I stepped forward without thinking, planting myself in front of Dehya like a very angry, very stupid bodyguard (which I am). My hands were already curling into fists. "Like hell I'm gonna just stand here and—"
Dehya's sharp voice cut me off. "Shigeru."
She didn't have to say more. Just my name, low and warning.
I froze. Opened my mouth to argue. For a second, I genuinely considered launching into a heroic speech about friendship and justice—something dramatic, preferably with background music—but her eyes shut that down faster than Alhaitham shuts down group projects.
She shook her head once—calm, steady, telling me don't meddle.
I gritted my teeth. "As if I would let—"
Lumine quickly stepped closer, her fingers brushing against mine before slipping into a full grip. My idiotic war speech instantly short‑circuited. She squeezed gently, her voice barely above a whisper. "Let's trust Dehya."
…I hate it when she uses the soft voice. Critical hit. Fatal damage to my moral outrage. Even Greg tilted his head, clearly judging me like, bro, she's literally saving you from yourself.
Paimon poked my cheek. "Seriously! We get it, you're brave, but can you not explode in the middle of a hostage situation?!"
I opened my mouth to argue—but Lumine squeezed my hand a bit harder. Instant system reboot. "Fine… but I reserve the right to explode later."
Isak suddenly yelled, "No!!!"
Paimon flailed in the air. "Dehya! What are you gonna do? Think of something!"
I swear even Alhaitham's normally calm tone wavered. "...You don't have to go this far."
Nilou stepped forward anxiously, clutching her hands together. "Please… there has to be another way. We can talk it out, right? Right?"
Dehya didn't flinch. "That's not for you to decide."
Rahman barked, "Do it!"
Paimon freaked. "Dehya, run!"
Even Cyno tensed up. "…Hngh!"
I pulled Lumine a bit closer, whispering, "Just in case, get ready to run or punch something. I haven't decided which yet."
Greg tapped my shoulder with his tail as if to say please choose run, idiot.
Lumine gave a tiny nod and whispered back, "Try running first and punching later?"
I muttered, "Compromise accepted."
Dehya… closed her eyes. Calm. Resigned. One of Rahman's lackeys stepped forward and raised his sword.
For a heartbeat, I swear the world stopped.
Lumine gasped softly, her grip tightening. Nilou covered her mouth with both hands. Paimon froze mid‑air with her mouth hanging open like her brain was buffering.
Greg clung to my shoulder like a tiny lizard seatbelt.
Rahman suddenly shouted, "Stop!"
The blade froze mid‑air.
Dehya opened her eyes slowly. "…What's wrong? Can't do it?"
Rahman's jaw clenched. "Flame‑Mane, you and I are both desert folk. Cutting off your arm is no different than cutting off my own fingers. Where's the sense in carving up my own kin?"
Cyno let out a short breath. "Tch."
Nilou stepped forward again, hopeful. "Then… you'll let her go?"
Rahman pointed toward the desert. "You've shown me that you're serious. Go on now, take your friends and leave. Meet me in the desert at noon tomorrow."
I blinked. "…Oh. That was just a test?"
Paimon threw her hands in the air. "You almost gave us ten heart attacks for a TEST?!"
Dehya nodded with a small smile.
Lumine exhaled in relief. "Thank Archons…"
Nilou rushed over, worry all over her face as she gently grabbed Dehya's arm. "Are you alright? That was terrifying…"
I slumped with a loud sigh. "Whew. I almost threw someone into a sandstorm. Literally."
Greg flicked his tail as if to say you still would've missed and buried yourself instead.
I glared at him. "Traitor."
Paimon floated closer and jabbed a finger at Greg. "Hey! Don't encourage him!"
Greg just blinked slowly, proud lizard energy radiating like I do what I want.
Nilou gave a small laugh, finally relaxing. "Let's… get out of here before another test appears."
Lumine nodded and tugged my hand. "Come on, Shigeru. Before you start narrating a dramatic speech to the sand dunes."
