previous chapter: lumine joins diluc for a night working at the tavern. while she is busy cleaning glasses, he has to take care of patrons who've had too much to drink. a downcast customer unleashes his woes with the aid of lumine's drink recommendation, and she offers to help in his dilemma by taking pictures of the campus buildings. the night ends with a close interaction between lumine and diluc—bringing her one step closer to harnessing electro.
"A dream becomes reality when the dastardly heavens respond to that wish."
With a sharp gasp, I sprung up from my bed and had to catch my breath. The echoing words from my dream began to fade, and I shivered despite the layer of blankets. As far as I could tell, that had been a normal dream—or nightmare—showing horrific what-ifs. Alternate scenarios in which Thoma's life wasn't saved after all, and cases where Thoma wasn't the only victim. Though relieved to be awake from that nightmare, I felt no further comfort from being alone in my room.
The hair at the back of my neck prickled as Enjou's last words repeated in my mind. I hadn't thought much of it back then, but it unnerved me now to think about him mentioning the heavens. There was also tickling at my cheek. Tears? My hands came back dry after wiping at my face. Instead of tears, I had felt the ends of my hair hanging…not where they should be.
Now, I had the oddest phenomenon to distract from my fears. Instead of laying down flat, my hair stuck out everywhere like a dandelion puff waiting to be blown away. Patting at my head, I tried to smooth down the mess only for a crackle of static to buzz in my ears. My neck prickled again—this time due to raw energy. Electro energy.
Somehow, I had gained the power of another element—totaling three. Just like my brother.
This was a problem. Unlike with Anemo or Geo, I didn't have any sort of control over these Electro powers. So far, it's been spritzing out of me whenever emotions ran high. That wouldn't do. I had to get this under control before it grew stronger and I ended up hurting someone.
How would I go about learning control, though? With some practice, Anemo was a literal breeze. Geo had been stubbornly difficult and took a full-on swordfight before I got comfortable with it. Electro…an element that reacted with everything. Professor Minci may know how to handle it—especially since she had an Electro Vision—but there was one other person who might have a solution.
Someone who was just like me.
"I need your help."
The words rushed out of me as soon as Aether swung his door open, bleary-eyed and with his pajamas still on. To my credit, I'd tried waiting until an appropriate time of day before giving him the elemental tutor role, but the sun had only just begun to rise by the time my patience wore thin.
"Are you in danger?" he asked with a yawn stronger than his concern.
"Not really, no."
He stared at me blankly while swaying slightly, and I wouldn't be surprised if he fell back asleep while standing up. Then, Aether wordlessly waved me in and cracked his neck on either side. His room didn't differ much from mine. One notable addition was a spirit borneol diffuser that had a clear liquid instead of green. There was also his wall of achievements—a collection of certificates, plaques, and medals that hung in their shiny glory. Lastly, my eyes landed on a plush, shag rug that I immediately became jealous of. Even Kaeya had a fuzzy rug in his room while I was given a simple, flat one.
"Are nice rugs a seniority thing?" I mumbled as my socks sunk into the nice material. "That's not fair. I want one."
Aether cleared his throat, grabbing my attention. "No, you don't. I'm always finding ants in mine, and it gets annoying. What do you need from me?"
His face had scrunched into a half-expectant, half-upset expression and I tried not to laugh at it. Aether had always been cranky to rise when we were kids, and I could see that hadn't changed. Despite the snappy response, I smiled eagerly and sat in bed next to him.
"Wait," he interrupted just as I opened my mouth. "You still owe me a story."
Right. The reminder of Signora dampened my mood, which was only fair since I ruined his beauty sleep. Reluctantly, I dug into my memory and told Aether everything about Signora from the beginning—even up to Diluc's retaliation and the failed plot for her lackeys to ruin my life. The only minor detail I spared was Huffman's involvement in it all. Already, judging by how Aether's tired face had sharpened and hardened, I could tell he wasn't a fan of my fun little tale. He didn't know the ups and downs I've had with Huffman or how, ultimately, I thought the guy had a lot more good in him than one would assume from all of this.
"That's everything. That's the story."
Aether said nothing and stared down at his rug with a faraway look.
