every living beings aside from those monstrosity. However..."

Once she felt Nahida has calmed down a little, Lumine pushed her away from her a little, so that she could stare directly into her eyes as she spoke up.

"Despite of the seemingly hopeless circumstances that we've been put through... I believe that there's still chances for us humanity to get the better future we desire."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

Lumine paused for a little while, seemingly a bit hesitant to tell what's in her mind. However, after she take a good look at Nahida before her, the girl who had given her so much of what she could ask for. A friend, her companionship, her love, and a sister. She is someone that she views as her own family despite of not related by blood, she is the one she could trust, she is the one she cared about the most outside of her own family. And with that in mind, she spills everything out to her.

"After... After father explained to us the horrible truth about this world... There's something else that he haven't explained yet." Lumine began, releasing Nahida from her grip as she turn her back on the smaller girl. "After telling us about the monsters, father then told us about the true nature of me and Aether's unnatural talents, about what makes us so special, why he wanted to protect us at all cost."

Turning around to face Nahida, Lumine presented her hand which is closed, but the moment the older girl opens her hand, a spark of light erupted from her palm. Like a tiny firework, it sparked into life by ascending into the air before it explodes into much more tiny sparks that glimmers under the darkness of the night, softly glowing and illuminating the balcony that both stood on at that moment.

Nahida's eyes stared at the small but significant display of beauty in front of her. Her green eyes lit up and her mouth parted as she gasp in both wonder and amazement.

Before long, the spark of light eventualy receded into nothingness, and their surroundings return back to it's dark state. The little with white cotton hair did not say anything for a while. She looks up towards her older friend, finding the blonde haired girl is having a unreadable expression on her face, formed from a lot of mixed up emotions. Since both of them seemingly wanted to keep up the silence between them, the little girl didn't want it to last any longer than it already was, and so she decided to spoke up.

"Onee-chan... How did you do that?" The green eyed girl asked in curiousity, staring deep into Lumine's golden eyes. "It look so pretty... Can you... do that again? For me?"

"Nahida..." Lumine began, looking at the person she saw as her own little sister, she couldn't bear the thought of how she will react the further she explains herself. "I'm... I am not normal. In fact, I doubt that I can be referred as a human anymore."

"Huh? What are you talking about onee-chan?" Nahida asked with a tilt of her head.

"The thing that I showed you just now, they are called "Magic." Supernatural abilities that made normally impossible thing into reality. Just like what you see now." Lumine closed her hand, and then opens it, once again doing that little trick where she made a small sparkle of light with her hand. "Normally, only an animal with bioluminescent features can generate light. Alternatively, a light can be made through chemical reaction that made lightbulbs works. For humans... they are no bioluminescent creatures, and they have no way in reproducing the way lightbulb work naturally. And yet I can, because I am no ordinary person."

As the tiny sparks of light receded, Lumine tightly close her palm, eyes looking downwards as Nahida stares at her intently, expecting for the other girl to further explain while she listens.

"Aside from the monsters, something else too exist in this world of ours. Although the hideous monsters are the obvious apex predator that resides on the top of the food chain, the humans who sits below them still has a sliver lining of hope that could potentialy overthrew the current vicious food chain. And that hope exist in the form of a group of people who naturaly born with a special abilities, one that allows them to wield and use magic, these people are called "Mages.""

"Mages? You mean like those wizards I read in those novel books?" Nahida asked in confusion.

"Yeah... It's something like that, I guess." Lumine said while scratching the side of her cheek. "Anyway, father told me that apparently, when someone was born into this world, there's a small chance that they'll born as a mage, humans who naturaly posses the ability to control magic. I was one of them, and so does Aether. Only, his talent to control magic were discovered by my parents much earlier, while mine was discovered just days ago..."

"That time when you saved me and Scara from those meanies..." Nahida silently answered correctly, recalling the events of that day when her beloved onee-chan comes to save her. "So you used magic to beat those bad guys? That's why they were unconscious?"

"Yeah, it seems so. Although, it was unintentional of me to do that, after all, I have no idea about all of this at that point of time." Lumine said with a little nod of her head.

"That's... That's amazing!" Nahida's eyes sparkles with amazement and awe. But then she remembered something, and her expression turns into a confused one. "But wait onee-chan, if you and Aether onii-chan hava such an amazing powers, why do you have to hide it?" Nahida asked curiously, causing Lumine to look at her with narrowed eyes. "If people know about what the two of you truly capable of, they would've thought you as a super hero, wouldn't it? You'll be famous, and they totaly would wanna hang out with you, you'll get much more friends!"

"Getting more friends huh? Heh, if only this world would be that much easier." Lumine muttered under her breath. She mentaly smirked at such thought, but she quickly brushed it away after reminding herself that this is not that kind of world she's living in. "That's a nice thought Nahida, but unfortunately, that's not how this world works." The blonde girl replied with a shook of her head.

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"Tell me this then Nahida, if someone in this city were to do what you said earlier, then why haven't seen anyone being referred as such? After all, given the chance, it's not impossible that there's someone else who also mage living in this city aside from us."

"Hmm... You're right. Why is that? Do you know the answer?" Nahida asked, putting a single finger on her chin.

"Yes, I do know the answer. And it's basically what I've been explaining the entire time." Lumine release a heavy sigh, approaching the railings of the balcony, she rested her body against it as she took a breath of the fresh night air. "The higher ups, people who posses the hightest societal powers, and the one responsible of guarding this and other remaining human strongholds across the globe, they're aware of the major threat humanity is faced with. To protect and fight back for the sake of humanity, that was their goal. And what would be the best pawn for them to use other than the mages."

"Hold on, so you mean..." Nahida's expression turns into a horrified one.

"Yes... Should a child be discovered to be born as a mage... They will forcefully took that child away from their families so that they could personaly train them into soldiers, child soldiers. That will be sent out there into the wilderness to fight the monsters. They become killers at such a young age, never given an option to which direction they'll be heading in life." Lumine explained with a somber and melancholic tone, closing her eyes and gripping the railings of the balcony tightly with her hands. "That is the truth of the current situation of the world we're living in. That's why father forbid us to spent much time outside, because he feared someone would discover our true identities.."

"That's... That's horrible..." Nahida muttered softly, clutching her tiny hands into her chest. "Those poor kids couldn't even decide their fates anymore, they'll only be tools forever until they die."

"I guess that's why people said fates are absolute. Those children will never find any sorts of joy in life outside of the battlefield. And yet father still tried to defy against the law, because he loved us, and didn't want us to be treated as tools like that." Lumine mutters, a single tear ecapes her eyes as she thought about the conversation she had with her father in the library this morning.

The two of them stood there in silence in the following minutes. Both leaned against the railings as they took a good city view in front of them. The darkness of the night that covered the landscape is being illuminated by the soft glow of the moonlight from above, added by the glimmering lights from the city buildings here on the ground. For all that they knew, both girls have always thought this is the world they lived in right now, where people thrive and lived in harmony, without worry and fear for the unknown. Who knew that on a single day, their entire view has been changed so drastically.

"So..." Nahida began, breaking up the silence as she turn her head to look at Lumine. Scara who is cradled on her arms also looks at Lumine, as if the cat understood and wanting to hear Lumine's answer also. "What are you gonna do, onee-chan?"

"What I'm going to do?" Lumine asked back, raising an eyebrow at her.

