The Star That Fell Across the Sky

by avail_0616

Summary:

After being separated from his twin, Lumine, Aether is forced to travel the various nations of Teyvat in the hope of finding her again. However, as he does, he realizes there may be a lot more to this world than he first thought - including his first opportunity for friendship and, eventually, love.

Basically incorporates Aether/Venti into the canon story with a reeeeeeeeally slow burn friends to severe denial to lovers kind of plot. As in they don’t kiss until after Natlan kind of plot. But it also focuses really heavily on their characters and (if I do it right) will result in an emotionally meaningful story and relationship. Other than that, there’s just a lot of retelling of Genshin’s story and events with the occasional non-canon interaction because there have to be sillies somewhere.

Notes:

Hi! This is my first work and I'm hoping to continue it for a while (until I get burnt out, probably), so you can expect semi-regular updates for now. Please let me know if you have any suggestions for my writing or if I get any details horrendously wrong. Thank you for reading!

Chapter 1: New Beginnings

“…And that’s how I ended up here – at least, from what I can remember.”  

The traveler scratched out a final image in the sand, discarding the piece of driftwood he used to create it. He stared sadly at it until a chirpy voice pulled him out of his thoughts.  

“Wow, you picked up on the language fast! Paimon can’t believe how well you speak it now.”  

He laughed. “Well, it helps when you have a very good teacher.”  

Paimon beamed from the compliment. “Hehe, it was nothing. Anyway, in exchange for saving Paimon those months ago, Paimon promises to be the very best guide and help you find your sister!”  

He looked up in surprise. “You’d do that?”  

The white-clad fairy smiled and nodded enthusiastically. “Yep! You should have someone to show you around Teyvat while you travel, and it’s not like Paimon has anything better to do! So, what do you say, Traveler?”  

He hesitated a moment, then smiled. “Well, if you’re sure, I could really use a guide. Oh -and you can call me Aether.”  

“Heyyy, why didn’t you say so earlier?! Paimon’s been calling you Traveler this whole time!”  

Shrugging sheepishly, he responded, “well, I didn’t know how to ask before.”  

Paimon rolled her eyes. “Sure you didn’t.” She spun in the air out of habit, briefly leaving behind a small trail of constellation-like particles. “So, where should we start?”  

Aether paused. “Um… I don’t know. Is there anyone we can talk to? Anyone that would know who that lady was?”  

Paimon took on a look of deep thought. “It’s a long shot, but maybe with the Seven? It sounds like this cube lady was pretty powerful, so the archons would probably know who she is! The hard part is going to be finding a way to talk to them.”  

“Archons?”  

“Yeah! They’re the gods of this world, with each one presiding over their own nation. Mondstadt is the closest city to here, but nobody has seen their archon, Barbatos, in ages.”  

“Gods? I can’t just walk up to a god and have a friendly conversation with them! Please say you have a better idea that isn’t going to get me killed.”  

“The archons wouldn’t kill you, silly. A lot of them are really close to their people and would be happy to help! Just trust Paimon on this one.”  

He sighed. “It’s worth a shot, I guess. Even if this city doesn’t have a god, it’s a good idea to grab some supplies anyway.”  

Paimon twirled in the air, floating towards the forest. “Then let’s go!”  

Aether stood up, wincing slightly as his stiff legs were put to work. A short walk later, the duo arrived at a tall cliff. Paimon pointed excitedly at a structure in the distance: a walled-in city built on a large island in the middle of a lake. Windmills and the red rooftops of buildings were visible from where they stood. “That’s Mondstadt! Not too far now!” Paimon exclaimed. “And look! A Statue of the Seven! Come on, let’s go visit it!” She darted down the path, leaving Aether to run behind her.  

After getting slightly soaked from the lake surrounding it, Aether walked up to the statue. It didn’t look all that special – just a regular carving from stone. The figure depicted on the pedestal was winged, holding an orb in both hands, with two braids spilling out from the hood/cloak combo they were wearing. “It’s said that the statues sometimes give their blessings to weary travelers,” Paimon informed him. “It doesn’t look all that special to Paimon, though.”  

Weirdly, Aether felt some kind of strange pull, as though the statue were trying to draw him in. “I wonder if…” Trailing off, he mindlessly placed his hand on the golden plate on the front of the statue. A sudden jolt shot up his arm, and he quickly pulled it back as teal streaks of wind emanated from where his hand had just been resting.  

“Woah! Next time, tell Paimon before you’re about to do something crazy!” The fairy exclaimed, floating down to look at him. “Do you feel okay? What happened?”  

“I feel fine,” Aether said, shaking out his arm. “Just felt a little weird, that’s all. It was probably nothing.”  

“Nothing!? The statue glowed and everything! Something must have happened!”  

Aether pinched the bridge of his nose, feeling an oncoming headache. Weird. I never get headaches. He chalked it up to Paimon screaming in his ear about being reckless and snapped out of his thoughts. “Please, Paimon, don’t worry. I’ll be okay. Let’s just keep walking before it gets too dark,” he insisted, forcing a small smile.   

Paimon frowned, clearly still worried. “Well, okay, but tell Paimon if you need to sit down and take a break.” Her expression suddenly changed to one of fear and shock. “Tra- Aether! Behind you! Pyro slimes!”  

He spun around to see a few blobby creatures bouncing towards him. They looked like they were made out of lava. Well, good thing this statue is surrounded by water, he thought. Drawing his sword out of the air in a flash of golden particles, he motioned for Paimon to get behind him and swung as the first of the three creatures jumped at him. Shink. His blade connected with the unexpectedly solid monster, knocking it back. As the remaining two compressed, undoubtedly preparing to leap at him, his headache flared up, sending splitting pain through his head and causing him to drop his sword and fall to his knees.  

“Aether!”  

Paimon’s voice sounded distant. He opened his eyes with great effort and saw the slimes leap at her.  

No.  

Impulsively, he flung up his arm, as though that would stop anything from happening. Surprisingly, it did. A burst of wind exploded from the palm of his hand, sending all the monsters flying into shallow water, where they vaporized instantly. His headache immediately subsided, the pent-up overload of elemental energy no longer taking its toll. In shock, he stood up and turned to Paimon, wide-eyed. The expression on her face mirrored his own.   

“Did you just do that?” She gasped.  

“I think so,” he confirmed.  

“Archons above! You can use elemental energy without a vision! Is that because you touched the statue?”  

Aether looked more shocked than before, which was a feat. “W-wait, is this not normal?”  

Paimon shook her head. “From what Paimon knows, the only way someone can use the elemental powers of the gods is by obtaining a vision from one of them – and Paimon doesn’t see one on you anywhere. And you couldn’t do that before, right?”  

“No, I couldn’t. It must have been to do with that statue.”  

“But the statues don’t normally do that! Is it because you’re not from Teyvat? Even so, Paimon doesn’t see how that would change anything, but…”  

Her rambling faded as Aether sunk into his thoughts. Uh oh. Did I do something wrong? Was there a rule about not touching sacred statues or something? Am I cursed? Gods, this is the last thing I need right now…  

“Hey, what’s going on? You’re spacing out again!”  

Aether shook his head. “Sorry, I must just be tired.”  

Paimon’s face softened. “Yeah, elemental energy can be a lot. Let’s just get to Mondstadt as soon as we can and then we can eat lots of yummy food and have a long sleep!”  

He smiled. “Alright, let’s go.”  

They continued walking, Aether lost in thought. He barely noticed that the trees were getting denser or heard Paimon’s monologue about how good Mondstadt food was – until a loud roar sent every inch of his body into high alert.  

“What was that?” Paimon asked.  

“I don’t know, I was hoping you did,” Aether said worriedly, stopping and drawing his weapon.   

The roar sounded again. “It came from up ahead. We should go look.”  

“Go look! Are you crazy!? Whatever it is will eat Paimon whole!”  

Aether sighed. “Well, then you can stay here. I’m going ahead.” He started cautiously walking towards the noise, with Paimon nervously floating behind, too scared to be left alone. He ducked behind a tree and peered around it as they reached a small clearing, his eyes widening in disbelief.  

A large teal dragon was perched on a rock, with a boy dressed in green reaching his hand out towards it. His dark hair was braided into two strands that fell on either side of his face, and he had a rather small build. Aether strained to hear the exchange between them. “Please, Dvalin. I know you’re scared, but just trust me,” the boy pleaded in a voice that was oddly melodious. “Calm down and let’s talk.”  

“Is that a dragon!?” Paimon whisper-yelled in Aether’s ear.  

“Looks like it,” he muttered in response. The dragon growled in the distance. Unprompted, a streak of teal wind flew around him, catching the dragon’s attention, and he quickly pressed himself behind the tree.  

The dragon roared and began to lift off, the green boy spinning around to scan the area. “Who’s there?” He yelled, his eyes darting across the trees just in time to spot a flash of gold and white. Frowning, he glanced back up at the sky, where the dragon had now gone, before disappearing himself with a burst of wind. In the residual silence, Aether and Paimon emerged from their hiding spot. There was no trace of the odd pair that had just been there aside from a red crystal that was hovering just above the ground.   

“What’s that?” Aether asked, walking over to it.  

“Paimon isn’t sure, but if that dragon left it, it’s probably dangerous! We should take it with us so nobody will get hurt.”  

Aether nodded in agreement and pocketed the tear-shaped gem. With the excitement of the moment over, the gravity of their situation descended on them.  

“Do you think he saw us?” Paimon whispered nervously.  

“I think he did,” Aether responded, a pit forming in his stomach. The last thing he needed was to make enemies with a dragon and whoever its caretaker was.   

Paimon glanced at him, noticing the concern present on his face. “Hey, we don’t have to go to Mondstadt if you don’t want to – Paimon didn’t realize there would be scary dragons flying all over the place! Besides, their archon might not even exist!”  

Aether hesitated, but only momentarily. “No, we should go. It’s still possible that someone there might know where Lumine is.”  

“Okay. Let’s keep moving!”  

Paimon gave him a cheery look and started floating towards the path, rambling again. “Wow, it’s been an eventful day for Paimon! First, you finally speak, then the scary slimes, and now big dragons and mysterious dragon friends! Traveling with you is going to be a lot of fun!” Paimon remarked, clearly thrilled. Aether smiled, glad that he wasn’t alone in this world.  

It didn’t take long before they had another encounter – this time, with a sweet girl named Amber. She claimed to be the Outrider for the Knights of Favonius, whatever that meant, and Aether explained his situation to her. After dealing with some monsters, the newly formed trio made their way to the city, where she had a gift waiting.  

“Hey, Traveler, you should take this!” Amber smiled, handing him a weird piece of cloth.  

“Oh, thanks! Um… what is it?”  

She laughed. “It’s a Wind Glider! It’ll let you glide through the air if you deploy it where there’s sufficient air resistance! Just a little present for helping me with those monsters - you’ve got some serious skill!”  

Aether smiled. “Thank you, Amber. How do I use it?”  

“Hmm… well, we could have a test flight right now! Here, hold it like this… perfect! I’ll jump off that railing and demonstrate, then you follow me, okay?”  

“Okay,” Aether agreed uncertainly. Amber jumped, making the whole process look quite easy. Before he could get up the nerve to throw himself over a drop, however, a roar sounded, and he and Paimon spun around in fear. The dragon had returned.  

Dark clouds descended swiftly over Mondstadt, and vortexes of wind tore their way through the city, one such vortex catching Aether’s deployed glider and sending him flying upwards.  

“Aether!” He heard Paimon call out before he was tossed too high into the air to hear her anymore.   

Please be safe, he thought as he went higher and higher up. Hold on, this doesn’t seem right. Why am I still traveling upwards?  

I’m preventing your fall with the power of a thousand winds, a voice in his head responded. Now, harness the energy provided to you and aim for Dvalin – he can bear a few hits, but the city cannot.  

Without any other option, Aether did as instructed, soon landing back on the ground to face a worried Paimon, who strangled him with a hug. Amber came running up at the same moment.  

“Archons, how did you scare off Stormterror!? Are you hurt?” She asked.  

“I’m okay, don’t worry. It was all thanks to your glider,” he reassured. And that weird voice. “Paimon, you can let go of me now – the dragon’s gone.”  

“Well, well. That was quite a display. So, what kind of mysterious, heroic outlander has Mondstadt been graced with in the midst of our crisis?” A new voice chimed in.  

A tall man wearing an eyepatch walked towards them with a curious smile. “Kaeya. Knight of Favonius. I see you’ve already met Amber.”  

Amber looked relieved. “Oh, Kaeya, you’re here! This is Aether, a traveler – you should take him to see Jean.” She turned to Aether and explained, “she’s our Acting Grand Master. If you need to find someone, she’s who to talk to!”  

“I was already planning on it,” Kaeya said, still smiling.  

A long set of introductions and explanations later, Aether had become well acquainted with the higher-ups of the Knights, who unfortunately had no information about a girl wearing white with short blonde hair. The Acting Grand Master also made it clear that they were in no position to set out search parties or exert energy looking for Lumine in the middle of a national crisis. Fair enough. So long as he helped resolve the issue, he would be one step closer to finding her. A small positive, though, was that it looked like his uniqueness was viewed as a strength, not an oddity that was going to make it clear he wasn’t from Teyvat. Of course, that could always change. It certainly didn’t help his case that Paimon had made him bring out that weird crystal they found and had Lisa inspect it.  

“Sorry, but I can’t seem to determine anything about it. Just holding the crystal makes me feel dizzy,” Lisa commented, handing it back to him.  

“That’s okay – thanks for your help anyway!” Paimon responded, smiling.  

Jean stood up from where she was leaning against the bookshelf, watching them cautiously. “Well, Traveler, as our new Honorary Knight, I’ll leave it up to you to investigate the Stormterror issue at your own leisure. Please report back if you come across any information you believe would be valuable or if any questions arise. The Knights are indebted to you.”  

Aether nodded in acknowledgement and took his leave.  

 “So, where are we headed now?” Paimon asked, floating alongside him as they wandered through the lamplit streets of Mondstadt.   

“We need to find that guy we saw in the forest,” Aether replied. “I have a feeling he knows what this crystal is, and it’s really our only lead to helping the Knights at the moment.”  

Paimon nodded enthusiastically. “Sounds like a plan! But how are we gonna find him?”  

Aether sighed. “I have no idea.”   

“Well, we can keep walking and think! We’re almost at the plaza with the statue of the Anemo Archon – seems like a good place to brainstorm to Paimon!”  

“Sounds like you just want to go sightseeing,” he joked. “But… maybe we can use these new powers I have? You know more about them than I do, probably. Does wind have, I don’t know, track-mysterious-green-people-down abilities?”  

Paimon frowned as they climbed the last steps up to the plaza. “Not that Paimon knows of, but maybe…” she trailed off as her gaze settled upon the statue. Or rather, the person beneath it.  

Aether stared in shock at the performing bard who was, unmistakably, the weird guy they’d come across talking to the dragon before. “Maybe we won’t need to figure something out after all.”  

“…Or that.”  

The two weaved their way through the small crowd that had gathered around the musician, with Aether vaguely catching the story about a poisoned dragon and its immense sorrows that engulfed it. It didn’t take a genius to realize he was singing about Stormterror.  

This guy definitely knows something about the dragon. Why hasn’t he gone to the Knights? And why did he run off in the forest? Actually, why are we even talking to him? He’s likely not trustworthy, and I don’t particularly want to get involved with a troublemaker.  

Well, trustworthy or not, I guess there’s no other option.  

As his song drew to a close, the crowd applauded and the green-clad bard opened his eyes, smiling and taking a bow. Aether stood, arms crossed, watching his every move intently. Once the crowd had more or less dissipated, the bard made his way over to the duo, who hadn’t gone unnoticed.  

 “I see you enjoyed my tale. You must be the Honorary Knight everyone’s been talking about, hehe. What a pleasure to finally meet you,” he said, a cheeky grin on his face.   

“That would be me,” Aether responded warily, waiting for any indication that the bard recognized them from the encounter in the woods. When no confrontation came, he extended a hand and introduced himself. “Aether. I’m just traveling through here. And this is Paimon,” he said, gesturing to where she was floating nervously behind him.  

“Aether, hm? A name fitting for a traveler such as yourself – it would sound very elegant in a ballad. Maybe someone will write one about you someday,” he commented, still smiling. “I’m Venti, a local bard. I suppose I have you to thank for scaring off Dvalin earlier?”  

A jolt of surprise and fear shot up Aether’s spine. “Um. Yeah. That was us. Sorry about that.” Crap. He recognized you. Good going, Aether. Now the dragon is really going to want to kill you.  

Venti noticed the sudden shift in his demeanor and quickly clarified, “of course, it was no fault of yours that he was startled back there. Dvalin has been on edge of late… I grow worried for his fate.”  

Aether relaxed the tiniest amount, uncertain if the additional comment was a ploy to gain his trust or genuine forgiveness. Not that it mattered either way: he needed to show him the crystal.  

“Oh, that’s a relief. Well, not to say that Stormterror’s decline is good, I’m just glad we didn’t mess anything up,” Aether stammered. “Wait, actually, we think he may have left something behind. Could you take a look at this for a moment?”  

He pulled out the crystal, nearly dropping it out of surprise when he saw that it had turned from a deep shade of crimson to a bright teal.   

“Whoa! When did that happen?” Paimon exclaimed. “That was all red and evil ten minutes ago, right?”  

Venti frowned. “It’s been… purified. Dvalin’s tears are full of his sorrow and rage, but this one is devoid of such corruption.” He looked up at Aether. “You purified it? How?”  

“I-I don’t know. I’m just as surprised as you are.” Aether responded.  

Venti studied the crystal for a moment, then produced one of his own. “I found a similar tear earlier. Would you be able to cleanse this one as well?” He asked, holding it out to Aether.  

“I can try, but no promises.” Aether took the crystal, closing his eyes as he concentrated. His brow furrowed as he focused on the unpleasant, corroding feeling the crystal generated, imagining that feeling being washed away like clean water removes filth. Once he could no longer feel the prickliness from the tear, he opened his eyes to see a pristine teal gem, identical to the last one. I can’t believe that actually worked.  

“Wha- Paimon can’t believe it! You’re magic!”  

“Indeed, it is extraordinary,” Venti agreed. He took the crystal from Aether’s palm, pocketing it with the other one before looking at him with a wide smile that didn’t match the pensive look in his eyes. “Hm… meet me at the symbol of Mondstadt’s hero, and we can discuss how to remedy the blight Dvalin has brought upon the city. I may have a plan, hehe~”  

With that, the bard gave them a cheeky wave and dashed down the nearby stairs, leaving behind a fuming Paimon and a perplexed Aether.  

“Gah, Paimon hates that guy already! Why does he have to be so vague and annoying!”  

Aether stared after him. “I don’t know, but he knows more about this crisis than an ordinary person. So, sorry, but you’ll have to put up with him for a while longer while this gets resolved.”  

Paimon pouted. “Fine, Paimon guesses she can deal with it. Should we go meet him now?”  

“No, let’s head into the city and buy some supplies first.”  

“Ooooh, can we get dinner while we’re there? Paimon’s hungry!”  

“You’re always hungry,” laughed the traveler. “But fine, yes, we can get dinner.”  

“Yay! You’re the best travel companion ever!”  

Chapter 2: Strange Encounters

Summary:

An attempt at stealing the Holy Lyre ends in failure, which Aether does not take well. Diluc is roped into the trio's schemes.

The sky was growing dark by the time Aether and Paimon arrived at Windrise. After grabbing some traveling necessities (and a meal at Good Hunter), they determined the ‘symbol of Mondstadt’s hero’ Venti had mentioned was the tree said to have grown after the ascension of famed warrior Venessa, located at Windrise. 

“Oh, a Statue of the Seven! That’ll make it easy to teleport here in the future!” Paimon pointed out. Aether decided he shouldn’t even be surprised that this world considers teleporting the norm, after everything he’d seen in the last day, and activated it before walking over to the bard sat under the tree. The bard who bore a striking resemblance to said statue. Weird.  

Venti opened his green eyes upon hearing him approach and gave Aether a big grin. “I’m glad you finally decided to join me! Merely the presence of a friend is like a cool breeze across the sea.” 

Aether, focusing primarily on the first half of his comment, looked a little ashamed. “Sorry, we didn’t mean to keep you waiting.” 

“Don’t apologize to him, Aether! It’s his own fault for running off like that!” Paimon fumed. 

Standing up, Venti laughed. “Quite a feisty one, aren’t you? Well, I’m afraid we’ll have to continue this banter in a moment. We have an unexpected guest.” He drew his bow, the slight wince of pain that followed not going unnoticed by Aether. 

The traveler turned around to see a floating mass of Anemo energy surrounded by sheets of rock. The monster let out a loud noise that sounded like a screaming vortex of wind before starting to spin towards them.  

Aether drew his sword as a well-placed arrow from Venti knocked the thing off balance, giving him an opportunity to jump in and slice one of the rock sheets away, taking a stab at the core of elemental energy. The action resulted in an explosion of wind that threw him back, cutting his arm on a nearby rock. Ignoring the shallow gash running from his elbow to his wrist, he raised his sword again. Another volley of arrows stunned the monster and Aether attacked it again, careful to only cut away the stone surrounding it. 

The core now exposed, Venti fired arrow after arrow at the creature. Unexpectedly, it picked up several jagged shards of rock in its wind current and flung them at the bard. Before they could do any damage, Aether disarmed all but one with a careful swing of his sword, with the remaining piece cutting him across the shoulder that held the weapon.  

“Aether! Be careful!” Paimon shouted worriedly from her hiding spot behind the tree. 

“I’m okay,” he yelled back, which was an obvious lie. Both of his arms throbbed with pain whenever he moved, and it was taking all his energy to keep holding the sword and deflect the oncoming attacks. Damn it. That lady really sapped my abilities. It’s been a while since I felt this much pain during a fight.  

Finally, after what seemed like too long, a last arrow from Venti caused the monster to fall to the ground and dissipate. Aether sheathed his sword and winced, then turned to the other two. “Are you both okay?” 

Venti looked at him in surprise. “You’re asking if we’re okay? Neither of us got a scratch on us. You, on the other hand, look like you might collapse.” 

“Yeah, what he said! Stop thinking about us! Where did you get hit?” Paimon seconded. 

Aether sighed. “Just my arm and shoulder, but they’re both fine. It’s not like I haven’t been injured before, and this definitely isn’t the worst. Please don’t worry, I’ll deal with it later.”  

Venti smiled thoughtfully. “Don’t be so quick to shy away from concern, dear Traveler. There’s no shame in having someone look out for your wellbeing.” 

What the – okay, he’s a lot more perceptive than I thought. I guess it was kind of obvious I was trying to play it off, but I feel like he understood why…  

Trying to hide his surprise, Aether responded, “um… I know, it’s just genuinely nothing to concern yourselves with. Okay?” Even if it does hurt 10 times more than it’s supposed to. What are those things made of?  

“Don’t be silly. The residual Anemo energy in your wounds is undoubtedly causing them to flare up. Here, let me help,” Venti offered, maintaining his knowing grin. Before Aether could decline, he stepped forward and made a motion with his hand. A small orb attached to the belt at his waist glowed and Aether felt a slight tug on his injuries before a dark teal cloud emerged from them and vanished into the night air. He immediately felt considerably better and a little foolish for being so stubborn.  

“Thanks,” he said sheepishly, returning Venti’s smile. Why is he being so nice to me? We just met and all I’ve done is make things harder for him. And why does it feel like he can always tell what I’m thinking?  

Paimon cleared her throat and snapped him out of whatever weird thoughts he was having. “So, Venti, you said you had information about Stormterror?” 

Venti’s smile faded. “Yes, I do. In essence, the reason Dvalin has been acting up of late is because he is degrading. He feels abandoned by those around him, and the immense anguish that causes him has been poisoning and corroding his body. An organization known as the Abyss Order has taken advantage of his weakened state and is manipulating him to bend to their will.” 

“Poison!?” Paimon blurted out. “Does that mean those tears poisoned us?” 

“No, of course not,” Venti laughed. “They will only affect those of a similar constitution to Dvalin. Vision users may be mildly irritated due to their connection to elemental energy, but no harm will come to most people. Other than myself, that is.” 

“Wait, you were poisoned?” Aether asked, catching on. 

“Only slightly. Your interruption earlier corrupted my connection with Dvalin, causing me to suffer some rather adverse effects. However, it’s nothing that the winds of Mondstadt can’t fix – hence why we’re here! Our chat has been just the right length to dispel any remaining corrosion.” 

Guilt settled in Aether’s chest. Well, add that to the list of ways I’ve wronged him in 24 hours. “Venti, I’m so sorry-” he started before the bard interrupted him.  

“No harm done, Traveler,” he said with a soft smile. “Whenever you’re ready, meet me at the Favonius Cathedral. The next step in saving Dvalin: acquire the Holy Lyre Der Himmel!” 

 

 

“How did you say this was going to work?” Aether asked as they stood by the doors of the cathedral. 

“Well, I didn’t,” Venti responded, smiling. 

“Huh? Paimon thought you had a plan!” The pixie commented angrily. 

“But I do have a plan! … sort of. The first step is figuring out if it will work. You two wait here. I’m going to ask a few questions, and it’s probably better if I don’t have someone with me as recognizable as the savior of Mondstadt.” Venti instructed. 

Aether nodded. “We’ll be over there when you need us,” he said, pointing at a nearby bench.  

Venti smiled gratefully and headed inside. 

“Paimon can’t believe the nerve of this guy! He drags us all the way over here because he says he has a plan, and now he doesn’t? How the heck are we going to find anything out with this efficiency? So far, all he’s done is get us in trouble.” 

Aether didn’t want to admit it, but she had a point. Venti seemed kind and all, but kind wasn’t the same as helpful, and all he really needed right now was the latter. Mondstadt was turning out to be a waste of time. No archon to be found, and he’d gone and roped himself into a national crisis that had seemingly no end in sight. He couldn’t just leave the Knights now, though – he wasn’t that kind of person. So here he was, chasing some weird bard around the nation to get next to no answers about his sister. Great start. 

“Aether? What’s wrong?” Paimon asked, hovering in front of him. “You’ve been really spacey and distracted this whole time. Is something on your mind?” 

He sighed. “Yeah, kind of. I guess I’m just worried I’ve gotten myself into something really big that has nothing to do with Lumine and that I’m wasting the time I could be spending to look for her. That, and everything going on has just been… a lot. I didn’t expect to become some special case hero overnight.” He ran a hand through his hair, exhausted just thinking about everything he’d done and had yet to do. 

Paimon nodded. “Paimon understands. If you need to talk about anything, Paimon’s here, okay?” 

“Thanks, Paimon.” He paused for a moment, then quietly asked, “do you think we can trust him?” 

Paimon looked at him weirdly. “What do you mean?” 

“I-I don’t really know. People that know more than they’re letting on worry me, I guess. The Knights seem fine, but something about Venti seems… off. I don’t think he’s been completely honest.” 

“Well… Paimon understands your concern, but so far all he’s done is help us. Paimon doesn’t see why we shouldn’t trust him, even if he is really frustrating.” 

Aether sighed. “Alright.” 

He turned around at the sound of the cathedral doors opening. Venti stepped out and walked over to them, looking dejected. 

“No luck?” 

“Nope. Seems I’m not influential enough to warrant them handing over the Holy Lyre just like that,” Venti responded, perking up. “Oh well – time for the backup plan!” 

“What’s the backup plan?” Paimon asked nervously.  

“We steal it, of course!” Venti said, grinning. 

“WHAAAAAT!?!?!?” Paimon yelled. 

Aether looked around in fear, relieved that nobody seemed to be nearby. “Keep it down, both of you! We’re still in front of the cathedral, you know!” 

“Oops~” Venti grinned. 

“So how would we go about doing that? And are you sure there’s no other way?” Aether questioned. I’d really like to not be a criminal if I can help it.   

“Pretty sure. And it would be quite simple! I managed to determine that the Lyre is being stored in the basement of the Cathedral. If we can sneak you in tonight by distracting the guards when they change shifts, all you need to do is dodge and weave around a few patrolling guards, grab the Lyre, teleport out, and we’re done!”  

“That doesn’t sound as simple as I’d like. And why do I have to be the one who steals it?” 

“Well, because you’re the Honorary Knight, of course! Even if you get caught, it’s unlikely you’ll face any repercussions.” 

Aether sighed. “Okay. If you’re sure.” 

“You’d better not be putting Aether in danger!” Paimon chimed in. “If this goes wrong, you’ll face Paimon’s wrath!” 

“I’m terrified,” Venti laughed, eliciting a small smile from Aether. “Please don’t fret, Traveler. I wouldn’t devise a plan that would threaten you in any way.” 

“Hmph, sure you wouldn’t! Paimon thinks you’re just trying to make Aether the scapegoat for your bad decisions!” Paimon retorted, arms crossed.  

As funny as it was to see them argue, Aether really didn’t want to make enemies, and he still wasn’t sure what to make of Venti. Sure, Paimon was right that he’d helped them out, but he was still associated with the dragon, and knew way too much about everything to be someone who didn’t pose a threat. But he didn’t want to let anyone down, so it was easier all around if he just went with it. 

“Paimon, it’s okay. I appreciate it, but I trust Venti’s plan. It’s not like we have a lot of other options at the moment anyway.” 

Paimon huffed while Venti mock pouted. “What, is my idea really that bad? I can’t believe even my friend is so reluctant to trust me.” 

Friend? Since when were we friends? I just met him a few hours ago. Is he trying to use that to make me do what he wants?  

You’re overthinking it. Venti’s just outgoing – he probably says it without thinking, just to be friendly or something. You can trust him.  

Can I?  

Aether blinked, realizing Venti was waiting for a response. “Well, no, I – uh –” 

Venti laughed. “Come on, Traveler, I’m just messing with you. I’ll admit it’s not very well thought out, but neither are Mondstadt’s night patrols, ehe~” 

He laughed a little in response to that, earning an annoyed look from Paimon. “Alright. So what do I need to do, exactly?” 

 

 

Aether’s heart pounded as he made his way down the staircase, the noises of the commotion that his companions caused still echoing behind him. The stairs led down to a small landing that overlooked the basement, where he crouched behind the railing and took a look around. It was a lot bigger than he’d like, but it also had a lot of pillars and old boxes of stuff that would make for good hiding spots. The Lyre was perched on a pedestal at the other end of the hall. Well, here goes nothing.  

With a lot of skill (and an equal amount of luck), Aether made his way over to the lyre room, surprised by the lack of attentiveness from the guards. Once there, he let out a long sigh of relief and reached out for the instrument. It didn’t look that different from an ordinary lyre, bur he was learning to realize that a lot of special things in this world appeared surprisingly ordinary. Before he could grab the instrument, however, a dark shape flashed in front of him, taking the lyre from the pedestal.  

A tall lady in a purple dress stood in front of him, a smug smile on her face. Her face was concealed by a hood and a mask, and something about her seemed inhuman. Before Aether could process what had just happened, she gave him a mocking wave and vanished with a twirl and sparks of lightning. What the hell was that?   

“Hey! Is someone there!” A voice called out from the room next to him. A nearby guard had heard the slight commotion and was rushing over, sword in hand. Aether looked over. Crap. Spotted.   

Without a second thought, he closed his eyes and focused on the teleport waypoint above the Knights’ headquarters, vanishing with a pop and reappearing on the top of the tall tower. Well, fuck. That was a failure, he thought angrily, beginning to pace with nervousness and anger. Why can’t you do anything right? Your only task was to steal the lyre, and now you’ll have to go back to Venti and say “sorry, I don’t have it, plus they know it was me.” Archons, what kind of a miserable excuse for an adventurer are you?  

Aether’s expression grew harsher as his mind peppered him with questions that made him angrier and angrier with himself. I can’t go back and face them now. And Lumine… this was my only lead. I really do just screw everything up. He sighed and ran a hand down his face, tears threatening to fall as his eyes burned. Stupid. Such an idiot.  

Blinking a few times and shoving those thoughts into a far corner of his mind, he extended his glider and prepared to meet his friends back in front of the statue of the Anemo Archon. 

 

 

“What’s taking him so long?” Paimon asked as she floated in circles, growing more concerned with every second. 

Venti took a bite out of the apple he was holding. “Relax. It’s a big basement; he’s probably just taking his time to avoid the guards.” 

Paimon turned around. “There are guards down there?” 

“Obviously?” Venti retorted, raising an eyebrow. “Did you miss that part of the explanation?” 

“N-no, Paimon just thought the only guards were the ones we distracted! You’re telling Paimon that Aether is still in danger?” 

How odd. She seems to really care about him, but she holds no faith in his abilities. Has she known him for a while, or not? Venti laughed, hiding his suspicions. “Of course not, dear Paimon. Your friend has proven himself to be quite the skilled adventurer. I have no doubt that he will return safe and sound despite what he may be facing.” 

Paimon huffed. “Don’t think you can fool Paimon by speaking all pretty! He’s not safe, and you know it! Why would you send him down there?” 

Venti winked at her as he saw a familiar figure approach. “Please, relax, Paimon. I have a feeling he’s fine.” 

Aether ran up to them, somewhat out of breath. “Hi… Paimon… Ven – oof!” The last word was cut off as Paimon tackled him with a hug.  

“Don’t scare Paimon like that again, okay? Paimon thought the guards had caught you!” She mumbled into his scarf. 

Venti smiled at the two of them. How sweet. It would seem they are close after all – maybe she is just paranoid.   

Aether gave Paimon a squeeze, then turned to Venti. “How did it…” Venti started to ask, but stopped when he saw the look on Aether’s face. Was he crying?  

“Venti, I’m sorry, there’s no time to explain, but we need to get out of here. Is there somewhere safe in the city we can go?” Aether asked. He sounded tired. 

Venti smiled broadly, ignoring the worried looks Paimon was giving him and his shared feelings of concern. “But of course! Follow me, I know just the place!” 

He hopped up from the bench and gestured for the pair to follow him, then began running towards the front of the city. It only took a few minutes to reach his favorite place: the Angel’s Share.  

“Uh… Venti, is this a tavern?” Aether asked, eyeing the posters on the billboard outside with hesitation.  

“A tavern!? You’re not taking Paimon into a tavern! We’re going to get surrounded by drunk weirdos!” 

Venti laughed at their apprehension. “Ehe, not big drinkers, are we? Well, don’t fret – the owner of this establishment is highly respected, and he maintains the utmost order in the Angel’s Share. Trust me, nowhere in Mondstadt is safer than here if you’re looking to hide!” 

The traveling duo shared a look, then Aether sighed and gave in. “Okay, let’s go inside.” 

Venti opened the door, pleased to see Diluc stood behind the counter. “Ah, Master Diluc! How are you on this cool, windswept evening?” 

Diluc gave him a cold stare. “Venti. Not back to steal my wine, I hope?” 

“Me? Never!” The bard assured him, winking. “Myself and my friend here,” he explained, gesturing to Aether, “are simply looking for your… least conspicuous table. Mind pointing us in the right direction?” 

Diluc eyed them both cautiously. Aether shifted his weight on his feet a little, clearly uncomfortable. After what seemed like too long, he spoke. “Well. Upstairs has the least traffic. But a bard not performing front and center? Strange.” 

Venti coughed nervously. “Ehe ~ just saving the paid performance for another time! Until then ~” 

With that, he led Aether and Paimon up the stairs, where they sat in the farthest corner. “Well. Care to explain why we’re hiding up here, traveler?” 

Aether looked concerned and let out a deep breath before he spoke. “Um. The guards may have seen who I was.” 

Is that everything that’s bothering him? Really? Gosh, they’re both worrywarts. “Oh, is that all? No worries, the Knights would hardly arrest their new hero! Especially if you claim it was in the name of Mondstadt’s safety. They can hardly begrudge you for taking the lyre if it helps resolve this crisis!” 

Aether looked even more uncomfortable. His hands mindlessly toyed with the ribbon on the end of his braid, tying and untying it repeatedly. “But that’s the thing. I didn’t take it. Some weird lady in purple appeared in front of me and grabbed the lyre before I could. I have no idea where to find it now.” 

His hands dropped to his lap. “I’m really sorry. I didn’t mean to let you down.” 

Oh.  

Venti gave him the most reassuring smile he could. “Don’t fret, Traveler. I’ll find a way to retrieve it. What’s most important is that you returned safely.” 

Paimon nodded in agreement. “Yeah, Venti’s right! It’ll be okay!” 

Aether smiled, but it didn’t meet his eyes. “I never thought I’d hear you agree with Venti,” he teased.  

“Hey! Paimon can be reasonable!” She huffed.  

Venti smiled at their exchange. Gods, what was wrong with him? He wasn’t usually such a sap - he’d learned by now it was better to not get attached to anyone – but something about the pair warmed his heart. 

Footsteps on the staircase interrupted Aether’s joking and Paimon’s indignant yells, and the three froze, only to relax again when they saw that it was Diluc. He took a seat at their table and pinned Venti with the kind of stare that would make any normal person fear for their life. He was used to it by now, though. 

“How nice of you to finally join us, Master Diluc!” Venti remarked. “I imagine you were eavesdropping that whole time?” 

“I didn’t need to be,” Diluc replied, not denying that he may have invaded their privacy had he been given the chance. “Some guards just came by asking about a blonde individual who has just stolen the Holy Lyre. You three wouldn’t know anything about that, would you?” 

Venti’s smile never left his face, but Aether and Paimon’s sudden rigidness gave it away. Diluc leaned back. “I see. I’m sure the Honorary Knight of Favonius has his reasons. It’s a shame you had to partner with them.” He paused for a moment, then clarified, “the guards have been steered in the wrong direction, don’t worry. I won’t hand you over to them - so long as you explain to me what you’re doing.” 

Aether gave Venti a look that unmistakably read, should we tell him? Not like they had a choice anyway, but Venti nodded. Turning to the bartender, he gave him a final out. “If you wish, but… it could implicate you in the affairs of the Knights of Favonius. That’s sure to dissuade him.  

“That’s fine. I somehow end up implicated in their affairs regardless.” 

Huh. Unexpected. Venti smiled and began to summon his lyre. “Very well. I hope you don’t mind if I tell you in the form of a song?” 

Diluc held the same uncaring expression. “Whatever suits you.” 

Aether watched apprehensively as Venti pulled out his lyre, conscious of the bartender’s threatening presence. Venti didn’t seem bothered by him in the least, though, so maybe it was just an act? Whatever the case, he trusted that his newfound companion knew a way out of this situation better than he did.  

Taking a deep breath, Venti began to play a melancholic chord on his lyre. Aether hardly remembered what happened the next few minutes; he was completely transfixed by the song that echoed through the tavern, which he recognized as being the same one that Venti had been performing when they first met. Every note the bard sang was crystal clear and the emotion behind it was so thick that Aether found tears welling up in his eyes by the end. Words couldn’t describe how beautiful it was. 

The last note rang through the tavern, its resonant end interrupted by a chorus of drunk laughter from downstairs. Aether blinked away the tears that threatened to fall and noticed that Diluc’s expression had changed to a mix of understanding and surprise. He felt a similar way. That was almost like magic. Venti really is something else – and he might make for a valuable ally if he can keep pulling things like that off.  

Diluc blinked. “This is… confidential information. Why would you let me know?” 

Venti gave a knowing grin. “Hmm… perhaps the winds are changing?” 

The bartender gave another of his long, probing stares towards the ceiling, then leaned back in his chair and sighed. “Okay. Give me 24 hours to dig up whatever information I can, then we’ll meet back here after closing time.” He looked back at the trio. “It seems none of you are suspects – the only description of the thief is ‘blonde,’ and the Knights are unlikely to guess it’s one of their own. It would probably be best for the three of you if you left here for the time being, though.” 

Aether nodded agreement, feeling considerably better about the whole situation – although the fact that Diluc’s first impression of him was a thieving Knight (both of which he appeared to dislike) made him fairly uncomfortable. So what if you don’t like that he thinks badly of you? It’s your own fault for screwing things up, a little voice in the back of his head whispered. You deserve to be uncomfortable. Only two days on this world, and you’re already a criminal. Lumine would have done so much better.  

Lumine.  

Self-loathing gave way to a bout of grief that made Aether feel as though he’d been punched in the chest. It took all his focus to hold back the tears that immediately surfaced and to steady his breathing. In. Out. In. Out.   

You can’t let them see you like this.  

“Traveler?” 

He opened his eyes – when did he close them? – to see Venti staring at him, concern etched all over his face. “Diluc’s gone now. Are you feeling okay? You just got really quiet and… weird.” 

Aether was taken aback by his sudden seriousness, but forced a smile as best he could. “Yeah, I’m fine! Just tired, I think.” 

That seemed to be enough reassurance, as Venti jumped to his feet, extending an arm to Aether. “Well, in that case, let’s go find somewhere to spend the night! I know the innkeeper of one place close by. Although I hope you don’t mind paying for the room, ehe ~ “ 

“Oh, so you’re a shameless freeloader, too?” Paimon huffed from where she was floating. Aether laughed as he took Venti’s hand to help him up.  

“Well, I prefer to call it being resourceful,” Venti joked. At least, Aether thought he was joking. 

“What does that even mean?” Paimon yelled back, stomping her foot on the air. Aether smiled, following the bickering pair out of the tavern and into the starlit streets of Mondstadt. It was nice to see Paimon so expressive, even if it was out of annoyance, and Venti’s bright laugh in response to her increased anger was one of the most contagious laughs he’d ever heard. Venti wasn’t so bad, he decided. He had a feeling that for all his goofing off, he was more intelligent than he let on, and after today’s events, he gave Aether the impression he was well-intentioned. Not a bad ally – or a bad friend – to have made.  

Chapter 3: A Morning Walk

Summary:

Aether has a small breakdown.

Aether sat up in bed, yawning. Light barely filtered in through the window as the sun began to rise, tinting the sky with pink and orange. Rubbing his eyes, he blinked a few times as his fuzzy head caught up with his surroundings. The inn they had stayed in was pretty nice, although paying for Venti wasn’t exactly what he had planned for. All the mora he’d earned from the few treasure chests he found was depleted, but he didn’t mind – at least it went to good use. Paimon might not be too happy when he couldn’t pay for their next meal, though. 

Sighing, he got out of bed, his hair still in a neat braid from when he was too tired to take it out last night. Paimon and Venti were asleep on the other side of the room, but he decided to let them lie in. Diluc wouldn’t want to meet them until late tonight anyway. Quietly, he grabbed his weapon and satchel from the chair in the corner of the room and slipped out the door to take a morning walk. 

The air in Mondstadt was always fresh, he noted. Everything about the nation had a sense of crisp calm that made him feel right at home despite it being indisputably foreign. Lumine would have liked it here, he noted. She had always been the social one, loath to pass up an event or an opportunity to chat. Here, everyone seemed to be the same way. It was fine for him, he supposed, but he needed a quiet moment every now and then – like this one. 

Not really following any course, Aether walked out of the gates of Mondstadt, scaring a flock of pigeons and earning a disapproving glare from some weird kid on the bridge. Lumine would have given him a nasty look right back if she were here. 

But she’s not. And it’s your fault.  

That voice in his head started up again. Don’t pretend like it’s not true. If you’d been faster, smarter, tougher – like she was – she would still be here, traveling with you. All it took was a couple of cubes to bring you down. Pathetic.  

Aether squeezed his eyes shut as he walked, willing the thoughts to stop.  

There was nothing you could have done. They were too powerful. It’s not your fault.  

There was always something you could have done. But you couldn’t act. Everything is your fault. Stop being a selfish, lazy, idiot, and start looking for some answers.  

The self-hatred always won.  

Fresh tears blurring his vision, Aether blinked to clear them, only to realize he’d walked all the way to Windrise. I may as well stop here for a moment, then head back. They won’t wake up anytime soon.  

He sat on one of the roots protruding from the tree and took a moment to collect his thoughts, something he hadn’t really had the chance to do since he arrived. 

Breathe. Just. Breathe.  

Images flashed though his head as he sat with his hands over his face, inhaling and exhaling slowly.  

Lumine.  

The stone pathways in the clouds.  

A woman appearing through a tear in the sky.  

Cubes closing in around me.  

Nothing.  

He sighed in frustration and ran his hands through his hair, leaning back against the massive tree. Why couldn’t he remember anything? How was he ever going to figure out where his sister was? 

Before he could dwell on that for too long, a flash of light caught his attention. Venti appeared by the statue in a swirl he now recognized to be the Anemo element, Paimon noticeably absent. He looked somewhat panicked until he saw Aether, breaking out into a smile. 

“There you are! Paimon and I – well, mostly Paimon – were worried when we woke up and you weren’t there. She’s probably searching all of Mondstadt right now,” he said cheerily, walking over to him. However, noticing the state Aether was in and the remaining traces of tears on his face, his joking gave way to concern. “Hey – is everything okay?” He asked, sitting beside him. 

Aether looked away. “Yeah, I’m fine. Please don’t worry.”  

Why did he have to see me like this?  

“Now, what did I tell you about having your friends worry about you?” Venti teased, poking him in the shoulder. “It would seem some help is long overdue.” Talking on a more serious tone, he leaned in and softly said, “Aether, it’s okay to be upset. Your emotional state is not a burden to those around you - at least, it isn’t to me. I know our adventure together has been short as of yet, but please do not hesitate to confide in me.” 

Aether looked back at him, surprise and confusion evident on his face. Venti's kindness caught him so off guard that he didn't even register that this was the first time he'd actually addressed him by name. Staring at the bard’s faint smile and twinkling eyes, he couldn’t help but feel as though he meant every word. “Has anyone ever told you that you’re awfully perceptive?” He asked, somewhat jokingly. Venti laughed. 

“No, you would be the first – although Morax has often chastised me for being too willing to speak my mind, ehe~” 

“Morax?” Aether asked. 

Venti froze momentarily, fear flashing across his face so quickly that anyone other than Aether would have likely missed it. Covering his fault with a laugh, he clarified, “oh, he’s just an old friend of mine – he can’t seem to enjoy himself even for a moment!” 

Weird. Is he hiding something too? Maybe it wouldn’t be unreasonable to tell him you’re not from this world.  

Aether blinked. Whoa. Where did that thought come from?  

“Heyyyyy… you’re spacing out again…” Venti whined, waving a hand in front of his face.  

“Oh, am I? – sorry, I didn’t mean to.” 

Venti smiled. “No worries, Traveler. I suppose I should expect it by now,” he joked.  

The two laughed and turned to look across the grassy plains that shifted ever so slightly in the wind. A decent chunk of time passed as they sat in silence, each in their own thoughts. 

Should I rely on him? He’s obviously still hiding something, but he’s been nothing but kind and helpful – maybe his secret isn’t that bad? Or maybe it’s all an act?  

What is he hiding? What’s tormenting him like this? Why does he always seem so worried? Can I trust him to help Dvalin or is he trying to use me?  

Venti eventually broke the silence by standing up and declaring, “well, we should head back before Paimon starts tearing out her hair with worry.” 

Aether followed suit. “Do you want me to teleport us back into the city?” 

“No, it’s okay, I have some errands I need to run. See you at the tavern tonight, though!” With that, he disappeared in the same way he arrived, leaving behind a very confused but a slightly less upset Aether. 

Notes:

Hi! Thank you for reading if you're here. Sorry that this chapter is so short, but hopefully it means I'll be be able to post the next one soon. And thank you to all who have left Kudos so far, it means a lot to me that people are enjoying the work! Have a lovely day :)

Chapter 4: Reclaiming the Lyre

Summary:

Aether and Venti add Jean to their team and go in search of the Holy Lyre der Himmel.

Aether swung open the door to the tavern, Paimon trailing behind him. The tavern was empty except for Venti and Diluc, who was pinning Venti with a death glare as the bard tried to negotiate for some wine to no avail. They both turned to look at him as he entered, Diluc’s expression more or less remaining the same, whereas Venti lit up and gave him a huge grin.  

“Traveler! It’s good to see you again!” He remarked excitedly. 

Aether was slightly taken aback. “Um… good to see you too?” He glanced around the room quickly, then asked, “I’m not late, am I? I don’t mean to hold anything up.” 

Diluc shook his head. “No, we’re still waiting on my contact. They got held up with other affairs.” 

Internally. Aether breathed a sigh of relief. Hopefully yesterday was the end to my bad impressions.   

Venti patted the barstool next to him, and Aether hesitantly took a seat. It wasn’t long before the door swung open and a slightly out-of-breath Jean walked in. “Sorry, I got here as quickly as I could.” She took stock of her surroundings, surprise briefly flashing over her face upon seeing Aether. “Wha… Aether?” 

Aether looked as surprised as she did. “Uh... hello, Acting Grand Master.” 

Diluc sighed. “To be clear, she is here as Jean, not the Acting Grand Master. The Knights are unaffiliated with our actions.” 

Jena nodded. “Indeed. To confront the Fatui so publicly would be a poor act of diplomacy. So, I am here on a private basis.” She looked back at Aether. “The Holy Lyre, though… can it really return Stormterror to normal?” 

Guilt washed over Aether. Can it? All I have is the word of Venti… I can’t in good conscience promise that my actions will be good for this nation. Gods, she’s really going to hate me.  

Venti chimed in and saved Aether from his dilemma. “Yes, it can. You have my word.” 

“The bard would be happy to prove himself through song,” Diluc commented, glancing at Aether and Venti. “Such matters may be necessary to persuade someone as stubborn as –” 

“No need. I trust him,” Jean said firmly, surprising everyone else in the room. “Dvalin’s betrayal is highly unusual and can only be reasonably attributed to an external, corrupting influence such as the Abyss. Unfortunately, making such a statement publicly would make me appear as though I weren’t treating the situation with due gravity, so this must be done behind the scenes.” 

Diluc scoffed. “Again, the Knights are rendered useless by their formality,” he muttered, although loudly enough so that everyone clearly heard. Addressing Jean, he commented, “it surprises me that you would trust an outlander so easily.” 

“Well, you clearly trust him, sir, so what reason would I have not to?” Jean responded. 

“Sir?” Aether asked without thinking, immediately wishing he’d never pointed it out upon seeing how quickly Jean and Diluc were to avoid each other’s gaze. Conversation drew to an abrupt halt. 

“Wow… um… this is really awkward…” Paimon remarked, not helping in the slightest. 

Quickly changing the subject, Jean volunteered some helpful information: the location of a nearby Fatui hideout where they were suspected to be keeping the Holy Lyre.  

“What about the Grand Goth Hotel?” Venti asked. “That’s a prime Fatui location in Mondstadt, no?” 

Diluc shook his head. “I’ve already looked into it, and it’s not being held there. My guess is they were worried it would be too easily found.”  

Jean nodded agreement. “Exactly. This hideout is far enough away from the city to avoid a scene, but close enough to make for easy access.” Looking at Diluc, she commented to him, “plus, we can kill two birds with one stone.” 

Aether and Venti exchanged curious glances, but Jean’s tone indicated it wasn’t a matter to pry into. Whatever. We all have our secrets, and I’m sure the Acting Grand Master would only have good intentions.  

Diluc looked at the pair of them. “Well, outlander, bard – are we ready to go?” 

Paimon answered for the both of them. “Yeah, let’s go!! Paimon wants to kick some Fatui butt!” 

 

---

 

Aether brushed his hair out of his eyes as the wind blew it across his face for what felt like the thousandth time. In front of him was what, admittedly, didn’t look like anything more than the side of a cliff. It certainly didn’t appear to be a hideout of any sort, but he wasn’t going to say that – Diluc had been giving him enough cold glares on the walk over. Thankfully, someone else was braver than he was. 

“Are you sure this is it?” Venti asked, clearly doubtful.  

Jean nodded. “It’s not my first time encountering a place like this. The entrance is disguised with some sort of geo illusion, but if you know what you’re looking for, it’s fairly obvious that it’s not a part of the natural rock face.” Inspecting something that only she could appear to see, Jean stepped back and nodded to Diluc, who promptly drew his weapon and drove it into the stone. If Aether had blinked, he’d have missed the moment that the previously solid wall faded away to reveal an ominous staircase, vaguely lit by torches mounted on either side of the wall. 

“Wow! How did it do that?” Paimon asked, eyes shining with curiosity.  

Jean gave her a small smile. “I’m still not entirely sure. What matters is that it works, though. Let’s keep going.” 

Descending the staircase took several minutes, and Aether was beginning to feel the exhaustion of the last two days catch up to him. He blinked a few times, attempting to fend off the wave of fog that washed over his brain. You can’t get tired now. This is all because of your mistake. The least you can do is stay alert until the lyre is back with Venti.  

Something brushed his hand and he looked up, startled, to see Paimon floating alongside him. “Aether, are you okay?” she whispered, her star-speckled eyes filled with concern. She glanced down the hallway, making sure that the other three were enough ahead of them to not overhear. “You look exhausted, and Paimon thinks you should have stayed behind to get some rest. Yesterday was a long day, and you woke up early, too.” 

Aether smiled reassuringly. “I’m alright, Paimon. Thank you. Even if I were that tired, I couldn’t in good conscience let everyone else put themselves in danger for my screw-up. I’m sure it won’t take that long.” 

Paimon studied his face, clearly not convinced, but gave him a quick “okay” regardless and floated back towards the rest of the group. Aether followed and was relieved to hear Venti’s cheerful chattering grow louder. “…of course, it was all thanks to my help in the matter that the wine was kept in good condition. To think of what may have happened had those rodents gotten to it… a true tragedy! Say, Master Diluc, you never did repay me for that, did you?” 

“With how many bottles have mysteriously disappeared from my stores, I didn’t think I needed to,” came the annoyed response.  

“Oh… fair point, hehe~” Venti giggled. He seems to be having a little too much fun for the situation we’re in, Aether thought. Is he really not scared? Or is this how he covers it up?  

His musings were ended as they entered a large room strewn with rubble and boxes. Vines and plants had worked their way through the many cracks in the stone brick walls, and lit braziers were scattered around, illuminating all but the darkest corners. Somewhere, water fell, sending an echo through the room and causing the hairs on the back of Aether’s neck to stand up. Relax. There’s nothing to be afraid of.  

Of course, just as he tried to tell himself that, Diluc held out his arm and drew his weapon, indicating that they stop. The group went deathly silent as he slowly summoned flames around his claymore, scanning the room as though he’d heard something. Suddenly, a figure appeared in a burst of smoke, dashing forward and sweeping at Jean with an oddly shaped knife they held. Jean blocked the attempt with her sword and flung them back with a burst of Anemo. Aether vaguely caught a glimpse of glowing amber eyes under the hood they were wearing. Just as quickly as they’d appeared, they vanished. He could barely make out a smoky trail as they dashed around the room, looking for their next point of attack.  

“What the heck?!” Paimon yelped. 

“Fatui agent,” Diluc responded flatly, moving in front of her. “Don’t worry, they’re not as tough as they look. All bravado and no skill.” 

Aether and Venti drew their weapons as well, putting their backs to each other as they searched the room for any sign of movement. Venti suddenly raised his bow and fired an arrow into a shadowy corner, striking the pyro agent with a burst of wind that knocked him out of invisibility. The fatui sprinted forward again, moving so quickly that Aether barely had time to hold up his sword and block the attack from hitting Venti. He took a quick slash at the enemy, causing them to jump back, where they were promptly hit by some sort of flaming eagle that Diluc had cast. Aether took advantage of their surprise and moved in to take another swing at their arm with the intention of preventing them from using their weapon. He ducked under a quick swipe of the knife and slashed at his opponent’s shoulder, cutting through fabric and skin. A volley of arrows from Venti quickly followed, which forced the agent to duck behind some rubble and vanish into thin air again.  

The five regrouped cautiously, backing into a circle with weapons still poised. However, there was no sign of the fatui warrior after several minutes, and Diluc eventually sheathed his sword. “Coward. Looks like they’ve run.” Everyone else followed suit, letting their weapons dissipate into golden particles. Paimon immediately flew to Aether’s side, checking him all over for injuries. 

“You’re not hurt, are you? That guy was so scary! Paimon didn’t know what to do.” 

Aether smiled, his heart warmed by her concern. “I’m okay, Paimon. They didn’t land a finger on me.” 

Jean nodded agreement. “Indeed. You seem to be quite the formidable fighter.” 

Aether looked up at her, a little surprised. “Uh… um… thank you? I mean, it just comes with practice, it’s not all that impressive.” 

Diluc’s loud huff interrupted the awkward exchange. “If nobody’s hurt, let’s keep going. I have a feeling we haven’t seen the last of the Fatui.” 

The group continued on through the linear passageways, sometimes having to work though small elemental puzzles, other times fending off the odd hilichurl that had found its way down into the hideout. Eventually, Jean activated a stone mechanism, and it opened up a new path through a door that Aether had previously thought to be a wall. Through the passage, he could see the lyre, perched suspiciously on a pedestal in the center of an otherwise empty room. Finally.  

They drew their weapons and entered, fully alert. And, to none of their surprise, they barely made it ten feet through the doorway before the fatui agent reappeared, still sporting a gash in their upper right arm. This time around, they were prepared. Jean quickly tossed him several feet back with a vortex of channeled Anemo energy, allowing Diluc to run forward and slam the already dazed opponent into the wall with his claymore. Not wasting a second, Venti fired several arrows forward, effectively pinning the man to the wall. Finally, Aether walked over to where they were struggling to break free and pressed his sword to their neck, ensuring that they would stay put. He watched Venti grab the lyre with his peripheral vision and immediately felt a weight lift off his shoulders. 

“I got it, Traveler! You can let him go now,” Venti called. 

Aether was about to move back when the agent suddenly spoke in a voice that sounded oddly mechanical and harsh. “Signora will not tolerate this kind of interference in our affairs. The songs bards sing of your demise will be so terrifying, nobody in Mondstadt will dare utter them, for fear of giving children nightmares.”  

Slightly unsettled, Aether pressed his sword into the fatuus’ neck. Hearing the commotion, Jean walked over, a stony look on her face. “You head out with the others. I’d rather deal with this fool myself.” He hesitated, but the look in her eyes told him that arguing would be useless, so he reluctantly sheathed his weapon and followed Venti and Diluc out of the room.  

The four waited outside the room, tension palpable in their silence. Venti finally broke it when he quietly spoke. “You know, Jean posed an interesting hypothesis earlier. She suspects the Fatui plan to take Dvalin’s power for the Cryo Archon.” 

Diluc looked up in interest. “Do you agree?” 

Venti shook his head slightly. “While it’s certainly on the right track, I have a feeling their aspirations are much greater. Instead, I think they’re using Dvalin to draw out Barbatos.” 

Diluc frowned. “I suppose that’s possible, but the Anemo Archon hasn’t been seen in hundreds of years. What makes you think that’s their intention?” 

Clearly caught off guard, Venti froze a little bit. “Oh… uh… just call it a hunch.” 

Weird. I think that’s the first time I’ve seen him at a loss for words. Well, no, there was that time yesterday at Windrise when I asked him about Morax…  

Annoyed, Diluc shook his head. “Forget it. I don’t want to pry. I’m sure you have your reasons.” 

Thankfully, that was the moment Jean returned, wearing an expression much more like her usual self. Paimon looked as though she was going to ask what happened, but Venti gave her a stare that said very clearly, don’t.  

“Well, are we ready to get out of this place?” Jean asked.  

“Am I ever!” Venti said cheerily before walking back towards the entrance, guiding everyone to follow suit. Aether again took up the rear, Paimon floating alongside him as he fought to suppress his curiosity and to stay awake. Gods, he needed a nap. 

Notes:

Thanks for reading! I graduated yesterday (and yes, I am still uploading another chapter despite that), everything seems weird now but it's still really exciting. Anyway, hope you enjoyed, and as always, let me know if you have any writing suggestions or (polite) criticisms!

Chapter 5: Inner Turmoil

Summary:

The group talks plans in the tavern and Aether goes on an emotional rollercoaster.

Aether blinked, waking up to sun streaming in through the window and the chatter of voices in the background. He rubbed his eyes and slid out of bed, yawning, then braided his hair and washed his face. Following the sound of voices outside the inn, he found Paimon and Venti sat on a bench, Venti captivatingly relating some comical story to her. He looked up at Aether’s approach and grinned cheekily. “Ah, he finally rises! We were beginning to wonder if you’d died.”

Paimon slapped his hand. “Hey, don’t say that! Paimon was just worried, that’s all.” Turning to Aether, she proclaimed, “don’t listen to the stupid bard. You needed to rest.”

Aether smiled, just glad to see them getting along. Well, as well as they could, it would seem. “It’s alright, I’m not bothered. What’s the plan for today?”

Venti hopped up from the bench. “I’m glad you asked! Diluc wants us to regroup at Angel’s Share when we’re ready. It’s closed Sunday, so we shouldn’t have to worry about anyone overhearing us.”

A lump of guilt formed in Aether’s stomach. “Oh, sorry – were you both waiting on me?”

They both nodded. “Well, yes, but don’t fret. A few hours can be spared for your beauty rest, traveler,” Venti responded, smiling.

Aether sighed. Can’t do anything right, can you? “Sorry, I would have gotten up earlier had I known. I guess we should head over now?” he said outwardly.

“Sure! At least it’s a short walk - I’m still sore from all those stairs yesterday.”

The trio arrived at the tavern to find Diluc and Jean already there, discussing something quietly, but they abruptly stopped when they heard the others enter. Jean plastered a smile onto her face. “Good morning, you three.”

“Morning!” Paimon chirped.

“I suppose we should get to it?” Diluc interjected, evidently not one for small talk.

Venti nodded and produced the lyre in a flash of teal light. “Ta-da~ the Holy Lyre der Himmel!” He ran his hand across the strings fondly. “Ah, it still feels the same… it’s been a while since it’s been played.”

Jean looked thrilled. “So, Venti, do you think we can summon Dvalin?”

His face fell. “Well… unfortunately, not at this time.” He held out the lyre for the group to see. “It’s undoubtedly the real lyre, but as you can tell from its dull color, it currently holds no Anemo power. It’s likely been depleted over the course of thousands of years.” Seeing the crestfallen expression on everyone’s faces, he added hurriedly, “of course, it can be restored. Outlander, you’re up!”

Aether was quite taken aback. “Who, me? I don’t have the faintest idea how to fix instruments, but I suppose I could try…”

Venti laughed. “Don’t worry, I’m not asking you to fix it in that sense. Here, take these.” He drew the two cleansed crystals from his pocket and tossed them at Aether, much to the astonishment of Jean.

 “You purified it? When?”

He fidgeted with the crystals in his hands. “When I met Venti,” he responded. “I don’t really know how I did it.”

Jean shook her head in astonishment. “It would seem you can do anything. Well, let’s repair this lyre.”

Somewhat nervous, Aether stepped forward and uncertainly pressed the swirling gems to the surface of the lyre. They sank into its frame in a whirl of teal and the scent of dandelions filled the room for a brief second. The lyre did look more vibrant now, although it may just be his imagination. Glad I didn’t screw that up, he thought.

“That youthful glow…” Jean murmured, thoughtful.

“Praising yourself? Really?” Paimon commented dryly.

Jean appeared surprised, then responded, “no, I – uh- I was referring to the lyre.” Frowning, she looked from the instrument to Venti. “It still looks quite dull, though.”

Venti nodded sadly. “It’s going to take more than two tears to restore it after how many years it’s been abandoned. I’ve given it some thought, and I think the first places to look for more are in the old temples dedicated to the Four Winds.” He took on a pensive expression. “Dvalin is suffering greatly. It only stands to reason that the first places he would go to cry are those that once meant a great deal to him.”

Diluc nodded agreement. “Good idea.”

“Indeed,” Jean seconded. “However, given our limited time, this task is too great for us alone. I’ll mobilize the knights to explore the temples in the north and east. Diluc and I will tackle the one in the west, and you three can search the south. Is that acceptable?”

Everyone nodded. Venti, grinning, remarked, “heroes supporting each other and setting out on a journey together… how exciting! This certainly deserves a song!”

Paimon huffed. “Did you really get the lyre back just to make up nonsense songs with it?”

“Wouldn’t be much of a bard if I didn’t, hehe~”

Paimon stomped the air in anger, causing Aether to stifle a laugh. “Gah, you’re so cheeky! Paimon thinks you deserve an ugly nickname.” Taking a moment to think, she put her hands on her hips and proclaimed, “from now on, Paimon’s calling you Tone-Deaf Bard!”

Jean laughed at their banter. “Alright, you two, let’s leave Master Diluc to his work.” She ushered them out the door, still bickering playfully.

Well, it’s now or never.

“Hey, um… Diluc?” Aether piped up hesitantly, turning to face the intimidating man.

“Yes?” came the response.

“Do you know who Morax is?” Aether asked.

Surprise flickered across Diluc’s expression. “Have you really never heard that name before?” Aether shook his head, a cold wave of dread washing over him. Crap. I’m done for now. Diluc studied him for a moment, then replied. “Morax is the… more informal name of the Geo Archon, although most refer to him as Rex Lapis. They’re the god who presides over Liyue, our neighboring nation that specializes in trade and exports. It’s a nice place to visit should you have the time.”

The wheels began to turn in Aether’s head. Holy shit. Is Venti –

Diluc interrupted his train of thought. “You’re not from here, are you?”

Aether laughed nervously. “I, uh – what do you mean?”

The man sighed. “Cut the crap. You’re not fooling me – I know you’re not from Teyvat. You know far too little about basic aspects of this world, use elemental energy without a vision, and have been on edge every time I’ve seen you. I’m not stupid.”

The feeling of dread intensified. No. No. No. Don’t admit it. Play it off. If everyone finds out, I’ll be alienated. I can never find Lumine if no person will so much as look at me.

But what choice do I have? I can’t lie now. He took a deep breath and steadied himself. “Okay. You’re right,” he admitted, bracing himself for the complete disgust and isolation that would come next. Yet, it never did.

