lumine dreams of dream aria in addition to an odd light that refers to herself as "paimon." the free-spirited entity appreciates lumine's stories and knowledge of food. in the waking world, a piano duet is nearly polished with aether as her partner. lumine later offers to help kaeya deliver dream aria—the painting—to dain's office, and they witness a display of power unlike any of the seven elements.


"Why, oh why did the seasons have to change at such an abnormal rate?" lamented Chongyun as he wiped the sweat from his brow. "A prolonged winter is considerably more favorable than an early spring."

The melted snow and newly budding trees gave clear signs of a shift, but I didn't even notice the change until Chongyun mentioned it. His yang energy must be acting up—a particular trait of his I helped monitor while training together. Though Thoma was my usual partner in Vision Studies, Professor Minci regrouped the class to form midterm teams.

This was a chance for us to experience different team compositions, and I had a good feeling about the classmates I'd been working with. Synergy wasn't an issue on my end—not with three different elements at my disposal. Now that the midterm was days away, it all boiled down to ironing out our rotations to perfection.

"Don't we have a job to do? Let's get this over with. The sooner we're done, the better," Rosaria grumbled as she hurled her Cryo-infused spear at the head of a fungus.

Knocked out of the sky, it bounced back to the ground with a whine so adorable that I winced on its behalf. Her next attack did physical damage, prompting her to glare at Chongyun, who readied to launch his elemental skill again.

"I'm in position. Forth, my blade!"

Coming up right behind him with Hydro blades soaring in the air, Xingqiu transformed the poor fungus into a block of ice. Now, it was my turn to act, and I didn't miss how their curious eyes watched Electro spark from my dull blade. With its defenses lowered through superconduct, all it took was a quick swipe of my sword for the fungus to wither away into nothing.

"It's great weather for practicing martial arts," Xingqiu said with a heavy exhale. "Even better weather for reading outdoors without the concern for frostbite. Perhaps some exposure therapy will help you better acclimate."

"That will not be necessary." Chongyun shook his head while also inching away from his friend.

Xingqiu laughed at that and turned to me. "You agree with me, right? As a fellow book buddy, I'm sure you understand my perspective."

Calling us "book buddies" was a more familiar connection than I expected, but we were in literature club together, after all. Considering the small size of the club compared to how many students were at Celestia Academy, very few were willing to be led under Professor Guuji's guidance. If it hadn't been my need for training, I would have dropped out long ago. Xingqiu, oddly, didn't mind her literary pressures. He was an interesting one—a model student who had a way with words.

Before I could decide on whether to defend Chongyun's stance or follow along, Xingqiu's attention was on the next batch of fungi dispatched to us.

"Time to act—know my sword!" he shouted, cutting through the fungus with Hydro while also executing a perfect backflip.

Like in our previous runs, Chongyun followed up by placing down his elemental skill, giving all four of us a Cryo edge to halt the enemy's movements. Since practice for the day was nearly over, I unleashed a whirling Anemo tornado to gather the fungi into one spot. Rosaria also launched her ultimate, leaving a massive ice lance in the ground to reinforce the frozen effect. In a similar fashion, Chongyun took to dealing the final blow with his ultimate.

"Spirit blade, attack!"

Any hints of spring being around the corner were blasted from the area, and an intense chill battled with the adrenaline in my body.

Chongyun sighed in bliss. "That's much better."

Rosaria ignored him, walking off with a few lingering words of what positivity she had. "I suppose it wasn't too much trouble."

With just the three of us left and the rest of the class finishing up their battles, we took to brainstorming more efficient attack patterns for the best midterm grade. Rosaria, though she distanced herself and remained aloof no matter how friendly I was, was always quick to catch on to whatever strategy we made in her absence.

"It still surprises me to see your affinity for the elements in person," Chongyun said while patting his Vision. "Visions are powerful, but one would be foolish to place blind faith in them. Having your own energy supply ensures that you are as reliable as you train to be."

He wasn't the only one interested in my ability. Xingqiu nodded along with his arms crossed, and a similar sentiment had been expressed by many of my classmates. More than anything, I was relieved none of them felt lied to when I began my first day in Vision Studies as an elemental user.

