Chereads / Traveler's Traveling Companion / Chapter 71 - Is it a bird? Is it a plane? Nope! It’s Rex Lapis!

Chapter 71 - Is it a bird? Is it a plane? Nope! It’s Rex Lapis!

When you open your eyes and find yourself in a situation so bizarre and out of reach, particularly ones that seem too good to be true, how would you react?

For someone like me who subscribes to the beautiful ideology that is being realistic, the first thing that would come to mind at the blurry yet unmistakable sight of a woman straddling me in her birthday suit is that what my eyes are currently seeing is nothing more than a product of my tired-as-fuck brain who, after years of being woken up at the ass crack of dawn no matter how late I slept, decided to gift me with one final beautiful hallucination before the majority of its cells started to systematically kicking its buckets.

That, or it's one of those dreams your subconscious cooks up every once in a while whenever you manage to extend your period of celibacy with Jill way past the month of November.

"Hey Yuu, you're finally awake."

With bleary eyes and muddled thoughts, I briefly entertained the idea that the slight rocking sensation I'm feeling right now is a byproduct of a rickety old wooden carriage being pulled on a poorly maintained cobblestone road as I, the innocent person that I am, is being carted off towards my 'rightful' execution in a small town way out in the boonies.

Of course, once some semblance of focus return to my eyes, giving me clear sight to a familiar blonde hair and golden eyes, I felt a part of my brain letting out a mental sigh of relief knowing that I do not have to live the rest of my life as a chosen one doomed to shout at the top of his lungs while living in a medieval era and all the inconvenience that came with it.

As the seconds trickled by – much like the sound of running water in the background – with me alternating my gaze between Lumine's naked body, the amusement dancing in her eyes, as well as the realization that I am currently inside a bathtub stripped of all my clothes, I finally managed to muster a response to this entire ordeal.

"So." I started, stamping down the creeping embarrassment and trying and failing miserably to quell the burning sensation on my lower half.

"So?" Lumine asked, with both hands around my neck and not once stopping her grinding motion as she cutely tilted her head to the side, looking like she very much enjoyed the situation she put herself in.

"Care to… explain yourself?" Biting back a gasp of pleasure, I kept my gaze on hers.

Hearing my question, she let out a thoughtful hum while never once stopping her movement against me. And while she's busy in her own little world – whether she's putting actual thought in that head of hers remains to be seen – I, being the mega shut-in that I was, had no idea what to do other than to stop myself from leaning further back and letting out more embarrassing noise I never thought I could make.

"Nope." She said finally, popping the 'p' as her expression turned playful. "I don't think I will."

With that, Lumine finally stops before suddenly standing up, exposing her entire body for me to see. The steam coming from the comfortably warm water did little to cover her parts even as it permeated the entire room.

And no, I did not let out a disappointed sigh as she separated herself from me, and I certainly did not burn the image of her naked body into my forgetful brain as best as I can.

As she began making her way towards the other side of the wooden bathtub, she proceeded to bend over the edge and began searching for something. Of course, her position being what it is, I once again have full view of her privates as her hips slightly swayed from side to side.

"Enjoying the view now, are we?" The sound of giggling broke me out of my trance. Looking up towards the source, I was surprised to find that Lumine was already standing in front of me, a bucket in one hand and a cleaning rag on the other. "It's been a while since I've seen you with that kind of face."

"And what kind of face is that?" I asked as I took a subtle breath to calm myself down. It works wonders once I think of the fact that something like bathing together is a lot less extreme than what we've done back then.

"That's for you to figure out and for me to enjoy."

Placing the bucket outside over the edge, she began to dip the rag into the water inside before lathering it with what I think is soap.

"Come here," she said, patting the spot in between her slightly parted legs, "I'll make sure you're squeaky clean by the time I'm done. And getting that smell off of you while I'm at it."

"Surely it can't be that bad, right?" Making my way over, I made myself comfortable before I felt a gentle tug coming from behind as I let her pull me closer. "I don't remember going anywhere particularly smelly. The only place that I could think of is Wanmin, but even then–"

"That's not what I meant." She interrupted, as I felt a stream of water being poured into my head before she began her work all over my upper body. "What I mean is getting rid of this distinct smell of another woman that is not me."

'Ah, that makes much more sense.'

Turning my head slightly to get a better look at her, I saw a radiant smile plastered on Lumine's face. Truly, anyone else would believe that such a smile is genuine. Unfortunately, if they are capable of feeling how harsh she is at rubbing the rag at my body, they'll surely think otherwise.

