Genshin Impact: Following the Winds

(Extra chapter today)

"Truly, I'm fine." Venti smiled, winking as he took a bite from his Sublime Peach. 

Lumine knew full well that he was lying, and she was sure he knew that she knew. "If you say so, buddy." But she smiled instead, plastering a grin on her face as she patted him on the back. "I'll be off for now, yeah?"

He nodded. "Then farewell for now, friend." She smiled as she turned and left his room. 

The moment the door closed behind her, she let her smile fall. She restrained the urge to sigh, knowing that Venti could easily hear her if she did. And right now, that was the last thing her friend needed.

She knew Venti wasn't well. He hadn't been well for a few days now, since he awoke from whatever dream he'd had that night. Whatever it was he saw, it caused him to scream in such agony that it still sent shivers up her spine just thinking about it. She-, it was the first time she'd seen Venti in that much pain. In that much sorrow.

Perhaps his facade worked well enough for most, but she'd been around Aether long enough to catch the minute fractures in his smiles. At the way his eyes would go dull at times, as if lost in some memory. And occasionally, she caught him staring out towards the ocean, pressing a hand onto his chest as if to fill some gaping hole in his ribcage.

Seeing him like that was…rough. It reminded her of the way Aether was during those first few months after they escaped the destruction of their home. Silent, lost, but pretending that everything was fine. But he too slipped at times. At the way he would prepare too much food at times, at the way he would seemingly forget that their home was gone.

She wanted nothing more than to cradle Venti in a cocoon of blankets and wish his worries away, but she knew that wouldn't work. She'd learnt the hard way that not everyone bounced back as quickly as she did. Some people needed more time than others, to let things settle before their minds could focus once more.

…But,

Of course, at the precise moment when Venti needed more time to himself, they received a letter from mainland Inazuma about Raiden Makoto accepting their offer to negotiate, telling them that the two goddesses should arrive at Watatsumi Island in a day or two.

Of course, of course! Just at the precise time when Venti was unavailable. Saiguu could probably act as his stand-in, but she and Raiden Makoto were friends—bias was inevitable in that scenario. And as mighty and kind as Orobashi was, communication was not something he was skilled at. There was a reason he often stayed alone even after Gourou Village was built.

Which left Lumine to pick up the mantle.

Haah. It-, as much as she despised this sort of thing, she'd do it. Thankfully, Saiguu had quietly told me about the letter since she too understood that Venti wasn't exactly at his best, and so he knew nothing about the upcoming negotiations. That was for the best.

Forcing a calm smile back onto her face, she left the inn Venti was temporarily staying in. Many people greeted her as she went by—some even bowed to her, with reverence usually reserved for the divine. She did her best to maintain her usual lax attitude, all while making her way out of the village.

It didn't take her long before she passed through the village's gate, and out she came to the wilderness of Watatsumi. The island sure looked a lot prettier nowadays, what with the green hills and the many sakura trees that dotted the lands. Beauty now covered these once-barren lands, birthing life and prosperity for all to come.

Or at least that was what she imagined Venti would say.

She closed her eyes. Truth be told, she envied him. Envied his ability to find joy in the smallest things. To be so awed by something as simple as a child's determination to defeat his father. Perks of being old enough to watch entire civilisations die and be reborn, she supposed.

Not saying she was some cynical jackass who decided that nothing mattered anymore just because she was old—a surprisingly common trope. It's just-, you see something enough times, and it starts losing a little bit of its luster, you know? Play a game enough times, and no matter how addicting it is, it'll grow stale in time if nothing changes.

But she'd try. 

Because Venti was her friend. 

And that was enough.

…

A day later, a lavish ship approached Watatsumi's shores. Naturally, many of the samurai who wandered the island as scouts noticed it the night prior, but under Saiguu and Lumine's orders, they made sure to keep things quiet.

When the ship came close enough, Lumine boarded the ship, and was immediately beset by dozens of eyes. Many samurai stood on the ship, ready to draw their blades at a moment's notice. It seemed that Ei's defeat under her hands hadn't gone completely unnoticed, and Makoto likely thought she needed some defense if she ever went ballistic.

Unfortunately, these poor sods were no better than no-name NPCs in her eyes, and so she disregarded their barely-hidden hostility and followed the samurai who promised to lead her to their Lord.

After a short tense walk, she was led to the captain's quarters. "Our Lord awaits." He said stiffly, clearly displeased that he had to talk to her, yet just as afraid of her strength. 

She smiled back. It was far from pleasant. "Have a nice day." She gripped the door handle and purposely put in too much strength, causing the door handle to shatter in her grip. What little chatter there was fell silent as they saw the shrapnel clatter onto the ship's deck.

She clicked her tongue. "Woops." She said, and then smiled evenly. "Sorry 'bout that."

The samurai who led her here said nothing, eyes wide and trembling.

