Chapter Text
Training with Xiao was a surprising experience, very different from Lumine's initial expectations.
Well, not all of them. The adeptus certainly picked on the smallest of slips, and he was very vocal about what displeased him. However, the way he made his complaints known was fairly humorous, and he wasn't overly snappy, not even mean.
Xiao was also very mindful of her physical limits. Lumine was considered very athletic and more often than not, people called her a "natural", but she still was only human. There's no way she could keep up with someone of Xiao's caliber, and he understood that. She was allowed to rest when needed.
There wasn't much he could teach her in the way of the sword, but what she got improved her prowess in kendo significantly. Much to her dismay, he still called her kata stiff and she had the sneaking suspicion that it was intentional.
Still, only suspicion. His face is still as hard to read as ever.
Now, on the subject of Anemo, she learned a lot. Xiao taught her the basis of his sorcery: self-propelling. Seeing him going higher and higher in the air, as free as a bird, was magnificent. The adeptus moved with a calculated grace and powerful agility befitting his kind.
Alas, she couldn't replicate it. The most she could do was let the wind lead her for a limited amount of time, adrift as a leaf in the breeze. Xiao, bless him, tried to cheer her up after her failure.
"You did well." He said, "Floating like that fits you better, anyways."
What does he even mean by 'fitting me better?'
Venti also popped up from time to time to give her quips. Well, most of it were things like "Try to blow stuff away, it's fun!", but Lumine would be lying if it didn't open the doors to new possibilities. Now, she could launch a powerful vortex from her palms and even tornadoes, twisting her body while airborne.
Yes, blowing stuff away was fun. Xiao just stared at the both of them, disagreement evident in his eyes.
Lumine also learned how to control the flux of the wind. The principle of it was literally just to go along with the flow and not do anything forceful to it.
Interestingly enough, Xiao's sorcery seemed to go against this principle. His demonstrations were small, but she could see the raw power behind it.
When she asked Venti about it, he simply said "There are those who can become one with their element, and there are those who can bend the element to their will. The latter is harder, but with enough time and practice, even something like that can be achieved".
Which made sense. Xiao was alive for thousands of years as an adeptus, wasn't he?
The more time she spent with him, the more tidbits she learned. Lumine wondered if one day the standoffish man would share his story with her. It would certainly be a grand tale, wouldn't it?
A few days later, Lumine finally saw Zhongli again, coat swishing stylishly in the wake of his steps. His presence has not diminished in the least.
He actually came to see her train. The man sat down on the ground and when prompted, just said to "Keep your routine as normal. I'm only here to observe."
It was a bit embarrassing, being watched like that. She frequently turned around only to see him staring straight at her with a permanent smile on her face. Did that mean she was doing well?
Despite it being hard to concentrate on the lesson, it wasn't too bad. Xiao had the patience of a saint and didn't mind explaining some things twice. All in all, Lumine's pride was probably intact.
They joined the ex-Archon on the ground. "What brings you here, My Lor— Xiansheng ?" Xiao began, a momentary frown appearing at his slip-up.
Xiansheng—Lumine liked the sound of that. She will use it—answered. "I did say that I came to observe Miss Lumine's training, and it's partially true, but I actually came in to ask something of her."
The girl perked up. "What is it?"
"What do you say about taking part in an experiment?"
She bent her head to the side slightly. "What do you mean?"
"Despite your situation being somewhat stable, there is the necessity to monitor your condition regularly. As such, I arranged things with this institution's Chief Alchemist and he is willing to run a few tests."
Lumine pondered. Check-ups always made her anxious, no matter how trivial they were. The possibility of something serious actually going on scared her out of her wits.
Well, there is something serious going on with me now. It makes sense.
So, she decided she would trust Zhongli xiansheng with this. "Ok. If it's just a few tests, it's fine by me."
Zhongli nodded. "Very well. I can guarantee your safety." And then he got up and began walking.
After six steps or so, he turned to them, expecting something. It took three seconds for Lumine to understand the situation.
"Wait, you mean I have to go right now?"
