Chapter Text
Midday of the following day, when she approaches him and instead of rejecting her offer of collecting data together he accepts. He can see that she’s surprised, but she’s quick to rid herself of her shock and soon trails behind him as they start to examine the ecosystem around them.
It’s easy to start a conversation with her, biology isn’t in his Darshan program but that doesn’t mean that he lacks knowledge on it.
As the day passes he allows her to believe that her efforts have finally paid results, as far as Sohreh is aware friendship has finally started to appear between them. He listens when she talks and adds his own thoughts, when they discover those new scarabs he lies and says that her name proposal is a good one.
She’s happy, almost euphoric, to the point when he shows a little bit too much interest in the ancient machines while wary and cautious of it she doesn’t comment on it.
By the end she’s so happy, she’s all smiles and saying how much she enjoyed it, when she proposes the idea of a picnic at night he accepts it.
As she walks away, happy and with almost a bounce on her steps he’s nothing but grateful for the Sage’s stupidity.
After all, a death caused by a Rishboland Tiger right in the middle of their territory isn’t something that would be really questioned.
***
The next part is easy, of course, their little picnic is kept as a secret to the rest of the team. And so when night comes they leave camp once everyone else is asleep.
She’s the first one to leave. And with that, she begins her last moments.
And after some minutes he follows.
***
The thing about Sohreh’s death is that while he’s in a hurry to bring it to her, he doesn’t give her the luxury of having a quick death.
It is silent one, for she’s unaware of the danger she has invited, as he trails behind her, hiding in the dark, all while he walks with unheard steps.
She hears nothing, and only becomes aware of the danger once something hits her hard in the back.
She falls to the floor, scared, confused in pain, and silent, for the hit was strong enough that it took all of her breath away.
He waits to continue the attack until she turns to face her attacker.
The expression she made once she was able to take a look at him, it’s one that fills him with a dark satisfaction.
Of course, he doesn’t give her time to react, the next hit goes right to her neck. Something shatters, and not only it brings her more pain and fear but also takes her ability to scream away.
After all, it is well known that Rishboland Tigers are exceptional hunters that don’t even give their prey enough time to react and scream.
Another hit follows, and then another, another, another.
He doesn’t count them. He thinks nothing, he just keeps with his attack until he’s satisfied.
Once he’s done her body is bloody and broken, lacerations and bruises adorn her.
Tears run down her cheeks.
Her eyes are full of pain and fear. But they still shine.
He falls over her marred body, and with his hands on her throat, he squeezes.
Fear, pain, desperation and more tears. But finally, that light goes off.
She closes her eyes.
She’s not dead yet.
He doesn’t bother finishing her, it’s not like she would survive anyways.
And, to this point, all of the death he has caused have been quick ones, he wants this one to be as long as she can cling to life.
***
The next part of his plan comes easy, he admits that he failed to take into account the contempt that the Sage holds for him, and so when he is discovered to have sneaked away from the camp in the middle of the night and as consequence, punishment for this and past unauthorized actions is starting to be considered his reaction of shock is genuine.
And while in general not a good thing, it just makes his act of pretending more credible when Sohreh’s disappearance is noticed.
Of course, he’s the first one to be interrogated on the subject, but it’s easy to make all of the doubt on him go away, everyone knows that he’s always the last one to go to bed. Hell, it is even known that sometimes he doesn’t even sleep. So why would tonight be any different?
Tonight, just like all the others he waited until everyone was asleep and then sneaked away. He swears that when he left Sohreh was still in the camp.
All doubt goes away and once everyone believes that he’s truly ignorant of the truth then the search begins.
They find her mangled and broken body a little before the sun rises.
He’s surprised that she’s still alive.
A sentiment shared by everyone, no one knows what to do, they all lack even the more basic knowledge on how to treat any wounds.
He doesn’t. But of course, he stays silent.
But even with their lack of knowledge, it is clear that Sohreh’s time is running out quickly.
Chaos is soon to fall all over them, not only have the lacerations all over her body been finally noticed just as he expected everyone now suspects that this was the work of a Tiger, not only now do they have to worry about getting Sohreh back to the city, now there’s also the added worry of a man killer Rishboland Tiger waiting for the moment it can catch another one of their group.
An improvised stretcher is made and they begin the desperate journey back.
Is in vain he knows, and many others also do, at some point, he’s even tempted to make the suggestion of mercy killing her. But he stays silent, the curiosity of how much longer she will last is more significant than his annoyance at all the worry and urgency that everyone else but him carries.
***
The attack of the Ruin Guard is unexpected, but it gives him a chance to see it work really close, he lets it attack and even injure some other members of the team before he intervenes. He makes quick work of it.
He doesn’t know why he made the suggestion, but he can’t say the consequences of his words weren’t expected.
