Work Text:
(Disclaimer: The characters in this story don't actually look like that.)
Once upon a time, in a faraway land beneath the world of Teyvat, there lay a swamp known as the Abyss. In the Abyss, there was a fearsome demon who claimed the land as his own, the Abyss Prince known as Aether.
“What in the Abyss name is that kind of intro!?” Aether cried out as he stared at the narrator. “Do a proper introduction to the story!”
“Geez,” the narrator said. “You're so picky. Fine, I'll change the intro for you.”
Once upon a time, there was a lovely princess. But she had an enchantment upon her of a fearful sort which could only be broken by love's first kiss. She was locked away in a castle guarded by a terrible fire-breathing dragon. Many brave knights had attempted to free her from this dreadful prison, but none prevailed. She waited in the dragon's keep in the highest room of the tallest tower. For her true love and true love's first kiss.
“That intro is terrible!” Aether said, his arms crossed as he scowled at the text. “It's not even about the main plot!”
“Deal with it!” the narrator retorted and the story continued.
Every night, an angry mob would gather together, and march forth into the Abyss, demanding for the Abyss Prince to leave their lands (that they stole from the Abyss) and every night, Aether would have to saunter over and scare them away, only for them to come back again the following night.
Unbeknownst to him, the kingdom closest to the Abyss had been gathering magical creatures of various origins for their nefarious schemes. Dainsleif had been embarrassingly caught when he was traipsing across rooftops in broad daylight while investigating the cause. So here he was, fleeing from an army of guards right until he and the guards bumped into the Abyss Prince and his much larger army of Abyss monsters.
The guards were quick to retreat against such an overwhelming sight of monsters, leaving Dainsleif alone with a very tired-looking Aether.
“So,” Dainsleif said as he looked down at Aether, “do you have a place where I can sleep?”
The returning scowl was well-deserved honestly.
As it turns out, Aether did in fact have a place where Dainsleif could stay overnight. However, the next day, he had to put his foot down when it looked as if all the magical creatures from Teyvat had invited themselves into his home.
“Get out!” Aether shouted at the horde, only for them to cheer at his presence.
“Your highness! Remember, inner peace!” one of the Abyss Mage said when they noticed their prince seething in rage.
The Abyss Prince took a deep breath, in and out, repeating until he finally regained a scrap of his sanity. Then he got his minions to summarise an explanation for why everyone seemed to be seeking sanctuary in the Abyss before disappearing into his room to scream into the pillows. After he heard the reason why, Aether shamelessly screamed angrily into the pillows in front of his minions.
According to the Abyss Mages, Lord Scaramouche had been gathering magical creatures against their will for an unknown purpose. In a bid to escape his clutches, the creatures fled to the Abyss in hopes that the Abyss Prince would be able to protect them.
“If I talk to him, will you guys leave?” Aether asked and the people collectively agreed.
(He wondered offhandedly if he had just made a terrible mistake.)
As Aether had never once left his swamp in centuries, he needed someone to guide him to the castle where Lord Scaramouche lived. When he asked for a volunteer (purposefully not looking in Dainsleif's direction), no one stepped forward. When he begged for a volunteer (purposefully still not looking in Dainsleif's direction), no one stepped forward. When he glanced at Dainsleif, the man smugly smiled and Aether had to be held back by several Abyss Mages to stop him from strangling him.
Dainsleif took Aether to the castle in Mondstadt, a hideous giant castle in the middle of the kingdom that towered over everything. Aether whistled at the sight of such an enormous eyesore.
“Do you think maybe he's compensating for something?” Aether asked before laughing loudly at his own joke while Dainsleif stared at him in confusion.
The two then hastily made their way into the castle once Aether realised that Dainsleif was not laughing at his joke. Dainsleif, being the useful guide that he was, led Aether in the completely wrong direction to the throne room. Aether only found out when Dainsleif admitted that he did not in fact know the way when they had spent hours wandering aimlessly in the castle. They decided to walk around in the suspiciously empty castle until they found someone who could give directions only to end up finding a flyer about some kind of recruitment in the castle, complete with a map of where to go. With no other information they could use, Aether decided to check out the location and hoped that the lord would be there while Dainsleif wanted to tag along because he had nothing better to do.
When the two found themselves standing in the middle of a group of knights openly mocking them, Aether wondered how much would he have to pay off Celestia if he erased Mondstadt from Teyvat. When the trumpets started blaring, Aether began planning how to destroy Mondstadt. He still had those colossus machines lying around, if he were to find a new power supply for them, he could have the entire kingdom levelled in a single day.
“Brave knights!” a voice called out from above and Aether had to squint to make out a vague figure holding a microphone on a tower balcony. “You are the best and brightest in all the land, not including me, and today, one of you shall prove themself better and brighter than the rest.”
“Dainsleif,” Aether said, never once breaking eye contact with the person on the balcony. “I think we're in the wrong place.”
“An astute observation,” Dainsleif said, also looking up at the person on the balcony.
“That champion shall have the honour -- no, no -- the privilege to go forth and rescue the lovely Princess Xiao from the fiery keep of the dragon. If for any reason the winner is unsuccessful, the first runner-up will take his place. And so on, so forth. Some of you may die, but it's a sacrifice I am willing to make,” the lord said as he laughed loudly.
The duelling ground was quiet and someone in the background coughed.
“With that out of the way, let the tournament begin!”
Not wanting to play along with this charade any longer, Aether created a large rock pillar beneath him and Dainsleif, sending them up into the air much to the loud gasps of surprise and disgust from the people below.
“What the-? Who the heck is this? He looks like a disgusting worm!” Lord Scaramouche commented as he gagged in disgust.
“Wow, that's so rude, it's just Dainsleif,” Aether said while Dainsleif raised a brow at the comment.
“Knights!” Lord Scaramouche shouted into the microphone. “New plan! Whoever kills them will become the champion!”
The knights roared in affirmation and began climbing up the pillar. Aether looked over at Dainsleif who shrugged and said, “Well, do something about it before we get captured and killed. If I die, I'm going to haunt your ghost.”
Aether scowled at the man before he let loose a spiral of wind around the pillar to knock the climbing knights off. The strong wind swirled around the stone pillar, preventing anyone from getting close. He smiled smugly then frowned when he noticed a large group of soldiers aiming their bows at him.