"Hello?" I waved my hand in his face, and he responded by eerily turning his head to look at me—unblinking.
"I'll keep note of this," he said seemingly more to himself than to me. "Signora's in for a shock if she thinks she can just waltz back in here. You said she encased you in ice? I'll show her ice. Soon, she'll be reduced to the same cold as any other lifeless body abandoned in a wild tundra—bitten by monsters and frost alike."
I had no words. It would have been better if Aether hadn't said anything at all, because now I was seriously worried for his mental sanity. Was this regular, overprotective Aether? Diluc had taken a similar murderous route when it came to Signora, so I didn't want to assume the abyssal influence was at play. I disliked Signora as much as the next person, but even this reaction was extreme to me.
Aether smiled then, small and quiet. "Thank you for telling me."
Ignoring the mild unease that sat in my stomach, I countered his too-calm-yet-too-crazy attitude and started fresh with something new.
"It'll be my turn to thank you once you can help me figure out how to control Electro."
Aether's uncanny stare shifted into a shocked one. "Excuse me?"
Glad to have him mostly back to his normal self, I lifted my chin and smiled proudly. Being tied for powers lit a fire in my competitive side. Still, he probably knew a lot more than I did, and after explaining what I meant, my guess was confirmed.
"I can't say I'm all that surprised. Even though I haven't discovered the root cause of why we can do what we do, there's no reason for you not to have a third element. It's impressive you were able to hone your Anemo and Geo powers in secret, and your skills will become even more impressive when you train properly as I did. Congratulations." Aether reached over to his nightstand. From its drawer, he retrieved a familiar bag and opened it to reveal cookies inside. "This calls for celebratory snacks."
"Before breakfast?"
"We'll make it our breakfast."
"You just have cookies stowed away?"
"Listen, they're the one thing I allow myself to enjoy with no limit. All of this," he gestured to his wall of achievements. "Wouldn't have been possible without the peace and joy delivered from my tastebuds to my brain. If you've got a problem with it, I can eat them alone."
Never one to turn sweets down, I happily accepted the offering and eyed my brother when he brushed the crumbs from his hands to the floor—specifically, the rug. And he wondered why there were ants in here.
"So, can you help me?"
"Yes and no. Since I share a similar experience wielding elements with no Vision, I might be able to help you locate the focal point of your elemental power. Electro is out of my area of expertise, so I won't be able to show you how to use it."
Locating the focal point was step one, anyway. Once I knew how to access it, I would also know how to turn it off.
"I came into my powers one at a time in different situations. Remember how I spent my summers traveling Teyvat on Dain's orders? Hydro was in Fontaine, Pyro was in Natlan, and Cryo was in Snezhnaya—not very surprising considering their archons." Aether shrugged and tossed a cookie chunk into his mouth. He then placed a hand to his center. "This is the core spot where I feel Pyro. It extends and spreads to where I direct it."
That was the same with me and Anemo. When activating it, I could feel a condensed ball of Anemo energy whipping around in my center until I unleashed it down my arm and through my weapon.
"For Cryo," he wiggled his fingertips. "I feel it here. After trying to think about why, my best guess is because that's where my body is naturally the coldest."
That explained the Cryo gauntlets—aside from his Sumeru mercenary inspiration.
What made the most sense for where my Geo focal point was? Each time I used it, I could feel the solidity of the earth beneath me. The power coming from the ground up settled right at my feet.
"Hydro was the trickiest to get a sense of, but the answer ended up being the most obvious one. I can sense the power flowing through my body similar to how the blood in my veins circulate." Aether looked at me with a calculating gaze. "Did you know that our bodies are good conductors of electricity? There's a variety of ions within us that make it possible, and I could go into more detail, but let's stick with the obvious."
The first few times I experienced Electro was direct contact with other people, so he might be on to something. As for the head of spiky hair I had earlier, atmospheric electricity existed—though not strongly.
"It flared up with my emotions," I reminded him. "What if, instead of a physical focal point, my Electro is linked to how I'm feeling?"
Aether hummed for a moment before shaking his head. "Both your elements and your emotions are a part of you, but it makes more sense for a tangible power to be connected to a tangible source. I know what you mean, though. Pyro and anger isn't the safest combination."
