As the group walked toward their new apartment, none of them noticed the shadow that detached itself from a nearby alley. The Fatui Agent moved with practiced silence, keeping to the rooftops as he tracked their movements.
Target acquired. Beginning surveillance.
The agent pulled out a small communication device. "This is Agent Kozlov. I have eyes on the anomaly and his companions. They're heading to the Knights' provided accommodation."
Good. Continue observation. Report any unusual behavior.
"Understood."
The agent settled into position on a building across from the apartment complex. This was going to be a long night.
"So," Paimon announced as they stood outside their new front door. "Who's gonna sleep where?"
Haru stared at the key in his hand. Somehow, having an actual place to stay made everything feel more real. More permanent.
"There are two beds," Lumine said practically. "We'll figure it out."
"Paimon doesn't need a bed!" Paimon declared. "Paimon floats!"
"Even when you sleep?"
"Paimon is a mystery wrapped in an enigma wrapped in tiny person!"
"That's not how that saying goes."
"Paimon makes her own sayings!"
Haru unlocked the door and stepped inside. The apartment was cozy—a main room with a small kitchen, two separate bedrooms, and a balcony overlooking the plaza. Simple furniture, clean linens, and a basket of complimentary fruit on the counter.
"Not bad," he said.
"It's perfect," Lumine agreed, setting her sword against the wall.
They spent the next few minutes exploring. Each bedroom had a single bed, a wardrobe, and a small window. The balcony offered a spectacular view of the cathedral and the plaza where they'd met earlier.
"Paimon claims the couch!" Paimon announced, diving onto the cushions.
"You literally just said you don't need a bed."
"Paimon changed her mind. Couches are comfy!"
As the evening wore on, they settled into something resembling normalcy. Lumine unpacked her few belongings. Paimon raided the fruit basket. Haru tried not to think about the fact that he was sharing an apartment with the most beautiful woman he'd ever met.
Don't be weird about it, he told himself. Just be normal. Whatever that means anymore.
"So," Paimon said around a mouthful of apple. "What's the sleeping situation? Paimon's curious."
"I'll take the left room," Haru said quickly. "Lumine can have the right one."
"Are you sure?" Lumine asked. "I don't mind—"
"It's fine. Really."
"If you say so."
As night fell, they said their goodnights and retreated to their respective rooms. Haru lay in bed staring at the ceiling, listening to the sounds of the city settling into sleep.
This was surreal. Three days ago he'd been a college student cramming for finals. Now he was living in Teyvat with video game characters who weren't characters anymore but real people with real lives and real problems.
And one of them was sleeping twenty feet away.
Don't think about it, he commanded himself. Go to sleep.
He closed his eyes and tried to relax.
That's when the dreams started.
"You think you're so much better than me now, don't you?"
His father's voice echoed through the cramped apartment - Haru's apartment, the one he'd scraped together money for after graduating high school.
"Working at that pathetic burger joint, going to college like you're somebody special. But look at this dump you live in. Look at your sad little life."
Haru had been nineteen, exhausted from pulling double shifts to pay rent and tuition. His father had shown up drunk again, forcing his way inside.
"You left me rotting in that house while you play pretend adult. But you're still nothing! You hear me? NOTHING!"
The bottle flew past his head, shattering against the wall of his own apartment - the place that was supposed to be safe.
The fist came out of nowhere.
Haru jolted awake with a gasp. His heart hammered against his ribs. Sweat covered his skin despite the cool night air.
For a moment, he didn't know where he was. The room was wrong. The sounds were wrong. Everything was—
Mondstadt. You're in Mondstadt. You're safe.
He sat up, running shaking hands through his hair. The nightmare felt more real than reality. The taste of fear lingered in his mouth like copper pennies.
Get it together, he told himself. That's over. That's done. You're somewhere else now.
But sleep wasn't coming back. Not after that.
Haru slipped out of bed and padded to the balcony. The night air was cool and clean, carrying the scent of flowers from the plaza below. Mondstadt looked peaceful in the moonlight, all soft shadows and silver highlights.
He gripped the railing and tried to process everything that had happened. Three days. Three days since his entire life had turned upside down. Three days since he'd fallen through a portal into a world that shouldn't exist.
And somehow, despite all the chaos and confusion, he felt more alive here than he had in years.
"Can't sleep?"
Haru spun around. Lumine stood in the doorway, wearing a simple nightgown that made her look ethereal in the moonlight.
