After we finished our meal, we finally reached the city. Paimon mostly sat on my shoulder instead of flying now. I can't say I was bothered. She was practically weightless.
"Doesn't carrying Paimon around all the time tire you out, Kane?"
Lumine asked curiously.
"No. Paimon's pretty light. I honestly don't get how she stays this light despite how much she eats. Besides, my shoulders are strong. I can carry you too if needed."
Lumine must've pictured what I said in her mind, because she looked away. …Did I say something wrong? Talking to girls is seriously exhausting.
With Paimon next to me, I could feel her grinning at Lumine. Probably something like, 'Unlike me, YOU get tired from walking!'
We came to the Knights of Favonius headquarters to publish the missing poster. We could've hung them around the city ourselves, but that would've been inefficient. The two guards standing at the entrance stopped us the moment we approached.
"Halt. State your purpose."
As expected. This wasn't a place you could enter like a public park. Lumine spoke in my place.
"I'd like to place a missing person notice."
The guards focused on Lumine and relaxed a bit. Since I was walking in front, they had been focused on me. Her looks eased them up enough to let us in.
…Yeah. A woman's beauty really works everywhere.
…Right. We got inside. But where are we supposed to go? …This building is MUCH bigger than the in-game version.
"Do you know where we should go, Kane?"
"No. It's my first time here too."
We both sighed.
I heard footsteps on my right and turned my head. A man with dark blue hair, one eye covered like a pirate, and unusually different skin tone was walking toward us.
Of course, it was Kaeya.
I don't like him for… certain reasons.
"Hello. You seem to be looking for something?"
He held his hand out to me. After staring for a few seconds, I shook it.
"Yes. We want to file a missing person report."
Lumine nodded beside me.
Meanwhile, this guy was squeezing my hand to test me. So I squeezed back with full strength before letting go. His eyes twitched for a moment. He pulled his hand back and smiled lightly.
"In that case, let me guide you to the Acting Grand Master. She handles such matters. …Actually, she handles everything, ahem. But that's not the point."
So basically you dump all the work on her, huh?
"By the way, since we've met, may I know your names? I'm Kaeya. And you?"
I lifted my head slightly. He was taller than me, maybe around 185 cm. Shorter than Diluc — they were brothers, I think.
"I'm Kane."
"I'm Lumine."
"And Paimon's name is Paimon!"
After the introduction, he led us to Jean's office. Turns out the room was pretty close, though we wouldn't have found it on our own anyway. While walking, I noticed he kept glancing at the flower in Lumine's hair. Did he seriously like it that much?
We reached the door, and he stopped, looking at me.
"By the way, you must be the Kane who's been clearing out a high number of Hilichurl camps recently, right? How did you manage that? You don't even have a Vision."
Now that I think about it… I really hate when people question me. My mood has been unstable lately. I know I've always been turbulent, but after drinking Dvalin's tear, it got worse. I stared straight into Kaeya's eyes as I answered, with a slight sharpness in my tone.
"It was actually pretty simple. I used the opportunities you guys failed to use. The key is using your brain."
He processed what I said and reached his own conclusion.
"So you rely on tactics. I see. People who use their brains are rare in this city. Would you consider joining the Knights, Kane?"
"No."
My answer was a firm no. I could feel Lumine looking at me in slight surprise. Probably not because of my refusal — but because of my tone. I don't talk to everyone the same way, and she must have noticed that now.
Hearing such a definite no, Kaeya didn't insist.
"I understand. But if you ever change your mind, the doors are always open for you here, Kane. I won't keep you any longer."
This guy gives off snake vibes. He left without staying long.
Lumine grabbed the doorknob, but turned to me before opening it.
"Weren't you a bit rude to him, Kane?"
"He kept staring at you. It annoyed me. Didn't it annoy you?"
Paimon chimed in.
"Yes! Paimon doesn't know why, but Paimon didn't like that guy either!"
Lumine looked at my face and giggled.
"Alright then, my 'Protector'."
Then she opened the door and we walked in.
Inside was a blonde, blue-eyed woman with a mature charm, sorting through documents at her desk. Jean looked like what Lumine might look like a few years later — minus the hair and eye color, and height.
"Welcome, please have a seat."
She pointed at two chairs in front of her desk. Paimon kept floating around the room.
Jean reached out, shook Lumine's hand, then mine. Since she was a woman, her handshake was gentle.
"I'm Jean. And you are?"
"Kane."
"And I'm Lumine."
We introduced ourselves quickly. This introduction business was starting to get tiring.
Lumine looked at Jean and spoke.
"I'd like to file a missing person report."
"Do you happen to have a drawing of the person you're looking for?"
"No, but if you give me paper and a pencil, I can draw one right away."
Jean handed her the materials. After a "thank you," Lumine placed the paper on the desk in front of us and began drawing. …This girl can seriously draw. Is there anything she isn't good at?
In a few minutes, she finished and handed the paper to Jean. At the bottom, she also wrote: Aether, medium height, blonde hair, golden eyes.
"Oh… You really are talented, Lumine."
Lumine smiled but didn't say anything. I was impressed too. Paimon was still wandering and hadn't seen the drawing.
Jean placed the paper on her desk.
"I'll have it duplicated in the printing room and distributed to the necessary locations."