“You know, I was joking about dying before, but if I really die, I want it on my tombstone that it's your fault,” Dainsleif said as he coated his hands with black flames.
The lord stared at the two, his cold gaze sending shivers down Aether's spine but he held his stance, not wanting to show any weaknesses to him.
“Shall I give the order, sir?” one of the soldiers asked.
The lord laughed before he said, “No, I have a better idea. People of Mondstadt! I give you our champion!”
“Wait, what?” Aether said dumbly as the people who were out to kill him cheered.
“Wait, what?” Dainsleif said as fanfare played in the background.
“Congratulations, trash. You've won the honour of embarking on a great and noble quest.”
“Who cares!? I just want my swamp back!”
“Your swamp?”
“Yes, my swamp! Where you dumped all those magical creatures!”
The lord sighed loudly in annoyance as if he was forced to fix the problem when he was the one who caused this problem in the first place. “Fine, I'll make you a deal. Go on this quest for me, and I'll give you your swamp back.”
“Exactly as what it was before and with all those creatures gone?”
“Yes.”
“Deal. Now tell me about the quest…”
And that was how Aether and Dainsleif found themselves walking towards a castle where Princess Xiao stayed and was supposedly guarded by a ferocious red dragon.
“Let me get this straight,” Dainsleif said, bringing up his hands to count each point. “You're going to fight a dragon and rescue a princess just so Scaramouche would give you your swamp back that you no longer have because he filled it with magical creatures. Is that about right?”
“Yes, it's my swamp, my Abyss, and I'm the ruling prince of it.”
“I don't get it. Why not just beat him up and get your swamp back? You're the Abyss Prince, you have the power to do so!”
Aether stopped in his tracks, forcing Dainsleif to stop as well, and sighed loudly. “I could have invaded all the neighbouring villages and slaughtered everyone. I could have murdered the lord in front of everyone in cold blood and mounted his head on a pike for the world to see. Does that sound good to you?”
Dainsleif opened his mouth to say something but no words came out before he forced himself to close it. Aether glared at the man, watching as he looked away, not wanting to meet his eyes. “For your information, there's a lot more to being the Abyss Prince than what people think.”
“Give me an example of what you mean.”
“An example?” Aether asked, confused, and Dainsleif nodded his head. He looked around for something that he could use to explain what he meant and spotted a bruised onion on the ground. He retrieved the onion and brought it to Dainsleif, holding up the vegetable in front of the man's face. “Okay, um, Abyss Princes are like onions.”
“They stink?”
“Yes — No!”
“They make you cry?”
“No!”
“Oh, you leave them in the sun, they get all brown and start sprouting little white hairs.”
“No! Layers! Abyss Princes have layers! Onions have layers! Do you get it? We both have layers!”
Dainsleif stared at Aether in silence for a long minute before he said, “I don't get it.”
Aether understandably screamed in frustration and threw the onion onto the muddy ground.
The two continued to make their way to the castle, following a crumpled map given to them by the lord. They traversed over grassy plains, crossed over raging rivers, and fought the monsters lurking on these empty lands. The time they spent had brought them closer and Aether could almost call Dainsleif a friend, something he had not had for a very long time.
They arrived in front of an active volcano, smoke drifting out from the top and steam spewing out from the many vents around it. Lava flowed endlessly down the sides and the smell of sulphur was thick in the air. They continued to make their way to the crater, avoiding lava rivers and steam vents as they went. They found the castle perched on an island in the middle of a lava lake, a single rope bridge connecting the castle to the mainland. The legendary ferocious dragon was nowhere to be found but that did not mean it might not be lurking nearby. When they arrived at the rope bridge, there was a new problem.
“I shall wait for you here,” Dainsleif said, standing beside the bridge.
“What?” Aether said, stopping in the middle of the bridge. “Why?”
Dainsleif shrugged before he answered. “I'm scared of heights.”
Aether stared at the man before smacking his face with the palm of his hand. He marched back to the man, grabbed him by his hand, and dragged him across the bridge. Dainsleif snatched his hand back when they reached the other side, flexing his hand as he muttered a small “thanks” to Aether.
They stood in front of the ornate doors, and yet, the dragon that was supposedly guarding the castle was still nowhere to be found. Aether pushed the door open with a blast of wind, causing the heavy stone doors to shatter, opening a small hole through it instead. Dainsleif whistled in awe at the sight of an advanced magic display before following the Abyss Prince into the castle.
“Who is causing that racket?” someone shouted from deep inside, making both Aether and Dainsleif shift into a combat stance.
Then came a deafening roar, echoing from within the castle, that sent chills down Aether's spine. Looks like they found the dragon.
Aether spotted a large shadow on the wall, the shape vaguely resembling a monster as it moved across the castle wall. He looked up at where the shadow would have come from, but there was no one he could see on the second floor. He felt Dainsleif's back against him as his eyes darted around the spacious hall trying to find a threat. Then he felt his hair stand on end, quickly grabbing Dainsleif and pulling him down to the floor with him as a sword sailed over where his head would have been.
He looked up, staring at the stuck sword on the ground and the first thing he noted was how familiar it looked. The second thing he noted when he got off the ground was his sister staring at him in surprise.
“Lumine?” Aether said as he stared at his sister in disbelief. “What in Abyss are you doing here?”
“Aether? What am I doing here? What are you doing here?” his sister threw back, making Aether gasp in outrage.
“Wha-? I asked you first!”
“This is my home!” Lumine answered in anger. “Now tell me what are you doing here?”
“Your home? When did you get a castle?”
“...It's free real estate.”
“Lumine…” Aether said, even as his sister broke eye contact to look away in guilt. “Please don't tell me you're squatting in another person's castle.”
“I'm not! I pay rent! I found the place and stayed for a few months before I realised it was occupied.”
Aether sighed loudly in disappointment, only to yelp in surprise not a second later when something bit his ankle.
“Paimon!” Lumine shouted, running over to her brother and pulling a small lizard off his foot. The tiny white winged-lizard hissed in anger, scrabbling in Lumine's arms to get at Aether while the latter backed away and hid behind Dainsleif.
“What in Abyss is that thing!?”
“How rude! That's just Paimon, my pet dragon.”
