The Traveler: Mondstadt (Genshin Impact)

Chapter 27

Lumine gripped the end of her sword. Her face tightened with both anger and fear. It was a dumb question to ask, I know. What we had to do was clear it was only a matter of finding the strength to carry on knowing full well that we might die anyway. She looked over at Paimon and all the Knights laying on the floor.

"Paimon see if you can wake them up! I'm going to slow them down!"

"Wait! Lumine! Where are you going!"

We both ran down the steps to the lower floors. As Lumine ran down at full speed I stopped to look at the destruction in front of me. For some reason when I heard the explosions I only pictured small piles of rubbles on the ground but only now do I understand the gravity of the situation.

I finally understood what hesitation could really mean. This wasn't the death of someone I had met only a week before. I remember the earthquakes on the news. Houses toppled on top of one another, the streets filled with blood and dust, and the giant mountains created because of it. How many people died then?

Something fluttered softly in the wind above me. Like a sign from the gods, a piece of red ribbon fell towards me. I reached out my hand and took it. It only took me a matter of a seconds to recognize it. This belonged to Amber. If I closed closely enough beneath the mountains of crooked earth I could see small puddles of red just like on the TV.

All of this happened because I was incompotent. If I were stronger, if I were more skilled, then none of this would've happened. I could've safety challenged that red witch in the Cathedral and avoided all of this. Instead I chose to play the smart mouth and look where that got me. I must be some real dumb idiot to think everything would've turned out okay.

Lumine stood on top of the mountain of rubble and looked below. There was no more lower, middle, or upper caste. It was all just one big mess of chaos. There was nothing else left to protect us from the monsters making their way up the staircase of exploded rocks.

How could we possibly take care of all of this ourselves?

What a cowardly way to think. What would Lumine be thinking right now.

What can I do to take care of this?

No, something more heroic.

I will fight for as long as I can to give these people a chance.

I hurried next to her. Ignoring the harsh wind of dust blowing against our faces. That's...that's how I need to think like. Lumine looked at me with a small smile. She knew the possibilities yet she stood here and chose to be brave. Not for heroes sake but for the sake of this nation. That's...that's how I need to be like.

In the darkening of the night, monsters roared below us as they fumbled on top of each other desperately making their way up top. I looked towards the Cathedral and thought of all the people hiding in the basement. I thought of all the Knights passed out in the courtyard. If I can't find it to be brave for myself then I should be brave for their sake.

It doesn't matter that it was hard to see where to step without the light of the sun. It doesn't matter than I don't know how to yet properly wave my sword. What mattered was that we were standing here right now.

"Do you want to make a bet? Whoever kills fifty monsters first wins."

Lumine let out a small laugh, "You better be ready to loose then!"

"I was about to tell you the same thing."

I quickly abandoned the idea of using my sword. No matter how skilled I was it would be impossible to hold back the crowd with both of us striking from the front. The north entrance had been shut off by the rubble so the only way for the monsters to get in was the from the front entrance.