Chapter Text
Aether watched from the ledge of the snow-covered rock he was standing on, munching on an apple he had snuck back to the mountains a couple days before. Under the cold weather of the landscape, the apple had been crisped to perfection. And what was Aether watching, you ask? He was watching his sister.
Lumine whirled through hoards and hoards of those weird men that kept visiting their temporary home. They always had some elemental energy stuck to them, and they always looked the same. They even fought the same! That’s why Aether was hanging back; he didn’t want to battle an opponent he had encountered and killed hundreds of times over. He had a feeling that the only reason Lumine was still dealing with them was because she wanted to vent her frustration out on those poor soldiers.
Suddenly, his eyes widened and he stopped mid-chew when he felt someone else’s presence. Huh, guess they were weak, considering they couldn’t even conceal their existence in the slightest. In fact, he could feel dark energy trying to reach for him. Was this person trying to coerce him into a battle? One that they could not win?
Aether was amused, but, before he could turn around and look the person right in the eye, Lumine shot past him towards the cluster of trees. There was a surprised yelp before the clashing of swords soon followed, and he sighed deeply. Couldn’t his sister let him have his own fun once in a while? Finishing the fruit and throwing the core towards a stalk of mint, he stood and stretched, feeling the satisfying CRACK! loosening his muscles.
He turned back and walked to where his sister had her sword lodged in a ginger-haired man’s shoulder. Lumine twisted her weapon sadistically, watching as the man laying on the ground flinched with the motion. Aether let out a small, amused huff; his breath billowed in the cold, and he relished the choking sound that the guy made when Lumine slowly pulled her sword out of his flesh. Making him feel every last movement.
Even if the Vision-wielder was accustomed to pain, whatever Lumine was putting through was probably unlike anything he had ever, would ever, feel. Their celestial swords were wrapped with quintessential essence, of course. Forged by the stars themselves. And, just like those celestial bodies, the weapons were both unique.
Lumine’s sword allowed for better a better attack—and with attack, came defense. When she blocked and parried, there was no chance that her opponent could land a hit on her. And when she struck, she struck hard. Paired with her skill, she was a deadly combatant. Aether’s sword, on the other hand, gave him better movement speed. It granted him the agility of the speed of light, almost always guaranteeing that his attacks would land. Not only that, but it also gave him the advantage of stealth. One silent strike and his target would fall, dead. Together, they were unmatchable in every way possible.
Probably why this man was now convulsing on the ground, dry heaving as blood poured out of his abdomen. Where the skin was exposed to the cold, it kind of looked burnt and ashen. Ah. His sister must’ve stabbed the guy another time as a warning. That meant that she had had enough of her opponent and that they were leaving the scene.
So, Aether turned his back again, disappearing in an instant. His movements were a blur to the naked eye as he shot up from the ground, and, in a couple of seconds, he had made it to the entrance of Starglow Cavern. Hmmm, Lumine didn’t appear exactly a second after him. Not another moment after the next, either.
She must still be dealing with that nuisance.