The Traveler's exodus into despair - EndouInazuma - 原神 (2024)

Chapter 1

Chapter Text

"We're all here, Paimon. You look worried, can you tell us what the problem is?" asked Zhongli to the little fairy, then accompanied by Ei, Venti and Nahida, in a corner of Liyue.

"Also, it's strange that Aether isn't with you. Where is he ?" asked Ei innocently, without knowing that the white-haired little girl, already on the verge of tears, lost her temper at the mere mention of his name, but gathered her strength to speak words that the four Archons would not have thought to associate with the Traveler.

"Aether is no longer himself, he is broken, as if he was at the end of his rope!"

Paimon cried tears and moved in all directions. She had managed to leave to see Nahida, so that she could recontact the other Archons already known to her and then try to resolve the outpourings of anger and sadness of the Traveler who was no longer able to contain anything for a few days.

Nahida obeyed Paimon's wishes without having any answers, because she felt that Teyvat's best guide wanted to speak to them all for an important reason, and after everything that just happened, even if what Paimon had just said was still unclear, she knew that a problem linking Aether was very bad, and she feared something related to the Fatuis.

" How so ?" asked the Dendro Archon, knowing full well that she wouldn't have an answer right now, Paimon couldn't stop crying, and the other Archons were really trying to comfort the fairy, not taking any more seeing her in this state, she, who was always joyful, and wanted to know what the arguments are that push her to say that towards Aether.

A few hours later, they arrived at the Wanshuu Inn, with Zhongli carrying a sleeping Paimon with all the emotions she had received during the day, and all four knew that in order for her to feel better, the best thing to do was to give her a good, hearty meal. Being quite far from Liyue City, they could pass themselves off as ordinary citizens without actually suspecting that they were Archons, especially to Ei and Nahida, as few people around that place had any idea what they looked like the Raiden Shogun or the Lesser Lord Kusanali. As for Venti and Zhongli, no one knew they were Archons.

Now seated at a table, they ordered several meals, and for once, the Geo Archon had money to pay for the meal, and woke up Paimon, who was still a little dizzy, saw the dishes in front of her but but she still couldn't eat.

" Are you not hungry ?"

"Paimon would like to, but..." she said while her eyes were starting to water slightly again.

Even Venti, who was usually in the mood to make jokes about her behavior, stayed serious and asked the question everyone was wondering, trying to avoid beating around the bush because he might be an alcoholic bard , but couldn't stand that his friends were in this state, and he knew that the sooner Paimon spoke, the sooner he would help her and she would feel better, and find a solution for Aether.

"Paimon, tell us what's wrong with Aether? I know it's hard for you, but we all want your best and his."

Paimon saw Venti's eyes as sincere and truly wanting to contribute, and even though she didn't expect this, she gathered up her courage.

"Okay,... Well, you know Aether is actively looking for his sister. And it's true that after four nations without answers, he's starting to get tired. But in recent weeks, while we were in Liyue to recharge our batteries, Aether broke down."

"What do you mean by "broke" ? "

"Well, the informations he had was given by Nahida, and he was grateful for that, but it raised more questions than answers. Also, it doesn't help that his sister is the Princess of the Abyss."

"WHAT ?"

The four Archons were stunned and screamed at the same time, not knowing how to respond to this information, and Paimon was surprised at their astonishment.

" His sister..."Raiden Ei repeated in shock.

"Commands the Abyss?" said Zhongli as he finished the Electro Archon's sentence.

"Did I never tell you?"

"No, it's a surprise information, indeed..." added Nahida, equally stunned.

"Sorry..."

"It doesn't matter, anyway, even if we could intervene, we wouldn't be able to do it directly. Besides, Aether had good reason to keep this a secret, it must have been difficult knowing that the person he was so actively searching for was part of the enemy. " replied Zhongli, aware that the situation was more complex than he thought.

"I don't know what I would have done if I found out that my dear sister Makoto would have done this kind of thing. I can understand his disillusionment. However, Aether is stronger than that, I don't think he would have succumbed to that information."

"Indeed, Ei is right. Anyone could have reacted badly to this information, but not him."

"There might be a way, if he had ever seen his sister in front of him. Knowing through someone that she is the Princess of the Abyss is one thing, but seeing her and hearing her say it is another, and could cause a deeper upheaval in him. Paimon, have you seen him?"

"Yes Nahida, Aether even spoke with her for a short while, and the answer she gave him was that he had to finish his journey to understand the truth of this world."

"Understand the truth, you say? I wonder what she means by that?"

"Paimon doesn't know what that means, but currently, Paimon doesn't care. All Paimon wants is for Aether to become himself again!"

"You're right, that's not the point. Coming back to what you said earlier, perhaps this revelation is the trigger for such excessive behavior."

"Paimon doesn't think so. We learned this a long time ago, before we left for Liyue. Otherwise, he could have been in this state a long time ago."

"It is true, you are right."

"It seems to me that he could have hidden his emotions very well to a certain extent."

"It's a plausible hypothesis Morax, but it would still take a little more than that."

"Well... When Aether was in a rage, he kept saying that he was fed up with all these problems... Paimon thinks that maybe it has something to do with it. And now that Paimon thinks about it, since we first arrived in Inazuma until now, he was putting up with people and problems related to them less and less."

"It's true when we traveled together to try to reason Apep, I noticed that Aether was more irritated than when I met him."

"You mean it's my fault it got to this point? " Ei worried, feeling guilty since Paimon had pointed out that he was like that once he arrived in her country.

"In no way is this your fault, and I think Aether thinks the same. You were in a state of instability where your definition of eternity was narrow, which meant that it was felt throughout Inazuma. You don't have to blame this on yourself." replied the Geo Archon, trying to calm Raiden Ei down.

"I still blame myself a little, if I could have solved this problem by myself, he could have looked for his sister more properly."

"The past is the past, let's now focus on the present."

"You're right Morax. Let's continue to dig into the situation and we will eventually arrive at a result."

Meanwhile, a little east of the Aozang Mountains, a man could only be seen if you had good eyes, as he was moving very fast. And contrary to what two women in the distance might initially think, accompanied by a giant bird behind them, it was not the Conqueror of Demons getting rid of a few enemies, even if the trail of green energy could be confused with him because the person was using Anemo energy at the time.

However, one could see alternations between different types of energy : Geo, Electro, and even Dendro, and a single person on the entire continent could control that many elements at once and with such ease.

"This is the third night in a row that he has attacked all the beings in his path, and he is pulling no punches." replied the adeptus bird Could Retainer.

"I don't know what's gotten into him, but I've never seen him so brutal. I want to talk to him, I want to know if anything happened to him." asked Shenhe, the hermit who was gradually acclimatizing to human society, before being stopped by the arm of the half-adeptus woman with horns, Ganyu.

"I'm also worried about him Shenhe, but I don't think we should intervene right away."

"For what ?"

"This is not the right time, you can see that it is on the verge of imploding."

"This is one more reason to intervene. I can't stand seeing him in this state, he's the one who helped me the most in the past, and I intend to do the same."

"No, we first need to understand what's going on, you can't just show up as if nothing had happened, he might become even more suspicious."

"So you agree to let him suffer, you saw his face, if there is one person I refuse to see in this state, it's him. Master said it's been three nights, so you have no compassion for him?" she shouted with rage and concern.

Shenhe felt tension in the air after saying this sentence, Ganyu took a breath once then twice, while looking for a few seconds at the distant face of the Traveler, before turning around in front of Shenhe who was surprised by the expression of her face.

"Don't ever say that! Aether is the one who helped me feel among humans, to appreciate myself as I am, he is an excellent person and someone I am so happy to have met! I forbid you to say that I'm not worried about him! I just want to try to broach the subject with him without creating more tension..." cried Ganyu, who had seen his friend, his savior and his secret crush suffer in silence, all alone, without even Paimon with him, and she being powerless to help him.

"Ganyu, I'm sorry, I didn't mean that, I didn't want to hurt you, but I worry too much!"

Shenhe apologized before giving Ganyu a hug to comfort her, and she caressed her hair, letting the secretary escape a few more tears on the white-haired woman's suit, under the gaze of Cloud Retainer who saw the two girls that she saw as her children flourishing, especially Shenhe who was more attentive to others, and although she would not say it in front of them, she wished that Aether would get better, because she was truly grateful to the Traveler of being able to make Shenhe and Ganyu become the women they currently were.

While continuing to comfort Ganyu, Shenhe continued to stare in the direction of the blond man, hitting everything he could with his sword, and occasionally his fists, coated in every elemental energy, with white-hot rage on his face, not wishing that just one thing, that the man she had grown to love could return to being the person he was. He knew he was venting to release his anger, and it somehow reminded him of her old self.

While walking through the busy streets of Liyue City, Keqing headed towards Wanmin Restaurant to eat her beloved golden shrimp balls after a hard day at work. But it must be said that over the last two days, she was thinking about the moment when she saw Ganyu's displeased expression as she told her of the Traveler's incomprehensible actions.

When she learned of his behavior from her friend, she became seriously concerned about his condition. She had predicted that this might happen, and every time he returned to Liyue, she paid attention to the blond-haired man's behavior, more incisive than before. He spoke more bluntly, was more frustrated, and she could see it, after all, she had always been perceptive in this area.

She had already talked about it with him, and he always said that he would be fine, with his usual typical smile, which became more and more fake with time, and she saw it, but said nothing, and at that moment , she blamed herself. She knew she should have warned him, been more conscientious and insisted, but it was already too late.

She had seen that Ganyu was less and less able to perform her work effectively these two days, and the user of the Cryo element asked her how she could continue to work without thinking about his well-being, and she lied and said that she thought Aether would be able to keep up. She knew it wasn't true, even someone as strong as him needed a break, and he never took one because he told himself that any unused second would be a waste and until he had no answer in his quest, he would continue.

In fact, she was extremely worried about him, both at and outside of work, and hoped that he would recover soon. She wished she could tell him that if he needed an ear to listen to what he had to say, that she would be there, because after all, he remained a mystery, even to her.

She also wanted to accompany Ganyu to the Aozang Mountains, but she decided to stay in Liyue in case there was a problem, but hoped that her long-time friend could find even a clue explaining this, as well as a way to save him from himself.

Arriving at the restaurant, she saw Xiangling, to whom she had confided her concerns, which she shared with the head chef:

"Good evening Keqing! As per usual ?"

"Hello Xiangling! Yes, with a glass of wine please."

"It's not your habit to take it!"

"Yes, but I haven't stopped thinking about that today... Even more than two days ago. And Ganyu who left early because she couldn't take the pressure of not knowing what he was doing anymore, I got even more work."

"I understand, it's true, that since you spoke to me about it, it always remains in the back of my mind. Are you looking to calm down the end of your evening?"

"Yes, we can say that. I know this won't solve anything, but..."

Keqing banged her fist on the counter, to Xiangling's surprise, and felt her eyes water and her lips tremble, even if she managed to control her emotions, because she always showed a stoic enough face not to disturb herself. Xiangling saw her gradually breaking down, and that was normal from her point of view, the cook was a great friend of Aether and a valuable cooking companion, but for Keqing, it was something else entirely. She wanted to be the one who could bear his pain and doubts, and comfort him when he made an important decision.

"I told him though! Why didn't he listen to me? He's so stubborn!"

"Keqing, I know it's hard for everyone, especially you, but please calm down! There are still customers in the restaurant!"

Keqing regained her senses for a few moments, before looking around, only to see that a few people saw her losing her temper, then quickly excused herself before speaking again and continuing her conversation with Xiangling.

""Sorry, but I hate not controlling events, and even more so losing my cool!"

"No problem. After all, Aether is not the first person I would think of when someone tells me that someone has mental problems."

"It's true... He can be a real idiot sometimes, but this... It's a lot more serious than I thought. And Ganyu said she didn't see Paimon with him, and that scares me even more."

"What ? It's not possible, they are inseparable!"

"That's what worries me. Paimon is like a little sister to him, and I really hope that Paimon didn't run away because of a bad word from Aether. I've seen him get angry about things before, and he tends to say things he doesn't really mean, but which turns out to be very hurtful."

"If you say so. In any case, I hope the Archons can guide him."

"In my opinion, I don't think it's a good idea to wish that."

"For what ?"

"Let's say that between Aether and the Archons, according to him, it's not a great story of friendship..."

"How so ?"

"I don't have any more information, he decided to hide this for himself... Again..."

Keqing sighed once again, still kicking herself for not having insisted on these kinds of details. The cook had seen her and put a hand on her left shoulder before looking into her eyes and saying:

"You don't have to blame yourself for that. You respected his privacy, and then, I think he did that so as not to worry anyone. It's true that it's almost disproportionately large, but it's not your fault... I'm sure he'll get better and the three of us will be able to eat a good meal like in the good old days, while discussing about nothing!"

"Xiangling..."

"For now, it's better that you show your usual character, that the whole of Liyue doesn't know about it for the moment..."

"You're right, I suppose..."

"And don't forget to eat before it gets cold!"

"Thank you Xiangling, you are a good friend."

"You're welcome, after all it's normal, and I too really hope that Aether can return to his normal state. »

Keqing looked at her shrimp balls that she loved so much, but ate with less appetite than she thought, while sipping her glass of wine, looking at the yellowish color of the liquid, which reminded her of her Traveler's blond hair , and how many times she had shared drinks with him after exhausting work days for both companions, laughing about frivolous things.

After placing the empty glass on the counter, she looked up at the starry sky, wondering if the Hero of Liyue could be saved. She breathed one last time, before letting his name touch her lips:

"Aether... Wherever you are... Take care of yourself, that's all I ask..."

However, what she didn't know, and neither did Xiangling, was that a person had been carefully listening to their conversation, who couldn't be discerned right away because of her dark clothes, but who she knew. She showed a serious face upon hearing the news, and the spy in question was both surprised to hear such information, but also a little sad for the Traveler. As she left, she whispered, as if to herself, her next action:

"Aether is in serious trouble, I didn't expect this... I need to report this to Lady Ningguang before it gets worse, then I'll go to him... Of all people, I never thought he would suffer such depression..."

Back at the Wangshu Inn, one could see that the discussion between the four deities and the little fairy had become a little more intense, and anyone could see that their faces had darkened somewhat, by the terrible news that Paimon had.

They had heard from the white-haired fairy that the meeting between Aether and his sister was only the starting point of what would be a mental ordeal for the Traveler. And the more she recounted their adventures, the more she saw herself what the problems could be linked to this strange change in behavior.

She had explained to them that the meeting with the Fatui, whether Tartaglia, La Signora, Scaramouche or Dottore, were increasingly extreme breaking points in his drastic changes in behavior, mixed with the direct problems that they were developing in each country, and even explained to them that he had almost refused Kamisato Ayaka's idea of getting Inazuma back on track and giving Raiden Shogun a second chance at a more prosperous future, because he only wanted one thing, continue his journey.

The Archons listened attentively, trying to understand how all the twists and turns could turn Aether into the whirlwind of rage and despair that it was at the same time.

"So the Fatui are also responsible for this. I mean, we're all against them, but it's true that he alone faced so many in such a short time, not to mention that they're Harbingers. " Venti said, remembering his helpless way of solving problems in front of La Signora.

"Indeed, I remember him having a somewhat similar anger the first time he met the Wanderer, but given the information he gave me, he had committed ungodly crimes which included trying to take the place of new Archon of Sumeru. However, he repented knowing the truth, but even knowing this, it is still too simple." Nahida thought, remembering Aether's words about the hat guy.

"Still, try to put yourself in his place, with his sister in the enemy camp and strangers blocking his path wherever he goes, it seems logical."

I think Kusanali is right, Ei. It would be too simple, everyone would be in the same chaotic state if that were the case. It turns out that it's part of a whole, Aether is generally wise, and even when facing his enemies,... It turns out that the problem is more complex than it seems."

"I thought you would find the answer more quickly... Or at least this hypothesis."

The Archons as well as Paimon turned around to find out where this voice came from, although Zhongli already had an idea of who it could be. Only he could speak so bluntly, and come so nonchalantly to them, knowing that he was a regular at this place, he often came to eat tofu in this inn.

"Xiao! " the little fairy shouted, her eyes widening to see the Conqueror of Demons, the last person she would have thought of calling for a problem involving social skills.

Chapter 2

Chapter Text

"Xiao? I didn't expect you to be here."

"Me neither, Barbatos. Especially since he has the Raiden Shogun and the Lesser Lord Kusanali with you. It must be important for four Archons to bother to see it."

"It's been a long time, Conqueror of Demons."

"No need to greet me, even if I appreciate the gesture. If I'm here, it's to talk to you about the same subject as you: Aether."

"So you know too."

"Indeed, Morax, I mean Mr. Zhongli."

"We're not in town, you can call me whatever you want..."

"Thank you... As I said before the problem comes from his demons, more precisely from his internal suffering."

"How are you so sure?"

"I know Paimon, because I had the same problem as him before, but we don't need to talk about my situation. Just before coming here, I was busy with work, and after traveling through the area north of Liyue, I could sense an unstable energy coming from not far from where I was. When I arrived, I saw that it was Aether, which surprised me."

"Did you speak with him?" asked Nahida.

"I decided that it was not necessary to speak to him at the moment, it is too dangerous at the moment. At this power level, he could beat me even with my mask on in less than a minute. Maybe the next day, but I think he needs to recharge with himself, after all, his expression showed intense pain."

"But..."

"Paimon, I understand your sadness, and it's true that it doesn't make me happy either, but it's obvious that he's trying to decompress to release the frustration he has."

"Xiao..."

"I think he is right. But that doesn't explain what you mean by "internal suffering"?" questioned Nahida.

"Well Lord Kusanali, that means that Aether was suffering all this time without showing it to anyone, and Paimon probably told you, but he had been in this state for some time. It's true that both the Fatui and the Abyss have a role to play, but this is only the tip of the iceberg."

"What do you mean ?"

"In my opinion, Aether has had a lot more adventures than that. As you say, if it were only that, everyone would be in the same state, me first."

"I see... Paimon, was there anything that you think had an impact on him?"

"Hmm... How could Paimon had forgotten that? Nahida, do you remember what happened with Dunyarzad?"

"Yes, you're right... Why didn't I think of that?"

"Who is Dunyarzad?", said the Conqueror of Demons.

"A friend we met in Sumeru" exclaimed Paimon before recounting everything that had happened during that period, and the fact that she had been saved from her illness.

The other people listened intently, and saw logic that he might have been sad about nearly losing a friend, but thought that argument wasn't strong enough, until Paimon explained the Traveler's aggressive behavior after several samsaras, where he had rather directively asked Dehya to go away with her while he took advantage of the opportunity to take revenge even if only a little on the Eremites, freely venting on them and beating them up for the sole purpose of venting his frustration at having reduced Dunyarzad's chances of survival.

After listening to this part, Xiao spoke again, concluding with a hypothesis.

"This kind of thing seems rather inconceivable coming from him. This should be one of the triggers for one of the angry phases he had. Paimon, have there been more phenomena like this during your travels?"

Paimon connected the dots in her head, and even though she knew she wasn't very smart, she blamed herself for not having thought of this sort of thing more quickly. But she understood why she hadn't thought of it sooner when new tears began to fall, fewer than before, but her heart was quite sensitive.

"Paimon?" declared Nahida.

"Are you doing well ?" asked a worried Ei.

"Sorry friends, but Paimon doesn't have the strength to talk about this kind of thing yet."

"Paimon..."

Zhongli had refrained from speaking in order to determine where Xiao's reasoning was leading, and given the result, it turned out to be more or less correct. He knew that feeling, and you didn't have to be as smart as Albedo to know that she had experienced grief. He was familiar with this feeling, his soulmate had left a long time ago, and when he looked at the other Archons and Xiao, they all understood what he meant.

Everyone on this table had experienced the death of someone close to them, Ei still had a little difficulty grieving the loss of her sister Makoto, Venti had succeeded, but still remembered his friend with emotion, Xiao looked down remembering his friends Yakshas while Nahida, even though she thought she hadn't lost anyone, still felt a void in her heart, as if a part of her was missing, and unfortunately for her, only one person in Teyvat still remembered Molrani Rukkadevata.

Zhongli caressed Paimon's hair, then spoke to her, trying as best he could not to further hurt her emotional stability.

"Paimon, I know it's hard for you right now. And remembering painful things isn't something that comes easily, but you know it's for your own good and that of Aether."

"Paimon knows, but... it hurts to think about it..."

"I understand your suffering, as I say, it's true that the people with whom we share memories are important to us, but to honor them, you must not show them that. I'm sure these people would like you to smile like you usually do."

"Do you really believe it, Zhongli?"

"Yes, you know I don't lie when it comes to that. Death is something inevitable for each of us, regardless of our life expectancy, so it is better to take advantage of what we have in order to make happy those who are no longer with us. And no matter where they are, they will always be in your heart."

"Morax is right, and it was you and Aether who taught me, if I hadn't managed to do that, I would still be in the Plane of Euthymia right now."

"Ei..."

"I understand your suffering Paimon, but I don't think Aether would want to see you in this state, you are the one who knows him best in Teyvat. You have to face the past if you want to face the future, and I think you are quite experienced in this area if you had helped so many people in Teyvat."

"Xiao..."

Paimon looked at her hand, before closing it, ready to make an effort to find the one she saw as her big brother. She never thought Xiao would cheer her up, but if that were possible, then she didn't see why she wouldn't make an extra effort for the Traveler, it's the least she could do.

"You're right... Paimon shouldn't let this get her down... Very well, I'll tell you what happened... Paimon just hopes that she will have the strength to say everything."

Inside the Jade Chamber, a person arrived with a facial expression very different from what one would expect to see coming from them, although she was more or less trying to hide it, out of professionalism, because even this late , there were still people working because this place hardly ever slept.

She was walking quite quickly towards the office of probably the richest person in Teyvat, Ningguang, and wanted to get in as quickly as possible so she could then see what state he was in. So she knocked on the door quite quickly, and as soon as Ningguang gave permission, she opened it without further delay, under the curious eye of the white-haired woman.

"Yelan? It's not like you to show up unexpectedly in my office."

"Sorry, but I finally found the reason why Ganyu and Keqing were in a bad state, and why they were doing less work than usual."

"And so, what is the reason?"

"I observed Keqing during her escapade at Wanmin Restaurant, and when she was chatting with Chef Xiangling, she said something quite disturbing."

"I'm listening to you."

"Aether is no longer himself, he is currently north of Liyue according to her information, fighting."

"Against who ?"

"I don't know, but apparently Keqing mentioned that Ganyu went to see him to see if he was continuing this. And this has been going on for a few days as I speak to you."

"I see, though, what do you mean by "Aether is no longer himself"?"

"I don't know more, but the way he was behaving lately wasn't normal. But I would like to know the end of this story and maybe reason it out if it ever gets too intense, so I'm asking permission to go check it out."

"Sure no problem. I mean, it seems inconceivable to me to see Aether on edge, he who usually has a fairly serene face. But in case what Keqing is true, be careful, you know as well as I that Aether is very strong."

"Understood. Good evening."

"You too, Yelan. Take care of yourself."

Yelan walked out, closing the door, while Ningguang now thought about the situation, putting her hands on her forehead as she looked at the fold of papers in front of her, feeling a sudden tiredness that had nothing to do with her work.

"Aether, just that? I can understand a break from Keqing, from Ganyu from work. But Aether, he was used to working, what could have happened to make him get there. Isn't it a good thing that I sent Yelan to check this?..."

She looked at the clock in front of her, then sighed softly, wondering again and again how to get out of what she judged to be a major crisis for Liyue, but for all the nations he had visited. Plus, on a personal level, she really worried about him, and she had developed a deep respect for him, even though he had given everything to save a country he was a stranger to, while he just wanted to find his sister , and all he asked in return was to put up wanted posters. She had appreciated this maturity and humility in him, and after knowing him, she was happy to have a friend like him, and she wanted to ensure that his trust was not in vain.

She hesitated a little, before sending a letter to her peers coming from Mondstadt, Inazuma and Sumeru, countries that the Traveler had visited and saved, to warn them in case Aether passed through these regions and to gather common ideas in which concerns the current crisis management, because if the Fatui learned that Aether was in this state, they would surely take advantage of it.

In the Aozang Mountains, Aether always fought fiercely against every form of living being he could: Slimes, Hilichurls, Fungus, Treasures Hoarders, Fatui, and more... Nothing escaped him, and he was very bloody in his punches, his muscles being very tense, but he felt almost no fatigue, because he had enough adrenaline in his body, coupled with the fact that his endurance is already quite high.

His Dull Blade was stained with blood and elemental energy, but it was the least of his problems. Same with his clothes, all he wanted was to let off steam as much as he could. He killed primitive life forms without scruple, but, and this was new, he had no qualms about killing human beings like the Fatui, and the latter were not aware, because Aether always left them alone. that they can no longer fight, but still alive.

Right now, he was grabbing a Fatui Pyro Agent by the neck, and at that moment, he felt true terror. The Traveler's freezing cold eyes, the pressure on his enemy's neck, and the face full of anger and hatred was more than enough to make the agent piss on him and run away at full speed. But he couldn't, Aether was far too strong, and he desperately begged for mercy.

"Please, Great Traveler, have the mercy to let me live. I beg you, if you let me, I promise to stop being a Fatui and do only good. I don't want to end up like my team !"

Those kinds of phrases were everything Aether hated right now, and he let him know.

" "Really ?"

"Yes, I beg you!"

"You are all the same..."

"What ?"

"I've crossed four f*cking countries, and every time it's the same thing, just lies. You've all exhausted my patience... I'm fed up, they repent for two seconds then they continue their bullsh*t, asking me for help again and again. Do you want my pity? Another person who wants something from me, but when I want something, just little clues about my sister, THERE'S NO ONE ANYMORE!"

"Please wait... "

But it was already too late, Aether had already planted his blade in the heart of the individual, before throwing him to the ground like an old rag. Agent Fatui succumbed to the blow and died, before the icy eyes of the Traveler, who looked at him one last time before releasing a final sentence:

"All bastards, can't wait for me to find Lumine and get out of here... I understand what you meant little sister, by "disappointment", fortunately there are still people in whom I have confidence like Paimon or Nahida, otherwise I don't know what I would have done..."

Aether didn't bother to respect anything in his path, crushing the Fatui's head with his foot, his boot now stained with blood, before continuing on his way until he grew tired of fighting. It was his only way to relieve himself for a while, ever since that day when he had mentally broken down, leaving a trail of blood and corpses behind him.

He thought about it as if it had happened a few minutes ago, and even though he blamed himself for leaving Paimon, he was relieved that he hadn't brought her back with him, because she wouldn't have tolerated the massacre he made in his path.

"Sorry Paimon for leaving you there, but for now, it's better to continue like this..."

Two weeks ago

Aether and Paimon were in Sumeru City, and after some grueling desert quests, they were both mentally exhausted and tiring, wanting only one thing, to take the reward so they could rest for good.

The last few weeks were busy for the two companions, and Aether felt his patience reaching its limits. His nerves had been put to the test in his escort and protection missions, not to mention the explorations in the coffins of the desert which no longer had any meaning for him, mixed with the torrid heat and the disastrous environmental conditions.

He knew he needed to hold on because he knew that being courteous and polite was always beneficial in order to have even snippets of information regarding Kharenia'ah or his sister. He knew he wasn't going to count on Dainsleif for anything, he already found the guy quite annoying and the fact that he mysteriously disappeared before reappearing was enough to understand that he wasn't going to expect anything from him.

After Katheryne wished him good night and gave him the reward, he looked for a place to eat with Paimon, when he saw the tavern not far from the reception. When he entered, he was greeted by the customers like a hero with exclamations and impressed faces because he was still the hero of Sumeru and the First Sage of Buer.

However, these faces were nothing but hypocrisy in the Traveler's eyes, his bright golden eyes no longer had any glow and were replaced by a bland yellow. All he wanted was to eat and then return to his teapot to sleep and have a good night's sleep.

He sat down then ordered some dishes for himself and the little fairy who, despite being exhausted, was quickly refreshed by the sight of all these dishes. Sometimes, Aether envied Paimon, seeing her eat without worrying about problems, as if feeding would make all the evils escape.

Aether tried to concentrate on his plate, but he still had difficulty and it got worse after a few minutes, when a customer wanted to take advantage of the fact that the Traveler was in the restaurant to ask him for help.

When he approached him, the footsteps echoing on the ground, the person in no way expected what was going to happen, not even Paimon or anyone for that matter. He began to speak:

"Good evening, Mr. Traveler... I'm sorry to interrupt your meal but I would like to ask you a question..."

Aether stared at him with a dark look and said nothing, while Paimon saw him with a face she had seen before on very rare occasions, and was apprehensive about the situation while trusting her best friend to know how to manage his calm. The person, who was apparently a merchant, continued speaking, with some apprehension when he saw the blond man's calm and unsettling face, not knowing what to expect.

"I am the owner of a clothing store in Sumeru City and I am looking for someone qualified enough to send several boxes containing luxury clothes for a wedding which is on the other side of the wall of Samiel, in the desert. However, rumors are circulating that the Eremites could carry out an ambush and take advantage of the cargo to steal it and resell it at a higher price in other countries."

"What does that have to do with me?"

"Well... I was wondering if you could get this back to its destination safely. Of course I would give you a substantial monetary remuneration for your work..."

"No."

"What ? I assure you that you will be well paid and..."

"I SAID NO !"

It was the straw that broke the camel's back. When the Traveler shouted right in the restaurant while overturning the table on which the dishes he had ordered were placed, everyone turned their heads towards him, whether it was the customers, the cooks, Paimon or the waiters. Aether stood up suddenly, his fists clenched, his muscles tense and with a look that clearly showed that you shouldn't mess with him because he could send you to the hospital like ten feet under if he was really angry.

"It's the same thing all the time... Why do I keep doing this? You are all the same..."

"Aether, please calm down..."

"Paimon, sorry but I'm tired of it! It's the same story every time! You !"

"Me ?"

"Yes, it's you I'm talking to! Do you think that because you pay me well that I will accept? Since I arrived in Sumeru, no since Mondstadt, every time I pass by someone, they ask me for help. At first it was okay, but because I saved four countries, does that give you the right to say that I'm tireless and can make everything you want come true? !"

"I..."

"Shut up ! Listen to me carefully, and this goes for everyone in this room! I'm exhausted, I've just completed around thirty annoying and tedious quests in a row, so leave me alone!"

Aether looked around, then continued his monologue again, careful to make sure everyone listened intently to what he said.

"Everyone says: Hey Traveler! You can help me!, Hello Traveler, only you can achieve this, you will be paid properly! You can do this, you can do that... But no one says to themselves: How are you Traveler? Not too tired ? Rest for a moment, you look exhausted! There's no one left there, you bastards! I'm fed up, go to hell once and for all, you hypocrites, you were cheering for me not even a few minutes ago for the sole purpose of being at your service. Keep your pathetic money to yourself, and think about your actions, you idiots!"

Aether strode determinedly out of the restaurant, hitting the door so hard that he broke it, in front of everyone, including Paimon who was so shocked by what had just happened that she didn't bother to tell herself that she had to find him.

"Aether is seriously angry, Paimon doesn't see this as a good omen..."

As for the merchant, he remained standing there, still stunned, in the same way that the whole audience, who would never have thought that their hero could have been in this state, is generally so calm, and everyone started to feel guilt for having participated in the mental disorder of the First Sage of Buer.

A few minutes later, Paimon grew more and more worried when she saw that he did not return, and when she asked the passers-by in the town, the answer was the same, that he had not seen him . She was in extreme panic, finding herself once again without her big brother, reminding her of the scenarios of samsara, and she under no circ*mstances wanted to relive the same thing a second time.

All night long, she had searched non-stop, without having slept a single second, and had even checked to see if he had gone into the teapot to go to bed, but in vain, he was nowhere to be found. Helpless to the situation, she understood that the Traveler had reached a point of no return, and in a sense, she understood that, but she had never asked too many questions. Now what happened happened, and only one thought was in her mind at that moment: contact Nahida, since she was either in the Surasthana Sanctuary or the Academy at that time, it was easier to navigate. She really hoped that Aether was okay and that she would find him as soon as possible...

Chapter 3

Chapter Text

Later in the night, while the discussion progressed more or less gradually, with Paimon who despite the pain, gave information on the past adventures during their travels, the death of Teppei and the Traveler's brothers in arms in the Watatsumi's resistance, the escapades which ended with a farewell during their meeting with Kazari in Narukami, then Ruu in Tsurumi, without forgetting their passage to the Chasm where they still have not heard from Zhiquiong, before ending on the loss of Arama in Old Varanara, and Jebrael, Jeht's father, who sacrificed himself in the desert so that they could escape safely from the labyrinth that was the mausoleum of King Deshret or from the fact that they still haven't heard from Arana and Rana, who left to explore regions other than the Sumeru forest.

Everyone on this table did not expect to hear so many people missing or dead before their eyes, helplessly witnessing all these events.

Ei didn't know what to say other than the word "sorry", deeply moved by the trauma she created for them in Inazuma, wondering if she had truly deserved to be saved by him and to be considered like a friend by him. She felt so guilty for not being able to give her more assistance, and was even more angry with Yae, who knew social relations well compared to a recluse like her, for not telling her anything about it.

As for Xiao, he blamed himself for wanting to sacrifice himself to the Chasm, and was grateful that Zhongli had once again saved him because he now thought about what would have happened if he had died. Perhaps another Traveler's acquaintance died would have made things worse, and his death would also have a detrimental effect on Liyue's fate, because he was like a guardian for this land.

Zhongli, Venti and Nahida couldn't do much except listen to the little fairy talk about the deceased not without emotions, understanding that Aether could also be affected in this way, the only problem was that he had been very good at handling emotions until recently. Moreover, the Anemo Archon was really touched by these declarations, and spoke:

"If I had known everything that had happened, I would have taken my role as Archon more to heart. And I feel like I betrayed him as a friend."

"Me too Barbatos, me too…" replied Zhongli, who was in the same state.

"However, it is not too late. With all that information we have, we are able to take stock and understand the reason why Aether broke, and it is both due to the losses on his journey, which has affected the emotional level, mixed with the constant enemies he must face and the length of the journey which makes him feel like he has found more questions than answers." said Nahida, trying to motivate the troops.

"I think Lord Kusanali said it all, it's true that we tend to forget that Aether hardly ever rests. But let's not try to contact him right away, because right now his instability is too strong." suggested Xiao.

"So when?" added the Dendro Archon.

"In my opinion, it is easier to talk with him after a period of a few days, so that the energy dissipated by his rage diminishes and he can even come to his senses. We are lucky that he did not choose the side of evil and that he doesn't want a vendetta regarding what Teyvat did to him."

"I understand, indeed, it seems logical to me."

When Nahida finished her conversation, she saw Ei slumped on the table, looking at Paimon who had dozed off, exhausted from the tears she shed, her emotions being strained. The Electro Archon had said almost nothing and even though Zhongli and Venti listened to Nahida's assumptions, she felt drained, emotionally exhausted, guilt gnawing at her.

"Ei, how are you? You seem depressed for a few minutes!"

"It's nothing Nahida... It's just that it's partly my fault... If I hadn't closed the borders of my country, a lot of things could have been avoided. " she said, running her hands under her hair, frustrated at having contributed nothing except the mental disorder of the man who had introduced her to the new Inazuma.

"Ei, I can tell you that it's not your fault, you didn't know, and you were in a bad situation. It's you who should understand better than me, after all, closing in on yourself after the grief of bereavement is something normal."

"It's not just that! Even now, what I contributed to the discussion to help Aether, ?Nothing, all of you looked for a solution while I only cried like a child whose toy has been taken away."

"Ei..."

No one knew what to say to what the Electro Sovereign had said, other than to sympathize with her, and even though Nahida was not good with words, Nahida approached to give Ei a hug, which surprised her and the others.

"Nahida?"

"I know it's not much, but if there's anything I've learned from Aether, it's that there's always a way to save a lost friend. And I know you need it."

"How ? How do you manage to be so strong?"

"I'm not..."

"Yes, Ei is right, how do you manage not to have emotions? I know it hurts you like we all do, but it's impressive..."

Venti had asked the question not without a certain tear rolling down his cheek, wondering how the youngest Archon could be so mature without shedding tears for Aether. He didn't doubt Nahida's emotions towards the situation, but her olympian calm impressed him, and even for someone like her, not losing her composure was a feat.

"It wouldn't do any good to cry. I'm afraid too, just like you, Barbatos. But now is not the time, and Xiao understood the same thing."

"But it's not the same thing, Xiao is devoid of emotions!"

"This is absolutely false."

Everyone turned to Xiao to see him trembling, and he was looking straight at them all, displaying a face that only Zhongli had ever seen, and it looked almost identical to the moment he saw the other Yakshas disappear before his eyes.

"To say that I am calm is one thing. But to say that I'm not worried about Aether is absolutely false, and I hope you remember this, Barbatos. Aether has helped me reconnect with humans in ways I thought impossible, and even if it's small, I thank it for it. He saved Liyue twice when he was under no obligation to do so, out of pure altruism. So I have deep respect for him and it also annoys me to see him in this state without doing anything about it. Don't you dare say otherwise."

Venti looked at Xiao with surprise, like everyone around him, and he understood that Xiao had changed too, for the better. As for Zhongli, he smiled sincerely and replied:

"I see that you are no longer the same as before..."

"Morax..."

"It's only an observation, but I'm happy for you... After all, we're all in the same mess, so why get upset over trifles."

"You're right... Sorry Xiao... I didn't mean to insult you, but I admit that this situation is beyond me..." apologized Barbatos.

"It doesn't matter, I showed my point of view and everything was resolved."

"Thanks. And sorry to you, Kusanali."

"No problem. I think everyone is exhausted by all this information and surprises, and that's normal. I suggest we meet again tomorrow. Besides, Paimon is exhausted and has been sleeping for a while."

"You're right. It is better to continue when you are rested."

The four Archons and the Yaksha separated, Xiao leaving to continue his nocturnal escapades while reflecting on the new information brought by everyone, while Nahida and Ei took a room for two at the inn, bringing Paimon with them. As for Venti and Zhongli, they returned to Liyue, not without a certain sadness at having learned of all these events.

Before she could sleep, Nahida comforted Ei one last time:

"Nahida, do you really think everything will get better?"

"Yes, I am sure of it. Aether never let us down, now it's our turn to help him."

"You are probably right."

"And one last thing. Don't think you're useless. You have the desire to help Aether anchored in you, and he never blamed you because you were leading your country badly at the time. So don't think the worst, and don't worry, like Paimon says, tomorrow is another day..."

"It's true. Nahida, you may be the youngest, but you are the best among us..."

"Don't say that, you all have your qualities."

"But if there's one thing I envy about you, it's your maturity and your way of handling the situation."

"As I told Barbatos, I prefer to think before letting my emotions take over. But I'm also worried about him."

"I know that well, in any case thank you for comforting me, I needed it."

"You're welcome, Ei. And good night."

"Good night to you too." Ei said to Nahida before sleeping, hoping that everything would be better the next day.

Not far from the Aozang Mountains, a woman with short royal blue hair, equipped with Hydro vision, had done her best to get to this place as quickly as possible, after having learned through the rest of the conversation that Keqing was having with Xiangling that the Traveler was more precisely at this location. When she arrived more or less at the observed location, she could see, even at a certain distance, high effusion of energy, and she understood that he was not holding back.

It wasn't far from where she was but when she got a little closer, she saw the colossal damage caused by the blond-haired man.

"It's not possible... It's not him who could have carried out this massacre..."

She saw as far as the eye could see the corpses of Geovishap, Hilichurl, Lawachurl, Fatui, Treasures Hoarders, as well as Ruin Guardians in pieces and minimal remains of slimes. Everything had been decimated down to the last trace, as if it were a genocide. Even the Whopperflowers the Fungus had not been spared.

A path of blood had been created, a red now darkening with time, and Yelan had not expected so much of an explosion from the hero of Liyue, but it terrified her. She truly feared his reaction when she was going to speak to him and Ningguang was right to have warned him, but it was too late to back down. Yelan moved forward along the bloody path, hoping to find Aether at a time when it was calmer.

Toward Cloud Reitainer's home, Ganyu and Shenhe were still watching in which direction their friend was going to go, and even though they had been standing like watchtowers for more than three hours, and they didn't know what to do, they needed to see him, as if to tell themselves that he could have protection.

They were surprised when they saw a woman dressed in blue heading in their direction, and Ganyu recognized her directly.

"Miss Yelan? What is she doing here?"

"Is this someone you know?"

"Yes, she's a colleague and a friend, but don't tell me that Ningguang told her to go find Aether?"

"Do you want to intervene?"

"I would like to, but it would be imprudent. Besides, Yelan is on a mission, and you can try, but it's impossible to stop her from achieving her goal. All we can do is hope that Aether will be calmer when he sees someone he knows well."

Ganyu wholeheartedly hoped that Yelan would find a solution, and prayed to Rex Lapis for it, and meanwhile, Yelan got closer and closer to her target, She wanted to understand why Aether was like this, her eyes reflected the worry, far from her usual seductive and smirking smile. As she continued on her way, she wondered how this man destroyed everything in his path.

She now saw him in the distance, killing yet another enemy without any hesitation, crushing his already lifeless body, as if to show that he was definitely dead and that he would no longer have a chance in the afterlife. The blows were sharp, and Aether was completely stained with blood, not to mention sweat and his hair disheveled. She knew better than to lose her cool and run to warn him, so she opted for a calmer approach, as she usually did with criminals, except this time, the goal being to be courteous to him. The slightest hiccup, and she knew that even though she was very close to him, he could give her a fatal blow in the heat of emotion.

She approached slowly but surely, and she had never been caught off guard like this anyway, well... until today.

"Oi, get out of here!"

"So you saw me..."

Yelan was surprised that Aether had noticed her presence. She remembered that the first time, he was very surprised to be followed by her. She understood that over time, his reflexes had improved, and not just a little. She came out of her hiding place and walked with her usual gait, although a little surprised when she saw the Traveler up close, seeing him in a more chaotic state than what she had seen from afar, but what he saw had noticed, it was his eyes whose glow had faded, and that was what had upset him the most.

Aether turned to face her, approaching her, then looked at her with his arms crossed, after putting down his sword, with a displeased look.

"Can you tell me what you're doing here, Yelan?"

"I could ask you the same question, Aether."

"Don't beat around the bush, you're an intelligent woman, so explain to me what you were doing just now."

"Usually it's me who asks this and who does the interrogations..."

"The tables have turned. Now answer."

Even though he was unstable, Aether was quite calm, and that was Yelan's luck. She wanted to solve his problem, not just for Liyue, but for herself, and she hoped to have answers. She understood that the best option was to respond to Aether first, and she found it legitimate, she was spying on him, so it made sense that he would be irritated by this.

"I came to see you. I heard you haven't been doing too well lately."

"I see... Did Ningguang send you?"

"Yes and no. Ningguang only gave me permission, but I was the one who asked to see you."

"You mean you came of your own free will just to check if I'm okay? Do not make me laugh..."

"Yes, it's the truth."

"What is your interest in doing this?"

"None. I come as a friend."

"Stop your nonsense, if I understood anything correctly when I came to Teyvat, it was that everyone tried to be nice to me to get something in return."

These words were a lead in the search for clues that Yelan was trying to find, she whispered to herself, as if to confirm her thoughts: "So he thinks we're just using him... Maybe I should know more by asking him..."

She immediately spoke again, questioning Aether:

"I don't want anything, I assure you. But why do you think that?"

"You know very well why, don't act stupid. Every time I go somewhere, my fame turns against me and everyone asks me for help."

"Just refuse to help."

"If it were that simple, I would have done it already, don't you think?"

"You were right. However, what does that have to do with the damage you caused? You have seen all the bloodshed you have caused. It's true that the area is cleared of monsters and that's good, but this is the first time I've seen you kill human beings. Normally, you would have just let the Fatui escape or hand them over to the authorities."

"I'm just reducing the work, anyway, whatever happens, they come back and continue their misdeeds without stopping. Might as well kill two birds with one stone."

"What are you talking about ? You would never normally think that way. They could have provided us with information if they were alive and could have guided us to the devices they would have put in place."

"See, what I said was right in the end."

"What are you talking about ?"

"You are no different from the others, Yelan. You want to use them to your advantage like this continent used me to do the dirty work."

"But it's my job and they're bad people, you're mixing everything up."

"On the contrary... Do you think that because they are bad people, you can consider them as an object? And that means that for you, people consider me bad, because they continue to use me as their lackey?"

"No, but it's just that the information they have will be used for everyone's safety, it's also in their interest if they don't want to have a bloody future and to have a reduced sentence. And then, you know very well, no one sees you as a bad person, you saved four countries, you are the hero of a very large number of people!"

"So tell me, why do they continue to be so hypocritical?"

"I ..." tried Yelan to reply, in vain, as she couldn't find an answer to his question.

"You see, you don't know anything about it. So I would give you one last piece of advice, as a "friend"…"

Aether approached Yelan, without any emotion, as she trembled when he reached her. She didn't know why, and it was the first time this had happened to her, contrasting with her usual personality. When Aether was in front of her, their faces inches apart, he looked at her deeply, as if he were going to devour her soul, then took a deep breath and placed his fingers on her chin, under the blue-haired woman's incomprehension, then he whispered authoritatively, making it clear that his advice was more of an order than anything else.

"Don't follow me anymore and mind your own business, sweetie... And don't worry, everything will be in order... If you really worry about me and don't use another one your facets, as you do during your missions. If it turns out that you continue and have lied to me about your intentions..."

Aether caressed her hair up and down, as if to tame her, which was ironic considering he was using her methods against her, and it turned out to be effective.

Once the fear was definitely created in her, he said a little sentence which indicated that he was really serious in what he was saying, and whispered in her ear very softly, the sound of his breath barely touching her, confirming his domination on her.

" ...I wouldn't be gentle with you, Yelan..."

Yelan felt the greatest thrill of her life, before seeing Aether heading north with a determined step, still with his sword in hand, while she continued to see him, sitting on the ground because her legs could no longer hold her up due to the excess of emotions and the Traveler's warning.

"Aether...Why are you doing this?...Why to me? ..."

Yelan had an overflow of emotions in her head, and couldn't really manage them properly unlike usual. She wasn't happy with the result because she made him be even more vigilant and gave a lot less information than she thought. She was both sad to have seen her friend's blank look and to see that he was doubting everyone, including those close to him, and that he was ready to threaten them to stay calm, but she noticed that she was blushing slightly, and knew there was nothing to suggest that, but she couldn't help but find the way he effortlessly dominated her, the woman who never let no one above her, especially when it came to work, quite attractive.

She felt that she had no right to think that now, and quickly pushed away her lewd thoughts, while feeling guilty for thinking such things at that very moment, and quickly thought about where Aether could have gone. Yelan knew she wasn't going to spy on him right away, he would find out the minute she started moving, but she didn't want to give up, no matter how risky it was, she had never started a mission without completing it, and she wasn't going to do it now.

Chapter 4

Chapter Text

The next day, Aether had arrived at the border between Mondstadt and Liyue. He had not slept, but his last conversation with Yelan had hurt his head a little, mixed with previous problems, it gave him more adrenaline to dissipate the energy and frustration accumulated until the end of the night, always leaving the same trail of blood in his path.

He inspired, breathing the freshness of Mondstadt's air, before exhaling when he saw in the distance the first place he had visited. He thought of Amber, the first person he had met in this world after Paimon, and felt compassion for her because she was the only one in this country who in his eyes deserved his trust.

The people in whom he had no doubts about their way of acting and whom he knew he could trust were counted with one hand. He had stopped trusting people, even his friends as he had shown with Yelan.

In the short term, all he was interested in was staying alone, to recharge his batteries, before trying as much as possible to bypass all the obstacles that could stop him to finally succeed in finding his sister and leaving Teyvat, this place that had only caused him trouble.

However, as the wind shook his hair and he stopped to look at the landscape, he thought back to Yelan's words and wondered if she had really come for him or something else. He had analysed her facial expression, and he felt that she was not lying, but knew that Yelan was an expert in the theme of changing emotions, so he let doubt prevail, because he did not want to have unpleasant surprises. According to him, he thought he was going to give her to Ningguang so that she could ask him something again, and just thinking about it made him nauseous.

Not far from the Dawn Winery, he took the opportunity to reap some fruits and made sure to put himself in a quiet place north of the mansion to prevent Diluc where his maids could see him. He knew that stealing was not something he would do as normal, but he considered it the least thing to give him two or three fruits after everything he did for Mondstadt.

