"Now, shall we proceed?" I asked, glancing at Dainsleif.
He gave a solemn nod. "To avoid any further repercussions, we must also take care of that defiled statue. We can't have the Church get involved. Let's handle it ourselves. And as for what I mean by 'take care of it'... naturally, I mean to completely destroy it."
"D-Destroy it?!" Paimon gasped, floating in alarm. "B-But it's one of the Statues of The Seven! It's a cultural relic! A divine symbol—"
"Hmph," Dain snickered. "Do the Seven really expect me to help them look after what belongs to them?"
"Hell nah," I said, grinning. "Let's just destroy it totally. It can't cause trouble if it's in ruins, ain't that right, bro?"
Dain let out a rare chuckle. "Borrowing a few of your words, it would be: Damn right you are correct, idiot younger brother."
I beamed. "Now then, let's go back to those ruins and fuck that inverted statue up!"
Getting back through the ruins was like starring in a game show run by an unhinged god with a grudge against optimism. Picture me tiptoeing across pressure plates like I'm playing lava floor with actual consequences, while Paimon yells, "Shigeru, don't die!" like that's gonna boost my evasion stats. Traps flew out from the walls like they had a personal vendetta against my face—one of them actually nicked my scarf, which I'm pretty sure counts as a war crime.
At one point, Lumine had to drag me away from a spinning blade trap because I got distracted trying to decipher ancient runes that turned out to be just a fancy menu for soup. And don't even get me started on the Abyss mooks. We tiptoed past them like awkward house guests trying to sneak out of a party we were never invited to. One of them sniffed the air and I swear I stopped breathing for a full ten seconds.
By the time we reached that cursed upside-down statue again, I was dehydrated, disoriented, mildly stabbed, and spiritually offended. My legs wobbled like jelly in an earthquake. If one more Hilichurl so much as looked at me funny, I was prepared to punt it into the next era of Teyvat. Absolute menace of a hike.
"Looks like we're here," Dain muttered, surveying the lifeless, dark chamber. "An eerie, oppressive atmosphere... I now understand the evil aura you described earlier."
"This really is a scary place..." Paimon whispered, shivering.
"Be careful not to be overwhelmed by the power of the Defiled Statue—" Dain paused.
I narrowed my eyes. "The idiot is here, isn't he?"
He nodded. "Yes. The Abyss Herald."
I grinned. "That damn bastard still hasn't learned his lesson."
A voice echoed through the shadows, dripping with malice. "You sense correctly. You are just as vexatious as ever, Dainsleif, enemy of the Abyss!"
I turned around with a deadpan stare. "You again, huh?"
The Abyss Herald began trembling. "Y-You! You monster! You're with Dainsleif as well?!"
Lumine leaned in and whispered, "How much did you traumatize that guy? Seriously."
I shrugged. "Who knows? Maybe to the point of him having nightmares of me."
Dain frowned. "Tsk. Your voice reeks of corruption. Time to silence you."
I grinned, charging with Dain. "Let's beat the hell out of him again!"
We did just that—but not before putting on a spectacular show of ass-kicking diplomacy. The moment the Abyss Herald tried to monologue, I yelled, "Talk less! Die more!" and threw a rock at his face. Not very effective, but emotionally satisfying.
Dain moved like a blade—calm, sharp, and merciless. Meanwhile, I was more like a furious raccoon with a frying pan: chaotic, noisy, and somehow effective. The Herald tried casting a spell, only for Lumine to boot him straight into a pillar with enough force to make the ceiling question its life choices.
At one point, the Herald screamed, "You insolent fools cannot comprehend the Abyss!"
"You're right," I said while doing a flip off his back and bonking his head with my elbow. "I can't comprehend how your ugly face hasn't broken the space-time continuum."
He got up, shaking with rage, and screamed something about eternal night. Dain replied by spearing a chunk of corrupted stone straight through his barrier while I slammed him from behind with a glowing Abyss crystal I yoinked earlier. The guy screeched like a dying goose and finally crumpled to the floor, smoking slightly.
"Team Chaotic Idiot and Stoic Sword: 3. Abyss Herald: still 0," I said, panting.
He wasn't getting up after that. Not today.
"He still won't talk," Lumine muttered, stepping forward.
"Then bully it out of him," I said. "He knows your brother. Make him spill."
Lumine stepped forward, her eyes burning with emotion. "Where is my brother? What has the Abyss done to him?!" she demanded, voice trembling but firm. The Abyss Herald simply sneered, unmoved.
"He walks the path chosen by the Abyss. That is all you need to know," he replied, venom dripping from each word.
Lumine gritted her teeth. "Then make me understand!"
She surged forward, blade glowing with light, and swung it at the Herald's armored side. He raised his clawed hand just in time, deflecting the blow with a burst of dark energy. The chamber lit up with the clash of opposing forces—golden gleam versus deep violet.
"You dare strike me? Foolish girl," the Herald hissed, before summoning a wave of abyssal force that slammed into Lumine's gut.
She flew back, crashing against a cracked pillar. Shards of stone rained down, and she coughed, wiping blood from her lip. "Tch... Still as rude as ever."
"You will gain nothing from me," the Herald spat. Then, with another pulse of abyssal energy, the ground rippled beneath him like ink splattering across canvas—and he launched forward, knocking Us and Lumine off our feet with a brutal swipe.
"Hey, asshole!" I shouted, already mid-leap, trying to intercept, but I was a half-second too late.
The Herald turned to me, dark aura flaring. "You again..."
