THE MOON SHINED DIMLY OVER TEYVAT

[Y/N] was not expecting to meet the person that had commissioned him to be so far from Liyue harbor. However, it was good company; he reasoned as the tiro walked together.

"Paimon wants to know why you're so far away from Inazuma." The mascot hovered around [Y/N], her small hands under her chin in wonder.

"It was no longer safe for me to remain in Inazuma."

"But why?"

[Y/N] had been interviewed by his origins long ago, but knowing that he was labeled a wanted criminal by the Tri-commission, he was well prepared with a fake story.

"I got an early warning from a friend of mine that the Vision hunt decree was going to be enacted." It wasn't a complete lie as he did get an early warning, though he would be the first one almost seized by it.

"Oh yea, Atsuko mentioned Inazuma that passed the Vision hunt decree," Paimon added.

"The commission you sent out didn't state much information, so it would be nice if you told me what type of ride I'm in for." [Y/N] monotoned, a yawn building up at the back of his throat from the late midnight.

The blonde paused in her thoughts for a moment. Although she knew giving someone who is a stranger personal information wasn't the wisest of ideas, she did consider it before shaking her head.

"I need to get to Inazuma." It was a dull answer with no context. This answer narrowed [Y/N]'s eyes. Though some questions were answered, many more followed, with some questions even arising. Something was not being told to him.

"Why would I want to go back to Inazuma?" [Y/N] replied, taking aback the traveler as she tripped slightly on the trail. What did he mean by that? Wasn't it where he was born?

"I know it's not very safe in Inazuma with all that's happening, but isn't Inazuma your home?" The blonde shot back. A small slight fissure in her calm expression formed and was filled with the bottled-up anxiety before her eyes.

She was correct, Inazuma was [Y/N]'s homeland, yet the boy convinced himself it was the best solution. Yet he remembers his last words to the women with those crystal violet eyes that struck terror and fear within a mere glace,

"I will seek the truth!"

Those words replayed over and over with no stop in sight. [Y/N]'s heart was drawn to the women he had known over these years. A strange feeling in his stomach longed for the presence of the archon. Was it their long friendship that had sprung these feelings into his heart? Though an immortal being, he was still a human that could be their life taken in an instant from a blade as everybody else could[. Why could he not understand something humans feel so commonly?

"I know Inazuma is my homeland, you're not my birth certificate." [Y/N] half wittily retorted. Though with a mind of mature intellect, he still held onto a horrible sense of humor that earned countless groans and nearly a duel with a famous poet once.

It was a sight to behold as he recollected how the boastful and prideful face of the poet transformed into fear once [Y/N] had 'displayed' his honed skills with the blade. The begging for mercy was enough for [Y/N]'s sword to be retracted as he had no actual intent to fight the unskilled poet. The poet's battles were meant to be fought on paper, not with swords.

"I just said this before, Inazuma is not safe for anyone. Not me nor you."

Another crack had formed on Lumine's features. It would not be long at this pace that she would turn into a mess of sadness and desperation, so she again sat on the previous idea.

"I need questions to where my brother lies to be answered!" The blonde revealed, stopping in front of the boy. "I can't take no for an answer." Her raised voice alone had [Y/N] stop in his tracks. This reignited the cogs in his mind.

He knew he would be arrested on sight if he dared enter Inazuman water, let alone its soil. However, it was possible to disguise himself and hide his vision. Maybe he could even demand a hearing with the Shogun if he was daring enough to.

"Even If I wanted to bring you to Inazuma, I have no method to do such a thing."

It only took a few seconds for Lumine's eyes to turn into plates. The edge of her eyes watered and threatened to spill as she struggled to remain composed. Then, finally, [Y/N] released how harsh his words were and thought of a way to reverse his actions.

It was only then he realized of an old friend of his. The same person who had helped him get out of Inazuma in one piece.

"However.."

Lumine's eyes leveled, her eyes deadlocked on [Y/N]'s.

"I know someone who might be able to help you."

Lumine was once again washed with relief for the second time of the day. A refreshing feeling she could experience all day if she could. Unfortunately, however, she had to continue.