I sighed as we turned and began heading out together—alive, still in one piece… and apparently invited to another round of desert chaos tomorrow. "Great. Another appointment with imminent death. At least the scenery's nice. Could be worse. Could be raining."
Paimon crossed her arms. "You say that now, but you'll complain after five seconds of walking."
I scoffed. "Incorrect. Ten seconds at least. I have matured."
Greg climbed up my shoulder and gave a single approving head bob. Finally, someone who respects my stamina.
Lumine laughed under her breath. "Come on, tough guy. Let's survive tomorrow, too."
Bro, not gonna lie… the walk back felt like I had lava in my veins. That entire "cut off your arm" moment? WAY too intense for a normal Tuesday.
"So uh…" I broke the silence, still trying to unclench my jaw. "Anyone else having mild heart palpitations or is it just me? Because that was insane."
Dehya actually chuckled. "I was really counting on him not going through with it."
I stared at her. "Yeah well, I was two seconds away from throwing someone into a sandstorm and calling it 'emotional damage control.'"
Greg gave a firm tail slap against my cheek. Translation: calm the hell down.
Isak ran up to Dehya. "Dehya!"
Paimon zoomed behind him, waving her arms. "That was crazy! Have you all lost your minds!? What if he actually cut your arm off!?"
Dehya tilted her head casually. "Hmm, then I'd just have to hold my claymore with my left arm."
"Please don't do that ever again!" Lumine blurted.
"I'll be worried about you," Nilou added softly.
Dehya sighed. "Okay, I'm sorry… but sometimes when you're out on a limb, you gotta double down to seal the deal, you know?"
Cyno crossed his arms. "Don't ever make a promise like that again. I can deal with the likes of them. If it came down to it, you would not lose to them either."
Dehya looked at him and smiled faintly. "I don't doubt it, Cyno, but this is about more than me and them… There's a lot more where they came from. Even if we got rid of one bunch of radicals, there are others out there. Wiping them out would do more harm than good."
Cyno gave a short nod. "Ah… as you wish."
Isak's shoulders sank. "I'm sorry, Dehya! I should've stayed put and listened… I should've trusted you…"
Dehya ruffled his hair. "It's okay. I promised you I'd help find your grandpa, so I'll do whatever it takes."
Alhaitham walked next to us with his usual "emotion.exe not found" face. "Whatever it takes? You just might be scholar material."
Dehya blinked. "Huh? Are you serious?"
"The Eremites once said that I was a lunatic," Alhaitham replied. "Perhaps a little madness is essential to be successful in research."
I squinted. "Why does it sound like you're complimenting… yourself, more than her?"
Lumine shrugged. "That's just how he is."
"I think he was just stating the truth," Nilou chuckled.
"In a very 'congratulations, you're also crazy' sort of way, that is," I added.
Dehya snorted. "Great. I get praised and insulted at the same time."
I gave her a thumbs-up. "Welcome to our squad."
She smirked. "Okay. Let's get moving. We should head back to the village and rest up. Today was just a trial run — noon tomorrow is gonna be the hard part."
Paimon floated backward as we walked. "Yeah, let's hope tomorrow doesn't involve cutting off anyone's arm!"
Greg nodded wisely. The lizard approves of this message.
Nilou tugged gently on my sleeve. "You were really worried about her, weren't you?"
I coughed. "Noooo… I mean… yes—but also no. Emotionally yes. Legally no."
Lumine rolled her eyes but smiled. "Idiot."
I grinned at her. "Love you too."
She bumped her shoulder into mine. "Mm-hm. Try not to charge in screaming tomorrow."
"No promises," I said. "If things get rough tomorrow… chaos and violence are always on standby."
Greg flicked me again.
"What? Tactical chaos works!"
And so, we headed back to Aaru Village under the fading desert sun — tired, tense, and fully aware that tomorrow might turn bloody.
But that's okay.
We thrive in madness.
Paimon let out a tiny groan. "Ugh, why does it sound like you're weirdly proud of that?"
