The sun rose and the moon set—soon, it was the next day.
Inside Jean's office.
Venti, Jean, Diluc, Paimon, and Lumine were chatting together.
Before long, Ye Yun, Welt, Stelle, and March 7th stepped in.
"Morning, everyone," Ye Yun waved and greeted them.
Paimon waved back. "Morning, Ye Yun, and you too, Stelle, March, Mr. Welt!"
Jean and the others greeted them as well.
After some brief hellos, they got to the main topic.
Yesterday, Lumine had told Ye Yun they'd be going to find Dvalin today.
And as it happened, Noelle was taking care of the shop, so Ye Yun could finally step out instead of being stuck there every day.
After thinking it over, Ye Yun decided to go with them.
"So, what do you say? Are we heading out now?" Ye Yun asked.
Leaning against the wall, Diluc straightened up. "Let's go. The sooner we get this over with, the better."
They all headed east—out of Mondstadt, across Windrise, and arrived at Starsnatch Cliff.
But their journey didn't feel like a mission—it felt more like a field trip.
Stelle, Lumine, March 7th, and Paimon were goofing off the whole way—catching fish, kicking slimes around like soccer balls.
Especially Stelle, who was having the time of her life. She kicked an Anemo Slime, which exploded and sent her flying from the wind blast.
At Starsnatch Cliff.
Venti pulled out the Skyward Lyre and played a song, successfully summoning Dvalin.
"Barbatos! Did you come with them to hunt me?!"
Venti tried to explain, "No, it's not like that—"
Just then, an Abyss Mage appeared above Dvalin, whispering in his ear.
"Poor dragon… he has abandoned you. Embrace the Aby—"
Before he could finish, Ye Yun suddenly appeared behind him and grabbed him.
The mage's shield shattered instantly upon Ye Yun's touch.
Ye Yun threw the mage down to the ground with force.
Dvalin was startled and about to attack Ye Yun—
But Ye Yun glared at him. "What are you lookin' at?!"
Dvalin flared up. "What, I can't look?!"
Ye Yun smirked. "Oho! Got a temper, huh? Alright, let's see what you've got!"
Ye Yun instantly appeared on Dvalin and punched him hard.
The pain made Dvalin realize he had just been attacked.
Under Ye Yun's strike, Dvalin crashed heavily to the ground.
As he tried to get up and fly, he suddenly saw a cheerful gray-haired girl pointing a giant greatsword at his neck.
"Hehe, don't move!"
Feeling the burning heat from the greatsword's flames, Dvalin immediately gave up resisting.
Ye Yun landed and dusted his hands. "Okay, my part's done. Next up!"
Venti tapped Lumine's shoulder. "Lumine, you're up."
Lumine snapped out of it and ran behind Dvalin, using her dull blade to hack at the poisonous spike.
Clang, clang, clang!
That spike was tougher than expected—Lumine hacked away for a long time and only managed to cut half of it.
Panting and wiping sweat from her forehead, she took a breather.
Meanwhile, Stelle and March 7th were playing with some crabs they'd caught, alongside their critters—the Fire Monkey and Bub Seed.
Ye Yun, Welt, and Diluc set up a tea table and began chatting over tea.
Jean and Venti chatted off to the side about who-knows-what.
Paimon sat munching on a bag of chips.
Lumine felt so bitter inside. Why did I agree to do this?! I wanna go back and slap past-me.
After resting, she got back to chipping away at the spike.
Just then, the air around them twisted—Abyss portals opened, and hordes of Hilichurls and Abyss Mages came pouring out.
And then, an Abyss Herald appeared.
"This dragon's fate belongs to the Abyss! Hear the grace of the Abyss!"
Instantly, Stelle, March 7th, Lumine, Diluc, and Jean leapt into action.
A dozen Abyss Mages launched magical attacks, their projectiles glowing in all colors.
Stelle slammed her flame lance into the ground—instantly forming a protective shield over everyone.
Then she drew the Judgment of Shamash and entered greatsword mode.
"Judgment Of Shamash, Unleashed"
With a single strike, a flaming tidal wave surged toward the monsters.
Now with her dual-core upgrade, Stelle could wield even greater power than before.
Everything in the wave's path—Hilichurls or Mage—was turned to ash.
March 7th shot a huge ice arrow into the sky, which exploded into shards raining down like icy needles.
Diluc's greatsword flared with both wind and fire.
"Dawn—Judgment!"
A fire phoenix wrapped in wind burst forth, clearing a path through the battlefield.
Jean, having mastered the Wind Spirit Technique, had far better control over Anemo now.
With a single swing, she unleashed a wind blade over ten meters long.
