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Inazuma is a place some might consider to be quite unfriendly for the average traveller, assuming said traveller was able to get in Inazuma in the first place with the entire region under strict lockdown as decreed by the Almighty Raiden Shogun. Between the various ruin machines that patrol the lands and the countless vagrants that inhabit the islands, plundering bystanders unfortunate enough to cross their paths, one wouldn’t be wrong to say that Inazuma is ridden with conflict and bloodshed. However, there is beauty to be seen in the islands of Inazuma for those willing enough to brave the storm. Among those brave individuals are two adventurers, the outlander from another world, Aether, and his trusty travelling companion, Paimon.
“Come on Aether, Paimon’s starving!”
“Alright, alright, calm down. Food’s almost ready”
The two had set up camp, in the Chinju Forest which rest on the Narukami Islands but not before performing a quick survey of the area to ensure that there is nothing that could pose a threat. Normally, they would have simply taken shelter in their Serenitea Pot which effectively served as their own portable pocket dimension complete with a sizeable house, kitchens and other luxuries but at the behest of Paimon, they decided to camp outside in the Chinju Forest for a change of pace. The forest itself appeared to be in a constant state of nightfall regardless of what time in the day it was. Neither Aether or Paimon really knew why this was the case and no one else they asked had an answer for them either but perhaps it is not such a bad thing. After all, the vibrant blue petals of the trees and flowers bathing in the moonlight provided a scenic view that one would be remiss to pass up.
“Anndd it’s done! Here you go, Paimon. Piping hot braised meat fresh out of the pot.”
“Mmmmmm, smells delicious. Time to dig in!”
Paimon spends no time wolfing down the contents of her bowl while Aether watched her in amusement. He was always impressed by the rate of which she can consume food, particularly her ability to eat inordinate quantities of food in one sitting despite her small appearance. Regardless, Aether was happy that she enjoyed his cooking even if her table manners leave much to be desired. He felt fortunate that he had her as his partner. As much he liked to make jabs on her whether that be her straightforward desires or her inability to help in a fight, he was still thankful for her presence. Travelling across worlds, as eventful as it can be, can be quite a lonely experience as one could go days perhaps even weeks on the road without ever seeing a single soul. Up until his arrival in Teyvat, Aether had always travelled with his sister Lumine, so he never truly felt alone during his travels but now that he was separated from her and left stranded in an unfamiliar world deprived of his powers, he grew anxious at the thought of being alone. Thankfully, it never came to pass as not long after, he had his faithful encounter with Paimon and the two would become fast friends over the course of their journey. Yes, despite it all, Aether was truly glad he had met Paimon and can hardly imagine a time where she wasn’t around.
“Aether?”
“Huh?”
Aether snapped out of his thought and realised that Paimon was looking inquisitively at him.
“Is something wrong? You haven’t eaten yet.”
“Oh right. Sorry, I was just thinking about things”
“What kind of things?”
“About our travels together.”
“Our travels? Huh, now that Paimon thinks about it, we have been through a lot haven’t we?”
“No kidding.”
“Let’s see, we snuck into Mondstadt’s church and stole a historical relic to try and help free Dvalin of his anger.”
“I wonder if that ‘magic’ Venti cast on it has worn off yet”
“And when that didn’t work, we rocked up to his lair to face him head on”
“Then we headed off to Liyue only to get involved in an elaborate test to see if the people of Liyue could stand on their own two feet without the help of Morax and the Adepti which ended in us fighting against an ancient God of the ocean”, she continued.
“Really unfortunate timing there”
“And to top it all off, we ended up going toe-to-toe with the Raiden Shogun, one of the most powerful Archons in Teyvat and you nearly died for it”
“Yeah, that wasn’t a particular pleasant time was it”
“You think? How do you think Paimon felt seeing you on the ground like that? If it weren’t for Thoma, you’d be dead!”
“Yeah, I uhhh, really gotta pay him back for that one day.”
“Jeez, it feels like no matter where we go, we somehow always manage to get caught in some history defining event or something. Paimon doesn’t want to imagine what else the future has in store for us.”
“Me neither.”
