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He’d been ready. That’s what he’d set out to do; to find her and leave. He’d been ready to return with his sister. To let go of this unfamiliar world with its strange people and finally—just finally—go home.
Those hopes remained simply that. Hopes. His fleeting tryst with their reunion being reality shattered when she spoke.
But I cannot go with you to the next world to find a new home... at least, not yet. Until the Abyss has engulfed the thrones, my war with destiny will see no end...
So, we'll meet again. Though we need not rush, brother. I have more than enough time to wait for you. We have always had enough time.
And he was left all alone, grasping at the last wisps of the portal through which she vanished… again.
Paimon, bless her soul, tried to keep Aether’s spirits up with her constant chatter. She’d point out sweet flowers, mints, small resources on the way back that on any other occasion, he’d be rushing around to collect. Though, on any other occasion, he wouldn’t be making this pointless journey when he could just teleport where he needed to.
(The only problem was… he didn’t know where to go. He’d spent so long looking for his sister and when he finally found her… well…)
In an attempt to make his floating fairy companion think that he was okay, he picked the ones she mentioned, even though he had no desire to. The burden of his mission was his to bear alone; she wouldn’t understand, however much she tried. Aether loved Paimon, but he didn’t want her to worry herself on his behalf. She was already trying so hard to remain upbeat—it served as the singular spike of warmth through his leaden emotions.
Despite his insistences, she didn’t seem fooled as she kept skirting around him with a frown. “Aether? Are you sure you’re fine?”
“I’m fine,” he sighed out for the third time. “Seriously, it’s okay.”
It wasn’t.
“Oh. Okay. If you say so.” She pursed her lips, but the realisation that she wouldn’t get any other answer else out of him struck. “Ooh, look!” she said instead, flying faster ahead, the soft wind from her wings blowing the bangs out of his face. “Jueyun Chillis!”
With a tight-lipped smile, he ran over the rocky Liyuean terrain to the plant, plucking its spicy red fruit and storing it away. He could make some Jade Parcels with them when the need arose. Through the slits of the larger picture, that counted as a gain, however small. (The small voice in his head whispered, if he’d been better at convincing his sister to come back, that need would never arise. He quashed down that small voice.)
A few days of incredibly snail-paced travel landed Aether in Mond, close to the outskirts of the main city. The edge of the barren Windwail ravine to be precise; he could see the tiled roof of the Springvale windmill from his spot. He hadn’t been intending to end up there, having just walked aimlessly after the altercation at the ruins, but here he was.
On the way, he’d even remembered that he’d forgotten to destroy the strange Statue of the Seven in there, the main reason he’d gone back in. But going back… he couldn’t. Besides, if he’d learnt anything from his time in Teyvat, it was that domains like those didn’t stay open for long. It was a miracle he’d managed to get in that second time. Though maybe that had something to do with… Lumine.
He cleared his throat, not wanting to think about it.
Paimon shot him a look that he pretended not to see. She didn’t ask however. “Mond?” she said instead, bobbing up and down beside him.
He nodded. “Before Inazuma… I don’t know. Just wanted to say goodbye, I suppose. We can stay in Mondstadt awhile before setting out again.” After all, didn’t they deserve some rest?
“Alright. Paimon will definitely stock up on Sara’s Sticky Honey Roast while we’re there!”
“What, is my cooking not enough for you?” he shot back after a moment, almost missing the beat on their usual back-and-forth banter.
“Well, it is… but all you cook are Sweet Madames. Paimon’s tired of those. We need some boom-shaka-laka!”
That drew the first genuine chuckle out of him in those few days, however soft it may be. “Okay, okay. If I have any leftover Mora, I’ll get you some Sticky Honey Roasts. If not, I guess I can make some for you.”
“Yay!” She beamed, but the twinkle in her eye suggested her joy wasn’t coming from the prospect of the food for once. Perhaps that intensified Aether’s guilt for keeping his feelings from her, but at least she was happy.
