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“…Unbelievable…so this is where you were…”
If someone had asked Aether who he would be talking about at the start of his Teyvat journey, he would have said that those words were reserved for Lumine, and Lumine only. But now, instead of directing them towards his blonde-haired twin, the person in front of him instead is an aging man. Somewhere in the area of 75 (human of course) years, perhaps? But despite having a head of grey balding hair, an obvious sign by itself that this man isn’t as youthful as the majority of Aether’s friends, the elder before him still has muscles and a mostly-lean physique. There’s no doubt that the passage of time hasn’t dulled his senses one bit, he hasn’t allowed himself to skip a day of training, if the Honorary Knight had to guess.
As expected from a former Knight of Favonius after all.
No, he isn’t wearing anything to signal that, especially with how far the two are away from Mondstadt. But Aether knows, this man is the person he’s been directly looking for for months. And the blonde-haired traveler isn’t even the only one searching, nor is this the longest duration that the guy has been missing to him specifically, but that’s just the luck of being the famous ‘Traveller’, huh?
Luck…? Aether scoffs and shakes his head. No, this isn’t luck…it’s thanks to everyone in Fontaine and Sumeru that I was able to track him down, especially Collei. She did everything she could…and now I can finally finish this.
He slowly approaches the older, shorter man, presence long recognized and intentions understood. Aether puts a hand on his shoulder and speaks softly to his back.
“Let’s go home…your granddaughter is waiting.”
The immediate response to this powerful claim is only silence in the chamber, aside from the two visible males natural breathing rates (Paimon safely in her special rift). Aether takes this silence as a chance to look around while his words sink in. Even in the region of Fontaine, certain domains can take on a similar appearance to their counterparts in other land, Mondstadt included. And where they are now is one such place. Rectangular by design, the room housing them came at the end of a long maze full of vines that needed climbing and air currents to glide over gaps. But now in the deepest part of the labyrinth, there’s nowhere left to go. Nearby, Aether makes out sheets of parchment, some simple packed supplies, and a stream that endlessly falls into oblivion.
Perfect place to hide away. Plentiful food, water, and safety.
“…Home?” The man’s voice…it’s raspy, but deep. Aether wonders when’s the last time it was used to speak to a live person.
He nods reassuringly though. “Yeah. Mondstadt has really changed a lot since you left. I mean, I’ve only been there three years, but still…I can’t imagine how you’ll feel.” Aether is tempted to talk about the main leaders of the city like Jean and Diluc, but decides to cut to the chase instead.
“Amber followed in your footsteps by the way…she’s the lone Outrider left in the Knights…but that doesn’t bother her at all. I hear the Grandmaster is trying to come up with a brand new title, just for her.” ‘A stupidly warm smile crosses his lips. “She really is special, you know?”
“You want to take me back home…?” Aether raises an eyebrow at those words. Yes, yes he does…didn’t he literally just imply that?
Whatever, there’s no point being vague. “Yes, I do. Don’t you want to see your granddaughter, after all these years?”
The old man almost shrinks as his hands enter a pair of pockets. Is he ashamed of the way he left, doing it so suddenly? Does he not think he can face Amber again? This thought never occurred to Aether before, but now it seems so obvious. He was gone for Mondstadt for so long, missed a lot of what made his grandchild grow into the woman she is today, that maybe he thinks she’s better off not knowing he’s still alive.
…It also could be that he believes his time on Teyvat is ending soon and it would be better not to have her go through the pain of loss again.. Perhaps his fit body is a mere front, or that he’s suffering an incurable illness. There are many such reasons why a family member wouldn’t return, Aether thinks, to say nothing of what he’s going through with Lumine. Fairly certain THAT situation is specific to him.
But Aether leans in without fear. “If you’re worried about how she’ll feel about you, please don’t… She’d absolutely love to see her family again, everybody knows this.”
Those words seem to spark some emotion from his audience, as his head lowers even more. Unknown to Aether, his right hand’s grip tightens…
But what is known to the Honorary Knight…is that a certain feeling begins to hit. One that he experiences on the regular, almost daily at that. When you’re the famous Traveller of Teyvat, one that makes any Treasure Hoards/Abyss members/local ne’er-do-wells flinch at the mere sight of you…well, you get used to recognizing danger. Betrayal included.
