The moment they stepped out of the imposing, shadowy halls of the Tenshukaku and back into the bright, bustling streets of Inazuma City, the full, staggering weight of what had just happened began to settle in.
Ganyu looked at the magnificent, pulsing electro-pendant now hanging around her brother's neck, and her mind, a mind accustomed to the rigid hierarchies and ancient protocols of adeptal and mortal governance, was in a state of complete, bewildered overload.
He has the Shogun's personal authority, she thought, her heart a frantic mix of terror and immense, overwhelming pride. He, a ten-year-old outlander from Liyue, now wields a level of influence in this nation that rivals a member of the Tri-Commission. He is both the most protected and the most targeted person in all of Inazuma. Her protective instincts, which were already legendary, went into a state of hyper-alertness so profound it was almost a physical aura.
Yae Miko, on the other hand, saw the situation with a foxy, deeply amused, and strategically brilliant clarity. She looked at the pendant, and then at the small, quiet boy who wore it, and she let out a soft, delighted laugh.
Oh, Ei, you sly, lonely old fox, she thought, her mind a whirlwind of new, exciting possibilities. You couldn't admit you were wrong, so you've outsourced the job of proving it. You've given this impossible, brilliant child a key to every door in your kingdom and told him to go and find the truth you've been too afraid to see for yourself. She saw it not as a mission, but as a game, a grand, divine chess match between her old friend and this strange, wonderful new player, and she could not wait to see the next move.
Ren himself, feeling the quiet, authoritative hum of the pendant against his chest, simply decided he wanted to go for a walk. "I want to see the city," he declared, his voice full of a simple, childish curiosity.
And so, the strangest, most powerful trio in all of Inazuma—the gentle adeptus, the cunning Guuji, and the divinely-appointed child observer—began a leisurely sightseeing tour.
They had just reached the main plaza, with its beautiful, tiered fountains and bustling shops, when they heard a familiar, high-pitched, and slightly indignant voice.
"There you are!" Paimon squeaked, zipping towards them with her arms crossed, a very cross pout on her face. "Paimon can't believe you went to see the Raiden Shogun without us! We're a team! Paimon was so worried!"
Lumine followed a moment later, her expression weary, but with a fond, apologetic smile for her companion. "What Paimon means to say," she corrected gently, "is that she overslept, and is now trying to blame you for it. I'm sorry we missed your meeting. Is everything alright?"
Her golden eyes immediately fell upon the magnificent, glowing pendant around Ren's neck, and she stopped, her eyes widening in surprise. "Ren… what is that?"
Before Ren could explain, Yae Miko, with a mischievous, theatrical flourish, answered for him. "Oh, this?" she purred. "It is merely a small, insignificant trinket that the Raiden Shogun personally bestowed upon our dear Ren, granting him her direct authority and unrestricted access to the entirety of Inazuma. Nothing to be alarmed about."
Lumine and Paimon stared, their jaws dropping in perfect, synchronized disbelief.
After a quick, bewildered explanation, Lumine's initial shock was replaced by a look of profound, thoughtful seriousness. "So," she said, her gaze turning distant, "while you will be on your own mission for the Shogun, I will be on mine."
"Your brother?" Ren asked gently. "You don't want to meet the Shogun immediately?"
Lumine nodded, but there was a new, deep, and painful sorrow in her golden eyes, a sorrow that hadn't been there before. "I had a lead, back in Liyue," she said, her voice a low, pained whisper. "It led me to a strange, hidden domain. And… I saw him."
Paimon just floated silently beside her, her usual cheerful energy completely gone, replaced by a sad, quiet empathy.
"But it wasn't a happy reunion," Lumine continued, her voice trembling slightly. "He… he's different. He said we would be reunited at the 'end of his journey.' He spoke of the Abyss Order, of a war against the gods of this world." She looked at Ren, her eyes full of a profound, heart-wrenching confusion and pain. "He is the Prince of the Abyss Order, Ren."
The confession, the terrible, world-shattering truth of her brother's fate, hung in the air between them. Ren, of course, already knew this. He had seen the cutscenes, he had read the lore. But hearing it from her, seeing the raw, genuine pain of a sister who had just found her beloved twin, only to discover he was now the leader of the world's greatest enemy… it was a completely different, and infinitely more painful, experience.
He saw the conflict in her, the unwavering love for her brother warring with the horrifying reality of what he had become.
"So," she finished, her voice regaining a sliver of its usual, steely determination, "I will continue my journey. I will travel through Inazuma, I will seek out the truth that he wants me to see. I will understand what happened to him, and what the Abyss Order is truly planning. I have to. Meeting the Archons is secondary to understanding this world and my brother's place in it."
Her path was now an altered one, a quest not just to find her brother, but to understand his own ambition.
Ren looked at his friend, at the immense, cosmic burden she carried on her small shoulders, and his heart ached for her. He had his own mission now, a strange, political, and philosophical quest for a lonely god. Their paths, it seemed, were destined to diverge, for now.
"Be careful, Lumine," he said, his voice full of a quiet, profound sincerity. "Inazuma is a dangerous place."
"I will," she promised. And with a final, sad, and grateful look, she and Paimon turned and walked away, a solitary hero on a quest that had just become infinitely more complicated, and infinitely more painful.