A Butterfly That Brings Fear: Aether Contract

Lumine

Lumine knew how dangerous her brother's charms were. The ability to catch many with a simple smile, a hearty laugh, a golden glance. She also knew how he still didn't know about this. And Lumine would make sure he never found out.

Lumine and their parents were the only ones not affected. That's what they thought at least. Maybe they were, which could be a reason as to why all of them were so protective of the golden haired traveler. Hell, even animals were attracted to Aether's genuine beauty. They would gather around him like moths to a lamp. Snakes would curl protectively and lovingly around his legs, birds would follow him, hopping from tree to tree, butterflies and bees would settle on his shoulders and fingers as if they were shields to the dangers of the world.

That's why Lumine had to take him away from Teyvat. After surveying him and the people around him, she saw just how obsessed they were with Aether. She was eventually left with no choice but to save her dear brother from their bloodstained claws. She realized how right she had been after retrieving him.

For the next 5 years after they left Teyvat, she had observed their world to see what would happen after the traveler disappeared. And it was worse than she thought. Much worse.

But now it was different. Now she knew how badly she needed to stop her brother from returning. He wanted to visit, say hello to his so-called "friends". And he was upset with Lumine over how she was doing whatever she could to stop him from standing on the bloodied earth of Teyvat's surface. But she wouldn't let him see what was happening there. Never.

The problem was, not only was her twin beautiful, but he was also smart. He could tell there was something going on. Lumine had never stopped him from doing what he loved until now, and she was sure he would do whatever he could to figure out why. After all, that's what Lumine would do, and they were twins. So she had to stop his yearning to return before he figured out the mess his disappearance caused. They could be happy without him knowing, staying as the happy brother she had always loved. But Aether's curiosity never lost, not even once.

Lumine heaved for air as she landed on a large grey green rock. She had to stop him, no matter what. She gritted her teeth and opened her sore wings again, forcing them into the sky in the direction her brother had flown. If her brother saw what he had caused.... She didn't know if her kind hearted Aether could ever forgive himself for leaving. She didn't know if she could forgive herself for taking him away.

If not for that "Albedo" making a creepy robot-like doll of Aether because he missed him so much, maybe these people would give up. But no, he just had to ruin millions of innocent lives all across Teyvat.

Aether could never

Never

See what happened