"Now that you learned about the truth of this world... What will you do? Do you have any plans for anything? Or... Will you just going to continue to pretend that you're just a normal person?" Nahida asked, her green eyes stared into Lumine's golden ones.

The girl with blonde hair didn't answer her question immediately. She a paused a little, eyes moving around as if showing that she is thinking hard about what she's about to say. And after a while, she opened her mouth and spoke up.

"This sounds stupid, but... I... I wanted to change the world." Lumine finally answered, looking down at her hand which she clenched tightly into fist. "I know now that this is a cruel world we're living in, and that will not change unless someone decided to step up and do things the unusual way." Her eyes are narrowed, determination burns brightly in them, full of ambition and passion. "Like father said, no mages children were ever to lived a live where they could have freedom, loving families, and friends like me. I am a mage, and yet I was not raised to be sent out to the wilderness like the others, that itself is already an advantage I have."

"I will keep training, I will keep studying. Now that I know that I have this power... I shall turn this world around. Just me and Aether, together, we'll make sure to make this world a better place, for us, and for the rest of humanity."

"Wow onee-chan, that sure is very ambitious of you. But, are you really sure that you could do it?" Nahida asked after listening to Lumine's explanation.

"Well, I couldn't say so for sure before I try, wouldn't I?" Lumine replied back with a smirk.

"Hehe, yeah you're right." The white haired girl nodded with a giggle. "Well, whatever it is you decided, I will always support your decision, onee-chan! You can do it, I believe in you!"

"Thank you, Nahida." Lumine gently smiled reaching out to pet the smaller girl on the head. "I'll be doing this for you too. I promise, I will protect you and everyone else with this power I possess, so that one day, you can witness as I turn this world into a better place.

The wind blows around them, and the moon shone brightly towards them. They shall be the witness of this vow that Lumine made towards her dear friend and herself.

"Welp, thats our needed explanation I guess." Xinyan spoked up after the memory ended.

Their surroundings slowly fades away and was replaced with blank white space. It seems like they're up for another waiting session as they're being transition to another memory.

"So, um... You guys heard everything they said, right? How... Do you all feel?" Paimon asked, a bit hesitantly. Scratching the back of her head as she glanced towards each of her companion whom all having a slightly troubled expression on their faces.

"Hmm... Though it does answer pretty much all of our previous questions... I can't help but Wanting to know even more now." Fischl answered, closing her eyes and crossing her arms.

"So that's the reason why Lumi can do incredible things without needing a Vision." Paimon nods her head. "So she's something that's called a "Mage," huh? Paimon wonders if this is similar to those witches group we have in our world. What do you think, Mona?" The little pixie turned her head towards the black haired.

"Honestly... I have no idea." The astrologist shook her head. "Not only the terms are different, but the world itself is also vastly different. So I cannot say for sure."

"Hmm, so rather than requiring a Vision to control the elements, the people in her world could born with the ability itself... How interesting." Kazuha muttered softly, placing a hand on his chin.

"So basically it's kinda similar with how the people in our world could gain power. Only this time, the chances are even more rarer since only the people who are born with it can possess it." Paimon explained, putting a hand on her chin as she fell into a deep though. "Paimon see, so that's the true origin of how Lumi can control the elements without a Vision. And here Paimon thought that she and her brother are the only special ones, so it turns out there's other people that are similar to them, huh?"

"Hey guys, it's not that I don't believe in this revelation that has been presented in front of us. But I feel like something is off about this info we got." Mona spoke up suddenly, causing everyone to look at her.

"Huh, what are you talking about, Mona?" Paimon tilted her head in confusion.

"While I was thinking about the memory we saw just now, I remembered a crucial details that Traveler said in the Past." The black haired astrologist put a hand on her chin as she enters deep into her thoughts. "Back then, not long after I decided to settle down in Mondstadt, I had a long and meaningful conversation with Lumine in private, in which she reveals her true nature to me..."

"...Though the land of Tevyat are filled with all kinds of interesting creatures and phenomenon, you are by far the most interesting person I've ever acquainted with."

"Hmm? And why so?"

Two girls are seen seated across each other on a small table. Having a late night drink on the second floor of Mondstadt renowned bar, Angel Share. One girl is a ravenette with twintails and a large blue hat, a match for her swimsuit like blue outfit. As for other girl on the other hand, she's a short haired blonde girl with pristine white outfit that made her looks like a princess, beautiful and elegant. Though it's a shame that the same thing could not be said to her face that is covered by blindfolds that hid her eyes. Though such a sight is normal for those who knew her.

"Are you seriously going to make me list every single one of them?" The girl with black hair pouted as she stares at the girl sitting before her. "Well, for one, you somehow are able to "see" when you're not, secondly, you are not only capable of controlling the elements without the need of a Vision, but you're also can use multiple of them. And then third, which are also the most important one, I absolutely cannot use astrology to get any readings as long as it is related to you. Are those not good enough reasons?"

"Hmm... I guess they do made it sounds like I'm an anomaly amongst the people. But you know, Mona, it still only from the matters of perspective. You Tevyatians view me as special because I bring out something anew to the people. But somewhere out there, in a world far far away, the things I'm capable of are completely normal." The blonde haired girl explained, before taking her glass of Mondstadt's specialty, Dandelion Wine, and took a big gulp of it.

"Ugh, you are so Insufferable!" The girl named Mona groaned in annoyance, reaching out to also gulp her glass of juice from the table. "Well, be that as it may, that still not going to change my opinion about you. So let me ask you straight away, just... Who are you? Or more importantly, what are you?"

"Me? I'm just a mere Traveler passing by. You knew that already." The blonde traveler shrugged.

"Tch, yes, I know that already! But that is not what I want to know." Mona said in frustration, her reaction was so cute when she teased her like this. "Seriously though Lumine, do you realize just how special you are in the world of astrology? I mean, think of it, this is astrology we're talking about, a knowledge that defied logic and knocked on the door of fates. Everything about a person can be divinated, from what they did in the past, what they would do in the future, and even what is the impending death they're going to take. In other words, no secrets can be hidden away from the eyes of astrology. And yet here you are, sitting before me, honestly, I've been looking through my scryglass for hours this morning to see if there would be any major events that would happen today that would take away my focus from my research. And there's nothing that says anything about you asking me to hang out and have some drinks in the tavern." The black haired astrologist explained whilst crossing her arms, her grey eyes are staring directly into the layers of bandages that wrapped around Lumine's head, the place where her eyes were supposed to be.

"Maybe you're not trying hard enough?" Lumine asked blatantly, taking another sip from her wine. "You did say that you have a master that taught you the knowledge, perhaps you should go back and ask her to teach you more."

"What?! No way I'm going back to that old fart!" The ravenette retorted, frowning. "And besides, with how many days I've spent in researching this peculiar topic, I doubt that even my master can do better than me." She said with a huff, taking her glass of juice to drink it.

"Heh, how can you be so sure about that? After all, this is your master we're talking about, the one and only person that could scare the life out of the great astrologist Mona Megistus." Lumine teased, smirking a little as she leaned forward on her seat.

