on her way to interview dain, lumine is accosted by a vengeful vlad who had been mangled by aether. she deals with him swiftly and meets with the headmaster to learn of his surprising history and deep connection with the tournaments.
Right on time, I spotted the top of Aether's head as he reached the second floor of the tavern. This area had fewer customers than downstairs, making it the perfect place to gather and have a discussion in peace. He spotted me immediately, and I waved him over when he stopped at the top of the steps. Hesitation shadowed his face momentarily, but he eventually made his way over.
"Where are the others?" he asked first, scanning the mostly empty tables with suspicion. "You said Childe and Kaeya would be here."
"Diluc and Thoma, too. I set it up so that you would get here first. There's stuff I want to talk about with you before they get here. I knew the only way to make sure you would show up was to mention who else was coming."
Aether bristled at that and sat in the seat next to me. "Smart."
"It runs in the family."
"What do you want to talk about?"
The guarded tone of his question suggested that he knew the answer. Already, Aether's eye contact with me was minimal. Staging this as a confrontation was something I wanted to avoid. I could tell putting him on the spot would only push him away, so I started off lightly.
"You'll never guess who tried to knock me out with a bag of ice earlier. Vlad. Did I ever tell you about our longstanding rivalry?"
A look of alarm drew his brows together. "He attacked you?"
"Don't worry. He missed." I smiled sweetly. "He sure looked banged up to me, though. Whatever Vlad did to end up like that, I'm sure he deserved it."
Aether sighed and wiped a hand down his face. His tension had evaporated somewhat as he said, "That was me. At the time, I wouldn't say he deserved it per se, but after hearing what you just said…"
"What happened?" I blurted. "Vlad told me about the…accident in Vision Studies. For obvious reasons, I don't completely trust him. Did he try to sabotage you or something?"
He opened his mouth only to close it again. Silence took over as Aether looked down at the table that was far too big for just two people. As more time passed, I worried about what answer he would come up with. Would he claim Vlad truly did deserve it? Would he try to convince me that the rumor wasn't true—that he didn't go berserk? Is that what I wanted to hear?
A breath whooshed from his lungs. "No, it was my fault."
"You attacked him intentionally?"
"Not exactly. It happened so fast, and I had no control over…anything. My thoughts—they weren't my own. I didn't even realize what was going on until I heard his screams. Even then, it was difficult to get my powers back under control." His eyes squeezed shut as if trying to chase away the memory. When they opened, Aether stared down at his open hands.
My stomach sank. What I feared had come true—the abyssal influence had its sway over him. The unspoken reality hung in the space between us, yet part of me was relieved by his confession. Aether hadn't lied. He wasn't so far gone as to deceive anyone, so there was still hope.
"The spirit borneol?" I prompted, remembering how he had run out.
Aether shook his head. "I put in an order for more. I think. My mind has been spacing lately because of exhaustion. You know firsthand what it's like to juggle so many clubs."
Was exhaustion really the reason? I raised my brows, the silent question causing him to sigh and rub at tired eyes. Even if that was the truth of it, he couldn't go on like this. We both knew it.
"I have an idea—a solution," I said firmly. "During the Welkin Festival, you need to send a prayer to the Blessing of the Welkin Moon."
"Blessing of the Welkin Moon? The raffle?"
Confusion swept over me. "What?"
"It's an event held at the end of the Welkin Festival. You pool all of the genesis crystals you earned throughout the festival and enter to win. What does that have to do with abyssal influence?"
"I meant the real Blessing of the Welkin Moon." I tapped my palm on the table. "Dain told me about it. I'll get into more of his situation later, but if you pray to the actual Welkin Moon to keep your sanity in check…it works."
His face lit up in small surprise. "And you heard this from Dain?"
I nodded.
"Well, if the blessing is so great, why would I waste it on something like this?"
"Something…like this?" I echoed, not quite understanding how abyssal influence could pale in comparison to anything else. "What else would you pray for?"
"If I tell you, it won't come true."
"That's for wishes. This is something else entirely."
"Is it, though?"