Lumine, whose power had mostly recovered, now stood at Archon-level. Wings of light sprouted from her back as she rampaged across the battlefield.
Ye Yun and Welt, on the other hand, calmly sipped their tea.
Venti kept watch on Dvalin, ready in case he tried to flee.
Ye Yun took another sip. "Tsk, there's a lot of these guys. We've been killing them forever and more keep showing up. Is Dvalin really that popular?"
Venti looked at Dvalin. "Dvalin's actually very strong, okay?"
Ye Yun chuckled. "He did take one of my punches and survive, I'll give him that."
Neither Venti nor Welt argued—Ye Yun had genuine Emanator-level power.
Even without a Destiny Path, his physique, mental strength, and control over imaginary energy were on par with a true Emanator.
The fact that Dvalin survived a punch was a feat in itself.
On the battlefield.
Stelle and the others were slaughtering the enemy forces.
Even the Abyss Herald had been cornered by Lumine.
Just as she prepared to finish him off, a black sword slash cut in from the side and knocked her back.
Lumine steadied herself and looked over—eyes going wide in disbelief.
"Brother?!"
It was her brother, Aether.
Aether turned to her. "Lumine. Long time no see."
Seeing him with the Abyss Order, Lumine cried out, "Brother! Why are you with the Abyss?!"
Aether replied, "Because they're my companions. The Seven are my enemies. Celestia is my enemy. I have an unfinished war with the Heavenly Principles!"
Lumine pleaded, "Brother, let's go home together, okay?"
At the word home, Aether seemed to remember something warm—he smiled faintly.
"Home… wherever Lumine is, that's home."
"Listen to me, Lumine. I've already journeyed once. When your journey ends, you'll understand why I made my choices."
"We've always had time, Lumine. I'll wait for you at the end of the road."
Then he turned to the Abyss Herald. "This mission has failed. Let's go."
As he began to open a portal, Lumine rushed to stop him—only to be blocked by several Abyss Mages.
Suddenly, someone charged in—aiming straight for Aether.
"Judgment Of Shamash, Unleashed"
It was Stelle.
She raised the Judgment of Shamash and brought it down—Aether didn't even have time to react and got knocked out cold.
Stelle didn't waste a second—pulled out a rope and tied him up.
"Hehe, trying to leave? Not on my watch."
"Blah blah, waiting for Lumine, war, destiny—what are you even talking about? I don't get it."
"Lumine's my bestie. I won't let her run around chasing after you forever."
After tying him tight, Stelle tugged the rope with a grin and gave Lumine a big thumbs-up.
"Lumine, done! I got your brother back for you."
Lumine stared at the completely trussed-up Aether and finally snapped back to her senses.
Right! Why even bother listening to all that cryptic stuff? He's right here—just tie him up!
She returned Stelle's thumbs-up.
"Stelle! Beautifully done! That's my girl!"
***
Over an Hour Later
Aether slowly woke up in a daze, and the first thing he saw was Lumine, Stelle, and March 7th all grinning mischievously at him.
Stelle chuckled slyly, holding a can of surströmming she had drawn earlier.
"Hehe, you're finally awake?"
Aether widened his eyes in shock when he saw the label on the can—he recognized that thing.
"You... what are you guys trying to do?"
Lumine pulled out a calligraphy brush and dipped it in ink.
"Spill it! What other plans does your Abyss Order have?"
Aether turned his head away. "Save your breath. I'm not telling you anything."
Hearing this, March 7th laid out yesterday's leftover durian shells on the ground and waved her hand.
"Torture him!"
Stelle and Lumine grinned wickedly as they grabbed Kong from both sides and lifted him up.
Aether immediately realized what they were about to do.
Kneel on durians! I'm not afraid! Bring it on! I'm a prince—why would I fear a mere durian?
Thud! The sound of durian spikes piercing through his pants echoed, followed by a muffled grunt from Kong.
"Hmph."
Stelle saw that Aether didn't even scream.
"Well well, not bad. You actually made it through the first round so easily."
"Then try this!"
Without warning, Stelle opened the can of surströmming.
In an instant, a putrid stench filled the air. Stelle, who was closest, almost fainted on the spot.
She quickly pinched her nose.
"Ugh! This smell is insane!"
March 7th and Lumine also pinched their noses.
Aether felt nauseous just smelling the air and nearly threw up.
Stelle, after recovering a bit, saw Aether's contorted face and mischievously placed the can right under his nose.
Aether's face instantly turned green, as if he had been poisoned.
He struggled to get away from the can, but Lumine and March 7th held him down firmly.
Eventually, Aether couldn't hold it anymore and vomited.
"Ughhh~"
The three girls immediately covered their mouths and noses in disgust, shooting him disdainful looks.