A dragon? “That's the ferocious red dragon!?” Aether exclaimed in disbelief as he stared at that vicious rabid scaly creature in his sister's arms.
“That was-!” Lumine said before cutting herself off to groan. “I spill red paint on Paimon one time and no one ever forgets it.”
“And the enormous part?”
“Exaggeration?”
“Can we please go talk to the owner of this castle now?” Dainsleif asked, interrupting the two.
In the end, Aether opted to go find Princess Xiao alone while Dainsleif remained in the hall with Lumine and her pet dragon. He climbed up the spiral staircase, his footsteps echoing as he continued to make his way up. He could feel his heart beating, anxious at his first meeting with a princess. Would she be the same as Lord Scaramouche? Whatever, it did not matter what she was like, he wanted the people gone from his swamp so he could have his normal life back.
He pushed against the wooden door, the door creaking as it slowly swung open. He stepped inside, noticing a figure leaning out against the balcony railing. The person turned around and the first thing Aether said was, “You're not a princess.” Which was then followed by, “You're a fat bird!”
The giant bird squawked and in a single flap of its wings, appeared in front of the Abyss Prince and slapped him with one of its giant wings. Aether hit the wall, bloodying his nose and swearing loudly as he fell to the ground.
“How dare you insult my true form!” the bird said, glaring at Aether. “Who are you and what are you doing in my castle?”
“I was asked to save you,” Aether answered from where he was lying on the ground. “If you don't need saving, I'm going back to Mondstadt and killing the lord.”
“You're the gallant knight? You look nothing like what I expected one to be. If you are what you say you are then I have but one request, please grant me a kiss.”
Aether stared blankly at the giant bird. He blinked and stared again for a minute longer before bursting into uncontrollable laughter. He laughed until tears fell out and laughed even harder. By the time he finally got his laughter under control, his sides were aching and his back hurt from lying down on the floor for too long. Xiao looked unamused but Aether was unsure if that was the case, it was too difficult to tell from the expression.
“Come on,” Aether said as he stood up and wiped away the blood from his nose. “Let's get out of here so I can go back home.”
“Wha-? Are you sure you do not wish to receive your reward now from me?”
“Yeah, no, my reward is waiting for me back in Mondstadt. Look, don't force my hand because I can and will carry you back if I have to.”
The bird narrowed its beady eyes, as if daring Aether to follow through with what he said. The Abyss Prince shrugged and well, Xiao did ask for it.
“Unhand me, you vile creature!” Xiao shouted as it tried to wiggle out of Aether's tight grip. However, its wings were pinned to its sides and it was unable to free them. With no other choice, the bird sulked as the Abyss Prince triumphantly returned to the sight of Dainsleif seated on a luxurious couch and sipping wine offered to him by Lumine as he petted Paimon who was resting on his lap.
Aether took in the sight and decided he did not want to know before making his quick getaway. Dainsleif quickly followed after him, not before bidding Lumine and Paimon farewell.
“You could've stayed,” Aether said, glancing over at Dainsleif to which the man shrugged but made no comment.
The bird was only released once they had put a considerable amount of distance between them and the volcano. It puffed itself up and glared at Aether who ignored the creature and began doing some stretches.
“You're heavier than you look,” Aether commented, earning another smack from the bird.
Dainsleif stared at the bird in confusion. “Weren't you getting the princess?” he asked and Xiao squawked loudly in protest.
“I am not a princess! I am a prince!”
There was a beat of silence and Aether groaned loudly. “Are you kidding me?” he asked, glaring at the giant bird. “You're not even the princess we're looking for? Where is Princess Xiao then?”
Xiao looked as offended as a bird could possibly look, as if the very concept of him being a princess was insulting to his very being. “I am Prince Xiao, son of Emperor Zhongli. I am not a princess, I am a prince.”
“Can you pretend to be a princess then?”
“No!”
“Look, the quest stipulates that we have to save Princess Xiao and bring her back to the castle. We need a princess, not a prince.”
“And how is that my problem?”
“If you pretend to be a princess, it would solve our problem.”
“I am not pretending to be a princess!”
“Why not? I'm sure you'll look pretty in a dress and a princess crown.”
“I am not wearing a dress!”
“Well, I'll just tell the lord you are the princess then.”
“Are you even listening!?”
In the end, they came to a compromise when Xiao threatened to return to his castle. Aether would not force the prince into a dress and princess crown, nor would he call him a princess. In return, Xiao would allow himself to be saved and escorted to the lord where he may explain that they got the princess part wrong even if they got the name right.
“The prophecy said that I had to be rescued and receive a kiss by my one true love, a royalty from a foreign land. As there is no way a brute like you could be a prince, it would seem I might have to speak with the lord to rescue me from your clutches,” Xiao grumbled out in irritation.
The journey was mostly uneventful. Dainsleif would talk about random topics, breaking up the monotonous silence. Aether would join in at times, usually to make a counterpoint and occasionally, Xiao would join in as well. The bird prince preferred to keep to himself, even when they sat down for meals but as time went on, he decided to sit closer to Aether and Dainsleif. However, every day without fail, the moment the sun began to set, dying the sky orange, he would demand the party to rest even when the two tried to insist that they were fine to travel through the night. He would create an enclosed space with his magic, enter it, and lock the door to it, preventing anyone from taking even a single peep inside.
Aether could easily tear that space open, it was the same magic he used for his swamp, albeit on a much larger scale. He could but he respected Xiao's privacy. However, that did not stop his curiosity or his suspicion. In the end, it did not matter what secrets Xiao wanted to hide, once they reached the castle, it was farewell forever. So he stared at the sealed rift before lying down and turning over. He closed his eyes and tried to fall asleep to the crackling fire.
“What will you do once you get your swamp back?” Dainsleif asked as he nudged the campfire with a stick. His eyes were drawn down to the orange flames, even as the question was posed to the Abyss Prince.
“I'm going to seal it up, build a barrier to keep everyone out, then live my life in peace,” Aether answered without turning over.
“Everyone? Are you sure about that?”
Aether sat up and glared at Dainsleif who was watching over the campfire. “What are you implying?”
“You're not trying to keep everyone from getting in, I think you're trying to stop someone from getting out,” Dainsleif said, matching Aether's glare.
