Chapter Text
The treasuries, the hydro abyss mages carried swayed in the air, while they chattered with one another.
Since the ambush in Liyue Harbour, The traveler had grown quiet. More so than usual. The abyss prince's eyes watched her from behind the trail, marching the same route, with an entirely different goal.
“We regroup with the other’s in about an hour, … let’s halt our expedition here.” He looked up at the tall mountain peaks, these trails were good for hiding from the Millelith army. The adepti were another case, being spotted by them was a risk the Abbys Prince didn’t want to take.
Lumine turned around, as the other abbys members stopped around them, unloading the war wagons. Her eyes shook for a moment, before her shoulders set, her hands dangling motionless.
“Sister.” Aether called out, his gaze holding hers. There was a bond between the two, one everyone recognized around them. She looked back at her elder brother. Her gaze showing less and less of what she was thinking.
Aether gave a considerate glance over her rigid stance, her motionless eyes. Seeing her like this, his hands clenched, as he turned away from her.
“Follow me, sister."
The traveler watched him disappear uphill. She took a shaky breath, before she followed after him. The dark night consumed them both, her path was only lit up from the moonlight.
When they finally reached a hill, far away enough from the other abbysal creatures, he stood still and watched the overlooking valley.
“Liyue has always been like this, hasn't it?” He took a deep breath, as Lumine stepped beside him. She looked up at the stars, her conscience only weighing harder. The warm air of the night, the distant cheers from the abbysal soldiers, she took a shaking breath.
“Why, … why did you ask me to help you.” She muttered lowly, her bangs hiding her eyes. Aether didn’t look at her, as his fists unclenched. The tension between them, she could feel it harden.
“I wonder why i did, ….” He answered, before he glanced down at her. The surrounding area, was filled with trees, and a slope leading to a higher mountain peak.
“Perhaps to see, how far you would go for me?” Lumine’s eyes widened, as she turned looking up at her elder brother. Aether’s braid was cut short, his long hair gone. She turned her attention on his face, his eyes holding hers. They looked empty.
“D-did … that have to be done … in such a way?” She asked him. She still remembered the attacks on the harbour, the blasts of bombs going off. The docking wood collapsing and hearing the screams of innocent civillians.
She hadn’t seen anyone die, with her own eyes, but she knew there had to have been casulties. She bit her lip, her brows drawn together, as she slowly realized, more and more, what a horrible thing her elder brother had done.
“I-i knew people down there, … i-i … i-i had people in Liyue, … that trusted me.” She looked utterly defeated. Going from their Hero, to sentencing them to death.
Aether’s resolve grew stronger, watching his sister suffer through her conscience. His hands grasped her shoulders, as he drew her closer.
“Do you remember what we told one another, when we were traveling to teyvat, …” Lumine looked up at her brother, utterly confused, almost terror driven. He recognized the look in her eyes, 500 years ago, his comrades had the same look, his superiors, his friends. Driven to terror and madness.
Aether’s grip tightened and Lumine answered quickly. “No, … i-it’s been too long since then, … i-i …”
The look of utter disappointment stunned Lumine into silence.
Aether shook his head, looking up into the distance, where his abbys army awaited him, where the other groups would soon join him, into taking over the most important capital of Teyvat.
Taking over a city, with a harbour that reached over almost a third of the sea, meant a great deal to him. Lumine wasn’t sure what to do, what to say to him.
“Brother, …. w-we can still …” He looked away from the sounds of his comrades.
“I thought we had more time than that.” He softly muttered, before he grabbed her closer. Enclosing her into his embrace. Lumine was shocked. When was the last time Aether had embraced her?
Her fingers trembled, as they grazed over his back. Tears sliding down her cheeks.
“B-brother, … i-i don’t think, … i-i can … live with this feeling.”
Aether pressed her to him, tighter. His eyes growing colder. “You won’t have to.”
Lumine’s eyes widened, when she felt something sharp pierce her back.
“Eh-” Her eyes widened further, as she felt the sharp object drive deeper into her back. The feeling of fullness overcame her, and she coughed, spitting out blood.
“B-brother?” She looked back up at him, his head was resting on her shoulder. Not letting go of her, when she slowly sunk down to her knees. He still held onto her.
“B-brother, … w-what …. w-why-” He carressed the back of her head, once or twice, before he whispered into her ear.
“You were never supposed to be here, sister, … you can finally stop.” He slid the sharp knife out of her back, and watched as the dark red liquid stained her white dress.
“You … don’t need to understand.” He pulled away from her and stood up, while she bent over, grasping the grass in her fists.
Coughing out blood, onto his shoes. “B-brother! ..” She looked up at him, eyes filled with strain. He watched her struggle.
Had he planned this from the beginning? Was this always supposed to happen this way? Lumine shut her eyes, it was clear her brother had done this with own goals in mind.
She coughed again, she was in terrible pain, no wound of hers had ever stung so hard. It being inflicted upon her by her elder brother, did not help.
“A-aether, … i-i … i-” Tears slid down her face, as she tried to understand, tried to and failed. Her hands reached his boot and she held on.
He watched her, his eyes held no expression, they were almost hollow. While Lumine, was finally letting herself sob over everything that had happened over the past week. The letters he’d sent her, the orders she’d follow, the abbys she assisted, the look in her brother’s eyes. She thought, he’d never do such horrible things.
She had no idea of his plans to ambush and take over Liyue city. If she had, she would’ve never come to him, but he probably knew that.
Her finger nails scratched his shoe. “W-why …” Yes, why had this happened to her? Why was it that in the end, she decided to respond to his letters? Why was it, that she came to his side, knowing he was the leader of the abbys.
Why was it, that when he’d told her to keep their meetings a secret, she listened? Wasn’t she smarter than that?
Lumine’s heart raced, her forehead was sweaty and her eyes blinking out tears. She was going mad over everything. She was the reason those people in the Liyue harbour ended up dying, she was the reason his army even reached the inside of the city walls.
She was the reason her elder brother’s plans succeeded. Aether watched her for a long moment, before he stepped away from her.
“please ... die quickly.” Was all he had to say. She looked back at his sillhouette, before he dissapeared down the slope, toward his army.
Lumine looked down at the ground, and tasted the liquid in her mouth. Had she truly done all of this, for nothing? Would she die, in this moment, as the traitor who sold out her companions and friends.
Where was Paimon? It had been such a long time, since they’d spoken to one another, aside from Aether, she wished she could see Paimon’s bright smile, before she passed away.
The traveler would die as a inhumane monster. A traitor, and someone who deserved a death, far worse than this one. It was almost laughable, how easy she was getting away with things.
On their march through the mountains, she’d thought she’d have to serve a prison sentence in Liyue, or be executed once she was discovered among the abbys troops.
Would anyone even find out about her involvement? She doubted it, or maybe she had been careless when she’d distributed information, only she possessed. She took one last shaky breath, before closing her eyes.
“I-i’m … sorry ..” She muttered.