"Yes. We shouldn't keep the Chief Alchemist waiting."
"But—But…" She looked at Xiao, silently asking for permission. The training had ended, but she wasn't sure about the proper etiquette to be followed in this situation.
The adeptus sighed. "Go. We are finished for today. There's nothing else for you to do here."
"Really? Thanks!" She sped up to follow the tall Overseer. She turned to Xiao and decided to offer. "Uh… Won't you come with us?"
Disappointingly, he shook his head. "There's no need for me to accompany you. Just go."
Ah, such a pity. She only nodded at him, a silent "alright" on her part. With that, Zhongli led her back to the school's halls.
After a while, Zhongli initiated the conversation. "I see you and Xiao are getting along with each other. It is a good thing."
Lumine hummed in response. "Hm-huh! Xiao shifu is a good mentor. I learned a lot."
"Oh? Have you been calling him that?"
Now this was a topic that left Lumine a bit flustered. The habit of using honorifics had been drilled into her mind ever since she started living in Inazuma, to the point even her siblings laughed about it. In her opinion, it was pretty much normal to address Xiao with such a title.
Well, until Venti's comment got her doubting her own intentions. It wasn't presumptuous of her to call an adeptus her master, was it?
Oh, she almost forgot to reply. Oops. "Well, he said it was fine to be called shifu, and I thought it would be fitting, so…"
To her surprise, Zhongli chuckled, hiding his mouth behind his hand for a few seconds. Despite the polite gesture, the sparkle in his golden eyes more than made up for it.
"Pardon me if I made you feel uncomfortable with my questioning, I merely got curious. There's no need for you to explain yourself."
His gaze flitted to the path ahead of them, a bit wistful now. However, the tiny smile remained on his face. "This experience is proving to be a good one, both for you and that yaksha. Yours is a much appreciated company, I dare say."
It felt… Strangely nice, being acknowledged as a good influence, but also pretty embarrassing. Talking about Xiao behind his back wasn't in Lumine's plans, after all.
They arrived at the supposed laboratory's door. As per the already established costume, Zhongli opened the door and entered first, greeting the Chief Alchemist. As per the already established costume, Zhongli was too tall and Lumine couldn't see anything other than his back.
"I came back with her as we agreed, Albedo."
"I see. Welcome to my laboratory, you two." Albedo said. A young male, then? Sounded like one, at least.
"Then I shall make the introductions. Miss Lumine, this is Albedo, our Chief Alchemist. Albedo, this is Lumine, the one I talked about with you."
For emphasis, Zhongli stepped aside, finally letting them see each other. Albedo really was a young man, ashy hair and brilliant blue eyes, wearing a very detailed version of a lab coat (were those chains attached to it?).
What did not escape Lumine's eyes was the star-shaped mark on his neck. A tattoo? Was this common around here? Xiao had one, too…
"It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Miss Lumine. I trust that you already know why you're here?" She almost missed what he said and immediately bowed down upon processing it. Stop tuning down people's introductions, dumbass!
"It's nice to meet you too, Albedo-san! Yes, I'm here so you could take some tests, right?"
Albedo nodded. "Yes. Mr. Zhongli probably already told you, but I should reiterate anyway: nothing will be done without your consent. If you feel uncomfortable with anything, don't be afraid to say it."
He then opened another door, likely to the place where the experiment will be conducted. Zhongli wordlessly followed, and Lumine was starting to wonder if walking around without saying anything and expecting the others to follow was a common thing in Dihua Magic Technical School. It seemed like it was.
The other room was relatively small, with only a chair and a few tables on it. Zhongli stood by the door while Albedo and Lumine entered, and something made the girl pause.
That chair. It was eerily familiar.
"Take a seat." Albedo prompted and she did as he said.
"Um," She began, feeling anxious all of a sudden, "What kind of test is this?"
The alchemist didn't miss a beat in his reply. "A blood test."
Lumine's face was as white as a piece of paper in less than a second. Both Zhongli and Albedo noticed it instantly.