If that meant Aether set things on fire when he was angry, then perhaps he really had been holding back despite Childe's attempts to poke the bear all this time. Hearing him talk more about his elements gave me a new understanding of mine, and I soon lost track of time as we continued to brainstorm.
There wasn't one particular spot in my body that came to mind for Electro. Initially, I assumed it would be my hands since my fingers had zapped people, but that didn't explain the hair thing. Unlike Anemo and Geo, it hadn't felt like an internal power that I had to draw out. My thoughts circled back to what Aether had said about the obvious. If not inside of me but still a part of me…
"My skin," I said plainly when the idea popped into my mind. "Skin-to-skin contact. Contact with the air around me. Not just one spot, but all around me is skin."
A smile slowly spread on Aether's face with that information, and he snapped his fingers. "The largest organ in the body. That makes sense, and just in time, too. I'm fresh out of cookies."
With him in agreement, I turned my eyes to my forearm and stared at the skin there. It looked unremarkable—same for the skin on my hands and everywhere else. Simply acknowledging my skin wasn't going to produce Electro, nor was I keen on hiking up my emotion just to sense the power. This called for phase two—the portion that Aether couldn't help with.
"I know a professor who can help," he said.
"So do I. Are you thinking of who I'm thinking of?"
We stared at each other for two seconds before blurting out names.
"Professor Minci."
"Professor Guuji."
Another two seconds of staring passed.
"The Worldly Beings professor?" I asked. "What do they know about Electro?"
"I can see why you'd think of the Vision Studies professor. Visions are directly linked to elements, but Professor Guuji has a closer relationship with Electro since she's from Inazuma. Aside from her Electro Vision, rumor has it that she's acquainted with the Electro Archon herself."
I'd never met Professor Guuji. Would she help someone who wasn't a student of hers? I had no idea what her personality was like, and maybe she'd turn out to be incredibly sweet and not at all suggestive like Professor Minci. The few lone conversations I'd had with her always flustered me more than I was prepared for. Besides, Professor Minci always complained when she had to do more work than necessary.
"If you still have doubts, Professor Guuji wields a catalyst just like Professor Minci. They're more alike than you'd think. Although, Professor Guuji can be a bit more…you'll see soon enough."
There was no reason for me not to trust his judgment—even with that suspicious comment at the end. The very idea of approaching a professor and showing them my skills was both exhilarating and nerve-wracking. After being discreet for so long, it was finally time to show Celestia Academy what I was capable of.
"Thank you so much," I said and leaned forward to wrap Aether in a hug. "I'll update you on how it goes."
He squeezed me back and said in my ear, "Don't worry about anything else while you improve your talents. I'll take care of Signora."
It was useless to tell him that she didn't need to be taken care of anymore. Remaining vigilant against her attacks was a given, but making the first move would be unwise. And yet, he was already yawning once we separated, so I let it slide.
As I said my goodbye and exited his room, my eyes lingered on the spirit borneol diffuser. I had assumed the liquid inside was clear, but a second look proved that wasn't the case. The diffuser held no liquid at all.
Professor Guuji wasn't in her lecture room.
I knew it belonged to her because I had searched the building during my lunch hour and spotted her through the door's small window. She had been teaching class then, so I came back after greenhouse duty. Too late.
The door was locked, but I peered through that same window and saw no occupants other than the wide shelf of monster parts suspended in glass jars. I had no idea what she was up to outside of teaching hours, which was why I had waited for Monday to approach her. My next opportunity would be to meet with her before classes began tomorrow.
I stared at the door with mild disappointment before moving on with a small huff. However, when I turned on my heel, a sharp squeak of surprise escaped me when I saw Kazuha standing there with an amused expression.
"Have you an interest in the beings of this world?" he asked.
"I'm more interested in finding the person in charge of teaching the topic, but it seems she's out of the office." As soon as that last word left my lips, an idea struck me. "Office hours. She's probably in the administration building."
Kazuha shook his head slightly. "Not so. I saw Professor Guuji on the main quad earlier—teleporting away, most likely. She's known to frequent the town's restaurant, and I believe that's where she's gone for dinner."
The main quad that I had just crossed on my way here? We had barely missed each other, and I silently cursed the minor bad luck. Tomorrow couldn't come sooner.