He ate and then lay down under a tree thinking about everything that had happened to him in this country, and this title he had never wanted and thought he had, the "Honorary Knight". Since he received this distinction by Jean, he had only had problems, solving everyone's idiocies under the pretext that he is a hero and a noble person, and sometimes for more than stupid missions, such as watching a guy so that he does not drink or looking for a key for a airhead. And what annoyed him in all this was that they did not learn their lesson, and that they continue to repeat without thinking about the consequences.

"These morons... If only I could put an end to all this... Maybe I should have left these idiots left to their own devices, in the face of the Abyss and the Fatui... They would finally understand the value of things and people before choosing the easy solution... "

Aether hit the ground with his fist, before telling himself that he should not get angry for the moment because he wanted to sleep a little, in order to make up for the night of sleep that he did not execute. He could sleep in the teapot, but he wanted to enjoy the breeze of the country, which he had always appreciated. In addition, he had limited access to the mystical home only to himself and to Paimon after leaving for a few weeks, knowing that the little fairy might want to rest, but not bothering to go back because he did not want to see her for the moment, otherwise it could aggravate the situation according to him.

Since the time Aether had left her, Yelan had not returned to the city of Liyue, and used an unused camp in Fatui to spend the night. When she woke up around dawn, she stretched a little before continuing to establish a plan to continue her journey and be able to continue to understand why and to what extent he was able to get to this point.

She had seen him go to the north, and thought that he might have gone to Mondstadt, hoping that no one affiliated with Liyue would come and would not know where he is because the inhabitants of the land of Geo Archon do not know enough about the topography and dangers of Mondstadt. However, Yelan was an expert in this field, used to changing regions to be able to capture her target, so it did not bother her too much.

However, one point came to spoil her confidence, it may turn out that Aether had thrown her on a wrong track to mislead her, but given that it was the only information she had and that asking people was useless, because she knew that Aether was insightful and that he would make sure to go incognito, without being noticed.

At this point, she knew that she had no landmark and that Aether considered Mondstadt as her first home, and that therefore he knew the place by heart. But she did not have time to think about this and decided to take the road towards the land of freedom, assuming that he would probably not go to the city since he does not try to get noticed.

She watched the sunrise with a slightly melancholic air, hoping that Aether would avoid seeing people, she did not want it to become a public matter, for Teyvat and for her. She felt that she had to convince him right away before it was too late and he was finally sinking.

The next day, in Liyue, Ganyu returned to the office, with the same face she had left in the evening, sadness reading like an open book, while thinking about what she had seen from afar. She was happy that Yelan had nothing, but she would have liked to hear their conversation, and even if Aether was rather calm, the sight of Yelan taking the lead with both hands of frustration indicated that what she had said was useless.

Arriving in Jade Chamber, the secretaries sent her their greetings, but Ganyu did not give a single "hello", too upset by the last few days, and when she saw Keqing in front of her, she saw herself as in a mirror. The same dark circles proving that they had cried all night, their very slow way of moving, their faces closed and their constant sniffing. Even the Qixing, one of the strongest women she knew and who never let herself be let down, was in a lamentable mental state.

"Hi Keqing..."

"... Hi Ganyu... Do you have any news from Aether?..."

"I... "

The mere mention of his name was enough for Ganyu to fall back into tears, her fragile nature taking over, and Keqing hugged her in her arms to calm her down a little before bringing her office, and making her a tea, as well as to her because she knew they both needed it.

They settled on the sofa next to Keqing had in her office when she wanted to sleep or rest a little, before waiting for Ganyu to calm her spirits, while the user of the cryo element looked at her cup before speaking:

"Sorry, I can't take anymore..."

"You have the right, Ganyu... I don't blame you..."

"Thank you... As for what I saw... I saw..."

'Take your time, I know it's as difficult for you as it is for me... Especially since you have seen it, so calm down, breathe and don't worry, everything will be better... "

Keqing was trying to do her best to keep calm and be as stoic as she usually did, but she would die of wanting to know how Aether was doing, but she knew that it could abrupt Ganyu, who is emotional.

Ganyu took a sip of her tea, before breathing and starting to describe what she saw:

"Aether is no longer in the Aozang Mountains..."

"What do you mean?"

"Yesterday, Shenhe and I were watching the same thing as these last two nights."

"Was he still fighting?"

"Yes, well, fight a rather weak word... Rather, he used his enemies as a punching bag... But this time it was different, Miss Yelan came..."

"Yelan? What was she doing there?"

"I don't know, we couldn't hear it from where we were..."

"I see, continue..."

"She spoke to Aether, and they had a conversation that seemed normal to me, I mean, he didn't get upset about where I was... But then, after a few minutes, he left, and Yelan sat on the floor being a little frustrated at not having managed to talk enough with him, I think...

"In my opinion, she tried to talk with him about the reason that pushed him to change his behaviour, but not in the right way."

"No doubt... But it doesn't stop there..."

"What else..."

"Aether left without even turning around, and continuing to kill his enemies until I no longer saw."

"Where did he go?"

"He continued north, but I don't know more. All I ended up seeing was Yelan who tried to think in vain before sleeping. Besides, I found it very strange, I mean, she is more orderly in general..."

"It also upsets her, in my opinion... You know what, we won't have an answer right away if we don't do anything."

"What do you suggest to do?"

"Talking to Ningguang, in my opinion, she was the one who sent Yelan. We'll know more about why she did this."

"You're right. But she's busy."

"I don't care. Aether is experiencing a serious emotional crisis, and we stand idly by waiting for it to happen. Ningguang gives me answers whether she likes it or not. Are you coming with me? "

Ganyu hesitated for a few seconds, but her willingness to help Aether and no longer see him suffer, as well as Keqing's energy boost to discover the truth gave her enough strength to continue, because she understood to shed tears without having made any effort was useless.

"Yes, I want Aether to get better, and that's the only way we can get there."

"It's the spirit." replied Keqing with a small smile, happy that her friend can a little stop languishing and hope for the best.

The two women hurried towards the young woman's office, and without warning, Keqing opened the door without asking for permission, believing that her reason was important enough for the white-haired woman to stop working.

"Keqing? " said Ningguang, surprised to see her.

" Ningguang, you will finish what you do later, but we have a question for you. And a negative answer will not be tolerated. "

Ningguang was going to tease her once again to relax the atmosphere, but saw in the young woman's eyes a more pronounced seriousness than usual, and she really didn't laugh, so she decided not to do anything. In addition, the sight of Ganyu next to her, who was emotionally exhausted, did not help her much, and she knew that the only reason they were in front of them right now was obviously the man with blonde hair.

" It's about Aether, if I'm not mistaken?"

"Yes... Ganyu, tell him what you told me, please."

"All right... Why did you ask Miss Yelan to see Aether? "

Ningguang widened her eyes knowing that they had heard the news, and wondered how they could have known, knowing that she had asked Yelan to be discreet.

"What are you talking about? Yelan is on another mission."

"Don't play with us on this field! Ganyu saw with her own eyes Yelan at the Aozang Mountains talking with Aether, and once their conversation was over, Aether left while Yelan stood there as if she were confused."

"I see... I will explain to you. Yelan heard...that the Traveler was in a bad time and..."

"Stop, I'll stop you right away. I haven't told anyone about this except Xiangling. Only Ganyu, Shenhe and I are aware of this. How do you know about it?"

"Well... I may have asked Yelan to spy on you because you seemed bad to me to see if I could help you with your personal problems and that you are more joyful and productive, and the same goes for Ganyu..."

"What did you do?!"

"Wait, Keqing, it's for a good reason that..."

"Shut up, and now just answer my question! "

Keqing couldn't take it anymore, all this information had given her an even greater headache than she currently had, and the fact that she learned that her boss was encroaching on her private life was the straw that broke the camel's back. However, she retains her anger to have as much information as possible about why Yelan went to find the Traveller. At that time, she understood why in this kind of situation, Aether could get angry, and she sympathised with him.

Ganyu, for her part, said nothing after this news, but nevertheless thought that her purple-haired colleague, and took a rather cold look at Ningguang, very different from her sweet face and angelic smile, not having appreciated this kind of unacceptable behaviour. She knew that Keqing would be more qualified to hold accounts, so she let the electro user continue her interrogation, while the white-haired woman had chills of fear when she saw her two most competent secretaries display a deep contempt for her, contrasting with her usual nonchalance. She knew that it was necessary to respond better in the hope that all this would work out.

"All right... Yelan went to see Aether because she asked me. After listening to your conversation with Xiangling, she began to worry seriously about Aether. When she came to see me, she displayed a rather tormented expression, probably because she said she had seen you frustrated too. She voluntarily asked me to talk to Aether, and I agreed."

"You accepted while knowing that Aether is not in his normal state and that even if Yelan and he are close enough, he may not think properly and hurt her or even worse... And that this would have an impact on him indirectly?" exclaimed Keqing , irritated by the behaviour of Liyue's head of state.

" Yes, I had thought about this possibility, but what do you want me to say... Even if I had refused, I know that she would still have gone to find Aether, I might as well give her my blessing. And then, Yelan is orderly and intelligent, all the missions I give her are perfectly coordinated, so I doubt that she has not planned some solutions to get out of it."

" Even knowing this, we had to be warned... Since you knew we were aware of the situation, you could have asked Yelan to accompany her. The result is that now, by your fault and inattention, Aether is even more suspicious of people."

"You know that Yelan has a very own way of acting to get answers, and Aether probably had to think she was there because you asked her, and not because she was worried about him." added Ganyu, a tear in her eye.

"I understand, it's true that it doesn't happen to me a lot to do foolishness, but I hadn't planned all this..."

Hearing this, Keqing was bubbling with rage. It annoyed her to hear that Ningguang spoke as if she had realised a little stupidity, when in reality, it was getting worse. She had decided a radical thing, which she would never have thought once to say, while she always made sure that Liyue could enjoy a better future, and looked Ganyu eye to eye, the cryo Adeptus understanding exactly what she meant and she agreed.

" Since you put us in sh*t and you didn't respect us, I don't see why we wouldn't do the same. I'm sorry for the inhabitants of Liyue, and Ganyu too, but since it's like that, from now on, and until Aether gets better, or at least we can have answers about his behaviour change, we are abandoning our duties as secretaries of the Jade Chamber."

"What? Are you not serious?"

"Yes, and it takes effect immediately."

"No, it's a joke... Ganyu, don't tell me that you too..."

"Yes, I join Keqing on this subject. Aether is a dear person to me, and your lack of consideration for him, as well as for Miss Yelan regarding the potential danger in which you put her, or Keqing and I regarding our privacy shows that you do not care about us. So I prefer to use my time to find him. Goodbye."

"Have fun managing the rest on your own and see you soon. "

Keqing and Ganyu hit the heavy door strongly, leaving a dull noise, in front of Ningguang who barely digested what had just happened. She did not know what to say, or what to do, her two best elements were about to leave her, Yelan had not sent any news, and she felt truly alone, even more than before. She knew that Aether was important to them, and to the stability of the country, and managing the amount of work that the two women had was not going to be an easy task for them and the other secretaries.

She sighed loudly, her hands on her head, finally understanding that the situation is much more complex than she thought, it was not a vulgar crisis that Aether had, and that if all this was mismanaged, not only Aether, but also Keqing and Ganyu, and probably other people, out of love or admiration for the Hero of Liyue, could pass on the dark side and be a bigger problem than the Abyss or Fatui.

In another sense, she felt that she deserved this, what she had done did not deserve to be the head of state of this country for her, but she knew that she should not be let down. All she had to say to the other employees was that Ganyu and Keqing were taking vacation days to hide this temporary resignation, and even if getting bogged down in another lie was certainly not good for her, it was the only choice that was within her reach at the moment.

"What to do?... Aether, please, I hope everything will be better for you, and bring back Keqing and Ganyu safe and sound... "

Chapter 5

Chapter Text

At the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor a woman with a well-pronounced personality and carrying a pyro vision wondered where her consultant could be, before at this time of day, he would have already arrived, because Zhongli was a punctual man, and this worried her a little, but she laughed more than anything else.

She was walking down the street to try to see him, first at the tea room to find out if he was there, but she couldn't find anyone, so she asked a few passers-by if he had seen him and people answered negatively.

After about three quarters of an hour, she ventured to the outskirts of the city, seeing in the distance the "old" man talking with three people, including the bard she had last seen during the Lantern Rite, with whom she shared some poems, but also with two other people. A woman with purple hair and clothes from Inazuma and she could not prevent her from being jealous at the sight of her prominent assets, as well as a little girl with white and green hair.

"This is undoubtedly Zhongli's acquaintances… But I don't understand what takes him so long... If we were going to have a little fun... A small joke doesn't kill anyone, and if so, I would offer them good burials and a half-price coffin... He he... "

Hu Tao was approaching them, enough to be able to listen to the conversation and surprise at the right time, but not too much so that she could not be spotted by Zhongli, because he was used to her silly but endearing jokes.

"Perfect, let's see what they're talking about... "

She saw the four people with a rather sad and concentrated face, as if there was a dead person or something like that, but did not pay too much attention to it and focussed on their dialogue:

"How are we going to find him?" asked the bard with an fake Anemo vision.

"That's a good question. According to Xiao, he was at Aozang Mountains, but that was yesterday. In my opinion, he has been gone for a long time." said the funeral director.

"I don't know, but we can always check, it's not like we don't have something to lose." replied the little white-haired girl.

"It's true what Nahida says. All I want is to find Aether and tell him how sorry I am." exclaimed the Inazuman purple-haired woman.

In the bushes, Hu Tao spoke to herself, as if to confirm what Ei said:

"They're looking for Aether, it must be his other friends, probably. But why does this woman want to apologise? And why are they looking for him?"

The conversation continued, even if the Electro Archon once again had a sad look:

"You have nothing to do with it, Ei, we have already told you several times."

"I know, Nahida, but I can't remove this guilt as if nothing had happened."

"Well, it's true that it's not easy. I think I myself feel remorse for him."

"You too, Zhongli? " asked Venti, who had been warned by the Geo Archon, as well as the other deities that when they were in town, they should not be called by their Archon name.

"Yes, indeed, I would have liked to give him more information about his sister, but the contracts prevent me from it."

"I understand. I too didn't help him much, and it grieves me a lot. And now, our friend is in bad sheets. I can't believe that the strongest of us is the one who cracked under pressure, and it hurts me terribly. "

Hu Tao asked herself a lot of questions, "How could Zhongli help Aether find his sister? ", "What's the problem for them all to be sad? ", and above all she wondered why Aether would be in danger. If there was someone she didn't think she would worry about one day, it was the Traveler.

"I had noticed it in Sumeru, and I didn't want to know more because I found it too intrusive to read his thoughts and that I respected his privacy, but I didn't do anything. After all that he has done for all of us, he does not deserve to have lost any form of tolerance and to push himself to live as a hermit until he finds his sister. It is our fault if Aether is unbalanced for the moment and it is up to us to do everything to make him feel better."

"You're right, there's no point in languishing. Let's get Paimon and go to the Aozang Mountains to see what's going on." declared Zhongli.

"Good. By the way, where is Paimon?"

"She eats at the Wanmin restaurant, I told her to regain strength. The poor girl was so sad that I wanted her to get better. "

Hu Tao did not really understand what was happening, and why Paimon was with them and to a certain extent, why the little fairy travelled alone, while she always accompanied the Traveler. She felt something wrong and Nahida's words had not reassured her when she talked about mental disorder. She thought it was a temporary crisis at first, but given their words, they turned out that it was much more than that, and she went to follow them to their destination. Anyway, she wanted to know more about Aether's condition, and Zhongli had decided not to work all day, so it was the most profitable option for her.

After recovering Paimon and going north of Liyue, which took a long time, about the end of the afternoon, when the sky began to project orange clearings that they arrived at the right place. The road was quite silent, because everyone was thinking about all these events and everything Paimon had told the night before. As for Hu Tao, she was always careful not to get caught, and managed rather well not to be noticed, even if the fact that the Archons and Paimon were not in the best of their emotional condition helped the brunette woman a lot not to be spotted.

Arriving at their destination, they were all quite stunned by the inventory, in the same way as Yelan the night before. Zhongli had a clenched fist, seeing his land being a mortified place, the blood was widely present on the ground, even if it had dried. He understood, along with the others, that he had not gone there with a dead hand and that the blonde man was very angry.

He could not stand to see one of the quietest places in his nation undergo such a change of scenery, but he was more angry than anyone for not having made enough effort to help him. As for the other Archons and the little fairy, said nothing except sounds of astonishment and amazement in front of this carnage.

Even hidden, Hu Tao made no exception, and did not believe what had happened. She wondered what kind of monster could destroy everything in her path and who could stop her. From her point of view, she saw the bodies in small pieces and in a bad condition, and very little difference could be made. She knew that there were monsters among those killed, but she saw humans, and even if she knew that there were bad people in the area, she didn't think it was so bloody. In a way, she felt sorry for them and wanted to offer them a decent burial.

The Archons and Paimon approached the corpses to check the condition more precisely, wishing that Aether was not the one who was so violent. They saw on a decimated body a Fatui badge, signalling that this person was human, as well as an opening at the heart that corresponded more or less to that of a sword, which confirmed their suspicions. They did not expect the Traveler to be able to kill shamelessly.

"So it's him... Xiao was not lying..." whispered Nahida, stunned by the damage the Traveler had caused.

"It's much more serious than we thought. Aether is really in a very unstable state... To think that he could kill in this way... " added Venti, equally dumbfounded.

Hu Tao made a small exclamation of astonishment that made Nahida feel her ears vibrate, but thought it was only wind. She had almost blew her cover, but quickly pulled herself together and sighed with relief before being surprised again at the person who had committed all this. She whispered to herself, as if it were something impossible and that she did not believe it, with a nervous laugh:

"It is not possible that Aether did this... They're talking nonsense... Aether only kills monsters, and then it's not his fighting style... "

She was afraid to understand what was happening, but the discoveries about her friend will be fatal to her, the conversation between the five people in front of her being the reason for her stupor.

"I don't know what to think... It's beyond me..." exclaimed Ei, at a loss for words.

"Paimon doesn't feel well in this place... Paimon didn't think Aether was so mad... If only Paimon had left with him instead of continuing to eat thinking that he would come back..."

"There is no point in languishing now, if we do nothing it could be worse." said Nahida while trying not to focus on the disastrous environment.

"What do you mean by that, Nahida?" asked Venti.

"First of all, Aether can no longer stand anything at the moment, and the more we leave him in autonomy, the more he will have a distrust of everyone, which will make any discussion with him quite difficult. In addition, look at what he has done on a single region, in my opinion the level of danger has dropped drastically, but also the number of living beings, which makes this region quite deserted. I know that some monsters are beneficial to eliminate, but avoiding destroying the ecosystem is important to preserve the country's resources. And seen at the speed at which he left, he could well do this on all nations. But that's not what worries me because biodiversity could adapt to this change."

"And what, in your opinion, is the major problem?"

"Well, Aether is in a state that is actually very normal compared to all the information we have, but the problem is related to the power and strength it has, as well as its popularity. If everyone learned that the great hero who saved four nations is beginning to hate the people of this world and want to go in the wrong direction, it is very likely that many people will join him out of admiration for him and because he is very strong."

"You say this as if he was going to be a villain or something like that."

"That's exactly where I want to go, Venti. Why wouldn't he go to the dark side? He would have every reason to be there. He is strong enough to manage on his own, he is starting to have more than enough of where he is, he is mentally exhausted with all the adventures he has had and his sister is literally in the enemy camp. He could just as well join his sister, because after all that's his goal. The reason he didn't go is because he wanted to put her back on the right track. And without taking this parameter into account, he could be like a lone wolf and take advantage of this to create something worse."

"Don't you think you're going a little too far? I know that you are very intelligent and that thinking rationally is your trademark, but it makes a little too many dangerous outcomes."

"No, for the good reason that we must prepare for all eventualities. I know that the last options are hard to believe, especially when we talk about Aether but creating this kind of massacre clearly shows proof that he must be saved from himself and his bad vision of things as soon as possible. It's our fault, and we must fix it while there is still time."

"ENOUGH! "

Zhongli, Venti, Paimon and Nahida turned to the person who shouted this, and it was Ei. She could not stand to hear all these bad ideas that Aether could take a bad inclination. She knew that she could act childishly sometimes, but it really hurt her head. Even Hu Tao, behind the trees and bushes, was surprised by this radical change in behavior, when she was just as upset to learn that Aether was not doing very well in a way that could cause Teyvat to be in a bad position.

The Electro Archon saw everyone's eyes focussed on her, and she felt that she had attracted attention, but continued to scream, as a tear escaped from her right eye to flow on her cheek and she was still angry:

"You talk about Aether, you know! You have forgotten everything he has done for you! At this time, if he were not there, you would all be in great danger, as well as your respective countries, and I am knowledgable, because he also helped me! And there, you treat him as if he were a bad person, or an enemy who wants to harm the inhabitant of Teyvat! I would understand, in his place, that we talk about him in this way, and that he does unsavory things! "

She calmed down a little when she saw the darkened faces of her friends, who understood that they had made a mistake in judging him this way, but continued what she meant.

"Listen, I know it's hard and I understand that you were thinking about everything that could happen. But from Aether we are talking about, he had nothing to gain by helping everyone, but he was still helping. He is the most altruistic person I know, and you know it as well as I do, and he has always taken care of everyone, even though he knew himself that he was not mentally well. All this, to look for his sister, when we couldn't even give her information, and you're telling me that this same person would take control of the continent or something like that! Look you in the face, you don't even believe it too... "

Raiden Ei was not the kind of person to give speeches, or even defend someone, but she could not hear people defile the name of the one who freed her from his chains and made her see a new vision of eternity less narrow than before. But an unexpected noise distracts their minds for a moment.

"Yes, she's right!"

"Eh... Hu Tao?" declared Zhongli, surprised to see his boss here.

Hu Tao had started to discover, unable to bear to hear all this anymore. At first, she thought it was a joke and that she had probably been noticed, but she understood very quickly and by their darkened expressions that what he said about the Traveler from nowhere was true. The more explanations were, the more her heart hurt, and the accusations mixed with Ei's enthusiasm to defend the one she considered a great friend was more than necessary to trigger lively emotions in the 77th director of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, while she had a sad face.

"This woman is right, why are you talking about him this way? Aether would never do anything wrong! I have no idea what's going on, but I'm sure one thing is that it's going wrong. And I will do everything to help her no matter what happens...", she says before sobbing softly, contrasting with her joviality."

"Director Hu Tao..." replied Zhongli, who no longer cared about how she had arrived.

"How could you have thought for a second that he could do this kind of thing, Zhongli..."

"We were thinking... We didn't mean that..."

"So why did you say that? she said while she pointing at Nahida, who apologized deeply.

"-I was just looking for a direct consequence to who could happen. But this is an idea he could have had as a last resort, I know that Aether would not do that, after all this time spent with him."

"If you were really close to him, wherever you really cared about him, you would know that even if he were angry, he would never have thought of something like that."

Nahida felt sorry and hurt, and the thing that hurt her the most was what she said. Venti and Ei had already made the remark to her before, and she felt something in her heart that she did not appreciate at all. This sentence that had been constantly repeated to her, that she was too rational and that she said things as if she had no affiliation or friendly relationship with Aether, when it was totally false. She considered Aether as her big brother, who had shown him how social relationships and human society work, who had helped him more than once, who had shown him the value of life by avoiding sacrificing herself, and he really appreciated her company. She had kept this to herself, but like Ei before, and like Venti the day before, she cracked under pressure, no longer tolerable being mocked at the way she saw Aether.

While remaining more or less calm, she took a serious look, looking Hu Tao in the eyes, and even if she began to cry, she clarified things:

"You're wrong... And you are all wrong... I try as much as I can to stay marble because crying would be useless at this moment, and I didn't want to waste time finding it. I understand that as a friend of Aether, you care about him, but please stop saying that I don't care about him. "

Nahida put her hand on her heart, trying to control her emotions, and continued:

"I'm just as sad as you, and just thinking about what I said, it disturbs me... I know he has a very meagre chance that he will end this way, but I can't rule out any option... If I try to think about everything that can happen, it's also because I don't want to think about all the suffering he accumulates, I want to save him as he saved me, and I don't do that just because I have debts to him, it's also because he's my friend... No, he's a big brother to me, he taught me so much, and above all, he taught me after all these years to smile and enjoy life... "

Tears appeared on Dendro Archon's face, and Hu Tao gradually understood that she was not lying, and she felt guilty for accusing and insulting someone she did not know and who she had spied on.

"I want him to smile again, he is a prisoner of all the bad energy and bad thoughts he has stored for all this time and I blame myself for having seen this and for not having been able to do anything to help him... So, please, don't add me more burdens please... After all, we are all in the same camp, we all want only one thing, to save our friend. "

Nahida tried as best she could to wipe her tears, as Hu Tao approached her, and bowed to her, feeling guilty and seeing that the situation was much more serious than she thought.

"I don't know your name, but I'm sincerely sorry I made you cry, I didn't know."

"Nahida..."

"What?"

"Call me Nahida..."

"So, sorry Nahida, I didn't want to torment you, it's just that learning that something serious happened to Aether upset me."

"It doesn't matter..."

"We too are sorry. "

Hu Tao and Nahida turned towards the other three Archons and Paimon. The other four people looked guilty for cracking the most competent person in their group. Venti spoke first, because he knew that his accusation of the previous night had marked him.

"Listen, it's true that what I said yesterday was not nice, but the truth is that I admired your tenacity against the pressure. And I was ashamed not to have contributed too much while you were making the most effort to understand what he was going through."

"It doesn't matter Venti, I know it wasn't for a bad purpose, and that it's the normal reaction to do, but all I wanted was to move forward as quickly as possible. But Ei was right, thinking about bad things will be useless except to scare us, and it's Aether that we're talking about."

"You're probably right. In any case, if we manage to do anything for him, and get him out of the wrong slope, I would stop drinking except at parties."

"Paimon would like to see this, tone deaf bard! I warn you, Paimon will tell all Mondstadt once we have saved Aether."

"No problem Paimon, I want to fulfill my promise. After all, it was also because of my inability to stop drinking instead of helping him that we arrived at this point. And I only want one thing now, to help him as he helped my country." he said with a sincere tone, really thinking what he says, which impressed Zhongli and Paimon.

"In any case, I would like to help you." asked Hu Tao, surprising Zhongli, not wanting her to get hurt if things didn't go according to plan.

"Director, what we are going to do is not easy. Are you sure of that?"

"Zhongli, you know the answer very well... Aether is a very good friend of mine and I want him to get better too. And I want to do something, not just stand idly by while waiting for you." she replied seriously, Zhongli seeing her boss's determination, while knowing the feelings she had towards the Traveler, and half-smiling.

"I was expecting this answer. Don't you mind if she accompanies us?"

"No problem for Paimon, the more we are, the more we laugh."

"This is not a problem for me." answered Venti.

"To me too." said Ei.

"Nice to meet you. " replied Nahida, delighted to meet a new acquaintance.

Hu Tao smiled at everyone's acceptance and her joyful look returned to the centre of the stage. She wiped the last traces of her tears before thanking them, and they had all seen how much she wanted to show her interest in saving the Traveler.

"Thank you all, and sorry for spying on you. I introduce myself since I did not, Hu Tao, 77th Director of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor and boss of your friend Zhongli, as well as great friend of Aether as well as poet, rapper and jokester in my spare time. Nice to meet you. "

She tease her tongue and made a false military salute with her hand, showing how eccentric she was. The others were a little surprised by this rather strong personality, while Paimon and Zhongli looked at each other from the corner of their eyes with the same thought in their heads: "We will not change Hu Tao, and so much the better. "

This is how the research group grew, while the quest to find it was still dangerous, but with an extra ally, maybe it would be better.

Chapter 6

Chapter Text

Shortly after a well-deserved nap for the Honorary Knight, he stretched out looking if he had not left something that would show his coming, before going as far as possible from Diluc's vineyards.

Contrary to what everyone thought, he was not going to wander aimlessly to the edges of Mondstadt, and left for Stormterror's Lair, simply because he knew that it would be the place where he would find the least number of people to prevent him from doing anything.

Indeed, the fact that no one like Yelan had found her so quickly and easily had indicated for him that he had lowered his guard, but it was not as if the bloodshed he was doing were indistinguishable, on the contrary. However, the fact that he fought all this time had been a kind of training for him, adapting even more easily to the powers he had, and he adapted another strategy from that.

He said to himself that instead of going to each country, while taking the risk of being treated dishonestly or hypocritically, even worse like a criminal like in Inazuma or Liyue, he decided to take a shorter but more dangerous route. He knew that with everything he encountered, and with the wobbly answers of the Archons, he had resolved to be cursed to explore all the regions. So he chose to move north to get directly to Fontaine, resonate with the first statue of the Seven he sees to get the Hydro element, take some supplies in the nearest city to continue his journey until he arrives in Shneznaya, and do the same to unlock the Cryo element. He took the risk of not making the detour to Natlan and not using the Pyro element, thinking that six out of seven elements could be enough.

He would get to Tsaritsa as quickly as possible, beat her with all the experience he has accumulated, and she would give him answers because he knew that the Cryo Archon could have everything he wanted according to the other Archons and the information he had collected, either by threatening the Fatui or by doing research.

The news that he could go it alone could be a kind of boulevard for the Harbingers, but he would take the risk to attract them to him and kick their ass, because he also had a personal resentment towards the people who had taken from him the few people he considered his friends or good people.

He will take the time it takes, but he wants to disappear from radars at all costs in order to avoid being involved in problems that do not concern him, even if it was difficult given his popularity, and he strongly hoped that his sister would understand why he had shortened his trip.

As he walked, he wanted to avoid thinking about his conversation with the blue-haired woman, whom he considered had been used by Ningguang, but the young woman's slightly sad face disturbed him even a little. He was tapping his cheeks as if to try to forget her sad face, which he thought was false, and focussed again totally on the starting mission, finding his sister, this time with no obstacle that blocked his way.

However, he had spoken far too quickly because a person he did not expect to see here arrived in front of him, a gust of wind and a dark greenish aura that was recognizable stopped in front of the Traveler, holding his spear firmly, beckoning to stop, in front of Aether's wide eyes before taking back his cold and dark look.

"Xiao? What are you doing in Mondstadt? Shouldn't you take care of what's happening in Liyue?

"Indeed, but let's say I found your trace, it wasn't very complicated."

Xiao, after his conversation with the Archons and Paimon, had decided to work alone to find Aether and try to get it to him, because the way of he sees things was similar to him before he could socialise even a little. It was an opportunity to redeem it for him and fortunately the traces of blood followed the route very easily to the border. Arrived in Mondstadt, there were much fewer monsters, hence the end of the bloody path, but he understood that Aether was not very far given the time of day, taking the option that he could try to rest.

Aether clenched his teeth, believing that he had no reason to be followed by Xiao. It wasn't a person who didn't care about him, but it wasn't in his temperament to do this kind of thing.

"You too came to tell me the same thing, I bet? "

Xiao was surprised by the turn of his sentence, implying that someone had already blocked his way before.

"Why are you saying "you too"?"

"You're not the first to stop me from continuing my journey. Yelan tried, but I told her to leave."

"Yelan?"

"Are you surprised too? Don't worry, nothing happened to her, but I guess you too don't understand her motivations."

"It's true, however, if she came to see you, it's to tell you to stop this inappropriate behavior, am I wrong?"

"Yes, but you don't know anything about me to tell me what is inappropriate. So let me go, I don't want to talk."

"I'll leave, but you're wrong, Paimon told us how hard your trip was for you..."

"I guess it's my punishment for leaving Paimon on the side of the road... Wait, did you say "we"?"

"Yes, there were also the four Archons you have already met. "

Hearing the word Archons, Aether couldn't help but frown. For him, that they were worried about him was nothing more than a great masquerade, and the fact that they were trying to implement help for him was ridiculous.

" I see..."

"She explained to us that you unfortunately met people in whom you cared about them and who ended badly, and that your sister was part of the Abyss, and it is true that it is quite normal to be overwhelmed by these emotions. I mean, I understand too..."

" NO! YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND XIAO! "

The Yaksha was surprised by such a burst of decibels on the part of the Traveler, usually calm.

" You don't know what it's like to lose so many people in such a short labs of time! Don't talk like you know my life! Do you know how much suffering it caused me, for not being able to save them in time, there are some that I saw die in front of me telling myself to remember them! And if you think that's the main reason why I'm in this state, you're wrong!"

"So tell me what the problem is! It was you who told me this sentence when I was trapped by my demons! Tell me! You know I just want to help you!"

"It's not necessary! I have now understood what I have to do! Except if you know where my sister is, you can leave! And I don't think you know it, so get out before I get really angry! "

Xiao could not believe his ears, such words in the mouth of Liyue's hero. He had a tense face, but knew that there was only one option left for him, knowing that the discussion was not his strong suit. He had previously told Paimon that he was weaker than Aether in terms of power, but saw no other option than to fight him to help him, hoping that he was sufficiently exhausted and that he had used a lot of endurance to be able to defeat him. In any case, he knew that he had to be cunning in front of an opponent who had great intelligence in fight.

"- In this case, you don't leave me the choice... Sorry Aether, I didn't want to get to that, but you have to understand that this is not the right way to proceed... "

The Anemo user put on his mask and prepared his spear towards Aether, knowing full well that there was no use in holding back his power against an opponent like the Traveler.

"It's a joke! I gave you one last chance to leave me alone Xiao, why do you all want me to believe that you want to help me now? ... Anyway, it will be a better training than these junk monsters, and then anyway I wanted to use the fruits of my training on someone strong... The faster I improve, the faster I could beat the Tsarista and find my sister..." he said, taking back his sword, which even with a lot of scratches and blood, still cut like in butter, and that's why he kept his Dull Blade, which never failed, still hoping one day that he would find his real weapon.

He put himself in a fighting position before seeing Xiao rush on him, hoping to finish it quickly enough because he no longer wanted to waste time, while whispering to himself:

"Here we go again... "

By the end of the afternoon, Keqing and Ganyu had made their bag and then left, if they arrived in time to join Yelan to ask her for explanations and to know her point of view as well as to know if she was injured, physically but also emotionally.

They didn't know where to start or too much, because leaving quite suddenly was very different from their behavior and the mental stability they displayed but Ningguang had annoyed them. So, thinking, they told themselves that it was the best way to get to Aether, because Yelan was an expert in this type of research, as well accompany her and help her convince Aether. In any case, leaving Yelan, even if she was very strong and had a rather dominant personality, at the mercy of an angry Aether was not a good idea.

In addition, Ganyu asked if she could bring Shenhe with them, and Keqing saw no inconvenience. She had known Shenhe recently through Ganyu, and even though she had learned that she was gradually acclimatizing to the way of life in society, she was quite direct and could be a real asset if there was ever danger. After all, she had seen her fight with Aether against Osial's wife, Beisht, and was surprised by her exceptional abilities and physical strength.

In addition, she knew that Aether had played an important role in the fact that she was now communicating with humans and she was a great friend of him. She knew that it would be better to get more people to convince the Traveler, and according to Ganyu, she also wanted to talk to him and thank him for what he had done for her.

"Ready Ganyu?"

"Yes!"

"Well, we're going to see Shenhe so that she can come with us and we move forward as quickly as possible. Who knows where he left, we need to arrive very early. If he really left for Mondstadt, I hope he will not be too far from the border, otherwise, he could very well pass through Fontaine towards the village of Qingce."

"In both cases, I hope we can help him. And I would like to understand where he is going and why?"

"We'll see, Ganyu. I hope Liyue will hold out without us, it's not like the country is going to collapse."

"I don't really know, the girls couldn't manage a single day of absence when I was gone."

"Don't worry about that, the last time I was away, I left with Aether for a week to rest because he had invited me, and Ningguang told me that she had managed by dispersing the workload on all the employees."

"Okay, if you say so... Wait, Aether invited you somewhere for a whole week! What did you do? "

Keqing blushed a little thinking about her trip with him, trying to mask her thoughts with a stoic face.

"Nothing special, just tourism..."

"I see..." replied Ganyu, half-convinced that she had wanted to move forward in her relationship with him.

"You know what, if we went there? We have no time to lose..." she says, taking her bag and increasing the speed of her steps.

Ganyu walked beside her, starting their journey, even if she wondered why Keqing was trying to avoid the subject, a little hint of jealousy ran through her heart, showing that rivalry was implanted between the two women when it came to the Traveler.

Night fell on the city of Mondstadt, The Acting Grand Master Jean was still sitting at her desk, with piles of papers that kept ending. She stopped for a moment, putting down her pen, walking towards the edge of the window, watching the starry sky and the lights illuminate the city. She drank her coffee in silence, with the aim of trying to finish some of the documents before she could rest a little.

She knew that she was working a little too much, especially because Lisa had come to her office to ask her to rest for a few moments, but she was stubborn, and the witch knew that she could not change that in the blonde woman.

"It's rather quiet today,... In addition, Klee didn't do too much problems this week... "

She sipped her cup again, enjoying a little moment of tranquillity, before being interrupted by a dull noise coming from the door, which was nothing more than Kaeya who was trying to get permission to return, and which she accepted.

"Good evening, Jean. As I see, you haven't finished working."

"Good evening Kaeya, indeed. I would just like to finish this part before leaving."

"I think you should listen to Lisa, there will be a time when you won't end up falling tired."

"Don't worry about that, I know my limits... By the way, what is it about?"

"Well, you have just received a letter from Liyue's head of state" he said, attributing the envelope to Jean.

"What is it about?"

"I don't know, the letter just arrived about twenty minutes ago. I thought it was quite important when I saw the messenger send it with a worried look, he told me that it had to be given urgently, according to what Lady Ningguang had told him."

"I see, I know she wouldn't send me a letter if it was something that wasn't important, it must still be a way to improve our business relationship with Liyue. Since it's important, I would read it after finishing my work tonight, thank you Kaeya."

"No problem, this is where I'm leaving. Good night and see you tomorrow."

"Thank you, to you too. "

Kaeya closed the door and went out of the office as he usually did, with his usual nonchalance, while Jean put the golden envelope on a corner. She finishes her cup of coffee before sitting down and finishing her work as quickly as possible, trying not to be too dizzy by all these workloads.

After a good thirty minutes, she sighed with relief, happy to have finished:

"Finally, at least I finished this part... Now, let's see what's in this letter of so important... "

She opened the envelope, and saw a different writing from that she had received from the previous letters of cooperation between the two countries, she thought that Ningguang had rather written this, instead of her secretaries as she usually did.

She read the letter carefully, every word she read was increasingly devastating on her, finally understanding why Ningguang had hastened to send it and ask the fastest messengers to bring them to destination. Jean could not believe her eyes when Ningguang explained the condition of the Traveler, which even with the little information she had, was enough to allow Jean to be very worried.

"It's not possible... Aether can't be so bad... What happened? "

She exclaimed vividly wondering if it was a joke, but she knew that it was not the case, and the red seal displayed at the end of the letter attesting that it was official and approved by Ningguang showed it. She understood that it was not a game, and she had specifically asked the nations traveled by Aether to find him to avoid the worst. In addition, Ningguang had mentioned that it was necessary to be very careful when talking to him, for fear of pushing him to the limit and committing irreparable things, avoiding the blunder she had made when it came to Yelan.

Jean put the letter on the table, before getting up and walking around her desk, while asking herself a lot of questions, she did not understand how the Honorary Knight could be in this state, but only one thing was certain for her, he had to come back to his senses, and she knew that she could not manage this alone, so she was going to talk about it with her most competent subordinates, knowing that these people would want the same thing as her, to help the Traveler.

Chapter 7

Chapter Text

Xiao attacked directly with his spear without taking into account the fact that Aether was thinking about an attack, but Aether's speed made him block the parade with his sword before sending Xiao back a few meters in front of him. Xiao moved as fast as he could, arriving close to the Traveler and using his plunging attack several times, while Aether still did nothing but defend himself, using his sword as a pure shield to block the parades of Xiao, who held less and less. In addition, the gusts of wind did not help him to concentrate to attack, knowing that they became stronger with Xiao's attacks.

He growled as the Yaksha continued until he broke the Dull Blade, his attack arriving directly on Aether, leaving him unarmed as he dodged the attack little, a scratch was visible on his arm. Xiao himself was surprised that this repetition of attack worked, while Aether saw a trace of blood flowing on his skin, he wiped it sharply to then see that he could only rely on his elementary skills, and it is precisely the fruits of his training, even if he was used to infusing his sword with the elements he chose.

He looked at Xiao with a dark look as he advanced with his bare hands, concentrating the Anemo energy towards his arms, while the man with green hair was surprised that he did not hesitate to attack even without weapons, but kept his calm and prepared to defend himself with his spear in front of him.

However, Aether did not use the energy in his hands to hit Xiao, but his arm containing the spear and twisted his wrist so that he could release his weapon, while he concentrated with the other hand a gust of energy that was getting bigger and bigger. When he saw the attack, Xiao recognized what it was, and he was once again surprised that he no longer needed a sword to execute it.

"WINDBLADE!"

"What!?"

Aether dropped his arm and Xiao flew inside the tornado, much more powerful other times, and tried as best he could to stabilise before the tornado disappeared, while Aether broke Xiao's spear, preventing him from using it again, knowing that Xiao was not used to fighting without contrary to the experience he had accumulated.

Xiao found himself projected a kilometer away, as he bumped into a nearby tree, and growling with pain. He tried to recover quickly, getting up to prevent Aether from taking the opportunity to run away, but fortunately or not for him, Aether moved very quickly to follow him, because he wanted to make sure that he would no longer follow him. He approached with his wicked look, arms crossed, as he looked at him quite contemptuously, and gave him one last chance to leave.

"I broke your weapon, it's over... I will be nice if you leave now, Xiao... You have no idea of my current strength, I let you lead at the beginning, but it's useless to get there. Just leave me alone."

"No... "

He had trouble speaking, his breath was cut off, and blood was flowing down his back, but Xiao did not want to weaken, it was not the first time he was injured, and he knew the risk he had taken, so he continued at a cost.

"I wouldn't stop... You need help, Aether..."

"You chose the wrong answer... I'm going to make sure that you permanently abandon this idea of helping me, and know that I don't need your pity... When I needed help, no one helped me, you were all busy, the only thing you ever said was "good luck", so with a few exceptions, you are in a bad position to talk to me about this..."

"Wait... I know that we were not very useful regarding your research, but we can always catch up, it's not too late, and that's what reminded me of it when I broke off all contact with Liyue and you helped me not to sacrifice myself, that's what you told me, it wasn't too late and there was always another solution..." Xiao explained, trying to remind him of his old way of thinking.

Aether tightened his face when he heard these words, and did not waste time to perform a new attack with his Anemo energy, he concentrated as before a flow of energy in his hands before making movements in circles faster and faster, the wind accumulating around and creating a sphere composed only of air, but quite solid, and turquoise colour, similar to an Eye of the Storm, under the eyes of Xiao who did not understand what he was doing, before letting the sphere fall to his feet and hitting and shouting:

"AIR BULLET!"

The sphere concentrated in Anemo energy arrived right on Xiao, who did not have time to react, hitting him on the stomach before exploding, creating a rather violent gust of wind, which tore off the tree behind the Yaksha, and while he was already spitting blood having received the sphere on his stomach, the tree fell on him, Aether shifting to prevent the plant from falling on him too.

Xiao did not have time to react again, but he somehow managed to move out of the tree, when he had bruises all over his body and blood flowed from his mouth, arms and chest, using the last forces he had at his disposal to at least be able to try to discuss one last time, when he had never received such an expeditious beating for a long time.

Aether approached him, as he was struggling to get up, a hand holding his chest and he hardly looked at the Traveler who looked at him with pity, not wanting to aggravate his case, because his goal was not to vent his rage on him or to take revenge, he knew that if he went further, he would let his anger take him away and his impulses related to his resentment towards everyone take over. He still had respect for Xiao because his tenacity was admirable, but he wanted to continue his journey at all costs.

"I warned you. Know that I have not even used the other elements I have at my disposal against you, Xiao. I don't know if you would have survived if I had used them."

"How could you be so strong...in such a short time?"

"When you have a good reason to do it, it gives you energy to give yourself the means to be stronger."

"But to control Anemo energy in this way..."

"You speak to say nothing, you want to continue to blind yourself in this false idea of helping me instead of using the forces you have left to rest, it's totally stupid."

"If it's to save a friend... It's worth it..."

"Friend"? I never thought I would hear this word coming out of your mouth... But understand one thing... If you really considered me a friend, you would at least have given me proof of help from you, even understanding of my pain... You lost people who were dear to you, I'm wrong... Then you should understand why I do this... Now, it's too late to help me, I'm going to do as I usually do, I will find the answers by myself..."

"Wait..."

"Goodbye, Xiao, and greet Paimon from me when you see her again. At least, she never abandoned me. "

Aether changed elements and switched to electro before launching a sufficiently strong electric shock, and combined with Yaksha's injuries, to make him faint without it being lethal. Xiao immediately fainted and fell flat on the ground, while he was covered with serious injuries, under the gaze of Aether who was a little sad to have seen someone like him fall so low, but did not go back and continued on his way, hoping that Xiao could understand the message and that he would not try to catch up with him.

The next morning, when the sun had already risen well over the city of Sumeru, Al Haitham was already in his temporary office of the Acting Grand Sage, and was taking care of the various tasks that Nahida had entrusted to him in her absence. He knew that this work would only be temporary for him, and that he would soon return to his activities as a scribe, not especially wanting a work of high renown when his life suited him, but had nevertheless taken the burden of work because Nahida recognized his skills and that it was necessary to be serious in order to designate the next sages who would accompany him in the direction of the city of wisdom.

While he was focussed, two people appeared inside the room, Cyno and Tighnari, who, like Kaeya the day before in Mondstadt, had a letter with a golden envelope, attesting to the certification of its sender. The man with gray hair was surprised by their visit, because after all he knew that when they were at work, Cyno and Tighnari were serious people.

"Hi." greeted the forest ranger

"Good morning, what is the reason for your sudden visit?"

"We had a letter to the Lesser Lord Kusanali, but we knew that she was absent, so as it is you who directs the operations in her absence, I suppose it must be given to you."

"It was not necessary to travel, you could very well have given it to a person from the Academy and not waste time on your obligations."

"I don't know why, but I knew you would say something like that..." commented Cyno.

"In fact, the person who gave us the letter indicated that it came specifically from the Jade Chamber in Liyue, and that it concerned the Traveler. He also said that arrangements must be made as quickly as possible." added Tighnari.

"What is the problem with Aether?"

"That's what we want to know too, don't you mind if we see the letter with you?"

"No, anyway, if it concerns a problem with Aether, I suspect that you would know sooner or later. "

Without later, the three people opened the envelope and read the letter in silence, paying attention to the slightest word, while they finally understood the situation. Al Haitham kept his stoic face as he scratched his chin, asking himself a few questions about the information they had just learned. At the same time, Cyno and Tighnari had their mines that were decomposing a little, not understanding how a person like the Traveler could get there.

"It's very sudden... But I'm only half surprised." said the Acting Grand Sage.

"I don't understand…" added the mahmatra general.

"I had noticed that Aether had a facial expression that was not sincere at times, as if he were trying to hide something, it seems that his buried emotions have arisen, and he is made the man he is now."

"And how can you be so insightful about emotions, you who keep the same neutral expression all the time?"

"You will understand, Cyno, that it is not because I am not expressive, that it means that I do not understand anything about human feelings. In addition, I have already studied the subject before."

"I see... However, if Aether is in this state, wouldn't there already be other authorities in Liyue to discuss this with him?"

"In my opinion, this has probably been done, but Aether can be quite limited when he has set himself a goal, and it should be hard enough to change his perspective, knowing that he had already done his utmost to hide his emotions. However, the fact that they wanted to alert Lesser Lord Kusanali indicates that she could have found a way to help her. Maybe that's why they wanted to alert him personally." concluded Tighnari.

"I agree with your point of view, but it seems that you have forgotten a variable in your hypothesis." nodded Al Haitham.

"What then?" asked Cyno, unable to grasp the point he was trying to make.

"Aether is a wanderer, he never stays in the same place, simply because he travels, and that's also why they alerted Sumeru, and it is the same for other nations. It's easier to intercept him if everyone knows about it, if he's ever in Sumeru, he can get treatment here..."