"Do you not want to?" the Overseer asked, clearly concerned.
"Ah, no, no—It's just… I never really got used to blood tests. It's just a silly fear, I have no problem with it." The girl managed to say, despite probably losing half her weight in sweat.
"Are you sure?" Albedo added extra emphasis on the "sure".
"Yes, yes, I'm sure. If I chicken out, do it anyway. It's just me being dramatic."
Truth to be told, Lumine hated blood tests. Waking up early for the appointment and not eating breakfast immediately was bad enough, but she was also terrified of needles.
Actually, all her family was. If Paimon wasn't adopted, Lumine would be convinced it was a hereditary trait.
She always felt dizzy after, and her arm got terribly sore. All in all, a hellish experience that she was about to go through.
"In any case, please look at me now, Miss Lumine. And don't look away."
She looked at Zhongli, knowing what he was trying to do: preventing her from having a look at the needle and freaking out. At her side, she heard Albedo's footsteps and he soon got a hold of her arm.
"I will do it now, alright?" Came the alchemist's gentle voice.
Don't look, don't look, don'tlookdon'tlookdon'tlookdon'tlook--
She looked.
The needle was huge.
"Uhhhhhh, I think I need some more time…" She was going to chicken out. She was totally going to chicken out, no way in hell that needle is going inside her.
"Miss Lumine." Zhongli said, "You said that we should continue without paying heed to your complaints. Do you still stand by that statement?"
He was giving the opportunity for her to go back on her own words, which was really nice of him, but he also was the God of Contracts in the flesh. Going back on her words in front of him? Hell no. Lumine may be a chicken, but she was a chicken with standards.
"...Just be quick about it."
The following minutes were full of Lumine's not-quite-panic-but-somewhere-in-that-line-induced blabbering, followed by Albedo telling her to relax. "Don't let your muscles tense or it'll hurt.", or something like that. Lumine definitely wasn't focusing on him.
Zhongli, ever the perfect gentleman, decided to let her hold his hand at some point. She never gripped on something that hard before, and if it weren't for his probably godly constitution, the girl would be worried about breaking a bone or two.
Albedo finally took out all he needed, and Lumine spent a good ten seconds trying to navigate her dizziness. Zhongli helped her stand.
"This is all for today. I will analyze your blood and look out for any anomalies."
"Thank you, Albedo." The Overseer said. Maybe. That was his voice, right?
"You are more than welcome, Overseer. Well, Miss Lumine… While that probably wasn't the most pleasant experience for you, I hope it doesn't put me in a bad light. I'd like to know more about you, if possible."
"Uh? Oh, no, no, I'd love that!" Lumine answered, a bit too fast for her head's liking. Calm. Down.
Albedo gave her a small smile—Maybe. It was hard to tell—and sent her his "I'll see you later." Zhongli once again closed the door after his own goodbye, carrying the still very groggy Lumine.
"Do you want me to carry you to your room, Miss Lumine?"
"I'd really appreciate it, Zhongli xiansheng ."
A few days later, Lumine already had her first mission as a jujutsu sorcerer.
Zhongli xiansheng took her further north of Dihua Marsh, to Qingce Village. Albedo accompanied to monitor her condition and make observations, and Xiao was also there as an extra protection.
Lumine never went this far in her life and she felt anxious and giddy all at once. The anxiety was dulled by the people who surrounded her, who she knew and trusted at this point.
Talking about knowing people, Albedo was a most curious character. The way his interest in things changed in the blink of an eye was rather funny, as well as his unmatched teasing and witty remarks. It was the kind of humor that went over most people's heads, but was hilarious when they finally got it.
Not so hilarious when it was directed at Lumine, though. When Albedo decides you'd make a good guinea pig for a joke, it's better to run for it.
The most surprising thing was his talent for drawing. Lumine was deemed trustworthy enough to bear witness to some of his sketches and they were absolutely beautiful. His finished works, then? He clearly would be paid so much for some of his pieces it was actually ridiculous.
She told him so, and his answer was "I wonder how much a drawing of you would sell, then. You look quite the model to me."
