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“Wanderer, Wanderer! A letter from the Traveler has arrived! It's addressed to you this time!” Nahida couldn’t contain her excitement as she ran down the hall with an envelope in her hand. Things around the Akademia had been fairly boring recently, and Aether had been busy in other nations so he didn’t have time to visit or even write a letter very often, so this marked a pretty significant event in Wanderer’s week so far, even if it wasn’t that exciting. It was a bit odd that the letter was addressed to him, but he decided not to think much of it, it could have been for any reason at all.
“Let me see.” He replied as she finally made her way into his room, “Hopefully he doesn’t want my help with anything again. Not that I could take the time off anyways, with how busy you keep me.”
“If you are needed elsewhere I will make arrangements for you.” Nahida smiled as she held out the letter for him to take, eager to see what was written inside.
“I’m not going anywhere. I agreed to stay with you and protect the city, and —” He paused as he finally ripped the envelope open and unfolded the small sheet of paper. Unlike Aether’s usual letters, which often asked for his or Nahida’s assistance in some matter or another, or just let them know that he would be visiting soon, this one spoke of something else entirely.
Wanderer,
I remember after the “incident” you mentioned that you would like the descendants of the Raiden Gokaden to be told about what actually happened to their families all those years ago. I know that you wanted me to do it, and I have told a few people, but there is one person specifically that I believe you should tell yourself. I think you know who I am talking about. I understand that you have no desire to return to Inazuma at this time, but I happened to run into him while I was visiting, and he said that he would be coming back to the mainland soon and would come to Sumeru City to meet you if you are interested. He was very open to the idea and made it clear he isn’t interested in revenge or anything like that, he only wants to know more of his family history. I think you two could learn a lot from each other, so I am hoping you will agree to this arrangement as well and that I will hear back from you soon.
-Aether and Paimon
P.S. Please tell Nahida that we will try to visit her in the next two months or so, and we are happy to help out with whatever needs to get done as always.
“Well, what does it say?” The small figure started bouncing impatiently. Even if she was an archon, she was still excited by such simple things as a letter and would ask as many questions as needed to get the information she wanted.
“It says they will be visiting soon and to make a list of things you want them to help with.” There was no reason to tell her the main contents of the letter, but he knew she would find out anyways.
“And what does the rest say?”
Sighing in frustration, he set the letter down on the desk nearby before turning to look at her. “Aether wants me to meet with a person connected to my past to explain what happened to his family.”
“And will you meet him?” He thought back to what he had heard about the descendant of the Kaedehara clan. Their familial connection went both ways in this instance. He had tried to wipe out the clan a hundred years ago, and Kazuha had faced off against his mother at the end of the Vision Hunt Decree. It seemed inevitable that they would meet at some point, but he wasn’t sure if he was ready to have that meeting just yet. Then again, he wasn’t sure if the other would be willing to accept an invitation to Sumeru a second time if he did not accept now, and returning to Inazuma was not an option for him at his point.
“I think I will. Aether has spoken about him before, and he seems like a respectable person. I have my own interests with him outside of his family history as well, so this is a good opportunity.”
“Do I need to arrange anything? You are allowed to take time off, you know.”
“No, we will just walk around the city when he arrives, no need for a formal meeting or anything like that, he isn’t a diplomat.” He didn’t want to make a big deal out of it, even if he felt that it was. And based on what Aether had told him, the other man wouldn’t enjoy a formal meeting either, so something more casual suited both of them much better that whatever Nahida had in mind.
“Understood! I’m glad you are able to do this, Wanderer, I know this is hard for you.”
“It’s not difficult for me.” They both knew it was a lie, but neither said a word as Nahida left the room and Wanderer was once again alone, now with the letter sitting on his desk among the books and unfinished essays. He found a loose piece of paper in a drawer, wrote a brief reply to Aether, and sent it on its way back to Inazuma. The next few weeks would be extremely bothersome to say the least.
As expected, the wait was excruciatingly long. There was hardly anything to do around the city for his work, and knowing that in just a few weeks he would come face to face with his past, and have to explain it to someone who had no idea that he even existed? It was certainly a difficult situation to be in, but he had agreed to this, after all. He would have to just get through this one meeting and then hopefully never have to speak of those events again. That was all. He spent his free time in those weeks wandering the city, choosing places to take his guest while trying not to think about anything that had led to this. Nahida mostly left him alone except for the occasional reminder to keep up on his essays. Like always he decided to ignore her.
