Work Text:
I am Aether, and you are only probably wondering why I am up in the sky, on top of a pillar. It is a funny story, really. I never thought that it would come down to this, but it already did. I wondered how things would’ve gone differently if I had just… If I had just… Nevermind. What I’ll tell you today is how a traveller once searched and searched for his beloved sibling, only to meet death’s embrace.
____________________________________________________________________________
It all started just a year ago, and everything was in chaos. Nations burning, the Abyss Order reigned over the land. Help from the Fatui were not given even though the Abyss were now making their way to their territory with the full intent of murder and destruction. Yet the Fatui never gave care to it all.
Archons went into hiding, refugees from other countries started pouring in. The death toll was high. It was truly hell on Teyvat. No one was spared, not the men, women, or even the children. Young or old, noble or peasant. THIS was her war against destiny. Her divine retribution for the destruction of Knaenriah.
And there was me . Defending my newfound friends. My newfound family. Everyone I cared for is endangered. Endangered from the Abyss Order, endangered from the wrath of my sister…
“Hey, I know you’ve been stressing about this ever since it started. Just take it easy okay?” Amber came to me, comforted me. Ever since I started my journey, she’s the one I’ve been travelling with, besides Paimon of course.
“Yeah, Paimon thinks that we could get through this, just take it easy, traveller.” Speaking of the devil herself, Paimon. My travel buddy from the start, emergency food . I still laugh when I remember that moment I called her when we first met Amber.
It was so peaceful back then. I just wanted to travel with my sister, yet she turned it down when we first got reunited for a brief moment in that commission I did years ago. And now here we are, at war with each other.
“Thanks guys, even though I feel uneasy about fighting my sister, you still find to lighten my mood up.”
“Hey, don’t worry about it, we all have been travelling for a long time.” Amber said, then I took a glance at everyone who’s currently sleeping for tonight. I was on watch for today, along with the other Knights of Favonius.
“I just hope I can talk her out of this.”
“We know how conflicted you are about this mess, I’m sure she’ll try and listen to you.” Amber pats my back. I know Lumine would, but her war with Destiny prevents her from listening to me. I am the worst big brother anyone could have right?
Then another fire illuminates the night. We looked over the walls to see what it was. Before it would usually be Klee, who accidentally burned another part of the forest surrounding Monstadt. But now, it was clearly the work of the Abyss, another village is being burned to the ground from the horizon. So many lives lost once again.
Seeing this, the only thing I could do is fall on my knees and cry. And so I did that. I cried my eyes out, this side I wouldn’t usually show when others are with me. But this time, I can’t hold it back anymore.
I just wished we were together again. I just wished we didn’t have to be separated. I just wished we would travel with each other again like we used to.
“Why do you always wear that?” She asks me, clearly asking about my attire.
“What? I just wanted the aesthetic of it.” I replied to her.
“Well more like you just wanted to show off those packs you have.” She refuted.
“So what?”
“You whore.” She replied
“Well if I’m a whore, then that makes you too a whore.” I said, making her flustered.
“I-I’m not like you!” She yelled at me.
“We are twins~” I mused
She then proceeds to playfully hit me, “Take it back!” she whined.
“I’ll take it back if you take back what you said earlier.” I crossed my arms.
“Never!”
“Alright then.” I said as I whistle as she continues to hit me.
“Fine! Fine! I'll take it back!”
“Haha.”
“You bully.” She huffs.
“Well that is what big brothers are for, Lumi.” I said as I ruffled her hair.
I just wanted those times to be back again, I just wanted everything they used to be again. It pains me to fight my own sister. The only reason why I traveled for so long. I didn’t have the will to hurt her. She’s the only family I have. My blood related family at that.
So as I wept on, Amber got to her knees and hugged me tightly. She caressed my back, leaking a few tears out as well.
“Everything’s gonna be alright, Aether.” She soothed. It was rare for her to call me by my name. And for her to call my name, it was rather calming. But I still wept, letting the tears fall down as I cried on.
I just wished that she didn’t see me cry. Oh Lumine, if things just went differently.
____________________________________________________________________________
Of course I tried my best only to fight hilichurls, abyss mages and such, avoiding a direct fight with Lumine, who is currently residing in Liyue Harbour. She’d always send horde after horde of hilichurls and mages at us. But I just hope she doesn’t see us being stubborn in not submitting to her rule.
Which she did find us very stubborn to give in. She was sending them non-stop for the past few days, I bet she’s really annoyed right now that we have basically ended the lives of nearly ⅓ of her hilichurls.
And so, much to my dismay, she sends her heralds in along with herself. She was not about to cave on to us, so she must’ve come to us personally to end it all. I mean, if I was in her shoes, I’d be frustrated too.
