Chapter Text
One day, Zhongli gave a map to Aaina. Whether he had been relentlessly searching for it or hired a craftsman to make it is something he did not confirm, but it was undoubtedly clear he had gone to some lengths to procure this map. After all this map was designed for Aaina, each terraform and civilization textured and raised in order to allow the blind goddess to explore Tevyat through her fingertips.
“This texture is the ocean. Here, this one is sand.” Zhongli said, introducing her to the map by guiding her hand over the paper, a gentle grasp on her wrist.
The joy on her face was immense as she roamed the world through touch, gently sliding her fingers across the textured map, exploring the lands that she used to roam herself back in the days she was a wandering goddess and marveling at the complexities of the civilizations she had never seen before.
“This island…” Aaina said, suddenly stopping on a small part of Inazuma. Her expression dipped and waned.
“This is where Ydroth was.”
Then she smiled. “I want to go here.”
Zhongli and Xiao exchanged looks, surprised at her declaration.
“Aaina… Are you sure?”
“I’m sure… I… I want to know what happened.” she said, voice soft, admitting what neither of the gentlemen in the room were certain of. They always had questions, but Aaina seemed to be actively avoiding addressing them. But, of course they were on her mind all the time. Of course she had been thinking about it.
“When do you want to go?” Xiao asked, prepared to journey with her. Aaina simply shook her head.
“Not now. Not yet. I just want to enjoy this first.”
A few months passed. Aaina was now a Liyue regular, traveling down to the Harbour early mornings to attend the market, being greeted happily by the merchants, who were both charmed by the lady but also aware of her connections to the Wangsheng’s Funeral Parlor’s consultant (and thus their pockets).
Xiao no longer tailed the goddess on her strolls now, mostly because she insisted she wasn’t going anywhere. She promised him she would call for help if she needed it.
It was on one of her morning walks that Aaina was approached by a lady. Or more like, cornered.
At a certain point in her stroll Aaina became acutely aware that she was being watched and tailed and that this person was not Xiao. So she took a detour, walking behind the harbour to a place where they would not disrupt the public.
“You can come out now.” Aaina said softly, not turning around.
“So you did notice me. Impressive. I thought you were blind?” the stranger said, emerging from the shadows. Aaina didn’t bother turning around, since there was no need to take a look at who was following her.
“You carry a vision. It does everything but conceal your presence.” Aaina said simply. A metallic clink sounded, the stranger placing a panicked hand over their vision, wondering if there would be others who could spot them through their elemental energy too?
“I am more acutely aware of elemental energy than others. But I recommend concealing the item for more clandestine operations.”
“Are you not afraid of me? Not even a little?”
“Should I be?”
The stranger sighed, and Aaina smiled, finally turning around so the stranger could see her face.
“My name is Yelan, Lady Firatra.”
“Please, call me Aaina. That title died a long time ago.”
“I was there in the chasm when you were discovered.” Yelan said, straight to the point. Aaina nodded, aware that there was a party alongside Xiao in the chasm the day she was brought back to Tevyat.
“And, because you are the only survivor who could confirm the history of the chasm, your presence could solve a lot of mysteries for us.” Aaina grimaced.
“I’m sorry, Ms. Yelan. I wish I could be of some help. But, I myself do not remember the events that led to me ending up in the chasm.”
Yelan’s eyes narrowed.
“Nothing?”
“Nothing.”
“You have no leads?”
“I have not begun my search. I… Do not desire to begin my search, to be honest.” Aaina said.
“... Why is that?”
Aaina sighed, wondering why she was confiding in this stranger and telling her something she could not bring herself to tell Zhongli or Xiao of.
“It’s because I don’t trust my past self. I’m scared of what she left behind… And what lengths she did to get me here. Firatra is ruthless. The Old Protector was just an epithet. She was, and will always be a goddess of the war.”
As if stirred by the mention of fight, the two weapons strapped to her body caught the light and Yelan pursed her lips, eyes catching their presence for the first time. The way this lady carried herself was harmless, relaxed, and laid back. But in that moment she was anything but. She was dangerous.
The short haired woman swallowed and bowed her head.
“I see. Thank you for your time, Fi- Aaina. Please come to me if you do find out anything at all.”
When Yelan left the goddess, she was acutely aware of the inner thought that hoped Aaina would never seek out her past.
For her own safety.
****
That night, Aaina opened her eyes in her sleep to be met with blue-grey ones. Eyes that she was so familiar with.
“Ydroth?” Aaina whispered, reaching out to touch her lover's face in disbelief. But her hand merely passed through his body as he looked up past her. His face looked up beyond her and lit up with a beautiful smile, one that made her heart skip a beat.
Aaina turned to see what he was smiling at and her face fell at the sight of herself, katana brandished, face full of fury and white-hot rage.
“My love! You finally came to join me!” He opened his arms wide.
“I came to stop you, Ydroth.” Specter-Aaina spat. “You’re going to hurt innocent people and yourself if you don’t come to your senses!”
“Come to my senses? I just want power, like everyone else! What is so wrong about that?”
“Ydroth please! You’re killing yourself in the process!” Specter-Aaina begged.
“... So you aren’t here to join me?” Ydroth asked. When Specter-Aaina didn’t respond, Ydroth’s face fell. “I thought you loved me, Aaina.”
Aaina and Specter-Aaina’s heart shattered.
But all Specter-Aaina did, with a shaky voice, was hold up her katana and point it at her lover, her jaw set in a determined line.
“Stop this Ydroth. If you don’t, I will make you.”
No. Please. Don’t fight! Aaina tried to speak, but none of her words passed through the specters of her resurfacing memory. She was experiencing all of this for her first time, and each time her heart was breaking more. She could have done something else. She could have tried to save Ydroth. But Aaina, even with no recollection of this memory playing out in her mind, knew what was coming next.
“Fight me, Ydroth.”
Both Aainas shed a tear.