Chapter Text
Aether knew he would eventually fade.
It started a few months back during his time in Natlan. The nation of dragons was warm. And the people too. Aether met a lot of good people and new friends. He could still remember how they smiled, how they cried, and how they lifted their weapons just to defend their homeland.
During the celebratory banquet, the traveler felt a lukewarm sensation traveling from his scalp to his fingertips. When he gazed at the sky, the stars seemed even brighter than usual. They twinkled and smiled at him; that's when he realized…it was like a gentle reminder from a parent to their child to finally come home after a long day of playing outside.
“Traveler? How are you feeling?”
His thoughts were grounded back to earth as the Saurian hunter gave him a gentle pat on his shoulder. Aether smiled and shook his head.
“I was just lost in thought.” He pulled the man to sit beside him.
In front of them, a large bonfire gently burned—brightly and proudly. Mavuika and Iansan were smiling along with the other Natlanese warriors, Ororon and Ifa were bickering like children; and Varesa, Mualani, and Kachina were dancing and laughing as they teased his little fairy friend. Chasca, Xilonen, and Citlali were downing one barrel of beer after another.
Aether felt a slight warmth starting to form on the surface of his eyes. “They’re really happy.”
“We are happy,” Kinich affirmed the man sitting beside him. “We have to thank you; you played a big part in this victory against the abyss.”
The traveler could only smile gently. Eventually, Kinich stood up and held Aether's hand.
“Let's join them? ” He made a gentle tug.
“Alright,” replied Aether.
The night was bursting with happiness, music, and relief. After so many years, Natlan is free. And it wouldn't have happened if not for all the warriors who proudly fought for Natlan.
And so, Aether's adventure in the Nation of Pyro finally came to an end.
He found himself in one of the cliffs of Scions of Canopy. Paimon was sleeping on his lap, innocent and oblivious to the world. Aether looked at the content smile as she slept before planting a soft kiss on her forehead.
The stars twinkled again. Each time it did, the traveler also felt that same familiar lukewarm sensation traveling towards all his extremities. An inevitable sense of return. To the far stars they came from.
He should inform Lumine about it, despite their predicament.
Maybe she would answer in her present-day cold tone and dismiss him, but Aether also knew that if it came to the worst, his sister would still be there for him.
He took a deep breath, letting the breeze caress his face and kiss him like an old lover. He looked at the skies and wondered if he truly belonged there when all the people he loves are at an arm’s length now. Is it greed? Aether wondered.
Maybe not.
Maybe he's also just starting to finally find his place too..
A place just for him.
Aether looked at the horizon, to Celestia, and to the moons, and then to a shadow of a tree, lit in the luminescence of the night sky, and closed his eyes.
When he arrived in Teyvat as a traveler, he didn’t bring much, just an old rusty sword and an adventure of seeing the world and finding his sister, and now that he was leaving, there still weren’t many things to take away.
The traveler looked at the sleeping fairy on his lap and said in a whisper, “Paimon, do you want to stay here with everyone or go with me? ”
Paimon curled closer to the traveler, but she still responded instinctively with a growl from her tummy.
“So you’re leaving with me? ” Aether acquiesced, then chuckled and said to himself, “I feel that neither of us is a good person, leaving everyone suddenly and running away. I wonder if it will anger him?”
Him...who else could it be?
Xiao...
The Adeptus who's heavily bound by his sense of duty in Liyue. At first, he thought that Xiao was nothing more than a grumpy man who can only blame every annoyance on being an adeptus with his signature line, "You don't have any respect for the Adepti!”
Aether chuckled at the memories. Despite Xiao's almost tsundere behavior, he also has his moments.
Every time a tiny glimmer would appear when he and Paimon would offer him Almond Tofu, or how his face is always etched with concern every time they return from a battle. He could say a plethora of things that he noticed from their friendship, but nothing would ever describe it other than a specific word.
Pining.
Eternal longing.
And yearning.
