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How long has it been? How long has it been since Aether had been injured like this? His fight with the Balladeer had left him with only surface level wounds, scratches and bruises that healed so quickly Aether forgot he’d even been injured in the first place. His endeavors in the vast Sumeru desert left more emotional wounds than physical ones. But before that…
It was her.
Aether knew Ei was different from the Shogun. He knew things had changed. Still, that didn’t stop the sheer panic that enveloped his heart as she and the other three Archons walked into his room. Aether sat up quickly and braced himself for any sort of danger. But what could he do? He was injured, exhausted, and devoid of all weapons, pitted against the very gods who ruled the land. Any chance of survival was slim to none.
But then he saw the worry in Venti’s eyes, the slight frown on Zhongli’s face, the way Nahida held her hands close to her chest and fiddled with them. The way Ei opened the door and instantly stared at Aether’s bandaged chest before quickly averting her eyes, her shoulders deflating in a sigh. The guilt that radiated from all of them.
Venti was the first to speak. “You’re awake, thank goodness.” The bard rushed to Aether’s side and gently checked the Traveler over. He didn’t seem pleased with what he found. When he went to speak again, however, he was interrupted by the rest of Aether’s rescue party.
“How are you feeling?” Zhongli asked, his voice completely devoid of all emotion. It was like he’d closed off their connection and focused solely on the task at hand, if Aether was just another injured person in Bubu Pharmacy.
The Traveler cleared his throat hastily before speaking. “I’ve been better.”
Venti chuckled, but it was a sad, solemn laugh instead of one born from humor. Nahida placed one of her tiny hands on his knee, and instantly his mind cleared. That meant he was more acutely aware of the pain in his chest, but that was better than the numbness. He looked at the Dendro Archon with gratitude.
“We did the best we could, but none of us are adept healers,” Nahida said, “You’ll need to remain here for a while.”
“It’s okay. Thank you for taking care of me.”
Venti looked like he was about to explode if he didn’t say what was on his mind in the next ten seconds. When the conversation lulled just slightly, he instantly inserted himself. “Well! Aether, your bandages need to be changed. Off you go now, everyone! Though I do appreciate an audience, I do not think something this mundane is deserving of one.” The bard flicked his hands toward the door and shot a meaningful look at Zhongli, who stared back unfazed. Then, he sighed briefly and started to move in the direction of the exit.
“I’ll leave you to it,” decided Zhongli, though Aether knew he saw right through Venti’s attempt to discreetly get everyone out of the room, “Can I interest you in something to eat, Aether?”
“Sure, as long as you keep Ei out of the kitchen…”
Nahida and Zhongli smiled, the former giggling into her hand. Ei looked away, embarrassed. Aether realized that she hadn’t said a word the entire time. With a wave, the other three Archons disappeared behind the wooden door, leaving only himself and Venti in the wake of their awkward banter.
The bard instantly deflated. “Ugh. You have no idea how insufferable they’ve all been. I’ve been worried sick about you, and only Nahida seems to share that feeling with me! Those two brick walls are so hard to read…”
Aether laughed, ignoring the pins and needles that stabbed into his wound when he did so. “You just have to be around them enough, I guess.”
“No way! Then I’ll end up becoming just like them!” Venti flopped on the bed to punctuate his last word, bouncing the mattress a little. He laid there with his palms pressed into his eyes for a moment, then he seemed to remember himself and sat back up with a noise of effort. The two met eyes.
“I wasn’t lying about needed to change your bandages,” he said, more softly this time, “Do you mind if I work on that?”
“Sure, go ahead.”
Venti began his work in silence. He hopped off the bed and rummaged around in several drawers before he found the one with medicinal supplies in them, trotting back over to Aether with a roll of white bandages in hand. He also grabbed a bag for the soon to be discarded wrappings Aether was currently sporting. Carefully, the bard clamored back onto the bed and positioned himself cross-legged behind Aether’s back. The Traveler could only guess that his back was where the end of the bandages was.
As Venti began to methodically remove the wrappings, a jolt of realization coursed through Aether’s veins. Was Venti the one to wrap him up the first time? If so, had he already seen what the Traveler tried so hard to hide? If not, how would he react to…it?
But it was too late now. Aether couldn’t object without it being strange, and his bandages really did need to be changed. Archons, how long had he been out?
About halfway through the process, Venti’s breath hitched ever so slightly, and Aether knew he’d seen it. He felt himself stiffen, but Venti didn’t stop his task nor did he say anything at all. It was only when every piece of white cloth was removed that he decided to speak up.
“These scars…” he said, a cold, slender finger tracing the darkened tissue. Aether shuddered involuntarily.
“Yeah,” responded Aether. What else could he say? He knew they were bad. Ugly. Painful.
“How did you get them…?”
“Which ones?” He didn’t really care if Venti knew. They’d known each other for more than three years, there was no point in hiding the truth from Venti, of all people. Zhongli, maybe. Ei, definitely. Nahida, though he’d seen a vulnerable side of her, Aether himself couldn’t justify opening up to her. Venti was the only Archon he felt he could actually trust, however secretive the bard tended to be about sensitive topics.
“All of them,” Venti replied.
“Well, I think you know what the lightning-shaped one is from…” Aether trailed off, letting the unspoken name hang in the air. “The other two…”
“It’s okay, you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.”
“No, I want to tell you. It’s about time somebody knew.”
“Then I’m listening.”
Aether took a deep breath. “Lumine and I… When we traveled from world to world, we would fly. I said that the god that trapped us here stripped me of my powers. That included my wings…”
Venti traced the lines of his scars again. “How come you’ve never told me?” he whispered.
“I do my best to forget about them. It’s easier that way.”
“I know what you mean,” Venti said, finally reaching for the bandages, “I know a certain Yaksha that had a very similar experience, back in the day.”
Aether turned his head to look at Venti directly. “You mean Xiao? Xiao used to have wings?”
Venti smiled. “Aren’t most Adepti animalistic in nature? The Conqueror of Demons is no different.”
“I never even knew about that…”
“He doesn’t like to talk about it, I assume for the same reasons as you,” said the bard, pulling the last few strips of cloth tight against Aether’s body, “But I digress. I’m glad you decided to tell me.”
Aether felt a weight lift off his shoulders. “Me too. I’m sorry you had to see me like this.”
“Hey now, no apologizing!” Venti said, lightly slapping him on the shoulder, “There’s nothing to be sorry for.” The bard sat back to check over his work, crawling off of the bed once he was finished. Aether moved to lay back down, but not before Venti checked over the front side of Aether’s wound.
“I’d better go check on the others,” sighed the bard, placing his hands on his hips. “We don’t want to burn down your lovely teapot, now do we?”
Aether giggled. “Good luck. You’re going to need it.”
“Ugh, I know! Those two don’t know the first thing about comfort food. They should really get out of the house more, if you know what I mean.” And with that, Venti swept out of the room, a wink and a wave the only signals of his swift return.