"It's true... In this case, guards should be positioned on the border between Sumeru and Liyue, as well as in the city. It would surprise me if he went through the desert, anyway it would be far too far. Perhaps also north of Sumeru, because Collei told me that during a conversation she had with Aether, the next nations he would travel would be Fontaine." proposed Tighnari.

"I see, I'm going to try to do something on my side, I might as well use my temporary Grand Sage status for something."

"However, I don't think that telling anyone the reasons for this should be a good idea."

"I'll probably invent something, that's not the problem. But it is true that I join you on this idea, that Sumeru knows that their hero is in danger and in mental instability is a bad idea, any enemy could take advantage of this information to endanger the country."

"Indeed, that's why I prefer to send you both to meet Aether."

"What do you mean?"

"If Aether is in the country, the arrangements have been made. But if he is still in Liyue, Mondstadt or Inazuma as indicated on the letter, it would take someone to discuss with him with immediate effect. If the people deemed competent in Liyue did not know how to manage the problem, I think you could. When it comes to something serious, you are knowledgable and I think you would be able to make him understand that he should not take a wrong path."

"I understand your logic, I accept. But anyway, even without this idea, I think I will have gone to look for it. He is my friend, and he has done so many things for Sumeru, and if the Lesser Lord Kusanali named him First Sage, it is not for nothing. I think that's what she would like, she would never have dropped Aether, and neither would I. And then, it's the only one that put me in little trouble when we played TCG, so even if I won, I would like to salute my valiant opponent." commented Cyno to calm the atmosphere, which was beginning to get serious.

"Very well, at least you have the motivation... Tighnari, will you accompany Cyno? I would understand if you are busy, between the lessons you give to Collei and the protection of the forest, it's normal."

"No, I would leave, to watch Cyno because you never know what stupidity he could say. But also for the same reasons as him, Aether is also my friend, and if we don't at least try to help him, I will feel bad."

"Very good."

"Won't you come?"

"If I leave, who will solve the administrative problems? In addition, I don't think I'm qualified to talk to him. Don't get me wrong, I wish his recovery as quickly as possible, he does not deserve to suffer like this after having carried out so many honorable actions, but I do not think that only reason is a way to convince him. As you said yourself, I don't show any emotion in an exaggerated way."

"It's true. So I suppose we will have to leave now, because the goal is still to avoid burn-out as soon as possible."

"Yes, now that everything is settled, I think we can prepare to leave."

"Have a good trip."

"Thank you, see you later."

It was on this smashing revelation that Tighnari and Cyno left the office, leaving Al Haitham alone, wondering for a few minutes what could have been the reasons that would have led the Traveler to be on the edge of the precipice at the psychological level.

In the heart of the city, and those for one to two hours, they took their precautions to take the necessary supplies for their expedition, even if Cyno was used to walking with nothing but his spear, he knew that Tighnari wanted to be far-sighted.

Thre general mahmatra and the forest ranger left the outskirts of the city towards Avidya Forest, while Tighnari wondered how he would leave Collei. He did not want to leave her alone to manage her amount of work, but taking the risk of taking her with him was very dangerous for him, especially since if he ever found Aether and was upset, he could not distinguish between his friends and enemies, and could unintentionally attack Collei.

Unfortunately for him, when he returned to Gandharva City, he was greeted by a surprise Collei to see them take so much time and who had learned to understand when things were taking a bad turn.

"Master Tignhari, Cyno? Why did you take so long, you just left to pick up some ingredients, so why do you have several well-filled bags? "

She asked quite innocently, but the hesitant tone of the two people in front of her, mixed with the facial expressions they had that were a little less neutral than when they left explained the fact that Collei had understood that something was wrong.

"It's just that I had seen interesting things, and I bought them by the way. "

Collei was not content with this answer, and was rather unhappy, because she hated when things were hidden from her:

"I don't think that's it, Master. Please tell me, I could help you if something goes wrong! "

Tighnari was grateful that having someone who wanted to be so helpful, but he knew that there was no point in hiding her the truth, especially since if he wanted to leave, he had to warn her anyway. He could very well have lied that the place where he was going, saying that it would be just an expedition to collect ingredients that are not in Sumeru, but she would still have identified the problem and the lie. It is in these cases that he resented him for showing him that it was always necessary to check if the person was telling the truth and see if there were any clues to this.

He sighed, before looking at Cyno, as if to give him the order to explain to him in his place because he would not have the courage to do it, and that's what he did.

"Collei, we have to leave now."

"Huh? What do you mean? Where are you going?"

"Out of Sumeru, to help someone you know well."

"I don't understand! Can you stop being vague in what you're saying?"

"We must help Aether imperatively, that's why we must leave now and you had bags filled. We do not know how long it will take and we have to be quick before it is too late or out of reach."

"What? Aether is not well? And is that what you wanted to hide from me?! "

Collei had shouted in anger, she did not accept the fact that the two people in front of her had been able to hide such serious information from her without telling her about it. She heard the way Cyno spoke, which made it clear to her that he had to be helped as soon as possible, and she too wanted to participate in the rescue of her friend.

Cyno and Tighnari briefly explained the situation to her, indicating the fact that they had learned the news that the same morning, and that after discussion with Al Haitham, they prepared to leave immediately, to still have a chance to catch up with the Traveler before he was too far from anyone, which upset her a little, but she still had enough energy to want to help her friend.

"That's why we must be absent as soon as possible, to avoid problems..." concluded the forest ranger to her assistant.

"So let me go with you!"

"I knew she would say that."

"Listen, what Tighnari means is that it's too dangerous for a person like you, Collei. We want to ensure your protection." added Cyno, aware of Collei's admiration for Aether.

"But what are you talking about, I have already gone to Mondstadt several times alone and there was no problem."

"Yes, but here it's different, arriving in Liyue, we won't take a predefined route... We travel the country to the point where the letter told us the last time Aether was seen, and we will see from there what we will do." tried to explain Tighnari.

"We may encounter dangers on the road, especially monsters." declared the Electro user.

"But you trained me in this kind of eventualities. Otherwise I will not be able to defend myself inside Avidiya Forest. I know how to handle my bow now, and Cuilin-Anbar can always serve!"

"Collei, I said no! It's not the same thing, you don't know what can happen. We already have to take care of Aether, and if something happened to you, I wouldn't forgive myself. If this can console you, tell yourself that Aether wouldn't want you to hurt yourself."

"No! Sorry Master, but I wouldn't let this pass! "

Collei put her hand on her chest, looking with supplication and anger at the two people in front of her, not wanting to be discouraged by their words. She knew that the outside world would be dangerous, after all she had dark hours, but that didn't mean she wanted to abandon her friend.

"Collei, please..."

"No, I want to go too! Listen, I know that you think I'm still weak, even if my eleazar is gone, and that I still have to adapt to all these changes... But Aether matters as much to me as to you, and I would like to show her my progress to become a brilliant woman in the future. I promise not to cause you trouble during the trip, but..."

"Collei..."

"All I want is to see him happy. If he had been like this for a long time, it was because he needed affection, and despite all his notoriety and strength, he did not dare to ask to bother anyone. And I want to be the one who helps him with this, as he helped me. He was my confidant during his time in Sumeru, so I would like to do the same with him... And then, if Amber were there, she would have already gone to the rescue of Aether, without even losing time, and I would join her without hesitation... If it is as bad as you say it, then you will need me because, without wanting to offend you both, you have no tact... "

Tighnari was looking at Cyno, hesitating what he should do. He understood that Collei would not change her mind on the subject, while General Mahmatra sighed, but sketched a smile at the young woman, before answering:

"I think she should still come with us after reflection..."

"What?"

"Is that true?"

"Well, Collei was not going to accept a no as an answer anyway, she became stubborn like a certain Traveler..."

"He he..."

"But she is right on one point, we will need her to handle the words... She doesn't speak academically like you and me, but Al Haitham also insisted on this point, emotion. And Collei has some, and then I would find it stupid not to take someone who really wants to help Aether. "

Tighnari sighed, seeing that he really had no choice.

"It's okay, I accept. But you will be very careful, we will be there to protect you, but still take the minimum necessary with you and let's leave immediately."

"Thank You Master! Thank you Cyno! I'll be there in a moment! " cried Collei with exclamation and joy.

"You're both going to kill me..."

"I don't think, in any case, not until we helped Aether, and then I think it will make a good experience in terms of social relations for Collei." exclaimed Cyno, even though Tighnari couldn't laugh at the situation the way he could.

"It is true that between her illness and the trauma she had, she had not made many friends, except for this Amber, and that since he arrived, she has been able to make other friends, such as this Sucrose..."

"You see when you want, you know that at some point, she would have to fly away on her own and manage on her own."

"If I don't let initiative be taken, it's true that it will block her development... In any case, I hope it will go well."

"Don't worry, after all, any problem can be solved."

"You're right."

Collei comes back with a bag loaded with her belongings and a better look than before, and the three of them were about to leave.

"Ready, Collei?"

"Yes, I will do my best! "

And as Collei finished her sentence, she gave a full smile, which looked strangely, for Cyno and Tighnari, to the smile of a certain man with blonde hair. Maybe it was a sign that everything would be fine in the near future.

Chapter 8

Chapter Text

"I have summoned you here for something that deserves your attention."

Jean had called in her office Lisa, Kaeya, Amber, Eula and Diluc, who even if he was not in the ranks of the Knights of Favonius, knew that he was an asset not to be neglected, especially when it comes to problems related to the defence of Mondstadt.

The user of the Anemo element briefly but quite accurately explained the situation, while showing the letter she had read the same evening, and that the current condition of the Traveler according to Ningguang. It is true that at the front, some found it a little strange to send this as a major emergency, when there was talk of a kind of change in behavior, but Jean highlighted the consequences of this on Aether, Mondstadt, and Teyvat in general, always according to the warnings of the head of state of Liyue.

"Okay, indeed, I understand why you called us. I guess you did it on purpose not to warn everyone. " asked the red-haired man.

"Indeed, I did not want it to be known because the inhabitants could be panicked by the situation that the Honorary Knight would be in a rather chaotic state."

"In truth, I don't understand why you worry so much, just bring him back with us, and make him see a psychiatrist. He may have accumulated too much stress in his travels and it will be better once he has rested." asked Eula, not understanding why the situation is so alarming.

"Do you really think it would be as simple as that? I think that if it were like that, Eula, there would be no need to send a letter to warn us of the situation, and they could very well have done that to Liyue." answered Kaeya.

"Hmh... I was just trying to help, and you talk to me this way,... Marks my words, revenge will be mine!"

"To go back to what Jean said about cutie, I think it's better like that. But to be honest, you should first analyse your condition before doing anything that could be dangerous. " added Lisa, concerned about Aether's behavior.

The conversation continued between Lisa Jean, Kaeya, Diluc and Eula, not without some frustration in their faces, showing their willingness to contribute to the proper development of Aether's mental health, even if they had no idea on the subject. However, Amber has not said anything since she had been in the Grand Master's office, her eyes had been emptied of her glow when she heard the blonde woman's words.

Amber had spent enough time with Aether and was close enough to him to tell her some secrets, and his mental condition was one of them. She liked the fact that he trusted her enough to talk about his problems, and she tried to advise him as best she could. Sometimes, it was she who confessed, and Aether who listened. But she always appreciated this kind of thing, where the two companions could unload their bags, understanding that the other's life is not as easy as they thought.

The Outrider knew that they could not have this kind of exchange for a while, Aether was still busy finding his sister, and when he stayed in Mondstadt, he left immediately. As for her, her work also monopolized her. But since the last time they had seen each other and had kind of make you secret, he had told him in fact that he felt a great anger and frustration not to advance in his research because of the inability of people from different nations not to want to manage their problems by themselves, and that they were so lazy, that he even took advantage of the guild to be able to send adventurers, in this case him, to go shopping at the grocery store around the corner. She also found that some missions were stupid, and advised him not to do them, but had brought her the problem of notoriety, which had caused him a lot of stress and fatigue that was accumulating, in addition to other external factors.

And now, she should have insisted on him that he rest, and that he must not lose hope. She tried not to cry, knowing that it would be useless, and her fist tightened, knowing that her best friend and her crush is in a bad way. She was angry that she had not made more effort, and hoped that he would not take the path of revenge to find his sister. The Pyro archer fully trusted Aether, but she knew how much he could make decisions out of anger or under intense emotions, and that, not a lot people knew that.

After a dozen minutes, the other people noticed that Amber had her head down for some time, her look was both sad and mad and her usual happiness was no longer present since they were talking about it.

"Amber, are you okay? " asked Eula, worrying about her.

"Aether, sorry... I promise to save you... "

Not everyone in the room understood the situation, and why Amber was saying her words.

"What? Please explain to us!" said the Acting Grand Master.

"No enough time, if you really want explanations, you have to leave quickly towards the border between Mondstadt and Liyue, because this is the place we will find clues... This is the last place where he was seen, is that right?"

"According to the letter, yes... But wait..."

"No, Aether needs me! " and she left the office and headquarters of the Knights of Favonius running with all legs, trying to go as quickly as possible to the destination she had previously mentioned, under the surprised and questioning eye of her friends.

"Has anyone understood what just happened?" replied Kaeya

"No, but I think we should follow, we don't have much choice, don't we?" added Jean.

"Indeed. Jean, dear, I think you should go with them." proposed the Electro witch.

"I can't, Lisa. Who will continue to review all these papers?"

"I can take care of this for one or two days, it doesn't bother me. I just want cutie to get better, so do your best to make him happy, that's all I want."

"Don't worry about that, Lisa. That's what we all want. So let's go right away. "

Except for Lisa, everyone left to join Amber, who despite her short lead, was not very far, she was in front of the main entrance of the city, and stopped when she saw the others arrive, warning them to hurry, clearly showing the concern that was growing in the young woman.

" This is where the tracks stop... It therefore means two things, either that he voluntarily masked the traces from here, or that he had to restore himself for a moment. However, I don't think he can stop fighting all at once, while he continued to leave blood trail all the way... "

Yelan was thinking about how he had spoken and made the connection with his behavior, which would make no sense if he had deliberately stopped. If he wanted, he could very well have left no trace since his meeting with her until now.

She walked looking around, only to see at the end of a hill the estate belonging to Diluc, and she had thought it would be useless for him to look for additional problems with people who could recognize him, because he had made her specify that he did not want anyone on his way.

To the west, she saw only vegetation, with a few decimated trees in the distance, and others uprooted or without leaves, and she understood that there was no strong enough wind in Mondstadt to create this, apart from Dragonspine. In addition, wreaking so much havoc on such a specific part of the region seemed inconceivable to him. She quickly understood what the person who could have done this could be.

"Aether... Why? You don't have to go it alone... If you wanted help, you just had to ask... "

Yelan was moving as fast as she could, because as long as the clues were still present in the combat zone, she wanted to take advantage of them, and what could put Aether in such a state so that part of the forest was decimated at once.

Arriving there, she stopped directly, seeing not only the devastated landscape, but also a body on the ground not far from where she was. She approached slowly, fearing to see a new corpse, before realizing that the body to whom the person was none other than:

"Xiao!? What is he doing here? And why is he so in a bad way? "

She approached his face and checked his pulse before sighing with relief when she saw that he was still breathing and that he was only in a state of fainting. She checked where the most dangerous injuries were, and used the limited ressources she had to briefly bandage the injuries to minimise bleeding, before carrying him on her back and taking it to the nearest post she thought, that is, the village of Qingce. She knew that she would waste time, and that Aether could go more and more north, but she could not leave the Yaksha in this state, she had already almost lost a friend who was dear to her, so she will do everything not to lose another one. She made the journey back, knowing that he would be treated properly and fairly quickly, and she also knew that if Xiao was in this state, it was necessarily because of Aether.

A few hours later, around mid-afternoon, she arrived in the village, asking the competent people to take care of the Anemo user they knew well, because he saved their village several times from the surrounding monsters, certainly harmless, but quite invasive. They took him to a room practising rudimentary medicine, but who had already proven himself, knowing that Xiao was quite robust and that he had a metabolism that would pick up quite quickly.

She wanted to take him to the Bubu pharmacy from the start, but the road would be too long and the whole journey she would have taken to find Aether's trace would be useless, and she didn't want to start from scratch. Xiao could give her quite important information, so she waited for a while before trying to understand Aether's intentions who could have fought Xiao, and also show her that she sincerely cares about him, because even if she tried to ignore it, it always grieved her to know that the Traveler thought that she didn't care about him or that she was used by Ningguang to bring him back to Liyue, as if he had nothing to say.

When Xiao woke up, more or less stunned, he saw that he was not in the bush of Mondstadt, but in a room with decorations and style from Liyue. Then he saw that his wounds were more or less recovered, but that there were scars and some sequelae. He put his hand on his forehead, still having a little headache, and began to speak:

"Where am I?"

"In the village of Qingce, in an inn."

Xiao was surprised after the voice, and immediately recognised it, because he never forgot the people he met.

"Yelan? What are you doing here?"

"And you, Mondstadt is not usually in your field of action?"

"I know, but..."

"Listen, I don't want to rush you... You have just been recovered here, and most of your wounds have been stabilised. According to the inhabitants, you will be operational tomorrow."

"I see... Hmm, I guess I have no choice but to stay here, I wish I could have left because time is running out for me. However, thank you for bringing me back here, I guess that's why you're in front of me."

"Indeed. You're welcome, I wasn't going to leave you on the side of the road... I have already left a friend in this state, and I still blame myself..."

"You're talking about who I think..."

"Yes... That's the real reason you were in Mondstadt, isn't it?"

"Exactly. I had left to save Aether. And when you spoke, I remembered something, he told me that before seeing him again, you came to talk to him, that's why I deduced the reason why you were able to meet me in Mondstadt."

"I understand, he surely told you that he didn't trust me or something like that..."

"That's about it."

"I suspected it a little... I guess we have the same goal, so what would you say that after your recovery we both go to look for it? Usually I don't work as a duo, and in my opinion you too, but it's a serious problem, and you know him as well as I do, so I think the third time will be the right one. "

Xiao hesitated, because he did not like teamwork, and he did it only if necessary, as during Liyue's rescue against Osial, but he knew that it would be the best thing to do, because otherwise they would block the road for nothing at all. In addition, Yelan's ability to observe and deduct could greatly help him, so he nodded and answered the question of the Hydro user:

"It's okay... We have to convince him before it's too late, and then I owe you that, you made me treat."

"Good. Now that the partnership is done, I would like to know how your conversation with him went, since you already know what happened when he spoke with me."

"In fact, the conversation did not last too long, I tried to convince him to discuss and explain his problems to me in more detail, but he told me that it was too late to receive help, that we should have helped him before, when he implored him. And now, he thinks I'm taking him down because Paimon told us some mishaps he had."

"What kind of mishaps?"

"They lost loved ones on his journey to find his sister. I can't say more after respect for the deceased and out of respect for Aether's privacy."

"I see, it must be quite difficult for him and Paimon, mourning is not something that is easy to perform. Maybe that's why he doesn't want to meet other people, he doesn't want to make bonds with someone anymore and then take the risk of losing them."

"I didn't think about it, but it may be that. Anyway, it ended badly... But I'm the one looking for it."

"Why do you say that?"

"Because I am the one who started the fight. I told him that if he didn't understand, maybe fighting with him could solve the situation. I didn't plan to win, I knew he was stronger than me, but I wanted to exhaust him enough to then discuss smoothly, but you have to believe that he was much stronger than expected."

"It's totally stupid and useless. You make the same mistakes as at The Chasm, do you sincerely believe that by sacrificing your body you will solve the problem?"

"I know it well... But what do you want me to do, I don't have much experience in healing someone's emotional wounds, especially when the person is so complex."

"You should have stopped there and asked competent people, you talked about Paimon, where is she now? If you talked to her recently, she must not be far away."

"Currently, I don't know. Two days ago, she was at Wangshu Inn, accompanied by Mor-, I mean Zhongli."

"Zhongli, the consultant of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor?"

"Yes... He is also a great friend of Aether."

"I see, is he the one who takes care of her?"

"Indeed."

Xiao refrained from talking about the fact that he was an acquaintance of Zhongli, and that he was also with the other Archons, because Yelan could have enough information to understand that the cultivated man Zhongli was actually Morax, the Geo Archon.

"At this point, I would have liked to be able to contact them, but I know that it will take too long... We will have to continue by ourselves... To return to the initial conversation, no longer try to use your strength as a last resort, I don't think people who know you would like to see you die or seriously hurt you. After all, you matter to them, and to me too, and I'm sure that Aether would also tell you the same thing. You said that he had suffered trauma related to the deaths, so do you really believe that killing yourself would solve his problem?"

"You... You are right... I admit that I was not focussed... But it also explains why he didn't kill me."

"Hmm, please develop your words."

"In the end, he left me fainting by electrocuting me if I remember correctly. The last words I heard before going to sleep were related to the fact that he respected me for my efforts. By "efforts", he means that he respected that I tried to convince him to prevent him from taking a dangerous trip, where no one could help him, and where he would manage alone."

"In my opinion, this indicates that there is no need to worry about possible absurd hypotheses."

"Huh?"

"Well, Ningguang thought he could take revenge or something like that on us or on part of the population, because he was not sufficiently encouraged and appreciated for his fair value. He had told me about the fact that he was considered a tool in the eyes of the population. He could have killed you, even worse, but he didn't do it, even though he had the opportunity. I just think he's exhausted and I understand some points, but from there to cut himself off from the world, it's extreme."

"Hmm, you know I'm here? " remarked Xiao, who had adopted this way of life for centuries.

"Sorry, I didn't want to insult you. You're used to this kind of self-sufficient life, but Aether is not that kind of person, that's why I say that."

"Apologies accepted. It's true, in any case, it's already a relief that he couldn't fall so low. One last thing, he told you about a problem related to the way of which he is perceived by people, but I can assure him that no one thinks this way, especially when we talk about him as a hero."

"He does not think in this way at the time of speaking. I can't forget the cold look he gave me, I had never seen this from him..."

"It's true that now that I think about it, his look was terrifying, especially from him... But I don't want to think about it, it won't lead to anything to languish. Can't wait for me to finish recovering so that we can make up for the lost delay."

"You're right. I'll let you rest, I think you need to be alone to find your thoughts, and me too."

"Thank you again for treating me."

"You're welcome. See you tomorrow and have a good recovery."

"See you tomorrow."

Yelan left the room where was besieged the Yaksha, leaving him alone. He looked at the wall in front of him, then at the window in which he saw the sunset gradually arrive. Xiao was not used to relaxing, but he knew that he needed it physically, but also mentally. He was thinking about what Yelan had told him, and began to think about his next meeting with the Traveler, and what he could tell him to convince him to return to his normal state. He had always respected Aether for the way he handled adversity, without failing even if it was difficult, and his tenacity in his quest to find his sister was impressive, and it was hard to believe that he could no longer keep up after all the adventures that there were.

He sighed, and got up to open the window, letting the wind come to him, as he looked at the landscape to calm down, trying to find the way to redemption for his friend, as he had done before.

Aether gave an update on his situation, not with regard to his goal, which was already clearly set, but on how he would implement it. He saw that the supply of resources to venture alone was not enough to even cross the border serenely, because he had used the food he had left, knowing that he had lasted two to three weeks with it, and that he tended to forget that Paimon had eaten a good part of the provisions before his solo trip.

In addition, with the fight against Xiao, his weapon was no longer in a condition to be used, he knew how to do a lot of things, but certainly did not create a weapon from scratch, so he understood that he was going to need to go to the forge to recover a new sword that will be more resistant, even if he had found that Dull Blade had served very well and that it was normal for it to be wrong after so many events.

Seeing all this, he thought that the only good option from there was to do what he tried to avoid, enter Mondstadt.

"f*ck... We have to go back there... And of course everyone will recognize me, cursed title of "Honorary Knight"..."

Aether was irritated to make a detour, knowing that two people had already been seen trying to moralise him, and that there might well be others to bother him. On the road, he thought he was going to hit a Treasure Hoarders as there are so many in Teyvat, and that he was going to take a cape or a veil to hide his clothes and face, so that he would be unrecognizable, and even if he thought he could have found better, it was the best thing he could do at the moment.

The gold faded haired man changed his plans and therefore went towards the city of freedom, with the idea of buying in addition a few potions and drinks that could be used for him to avoid injuring himself, or in any case to reduce the wounds to the maximum because the Statues of the Seven were not as numerous as it seems, especially if the territory concerned is very large.

A few hours later, when the sun had already been gone for a long time, he saw in the distance a group of people talking, whose ear saw a woman who had in her tone sadness and a little panic, while the others tried to calm her more or less successfully.

Aether thought it was not much, only a group of adventurers, and would just pass in front of them like any other person, knowing that he was now covered in a cape hiding his plain clothes with a hood. However, less than a hundred meters from him, he saw distinctly and even if it was in the dark, the people, and was surprised for a few moments, before regaining his calm. He did not expect to see them, and hoped that their conversation would not make them pay attention to him, but they had good eyes and were not airheads.

"Sir!"

"Are you talking to me? " Aether asked the person in front of him, whom he knew like his pocket. Her voice that he recognized kilometers away, the first person he met after Paimon, Amber. He had felt frustration and sadness in her voice just by being called.

"Yes, sorry to bother you, but will you not have seen in the vicinity a blonde man, with golden eyes, with brown clothes, commonly called the Traveler? "

Under his cape, Aether will be the fists of pain. He understood that she was desperate to find him and talk to him. He did not know how she had heard the news, but given her reaction, she knew what he had decided to do, and he understood that Ningguang had alerted his behavior to the Knights of Favonius as if he were an enemy to be tracked down or a Harbinger coming to cause diplomatic problems and this nervaded him even more, convincing him even more in his decision, especially since he would have preferred Amber not to know it.

Seeing that he did not answer for a few seconds, Amber repeated the question, freeing him from his thoughts:

"Sir? Are you here?"

"Ah, sorry, I was just lost in my thoughts. Regarding the Traveler, I didn't see him, sorry I couldn't help you." he replied, while seeing Amber's gaze twist with pain at the psychological level.

"No problem. Good evening to you, and don't stay too much in the dark, it's for your protection."

"Thank you for the advice and have a good evening."

Amber moved away from him, heading towards Eula, Diluc, Jean and Kaeya, who were trying to make them understand that there was no point in alerting people as she did from the beginning. Aether understood, having listened to a fragment of their conversation that Amber had been trying to find him for a long time, and that she had asked all the people in the perimeter for an indication of where he could well be.

When he moved a little further away, he looked one last time in the distance, before sighing.

"I have to avoid any contact from now... "

The hooded man continued on his way to the city of freedom, hoping to meet as few people as he could.

Chapter 9

Chapter Text

While the nation of Inazuma now has peaceful days, Yae Miko, as usual, was quietly lounging in the Narukami Shrine, reading a new light novel imported from Liyue, while eating some sweets.

After a while, she was called by one of the priestesses who managed the place with her, only to tell them that a letter had been sent by Liyue's administration for the Raiden Shogun. Knowing that she was a close friend of the Archon and that Ei had asked her to manage the administrative part if there were ever requests to be made from the inhabitants to improve life in Inazuma, she accepted the role. However, she wondered what was the reason why Ei was so worried and was going to hate, and when she asked her, she told her that she did not need to know.

Yae was not fooled and knew that she would not leave her dear country for frivolous reasons, but decided not to dig into the question, knowing that her friend had not left to laugh, she just wished her well.

Holding the letter, she recognized the stamp that stated that the sender was Ningguang, because she had already been able to talk to her and she had already sent letters before, moreover, when Aether and Paimon learned it, they both had a shiver in their backs, knowing full well what kind of people these two women were and that their alliance could be dangerous.

"Here, I didn't expect that... But if the seal is official, I guess she won't tell me about rain and good weather as usual,... Anyway, this letter was addressed to Ei, so let's see what problem there is to send this to her..."

"According to Captain Beidou, she wanted to send this very quickly, but she didn't know why..."

"I see, thank you for the information, my dear. Now, please let me read this letter quietly."

"Understood, Guuji Yae."

The priestess left, leaving the kitsune alone with the paper, and she began to read it carefully for a few minutes, before exclaiming in amazement as she finished the letter.

"What do you mean, my little one is not doing very well? He decided to play the lone wolf, I didn't expect that... Well, since I have nothing to do, I think it might be time to put your ideas back... I understand his exhaustion, but to be as brutal towards everyone, and to consider Teyvat whole as rot, I think he goes a little far. I understand why Ei left in a hurry, she wanted to help him, how cute it is... But she forgot that she doesn't know how to deal with this kind of problem, she should have told me about it, especially if it concerns Aether. "

Yae convinces herself to make efforts to recover Aether, starting first to find Ei, to give her advice because she was convinced that she would not succeed in saying a suitable word after so much isolation in the Plane of Eutymia, and even if she became familiar with socialisation again, it was far from being won for her.

She got up and left for Ritou so that she could talk with Beidou about a possible journey to Liyue, because it was only the beginning of the morning, and it was very likely that she would leave in the late afternoon depending on how she made her journeys.

On the way, she was mainly trying to convince herself that she was there to help Ei, but she still could not wonder what were the motivations that led the Traveler to have such a brutal change in behavior, from kind and benevolent to cold and violent, but when she arrived in Ritou a few hours later, she saw the Frostflake Heron on one of the stalls buying something similar to interior decoration, and thought it was a good idea to kill two birds with one stone.

The pink-haired woman had heard the rumors that Kamisato Ayaka and Aether were very close, and that when he returned to Inazuma, she could not prevent him from being very happy to see his arrival, raising him more affection than anyone else and that her personality was more extroverted in his presence. Moreover, she herself had seen this several times when she walked the streets of Inazuma and saw in the distance a woman with blue hair walking alongside a man with golden hair.

Yae made up her mind to talk with her because she knew that Ayaka could be a person of choice to help Aether, because it will be much easier to talk with him if it is someone in whom he would never have suspicions and that he appreciated enough, so she approached the cryo user by hiding her intentions that although they were not bad, was sneaky enough not to be said.

"Good morning, Miss Kamisato? How are you? " saluted Yae, who interrupted Ayaka from her thoughts, greeting her in turn.

"Hello to you, Lady Yae. I'm fine, thank you. And you?"

"Me too, my dear. What are you doing now?"

"Well, I came for a walk a little, Ritou's sea wind helps me feel better. It turns out that I've had a lot of work lately. My brother was at an important appointment, so he entrusted me with some additional tasks to increase my autonomy."

"I see, it's not easy..."

"It's true, but I'm done now, I can enjoy a good day of relaxation. And you, what is the honour of your visit here worth?"

"I was passing by the corner, by the way, wouldn't you have seen Captain Beidou in the area?"

"Indeed, she is still in Inazuma, I guess you wanted to see her."

"Yes. In fact, I have to go to Liyue for something quite important, but it turns out that I am not the most talented in the field."

"What do you mean? I didn't think you would be nervous about a meeting or something like that, you who are usually so friendly."

"No, that's not it. In fact, I think it might as well concern you, since it's about Aether."

"Aether!?" exclaimed Ayaka, who began to be really interested after the conversation, unconsciously approaching Yae Miko, as she laughed furtively, her hand on her mouth.

"Wow, I didn't think that just mentioning his name would put you in this state! You have to believe that things are happening between you... "

Ayaka began to blush as she put herself back in her place, while looking at Yae with an embarrassed air and waving her hands very quickly.

"No, that's not what you think Miss Yae,... I mean, Aether and I are close, but..."

"Calm down, my dear, I was just teasing you, but you have to believe that it may be true after all..."

"I'm... Can you go back to what you wanted to say about him please? " asked the Cryo user to the kitsune, trying to avoid the conversation about the type of relationship she has with the Traveler.

"Okay, but a piece of advice before, if you want to have it, attacks first, because you are not the only woman who has a crush on him... Others may well get ahead of you, both in Inazuma and outside..."

"... Understood..." she said, blushing again, avoiding crossing the eyes of the treacherous woman who was this kitsune, but this sentence had not entered a deaf ear, and Ayaka will remember it for later.

"Well... As I said, this concerns Aether. To be brief, he is not doing well mentally, and I believe that his body will not hold in the long term if he continues in this way."

"What? Did something atrocious happen to him? Is it because of the Fatuis? " wondered Ayaka now worried that something had happened to him.

"No, he has not suffered mental or physical torture, and it is not the fault of the Fatuis. I think you should read this." she said, passing her Ningguang's letter, which she leafed through conscientiously, while displaying a frightened look at what she was reading, each word becoming more and more painful for her to read.

"It's not possible, it's necessarily a mistake, it's the Aether we're talking about. He had told me about a few moments of exhaustion he had, but I thought it was fatigue related to fighting or strained quests, I didn't think it would be so serious..."

"Indeed, that's why I want you to accompany me. Anyway, I don't think you would have stood idly by and did nothing."

"Of course I accompany you, I refuse to see him torment himself. He needs comfort, I immediately warn Thoma at the Kamisato estate so that he can take over in my place, he will tell my brother about it."

"Are you sure you won't be penalized for that?"

"No, after all, I am the one who directs the operations in the absence of my brother, and if I think it is an emergency case, then I will do it."

"Well, I didn't expect you to be so assertive! Spending time with Aether made you assert your authority to what I see..."

"Please stop, this is not the time for teasing..."

"Okay, I'm stopping for the moment, even if it's funny."

"Thank you. One last thing, we also know about what Aether really has, because the letter is not precise enough?"

"I suppose that when we get there, it will be explained in more depth, but we can only be satisfied with what we currently have."

"All right... I go back to the Kamisato Estate to take some things and warn everyone, then we embark, I now understand why you asked to see Captain Beidou."

"I will wait for you in the boat, and while you leave, I will warn Beidou so that she can sail faster than she normally does. "

Ayaka left in a hurry, going as fast as she could, knowing that the Kamisato domain was quite far from here, but she still hoped to leave before the end of the day, while Yae Miko was watching her, happy that her plan worked, but not without a little pinch in the heart to tell herself that she had planned this as if she were using Ayaka, when she too wanted to do something that would serve to get Aether back on track. She then turned to the other side of Ritou, determined to do her best to get to Liyue as quickly as possible and find Ei to understand what is really happening.

Shortly after dawn, Xiao did not wait a second longer to get out of his room, and then saw Yelan who had not slept too much either, thoughts mixing in his head. He was going towards her, who greeted her with a half-smile, a sign that she was not completely rested.

"Did you sleep badly?"

"We can say it like that. I didn't stop redoing the stories in my head..."

"I understand, did you eat?"

"Yes, don't worry about that. Are you hungry?"

"No, it's going to be okay, I usually eat practically nothing during the day, my metabolism is used to it now."

"Okay, if you say so. In my opinion, you want us to get started right away, don't you?"

"Yes, rather this problem will be solved, the less it will suffer. "

Yelan and Xiao left the village to return to the place where the Yaksha had lost the battle against Liyue's Hero, otherwise they thought they were looking for clues at that place, even though Aether had a considerable lead in their opinion and traveled fast enough, Xiao had explained that Aether's physical conditions were not correct at present and that he had many wounds and dried blood on his clothes, while seeing some dark circles on his eyes that indicated that he was not sleeping enough. At that point, they were quite afraid that he would faint by pushing his limits, knowing that some days, he did not stop killing as many enemies as possible and fighting for more than eight hours in a row.

They walked silently, being careful not to neglect any details, because even if the Yaksha could go faster, rushing into the void would not solve anything. In addition, with the blue-haired woman with him, he could not afford to leave her on the side.

The calm continued after an hour, until the two people heard voices coming from behind them, calling them in the distance. When they turned around, they saw, not without a certain astonishment:

"Ganyu? Keqing?"

"What are you talking about? Oh, you're right and there's a third person with them. I've already seen her, she had helped save Liyue from Osial's wife, if I remember correctly... "

As soon as their murmurs were over, the three women arrived in front of them, running, relieved to see that they could see Yelan, which was their main objective.

"Yelan! And I see that Xiao is also with you!", screamed Ganyu with relief.

"But what are you doing here?" asked Yelan, surprised by their appearance.

"Well, it's quite complicated, but we came to help Aether too. We also know that this is the reason why you left." answered the Yuheng.

"It's true but..."

"If you know something about Aether, it's now..." Shenhe said to Yelan, who shuddered at once when she heard the cold tone and icy look she had put in her words, because she couldn't stand all this.

"Wow, calm down Shenhe, you don't scare them that way. Have you forgotten what we learned about how you ask people for information?" said Ganyu, trying to calm down the white-haired beauty.

"Hmm... You're right Ganyu, but it's stronger than me, I can't stand this situation, all because we didn't act early enough."

"Don't worry, everything will be fine..." comforted Ganyu to Shenhe who was trying to control her anger, and she was happy that her red bonds could channel her emotions as well, because they would be in rage at this time.

"Now, you could explain to us what is happening, we came on purpose to see you, so we deserve some explanations. And also, why is the Conqueror of Demons also with you?" said Keqing in a firm tone, no longer bearing so many doubts.

"All right, but please calm down. Also, I would like you to answer my questions as soon as I have finished."

"Fine."

Yelan sighed, before explaining her first conversation with Aether, in which he had no confidence in what she was saying, before she told how Xiao had been beaten and brought to Qingce Village to quickly recover. Xiao mentioned that he had come because he had seen with his own eyes Aether's sudden behavior as well as his drastic change in perception of the world, and that he felt concerned about the issue, not only because it is a great asset for Liyue, but also because he wanted his friend not to follow the same torments he had.

Keqing and Ganyu understood the situation, not without some frustration to hear that he gave in violent impulses and then continued his journey as if nothing had happened. But even before they could release their emotions of anger and or sadness, the user of the Hydro element asked them how they had been able to leave Liyue without problems when they were not on leave, and why Shenhe is with them, knowing that the hostile nature of the white-haired woman had not made her comfortable, nor Xiao for that matter. And the answer that Ganyu and Keqing came out was certainly not the one thought by Xiao and Yelan.

"It's simple, we have temporarily resigned from our duties!" said simply Ganyu.

"What?" screamed Yelan, surprised by the news.

"Have you resigned? I thought you liked your work so much that I heard that you hardly took a rest, all this for Liyue's sake." added Xiao.

"Indeed Xiao, this is the case, but after our conversation with Ningguang, it was the best thing to do, and we will resume our occupations as secretary as soon as Aether is himself again."

"But... It's not possible, you do most of the work there, and in addition in an organized and efficient way, even if Ningguang replaces you with four or five people to do the job, it will still be a hassle for them." panicked the royal blue-haired woman.

"Yes, but as Ganyu said, we had judged that in the event of a crisis, it was the best thing to do. We can't bear to leave him in trouble once again, knowing that we had learned that you were not in the best position to help him and that in addition it resulted in failure if I remember what you said earlier." explained the woman with the cat's ears haircut.

"In addition, we did not accept what Ningguang did to us. She spied on us against our will, sending you. We know it, and she talks about Aether as if it were an object, which made me quite irritated." continued the horned woman.

"I see, so you knew..." sighed the owner of the Yanshang Teahouse.

"And you accepted this behavior,... I know it's your job, and on enemies, it doesn't bother me, but on your friends and colleagues, I admit that I was a little disappointed with you."

Hearing Keqing say this last sentence, Yelan had a flashback of her conversation with Aether, and one sentence in particular had caught her attention when the Traveler spoke to her:

"You are no different from the others, Yelan. You want to use them to your advantage as this continent used me to do the dirty work. "

Yelan's face became tense thinking of this sentence affably similar to the one Keqing had just said, and understood what he meant by that. She was so angry about doing this to Keqing and Ganyu, and rubbed her head with her hands as if she were in full disillusionment, under the intrigued eye of others. She spoke, in a lower voice than before, before bowing to Keqing and Ganyu, stunned by what was happening:

"I'm sorry... I don't know what took me... I understand what he meant now... I understand why he stopped trusting me... Keqing, Ganyu, I sincerely regret what I was able to do, it's true that Ningguang was suspicious of your mental state, so I went to investigate to find out if you were okay, there were no bad intentions..."

"Listen, if you really wanted to help us, you just had to say it. I know you wanted it to be secret, so that Liyue or someone harmful would not be aware of it, but in truth I think you would have known sooner or later. So we just had to ask ourselves, and if we agreed, which would probably be the case, we would be delighted if you helped us."

"Keqing is right, the problem is that you create mistrust between us, and that's the last thing we want now. The situation is already more complicated than it seems. However, I see that your apologies are sincere, and we know that in general, you would never put yourself in such a state, so I forgive you, but do not start again in the future."

"Thank you, Ganyu."

"Well, I understand the situation, so we'll say that I forgive you too."

"Thank you Keqing. " said Yelan, getting up again, trying to forget what had happened, and with the ideas a little clearer to use what Aether felt, because this remark had made her realize that trust is a fragile thing that can collapse at any time, like the state of the Traveler who no longer believed in much in this world except a few people.

"Now that this problem is solved, can we know why Shenhe is here? I mean, she's highly unstable, and I think that's the last thing you need. " Xiao asked with the same neutral expression he wore all the time.

Shenhe, who had not said much since the beginning of this reunification, found herself irritated to hear this bitter remark, but Ganyu blocked her with her hand, signaling her to calm down, because she knew that Xiao still lacked tact to speak without annoying people. Subsequently, Keqing spoke explaining that the first person to see Aether in Liyue was Shenhe, and that she was the first to warn them. Ganyu then told about the relationship between the hermit and the Traveler and why she wanted to invest so much, and that she could not stand to stay there doing nothing, while Yelan and Xiao understood even if they feared her rather incisive character.

Shortly after explaining the latest news from two sides, the main one of which were "How was this Liyue was going to be managed in the absence of the two secretaries?" and "Where is Aether?", the two groups merged to become one, all having the same goal, and even if there could be some tensions between the white-haired woman and the green-haired man, they knew that being more could play in their favor in order to find the Traveler as soon as possible.

Chapter 10

Chapter Text

Ayaka had returned to the port of Ritou when the sun went down, and Yae Miko was waiting for her, taking the reactions Thoma may have had, and the young woman replied that even if he was surprised by this information, he would keep the secret and only tell Ayato when he returned, and that he hoped wholeheartedly that the Traveler would be well and that Ayaka would have no worries to manage outside Inazuma. The butler of the Kamisato clan would have liked to be able to join them to protect Ayaka and allow her to meet Aether, but he had things to do in Inazuma, they could not be two to leave, and he knew how important it was for the heron princess to go and see him again, so he made no objection.

As for what Yae Miko did before they started leaving when the sky was in a midnight blue colour, she explained to Beidou the reason for her visit, as well as to Kazuha, and why she wanted to take the fastest route to the port of Liyue. After hearing a summary of what Yae Miko said to Ayaka, the captain of the Crux understood the situation, and accepted er request. It turned out that Beidou and Kazuha were just as concerned about the problem now that they knew what it was, and took care not to talk about it to the other crew members, believing that it was not necessary because they understood the challenge of making sure that few people did not know this, for fear that bad people could benefit from it. Moreover, the pirate and the Inazumian wanderer had offered to come with them, which did not bother them because they had that he could be of great help knowing that Inazuma's two women did not know Liyue very well.

Throughout the crossing, the young heiress of the Kamisato clan did not say much, and wore a fairly serious face, and when someone called her to talk to her or to ask her if she was allied well, she replied with a false little smile, which everyone had noticed. Even Yae didn't dare to tease her too much at that moment, she understood that it was neither the place nor the moment, even if she wanted to help her feel better mentally. The kitsune had told Kazuha and Beidou about the relationship she had with the blonde-haired man, and both understood from these explanations why she had been severely affected by this news.

Ayaka spent her day, or rather the evening looked at the shore, the waves sweeping on the boat, hoping to see Liyue's lights as soon as possible, while she squeezed her hand close to her chest, hoping for the best.

In Mondstadt, while it was the middle of the night, two hours after the quick conversation between Amber and Aether, the Pyro archer really lost her calm, getting angry and worried more strongly than at the beginning of the day. She had explained some information about Aether's condition to others, without mention her private conversations with him, because she respected the fact that he confessed and so did she, and she considered this as secrets, just like him.

"Aether, if you hear me, please stop playing and come talk to me, I'm begging you!"

"Amber, it's useless. Even if Aether heard you, do you really think he would appear as if by magic?"

"No, Eula, I wouldn't give up! I just want to find him! " Amber began to sob, losing her means, while Eula was tapping her back to comfort her.

"Amber, listen, it's better to stop there for the moment." said Diluc calmly.

"For once, I agree with Diluc, you took us in panic so far. I too want to find him, but we got scattered in panic." explained Kaeya, who, like everyone else, tried to reason with her.

"But..."

"We are in the middle of the night, in the middle of the forest. There is no light and we didn't take supplies because we followed you." added the Acting Grand Master, something that Amber hadn't been keen on.

"You say it's my fault?! " began to shout Amber at Jean, under the exclamation of everyone, who did not recognize the young woman's behavior, as opposed to her joyful attitude.

"No, of course not, you were panicked and then..."

"So never say that again, if you don't want to look for it, it's your problem! I didn't ask you to come with me, but if you care about him, don't tell me that what I did during that day was useless! "

Amber was blowing loudly, trying to regain her calm, while the others felt a little guilty for questioning her when she just wanted to help her dearest friend. Everyone was looking to the ground, before Diluc stepped forward to express the substance of his thought and the plan to follow from now on.

"Amber, excuse me for making you think that, and I say it sincerely. However, I was not saying that research should be stopped, I say that it is over for today. I think we are all tired of having heard the news, and this research on the job has exhausted us mentally and physically, especially you who were very affected. I think we all know that your relationship with him is close, and it's normal for you to have this kind of behavior, but you've asked all passers-by since we left the city, all this to have only negative answers. We would need a better approach than this one if we want to find it. "

Amber listened carefully to his words, and she knew that what he said was true, after all, Diluc was known for his frankness and rationality. But part of her did not want to stop, because she knew that every second he spent took her away from him. However, she had to face reality, and she knew that it was better to go back for now.

"... You're right...but... It makes me so drunk to let him wander without comfort..."

"It's true, after all, I consider him a great friend too, and if he goes so badly would only be bad for him and for us. However, it is better to eat and rest, and then return to Mondstadt with a calmer mind before really thinking about where he could go, while checking at the key places where he could leave. In addition, if we could find Paimon, it would be nice, because at the latest news on the letter, Aether is now alone. There is my mansion one kilometer from here, we can go there and sleep a little. "

Amber looked around and saw everyone who nodded with Diluc, so she accepted this decision, hoping that she could find sleep.

"I understand, if you all agree, I'm not going to oppose it... But I warn you, from tomorrow, we will return to the city, and we will do everything to see him again."

"Don't worry for that Amber, I swear on my role as Grand Master that I will do everything in my power to find him, and don't think that you are the only one to worry about him, me too, and all of us, we only wish the best for him." added Jean, trying to comfort the Outrider.

"Thank you, Jean."

"You're welcome. Well, on that, let's go and hope that the Anemo Archon gives us his help."

"You're right."

It was after this grueling day for all of them that they went to the Dawn Winery, hoping to be in shape for the next day, and think about how they could put it back on the right track.

As dawn showed the tip of his nose, Aether had now arrived in Mondstadt, always suspicious of anyone who could recognize him because the city was quite small and he knew most of the inhabitants. He was happy that almost no one paid attention to him on the way, and that there was almost no one in town at this time. He was exhausted from having taken such a long walk without having eaten enough and wanted only one thing, to sleep peacefully after a good meal.

From there, and since the forge was not far from the entrance to the city, he left to ask for the manufacture of a new weapon, with a little more resistance to elemental attacks and which would last better over time. Since the weapon he had asked for would take little time, or two days according to the blacksmith, he had taken advantage of the time he was going to use to rest for the advance of his new sword.

When this was finished, he left for the Good Hunter, or he knew that Sara, the restorer, recognized him if he showed his face, so he slightly changed the tone of his voice and paid attention to the slightest fact and gesture he made before asking for a few dishes, pressing on the fact that he was hungry.

A little later, after eating, he left for a local inn to book a room, feeling his eyelids wanting to close from one minute to the next. When he entered it, he plunged into his bed on his back, the energy he had used during all these previous restless fights, mixed with the confrontation with Xiao and these long hours of walking through half the region meant that he did not have enough stamina at the moment. He took off his cape and said to himself that he was going to take a shower after sleeping a few hours, then he went to get the equipment he would need later.

"Two days gives me plenty of time to prepare... After that, no more stop, and I hope I won't be bothered anymore..." he murmured to himself before closing his eyes and falling asleep.