As of late, they weren't the only ones curious about surprising powers. Aether's busy schedule of being Mr. Popular was back in full force, so there hadn't been a right time to ask him about Dain yet. On the off chance my brother had no idea what that power was, why did Dain reveal it to Kaeya and I? A little bit of wine was no excuse.

"Trust me, it's nothing to be jealous about," I said after returning from my thoughts. "Elemental energy directly drawn from the body is more taxing than you could imagine. I'd eat a whole jueyen chili if it meant never getting exhausted from it."

My spice tolerance wasn't so low that I couldn't handle a single pepper, but knowing Chongyun's constitution, the comment would have a bigger impact on him that way. And, in case Xingqiu didn't get the picture…

"And a field's worth of carrots," I added with a solemn look.

He cringed. I laughed.

Chongyun also let a chuckle slip out. "Be that as it may, your skills are impressive. I am happy to have this chance to team up with you. Carrots are beneficial for one's eyesight, anyway."

Xingqiu took that personally, divulging all the terrible ways his mother prepared carrots in his childhood. Chongyun listened along with rapt attention, but I had no intention of being late for my next class. Rosaria may be able to slip away with ease, but a sense of politeness that Xingqiu instilled held me present. If only I could come up with an excuse…

"Hey!" Amber, bless her, appeared and grabbed my arm to haul me off. "See you later, guys! I need to steal Lumine from you. We have very important matters to discuss."

I raised an eyebrow in question as we went inside.

"Today. After class. After clubs. You and me." She poked a finger between us. "Dress shopping. I totally forgot I need a dress for the dance recital! Eula mentioned getting hers delivered from home, but I don't have anything suitable. You're going to need something fancy for your piano recital, right? We can pick something out together."

I, too, had not considered the recital dress code. Since it would take place in the auditorium, of course I needed a dress.

"Welkin Festival is this weekend, and with midterms happening right before, now is our only chance to buy something before we're completely swamped with studying," she said. "Are you in?"

It wasn't just me who needed to prepare an outfit for the piano recital. Did Aether have a color scheme in mind? What if he already had something ready? With an adoptive father as wealthy as Dain, that was entirely possible.

"Well?" Amber pressed.

A friend in need was a friend in need. If I came across a dress I loved, then it was meant to be.

"I'm in."


The fun, relaxing shopping date with Kaeya had no resemblance to the very serious, intense mission that Amber and I set forth to complete. If it hadn't been for the training I did on campus, my muscles would be far from worn after carrying heaps of dresses to and from the fitting room. Who would have guessed Amber could be so indecisive?

"Not these ones either?" asked the shopkeeper, who tirelessly worked alongside me to satisfy Amber's taste. "She's a picky one."

"She's normally quite easygoing," I said with a what-can-you-do shrug. "Hey Amber, can you remind us what you're looking for?"

Her muted voice replied through the door. "Something not too long but not too short, either. I didn't practice my footwork for months just to cover up my legs. Anything above the knee wouldn't suit the dance. Eula said it'd be fun to contrast, so I'm looking for warm tones—preferably red. Her dress is probably going to be super nice…sparkles. I need sparkles. I don't want to outshine her, though. Is it even possible to outshine her? Maybe I'm giving myself too much credit…"

The shopkeeper and I dove back into the racks of clothing. Though the boutique appeared small from the outside, it amazed me just how many garments were gathered here. The abundant selection made for a lengthy search.

Many selections later narrowed the final lineup to three dresses.

"There's too much floral going on," Amber complained for one of them, twirling in disappointment.

"I like the sparkle, but why are there so many straps? This is a tangled nightmare just waiting to happen," she said for the other with her arms awkwardly held out.

The last dress, my personal favorite pick for her, made Amber hesitate. It was form-fitting from the top half to mid-thigh before flaring out in a cascade of rich, scarlet fabric. A tasteful shimmer highlighted the loose ruffles of the skirt and decorated the bands that hugged her arms. She stared at herself in the mirror, frowning.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"It's nice."

"It looks amazing on you."

"I love it."

"Why doesn't it sound like you love it?"

"Do you think that it…that I'll be good enough?"

Her question left me speechless. This was likely the most nonsensical thing I'd ever heard in my entire life. My brain struggled to come to terms with it. Amber? Not good enough? Whoever put that idea into her head will pay.