Mondstadt was the city of freedom. It was carefree, airy. The perfect representation of their Anemo Archon. It was also safe, warm. It was familiar. The people all knew each other, and as the Honorary Knight, they’d—for lack of a better word—practically adopted him into their ranks. As the first city he’d visited in Teyvat that fateful day, following their Outrider Amber into the gates, it had buried itself into a cherished corner of his heart.
Maybe that was why he came back. His next destination was Inazuma, the isolated island nation, so it’d make sense for him to charter a boat from Liyue Harbour and leave that way. Which meant it was only because of some invisible force that he was drawn back to the nation of Mond.
He crossed the bridge, muttering a hurried apology to an angry Timmie. (No one needed to know about the number of times he’d unleashed a tornado to kill those birds. He needed the fowl for his Sweet Madames, okay? And Fischl was taking too long to return from her expedition.)
Lawrence and Swan were quick to greet him from there long-standing posts. “Honorary Knight! Been a while since I saw you at these gates. How are your travels going? I trust they’ve been good?”
“All good, all good.” He waved it off, his smile dropping the moment he was out of their sights. This façade was getting exhausting—he’d spent way too much energy keeping it up for Paimon’s sake. She’d been kind enough to not comment when it slipped, but others wouldn’t be the same.
The city was the same as ever. That was one thing he could count on. Beatrice and Quinn were still with their on-again, off-again argument. It was truly surprising as to how Quinn still hadn’t caught onto Beatrice’s abysmal tries at flirting. Helen, the delusional bard, was still strumming her tune from the balcony, declaring that her song was Mondstadt’s last line of defence. Miles, the guard on patrol, smiled and gave a respectful nod as he passed by.
Oh, how Aether had missed this place. Liyue was beautiful in its own right, but the kind of intimacy Mondstadt held remained unparalleled. Every person in this city was known, someone he could talk to if he needed to. Not that he was particularly in the mood to talk, but the atmosphere could always calm him down anyway.
The nostalgia hit as if he hadn’t seen Mondstadt in years. However, it wasn’t that he hadn’t visited after he’d gone to Liyue. He had still been sent for commissions and the sort here. He’d come here just a bit ago—he’d met Dainsleif. But it was different when he was simply a visitor than when he was there as the Honorary Knight of the Knights of Favonius. Now, back here, and ready to stay—even if only for a few days—the weight in his chest seemed to lessen.
He strode through the paved streets, answering calls and greetings as he walked, right up to the Adventurer’s Guild. Cyrus was there as usual, his face splitting into a grin when he saw Aether. “Come for new commissions?”
“Er… not exactly. But I’ll be staying for a few days so feel free to send something my way.” On second thought, he probably shouldn’t have said that. He didn’t want to deal with anything complicated right now.
Fortunately, Cyrus only guffawed good-naturedly. “Oho, you’re out of luck, my friend. I just gave out the last big commissions to Royce’s team. A treasure trail around the Brightcrown Canyon.”
Thank Barbatos, Aether thought to himself.
“But while you’re here, we must catch up. I hardly see you nowadays! A drink at the tavern, beer for me, and Master Diluc’s famous grape juice for you.” He didn’t bother correcting Cyrus’s assumption of Aether’s age. Most people tended to do that; it was easier to take it in stride.
“I’ll take you up on that if I find the time.” He probably wouldn’t, but it was nice to have the option open.
Cyrus seemed to want all the details on Aether’s adventures then and there, but Aether managed to extricate himself from the conversation. He then scaled the wall that led to the upper garden, where old Goth loitered about during the day.
“Good afternoon, sir—” he startled himself into recognition. “Oh, Honorary Knight, it’s you. Terribly sorry, I thought you were a guest. Do you need anything?”
“Is the Goth Grand still fully booked out?”
