𝙄'𝙡𝙡 𝘽𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙠 𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙄𝙣𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙖𝙙 • (𝙈𝙤𝙞𝙧𝙖 2) 𝙑𝙚𝙣𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝘼𝙐

𝘾𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙩𝙚𝙧 5 (𝙏𝙒: 𝙗𝙡𝙤𝙤𝙙, 𝙞𝙣𝙟𝙪𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙨)

Back in Mondstadt, Lumine sat on her bed with her eyes staring forward. They were empty and soulless as if the life had been sucked out of her. She didn't feel like doing anything but staring and thinking about her mistake.

It's been half a year since Venti abandoned Mondstadt and left to who knows where. Lumine asked the Adventurers Guild and the Knights of Favonius to look everywhere to find Venti, but no updates were brought back. Even Fischl had offered to help, to an extent that she came over to try and comfort Lumine while she continued to stare like a lifeless doll.

"Chin up, dear friend. Thou shan't be distressed in this time of need. Surely, things would clear up and thy friend shall mark his return."

And for the first time in Lumine's life, she actually understood Fischl without asking for clarification.

"Thanks, Fischl. I...really needed that." Lumine gave her a weak smile as Fischl brought a tray over with her specialty dish, Die Heilige Sinfonie  (or the sacred symphony in English), and set it down gently. The cold cut platter had a purple star pattern over the normal meal and gorgeous little designs as the napkins.

"It is no problem, Traveler. I am simply just helping thou out in such desperate times. What kind of companion would I be if I did not support you?"

Lumine's smile grew and her eyes narrowed slightly as Fischl's words replayed in her mind. Fischl truly was a fantastic friend; she even challenged the traveler recently to Genius Invocation TCG and gave Lumine her character card as a reward.

Before Lumine could open her mouth to thank her again, a loud crash startled the girls out of their seats on the couch.

"WHAT IN CELESTIA? IS THIS HEAVENFALL??" Fischl summoned her bow, Thundering Pulse, into her hands and bolted outside. (Lumine happened to have two so she gave one to Yoimiya and the other to Fischl.)

Lumine grabbed her wonderful sword, Dull Blade, and charged outside behind Fischl.

___________________♡__________________

Once outside, Lumine looked around frantically to see people, children and adults, on the ground. Some with minot injuries like cuts, and others that were either bleeding heavily or weren't moving at all.

Lumine darted her headback and forth to find Fischl, eventually finding her on the ground aiming an arrow at something in the sky.

There were two people on the bridge that kept the city safe. One looked like one of the shadow knights from the abyss, and the other looked like a boy but with demon horns and mighty wings.

The demon boy had a bow in his hands. Judging by his stance, Luminr guessed he might have finished aiming....

Or he was just beginning to.

"Hehehe, look at all those poor little pumpkins~ too bad I'm going to carve a whole lot today!"

That voice...it sounded so familiar. Lumine stood in front of Fischl, gripping her sword tight in front of herself.

"Traveler? What are you doing?! Don't put yourself in danger because of me!" Fischl was quick to stand up and put her hands on Lumine's shoulders to talk some sense into her. Her talking normally was in fact unsettling, but it wasn't what was important right now.

"Fischl, get as many people as you can and head to safety. Take my brother with you too!" She ordered calmly whilst taking her hands off her shoulders.

"What?! Lumine, I'm not leaving you here!" Aether appeared next to her after healing a child and their mother nearby.

"Aether, it isn't safe! You have to-"