And right now, Aether can feel the latter in spades.
Hostility.
“Y…u don’t….ow any…” The man murmurs.
“What did you say?”
“You don’t know anything!” Now those words would’ve been enough for Aether to back off, but the quick spin around catches him by surprise as well. With speed that betrays his aged appearance, Amber’s grandfather slices at the very air Aether’s face was just occupying.
The blonde traveler can feel his eyes widen even more as he catches a flash of metal. After all, the fist that just attacked him is holding a short dagger, barely any bigger from the knives Xiangling uses to cook with. Except of course, it was very nearly stained with Aether’s blood and not some fish’s insides…if he didn’t sense the emotion just before, then his face would have a very nice cut.
‘“What..? Hey, stop!” He warns after hopping back from the sudden assailant. “What’s wrong with you?!”
A grin curls on the man’s face, taking one steady step forward. “What’s wrong with me…? You’re the one saying you’re here to take me back…” He flashes the dagger again, exuding the air one would expect from a professional. One foot slaps against the stone, two, that’s all it takes for the man to start sprinting at Aether, weapon outstretched.
“Let me get one thing through to you: I’m never. Going back. To Mondsta- ah!” Unexpectedly to him, he suddenly finds himself airborne thanks to a lone vine snaking around his ankle. It doesn’t matter that the ground was solid rock, getting through that was child’s play for Aether by now. As the attacker completes his unintended somersault, Aether takes a breath and switches his active element from Dendro back to Ameno, sending out a quick ‘airpad’ beneath the old man’s back to soften the impact.
Thud. Of course, it was just to soften, not nullify completely.
It’s at this point that Paimon pops out from wherever she exactly goes in the first place, clearly relieved they aren’t in assault range. “Hey!” She directs her ire to the slowly-getting-up grandfather. “What the heck are you doing! Aether came to reunite you with Amber, and you respond with a weapon?!”
Hands on his knees now, the elder lets out a loud grunt and stands on shaky legs, said weapon still in hand. There’s a pause in the motion- perhaps he’s starting to see reason? - before a very telegraphed wide slash happens straight at Aether’s right shoulder. Concern that his girlfriend’s archery skills were taught from this… insane man causes the adventurer to take a precautionary step backward, even as the cut misses. But with the lunge, the attacker’s momentum increases, leading into another close swipe.
Paimon has flew out of range, but Amber’s grandfather doesn’t even slightly care, still trying to hit Aether. But the Honorary Knight easily dips and dodges every slash, Ameno powers providing a downright unneeded boost to his evasion as well. As skilled as the man might be considering his age, the hands of time still effect every being in existence. So against a current Knight of Favonius? Sure, the danger would be very real. But against an otherworldly being like Aether? This is absolutely nothing compared to his fights with gods, Harbingers, and mechanical monstrosities.
With that being said, Paimon grows concerned. Not even for her best friend’s safety, but rather what’s he isn’t doing…Aether is not even trying to pull out his sword or use any elemental power…
“Aether, fight back already!” She calls out over the grunts.
“I can’t do that Paimon.”
That answer wasn’t what she was expecting. “What?! Why?!”
“Because…it’s Amber’s grandfather…” He sidesteps another attack. “If I carelessly strike him..it might just-“
“…Oh…” With that, the “trap” that her friend is under becomes clear to Paimon, but after a moment, she speaks again, not done offering ideas. “What if you just try to knock him out then? We could capture him and take him back to Mondstadt that way.”
“Ha ha ha!” To her shock, it’s Amber’s grandfather who violently laughs at the fairy’s idea, pausing for a brief moment as he does so. “Oh Paimon, you’re so clueless it hurts!”
“Hey, Paimon is not…..wait, how do you know who Paimon is?!”
He rolls his eyes before going back to attacking Aether. “Are you kidding…who hasn’t heard of the “hero” Aether and his…flying emergency food Paimon?”
“Oh come on! That joke is so old!”
“WhatEVER!” He attempts a diagonal slash, but the blonde jumps back. “Do you really think he has that ability, the necessary precision needed to knock someone out but not kill them? Especially…” He stops moving again and puts his hands into pockets. “A p-poor grandfather like me…?”
