Chapter Text
“Let’s see what commissions Katheryne has for us!”
Paimon’s shrill voice was unfavorable to the ears, but not incorrect. The Traveler was running low on mora, and commissions were always the fastest and most secure way to remedy that. That is… if the commissions were simple, like a hilichurl camp by the edge of the town. Not… this.
“What do you mean Albedo is missing!?” Paimon cried.
“He hasn’t been seen in a few days, I’m afraid. The last person who’d seen him was Sucrose, who witnessed him disappear into dragonspine and not return since.”
The traveler was quiet. It would be difficult, and definitely not the easy mora he was anticipating, but it was a commission he could not ignore. Albedo was a good friend. The thought of him in danger was… well… he had to help.
To dragonspine it was.
~
Missing for several days… that meant he was nowhere to be seen. Surely, he wouldn’t be reported missing if he was hanging around in his usual spots.
So, the traveler was very suspicious seeing him in his workspace, rummaging through his things.
“Albedo!”
“Oh, yes?”
Immediately, Aether was drawing his sword.
When Albedo turned, the signal was glaring. It was the first thing he noticed about him. A glaring contradiction he could not ignore… his bare neck.
The impostor drew his sword next, moving swiftly to block his attacks. Metal scraped metal, and the traveler, the more seasoned fighter, quickly gained advantage. Blades cut through the air, the traveler’s elemental abilities granting him an unfair upper hand.
His blade struck the impostor’s shoulder, and the latter let out a shout in pain as he clutched the bleeding wound.
Still, the impostor struck. He pierced through the air, but he did not land a hand on the traveler. Instead, he grabbed Paimon by the leg, holding the edge of his sword to her neck.
The traveler froze in his tracks.
“Take a step closer, I dare you.”
“Traveler!” Paimon cried, trying to wiggle out of his grip.
“Drop your sword.”
The traveler hesitated.
“Drop it!”
The sword dropping into the snow happened practically on its own.
Injured, and certainly not looking to die today, the impostor released his grip on Paimon, and dashed into the distance. The traveler took a second too long to pick up his sword.
“That was kind of hilarious.”
A familiar voice turned the traveler’s head, and he was met with a familiar hat. Particularly, a familiar hat guy. Accompanied by a baby-sized dragon.
“Hat Guy!? Mini Durin!? What are you doing here!?” Paimon screeched.
“Someone insisted on visiting,” Renata jerked his head in Mini Durin’s direction.
“What happened… What happened to Albedo? Why did he attack you like that?” His voice was small and sad.
“It’s not my story to tell,” Aether said sadly, lowering his sword.
“I know how many secrets you keep, who would I be to pry them out of you? Certainly not my business, and I’m not going to pretend I care.” Renata was cold as usual.
“Long story short, though, that was NOT Albedo,” Paimon graciously supplied. “That was an impostor, he’s trying to kill Albedo! And the real Albedo… oh no! Where is the real Albedo!?”
“If he finds him…” Mini Durin trailed off, his big eyes stricken with worry.
“Fine,” Renata huffed. All eyes turned to him. “I said fine. I’ll go catch and kill your stupid impostor. It’ll take two seconds.”
“Aww, you care!” Paimon squealed.
“Don’t put words in my mouth. I don’t care about your human worm. I just don’t want Mini Durin to whine about it for the next hour.” He turned, tilting his hat so it obscured most of his face. “Go find your friend. I’ll come find you once I’ve disposed of the threat.”
~
It took around half an hour to find Albedo.
Mainly because they didn’t expect him to be sitting in plain sight, on the edge of a cliff, sketching the sunset.
“Where have YOU been!?” Paimon shouted. “We just ran into your impostor again! Apparently you’ve been missing for days!”
“I’ve been watching,” Albedo assured her. “Frankly? I wanted to see what he would do.”
Paimon turned to the traveler. “This is it. He’s crazy.”
“Don’t get me wrong; I fully intend to eliminate him. But we had a… confrontation. Unfortunately, I had been overworked at the time and he caught me at my worst. I ended up injured.” He lifted his leg, which was wrapped in bandages. “I want to confront him when I’m not at a disadvantage. Then, he won’t be a problem anymore.”
“I was so scared, Albedo!” Mini Durin cried, flying over to his cousin. The blonde boy patted his head.
“Do not fret, I am safe.”
“But is Hat Guy?” Paimon asked suddenly. All heads turned to the distance, the wind howling. He should have finished by now.
He was strong. He wouldn’t lose… right?
Mini Durin was getting the same idea.
“Paimon, come on, let’s go after him,” The traveler says. Paimon doesn’t argue.
~
They find the impostor holed up in a cave, his wound taken care of. The traveler stands agape, his sword at the ready.
“Round two, I see?” The impostor sneers.
“Paimon, go. Fly away.”
“But--”
“GO!!!”
Paimon is a little hurt, but she understands the sentiment, and flies off.
“It’s just you and me now,” The traveler says. “No one else to get in the way.”
“So be it.”
Again, they clash swords. The impostor is fully prepared to go down fighting, what with his injury and his general lack of prowess. The victor seems set, until the very end, when help arrives in the form of several rapid windblades that slice through the air. However, they are not aimed at the impostor.
They’re aimed at the traveler.
“Who’s there!?” The traveler shouts, his head whipping around to the entrance of the cave, only to see…
“Godsdammit,” Renata curses to himself.