"Because..." Mona begins, setting her glass down once it's empty and wiping the corner of her mouth with her sleeve. "As you already know, astrologists work by getting a reading from the stars. Every people here in Tevyat is connected to their respective constellations of stars from the moment they are born. These constellations are a big part of someone's life, as they may possess a deep spiritual connection to the person's heart, enabling them to even store a spiritual aspects of themselves, such as their memories and ambitions." Sighing a little, Mona closed her eyes and crossed her arms. "And with that in mind, we astrologist uses our knowledge to read the stars that made up a person's constellations. And it was through this way that we are able to peek into the strings of fate that binds a person. And as for myself, I used my scryglass to read the stars, that way, I can red the past and future of someone, and see if the fates that awaits them can be changed or not. Normally, such things were child's play for a renowned astrologist like me. However... When it comes you..."

"Let me guess, it's impossible." Lumine raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, you are impossible for me to decipher." Mona nods her head, sighing again. "What awaits the Traveler on her journey, how did the Traveler erased the ancient god of the storms out of existence, why did the Traveler is obsessed with crabs so much, anything and everything I try to decipher will only come up with a blank. It's not like I cannot connect my scryglass to you like I did to everyone else. But it's more like... It's More like you... Don't even have a constellation to begin with..." Mona muttered, her tone gone to serious all of the sudden.

"Well, then maybe that is the case." Lumine said with a shrug.

"But that's just impossible! Everyone should've been born with a constellation, even a tiny insect has their own fates awaiting them in the future!"

"But can you say the same thing to a person from outside of Tevyat like me?" Lumine asked, crossing her arms across the table.

"Well that's..."

"Hmph, of course you can't. After all, you have never met an Outlander like me before." The blonde haired girl said before grabbing her drink and gulping them all down. "And besides, you said that you can't use astrology to divinate the gods, right?"

"Yes, that is true." Mona replied with a nod. "It is strictly forbidden for an astrologist to use their powers on the gods. Personally, I don't really know the reason why it was prohibited, but any attempt to do such a thing shall be met with severe punishment. That's what my master told me."

"Oh, really? Well, lucky for you then, because I think you just answered your own question."

"Huh? What do you mean-"

Before Mona could ask her, Lumine already went down to the first floor to order another glass of wine, much to the concern of Diluc. Though the blonde girl insisted that she's fine and alcohol could never make her drunk. And thus the night eventually comes to an end with Mona's last question remaining unanswered till today.

"That time... When she said that, is she implying that she's..."

"...A God?"

Everyone turn their heads to look at Paimon, who finished Mona's sentence.

"Paimon, you know that already?" Mona asked, a little bit shocked.

"Actually, Paimon doesn't know." The little pixie shook her head, pouting. "However, Lumi does exhibit some incredible feats that Paimon personally thinks impossible for just a normal person to do. If anything, Paimon says that Lumi is definitely close to a god, maybe she and her brother are one back in her world." The tiny creature explained, putting both of her hands on her sides.

"I see. Yes, I too would've agree with what you think Paimon. However..." Mona's mind return back to the record the group just witnessed minutes ago. "Though Lumine said that she wasn't normal, she is a normal human nonetheless, and so does her brother. This info contradicts of what she is now, to which she never said that she is human. Do you get it?"

"Hmm... I see. So what you mean is that Lumine in the past is human, but the Lumine we know now, is anything but human." Kazuha concluded, receiving a nod from Mona.

"Wait, so does that means that Lumi had somehow become a god in the past?" Paimon asked in a bit of shock.

"Most likely. Perhaps the next memories shall reveal to us how she ascend." Mona said with a nod.

"Hehe, if that's the case then Paimon sure is excited to see more of this mirage." The little pixie giggled excitedly, rubbing her legs together. "Okay! Let's go to the next memories! Here we go!"

Just like before, a blinding flash of light appeared and engulfed them all. Knowing what to do, everyone close their eyes to shield them from the brightness. Opening them only once they feel like the light has finally receded into a more reasonable level.

The first thing they saw was lush green garden composed of many different species of flowers and other plants. And the next thing they saw was the bright fake sky above them, which seems to be somewhere in the morning judging from the sun's position. And then, the third thing they saw was the now familiar view of the giant mansion they had spent a long time with.

"Hey look, we're back at the mansion, and we're outside of it too!" Paimon pointed out, looking around the area to see if things have changed.

"Hmm... The mansion looks the same to me. However..." Mona looks around at the large front yard garden they're in and her sharp eyes caught some things that peaked her interest. "...The trees and other plants, they've grown."

"Huh, that's right. I remember that tree over there have a lot more leaves than now." Xinyan said while pointing towards a tree that have lost most of its leaves, leaving it's many branches visible to the eye.

"Does this mean some months have passed since the last memories?" Fischl asked, before pausing a little as another thought entered her mind. "Or maybe, perhaps... Years?"

"Seems like it." Kazuha nods his head. "Aside from that tree Xinyan pointed out, it seems like the other smaller trees I saw before has grown taller and bigger. I remember those trees from over there are just about the same height as ours, but right now, it has grown surpassed us. Oh, and also, the scent in the wind have changed as well, it seems like many flowers have bloomed throughout the time we have left." The white haired Inazuman boy explained, closing his eyes as he let his nose do the job.

Suddenly, before anyone could say anything more, there was a sound of metal hitting metal that made them stiffen as it appears out of nowhere, gaining their attention.

"Did you all hear that?! That sounds like a sword clash!" Paimon perked up from the noises and began to look around for the possible next memory they're about to watch.

"I think I heard it coming from this way." Mona pointed towards the direction she meant.

"Oh, isn't that where the training grounds are?" Paimon asked before turning to look at the group. "Come on everyone, let's go!"

Without waiting any further, the group headed towards the field where Lumine and her brother used for their sword practices during the last record. Vaguely already guessed what awaits them in there, they eventually arrived at the spot where their guesses are proven to be correct.

"Look! It's Lumi! And whoa! She's already grown up!"

Indeed. What they see right now standing on the field is the exact reflection of what their friend looks like. The illusion of Lumine as a kid that they have seen up until now has changed into what she looks like today, becoming more taller and mature in every aspect, the only difference between this and their friend now is clothes they are wearing.

The illusion of Lumine still has Lumine's trademark hair style that she had kept ever since that they she cut it off, she doesn't have the Intevyat flower on her head, which is obvious because it only belongs to the world of Tevyat, but on its place, the girl wear a hair accessory of a black ribbon and a white flower pin, a perfect match for her current outfit, which is a white open hoodie with blue linings over a white dress, and also a pair of white boots that wasn't nearly as long as what she is wearing today.

"Well, it seems our guesses are correct. It has indeed been several years since that memory." Kazuha muttered with a smile on his face. "Lumine looks exactly like she did now. And then... Her brother... Hmm, now I can see why you mistaken me for him."

Alongside with Lumine, standing on the open field is also Aether, who had matured along with his sister. The golden haired boy still has his trademark long hair tied into a braid on his back, while his outfit is a contrast in terms of color with the one Lumine wore. His outfit consists of a dark brown jacket with gold linings, worn over a simple white shirt, his pants are also has the same colour as his jacket, as well as his boots. And then, he wore a white and gold scarf circling around his neck, which is somewhat a reminiscent to the one he wore today.

"Whoa, you're right! You two really are almost look alike, aside from the color of your hair and eyes." Xinyan exclaimed, her eyes looking between Kazuha and the illusion of Lumine's brother and comparing the two.