And so, the day finally came, the day I dreaded the most. The day I’ll face her on the fields of battle. I wished it didn’t come down to this, but it did. Fate can be so cruel.
And there she was, right in front of her horde.
“Stand aside Aether.” She demanded. “I don’t want you to become my enemy in this war against destiny.” She added.
“But you’re killing innocent lives!” I refuted. “Even though they did cause the destruction of knaeriah, it wasn’t intentional, but forced by a contract.” I explained.
“Aether, they killed innocent people, the survivors of kneariah, and yet you defend these monsters.” Lumine said, her mood turned to that of a cold, lifeless being.
I was taken aback. ‘What happened to you, Lumine?’ I’d ask, if not only she pulled out her sword and brought out her wings. My friends and I were shocked that she’d bring them out. I was shocked as she wouldn’t bring it out and show it to others, while the others were shocked that she was a deity.
“She-She.” Amber stutters.
“She’s one of the Celestials…” Venti finishes in a low tone.
“Now, stand aside Aether, and choose.” She says.
“Choose…?” I ask.
“Me, or defend them?” She said as she pointed the tip of her sword at them.
I was conflicted. I didn’t want to choose only one. I want to be with them all. I want to BE with you all!
“I’m not choosing Lumine, you know better than this.” I said as I stood forward. And to my dismay, she narrows her eyes unimpressed with what I said.
“So be it.” She said, and within a blink of an eye, she charged me. I was able to block her attack, but I flew back to the sheer force she dealt to me. I thought I was going to be caught by Amber, or Jean, or anyone, but a wind barrier stopped me.
“Huh?” I stutter out. I looked around, and Lumine had sealed both the horde and my friends off, separating both sides with a wall. No one shall intervene in our fight.
I stood up and looked at Lumine. “Lumine, please! Come home with me!” I yelled at her, but she responded with another charge.
I had no choice, but to pull out my wings as well, probably shocking the others too. We clashed, iron against iron, steel against steel, twin against twin. I tried talking out to her, but she wouldn’t listen. As we fought on, our fight went high into the skies as we flew up each clash we had.
“Please Lumine!”
Clash. I heard her giggle when we were young.
“Come home with me!”
Clash. I heard her cry when we first got into a fight when we were young.
“Please!”
Clash. I heard her pleas for help when she was in trouble when we were young.
No response from her. It truly saddens me. ‘I guess she doesn’t care anymore huh?’ I thought, losing my will to fight.
I could’ve blocked her next swing but my blade would hit her neck, so instead, I did the unthinkable.
Then the sound of metal piercing through another metal was heard. Everyone stared at the event in the sky with dread.I fell the hilt of my sword drop from my hand, and fell meters down into the ground. Her blade pierced my heart, going out of my back.
I let out a small giggle. “You got me…” I said, as blood now came out of my mouth.
Lumine raises her head, her eyes widened. She knew what she did. She then looks at me, as my vision goes blurry.
‘Is she… Crying…?’ I thought. ‘It hurts…’ I added. ‘It hurts, badly.’ I then hold the blade Lumine pierced through me. And gravity did the work and pulled me back to the ground.
“Aether!” She yelled my name, I thought I was going to the afterlife as I can only see a blurry vision of her zooming out. Turns out I was falling to the ground, I didn’t notice.
Then I crashed through the ground, any person would immediately die from the height I fell from. But somehow, I still regained my consciousness. I feel my body then suddenly shuffle around, and my head lolls to the right, only to see Lumine’s crying face. She had broken the wall separating us and my friends.
“Traveller!” They all yelled, not caring that Lumine is the Abyss Princess for the moment. Albeit they distanced themselves a bit from Lumine, who’s currently hugging my dying body.
“Stay with me! Stay with me…” She sobs, placing her head onto my chest.
“Lu..mine…” I utter out. I am not letting my unconsciousness get the better of me.
“You need to rest! Please don’t speak! Is anyone a healer!?” She asks them, looking frantically around. Barbara and Noelle were the first ones to rush to my side, but before they did, I summoned another anemo barrier to prevent them.
Lumine was shocked with what I did. “Why..?” She asks me.
“Why… What?” I cough out blood.
“Why did you let me kill you?” Lumine asks.
I gave out a smile, a smile I could force out as I felt the incredible pain.
“Who in hell..” I coughed out blood. “Would kill their own little sister, huh?” I tried to sound tough, but all it did was just make her cry more.
“I’m sorry! Please don’t leave!” She sobbed harder, I didn’t want to see her cry.
I tried to reach out my bloodied hand and wipe the tear on her eye, staining blood right under her eye.
“Lumine… Promise me one thing.” I tried to utter out to her, but my voice is going dry and hoarse.