Holding back a sigh, she went in, and there the two goddesses were, sitting behind a small table. Raiden Makoto and Raiden Ei. As Saiguu told her, they did look quite similar, though it wasn't too difficult to see who was who. Makoto was dressed more like an artisan, in her lavish robe adorned with fabrics and trinkets, while Ei dressed more like a samurai, her blade sheathed on her waist.

Lumine took a breath. "'Sup." She waved, and smiled slightly as she saw Ei confusedly wave back. "I don't think I actually introduced myself back then, but to be fair we were kinda duking it out. So," She gave a showy bow to the two goddesses. "I'm Lumine, a Traveler from the Stars. Nice to meet you two."

Raiden Makoto stared for a moment, before she tilted her head. "Are you…not a god?"

She rolled her eyes. "No, I'm not. I'm an alien, for a lack of a better word." She then paused as she frowned. "Uh, you know what aliens are, right?"

"I…presume you are being literal, then." Makoto then said, frowning slightly as she realized that the one standing before her was something unique throughout all of Teyvat. She quickly smiled as she bowed. "I am Raiden Makoto, though I believe most would know me as Baal."

"Raiden Ei." Her sister then added, giving a small nod. 

Lumine nodded back. "Right, right." She sat down at the opposite side of the table. "So, we doing this the hard way or the easy way?"

Raiden Makoto blinked. "I…what?" Normally she would've had a more eloquent response, but the 'foreign god' that had defeated her sister was nothing like she imagined her to be. Lumine was reminding her more and more of the Oni instead of a regal goddess that she feared she was.

Lumine sighed. "I'm going to be transparent; I wasn't meant to be here, and I am not happy. But the guy who should've done the negotiating is a bit conked out right now, and so I have to take the wheel." She stared at the goddesses, eyes glowing. "We both know what exactly Watatsumi wants from you guys."

Makoto held back a relieved sigh. Finally, they were back in somewhat-familiar territory. "I'm afraid that is impossible." She said, her voice steely. "Watatsumi is a part of Inazuma."

"Is it though?" Lumine asked back, leaning back onto her chair. "Let's make a list: You barely came to Watatsumi, didn't attempt to help when people began to starve, and used force when you found out another god still lives." The glow in her eyes became brighter. "Just because you committed genocide on most gods here doesn't mean you have the right."

Ei restrained the urge to bring out her blade as she felt the incredible pressure that'd suddenly descended on them both. She grit her teeth behind her lips, the floor around her cackling with Electro as she used her Element to remain steady. And-, was it just her imagination, or did Lumine seem even more formidable than she was just months prior?

Makoto fared far worse. She didn't have her sister's great strength, and even with the Gnosis empowering her, she was far from a War God. So she gasped as she felt the full weight of Lumine's stare, cold and unyielding. 

What was most terrifying was the lack of anger. Makoto was familiar with anger, with hatred. Many had felt like so when she began to unify Inazuma. But Lumine's stare was eerily admonishing, as if she and her sister were merely rowdy children who'd committed a great wrong.

Lumine stared at the two goddesses with disappointment.

She gulped. W-What could she even say to that!?

Thankfully, she didn't need to.

"Were we…wrong?" Ei asked softly, brows furrowed.

Lumine sighed as she slumped onto her chair. "I don't know." She shrugged. "Do the means justify the ends? Sure, if we look at it number-wise, Morax probably killed just as many gods as you did, but at least he tried to talk it out first. And what do you know, Liyue Harbor now has dozens of Adepti protecting it."

"Work, together?" Ei concluded, frowning slightly.

Lumine hummed. "You pay violence with violence, and soon enough, there won't be any other way." She smiled dimly, remembering something from a long time ago. "And trust me, those kinds of dystopias never manage to last long. Maybe a good dozen millenia before everything crumbles onto itself."

Makoto sighed softly. She wondered what would've happened had she attempted such diplomacy when they began their unification. Would there have been more like Kitsune Saiguu by her side? "Your advice is sound." She admitted softly. "But that is the matter of-"

"I'm not done yet."

The pressure returned once more, and she could only stare forward as Lumine lazily crossed her legs. The easygoing attitude she had was entirely replaced by an authoritative glare.

"As I said, I don't know if you going all Rambo was the right move or not, but that doesn't matter." She narrowed her eyes. "You claim to lead Inazuma, but I've barely seen that. When I visited Narukami, the whole place looked like it was seconds away from crumbling. Your people are no better than headless ducks in your absence, and that is solely your fault."

"So!" Lumine clapped as she smiled coldly. "Let's rundown your list of failures, shall we?"

Makoto gulped, and she could only shrivel into herself as Lumine began hammering her failures regarding her own people with piercing accuracy.

All the while, Ei watched in confusion and slight awe. 

…

Unseen by all, the island in the sky began emitting an eerie, white glow.