For the first time here, Aether gets angry with that taunt. How dare he use his “status” like this…!
“But if you don’t believe me Paimon, here’s his chance.” Suddenly the blonde is met with a pair of dulled golden eyes sizing him up, but not slicing. So that’s where she got the color from…
“Do it, boy. Hit me with your sword. See if you can knock out your girlfriend’s family without killing!” He cackles and wheezes at the challenge given.
A rush of color emerges on Aether’s cheeks…he even knows about their relationship. But it’s gone just as quick, no thanks to the blade being pointed at his nose.
“Well?!”
Calmly, Aether looks at the former Knight, back up at Paimon, then again at the old man. It really wasn’t supposed to be like this, but this is an ideal time to say his objective again…
“I don’t have a reason to fight you, nor do I want to. All I want to do is take you back to Mondstadt with me.”
He meets knife with an open palm. “She’s waiting.”
Paimon watches in awe. “Aether…”
For just a moment, the weapon draws back. And for just a moment, the Honorary Knight regains his smile. “Even if you do not…”
There’s that feeling again.
“I still do!” The dagger is immediately thrust in a powerful motion upwards, directly at Aether’s head. From the background, a floating companion gasps and almost can’t look.
Aether just sighs. Ducking at the last moment before steel meets skin, he kicks out his leg at the grandfather’s leading ankle. And this time as the attacker begins to flip, he puts his hand on the side of the body and utters one word. A simple one too, one that’s been at his side since the beginning of his journey.
“Windblade.”
No it wasn’t at full power, not even close. But the goal is still met. As the Ameno energy releases from his wrist, the grandfather is sent skipping against the stone pavement, going quite the distance away from the “young” man. It’s very similar to rolling down a hill, Aether observes, except unintentional and… more painful. Speaking of which-
“Sorry about that.” He remarks after seeing an old body twitch. “I haven’t been to Snezhnaya yet, so no ice slide to gracefully take you across the ground. Hope you enjoyed the trip though.” There’s an innocent smile shown off here, one that would annoy Paimon if, of course, the other person didn’t fully deserve it.
“Y-you…bastard.” Amber’s grandfather crawls to his forearms and knees, breathing heavily, knife miraculously held onto. Seeing an old man in pain like this makes Aether feel bad for a split second, but not longer. Immediately the color on his armor and earpiece switch from green to golden, a change he has made too many times to count. Feeling the same hostility emanating, he takes a deep breath in…and drops three boulders to the old man’s left, right, and directly behind him.
“What are you-“
“Take a time out.” Aether mocks, finishing his work with a fourth barrel directly in front.
“Nice work!” Paimon celebrates, flying back down to shoulder height. “You’ve captured him! What now? Should we stuff him in the teapot?”
“Ooh, that’s an idea I hadn’t thought about, but…”`Aether eyes his constructed prison. “I think he first needs to stop.”
As he says this, a sharp clank can be heard coming from the walls of Geo, followed by a furious grunt.
“Hey old man!” Aether calls. “That’s real rock, no trick there. You can try climbing of course, but be aware that I can just make more walls before you could get away.” What he’s not telling the captive is that he can still peer inside the cage, the barrels don’t connect perfectly after all. But it’s perfect for this scenario, and that’s what matters most. Aether admires his handiwork as the sounds of anger gradually fade, delighted by his increased control. It wasn’t long ago that just one Geo construct was all he could manage, but now making full blockade is entirely possible. Guess all that time with Zhongli paid off. Didn’t think I’d be using it like this though…
A few minutes go by in complete silence, Aether and Paimon just waiting for what the next move from Amber’s grandfather will be. The adventurer notes that he has stopped attacking the walls, recognizing it as futile. Which means-
“…Fine. Release me, and I won’t attack you.” Aether wryly smiles at the voice for trying to keep up some sense of pride. But with a quick stomp on the ground, the wall directly separating the two men vanishes instantly, as if it was never there to begin with.
Amber’s grandfather stands in the same spot, head lowered. His right hand is still around the knife handle, with the other one in pockets.
“Toss your knife to me or throw it away.” Aether orders. “Now.”
