The sun was high in the sky, casting warm rays over Mondstadt as we returned from yet another commission. After the hectic events with the ruin grader, life had finally slowed down to a more manageable pace. I walked alongside Aether and Paimon, feeling the warm breeze brush against my face.
"I think that was our last commission for the day," I said, stretching my arms behind my head. "And here I thought adventure would be more, I dunno, exciting?"
Paimon floated lazily in the air, clearly relaxed after the lighter day of work. "Exciting? Paimon thinks a little peace and quiet is exactly what we need! Besides, more excitement means more trouble!"
Aether laughed softly, glancing at me. "She's got a point. Sometimes it's good to enjoy the calm."
Aether and I had grown closer after all the insanity we faced, and now we were spending more time together, along with Paimon, who had become a constant presence around us—whether we liked it or not.
I walked alongside Aether, with Paimon darting ahead, occasionally looping back toward us as if she had too much energy to contain.
"Aether, Tayden! Paimon wants to stop by the Good Hunter! We could use a snack after all that commission work!" she called out, hands cupped around her mouth.
Aether chuckled, glancing at me. "I swear she has an endless appetite."
I nodded. "At this point, I think it might be her greatest skill."
---
We arrived in Mondstadt, the sounds of the city bustling around us, but the peace wasn't enough to distract me from an odd sensation that had been building within me lately.
It started after the battle at the temple—a faint, pulsing energy deep in my chest. It wasn't painful, but it felt… unsettling. It was as if something was trying to wake up inside me.
"You okay?" Aether asked, his eyes studying my face.
"Yeah, just... feeling a little off" I admitted, rubbing the back of my neck. "Can't explain it. Something's been bugging me for a few days now. Probably just some lingering effects from that Abyssal energy."
Aether raised an eyebrow. "You're not feeling the any corruption, are you?"
I quickly shook my head. "No, no. It's different. Nothing like that. It's more like... something's stirring inside."
Paimon floated over, hands on her hips. "You're not gonna keel over, are you? Paimon doesn't wanna have to carry you back to Jean!"
I rolled my eyes. "I'm fine, Paimon. And I wouldn't count on you for that, anyway."
"Paimon's stronger than you think!" she shot back, but her playful tone gave way to a genuine look of concern. "But seriously, if you're feeling weird, maybe you should get it checked out?"
"Yeah, maybe." I wasn't ready to dive into this conversation just yet. I still didn't fully understand what I was feeling, and without answers, there wasn't much point in worrying them.
Hopefully this decision wont come back to bite me in the ass
---
We found ourselves taking a rest in the plaza near Mondstadt's fountain, where the sun shone brightly, casting a warm glow on everything around us. Aether sat down on the stone edge of the fountain, looking up at the sky, while Paimon flitted over to the water, dipping her fingers into the cool surface and swirling it around.
"This city's grown on me," Aether said, breaking the comfortable silence. "It's... peaceful, I guess. Not what I expected when I first got here."
"Yeah, it's got its charm," I agreed, feeling myself relax for the first time in days. "Definitely beats getting punched by a dragon-"
Strangely enough, my eyes felt super focused all of a sudden. Everything is kind of blurry but.. it's not too disorienting.
It made me dizzy for a moment, and I had to steady myself against the fountain's edge.
"You sure you're okay?" Aether asked again, his tone shifting from light to serious.
"I..." Before I could finish, I felt a strange wave of energy course through me, like the stirring inside had finally broken free.
'my eyes feel weird' I instinctively reached out and my eyes landed on Paimon. The moment I did, a wave of power rushed out, and I felt something click into place—something new. Then suddenly I felt my energy being focused into my eyes.
And that's when Paimon suddenly stopped mid-splash. Her eyes drooped, and without warning, she collapsed forward into the fountain, landing face-first with a small splash.
"Paimon?" Aether asked, standing up quickly and catching her just before she sank into the water.
I blinked, completely caught off guard. "Wait... did I do that?"
Aether cradled the now-snoozing Paimon, her tiny form breathing softly as if she had been put into the most peaceful sleep imaginable. "What did you do?"
I put my hands over my eyes trying to brush off the discomfort, feeling the remnants of that unfamiliar power still pulsing through me. "I think... I made her fall asleep?"
"Why would you do that?" Aether asked, confused but not angry, more curious than anything.
"I didn't mean to," I replied, rubbing my temples. "It just... happened. I think I unlocked something new."
Before I could say more, I felt the world around me start to shift. The familiar plaza, the sounds of the city, Aether's concerned expression—all of it started to blur and fade away.