"Really? Who?" She questioned, her expression now returning to their previous standard form. This could finally be her chance to get to the closed-off nation of Inazuma to seek answers that could lead to her brother.

"However, I am unsure if they are available at Liyue harbor."

Lumine wondered who it could be before someone popped into her mind.

"Are you talking about Captain Beidou?"

Of course, why hadn't she thought of that before? The woman who led the Crux fleet and was renowned through all of Liyue. She had heard of the infamous Crux Captain from Xiangling when they dined together at Wanmin Restaurant.

"If he decided to remain with her, then I suppose Captain Beidou could help as well." [Y/N] answered, his hand under his chin as he remained in his thoughts. He wasn't sure if his old friend had stayed with the captain, but there was only one way to figure it out, and it was by going to Liyue harbor.

"Alright, I'll do my best to get you to Inazuma." The boy had finally reached his final answer. He had to go to Inazuma to face his problems and honor what he swore to the Shogun. To uncover her true reason to send him away when he had done no wrong.

"Thank you! You'll be paid according to the commission." Lumine responded, her voice exhilarated with happiness. [Y/N] paused for a moment, his eyes blank.

"I have no use for such rewards. The reward itself to going back Inazuma."

Lumine was short-wired for a second before looking at the boy with a confused expression. "Then why do you accept?"

"Because there's something I must face."

Lumine looked into the [e/c] orbs that plastered [Y/N]'s form. His face of sobriety and dedication told something that he couldn't say. A hidden story within his mind that Lumine shuddered at the thought of prying into.

"If you're sure, alright then," Lumine responded. The pair began walking for a brief moment until a certain mascot laid lazily on top of the traveler's locks. "Paimon's tired.." Her voice was quiet and lifeless.

"What have you done all day to make you so tired?" Lumine deadpanned the girl resting on her head. It was a cute moment as it seemed as if Paimon could honestly just set up and sleep on her head. However, Lumine would indeed say otherwise.

"The moon is getting higher, so I suggest we should stop for the night." [Y/M] recommended. The moon's height signaled it was around midnight to early morning. Lumine nodded in agreement, and the two began looking around for a place to set up for the night.

[Y/N] stumbled upon an abandoned treasure hoarder camp in questionable condition. There seemed to be three tents, but only one looked solid enough to sleep under while the other two had either collapsed or were beyond repair. Scattered supplies and weapons lay on the dirt surrounding the dead firepit. Signs of a previous fight still remained.

"Lumine, over here!" The boy shouted, drawing the attention of the blonde and her mascot. The two looked at the campsite with unnerving glances. It wasn't ideal in their mind, but it was suitable to [Y/N]'s standards.

"Look, If you want to sleep, it's either in here or out here." [Y/N] pointed to the dirt-covered with aging weapons that offered no shelter.

"That tent won't fit all of us. Half of it has already given out." Lumine pointed out. Despite understanding the state of the tent, [Y/N] continued. "I can sleep outside, and it's no big deal."

It didn't seem fair to [Y/N], no, It wasn't fair at all. "Are you sure? We both deserve something to sleep under, don't you think?" Lumine asked. [Y/N] shook his head in response.

"I'm used to sleeping in less charming conditions." The boy revealed. "So unless you force me to, I will sleep outside. It's up to you if you want to sleep under the remains of that tent."

Lumine stared at the boy's face. The fact he was accustomed to such conditions was disturbing. She had been in similar conditions due to unique situations, but she never was fond of them. Still, the tent was more inviting than the dirt floor.

"Fine then. Alright, Paimon, let's get some rest." Lumine motioned the floating mascot into the tent's shelter. The moisture reeked off the canvas with nothing more than ripped fabrics to serve as a floor. Suddenly something was thrust into her hands, and when she looked down, it was a bedroll. It was stuffy, but it was something.

When she looked up to see what had given her the bedroll, she saw [Y/N] in front of her with his arm retracting. "You'll better use this than I." The boy said before walking away, flinging his bag towards a towering tree. Before she could even give a counter-response, the boy had hoisted himself up into the tree and up into branches where he sat.