She then looks at me, anticipating what I was about to say.
“Please have fun with your new adventure… Don’t grieve for my death.” I requested, it took a moment for her to understand what I was about to do.
“Wait! No! Don’t do that! Please don’t leave me!” She begged, sobbing even harder. “I’ll come home! I’ll come home! Please! Don’t leave me!” She continues to beg, sobbing into my chest.
“Wherever you are, whatever you do, I’ll always be watching over you from the stars…” I managed to say that without coughing out blood, but I felt like it was now or never.
“This is for your own sake, Lumine.” I said. “Thank you… for everything.” Were the last things I said to her with my physical body.
I started lighting up, then my body, along with my wings, broke into golden crystals, only to form a pillar in the middle of them all. Everyone was stunned by a Celestial’s death, while Lumine was horrified.
I set up several layers of anemo barriers so that they wouldn’t ruin this moment.
[Resetting World] Said a mechanical voice to everyone, the voice was heard by all in Teyvat.
“Aether don’t!” Lumine yelled, grabbing her blade once more and tried to slash through barriers I placed up
She then glances at everyone I knew from the very start of my travels. “Please! Help me undo this!” She begged them, to which they complied. They got everything out, claymore, spear, swords, catalysts, all trying to break through the barrier.
[Everyone within this world shall lose their memories of the current events and the person named AETHER.] The mechanical voice said once more. [Resetting the world to where the destruction of Kneariah didn’t occur.] It added.
Lumine’s eyes widened, she didn’t expect I would do this for her.
[Lumine] I said. She just stared up at me.
“AETHER!” She cried.
[I was never meant for a happy ending. I hope you have fun with your travels, even though I am no longer part of it. Good bye Lumine, dearest twin.]
And with that, the pillar lights up. [Initiating restart]
“No, no, no no!” She panicked. They made a breakthrough, it was only one more layer of barrier but it was too late. Everything was engulfed in a blinding light.
____________________________________________________________________________
“Paimon is not emergency food!” Paimon yelled at Lumine. They met Amber just right out of Monstadt.
Lumine just giggles it off.
“How I wished I was still with you dearest twin.” I uttered with sadness. It was now a week after that restart.
“Huh? Then why don't you go down there mister?” The little child before me asks. Her voice is that of no mood at all, as if she was dead.
“I can’t, even if I wanted to I can’t.” I said, now tearing up in front of a child, pathetic isn’t it?
I then fell on my knees once again crying my eyes out in front of a child. “Are you alright mister?” Asked the child, but I didn’t respond. I just cried. “Qiqi will give you herbs if you want to.” Qiqi said as she pulled out her bag, bringing out her notes checking it.
She then held my forehead, I wanted to hug her, but when I did, I just phased through her. I just wept, in turn, she then pats my head.
This was my fate, to be all alone. I journeyed through Teyvat, in hopes to be reunited with my lost twin sister. And this is how it all ended. I’m stuck up here in the afterlife, with Qiqi being between life and death the only one to be with me. An endless river of tears would come to me in the following days.
Next to us, there’s a notebook there, with the title, “Aether’s Life”. She took notes of everything that had happened to me. I just hope no one would read that when she travels back to Liyue.
____________________________________________________________________________
“Huh? What is this Qiqi?” Lumine asks, the zombie was just holding out a notebook to Lumine.
“Qiqi wants you to read it.” Qiqi said to her.
Without asking further, Lumine just took the notebook and read it. She skimmed through the pages. Somehow, these stories seem familiar.
“Did you make this?” Lumine asks, Qiqi replies, “Qiqi wrote it, but the story is from Aether.”
“Huh? Aether?” Lumine repeated the name, then memories came back to her.
“Please come home!”
“Good bye Lumine, Dearest sister.”
She now remembered that name, her twin brother. The pillar.
Lumine dashes out of Bubu Pharmacy, and back to Monstadt and she pulls Amber with her.
“W-Where are we going , Lumine?” Amber asks, flustered with what's happening.
She didn’t respond, she just walked out into the open. When they were near Windrise, she saw the pillar. She fell to her knees.
“I found you…” She said, tears now rolling out of her eyes. “I finally found you…” She sobs as she sees the pillar her brother made. “Aether, I finally found you!” She cries, Amber and Paimon comforting the crying girl.
____________________________________________________________________________
After meeting that self-proclaimed god, this was our fate. Two stars slowly rippled apart from one another. Until both were too distanced from one another. Each with their own realms to walk on. One continues to live on, the other now in the after life. Such is our cruel fate as twins. We were supposed to be together. But in the end, I wandered everywhere, searched for her everywhere, and only for me to find my solitude.