I shrugged. "Because I am. Chaos builds character."
Lumine slipped her hand into mine again. "Just… try not to over‑build your character tomorrow, okay?"
Nilou smiled gently. "Let's all stay safe. We'll get through it together."
Greg rested his chin on my shoulder with a single slow blink. Translation: don't do anything stupid until after breakfast.
Alhaitham adjusted his cloak. "Statistically speaking, doing something stupid immediately increases the difficulty of tomorrow's objective."
Cyno nodded. "For once, I agree."
I frowned. "Wow. I'm getting lectured by everyone, even the lizard."
Dehya chuckled. "Good. Means we care. Now move your feet before the sun drops and we freeze out here."
I sighed dramatically but followed. "Fine, fine— tactical retreat for now. Tomorrow we resume emotional damage operations."
***
We didn't go to some random inn this time, which was honestly a blessing because if I had to sleep in another sand-filled pillow I might've snapped and committed a crime against interior decoration.
Instead, the entire squad collectively agreed to retreat to the safest place known to man:
Our teapot.
Yes. Dimensional teapot time.
We did try to convince Dehya, Alhaitham and Cyno to come chill with us—Nilou even gave them one of those soft "please?" smiles that could end wars—but they all refused. Cyno said something about "maintaining vigilance," Alhaitham mumbled "no thanks," and Dehya gave us a thumbs-up and the classic "I'll be fine" before walking off like a badass.
"Her leaving like that kinda feels like she's off to defeat an entire army on her own," I muttered, watching her cape dramatically disappear behind a dune.
Nilou giggled. "Maybe she'll come back with a new title. Dehya the Desert Conqueror."
Paimon floated closer and whispered, "Honestly, Paimon wouldn't be surprised if she soloed an entire Hilichurl tribe."
Their loss. Tubby-greeted-teapot-entrance over desert tent.
As soon as we stepped inside, Tubby waddled over with his usual "Welcome back, honored guest" voice. Nilou immediately crouched and patted him. Tubby let out a happy woo woo noise and I swear I saw him blush. If that teapot spirit ever turns into a human, we're going to have problems.
Lumine didn't even greet anyone—she just laser-beelined straight to the couch and face-planted into a pillow like she'd been struck by a tranquilizer.
Paimon? She pulled a high-speed maneuver past me and yelled, "You won't get Paimon this time!!" Then she slammed the bathroom door and locked it.
"…She thinks Tubby's gonna ask her to do chores again," Lumine mumbled into the pillow.
I blinked after her. "…Coward."
Since the couch already had one blonde on it, I flopped down next to Lumine anyway. The pillow muffled her voice but I could hear her make a little grunt of acceptance. Nilou gracefully sat down too—except she ignored the seat and full-on settled her head in my lap like it was perfectly normal (which… at this point, it kinda is).
"Man…" I exhaled, staring up at the ceiling. "That was an insane journey. I swear I died thirteen times in my heart today."
Nilou hummed softly. "I think mine stopped at least twice when that Giant bird almost burnt you."
Greg, sitting by the fireplace, puffed up his chest like he fought the ruin guard himself.
Lumine tilted her head onto my shoulder, voice calm. "Wasn't that just our daily life?"
"I mean—yes, but acknowledging the stupidity keeps it exciting."
Paimon peeked from behind the bathroom door. "Is it safe now? No more sandstorms or talking mushrooms?"
I gave her a thumbs-up. "Safest zone in Teyvat, buddy. Unless Tubby starts charging rent."
Tubby let out a suspiciously thoughtful "woo…"
"Don't you dare," I warned the teapot spirit.
Nilou giggled softly and curled up more comfortably. "I knew traveling with you would be… a lot of fun."
"Goddess, your definition of fun is terrifying."
Greg, now sitting comfortably on his tiny throne by the fireplace, flicked his tail twice in firm agreement.
Nilou only laughed again. Lumine let out a long, amused sigh.