"So who's the lucky girl, hmm?"

Feeling the undisguised jealousy in her words, I was about to answer before I stopped myself. I could just tell her all about what happened, not like I'm guilty of anything anyway. But it seems like today, I had the sudden urge to play with fire.

"Could be anyone's, really." I replied after a bit, shrugging my shoulders. "The streets are even more crowded today, all things considered, and I'm bound to brush shoulders with a lot of women. Surely you don't expect me to memorize their faces, do you?"

"Oh, this goes beyond brushing shoulders." Feeling a lock of her blonde hair brushing the back of my head, I felt her move closer towards me before continuing in a whisper. "I'm thinking something along the lines of spending an extended period of time together. Alone. Just the two of you."

"Ah!"

The warmth of her breathing coupled with her hands roaming all over my front was enough of a temptation on its own, but when she suddenly followed it up with a hard bite to my neck, it took everything I have to not cave into my desire as the abrupt pain brings with it immense pleasure.

No, I do not enjoy pain, thank you very much. It's merely a coincidence that those two always seem to come in pairs.

"Let's not play smart, Yuu. Won't you tell me what happened?"

"I could… tell you." With labored breath and yet another blurry vision for a completely different reason, I struggled to maintain a clear head. "But I can't help but ask… what would happen if I don't?"

"Hmm… that's a great question." With her head still perched on top of my shoulders, Lumine began licking the place where she bit me. "If you're not willing to answer, then maybe I could ask someone else instead."

"And who would that be—!"

Suddenly, I felt a tight grip wrapping around my penis, interrupting the words I was about to say as I involuntarily let out a silent gasp.

"Would you look at that?" She said, the breath of her voice sending shivers down my spine as her tone took a more seductive note. "Unlike a certain someone, this one right here is willing to be a lot more honest. It looks like he has a little trouble talking, but that's alright. I'm more than willing to lend a hand."

The moment she said those words, with a grip strong enough to make me feel the slightest bit of pain, she began stroking my penis rhythmically as she continued marking me with her teeth, all while I had to do my best not to make a sound. I'm not sure how soundproof the bathroom is, and I really rather not find out this way.

As Lumine began picking up her pace, I was just about to resort to biting my arm to silence myself. Just as I raised my left arm closer, she suddenly wrapped her legs around my stomach, locking my right hand in place before inserting two of her fingers into my mouth, muffling the moans coming out of my mouth. Not quite the silence I would've very much preferred, but at this point, I don't really have the capacity to think rationally.

"Ah ah ah, not so fast." She tuts, plunging her fingers even deeper as her other hand started playing with my glans. "Trying something like that… do you honestly think I'd let you take the easy way out?"

A muffled yes was all I could muster, though the only thing I got in return was a laugh. And judging by the sheer amusement of it, Lumine is very much not inclined to listen to my plea.

"Fufu, do your best to hang in there, Yuu." This time, instead of making a mark on my body, she opted to lightly bite the tip of my ear. "After all, you wouldn't want the others to find out about this, do you?"

With my head now turned towards her, all I could do was give her a glare, though that only served to widen her smile.

"Ah, I just love that defiant gaze of yours." Lumine nearly exclaimed, her expression now clouded with lust. "I wonder how long that would last?"

With that, her slowing ministry began to pick up again as she continued where she left off. A fast, rhythmical, and borderline harsh stroke on my lower half; an intense dance between fingers and tongue in my mouth; not to mention the constant marking she does on my neck, shoulders, and even ears; it was all too stimulating for someone as inexperienced as me, even if we've done something like this before.

Not wanting to be outdone, all I could do was raise my free hand and move it towards my back. After blindly searching for a while, I finally found what I was looking for and immediately jammed my fingers deep inside before immediately curling it against her insides.

Lumine, who was busy acting like a pseudo vampire, suddenly began to bite even harder as I felt the faintest hint of a gasp as she did so. Having managed to break her previously undisturbed pace, I managed to let out a clear satisfied laugh as her finger stopped blocking my mouth for a bit.

"Ngh… look at you…." She gasps, showing me just how effective that surprise attack was. "You think this is funny huh?"

"Haa… haa… hilarious, actually." With my windpipe no longer blocked, I took several deep breaths before turning my head to see an annoyed Lumine. "It's always a treat to see your face whenever I get to break that calm and collected expression of yours."