"I think we arrived soon."

"Indeed, Collei, Mondstadt is not very far away."

Tighnari had decided on the route to follow during the trip, when they left Sumeru, Cyno had proposed to start investigating Liyue, but Tighnari knew that it would be too complex to perform, since no precise geographical indication is mentioned in the letter. In addition, Liyue is a territory too much big for only the three of them, and given how Aether's behavior was mentioned, he knew that the Traveler was probably no longer in Liyue.

The ranger had therefore advised his companions to take the usual route to Mondstadt in order to ask for help from the people he already knew. According to him, he thought that the letter could not be delivered except to Sumeru, and that it had at least been addressed to the other nations who had already met the Traveler, because they knew that he knew them, especially since their last trip to the land of the Anemo Archon. However, even if this is not the case, they would explain the situation to the Knights of Favonius, and they knew that they would not refuse help, simply because they too would never leave Aether in this state.

At the moment they were travelling in a carriage, which was going much faster than on foot, and in a day and a half, asking the driver to go fast enough, they arrived not far from the city of Mondstadt, near Springvale, and hoped to find answers as soon as possible. However, Cyno has a few questions when he meets the blonde-haired outlander.

"Have you ever thought about how to analyse the problem if we ever met it by chance?"

"Don't worry about that. Aether just needs to have the ideas in place." answered Tighnari.

"You act like a psychologist."

"No, I'm trying to visualise all our options."

"If you say so, in any case, it's good that Collei came, you see that there were no problems, especially if it's to return to Mondstadt."

"We were just lucky not to have had a dangerous route."

"Don't lie, I know that you also chose this option to go see the Order of Favonius so as not to have to monitor Collei too much, knowing that she will be surrounded by Amber and the others."

"Shh, don't say that out loud! " whispered Tighnari, putting his hand on Cyno's mouth, feel happy that Collei did not pay attention to their conversation and watched the landscape pass in front of her eyes.

"I understood." replied Cyno, removing the hand that taped his mouth.

"I hope so. I know it's not very good, but you might as well kill two birds with one stone."

"You have to learn to leave her alone. If you leave her unattended, she won't faint or worse. And then, I think she has proven enough that she can manage on her own."

"I know... I know... Can't wait for us to finish this trip quickly enough, so that we can start to really find him." sighed the Dendro forest ranger.

The other archons, as well as Hu Tao and Paimon had already been looking for clues for almost two days already, and they had no ideas yet about where it could be. Since they had seen the massacre in the north of Liyue, they were all a little upset, and even if the relations between them have been improved since Nahida's implosion about her remarks, she, as everyone else had at one time or another of the day a moment alone to refocus on themselves and be a little alone, they all felt a little bad, and this feeling did not want to leave, no matter how many times they said it would be better than before.

Currently, they didn't really know what to do, and it turned out that even Nahida couldn't think properly, so they were going around in circles, almost waiting for Aether to arrive as if by magic. They were not very far from the border between Liyue and Mondstadt, like Yelan and Xiao before them, and did not know whether to go to Mondstadt or continue the search in the perimeter, because it could just as well give them a false lead.

At one point, while they were having breakfast in their makeshift camp, they were thinking about how they would talk to Aether, and also how he would react to the fact that the four Archons were now in front of him. Paimon had told them that he was really grateful for Nahida's help, even minimal, for his sister's search, to her greatest surprise, who was glad that Aether was not too angry with her after her fraudulent attempt to save her country before he arrived. Of course, she had told this when Hu Tao was sleeping, and that they were all already up at dawn, because not all could sleep too much, to avoid the mention that they were Archons.

Since Hu Tao was with them, their mental was a little better, because she was trying to brighten up the atmosphere, even if she couldn't forget the events she had heard too much either. Moreover, she had told how she had found herself listening to their conversation, and no one had resented her, especially Zhongli, who should have explained to her that he was not going to be present for a while.

While they all had a cup of coffee, they said with an open heart their thoughts about their relationship with the Traveler and what they thought, with Zhongli who spoke first:

"So, what do you say to Aether when the time comes? "

No one wanted to start, but Zhongli wanted to start this conversation to avoid this lifeless spiral in which they were all, and to allow them to be able to relieve their hearts, at least temporarily, so he himself began to answer this question:

"Well, I propose to start, just to allow you to better understand what I feel." he said, sipping a sip of his tea, looking at the sky for a few moments before redirecting his gaze to others.

"I think that first of all, I would express my sincere gratitude to him for helping this nation to develop and be able to grow and allow a better future, but I think it turns out that this is the case for your respective nations, so I think it is obvious that this is obvious. But, I would like to thank him personally, because I have lost many friends on the way over the years, and I would not want to lose someone precious in my turn. "

Morax knew what he was saying, and really thought so, and he was careful not to include the points where he was the Geo Archon, taking care to make sentences with a rather fuzzy turn, like the previous one where he mentioned Ghizong without saying it explicitly.

"I think I did not do what I could not to recognize or his distress, and at the time, for personal reasons, I had rejected the meagre indications I had at my disposal to help him, because of a contract I had made before. You know how Liyue works, so I don't explain more... Still, Aether does not deserve all this, and I would like to tell him that in the future, if he needs me in any way, he can always call me, and I would come automatically, instead of spending my time drinking tea and listening to stories. "

Zhongli ends his sentence not without a little touch of bitterness, finally understanding that he had not made enough effort. But another voice spoke before he could think of anything else.

"I guess I'll continue."

"Nahida?"

"Yes, I think I would have a lot to say to him. Knowing that he still accepts me as a friend would be the greatest gift he could give me. I had no friends at the time, I just watched the world alone. But he reached out to me, and helped me socialise, he taught me so many things in such a short time, to the point that I am eternally grateful to him. According to what he told me, the person I took under my supervision, you know him Paimon, is the Wanderer, had been a bad person after the past according to him. He was not very recommendable and used his power to do evil, and moreover, it turns out that he was involved in one of the deaths of one of Aether's close friends. But he forgave him, and allowed him to be a better person despite his more than ruthless character. I don't think anyone would have accepted so easily, except him."

Nahida took her breath for a few seconds, the emotions returning to her face, she tried more or less to be calm, then continued:

"I would like to thank him for that, for saving me too, it's a story for another time, but let's say he never left me alone. I want him to be healthy, I wouldn't want him to arrive in such a catastrophic mental and physical state in front of his sister, what would she say? She would have a tooth against us, that would be certain, and towards Teyvat in general, and I would perfectly understand that she wanted to destroy the world that put her brother in this state... And finally, I will tell him that even if he does not forgive us, he should know that whatever happens, I will now watch over him, and I will give him all my blessing and the possible help I can give him. He needs to hear this, that he deserves it, because after all he has done, if he has no help to finish his journey, who will do it? In any case, this could be the last words I would say to him, so I would like him to know that I was happy with him and that whatever he decides to do, I want to support him until the end..." ends Nahida with a few tears running down her cheek, which she wiped away very quickly, not wanting to be yet emotional.

Nahida tried to regain her calm by breathing more or less hard, while Ei had come to comfort her by putting a hand on her back and gently caressing her, while the other Archons, Hu Tao and Paimon, no longer even dared to look the Dendro Archon in the eyes, because they more or less understood what she felt. They all looked to the ground until the Electro Archon spoke, also wanting to express themselves on this subject.

"Well, I think it's my turn... For me, first of all, I would like to tell him that I am sorry for all the harm that was caused to him by me, even indirectly. I had fought against him from the start without understanding or trying to listen to anything, because I didn't want to change my narrow way of thinking... Then, I would like to explain to him how valuable his help has been for Inazuma, but also and especially for me. Before his arrival, I remained cloistered in my personal space because I refused any external contact, and I think it was due to the death of my sister, I was so afraid of losing anyone I loved, that I did not want to suffer again... But he happened, and he showed me that it was not the right solution, and more or less changed my way of thinking, and for the better. I would never forget those moments I spent with him, he made me discover things I was almost no longer used to, such as the simple fact of eating sweets... It's true that it looks harmless, but I really liked all his little attentions towards me, and he had no grudges towards me, even after everything I did to him, and just for that, I would like to say thank you to him... I just hope it's not too late, because I miss him terribly... "

Ei finished her monologue not without emotions, while everyone realized the impact that the blonde-haired Outlander had in her life, and the Archons obviously understood the allusion to the fact that she was stuck in the Plane of Euthymia. He had known the purple-haired woman shortly after her sister's death, and knew that she had lost much of her happiness, and had entered a kind of depression, and their new encounter showed how one person had changed this cold woman into a fairly emotional person who sometimes acted like a little girl.

After a few moments of silence, Hu Tao, after a brief moment of hesitation, spoke again.

"I think I will also say what I think, then, if no one wants to talk."

"Director? I thought you would have nothing to say since you always say what you think out loud."

"Indeed, but that doesn't mean that's all I think, even a person like me also has a few secrets, and since everyone makes an effort to show their emotions, I don't see why I won't do..."

"I guess you're right, very well, so we're listening to you."

"Thank you, Zhongli. "

Hu Tao breathed a good blow, then wore a face that was much more serious than she usually did, and Zhongli as Paimon had noticed.

"Where to start... It's true that unlike you, I can't say that Aether helped me in any way, as Ei or Nahida said before, or even you Zhongli, so it's true that my reasons can be a little superficial and shaky since compared to me, it's as if you had a debt to him. I mean, I don't want you to think that I think you do this only to reciprocate, I know you are all good friends and I was able to see it, even by spending a little time with you. I don't judge you, and I find it quite honorable. But I want to help him, because he is one of my best friends, and I would never leave trusted people in embarrassment or distress... And also, I think he has done a lot for me, even if it seems harmless to him and to you if I told you. "

The 77th director of Wangsheng Funeral Parlor intertwined her hands and laid her elbows on her thighs, while looking at the ground, trying to hide her growing grief, then continued her monologue, under the attentive eyes of all.

"I mean, my behavior is quite eccentric, and I know it... Some have called me crazy, others weird or idiot, especially since the contrast between my personality and the job I do has earned me some suspicions. After all, for most people, who is exciting to bury the deads?... When people talk to me, most of them try to support my behavior, with some exceptions. But when I met Aether, it was very different, even if he was quite surprised at first, he never showed me any signs of disgust, and he appreciated me as I am. And he wasn't trying to lie, I saw him, he really appreciated my personality, while at the moment, and with his condition, I think I must be the type of person he hates the most... "

She passed a hand over his face, rubbing her eyes before he began to evacuate tears, so she began to put on.

"But I spent good company with him, he even participated in my delusions and jokes, even if they were stupid... He laughed with me, and even told me that in some aspects I reminded him of someone he appreciated a lot, and he was the only person I could have fun with like that, be so relaxed... Of course friends like Xiangling, Chongyun or Xinqiu are precious to me, I don't forget them and I appreciate them greatly, but I knew that they were not particularly receptive to my delusions, and that's normal, it can't please everyone, and I think it wasn't the part of me they wanted to see the most... But I had the impression that with Aether, he wasn't pretending, if something went wrong, he told me, especially when I was going a little too far, but at least I was having fun, and I don't want to lose someone like that, especially since he doesn't deserve it, after all, all he wants is to find his sister,... It's not saving a nation or helping someone get out of a depression like you, but as he once told me, "It's ain't much but it's honest work.", and that's what I want to believe because Aether deserves to rest, and in the future, I'll pay more attention to him, as he did for me... "

No one expected that a person like her could have this kind of problem, and Zhongli was a little angry against himself, after all this time he knew her, for not having paid attention to this kind of details. And even Paimon found herself quite disturbed by this information, and she did not think that Aether meant so much to her. As for the other Archons, even if he had only known the young woman for three days, they had been able to determine her way of being quite extroverted, and seeing her confess in this way was quite touching and sad.

While everyone was hesitant to say anything, Paimon spoke to say something quite unexpected.

"Hu Tao, you know, Paimon has always appreciated you from the beginning and has never hated you. "

Hu Tao raised her face and looked at her eyes of the little fairy, to discern whether it was pity or not, but Paimon did not have the heart to lie or say anything offensive.

"It's true that Paimon doesn't show it, but Paimon thinks you're a good person and a good friend. It's impressive to keep smiling with such an obscure job, and you have a contagious smile. Also, Paimon thinks that no one around you thinks that of you."

"It's true, Director, Paimon is right. At no time did I think that what you were doing was problematic. It's true that your behavior is surprising, but after all, that's what makes your charm."

"You... Do you both really think so? You don't say that to please or console me?"

"No, and ask them, they've only known you for a very short time, but they already consider you as a friend, don't you?" said the little fairy, looking at the other Archons, who nodded.

"You see, at no time here would a person denigrate you. I know it may seem strange since I'm the one who says that, but, Director, don't think about the past. You said it yourself, you have friends who matter to you, and this is reciprocal, and then, I don't think Aether hates you, neither now nor later, and in no way would he want you to dwell on your past problems." added the Geo Archon.

"Zhongli is right, we are here. Paimon never abandons a friend, no matter how much food I can be given... But more seriously, Hu Tao, Paimon is happy to be your friend and to have known you." she says with her arms crossed behind her back and her characteristic smile.

"Paimon..."

Hu Tao got up and approached the fairy, before hugging her by surprise deeply, under the surprised eyes of everyone, including Paimon, but returned the embrace with pleasure.

"Thank you... I needed to hear these words..."

"... You're welcome... Paimon doesn't like to see the people she likes to suffer... "

After the brunette had finished hugging the little girl, she began to smile again as she did as normal, while Zhongli sighed with relief.

"It seems that you have returned to your usual state, Director."

"Yes, you're right, now that I've talked about it, it's much better. And even if I still can't believe it, but I thank you once again Paimon. To think that she is the one who would cheer me up, we will have seen everything..."

"Hey!"

"I'm teasing you..."

"I confirm, she's back. However, she is right on one point." declared Zhongli.

"Which one" asked Nahida, who was still with Ei.

"Paimon had more courage than all of us. After all these events, she may have had the strength to ask for help and not to languish, and in addition to that, she still has the strength to fight and relieve the ills of others."

"You're right, Zhongli."

"Paimon deserves a little recognition for this. I understand why Aether said several times that even if you bothered him a few times, he didn't imagine traveling without you."

"Did... Did he really say that?" asked Paimon, touched by these words.

"Yes... In fact, he told me never to tell you, but he appreciates you much more than he shows it, and that even though he still hadn't found his little sister, he found another one along the way. In any case, he is right and everyone here too, I think that if you weren't there, we wouldn't be where we are. "

Paimon did not expect so many compliments from everyone, but was delighted to hear praise that she had hardly ever had since her trip with Aether. She could not help blushing under all the compliments and smiling with full teeth, sincerely happy to see that she can make a contribution and that she is appreciated by all, not only considered as an "emergency food". All this, in addition to the fact that she knew that Aether had always had great confidence in her, is enough to give her energy and continue the quest for which they had all joined.

"Thank you all! Paimon will do her best in the future!"

While everyone regained a little hope, especially Hu Tao and Paimon, and managed to sketch a smile, there was one who had hardly spoken since the beginning, contrasting with the fact that he usually made noise to attract attention, and Nahida had noticed it, and she approached him.

"Venti? Are you going to be okay? You didn't talk much... Do you want to talk too? I'm not forcing you, if you don't want to, it doesn't matter. "

Venti was not too much on his plate, but for the last two days, he felt like he was going around, and he was thinking about everything that had happened before. But he tried to talk, thinking that maybe he would be better. He opened his mouth, but no sound came out, almost as if he were blocked, before understanding that he was already sobbing. He was tired of this, tired of crying, of seeing his friends crying and he felt that Aether was also crying from the inside, according to the calls of the wind. He knew that shedding tears would be useless, but he did not stop, he struck the stone on which he was also with his fist, making him draw attention to him.

"Why? Why did we get there? It's not fair that he is the one who suffers... "

Nahida knew that the bard had a lot on his heart and that he probably hoped to apologize when the time came.

Chapter 11

Chapter Text

" I should have been a better friend." Venti muttered bitterly out with tears building in his eyes as the rest of the Archons and Paimon looked worried.

" Venti…" Nahida approached the bard trying to comfort him.

" No, Nahida. I know what I did, I know it's my fault, I deserved it, so why am I crying?… I should have accepted this and tried to move forward, but I can't do it, and I don't know why."

Venti really regretted what he had done, not only as an Archon, because he had let Aether do all the work by fighting Dvalin, but also sending him on a wild-goose chase to Liyue about Lumine's whereabouts he simply didn't have. Venti felt bad because he felt like he had used Aether as a simple tool. No different from the tyrannical Lawerence Clan centuries ago using the common people as nothing but servants for their sad*stic whims. Aether had his own problems, but everyone else kept on piling responsibility after responsibility onto him without even giving him a chance to say no. Not that Venti could understand despite being an Archon, he leisurely lived the simple life as a simple bard singing and drinking.

" Aether did everything for Mondstadt, he saved Dvalin. Even willing to risk his own freedom and become a wanted fugitive when he stole the Holy Lyre for a country that owed him absolutely nothing and more concerned finding his own sister, all this to help us. Meanwhile, I sang, played music and guzzled down wine as usual. Paimon… " Venti poured out all of his guilt to the group before turning to Paimon.

" Huh?"

" You were right all along... I am just a tone-deaf bard." Venti bowed his head to the fairy.

Everyone felt a little uncomfortable with these revelations, and even Paimon felt guilty. She called him that because she liked to give stupid nicknames to people she found annoying, which the bard was most of the time. Paimon wanted to say something to refute this thought, but she was interrupted by the Geo Archon.

" Venti, listen to me!" Zhongli called out suddenly.

" Zhongli?"

" Did you give up?"

" What?"

" I said, did you give up?"

" I…"

" If that's the case, you have no right to be here. You have made it abundantly clear that you are unwilling to help, therefore you are free to go back to Mondstadt and sulk while drowning in your precious wine and stop wasting everyone's , you said you were tired of it..."

Zhongli reprimanded Venti with an ice-cold voice much to everyone's shock, especially Hu Tao who had never heard the calm and composed man act so harshly before.

" Zhongli that's enough! You're going too far!" Hu Tao protested in Venti's defense.

" Hu Tao is right, isn't it a little extreme to send him an ultimatum like that?" Ei said, pointing out the obvious.

The girls did not understand why Zhongli spoke this way to Venti, when he was already in a bad state of mind, but that is precisely what Zhongli wanted to fight. When he initiated these conversations, he did it to not only see the point of view of others regarding how they felt about Aether, but also release the pent-up guilt everyone had that led to this situation to begin with. In addition, Zhongli also wanted to see if no one had lost hope yet because the group couldn't waste time with excess baggage when Aether was on the move making the journey to help him all the more difficult. The fact that he saw that Venti was losing confidence was not only proof of this, but to fix what was broken so his goal was to give Venti the necessary drive to continue.

" Don't worry, I'm not being brutal with him, I'm stating the truth. If Venti no longer feels he can continue, he can stop right now, it's better for everyone." Zhongli explained to the girls, before looking again at the bard, who stopped crying.

" How is that?" Venti asked.

" You heard me perfectly, Venti." said Zhongli, while crossing his arms over his chest.

" No, I won't stop." Venti stated firmly with a renewed fire in his eyes and voice.

" And what tells me that it's not a facade?"

" Do you think I'm lying? Do you really think that after all the progress we've traveled since the beginning with all the problems we've faced on the way, that I'm going to stop here, as if nothing had happened?!" Venti said with indignation.

" So if that's the case, why are you complaining?" Zhongli pointed out.

" I'm not complaining, it's just that…"

"I know it's difficult, but tell yourself that it's difficult for everyone. Do you think that Ei actually wanted to cause so many problems for Inazuma? Do you think Nahida doesn't feel guilty for asking Aether to save Sumeru from the corrupt Sages? That it doesn't annoy me to have to calmly sip tea as if nothing was happening while he was fighting a Fatui Harbinger not far from the port of Liyue? We have all made mistakes, you're no different, and I understand, but we must move forward, otherwise we will be stuck in this continuous infernal spiral."

Venti was on the verge of saying something, but Zhongli's words cut him off.

" You have spoken about your past guilt, and when you tell Aether about it, we'll see what he thinks. In any case, the damage is already done...but I forbid you to talk about yourself in this way because despite your nonsense, you try to redeem yourself, to absolve your sins. So if you are ready to move forward, you'll continue, otherwise, you know what to expect. Do you really want to take the risk of not having tried the opportunity to make him understand that you are sorry for what you did, and get even more bogged down in your negativity, when it is you who usually tries to put everyone in a good mood? You have a choice, but do the right thing... "

Venti was thinking carefully about what Zhongli was saying, looking to the ground, understanding that he may have acted the wrong way from the beginning, simply out of grief and guilt. He knew that Zhongli was right, and if he did nothing, Venti wouldn't be able to apologize to Aether.

While an awkward silence ran through the camp where everyone was waiting a good thirty seconds, Venti made his decision and got up, as he rubbed his eyes one last time.

" I'm staying with you... No matter what you say Zhongli, I may not have been a good friend, but that doesn't mean I can't fix my mistakes. Obviously I want to discuss it with him, even if there is a meager chance that he won't forgive me, I will not let it pass. You're right about the fact that I've lost a little hope lately... But I can't give up, I never gave up on Mondstadt, its people, and Aether is like part of that family there, so I will continue." Venti said firmly, making it clear to everyone that the Anemo Archon had no intention of running away.

Zhongli smiled slightly at what he had heard, seeing that Venti regained his lost courage. His method may have been verbally violent, but it was worth it because he wanted to cause a renewed fire enough to wake him up, and it worked.

The girls breathed with relief when they finally understood what the Geo Archon true intentions were, and were happy that Venti was better.

" Glad to hear you say that, Venti. Let's do our best from now on." Zhongli replied, putting his hand in front of Venti, a sign of an agreement.

" Yes, you're right. Now, let's stop languishing and finish this as soon as possible, our friend will not wait forever." replied the bard, shaking the consultant's hand.

" Ehe..." let Paimon escape, aware that she did this on purpose because it was Venti's typical quirk, she wanted to tease him but deep down, she was relieved to see that she did not lose a comrade along the way.

" I usually do that!" Venti called out with indignation.

" Paimon knows, tone-deaf bard. It was done on purpose. But glad you're better." Paimon teased.

" Thank you, Paimon."

The group was much better after hiding several of their doubts, hoping that this would allow them to advance in their quest and strengthen their ties, while a few smiles appeared on their lips.

A few moments later, they heard a voice coming from behind them calling them, that none of the people present expected, but Paimon immediately recognized someone, especially when she saw light purple hair done resembling cat ears.

" Keqing? "

Indeed, it was the Yuheng who came running along when she heard a particularly high-pitched voice that resembled Paimon's, it turns out Keqing had sensitive hearing. Shortly after her, Yelan, Shenhe, and Ganyu came running, followed by Xiao who was walking quite nonchalantly as he normally did.

Everyone was surprised to see Paimon, and Ganyu could not stop herself from giving the fairy a bone-crushing hug, as if she had not seen her for an eternity with Paimon's face turning blue.

" Paimon, I'm so happy to see you again!" Ganyu weeped oblivious of Paimon slowly dying.

" Me too... Ganyu... but Paimon needs air…" Paimon begged Ganyu as she immediately released the small creature. Paimon floated in the air again while taking in precious oxygen.

" Sorry... I got a little carried away." Ganyu quickly apologized while looking embarrassed at the same time.

" No big deal... But what are you doing here?" replied Paimon, relieved that the embrace is over, even if she appreciated this kind of affection.

" We came to find Aether. I think that's also the reason why you're alone?" Ganyu explained simply.

" So you know this from the beginning?"

" Yes, I saw Aether in the Aozang Mountains less than a week ago with Cloud Retainer." Ganyu said.

" Paimon now understands."

" But I didn't know that Mr. Zhongli and Hu Tao were with you?" Ganyu said, surprised to see the Funeral Parlor Director and her consultant.

"- Yes, they also want to help Paimon."

" I see…" Ganyu said before her eyes widened when she saw Ei and Nahida: " But wait a second, it couldn't be…"

" Yes, you're right Ganyu, I recognize their faces, you're the Raiden Shogun of Inazuma and Lesser Lord Kusanali, the Dendro Archon, am I wrong?" Keqing exclaimed, voicing out her groups amazement seeing the two Archons right now.

" What?! You mean for the last three days, I was with two Archons?!" Hu Tao shouted at the top of her lungs, realizing that she should have been more respectful.

" Mr. Zhongli, Paimon, what does all this mean?" Yelan asked, finding it surreal that two Archons were in Liyue right now of all places.

Paimon looked at Zhongli, then the rest of the Archons, hoping they could give out a little lie to explain this to the others, knowing that Keqing and Yelan weren't born yesterday and not so easily tricked. They could manage if Hu Tao knew their secret, but more people would risk creating more tension than anything else, especially since they had just resolved Venti's issues.

" You're right, they are the Electro and Dendro Archon." Paimon sighed, aware that she had no choice but to tell the truth.

" So it's true."

" If so, I would understand why you called them Paimon? But why are Zhongli and this bard here? How is it that they know these two?" asked Yelan as Paimon felt oppressed by everyone's eyes, and began to have big drops of sweat falling on her face, while Zhongli and Venti still hesitated to give their identity, but someone saved them from this ordeal, and it was the person they least expected.

" It's simply because they are the Geo and Anemo Archon" Xiao said to everyone not bothering to bear around the bush, much to the rest of the women's amazement, while Zhongli and Venti did not know what to say in the face of the revelation they were trying to hide.

" I know I'm not supposed to say that, and I apologize Zhongli, finally I can say Morax, now that everyone knows it. Your goal was to blend among mortals and I fully understand the willingness to hide this information, but the problem is that these women are quite insightful, and you could not get away with it even if you wanted to in this situation. Also, I apologize to Barbatos, Venti if I remember your mortal name. I know that you have your reasons not to reveal your identity, but as I said there was no choice. Otherwise, people would wonder why a bard and a funeral consultant would know two Archons. However, I think it's a small part of the people you know that can live your life quietly, am I wrong?"

The two Archons understood Xiao's reasoning, and did not resent him too much, but preferred to continue their momentum, while many people had a lot of questions in their heads: Why did they hide their identity? How is it that the four Archons are in the same place with Paimon?

Some were still processing this information, particularly Hu Tao, who laughed nervously.

" Wait, Xiao, is it true what you're saying? Paimon, is that a great joke you're making?"

" Uh... Xiao is right, They are all Archons, forgive Paimon for hiding it from you, but she had a good reason." Paimon said simply.

" Hehe... So that way I spent all this time with four Archons, fortunately I didn't do anything offensive... And to top it all off, my assistant is the god of my country... How am I supposed to take this information?" Hu Tao giggled while wanting to cry right now.

" Please calm down a little."

" Huh?" Hu Tao felt a hand on her shoulder, that of Raiden Ei.

" You don't need to put yourself in this state."

" But, I disrespected you."

" No, not at all, and you are not obliged to take honorable tones, neither with me, nor with the others for that matter, we are all friends, remember." Ei said gently to the funeral parlor director.

" But…"

" Listen, we didn't want you to know to avoid focussing on this information. Now that it's done, it doesn't matter, it's not important right. I am an Archon or that the others are, it's one thing, but above all we are a team, aren't we?" Ei questioned.

" That…doesn't it really bother you?" Hu Tao said, confused.

" Of course not...On the contrary, Yae Miko even told me that it would be nice if I socialize a little, and I found you quite endearing, even if we spent a little time together. Have you seen Morax, I mean Zhongli, angry at you? I don't think so, and do you really think it would deter him that you were his boss, despite the fact that he was the Geo Archon?" Ei pointed out.

"No, I think…"

" That's it, you know it now, so you don't need to be afraid... Neither all of you, Aether and Paimon have always spoken to me as if I was a normal person, and I liked it, and I think for you too it was the case" Ei says while looking at Venti, Zhongli and Nahida.

" So don't think badly, anyway, you came for the same purpose as us, to help our friend, and that's the most important thing, don't you think?"

Ei herself did not expect to make this kind of speech, but she did not want to dwell on it, and had really forged a strong bond with Hu Tao. She also knew that the other Archons also had friends, and knowing that could be compromising when they wanted a simple life, so it was the best thing to do for her to clarify the subject, and Nahida could not prevent her from smiling with happiness when she saw the Electro Archon trying to heal the wounds.

" Sorry to all of you for hiding this, but it was in my interest like yours, however I only hope that you will keep this secret and you will see me as you did before." apologized Zhongli, in front of the newcomers, then turned to Hu Tao.

" Also, I apologize Director, but don't worry, I'm not angry. I fully understand your amazement, nevertheless, I think it would be wiser to take stock of our research with our new guests."

"Yes, okay… " said Hu Tao, still intimidated.

While the new group was trying to digest this mind-blowing revelation, everyone tried to take stock of the new information they had. During their travel, Yelan and her "team" had not found too much that could lead them to Aether, but knew that they were quite close to where Xiao had fought.

Zhongli alongside Hu Tao, wondered how Keqing and Ganyu could leave so easily without taking into account their work, and just like Yelan and Xiao previously, they were quite surprised but understood the reason why they wanted to do this, between Ningguang's bad habits of snooping as well as their way they saw the Traveler because Hu Tao constantly teased them about this subject, and they quickly understood why.

In addition, the Archons as well as Paimon and Hu Tao were aware of the incident between Xiao and Aether, as well as the entire discussion that Yelan had initiated with him. They were quite happy to have more information, especially Nahida who was trying to gather the pieces of the puzzle to be able to put herself in Aether's place and know how he reacted and where he could go. As for the others, they were quite shocked to know that Xiao was beaten so quickly while he excelled in the art of fighting in normal times.

For their part, the Archons did not have much to say since they were a little discouraged during this time, and they had tried more to understand the situation than anything else, and they had thought more about how they were going to meet him because they had to prepare for all eventualities because Aether might not be willing to listen, he would fight them all without making the effort to listen to them.

Once all these discussions were underway, which lasted more than two hours, they formed a single research group in order to complete this research more quickly because they still did not know if Aether's current goal was to enter Fontaine or that he was just going to stay in Mondstadt to rest. Even with the Liyue group joining them, Paimon was still happy to see that so many people were actively trying to get into the search for her best friend, she knew that some people had their personalities dramatically opposed to others, and that partnership would not blend right away but this day, in addition to the compliments she had received, gave her a sense of comfort and allowed her to see the future more serenely than before.

" At least, it's not very far away, only a few kilometers and we will have arrived."

Diluc's words answered Amber when she asked him how far they were from the city. The Outrider could not sleep all night, and she was quite awake even with a long night. Even if the others tried to deny it, they had not managed to sleep very well either, their worry and Amber's attitude had played on their minds.

They left early enough, even before the first rays of sunshine, and Diluc asked for the fastest driver to return to the city, and also took shortcuts rather than taking the usual route according to the orders of the red-haired man, while the Knights of Favonius could not speak too much, everyone remained in their thoughts, because for them, trying to talk about something useless would make things even more embarrassing for them.

In the middle of the afternoon, when they arrived in the city, they hurried back to the Headquarters of the Knights of Favonius where they could concentrate more serenely and try to create a plan to find the Traveler. However, it was only plan that Jean, Kaeya and Eula had found along the way, but when they arrived, they heard noise in Jean's office, and it was not just Lisa's voice that was supposed to handle the paperwork in the absence of Jean, but also three other voices.

When they opened the door, they were quite surprised to know who was in their office:

"Collei?!"

"Amber?! "

They were surprised to find Collei, as well as Tighnari and Cyno who had arrived a few minutes earlier. The Sumeru natives arrived at the Knights of Favonius Headquarters to gather more information regarding Aether's situation.

Since they had arrived, what they did was discuss with Lisa, who explained to them the situation that they too had received a letter very similar from Ningguang, as well as the position of the main knights who had left with Amber to look for the Traveler. As usual, Tighnari did not mince his words, and found it stupid to venture without an actual plan because Aether could be anywhere right now. Nevertheless, like Collei and Cyno, he understood the reaction of Amber and the others, and did not resent them.

When they saw them in Jean's office, they were disappointed the knights but at least more they had manpower in the search for Aether and moreover, Collei could not prevent herself from giving a warm hug to Amber, whom she tried to return more or less to her normal state because her morale was more or less in bad condition.

Shortly after the reunion, Sumeru's trio explained the situation at home, and repeated about the same thing they had explained to Lisa, as well as the reason why they were here. They sympathized and appreciated the gesture of having made such an eventful journey to help them, and explained in return what they had found on their way, their difficulty in trying to look for it, and tried to find a way to be able to locate Aether without it looking like an ambush or a trap, because with the mental health of the declining Traveler, he could easily interpret this as attack, as if he were a criminal, as if he had not already experienced this in other nations at least once.

In the early afternoon, and after only a day and a half, Beidou managed to get to Liyue. It must be said that the crew had taken a shorter route with fewer waves to avoid any delay, and Beidou had done everything to move forward as quickly as possible, the austere atmosphere did not help her too much to go slower anyway, given the calm nature of the young woman of the Kamisato clan, and the pink-haired kitsune who did not try too much to tease people as she did in normal times because the slightest deviation could make Ayaka reconsider the nature of her trip, wondering why she came if she did not take this seriously.

When they set foot on the port, Kazuha felt a call from the wind indicating bad waves with regard to his friend, but knew that it should not be thought too much because it would reduce the way things were glimpsed. Moreover, he and Beidou went out with Ayaka and Yae Miko, leaving the ship under the supervision and maintenance of the pirate's crew, while they all headed towards the Jade Chamber, under the idea of Yae Miko, who took the opportunity to see Liyue's landscapes that she found very charming since she had not come for a long time. Ayaka would have liked to enjoy the sightseeing outside her country of origin, but did not have the mind for it right now. She had much more pressing matters after all, namely Aether.

When they arrived at Ningguang's Jade Chamber, Yae Miko was quite impressed by the amount of opulence and wealth, especially since she had heard that it was a reconstruction of the first Jade Chamber, understanding why Ningguang earned the title of one of the wealthiest people of Teyvat. As for Ayaka, even she was quite surprised to find herself in this setting where ostentatious signs were displayed on both sides, while the secretaries ran from right to left with many more papers than any normal person could carry.

" I can't remember the last time all of these secretaries put in this much work. Who knew Ning was a real slave driver!" said Beidou with her characteristic laugh, finding the secretaries' massive workload incredibly amusing.

" Maybe Liyue is organizing a special event? Could explain why so many people are working this hard." Kazuha thought out loud.

" Anyway, it's not up to us to pay attention to that. You wanted to see Ningguang, so let's go!" Beidou called out.

They arrived in front of the door and Beidou knocked on the door for permission to enter, and Ningguang accepted. When they opened the door, they saw the white-haired woman with some dark circles around her eyes from exhaustion, and traces of wet makeup on the contours of her eyes, as she stretched a weak smile in front of her guests, trying to push a fairly substantial pile of papers. Ningguang trying her best to look presentable to Beidou and her foreign guests

" By the Archons, dear, how are you? You looked absolutely terrible! " asked Yae, who, like the others, was surprised by the sight of one of the most elegant and refined people of all of Liyue, who no longer resembled these terms.

" Hello Yae Miko! I'm quite alright, thank you for asking. I'm just catching up with some paperwork, that's all. Oh, and I see that there is Beidou and Kazuha, as well as a new guest from Inazuma. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance." Ningguang greeted everyone but looked ready to pass out from her massive workload.

The group looked at each other a little uncomfortable because they had all seen that Ningguang claimed to be fine but it was a blatant lie, and Beidou could not believe Ningguang would allow herself to look this bad especially in front of some very important guests. However, they tried to ignore this, and Ayaka briefly introduced herself to Ningguang, the user of the Geo element, understanding that she is a fairly important person of the Inazuma nation.

After this short introduction, Yae Miko did not want to beat around the bush, and clearly said the reason why she was in Liyue, and it was not a courtesy visit, and Ningguang suspected it from the moment they had set foot here.

Yae explained to her who had read the letter instead of the currently absent Raiden Shogun, and that she wanted to know more about the current situation regarding Aether as well as the possibility of talking to him without creating more problems, not only with him, but also with other nations. When Ningguang told her about the events that occurred, a face full of guilt appeared, and not only towards Aether, but also towards Keqing, Ganyu and Yelan because she had committed a kind of split between them, even if it was only temporary.

The Geo User detailed everything that had happened because after all, it was she who had sent letters to warn them of the situation about Aether. Ningguang said everything she knew, about Yelan's reconnaissance mission to which she still had no response, as well as the momentary departure of Ganyu and Keqing, due to their temporary resignation, shocking Beidou and Kazuha who knew very well that these two workaholics were particularly invested in Liyue, and that only a good reason would make them want to be absent. In addition to that, the group understood why there were so many secretaries dealing with the mountain of paperwork when they arrived in the Jade Chamber. But one thing still bothered Yae, after all the information she had:

" So why are you in this state? It's not in your habit, and even if you have extra work, I could understand the dark circles, but not the rest. Tell us the truth, it's about Aether, am I wrong?" Yae deduced correctly with Ningguang nodding her head.

" You are just as insightful as the rumors about you."

" My dear, it wasn't complicated to see, I think everyone here understands."

" It's true... So I can't maintain a good face... It's strange, usually I can maintain it well… " Ningguang laughed sarcastically, as Yae worried about her.

" Explain, so that we understand."

" It's true that it saddens me, but I had been thinking about Keqing's words for some time. She told me that I didn't care about them, as if I always did everything that was beneficial to me." Ningguang repeated the harsh but truthful words of Keqing.

" Well, what she says is not totally wrong!" replied Beidou, who even paying attention to the atmosphere, could not help but tell the truth, under the surprised eyes of others and the blank look that Ningguang threw at her.

" What? You're not going to tell me that it's wrong, in general, you only think about making money. You even said that it was the only thing you were in love with." Beidou challenged the wealthy woman.

Ningguang sighed, knowing that what Beidou said was true, but calmed down trying to take back what she meant:

" Yes, what you say is also true. But this does not mean that I do not respect people and that I do not take into account their consideration and emotions. However, I don't know why I did that, not only will Aether no longer trust me, because I sent Yelan to look for him, and must hate me right now, when he is a person in whom I can trust completely. And now to top it all off, I betrayed Keqing and Ganyu, and surely Yelan because I did not respect them, especially after invading their privacy... I guess these are good reasons to put me in this state."

Ningguang had explained to them the fact that she had spied on Keqing and Ganyu via Yelan, and even Yae was disconcerted by this, not expecting her to go so low for a simple issue of counter-productivity, especially on a person as important as the Yuheng. Beidou and Kazuha were disgusted with Ningguang, they now felt that we had to pay attention to the future, even if she had promised to not spy more on her collaborators and friends. As for Ayaka, she didn't say much from the beginning, but she had a sense of anger boiling inside of her towards Ningguang, especially concerning the man she loved.

" Come on Ningguang, you're not like that, usually. You're always looking for a way to solve your problems, so why would it be different this time?" asked Beidou, at the same time as she tried to reassure her.

" I would like to have your optimism, but after all that has just happened…"

" You deserve it!" Ayaka screamed in a fit of anger and disgust."

" Huh?"

Everyone turned to Ayaka who said this, and Yae Miko in particular, was very surprised to hear the normally polite young woman say such a thing. Moreover, Ayaka looked at Ningguang with eyes full of hostility and disgust, a look she had never seen in her, competing with the evil eyes that Aether currently had.

" Miss Ayaka, what are you talking about?" Yae Miko asked the young woman who obviously did not pay attention to her request.

" I said, you deserved it... all of this is because of your own stubbornness, and now because of you, Aether is losing his mind. You reap what you sow, and now you're crying because you have been caught red-handed. No wonder Aether couldn't trust you!" Ayaka shouted, her face darkened and a tear running down her left cheek, an icy white aura surrounding her, as the room began to freeze from the excess Cryo energy she was leaking from her body, the temperature dropping by a few degrees. After being silent throughout the trip, the emotions of the cryo swordswoman began to implode before the eyes of all those who were in this office.

Ayaka couldn't give a damn right now her actions would lead to Liyue tearing up Inazuma new trading agreements after the dissolution of the Sakoku Decree or result in Liyue and Inazuma going to war. The only thing Ayaka cared about was Aether, nothing else mattered to her at this moment.

Chapter 12

Chapter Text

"Miss Kamisato, please calm down!" Kazuha pleaded, who saw the situation escalate, as well as the others who were more than surprised by Ayaka losing her temper and starting to shiver from the cold.

The sheer cold generated by the Frostflake Heron engulfed the expensive pieces of decor that adored Ningguang's office in ice and snow while the other Vision Users present were handling the cold far better than any normal person would. The secretaries and guards however outside the office noticed how unbearably cold the Jade Chamber was getting. Naturally, the guards immediately banged against Ningguang's office door demanding to know if The Tianquan was alright and what was going on inside. Yae Miko knew she needed to calm Ayaka down now or else Inazuma would be plunged into another war they really couldn't afford to be in.

"Ayaka, that's enough!" Yae ordered sternly, but Ayaka remained unfettered by the priestess's words.

"My apologies, Lady Yae, but I don't intend to let her off easy, this woman has no thoughts for Aether, her colleagues or anyone! She deserves far worse than burying herself in paperwork and self-pity!" Ayaka ranted angrily, summoning her katana from her hip.

Yae would never have thought that Ayaka, the normally polite young woman, would get so angry enough to commit murder. The cryo swordswoman moved closer and closer to Ningguang, who was quite frightened, and could no longer even think about how to avoid what she thought was the inevitable, while Kazuha and Beidou stood in front of Ayaka pulling out their own blades to defend The Tianquan againsts Ayaka's wrath.

Yae also joined in, ready to use force against Ayaka, if it meant stopping an international incident that could lead to war between two nations.

"Ayaka, think! You can't commit murder just because you blame Ningguang, it doesn't justify you killing her! If you continue like this, you will create a serious diplomatic incident between Liyue and Inazuma, don't forget that she is the one who runs this country! If you do this, your head will be sought after by all of Liyue, and even more, and you will not be able to try to see Aether again. In addition to this, you will condemn Inazuma to another war, I know you don't want that, so please stop!" Yae pleaded to Ayaka, piling on every grim logical conclusion that was going to happen.

Ayaka paused in her movements, knowing full well that Yae was completely right. While Ayaka loved Aether and hated that he was suffering with no one to comfort, or support him. The Frostflake Heron wanted to do just that, but couldn't do that if she was locked in a cell, executed and her homeland locked into another war that no one wanted.

Ayaka listened to Yae's words, she in no way wanted to create more problems than there already were, so she gradually calmed down, her sword dismissed, her Cryo aura disappeared, and the temperature became much more bearable. However, the office was still covered in ice and frost. Kazuha and Beidou dismissed their own swords, while Yae Miko breathed a sigh of relief, she would not think that a simple visit for information could have started an international incident.

"You're right Lady Yae, I can't take a risk of doing such a thing." Ayaka said simply, trying her best to remain calm.

"Thank you, Ayaka. I know that all this upsets you, especially in a fairly short period, but I think that you and I can't dwell on this. I think Ningguang has already had the punishment she deserves by seeing her two trusted people reject her and resign from their job, it is not necessary to do more. Can't you see she understood the lesson? " Yae says, placing a hand on Ayaka's shoulder, trying to reassure her.

"It's true... but that doesn't mean that I can forgive her... I just hope that she will become aware of her actions, as well as the responsibility for her nonsense." Ayaka said, still not in a forgiving mood.

"Yes, I'd will." Ningguang spoke suddenly, causing all eyes to turn to her.

"Miss Kamisato is right to not trust me and not to forgive me. After all, lately, I've only caused trouble, and I couldn't do anything to reduce the damage. I fully understand what you mean, and I take full responsibility for my irresponsible actions, even if I know that this is nothing, I apologize for everything against all the people in whom I have broken the trust they had in me." Ningguang said, bowing to Ayaka.

Under normal circ*mstances, Ningguang would have arrested Ayaka immediately, and torn up the new trade agreements Liyue had with Inazuma. Even allowing Liyue to go to war with Inazuma since a high ranking noble from Inazuma destroyed her office, and tried to murder her. However, Ningguang was too overwhelmed with guilt to care about formalities.

" I hope this will serve as a lesson for you."

"However, even if it is selfish on my part, I have a request to ask of you... If you don't mind, I'd like to accompany you..."

"No!" Ayaka shouted without even giving Ningguang the chance to finish her sentence.

"Ayaka, let her finish at least!"

"I don't want this woman to come with us, she has already caused enough damage…We don't need any of the misfortune she's carrying.",Ayaka said coldly, shocking even Yae Miko on how hostile the heiress was.

"I don't expect you to forgive me, Miss Kamisato. Even though I know I don't deserve it, you're not the only one who's concerned about Aether's wellbeing. I'm not oblivious to the whispers behind my back that I'm just a shrewd businesswoman who values Mora more than people's lives. But I do care about everyone's lives, especially Aether's. Even if he doesn't forgive me, he needs to know that we're all grateful for him, not for our country's sake, but for how he came into our lives for the better. So please allow me to accompany you to find Aether." Ningguang pleaded, her voice cracking.

Seeing that Ayaka wasn't quite satisfied with her answer, she added to her plea her way of helping her.

"I know how I could at least redeem myself even a little... I could make sure to go very quickly where you wanted me to take you, after all I have the money for that. It would be enough for me to ask the best valet to take us. In addition, you could have everything you want as food and equipment during the getaway, I have quite high resources. And well, moving to Mondstadt will be less difficult, because with my status, I will be able to collect information quite easily. I know that I should not use my posture for this kind of frivolous thing, and I have never done it, but I really want to be forgiven by him, because if there is one who must suffer, it is me, surely not an honorable person like Aether... "

Yae was quite surprised to see Ningguang like this, and couldn't help but pity her. Kazuha and Beidou did not expect to see the Tianquan drowning herself in self-pity. Beidou displayed a face full of compassion, not bearing to see her friend, so miserable from her usual personality, and she did not know that Ningguang could show such a vulnerable side that people rarely saw.

"Miss Ayaka, in my opinion, I think you should accept, this is not every day that Ningguang puts herself in this state. I know what she did was foul, but she really wants to apologize to Aether, as well as to Keqinq, Ganyu and Yelan. You're not the only one with personal stakes, and Ning is offering us her full support. Also, it is better to take advantage of this kind of offer, because she will not do it twice in a row..." Beidou said, giving out her personal opinion, trying her best to have Ayaka see that Ningguang may not be perfect, but she was trying her hardest to make amends.

Ayaka's face softened as she realized that Ningguang was truly being sincere in her words.

"Fine, you can come with us."

"Thank you very much, Miss Kamisato." Ningguang smiled, feeling a strong surge of positivity finally come back to her after days of stress and endless paperwork.

" I hope so... Don't make me regret my decision." Ayaka said simply, making it very clear she is still reluctant to have Liyue's ruler join them.

"No, you have my word." Ningguang said with resolution in her voice.

"Alright, I'll give you thirty minutes to start getting ready or else I'm leaving without you."

Ayaka had said her final words and decided it was time to leave the Jade Chamber. The Frostflake Heron approached the frozen office door, bringing out her katana. In a stunning display of swordsmanship, Ayaka sliced the frozen door with a few masterful strikes, knocking down a few Jade Chamber guards who were trying to pry the door open in the process. Ayaka coldly ignored them as they demanded to know what was going on, but she simply walked to the outside platform of the Jade Chamber to wait for the others. This stunned Ningguang, Kazuha, Beidou, and Yae, especially the callous action of Ayaka.

The guards flooded the office relieved that Ningguang was alright but also confused as to why her office looked to have been caught by a blizzard. Ningguang assured them everything was alright, and not to question why her furniture was covered in ice. The guards immediately got the message before leaving the frozen office.

" I didn't know that Miss Kamisato could be so authoritarian and cold. As far as I remember, in Inazuma, she was always so polite and calm." Kazuha remarked finding Ayaka's ice-cold demeanor incredibly disturbing.

"You got that right, Kazuha. Even a sweet little princess can have a vicious bite to them." Beidou said, giving out her opinion.

"Now, I understand what Lady Ningguang meant by the fact that losing Aether would be very dangerous for all of the nations. We almost found ourselves in an international conflict because of his sudden disappearance related to his mental health." Kazuha said starting to realize the gravity of the situation was much more dire than he believed.

"Say like that, it's true that it's not cool, indeed. Come on, let's go see if she's calmed down." Beidou said.