Back with a vengeance—and also a bit of a limp! But don't let that limp fool you. It's not weakness—it's character development. You see, only truly seasoned idiots survive getting tossed across a dungeon by abyssal magic and come back cracking jokes. I adjusted my coat dramatically, trying to look like a heroic warrior instead of someone who just got body-slammed by an interdimensional creep. The Abyss Herald flinched, visibly, and I pointed a finger at him like I was calling out someone in a courtroom drama.
"Nobody talks back to Lumine and gets away with it. Not on my watch, tall-dark-and-corrupted!"
He started charging a spell again, but I shouted, "Also, I want my coat dry-cleaned!" and threw a rock at his horn. Petty revenge is still revenge.
"Seriously," I added, to Lumine, panting as I readied my next attack. "This guy has a face like a mid-boss from a budget RPG, and he still thinks he can traumatize us. The audacity!"
I was to defuse the living daylights out of this Abyss Weirdo, but a surge of Abyssal power surged towards me.
"Damn it—" I muttered, before a surge of abyssal power slammed into me, sending me flying.
Cue me getting yeeted again—but with style this time.
"GODDAMN IT—this blonde came too fast!"
Lumine's eyes widened. The Abyss Herald gasped, "M-My Prince..."
Paimon stuttered, "H-Hey! C-could that be—"
I chuckled, smirking at Lumine. "Told you you'd see him again."
"A-Aether..." Lumine's voice cracked.
Aether stared at her, pain in his voice. "Lumine..."
She stepped forward, tears brimming in her eyes. "Please, come with us. Come home."
But Aether only looked at Dain and me. "Why are you with them? With him? That... Anomaly."
Dain stepped forward. "Aether. We meet again."
"You shouldn't team up with Dain! He is my enemy! And that Anomaly—"
"Alright, we get it," I snapped. "You're enemies. But you know what? This is for my family. You're coming with us whether you like it or not—even if I have to beat some sense into you!"
I charged.
"You can't stop me," Aether said, catching me mid-air. "You can't stop the Abyss!"
I charged forward, relying on my Geo powers to build up some defense. My hands glowed as I summoned pillars of stone from the ground, launching them toward Aether like massive spears. He easily swatted them away with a flick of his hand, his Abyssal power bending the stone as though it were nothing.
I gritted my teeth, switching tactics. The Anemo in me flared, and a gust of wind swept through the chamber, propelling me upward with a sharp burst of speed. I took to the air, twisting into a flip and attempting to strike from above, using my momentum to drive my Geo blade toward his side.
Aether was faster. His eyes glowed with malicious energy, and in a blur, he blocked my strike with a dark shield, the air around him warping with Abyssal magic. With a sneer, he caught my wrist mid-swing, squeezing hard enough to make my bones groan under pressure.
"Damn it—" I muttered, struggling to break free, but his grip was unyielding. My Anemo power flared again, this time trying to pull away, but it was like fighting against a hurricane. Aether twisted my arm behind my back, slamming me into the ground with a sickening thud.
I lay there, gasping for air as pain shot through my body. My vision blurred, but I forced a smirk onto my face, barely able to lift my head.
"Shit—he's 2–0'd me now..."
Aether's voice echoed. "That man was the 'Twilight Sword'... One of the royal guards of the final dynasty of Khaenri'ah. 500 years ago, he failed to prevent its destruction. A curse of immortality was laid upon him. Now, he wanders as his people turn into Abyss monsters."
Still grinning, I forced myself up, Lumine and Paimon supporting me.
"Come on man, at least tell us something we didn't know. He failed... and so did you."
That hit Aether. Hard.
"You watched it all... and you still couldn't stop it. But hear this: No matter what happened—we will stop the Abyss. We will save Teyvat. We will save you."
Aether charged again. I braced, but Lumine stepped in front of me.
"Aether, please! Let's go now... Let's go home!"
He looked at her. A flicker of pain in his eyes.
"Home... yes, of course. 'Home' is wherever we are together. But I cannot go home with you. Not yet. Not until the Abyss engulfs the thrones. Until then, my war with destiny continues."
"Destiny...?" Lumine whispered.
"Listen to me, Lumine. I've already traveled this world once. When you reach the end of your journey, you'll understand this world's true nature."
The Herald opened another portal. Aether looked back one last time.
"So we'll meet again. No need to rush. I have more than enough time to wait for you..."
Lumine reached for him.
"We have always... had enough time."
He vanished.
"Dain!" Lumine shouted.
"I'll follow them," Dain said. "Let's meet again soon."
He stepped through the portal. Lumine tried to follow—but passed through it like mist.
"They're... gone," Paimon muttered.
"Don't worry," I said. "We'll meet him again. We've got work to do."
I limped toward Lumine, forcing a smile. I wiped her tears gently.
"Don't worry. We'll get him back. I promise. You know I never break a promise."
I smiled once more—before collapsing.
The last thing I heard was Lumine and Paimon's panicked voices calling my name.
________________________
End of Chapter 38
Quests Completed:
*Got caught in at least five traps, but miraculously escaped by tripping over a rock and falling into safety
*Take down the Abyss Herald for the third time today and put a stop to his villainous ranting.
*Tried to reason with Aether, ended up in a brawl.
Rewards:
*+100 Primogems
*+200 Friendship XP with Lumine
* A broken piece of Aether's memory.
*+1 New Trauma (It's a blonde shortie)
Achievements:
"Chronically Unkillable"
-You've perfected the art of charging into fights with no plan except for "wing it" and somehow surviving.