Lumine had been waiting for a while now. She was standing outside Angel's Share and the person who called her here was nowhere to be seen. She had half a mind to go and drag the Cavalry Captain out from the Knights of Favonius' headquarters. Kaeya had written to her, asking to meet up. He said that he had something to discuss with her and here she was. She was almost about to stomp off when she saw him approaching. He loped up to her with the same catlike gait and lazy smile as always.

"It's been a while, Traveler."

She smiled at him, shoving down her mild irritation. "I was here ten days ago, Kaeya. That isn't a while."

"Is that so? It feels like so much longer." Without waiting for an answer, he walked past her, entering the tavern. He nodded at the bartender before going up to the first floor. She followed him as he took a seat at a corner table. She sat down as he ordered drinks for the two of them—iced tea for her and Dandelion Wine for him. He said nothing until their drinks arrived, choosing to lean back in his chair with his eyes closed. Once they were alone, he opened his eyes and took a deep breath.

"So, there's this interesting little tidbit I heard. News about the famed Traveler seems to travel fast."

"What do you mean?" She tilted her head.

"Oh, nothing. I just wanted to ask you about your friend. I hear that you two are rather close."

"You'll have to be a bit more specific, Kaeya."

His lips curled into a smirk. "Are you sure, 'girlie'?"

Lumine froze as if she was in a fight, all her senses on high alert. It must have been visible because his smirk widened.

"So you do know what I'm talking about. Care to enlighten me about what's going on here?"

When she spoke, her words were carefully measured. "There's nothing going on. Childe is a friend whom I occasionally spar with."

"A friend who just so happens to be a Harbinger and whom you meet 'occasionally' enough that all of Liyue talks about it?"

"Considering that he's posted at Liyue, I can't exactly meet him elsewhere."

"What about Snezhnaya?"

"He was critical during my meeting with the Tsaritsa. He's the one who took me to her." Her guard was up and it was probably showing in her manner.

"Oh, so you were merely using him to meet the Tsaritsa? That seems quite unlike you. I didn't think you had it in you." One of his eyebrows went up.

"I wasn't using him!"

That seemed to be the wrong thing to say because Kaeya's eyes narrowed as he suddenly shifted to lean on the table, supporting his chin on his hand. "Then do tell me, Traveler, what exactly were you doing? Because from what I'm hearing, both of you are seen quite frequently near the Golden House. I highly doubt that you meet your other friends at the Golden House. In fact, I highly doubt that you meet any of your other friends as regularly as you seem to be meeting this particular one."

"Childe is a friend and a good sparring partner. We meet, we fight, and we patch ourselves up. That's all."

"And what about the dinners at Liuli Pavilion? I hear he has a standing reservation over there. Doesn't seem like the sort of place I'd look for after sparring for hours."

"I still don't know where you're going with this, Kaeya."

His eyes were still narrowed as he leaned forward, staring daggers into her. "Traveler. What is the relationship between you and this Fatui Harbinger?"

"We are friends."

"He's Fatui, and a Harbinger at that! Tartaglia is one of the strongest Harbingers simply because he is so wild and unpredictable. On top of that, here you are, training with him and teaching him exactly how to defeat you! You're one of the few people who can stand against a Harbinger and you're feeding the enemy."

"I am not! I'm helping a friend. Besides, he's not the enemy. He may be part of the Fatui but he's not evil."

"Of course you don't think he's evil! That's what he wants you to think and you're conveniently falling for his trap. I didn't think you were this gullible and ignorant."

"This isn't ignorance, damn it. I know he's one of the bad guys—he admitted it to me himself. I haven't forgotten that he's part of the Fatui and that the Fatui are villains in general. But I've also seen that the Fatui aren't inherently bad. They can be helpful and they can see reason. Fontaine and Natlan are two of the biggest examples."

"Just because the Fatui are capable of seeing sense once in a while does not excuse them from everything else they do. And have you forgotten that your dear friend unleashed an ancient god on Liyue?"

"That wasn't his idea."

