Morning light filtered through the windows of their apartment, painting everything in soft golden hues that should have been peaceful. Should have been.
Haru lay in bed staring at the ceiling, his mind racing with all the terrible possibilities of what "system maintenance" could mean. What if it never came back online? What if yesterday's epic battle was the last time he'd ever feel that surge of supernatural confidence?
What if everyone discovered he was just a regular guy who'd been faking it this whole time?
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION: ...]
Nothing. Just dead silence where his mental companion used to be.
"This is fine," he muttered to himself.
"Everything is absolutely, completely fine. I just need to act normal until—"
"HARU! BREAKFAST!" Paimon's voice echoed through the apartment with the subtlety of a construction site.
"Coming!" he called back, then immediately winced. Even his voice sounded different without the system's confidence boost. Less commanding, more... squeaky?
He dragged himself out of bed and shuffled to the kitchen, where Lumine was already seated at the small table with a plate of what appeared to be pancakes arranged in a perfect stack. Paimon hovered nearby, eyeing them with the intensity of a hawk watching mice.
"Morning," Lumine said, looking up with a smile that faltered slightly when she saw his face. "Are you feeling alright? You look..."
"Devastatingly handsome as always?" Haru tried, forcing his usual smirk.
"...tired," she finished diplomatically.
"Paimon thinks you look like you wrestled with a hilichurl and lost," Paimon added helpfully.
"Thanks, Paimon. Really needed that confidence boost this morning."
He sat down and started mechanically eating his breakfast, trying to project his usual aura of casual competence. The pancakes were good—Lumine had gotten surprisingly skilled at cooking—but everything tasted like cardboard when you were having an existential crisis.
"So," Lumine said carefully, "I was thinking we could do some commissions today. Nothing too intense, just some routine monster clearing and delivery runs."
Haru nearly choked on his pancake. Commissions. Fighting. Things that required him to look competent and confident when he felt like a house of cards in a hurricane.
"Sounds great," he managed, then immediately began planning how to fake his way through whatever they encountered.
"Paimon's excited!" Paimon declared.
"Maybe we'll find some treasure chests! Or some really good emergency food!"
"For the last time, Paimon, you are not emergency food," Lumine sighed.
"That's what emergency food would say!"
After breakfast, they gathered their gear and headed toward the city gates. Haru had to admit, routine was helping. Get dressed, check equipment, walk with purpose—all things he could do on autopilot while internally screaming.
"Oh, before we head out," he said as casually as possible, "I should introduce you to someone."
He whistled, a sharp note that carried across the plaza. Within moments, the sound of hoofbeats echoed off the stone walls, and Caesar came trotting up with the kind of regal bearing that made passersby stop and stare.
Lumine's eyes went wide. "Haru, that's... that's the most beautiful horse I've ever seen."
"Paimon agrees! He's so shiny and majestic! Where did you get him?"
"I won him in a poker game," Haru said without thinking, then immediately regretted it when both girls gave him incredulous looks.
"You played poker?" Lumine asked.
"With who?"
"...Kaeya?"
"Kaeya doesn't have horses."
"Maybe he was holding it for a friend?"
"What kind of friend just gives away horses worth more than most people's houses?"
Haru was rapidly running out of plausible explanations. "Look, the important thing is that his name is Julius Caesar, but we call him Caesar, and he's very good at his job."
Caesar nickered and nuzzled Haru's shoulder, which was either agreement or the horse trying to save him from this conversational disaster.
"Can Paimon pet him?" Paimon asked, already floating closer.
"He's friendly," Haru confirmed.
Both Lumine and Paimon spent the next several minutes completely mesmerized by Caesar, who seemed to enjoy the attention. The horse was clearly a show-off—probably where he and Haru got along so well.
"He's incredible," Lumine said, running her hand along Caesar's neck. "I've never seen a horse with such intelligent eyes."
"He's definitely smart," Haru agreed.
"Sometimes I think he understands conversations better than I do."
Caesar whinnied, which Haru chose to interpret as agreement rather than mockery.
The first commission was straightforward: clear out a group of slimes that had taken up residence near a merchant's route. Simple, routine, the kind of thing Haru could probably handle even without supernatural assistance.
Probably.
They found the slimes bouncing around a small grove of trees, completely oblivious to the approaching threat. There were maybe eight of them—a mix of Hydro and Dendro varieties that looked more interested in playing than fighting.
"Standard formation?" Lumine asked, drawing her sword.
"Sounds good," Haru replied, trying to project confidence while internally calculating how to look impressive while doing minimal actual fighting.
