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Aether had almost forgotten about the weird stranger in the mountains, the black feather in his bag the only reminder that the encounter had actually happened. He had spent a lot of time thinking about it, feeling the smoothness of it on his fingers, the smell of something strange lingering on it. It was weird that he was the only one able to see it, feel it, even touch it but Aether had seen a lot of weird things in his travels and a boy with black wings who saved him from a snowstorm, while strange, wasn’t enough to occupy his thoughts longer.
However, he would run his hands through the feather when the nights got cold and lonely, when the injuries from fights would linger and hurt, he would remember the softness of the voice and the warmth of the boy’s touch.
This was one of those instances.
Night had fallen over the Guili Plains, the sun setting and taking the last of its light with it. While the moon was bright enough, shedding light on the world, it was never advisable to travel at night, whether you were an experienced adventurer or not.
“Let’s stop for the night,” Aether said as he stopped a couple of meters away from some old ruins, “should we go in the teapot or make camp?”
“Paimon thinks that’s better to make camp,” she said as she looked around the ruins they had cleared long ago, “The ruins are safe enough and Paimon hasn’t seen a hilichurl in kilometers.”
Aether hummed, “You’re right,” he raised his head and looked at the gleaming stars. He always felt nostalgic when looking up at them, the constellations now familiar but it always brought him a pang of sadness that he couldn’t share this view with his sister. Α light touch roused him from his thoughts, familiar and comforting in its own way.
At least he was not alone in this journey.
“Are you okay Aether?” Paimon asked, concern depicted clearly on her face. She was never good at hiding her emotions, which always showed on her face. It was such a relief to see someone with such an open display of emotions, not having to guess and do all the mental calculations.
“I’m fine Paimon,” he walked closer to the ruins, jumping into the hidden crevice underneath, “Do you want to stay here and make camp or go and pick up firewood?” Aether asked, even though he already knew the answer.
“Oh….Ahhh…” she started, head bowed down and rubbing at her head, “You know, Paimon isn’t really good at picking sticks and it’s dark outside. Do you want Paimon to get eaten by a Geovishap?” she asked, eyes wide and fearful and Aether couldn’t hold back a chuckle.
“Okay you big baby, stay here and put the tent out and I’ll go get the firewood,” he got up and walked towards her, petting her head in the process, “I wouldn’t want the best guide in Teyvat to be eaten by a Geovishap.”
Paimon giggled at his comment and hurried him away, complaining about her hunger and that if it wasn’t appeased, he would become her next meal. With a last glance back at the crevice, he climbed out and made his way toward the woods.
The small forest that surrounded the ruins was quiet and brightly lit, the trees not tall enough to hide the light of the moon yet. It was peaceful, the silent atmosphere much needed after traveling with a chatty mouth like Paimon. The twigs weren’t hard to find either, the recent storm had blown quite a few down from the trees. After collecting an armful of wood, he started making his way back but something stopped him in his steps.
A song echoed around the place, soft and melancholic, the mountains around acting as a way for the sound to bounce back and around, delivering it to him. He furrowed his brows and looked around, trying to find the source of the voice. It wasn’t safe for someone to sing like that, especially out in the wild with hilichurls and treasure hoarders all too eager to silence it.
Putting the twigs in the, mostly empty bag, he started walking toward the direction he thought the voice was coming from. It was hard to pinpoint, the sound seemingly coming from all around but Aether, an experienced adventurer, had passed through this place countless times. He knew the way around and it didn’t take him long to pinpoint the source. However, it wasn’t what he expected to find.
The figure was perched on top of a high rock, the highest around, back towards him and head held high towards the moon like it was soaking in its light. It would have been hard to make out the person but there was a feature that Aether had seen only once in his life.
The wings were much bigger than he had thought, even closed together as they were now. They glistened in the night, and with awe, Aether realized that they weren’t black like he had actually believed. At least not completely, not with the way they shined a dark blue as the being continued to sing, the wings moving with its breaths. The being’s hair was short and curly, the curls framing his face and appearing like black half-moons in the sky. Aether was completely mesmerized, and also curious about the being. He had met Archons and monsters, humans of different nations, and even sentient machines, but he had never seen something like this.
Aether slowly approached the being, light on his feet, scared of startling it and losing it again before he could get answers. However, he wasn’t as careful as usual, his foot pushing a small rock below and the sound of it falling was apparently loud enough for the being to hear. The song stopped but the wings stayed relaxed, no tension of surprise appeared on the line of its back. Aether stopped dead in his tracks, concerned about what would happen.
The being turned its head slowly, half of its face obscured by the darkness.
Surprise seemed to pass through the being's face and he turned fully to look at him. And damn it if Aether didn’t think that it was gorgeous.
The first time he had seen it, he was dying in a snowstorm, the hypothermia severe enough to freeze him whole so he wasn’t really in his right mind, not really able to appreciate the beauty that was in front of him.
It appeared as male, the line of his jawline sharp but the fullness of his cheeks betrayed his age. He appeared young, young like him perhaps, even though Aether had lived a thousand lives, had traveled hundreds of worlds, there was something about him that portrayed him as young. The curls around his face framed him exceptionally well, wild and free as they were but the eyes were his favorite. Big and round, full of surprise, the pupils glowing a soft purple, unlike the brown he remembered from the mountains. Yet, within one blink and another, the glow had faded and the eyes were back to their original color, though they appeared dark now.
Maybe due to the darkness around.
Aether didn’t know how long they stayed there, looking at each other but neither willing to break the silence around them. They were just admiring each other, sizing the opponent up but neither made a move to leave or attack or anything of the short. The longer the time passed, it seemed that the being in front of him was closing off and pulling back, cautiousness entering his gaze. His wings elongated, ready to beat and take the creature away from him.
“Wait!” Aether exclaimed, breaking the silent dome around them.
The man was startled, wings ruffling up in his surprise. However, he stopped, looking at him and waiting for what the other had to say. Aether floundered under the attention, not really knowing how to continue this. He didn’t want to drive away the stranger but he was also brimming with questions.
Who are you? What are you? Why did you save me? How did you find me? Can you help me? Do you know my sister?
Yet, he didn’t ask any of those questions.
“You’re beautiful,” he said instead, his mind supplying him with something he didn’t want to say. He flushed red, the apples of his cheeks flaming as he looked at the stranger. He had a surprised expression and either would like to believe a flush on his cheeks. The wings fluttered, something that send a small thrill through Aether.
“So are you,’’ the man, boy, said. It wasn’t the first time he had heard the voice but it had been several months since their last meet-up that he had forgotten it. It was smooth and light, not too deep but not childish.
Before either could say anything else, something broke their little staring contact.
“Aether!” he heard his name echo, the voice of Paimon unmistakable.
He swears that it was only for a second, he turned his head for a second to look down at Paimon, and the next moment, he was alone on top of the rock formation. The boy had disappeared, leaving nothing behind. He looked around, trying to maybe catch him in flight but there was nothing.
Nothing, except the small black feather at the edge of the formation, threatening to fall below and get lost in the wind. Quickly, Aether snatched the smooth feather in his hands. With a last look around, he sighed and made his way back down to meet Paimon.
She was very cross with him, scolding him about making her worry and how it was taking forever and that she was hungry. Aether listened to her with half an ear, the encounter fresh in his mind. His heart hadn’t stopped beating frantically since he had come down, the feather in his hands not helping it at all.
Soon, they made their way to the campsite and it was put in the back of his mind. Yet, it was not forgotten completely, his dreams that night made sure that he remembered every detail of the short encounter.