"So that's what lady Lumine's brother looks like. He's far better looking than the one I've seen in the missing posters." Fischl muttered, looking at the illusion of Aether closely.

"It seems like they're having another sword practice. The last time we see it, Lumi barely has any skills with her sword. Let's watch and see just how much she progressed!" Everyone nodded at Paimon's words as the record begins.

The wind blows gently through the air. Shaking the leaves on the trees and grass, gently brushing her hair as she stood there at the end of the small clearing while her brother stood at the opposite one.

Swords ready at both of their hands, fingers firmly gripped upon the hilt, while their identical eyes stared into one another.

Four years have passed since the first time they did this, and now, with much knowledge and experience have accumulated by the two, they are ready for yet another spar between the two now-swordsmen.

"Are you ready, Lumine?" Aether asked, firm and steady.

"Yes." Lumine nodded, Serious and determined.

Both took a stance. Lumine spread her legs and held her sword with both hands and held it in from of her, blade facing Aether head on. On the other hand, Aether spread his legs, gripping his sword with both hands and held his sword in front of him facing down, taking a defensive stance.

Taking a deep breath, Lumine narrowed her eyes before charging straight towards Aether, her sword raised high up in the air before she brings it down, her blade was met with Aether's, who blocked her attack precisely. But she didn't stop just there, before neither of them could take a breath, she already pull her sword back and swings at him with swift multiple strikes that aims towards different spots each time. But like a pro, Aether blocks all of her attacks effortlessly, not letting a single scratch lands on him.

Although Lumine's strikes seem to be rushed and wasn't very steady, careful viewers would notice the way she kept moving forward even as she swings her blade. Every stike she sends is imbued with great force that combines speed and strength, and it was making the defensive Aether to get pushed back as his opponent continue on with her charges.

Lumine's continued offensives eventually pushed Aether backed into the wall. Once his backside touched the brick wall of the garden, Aether realize of how his current position would hinder the full scope of his movements that allows him to continue to block nor counterattacking his enemies. And so, he chose another plan.

Lumine swing her sword, aiming at Aether's mid section, but her sword only passed through air as Aether had dodged the attack by jumping high into the air. Performing a back flip on top of her, the blonde haired boy landed right behind Lumine and swings his sword towards Lumine's back, but much to his surprise, Lumine already anticipated it, and quickly twirls her blade to face her back and use it to block the surprise attack.

Aether tch'd while Lumine grinned in satisfaction. Creating some distance between them, Aether backed away as Lumine twirls her sword around before striking at Aether again, and their trading of blows continues.

"Wow! Lumi does improves a lot huh?" Paimon muttered, putting her hands on her sides. "It's like watching a different person entirely."

"Yeah, seems like all that training with her brother paid off." Xinyan nodded in agreement. "But still..."

"Her technique's a reminisce of the current style she's using. But it's still not the same." Kazuha added.

"Maybe it's the lack of elegance in her moves?" Fischl asked, to which the others turned their heads to look at her in silence. It seems like they thought the same as well.

It seems like she has decided that a change of tactics is necessary for this battle to progress.

Her once swift and quick slashes noticeably grow slower, and in favor of doing so, her strikes are instead changed into swings that requires her to twirls her sword around her back before swinging it forward. It was slow compared to what she uses before, but it was a lot concentrated In power than before, not to mention that the twirling motions also proves to be a great distraction for Aether, who is now required to not only focus on blocking the strong offensive strikes, but also to focus of deducing in which ways Lumine's sword will come.

However, unbeknownst to Lumine, the slowing down of her attacks proves to be an advantage for Aether as well. As the boy requires to focus on predicting the ways of his sister's attacks, it gives him a glimpse of her attack pattern, not matter how fast she moves, the tiny bits of details of her attacks are seen by him, and by using that info, he made up a plan and wait for a perfect chance to act.

Lumine swings her sword again, using one hand only, and Aether sees this as a perfect chance to strike. As the blonde haired girl brought down her sword in a vertical swing, Aether swung his sword towards her, aiming at the sword's lower part with a powerful force.

Metal hits metal, and Lumine finds herself shocked when her arm is bent to the side due to Aether's attack. And he doesn't stop there. Using Lumine's momentary shock, he delivers another strike at her sister's sword, this time Aiming at the handle specifically. And when his attack landed, Lumine's sword was sent flying through the air out of Lumine's grasp, landing on the ground blade first not far away from them.

Shocked and left defenceless after what happened, Lumine fell down to the ground gasping when she felt her brother's blade pressing against her neck.

"It looks like today's my win, sister." Aether said with a smirk, standing still before his downed sister.

It looks like the winner of this spar has already been decided-

"Oh I don't think so."

Or not.

Putting both of her palms on the ground, Lumine twists her body around before rotating in place as she delivers a spinning kick to her brother's legs. This caught him off guard and let him fall to the ground with a yelp. Seeing as he fell, Lumine then delivered another kick to his hand, one that he used to hold his sword. Kicking the blade away from his grasp and sends it flying upwards and spinning in the air. Using the hands that she puts on the ground, the girl pushes herself up, jumping high upwards, summersaulting there before landing on the ground again behind Aether. And the moment her older brother turned around to face her, his blade already fell into her sister's hand. To which she points it towards her now downed brother. And with that, the tables have completely turned.

"It's my win. Not yours." The younger twin declared, smirking.

Having no other choice, with his sword taken away, getting pinned to the ground, and the only thing that could defend him is more than a meter away from him. Aether raises both hands.

"Alright, alright, you win." The older twin surrendered with a sigh, smiling a little. "At least my winning record is still way more than you."

"That can be changed." Lumine replied back, confidently.

With their training over, Lumine put her sword away and helped Aether get up. They're just about to start yet another spar, but then something happens.

"Master Aether, Lady Lumine, the master and the mistress are calling for you." A voice spoke up, and the twins turned to see one of the maids approaching them, bowing to them politely after saying the information.

"Mom and dad? What's the matter? Is it urgent?" Questioned Aether, the moment he heard that his parents are looking for them, he instantly turned serious.

"Y-Yes! They really need you two there, hurry!"

Lumine and Aether look at each other, nodding, they thanked the maid for the info before dashing towards the mansion, wasting no time to relax as it seems like their parents really need their help at the moment.

"Paimon wonders what's going on inside. Should we check it out?" Paimon asked, turning around to look at her friends.

"Well, it's not like we have any other choice, but..." Mona glanced towards the mansion that's just a distance away from them. "The doors closed. They're usually open to let us in to the next memory, but for some reason they didn't let us in now."

"Huh, does that mean we have to wait or something?" Xinyan asked, putting her hands on her sides.

"Hmph, I don't like to wait around here and expecting nothing." Fischl shook her head.

"You're right. Let's just go there and see if we could open the door, shall we?" Kazuha asked and everyone nodded in agreement.

They headed towards the mansion despite knowing that the doors were closed. Mona approach the door and placed her hand on the handle, and despite her effort in tugging at the handles, the door simply won't budge.

The group contemplates whether they should just wait there to wait for something to happen or should they head out and try to find anything that could help them progress. But any of their decision came to a halt when they hear some voices ringing in their minds. Which they deduced to be another record playing, one that exists only in audio and not on visuals.

"W-What is this?!"

"Surprise!"

They've rushed into the living room as fast as they could, fearing that their parents that was at home that day would be in dire need of help from them. But once they opened the door to the room however, they were greeted by a completely unexpected sight instead.