I stared at him, searching for any sign that the abyssal influence was twisting his thoughts around. Aether's expression had transformed into that of a speculative scholar, with narrowed eyes and mumbled words that pondered the difference between a wish and a prayer. Once again, I was reminded how invested in academia my brother was in comparison to myself. My concern over his sanity shifted to judging his misplaced priorities.
"Aether, this is serious."
He jerked back when I waved a hand in front of his face, and clear eyes met with mine. Aether smiled. "Stop worrying. I'll pray to the moon as a backup. Plus, even if my spirit borneol order was never placed, someone I know from the Akademiya will be visiting for the festival. They're likely to have some."
"Why didn't you say so before?" Annoyance crept into my voice, but now I could relax a little. "You and your fancy connections."
"If you want help with networking, I'll consider it as long as you break up with your boyfriends."
I lifted my chin and puffed my chest. "Actually, I happen to know someone in the Akademiya."
"Oh?"
"Yeah, he—"
"He?" Aether sat straighter, attentive.
Just as I readied to explain that Kaveh and I weren't close—technically not even friends, but I could pretend for appearance's sake—two people arrived at our table. Thoma and Childe. I'd been so wrapped up in the conversation, that the scraping of wood as Childe pulled out a chair made me jolt.
He scowled at Aether, or rather, the seat Aether occupied.
"Who are we talking about?" Childe asked. "Who is he?"
On second thought, bringing up Kaveh could be saved for another time. A change in subject was in order.
"Where's Diluc and Kaeya?"
"Downstairs grabbing some drinks," answered Thoma. "I couldn't help but overhear something about the Akademiya. You've been there, right Aether? How does it compare to Celestia Academy?"
I could always count on Thoma to maintain the peace. With a question like that, Aether got into the details of Akademiya life and the stronger focus on studies there. I found what he had to say about the culture and environment in Sumeru far more interesting. Even though his trips around Teyvat had been ordered by Dain and not entirely enjoyable, he was lucky to have experienced so much of the world already.
"Maybe I'll get the chance after graduation," I said after expressing my envy.
"Why wait until then?" Aether asked. "We can travel there together over break."
Childe chuckled lightly and smirked. "I'm afraid that won't do. Lumi's already agreed to go to Snezhnaya with me."
The spring break dilemma had escaped my mind until now, and there was no way to avoid it. Aether immediately soured, shooting Childe a glare before softening his frown when looking at me. Not sure how to handle this, I blinked a help signal to Thoma. He, unfortunately, had no sway in this conversation—mirroring my blinks.
"She'll be meeting my family," Childe tacked on.
Aether scoffed and pursed his lips. "I don't think so."
"And why is that?" Childe quirked a brow. "This is a decision that has nothing to do with you."
"You're forgetting that I'm her family. If there's anyone to meet, I'd like to be introduced to Madame Ping."
"Fair point. I'll go with the two of you to Liyue first, then. It's only proper for me to meet Madame Ping as well."
"Two's a company, but three's a crowd," Aether countered. "You can interject on travel plans another time."
And I thought talking about Kaveh was a dangerous topic. Out of the frying pan and into the fire, as Xiangling liked to say.
A compromise had to exist somewhere. I tried to sift through the possibilities amidst their arguing. Aether was right about traveling with Childe—the two of them would cause too much chaos. And yet, I made a promise to Childe. Spring break was only one week. To make everyone happy…
"What's holding them up downstairs?" I stood abruptly, needing some space to think clearly. "I'll go check."
Shooting an apologetic smile to Thoma, who simply nodded in understanding, I slipped away from the table and hurried to the stairs. The volume of tavern chatter increased the lower I went, and there were quite a few customers to weave around once I reached the bottom.
Thankfully, Kaeya was easy to spot from where he leaned on a wooden support beam close to the bar. He held a glass of what I recognized to be his favorite—Death After Noon. The drink swirled around as Kaeya smiled, clearly amused by whatever was happening at the bar.
I moved closer to get a better look, unsurprised to find that Diluc had gotten swept up in bartending. Being a business owner must be tough. Any other day, I would offer to help. Knowledge of the brawl that brewed directly above us prompted me to reach out to the smoothest talker I knew.
"There you are." I brushed up to Kaeya and swiped the glass from his hand. "You can have this back once we're all upstairs."