Aether growled, a deep feral beastly growl, but Dainsleif remained unperturbed at the display. “You are one step away from something you will regret.”
“And you are hiding something,” Dainsleif countered, making Aether snarl in retaliation and bare the fangs he had hidden.
“Leave me alone,” he warned but the man was having none of it.
“Why won't you tell me? What are you hiding? Who are you trying to stop from getting out?”
“Why in the Abyss do you want to know? It's none of your business!”
“Why don't you want to talk about it? Who are you trying to stop from getting out?”
“It's me, okay! It's me that I'm trying to stop!”
Dainsleif stared at Aether, the latter panting after the outburst. He stared, unflinching, as he asked, “Why?”
“Everyone in the world hates me, even the magical creatures. The older ones anyway, they remember what I did. They fear me, they hate me, they shun me. It didn't matter if I broke my horns or hid my fangs. Every day, people want me dead, so I'm doing them all a favour and shutting myself away from the world. I wasn't supposed to leave but everyone came and took my home so I had to find a way to make everyone leave.”
There was silence, a long bout of silence, and Aether was tempted to go back to sleep. This would be all over soon anyway.
“I don't hate you.”
What?
“I don't hate you,” Dainsleif repeated at the sight of Aether's confused face. “When I first met you, I didn't hate you nor was I scared of you.”
“You don't know who I am.”
“I know that you're a brat who complains about having to walk three steps on a rocky road, you like sweet things but dislike everything sour, you hunted and gathered food for us even though you could have let us starve, you set up this camp by yourself even though you could make us fend for ourselves. I know you're Aether and you're not the person you say you are.”
Aether teared up. He tried to quickly wipe the tears away, only for more to fall until he could no longer stop them. He sobbed, crying as his heart broke at the words. How long had he longed to hear those words, that he was not someone to be hated and feared? The last time had been his sister who saved the world and him from himself. It was so long ago…
Unbeknownst to everyone, from the sealed rift, there was a small crack that allowed Xiao to witness everything. As soon as Dainsleif finished coaxing Aether to sleep, the crack disappeared with everyone else none the wiser.
The next morning, when Aether woke up at first light, he was surprised to see Xiao cooking meat skewers over the campfire. He rubbed his eyes, just to be sure that it was not a trick of the light and blink again in surprise.
“I felt like making breakfast,” Xiao answered, glancing away suspiciously.
Aether raised a brow but neglected to comment on the strange behaviour, instead, he reached over and grabbed one of the cooked skewers and ate it. It lacked seasoning but he was not complaining, food was food. He looked over at where Dainsleif was sleeping. The man had stayed up until Aether fell asleep, and possibly even beyond that. He felt guilty, even if it had not been his decision to make Dainsleif stay up. He could let the man sleep a little longer but judging from the way Xiao kept glancing over at the road to Mondstadt, they would need to get a move on soon.
Then without any warning, Aether instantly threw an icy spear into a pile of bushes, only for a woman to leap out of the bushes and fire three arrows at him. A barrier of wind scattered the arrow and the red-clothed archer landed in a crouch.
“Don't worry princess, I shall rescue you!” the mysterious archer said as she continued to shoot arrow after arrow at Aether, only for the arrows to be harmlessly thrown aside by his wind barrier.
“Hold on a second,” Xiao said but the woman ignored him.
Aether kept silent, standing still as the attacks bounced off harmlessly against his wind barrier. Then a ball of black flames flew towards the archer, making her dodge to the side. Dainsleif stepped forward until he stood in front of Aether, rolling his shoulder as he worked out the aches from sleeping on the hard ground. “You're too noisy,” he said, glaring coldly at the archer.
“Enough!” Xiao shouted, drawing everyone's attention to him. “Who are you and what are you doing?”
The red-clothed woman looked at him in surprise before a flash of realisation appeared on her face. “Oh! Right! Baron Bunnies!”
From behind a tree, a single red rabbit appeared holding an accordion and began to play. Then out of nowhere, several similar-looking red rabbits appeared from behind the trees and bushes and began to sing, making Aether, Dainsleif, and Xiao look on in horror.
I steal from the rich and give to the needy.
(She takes a wee percentage!)
But I'm not greedy. I rescue pretty damsels and men, I'm good.
(What a lady, Madame Hood.)
Break it down. I like an honest fight and a saucy little maid...
(What she's basically saying is she likes to get…)
Paid! So… When a creature in the bush grabs a lady by the tush. That's bad.
(That's bad. That's bad. That's bad!)
When a beauty's with a beast it makes me awfully mad!
(She's mad, she's really, really mad!)
I'll take my blade and ram it through your heart, keep your eyes on me 'cause I'm about to start...
At that exact moment, Xiao smacked the archer into a tree and she fainted instantly. The Baron Bunnies scattered into the forest in fear, not before taking their unconscious leader with them, and Aether could feel himself starting to fall in love with him.
Xiao humphed at the sight of the rabbits running away and he turned around to the sight of Aether openly staring at him with his mouth wide open. “What?” he asked, narrowing his eyes in suspicion.
“You were great just now! Have I mentioned how beautiful you look when you fight?”
The last comment made Xiao flustered and turned his head away to blush. Aether continued to stare at the giant bird in wonder and amazement, only for his trance to be broken when Dainsleif cleared his throat.
“Right,” Dainsleif said, noticing the faint blush creeping up Aether's face once he realised what he said. “Let's make our way to the castle shall we?”
During the journey, Aether managed to convince Xiao to share the secret to his strength, and in return, Aether would tell Xiao stories of his past travels. Dainsleif would join in at times, making comments, usually about how close Aether seemed to be getting with Xiao, and enjoying the two making flustered looks at the comments. As they neared the castle, the party considerably slowed their pace down, as if no one wanted this journey to end just yet.
It was one night, as Aether gazed up at the twinkling stars above, his mind wandering as he wondered what Xiao would think if he visited his home. He sat up suddenly with a gasp, a revelation breaking through his thoughts like a lightning strike. His eyes glanced over at the sealed rift where Xiao had disappeared into for the night. Xiao… Aether was supposed to escort him to the lord, as was the deal he had made, but there was a problem: He no longer wanted to let Xiao go.
