The transition felt like being dragged through crushed glass and Lumine's eyes snapped suddenly open. The brilliant, natural light of Teyvat burned her retinas, a stark contrast to the sterile gray of the Null Layer and the air tasted of salt and sweet flowers they were back near the coast of Mondstadt.
>>"Lumine! Oh, thank the Archons, you're awake! Paimon was worried about you"<<
Paimon was hovering inches from her face, her eyes wide and watery, her tiny hands waving frantically.
Lumine blinked against the harsh glare of the sun, the familiar silhouette of Mondstadt's windmills on the horizon and the gentle rustle of the wind through the grass made the horrific images of Khaenri'ah feel like a distant, feverish nightmare.
>>"Lumine? Hello? Earth to Lumine!"<<
Paimon waved both hands frantically in front of Lumine's face.
>>"You're staring off into space again, did you forget how to use your legs while you were napping?"<<
Lumine looked at Paimon, she searched for the coldness in those eyes, for the divine arrogance of the "First Blade" for the cruelty of the entity that had helped tear her world apart but she found nothing, Paimon was currently taking a massive, messy bite out of a Sunsettia she had snatched from a nearby bush, a drop of juice trickling down her chin.
This is supposed to be Asmoday?
Lumine thought, her mind reeling, the woman who stood by Aether as a civilization burned?
It felt absurd, Paimon argued with birds over berries and shrieked in terror at the sight of a stray Slime and the warrior in the vision had sliced through the fabric of reality with a single, indifferent swing of her blade.
>>"Impossible..."<<
Lumine whispered under her breath and was deep in thought.
>>"What's impossible?"<<
Paimon asked with her mouth full, tilting her head curiously and the juice from the berries runs down her chin.
>>"Nothing, it's unimportant. How does it taste, you sweet tooth?"<<
Lumine smiled slightly and was just happy to have someone like Paimon.
>>"Yes, but Paimon is just still a little exhausted from the ruins."<<
Answered Paimon while chew and Lumine felt a sudden, chilling presence at her side and Noxira stood there a shadow of violet light and silver.
The Memory Guardian Noxira tilted her head, her analytical eye glowing soft.
>>"Did you look for similarities?"<<
Lumine's smile faltered for a fraction of a second, she reached out and, almost reflexively, wiped the juice from Paimon's chin with her thumb and smiled slightly. The skin felt warm, soft and real. It didn't feel like the cold, radiating power of the woman who had stood beside Aether.
>>"You're searching for a monster, Lumine."<< Noxira continued, her spectral form drifting closer until she was standing right behind Paimon.
>>"I'ts nothing, Noxira"<<
Lumine thought sharply, her grip tightening on the fabric of her skirt. She was grateful to have both of them and smiled gentle, Lumine saw that Paimon wants to to know what they talk about.
>>"I'm just... still thinking about the treasure we might have missed in those ruins and I know how you are."<<
>>"Ooh! Treasure!"<<
Paimon's eyes lit up with their usual, starry greed.
>>"Well, we can't find treasure if we're standing around here! Mondstadt is that way and Paimon remembered there's a festival starting soon. That means music, people, and most importantly... food stalls!"<<
Paimon shot into the air, spinning in a joyful circle before darting down the path toward the city gates, she looked so small, so full of life.
Lumine watched her go, but her gaze was pulled back to Noxira, who remained standing in the grass, her blue eye glowing with an ancient, clinical light.
>>"Are you coming, Noxira? Jean and the others are surely in worry"<<
>>I Understand your desire for peace"<<
Lumine watched as Noxira's sharp, cold edges softened and the violet glow dimmed into a gentle lavender hum and the fractured lines on her face seemed to settle into a pattern that looked more like elegant jewelry than a broken shell.
Lumine started walking, catching up to Paimon with Noxira. The walk toward the city was quiet, the rhythmic sound of Lumines footsteps on the dirt path and Paimon had zoomed ahead to chase a particularly large Crystalfly, leaving Lumine and the floating Noxira in a pocket of rare private silence.
Lumine looked at the spectral figure beside her. Noxira wasn't only floating like Paimon, she walked in the air with a grace that was almost too perfect, her feet barely disturbing the grass and not touching the ground as if she walks on fractures in the air.
>>"Noxira?"<<
Lumine spoke softly and her voice catching the wind.
>>"Back there... in the Null Layer... you said you chose me. You said I wasn't just a Treasure to you anymore."<<
Noxira stopped walking and she turned her head, her azure eye shimmering with a soft, pulsing light as she processed the question and find the right words.