There are a couple possibilities that the adventurer could see happening. Maybe the man, after seeing Aether use a whopping three elements and obviously holding back for each of them, might finally stop attacking and submit. Or, even with knowing how strong the Honorary Knight is, he may choose to recklessly charge ahead, though it would be laughable at this distance. Of course, trying to flee may also be in the cards...this “fight” has shown Aether that Amber’s grandfather certainly has speed left.
But the Honorary Knight was all wrong. There’s no way he could’ve seen this coming.
Slowly, the old man slinks to the ground, landing on his knees with legs beneath. Such a posture reminds Aether of a young schoolboy, with a straight back and all, as if he’s about to bow down to the floor and beg for forgiveness. But instead-
“If…I can’t stop you…” He rasps, a brand new ugly feeling coming over Aether at every word. “You’ll have to stop me!”
Lazily, the knife in his right hand spins around…until the blade is pointed right at the very wielder’s throat.
Paimon shrieks. “No!! He’s gonna…!”
“Hey, what are you doing?!” Aether screams, a true rarity for him. “STOP!”
But he receives only a downright toxic smile in return. “I told you, whelp! I’m NEVER going back to Mondstadt! …See you in the Abyss!”
The weapon threatening to end the grandfather’s life, strangely, doesn’t move at all with the shouts. But Aether doesn’t notice one bit. He has to save Amber’s only family, no matter what…! Much like when he was encountering a certain Electro Archon for the first time, he switches elements yet again to move instantly. With literal electricity flowing around him, the traveller is able to bridge the gap between the two in seconds.
Body now moving at top speed, Aether focuses on the knife in hand. He doesn’t even have to dive into the grandfather’s chest or anything…if he can just get to the weapon in time!
It doesn’t even occur to the Honorary Knight that something isn’t right, even as the knife hand continues to hesitate on its’ follow through. He should be perfectly safe right? After all, there’s no way anybody has the sheer reflexes needed to spin it back around on the blonde hero.
All the well then, that the surprise isn’t coming from the weapon Aether can see.
From the other hand, the one always buried in pockets, slowly reveals itself to its’ unsuspecting victim. A purple glint flashes across aged fingers.
And while Aether remains oblivious, Paimon can see it all. But the second she does, it’s already far too late to stop her best friend. He’s running into unknown danger, trying to save Amber’s grandfather from himself (or so he believes).
Paimon can’t remember what she shouts, only that she does. But her cries fall on deaf ears, as a certain left hand finally reveals its’ contents: Another knife, this one smaller with a very distinct bright purple tip. So distinct, in fact, that in his last steps, Aether can feel his head turn slightly to the right. Not that it changes much.
Using the same burst of speed as his first attack, Amber’s grandfather thrusts his new weapon forward.
Now Paimon really can’t watch.
-0-
“….You...monster…you were never going…to hurt yourself….” This day is just full of surprises, first the Honorary Knight screams at somebody, now he directly insults them. It’s a wild one for all involved…of course though, Aether isn’t finding the current events to be that amusing, knife in his right side and all. Not being a healer, he isn’t sure if it was lucky that the blade missed his ribs or not, but… he does believe this should hurt a hell of a lot more. Instead the direct pain is minimal, but his arms have flopped uselessly towards their sides and feel tingly… This can only mean-
“Imbued with…Electro, huh?”
The man at the other end of the dagger sunk into Aether’s body lets loose a small grin, obviously content. “You may want to cover up down there now…I’m not sure my granddaughter will like her boyfriend with a huge…GASH!”
Ah there’s the pain. In time with the knife being forcibly removed, there’s a vile scream as the full force of the electrical current is felt by the blonde, his own element doing nothing to counteract this. Aether’s vision gets stained red as the blood leaves his body which flops down right after. Somehow his arms catch him from faceplanting however, though his vision is now met with a stone floor.
“Powerful stuff huh?” The elder chortles. “Gotten from Treasure Hoarders. Instead of making bombs that last for seconds, just spread it on a weapon and you too have a Vision! Great for the hunter and hunted alike!”
He leans down, wanting to whisper something, but is interrupted by of all things, Paimon. Seeing him so close to Aether, in this position, is enough to get the fairy to snap out of her stun and do something.
