Chapter Text
When he saw the samurai, he knew from the blood red eyes that something was bothering him. Clearly, it was related to the shogun, but Illuga had no idea.
“Whoever you two are, just come out. I know you are there.” The sound of a sword coming out of its sheath crackled, and Lohen grinned wildly.
“We mean no harm.” Illuga stepped out before Lohen could wage any kind of unnecessary battle. Kazuha hummed in slight surprise, but didn’t show any sort of repellation otherwise. “The new deity’s assistant? No, the winds tell me you are from somewhere far. Ah, I am sorry I didn’t notice you earlier,” Kazuha gestured to Lohen, who was sizing the young samurai up without a trace of abashness. “I apologize. You are from Mondstadt, correct? The scent of dandelion graces your form.”
Lohen whistled, clearly impressed.
“May I request the reason for your visit?” Illuga recalled why he had come in the first place. “Ah, I just thought you didn’t seem alright when you left that room…”
Kazuha gazed at the sunset. The three of them were somehow perched on the same beam, Kazuha and Lohen standing gracefully on the narrow branch of the ginko tree while Illuga stumbled.
“I lost a dear friend to the shogun during the decree. I presume you know about the vision hunt decree? Oh? It’s an order passed by the shogun to seize all visions.”
“She can do that?” Lohen rolled his eyes.
“Of course she can. She's an archon.”
Illuga scowled. “You don’t have to be so rude about this.”
Oh, shoot.
Like in slow motion, Lohen’s face shifted from a cheeky grin to a cold, indifferent expression.
Great.
Kazuha looked puzzled at the entire exchange, and Illuga shifted so that he sat between Lohen and Kazuha.
“Just so you know, I don’t really want to talk about it right now. Respectively.”
Oops. This was awkward.
Illuga turned to the side and Lohen gave him a hard smile, too fake and sweet to be true.
Ugh. Goddamnit.
It wasn’t very usual for him to lose his mind composition like this…
“Oh! Um, I’m sorry-”
“Ah, Kazu! Oh, is that who I think it is?”
Illuga whipped around and decided Beidou was officially his new favorite person in this world.
“Beidou. I was composing a poem here to match the stunningly beautiful sunset…”
Illuga grabbed Lohen and ran. Literally. He did not have the energy to deal with another one of these.
“---” A chirp from his lantern nearly made him collapse in relief.
“Aedon, for three days, you slept, and then you woke up NOW?” The golden bird trilled like he was mocking him, then dove back into the lantern when Illuga swatted at him.
“I swear, you will never- hey!” A whirlwind of littered petals blew onto his face. “What have you been eating?! I thought kuuvahki flowers were the only things you ate!” Illuga gingerly picked up a discarded petal. Then, Lohen cleared his throat. Illuga’s face burned with guilt and embarrassment of forgetting him.
“I’m going back to the guesthouse. Enjoy your noon, Illuga.” Lohen gave him a polite smile and walked off. Illuga patted his pocket and found no trace of the key.
Just as he thought. A light clicking sound of jingling keys rang from behind him.
Fine. Do it your way. I’m not going to even acknowledge you.
“Wonder what these are…there’s a pharmacy here, right?” He vaguely remembered walking past a stairwell, a pharmacy perched on the top. He rubbed the petals lightly and a clear, fresh smell wafted off of them.
“Wouldn’t hurt to try..”
<>
“Hello.” The moment he walked into Bubu pharmacy, a flat voice greeted him. “Oh! I didn’t notice you there.” A little girl with purple hair waddled from behind the counter. A talisman was stuck on her forehead.
“Ah! A new face! I’m just here to deliver doctor Baizhu’s ingredients, don’t mind me!” A boy stumbled into the pharmacy without much grace, carrying several heavy boxes.
“Pleased to meet you, I’m Gaming, this is Qiqi, and those things you’re holding are flowers called Qingxin and bye hope you’ll be able to watch my wushou dance on lantern rite!” Then, he was gone.
Qiqi hung her head. “What does this gege need?” Illuga was slightly shaken by the enthusiasm from Gaming, but the little girl’s dry tone brought him back to the present.
“Oh, I just wanted to know what these flowers are.” Qiqi nodded, holding out her hands and taking a look. “Like Gaming gege said, these flowers are Qinxin, used to make lots of doctor Baizhu’s medicine. Now, you can leave.” Qiqi promptly shoved him from the building.