"Yeah?" With her eyebrows twitching in annoyance, she pressed both of us together as she stared into my eyes as best she could. "I, for one, didn't find it as funny."

"But you did enjoy it though."

"That I did."

We sat there, half submerged in the now lukewarm water for a while, simply staring at each other before suddenly, as if decided beforehand, the both of us craned our heads slightly before slamming our lips together, wasting no time to invade each others mouth as we once again continued our respective ministrations.

As we both lost ourselves in each other's embrace, no longer caring about anything beyond this one room, both of us gradually shifted into a more comfortable position.

I ended up sitting on top of Lumine's thighs, straddling her as I busied myself with playing with her breast using one hand while the other was once again making its way inside of her, blindly exploring every fold of her tight walls, using her muffled moans as a guide to find her sweet spot..

On the other hand, Lumine has her left hand on my ass, grabbing onto my cheeks as she begins kneading them while also supporting my lower half. Occasionally, she would slap them hard, causing me to let out a grunt into her mouth. In the meantime, her free hand is stroking my penis vigorously, trying to match my pace as we both try to get the other off.

I'm not quite sure how long we played with each other's body, but eventually, the heat that I was trying to hold back for so long finally threatened to burst.

"Lumine… I…."

"Haa… let's do it together, okay?"

I could only bid in response, afraid that saying anything more would break the already dwindling concentration I was trying so hard to maintain.

In an effort to speed things up using what little knowledge I have on a girl's body, I slowed down the movement of my fingers in her vagina and rubbed my thumb along her bottom lip, trying to find a small bump hidden behind her slit.

"Mmmh!"

Not wasting any time, I opted to simply pinch the bundle of nerves once I found it and the reaction was immediate, as she tightly held onto my ass and nearly dragged the both of us off the tub entirely with how far she ended up arching her back.

Once she's back from her brief moment of ecstasy, she rested her head on my shoulder, panting heavily before she said something in a whisper that I nearly missed.

"Bite me." Lumine breathed out, her voice quivering from all the pleasure she's experiencing. "Mark me. Let everyone know that I'm yours."

With lust clouding my mind, combined with how close I am to release, her sweet whisper only serves to further drive me over the edge.

Instead of answering, I did as I was told and bit hard against her shoulders, using the last remaining bit of rationality I have to make sure that I didn't bite hard enough to cause her to bleed, and to do so at a place where her clothes would cover the entire mark.

Not long after I sunk my teeth in, she did the same to mine before we both continued to drown ourselves in pleasure.

Finally, after not being able to hold it in any longer, I felt my hips bucking involuntarily as I experienced the most intense orgasm of my life, causing any semblance of control I had to slip as I bit even harder into Lumine's shoulder.

At the same time, I felt her body start to shake intensely as I felt a burst of cum squirting out of her vagina, drenching my already wet fingers with her nectar while she too began to unconsciously bite me harder to silence herself.

Once it was over, both of us slowly separated from each other, her arms moving upwards to wrap themselves around my waist while I slowly took my fingers out from her, eliciting a quiet sigh from Lumine before I wrapped my own arms around her neck.

There were no words exchanged as we simply gaze into each other's eyes. Eventually though, the silence was broken by Lumine's giggle.

"So." She started, running her fingers through my neck and shoulders. The feeling of her smooth fingers brushing against my now scarred skin caused a slight ticklish sensation.

"So?" I asked, taking my eyes off of her for a brief moment to look towards her shoulder. There, I caught a glimpse of red, leaking from the edges of the jagged contours of my teeth.

"Feel like talking yet?"

Letting out a hum in response, I took some time to mull things over.

I say that, but not even thirty seconds into it, the thought of experiencing something so good once again is too good of a temptation to pass up. Though I was a bit worried about pushing my luck when it comes to the soundproofing of this bathroom, I was quick to throw that notion into a box and tuck it away to the back of my mind.

At this point, the answer is quite obvious.

"Nope."

Even as Lumine clicked her tongue at my reply, I did not miss the excited glint in her eyes as her smile turned predatory.

"Wrong answer."

___________________________________

The time for the long awaited ceremony is finally upon us.

The multitudes of people who have traveled all the way from their respective nations have gathered at Liyue Harbor to witness the annual appearance of the God of Contracts as he, in all his majestic glory, will be issuing his divine decree for his nation to follow for the coming year.

And during this fine evening, as the sun begins to cast its orange glow, those same people are now flocking towards the northwest; towards the area previously barred for entry by the Millelith.