"And I suppose he told you that. Was there a sob story attached to it as well? The poor Harbinger was blackmailed into destroying Liyue for a Gnosis?"

"You're twisting my words! I know that what he did was wrong; I personally fought him back then, in case you forgot. I haven't forgotten that battle and I don't think he has either."

"Why would he forget, when you give him a repeat performance every other week?"

Lumine's patience was wearing thin and she had to force herself not to grit her teeth.

"I know what the Fatui have done. I know what Childe has done. I have also seen what Childe has done since then. He's more than just a Fatui Harbinger. I've seen the person behind the Harbinger. I've seen him with his family. I've seen him with the other Liyueans. He's not as bad a person as you're making him out to be. He's human too."

Kaeya scoffed. "You're lucky that I heard that and not Diluc. He would have had a coronary if he heard you defend a Harbinger."

"Can you, for five minutes, be reasonable?"

"Reasonable? Reasonable?! You're out of your damned mind. You're trusting a Harbinger. And you're telling me to be reasonable? What is wrong with you, Traveler? The next thing you'll be telling me is that you sit and spill your secrets to him over tea and biscuits!"

"It's none of your business whether I spill my secrets or spill his blood!"

They were lucky that it was the middle of the day and no one else was in the tavern. Otherwise, they would have had quite the audience interested in why the Traveler and the Cavalry Captain were having a heated argument.

"So that's how it is. Now, a Harbinger has your loyalty despite everything that he's done. Suddenly, he's human. He's a friend." Venom dripped off his words.

"He's definitely more of a friend than the way you're behaving right now! The least you can do is be direct about things without spitting vitriol at me."

"Oh, I'm being direct. I'm being absolutely direct about the fact that you've been taken in by his lies and have lost all reason. You're acting like a stupid little girl with no sense of what's right or wrong."

Lumine saw red. She slammed her hands on the table and stood up. When she spoke, it was with a forced calm.

"Do not push me further. I have seen far more than you can ever hope to see. I know what I'm doing and why I'm doing it. I'm not naive enough to be taken in by anyone and I'm not blind to what people have the capacity to do. You would do well to remember that, Captain. Just because I've been listening to whatever you've been saying does not mean I will continue to listen. Rein yourself in before I have to do it for you."

To his credit, Kaeya stopped to take a few deep breaths. The fire in his eyes cooled slowly but he didn't break eye contact with her. Lumine's own agitated breathing calmed down. She sat down and leaned back in her seat. For a few moments, neither of them spoke. Finally, Lumine decided to break the silence.

"Kaeya, I understand and appreciate your concern. I know you're looking out for me. But I need you to understand that I know what I'm doing. I can take care of myself."

"This is the Fatui we're talking about."

"Trust me, we have bigger problems than the Fatui. I don't agree with what they do either, but we will need their help to face what we're about to. I'm not telling you to blindly trust them but have faith in my judgment."

"What are we facing?"

"I'm not quite at liberty to share that. All I can tell you is that the Tsaritsa has a plan and she gathered the Gnoses for a reason. We're going to need every bit of help we can get for what's coming next. This is beyond anything that we can handle on our own."

Kaeya was silent as he scrutinised her. His face was blank and gave nothing of his thoughts away. A minute or so later, he leaned back in his seat as his countenance eased.

"Alright. I trust you. If you say something big is coming, I'll accept it but I'll wait for you to give me a better answer once you can."

Lumine nodded. "Thank you."

"However, I would still advise you to be careful about the Harbinger. Going around hugging Harbingers isn't a good look for you."

"With all due respect, Kaeya, he is as much a friend as you are. I will not treat him otherwise."

He shook his head and got up. "I've said all I had to say. What you do now is up to you. I can only advise you as a friend." He put down some coins on the table and turned to leave. "See you around, Traveler."


Ajax breathed in the seaside air as he got off the ship. Liyue Harbour was great but home was still home. The Snezhnayan wind had a bite to it that the warm Liyue breeze couldn't replicate. It had been some time since he had been home and he missed his family. He wasn't there for Anton's birthday and he felt like a horrible brother. He had sent gifts but they couldn't make up for his absence.

