People will always face life's trials alone. What matters is whether one can retain that original heart after being tempered by hardships?
Aether wasn't sure. He didn't know what state his heart was in after all these ups and downs.
But the one thing he knew for certain was that he had never changed - and that was enough.
...
The residual echoes of lightning completely faded from his mind, vanishing at light speed without leaving any trace.
When he regained consciousness from the chaos, the first thing he heard was the sound of flames crackling against dry wood, followed by inexplicably soothing snoring.
After hearing came blurred vision.
His fingers twitched slightly, as if heralding his body's awakening.
He saw a familiar dark figure sitting quietly beside him, looking up in a posture that suddenly reminded Aether of past memories.
"Lumine?"
A mosquito-like whisper that sounded startlingly clear in the pin-drop silence.
The figure shifted slightly, then rested its elbows on knees, propping its head up while maintaining the same posture.
"Mmm."
At that moment, Aether felt strangely calm, as if he had rehearsed this meeting countless times - yet he hadn't anticipated such an encounter, nor this tranquil state of mind.
Excitement, fear, hesitation, joy, anger... All these emotions dissipated like a wisp of wind blown toward some distant horizon the moment he saw Lumine.
Turning his head, Aether saw Paimon lying motionless by the bonfire. If not for the drool at the corner of her mouth and her rhythmic breathing, he might have thought something terrible had happened.
Aether couldn't help but chuckle softly.
Having Paimon keep watch was truly... an unreliable decision.
"I remember how brother used to hold my hand as we traveled through the starry skies above, witnessing the hopes and despairs of countless worlds, wandering as travelers without roots."
Lumine spoke softly, as if she had forgotten the past or no longer cared about their opposing stances, making Aether suddenly wonder:
Am I still dreaming?
"Back then, you promised me we'd never be parted."
Aether's gaze fell upon the bonfire. The crimson flames still struggled to spread outward, but without fuel, they would be rendered immobile - like uprooted plants that wither away without soil.
For a fleeting moment, Aether felt the bond between him and his sister reconnect - that tie of blood, that tenderness between kin.
"Thank you."
Lumine turned and gave Aether a smile, making him frown slightly.
Reality had locked a warning in his heart. At least now, the person before him wasn't just family - she was the Lumine who had repeatedly attempted to destroy nations, the Princess of the Abyss Order.
"Why thank me?"
His icy tone betrayed Lumine's surprise, but she quickly tossed some stacked firewood beside her precisely into the dying flames, making the fire surge again.
"Because I already knew about Dainsleif's plans. Yet even so, you still came alone, brother."
Aether opened his mouth, but the words clogged in his throat. He had prepared so much to say before coming.
It was like having meticulously written notes suddenly swapped out, leaving only blank pages for him to face the public's gaze.
"Lumine... can I still trust you?"
After a long silence, Aether broke the winding quiet. This time, Lumine nodded firmly.
"Brother, I want to make another promise with you... or rather, a pledge."
Aether tilted his head, adjusting his position against the tree trunk.
From the beginning, he had checked the mechanical core he carried - it still lay quietly within him, giving both sides room for trust.
The elder brother was willing to talk; the younger sister didn't seize the chance to strike.
This blood-borne tacit understanding once again created space for reconciliation between seemingly irreconcilable opposites.
"Then I'll treat this as my little sister being willful again."
Unconsciously, Aether's voice took on a doting tone. In distant memories, his familiar sister overlapped with the girl before him.
"I won't interfere in Fontaine. I'll make my arrangements in Natlan. If... if the Abyss suffers defeat again this time, I'll never obstruct your path again, brother."
Following Lumine's gaze, Aether looked up at the vast starry sky. Countless twinkling stars radiated their brilliance in the silent night, yet the girl's eyes never lingered on these dazzling lights.
That single, out-of-place, dim star sat quietly on the other side of the Milky Way, as if all the splendor belonged there while deathly stillness reigned here.
"The stars represent fate. Countless people's destinies are like those shining stars. Brother, I know in your eyes I'm stubborn, but what I must bear is reigniting that dim, lightless star."
"This is my mission."
"Brother, the star that belongs solely to you lies between two galaxies, within the starry river."
"No matter which direction you move, there's danger of being extinguished. I just..."
Lumine suddenly felt surrounded by bone-chilling cold that even the crackling flames couldn't dispel - the loneliness of centuries, the suffocating weight of responsibility.
But the next instant, warmth from an embrace spread rapidly from her back. The heat between blood relatives gradually melted the icy barriers. Some invisible bond finally connected them.
"When you've had your fill of mischief, I'll come bring you home. Don't worry - I'll clean up all your messes."
Lumine's eyes widened slightly. Her nose stung as tears welled up uncontrollably.
This was recognition and acceptance from the other half of her soul, toppling the seemingly impregnable walls around her heart with a gentle push.
"Okay."
In their vision, that mechanical core floated quietly before the twins, bearing witness to this moment.
"Then it's a promise. That day will surely come."
Aether nodded, gazing again at that magnificent Milky Way.
Between the star in the galaxy and the dead star remained an insurmountable distance. Yet neither had drifted apart nor vanished with time. One day, they would meet.
Whether promises or pledges, they contain an indescribable power that drives people forward. Sometimes they become hard, cold walls blocking malice along the path; other times they transform into guiding markers pointing the way forward even through thick fog.
Well then, see you in Natlan, Lumine.
(Twins Arc Concluded.)
(Fontaine Arc Coming Next. Guest Characters: Shorekeeper and all members of Black Shores.)