modernity - xiaoven

52.

lumine showed up shortly, and she'd immediately dragged xiao to his room, and demanded they spoke alone.

"you do know everything, right? mr reincarnated conqueror of demons?"

"mostly everything, i hope."

"alright, good, now this is going to come as a shock to you, but i remember everything, from every world aether and i were in. he's died and i've died before in a few. and i still remember. i have to think about a certain world, and the timeframe, but xiao, if you want me to tell you anything once this world is fixed, to the universe's choosing, i will."

"so i will forget this all, then?"

"you will."

"tell that version of me, if anything similar to aether's death happens, if i kill anyone else under the influence of the three, that living scared of your trauma isn't fun, and that you are more than your trauma."

"poetic. now, i'm not saying that, because the outcome shouldn't be the same. the universe wants to prevent death on that night. because venti saving mondstadt instead of aether, should've changed it. they want you, the conqueror of demons, to survive, because they want to prevent you sacrificing yourself to the abyss to save liyue."

as lumine finished speaking, she stumbled backward and pressed a hand to her forehead.

"lumine, are you okay?"

"i have too many memories of universes long past. it's just been a simple headache, and it came so suddenly." she chuckled softly, smiling.

"oh. overwhelmed with memories?"

"i guess. i remember both past and future, of course"

lumine sighed, and glanced up at the ceiling. "you know, there was once a time where i was in your shoes. waiting for the universe to finally give my loved one back."

"really?"

"yeah. one time, aether had to be switched with past him. but, i was forced to stay behind. it was the first time it'd happened to me."

"isn't it the same?"

"not when the aether he was switched with was from out home universe, where we'd never left and i'd died." she shuddered. "it, hurts to think about."

"oh..."

lumine sighed. "i'll tell you about how the past was changed, and why."

"thank you."

the woman simply smiled and hugged him.

"and, that's why i havent aged in the past eight years." she said with a light laugh.

"how?"

"aether and i may be hundreds of years old, but we only age physically in our home world. we left when we were sixteen and have stayed that way the entire time. since our bodies are young, we don't drink or smoke or anything. atleast i don't."

"really?"

"yeah. aether's adventurous, and has drunk wine on occasion..."

"he has?"

"i'm disappointed in him for it, but he was in safe hands. or atleast the safest hands i could think of."

"who was he with? if i'd know them"

"it was on our 'second' journey here in teyvat. we came here first. and he was with venti, diluc, and kaeya. as well as rosaria, i think. he didn't get drunk, i think too-"

"i wouldnt be surprised if he got drunk."

"i wouldn't either."

lumine sighed, and pinched her nose. "we should go back to the other two. it was nice to talk to you before this universe's timeline is fixed, and our lives are changed and we gain and lose new and old memories."

"lumine, i-"

"i know, i know," she dragged xiao out of the room, just as she had when she brought him to the room the first time.