Lumine even mocked him:
"Eww~ A grown man, and you can't even handle a can of fish? Pathetic."
Aether finally caught his breath and started cursing:
"You Stupid Sister! Try it yourself! Don't you dare pinch your nose!"
Lumine saw that he still had the nerve to talk back.
"Oh? Still resisting? You're forcing me to use my ultimate move. March!"
March 7th immediately pulled out another fresh can of surströmming.
Lumine opened it and shoved it under Aether's nose again. He started dry-heaving on the spot.
"Spill it! What plans does the Abyss Order have?!"
Aether shook his head, refusing to talk.
Lumine sighed.
"Brother, don't blame me."
Then she picked up a pair of chopsticks and lifted a piece of fish, aiming for Aether's mouth.
Aether's eyes almost popped out of his head. The smell alone was already unbearable—eating it?
No! No! Noooo!
"You Stupid Sister! Stop! I'll talk! I'll tell you everything!"
Hearing that, Lumine withdrew her hand with satisfaction.
"See? Was that so hard? Had to make us torture you. Now speak."
Aether then spilled all his plans to Lumine.
Another Hour Later
On Dvalin's back, Lumine held a dull blade, occasionally waving it near Aether.
"Get to work!"
Aether looked resigned—how did he end up getting caught by this annoying sister?
Holding a dull blade, he hacked away at the venomous thorns on Dvalin's back.
Lumine wanted him to suffer a little for what he just put her through.
What kind of big brother does this? Living it up in the Abyss while leaving his sister to wander Teyvat alone.
Back when she had just awakened...
She could only survive by picking Sunsettia when hungry and drinking river water when thirsty. If it weren't for finding a dull blade in a chest, she wouldn't even have been able to eat meat.
Aether slashed down on a venomous thorn, cutting off a few shards.
He looked at the broken pieces, then at the thorn in front of him and another intact one behind—it was overwhelming.
After waking up, his powers had been sealed, leaving him with only enhanced physical strength.
Lumine saw him slacking and smacked his butt with her sword.
"What are you looking at? Keep working!"
Aether's fists clenched instantly—he was ready to quit.
Just as he was about to throw the sword away, he saw Lumine take out another can of surströmming.
Aether gasped and could only vent his anger on the venomous thorns.
In the Distance
Ye Yun, Welt, Jean, Diluc, and Venti were enjoying tea and chatting as they watched the scene from afar.
Jean looked a bit worried.
"Uh… shouldn't we stop them? It seems… kind of cruel."
Ye Yun smiled.
"No need, those two siblings are always like that.
There's a saying in my hometown: When there's no external danger, siblings are each other's biggest threat. When there is, they're each other's greatest support.
Don't worry, they'll be fine."
Jean thought about it and found the logic surprisingly reasonable.
Then the group resumed their tea and chatting.
Finally
By the time the sun was about to set, Aether had finished clearing the venomous thorns on Dvalin's back.
Exhausted both physically and mentally, he collapsed onto the grass, looking like he had nothing left to live for.
Lumine walked over.
"Here, for you."
She handed him a bottle of water. Aether took it, unscrewed the cap, and took a big gulp.
The water revived him a bit.
Lumine looked at him with a disappointed expression.
"Do you still see me as your sister? How could you carry something so serious on your own? When you face that woman, you must take me with you."
Aether wanted to refuse. He didn't want Lumine to be in danger.
But Lumine interrupted firmly.
"It's settled. If I find out you went to face her alone, you'll be getting today's combo special again."
Aether had no choice but to nod.
"Alright, I promise."
Satisfied, Lumine nodded.
"Alright, alright. Now go back to your Abyss. I need to rest too."
Aether stood up, nodded, and opened an Abyss portal.
"Take care, Lumine."
Just then, a voice called out.
"Trying to run? Judgment of Shamash..."
Stelle was about to strike with Judgment of Shamash when Lumine quickly stopped her and explained the situation.
After hearing it, Stelle finally put her weapon away.
Aether was speechless. What kind of friends had Lumine made? Ready to fight at any moment—unbelievable!
He quickly made his escape, not wanting to get caught again for any reason.
After Aether Left
Ye Yun checked the time—it was about time to make dinner.
But then he realized: this place was perfect for a gathering.
So Ye Yun decided to host a feast right there.
Everyone eagerly agreed.
Even Jean, who had a pile of paperwork waiting, chose to stay.
With Dvalin recovered, it was indeed time to celebrate.
Stelle took the job of messenger and headed to the Honkai: Star Rail world to call people.
Venti went into Mondstadt to pick up the two little ones and notify Lisa and the others.