Goth lowered his gaze. “Unfortunately, and for the time being, yes. The Fatui are still operating from there. I have no idea how long they’ll be there, but I have to admit, they’re paying a lot of Mora, which does help. A room did open up in the Dawn Breeze today morning though, if you need it?”
“Yeah. Yeah, that works.” He didn’t want to infringe on his friends. They’d probably get to know he was here soon enough, but he didn’t want to worry them with his predicament just yet. (And maybe, just maybe, he couldn’t face them after being so ready to leave them behind the very moment he found his sister.)
“Alright,” Goth stretched out his frail hand to shake Aether’s, “I’ll get the room ready by evening.”
“Thank you. I’ll drop off my things later then.”
After a lot of convincing, which was surprising because Paimon would do anything for food, he managed to send her away to pester Sara at The Good Hunter. He’d seen Sucrose around there anyway, measuring pink and green potions at the alchemy table (though he’d made sure to avoid her—he wasn’t looking for questions), so he knew Paimon would be in good hands. At least one of them should be able to enjoy themselves while they were back here.
Aether, on the other hand, had a new mission.
The Knights of Favonius library was home to a plethora of books from all corners of Teyvat. Lisa would boast that every topic under the sun was covered at least once somewhere in the library. Khaenri’ah and the Abyss weren’t exactly topics under the sun, but Lisa would have to have some information on them. If not… well… Aether was already teetering on hopelessness. He’d simply spiral further.
Past the crumbling stone walls, past the guards at the entrance, past the door, and into the vast library. It had been even larger at one point, if he recalled correctly. After the Great Fire of Fall Equinox, the library was now but a fraction of its old self. (Much like him, really.)
A musky, woody scent greeted him as he stepped foot inside. Not much had changed, it was still the same rows of shelves of books, as far as the eye could see. He knew Ella Musk would be somewhere among the shelves, maybe Noelle was reading up for another Knights exam.
Lisa whisked over to him in a flash of royal purple the moment she caught sight of him, her rose-scented perfume overpowering anything else in the room. “Hey there, cutie.” She showed off all her pearly white teeth in a bright smile. “Didn’t expect to see you here.”
“Lisa,” said Aether, attempting a smile of his own. The way it felt, he was sure it went horribly, as evidenced by Lisa’s expression dropping, ever so slightly. “This isn’t a courtesy call, unfortunately. I need all the books you have, anything that even mentions the Abyss. Khaenri’ah too.”
“Aether, I—” Lisa blinked. “Those are colossal subjects,” she said seriously, all trace of light-hearted fun leaving her countenance. To get you every single one… I’ll have to scour the entire library.”
“Lisa,” he all but begged, “I need this. Please.” At the last word, his voice cracked. He swallowed it back, hoping she hadn’t noticed.
She scanned him, tilting her head quizzically. He could see the question in her clear green eyes, but she didn’t say it out loud, which he was infinitely grateful for. “Alright. I’ll see what I can do. But it will take some time, you can’t expect me to find every book overnight.”
“Of course.” He nodded his assent. “I’ll be staying for a little bit so that won’t be an issue.”
Lisa bit her lip and nodded back. With that, she scurried away, leaving Aether to sift through the shelves nearest to him by himself.
He didn’t know long he’d been sitting at that table, poring over book after book. The words had started to blur into each other. Every new page he flipped to looked the same, with lines and lines of letters and the occasional illustration. He could barely keep his eyes open, but he had to power on. Even though nothing made sense anymore, even though his head was throbbing, and even though all he could do was replay in his mind the scene of his sister leaving him behind.
Lisa came back with another stack of books. She’d been doing that for him all day. He was a little preoccupied now, but he made a mental note to thank her profusely for everything she was doing today, going out of her way to segregate piles of texts into neat categories, directing him to information he could use, the like.
She plopped this new stack of books onto the desk. A cloud of dust billowed up, tickling his nose, causing an uncomfortable almost-sneeze.