“What are you doing?” The impostor spat. “You’re strong, you can easily knock him down. Fight.”
“I can’t,” Renata returns his bitterness. “He’s my… friend.”
“....What?”
“You’d better have a good explanation,” The traveler warns.
Renata is quiet.
“This guy? Can’t be your friend. Seriously. Just attack. You can win--”
“Stand down,” Renata warns. Surprisingly, the impostor listens.
The traveler waits patiently for an explanation. Renata sighs.
“He’s exactly like me, don’t you get that? A failed creation, tossed away by an ungrateful creator. We weren’t enough, so we were discarded like trash. There’s not many who can understand that kind of pain. Of course he hates the world. Enmity is all it’s shown him.”
“...He tried to kill Albedo,” The traveler reminded him.
“And I tried to kill you,” Renata reminded the traveler back. “In fact, I did kill people. Multiple people. You gave me a chance. Why doesn’t he get the same one?”
The traveler went quiet.
“Hypocrites… you see some as flowers, yet others as weeds. And you always discard the soil. You deem a plant as pestly due to lack of petals… and yet, I never had any to begin with.”
“You wanted to change--”
“I needed to change. I didn’t want to. You and Bu’er both know that.”
The traveler lifted his head, looking between Renata and the bewildered impostor. “So… how do we know he’s like you? How do we know he’s different?”
Renata turned to the impostor. “Alius.”
The impostor tilted his head.
“That is your name now. Alius. I will pass a name unto you as one was passed unto me. That… will be the first step toward your redemption.”
Slowly, Alius reached out and took Renata’s outstretched hand. “...Alius. Huh.”
"I was like you. Filled with hatred toward the world. I believed there was no good. The only way to move forward is to act with the same cruelty you'd been given. But that's not the way. You will make connections. And those connections will change how you see the world. You won't want to admit it at first-- or ever-- but once you meet the right people... you won't get to hate the world in the same way ever again."
“That was…. Really cheesy.”
“I know. I hate myself for it.”
“If we choose to do this,” The traveler began, “Then anyone he harms after this… it will be your responsibility. Are you prepared for that?”
“I am,” Renata said firmly. “...I am.”
A beat.
“Why the hell did I say all that? That was so-- urgh… I’m starting to sound like you!” He threw a finger at the traveler.
“Nahida will be so proud.”
“Bu’er will not hear a word of this.”
“Yeah, I concur, to be honest,” Alius said. “That was pretty cringey.”
“How about you jump in a ditch?”
“How about you fall into a river?”
“How about you walk off a cliff?”
“How about you get eaten by a hilichurl?”
“That’s enough,” The traveler interrupted the bickering. “Gosh, you just became friends and you already fight like an old married couple.”
“I hate that word,” Alius said. “Friends.”
“Yeah, but you can’t escape it. Believe me, I’ve tried.”
This was a huge change, for sure. But… it was a welcome one.
~
“Why exactly do I have to apologize?” Alius grumbled on the long walk back to Albedo’s spot.
“Because, the traveler will kill you if you don’t. Go figure.”
“If it didn’t come from the traveler, I wouldn’t have believed it!” Paimon said smugly. “You really said all that, Hat Guy?”
“I said nothing, kill yourself,” Renata huffed.
“Oh?” Albedo sat up, Mini Durin floating curiously at his head. “This is an… unexpected development.”
“We have a lot to talk about,” The traveler said.
~
“So, Hat Guy made a new friend!” Mini Durin cheered. “Alius! It’s nice to meet you!”
“This is your friend? A literal baby?” Alius sneered.
“Another word and I feed you to Paimon.”
“Alius,” Albedo stepped forward, limping a little. “You have been a danger to Mondstadt in the past. It will take a lot to overlook that. And I see it in your eyes-- you still harbor that resentment. Towards Rhinedottir. Towards me. Answer me with honesty. Do you still want to replace me?”
Alius was quiet.
“If you still intend to kill me, I do not accept you using my friends to--”
“I don’t know!” Alius shouted suddenly. “I don’t know anymore. Because if I’m you… I don’t get to choose my friends. A life is already made for me, wrapped perfectly in a bow. I thought I wanted that. I thought it was so perfect, mine for the taking. But if I’m you… I don’t get to be me. I don’t get to be friends with the only other person who understands me, and I’d have to get rid of the other person who does. I don’t know if I want that anymore. And I know you expected me to say ‘no, I want to serve Mondstadt until I die,’ but--”
“Alius.”
Alius turned, gaze fixed on the floating electro vision in front of him.
“Is that… mine?”
“I believe so,” Albedo smiled. “I think this is proof you’re safe to keep alive.”
"What the hell, Mom?" Renata muttered under his breath.
“So… what do I do now?”
“When I had to be ‘redeemed’, Bu’er forced me to go to school,” Renata grumbled.
“School sounds fun!” Mini Durin chimed.
“I think I’d rather die, actually,” Alius huffed.
“Assuming you’re being facetious, I think learning is a good opportunity for you,” Albedo added. “But it doesn’t have to be at a formal school, I don’t think that setting is right for you. Perhaps… as my apprentice. My assistant. As reparation.”
“What.”
“What do you say, ‘estranged twin brother’?”
“Do I have a choice?” Alius asked, exasperated.
The silence that followed answered his question.
…Welcome to a new life, Alius.