Searching For Our Enemies

"Have you finished searching?" Dainsleif asked. It had been a few minutes and they regrouped.

"I found a lot of signs of the Abyss Order..." Aether answered.

"I searched around these parts and found some signs myself. But they were left behind by Abyss Mages, and there was no deeper Abyssal power to them. It seems that even an Abyss Herald would not wish to make trouble with the Wolf King of the North." Dainsleif muttered to himself with an amused face.

" We should leave as well. If there's anything praiseworthy about that old wolf, it's his territorial nature. Let's get a move on, then. I'll wait for you at Stormterror's Lair." Dainsleif said and they disappeared and reappeared in front of some ruins.

"A lot of things have changed here... The building was destroyed" Dainsleif thought to himself while looking around.

"I've heard about what happened to you during Mondstadt's crisis. When you came, this place was known as Stormterror's Lair. But I suppose that this place is more 'ruins' than 'Stormterror' at this point.In fact, if my memory serves, this ruin has had largely nothing to do with that dragon for a long time. The first time I laid eyes upon the ruins of Old Mondstadt, the Dragon of the East had yet to fall, much less come to nest in this place." Dainsleif ranted.

" Do you remember the Light Actuators that once sealed this ruin? If the Abyss Order is interested in this location, then they will not neglect those mechanisms. Let's go see what the situation is at those Light Actuators." They then went deeper into the Light Actuators. They encounter some enemies which Aether disposed of them with one swipe of his hand.

" *sigh* How good it would be if all perils one encounters in their journeys could simply be solved by going around them." Dainsleif grumbled.

" Seems like you're speaking from experience. " Aether said curiously. Dainsleif sighed.

" Once upon a time, yes... I simply have the experience from adventuring together with that traveling companion." Dainsleif said with nostalgia showing in his eyes.

" You keep talking about this person. Can I know who this person is? Where are they now, anyway?" Aether asked but he already knew the answer. It was his fucking sister after all.

"She.... No longer travels. I'm afraid that traveling can be... too exhausting at times. I... still have some things left unfinished. Once they are done, I too will return home to rest." Dainsleif said with some sadness in his voice.

" Home.... Am I home? " Aether muttered.

" You will have to search your heart deeply for that answer. Well, it won't be too late to think about where you stay once your journey reaches its end.While you're still traveling, you should... " Dainsleif advised him but stopped himself when Aether raised his hand.

" I sense something familiar. On that cliff" Aether told him while pointing on that cliff.

" A familiar feeling, you say? It could be someone you know well, or perhaps a monster. Whichever it is, we should see it for ourselves. Let's go." Dainsleif and Aether disappeared and reappeared on the cliff.

" Can you still sense that familiar feeling that you spoke of earlier?" Dainsleif asked Aether.

"It's nearby." Aether answered while looking around. Dainsleif looked around with him.

"There doesn't seem to be anything strange about this place. It doesn't look any different from the last time I was here..." Dainsleif muttered.

" Last time? " Aether asked curiously.

" My traveling companion brought me here on our previous journey." Dainsleif explained quickly.

"...Hmm? " Dainsleif walked away from Aether. Aether followed where he was going.

" A Ruin Guard's footprint... A Ruin Guard was wandering around here? No peace to be found, even for a single dandelion..." Dainsleif muttered. Aether knelt down and picked up the dandelion.

"Outlanders! Your journey ends here!"

"Who are you!"

""The sustainer of Heavenly Principles. The arrogance of mankind ends now!!"

"Lumine!"

" Aether! Aether! "

" Huh? Oh.... " Aether looked at Paimon who was beside him with a worried face.

" What happened? You were spacing out while holding the dandelion!! " Paimon asked. Aether looked down.

" Lumine. Can we please reunite now? I met Dainsleif, the guy you traveled with apparently fallen out with while I was asleep for 500 hundred years. Dain and I are going to the Abyss Herald and I'm going to fight it. Go to where the Herald is. " Aether thought to himself and blew the dandelion away. The dandelion flew away in a random direction, never to be seen again.

"I... could feel her." Aether muttered.

"Eh? You mean your sister? But, how could that be... You only touched that dandelion for a second!" Paimon told him with a confused expression.

"Perhaps that dandelion bears some sort of "scent" that only you recognize. As for why... has it perhaps experienced something related to you?" Dainsleif asked. Paimon clutched her head in confusion.

" Uh, you're saying some real confusing stuff. Paimon doesn't get it at all..." Paimon complained.

"We have to go—

" Do not rush. Vexation and anxiety are the enemy of rational thought. Your journey has only just begun, has it not? At least you now know that she is still in this world. At this time, the most important thing is the journey to find her itself." Dainsleif said some deep shit.

" And I will find her."May Aether said with a determined face.

"Yes, and this is something you must keep in mind as the meaning behind your journey. May your find your kin at the end of that journey. Well then, let us part ways here for now." Dainsleif announced and was about to turn and walk away when Paimon decided to interrupt his walk out.

" Eh? You're leaving? Already?" Paimon asked him.

"Only for now. Don't worry, we will meet again. In a few minutes. You need some time. After all... I did take 500 Mora... and those three answers you gave me." Dainsleif muttered before disappearing from their view in a blink.

Aether sighed and looked down. Paimon looked at him again. She put her small fairy hands on his shoulder before disappearing into his mind.

" Sister. Hope you get my message..... " Aether muttered and got up. He needed to complete some stuff on his own before meeting Dainsleif in a few minutes.

In the deep dark Abyss, Lumine was playing Uno with Herald and Enjou.

"Uno." Lumine muttered putting a card in a pile of cards.

"Sorry my lady. Plus 4." Herald said before adding the plus 4 card on the pile. Lumine pouted a little before taking 4 cards from a card stack.

"Hey look. Another dandelion from your brother. Haven't heard from him in a while." Enjou commented before taking the floating dandelion from the air and handed it to Lumine.

Lumine held the dandelion close to her chest.

"Observe...."

The two Heralds watched as Lumine's eyes kept getting wider. They kept silent. After a while Lumine looked up to both of them.

"Herald, Enjou... It is time....

To be continued...