After a little silence, Lumine suddenly spoke up in that nostalgic tone. "Seriously… ever since me, Paimon, and this idiot started adventuring… so much happened."
She smiled a little. "Remember when we were so hungry in Mondstadt that we had to wait hours just to catch a single fish… and you ended up burning it?"
"HEY," I protested. "It was still edible if you scraped off the black parts!"
Paimon nodded aggressively. "Yeah right! Paimon still remembers tasting pure charcoal!"
Lumine straight up laughed—an actual laugh—and continued.
"We helped Venti and saved Dvalin. We were accused of murder in Liyue… then ended up fighting a giant sea god ten minutes later."
"We met the spoiler man Dainsleif," I added, pointing at Nilou, "and when you eventually meet him, call him 'big brother.' He's basically family at this point."
Nilou gasped, delighted. "Really? Then I'll prepare a dance for him!"
Greg nodded like good, recruit more powerful siblings.
Lumine's tone softened again. "Then… we ran into my brother. You got punched in the face twice."
I frowned. "I still wake up sometimes and swear I can feel it."
Nilou covered her mouth, giggling non-stop.
Lumine went on. "We survived Inazuma and… somehow made the Electro Archon cry."
"Proud moment," I nodded. "Achievement unlocked: Made a god tear up."
"Then the Chasm happened…" Lumine sighed. "That was… rough."
"Got trapped, saw ancient cutscenes, 10/10 nightmare fuel," I added.
Nilou gently took my hand. "But… you made it through. All of you."
Paimon floated closer and poked my cheek. "Even if this idiot did try to eat a suspicious mushroom down there."
"It looked edible!"
"And that all… led us here. Sumeru." She watched the fireplace flicker. "Not everything was fun. Sometimes it was scary. Sometimes it really hurt. Sometimes… you just want peace."
Greg curled his tail around himself, like he was remembering stuff too.
Then she looked up at me with that gentle, soft-eyed look that always destroys the last functional braincell I have.
"But it was worth it… Right, idiot?"
I grinned instantly. "Totally worth it."
Nilou looked up, cheeks pink. "I wish I could've been with you since the beginning… but even so, I hope future adventures will be just as fun."
I reached down and ruffled her hair. "Oh, they will be. We'll have fun, cause a little chaos here and there, and absolutely enjoy the ride."
Paimon crossed her arms. "And Paimon refuses to be bait next time!"
Lumine snorted. "No promises."
Greg raised his tail like a flag of agreement.
Lumine smiled — real and bright — and leaned back against me again.
For the first time in a while, the world outside the teapot felt… quiet.
And for once, none of us minded the silence.
_______________
End of Chapter 126
Quests Completed:
*Survive Rahman's loyalty test and prevent Dehya from losing her arm. Successfully defuse the situation (mostly by anxiety and intense glaring).
*Hold yourself back from punching Rahman after Lumine's critical hit hand-squeeze.
*Secure Greg in full "seatbelt mode" and keep him from falling off during the panic sequence.
*Deliver a threat so chaotic and poetic ("I'll feed you to a sandstorm") that even Rahman hesitates.
*Successfully return to the Serenitea Pot and restore party morale through snacks, soft couches, and Tubby cuddles.
*Reminisce about past adventures and confirm that, despite all the chaos, you wouldn't change a thing.
Rewards:
*Adventure EXP: +4,800
*Mora: 19,000
*Companionship EXP: +1000 (Lumine, Nilou, Paimon, Greg)
*Greg's Seatbelt Mode (Passive: reduces "Panic" debuff by 15%)
*Lumine's Critical Hit Hand-Squeeze (Recharges after long rest)
*Nilou's Lap Pillow of Life (Restores 10 Morale and 5 HP)
*Tubby's Cozy Welcome (+3 Party Bond, +50% Couch Comfort for 24h)
*"Sandstorm Threat" Voice Line (Can be used once to intimidate a hostile target)
*Teapot Memory Fragment (Reminds the party of past adventures; increases Resolve by 10% the next day)