Lumine replied, "Thank you."
I nodded. Jean moved her gaze from Lumine to me.
"Are you perhaps the Kane from the rumors? The one who cleared many Hilichurl camps without a Vision?"
Whoever spread this rumor… I'm going to kill them.
"Yes, that's me. And no, I'm not joining the Knights."
I answered ahead of time since I knew what she'd ask. Her face fell a little — she genuinely wanted me, I guess. Not happening.
"I see… Still, if you change your mind, please come to me. We need talented individuals."
"I heard something similar from the dark-skinned guy too. Is a threat approaching? What happened?"
Jean's expression darkened. Lumine leaned in, paying full attention.
"Recently, Hilichurls have been behaving differently. They're getting smarter… and stronger. Moving in groups was normal, but now they've started attacking the nearby villages in packs. You may have noticed there aren't many guards in the city anymore. Most of them are protecting the settlements."
Hmm… strange. But I already know I've deviated from the original plot. Nothing should surprise me at this point.
"I knew the Hilichurls were acting strange, but the rest is new. I'll continue hunting them. You can be sure I'll eliminate any Hilichurl I see."
Lumine smiled and added:
"Together."
Jean looked visibly relieved.
"Thank you, really. I have full faith in your abilities. Please be careful, both of you."
We left Jean's office. Being surrounded by so many beautiful women… I think I'm getting used to it.
But something else entirely had my attention now. How was Lumine going to help me?
We left the building and walked back home. I bought sandwiches for the three of us. We ate while walking.
"We got the poster handled. I didn't know you could draw, Lumine. Seriously, is there anything you aren't good at?"
Lumine giggled.
"You're praising me too much. But… thank you."
Her positive energy genuinely makes me feel good.
"I'm just stating the truth."
She smiled but didn't respond.
After a while, we finally made it home. Without wasting time, I asked:
"Hey, can we start that 'power-up' thing we talked about now, Lumine?"
"Of course. But you'll need to take your shirt off and sit with your back facing me."
I didn't question it much. I took off my shirt and sat down. From the sound behind me, I knew she had sat down as well. Her hands touched my back.
"Now. Close your eyes, Kane."
"…Alright."
I closed my eyes. I felt something warm flowing from her hands into my body. Based on basic common knowledge, I had a pretty good idea what we were doing. I wasn't surprised she knew this — she'd traveled countless worlds.
"Empty your mind. Don't think about anything. Focus only on the energy flowing through your body."
Her commanding tone… for some reason, I liked it. Maybe because she was right next to my ear.
I did as she said and cleared my mind completely. If I couldn't do that, I would've gone insane long ago.
I focused on the energy flowing from my back into my body. The more I focused, the more I could see it circulating through me, following my arteries and looping around. Eventually, it reached my brain. My head felt warm. I noticed the energy was avoiding a tiny part of my brain… I didn't know why, but I didn't question it. Then the energy began gathering on my skin. My entire body looked as if it were coated in golden liquid. After a while, Lumine lifted her hands. She was a little out of breath.
"Try to hold the energy inside your body."
The energy started drifting away like mist. I imagined myself grabbing it, and the energy stayed only in my veins and skin. The rest faded completely.
"Alright. You can open your eyes now, Kane."
"Did we succeed? What happened?"
Lumine walked around and sat in front of me. She was slightly sweaty, causing a few strands of her hair to stick to her face.
"Yes. Let me explain. We pulled the ambient energy into your body. Have you ever wondered how people use elemental powers?"
Do they use the energy in the air to manipulate elements? Probably.
"By using the energy in the air?"
"Clever. As expected of you. Yes, that's exactly how they do it. But your case is a little different, Kane."
"What do you mean?"
Was something nasty coming…? Hopefully not.
"You probably won't be able to use elements. But the energy circulated your skin and veins. This means instead of using it for elements, you can use it to strengthen your body."
So I'm basically becoming Genshin's Toji, huh? Works for me as long as I get stronger.
"How do I do that?"
"Repeat what we did earlier. Try drawing in the energy on your own."
I tried drawing in the energy around me. It came in slightly, but it was barely noticeable.
"…It won't be that easy."
Lumine brought her hand to her chin and thought. Something must've come to mind.
"I can transfer the energy to you myself. But after a certain point… touching only your back won't be enough."
I didn't get it.
"What do you mean?"
Lumine sighed.
"What I mean is… touching your back was enough for now, but later, I'll need more contact than just my hands."
Oh… I get it now. That wouldn't be ideal. I wouldn't want to make her uncomfortable by getting that close.
"I don't want to make you uncomfortable, Lumine."
…but I also wanted to get stronger. …I didn't know what to do. Lumine seemed to sense the conflict inside me.
"…It won't be a big problem. Since it's you…"
"I… don't know what to say. You really don't have to do that."
Lumine smiled softly. She appreciated that I cared about her comfort.
Wait a second. If the issue is drawing energy from the air, wouldn't it be easier if we went somewhere with a high concentration of it?
"Lumine, what if we go somewhere with a high density of energy? Would that make things easier?"
She answered without thinking.
"Yes, that would definitely speed up the process. But where would we even find such a place?"
I smirked slightly.
"I have an idea."