While the rest of the group are enjoying the rather festive atmosphere, particularly Paimon, with how Xinyan had to restrain the little fairy from going to each and every food stall that was set up, I am already filled with the urge to go back home and sleep the day away.

"Look at all these people!" Paimon exclaimed, having stopped her temper tantrum after being dressed into something other than her usual garb, namely a white long sleeved dress coupled with a red skirt while her hair is styled into a twintail held in place by two red ribbons.

"Rex Lapis is really popular amongst the people huh?" With her blonde hair tied neatly into a bun held together by a single golden hairpin, Lumine gave her two cents as she looked around the gathered crowds, particularly towards the locals chattering about their beloved god. "It almost makes me feel bad about Barbatos."

"That's the sentiment shared around here as well." Xinyan quips as she holds Paimon close against her brand new crimson dress, a single dried Silk Flower adorning the golden tips of the hair she let down just for today. "Something about how Mondstadt's god is nowhere to be seen most of the time that he might as well not exist. Some would go so far as to call Mondstadt a godless city."

Once again, the femboy god of the City of Freedom gets absolutely shit on.

"With his approach to things, I'm honestly not surprised." And of course, I am once again wearing the same ridiculously complicated outfit that we purchased. In the short time that we've been outside, I've been constantly raising my shoulders unconsciously so that the outer garb wouldn't drag itself across the ground. "Not to mention that he'd rather spend his day drinking and playing his lyre than to touch any of those documents piled up on Jean's desk."

"What was that, Yunyun?"

"Nothing."

"If you say so." Though she seemed curious, she thankfully dropped the subject. "Anyway, are you okay?"

"Just peachy. Why do you ask?"

"You look like you're having trouble walking."

I felt the grip I had around the blonde traveler's arm tighten as I realized my mistake.

Giving a subtle glance towards Lumine, I saw her struggling to hold back a laugh. The moment she noticed my gaze, she turned away, leaving me in the lurch as I began scrambling for an excuse.

"Yeah well, I'm only running on like, four hours of sleep, Xinyan. Is it really surprising that I'm still exhausted?" I replied, keeping my voice steady so as to not give anything away.

"You say that, but who was it that spends half of his day outside when you could've just slept?" She bit back, rolling her eyes at my answer.

"I bought the three of you a late breakfast and a hangover cure. Be grateful that I was feeling particularly considerate."

"Your so-called hangover cure is just a spiced up tea!"

"But it worked though?"

Eyebrows twitching in annoyance, she bit her lips to stop herself from saying something before settling with an annoyed huff. "…it did."

"There you go." Mentally sighing in relief as I managed to steer the subject away, I gave her a nod. "Since that's the case, I would very much appreciate it if you can express how grateful you are for my boundless generosity."

Giving me an unamused glare, she turned her attention towards Lumine. "Leader, please be honest with me, what exactly do you see in this sorry excuse of a human being?"

"I can hear you, you know."

"Shut it." She spat, before once again looking towards Lumine.

Lumine, who was content with watching the two of us bicker as usual, laughed in response as she let go of my arm and started patting my head. "He's a piece of work, no doubt about that. But if you're willing to look past how annoying and aggravating he usually is, deep down, he really is just a very lonely person that needs proper attention."

"I'd appreciate it if you can stop insulting me when I'm standing right next to you."

"What he means is that he appreciates my kind words and would very much like it if I could praise him some more."

"Don't twist my words, princess."

"That's a yes, by the way." She continued unbothered by my words. Giving a final ruffle into my hair, she looked towards Xinyan, who now has an incredulous look plastered on her face. "Don't worry, you'll get used to it, Xinyan."

"Right… not sure I ever want to get used to that."

With a sigh, she turned around and began leading us forward once again. As she busied herself with the very excited Paimon, the exasperated look on her face slowly began to fade as Paimon's infectious joy brought a smile to her face.

In the meantime, as the two of us followed them several steps behind, I was relieved that she didn't continue pestering me about my difficulty in walking.

"Nice thinking." Lumine said, as she wrapped her arm around mine. "A bit excessive I must say, but this is you we're talking about, so I guess it's simply par for the course."

Releasing a sigh of my own, I looked towards the source of my problem, happily smiling as if she's not the cause of everything. "Maybe if you had said something to help, it could've gone a lot smoother."

"And miss out on prime entertainment? No thanks."

"You do realize this is your fault, right?"

