Nahida's True Power: Knowledge in the Irminsul 4

Nahida realized that, like any pet, Lumine required proper training. Carefully—yet with a certain tenderness and affection—she placed Lumine on the sofa in her room, then sat down at the opposite end herself. Lumine could see Nahida’s enormous body resting there, but to her, the distance between them felt like miles.

BOOM. BOOM.

A moment later, Nahida placed her feet directly in front of Lumine. Though the Dendro Archon did so gently and with care, in a way fitting her small and fragile appearance, to Lumine it felt as if a mountain had collapsed in front of her.


Lick - she commanded

Nahida’s voice was firm—overwhelmingly so. Only now did Lumine realize that, because of Nahida’s size, her voice sounded impossibly loud, as if it were coming from every direction at once.

Knowing she had no choice, Lumine obeyed. She climbed between Nahida’s toes to carry out the order.

For Nahida, it was one of the most pleasant sensations she had ever experienced. The feeling of Lumine’s tiny tongue against her skin was deeply relaxing. It wasn’t too ticklish—just enough that every time Lumine’s tongue traced along one of her toes, Nahida instinctively twitched, sending Lumine tumbling off her feet. And so now, after numerous battles against monsters and even elemental dragons, Lumine is now fighting with Nahida's toes to prevent them from knocking her over while she licks them. Lumine blushed deeply from the humiliation.

Nahida never considered how humiliating this might be. It wasn’t cruelty, no; it simply never occurred to her. To Nahida, as to everyone else in Teyvat, Lumine had always been nothing more than a well-behaved pet.

At some point, Nahida asked Paimon for a visit, concerned about Lumine’s strange behavior. Had she bumped her tiny head? Was she being fed properly? Getting enough water? Sleeping well enough?

When Paimon floated over, Lumine was stunned. Even Paimon was at least a hundred times larger than her. The small, floating, squeaky fairy towered over Lumine, her enormous eyes carefully examining her as she clung to Nahida’s foot. But Paimon couldn’t find any explanation for Lumine’s odd words and behavior. She eventually concluded that Lumine must simply be confused—or perhaps dreaming. Maybe Nahida should look into her dreams later.

For the rest of the time, Nahida and Paimon laughed at how ridiculous Lumine’s claims sounded. It was utterly humiliating. Everything Lumine had once done—every battle, every achievement—now seemed like a joke.

As Nahida laughed, her foot twitched again.


Lumine slipped and fell, finding herself trapped between the girl’s sole and her stirrups. She pressed her entire body against the fabric, desperately trying to hold it back as it stretched and strained, pulled by the pressure of Nahida’s foot. At any moment, Lumine could have been dragged fully into the stirrups or crushed beneath Nahida's sole.

Her strength was barely enough to resist the natural tension of the little Archon’s stirrups.

Lumine had never felt so small in her life.