Diluc watched him intently before speaking. “Well. Intriguing. I won’t tell anyone, if you were worried I might. I have no reason to, and so far, your intentions have been good. I certainly won’t complain about this Stormterror mess blowing over – no pun intended. But know that I will be watching you, and if I see an indication that you’re a threat to Mondstadt…” he trailed off, the implication clear.

Despite the bartender’s obvious threat, the relief that Aether felt was immense. “I understand. Thank you,” he responded. Diluc nodded, then turned around.

“Now get out. I’ve got to clean this place up, and you’re tracking mud all over the floor.”

Taking the hint, Aether left the tavern, his momentary relief overshadowed by the pressing matter swirling around in his mind. Venti knows Morax - Rex Lapis. He knows the Geo Archon, and from the sound of it, is good friends with him. Maybe that’s not unusual for this world, but paired with the fact that he knows far too much about Dvalin and the lyre… you knew that was odd from the start. He looks exactly like the statues, for god’s sake. And his ‘hypothesis’ about the Fatui’s plans – he knows exactly what they’re doing, and yet he’s still walking right into it. Assuming he really is Barbatos, I guess. It just doesn’t make sense.

Sighing, he walked back over to the inn, where Venti was lounging around on his bed, strumming chords on the holy lyre. His lyre. “Where’s Paimon?” he asked.

Venti waved an arm languidly. “Oh, I don’t know – said she was hungry and flew off with your Mora pouch. I can only assume she’s gone to buy out the entirety of Good Hunter’s stock.”

Aether immediately began to worry. “You let her go off on her own? What if something happens?” She doesn’t have any weapons, and we’ve made ourselves a clear Fatui target. Gods, what if she gets hurt? I shouldn’t have let her leave with Venti. I can’t lose somebody else. I can’t. His breaths started coming faster and faster and tears welled up in his eyes from sheer panic. The room began to feel distant as he sank into his thoughts.

You have to find her.

But I can’t move.

Go.

I can’t fail again.

GO.

Venti sat up, at once becoming serious upon hearing the panic in his voice. “Hey, calm down, it’s okay.” He stood up and walked over to Aether, taking his hands, which were fidgeting intensely with the ribbon on the end of his braid. His stare was lifeless and absent as he spiraled into a series of what-if’s. Venti looked into his unseeing eyes with concern. “It’s going to be okay. Take a deep breath in with me. Okay? Three… two… one…” Aether inhaled shakily, held it for a moment, and let it out. “Good. Again.” They repeated the process a few times until his breathing had slowed and the anxious need to fidget had more or less gone away. He opened his eyes to see the bard’s worried expression staring back at him and was suddenly made aware of how close they were. Their hands were still intertwined, and Venti’s windswept scent washed over him, tinged with the smell of dandelions and leaves. Perhaps aware of the same thing, Venti quickly let go and took a step back. “Sorry, I may have overstepped. It just appeared as though you needed a moment.”

 “It’s okay, don’t apologize. It helped,” Aether responded absentmindedly.

Venti looked at him intently. “I’m glad, but… are you truly okay? I understand being worried for the safety of your companion, but to have a panic attack because she went down the street is certainly concerning.” His voice got quiet. “Is something else bothering you?”

Yes.

Aether tensed up as if to speak, but before anything could come out, Paimon barged through the door, hauling behind her a bag of food. She looked exhausted but lit up when she noticed who was in the room. “Aether! You’re back! Paimon went to the store and got a whole bunch of stuff to cook with. There’s a recipe Paimon saw on the board at Good Hunter that looks super yummy.”

Venti laughed, back to his usual cheerful self now that the mood was broken. “Sounds like you’ve got it all figured out, hm? Here, let me take that and we’ll head to the cooking pot downstairs. Aether, you coming?” he asked, turning around.

“Yeah, sure, I’ll join you,” Aether replied, regaining some control over his mind. I can’t believe I almost told him about Lumine.

You’re going to have to at some point if you want his help, the other voice in his head reasoned. Damned thing.

I know. Just… not now. I still can’t trust him. And definitely not like that.

What’s wrong with you? The stoic, perfect warrior is finally crumbling? Ha. Maybe all this Dvalin stuff was too much for you. Just quit now, before you make things worse. You’ve made enough of a fool of yourself already.

No. Shut up. I’m going to see this through. I can hold it together.

He shook his head as if to rid himself of his warring thoughts and followed Paimon and Venti downstairs, intrigued to see what she had found.

Venti had somehow persuaded the innkeeper to let them use the kitchen, where the pair were pulling ingredients out of the bag. He watched Venti slyly pocket an apple when Paimon wasn’t looking and decided not to bring it to her attention. “What were you planning on making?” he asked, moving to help unpack the staggering number of items she’d bought.

“Well, Paimon saw a recipe for Good Hunter’s special hash browns and asked Sara for a copy so that we could make them anytime!”

Aether looked at the mess of supplies curiously. “Alright, that sounds doable. But hash browns are just potatoes, right? What’s all the other stuff for?”

Paimon giggled sheepishly. “Well, while Paimon was there, she decided to just buy a bunch of other stuff so we could cook more in the future. She bought so much that Sara gave us this cooling pouch to store stuff in. Look, it’s just like your satchel – never runs out of space!”

He couldn’t even be annoyed that she’d spent so much, given how excited she looked. “Well, thank you, Paimon. Let’s get started, then, or we’ll be here all night.” Paimon nodded and put him to work slicing potatoes while Venti heated up some oil over the stove. She did very little cooking herself, and mostly just hovered over him instructing him to slice smaller.

It was nice to cook something again. He’d always found the process therapeutic, providing lots of opportunities for organization and structure. His knife fell into a clean rhythm as he picked up another potato, lost in thought.

Hey, Lumine - look at what I made!

Huh? What is it?

It’s a soup! I threw a lot of our old ingredients in it, and I think it turned out pretty good. Here, try some!

Oh. Okay. We could have just eaten the ingredients as they were, you know.

Well… yeah, but this is way nicer.

Look, Aether. Cooking is a luxury. We can’t afford to spend more time here than we need to. Next time, let’s just eat as we go.

…okay, Lumine. Sorry.

“Hey, uh… Aether?”

Venti’s voice snapped him out of his memories. “Yeah?”

“I think you’ve probably sliced that one enough,” he commented, gesturing to the tuber in his hands. It was practically mush. He hadn’t even noticed.

Aether blinked, then responded, “oh, yeah, probably. Sorry, I wasn’t focused.”

“Paimon didn’t even know you could cut something that small! How did you learn to do that?”

“Just practice, really,” he shrugged, standing up to place the mess in the frying pan. He didn’t notice the glances that Venti and Paimon exchanged behind his back – at least, he pretended not to.

Notes:

Hello! I know this is more of a short filler chapter (I’m sorry I’ll write more soon) but I hope you still enjoy it :) I also just realized I can add images to chapters so I might add some Aeventi art in the future! No promises, though. As always, feedback and polite criticism is appreciated, and I hope you have a lovely day wherever you are!

Chapter 6: Spilled Secrets

Summary:

Aether and Venti go in search of Dvalin’s tears and have a little heart-to-heart.

Following a night of sleep strewn with nightmares and waking up in a cold sweat, Aether could safely say that exploring a creepy, abandoned temple was the last thing he wanted to do. Venti, ever smiling, led them down a remote forest path, whistling a cheery melody. Before long, the trees opened up to reveal a clearing where an ominous structure stood. It was square and made of stone, and the doors were blocked by a barrier of red particles that screamed do not enter. Unfazed, Venti walked up to the entrance and placed his hand on the barrier, deactivating it in a flash and causing the door to glow a much more inviting teal. He turned around and grinned at his two companions. “Ready for some fun?”

Aether and Paimon exchanged hesitant glances and Venti pouted. “Come on, don’t be like that. This can be an adventure so long as we make it one!”

The swordsman sighed and stepped forward. “Okay, okay, let’s get going.” The three stepped through the door and the world suddenly turned into a swirling blur. Aether felt like his ears were going to pop and as if the air were squeezing him tighter and tighter until it suddenly all stopped and he was stood on a stone platform before a long bridge. He blinked, frozen and confused, eliciting a laugh from Venti.

“The mighty Traveler has never seen a domain before, hm?” he giggled, bent over.

“Hey, it’s not funny!” Paimon yelled, stomping her foot. “You could have warned us that would happen.”

He stood up straight and wiped tears from his eyes, still grinning unapologetically. “Well, I’d just assumed that well-seasoned adventurers such as yourselves would have encountered one of these before. They’re all over Teyvat.”

Oops. Add that to the list of ‘I’m from another world’ slip-ups.

Aether laughed, trying to play it off. “It’s just been a while since I went in one, is all. I forgot how disorienting it could be.”

“Mhm,” Venti responded. Aether couldn’t tell if he believed him or not. Not like it was important right now, anyway. The trio started their descent into the domain, crossing the bridge into a dark, ominous set of passageways for the second time in a few days.

 

---

 

Venti didn’t buy it. Not for a second. The Traveler was hiding something, and he had his suspicions as to what. Forgetting what entering a domain felt like? Please. Any adventurer worth their salt would be roaming around in one of these at least once a week. His face seemed familiar as well. Something to do with his eyes – he’d only seen that rich amber color on one person before, but their gaze had held none of the uncertainty and naïveté that he saw in this adventurer’s.

Why would he pretend to be a well-seasoned traveler? He’s clearly a skilled fighter but knows nothing about any of Teyvat’s features, which just doesn’t add up. Could he be a Snezhnayan spy, raised by the Tsarista to be a weapon, never seeing the sun until now? It was certainly possible. But that Fatui pyro agent seemed genuinely unfamiliar to him… ah, well, there was no use dwelling on it. He’d get an answer eventually.

They entered a room blocked on one side by a door, with rooms branching off on the left and right. In front of the door was a key-activated mechanism. Venti sighed. “Well, Traveler, looks like we have some searching to do. You and Paimon tackle the right side, I’ll go to the left. Holler if you find a key.”

Aether and Paimon nodded and the group split up. The room Venti had chosen was lined with bookshelves and had a desk in the far-right corner. What appeared to be alchemy devices were scattered across various surfaces, and empty vials and books coated the shelves. His curiosity piqued, he picked up a book and looked at the title.

Quantum: A Thorough Study of Alternate Elements. Boring. There were no other elements apart from the Seven, so it would be nothing but speculative garbage. He grabbed another. Examining the Constitution of Humans in Response to Elemental Energy. Bleh. More science-y nonsense. He was about to give up on reading when he noticed what appeared to be a worn journal on the edge of the desk and opened it to a random page.

Day 74.

This outpost is a nightmare. Nothing interesting ever happens. Malak hasn’t given us orders once – guess they don’t need us at Fellstar. I may as well just organize the shelves in here again.

A familiar symbol on the bottom right of the page drew his attention - the traditional four-pronged design of the Fatui, set against a circular backdrop.

“Fatui logs? Here?” Venti thought aloud, astonished. He flipped to a later page, concerned.

Day 123.

Finally going to make it out of here. Malak came by earlier to tell me and the rest of the guys that her Highness has pulled us from the location. Says we’re done with our research here. How, I don’t know. I’ve hardly done anything, but whatever she says, goes. Don’t know yet if we’re being moved elsewhere or heading back home. Will keep this updated.

Day 125.

Well, nothing can go well, it seems. We’re being transferred to Fellstar to continue with Lotus. I thought I was finally getting to see my family again. Should just quit the Fatui at this point, but I’m in too deep now. Maybe working with the Doctor will make things interesting, but the higher-ups won’t say a word about him, so I can’t tell. Whatever. I’m done with this damned organization.

20-78-95

The page ended with a strange string of numbers that Venti didn’t know how to interpret. He flipped a few pages forward, but it looked as though the entries ended there. Unsure how to process what he just found, he yelled, “hey, Traveler – come look at this!”

In the other room, Aether vaguely heard a yell. “Was that Venti?” Paimon asked.

Aether put down the crate he was sorting through and shrugged. “I couldn’t tell. I’ll go check on him,” he said.

Paimon nodded. “Okay, Paimon will stay here and keep looking!”

Aether paused. “Are you sure you’ll be okay on your own? What if some hilichurls show up or something?”

“Don’t be silly, Paimon will be fine! There’s nowhere in this place that hilichurls could come from, anyway.”

Hesitantly, Aether left Paimon to her scrounging around and went to see Venti.

Venti turned around as he heard Aether’s footsteps and held out the journal, concerned. “Here, read the last few pages of this.” Aether did as was asked and was soon wearing the same unsettled expression as his companion.

“What do you make of it?” He asked Venti. The bard furrowed his brow.

“I… don’t know. I can’t understand why the Fatui would set up camp in one of the temples for the Four Winds – and from the state of that journal, it was too long ago to be related to what’s happening with Dvalin. It’s gravely concerning.”

Aether nodded agreement and pocketed the book. “Well, we can take it back to Jean and see if she has a better idea of what it means. At least we know they’re not here right now, so we won’t have to worry about an ambush.”

“True, I suppose that’s a small positive,” Venti agreed. He watched Aether turn, about to return to Paimon, but then he froze.

“Hey… Venti?” He asked nervously, his back to the bard.

“Yes?”

The traveler took a deep breath. “So… this might sound crazy, but are you, by chance, the Anemo Archon?”

A jolt like static electricity shot up Venti’s spine. How did he…

In the pause that followed, Aether turned around to face him, the silence serving as a clear answer. “I thought so.” His expression the most unreadable that Venti had ever seen it, he asked, “now that that’s out of the way – why did you try to hide it? I mean, I just don’t understand; wouldn’t it have been far easier for people to trust you and help you if you’d told them you were Barbatos?”

Venti stood, in too much shock to play it off with a laugh and a smile like he usually did. “I… how did you figure it out?”

Aether shook his head. “That’s not an answer. But you weren’t exactly subtle, you know. Morax? Your song about Dvalin? The lyre? Everything just started to add up.”

The archon sighed and closed his eyes. “Well. I applaud your powers of perception, and I apologize for not being frank with you from the beginning. Simply put, I cannot reveal myself as Barbatos because not a soul would believe me. As far as the people of Mondstadt know, their god has been absent for over a thousand years, taking his leave in Celestia to allow them their freedom. Were I to ‘return’ now, I would be labeled a fraud. A drunken bard, after all, could not possibly be their deity. So, it is far more efficient as I am now – one of you, just with an abnormal knowledge of folklore.”

He met Aether’s gaze, expecting his searching eyes to be filled with scorn and distrust. Instead, he saw a great deal of understanding. “Provided you’re being honest, I think that’s perfectly reasonable. Sorry for distrusting you, I just haven’t exactly had great experiences with gods, is all,” the traveler acknowledged. “You’re… a very strange kind of god.”

Venti laughed a little. “I suppose I am, aren’t I? Few deities would pass up an opportunity for power, and fewer still would reduce themselves to being of such small stature and influence as myself. But that is the way of freedom, I suppose. I quite like the way that I live.”

Aether smiled. “Well said. Thank you for your honesty.” With that, he turned and started walking towards the door.

Venti cleared his throat. “Not so fast, Traveler. In exchange, I have a question for you.”

Aether turned back around, immediately wary. “Oh?”

“Forgive me for, ah, the vagueness of my query, but… who are you? And what are your intentions in Mondstadt?” Venti asked tensely.

The adventurer looked up at the ceiling and, unexpectedly, gave a tense smile. “That’s two questions,” he commented before looking somber again. “I guess I should have expected that, huh? Um. Well. The gist is that I’m from another world, but you likely already guessed that. It’s kind of hard to hide that I don’t know anything. I came here with my twin sister, but we encountered some strange white-haired woman that made her disappear and trapped me in a bunch of cubes. Next thing I know, I’m on a beach, which is where I met Paimon. We stuck around there for a while before coming to Mondstadt to look for information about my sister - or that god. So, in answer to your second question, I’m looking for the person that I lost.”

A strange feeling came over Venti. From another world? Could he be a Descender? “I’m… sorry to hear that. What was your sister’s name?”

“Lumine.”

His whole body felt cold. Her… his twin? But he doesn’t know how long it’s been – he doesn’t know what she’s become - he can’t. If this was the doing of the Heavenly Principles, he may never know.

And… how are they so different?

Realizing that Aether was expecting a reply, he pulled himself out of his whirring thoughts and said with an incredibly forced smile, “what a lovely name. I wish you all the best in finding her.”

“Thank you,” Aether quietly replied, looking down.

It was at that moment that Paimon flew in, excitedly brandishing a key. “Paimon found it! Aether, you wouldn’t believe which box it was in -” Reading the room, she paused. “Is everything okay?”

Venti smiled. “Of course, dear Paimon. We were just discussing Dvalin, is all. Thank you for your help.”

Paimon beamed. “Paimon’s the best searcher there is! Not that you’d appreciate it, Tone-Deaf Bard.”

Aether chuckled. “Alright, Paimon, let’s get going.” She excitedly flew off to the mechanism as the two men followed her. Venti looked over at Aether, who gave him a small smile, undoubtedly feeling better for having cleared the air between them. Venti smiled back, but internally, he was in turmoil, thoughts cascading over one another so heavily that he had trouble focusing on walking.

He can never know.

Never.

Notes:

Hey! Hope you enjoyed another short chapter (I’m sorry they will get longer I swear) and that I can be forgiven for deviating from canon a little bit - I wanted to make everything in the game a little more coherent plot-wise, and as a result, there will be interactions that didn’t happen or a few alterations to the flow of the story, such as the inclusion of limited-time event quests and whatnot in later chapters. I’ve been writing a lot as of late, though, so be prepared for a lot of stuff to come in the next few weeks! Have a lovely day and feel free to criticize or offer advice as you see fit :)

Chapter 7: Reunion with an Old Friend

Summary:

With the lyre restored, the Dvalin Protection Squad finally has the opportunity to confront the dragon - but things don’t go as planned.

Several days passed without any word from Jean or Diluc. After finding the tear in the temple, which was conveniently in the next room they explored, the trio spent their time doing odd errands around the city, getting acquainted with the locals in Mondstadt. It was the morning of one of these days that Aether, Paimon floating alongside him as per usual, passed by the city gates and heard a voice call out to him.

“Traveler! Over here!”

He scanned the area to see a woman in a green and white dress and cropped black hair waving at him from behind a booth. Walking over, he gave her a small wave and said, “hi! Did you need something?”

She smiled kindly. “In a sense, yes. My name is Katheryne, I’m the receptionist for the Adventurer’s Guild. Word of your deeds has been passing through the city, and I was wondering if you would be interested in joining the Guild.”

“Sounds cool! What do we have to do?” Paimon asked excitedly.

“Well, as of right now, nothing,” Katheryne replied. “But once I put you down as a member, you’d be able to aid in various incidents across the nation that require an adventurer’s prowess. Very few are extensive or time-consuming, but you would be rewarded well for your efforts.”

Aether paused for a moment, thinking it over, then smiled. “Well, I don’t see why not. I’m happy to help where I can.”

Katheryne was practically beaming. “Wonderful! You can check in here if you ever have the time to take on a quest. As a member of the Adventurer’s Guild, you’ll also be supplied with a handbook, which includes a map, a quest log, and other helpful information that you may need on your travels. Of course, I’m sure a seasoned adventurer such as yourself has little use for that now, but it’s protocol.”

Aether gratefully took the handbook and pocketed it. “Thank you, Katheryne.”

“What are the Traveler and Paimon doing over here, hm?” A cheery voice called behind him. Aether turned to see Venti approaching, a wide smile on his face.

“Hello, Tone-Deaf Bard,” Paimon said grumpily. “What are you doing here?”

“Well, looking for you, actually. Diluc got in touch this morning – says we’re to meet him and Jean at Dawn Winery as soon as we can,” he replied, unfazed by her poor mood.

Aether felt his chest flutter with nervousness. Well, I guess that means it won’t be long before we’re seeing Dvalin again. “Should we leave now?” He asked.

Venti nodded. “Ideally, yes. Do you need to grab anything?”

Both traveler and companion shook their heads.

“Perfect. Then off we go! I’ll race you to that tree, hehe~”

Venti, pointing at a tree outside the city gates, took off running. Aether had no choice but to follow, Paimon floating behind. The bard was surprisingly nimble and beat him to the location by a fair distance, barely out of breath. Aether couldn’t say the same for himself. “What, the almighty Traveler can’t run a few feet? Seems I’ve found your weakness,” Venti joked, waiting for Aether to recover.

“I suppose you have,” he responded after a moment, his breaths coming more evenly.

“What was that for, huh? Do you just like being a jerk?” Paimon berated, arms crossed.

“Well, sometimes. But this was to get us out of the city so we could teleport to the winery. Time is of the essence,” he replied, the mischief fading from his eyes a little bit.

Taking his cue, Aether took both of their hands and envisioned a Statue of the Seven on a small cliff, with the occasional crystalfly and windwheel aster scattered nearby. They were there in moments. Walking quickly (and gliding, per Venti’s encouragement), the trio reached the winery entrance to see Jean and Diluc standing outside, faces grim.

“Now, now, why so glum? We’re going to save Dvalin, after all. This is a time to celebrate!” Venti exclaimed, attempting to lighten the mood.

“Yeah, what he said! Dvalin Protection Squad, assemble!” Paimon chimed in.

The group procured the three new tears and handed them to Venti for inspection. His expression had changed from joyful to pained. “These crystals look so… muddy. Dvalin… you’re going through so much…” He took a deep breath and steadied himself. “Traveler, if you wouldn’t mind purifying these, I’ll leave the rest to you.”

Aether nodded and went through the same procedure as before, cleansing each tear before letting it sink into the lyre. Soon, its color was a light cream, and the strings glowed vibrantly.

“It looks far better than before,” Jean commented.

“Indeed. Its Anemo energy has been fully restored,” Venti confirmed. “It’s all thanks to you, Traveler,” he said, smiling at Aether.

“Well, now all we need to do is summon Stormterror, correct? Where should we do it? It has to be away from the city, so perhaps here?” Jean speculated.

“While I could rebuild the winery were something to happen to it, that would take time and resources I’d prefer not to waste,” Diluc responded dryly. Jean looked somewhat uncomfortable.

Venti shook his head. “The winery wouldn’t work anyway. It must be done somewhere that the wind blows freely, so that my words can be carried on the air. Ideally near the sea, or high up.”

The group thought for a moment before Paimon chimed in. “What about Starsnatch Cliff? It’s that one southeast of Starfell lake that juts out over the ocean. That fits what you want, right?”

Venti paused, envisioning the location, then smiled and nodded. “Yes, that works perfectly.”

Paimon puffed out her chest in pride. “That’s why Paimon’s the best guide there is!”

Jean smiled. “I suppose we’d better get going. There’s a waypoint a little way down the cliff, so if we teleport there, it’s only a short walk.”

Aether nodded understanding and whisked the group away to a green cliffside dotted with white flowers. Diluc and Jean pulled ahead and began marching quickly to the top of the cliff, leaving Aether, Paimon, and Venti to bring up the rear. Aether noticed that Venti was looking… nervous? Scared? Hopeful? All of the above?

“Tell me about Dvalin,” Aether said gently, hoping to distract the bard for a moment.

Venti paused a moment, then replied, “he used to be my friend… I still consider him as such.” Smiling fondly, as if lost in his memories, he reminisced, “we would listen to the songs of the wind and sing Ode to the Dandelion together… and sometimes we’d fly, free and weightless, passing over valleys and mountains alike. I suppose it’s why I remember him as someone gentle.”

Aether listened intently, only responding when he was certain Venti had said everything he needed to. “He sounds gentle. I understand why you want to help him, even when it feels like all of Mondstadt is advocating for his demise.”

The bard nodded, looking sad. “Well, it’s what any soul would do for a dear friend – at least, I’d like to think so.”

“Are we friends?” Aether blurted out. Where did that come from? Gods, why would I say that… I’ve just made everything awkward. “Sorry. Um. Actually, you don’t have to answer that. It was kind of a dumb question.”

Thankfully, Venti just laughed, unbothered. “Of course we are, Traveler. Anyone who extends a helping hand in the midst of this crisis is someone I would be glad to call my friend.”

Aether smiled a little sheepishly. “Alright. Thank you.”

Venti nodded, a bit of light back in his eyes. “Any time. Now, if you don’t mind, I need a moment. This meeting may be… emotionally taxing.”

The traveler did as he requested and left Venti to his thoughts as they neared the peak of the cliff. White flowers identical to the one on Venti’s hat were everywhere, filling the air with a sweet scent. “What a view…” Paimon said breathlessly, looking out over the glittering ocean.

“Lovely for a fated reunion, isn’t it?” Venti joked. “Now, Master Diluc, step aside – the best wandering bard of the mortal world will now give his performance.”

Having proclaimed his intentions, Venti stepped to the edge of the cliff and exhaled, closing his eyes. Slowly, he began to play the lyre, opening with a beautiful arpeggio. He began to hum a sweet, wordless melody, the lyre assuming the role of chords and harmony. Aether was transfixed and could do nothing more than watch the bard’s smiling, rosy face as he performed so skillfully that the traveler didn’t doubt he truly was the best bard in Teyvat. Of course, being an Archon probably helped. The song drew to its close all too soon, and as Venti strummed his final chord, the wind picked up, swirling around the traveling companions and carrying the melody out to sea.

There was a pause, a moment of tension where the only sound to be heard was the echoes of the song on the wind and the rustle of grass and clothing. Suddenly, Dvalin flew up from beneath the cliffside, almost knocking them all over in a gust of wind so strong that he was worried Paimon would be blown away. The dragon hovered at the edge of the cliff, and Aether got his first good look at him. His scales were a matte teal, and his outstretched wings were painted in hues of dark, vibrant blues and purples. Long horns protruded from the top of his head, and feather-like plumes swayed alongside them.

“You have come…” Dvalin spoke, voice low and growly. “What has been done cannot be undone.”

“Then why do I see sadness in your eyes?” Venti called out. “Sadness that speaks of your yearning for this song?”

Dvalin only made a noise low in his throat and there was a pause as Venti stared at him searchingly, an unspoken plea in his eyes.

Without warning, a spear of ice shot down from the sky, knocking the lyre to the ground and causing Venti to cry out, clutching his hand. Aether’s eyes widened and he began to fidget with the end of his braid, too afraid of interfering to step forward. Please be okay.

A cryo abyss mage appeared from behind the dragon, cackling. “Do not be fooled by him, dear dragon. He left you to rot alone… now he attempts to deceive you once more…”

Dvalin growled. “Barbatos…” 

Aether saw Diluc stiffen at that, perhaps coming to the realization that the bard was, in fact, his archon. He likely would have laughed if the situation weren’t so dire.

The mage raised their staff and pointed it at the group of five that were frozen in shock. “Let your wrath fester! Mondstadt has already turned its back on you.”

The dragon let out a load roar that caused Paimon to clap her hands over her ears and had Aether wincing. “You! You planned this all along… to have me slain by them?”

“It’s not like that!” Venti cried, tears starting to sting his eyes. Please. Listen to me.

Floating to the head of the dragon, the abyss mage cackled again. “The time has come for the dragon to serve its true master… while you bewail your pathetic selves and watch the world tremble in fear!”

With that, the mage made a motion with their staff, and Dvalin let out a final roar and flew off over their heads, casting a momentary shadow over the group before they were left in a stunned silence.

“Dvalin,” Venti whispered, unable to stop the tears from rolling down his face. He wiped his face with his sleeve and crouched down to pick up the lyre, wincing when he opened his right hand.

“Barba– Venti, please be careful,” Jean said worriedly, stepping forward.

Venti smiled, wiping away his tears, and stood up. “Hehe, you’ve known my identity for quite some time now, haven’t you? Though, I thank you for continuing to use the name Venti.”

Diluc shook his head. “Who would have guessed a drunken, lazy bard would turn out to be so important…” Jean shot him a look, and he trailed off. It was clear that he realized the comment was out of line for the moment, as he abruptly changed the subject. “So, how is the lyre? Can it still be played?”

Venti shook his head sadly. “I believe it is damaged beyond repair.”

They stood in silence for a moment, looking at the lyre, which had returned to its dull brown and silver. “What do we do now?” Aether asked. “Should we go after Dvalin, or the mage?”

Diluc crossed his arms. “No use in trying to get through to Dvalin if that mage is influencing him. We’ll have to kill it first.”

“I’ll get Amber on it immediately,” Jean promised, nodding. However, Diluc at once shot her down.

“No need. I’ll track it down. No disrespect to Amber, but my contacts will work faster than she can.”

Paimon smiled. “Diluc… though he dislikes the Knights of Favonius, he protects Mondstadt in his own way.”

“Is our little Paimon becoming doting all of a sudden?” Venti teased, laughing. She shot him a glare, and he cheekily pretended to zip his mouth closed.

Diluc huffed. “Well. I suppose we had better depart. Wait for my word. The Abyss Order will not have their blatant deeds against Mondstadt go unpunished.”

Bound by a collective responsibility, the group of five nodded agreement and began their trip back to the city, determination alone fueling them in their desire to set wrongs right.

 

---

 

On the distant edge of a cliff, where the wind howled and the sky was blocked by dark and stormy clouds, a small figure dressed in white stood with her back to two abyss mages, overlooking the ruins of an ancient civilization. She looked up as a teal dragon shot by, headed for the crumbling tower in front of her. Blonde hair blowing in the wind, she fixed the pale flower in the right side of her hair and turned around to see another abyss mage pop into view.

“Your Highness…” they hissed, mechanical voice grating as they bowed low. “Your humble servant arrives. When your homeland returns… we shall revel in its glory.”

Notes:

Helloooo! I promise this is the last pathetically short chapter you’ll be getting for a while - chapter 8 is like 17 pages in the word doc and boy it has been fun to write. I’ve been trying to stay a few chapters ahead with writing so it’s all a little more cohesive and I can add stuff if I get new ideas and I am so so excited to share some of what’s coming next. Also, kind of an important note: I’ve decided to put myself on a more regular upload schedule so you all know what to expect. Throughout the summer, I’ll be trying to do one chapter every Monday, but that will likely change to every other Monday once school starts again in the fall. But I’m really loving writing like this and I hope to stick with this fic for a while! Thank you guys for all the kudos and comments, it really makes my day to know other people are enjoying this as much as I am. Okay that’s it for the long notes byeee :)

Chapter 8: Stormterror's Lair

Summary:

The four warriors (and Paimon) travel to Stormterror's Lair to finally free Dvalin from the control of the abyss.

In a surprisingly short amount of time, Aether and Paimon had heard from Diluc, and headed back to the winery to meet with everybody.  

“Hi, Master Diluc!” Paimon exclaimed, waving as they walked up to where the other three stood. Diluc did not return the gesture.  

“You’re lucky I could even find the information to warrant calling you here,” he said, no emotion in his voice. “The Abyss Order can be considered as nothing less than enemies of the human race. Even the underground networks rarely come across anything related to them. That said, I managed to dig up a few clues.” 

“You really are well connected, Master Diluc,” Venti acknowledged with a hint of admiration. 

Crossing her arms, Paimon interjected, “why does the Anemo God need help from humans anyway? Aren’t you meant to be super powerful?” 

Venti laughed, somewhat ashamed. “Well, ah, you see… you know the Seven as Archons who preside over their own nations, correct? However, it is only through this direct rule that we can obtain our power, and I don’t much like the idea of ‘ruling’ Mondstadt – nor do the people, I believe.” 

Jean nodded. “‘Go forth and establish a city of freedom without rule.’ We have not forgotten your wish for Mondstadt.” 

“Jean, you’re such a devotee!” Paimon sighed. “Maybe someone just got lazy and decided ruling was too much work…” 

“Ehe~,” Venti giggled, not denying the accusation. “But however it came to be, I have not ruled over the city for quite some time. As a result, I am now the weakest among the Seven.” 

“And yet you sound almost proud,” Aether commented jokingly.  

Venti winked at him. “Aww, you flatter me!” 

Diluc, clearly not enjoying the exchange as much as they were, stated wryly, “oh, such a humble god… is it a blessing, or a curse?” Aether was a little surprised by the level of sarcasm that came from such a stoic person. Diluc shook his head and continued, “but we digress. Let’s get back to the topic at hand: the common enemy of all mankind. My sources inform me that the mage has fled to a location that is, conveniently, near the winery. Hence why I asked to meet here again.” 

“Well, let’s split up and start searching,” Jean ordered, getting right to the point. 

Paimon nodded agreement. “Yep yep! We’re not letting that mean mage escape this time!” 

They headed off in different directions, dividing into their informally arranged groups of two and three. I have no clue how to start tracking this thing, Aether realized as they left the other two. I probably should have asked Diluc… let’s hope Venti knows what he’s doing.  

The trio started wandering through the vineyards surrounding the winery. After a few minutes of following Venti, the bard suddenly stopped and sat down, fanning himself with his hat. “Phew, I’m exhausted!” He remarked. “Traveler, you’re up – I can’t keep searching with Elemental Sight like that, or I’ll collapse.” 

Aether froze. “Um, yeah, sure, I’ll get on that,” he responded. I can figure something out as I go. I don’t want to look incompetent for what feels like the hundredth time.  

Thankfully, Venti realized his mistake. “Oh, I forgot you don’t know what that is.” Hopping up with a newfound burst of energy, he replaced his hat and flicked his wrist. Suddenly, Aether’s world became devoid of color, save for flecks of shining teal that emanated from various places. 

“Whoa,” he breathed, surprised. Venti laughed, the awed expression on Aether’s face amusing. 

“Strange, isn’t it? This is what Vision-bearers refer to as Elemental Sight. It strips the world down to its barest elemental influences so that you can more easily recognize when they appear,” he explained. “Just think about an element intently and imagine things it's associated with. It’ll take practice, but so far, it seems like there isn’t anything you can’t figure out, hehe.” 

Aether flushed a little bit, embarrassed. “Well, I don’t know that I’d go so far as to say that. It took me forever to learn the language, and there’s still so much I don’t know about Teyvat that I’d hardly consider myself proficient in anything.” 

“Forever? It took you like 2 months!” Paimon exclaimed, indignant.  

Venti shook his head in disbelief, a faint smile on his face. “Why am I not surprised?” 

Aether was definitely getting redder. “Look, it’s not as impressive as you’re making it out to be.” Gods, why did Paimon have to say that? Now their expectations of me will be way too high… plus, this is just really embarrassing…  

“Whatever you say, Traveler,” Venti grinned, enjoying the teasing. “Well, are we going to get back to finding that mage, or not?” 

Aether took a deep breath and closed his eyes, focusing on images of cold, sparkling snow. There was something like a tug in his gut and he opened his eyes to see the same greyscale world, but this time he could see faint waves of light blue weaving between the grape vines. “It… worked?” He said, surprised that it was so simple. He looked up Venti. “Thank you - I’d have no idea what to do if you hadn’t helped me.” 

Venti smiled. “Think nothing of it, Traveler.” 

They followed the crystal path until they came towards the end of a row of vines. Aether frowned. “I can’t see the trail anymore.” 

Venti shrugged. “No need! The mage is just over that way,” he said, pointing down by the edge of the lake next to the winery. 

Sure enough, a robed figure encased in a cryo shield was floating around, freezing over the water that it touched. Next to it stood a pair of hilichurl cryo archers, who were scouting the area. 

“So, what’s the plan? What if it runs away again?” Aether asked, lowering his voice. 

Venti scrunched his face for a moment, thinking, then lit up. “I know! We can send Paimon out and have her initiate a fight, then go after the archers while she distracts it! The mage likely doesn’t remember her from our encounter at Starsnatch Cliff, and she makes an easy target, so I don’t see why that wouldn’t work.” 

“Well, first of all, no. I’m not letting Paimon be put in danger like that. And second, wouldn’t it just vanish anyway once we show up?” Aether pointed out. 

Venti shook his head. “No, it wouldn’t. The Abyss Order are tightly knit, and when one of their own is attacked, they’ll stick around to defend - or avenge - it. If we went after the archers like planned, the mage would stay out of a sense of obligation. As for Paimon, that’s up to her.” 

“Paimon will do it! It’s not that scary, and Paimon wants to help,” she responded enthusiastically. 

Aether hesitated. “But how do you know you won’t get hurt?” 

“Well, Paimon can fly, right? Dodging a few shards of ice in the air can’t be that hard, and it won’t be for long.” 

He sighed and reluctantly agreed. “Okay, sounds like we’re doing it. Just please be safe.” 

Paimon nodded. “Paimon will! You have nothing to worry about.” 

With that settled, Aether and Venti began moving through the grapevines towards the lake, careful to stay hidden from the monster. Aether peeked up briefly to see Paimon scanning the crops for him and gave her a thumbs up when they made eye contact. “She should be going now,” he whispered to Venti, ducking down again. Venti nodded.  

After a few moments, the unmistakable sound of the abyss mage teleporting could be heard, indicating that Paimon had caught its attention. Venti stood and drew back his bow, landing a well-placed arrow to the head of one of the archers with careful aim and practiced precision. Aether ran out to deal with the other, which was now notching its bow in response. Dodging a cryo-infused arrow that narrowly grazed his cheek, the traveler swiped the bow out of the hilichurl’s hand with a swift upwards movement, then drove his sword through the heart of the monster, which vaporized in a puff of purplish black smoke. He immediately spun around to check on Paimon, who, along with the mage, was nowhere in sight. Where did she go? Did something go wrong?   

“Nice one, Traveler!” Venti called, running over.  

“Do you see Paimon?” He asked, panic rising in his voice as he turned to face his friend. 

Venti shook his head, worried. “I don’t.” 

Before they had much time to process that information, the mage reappeared in front of them in a burst of cryo. “Ah, the meddling bard and the traveler…” it rasped. If it could grin, Aether got the impression that it would be. The mage raised its wand. “Interferers with her Highness’s plan must be… eliminated.” Without warning, it summoned a spear of ice above Aether’s head, which likely would have injured him catastrophically had Venti not shattered it with an anemo-infused arrow.  

Damn. I really need to study the monsters of this world, or I won’t last a day adventuring on my own, he thought as he ducked to one side of the mage and slashed at its shield. Venti leapt back from the monster, aided by anemo, and made a circular motion with his hand, which created a gust of wind underneath the abyssal enemy. Neither attack seemed to so much as faze it. 

 “No power of the Seven is enough. Give up now and accept your failure in death,” the mage taunted, swirling their wand and summoning a barrage of cryo spikes. 

“Aether! Venti! Move!” A voice suddenly yelled.  

Aether looked towards the winery in surprise to see Diluc swing his pyro-infused claymore in their direction, producing a flaming eagle that flew towards them. Both him and Venti scrambled to get out of the way, as did the mage, which fortunately couldn’t teleport fast enough. The elemental creation struck it head-on, destroying the shield and carrying the monster out into the lake before it dissipated, dumping the mage unceremoniously into the water. It struggled for a moment before dying the same way the archers did. 

Oddly, Venti felt his head lighten as though it had been encased in some kind of fog. Huh. Why does it feel like I can think more clearly? Oh- Dvalin!  

He turned to make his revelation to the group, but Aether was running towards where Paimon and Jean had emerged from the grapevines. The white-haired fairy flew into his arms and he spun from the impact, holding her tight.  

Thank the Archons she’s okay, bard and traveler thought in unison. 

Paimon let go of Aether and flew back a bit, looking like she was on the verge of tears. “That was so scary! Paimon flew out and threw a rock but she didn’t expect the monster to teleport like that and then it was just there like BOOM and it had the creepiest laugh and then it waved its wand and Paimon was just in a block of ice and it was so so cold and then Jean showed up and–“ 

Aether cut her off by hugging her again. “It’s okay. You’re safe now.” I should never have let this happen. I’m sorry.  

Venti and Diluc rejoined the group as the traveling companions separated again, both looking more at ease.  

Venti cleared his throat. “Well, if the moment has passed, I have new information for all of you.” 

Paimon frowned and crossed her arms. “It had better be important! Paimon is still mad that you left her to freeze to death.” 

He scratched the back of his head sheepishly. “Well, ah – I suppose I did sort of do that, didn’t I?” He looked down and his tone became serious. “I’m sorry, Paimon. I’ll plan more carefully in the future.” 

Paimon huffed. “That’s more like it.” 

“What did you want to tell us?” Diluc interrupted. 

Venti went right back to being cheery. “Oh – yes! Well, when that Abyss mage was defeated, my head felt weirdly clear, and as it would turn out, I can sense Dvalin again! I can only assume there was some abyssal energy at play that was cutting off our connection.” He paused for a moment, smiling, then turned to Aether. “Traveler, have you heard of Stormterror’s Lair?” 

Aether shook his head, embarrassed to be called out on his lack of knowledge. “No, I haven’t.” 

Venti seemed unbothered, thankfully. “They’re the old ruins to the east of here that Dvalin fled to. Much like the stormy walls that shrouded the city in the past, it is now sealed off by an elemental barrier. However, by regaining my connection with Dvalin, I can read the rhythmic magic by which the barrier was woven. Its melody is more horrendous than a chorus of hilichurls… but I should now be able to disperse the barrier so that we can confront Dvalin in his lair.” 

“So, we’re going after him, then?” Diluc asked. “Fine by me… but Jean wanted to avoid direct confrontation.” 

Jean, surprisingly, shook her head. “Not anymore. When we have no other options, as a leader of Mondstadt, I bear the responsibility of making the difficult decisions. Should we need to slay Dvalin to bring peace, I will lead that charge.” 

Venti smiled knowingly. “Well, fortunately, we shouldn’t need to go that far.” 

Jean looked at him in surprise. “You think Dvalin can still be saved?” 

“I do. And, in fact, I think that none other than our very own Traveler has the capacity to save him.” 

A jolt of shock went up Aether’s spine. “What? Why me?” He asked, surprise melting into confusion. 

“Well, Dvalin and the tears he creates are corrupted by the same malevolent energy. Given that you purified the crystals so well, it stands to reason that you could do the same for Dvalin,” Venti explained.  

Aether’s sense of dread grew as he saw the hope shining from the bard’s teal eyes. Please please please don’t put this responsibility on me. I still don’t know how I purified the crystals, and I can’t… I can’t fail. What if it comes to it and I can’t do it? There’s no way I could let everyone down like that.  

But I still have to try. Refusing to help a friend would be worse than failing them.   

I just have to not get it wrong.   

Thankfully, Paimon spoke up on his behalf. “Tone-Deaf Bard, can’t you see how crazy this is? You know how scary Dvalin is when he’s mad – Aether would be swallowed whole before he even got a chance to try anything!” 

Venti closed his eyes and sighed. “Well. I won’t say I haven’t learned my lesson.” He opened his eyes again and looked at Aether, completely serious. “Traveler, I realize that this is a dangerous venture, and it puts a great deal on your shoulders. If you choose to withdraw, I completely understand. I’m asking you for quite the favor for very little in return.” 

How could I ever say no now? I’d look like such a jerk, and I do want to help… I just don’t want to mess up.   

He bit the inside of his cheek and let the stinging pain draw him back into reality. “No. I’ll do it. We’ve put too much effort into this for us to have to turn back now,” he responded decisively.  

The smile that beamed across Venti’s face made him forget his doubts for a second. His teal eyes brimmed with hope, giving a quality to them that made it hard to look away.  

“Well, it sounds like we have a plan,” Diluc said, breaking the silence. He gave a short nod of approval to Venti. “Not half bad for a drunkard.” 

The bard smiled cheekily. “A rare compliment from the stone-faced bartender? I must be dreaming.” 

Diluc only rolled his eyes. “Alright, enough from you. Let’s get going.” He uncrossed his arms and started walking west, towards what Aether could vaguely see as a path between two cliffs. The rest of the group followed suit, with Venti and Aether bringing up the rear. Venti’s walk was brisk, and he seemed to bounce with every step, any earlier trace of seriousness long gone. Aether, by contrast, was practically marching, his every movement forward deliberate and regimented. His walk was a mirror of his thoughts; completely and utterly focused on the task at hand. 

They soon arrived at the entrance to Stormterror’s Lair, which looked a lot less intimidating than Aether expected, given the name. He could vaguely make out the shape of a circular tower in the distance, but his vision was largely obscured by a wall of swirling wind tinged with the familiar colors of Anemo. 

“Does it feel weirdly quiet to you?” Paimon asked. Aether paused for a moment to listen and realized that she was right. Something in the area was really… off. He couldn’t hear any birdsong, no movement, no… anything. There was only the sound of rushing wind emanating from the barrier. 

Everyone else had stopped in their tracks as well, listening carefully to their surroundings. From behind him there was a quiet shink as Diluc summoned his claymore and assumed a battle stance, the tip of his weapon scraping the stone ground. Aether turned. 

“Diluc? Is something wrong?” The man held out a hand and Aether pressed his lips together. The tension as they waited for him to speak was so thick you could cut it with a knife. 

Suddenly, he whipped his head towards a nearby cliff. “Get ready. We’ve got company.”  

Not a moment later, an arrow zipped through the air and planted itself in the ground just before Aether’s feet. He flinched despite the warning and drew his sword, scanning the cliffsides that surrounded them for any sign of movement. A flash of red caught his eye on his left and he swiveled to see two red and brown hilichurls without weapons running towards them along the path.  

More arrows, some with Pyro-tipped ends, rained down. The group of archers were visible on the cliff now – from what Aether caught with a glance, there were at least four up there. 

If this is an ambush from the Abyss, it’s a little sad, Aether thought as he tightened his grip on his sword in preparation of the advancing monsters. 

He would be sorely wrong.  

One of the weaponless hilichurls started to dig in the ground and Aether watched the ridiculous act in disbelief. Is it seriously just going to start throwing rocks at us?   

As it turned out, they were capable of throwing things a little more dangerous than just rocks. A small sphere of Pyro energy came flying towards him and he jumped to the side, rolling to avoid the blast that followed its impact with the ground. There was a wave of heat from the Pyro explosion that he felt all along his back as he ducked behind a broken pillar.  

Several more explosions could be heard as he waited there, slightly in shock. Okay. Don’t underestimate those guys. Noted. He glanced around the pillar to see Venti and Jean also hiding behind a rock, backs pressed to the stone as more arrows landed in the small clearing.  

Venti looked up and noticed Aether, giving him a cheeky grin that said what, you weren’t expecting that? Aether just rolled his eyes and leaned further out to look down the road. He let out an audible groan as he spotted a mitachurl with a large wooden shield approaching slowly on the path. 

“More visitors?” A voice said in his ear. Aether jumped and turned back around to see that Diluc had joined him behind the pillar at some point. Gods, he moves quietly for someone of that size.   

“Uh- yeah, there’s one more coming this way from where we came,” he reported, still a little caught off guard. 

“This isn’t right. There shouldn’t be any hilichurls in the vicinity of Stormterror’s Lair,” Jean commented from where she sat, worry etched across her brow. 

“Why not?” Aether asked. “I thought they were everywhere.” 

Venti let out a small laugh. “Well, you’re not wrong there. This is only unusual because hilichurls rarely venture into areas with high elemental concentration, such as Stormterror’s Lair. The energy puts great strain on their bodies.” 

“Do you think the Abyss Order is drawing them here, then?” He asked, putting two and two together. He tensed as another explosion sent tremors through the ground.  

“Yes,” Diluc confirmed, expression grim. “They’re almost certainly being manipulated by abyssal forces – which, unfortunately means they’re aware we’re here and are mobilizing themselves to stop us.” 

Venti summoned his bow and sighed. “Well, I suppose we’ll just have to be a little… problematic.” 

Before Aether could ask what he meant by that, Venti stood up from his hiding place and drew back his bow, pausing for a moment as Anemo energy swirled around the arrowhead before finally releasing the string with a sharp twang. Aether’s eyes widened as an impressive black hole-like vortex spawned in the center of the path, slowly drawing in the two hilichurls that had been bombarding them with Pyro attacks. They flailed satisfyingly in the center of the whirlwind before the Anemo energy dissipated and they dropped to the ground.  

Aether glanced up at Diluc, a question in his eyes. The man nodded and they sprang out from opposite sides of the pillar, running for the hilichurls that were just beginning to recover. He just barely heard the zip of an arrow in time and threw up his right hand, letting out a burst of Anemo that sent the arrow clattering to the ground. It would’ve struck his head if he hadn’t been paying attention, a fact that scared him a little bit, but this wasn’t the time to dwell on that.  

He drove his sword through the chest of the hilichurl closest to him, the blade passing through it into the ground as the monster disappeared in a puff of abyssal particles. Diluc dispatched of the other grenadier in a similar manner, practically decapitating it with a strong swipe of his greatsword. 

“Aether! Look out!” Paimon shouted from somewhere behind him. He looked away from Diluc to see the shield-bearing mitachurl from earlier barreling toward him. There was just enough time for him to scramble to one side before it slammed into a pillar behind him with such an impact that the stone immediately cracked and crumbled.  

More arrows came from the top of the cliff in greater force than before. Diluc managed to block most of the barrage by holding up his sword but one still managed to strike him in his thigh, lodging itself there. He had no time to recover before the mitachurl turned and swiped through the air with its shield, connecting with his still-raised sword and knocking him backwards. Aether ran forward to help, but another line of arrows fell in front of him and he abruptly stopped to avoid being hit by the assault. 

“Venti? Jean? We’re going to need those archers dealt with,” he yelled as he stepped backward. 

Venti looked over at Jean, who was watching the duo in combat, expression grim. From her intense focus and the way she fidgeted with the hilt of her sword, he could tell she wanted to be involved in the immediate action. He poked her shoulder to get her attention. “I’ll head to the top of the cliff. You can stay on the ground and fight,” he offered. 

Jean nodded agreement, grateful. “Thank you. Stay safe, Venti.”  

He gave her a cocky grin. “Don’t worry – a few archers won’t take me long.” He waited until she had rushed out into the fray before standing up and stepping back. Where his foot made contact with the ground a huge wind current sprung up and he leapt into it, flying up along the cliff as the figures of his friends quickly became as small as ants. He landed softly on the grass at the top and grinned as the archers turned to look at him, surprised. Before they could react, he quickly notched an arrow and let it fly with trained precision. It pierced the nearest archer’s head and the hilichurl slowly fell backwards before dropping off the edge of the cliff. 

Well, if that arrow didn’t kill it, the fall will, Venti thought grimly as he prepared another arrow before firing it at the next hilichurl, killing it as well. A retaliation shot whizzed past his ear, but he wasn’t worried. Hilichurls had terrible aim.  

Casually, he pulled back his hand and flung it towards the two remaining archers, creating a torrent of Anemo bullets that pummeled them until they, too, died with a flash of purple and black. Hmph. They were weak as always, it would seem.  

Venti scanned the rest of the cliff and, seeing no more enemies, decided he could return to the battle on the ground. How should I best get down, though… He peered over the edge of the stone he was stood on and smiled mischievously as an idea formed in his head.  

Aether, by contrast, was not having such an easy time. He ducked under a swipe of the mitachurl’s fist and stabbed upward with his sword, driving the blade through the monster’s forearm. It roared as he dashed out from underneath it, breathing heavily as he assumed a ready stance. Suddenly, a strange whistling sound caught his ear, and he looked up towards the source of the noise, curious. 

It felt like his heart stopped for a moment as he watched Venti plummet through the air, only to break his fall with a bright swirl of Anemo just before he would have crashed into the ground. Venti landed calmly and dusted himself off before looking up. He gave Aether a shit-eating grin as he saw the stunned, wide-eyed expression on his face. Heh. I knew that would freak them out.   

“What in Celestia’s name are you doing???” Paimon yelled at him as she hovered over the battlefield. “Stop giving everyone a heart attack and get your butt in action!”  

He sighed dramatically. “If I must…” A loud roar from behind him made him freeze and put an end to any banter. Storming down the path was a Geo lawachurl, accompanied by relative fleet of hilichurls of nearly every variety. Jean and Diluc finally ended the battle with the mitachurl with a powerful Pyro-infused Anemo gust and turned towards the noise as well. 

“By Ronova’s name,” Diluc swore as he relaxed his stance, leaning on his sword with fatigue. “We took too long - they’ve brought all their backup.” 

Venti surveyed the rest of the group. All three warriors looked exhausted. Diluc, who had at some point removed the arrow, was still bleeding from his leg and looked about ready to collapse. Even if Jean cast a healing spell, he’d need a moment to recover, and they didn’t have time for that. Aether and Jean were less seriously injured, but their heavy breathing and slumped postures indicated that they were far too tired to take on the monsters headed their way. He sighed, accepting what he had to do. 

“You four turn around. I’ll handle this.” 

Paimon gave him a look of disbelief. “You’re going to take out all those monsters on your own?” 

He winked at her, trying to lessen the tension. “It appears you have yet to see the might of an archon.” He looked at the serious faces staring him down and grinned. “Now, my dear companions, please, avert your eyes – It’s best you do not bear witness when I shed my disguise.” 

The group obliged and quickly returned to their former hiding places. In truth, it didn’t matter if they were looking or not, Venti just felt a little strange about assuming his archon form in front of them.  

Taking a deep breath, he turned around to face the group of monsters approaching, his expression now completely focused. The wind blew rapidly around him as he shifted into the form that allowed him to safely access the full extent of the energy stored within Gnosis. There was something about it that felt more comfortable than his identity as ‘Venti,’ even though that was who he had been for so long – it seemed that no matter how much he tried to distance himself from godhood, he really was an archon at his core. 

Elemental energy flooded through him as he snapped his eyes open. Every vein hummed with power, which, combined with the adrenaline rushing through him, was the perfect concoction for battle. It had been a while since he’d had an excuse to fight like this. 

 White wings extended behind him and he shot into the air, drawing his bow. The tip of the arrow glowed with a new strength as he sent it directly into the center of the crowd of hilichurls, summoning an even larger vortex than before at its point of impact. 

Amid the cries of hilichurls spinning helplessly in the air, the lawachurl roared and pounded its chest before throwing a boulder into the air. Venti dodged it easily, flying a few feet to the left of the attack. As the vortex he’d cast wore off, he made a sweeping motion with his hand and the ground underneath the monsters glowed with the Anemo symbol before a powerful torrent of wind shot upwards, eviscerating at least half of the hilichurl minions surrounding the lawachurl. That seemed to stop them in their tracks, and there was a brief pause of movement as the abyssal enemies reconsidered their situation. 

From behind the pillar of stone he was pressed against, Aether could only listen to the occasional screams of monsters and the sound of Anemo. He pressed his eyes shut. The tension of waiting was almost unbearable. As much as he wanted to respect Venti’s wishes, it was getting really difficult to stop himself from jumping into the fray himself. For now, though, he would trust that the bard knew what he was doing. 

It was then that the sound of battle suddenly drew eerily quiet and Aether’s anxiety peaked. Okay, that’s it – I’ve got to check that everything’s alright. Clearly, Diluc and Jean were thinking a similar thing, because when he slowly peered his head around the corner of the column, he could see them doing the same from their respective hiding places. His sight rested on the oddly still group of monsters and then on Venti, hovering in the air in front of them, bow drawn.  

Holy shit.  

That was what a god looked like.  

Venti’s outstretched wings were what caught his attention first; they were white and birdlike in nature, with gold circles attached to the point where they bent. His whole outfit was in shades of white and gold, fittingly – if you could even call it an outfit. Aether was pretty sure there was more bare skin than clothing, and any fabric was skin-tight as it was. Venti’s colored braids glowed along with several markings on his skin and Anemo energy swirled around him. 

If his new appearance weren’t enough of a shock to Aether, Venti suddenly fired several arrows at once, hitting three hilichurls head-on and killing them instantly. The archon dodged a few upward swipes from the lawachurl and the occasional hilichurl arrow before flying back upward and waving his hand. A ball of Anemo formed above the monsters and grew rapidly in size until it was as wide in diameter as the mob below. Aether saw the hint of a smile on his friend’s face before he threw down his arm and the vortex slammed into the abyssal enemies, vaporizing the remaining few dozen in seconds. 

Aether’s jaw was practically on the floor. Who would have thought he was capable of that…   

“Paimon’s not sure she should mess with Tone-Deaf Bard anymore,” Paimon whispered nervously in Aether’s ear. 

The god glanced in their direction as if he’d heard and she squeaked, ducking behind Aether. Venti sighed before descending, Anemo energy swirling around him again as he changed back into his more ordinary clothing. I suppose I should have expected that they’d still watch… oh well.   

“No need to worry, Paimon,” he called out as he walked forward, a smile returning to his face. “Your mockery is appreciated just as much as any prayer from a devout citizen of Mondstadt – that is to say, I don’t pay much attention to either.” It was a bit of a lie. He did actually care about his people’s wishes, but if it helped ease the mood, Paimon didn’t need to know that. “Now, let’s finally do what we came here for, hm?” 

Venti walked up to the barrier and summoned his lyre, taking a deep breath before he plucked a quick, atonal melody on its strings. The wind began to whip around them and Paimon grabbed onto Aether’s scarf to prevent being blown away. Aether, squinting to stop particles of dust from irritating his eyes, watched as the elemental barrier of wind dissipated in one giant gust, forcing him to duck his head away and hold Paimon close.  

“Ta-da~” Venti sang, stood proudly in front of the now-cleared path. The rest of the group smoothed out their clothes and hair and turned to face him. The atmosphere between the five had just about returned to normal as Venti fell back into character as his usual self. 

Paimon rolled her eyes. “Well, Tone-Deaf Bard, looks like you’re not entirely useless after all,” she said with more than a hint of sarcasm, arms crossed.  

Diluc looked even more annoyed than she was. “There wasn’t a better way to do that?” He asked caustically as he finished tying a bandage around his leg. 

“I don’t know what you could mean, Master Diluc,” Venti replied with a cheeky wink, completely ignoring Paimon. “Now, if we’re ready, let’s be on our way! We cannot let Dvalin suffer another day.” With that, he turned and started walking towards the lair, encouraging everyone to quickly follow suit.  

Aether glanced at him as they walked and was surprised by the expression on his face. For being so cheery just a moment before, it was odd to see such emptiness in his eyes. Aether had a feeling that if he said something, the bard wouldn’t really hear him – his gaze was set on the ruins in front of them, wandering and sad, as though it pained him to be there.  

Venti caught him staring and smiled, then turned his focus back to the tower, but it didn’t seem genuine. I wonder what’s bothering him. The possibility of Dvalin dying in this battle is certainly upsetting… maybe that’s it? He decided that regardless of the reason, it wasn’t his business and chose to focus instead on surveying his surroundings.  

Surrounded by jutting cliffs on all sides, Stormterror’s Lair was a circular expanse, with few trees and many eroded structures. The occasional pond or geographical formation gave interest to the area, which was dotted by clusters of Windwheel Asters. From where they stood, Aether could see a few hilichurl camps and a Statue of the Seven, located near the base of the formidable tower in the center of everything. It was constructed from stone and had clearly seen better days, its tiered design sporting several layers that had collapsed or had visible holes. An abundance of moss and vines crept up every wall. The deterioration was most clear in its domed roof, though, about a quarter of which had fallen apart, leaving a giant gap.  

Yet, what was most noticeable was how the whole place seemed... off. There was no other word for it. Everything was strangely quiet. The hairs on the back of his neck prickled and he had the strange sensation that he was being watched. The weirdest part, however, was that the feeling had an odd familiarity about it, as if he was being drawn to its source. Despite his instinct to investigate, he brushed it off and continued to follow Venti toward the tower along a wide, tall bridge, which was surprisingly intact.  

The group of five soon reached a large archway of stone that sectioned the bridge in two. A short way past it was the base of the tower. “Wow, this gate is huge!” Paimon exclaimed, spinning in the air so that she could turn and look up at the top of the arch as they passed under it. “I wonder how Dvalin gets in there with a body that size, though,” she mused, floating back to Aether’s side as she pointed at the tower. 

Venti laughed. “Well, he flies, doesn’t he?” 

“Oh… you do have a point,” Paimon responded, a little put out.  

Diluc, too tired to put up with their pointless banter, strode forward towards the tower’s entrance. He didn’t seem to have much trouble walking despite his injury, but Aether couldn’t tell if that was because it was genuinely insignificant or because the man was just good at pushing through it. Venti, however, stopped him in his tracks by extending an arm in front of him. 

“Hold on,” he instructed, a worried expression on his face. The bard carefully reached out a hand towards the tower’s wall and his arm was rapidly flung back as if caught in a gust of wind. Aether was about to ask what happened when the outline of another Anemo barrier began to ripple outward from where Venti had seemingly touched empty air. The bard sighed and turned to face the group. 

“It’s stuck!?” Paimon observed, pointing out the obvious.  

Venti rolled his eyes and repeated mockingly, “it’s stuck!?” 

She huffed and crossed her arms, embarrassed and angry at the same time. The mood didn’t last for long, though, as in her effort to avoid meeting Venti’s eyes she noticed the large hole in the dome of the tower. “Hey, look at that roof. Could we get through the hole in it?” 

The others turned their gaze upward and assessed the situation. Venti was first to chime in. “Hmm… I suppose we could make use of that wind current,” he agreed, pointing forward and to their right where a large wind current spiraled upwards. Diluc and Jean nodded agreement. 

“Let’s make a detour then. Heading up!” Paimon cheered, floating to the right towards a series of pathways and ramps that would lead them in the general correct direction. 

The group started walking forward and Venti, unable to resist, grinned mischievously. “Let’s make a detour then. Heading up!” He mocked again, pretending to ignore Paimon when she stuck her tongue out at him. Aether stifled a laugh and Paimon, noticing, tugged on his scarf annoyedly. 

“Hey, stop making fun of Paimon!” She yelled indignantly. Aether attempted to control himself, not wanting to hurt her feelings, but couldn’t help from laughing when Venti pulled a face behind her back.  

After a moment of the pair giggling like idiots for no clear reason, Aether composed himself and straightened out his scarf. “Sorry, Paimon,” he replied, smiling guiltily. She glared at him, but he could tell that she wasn’t actually angry anymore.  

“Hmph. Whatever,” she replied, crossing her arms. Her expression became worried, and she turned to look at the path ahead of them. “Do you think there will be more monsters in the ruins?” She asked. 

Jean frowned. “Given how many we - or rather, Venti – just disposed of, I doubt there are any left in this area. It would seem they concentrated all their forces to attack us while they thought we were weak.” 

Diluc nodded agreement. “I think it’s safe to say we’re done with the Abyss for the time being.”  

“You’re welcome,” Venti chimed in, smiling. In mock despair, he sighed, “ah, why am I so diligent? Too diligent for a poet, in fact…” 

“Diligent?” Paimon blurted out indignantly. “So says the person who spends all their time drinking in a tavern! Going all Barbatos-y on us doesn’t make you diligent!” 

Thankfully (for the sanity of everyone else), Venti didn’t respond and just smiled smugly to himself. By that time, they had made it to the wind current, an impressive vortex that extended all the way up to the top of the tower. The group opened their wind gliders and let it carry them upwards – apart from Paimon and Venti, who floated alongside them of their own accord. Thank the gods I’m not afraid of heights, Aether thought as he watched the ground beneath him get further and further away. 

As they flew up the several levels of the tower, he noticed a Ruin Guard, decayed and motionless, leaned against a pillar. Weird, he thought. How did that get here? It wasn’t important right now, though, so he focused on steering himself over the opening in the roof.  

He closed his glider, landing on the uppermost platform after a brief moment of free-fall. The floor was a ring of solid stone encasing a swirling Anemo seal of sorts. This space looks a little too small and unstable to fight a dragon…  

“We’re not facing Dvalin here, are we?” Aether asked the rest of his companions as they found their way to the same place.  

Venti shook his head, his braids swinging on either side of his face. “No. He’s hiding in the domain guarded by that seal. We’ll have to meet him there.”  

He made a circular motion with his hand and the Anemo symbol disappeared in a burst of particles, leaving behind a vortex of grey wind that didn’t look like it led anywhere. “This is the entrance,” he confirmed, grim-faced. 

“There’s no way you think Paimon is jumping into that thing!” Paimon exclaimed, hovering behind Aether.  

“Well, you could always stay here,” he offered.  

Paimon hesitated, then shook her head resolutely. “No, Paimon’s not leaving Aether.” 

Aether was surprised by her conviction, given how obviously terrified she was. He smiled reassuringly at her. “Don’t worry, I’ll keep you safe.” I promise. Nobody here is getting hurt if I can help it.  

“Are we ready, then?” Venti asked, looking around for any objections. There were none. “Right. See you inside, I suppose,” he said. Without hesitation, he stepped forward into the vortex and vanished. Aether flinched, unsettled by his sudden disappearance.  

“I’ll, uh, bring up the rear, then,” he said to Diluc and Jean, attempting to disguise the nervousness in his voice. They nodded and followed Venti inside. Time seemed to be agonizingly slow now that they’d left. All Aether could hear was the pounding of his heart and the cool rush of wind in his ears. 

“Aether, Paimon’s scared,” she whispered, clasping her hands together.  

“I know. But it’ll be okay. I’m not going to let anything hurt you,” he responded with more confidence than he felt. I should not be this scared. Holy hell, what is wrong with me. It’s not even my first time fighting a dragon.  

But you know why it’s different.  

Everything is on your shoulders.  

Everyone is counting on you.   

Everyone will be watching if you fail.   

He squeezed his eyes shut. Not this. Please. Not right now. Blinking, he stared at the swirling portal. “Are you ready?” Paimon nodded. “Okay.”  He wanted to step forward, but he couldn’t. His hands were sweating under his gloves and his heart felt like it was trying to escape his ribcage, pounding furiously as anxiety overwhelmed him. I can’t do it. But the longer I wait, the worse it gets. If too much time passes, they’ll wonder what happened to me, and that would be so incredibly awkward. What if they’re already fighting? What if I’ve failed before I even try?   

A small hand tapping his shoulder brought him back to reality. “Paimon believes in you, Aether!” She beamed, trying to help. “You got this!” 

The encouragement made him smile, refocusing him in the moment. With no other choice, he took Paimon’s hand, let out a shaky exhale, and before his fears could overwhelm him again, stepped off the edge of the platform. 

