Last Lines

-Isn't it so beautiful..?

Aether woke up and checked around himself. Paimon flew near him with a worried face, trying to snuggle under his hand.

-Aether! You are awake! Paimon was dying from worrying!

-W-What happened… where is everyone?

-Paimon doesn't know so much either. You all just came back wounded. Capitano and Nahida were trying their best to carry you all out.

-All of us… wounded..?

Nahida gets into the room, her eyes were fearful and traumatized…

-Ah, you are awake… Probably you are so confused. Let me explain briefly. We lost, without even being able to hit him once…

-Without even being able to hit him once..? 4 Archons, 2 of the top harbingers just… failed..? W-where even are we right now?

-Liyue… Zhongli's wounds started to heal, yet Ei and Mavuika are badly injured. We were trying to defend our nations by leaving some powerful soldiers there to prevent any Abyssian attack… Yet Abyss didn't target any other places after his appearance…

-So you are saying he has something to do with Abyss..?

-I don't know. If he were the one who controls the abyss, he wouldn't stop it at Natlan. It's more like, even Abyss is preparing to stop him…

-How can you even know that? While taking you out of the situation, we faced some Abyssal creatures. But they avoided us, like they were in a hurry for something.

Then Aether remembered his sister… If she is planning something about Neroth, Aether should stop her or at least try to help. He is aware of the power of the Abyss, yet Neroth wouldn't show mercy to her if he met her…

-Nahida, is there any way we can assist Abyss?

-Assist the Abyss..? This was one of the things that I thought I would never hear. But now you mentioned, it seems possible that he poses a threat to Abyss too. So if we can somehow find a way to understand them…

-Leave that to me, we only have to find the princess of the Abyss!

-Princess of the Abyss..? I didn't know that monsters had a queen they listen…

-She is the one… I was trying to reach…

-Wait… you mean, Lumine is…

-Yeah! But I am sure she has an explanation for all of this! Yet, if she is preparing for a war against Neroth we have to find her… She would listen to me…

-Even so Aether. We don't have that much power left. Adepti if Liyue is trying to create a last wall of defence to protect the remaining 2 Gnosises.

-…2..?

-Anemo Gnosis too…

-I see. Sorry for fainting in the middle of the fight, I should have helped somehow…

-It's okay, that was one of our plans too, wasn't it? Do you remember what you felt or did you see anything?

-I saw… images. He has a huge hate towards Celestia but his purpose isn't to defeat them. He is planning something else with all the gnosises… All I know is that if he succeeds all vision power from Teyvat will get erased including Archon's powers…

-Even Archon's powers… Is he… planning to collect all the power and sit on the throne? Is this why he hates Celestia this much..?

-That means he will try to grow his power as if he isn't already so powerful! This is wrong, so wrong… He will take down whoever opposes him!

-That's why we are trying to stop him already! But the moment he got serious, we couldn't even last a few minutes… and if Capitano and Venti weren't there we all would be dead…

-What else even left for us then..?

After some minutes of that intense battle, Neroth stayed silent and alone for a few minutes. Then started to talk.

-Show yourself already, your poor Abyss magic won't work here.

-Seems like I underestimated you. I didn't think you could sense me.

A girl appeared through an abyssal portal. Stands in silent defiance, her golden eyes dimmed, clad in a black-and-purple dress that flows like shadow, crowned with faint, glowing symbols of the Abyss.

-I see… Lumine. I was waiting to meet you.

-How do you know my name?

Lumine asked coldly, She was carrying a sword but it was obvious that she wasn't intended to fight here.

-I have my ways to know. Tell me then, why are you here?

-I am here as your enemy from now on. Neroth.

-You know my name too, I am flattered. But about your words, it's not the first time I've heard something like that. But I wonder what I could have possibly done to anger the "mighty" Abyss Queen.

-Do you have to do a specific thing? Your existence is a chaos itself.

-It's interesting to hear something like this from you. I wonder how many people have died because of you.

-Probably not even a quarter as much as yours.

-Oh so you do know. Where did you learn? Celestia gave you some secrets?

-That's not important right now. But you are one of those who seek power, aren't you? To try to rule his kingdom in his palm. Looking at everyone from a higher ground just because you have some power.

-Kid, you are the blind one here. I don't know how you got that knowledge from Celestia. Yet they seem to manipulate you easily.

-I don't take orders from Celestia, nor even I befriend them.

-Yet you still consider knowledge from an enemy as your motivation. Pathetic.

-I am simply considering knowledge from my enemy's enemy. After all, its a common knowledge that even enemies can be allies against a higher enemy.

-So you are afraid of me too, I am glad.

-Everyone is each other's enemy after all, we are just taking out one of the tops in this "food chain"

-That's how you see me huh? A predator at the top of the food chain. Well, I wasn't waiting for you to try to see what I intend to. Nor do I need you to. Stay out of my way and we will be fine.

-So you can reach to power to snap me away like an insect?

-You have a strange way to see things kid. Yet know that…

Neroth finally turned his uninterested gaze to her. His voice was nonchalant and calm but his words echoed through Lumine's mind.

-I don't need an extra power to snap you away like an insect…

-You have too much confidence in yourself. We will see about it soon anyway. I am not dumb enough to attack you alone.

-Well that can hurt someone I fought soon. Yet I wonder what you have in your palm Princess of the Abyss.

Another Abyssal portal appeared behind Lumine, and she started walking through it elegantly.

-Same here Archon of Hate. I wonder how much you were holding back…

Finally, Lumine disappears with the portal. Leaving Neroth alone.

-Man, what's everyone's problem with these portal thingies nowadays. Is this the second, or the third time someone with portals? Meh, not sure. Maybe I should try to steal something like this from them once.

Neroth mumbled to himself. He was right too though, tired of people appearing out of thin air and cursing and threatening him.

-How did it go my queen?

-As it should have been.

Lumine walked between her Abyss servants.

Her starless realm beyond Teyvat, where time and reality twist bowed before her. One of her servants got close to her.

-My queen. If I heard right from our Sentinels, sir Aether was looking for you.

-He always does. What's the specialty with this one?

-This time he seems to be wanting to "assist" you… against Neroth.

-…Assist..?

Lumine froze for a second. Her expressionless face kept its calmness but deep inside, she had feelings she couldn't explain. It was a long time ago when they last swung a sword together, and while thinking Aerher hates her now, he appears and wants to be with her again…

-I see… I will consider it…

She said, shooting away her servant. But she was in deep thought. Her logical side knew it was only to hunt down a bigger threat and they would be in the same situation soon. But these emotions were eating her from the inside.

She turned her gaze to the endless armies of Abyss, considering her next moves. Her mind was telling what needs to be done but her heart was aching inside. And she whispered to herself…

-Take care of yourself, brother. Soon I will make things right for you…