"Are you really going to sleep up in the tree?" Lumine shouted at the boy on top of the branch. [Y/N] looked down at the blonde with an innocent expression, as if nothing was completely wrong.

"Why not?"

"Someone needs to be on the lookout, right?" [Y/N] shouted back. It was a natural place to sleep in [Y/N] mind. The trees offered the same sense of tranquility of calm that morning rises, and meditation gave. The calm tranquility was all he needed to sleep as the roughness of the tree bark and the minimal surface melted away.

Lumine didn't want to spend more time ripping the boy from the trees when she could instead be resting her aching muscles, so she walked into the cover of the tent. Paimon was already dead asleep on a small table, a small pillow seemingly having to appear from thin air. The blonde set up the bedroll and dropped flat into her slumber. Her muscles now cried with relief from the awkward surface she slept on

The night sang deeper into the dark. The pale crescent moon shone dimming over the clouds. The wondering eyes of [Y/N] feasted themselves on the moon's shape. The twinkle of stars popped a question into the Inazuman's mind.

Was she watching the sky right now like they had done so many times before?

⥷☐✦──Time Skip──✦☐⭃

The soft crunch of grass interrupted the night's peace. It would be followed by more footsteps. An entire group of bandits quietly walked through the silence of the atmosphere around them. Their intentions were clear to descend upon the campsite that laid a few dozen meters in front of them.

Unbeknownst to the group of bandits, a sleeping Inazuman was on top of the treeline on a branch, quietly dreaming away. His dreams were filled with his desires from his past. His ears perked, interrupting his dreams with the sounds of footsteps. Quickly, his eyes moved down and trained on the shadows that moved across the grass.

Brief shines indicated the tips of the blades, drawn and ready. The boy's eyes widened then narrowed in thought. What were they after? Their formation was not concentrated on anything; all spread out as if they were sweeping the entire campsite.

Then it dawned on him. They were looking for whoever had stayed here previously. He had to stop them, but with what? He was only armed with his Tanto blade. It was usable, but it was meant for symbolic uses, not actual combat with larger and sharper blades. His Kageuchi was left next to his bag alongside his hunting bow.

Lumine was still down there, completely unaware. He wasn't certain as to what the traveler's situation was, but her features could easily fetch high prices to undesirable people. One thing was clear, however,

He wasn't going to allow a single of them to get near Lumine.

A swift draw of his Tanto blade had [Y/N] laying in wait, finding an opportunity to pounce. His bag and Kageuchi lay at the bottom of the tree. The bandits continued their silent movement towards the campsite, with one eying his Kageuchi sword.

"Hey, check it! It's one of those rare Inazuma swords!" The man picked up the blade, making [Y/N] narrow his eyes in abhorrence. "Those things can get a good price on the market if we sell it." A second man continued, now alongside the first man.

"Sell it? Nah, I'd rather keep it as a trophy." The first man took the blade out of its scabbard to admire the sword in its glorious steel. Unknowing to him, it was the same steel that had ended countless others before him, and he would be no expectation.

Within seconds, [Y/N] leaped down and grabbed the steel of the blade. This sunk the sharp edge into his palms, but his gloves took the brunt of the blade. The boy then violently pulled the sword outwards while not out of the first man's hands. This unexpected attack caused the first man to go with the blade.

This was what [Y/N] wanted as now struck his Tanto blade into his throat, blood spurted from his neck. The boy pushed the first man down onto the dirt and tried to grab his Kageuchi before a swing of another blade forced him to back off.

"Holy shit, Trent! Are you alright?" The second man panicked, only receiving drowned-out coughs from his dying comrade as he choked on his own blood. "You bastard! What did you-" A tanto blade found its mark into his face, thrown from [Y/N].

By now, it had caused enough of a commotion to attract the other members. They surrounded the boy with their spears and swords drawn.

"You have a lot of nerve, kid." One of them spat. "We're going to make you regret that!" Another one shouted. An uninterested glace in his [e/c] orbs was his only response.