The battle began, and immediately Haru realized he had a problem.
His new Geo mastery was... intense. Like, world-endingly intense. The moment he tried to create a simple stone barrier, the ground erupted with enough force to launch three slimes into orbit. His ice attacks were so powerful they flash-froze not just the targets but the entire grove, turning what should have been a routine skirmish into an arctic wasteland.
But his body—his very human, very mortal body—was struggling to keep up with the raw power flowing through him. Each attack left him feeling like he'd been hit by a truck, even though he tried to hide it behind casual stretches and strategic positioning.
"Wow, you're even stronger than yesterday," Lumine observed, shattering a frozen slime with her blade.
"Just warming up," Haru said, then had to grab a tree for support when a wave of exhaustion hit him. He quickly turned it into what he hoped looked like a casual lean.
"Are you sure you're alright?" Lumine asked, her brow furrowing with concern.
"Never better. Why would you think otherwise?"
"You just flash-froze an entire grove to defeat eight slimes."
"...Efficiency?"
By the third commission, Haru was starting to understand why nuclear reactors needed cooling systems. Every use of his powers felt like containing an explosion in a teacup. His new masteries were incredible, but they were also slowly trying to tear him apart from the inside.
The commission was another monster clearing job—a group of hilichurls had set up camp near a windmill. Routine stuff, except these particular hilichurls seemed to have received a memo about yesterday's domain incident and decided to take the "run away screaming" approach to conflict resolution.
"Did... did they just flee at the sight of you?" Lumine asked, watching the hilichurls disappear over a hill in record time.
"My reputation precedes me," Haru said, grateful he didn't have to fight while feeling like his bones were made of glass.
"Paimon thinks your reputation might be getting a little out of hand," Paimon observed. "Those hilichurls looked genuinely terrified."
"Good. Means less fighting, more time for the important things in life."
"Like what?"
"Like... not fighting hilichurls."
It was a solid argument, he felt.
The fourth commission involved escorting a merchant caravan to a nearby village. Easy enough—just walk alongside some wagons and look intimidating if any monsters showed up.
Except the merchant took one look at Haru and immediately tried to hire him as a permanent bodyguard.
"Sir, I'll pay triple the standard rate," the merchant said, practically throwing mora at him. "After what I heard about the western domain incident, having you as security would be worth any price."
"That's very flattering, but—"
"Quadruple rate!"
"I'm already committed to—"
"I'll throw in a wagon full of the finest silk from Liyue!"
"Really, I can't—"
"My daughter's hand in marriage!"
"WHAT."
Lumine started laughing so hard she nearly fell off her horse. "Did he just try to marry you off to his daughter?"
"Sir," Haru said carefully, "I appreciate the offer, but I think there might be some cultural differences we need to discuss—"
"She's very beautiful! Very accomplished! She can cook, sew, and has an excellent credit rating!"
"I'm sure she's wonderful, but—"
"She also knows three languages and can calculate compound interest in her head!"
"Those are very impressive skills—"
"AND she has all her own teeth!"
The conversation spiraled from there, with the merchant listing increasingly specific attributes of his daughter while Haru tried desperately to escape. It only ended when Paimon, taking pity on him, created a diversion by "accidentally" setting one of the silk samples on fire.
"Oops," she said, not sounding sorry at all.
By afternoon, Haru felt like he was about to collapse. Every commission had been completed successfully, but the effort of containing his own power while maintaining his confident facade was exhausting in ways he hadn't expected.
"I need to step out for a bit," he announced as they returned to Mondstadt. "Some training to do."
"Training?" Lumine asked, surprised. "But you're already so strong."
"There's always room for improvement," he deflected. "Besides, Caesar needs exercise."
This was technically true. Caesar did enjoy running, and Haru desperately needed somewhere private to figure out how to control his new powers before he accidentally leveled a city block.
"Want company?" Lumine offered.
"That's alright. Just some basic conditioning work. Pretty boring stuff."
"If you're sure..."
"Absolutely. I'll be back before dinner."
He mounted Caesar and rode out toward the hills surrounding Mondstadt, looking for somewhere isolated enough to train without accidentally creating new landmarks.
What Haru didn't notice was two figures following at a discrete distance.
"Paimon thinks Haru's been acting weird all day," Paimon whispered as they crept through the underbrush.
"I noticed too," Lumine replied quietly. "He seems... I don't know, different. Like he's trying too hard to act normal."