Notes:

Hello!!! This is the start of the long chapters I promised so I hope you enjoy it! I know it deviates a little more from canon than others, but I promise Venti going all archon mode will be relevant much, much later in the story, so it does have a purpose. Anyway, let me know what you thought and if there's anything I should consider editing!

Also this academic weapon aced their AP exams so take that my physics teacher

Chapter 9: Into Battle

Summary:

The time has finally come to fight Dvalin and free Mondstadt from the dragon's wrath.

The moment Aether’s feet left the stable stone surface, he was swept up in a torrent of wind, falling but flying at the same time. An intense pressure filled his ears and he squeezed Paimon’s hand before he was suddenly shot forward into a completely different space. Landing with an ungraceful tumble on a cobblestone platform, he stood up and dusted himself off, checking that Paimon was still there. “Took you long enough,” Venti’s familiar voice joked, and he swiveled to see his companions stood next to him, unharmed. He felt momentary relief, which was quickly replaced by shame.   

“Sorry, I – “  

Diluc cut him off. “Save it. Venti says Dvalin will be here any moment. The Abyss know we’ve arrived.”  

He nodded and took a moment to look at his surroundings. They were situated in the middle of an endless, dark sky, stood on one of several floating platforms arranged in a wide circle. Lightning cracked in a distant part of the arena, and a rough wind whipped through the air. “What’s the plan for when he shows up?” He asked, summoning his sword. These platforms do not seem stable enough to support a battle.  

“Well, first of all, you can put that away,” Venti said, gesturing to his weapon. “The current plan is that I will channel Anemo energy for you so that you can fight him in the sky like last time – it takes away his main advantage. That should wear him down to a point where you can purify him without fear of injury.”  

Aether swallowed nervously. “Okay, works for me.” His mind, however, caught on Venti’s wording. “Hold on – what do you mean, last time?” Venti only gave him a knowing wink, and the pieces started to fit together. He helped me fight Stormterror that first day in the city, didn’t he. I can’t believe I didn’t realize that until now.  

Paimon seemed to catch on as well. “You sent Aether up into the sky that time in Mondstadt? Well, thanks for giving Paimon a heart attack!”  

Venti gave her a typical cheeky smile, then turned towards the middle of the arena. “It would seem the hour is nigh for our heroes to battle for a nation’s freedom,” he said, his eyes dark and worried despite the half-smile still on his face. As if on cue, there was a crack of thunder, and Dvalin flew over their heads, letting out an impressive roar. Paimon covered her ears. The dragon swooped around the area before turning to face them.   

“Is he alone?” Jean whispered to Venti as the dragon hovered in the air.   

“No. The presence of the Abyss has grown stronger as well as his own,” he responded, his gaze never leaving Dvalin’s. “Traveler, are you ready?” Aether extended his wind glider in reply. I really wish I had my wings right now; he couldn’t help but think as Venti closed his eyes and a strong burst of wind sent him spiraling into the sky. He felt oddly calm – the time for nervousness was long past, after all. Now, there was only room for intense focus. One mistake will cost you everything.   

Dvalin growled and the abyss mage appeared by his head. “You see, my dear dragon…” it hissed, malice in its voice. “…they had always planned to turn against you. Let your hatred be known among the people of Mondstadt – rid them of all hope!” The dragon’s eyes flashed with newly ignited fury, and he dove towards Aether as the mage cackled.   

Shit.  

A quick gust pushed him to the side just before Dvalin’s teeth snapped in the empty air where he had been floating, the sound sending a shiver down his spine. “Thanks, Venti,” he said out of habit. 

No problem, came the unexpected response, which floated around him as if carried on the wind. He almost jumped out of his skin. Heh, sorry to scare you, the wind whispered in Venti’s familiar voice . I could see you flinch from down here. We’ll have to communicate like this while you handle Dvalin. Oh- careful!  

The dragon’s tail swooped towards him, and he was again saved by Venti’s manipulation of the wind. Use your elemental abilities to wear him down. Don’t hold back in your strength, though. Dvalin… Dvalin can withstand it.   

Ah. Of course. It was all too easy sometimes to forget he could use Anemo himself, given that it was a relatively new weapon in his arsenal. Still, it felt like so much of his fighting instinct had left him since his encounter with the unknown god. Maneuvers that he could once do in his sleep now took a great deal of focus and energy. Well, here goes nothing.  

As the dragon flew towards him again, claws outstretched, Aether summoned a few dagger-shaped vortexes of air and flung out his arm, sending the cluster straight towards his head. Unfortunately, they didn’t faze Dvalin in the slightest and seemed to dissipate upon touching his scales.

Uh oh.

What had meant to slow the dragon down only seemed to make him angrier, and Aether dodged his approach a little too late, claws raking shallowly across his back as he ducked.   

Sorry! Venti’s voice called.  

“It’s fine ,” he said, attempting to ignore the stinging pain that surfaced with every movement. “Got any other ideas?” He called out into the wind. He felt a little stupid doing it, but it seemed to work.   

Hmm… well, if his scales deflect all your attacks, that throws a wrench in our plan… just distract him while I think about it.  

“I’ll do my best.”  

Venti’s focus shifted away from the thread of air he was using and back to the platform. His head throbbed a little bit from the effort of using Anemo energy for such a long period of time - communicating through the wind always took it out of him. “Watch out!” Diluc yelled, and he jumped to the side as the preliminary signs of an abyss mage teleport appeared next to him. It popped into existence and swung a bubble at him, which he deflected with a quickly fired arrow. Hydro. Great. He made a break for the other side of the platform and retaliated by summoning a gust of Anemo beneath the mage with a flick of his wrist.   

“Ah, if only we had a Cryo user with us,” he sighed to Diluc and Jean, who now stood on either side of him with their weapons drawn.   

“Too bad,” Diluc responded flatly. “Every Cryo wielder I know is a nuisance anyway. We’re better off without.” With that, he infused his claymore with Pyro and sprinted forward, swinging at the monster. It popped out of existence and reappeared behind Diluc, cackling, but Venti’s bow was already raised in preparation. He infused the tip of the arrow with Anemo and, closing one eye, let it fly, hitting the mage at the same time Jean shot a gust of wind from her sword. Hydro-infused wind swirled around the creature for a moment, and its shield began to crack. Diluc scoffed. “How weak.”   

Throwing his claymore over his shoulder, he swung it in the abyss mage’s direction, sending his signature eagle-shaped Pyro attack towards it. Its shield cracked further, then disappeared with a small pop. Venti was quick to land an arrow in its chest the moment the shield was gone, the force knocking the mage near the edge of the platform. Jean dashed towards it, intending to throw it off with Anemo, but it had grown wise to their attack pattern.

A burst of Hydro emanated from the monster and Jean was flung backwards. She cried out and hit the platform with a heavy thud. Venti’s shoulders tensed in panic, and he ran over to help as the abyssal creature slowly got up.   

Jean struggled for air as she lay on the platform, the wind knocked out of her. Her eyes were glassy and unfocused. Dread began to rise in Venti’s throat, but he steadied himself and instead crouched down and placed a hand on her chest, imbuing her with Anemo energy. He waited for what felt like too long, studying her face as the elemental glow faded, and was relieved when she started to breathe normally again.   

That crisis averted, he stood up and turned his attention back to the mage, which was just recovering from a bout of Diluc’s attacks. It waved its wand and droplets of Hydro began to form across the platform, rising up from the stone and bursting forcefully as they rose. It did a mocking little dance and once again laughed mechanically as a bubble popped next to Venti’s right shoulder, causing him to nearly drop his bow from the pain. Accursed thing. We’re running out of time.   

He tried to fire an arrow to stun it again, but lifting his arm proved to be a problem. It felt weighted down, and he couldn’t raise it more than a few inches from his side, both because of the stabbing pain that shot down from his shoulder to his fingertips and because of that fact that he just. Couldn’t. Why in Celestia’s name does this blighted Khaenri’anh scum have the ability to cast spells? He surveyed the platform.   

Jean was still in rough shape, and Diluc couldn’t get close to the monster during its current state without a definite probability of suffering a similar fate. The mage continued its regenerative dance, the Hydro symbol glowing beneath its feet. Ah, well. I suppose it’s up to me to save the day again, hm? Venti swiftly summoned his lyre and took a deep breath, focusing on the core of elemental energy within his chest and letting that power flow through his veins to his fingertips. Without being in archon form, it was a dangerous idea to use his Gnosis to harness anything more than the elemental energy that floated on the surface of that pool of power, but there wasn’t time to change now.  

It was a paradoxical mixture of calming and overwhelming as the pure energy rushing through him lit his veins on fire and nearly knocked him off his feet, but that feeling was soon replaced by a soft sensation not unlike a cool breeze passing through his body. He exhaled and strummed a chord on his lyre, fingers flying over the cool strings. A wind current formed underneath the abyssal enemy and shot it into the sky with an impact so powerful it didn’t seem possible that it was caused only by concentrated wind.   

The mage died instantly, fading away as gravity forced it to descend. Thank Celestia. He immediately felt exhausted and collapsed to his knees, his shoulder throbbing and a headache prickling at the front of his skull. Skies, it must have been a while since I used the Gnosis like that.   

Diluc and Jean sprinted over, and Jean made a quick maneuver with her sword, casting an arena of Anemo energy that was clearly imbued with healing properties, given how quickly his headache began to fade. He closed his eyes as he sat on the uneven stone, managing his breaths carefully. In any other moment, it may have bothered him that it may look pathetic for a god to be weakened like this, especially in front of his own people. But right now, he was just too tired to care.  

Paimon flew over from the corner of the platform she’d been hiding in. “Great job, Dvalin Protection Squad!” She cheered.   

“Are you all okay? No major injuries from that, right?” Jean asked, inspecting all of them worriedly. Venti got up as Jean’s ward faded away. His legs and head felt fine now, but the moment he rotated his arm, he winced. That’s going to be sore for a while. “Venti?” Jean said, brow wrinkled with concern.  

“Oh, ah - I’m fine, no need to worry. It’s nothing that won’t heal overnight,” he responded, smiling reassuringly with a sense of security that he didn’t actually feel. She eyed him with some suspicion, but let it go.  

“Things don’t look too great up there,” Diluc commented, staring worriedly into the sky. Venti turned to follow his line of sight and winced as Dvalin swung his tail at Aether, hitting him in the stomach. The traveler was doubled over, gasping for air, and barely managed to deflect the dragon’s follow-up attack with a gust of Anemo.   

“Oh no…” Paimon whispered. Her hands were clasped together, and her knuckles were white from the force of her worry.   

Yikes… I hope he’s alright. Maybe this was too much to ask. Guilt began to envelop him, its dangerous tendrils reaching as if to swallow him whole. His chest felt tight and strangely empty at the same time. It wasn’t an unfamiliar feeling. I wish I could have kept Dvalin from reaching this point- and, by proxy, those around me from coming to harm. His hands clenched into fists as the same argument he always had with himself returned. Was my decision to leave Mondstadt truly the right one? Would I be of more use to my people if I had the power to keep them safe?  

He took a deep breath and the tightness eased. It wasn’t the time for that. He could swallow his self-pity later, once this crisis was resolved. He closed his eyes and latched his focus onto another stream of wind, following it up to where Aether was still struggling with Dvalin. The platform is clear, and the abyss mage is no more. What should we direct our efforts towards to best aid you? Venti asked.  

“I don’t… know…” Aether responded through gasps, still recovering from Dvalin’s earlier attack. He’d never had a moment to really catch his breath, and he was slowly losing the strength to keep dodging. Exhaustion clouded his mind. “Nothing… works. Attacks… can’t get… through.” Dvalin dove at him again and he summoned his energy to push himself upward with a gust of wind, watching the dragon as it flew just underneath him. Hold on – something’s different. His lungs having recovered enough, he asked, “hey, Venti? Can you see anything weird on Dvalin’s back?”  

Not currently, but I’ll look.  

Venti pulled his consciousness away from the battle in the sky and blinked a few times. “Oh, you’re back! What’s happening? Is he alright?” Jean quickly asked him.   

“Our situation is unfortunately dire,” he responded. “There remains no feasible way to weaken Dvalin. Not yet, at least.” He looked up at Dvalin and studied the dragon as it flew around a small gold and black form. Dvalin dove towards Aether, and – there. What was that?  

A flash of color caught his eye. He waited for Dvalin to turn his back towards them, and there it was again: a purple spike protruding from an area near his neck. How could I have not noticed that before…?  

“Did you see something?” Paimon asked, tilting her head in curiosity.   

“Yes. There appears to be a weak point on Dvalin’s back. A coagulation of abyssal corruption and sorrow has formed there. Removing it should be our next course of action.”  

Diluc frowned. “Strange. Is it new?”  

Venti shook his head. “It couldn’t be. Something of that size must have been years in the making. I don’t understand how I missed it.”  

“Maybe it’s the Abyss,” Paimon suggested. “It cut off your connection to Dvalin last time, right? What’s to say the mage we just defeated wasn’t using its magic to hide the weird lump from us?”   

Venti just stared at her. “Well, Paimon, that may just be the most intelligent thing you’ve said so far,” he commented.   

“Heyyyy, that’s not nice! Paimon will have you know that she’s very very smart and maybe a certain stupid Tone-Deaf Bard should try listening to her every so often!”  

He laughed. “Noted.”  

“That does seem plausible,” Diluc agreed with a slight nod of his head. “Should you tell Aether?”   

“I’ll do that now.” For what he hoped would be the last time, he closed his eyes and sent his mind away again. Aether – you were right. Aim for the purple clot on Dvalin’s back. Forget about trying to purify him for now, we just need to destroy that. I’ll aid you this time.   

Venti’s sudden intervention made him flinch again. As much as he prepared himself for it, having a disembodied voice appear would never not be terrifying. He took a deep breath and steadied himself, facing Dvalin. By now, every muscle in his body was practically screaming for a break, and he had very little elemental energy left to exhaust. But you have to push through. You’re almost there.  

Dvalin let out his loudest roar yet and flapped his wings forcefully, sending a gust of wind in Aether’s direction. A quick updraft from Venti sent him out of harm’s way and above the dragon. Taking the opportunity, he quickly flew forward and behind Dvalin, summoning a large vortex of Anemo energy in his palm and flinging it at the coagulation of corruption on the dragon’s back. It struck it head on and swirled as it hit, causing cracks to form on the spike. Dvalin roared in pain and thrashed about in the air. Aether winced, unable to help feeling a little bad. After all, he didn’t deserve to be attacked, it was just the only course of action. He took a deep breath and steeled himself before sending another projectile towards the dragon.  

Venti was having similar thoughts as he stood and watched the battle from below. Every time Aether struck Dvalin, he flinched. It was all too painful to see his friend in such agony. I just hope he doesn’t blame me, he thought. Guilt swept over him yet again. Oh, Dvalin… I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you before.  

All that I can do now is remedy my errors.  

Back in the sky, Aether had just about fully exhausted himself, both physically and elementally. Every muscle ached and he felt strangely empty and weak after using so much Anemo energy. Just keeping his eyes open seemed to take more strength than he had left. He blinked and stared at the Abyssal crystal on Dvalin’s back as he flailed and roared from the last attack. The cracks in its surface were severe, glowing with a strange purple hue. It looked like it would shatter at any moment.   

“Venti?” He called out into the wind.   

Yes?  

“I need you to get me closer to Dvalin. The clot is just about removed.”  

Understood.  

Aether felt a strong wind current at his feet, and he summoned his sword, gripping it tight with the last of his energy. Suddenly, he was propelled forward at a scarily high speed, the scales on Dvalin’s back growing closer and closer. He pulled his blade back, gritting his teeth as pain shot through his arms, and swung.   

Crack.  

The crystal exploded, shattering into dozens of jagged shards imbued with Abyssal energy that flew in every direction. Dvalin let out an unearthly screech and began to flap around aimlessly. Tasting metal, Aether wiped his hand across his forehead, noticing that quite a lot of blood came off on his glove. His arm had a sharp cut across it as well. Great.  

He glided back down to the platform and rejoined his party, practically collapsing on the stone as the sound of Dvalin’s roars echoed in the background. “Aether!” Paimon yelled, flying over to him and tackling him with a hug. He sluggishly returned the gesture and looked around, blinking heavily.   

“Did we –”   

Before he could finish, the platform began to crack under their feet. Lightning flashed more furiously, and the clouds seemed to be swirling faster and faster. “What’s going on?” Paimon asked, extricating herself from Aether’s arms to dart around nervously.   

“There’s no Abyssal energy left to maintain this domain,” Venti responded, eyes dark with worry. “With the Abyss mage and now that corruption gone, this space will begin to crumble and collapse before our very eyes.”  

“What do we do?” Jean asked, her voice laced with fear that she was evidently trying to hide.   

“I don’t know.” Venti said. Gods, what do I do? How am I going to keep them all safe? He squeezed his eyes shut to hold back the tears that threatened to well up before reopening them. No. Don’t despair yet. I can figure this out.   

Unfortunately, he wouldn’t have enough time. Dvalin let out a last roar and went still, falling unconscious from the pain of having the corruption destroyed and from his fatigue following the battle. He plummeted just as the platform broke. Aether scrambled to keep hold of something, but it was too late. Piece by piece, the stone fell apart until there was nothing left to grab onto. He felt the moment that the solid ground beneath him became empty air, and a sickening feeling hit his stomach as he began to fall towards the dark clouds below. “Aether!” Paimon yelled, flying after him.   

Venti heard Paimon’s shout as he fell. The terror in her voice was enough to snap him out of his frozen, panic-induced state. He drew on the power of his gnosis for the second time in a very short period and exhaled, releasing it from his chest to his fingertips. Dvalin glowed with Anemo energy below them, and as it faded, his eyes snapped open. Exhausted, Venti closed his eyes, slipping into darkness as he plunged into the void below. 

As the group plummeted through the layer of dark storm clouds encompassing the domain and into the open sky, they found themselves struggling to breathe. The atmosphere seemed to have gotten much thinner now that they were out of the magic-constructed area, and Aether began taking larger breaths to compensate for the lack of oxygen. He spread his arms out as best he could and felt his chest growing tighter as he attempted to look around for the rest of his party.   

Jean and Diluc looked okay, although they were obviously in the same position he was, but Venti seemed to be completely unconscious and Paimon was having trouble keeping up with them as they free-fell. What do I do? I can’t glide here; it’ll just keep me in this atmosphere so long that I pass out. But if I keep falling, I’ll have too much momentum to slow myself before I reach the ground…  

He closed his eyes and tried to focus on keeping his breathing steady. Suddenly, a shadow fell over him, accompanied by a loud rush of air. He quickly reopened his eyes, scanning the area, and was stunned to see Dvalin swooping through the skies, somehow fully recovered. The dragon slowly turned back towards the falling group and flew underneath Venti so quickly that had Aether blinked, he may have missed it.

Now on his right, Dvalin readied to repeat the gesture, timing it so that Aether fell right onto his back to join Venti. He landed stomach-first onto the hard scales, struggling for air as the dragon knocked the wind out of him yet again. After gasping for a few moments, he tried to ignore the pain that stabbed through him every time he moved and slowly grabbed onto one of the spikes on Dvalin’s back. Sensing Dvalin tensing up, he pulled himself up and wrapped one arm around the spike, grabbing onto Venti’s arm with the other.

The moment he did, Dvalin dove after Diluc and Jean, who also landed on the dragon with a hard thud. Paimon flew down as they hovered in the air and caught their breath.  

“Are you okay? Archons, that was so scary, Paimon didn’t know how to help or what to do and you were just falling and falling and –“  

Aether pulled her into a hug and she stopped talking. They sat there like that for a moment, her hands clinging to his scarf in a death grip. “It’s okay. I’m okay,” he reassured, partially to himself.   

Dvalin began to gently move again, gliding through the air. Aether let go of Paimon and looked down Dvalin’s back to check on everyone else. Diluc and Jean were sat up and breathing normally, but Venti was still unconscious. Aether put his hand to his neck to check the bard’s pulse, which was slow, but not abnormally slow. There were no visible injuries, so it seemed like he’d just passed out.   

“Is the Tone-Deaf Bard okay?” Paimon asked with genuine concern.  

“I think so. He’s breathing and his heartbeat is steady. I’d say he just needs a moment,” Aether replied, although he was still a little worried himself. Why hasn’t he woken up? Did he hit his head or something? He watched the bard for a moment longer, then turned his gaze back towards Dvalin’s head. Mondstadt was visible in the distance as a vague outline, and it was then that he realized just how high up they still were. His grip on Dvalin’s back tightened. He didn’t know how long he sat there, staring into the distance, hair brushing his face in the breeze, before Venti woke up.   

Every bone in Venti’s body hurt. He opened his eyes slightly, wincing from the incredibly bright light infiltrating his eyelids. After blinking a few times, his sight adjusted, and he took a deep breath as he took in the fact that he was laid flat on Dvalin’s back.   

“It’s been a while since we flew like this together, huh, Dvalin?” He remarked quietly, running a hand along his friend’s cool, smooth scales.   

Venti felt the vibrations of Dvalin’s low, rumbling voice as he responded. “Just now… why… why did you not ask me to protect you like the last time?”  

Aether jumped slightly, startled, having not heard Venti’s initial statement. He turned away from the view and smiled upon seeing that his friend was now awake and looking perfectly normal. The worry that had been pooling in his stomach dissipated, and he felt much more at ease. Venti, in good spirits as well, smiled at Dvalin’s question. “Me not wanting you to listen to the Abyss Order doesn’t mean you have to listen to me,” he replied. “Freedom, if demanded of you by an archon, is really no freedom at all.”  

With that, he sat up and formed a small orb of Anemo energy in his palm, which floated down and was absorbed into Dvalin’s scales. The dragon glowed again with a teal light and let out a low, thoughtful noise. “Is this… the power of the Anemo Archon? But I am no longer one of the Four Winds.”  

No, but you’re still my friend . “Even if that’s so, you saved us regardless,” he chose to say instead. Turning his head toward the sky, he said definitively, “now, spread your wings of freedom and go with my blessing.”  

Dvalin gave no response, but the atmosphere was much calmer on the dragon’s back. They traveled the rest of the way to the city in a comfortable silence. After a few minutes, he made a steady landing in the field at Windrise and Aether hopped off Dvalin as quickly as possible. Flying was fine, he supposed, but it had been far too long since his feet were on solid ground. He walked a few feet away with Paimon trailing behind him, and turned to see Venti disembark. The bard ran his hand along the patch of scales under the dragon’s eye and whispered something to him. With that, Dvalin flew off, back to his home in the ruins of an abandoned city, and Venti rejoined the rest of the group, smiling broadly.  

“I cannot thank you all enough for your help in resolving this crisis,” Jean began. “To have peace restored to the city is an enormous weight off my shoulders, and it is no exaggeration to say that Mondstadt is in your debt. Should you ever need anything from the Knights, do not hesitate to seek me out.”  

Diluc scoffed. “As if I would actively look for help from the Knights of Favonius.”   

Paimon rolled her eyes and Aether pretended he hadn’t heard anything. “I cannot say that I offered my aid purely for unselfish reasons, but I am as glad to see Mondstadt safe as you are,” Venti responded.  

Jean smiled at that. “It does bring me some ease to know our archon is still watching over us.” She looked up at the sky, which was slowly fading from a colorful pink sunset into the starry darkness of night. “Well, I suppose we should head back to the city. Unfortunately, my responsibilities have not ended here, and I’d like to get some rest before they begin to pile up.”  

Diluc nodded his agreement. “I, too, have business to attend to.” He gave them all a short nod, then turned and began to follow the path back to town. Jean sighed and put a hand to her head. The bartender’s curtness had clearly been annoying her as well. She waved as if to say goodbye, but Aether suddenly remembered something.  

“Oh, Jean – I’ve been meaning to give this to you,” he said, pulling from his satchel the Fatui notebook that Venti had found. He handed it to her and she began flipping through the pages, her brow furrowed. “We found it when we were searching for Dvalin’s tears,” he explained as she read.   

Venti nodded agreement. “It’s a series of Fatui logs, but we don’t know from what. They were clearly occupying that temple for a while without our knowledge, and we decided that as Acting Grand Master, the situation would be best left to you.”  

Jean closed the notebook, looking rather pale. “Thank you both,” she said quietly. “I can’t say too much out in the open, but this is of vital importance in an affair the Knights have been investigating for quite some time.” She looked up at both of them. “Please do not say a word to anyone about this.”  

All three nodded. “Our lips are sealed!” Paimon confirmed.   

Jean exhaled. “Thank you. I’ll be heading back to the city now. Get a good night’s rest, and I’ll see you all tomorrow. Oh, and Aether – if you need medical attention for that cut on your forehead, go see Barbara at the Cathedral.”  She turned and Aether watched as she got further away, jogging until she caught up with Diluc.  

“Do you need to get that looked at, Aether?” Paimon asked, clasping her hands behind her back as she watched him expectantly. He ran his hand along his forehead, but no blood came off. He’d completely forgotten about it, to be honest, which was typical. He tended to mentally block out a lot of pain from injuries.  

Ultimately, he shook his head. “No, it’s alright. It’s not bleeding anymore, and it doesn’t particularly hurt.”  

Paimon frowned. “What about the cut on your arm?”  

“That one’s fine too. Don’t worry about it – we can just head back to the inn.” She pulled a pouty face and he sighed. “Paimon, it’s really okay. I’ll make sure I get a lot of sleep and bandage them and everything, alright?”  

She smiled, satisfied. “Okay, that’s fine with Paimon! As long as you’re taking care of yourself.”  

Aether turned to Venti. “Are you staying with us tonight as well? I’ve got enough mora for three.”  

Venti tapped his chin, pretending to think deeply about the question. “Well, I was going to sleep out here, but if you’re offering…” he trailed off, giving him a cheeky grin.   

“Alright, no need to act so modest,” Aether said, smiling. Venti pulled a pouty face that was meant to look sad, but he just looked like an idiot. Aether let out a small snort and Venti crossed his arms.   

“You dare to laugh at me, the illustrious bard and poet of Mondstadt as well as its archon?” He declared. Aether smiled wryly and played along.  

“Yeah, I do,” he responded, crossing his arms as well. They stared each other down for a moment, Paimon watching in confusion. The comedic tension grew until they both burst out laughing from the sheer absurdity of the situation. After a while, they both caught their breath and were of sound mind again, yet still smiling.   

How is someone so unserious a god? Aether found himself wondering, although more out of curiosity than disdain. Gods are usually so… cold and unwavering. They demand authority and exude power. But Venti’s the most carefree person I’ve ever met and actively avoids responsibility. He watched as the bard teased Paimon and she responded with a slew of insults that just made him laugh. Teyvat really is a strange place. But… I’m glad to have found a few friends.  

After a lot of messing around, the trio made their way back to the inn. Aether hung his satchel on the hook on the back of the door and sat on the edge of the bed to start unbraiding his hair. Venti and Paimon, by contrast, collapsed on top of the blankets and fell asleep almost immediately. Aether sighed and ran his fingers through his loose hair. For how much they bickered, they were surprisingly similar, although he’d never say that to Paimon – she wouldn’t speak to him for days.   

He took off his boots and gloves, wrapped his wounds, then laid down and sank into the mattress. The day’s events had finally caught up with him: every part of his body ached, and he could barely keep his eyes open. In a few moments, he, too, had succumbed to exhaustion, and drifted into sleep as the sun set over a city newly saved.  

Notes:

I'm losing motivation for this fic help :( the Voltron fandom has reclaimed me I fear and I'm trying so hard to lock in and write chapter 13 but the hold those characters have on me is too great right now

Also I finished playing this game called Until Then a few days ago and it was a life-changing experience. 10/10 would recommend if you're bored and looking for something on Steam.

Anyway enjoy another chapter!

Chapter 10: Aftermath

Summary:

Aether and Paimon spend a final day in Mondstadt before departing on the next step of their journey.

Hey… wake up…  

Aether…?  

Aether!  

“AETHER!”  

He blinked his eyes open, adjusting to the piercing white lighting that assaulted his vision and made him want to immediately shut his eyes again. A blurry figure hovered over him. “Hello?” He said a little stupidly, still groggy from sleep.  

“About time you woke up! I’ve been here for ages,” a familiar voice said. Their tone was laden with worry and panic. “Here, try to sit up.” They wrapped an arm around his back and pulled him up to a sitting position. Aether rubbed his eyes, his focus slowly returning. “Do you need anything?” They asked.  

He looked up, finally recognizing the person that awoke him as Lumine. A quick survey of his surroundings showed that he was still in his bed on their spaceship. Why is she waking me up?   

“What happened? Why are you so worried?” He asked, confused. She tensed up as if to speak but exhaled and closed her eyes instead. Lumine glanced quickly to her right, towards the door, then looked back at him.  

“Look, we just have to go. Can you stand?”   

She extended a hand and helped him get to his feet. His knees buckled when he put weight on them, and he would have fallen had she not kept him upright. They started to slowly walk towards the door as he regained his strength. It was when she pressed the button to open it that he realized what was wrong.   

Outside the metal capsule was a world on fire. The hill they had landed on top of was intact, but beyond that point was complete and utter devastation. Flames ravaged a vast landscape; every tree was blackened, and smoke filled the air. The ground had been broken apart into jagged pieces of land, and the stone ruins of buildings were scattered everywhere. However, most eerie were the lines of floating red and black cubes that seemed to spiral from the sky into the ground.   

Aether coughed and pulled his scarf over his mouth and nose. A sudden explosion somewhere to their left caused both twins to flinch, and the sound of terrified screams followed.  

“Lumine, what the hell is going on?” Aether asked in a panic, turning to her. She wouldn’t look at him. Lumine squeezed her eyes shut, and when she reopened them, her gaze was sad and empty and… guilty?  

“The destruction of Khaenri’ah,” she replied simply, still not meeting his eyes. After a long glance at the devastating scene, she let out a long breath and her eyes regained that hard determination he was so used to seeing. She grabbed his hand. “Come on. We need to leave.”  

“Leave? You mean the planet?”  

“Yes, I do. There’s nothing for us here. I was wrong to think it could ever be a home. We have to go.”  

He could tell there would be no arguing with her when she got that look in her eye. “Okay. Fine.”  

Leaving the destruction of a nation to its people, they abandoned their destroyed spaceship, extended their wings and shot up into the sky to escape among the stars.   

Yet it didn’t go as planned.  

The rest of the events blurred together. Standing on a stone walkway in a vast sky filled with pillars and platforms. Drawing his sword. Watching Lumine disappear before his eyes. And the terrifying, suffocating feeling of being trapped in a pile of those same unnerving red and black cubes.  

Aether’s eyes snapped open as he gasped for air. Everything from his dream was still so vivid, flashing in his memories as he lay face-up on the bed, practically stuck to the mattress by his sweat. Eventually, his breathing slowed, and he rolled onto his side. Based on the light from the window, it was about eight or nine in the morning. Venti and Paimon were still out cold. Now fully awake and oriented, he shifted onto his back again and dragged his hand down his face.   

That fucking nightmare.  

He’d had it almost every night now since they arrived in Mondstadt. It started as just incoherent flashes of ruin but slowly morphed into what was undoubtedly not a dream, but a memory.  

But a memory of what? What - or where - in the Anemo Archon’s name was Khaenri’ah? What was Lumine doing there? Why did it mean something to her? And why hadn’t they been allowed to leave?  

Aether let out a long sigh. He had to find some answers, or he was going to go insane. He’d already had no leads on the god that trapped them, so the only other information he had to go off of was the name of that place. Should he start by asking people about Khaenri’ah? It seemed like the best first step, but it would probably lead to a lot of questions that he didn’t want to answer or have to lie his way around. Even asking Paimon felt like too much of a risk right now.   

He laid in bed for a while, sprawled out as he stared blankly at the ceiling. Hold on – isn’t Lisa a librarian? Mondstadt’s sure to have a library, so maybe I could start looking for information there. Checking out a couple of books wouldn’t raise any suspicions… right?  

Having set himself a new goal, he felt organized enough to finally drag himself out of bed. He threw the blankets into a crumpled mess in the corner of the mattress, then slid on his boots and gloves. After braiding his hair, he went to the bathroom and splashed some water on his face. As the cold liquid woke him up, he lifted his head and found himself staring at his reflection in the mirror above the sink.   

He didn’t look as much of a mess as he felt, thankfully. It would seem the constant feelings of unease and worry were mostly internal and presented themselves only in the form of developing dark circles under his eyes. He blinked, dried his hands on a towel, and went to slip out the door.  

“Aether? Where are you going?” Paimon’s high-pitched voice asked sleepily. He froze and looked over at her bed, where she’d just begun to stir.  

“I was just headed out on a walk,” he said quietly, so as not to wake Venti. Not that he had much to worry about – the bard slept like a rock. “You can join me if you’d like, but it’s still early, so don’t feel like you have to if you need more sleep.”  

Paimon hopped up from the bed, fully awake now. “Nope! Paimon will come.” She floated over to him and the duo exited the inn. They hadn’t gone far before they bumped into Amber, who was rushing down Mondstadt’s main street towards the gate.  

“Oh, hey, you guys are back!” She said enthusiastically, smiling at them. “The Honorary Knight returns triumphant – not that there was much doubt about that. You just returned yesterday, right? Jean’s already back and she’s told us all about your heroic deeds.” Amber sighed wistfully. “I wonder if I’ll ever get an opportunity like that…”  

“Trust me, it’s not an opportunity you want very often,” Aether half-joked. I wonder if the pressure of everyone counting on you would get to Amber the same way it does me… she never seems to lose her spark.  

Amber laughed. “You’re probably right. Besides, I should just be grateful everything’s gone back to normal in Mondstadt – especially to you. Peace is far too easy to take for granted, and it’s thanks to your help that it’s been restored.”  

“You’re welcome!” Paimon replied, smiling. “But what are you doing out here in such a hurry?”  

“Well, in short, I’m dealing with the aftermath of the crisis.”  

“Aftermath? Here?”   

Amber looked grim. “Oh, you wouldn’t know. While Master Jean was away, the hilichurls made a coordinated attack on the city. We were well prepared for this for a while, so it didn’t exactly come as a surprise, but it still requires some clean-up.”  

Paimon nodded. “Right, Paimon remembers we helped you clear out that hilichurl camp when we first met!”  

“Exactly. It was thanks to those preparations then that we weren’t in great danger.” Her expression became pensive. “Although I have a strange feeling that we’re not out of the woods yet…”  

“Do you know what would make the hilichurls act like that?” Aether asked, curious.  

Amber shook her head. “Our best guess is that the Abyss Order is behind it, but we don’t have clear evidence.”  

“They’ve taken control of the hilichurls? Hmm… good thing we saved Dvalin, or they might have taken him, too…” Paimon said thoughtfully.  

“That’s right.” She agreed. “Oh, but you don’t need to be listening to all this somber talk – today is a celebration of your victory! Are you both hungry? I’ve been meaning to treat you both to a meal at Good Hunter. They have an amazing Sticky Honey Roast.”  

“Ooooh, that sounds great!” Paimon said, nodding her head happily. “Should we go now?”  

“You two can go ahead and wait for me there, if that’s alright. I’ve got to sort some stuff out at the city gate, but I’ll be with you in just a moment!” With that, she jogged off, waving down the guards that were keeping watch. Aether and Paimon headed over to Good Hunter, but much to Aether’s annoyance, a familiar figure was already stood there, chatting to Sara.  

Kaeya.   

There was just something about him that put Aether on edge. Every conversation felt like he was being scrutinized and searched for information, and he really couldn’t stand people who turned every social interaction into an uncomfortable game of sorts. He tried to sneak past Kaeya and sit down at one of the tables, but the Cavalry Captain spotted him.  

“Ah, if it isn’t the Traveler. Why so cold? I always thought we had quite the intimate friendship,” the man said, grinning slyly.  

“Oh, hey. I didn’t see you there,” Aether said quite unconvincingly. He wasn’t exactly trying to hide his disdain, but his discomfort only seemed to encourage Kaeya.  

“Hahaha… it seems your great battle sharpened not only your combat skills but your wit as well.” He winked. “A knight after my own heart.”  

Paimon didn’t take well to the conversation either. “Sweet-talking sugar-coated Captain Kaeya…” she grumbled underneath her breath.  

“What are you doing here?” Aether asked as politely as he could, ignoring Kaeya’s comments.  

“Just looking for a quiet spot to collect my thoughts,” he said, smiling.   

“While all the other knights are working hard to clean up after the battle?” Paimon accused, crossing her arms.   

“Thinking can be an arduous task, you know.”  

“Well, what are you thinking about, then?”  

“The Abyss Order.”  

Now Aether was a little more interested. “What about them?” He asked.  

Kaeya smirked. “Got your attention, I see.” He took a seat at the table across from them, not bothering to ask permission, and leaned back in his chair. “Well. Look at the situation – a dragon wreaks havoc in Mondstadt, drawing the Acting Grand Master out of the city. It’s the perfect time for the Abyss Order to attack, but they only send out a few half-hearted groups of hilichurls. Why would they squander such a golden opportunity?”  

Aether frowned. He’s completely right, it’s strange… how had I not thought about that?   

Kaeya continued. “It didn’t make any sense. So, I waited for the opportunity to get some answers – specifically, by staying in Mondstadt. On the same day the hilichurls attacked, I saw shadowy figures lurking inside the city itself.”  

“Inside the city!?” Paimon interrupted.  

Kaeya nodded. “Well, all the other Knights were outside the walls, fighting the enemy, so the inside had no defenses. Apart from me, that is.” He smirked. “So, of course, I approached the Abyss Order infiltrators for a bit of… fraternizing. Through various means, I managed to gather some rather interesting intel.” The Knight paused for a moment and leaned forward, clasping his hands and setting them on the table dramatically. “The Abyss Order is united under a single leader.”  

Both Aether and Paimon were stunned. “Wait, they have a leader?” Paimon asked in disbelief. Aether was thinking the same thing. This whole time, I thought they were just a disorganized group of monsters, but they truly are a cohesive fighting force with a common goal. No wonder Diluc is so worried about them…  

“Yes,” Kaeya confirmed. “And it was this very leader that devised the plan to turn Dvalin into a weapon of war.”  

Aether felt a little sick. Their one weakness was that they lacked the intelligence to coordinate themselves. But now, that’s not the case. They have plans, numbers, and they’re powerful. Gods, what have I gotten myself involved with?  

“But that’s not all… this leader – they call her ‘The Princess,’” he finished. The atmosphere had drastically changed by this point and Aether and Paimon exchanged a worried glance. Kaeya ran a hand through his hair, looking to his left. “Well, I’m sorry to cut this short, but I do believe Amber is coming this way and I don’t doubt she’s still angry with me for my absence from the battle, so I’d best take my leave.” He stood up, still smiling unnervingly, and left in the direction of the city center.   

Amber joined them at the table, glaring in the direction Kaeya had disappeared in. “One minute I see Kaeya, the next he’s slipped away! Ugh, what am I going to do about him…” She slumped in the chair he’d been occupying, looking exhausted already. “I should just forget about him and order – my tummy’s rumbling!” She waved over Sara. “Hi Sara! One Sticky Honey Roast, please.”   

The food didn’t take long to arrive, and it was after they’d had their meal that conversation started up again. Amber set her fork down on her plate and asked, “So. Now that the Stormterror threat is behind us, what are your plans for the next step?”  

“Paimon thinks it’s time to leave Mondstadt and keep looking through the seven nations until we find clues about his sister,” Aether’s companion answered for him.   

That sentence made him pause. It wasn’t until now that he’d fully accepted that he needed to move on and travel elsewhere, and something about that thought saddened him. Mondstadt had been so welcoming, especially after his travels had conditioned him to avoid getting attached to any place, that it made it feel like a genuine loss to leave.   

Amber interrupted his thoughts. “Oh, really? …Well, I guess this may be our goodbye for now.”  

“I’ll miss Mondstadt,” Aether replied quietly, as though he didn’t want to admit it. Amber blinked in surprise and smiled warmly at him.   

“Hey, don’t feel down! You’ll always be a friend of the Knights of Favonius and our Honorary Knight - wherever you may go, and wherever the wind may blow,” she reassured him, giving the traditional Favonian salute from her seat.   

Given her constant enthusiasm, he couldn’t help but smile in return. “Thanks, Amber. I’ll come back to visit,” he promised.  

“That’s the spirit! Mondstadt will always welcome you.”  

The three sat in a comfortable silence for a moment before Aether cleared his throat. “Well, I should probably get going – I don’t want to keep you from your duties for too long, and I’ve been meaning to stop off at the library.”  

“Oh, no worries! Do you need directions?” Amber asked, standing up.  

“No, I think I remember where it is,” he said, getting up as well. “Thank you, though. And before I forget, is there any chance you could help me put up some missing person posters around the city sometime today?”  

“For your sister, right? Don’t worry, I’ll do it myself – you just worry about your own errands.”  

He thanked her and gave her a brief physical description of Lumine, which she scribbled down on a small notepad. Waving goodbye to the cheerful Outrider, he and Paimon made their way to the Knights of Favonius headquarters, nodding to the guard outside the library door before heading inside. The room was lined with bookshelves and had a distinct book smell of paper and dust.   

“Oh, hello, cutie!” Lisa’s voice called from the right where she was stood behind a desk, shelving books. “What can I do for our hero today?” She asked, setting the stack she was holding down.   

“Um- hi, Lisa,” Aether responded, a little uncomfortable. I really hate that nickname. “Do you happen to have any books about Teyvat and its history?”  

She frowned. “Unfortunately, a lot of our history books are in the restricted section, which, despite your title, I can’t lend to you.”  

Well, there’s one lead gone, he thought moodily. Why are those books restricted, anyway…?  

“I do, however, have a spare copy of the Mondstadt Teyvat Travel Guide that I’d be glad to give you,” Lisa offered, pulling a slim book off the shelf to her left and handing it to him. From first glance, it didn’t look like more than an adventurer’s diary, but any information he could get from it would be useful, he supposed.  

“Thanks, Lisa. I’ll take good care of it,” he promised, pocketing the book.  

She nodded, smiling. “Of course, cutie. What do you need it for, if I may ask?”  

“Just some reading for the road,” he lied quickly. “We’re leaving for Liyue soon and I wanted to be as informed as possible.”  

The lie didn’t seem to arouse any suspicions. “Oh – you’re going so soon? Have you gone to see Jean already?”  

“No, was I meant to?” He asked worriedly. Did I miss something? Did she tell me yesterday to see her?  

“She stopped by earlier to say she was headed to the Cathedral and to tell you to join her if I happened to see you. Something about the Holy Lyre der Himmel? I didn’t ask,” Lisa told him, waving a hand absentmindedly.   

Uh oh. I hope I haven’t kept her waiting long. And I hope she isn’t mad about the state the lyre is in…   

“Thank you for telling me – I’ll leave right away.”  

She smiled and gave him a wave. “Alright, cutie. Best of luck on your travels. Make sure to come back and visit me in the library sometime! It gets so dull in here.”  

“I will. Thanks again for the book.” Having gotten what he came for, he and Paimon left the library to visit the Cathedral. The large wooden doors creaked as he pushed them open, and he stepped into the neat, ornate building. Jean, Venti, and another girl with pale blonde hair in a knee-length white dress were stood at the end of the pews. Jean waved as he approached and gestured to the girl stood next to her.   

“This is Barbara, the Deaconess of the Church. She is here to retrieve the Holy Lyre der Himmel.”  

Barbara smiled and dipped her head in recognition. “May the Anemo Archon protect you,” she said in a light voice. “I’m not really in a position to speak compared to our Acting Grand Master, but I still want to thank you all on behalf of Mondstadt for your assistance! I’m so glad everything was resolved peacefully… an all-out war with one of the Four Winds is dreadful to think about.”  

Jean crossed her arms. “Now the Fatui have no choice but to keep their mouths shut. They must be annoyed that things didn’t turn out as planned and that they couldn’t take advantage of our time of struggle. Diplomatically speaking, they gained nothing and only proved how unpleasant they can be.”  

“Sounds like quite the story,” Barbara commented. She turned to Aether, smiling. “So, did you bring the Holy Lyre with you? The Seneschal has been pressing me about it for a while now.”  

Paimon wrung her hands. “We ahh… did bring it with us… Ummm… It’s just… it’s a little…” she stammered, ashamed. Barbara seemed unfazed.  

“Oh, don’t worry! I’m not asking for any rent from you - the Church receives other forms of payment,” she clarified, still smiling.  

Aether felt horrible. He knew exactly what was coming, and the thought of handing Barbara the destroyed instrument made him sick to his stomach. Even if it wasn’t really his fault, it would just make him look so incompetent… but avoiding the issue wouldn’t make anything better. Reluctantly, he dug the lyre out of his satchel and gingerly held it out to the Deaconess.   

Her smile fell immediately, and she just stared at the lyre, fragmented and splintered in Aether’s hands.   

“Ahh…” Paimon said, trying to alleviate the tension. Venti let out a nervous laugh and ran his hand through his hair.  

Overcome with shock, Barbara cried out, “AAAAAHH!! THE HOLY LYRE!” She dropped to her knees in a position of prayer. “Oh, Lord Barbatos… Even if I atoned for these sins for the rest of my life… it would still not be enough!”  

It was hard to not smile at that comment, knowing that Venti was right next to him. Once that thought had passed, though, Aether felt thoroughly uncomfortable from her distress. He had expected anger or disappointment – but she was just in despair, and blaming herself, no less. Unsure of what to do, he looked to Venti, who sighed.  

“Oh, give it here,” he said tiredly, taking the instrument from Aether’s hands. He closed his eyes and the lyre floated above his hands, surrounded by teal elemental energy. There was a flash and a burst of wind, and in a moment, it looked good as new.   

Barbara looked stunned. “How could this – the Holy Lyre… but how?” Shaking her head, she stood up and snatched it from Venti’s hands, cradling it to her chest. She gave the group her best glare, which was surprisingly intimidating for someone who looked so sweet. “I don’t know how you managed to fix it, but you’ll never touch the lyre again!” Aether stood frozen as she pivoted and stormed off to the Cathedral’s basement.  

Venti’s voice broke the silence that followed. “…we ahh… really should get going…” he said sheepishly. Cupping his mouth with his hand and leaning over to Aether, he whispered, “That trick I used to ‘repair’ the Holy Lyre – I mean the magic I used – isn’t going to hold forever, you know.”  

Paimon’s eyes widened. “What? You – Tone-Deaf Bard!!!”  

Venti giggled and gave them a mocking salute before running down the walkway and out of the church. “Hey! Don’t go!” Paimon yelled, stomping the air.   

Aether gave Jean an apologetic glance before running after him, Paimon trailing behind. He quickly pushed open the door to the Cathedral as it began to close from Venti’s escape and was following the bard when the ground in front of him turned into some sort of black liquid. He stopped himself from running into it just before two Fatui agents materialized from the opening and lunged toward Venti, knives in hand.  

Aether barely had time to think, quickly darting to the left of the agents and extending a hand and knocking them both several feet back with a vortex of wind. Venti stopped running and turned around, terror on his face.  

They’re not getting away after trying that, Aether thought as he drew his sword and ran towards the attackers. Paimon glanced worriedly at Venti before following her companion.  

If he had just stopped for a moment to consider that the Pyro agents weren’t the only threat, merely a distraction, maybe he wouldn’t regret what happened next for years to come.   

From behind him, there came footsteps and a light snap of someone’s fingers. He swiveled immediately as a cloud of ice was shot towards him and Venti and he threw up his hands in front of his face, struggling to keep his balance. Venti quickly dispersed it with Anemo, and as Aether’s vision cleared, he realized that the bard was frozen to the ground. Before he could help, the agents waiting behind him leapt and tackled him, pinning his arms and knocking his weapon away. He struggled to pull himself free, but their grip was like iron. 

He could only watch helplessly as a tall woman with pale blond hair and a strange mask on one side of her face languidly approached Venti, her red and black cape trailing behind her. Two electro cicin mages followed the woman as she walked forward. Every lazy step was accompanied by the slow clack of heels on pavement.  

“At last, Mondstadt’s rodent ruler in the flesh,” she said, smirking. Her voice was smooth and sultry with an ominous undertone that only put Aether more on edge. Whoever the hell this lady is, she’s dangerous, he realized. As Venti struggled to extract himself from the ice, she stepped forward and grabbed his face in her right hand, inspecting him with a cold and condescending gaze. “Scurrying through the streets, looking for leftovers… Mondstadt calls this a god?”   

“Resident rodent beats… invasive vermin…” Venti spat out, pinning her with a hateful glare as he tried to remove his head from her grasp. She drew back her hand and slapped him across the face without the slightest change of expression. Aether winced at the sound and attempted to break free again, but the Fatui agents were unrelenting in their watch and only tightened their grip. Fuck. What do I do?   

“Don’t you dare speak back to me, insolent bard,” the woman sneered at him. Venti, breathing heavily, began to summon currents of wind that spiraled around him, slowly chipping away at the ice keeping him in place. She didn’t seem fazed, just took a step back and lowered her head threateningly. “Absentee archon of Mondstadt… how impotent you’ve become.”  

Venti looked up at her and gave her a cocky grin. “That smirk you wear looks out of place… did you steal it from your master’s face?” He taunted, tilting his head.   

She narrowed her eyes and her smile disappeared. In the blink of an eye, she pushed Venti back with another spray of icy wind and lunged forward, plunging her hand into the center of his chest. Aether tensed up, stunned, and closed his eyes as a beam of light shot out from the point of impact.  

“Should’ve held your tongue,” the lady hissed in Venti’s ear before pulling back her hand and letting him fall to the ground. He dropped to all fours, clutching his chest. Now holding a small teal object that looked like an ornate chess piece, she took a few steps forward and lifted it up to inspect it in the light. “So. This is a Gnosis?” She mused, tilting it as it glowed. “Wouldn’t be caught dead wearing this ugly thing in public.”  

“Beauty is a waste… when the beholder has no taste,” Venti choked out. Her attention was drawn back to him, and she strode over, only to land a devastating kick to his stomach. Venti cried out in pain and rolled like a rag doll before coming to a stop. He was eerily still.   

“Venti!” Aether yelled, lunging forward in panic. The agents pulled him back and he tried again and again to wriggle his arms out of their grip, but to no avail. His breaths were coming quickly and shallowly as anxiety set in. He can’t be dead, can he? What the hell did she do? Fuck, why am I always so useless? Let go of me, you pieces of shit – gods, if I could only break free-  

The lady turned to glance carelessly at him, closing her fingers around what she called a ‘gnosis.’ “Well. We have what we came here for,” she said coldly, gesturing to the agents as she pivoted to walk back the way she arrived. “Come. Before our dear Favonian friends arrive. Leave nothing for them to find.”   

There was a searing pain in the back of Aether’s head, and he fell forward. The last thing he saw before slipping into unconsciousness was the blurry figure of the menacing woman disappearing from view and his friend prone on the ground in front of him.  

 

---

 

Everything hurt.  

That was Venti’s first thought as he regained consciousness. The stone pavement pressed uncomfortably into his back as he lay there, trying to muster the will to sit up. He just had no energy. His chest felt like it had been run through with a sword a hundred times over and every muscle and bone in his body felt weak and fragile. He lifted his head from the ground and immediately gasped from the slicing pain that shot through every nerve. It was like nothing he’d ever experienced.    

Ow. Note to self – don’t move, he thought as he slumped back down, taking deep breaths as the pain slowly ebbed away. On Decarabian’s accursed soul, I swear that Harbinger will pay.   

Hurried footsteps suddenly sounded behind him. “By Barbatos – Jean, come quickly!” Barbara’s panicked voice shouted. Another set of heels joined hers and before he could think, Jean was crouched in front of him, brow creased with worry. Barbara dropped to the ground as well and formed a ring of water around him.  

“Venti? Are you alright? What happened?”  

He propped himself up on one arm and sat up, gritting his teeth and squeezing his eyes shut as pure pain radiated from his chest again. It took all his willpower to not make a sound or collapse. Once he was positioned, he gave Jean a weak smile. “I’m fine, don’t worry.”  

She gave him a knowing stare, clearly not buying his efforts to downplay the pain. “Okay… but what happened?”  

His smile faded. “I feel those details should be kept quiet for fear of starting a diplomatic incident.” Jean seemed to grasp his meaning regardless of his attempt to be vague and her eyes widened.  

“Did the Fatui ambush you? Here?” Venti’s deliberate silence answered her question, and her gaze hardened. “I don’t understand what their issue has been of late, but take my word, they will not be allowed to run amok in our borders for much longer.”  

“Um – it’s not-” Barbara began to say, but Jean gave her a look that had her quiet again. Jean turned back to Venti and spoke again, lowering her voice.  

“It may not be the best time for this, but I’m fairly confident I’ve found something of note in that Fatui journal Aether gave me,” she said furtively. Venti perked up and watched her intently as she glanced around their surroundings to check that the Fatui were truly gone. “If you would be so inclined, meet me in my office in two days' time and I’ll explain the situation then.”  

He nodded. “I’ll be there.” He had a feeling he knew what this was about, but it would be nice to have his suspicions confirmed.  

With business sorted, Jean looked over at Barbara. “What’s wrong?”  

“Well, the healing spell – it doesn’t feel like it’s doing anything.”  

Venti let out a laugh and winced as his chest ached again. “Sorry, haha – don’t worry about that, it’s completely normal.”   

Barbara frowned. “…okay…”  

With great effort, Venti stood up and the two women followed. He felt horribly unstable on his feet and inhaled deeply as a headache spiked and his vision blurred, waiting for the symptoms to relieve. He gave them both a forced smile. “Don’t worry, I’ll be alright. The Traveler should be your primary concern,” he said, gesturing to where the golden-haired man was laid unconscious.  

Barbara jumped as she turned to follow his hand. “Oh, my – was he there the whole time?”  

“Likely, yes,” Venti replied wryly. He sighed. “Well, I’ll leave him to you,” he said, beginning to walk away.  

“Hold on, where are you going?” Barbara asked, worried. “You’re still injured, right?”  

He waved her off. “The symbol of Mondstadt’s hero, of course. I’ll be fine.”  

“But –” she started.   

Jean put a hand on her shoulder and shook her head as the bard walked away. “It’s okay, Barbara. Let him go.” The Acting Grand Master looked at Aether worriedly. “The Honorary Knight is still unconscious – you can help him instead. I have a feeling Venti will manage on his own.”  

Sensing there was no room for argument, Barbara pressed her lips together and took a deep breath before taking a seat next to Aether and starting the healing process again.  

The moment Venti knew he was out of sight of the two, he collapsed onto the stairs, shaking and sweating. Walking had been a terrible idea. He leaned against the wall to his right and inhaled shakily as he waited to regain enough of his strength to teleport. The moment he felt the slightest stir of elemental energy return in his chest he lightly snapped his fingers and let the breeze swirling around him carry him to Windrise.  

In a few seconds he was slumped against the cinnamon-scented bark of Vennessa’s tree. He took in a deep breath and smiled as the scent of dandelions and pollen filled his lungs. Already he could feel the wind through the branches drawing out the pain in his chest. He didn’t know how long he sat there, the light breeze rustling his hair, before he finally stood up and stared across the pond, lost in thought.  

None of it made any sense. Why was the Tsaritsa commanding her Harbingers to steal a Gnosis? Was it just him, or was she going after every archon? He should really get in touch with Morax and find out, but the grouch certainly didn’t make it easy to find him. They hadn’t talked in at least a decade, although it’s not like that was a particularly long time for either of them.   

He sighed and dragged a hand down his face. How could he have been so careless? He pictured the Tsaritsa sat on her throne, smiling with that horrid smile as she learned of how foolishly easy it was for her pawns to succeed. He’d been an idiot, and he’d gotten someone hurt in the process. The weight of his incompetence came crashing down and tears started to roll down his face, unprompted.  

Pathetic.  

That’s what he was.  

A pathetic excuse for an archon... and a friend.   

As always seemed to be the case, his actions had only brought harm to the people closest to him. The people who he was meant to protect. And try as he might to make up for them, nothing could erase that fact that he was responsible for someone’s suffering.  

He brushed it off with a smile whenever someone pointed out his laziness or selfishness, but each comment left its mark. Every insult or joke compounded, fueling the pathetic feelings of inadequacy that haunted his every waking moment. Even this was pathetic. Wallowing in self-pity had no point, and here he was anyway.   

So.  

Pathetic.  

His tears slowly dried on his face as he stood there, sadness giving way to a cold, consuming, self-hatred that threatened to swallow him whole.  

 

---

 

Aether slowly blinked his eyes open, grimacing as he looked straight up into the sky. Given how bright it was, it was probably about noon – a few hours had passed in his unconscious state. The back of his head was throbbing incessantly and a headache lanced through his skull as he slowly pulled himself to a seated position.  

“Ah! Honorary Knight, you’re awake!” Barbara’s voice said from beside him. He turned to face her as she waved her hand and summoned a ring of water that floated around his head. Strangely, his pain subsided immediately. Paimon floated beside her, looking thrilled that her companion was awake.  

“Is Venti alright?” Aether asked, surveying the area. The bard was nowhere to be seen.   

Barbara looked a little embarrassed. “Um… I wouldn’t say he’s ’alright,’ exactly. I found you lying here unconscious and used my elemental powers to heal you, but, weirdly, they didn’t have any effect on him. He just said, ‘it’s completely normal,’ then got up and left the Cathedral.”  

“He left? Already? Where’d he go?” Paimon asked, hovering restlessly around Aether.  

“The symbol of Mondstadt’s hero, that’s what he said. I wanted to stop him, but Jean – I mean, Master Jean said to let him leave. It’s all very strange…”  

Thank the gods Jean knew he was an archon, or that could have ended poorly, Aether thought. He glanced around. “Where is Jean, by the way?”  

“Oh, someone came up and said there was a problem in, um, solitary confinement, I think? She ran off in quite a hurry.”  

“Alright. Thanks, Barbara,” Aether said, slowly standing. “I’ll go make sure Venti’s okay, so don’t worry about that.”  

She smiled, relieved. “Well, I’ll leave this in your capable hands, then. Come back if your head is still hurting tomorrow.” He nodded and she headed back into the Cathedral.  

“Venti meant that he was going to Windrise, right? Paimon seems to remember him healing there before,” Paimon said once Barbara was out of view.  

“I think so,” Aether agreed. “Here, I can teleport us.” He took her hand and whisked them both away to the familiar Statue of the Seven beneath the branches of a giant tree. As expected, Venti was stood nearby, his back to them. A familiar teal glow surrounded him as he healed, and Aether couldn’t help but feel guilty as he approached. If I’d just been better, he wouldn’t be here like this…  

“I was wondering how long it would take for you to join me,” Venti joked, still facing away. Despite the attempt at humor, his voice was dejected and quiet, completely different from the carefree personality he always sported. He let out a soft sigh that Aether barely heard and turned around.   

Aether was surprised by the look in his eyes – it was as if he’d lost all hope. It was an expression he was all too used to seeing on Lumine as they traveled aimlessly through the stars, and to see it here was… depressing. The guilt in his stomach only took further hold.  

“Are you okay?” He asked.  

Venti gave him a horribly forced smile. “Of course. I’m as well as a child on a summer’s morn.”   

Aether crossed his arms. “Don’t you dare lie to me.” Venti looked a little shocked by the edge in his voice, and while he hadn’t meant for it to come out that way, Aether immediately felt bad. “I’m sorry, that was too harsh. I just… I don’t want you to feel as though you have to pretend that you're okay. You’re not obliged to tell me anything, of course but I’m here if you need to talk, alright?”  

He waited patiently for a response as Venti stared at the ground, his face twisted with indecision. Eventually, he sighed in acceptance and spoke. “In truth, I’m…” he trailed off and looked out across the sea of grass gently rustling in the wind. “It’s kind of pathetic, isn’t it…”  

Aether’s brow furrowed in concern. “What do you mean?”  

“Just… me,” he replied quietly, gesturing to himself. “I’m an archon, and look at me. Stripped of my source of power by the Fatui and reduced to no more than a stronger-than-average Vision bearer. It’s hard not to feel like I’ve failed in some sense of the word.”   

His eyes turned glassy as tears started to form in the corners, and he closed his eyes, a pained expression on his face. “Every day, I wonder if my decision to leave Mondstadt to its own devices was the right one,” he whispered, voice cracking. “Was it truly best for my people? Or was it just a selfish ideal?”   

Tears began rolling down his face and he brushed them away with his hand, still not meeting Aether’s gaze. “Gods, I really am a mess, haha,” he laughed sadly. “I’m sorry to subject you to seeing this.”  

Watching his friend break down like this had Aether on the verge of tears himself. He didn’t entirely understand how, but Venti had become so important to him in such a brief time that it physically hurt to watch him cry. I’m so sorry… if I’d fought harder or thought better or just done anything more, maybe you’d be okay.   

Fighting his own emotions, he stepped forward and wrapped his arms around Venti. The bard stiffened for a moment before returning the gesture, his tears dampening Aether’s shoulder as he leaned into the hug. They stood in silence like that for a while, the chill of the wind offset by the warmth of their bodies, until Aether felt Venti’s sobs gradually lessen and the bard pulled away.  

 “Thank you,” Venti said quietly, finally looking at Aether and giving him a small, but genuine, smile.  

Aether smiled back. “If it helps, I think you made the right decision,” he said softly. “I may not know a lot about Teyvat or, well, really anything like this, but I have eyes. I’ve seen how the people of Mondstadt are perfectly capable of handling themselves without an archon, and I believe granting someone their freedom and allowing them to forge their own path in life is more valuable than any guidance you can give them. If a bird were taught every way to use its wings but never given the opportunity to fly of its own accord, how could it ever venture beyond what it knows and live true to itself?”   

Venti blinked at him, a little astonished. “While that may be an overused metaphor, you certainly executed it with the eloquence of a bard,” he commented with a teasing smile.  

Aether flushed slightly. “I - uh – I guess. But I don’t just say all that for the sake of saying it or being metaphorical – I do truly mean it,” he added. And he did.  

Venti didn’t respond and instead just looked thoughtful, although his demeanor had shifted in such a way that Aether thought he seemed in better spirits than earlier. They stood in silence before Aether, hoping to distract Venti, asked, “so… what is a Gnosis?”  

 “Ah, so you noticed.” Venti sighed. “…this isn’t something I’m meant to discuss with ordinary people, but I suppose I can let you in on the secret. It’s not like you’re exactly ordinary, anyway.” He looked up. “As you know, Visions are external magical foci that only a small minority of people possess. They use these Visions to channel elemental power. In truth, every wielder of a Vision is one who can attain godhood and ascend to Celestia. We call such people allogenes.”  

Paimon scratched her head. “Allogenes? Paimon’s never heard of them before.”  

“Hehe, that’s because this is a secret that only archons are privy to. But to answer your question, archons don’t use such primitive tools as Visions – instead, each archon has an internal magical focus that resonates directly with Celestia, known as a Gnosis.”  

“What about the Vision you have, then?” Aether asked, pointing at the orb hanging from the bard’s hip.  

“Eh-heh- it’s just a glowing glass ball I carry around to avoid suspicion,” he said sheepishly. Aether didn’t really know how to respond – it would seem Venti had a lot of secrets.  

“Can you still use elemental energy?” Aether asked, curious.  

“From my understanding of things, yes. The elements are powerful, and given how long I’ve been an archon, there’s a connection to them that can’t be so easily stolen as my Gnosis.” As if to prove it, Venti waved his hands and summoned a small stream of Anemo energy that swirled around him before dissipating into the air. “Of course, it’s not nearly the same, and my abilities have greatly diminished, but… I can feel that the wind is still there. I… I couldn’t imagine living without it.”  

That statement introduced another grim silence into the conversation, which was quickly broken by Paimon.  

“Who was that nasty woman who stole your Gnosis?”  

Venti’s face flickered with a mixture of hatred and concern before he replied. “Her name is Signora, No. 8 of the Fatui Harbingers. She and the rest of the harbingers have been given extreme executive authority by the Tsaritsa, and with it, strength surpassing other mortals.”  

Paimon gasped, clearly knowing something that Aether didn’t. “The Tsaritsa of Snezhnaya? Isn’t she…”  

Venti nodded. “Indeed. She is one of the Seven, and the one person that the harbingers all answer to. While the Seven don’t often get along well, I never thought that she would plot to steal another archon’s Gnosis…”  

“What sort of god is the Tsaritsa?” Aether asked, trying to not sound too hopeful. Could she be the one that took Lumine?   

“Ah… how should I put this? Five hundred years ago, I knew her well. But I can’t say the same is true now. You see, there was a certain catastrophe at that time, and she has since cut off all ties with me,” he explained vaguely. Waving his hand, he continued, “but we can save discussion of the Cryo Archon and the Fatui for another day. If you still seek the Seven, I suggest you next head for Liyue, our neighboring nation. The Geo Archon there administrates his entire region personally and only descends once a year during the Rite of Descension to deliver advice to guide his people.”  

“Sounds like he still works harder than a certain someone,” Paimon grumbled.  

“Heh… in any case, this year’s Rite is soon to begin, and should you miss it, you’ll have to wait another year.”  

“WHAT!” Paimon yelled. “Why didn’t you tell us sooner? Well then bye, we’re off to Liyue!”  

She looked genuinely ready to fly off that second, so Aether interrupted. “Hold on, Paimon – I’ve still got something to say.” She crossed her arms and huffed.  

“Then continue, Windborne Outlander,” Venti said, smiling.  

The title caught Aether a little off guard. Actually, now that he thought about it, Venti didn’t usually address him by name, did he? He mentally flipped through some of their past conversations and realized that, generally, Venti just called him “Traveler,” even though most people he’d met stopped doing that after introductions. It was likely just a result of Venti’s poeticism, but... he couldn’t help but feel there was something more to it. Now wasn’t really the time to dwell on that, though, so he continued with his thought.  

