Lumine and Paimon's silhouettes faded into the distance, their forms blurring as the light screen flickered. The vibrant colors of the past dissolved into a dull, static gray.
This Reincarnation had reached its conclusion.
Lumine was back on her path. She walked the soil of Teyvat once more, accompanied by Paimon, resuming the long search for her lost blood relative.
"Is that it?" Kamisato Ayaka asked. Her voice was soft, carrying a weight of lingering sorrow. "Is the past life of Mr. Kael and Miss Lumine truly over?"
'It feels so sudden. Like a dream that ends just as you realize you're sleeping.'
"In the end, she's back with the Lavender Melon," Arataki Itto barked. He crossed his arms, his thick brow furrowing in genuine confusion. "But wait. How did Kael and Lumine never run into her? The brat can fly, but she still ends up face-down in the drink? I don't get it."
"Mmm, it seems Paimon and Lumine are the true pair after all," Lisa sighed. She leaned back, her eyes half-lidded. "What a pity..."
"Hey!" Paimon squeaked, her tiny hands flailing in the air. "Did I really drown while Kael was with Lumine? Hehe... I mean, I don't know why I didn't show up earlier. Maybe I was just... busy?"
'Busy being fish bait, apparently. How embarrassing!'
"That last tear..." Venti whispered. He looked toward the horizon, his eyes distant and unreadable. "Kael wiped it away. He reached through a thousand years of drifting wind to offer his beloved one final mercy."
It was exactly as Kael had told Aether.
He wasn't like the legends standing in this room. He wasn't a hero burdened by the duty of protecting Mondstadt or the fate of Teyvat.
He lacked Aether's burning drive to restore the fallen glory of Khaenri'ah. He had no desire to challenge the Heavenly Principles or hunt The Seven for a vengeance centuries in the making.
In Kael's own mind, he was a nobody. A footnote. A small man who simply loved a girl named Lumine.
But it was this "nobody" who had achieved the impossible.
He had performed a feat that no one else in the world could ever replicate.
The Price of Remembrance
He offered up his own power.
It was the only way to maintain the grip of the Heavenly Principles over the order of Teyvat.
When Kael stepped through the gateway of sacrifice, he didn't look like a tragic hero. There was no grand display of grief. He simply looked at Lumine and asked her for one thing.
He wanted her to remember him. Just him.
The ease with which he faced his end was haunting. Perhaps he had already made his peace when the truth first came to light. He knew his role... and he knew the cost.
Lumine and Paimon met once more on that lonely beach, proving that Teyvat had entered a new Reincarnation.
In Mondstadt, the people went about their lives. No one remembered the Honorary Knight named Kael who had saved them from the dragon disaster.
Even Lumine had no memory of the man who pulled her from the waves. She didn't remember the home he built or the way he had cared for her.
Ningguang: "This is the cruelty of the Cycle. Lumine's journey continues, yet she has forgotten the one person who gave everything for her."
Alhaitham: "In this new journey, she will still become the Honorary Knight of Mondstadt. She will still meet all of us and experience the events she was meant to. It is a pity that no one knows the truth of history... that it was bought by Kael's sacrifice."
Yae Miko: "In a way, forgetting is a form of mercy. If you don't remember, you cannot feel the pain of the loss."
Jean: "It is far too heavy a burden for one man."
Kael: "Wait, everyone, please stay calm. Don't act like you're attending my funeral. I'm living quite well in this life."
Lumine: "Where are you? I want to see you... right now." Her eyes shimmered with a painful, glassy red.
Back in Kael's home, Furina was still drowning in the sorrow of the story's end.
She thought of the Hilichurl tribe Lumine had seen at the very end. That was the original site. That was the prototype for the house Kael had built for them.
A soft, phantom breeze brushed against her cheek, wiping away a stray tear.
Furina didn't want to imagine what would have happened if the Reincarnation hadn't triggered immediately after the sacrifice. How would Lumine have faced a life without him?
She couldn't think about it. Besides, now wasn't the time for such thoughts.
"No, I have to get out of here," Furina stammered, her voice trembling.
"Lumine is going to find you. If she catches me here... she'll have my head!"
She looked at Kael, but he was staring at the wall, lost in thought.
If the Reincarnation System kept exposing his past lives like this, his quiet little house was about to become a battlefield.
'The real fight hasn't even started yet,' Kael thought.
His past efforts were being revealed to the world. It was only fair that he received some compensation.
"Don't rush," Kael said, his voice calm. "Put your clothes on first."
Furina froze. "Right... okay."
