Chapter Text
Aether loved doing things for his friends, and the feeling of happiness he feels when he does a good thing while helping others. He tries to help as many people as he can. It’s just who he is. Before when traveling world to world he’d often use his abilities to help in any way he can. But right now he isn’t having any of it. He has been going place to place all day, delivering a letter here, destroying a hilichurl camp there. He is so close to snapping, and it’s not that he had a bad day it’s been a bad couple of weeks. He’d been going all over Teyvat doing things for random people for he doesn’t know how long, and all he asks for in return is help to find his sister, that’s it! But not a single soul (besides Dain) has gotten him closer to finding his sister! He feels so very tired, hell! He has every right to be, he has fought and taken down a dragon, an old god, the 11th and 8th fatui harbingers, and the fucking electro archon. He even fought in a revolution! All without getting what he had been so dearly asking for, he just wanted a clue, just a clue would be fine with him. So when he was finally getting a break in Mondstadt and a strange girl in Liyue style clothes came up to him he may or may not have given her the worst death glare known to man.
“I’m sorry to bother you but are you Aether? The famous traveler?” The girl spoke, the glare Aether had given had to have frightened her because her voice was soft and timid. Not many people addressed Aether by his name, mostly just Paimon, and that Aether was comfortable with so hearing his name from a stranger left him cringing. Paimon, bless her soul, had already caught on to Aether’s bad mood and spared her the difficulty of speaking to him. “Yeah? Why?” Paimon spoke, nervously side-eyeing Aether “ He’s kinda on break right now.”
“Oh I’m so sorry, it’s just I have a message for you from Liyue.” The girl then shakily held out her hand with a neat-looking note held between her fingertips. “I was about to start to bring letters to Mondstadt but then a man who called himself Zhongli gave me this letter. He said it was urgent and he need it to get here as soon as possible. Then his friend, who didn’t give me a name, he was tall and ginger tho, he said he would pay me triple my normal cost to get it to you at the requested speed.”
This seemed to change Aether’s mood. So it wasn’t another request… I guess I should apologize for glaring… “Thank you,” Aether spoke softly as he took the letter from her, an apologetic smile now on his lips. “I’ve been having a bad, I shouldn’t have glared at you like that sorry…” The girl just brushed it off saying it was fine then quickly left to deliver the other letters.
Aether looked down at the envelope in his hands and began opening it quickly. Unfolding it to see unbelievably neat and fancy handwriting.
Dear Traveller.
Something has come up here in Liyue, something urgent, thus the letter and not just waiting for you to visit again. I know you just recently left, I hate to bother you and your mission, but I feel as if we don’t address it immediately the outcome won’t be pretty. All the friends you have made here in Liyue and some have been informed of this issue and are currently trying to find any way to solve it. I plead of you, aid me in this, I fear that whatever this thing is it could likely be detrimental to all of Teyvat. So please bring anyone you think can help in this issue, ones with knowledge, ones with strength, ones with power, anybody you think could help. Not just from Mondstadt. I hate to make you go all the way to Inazuma but we need as many perspectives as possible. I ask this of you because of the many different people you’ve befriended on your journey. I hate to have to drag you and your friends into this, it was my last course of action. I wish I was there in person but I can’t leave Liyue while this problem is still here. I’ll be waiting, Aether.
Sincerely Zhongli
Ps. Hey, Childe here, this is serious dude, we need your help here.
Aether’s mouth went dry. What? What the hell could this be? It’s even got Zhongli scared he has lived for thousands of years? He felt… scared. “Aether? What’s wrong? What does it say?” Paimon was fretting right next to him but Aether didn’t process it. He handed Paimon the letter and took a deep breath. Who should he bring? Who could he possibly bring to help? Albedo?
...
Definitely Albedo. But who else? Venti definitely. I should speak with Jean, Venti, and Albedo, then make a list. Ok, that’s the plan. Aether was too caught up in his mind to realize Paimon freaking out beside him. “What are we gonna do?! What can we do?! Who do we bring?!” Paimon started shaking Aether by his shoulder, startling him out of his daze. “Paimon, Paimon calm down I have an idea ok! No need to freak out, we can do that later.” Aether quickly got up from the bench and headed towards the knight’s headquarters. He needed to do this quickly.