“Um - well, I was talking to Kaeya earlier - not exactly because I wanted to, he just kind of caught my ear – and he told me that the Abyss Order is apparently united under a single leader called The Princess. I felt like you deserved to know, given what happened with Dvalin,” He explained.  

Venti’s smile faded into concern. “That is very strange indeed… I have never heard of the Abyss having a leader before, but they are undoubtedly the one who devised the plan to capture Dvalin’s mind and turn him against us.” He paused for a moment, lost in thought, then exhaled. “Thank you for letting me know.”  

Aether nodded. “Of course.”  

Venti closed his eyes for a moment. “Before you go, Traveler, I have a word of advice for you.” He reopened them and pinned Aether with a stare that looked almost pleading. “As you set off on your journey once again, you must remember that the journey itself has meaning. The birds of Teyvat, the songs and the cities, the Tsaritsa, her Fatui and the monsters… they are all part of your journey. The destination is not everything. So, before you reach the end, keep your eyes open and use the chance to take in the world around you.”  

Aether was surprised by the profound advice. He knew Venti was more than smiles and laughs, of course, but he couldn’t help the feeling that there was something the archon knew that he wasn’t letting on. Or a lot of things.  

“I understand,” he replied simply.  

Venti beamed at him. “Great! That’s that for the Anemo Archon’s admonishments – back to Venti Time!”  

“Thank you, Venti.” He said, glancing over at Paimon. “Well, I suppose we had better be on our way – there’s still plenty of daylight left.”

Venti nodded.   “Yes, of course. If the descension ritual you fail to tally, then another year you must dally,” he rhymed.  

 The odd habit made Aether smile. “I’ll come back to visit and tell you about it after,” he promised.  

“Would you? I haven’t heard from that idiot Morax in quite some time, now that I think about it… give him the regards of the Anemo Archon when you cross paths!”  

“Alright, I will,” Aether said, laughing. Waving goodbye, he and Paimon walked across the plain to join the dirt path that would lead them around Springvale, past Dawn Winery, and, eventually, through the Stone Gate into Liyue and the new adventures it would bring.  

   

---

 

Venti watched Aether’s figure gradually vanish as he stood underneath Venessa’s tree, a light breeze lifting his braids and tossing his cape around him. His gaze was cold. So… the Princess. That’s what you’re still calling yourself, hm? How horribly cliché… not that the “Savior” was much better, to be fair. He sighed and turned his gaze upwards to the sea of green leaves that rustled above him. What in Celestia’s name are you planning, Lumine?  

 

Notes:

I cannot describe the self-restraint it took to not publish this chapter early. They have a moment!!! Yippee!!! A platonic one, but still a moment!!!

Also, HUGE DISCLAIMER: I do not work at Hoyoverse. I have no idea what they're cooking up for the lore and, as a result, there are things that I will inevitably get wrong because there may be information the game hasn't given us yet. Like. Maybe Signora stole a fake Gnosis and now all the introspection and stuff I had for Venti is wrong. And maybe (definitely) I had a completely inaccurate retelling of Aether's nightmare and memories of Khaenri'ah. I promise I will go back and edit things to make them match canon when more info is revealed, but just accept that I'll be taking some creative liberties until that point because these characters need personality somehow.

Anyway, that's all the yapping from me! Hope to see you in the Liyue chapters :) And don't worry, I still have my ways of including Venti...

Chapter 11: The Rite of Descension

Summary:

Aether and Paimon make their trip to Liyue to witness the Rite of Descension and meet the Geo Archon - but it doesn't exactly go as planned.

Notes:

Hey all! I don't normally do notes at the beginning but this one is important so please read.

This chapter does include an instance of self-harm, so if that makes you uncomfortable and you would prefer to not read it, the section is separated clearly with asterisks and such so you can skip it easily. It's very short and not very descriptive or at all gory, but I felt the need to point it out regardless.

And, because some of you may have this thought: yes, it IS relevant to the story and Aether's character, in my opinion. I recognize that it's not canon, but this work is as much a character study as it is a canon retelling, and I believe that the insane amount of stress on Aether's shoulders would manifest in some unhealthy ways. I do not mean to romanticize self-harm in any way, especially as someone who has struggled with it themselves. It exists purely to contribute to Aether's character development and reflect the emotional mess that he is.

So, with the heavy stuff out of the way, hope you enjoy this chapter! I actually really hate how all the Liyue chapters have been turning out so far, I'm having trouble making them interesting and am super stuck in a writers block rut. BUT there are some upcoming Venti parts that should help with that! You'll see what I mean in chapter 12 hehe.

As always, feedback is much appreciated - I love reading your comments and will do my best to respond! Have a lovely day :)

Night was falling by the time that Aether and Paimon reached the border of Mondstadt and Liyue. The path grew muddier as they followed the river through a ravine, eventually arriving at a small series of wooden platforms underneath an archway of stone.  

“This is the Stone Gate!” Paimon informed him excitedly, gesturing around her. “It serves as an outpost between the nations both to facilitate trade and guard against attacks – and it means we’ve officially arrived in Liyue!” She squinted and pointed her finger towards the setting sun – or rather, towards a large tree-like structure in the center of the marshland. “If Paimon remembers correctly, that place there is Wangshu Inn. Paimon’s heard the food is reallllllly good…”   

Taking the hint, Aether smiled. “Alright, let’s pick up the pace and try to get there before it’s too dark.” The wooden planks creaked with every step as he walked through the outpost, earning curious stares from a few of the Liyue locals. The attention made him a little uncomfortable; it’s not as though he was unused to being observed, but it bothered him when he couldn’t tell what someone thought of him. I wish I blended in a little better… this outfit isn’t exactly inconspicuous. Maybe I’d get asked fewer questions if I looked like I belonged in this world.  

He brushed the feeling off as best he could and hurried through the area, grateful when the path opened up again and a cool breeze swept across the water to his left, rustling his hair. “Now we’re traveling through Dihua Marsh,” Paimon told him as they walked, ever the dutiful guide. “The name comes from the type of grass that grows in the water, which the locals call ‘dihua,’ and it’s a part of the Bishui River that flows throughout the nation!” She spun in the air, smiling widely. “It’s been a while since Paimon traveled like this, hehe – it’s exciting!”   

They walked in silence for a while as Aether took in his surroundings, savoring the feeling of traveling with no threat of imminent danger looming over his head. The pale cream grass on the shores of the water rustled in the wind and he took a deep breath, feeling the most peaceful that he had since he arrived in Teyvat.  

“Oh – look over there!” Paimon exclaimed, the suddenness of it causing Aether to flinch. She tapped his shoulder and drew his attention back to the path. “There’s a Statue of the Seven! I wonder what would happen if you touched that one, too…”  

Suddenly, he was curious as well. I’d never thought about what would happen if I visited other nations, but I suppose it does make sense that I could control other elements through the same means. “It’s worth a try,” he responded, walking up to the statue. Like before, he pressed his hand flat against the cold metal plate on its front, taking in the stone carving as he did.   

This archon appeared to be a tall, muscular man with long hair, draped in a cloak and hood like Venti’s likeness was. Well, if these statues are as accurate in depicting the god as the ones in Mondstadt, I can say with relative certainty this is not the archon that took Lumine, he thought. Still, it doesn’t mean they’re clueless. There may be information to be found here yet. 

A little disappointed at that revelation, he pulled his hand away from the statue. No headache followed this time, but he did feel different than a few moments ago… almost like he was heavier, being weighted down and pressed into the dirt by something.   

“So? Did it work?” Paimon chirped from beside him.  

“I’m not sure yet,” he replied, frowning. “I feel weird, but not in the same way as when I harnessed Anemo. Then, I got a headache, but now I just feel... heavy?”  

“Well, every element has its own unique elemental energy that comes with it, so maybe they make you feel different ways!” Paimon offered. “Why don’t you try to use it?”  

Aether threw out his hand the same way he did when he first used Anemo, hoping to shoot a spike of rock or something similar, but nothing happened. Maybe it didn’t work?  

He shook his head and looked at Paimon. “Nothing.”  

She cupped her chin. “Let’s see… from what Paimon knows about Geo, it’s a power that relates to the earth… so maybe try envisioning the energy as coming from the ground and channel that through your hand instead!” She nodded excitedly, satisfied with her conclusion.   

It sounded a little ridiculous, but it was worth a try. Aether closed his eyes and focused on the feeling of the dirt beneath his feet. Taking a deep breath, he tried to harness the sensation and visualized a pillar of stone rising from the earth. Nothing happened. Sighing, he opened his eyes.   

Okay. Think. Why isn’t it working? What could be different? Using Anemo was just kind of… automatic. I didn’t have to think about it at all. But then, Paimon and I were being attacked, and now we’re not... maybe I need some kind of adrenaline rush to jump-start it?  

“I think I need to go fight something,” he abruptly said to Paimon.  

“Huh? Why?”  

He explained his thought process and she nodded understandingly. “Ohhh, Paimon gets it – you think your ability to harness the elements is dependent on whether you’re in danger!”  

“Essentially, yes. I can’t think of a time when I used Anemo when there wasn’t a threat to myself or others, and it always came naturally then.”  

Paimon scratched her head. “Strange… Paimon doesn’t think the elements are supposed to work that way.”  

Aether shrugged. “They never seen to do what they’re supposed to with me anyway.”  

“…you do have a point,” she agreed. “You feel different though, right?” He nodded. “Right. Well, Paimon thinks that’s a good sign that interacting with the statue worked. Before you go rushing off into battle, though,” she said, stopping him as he began to turn, “Paimon thinks you should try to activate the power of Geo on your own.”  

“Why?”  

“Well, think about it. If you can only use the elements when you feel threatened, it really limits what you can do, and it could prove problematic in the future. So, on the trip tomorrow, Paimon wants to try and help you access elemental energy at any time!”  

A little disappointed, he agreed. “Alright, it can wait until tomorrow.” She bounced around, happy, and they continued their walk, Aether lost in thought. I know she’s right, but I wish I could just use Geo now. It isn’t often that I feel helpless in combat, but since arriving here, it feels like every battle is just so difficult when it shouldn’t be. I need everything in my arsenal that I can get my hands on until I start restoring some of the abilities I had. But… if I can’t use them properly, what’s the point in rushing to obtain them?  

He sighed internally and focused his attention back on the road. Wangshu Inn loomed in front of him, an incredible feat constructed around a pillar of stone and a tall, curved, golden-leaved tree. The whole structure glowed warmly and invitingly in the dark night and wooden stairs wrapped up the stone to the carefully balanced rooms above. Below, where he and Paimon were, was a flat, wooden platform littered with tables and crates with about a dozen people milling about.   

“Don’t tell Paimon we have to climb all the way up there – Paimon’s already exhausted!” She exclaimed, looking at the stairs tiredly.  

A tall man nearby seemed to overhear and walked over to them. “Hello! Are you two travelers?”  

They both nodded. “Yep yep!” Paimon replied. “We’re on our way to Liyue Harbor and were hoping to stay the night here. Do you know if there’s any availability?”  

The man frowned. “You’d have to check with Verr Goldet about rooms, sorry that I can’t be of more help. I just thought I’d let you know about the stairs.” He turned and gestured to the wooden stairway that Paimon was complaining about. “A storm came through here the other day and put a few holes in it, so you won’t be able to climb up that way. You’re welcome to use the elevator to the left instead – it normally just carries cargo.”  

“Got it, thank you!” Paimon said, smiling. They headed in the direction the man pointed them and boarded the elevator. It creaked concerningly as they ascended and Aether tried to ignore how terrifying that was as he looked out across the starlit marsh.   

Liyue was so vast and incredibly different from Mondstadt despite the fact that they were so close. On the whole, Liyue looked a lot yellower and sparser, with far more open plains than dense forested areas such as in Mondstadt. It had more varied topography as well, such as the curious pillars of stone he could see rising through the clouds in the distance.   

The floor jolted beneath his feet as the elevator reached the top of the inn, and he stepped off cautiously. Paimon floated ahead of him with a new burst of energy. “Hurry up! Paimon wants dinner!”  

Upon entering the inn from the balcony, there was a staircase up to his right and a staircase down to his left, with a small receptionist’s desk at the bottom. The lady stood behind it waved them over. “Good evening! I’m Verr Goldet. Did you need a room for tonight, or are you just stopping by?”  

“A room for two would be great, if you have the availability,” Aether replied politely as he walked over. Verr Goldet flipped through a large logbook.   

“Could I have your names, please?”  

“Paimon’s Paimon, and he’s Aether!” Paimon answered for him. She scribbled down their names and the date and pointed them up the stairs.   

“Your room is the first on the right,” she instructed them. “It’ll be 1,000 mora.”  

“Paimon thought somewhere as renowned as Wangshu Inn would be way more expensive,” Paimon remarked as Aether handed over the mora.   

Verr Goldet smiled. “Renown doesn’t give us the right to charge more. We run our operations just fine as is.” She looked at Aether. “Were you in need of anything else?”  

“Um, is your kitchen still open at this hour?” He asked, feeling Paimon’s stare drill into the back of his head.   

“Of course. You can go order from our chef, Smiley Yanxiao, who’s just down there.”  

He thanked her and walked down the stairs. The chef was a tall, well-built man who looked quite intimidating. “Hi – sorry to bother you at this hour, but Verr Goldet said you were still working.”  

Smiley Yanxiao turned around and gave them a gruff smile. “No worries. I was just starting to wrap up, but I could make two servings of Mora Meat if you’re alright with that. It should be quick.”  

“Oooh, that sounds amazing!” Paimon replied, nodding her head in agreement. He was right – it was quick, and in a few minutes they’d eaten and were up in their room. The speed at which Paimon could eat was a little unnerving, but in this instance, Aether was grateful for it, given how tired he was.  

Paimon was snoring on her bed almost immediately while he unwound his hair and set his boots and cloak on the floor. The quiet darkness only amplified his exhaustion, and he sat on the edge of his bed and sighed, putting his head in his hands. It was then that the floodgate to his thoughts opened and everything he’d been pushing down finally spilled out, filling the silence in the room only to him.  

 

 

 

 

 

****Warning in the notes applies here: skip to the next set of asterisks if you'd like to avoid it****

 

 

 

 

 

Gods. What a day it’s been.  

I’m so tired of all of this.  

I just want to find Lumine, but there’s no end in sight. How long am I going to have to travel for?   

As long as it takes, that stupid warring voice chimed in. You messed this up. You let her go. You have no right to complain when it’s your fault she’s gone. Suck it up and search harder.  

Tears started to prick in the corners of his eyes. But how am I meant to find her when I keep messing everything up?  

Images started to flash through his head – snapshots of the past few days. Of losing the lyre. Of letting Paimon get hurt by the abyss. And of Venti’s sad, hollow eyes at Windrise and his body lying unconscious on the ground.  

His chest tightened and the guilt pooling in his stomach started to spread, filling his mind with reminders of everything he’d done wrong. Every moment that he hadn’t thought fast enough. Where he’d been too careless. Or too slow to act.  

I can’t… I can’t keep letting people get hurt. I can’t keep failing like this.   

And, from another, darker corner of his mind, came the thought that everything else was swirling around, the one he’d always tried to tuck away despite how often it returned.  

Why do I always have to be so useless?  

The tears were flowing freely now, soaking into his palms as he sat there in the dark, hunched over on the bed. He looked up briefly to check that Paimon was still asleep and took in a shaky breath.   

Quietly, he pulled off his gloves and set them on the bedside cabinet before drawing a small dagger out of his satchel. In this light, he couldn’t see the thin white scars that ran vertically along his left arm, but he knew they were there.  

He’d made every one of them.  

Inhaling again, he gritted his teeth and gripped the dagger before slowly, methodically, running the weapon along his arm just deep enough to draw blood. The stinging pain made him wince and he exhaled in an attempt to make it more tolerable. It continued to sting as he drew the dagger away and returned it to his satchel and only hurt more when he pulled on his gloves, the material scratching the fresh wound.  

His tears having dried up, he slid under the blankets on the bed and slowly fell into sleep, kept awake only by the residual feeling of guilt and the constant throbbing pain in his arm, a permanent reminder of his failures and a vow to not make the same mistakes again.  

 

 

 

 

 

****It's over! The rest of the chapter will have some brief references to this event, just as a second warning, but nothing descriptive.****

 

 

 

 

 

It was the bright sun beaming through the window that woke Aether far before any birdsong did. Well, the sun and Paimon.   

The moment he opened his eyes, she was floating in front of him, smiling excitedly. “You’re awake! It’s about time – Paimon’s been up for an hour already. Here, Paimon got us breakfast!” She shoved a small, wrapped item into his hands as he sat up groggily.   

“Thanks, Paimon,” he replied, blinking sleep from his eyes. “What is it?”  

“The chef said they’re called Rice Buns! Paimon’s had four already, hehe. But there’s another in your bag if you want it.”  

He unwrapped it and took a cautious bite. It was soft and fluffy with a sweet fruit filling and made him realize how hungry he was. I can see why Paimon’s had so many, he thought as he downed the rest of it.   

“Oh, and Paimon found some stuff out about the Rite of Descension while you were asleep. Verr Goldet says it’s this afternoon in Liyue Harbor – good thing Venti told us about it, or we’d have missed it completely!”  

That sentence jolted him awake. “Hold on, it’s today!? Well, we’ve got to leave now, then!” He went to get out of bed, but a sharp pain shot up his left arm as he moved it, causing him to inhale with a hiss.   

Ah. Right.  

Paimon was looking at him worriedly. “Is everything okay?”  

“Oh, yeah – I’m just sore from all of yesterday’s walking,” he lied. I’m going to have to be really careful about that in front of her.  

She seemed a little suspicious but still accepted the explanation. “Okay… anyway, there’s no need to panic. It’s only 6 A.M. right now, and Paimon would have woken you if she thought we wouldn’t make it. If we walk fast, we can be in the city by lunchtime!”  

Aether sighed in relief. “Good, thank you.” He got up more carefully and put back on his boots and cape, taking a moment to adjust them to his liking. “If you’re ready, then, we may as well go now.”  

“Paimon’s all good! Have you eaten enough?”  

“Yeah, I’m fine. I’ll have the other rice bun later.”  

He scanned the room to make sure nothing was left behind before exiting the inn. A short (yet terrifying) elevator ride later, they were back on the road. Aether found he was strangely excited to be traveling again, although that excitement quickly faded when Paimon struck up conversation.   

“Soooooo, are you ready to work on your super-duper epic Geo wielding?” She asked cheerfully. Aether groaned. I was hoping she’d forgotten…  

“Sure, we can start now,” he said with a sigh.   

Paimon clapped her hands excitedly. “Right! Hmm… Paimon’s never had to teach anyone how to use elemental energy, so no guarantees that any of her advice will work… but Paimon has a few ideas.” She paused for a moment to think. “One thing that Paimon’s read about is people focusing on their Visions when they use elemental energy, which would make sense because it’s how they connect to the elements. Maybe you need an object that helps you feel more connected to Geo?”  

She abruptly flew off and started rooting around in the dirt, returning after a few moments with a small rock. “Here! Imagine this as your source of elemental energy and try now.”  

He took the rock and closed his eyes, thinking intently about its earthy qualities. After a moment, there was a slight tug in his gut and he opened his eyes, excited. Did that work? However, instead of seeing a stone construction in front of him, all he saw was a greyscale world with the occasional touch of orange-y yellow.   

“Any luck?” Paimon asked.  

“Nope. It just activated elemental sight,” he responded annoyedly, dropping the rock.  

Paimon scratched her head. “Huh. Okay. Did you feel anything when that happened?”  

He nodded. “There was this weird tugging feeling in my stomach when it activated.” And now that I think about it, didn’t that happen last time I used elemental sight as well?  

Paimon frowned. “Paimon’s never heard of that happening. Elemental sight is meant to be a mind over matter kind of thing, so why would it cause a physical reaction?”  

Aether just shrugged. “I can’t say I’m surprised.”  

They walked in silence for a while before Paimon interrupted it.   

“Oh – Paimon thought of something! You said yesterday that touching the statue made you feel heavy, right? Do you still feel that way?”   

He took a moment to assess how he was feeling and realized that, surprisingly, the sensation was still there. I suppose I just got used to it.  

“Yep, I do,” he reported to Paimon.  

“Great! Paimon’s new theory is that the reason it doesn’t work when you try channeling elemental energy through your environment is because the energy is within you. You don’t have a Vision, and Venti said they resonate with Celestia to let people use the elements, which means they’re always drawing on an external source. But you could use Anemo without a Vision, which means the source of that energy has to be internal!”  

He thought it over for a moment. That actually makes a lot of sense, and it seems like the obvious answer. I guess I hadn’t considered it as being internal because using elemental energy is just so… foreign. But when I first used Anemo, my headache went away… was that because the energy was within me and I released it?  

“You might be on to something,” he conceded.  

“Hehe, Paimon knows she is. Why don’t you try thinking about that, then?”  

Aether closed his eyes again, but this time, he put his attention towards the encompassing feeling of weight and imagined amplifying it. To his surprise, he did feel heavier, and every step seemed to take more effort. Now a little more hopeful, he tried to channel that sensation from the rest of his body into his right hand. He felt increasingly strange in a way he couldn’t describe and took that as a good sign.   

Suddenly, as if overcome by something, he opened his eyes and slammed his fist into the ground. A shockwave emanated from the point where he made contact with the earth and spikes of rock erupted in a wide circle around him. The weighted sensation, just like his prior headache, immediately disappeared.  

“Geez, tell Paimon before you do something like that next time!!!” Paimon said indignantly.  

He just grinned at her, too proud to feel bad. “It worked, though - you were right!” Finally, something was going well. Even though all the movement had caused the cut on his arm to sting again – and for all the painful memories of his failures to return with it - it wasn’t enough to dampen his spirits at the moment, and he used that pride to shove everything back into the very deepest part of his mind.  

Paimon smiled back. “Mhm. That’s why Paimon’s the best guide there is!” She pointed to a wide field on their left. “Why don’t you try to do something cool over there?”  

Aether walked over and raised his good arm, taking in a deep breath as he sank into his mind again. Breathe. You are grounded. You are an extension of the earth. Feel the weight of gravity and the way your feet dig into the dirt…  

Quickly, he threw his arm down in a sweeping motion, materializing an enormous pillar of orange-hued stone in the air and driving it into the ground.   

“Woohoo!” Paimon cheered from behind him. “That was so cool!”  

Out of curiosity, he flung out his palm and focused on the opposing feeling – the feeling of weightlessness and restlessness stirring throughout his body – to summon a vortex of Anemo in the air. It nearly knocked him off his feet and he was both surprised and pleased by how much more powerful it seemed to be than anything he could’ve done before. He dissipated the wind with a flick of his wrist and turned back to Paimon, beaming. “Thank you, Paimon. There’s no way I could’ve done that without you.”  

She shrugged off the compliment, embarrassed. “Oh, it was nothing – you’re a good learner, that’s all!”   

He would’ve liked to stand there and mess around with the elements all day, but they did really need to get to Liyue. Plus, now that the excitement was wearing off, he realized how much that short training session had exhausted him.  

Gods, what’s wrong with me? That was nothing, so why am I so tired? 

“Aether? Are you ready to go?” Paimon asked, snapping him out of the start of a mental spiral. “Paimon feels like you haven’t heard a word she just said.”  

“Oh- sorry, I was zoning out. We can get going.”  

“Mhm…”   

He snacked on the other rice bun as they walked, soon reaching another Statue on the left of the road. He activated it with a press of his hand and followed Paimon as she zipped ahead of him. “Oh, wowwwwww… Aether, come here!” She called from further up the path. He jogged to meet her and let out a small gasp as he set sight on Liyue Harbor for the first time.   

The ocean sprawled in front of him, glittering in the bright midday sun. On his right the path curved down the hillside and twisted to lead into the city constructed on the ocean’s shore. It was just beautiful. Closest to the water was a series of docks and markets on wooden platforms that jutted out from the stone base the city was built on. Colorful buildings with tile roofs were clustered on every level of the tiered city, connected by red-painted wood pathways adorned with lanterns. It looked vibrant and busy and full of possible connections to Lumine, but also a little… intimidating.   

“Isn’t it incredible?” Paimon asked, eyes shining.   

Aether smiled, awestruck. “Yeah, it is.” He started walking again. “Come on, or we’ll miss the Rite after all that traveling!”  

Soon, they stepped foot on the stone that grounded Liyue. On his left was a line of merchant stalls with various wares and on the right was a tall stone staircase that led to a higher level of the city. People milled about in the space in front of him, darting from place to place and creating a bustling atmosphere that was a little overwhelming.   

“So… any ideas where the Rite is taking place?” Aether asked Paimon as they made their way through the crowd.  

“Oh, Paimon did forget to ask Verr Goldet that, hehe…” she giggled nervously. “We could always ask some of the locals? At least we know it’s today.”  

Aether nodded agreement and pointed to the stairs next to them. “Let’s head up there. It looks a little less busy.” His legs burned by the time he reached the top and he paused for a moment to look around, trying to control his breathing. Lucky Paimon – she just floated over all of them.   

Ahead and to their left was a woman stood next to a wooden pillar, a flat expression on her face as she flipped through the pages of a book. “Hey, Aether, should we ask her?” Paimon said, pointing in her direction.  

“Oh, I don’t think she wants to be bothered-” he started to say, but Paimon was already flying over. He sighed and followed after her, giving the woman a friendly wave as she looked up.   

“Tourists, huh?” She extended a hand, looking his clothing up and down. “I’m Linlang. Welcome to Liyue.” Aether shook her hand and stood awkwardly as Paimon introduced them.  

“Thanks! Paimon’s name is Paimon, and this is Aether,” she said, gesturing in his direction.   

“Nice to meet you. Where are you traveling from?” Linlang asked.  

“Oh, we just came from Mondstadt, and we were hoping to see the Rite of Descension today!” Paimon answered. “Do you happen to know where it’s taking place?”  

Linlang nodded. “Sure. It’s typically held at Yujing Terrace, the highest point in the city.” She pointed behind them. “If you head that way and go up to the stairs on your left, the Terrace is all the way at the end of the path. While you’re here, though, I could tell you a bit about the Rite if you’d like.”  

Paimon nodded enthusiastically. “That would be great, thank you!”  

Linlang cleared her throat. “Right. Once a year, Rex Lapis bestows upon us his divine prediction, guiding us on how to run Liyue for the coming year. Our Tianquan, Ningguang, is responsible for initiating the ceremony this year, whereas last year it was the Yuheng of the Liyue Qixing.” Aether nodded, but he was completely lost. I’ll have to ask Paimon what in Teyvat she meant by that. Linlang continued speaking. “Since you’re coming from a godless city, it’ll be quite the experience for you.”  

Aether blinked, surprised by the offhand remark. “What do you mean?”  

Linlang shrugged casually. “Well, Mondstadt’s god is nowhere to be seen, whilst our god is forever with us. He’s walked with Liyue throughout all of its history and guided us for millennia. I can only imagine what it’s like to live without that divine presence.”  

Something about her tone rubbed Aether the wrong way. He got the impression that she pitied Mondstadt but had no real idea of how the people lived. The memory of Venti’s tearstained face flashed through his head, reminding him of how acutely the bard’s choice affected him.  

Every day, I wonder if my decision to leave Mondstadt to its own devices was the right one.  

It wasn’t often that he got angry, yet in that moment he could feel it bubbling in his chest.   

“That may be, but Mondstadt’s way of life is just as meaningful. They manage just fine without a god, who, I’m sure, had his reasons for leaving like he did,” he said to Linlang, trying to prevent a hard edge from creeping into his voice.   

Paimon gave him a weird look, but Linlang didn’t seem bothered. “Yeah, I’m sure every nation is fine doing its own thing. It just makes me appreciate Rex Lapis more.”  

Before he could say something else, Paimon stepped in. “Well, thank you, Linlang! We’ll be off to Yujing Terrace now.”  

Linlang waved casually. “Alright. Enjoy the Rite.”  

As they walked away in the direction she’d pointed earlier, Paimon flew up next to Aether and whispered to him, “what was all that about?”  

Aether pressed his lips together before speaking. “I just… the way she was talking really bothered me. It seemed like she really looked down on Mondstadt and its archon and that feels really unfair. Jean and the Knights are so capable without a god and Venti was only doing what he thought was best, and… I don’t know. It just got to me.”  

Paimon nodded understandingly. “Paimon gets it, but Liyue is really really proud of their god and nation, so it won’t do any good to go around trying to get them to be more… open-minded.”  

Aether sighed. “I know, I really don’t know what came over me.” They walked along the path in silence for a moment, crossing a stone bridge that passed through a man-made pond filled with lily pads and fish. “Oh- do you happen to know much about Liyue’s leaders? Linlang was talking about the Yuheng and Tianquan and all that and it just went right over my head,” he explained.  

“Yep, of course! Like she said, the Yuheng is one of the members of the Liyue Qixing, a group of seven leaders that hold true control over the nation. Each person leads one of the seven enterprises of Liyue, which are important because Liyue is really focused on business and trade.”  

Aether nodded. “Diluc mentioned that to me at one point.”  

“Right! In the same way that Mondstadt is founded on freedom, Liyue is founded on contracts, which is what drives them to be that way,” Paimon clarified. “So that’s the Liyue Qixing. As for the Tianquan, Ningguang… she’s also one of the Qixing, but Paimon doesn’t actually know that much about her. She’s kind of the figurehead of Liyue and is said to be super duper rich and powerful.”  

So not someone I want to cross. Got it.  

By that time, the pair had reached the top level of Liyue. Up ahead through a circular gate of sorts Aether could see a crowd forming.  

“That looks like the place!” Paimon exclaimed. “Oh, and before Paimon forgets – make sure you don’t refer to the Geo Archon as Morax while you’re here. It’s seen as rude for foreigners to use his more informal name, so we should call him Rex Lapis like the people of Liyue do.”  

Well, that was good to know. The last thing he wanted was to make himself appear any more rude or unknowledgeable. He nodded politely at the two yellow-clad guards stood on either side of the entrance before joining the back of the crowd. It was hard not to feel a little uncomfortable as he watched everyone chatter amongst themselves. I have no idea what I’m doing… how am I going to talk to the Geo Archon in an environment like this?  

Paimon seemed to notice the expression on his face and tugged on his scarf. “Hey, why don’t we go over there?” She suggested, pointing towards a metal altar-looking object barely visible through the sea of people. “Paimon’s heard today is the best day to make a wish to the gods!”  

“Sure, why not?” He followed her through the crowd, apologizing profusely as they weaved their way to the altar. A woman was stood there already and smiled kindly as they approached.  

“Hello! Are you here to make a wish to the gods as well?” Aether nodded, too overwhelmed by the number of people to form words. “Then you can take this – I’ve already made mine, so don’t worry.” She handed him a small stick of incense and disappeared into the crowd. Hesitantly, Aether took a match from the altar and lit the stick with it before putting both into the bowl-like center already filled with burnt incense. Closing his eyes, he breathed in the aromatic, spiced smell and made his wish.   

I wish I could find Lumine soon.  

He opened his eyes to see Paimon staring at him expectantly, hands clasped behind her back. “All done?” He nodded. “Great! Let’s go get up front – we can’t see squat from back here, and you don’t want to miss your chance to meet Rex Lapis!”  

She started pushing her way through the crowd to the front and he sighed, left with no choice but to follow her. There was a small, unreasonable part of him that wished he could just stay at the back because it was less anxiety-inducing than forcing everyone else out of his way, but this was a situation where he couldn’t afford to let his people-pleasing stop him. He needed answers, and he needed to find Lumine.   

Once the awkward move was over, he had a perfect view of the ceremonial altar, near identical to the one he had just visited. It was a deep jade green color and had been placed on a large stone table along with other characteristic offerings such as candles and food. Next to it stood a tall woman with long white hair who was dressed in an elaborate, expensive-looking gold and black dress. Her expression was unwaveringly serious and focused. According to Linlang, that must be the Tianquan, Ningguang… she certainly looks powerful, he thought.   

She held a hand over her face, scanning the clear afternoon sky before stepping forward to address the crowd. The murmurs of conversation faded as she spoke.   

“The hour is upon us,” she announced, her voice resolute. Closing her eyes, she drew her arms up to her chest, golden elemental energy flashing as she summoned a ring of amber-colored rocks that swirled around her. They spun faster and faster until she turned towards the altar and extended an arm, sending the stones flying into slots in the metal. To Aether’s surprise, a pulse of golden light emanated from the altar before it shot a huge beam into the sky, forming a vortex of clouds. Oohs and aahs came from onlookers on either side of him – but something seemed off.  

The clouds in the sky abruptly darkened and Aether saw surprise, then fear, flicker across Ningguang’s face. He looked back up into the vortex and watched, stunned, as a brown and gold mass plummeted from the sky, crashing into the altar below. Several people next to him screamed and he closed his eyes to avoid the cloud of dust that shot from the point of impact.  

Once he felt the wind rush past him, he reopened his eyes. There, lying motionless on the very altar that summoned it, was a long, snake-like dragon with brown scales and gold spines along its back. The atmosphere was unbearably tense as Ningguang crouched down to examine it, but he knew likely as well as she did that there wasn’t much point. He’d seen his fair share of corpses, and that was one.  

Shocked murmurs rippled through the crowd as he stood there, nerves building in his stomach. This is wrong. So bizarrely wrong.   

As expected, Ningguang stood up and faced the crowd, her gaze stony and unwavering. “Rex Lapis has been killed,” she declared. “Seal the exits!”  

The two soldiers guarding the entrance sprung forward as cries of panic began to surface from every direction.  

“Rex Lapis… dead?”  

“It can’t be!”  

“Who would dare!?”  

“Uh- did she just say Rex Lapis is… the Geo Archon… is… DEAD!?” Paimon exclaimed, turning to Aether with wide eyes. He was too stunned by the whole event to respond. There goes my lead, a selfish part of him thought, but he brushed it to one side. They were in the middle of a crisis now.  

A commotion started to his right as one of the guards from before grabbed the arm of someone who had been standing at the front of the ceremony. Through the clamor, Aether could see the angry expressions and barely make out their raised voices.   

“Hey, what’s going on? It wasn’t me, I swear- I have no reason to assassinate a god!” He couldn’t catch the guard’s response, but the man they’d been interrogating was soon dragged off, protesting profusely.  

Shit. Holy fucking shit. This is bad.  

“Oh no, the Millelith! They’re nabbing suspects who got too close…” Paimon whispered in his ear. She was pressed against him, tense and glancing around in every direction as she tried to make herself appear smaller. “Paimon’s freaking out. The killer is right here somewhere!”  

Aether, still quiet, assessed the situation. I can’t get caught. No way is that happening. A foreigner who arrived in Liyue just today? Please. Nothing could be more suspicious. We even left a clear trail by visiting Wangshu and talking to Linlang… and I can’t risk being interrogated and having my identity revealed.   

I have to get out of here.  

His mind made up, he scanned the crowd. It looked like Millelith backup hadn’t yet arrived, and the two guards from earlier were busy trying to manage the chaos. “Paimon. Stay close and follow exactly in my footsteps, okay?”  

She looked at him. “Huh? Wait, wh- hey, where are you going!?” He was already slipping his way through the crowd, everyone too panicked to really pay attention to him. Paimon floated behind, still confused, but trusting. He glanced around the circular stone entranceway to make sure there were no guards and snuck through.  

“Aether? Are you going to give Paimon an answer?” She whispered frantically in his ear. He gave her a quick look that read are you seriously asking? and her eyes widened. “Ohhh, your identity… you’re right, we can’t let the Millelith get you!”  

Aether nodded and turned his attention back to the task at hand. He saw a flash of yellow uniforms ascending the stairs ahead and whipped his head around, looking for a place to hide. Shit. They were faster than I thought. The first thing he spotted was a decorative pillar of rock a little way to his left and he sprinted behind it, crouching as he peeked out to get an idea of what he was dealing with. His heart sank in his chest as he watched roughly two dozen guards arrive, positioning themselves in various places around the courtyard.  

It was taking all his willpower to not break out into a complete panic attack. Okay. Breathe, Aether, breathe. Look around. There has to be a way to escape.   

He took stock of his surroundings. There were a few more stone pillars in front of him that he could use to gain some ground… but where to then? He could maybe make a dash for the building in the center-left of the courtyard and hide behind it, but that was unbelievably risky.   

It was also, unfortunately, his only option.  

His heart pounded frantically against his ribcage as he moved from one stone to another, eventually reaching the last after a few harrowing moments out in the open. He peered carefully around the edge of it, gauging the distance to the building. It was probably no more than twenty or thirty feet to run, but he’d have to get across a pretty exposed bridge and there were just so. Many. Guards. There was one stood at the front of the building, another in the center of the courtyard, a third pacing back and forth on the path just to his right… plus, his footsteps would make noise on the stone. Getting out just seemed impossible.  

But he had no choice. He’d just have to wait until a good moment and pray he was quiet enough to avoid detection.   

He couldn’t afford to be caught.  

“Paimon?” He whispered.  

“Yeah?”  

“We’re going to have to get behind that building. Be ready for my word.” He felt her draw closer to him as he surveyed the guard’s movements, waiting for the perfect opportunity.   

Suddenly, there was a commotion from the terrace. It wasn’t clear what was going on, but there was a great deal of shouting and what was likely a physical altercation of some sort. Every guard in the courtyard whipped their heads toward the sound and started moving in that direction.  

Now.  

He gestured forward with his hand and sprinted for the building. It was only a few seconds and the whole thing felt like a blur, but he was breathing heavily by the time his back was pressed safely against the wall. Every part of his body was tight with nerves as he waited with bated breath for some indication that he’d been spotted – the yell of a guard, the approaching sound of boots – but none came. After he determined they were safe, he and Paimon crept around to the other side of the building.  

There were no soldiers in sight in the immediate area, so he sprinted forward to position himself on the path behind a huge stone. If he followed it around to the right, the stairs would be right in front of him and he should be able to make a break for it. He was about to step out into the open again when he heard footsteps and froze where he was.  

Once the sound had stopped, he chanced a glance around the rock and completely despaired. All the guards had returned to their positions, and there was one stood to the right of the stairs, facing towards the terrace. He hoped that he was far enough behind the soldier to avoid their peripheral vision, but there was no way to tell. He ducked behind the rock again and exhaled quietly as he thought.   

Should I go for it? It feels careless, but this may be the best opportunity I get…  

I think I just have to get out of here before the security gets any worse.  

Before he could start to second-guess himself, he slowly stepped forward, taking care to be as quiet as possible. Speed wouldn’t do him any good here; he just had to make sure the guard didn’t hear a thing. Nothing happened, so he took another step. And another. Every muscle was tense, and he had to focus immensely to control his breathing so that it wasn’t too loud, but he was now a few feet out from the rock and seemed to be in the clear.  

Almost there.   

He glanced backward just for a moment to check that Paimon was following him, and it was then that his foot landed on something solid. It broke under his boot with a snap and the guard in front of him straightened and turned around. A horrible jolt of terror shot through his chest, and he froze in panic.  

Fuck.   

Time to run.  

He sprinted for the stairs and the guard yelled out, “hey – they’re here!” His head was pounding as he ran down as fast as possible, jumping down the last half of the stairway to the ground and scrambling around the corner only to be met by another three soldiers on their way up.   

No.   

This can’t be happening. Shit. I’ve only made everything worse. Why in Celestia’s name do I always find myself in these situations?  

He looked frantically back up the staircase, but there was no way he was escaping that way – a group of guards were already coming down it. Paimon hovered behind him, terrified, as he drew his sword.   

Suddenly, there was a voice from behind him. “Hey, buddy – hold still.” Aether glanced upwards in shock as a series of arrows rained down on the guards and a tall man in grey leapt over his head, slashing through the soldiers in a matter of seconds with powerful Hydro attacks. He was too stunned to do more than stand there and watch as he was rescued by a stranger with very fortuitous timing.  

Or was it? Was it truly chance? Had they been following him, waiting for a moment to leap in and be the hero?  

How wary should he be?  

“Stop!” Someone yelled, snapping Aether out of his musings. More soldiers started running toward them from above and the man in front of him turned around.   

“Come with me,” he instructed before running off down the path to the right.   

Paimon gave Aether a nervous glance, and he could tell her thoughts were the same as his: do we trust him? Silently answering her, Aether nodded hesitantly, and the duo ran after their savior, hoping they were making the right choice. They weaved through side streets and through parts of the city Aether didn’t even know existed until the man they were following suddenly stopped in an alleyway and turned around.  

“We’ll be safe here,” he said, smiling disarmingly. Yet it still put Aether on edge – it was the kind of smile that hid something, that tried to gain your trust.  

“Who are you, exactly?” Paimon asked, crossing her arms.  

The stranger’s smile didn’t leave his face. “Call me Childe.”  

“Childe? What, are you secretly six or something?”  

He laughed at that. “No, no, not at all. It’s an alias of sorts – and there’s an ‘e’ at the end, anyhow.” Childe looked at Aether. “I don’t suppose you came across a ‘Signora’ while you were in Mondstadt, by chance?”  

Aether frowned. “We did, yes, but why is that relevant? And how did you know we came from Mo-” he stopped himself abruptly.   

Oh.   

It’s relevant because he knows her. And he probably heard from her that we were there. The man’s smile, while unchanged, suddenly appeared more ominous than before. Aether drew his sword, narrowing his eyes. Following him was a mistake.  

Paimon gasped as she came to the same conclusion. “You’re Fatui! One of the Harbingers!”  

Childe seemed almost amused. “Don’t worry, I’m not looking for a fight,” he said, eyeing Aether’s weapon. He sighed. “Signora gave you quite the bad impression, huh? Tsk, that woman… can’t say I’m a fan either.”  

Right. Of course you’d say that.  

The Harbinger waved a hand. “Right, let’s forget all about her, shall we? I’m here to help you.”  

“I don’t need help from the Fatui,” Aether spat.   

“Come now, don’t be like that,” Childe said, pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration. “I’m not a bad guy – okay, perhaps I’m kind of a bad guy, but I’m not here to give you any trouble. Would it be too much to ask for you to keep the sword sheathed?”  

Aether paused. Was he overreacting? In truth, he had virtually no knowledge of the Fatui other than the fact that they stole the Lyre and Venti’s Gnosis, so there could very well be something he was missing. He trusted Jean’s judgement of the Fatui, and he found it hard to believe an organization that hurt his friend was in any way good, but this was a completely different Harbinger and situation…  

Reluctantly, he relaxed his stance and let his sword disappear, still keeping a wary watch on the fatuus. “Haha, I thank you for your knightly nobility, Aether,” Childe said, winking. He was certainly a very different person from Signora – friendly and unassuming – but that didn’t necessarily mean he was more trustworthy or any better than she was. And Aether really hated the sound of his name coming from his mouth.  

“I know you weren’t behind the death of Rex Lapis,” the man continued. “I had my eye on you the whole time. Regrettably, my word won’t count for much. I am a Snezhnayan envoy, after all, and the Qixing is overly suspicious of us even when there isn’t a national crisis.”  

“Can you honestly blame them?” Paimon asked dryly, echoing Aether’s own thoughts.  

 Childe, oddly, just laughed. “Guess I shouldn’t try to argue with that. But let’s set talk of my affiliation aside for just a moment - if you want to clear yourselves of any suspicion, you need to get yourselves to Northland Bank. It’s not wise to stay in the open. As the old Liyue saying goes: “The walls have ears.””  

Aether glanced at Paimon, confused. He understood the language well enough to know what Childe had said, but the deeper meaning of the idiom escaped him. “Oh- he basically means that anyone could be listening in,” Paimon explained, noticing Aether’s expression. Ah. That did make a lot more sense.  

Childe sighed and shook his head. “Alright, well, I’m leaving. If you want to come to the Bank and clear your name, follow me – and if you’d rather have nothing to do with the Fatui, then you can stick around and let the Millelith catch you, I guess. I know you don’t trust me yet, but I’m telling you that letting me help is the best decision you could make for yourselves right now.” The red-haired man gave them an indifferent wave and started walking out of the alley.  

Despite every bone in his body telling him to walk away, Aether knew he was right. I mean, what was he going to do otherwise? He was a wanted criminal in a foreign nation without any idea where to go and Childe was the only person he knew that would even think of helping him. He squeezed his eyes shut and exhaled. As much as he hated the Fatui, he may have to rely on them.  

Just this once, he promised himself. Once this mess is over, you can kick every Fatui face you see into the ground.  

Reluctantly, he turned and followed Childe out of the alleyway, widening his stride to catch up. The Harbinger didn’t so much as look his way while they walked side by side through the darkening streets of Liyue. It was only when they reached the entrance to the bank several minutes later that Childe acknowledged him, opening the door for him and Paimon and smiling. “Glad you made the right decision, Aether.”  

The use of his name in that tone irked him again, and he couldn’t help himself from shooting the fatuus a dirty look as he walked through the door. He heard it click shut and turned to look the Harbinger coolly in the eye. “Okay. What do you want? Why am I here?” He asked bluntly. It had been too long of a day to be messed around by an objectively evil person.  

Childe held up his hands in a sign of surrender. “Whoa, whoa, no need to take that tone. I just want to help you, alright? I only brought us here because the Northland Bank is run by Snezhnaya, so I knew we’d be safe to talk freely. This isn’t an ambush.”  

Knowing he was standing in what was effectively the Fatui’s headquarters in Liyue didn’t exactly make Aether feel much better.   

The man dug around in his pocket for a moment before producing a long, gold slip of paper with a few Liyue characters written on it. He handed it to Aether. “Here. In case you weren’t convinced I’m on your side.”  

Aether took it hesitantly. “What is it?” Paimon asked.  

Childe shrugged. “I’m not too sure. All I know is it’s a sigil meant to keep the “mighty and illuminated adepti” from harming you.”  

“Adepti?” Aether repeated, confused.  

“Oh- that’s what the people of Liyue call the group of immortal beasts and gods that protect the nation from demons and other forms of evil. Rex Lapis himself is an adeptus, and it’s said that all the other adepti in Liyue are bound by contracts to follow him,” Paimon explained.  

Childe nodded. “Exactly.”  

Aether was still puzzled. “Um, alright… but why do I need to be protected from them? Do you think they’re going to come after me because of what happened at the Rite of Descension?”  

“Haha, no,” Childe laughed. “You’re going to go in search of them. Mortals go looking for the blessings of the adepti for many reasons: money, health, love… but you, my friend, are going for justice.”   

Both Aether and Paimon gave him a strange look, and he sighed. “You two are starting to make feel like I’m speaking a foreign language… ah, well. Allow me to explain.” He cleared his throat. “Rex Lapis is a god who never gave up his power – not only that, but he’s the oldest Archon and undoubtedly one of the most powerful of the Seven. So how could a mere mortal assassinate him, especially so publicly? When you consider that, the Liyue Qixing’s response seems strange; they’ve dispatched the Millelith across the nation in search of the culprit they insist was among the onlookers, despite how ridiculous that idea is.”  

Aether frowned as he began to realize what the fatuus was getting at. “You think they’re trying to cover up the true culprit and pin it on someone else?”  

“They’re trying to cover up something, no doubt. As for what it is exactly… that’s hard to say. So, yes and no.” Childe gestured to the sigil Aether was still holding. “I may not be able to keep you from being the Qixing’s scapegoat, but the word of the adepti is powerful. If you can get them to clear your name, I guarantee you won’t have to worry about being wanted by the Millelith.”  

Pocketing the sigil, Aether asked cautiously, “but what do you get out of this? Why are you so intent on helping me?”  

Childe scratched his head. “Hm. Good question. Let’s just say the Fatui owe you one after what happened in Mondstadt, alright?”  

Ha. Sure. More like ‘I have a secret plan that I’m hoping you’ll unknowingly help me with and I’m going to deliberately avoid that question so that I don’t reveal it to you.’ Aether wasn’t stupid enough to believe Childe’s meaningless explanation. Maybe if he played along with the scheme, he could get on the Fatui’s good side…   

Playing both sides rarely went well, he knew that, but the possibility of beating them at their own game was tempting. It was a thought that made him wish Lumine was there. While neither of them was stupid, she’d always been the smarter of the two, ever the cunning strategist. She’d know exactly how to string the Fatui along and get everything to work out in their favor. Without her, he was considerably less confident that he’d be able to pull it off, but he had to try. He wasn’t just going to sit around and be a pawn.  

“Okay, fair enough,” Aether replied, pretending to accept Childe’s explanation. “Do you happen to know where I can find the adepti?”  

The man nodded. “If you head north from the harbor, then west from Guili Plains, you’ll reach a stone forest as Jueyun Karst. The people of Liyue believe it to be the abode of the adepti – and, according to my intel, they’re correct. I suggest you leave as soon as possible so that you can meet them before the Millelith do. It’ll be hard to convince them you’re innocent if you’re the second group to give your version of events.”  

Aether sighed internally. It was almost night already, so that meant camping in the wilderness and getting very little sleep. It’s not as though he was unused to that, but he preferred to avoid it where he could. “Thank you. We’ll be on our way now, then.”  

Childe just smiled at him. “Good luck. I’ll see you around.”  

Aether chose to ignore the last comment and left the bank with Paimon without saying another word. As they walked along the wooden bridge above the street, he noticed how Liyue suddenly felt so much more threatening than when he first stepped foot in it earlier today – every person, movement, and sound put him on edge.  

“Are you okay, Aether?” Paimon asked. “Paimon’s worried that today’s been a lot for you.”  

He nodded. “I’m as okay as I can be, I guess. It’s all been horribly stressful, but at least we have a way out, if Childe is to be trusted.”  

“Yeah, Paimon knows what you mean.” She paused before speaking again. “Um… are we really going to leave for Jueyun Karst now? It’s almost dark, and, well…” Her stomach rumbled, finishing her sentence for her.   

It was then that Aether realized they hadn’t eaten lunch that day and he suddenly felt extremely guilty. He was so used to traveling with Lumine, who was always sparing with their meals, that he hadn’t even thought to ask Paimon how she was doing. “Oh, Paimon, I’m so sorry. I’ll make some food once we get out of the city, I promise.”  

She smiled understandingly. “It’s okay, Paimon knows it’s been a long day.”  

“I know, but that’s no excuse for letting you go hungry,” he replied quietly. I’ve really been a terrible traveling companion. She does so much, and I do so little… I’ll make it up to her somehow at the end of all of this.   

 

---

 

Later, sometime long after they’d made a quick stop to have dinner, Aether finally decided to be done traveling for the night. He’d teleported them to the waypoint in Guili Plains they’d passed just that morning, which covered about half the distance to Jueyun Karst and gave them a pretty good head start on the Millelith, who would take at least half a day to get to that point.   

Paimon had been asleep for hours already as they traveled west along the path and he was starting to get too tired himself to carry her any further. If his internal clock was right, it was sometime between 10 and 11 P.M. – not that the time had been a problem. The path had been clear, and the moon and stars gave off more than enough light to feel safe.   

He couldn’t make out too much of their surroundings, but there was no light nearby indicating a monster camp, so he quickly pitched a tent several feet back from the roadside and gently set Paimon down inside before collapsing face-up onto the blankets himself. Every moment from throughout the day had just been spinning around inside his head on repeat to the point where none of it seemed real anymore.  

He sighed and rolled onto his side. All I came here for was some quick information, and instead I’ve got myself roped into another national crisis… when is it ever going to end?  

Slowly, his eyes closed as he drifted off into sleep, his thoughts eventually silencing to make way for yet another unsettling bout of nightmares.  

Chapter 12: The Illuminated Adepti

Summary:

Aether makes a trip to Jueyun Karst and Venti gets involved in Mondstadt's diplomatic affairs.

Aether awoke abruptly, gasping, as morning light filtered in through the thin tent walls. Flashes of his nightmare were still in his mind, and it took him a moment to ground himself and separate dream from reality. It was a strange, convoluted sequence of events in which he’d taken Venti’s place outside the cathedral and Signora had attacked him instead. Or something along those lines - in true dream fashion, it was already fading from his memories and had in truth had no clear narrative. 

He was awake. Nothing had happened. Everything was fine. 

“Aether? Are you okay?” Paimon asked sleepily, stirring from the noise. 

Taking a deep breath, he squeezed his eyes closed. “Yeah. I’m okay.” 

“Did you have a nightmare?” 

“No, I was just… um… too warm.”  

That wasn’t entirely a lie. Liyue was a warmer climate than Mondstadt, with less tree cover and drier brush. Right now, with the sun shining right into their tent, he did feel a little like he was in an oven. He sat up and smoothed down his hair. “We should probably start moving again. I don’t want the Millelith to beat us there, even if we do have quite a lead on them.” 

Paimon groaned. “Just a few more minutes…” she pleaded. 

“Nope! We’re going now,” Aether said playfully, pulling out the blankets from under her and packing them up. She hopped into the air and glared at him. 

“Fine, Paimon’s up.” 

He grinned. “Great. If you want to go find some wood, I’ll make us breakfast.” 

She perked up at that and zipped out of the tent, leaving Aether to disassemble their small camp. While she floated around, picking up small sticks in the area, Aether took a moment to survey their surroundings. 

They’d stopped near a teleport waypoint in a small ravine, which appeared to open up further along the path, but there wasn’t much more to the scenery than that. He walked up to the waypoint and let it activate, rising from the ground and shining a deep blue. 

“Okay, Paimon’s done collecting!” She said breathlessly, flying up next to him. “Oh, a waypoint! That’s nice and convenient.” 

Aether inspected it curiously. “How do these work, anyway? We’ve found so many of them, but I still don’t understand how they’re used.” 

Paimon frowned. “Nobody’s really sure. The best theory Paimon’s heard is that they were scattered across Teyvat by Celestia to aid travelers and they’re powered by celestial energy, which is why only Vision holders – those with a direct connection to the gods – can use them. But that’s all speculation.” 

“It makes enough sense to be true, though,” Aether commented before walking away. “Alright. Let’s get some food going, hm?” 

Following a quick breakfast, they were back on the road. After passing through the ravine, they crossed an unnervingly high wooden bridge that didn’t seem particularly stable, but at least he and Paimon could both glide were things to take a turn for the worse.  

The path continued to snake up the side of an incredibly tall mountain and Aether sighed before following Paimon along it, again jealous of how much easier traveling upwards was for her. They passed under a series of wooden gates as they walked, and Aether noted that the path was littered with strange, frog-like stone statues, which he took as a good sign that they were getting close to the abode of the adepti.  

Eventually, the road flattened out and opened up into a small clearing about a third of the way up the mountain. There wasn’t much in the area other than a ring of cobblestone overgrown with grass and a small, altar-looking construction at its edge.  

“Do you think this is it?” Paimon asked, looking around. “Nothing seems really adepti-y to Paimon.” 

“Well, the path ends here, so we may as well look around,” Aether suggested. The duo walked out into the clearing and Aether nearly jumped out of his skin as a deer materialized from thin air in front of him. 

“And who might we be? Those that dare enter Jueyun Karst?” The deer boomed in a low, echoing voice. It stepped forward, its glowing amber eyes narrowing. 

“Uh… Paimon thinks we might have found one,” Paimon whispered in Aether’s ear before ducking behind him. 

Aether wasn’t sure what the proper protocol for addressing an adepti was, so he gave a short bow and introduced himself. “My name is Aether, and my companion is Paimon. We’ve come to seek your blessing. Please, take a look at this.” He drew the sigil that Childe had given him from his pouch and held it in front of the adeptus. 

“A Sigil of Permission… many a season has passed since one was last in the presence of such an item,” the beast rumbled. His stance relaxed and Aether exhaled, relieved. “He before you is the mighty and illuminated adeptus, Moon Carver. Speak, traveler. You say you seek my blessing- what for?” 

Aether was about to speak when the clanking of metal from behind drew his attention. He turned to see a group of Millelith soldiers spill into the clearing, each one looking thoroughly exhausted. However, they all shot to rigid attention and tightened their grip on their spears when they saw who was already there. 

“The assassin! They dared to flee here to Jueyun Karst!” A soldier wearing a darker orange uniform shouted. He pointed his spear forward. “Apprehend them!” 

One of the other soldiers spoke up hesitantly. “Sir, we’ve already trespassed in Jueyun Karst ourselves…” 

The leader’s face flickered, torn. “We… there’s no choice. The Qixing has given us direct orders to apprehend the assassin, so we must press on.” 

Moon Carver let out a puff of air. “Disturbing our borders… see them gone. One will not have interruption.” 

That surprised Aether. Shouldn’t the adepti and the people of Liyue get along? Why would they be so offensive towards them? Oh, well – he wasn’t about to question it and lose his favor in the eyes of the enlightened.  

He summoned his sword and stepped forward, which seemed to surprise the soldiers, given that he was supremely outnumbered by eight to one. 

“Surrender now, and your trip back to Liyue’s cells will be less… unpleasant,” the leader of the Millelith announced, his gaze cold.  

 “He didn’t do anything! You have the wrong person!” Paimon yelled from his side, crossing her arms.  

The soldier only shook his head. “The Qixing is never wrong. But I’ll take that as a no,” he said, looking at Aether, who gripped his sword tighter. “Fine. You’ll only have yourself to blame for any injuries you may accrue in battle.” 

The sergeant rushed forward and stabbed at Aether with his spear, but the traveler just sidestepped it and slashed outward, catching his sword on his opponent’s weapon. The impact sent a reverberation down his arm and the Millelith guard stumbled backwards. As it always did in battle, Aether’s mind narrowed to nothing more than the combat, providing him with precise instructions on how to act while tuning out every possible distraction. 

Dodge.  

Block.  

Strike.  

In his battle stupor, as the soldier flailed to find their balance, all he saw was a moment of weakness, nothing else. As he moved in to deliver a final blow, however, something switched in his mind, and he stopped himself abruptly. 

This may be a more annoying battle than I thought, Aether realized. I can’t kill or seriously any of them- they haven’t done anything wrong. But that really makes it a lot harder to fight...  

Another flurry of attacks drew him out of his thoughts, and he quickly dodged, rolling to his feet and circling around to the other side of the arena. I’ll have to either knock them all out or make them give up. Although, given how much they’re convinced I’m in the wrong, the second doesn’t seem very likely…  

…oh, well. They asked for it.  

As another two soldiers charged at him, he lifted his arm and watched with satisfaction as a huge Geo wall rose from the ground. His opponents didn’t have enough time to stop before they slammed into it, collapsing to the ground with muffled groans.  

The use of an element seemed to stop the Millelith in their tracks, as though they were realizing they’d gotten themselves in over their heads. Recovering quickly, the sergeant shouted, “the assassin has a concealed Vision! How dare you wield Rex Lapis’s power after what you’ve done!” 

Aether rolled his eyes. How dramatic. Another five soldiers rushed him, spears at the ready, but Aether disarmed the opponent in the center of the formation with a quick upward swipe of his sword before ducking behind the guard and smacking the back of their head with the hilt, knocking them out cold. Then, before the other four could make another approach, he punched his free hand into the ground, summoning a row of Geo spikes that smashed into them simultaneously. 

There was a sickening sound as all four soldiers had the wind knocked out of them, and Aether winced. Maybe that was a bit excessive. He couldn’t dwell on that, though, as the sound of hurried footsteps from behind him reminded him that there was still the sergeant to deal with. 

The Millelith guard struck forward with their spear, but the point only met empty air. Aether was already moving, dropping to the ground and knocking his opponent’s feet out from under them. The soldier crashed into the ground and, before they could recover, was met with the point of a blade at their throat. 

“I realize you have no reason to question the Qixing, but I mean it when I tell you that you’re chasing the wrong person,” Aether said authoritatively, his gaze never leaving his attacker’s. “Take your men and leave, and if you still have doubts that I’m innocent, remember the mercy I’ve showed you.” 

Slowly, Aether pulled his blade away from the sergeant and backed up. The man glared at him before unceremoniously scrambling to their feet and rounding up their wounded crew. The Millelith soon left the way they came, slumped in defeat. 

“Well fought,” Moon Carver commented, materializing once more in the clearing. “You demonstrate the prowess and maturity of a formidable fighter. But we’ve digressed – state your purpose, travelers.” 

“Ah… well… where should Paimon start?” Paimon said nervously, glancing at Aether for support. He nodded encouragingly, and that seemed to help as she turned back to the adeptus and took a deep breath. She quickly recounted the day’s events in detail; from the moment the Rite started to when they escaped the Millelith. She left out Childe’s involvement, notably – it seemed the both of them understood how dangerous it was to admit they’d received any form of help from the Fatui. By the time she was done speaking, Moon Carver’s eyes had narrowed to slits, and every hair was bristling with indignation. 

“Preposterous… PREPOSTEROUS!!!” The adeptus roared with such ferocity that the ground shook. Their eyes closed as they took a moment to collect themselves. “How could someone possible assassinate Rex Lapis during the Rite of Descension!? And for the Liyue Qixing to not only allow that to occur under their watch but to then place suspicion upon the attendees… utterly disappointing.” 

Moon Carver huffed angrily before continuing. “Traveler, of the unjust accusations placed upon you, one has become aware. The mind knows its answer. Though one must consult with one’s fellows, lest the mind be misguided.”  They paused, contemplating. “Take your Sigil of Permission, carry with you a message. Mountain Shaper and Cloud Retainer can be found in Jueyun Karst… as for the Conqueror of Demons, a Guardian Yaksha… seek him at Wangshu Inn.”  

Aether nodded understanding, although he was still wrapping his head around everything. The strange sentence order and more complicated vocabulary was certainly putting his translating abilities to the test, regardless of how natural the language had been feeling of late. Unless there was something he’d missed, it seemed like they just had more traveling to do – and more adepti to meet. “Thank you. We’ll be on our way shortly, then.” 

Moon Carver dipped his head before fading away in the same manner that he’d arrived. 

Aether stared into space for a moment, still trying to process all of the recent developments, then slowly turned to Paimon. “Soooooo… any idea where to start looking?” 

 

---

 

It had been exactly two days since Aether left Mondstadt, and it was on that day that Venti found himself in the office of the Acting Grand Master, draped unceremoniously on a chair as he waited for her to arrive. He’d been watching the pendulum of the grandfather clock for far too long, mindlessly moving his eyes back and forth as it oscillated, counting every second. 

Tick. 

Tock. 

Tick. 

Tock. 

Over and over and over again. 

The creak of the door drew his attention away from the hypnotic scene and he sat up a little straighter as Jean walked in, looking exhausted. She held the door open as the prominent members of the Knights entered – Lisa, Amber, and Kaeya – but he wasn’t prepared to see a certain surly, red-haired bartender following behind them. 

That certainly made this more interesting. 

The door closed with a quiet click and the group fanned out across the room, forming a misshapen semi-circle. Jean turned around and jumped a little bit when she saw Venti sat off to the side. “Oh, Venti – my apologies, I didn’t mean to keep you waiting. We got a little held up.” 

He just smiled and hopped up from his seat. “Ah, no worries. A bard is never starved for entertainment – silence often provides a valuable opportunity to compose something new.” 

Apart from when his mind was too distracted with other things to do much thinking. 

But now really wasn’t the time for that. 

“I take it you’re going to tell us why you’ve called us here?” Kaeya asked, flashing the smirk that never seemed to leave his face. 

Jean took a deep breath and nodded. “Yes, I will.” She glanced at Diluc briefly before continuing. “You all may well remember a certain incident that transpired in Mondstadt many years ago, given that most of you were involved in it – a case concerning black fire.” 

Everyone except Venti inhaled sharply.  

Ah. So I was right, he thought. While he hadn’t done anything personally, he’d watched the whole situation rather closely and wasn’t in the least bit surprised that this was what the Fatui journals were related to. After all, it was the only incident other than Dvalin that Snezhnaya been particularly involved in. 

Well, that and Ursa the Drake, he supposed. 

“Several Fatui diplomats were injured or killed by a mysterious black fire, which was later connected to the presence of god remains in a young girl named Collei, whom, according to her, the Fatui had been experimenting on,” Jean recounted. “The situation was resolved with the help of the Sumeru Akademiya and the Knights, but I’ve been investigating a certain element of it for quite some time. Namely, the disappearance of children from across the nations, likely to use them for Fatui experimentation in the same way that Collei was.” 

Venti stiffened at that revelation. Jean gave him a quick look as if to make sure he understood everything so far, and he nodded. She then produced the journal he’d found from a drawer in her desk. “This has been our biggest breakthrough as of yet. Logs from Fatui operatives hiding in one of the Four Winds temples, assumed to be around the same time as the black fire incident, were recently uncovered. At the end, the agent lists a series of numbers that we’ve been able to translate into exact coordinates.” She flipped to the page and showed it to the group, and they crowded around to look. 

An immense number of notes had been scribbled on the previously sparse page, most of which Venti wasn’t even going to try to understand. One part did catch his attention, though: a fragment of Mondstadt’s map clearly torn from a larger one, with a location circled in red ink. 

Lisa twirled a strand of hair around her finger and exhaled, leaning away from the page. “It wasn’t easy, I’ll say that – their ciphers are deceptively intricate. But after digging through our records, it turned out to match with some cases we’ve previously investigated.” She tapped the map fragment Venti had been eyeing. “If the coordinates are correct, the Fatui hideout is located deep underground in the middle the Thousand Winds Temple.” 

Venti frowned as he tried to picture the area. It certainly didn’t seem all that special, other than being immensely old, so what point would the Fatui have in being there? 

“I take it we’re being brought in to do a raid, then?” Diluc asked, looking up at Jean. 

She nodded. “You all are some of Mondstadt’s best warriors, and each of you has already been entangled in this crisis in some way, so it only seemed right for this to be the group I brought with me.” 

“What are we looking for, though, if I may ask?” Venti chimed in. “Those logs are from years ago, as you said. The hideout is likely deserted, and the incident you keep speaking of has entirely blown over. I suppose I don’t understand what we have to gain.” 

“You’re not wrong,” Jean conceded. “But I have an obligation to ensure that Mondstadt is safe from any threat, and for such a location to exist within our borders is a liability. I highly doubt we’ll find any valuable information or any missing individuals – and if we do, that’s a bonus. My primary goal is to make it clear to the Fatui that such operations are not going to be permitted under my watch.” 

