Morning sunlight spilled onto a soft, large bed.
Lumine's long eyelashes fluttered, and she slowly opened her eyes.
Her vision was blurry at first, then gradually became clear.
A magnificent vaulted ceiling, soft velvet bed curtains, and the faint scent of incense lingering at the tip of her nose.
"Where is this...?"
She propped herself up, her consciousness still somewhat groggy.
A large amount of chaotic information fragments surfaced from her mind—
Alleys, sunsets, traveling through worlds.
Night, meetings, Paimon's outburst... Lumine had recalled everything.
"Paimon!"
Lumine turned her head sharply, looking beside her.
Then, she saw it.
That small white figure was sleeping spread-eagled next to her, her little belly rising and falling with her breath. A trace of crystal-clear drool hung from the corner of her mouth, and she occasionally smacked her lips, muttering, "Hurry, offer the Honey Roast... to this Great King..."
It was Paimon.
It was the familiar sleeping face.
It was the familiar sleepyhead and glutton.
Lumine's heart suddenly relaxed.
Joy surged into her heart, then quickly receded, filled by a complex emotion.
She reached out her hand, her fingertips hovering beside Paimon's sleeping little face, but they did not descend for a long time.
That White Woman who emitted a terrifying aura... the bully of Teyvat who inexplicably sealed her and her brother... was that Paimon?
Questions surged into her heart like a tide, making Lumine feel a brief dizzy spell and... a trace of indescribable fear.
Not fear of Paimon, but fear of the "unknown."
Her best partner, the gluttonous emergency food, the talkative white floater, the Big Fool Paimon who was sometimes a bit cowardly but always by her side... can we still be friends in the future?
"Ugh..."
As if sensing unease, Paimon hummed and turned over. Her small hands grabbed randomly in the air, then she hugged Lumine's arm, rubbing against it like a bolster, and continued to sleep soundly.
This small gesture of dependence instantly shattered all the doubts and unease in Lumine's heart.
No matter who Paimon was, she was Paimon.
She was the idiot who would cry because Lumine got hurt.
She was the guide who was the first to answer Lumine's call when she was lonely.
She was the tiny travel companion who would brave all of Teyvat with her even if she was afraid.
Paimon was her most important partner.
Having thought this through, Lumine's gaze gradually softened, tinged with a hint of heartache.
She gently pulled out her arm that Paimon was hugging, and instead used her fingertips to extremely gently brush away the somewhat messy white bangs on Paimon's forehead.
Paimon seemed to find it a bit itchy and wrinkled her small nose, but did not wake up.
"Idiot..."
Lumine murmured in a low voice, so soft only she could hear it.
"No matter who you are, no matter where you come from... you are Paimon."
"That's enough."
Lumine decided to bury everything she had seen before—the existence of Asmodeus, that suffocating pressure, and the mysterious seal—deep in her heart.
Some secrets need not be delved into.
Some truths are better left unknown.
Just as she had never questioned Paimon's origins, Paimon had never truly explored her past before her slumber.
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