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Aether was in the abyss, doing his daily duties as a prince in the cursed place. Who knew that trying to form a war on teyvat would take centuries, much less nearly 500 years. After the fall of Khaenri'ah, Aether swore to himself and the Abyss that they would take revenge against Teyvat and its Archons, no matter how long it would take. He could care less; all that mattered was the fall of this land.
An electro-mage came into the prince's room, letting him know it was time to start a meeting between them and the other monsters. The blonde nodded and put the book in hand down, making his way to the door where the mage was. They both made their way to the meeting room where every other Abyss Mage, Lector, and Herald was. The prince cleared his throat to get the attention of everyone in the room.
After a bit, Aether seemed satisfied and began the meeting.
Xiao was at Wangshuu In, listening to Verr as she told him the details of an unusual sighting near the mountains of Jueyun Karst. Nearly twenty abyss mages and only one abyss herald were there, writing things on the rocks of the mountains. It was definitely unusual, but it was nothing that the Adeptus couldn't handle. Once Verr was done talking, she sent Xiao on his way to Jueyun Karst for the personal commission.
Teleporting away, Xiao landed in a small area on Qinqyun Peak, just high enough to look over the Karst, and scanned the place for either an abyss mage or herald. After a bit, the yaksha finally noticed an Abyss Herald surveying their space. This was something that Xiao thought he would never witness during his many years of being alive. Still, with the sudden activity the Abyss sprung nearly 500 years ago, this was something that he wouldn't dare take lightly.
Almost two hours passed as Xiao watched the Abyss Mages and Herald. Nothing interesting happened, and although he knew he could have fought them off and defeated them, something was nagging at him to stay put until further notice. Eventually, just as Xiao was about to get up to begin a battle, a portal appeared behind the group. Crouching back down into his hiding spot, Xiao got a good view of the scene unfolding before him.
The yaksha was expecting for it to be another Abyss Herald to walk out of the portal, yet he was frozen in place as he saw who it was.
Lumine's brother, Aether, if Xiao recalled correctly, strutted from the portal with confidence and power. The Abyss Mages and Lector immediately bowed down to the human, showing Xiao that he was above them all in the abyss. Xiao stared, seemingly enhanced by the blonde.
His hair was put in a braid, a few couple strands poking out. His hair on top was a slight mess, with little tufts going in every direction possible. From Xiao's view, he could tell the blonde wore an earring, the jewel glowing a soft white. Moving to get a better look, Xiao also saw that Aether wore a cropped black chest piece, a white light illuminating from it- his pants were also the same black as the top. He also wore gloves and a white scarf. The boots were platformed a bit to give the male some height.
Strangely enough, all of that fits the blonde so well. Albeit Xiao didn't understand the feelings coming to him, he would dwell on that for another time. His gaze stuck on the blonde without realizing it and didn't dwindle once. Was it that he had just found Lumine's twin, or did the beauty that he held keep Xiao captivated? Whatever the reason, the Adeptus shook the thoughts away and tried to focus more on the scene in front of him.
After a few more minutes, the group finally left through the portal, and the last to go through was the blonde. Before Aether entered the portal, he looked over to where Xiao was and stared before walking through it and closing it.
Archons, that was close. Xiao thought as he leaned against the tree that was there. What was that?
A few months had passed since Xiao last saw Aether; each time he passed Jueyun Karst, it would be void of any abyss mages or lectors and a certain blonde. Begrudgingly, Xiao accepted that he probably wouldn't see the blonde again before going on with his duties of protecting Liyue and its lands.
Xiao hummed a soft melody to himself, one that Rex Lapis would hum when he was just starting off as an Adeptus. Gradually, the time came when the archon had to stop— especially after the archon war.
“Is that melody a self-made one? I’ve never heard of it.” Spoke to someone, their voice soft yet rough. Quickly, Xiao turned around and held his spear up, pointing it at the person who dared intrude on his personal space.
Cautiously, the stranger put their hands up and chuckled. “Relax, I’m not here to harm you or anyone. I simply came to walk around before hearing you.”
It was Aether; his attire was different this time around. Instead of his black chest piece, he wore a regular black crop top and some baggy pants. His earring was still in place, shining slightly as though it belonged in the sky. Xiao couldn't help but stare a bit before looking away.
“Rex Lapis would hum the melody to me before; it was… comforting.” He spoke hesitantly, a slight blush coating his cheeks. Aether hummed in acknowledgment before trying to hum the same tune that the Adeptus was not too long ago.
Silently, the two stayed there in comfortable silence while humming a tune. As time passed, the two let their guard down and chatted a bit before a sudden presence took Xiao by surprise.
Before the Adeptus could say anything, Aether was on the floor with a person on top of him.
“You idiot!” Lumine yelled, her voice wobbly as she hugged Aether tightly, refusing to let him go.
The stars danced and shone brightly together, creating a beautiful image as the moon watched from where it was.
Aether was with Lumine, hugging and consoling her as her chest piece shone many colors. Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, and Purple all at once— each color representing the elements she controlled.
She had found him, and despite his attempts to hide away and keep her from arms reach, she didn't budge and still fought to find her dear brother. Eventually, more people crowded the twins as they asked too many questions. It was all too much, and Aether didn't like that.
He held onto Lumine a bit tighter, looking at the people around before one caught his eye.
Somehow, he hadn't realized that Xiao had teleported a few feet away. He had his yaksha mask on, his jade spear in hand as he watched the scene unfold. He stayed a certain distance, seemingly uncomfortable with the group of people. Just as he was about to teleport away, the Yaksha locked eyes with the Abyssal Prince and mouthed three words before disappearing into the night.
"Xiao. Wangshuu In."
And archons above did Aether miss him already.
“Xiao?” Aether spoke, looking around as he tried to spot the Adeptus on the rooftop. “Archons, this was stupid-”
“What was stupid?” Xiao spoke, appearing behind the unsuspecting male. Jumping, Aether let out a small yell before sighing. “A warning would have been nice, Adeptus.”
“Apologies, I didn't think I’d startle you that way. I’ll try to remember the next time we meet each other.”
The next time? Aether asked himself, smiling softly. “Now that Lumine has, well, found you. Do you plan on returning to the Abyss, or will you go back to traveling worldwide? '' Xiao asked, motioning for Aether to follow him outside so they could overlook the lands of Liyue.
“It seems that Lumine has made many friends here in Teyvat while I stayed locked in the Abyss. I believe she’ll be staying, but I’m not sure of myself,” Aether replied truthfully, his tone slightly breaking as he looked down.
Xiao, unsure how to comfort the blonde, put a hand on his head and slightly patted it. “I’m sure that… Lumine would enjoy it if you stayed here. And, if all goes well, we could become… friends?”
It was unusual of Xiao to create a request like that, but how could he not when Aether looks like an angel blessed by the heavens. Aether was majestic, and Xiao couldn't understand why he was thinking, much less feeling all this,
Silently, Aether looked at Xiao and mumbled something.
“Can I put my trust in you?”
“Call my name, and I will appear. That will answer your question.”
Eventually, the two called it a night and parted with excitement for the adventure bound to come; they smiled to themselves before doing their duties.