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They all sat quietly in Jean’s office, all staring at Aether and Paimon. Aether had headed straight to Jean and practically demanded an emergency including almost everybody Aether knew in Mondstadt. Which was, Albedo, Amber, Diluc, Eula, Kaeya, Lisa, Mona, Rosaria, Sucrose, Venti, and obviously Jean. Rosaria and Sucrose weren’t invited but ALbedo brought Sucrose, and somehow Rosaria found out about this, even more bizarre, somehow got into the meeting. “Well Traveller, they’re all here, would you mind telling us what’s wrong now?” Jean’s voice was soft, worry written all over her face. “Yes, I would like to know what this is all about,” Albedo spoke next, voice monotone as always.
Aether took a deep breath before beginning. “I got a letter just today that… caused me great worry and is why we’re all here.” Aether got a few raised eyebrows and worried looks but continued. “I made a friend in Liyue, his name is Zhongli, Venti you know him by a different name.” Venti gave him a look of confusion that turned into realization, which he then laughed loudly. “That’s the name he goes by now! Ha!” Diluc gave Venti a heavy glare from across the cramped table. “Zhongli is a very smart and unperturbed man. So it was in simple terms really fucking nerve-wracking to have him send a letter saying he was scared. In short, the letter had said that they found something in Liyue that could possibly be a great disaster to all of Teyvat, and if Zhongli is saying that it clearly isn’t something to joke about.” This seemed to sober Venti up though because he immediately sat up in his chair stiffly.
“And how do we know he wasn’t lying?” It was Rosaria who spoke this time, and she got a few nods of agreement. “No need to worry about that, Zhongli is not to lie about things like that, and well… he doesn’t really have a sense of humor.” Aether put up his hand defensively trying to reassure them. “Yeah, the travelers right. He has zero sense of humor and he is far from the deceitful type. He sticks to his contracts and is brutally honest. Mor- I mean Zhongli is very rarely worried by things, even less than me, he knows things no one else does, so seeing him reaching out right now is something I’ve only seen him do a couple of times.” Venti spoke with such certainty and seriousness that it shocked most at the table.
“All I’m asking is that some of you come with me to Liyue, even if it’s just real quick, maybe just an hour there to see it, we just need perspectives. We have no clue what it is. This isn’t gonna affect just Liyue, it’s gonna affect here too.” Aether spoke softly, he hated to admit he was a bit scared, but he needed their help. “I’ve heard enough, we shall let some accompany you to Liyue. I’ll be joining, but only for a short time. I wanna see what it is, that’s all. Anyone who wants to stay behind and cover for me?” Jean spoke with such authority that nobody contradicted. At her comment on taking over for her Kaeya quickly lifted his hand. “No Kaeya” he put his hand back down. Amber and Eula gave each other a look then both raised their hands. “Thank you both. It will be Eula and Amber in charge while I’m gone. Is there anyone who doesn’t want to visit Liyue at all? We want as many perspectives as possible, people with different knowledge.” no one else raised their hand much to Aether’s surprise. “Then it’s decided. We’ll leave with Aethers word, so, you better start packing. Plan for at least a week.” and with that Jean dismissed the meeting. Aether made a quick exit, once outside the door Venti, who somehow was right behind him, pulled him off to the side.
“May I see the letter Morax wrote?” Venti’s question came out more like a demand Aether could only obey, and he did. Aether reached into his inventory and grabbed the letter then handed it to Venti.
Venti quietly read the letter, his face showing zero emotion, but as hard as he may be trying it was easy to tell he was tense by his now rigid posture compared to his normally carefree one. “This letter brings… quite a lot of concern. You and I both know what kind of person Morax is and this… isn’t like him.” Venti swallowed hard but Aether wasn’t much better, and Paimon was way worse off. “Tho Morax and I are both the oldest among the archons, but he knows and remembers much, much more than me. He doesn’t fear much, not even other gods… so why now? What could possibly be scaring?” Aether wished he had the answer, he hated seeing his friends in distress, but all he could do was shake his head and wring his fingers. “I really wish I knew, but you saw the letter, it didn’t disclose much info. We’ll be leaving in a few days, and I still need to go visit Inazuma. But we’ll find out soon, ok?”. That seemed to calm Venti down a bit. “Yeah, we will. I need to see whatever this thing is.” and with that, they parted.
“Paimon’s never seen the tone-deaf bard so nervous before, in fairness though, anybody who knows Zhongli would be nervous if they read that letter.”
They both made their way down to the teleporter in the middle of Mondstadt. Only people with visions could use them, and even fewer of them can control which teleport they go to. Damn, I hate teleporting to Inazuma. Why does teleporting have to take so much energy? Aether let out a sigh as his hand made contact with the teleporter. Concentrating as much as he could to focus on Inazuma, closing his eyes mid-process. Inazuma, here we come.