The room were filled with decorations, colorful and cheerful looking. Balloons of multiple colours are hanging on the furnitures, as well as ribbons tied on them. And lastly, there's a banner hanging on the ceiling, with the words "Happy Birthday!" Written on them. Another banner, much smaller than the other hangs just below it, with the word "Good fortune for the twins" written on it. Is this... A surprise birthday party?

"Onii-chan... Is today really our birthday?" Lumine turned to look at her brother, asking him with a confused and a little disbelieved look. "Don't tell me that you forgot about it..."

"I don't know... I guess I forgot about it as well." Aether replied with a wry chuckle, rubbing the back of his head.

"My my, forgetting about your own birthday? You two certainly have so much in mind to forget about this." Their mother spoke up with a shake of her head, but she doesn't sound particularly displeased.

"I'm so sorry mama, I was too focused on my training to remember this day." The blonde girl apologize, hanging her head as she looks down in apology.

"Now now, no need to get sad over a little mistake, I'm sure we're all forgot about our own birthday at some point in time." This time, it was their father who spoke up, approaching his daughter and have his hand gently rubs her soft golden hair. "You're supposed to be happy today, both of you. Come on, the maids had baked a whole cake just for you."

"Really? Yay!" Both twins cheered at the mentioned of cake.

"Aww, it sounds like they're throwing a party for the twins. How sweet of them." Paimon smiled, crossing her hands behind her.

"A birthday party..." Mona muttered when a thought enters her mind. "Now that I think about it, we never knew about when was Lumine's birthday are we?" Mona asked, glancing towards the others who fell in thoughts after they heard her question.

"You're right, she always knew when each of our birthday, somehow. Yet we never know about hers." Xinyan nods in agreement, she vividly knows that she'd never told the traveler about her birthday before, and yet the blonde girl somehow already knew about it, showing up at her birthday party along with Xiangling and Yunjin, with the latter two claimed to never invited her and that Lumine came by herself.

"Have she ever told you this about, Paimon?" Kazuha asked, to which Paimon shook her head.

"Lumi never tells Paimon about it. There was this one time that Paimon tries to ask her, but Lumi only said that it's "complicated." And then there's also another time in which she says weird things like "I have no specific date of birth" it's really confusing." The little pixie explained with a sigh.

"Huh, what an interesting response." Mona mused, scratching her chin with her hand.

"Aether, Lumine, happy birthday. I have a special present prepared just for the two of you on this special day."

The father of the twins walked into the room, a box with intricate designs is held on his open palms, approaching both twins as they stood there, eyes curiously staring at the box on their father's hands.

"What's inside the box, father?" Aether asked, trying to guess what's the present that their parents have prepared for both of them.

"Is it chocolate?" Lumine asked, eyes glowing brightly with excitement, making her father chuckles.

"It's far more precious than delicious food my dear." The father shook his head lightly. Kneeling on the ground, he presented the box to the twins as he opens it. "This is a present perfect for the two of you. A gift, for twins."

The twin's eyes peeked at the contents inside the box, where something is shining brightly under the lights from the chandelier above.

"This is..." Aether mutters as he reaches out and grab one.

What lies inside the box is a pair of accessories, two pendants with similar designs but with some subtle differences. These pendants, these... Amulets... They has a shape of a four-pointed star, both of them has a gem embedded into it's surface, which glows a soft golden glow, the gem is is placed inside a decorative casings, one pendant have a golden colored casing, while the other is silver colored.

"How pretty... Are these really for us?" Lumine asked, gently brushing her fingers across the surface of the silver pendant, her choice of color.

"Why of course." Their father nods his head with a smile. "I have ordered the creations of these ornaments just for the two of you. Each of you should take one and wear it, to show the world of your bonds as twins, siblings who shines brightly like stars."

"Thank you so much Papa!"

Lumine went to give her father a hug, with Aether following soon after. They stayed in that position for a while, before both twins finally letting go. Taking a deep breath before both smiling.

"I can't wait to show Nahida about this. I'm sure that she'll absolutely like it." Lumine gently muttered, her lips turn into an excited and happy smile at the thought of showing off her new accessory to her best friend.

"Didn't you promised to meet her at the park this noon? It's only a few hours left from now." Aether reminded to which she nods her head.

"It is, I promised to show her what I got from our training. But now that I have this, I want to show this to her as well." Lumine turned her head to look at her parents. "Mama, Papa, thank you so much for all of this. I really want to show Nahida-chan, so can I leave now? I promise to return immediately once we're done playing." The blonde girl said with pleading eyes.

"There's no need for you to ask really." Their father said with a little shake of his head. "Have fun out there."

"And please remember to return before dawn." Their mother added, smiling as well.

"I will!" Lumine said with a nod. Turning her body to face Aether, she took hold of her brother's hand. "Come on Aether let's go!" She then drag him along with her as the two excitedly exited their home to meet with their friend.

"Well, there they goes." Paimon mutters as she watch the ghostly apparitions of the twins exited the mansion, running hand in hand into the city. "But still... Those pendants they're wearing, isn't that..."

"Yeah... It's the same pendant we found back on the island. The entrance to this mirage." Mona nods her head in confirmation.

"But if I remember correctly... Isn't the one we found is silver colored? That's the one that Lumi wore right? What happened to her brother's pendant?" Paimon asked somewhat confusedly.

"Probably still in his possession up until now." Kazuha said with a shrug.

"Is it just me, or why does one finds it weird that our beloved Traveler never spoke of this?" Question Fischl, her eye glanced at the way the illusion of the twins went. "It would be great if one were to celebrate one's favorite retainer's day of birth."

"Paimon guess Lumi is just shy about it." Paimon shook her head, before a thought hits her and give her a pause. "Either that or... She just simply didn't want to celebrate it since... Well, she shared her date of birth with her brother." The pixie said, to which everyone fell silent as they understand what she's implying.

"Perhaps that's might also be the reason why we never sees her wearing that pendant. Though I wish to see her wearing it because it looks so good." Mona mused, lightly shaking her head.

"Anyway, now that we've seen them heading back to the city, should we follow them?" Xinyan asked, turning her head to look at everyone.

"Not like we have any other choice. Let's go everyone." Mona replied to which they all nodded.

Following after the trails the illusions left behind, the group walked pass through the now open gates and into the city outside. Not much has changed of it since the last memory they noted as they observed the buildings making up the walls that prevents them from straying too far from the road.

After a few minutes of walking, they eventually arrived at that familiar place which seems to act as the center of all these memories revolving around Lumine's past. The lush green meadows of evenly cut grass and the trees that grows around it also remains unchanged. There's sounds of children laughing and giggling in the air as they run around and play, creating a calm and peaceful atmosphere that the group couldn't help but to get mesmerized in.

But still, they have an objective here, so they scatter around in search for the twins and the next memories that are going to be played. After several minutes of searching, they eventually found it, a bench on a park, where two people, a boy and a girl, who each has golden hair and identical golden eyes, sits on top, seemingly having a conversation. After regrouping on the spot, they listened in.

"Looks like Nahida wasn't here yet. I wonder what took her so long..." Lumine muttered, sitting on a bench while she fiddle with her fingers.

"Maybe she's off doing her homework first, or maybe her mother has something for her to do. I dunno." Aether shrugged his shoulders, sitting beside his sister with his arms slumped behind the bench.

