EN | An encounter she will never forget | ᴄʜɪʟᴜᴍɪ

18 - Mortal combat

𝗧𝗪 : 𝗚𝗿𝗮𝗽𝗵𝗶𝗰 𝗗𝗲𝗽𝗶𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝗩𝗶𝗼𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲, 𝗕𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗱

The next morning, Lumine was awake long before the sun came up, or even Paimon. She couldn't shake the bad feeling she had about the Fatui, the reason she was awake. The young woman finally decided to arrange her scarf to hide her mark—still visible—and then sit cross-legged on the bed while trying to clear her mind. She didn't have enough information to be able to explain why the Qixing zeroed in on the Fatui, so there was no point in wracking her brains about it. In any case, she was sure that her encounter with the Tianquan would provide her with many answers.

Lumine strived to try to calm her mind and meditate. However, after a very short time, the young woman realized that she was absolutely not made for this. When something was bothering her, she would rush in and not sit around and think about the best solution. It was both a quality and a flaw that her brother tried to keep in check when he was still with her. However, no one can deny their true nature, and Aether was no longer there to channel it. As a result, Lumine began pacing back and forth, desperately waiting for a fairy to rise with the sun so she could get going. After what seemed like an eternity, the little fairy in question appeared in the room.

"Hello— Wow, you're already on your way?"

"I couldn't sleep anymore," her friend replied without stopping in her incessant circling of the room.

Paimon watched her for a moment, anxious. Even though Lumine never really sat still, it was clear that something was on her mind.

"Is something wrong?" the little fairy asked.

Lumine stopped pacing, but didn't take her eyes off the ground.

"I can't explain why, but I have a bad feeling..."

"Are you worried about him?"

The blonde-haired young woman finally looked up at Paimon.

"Is it that obvious?" she replied with a guilty smile.

"Anyone who knows your feelings for him could guess. Well, Paimon didn't until recently..."

A grimace distorted Lumine's face as her fairy friend threw at her a passing shot. Before she could respond anything, Paimon continued.

"In any case, Lady Ningguang will certainly inform us why she suspects the Fatui had something to do with the Lord of the Rock's assassination. The sooner we get there, the sooner you'll get your answer."

Lumine stared at Paimon, unable to look away at this most intelligent remark coming from her. Seeming to understand her friend's thought, the little fairy put on an offended expression.

"Paimon doesn't just think about food, you know!"

"Really? You don't say," laughed Lumine.

"Of course, food comes first, but sometimes Paimon thinks about other things!" angered the little fairy.

Because of her friend's dismay, Lumine let out a laugh that allowed her to take her mind off Childe's situation for a fraction of a second.

"Since you're up and about, why don't we go on our appointment?" she asked while thinking again of their meeting.

"Let's go! But, Paimon is hungry..." replied the little fairy with a sheepish expression.

As if to confirm this statement, a gurgling sound was heard in the whole apartment, which made Lumine laugh even more.

"I can see that! I'll buy you something on the way, don't worry!"

With that, they both went out to the shopping street to buy breakfast, and headed to the place indicated in the paper Ganyu had given to the Traveler. There they met a smuggler who, in exchange for a password—that Ganyu didn't forget to write down on the sheet of paper—, was responsible for bringing any visitor to the Jade Chamber. With his help, they arrived safely at their destination hundreds of meters above Liyue Harbor. A single building took up all the space on the island, and was probably the most elegant and distinguished structure Lumine had ever seen.