She looked pointedly at Venti as she said the last sentence. 

Oh. 

This wasn’t just a raid – it was a diplomatic message, a retaliation for what had happened to him two days prior. 

“And how do you intend to get that point across?” Kaeya asked. His smirk had disappeared, as though he already knew what Jean was going to say. 

“We destroy the whole facility.” 

The room reeled at that. “What!? Jean, you can’t be serious – that may as well be an act of war!” Amber exclaimed, shaking her head vigorously. 

Jean let out a long sigh and closed her eyes. “I know. I understand the ramifications. But there has been recent Fatui… ah … activity that we need to respond to before their diplomats begin to think the Knights are pushovers. This is not unprompted, and they are aware of that. So, given those circumstances, I have relative confidence that this will bring finality, not spur more conflict.” 

“Are you going to enlighten us as to what this “activity” is?” Kaeya pressed. 

Jean shook her head. “All I can say regarding the matter is that they attacked citizens within our borders.” 

Kaeya let out a low whistle. “Now I see why bringing the facility to the ground isn’t as crazy as it first seemed.” 

“Well, yeah, but it’s still a huge deal,” Amber said, chewing her lower lip out of nervousness. “But… I understand. If this is what you think is for the best, Master Jean, I’ll offer my full support.” 

Kaeya nodded. “As will I.” 

“Same here,” Lisa added. 

“I would love nothing more than to watch a Fatui institution crumble,” Diluc said. Venti believed him – there was almost a hint of a joy in that statement. 

And then that just left him.  

“Venti?” Jean asked. “I realize you’re not a Knight, but you did find the journal, so it only seemed right to ask you to be here. If you would prefer to not involve yourself further, though, I understand – the choice is entirely yours.” 

It was a tempting offer. He was still recovering from the loss of his Gnosis, and he knew the Knights would be more than capable without him. 

But he also had a responsibility to his nation, and he wasn’t about to sit back and let them do the dangerous work if he had the chance to be involved. Not this time, at least. This was one thing he could do for his people – as Venti, not Barbatos. 

He was tired of watching people get hurt because he was too useless to help them. Especially in affairs that were his fault. 

He shook his head decisively. “No. I’ll join you.” 

Maybe he was imagining it, but Jean seemed relieved. Hopefully not because she thought he could (literally) swoop in and save them in combat if things got rough. That wasn’t happening any time soon. 

“Well,” she said, closing the journal. “Thank you all for your dedication to the cause. We’ll depart from my office for the Thousand Winds Temple early tomorrow morning, so take today to get some rest. You’ll need it.” 

Everyone nodded and filed out the door. Venti, who had gotten distracted watching the grandfather clock again, stepped forward to leave. 

“Oh, Venti – apologies, but do you mind staying a moment?” Jean asked, putting a hand on his shoulder. 

He turned around, surprised. “No, not at all. What are you in need of?” 

Jean glanced at the door to make sure it was closed, then dropped her arm. “I didn’t get the chance to ask you then, but… what happened outside the Cathedral? What did the Fatui do to both of you?” 

The memory of that all-consuming pain flashed through his mind, and he absentmindedly put a hand to his chest. “They… well, let’s say they took something of mine and leave it at that.” 

She leaned back against the desk, watching him with curiosity. “You really can’t say more than that?” 

“Some secrets are better left undisclosed.” 

Jean closed her eyes and nodded slowly. “Okay. I understand. Just – please realize that I asked you on this mission for more reasons that one. I couldn’t say the full truth then, but if we do find anything in that hideout that pertains to why the Fatui did what they did to you, I felt that you should be there. Especially if it may be something that shouldn’t be shared with the rest of us, which I assumed may be the case.” 

He was a little surprised by her thoughtfulness. Jean was always a great strategist, but there was a level of compassion and consideration for him involved in all this that he didn’t expect.  

It wasn’t as though he was shown that often, to be fair. To the world, he was an absentee archon. Very few tried to understand his perspective - they just assumed it was a reflection of his poor character. Even Mondstadters, while grateful for their freedom, often blamed him when things got tough. He’d heard it enough times. 

It was certainly unexpected for someone to know him as Barbatos and not scorn him for the choices he’d made. He appreciated the understanding he received from Jean – and Aether – for that reason. 

There were a lot of things about Aether that he-  

Nope nope nope aaaaand nope. He was going to end that thought right there. 

Before his mind could wander any further down a path he was really trying to avoid, he dragged himself back into the moment. 

“Thank you, Jean. That means a great deal,” he said quietly. 

“Of course. I’m glad you’ve decided to join us.” Her smile seemed genuine, and he returned it before exiting her office to get some sleep. 

Tomorrow would be an interesting day. 

 

---

 

Back in Liyue, following a quick meal, Aether and Paimon had scaled Qingyun Peak, which turned out to be not so daunting once he realized he could use Geo and Anemo to do it. After a brief scan of Huaguang Stone Forest, they decided the most likely places for adepti residence were the other two mountains in the area: Mt. Aocang and Mt. Hulao. 

Mt. Hulao was where they headed first. Paimon floated ahead as they walked up the steep mountain path, inspecting everything with a curiosity Aether found entertaining. Nearer to the summit, large chunks of an orange material started to increase in number, catching her attention. 

She flew up to one and poked it, floating around the resin-like mass while Aether caught up. “What do you think this is?” She asked, tilting her head. “Paimon hasn’t seen anything like it before.” 

Aether gave it a good look. Whatever it was, it appeared to be completely solid and was taller than he was. “I’m not sure. It looks kind of like amber, but I’ve never seen it at this size.” 

Paimon frowned. “Maybe it’s an adepti thing?” A smile crept onto her face and her eyes lit up as she considered another possibility. “Paimon wonders if it’s hiding an adepti treasure…”  

She flew over to another further up the path and cupped her hands over her eyes, pressing her face against it so that she could peer inside. 

“AAAH!” She suddenly shouted, pushing herself as far away from the amber as possible. 

Aether snapped his head toward her, immediately on full alert. “What happened?” 

“Th-there’s a person in there!” 

“What? Are you sure?” He ran over and pressed his head against the amber, squinting to see through its golden-orange layers, made slightly transparent by the midday sun. And, sure enough, he could just make out the shadowy figure of a man, completely encased by the rock. 

“What are we gonna do?” Paimon asked, panicked. “We can’t just leave him in there!” 

Aether studied the amber for a moment, trying to decide the best course of action. Okay. Two options. I either break it apart with Geo, which is more dangerous, or I slice sections off with my sword, which is really slow. And we don’t know how long he’s been in there, so… speed is probably more important.  

“Okay. I’ll get him out. Paimon, maybe take a step back,” he instructed. He lifted his hand and let out a deep breath as he carefully summoned a spike of Geo from the ground and drove it into the side of the amber. The whole chunk immediately broke apart into a few large pieces and the man inside stumbled forward before collapsing to the ground, coughing heavily.  

“Are you okay?” Paimon asked, quickly floating over.  

The man let out a few more hoarse coughs before swallowing painfully. “Um- yeah, I think so. What happened?” 

“We found you trapped in the amber and broke you out,” Aether explained, pointing to the remnants of the incident. 

Their eyes widened. “Y-you did? Thank you so much. I’m Li Dang, I was climbing the mountain wi- wait, have you seen my brother? His name is Li Ding and - oh no, I hope he hasn’t gotten trapped too…” 

Aether shook his head, and he felt absolutely terrible when he saw Li Dang’s expression fall. He knew the feeling of worrying over family all too well.  

“We’ll help you look for your brother if you want, though,” Aether offered. Even though they really didn’t need any more detours to their trip, he couldn’t in good conscience leave Li Dang like this. 

“Would you really?” Li Dang asked, hopeful. “We were heading to the summit, so we could check there first. But if he’s not there, I really don’t know what to do.” 

Aether nodded. “Of course. We were on our way there ourselves.” 

Li Dang slowly got to his feet and, as they walked, explained his situation. “I’m so sorry to trouble you. We really should never have come to Mt. Hulao, it’s just that…” He sighed. “Our family has nothing to live on, and we heard tales of treasures hidden here and thought it was worth a try.” 

Paimon lit up at the mention of treasure and Aether shot her a look, shaking his head ever so slightly.  

“But it was foolish, and the adeptus punished us for our greed,” Li Dang continued, staring at the ground. “I really don’t know what I’d have done if you hadn’t broken me out of the amber.” 

“I’m glad I could help,” Aether replied, not sure what to say to the rest of it. Thankfully, that was the moment they reached the end of the path and saw a man who looked almost exactly like Li Dang on his knees in front of a pond, praying desperately. 

“Li Ding! You’re okay!” Li Dang exclaimed, running forward. The man on the ground turned around in shock, relief spreading across their face when they saw their brother alive and well. 

“Li Dang? H-how did you get out of the amber?” They asked, standing up. 

The brother they’d saved turned and gestured to the traveling duo stood behind him. Aether gave an awkward wave. “We, um, broke him out,” he explained. 

“Oh, thank you! We are truly blessed to have come out of this unharmed. But we really should be going – we’ve trespassed in the realm of the adeptus for too long as it is.”  

The brothers waved goodbye and fled down the mountain, eager to get back to safer land. Aether and Paimon were left in the awkward silence that followed. 

“Well, they were interesting, hm?” Paimon commented, staring down the path they’d just departed on. “Paimon hopes they get out of here safely, ‘cause it seems like this adeptus has a real temper problem. What is it with the adepti and being all snobby about their territory?” 

“Who dares speak ill of the enlightened adepti?” A male voice called from behind them. Aether jumped and Paimon let out a shriek, darting behind Aether. He watched as a red and black colored crane slowly descended from the sky and landed in front of the pond, head lifted with authority. 

“You intrude upon the sanctity of Mt. Hulao, you destroy the amber of one’s mountain, you free a thief whose freedom is not yours to give, and now you insult one so openly? Foolish mortal! Step forward and receive your punishment at once.” 

To say Aether was terrified would be an understatement. Paimon was trembling now, and it was hard for him to not do the same as he pulled out the Sigil of Permission and held it forward. 

“We’re sorry for everything we’ve done, but we do have good reason to be here,” he reasoned. “Moon Carver told us to visit you – and we brought this.” 

The crane stepped forward and inspected the sigil closely. “A Sigil of Permission? One is surprised to find that such things still exist in the mortal realm. In the beginning, Rex Lapis cast them for the mortals with his own hand. Few were made then, and thousands of years on, fewer still remain…” 

Aether held his breath until the adeptus leaned back, apparently satisfied. “One is called Mountain Shaper, and you would be wise to respect that title. Now speak. One wishes to know of the matter that brought you here.” 

Again, Paimon led Mountain Shaper through the story they’d given Moon Carver: the Rite of Descension, minus the Fatui. Mountain Shaper’s reaction was similarly angry but, notably, carried a hint of shocked disbelief that Moon Carver’s hadn’t. 

“Rex Lapis… assassinated? At the Rite of Descension!? What mortal in Liyue - nay, in all the world - would conspire to commit such foul treason?” The crane shouted, puffing up his chest. He closed his eyes and collected himself for a moment. “To think that for so long the adepti have remained absent from Liyue due to our arrangement… but now, alas! Rex Lapis, gone…” He trailed off sadly before addressing Aether. 

“Traveler, of the matter you have relayed, one has become aware. One now knows why Moon Carver has sent for us, and one shall convene with the other adepti. One will depart as soon as one has attended to certain matters, and trusts that the manner of your departure will be swifter in nature.” 

Aether and Paimon nodded and the adeptus flew off over their heads, heading down the mountain. “Well, that just leaves one more in Jueyun Karst, right?” Paimon asked, spinning around to face Aether. “Let’s go! Mt. Aocang isn’t far from here.” 

They soon reached the top of Mt. Aocang, which flattened out into a large pond with an island in the center. As they approached, Aether expected another adeptus to appear out of nowhere, but none did.  

“Do you think we’re in the wrong place?” Aether asked Paimon, looking around as they stood at the edge of the pond. “I’m not seeing any signs of the adepti.” 

Paimon frowned. “Neither is Paimon, but… why don’t we take a look over there before we rule this place out?” She pointed at the island, which had a large, curved tree and a circular stone table atop it.  

He observed the pond, which looked fairly shallow, but not so shallow that he could avoid swimming. “Hmm… I wonder if…” He stepped out over the water and harnessed Geo as he set his foot down. A platform of rock erupted from underneath the water right below his foot, creating a sort of stepping-stone.  

“Whoa… that’s so cool!” Paimon breathed as he crossed the pond. “Paimon never thought about using the elements that way.” 

He did feel strangely proud of himself in that moment. Maybe it was because he was so tired of feeling weak, or maybe it was because he loved the rush that came with learning something new – or maybe even a bit of both. Either way, it wasn’t a feeling that lasted very long. 

Improvement was an expectation, not an accomplishment. 

They shortly reached the table at the center of the pond and Aether began inspecting it for anything adepti-related. There were three stone stools arranged around it, each with a name engraved on the top. The one closest to him read Rex, and to his right was Guizhong.  

Paimon peered over his shoulder. “Hmm… Paimon doesn’t know who Guizhong is, but Rex is probably short for Rex Lapis. Who could Retainer be?” She pointed at the third seat, which Aether hadn’t read yet. 

The name seemed familiar, and it took him a moment to realize why. “Oh – didn’t Moon Carver mention Cloud Retainer as one of the adepti?” 

Paimon paused, thinking, then nodded. “Yeah, he did! Guess that means we’re in the right place. But why hasn’t the adeptus showed up yet?” 

Aether just shrugged. “Maybe they’re not as territorial?” He looked around and spotted a cobblestone staircase overgrown with moss leading into the mountainside. “Let’s try over there.” 

At the end of the staircase was the entrance to a domain. From the outside, it didn’t look much different from the one he’d traveled into with Venti, but they may as well venture through it anyway.  

He pressed his hand to the door and watched as it glowed blue and swung open, revealing an endless void. Taking a deep breath to steady himself, he stepped inside, squeezing his eyes shut as the world flipped around him and pressure built up inside his ears. Just like before, though, the feeling built and built until it seemed like he was on the verge of being torn apart, then ended abruptly.  

He landed with a jolt on a circular platform. Paimon popped into existence next to him, looking as disoriented as he felt. She shook her head as if to clear it. 

“Paimon hopes we don’t have to do that too often,” she commented. 

“I second that,” Aether said as he looked around. This domain was incredibly different from the one before. That had just been a series of rooms in what felt like an underground space, but this was… strangely beautiful.  

Platforms floated above a sea of pink-tinted clouds, some connected by thin, transparent pathways. A sunset sky extended in every direction, and the atmosphere was open and peaceful. It appeared uninhabited, strangely, but he was proven wrong when a woman haughtily spoke, their disembodied voice floating around the space as though it were being projected from every direction. 

“One senses the presence of a Sigil of Permission… one knows not why you have come, but should you find your way through mine abode, you shall receive an audience with the adeptus whom you seek.” 

“Gah! That scared Paimon! Who do these adepti think they are, being all terrifying and mysterious like that? Can we meet one normal adeptus?” She exclaimed, crossing her arms in frustration. “And now we have to go all the way through this domain…” 

“I know,” Aether sighed. For once, he shared her work-averse sentiments – all the day’s traveling had left him thoroughly exhausted, and he wasn’t in the mood to jump through a bunch of hoops to prove himself. 

But he really needed the adepti to clear his name, so he would have to put up with anything they asked of him. For now. 

Reluctantly, he stepped forward and placed his hand on a small mechanical console at the center of the platform. A shining golden pathway emerged from the platform’s edge and extended forward like flowing water, connecting to one further up in the air. He cautiously set a foot on it, adding a little weight until he was certain it was solid enough to support him. 

The next platform was nearly identical to the first, except it had a small pond decorated with lily pads in the center where there was previously solid stone. Aether didn’t even question how the water stayed there – at this point, there seemed to be some magical explanation for everything. He placed his hand on another mechanism, but nothing happened. 

Frowning, he tried it again. Still nothing. The third time he pressed it, a small compartment on the side of the mechanism opened, sliding out to reveal a cube-like puzzle of sorts. It consisted of several interlocked metal squares, jumbled together in a huge mass. He picked it up and looked at the mechanism again.  

Ah. Of course. There was a small slot at the front for a key that he’d apparently missed. He turned the jumble of metal around in his hands and sighed. It wasn’t going to fit that slot in its current state, that’s for sure.  

A sudden wave of grief washed over him, and he found himself once again wishing that Lumine were there. They’d each had their individual strengths, but it was as a pair that they worked best: covering each other’s weaknesses in battle, seeing solutions that the other couldn’t, and supporting each other through every hardship. His eyes started to water as he stared at the metal puzzle in his hand. Lumine would have known how to solve it – she knew how to solve anything. Her mind was wired for strategy in a way his wasn’t.  

Tears began rolling down his face unprompted and a familiar ache formed in his chest. He hadn’t realized just how empty everything seemed until now. His second half was gone, and now he just felt… vulnerable. And lost. 

“Aether?” Paimon said softly from beside him. “What’s wrong?” 

“I-I’m sorry, I just… I… I really miss her.” His voice trailed off into a whisper and the tears fell even harder. A sob bubbled up in his throat and he choked it down as Paimon flew forward and hugged him, her arms wrapping gently around his chest. They didn’t quite reach all the way around, but he didn’t care. He hugged her back, careful to not hold her too tightly for fear of hurting her.  

Eventually, his breath steadied, and the aching feeling disappeared. He gave Paimon a light squeeze and stepped back, wiping the remnants of tears from his face before letting out a long breath. 

“You can talk to Paimon any time, okay?” She promised, studying his face. “Paimon knows that your sister is really special to you and that losing her is really sad, so… if you ever just need a friend, Paimon will be here.” 

Her kindness almost made him start crying again, but he closed his eyes and held it in.  

“Thank you, Paimon,” he said, glad that his voice came out steady.  

At least I’m not alone.  

She nodded and smiled, clasping her hands behind her back. “Mhm! So, do you want help with that key?”  

He handed it to her. “Sure. It just looks like you have to twist the metal pieces a certain way, but I don’t have the slightest clue where to start.” 

“Hmm…” Paimon glanced back and forth between the key and the lock. “Doesn’t the lock kind of look like the Geo symbol?” 

“Um… I don’t know what the Geo symbol is,” he admitted.  

“Huh!? Well, that does make sense… here, Paimon will show you!” She started to mess with the key, flipping the metal pieces around with a series of plinks that made Aether involuntarily wince. Her tongue stuck out as she concentrated on the task until, finally, she held up a symmetrical diamond-shaped symbol that looked very geometric. “Tada! Paimon did it! Here, try it in the lock!” 

Aether slotted it in, and the mechanism glowed a promising blue before flashing golden, summoning another long pathway that led to the next platform. Paimon clasped her hands together in excitement. “Yippee! Let’s see what the next puzzle is.” 

The rest of the domain was similar to the start: a series of puzzles that unlocked various mechanisms, eventually leading them to a larger platform with a tree growing in the middle. This one was overgrown with vines and moss but was otherwise just as empty as the previous areas. 

“Um, hello?” Paimon called out, scanning the platform. “Ms. Adeptus? Can we talk to you now?” 

A crane materialized in the space in front of them, wings tucked neatly at their side. Unlike Mountain Shaper, their colors were teal and white, and they held themselves with elegance rather than intimidation, head raised.  

“One is most impressed,” they began, shaking out their wings. “The path that leads through this abode defies those of ordinary abilities. The one before you is the adeptus, Cloud Retainer.” 

“Did you design this whole place yourself?” Paimon asked curiously, tilting her head. 

Cloud Retainer nodded. “You surmise correctly. Even Guizhong and Rex Lapis themselves found one’s technological accomplishments to be worthy of commendation. But enough! State the matter which brings you here, at once. You have disturbed the tranquility of this place for long enough.” 

“Ugh, just when Paimon thought we’d found an adeptus without some weird territorial problem,” Paimon grumbled. She sighed and recounted the events of the Rite of Descension for the third time. 

The adeptus spread their wings and let out a harsh screech. “Rex Lapis… assassinated!? How can this be!? The notion is so preposterous as to be unbelievable… one shall have to verify the truth of the matter independently.” Cloud Retainer started to mutter contemplatively. “…perhaps one shall quash Liyue first, then convene with the other adepti-” 

“What!? Did you just say ‘squash Liyue Harbor?’ But - aren’t you meant to protect it?” Paimon exclaimed, eyes widening in disbelief. 

“Hmph! It is precisely because one does not wish to see further suffering that exceptional measures are deemed necessary. Were one to eliminate Liyue Harbor, further disaster would be prevented.” 

“Aether, think of something! She doesn’t seem like she’s kidding,” Paimon whispered in Aether’s ear. 

Paimon’s right- this adeptus is crazy. But what do I say? There has to be something I can appeal to that will make her back down. Umm… bringing Rex Lapis’ wishes up may not be a great idea, given that he just died. Maybe I go the whole “do you really want to see people suffer” route? Or – wait, didn’t Paimon say Liyue is built on contracts? That must be important enough… right?  

He exhaled. “Look, you said you’d give us an audience if we passed all your puzzles, and we did. Now you have to hold up your end of the contract and give us a fair audience – that means to give us a chance to be heard. Please, at least talk with the other adepti before doing anything drastic. We want to save the city, not destroy it.” 

Cloud Retainer eyed him coldly. “A cruel irony that you should appeal to the notion of a contract after the merciless murder of the Geo Archon himself.” 

Oops. Did I say the wrong thing?  

“…nevertheless, since you come here in the name of contracts, far be it from one to abandon one’s own contractual obligations,” she continued, closing her eyes. “Least of all when you come bearing a Sigil of Permission… although it cannot be taken as proof of your trustworthiness. One will do as you suggest and confer with my fellow adepti.” The adeptus turned around and flicked the corner of their wing. A small, oval-shaped portal appeared on the far edge of the platform, swirling with a strange energy that Aether hadn’t seen before. 

Cloud Retainer turned back at the duo and gestured to the portal she’d just made. “Your audience with the adeptus before you is now concluded. Leave at once and disturb me no further.” 

Aether dipped his head in understanding. “Thank you.” 

“Yeah, thanks!” Paimon seconded, nodding cheerfully. 

Under the adeptus’ watchful eye, they stepped through the portal and found themselves back at the entrance to the domain, facing outwards toward the pond. 

“She was weird,” Paimon commented, spinning to face Aether. “Paimon hopes this last adeptus is a little more normal. Moon Carver said they were a, uh… Guardian Yaksha, right?” 

Aether nodded. “And they’re at Wangshu Inn, so we can teleport.” 

“Oh, right! Thank the archons – Paimon’s tired of flying.” 

He took her hand and in a few short moments they were standing on the upper floor of Wangshu Inn, right next to the elevator. The sun was just beginning to dip below the horizon, streaking the sky with gorgeous pinks and oranges. From the top of the inn, the view was incredible. 

Unfortunately, they didn’t have time to sit around and watch it. As far as he was aware, he was still the prime suspect for the murder of an archon, which made every person a threat. Anyone could report him to the Millelith at any moment, and he was walking around a populated area without so much as a disguise. The nagging fear of discovery returned in full force. 

Noticing how on edge he was, Paimon tapped his shoulder. “Where do you want to start looking? This place seems so normal compared to Jueyun Karst that Paimon can’t think of where an adeptus would live.” 

Aether thought back to when they first visited the inn. They’d come through the seating area below, then gone up the elevator, then down the stairs and to their room… 

Memories from that evening flashed through his head, and he suddenly realized that his arm hadn’t hurt at all that day. He’d completely forgotten about it, which was a problem – it would be all too easy to slip up and let someone see if he kept being forgetful. 

He made a quick mental note to be more aware in the future and dragged himself back to the present, pointing inside the inn at a stairway that led up to a small balcony. “I don’t think we went up that way last time. Seems like a good place to begin.” 

Paimon nodded. “Alright, sounds good!” 

The wooden steps creaked as they walked up them, and Aether’s fear of being caught only grew more intense. He’d gone along the right side of the stairway to give them the best chance of staying unnoticed, but he still held his breath every time there was the slightest bit of noise or movement. When they made it to the balcony, he finally relaxed a bit. It seemed like nobody was up there, and the view across the water was captivating.  

“Oh… they’re not here,” Paimon said dejectedly, looking around. “Well, we may as well take advantage of the scenery!”  

She flew forward and Aether followed, leaning against the railing. A chilly breeze ruffled his hair and goosebumps prickled up his arms. He took a deep breath, glad to have a moment of peace after such a long day. Strangely, the wind reminded him of Venti, and he couldn’t help but think about the last conversation they’d had beneath Vennessa’s tree.  

I hope he’s doing better. He looked so down…  I wish I just had a way to stay in touch. Partly to check up on him, but also because Liyue feels so lonely. It doesn’t help that I made myself a wanted criminal, I guess, but… it was nice to feel like I had so many friends. Traveling the stars never gave me much of a chance for that.   

A thought suddenly struck him, and he was surprised it hadn’t crossed his mind before. Lumine did say that this was no home for us when I saw her last, didn’t she? So… we’ll likely leave Teyvat the moment I find her.  

There’s not much point in having friends then, is there. Maybe it’s for the best that I left Mondstadt. Saying goodbye would only get harder the longer I stayed.  

A voice from behind him snapped him out of his thoughts with a jolt. 

“To the blind, everything may not be as it appears…” 

He whipped around to see a man about his height and age join him at the balcony. Their hair was similar to Venti’s: black with teal streaks, short in the back and longer at the front – the only difference was that the front pieces weren’t braided. His eyes were a stunning yellow and a green tattoo covered his left arm, left uncovered by the tight white shirt he wore.  

The man turned to face Aether. There wasn’t a hint of emotion in his gaze. Maybe annoyance, if Aether had to pick one. 

“A Sigil of Permission?” They mused, crossing their arms. “You came prepared. Although that only prevents me from hurting you myself – it won’t stop you from getting hurt in other ways.” 

What was that supposed to mean? Is he going to push me off the balcony or something?  

“Uhh… Paimon doesn’t get it,” Paimon said, scratching her head. That makes two of us.  

The man just sighed. “Mortal souls are not as robust as those of adepti, nor can your blood carry this level of adeptal energy,” he explained. “Leave. Now. If you know what’s best for you.” 

“Wait a sec! We came here to–” 

Paimon was cut off by the adeptus suddenly disappearing in a flash of black smoke. They stood there in a moment of stunned silence until Paimon’s rage got the better of her. 

“Argh! Paimon’s… peeved! How can someone be that self-absorbed!?” She shouted. “Hmph! Paimon wants to give him an ugly nickname, but if you tick off an adeptus, the only thing you’ll probably ever find in treasure chests is cabbages!” 

Aether was equally frustrated. Why did adepti insist on being so impossible to talk to? He would never voice that opinion for fear of being rude, though, so at least he had her to speak his mind for him. 

Paimon shook her head in annoyance one last time and huffed. “Ugh… guess we should go ask the boss lady of the inn about how to deal with stupid adepti.” 

Aether froze as every worst-case scenario flashed through his head. “Um, are you sure that’s a good idea?” 

“Why wouldn’t it be?” 

“Well, we can’t be sure about how quickly news of the Rite spread. It’s likely that every Liyue citizen is on the lookout for us, and given how major the death of an archon is, I doubt we’ll be given a chance to explain ourselves before the Millelith are called.” 

Paimon tapped her chin thoughtfully. “True, but… why don’t we just try? You said it yourself – we can’t be sure how quickly news spread. Maybe Wangshu Inn hasn’t heard anything. And if they have, you’ll just have to kick the Millelith’s butts like last time!” 

Aether sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. He didn’t have the energy to argue, and her logic was uncharacteristically sound. “Okay, you’re right. No point in worrying about what may or may not be – we’ll just have to find out for certain.”  

Hesitantly, he headed back into the inn and down to the front desk, Paimon trailing close behind. His palms were slick with sweat beneath his gloves as he approached the front desk, hyperaware of every glance and movement from those around him. 

Verr Goldet, though, just smiled and greeted him as though nothing were wrong. “Hello again! Back from Liyue Harbor already?” 

Some of the tension that had been building in Aether’s muscles relieved. “Oh, uh…  yeah, we are.” 

“I hope you enjoyed it. How was the Rite of Descension?” 

Aether tried incredibly hard to not let the nervousness he was feeling show on his face. Calm down. That’s a normal thing to ask – and it means she doesn’t know what happened. It still feels weirdly pointed, though… but I probably shouldn’t lie.  

“Well, it was a little traumatic, to be honest. I hope I’m not the one to break this news to you, but… Rex Lapis was killed at the Rite of Descension.” 

Her hand flew to her mouth. “Oh, archons – I had no idea. I’m so sorry. That is certainly not the impression I’d hoped Liyue would leave on you.” She blinked as her eyes teared up, then collected herself. “I’m sorry. I hope my lack of professionalism can be forgiven. That’s just… not what I expected to hear. Is there something I can do for you?” 

There was a part of him that felt bad for asking something of her so soon after the loss of her god, but he wasn’t exactly in a position to waste time. “It’s okay, no need to apologize. And yes, there is, actually. Could you tell me anything about the adeptus staying at Wangshu Inn? We were looking to talk to him, but he just kind of told us to leave and disappeared.” 

Verr Goldet raised an eyebrow. “Oh? You’ve already met Xiao? Not bad. It’s not often he’s in a good enough mood to see people.” 

“That was his good mood!?” Paimon said incredulously. 

That made Verr Goldet laugh. “Oh yes, the adepti are very hard to come by - although I’ll admit that Xiao is more temperamental than most.” She cleared her throat. “You see, the adepti have lived on the outskirts of Liyue for millennia. After Rex Lapis borrowed their power to build Liyue, they found little point in sticking around, given that most of them only knew how to help the nation by fighting. We have the Qixing to protect us now, of course.” 

“You really know a lot, huh, boss lady,” Paimon commented. 

“It’s not ‘boss lady,’ just ‘boss,’” Verr Goldet corrected. She looked back at Aether. “Seeing as you have the favor of the adepti, getting through to Xiao should be easier. If you wanna know my opinion…” she leaned in to speak a little quieter, glancing up the stairs. “…if you keep Xiao in a good mood, things should be okay. Almond Tofu is one of the few human foods he likes, and I’m sure Smiley Yanxiao would be willing to make you some.” 

Paimon huffed. “Can’t imagine what a good mood would look like for the ‘Vigilant Yaksha.’” 

Aether shot her a glare – they did not need the adeptus overhearing that. Verr Goldet seemed unbothered, though. “Haha! It’ll be interesting, won’t it? Come to think of it, I’m not sure I’ve ever seen him smile…” 

Huh. Seems like every adeptus is just a total weirdo, Aether couldn’t help but think. He then immediately hoped that the adepti didn’t have any mind-reading abilities he wasn’t aware of. 

“Thank you,” he said outwardly. “While we’re here, is there any chance you have a spare room for the night?” 

She nodded. “I can put you in the same one as last time, if that’s alright.” They went through the standard procedure and began to walk down to the kitchen, but Verr Goldet’s voice made him pause. “Oh – Aether?” 

He turned around. “Yes?” 

She smiled knowingly. “Opportunities to meet an adeptus are rare and fleeting. Make the most of it.” 

Aether nodded and resumed walking. Something about the statement stuck with him, though. It’s not a strange thing to say, so… why did it feel like it? Why does it feel like she knows why I’m looking for them? He sighed and tried to forget about it.  

One problem at a time. 

 

---

 

Verr Goldet watched the traveling duo head down the stairs, out of sight. 

“Should we tell Ningguang?” a quiet voice said from behind her.  

She didn’t turn around, just shook her head. “No. They have the favor of the adepti. It would be unwise to go after them now. Well, and…” 

“Yes?” They prompted. 

Verr Goldet looked at the man beside her, frustrated. “Huai’an, I’ll speak when I’m ready.” She closed her eyes for a moment. “I have a feeling they’re not the people we should be after.” 

Huai’an’s brow furrowed. “You think they’re innocent?” 

“I do.” 

“…I’ve never had reason to doubt you, but you realize that the Qixing-” 

“I am aware of what the Qixing have said,” she interrupted. “But I sense otherwise.” 

“You would disobey our orders?” 

“It’s not disobedience. It’s recognizing nuance. Xiao is… difficult, and yet he spoke to them willingly. That has to mean something.” She turned away. “If you’re going to report anything to Ningguang, tell her that. And make it clear that those two are not to be disturbed while they’re here.” 

Reluctantly, Huai’an nodded. “Okay. You’re the boss.” 

 

---

 

After getting a serving of Almond Tofu from the chef, Aether and Paimon found themselves back on the balcony. The sun had now completely set, and the chill of night wove through the air.  

“He’s… not here,” Paimon observed, spinning around. “Should we just wait?” 

Aether shrugged. “I guess so?” 

“I told you to leave,” Xiao said, his voice appearing from behind them. Aether and Paimon spun around to see him stood, arms crossed, in the space that had just been empty. 

“Gah! Why do you keep sneaking up on us like that?” Paimon yelled, darting behind Aether. “You know, it doesn’t hurt to be a little less creepy.” 

Xiao just held the same cold expression. “If being ‘creepy’ is what deters humans from disturbing my solitude, then it is not a trait I intend to change.” 

“Ugh… this guy’s impossible,” Paimon grumbled under her breath. “Look, we brought you some food. Can you at least stick around long enough for us to talk to you?” She reasoned, gesturing to the dish that Aether was still holding. Xiao looked at it and his demeanor shifted ever so slightly. 

“Well… if you took it upon yourself to provide an offering, I suppose I could spare some time,” he said. He snapped his fingers, and the plate disappeared from Aether’s hands. “What do you want?” 

Aether was a little taken aback. It was that easy? Well, alright. “We came here to tell you about what happened at the Rite of Descension yesterday,” he explained. “Rex Lapis was assassinated during the ceremony, and the Millelith have convinced themselves that we’re responsible. We’ve come to inform the adepti, partly in the hope of clearing our name.” 

Aether wasn’t sure that Xiao heard anything he said after the word ‘assassinated.’ The adeptus was frozen, wide-eyed in shock – the most emotion he’d expressed so far. 

“Rex Lapis… how could this be?” He whispered. He looked out across the river, lost in thought. “I… can’t imagine it. Though times have changed, I’ve never imagined a Liyue without him.” His face twisted in fury. “The ruling Qixing… just what role have they played in this?” 

Aether willed himself to not take a step backward in terror. A mad adeptus was certainly not something he wanted to cross. Before he could decide whether to say something to calm Xiao down, the man took a deep breath and steadied himself, his blank expression returning. 

“I will seek Moon Carver, Mountain Shaper, and Cloud Retainer,” he declared, looking at Aether. “It is time they, too, made their decisions.” 

“Will the adepti take the Geo Archon’s place?” Aether couldn’t help but ask. 

Xiao looked away. “Adepti do not turn on their responsibilities. I have my reasons to not want to be tainted by the mortal realm, but… I made a contract. Whether my fellow adepti agree, however…” He shook his head. “I’ll be going now. It’s best that you do not spend too long in my presence.” With that, he disappeared the same way as last time. 

Paimon crossed her arms. “Well, at least he was a little more cooperative that time. Seems like we’ve done all we can, though – you wanna head in for the night?” 

Aether nodded. Now that the day’s insanity was over, he was suddenly really tired. The heavy feeling of exhaustion prickled behind his eyes. “Yeah, let’s get some rest – and some food. Who knows what’ll happen tomorrow, at the rate our adventures are going.” 

Following a quick dinner, the duo made their way to their room, falling asleep almost instantly. And, per Verr Goldet’s instructions, they slept through the whole night undisturbed, away from the Qixing’s watch. 

At least, they were for now. 

Notes:

Hi! Hope you enjoy another chapter :) For some clarification, everything happening from Venti's perspective is meant to be a way to incorporate the information from the official Genshin manga (which does exist and I highly recommend reading it). There are a lot of creative liberties being taken there, but it's been super fun to write.

Also, as another note, I've started another work! It's a modern AU that isn't really a slow burn at all but writing this work, as much as I love it, is driving me a bit insane because I just want them to interact (the consequences of my own actions, shocking) and so the new one is just meant to be a modern relationship with a fair amount of upcoming fluff and stuff and. Yeah. But that does mean I have no idea what the upload schedule for this is going to look like anymore. I'll probably just switch between the works as my motivation decides, so I apologize for any delays in writing this story in advance.

Anyway! That's all from me. Have a lovely day :)

Chapter 13: Haeresys

Summary:

Aether meets one of Childe's associates and Venti brings light to the Fatui's schemes.

It was early morning when Aether and Paimon stepped through the doors of the Northland Bank. Childe was already there and waiting, leaned against the wall with his eyes closed. He opened them when he heard the door and gave Aether a coy smile. “Back again, hm? I told you that my help would be necessary,” he commented, pushing off from the wall and walking forward. 

“We’re only here because you asked us to be. Believe me, I wouldn’t have returned otherwise,” Aether corrected, crossing his arms.  

Childe sighed. “Well, I suppose that’s fair. Anyway, tell me – how was your trip to Jueyun Karst?” 

“It was fine. We located four adepti – Moon Carver, Mountain Shaper, Cloud Retainer, and the Conqueror of Demons – who’ve said they’ll convene and make a decision regarding my innocence and the future of Liyue.” It was more information than he wanted to give, but if he was going to convince the Fatui he was warming to them, he’d have to make some sacrifices. 

“I see… some of those names have never come up in the intel the Fatui gets hold of,” Childe confirmed. “As a returning gift, I have some information for you regarding the Geo Archon’s passing. While you were away, the Liyue Qixing announced this morning that, as the true killer has not been found, they’re not allowing anyone to pay their respects to the Exuvia.” 

The true killer? But that implies they’ve found a false killer… could I finally be in the clear?  

No matter the case, it wasn’t something he needed to bring up now. Instead, he asked, “Exuvia? What does that mean?” Maybe the more idiotic I seem, the more I’ll be able to get away with.  

“Ah, you wouldn’t know. The Exuvia is another name for the Prime of the Adepti – which, in turn, is another of Rex Lapis’ titles. Now, it’s just being used as a term for his mortal vessel, which makes things even stranger.” Childe tapped his chin. “Why would the Qixing hide his body, given that his spirit has already risen?” 

Aether frowned. “That is suspicious.” 

He crossed his arms, and a manic grin spread across his face. “The whole situation is truly fascinating, no? The harder the Qixing tries to silence the situation, the greater the chaos that erupts…” 

Unsure how to respond, Aether just gave him a disturbed stare. “Uh… sure.” 

Childe sighed. “Ah, just when I thought we were starting to see eye to eye. There are so few that share my-” 

“Hey, wait a moment,” Paimon interrupted. “If the Exuvia is locked up and the Geo Archon is dead, then that means our quest to find the Seven in Liyue is over!” 

Aether tried to signal to her to stop talking, but Childe had already caught interest. “Oh? You’re trying to find the Seven? And just why might that be, pray tell?” 

Aether glared at him. “Nothing to do with you.” 

The Harbinger leaned back and smirked. “Nice answer. A knight that gets duped by the Fatui would really be no knight at all now, would they?”  

There was an ironic undertone to that statement that unsettled Aether, but he tried to ignore it. Odds were, the Fatui was just trying to get into his head and make him second-guess himself. 

The moment passed, though, and Childe spoke again. “Well. If you’re after the Exuvia, I can help with that too.” Aether and Paimon both gave him a suspicious look, and he held up his arms in surrender. “What? Archons forbid a guy shows some goodwill. If you’re interested, you can come with me to Liuli Pavilion.”  

Aether sighed reluctantly. “Fine, we’re coming. Lead the way.” 

“That’s more like it.” 

A few minutes later, they were stood outside Liuli Pavilion, which turned out to be a very expensive-looking restaurant.  

“Sooo… you’re taking us out for lunch? Not that Paimon’s complaining, but Paimon doesn’t exactly see how this relates to the Exuvia.” 

Childe laughed. “Haha, no, not exactly. I have a contact I’ve arranged to meet with that can help us solve the mystery of where the Liyue Qixing would hide the Geo Archon’s vessel. Come, I’ll introduce you.” 

He led the way into the pavilion, and they went down a short corridor that opened up into a dining room. Seated at the table already was an older man with dark hair, dressed in a brown and gold suit. He looked up as they approached and set down the cup of tea he’d been holding, studying Aether with a thoughtful but not unkind expression. His eyes were a deep orange and brought out with a red eyeliner, Aether noted as the man’s gaze followed him to his seat.  

“Allow me to introduce Mr. Zhongli, consultant to an organization known as Wangsheng… and a trusted associate of the Fatui,” Childe said, waving his hand in Zhongli’s direction. 

“Associate of the Fatui?” Aether echoed as he pulled out a chair and sat down across from the man, with Paimon taking a seat on his right.  

Childe nodded and sat next to Zhongli. “Indeed. Wangsheng’s line of work can be… sensitive at times. Let’s say they understand when discretion is needed.” 

Aether did not like the sound of that, but he tried his best to maintain a polite expression as Zhongli cleared his throat. 

“As a representative of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, it is an honor to meet you. I have heard tell of you from Mondstadt,” he said, his voice low and calm.  

Oh. He just organized funerals. Leave it to the Fatui to make everything sound more suspicious than it is. 

Both Aether and Paimon must have visibly relaxed upon hearing that, given that Childe immediately started cracking up. “Oh, wow - you should have seen your faces! Did you think he was some sort of hired killer?” 

Aether crossed his arms. “Well, forgive me for assuming the worst about the Fatui’s ‘associates,’ but it’s not as though you often have good intentions.” 

Childe smiled, but there was a hint of warning in it that unnerved Aether. “Your concern is noted. In any case, I brought you to meet Mr. Zhongli because–” 

“Because I can bring you to see Rex Lapis’ vessel,” Zhongli finished, taking a sip of his drink. “Rex Lapis may be the Prime of Adepti, but he is ultimately an adeptus and should be properly honored as such. In years past, Liyue’s tradition was to hold a huge memorial service to mark the passing of an adeptus – and yet the Liyue Qixing have made no attempt whatsoever to respect this tradition.” 

He fixed Aether with a cautious stare. “It is an indication that the times have changed. You must have felt it too when you were at Jueyun Karst.” 

How did he – oh, Childe probably told him. But what does he mean, times have changed? What could he be getting at? Think, what did the adepti say…  

Slowly, he started to put the pieces together, and his eyes lit up with realization. “Do you mean the fact that the adepti are staying away from Liyue? Each one that I talked to seemed hesitant to visit the city, even though they knew it was a time of crisis.” 

Zhongli gave a small nod. “Indeed. The time of the adepti is ending, and the time of mankind is slowly dawning.” He set down the cup again with a small clink and closed his eyes. “Traveler, Childe has told me a lot about you. Since you have had dealings with the Anemo Archon, could I ask you to help me prepare the Geo Archon’s last rites?” 

Aether stiffened at the mention of Venti. Just how much does Childe know? How extensive is the Fatui’s intel? Am I putting the people I know in danger by trying to lead them on? Maybe I should just say no and get away from all of this… the longer I stay in their circle, the more they’ll learn about me, whether I intend it that way or not.   

But I do really need to see the Exuvia, just to be completely sure there’s nothing more to be found in Liyue. If it did hold some information about Lumine, I’d never forgive myself for passing up the opportunity to see it.  

Reluctantly, he agreed. “Okay. I’ll help.” 

“Wonderful. By carrying out the Rite of Parting, you will be able to see the form of Rex Lapis again.” Zhongli stood up. “Come with me. We will speak of the details as we walk.” 

“Hey, what about lunch?” Paimon said indignantly. “The food hasn’t even gotten here yet!” 

“If you must eat, then I suppose I will wait outside,” Zhongli replied. “But I would prefer to begin preparations for the Rite as soon as possible.” 

Paimon gave the table a longing glance and sighed. “No, we’ll come. Paimon will manage.” 

“What about you?” Aether asked Childe, who was still seated.  

The fatuus smiled. “Oh, don’t worry about me. I’ve done the bridge-building – the rest is up to the three of you. I’ll just be here, enjoying some of Liyue’s finest cuisine.” 

Paimon gave him an especially nasty glare and flew out of her chair. “C’mon Aether, let’s just go. Paimon is tired of being around jerks.” 

As they followed Zhongli out of the restaurant, Aether gave her a soft smile. “Don’t worry, I’ve got some snacks in my bag,” he whispered, handing her a few rice buns he’d made earlier that morning. She lit up and grabbed them out of his hands. “It’s nothing special, but I thought we might end up in a situation like this,” he explained. “I asked Smiley Yanxiao for his recipe.” 

She beamed. “Nothing special? Paimon will take your cooking over a restaurant any day!” 

He flushed a little from the compliment, embarrassed. “Oh, uh – thanks, but I’m really no chef. Plus, all of Teyvat’s ingredients are still really new to me, so everything’s a little subpar.” 

“Well, Paimon thinks these are great!” She said, holding out her empty hands. “Um. Or were great.” 

Aether stifled a laugh as Zhongli pushed open the door and they entered the bustling main street. The midday sun was obscenely bright after being inside, and he held up his hand to shield his eyes, squinting.  

They started to walk in the direction of the bank. The silence was incredibly awkward – Aether didn’t really know how to talk to Zhongli, and he felt uncomfortable making conversation with Paimon given that the man was there. Fortunately, he didn’t have to. 

“After having experienced the land of the absentee archon, Traveler, how does it feel to know that our archon and adepti are here all around you in Liyue?” Zhongli asked politely as they stepped around a group of people stood in the middle of the road. 

Aether decided to answer honestly. “I prefer the atmosphere in Mondstadt.” Liyue almost felt like too much, being the bustling center of trade that it was. It was beautiful, sure, but when he thought about Mondstadt, a peaceful, home-y feeling came with it. It could just be that he’s sentimentally attached to it, given that it was the first place in Teyvat he saw, but… he’d be lying if he said he’d rather be in Liyue. 

Zhongli hummed. “I see, so you’re that sort of person. It’s not a bad thing.” 

What does that mean?  

“But I suppose you have yet to experience the substance of Liyue’s three thousand and seven hundred years of divinity,” the man continued. 

Aether wasn’t sure how to respond to that without getting angry. It seemed like everyone in Liyue was stuck up and too in love with their own city to see the value in Mondstadt’s ideal of freedom. Whatever. He wasn’t about to say anything that would get on Zhongli’s bad side, so he just let the guy keep talking. 

“Organizing the Rite of Parting should prove to be an enlightening part of your travels. Liyue is the most prosperous of the seven nations, defended by deities and ruled by the Qixing. Ningguang has always been on her guard against the Fatui. That is in all likelihood why Childe wants to make use of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor’s connections.” 

Paimon frowned. “But… why would Childe want us to help you with the Rite? He doesn’t exactly seem that big on culture…” 

“I neither know nor do I wish to know,” Zhongli said frankly. “As far as I am concerned, the Fatui are merely financial sponsors. I only wish for Liyue’s traditions to endure.” 

What? How could he not be worried about whether the Fatui are up to something? Does he really not care about whether he might be helping their plans?   

…I don’t trust this guy. He seems way too self-interested.  

But I’ve got to see this through. If I’m going to dupe the Fatui, I need to stay on their good side. And I guess that includes the good side of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, too.  

He was forced to focus on reality when Zhongli tossed him a weighty bag of Mora, which he just barely caught. 

“These are the advance funds that Childe has provided for the Rite preparations,” he explained. “The first step shall be to obtain some Noctilucous Jade worthy of a deity.” 

 

 

For the second day in a row, Venti found himself in Jean’s office, arms crossed, his fingers absentmindedly drumming a rhythm he’d had stuck in his head since he woke. They’d been talking strategy for what felt like hours – although it had really been less than twenty minutes. Dull conversation was not something he excelled at paying attention to. 

The sound of serious voices turned from a muted hum into intelligible conversation as he tuned back in, sensing that the exchange was drawing to a close. 

“…that’s all the advice I have to offer you. Does anyone else have any comments before we set off?” 

Jean looked around at the five standing before her, none of whom responded. “Excellent. It would seem we’re as prepared as we can be to take on the Fatui. Let’s head to the Thousand Winds Temple at once.” 

Everyone nodded assent, and it wasn’t long before they found themselves stood in the ruins of a forgotten place. The midday sun was bright and pleasantly warm, and the sky was a perfect, clear blue. Poetic words were already forming on the tip of Venti’s tongue as a mild breeze swept his cape around him. 

It was a shame to waste such a beautiful day underground in a creepy Fatui hideout. Ah, well. Not that he had a choice. It was far too late to back out now. 

Venti lifted his hand to shield his eyes from the sun and squinted at the shadowed ruins before him. Nothing immediately jumped out at him as being an entrance, but he wasn’t exactly expecting anything to. It wouldn’t be a very well-hidden hideout if something did. 

“Where should we start, Master Jean?” Amber asked politely. 

“First, let’s split up into pairs and divide the area into three sections. Amber, you’ll be with me, and we’ll cover the third closest to us. Next is Kaeya and Lisa, then Diluc and Venti at the farthest end. We’ll regroup in the center in fifteen minutes,” Jean ordered. 

He mentally thanked Jean for her well-planned distribution. Despite how much Diluc disliked him, he’d rather pair up with him than anyone else. He was one of the few that knew his identity, which could save his skin if something were to arise, and was the most proficient in combat, so his lack of a Gnosis would be covered in that sense. 

Not that she knew about the Gnosis, of course. But Jean wasn’t stupid. She’d seen him after Signora’s attack and was likely planning as though he was still recovering. 

Varka had certainly left the Knights in capable hands. 

He joined Diluc and they wandered over to the far side of the temple. He stepped around a cracked pillar that had fallen onto the cobblestone ground and looked up at the wall in front of him. Ugh. Searching this place was going to take forever.  

“I’ll look around the stairs on top of the wall,” Diluc offered. “You can search the ground level.” 

Venti nodded. “Any idea what we’re looking for, exactly?” 

“No clue. Any sort of mechanism or anything bearing the Fatui symbol is my best guess.” 

“Got it.” 

Diluc started to work his way up the rubble formed by the collapsing wall and Venti turned his attention to the ground. On his right was a cluster of pillars and some barrels and crates, and on his left was a gated area sunk into the wall.  

He sighed. Searching was always such tedious work, and they didn’t even know what they were searching for. Maybe elemental sight could give him some clues. He closed his eyes and let elemental energy stir in his chest, channeling it outwards. 

When he reopened his eyes, the world was devoid of color, but he didn’t spot any clear elemental trails. Great. So that isn’t going to help. Guess we’re doing this the old-fashioned way.  

The gate looked more promising, so he decided to start there. It was maybe three times his height, with the bars crossing in a tight grid-like pattern. He pressed his face against the cool metal and peered inside. Nothing looked suspicious. It was just an ordinary stone cell with weeds peeking out from cracks in the floor and walls. Just to be safe, though, he should probably check it out. 

Venti stepped away from the gate and looked up and down the walls either side for a lever or some other mechanism he could use. Strangely, there was none. He frowned and did a quick 360. Still nothing. 

Why would there be a gate and no mechanism – not even the remnants of one? How are you meant to get inside?  

He activated elemental sight again and was rewarded with an incredibly faint rainbow trail to his right that appeared to vanish into the stone wall, an indication that people wielding a variety of Visions had passed through the area. He drew on more elemental energy to make the trail glow a little brighter and inhaled sharply as the cool feeling coursing through his veins turned unpleasantly sharp and burning.  

Right. No Gnosis. The limits of his power hit him much more quickly now. He pulled back slightly, and the painful sensation faded, but so did the trail. 

This was getting annoying. Archons, how he wished he could just slam the gate with Anemo and be done with this mess. But his carelessness had made him this weak, and he was going to have to live with it. 

Venti moved forward and ran his hand along the wall. Nothing felt out of the ordinary, and his hand didn’t pass through, so it wasn’t an illusion. But the trail definitely led inside… 

He decided to try a different approach and began tapping his fist on different sections. That part was solid. So was that. And so was– hold on. He crouched down and knocked the wall a little harder, confirming his suspicions. That stone had hollow space behind it. 

“Find anything?” Diluc suddenly asked. Venti jumped and turned around to see the man stood in the entranceway, shadowed by the sun behind him. 

“Oh, er- I may have. I’m not sure yet. I take it your search was unfruitful?” The bard replied, standing up. 

Diluc crossed his arms. “Unfortunately, yes.” He looked over at the area Venti had been inspecting. “What’s so special about the wall?” 

“It seems like there’s a passageway – or at least some space – behind it. Additionally, the gate has no mechanism to open it.” 

The man frowned. “Odd.” He summoned his claymore and gripped the red and black weapon with both hands. “Move. I want to try something.” 

Venti obligingly stepped to one side as Diluc strode forward and drove the point of the weapon into the wall. Or, at least, he tried to. The stone deflected the weapon with an unpleasant sound that made Venti involuntarily shudder. 

“Well, it’s not a Geo illusion,” Diluc confirmed. “How do you know there’s something behind it?” 

“This brick doesn’t sound like the rest,” Venti explained, crouching down again so that the brick in question was at eye level. “Maybe if I…” he trailed off and pushed the stone inward. It slid backward easily and slotted itself into something with a soft click.  

“What did you do?” Diluc asked, a thread of worry creeping into his tone. 

“…I don’t know.” 

Venti stepped back as the wall began to make a harsh grating noise and bricks started sliding of their own accord. A cloud of dust engulfed him and Diluc, and when it cleared, the stone wall had parted to reveal a small ledge with a yawning, dark stairway after it. The two of them stared at the ominous passageway before slowly turning to each other. 

“So… think we should go tell Jean now?” Venti asked sheepishly. 

“I think you should have done that a while ago,” Diluc grumbled.  

They reconvened in the center of the temple, where a very annoyed Kaeya and a tired Lisa were already waiting. 

“Jean and Amber aren’t back yet?” Diluc asked. 

Lisa yawned, covering her mouth with her hand, and shook her head. “No. Haven’t seen them since we split up.” 

Well, that was unusual. Venti was sure it had been more than fifteen minutes, and Jean and Amber were both very punctual people. For them to not be here meant… well, it meant that his mind reasonably started to assume the worst. 

It seemed that Kaeya came to that conclusion as well. “Amber and Jean, of all people, late to a meeting? This doesn’t feel right.” 

Diluc, albeit reluctantly, agreed. “It doesn’t.” 

“Let’s not start to panic, hm?” Lisa chimed in. Despite the casual tone of her voice, Venti could tell she was failing to take her own advice. He may not know anyone here particularly well, but he was observant – thousands of years of existence gets you pretty good at reading people, especially when you make a point of watching things happen rather than involving yourself in them. 

One particular observation he’d made was that everyone had something that influenced them; that came through in the way they spoke, the choices they made, the goals they set for themselves, and even in the people they surrounded themselves with.  

Take Amber, for example. Young, sweet, and so desperate to prove herself. She worked tirelessly, following in Jean’s footsteps, was always polite and responsible, and was cheerful to a fault. He didn’t doubt part of the reason she was with them today, despite her age, was because she’d made it clear how dedicated she was to the Knights. And, somehow, every single one of those characteristics could be so easily tied back to her want for recognition, her want for Jean and Kaeya and Lisa to see her as an equal and to prove that she was just as capable as any of them. 

When he noticed that, she became far easier to read. It was as though each individual had something, some huge, identifying idea at their core, and everything they did branched off from that idea in winding, convoluted strands that, when untangled, revealed their true reasons for being them.  

It was an overly simplified view of people, Venti knew that. And perhaps an overly poeticized one. But, somehow, it always made sense. Like how Diluc’s closed-off personality and strange, vigilante-ish actions stemmed from his feelings of guilt and betrayal that he tried so hard to bury. And how Kaeya’s flirting and casual demeanor served to make him appear disarming and cover the secrets he held as well as his fears. And, as he could see right now, how Lisa’s pretense of laziness and feigned carelessness, while sometimes true, were more often there to disguise the fact that she was incredibly capable and incredibly empathetic. 

Some people, though, he couldn’t get a handle on no matter how hard he tried.  

Aether was one of them. 

Maybe that was what drew him to the traveler in the first place. He had been so uneasy and reserved when they first met in Mondstadt, so clearly afraid and uncomfortable in a world that wasn’t his. Venti thought that finding out his motivations for being in Teyvat would make everything click, would make sense of the man who was desperately looking for the only family he had left. 

But it didn’t. And everything he continued to learn about Aether only confused him more. 

There was far more to him than the lost and awkward traveler he spoke to under the statue in the plaza. There was the determined, unwavering warrior that surfaced in the heat of battle. There were the uncertain, emotional, self-deprecating parts of him that Venti had seen on the rare occasions when Aether inevitably reached his breaking point or that slipped through in moments of doubt. There was a shockingly gentle and selfless side to him that Venti saw when he indulged Paimon, offered to help someone when he really didn’t need to, and… and when he comforted Venti at Windrise before he just… left. 

His whole being was like a puzzle Venti couldn’t quite solve, and he didn’t like to admit how much that bothered him. Maybe that was why he so readily accepted the traveler as a friend, the first person he’d ever dared to get slightly close to since Dahlia – and even then, he and Dahlia weren’t that close. He’d certainly never cried in front of him. 

He’d tried so hard to not let that happen, to not get attached to someone else. It felt by now like he was cursed. Every person he ever truly got to know eventually left him, in some ways more tragic than others.  

He’d called Aether “Traveler” as often as he could without it being rude or strange and tried to convince himself that it would help create distance. He’d teased Paimon a little more than he did anyone else in the hope that she would, effectively, turn Aether against him. He’d kept secrets and tried to stay cheerful and bubbly, even in the moments when he felt like anything but, just to eliminate as many possibilities of emotional attachment as he could. 

And it was all for nothing. 

At some point, he’d given up. Just… accepted that no matter how much he tried not to, he cared. And there didn’t seem to be much reason to lie to himself about that anymore. 

He wasn’t sure when that had happened. It could have been when Aether suddenly asked, “ are we friends?” and Venti was grateful that the traveler’s own embarrassment meant he didn’t notice how much that had stunned him. Or when he’d come to the realization during their battle with Dvalin that the thought of Aether getting hurt really, really scared him. Or when he found himself crying on Aether’s shoulder after what felt like the greatest failure of his life, despite every instinct telling him that it was dangerous, that it was too open and emotional and that he shouldn’t let himself be seen like that. But something about Aether made it so easy for him to just be him.  

He cared. He didn’t want to. But he did, and he cursed his stupid brain and heart and every accursed mortal tie that made him care. That made him want to know and want to be friends with the sweet, enigmatic, amber-eyed traveler from the stars. 

It was all so stupid. He was stupid. 

What was stupider, however, was how he felt when a hand roughly shaking his shoulder dragged himself out of his frustrating musings. 

“…Venti? You alright?” Diluc asked, eyebrow raised. “You don’t seem to be… all there right now.” 

Venti blinked before plastering an unassuming smile on his face, letting just the right amount of worry seep through to sell the lie. “Oh – yes, sorry. I suppose I just got caught up in thought. It’s… troubling to have not seen any sign of our most diligent companions.” 

The other three interpreted that exactly as he’d intended them to: that his withdrawn spell was because he was thinking of the worst that could have happened to Jean and Amber. He was worried about them, of course. His mind just had a tendency to wander. Usually, though, he spent his time alone, so being caught off guard like this when he did start being introspective wasn’t a concern. 

Lisa nodded understandingly. “We understand, we just need all of us focused right now. It’s definitely been well over fifteen minutes with no sign of them, so… the only thing left to do is start looking.” 

The group of four decided not to split up again for fear of the same thing happening again and wandered around the temple, calling Jean and Amber’s names. They’d done at least three thorough laps before they decided to take a break. About half an hour had passed in the search, and Venti was getting more uneasy with every second. 

“I don’t get it,” Kaeya muttered, leaning against a stone pillar as they stood in a shady area. “Surely, we would have heard something or seen something. It doesn’t make sense. How do they both just disappear?” 

“Do you think they found the entrance, decided to explore a little before we regrouped, and got lost?” Lisa posed, brow crinkled with worry. 

Kaeya hesitated but ultimately shook his head. “I suppose, but… that doesn’t sound like either of them.” 

Lisa sighed. “I know, but I can’t think of anything else.” 

It was then that Venti realized that he and Diluc had completely forgotten to make their revelation to the other two. “Hold on – the true flaw with that logic is that they couldn’t have found the entrance because we did.” 

Both their heads whipped towards him. “What? You’re just now mentioning this?” Kaeya said incredulously. 

“Well, we did get a little preoccupied looking for our missing companions. And there’s no guarantee it’s the entrance, I suppose, but… it is a highly suspicious secret passageway in a wall,” Venti explained. Kaeya and Lisa exchanged an exhausted look, which he tried to not be offended by.  

Diluc closed his eyes before speaking up. “I think we should head inside. Now. We’ve searched the area several times and found nothing. No tracks, no elemental traces, no signs of conflict. It makes the most sense to do what we came here for before the Fatui catch onto us rather than looking for Jean and Amber when we have nothing to go off of.” 

Venti hated to admit it, but Diluc was right. They weren’t getting anywhere wandering around, and there was no guarantee that they’d ever find the two knights by staying where they were. And, judging from the expressions on Kaeya and Lisa’s faces, they’d been thinking the same thing. 

None of them liked the idea of continuing their expedition without two of their members, but it was their only sensible choice. 

And so, they found themselves stood at the entrance of what was supposedly the Fatui’s hidden hideout in Mondstadt, staring down a dark stairway where the light didn’t quite reach the bottom. 

“Well. This isn’t ominous at all,” Kaeya muttered as he stepped forward to peer down the stairs more closely.  

Diluc summoned a ball of flame in his hand and tossed it down. They watched it bounce and light the way until it eventually hit the bottom and dissipated. Dread started to rise in Venti’s stomach, and he fought to tamp it down. 

It was just dark. That’s all. The whole place was abandoned. There was really no reason to be so afraid. 

Diluc took the first step, lighting the stairwell with Pyro as he walked downwards. Venti followed behind, then Lisa, then Kaeya. They were all quiet, the only sounds being their footsteps echoing through the stone passageway and the occasional crackle from the flame in Diluc’s hand. 

They reached the bottom of the stairway after several twists and turns. Diluc suddenly stopped and Venti nearly crashed into him, catching himself on the stone sides of the narrow passageway to prevent himself from falling down the last few steps.  

“A little warning next time, maybe?” Kaeya called from behind him. 

Diluc just held up a hand. “Sh.” Slowly, he stepped forward and the sound of his footsteps changed from a dull stony clack to a metallic clang. As he kept walking, strange, teal lights mounted on the sides of the corridor slowly flickered to life, illuminating what appeared to just be a very long hallway. “It sounds clear. Follow. Closely.” 

Venti and the others did just that, jogging to catch up with Diluc as they continued down the hall, each step careful. The facility was unnervingly quiet, and the very air felt ripe with tension, as though it were poised for battle. Every creak of metal, every torch that flared with a whoosh set him on edge. 

It wasn’t long before the hallway opened up into a large circular room with a domed roof. It was too dark to see much more than that, though. Venti followed Diluc inside and to the left as Kaeya and Lisa stood on the right side of the doorway. 

“See any way to get the lights on in here?” Kaeya asked. His voice echoed throughout the room and felt indescribably eerie after all that silence.  

“No,” Diluc replied flatly. “Give me a moment.” He closed his eyes and summoned a ball of flame close to his chest before looking over at Venti. “Can you carry this with Anemo?” 

Venti nodded, although he was a little uncertain. He hadn’t had the chance to experiment much with elemental energy since Signora’s attack, so he wasn’t sure where his limits were. But hovering something in the air shouldn’t be too hard… 

He extended a hand and felt the familiar pull of wind running through his veins. The fire in Diluc’s hand floated up, surrounded by teal wisps. Cautiously, Venti hovered the orb outward into the middle of the room and drew on a little more energy to enlarge it using Anemo. It flared, illuminating every corner of the dark space. Venti nearly dropped the ball of Pyro in surprise. 

The center of the room was a pit. A deep, circular, man-made pit that extended downward just enough to where they couldn’t see the bottom. It didn’t look like they were in any danger of falling in it, nor did that seem like its purpose – they were stood on a sort of balcony that encircled the top of the pit, guarded by a chest-height railing.  

All four stepped forward and peered over the edge. 

“What in Teyvat is this for?” Lisa wondered, gripping the railing. 

“It…” Diluc frowned. “…I have my suspicions, but… it doesn’t seem possible.” 

Kaeya rolled his eyes. “Enough with the theatrics. What is it?” 

Diluc glared at him before continuing. “Well. I suppose it’s no secret that I gather intel from a variety of underground sources. Several years back, there were rumors circulating through them of a… Fatui arena. A sort of battleground that they would use for entertainment. They called it Haeresys. It was described somewhat like this.” 

Lisa tore her gaze away from the blackness below and pinned Diluc with a worried stare. “So, you think that’s what we’ve found?” 

He looked pensively at the ceiling. “It’s possible. But there’s very little here that actually suggests this is Haeresys other than its similarity to a vague environmental description. It may not have even been real.” 

Venti’s attention was drawn to the void – or, rather, the walls surrounding it. He lowered the ball of fire he was levitating enough to light the bottom. “Wait. Look.” Along the walls of the pit were windows that appeared to look out from balconies much like the one they were one. There were three levels, each with eight windows separated by pillars that ran up the length of the pit. The bottom half of the windows were square with a bar railing, and the top half was an oval with an ornate design covering it. It looked as though it were designed for spectating. And, at the very bottom of the pit, there was a large splatter of–  

Venti looked away as his stomach turned. “Is that blood?” Kaeya asked, dumbfounded. Based on his following embarrassment, he probably hadn’t meant to say that out loud, but it seemed to be what everyone had been thinking. 