"Good idea, Captain. Are you coming, Miss Yae?" Kazuha called out to Yae, who was lost in thought.

"... Uh... I'll be there in a few minutes, don't worry."

"As you wish. "

Kazuha and Beidou left Ningguang's office while Yae remained standing there, even more, overwhelmed by Ayaka violently lashing out. She was now concerned she didn't have things under control with Ayaka nearly killing Ningguang, understanding that she should be more careful because Aether's instability not only affected his way of acting, but also that of others. Yae also wondered if Aether could be even scarier than her, and at this thought alone, she shivered, feeling happy not to have provoked him too much.

Just after finishing her thoughts, she approached Ningguang who was exhausted from the entire ordeal, ready to pass out on her desk. Yae couldn't have that, so she did the unthinkable, she held out her right index finger, glowing with Electro energy…

Bzzh!

"Ow!"

Ningguang immediately jolted awake from being painfully zapped on her left arm. The merchant woman rubbed the wound and glared at the kitsune, who looked unapologetic and amused.

"That wasn't necessary."

"Oh, but it was. I can't let you pass out now since dear Ayaka made it abundantly clear she's getting very impatient and more than happy to leave you behind." Yae said simply, brushing off that she just assaulted Liyue's ruler, but at least she didn't lose her head.

Ningguang didn't dare to dignify Yae's words with a response.

Yae decided to change the subject.

"I admit that this visit went a lot more intense than I expected."

"No, I deserved it. In any case, even if I had sent Yelan to understand the situation, it's worth going by myself, after all, it's my fault and I want to apologize to Aether, even if he will surely hate me, it doesn't matter, at least, he won't blame Keqing, Ganyu and Yelan." Ningguang said.

"Hehe..." Yae giggled.

"Why are you laughing?"

"It's just that I'm certain this chase to find Aether isn't going to be just an exchange of a few friendly words between friends, but a lot more than that with Ayaka having some serious competition." Yae smiled wishing to write on her notepad if the situation concerning Aether wasn't so dire.

Yae could imagine this being a hit light novel about the heroic protagonist managing to win the hearts of so many ladies that seemed impossible to approach.

"You mean…" Ningguang's eyes widened.

"Yes, indeed. You have to understand, it's just more than a simple crush or an invasion of privacy. To them, you crossed the line when it comes to Aether even if you are still one of the most important people in this country, but for them, it is equivalent to stabbing him in the back, which is not far from the truth." Yae said, laying out the simple truth.

"I see... In a sense, she may be right, if I were more attentive to what people thought, we would not have come to this point." Ningguang said bitterly, ashamed of herself.

"At least you learned something useful, it's better than nothing. I hope Aether will forgive you... And me too…" Yae says this part quietly so that Ningguang does not hear it.

"Did you say something?"

"No, nothing at all."

"It must be the fatigue then... In any case, thank you for protecting me." Ningguang said being very grateful.

"Think nothing of it, I wasn't going to let a friend and an entire country collapse in difficult times" Yae said, smiling mischievously at the white-haired woman before extending her hand, which Ningguang accepted.

The head shrine maiden and businesswoman walked together to leave the Jade Chamber with a new ally. Ningguang made a quick announcement to all of her staff that she had to leave to attend an important business meeting in Mondstadt. The secretaries sobbed in despair knowing their already massive workload just increased by tenfold. Nevertheless, Ningguang walked to the outside world, enjoying the sun and fresh breeze for what seemed like an eternity. However, the merchant woman didn't have the luxury to enjoy it as she had more important matters to attend to.

Finding Aether and apologizing to him.

In the evening, Aether left the hotel in which he was temporarily staying, finally awake and washed, before going out to take a bite to eat, the only thing he now liked in Mondstadt was the Sweet Madame Dish prepared by Sara. Moreover, this dish, which was one of the first he had eaten when he arrived in this world, reminded him of Paimon, and her way of being playful for almost everything related to food.

While eating a piece of chicken thigh, always covered in its signature sauce, Aether thought of the little fairy, and the way he knew he had left her without an answer and promised himself that when he would leave this world, he would take his best friend with him, and the only one who supported him in this horrible place that is Teyvat.

"Paimon... I hope you're doing well, wherever you are... I'll come back as soon as Lumine is with me... In the meantime, try not to be fooled by these morons…"

He continued to eat after having these thoughts about them but listened to the voices behind him to the passers-by walking in the shining streets of Mondstadt, and recognized these voices as people he once called friends as well as high-blown sniffing.

"What is it, Razor?"

"Nothing, friend Bennett. Only, Razor smells... familiar smell... Like lupical..."

"What do you mean?"

"My dear, it seems to me that it is normal for your nostrils to be intoxicated by my perfect distracting perfume, you don't have to worry about this kind of subtlety."

"What Mein Fraulein means is that it's normal for you to smell us."

"No... There is...other smell... that is not yours... Very close."

"Razor, I just think you're just exhausted by the mission entrusted to us by Captain Kaeya, let's get our reward and go rest."

"Okay... But Razor finds it strange."

"If it ever bothers you again, let's ask Mona, she will be able to know with her astromancy..."

The trio composed of Fischl, Bennet, and Razor headed towards the guild, after a quest that had lasted all day and was full of problems due to Bennett's bad luck, but they were all used to it, so it didn't matter to them.

However, Aether did not like Razor's catching on to him, intentional or not. The traveler tried his best to keep his cool as Razor's nose was being brushed off by Bennet and Fischl as nothing. It was attention, he didn't need it right now, but it was difficult not to lash out.

"Can't wait for me to leave this country of degenerates before it's too late. I won't be surprised that the Knights already have another crisis on their hands needing me to solve it and blaming it on low manpower. I just want to be left in peace." Aether ranted quietly to himself before focusing on eating his chicken. Ironically sounding almost like Diluc.

After eating, Aether went to the Alchemy Table to create different potions against the elements and buffs to strengthen himself if he ever randomly met a Fatui Harbinger, which he believed was a strong possibility with his luck. He had taken advantage of the evening not to have to meet Timaeus who would probably recognize him, before going back to the inn, impatiently waiting for the next day, to pick up his sword and pick up the last of his supplies for Fontaine.

The next day, Noelle, the valiant maid-knight she is, woke up early every morning to do her morning exercises, 100 push-ups, 100 sit ups, and run 10 times around the city. After she finished her exercise, Noelle headed straight to the headquarters of the Knights of Favonius to perform her daily tasks, sometimes squeezing in a few bits of conversations between the different knights to hope to have clues on how to become a better knight and pass the exam successfully. Noelle secretly hoped that Aether would be there to see her succeed in finally becoming a real knight, because in addition to being her mentor, he was a very good friend to her and her role model, and even if she tried to hide it as best she could, she even hoped that they were more than friends, but discarded this idea for the moment, focusing more on her training.

Noelle saw a rare sight she saw on the way, Fischl, Bennett, and Razor arriving at the Knights of Favonius headquarters to report to Kaeya, because even if they were not knights, they had permission to enter the area, since they were experienced adventurers who proved useful to the knights.

Noelle greeted them, and saw that they were then accompanied by Mona, and when she asked the young witch why she was there, she said that it was related to the conversation she had had with the small group of adventurers about Razor and what he had smelled the previous evening, which was very upsetting for him, because he instinctively knew this person, but didn't know why. She also replied that she had had complications lately seeing the future, and it was getting even harder to see, which surprised Noelle and she realized that something was going to happen in Mondstadt that would not be very auspicious.

The maid knight understood Mona's decision and accompanied her to Jean's office, as well as Bennett, Fischl and Razor, before realizing that she heard a lot of noises coming from the Grandmaster's office. They were surprised because Jean is a calm person, and when Noelle was going to open, Mona prevented her from doing so because there were more sounds of irritation, especially from a woman who couldn't help being worried since she had heard the news.

"Are you kidding me?!" Amber's voice called out angrily.

"Calm down Amber, there's no point in getting angry, we're just saying that he can be in danger with his current state of mind, according to what we have received as information. We can't rule out the fact that he might perceive us as enemies." Tighnari's voice was calm and professional in contrast to Amber's.

"I refuse, you hear me Tighnari! Aether has problems, and you're treating him like a criminal! After all he has done for us, it's the least we can do, and try to help him!"

Noelle and Mona looked at each other strangely, wondering why they were talking about Aether as if he were going to die, and the same for the three people who followed them, having a bad feeling of what was going to happen, fear seizing them momentarily, before opening the door, not expecting to see everything in the office.

They saw most of the Knights of Favonius, with Collei, Tighnari and Cyno, who had hardly slept all night, except for Diluc who had gone to see him and manage his bar, because according to him, business is always business, even in a crisis. Beyond that, they saw papers everywhere, people who were on the verge of the breaking point, the stunned facial expressions of people in the room who looked at them with dark circles in their eyes, traces of tears, and frustration on their faces.

"What's going on? Why are you all here?" Noelle called out, looking confused and afraid.

"And also, what happened to Aether for you to talk about him in such a negative way? Don't try to divert the question, we hear you outside the door!" Mona asked a little upset, mixed with concerns that her "assistant" was in danger, and she feared that it had something to do with the fact that her Scryglass was getting increasingly difficult to function.

Jean, just like the others, but she in particular, did not know how to explain all of this. She clenched her fist, trying to face her problems once again, because she could not dodge the question, and Mona's serious look combined with Noelle's and Bennett's growing concern about their friend, as well as Fischl's and Razor's questioning look, made her feel more guilty, feeling that she was going to break, before a hand landed on her shoulder, which was the one of her old friend, Lisa.

" If you can't do it, I'll do it."

"Thank you, Lisa. I'm sorry."

"You don't have to be, it's normal to freeze up in these moments."

Lisa displayed a serious expression, revealing the truth concerning Aether's mental state that he was not doing well, not making any sudden conclusions, hoping that it could help them if more people could contribute, it would be for the best.

During the explanations, Jean could only keep her head down, feeling not only useless but also weak, not even being able to give such simple information, as if she were afraid of reprisals from them, wondering if she was worthy of being called Acting Grand Master of the Knights of Favonius.

Jean was not the only one who wanted to dishonor herself, because no one dared to say a word, as if a punishment fell on them, while they panicked internally that they could not find Aether and solve the problem as soon as possible, and to worry about people who would be collateral damage from their incompetencies such as the people who were in front of them.

The more Lisa spoke, the more people's faces fell. Those who knew the story could not bear to listen to it again while the newcomers would not be able to believe their ears. Mona felt worse and worse, holding the door because she feared that she would faint, her legs began to feel weak, while Noelle did not stop crying, hot tears ran down her face, feeling guilty for having asked for so much support when she never bothered doing the same. Bennett's face was saw, and a few tears also fell on his face, not expecting him to consider his friend, always brave in the face of trials and danger. Fischl stopped her eccentric character, during this short moment, feeling stupid roleplaying when Aether had played a much more difficult role than her, holding back his sorrows to stay focused on his goal. Razor did not know why he was crying, still new in the field of complex emotions, but knew one thing, that a person he considered his family was suffering, and he did not appreciate it.

When Lisa had finished explaining, some tears ran down her cheeks, while knowing well that she may have left them with some heavy guilt, but she preferred not to hide anything, because she felt that they would know this sooner or later. A silence of a few moments filled the air, leaving only occasional sniffing due to the sobbing, before Mona spoke again, an angry face on her face and guilt filled Lisa's eyes, who tried as best she could to bear this.

"And you just wanted to leave him alone!? Of all the people I met, I never thought it would be Aether who had the biggest problem! And you wanted to hide it from us?! You know that we are just as concerned with Aether as you are, and that in any case, we would have helped you, but you preferred to say nothing?!" Mona berated the knights who looked down in shame.

"Mona." Noelle said softly, catching the witch's attention.

"Huh? Noelle?"

"It's also our fault... You can't only blame them... Everyone is responsible in this room." Noelle spoke softly, her voice cracking.

"Noelle…"

"We neglected his wellbeing... If there is one person I admire more than everyone else, it's Aether... and we completely ignored him. We should have helped him more, every time he said he was fine, we should have insisted."

Noelle looked outside the window to the clear blue sky and spoke as if she was making a prayer, despair passing through her heart, the tears getting stronger and stronger as if she were trying to send a message to the Traveler, her hands locked together.

"Aether... I'm sorry, I'm so sorry... You showed me so much, you helped this country so much, and we didn't do anything for you, I didn't do anything for you... Sorry to have been so selfish to want you to accompany me on my way... I should have accompanied you more to look for your sister... What's the point of trying to be a knight, if I can't even properly support and protect the people I love…"

Everyone wanted to try to comfort Noelle, but no one dared to move, except Mona, her haughty nature trying to project a strong front, as she began to cry too, caressing the young woman's back gently. However, someone spoke, Razor wiping his tears as best he could, remembering something that had bothered him.

"Razor remembers!" Razor called out, catching everyone's attention.

"Huh?"

"This smell... Lupical... Aether."

Now that truely caught everyone's attention.

"What?!"

"The smell of yesterday...The smell of Aether."

"Are you sure, Razor?"Amber asked, the desperation in her voice evident.

"Yes… That's why...it was familiar." Razor nodded his head rapidly.

"Are you really sure?!" Bennet exclaimed, who had said nothing at the moment, too upset, with a hopeful smile on his tearful face, while everyone in the room hoped he was telling the truth.

"Yes, it was Aether. Smells different but the same. Maybe because of what Teacher Lisa said... but it's him." Razor repeated with confidence in his voice.

"So, Aether is in Mondstadt?!" Noelle at the same time as all the others exclaimed even louder than Bennett, happy with this news.

" If I understand what he says correctly, he is in Mondstadt? But in which area of Mondstadt did you feel that?" Cyno questioned the feral wolf boy.

"Here… In the city."

"So, he's in the city? But I don't understand, why would he be here, yet he's trying to avoid everyone?" Cyno said, finding this piece of information confusing and ironic.

"That's not important, Cyno! I just want us to find and talk to him!" Amber exclaimed, wanting nothing more than to run out the door right now before Aether leaves.

"Amber is right, we can ask why when we find him. If Aether is still there, we must go now. As there are this many of us, we can cover more ground." Collei said firmly.

"What you are saying is true, Collei. I suggest…" Jean spoke up, ready to give out orders until she was interrupted by Mona.

"No, Jean, you won't suggest anything!"

"What?" Jean said, genuinely confused.

"You've done enough, and you let Lisa explain Aether's situation to us because you're too much of a coward, so stay out of the way!" Mona replied unafraid that she was talking down to Mondstadt current leader as she was quite irritated by Jean's decision to leave them in the dark.

"But…"

"Stop, we're wasting too much time. Now, let's form groups, and go to different sections of Mondstadt. You mentioned Diluc is aware of the situation, so let's find him on the way and tell him what Razor found. It may be only a false lead, but according to Bennett, Razor's instincts and senses never failed him. I can't use my Scryglass to see what will happen, but I know what I have to do to find Aether, and I won't let him down!" Mona said giving out a surprisingly well-formed plan.

The Hydro-user woman took charge of the operation all at once, under everyone's watch, very surprised by what had just happened, Jean at first, she increasingly questioned her role as leader of the knights but knew that for the moment, what mattered was to use the meager chance to find the blonde-haired Outlander.

Under Mona's orders, they dispersed, with reinforced guilt in their minds and an increasingly heavy heart, hoping that Aether had not left for good.

Chapter 13

Chapter Text

At the end of the afternoon, the group composed of Ayaka, Kazuha, Beidou, Yae Miko, and Ningguang all set out to Mondstadt. True to Ningguang's promise, the group was making their journey via horse carriage provided by the merchant ruler. A truly decadent Liyue-style horse carriage colored red and gold that was spacious enough for all five of them. It was a long, dull journey until they saw the lush green fertile lands of the Mondstadt plains, arriving almost at the border, thanks to the vast connections and wealth of The Tianquan.

Eventually, when the sun set, the group set out to make camp not too far from Liyue's travel roads to Mondstadt. The group was now circling the campfire in the process of cooking their dinner. Pots, pans, and teapots were filled with food provisions that were loaded onto the horse carriage and were now being put into use. Everyone had a plate of eggs and tomato stir fry with white rice and Oolong Tea to wash it all down. However, Ayaka was barely touching her food.

An uneasy silence had lingered amongst the group, Kazuha estimated that they might arrive at the city of Mondstadt at dawn. Besides, he felt that the closer he got to the city of freedom, the stronger and more unstable the winds became around him, giving out a sense of foreboding, but kept pushing forward believing that Aether would no longer be very far.

Furthermore, on the way, they had all opted to go to Mondstadt, considering that Yelan had perhaps managed to figure out Aether's next destination, going by the latest intel they had. Additionally, they could ask the Knights of Favonius if there was any additional information. According to Yae Miko, it would be a matter of killing two birds with one stone, finding both Yelan and Aether, knowing the tracks that the Traveler had left, they understood that they were not far, seeing the destruction left in his wake as well as the traces of blood, disgusting them to see so many corpses, but with more weight on their shoulders, knowing that they had caused this, or at least part of it.

During these small discussions, Ayaka was silent maintaining a stoic look, a far cry of the usual smiles she maintained in public, trying to contain her anger towards Ningguang, but also towards herself, because she felt guilty like everyone else, she too had not considered Aether's personal feelings the first time she met him.

As she gazed wistfully at the cross-border landscape between the Geo and Anemo nations, she thought back to her first conversation with him, and this phrase kept coming back to her:

" I just want to talk to the Raiden Shogun and nothing else...I'm not interested in your business..."

At the time, she was desperate, and with the rumors that one man had managed to save two nations, and the fact that he was going to Inazuma, she hoped with all her heart that he would help her, without thinking that Aether wasn't interested in saving the day or getting involved in international affairs that he had no business in.

"Forgive me, Aether...I just wanted to save my country... I swear to you, the next time we meet again, I will cherish you and support you until the end. "

Ayaka whispered her words to no one in particular, a vow she had made to herself, a few tears escaping her eyes with her fists clenched. Kazuha, Beidou, Ningguang, and Yae Miko looked at her back, seeing her trembling. A worried look on everyone's face seeing that the search to find Aether was taking its toll on her.

Ningguang couldn't take her eyes off the Cryo swordswoman, before looking down at the ground, a look of sadness and self-loathing on her face, seeing all the people she had broken in her path: Aether, Yelan, Keqing, Ganyu, and now Ayaka. In a sense, she wondered if she deserved Aether's forgiveness or if Ayaka was right and should have stayed in the Jade Chamber.

Yae Miko stroked her back again, trying to soothe her in vain, because she was lost in her thoughts too, and even she no longer had the heart to laugh. As she had previously said in a whisper, she was hoping for the same thing as them, but she didn't want to admit it openly.

She thought of all the teasing she had done with him, teasing him at every moment on all subjects, and being quite clear-sighted about feelings, she had nevertheless noticed that Aether was putting up with her condescending attitude and her manners to make uncomfortable jokes, whether on him or even on others like Kuki Shinobu or Gorou. Besides, she was starting to feel some remorse, like when she had used him to beat Raiden Shogun and told herself that she should have paid more attention to him, having completely forgotten that he had suffered the trauma of losing one of his friends from the Fatui's machinations.

The kitsune now looked at the road ahead of her, hoping that everything would get better, but even she, for once, had serious doubts about how everything would turn out, as the sun shined its last glow, giving way to a sky that was becoming darker and darker, like the heart of Aether.

That night, everyone in Mondstadt who knew about Aether's personal crisis was frantically searching for him. The search party consisting of knights, adventurers, and scholars was roaming the different sections of Mondstadt. Searching the alleyways, talking to anyone that might have seen Aether, with the Knights going so far as to use their authority to inspect any buildings that the Travelers might have gone to. Making up flimsy excuses such as safety hazards or tips for hoarding contraband, not to draw attention to why the Knights of Favonius were practically abusing their authority to find Mondstadt's hero.

Sadly, the search for Aether kept on leading to dead end after dead end as no one had seen the Traveler or any knowledge of his current whereabouts. This made the search party feel a sense of dread, fearing that Aether had already left Mondstadt, but no alerts from the gates had indicated that so there was still hope. The upside however from the frantic search had led to a lot of arrests from the criminals that were plaguing Mondstadt.

A thief who had been evading the Knights of Favonius for six months was playing with his expensive stolen treasures in an abandoned house before facing Eula's icy vengeance.

Razor and Bennet thwarted a pickpocket with the criminal attempting to make a run from it, but couldn't escape from Razor's nose and animalistic senses…while somehow slipping on a banana peel.

Cyno, Kaeya, Tighnari, and Collei arresting some smugglers attempting to sneak their illicit contraband of drugs through Mondstadt's harbor.

Noelle, Fischl, and Mona coincidentally captured a wanted Treasure Hoarder which they didn't realize until Mona used her Scryglass to learn the truth. A bonus that their was a bounty on the wanted man, but Mona couldn't feel any joy about the extra Mora for her expenses because he wasn't Aether.

Lisa and Amber arrested two Fatui members in the alleyways attempting to exchange documents regarding some blackmail material regarding some of Mondstadt's citizens. Amber demanded to know if they knew Aether's location which they answered no albeit terrified. In a fit of frustration, Amber used her bow to knock on the skulls of the Fatui members causing them to pass out, shocking Lisa that Amber was resorting to physical violence to vent.

Jean, who had been positioned near the Mondstadt Cathedral was hoping to find Aether, instead ran past her younger sister, Barbara without sparing so much as a glance at her. Barbara who had just finished her usual duties as deaconess about to leave the holy place and head home. When Barbara saw Jean, her face was filled with worry and…fear?

Barbara followed Jean who was frantically roaming the Cathedral searching for something, whatever it was the Acting Grandmaster acted like her life depended on it. This made Barbara worry believing something horrible was about to happen, but what? Did someone plant a bomb at the Cathedral? Was a dangerous criminal roaming around Mondstadt?

Barbara decided to confront her sister as she was sitting on one of the pews to catch her breath.

"Big sis?" Barbara called out with Jean turning her head towards her.

"Oh Barbara, I'm surprised to see you at this hour. Don't mind me, I'm just doing some…inspections!"

"Inspections?"

"Yes, that's right. It turns out one of the supervisors in charge of maintenance around the Cathedral has been secretly using cheap materials for the repairs, and secretly lining his pockets. I'm just making sure the building is still intact, but everything is still in working order." Jean said as she got up from her seat while completely lying through her teeth which Barbara completely saw through. "I have to get going now."

"You're lying, Jean," Barbara frowned at her older sister.

"I'm telling you everything is fine! I need to go NOW!" Jean answered albeit in a hurry, but Barbara stood in her way, refusing to move an inch.

"No! Something is wrong, and I'm not moving until you tell me why!" Barbara said defiantly, not caring she was facing off the Acting Grandmaster and her older sister to boot.

Jean dreaded breaking the news regarding Aether's health to Barbara, but she couldn't waste any more time knowing the truth was going to come out sooner or later.

"I'm looking for Aether."

"Aether?"

"Yes, days ago I received a letter from Lady Ningguang of the Qixing regarding Aether's mental health. According to her, he has been pushed to the brink of madness as Aether has completely isolated himself from everyone he knows including Paimon. Lashing out in his anger. Now, myself, and the rest of the people that Aether has befriended are now searching for him before he leaves Mondstadt." Jean explained with tears in her eyes, revealing the harsh truth to her younger sister.

Barbara remained completely silent during Jean's explanation and began punching her arms to express her displeasure at not having informed her, in the same way as Mona, Noelle, and the others before, with that same look that was both angry and sad.

"Why didn't you let me know, Big Sis... I thought that as sisters, we would share everything, doubts and sorrows... You don't trust me enough for that? Did you think I would have left Aether miserable and alone?! Never in my life, and not just because I am the deaconess, it's because he's my friend and I love him!"

Jean was a little upset by these words and was shocked by Barbara's confession.

"What?"

"You heard right! Aether has always been kind to us, he has always done right by us, and he saved this country! And is this how we thank him? Instead of acting as Acting Grandmaster Jean, you should be just Jean, Aether's close friend...This is not an important mission or a therapy session, it's your friend I'm talking about, my friend, our friend... And I want to help him more than anything, I have always cherished the moments we spent together, and he managed to bring you and me closer together and I am more than grateful for him... So, if you don't like it, that's something else, but given the way you acted towards us, towards me, your sister, while the goal is to find him, you don't deserve to be his friend."

Barbara was crying again, the drops of water arriving on Jean's clothes, at the same time as she hugged her, Jean finally understood the problems she had caused, she realized that it was her who had started the break of the person she had called the "Honorary Knight" in this country, and she hugged Barbara in her arms more tightly, the deaconess felt her body getting closer to her, watching her also cry.

"I'm sorry…I'm sorry Barbara…I should have been there for you; I should have been there for him."

Jean now understood what she meant, she had acted from the start as if Aether were a threat to Mondstadt's safety. She now understood that she should have looked for him like a true friend would and helped him with any problems he had. This was what Mona accused her of, and she understood that now.

"I should have warned you when I heard the news... And the worst part is that I know that you would have helped me without hesitation."

"Big Sis…"

"I don't deserve to bear the name Gunnhildr, after everything that's happened...Nor the title of Grand Master...But there's one thing you said that's untrue Barbara."

"…."

"I like Aether more than I show and I would never let him down, no matter what...Not just because he's the Honorary Knight, or because he saved Mondstadt and was helping everyone he could, it's been a long time since I had somebody so reliable, understanding and so friendly towards me... He reached out to me, and now it's my turn...He was my confidant, but now it's my turn to be the one who listens... And I intend to relieve his burden, because as you said so well Barbara, I appreciate him with all my heart, and I don't want him to be in danger, no matter how strong he is, whether from anyone or himself."

Barbara had listened attentively and saw her sister's eyes, filled with guilt, love, and regret, but above all conviction, and that she wanted to do everything to redeem herself.

"So, you're with me, Barbara?"

Jean let go of her embrace, bowing to her sister before apologizing again and last time, under the watchful eye of her sister who did not expect this and understood how sincere and sorry her sister was.

"Forgive me for not having been a better sister to you, sorry for not respecting you and Aether...and thank you for giving me a second chance to redeem myself." Jean stood up, as she saw Barbara smile softly in front of her, tears starting to flow again, but this time of joy.

"I forgive you...I'm not mad at you, just, I was disappointed, but I know that now, you know what to do and I'll be there to help you. I won't leave you and the others alone, and we will save Aether, I'm sure of it. After all, if Barbatos is with us, we can do anything." Barbara said with hope in her eyes and voice.

"I hope so… Barbara and thank you so much."

"You're welcome, from now on, let's give it our all! Aether has always been there for us, and I intend to do the same for him!" Barbara said with her fist raised and a smile on her face, a smile similar to that of a certain blond traveler for Jean. The deaconess was in high spirits now.

Imitating her in her pose, Jean smiled slightly, with a little more hope, and replied:

"Well said, Barb. Let's give it our all!"

However, while everything was getting better between the two blonde sisters, a rather silent and sharp-eyed figure was now moving away from the cathedral, after overhearing the conversation. She was used to working nights and didn't expect this kind of information, especially from the Acting Grand Master. She got busy very quickly, predicting Aether's next move, checking her blades one last time before continuing on her way, her veil moving with the wind of the city of freedom.

"So, it was him…I was right that this person was acting suspiciously."

The mysterious nun began to do like the others, searching for the Traveler, but not in the same way. She had always had a bad feeling since she had seen Jean a few days ago behaving strangely, and knew what she had to do from now on, for the good of Mondstadt, and even if she had a hard time admitting it.

"I'm sorry, Aether, but Mondstadt's safety takes priority over your issues. I truly hope you don't force my hand."

It was now after three in the morning, and the group made up of Archons, Paimon, and important figures from Liyue were venturing closer and closer to the city of freedom, taking the shortest routes, noticing the bridge which led them towards the city in their fields of vision, after making through a few hills.

Indeed, they were just outside of Springdale, exhausted, not physically, but mentally the long journey to find Aether, and the serious issue regarding his mental health had its toll on them. However, no one admitted defeat and had a serious look, expressing how much they wanted to see their friend again.

The further they traveled, the more it gave Paimon hope, seeing the many people they befriended throughout their time in Teyvat. Going so far as to leave their homelands and job professions proved how much Aether had an impact not only on their respective countries, but also their lives in a personal way, and even if Aether couldn't forgive them, she hoped that he would be touched by their compassion for him.

As Paimon was lost in her thoughts, Keqing like Nahida, as well as everyone else, paid attention to Paimon's joyful mood despite everything that was happening.

"Why are you so happy, Paimon?" Nahida asked innocently.

"It's nothing... It just makes me happy that you're all here for him, Paimon just hopes he's not in Fontaine yet." Paimon smiled, feeling a small sense of comfort throughout this stressful search.

"It'll be fine Paimon, I have the feeling that he hasn't left yet, even if we're wrong, we would have all gone to Fontaine anyway, and we'll let Foçalors know just in case. I hope that there won't be any other problems there in the meantime." Nahida said.

"Paimon hopes you're right... But that's not the only reason Paimon is happy."

"Why?"

"Because Paimon will soon see Aether again, and that makes Paimon very happy."

"This is the first time you two have been separated, right?" Keqing said with sympathy in her voice.

"That's right, but Aether is the best friend Paimon could have, and Paimon will never let him down, even if he's in bad shape. You know Keqing, when Aether first met Paimon he explained that he came from beyond the stars, but for Paimon, and always has been, "Aether might be only one of countless stars, but he is Paimon's whole world!" " She said with a smile that could even brighten the night sky.

The sincerity in her words made everyone look at her, and it may be innocently childish to everyone, but they now felt that the strong bond between Aether and Paimon was more than just best friends, they were a family, and he had no one left because his sister was taken from him, and Paimon was all alone, they were closer to each other than anyone else in Teyvat.

They all felt that Paimon was keen to resolve everything, even if she was not physically strong, they understood that the strongest in the group was not an Archon, but her. To have become so attached to him, and still be so positive after everything that had just happened was an achievement, and everyone knew it. Besides, they all felt guilty, believing she was justifiably angry by their actions that led to this problem to begin with, but she was the one who brought them together and always considered them friends.

Keqing, like everyone else, had looked sad. However, Zhongli, even though he was still calm, smiled slightly, trusting Paimon's words. He had always trusted her since the beginning, like the Traveler, and if she dared to hold on, he didn't see why he would be there moping. If Aether was Paimon's world, he wanted to make sure to protect Paimon's world, for himself, for the fairy, and Aether.

"Paimon…" Zhongli called out, catching Paimon's attention.

"Hm? Yes Zhongli?"

"We're almost to the city, but as for what you said... I promise to protect what matters the most to you, your world as you say."

"Zhongli," Paimon feeling touched by the Geo Archons vow.

"And I say this as Zhongli, mortal of Liyue, and Morax, former Geo Archon. You have taught me a lot of things about mortals, about myself and about the world, in a very short time, so I want to say I am honored to be by your side, Paimon. You suffered with us, however you accepted our sins, and you came to ask us for help. I assure you that it will not be in vain, I have lost enough people that I consider my family, so what do I plan to do to save my brother... So sorry for everything, and thank you Paimon."

Zhongli smiled wistfully, while Paimon was surprised by all this, along with everyone else, but made a look of sincere thanks, appreciating the gesture, as well as the fact that Zhongli considers Aether a brother. Paimon approached him, and held out her tiny hand with a bright smile, contrasting the darkness that was surrounding Aether.

"It was nothing! After all, you all helped Paimon get here and as Paimon says to Aether: "Your fortune is Paimon's fortune! And vice versa, Paimon's fortune is also your fortune!", and I think Paimon's wheel is turning, so Aether will be fine, Paimon is convinced of that. In any case, Paimon thanks you for your compliments and for your dedication!"

Zhongli saw the hand and shook hers cordially as if they had made a pact, and Zhongli wanted to ensure that his promise would be kept.

"You're welcome Paimon and now, let's go, it's now or never... If he ever goes to Fontaine or beyond, it will be too late to do anything, let's act now so as not to regret anything!"

They had all seen how Zhongli and Paimon were now pumped up, and that gave them the energy to face the inevitable meeting they were going to have with Aether, now that they were at the exit gates, they did not want to give up just yet, so they looked at each other all out of the corner of their eyes, all understanding that they were ready, before shouting in unison.

"Let's go!"

"SHUT UP! WE'RE TRYING TO SLEEP HERE!" A grumpy villager yelled angrily over his window.

The entire group had the decency to look embarrassed before quickly walking away from the small town.

Paimon and Zhongli looked at each other, glad that their spirit was back, because they needed it to face the person they were trying to save.

Very early in the morning, Aether was finally ready to leave, having checked his belongings one last time and everything he needed to take for the rest of his journey to Fontaine. He had rested enough in his opinion, having calmed down a little more than the last time he had seen someone he knew conversing with him, and was mentally prepared for any difficulty in his opinion. Aether felt that his "friends'' were not ready to abandon him so easily, and knew that they were looking for him, due to the conversations with Yelan and Xiao, and had taken this into consideration, looking over his map of Teyvat in trying to leave for the less strenuous path, and only stopping in towns to resupply, hoping that from Fontaine, his fame had not crossed too far into the confines of the Hydro Archon's land.

Seeing his brand-new sword, collected it late in the afternoon. It was a well-crafted one-handed sword that he was comfortable using. The blade itself was a black colored single-edged sword with curved pointed cross guards colored orange and black. The handle was also orange and black feeling smooth in Aether's hands. Finally finished with the pummel of the sword, round shaped resembling that of his earring. Aether decided to name his new sword, Gods Hand, an aptly named weapon considering he was caught in the hands of a god needing him to solve a problem they started to begin with. He was quite happy with the work done. Then, he checked all the potions he needed before putting them in his bag.

Aether looked at all the scars that had on his arms, seeing what traces this world had on him, Teyvat has its laws and now wanted to ensure that from now on, he was going to make his own rules, and not the other way around. Before putting all of his belongings away for good, he looked at the window one last time, seeing that the sky was becoming a little less dark blue, understanding that sunrise was coming soon and that it was necessary to leave now, even though the clouds were starting to turn grayish, announcing the rain very soon.

"Let's go, it's time to leave… Lumine, I'm coming."

Aether left the room, looking to see if he had forgotten anything, before closing the door, putting on the hood of his new cloak, and leaving the inn.

The Traveler ventured alone, looking one last time at the almost deserted streets of Mondstadt, apart from a few shopkeepers who were organizing their stands before opening for business, and walked calmly to the exit of the city, blowing one last time in its breeze and not looking back anymore. However, he did not expect that in front of him was a light blue glow, a sign of a Cryo element, and a cluster of ice formed around a cross-shaped spear.

Aether took a step back, in surprise, but knew immediately who this person was, only one person could do that, and he breathed softly:

"Rosaria."

"I was right...we meet again, Aether."

Rosaria, the nun with a rather unorthodox idea of piety, arrived, her heels clicking on the ground, in front of Aether, her arms crossed, in front of him, just as serious as usual, while Aether was surprised that she somehow found him, despite his damndest laying low. He didn't know what to say, but the mere sight of the woman in front of him was starting to irritate him, and he was trying to calm himself down before he attracted even more attention. But one question was on his mind in particular:

"What are you doing here?"

Chapter 14

Chapter Text

"What am I doing here? Isn't it obvious? I'm here for you," Rosaria explained simply while Aether growled.

"Well you found me, if that's all I'm leaving," Aether said harshly trying to walk past the nun, but Rosaria continued to block his way.

"You're not going anywhere. If you haven't noticed, the Knights of Favonius and your Sumeru friends have been hellbent on trying to find you all night. Imagine my surprise that you have been in Mondstadt this entire time without saying hello to any of your friends and sleeping in an inn under an alias instead of your fancy magic teapot." Rosaria recounts everything that has transpired all because of Aether.

"I didn't ask anyone to do that, and my reasons are none of your business." Aether spat out, ready to draw his new sword for the inevitable.

Rosaria raised her hands showing no intention of clashing blades with the Traveler.

"We're not here to fight. We came to apologize."

"We?"

Rosaria snapped her fingers, as if on cue, causing everyone who actively participated in the search for the Traveler to appear in front of him, hidden behind the surrounding bushes, trees, and boulders that surrounded Mondstadt's Gate. Every single person that Aether had befriended looked at him with concern and sadness, but to Aether, it was just pity that pissed him off.

A few hours ago, the entire search party was resting in Angel Share after hours of non-stop searching and arrests. Everyone was exhausted physically and mentally with no one able to find Aether, it just seemed hopeless. Thankfully, a miracle appeared before them in the form of Rosaria bearing info about Aether's whereabouts. The nun, like everyone else, wanted to redeem herself just like the others, and thank him for everything he had done for Teyvat, even if she wasn't the expressive person to do just that.

Indeed, before the meeting, Rosaria had identified the whereabouts of a hooded man she suspected to be Aether, and had seen him retrieve a rather expensive sword while not suspicious by itself, Rosaria's experience and instincts told her he was definitely hiding something. Later in the evening, she had informed Jean, the Acting Grand Master had in turn alerted the others of this potential lead, taking the gamble of him leaving first thing in the morning, which was the last chance to speak with him.

Jean slowly approached Aether, with all the other concerned members of the Knights of Favonius behind her, along with the three people from Sumeru and Diluc who had come all the way to make a sincere apology to the blond man.

"Aether... You don't need to keep your hood on... We know it's you."

"Tsk!"

Aether was surprised at the number of people in front of him, and started to seethe, but did as he usually did, keeping calm, but it was really difficult with his blood boiling at the sight of them.

"Aether... It's really you... So that man, that night, was it you, with the cape?" Amber asked with tears in her eyes.

Aether clenched his fists, and since they knew it was him, he had no reason to hide his face, raising his hood. While he physically looked the same, it was his gaze being more piercing and brutal than before, no longer gazing at his so-called friends with friendliness and warmth as he usually did. It was simply a look of hostility and disdain reflecting his contempt for everyone here.

Everyone was stunned by Aether's harsh gaze, but the fact that he was in front of them looking at them like the enemy instead of friends amplified their guilt even more, several people began to cry a mix of relief at having found Aether, and sadness to see him like that, some putting their hands on their mouths, others trying to hide their tears.

"Yes, Amber... It was me... but so what? I don't owe you or anyone here anything. I swear by the stars if all of you are here to give me another mission to save your nations because none of you can't be bothered to do so or something incredibly petty like fetching some bread. I don't want to hear it." Aether spat out, the disdain in his voice was very clear.

Everyone was truly hurt by Aether's words as they couldn't believe that he thought so little of them. Did he truly believe that they were so slothful in their responsibilities they would happily dump their problems onto him without a second thought like leeches? All of the Mondstadt and Sumeru denizens for a moment thought they were looking at an entirely different person, but in truth, it was just how Aether had always felt that he kept bottled up inside.

"Aether... it's nice to see you again... I know you're angry right now, but I want to say it... I missed you; we all missed you, and as soon as we heard the news…" Jean slowly approached Aether, to put her hand on his shoulder. "We all wanted to help, to tell you how sorry we are, and we wanted..."

Aether recoiled from Jean's touch in sheer disgust, as if he was being touched by a diseased-filled rat.

"DON'T TOUCH ME!" He shouted startling everyone.

Sorry? What was everyone sorry for? He saved all of their nation's from being destroyed and got rewarded for it. Fancy titles and being the hero that parents tell their children bedtime stories about. Despite being drawn at the center of every nation's problems. Drawn into their struggles. Going through so much pain, manipulation and being used for everyone's convenience, they suddenly had the urge to apologize after a couple years being trapped in Teyvat? Finally aware of the trauma he has gone through?

"You're sorry? Sorry?! Do you expect me to believe that?! I have been nothing more than a tool to solve everyone's problems ever since I came to Teyvat! Not a single person here had ever asked how I was doing. But here you are because someone had to spell it out for you? If you truly cared about me, you wouldn't need to hunt me down like a criminal! All of you are here to give me some condescending lecture for being selfish for once. Something I'm actually entitled to after everything I have done for Teyvat! Would anyone who wanted to apologize hunt me down like a fugitive, take me by surprise and ask all her subordinates to leave no escape like a warlord...Listen well Jean, you may be the authority in this country, but I don't come from here, so don't you dare order me around or order me what to do, as if you hadn't already not used enough.." Aether ranted pouring out years of anger and frustration that he kept bottled up inside.

"Aether…that's not true at all…"

"It's nothing but the truth! I know exactly what I am in the eyes of every knight, merchant, samurai, scholar, and gods here! Nothing more than a disposable tool for everyone's sake but my own!" Aether accuses everyone of being truly selfish.

Jean felt tears building up in her eyes from Aether's accusations, truly hurt that he viewed himself so low in everyone's eyes and his self-worth.

Aether looked at the people in front of him now, and since they had started the conversation, he was going to make sure that they understood definitively that he was in no forgiving mood. He just couldn't after everything.

"If you're actually here to apologize, I don't want to hear it because in my eyes it's hollow and meaningless."

"That's exactly why we're here, to talk about that." replied Diluc, who surprised the Traveler.

"Why are you here, Diluc? You're as passive as a stone, and you want to play the psychologist?! Who are you to judge me, do you think you are in Fontaine?"

"You are wrong, I am not coming to judge you, just to tell you that you are not thinking straight. I understand that you are angry, after all, we were not very understanding with you, we should have paid more attention to you, and that is undeniable." Diluc said, trying his best to get to the core of the problem.

"So, if you knew, why didn't you do it?"

"I... I don't know...and that's why I blame myself...You're a valuable ally and a great friend, and I don't want it to end this way, nor any other person here." Diluc looked ashamed of himself while Aether looked unimpressed.

"Really? You said it yourself; you don't know... Well, I'll tell you, now... This is your modus operandi from the beginning, this is how you operate, once you find someone remotely useful, you just use them for all of their worth. Better to be a tool for Mondstadt's sake than someone else like the Fatui." Aether said bitterly.

"No, they would never do that, and nor would I…"

"SHUT UP! The least any of you can do is be honest! Mondstadt was in danger from Stormterror, and you needed help that's completely understandable. It was my choice, and I gained the title of "Honorary Knight" the end, right? No! The Knights of Favonius kept on piling more and more responsibilities onto me without giving me much of a choice! Everyone calls Mondstadt the City of Freedom, but where was my freedom, you hypocrites!" Aether swore with venom in his eyes. "It's not just Mondstadt either! The cycle just repeats in every other nation I have gone to. For every crisis I solve, I gain titles I was never interested in. 'Hero of Liyue, Captain of the Swordfish II Squadron, First Sage of Buer.' Acting like it's fair compensation for risking my life countless times. I don't care about any of that! I just want my sister back!"

Aether turned his head, pointing to Tighnari, Cyno, and Collei.

"You think that because you traveled from Sumeru to apologize to me makes you good Samaritans, but you are just as bad as them, whether it is you or the people who stayed in Sumeru."

"But we never once disrespected you!" Cyno said in protest to Aether's accusations.

"You don't understand, Cyno… It's not just a question of respect if that's all it was."

"Aether, we are sorry for everything that happened in Sumeru, but there were just some things out of our control. Do you think we wanted the Sages and the Fatui to steal the dreams from the people and replace Lesser Lord Kusanali?!" Tighnari shot back while feeling guilty and getting sick of Aether accusing them of shifting their responsibilities off to him.

"I'm not saying you wanted all of that to happen, Tighnari. What I hate is that even in dire situations, everyone did nothing but wait around hoping that someone would save the day. How typical of bastards like you. Never thinking about how to solve the problem yourself, but sit back and wait for help instead. Absolutely pathetic. Those fake smiles on your faces, pretending everything is alright, but it's not. It's no wonder that Teyvat needed an outlander like me to save everyone because all of you would have failed. Nothing but utter trash." Aether spoke out harshly with his words making everyone feel like the sharpest of blades were stabbing into their hearts.

The fact that the very person they all loved, respected, and trusted flat-out called them lazy, incompetent, carefree, failures, and trash just hurts.

"I don't know what to say...except sorry." Collei sobbed, while Amber tried to comfort her as she too cried, while the Mahmatra general clenched his fist in helplessness, staring at the ground, just like Tighnari, who had not realized the consequence of all his actions were only on them, not just Sumeru, but Teyvat as a whole.

"Cutie, I…" Lisa approached a mixture of sadness and guilt on her beautiful face, not believing every word that Aether said towards them, even if deep down she knew that he was right. However, she still tried to reason with him.

"Shut up! Don't you ever dare call me that again!" Aether shouted at the witch.

The Electro witch was surprised, a pang in her heart as she listened to his words, mixed with the dark look that Aether made while looking at her, he gritted his teeth in rage.

"Do you take me for some child? An amusing toy to get a rise out of?! This is what I have been talking about this whole time. None of you truly respect me despite everything I have done. To you and everyone else here, I'm just an ignorant outsider, a child that you are free to use whenever and whatever you want regardless of my feelings."

"I...am sincerely sorry...I didn't know you saw it that way...I... I just wanted to be closer to you, I didn't know a cute nickname would hurt you." Lisa said, ashamed of herself.

"Oh, you didn't know that, and when you rub your depraved body on my back, I think we both know what you're thinking, ...And don't act innocent, every time, it's the same thing, you kiss me, try to seduce me so that I help you with something, and you do it almost every time we see each other, and I know this trick, you are not the only one bitch, there's at least one per region like you, and I'm starting to have more than enough!" Aether shouted, sick of it all.

"Aether, I blame myself...If I had known..."

"If you had known...If I could...You had all these words on your lips, but it's too late. I thought you were all responsible adults but every time it's the same thing, and it sickens me that children learn from you, I hope Klee never learns your bullsh*t." Aether said in disgust.

Lisa brought her hand close to her heart, as if trying to contain the surge of emotions coming at her, each word coming straight to her, and hurting her, like everyone else in the group, as she saw Aether becoming more and more wrathful.

The rain was beginning to fall on everyone, Aether looked at the sky, telling himself that he had to act quickly, and as he wasted too much time talking with everyone. The Mondstadt and Sumeru groups were in tears from Aether's harsh words. What was worse was that it wasn't done out of intentional cruelty and malice, but what Aether perceived as the truth.

"We're done here...I have nothing else to say to all of you." Aether said simply as he began to walk away from the people he once called his friends.

"Please wait, I wanted to tell you something." Noelle asked suddenly, with Aether making a sharp turn towards her.

"What?"

"Aether…I'm sorry…I knows that you probably won't forgive us...but I want to say something that's close to my heart...I know you're hurt, the past hasn't spared you...I see it in your eyes, you don't trust us, and you have every right to be. You're accusing us of being lazy and waiting for a miracle to just come, but you're wrong. We all came to help you as soon as we heard what you are going through right now. Let us be the miracle you need. If you need someone to listen, I can be there for you."

"…" Aether said nothing, remaining stone-faced as Noelle continued to talk.

"I know you won't believe me, but I want to say it, every moment spent with you was an incredible experience and I loved every moment spent with you. I just want to show you my gratitude for everything that you did for me. Maybe words no longer mean anything to you since you can no longer believe us and it's true that we never considered your feelings. But I was sincere with everything I said before. I want to help you, so if you need anything, I will do it. Please, don't take this dark path...You don't have to do this alone." Noelle pleaded, both hands intertwined together, begging him to come back among them.

Many people seemed surprised by Noelle's speech, but agreed with her, hoping that the Traveler would understand, and the unlucky adventurer known as Bennett added a few more words to agree with what the maid knight was saying.

"Yeah, Noelle is right. I know I might not be the best person for this with my bad luck as I always need help, but I want to say that you are an exceptional friend, you are my role model and still are. When I see everything you've been through, I tell myself that I have no right to complain, but I want to help you and everyone else wants to do the same... You don't have to do this." Bennett also begs Aether to just stop in his self-destructive path.

Both Bennett and Noelle had tears falling down their faces, eagerly hoping that they would be able to convince him, and with the momentum that the two of them had launched. Barbara ran to show her modest contribution, not being able to bear to do anything, approaching even though she was trembling with nervousness.

"Aether...Please listen to us...Look at you, you have scars everywhere, we can't leave you like this...I promise to heal you both physically and mentally and from now on, I will give you all my moral support."

Aether looked into Barbara's, Bennett's, and Noelle's eyes, their expressions tearful and pleading, making his anger skyrocket, seeing only hypocrites trying to abuse him once again.

"Enough! Look at you, you want to help me...heal me...but too late! You tell me I shouldn't do this, but take a look in the mirror, you hypocrites! Your arrogance knows no bounds, lecturing me on how I should live my life while you have no ounce of respect for me… You…" Aether said, pointing at Barbara.