“Oh…well, guess I just have to ask around where exactly to find these things…”
<>
After a few failed attempts at asking whether this Qingxin was a rare breed of whatever, he finally ran across a familiar figure.
“Traveler?!” The blonde girl and her flying companion turned from the toy shop they were purchasing lanterns from, eyes widening in surprise.
“Illuga? What are you doing in Liyue? I thought leaving Nod-Krai was impossible! Also, just call me Lumine.” Illuga walked over and the traveler pulled him into a hug, slightly flustering Illuga.
“I left before the forcefield was established. The Liyue citizens are certainly taking it well after the whole Fatui ordeal.” Lumine sighed, and Paimon wrung her hands. “Paimon can’t believe the Fatui would do that! Nobody can leave their nations and Paimon hates teleporting. It makes her so dizzy!”
Lumine gave the fairy a dry look, folding her arms around her chest. “Are you seriously complaining when none of our friends can leave?” Paimon fluttered around frantically. “Sorry, Paimon didn’t think about that…” Saddened, the fairy popped out of existence to somewhere unknown, sulking.
“Anyways, I thought you would stay to protect the others. Are you perhaps on a mission?” Hearing that, guilt enveloped him again. “I…escaped. I’m a coward who deserved to die the moment I left the border of Nasha town-” Lumine put a hand on his shoulder.
“Illuga, you are one of the most valiant warriors I’ve ever met, and I believe the fear took control of you at that moment. It’s fine, and it’s not your fault. Who wouldn’t have escaped when they saw the slaughtering of fam-” She closed her mouth before she could say anything else.
“What?” Illuga questioned. Lumine furrowed her eyebrows like she was holding in tears. “What happened?”
“Are you sure you want to know?” Her voice was quiet. “It’s a big impact.”
“Yes, I want to know.”
Lumine took a deep breath before saying, “Flins is alive. Aino and Nefer as well. But Ineffa, Lauma, and your father perished in the battle.”
What?
My father. My father is dead.
He wanted to cry but he couldn’t.
“I’m so sorry for your loss.” Illuga lifted his head and nodded slightly, his movements too stiff. Lumine gave him a longer hug this time.
“How about we go somewhere else?” She suggested, pushing his shoulders down to presumably hide his tears.
“Baiju guesthouse. Lohen is there.” He wasn’t sure why he mentioned the Knight, but he couldn’t change anything right now.
“Lohen? Heh, you sound like you resent the location but consent to the person. How about we head into my…domain?” Aedon popped out of the lantern and nuzzled his head into Lumine’s palm. The traveler smiled and patted him softly on the head. She reached into her endless void of a bag and pulled out an intricately patterned teapot. “Head right in. There’s someone waiting there for you. She’s worried sick.”
<>
“Illuga!” A squeaky voice spoke from another level of the house as frantic footsteps headed down the staircase.
“Linnea?” Illuga looked up and saw the worried eyes of his friend.
“Oh archons, Illuga! Don’t cry, everything is fine!” He desperately wanted to agree, but he didn't have the heart to. “It’s okay, it’s okay. Lumine! Can you get some towels?” Illuga grunted as the force of her hug crushed him.
“Come on, I’ll show you a spot where you can let out some air.” Linnea finally let go of him and patted his shoulder in assurance, leading him to where Lumine was standing.
Outside, a forest of glowing blue trees stood tall. “These trees are called ‘Spreading branches of the sky’. It’s a cross blend of a Sumerian and an Inazuman species. I thought it would be an eyesore at first, but it looks pretty nice once you get used to it.”
A glittering petal shimmering with blue and purple shades landed on his outstretched hand, the tears falling even harder. He couldn’t stop crying for some reason.
“Here…” Suddenly, a burst of air launched Illuga and Lumine into the air and onto a floating island.
“I built this spot on my own when I got bored, and now, whenever I invite Keqing in here, this is always her first spot- Ah…you want to have some time on your own. I’ll bring someone else over.” With that awkward last note, Lumine disappeared into thin air, Paimon following along with a groan.
Illuga sat alone. He was glad, but the empty space beside him bothered. He wanted someone to sit next to him like Lauma would when he was feeling down.
She’s not here anymore. As was Ineffa, who always had fun with him when he avoided Aino’s classes.
Aino must be devastated. Her best friend, gone, into the hands of a war that was too much for her.
