With A Heavy Heart

5.

The tornado took Lumine by surprise.

It immediately whisked her off her feet, hurling and spinning her around at the speed of the wind. The cold air nips on her bare skin, whistling against her ears. It wasn't the first time a tornado has sucked her inside, nor will it probably be the last time if Stormterror, as the people call that dragon, likes attacking the city as a hobby of his.

Some hundred years prior, Lumine and Aether have come across a country wielded by storms and terrors. Her body has produced a golden glow then-a sign of her then powers-so she ran straight into a raging whirlwind. Young Lumine didn't understand that running straight into a tornado might do more bad than good, even with her robust body. She was launched many miles into the sky before she was eventually thrown out with wounds and cuts, leaving a young Aether very traumatized and in tears.

Back then, she had her wings to catch her when she was launched out of the storm. And now, the tornado took her away before she even had a chance to accept the wind glide Amber prepared for her. Lumine's body is robust, but she will most likely meet her demise with no wings and no Aether to catch her. Fate is very unkind, she decides, especially to her. What has the golden girl done to be the new entertainment of the gods above?

A slash appears on her shoulder, and Lumine grits her teeth. Having clearly enough of this ordeal, she positions her hands in front of her chest. Maybe it will work, maybe it won't. Nevertheless, it definitely doesn't hurt to try if she doesn't want to be twirled around towards her death. The golden girl sends a strong just of wind out of her hands, getting tossed out of the storm into the sky.

Lumine smells the crisp, fresh air. It's clean up here, she thinks, so peaceful. She has come across many civilizations that were shallow enough to rid themselves of their own forests to build constructions that defile their air. It's crisper and fresher up here, but also keener and sharper. She feels it irritating her lungs and airways, causing constriction and stiffness. It never bothered her before; she had her powers to thank for that. Lumine soars into the sky, and for one moment, she thought she had her wings back. The girl is at peace.

And all of a sudden, the peacefulness is gone.

Lumine is falling. Her blond hair whips around her face as gravity keeps pulling her closer and closer to the ground. How will she land, the girl wonders, will her back or head first meet the ground? Either way, it will be her inevitable death with no wings and Aether near. She is angry for a moment; she hasn't met her brother yet, hasn't enclosed him in her arms, and braided his hair for the very last time. The golden girl is angry; her blood's boiling and if she could, she would set herself alight. But then the anger is done, fast as the wind going through her blond tresses. Lumine is falling, however, falling is just a part of flying, isn't it?

And the golden girl is soaring to the sky again.

Lumine wishes the weather here wasn't so unpredictable, it messes ups her feelings quite easily. But it wasn't just the weather or a change in the wind, but rather someone. An invisible hand places itself on her back and pushes her upwards. The girl is thankful for it as the blood isn't rushing to her head anymore, nonetheless, she's still left considerably dazed. Not that she could see anyways.

"Who are you?" she murmurs. It was only a whisper but her savior heard it anyway.

"What matters is not for who I am," he chuckles; her savior has an undeniable childish tone, "but what you should do, no?"

Lumine almost forgot the dragon seeking havoc inside of Monstadt's walls, however, what can she do? She's handicapped, powerless, and emotionally and mentally unstable. What can she do against the dragon? The golden girl didn't need to voice her fears as he can already feel them. The invisible hands move from her back to her arms, stretching them out.

"See yourself grasping the wind. Harness its energy."

The girl can make out the exact location of Stormterror; she can feel every breath of the powerful being as well as every gust of wind when he slaps his wings. It's overwhelming, and Lumine wants to strip the blindfold off her eyes, but she knew better than that. She is hovering above the clouds with nothing but a raging dragon, her savior, and the shining sun in front of her. If that won't blind her for a second, and the magical core of Stormterror. Not now, not until nightfall.

"...I'm scared," she admits, ashamed.

His hands grab her tighter; an assurance. "Don't worry, I have faith in you, my friend."

Lumine wants to refute him. How can he have faith in her without knowing her? However, it isn't the time for that. The questions could be asked later. She has a dragon to fight first.

The golden girl welcomes the wind pouring into her hands. Her worries fade into the back of her mind as the new power flows through her body. At one with the element of Anemo, she summons more and more air into her hands, and then, she releases it.

_____

Scaring the Dragon away is a job easier said than done.

But with the power of Anemo on her side, Lumine didn't have any reason to be afraid. Stormterror appeared and disappeared in a blink of an eye, leaving her alone, hovering above Mondstadt amongst the clouds. The girl waits a couple of minutes for him to appear again, but he never came. She successfully scared him off. With the help of her savior, of course.

"...thank you," she mumbles.

"I should be the one to thank you," he chuckles, "I sure hope that our paths cross again, but please don't hold it against me. For what I'm about to do."

"What do you-"

And once again, Lumine is falling.

_____

If the was a traveling stand or organization as a rate list for every place she has been to, Lumine would give Mondstadt two out of five stars.

The weather was too unpredictable here. But she supposed that it has less to do with weather and more to do with very powerful beings. Another reason to stay far away, she thinks. But this city is the best lead she has for finding her sibling, and she refuses to leave this world without Aether. Not that she even could; the god took that also away from her.

At least her savior, if one could even call him that, had the decency to somewhat slow her fall. Lumine turns her body, trying to land with her feet as best as possible, bracing herself for the impact. But instead of hard ground, she meets a warm body.

"My, if one would at what fell from the sky, you would absolutely get mistaken as an angel," the man drawls, warm breath tickling her ear," but with your prowess, are you sure you're not a demon from hell?"

Lumine corrects her standpoint: one out of five stars. The men are as unpredictable and random as the weather.