However, home would have to wait. He hailed a carriage to take him to the capital. The Tsaritsa had called a meeting of all the Harbingers at Zapolyarny Palace. She hadn't specified why she wanted all of them there, but he had a feeling that it had to do with the attack on Celestia. It had been some time since she had told them about her plan. From what he could gather, she was finally done with the preparations.

When he reached the Palace, he made his way to the throne room. He was very nearly the last one to arrive. Dottore and Sandrone were the only ones who hadn't arrived.

"Tartaglia, my boy, how are you?"

Pulcinella approached him with a smile. Ajax knew that the smile was only half-true; Pulcinella was a Harbinger, after all. He may look out for Ajax and his family, but it was just another way of making sure the younger Harbinger didn't break his leash. Although, if you asked him, Pulcinella would never admit to essentially holding Ajax's family hostage.

"I'm quite well, thank you."

"Liyue seems to have done you some good, I see."

They idly chatted while they waited for the meeting to begin. Once all the Harbingers were assembled, Pierro left to inform the Tsaritsa. He soon returned, following close behind her. All the Harbingers stood up as she entered. Once she was seated at the throne, she waved for them to be at ease.

"Now that you're all here, I have some news for you. I have finished my work with the Gnoses. I trust that you all have completed your individual assignments and preparations as well. In ten days from now, we will march on Celestia. Each of you is to call all of your subordinates back to Snezhnaya. Tell them to be prepared for a long and difficult assault. I will be reaching out to the rest of the Seven and tell them about my plan. I will ask them to lend me their military strength and the strength of their nations. I do not know whether they will support me, but I hope that they will. We will need all the strength that we can amass for this fight."

She paused to look at each of the Harbingers in turn. "Are there any questions?"

Capitano stepped forward. "Do we have any intel on the enemy?"

"I don't know what the enemy will be like or what to expect. I don't expect this battle to be easy and there will be heavy losses. All I can say is be prepared for the worst possible situation."

Dottore spoke up, with the usual, slightly unhinged touch to his voice. "Can I experiment on the prisoners?"

"There will be none. I order you to kill each and every one of them that you encounter. I will not risk a revolution in the future."

"But, Your Majesty, what of the ascended ones? Surely they don't deserve our ire."

"I understand your hesitation, Pierro. I may invite the wrath of the others in the Seven for my decision. However, I cannot risk it. Celestia must fall, and completely."

There was silence in the hall as the Tsaritsa waited for any other questions. When none came, she continued. "That is all that I had for you. Since there are no more questions, you are dismissed. I will see you in ten days, along with the rest of the Fatui."

The Harbingers stood at attention as the Tsaritsa stepped down from her throne and began walking to the door. Midway through, she stopped and turned.

"Pierro, Tartaglia—come with me."

Ajax promptly started walking, following a few steps behind the Tsaritsa. They left the throne room and began walking down the main corridor,

"Tartaglia, I have a special assignment for you. I need you to contact the Traveler. Tell her that the attack will commence in ten days from Snezhnaya. I expect that she will keep her word. Her assistance may be crucial in the war and it could very well be what tips the balance."

"Of course, Your Majesty, I will tell her. I believe that she will join the fight against Celestia and the Heavenly Principles."

"She must. It is imperative for her to be there. The plan cannot succeed without her."

"Your Majesty," Pierro interjected, "he does not yet know."

Ajax almost stopped out of surprise. That was somber even by the Jester's standards. 'Know what?'

"He does not need to know. As long as he acts in accordance with what he is told, it does not matter."

His curiosity had been piqued and now he needed to know whatever it was that he didn't. It had to be something important, otherwise the Jester would not have spoken up. He didn't waste time with superfluous nonsense and unnecessary words. What was it that was so important that Pierro had felt the need to intervene?

They reached the Tsaritsa's study and she turned to both the Harbingers. "You are dismissed for now. Pierro, follow me. We need to discuss the plans."

