Chapter Text
It was a bitterly cold night in Mondstadt. The wind and rain were so heavy it was hard to move around without getting soaked or losing something in the wind.
The moon still shone through the grey clouds, and the lights still glimmered in the darkness, however.
The traveller fought his way through the heavy rain, holding his hand over his eyes to be able to see without rain falling in his eyes. Paimon struggled along beside him. They soon reached their destination: an isolated, yet well looked after little house hidden way out in the wilderness.
The traveller knocked once, politely and quietly. There was no answer.
“...Hello?” Paimon called out.
No answer again.
Aether knocked again, hastily and as loudly as possible, and this time was met with the door slamming open, and a sword pointing at their face.
“What do you want?” A messy, tired looking figure stood in the doorway. Their hair was fluffy, yet cut un-evenly, with a long strand of hair falling in between their eyes, which were a deep purple, almost like the night sky.
Their hair was pitch black, and their clothing was dark too. They almost completely blended into the night.
“I-.. Dainsleif sent me.” Those single words seemed to make the stranger soften, before the grip on their sword’s hilt returned.
“I’ve never heard anything of this.” Their voice was quiet, yet the traveller could tell the threat in their tone.
“Dainsleif said it was too dangerous to contact you. But- I can give you.. I can tell you what’s happened to him recently.” He bargained, and it worked.
The stranger slowly lowered their sword. “You’ll catch a cold standing out there in a storm. Get inside.”
They both did as she had said, and stepped inside, accompanied by a grumpy “And wipe your feet.” by the owner of the house.
They did so hastily, and shook their cloaks off before the stranger reached around them and slammed the door shut.
“I hope you weren’t followed. I don’t want to relocate.” The stranger said, retreating deeper into the dimly lit house.
“We weren’t! No way. Nobody’s out here, not in this storm.” Paimon reassured them.
“Well, you are. But perhaps you’re crazy. I mean, you trust Dain-.. Dainsleif’s word anyway.”
“Why shouldn’t I?” Aether said tiredly.
“Good point.” The stranger huffed, lighting up what appeared to be their living room. It was covered in dusty, empty bottles of alcohol, as well as a few cigarette burns on the table. “Sorry, I haven’t cleaned in a while. I don’t get guests.”
“Oh, uhm..”
“Sit down. I’ll get you something to warm you up. You’re shivering.” And so she disappeared, leaving the traveller to examine the now warmly lit room, as they sat on the large, wine red sofa.
If you ignored the cigarettes and the bottles of alcohol, the room was nice. It was cozy. A black and white cat sat by the lit fireplace, curled up and fast asleep. The curtains were drawn closed on the windows, and an instrument case lay against the table. The floor was cold and wooden, but a rug lay in between the fire and the large sofa.
The stranger came back out, a small blanket on their arm.
“This place is so nice!” Paimon said excitedly and loudly, only to be met with an angry shush.
“You’ll wake up Sana.”
“Sana?”
“Sana. My cat. Now keep your voice down.”
An awkward silence filled the room.
“So what’s your name?” Paimon asked cheerily, completely unaware of the atmosphere.
“..And how can I trust you?”
“Because! This is the honorary knight! He saved Mondstadt from that evil dragon! Remember?” Paimon exclaimed proudly.
“Dvalin wasn’t exactly evil though, was he? You know who was behind that.” The stranger scoffed.
“Aw, come on! We’re just asking for your name, not all your private information!” Paimon huffed.
“Fine. You can call me Sol.” They sighed, sitting down in a wooden chair by the fire.
“Sol.. like.. sun?” Paimon said in attempt to joke.
“No. Just Sol.”
“...Right.”
“Now tell me about Dainsleif. If you’re stuck here in a storm, you may as well make the most of your evening.”
“And what do we get in exchange?” The traveller suddenly spoke up.
“How rude of me. I’ll tell you.. about Khaenriah. And about.. your sister. After all, I met her, I knew her. Back in the day.” Sol reached into their pocket and pulled out a pack of cigarettes, grabbing their lighter from the table. “What? Nobody’s ever smoked around you before?”
“Nooo..” Paimon eyed the cigarette in terror.
“Fine, fine. I’ll put it away. Just tell me what’s happened.” Sol sighed, shoving everything into their large coat pocket.
After explaining the events they experienced with Dainsleif and the Abyss Order, Paimon fell back into the sofa with a relived sigh.
“...I see. That’s..” Sol’s voice trailed off, and they stared down at the floor. Their cat brushed against their legs, having woken up after the energetic speech, bringing Sol back to Teyvat.
“Are you okay?” Aether asked worriedly. Sol seemed even more out of it than usual.
“I’m fine. It’s just.. a lot.” Sol sighed, standing up with a heavy sigh. “Stay there. There’s something I need to check.”
They soon came back with a neatly folded piece of paper. “Read this.” And Sol threw it into Aether’s lap.
Paimon and the traveller read it in unison.
‘Dear Sol,
You’ve made the wrong decision. I can still keep you safe from the Abyss Order. You don’t need to worry about me. So, please. Come back and talk one last time.
The Princess is very angry.’
“Your sister!..” Paimon said in awe.
‘It’s dangerous to go against the abyss. You know that well enough. Our plans will avenge Khaenri’ah. Without a doubt. You know that too. So why run toward the Abyss? Toward the danger? I really can’t understand you anymore. What happened to those days?..
I suppose it doesn’t matter anymore. Meet me, tonight, our place. 10. We need to talk.’
There was a brief silence before Sol spoke up.
“Finished?”
“Y-Yep..” Paimon stuttered. “So.. you were involved with the Abyss too? Just like Dain?”
“Yes. There’s a lot of things you don’t know about the Abyss. And your sister.”
“We know.. But.. You’ll tell us?” Aether asked, a hint of desperation in his voice. “Right?..”
Sol stared at them, frowning. “Yeah. I’ll tell you. You’ll want to stay sat down for this.”