His smile remained as he appraised me. "I'd much rather drink in the sight of you, anyway."
Butterflies stirred in my stomach, but I somehow maintained composure and lifted the glass to my lips. As a small threat, I said, "Or, you won't get it back at all."
Kaeya didn't say anything. To my dismay, he inclined his head forward—urging me to go on. Drink it. My eyes darted from his daring look to the wine glass. The aroma from the alcoholic mixture made my nose twitch.
"Okay, fine." I gave in and handed the drink back to him. Kaeya's triumphant glow was alluring, but I refused to soak it in and instead refocused on Diluc. "Once he's done with that customer, we're rescuing him."
"It'd be best to save him now. I don't think it's a drink those ladies are after."
I had assumed the people crowding the counter were there to order like everyone else, but Kaeya's comment made me take a closer look. They were all young women dressed for a night out, each with a forgotten drink in hand. What captured their attention wasn't the food menu or even the performing bard. Smitten sighs and a choir of flirtatious giggles were directed at Diluc.
"He's been trying to find a way out for the past fifteen minutes," Kaeya informed. "As long as they're paying, well, it's poor service to deny customers."
I clamped my jaw shut when it fell open. The employee in charge of bartending—I spotted him occupied with shattered beer mugs in one corner of the tavern. Diluc had to fend for himself against these, admittedly very pretty, women. Despite all having drinks, they lingered by ordering more, providing the necessary coin to keep their presence warranted.
"The cocktails here are so…" I heard one of them comment as Diluc shook a mixer. Her eyes were trained on his arms. "Strong."
Okay, that's enough.
Kaeya's chuckle faded as I strode forward, successfully cutting past the group and pressing myself to the counter. Ignoring the muttered annoyance around me, I waited for Diluc to look up. He had directed his attention away from the counter—zeroing all focus on making drinks.
"Hi," I said loud enough for him to notice.
The mixer in Diluc's hands stilled. His face perked up from mild misery to daring hope when his gaze landed on me.
"Hi," he responded in kind. For a second, I got lost in the wonder and relief captured in his eyes. Someone cleared her throat behind us, and he blinked. "What can I get for you?"
Not really thinking, all I could request was, "You."
More irritated mumbles sounded from the admirers around me.
To be more convincing, I said, "What I meant was, I need you to handle a situation upstairs. There's a table about to throw more than just punches. It seems pretty dire."
"Excuse me, I was here first," interrupted one woman with a striking smokey eye. "Aren't tavern fights a normal occurrence? Just let them duke it out like every other drunk. In the meantime, I'm still thirsty."
"I'm sure you are," I told her dryly.
Abandoning the mixer, Diluc slid mora across the counter along with a full glass of water to the woman. She scoffed when her payment was returned and gawked at the water.
"This isn't what I—"
"Bar's closed." Diluc cut her off and removed his apron. "Thank you for your patronage."
I was satisfied with that much, but nothing could beat the stricken looks on their faces when Diluc placed a gentle hand on my lower back, guiding me away from the bar. The butterflies were back in full force, and I couldn't stop the grin from spreading on my face.
He ducked his head low to murmur in my ear. "I apologize for the delay. A horde of mitachurls is easier to manage than certain social settings. How bad is it up there?"
"Well, there isn't a hole smashed through the ceiling yet. Maybe they worked it out." I chose to be optimistic but then remembered it was me who needed to work something out. "Say, have you ever had your hands tied between two parties in a business deal?"
Despite Diluc's quizzical expression, he helpfully answered after some thought. "Though I try to prioritize the prevention of occurrences like that, they can be inevitable. Finding a solution that works both ways can be tricky, but the most important takeaway is fairness."
Fairness…something that worked both ways…
Kaeya sidled next to us with a tray of sparkling drinks in his hand. Where did he grab that from? "Is it time to get the party started?"
"Yes, no thanks to you," Diluc grumbled.
Their banter continued as I thought of what both Aether and Childe could settle on. Madame Ping stuck out as the biggest point of conflict since they both wanted to meet her but not at the same time. I doubted either of them would be satisfied with waiting for summer vacation, so it had to be in the one week of spring break.