“Looks like it,” Diluc confirmed grimly. 

“Well. That may be enough confirmation for your theories,” Venti said quietly, pulling the flame back up and encasing the chilling scene below in shadows once more. The atmosphere between the four was far more ominous. Even though the facility was clearly abandoned, something about having a clearer idea of the monstrosities that occurred here made everything more… real. More threatening. 

“Should we-” Lisa began, but Kaeya cut her off by placing a hand in front of her mouth. They all froze, sensing something was wrong. Diluc snuffed out the Pyro flame and they waited tensely in the darkness, listening and watching. 

From beyond the room they were in, there was a faint scuffling sound. Venti’s breath leapt into his throat, and he felt his heart pound faster, more intensely, as fear-fueled adrenaline coursed through him. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Diluc quietly sneak across the room, following the balcony around to the open doorway on the other side before summoning his claymore. Following suit, Venti and Kaeya let their weapons materialize. He could hear the crackle of lightning as Lisa began to cast a spell. 

The scuffling grew louder, and Venti’s heart only beat faster as the noise became clearer, morphing into distinct, slow, approaching footsteps. 

Diluc raised his sword, pressed against the wall beside the doorway, and Venti notched an arrow quietly before lifting his bow towards the entrance. Whatever fatuus was left here, they weren’t going to go unpunished. 

The footsteps grew louder and louder and their grips on their weapons only became more white-knuckled as the metallic echoes rung through the domed room. The string on his bow slowly drew tighter and the faint hum of electricity became stronger and the tension built and built until- 

“Hello?” 

Venti was hit by a wave of shock that quickly gave way to relief. 

“Jean?” Kaeya called back, eyes wide.  

Diluc summoned another light, and they all watched, stunned, as a disheveled and weary Jean ran into the room. Her hair was loose, she’d lost the small covering she always wore over her shoulders, and she was covered in dirt and blood. Venti, Kaeya, and Lisa joined Diluc at her side. 

“Oh, archons above – what happened to you?” Lisa asked, horrified. “How did you get down here? Are you hurt?” 

Jean shook her head. “No, just a few scrapes. It’s–” Her voice cracked in an uncharacteristically Jean manner, and that was when Venti knew something was seriously wrong. “We need to get to Amber. I’ll explain as we go.” Without another word, she turned and began briskly walking down the corridor she’d emerged from. The other four followed without question. 

“So. Amber and I were searching the front of the temple when we found something strange. It was as though a section of the ground was… hollow, even though that didn’t make any sense. It was right in the middle of a section of cobblestone, after all. I don’t really know what happened, but it suddenly collapsed, and Amber fell with it. I- I wasn’t thinking properly and went after her immediately, without getting any of you.”  

Jean squeezed her eyes shut and took a deep breath. “I’m sorry. To all of you. It was irresponsible and I let my fears get the better of me. This is a poor demonstration of leadership and I’m afraid I’ve turned this whole expedition into more of a nightmare than it needed to be.” 

“How in Teyvat did we miss that happening?” Diluc muttered, mostly to himself. Jean caught it anyway. 

“Don’t blame yourself. The whole incident was over in a matter of seconds, and the cobblestone… well, it closed itself up after us, which was strange. In hindsight, I should have tried to find a different way to get to Amber, but I only trapped us both down here.” 

Lisa put a reassuring hand on Jean’s shoulder. “Jean, it’s okay. You did what I’m sure any of us would have done.” 

Jean looked down. “Perhaps. But it was a foolish decision nonetheless.” She shook her head. “But that’s not important right now. Amber is… well, she’s quite badly hurt. One of her legs is certainly broken, and there may be internal injuries I’m unaware of. I spent some time healing her as best I could before I tried to look for an exit, and, well, I ran into all of you.” She looked over at them. “There is another way out, I take it?” 

Diluc nodded. “The way we got in. Another passageway hidden in the stone, kind of like what you found. Although it seems far more stable.” 

Jean let out a sigh of relief. “Good.” 

They walked a little further, passing through a rectangular room filled with numerous desks and shelves, before Jean swung open a door and they entered a small, spiraling stairwell. The stairs had long crumbled and been covered with dirt, and at the bottom, in the center, was a pale, unconscious Amber. Her right leg was splayed at an unnatural angle and blood streaked down her face and arms. It was unsettling to see her so still and quiet. 

“Gods…” Kaeya whispered. It was perhaps the most concerned Venti had ever seen him. 

Diluc looked up and down the stairs. “This certainly looks like it was meant to be an entrance. Or an exit, maybe.” 

Jean nodded. “My theory is that it was meant to be an emergency exit, but that it was scrapped for some reason – hence why it was so unstable.” She crouched down and cupped Amber’s head with a hand before drawing close to her chest, listening. “She’s still breathing, but she lost a lot of blood, and I’ve depleted so much of my elemental energy that I don’t think I can heal her anymore,” Jean assessed, pulling away.  

“I’ll take her back,” Diluc offered.  

“No. We need Pyro to set off the bombs,” Jean said resolutely, shaking her head. 

“Bombs?” Venti echoed. In the chaos of the day’s events, he had honestly forgotten that their plan included destroying the whole hideout. 

Lisa drew several round, red and white objects from a satchel in response. They looked innocuous – more like a child’s play toy, bunny-like designs and all. 

Everyone there knew better. 

“Hold on, you roped Klee into this?” Kaeya said in disbelief.  

Jean let out a long sigh. “She doesn’t know anything about this, before you start panicking. I confiscated those months ago when I found out she was trying to make more, er… potent explosives. This was just a convenient time to use them.” She waved a hand. “Anyway, that’s not of importance – the point is, Diluc, you need to stay here. Kaeya, do you think you could get Amber back to Mondstadt?” 

The cavalry captain nodded. “Of course. I’ll make sure Barbara sees to her.” 

“Good. Thank you. Diluc, Lisa, Venti – we’re going to search the rest of the facility for anything of note, then… well, then we destroy it,” Jean instructed. “We need to be quick, though. We’ve already been gone longer than I anticipated, and I worry our absence will soon be noticed by the Fatui that remain in the city.” 

“Got it,” Diluc answered for them. 

Kaeya gently scooped up Amber and said a quick goodbye before speed walking back the way they’d come. They watched him go and that familiar eerie silence descended on them again before Jean cleared her throat.  

“Right. Lisa and I can search the room next to us. It appears to be a lot of Fatui records that we’re better suited to sifting through, given our experience with the organization’s documents already. Are you two comfortable with taking a look at things on the level below us?” 

“There’s another level?” Venti asked, frowning. “I didn’t see another set of stairs.” 

“I found them while I was looking for an exit,” Jean explained. “There’s a lever over there that slides the floor open. Once I saw they went down, not up, though, I just closed it again.” 

“It’s all strange,” Diluc commented, crossing his arms. “Why so many levels of secrecy and hidden passageways in a hideout that nobody would ever find without Fatui instruction?” 

“That’s what we’re here to find out. Now, let’s start looking. We don’t have time to spare.” 

Even though no part of him wanted to venture further into the unsettling facility and looking down another void-like staircase only gave Venti the urge to bolt back to the surface and surround himself in fresh air, he went down it anyway, trailing behind Diluc as the man lit their way. It was far shorter, thankfully, than Venti expected, and they stepped out into a room that looked a lot like the one they’d just left. 

This one, however, appeared more medicinal. The space illuminated as lamps on the ceiling flickered to life, filling every corner with a sterile white light. There were numerous carts and desks covered in alchemical equipment and a thick layer of dust, and it was unsettling how neat and organized the place was, even when abandoned. The most unsettling part, though, was by far the cot in the center of the room, encased in a glass box that ran from floor to ceiling and surrounded by mechanical contraptions. 

Diluc stepped forward and ran his hand along the glass case before rapping it with his fist. “It’s thick glass,” he noted. “And well-tempered.” 

“What could the Fatui have possibly needed to contain with this?” Venti wondered. 

“…No idea.” 

Venti wandered over to one of the alchemy stations and picked up a random vial. It was empty now, but a neatly placed label marked it as Li_uid A_y__a_ _ne___. Many of the letters had long faded. He could make out the first as liquid, but Celestia knows what the rest of it meant. 

He and Diluc scoured the shelves for any relevant information, but the area seemed to hold nothing but old, empty equipment. Plus, it was giving Venti the creeps. 

“Should we move on?” He eventually asked Diluc, straightening up from where he’d been crouched over a cabinet. 

“Sure. Doesn’t seem like much is here.” There was only one place to go from the room they were in: through a door on the right of the staircase. Diluc was closest, so he pulled it open, the hinges creaking unpleasantly, and just. Froze. 

“Diluc?” Venti asked, tensing. “What’s wrong?” 

The man ignored him and started walking forward. Venti, carefully, followed him. The door led into a long hallway that was open at the other end, and lining each side of the hall were what could only be described as cells. There were upwards of fifty extremely narrow rooms, each with a solid metal door and a singular tiny window. Venti peered into the one closest to him and regretted it. The walls inside were marred with deep claw marks that didn’t match any animal or monster that he could immediately think of. 

He moved away from the door to see that Diluc had made his way to the end of the hallway. “It leads out into the bottom of the pit,” he said, turning around and walking back. Venti was surprised to see how much his demeanor had shifted: he held himself with a tense sort of worry rather than with self-assured readiness.  

“So… the theorized battle arena leads directly into a block of fortified cells, which connects to the alchemical room we just explored,” Venti stated. Goosebumps began to rise along his arms as the horrors of this place dawned on him. 

Diluc leaned against the wall. “That alchemical room is a lab,” he said quietly. “The Fatui were experimenting on people, innocent children like Collei, and turning them into abominations they used for sport.” He closed his eyes as if to steady himself. “People would pay to be here. It was all just a game for the rich and sadistic.” 

Venti shifted uncomfortably. “Perhaps they intended for their experiments to be of use to them, and the… the failures were sent into the arena,” he offered, trying to make the situation seem a little less bleak. 

Diluc only scoffed. “Perhaps. But knowing the Fatui – and Il Dottore – I wouldn’t put it past them to carry out experiments just because they can , with no clear purpose other than to test the limits of what they know and with utter disregard for the lives they ruin.” The venom in his voice was enough to frighten Venti, and he wasn’t even the target of Diluc’s anger – for once. The bartender pushed away from the wall and started to head back. “Well. There’s nothing here. Let’s see if Jean and Lisa had more luck.”  

Venti would never be sure, but he could have sworn he saw Diluc roughly wipe his eyes as they climbed up the stairs to regroup. Jean and Lisa were sat in the middle of stacks of books and documents and looked up as the two approached. “Any luck?” Lisa asked, setting down the papers she’d been holding. 

“No, not really,” Venti said, shaking his head. “Nothing we could bring with us, at least. The lower level only had a laboratory and a series of cells that lead into the bottom of the pit we came across earlier.” Jean looked a little confused at that, and he realized she hadn’t been there for their initial discovery. 

Diluc picked up where he left off. “You were right about the Fatui experimentation. Those rooms all but confirm it. But the part we hadn’t put together was what the children were being used for. The Fatui were forcing them to fight – maybe each other, I don’t know – for the sake of their own sick entertainment. The arena in the room to our left was almost certainly for that purpose.” 

She looked a little ill at that thought, and Venti didn’t blame her. “Oh. I see.” She paused, staring at the open book in her hands. “So… those that the Fatui ‘recruited’ from Mondstadt…” 

“Are either dead, have become alchemical abominations, or were moved elsewhere,” Diluc finished bluntly. “But I would, unfortunately, assume the first.” 

Lisa stood up and pulled a book from the top of one of the piles they’d formed. “I don’t want to agree, but… well, here.” She handed it to Diluc and Venti and opened it to a later page.  

It was a photo of a young boy, about sixteen, with pale, white-ish hair and brown eyes. Next to it, the number 139 and the name Anthony Remul. Beneath the photo was a series of notes, scrawled in loose handwriting. Venti skimmed it, catching a few words throughout the cursive: faithful, promising, and gifted, the latter written multiple times. However, the entry was difficult to read given the bold, red stamp across the page that read FAILED.  

Diluc stilled before he took the book and began to flip through it. There were hundreds of entries, hundreds of bright-eyed children from every nation, each with their own number and notes of promise, reduced to nothing more than test subjects. And on every page was the same chilling stamp. The last entry was number 472. 

Diluc snapped the book shut and handed it back to Lisa, exuding fury. “Diluc?” Jean asked quietly, standing up. “I apologize if this is too taxing, I just-” 

“I was so close to figuring this all out before,” Diluc interrupted, staring at the ground. “When the Doctor came to Mondstadt, one of his subordinates tried to negotiate with us for ‘recruits’ from Mondstadt. Kaeya and I devised a plan so that I could interrogate him – he called himself Krupp, I believe – and he was so close to telling me everything about Anthony and the arena and the experimentation before Dottore murdered him.” His hands were clenched in fists as he squeezed his eyes shut. 

“He said that Anthony was gifted, whatever that could mean in this context. But shortly after that, Dottore ordered all his Fatui out of the city. Even though that was best for keeping Mondstadt safe from then on, I can’t help but think that had we chosen to handle the situation differently, maybe we could have found out more before they left and prevented all of this.” He waved a hand vaguely at the journal. 

And there it was. The guilt that the stoic man carried with him from all the times he’d been just a few steps behind the Fatui. It was what drove his hatred of the organization, drove his strange anti-heroism, drove his undying protection for Mondstadt. 

Jean’s face softened at his uncharacteristic display of emotion. “Diluc, there was nothing more you could have done. Your intel set us on the right track and your actions kept Dottore from harming any more of our citizens. There will always be regrets and difficult decisions in war, and, ultimately, there will never be a way to save everybody.” 

War. Because that’s what this was, really. A silent war they were waging against Snezhnaya and its agents, who never seemed to know their limits. That thought was certainly sobering. 

“The way to save everybody is to wipe the Fatui from the face of Teyvat,” Diluc countered coldly. “So. Let’s start with bringing this place to the ground.” 

Jean exchanged a questioning glance with Lisa, who nodded. “Okay then. I think we’ve found about all we can, anyway. The Fatui were intentionally vague about all the experiments they were conducting. The journals aren’t even in code – there’s just so little detail that unless you were involved directly, there’s really no way to know what any of this means.” 

Lisa picked up a small pile of papers and such they’d set aside and put it in the satchel she was carrying. “Exactly. We’ll take what’s most important, but I honestly think this should all be destroyed. The least we can do is deal the Fatui a blow by removing their most extensive records.” 

She handed Diluc and Venti a few bombs each. “Distribute these on the lower level. When you’re done, meet us up at the entrance. And don’t worry about them being too far apart – Jean has assured me that the blast radius is nothing short of terrifying.” 

“Great,” Venti commented wryly. “Just don’t drop them, right?” 

“If you did, you’d be dead before you could blink.” 

“Exactly what I wanted to hear.” 

In a few minutes, he and Diluc had rejoined Lisa and Jean at the hideout’s entrance. The last bomb had been placed at the bottom of the stairwell. 

“Are you sure this won’t bring down the whole cliff?” Venti asked nervously. “The place does extend quite deep.” 

Jean fidgeted. “Well, not exactly…” 

“Don’t worry, dearies,” Lisa said, smiling. “The structure is well enforced – nothing short of what you’d expect from an Akademiyan architect. Additionally, by keeping this entrance open, any disastrous buildup of pressure should be avoided. We’ll likely destroy everything inside and make it inaccessible without sinking the Thousand Winds Temple. At least, we can hope.” 

That wasn’t reassuring in the slightest, but Venti consoled himself with the reminder that the surrounding area was uninhabited and that Klee did blow things up regularly without completely changing Mondstadt’s topography, so… it would probably be okay. 

“Venti, I’ll need you to get us out of here once Diluc sends down the ignition,” Jean said, looking at him. “Do you think you could put us on the far point of Starsnatch Cliff? We should be close enough to keep an eye on things but far enough to not get hurt.” 

He nodded and began to focus on the wind that whipped around them, slowly increasing its intensity in preparation to teleport. Diluc exhaled and looked to Jean before he flicked his wrist and sent a ball of Pyro tumbling down the stairs. Immediately, Venti let the threads of wind pull them away, setting the four of them gently on the grass of the cliff. The silence that followed as they waited, staring in the temple’s direction, was harrowing. 

Suddenly, there was the earsplitting sound of an explosion. The ground trembled and birds took flight as the noise faded as abruptly as it started, leaving behind a low rumble and a cloud of dust. Venti tensed as the temple pillars peeking over the cliffside shifted. 

Please please please don’t collapse.  

Thankfully, the movement stopped shortly. The surface of the Thousand Winds Temple looked intact, although it did seem to have a slant to it that wasn’t present before. But, otherwise, it seemed they’d pulled it off without destroying Mondstadt in the process. 

The tension in the air dissipated and Jean collapsed to the ground, clearly exhausted. “Jean?” Lisa said worriedly, crouching beside her. “Come on, let’s get you to Barbara as well.” 

Jean tried to protest, but Lisa cut her off. “Don’t insist that you’re fine. It’s been a long day, and you’ve had a tumble down a destroyed stairwell.” She looked up at Venti. “Can you pull off whatever you did before and get us to Mondstadt?” 

Venti gave her a cheery grin, already feeling his mood lighten now that they were out in open air. “Yep! Just a second.” He breathed in and let the wind sweep them to the city with an exhale. They landed a little less gracefully in Jean’s office, startling Kaeya, who was waiting there for them. 

“I was about to go back and start looking for you,” he commented, smirking. “A guy can only wait so long before it starts to get boring, y’know?” 

Jean slumped in her chair and pulled off her gloves. “How’s Amber?”  

“Doing fine. I left her in the infirmary with Barbara, who’s assured me she’ll recover in a day or two.” 

She sighed, relieved. “Thank you, Kaeya. Everything’s been dealt with now, so you’re free to take the rest of the day off.” She looked at the rest of the group. “Same to you – well, I suppose not all of you need my permission. But I suggest taking it easy nonetheless.” 

Lisa crossed her arms. “You’d better be taking the evening to rest, too. I meant it about seeing Barbara.” 

“…fine,” Jean said tiredly, too worn out to argue. She pulled herself up and followed Lisa out of the room. With them gone, Venti was left with Diluc and Kaeya, which made the atmosphere immediately uncomfortable. He was surprised that they hadn’t clashed while they were out in the facility, but as he watched Diluc pin his adoptive brother with nothing short of a murderous glare, it became increasingly apparent that all the pent-up feelings of mutual dislike were starting to surface now that the worst was over. 

“I’ll, uh, just see myself out, then,” Venti said before hurriedly slipping out the door. 

He stepped out onto the streets of Mondstadt and took in a deep breath of the crisp air, trying to fight the nausea that hit him every time he thought back to what they’d found. 

Child experimentation. Gods. The Fatui were something else. 

It’s not as though he was going to pretend that he was a good person. He’d played a part in Khaenri’ah and neglected his duties more often than he should, and no matter how he tried to justify those choices, nothing would change the fact that he was tainted by his selfish, weak actions. But at least he knew he’d never have the heart to do something like that. The Tsaritsa certainly knew how to pick the worst of the worst. 

He took a seat on a nearby bench and sank back into the wood, grateful that the streets were quiet from the approaching night. The breeze tugged at his hair while he watched leaves tumble across the cobblestone in front of him. None of the day’s events felt real. He closed his eyes and tried to shove all images of the shadowy, metallic facility out of his mind. It didn’t work. 

Reluctantly, he stood up and began to make his way to the Cathedral. It wasn’t often that he got himself in a state of mind like this, but he found that a chat often helped to clear it. Well, to be exact, it helped him ignore it. Dahlia was lively and mischievous, and spending some time around him would make it just a little easier to cheer up and avoid his thoughts until they’d faded enough to not bother him anymore. 

Venti wished he could just talk to someone, and despite how adept the Deacon was at listening to people’s troubles – and how much he enjoyed it – this wasn’t exactly the type thing he could discuss with a normal human. Nor were most things that bothered him. And so, while their friendship was close and Venti trusted him wholeheartedly, Dahlia was rarely privy to Venti’s mind and emotions. 

It was just the way things were. And the way they had to be, if he were to make sure that nobody else he cared about got hurt. It had happened too many times already. 

But Aether – Celestia’s curses, why did Aether have to make everything so complicated – had somehow convinced his idiotic, treacherous brain that it was okay to involve someone in his life again. And now he was so incredibly torn between the scared part of himself that wanted to push everyone away, keep them from being hurt, keep them far away from any of the Heavenly Principles’ affairs, and the frustrating, selfish part of himself that just wanted a friend that he could confide in. 

Maybe it was Aether’s tendency to throw himself into harm’s way of his own accord that made Venti feel more comfortable sharing dangerous information with him. And perhaps it was because he was just a genuinely sweet person whose very presence seemed to say it’s okay that Venti felt comfortable being emotional around him.  

Regardless, he was certainly causing Venti a lot of turmoil.  

He let out one last sigh before pushing open the doors to the Cathedral. As expected, a familiar pink-haired figure stood at the far end of the building, chatting to a few sisters with his characteristic sly smile on his face. He looked over as the door creaked and lit up, giving Venti an energetic wave. Venti returned it and felt the gloom surrounding him already lift as the Deacon finished conversing and started walking towards him. 

Everything was going to be fine. 

Notes:

Hello!! This chapter was so much fun to write and I hope you enjoyed it :) Also I have no idea how blowing stuff up works and I couldn't be bothered to research it so uh yeah just assume that the Thousand Winds Temple is still intact. Anyway. Next chapter is kind of a slow one, so bear with me for a bit. Hope you all have a lovely day!!

Chapter 14: Errands

Summary:

Aether and Zhongli, much to Aether's annoyance, make preparations for the Rite of Parting.

In stark contrast to Venti’s expedition into the Fatui’s quarters, the rest of Aether’s day was surprisingly boring. Despite his intense suspicion towards Zhongli, they didn’t do more than shop for various items for the ritual. So far, they’d gotten some jade, flowers, and perfume. All completely normal items that had nothing to do with a suspicious Fatui plot.  

So why had Childe put him up to this? Zhongli didn’t need him here, not really. The man was terrible with money, sure, but Aether was just following him around while he did everything important. He could have just showed up after Zhongli gathered what he needed and witnessed the Exuvia then.  

But if he didn’t need to be here, then why was he? Was this to get him out of the way? Did these items, when combined, do something dangerous that he didn’t know about?   

He kicked himself mentally for not picking up another edition of that Teyvat Travel Guide. Even though the Mondstadt one had been insanely boring, maybe the Liyue version had something important to disclose.  

Archons, he wished he just knew more about Teyvat. There was no way to know how much was different here than other places he’d been. Everything could have some nefarious use, as far as he was aware.   

He was tired of always feeling behind.   

Zhongli, who was walking down Liyue’s main street in front of him, suddenly stopped and stepped to one side.   

“Traveler, could I trouble you to run an errand for me?” He asked politely.  

At this point, Aether was just desperate to do something useful with his time, so he agreed. “Sure, of course. That’s why I’m here.”  

Zhongli dipped his head in thanks. “A necessary item for the ritual is the Cleansing Bell. At present, an old friend of mine named Madame Ping is its guardian. She lives near Yujing Terrace. If you ask her to borrow it, she will understand.”  

Paimon nodded. “We’ll do it, but… don’t you want to come with us? Or maybe we could shop while you go meet her? Paimon doesn’t want to keep you from seeing your friend.”  

Zhongli shifted a little bit, and Aether was surprised by how uncomfortable the man looked. He’d been completely collected and straightforward the whole afternoon, and now he held himself like a deer caught in headlights.   

“Ah, I have certain reasons why I cannot be there in person,” he eventually replied.   

Well. That certainly wasn’t suspicious.  

The situation, strangely, reminded Aether of when Venti brought up Morax during one of their conversations at Windrise. The vagueness of Zhongli’s response and his discomfort as though he were caught in a lie was nearly identical to Venti’s at the time.  

“…um… well, alright, we’ll head off then,” Paimon said. She leaned over to whisper in Aether’s ear. “Let’s just get to Yujing Terrace quickly. Paimon feels awkward…”  

They left Zhongli to his shopping and headed down the pathway they’d traveled their first day in the city. Aether hadn’t been back to the terrace since the whole murder of Rex Lapis incident, and, while the area did bring back stressful memories, he was pleasantly surprised by how much nicer it was during a time of peace. It was quiet save for birdsong, and a small number of people milled about, either chatting in the square or walking between the administrative buildings.  

“Is it just Paimon, or did it seem like Zhongli was totally avoiding this lady?” Paimon asked as they walked.  

“I got that impression,” Aether agreed. “What I can’t figure out is why.”  

Paimon pondered for a moment. “Uhh… maybe she really hates the Fatui, and he doesn’t want her to know he’s working with them? Or they had like a bad falling-out a while back? He did still refer to her as his friend, though…”  

Aether sighed. “We could theorize all day and still get nowhere. Let’s just focus on finding his friend. Do we know who we’re even looking for?”  

“Paimon has no idea. We probably should have asked Zhongli what she looked like, huh… but if Paimon had to guess, they’re probably a woman about his age, right? And they have a bell with them?”  

“...Let’s just ask around.”  

The nearest person was an old lady stood behind a stall to their left, her back to them, tending to the glaze lilies on the grassy verges of the terrace. Seems as good a place to start as any, he thought, walking over to her.  

“Um, excuse me?” He said politely, hovering on the other side of the stall. The lady only hummed in response and adjusted her glasses. Maybe she didn’t hear me?   

He was about to speak again when she looked up from the flowers and gazed thoughtfully at the sky. “All things must change...” she murmured.  

“Are you alright?” Aether found himself asking, a little concerned by her absentminded behavior.  

She turned upon hearing that and gave the two of them a kind smile. ““Ah, hello, youngsters. No need to worry about this old lady. I’m just finding it a shame that the glaze lilies have wilted.”  

Paimon tilted her head. “What happened to them?”  

“Back in my day, people said that the glaze lilies could read human hearts. Laughter and joy made them bloom, but gossip and slander caused them to quickly wither away. Now, the rumors of Rex Lapis’ death are running wild: some say it is a Fatui plot, others say the Qixing made it all up, and some suspect That Which Lies in the Deep is breaking free.” She sighed. “This harbor is like a mountain of dry timber. One spark and the fire will consume us all.”  

Aether exchanged a confused and worried glance with Paimon as she continued speaking. “Ah, but no matter. This old woman’s grown too old and naggy... how can I help you two?”  

Paimon smiled, her concern already fading. “We’re looking for someone named Madame Ping. Do you know her?”  

The old lady chuckled. “You've found her, dearies.”  

Well. In hindsight of their conversation, that made a lot of sense. Of course Zhongli’s friends were just as weird as he was.  

“We were sent by an old friend of yours to borrow the Cleansing Bell,” Aether explained, careful to not mention Zhongli by name. Given how much the man seemed to want to avoid Madame Ping, it was probably safer for Aether to just leave him out of it entirely. “We need it for the Rite of Parting.”  

Surprisingly, she didn’t question them at all. “Ah, that trinket, hm? I remember it being here with me, but I’ve grown old... I can’t recall where it is, exactly. It’s been such a long time since anyone asked to borrow it.”  

Aether really felt like breaking something in that moment, but he took a deep breath and collected himself. It’s fine. It. Is. Fine. Is this another frustrating thing on top of other frustrating things? Yes. But is it the end of the world? No. So calm down.  

“That’s alright. We can always look for it, if that would be easier,” he said instead.  

Paimon nodded enthusiastically. “Yep yep! Don’t worry granny, we’ll follow you home and find it! And we can do any other chores you need while we’re there!”  

Madame Ping chuckled. “No need for all that, children. Thankfully, my home isn’t far.” She slowly moved the red ceramic teapot sat on the table in front of Aether. “My entire household is in here.”  

Aether gave Paimon a puzzled look. Is she crazy, or is that actually possible?  

Paimon only shrugged. Turning to Madame Ping, she asked, “how does that work?”  

The old lady only gave her a knowing smile. “You two are the adventurers, no? I’ll leave that revelation to you. You’re welcome to borrow the Cleansing Bell – given that you can find it in there, of course.”  

She stood there expectantly as Aether stared at the teapot in confusion. Was she messing with them? Was this all a scheme Zhongli set up to keep Aether occupied? What if the Fatui were doing something terrible right now and he isn’t there to stop it?  

He tried to tamp down his worry. The longer he waited here, indecisive, the more likely it was that something would go wrong in the way that he feared. Better to just get this bell nonsense over with.  

The only logical thing he could think to do was to take the top off the teapot and see if there was some kind of mechanism inside, but the moment he touched the lid, he was hit with the nauseating, swirling feeling of entering a domain. The world turned into a blur of colors around him, and he was suddenly shot into a space not unlike Cloud Retainer’s abode, stood on a stone platform that floated on a layer of clouds.  

Paimon popped into existence next to him and he startled. “That was so weird! You just totally vanished in front of Paimon’s eyes,” she said, shaking her head in confusion. She spun to look around and her eyes widened. “Woah… where are we? How the heck does all this fit inside that teapot?”  

Madame Ping’s voice suddenly surrounded the space, echoing slightly as though it were distant. “Oh, you’ve made it inside. The bell should be somewhere among the rest of my things. Sorry to trouble you, children.”  

Her voice faded and Paimon turned to Aether, lowering her voice to a shocked whisper. “Uhh… Paimon is starting to think this old granny might be an adeptus. This reminds you a lot of when we met Cloud Retainer, right? Paimon isn’t crazy? And she’s got the Cleansing Bell, too… but if she’s an adeptus, why isn’t she in Jueyun Karst?”  

Aether paused a moment. It did make a lot of sense, but…  

“If she’s an adeptus, does that mean one of Zhongli’s old friends is an adeptus?” He pointed out, matching Paimon’s quiet whisper. “This is definitely reminiscent of Cloud Retainer’s home, but why would someone from a funeral parlor know an adeptus? She could have just been gifted the teapot, for all we know.”  

Paimon tapped her chin. “True.” Her eyes widened as she considered another possibility. “Wait, what if Zhongli is an adeptus?”  

“What makes you say that?”  

“Well, think about it! He was super adamant that someone did this whole adepti parting ritual, which he knows a suspicious amount about, and Paimon is 99% sure Madame Ping is also an adeptus, so…”  

Aether folded his arms in thought. “And that would help explain why he’s connected with the Fatui. It did seem strange that they would partner with just a funeral parlor, but if said funeral parlor is run by a really knowledgeable adeptus, of course they’d make a point of getting them on their side.”  

They waited in silence for a moment, lost in thought, before Paimon sighed, abandoning her efforts to speak quietly. “Ugh, Paimon hates how weird all of this is. Why couldn’t we have just met Rex Lapis, easy peasy, and leave Liyue? Instead, we’re working with the Fatui and involving ourselves in some convoluted adepti business.”  

Aether stared at the floor. “I know. It’s exhausting. I’m… I’m sorry to have gotten you involved in all this.”  

“Huh? What are you apologizing for?” Paimon asked, confused. She poked his shoulder until he looked at her. “Hey, Paimon is happy to be adventuring with you, okay? Sure, we keep getting roped into crazy nonsense, but it’s also the most interesting thing that Paimon has done in a while. And besides, you’re Paimon’s best friend! It’s not like Paimon is just going to leave you to find your sister on your own.”  

Her tone was genuine, and her gaze was kind and warm. Aether swallowed the lump that was forming in his throat and blinked a few times. “Thank you, Paimon,” he said quietly.  

She beamed. “Uh-huh! Now, let’s go find that bell!” She flew forward and activated a mechanism in front of them, forming a wind current to one side of the platform. They took it up to another small stone platform decorated with various potted plants and a stone bench. It was pretty, but there was no sign of what they were looking for.  

Aether pressed his hand to another mechanism and a bridge formed to a platform on their right. Paimon did a quick spin as they walked across it, looking around the domain in awe. “Hey, Aether, wouldn’t it be super cool if we had something like this? Imagine having a whole house that you could just put in your pocket! It would sure beat sleeping in a tent…”  

He playfully smacked her shoulder, pretending to be mad. “You say that like we haven’t spent most of our nights in nice inns. I’ve dropped quite a lot of mora trying to keep us warm and dry, you know.”  

Paimon pouted. “Yeah, Paimon knows, but inns aren’t everywhere.” She sighed. “Oh well. Sleeping outside is fine, Paimon guesses.”  

Aether smiled. “I’ll try not to make too much of a habit of it.”   

They traveled a few more levels through the domain before they landed on a platform with a long table that was absolutely littered with trinkets and books.   

“Think the Cleansing Bell is somewhere among all that stuff?” Paimon asked.  

“...Probably.”  

Thankfully, they didn’t have to root through too much of it before Aether pulled out a metal bell about the size of his hand. It was decorated with golden patterns, and a white tassel was attached to a small, ring-shaped handle at its top. It certainly looked ceremonious enough.  

“Ah, you’ve found it,” Madame Ping’s voice said, echoing through the strange space. “Youngsters are so quick on their feet. Now, how did this opening work again..."  

A few seconds passed before Aether felt a twisting feeling in his stomach. The world flipped upside down and he was suddenly back on the streets of Liyue, stood in front of Madame Ping’s desk and clutching the Cleansing Bell as though nothing had happened. The old woman gave him and Paimon a knowing smile and adjusted her glasses.  

“Well done, children. This old woman certainly appreciates that you didn’t make her run through that place – my bones can’t take it anymore.”  

Paimon waved a hand. “No need to thank us, granny! We couldn’t exactly leave without the Cleansing Bell anyhow.” She paused for a moment and frowned. “Actually, why did you let us borrow it in the first place? Rex Lapis just died, and all of a sudden, we come running up and ask for an adepti artifact...”  

Madame Ping laughed. “Oh, don’t be silly. We have always performed the Rite of Parting following an adeptus’ passing.” She took on a somber expression. “And yet, the Rite of Parting would always take place before all other matters... for the Liyue Qixing to cry “catch the murderer!” while ignoring our traditions is, to me, wrong-headed. Now that you have come to borrow the bell, I suppose an old friend of mine has finally decided to take matters into their own hands.”  

That last comment seemed to be more for herself than the travelers, given the sentimentality with which it was said. The old lady stared off into the sky, lost in thought, before speaking again and saving Aether from the awkwardness of waiting there in silence.  

“Well, you must have things to do. Now that you have the bell, you should return. Oh, and do tell the person who sent you... if they have the time, they’re always welcome over for a pot of tea,” she finished, eyes twinkling.  

Aether nodded agreement. “Of course. Thank you.”  

“Yep, we will! Thanks, granny!” Paimon said cheerfully, waving goodbye before grabbing Aether by the scarf and ushering him away much more quickly than he would consider polite.   

Back on Liyue’s main street, it wasn’t particularly difficult to find Zhongli again – the man’s height and attire certainly set him apart in a crowd. He looked up from the stall of jewelry he’d been admiring as they approached and dipped his head in greeting. “You’ve returned. With the Cleansing Bell, I take it?”  

“Yep! We’ve got it right here,” Paimon confirmed. Aether handed the item to Zhongli, who inspected it carefully. After a moment, he nodded and pocketed the bell.  

“It’s still in quite good condition. Madame Ping is a reliable caretaker.”  

“Oh - speaking of her, she asked us to deliver us a message.” Paimon cleared her throat and shifted her voice into a bad impression of an old woman. “If you have the time, you’re always welcome over for a pot of tea.”  

Aether pressed his lips together to keep himself from laughing. Zhongli, however, let a chuckle slip. “Ha, that tone does not suit you. But when a suitable time arrives, I will indeed pay her a visit.”  

Paimon didn’t seem to be bothered by the reactions to her terrible impersonation – that, or she just hadn’t noticed. “Alright! So, what’s the next step in our preparations?”  

“Hm... next, we need to purchase kites from a vendor in Chihu Rock,” he decided, gesturing for Aether and Paimon to follow him towards a part of the city Aether hadn’t been to yet. Across a short wooden bridge was a small square with a pond in the center, and off to their left were several vendors, waiting behind their stalls for the next passing customer. Zhongli steered them towards an old lady with a colorful display of kites and other children’s toys. She smiled as they approached.  

“Ah, you must be here for those kites you ordered.”  

Zhongli nodded. “Indeed.”  

She drew seven kites from behind the table, each with a different color palate and design. They were ornate and clearly well-crafted, and he couldn’t help but admire them. The vendor caught him staring and smiled.  

“I see you like my work,” she teased. “Youngsters these days rarely have an appreciation for the fine craftsmanship that our traditions require.”  

“Well, Mr. Zhongli has kept us informed! He knows loads about Liyue – stuff to do with history and architecture and the economy and all sorts of things that Paimon would have never been able to keep up with. So, Paimon supposes we have him to thank for our admiration, hehe,” Paimon said excitedly.   

“Then you must know all about the meaning behind these kites, hm?” The lady questioned, her eyes twinkling.  

“I have yet to explain that to them, as it stands,” Zhongli said with slight embarrassment. He cleared his throat. “These kites represent the Seven, and are a traditional decoration used in the Rite of Parting. Each kite is designed to capture the values and character of the Archon. Take this golden one for the Geo Archon, for example. The patterns on it are ancient and must never be altered, much like how one follows a contract. Additionally, the same patterns can be found in the Golden House.”   

He briefly inspected the rest of the kites. “Hm… the craftsmanship is quite extraordinary. This cyclical design perfectly captures the Electro Archon’s ideal of eternity, and the use of leaves and symbolic indicators of wisdom for the Dendro Archon is very well done indeed.”  

The vendor dipped her head in appreciation. “You truly are a cultured fellow. And, as I’m sure you noticed, I did take the liberty of coloring outside the lines for the design of the Anemo Archon.”  

Zhongli hummed. “A fitting choice.”  

Aether silently agreed. It was oddly heartwarming to see Venti recognized for his unorthodox approach to ruling. The artistic representation of his unwillingness to be boxed by traditional expectations was not demeaning, like the view many seemed to take towards Mondstadt, but was simply an appreciation of the truth.  

“Well then, Granny Shan, I shall take these back with me,” Zhongli concluded. “As for the payment…”  

“Uh-oh,” Aether couldn’t help but whisper to Paimon. The expression on her face told him she’d had the same thought.   

“Allow me,” Childe said from behind them. Against his wishes, Aether flinched, only to turn with a barely contained scowl.  

“Well-timed as always, huh?” Paimon commented. “Did you follow us here or something?”  

Childe laughed. “Haha, no. I was just passing through and thought you might be in need of extra funds.” He grinned knowingly. “It seems Mr. Zhongli’s the same as ever - he never looks at the price tag nor his wallet. It’s as though he could never imagine lacking Mora.”  

Paimon shook her head in disbelief. “But he never has any Mora… how has he not died of hunger yet?”  

Zhongli sighed. “…It seems you never tire of your jokes, Childe.” He handed a small pouch of coins to Granny Shan and turned back to the group. “Well then, I suppose it’s time for the next step in our arrangements. The Rite of Parting requires helping hands as well as offerings.”  

Great. When are we going to be done shopping? Aether thought unhappily. He startled a bit when Childe shoved a bag of Mora into his hands.   

“I’ll leave you three to it.” He leaned in a closer to deliver a not-so-subtle piece of advice. “You should probably do the bargaining, Aether. I doubt I need to explain why.”   

The fatuus waved cheerfully as the trio headed down to the docks, his smile slowly fading to make way for a cold, calculating stare. “Hmm… It would seem I missed out on some interesting information.” He sighed. “Oh well. I’ll just have to find a more opportune moment next time.”  

 

---

 

As Childe predicted, Aether’s help was sorely needed in the process of hiring a few dock workers. It was genuinely insane how terrible Zhongli was with money, especially given his wisdom where any other subject was concerned. Despite that, though, the three of then soon returned to Chihu Rock, where Childe was waiting. Zhongli excused himself for a quick visit to the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, leaving Aether and Paimon with the smirking fatuus. Aether handed him the half-depleted bag of funds, but the Harbinger just waved it off casually.  

“Keep whatever’s left.”  

Aether frowned. “What? Why? Are you trying to buy us off or something?”  

He laughed. “No, no, nothing like that. Consider it what you’re due for any unpleasant encounters you’ve had with my organization.”  

“You’ve said that about everything, though. At what point do you not expect me to get suspicious?” Aether countered, begrudgingly pocketing the Mora. As much as he held a grudge, some spare change was harmless, right?  

Paimon crossed her arms in agreement. “Yeah! We’re not going to just let you bribe us into something. It’ll take a lot more Mora than this, at least…”  

Childe smirked. “Really? What would you be willing to tell me if I, say, leave the vaults of the Northland Bank unlocked and unguarded for an hour?”  

Paimon’s eyes shone. “What info do you need?”  

“Paimon, don’t!” Aether said quickly, turning to her and lowering his voice. “Are you forgetting what happened in Mondstadt?”  

We can’t let them find anything else out about our travels. Who knows what they have planned… and if they’re targeting the Archons, I’m not going to risk divulging anything about Venti.  

Thankfully, Paimon understood. “Yikes! You’re right, Signora…”  

Childe watched their interaction with a cold sort of interest. “Now, now, what’s all this about? Let’s not get ourselves too worked up over nothing, hm?”   

When they turned back to him, his smile was clearly forced. The atmosphere had suddenly become uncomfortably tense, and Aether waited awkwardly for the suspenseful silence to be broken.  

Thankfully, it soon was.  

“Apologies to keep you waiting. Now, let me see… the next part of our preparations involves a quick visit to Bubu Pharmacy, which, if I do say, is…” Zhongli trailed off as he finally noticed the animosity between the fatuus and travelers. “Is everything alright?”  

Childe nodded curtly. “Everything is fine. I was just informing these two that they need not return the surplus funds. I’ll be on my way now, then.” He gave Aether and Paimon a threatening smile before walking in the direction of the city center.  

“Paimon definitely got the feeling we did something wrong,” Paimon whispered in Aether’s ear as they watched him go.  

“Anything we do wrong in his eyes is probably a good thing,” Aether whispered back. “But it was suspicious.”  

“You’re telling Paimon…”  

Zhongli cleared his throat to get their attention. “Shall we be off to the pharmacy? The final item we need should be Everlasting Incense.”  

Bubu Pharmacy was located on the other side of Liyue Harbor, at the top of a very, very long staircase. Aether’s legs were burning towards the end of it, and he silently cursed that unknown god for sealing him away. His physical strength and endurance had considerably reduced since then, and it was starting to get annoying.  

He tried his best to catch his breath as they walked through the front entrance of the pharmacy. It didn’t look busy – there wasn’t even someone at the receptionist’s desk.  

“Huh, the reception is kind of deserted,” Paimon commented as she looked around. “Should we wait around for someone to get here?”  

“Welcome to Bubu Pharmacy,” a tired voice said, silencing Paimon. She let out a short scream and darted behind Aether.  

“W-where did that come from? Aether, do you think this place is haunted? People have probably died here, y’know…”  

Aether smiled reassuringly. “I’m sure there’s a better explanation.” He walked up to the reception, where the voice had appeared to come from, and peered over the counter. Behind it was a young girl, deathly pale, in a purple dress. Her eyes, while a colorful pink, were strangely lifeless and hollow.   

Paimon peered timidly over Aether’s shoulder and exhaled. “Whew! It’s just the receptionist. But, uh… you can’t even reach over the counter. How’d you get stuck doing this?”  

“I don’t know if you have grounds to be questioning people over their height,” Aether teased, hoping to calm her down.  

She crossed her arms. “Wh- hey, that’s rude! And joke’s on you, Paimon can float, so height doesn’t matter anyway!” She huffed before taking a closer look at the girl running the counter. “But something seems weird about her, anyway… do you see the talisman on her forehead?”  

Aether was going to chastise her for speaking badly of someone right in front of them, but the talisman had caught his attention – a pale slip of paper that draped across her forehead from her hat, with Liyue script running down it.  

“Welcome to Bubu Pharmacy,” the girl repeated. “I am Qiqi. Once upon a time, Qiqi died. But then the adepti saved her, and now Qiqi is a zombie.”  

Paimon shrieked again. “WHAT!?”   

“That was a shockingly deadpan way to deliver such bombshell information,” Aether muttered wryly, half to himself and half to Paimon. What isn’t in Teyvat, at this point? Dragons, gods, mythical beasts… although judging from Paimon’s reaction, encountering a zombie may not be normal, but… it’s at least possible.  

His companion shook her head and looked at Aether pleadingly. “Paimon doesn’t know how much more weirdness she can take today.”  

Zhongli stepped forward and spared them from yet another strange interaction. “Excuse me, Qiqi. Do you sell Everlasting Incense here?”  

Qiqi tapped her chin. “Um… maybe… did you bring your prescription?”  

He appeared taken aback by that request. “I… Surely no prescription is needed to buy Everlasting Incense?”  

The zombie only shrugged. “Qiqi can only get you medicine with a prescription. Those are her orders.”  

Zhongli sighed. “Of course… I should have anticipated that you would be bound to Dr. Baizhu’s orders. Is there any way we could purchase Everlasting Incense without a prescription?”  

She pondered that for a moment. “Well, if you do something for Qiqi, Qiqi can get you incense.”  

“How in Teyvat did he get her to agree so easily?” Paimon muttered.  

Zhongli nodded. “Done. What are you in need of?”  

“Go to Mount Tianheng. Find the Guizhong Ballista. And hunt a Cocogoat. Please and thank you.”  

“Uh… are we sure she’s not just speaking nonsense?” Paimon asked.  

Zhongli crossed his arms in thought. “I am not. The Guizhong Ballista, I am at least aware of – it is a mechanical device, engineered by the adepti, that was placed on Mt. Tianheng to guard against external attacks. The Cocogoat, however… this is my first time hearing of such a thing.”  

Well. It didn’t exactly bode well that the man who seemed to know anything and everything about Liyue had never heard of an animal that, quite frankly, sounded made-up.   

Paimon sighed. “Anything else you can tell us about this thing? Y’know, other than its name?”  

Qiqi only shook her head. “All Qiqi knows is the Cocogoat is a legendary adeptibeast. What it looks like: don’t know. Where it comes from: don’t know.”  

“Do tell us if you remember anything else you don’t remember,” Aether commented sarcastically, unable to contain his frustration at being sent on another seemingly unrelated errand.  

He liked helping people. He truly did. But between the knowledge looming over him that the Fatui were up to something, the strange, stressful feeling that he was short on time to stop them, the absolutely harrowing past few days he’d had, and the fact that he just desperately wanted to see his sister again, his patience was running thin.  

Paimon gave him a stunned look. “Whoa, where’s the sass coming from today? Paimon hasn’t seen this side of you before…”  

Zhongli didn’t seem to hold the same reservations as Aether and Paimon about the situation, though.  

“Very well. We will make do with what information we have. It would appear that we are in need of a quick detour to Mt. Tianheng.”  

 

---

 

True to Zhongli’s word, the Guizhong ballista was an adepti-engineered weapon placed on an abandoned military outpost and resembled a giant wooden crossbow. However, the nature of its construction which made it so impressive was also what made its condition all the more problematic.  

“What do you mean, it’s broken?” Paimon yelled following Zhongli’s quick inspection of the device. “How are we meant to find this Cocogoat now?”  

“Hmm... I am unsure. I suppose that I could attempt to fix the device,” Zhongli suggested.  

“...you couldn’t have led with that?” Paimon asked, annoyed. “But okay, if you can fix it, then how? Is there any information in that unlimited all-knowing high society brain of yours that tells you what to do?”  

Zhongli frowned. “You make it sound like I am some kind of... bourgeois parasite, whose only utility is to dispense quaint pieces of trivia on demand.” He sighed. “But I do have a smattering of knowledge on the working principles of the Guizhong Ballista. Give me a moment.”  

He crouched down and began to fiddle with the mechanism near the bottom. Aether and Paimon played a quick game of “I spy” while they waited – although there was more explaining of the rules than actual playing. Paimon seemed to have trouble being intentionally vague.  

After some time, Zhongli stood up and dusted off his hands, giving the ballista one last inspection before proclaiming, “it is done.”  

Paimon spun around to look at it. “Woo-hoo! Where would we be without Mr. Zhongli’s wealth of knowledge, huh…” She flew up to the device excitedly. “How does it work?”  

Zhongli reached around her and tilted the scope on its top. “Here. Any adeptibeast we seek should be easily located by using this scope. It is an adepti device, after all – it only stands to reason that it has some function for this purpose.”  

Paimon hummed and peered through the scope, tilting it in various directions and fiddling with the buttons on the sides. She looked strangely excited, as though manning a powerful weapon built by semi-deities was no different to flying a kite.  

Aether smiled as he watched her. He still felt terrible for pulling her into not one, but two national crises, with seemingly no end in sight for the search for Lumine. No matter how much she insisted that she wanted to be there, that it’s what anyone would do for a friend, or that she’d been enjoying the traveling, he couldn’t help but feel guilty about how stressful and dangerous everything had been.  

He was glad that she could just relax and have some fun, if even for a moment.  

The sound of footsteps from behind him caught his attention, and he turned away from watching Paimon to see three men approach. They all wore bandannas around their mouths and were dressed in almost pirate-like attire.  

“Hey! Just what do you think you’re doing?” One of them yelled, pointing an accusatory finger at Aether.  

He raised an eyebrow, confused. “Um… using the Guizhong Ballista? Was that not obvious?”  

“What? No, we – ugh, how dense are you?” The same guy asked, shaking his head. “We can see that, idiot. The problem is that machine almost killed all of us! We went and risked our lives to shut it down, only to turn our backs for two seconds and you’ve ALREADY GONE AND REPAIRED IT!?”  

The force of the stranger’s anger was unnerving, and Aether glanced at Paimon and Zhongli for direction. Zhongli stepped down from the platform the ballista was mounted on with a disapproving glare.  

“So. It was you three that decided to vandalize the legacy of an adeptus? Such disgraceful behavior,” he reprimanded.  

They at least had the self-respect to appear offended. “You want to call us disgraceful, old man?” One of them called. “If you don’t get away from that machine, we’ll disgrace the floor with your bodies!”  

Zhongli’s eyes darkened. “Very well.” A spear materialized in his hand in a flurry of golden particles and he began to walk forward.   

“Wait, Zhongli, surely there’s another way to go about this!” Paimon said nervously from the platform. “They’re only Treasure Hoarders!”  

“They have made their decision clear. I, for one, welcome the opportunity to temper their insolent tongues,” the man stated.  

Aether reluctantly drew his weapon as well and joined Zhongli at his side. If a fight was unavoidable, he wasn’t going to let him fight alone.  

The trio faltered slightly, but readied themselves for battle regardless. Aether scanned their weapons quickly, assessing the situation. A few throwing knives, bottles, and a hammer.  

This would be quick.  

The man on the left readied their knife and Aether sprang into action. If they’re using ranged weapons, the best thing I can do is keep moving. But who to deal with first…   

He dodged the blade that flew by his head and dashed to one side as another attacker threw a bottle, which smashed on the ground and left a strange puddle that crackled with lightning. As he moved in to take out the third Treasure Hoarder and blocked a swipe of the hammer with his sword, gold flashed across his vision and he stepped back, startled.   

His opponent took that opportunity to swing again and Aether, caught off guard, could only brace for the worst. To his surprise, the hammer bounced off a pale golden barrier surrounding him. A few rectangular particles flew off from the point of impact, but it otherwise stayed strong.  

As the Treasure Hoarder hesitated in shock, Zhongli stepped forward and rammed him in the stomach with the butt of his spear, then picked him up and flung him into one of his companions as though he were nothing. They both ended up on the ground in a groaning heap.   

Aether watched the third man tense up. Oh. He’s going to run.  

Sure enough, he darted for the stairs, but Aether flung out his arm and sent the Treasure Hoarder flying into the wall with a burst of Anemo. He slumped to the ground, equally dazed as the other two.  

Zhongli brushed off his coat and turned to Aether. “My apologies. I should have warned you prior to engaging in battle that I intended to equip you with a shield, so that you were not caught unaware.”  

“No need to apologize,” Aether said, shaking his head. “You meant well, and it was all fine in the end, anyway.”  

“Well… maybe not all fine,” Paimon chimed in nervously. She was still hovering over the ballista, wringing her hands together. “Paimon hasn’t seen any sign of weird beasts or goats or anything of that sort for the whole time we’ve been here, so…”  

“…so you’re saying this was all a waste of time,” Aether finished with more than a little annoyance in his tone.  

Zhongli tapped his chin. “Not completely. We have kept the Guizhong Ballista safe from the actions of delinquents.” He shot a reprimanding glare at the three Treasure Hoarders, who had since recovered and were attempting to subtly escape. “But in terms of finding a Cocogoat, it seems that we will be returning to Bubu Pharmacy empty-handed.”   

Aether sighed. “Great.”  

And that they did.  

When the three of them walked back through the doors of the pharmacy, Qiqi was no longer alone – a tall man with long green hair and spectacles was stood at the desk, with a white snake wrapped around his neck. He smiled at them as they entered. “Ah, hello! I take it you’re the travelers Qiqi was telling me about. I apologize if she may have sent you on a bit of a pointless errand, although I assure you, she had no ill intent.”  

Zhongli frowned. “So, you were aware that the “Cocogoat” she spoke of was a fabrication?”  

The man smiled wider, the corners of his eyes crinkling. “Oh dear, is that what happened? I see… I believe that Qiqi intended for you to bring her coconut milk in exchange for a prescription – although that is certainly an unorthodox way of attending to patients. I’ll be more careful about my orders in the future.”  

“Coconut milk!?” Paimon exclaimed. “We went all that way, and the whole time she wanted coconut milk!?”  

“Unfortunately, yes. Oh – I don’t know that I ever introduced myself properly. I’m Baizhu, the owner of Bubu Pharmacy.” They extended a hand, and Aether politely shook it.   

Paimon shook her head in incredulity. “Huh, and this whole time Paimon thought Qiqi was the boss…”  

The snake around Baizhu’s neck suddenly flicked out its tongue and hissed. “This little mascot is even more of a sssimpleton than Qiqi…”  

Paimon shrieked and covered her eyes. “Aether, th- the snake is talking!!”  

Oddly enough, he wasn’t that fazed by it. In the past few days, he’d seen a god die at his feet, encountered several adepti (which presented as talking animals), and traveled inside a teapot. This was fairly tame in comparison. So, despite her plight, he only shrugged. “Nothing in Liyue surprises me anymore.”  

Baizhu laughed at that, not unkindly. “Haha, please don’t mind Changsheng. She’s a sweet girl, really. But that aside, what brings you three here?”  

Zhongli cleared his throat. “Dr. Baizhu, we are in need of Everlasting Incense. Do you happen to sell any?”  

The doctor raised an eyebrow at that. “Everlasting Incense? Yes, I believe we do have some in stock... it’ll run you about three million Mora, top quality.” His smile was slyer, as though he knew perfectly well that the amount was an absolute scam.  

“Three million!?” Paimon exclaimed.  

“You may as well rob the Golden House,” Aether commented sarcastically.  

Paimon nodded. “Exactly! Although, the Qixing have taken that under military control now, so... Paimon doesn’t think we’re getting in there.”  

“...I wasn’t seriously suggesting that as an option. Also, wait – what do you mean, the Qixing took it over?” Aether asked, his brow furrowing. “I thought that was just where Mora was minted.”  

“Oh, Paimon thought she told you. A couple people were talking about it at Wangshu Inn; apparently, the Qixing began occupying the Golden House yesterday – the Millelith security has almost quadrupled in that time!”  

Something about that didn’t sit well with Aether. It could just be that, following a national crisis, the Qixing had decided to protect their assets in case of further attempts to weaken Liyue. But, somehow, he doubted that was the case. What reason would the Qixing have to increase security if not to protect the Mora, though? Could they be protecting something else?  

Zhongli’s thoughtful hum drew Aether out of his musings. “Hmm... three million mora. An innocuous number in and of itself, but it could prove quite hard to come by.”  

Paimon scoffed. “Innocuous? That’s crazy money! And Paimon’s pretty sure you’re about three million short.” Aether considered reprimanding her for her rudeness – it was a little embarrassing sometimes, after all – but he’d honestly been thinking the same thing.  

With no sign of shame, Zhongli nodded. “That is correct.”  

“Given the trouble you went to for Qiqi, I suppose I could lower the price by... 10,000 Mora,” Baizhu offered.  

“There’s still no way we can afford that!” Paimon said, shaking her head. “Well... Paimon guesses it’s about time we went crawling back to Childe.”  

 

---

 

It was about five minutes later that Childe arrived at Bubu Pharmacy, practically doubled over from laughing uncontrollably. “Hahahaha - a Cocogoat? Seriously? I cannot BELIEVE you fell for that! Archons, that’s hilarious!”  

Paimon stomped the air. “Hey! It’s not that funny – Paimon bets you would’ve fallen for it too!”  

Childe wiped tears from his eyes and straightened up. “Wow, do my sides hurt. That was the best laugh I’ve had in a while.” He looked at Baizhu and smiled. “Three million Mora, hm? Consider it done. I’ll have my associates along to pay you by the end of the day.”  

Baizhu dipped his head gratefully. “Of course. Thank you.”  

“Well, now that that’s settled, we will be off,” Zhongli said, already moving toward the door. “Aether, Paimon – please follow me.”  

They trailed out of Bubu Pharmacy, leaving Childe and Baizhu to talk things over. Childe waited until the trio was sufficiently far away, then quickly left, scanning the sides of the road for Exaterina.  

As expected, she emerged from the shrubbery on the right of the staircase, her face obscured by the characteristic Fatui mask. She gave a quick bow.  

Childe surveyed the area to ensure that nobody would hear, then nodded at her. “I trust you were listening?”  

“Indeed. There was very little of note, although the white-haired one did mention that the Qixing began occupying the Golden House as of yesterday.”  

“Hmm... how unusual. What could they be hiding in there?” Childe pondered as he stared across the horizon, the sky streaked with the telltale pinks and oranges of sunset. The answer, to him, at least, was fairly obvious. The Exuvia had mysteriously vanished following the archon’s death, and now the security for a place scarcely protected had suddenly increased? Please. They must take him for a fool.  

Liyue would soon learn that the Fatui were no fools.  

He watched the golden-haired traveler disappear into the streets of Liyue, a strange, expectant smile on his face. To no one in particular, he spoke. “I apologize, Aether. But I did warn you, didn’t I? As the old Liyue saying goes: “the walls have ears.””  

 

---

 

It was a nice time of day for a walk, Aether thought as he traveled Liyue’s main street with Zhongli for what felt like the hundredth time. As night fell, the strings of lanterns hanging from the sky bridges and the fronts of stores lit up, bathing the stone path in a warm, welcoming, orange-y light.  

“So, Zhongli, where are we headed now?” Paimon asked, hovering at Aether’s side. “Do we need to grab anything else for the Rite?”  

“Yes, there is one more component. But that can wait until tomorrow,” Zhongli said. “Instead, I thought I should treat you to dinner as a token of my appreciation for your help in this matter.”  

Paimon’s eyes shone. “Dinner? Where?” However, perhaps remembering who she was talking to, she paused. “Um... when you say you’re treating us, you mean that you’re paying, right?”  

Zhongli chuckled. “Indeed. I shan’t forget the Mora this time.” He pointed a little further along the street, near the square where they’d bought the kites earlier that morning. “The restaurant is called “Third-Round Knockout.” It is a staple throughout the city, both for its food and its entertainment.”  

In a few minutes, they were seated at one of the tables outside. Night had fully fallen at that point, although the air was still warm and filled with the sound of idle chatter from passerby on the street.   

Aether couldn’t decide what he was in the mood for, so he just let Paimon order for him. The food quickly arrived and Zhongli sipped at his tea approvingly. He set the cup down quietly and asked, “so, Aether – how have you been enjoying your stay in Liyue thus far?”  

Aether drummed his fingers on his own cup, contemplating. “Well, I’d be lying if I said it hasn’t been stressful. I suppose that’s always to be expected with travel, but being wanted by an entire nation isn’t exactly, uh... ordinary. But I’ve learned a lot about Liyue’s culture, which I have enjoyed, so thank you.”  

“I see. I’ll make a point of continuing to inform you about our nation’s customs and history, then,” Zhongli replied. “Speaking of which, Third-Round Knockout frequently features a storyteller, who I believe is scheduled to begin their story about now. I hope you will find it both informative and entertaining.”  

True to Zhongli’s word, the storyteller stepped up on a small platform outside the restaurant and cleared his throat.  

“As you all know, high above the land of Liyue lies a pavilion in the clouds, a palace in the mist,” he began. Aether, actually, did not know what he meant, but he hoped that would be explained in due time. He could always ask Paimon later.  

“What does it mean to have all-seeing eyes? Perhaps you should ask Lady Ningguang, residing in her masterwork that bridges earth and sky.” The storyteller paused for dramatic effect. “Imagine. The weather is clear, and you gaze down from the deck onto the world below…”  

With animated gestures, the man dove into his tale. “They say that when Lady Ningguang ponders important affairs, she retreats to her Jade Chamber with none but her three closest confidantes in tow. Why brings she these trusted three? To sift through sources, dig through documents – looking for information. Piece by piece, facts and figures paint a picture on the walls of the chamber… but well before the wall is filled, Lady Ningguang’s mind is made up.”  

“Having made her call, she has every last document shredded. And fwhoosh!” He flung out his arm, imitating Ningguang. “She scatters the shavings out her window. As the fragments fall, like a sudden swirling blizzard, traces of text flicker before the eyes of the merchants of Liyue like ink stains in white snow.”  

The storyteller’s tone became furtive, and Aether found himself hanging onto every word, sat tensely in his chair in excited anticipation of the tale’s end. “The saying goes, the rarest treasures in the land are the words brought by the paper snow. For the words of the Tianquan have the power to move mountains and all throughout the land know it.”  

He took a bow and those at the tables outside clapped vigorously, Aether included. The tale had only solidified something in his mind that he’d suspected since Ningguang’s name was first mentioned: he needed to talk to her.   

Unbeknownst to him, that opportunity would soon arise.  

As the storyteller returned inside the restaurant and several tables began to clear out, a voice from behind him made Aether freeze.  

“At last, I have found you, you who returned from Jueyun Karst.”  

While their tone wasn’t particularly malicious, the words sent ice-cold terror through his veins, and he got up from the table. “Paimon, we’ve gotta go,” he whispered tensely.  

“Wait!” The same person called, and he turned to take stock of who was after him.  

The first thing that he noticed about her was the reddish horns growing from her head. Once he’d gotten past the shock of that, though, he observed her a little more diligently. Her hair was a pale blue and fell in long strands around her face, and she was wearing a grey bodysuit with white and blue flowing fabric. She didn’t look especially dangerous, and she had no weapon drawn. In fact, her expression was strangely desperate.  

“I am not with the Millelith, nor am I here to force you into custody,” she continued. “My name is Ganyu, and I am a corporate secretary for the Qixing. At present, I am serving as Lady Ningguang’s special emissary.” Ganyu drew a small envelope from her sleeve and walked forward to hand it to Aether. “I apologize that I cannot extend my courtesy to you in full, but I have with me a letter from Lady Ningguang. She extends a formal invitation to you in her capacity as Tianquan to join her in her palace in the sky.”  

Aether took the letter calmly, but his head was absolutely reeling. Just a few days ago, the Qixing had been hunting him down, convinced he was a conniving murderer. And now the most powerful person in all of Liyue wanted to meet him?  

None of it made any sense. Had the adepti cleared his name already? Or did the Qixing simply realize they were in the wrong? What in Teyvat had changed?  

And had anything changed? Maybe this was all a ploy to get him into the hands of their highest-ranking officials so that they could interrogate him with ease. Maybe Ningguang wanted to kill him herself and enact what would be, in her eyes, revenge.   

There were far too many unwelcome possibilities.  

Ganyu, who had perhaps prepared for his hesitation, spoke again. “I assure you, there is no malicious scheme behind her invitation. In fact, she has sent me with a message.” She paused, waiting for Aether to meet her eyes. And when he did, there was absolutely no sense of deceit in her expression when she repeated Ningguang’s words.   

“Invite him to come here. I wish to meet him. At the Jade Chamber, together, we shall snip every one of these entwining dark threads.”  

And with that, she bowed and disappeared in a rush of icy wind, leaving a dumbfounded Aether holding an envelope that, unmistakably, was sealed with a stamp bearing the symbol of the Tianquan.  

 

---

 

After a little urging, Dahlia agreed to accompany Venti to the tavern. He always pretended to be reluctant, as though he were taking some kind of moral high ground, but they both knew he would eventually say yes. And so, it was that evening that Venti walked down the streets of Mondstadt towards the Angel’s Share, a bounce in his step and a smile on his face. He took a deep breath of the crisp dusk air before pushing open the wooden door with a long creaaaaak. Diluc needed to oil the hinges again, he noted.  

Dahlia followed behind him, and they took a seat at a table in the back corner as they always did. Any other time, Venti would choose to sit at the bar so that he could most easily order as many drinks as possible, but both he and Dahlia preferred their conversations to be a little more discreet.   

Charles set down two tankards of wine and Venti leaned back in his chair, savoring the moment. The light of Angel’s Share was warm and dim, drunk laughter filled the air, and the smell of Dandelion Wine was potent, although not unpleasantly so.  

He took a long drink, then set down his tankard and met Dahlia’s eyes. The Deacon smiled, but the characteristic glint of mischief in his eyes seemed more dull than usual.  

That was odd. Dahlia had given no indication that his day had been particularly taxing – in fact, earlier he’d said explicitly that it was slow and dull, a combination of factors that, if anything, upped his desire to cause a little drama.  

“What’s troubling you?” He asked forwardly, tilting his head ever so slightly.  

Dahlia sighed and set down his own drink. “Well. In this moment, it’s having to be the bearer of bad news.”  

Venti raised an eyebrow. “Oh? And what news would that be, do tell?”  