He clenched his fists and bit his lip as hard as he could.
He was so tired.
How could he run away and ignore everything behind him?
So, so tired.
It was near impossible to head into Nod-Krai right now, since the force field was too strong there.
He wanted to rest.
How will supplies be shipped into Nasha Town? How will Aino keep building defenses without materials and Ineffa? How would Flins cope with the other lightkeepers without causing a scuffle-
“Hey. Focus on reality.” A cold hand, similar to that of last night, cupped his face.
He relaxed and leaned into it. Let the sleep claim him.
“Rest. You’ll be fine.” His body sagged and a pair of hands held him as he was lowered onto something akin to a pillow. The drowsiness finally won him over and then he fell asleep.
Just as darkness enveloped him, something unbelievably hesitant and soft was pressed onto his cheek.
<>
“Good morning, sunshine! Luha, you gotta see this!” A cheery voice woke him up yet again as he opened his bleary eyes.
Ow. His eyes were puffy from the crying, and they would not open.
Then, he recalled the words Lumine had said and nearly burst into tears all over again.
“Woah, take it easy.”
He thought of that cold hand yesterday. Somehow, he forgot to open his eyes when he felt a presence next to him.
Who was it? Lumine? No, it was clearly a male. Kazuha? He could’ve come to see Lumine and found him instead.
“Anyway, Luha, look outside!” Lohen was bouncing on the balls of his feet, his face an excited whirlwind.
“What is i-it.” The sniffle in his voice made Lohen giggle out loud, the other boy walking over to Illuga and leading him to the window. “Is there something urgent-woah.”
Outside, a massive crowd of Liyuean citizens, including some familiar faces like Xiangling and Ganyu, were holding colorful sheets, lanterns, and mystifyingly, rice wine, positioning them where they were the most eye-catching. “Is this preparation for the lantern rite?” Illuga stared out of the window in wonder.
Somehow, Ganyu spotted him, and Keqing emerged from behind her, holding up a charming purple crane covered with glitter. Ganyu waved her hands and Lohen sided up with him, tapping the glass and pointing in her direction.
“Let’s go and help!” Illuga blinked. “Wait, now?” Before he could have any second thoughts, Lohen was already dragging him out of the room with the enthusiasm of a hundred bees.
<>
Festivities weren’t his strong suit. He would rather fight another group of Wild Hunt than arrange a birthday party for Aino.
Now, he was plastering red sheets of paper dusted with golden paint onto stone walls, laughing along with Keqing and Lohen, who were miraculously polite and agreeable with each other.
“No, you have to paste it upside down, you idiot!”
Never mind.
“Mind if I ask why?” Illuga turned around to find a grinning Lohen wrestling the red sheet off of the wall, Keqing gritting her teeth and trying her best to shift it back around.
“How are you still having a lantern rite every year when a force field is in place?”
Keqing replied without any hesitation. “We need to stay tall, strong, so that the Fatui will not underestimate-”
“Hey hey! I thought you were trying to paste these papers!” Lohen cut in, making Keqing glare daggers at him.
“Can you two stop fighting? I really hope that you could get along for a single minute.” Lohen folded his arms around his chest and shook his head like a petty rabbit would. Keqing rubbed her temples like she had lost some brain cells from the exchange with the Grandmaster. “He has one job. Place the chuanlian upside down to symbolize the everchanging realm of the human world. Is it really that hard to just appreciate the culture of Liyue for a single festival-”
“Lohen, please listen to Keqing.” Ganyu appeared from the side, balancing a pot of rice wine with a flowery smell. Lohen sighed and nodded, shifting the paper so that the character on it hung from the top. Keqing and Illuga looked at the girl, stunned.
“How did you-” Keqing gaped, gesturing at Lohen who was sticking another paper the right way. Ganyu smiled softly. “You just have to show that you understand what he wants, and then you use the right tone.” Illuga tried his best to decipher the probable ‘deep meaning’ behind those words, and came up with nothing.
“I’m done.” Lohen called from a few posters over. Somehow, there was golden dust over his face, and the light of the upcoming sunset made it look…
Wait, it was sunset already? Illuga peered up, and there was the glowing orange fireball hanging low like a plump fruit from a branch.
“Enjoying yourself, hm?” Lohen placed his hand on Illuga’s shoulder. The lightkeeper was never going to get used to that. “Can you at least ask before passing my personal space?”