"Maybe he's sick? Paimon heard that really powerful people sometimes get sick from their own power."
"Maybe. Or maybe something happened yesterday that he's not telling us about."
They followed Haru to a secluded clearing surrounded by tall trees and rocky outcroppings. It was the perfect place for private training—isolated, spacious, and far enough from any roads that random travelers wouldn't stumble across it.
Haru dismounted and patted Caesar's neck. "Alright, buddy. Time for me to figure out how to not accidentally destroy everything I touch."
He removed his outer shirt, revealing the lean muscle definition that made Lumine's face turn red behind the bushes where she was hiding.
"Paimon thinks Lumine's face is getting very red," Paimon whispered.
"Shh!" Lumine hissed, then immediately covered her eyes. "Don't look!"
"Paimon's not looking at anything weird!
Paimon just thinks you're acting funny!"
"I'm not acting funny, I'm being respectful of privacy!"
"Then why are you still watching through your fingers?"
"I am not—shut up, Paimon!"
In the clearing, Haru began with basic exercises. Push-ups, sit-ups, stretching—simple conditioning work that wouldn't risk triggering his powers accidentally.
Except even basic movements felt different now. His enhanced abilities weren't just magical—they had somehow improved his physical conditioning as well. He could feel strength and speed flowing through his muscles that definitely hadn't been there a week ago.
"Let's try some power control," he muttered, extending one hand toward a boulder.
A tiny application of Geo energy—just enough to move the stone a few inches.
The boulder exploded into gravel.
"Too much," he sighed. "Let's try ice."
He focused on creating a small ice crystal in his palm. Something delicate, precise, controlled.
The entire clearing flash-froze, turning the grass into crystal sculptures and coating the trees in permafrost.
"WAY too much."
This was going to be harder than he thought.
Behind the bushes, Lumine watched with growing confusion as Haru continued his training. For someone who had single-handedly destroyed an army of hilichurls yesterday, he seemed to be having trouble with very basic power control.
"Why is he doing beginner exercises?" she whispered to Paimon.
"Maybe he's just being thorough?"
"But look at him. He's struggling with things that should be easy for someone of his level."
It was true. Despite his incredible display of power yesterday, Haru was clearly having difficulty with precision and control. Every attempt at a small, focused technique resulted in massive overkill that left him looking frustrated and tired.
"Maybe he's sick after all," Paimon suggested.
"Or maybe..." Lumine frowned, thinking. "Maybe his power increased so much that his control can't keep up."
It was a phenomenon she'd heard about but never seen—warriors who gained strength too quickly sometimes had trouble adapting to their new capabilities. It was like trying to write with a sledgehammer when you were used to a pencil.
But if that was the case, why wouldn't Haru just tell them? Why the secrecy?
Haru was beginning to think this had been a terrible idea. Every exercise left him more exhausted, and his power control seemed to be getting worse rather than better. At this rate, he'd accidentally create a new mountain range just trying to pick up a pebble.
He was in the middle of attempting to create a small wall of stone—emphasis on small—when he heard it.
Crack.
The unmistakable sound of someone stepping on a twig.
His head snapped up, scanning the tree line with enhanced senses that were apparently working perfectly despite everything else going wrong.
"I know you're there," he called out. "You might as well come out."
There was a moment of silence, then rustling bushes, and finally Lumine and Paimon emerged looking sheepish.
"Surprise?" Paimon offered weakly.
"How long have you been watching?" Haru asked, grabbing his shirt and pulling it back on.
"Long enough to see you turn a boulder into sand," Lumine said. "And freeze an entire clearing by accident. And create what appears to be an accidental stone fortress over there."
Haru glanced at the fortress, which was indeed impressive if completely unintentional. "I was... experimenting with architectural applications."
"Haru." Lumine's voice was gentle but firm.
"What's really going on? You've been acting strange all day, and now I find you out here struggling with basic power control when yesterday you were... well, legendary."
For a moment, Haru considered telling her everything. About the system, about the aura farming, about how he was basically a fraud who'd been lucky enough to stumble into supernatural assistance.
But the words wouldn't come. How do you explain something like that to someone who probably thinks you're some kind of destined hero?
"Power growth," he said finally. "Sometimes when you get stronger quickly, your control needs time to catch up. It's not uncommon for people with my... background."
It wasn't technically a lie. It wasn't technically the truth either, but it was something.
Lumine studied his face, clearly not entirely convinced but willing to accept the explanation. "That makes sense, I suppose. Is there anything we can do to help?"
"Actually," she continued, drawing her sword, "maybe a spar would help?