Aether stared into the sky, watching as the stars above him shine ever brightly. The battles and sights he had witnessed over the course of their journey has certainly been nothing short of interesting if a bit, dangerous. However, as a traveller, he can’t help but relish it all. He has bore witness to many cruelties from seeing the shattered aspirations of those who lost their vision from the Vision Hunt Decree, lost spirits forever wandering with no end and the tragedy of a Havria, a God who simply wished to protect her followers only to be laid to rest out of guilt and pity by the very people she wanted to protect. Yet it is exactly this that drives him forward. It was the juxtaposition between the beauty and the cruelty of the world that made all the efforts of the people he met, trying to live their life to the fullest all the more powerful. Out of all the worlds he has travelled through, none of them had quite an impact on him as Teyvat did. However, just like any other world, there may come a time when for him to leave. Every journey must have an end. Nothing last forever.
“Hey Paimon?”
“Yeah”
“When this is all said and done, what are you going to do?”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, after our journey I mean. Like Zhongli said, every journey has its end, so I was wondering what you are planning on doing when that time comes.”
Paimon crossed her arms, visibly in deep thought as she pondered Aether’s question.
“Huh, Paimon’s never thought about it before. What do you plan on doing?”
“Well, I am a traveller so there might come day when I leave this world in search of the next. After all that was my original purpose before I got stranded here.”
“Oh…”
“But with my sister leading with the abyss and everything else that has happened. I’m starting to think that returning to those times might not be possible anymore. So much has changed in such little time, it's honestly overwhelming.”
Aether’s shoulder slumped and his head hanged low. Ever since he had learned that Lumine was leading abyss, his entire world had been shaken to its core. He had so many questions to ask her. Why are you doing this? What does the Abyss have to do with anything?
Why, after all this time apart, are you looking at me like that?
Perhaps what had hurt Aether more wasn’t the fact that Lumine was the source of most of the conflict he had faced but rather the icy cold gaze she gave him. Not once during their brief reunion did Lumine show concern or even a shred of relief. Instead, only proclaiming her war on destiny and her desire to bring justice to the fallen city of Khaenri'ah, things that, to Aether, didn’t matter. All he wants is for her to come home because home…
Home is wherever they are together.
Tears began to pool slowly in Aether’s eyes, overwhelmed by his emotions. Witnessing this, Paimon wasn’t quite sure what to say. She had never seen Aether breakdown like this before and was at a loss of words. Seeing that her friend in his time of need, she resolved to cross her arms once more and poured every ounce of her brain power for a way to help him. After a short deliberation, she had finally gathered her thoughts and flew to his side.
“Umm, Paimon can’t imagine what you’re feeling right now but there’s something she wants to say. You’re not alone. She knows that so far, you’ve mostly done everything by yourself. Helping the people you meet in our travels, taking up the guild’s commissions and so much more. You’re always helping others, but she thinks that you don’t have to do it alone anymore. We have friends all over the world now who care about you like Bennett, Ganyu, Ayaka, and even Childe. You’ve done so much for them and Paimon’s sure that they’ll be more than happy to return the favour. Sure, they might not always be able to help you out but they’ll at least hear you out and you even have me. Paimon knows that compared to everyone else, she’s not exactly the most reliable companion. She can’t fight like Beidou or Childe can and she’s not as smart as Sucrose or Albedo but no matter what happens Aether, Paimon will always be with you every step of the way.
“Oh and about the question about our journey together. Paimon think it’s still too early to worry about stuff like that. We still have so many places to discover and mysterious to solve. What’s the deal with Lumine and her ‘War on Destiny’? What is the Abyss Order trying to do? How do the Archons play into the destruction of Khaenri'ah. We should take it slow and instead of worrying about something that hasn’t happened yet, we should worry about what we should do now. After all, we’ve got to show your sister that you have what it takes to learn the truth of this world “
Aether was taken aback. He was not quite expecting such a potent speech from Paimon of all people, the same person who gushes about food any chance she gets and struggles with the most basic of puzzles. It was certainly unexpected turn of events but one that he welcomed.
Aether began chuckling, amused at the current situation.
“What is it?
“Oh, just…I never thought I’d ended up being lectured by Paimon of all people”
“Huh?! Paimon’s here pouring her heart out and that’s what you have to say?!”
Paimon turned her head away, crossing her arms with her cheeks puffed, thoroughly annoyed at the idea of her heartfelt speech falling upon deaf ears
Aether, on the verge of a laughter, attempts to contain himself before trying to appease his floating companion
“Sorry, sorry. I didn’t mean anything by it. Thank you, Paimon. It really means a lot to me”
“Hmph, fine. Paimon accepts your apology now hurry up and eat, the soup’s probably gotten cold by now”
“Oh right”
Aether began eating and the soup has indeed gotten cold. However, strangely enough despite that, he could still feel its warmth radiate across his body.