A New Fate

Prologue

There is something strange about Liyue that Lumine couldn't understand.

She is a hundred percent sure that she had never set her foot on the land of Geo even once before her first time traveling there to attend the Rite of Descension where the god of Geo, Rex Lapis, would descent into the world to meet his people. A one in a year chance that Lumine definitely wouldn't want to miss in order for her to hopefully find some answers about her missing brother's whereabouts if he has any. And yet, by the time she met one or two people who came from the said nation, all that she met was this weird looks that everyone gives her. A look that spells... Familiarity, or something...

The first time this happened is just a few weeks ago, during one bright sunny day in Mondstadt.

At that time, Lumine and her traveling companion, Paimon, were taking a stroll on the outskirts of Springvale, visiting the place for the first time since their arrival to Mondstadt. And their once planned peaceful stroll would turn into quite an adventure of hunting, searching, and cooking when a certain chef from Liyue pulls at her hand all of the sudden.

The young girl from Liyue who introduced herself as Xiangling was out in Mondstadt hunting wild boars for her cooking. Her eyes sparkles brilliantly while drools coming out from the corner of her mouth as she's staring at her prey.

But the lights in her eyes sparkles even more by the time she looks at Lumine properly, up and down from head to toe. She looks surprised, amazed even.

"You know, I've been meaning to ask you something..." Xiangling stared at her in wonder and curiosity. "Are you... A cosplayer?"

"A what?"

Lumine looks back at the blue haired chef. Finding her question confusing, not just from why she asked her that, but also by how alien the word is to her ears.

"You know, people who loves to dress up in costumes of someone they idolize?" Xiangling asked, while also explaining the topic that Lumine is unfamiliar with. "I heard the people in Inazuma likes to do cosplays. Usually to dress up as a character from their favourite light novels. Are you one of those too?" The chef from Liyue asked again.

Lumine furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. This is her first time of hearing such thing. To dress up in costumes of someone that you idolize? What makes Xiangling thinks that? Is it because of the dress she's wearing? It is pretty strange-looking if you were to compare it to the likes of what the Tevyatian's are wearing.

Nonetheless, she's interested in this, and so she asked.

"I'm afraid I have no idea of what you're talking about." Lumine said while scratching the side of her head. "But what makes you think that I'm "cosplaying" right now?" The blonde girl asked with a raised eyebrows.

"Huh? So you really don't know?" Xiangling asked back with widened eyes. "Alright then, allow me to tell you a popular story from Liyue..."

~o~0~o~

A long time ago, a bright shining star descended into the lands of Liyue...

The star that descended took the form of a beautiful and majestic young maiden...

With her bright golden hair that shines like the illumination of a morning sun, and her pristine white dress as white as the moon's surface, the maiden came down to the people suffering below, reaching out her dainty white hands to the people, offering them her help.