"It's silly—forget it. The consequence of me overthinking things."

Scratch that. If Amber was the one responsible for thinking so poorly of herself—no payment necessary. My budding anger faded to confusion. I'd never seen Amber so insecure. The pile of rejected dresses no longer appeared so trivial. Rather than being upset with what the boutique had to offer, the conflict on her face pointed to a different reason.

"I can see those gears turning in your head." Amber joked halfheartedly and wandered to the plush bench, plopping down. "Before you completely shut down the idea that I'm not good enough—"

"Because you are," I quickly interjected just to make it clear.

"Let me explain. You already know Eula comes from nobility. Even if she doesn't associate with them anymore, that doesn't mean she hasn't grown up as someone with insane skills and impressive, well, everything. Compared to her, I…don't want to hold her back. A first-year with beginner's experience as her dance partner? It still surprises me why she even agreed."

It killed me to see Amber so down, so I quickly sorted my thoughts to be the voice of reason.

"Listen, I don't know Eula very well, but I do know you. When have you ever held anyone back? If anything, you're the one always lending a helping hand. You think for yourself and don't let others sway those headstrong decisions. Despite all that, you think you'll disappoint her somehow?"

Amber nodded.

I continued. "Compared to lazy aristocrats who have others do work for them, aren't you the very opposite? From what I've heard, you're the embodiment of what Eula wants in the life she's chosen for herself. She didn't have to spend her personal time coaching you in dance, but she wanted to. There's a reason she agreed to be your partner."

"Do you think…" She paused, her cheeks slightly flushed. "She agreed because…"

I smiled and nudged her shoulder with mine. "It's probably the same reason why you asked, but I'm sure you knew that already."

"It's hard to believe," she said with an even deeper blush. The temptation to tease her about it was strong, but I held back. "You really think so?"

"It's even harder to believe you two haven't made it official yet. Maybe she's waiting for you to make a move, or maybe she's waiting for a romantic opportunity to appear. How about…during the Welkin Festival?"

Amber's mouth fell open, and she abruptly stood.

"I'll take this dress," she stammered.

The shopkeeper, who must have been lurking nearby since there's no way she could have appeared so fast, whisked Amber back to the fitting room with a beaming smile. After officially buying the dress, she stared deep into her coin purse as the shopkeeper packed the purchase in a sleek box tied with a scarlet, tulle ribbon.

"I'm never going to financially recover from this." Amber blanched for a moment before shaking her head, clearing her throat, and putting on a bright face. "I'll be fine! It's more than just a dress to me. Anyway, your turn."

Her success might be the only one we have today, for out of all of the dresses we came across, not a single one caught my eye. Oddly enough, I couldn't find the dress that I wore last time. The silver dresses similar in design had their charm, but a special spark was missing. Still, I indulged in Amber's optimism and tried on her picks for me.

"This one matches your eyes and hair," she said while holding a pale, gold gown. "Do you want to look like a trophy? Because you're a winner."

I shot her a dull stare.

"Oh, come on. That was a good one! Fine then, this blue one will be a nice contrast. While you try it on, tell me all about how you've suddenly become so wise with relationships. Though, I can name a few people who've opened your eyes…"

I could already tell the icy blue dress wasn't much to my taste but accepted it anyway. It's not that I'd become a master at understanding how relationships work. The only thing that mattered to me was who I had relationships with. As long as we could be ourselves together, I couldn't be happier.

"So, don't dwell on the little things," I said after explaining it to Amber. "Too much worrying will leave you paranoid, isolated, or worse. Take my brother, for example."

"Gods, I'm glad you brought him up. How is it that he isn't with anyone at all? Are you sure he doesn't have feelings tucked away?"

"He's got feelings, alright. The kind that needs ample time to unpack and sort through. Once upon a time, I thought a relationship might help with his stress, but now…he's got to work on himself. And that's okay."

I shouldered on the dress and stepped out of the fitting room, feeling like a mannequin. Amber circled around me with an assessing demeanor.

"It's missing something."

I sighed. "They're all missing something. Maybe we're not looking hard enough."