And just like that, everything around me went black.
---
When I opened my eyes again, I wasn't in Mondstadt. Instead, I was standing in a bizarre dreamscape. The world around me was surreal, filled with floating islands, endless skies of pink and purple, and the faint sound of cheerful music that seemed to come from nowhere.
In the distance, I could see a massive banquet table piled high with mountains of desserts—cakes, pies, puddings, and every sweet treat imaginable. And in the center of it all was Paimon, gleefully shoving mouthfuls of cake into her face.
"Paimon?" I called, my voice sounding distant in this dreamlike world.
She looked up from her cake feast, her face smeared with whipped cream and chocolate sauce. "Tayden? Oh! You've gotta try this cake—it's amazing!"
I stared at her, piecing together what had happened. This was Paimon's dream. Somehow, I'd accidentally sent her to sleep and… followed her into her dream world?
I groaned, rubbing the back of my neck. "Of course."
Paimon seemed completely oblivious to the strangeness of the situation, happily chowing down on her dream desserts. "Isn't this the best dream ever? There's *endless* food!"
"Uh... yeah, sure. But we should probably—"
"Look! There's pudding, too!" Paimon interrupted, her eyes sparkling as she reached for a gigantic bowl of pudding. "Paimon could live here forever!"
I sighed. As hilarious as this was, I had to figure out how to wake her up and get us out of here. The power I'd just unlocked felt if im not mistaken, is the power of one of the lower moons. Trying to remember the memories that TD put in my head, I finally connected the dots.
Enmu, the Lower Moon One from the Twelve Kizuki. Well calling him Lower Moon One is a bit of a stretch since Muzan killed all the other Lower Moons if I remember correctly. He had the power to manipulate dreams, forcefully putting people to sleep and entering their subconscious.
But I hadn't expected to unlock that power here... and certainly not on Paimon of all people.
I focused, trying to connect with that same energy, hoping I could reverse whatever I had done. I closed my eyes and concentrated, reaching for that strange pull. As I did, the dream world around us began to flicker, like a TV with bad reception.
Paimon looked up from her cake, her eyes wide. "W-What's happening? Paimon's cake is disappearing!"
I smirked. "Sorry, Paimon. You'll get more cake when you wake up."
"Noooo! Paimon was just about to try the pudding!" she wailed as the dream world began to fade away.
---
With a jolt, I snapped back to reality, blinking rapidly as the world of Mondstadt came into focus once more. I was sitting under the tree near the fountain, and Aether was holding a still-sleeping Paimon in his arms, looking at me with a mix of amusement and confusion.
"What... just happened?" he asked.
I groaned, rubbing my face. "Well im pretty sure I just unlocked one of my uhh, latent abilities. I can... apparently put people to sleep. And, uh... go into their dreams?"
Aether raised an eyebrow. "And you accidentally used it on Paimon?"
I shrugged sheepishly. "Yeah... I didn't mean to. Sorry."
Before Aether could respond, Paimon stirred in his arms, yawning and stretching like a cat waking up from a long nap. She blinked, her eyes fluttering open as she looked around.
"Wha... what happened?" she asked, rubbing her eyes. "Where's my cake?"
Aether and I couldn't hold back our laughter, and Paimon pouted, crossing her arms. "Hey! What's so funny? Paimon was having the best dream ever! You ruined it!"
I wiped away a tear from laughing so hard. "Sorry, Paimon. But I had to wake you up. You were literally eating cake for, like, an hour."
Paimon huffed, floating out of Aether's arms and crossing her tiny arms over her chest. "Well, next time, Tayden, keep your weird powers to yourself! Paimon demands a full pudding buffet to make up for it!"
"Fineee." I said with a grin, though part of me wondered how useful this new power could be in the future. Sure, it had made for a hilarious situation, but what else could it do? I've gotta look into my memories about Enmu's Blood Demon Art to find out it's full potention.
Aether was still laughing as he got up, brushing off his pants. "You really got to tell me more about your abilities, at least now we know what happens when you mess with your new powers."
"Yeah, no kidding," I muttered, still trying to process everything that had just happened.
As we gathered ourselves and prepared to head back, I couldn't help but feel a strange sense of curiosity about the other abilities lying dormant inside me. I thought my powers would be unlocked willingly, not just suddenly plop into existence once my body is strong enough. Enmu's power was just the beginning, and there was still much more to uncover.
And, apparently, a lot more cake-filled dreams to ruin for Paimon.