Sometimes practicing against a moving opponent can improve control faster than solo training."
Haru's first instinct was to refuse. Fighting Lumine while his power was completely out of control seemed like a recipe for accidentally hurting someone he cared about.
But then again, maybe she had a point. Maybe the problem wasn't the power itself, but the lack of pressure and focus that came with real combat.
"Alright," he said. "But we take it easy. I don't want to accidentally—"
"Turn me into an ice sculpture?"
"Something like that."
They moved to the center of the clearing, facing each other across ten feet of grass that had already been frozen, melted, frozen again, and possibly achieved sentience during Haru's training session.
"Ready?" Lumine asked, settling into a combat stance.
"As I'll ever be."
The spar began slowly, both fighters testing each other's reactions and capabilities.
Lumine moved with fluid grace, her sword work precise and elegant. Haru countered with carefully controlled applications of ice and stone, trying desperately not to unleash the full force of his abilities.
And something wonderful happened.
The focus required to fight without killing Lumine seemed to create a feedback loop that helped him control his power. Instead of massive, uncontrolled explosions of elemental force, he found himself creating exactly what he needed—ice barriers to block her attacks, stone platforms to change elevation, precise strikes that challenged her without overwhelming her.
They moved together like dancers, each attack flowing into the next defense, each strategy met with perfect counter-strategy. Haru found himself actually enjoying the fight rather than just trying to survive it.
This, he thought as he created a series of ice steps to leap over one of Lumine's wind attacks, this is what fighting should feel like.
For twenty minutes they dueled, neither gaining a clear advantage. Lumine's skill and experience matched against Haru's raw power and growing control. It was beautiful, intense, and exactly what both of them needed.
Finally, they broke apart by mutual agreement, both breathing hard and grinning.
"Draw?" Lumine suggested.
"I'll take it," Haru replied, wiping sweat from his forehead. The exertion felt good—like he'd actually accomplished something meaningful.
"That was incredible," Lumine said. "Your control improved dramatically during the fight. I think you were right about the pressure helping."
"Thanks for the suggestion. I probably would have spent another hour turning rocks into gravel without it."
"Paimon thinks you both looked really cool!" Paimon announced. "Like a dance, but with more potential for serious injury!"
"That's... actually a pretty good description," Haru admitted.
As they gathered their gear to head back to Mondstadt, none of them noticed the small figure watching from the distant tree line.
The Abyss Mage floated in the shadows, its eyes glowing with malevolent intelligence as it observed the conclusion of the sparring match.
Interesting, it thought. Very interesting indeed.
The mage had been tracking the one called Haru since receiving orders to monitor the mysterious newcomer who had decimated their forces. What it had witnessed today was... unexpected.
Power, yes. Incredible, overwhelming power that could reshape battlefields and create legends.
But also weakness. Exhaustion. A lack of control that spoke of abilities pushed beyond their sustainable limits.
And most telling of all—the complete absence of the terrifying aura that had made even the bravest hilichurls flee in terror.
Today, the human's presence felt... diminished. Still strong, but no longer the walking apocalypse who had frozen an entire army with casual gestures.
The mage's form shimmered as it prepared to teleport back to its master.
Prince Aether would be very interested in this development.
As the sun set over Mondstadt, Haru walked back toward the city gates with Lumine and Paimon, feeling better than he had all day.
The sparring session had given him hope that he could learn to control his enhanced abilities even without the system's guidance.
He still had no idea when—or if—the system would return online. But for the first time since waking up that morning, he thought he might be able to handle whatever came next.
After all, how hard could it be to fake being a legendary hero for a few more days?
In the depths of the Abyss, Aether listened to his subordinate's report with growing interest.
"You're certain the aura has weakened?"
"Absolutely, Your Highness. Whatever power granted him that overwhelming presence yesterday appears to be... diminished."
"Fascinating." Aether studied the tactical map spread before him. "And his actual combat abilities?"
"Still formidable, but showing signs of strain. He struggled with basic control exercises and appeared exhausted after a simple sparring match."
"Then perhaps it's time to test his limits properly."
Aether's hand moved to a section of the map marked with dark symbols. "Prepare the assault force. If this mysterious hero is showing weakness, we should exploit it before he has time to recover."
"How many should we deploy, Your Highness?"
Aether's smile was cold as winter. "All of them."
A / N: I was supposed to upload 2 chapters today but I accidentally deleted it 😔. I'll just upload three chapters tomorrow and upload 2 chapters for The Pokemon House.