See? He's really a unique one. Lumine still doesn't know if he was actually being serious.
Qingce Village was beautiful, a pacific sort of beauty. It was a place for the elderly to rest and the young to play freely. Even the air seemed more pure around there.
It seems like the atmosphere got Zhongli in a storytelling mood. He told her of a village that hasn't changed for centuries, of a beast of old slain, of flower fields and bamboo forests. It all seemed so nostalgic, and the man's eyes held both bitterness and sweetness in the way he gazed at the land.
He witnessed those tales in person, after all. How much did the past differed from the present? What was there once that can never be had again?
Despite all these questions, Lumine kept her mouth shut about it. It was better to leave him with his thoughts, at least for now. If he wants to share, she thinks he will.
So, she decided to ask, "What will we do here?"
Zhongli turned to her. "There have been reports of curses roaming around the bamboo forest. It doesn't seem really serious, so I figured it should be a good starting point for you."
Right in front of her, Xiao tilted his head to look the former Archon fully in the eye. Zhongli held the adeptus' gaze and they had a one-second silent conversation before looking ahead again.
Huh, what was that about?
In no time, they were at the bamboo forest. The group actually spent the day at the village, since Zhongli xiansheng said that "Around here, supernatural apparitions tend to come out at night, answering the moon's call." It was romantic, in its own weird way.
Lumine thinks she was actually right, getting there. The bamboo forest was absolutely breathtaking, the moonlight gently peeking through the leaves and bathing the plants in a silver glow. Who wouldn't find this romantic?
"We're wasting time. The sooner we finish, the sooner peace returns to the village."
Probably Xiao.
"Miss Lumine." Zhongli called, "Before we go, I'd like to give you something."
Lumine watched as he made a weapon appear in a flurry of golden sparkles. She had seen Xiao do the same trick countless times, but it honestly never stopped being cool.
"Xiao told me that your sword style derives from Inazuma, correct? In Dihua Magic Technical School, there are no katanas, but single-edged blades should suffice for now. This will be your weapon from now on, if it suits your tastes."
Lumine gingerly accepted the blade. It indeed was single-edged, and it also had a beautiful and strong jade color, just like Xiao's spearhead. Was it actual jade?
"This is the Primordial Jade Cutter." Zhongli answered her silent question immediately. "It was once carved from jade to be a gift between friends, but war struck before it could be used as such. Since then, it has been used as a weapon."
"How… Sad." Lumine couldn't help but say it. "The blade never got to know peace."
Lumine lived in Inazuma for years. This, she knows: blades have souls. They join their masters in battle, or rebel against them. They long for peace, or lust after blood. Only by knowing the blade's innermost wishes can one strike cleanly.
What does this blade wish for?
Zhongli seemed to agree with her previous statement. "Then, I hope this blade finds rest in you. It can no longer go back to being a simple gift, but it cannot bear to senselessly slaughter anymore. I ask of you, Miss Lumine: do be responsible."
"I will." Lumine raised her chin, determined to honor the blade. "I won't use it to cold-blooded murder. It's my promise."
The dark-haired man accepted her words. "Then, a contract has been made. You shall honor the blade, and the blade shall honor you."
Zhongli then held Lumine's hand and made a hand sign, briefly closing his eyes. The sword disappeared in a golden glow.
"Uh, where did it go?"
"You can now call it forth. It's easy, just visualize it in your hand."
Lumine did as she was told. In no time, Primordial Jade Cutter was back into her right hand.
The girl couldn't help but let out a big smile. "Wow, it really works! How do I make it disappear?"
"Just think about sending it away."
Lumine imagined the blade in her room, lying on her bed. The jade blade really went away at that.
Lumine called the sword back and forth at least five times in excitement. Zhongli only watched, mildly amused at her enthusiasm.
"Well then, it seems you're finally prepared for your first mission. How do you feel about it, Miss Lumine?"
She stopped to look at the jade sword in her hand, trying to find the words. She eventually managed.
"I feel… Excited. A bit afraid, too."