Traveling to and from destinations already consumed a huge chunk of time. Something that worked both ways would have to be…bingo.
"I've got it," I cheered to myself.
"My heart?" Kaeya asked.
I laughed at that, finally free from the burden of decision-making. "You can do better than that."
"But there's no one better than you." He winked and led the way upstairs.
The fact that everyone at the table remained seated in my absence sent a flicker of surprise through me. Childe looked less cheeky and Aether less upset about the whole spring break ordeal, but that didn't mean the tension was dissolved. Thoma was the first to notice our arrival, visibly relieved.
"Drinks are here," I announced. "And I also deliver a decision."
"You're just in time. They were sorting out the details of the next duel," said Thoma.
"I'll pretend I didn't hear that." I kept my voice light, sparing a quick warning glare to the two schemers. "Aether and I will go from Celestia Academy to Liyue first. Then, I'll meet Childe in Snezhnaya, and he can see Madame Ping on our way back when spring break ends. How does that sound?"
Childe's look of protest faltered upon hearing the second part. "That…works."
"Music to my ears," said Aether, unhappily so.
"To be honest, I was looking forward to that duel."
"Me too."
Of all things, why did they have to agree on tearing each other apart?
Now that an agreement was reached and we could all settle in, I mentally readied myself to recount everything Dain told me. From the simple fact that he had been a student to the staggering truth of what had happened to him one thousand years ago up until now—it was a lot to take in, let alone explain. The drinks were passed around the table, and I briefly savored the fizz of apple cider.
"So, I got some new intel on the Tournaments after interviewing Dain," I began with some nervousness.
"Great! Now you're all set for your paper. That's one more thing to check off your list." Thoma's positivity practically radiated around the table. "Good news or bad news?"
"The good news is that I now know why the Tournament didn't go as planned one thousand years ago. The rest of the news is, well, you can decide after hearing it all."
Unlike Dain, the table wasn't nearly as eager to drink as the story went on. The attention of my audience remained solely on the details of history. There were no clarification questions, no remarks of disbelief, and no comments to lighten the atmosphere. By the end, a blanket of understanding and sympathy for the headmaster silently descended over us.
I kept the closest eye on Aether's reaction, knowing the bitterness he felt toward his adoptive father. Could learning of Dain's past bring him closure on his upbringing? Should it? At the very least, I didn't notice any of the usual contempt that mentioning Dain brought about in Aether's mood.
Then, my brother drank his entire glass in one motion. I was fairly certain it wasn't plain apple cider like mine.
"Now that we have some deeper insight. It's safe to say that Dain is someone we can confide in. Professor Morax, among unnamed others, is also aware." I made a mental note to find out who those others were. "Taking our stance against Enjou, against the Abyss Order, might not be so hard after all."
"That is one takeaway," Kaeya said. "But now there's something else we need to look out for—something even more powerful than the Abyss Order."
Wary looks were exchanged around the table. Though it was ridiculous to think we stood a chance, it was worth acknowledging the threat. The Heavenly Principles. Celestia.
As much as I enjoyed the familiar, ethereal skyscape of clouds and marble, Dream Aria was beginning to feel repetitive. For a change of pace, I peeked over the floating pathway and decided to tip over the edge. Gravity did its job only for a moment until my fall slowed into a float, and my body bounced on a harmless cloud.
Peace wrapped around me in my dream oasis.
"There you are! Paimon was looking all over for you."
Peace dissipated from my dream oasis.
I squinted at the ball of light, slightly brighter than before, as it floated to my cloud in the sky. Paimon. Oh, right. Paimon always visited me whenever I dreamt of this place, though I couldn't place a finger on how many times we'd met so far. Despite the bubbly impression Paimon left on me, the memory of her existence and this Celestia replica only came to me in dreams.
"You!" I sat up straight and pointed a finger at her. "You're the reason why I keep getting hungry after music club."
"How is that possible? Paimon isn't even around you when you're awake."
"Classical conditioning. Look it up."
She flew higher into the endless sky. "Huh? There's nothing over here."
"It's a figure of speech."
"Oops, Paimon is still getting used to those. Anyway, what are you doing in this cloud? It's so hard to see anything."