>>"The original command set by the Prince were absolute"<<
Noxira began and her voice regaining that melodic, slightly echoing quality.
>>"To guard you and the Memorys was my purpose, especially to keep you untainted was my purpose but I observed you and try to learn and I understood that you are not just a object, objects didn't dream."<<
Lumine felt a lump form in her throat, she remembered the long, dark dreams of the stasis and the feeling of reaching for Aether and finding only cold there.
>>"I watched your patterns for a long long time"<<
Noxira continued, stepping closer and for the first time Noxira reached out and took Lumine's hand. Her touch was no longer like cold marble for Lumine, it felt like a soft, thrumming warmth, as if she were sharing her own energy.
>>"I learned the shape of your grief and eventually, the Guardian... began to feel the weight of it too. I did not just wake you because of an Abyss breach I woke you because I could no longer endure being the only witness to your loneliness so I let you free and you Woke up on the beach in Mondstadt."<<
Lumine squeezed Noxira's hand and look into her eyes.
>>"So you broke your own rules for me."<<
Lumine almost forgets her surroundings
>>"Yes"<<
Noxira nodded and a small, almost imperceptible tilt to her lips that might have been a smile.
>>"I am your Memory Guardian, my loyalty is not to the past he built, but to the future I choose and my future is you if you want."<<
Lumine leaned her head against Noxira's shoulder for a brief moment of peace and comfort, she has the feeling that she found someone she can rely on and not be the person who is relyd on.
>>"Thank you, Noxira. That you are here with me and by my side, stay by my side."<<
Lumine whispered and smiled gentle.
Noxira didn't pull away but need a moment to understand this affection and proceed this.
>>"You... You are... irreplaceable to me"<<
>>"Irreplaceable"<<
Lumine repeated the word softly, tasting it, it felt good like a choice.
>>"Hey! Why are you two walking so slow?! Paimon is hungry !"<<
Paimon's voice cut through the air like a bell, shattering the moment. She was hovering near the bridge of Mondstadt, waving a small, glowing Crystalfly in a jar she had somehow managed to catch it.
>>"The gates are right there! Paimon can already smell the Sticky Honey Roast! If we wait any longer, they'll sell out!"<<
Lumine reluctantly pulled back from Noxira's shoulder, wiping a stray tear from her eye. She looked at Noxira, who was already readjusting her posture, as she prepared to face the public.
>>"I remain at your side"<<
Noxira declared, her voice now a calm, melodic chime.
>>"However, I suggest you prepare yourself, Lumine. I can sense that the Residents of the Wind have a high propensity for physical contact and loud festivities. I may need to overthink my personal space boundaries."<<
Lumine laughed, a genuine and bright sound that made Paimon tilt her head in confusion.
>>"Just follow my lead, Noxira and maybe... try not to be too honest what you think about them."<<
>>"Noted. I shall search for the right words more..."<<
Noxira replied and smiled gentle while she looked at Lumine.
As they stepped onto the stone bridge leading to the city, the pigeons scattered into the sky and Timmie grumbled something under his breath but as he looked up and saw Noxira, his frown vanished. He stared at Noxira with wide, curious eyes, as if he were seeing a legend come to life.
>>"Wha-..."<<
Timmie whispered.
>>"She looks like the lady from the stories my grandpa told me... the one who watched over the stars and was forgotten."<<
Noxira paused, looking down at the young boy, she remembered Lumine's advice and tilted her head slightly, offering the smallest, stiffest nod.
>>"Greetings, little friend. Your feathered companions have successfully avoided a collision. A gratifying outcome, they are all okay."<<
Timmie is still a bit upset but not extremely.
Timmie beamed and even Paimon looked bit suprised.
>>"Wow, Noxira. You actually learn pretty good and fast!"<<
Lumine smiled and her hand briefly brushing against Noxira's spectral fingers as they passed through the great gates, Lumine took her hand and hold the hand. The further development was successful, they weren't just Traveler and a guide anymore, they are now a trio bound by secrets and memories.
As they entered the bustling streets of Mondstadt, the scent of wine and the sound of music filled the air and Lumine took a deep breath, looking at the vibrant life around her. She knew the truth was still out there, lurking like a shadow and she knew Aether was still out there in the dark but as she looked at Noxira, who was observing a flower stall with clinical fascination, Lumine knew she was ready.
>>"Welcome to Mondstadt, Noxira"<<
Lumine whispered softly and squeezed her hand gentle while she looked at Noxira with a gentle lovely smile.