Zhongli hummed. "A perfectly normal reaction. Don't worry, the Chief Alchemist will go with you. He has quite the experience with these situations."
Lumine glanced at Albedo, who made his own sword materialize with a flourish. His was a Mondstadt-styled blade, which shared the same color scheme and motifs as his clothes.
"Very well. What is our mission, Overseer?" He spoke.
"Your mission is to find the curses who currently roam this bamboo forest. Qingce's villagers told me of at least three distinct targets that should be eliminated swiftly."
"Roger that!" Lumine couldn't help but shout, punctuating it with a short salute. The alchemist wordlessly nodded at her and ventured deeper amongst the bamboos, soon followed by the blond girl.
She turned back when she heard a few footsteps, quickly learning they belonged to Xiao. He hadn't quite managed to join the duo, because Zhongli had stopped him on his tracks.
"There's no need." She heard the Overseer say. "These two shall complete the mission on their own."
Xiao nodded and she turned back, missing the tight grip the adeptus kept on his jade spear.
The deeper they went into the forest, the more dizzy Lumine felt, fearing she might get lost.
Were this a normal forest, it wouldn't be like this. In a normal forest, trees look different. This was a bamboo labyrinth of doom.
"Nothing on your end, Albedo-san?"
"Nothing. Yours?" They were currently side by side, almost back to back. The chances of a curse sighting would be higher this way without compromising their unity… Or so Albedo said. She just went along with it because she didn't want to get separated.
"No, no—Wait, maybe I did… Or not… Is hard to see."
"If you see anything with a monstrous form that speaks in a highly incoherent manner, don't show any hesitation."
It was actually wonderful advice, because she never saw a curse before. It was also terrible advice, because the idea of a monster spewing gibberish coming to get her at night in the middle of a forest had its own merit, in a very, very bad way.
The sound of a pebble rolling. From there?
It came from where Albedo was looking at. She quickly turned to him, and he put a finger on his lips, asking for silence.
Before they could go in that direction… Another sound. Leaves rustling? Did it climb up there?
A look at the treetops (Were they really treetops? Is bamboo a tree? ) couldn't confirm anything. For a long time, no other sound could be heard.
"There could very well be two of the three right here." Albedo whispered. He was right; for all they knew, the third could show up soon.
Huh? This just now… Hooves?
The sound was very distant, but seemed like it circled them. Right at Albedo's left, another pebble was kicked by something.
Okay, so it was a trap. Albedo and Lumine had to fight the pebble-kicker if they wanted to break through it. After that, there was something with hooves waiting for them. Things with hooves were usually really fast. Then, there was the thing above them; where was it now? No rustling sound after that first apparition was worrisome.
"Miss Lumine," Albedo suddenly announced, "I think it's better if we go on different ways from now on."
"Huh?" Lumine eyed him sideways. "Where are you going?"
"I am going to deal with the furthest target. You will stay here and deal with the other two."
Uh, what? You're leaving me to fight two at the same time? Isn't that too fast!?
That was what she was thinking. Unfortunately, what came out of her mouth was "Uh, right?" and Albedo deemed it a go-to signal.
She stood there, gazing at the alchemist's retreating figure and fighting the urge to go after him. Don't, the girl told herself, you're gonna get lost.
Lumine was so caught up in doing it that she missed the attack of the tree-climber. It actually dropped itself from the trees to plop on her shoulder.
If someone were to see the scene, they would laugh. The girl turned her head in an agonizing slow motion, coming face to face with… A very big frog.
Well, not really true. It looked more like a sentient pile of mud with frog-like features.
Then, her nerves finally did the favor of sending signals to her brain, which processed the following sensation:
Slimy. Slimy and cold. Disgusting.
She doesn't know if she should be proud of her reflexes for automatically attacking the curse or ashamed of them for using her newly acquired weapon as a baseball bat. It still sent the thing away, so maybe she should feel proud.
The frog-like curse did what a frog would in such a situation and flopped down pathetically on the floor, not even attempting to get up. It was that weak, so Lumine only needed to get closer and stab it to get the job done.