"You think that removing my wounds will make me forget all the horrible things you all did to me, but even if they are not there, they will remain engraved in my mind... You..." he said, shaking his head while pointing to Bennett.

"You try to relieve yourself of guilt by telling yourself that it's the fault of your bad luck, but that's not true, it's your damn fault! You want me to believe that you are my friend when it's just a lie. If it wasn't for my reputation, you wouldn't have noticed that I existed. Like I said before, you all just want to use me for your convenience. And you, Noelle…"

He approached her, as she timidly took a small step back, as she saw his eyes darkened with sadness and anger, as well as fatigue from having seen so much tragedy in Teyvat. Noelle was both disturbed and worried, as he began to exclaim again.

"You want to be there for me…I have a question. For you, where were you when I needed you? Oh, I forgot, you were busy with your training...That's what you said at the time, "the Honorary Knight is so strong!" "He doesn't need anyone's help, he can solve everything in one go because he is so powerful!" That's what you all said." Aether said bitterly. "Whether in Mondstadt, Liyue, Inazuma, or Sumeru, you all thought that way, as if I was an invincible hero...But I'll tell you one thing, Noelle, when I asked for help, you thought I was joking, when I decide to do things my way from now on, you decide that you will supposedly "save" me, that you will be there for me like a lovely wife who would support her husband to the end of the world… And to top it all off, you try to make me feel guilty, by telling me that you appreciated every moment with me."

"But it's true…"

"Shut up, I'm sick of all of the lies!" Aether shouted at Noelle as she saw Aether's eyes showing pure hatred towards her, towards them all, while her cheeks became red, her eyes watery and heartbroken. Noelle understood that Aether not only did not accept her apology but that he thought they were false while she had put all her sincerity and love in that speech. She felt like something was broken inside her.

"Stop! You don't have to torture her like this!" exclaimed Mona, a subtle mix of worry and anger in her voice, annoying Aether even more, who was now looking into her eyes as he turned his attention away from Noelle. The Geo user now watched the man she loved admit he loathed her, but she still loved him and hoped that there was another way for him to see the truth.

"I'm just telling her the truth that she needs to hear, but that you still don't understand..."

"What are you talking about? You're the one who keeps refusing our help and believing we don't care about you!" Mona shot back.

"You see, that's exactly what annoys me about you... You want to force me to accept things, you consider me as a tool once again! You have no regard for other people's feelings, and the funny thing is that you want to try to manage my actions, when you can't even manage your money problems!... You deserve a good correction,…" Aether replied, approaching her.

"That… That's not what I mean… I just… want to tell you that we're here for you now… It's not Noelle's fault…" Mona lost her usual self-confidence, stuttering in her sentences like a child who had been scolded by her parents.

"You're right, it's not Noelle's fault... it's all your fault, in case you didn't understand her. You speak as if you had supported me, whereas the first time we met, you made me believe in a sign of destiny when you just took advantage of me like the opportunist that you are. I only became your "disciple" because you deluded yourself into thinking your non-existent reputation was equal to my own. If it wasn't for my reputation, you wouldn't have spared me a moment of your time. Think about your actions before criticizing people, especially when you are no better than them." Aether criticizes the astrologist.

Mona felt Aether's cold gaze piercing to her heart. She heard his hurtful words, but deep down she knew she had taken advantage of him. Mona didn't have the courage to speak anymore, too lost in her grief to do anything else.

"Well... I see that you understand too... Let this serve as a lesson to you, life is not a long, quiet river, even if can't predict what will happen, everything is unpredictable. On that note... Stop saying try to convince me that you care when it's all hollow and condescending. Now, and I'll say it one last time, let me go, I've wasted enough time with you..."

Aether walked away from Mona, but before he was allowed to continue, Kaeya, who saw everyone losing hope and suffering mentally with each cruel but true sentence that the Traveler said to them, took the initiative to ask a serious question, supported by Eula. Both were Knights of Favonius as they would feel dishonored and guilty if they could not protect friends in front of them.

" You say that we don't pay attention to people...But Paimon is not with you, am I wrong?" Kaeya asked, not without taking a risk, because it could be a sensitive subject.

"He's right, you left her alone, and she could be lost without you. She never left you, and yet you abandon her."

"SHUT UP! YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT ME OR PAIMON TO TALK ABOUT HER LIKE THAT!"

Both Eula and Kaya looked at each other out of the corner of their eyes, feeling that they had hit a nerve, and that maybe they shouldn't have done that. Aether approached them and held them by the collar of their respective clothes, bringing them closer to him, while they were surprised at the strength he held them. Both Cryo knights couldn't look him in the face, which had irritated the blond man even more.

"LOOK AT ME WHEN I TALK TO YOU!"

Kaeya and Eula tried, not without fear, to make eye contact with him. Everyone around them, everyone was afraid of what was going to happen, but no one dared to try to make him release the two. Quite simply to avoid making the situation worse, and that the more they listened to him, talking about Paimon had sent him into a rage, the dark gaze piercing the souls of the Khareni'ah's and Lawerence descendants.

" PAIMON IS THE ONLY PERSON WHO LOOKS LIKE FAMILY TO ME! SHE IS THE ONLY PERSON WHO HAD CARED ABOUT ME FROM THE VERY START!" He shouted in front of them before looking at the crowd in front of him, while both Kaeya and Eula looked startled.

Aether calmed down briefly, gritting his teeth, taking the time to stare at them, while trying to contain his anger, which became increasingly difficult.

"I never abandoned her... If I left without her, it was to prevent her from further suffering, because unlike you, I care about people. I don't leave them lying around. It's true that perhaps I should have warned her before leaving, but that doesn't mean I made the wrong choice. On the contrary, Paimon would understand why I want to do this alone...and if I ever meet her again, and if she wants to continue the journey she started with me, I will simply accept her again. because I care about her, and I don't want anything to happen to her…It's not selfish…"

He approached Kaeya and Eula again, their faces a few centimeters from Aether, his teeth clenched, who was about to shout at them again.

"…AND THAT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ME AND YOU!"

Right after that, he threw Kaeya and Eula onto the ground, one falling on top of the other, and when they tried to get up, the atmosphere became unbearable, not only on them, but also on the others, and no longer knew what to do. They understood that he was clear about his decision, and were ready to give up, the guilt as well as the truths spoken by the Traveler were powerful enough to make them understand that they do not deserve the old Aether.

"Now that you have understood your sins, I hope that this guilt will not leave you soon, you deserve it. Consider yourself lucky I gave you the opportunity to waste so much of my time for all of you. Unless your selfishness has no limits and pushes you to continue being in denial." Aether clapped his hands to remove the dust and gave his final words to the entire group.

While everyone bowed their heads, and no one had the courage to dare speak again, every apology they tried to give was met with denial and negativity. Aether was satisfied by this lack of response, but an expensive horse carriage stopped in front of the crowd and the Traveler. The carriage door flung open with Ayaka being the first person to leap out of it.

"AETHER!" Ayaka cried out in relief and joy seeing the Traveler again. Tears of joy began to flow down her face seeing the man she loved.

"Wait, Lady Ayaka!" Kazuha shouted following after her, aware that Ayaka was eager to see Traveler, but something was wrong.

Yae Miko, Beidou and Ningguang were quick to follow the youngest members of their group out of the carriage. Thanking the Archons for giving them luck, to look at Aether, the crowd saw that these newcomers recognized some of them, especially Ningguang.

Indeed, they couldn't believe their eyes, Ningguang barely dared to look at Aether, because the shame she had was extremely strong, while Yae and Beidou were aware of this. They too felt just as guilty, seeing what their indifference caused. Kazuha sensed a large elemental disturbance around Aether, a sign from the wind that it might have been too late to do anything, but he wasn't the type to give up right away, so he kept a serious face while feeling sorry for everything that happened to what he considers a brother in arms.

As for Ayaka, she was the most upset, and just like the others, the empty and soulless eyes of the one she loved with all her heart made her realize the seriousness of the situation. She knew it would be difficult, but she expected it to be this bad. Ayaka had always put Aether on a pedestal, believing that Aether couldn't fall that low and that even if he had hard times, he would bounce back after a while.

However, this is not what happened, and this not only saddened her, but when she saw the inhabitants of Mondstadt and Sumeru not only have anger and disgust towards themselves but also despair regarding Aether, she hoped she wasn't too late.

Stuttering very softly, and even though Ayaka had recognized him, her hand on her heart, and the emotions being felt in her voice, she asked once again, "Aether…Is that you?!"

Aether now looked at the newcomers, surprised that they had made it this especially Ayaka and Yae Miko, given that Inazuma is quite far from Mondstadt, before glaring at Ayaka with contempt as well as at Beidou, Kazuha, Ningguang, and Yae Miko. The tension once again reared its head ugly head once again between the Traveler and the people who wanted to help him.

The rain continued to fall on his yellow hair, but it didn't matter to him, and like a bad omen, the clouds had darkened even more in the sky, before he responded with an icy and cold tone.

" Yes… It's me, Ayaka."

Chapter 15

Chapter Text

"Aether...I'm so happy to see you again. If you only knew how much I've missed you." Ayaka said to the fallen blonde hero, but Aether hardly looked pleased.

"Spare me your nonsense and tell me the real reason why you're here?" Aether replied not wanting to waste any more of his time.

Ayaka was surprised, not understanding why Aether was so hostile to her because it was obvious to the others around her that she wanted to see him again. After all, she loved him and wanted to support him in his time of need.

"What do you mean? I'm telling the truth. As soon as I heard the news, I rushed here to see you because I knew you needed comfort, and to see the man I love and admire in so much pain breaks my heart..."

"DON'T EVER SAY THAT TO ME AGAIN!" Aether snapped at Ayaka, startling her.

"Huh?"

"You love me?! That's the worst lie I've heard today, and this is coming from the knights and scholars here telling me they're sorry when they're not!" Aether pointed at the Mondstadians and Sumerians who recoiled as they were struck.

"No, it's true, my love for you is real..."

"Shut up, Ayaka! I'm sick of all of the lies!" Aether took two steps towards her, golden eyes that no longer looked at Ayaka with warmth and care but instead contempt and disgust that rattled Ayaka's soul.

"If you really loved me or even respected me when we first met, you would have just honored my wish to not meddle in Inazuma's affairs? Where were you when I needed help to fight the Raiden Shogun? Oh, wait, I forgot, you were lying comfortably sipping tea while I was busy saving your servant! When have you ever supported me? Not once, and you call that love?! I've helped you grieve, I've helped you make new friends and discover the world for yourself. What do I get? A beating from a literal goddess, expecting me to solve all your country's problems!" Aether ranted about the good he had done for Ayaka but hardly got anything in return, but a simple dance for his trouble.

"Aether, I'm sorry for everything, I never thought of it like that." Ayaka weakly defended herself, but it just made Aether angrier.

"What do you mean, "you never thought of it like that"?! You cannot be serious! Were you intentionally trying to kill me?!"

Ayaka winced as she didn't mean it like that.

"No, I just wanted to save my country, I never once had the intention to hurt you, I didn't know things were going to go wrong..." Ayaka avoided looking into Aether's eyes knowing it wasn't a valid excuse at all.

"I'll stop you right there, Ayaka. You claim that you wanted to save Inazuma, but you never once actually tried doing that. You're just like everyone else here." Aether said before taking a glance at everyone still watching him.

"I already said this before, and I'll say it again. What I hate is that instead of resolving the situation yourself, you just waited for help because you thought someone might come and help you anytime, right? People like you always think like that. Worthless trash that waits for help, without thinking of trying to resolve it yourself. Acting all pleasant while smiling, fooling around, and not taking anything seriously. It's a blessing itself that none of you tried saving the day instead of relying on an Outlander like me because all of you would have failed miserably. That's precisely why trash like you can never accomplish anything." Aether expressed the reason why he had so much contempt and disgust for everyone here.

The Mondstadians and Sumerians flinched hearing the same speech once again being accused of being lazy trash relying on a Knight in Shining Armor instead of themselves. However, to Ayaka, Yae Miko, Ningguang, Beidou, and Kazuha this was the first time they heard Aether insult them in such a negative manner and it was truly heartbreaking. Ayaka, Yae Miko, and Ningguang were in tears while Beidou and Kazuha stared at the ground, fists clenched.

Aether turned his head to Ayaka to continue talking.

"I haven't forgotten when we first met, you promised me that you would get me a meeting with the Raiden Shogun in exchange for my help, and you never uphold your end of the bargain. Why would you? It just proves to me you're just a conniving opportunist who took advantage of the situation I was in like everyone else. Even when the Vision Hunt Decree ended, you've never apologized for the manipulation. You have the gall to think a simple apology and love confession would earn back my trust? You're completely delusional and pathetic, Kamisato Ayaka." Aether said coldly to the Shirasagi Himegimi who felt her entire world crashing down on her.

Ayaka's tears poured down her face as she never felt so much pain in her life as the man that she loved said that he hated her right to her face. Aether was completely right that he had no reason to trust her. Ayaka wanted to believe all would be forgiven after giving Aether the comfort and support that he needed and then they would live happily ever after. However, that delusion as Aether put it was completely shattered. The Shirasagi Himegimi thought she was in an awful nightmare, but this was reality.

Yae Miko, who couldn't stand it anymore, came over and placed a hand on Ayaka's shoulder to comfort her. The very air surrounding the priestess was surprisingly serious which was emphasized even more as Yae was lacking her usual smiles.

"Aether, I know you're hurting and you think we betrayed you, but don't blame Ayaka for that, please. She was just trying to save everyone, if there's one hypocrite, it's me, so I'll understand if you don't want to talk to me or forgive me, but don't blame Ayaka. She loves you and regrets everything that happened to you in Inazuma." Yae said seriously, coming to Ayaka's defense in her time of need.

Ayaka's eyes widened as she saw the kitsune trying to take her place by accepting responsibility for the actions taken in the nation of the Electro Archon, but this only served to irritate Aether even more. The Traveler saw their pathetic attempts at apologies and accepting responsibility as completely shallow.

As for Ningguang, she was feeling worse and worse while Beidou was trying to support her, devastated by the fact that she didn't dare to speak out in front of him when she was also partly responsible.

"You're right Yae, you're responsible..." Aether said quietly while Yae smiled slightly feeling some progress was finally being made.

"Thank you, and I understand that you don't want to see me anymore, but..."

"I haven't finished... You're just as responsible as she is! You think I don't know what you're up to, that's pathetic coming from you, who's usually so good at manipulating people like the coward you are! Did you think you could fool me with that? Everything I've said is true, and Ayaka knows it using my status and the fact that I'd already helped those two pathetic nations, Liyue and Mondstadt. What's more, even though she's not here, Sangonomiya Kokomi has done the same, promoting me to Captain of Squadron Swordfish II in the same way as them, to flatter me and make me a tool like everyone else." Aether said, pointing at the people of Mondstadt and Sumeru, who hadn't dared speak for a while just listening to the conversation in silence.

"But..."

"I TOLD YOU I HAVEN'T FINISHED! As a result of all this, one of the few people I trusted, my brother-in-arms, Teppei, died before my very eyes, through your fault, the Fatui's fault, Kokomi's fault, and that woman you call the "Electro Archon"! All because he wanted to become stronger to protect his homeland more than anything else in the world, I won't forget the indifference you showed..." Aether seethed in rage, remembering the tragic end of a man who just wanted to be special.

"What's that look for? Don't worry, partner. Soon as I've rested up, I'll be right as rain. Right as rain, I'll tell ya…soon as I've …rested up…"

"I admit that it wasn't planned, and we didn't want it to happen, but there could have been more deaths, it was a blessing in disguise...I tried to save as many people as possible..." Yae said, but Aether snapped at her.

"NO! YOU DON'T HAVE THE RIGHT TO ACT THAT YOU WERE HERO HERE! If you wanted to, you could have stopped the Vision Hunt Decree before it even started! You could have stopped Ei, exposed Hirragi Shinsuke and the Fatui's schemes. So many people dying, so many families destroyed. If only you actually cared, but you're just as lazy and pathetic like everyone else here! You never thought of that, you could have given the Gnosis before it was too late, but you preferred to play with me, making me take the risk of fighting Raiden Shogun a second time." Aether spat out in disgust which made Yae look away from him.

"But I did it as a last resort..."

"That's not true, and you know it! In any case, the Archons are all as incompetent as each other, they're all losing this object like a child loses a toy! In any case, you've used everyone to your advantage!"

"The only reason I did this was to save Inazuma!"

"So what! You didn't respect me when I was thrown into the lion's den, you didn't respect your so-called best friend when you treated her like a kid who needs candy to stop her misbehavior, you didn't respect all the people you indirectly killed, when all this could have been over quicker than it started!"

Aether moved closer and closer to Yae Miko, one of the people with whom he had a particular grudge with, each step becoming more and more violent, while the kitsune was almost about to cry, feeling sorry for what she had done.

"You used all those people, and you kept smiling as if nothing had happened, as if no one had died after playing with so many lives... As if you were an angel. Priestess, my ass, you're just a depraved hedonist who just gets a kick out of people suffering no matter how many lives she destroys." Aether swore with venom in his eyes while it took everything for Yae not to sob on the spot.

The hero of the four nations walked in front of her, his body shaking in rage, a sign that his patience was reaching its breaking point while Ayaka saw this from the front row, her mind struggling to cope with her crush's fall from grace and his hatred for her. As for Ningguang, she didn't even dare talk to him anymore, afraid of offending him and that he might end up hurting someone permanently.

Yae Miko tried to calm the Traveler a second time, this time fearing more for herself, a crooked smile as her eyes began to water, and she put her hands in front of her as if to protect herself.

"Aether, wait! Please, I mean it, I'm truly sorry for everything I've done! I just wanted to have Inazuma to have a brighter future. Even if it came at the expense of your well-being! Please remember all of the good you have done not just for Mondstadt, Liyue, Inazuma, and Sumeru, but for everyone's lives for the better!" She said this last sentence, sobbing and folding her hands as if to beg him to pardon her to the surprise of Ayaka, Ningguang, Beidou, and Kazuha, who had never seen her beg for anything, let alone forgiveness.

…

…

…

Good…

Aether's body froze like a statue hearing the word good.

Good…

His vision began to blur, and he was suddenly filled with anger, as he remembered all the so-called good got him. So many problems that he had to fix because no one else couldn't bother to do it themselves.

A drunken bard who couldn't keep his pet lizard in check.

A money-dumb consultant who was willing to let his precious kingdom be destroyed to see if it could literally sink or swim without him.

A cowardly woman so afraid of pain and loss that she never accomplished her precious eternity to begin with, making all the lives lost even more tragic and meaningless.

A so-called God of Wisdom who willingly allowed corruption and bias to run rampant under the excuse of an inferiority complex.

Constantly being manipulated for everyone's expense except for his own.

His so-called friends are constantly taking advantage of his generosity.

Being roped into adventures and schemes that he had no say in the matter.

People who sat around waiting for a miracle to just instead of solving the problem itself.

His quest to find his sister, not getting any closer.

Yae observed Aether's change in posture, which was filled with hatred and anger, with both dread and morbid curiosity. A fierce wrath flooded his eyes.

Aether's stance suddenly became rigid, and he saw nothing.

Nothing except furious indignation, hatred, and anger.

Faster than anyone could react, Aether's fist slammed into Yae's stomach sending her flying to the stone walls that surrounded Mondstadt. Her body cracked the stone wall making her cough blood and it was a miracle that her spine didn't shatter on impact. Suddenly Yae felt her fight-or-flight instincts going into overdrive just in time to roll out of the way of Aether's fist causing a larger crack on the stone wall. Yae quickly pulled out her gohei and Electro aura sparking to defend herself.

All she could do was watch as the icy, enraged gaze filled Aether's eyes.

Just Yae was about to defend herself from another one of Aether's attacks. Her mind was suddenly bombarded with memories she had with the Traveler. Of simple times where she had enjoyed his company such as drinking tea and eating Fried Tofu together, Aether sharing stories of his adventures and Paimon being Paimon. A determined hero that moved forward, no matter what the world threw at him. However, Yae saw none of that.

What she saw was a monster, a monster who was broken by the world and was forsaken by it.

Yae dropped her gohei, and her Electro aura dissipated, overwhelmed with guilt knowing she helped create this monster in front of her. Aether's fist slammed into Yae's face, cratering the ground. Despite the overwhelming pain she was feeling, Yae managed to muster the strength to wrap her arms around Aether's body to hug him.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry!" Yae sobbed as her tears fell onto Aether's shoulder, but the Traveler felt nothing from Yae's apologies and comforting hug.

WHAM!

Without any hesitation, Aether brutally sent a hammer strike on Yae's skull, making it crash into the ground. Followed by a series of brutal stomps onto the shrine maiden's face making the woman shriek in pain.

Aether sneered at Yae, looking down on the kitsune, he said, "I'm tired of your bullsh*t, Yae Miko. When you're just like everyone else here!" He slowly raised his foot, only to stomp on Yae's face once again.

"You're just another pathetic…"

STOMP!

"...worthless…"

STOMP! STOMP!

"...narcissistic…"

STOMP! STOMP! STOMP!

"...disgusting trash…"

STOMP! STOMP! STOMP! STOMP! STOMP! STOMP STOMP!

"...that doesn't deserve to breathe another day with all the bullsh*t you have done!"

STOMP! STOMP! STOMP! STOMP! STOMP! STOMP! STOMP! STOMP! STOMP! STOMP! STOMP! STOMP! STOMP! STOMP! STOMP! STOMP! STOMP! STOMP! STOMP! STOMP! STOMP! STOMP! STOMP! STOMP!

Aether kept stomping on Yae's face over and over as the sickening sound of bones breaking echoed throughout Mondstadt, but it didn't soothe the Traveler at all. It only served to motivate Aether even more as he increased the tempo. At that point, Yae Miko was in too much agony to even properly scream anymore.

As for everyone else, they all watched in horror at the vicious beating being delivered by Aether of all people. Their hearts breaking now seeing how truly broken the Traveler was.

Amber couldn't help but cry when she saw what he was now capable of doing.

Ayaka put her hands over her mouth, her face showing both shock and sadness.

Diluc didn't dare look up in shame, and neither did Kaeya, who was staring at the ground, their hair covering their eyes.

Noelle and Barbara almost broke seeing how brutal Aether had become.

Kazuha feared the worst, sensing a torrential downpour around Aether.

Jean and Ningguang didn't know what to do, feeling that they had failed both as leaders to their countries and as friends to Aether.

Tighnari blinked several times to make sure he wasn't hallucinating while Cyno and Eula tried to comfort Collei.

Mona fell to her knees at the sight while Bennet couldn't move as if he'd seen the devil.

Lisa couldn't stand the display of violence and brutality looking away altogether

Razor didn't know what to make of all this, but the emotional overload was upsetting and he couldn't understand why Aether had hit a friend.

Fischl felt as if her world was collapsing like a house of cards as she saw what he was capable of doing, realizing that a simple apology wasn't going to lead to a happily ever after.

Beidou was speechless by how brutal Aether had become.

Even the normally stoic Rosaria was wide-eyed and even afraid of Aether now.

Aether sent another stomp onto Yae's face, this time with more force behind it. His shoe dug deeper into Yae's face. He gradually increased the force, pressing his shoe further into Yae's cranium. The shrine maiden let out a muffled scream of pain, powerless to stop Aether as he intended to crush her skull like a bug…

"Please, STOP!" Ayaka screamed at the top of her lungs towards Aether.

Aether like all the others except Yae who couldn't turn her head at all, turned towards her and saw her. Her face froze in fear as the biggest nightmare of her life was unfolding before her eyes. Ayaka couldn't bear the sight of Aether crossing the line and committing cold-blooded murder. She approached him while Aether's foot was still pressed against Yae's cranium.

"Aether, I beg you, you don't have to do this. Yae may have done disreputable things like everyone else including me. I understand that you won't forgive us so easily, but this is beyond cruel! I promise you we will make things right for you, so please stop." Ayaka pleaded with her heart out as tears kept pouring down her face.

Ayaka hoped that her words would reach him, but Aether didn't see it the same way she did.

"Do you think that's enough? What a joke!" Aether spat out with Ayaka flinching.

"Aether..."

"Shut up, Ayaka! Every sound that comes out of your mouth is starting to piss me off! After all that, you expect me to believe that you've learned your lesson, and that everyone here has! So since I wasn't clear, I'm going to clarify my words once again with something you'll understand once and for all, and not just you, but everyone here... But first, since you care so much, here!"

Aether grabbed Yae Miko by the collar, the kitsune's face badly bloody and bruised. Almost unrecognizable as Yae wheezed trying to breathe again. Aether tossed Yae in front of Ayaka's feet as if she were garbage. The Cryo user quickly hoisted Yae's arm over their shoulder looking very concerned.

"Are you all right?" Ayaka asked while Yae coughed.

"Yes, don't mind me, he's merciful enough at the moment, having left me alive...He's talking to you, so don't provoke him any further..." She whispered to Ayaka, and she gave a serious look, understanding her warning. The heiress gently set Yae against a nearby tree, who was trying as hard as she could not to faint to listen to what Aether had to say.

This might be the last time she'd converse with him, even if things were going to end in bitter terms, Ayaka needed to see it through till the bitter end.

"Normally you should understand what I'm talking about in particular, shouldn't you, Kamisato." Aether started, any pleasantry gone.

Ayaka didn't yet know what he was talking about, but it already hurt when he'd called her by her surname as if they were strangers. Aether made it clear she'd never have the love she'd wanted, but an ounce of hope could still be felt in the depths of her heart, on the verge of crumbling in the face of the reality of what was happening.

"I'm going to ask you a simple question... How would you react if you were in my shoes?" Aether questioned Ayaka, making her confused.

"Huh?"

"You should understand what I'm saying because you have a brother!" He said, raising his voice, making Ayaka realize what he was saying.

Aether approached Ayaka and the crowd of people, all the while continuing to shout.

"How would you react if your brother, who's your only family, was lost somewhere in the world? Someone had taken him away from you and you'd been trying to find him for a long time, to no avail! You're constantly interrupted for things that don't even concern you! When you ask for help, nobody's there for you! You understand that?!"

Ayaka knew he was right, her brother Ayato meant the world to her, and would do anything to find him if he was ever lost. Aether continued his speech.

"Every time I see happy families, I can't help but envy them. Especially when there's no one here that understands my pain! Every time I pass by, it's the same thing, whether it's you and Ayato, Diluc and Kaeya, Jean and Barbara, or Albedo and Klee. Hell, even that bastard Harbinger Tartaglia manages to be with his brother, so why not me!? Why shouldn't I be allowed to see my sister, she's the only family I've got left?!" Aether ranted about the unfairness of it all.

"Aether, you don't have to force yourself! We can accompany you on your journey, you'll find her again, it's just that it'll take time!" Diluc pleaded, but it just made Aether angrier.

"Time? TIME!? YOU DARE TO TELL ME THAT!" He said, his icy gaze exerting a monstrous pressure on everyone, especially Diluc, and it didn't get any better when Jean and Barbara interfered, the deaconess speaking again.

"If I'd lost my sister, I'd be doing everything I could to find her too!" Barbara chimed in.

"I wouldn't forgive myself if I'd lost Barbara! This isn't the right way to go about this. We want to repent by helping you now, so please accept our help. I swear we'll do everything we can to help you find your sister!" Jean begged Aether to just stop before things got any worse.

"Shut up once for once! You don't have an ounce of compassion, you're only saying that because you're not the one suffering! I HAVEN'T SEEN MY SISTER FOR OVER 500 YEARS AND YOU WANT ME TO WAIT EVEN LONGER!? IF YOU WERE IN MY PLACE, YOU WOULDN'T EVEN HAVE SURVIVED MY ORDEAL!" Aether shouted at everyone as he drew his blade making the crowd tense.

"I'm giving you one last chance, and this time is the last. If you don't let me go, I will fight all of you, and if you die don't hold it against me…This was inevitable." Aether swore as he pointed his sword towards everyone, and his free hand flashed through various elements making it very clear he was ready to deliver his promise.

Aether had issued a final warning while no one dared move, except for Ningguang who was the only one who didn't get the chance to talk to Aether. She knew that she needed to say everything she needed to say or else she'll regret it for the rest of her life.

"Wait Aether!"

Aether turned his head towards Ningguang and grunted.

"Ningguang...You have nothing to say to me, you're one of the worst here." Aether said, making displeasure known while the wealthy woman winced.

"On the contrary, all this is partly my fault, and I want to talk to you about it because it's the reason I've come all this way." Ningguang implored Aether to give her a moment of his time, which he did reluctantly.

"Talk...Let's get it over with, so I can leave, I'm not going to change my mind anyway." Aether said while Ningguang gave a sigh of relief.

"Thank you. First of all, I would like to personally apologize. Everything that happened to Liyue, I left you to deal with it, when it was my role as a leader to protect my fellow citizens. I should have paid more attention, as well as to the Fatui threat. Instead, I relied on you without considering what you wanted. But I have a question, why didn't you ask me to do more than post posters that day when I offered you everything you wanted in exchange?" Ningguang questioned the Traveler as he remained silent before answering.

"It's simple, I'd come to Liyue to meet the Geo Archon, which I did, and like the Anemo Archon, he didn't help me find any leads on my sister. As I said before, finding my sister is my top priority. I thought setting up posters on her whereabouts would pay off eventually, but it never did. Either way, I never once asked you for more because I understood as a leader you had more immediate priorities and I respected our so-called friendship enough to not be a leech." Aether answered while Ningguang flinched as it hurt that the Traveler saw their friendship as completely one-sided.

"I understand..."

"But the thing is Ningguang, out of everyone here, you have nothing to apologize for." Aether said which confused the merchant woman.

"I...I don't understand..."

"It's quite simple really, you were simply being a good politician making the most of a bad situation. You saw a useful asset and saw it fit to give me special treatment by judging me for my strength and reputation. Everyone ignored my requests to find my sister, treated me like a tool for their own benefit, and put me on a pedestal. But now that I've suddenly cut ties with all of you...you suddenly being remorseful absolutely disgusts me." Aether said coldly which made Ningguang tear up even more.

"Aether, you're wrong…"

"Let me ask you this, Ningguang. If I had come to Liyue as a complete nobody, would you have given me a moment of your time? You, one of the wealthiest people of Liyue and its leader, are using your wealth and resources to help a no-name Outlander who has nothing to offer you. No Mora or connections until I revealed my strength. Would you have treated me any different?" Aether questioned anyway, knowing full well the answer.

Seeing Ningguang's expression, the answer was obvious. "Yeah, that's what I thought." It was for that reason that Aether didn't bother getting his hopes up.

"Wait Aether, there's something you have to know. Even if you don't trust me now, and curse my name. I want you to know that…I valued the friendship I built with you. Before you came to Liyue, I had nothing but business associates and very few people I could call friends. I enjoyed the time we spent together as you put it simply, never putting me on a pedestal, but as a normal person. I've lost Ganyu, Keqing's, and Yelan's trust in me, I don't even know where they are right now. I suppose this is my punishment for my sins against you, and I accept that, but I wanted to at least apologize sincerely to you, it's the least I can do for you." Ningguang wept as she finally broke down overwhelmed by stress, guilt, and sadness.

Aether remained silent, seeing Ningguang with her watery red eyes, and her saddened face, but that didn't change anything, no matter how many people begged him or cried in front of him. He just stopped caring for it all. Aether didn't understand what she meant by losing the trust of her most precious secretaries, but he still didn't care. It was Keqing's, Ganyu's, and Yelan's choice to stop trusting Ningguang, and the head merchant was reaping what she sowed. Aether had no intention of finding the three women to help repair their relationship with their boss, he was done doing those jobs.

He saw her lose Ningguang drop to her knees as Beidou picked her up, and the pirate spoke up, approaching him, as did Kazuha, not without apprehension.

"Aether, I can assure you that everything Ningguang says is true, she feels terribly sorry, so much so that she implored Kamisato Ayaka to be able to come with us to see you because she wanted to take responsibility for her actions. It's true that I too should have been there at least to support you, but that didn't mean we didn't want to help you." Beidou said to emphasize how everyone here wanted to make amends.

"Captain Beidou is right, you know I think of you as a brother-in-arms, and I wouldn't want anything to happen to you, in the same way as the captain, the crew, or even Paimon, because you're what I consider my family and I'd never want anything bad to happen to you. I just want you to know that even if we don't deserve your forgiveness, which is normal, if you need us we'll be there this time, and we'll have learned our lesson. But you don't have to go down this road, my friend." Kazuha begged Aether like everyone else to stop before things got any worse.

Kazuha tried to put a hand on his shoulder to soothe him as Jean had tried to do before, but like the blonde woman, Aether recoiled his touch in sheer disgust to the shock of Beidou, Ningguang, and the others.

Aether approached with a look of contempt, before he had time to rise, resting his sword on his shoulder.

"Too late, Kahedehara, you should have thought of that before, but I'll tell you one thing, 'friend'..."

Kazuha was apprehensive about the situation, feeling a sinister air around the Traveler, before he grabbed him by the collar, a shiver down his spine to thread carefully because otherwise it would be fatal.

"Aether, please calm down for a second. We just want to help you."

"All of you keep saying that you care about me, and I'm your friend but it doesn't change the fact that what I said is true." Aether said albeit tired, not wanting to repeat himself anymore.

"No, Aether, please...I don't want to lose another comrade..." He begged, raising his hand to him.

"Too late, Kahedehara... You should have thought of that before..." Aether said, turning his back to him, the Crux wanderer now feeling empty again, like after his friend's death at the hands of the Raiden Shogun, but this time he felt the same pain as before.

Chapter 16

Chapter Text

"Let me make myself abundantly clear, I can't trust any of you anymore. Any fond memories we had together of adventuring, laughter, joy, and contentment are dead to me. I truly did believe you cared about me, but what a fool I was for believing in a lie. Goodbye everyone, this will be the last time we see each other." Aether's voice called out to the entire group, hollow and dead.

Everyone was truly devastated that the Traveler forsook the bond he made with them, but believed it never existed in the first place. Something they truly did treasure with the Traveler ever since he came to Teyvat and their lives. As Aether began to walk away from the group, everyone wanted nothing more than to reach their hand out to him, but he made it clear he would never accept it.

Aether made a sudden stop when something caught his vision. A burst of purple electricity appeared in front of him before a female figure twirled around and revealed himself to the Traveler. A woman dressed in purple, her hair was the same shade, a hairstyle that resembled cat ears, hands resting on her hips, and her eyes piercing, as she advanced in front of him.

"Keqing?

"Yes, it's me, Aether! I've found you at last!"

Before he could say anything, he saw other people behind the young woman, whom he recognized immediately, it was Paimon, Venti, Ganyu, Zhongli, Shenhe, Ei, Yelan, Hu Tao, Nahida, and Xiao. All looked relieved and worried for him just like everyone else. However, the sight of the Archons made Aether's blood boil, reminding him once again of the dead leads of finding his sister and the cycle of fixing the problems of their nations they couldn't even solve themselves.

While the inhabitants of Mondstadt, Liyue, Sumeru, and Inazuma saw these newcomers, they were all shocked to see their respective Archons a part of this group. Although everyone's spirits were broken by Aether's merciless rejections of their attempts to redeem themselves in his eyes, they were both terrified and hopeful at the same time. Hopeful that this new group including the gods themselves would save Aether from himself and terrified because of how volatile he was now.

Suddenly, everyone felt a new wave of misery overcome them as they were reminded of Aether's harsh words echoing into their minds. Reminding them all of how they were lazy, incompetent, carefree, failures, and trash in his eyes.

Aether was right, they really couldn't accomplish anything by themselves. Even though everyone tried their best to apologize to him, and help him in his time of need, they all failed in the end. All of a sudden in their time of need, the Archons themselves just appeared as a miracle to save Aether. However that wasn't important, what mattered the most was saving Aether from himself.

Keqing, Paimon, Venti, Ganyu, Zhongli, Shenhe, Ei, Yelan, Hu Tao, Nahida, and Xiao headed towards Aether. The Traveler's body began to violently shake in rage at the Archons before having his hand shift through four different elements. Everyone felt a sense of dread, fearing for the absolute worst.

"Aether, I know you think this isn't the time, but we're all here, it's for..."

"AIR BULLET! THUNDER REIGN! COLLAPSING EARTH! NATURE'S BLESSING!"

Keqing didn't have time to finish her sentence as Aether held up his hand showing a condensed orb of energy consisting of Anemo, Electro, Geo, and Dendro creating an unholy fusion of the elements, ready to be unleashed. Xiao, alarmed, quickly grabbed Paimon, Shenhe, Yelan, Hu Tao, Keqinq, and Ganyu to teleport them away from the danger. Aether aimed before firing it as a condensed blast of the elements at the Archons. Venti, Nahida, Ei, and Zhongli acted immediately, creating a powerful barrier between their respective elements just in time to defend themselves.

BOOM!

The elemental blast collided violently against the barrier creating a powerful shockwave making everyone bracing for cover.

A beautiful array of colors consisting of light mint green, goldenrod yellow, vivid purple, and chartreuse stood against each other as opposing forces. All of the Archons grunted trying their very best to maintain the barrier. Sweat began to pour down their foreheads as they watched helplessly as cracks began to form in the shield. Feet digging into the ground trying not to fall down from the sheer force of the blast.

A deafening explosion followed by violent tremors shook all of Teyvat while a vivid display of different colors ravaged Mondstadt's landscape. The earth shuddered and shook, trees were violently uprooted, and the storm clouds dispersed. Although the barrier was heavily cracked, all of the Archons were physically fine but rattled from the sheer power of Aether's attack and the fact he just tried to kill them. Everyone else was horrified by the destruction caused by Aether of all people.

"W-What power!" Fischl stuttered in fear, a sentiment shared by everyone else.

"We really got off easy…" Mona whimpered.

"Aether, cease this at once! There's no need for hostility!" Zhongli commanded sternly, hoping that his words would get through to him.

"We came here to repent!" Ei added, her face remorseful like everyone else.

Tears poured down Venti's face, grief-stricken. "J-Just stop, please Aether!" He begged with all of his might.

"I'm sorry for everything…" Nahida sobbed as she never thought this would happen.

Aether gave out a chilling glare of hatred that rattled the Archon's souls. Any bonds that the Traveler made with the Archons was dead in his eyes. All Aether had for the gods of this world was his animosity for all of them. While the four Archons teared up, lamenting that all of this was avoidable from the start. Responsible for breaking the heart and spirit of the very person they all trusted.

"YOU CAN TAKE YOUR APOLOGIES BACK TO CELESTIA! MORAX, BUER, BEELZEBUB, AND BARBATOS!" Aether spat out each of the Archon's godly names like venom making them all flinch.

The crowd was all shocked that the people that Aether tried to murder and cause mass destruction to Mondstadt were their own Archons, but also the Archons of each different nation!

Paimon teared up seeing Aether again, but never once she ever imagined that the stress of their journey would make him snap, and try to murder the very deities they befriended. This was NOT what Paimon imagined Aether would do, they were still friends right?!

"Did Aether call Zhongli, Morax?! You're saying Zhongli was Morax, and he's been alive this whole time!" Beidou cried out completely shocked at this revelation much like Ningguang herself.

"Yes, Zhongli is Morax." Hu Tao answered simply, not bothering to mess around as she was horrified that Aether just tried to commit deicide of all things.

"Aether…" Shenhe couldn't help but cry seeing the rage that filled the Traveler's eyes. Something that the white-haired woman was very familiar with, but it was alien seeing it on the person that showed her kindness when they first met.

Ganyu wanted nothing more than to wake up from this nightmare she was in, believing if she just woke up. Everything would go back to normal, and Aether was back to his kind self. However, she was very much awake.

Xiao was afraid. Afraid for both Zhongli's safety and Aether's sanity. The Yaksha was worried that Aether would cross the point of no return.

Yelan didn't want to believe the kind-hearted Traveler could cause so much devastation in his wake. The Hydro user truly regretted that she couldn't calm him down in their last meeting before things escalated.

"Dammit Aether, you're going too far!" Tighnari gritted his teeth. Being angry and bitter was one thing, but trying to murder their god was simply irredeemable.

Both Collei and Cyno were both worried for the Dendro Archons safety, but hopeful that her wisdom was enough to finally stop the Travelers madness.

"Ei…" Yae Miko muttered her breath, still injured from the Aether's vicious beating he gave her. Surprised that Ei was here alongside the other Archons all for Aether's sake while extremely touching by itself. However, Aether didn't share the same sentiment.

Ayaka was truly terrified as she didn't know what was going to happen next. Either her god would smite Aether for his transgressions or the Electro Archon would die from his wrath.

"Who is fancy dressed man, purple lady, and little girl?" Razor questioned, not understanding he was seeing the other nations' Archons with his own eyes.

"Venti is Barbatos…Barbatos…Barbatos…" Barbara repeated to herself, brain-fried that she's been around her god this whole time, and he was Mondstadt's resident drunken bard that no one took seriously.

Jean rubbed her younger sister's back to comfort her. The secret was out about Venti now, and she couldn't blame for her reaction. Worried for both Aether and Venti while noting how incredibly sad the bard was now.

Rosaria looked paler than usual that the bard was the very deity her church worshiped, and worse, Aether was truly proving himself to be a genuine threat to Mondstadt's safety. Under normal circ*mstances, she would never hesitate to put down any threats, but this threat was her friend…Rosaria didn't know what to do next.

Aether held up his hand to try another elemental attack, everyone was terror-stricken after witnessing first-hand of the destruction that Aether had caused. He ignored everyone's pleas to stop as he gathered the elemental energy while the Archons still hid behind their barrier.

"STOP!" Keqing yelled as she jumped in between Aether and the Archons. Although the Yuheng was clearly scared to death with her legs shaking, her eyes glared at Aether carrying a fierce fire in them with tears in her eyes.

"Aether, please just stop! This isn't you! Look around, you nearly destroyed Mondstadt and could have gotten all of us seriously injured or killed! We came all this way to save you for everything you've done for us-"

Save him?

"You cannot be serious, Keqing!" Aether spat out which startled the Electro swordswoman.

"Huh!?"

"You came all this way because you missed me and thought I needed help?! You fools cannot even save yourselves yet you want to save me?! All of you constantly take advantage of my generosity and send me on life-and-death missions none of you ever bothered solving yourself! It's for that very reason why I want nothing to do with any of you!" Aether swore with resentment in his voice.

Keqing was hurt that Aether thought so little of them and their capabilities. Did his rage and bitterness make him forget everything they accomplished? While the Traveler was indeed instrumental in saving Mondstandt, Liyue, Inazuma, and Sumeru, they did their share of the hard work. What's worse was that Aether was willing to sever the priceless bond and memories they made together, something Keqing treasured immensely.

"So why help at all? You could just say no and walk away?" Keqing asked with her jaw trembling.

"It's because it was the right thing to do, but what good did that bring me?! I may have saved lives. It doesn't change the fact, I still can't find my sister! No thanks to all of you for wasting my time! You may have been blessed with a Vision, but it doesn't change what you really are. Worthless trash that waits for help!" Aether ranted as any respect he had for anyone here was non-existent in his eyes.

"I..."

Keqing didn't know what to say, and she knew that's what he truly felt deep inside. The time she had spent with Aether made her believe she knew everything about him. Aether had simply possessed an indomitable will that couldn't be broken by everything regardless of what the world threw at him. She was completely wrong as Aether's journey riddled with grief and stress had broken him. Keqing truly regretted that she didn't see it, if she did then she would have done something to help him.

"If you truly want to help me then you can respect my decision of me cutting ties with all of you! It will be the only meaningful thing any of you have done for me!" Aether shouted, making everyone flinch as they didn't want that at all.

"Aether, we can help you! We've understood our mistakes, and we want to make things right!" Ganyu begged the Traveler to accept their help.

"Save it, Ganyu! Everyone else before you offered to help me through unoriginal ways: a shoulder to cry on, healing and just saying sorry! If that's all you have to offer me then I don't want it!" Aether spat out making the secretary tear up.

"Aether, we left our jobs and Liyue for you with the sole aim of accompanying and supporting you in your journey because we thought it was the least we could do for you!" Keqing spoke up, making Aether turn to her.

"You did it to ease your conscience!"

"No, that's not true, and you know it! We did it because... because..." Keqing uncharacteristically started to stutter.

"Because what?"

"Because we love you!" Keqing and Ganyu sobbed with sadness, anger, and stress at having confessed their feelings under such dire circ*mstances.

Aether clenched his teeth hearing the same sickening lie once again. Hearing it once from Ayaka was bad enough, but he should have expected better from Keqing and Ganyu.

"More lies!" Aether snarled, stunning both women. "The same trick Ayaka tried to pull to make me believe something that's not even real!"

"But... But it's true! You know I wouldn't lie about my feelings!" Keqing said with tears flowing down her face as it truly hurt that the man that she loved didn't believe her love was real.

"You both care about your precious work documents and Liyue more than anything else. Much like Ningguang, you put me on a pedestal and saw a useful asset for Liyue. You never cared about my well-being at all. All you saw was a useful object to own and exploit!" Aether said bitterly much to Keqing's and Ganyu's shock.

"No, we would never do that to you, even if it was for Liyue's sake…" Ganyu said, starting to feel nauseous thinking about it.

"Yet, here you are. Just as hell-bent as everyone else here giving me empty apologies and tasteless offers to help, so I can stay! I never once judged any of you for your own decisions yet all of you have the audacity to judge me for my actions, you hypocrites!"

"No, it's nothing like that. We're here right now to be by your side in your time of need. You've always helped us when we needed it, and now it's our turn to do the same for you. You're right we're not happy with what you've done until now, but it doesn't change that you're still the same person we all love and respect…" Ganyu said, hoping her words would reach him.

Aether remained unmoved despite it all. "You say that, but all I hear is more lies! I needed help countless times when my life was in constant danger or any leads finding my sister. Where were you when I needed it?! Just living your life when I don't even have the same luxury. You say that you love and respect me yet it's so toxic that I'm better off alone!" He said his voice filled with contempt and disgust.

Keqing and Ganyu couldn't say anything else except dropping to their knees, breaking down crying. Tears poured down their faces as the man that they loved rejected their love. Worse, he believed it wasn't real, to begin with. Both women felt a painful, empty void in their hearts from the cruel words being aired out. It was that point, they felt despair from all of the heartache.

Keqing did something she had never done before, given her strong, assertive nature.

Begging him...imploring him...

She wanted him to believe in her love...

That she was telling the truth... That Ganyu was telling the truth too...

That they all really wanted to help him...

"Aether, please...I really love you...I don't want to lose the man I love..." Keqing's voice cracked as she dropped to her knees onto the ground, which surprised everyone, especially those who knew her well like Ningguang and Hu Tao.

Aether seeing this couldn't deny, it was a pitiful sight seeing the Yuheng of all people pleading for forgiveness and accepting her love. If Keqing simply confessed her feelings before he reached his breaking point then he would have accepted it. However, Aether couldn't do that anymore because he was tired of forgiving everyone for mistakes that shouldn't have happened in the first place. His rejections may have seemed cruel, but these were consequences of their own actions.

Ganyu, who had put herself in the same position as Keqing, her conscience telling her to follow her lead. It was the right thing to do, she wanted Aether to come back to everyone and her, accepting their love.

"Please listen to what Keqing is saying, Aether. You have every right to be angry but don't say we lied to you. It's the truth, we love you. We've made mistakes and we relied on you to fix them, in your eyes we took advantage of your kindness. It still doesn't change the fact we are all eternally grateful for everything you've done for us." Ganyu said giving out the most heartfelt and passionate speech she had ever given in her long life.

"Ganyu..."

Keqing looked at Ganyu with surprise, almost stopping herself from crying, feeling even worse for having put her in this situation. She was determined to resolve the situation without any help, and when she saw that Ganyu, usually so shy, was taking the lead with her to reason with the man in front of them. It gave her renewed courage, and the words the Cryo woman was saying as she continued to talk helped her to gradually regain hope.

"Aether, I want to help you more than anything else. You're the one who made me realize that I belong among humans when I couldn't get my head around the idea for so many years. It's thanks to you that I've been able to be at peace with myself and with others, and I'd like to return the favor, I owe you that much. I want to be there for you whenever you need it. Even if you still reject us, I want you to know that I will still love you."