"Sorry," he said quickly. "Did I wake you?"
"No, I was already awake." She joined him at the railing. "Too much to think about."
"Tell me about it."
They stood in comfortable silence for a few moments, looking out over the sleeping city.
"This is all pretty overwhelming," Haru said finally. "A few days ago, my biggest worry was making it through my shift at the burger joint and passing my finals. Now I'm dealing with dragons and magic, living with people I barely know, and apparently I have these... abilities."
"It's a lot to adjust to," Lumine agreed softly.
"How do you do it? All this traveling between worlds, never knowing what's coming next?"
"You learn to take things one day at a time. Focus on what's in front of you instead of worrying about everything else."
The evening wind picked up, stirring Lumine's hair. Silver strands danced around her face as she gazed out at the cathedral. The moonlight caught her profile, highlighting the elegant line of her jaw, the gentle curve of her lips.
She was stunning. Not just pretty—genuinely, breathtakingly beautiful.
"Beautiful..." Haru murmured without thinking.
Lumine turned to look at him. "What did you say?"
Heat flooded Haru's face. "Nothing. Nothing, I just... we should probably get some sleep. Big day tomorrow."
He practically fled back inside, leaving Lumine standing alone on the balcony.
She touched her cheek, feeling the warmth there, and smiled softly to herself.
Morning came with the sound of church bells and the smell of fresh bread from the plaza below. Haru woke to find sunlight streaming through his window and the events of the previous night feeling like a distant dream.
Did I really call her beautiful out loud? He groaned into his pillow. Please tell me she didn't hear that.
"HARU! LUMINE! PAIMON'S HUNGRY!" came a shout from the main room.
"Subtle as always, Paimon," Haru muttered, pulling on his clothes.
When he emerged, Lumine was already dressed and ready. She gave him a perfectly normal good morning, showing no signs that anything awkward had happened the night before.
Maybe she didn't hear after all.
"Good Hunter for breakfast?" he suggested.
"Paimon votes yes!" Paimon declared. "Paimon wants hash browns! And sweet madame! And whatever that fish thing was!"
"You can't eat everything on the menu, Paimon."
"Watch Paimon try!"
They made their way to the restaurant, where Sara greeted them like old friends. The food was as amazing as before—possibly better, since Haru's enhanced senses could pick up flavors he'd never noticed in regular food.
When the bill came, Haru reached for his mora pouch without thinking.
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION: Current balance: 1,000,000 Mora. You can literally buy this entire restaurant. Multiple times.]
"I've got this," he said, dropping coins on the table.
"You don't have to—" Lumine started.
"It's fine. I've got money."
"Where did you get money?" Paimon asked suspiciously.
"I... found some."
"You found a thousand mora worth of coins?"
"I'm lucky?"
"Paimon thinks you're hiding something."
"Paimon thinks a lot of things. Most of them involve food."
After breakfast, they headed to the Knights of Favonius headquarters. Jean was waiting with mission details, maps, and a thoroughly serious expression.
"The situation with Stormterror has escalated," she explained. "We've located several sources of his power—corrupted wind currents that need to be cleansed. We're assembling teams to handle them."
She pointed to locations marked on a large map. "We've identified three corrupted wind currents that are feeding Stormterror's power. Each needs to be cleansed simultaneously. Amber will take one team to the eastern domain. Lisa will take another team to the northern site. Kaeya will handle the western location."
"What about us?" Lumine asked.
"You'll go with Amber initially to handle the eastern domain. Once that's cleared, we'll split up - Haru, you'll join Kaeya's team for the western site. Lumine and Paimon will assist Lisa with the northern location."
Haru studied the map. He recognized these locations from the game, though seeing them represented in real geography made them feel more daunting.
"Any questions?" Jean asked.
"Just one," Haru said. "What exactly are we dealing with in these domains? What kind of resistance should we expect?"
"Unknown. That's why we're sending multiple people per team."
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION: DUNGEON DETECTED. AURA FARMING OPPORTUNITY AVAILABLE. RECOMMENDED APPROACH: DRAMATIC HEROICS.]
Not this time, Haru thought. Let Lumine handle this one. She needs the experience more than I need the power boost.
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION: ...Are you feeling alright? You're passing up perfectly good aura farming opportunities. This is concerning.]
I'm fine. Just being strategic.
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION: Strategy is good. Just don't make it a habit. I live for the drama.]