“Can I please invade your personal space? Thank you!” Lohen wrapped both arms around Illuga’s shoulders.
“Oh my! Young love!” At those words, Illuga’s face burned tomato red. An elderly woman standing just by their side, holding a lantern in her arm. “Have a xiao lantern, and preserve your early love!” She stuffed the lantern into Illuga’s hand and skipped away giggling, making Illuga forget her age for a second.
Keqing stood right beside them, snickering silently.
“And I’ll take that-” Lohen snatched the lantern from his hand and pretended to admire it. Ganyu tucked a strand of her blue hair behind her ear and laughed softly. “Well, that was quite the misunderstanding.” Illuga blushed even harder as he looked around for the guesthouse.
“Here, I’ll walk you there.” Keqing held her hand out and Illuga nodded in relief.
Something moved behind him.
“It’s fine, can you just point in the direction of the guesthouse?” Keqing pointed somewhere towards the stairwell of the harbour. Illuga thanked her meekly and gave Ganyu a wave. Lohen had a strangely sharp expression on his face, but he didn’t do anything otherwise and waved at Illuga brightly.
What was that?
<>
The soothing smell of a Liyuean scroll and the faint brush of the ink against paper didn’t help at all. Illuga was thinking about three things.
One, how he completely forgot about the prophecy that afternoon.
Second, being how he paid no mind that his father was dead. Illuga winced as the events of the previous night came bellowing back.
Third.
He didn’t really want to acknowledge it, but it was a nagging feeling at the thought of Ganyu being so close to Lohen.
He lifted the paper up and gave it a sniff. Then, he realized his own actions and blushed, setting the scroll down sheepishly. Xingqiu probably wouldn’t approve of his actions, given that this scroll was gifted to him.
A brief poem that the clan master had mumbled during their chat drifted back into his mind.
“A flash of stalk, the bamboo. The mind clear. Why is this so short…?” He pictured the blue haired boy holding up his book regally, his honey brown eyes crinkling.
It was probably the sense of an avid Liyuean.
Illuga peered out of the closed window, the light blinds not really giving much coverage to the room. The deep golden color of the sun reflected onto the bed.
The lightkeeper took a deep breath and tried to enjoy the silence-
“Birdie, I’m back!” Lohen’s infuriating voice blasted into his eardrums like an annoying mosquito who wouldn’t quit. The new nickname also sounded stupid, even worse than that of the last one.
“Oh? Why the long face? I thought you were enjoying yourself.”
Illuga tried hard not to let the exhaustion in his voice show. “Can you just leave me alone for a second?”
Lohen was gone before he even turned around.
Illuga groaned loudly. It was next to impossible to deal with Lohen, with the politeness phrase always cutting in. How did he even switch personalities this quickly?
Without thinking too much, Illuga grabbed his coat and hurried after Lohen. It was better to know than to assume that Lohen could still stand him.
It should’ve been the other way around.
<>
The night air outside was slightly chilly, but Illuga was used to the bitterly cold winds of Kipumaki cliff. He had patrolled once at that hellscape and he was never going to get used to the putrid stench of the wild hunt.
Not like he was heading back soon anyways-
“Ah, Illuga!” Lumine shouted from a bright stall. The warm looking elderly standing with a handful of lanterns smiled as well, handing a teal colored bird to…
Xiao?
Lumine noticed his confusion and instantly explained. “Ah! I…convinced him to come with me on the lantern rite!” Xiao turned around at that, holding up his teal finch. “No. She dragged me,” he said with the tone of a dry field. Lumine giggled slyly, her arm snaking towards Xiao’s shoulder.
“No, he came with me completely at his own free will~”
“Did not.”
“Did too!”
Illuga chuckled at the two, Lumine having to snatch Xiao’s finch from his grasp. “Well, Illuga, I’ll be getting going with this grumpy Yaksha of mine! Take care of Lohen!”
Take care of Lohen.
He sighed deeply.
How hard was this going to be?
_____________________________
My dear crappy artifact drops:
MY FULL LOHEN ARTIFACT SET IS SHINY AHH
Ive been getting crazy artifacts everyday and i am SO HAPPY imma get a screenshot one day
Aubade of morning star and moon:
Goblet: Em 132
Ah illuga finally hit 10k im so happy benny as well!!!