Ah, minus one. Where's the pebble-kicker?
As if her thoughts had some sort of conjuring power, the second curse charged straight to her. Lumine did the first thing any martial artist worth their salt learned first and rolled away to at least fall with style.
It was a boar. A godamn boar in the middle of a bamboo forest. Is there even anything for it to eat around here?
She stopped her train of thought (not before realizing the boar was actually a curse and therefore did not need to eat) to chase the curse around. It evolved on an almost cartoon-styled chase, and Lumine had to use her Anemo sorcery in battle for the very first time.
Summoning a powerful whirlwind to lift the boar to the ground, she leaped and unleashed a blade of Anemo that sliced through the air, cutting the curse in two. Far away, she heard an explosion and wondered about her companion's well-being.
Albedo is no doubt more experienced than me. If I had no trouble with these, neither should he, right?
Still, she wanted to see him, just to be sure. Just one problem, though…
Where the hell am I?
Hilariously enough, she reached the starting point while looking for Albedo. Zhongli and Xiao looked as equally confused as her.
"Miss Lumine? Why did you return without Chief Alchemist Albedo?"
"Uh, xiansheng… Truth to be told, I have no idea. I defeated two of the curses and then went to search for him, but…" She looked back at the forest. Another faint explosion sound was heard.
The former Archon had a pensive expression on his face for a few seconds, before going back to normal. "He'll be back soon, don't worry. More importantly, you said you defeated two of the three targets?"
Lumine straightened her posture. "Yes, sir! They were more annoying than powerful, but I exorcized then! How did that went for my first mission?"
"It seems you adapted well to the circumstances and managed to hold your own. There are far more difficult situations ahead of you, but this is a good first step as any. Xiao, what is your input on Miss Lumine's performance?"
Xiao frowned at her and the blonde immediately thought of thousands of complaints he could make. Instead of any of that, he sighed. "It's... Acceptable for a start. Not nearly enough for you to be throwing yourself at any danger you find."
Throwing herself at danger? She had Albedo's company the whole time, and he was experienced with this sort of thing.
Well, maybe not the whole time, but even when he was away there were both an adeptus and a god in the vicinity. What danger was out there that could go up against any of that?
Unless…
"Xiao shifu, did I make you worried? I'm sorry if I did. I won't be reckless." The apology came out of her mouth in one go, and Lumine went as far as punctuating her last words with a clasp of hands. Then he wouldn't be mad at her, right? Right?
She looked up to see Xiao's eyes widen for a second before he looked away completely. Combined with his now crossed arms, he really looked like he was trying to close himself in some way. Right at his side, Zhongli's eyes twinkled in the darkness of the night.
"Do not misunderstand." The yaksha began, still not facing her. "To protect you is my duty and I am simply willing to do so. Your apology is unnecessary."
"Oh, sorr—I mean, uh. Okay." That was by far the lamest thing Lumine had ever said, counting with the totally embarrassing first encounter she had with Ayaka and Thoma. That one was thought to be unsurpassed, yet here she was.
The very awkward moment was dispelled by Albedo's apparition, walking out of the bamboo forest as if he just got there for a nightly stroll. That's probably all it was for him, really.
"There was a curse adept at running. Not very powerful, but it made harder for me to exorcize it." Was his explanation for his brief withdrawal. He was as nonchalant as ever, not a single hair out of place.
He then spoke to Lumine. "And you, Miss Lumine? Did you managed to exorcize the other two?"
"Hm-huh! After I did it, I went to look for you, but I ended up here."
"Hmm. I figured you were headed here, so I followed you at a distance."
"Oh. So in the end I should be worried for myself, huh."
The alchemist actually had the gall to agree with her. "It seems so, Miss Lumine. Do be aware of your surroundings next time."
The rest of the night was followed with Lumine's indignated exclamations, followed by Zhongli's soft chuckles, Albedo's teasing remarks and Xiao's comfortable silence.
Such a fleeting yet precious moment, the kind that makes one wish for it to last forever.