“The Eclipse Dynasty and the cataclysm,” she declared, wiping the dust off her dainty glove.
Aether glanced up, his leaden heart sinking to the bottom of his gut at the sight of the sheer number of books. He’d barely gotten to the ones Lisa had brought two rounds ago. There was no way he was going to get through all of these any time soon. Desperation scrabbled at his chest, though a small voice in his head reminded him that he still had some time, that he didn’t have to get through it today itself. But that voice was quashed by his numerous anxieties.
Before he knew what he was doing, he hit his head on the finely polished table. “I… I can’t do this,” he mumbled.
“Aether,” said Lisa softly, placing a gentle palm on his shoulder. He looked up at her and recognised concern etched into her face. “Are you alright? You’ve been acting… strange today. What’s the matter?”
“Nothing,” he replied, an automated response his brain procured.
“I won’t pry,” she promised, “but I know you. And I know it’s not nothing. So, if you ever have anything to get off your chest…”
Perhaps it was all the pent-up emotions, perhaps it was Lisa’s willingness to listen and help him out, or perhaps a combination of both. Whatever the case, Aether couldn’t help it anymore. Hot tears burst out and flowed down his face, trickling past his nose which he knew would clog soon.
“Hey, hey.” Lisa pulled him into a embrace, enveloping him in her warmth. She rubbed his back in soothing circles that he just couldn’t focus on. “It’s okay,” she said.
“But it’s not,” said Aether thickly. “It’s not okay. And I’ve been pretending—” he choked back a sob. “I found her, you know. I found—and then she—she just up and left… not even an explanation.”
“Found who?”
He managed to say after a beat, “Lumine. My sister.”
“You found your sister?” Surprise coloured Lisa’s voice.
“Yeah. And she said she couldn’t stay. And that she’s a part of the Abyss Order now. That—” The lump in his throat was getting too unbearable now. He devolved into a fresh bout of tears, the salty droplets streaking down his cheeks, tainting his mouth.
Lisa just kept patting his back, never breaking her constant rhythm. They sat like that for a while, he wasn’t sure how long. Lisa didn’t let anyone disturb them—she waved away most people who had come to return books.
Most people.
Soon came a new voice, smooth and easy, one he knew well. “Lisa. And is that Aether?”
“Wait, Aether?” came another voice which was bouncy and expressive. He heard a loud thud, as though something had dropped on the ground, and footsteps nearing him.
“Amber,” Lisa tutted, “I know you didn’t just drop one of my books on the floor you just tracked mud onto.”
Scuffling sounds. “Sorry, Lisa!”
Aether raised his head, his eyes red and burning from his crying. It took a moment for the world to manifest itself in clarity. He’d already recognised who the voices belonged to, but now he could see them and their matching frowns. “Amber?” he croaked out, “and Kaeya?”
“Aether!” Amber cried, and flung her arms around him. “What’s wrong? Is there any way I can help?”
Kaeya followed a lot more sedately, avoiding flippant touch, but he was firm, resolute, when he said, “just say the word. We’re here for you.”
“He, er…” Lisa looked towards Aether, looking for confirmation. He only dipped his head, not being able to say it out loud again. She got the message, and took her cue to explain. “He found his sister.”
Amber gasped. “That’s great—”
“And,” she continued, “she left. She’s… in the Abyss Order.”
Amber and Kaeya could only stare at them, not a sound escaping either of them. Aether took advantage of the silence, mustering up the words. “She’s leading the Abyss Order,” he clarified.
“I heard through the grapevine,” Kaeya muttered, “about the Abyss Princess, but I never thought… how did you even find her?”
“I met a man called Dainsleif. He—”
“Dainsleif?” Kaeya interrupted him, eyebrows arching up. “Tall, blond, wears a half-mask…?”
“Ye—yeah. How did you know?”
Kaeya stiffened inconspicuously, his eye flitting to Amber beside him. Was Aether missing something here or was he just too distracted to glean the reason?