"My fault, huh?" She hums, giving me a side eye as her mouth curls into a smirk. "Is it my fault when you end up begging for more every time we're finished?"

"Begging? Me? Yeah right." I couldn't help but scoff. Asking nicely is not equivalent to begging, thank you very much. "Remind me again who it was that got so 'invested' that she nearly drowned the both of us? Inside a bathtub, of all places?"

The reminder of what had transpired was more than enough to wipe the smirk off her face. "Okay, that was an accident and you know it."

"Of course I know. I'm sure you didn't mean for that to happen." I replied nonchalantly, as I turned towards her, her face colored with genuine surprise at my agreement. "That being said, I'll be sure to remind you of this fact every time the two of us ever step inside a bathtub together again. Just in case. You know, for safety sake."

And just like that, any semblance of goodwill was obliterated as she proceeded to step on my foot.

"I hate you."

"No you don't. You're madly in love with me."

"Stop flattering yourself."

"It's not flattery if it's the truth now, is it?"

Instead of saying something in response, she merely pouted before leaning her head into mine as she dragged the two of us towards the other two. Once we caught up, we spent the rest of the time we had to look around, see what the locals had to offer on such a historic day.

Though with Paimon in the mix, it's quite obvious what kind of stall we ended up visiting the most.

Once the time for the start of the ceremony approached, we followed the massive crowd past the circular gate, through the covered bridge built over a large pond filled with water lilies, before climbing one final set of stairs towards Yujing Terrace.

Just as expected, the area is a lot larger than I remember. Big enough to accommodate all these tourists flocking about as they walked past the giant pavilion, through yet another circular gate towards a large open area in front of a temple-like building.

After managing to secure a front row seat, we patiently waited for the Rite of Descension to start.

"So how does this whole ceremony work exactly?" Lumine asked, as she observed the ceremonial staff began placing all kinds of offerings on top of a floating rock, arranging them neatly around the giant incense burner in the middle.

"Hmm… Paimon only knows that Rex Lapis would descend and give orders to the people of Liyue on how to run the harbor." Paimon hums thoughtfully, before turning towards Xinyan. "Does that sound about right, Xinyan?"

"I'm not really familiar with the nitty-gritty, but that's basically the gist of it."

"Aren't you a local? Surely you've seen this whole thing multiple times already?"

"I mean, I did. But honestly, after the first few times, I stopped coming altogether. After all, all those directions on business and governmental stuff that Rex Lapis has blessed us with have nothing to do with me anyway." Xinyan said as she shrugged her shoulders. "Even if it's just to see Rex Lapis in the flesh, there comes a point where you become desensitized to the whole thing. Less awe-inspiring, so to say."

"So why bother going now?"

"It's obvious, isn't it?" She said, arching her eyebrows at my question. "I'm here to accompany you guys. I'd be quite the bad host if I can't do this much, don't you think?"

"Wouldn't know. I tried to never step foot outside of my house as much as I could back in the day. I never had to deal with people coming to pester me about my wellbeing or whatever it is guests do when they visit someone."

"Huh. So that's the kind of person you used to be, huh? I suppose it makes sense for someone that hasn't talked to anyone for a long time to forget how to properly function in society."

"I'll have you know that I do talk to someone." Before she could interrupt me, I continued. "And no, they're not my parents."

"Oh? Now I'm curious. Who could possibly stand to have a conversation with you?"

"My cat, of course." Thinking of the lovable white furball, I let out a wistful sigh. "The cutest thing in the entire world."

Hearing my answer, Xinyan gave me a deadpan stare.

"I meant actual human beings, Yunyun, not your cat."

"Eh, humans, cats; they're both living beings as far as I'm concerned. There's not much of a difference there."

"I don't think what you're doing counts as having a conversation…."

"Pipe down, you two." Lumine suddenly interrupted, catching both of our attention as she gestured towards the front. "The ceremony is about to start."

Noticing the staff has now taken their respective position in silence, I focused my attention towards the approaching figure coming from the large temple.

"That's the Tianquan Ningguang." Xinyan explained as her gaze was locked into the tall woman gracefully walking towards the center of the open area. "As the head of the Liyue Qixing, she's always been the one that presides over the ceremony."

"Whoa! She looks so pretty!"

"Yeah. Quite the beautiful one, she is. Don't you think so, Yuu?"

"Nice try, princess, but I am not answering that."

"Tch."

As Ningguang reached the center of the proverbial stage, she briefly discussed something with one of the staff before turning her attention towards the crowd in front of her, the solemn aura she radiated caused the loud ruckus to quickly die down.