Lumine releases a sigh, her golden eyes look down and came to rest on the object hanging from her neck. The silver star pendant, the gift from her parents. Aether also possess one, only that his star pendant is colored gold instead.

"Who knew that Mama and Papa would go as far as to prepare a birthday surprise like that, huh? Even if I know that today is our birthday, I wouldn't imagined them doing that." Lumine softly mutters, she took her pendant into her palm, rubbing her fingers on the surface, her mind still couldn't comprehend of how beautiful it looks.

"Yeah, I can't imagined it either, but then again... They are our parents." Aether replied, his golden eyes drifted to look at the scenery in front of him. Of kids playing on the park, laughing, joking, and having a good time. What a bunch of innocent souls they are, free spirited, unhibited, at least until they reached adulthood. But could the same thing applied to individuals like them? "They've already done so much for us... Not only did they raised and love us, they even did everything in their power to keep hiding our secrets from the world, and they did that because they want us to have normal lives, they wanted us to be able to choose our own path, a life that unfortunately the other children born as mages have."

Lumine mentally nods her head at that. She's having the exact thoughts as Aether right now. The lives that the twins has right now is all thanks to their parents, who put all of their effort in making sure that they both have normal lives, unlike other kids with similar conditions.

Throughout the last few years since the revelation of their true nature, Lumine had been digging through information that initially was prohibited by her parents to read. About the existence of mages, the power to control magic, or how it was used to combat the monster threats that is plaguing the world around them. And what she found is equally amazing as it was horrifying.

In this world, the human race is not the apex predator that one would've thought, that place is inhabited by the monsters, one that she heard from her father's tales and the book she reads. There are no records that said of when or from where all these monsters came from, only that the moment they appear, civilizations of mankind crumbles within seconds. Not long after their appearance, all humans on the planet then scatter around, eventually regrouping and establishing separate civilizations that act as a stronghold against the dark forces, these civilizations are called The Hidden City, and there are a total of eight of them during their era of establishments, with the city they're living in right now being one of them.

However... The monsters are simply far too strong, stronger than what humanity could physically achieve.

Overtime, the dark forces eventually began to take over, one by one, the hidden cities fell under their attacks. And by the time she's thinking about this right now, four of the eight hidden cities have been destroyed. It's inevitable, it won't be long until the remaining four will also crumble, which one will be next? Will it be the other three? Or will it be... This city? Their home, their family.

She felt a hand came to rest on her shoulder, so Lumine looks to her side to find Aether staring at her in concern.

"I know what you're thinking right now Lumine. I feel the same, I'm also afraid." Aether softly whispered at her, his hands then glides down to hold her's giving them a gentle squeeze of reassurance. "The reports that father told us several days ago... About the increase of monster activity outside the border... It was very concerning and frightening that I cannot sleep. Combine that with the tales of how the hidden cities fell one by one..."

Lumine squeeze his hand in return. Various emotions running through her mind. Her childhood memories, the happy times she has with Aether, all the fun she had playing with Nahida, or even the birthday party she just have. Will she be able to experience something like this ever again? What if she won't? What if today... Would be the last day she's going to have something like this?

"Aether... How long do you think these day would last? How long are we going to keep on hiding our true nature?" Lumine asked, eyes downcast as she stares at their intertwined hand. "Do you think the world would ever find out? And when they do... Will the calm and peaceful lives we have... be over?"

"I have no doubt that's definitely what going to happen." Aether answered with a sigh, closing his eyes. "It's only a matter of when will our secrets be revealed, and how. Either that someone would eventually find out and decided to reveal it unlike Nahida, or... There will come a time when we will be forced to use it."

Lumine mentally nods in understanding. She once again turned her head to look at the scenery of the park. Sooner or later, this peaceful life she have will be over, and she must be prepared for it. It may be frightening and depressing, but... As long as she has her family, everything's going to be fine, right?

"Aether... When that time comes... You're still going to be by my side, right?" Lumine asked, she didn't turn her head to look at her brother, but she knows he's listening.

"I will." Aether answered, squeezing her hand tightly. "I will be always by your side, I promise."

A loud sound of an explosion suddenly appears, startling the twins as well as everyone else in the park who stops at whatever they're doing and looks around to find the source of the sound, only to saw a tower of smokes forming in the distance, flying up to the sky.

"W-What is happening? What was that sound just now?" Paimon asked in panic and shock. The sound of the explosion may have been coming from the memory that was being played, but it still exists within the same space they're in.

Shortly after, an alarm blares, it sounds rings all over the place, entering deep into everyone's ears.

"WARNING! HORDE OF MONSTERS IS INVADING THE CITY! ALL CITIZENS EVACUATE TO THE CITY HALL IMMEDIATELY! REPEAT. THE CITY IS UNDER ATTACK! ALL CITIZENS EVACUATE TO THE CITY HALL IMMEDIATELY!"

"Wha- monster attacks?! How could that be?! It was all peaceful just moments ago!" Paimon protested.

"How very convenient indeed." Mona said with a shake of her head. She turned her head to look at the bench, finding the twins are gone. "Looks like the memory ended there. Let us do what the alarm said and go to the city hall, that must be where the twins are heading."

"Then it must be that way." Xinyan pointed towards a road leading out to somewhere. "That path wasn't there just some moments ago. It appeared when the alarm rings."

"Then let's make haste then. I know that these were all memories but... I can't help but to get worried about Lumine." Kazuha confesses, the look on his eye shows he's very worried, despite knowing that it's all just illusions.

"I think we all feel the same here." Fischl nods her head, she reaches out her hand towards their destination as she declares. "Then let us go now my loyal retainers, to our beloved princess' side."

They nod their heads in agreement, and without wasting anymore time, they sprint towards the opened pathway to the next memories, waiting for them to see.

As they run, the group sees the part of the city that they haven't seen before. Never-before-seen buildings appear on their sides, some of them are in their top shape, while others suffer damages and some are completely destroyed or ablaze on fire, the results from the monster attacks no doubt.

Other than seeing the results of the attack, they also start to hear voices again, and they instantly recognized it as their friend's voice.

"Come on Lumine, let's run!"

Aether's voice rings through the air among the other chaos that happens on that fateful day.

"Damn it, the entire city is under attack, we gotta make it there quick!"

He urges as he is running down the streets of the ruined city. His hands tightly clammed on his sister's as they both ran without looking back, afraid of the beasts all around are feasting on all the people they've known.

"Why... Why is this happening?"

Wailed his sister, with tears running down her face. Panting heavily as she continues to run with her brother.

"What about mama and papa? What about Nahida? Are we just going to leave them all behind?!"

Lumine asked amidst her panting and crying.

"We... We must get into safety first Lumi. Wa can go search for them once things are under control. By a stroke of luck, maybe they've already went to the city hall as well. That's why we must go there now to confirm it for ourselves."

That is one thought that Lumine wholeheartedly hoped to be true. That her family is safe and is taking shelter in the city hall, waiting for the twins to come and reunite with them. She believes in it, she's depending on it.

But what if they don't? What if they...

BAM

Something big and hard roughly landed on the ground, causing the earth to shake and everyone around to wobble on their feet and fell to the ground. Following after this, a loud growl is heard as a giant figure stood atop a big crater it creates from the landing.