Lisa clearly didn’t share his confusion as she stood up. “Amber, be a dear,” she instructed glibly, “and go get something for Aether, will you? He hasn’t eaten since he arrived. I’m sure he’s starving. Dehydrated too, now that I think of it. So a drink would be great as well.”
Amber jumped to her feet. “Of course! I’m on it!” She sped out the room so fast, Aether was afraid she might trip on her own feet. They heard the door click closed in the quiet library atmosphere.
“Thanks, Lisa,” Kaeya acknowledged with an inclination of his head. “I don’t like to advertise my origins.” He met Aether’s eyes straight on, holding his chin high, almost defiant. “Dainsleif was better known as the Twilight Sword in my homeland.”
Oh. Oh. “You mean you’re from—”
Kaeya held up a hand to stop him in his tracks. “It’s a long story. Maybe another day. What I mean is… I don’t know how much I can do, but I can call in favours. I used to know him, albeit in passing. So, if he has any information, I could use our shared ties and appeal to him.”
Kaeya didn’t like rehashing the past, Aether could tell that much. The fact that he offered to help despite his own reservations incited a warm feeling in Aether’s heart. Something he hadn’t felt in a long time. “You’d do that for me?”
“I would.” Kaeya held his gaze. “You’ve helped us out enough. It’s time one of us returned the favour, eh?” And it was back, his trademark smirk, as he slid into the seat beside Aether.
“Take a break,” Lisa urged him, ruffling her fingers in his hair. “You’ve done all you can.” He opened his mouth to argue, because he still needed to go through all the books, he still had to squeeze out every bit of information he could find on Lumine and where she might be, but Lisa promptly shushed him. “Kaeya and I are here. He knows Khaenri’ah, I know the books. We’ll get you everything you need. Trust us.”
“For the record,” Kaeya added with a raised eyebrow and an amused smile, “I did not agree to this.” But he had already begun skimming over the tomes nearest to him, and even a blind person would be able to tell he was completely earnest.
“Thank you,” he managed to say. Kaeya and Lisa were two of the first people he’d fought alongside when he’d just arrived in Teyvat. He’d been akin to a newborn, with hardly any grasp over their language, wide-eyed and unsure of everything here. They’d helped guide him through the process, helped integrate him into their culture. They’d been there for him then and they were here for him now. “I’ll… I’ll be back tomorrow.”
“Absolutely not,” warned Lisa hastily. “If I see you anywhere within fifteen feet of this library in the next three days, I will zap you to oblivion and back. And if you think I’m joking, ask Kaeya.”
Kaeya winced in agreement. “I forgot to return a book once. Let’s just say… it was not a pretty sight. For either of us.” He chuckled. “So, if you value your life, I’d suggest you do as she says.”
“Then I guess I’ll see you guys around.” He laughed a little, wiping at the dried tear streaks on his face. “Nowhere near here, I promise.”
He ran into Amber on his way out, right in front of the headquarters. She was carrying two large bags, presumably containing the food and drink Lisa had sent her to get. Her cheeks were red from exhaustion, her hair flying all over in her hurry. She did slow down upon seeing him, raising a hand to cheerily wave at him, the bag swinging precariously on her arm.
“Hey!” she grinned. “What’s up? Are you feeling better now?”
“Yeah, thanks for asking.” He held his arms close to his chest even though it wasn’t very cold, letting out a deep breath. “Lisa sent me out here. Said I was cooped in there for too long and needed a break. She… er… banned me from the library.”
Amber giggled. “She was right to do that. You look terrible.”
“Wow, thanks a lot.”
“No, I meant—” She swatted at his arm with an exasperated huff. “You know what I meant!”
He snorted, though he couldn’t bring his smile to reach his eyes just yet.
Amber’s smile softened. She beckoned him forward, handing him one of the bags (I’ll keep the one with the drinks, she told him, I’ll be careful). “Come with me.”