"The hour is upon us." She declared, the two attendants standing at her side lowered her head before stepping away.

Slowly, she took a deep breath and exhaled before spreading her arms wide as a yellow aura began to burst out of her body, followed by four stones made out of concentrated geo energy moved around her in a circle.

Then, with a motion of her hand, the four stones flew towards the giant device behind her, causing it to release a pillar of yellow light towards the sky.

As the yellow began to mix with the orange tint of the clear sky, a vortex suddenly formed at its center, slowly increasing its size as the wind gradually became stronger.

Suddenly, the previously clear sky took on a darker tone, as the yellow and orange began to be engulfed in black. Murmurs began to break out among the crowd at the abrupt change, some people, most likely the foreigners, showed no change in their expression. The locals, on the other hand, began to look worried. Clearly, this year's Rite of Descension is very different to how it usually was.

And one of those locals just so happens to be standing right next to Lumine.

"Hmm… that's strange…."

"What is it, Xinyan?"

"I'm pretty sure it's not supposed to go like this." She replied with a worried expression, her eyes still locked onto the eye of the now dark vortex.

Paimon, who has been acting as the beacon of joy, suddenly shivers as she flies towards Lumine. "Something doesn't feel right…."

"It's okay, Paimon, if anything happens, we're here for you." The blonde traveler whispers to the white fairy, as she holds her close while trying her best to calm her down by gently brushing her hair.

Seeing the two huddled together, one with a face full of worry while the other was maintaining her vigilance, I plopped my own hand atop Lumine's head, doing the same thing she was to Paimon while keeping my gaze towards Ningguang.

Despite her composure, the Tianquan began to look worried, as some of the staff started flocking towards her, each one frantic in their own right.

Suddenly, a loud thunder could be heard, followed shortly by golden lighting. Then, out of nowhere, a giant shadow came crashing down towards the giant mechanical device in the middle, destroying it and the table it rested upon.

In the midst of the panic and screams, I grabbed the others close to me using the elements and erected a barrier surrounding the front crowd, stopping the numerous chunks of stone from injuring them, or potentially even killing them.

"Is everyone okay?"

"*cough* Paimon's okay!"

"I'm fine, Yuu!"

"Still alive and kicking!"

Once I had confirmation, I quickly dispelled the wind barrier I made. Though my use of vision might have been excused given the situation, I'd rather play it safe.

And now, as the dust settled, the sight of what the giant shadow was was now clear for all to see.

A giant dragon, covered in brown and golden scales lay still among broken pieces of metal and crumbling stone. It's luscious red mane dirtied by the offerings now scattered all over the ground, while the pulsating glow of its cracked horn slowly began to die down.

Rex Lapis, the god who ruled over Liyue Harbor for thousands of years, lay eerily still, surrounded by his beloved subjects.

The crowd was silent, too dumbfounded to even react.

Ningguang, however, slowly picked herself up and began making her way towards Rex Lapis' exuvia. As she crouched down and closely inspected his body, the Tianquan stood up, turning back towards the crowd, the sharp gaze she directed toward them caused some of those present to shudder.

"Seal the exits!"

With that one command, the numerous Millelith soldiers standing by immediately left their respective station despite their own shock and began moving quickly to execute the Tianquan's command.

"Rex Lapis has been assassinated!"

The sound of the soldier's thunderous footstep and the Tianquan's declaration caused the previously silent crowd to break out in panic, as they began to run around, blindly pushing people out of their way, not caring if they accidentally stepped over anyone that was unfortunate enough to fall.

"...what should we do, white mask?"

Hearing Paimon calling out to me, I took my eyes off of the center stage and glanced towards Paimon, only to see two other pairs of eyes gazing intently as they waited for my answer.

"For now? Nothing." I said without hesitation.

Directing my focus back towards the exuvia, I saw the Tianquan off to the side, busy directing orders calmly towards the soldiers gathering around her. In the meantime, a woman slowly made her way towards Rex Lapis, her eyes wide as she stared at his body in disbelief.

As she stood over his unmoving head, she suddenly collapsed to her knees and began clutching her chest. Tears began to fall towards her beloved god's dark scales as she let out a scream of anguish, sounding strangely clear amidst the chaos engulfing the terrace.

The dark skies have parted, giving way for the setting sun to cast its glow on her ocean blue hair, its light reflecting off of her curved horns.

"We do absolutely nothing."