Before I drove myself crazy sifting through the boutique's entire inventory, I asked the shopkeeper upfront about the whereabouts of my dream dress. The worst she could say was that someone had already bought it.

"Oh, that was part of last month's collection. We try to keep our styles fresh, so you won't find it here anymore," she said with a smile. I understood customer service was important, but this was an equally terrible result. Why did she look so happy about it? "I'm sure you'll come across the one for you eventually."

Along with my mood, the sun had dropped low.

"It's just a dress," I mumbled in an attempt to convince myself not to feel bad. "What matters most is the performance, so who cares what I wear? Let's head out of here. I'll just grab whatever after sleeping on it."

With little left to say on the matter, we left the boutique and picked up a pastry to share at the bakery before heading back to campus. Amber managed to distract me with talk of what to expect at the Welkin Festival. Photobooths, eating competitions, astrological readings, and more—my excitement grew hearing about it all.

"People get super serious with Genius Invocation—even more than the fungi duelers. There's always an exciting competition going on around here. I can't wait to see it all and relax once midterms are over! Spring break, please hurry. Mondstadt is calling my name, but I also want to see your place in Liyue!"

Madame Ping would absolutely adore Amber's passion. I could already picture a sleepover in my childhood room. Plans for spring break…I froze with realization as we reached the teleport waypoint. Spring break plans.

"I promised to meet his family."

"Who are we talking about?"

"Childe."

Amber raised her eyebrows."In Snezhnaya?"

I nodded.

"That's far," she said.

"Very far."

An amused grin spread across Amber's face as she touched the waypoint. Before disappearing in a flash of light, she teased, "Aether's going to love that."

Aether usually traveled the world during breaks, so it was about time I did the same—that's what I would tell him. Any mention of me pairing with Childe the entire time would likely result in a duel held off campus, and a duel held off campus would likely result in catastrophe. I didn't want to imagine the scale of such a disaster, so I instead imagined a scenario where everyone was satisfied…or tried to.

Amber carefully clutched her packaged dress and excused herself to the dormitories as if lighting could strike from the cloudless sky at any moment. The only approaching storm was one I had to stand my ground through. Family was family—equally important to both Childe and Aether. The two of them seeing eye to eye on that matter could result in a mutual agreement. Maybe.

This distraction wasn't what I had in mind when I wanted to forget about the dress disappointment. If only I could live today leisurely like the students on the main quad. A group of them had spread out, attending to trees adorned with sprouting leaves and dormant flower buds. At least the archons were kind enough to draw my attention to something less dire. What were those students up to?

As I approached, the members of the student council became more recognizable to me. Jean and Eula delivered boxes for others to grab a number of shiny objects from. My heart flipped as I glanced around for the one student council member who I could count on to brighten my mood. Sure enough, Kaeya was also here—his arms reaching deep into the branches of a tree as he balanced on a ladder.

"What's going on?" I asked and made way for another student with a box. Not just any student. "Ellin! Did you join the student council?"

She slightly maneuvered to address me. "No, I'm just volunteering for now. Jean was asking around for a helping hand, so I joined in along with everyone else here. We're setting up decorations for the Welkin Festival. Are you busy?"

"Volunteering is my middle name."

Though he was occupied just a moment ago, Kaeya surprised me with his voice in my ear. "I can't help but notice you have no last name. I'd be more than happy to give you mine."

I mentally congratulated myself for not jumping at his sudden appearance. Ellin giggled and ducked away with her box of decorations. Turning to face Kaeya, I was at a momentary loss for words. He didn't particularly look any different today than every other day, but the sight of him magically erased the gloom cast upon me by the boutique.

"No response to that?" He leaned close. "I see no sign of my favorite color. It can't be—you've grown tired of me already?"

Jean stepped up to us, looking worn but accomplished. "Kaeya, good work today. You can have the evening to yourself if you'd like. We'll handle the rest."

"Are you sure?" he asked.

Lifting a hand, I interjected. "I can help."

She regarded me with the same uncertainty as Kaeya, echoing his question. "Are you sure?"

He chuckled at that and nodded to where he had been hanging decorations in the trees. "I like to finish what I start, and I'm sure the rest will be smooth sailing with our newest helper."

