Genshin Impact | "The Eagle Solstice" | Alhaitham x Lumine

The Aftermath, Part 1

A/N: Hello! Sorry for the very late update. I took some time writing this because the chapter was hard as you will see in the coming updates. Chapter 5 has 20k words divided into 8 parts and I will be posting 1 part per day.

This chapter references 4.2 Archon Quest, The Masquerade of the Guilty. 😌

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Chapter 5: The Aftermath

Part 1

When Lumine revealed she was seeing someone else, his world fell apart.

It was as if a significant part of him was lost, stolen by a faceless man who thought he had the right to rewrite what nature had predetermined. A part of him wanted to bang the door to her quarters, argue with her and demand who the guy was. How was she able to fall for anyone other than her mate? They were meant to be together! That was what nature had decided and she was openly defying it.

Wriothesley stood beside himself, pale-faced and hands shaking. He was angry and hurting. There was a quiet buzz beyond Lumine's door. A faucet went off, then the sound of cutleries followed. She really went on as if she hadn't just crushed his heart, he thought bitterly.

The Duke knew he was better than this, so he mustered the courage to drag himself away without making a fuss. He spent the rest of the night in the Pankration ring, defeating every opponent who challenged him and nearly killing one of them.

Prisoners rushed the poor bloke to the infirmary, howling and writhing on a stretcher. He was one of Dougier's loyal cronies and dared to taunt the Duke, saying he was weak and shit. Wriothesley broke some bones as gratitude for the pleasant remarks. Sigewinne would be disappointed, but his wolf was looking for blood, presumably Lumine's faceless lover's but the man wasn't around according to her scent, and Dougier's crony was the easy target... Sige would have to let this one pass.

Nobody challenged him again after that, and he resorted to training dummies. Half of them were broken once he was finished.

He hadn't had the will to see her again in the days that followed. The man dedicated himself to work, hoping to extinguish the pain in his chest. When he wasn't busy in the office, he'd be up in the forest, hunting in his wolf form but making sure never to come close to their meeting spot. There was no joy in doing any of these tasks. Even his favorite tea tasted unusually bitter. He had frowned and rechecked the package if he had received the right products.

And just like that, the Traveler's time at the Fortress came to an end. Completing her sentence, she was supposed to secure her Exit Card from Monglane. That would be her ticket to freedom. She wasn't obligated to meet him and say farewell, and with this knowledge, every day that passed tightened the imaginary knot around his neck. As much as he wanted to avoid her, his wolf, a significant part of him, wanted to talk to her and beg her to break up with her lover. It was a ridiculous idea, of course, and he would never indulge in any such thing.

When a tremor shook the fortified walls of the Fortress on the day of her release, he didn't expect her to run to him inquiring what it was. He answered all her inquiries, donning the same profession face she had when she entered the office.

"By the way, do you know what day it is today?" Paimon chirped.

He knew, but pretended not to, as if that would delay their release from the Fortress. His wolf whimpered and he had to suck a deep breath before answering in a casual tone, "I believe today is this month's pipe-cleaning day."