“I’m not sure if it’s a good time to say,” Dahlia replied, lowering his gaze to the table.   

It wasn’t hard to determine what he truly meant by that. “There’s no need to shelter me form the truth because I’m troubled already,” Venti said. “In fact, it would be preferable for you to deliver the bad news now, before my mood improves and I am brought down for the second time today.”  

The Deacon laughed and looked back up at him. “Nothing escapes your notice, hm? Well, if you wish to be told now, I see no reason why I shouldn’t comply.” He shifted in his chair and crossed his arms. “Earlier today, I was taking a stroll and passed by those two Fatui diplomats – you know the two, they always gossip about the latest news, often before the rest of Teyvat has even heard of it. I suppose that’s a perk of being in that organization.”  

He paused, then lowered his voice. “At any rate, they… they said that the Geo Archon was recently assassinated.”  

Venti froze. Ah. So, he’s gone through with it, then.   

Morax had come to him years ago with a question: “If left without a god, do you believe that Liyue’s people would be as resilient as Mondstadt’s?”  

And Venti had answered honestly. That Liyue’s long history, spent never without its Archon, would inevitably result in a significant amount of disarray, even if the adepti were there to clean up the mess that followed.  

Morax had paused, contemplating, and Venti found the courage to ask why he would ever consider such a possibility. Was something wrong? Was he sick? Was Liyue in revolt?  

But no, it was something else entirely.   

And it would seem that Morax had finally decided it was an issue important enough to merit faking his own death.  

Still, despite knowing – or at least being fairly confident – that Morax wasn’t truly dead, hearing the news was an immense shock. After their discussion in the past, Morax had never brought it up again, and Venti had assumed that was the end of it.   

He’d never thought to seriously consider that one day, he would hear the news of the death of his oldest friend and the most long-standing Archon in Teyvat’s history. It was the end of an era, and the uncertainty of the future saddened him. He could only imagine how Morax was doing.  

“Venti?” Dahlia asked gently, reaching out to tap his arm. “Are you alright?”  

Venti blinked and focused on the person in front of him, trying to act normal. “How did it happen?”  

Dahlia looked slightly taken aback by his bluntness but answered him anyway. “Er – nobody’s entirely sure. Apparently, when the Qixing performed the Rite of Descension, Rex Lapis was dead as he descended.”  

How dramatic. Venti had to commend him for at least not pretending to die in his sleep, or something with fewer theatrics. Going out with flair was certainly the way to do it.  

“Hm.” He drummed his fingers on the table, thinking of an appropriate thing to ask. If Morax was going to pretend he was dead, then he’d have to play along. “Do they know who did it?”  

Dahlia shook his head. “The Qixing have been investigating. In the first few days following the assassination, they did have a warrant out for a blonde outlander and his floating companion, but that accusation has since been revoked. He and the Fatui are the prime suspects, though.”  

Yikes. Poor Aether. However, something else about Dahlia’s information caught his attention, and he frowned. “And what of the adepti? Have they not made an appearance yet?”  

“Not that anyone has heard of.”   

Venti found that strange. He’d always assumed that, if something were to happen to the Geo Archon, his loyal adepti following would take up his mantle. Yet, it seemed that Liyue was truly in the hands of its people now.   

He just hoped that Morax knew what he was doing.  

“Well, I appreciate that you were frank with me,” Venti eventually said. He took another long sip of his wine and stared into the cup, the vague reflection of his face swirling in the red liquid. “The times are troubling indeed.”  

“Are you feeling alright, though?” Dahlia asked, genuine concern written across his face.  

Venti let out a small laugh. “Oh, yes, I’m fine. The more seasons I see, the more that death becomes a fact of life. I’ve gotten used to the idea that those around me will inevitably leave, and knowing that is no more terrifying than knowing that winter precedes spring. It is merely the way things are. Even gods, when compared to the vastness of the universe, are so insignificant and their lifespans so short, that one’s death does not truly mean anything. The world will keep spinning, the sun will keep shining, and the shock and grief will soon pass as they always do.”  

He wished he believed in that idea as much as he pretended to. It was all true, and he recognized that in a factual, logical sense; but try as he might, he couldn’t prevent the deaths of those he’d once called friends from weighing on him emotionally as much as they did.   

The world was cruel, and the Heavenly Principles were crueler. That was a much easier thing to understand.  

Venti finished his wine and smiled at Dahlia. “Let’s leave the melancholy talk behind us, hm? I do believe there was something you had in mind to stir up a bit of drama…”  

At that, Dahlia broke out into a cheeky and only slightly evil smile. “Oh, do I ever. Now, listen to this…”  

The duo talked well into the evening, long after the moon had risen and the stars had begun to shine, and Venti’s heart felt a little lighter with every joking word, laugh, or smile. It may have been the wine getting to his head, but everything disturbing he’d faced that day no longer pressed at his thoughts, and he was strangely happy despite it.  

Perhaps Morax’s departure from godhood had made him realize just how something he took for granted could be suddenly so fleeting. Things would undoubtedly change between them now, and he silently wondered when he’d ever see his friend again.  

For now, he was going to cherish what he had.  

Notes:

Hi all! I know this was a kind of boring chapter and I do apologize for that - even after cutting a lot of stuff out from the Archon Quest that I considered filler, there were a lot of character interactions and very specific scenes that I felt would be important further on, so I kept them in at the cost of having like nothing interesting happen. Hopefully a little Venti time makes up for that, though :) Anyway, now that I'm through the slog of writing this, it's time for Liyue's story to really get set into motion! Poor Aether is about to go through it. Have a lovely day and hope to see you next chapter!

Chapter 15: Palace of Jadeite

Summary:

Tensions rise in Liyue Harbor as Aether rushes to meet with Ningguang and finish the Rite of Parting in time to stop Childe.

Notes:

Hello all! Soooooo I have good news and bad news. The good news is that I'm starting my first year of college in September!!! But the bad news is that because of school, I'm going to have to switch this work from updating every week to every other week. I mentioned it in some notes on a chapter way back when and I was hoping I'd be able to keep things how they were, but writing 10k words a week on top of the stupid amount of classes I'm going to have (music majors, am I right?) just isn't feasible if I want to maintain the quality I've been striving for. So, expect the next update on September 8th :) Thank you guys for your understanding, hope you enjoy this chapter! Things are about to get crazy.

Aether opened his eyes to see Paimon’s grinning face hovering above him, the shine in her eyes amplified by the morning light streaming through the window.  

“Wakey wakey!” She sang, trying to pull off his blankets and force him out of bed. There was an obvious strength difference, though, and Aether grabbed them back and pulled them over his head with a groan.  

It was too early for this.  

“Paimon, please, I’m exhausted,” he pleaded, his voice muffled by the sheets covering him. He normally had no trouble waking up early, and in fact preferred it, but yesterday had well and truly drained him of his energy.  

Part of that was Paimon’s fault – following their invitation from Ningguang, she’d become so excited that she insisted on finding a gift for the Tianquan right then and there. And so, Aether found himself being dragged throughout Liyue, city and countryside alike, entirely unable to convince Paimon to just go to sleep.  

She could be incredibly stubborn when she set her mind to something, he’d discovered.  

They’d eventually settled on a questionable slime dessert of Paimon’s creation, packaged in an ornate box that they’d received from a stranger they’d saved from a group of hilichurls. It had, clearly, been a very long night.  

Unfortunately for Aether, it didn’t seem that some gift-making had worn down Paimon’s enthusiasm. She tugged at the blankets again. “C’mon, how are you not more excited? We’re meeting Ningguang today, for Celestia’s sake! The richest and most powerful person in all of Liyue!! Paimon wonders how much food you could buy with all the Mora she’s got…”  

Aether peeked out from his cocoon. “Oh, so that’s why you’re so excited... You’re just hoping that Ningguang will like us enough to part with some of her savings,” he teased.  

Paimon crossed her arms and huffed. “Not true! Paimon just wants to make a good impression, is all, and being late isn’t going to help with that.”  

“But she didn’t even give us a time,” Aether pointed out, finally sitting up.  

“Well… no, she didn’t, but the sooner, the better!” Paimon replied cheerfully. “Now get up and let’s go!”  

Obligingly, Aether rolled out of bed and felt goosebumps prick up his arms as he left the warmth of the blankets.  

Wait. His arms were cold. Which meant they were bare.  

He’d taken his gloves off before he went to sleep, as he often did, but this was different because Paimon was awake and she was right there and she was so clearly going to notice and how would he ever explain his scars and-  

He snatched his gloves from the nightstand and pulled them on as fast as he possibly could.  

Paimon gave him a strange look. “Uh… are you alright? The gloves aren’t going anywhere, y’know…”  

Aether nodded, relieved. He could put up with her thinking he was an absolute weirdo if it meant his secret was safe. There were too many ways it could go wrong. Maybe she’d be angry, maybe she’d cry, maybe, worst of all, she’d pity him – and he couldn’t face that. It was better to just keep hurting quietly than to offload his issues onto someone else.  

At least, that’s what he’d convinced himself.   

 Paimon fidgeted, full of energy, as he finished getting ready. After a few minutes, he clipped his satchel onto his waist, adjusted it, then gave a final nod. “Alright. Let’s go.”  

“Nuh uh. You are not going anywhere with your hair looking like that,” Paimon said, pointing accusatorially at his braid.  

Self-conscious, Aether ran his hand down it. “Why? What’s wrong?”  

She put her hands on her hips. “You have a major case of bedhead, and Paimon hasn’t seen you re-braid it in days. Get over here and let Paimon fix it, or else Ningguang is going to think we’re not fit for her company.”  

The tone of her voice reminded him so much of Lumine in that moment. It was stern, stubborn, and somewhat motherly, but ultimately from a place of kindness. A lump formed in his throat and he swallowed it back down, unwilling to start his day off in tears.  

He’d see her again soon. That was a promise.  

He sighed, relenting, and sat down on the bed. Paimon hovered behind him and began undoing his hair, humming quietly.  

Sat there with nothing else to do, his mind started to wander, and it latched onto a phrase that Aether knew was going to occupy him until it was answered.  

What are we missing?  

The Fatui were just too suspicious to not be up to something – but the problem was that he couldn’t figure out what. He’d already ruled out the idea that they’d killed Rex Lapis themselves. It wouldn’t make sense for them to stick around if they had, much less to keep a Harbinger in Liyue.   

And Childe was clearly scheming. He was being strangely helpful, was making connections with the adepti, and was always probing him for more information. To be fair, maybe he was just a suspicious guy. But something in Aether’s gut told him there was more to it than that.  

But what? What was he missing? What were Childe’s intentions, if there was truly something nefarious afoot? Why would he still be in Liyue, taking the brunt of the Qixing’s suspicion, carrying out the Rite of Parting, if not for-  

“The Gnosis,” he said suddenly.   

Paimon paused her unbraiding, going quiet. “Huh? What about the Gnosis?” He stood up abruptly to look at her, much to her protest. “Hey, I’m not done with your hair yet!”  

“Childe is here for the Geo Archon’s Gnosis,” Aether stated, his heart pounding in his chest. He was stupid, so stupid, to not have seen that sooner. He started pacing the room of the inn, brushing his unwound hair out of his face as it fell around him. “He’s made friends with the adepti – Zhongli - to ensure the Rite of Parting happens. That way, he can see the Exuvia again and steal the Gnosis. Us wanting to see it as well just turned out to be a convenient way for him to accelerate the process.”  

Her eyes widened. “Are you sure?”  

“...not entirely. But it’s the only thing I can think of that explains his behavior, and given what happened to Venti, it seems almost certain that it’s right.”  

Paimon floated a little lower in the air, as though her worry weighed on her physically. “Okay. Paimon believes you. But... what do we do?”  

Aether let out a long sigh and pressed his face into his palms. “I don’t know,” he mumbled. “And that’s the problem. I thought playing along would keep us safe and help us get some information out of the Fatui, and I guess in a sense it did, but I have no idea how to stop this. Childe’s a Harbinger, for Archon’s sake. He has so much influence and power that I’m worried if we try to cross him, the Fatui will find a way to make our lives miserable.”  

“Seems like they’re already doing a pretty good job of that, though,” Paimon pointed out wryly. “But we’ll figure something out. And hey, maybe Ningguang will have some ideas! She’s the Tianquan, after all – if we tell her about this, she can keep the Gnosis away from Childe for sure.”  

“But can she? I don’t think she even knows – or is allowed to know – what a Gnosis is. How am I meant to explain that she can’t let Childe see the Exuvia when I can’t give her a reason to trust me?” Aether stopped pacing to sink back onto the bed, completely overwhelmed and exhausted.  

“Why don’t we at least try? We’re going to see her today anyway.” Paimon took advantage of his slumped state to start braiding his hair. “Plus, her letter sounded pretty open to the idea of working together.” She poked his back, emphasizing her next point. “Let’s just take it one thing at a time. We’ll sort things out with Ningguang, then start planning from there. Paimon knows it’ll be okay.”  

Some of the tension in his shoulders unwound and he let out a long breath. “Okay. You’re right.”  

“Mhm, Paimon knows she is. Anyway, your hair’s all done!” She tossed his braid down and it hit his back with a thump. “Let’s go! Paimon doesn’t want to waste any more time.”  

“Do we even know where we’re going?” Aether asked, standing up and running a hand through his hair until it was just the right amount of disheveled. “Ganyu gave us the invitation, but there aren’t any directions to the Jade Chamber in it.”  

“Uh... hm. Paimon hadn’t thought about that,” she admitted, crossing her arms. “Ugh, Paimon’s meant to be your guide, but she has no idea how to get there.”  

Aether smiled kindly. “Don’t feel bad, it’s probably a closely guarded secret. I doubt Ningguang wants just anybody to be able to access it.”  

“True, but why wouldn't they tell us, then?” She did a small spin, shining particles following her as she moved. “Oh, well – there's got to be something else we can do. Why don’t we go back to Mt. Tianheng? It’s pretty high up, and right by the Jade Chamber. Maybe there’s a pathway there.”  

“It’s worth a try.” He took her hand and whisked them away to the teleport waypoint on the mountaintop in a blur of color and sound. Despite the heat of the sun, the wind was cold at such a high altitude, and he tightened his scarf slightly around his neck. The Jade Chamber was in sight, huge and powerful as it floated in the sky. Unfortunately, there didn’t seem to be a way to get any closer to it.  

“Paimon doesn’t think we’d make it there if we glided,” she observed.  

Aether scanned the area. “And I’m not seeing any mechanisms or other paths.” He sighed, frustrated. Can nothing be straightforward? “What now, then?”  

Paimon thought for a moment, then clapped her hands enthusiastically. “Ooh, Paimon knows! We can use the Guizhong Ballista to shoot you up! It’s nearby, after all.”  

“Paimon. Are you trying to kill me?” Aether deadpanned, too tired to even try to explain all the issues with that idea.  

She flushed with embarrassment. “Uh, well, no... Paimon sees the problem now.”  

Her crazy proposal, however, had reminded Aether of something else about the ballista. “We can still make use of it, though. It’s got a scope – odds are, we can find a way up if we look around.”  

“Oh, good idea! Let’s go, then!”  

They weren’t expecting to find the Guizhong Ballista completely surrounded by Millelith soldiers, patrolling the area with stern, unwavering expressions. When they reached the top of the stairs that led to the stone platform where they’d fought the Treasure Hoarders, Aether’s path was blocked by an outstretched spear and a loud voice.  

“Halt! Only the Millelith are allowed on these grounds.”  

Aether frowned. What about today was any different from yesterday? They’d had no trouble using the ballista then – at least, from the Millelith.  

“What’s your problem?” Paimon asked rudely, hands on her hips. “We’re invited guests of the Tianquan, y’know! If we want to use the Guizhong Ballista, then we can.”  

The soldier eyed them both suspiciously. “Any individual could make that claim. Leave the premises now, before I am left no choice but to use force.”  

That only made Paimon angrier, and Aether grabbed her and pushed her behind him before she could say anything else to escalate the situation. Using the scope wasn’t worth a fight, and he still wasn’t sure how wary he should be of the Millelith. “Of course. We’ll be on our way, sorry for the trouble.”  

Paimon wriggled out of his grasp. “Nuh uh – Paimon isn’t going to let them think they can treat us like that!” she shouted.  

“What’s going on?”  

Aether stopped trying to wrangle his companion just long enough to turn and see a woman approach, magenta eyes narrowed analytically. Her hair was long and purple, pulled up into two ponytails that fell behind her, and she wore an ornate white and purple dress that swished around her as she climbed the last few stairs.  

The soldier immediately snapped to attention and saluted her. “Lady Keqing! These two strange people just arrived. They seem to have designs on the Guizhong Ballista.”  

Paimon scowled at him. “Strange? Who’re you calling strange?”  

“Paimon, be quiet,” Aether whispered tersely. From the way this lady – Keqing, if he heard right – carried herself and from the guard’s reaction, it was immediately clear that she held a position of power. Possibly another of the Qixing, if he were to guess.  

“Sorry to disturb you, we didn’t mean any harm. We were just looking for the way to the Jade Chamber,” he explained. “We received an invitation from Ningguang yesterday evening, but there were no instructions as to how to get there in the letter.”  

Keqing crossed her arms, her expression a little less wary. “That is protocol, yes. Did the person who delivered it not give you directions?”  

Aether exchanged a glance with Paimon, mentally replaying their conversation with Ganyu. He couldn’t remember her saying anything, and from the shake of Paimon’s head, neither did she.  

“Not that I can recall,” he answered, turning back to Keqing.  

“I see.” She extended a hand. “I am Keqing, Yuheng of the Liyue Qixing. I apologize for any inconvenience with the Guizhong Ballista. After years of disrepair, it appears to have been mysteriously restored overnight, so I was sent to investigate the matter.”  

He shook her hand firmly. “It’s alright, no harm done. I’m Aether, and this is Paimon.”  

She smiled slightly. “I know of you, Traveler. It takes some guts to flee the scene of a murder, after all.”  

He froze, trying to decide if that statement was said jokingly or not. “You don’t still suspect me, do you?”  

Keqing withdrew her hand and crossed her arms again. “Ha, no. Ningguang will likely explain that to you when you see her.”  

Well. That was some good news, at least.  

“Speaking of, Lady Yuheng, do you know why Lady Ningguang wants to see us?” Paimon asked, her confrontational demeanor long vanished.  

“Just Keqing is fine. And I’d say that her purpose is to encourage Mondstadt’s savior to take a more neutral stance. Or, at least, to not wholly side with the adepti,” Keqing replied plainly.  

Hearing himself referred to as “Mondstadt’s savior” made Aether feel... uncomfortable, to say the least. It was more thanks to the work of Venti, Diluc, and the Knights that anything had gotten done – he'd just been the one to face Dvalin head-on. But, as guilty as he felt for apparently taking the credit for a joint effort, if it made the Qixing less hostile, he would stick with the title for now.  

“Wait, we’re not taking sides,” Paimon clarified, noticing the more obviously concerning thing with Keqing’s statement. “We just spoke with the adepti to clear our names. Plus, from what Paimon could tell, it sounds like they want to protect Liyue as well.”  

Keqing let out a short, humorless laugh. “By “protect,” I take it that you’re referring to their sanctimonious arrogance?” Seeing the confused expression on both of their faces, she continued. “The adepti will never view humans as anything more than beings under their protection. They only saw you as innocent because they could never fathom the idea of a mere mortal being responsible for the assassination of a god. And, on that same line of reasoning, they see all of Ningguang’s efforts – locking down the area, questioning citizens, and pursuing the assassin – as pointless. I’ll say it like it is – they underestimate us, and that has made them arrogant and entitled.”  

Aether, quite frankly, was stunned. Every person he’d encountered in Liyue so far had been full of praise for their city, their god, and their history, to the point where he found himself almost afraid to criticize any part of the nation. Keqing’s perspective was certainly refreshing – albeit terrifying – in that regard. Strangely, though, he respected her more for it.  

He didn’t necessarily consider himself the kind of person to grovel to gods or higher powers simply because it was the done thing. He tried to be respectful to them wherever possible, sure, but that didn’t mean he believed in the justness of their authority. In that sense, it appeared Keqing was a kindred spirit.  

He realized he’d taken a little too long to respond, both him and Paimon staring at Keqing with expressions bordering on shock, when the Yuheng sighed. “Forget it. I shouldn’t speak of them this way. This skepticism is mine alone, and not representative of the Qixing’s views of Liyue.”  

“No, I’m glad you said that,” Aether finally said, snapping out of his stupor. “I've thought the same thing. The adepti were dismissive of the Qixing and acted like they were the only ones with any sense when I met them. I’m surprised they haven’t stepped in by now, to be honest.”  

Keqing regarded him with a thoughtful expression, perhaps reevaluating her impression of him. “As am I. Rex Lapis’ death is no ordinary circumstance, and yet they choose to convene in the mountains rather than immediately swoop down as our saviors. It’s surprisingly civil of them.”  

She met his eyes a moment longer, then sighed. “Well, I won’t keep you. I’ve already said more than I should, and Ningguang runs a tight schedule.” She drew a notepad from her pocket and wrote something quickly, then handed the paper to Aether. Her handwriting was neat and legible. “There. Now you have the directions to the Jade Chamber. Commit it to memory and destroy the paper when you have the chance.”  

Aether nodded and slipped the note into his satchel. “Will do. Thank you, Keqing.”  

She nodded. “Of course. It’s the least I could do for one of Ningguang’s guests. May we meet again, Aether.” Keqing gave them a polite wave, then walked past them to inspect the ballista, as her duty required.  

Following her instructions, Aether took Paimon’s hand and teleported them to Liyue Harbor, appearing alongside the main road. It was quieter than usual on the streets, Aether noted as they made their way to Yujing Terrace.   

“Paimon thought Keqing was a pretty cool person, even if she doesn’t respect the gods,” Paimon commented as they walked. Or, in her case, floated.  

“I thought so too,” Aether agreed. “I may be biased, given that we share some of the same views, but I’m glad she was honest with us.”  

“Well, Paimon’s glad we’re on the same page! There sure are a lot of interesting people in Liyue, huh...”  

Her tone was characteristically enthusiastic, bright and cheerful in the way that only Paimon could be. Aether tried to cling to her positivity and ground himself in it, but each step forward only made his thoughts whirl faster.  

Childe is after the Gnosis.  

Childe is after the Gnosis.  

Childe is -   

“Aether?”  

He tore his gaze from the stone pavement in front of him and met Paimon’s gaze. “Yeah?”  

She frowned, sensing that something was wrong, but didn’t pry. “Paimon asked you how you were feeling about meeting Ningguang.”  

Honestly, that was the least of his worries right now. He was far more concerned about the nagging voice in the back of his head, insisting that he had missed something, that there was some crucial piece of knowledge that he needed to stop the Fatui. Thwarting Childe’s plans had become his number one priority, despite the fact that he didn’t even know the Geo Archon. All he could be certain of was that the Fatui were collecting some of the most powerful objects in all Teyvat, and if that didn’t spell doom, he wasn’t sure what did.  

“I’m not that worried. She sounds like a reasonable person, and I don’t think she’s trying to imprison us anymore,” Aether answered honestly.  

She nodded, shoulders relaxing slightly, and it was then that Aether realized she had asked because she was worried about him. He could only imagine how he’d presented these last few weeks: anxious, paranoid, emotionally unstable, uncertain, fragile – the list went on.  

He straightened up and gave her the most worry-free smile he could muster. “Hey, I’m alright. You don’t need to worry,” he said gently. And oh, was that such a lie and he felt awful for telling it, for betraying the blind trust that Paimon had placed in him ever since he fished her out of the sea, but he couldn’t bear to watch her brow furrow and her hands wring together as she studied him like he was something that could break apart at any moment.  

He couldn’t bear to keep letting his problems, his moments of weakness, or his lack of thought cause harm to the people he cared about. In that moment, he made a silent promise to himself: that he would stay strong until he saw Lumine again.  

No more tears. No more emotional breakdowns. No more allowing his anxiety to overwhelm him. He would be a perfect, smiling warrior, offering support to everyone around him but never letting his own mask slip for fear of what he would inflict onto others if it did.  

He didn’t know how much more guilt he could take.  

“Hey, do y’think that’s the guy?” Paimon asked brightly, pointing at a blue-robed man stood next to a circular stone platform.  

He took a moment to think through Keqing’s notes. “Seems right.”  

“Then hurry up! Paimon doesn’t want to keep Ningguang waiting.” She grabbed his wrist and pulled him over to the man waiting near Yuehai Pavilion. Clearing her throat, she asked the question Keqing had written down: “Excuse me, do you sell the moon here?”  

The man gave them both a curious stare that had Aether beginning to sweat. Was that wrong? Did Keqing misremember?  

After an uncomfortable pause, they responded. “Yes. How many would you like?”  

“It’s not convenient to speak of numbers here,” Paimon said carefully.  

The attendant bowed and gestured to the platform. “Well said. Please use this to ascend to the Jade Chamber. If I am not mistaken, you two are the guests Lady Ningguang sent for, correct?”  

Paimon nodded cheerfully. “That’s us!”  

“Wonderful. The Tianquan eagerly awaits your arrival.” Still looking somewhat confused, the man stepped back to allow them to board the platform. The stone circle rumbled beneath Aether’s feet before it lifted from the ground. He wobbled slightly, a jolt of fear spiking through him, then he caught his balance and watched as the ground grew further and further away. Even though he’d told Paimon he wasn’t nervous, his stomach twisted in all kinds of worried ways.  

“Huh, this is a little less safe than Paimon thought it would be,” she remarked, hovering close to Aether. The platform wasn’t small enough for Aether to worry he would fall off, but there were no railings or supports, and it was traveling upwards alarmingly quickly. Just in case, though, he kept himself alert, ready to pull the tab to extend his wind glider at any moment.  

“I guess it deters people from coming up here if they don’t have a good reason to,” Aether replied. The platform began slowing down, and he tore his eyes away from the ground to see that they were nearing the Jade Chamber. It was much larger than it looked from below, and he didn’t see any mechanism that looked like it was keeping it afloat. But, knowing Liyue, there was probably some strange adepti magic behind its ability to hover thousands of feet in the air.  

They eventually came to a gradual stop and Aether stepped forward onto the stone of the Jade Chamber. His ears had long since popped from the change in altitude. In front of him was a large building made from dark wood and pale stone, its intricate design and golden accents practically screaming wealth. The center was a wide, tower-like structure that Aether had to crane his neck to see the top of, and from either side of it branched archways which bridged the ring of lily pad-filled water that ran through the stone floor. Every roof was coated in a rich, yellow tile, and lanterns and meticulously manicured plants dotted the pathway that ran around the outside of half of the structure.  

Like the platform below, there were no railings or other protective barriers. Aether couldn’t help but wonder why: perhaps Lady Ningguang was so certain in her own safety aboard the Jade Chamber that she deliberately omitted such features, as if warning those who would conspire against her that she was too powerful to be hurt.  

As though thinking her name summoned her, the doors to the central building opened and the Tianquan strode out, accompanied by three women dressed in red. She gave him a guarded smile and stopped several feet in front of him, white hair falling around her as she did. In the chaos of the Rite of Descension, he hadn’t had a chance to properly observe her mannerisms, but this was different. This was her palace, her home ground, with no crisis in sight, and she certainly carried herself like it.   

Ningguang was lavishly dressed, with all manner of golden accessories only accentuating the wealth she was clearly not afraid to display. Her eyes were red and, while they shone with cunning, didn’t hold any emotions Aether would consider malicious. Her posture was elegant yet relaxed, although he got the impression she was like a coiled spring – ready to seize any opportunity or jump into action at any moment. Everything about her, from her attire to her body language, exuded authority.  

“I’ve been waiting for you, returnee from Jueyun Karst,” she finally said, her voice low and rich. She spoke deliberately, he noted. Every word was placed with intent and a certain haughtiness. No - haughty was the wrong choice of words. Although her status came across in her tone, there was no sense of ego or belittlement. It was simply as though she knew she held the power here, and no more than that.  

Paimon, not one to read the room, held out the box they’d wrapped the night before. “Nice to meet you, Lady Ningguang! Since it’s our first meeting, we prepared a gift!”  

Ningguang’s smile changed from merely polite to one of amusement. “Oh, for me? There was really no need – you are my guests, after all, and it seems I’ve already made things quite difficult for you.” She stepped forward and gently took the gift from Paimon’s hands. “Regardless, you have my thanks.” One of her attendants took the box and Ningguang dismissed the three of them with a wave. When the door to the Jade Chamber closed behind them, her eyes met Aether’s again, her gaze expectant.  

Right. She’s already done her part by inviting me here – the ball is in my court now, and I’m going to need to be diplomatic about this. “The Jade Chamber is incredible,” Aether decided to say. It was an honest statement, but a little flattery never caused any harm. Plus, he’d found throughout his travels that the wealthy often liked to talk about themselves and their accomplishments, so steering the conversation in that direction may increase his esteem as well.  

The smile that followed told him he’d said the right thing. “Haha, I’m glad you like it too,” she replied with a light laugh. “This palace floats higher than the peak of any mountain, allowing me to observe all of Liyue. I began gathering the funds necessary to build it when I first began learning the merchant’s craft. While it may have started as nothing more than one small room, it has now been expanded to a size grand enough to blot out the moon to an observer from the streets of the city.” Her eyes gleamed with ambition as she stared thoughtfully into the distance. “One day, I believe it will overshadow all seven nations.”  

That statement took Aether by surprise. It seemed Ningguang wasn’t just powerful and wealthy but determined as well. If her goals were that lofty, it was undoubtedly a good thing that he was winning her favor now.  

Ningguang looked away from Liyue Harbor and regarded him with an interested sort of admiration, all the while maintaining her knowing smile. “Not many from outside Liyue earn the right to ascend to the Jade Chamber,” she stated. “But you’ve caused quite a stir – in more nations than one, it appears.” She crossed her arms, her long, ornate nails curling around her black gloves. “I’ve been in correspondence with the Acting Grand Master of the Knights of Favonius, who spoke especially highly of you – or, rather, a strange traveler who stepped in during the midst of a crisis and restored peace to their city. As such, I’ve had my eye on you since you arrived in Liyue.”  

Although Aether knew that statement wasn’t meant as a threat, it sent a chill up his spine regardless. It wasn’t exactly reassuring to know that his every movement had been meticulously tracked by the most powerful person in the nation.   

Her comment made him pause, though. To have her eye on him, she would need people on the ground, engaging with him to gather information. His mind began to whir as he considered all the interactions he’d had in the past few days. Had Linlang been one of Ningguang’s subordinates? Was Zhongli? What about Madame Ping? Or Verr Goldet?  

Now that he thought about it, Verr Goldet had acted strangely knowing after their talk about Xiao. Was that because she was receiving intel directly from Ningguang about him? Had she thought he was trying to ally with the adepti?  

He focused on Ningguang’s expression. It was one of anticipatory amusement, almost as though she knew what he was going to say next. “Was Verr Goldet one of your people?”  

Her laugh that followed was genuine, though not unkind. “Just Verr Goldet? No. Everyone in Wangshu Inn is one of mine.”  

Paimon let out a low mutter that Aether didn’t fully catch, but based on her tone, it was something uncouth. He tensed, expecting her rudeness to be taken poorly, but Ningguang’s smile only carried more mirth.  

“I understand you have very little reason to trust me, but my intentions have been far from bringing you harm,” Ningguang said, tossing a stray lock of hair behind her back. “The reason I invited you here was to clear up those misunderstandings. I take it you’ve heard of the Archon War?”   

He hadn’t, and he didn’t know how a war was at all relevant to this conversation, but something in her tone gave him the impression this was common knowledge, and he didn’t want to make it immediately obvious to her that he wasn’t from Teyvat.  

“Vaguely,” he lied, hoping she would elaborate.  

As anticipated, she did. Ningguang pointed behind him and he turned, following her finger to a cluster of rocky islands on the horizon. “You can see Guyun Stone Forest from here, I trust?” He nodded and faced her again as she continued. “Those are no natural rock formations – they are Rex Lapis’ spears. Beneath them lie numerous gods, a result of the two-thousand-year-past, long, and bloody conflict that has come to be known as the Archon War. Once the war subsided, only seven gods remained on this earth: the Archons, who have established the world as we know it.”  

Her expression now carried a hint of pain. “Rex Lapis’ death means little to the order of the Seven. Sooner or later, as has happened with almost all the original Archons, another Lord of Geo will arise, and Liyue will be ushered into a new era. And yet, how are we to forget Rex Lapis?” Her voice wavered slightly, and she took a deep breath, steadying herself. When she spoke again, her tone firm and honest, there wasn’t a doubt in Aether’s mind that she spoke the truth. “Even as our world changes, the Liyue Qixing remains Rex Lapis’ loyal subjects. Do you really think us capable of orchestrating his demise? Of lacking the foresight to see the obvious repercussions of that action?”  

He didn’t, but there was still one thing he had to be certain of. “Why hide the Exuvia, then?” he asked carefully, gauging her reaction. Is she aware of the threat that Childe poses? Does she know he’s after the Gnosis – or, at least, the vessel that holds it? How much do I need to disclose?  

Ningguang’s telling smile told him that she’d understood the questions he was truly asking. “You were there that day in Yujing Terrace – it was obvious how much the events of the Rite of Descension threw Liyue and myself into disarray. Hiding the Exuvia was a necessary measure to get back on our feet, to play the spider and watch our enemy scramble instead.” Her gaze flickered to the city below. “Our enemy has long laid hidden within the harbor. If we do not act now, they will surely gain the upper hand.”  

Aether had come to appreciate Ningguang’s diplomacy. She truly had a talent for reading between the lines, for speaking to what Aether was thinking rather than what he said, and for saying nothing and everything at the same time.  

Paimon, unfortunately, did not possess those same abilities. “Wait, who’s this enemy you’re talking about?”  

Ningguang observed him, a smile still ghosting on her face. “What do you think, Traveler?”  

The answer was obvious, and if her actions with the Exuvia were anything to go by, they had a common enemy. So, he decided to take a page from her book and be vague yet painfully clear at the same time. “It’s “him,” isn’t it?”  

The Tianquan dipped her head in a small nod. “Well answered.”  

“Huh!? What in Teyvat are you two saying?” Paimon asked, completely lost. He felt bad that he couldn’t fill her in, but there were too many risks to saying it outright. The Fatui probably had people everywhere.  

“I’ll tell you later,” he said to her instead.  

Ningguang chuckled at their exchange. “Well, now that that’s out of the way, please, follow me inside. The wind is a little strong, and we’ve already made our preparations for guests.” Which was clearly code for “let’s talk somewhere more private.”   

The Tianquan turned and headed back inside, the doors opening before her. Aether and Paimon followed her closely. He hadn’t thought the Jade Chamber could get any more beautiful, but as he took his first look inside, he realized that he was sorely wrong.   

Every surface was made of a rich, dark wood, carved and polished to perfection. Elaborate chandeliers hung from the ceiling, filling the interior with a warm, inviting light, and gold trim and decorations coated the walls and ceiling. It was certainly much bigger inside than it looked.  

“Whoa... Paimon’s never seen a hall this fancy before!” Paimon exclaimed, much to Ningguang’s amusement.   

“Well, I do try to impress,” she replied. She guided them down a set of spiraling stairs and into what Aether assumed to be her office. Sunlight filtered in through the many windows of the room, warming the space through and providing a pleasant atmosphere.  

Ningguang took a seat behind a long desk scattered with books and scrolls, sweeping them to one side before languidly putting one leg over the other. Dust motes swirled in the sunbeams that shone from the windows, scattered into the air by the movement. She gestured at two chairs in front of her. “Please, take a seat. And feel free to make yourselves at home.”  

Aether politely did as she asked, but his attention had been drawn to a board mounted on the wall to his right. It had papers pinned onto every inch of it, some connected with string, some slightly crumpled, some at an angle – it was a wide array. The storyteller’s words from the night before spun in Aether’s head.  

... piece by piece, facts and figures paint a picture on the walls of the chamber...  

Could there have been a hint of truth to his story? Was Ningguang as meticulously investigative as they’d claimed?  

Paimon noticed him staring at it and lit up. “Ooh, is that the legendary wall?”  

Ningguang chuckled. “You’ve kept your ear to the ground, I see. It’s only legendary in the sense that it holds secrets – merchants are always attracted to such things.” Her red eyes drifted to meet Aether’s. “But the secrets of the mercantile world are of no interest to you, aren’t they, Traveler? You’re rather special, really. And I think you’re quite aware of that.”  

He shifted slightly in his seat, unsure of how to approach that compliment. “Please, Aether is fine. And I suppose I only come across that way because I have different goals to most people.” Like finding Lumine. Or getting out of this world as soon as he could. Material wealth didn’t exactly matter much in either of those cases.  

She hummed and uncrossed her legs, sitting forward slightly. “Is that so? In any case, I’d like to have your trust. Although, out of curiosity, if you were to pick the more trustworthy one out of myself and Keqing...”  

Ningguang trailed off, asking the question but also not entirely asking it at the same time. Aether hesitated for a moment. His honest answer would be Keqing – he felt that he could trust someone better if he knew they were more independent, and her unwillingness to blindly accept the rule of Rex Lapis and the adepti certainly spoke to that quality. But was Ningguang the kind of person who prioritized honesty, or did she prefer flattery?  

She’d been fairly transparent with them so far, although there was still the whole matter of his almost-arrest that he was hoping to clear up, and he’d gotten the impression from the way she spoke that she was intelligent and cunning. Honesty seemed like the better option, then. She'd see right through it otherwise, and he didn’t want to betray her fragile trust.  

So, he replied to her non-question with a non-answer of his own. “Well, between your orthodoxy and her heterodoxy...” he said, clasping his hands in his lap.  

“You’d pick Keqing? I had a feeling,” she responded, no trace of displeasure in her voice. Her nails drummed on her desk thoughtfully and she rested her head on her other hand, elbow propped on the table. “You know, I originally thought her a bit too... hard-headed. It’s true that I’ve had more messes to clean up with her on the Qixing. But she said something interesting to me the other day that’s certainly dispelled any remaining doubt.”  

Ningguang lifted her head and cleared her throat before repeating Keqing’s words. ““The time of the adepti has long passed. If even the Liyue Qixing don’t want to face that truth, what hope is there for Liyue?”” She paused, letting Aether take in the gravity of that statement, before continuing. “I won’t deny that Rex Lapis’ death looks advantageous for us. But I hope you recognize that these accusations are founded in rumors and rumors alone.”  

“Rumors spread by the Fatui, you mean,” Aether dared to clarify. He said it with more certainty than he felt – he still couldn’t be sure where Ningguang stood with them diplomatically or how favorably she viewed them.  

Thankfully, it seemed to be the right thing to say. She nodded slightly before confirming his suspicions. “Indeed. It seems that you understood what I was trying to say from the very beginning. Although I suppose I shouldn’t be too surprised. You have been working with the Harbinger, after all – suspicions were bound to arise sooner or later.”  

Aether visibly stiffened at that, expecting the worst. She knew he’d been working with Childe. Did she think he was one of them? Was she trying to get Aether on her side because she wanted him to take down the organization from the inside? Was this a very well-executed ploy to get him captured, once and for all? No, she would have just arrested him by now if that were the case... but should he be worried all the same?  

Ningguang sighed, likely assuming what was running through his mind. “Before you panic, I’m well aware there’s no genuine collaboration happening. The Acting Grand Master’s opinion of you suggests that you would have no interest in joining the Fatui’s ranks. And while I do admire you for attempting to play the long game, I feel the need to warn you that Tartaglia is no fool. He’s taken his residence in Liyue for quite some time now, and I’ve found that while he may appear to be a flippant, benevolent, young adult, he is dangerously unstable below the surface.” She leaned forward to emphasize her next point. “I’m sure you’re capable of handling him, but be careful. I would hate to see our friendship end so soon.”  

He was about to ask “ why would it end” when her meaning caught on:   

She thought that Childe would kill him.  

It was a possibility that had crossed his mind – after what they’d done to Venti, he didn’t put it past the Fatui to commit acts of unimaginable cruelty just to get what they wanted, or just because they could. But having Ningguang, a well-connected, intelligent, person of power speak those thoughts out loud sent a chill up his spine. Suddenly, the threat felt far more real.  

Have I gotten myself in over my head? Should I have quit while I could?  

He mentally shook away those thoughts. This wasn’t the time to doubt himself. He had to stay focused, stay sharp, not let his emotions get the better of him, otherwise Ningguang’s fears may very well become true.  

“I understand,” he said simply.  

Ningguang studied him for a moment, then nodded. “Good. As long as you are aware.” She picked up a pen absentmindedly and twirled it before setting it down again. “Now, it would seem some explanations are in order. I’m sure you’ve been dying to know how things have played out on the Qixing’s end.”  

“That would be helpful information, yes.”  

“Well. Allow me to start from the beginning. Initially, we did have you down as an actual suspect: as you’re no doubt aware, arriving in Liyue that same day as a foreigner and then fleeing the crime scene doesn’t exactly dispel suspicion. Although I am still curious as to why you chose to escape, knowing now that you aren’t the culprit... but that conversation can wait for another time, perhaps.” She smirked a little bit as he quickly tensed, then relaxed again.  

“No need to worry, I understand. We all have skeletons in our closets, hm? But I digress – when you began seeking the adepti, it was clear something else was at play. That was what caught me onto your involvement with the Fatui and convinced me to follow them a little more closely.”  

“In the days following the Rite of Descension, further investigation made clear that we were after the wrong person. The Harbinger Childe was scurrying about behind the scenes, suspiciously trying to organize the Rite of Parting, whereas instead of more evidence pointing towards you, I heard from reliable sources about your upstanding character. I am one to trust my gut, so I called off the warrant for your arrest and shifted my focus towards deterring the Fatui.”  

An attendant entered the room with a tray carrying three wooden cups, interrupting the conversation briefly. Ningguang elegantly took her drink from the tray and sipped at it approvingly. The scent of herbal tea filled the room, and she gestured for Aether and Paimon to drink as well. Paimon gulped it down all at once, something that Aether was sure would have burnt his tongue if he’d tried it, but she seemed unaffected.  

Ningguang set her steaming cup down and continued. “Where was I? Oh, the Fatui – yes, so, from then on, the Qixing’s actions have been purely to thwart the Snezhnayan agency in its plans. I called for the gag order on the situation and hid the Exuvia to throw them off and buy us some time to take control of Liyue’s administration. I’ve also been deliberately overlooking Childe’s efforts to commence the Rite of Parting in the hopes that it will direct his focus away from the Qixing and give us even more time to stabilize ourselves. So far, it seems to be working.”  

Aether drank from his own cup, processing all the information that had just been unloaded onto him. Ningguang was a better strategist than he’d given her credit for. One question, though, remained unanswered. “And what about the Fatui’s plans? Do you know what they are?”  

Ningguang finished her drink and leaned back in her chair. “To be frank, no, I don’t. I was hoping you could shed some light on that matter. I’d initially thought they were planning to take control of Liyue themselves, but anyone with a half a brain could see they’ve missed their window of opportunity, so I’ve ruled that out. All I know for certain is that they’re currently trying to get their hands on the Exuvia. For what, though, eludes me.”  

“Oh, we know what they’re planning! Childe’s trying to-” Aether threw his hand over Paimon’s mouth as quickly as he could. She let out an indignant squeak and pushed it away. “Hey, what was that for?”  

Aether gave both her and Ningguang an apologetic look. “Believe me, we would be glad to tell you, but I don’t know if we should. This isn’t an issue of trust - I’m worried the information is something that would be more dangerous if it’s shared.”  

Ningguang watched them both carefully. Paimon had now realized her mistake and was fidgeting nervously, her gaze fixed on the floor. "I see. Well, given that you’re more in the know that I am, I’ll leave that judgement to you.” She hummed thoughtfully and her hairpin caught the sun as she tilted her head. “I believe that’s all our business in order, then. Are there any last questions you two have for me?”  

Paimon perked up, no longer shameful. It was genuinely astonishing how quickly her emotions flipped sometimes. “Ooh, ooh, Paimon has one! So... Paimon’s heard that anyone who brings the Tianquan a greeting gift gets a little something in return... does that include us?”  

Aether couldn’t help but pinch the bridge of his nose in frustration. “Seriously, Paimon?” He whispered to her. In all fairness, this one was on him – he should have known that Paimon wouldn’t have been so adamant about getting a gift if there wasn’t something in it for her in return. But that didn’t stop him from being embarrassed on her behalf.   

Ningguang leaned back in her chair, smiling. “Oh, it’s alright. I like direct people. Hm... well, the Qixing has made quite a bit of trouble for you recently. How about this: you are welcome to take one object from this room, no caveats, and keep it for yourself.”  

“Really?” Paimon asked, wriggling with excitement. Ningguang smiled, a silent yes, and Paimon pointed excitedly at the board covered with papers. “Paimon wants to take one of those!”  

The Tianquan chuckled. “Go ahead, then. But only one.”  

Paimon jumped out of her seat – well, not really, she’d only been hovering above it – and grabbed Aether’s arm to pull him over. In true Paimon fashion, she unpinned the largest piece of paper, right in the center of the board, presenting it to him excitedly. “Ta-da! Paimon bets this will go for tons of Mora...”  

She hummed a cheerful tune as Aether took the paper from her and held it so that they could both study it. “Let’s see... look, there’s a place marked with a circle! Ooh, maybe this is a treasure map! Hold on, Paimon can’t read what’s written next to it.” She leaned in closer, mumbling words as she read them. “Hmm... “Sigil of Permission...” “Fatui research...” “copy...” huh?” Disheartened, she pulled away. “Aw, this doesn’t sound like treasure at all!”  

While it may not have piqued her interest, though, it had certainly piqued his. Aether looked up from the paper to see Ningguang’s reaction. She was watching them curiously, mouth in a half-smile, as though she expected him to put the pieces together.  

“I was hoping you could shed some light on that matter.”  

Her words came back to him, and he realized this paper had been in the center of the board for a reason. She wanted them to take it because it was connected to the Fatui.  

It was odd, he noted, how much the dynamic between them had shifted in so little time. Days ago, hours even, Aether would have considered Ningguang to be a distant, threatening individual, one that he couldn’t help but be wary of. Now, all he saw when he met her eyes was the warm gleam of a trusted ally.  

Well. Mostly trusted. While she’d been transparent and welcoming, he felt it was only smart to maintain a level of paranoia. Ningguang was undoubtedly a person who acted in her own interest, and that was often dangerous. There was no telling what – or who – she'd sacrifice to achieve her goals. He seemed to have caught her attention in a good way, but he still worried that this benevolence would only last until he gave her what she wanted.  

It never hurt to play it safe.  

But that also left him at a crossroads. This information about the Fatui was important, and the problem was that he didn’t know if he should believe it or not. Should he assume Ningguang was trustworthy and that the notes on the paper were true? Or should he go to the location and verify it for himself? What if she wanted him to go there, though, and there would be some kind of trap waiting for him? What if it was a red herring, designed to keep him out of the way while she continued her elaborate takeover of Liyue Harbor?  

Unfortunately, the paper had only raised more questions than answers.  

“Ningguang is clearly trying to steer us here,” Aether said to Paimon, his voice low enough so that the Tianquan wouldn’t overhear.   

That was news to Paimon. “Oh? You think so?” She replied quietly. “Then... do we not go check it out?”  

His face twisted as he was forced to make the difficult decision. Ultimately, though, he couldn’t just let information slip out of his hands, regardless of the consequences it might bring. “No. We need to investigate ourselves. I’m still not sure if we can trust her, and I want to verify this intel on Sigils of Permission.”  

Paimon nodded slowly, catching on. “Oh, okay. Paimon thinks she’s been nothing but good to us, but... Paimon sees your point. Should we go take a look at the spot on the map before we meet Zhongli, then?”  

He sighed. “Ideally, yes. We’ll have to be quick. It’s almost noon already.” He turned to face Ningguang and held up the paper, raising his voice to a normal volume. “We’ll take this one, if that’s okay. And as much as we appreciate your hospitality, we should probably be going – we do have some prior engagements to get to.”  

Ningguang waved a hand carelessly. “Oh, there’s no need to stand on ceremony. You can come and go as you please. It was a pleasure to meet you, Aether.”  

He dipped in a short bow. “Likewise, Lady Ningguang.” Paimon at his side, he stepped out of her office, only to be stopped short by her final remark.  

“I hope the next time we meet, you will either have already done the right thing... or will be about to make the right call.”  

 

---

 

The map led them to a crumbling ruin on the outskirts of Guili Plains, not far from the Statue of the Seven that overlooked Liyue Harbor. Unfortunately, the location wasn’t unoccupied.  

Aether pressed himself against the stone wall as the thundering footsteps of a Fatui skirmisher sounded from the other side. Going back up the stairs, from the sound of it. Paimon clung closely to his side and he pressed a finger to his lips, urging her to be quiet, then dared a peek around the corner.   

Well, shit.  

There was at least one Fatui at the top of the stairs to his left, and a group of three stood chatting further in the distance. There was no way he’d be able to sneak around all of them – even if he avoided the three in his line of sight and snuck up the stairs, he couldn’t avoid fighting the skirmisher at the top, which would undoubtedly draw their attention. It was the smarter play to initiate a fight on this level, where there was more flat ground, than risk going up and engaging in close quarters combat.  

“Stay here. We’re going to need to fight our way in, I think,” he whispered to Paimon. She nodded gravely. Good. She’ll be safe. Now I need to work out my strategy.  

He glanced around the wall again, lingering just long enough to take note of the elements the Fatui were wielding. The one atop the stairs was out of sight now, but the other three carried weapons infused with Cryo, Electro, and Geo.  

The problem was that he had no idea what to expect. He wasn’t an inexperienced fighter by any means, but this was his first time dealing with Fatui soldiers. If the quality of their gear and the reputation of their organization were anything to go off, though, he was in for a rough time.  

Oh, well. I think I’m just going to have to go for it.  

He looked back at Paimon, gave her a determined nod, then sprinted around the wall. His sword materialized in his hand and he curled his fingers tightly around the handle. The Fatui drew their weapons as he approached, but with the speed Aether’s mind was working at, they may as well have been moving in slow motion. With a swift slice of his sword, the gun the Cryo skirmisher was holding separated in two.  

“What the-” they spluttered out before Aether lifted his arm and hurled a sphere of Geo energy at them. It hit them right in the chest, propelling them backwards into a wall where they slumped to the ground, out cold.  

Aether didn’t have much time to celebrate that, though – the crackle of Electro energy drew his attention, and he just barely rolled to one side as the Electro skirmisher’s hammer came down where he had been a moment before, leaving a crater in the ground. He scrambled to his feet again and flicked his left hand to summon a stream of Anemo around his sword.   

When the hammer came down a second time, he was ready. He blocked it with his blade, bracing the tip with his other hand, before using more Anemo energy to push his opponent away from him. Wind and lightning swirled in the air, shocking the fatuus lightly. They only flinched, but that was all Aether needed. He brought his elemental-infused weapon down across their chest and let the swirl reaction do the work of shocking the enemy into unconsciousness.  

While he may have succeeded in taking two opponents down, however, the sound of a charging gun reminded him that he’d stayed in one place for too long. A bullet of Geo flew past him, and he just barely had time to duck behind a crumbling wall before the next round was fired. The stone shuddered from the impact. He rested his head against the wall and caught his breath, his mind spinning as it ran through every possible way to get out of this situation.  

Ugh, I really should try to improve my abilities with ranged weapons… how the hell am I meant to take this guy out if he’ll gun me down the moment I move? Suddenly, a thought jolted through him that snapped him back into awareness. Oh no. Paimon. What if they find her while I’m hiding here? What if she gets hurt because I was stupid enough to let myself get cornered like this?  

...I promised myself I was done letting my weaknesses get the better of me.  

With a heavy exhale, he made up his mind and dashed out of his shelter, throwing up a wall of Geo in front of him as he did. He vaguely heard the impact of bullets against it, but he was too focused on gathering as much Anemo energy as he could to really care. His very veins felt airy and weightless as a fierce teal wind gathered in his palms. The bundle of energy kept growing and growing until he could feel a headache prickling at the front of his skull and the pressure of the wind made him unsteady on his feet, then he stepped around the Geo construct and threw his hands forward.  

What could only be described as a small tornado shot towards the Geo skirmisher, catching in its radius another two Fatui that had just descended the stairs. They flailed helplessly in the vortex before the elemental energy dissipated and they dropped onto the ground in a heap of tangled limbs.  

“Paimon, let’s go!” Aether yelled. The Fatui won’t stay down for long. We need to grab whatever information we can and get out of here. Gods, I hope she’s okay...  

Much to his relief, she darted out of her hiding spot behind the wall, joining him at his side as he ran up the stairs to the research station the map had pointed out. It was certainly makeshift – nothing more than a few crates and a table with papers and materials scattered across them, tucked between a few walls of the decaying ruin.  

“There are so many talismans here!” Paimon pointed out, floating excitedly from one side of the area to the other. “And stacks of blank paper, too...”  

Aether knelt down to pick up what looked like a half-finished project from the floor. The slip of paper had Liyue script written down it, clearly done by hand, and it was partially cut out from a larger piece of paper. He glanced at the crate next to him, and the small stack of identical talismans all but confirmed his suspicions.  

“They’re replicating them,” he said abruptly, holding out the paper he was holding to Paimon. “Look. It’s exactly like the others, but in the process of being made.”  

Paimon flew over and took the evidence from his hands. “Huh... seems like you might be right. Although, it’s funny, but... Paimon can’t help but feel like she’s seen this pattern before.” She frowned, rotating the talisman in her hands, then her eyes lit up. “Oh, Paimon knows why they’re so familiar! Don’t you think they look kinda like Sigils of Permission?”  

And that they did, right down to the yellowed paper and the triangular cut at the bottom. “That’s what Ningguang’s notes said, as well,” he confirmed. He briefly looked behind them to make sure no Fatui were following, and, seeing nothing, turned back to Paimon. “But why would they be copying them?”  

Paimon’s face scrunched. “Umm... maybe they’re trying to meet up with the adepti? You’d need a lot of sigils if a bunch of Fatui were trying to protect themselves from them.”  

Aether shook his head. “No, that seems unlikely. If they were trying to do that, Childe never would have let us go to Jueyun Karst. They wouldn’t want to risk us stealing their ally.”  

“Paimon hadn’t thought about that... hm. Hey, why don’t we ask Zhongli! He knows everything about anything – he could probably tell us what else Sigils of Permission are used for.”  

“That’s... actually a really good idea,” Aether admitted.  

Paimon beamed, proud, then his words sunk in and she moved to slap his hand. “What do you mean, “actually!?” Paimon has lots of good ideas!”  

He dodged her easily, grinning. “I know, I know. I’m just teasing. Come on, let’s go find Zhongli before the Fatui recover.”  

 

---

 

Zhongli was already waiting for them in Dihua Marsh when they arrived, slightly out of breath.  

“Sorry to keep you waiting,” Aether said politely. “We got a little held up.”  

“No need for apologies. I only just arrived myself. How was your visit to the Jade Chamber?” Zhongli asked.  

Paimon butted in, her eyes shining. “It was so cool! Paimon’s never been in any place that expensive and fancy-schmancy before! And Ningguang was really friendly and helpful, too!”  

“Friendly to serve her own interests, you mean,” Aether couldn’t help but add. Paimon was sweet, but she really could be naive at times. Ningguang’s courtesy clearly extended only as far as their usefulness to her.  

Zhongli chuckled. “It seems you’ve read her rather well. Indeed, Ningguang is highly ambitious, and a businesswoman at heart. I’m not in the least bit surprised that you caught her attention.”  

Paimon crossed her arms. “Yeah... now that you say that, it does seem an awful lot like she just wants us to help her deal with the Fatui. She said that they’ve been constantly trying to sink their fingers into Liyue since Rex Lapis’ death.”  

“That is undoubtedly in character for them. The Fatui are always true opportunists in that regard,” Zhongli commented.  

True opportunists.  

This is an opportunity to steal the Gnosis.  

But there’s something else, I know it. Something missing. Something I’m not putting together yet. For Celestia’s sake, what could it be?  

“Speaking of the Fatui, actually, we had something we were hoping you could clear up for us,” Aether said, quickly changing the topic to something that didn’t stir up the tendrils of panic in his chest quite so much. A few concrete answers would calm his nerves. “We did some investigating and stumbled across a Fatui camp where it looks like they’re replicating Sigils of Permission. Do you have any idea why that might be? Or what they could be planning to use them for?”  

The man hummed and raised a hand to his chin as he thought. “Hm... I’m not sure. Sigils of Permission, as you’ve found, have come to be used as wards that protect the bearer from being harmed by the adepti. However, their original purpose was much different – during the Archon War, since they were created by Rex Lapis and thus imbued with his power, they were used by mortals to channel divine energy.”  

In hindsight, it seemed that some concrete answers would not calm his nerves, after all.  

His thoughts immediately began to run a million miles a minute. Channeling divine energy? Aether was pretty sure nothing good could come from having that ability, especially not if the Fatui were behind it. Is that why they wanted the Gnosis? Were they hoping they could use its power by harnessing it with Sigils of Permission? Or were the two things completely unrelated? He’d thought that the Fatui had no intention of taking control of Liyue themselves, but what else would they need that much power for?  

The feeling of the clock slowly ticking down returned in full force, sending his adrenaline into overdrive. Whatever the Fatui were planning, it was much worse than he’d thought. And it felt like he was almost out of time to stop them.  

He was about ready to bolt back to Liyue Harbor with a flurry of apologies when Zhongli spoke again. “Whatever the Fatui may be up to, I trust that you will be careful in dealing with it. Now, shall we continue our preparations for the Rite of Parting?”  

Aether wanted to scream. How could Zhongli not have realized by now that the Rite of Parting was only giving Childe more time to fulfill whatever plan he had in mind? He wanted to say no, to tell the man to take care of the preparations himself, to do something – but as he opened his mouth to refuse, he realized that he couldn’t.  

Like it or not, he’d said that he’d see the Rite of Parting through, and he wasn’t the kind of person to go back on his word. Nor was he the kind of person who said “no” easily. It always came with an uncomfortable feeling of guilt that he often chose to avoid, giving into people’s demands instead. He wondered if Childe knew that; if the fatuus had seen right through him to his undeniable people-pleasing weakness and had entangled him in this whole ceremony because he knew that it would keep him out of the way.  

Whatever the case, it was frustrating. It was frustrating because he knew that he was going to stay here and help Zhongli even though his whole body itched to find that stupid Harbinger and strangle him right this instant, and because it meant that, once again, his inability to let someone down was going to be a hindrance.  

Just get this over with quickly. You'll be back in Liyue Harbor before you know it, and then everything will be fine.  

“Yeah. Okay. What do we need to do this time?” He said instead, trying to keep his annoyance out of his voice.  

Zhongli hummed and motioned to a few flowers on the riverbank. “We need to gather wild Glaze Lilies.”  

Paimon spun around to look at them. “Glaze Lilies? But aren’t there Glaze Lilies in Yujing Terrace? Why are we all the way out in Dihua Marsh?”  

“There are, yes, but those have been tended to by people. Only wild Glaze Lilies will do – they have the sweetest fragrance and are thus the amplest for the Rite of Parting,” Zhongli explained.  

“Sounds simple enough. Will those ones over there work?” Aether asked, pointing at the ones Zhongli had gestured to earlier.  

“Indeed. However, before you go picking the Glaze Lilies, there is a Liyuean tradition you must be made aware of.” Zhongli paused, his face completely serious as he dropped a bombshell of a line. “You must sing to them.”  

“Um. Sorry if this sounds rude, but... are you messing with us?” Aether said, completely in disbelief.  

Zhongli only shook his head. “Not at all. Singing to the flowers will make them more fragrant. It is a well-established fact.”   

Well. If that was the case, then... "I volunteer Paimon,” he said quickly. No way in hell was he going to make a fool of himself by singing to a bunch of flowers, Liyuean tradition or not.  

“What?! You can’t just put that on Paimon!” She exclaimed, waving her hands in objection. “Paimon’s probably an even worse singer than you are!”  

“I doubt it.” He wasn’t the worst at holding a tune, to be fair, but he wasn’t good at it either – Lumine had definitely laughed at him more than once when he’d tried.  

“Ugh, where’s Tone-Deaf Bard when you need him,” Paimon grumbled, shaking her head. “Fine, fine, Paimon will do it – but you owe her one!” She cleared her throat and, in the moment that she hesitated to sing, was saved by Ganyu’s timely arrival.  

“Excuse me, are you three looking for Glaze Lilies?” the emissary asked politely, walking up along the riverbed with a flower in hand.  

Paimon, grateful to have avoided the embarrassing ritual, perked up and gave her a huge smile. “Hi, Ganyu! And yep, we are! What about you?”  

Ganyu smiled warmly in return. “Oh, I was just out for a stroll. The flowers are lovely this time of year.”  

“But Liyue Harbor is ages away! Why would you come all the way out here just to take a walk?” Paimon asked, tilting her head.  

It was maybe the wrong thing to ask. Ganyu wilted slightly, dropping her gaze to the floor. “Well... Yujing Terrace is where Rex Lapis parted from this world. I can hardly bear to look at it, let alone walk through it. Not even the flowers could distract me from that sorrow.”  

Paimon fidgeted guiltily. “Oh. Sorry, Paimon shouldn’t have asked.”  

“No, no, it’s quite alright. I suppose I just haven’t fully come to terms with it yet,” Ganyu replied, offering a weak smile. “Even as members of the original Seven passed on, I never considered that one day it, too, would happen to Rex Lapis, who had always been so steadfast throughout Liyue’s history. Now that only Barbatos of Mondstadt is left, well... I guess I’m not prepared to say farewell.”  

She sighed sadly. “But such is the passage of time. As a mortal, to imagine a Liyue without Rex Lapis may as well be impossible. Yet as an adeptus, it is a truth I will have to eventually face, lest I subject myself to a lifetime of misery.”  

“Hold on – did you just say, “as an adeptus?”” Paimon interrupted, her eyes wide.  

Ganyu looked quite taken aback. “Er, yes – I am a mix of human and Qilin. With my adepti lineage, I fought for Rex Lapis during the Archon War. After its end, I became secretary for the Qixing and have been ever since.”  

Paimon didn’t seem to notice Ganyu’s awkwardness and instead started rambling. “Whoa... so you’ve been around for ages! Paimon bets you’ve seen all kinds of crazy stuff. Do you have any cool stories?”  

Aether stepped in then, partially to save Ganyu from a conversation she clearly didn’t want to have, and partially because this was taking way too long and he really had to get back to Childe as soon as possible. “We can share stories another time – I'm sure Ganyu is busy, and so are we,” he said to Paimon.  

Ganyu gave him a grateful smile. “Thank you, Traveler. It was good to see you two again.” She turned as if to leave, then suddenly spun back around. “Oh, I almost forgot – you were looking for Glaze Lilies, correct?” She waited for Aether to nod before holding out the flower she’d been carrying. “Here, please take this one. I sang a local Liyue ballad to it before I picked it.”  

“We dare not refuse it,” Zhongli said, gently taking the Glaze Lily from her. “Thank you.”  

“No, I should be thanking you.” Ganyu said, fidgeting with the hem of her dress in embarrassment. “If not for this chance encounter, I would not have been able to offer a contribution to the Rite of Parting. It is the least I can do for Rex Lapis, after all this time. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I should return to my work.” She dipped in a small bow and headed back the way she came, humming a quiet tune.  

“Well, that seems to be all our preparations in order,” Zhongli said, inspecting the flower with satisfaction. "Shall we return to the city?”  

“Yeah, that sounds good,” Aether responded a little too quickly, but at this point he didn’t care if it came across as weird. If they’d taken any longer, he may have imploded from impatience.  

“Then let us be on our way.”  

 

---

 

It was mid-afternoon by the time they made it back to Liyue Harbor. Aether silently thanked Paimon for waking him up so early despite his protests – had they not been on the road as soon as they were, who knows what Childe may have done in those few extra hours.  

As the city gate slowly grew larger in his vision, though, his stomach dropped. The normally quiet entrance was swarming with Millelith guards and people in the characteristic mask of the Fatui.  

Something’s wrong.  

Are we too late? Have the Fatui already made their move? Gods, if Liyue Harbor goes up in flames because I’m too much of a pushover, I-   

“Be on your guard,” Zhongli suddenly said, breaking up his thoughts. Aether looked over at him, but the man had his sights set firmly on the crowd in front of them, eyes narrowed slightly. “This atmosphere is most abnormal. We would be wise to ask around.”  

The three of them weaved their way through the crowd, Paimon hovering closely to him. Her eyes were wide and scared. He couldn’t help but be on edge himself, especially as he caught snippets of conversation from the Fatui they passed.  

“Seriously, now? Of all times?”  

“We didn’t do anything, we swear-”  

“Get your hands off me, asshole!”  

They passed a fatuus who wasn’t currently being accosted by a Millelith soldier, so Zhongli tapped his shoulder. “Excuse me, sir. Do you mind enlightening us as to what has happened here?”  

The masked man turned, his mouth curled in a hard line of anger, but it relaxed when he realized who was addressing him. “Oh, you’re the consultant for the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor – Mr. Zhongli, I presume.” He crossed his arms, annoyance clear from his body language. “The adepti have made their move, is what happened. Apparently, some members of the Qixing are meeting them outside the city right now, but nobody’s sure how long they can stall them for.”  

“Stall them? Why would the Qixing need to do that?” Paimon asked.  

The fatuus scoffed. “Seriously? It’s the adepti. They only know how to use force to get their way. And with how obstinate the Qixing are, conflict between the two is inevitable.”  

“This is grave indeed,” Zhongli said grimly as he scanned the crowd. “And what of the Fatui? Why the commotion here?”  

“Ugh, don’t get me started. Ningguang has decided that now, of all times, is when they need to, quote, “rein in the actions of the Fatui.” The Millelith have been herding us like cattle. There’s hardly any of us left in the city at this point,” they grumbled.  