He groaned into his hands. What should he do? What could he do? He was but a monster who lived in a swamp, the Abyss. The moment Xiao learned of his true origins as the Abyss Prince, he would hate him and despise him as the world had.
Aether slowly lowered himself back down to the ground, turning over so his back faced the sealed rift. It did not matter in the end. He was a monster, cursed forever to live alone with only the monsters he created as his only company. He would forget about the prince, forget about Xiao. He would forget, even if his heart would forever yearn for him. He would force himself to forget because Xiao was destined for his one true love and someone like that could not be him, could never be him.
Unbeknownst to him, Xiao continued to watch him from within the rift.
When Mondstadt came into view, Aether felt nothing but dread at the sight of the kingdom. Just a few hours worth of travel left, a few hours and everything would be over, everything would be back to what it was meant to be. And yet, he dreaded it.
His thoughts were interrupted with a cough, a very obviously fake cough from Dainsleif. “I think I'm not feeling well, I need to rest,” he said in a monotonous voice.
Seizing the opportunity, Aether immediately suggested that they rest until Dainsleif recovered, to which Xiao agreed without hesitation.
That night, they sat around the campfire, Dainsleif a distance away so he would not spread his 'germs' on his teammates. Aether and Xiao sat close to each other, close enough that Aether was able to feel Xiao's downy feathers on his skin. The prince did not seem to mind, rather, he would start sulking if Aether tried to move away from him. Dainsleif watched the two, his expression blank the entire time.
That night, when Xiao disappeared into the rift, Dainsleif approached the sealed space, examining the seal.
“Don't touch it,” Aether warned, making Dainsleif snap his finger back. “Spatial magic is rarely stable, touching it might cause the whole space to fall apart.”
The man turned to glance over his shoulder, watching Aether nudge the campfire with a stick. “You are familiar with this magic.”
“It is one of the many that I know.”
Dainsleif hummed as he went back to examine the seal.
“Dainsleif,” Aether called out, his eyes gazing at the dying campfire. “What do you do if you don't want to forget?”
“Find something to keep with you to remember by. A memento.”
“A memento?”
“It can be anything but it must mean something.”
Aether fell silent for a long minute before he came to a decision. He stood up, brushing away the blades of grass that got stuck on his pants. “Look after the camp, I'll be back soon.”
He disappeared into the forest behind, walking away and leaving Dainsleif alone in the camp. It was a few minutes later that Dainsleif finally lost the battle to his growing curiosity and poked at the sealed space, causing him to be dragged into the spatial domain. He opened his eyes to be greeted by a vastly different world. He was standing in an open courtyard, potted plants placed along the sides, marking off the edges of the land where an endless sea of clouds resided below. The courtyard was connected to a building, the style and architecture so much different from that of Mondstadt. He stared in awe at it, engrossed at the beauty of the place so much so that he had not noticed a man walking towards him.
“What are you doing here?” the man asked, snapping Dainsleif out of his trance.
Dainsleif snapped to the man, his black flames out to protect him from any attack. The man stared unimpressively at him, his dark green horns and his protruding fangs making his stare more intimidating.
“An abyssal demon?” Dainsleif muttered under his breath.
“No, just a curse,” the man answered.
“Who are you?”
“Who-? It's me, I am Xiao.”
Xiao? But Xiao was a giant bird… How did a bird turn into this?
As if reading his mind, Xiao sighed and began to explain. He told him how he was cursed from the day he was born, to be in his true form in the day, a noble illuminated beast from a faraway land, and be turned into a hideous monster at night, a demonic creature who stalks in the shadows. “By night one way, by day another. This shall be the norm… until you find true love's first kiss… and then take love's true form,” he told Dainsleif, who had listened without uttering a single word. He took a breath before he continued, “I was placed in a tower to await the day my true love would rescue me. That's why I have to marry Lord Scaramouche tomorrow before the sun sets and he sees me… like this.”
“I do not presume to understand what you're thinking but I think that you are blowing this out of proportion. It's not that bad, abyssal demons aren't that ugly, just look at Aether, he's not that bad looking… if you ignore his scowling face which looks like it could murder you by just the stare alone or his angry face which could probably set someone on fire if they looked at it or his normal face that could send a regular person running away in fear…”
“But Dainsleif, I am a prince! A prince shouldn't have to look like a monster at all!”
“What if you don't marry Scaramouche?”
“I have to. Only my true love's kiss can break the spell.”
“Then what about Aether? Why not marry him instead?”
“Aether?”
Outside, Aether returned to an empty camp. In his hand, he held a smooth gem that contained the night sky and its stars within it. It took quite a bit of magic to meld a reflection of the night sky into the stone and seal it up with a bit of spatial magic. He had to encase the whole thing in a void chamber, one he had to create from scratch. But he had done it! With this, Xiao would never forget about the good times he spent with them even after he married his one true love.
He walked into the camp, hearing voices coming out of the spatial rift. It was torn slightly and Aether could guess what had happened.
“I can't marry whoever I want. Take a good look at me, Dainsleif! Who could ever love a monster so hideous and ugly? 'Prince' and 'monstrous' don't go together. That's why I can't stay here with Aether.”
Aether was stunned at the words. In the end, that was all he was to Xiao. A monster, a demon, a monstrous creature who had to live in the shadows for all eternity. He felt a sharp pain in his hand and he looked down, seeing blood dripping down onto the ground. He lifted his injured hand, opening up to see his gift shattered and crushed, the pieces embedded into his flesh. However, the physical pain in his hand was nothing to the pain of his shattering heart, it was nothing to the burning tears that fell from his eyes. He stomped away to the direction of Mondstadt, hiding away the pain with his anger, hiding his despair with his fury.
In the end, he was just a monster and a monster should go back to where he belonged, in a cage, alone and unwanted.
Back inside the domain, Dainsleif looked unhappy at what Xiao told him. “You have to tell Aether the truth,” he said to the prince and the prince gasped in shock.
“No! You can't breathe a word. No one must ever know. Promise you won't tell. Promise!”
Dainsleif sighed, disappointed in Xiao's decision to keep his curse a secret. “Alright, I won't tell him. But you should.”
