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He was standing in a vast field, obscured by a whirl of petals gliding upon the wind. Her heart jumped inside her chest at the faint figure standing in the distance, squinting her eyes as she was sure to have caught a glimpse of a golden braid fluttering amongst the petals.
Once the wind had subsided, the petals stilled before slowly floating to the ground -- revealing warm gold eyes that matched her own.
"Lumine."
Her breath hitched at the sound of her name, a black gloved hand reaching toward her. There was only one person in the world who called her that. Her brother, her twin; Aether. For all the heartache and betrayal and separation and unanswered questions, none of that mattered.
Eyes full of tears, Lumine ran across the field where her brother caught her in his arms with a spin, embracing each other with no intent to let go.
"You're here," Lumine sniffled. "I finally found you!"
"I promised you'd see that flower in full bloom again," he smiled warmly as they pulled apart to face each other. He reached his hand to touch the inteyvat in her hair. "I finally found it, Lumine."
Aether gestured all around them, and Lumine stared in awe at the sight. They were surrounded by an endless field where that flower bloomed. The tears continued to fall from her eyes, overwhelmed with happiness.
"There is still so much I don't understand," she said, wiping her eyes. "I can't believe I'm seeing this."
Something shifted in Aether's smile. There was a sadness to it as he leaned to her. "Someday... I'll show it to you for real..."
"...!!"
Lumine inhaled sharply as her eyes shot open, greeted by the dark blue hue of the night seeping in through the tent fabric. Paimon was fast asleep, unbothered, as she continued to lightly snore.
Sighing, Lumine laid back down, disappointed that the scene that lay before her merely seconds ago was nothing more than a dream. However, she noticed something in her hand that wasn't there before -- an inteyvat, still with its stem attached.
Eyes widened, Lumine sprang outside the tent, only to be met with nothing. Her heart sank at the reminder that her journey was far from over, and for every answer she was left with a thousand more questions.
But...
If this flower was what awaited her at the end of her journey, then all the pain and confusion would have been worth it.