Aether took a moment to look around. No grey attire and red hair jumped out at him from among the sea of black and red Fatui and gold and brown Millelith. Huh. So, Childe’s managed to escape the chaos, but... where else would he be?   

Think, Aether, think.  

Childe is after the Gnosis. Which means that he’s after the Exuvia. But where is the Exuvia? Ningguang never mentioned where she’d hidden it, only that she’d done so deliberately.  

What am I missing?  

And, like a puzzle piece sliding into place, the picture suddenly became complete.  Wait – Paimon said yesterday that the Qixing began occupying the Golden House, didn’t she? The Exuvia has to be there. Fuck, I even thought it was a suspicious move at the time. How did I not realize this sooner?  

His revelation soon turned to panic. Shit. Fucking shit. He’s probably there right now, taking advantage of the Millelith being distracted. Archons, I hope I can get there in time.  

Zhongli cleared his throat, getting Aether’s attention. “Traveler, I’m afraid we will have to part ways for now. I cannot abandon the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor in a time of crisis,” he said in a tone that was far too calm for the situation.  

Aether nodded. “Of course. Is there anything we can do?” He knew what he was going to do, of course, but a part of him was curious to see if Zhongli agreed.  

Zhongli paused, his golden eyes flickering over Aether as though they could peer into his soul. He felt oddly exposed in that moment, but it didn’t last long before Zhongli spoke. “If you’re set on trying to prevent an explosion, it may be wise to first search for the fuse. But be warned that if you do so, it is all too easy to be caught up in the destruction that may follow.”  

He met Zhongli’s gaze, hoping that his determination was clear. “I understand.”  

Zhongli hesitated a moment longer, inspecting him with that same curious stare, then dipped his head. “Good luck, Traveler.” With that, he disappeared into the crowd.  

“Okay, Paimon definitely feels like she missed something – what did Zhongli mean by all that?” Paimon asked in a tense whisper.   

Aether kept his voice low as well. “Childe. He’s the “fuse,” so to speak. If we don’t stop him from getting the Gnosis, I’m worried for what may happen to Liyue Harbor.”  

Paimon chewed her lip nervously. “Oh, Paimon gets it. But... where would he be at a time like this?”  

“The Golden House,” Aether answered firmly. “Come on. Let’s hope we aren’t too late.”  

 

Notes:

Unimportant note - Liyue has so. many. plotholes. I've been reading through the Archon Quest dialogue for reference and the amount of loose ends that are either poorly explained or never explained at all is crazy, and some of the reasons for characters doing or saying certain things are never made clear. I had a rough time trying to figure out what Ningguang was on. So, I did my best to add some clarity and my own reasoning to the behind-the-scenes nonsense that happens in this chapter and tie the whole Liyue quest together. Making the Archon Quests more cohesive was partially my motivation for writing this work, so I'm glad to see it finally happen, but I had a LOT of confused google searches before I got there. Anyway, hope to see you for the next chapter and have a lovely day!

Chapter 16: Dance With the Great Vortex

Summary:

Conflicts in Liyue finally come to a head as Aether takes on a Harbinger and an ancient god.

Notes:

Hey!! I've got a lot to say about this chapter (and stuff regarding this work in general), so feel free to read the following notes if you're interested in hearing some of my thoughts.

First of all. This was a MONSTER of a chapter to write. I'm not particularly good at writing fight scenes and the portion with Childe took me like a whole week and a half to work out and I still think it feels rushed. Which is crazy, because this chapter is like 13k words. So, if any of you have any suggestions for how to improve the writing there (how to write more varied attacks, how to create tension in battle without it feel unnecessarily drawn out, etc.) I'd really appreciate it!

Second thing, and this also relates to the fight scenes. You may have noticed I've changed the warnings of this work from "No Archive Warnings Apply" to "Graphic Depictions of Violence." I'd always tried to keep the battle parts more tame, but I realized as this chapter was progressing that I wanted to make it feel more realistic somehow, and so there's some slightly more graphic depictions of death/injury than in the past. If I'm being honest, I don't personally consider any of it too graphic - there aren't any descriptions of guts spilling everywhere or things like that - but I wanted to change the warnings just in case the writing is upsetting for someone else. My opinion isn't necessarily the standard, after all.

Third thing (finally something cheerful) - we hit 100k words! Thank you to everyone who's been reading so far :) I honestly underestimated how much writing all of this would be, and reaching the (almost) end of Liyue with 100k seems significant to me somehow. We'll also be getting back to Mondstadt in a moment, which I'm super excited for!

Fourth thing: As the music nerd I am, I've decided to start naming the chapters after songs from the Genshin OST that fit the theme of the chapters. Dance With The Great Vortex is an absolutely incredible song that plays during the fight with Osial and I highly recommend giving it a listen if you wish!

And the fifth and final thing: definitely expect the next update to be later than two weeks from now. I'm going to be super swamped between moving away for college and working on this new animation project I started (because I can't just limit myself to doing a reasonable amount of things), so while I'll still be writing, I'm just not going to have the time to crank out 7k words in a day like I did this last weekend.

Okay, that's all from me! Thanks for dealing with my lengthy notes, I just feel the need to explain myself and my thought process with things so none of you are left in the dark about elements of this work. Hope you enjoy reading! :)

Aether’s breathing was ragged and shallow by the time he finally reached the Golden House. Paimon floated behind him, similarly exhausted. He slowed his pace from a run to a brisk walk as they traveled up the path to the building’s entrance. Two prone figures up ahead caught his attention. 

Shit. He’s already taken out the Millelith. 

He sprinted forward and dropped next to one of them, pressing his fingers to their neck. There was a long, silent pause before he caught the flutter of a pulse and exhaled, relieved. At least he isn’t cruel enough to kill them. Plus, if they’re still unconscious, it means Childe only arrived recently. There’s still hope yet. 

He stood and looked up the stone stairway looming before him. In light of the circumstances, it came across as strangely ominous, as though each step upward would take him closer to his doom. Ningguang’s words from this morning floated around in his head. 

“I would hate to see our friendship end so soon.” 

Whatever came next, he was going to have to be careful. 

“Are they okay?” Paimon asked worriedly from beside him. 

“They’re alive,” he replied bluntly. “I’m more worried about us, to be honest. Something tells me that Childe isn’t the type to surrender without a fight.” 

Paimon wrung her hands together. “Well, we don’t have to go after him... what’s the worst that could happen if he gets the Gnosis, anyway?” 

Aether looked at her, his expression stony and unwavering. “I’d rather not find out.” 

It was an odd feeling, to have the weight of a nation’s safety on your shoulders. Mondstadt had been so much different – he was fighting alongside other people, one of them being a god, facing a weakened dragon far, far from where anyone could get truly hurt. Here, it was just him that stood between a Harbinger and their Archon-knows-what plan, with any possible allies well and truly preoccupied. 

If he failed here, there’s no telling what could go wrong. 

He took a deep breath and steadily, cautiously, began to climb the steps to the entrance of the Golden House. 

His sword materialized in his hand before he pushed open the large wooden doors, which were decorated with all kinds of pattens in gold. It shut behind him with a quiet click that echoed throughout the open space and made him wince. 

So much for the element of surprise. 

The interior of the building spoke true to its name – every surface was golden, from the floor to the walls, and piles of Mora surrounded an open, circular space in the center. At the other end of the room, he could see the Exuvia, floating in a barrier made from Geo energy. 

But... where was Childe? 

Had he already taken the Gnosis and left? No, that couldn’t be. The Exuvia looked untouched. 

If not that, though, it meant he was there with them, hiding, waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike. 

“Huh. Nobody’s here,” Paimon commented in a voice that was just a little too loud for the space. Aether winced again. If the door hadn’t already given them away, she sure had now. 

“We can’t be sure of that yet.” He motioned for her to move closer, and she did. His tone must have been laced with a little too much anxiety because she curled in on herself slightly, her eyes darting around with fear. Aether tried to smile reassuringly despite the nervousness building in his stomach. “Hey, it’s alright. I won’t let you get hurt - just make sure you’re prepared to run if it gets too dangerous.” 

He waited for her to nod before he took a few careful steps out towards the center of the room, his eyes flickering back and forth between every corner and a white-knuckled grip on his sword. Everything was quiet, but it was almost too quiet, as though the very room was holding its breath in anticipation. 

“I did wonder if I’d see you here,” Childe called from behind him. Aether flinched, even though he’d expected the fatuus. Damn it, I’m way too wound up. If I don’t get these nerves under control, I don’t stand a chance.  

He took a deep breath, attempting to steady himself, then turned around as calmly as he could. Childe was just emerging from one of the storerooms of Mora that branched off from the central room. He dusted himself off and gave Aether a threatening grin, hands on his hips in a casual stance. “I can’t say I’m surprised that you finally figured out what I was up to. I could tell from our first meeting that you’re no idiot. It’s a shame that you aren’t serving Snezhnaya, with all that brainpower you’ve got.” 

Aether took a few steps backward and held up his sword, the blade framing Childe’s face in the distance. The room suddenly felt too warm as adrenaline started to rush through him. “Save your flattery for someone that cares. You’re not getting anywhere near the Gnosis.” 

Childe laughed, a short, humorless sound. “Ha! Straight to the point. I like it. Unfortunately for you, I don’t need your blessing – as a Harbinger, my only duty is to see the wishes of the Tsaritsa fulfilled. And if that wish is taking the Gnosis from the Exuvia right over there, well... that just means you’re in my way.” He lifted his hands and Hydro energy swirled around them, solidifying into two daggers that rippled like waves. The grin on his face was nothing short of maniacal as he started to slowly walk forward.  

“You know, Signora and I are very different people. You no doubt remember what happened in Mondstadt – rather than facing you directly, she chose to be discreet, to steal the Gnosis and then let snow and ice cover her escape. But as for me, the greatest pleasure in being a Harbinger lies in crossing blades with worthy opponents.” Childe stopped his approach to tilt his head, observing Aether with that same unnerving smile. “Hm... I wonder how you’ll fare against me?” 

Aether eyed the Harbinger cooly. “Care to find out? I still have a score to settle with the Fatui, after all.” 

“Haha, still worked up about your little bard friend, huh? You seemed like the type to hold a grudge – and it looks like I assumed right. Admirable, truly, but it won’t do you any favors here.” Childe rolled his neck and held his hands out in a fighting stance. The water of his blades was tinted gold from the walls that surrounded them. “Don’t worry, I won’t kill you. But I may leave you within an inch of your life.” 

“That’s assuming you win,” Aether retorted. He sounded far more confident than he felt; his palms were slick with sweat beneath his gloves, and his heart was pounding so loudly and quickly that his chest felt tight. He glanced to his right to check on Paimon, who gave him a nod and vanished in a shower of white-ish particles.  

Since when could she do that? I’ve been panicking over her safety when she can just... disappear at will? 

He silently wondered how often that had happened without him noticing and turned his focus back to Childe. All that mattered was that she would be okay. Now he just had to pray that enough of his fighting instinct had returned to keep him alive. 

Childe’s grin only grew wider at his defiance. “Fighting talk, I love it! Now, let’s see if you’re all you make yourself out to be.” 

He came at Aether more quickly than he was expecting, lunging forward with his right arm at an alarming speed. Aether just managed to leap backwards and dodge it, then throw up his sword to block the dagger in Childe’s other hand as it came swinging up toward him.  

Not good. I’m already on the defensive, and this has only just started. I need to gain an edge, and fast. 

As Childe dashed forward for another attack, Aether threw out his free hand in front of him and summoned a burst of Anemo. It knocked him backward more than it did Childe, sending him sliding on his feet across the floor, but it didn’t matter so long as he was significantly out of the range of the fatuus’ blades. 

“Ha, you’ve got some skill!” The Harbinger taunted. His eyes had taken on an almost animalistic gleam. “But running only gets you so far.” 

Much to Aether’s surprise, the daggers in Childe’s hands disappeared and a bow materialized instead. He was quick to fire off a Hydro-infused arrow, but Aether dropped to the floor before it could hit him. The sharp twang of a bowstring indicated more were coming his way, though, so he quickly scrambled to his feet and started running around the outside of the makeshift arena. 

Shit. I’ve got to stop him from using ranged weapons - it’ll only wear me down, and he knows it. But I can’t engage him in close-range combat, either... he moves far too quickly for that. 

Although, I could use Anemo to help speed up my movement... 

A series of arrows hit the wall just a fraction of a second after he passed it, the splash of water from their impact wetting his back. He darted forward a little faster, almost stumbling over his own feet, fear and adrenaline fueling his endurance. 

Okay, that was too close. Time to take this asshole down a notch. 

He summoned a sphere of wind in his palm and tossed it toward the center of the room where Childe stood. The fatuus had to leap back to avoid being hit, temporarily stopping his fire, and that was when Aether made his move. He sprinted towards Childe, Anemo energy propelling his steps, and swiped forward with his sword. 

Childe was fast to switch his weapon and throw up his daggers, but it wasn’t quite fast enough to stop Aether’s blade from catching him across the forearm, one of the only places on his body without any clothes to cover it. A thin line of red started to appear on his skin, and he stared at it with an expression that Aether interpreted as disbelief. It only lasted a moment before his face shifted back to his cocky smirk, but it was enough to tell Aether that Childe’s expectations of him were low. 

That was something he could exploit. 

“Yeah! Kick his butt, Aether!” Paimon yelled from where she had reappeared at the edge of the arena. 

Childe glanced over at her and Aether’s heart all but stopped. No, no, please, why would draw attention to yourself, I can’t protect you- 

But the Harbinger only turned back to him and laughed. “Haha, you look terrified! Don’t worry, I don’t fight dirty. There’s no fun in that.” His grin widened and Aether caught the unmistakable sound of lightning crackling through the air.  

Sensing another attack, he slowly backed away, sword still raised cautiously and his other palm tingling in preparation of summoning the elements. But Childe stayed right where he was, his grin never wavering even as lightning started to visibly arc around him.  

A sudden swirl of Electro and Hydro encased Childe. It only lasted a split second, then the water crashed to the floor, seeping across the marble and wetting the tips of Aether’s boots. He barely noticed it, though - the much more pressing concern was the fact that Childe, somehow, was wielding another element. 

The red, pointed mask the fatuus always wore perched on the left side of his head was now covering his face, and his attire had changed to a darker grey color with red accents.  As he lifted his hand, summoning another elemental dagger, his coat shifted to reveal a strange accessory somewhat like an Electro Vision pinned at his hip. 

“Not so cocky now, are we, brat?” He taunted. His voice through the mask had taken on a faint metallic echo. The dagger in his hand flashed purple and transformed into a spear with wicked blades at either end. 

What. The. Fuck. 

Paimon never told me people could do THAT. 

There was a faint hum in the air. Aether’s every muscle was tense, the grip on his sword deathly. He could feel drops of sweat forming across his brow, but whether they were from exertion or fear, he couldn’t tell.  

Childe was already proving to be a difficult opponent – he was taller and more muscular than Aether was, though not by much. Usually when he faced someone with more physical strength in battle, he relied on his stamina and speed to win, but Childe was young and strangely fast, so he was left without any real advantages. Even the fact that he could wield multiple elements wasn’t much use to him if the fatuus could somehow do the same. 

Focus. Get it together. You know you’re stronger than him – heck, at your best, you might be stronger than an Archon. You need to calm down and trust your instincts. 

If you can’t overpower him, use his weaknesses against him. He’s arrogant. That makes him underestimate you and be reckless. Just play the long game. 

Aether shifted his feet, steadying his stance. The adrenaline coursing through him was making his breaths come faster now, but his mind was clearer than ever. His eyes narrowed as he watched Childe carefully. Internally, he was ready to spring at the first sign of movement, but outwardly, his demeanor remained collected and unwavering. Time to rile him up. 

He shrugged, trying to be casual. “If anything, I’m more confident. You still haven’t so much as scratched me.” 

A low chuckle came from behind the mask. “I like an opponent with spirit. It takes all the fun out of battle if they just sit there and take it.” Childe lifted his spear and spun it around his back to his other arm, momentarily turning the weapon into a purple blur. “But you still don’t seem to understand what I’m capable of.” 

He lunged forward in a whirl of lightning, traveling at an inhuman speed. Aether didn’t even have time to process it; his body just reacted. He stepped to one side, holding up his sword between him and the fatuus to shield himself from the blade as much as possible. Childe shot past him, stopping a few feet away, and he turned to face him again. 

A stinging pain began along his bicep where the spear had nicked him – not that it mattered. It barely hurt, and if anything, it would only make his opponent more arrogant and careless. 

Childe paused where he was, weapon at the ready. “Ha! What were you saying about not having so much as a scratch?”  

Aether didn’t take his eyes off Childe to bother inspecting it – he could feel the blood running down his arm already, and, judging from the amount, it was nothing serious. “It won’t happen again.” 

“Really? I’d like to see you make good on that promise.” The Harbinger lifted his spear and darted forward, bringing it down in a swooping motion towards Aether’s chest. He reacted quickly, throwing up his sword to block the attack. The impact sent reverberations through his upper body, but he pushed through the unsettling feeling and lifted his other arm to brace the upper half of his sword against the blade of Childe’s weapon.  

Childe, unwilling to relent, only put both hands on the pole of the spear and pressed down harder. Aether’s knees buckled, but his arms stayed strong, keeping the weapon a few inches from his heart. He desperately summoned every last bit of strength he could and channeled it upwards to push Childe back. 

Childe stumbled slightly but quickly regained their balance and tossed the spear to their other hand before slicing it upwards towards him. Aether anticipated it, though, and his sword stopped the point of the spear at an arm’s length. And so it went; Aether responding to every attack with unwavering speed, electric sparks meeting steel, again and again and again until the Harbinger let out a frustrated snarl and jumped back several feet.  

Electro energy began to gather around him in what Aether now recognized as preparation for a quick, dashing attack. He tensed, ready to move, but his thoughts were conflicted. 

Should I take this opportunity to do some damage, now that I know what’s coming? 

...No, I need to wear him down more before I can think about getting a hit in. Just stay on the defensive. 

In the split second it took him to make up his mind, Childe lunged forward. Aether threw up his sword, preparing to deflect the oncoming attack, but his heart jumped out of his chest as he realized his mistake.  

He’d been expecting a point of the spear, not the pole.  

Childe caught him across the stomach as he dashed forward in an Electro-infused sprint, using the momentum to fling him back. He flew through the air for a brief, terrifying moment, then landed on the staircase to the main doors of the Golden House with a painful thud. His sword clattered uselessly to the ground somewhere beside him. The sharp edges of the stairs dug painfully into his back, and the wind had been completely knocked out of him. He laid there for a moment, gasping for air, before his lungs started to cooperate again.  

“Aether! Are you okay?” Paimon’s panicked voice sliced through the silence of the battlefield. He got to his feet as quickly as he could manage, wincing at the ache that shot up his back. The room was spinning slightly, every color dizzily merging into one, but she stood out among the blur of gold as she flew to his side. 

Childe’s spear crackled somewhere to his right and fear coursed through him, reigniting his focus. The room snapped into stillness and his pain dulled as his body cut out all distractions for the sole purpose of staying alive. “Not bad. Your swordsmanship is quite impressive,” Childe taunted. Aether spun to watch the fatuus slowly walk towards him, the lightning flickering around him growing more intense by the second. “But that’s as far as you’ll get.” 

He saw the moment that Childe tensed, spear pulled behind his body. Time seemed to slow as he took stock of his situation. He was moderately injured, and his sword was too far away to grab now - but that didn’t mean he was done for yet.  

“Paimon, move!” he yelled, pushing her out of the way. In the same motion, he threw up his other arm, summoning all his remaining energy to form a ball of Anemo energy in his palm. It caught the point of Childe’s spear as he sprinted forward, aiming for Aether’s neck.  

With Paimon safely out of the way, he joined his hands and the vortex in them nearly doubled in size, tossing his hair wildly around his face, but he could still feel Childe pressing on. His front foot slipped on the smooth floor and his heart leapt into his throat as he readjusted his footing. He could tell it wouldn’t be long before his arms started to tire from the exertion of holding the fatuus back. 

Shit. What do I do? Anemo alone clearly isn’t enough, my sword is of no use now, and that spear would cut my throat the moment I try to move. The only thing I have left in my arsenal is Geo, and, well... 

Childe was a Harbinger. Revealing to him and, by proxy, the most dangerous of the Fatui that he could use multiple elements would be extremely stupid. 

But with the blade slowly inching closer, he realized that he didn’t have much of a choice. Quickly, he slid his back foot along the marble, letting the familiar weight in his chest manifest into a row of Geo spikes that shot from the floor.  

The fatuus immediately darted away in a flurry of Electro energy, shooting up a cloud of dust in the process. In the chaos, he couldn’t tell if the attack hit Childe or not, but the absence of a weapon at his throat was arguably more important. When the air cleared, however, he froze.  

Childe was hovering in front of the Exuvia. 

“Didn’t think you had that trick up your sleeve,” the man said coolly.  

Paimon came to the same conclusion that Aether did in that moment. “You were just playing us to get close to the Exuvia!” she yelled indignantly. 

Childe scoffed. “Oh, please. Spare me. You of all people should have expected that the Fatui aren’t so easily beat.” Before Aether could so much as take a step forward, he lifted his arm, crackling with lightning, before plunging it into the Geo Archon’s corpse. 

Aether’s heart was going a million miles an hour. No – NO. This can’t have all been for nothing, I can’t let him win, I can’t fail again- 

To the surprise of everyone in the room, however, when Childe withdrew his hand, it was completely empty. Relief flooded over him so quickly that he felt weak. 

The Gnosis was never here. Thank the Archons. 

But… if it’s not here, then where is it? 

Childe’s slow laugh drew back his focus. “Hahaha... I see.” The Harbinger turned around to face him and Paimon, the movement slow and tense. “You... you beat me to it, didn’t you!?” 

There was no time to protest that obviously ludicrous statement – not that Aether thought it would have gotten through to the fatuus in his rage-induced mania, anyway. Childe pushed himself away from the Exuvia, Hydro and Electro swirling around him, both quickly growing in strength and speed. This time, though, Aether caught glimpses of his transformation through the elemental vortex.  

Armor materialized from the air, molding itself around Childe’s body in thick, jagged metal plates tinted a dark grey. The mask covering his face grew horns and a bright light formed in the center, giving the Harbinger a single, glowing eye. A starry cloak extended behind him and the points of his double-edged spear grew to double their original size, now wicked and curving. 

The time it took for the Harbinger to transform was an obvious weakness, and Aether intended to make the most of it. He ran forward and collected his sword from the ground, the weight of the blade a comfortable familiarity in his palm. 

Paimon’s panicked cry stopped him in his tracks. “Aether! Look out!” 

He swiveled just in time to see Childe drive his spear into the floor. Deep cracks quickly traveled their way through the tile, glowing a bright purple. Aether locked eyes with Paimon and let his sword dematerialize just moments before the ground beneath his feet collapsed. 

His stomach leapt into his throat as he free-fell, desperately searching for the tab that would open his wind glider. Finally, his fingers caught on the string underneath his right arm, but by that point it was already too late. The ground came rushing towards him and he slammed into the cold stone. If he were an ordinary person, he’d almost certainly have broken something, but he was lucky enough to only experience a searing pain across his back that faded as quickly as it came. 

Pieces of debris from what used to be the floor landed around him, cracking the tile and raising clouds of dust with their impact. He slowly got to his feet as Paimon sped to his side. She flew around him, searching worriedly for signs of injury. “Are you okay? Did you get hurt? Archons, look at your arm!” 

This time, he did. The cut Childe had made earlier had reopened in the fall, sending rivulets of blood down his arm that darkened his glove. It was deeper than he’d thought at the time – the adrenaline likely messed up his estimate, but it was still nothing serious. It’d be healed in a few days at most. 

“I’m alright, don’t worry. I’ve had far worse,” he reassured her. It wasn’t a lie. 

A faint glow pulled his attention to their surroundings, and he looked up to see Childe descend from above, the light on his mask piercing through the dust that remained from the debris. They’d landed in another circular room much like the first, the main difference being that the central arena was surrounded by walls only just taller than him. 

“Huh, who would’ve thought they were storing even more Mora down here...” Paimon remarked, peering over the walls at the piles of golden coins. 

“Don’t touch any.” He opened his palm and let his sword reappear in it. “And make sure you hide.” 

She vanished just as Childe – or whatever the thing in front of him was – raised his spear and slashed it towards him. A wave of Hydro following the spear’s arc shot forward, traveling at an alarming speed. Aether rolled out of the way, then hopped to his feet and started circling the Harbinger at a distance. 

Okay. He’s lost the advantage of speed - that armor is bulky, and his weapon is heavier as well. It’ll take him more time to move and to attack than before, and he’ll tire out faster. Of course, he’s stronger, too, but if I keep dodging, he’ll eventually exhaust himself and I can step in for the final blow.  

Childe swiped at empty air again and several rounds of Electro energy spiraled out of the blade in the pattern of an X. Much like the last ranged attack, though, they weren’t difficult to dodge. 

He ducked under one arc of Electro, then blasted away another with a quick spurt of Anemo. The rest breezed past him harmlessly, dissipating with a crackle and a flash as they hit the wall. He turned his attention back to Childe, but the Harbinger vanished before his eyes with a distorted pop. 

Uh oh. Quickly, he spun around, his eyes darting across the room. Several tense moments passed as he turned in a circle, sweat forming at the nape of his neck, with Childe yet to reappear. 

Suddenly, a faint hum sounded from his left and he swiveled, stomping his foot into the ground just in time to raise a wall of Geo. Childe flickered back into existence and the blade slashed through the rock instead of him, cutting it cleanly in half as though it were butter. 

Yikes. Stay away from that. 

Aether leapt backwards and threw up another few walls of Geo in front of him. While Childe cut through those to get to him, he sprinted for the other side of the arena. 

“Stop running and fight!” Childe called out as Aether slid to a stop. His voice sounded about an octave lower than before and had a harsh, grating quality to it. 

Aether turned toward him, sword raised, and tilted his head condescendingly. “Make me.”  

Childe made a sound somewhere between a snarl and a shout and his spear vanished, only to be replaced by his bow. Even as the fatuus lifted the weapon and charged Hydro energy at the arrowhead, he felt more confident than scared. Childe was taking the bait all too easily. 

He summoned another Geo barrier with a wave of his hand. An arrow slammed into it with a forceful thunk, but the wall wasn’t enough to entirely stop the attack this time. Hydro energy swirled out from the point of impact, creating a jagged circle that sliced across Aether’s stomach. The pain hit him immediately, stinging and throbbing as blood began to run down his abdomen. He doubled over and pressed a hand against the wound. 

Shit. That was so careless. I don’t think it damaged anything serious, but I’m at a real disadvantage now. Maybe it’s time to give up the “dodge and weaken” strategy. 

More arrows came flying through the air, this time over the wall, and he started running, gritting his teeth through the pain that laced through him with every step. 

“Not so cocky now, are we, brat?” Childe taunted as he aimed his bow again. 

Aether didn’t bother wasting his breath on a response. Before Childe could send any more arrows his way, he slowed down and let his sword disappear, then gathered Anemo energy in his palms. It shot towards the Harbinger as a storm of pointed fragments. Childe let out a grunt as the attack peppered him, then disappeared again. 

He reappeared at the opposite edge of the arena, bow in hand. “Well, this was fun, but I have a Gnosis to collect,” he called, his voice echoing across the room. There was an unexpected lightness to his words, and Aether could imagine the grin spreading across his face as he spoke. 

Childe carefully aimed his bow towards the ceiling. Hydro energy started to swirl around him, pooling in a circle on the floor and coalescing around the curve of the bow. Aether tensed and drew his focus inwards, drawing on the stirrings of elemental energy in his chest to use at a moment’s notice. 

After an anticipatory few seconds, Childe released the string of the bow and a massive wave of Hydro shot from it, arcing towards the ceiling before plummeting towards Aether. It looked vaguely whale-shaped, but he was too fixated on weighing himself into the floor to really observe it.  

Once the heaviness in his chest felt like it would drag him into the earth at any moment, he threw up his arms. A dome of golden rock grew from the ground and sealed around him, thicker and stronger than anything he’d summoned before. He felt Childe’s wave crash uselessly against it and dropped the walls as soon as the ground stopped shuddering from the impact. 

He has to be exhausted after that. If there were ever a time to finish this, it’s now. 

The Geo dome hadn’t drained him of his energy as much as he’d expected it to, so he started to gather it again, noting with a hint of satisfaction that the action was coming more intuitively now. 

Lightning crackled faintly behind him and he pivoted, drawing his hands into his chest and throwing them forward just as Childe materialized in the space before him. A dull spike of Geo energy almost his size shot from his palms, hitting the Harbinger squarely in the center of his armor. It kept traveling, propelling Childe with it until the fatuus crashed into the wall, driven into the tile by the rock.  

The impact shook the room and raised an enormous cloud of dust. Aether summoned his sword again and cautiously began to walk forward as the air cleared. Through the haze, he caught sight of Childe slumped against the wall, his armor laced with glowing purple cracks. Still, he didn’t drop his guard. 

“Is it over?” Paimon whispered in his ear. 

He jumped, taking his eyes off Childe momentarily. “Gods, Paimon, don’t scare me like that!” 

She opened her mouth, likely about to make a Paimon-esque retort, when her gaze dropped to his abdomen and she gasped. “You’re hurt again!” 

He looked down. Sure enough, the injury was still bleeding - but strangely, he didn’t feel it all that much anymore. Actually, when he thought about it, he simply felt more physically and mentally himself than he had in quite some time. It was likely just the aftermath of the adrenaline, but his thoughts were running quickly, analytically, and instead of every part of him aching with pain, a familiar sense of power thrummed through his veins. 

Childe shifted next to him, groaning and he turned back around, raising his sword. The Harbinger’s armor slowly began to crumble and dissipate, falling off him in pieces. Surprisingly, he stood up, albeit slowly, and dusted himself off before flashing Aether a devilish grin. 

“Well, you proved to be a worthy opponent after all! It would seem Signora’s initial assessment of you was wrong... which, come to think of it, is rather odd. She’s usually right about these sorts of things. So, tell me, how did she come to defeat you so easily?” 

His words made him pause. Outside the cathedral, he’d been completely helpless against Signora and the Fatui agents she brought with her. It didn’t seem logical – how could he have been restrained so easily by two ordinary people then, only to now defeat who he could only assume was one of the most powerful individuals in Teyvat? He hadn’t done much training or fighting between those moments, and he doubted that obtaining the power of Geo had helped him that much. 

Another thought suddenly struck him, and he tried not to let the surge of surprise and hope that came with it show on his face. 

Wait. Is that why I feel strangely normal right now? Is it possible that I’m finally restoring the power I used to have? Can I regain it even without confronting that god first? 

And then, a pang of guilt – if only I’d recovered enough in time to help Venti. 

Childe seemed to recognize the shine of understanding in his eyes regardless. “You already know, don’t you? Hm. Well, I guess I’ll have to curb my curiosity for now. This battle was rewarding enough.” He tried to shrug casually, but it was cut off with a wince.  

“Okay, enough yapping!” Paimon interjected, putting her hands on her hips. “Where the heck is the Gnosis? And why did you think we took it?” 

He at least had enough self-respect to look sheepish. “Ah... that was an error in judgment on my part, it would seem.” He glanced back up at the hole in the ceiling, into the room with the Exuvia. “Given that no one has taken it, perhaps... perhaps it was never in the Exuvia to begin with.” 

The weight of that statement hit Aether like a ton of bricks. He genuinely felt weak in the knees. “Wait. You’re implying that Rex Lapis was never dead?” 

The Harbinger only nodded gravely. “That’s the most logical explanation, yes.” 

So, all of this... all the running from the Millelith, getting myself involved with the Fatui and Zhongli, trying – and failing – to double-cross them... was for nothing? I was chasing the wrong lead the whole time? 

Gods, I’m never going to find Lumine if I keep making mistakes this huge. 

He wanted nothing more than to stand in a corner and bash his head into a wall until his anger at himself faded, but now wasn’t the time. The more pressing concerns, clearly, were stopping the Fatui, finding out why Rex Lapis had faked his death, and finally asking him about Lumine, ideally in that order. 

Childe let out a dramatic sigh and slumped his shoulders. “Well, who would have guessed that the Geo Archon was well-versed in more than simply the art of contracts. As such, we must now turn to our backup plan.” 

“Backup plan?” Paimon echoed. 

A scary grin returned to Childe’s face. “Yes. While I’d hoped it wouldn’t come to this, as some innocents will inevitably perish... it will be most interesting to see Rex Lapis finally make his appearance.” 

Paimon shook her head vigorously. “Nuh-uh. We aren’t just going to let you kill a whole bunch of people! You’re pretty beat up anyway, so it won’t be hard to deal with you again.” 

Easy for her to say when she isn’t the one doing the fighting, Aether thought. She was right, though – no matter how many injuries he took, he wasn’t going to let Childe’s plan go through. 

“How admirable. You see, though, my plan is already set in motion.” Childe flicked his wrist and several Sigils of Permission materialized, floating around him in a slow circular motion.  

...they were used by mortals to channel divine energy. 

Aether met Childe’s eyes, and the dangerous glint in them told him that the fatuus was well aware of their capabilities. “I know you’ve seen our research – few fit your description, and there were at least five agents at our work site to give a report of their attacker. So, are you prepared to see the havoc that this divine energy can wreak?” 

He flicked his hand again and the sigils started to spin faster, blurring together into a golden light. “Rex Lapis’ power has long grown weak. Dispelling the forces that keep an ancient god at bay will prove no match for me.” 

“Care to enlighten me as to what god you’re awakening, then?” Aether asked coolly. While his gaze was sharp and focused, he felt anything but. The dread had sunk in, gripping him with its cold, frozen tendrils. He knew it was too late to stop the fatuus’ plan now, and although one half of him was kicking himself for letting it get this far, the other was trying with every ounce of mental strength to keep a level head. 

I can’t stop him from activating them. Striking him down in cold blood feels wrong, even if he is a Harbinger. It wouldn’t be right to ignore all the good he’s done for me. And if I were to try anyway, I’m injured and he’s powerful. I don’t think I could take him down before those Sigils do their work. 

Childe smirked. “Desperate, aren’t you? I suppose there’s no harm in telling you; you did defeat me, and as such I would consider us friends. The truest friendships are born out of a shared desire for strength, no?”  

Aether’s face scrunched in distaste and Childe’s smile fell slightly. “As cagey as ever, I see.” He turned and gestured to what Aether could only assume was the ocean. “Osial, Overlord of the Vortex, who was defeated by Rex Lapis in the Archon War. He has laid beneath Guyun Stone Forest ever since.” He turned back and sighed. “While using the power of another to reach our goals is largely against my principles, I can’t say I’m not interested in seeing what it’s capable of. Or you, for that matter...” 

Before he could begin to dissect that statement, Childe stepped forward and the Sigils flared in a burst of light. Almost immediately, a low rumble began in the distance, growing until a tremor swept through the ground beneath his feet. It was only slight, but Guyun Stone Forest was miles from here – for the shockwave to reach across that distance meant they had a very large problem on their hands. 

He tried to keep his balance and Childe let out a maniacal laugh. “Hahaha! Let’s see – will the nation that has lost its deity be swallowed up by an ancient malice once more?” The fatuus flashed him one last grin as Hydro energy began to swirl around him. “If you wish to drown with the people of Liyue, you’re free to stay and enjoy the show!” 

Aether stepped forward just as the Hydro surrounding the Harbinger engulfed him and a sphere of water shot upward, traveling through the hole in the ceiling and taking Childe with it. 

“Quick! Let’s follow him!” Paimon exclaimed, already floating upwards.  

He took one long, deep breath. Just one. There was no time for more than that – he had to be focused now, without letting his mental or physical state get the better of him. He’d failed in stopping the Fatui and Liyue was going to suffer the wrath of a god for it. This responsibility was on him, and him alone. 

Currents of Anemo energy swept through his veins and he used them to propel himself back to the entrance of the Golden House. He landed a little shakily on the cracked tile, sweat beading on his forehead.  

“Oh, sorry, Paimon got so worked up that she forgot you were injured,” she apologized, hovering in front of him. “It’s not bleeding so much anymore, huh...” 

“It’s fine, really. I heal fast, and I barely feel it anymore,” he reassured her. If he was being honest, it would be nice to at least bandage it, but they didn’t have that time. “Let’s just get outside and see what’s happened.” 

She nodded and followed him as he dashed out of the building. In the time since they’d entered, dark storm clouds had gathered overhead, bringing with them a relentless downpour of rain. The droplets were thick and heavy, and he could already feel himself getting soaked through after just a few seconds of standing in it. 

A shadow dropped over him, and he glanced up instinctually. To his surprise, the shadow was cast by none other than the Jade Chamber, flying much lower to the ground than before as it slowly made its way towards Liyue Harbor. 

Good. It looks like Ningguang cleared things up enough with the adepti to be able to help. If Childe really did summon a god, well... we’re going to need it. 

“Come on. We need to find Ningguang.” He took off running for the city, wiping water from his face as the rain continued to fall. Every step he took sank into the mud, leaving a distinct footprint before releasing with an unpleasant squelch. 

By the time he reached the wooden bridge connecting the dirt path to one of the city’s small plazas, the streets were busy. A small crowd had formed near the restaurant that he’d eaten at with Zhongli a few days before, facing the ocean and whispering fearfully amongst themselves. 

“A god? Is it true?” 

“Where is there to run?” 

“My kids are only young... Rex Lapis, please!” 

He couldn’t help but feel an ache of guilt as he sprinted past them, following the Jade Chamber to where it had stopped above the docks.  

Archons, they have no idea how much danger they’re in. If innocent people die because I couldn’t prevent this, I... 

I don’t know how I could live with myself. 

I promised. I promised I was done letting my weaknesses get the better of me. I will not. Fail. Here.  

Faster. There’s still time. 

Paimon caught up to him as he made the last dash for the wooden piers of the city, panting and out of breath. “Wow, you... you run fast!” 

He sidestepped a pile of crates in the walkway and started to scan his surroundings. “Well, time is of the essence.” 

“True, but... ugh... how are we even... going... to get up there?” 

He began to slow down and pointed at a large tower to their right, reaching up to a bridge that stretched over a port for large ships. “We climb. Then I’ll do my best to cast a wind current that reaches us up to the top.” 

“Do... do you have the... energy for that?” 

No.  

“I’ll have to.” 

He cast a glance over to the stormy ocean as he made a beeline for the tower. The waves were dark and choppy, spelling something ominous, but there was no sign of a god yet. 

Good. He grabbed onto the ladder and began to climb as quickly as he could. Paimon floated alongside him, watching the sea. “Uhhh… Aether?” 

“Yep?” He replied, pulling himself over the last few rungs. 

“Paimon thinks the god is here.” 

He pivoted to see the moment that the sea swelled, glowing a bright blue before something huge shot from the depths, dangerously close to the shores of Liyue Harbor. When the water crashing around it calmed slightly, he caught his first look at the Overlord of the Vortex. 

The god took the form of several long, serpent-like spirals of Hydro. Its five heads floated above the height of the Jade Chamber, connected to the ocean by a watery neck. Every tendril glowed with the telltale sign of elemental energy. 

Most importantly, though, it was huge. Just the sight of it put a pit in his stomach, and from the way Paimon’s face was slowly turning a sickly pale, she clearly felt the same. 

“Alright, let’s get up there now,” he said, panic threading its way into his voice. The surge of adrenaline that seeing Osial brought on was more than enough to fuel him for a jump to the Jade Chamber.  

He quickly took Paimon’s hand, then leaned out the side of the tower. “Hold on.” He pulled her closer to his chest just as he stepped off the wood, drawing on every thread of weightless energy that lifted through his veins. Anemo energy swirled intensely around him, pushing him and Paimon up to the Jade Chamber at a terrifying speed.  

He knew it was going to take a toll to use so much elemental energy, given his injuries and how much he’d already dispelled during his fight with Childe, but he wasn’t prepared for the cool sensation of floating air to turn fiery-hot, igniting his blood with a painful heat. He gritted his teeth and held Paimon a little tighter, pushing through the pain. This wasn’t the time to give into weakness. 

As they drew closer to the platform, he slowly decreased the intensity of elemental energy, dropping him and Paimon gently on the stone of the Jade Chamber. The burning Anemo faded shortly, and its absence made him want to sob with relief. Instead, though, he straightened up, forced a stoic expression onto his face, and took stock of his allies. 

The people on the Jade Chamber looked just as surprised to see him as he was to see them. While he’d expected Ningguang and the Millelith, he hadn’t expected her to be joined by Ganyu, Keqing, the adepti, and… Madame Ping? 

Well, that all but confirms she’s an adeptus. 

Xiao was the first to speak. “What are you doing here?” 

“Paimon could ask you the same thing!” His companion replied, her breath now sufficiently recovered. “Paimon thought you and the Qixing were arguing. Is the fighting over?” 

Ningguang cast a quick glance to one of the animalistic adepti – Moon Carver, if he remembered correctly. “In the face of a greater calamity, we have decided to momentarily put our differences aside and work together to defeat our common enemy,” she answered. 

Moon Carver huffed and lifted his head condescendingly but voiced no clear disagreement. The other adepti had similar reactions – all but Xiao, that is. His yellow eyes were fixed on Aether, observing him with a strange mix of curiosity and suspicion. 

Paimon didn’t seem to notice the animosity. “So… what are we doing about that god? Just seeing it is making Paimon’s stomach do flips…” 

“It’s not just you,” Keqing replied flatly. “We’ve got new Millelith recruits who can’t even stand at attention without shaking. Most of the Millelith are Visionless and have only been trained with spears, which doesn’t make them particularly helpful for fighting right now.” She looked out at the ocean, where Osial was just… waiting, heads bobbing as it eyed them like a predator about to strike. “That is why this battle must be left to us.” 

“Not to be the voice of negativity, but is the power of the Qixing and the adepti going to be enough?” Aether couldn’t help but ask. He didn’t have the slightest idea how strong that god was – or gods in general, to be fair – relative to what he’d experienced, and he wanted to gauge what they’d be up against. 

The group looked to Ningguang, who sighed. “We’ve already discussed this, and the answer is… not necessarily. Osial is an ancient force, and we are without our god. But the adepti have provided us with some defenses that may just be enough.” 

“Indeed. One has engineered an improved version of the Guizhong Ballista that one believes will, in sufficient number, send the Overlord to the depths once more,” Cloud Retainer chimed in, voice filled with haughty self-admiration. He couldn’t even be annoyed by it right now, though. Her invention may just be their saving grace. 

Osial let out a loud roar and Paimon flinched while everyone else turned to the sound. “Get the ballistae in place. We act now,” Ningguang ordered, sweeping a hand to the ocean. Her eyes were filled with a steely determination that, quite frankly, would be terrifying were he on the receiving end. 

“Paimon, if it gets too dangerous, get out of here, alright?” Aether said quietly, turning to her. 

Paimon didn’t take more than a second to register his request before she started shaking her head vigorously. “Nope! No way. Paimon isn’t just gonna leave you to save her own skin.” 

“Please?” Aether tried. I can’t lose you. No matter what, I have to protect my friend. I refuse to let another person close to me die. 

For once, she seemed to understand the unspoken meaning to his words. “Okay, Paimon agrees… but she’s not happy about it!” 

He smiled gratefully. “I’ll keep that in mind.” 

There was a flash of light, and he looked over to see the adepti summon a huge platform in front of the Jade Chamber, faintly transparent and glowing blue. On top of it, three ballistae slowly took shape, materializing in swirls of golden light. Cloud Retainer, Moon Carver, and Mountain Shaper took their places behind them, surrounding themselves with the same energy. 

“Aether, a word?” Ningguang said quietly, walking up next to him. He turned towards her to give her his full attention. “I don’t mean to be rude, but are you in ample condition to fight? You look injured already, and Osial is a force to be reckoned with.” 

Her concern was well-placed, but he couldn’t help but feel a little annoyed. He wasn’t weak, and he was tired of being treated like he was. A few scratches on his abdomen and his arm weren’t going to completely incapacitate him. 

You brought this upon yourself. You’ve been weak since Lumine left, another corner of his brain reminded himself. If you want them to act like you’re strong, you’re going to have to prove you are. 

“I appreciate it, but I can fight,” he assured her. “Childe just got the better of me for a moment, but it’s not serious.” 

She nodded, respecting his decision without question. “Alright. We can discuss the Harbinger later.” They both focused on the adepti as they fired their first shots, glowing energy focusing around the ballistae before firing a barrage of bullets at Osial. 

The god let out a low, thrumming sound of pain and anger that reverberated through the air. Now that they’d taken the first shot, it seemed to have snapped out of its 2,000-year-old sleep stupor. While the ballistae were charging for the second time, Osial began to charge an attack of its own, putting its heads together to form a ball of Hydro in between them. The orb came flying towards the Jade Chamber, splitting into spear-shaped segments as it traveled. 

Aether began focusing his Geo energy, ready to shield himself, but he was yet again hit with a searing pain as the elemental energy stretched itself beyond its limits. This time, it felt like he was being crushed into the ground, with aching pain settling throughout his shoulders and chest. 

He quickly aborted that idea. If he couldn’t access the elements without pain, they weren’t of much use to him at the moment. I clearly need a lot more practice with them. 

Thankfully, he wasn’t the only person on the platform who could wield Geo. Ningguang quickly threw up her hands and a wave of amber-colored energy encased the Jade Chamber, fading into transparency. The bullets from Osial’s attack pummeled it instead of them, thankfully, but he caught Ningguang’s faintly pained expression as it happened. She wouldn’t be able to sustain that against the might of a god for long. 

As if they didn’t have enough problems to deal with, Keqing’s voice carried from the other side of the platform, filled with a hint of panic. “Fatui incoming!” 

He snapped his head in her direction. Somehow, the Fatui had found a way to teleport themselves onto the platform, traveling through a portal swirling with strange blue and black energies. Several Fatui Skirmishers were already making their way towards the ballista that Moon Carver was controlling, clearly intent on destruction. 

Aether’s blood began to boil. Gods, the Fatui really are the scum of Teyvat. Don’t they understand that all of Liyue Harbor could be destroyed if that god gets close to it? How many people are they willing to sacrifice just to get their hands on Rex Lapis’ Gnosis? 

That thought reminded him of something else. This was all a ploy to get the Geo Archon to reveal himself, but the god had shown no sign of appearing yet. He clearly wasn’t dead, so why wasn’t he here? Would he really leave his people to die? 

The series of questions just made him angry. Angry at the Fatui for being so selfish and despicable, angry at Rex Lapis for leaving this mess to them, and angry at himself for letting things get this far. He was frustrated and exhausted and just so done with everything – a realization that surprised himself, given that he usually regarded himself as a patient person. 

“Paimon, stay here,” he ordered her as he sprinted forward to deal with the Fatui. Keqing was already fighting, blade and Electro swirling around her as she gracefully ran one through the chest. Behind her, a Pyro gunslinger lifted and aimed his weapon at her as she paused to dispatch of another fatuus. Aether quickly dashed around her, summoning his sword, and sliced the man’s gun in half, then stabbed him through the abdomen. They let out a low gurgle before collapsing to the ground, blood slowly pooling around them. 

“Thank you, Aether,” Keqing said as he stepped away from the body. Another time, he may feel remorse – they were only lackeys for a much greater force, after all – but right now, his hatred for the Fatui was stronger than ever, and he couldn’t find it in himself to forgive anyone who allied with them, complicity or not. 

He just nodded firmly. “Of course.” 

“There are more over here!” Ganyu yelled. She and Xiao were fighting another four on the opposite side of the arena, pummeling them with Cryo-encrusted arrows and stabbing bursts of wind. Aether and Keqing both stepped forward to help, but a quick flash drew Aether’s eye, and he turned around to see another three Fatui entering through the portal that the ones previous had just used. They stepped over the bodies of their comrades without hesitation, their sights set only on the ballistae. 

Aether quickly raised his sword again. “You go help Ganyu and Xiao.” 

She cast a worried glance at his abdomen. “But you’re-” 

“I know. I’ll be fine.” 

Keqing hesitated, but the usual steel returned to her eyes and she nodded, then ran off. 

Aether shifted his feet into a ready stance as the first of the Fatui attacked. It was one of the taller ones, equipped with a large Electro-infused hammer. They slammed the weapon down where he should have been, but he slid smoothly to one side. As the fatuus turned to attack again, he sliced upwards, cutting them deeply from stomach to neck. They attempted a last half-hearted swing before collapsing on top of their colleagues. 

The other two Fatui looked slightly rattled but raised their weapons regardless. One held a thin gun infused with Geo, while the other carried a tank that dispelled Cryo energy. They fired simultaneously, but it was far too late. Aether had thrown his usual reservations to the wind, fighting with all his strength and the pure intention to kill. Neither of them stood a chance as his blade came down once, then twice, dispatching of them in a similar manner to the first.  

He took a few steps back from the portal, chest rising and falling as he recuperated. By now, he couldn’t tell if the blood left on him was his or that of the Fatui, but he wouldn’t be surprised if his wounds had reopened at some point in all the chaos. It might have happened as far back as his mad sprint to the Jade Chamber – the adrenaline would have completely tuned out the pain. 

The platform shook as another barrage of Osial’s attacks hit Ningguang’s shield. The adepti shone brighter and fired back with bullets of their own, but the god hardly seemed fazed at this point. 

Is it getting stronger instead of weaker? Is that possible? Are we going to be able to wear it down before it recovers its strength from before its sleep? 

The portal before him flashed again and four Fatui stepped through. He was in motion before they had a moment to register their surroundings, steel flashing as he lunged for the right-most fatuus, running them through with his blade. As they fell, he pivoted towards the next, one of the thinner gunslingers, and cleanly slit their throat. 

One of the Fatui, a Hydro wielder, shot an orb of water toward him from their cannon. He sidestepped it with inhuman speed and darted forward, killing them with a deep slice across the abdomen. The last fatuus attempted to put up a Geo shield to protect themselves, but Aether lunged toward them the moment he saw the golden flash. His sword pierced into the center of the weak shield, briefly meeting its resistance, but he pushed downward with all his strength and it broke. The blade sank into the fatuus’ chest with brutal force, passing through him and hitting the stone on the other side. 

He removed his blade and wiped the sweat off his forehead with the back of his glove. Ganyu, Keqing, and Xiao were still fighting in the center of the arena, handling swarms of Fatui from two portals. Keqing had a nasty gash on her leg, exposed by the split fabric of her tights, but the three looked otherwise unharmed. The blue platform surrounding them was painted red with blood. 

His attention snapped back to the portal as another four Fatui came through. He settled into a fighting stance again, his focus narrowing before he leapt forward, sword raised. They, like the last four, were dealt with swiftly. 

Even as the heat of battle intensified and his exhaustion grew, his swordsmanship remained precise and methodical, dispatching of fatuus after fatuus as they continued their siege of the Jade Chamber. The portal had flashed more times than he could count, and the Fatui were coming through more quickly and in greater numbers. He’d probably dealt with upwards of twenty, and he could only imagine how the three behind him were faring. Surprisingly, he was largely uninjured – one of them had landed a kick to his abdomen, worsening the wound, but he’d managed to stay on top of his opponents fairly well. That was, until now. 

He was still trying to take out a Cryogunner and a Pyroslinger from the last swarm when five more Fatui stepped through the portal, weapons raised. He hopped backwards as a stream of Cryo swept towards him and ducked around a few bullets before lunging to kill the Pyroslinger. The effort was successful, but he was still left with the other six, and he could tell it wasn’t long before his strength started to wane. He’d been fighting and exerting himself almost nonstop for over an hour now.  

Shit. I know Keqing is flagging, and Xiao and Ganyu may be faring better as adepti, but this is more an issue of numbers than strength. The Millelith are all on the ground artillery, the adepti are occupied, and Ningguang is on defense. They can just keep sending troops until we eventually tire and Osial wins. Gods, if only I weren’t weakened, maybe we could hold them off for a little longer... 

He focused on the remaining Fatui in front of him, unable to do anything more than continue fighting against the most pressing issue. They died as quickly as the ones before them as he skillfully dodged their predictable attacks, sidestepping hammer blows and leaping around bullets and elemental energy. Once they were dead, he faced the portal again to prepare for the next round, breathing heavily. 

To his surprise, the portal before him suddenly shrunk and disappeared. His first instinct was to collapse from relief, but it was quickly overridden by the thought that the Fatui would only stop if they knew they had won. Which meant that Osial was now a problem. 

He swiveled around to watch the god in the ocean. It had begun to gather another orb of elemental energy between its heads, but this one was growing to a size almost triple of the other ones he’d seen the Overlord fire off. 

Fuck. 

“Brace for impact!” Ningguang yelled from where she was stood near the doors of the Jade Chamber, arms raised. He’d been right that she couldn’t hold the shield forever. Even from where he was, he could see the strain throughout every muscle in her body as she tried to maintain the slowly cracking forcefield. 

Osial released the orb and it crashed down onto Ningguang’s shield. She let out a cry and dropped her arms, and, just like that, their last line of defense was gone. 

The god’s attack continued to pummel the platform, shattering the Guizhong Ballistae under the impact. All three adepti using them collapsed, their energy well and truly spent. Unfortunately, the adepti had also been responsible for creating the platform they were all stood on, something Aether only remembered once it splintered and disappeared beneath his feet. 

Not again, was his only thought as he plummeted to the ground far below for the second time that day. He was facing the wrong direction to deploy his wind glider, so he tried desperately to summon Anemo energy instead, but the fire it ignited in his veins was too painfully all-consuming. He was well and truly out of options. 

Suddenly, someone caught him. He caught a glimpse of a tattooed arm before his stomach flipped with the familiar sensation of teleporting and he found himself back on the Jade Chamber, feet planted firmly on the stone. 

Aether looked over at none other than Xiao as the adeptus unwrapped his arm from around his shoulders. “Be careful,” he advised before vanishing in a whirl of black smoke and Anemo energy. 

“Aether! You’re okay!” Paimon exclaimed, rushing to his side. She went a little pale upon getting a good look at him, and he realized how much blood he must be covered in. Ningguang’s shield had stopped the rain from getting through, but he hoped it would wash the blood away now that they weren’t protected. 

“I’m alright. Most of it isn’t mine,” he reassured her, smiling with a sense of calm that he didn’t feel. Another roar from Osial only accelerated the growing feeling of absolute dread in his stomach. 

They were well and truly screwed. The ballistae were gone, the adepti had exhausted their power, and those with the capacity to fight were already weak. Not like there was much they could do if the enemy was in the middle of the ocean, anyway. He turned to the rest of the group, who were wearing similarly bleak expressions. 

Cloud Retainer shook out her wings. “The Guizhong Ballistae are destroyed, and one does not have the capacity to recreate them. Retaliation will be different from here on out.” 

“But the Jade Chamber is our last line of defense!” Ganyu said, both concern and determination clear in her voice. She glanced over at the god in the sea, who was watching them with a strange, gleeful satisfaction. “We can’t give the enemy another inch, no matter what!” 

“But what else can we do?” Paimon asked, wringing her hands nervously. “That’s a whole god, for Archon’s sake! And we’ve got nothing to attack it with!” 

While they talked, though, Aether was watching Ningguang. She was staring into the ocean, a hand laid thoughtfully at her chin, and hadn’t appeared to register a word of the grim conversation around her. After a long moment, she dropped her arms and fixed Osial with a determined stare. “I have... another idea.” 

Ganyu studied her with concern, likely having a better understanding of what was going through the Tianquan’s mind than he did. “What is it, Lady Ningguang?” She asked hesitantly. 

 Her reply was swift and left no room for argument. “I’ll sacrifice the Jade Chamber.” 

Keqing opened her mouth as if to protest but hesitated just before she spoke. “If that is your wish,” she ultimately said. 

“It is.” Ningguang scanned the group as if searching for objection, but, finding none, continued with her explanation. “We will fly it over Osial, then pin him beneath its stone much like how Rex Lapis once did with his spears.” Ningguang looked at him, and he saw nothing but resolve in her gaze. “Aether, you are of a unique constitution. I’ll need you to be a vessel for the adepti’s power, which should be enough to fully shut down the Jade Chamber.” 

He nodded. “Understood.” In the moment, he wasn’t even going to question what she meant by “unique constitution” or what information she had on his identity. That was the least of his concerns. 

Suddenly, the Jade Chamber jolted into motion, quickly moving forward to position itself above Osial. The god began to summon another orb, but Ningguang was acting too quickly for it to be of use. She brought the Jade Chamber to a stop, then nodded at the adepti. They closed their eyes in unison, and a strange sensation overcame Aether, conflicting and overpowering as multiple kinds of power surged through him at once. It was strong, threatening to knock him off his feet from the pressure, but it made him feel indestructible and weightless and lithe all at once. 

The rest of the events passed in a blur. Golden energy swirled around him and he summoned his sword, raising it with both hands above his head before driving it into the stone of the Jade Chamber, right where he’d stood earlier that same day. The energy left his body in a rush, flowing through his sword into the crack he’d made and entering the inner workings of the floating palace. He felt the moment that the power of the adepti was fully expelled, and his knees buckled, nearly bringing him collapsing to the ground. Despite that, he held himself strong as the Jade Chamber began to fall. 

He turned around and found Paimon and Xiao, both of whom grabbed his hands before the adeptus quickly teleported them away to Liyue’s docks. He didn’t see the moment that the Jade Chamber crashed into the Overlord of the Vortex, but he felt it through the shockwave and the waves that splashed into them in the collision’s aftermath. 

“...is it over?” Paimon asked hesitantly, looking out into the ocean. The water had stilled now, and the grey clouds above the city were slowly clearing to reveal a pink-tinged sunset. 

Aether noted as he moved to look across the sea that the constant, aching pain in his abdomen had faded. He glanced down to see that the wound had all but healed, leaving a thin, pink line that would likely fade in a day or two. It was likely attributed to the power of the adepti, but whatever the cause, he was grateful. 

Moon Carver and the rest of the adepti landed on the docks behind them, setting their passengers down gently. “Indeed. The ominous aura of that monster has begun to fade. It will be some time before the Overlord of the Vortex can make any waves again.” 

Ningguang dismounted and dipped her head in thanks. “We are indebted to the adepti for your assistance. Were it not for your efforts in retaliation, Liyue Harbor would sure have been in jeopardy.” 

“Hmph. Let us not forget why we were in Liyue Harbor to begin with,” Cloud Retainer remarked, lifting her head. “Do you still intend to cast one aside in their role of protecting Liyue Harbor?” 

Madame Ping let out an amused chuckle. “Now, now, Cloud Retainer, give her a moment’s peace. The sacrifice of the Jade Chamber is no small feat – that place was a testament to her entire life, both as a businesswoman and as the backbone of the Liyue Qixing.” 

While that was true, Ningguang appeared to be taking it pretty well. Or, at least, she was just good at putting on a facade. Her collected, self-assured demeanor hadn’t faltered one bit. 

Cloud Retainer bristled at Madame Ping’s response, likely working up some elaborate retort, but Ningguang stepped in. “Thank you, but it’s quite alright. I, too, would like to see an end to this matter as quickly as possible.” She elegantly brushed herself off and took a deep breath. “Please, forgive us... but the Qixing cannot yield to your wishes.” 

Aether tensed, expecting another fight. Uh oh. The adepti aren’t going to take that well. She’s blatantly questioning their authority. 

“Oh?” Moon Carver said, an edge of danger in his voice. Still, Ningguang didn’t back down. 

“3,700 years ago, the adepti signed a contract with Rex Lapis to protect Liyue,” she continued. “But while Liyue and its lands stand the same as before, immovable as stone, that does not mean that the Liyue Harbor of today is the same city that you swore to protect all those years ago. I ask that you focus your sights on our city and each of the citizens that dwell within it.” 

Moon Carver translated her words bluntly. “Are you implying that our means of protecting Liyue are outdated?” 

She didn’t confirm nor deny the accusation. “I mean no disrespect. I simply ask that you attempt to see Liyue in a new light, rather than through the lens of thousands of years past.” 

“Ultimately, you and the Qixing are on the same side,” Aether added, unable to stay silent at such a critical moment. He tried not to flinch as the adepti whipped their heads toward him. “Both of you only want the best for Liyue. But ask yourselves this – do you think the Qixing, who have governed Liyue directly for years, or yourselves, who have been isolated in Jueyun Karst for that time, better understand Liyue’s people and how best to protect them? And are your differences in ideals really worth the conflict?” 

Paimon nodded, emboldened by his statement. “It’s like a story from Mondstadt’s history about the Four Winds and the people of the Anemo Archon. They were in disagreement, so Barbatos tried to resolve their issue because he believed their conflict would only create more resentment and nothing good would come from it. Maybe it’s a good idea to learn from the past.” 

Mountain Shaper eyed them both with a newfound curiosity. “Yet another perspective... and for such chastisement to come from an outlander, no less.” He scoffed. “The adepti truly have become a laughingstock.” 

“Come now, Mountain Shaper,” Madame Ping said kindly, ever the voice of reason. “The adepti are not looked down upon – it is merely that the times have changed. The country of contracts is grateful to the adepti for their protection. But we are no longer needed nor relied upon to solve every trivial matter. Mortals may not possess the same raw strength as adepti, but that does not render them incapable. Perhaps it is time to accept this... changing of the guard.” 

The acceptance of their role from one of their fellow adepti seemed to encourage the rest to follow suit, although with far more hesitation. Moon Carver glanced around the group, seemingly drawing an unspoken conclusion from the other adepti before he replied. 

“Fair enough. Away we shall, and return whence we came. Since we adepti have consensus, then one shall persist no further.” With that closing statement, the adepti dipped their heads and disappeared in their various fashions, flying and teleporting alike. 

Next to him, Ningguang and the fellow Qixing visibly relaxed with relief. “I will admit, that went better than I expected,” the Tianquan remarked, staring at the sky that Cloud Retainer had vanished into. 

Keqing nodded reluctant agreement. “Indeed. It would seem that they were more open-minded than I gave them credit for.” 

“Huh... who would’ve thought that fighting an ancient god was all they needed to have a change of heart?” Paimon said wryly. 

Ningguang turned to face him. “And what of you, Traveler? Where do you go from here?” 

“I still have some loose ends to clean up where the Fatui are concerned,” he said carefully. Rex Lapis never appeared – which, although strange, means the Fatui are still looking for his Gnosis. I need to catch up with Childe before his next plan can go underway. Liyue won’t be safe until I stop them entirely. 

Ningguang nodded slowly. “I see. Should you need assistance, you know where to find me.” Pain flickered across her expression, just for a second. “Actually, no, that... has changed. But the Qixing’s offices are always open to you.” 

“Thank you, but this is something I would prefer to act alone for,” he replied as politely as he could. It was his fault that the Fatui had caused this much damage in the first place, and it was going to be his responsibility to fix it. 

“Of course. Then I wish you safe travels, and I thank you for your efforts in keeping Liyue safe.” A smile ghosted across her face. “I believe I’ve learned my lesson in jumping to conclusions about people.” 

He returned the smile, surprised that now, the whole ordeal did seem startlingly funny. It helped that the worst of it was over, but the irony of his situation wasn’t lost on him. “And I’ve learned a thing or two about who I trust. Thank you, Ningguang. May we meet again.” 

“Bye, Ningguang!” Paimon said, waving as they started walking back into the city. Once they were far enough away from the docks, she leaned in close and whispered, “so... what are we doing, exactly?” 

“We need to find Childe,” Aether responded quietly.  “He’ll still be chasing the Geo Archon’s Gnosis, and I don’t want him to bring on another crisis before we can get to him.” 

Paimon’s eyes widened. “Oh, yeah! ‘Cause Rex Lapis isn’t actually, dead, right? Liyue has just been one crazy twist and turn after another...” She paused, then asked the same question he’d been wondering himself. “But why didn’t Rex Lapis fight Osial, then? Does he not care?” 

“I don’t know,” he admitted. “I haven’t figured that out yet. And keep your voice down a little bit – we can’t just go around saying the Geo Archon’s death was faked.” 

“Oops! Right, sorry.” She giggled nervously. “Where are we going, then?” 

Aether gestured to one of the red-wooded staircases in the city center as they approached it. “The Northland Bank. It’s the most likely place Childe would retreat to.” They climbed the stairs and quickly grew closer to the bank’s doors, heading along the bridge that passed over the street. He gestured for her to be quiet and pressed his ear carefully against the door. 

He couldn’t make out any words, specifically, but the sound of conversation was clear behind it. It sounded like Childe speaking, then another woman joined in, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on who they were. After a moment, a third voice spoke, this time in Zhongli’s deep baritone. 

...Zhongli? Is he in danger? Have the Fatui turned on him, if he’s an adeptus? 

Regardless of the situation, he’d heard enough to have made up his mind. He pushed open the door, tense with anticipation and ready to draw his weapon at any moment. Too late, he realized he should have tested his limits on elemental energy, just to see how much he could use in case of a fight. 

“...I thought this was meant to be a cooperative endeavor between-” Childe was saying as he entered, but the Harbinger cut himself off abruptly when he saw Aether in the doorway. He looked briefly surprised before wiping his face of all emotion. 

He had assumed correctly about Childe and Zhongli, but he hadn’t expected the third individual to be none other than La Signora. He stared her down with daggers in his eyes as he tried to resist the urge to slit her throat, right there and then. Childe may be dangerous, but she was immoral and cruel, and that was something he couldn’t stand. 

Childe flashed him a grin and stood a little straighter. “Long time no see, Aether! While this is a little awkward and all, it seems only fitting that you should be here.” His grin grew malicious. “It’s about time I finally acquired the Gnosis, after all.” 

Notes:

NOD-KRAI AND SILKSONG WITHIN A WEEK OF EACH OTHER WOOOOOO WE ARE GAMING