Ajax bowed and took a step back, while the Tsaritsa went inside. Pierro was about to follow her when he stopped. He was silent as he looked at Ajax over his shoulder. For a few seconds, it seemed like he was deliberating something, before he spoke.

"Tartaglia, you would do well to mind your friend. She is critical for Her Majesty's plans."

"She's powerful. She can handle herself." What was it about Lumine that was so crucial? Why was everyone after her?

"That may be, but she will be a target." Pierro turned away and Ajax almost missed his next words. "After all, she is a Descender."

"What do you mean?"

However, Pierro had already entered the study, leaving Ajax's question hanging in the air. He had even more questions than he did before. He knew that the Fatui believed Lumine to be the Fourth Descender. Was that it? What did that have to do with anything? Did they consider her a wild card or a loose cannon? He knew that she wouldn't betray them, unless they betrayed her first. Lumine was one to keep her word, no matter who she gave it to. She would do her best in this war because it meant helping Teyvat.

Besides, he would protect her. He knew that she could take care of herself but he would defend her all the same. He would be right there, fighting by her side. The two of them together would be formidable; Celestia had no hope. He would have her back, no matter what. Anyone who wanted to get to her would have to go through him.

He gritted his teeth. No one could hurt her. Not as long as he lived. He would burn down Celestia if they hurt her.

He was about to leave when the study door opened and Pierro stepped out.

"Hmm. You're still here?"

"Ah, sorry. I was thinking about something."

Pierro stared at him, his expression inscrutable. "Do not try to interfere where you are not wanted, Tartaglia. Her Majesty will not be as generous as to forgive any hindrance to her plans."

"As a Harbinger, I am sworn to execute Her Majesty's will. What she asks of me, I will do. All I want to know is why the Traveler is so important in all of this."

"It is not for you to question Her Majesty."

"I am not questioning her. I am simply trying to understand why someone who was earlier an obstacle is suddenly a linchpin."

"She is a Descender. That alone makes her the linchpin."

"What does that have to do with anything?" Ajax was beginning to lose his patience. This was going in circles and he still had no idea why everyone was suddenly after Lumine.

Pierro fixed his gaze on Ajax. "Only a Descender can kill another Descender."

What?

Ajax's mind went blank for the second time in so long. In his shock, he barely registered Pierro walking away. If a Descender could only be killed by another Descender, then Lumine had the biggest target painted right on her back. All of Celestia would be hunting her down. They may have dismissed her earlier, but now that she had regained her powers, along with all the seven elements, she was a significant threat. If they managed to take her out of the equation, the war was over.

If he was determined to protect her before, he was hell bent upon it now. Celestia wouldn't touch her; he would make sure of that.


Lumine was relaxing in her teapot. The last commission had been exhausting and she just wanted to take a break. Paimon was off in her dimension doing Archon knows what. Lumine had taken a warm shower to ease her poor muscles, put on some soothing music, and fallen back flat on her bed. Her eyes were closed as she listened to the sweet notes wash over her. It was calming and peaceful and exactly what she needed.

She didn't know when she drifted off to sleep but she was startled awake when she heard the mansion doors being thrown open. She heard someone running up the stairs. Lumine materialized her sword, prepared to defend herself. She heard loud thuds in the corridors and someone slammed her door open. She almost threw a Wind Blade in the intruder's face before she realised who it was.

"What in the world are you doing here? I almost attacked you!"

Ajax was frantic and it was written all over his face. "They'll kill you in the war!"

"What war? And who? What are you even talking about? And first of all, you sit down here and breathe." Despite being much smaller than him, she dragged him to the edge of her bed and shoved him down. She held him there by his shoulders until he calmed down. Once his breathing slowed, she released him. His eyes were still wild but he seemed less crazed than before.

"Now tell me, what happened?"

"The war with Celestia. You're a Descender. They'll all be trying to take you out."

"You're not making any sense. What does my supposedly being a Descender have to do with anything?"

"Pierro warned me about this. A Descender can only be killed by another Descender. Right now, the only Descender is you and the Heavenly Principles probably know this. If they manage to incapacitate you, no one will be able to stand against them."