“HIII-YAH!”
In this case, it was a shoulder directly to the face of the grandfather, making him stumble back precious steps.
“Get away from Aether!!”
“Why…YOU…!” Regaining his composure, the attacker stands back up fully, and takes several ominous steps back towards Paimon. The other knife, the one without Aether’s blood, is shown off and catches some light. Paimon would never admit it, but she’s terrified right now… but she needs to protect her friend!
“Paimon…get out of here…get help!” Those words come out, strained as they may be, from the person in question.
“W-What?! No! If Paimon leaves now, then this man…is going to...…is going to....” She chokes up at the mere thought. If only she could fight too…
“…H-He won’t kill me…!”
Both attacker and protector look at Aether like he’s just grown a second head. “What do you mean?!” Paimon demands from the fallen boy. “He literally JUST stabbed you!”
“Stop pretending you know me!” Amber’s grandfather seethes, almost spitting. “You have no idea what I’m going to do!” Both knives are shown now, one in each hand. Paimon sees this and spreads out her limbs to act as separation. The unspoken words are obvious; ‘If you want him, you’ll have to go through me.’
“You’re…right…” Aether wheezes, stopping any more conflict, for now. “I don’t know you…I wonder if Amber ever really did either…but you must know…”
Using all of his rapidly-depleting energy, he looks back up at the aged face before him. Conveying the seriousness of what needs to be said is difficult with electricity in his veins…
“If you actually hurt me or Paimon, you will not survive the week.”
A heavy scowl is returned, but no further moves are made...Paimon glances back at the mention of her name with a curious look. “What do you mean...?”
“He knows who we are Paimon…so surely he also knows what we’ve done. And that we have a certain ‘habit’…of befriending people in positions of power…”
There’s a weak smile from the adventurer to counter the absolutely poisonous glare Amber’s grandfather is giving. However he’s not interrupting, so Aether takes that as a sign to continue on. After a deep breath-
“You’ve been in hiding for what? S-Seven years now? Do you really…want to have every government and organization in Teyvat hunting you down, over this?! And…” A certain Harbinger comes to mind right here. “I can think of at least one person…who wouldn’t hesitate if it came to a fight.”
With his point made, Aether’s arms finally gave out, making the blonde collide with floor. After yelping in surprise, Paimon takes her eyes off the assailant and flies down to check her friend, getting confirmation that he’s still conscious. Nonetheless, as she’s literally peeling his head off the floor. this affords the perfect time to whisper something:
“Look at my shoulder…”
“Huh? What do-“ Luckily without moving, the fairy catches the change in color from the specified location. A deep blue light where violet once shone, reminding her of Mondstadt’s ocean. “…You’re healing already?”
“T-try…ing to…you need to get away from here and get help…!”
“B-But Paimon could never…”
“It’s fine…” Aether closes his eyes. “Notice how he hasn’t done…a-anything…”
She doesn’t dare look back at the source of the malevolent aura, but Paimon still feels the frustration in spades…like Amber’s grandfather knows that, as Aether says, he can’t really do anything besides incapacitate him.
“Pa..Paimon, t-trust me.”
“……F-F-Fine! Paimon will, but Paimon is coming back for you as quick as she can!” Despite her convincing words, tears stain the ground under the floating being. With a quick hug on Aether, she flies away as fast as possible…with the grandfather never doing anything to try and prevent the escape.
After a moment of realizing that there are only two people left in the domain.
“Hmph. I guess I’ll be leaving too.”
But at those words, a hand suddenly springs forth and snatches one of the old man’s ankles.
“Not….yet! Tell me….one thing….!”
Amber’s grandfather easily breaks the grip with a step backwards. “I don’t owe you anything, boy. I’m not waiting around for your fairy friend to show back up!”
But Aether ignores him and goes ahead. “…Why? W-Why don’t you want…to see Amber again? What’s your…problem with Mondstadt??”
The adventurer can’t see this, but there’s a moment where the old wrinkled face of his attacker softens up and makes no further move to retrieve his stuff. Aether is unsure whether or not he’ll actually get an answer, so all he can do is work to stay conscious long enough to listen. He can feel the new Hydro energy flowing through, working overtime to keep him up.