Ganyu struggled to her feet, resting her hand on her heart as she looked straight into Aether's eyes; despite the tears that wouldn't stop running down her cheeks as they blended with the rain. She was heartbroken by his rejections, but she at least wanted him to understand that she loved him more than anything and that she would still love him no matter what.

Aether was surprised by this, and grunted slightly, but before he could open his mouth. Shenhe spoke up, not wanting to let him rant on without them all having their say.

"Aether, I know I might be repeating what Ganyu says, but I want to thank you for everything you've done for me. You've helped me to integrate more or less into Liyue's society, and I've even been able to make friends thanks to you. I don't know what you're feeling right now, and I don't pretend to know. However, I know you're not well, but I just want to see the man who taught me to love the world and appreciate the little things in life. If you want, I'll accompany you to the end of your journey, after all, it must have hurt you to have no one to confide in, and even if I don't understand. I want to ease your burden, and everyone here does. I don't want to lose the person who is so special to me…" Shenhe spoke up with the raw emotions evident in her voice.

"Shenhe..."

The gentle, kind voice of the white-haired woman had surprised everyone, including Aether himself. He could even see the look of sadness in the woman's eyes. Not even the red ropes that suppressed Shenhe's emotions could hold back the sorrow she felt for the Traveler yet it still didn't change the love she had for Aether.

Aether didn't want to hear the word 'help' from these people anymore, but they still persisted. The more he heard it, a part of him, a very small part wanting to accept it, but he tried to forget about it. He wanted it to stop, but another person spoke up and stepped forward after wiping away her tears, which was surprising due to her jovial nature; Hu Tao.

"Aether..." Hu Tao's usual cheeky smiles were replaced by a serious, compassionate look.

"I know you probably wouldn't want a hug from me to comfort you, and that's normal. You think we've all abandoned you, but that's not true at all. I want you to know I'm here right now because I heard about your suffering. I love you, the same way Keqing and Ganyu love you. I don't want you to fall into despair. I've heard your stories in the other regions and everyone you've lost. Believe me, I know what I'm talking about, don't forget I run a funeral parlor. I know how difficult it is to mourn the loss of a loved one, and the worst thing is in your situation, when you travel so much and make friends with important people, to see them go in such cruel ways must break your heart." Hu Tao said

Hearing the young woman speak of loved ones and grief, images flashed through Aether's mind.

Teppei...

Kazari...

Ruu...

Zhiquiong...

Arama...

He couldn't forget his other friends who had died or been seriously injured, psychologically or physically, during his journey, and all this was making his blood boil more and more...

A tear dropped onto Aether's cheek, remembering the pain of losing it all, and looked down at the ground, still unable to get over it.

Hu Tao blamed herself for this, but she wanted to ease his pain, and to do that she wanted him to confront his past trauma.

"Listen, I know that the past has not spared you, and I'm not asking you to forget it, but I am asking you to move forward. It's for the same reason that we all came for you because we too had not deserved your help, and yet your compassion touched us all. So this time, let us pay you back, moving forward hand in hand. I promise to give a more than decent burial to all those who accompanied you and whom you have not seen since. But I won't leave you alone again, and no one here will. Look, everyone has come for you, from Mondstadt, Liyue, Inazuma, and Sumeru. It's not too late if you want we can go to Fontaine with you. Avoiding everyone and making your own way alone won't help you...So what do you say?"

Hu Tao held out her hand hoping that Aether would accept it. She had put all her soul and courage into talking to him because she wanted to support him. The funeral director may have been a weirdo, but she wasn't stupid. Hu Tao wanted the same thing as everyone else here: to help Aether and move forward for a brighter tomorrow.

Keqing was stunned by the number of people who had tried to convince him that he was on the wrong path, but stubbornly refused to listen to them. The Yuheng was ashamed that she gave up so easily, and her words couldn't reach him. She nevertheless hoped that Aether would finally start believing in them, after what Ganyu, Shenhe, and Hu Tao had just said, finding the strength to stand up.

However, Keqing saw her hopes go up in smoke, as the Hero of Liyue started shaking in rage. Despite all the speeches of love and concern for him, it only served to piss him off even more.

A cold furious glare consumed Aether's gaze which made Hu Tao flinch.

"Where do you get off knowing where my pain is, Hu Tao? Because you bury people, do you think you know what it's like to suffer the loss of people you love?" Aether said in a low voice which made Hu Tao stammer.

"No, I just mean..."

"Don't say anymore, you don't know what it's like! To see so many people dying in such a short amount of time! You're in Liyue playing stupid pranks, while I saw those bastard Fatui kill one of my friends in Inazuma with my own eyes! While you were doing who knows what, a friend of mine ended up in the depths of Chasm and I still don't know whether she's alive or dead, as the search is still on! In Sumeru, there was a woman who nearly died not only because of her illness but because it was accelerated by the Fatui. She is fortunately now free of that illness because I'd have combed all of Sumeru to keep her alive! I've seen people disappear in front of me, just like I saw Lumine taken away from me and you're telling me it's all in the past!" Aether shouted as elemental energy started to leak from his body sending a chill down everyone's spine..

"I didn't tell you to forget them, I just want you to calm down..." Hu Tao stuttered while Aether got even more pissed off.

"Calm down?! I have been patient with all of you ever since I came to Teyvat. Constantly being pulled into your schemes and machinations without ever refusing. I have been patient with all of you giving out the same unoriginal apologies over and over, but you crossed the line, Hu Tao!" Aether snarled as elemental energy began to build up inside of him.

"Aether, stop!"

Aether and Hu Tao turned their heads seeing that it was Keqing who had cried out in despair.

"You can't say that! I know it's difficult, but you're scaring Paimon!"

"P-Paimon?"

"You may not have noticed her, but she's here!" She said, pointing at the little fairy, who had been cowering behind Xiao like a frightened child on his shoulder ever since Aether had attacked the Archons.

When Aether saw her, his rage subsided for a few seconds, surprised and almost happy to see her again. Paimon withdrew from behind the Yaksha to move slightly closer.

"Paimon..." Aether muttered under his breath as he walked towards her.

"Aether? Is it you? Paimon doesn't recognize you anymore," Paimon said, still disturbed by what she had just seen.

"Yes, Paimon, it's me. I'm sorry you're seeing this. That's why I didn't want you to come, to protect you from what was going to happen..." Aether said, looking away ashamed of himself.

"Aether... "

The little fairy was a little apprehensive, but the others were almost surprised by the way he had changed his tone with her, like a big brother who wanted to protect his little sister from all the evil in the world.

Paimon knew that he had difficulty containing his emotions, but she didn't think it would be this serious. However, the way he expressed himself to those he once considered his friends surprised her the most. She had seen him suffer, and she knew that recent events were no picnic for her or him, but she had never thought that every death or tragedy would remind him of his sister's disappearance in front of him.

Paimon had seen that most of the people she knew had done their best to help Aether. Teyvat's Best Travel Guide was looking out at the number of people gathered around and was delighted to see all of the friends they made were here right now. All of them here without having asked for anything, simply because they loved Aether.

Unfortunately, that wasn't enough as Aether's rage took over the more she listened to Aether, the more she understood what he meant. Paimon didn't want to see her dear friend losing himself to his own madness, and losing all of the friends they made together. At the same time, Paimon didn't want to leave Aether's side ever again.

However, Paimon was sure of one thing.

When he said he didn't want her to come to protect her, she knew it was the truth. Which proved to her that the Aether she knew was still there to protect the people he cared about, and she didn't want to lose that spark of hope.

"Aether... Paimon should have paid more attention…" Paimon looked down, ashamed of herself.

"No Paimon, you have nothing to apologize for." Aether tried to gently assure her.

"But all the time, Paimon couldn't do anything..."

"I'm going to stop you right there. Even if you weren't able to do anything, you never ran away no matter the danger, and I respect that. I know you never wanted to let me down and you've always given me your support throughout this journey. That's why you shouldn't say that, and you know why, because unlike them, you've never asked for anything, and I'm not counting the food, which is insignificant compared to everything I've been asked to do. You've always respected me and even at my worst, you were always there." Aether said which made Paimon tear up.

"Aether, Paimon doesn't deserve what you're saying..." She said, sobbing, because she was finding it hard to contain her emotions about the fact that, of all the people here, she was the only one who he considered a good person.

"You deserve it Paimon, and I'm sorry I scared you, but I can't take any more of this." Aether took a deep breath with his eyes showing just how tired he was.

Aether felt a little sad as he watched the little fairy wipe away her tears like a child, so happy to feel useful and to have helped him, even if only for moral support. The words he spoke, just as sincere trying her best to comfort her.

"Paimon, don't forget, whether I'm far from you or not, I've never regretted knowing you for a single moment... Never forget that."

"Aether!"

Paimon couldn't take it anymore, so she flew right towards his chest, crying all the tears she could on his shirt, hugging him in front of everyone's eyes. Everyone felt guilty not only for not having thought of Aether's wellbeing but also for Paimon, thinking very little of the pixie other than being annoying. However, the truth was that the two had a strong bond anyone gave them credit for.

Aether's face softened as he gave the fairy a gentle hug. He had missed Paimon, and hearing her squeaky voice again brought him a sense of comfort. He stroked her head gently, much to Paimon's delight, but was still worried about how erratic Aether was now. Not forgetting about how the Traveler tried to murder the Archons, and spewed words of violent rejection toward Keqing and the rest of his friends.

"You know, Aether. Paimon will always be with you 100% for the journey." Paimon said, still burying her head into his chest.

"I have no doubt Paimon, but my problem isn't with you, it's them."

"No, it's not Aether. It was Paimon who asked for everyone's help. Your friends, our friends all came together just for you. You say no one cares about you, but they do care. Paimon has seen firsthand how much they love you. Believe in Paimon, Paimon has never lied to you." Paimon pleaded with teary eyes.

Aether didn't know what to say after that, even if Paimon was telling the truth about all of their friends being truly sorry and guilt-ridden…he still couldn't forgive them. Not after spending so much time with everyone that they remained apathetic to his pain. It was Paimon of all people to spell it out for them. Aether hated the indifference, wishing anyone bothered asking him how he was doing.

Taking a glance at his surroundings, Aether saw all of the Archons slowly approaching him. Respectful enough not to ruin the moment he was having with Paimon. Their faces were full of regret and sadness like everyone else before them, but the sight of the gods sickened and outraged him. Never forget about all of the problems he had to solve, so many lives lost, no thanks to all of them being the root cause of it all.

"Go ahead and apologize, but just know that…I loathe all of you. For all of your power, you have humans look up to you to give them meaning. Divine Comfort. What a joke, you're nothing more than cowards who break under the slightest pressure. I can finally see why Celestia never bothered to punish all of you for your lack of loyalty, it was because you're not even worth the effort. You pitiful excuse for gods."

Over the centuries, all of the Archons had grown accustomed, down-right desensitized to the slander and derogatory remarks of being weak, monsters, murderers, and so much more. Yet for some unfathomable reason, Aether's contempt, his icy gaze and voice of disdain, struck a raw nerve inside of them, feeling a piece of them die inside. It was truly heartbreaking to hear that the person they completely trusted looked down on them and hated them.

All of the Archons felt their spirits dampen, they had so much to say to the Traveler, but it was difficult to say the words.

Ei wanted to thank Aether for everything he did for her and her nation. He had saved her, her people, freed her from her vision of eternity and loneliness. She had seen her sister and all her friends perish before her very eyes, and she didn't want someone as dear to her heart as the Traveler to be taken away from her. It wasn't death, but she found it just as hard to bear.

Nahida was terribly upset and the more she saw Aether, the pain in her heart seemed to ache even more. It was an alien yet strangely familiar feeling she was experiencing. She had constantly rehearsed everything she wanted to say to him, every word in her head. To make Aether understand how much he meant to her and all people he befriended in his journey. Only for Aether to make it clear how much he despised them all.

Venti wanted nothing more than to drown in Mondstandt's strongest wine, right now in an attempt to ease the immense guilt he was experiencing. He could feel the Mondstadt wind change from its usual light breeze to something stronger, more dangerous, and he didn't like that at all. Nonetheless, Venti stood wanting to own up for everything he had done to Aether.

As for Zhongli, when he saw the expressions of his fellow Archons, he tried to appear calm and professional as always to help motivate them to say their peace. He knew he'd made a lot of mistakes, but this was one mistake too many, he had to accept that Aether hated them for good reason. However, part of him didn't want to give up, he'd come all this way to save his friend from himself. This source of motivation was enough for him to want to speak up, though not without a twinge of pain in his heart.

"Aether... I know what was done to you, but..." Zhongli tried to initiate conversation only for Aether to quickly cut him off.

"No Morax, you don't know!"

"At least let me speak, please..."

"You think I've forgotten what you did. No one knows here because no one knew you were the Geo Archon, but now that everyone knows, I'm going to say it! I respected your duty to uphold the contract you made even though I was desperate to find any leads on my sister. You know why I'm angry with you too, for your hypocrisy from beginning to end! You, the Geo Archon, abandoned your own citizens, your own country so you could take it easy and enjoy a nice retirement!" Aether pointed at Zhongli with the accusing finger.

Many people were already having trouble digesting the fact that Zhongli was Rex Lapis, so to hear that the Geo Archon abandoned his own people was incredibly disturbing, especially those affiliated with Liyue. Aether had never lied before, and the expression on Zhongli's face verified his accusations.

"Aether, you know very well that the reason I did this was to see if Liyue could still prosper and if the country could still protect itself so that it didn't always have to rely on me…" Zhongli immediately tried to justify himself, but this made Aether angrier and shocked the Liyue natives at the same time.

"Did you even think for one second if everything went wrong?! No, you didn't even lift a finger, not when there was Osial and Beisht, or when that bastard Tartaglia nearly destroyed half the city because of your incompetence! I was the reason why your gamble for Liyue's independence from you paid off in the first place! You know, the outsider that improved Liyue's own capabilities, so it was absolutely pointless! But that's normal, you wouldn't want to hurt your human wallet!" Aether shouted, striking a nerve with Zhongli.

"That's completely untrue! I regarded Tartaglia as a friend, even if he had lent me Mora, that doesn't mean I would allow him to destroy Liyue!"

"You cannot be serious! You're the creator of Mora, and you're constantly mooching off of Childe and Hu Tao! It's not possible to be this incompetent! If you'd thought twice about it, you wouldn't be in the situation you're in now! You've only got yourself to blame if you can't accept that then Liyue was truly better off without a cruel, heartless god watching over them!" Aether cried out while Zhongli struggled to regain his composure.

"No, I didn't mean to..."

"Shut up! All of you have been constantly saying "I didn't mean to" "Not my intention!" You have to remember that your actions have consequences! If they hadn't managed to defeat Osial and Beisht, what would you have done, you fool!? It'll be too late because they'll all be dead, and wondering why their Archon had forsaken them!" Aether called out Zhongli for being so uncaring for the very people he claimed were under his protection.

"No, you're wrong! Of course I would intervene immediately! I would never have let the people I love, or anyone from Liyue, perish if the situation had been that serious!" Zhongli protested against Aether's accusations.

Keqing, Ganyu, Ningguang, and the rest of the Liyue citizens were absolutely horrified hearing that bombshell of a revelation. The rest of the Archons, knights, and scholars were truly shocked that the Geo Archon was the main reason that Liyue was nearly destroyed. A gamble that would have cost so many lives all for the sake of their Geo Archon to retire in peace? Zhongli was beginning to break out in a cold sweat, seeing his fellow Archons and the people who worshiped him doubting him.

"No, don't tell me it's true, Rex Lapis!" Ganyu begged with tears in her eyes and her body trembling.

She wasn't emotionally prepared to hear such a soul-destroying revelation of the Geo Archon nearly had Liyue destroyed in the form of a twisted test to see if they could survive without him and retire peacefully at the expense of everyone's lives. The pedestal that Ganyu had for Rex Lapis had been shattered. She'd learned so many things she didn't want to know, so Zhongli being the cruel, heartless god that Aether accused him made it worse. It was tearing her apart, so wrong, so miserable, and now Ganyu was starting to doubt the contract she made was worth it.

Aether snorted, apathetic that he revealed Zhongli's dirty secret, no longer held back by his friendship with him. Morax hesitated over his answer, fists clenched, before confessing a few seconds later.

"Yes, it's true! But everything I have done came with the best intentions! The victories over Osial and Beisht are proof that Liyue no longer needed me to guide them."

Zhongli sighed in defeat, but very much hoped that they could understand. He truly believed what he did was for the best. However, everyone's reactions were far from understanding.

Ningguang was furious, ready to commit deicide. Wanting nothing more than to drop the Jade Chamber on top of Zhongli's head.

Ganyu was still crying, unable to look Zhongli in the eye.

Keqing looked at Zhongli in anger and disgust.

Xiao was torn, wanting to be still loyal to Rex Lapis, but was starting to lose his trust in him.

Yelan and Beidou didn't want to believe the Geo Archon would pull such an insane gambit so he could simply retire.

Shenhe was starting to doubt that all the respect her master had for Rex Lapis was misplaced.

But what hurt the most were Paimon and Hu Tao's eyes.

Hu Tao couldn't believe what she was hearing at all, she was hoping it was a really bad joke, but listening to everything Zhongli had done, she felt that Aether was right. There were plenty of other ways to test Liyue's strength, and sicking an ocean god at them was overkill. One of her best friends, her consultant, her country's Archon, had done this unforgivable sin was traumatic by itself.

But the worst thing was Paimon, to whom he had promised a happy future, to protect her dear friend, the reason they had gathered together to find Aether. Tears falling down her face. That's when he realized that the trust he had managed to inspire was slipping away. He could see it, a concept he hadn't seen apart from the death of Guizong.

Doubt.

The fear of failing again filled his heart and mind. However, Zhongli had to deal with the fact that his own citizens had lost faith in their Archon. The Mondstandt, Inazuma and Sumeru natives started to wonder if the faith in their Archons were also misplaced.

Zhongli tried to look at Aether, hoping to convince him, but no words would come out of his mouth. He didn't want any of this but understood that he would have thought things through before doing what he had done.

Despite everything, when he saw the Traveler, he remembered the reason he stayed and faced the truth, and that was to save his friend. It gave him a bit of strength because he wanted at all costs to avoid the loss of his friend lost in the darkness. What's more, Zhongli knew that if he didn't set an example, as a leader, as an Archon and as a friend, the others would give up too. He didn't want any doubts to creep in.

"Aether, I'm sorry. I really am…" Zhongli's face filled with remorse.

"Stop with your pathetic excuses. If you want to apologize, give it to your people who believe in their beloved god who was so callous with their lives!"

"I...Yes, you're right... My people deserve an apology, and it's precisely to win back their trust that I'm going to help them all the way and think about the consequences before it's too late." Zhongli closed his eyes and conceded.

"It's a bit late for that..." Aether scoffed in disgust.

"It's true, but, as you told me, I mustn't give up as long as there's hope. In my way of apologizing, for Liyue and for you. I intend to help you get rid of the darkness that is eating away at you and find your sister." Zhongli said hoping his new vow would convince Aether to accept, but he wasn't having it.

"You just don't get it, do you!? I've already given you too many chances in the past, and I'm done with all of you! I've already made my choice! If you want to help so badly, then focus on your own country! Not just you Zhongli, but the rest of you Archons!" Aether stated, pointing at the other three Archons, who were still quite sad about Aether's stubborn refusal of their help and rejections.

Zhongli didn't want his fellow Archons to take any more emotional damage, but Aether was determined to make them understand once and for all that they were not the benevolent beings everyone thought they were. Aether turned to face Venti who gulped unconsciously.

"Barbatos! Do not think the wind or your precious freedom resolves you of any of your sins!" Aether spoke with great disgust just by uttering the bard's Archon name, so that everyone, and especially the people of Mondstadt would know the sins their beloved Archon had done to them.

"Please Aether, I know what I had done wrong!" Venti begged with tears in his eyes that surprised the Mondstadt citizens, never having seen the carefree bard so vulnerable before.

"Are you seriously crying, Venti?! This is truly a new low even for you!" Aether said, exasperated by the bard.

"Aether, I beg you, please understand. I know I needed your help to save my country, and it was indeed supposed to be my job...but I didn't know what to do. Dvalin was in danger, and I just wanted to save him. I don't want the same thing to happen to you." Venti begged between sobs that disgusted Aether immensely.

"..." Aether remained silent as Venti continued to talk.

"I just wanted to protect Mondstadt from him, while saving him... But I lost control of the situation, and nobody would believe that Barbatos could need help, even less when Barbatos is a simple bard from Mondstadt." Venti tried to justify his actions, but Aether wasn't having it.

"Do you have any idea how much trouble you've put me in? All because, like Morax, you didn't want to take control of the situation. You let a simple mage from the Abyss take control of your pet dragon! You couldn't even beat those bastards despite being the Anemo Archon!"

"Aether, I..."

"No, you don't have to justify anything to me! I had to steal your precious Holy Lyre, I almost made myself a criminal when I was helping the very people who wanted to catch me! You let me do all the work for you along with Diluc and Jean while all you had to do was play a musical instrument! I'd only just arrived and nearly sacrificed my life just to help a region I barely knew at the time, only for the only help I asked for, that is clues about my sister, to be met with an "I don't know, ask the Archon of the next nation" with the cycle repeating three times already! That's the thanks you give when I could have just walked away!" Aether yelled, reminding everything he did for Venti, and got so little in return.

Venti was racked with even more guilt, feeling every syllable pierce his mind, but this was only the beginning.

"Every time I ask for help, it's the same thing! But the worst thing is that I can see you need a stranger to look after your country, all because if you'd got serious instead of drinking like there's no tomorrow and singing at the top of your lungs, All it took La Signora to beat you was to slap you twice! Even after all that, you never fixed your flaws instead of wandering the streets of Mondstadt with a bottle in your hand, chirping like a bird! Think, Barbatos, think! If people knew right from the start that their beloved Archon is nothing but a slothful drunk who doesn't try to solve problems but rather avoids them. They would have denounced your very existence out of sheer shame!" Aether spoke with the disdain clear in his voice.

Venti didn't know what to say, even with all the strength he could muster, didn't make a sound. Everything he said was true, he knew it well.

"I can't forgive Barbatos. You've always taken everything so lightly! From dawn till dusk, all you ever do is sing and drink! I can't count the number of times I've paid your tab! You're just like Morax, you've never thought about the consequences of your actions, but at least he was trying to do something! You, on the other hand, don't even embody the wind or even freedom! You embody that only thing that actually has unlimited freedom, and no responsibilities: a baby! That's what it boils down to, Venti! You didn't even try, hoping that everything would resolve itself! You left all your people in their own hands, and if I hadn't been there to clean up that Tear, how would you have purified it?! You don't deserve to be an Archon at all!"

Aether was really holding back from hitting Venti's tear-streaked face, not wanting to put up with what he saw as a masquerade, and Venti knew it, he only blamed himself for his actions.

"I know it...You're absolutely right... And it hurts me to hear it... I'm a pathetic Archon, who rested on his laurels, not even being able to protect my own country from the problems it has. It's true that I see it now... I know that I shouldn't have relied on you to solve my problems and that I had to face them alone... I put you and the entire population of Mondstadt in danger..."

Venti was confessing his sins, but he didn't want to give up so quickly. He remembered how close he'd come to breaking down in front of Zhongli and the others, but if he'd held out until the end, he could try to redeem himself. Venti clenched his fists in frustration, trying as best he could to look him in the eye, even though shame and guilt was eating away at him.

"But this time, I understood my lesson, ...I understood it from the moment I was told you were having issues... Several times I indeed felt the wind around you get stronger for a few moments. I thought you were just in a bad mood, but I hadn't taken into account that it was your resentment all along... and I apologize deeply for that..."

Venti bowed before him, looking down at the ground as his tears continued to fall on the earth already dampened by the rain. He wanted to show his deep regret at not having helped him, even after seeing him in distress.

"I'm terribly sorry, my carelessness has acted up again, and now I'm reaping what I. I know that my actions are irreparable, not only to you, but also to my people, and I apologize to them. I know that you may not want this apology and that you've probably heard it all morning, but don't blame anyone here. Blame us Archons for our incompetence, me first... I couldn't do anything, and you had to do all the work, all because I was weak. I know you probably don't care, but I promise to be a better person in the future, and to give all my help whenever you need it." Venti sat up straight, pouring his last tears, his face now both serious and sincere.

Everyone had listened to Venti's words. Jean and Diluc, who had known his identity all along never have thought that Barbatos here accept responsibility for his actions, when he is usually a free spirit roaming around without a care in the world.

Zhongli himself was surprised to see the firm resolve of the bard showing he wasn't ready to give up. Nahida and Raiden Ei, who unlike him hadn't yet dared to address Aether. He had promised to be a better person and this motivated them once again to try and reason with the Traveler. Unfortunately for them, the Traveler had forgotten the Archon's past sins.

"It won't be enough..."

"Huh?"

"Maybe you're telling the truth, but it's already too late... Your country's doomed, you're weak, even for an Archon. A normal Vision bearer can beat you! You don't even have the strength to protect yourself let alone Mondstandt. A fool who's too blind to see how weak he truly is." Aether called out which made Venti flinch, but still tried to stand tall.

"Maybe, but I'd be stronger, I understand that now, I won't just sit around doing nothing."

"You think it's that easy because if it were, you wouldn't need my help! Given how lazy you are, you'll slack off the moment things become difficult. Sit around and cry for help without even trying. I'm not going to believe someone as despicable and dishonest as you!" Aether exclaimed loudly, his face full of fury.

"But..."

"But what?! All you know how to do is sing and drink! For someone who is supposed to be the God of Freedom, you wasted by drowning yourself in wine bottles! Just like your fellow Archons, you never wanted to see or learn more because you simply became too comfortable. Never bothering to change because you saw nothing wrong with it! Which is exactly why your so-called promise is worthless!" Aether cried out which made Venti tear up once again.

"I...I..."

Venti couldn't say anything else, too broken up that Aether saw his newfound resolve as a lie. Also haunted by Aether pointing out that, never changed his ways despite living for thousands of years. Venti never saw anything wrong living the life of a simple bard, singing and drinking. Only for that irresponsible lifestyle made Mondstandt suffer too many times.

"...That's true, but we're still trying to do our best to improve and repair everything we've done!" Raiden Ei spoke up on Venti's behalf seeing the bard too broken up to talk anymore

Aether directed his gaze towards her, his displeasure made clear in his eyes which hurt Ei immensely. However, it allowed him to settle his differences with the Narukami Ogosho, with whom he had, like the other Archons before her, had a rather deep resentment for.

"You dare say that! You want me to believe that the way you ran your country was right and that you were able to adapt to what you've lost? Has all that sugar addled your brain, Ei or have you become so delusional that you've forgotten everything that happened in Inazuma?!" Aether snarled as more elemental began to flare up around his body making everyone tense again.

Ei wasn't feeling well, especially when he approached her, and with his current mood. She wanted him to calm down, but Aether wasn't interested in taking orders for someone who caused him so much grief.

"You lost everything back then! You're the only person here who understands what I'm going through! How long has it been since your sister died, five hundred years, if I'm not mistaken? So you know how I feel, losing someone close to me, you know how hard it is! You've never tried to sympathize with me, but instead, you've been acting as if nothing had happened! When I tried to talk to you about it, it wasn't even you, but your pet fox who just blew me off! You left like a coward, even though you know what it's like to lose your twin sister! This is how you thank me for saving your country and dealing with your grief?! I would have thought we were much alike, but that is the biggest lie anyone here has given me today!" Aether ranted finally, breaking free everything he had bottled up concerning Ei.

Ei put both hands on her chest feeling an immense pain she hadn't felt in a long time. Overwhelmed with sadness and guilt as hot tears were flowing and she now looked like a mess. Even the inhabitants of Inazuma were surprised because everyone had seen her as the embodiment of the composed and strong woman that she really is, but which she wasn't showing at the moment.

Ei remembered her sister Makoto's death, and the pain of losing her for good. She remembered that fateful day because of it she'd never been able to get over it until recently, from the moment a certain blond-haired man entered Inazuma.

Ei also thought about how she had nearly killed Aether. She hadn't bothered to talk to him about it, even though he'd come to Inazuma to meet her and ask her for clues regarding his sister. She never gave him what he wanted, even though he had done everything to save a country that wasn't his from a civil war that would destroyed Inazuma in the process.

"Aether...I'm sorry...I'm sorry for all the pain I caused you...It's true, I could have supported you in your time of need like you did for me when you accompanied me to fight the Shogun... I should have sympathized with you, and I didn't, forgive me... I was so lost that...I didn't know what to do any more..." Ei begged as tears continued to pour down her face.

"There's no point in doing it now, you had your chance!" Aether called out with Ei crying even harder.

"No, Aether... I assure you that I'm terribly sorry for all the trouble I've caused you..."

"Do you even know what you're apologizing for?"

"I wasn't able to answer your questions regarding your sister, that's the only reason you came to see me." Ei immediately answered, but Aether clenched his fists in frustration.

"Wrong, it's so much more than that! I had to face so many problems and nearly lost my life because you remained blissfully ignorant while your precious Inazuma was dying!"

"I know, but I wasn't aware of what was going on!" Ei protested, but a harsh glare from Aether shut her up.

"You've nearly killed me twice, all because of your narrow-minded vision of eternity! You think that doing nothing and letting things run their course would have honored your sister's wish, but it was the exact opposite! All I wanted was answers to my questions, but I found myself fighting for a country that never had an Archon to begin with. Just a pathetic naive woman who doesn't even deserve to be called a tyrant because that would have required to rule Inazuma in the first place!" Aether said with scorn about everything Ei had done.

Ei broke down sobbing, unable to handle the weight of her past sins, and the very person she cared about looked at with animosity. Aether was right, it was naive of her to think that a simple apology would make up for everything she had done. Knowing full well the only reason Inazuma was still alive and thriving now was because of Aether, no thanks to her causing so many problems that plagued her country.

"I just wanted to protect everyone..."

"Protect them? What did you protect them from?! You created the civil war between Narukami and Watatsumi, you created chaos because the Tri-Commission allied themselves with the Fatui all to vie for power! While you were shirking your responsibilities to someone who couldn't lead at all! So many people died because of you! Teppei, remember his name well, you don't know him, but he risked his life, he carried a Delusion just to save his homeland, his family, and the people he loves! He sacrificed his life for Watatsumi, for Inazuma, and there were many like him! Your incompetence cost so many lives, poverty in the remote regions, the deaths of soldiers who died being pawns, Inazuma under siege by the Fatui temporarily, and I almost died! Because of you, Paimon was going to be left alone, wandering around aimlessly! You want me to forgive you when you've done all this!" Aether recounts everything that happened in Inazuma with Ei dropping to her knees in shame.

"I didn't want all this... If I'd known what the Fatui were up to, I'd have stopped them a long time ago..."

"Empty promises much like Venti was spewing. That would have required you to leave your precious safe space to begin with! Then again, even if the Fatui and the Tri-Commission weren't spreading discord among Inazuma. You would have still run Inazuma to the ground with how terrible a leader you are!" Aether's sharp words cut Ei worse than blade ever did.

"I was so saddened by the death of my sister and my friends that I didn't have the courage to get back in touch with the outside world!"

"For over 500 years! You're lying to yourself, you took the easy way out, asking your robot to run things for you so you don't have to! All for what, to play the recluse, to shirk your responsibilities as Archon, so you can take it easy, without taking any consequences for your actions, and the worst part is, you're hiding behind your sister's death! Do you think Makoto would have let you use her to avoid doing your job? Because every time you do something stupid, you blame it on her death, as if she were the problem! You want me to respect you when you don't even respect your own family! I've had enough!" Aether shouted in fury and disgust while Ei cried even harder than before.

"So... I've been using my sister as an excuse?...No...That's not possible..."

"And do you know why you're panicking now? Because you can no longer use your dear sister to solve this problem! It's not her fault I'm like this now, it's all your fault, Ei! Simple as that!"

"No, I would never use Makoto..."

Ei lamented, trying to get over what she considered to be a revelation for her, her heart clenching every time she thought of Makoto. Her eyes stared at the ground, desperately trying to make herself believe that she didn' mean to sully her sister's name for her own ends.

Aether sneered in disgust before finally turning to Nahida who was shivering in fear and anticipation for the long awaited talk.

"Nahida, if you think for a moment that your most innocent Archon here then just as much a fool as the rest of them," Aether called out with Nahida flinching.

"No, you're completely right, Aether. Like everyone here, I saw the signs on how your journey throughout Teyvat was wearing you down. However, I never pressed you about it because I respected your privacy. You made it clear that you all hate us, and we don't deserve your forgiveness. I respect your decision, but I still want you to know…thank you, Aether. Thank you for saving me, and thank you for everything you've done for us and Teyvat. If this is truly goodbye, remember if you need any help know that you can still count on us…" Nahida teared up, speaking from her heart. "I know you're struggling right now, but don't turn to darkness. If you don't overcome that temptation now you'll find yourself swallowed up by that darkness. Trust us. Trust Paimon. Trust Mondstadt. Trust Liyue. Trust Inazuma. Trust Sumeru. You are not alone, so please let us help you…"

Nahida stared into Aether's eyes as she extended her hand towards him, desperate for him to accept it.

Aether said nothing, staring into the ground. Her words clearly have an effect on him. Everyone watched in anticipation of what was going to happen next. Praying to Celestia that Aether would finally accept them back in his life.

Aether finally looked towards Nahida in revulsion that rattled the Dendro Archon to her core.

"...Nahida, you literally did absolutely nothing for the last five hundred years in Sumeru while the Sages were ruining Sumeru from the ground up. Before you justify it saying how you were imprisoned and couldn't do anything. You're the God of Knowledge who had plenty of time to outsmart a bunch of pompous elitists who never actually did any critical thinking in their lives. In fact, you finally did something the moment the Sages were stealing the dreams of the people. Ignoring the fact that numerous lives were already being ruined by corruption and bias running rampant, no thanks to you! You expect me to trust you after everything you've done?!" Aether expressed his resentment for the Dendro Archon who began crying as he continued to talk.

Aether turned towards the rest of the Archons who couldn't look him in the eye anymore, but that was fine with him. He just needed to make sure they could all hear him.

"Lumine told me once I reach the end of my journey, I will see the truth of this world and the truth is this world is dying from the poison embedded deep beneath its roots! We can't even blame it entirely on the Heavenly Principles, The Abyss Order or even The Fatui. They may have administered the poison, but it's both the people and the gods that allowed the poison to spread to begin with! You all masquerade as heroes, embodying everything good and righteous. However, for generations you all feigned ignorance towards you couldn't protect, concealing their suffering. The end result tainting everything you have built and cherished. You have the common masses overly reliant on your protection and the noble heroes and gods that nurtured this dependence. A corrupt and vicious cycle perpetuates itself. Everything I've seen, everything I've done…is the result of your failures!"

All the Archons broke down crying, even most of the people Aether had befriended on his journey also had tears pouring down their faces. Remembering all the people they have lost because they couldn't save them in time. All of them met a tragic end even though they trusted them with their lives.

Aether stared at his former friends crying indifferently about it while Paimon looked in despair as the people who wanted to help Aether were drawing in despair themselves.

Chapter 17

Chapter Text

As Aether watched, apathetic to the Archons, and most of his former friends crying of being reminded of their past sins and failures. He didn't even bother to try and comfort them because he was done doing that. Aether began to finally walk away from the entire group, he had nothing more to say to them.

The Archons despite all of their tears and heartache from Aether's brutal, truthful words. They couldn't afford to let him go. The Archons wanted to redeem themselves in the Traveler's eyes, but also stop him before his anger could cause everlasting consequences for himself and Teyvat. Aether's elemental blast that ravaged Mondstadt's landscape in their attempt to murder them was proof of that.

"No, please don't go…"

Nahida didn't want to give up and lose one of the people dearest to her heart as his rage, resentment, and madness consumed him. She wanted to show him that he was wrong and that this time she would look after him as he had always looked after her. Especially as Nahida didn't want him to come into conflict with the rest of Teyvat if he continued on his way to Fontaine. The Dendro Archon didn't want to think what the Traveler would do to Furina de Fontaine with how much of a ticking time bomb he was now.

Nahida knew that the Aether she knew was still there buried underneath all that darkness in his heart. All they needed was a push, just one push to make him finally see that they do care for him. Aether stopped for a moment to give Nahida the courtesy of him hearing her out one last time.

"Listen Aether... You don't have to forgive us, but we can at least support you...You need love, and we haven't shown you enough how grateful we are to you. You may think we've forsaken you, but we haven't. You have constantly risked your life for us, and we haven't forgotten about that. Let us prove ourselves that we do care about you. We will find your sister, you can share your burden, especially as it's a very heavy one to bear, please Aether..."

Nahida shed more tears again, a sign that she really didn't want Aether to sever ties with her. Raiden Ei came up behind Nahida and caressed her head to comfort her.

"I...I don't think I have the right to talk, especially after everything I've done to you... But, you don't have to give up on everything...I'll do anything to make amends, I know how distressed you are, and you deserve the best after everything…" Ei spoke, her face remorseful like the rest.

Venti and Zhongli hoped he would understand, adding their own opinion to back up what Belzeebul and Buer had previously said. Venti, his jaw was trembling, and wiping away his tears, hoping that Aether would give in, finally forgiving them.

"Aether, I understand that problems don't go away like petals on a dandelion. This time I want to assure you that we'll do everything we can to change for the better. You're right that so many people have suffered because of us, you included for our negligence. Even though the damage has already been done, we can at least try to make amends." added the Anemo Archon.

"Venti is right, as are Nahida and Ei. I know it will take time to regain your trust, but we'll show you that we do want to help. Everyone here is here for that same reason. We all know how hard it is to lose a loved one, but we thought we could honor them through our obligations. It's undeniable that we lost our way, and now we see it. Especially as we had not only disrespected you but also the people of our respective nations. But, I want to believe, as Nahida said, that it's possible to make up for it, and that you don't have to walk this lonesome road...After all, I know you'll see her again and be reunited with her.Every journey has its final day. Don't rush." Finished the Geo Archon, thinking that talking about Lumine in this way might reason with him.

….

…

…

"...You crossed the line!" Aether snarled before drawing his sword, and swinging it to Zhongli's direction.

Fortunately for the Geo Archon, he had anticipated this, wasting no time in forming his Geo shield around himself. Indeed, he blocked Aether's first strike, while protecting the other Archons behind him, leaving enough time for his colleagues to react to the situation. All of them lamented that they now had to resort to using physical force if they wanted to stop the Traveler before he could hurt anyone else in his rage.

"You know with the exception of Ei, I never did fight the rest of you, Archons. Don't think of this as me lashing out, I'm simply finally settling a score I have with all of you."

However, Aether infused his sword with Geo just as his sword had slammed into the shield again, the power of his strike having increased tenfold, and he succeeded in shattering the shield once and for all. It had only lasted a few seconds, enough for Zhongli to dodge, as well as the other Archons.

Morax was stunned, his eyes wide at the fact that he had managed to break his shield so easily, and realized that he couldn't afford to hold back. Aether made it clear that he was going for the kill now.

Venti, Ei, and Nahida looked at each other briefly, all three realizing that they had no choice, but to fight the Traveler now. Their words failed to get through to him, and now resort to physically knocking some sense into him.

But like Xiao earlier, they had forgotten one essential thing; Aether didn't remain the same as before. His fighting skills have leveled up exponentially, his control over the elements were much more refined, and combined with his rage and madness made him that more dangerous.

As for Zhongli, he was clearly struggling against Aether. The Geo Archon sent a barrage of masterful spear strikes, but only for Aether to parry or dodge every single one. Seeing that wasn't working, Zhongli tried something a bit unorthodox. Morax kicked his spear toward Aether only to be caught when the Traveler mimicked his move by tossing his sword. The two weapons clashed until Zhongli's spear was sent right back to its owner. Eyes widening, Zhongli barely had time to dematerialize his spear before it could cave his ribs in.

However, Aether had taken advantage of the opening with him behind Zhongli. Just as the Geo Archon turned his head, he received a powerful Anemo-empowered punch to his face that sent him reeling back. Not letting up, Zhongli received multiple Anemo punches and kicks toward his sternum, femur, ribs, and face. Any normal human would have broken immediately, but Geo Archon wasn't made of frail material. It still didn't change the fact that the sheer power of the blows hurt. Aether had finally ended the brutal combo with a Anemo-empowered roundhouse kick sending Zhongli to a nearby boulder that nearly shattered completely.

Aether stopped his movements for a moment to sneer in disgust at the Geo Archon struggling to stand.

"How disappointing, Zhongli. Not only are you trying to beat me with moves, I have seen you done plenty of times. This is proof of what I was saying to Venti earlier. You never bothered to change or learn more in favor of being comfortable. The fact I'm beating you right now means two things: Either you have gotten so pitifully weak or I have grown so much stronger than you."

The other Archons were quite shocked to see how one-sided Aether's fight with Morax was. Also feeling the sting of Aether's words regarding their own stagnation, and consequences because of it. As for the people who were watching all this, they couldn't believe that Aether was overpowering the Geo Archon with ease. Was Aether actually right? Have the Archons somehow gotten weaker or has Aether truly grown strong enough in his travels to surpass the gods?

Paimon, for her part, was dumbfounded by what she had just seen, not knowing how to make sense of the situation, but above all fearing for both sides. Worried for both Aether's and the Archon's wellbeing. She really didn't want to pick sides.

Aether made a high leap into the air before descending downwards, sword raised at Zhongli for a plunge attack, but his coup de grâce was prevented by the interference of the other Archons. Venti created an air current, preventing Aether from continuing his dive at the same time as Ei gave a surprise kick to the Traveler's back. Knocking him towards the ground, and loosening his grip of his sword, separating it from its owner. As Aether attempted to get back on his feet, Nahida created a Dendro cage restraining the Traveler. She told herself the best way to stop Aether was to cover each other's backs, not give him time to react and land a single powerful hit to end it all.

Aether created a large Anemo orb and kicked it with his foot as if it were a soccer ball.

"AIR BULLET!"

The Anemo orb slammed into the Dendro cage and shattered the bars that were restraining him. Pieces of the cage broke into shards that scattered throughout the wind. Much to Nahida and the rest of the Archon's surprise, Aether broke free so easily.

To their dismay, the Traveler spoke up, cracking his knuckles together.

"Ok, if you all want to join in, that's fine with me."

Aether ran at full speed and picked up his sword again, taking advantage of the surprise before attacking Zhongli and Ei again. Aether held out his sword, glowing with Anemo energy. Most of the mortal spectators were moved by Xiao, Ganyu, and Shenhe to the parapets encircling the city of Mondstadt to avoid being blown away and to have a safer view of the disaster unfolding before their eyes. Most of them wanted to accompany the Archons in their fight but knew they would be only getting in their way.

Aether raised his sword before stabbing it towards the ground. A powerful AOE attack in the form of large wind blades propelled forwards creating deep trenches into the ground, slicing the nearby trees like butter.

"BEAST WAVE!"

Ei and Zhongli looked at each other, a wordless message to coordinate their attacks in the face of this. Both Archons hoped side-to-side avoiding the wind blades. As they continued to move forward, Ei sent a signal to Nahida to perform her Dendro application on Aether, which she did. Aether felt a slight itch, understanding that it was necessary at all costs to avoid a certain Elemental Reaction involving Electro.

Ei and Zhongli approached him having avoided the Anemo blades, and planned a pincer maneuver. Confident it would give them the advantage over whatever Aether decided to do. Either attack one of them and give the other an opening to attack or defend against them both, slowly overwhelming him.

As they ran towards him, Aether stood on one leg while the other leg moved in a complete blur wailing on both deities in a barrage of lightning-fast sidekicks. Both Zhongli and Ei's eyes widened as they instinctively tried to defend themselves. The two Archons grunted as they were getting bombarded by extremely fast and powerful kicks. Although to both Archons, Aether's attacks were invisible in their eyes. Eventually, Zhongli and Ei were sent skidding back a few meters away, panting from the beating they took.

What Aether just did was quite simple by itself, it was a one-of-two unique fighting style that he invented himself during his self-exile. A fighting style that focused on delivering lightning fast blows aimed at the target's blindspots. In their eyes, the attacks themselves were invisible. A fighting style that Aether called Invisible Attacks.

Venti and Nahida didn't even realize what was happening, because it had all happened too quickly for them.

"How did he do that?"

"Aether's attacking Ei and Zhongli's blind spots at superspeed!"

They were both on the edge of their seats, just like the people watching what was happening, and their hopes disappeared more and more as Aether's insane speed and strange fighting style made it difficult to keep up. Although the concept of Invisible Attacks was simple by itself, no one could make sense of it, and that was Aether's aim to make them realize they didn't stand a chance.

In fact, he immediately turned around when he sensed an attack coming from behind, or rather two attacks, one Cryo and one Anemo. A masked Xiao went skywards while Shenhe stayed on the ground. Aether grunted blocking Xiao's Anemo Plunging Attack before knocking him back to Shenhe who immediately caught him.

"What are you doing?! I have no interest in both of you, so get out of my way!" Aether shouted at both of them.

"We've come to give them our aid! It's all our fault, and I want to make amends, even though I lost to you last time!" replied Xiao.

"Do you really think this will be any different like last time?"

"Because I'm not alone, Shenhe, the Archons, all the people you've helped so far. Don't you see, I know you think we wronged you, but you're wrong. We only want to help you even if it means we have to use force to do so!"

"Xiao's right, I don't want you to get hurt, Aether...You don't have to fight, there's no reason to fight..." added Shenhe begging him to stop.

"You don't understand a thing. If you want to fight, go ahead, but I'm not going to hold back... "

Aether infused his sword with the Electro element while the light indicated on his clothes was green for Dendro. The two polearm users advanced towards him with Aether swinging his sword at the same time, green energy began to gather in his free hand. The Traveler blocked a stab from Shenhe before redirecting it at just the right angle to intercept a hit from Xiao. Aether pressed his foot against the shaft of Xiao's weapon to backflip away only to skid back further away than intended after blocking a twirl of Shenhe's spear.

They moved without stopping, but the two Liyuians understood that he was trying to do something with his orb of energy. Trying in vain to find an opening, but extremely difficult with Aether's speed and swordsmanship. However it gave Zhongli and Ei to recover from their wounds, and their incomprehension at what had happened a few moments earlier.

They saw Aether's unprotected back knowing that he was busy fighting Xiao and Shenhe head-on, even if the word fighting was being generous as he was clearly just toying with them.

The two Archons launched themselves at him, but to no avail, because when they reached him, Aether gained momentum and jumped quite high, also surprising Xiao and Shenhe in the process. They found themselves in front of the two Archons, all four of them looking up as they realized he'd built up enough energy, charging towards them, his electro-infused sword generating an electrified aura as he threw the orb containing Dendro cores along with his weapon across the ground towards them, the reaction between the two entities creating an Aggravate reaction on a large scale.

Aether, still in the air, was watching the massive explosion. Hundreds of Dendro cores exploded due to the shock of the electrical power, and he hoped that in the face of this attack, they would be down for the count. He was careful that it didn't kill them, only wound them extremely badly, and that's what he saw when the dust cloud dissipated, returning to the ground.

As the smoke cleared, all of the polearm users were on the ground, severe wounds appeared on their bodies as well as their clothes torn and bloody, blood was running down their faces (except Ei who couldn't bleed at all). All of the spectators watching never imagined that Ei, Zhongli, Shenhe, and Xiao could be pushed this far.

Venti and Nahida had seen this with their own eyes, were shaking with fear and amazement, not wanting to end up like them. All the polearm users were still clutching their weapons and slowly getting back on their feet. Everyone wanted to stop Aether, but the sheer difference in power and skill between them made the goal even more impossible.

Aether grunted, before taking off again and running towards them, quickly picking up his sword in the process. Suddenly, he felt something pull him in the opposite direction, a powerful vortex was trying to draw him in. When he turned around, he saw the Anemo Archon, firing a concentrated Anemo arrow toward the opposite side where he was, trying to bring him in the other direction with his Elemental Burst: Wind's Grand Ode. He had a feeling that Aether would be able to counter it, but at the very least he could buy a few seconds for the others to get their bearings.

Aether felt himself being sucked in from the other side, and even though he had been taken by surprise, he prepared a special countermeasure just for Venti. Holding his hand, Anemo, Geo, Electro and Dendro gathered together in the form of a sword-like construct floating right over his head. Aether launched the elemental sword into the center of the vortex, piercing it right through.

A multi-colored explosion was formed destroying the vortex that left both Barbatos and Buer in a state of total incomprehension, but it still allowed the others to recover and continue the battle, running at full speed towards Aether.

