Intertwined Fate (Genshin Impact! Various x F! Reader)

II. Lucid Dreams and Dragons

A/N: Warning, long chapter ahead. I wrote a lot of reader lore (if you can call it that) in this chapter for character building, but this is the first time I've used backstory more for character depth because I usually include it for the plot, so I'm not really sure what I'm doing lol. Hopefully it helps with insight into the reader's personality/ideals/thought-process.

Also, rewatching the cutscene, I did a double take when the traveler said they met Paimon two months before the game's start. Like, wtf were they doing for two months? Sleeping again?? They didn't see one statue before then? But whatever, I love the story anyway.

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Two months passed, Paimon having joined your little group. To your surprise, the fairy? Pixie? Whatever she was could not only fly, but teleport into a pocket dimension.

"Is that normal here on Teyvat?" you had asked her curiously. Paimon had only shrugged and answered with a "Paimon is Paimon" before chowing down on the skewers you'd made.

You rolled your eyes fondly at the memory, watching her flit about as you cooked, drool threatening to escape her mouth.

"That looks delicious!" she cheered, hovering right at your shoulder, eyes sparkling with hunger.

"...I wonder if your stomach is its own pocket dimension," you wondered dryly.

"Hey!"

You smiled as Aether snickered to your left, the both of you amused by Paimon's very nonthreatening 'hands-on-the-hips' pose. Seeing that the both of you were anything but intimidated, she stomped at the air with a "hmph" and stuck her nose up indignantly, arms crossed.

"Sorry, sorry," you laughed, waving her over to hand her at least seven skewers, some made with chicken and some with fish.

Paimon pouted but immediately snatched the food with a reluctant, "Paimon guesses she can forgive you." You could tell that she was pointedly ignoring your grin. With a snort, you let her go, seating yourself behind Aether to fix his braid, which had loosened during a fight earlier that day.

He took it in stride, completely used to the action by now. Your fingers ran through his hair, barely registering Paimon's question about his backstory. As you fingered the soft, golden strands, occasionally listening as he spoke of how he was looking for his sister, you thought back to the dream you'd had the previous night.

~-~-~-~-~-~-

Where am I? Your eyes wondered around the landscape, observing that you were currently near the edge of a cliff that you didn't recognize. You panicked a little, wondering if you had already somehow ended up in another world.

"Don't worry, you're still in Teyvat," a feminine voice spoke up from behind you. You whirled around, only to see familiar shades of amber and gold.

You blinked, processing the sight. "...Lumine?"

She smiled, a little sharper and more jaded around the edges compared to Aether, but she was beautiful nonetheless. "That's right."

"Is this a dream?"

Lumine hummed slightly in reply, nodding. "You could say it is. It took a while to finally be able to reach you."

The girl that you now knew as Lumine, the girl who you were trying to find, casually strolled to the cliff's edge and sat down, gesturing you to follow. You let your legs swing as they dangled in the air. You probably should've been more on guard, but this was Aether's sister, so you found yourself at ease much like you did with him.