His proposal to bring back the machine may have gained him the incredulity of everyone else at his words and being removed from the author list of a paper that he holds no care over are consequences that he doesn’t care about.
He’s disappointed that he has to leave a perfectly intact and still functional mechanical being behind, but at least Sohreh finally dies.
The injured are ordered to go back to the city and after burying Sohreh the expedition comes to an end.
***
Expelled.
Those are the words the Grand Sage says to him.
That is the punishment that he and the other Sages came into accord when discussing his actions.
It’s a lie, he’s very well aware of that.
Three times, those were the number of times he acted without authorization, and while he expected punishment he knows that the punishment doesn’t fit his crimes.
Unless.
Unless of course their judgment isn’t over the crime of acting as he wanted and instead, the crime being sentenced is the one of Sohreh’s blood on his hands.
No.
If he had been discovered then his punishment would have been bigger than just expulsion.
As the Grand Sage makes it official, he takes some moments to analyze it all.
And soon the realization comes. Soon he realizes the truth.
They are scared.
All of them, every single teacher, Sage, and the Grand Sage himself are able to see his potential, all of them can see how he’s already starting to surpass them.
Now it all makes sense.
After all.
This wouldn’t make it the first time that a student is unjustly expelled all because they have the potential to be even greater than all of the Sages combined.
He’s expelled, and as all the paperwork is processed the Grand Sage tells him that they are offering him the kindness of keeping it under wraps.
He knows it’s not because of that.
A student has just died, and now the student hailed as a genius and the most talented in the past years has been expelled without a solid reason.
Of course, they would want to keep things hidden.
Sumeru is already in a delicate position thanks to the death of their past Archon and the little involvement that the new one is taking.
Right now is the chance for the Akademiya to position itself as the ruling force of the whole nation, and as an institution of renown and power across the seven nations.
Of course, they would want to keep his expulsion under wraps, they are already under fire thanks to Sohreh’s death, and now kicking out the brightest student?
Not really a good look.
But aside from that.
The Akademiya isn’t the only research institution in Teyvat, if the news that the best student has been expelled were to be heard in almost no time someone else would be offering him a place to keep on studying and conducting his experiments and research, and whoever obtained him would no doubt obtain a great asset.
He’s expelled, his time in the Akademiya has come to an end, but aside from the Sages and some of the Matra, and other authorities, none else is aware.
When he leaves thousands of other students see him walking through the halls, unaware that it will be the last time they see him.
***
While unfortunate being expelled wasn’t the end of it all, but this.
“I know you were the one that killed her.”
Lumine stands in front of him, blocking his path. Her voice is just a whisper, the alley they are on is one seemingly forgotten and unused by everyone else, but one never knows. Still, in the silence that surrounds them, her words sound so loud.
He says nothing, there’s no point in it when she knows the truth.
Rejection had never bothered him, it was something that he had experienced as long as he could remember, from the place he was born and raised into the halls and classrooms of the Akademiya were teachers and classmates alike would sneer and avoid him.
But Lumine.
She had never cared.
Had heard about his ideas and goal to the ones others would recoil away in disgust and yet she had stayed.
But now.
“Are you an idiot?!”
Now, it seemed like this would somehow still remain the same. Because that wasn’t anger, that wasn’t disgust, and instead, it was the worry she had for him, one he had become very familiar with.
“I bet you don’t even have an idea of who her parent are.”
Many things would change, he now needed to find a place where he could continue with his research, but at least it seemed like she would still stand by his side.
“Why is that relevant?”
She takes a deep breath, reeling back the bunch of emotions that his words and attitude to the situation are causing in her.
“Because. Her parents are some of the biggest donators to the Akademiya, they have demanded for a proper investigation to be done. A team has already left to get her body back so they can do an autopsy. And, it matters because once results are back they will realize that Tigers weren’t the ones that killed her.”
Oh, well, now with that information known.
She walks towards him, grabs his arms and drags him through dark alleys.
“Where are we going?”
She takes them through paths where none else will see them.
“I don’t know, but far from here, it’s just a matter of time before the truth is revealed and the further you are when that happens the better for you.”
Solid reasoning. Still.
“I need to go back and get my things.”
Her hold remains unbreakable.
“Not possible, the place is already full of Matras. Last I heard they sent a team to interrogate everyone that was part of the expedition, they were arriving by the time I was leaving.
But don’t worry, I grabbed all of your research and other important things before I left.”
One last abandoned alley and they reach one of the walls surrounding the city, it’s a dead end, behind the path they came from, and in front of the wall and some boxes. She moves them, there’s a hole in the wall, and it leads right to the forest.
The grass is tall and the place is full of trees, away from any roads and other paths that would make it possible for them to be spotted.
She was too well prepared.
“Where you expecting this outcome?”
