Xiaolumi S4: Edge of Dawn

Prologue: Daughter of Time

[A/N: I know I was evil and ended S3 on a cliffhanger but it was well over 49+ chapters!! Xiao takes Lumine away from Chasm to the near by village. Fading in and out of consciousness, Lumine recalls the night when she was very little remembering an old lullaby...]

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The soft song of birds on the morning breeze that danced through the trees. Tracking up the grassy meadow slope was what appeared to be a young man with dark ebony hair with teal undertones. Beside him a small silver haired fairy concern on her face for the one the boy was carrying. On his back was a petite young woman with short blonde hair. Her white dress and scarf are a bit soiled and muddy from their recent trip underground. Her soft groan as she felt the young yaksha adjust her so she wouldn't fall.

"This isn't the direction to Liyue Harbor, Xiao."huffed Paimon.

"I'm well aware of that. The harbor is too far from here but there's a village nearby."Xiao spat in growing impatience. His worry was making him more blunt, if not sharper with his words right now.

"No need to bite Paimon's head off, geez...You're moodier than Lumine."countered Paimon. "So um, what's the village called?"

"You call yourself a guide and you don't know where we're going? Typical."Xiao sighed, picking up the pace urged on after stealing a glance at Lumine. She still felt a bit cold and if her rapid heartbeat pounding in his sensitive ears was anything to go on it wasn't good. "We're going to Qiaoying Village which is just northwest along the border."

Lumine during this time blearily opened her eyes in a muffled haze. She could feel she was being carried up some slope. Those familiar, firm but strong and gentle hands along with his soothing scent of mountain air and desert flowers made her relax. This entire time she had been passing in and out of consciousness. Her poor head pounding and stomach very angry with her as it hurt to breathe with each rise and fall of her ribs. So why was it now she was remembering that soft voice and soothing warmth from so long ago? She was not sure.

"Mom...hnhmmm...."came her very weak voice, making Xiao glance over. His words not reaching her as her vision faded to black with a groan. Her memories shifted to the surface as a single tear streaked down her cheek...

..."Mama!"

The young woman cloaked in white looked up from hearing a frightened scream as thunder crashed and lightning flashed outside the cabin window. Her gaze looked up to see the small six year old children racing out of the hallway straight for her. One of them was a young blonde boy with short hair and golden eyes, his expression more meek and calm as he chased after his twin. the other a blonde girl with long hair down in a braid, little feathers tied at the end of her white and gold ribbon. The twins looked almost identical but were as different as the day and night. The poor child looked positively frightened clutching her stuffed rabbit as a crash of thunder and lightning made her scramble faster right into the cloaked woman's arms.

"Lumine, mom said not to run in the house!"huffed the boy, out of breath as he reached them. Lumine was picked up into their mother's arms as she buried her face in her mother's chest. She felt terrified; she had always found thunder and lightning to be frightening as she cried. "I'm sorry mom, I tried to get lumine to calm down cause you said it was bedtime but—"

"It's alright, Either."assured their mother sitting down by the roaring fireplace with Lumine still held lovingly in her arms.

"Thunder's loud and scary....I don't like it."huffed Lumine with teary eyes being wiped away by their mother's petite hand. "Why aren't you scared, Aether!?"

"I don't find it scary. It's just loud and bright, so it can't hurt you."sighed Aether sitting down beside his mother and sister.

"Aether, your sister has a right to be scared. All the elements must be given due respect, even Void and Light which you both hold sway over. Earth, water, fire, wind, ice, electricity, and yes even nature itself demands respect! But if they aren't given the respect they command you will get hurt, even killed if you aren't careful."scolded Kairos.