My Time in Teyvat [Tales of Luna, Book 2]

Chapter 39 - Picking Up After the Battle

"Any luck?" Luna asked, hearing the desperation in her own voice as Dainsleif stepped out of the Abyssal portal.

He shook his head.

"No sign of her." He said before letting out a deep sigh.

"How could- You promised me she would be safe!" Luna let out her frustration.

"It's not my fault she is a freakishly strong monster!" Dainsleif uncharacteristically gave in to his frustration as well. "No one simply gets up and moves around when they are that deep in the Abyss! No one!"

He took a deep breath before his facial features smoothed a little.

"I think someone else took her or let her out." He finally said in a calmer tone. "I couldn't sense her anywhere in the Abyss."

She hadn't meant to snap at him either, and looking at him again, she realized he looked exhausted.

"Another Abyss Walker?" Luna asked

"I don't think so." Dainsleif said, sounding sure. "Every denizen of the Abyss and wielders of the Abyss, pay respects to Lord Bane in some form or another. Whatever took your friend, left no traces, no residue power, no lingering presence."

"Another deity?" Luna hoped he would say no.

His expression turned darker as he nodded.

"And not a lesser deity either." He said as he looked down at the ground for a moment. "To come and go through the Abyss without leaving a trace, its something only someone with access to Archon energy can do."

Diluc appeared with Kaeya and Eula. Kaeya had a makeshift sling for his left arm, and a bloody bandage wrapped around his head.

Luna looked at them expectantly but Diluc simply shook his head.

No Yuji, no Yuna.

Luna felt like they had utterly lost the battle despite having defeated Azhdaha. She felt a hand on her shoulder and saw that it was Diluc, looking worried. It was only then that she noticed she was hyperventilating.

She focused on taking deep breaths, she couldn't fall apart, at least not yet.

"And Vennessa?" She changed topics once her heart beat slowed down a bit.

"Recovering a lot quicker than everyone else." Eula said, somehow sounding not too happy about that.

"Being a god will do that." Vennessa chimed from above as she floated in, somehow graceful and grand despite the situation they were in. "What's our next move?"

"The war is not over yet." Luna said her thoughts out loud. "Teyvat is still plagued by the other Archons, not to mention that there is something else out there taking out the Archons."

"And how do we know that they aren't an ally?" Vennessa asked. "Perhaps other regions have taken up arms just as we have."

"Could be, but then that's even more reason for us to go out there and help liberate all of Teyvat." Luna said. "But if they are not an Ally, then we'll have to be ready for whatever clusterfuck that means."

Everyone was quiet as they all seemed to be mulling this over.

"Can you still not get a hold of the rest of the Fatui Harbingers?" Luna asked Diluc, who nodded before responding.

"Nothing, there's no chatter, no scheduled check ins, nothing." He said. "It's like they all vanished. The Fatui soldiers under my care and Tartaglia's, have suffered heavy casualties. The few that remain are either recovering or helping out with the searches for the missing people of Mondstadt."