“Where are we going?” he asked as she guided him towards the main plaza of the city, overlooked by the majestic old Favonius Cathedral. Venti’s regal statue seemed to watch him gently from above, through the canopy supported by the Gothic-style pillars. He greeted the ever-vigilant Aramis, the wily and knowledgeable Vile, Six-Fingered José who packing up his things to go spend the night at the tavern.
He half-wondered if they were going to meet Barbara at the church, but Amber took a sharp turn before they reached the gates, taking him to the side of the large building, nearer to the cemetery.
“We’re climbing,” she said proudly, gesturing to the church’s roof.
“Are we allowed?” It wasn’t as if Aether hadn’t already been here before, but Amber wasn’t exactly known for breaking the rules.
She shrugged. “There’s nothing in the Knights of Favonius handbook that forbids us from going there. Besides, the view is totally worth it! Sometimes, when I want to clear my mind, I glide off the bell tower straight into the main square.”
So, there they had it. Aether and Amber scaled the walls together, helping each other with their respective parcels. And finally, when they made it to the rooftop, Amber plopped herself down, leaning back on her hands and looking up at the sky. She patted the area beside her, signalling to Aether to sit down.
He followed suit, unwrapping the food in the bag: Sautéed Matsutake and Crispy Potato Shrimp Platter. It was still hot and aromatic—Amber had just bought it after all.
“The Good Hunter?” he asked, digging in.
“Yep. Sara never disappoints.”
“And was Paimon there?”
She turned to look at him. “As a matter of fact, she was. She asked me where you were, I just told her you were with Lisa and Kaeya. I didn’t say anything else though, since it wasn’t my place to.”
“Thanks.” He took another bite of the shrimp to feel the satisfying crunch between his teeth. “I don’t want to worry her, you know? She likes it here. Let her have her fun for as long as she can.”
Amber pursed her lips. “You say you don’t want to worry her, but she already is worried. She’d go to the ends of the world for you, Aether, and so would many of us here, myself included.” She sighed, pulling a crisp away from Aether’s plate, popping it in her mouth. “You don’t have to close yourself off like this.”
“I don’t—"
She was having none of his (frankly feeble) excuses. “You came back today, but you didn’t visit any of us. The only reason Kaeya and I got to know you were here was because he heard crying from the library and I happened to be there to return a book,” she said. “You don’t need to bear all your burdens alone. We can help, and we’re ready to help.”
He chewed on his lip, thoughts warring with each other inside his. He cared about these people, he really did. But his sister… “You shouldn’t,” he mumbled. “When I saw her… all I could think was that all this,” he gestured around him, “is finally over. I was about to leave all of you—if she hadn’t said no.”
Amber baulked for the fraction of a second, then rolled her eyes. “That’s because she’s your sister, silly. Of course that’d be the first thing on your mind. All you need to understand is that no matter where you are, Mondstadt—no, Teyvat—will always have a home and a second family for you.”
They sat there for the rest of the night, watching the greens and blues and purples of the starry aurora. Amber would steal Aether’s food with an innocent smile and Aether would crack yet another lame joke. She told him embarrassing stories about her childhood to take his mind off his bigger journey.
In those fleeting moments, Aether realised Amber was here with him, keeping him company no matter how late it was. Kaeya and Lisa were burning the midnight oil, leafing through books and piecing together a picture in the library. And Paimon… was probably fast asleep somewhere, but she’d have his side no matter what. And in these months on Teyvat, he had come to know so many other people he cared about, people he knew who cared about him.
Once you reach the end of your journey as I did, you will see for yourself the true nature of this world, Lumine had said.
Perhaps this was not what she had meant. But to Aether, the true nature of this world was as plain as day—rooted in love, selflessness, and family. And with that in mind, he set a new goal for himself. To find Lumine again—and show her the joy he had found in this wonderful world with its beautiful people.