The man left, leaving the prince alone in his domain. Xiao walked away, returning to his abode that was connected to the courtyard, and sat on his bed. Dainsleif was right, he had to tell Aether but how? He had lived with the curse for so long, shunned by the people of his own country. His family loved him and tried to protect him but the people demanded him to be killed simply because of his curse. Aether was like him, only he was lucky in that he only had to live as a monster at night while Aether had to live like one every day at every hour for the rest of his life.
What should he do?
Xiao fell back onto the bed, his arms spread open as he stared up at the canopy of the bed. If he could not come to a decision, perhaps he could leave it to chance. He stood up from where he lay and walked over to his desk. He took out a single coin from the drawers and flipped it.
If it was heads, he would tell Aether. If it was tails, he would not.
He closed his eyes as he waited for the coin to fall, opening them once he heard the coin land on the table. The coin had landed with heads facing up, sealing his fate. Tomorrow, tomorrow morning he would tell Aether the truth.
Morning came far too soon for Xiao's liking but he could not linger in his domain any longer, not if he wanted to avoid worrying his friends outside. He exited the domain, removing the sealed space that he had created, only to find Dainsleif worriedly pacing around the cold remnants of the campfire. The man stopped in his tracks to face Xiao, only for his face to fall once he realised it was only the prince.
“Aether never came back last night,” he said, his voice worried. “I searched the surrounding vicinity but I couldn't find him.”
Before Xiao could say anything, however, Aether appeared, walking down the dusty road that led to Mondstadt towards them. His face was frighteningly blank, devoid of any emotion, and it sent chills down Dainsleif and Xiao's spines. There was something wrong, something horribly wrong, and neither of them knew what it was.
“Aether?” Dainsleif called out to his friend, only for him to ignore the man.
“Aether, are you alright?” Xiao asked, wary of the strange behaviour.
“I'm fine, I'm perfectly fine,” Aether answered, his voice cold. “Rather, I thought you might be excited to meet your one true love so I brought him to you. He will be here to pick you up any minute now.”
Xiao stilled, his mouth open in shock. “Wait!” he shouted. “I have something to tell you!”
“There's no need to, I've heard enough. I heard every word you said last night. 'Who could ever love a monster so hideous and ugly?' and you're right, no one can love a monster so hideous and ugly.”
Xiao flinched back in shock, as if he had been physically slapped by those words. “I thought that wouldn't matter to you.”
“Yeah? Well, it does.”
Tears welled up from Xiao's eyes and Aether had to force himself from looking away. What was he crying for? Happiness? Regret? What did it matter? Once Scaramouche showed up, this farce of a quest could finally come to an end.
“Aether, you're making a big mistake,” Dainsleif said as he moved to stand in front of Xiao.
“The only mistake I made was befriending the two of you.”
Dainsleif reared back in shock, gasping in surprise at the blatant dislike Aether was showing the two of them.
“Right then, where is the princess?” Lord Scaramouche asked as he appeared from behind on horseback with his entourage of guards.
“The bird,” Aether said curtly. “Also you might want to check on where you got your info. Princess Xiao is in fact Prince Xiao.”
“What!?” the lord exclaimed, staring at the giant bird. “You tricked me!”
Aether turned to face Scaramouche and growled, making the accompanying guards back off in fear even as they pointed their weapons at him. “I honoured my end of the deal. I have gone to the castle and brought back the person you seek. Now honour your part of the deal or face the consequences!”
The lord fell silent even as he pulled out the deed to Aether's swamp and handed it over to the Abyss Prince. The deed was snatched out of his hand and Aether left with nary even a single goodbye.
Xiao could only watch as Aether walked away, uncaring for the times they had spent together and yet, even as he felt his heart shatter at his cold rejection, he could only offer a single word to the man who would not hear it. “Farewell…”
Scaramouche approached Prince Xiao and disembarked from his horse, laughing after he heard what Xiao had said. “Oh, that is so sweet. You don't have to waste good manners on a monster. It's not like it has feelings.”
“No, you're right. It doesn't.”
“Firstly, I would like to apologise for the misunderstanding Prince Xiao, I was not aware that you…were not human and not a princess.”
“I am an illuminated beast from the land of Liyue. I am Prince Xiao, son of Emperor Zhongli. You are Lord Scaramouche?”
“Indeed I am. Dear Prince Xiao, beautiful, fair, flawless Xiao, I wish to ask for your hand in marriage,” Scaramouche said as he knelt on one knee. “Will you be the perfect bride for the perfect groom?”
Xiao looked back at where Aether had disappeared, feeling the rejection sting deeper than it had before.
“Lord Scaramouche, I accept. Nothing would make—”
“Excellent! I'll start the plans, for tomorrow we wed!”
“No!” Xiao shouted, surprised at his outburst before recovering quickly. “Let's get married today. Before sunset.”
“Oh, anxious, are we? You're right. The sooner, the better. There's so much to do!”
Scaramouche snapped his fingers and a guard brought a spare horse to Xiao, only to stare between the bird and the horse, wondering how to help the prince get on the horse. Xiao sighed and jumped up, landing on the horse gently. As the group prepared to set off, Xiao let Scaramouche's words wash over him as his thoughts went back to Aether. How could he do that to him? After the times they spent together, had they meant nothing to him?
Unbeknownst to everyone, Dainsleif slipped away and ran after Aether. He finally caught up to the Abyss Prince who was still walking towards his swamp in resolute silence.
“Aether, what are you doing? You're letting him get away!”
“Yeah? So what?”
Dainsleif groaned in frustration at the stubborn man. “There's something about him you don't know. Look, I talked to him last night… He's—”
“Yeah I know you talked to him last night. You're great friends, aren't ya? Now, if you two are such good friends, why don't you follow him home!?”
“But I wanted to go with you.”
“I told you already, I live alone! My swamp! Me! Nobody else! Understand? Nobody! Especially someone as useless, pathetic, and annoying as you!”
Aether stomped away, increasing his pace and leaving Dainsleif behind. The man could only watch the retreating back of his friend as his heart hurt from those cruel words. He eventually walked away, walking until he found a pond. He sat by the edge, throwing pebbles into the water until he felt the presence of a person approaching him. He stood up, ready to fight off a would-be attacker, only to smile when he realised it was Lumine and Paimon.
“Please help me, it's your brother,” he said before Lumine could speak.
“Tell me more.”