"Eeek! W-What is that?!" Paimon shrieked as she stares with widened eyes at the figure.

Towering over them with it's height rivaling some of the buildings surrounded the road, an inhuman creature stood before the group. It has a giant bulking muscular humanoid figure, a bald head with only one eye at the centre of its face, rows of sharp teeth filled in its mouth as it roars, a giant stone club is held by one of its giant hand. This creature... Is a monster. One that the group had never seen before.

"Is this... A monster?" Kazuha said, completely flabbergasted by it's appearance. Never before there's a monster this hideous in Tevyat, at least one that he knows of.

"Not even a Stonehide Lawachurl can beat this thing." Mona silently mutters, having the same shocked expression as everyone else.

"Ooh, what are Lumi gonna do against this thing?" Paimon whimpered in concern, looking at the illusion of Lumine as the memory continues.

The hideous thing appears before them suddenly, towering over the two with its body that is about five times their size, blocking their path towards safety. Vapor flew out of its mouth as it growled, barring its fangs towards the two. It's one big eye focused solely on the twins, staring at them like meat for dinner, its gigantic hand gripping the stone club tightly, with the said weapon having fresh red blood dripping from the edge, who knows how many people it has killed.

So this... This is what a monster looks like?

It is beyond any of her expectations. Lumine has read from books in the library about some depictions of monsters that roamed around the world, from a weak one to strong ones. While there are some images that gives her a good idea of what she's up against, seeing it in real if is much different than an inanimate lifeless picture.

Just seeing this thing... It made her whole body turn into stone. Her feet couldn't stop shaking, and she's unable to close her eyes nor averting her gaze from it. Her instinct tells her to run, but her legs don't cooperate with her brain. She wants to get up and fight the monster, but she realises of how powerless she is, she doesn't have her sword, it was left back in their home, but even if she had it right now, what good do it have against something this big? She's still have secret power to fight it, but no matter how much she willed herself to fight, her body didn't move as she hoped to, her fear has taken over her mind, overwriting any thoughts that going against it.

The monster raise its hand, and swing it's weapon towards Lumine's motionless body.

"Get down!"

Moments before the stone club hits her, Aether tackle his sister to the ground, saving them both from the attack. They rolled on the ground, creating some distance between them and the beast.

"Phew, that was close." Aether breathed out a sigh of relief as he push himself up from the ground. "You okay?" He asked Lumine as he looks down to see his sister having this absolute shock expression on her face.

"Y-Yes." She timidly answered, finally snapping out of her daze, sitting up to see the huge monster is slowly stalking towards them.

"Tch, we can't get through as long as that thing is blocking the road." Aether mutters, the huge thing has effectively blocking their only path towards safety, even if they tried to run away, the chances are it's going to give chase and eventually catches them. It's inevitable, they face to face this thing to proceed.

"What are we going to do Aether?" Lumine asked her brother, fear and worry filled her voice, her eyes are trembling because she is scared, scared of the frightening appearance of the monster before them, scared of losing her life at such a young age, scared of losing her family that she may or may not have been left behind, scared of losing him.

"We have to find a way to get pass that thing, that's for sure." Aether answered. He pushed himself up and prepare to stand, but he feel a hand tugging his arm.

"Aether..."

Aether looks back behind him, seeing his sister tightly clutching his arm, unwilling to let him go, letting him go and heading towards the big scary monster in front of them.

"Lumine..."

Aether put his free hand on top his sister's hand, trying to pry it away from his arm, but her grip on him is strong, she really don't want to let him go.

"Someone needs to take care of that thing." The older twin softly mutters, smiling down at his sister with a gentle and reassuring smile. "I will go and fight it, while you go towards the city hall to where our parents are, okay?"

"No! I refuse to leave you alone!" Lumine yelled with a violent shake of her head, standing up as well to glare at her brother straight to his eyes. "You already promised me that we will be together, even after something like this happens! Why going back on your promise now?!"

"Lumine, listen, I need you to listen-"

"No! I refuse to listen!" Lumine cuts him off. She uses both hands to hold her brother now. From their connected hands, Aether could feel the trembling on his sister's body, as she's panting from trying to catch her breath after running a long distance and also from yelling earlier. "I won't... I can't...!"

She's trying to compose a word, but the emotions swirling inside her mind overwhelmed her brain functions. Her body is shaking as she starts sobbing, tears raining down her eyes as she grits her teeth to try holding back her sobbings to no avail.

Seeing the distress that took over his sister, Aether wraps his hand around her and pull her into a hug, rubbing his hand on her back to calms her down as he pulls her closer.

"Lumine... Listen to me." Aether whispers to her ear while continuing to comfort her. "Mom and dad really needs you right now. Them, Nahida, and everyone else are waiting for you to come, very worried about your safety, you must go there and show them that you're fine." Pushing his sister away, Aether take a look Lumine's face, and reaches up to wipe her tears away. "You said that everything will be fine as long as we are together with our family, right? Then you must go, you must go and protect them. Even if they take refuge in the city hall, someone must be there to protect the people, you have the power to do it, so you must go."

"But Aether..." Lumine sniffled, looking at her brother sadly. "You're my family too... I can't leave you behind."

"I catch up with you." Aether replied firmly, taking Lumine's hand into his and squeezing it tightly. "I will be there for you, once I take care of this beast."

"You... You promise?" Lumine asked, giving Aether a pleading eye.

"I promised." Aether nods his head. He uses his other hand to grab the golden star pendant that hangs from his neck, showing it to Lumine. "You hear what father said, right? These pendants are what symbolised our connections as twins. One pendant cannot be complete without the other, therefore, we must always be together for us to be complete, and I won't let us be separated no matter what the circumstances."

Lumine went silent for a while, one of her hands unconsciously reached up to hold the silver star pendant, her pendant, mimicking the way Aether holds it. These two pendants won't be complete without each other, just like how the twins are.

"Okay then... I'll go. Just promise me, that you will be there for me."

"I will."

A loud roar interrupts the two as they look up to see the huge monster is now standing right next to them, swinging its stone club down towards them. The moment she sees it Lumine immediately cowers down on the ground in fear. Aether on the other hand has a different reaction, instead of dodging away in panic, he raises both of his arms instead.

There was a loud crash that formed a crater on the ground and debris to fly everywhere, covering the area with smokes.

Lumine doesn't feel pain at all despite of how the ground violently shook. Curiously, she opens her eyes to see that she is completely fine. There is a presence above her, so she looks up, and her eyes widened upon seeing a shocking sight.

The giant monster has indeed swung it's weapon down towards them, and likely would've smash Lumine into paste if it wasn't for Aether who protected her. Despite of the huge difference between them in size, Aether holds the giant stone club in place with both of his hands like it was nothing. Golden lights appeared and shining brightly in his palms that is holding the club from crushing the both of them. This is him using his magic, the light magic.

"Go! Now!" Aether commanded, giving her the space she needed to escape.

Hesitantly and a bit timidly, she nods. Hastily bringing herself back to her feet before starts running, running towards the opening that Aether have made for her.

The monster seem to notice one of it's prey running away. It quickly get over it's shock from having it's attack blocked by Aether, and attempts to crush the fleeting Lumine with its other hand.

"I won't let you!" Using all of his might, Aether pushed the stone club away with a strength that is rivaling the monster's own, causing it to stumble slightly on it's feet. But that won't be enough to stop it, so Aether gather as much energy as he could, his right hand is glowing brightly like he's holding a lit fire on his palm, and once the charging is complete, he release it. "Blast!"