Lumine fell silent. She knew that everyone was convinced of her being the Fourth Descender but no one had ever told her what it entailed. This new information changed things. Ajax was right; she would be a prime target. All of Celestia would be aiming for her.

She was mildly irritated. She had fallen on Teyvat almost by mistake. She knew nothing about this world. Whatever she learnt was through her travels and it was pitiful. Despite that, she found herself caught up in Teyvat's problems and now she found herself facing a war. Somehow, she had ended up taking center stage in a problem she had nothing to do with. All she had wanted to do was find her brother and leave this world with him. Instead, she was embroiled in a worldwide crisis. What's more, she was somehow a critical figure who could make or break the war.

"-ine! Are you okay?"

"Huh?"

"You got all quiet all of a sudden. Are you okay?"

She shook her head. "I'm alright. It's just a bit much to take in."

"You don't need to do this if you're not okay with it. I'll talk to Her Majesty."

"That's not it. I already said I would fight, and if it means helping Teyvat, I will. I just didn't expect that the war would hinge upon me."

Ajax stared at her earnestly. "You don't have to do this."

She matched his gaze. "Ajax, I will fight. This became my problem when the Sustainer decided to take away my powers. If not for Teyvat, I will fight for myself."

"You'll be a target."

"I can take care of myself. And besides," She gave him a small smile. "You'll be right there with me."

"I won't let them touch you, girlie. I swear." He held out his hand.

"I know." She locked her pinkie with his. "Now, tell me, where did this come from?"

Ajax began his tale. He told her about the Tsaritsa's meeting with the Harbingers. He told her about how the Tsaritsa pulled him aside, giving him the task of informing Lumine. He told her about Pierro's warning. He told her every detail that he could remember.

"Her Majesty has told us to assemble in ten days at Zapolyarny Palace. I don't know how she plans to get to Celestia but those are her instructions."

"Who all will be there?"

"All of the Fatui forces, for one, including the Harbingers. Her Majesty said that she would speak to the other Archons and ask them to lend their military support. I'm hoping that they agree to help. We are going to need every man that we can get."

Lumine was silent as she looked at him. There was no way that the Fatui would be able to take on the might of Celestia on their own, no matter how powerful they may be. If even the Archons hadn't been able to stand against the Heavenly Principles, they were a very strong opponent. What's more, the Archons had lost their Gnoses; that would surely limit their power. It was difficult to say whether they had any hope of fighting this war, let alone winning it. Ajax was right; they would need every last person they could muster.

Suddenly, she had an idea. She took Ajax's hands in her own and pulled him up.

"Come on. We have work to do."

"What happened?"

Her face split into a grin. "We are going on a little field trip." She moved her hands to firmly grip his forearms. "Hold on tight."

She teleported both of them out of the Serenitea Pot. The warm sunlight hit her face as she landed in the middle of the bustling street.

"Wha—Why are we in Liyue?"

Grabbing his hand, she pulled him along behind her. "This war is going to need people and we are going to get them. I know just where to start."

Soon, they were in front of Wangsheng Funeral Parlor. She opened the door and entered, with Ajax following her.

"Ah, hello. It's you two. What brings you here?" The tall consultant was as calm as ever. He was sitting at a desk off to the side and seemed to be enjoying a cup of tea. Putting down his cup, he got up from his seat and approached them.

"Zhongli, we need your help. This is about Celestia."

"What about it?" The air suddenly became somber.

Ajax joined in. "Her Majesty is planning to attack Celestia and overthrow the Heavenly Principles. She wants to free Teyvat once and for all." He told Zhongli about the Tsaritsa's plans and how she intended to march in ten days.

"We will need you in the fight. Will you help?"

There was silence as Lumine observed Zhongli. His face was blank but his eyes were sharp. She could see him weighing what they had said. She hoped that they had convinced him. They were counting on the fact that if he was convinced, they could use that to convince the other Archons. After all, this was Rex Lapis they were talking about.