"Will you fools know to never disturb another man as he sleeps?" The boy monotoned. His Tanto ready in his fight stance. This was not going to be an easy fight. The odds were heavily stacked against him as his plan was to retrieve his Kageuchi to give himself an even chance, but it was thwarted.

An idea popped into his mind as he studied the situation. They had completely ignored the tent Lumine slept in, and if she came out and fought, they would be taken by surprise. It would also give him a brief window of attack.

"Lumine!" [Y/N] shouted, causing the bandits to take their attention off the boy in front of them to see where this 'Lumine' was. He pounced on his advantage as he rushed a woman who held a spear and pierced her throat, a stifled groan the only sound as her vocals were destroyed.

He left the Tanto blade in her throat and grabbed the dying women's spear to throw it at another man. The spear landed square on his chest with a resounding thud.

This grabbed their attention once more, and they all charged at the Inazuman, weapons thrashing about. [Y/N] secured his Tanto blade and again readied himself for another fight until a sword burst through one of the member's chests, startling the others.

"[Y/N]!" Lumine shouted, pulling her blade out of the unfortunate man's chest and readying herself once more. This was enough to scare off the other members as they turned tail and began to flee. Five dead littered the dirt without much harm to either [Y/N] or Lumine.

With his victory, [Y/N] stored his Tanto away back into its proper cover.

"[Y/N], are you okay? What happened?" She pampered the silent [Y/N], walking towards his Kageuchi to secure it back into its sheath. His eyes moved towards his hand that had earlier grabbed the edge of the blade of the Kageuchi. He only paid a few moments to it and began fastening the blade to his waist.

"I'm fine, thank you for your concern. As to what happened, it appeared whoever left this campsite angered the people who were here moments ago. They seemed to want revenge but instead found us instead."

The boy had turned to face the blonde, his blade now tied to his waist. "They had no good intentions, so I fought them."

"Did you really fight them off with nothing but a dagger?" Lumine asked, her mind now curious at this boy's skills.

"It is a Tanto for your information, but yes, I did." [Y/N] corrected. Lumine was blown away. For someone to fight in darkness with nothing much moonlight was impressive enough, but to face off multiple enemies who wielded swords and spears with nothing but a dagger, or Tanto according to [Y/N].

"I cannot thank you enough for saving my life." Lumine thanked, nodding her head in appreciation. [Y/N] glanced at the woman for a moment before returning to look at the hand he was so interested in staring at.

"Go back to sleeping, I'll stand watch until morning, so this doesn't occur again." He monotoned, catching the blonde off guard. Again, she felt guilty that he was losing sleep, so she could.

"Shouldn't we take turns at least?" She attempted to reason, but it did not pique the Inazuman's interest. "I've already slept enough to see me for another few days."

It was half truthful. A few hours could allow him to stay up for days, a result of his time during prolonged campaigns. However, it would not leave him in top mental shape if done too many times for long extended periods of time.

The blonde nodded and returned to the tent, disappearing behind the fabrics that served as a door. Finally, [Y/N] took his glove off to reveal a deep slash, blood trickling down the now freed arm. He took out his Tanto blade and used his mouth to hold the sheath of the blade.

An aura of fire burst onto the Tanto dagger, and he placed the blade on his wound. A dreadful sizzle shot pain up his arm. A pain mumble only escaped his mouth, thanks to the sheath in his mouth that served as a rudimentary pain relief device. It was over in seconds, and he placed the Tanto back into the scabbard.

With the wound sealed, he took a small roll of bandages and wrapped it around his hand to prevent further harm to the wound. Afterward, he wore his glove again before gazing up into the midnight sky. If he had to guess, it was around 3 or 4 in the morning.

No matter, he would remain on guard until the traveler awoke, but until then,

His mind tried to return to his dreams. To the figure in all of his dreams.

CHAPTER 2 IS DONE AND OMGGGGG 178 VIEWS! FOR A BOOK THAT ONLY HAS LIKE 20 MINUTES OF READ TIME, THANK YOU SO MUCH!

My fall break is about to end so expect more lengthy downtime sorry :(