Paimon not completely understanding Teyvat norms was nothing new. Though, for some reason, it really bothered me this time. A dream construction with this much sentience should have assimilated with my own knowledge by now. Sometimes, it felt like she was a separate, foreign entity.
"Hello? Paimon asked you a question."
An annoying, foreign entity.
"Are you mad at Paimon? Sorry. We're still friends, right?"
A lonely, foreign entity.
"I'm just thinking," I told her. "I'm trying to figure you out."
"Oh, Paimon has an idea. If you're so curious, we can turn it into a game! You can ask Paimon a question about herself, and Paimon will give you a yes or no answer."
"Really?"
"Really really."
"Okay." I thought about where to start. "Do you exist in real life?"
"Yup!"
"That wasn't a yes."
"C'mon, you know what Paimon means!"
Of course, I couldn't be certain that Paimon existed anywhere except for my mind. It was worth seeing just how many questions she, or my imagination, would be able to answer. Knowing that I'd forget this entire conversation took away some seriousness, but I still considered my questions carefully.
"Can I find you on Teyvat?"
"Nope!"
How could she exist in real life yet not be found on Teyvat?
"Are you an alien?"
"No way!"
"Are you an abyssal monster?" I added extra dramatics into that one, knowing how easily she got creeped out.
"Of course not! How could you even ask that about Paimon?"
I laughed. So predictable.
"Then, are you from Celestia?"
"Paimon…Paimon's a guide!"
"That wasn't a yes or a no."
Reminding her of the rules wasn't so amusing the second time. Still, whether she intended to or not, learning that she considered herself a guide was more useful information than any yes or no. Although her deviation piqued my interest, I wouldn't ask the same question twice.
"Are you a good guide?"
"Yup!"
What could Paimon, something not of Teyvat, be guiding people toward? I asked random questions to keep her busy while I pondered that thought. Aside from her name being connected to Comet Paimon, there was nothing about her character that screamed Tournament. She was far too peppy and simplistic to have anything to do with that.
"Do you like being a guide?"
"It's Paimon's job!"
"I know that, but do you like it?"
The impossible happened. Paimon stopped talking.
Worried she had left, I stood on the cloud and looked around. She had a point—it really was difficult to see anything in here. As soon as that thought occurred, I was placed back on the infinite pathway.
"Paimon?" I asked into the bright sky. "Are you still there?"
"Yup!"
Her light blinked into existence right in front of me. She didn't say anything else, though. I watched her hover there and wondered what was up with her. This wasn't the Paimon that I knew. Something was going on.
Softly, I asked, "Do you want to stop playing the game?"
"Yeah…"
Her voice sounded more faraway than usual, and I actually felt bad for her. Not even knowing why she was upset, I did what I knew would cheer Paimon up. Another buffet materialized into the space around us, and though it would definitely make my conscious cravings worse, it was oddly comforting to hear her ramble on and on again.
Since she did all the talking, I had more time to think. More time to analyze her.
"Hey Paimon, remember when you said you'd fulfill a request for me?"
"Did you finally think of something?"
"Yup. Since you're a great guide and all, I want you to guide me somewhere sometime. Do you think you can do that?"
"Oh, um, Paimon only knows a few places."
"That's fine. Just let me know where, and I'll decide if I want to go."
The infinite pathway didn't look so infinite anymore. I spied the door not too far away, and I knew it'd soon be time to wake from this dream.
"It's not up to Paimon," she said. "If Paimon guides you, then you can't be Paimon's friend anymore. Paimon won't have anyone to talk to."
That was the final piece I needed to hear.
She wasn't a guide by choice, and whatever place she guided people to didn't sound like a fun one. A job was a job, and Paimon existed as another cog in the machine.
Now I knew why Paimon had bothered me so much earlier—the way certain things went over her head. She reminded me of someone else. She was persistent—just like him. She'd been friendly from the very beginning, looking forward to our dream meetings—just like him. While I was shown a replica of Celestia with Paimon, Enjou had sucked me into the Abyss. The chilling realization knocked me backward, no, forward.
The door opened for me.
Comet Paimon wasn't just the "streaking star against the sky." Paimon was the envoy sent by Celestia itself, serving as the Champion's guide into the Abyss.