"Do you need her for something important?" Kazuha asked. "Considering she's Professor Guuji of all people, then I imagine it's no small matter."
"Sounds like you know her pretty well. Are you in Worldly Beings?"
"No, but I'm aware of her status in Inazuma. She's in charge of overseeing the Grand Narukami Shrine during breaks."
Aether hadn't told me she was such a prominent figure. How did Celestia Academy manage to have a priestess join its faculty? Coaching me on how to use Electro was important to me, but what if it wasn't worth her time? My plan threatened to crumble apart before it even began.
"She also supervises the literary club. Are you thinking about joining?"
My spirits lifted after hearing that. A club supervisor was someone who supported student enrichment. I just hoped she could fit me into her schedule between teaching and mentoring.
"Maybe another time," I said. "There's something I need her help with, but I'll save that for tomorrow since she's taken off for the day."
"Are you sure you don't want to wait for her return tonight? Professor Guuji isn't always in a…helping mood. People are happiest when their bellies are full, so why not try catching her after dinner?"
Kazuha's advice has never failed me, so I considered his words carefully.
"Okay," I agreed with a slow nod. "But how am I supposed to know when she comes back? A stakeout on the main quad?"
He smiled and moved aside for me to pass. "Let the stakeout begin."
It occurred to me that some might consider this behavior creepy—stalkerish, even. Any passerby would assume that Kazhua and I sat on this bench, eyes glued to the fountain, for the purpose of enjoying the great outdoors. There wasn't much to enjoy in the darkness of night, but questioning us wouldn't be worth the effort.
From the glimpse of Professor Guuji I saw earlier today, I knew to look for pink hair. The teleport ahead of us would occasionally flash blue as people departed and returned, but no one had pink hair.
Kazuha broke our concentrated silence. "I've been wondering about that problem you were concerned about. Together, were those twigs strong enough to withstand the pressure?"
Confusion swept me at the mention of twigs, but recognition immediately followed.
"It did! It worked really well, actually. Your advice was a lifesaver."
He nodded with a small smile. "I'm glad to hear that. Now, if only a few choice words could solve all of the problems in this world."
My stomach grumbled.
"Ignore that," I said. "You were saying?"
He chuckled. "It seems there's a problem here that can be solved with some food. We should have stopped by the dining hall before starting surveillance."
"You didn't have to join. Meeting with Professor Guuji is for my benefit. Thanks for keeping me company, but—that's her!"
Wrapped up in the excitement of spotting a pink-haired woman stepping down from the fountain, I stood fast and blinked twice to confirm that the sight was real. She walked at a leisurely pace, so it wasn't difficult to catch up with her. Except, it was right as I got close when I realized I hadn't practiced what to say.
Should I introduce myself first? Should I confirm if she was free to talk? Was it possible for me to gauge her mood from this distance? Kazuha would know the right words, but I had left him on the bench in my haste. Before I could shrink back, Professor Guuji's steps stilled, and she turned to the side and eyed me.
"It seems I've grabbed your attention, little one. Now, why might that be?"
The glint in her eye, the curve of her smile, the tone of her voice—none of it was what I expected. My mind blanked for a moment, and I thought of Professor Minci when it started working again. I had a sinking feeling that when Aether said the two women were alike, personality was included in that sentiment.
"Hi, I'm Lumine," I said lamely. "You're Professor Guuji, right?"
"It would appear so. Go ahead and tell me your interest before mine wanes. The night is finite, and I'd like to enjoy a moonlit stroll while I still can."
"I was told that you might be able to help me figure something out—a power. There's Electro energy that I can harness on my own, but I don't know how to do it. Since you're experienced with Electro, can you please teach me how to use it?"
She fully turned to face me, head tilting as she assessed my form from head to toe. A chuckle that sounded oddly mischievous was hidden behind her hand.
"How very interesting. Since you asked so politely, I suppose I can take a look into it. The current time isn't right, so I'll send for you later." Her ear twitched, and the motion made me realize they weren't human ears. "Goodnight, little one."
Before I could give my response or question the nickname, she flashed away with a blinding Electro light that faded into the delicate petals of cherry blossoms.