“…Why did Amber have to look up to me so much...?”
“Huh?” Aether raises a brow that goes unremarked on. “What do…you mean? S-shouldn’t you be happy….?”
“…When I formed the Outriders…we got to go on missions all across Mondstadt and beyond. Liyue, Sumeru, the northern mountains…we were truly free.” A nostalgic sigh is heard as the adventurer remains silent, talking here might lead to a different tangent.
“That same freedom was what I wanted to give Amber most of all…protecting your homeland is a great feeling, greater still when you get to experience other lands…”
“But?” Aether guesses, temporarily disregarding the fact that this man just injured him.
“I realized too late that by following my lead, she was dooming herself to forever live in Mondstadt. She was always fiercely loyal, I should have known better…and whether she knows it subconsciously or not, she will never have the same freedom I did.”
“My encouragement ended up robbing her of what Mondstadt prides itself on. And once I think like that, regrets are always next. If I had pushed her to be a merchant instead, would she be able to actually explore the lands beyond? What about a scholar? Was an Outrider ironically the most stifling life she could’ve chosen?”
A brief silence is next as it becomes clear that the elder is done with his synopsis. There’s more to this, but for now-
“I….think you’re…dead wrong…”
“Hm?“
“Inspiration and freedom… are not opposites…!” Aether protests, gasping for air. “Amber may have…wanted to follow in your footsteps, but…she makes the choice…every day… t-to keep being a Knight!”
“And look where that has gotten her!” The Ex-Outrider shoots back immediately. “Stuck! Working for citizens that are too lazy to help themselves, fighting off prejudice towards her best friend, and having to look after the Acting Grandmaster! One day she’ll realize what a huge world there is outside of Mondstadt…! But it’ll be too late by then. Even I can’t do everything I want out here.”
“Then go h…home!”
He shakes his head slowly. “You’re a fool, that’d be tantamount to giving up my own freedom. You really think they’d allow me to leave the city again after a seven-year absence? I’d have a Knight spying on me, never letting me out of his sight, every day until I died.” With a new snicker across his face, “What kind of ‘freedom’ that would be, especially for their previous Outrider.”
Aether grits his teeth. “You’re…not worthy of that title!”
“Oh shut up.” A violent kick collides with the blonde’s shoulder, destroying any lingering hope that his shaky arms could get him up. “You don’t get to lecture anyone about freedom, Outlander. You’re beholden to nobody, you will outlive everyone in Mondstadt, and who knows what you plan on doing when you find that sibling? Will there even be a reason to stick with Amber?”
“Of course…there will! Because…I lo-“
“Ugh, enough, don’t make me gag.” Unexpectedly to Aether, the man’s presence completely covers him. An grimace takes over as his cape-like accessory get separated via a swat to each of his sides.
“H-Hey! You do know… what will happen right…?”
“Heh, this is just to give a little more…cover!” At the last word, Amber’s grandfather plunges a knife into Aether’s back again, right next to his spine. There’s no way for the boy to tell which weapon it was, but the sudden explosion of electricity originating from the new wound does a damn good job answering that.
“Just think~” The voice above him goes as he literally twists the knife. “The Honorary Knight himself, the man who defeated Stormterror and won heaps of praise throughout the land. He can’t stop a feeble old man. How disappointing.”
The pain overwhelms Aether, paralyzing all motion. He can’t even scream, but he can mutter with the oxygen he has left.
“Yo…u…..son..of a-“
“What was that?” Taunts the figure. Aether can feel the knife be removed all too clearly, silencing him with painful shocks. With nothing to stop itself, more blood begins trickling through the second gash. “It’s alright, you’ll live. Probably.”
“C….coward….!” With that little edge in his voice, Aether closes his eyes again. There’s nothing else to say, nothing else to do, besides focus on healing himself and wait for Paimon to return. Sadly for him, Amber’s grandfather knows that the fallen adventurer will indeed be fine…so he immediately gets to gathering his stuff and leaving the domain.
And despite being two very different men with two very different outlooks, they both have similar thoughts at this moment.
For Aether, it’s “How am I going to face Amber again after this?”
And for the ex-Outrider, it’s “Is there really no way to not see Amber again?”
They both think of happier times with the girl in question.