Archon Quest: Custom Night [FNAF/Genshin]

Chapter 22: Two Graves For Us, My Dear

"The beginning of the end?" Michael repeated incredulously, "What are you talking about?"

Dainsleif pulled his sword from his scabbard, "I'm talking about preparing for the worst. When we enter this room, we may not come out alive. We may have an idea of what lays behind these doors, but we cannot be certain until we enter. We cannot know if the Prince of the Abyss is back there, or even if your brother is there. All we can do is hope that they are, and if they are, then we must hope to live. And defeat."

"We'll get out of here alive, I promise," Childe patted his back. Elizabeth ran to catch up with her brother, giving his elbow a light squeeze. The man looked past Michael to smile at the girl, and slowly, her lips turned to a hesitant smile.

Lumine caught up with Dainsleif and addressed the group, "Whatever happens, we have to stop Aether. No one knows what might happen if he manages to give the Tsaritsa all six Gnoses, let alone keep them for himself. That kind of power puts everyone in danger."

"We should head in now, before things get worse," Yanfei suggested, and Lumine nodded.

A determined expression on her face, the Traveler marched up to the double doors before her. She trailed her hand across one side, tracing the diamonds carved into the towering structure. Dainsleif joined her as he placed a firm hand on the other door. Lumine turned to him, giving a solemn nod to continue. They pushed the doors open together and approached the room before them, a long purple carpet meeting the door frame. The floor was cemented in a shroud of glass, and where there was no carpet, a dark blue marble lie beneath. Swirling patterns were etched into the floor and led up onto the walls of the palace room, which turned into a pointed roof high above the height of any average human. A few dark blue pillars scattered the room, their purpose more for show than practicality. At the end of the carpet, there was a single throne, solidifying the eerie loneliness that was infamous in the Abyss.

None of these structural designs interested Lumine, though. What she found most interesting was the boy that stood in the middle of the room, holding a bright red Gnosis.

"Aether!" she called as she stared him down with an incandescent glare. The boy whipped around, a sudden glint appearing in his eyes.

"Lumine! Sister, have you come to join me?" he approached her with open arms, "I knew you would see it my way eventually. I just wish it could've been sooner. You've been a real hassle, y'know."

Lumine pointed her sword at his chest, "Back up, Aether."

"Huh? Is this another one of your jokes?" he tilted his head innocently, but the shadows behind his sister caught his gaze, and he looked beyond her to find a ragtag army of gods and humans alike.

"No," she replied as his eyebrows furrowed, "I'm here to stop you. You can't do this, Aether!"

He clenched his jaw, "You're going against your own brother?"

She shrugged, "It's my job to call you out when you're doing something stupid, like right now."

"Don't make this harder than it needs to be!" Aether growled, "You don't understand the point of collecting the Gnoses. I'm doing this to help people! Why can't you understand that?"

"You are hurting other people in the process," she glared down her sword.

Aether's composure broke. He lunged at Lumine with an overhead sword attack, which she countered with her own sword. She held him back, giving him the chance to plead with her through their standstill.

"The Gods destroyed an entire nation. Not only that, they cursed its people forever. Somebody needs to help them!" he declared.

Lumine shook her head, "Not like this."