A beam of golden light shoots out from his palm and hits the giant monster on it's chest, giving it the push it needs to fall to the ground on it's back with a very loud thud.

Even when the ground shook from the monster's fall, Lumine keeps on running. She look back towards her brother once, and their eyes meet. He gives her a firm nod to which she returns with her own.

"Please... Stay safe."

She whispers quietly, wiping a tear away from the corner of her eye as she continues to run.

"Awwe, this is so sad... Paimon hopes that they're going to be reunited." Paimon sadly muttered, placing her tiny hand on her heart as she somberly stares at the fading illusions of the twins.

"What power... To be able to handle something like that. Then again, this is Lumine's brother we're seeing." Mona said under her breath, completely amazed at the display of power coming out from Aether, but then again, knowing that this is the older twin brother of Lumine, one of the strongest, if not, then the strongest person that Mona ever met, it should be come of no surprise.

"Yeah, it's incredible. I hope he's gonna be fine." Xinyan agrees with a nod.

"Well, he is alive and well in the present time as we speak, so of course he'll be fine." Kazuha added.

"The memory ends there. Let us continue walking down this path to find the next one. One is very curious on how things would turn out." Fischl spoke up, turning her body to look at the long, seemingly endless road that leads to nowhere, their only way to the next memory.

The group agrees and continues on walking down the road. After a few minutes of walking, they found there's no voices that rings inside the heads unlike before, which prompts them to quicken their pace as the next memory is likely still far away from them. And their thoughts are proven true when their surroundings remains unchanged even after they run for several minutes. But their patience would paid off eventually, when they saw a silhouette that slowly getting bigger the more they walk towards that one direction.

Eventually, they could make out the silhouette as a building, a huge building, made from wall of stones strong and firm.

"That must be city hall!" Paimon pointed out, narrowing her eyes as she saw something else. "And look! there's people gathering there!"

In front of the city hall, there's a bunch of people as they flocked to get inside to safety. And among them, there's Lumine who came from the other side of the road, running whilst panting heavily, her golden eyes relaxed a little when she finally saw the people who've gathered there.

Knowing the next record is about play, the group went silent as they watched.

The city hall... She finally made it!

She could see the people who have gathered on the front gates, competing for getting inside to the evacuation site, the safe zone from all this madness.

"I... I really made it." Lumine said to herself, somewhat in disbelief that she's really here, without any obstacles. "Mama... Papa... Nahida... I'm coming-"

It happens in a split second. Before Lumine could even take a single step forward. There's a sound of something falling from above, and she quickly finds out what it was when the said thing landed on the ground, right next on top of the gathered people. Crushing them into a pile of dead flesh and sends blood to splat everywhere. Gasps of shock and horror filled the air, as everyone stares in horror.

A giant figure, a monster, appeared before them, right in front of the city hall. It's different from the one that Lumine had encountered just now. While the one that she had runaway from and Aether is fighting right now is a giant humanoid, the one who appears before her right now is an abomination. The monster before that appears is huge, it has a body that appears to look like a human from head to torso, expect that it's larger than an average person. But the same thing couldn't be said for it's lower body however, as in place of two human legs, the creature has the lower body of a gigantic spider instead, complete with it's eight legs that each has blades on it's tips.

The creature's entire body is covered in stone-like skin, coloring it's entire body in stone grey. It's humanoid torso and head is also covered with the stony skin, appearing to look like it's wearing a grey knight armor. A long large stone sword is resting on it's shoulder, held by one hand as blood could be seen dripping from the edges.

"RUN!"

"SAVE YOUR LIVES!"

The crowd of people were immediately sent into a panic once they laid their eyes on the beasts. Many of them quickly run and attempts to get inside the city hall by pushing each other in a state of complete panic, while others are running away towards random directions in order to save their lives.

But it was all futile, as the monster quickly gets into action and slaughters them all. Despite of it's big body, it was surprisingly quick, perhaps due to it's eight legs that allows it run and jump around, wildly swinging it's swords to slash at the fleeting people, quickly putting them all out of their misery as blood splatters at every direction. Nobody is safe from this monster, not even the ones inside the building. Nowhere is safe, there's no place to hide, there's no place to run, it's all over.

Eventually, all the screaming and shouting was silenced, and nobody was left that stood in that place, except for a single girl. She is left to stand there, all alone, with a blank look on her face, as she watched the massacre happening right before her very eyes.

Eventually, the monster turns it's attention towards her, it's ominously glowing red eyes stares at her intently, with a deep killing intent and hunger for her flesh. It's eight spider legs moved, slowly taking itself to approach the girl, who could only silently watch as her death in the flesh slowly approach her, ready to reap her soul away.

Thump

Is this it? Is this the end? Is this how she's gonna die?

Thump

At the hands of this monster... Is she... Gonna lose her life?

Thump Thump

What about her family? Her mother and father? Her friend Nahida? Her brother Aether? How about?

Thump Thump Thump

Is she just gonna let herself die? And leave them all behind?!

"S-Shield!"

She raises both of her hands, golden lights appeared in her palm and surrounded her body to make a barrier of lights. She had practiced in using this power with her brother throughout the years, and now it should be the time for her to finally use it. Yes... She can do it! Defeat this monster, wait for Aether, and reunite with their family, that's all she needs to do, that's what she has to do!

"Ngh?!" She looks at herself, at her own hands. She is shaking, her entire body is shaking, and it won't stop! Why? It is... Because of fear...

She just witnessed this monster brutally kills everyone right in front of her very eyes, sparing no one from that massacre, not even her, her was because she simply hasn't been it's target yet, but now, she was, with the way it's slowly approaches her with it's sword ready at hand.

It... It killed them all... It killed all of them, what chances for her to fight this thing and make it out alive?! Nothing, she has absolutely no chance to win against this thing!

The monster raise it's sword before bringing it down towards Lumine, and all that Lumine could do is to look up at the incoming attack, motionless to do anything, as the attack hits the ground.

"Ah... It seems like I would never be the same like onii-chan after all..."

She finds herself unable to care about anything that happens around her anymore. Not even when the ground shook as the beast's sword slammed against the ground and sends her motionless body flying into the air, unresponsive and uncaring.

"Even after I found out that I have this same power... It's useless... In the hands of a weakling, like me."

Her dreams of changing this world for the better... Her promise to always protect her one and only friend... Her desire to be always by her brother's side... It's all just a big joke.

"I guess... This is the end..."

She could feel herself falling, falling to the ground, falling into the darkness, as death slowly pulls her into it's embrace, it feels cold and... Dark, very dark.

Cling

"Huh...?"

Through the small crack of her open eyes, Lumine could see something, it barely visible with how her vision starts to darken and a bit blurry, but still, her eyes could make it out for just a split second: there's something dangling from the monster's neck, a small triangular object with a rainbowy colour, it was tied to a cord that circles around the monster's neck, like a pendant.

"It's glowing... How pretty..."

Even knowing that she's about to die, Lumine still reaches out towards that object that she sees pretty, her shutting down brain barely able to register the sensation, but she could feel her how fingertips softly rubs against the object, feeling it's hardness, it's firm surface, like a shiny diamond.

And the next second after that, everything went black.

END OF PART 1