There’s no way she wasn’t, not with the way in which she knew that it had been him the one to kill her, not with the way in which she knew to grab all of his research because he would have no chance to do so, no with the way she knew to already have an escape route secured.
“Suspecting it. But wasn’t sure if you would really act on it.”
They walk quickly and efficiently through the forest, the city far behind them.
“How so?”
What had been the thing that ticked her off, what was the thing that she was able to see in him that none else was?
“Because of your eyes. The morning your group was leaving I was there. You were looking at her like she was nothing but an animal you wanted to gut.”
“Ah. I see.”
They keep on walking, their escape is successful and unnoticed, by the time their absence is noted, it’s already too late.
***
For a time they wander with no objective or purpose in mind, for months it’s just the two of them walking through the most dangerous and hidden paths of the jungle. Walking through swamps full of spinokroks, exploring hidden domains and decaying ruins, they spent days lost while walking through massive caves full of ancient secrets.
Sometimes they discuss the idea of leaving, maybe not that far, maybe just leaving for Liyue, the neighboring nation is a big one and it is also full of ancient history and knowledge waiting to be rediscovered. Maybe go even further, in comparison the nation of wind is small but there are still things to find in there.
Or maybe even go as far as to arrive in the land of electro.
It would be easy, and once they leave this place behind maybe they could even try and integrate themselves into society once again. Lumine could keep doing work as an adventurer, and Zandik has the knowledge and experience enough to make it as a doctor, scientist or some kind of inventor.
They discuss it all in detail, long conversations that go on for hours.
They never act on them.
But after a while at least they do leave the jungle, the desert is a more brutal place and it offers them more chances to remain hidden from the world.
***
Settling in Aaru village is a surprise, but it makes sense, the hospital treating those afflicted with Eleazar is a unique opportunity to further advance Zandik’s research in a way to make humans go past beyond their limits.
Of course, their appearance is met with a lot of questions and doubts, as far as the other residents know Zandik is a brilliant doctor, and she’s a woman of many talents, why would a couple as young and with so much potential as them would decide to settle in a place that could offer them nothing?
Of course, they never answer, even here she refuses to speak with anybody who isn’t Zandik, and when they ask him he just answers vague things such as ‘it was their only option,’ or ‘it was for the best.’
Thankfully from it, the villagers convince themselves that the topic of their decision of coming here is one that brings them pain and soon they leave them alone. Of course, they still speculate, and from what she has heard the more accepted theory is that they came from different backgrounds and that their respective families didn’t accept their relationship, leaving them with the only option of running away if they wanted to stay together.
Some are still skeptical about them, but their inquiries are drowned in the approval that the rest give them, Zandik is a dedicated doctor who’s doing the impossible to help those suffering from Eleazar, but aside from that when someone in the village needs a doctor he never hesitates in helping. They accept Lumine in the same warm way, she’s helpful to everyone, and no matter what she can help everyone with their problems, from simple things as fetching water at the bottom of the settlement, looking after lost pets, to the things everyone else is afraid and unable to do like getting rid of monsters camps that come to close, an in the rare occasion that they give them problems she will do the same with eremites.
Time passes like that until they hit a wall and they leave once again.
When she hears about how Abbas escaped she offers to go and search for him, after all, if he were to be discovered by someone else it would be a big annoyance for both of them.
But he tells her not to bother with it. That he has obtained all information and has done all the experiments he can with his current resources.
So once again they leave, they play it well, and none one questions their true motives for leaving.
And as the years pass, soon the young couple that settled for a time will be nothing more than a distant memory, and eventually, centuries after, there would be no reminder of her, and about him only scattered and almost unreadable notes detailing cruel and inhuman experiments would remain.
***
They go further inside the desert, they spent hours going up giant dunes, spent nights observing the night sky, so different from the one that hangs up over the forest.
When it comes to exploring aside from caves there’s little to do, almost all of the ruins are blocked behind some mechanism or other that no matter how much they try to they just can never figure out.
To his joy at least the desert is full of mechanical beings, they even explore one of the giant ones but that doesn’t really end well.
It’s a harsh life, the desert is no place for weakness and doubt, it’s a place where only the best prevail, of course, they do, but that doesn’t mean that it comes without its difficulties.
Still, it’s a good life.
And so of course, that means it must come to an end.
***
It’s a gradual but notable shift, fights that took her less than half a minute suddenly are one minute long, soon one and a half, two, and three. It never passes that limit but it’s clear to see.
She getting weaker. She still remains with her inhuman abilities, and still stands far above him. But there are signs.
Sleeping longer than before, actually getting tired after days of walking, sometimes even needing to stop and catch her breath.
It’s an end, a slow-paced one, but an end.
Their end.
***
“How long do you think you can go on?”