Back in the Abyss, Aether played with his food. He got what he wanted, peace and quiet, no rowdy magical creatures begging him to save them, just him and his minions. It was what he wanted so why did he feel so empty inside? His thoughts were broken when he heard a loud crash outside. He stepped out to investigate, only to find Lumine standing with Dainsleif, her face furious as she marched up towards him.
“Aether, you will listen to every word Dainsleif has to say and you will not shut us out because I can, and I will, break your door open to the Abyss and drag you out kicking and screaming.”
Aether nodded his head and his eyes shifted to Dainsleif. His sister stepped aside, moving a distance away, out of Aether's personal space but still close enough to intervene if she had to. Her dragon followed after her, glaring at Aether but content to remain by her master's side.
“Aether,” Dainsleif began. “You didn't have to insult me or push me around. Stop pushing people away, stop pushing everyone out of your life.”
Aether scoffed. “If I treated you badly, then why are you here? Just go away and leave me alone.”
“Because I can't! I can't leave you alone! You're my friend! I've already forgiven you so why can't you forgive yourself?”
“That is different!”
“You're wrapped up in so many layers, onion boy, that you're afraid of your own feelings!”
“Shut up! Go away!”
“You're doing it again! You're pushing everyone away again! Xiao loved you!”
“Liar! He didn't love me. He called me a monster, he said I was hideous and ugly.”
“That was—! He wasn't talking about you.”
“Then who?”
“...I'm sorry, I promised him I wouldn't say but I can tell you this that he was definitely not talking about you.”
“Oh,” Aether stammered out, feeling as if a strange weight was lifted from his shoulder. “It was a misunderstanding this whole time?”
Dainsleif nodded his head and Aether fell to his knees.
“You said he loved me,” Aether said and Dainsleif nodded his head again. “I… I have to go find him, I have to tell him I love him too!”
“Then let's go, they should be at Mondstadt.”
“The wedding! We won't make it in time!”
At that moment, Lumine cleared her throat, and Aether was reminded that his sister had been here the entire time and had witnessed everything, including his confession. “I can take you there, just this once.”
“Lumine…” Aether said as he felt his eyes tearing up at his sister's words.
“What are siblings for?”
Back in Mondstadt, a crowd of people had gathered outside the church where their lord was holding the wedding to marry Prince Xiao. They had been initially confused when he paraded his future marriage partner and they saw a giant bird instead of a human but they cheered anyway for their lord's marriage. It was not as if strange biped animals were an uncommon sight in Mondstadt, not when a band of thieving rabbits and a crocodile bishop lived on the kingdom's lands.
Inside the church, Scaramouche and Xiao stood before the altar headed by Bishop Enjou whose scaly snout was raised high for the honour bestowed upon him for this grand occasion.
“People of Mondstadt, we gather here today to bear witness to the union…”
Xiao glanced at the window, watching nervously at the sun dipping slowly into the horizon.
“...of our new king—”
“Excuse me,” Xiao spoke up, drawing everyone's attention. “Could we just skip ahead to the 'I do's'?”
Scaramouche laughed in amusement but agreed to Xiao's request. The bishop sighed but as the king had allowed it, there was nothing he could do.
Outside the church, a portal opened up behind the large crowd and three people and a tiny dragon stepped out. The guards at the church held up their weapons, pointing them against the interlopers, only for them to be blasted away by black flames, courtesy of Dainsleif. Lumine walked over to a cafe near the church and sat down with Paimon, making Aether raise his brow in question.
“You don't need me for the rest of it. Good luck Aether! Remember to invite me to your wedding later okay?”
Aether nodded his head, thanking his sister again before making his way towards the church. He raised his hand and the earth obeyed his command, raising a large thick stone wall that divided the crowd into two. The people screamed as he pulled the wall, creating a cleared path towards the church as the walls moved and pushed the people out of the way. The guards charged towards him, only to be tossed aside like rag dolls as he flung them with strong blasts of wind. He froze the archers hiding on the rooftops, freezing their bows to their hands, making them scream in panic. All around, chaos erupted as he walked unimpeded to his destination.
Dainsleif whistled in amazement at the sheer power and control Aether had on his magic. “Remind me to never get on your bad side. Why didn't you just kill the lord and take back your land?”
Aether sighed loudly in fond exasperation even as he walked speedily towards the church. “Just because I can doesn't mean I should.”
When he reached the church, he lifted his foot and kicked the twin doors open with the force of a tempest, sending the doors crashing to the ground with parts of the wall attached to the hinges. The people inside screamed loudly as Aether stepped into the church. Right before the altar, Xiao and Scaramouche, who were about to kiss, turned to stare at the interruption.
“I object!” Aether declared as he strode up to the altar.
Xiao gasped in surprise, a look of happiness on his face before he crushed it and returned to his blank disinterested look. The bishop groaned in irritation at the interruption before taking his holy book and slipping away from the chaos.
“What are you doing here?” Xiao asked when Aether was close enough to them.
“Really, it's rude enough being alive when no one wants you, but showing up uninvited to a wedding…” Scaramouche sneered, only for him to be ignored.
Aether stopped right in front of Xiao, his voice pleading as he said, “Xiao! I need to talk to you.”
However, Xiao scoffed at those words, he still remembered what Aether had said about him. “Oh, now you want to talk? It's a little late for that, so if you'll excuse me—” Xiao said as he leaned over to kiss Scaramouche, only for him to be pulled away by Aether.
“But you can't marry him!”
Xiao slapped away Aether's hands before demanding to know why.
“Because he's just marrying you so he can be king! He doesn't love you at all!”
The crowd behind gasped at the accusation, making Scaramouche step in before this whole thing could escalate out of his hands. “Outrageous! Xiao, don't listen to him!”
“He is not your true love!” Aether shouted over the lord, making the crowd gasp again.
“And what do you know about true love?” Xiao asked, his voice barely above a whisper but Aether had heard it and he flinched back at those words.
Scaramouche laughed loudly at the sight of Aether flinching at those words, laughing even as he choked out his words. “Oh, this is precious. The monster has fallen in love with the prince! Oh, good Lord.”
