The Fake God (Genshin Fanfic)

XIV

I stared at Lumine.

"WH... WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU DON'T REMEMBER?!" I cried outloud, earning glares from passersby. Lumine sipped the Consomme slowly, eyebrows furrowing with every sip.

"Bleh, this is blandddd." She pushed the dish towards Paimon with disgust on her face. Paimon meanwhile visibly floated away from the dish. I tried to catch their attention even for just one second. But for some reason, it was like they had agreed upon something before hand, they ignored everything I said. Whenever I tried to bring the topic of the past into conversation, Lumine would suddenly become interested in a bowl of raw meat two tables away from us, or in some cases ask me about how I had ended up in the Fortress of Meropide.

"Hmph, Hikari, you must've stolen something... Or perhaps because of Lyney's ruined magic show." Lumine tapped her chin and looked at me mischievously. "Did Lyney and Lynette get that mad to throw you in here?"

"Eh Hikari, you must be really sad then." Paimon added, I could hear worry etched into her voice.

"Nonono, it's nothing like that! I come here all the time. Wriothesley and Sigewinne are both good friends of mine. And I spend time to come visit them you know." I quickly waved my hands to indicate my dissaproval at the statement. Then placed a spoonful of Consomme into my mouth. 

Paimon crossed her arms before her and gave Lumine a disapproved stare. And I soon realised that the conversation has already fallen out of my control. They were going on and on about the recent Court of Fontaine gossips, and I found myself joining in without hesitation.

Afterall... gossip is the fundamental life source of living beings.

"Hikari you know Chiori? The renouned seamstress here?" Lumine asked while chewing on half a croissant.

"She threw someone out of her shop yesterday. I heard they got left with a broken spine." Beside her, Paimon shivered visibly.

"Oof, hard time for Chevreuse then." I replied, already imagining the girl's exasperated face when she would face Chiori.

Lyney's performing a new magic show soon, are you coming to watch?

And did you know that there was more news of people being dissavolved?

What even is happening in Fontaine?

Paimon remembers that it wasn't like this before...

...

"Mhm yep, I've heard... Wait, YOU REMEMBER!?" I immediatly leaped up, causing a clatter as the chair fell to the ground. 

"Of course, Paimon remembers when she first came to Fontaine."

Oh... 

Like a deflated balloon I lifted my chair and sat back down, all hopes of hearing something of use from these two people's mouths gone.

"Traveler, Paimon will leave you two to talk more for now." After finishing the food that was on the table, Paimon left in the direction of the elevator leading to the dorms. Leaving me and Lumine facing each other in awkwardness.

Technically speaking, every single time I happen to be with Lumine, Paimon is floating beside us, filling in the awkwardness with her adorable yet somehow savage comments. Now she's gone though...

"Hikari."

Lumine faced me, staring into my eyes. Feeling strangely uncomfortable, I shifted in the roughly made chair. The way her gaze held onto mine... it was like she's walking a path without a way back.

"The question from earlier. I'll answer it."

...

I trudged after her through what seemed to be an underground sewage system. Droplets of water leaked from an unseen corner ontop of our heads, and the moss covered every corner of the ground we walked upon.

"I'll tell you, but not here."

Henth why I've been brought to this part of the fortress in which I've never came across. Curious, I snag a glimpse of Lumine's face beside me. Her usual cheerful smile and smirk gone. I tensed, suddenly wanting to back away from the words she would reveal.

"Here's fine."

"Oh... ok!" 

Then silence.

At this point, I had already began to doubt the fact that this girl would even tell me anything.

"You must be curious why I hadn't told you sooner. Well, let's just say that the preying eyes of Celestials aren't going to be part of our conversation." Lumine sighed and then kicked a tiny pebble on the ground, sending it into the depth of the sewers.

"How so. My sis... I mean Focalors... I mean... I read books that say the Celestial's gaze do not fall in every corner of Teyvat, and that they only focus on the worthy and important." I stuttered.

Could I reveal my identity? Sister didn't say anything about whether I should or not. And Fontanians already know the story of two siblings acting as their Archon. It's just... everyone seems to have forgotten me these days. Must be the time traveling that mixed some things up. 

How I still remember the day Focalors pleaded me for herself to share the responsiblity of an Archon. How long has it been... Nevermind, time doesn't matter to immortals anyways.

"I know. I know everything already."

"Everything... It went on exactly like this. Furina was the Archon, when the fated moment of the prophecy arrived, nothing happened. Fontaine's streets were filled with people celebrating, with voices of people doubting the truth of the prophecy mingled within, but two days later. No one in Fontaine woke up, all having dissapeared beneath the flooding waves. All except Focalors, you were nowhere to be seen."

"And..."

A pause.

"The only difference... is that Lyney never had a friend named Hikari. We all never did."

A/N: Sorry for this VERY VERY VERY late update. But thank you for everyone who has given this fanfic a try! Please comment if you are confused about the events! I will try my best to explain stuff!😌