For quite some time already he has become aware of the way she came into this world, she told him about her fall, about the loss of her powers, and about the slumber that came after.
“I don’t know. Maybe a century, maybe until tomorrow.”
She told him of how she’s not exactly aware of how long she slept but that it was at least for some decades. Their current conclusion is that it was not enough time.
And that after years of fighting, exploring, and running around the little energy that her past slumber was able to accumulate has finally run out.
“But, I think, that, if I try, I may be able to remain awake for some decades.”
Time enough so that she will be able to remain by his side until his human condition catches up to him and he perishes.
“No.”
There are no guarantees, she says that but maybe tonight she will go to sleep and won’t wake up for long after that.
“Don’t worry about me. I told you already, didn’t I? I will make humanity go beyond its limits”
He thinks of her past words, words where she told him she had seen that happen before. You told me I could achieve it. He remembers.
“I will do that, I will break my own limitations.”
So that you may rest, and once you wake up, years, decades, or even centuries, no matter when, I will still be here. Words that remain unsaid but are still passed.
“All right.”
It’s a dangerous promise, they still make it.
It may be broken.
It may be impossible to do.
They don’t care.
That is their last night spent together.
When morning comes they part ways, she returns to the place in which she awoke, a place that even after almost begging her to reveal still remains unknown to him.
She’s the first one to leave, and he watches her walk away from him until she disappears from his sight.
And after what feels like hours he moves.
Determined and with only one goal, if he wants to achieve his goal then he needs the resources, needs a place where to be able to make his experiments and research with no worry for material or funding, a place where he won’t find himself limited by laws or morality.
It will be hard to find it, but he has to.
He will.
And so when she awakens she will still be able to find him.
***
After she wakes things truly change for her when she finds Paimon.
The little pixie is not only a welcomed presence that helps with the loneliness that had started to consume her, but she also takes on the role of her teacher in a serious way, and in a matter of months Lumine has basic knowledge of this world.
Language comes easily, there are still some things that escape her, but once she is in front of other people she will be more than happy to allow the fairy to be the one leading the conversation.
The mechanics of this world also come fast to her, some of them similar to others she has found in previous worlds, from the way magic and the elements are the guiding force of this world to the way in which she can store her things inside a pocket dimension.
Paimon is a good friend, but there are still some things that she keeps hidden from the pixie, while she has told her the basics of her past she doesn’t really tell her that much, there’s no need for the fairy to know, but she also doesn’t tell her how this world feels familiar, never comments or interrupts the fairy when she explains things that for some reason not only she knows but also understands them on an ever deeper, scientific even, way.
She doesn’t tell her about the notes and papers she found stored deep in her inventory. Papers that were written by a hand that is not hers, all of them going in deep about research and experiments she doesn’t understand. Some of them even fall into the realm of cruel and inhumane.
Still, even with no use for them, she keeps them. They belong to someone important to her, or at least she believes they do. Why would she keep them if that was not the case?
One day she decides she’s ready and they walk towards the city she has seen so many times at a distance.
From that moment her life changes.
***
She knows the man in front of her.
But at the same time, she doesn’t.
It is him, but he isn’t Zandik.
But even as all of her memories return she doesn’t have time to think about them.
Around her, the mind-controlled people get closer and closer, and while behind her Paimon panics and Nahida tries to think about what to do the only thing in her mind is something akin to pride. Because she remembers, remembers how centuries ago Zandik had tried to experiment on the Akasha, but doing so while still a student was a risk to big, and once he was expelled he didn’t have the proper materials to keep on experimenting on it.
So seeing this now, seeing how far he has come, that he was able to realize some of the ideas and hypotheses he had, even if the man that achieved them isn’t her Zandik she’s still happy for him.
Still, she runs.
Nahida reveals herself and Lumine runs.
But as she does so she takes one final look at him. And thinks.
‘So this is how you went beyond the limits huh?’
She runs and not only leaves Nahida behind but also her only way of knowing what happened to Zandik.
But it’s not the end. She knows that.
Their paths will cross again, either by coincidence or plans, after all, she has made herself one of the biggest threats to the Fatui.
There’s no way that their paths won’t cross.
Will he be another threat for her to dispose of, or will he become a reluctant ally? That doesn’t matter, as long as she gets her answers she doesn’t care what happens to him.
Because this isn’t her Zandik.
***
Centuries ago two lovers made a fragile and almost impossible promise.
They were able to keep it but at the same time they didn’t.
She woke up once again, but the path she has chosen to walk has made her an enemy of the organization that he now serves.
He still lives, still roams this world, now with the power and backup to do all of the experiments that once where only whispers in between them, but at the same time he doesn’t. For he is but isn’t the same man.
They keep their promise, but if they will be able to live the life they wanted is a thing only the future will reveal.
All while the stars keep on watching their story.