She started fumbling around the sofa, her hands searching for discarded fabric. Then she stopped. Her face turned a brilliant shade of crimson.
They hadn't actually done anything.
"Hey! What are you talking about?" she barked, her small fists clenched in protest. "This isn't the time for jokes! Lumine is strong, you know? I can't take her in a fight. If she gets jealous and starts overthinking things, I'm finished!"
She turned to bolt for the door, but Kael's voice stopped her.
"You just said it yourself. We didn't do anything. What are you so afraid of?"
If he had to face the coming storm, he might as well let it break now.
"Besides, this was only one Reincarnation. What if other people are involved in the next ones? You can't run forever."
He looked her in the eye. "A clear conscience has nothing to fear. I don't think Lumine is unreasonable."
Furina stopped in her tracks.
She chewed her lip, considering his words. They made sense. Deep down, a small part of her was actually curious. She wondered if she had a role to play in his past lives.
In any grand drama, the roles of the lead actors were always the most coveted.
Just as they finished speaking, a crisp, ethereal voice rang out from the heavens.
[The first cycle of the Reincarnation story has concluded.]
[Calculating rewards...]
[Congratulations to Lumine for receiving a reward.]
[Reward: Fusion of the seven Elemental Power types.]
[Congratulations to Kael for receiving a reward.]
[Reward: A 500 square meter Floating Island.]
[Selecting lucky winners...]
[Congratulations to Venti for receiving a reward.]
[Reward: 100 barrels of fine wine.]
[Congratulations to Aether for receiving a reward.]
[Reward: 100 million Mora.]
[In five minutes, memories of the past life will be restored.]
Ningguang: "A Floating Island of only 500 square meters? Is the system's reward for Kael not a bit low? It doesn't even compare to my Jade Chamber."
Keqing: "If you have the time, Kael, you are welcome to come to Liyue and experience our Jade Chamber."
Ningguang: "Ahem... my Jade Chamber."
Venti: "Whoa! This is incredible! A bunch of huge wooden barrels just appeared out of thin air next to me. Let me see..."
Venti: "Oh, that's the good stuff."
Paimon: "Look! Lumine is glowing! Wait, the elemental fusion... the symbols on her clothes turned white, just like Aether's! Lumine, your strength is back!"
Lumine: "It's amazing. But..."
Lumine: "Kael! Tell me where you are this instant!"
Kael: "Hold on, I need to look at my reward first."
Aether: "This is strange. Why did I get a reward? What am I supposed to do with all this Mora?"
Dvalin: "You think that's strange? The weirdest part is Barbatos. That tone-deaf bard actually got a reward?"
Venti: "Hey! I helped Kael get Lumine away at the very end, didn't I? I put in the work!"
Diluc: "I can practically see the Anemo Archon's grin from here. He's probably laughing himself silly."
Zhongli: "So... there was no reward of Mora for me?"
Hu Tao: "My dear Consultant, my Great Lord Geo... can we please go borrow some money from Aether to fix the funeral parlor's books?"
Zhongli: "Hmm... that might not be enough. We may still need Childe's assistance."
The Floating Island of Fontaine
"Have some dignity, will you?"
Tartaglia's voice dripped with mock offense.
"Back in Liyue, I practically carried you and Lumine through the mud, and this is the thanks I get? Keeping me in the dark like some common grunt?"
Dainsleif looked toward the horizon, his gaze heavy with centuries of secrets.
"Aether... perhaps it is time we traveled through Teyvat once more?"
Aether said nothing. The silence between them stretched, thick and uncomfortable.
"This is a disaster!" Charlotte shouted, her camera nearly slipping from her trembling hands. "Look! Above Fontaine... a Floating Island just appeared out of nowhere!"
Navia squinted at the sky, her parasol forgotten.
"Wait, she's right. It's hovering directly over the residential district. What on earth is going on?"
Neuvillette stared at the screen, his face a mask of stoic calm.
'It isn't that I didn't want to help you hide, Kael.'
He sighed, the sound lost in the vastness of his office.
'But the Reincarnation System didn't just broadcast your past lives to the world. It gave them your front door.'
The Reincarnator was on his own now.
Neuvillette sank back into his chair, exhaling a long, weary breath. This mess was no longer his responsibility.
Then, his breath hitched.
A cold realization settled in his gut, turning his blood to ice.
"Furina..." he whispered to the empty room. "Where are you right now?"
~✦~ End of Chapter ~✦~
Support this story by dropping Power Stones
100 Power Stones = Bonus Chapter
Join Community: https://discord.gg/szn5vDpz