Eventually the day came when Kazuha would arrive in the city for their meeting, and it was as Wanderer saw him walk up to the entrance of the cafe where they had agreed to meet that he finally understood exactly why the Traveler had wanted him to do this himself. Kazuha wasn't an exact copy of him, not by a long shot. But the way he carried himself, the colors he wore, the small smile on his face as he waved hello. The red streak in his otherwise white hair. Ah, so it was not just any descendant of the Kaedehara clan, but he was related to him. To that person that he had for so many centuries believed had betrayed him, only to learn far too late that that person had given up everything just to protect him.
Niwa…
He almost turned and ran then and there. This was too much, he couldn't face this by himself after all this time. What would he even say to this man? What could possibly be enough to show appreciation for his ancestor’s actions while begging for forgiveness from what he had done a hundred years ago? And how would he do that while having to explain that he was the one involved in all of this in the first place? He had half a mind to try and get Nahida's attention somehow, get her to come up with some excuse as to why they couldn't meet today. Kazuha would go home, and they would never speak to each other again. It isn't what he wanted, not really, but it was the only thing he could think to do. Perhaps he would tell the Traveler about what had happened and get him to explain everything instead. That would be for the best.
But it wouldn't be, he knew. If any one person in Teyvat deserved to know the truth, it was the man quickly approaching him, raising his arm to wave hello.
“You are Wanderer, I assume?” his voice was so gentle, so soft, like it had never been raised once in his life. It felt as if the words were weaving themselves into a tapestry that would keep out even the strongest of storms if only you were lucky enough to find yourself wrapped in it.
“Ah, yes, that's me. You can sit if you want. I'm not sure how long this will take, but maybe I can show you around the city if you don't want to stay here.”
“This will do just fine for now, thank you. Do you have another name you prefer to go by? I've met many people in my travels, many of whom would consider themselves wanderers, but until Aether mentioned you to me I had never heard of someone such as yourself. Quite an ambitious name I would think.”
“I just prefer to avoid more specific names. What I'm called isn't so important to me.”
Kazuha thought for a moment before replying, “You view yourself as unimportant, but it sounds like you have something very important to tell me. So instead of worrying about names, why don't we start with that.”
“My apologies if you find anything I say to be hard to believe. You don't have to believe me at all, but all of what I'm going to tell you is true.”
And so they began the real conversation. Kazuha was completely quiet as Wanderer explained who he was, where he came from, and some of how he had been forgotten. This was the most difficult part of it all. Teyvat was no stranger to long-lived creatures and strange technology, but Wanderer himself was certainly unique even among those groups, and then to also be treated by most people as a regular human… it was an odd feeling having to really elaborate on his own self-categorization to someone who was basically a complete stranger. But Kazuha only sat quietly and listened, nodding his head occasionally to indicate that he could keep speaking. At some point drinks and snacks had been brought to the table and we're consumed by the pair over the next hour or so. Before he could get to talk about Niwa, however, Kazuha finally decided to speak up.
“So, the Raiden Shogun, Ei. She is your… mother, then?”
“I wouldn't consider her as such anymore. Even if I were to forgive her for abandoning me, I'm not sure she even knows I exist anymore.”
“I see. This is very interesting, I've never heard of anything like this before, but what does this all have to do with me?” Kazuha asked, confused as to how the existence of a divinely created puppet was related to himself and his family.
“Well, you see, when I woke up after being abandoned, it turned out I had been left in a domain near Tatarasuna. Many of the old Raiden Gokaden worked in those villages, including your relatives as I'm sure you know. Do you know of a person who was named Niwa?”
“Of course. It's said that he fled the area during the disaster there despite being in charge of the place. That was believed for a long time, but I'm not sure many remember that story anymore, and anyone who does likely isn't too worried about the details of such a distant past.”
“I see. Well, Niwa was the one who took me in when I made it to the village. Another blacksmith, Katsuragi, was the one who found me, but Niwa let me stay with him and taught me the ways of the human world back then. He was a very kind man, and it's a shame that he is still remembered as a traitor even with things as they are now.”
“What do you mean? I understand, at least a little, that you erased yourself from history, but that shouldn't have anything to do with Niwa’s betrayal, even if you did know each other.” Kazuha looked confused again, and Wanderer was suddenly reluctant to continue the conversation. During their brief time speaking, he had grown to like Kazuha, and he didn't want to ruin this somewhat tenuous connection that they had. Kazuha was kind and understanding, just as Niwa had been, but he still did not know the limits to humans’ acceptance of things. Would he be angry with him? Upset? Would he feel betrayed somehow? Or like he had wasted his time coming out here to Sumeru to meet a person who only told fantastical stories? He didn't believe Kazuha was the type of person to do or feel such things, but trusting others was something Wanderer still was struggling with. But, he didn't want to lose the chance at having friendly relations with another person, which would never happen if he followed his instincts and got up and left now, so he continued.