Jean sighed her thanks and briefly explained the simple task of decorating the main quad with globes and crescents made of resin. The decorations held little color, mere faint blues and purples, and I could barely spot them tucked within the branches.

"So, is this what you skipped alchemy for?" I asked from my position on the ladder.

Kaeya handed me another ornament, our fingers brushing each time he did so. "Among other things. The student council doubles as the decorating committee for events like this."

The work didn't look hard from afar, but finding the perfect spot to secure the resin while also avoiding getting my eyes poked out proved to be an extreme sport. With his eyepatch, Kaeya had probably struggled less, but that didn't minimize the time and effort of his student council duties. He was a more active member than I thought.

"Did you get what you needed at the boutique?"

I stiffened and quirked an eyebrow.

"I overheard Amber making shopping plans. Out loud. To herself," he explained. "Is she alright?"

I smiled, amused with how easy it was to read her. "Better now. We found her an amazing dress for the dance recital. As for me, well, maybe next time."

I expected him to ask for more detail, and though his choice to remain silent was odd, I was too relieved to question it. The monotony of hanging decorations was the perfect, productive task to lose myself in.

"You'll never guess what I came across in the mailroom today."

I thought about it and guessed the worst. "Another creepy letter from Albert?"

"No—well, unfortunately, yes—but also something else. Since this will be your first Welkin Festival, you probably didn't know. In addition to those currently at Celestia Academy, alumni and associates are also invited to attend. A few responses came in."

Kaeya passed me a crescent-shaped resin, and I retrieved the fragile piece with care.

"I don't know any alumni or associates," I said while searching for the perfect spot to attach it.

"Not even Arataki Itto and his gang?"

Hearing the name of that notorious oni made me gasp, and I nearly dropped the resin. How could I forget about that group? If they were showing up for the Welkin Festival, it would be more than a fun time.

"Oh, now I'm really looking forward to it."

"Rumor has it, they're quite the Genius Invocation fanatics," he informed. "As for alumni, we have quite the guest making his return. Be on the lookout for none other than the head of the Kamisato clan."

This time, I really did drop the fragile resin. It slipped from my fingers the moment I thought of Kamisato Ayato, not just the older brother of the intimidating Ayaka but also someone Thoma had the utmost respect for. The chance of crossing paths with him was almost certain. In an attempt to save the resin from smashing to the ground, I lunged for it and lost my precarious balance on the ladder.

I didn't have time to use my Anemo powers—Kaeya moved fast. He knocked the ladder aside and caught me with ease. The resin now safely grasped in my hands completely left my mind as I stared up at him.

"Falling for me twice? That's a new record."

A blush warmed my face as I remained stunned.

"There it is." He grazed my cheek with his fingertips. "Safe, now."

Right. The resin. I held it up for both of us to inspect its uncracked finish.

Kaeya lowered me then, his arms still around me even after my feet touched the ground. "I wasn't talking about that," he said before I felt a soft kiss on my forehead.

"Thanks." I found my voice. "I should climb ladders more often."

"Only when I'm around."

"Especially when you're around."

By the time we had finished decorating the area, I thought about joining the student council for real next year. Not only did they create the best community possible for students, but I could also share more moments like these with Kaeya. Aside from the questionable distribution of work, joining would be a win-win situation.

Kaeya walked back with me to the dormitories at the day's end, but he didn't waltz into my room to claim his usual lounging spot on my bed. I hesitated as we lingered outside my door, wanting to invite him in but also knowing this was a busy time for everyone. The responsible student in me won.

Despite now being alone with my thoughts, there was no chance to stress over Ayato's appearance, plan what to study, or even wonder about the mystery of Dain's power. Those trivial matters were pushed to the back of my mind the moment I saw a familiar, sleek box resting on top of my bed.

Slowly, I walked over and simply stared at the tulle ribbon that held the box together. Instead of Amber's scarlet, this ribbon had been artfully tied into a neat, silver bow. I gently tugged at the fabric and lifted the lid with steady hands that contrasted the quiver in my chest.

It was the dress.

I didn't need to guess. I didn't have to ask. My heart knew who was responsible for the happy tears that warmed my eyes. Not for the first time and certainly not the last, I felt like the luckiest person in all of Teyvat.