"I no longer have the power that I used to. I gave it up when I gave up the Gnosis."

"You are still Rex Lapis—the most powerful of the Adepti and the oldest Archon. You have seen more wars than anyone else and your power, even before you became the Archon, was legendary. Your experience and your strength will be crucial in the war."

"I have fought the Heavenly Principles once before, and you know how that ended. You cannot stand against their might."

"That doesn't mean things will play out the same way this time. We can have the people of Teyvat with us. The Fatui will lend their entire might. We hope to convince the military forces in the other nations too. We can change things, together. Besides, this time, we have an additional advantage." Ajax smiled at Lumine. "They won't know what's coming."

Lumine stepped up to stand in front of Zhongli. She looked up at him, her face earnest. They needed Zhongli in this fight, along with all the other Archons. Without them, they had as good as lost.

"Zhongli, please. I know that the Fatui have done a lot of wrong, but this is not about an alliance. This is bigger than them. This might save all of Teyvat. You disagree with the Heavenly Principles yourself. This is the chance to stop it once and for all. We need you."

A light voice chimed in. "She's not wrong, old friend."

Lumine whipped around to look at the new entrant in the conversation. Venti stood behind them, a bottle of dandelion wine in his hand. He had a smile on his face, even as his eyes were knowing.

"You know as well as I do that we disagree with everything the Heavenly Principles have done. They subjugated the dragons who held the authorities of this land and put us on a leash with the Gnoses. You know that the whole reason for the Archon war was to eliminate all who would rebel. You know that we won at the cost of all we held dear. This may very well be the chance to fix our mistakes."

If Venti had decided not to speak in rhymes, he was being serious indeed.

"Barbatos, you misunderstand me. I do not disagree with what any of you have said. However, I have seen many things in this world and made many mistakes. I fought in the war alongside you and we both know the price that we paid for it. We have already lost a lot once. Are we willing to pay that price again?"

Lumine was about to speak up but Ajax interrupted her. "My apologies, Archons, but the question you should be asking is—can you afford not to?"

There was silence before he continued.

"I do not claim to know what happened in the war. I know that you lost many good friends because of it. However, last time you had to fight amongst the other gods with your own power. This time, you fight alongside each other against those who chained you. Rebellion is a powerful motivation and the desire to protect is an even greater one. Fight for what you have protected all these years. Fight for Teyvat."

"For a Harbinger, you're a surprisingly decent person." Venti raised an eyebrow, even as light danced in his eyes. "And a good speaker too. Looks like there's more to you than just a thirst for battle." He leaned against the wall and the bottle of wine disappeared into his subspace. "Alright, you have me convinced. I'll join the fight. Morax?"

Zhongli was quiet for a moment. He looked intently at Venti, a silent conversation happening between them. He then glanced at Ajax, before finally settling upon Lumine. Try as she might, she could not read what he was thinking. All that she could do was hold his gaze, and hope that he understood why they were asking him for help.

"Please, Zhongli." She held out her hand.

There was silence as Zhongli slowly nodded. "Your words have merit to them. I will help you."

"Thank you, both of you. Your acceptance means a lot to us. You are the only ones remaining of the original Seven, and that experience will be invaluable." Lumine's face almost split into two from how wide she was smiling. They did it! They got two of the most powerful Archons to agree to help them. Hopefully, the others would too. She turned to look at Ajax, who looked pleased. He caught her glance and smiled at her. If it was possible, she smiled even wider.

"Well, Traveler, now that you have us, what will you do?" Venti looked at her, as he strummed a soft tune. (When did he pull out his harp?)

"We'll go to the other Archons and ask them for their help. We're going to need every little bit we can pull together."

"In that case, I believe I can be of assistance. I may have given up my power as the Geo Archon but I still hold the same prestige. If I ask them to, the Adepti will join you. The same goes for the Qixing and the Millelith. All of Liyue will help you in the war."

"The Knights of Favonius won't take much convincing. The fact that their Acting Grand Master knows my identity might help. Mondstadt will fight for you."

Lumine's smile couldn't be brighter.