“No, this has nothing to do with my erasure, and I'm not sure what the truth is in this version of history, but Niwa did not betray Tatarasuna, he was killed… because of me.” And so he continued on with his story, while Kazuha once again sat in silence listening to what had happened that day in Inazuma. The disaster at the furnace, Escher’s betrayal and true identity as Dottore, the plot to both cause chaos in Inazuma and capture the newly discovered puppet. His own belief in Niwa’s betrayal until he learned the truth much later. On and on he rambled, eventually starting to say things that weren’t relevant to the conversation, but needing to get them out, to tell someone, anyone. And Kazuha was right there, and he was willing to listen at the very least. Eventually though, the rambling became too much even for the extraordinarily patient man, and he finally spoke up once again.
“I’m sorry to interrupt, and please continue after I say this if you’d like, but does that mean that the one who killed the remaining Raiden Gokaden a hundred years ago was…”
“Yes,” Wanderer looked down, ashamed to admit that final truth, “It was me. That obnoxious red streak in your hair that you inherited from your grandfather is the reason you’re alive right now, you know that?” He chuckled, mostly to himself for admitting something so embarrassing.
“Ah, so that’s why you gave me such an odd look when you first saw me walking up. I reminded you of him.”
Wanderer could feel his face getting warm, and he could only imagine how much of a mess he looked in that moment, “Yes…”
“Well, I’m sure Aether told you this already, but I’m not one to dwell on the past or hold grudges against people, so you don’t have anything to worry about there. I am glad you told me this though. Not that I didn’t believe the commonly known story, or I guess I didn’t ever actually learn the new history from anyone? I’m still a bit confused about all of that. But I suppose, when I think about it now, the current version of history does have some odd inconsistencies that can’t really be explained easily. Your story, on the other hand, fills in all those gaps and feels much more cohesive with what we know of that time period, so I’m inclined to believe it. Besides, I don’t think Aether would be so set on us meeting if you didn’t know something very important.”
“You know you can’t tell anyone about this, yes?” One final test to make sure that Kazuha really did intend on being kind to him. “Aether has told a few of the other blacksmiths and some villagers whose families have been in Tatarasuna since that time, but I would still prefer that word of my existence didn’t spread too far just yet.”
“Of course. There is no one left in my clan that needs to know of this, and I don’t talk to many others as it is. You can be assured that no one will know what we discussed here.” A smirk appeared on Kazuha’s face then, an unusual expression for someone like him who seemed to always be calm and straightforward. “Aether said that you might also be interested in hearing some of my own stories, so we could take that walk through the city you offered earlier if you would like. I’m sure he told you already, but I have had a couple of quite interesting run-ins with the person who created you.”
“So I’ve heard. I’ve also heard that we share the same elemental powers now that I have a vision. There aren’t many anemo vision users here in Sumeru, so I’d like to hear about that as well, if you don’t mind.”
Kazuha laughed a bit before standing up, “It’s not much of a story, really, much less interesting than yours I’m sure. But I’m happy to talk about it. I’ve quite enjoyed your company today, Wanderer. And while I may have been a bit suspicious at first, you really do seem to live up to your name.” And with that, the two left the cafe and headed out into the city, where they spoke for several more hours about Kazuha’s experience with the Raiden Shogun, the resistance he had taken part in with Aether, and his past with his friend. This time, Wanderer listened intently as the other spoke, only occasionally asking questions and adding his own input. Eventually the sun began to set, and Kazuha had to make his way back to the inn he had rented so that he could begin his return to Liyue early in the morning. Before they separated though, they promised that they would see each other again at some point, and would maybe have a less heavy discussion than the one had today.
“Are you sure you can’t stay an extra day?” Wanderer asked once again, “If money is an issue I’m sure I can work something out with Nahida.”
“No need. As much as I would love to stay and explore more of Sumeru, I have to get back to the ship before they leave Liyue Harbor. I’ve got a few other people I’ve agreed to meet at our next destination, and I wouldn’t want to mess up their schedules just for my own convenience.”
“I understand. Well, thank you for coming all the way out here just for me, and I hope you are able to visit again soon, maybe for a bit longer next time when we both are not so busy with work.”
“I think I would like that very much. Perhaps you can introduce me to the dendro archon so that next time I am in Inazuma I can give the Shogun some advice on ruling a country!” Kazuha waved then, and turned to enter the inn. Once he was inside, Wanderer felt his face heat up again, and he tried to hide himself from view as much as possible as he climbed back up to the top of the city where his room in the sanctuary waited for him. Things had worked out far better than he could have ever imagined, and he could already see Nahida teasing him about the whole situation before he even walked in the door. But for the first time in a long time, he didn’t care. He and Kazuha would be seeing each other again at some point. That was all that mattered.