Shenhe's Cryo Avatar constantly sent Cryo attacks at him. He tried to repel the attacks by blocking them with his arms, infused with the Geo element, creating smaller shields around him like a certain Shield Hero from another world. However, it gave time for the Archons to take a breather and formulate a new plan.

"Any ideas on how to beat him?" Venti asked out loud, looking nervous.

"I do," Nahida said, making everyone turn their attention towards her. "But we'll need a sacrifice."

"A sacrifice? What do you mean?" Ei questioned already not liking whatever plan the Dendro Archon just came up with.

"We need someone who still has a lot of stamina left and is sturdy enough to endure a hit."

Nahida turned her head towards Xiao and Shenhe.

"Lesser Lord Kusanali…why are you looking at us?" Xiao asked as he and Shenhe felt a sense of dread.

Aether had finally dealt with Shenhe's Cryo Avatar, and was able to make his move towards the Archons before he saw Xiao and Shenhe intercepting him. The Traveler expected either another physical or Elemental attack, but was caught off guard when Xiao and Shenhe latched onto his arms followed by Shenhe's new Cryo Avatar behind him to do a chokehold. Aether growled trying to break free, giving him a case of deja vu when a certain firemoth bitch took Venti's Gnosis. He noticed something off as the area turned bright green.

"Good job keeping him at bay. We're ready now. Keep a tight hold on him. If you let him go, we're doomed."

The entire area glowed bright green followed by a beautiful phantasmal greenhouse formed right over everyone's head. This made Aether panic knowing how f*cked he was now.

"It's time for the Archon's Combination Attack!" Nahida declared as she used her hand to form a kamera hand gesture at Aether.

'There's only one way to defeat him. All four of us need to give him everything we've got.'

Venti made the first move, circling the Traveler midair pelting him with dozens of Anemo arrows. Right after that, strong gusts of wind knocked Aether right off his feet, spinning him around again and again.

Anemo Archon

Zhongli created multiple stone pillars, slamming them into Aether's body followed by a massive boulder the size of a house falling right atop of him.

Geo Archon

Ei's body glowed with Electro as she quickly crossed the distance towards the pile of rocks Aether was buried under. With a powerful horizontal Electro slash, all of the rocks were destroyed and Aether burned by the electricity with Ei delivering more slashes to his body.

Electro Archon

Nahida launched numerous Dendro orbs and whips that exploded on contact, rocking Aether to his core.

Dendro Archon

It was on that day marked the Archon's first ever combination attack.

"HYAAAAAH!" All of the Archon's gave out their battle cry.

Aether was completely at the mercy of the Archon's power and teamwork. All four elemental deities worked in unison, not giving him a chance to strike back. Not a single part of his body was left unscathed from the godly beating. Completely helpless, Aether lay on the ground bloodied and defeated.

All of the Archon's panted for breath, exhausted and guilt ridden that they had to work together to hurt the Traveler. At the very least, they could try to make it up to Aether in his hospital bed when he finally calms down.

All of Aether's friends who watched Aether brutally beaten down by their Archons were either in tears or looked away altogether, not wanting to watch it. Even though everyone was hurt by his cruel rejection of their apologies and love, they still didn't want him to get hurt. Paimon was the most upset by this as she was sobbing her eyes out.

"It's finally over…" Kaeya closed his working eye, not wanting to look at the defeated Traveler anymore.

"Oh Aether, it didn't have to come to this," Ningguang lamented.

"Why couldn't he have just listened to us?! We just wanted to help!" Collei sobbed, overwhelmed with sadness and confusion.

"Maybe, this is for the best. Words wouldn't get through to him at all." Tighnari sighed, not happy with this outcome.

"What's done is done, let's go pick up Aether…" Jean said before turning to Barbara. "Barbara, we need your healing…?"

Jean couldn't help but notice that her younger sister looked extremely pale and was shaking. Confused, Jean turned her head at what she was staring at just as rattled as her when her brain was processing what she was seeing.

The entire group including the Archon's watched in shock and disbelief at the sight of Aether sitting up straight and fully conscious despite the beating he took. Even with his clothes ruined, and blood pouring down his head and nose, he just looked annoyed.

"What a truly sh*tty day. Then again, I should have expected this from all of you…" Aether said as he began to stand up.

"Aether, please surrender. You're in no condition to keep fighting." Nahida implores him to admit defeat while feeling a chill down her spine.

"How disappointing, Nahida. Aren't you supposed to be the intelligent one? I'm just getting started." Aether stated as he stared at the Archons with his eyes glowing a menacing light. "Thanks to all of you, I just learned some amazing new things."

Instantly, Aether quickly crossed the distance between himself and the Archons, right in front of them with his leg reared back. All of the Archons tried to defend themselves, only their instincts telling them this kick was different from the last. Instead of blocking it the Archons dodged it which was fortunate for them as Aether's kick left an enormous hole that shattered the stone walls that surrounded Mondstadt.

Everyone's jaws dropped in sheer disbelief that Aether did that damage from a simple kick.

'Oh no! He's growing in real time!"Nahida panicked, never expecting such a thing to happen right now.

Aether leaped in the air with his fist heading towards Ei. The Electro Archon made a mad dash to the left as Aether's fist cratered the ground. Despite missing the muscles in Aether's bounded arm bulged before lifting himself up to propel himself forward, legs extended for a dropkick. Ei could do nothing as the dropkick connected to her stomach sending her flying. Just before Aether could chase after her, he noticed a massive shadow looming over his head.

A giant meteor dropped down from the sky courtesy of Zhongli. The Geo Archon didn't want to resort to it, but he had no choice. Aether had proven much stronger than anyone could imagine, and combined with the longer the fight went on helped him grow even stronger. He needed to end this now!

From Traveler's point of view, he wouldn't deny that it was a good move on his part, but it was a rather pointless one. Elemental energy gathered around his fist before doing the absolutely unthinkable. Aether PUNCHED the meteor with his fist. Cracks began to fill the meteor as multi-colored energy began to leak out of it, its appearance similar to a balloon filled with too much helium, ready to explode! Zhongli's meteor popped like a balloon, a shockwave of elemental energy forming as its rocky remains began to form smaller meteorites as they fell to Teyvat below.

Aether walked nonchalantly behind the clusters of meteors that shattered or exploded behind him. A fierce look in his eyes as he removed his torn cloak that was tattered from the previous violent attack. Shenhe, Xiao, Ei, Zhongli, Nahida and Venti watched with despair and amazement after witnessing the impossible.

Cloud Retainer's disciple knew that if Aether decided to get even more serious, they might lose their lives, or at very least suffer major injuries.

Shenhe took the risk and tried to trust her ability to restrain herself, which she had managed to achieve over time, thanks precisely to the Traveler she had come to appreciate so much. It wasn't that she feared losing herself to her homicidal urges, but rather the opposite. She knew how much she loved Aether and didn't want to lose him. So Shenhe decided to use all her power to stop that from happening. Much to Xiao's dismay, who warned her when she touched her red ropes.

"Wait, Shenhe, don't do that!"

"If I have to, I don't want to see him suffer like this anymore! It's not a problem if I suffer, if that's the price I must pay so that Aether can finally get the rest he deserves!"

"Shenhe..."

Shenhe removed the red ropes holding her back, hoping that her sacrifice would pay off, but Aether wasn't afraid. Even with her eyes glowing, a powerful white aura surrounded Shenhe that was radiating power. The entire area of Mondstadt became unbearably cold, much similar to Dragonspine. Every step Shenhe took left a trail of ice and frost in her wake until she was face-to-face with Aether.

The two stared at each other with tears falling down Shenhe's face while Aether looked apathetic. As soon as her tears and the blood pouring down Aether's face both hit the ground, it acted as an impromptu signal for both of them to start.

Aether and Shenhe slammed their fists against each other's faces at the same time causing both of them to reel back before continuing their assault. No weapons or techniques were used, foregoing it for raw, destructive power. Shenhe tried to knock Aether back with a push kick, but only for him to catch it while taking the hit. Aether grabbed her ankle, lifted Shenhe up, and swung her around like a human ragdoll, slamming her into the ground repeatedly, cratering it. He finally let go in favor of trying to stomp Shenhe's skull only for the woman to roll away just in time.

Shenhe grabbed Aether's by the hair trying to violently slam his face against one of the meteorites that was now scattered around the area, keyword tried. Just before his face could kiss the space rock, Aether placed his forearm against the rock stopping it. Aether elbowed Shenhe in the ribs sending the woman flying a few meters away giving him some breathing room.

The two clenched their fists, and charged at each other once again.

"AETHER!"

"SHENHE!"

Both Aether and Shenhe traded blows with each other in what could only be described as the most ferocious brawl anyone had ever witnessed. Everyone knew if anyone tried to interfere in that fight, they would be done for. Craters and shattered ice littered the landscape as the two continued to fight. Shenhe wasn't using any of the training or techniques she learned under Cloud Retainer, she was using the fight-or-flight moves when she was left to fend for herself against that monster. Shenhe was diving back to old habits long since buried, but now resurfacing.

In comparison, Aether decided to use the other fighting style that he invented for himself. The complete opposite of Invisible Attacks as it was more rough and brutish in nature. It didn't deserve to be called a martial art as it was just innate strength.

"Aether! There's no reason to do this or push everyone away! We just want to help you!" Shenhe shouted stomping on the ground, creating a wave of ice spikes towards Aether. The Traveler in a burst of superhuman speed immediately got behind Shenhe for a sneak attack. Only to be caught off guard when more ice spikes sprung up from the ground underneath Shenhe, staggering him and drawing blood.

"You want to help me? What a joke! Look how weak you are." Aether delivered a barrage of rapid-fire punches destroying each of the ice spikes with just the air bursts of his punches.

"You can't even beat me." Aether sent a powerful downward punch that sent Shenhe flying and shattering the ice she was creating. "If you think I'm bad, you couldn't imagine the terrifying monsters that are lurking in Teyvat. You'll just be deadweight if you insist on tagging along!"

"Then we'll get stronger!"

"None of you are strong or brave enough to stand against The Heavenly Principles, The Abyss Order, and The Fatui. So how can you help me in a dying world when the odds are stacked against you from the start, life continues to flourish off the back of people being the martyr, evil continues to fester, and profits of the victims whose pleas for help go unanswered, and so called brave guardians are too ignorant of the rot that festers around them! So I ask you again how can you help me when you can't even help yourself?!" Aether seethed remembering the faces of the people who didn't deserve to suffer.

Teppei...

Kazari...

Ruu...

Zhiquiong...

Arama…

All of the Archon's and the rest of Aether's friends were in tears as they continued to listen to Aether venting about his frustration the way Teyvat is now. Knowing he was completely right the only reason their homes were still standing was from the sacrifices made from their loved ones. Except it didn't change the fact the festering rot within them threatened to topple them at any time, no matter how beautiful the exterior was.

All of the Archon's hearts clenched remembering the people they lost, and how they dishonored them despite their sacrifice.

The Nameless Bard…

Guizhong…

Makoto. Sasayuri. Chiyo. Kitsune Saiguu

Rukkhadevata

Aether sent a low kick to Shenhe's left leg that nearly made her lose balance, but she endured it. In retaliation, Shenhe clawed at Aether's face with her fingers coated in ice-forming claws. The Traveler bent his back as if he was doing the limbo avoiding the claws before straightening it to do a headbutt that staggered Shenhe.

"I'm aware of your struggles, but don't give up hope. You'll find yourself lost and sealing your heart to the world. Never trusting anyone again. Believe in us. Believe in Paimon. Believe in Mondstadt. Believe in Liyue. Believe in Inazuma. Believe in Sumeru. I did it. I overcame it. All thanks to you. If I did it, so can you." Shenhe staring into Aether's eyes filled with determination.

Shenhe closed her eyes, and began focusing all of her power. Her Cryo Vision glowing intensely as if it was a star going supernova. A powerful vortex of snow and ice emerged with Shenhe in the center of it. The surrounding area was covered in snow and ice, it was so unbearably cold that everyone shivered, even the Archons were affected by it. Aether kept his guard up as Shenhe emerged out of the vortex looking the same except her eyes glowed in such a powerful light he had never seen before.

Faster than anyone could blink, Shenhe quickly crossed the distance between herself and Aether, her Cryo empowered fist slamming into his gut making him cough blood.

"Aether! Believe in us!" After that single line, Aether barely managed to raise his arms, infused with Geo to guard his face from another Cryo punch!

"We will defeat The Heavenly Principles, The Abyss Order, and The Fatui!" Shenhe's Cryo Avatar appeared beside her to join in overwhelming Aether's defenses with powerful Cryo strikes.

"We will help you on your journey to reunite with your sister!" This time, Aether tried to knock Shenhe back with his Elemental Burst: Gust Surge. Only to be caught off guard when the tornado that should have consumed Shenhe was sent right back at him, this time empowered by Cryo. The now icy tornado flash freezed Aether.

"We'll save you! Believe in everyone that loves you!"

Shenhe lashed out with a brutal claw strike to Aether's sides, drawing blood. Just before he could counterattack, he found frozen solid again courtesy of Shenhe's Cryo Avatar. Shenhe went absolutely wild with Aether receiving countless punches, kicks, and claw strikes with tears flowing down her face. She finally ended the brutal combo with a powerful chilling gust of Cryo that blasted Aether away leaving him buried underneath a ton of ice and frost. Shenhe panted for breath exhausted, adrenaline leaving her, and guilt eating her that she had to hurt the man that she loved.

She didn't even get a minute of rest as Aether leaped out of his frozen prison with his fist co*cked towards Shenhe. Cloud Retainer's disciple was ready to meet him head-on, her own fist overflowing with Cryo energy. Only to be caught off guard when Aether smashed fist against her right foot making her face contorted in agony.

"Did you know the top of the foot is a vital point?!"

Helpless, Shenhe could do nothing as Aether slammed his fist into her gut. Everyone flinched as they swore they heard the sound of a massive explosion exiting out of Shenhe's back. The white haired woman vomited blood from the powerful punch. It was pain she never experienced before in her life.

"That's enough, Shenhe. You did your best," Aether said in a gentle tone.

With shaky arms, Shenhe managed to muster the strength to wrap them around Aether, hugging him. It gave the woman a small sense of comfort despite her emotions going wild from everything that had happened. She leaned into his ear:

"I love you," She whispered

Shenhe lamented this turn of events, everything went to hell the moment Aether believed everyone never cared about him.

If things played out differently…

If Aether only just confided in anyone they would have helped…

Aether not being so obsessed with finding his sister…

Any of the women that loved him had just confessed their feelings…

They could have lived together as a happy family…

Despite this epiphany, it seemed impossible for such a wonderful dream to become reality.

Aether said nothing before slamming his fist into Shenhe's face, knocking her unconscious as he stood over her. His bangs covered his eyes making it impossible what emotions were going through his eyes.

Ganyu was in tears watching the man she loved beat Shenhe senselessly. She never imagined Aether would go so far. It was bad enough that they couldn't reason with him, but to go so far as to use violence without hesitation made it more heartbreaking. Even with the Archons and Shenhe at her strongest, nothing seemed to be able to stop him. He seemed invincible.

Paimon watched, she understood the importance of what was happening, and the seriousness of the consequences of everyone's actions. She would never have thought that her best friend could go so far and be so strong in such a short span of time, But she would never think that he would brutalize one of their friends just like that.

As Aether approached the Archons and Xiao, they felt any hope they had crumbling. Aether had just defeated Shenhe without hesitation doing her damndest to stop him. Zhongli didn't want anyone else to suffer as he had let Shenhe sacrifice herself for them, for Aether, and for all the people who were there.

"If you don't want to end up like her...I'd advise you to leave right now...And if you don't..."

Aether sighed briefly, creating more tension, before finishing his sentence, more like an order than a piece of advice.

"This will be the end of you..."

The atmosphere was heavy and tense about everything that had happened with Shenhe. They were beginning to hesitate about what to do next.

However, Zhongli walked in his direction, under the gaze of the others, looking determined to save everyone and especially the person in front of him. His spear in his hand while his allies watched him advance without trembling, worried what was going to happen next.

"Morax, what are you doing? You saw what he did to Shenhe, and you're in no condition to fight..." asked Xiao worried for his Archon.

"Aren't you afraid of what's going to happen?" questioned Venti, wondering how he could go on after the crushing blow of Shenhe's defeat.

"Yes, I'm afraid...But that doesn't mean we should stop. If you give up now, it will all have been for nothing. All this time, all these regrets, and above all, Shenhe would have sacrificed herself for nothing. I want to honor her, Paimon, and Aether himself. If there's one thing I'm more afraid of than taking a beating, it's seeing our friend here suffer even more because of us, and losing him for good..."

The funeral consultant had made them remember their mission. They had not come for nothing, and the words of wisdom had motivated them, putting aside their apprehension.

When Aether saw the black-haired man walking slowly towards him, he could see in his eyes that he was still convinced that he could still help him, that there was still hope, even after the show of force he had performed earlier.

"Oh, you're approaching me? You haven't got a chance, I warn you, have you seen the state you're in?" chuckled Aether.

"Don't worry about that... I'll be fine, but I won't leave while you're suffering..."

"You're wrong, I'm not suffering at all. I just finally woke up from the pitiful delusion I have been trapped in ever since I started my journey. The journey filled with wonders and everlasting friendship. Only to realize it has been nothing more than a nightmare filled with deceit and heartache!" Aether snarled as a single tear fell down his eye.

"The only one deceiving you is yourself, Aether. You refuse to believe that everyone here doesn't appreciate you for everything you've done for us…"

"Shut up! The only thing they value is how useful I am in solving their problems for them! Every single person here always wanted something from me. It always involved my time and putting my life on the line. I always hoped it would pay off in the end on finding Lumine except it never did! With the exception of Liyue honoring my request for putting up posters and Nahida giving me some shocking revelations, no one ever tried looking for her! None of you gave me the decency of saying you've hit dead ends on finding her. You all just went on with your lives while ignoring the one thing I've ever asked from any of you!"

"Aether, you have to understand. We have responsibilities of our own…"

"Responsibilities?! You Archons are the last people to talk about responsibilities?! You mean burning through Hu Tao's Mora and sipping tea, Venti drowning in alcohol while singing, Ei and Nahida never doing anything meaningful when it suits them! I'll say it again, I can finally see why Celestia never bothered to punish all of you. It's because you're not even worth the effort. You fools were already doomed, and you were too oblivious to notice!"

"..." Zhongli couldn't do anything to respond to that.

"Forget it, we will never understand each other. Even though I'm the one who instigated this, I'm gonna give you and the rest of you Archon's something no one had ever given me: The chance to walk away. Just walk away now, and we will never see each other again. You all can go back to back living the life you were all content with, and I can finally go to Fontaine." Aether offered although he knew the choice Zhongli was going to make, he at least tried.

"That's not going to happen, Aether. We all came to help you in your time of need. We're not going to make the same mistake of leaving you alone to suffer." Zhongli answered firmly.

"Yeah, that's what I thought…"

Aether rushed towards Zhongli with a shout, sword in hand, and Zhongli was ready. Repeating the same trick as before, deploying his elemental energy shield once more. Although he knew it wasn't going to hold out for long as he had used a considerable amount of energy from his Elemental Burst earlier.

Aether created more Anemo blades, this time infusing them with Electro for more destructive power.

Zhongli grimaced as he saw the attacks coming, having no time to dodge, concentrating his energy on his shield, stopping the first blade with much difficulty, leaving a large crack in his defenses. He grunted slightly, feeling the power of his attacks increase. It wasn't long before he was no longer able to hold back the assault, because with the second blade of electric wind shattered the shield leaving him defenseless. The Geo Archon saw the dozens of Anemo-Electro blades coming towards him again, unable to dodge as his speed failed him due to his recent injuries.

He closed his eyes reflexively, waiting for pain only to feel nothing. When he opened his eyes again, he could see a figure standing in front of him taking the attack, and he recognized who it was immediately. His mask over his face, his Vision to surround his body with the power of wind to limit the damage he was taking although it was obvious it wasn't doing much.

"Xiao?!"

"Don't worry about me! ...ARGGH! Get up quickly and keep attacking!"

"What about you?"

"Go for it! ARRRRGGHH!"

Zhongli didn't waste any time getting up as quickly as he could, he couldn't bear the fact that Xiao had chosen to sacrifice himself for him. First Shenhe, now him, he didn't want to see more people he cared about getting hurt, so he started running towards Aether, a tear running down his cheek. A sign that he was starting to become emotionally overwhelmed. The more he ran, the more he heard Xiao's screams of pain before the attacks stopped, and this gave him the motivation to keep going with Ei and Venti beside him who had come as reinforcements.

While Nahida helped Xiao to his feet, recovering from the full impact of the electrical burns and the gashes on his chest. She felt powerless to do anything more, Aether realized that there would be a combined attack between the three Archons running towards him, and he was ready for anything.

The Traveler raised his sword when he saw that Ei was attacking first, Engulfing Lightning drawn, her weapon failing to hit Aether once. He was fighting one-handed with his sword, parrying all her attacks, and even managing to leave cuts on the face and body of the Narukami Ogosho. Ei knew he was toying with her, the fact that he was only fighting with one hand while the other was behind his back was proof of that.

Venti created air currents all over the place to destabilize Aether, sensing that with every jump he made to defend or attack, he could risk losing his guard and fly off, so he had to be careful of his positioning and the space he was in. Aether didn't think that a simple trick would be the action that would bring him down.

The Electro Archon tried in vain to hit him, but she couldn't understand why she couldn't get the better of him like she had the previous times they'd fought. She knew he had gotten stronger, but she just had to stall until Zhongli was ready to launch a three-pronged attack.

Zhongli was still in position, concentrating for one final attack. Xiao with Nahida had just arrived next to them via the short teleport of the Yaksha. Even though he was clutching his torso, the wound was serious enough that he still had difficulty moving and breathing. They both understood what the other Archons wanted to do after they had explained, and while Ei played the decoy, even though she was using a significant amount of power. Nahida offered to help them, because even if she couldn't actually attack, she didn't want to stand by and do nothing as the loss of Shenhe was demoralizing enough.

Meanwhile, Aether was beginning to get fed up, putting his sword away much to the surprise of the Raiden Shogun. She tried to take advantage of the situation, rushing towards him, her naginata supercharged with the Electro element, but just as she was about to strike with her weapon. Aether stopped the parry with his two hands, taking the weapon, before exerting enough force to break it in two much to the shock of the Electro Archon.

Aether was about to confront her with his bare hands, trying to crush with his bare hands, but Ei had countered it. Her hands joined his as he exerted pressure on her, pushing her back, but Ei tried her hardest to remain firmly on her spot. Ei took advantage of the situation to talk.

"Aether! Please, everyone makes mistakes, the important thing is to recognize them and try to make amends..."

"You can't be serious! It took you five hundred years to recognize your mistakes only because Miko used me as a pawn to finally make you see the truth! You're so called eternity, you selfishly being forced into Inazuma was nothing more than a slow dying death!"

"I know that now! I really want to make amends for all the pain I've caused everyone, starting with you!"

"There are certain things you can't redeem yourself from! You've killed countless people for nothing while trying to justify it. Just like your fellow Archons, you swept their pain under the rug, pretending you couldn't see or hear them while they prayed for salvation that was never going to come!"

"I know there are things that can't be fixed, but I have to try, it's better than doing nothing at all! And that's what I'm trying to do, Aether, it's not too late, I don't want to keep fighting you!"

"Spare me, Ei! I loathe you like everyone else here. When this is over, go back to the Plane of Euthymia doing nothing. It's the only thing you're good for anyway!"

"Aether..." She whispered his name in a voice full of sadness, feeling even guiltier about what she had done. Ei wondered if she should even try and regain his trust, trying her best not to break down sobbing.

However as soon as their conversation was over a familiar mosque dome appeared, covering the space in which they were both standing, tinged with green clearly signifying that the elemental energy was Dendro. Both Aether and Ei recognized who was the instigator of this. The violet-haired goddess almost managed to wring a smile out, happy that this unexpected event was here while the blond-haired man grunted slightly not liking this one bit. What's more, he felt a slight itch again as Nahida had once again applied the element of Dendro to him in the distance while he was fighting Ei.

Nahida signaled to Zhongli and Venti that she was ready, giving out the thumbs up to both Archons who nodded as they started executing their plan. Xiao wanted to take part in the assault too, but was too wounded to be of any use. Nahida, Venti, and Zhongli prevented him from doing so, feeling that he had done enough and that now it was their turn to take responsibility for their actions.

At Morax's request, Barbatos launched several arrows simultaneously on both sides of Aether, while at the same time creating an air current near them, aimed at evacuating the Raiden Shogun from the scene. Leaving Aether surprised by her sudden retreat, before seeing that he was surrounded by four Anemo Vortexes, which were designed to take him in all directions as each force drew him towards a precise location.

Fortunately for him, he knew how to remedy this, using the Geo element to create the large Geo blocks he used to access high places, but using them differently. He made two of them appear, one in each hand, throwing one and the other into two of the four vortexes. Having deliberately created these rock formations big enough to block the air currents as if they were a cork closing a bottle.

Afterwards, he did the same thing again to close the two remaining vortexes, no longer feeling any air currents trying to suck him in anywhere. He noticed the amber glow coming towards him in the sky which again was another meteor summoned by Zhongli. When he saw this, Aether was confident that he could deal with it, but when he looked closer, he saw several amber glows. A sign of their arrival in the atmosphere and he realized that there was more than one.

Venti, Zhongli, and Xiao were watching diligently hoping that it would be enough, especially as they were surprised when they saw Aether manage to deal with Venti's consecutive Elemental Burst. Morax knew it was risky as he had really used everything he had in that final attack. He knew that Venti wasn't powerful by himself, believing that Ei would be able to have the maximum power needed, enhanced thanks to Nahida's support. As for whether the meteors would cause any damage to Mondstadt or the surrounding people. He had planned ahead using what energy he had left to create a fairly resistant dome that would only last long enough when it was over, given that he was running out of energy due to his weakened state over the centuries.

Aether could see the giant meteors coming towards him, a look of anger in his eyes at this attack. Unsheathing his sword, he condensed the power of the elements inside it, creating a kind of extension on the sword, making it appear longer and sharper. Wasting no time venturing onto the first meteor that came at him, jumping high enough to reach it before starting to scream in rage, taking his sword with both hands and slicing it in two like butter. The now split meteor falls to the ground, producing two separate but joined together craters.

He didn't stop there, though as during the cut he jumped onto one of the two parts of the severed meteor to leap even higher and project himself towards another meteor, cutting it in the same way, once again causing the same damage to the ground.

Aether continued in this way for three, then four, until the dozen or so meteors were effortlessly eliminated by the Traveler, in full view of everyone, who was more than stunned by this feat. Not only because he was not just dodging, he was charging headfirst into the attack, not afraid to take a hit, confident enough to know he was going to win.

However, when Zhongli saw that Aether had managed to deal with the first meteors thrown at him, he motioned Ei to go towards him. The Electro Archon had enough buffs before she intervened via Nahida, and used the wind current that Venti had previously created at her request to get closer to Aether in the air.

Once Aether had finished with what he considered the last of the meteors, he realized behind him that Raiden Ei was behind him. When he turned around, he saw her draw her sword from between her breasts, a move he was very familiar with.

This time, however, the indifferent stare she had seen before had been replaced by a look of compassion and sadness, small tears running down her cheek, this time for a different reason.

More and more lightning flashed up as she withdrew her sword, before using it to make a final cut with a large Electro slash, as she normally did to Aether's body.

Ei didn't want to do this, but she wanted Aether to stop, especially as she knew that Nahida had previously affected Aether with the Dendro element, and knew that it would do even more damage to him.

In a calm, but sad tone, while crying and closing her eyes, not wanting to see the end of her attack on the person who had given her a second chance, she said a few words:

"Sorry... You gave me all your trust, and I never repaid it back... Forgive me Aether..."

An explosion of Dendro and Electro created a large smoke cloud that obscured everyone's vision of Aether and Ei. They knew Aether would survive given everything he had endured so far, but they hoped he would calm down so they could talk to him again. No one could speak after that, there was a deathly silence that seemed to last for eternity.

As the smoke finally began to dissipate, everyone's jaws dropped to the ground as they were seeing the impossible, especially to the Inazuman's.

Aether on his knees with his clothes heavily torn, his body heavily burned from the electricity, and blood pouring down his face…was holding back the infamous Musou no Hitotachi with his bare hand! Even with the blood gushing down his hand leaving a very deep cut, Aether gave a look of boredom as opposed to Ei watching with wide eyes. Ei tried to pry free her sword, but Aether kept it underneath a monstrous death grip.

"Ei…You haven't changed at all." Aether stated simply before finally releasing Ei's weapon.

The entire group, especially to the Archons and Inazuman's had heard and seen the incredible prowess of the Raiden Shogun and the Musou no Hitotachi. An unstoppable force of nature that couldn't be stopped with the exception of Kazuha empowered by two Visions. Yae was the most stunned by this as she couldn't compare what she was seeing to Aether empowered by countless Visions in his previous battle against Ei because he wasn't relying on the power of Visions at all, just himself. Could it be that Aether had grown so strong in his journey that the gap between himself and Ei was that large?

"How should I put this?"

Aether leaned back avoiding a powerful diagonal slash, then another slash, and another.

"You're still strong…"

Aether parried a slash from Ei aimed at his stomach.

"...But you aren't scary anymore."

Aether parried another slash before he saw an opening, sending a roundhouse kick to Ei's stomach, knocking the wind out of her. The Traveler grabbed her by the neck as the two's faces were inches apart from each other.

"Hey. Do you have any idea how much crazy bullsh*t I had to face?" Aether snarled before headbutting Ei. "Let's get this over with!"

Ei staggered from the blow but quickly regained her composure. The Electro Archon raised her blade with Aether doing the same. One is supercharged with Electro energy and the other is empowered by four different elements. A powerful shockwave shook all of Teyvat when both of the blades were intertwined in a blade lock.

Both former friends locked eyes with each other with Ei's eyes with tears flowing down her face while Aether's eyes had nothing but animosity. They pulled back their blades…

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

Both gods and mortals alike witnessed a truly godlike battle of swordsmanship that was beyond any mere mortal could produce in their lifetime. The shockwaves produced from their blades were calamities of their own that rattled Teyvat to its core. The earth shuddered in agony, the surrounding trees and wildlife disintegrated, the mountains were ripped apart and the seas were parted.

Zhongli, Venti, and Nahida formed a massive barrier surrounding Mondstadt to shield the inhabitants from the brunt of the shockwaves. However, it took a toll on them as sweat poured down their foreheads, and exhaustion started to kick in.

All of Aether's friends watched the sword duel with both awe and fear at the surreal sight before them. Although all of them were experienced fighters who had seen and experienced their fair share of sword duels, it couldn't compare to what they were seeing now. The speed. The ferocity. The power. It filled all of them with terror and amazement until they remembered that Aether was in the center of it all.

"This is insane!" Mona shrieked in fear as her eyes were glued to the sword fight in front of her.

"Is this what a battle between gods looks like?!" Eula shuddered at the display of power.

"I knew Aether was strong, but I never imagined this…" Yelan said with a shaky breath, wanting nothing more to run away, but her legs refused to move from the terror overwhelming her.

"This is something I haven't seen since the Archon War!" Ganyu spoke out loud with fear and awe.

"Holy hell!" Beidou cursed out loud.

"Dammit!" Diluc swore. "At this rate, Monstadt will be wiped off the map if this keeps going!"

Ayaka and Keqing couldn't stand doing anything, knowing full well that was the catalyst of Aether's fall from grace. Even though both women were terrified, they had to do something. Just as both of them were about to run out through the barrier, Ningguang, and Yae Miko gripped both of their wrists tightly to prevent them from doing just that.

"Let go! We need to stop him!" Keqing shouted trying to break free.

"She's right! This has to stop before the Almighty Shogun and Aether could get seriously hurt!" Ayaka pleaded, but Yae wasn't having it.

"Ayaka, Lady Yuheng. You cannot get between something like that! You will die if you do!" Yae warned them which unphased both young women.

"So, you want to do nothing?! The very thing Aether accused us of and the reason he's like this in the first place!" Keqing shouted in disgust at the cowardice.

"There's nothing we can do…" Ningguang lamented as she continued watching Ei and Aether still going at it.

As for Paimon, she was floating motionless, too devastated by everything that was happening in front of her. She was overwhelmed with so many emotions with tears streaming down her face, the glow she had in her eyes was almost gone. Paimon knew Aether well, after all, he was everything to her. She knew that when he got that angry, that was the end of it, but she couldn't take her eyes off her best friend.

While with Aether and Ei, the battle was taking its toll on them. Various cuts adored their faces, chests and arms. While Ei was extremely concerned with everything around her, Aether was apathetic to it all.

"Aether…You…have to…stop… this madness!" Ei said between gritted teeth as she couldn't afford to talk and fight at the same time.

"Oh no, we're settling this on my terms!" Aether said. "I have made it clear that I can't trust you or anyone else here. It's for that reason that I'm cutting ties with all of you and this…"

SCHLICK.

"...will be the very first step!"

Ei's left arm fell down with a dull thud.

Both Archon's and mortals alike watched completely stunned, especially Yae who was the most horrified by this. Ei clutched the stump of what used to be her left arm, she wasn't bleeding. Her body didn't have such a thing, instead, it radiated a purple glow with sparks emitting from it.

"History repeats itself Ei except it's you at my mercy…" Aether said before looking disappointed. "This isn't as cathartic as it should be thanks to your puppet body."

"A-Aether, y-you…" Ei gritting her teeth, trying her damndest not to scream in agony. The Electro Archon looked at the Traveler with a mixture of shock, pain, betrayal, and hints of fear in her eyes.

Aether decided to finally end this, one and for all.

"You know…"

Starting with Ei, Aether slammed an orb of Anemo right into her midsection forming multiple wind blades. The wind blades created deep lacerations all over Ei's body and reduced her kimono into rags. Not done yet, Aether created a growing green plant vine that wrapped around Ei's neck like a noose. As the Goddess of Eternity struggled to pry free, Aether tossed Ei all over the area violently slamming any nearby trees, ice spikes, and meteorites.

Aether tossed his make-shift Electro Archon Flail right into the barrier that Venti, Zhongli and Nahida were hiding behind. Ei crashed face-first into the barrier heavily cracking it with the three Archons stunned seeing Ei barely conscious. Aether was right behind her, violently slamming his knee onto the back of her head, destroying the barrier with the Archons reeling from the aftershock completely at Aether's mercy.

"...ever since I came to Teyvat. Everyone here wants me to do their dirty work. I've finally had enough!"

Grabbing Venti by the face and slamming his face onto the ground. Aether moved at full speed with Venti in his hand plowing through every obstacle in his way, destroying countless boulders with Venti taking the brunt of it all. Eventually, the violent race eventually led them into Mondstadt's stone walls. Aether drove Venti's face deep into the stone and continued to run forward. The God of Freedom could only cry in agony as he was forced to endure his face carving into the rocks at blinding speed. The Traveler eventually let Venti go when he ran out of walls, he dropped to the ground with his face hideously disfigured from all of the blood, cuts and bruises.

"It's always the same. I solve your problems, and we're all best of friends. Except it's all nothing but lies!"

Aether punched Zhongli in the gut over a dozen times, coughing blood and heavily bruising his torso. Drawing out his sword, Aether stabbed Zhongli's right hand only to supercharge the blade with Electro frying the arm and nerves. The Geo Archon screamed in pain before Aether grabbed his jaw with his hand crushing it. Zhongli let out a muffled scream only for it to reduce to gurgles when his jaw was dislocated. To add even more salt to the wound, Aether soccer kicked Zhonglis injured jaw that nearly caused him to pass out from the pain.

"I was nothing but a pawn for everyone to use at my own expense! You think what I'm doing is cruel? You give humanity the false hope that their deeds and efforts will be acknowledged and awarded by you, but you don't even spare them a glance. You all sat around doing nothing and trying to justify it when there was no excuse when you were just lazy and apathetic of their suffering. That is true cruelty!"

Xiao, unable to do anything because of his wounds, was punched repeatedly in the face by Aether. For even more damage, Geo Element was channeled into his fists. A series of rocky blows were delivered to Xiao's face, destroying his mask and blood pouring down his face. Grabbing Xiao's spear, Aether stabbed it right through Xiao's left leg making him cry out in agony only to be silenced with a stomp on his face.

The Traveler now approached Nahida, who was sobbing, her body shaking, knowing full well that she was completely helpless. The person she cherished most in the world like an older brother, ready to rip her apart.

Aether continued what he had to say, wanting it to get through to their skulls:

"We're not friends, family, allies, or anything meaningful. I've always been alone except for Paimon, and you know what? That's fine with me because it's better to be alone than relying on false friends that will never have your back!"

"Aether..."

"Shut up! There's nothing else you can say to me, Nahida."

Aether grabbed Nahida by the collar, the Dendro Archon no longer feeling her feet touch the ground, as she clasped her hands together to plead to the blond-haired man for redemption. She and those who saw the brutal beatdown caused by Aether, listened to what he had to say. They didn't know he saw things that way, reinforcing their despair and guilt more and more, the pressure growing all the stronger on their shoulders.

"Aether...I'm sorry for everything! I beg you; I don't want to see any more pain...I don't want to see you like this...I've never thought of you as a stranger, you're the person I love most in the world, and I don't want to see my closest family disappear for good!"

Nahida's eyes showed just how real her love for him was. Aether did not bother to reply to this, which he considered a foolish provocation on her part, throwing her close to the others.

Aether had made sure they were all in the same place for a very specific reason because he definitely wanted to put an end to all this. They all hardly dared to breathe as they were all so surprised at how, in such a short space of time, Aether had bested four Archons and the Conqueror of Demons. A feat no one dared thought possible.

The Traveler again created a new Anemo sphere, this time a larger bigger than before, before placing it on the ground and cracking his knuckles as if preparing for something cataclysmic. Then he tapped the orb upwards with his foot to launch it upwards, as everyone watched and wondered what was going to happen, they knew that the worst was to come.

Aether jumped as high as where he had sent the sphere, before transferring the energy of his rage, his disappointments, his despair and hatred. As time went on, the energy around the sphere was no longer simply the standard mint green for Anemo, but large flashes of red were gradually taking shape, as the color of the sphere itself became darker and darker.

"Gaze upon this attack, because this will be your end. Reflect upon your final moments as you were the catalyst for this neverending hell."

Aether rubbed both of his feet on either side of the Anemo sphere, creating even more friction, to add more of the final blow he was set on delivering. To definitively destroy their pathetic and hypocritical visions of their idea of redemption, because for him the damage is done, and has been for a long time.

Once he had done so, the orb transformed into a sort of giant spear colored bloody red and black, covered in lightning, as Aether screamed at the top of his lungs to vent his anger.

"DEATH SPEAR!"

What he called a "spear" was the embodiment of all he had endured, spreading a considerable gust of wind around him as he drew ever closer to the Archons and Xiao, watched by all who had never seen anything like it.

Venti looked on in horror, knowing full well that there was nothing he could do about it, his eyes alarmed by the situation even though he no longer had the strength to do anything about it. The pain of what he had received earlier had not been extinguished, and he didn't even know why he was crying anymore, understanding that it was all over for him. He knew he hadn't been a good Archon, but his eyes were wide at the technique used by the man he considered a great friend, all because he was a failure as an Archon and as a friend.

Zhongli couldn't keep calm anymore, his eyes showed how disgusted he was at having failed in the task he had taken on. He had made a contract with Paimon to save Aether, and was unable to fulfill it, understanding that he was not worthy of being the Archon he was. He was terribly angry at himself for having done virtually nothing for some time, and what he was most afraid of was not the attack itself, but for Aether. The dark path he had chosen for himself was set, and the future was truly frightening now. He told himself that he deserved to take this attack, so he closed his eyes, knowing that there was nothing he could do about it.

Ei, for her part, was crying all the tears she could compared to the pain she felt at losing someone like Aether. She told herself that she'd been powerless all those years, despite her incredible power, because she couldn't handle the grief. She would have liked to start all over again and be more sociable with him because she understood the position he was in when he fought her the first time. To understand him better and be the person he could rely on, but unfortunately, she realized it was too late.

Xiao couldn't believe what was happening to him but accepted the punishment. He knew he deserved it like everyone else, and preferred to make amends by helping him rather than taking a good beating, but as this was how his punishment should be, he accepted it. Aether had suffered too much, and he hadn't been taken into consideration. A small tear was running down his cheek, a sign that he would have liked to do more, and not rest on his laurels, leaving him to manage everything out of a surge of pride.

Nahida said nothing more as she got down on all fours, a sign that she had come to terms with the fact that there was no way out. She raised her head in the direction of the mass of energy coming towards them, this was the end. He had to learn to live without her, and that his smile would only be in her memories from now on. The Aether she knew was gone for good, replaced by a man with a heart of stone, for his heart had been broken so many times by them. She continued to cry non-stop, and dreaded the excruciating pain she would feel when her "big brother's" attack struck her and the four others next to her.

The mass of energy finally came down on them, without them having the time or strength to move to avoid or counter it, not that they could have done so anyway. The power of this manifestation of all Aether's negative emotions swept all five of them away as if they were nothing but dust. When the "spear" hit the ground, a gigantic explosion followed by the massive mushroom cloud appeared. Moreover, the bridge linking the city to the rest of the country no longer existed having been totally destroyed.

Aether was back on solid ground, calm and unperturbed, after his attack from the air, as he approached the damage he had now caused. Even if it was still difficult to see everything, due to the dust that was gradually being blown away.

No one dared speak of what could not be called a battle, for it was all one-sided, despite everything the Archons had done to try and convince him to calm down. Their mouths and eyes were hidden with their hands for almost everybody, dreading what they thought they had understood after this attack.

When they could see more, the cloud of dust having dissipated, they could see the results. Everyone was in shock, their eyes wide with the carnage they were seeing. No one had the words to describe it, as Aether walked past to see that he had finally finished with what he considered to be the finale.

The bodies of the four Archons were lying motionless. Zhongli, Venti, and Nahida were lying on their backs, unconscious, their eyes closed, their clothes torn all over, even more wounds and gashes, blood flowing, their faces somewhat disfigured. The same was true for Xiao and Ei, who were on their stomach, but with the same wounds as the other three, and just as unconscious. They were still breathing, but just barely.

As for the others, they saw everything they didn't want to see, and the tears flowed again, but they didn't know why. Was it because Aether was still stuck in his decision to go it alone? Is it because they've seen their deities blown up and beaten to a pulp by one man, and they can no longer trust them to protect them? Is it because they couldn't convince him, and that they have regrets because Aether will leave with the idea that they lied, when they were saying what was in their hearts all along? They didn't know, but they didn't want to ask themselves the question, because quite simply, they were crying because from now on, this day will mark them definitively, as well as all the nations affiliated to them.

Having passed his inspection, Aether slowly approached those who had been watching all this from the start, raising his head upwards as they were still battlements that encircled Mondstadt. The part that had obviously not been destroyed by the confrontation.

He stared at the others, but there was none of his usual light, on the contrary, you could swear his gaze was even more wary and piercing than before, and that unsettled them all, especially when he spoke again.

"Now you know what I'm capable of...Make no mistake, if I see any of you again…I will kill you."

There was a renewed sense of fear as Aether gave out his threats, and everyone knew that he would follow through with his threat.

"That being said...Paimon!" He said, calling to the little fairy, who was looking at him, a tear rolling down her cheek, not understanding why he was calling her.

Paimon was still frightened by what had happened, everyone else was looking at her, and Aether had turned the conversation to her.

"Yes...Aether..."

"I know it must have hurt you when I wasn't there, and I know I probably should have warned you. However, as I said earlier to everyone, I'd like to know if you want to go on my journey with me, like in the good old days? I'll understand if you don't after everything I've done, but I'm not going to change my way of seeing things, and I've made that quite clear..."

"Yes, Paimon accepts."

"HUH?!"

Everyone was stunned by Paimon's immediate response, even Aether was surprised at how easily she had accepted. The entire group were beginning to panic that the person who started the quest to save Aether from himself decided to join him the way he is now. Venti, Hu Tao, Zhongli and all the rest... Hearing this sentence was an alarming twist that nobody wanted to hear.

Keqing was the first to be alarmed, panicking and crying:

"Paimon! Do you really agree?!"

"You've got to be kidding me, Paimon!?" asked Hu Tao, who thought she was going to go mad with everything that was happening in front of them.

"No..."

"And may I ask why? You've seen the way he is now and you're fine with that?!" Mona asked, shedding tears as she couldn't bear all the stress and the moment of incoherence she thought the little fairy was having.

"It is precisely because Aether is Paimon's best friend that I accept." Paimon spoke in a voice that was almost dark, trembling, as if her soul had been drained, while her eyes became increasingly dull.

"Because Paimon has understood, by listening from the beginning, all the atrocities you've done. Paimon had never seen it because Paimon didn't see things that way. All these deaths, all these problems, you've created, and you want Aether to do the same thing over and over again, cleaning up after you, because you're weak, both mentally and physically. Aether's right, if he wants to get his sister back, it'll be better this way, it'll go quicker and there won't be any more problems. Paimon doesn't want Aether to suffer any more. He gave you too many chances, now it's too late, you've seen it well... Paimon... Paimon wants to do what you've never done for him, CONTINUE TO SUPPORT HIM TO THE END!" She said, with anger and tears streaming down her face, but they weren't the same as before. It wasn't sadness, but disgust at what she thought were good people.

Not everyone could believe Paimon's words. They already had the guilt and regret of not having been able to do anything to protect what was dearest to them, i.e. the Traveler. Hearing this from the person they thought was the most carefree and innocent really hurt them, and they wondered whether they were really good people.

Aether was actually touched by Paimon's decision to stay with him despite everything he had done. He missed the fairy's presence while he was all by himself. It gave him a small sense of comfort with Paimon around. Even with just two of them now that was fine with him.

Keqing wanted to argue it as if to convince herself that what Paimon was saying was false and convince her to stay with them. However, Ganyu behind her stopped her, a hand on her shoulder. Her eyes were bloodshot from the constant tears she was shedding, the secretary was emotionally and physically drained. Keqing turned around to see that everyone was more or less in the same state as her, as if they no longer had a soul, that everything had been lost, and even the most cheerful of the group were depressed.

When Keqing looked back in Paimon's direction, she saw that she was glowering at them all, and the small spark in her heart had been extinguished for good, as she dropped to her knees on the stone floor in despair.

Paimon flew towards Aether, and even though she was still struggling to speak, she could see Aether flashing a very faint but sincere smile as he gently patted the little fairy's head, and that cheered her up a little.

"Paimon, thank you for continuing to work with me..."

"No need to thank Paimon. Paimon doesn't know what she would have done on her own..."

"Don't worry about that anymore, we started this adventure together, and we'll finish it together."

"Yes, thank you..." replied Paimon, wiping away her tears.

Aether looked again in the direction of the others, his face showing a solemn expression.

"I made my choice. Whatever happens next is up to fate. Life is all about consequences."

Aether turned his gaze away from his former friends, and looked ahead, heading south, where he learned when he was in Mondstadt that there was a quicker way to reach Fontaine, via Liyue, by the Chenyu Valley. He set off, with Paimon following behind him, in silence, before the eyes of all who saw him walk slowly and progressively towards the horizon, until he was no longer visible, not knowing what to do or say, a stifling silence lingered.

They knew one thing though, that all their hopes had now vanished. There was no longer any chance that Aether could forgive them, or even that they could forgive themselves for what they had done to him. So many brutal truths and revelations revealed, all of which made them question everything they thought they knew about the world and themselves.

Not a single person was unaffected by what had happened, some had even collapsed on the floor distraught, others were crying silently, some wanted to believe it was a nightmare, but unfortunately for them, it was reality. What hurt the most was that they might never have the chance to see Aether again, and they really dreaded that happening.

However, no one had noticed from the start, but near the entrance to the city, a certain woman in red clothes and pink hair with a Cryo vision. She had watched the entire thing from the confrontations to the Traveler battling all of the Archons. The pink haired woman never watched taking pictures with her Kamera. She herself cried from all of the heartbreak and angst that lingered in the confrontations, taking off her monocle to wipe her tears, almost forgetting why she had come to Mondstadt.

"I wasn't expecting this...Aether had lost himself...what's going to happen, now?... I hope this isn't a bad omen for the future..."