An hour later, they were hiking through the forest toward the first domain. Amber led the way with the confidence of someone who knew every tree and rock in the area.
"So," she said conversationally, "anyone want to explain how Haru deflected those wind blades yesterday? Because that's been bugging me all night."
"I got lucky," Haru said.
"Nobody gets that lucky."
"I'm very, very lucky."
"Paimon thinks Haru's not telling the whole truth," Paimon chimed in.
"Paimon thinks a lot of things."
"Paimon's usually right though!"
"Debatable."
They reached the domain entrance—a swirling portal of wind and light that definitely hadn't been there in the game's version.
"Okay," Amber said, checking her bow. "Standard formation. I'll provide ranged support. Lumine, you're our primary fighter. Haru... what exactly can you do in combat?"
Haru considered his options. He could demonstrate his abilities, show off his mastery of cryo magic, maybe earn some system points in the process.
Or he could step back and let Lumine shine.
"I'll watch your backs," he said. "Support where needed."
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION: This is highly unusual behavior. Are you sure you're not running a fever?]
I'm sure.
The domain was exactly what Haru expected—floating platforms, wind currents, and hostile slimes that attacked on sight. Lumine moved through them with fluid grace, her sword dancing as she carved through enemies with practiced efficiency.
Amber provided covering fire from elevated positions, her arrows finding their marks with unerring accuracy.
Haru... mostly stayed out of the way.
Occasionally he'd intercept an attack aimed at one of his companions, or use a minor ice spell to slow down a particularly aggressive enemy. But for the most part, he let them handle the fighting.
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION: Combat performance: Minimal. Heroic actions: None detected. Aura farming: Nonexistent. Current status: Background character.]
[I'm getting genuinely worried. This is like watching someone turn down free money.]
By the time they reached the domain's core—a swirling mass of corrupted wind energy—Lumine and Amber had developed a smooth combat rhythm.
"Alright," Amber said, studying the energy mass. "This looks like a job for elemental reactions. Lumine, can you disrupt it with anemo energy?"
"I can try."
Lumine stepped forward, wind gathering around her blade. With a precise strike, she severed the corruption's connection to Stormterror's power. The mass dissolved in a shower of green light.
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION: Mission complete. Combat participation: 15%. Aura farming opportunities missed: 23. I don't understand what's happening to you.]
"Nice work," Haru said, and meant it.
"Thanks." Lumine smiled, looking genuinely pleased with herself.
As they made their way back to Mondstadt, Amber chattered excitedly about the successful mission. Paimon provided commentary on everything she'd seen. Lumine looked confident and happy.
Haru felt... content. Not powerful, not dramatically heroic. Just content.
Maybe, he thought, being the protagonist isn't always about being the center of attention.
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION: I really, really don't understand what's happening to you. But... carry on, I suppose?]
Back in the city, they reported their success to Jean and prepared to split up for the next phase of operations.
"Excellent work on the eastern domain," Jean said, reviewing their report. "Now we move to phase two. Haru, you'll join Kaeya's team for the western corruption site. Lumine and Paimon, Lisa is waiting for you at the northern location."
"Different domains this time?" Haru asked.
"Each corruption source requires a different approach. Kaeya's team will handle the combat-heavy western site, while Lisa's group tackles the more magically complex northern domain."
"Sounds like a plan," Haru agreed.
As they parted ways in the plaza, Lumine caught his arm.
"Thank you," she said quietly.
"For what?"
"For letting me handle things today. I know you could have taken over if you wanted to."
"How do you—"
"I pay attention." She squeezed his arm gently. "It meant a lot."
Then she was gone, following Paimon toward the library.
Haru watched them go, feeling something warm settle in his chest.
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION: Affection points detected. Romance subplot advancing. This is... actually kind of sweet.]
[I'm still confused about the aura farming thing though. Are you sure you're feeling okay?]
I'm fine, Haru thought. Better than fine, actually.
For the first time since arriving in Teyvat, he felt like he was exactly where he belonged.
High above, hidden in the cathedral's shadows, the Fatui Agent adjusted his spy glass and continued taking notes.
Subject continues to show unusual behavior patterns. Recommend increased surveillance.
In a luxury hotel across the city, La Signora read the preliminary report with growing interest.
"Fascinating," she murmured. "A mysterious young man with unknown powers, living intimately with the famous Traveler. This bears watching."
She penned a quick note to be sent north: Increase surveillance on Mondstadt anomaly. Priority: High.