The crowd behind joined in with their lord's laughter and it was not long before the entire church was filled with people laughing, everyone except Aether and Xiao. But Xiao ignored them, instead, turning back to face Aether who stood dejected by the mocking laughter. “Aether, is this true?” he asked but Scaramouche stepped between him and Aether to drown his voice with his fury.
“Enough! This is preposterous! Xiao, my love, we're but a kiss away from our 'happily ever after.' Now kiss me!” he ordered but Xiao backed away from the lord in disgust.
Xiao averted his eyes from the lord, no longer wanting to have anything to do with the man. He turned his head to look out of the window, watching as the sun was but mere minutes away from disappearing below the horizon.
“By night one way, by day another,” he muttered under his breath. He looked back at Aether, his mind made up as he stepped away from Scaramouche and climbed up the altar, much to the confusion of everyone. “I wanted to show you before,” he said, his eyes staring directly into Aether's.
At that exact moment, as soon as Xiao finished speaking those words, the sun completely dipped below the horizon and he shifted. Where once stood a giant green bird on the altar was now a man in its place. His dark green horns stood out with his protruding fangs and Aether could do nothing but stare at the sheer sight and beauty that Xiao had become.
Then Xiao smiled and Aether could feel his heart melting. “You're like me,” Aether said. “You're so beautiful, I love you so much.”
Xiao blushed at those words. The two shared the moment, a blissful moment in that minute, only to have it ruined by Lord Scaramouche who became furious at the monster that his wife-to-be had become.
“Ugh! It's disgusting! Guards! Guards! I order you to get that out of my sight now!
The guards rushed in at their lord’s command, surrounding Aether and Xiao, stopping the two from going to each other. They cried for each other's names as they were pushed further away from each other.
“This hocus-pocus alters nothing! This marriage is binding, and that makes me king!” Scaramouche declared to the applause of his people, then he turned to Aether with an ominous smile on his face. “Kill him,” he ordered and the guards moved into action.
Aether narrowed his eyes and a tornado erupted from beneath his feet. The audience finally had enough and fled for their lives, screaming in fear as the ceiling was blown away by the destructive force.
The guards trembled in their armour at the sight of the destruction but they still pushed forward to attack the Abyss Prince. Aether swung his hand and lightning struck the ground where some of the guards gathered, sending a few of them running away in fear. He flung fire at a large group of guards, sending them flying through the walls. However, he was forced to hold back when he heard Xiao yelping in surprise when a guard flew over his head and through the stained glass behind the altar.
In that moment of vulnerability, one of the guards pushed through and managed to land a blow on Aether, only for them to be thrown into the air and out of the church. The rest of the guards immediately piled on top of the Abyss Prince, trapping him and preventing him from using any more magic.
“You insect, I’ll make you regret the day we met! I’ll see you drawn and quartered! You’ll beg for death to save you!” Scaramouche said as he glared angrily at Aether.
Aether roared in anger, baring his fangs, as he struggled futilely. Xiao watched on in horror, crying for his true love as he was held down on the altar by the rest of the guards.
“And as for you,” Scaramouche said, turning his sights on Xiao. “I'll have you locked back in that tower for the rest of your days! I'm the king!”
The lord laughed loudly and obnoxiously until he was unceremoniously flattened by a large slab of rock that fell from the sky. Everyone was stunned at the sight, even Aether stopped struggling at the strange turn of events. Then Dainsleif landed on top of the slab of rock, dusting his hands as he said while staring at the guards holding Aether and Xiao, “I have a large piece of rock and I’m not afraid to use it.”
Taking it as a warning, all of the guards quickly fled in terror, most of them screaming as they dropped their weapons on the way out.
“You sure took your time,” Aether commented as Xiao helped him up onto his feet.
“My apologies, I had to find the right-sized rock,” Dainsleif said unapologetically.
Xiao’s hand ghosted over the forming bruise on Aether’s face from where he took a hit but Aether took the hand away, shaking his head and smiling at Xiao.
“Not your fault,” Aether said, even as Xiao did not seem to agree. However, before Xiao could voice his disagreement, Aether opened his mouth to speak, “Xiao. I love you. I really, really love you.”
To that honest confession, Xiao felt his heart flutter and a soft smile appeared on his face. “I love you too,” he said as Aether leaned forward and kissed him. He fell into it, pushing himself to accept his true love’s kiss, embracing the moment as the two’s hearts beat as one.
Until you find true love's first kiss and then take love's true form. Take love's true form. Take love's true form.
Xiao opened his eyes, widening as he was engulfed by a strange white light. Aether, though shocked and fearful of what it could be, refused to let go of his true love. His hand held onto Xiao’s. Whatever this light was, it was not harmful but what was it doing to his beloved?
The light slowly faded away and Xiao fell forward as soon as it had completely disappeared. Aether hurried to catch him, checking him over for any injuries while Xiao slowly woke up from the strange event.
“Xiao? Xiao! Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?”
“I… I’m fine. The curse… It’s broken,” Xiao said as he stood up on his own two feet. He looked down at himself, surprised to find his abyssal demon form instead of his illuminated beast form. “I don’t understand, I’m supposed to be beautiful.”
Aether grasped Xiao’s hands, drawing those beautiful yellow eyes to meet his golden ones. “But you are beautiful.”
The two smiled at each other before they leaned into another kiss. In the background, Dainsleif had moved to stand beside Lumine near the church’s entrance, or whatever was left of the entrance.
“I’m glad that they found each other,” Lumine said, her voice barely a whisper but Dainsleif was close enough to hear it.
He smiled at her as he continued to watch the two kiss, oblivious to the world around them. “I’m glad too.”
Fifteen minutes, they would give those two fifteen minutes tops before they remind them that they had to leave before the rest of the kingdom comes back with their army.
Aether and Xiao married under the watchful eyes of a full moon a month later. The Abyss Prince’s minions cheered as the two shared a kiss while Lumine cried tears of joy into Dainsleif’s coat. A year after Lord Scaramouche’s unfortunate demise, the magical creatures of Mondstadt revolted. Their rebellion was led by Venti, a wind fairy, who had asked Aether for assistance in claiming Mondstadt for the magical creatures. Aether, who was convinced by his husband to help, single-handedly took down the rest of the monarchy and Mondstadt came to be ruled under a government body.
The Abyss Prince then returned to the swamp into the warm embrace of his one true love and the two lived happily ever after. The end.