Almost five years ago, they spent the Lantern Rite distantly. Nothing more than a formal celebration of Liyue’s prosperity.
And then another year, and the next, and another one, and another.
Slowly and gradually, they started becoming closer.
Physically.
Emotionally.
And oh...romantically...maybe not.
Aether sighed softly. He extended his hand towards the never-ending galaxy, and he saw it. A small blur that wasn't there on his fingertips. Slowly becoming transparent.
He's fading. Can feel the way the stars are telling him to finally go back. He knew it.
But he doesn't want to understand. Not when there are still things he needs to do.
Bring back his sister, find a way to somehow settle here, and spend the next Lantern Rites with Xiao.
And they would light up a lantern for each year.
All five hundred and more of them.
Aether gently stood up and secured Paimon in his arms. With the convenience of his teleport waypoints, the traveler found himself on the balcony of Wangshu Inn. It's past midnight, and there were no people in sight. He walked towards the railings and breathed in the familiar breeze of Liyue. Bamboo and clear spring waters.
Underneath him stood countless streetlights, rivers, and landscapes. He hugged Paimon tighter. He doesn't want to leave.
“You're here.” A gust of anemo suddenly flashed beside him, and there stood Xiao, holding his primordial jade spear.
“I missed you, so I came here.” Aether smiled brightly at the Adeptus and Xiao couldn't help but avert his gaze. However, the red tint on the tip of his ears betrayed him.
“How absurd…” Xiao whispered before muttering. “Then you should've just called on my name.”
Aether pursed his lips into a small simper.
Xiao noticed this and looked at the sleeping fairy in Aether's arms. “Are you…tired from your travels? Is that why you came here, traveler? ”
The blond looked at the vast land of the Guili plains and shrugged his shoulders.
“Who knows?”
“You seemed...to be more exhausted than usual, traveler.” The Adeptus tried to extend his hand to tuck a disheveled blond hair to his ear, but he didn't.
The traveler always had this strong image about him that dissolved other people's worry. Xiao observed the man with his cat-like eyes and couldn't help sighing internally. He walked closer and draped an arm over Aether's battle-hardened shoulders.
“You know that I'm not adept at how mortals express their…affections,” he grumbled, his head hung low. His strong hand then gently moved Aether's head closer to pull the boy closer to him.
Aether flinched slightly but eventually melted into the man's warm touch. With Paimon in his arms, he also settled in Xiao's. The jade spear vanished in thin air, and Xiao's other arm pulled Aether's waist and embraced him.
The night breeze tousled Aether's locks, and his back leaned on the wooden railings. He finally caved in and buried his face and found refuge in the warrior's firm chest.
“Xiao, this Lantern Rite...can we spend it together? ” he asked, masked in a soft whisper.
“This time, I want to walk in Liyue Harbor.”
Xiao's eyes flickered slightly. He has always been against the thought of socializing with mortals due to his karmic debt. He dreaded the possibility of everything occurring in the worst way possible.
He looked at the soft bundle of blond hair and leaned closer. He doesn't want Aether to see the hesitancy in his eyes.
A few years ago, he spent the Lantern Rite on top of Wangshu Inn.
And then closer, and closer, and closer.
He could still remember it from two years ago.
The night sky shimmered like a sea of gold, each lantern drifting upward as though carrying silent prayers to the heavens. The hum of Liyue Harbor’s festivities echoed faintly below—music, laughter, and the warm chatter of families reunited.
Up on the courtyard roof, away from the bustling crowd, Aether sat with his legs dangling over the edge. The cool stone pressed against his palms as he leaned back, letting the glow of the lanterns wash over him. The ocean far beyond reflected the light like scattered stars dancing upon the waves.
Beside him, Xiao stood at first, silent as he always was, his amber eyes tracking the drifting lights. Slowly, he sat down too, arms resting loosely on his knees.
Xiao’s teal-and-black attire contrasts with Aether’s white-and-gold, and their postures suggest a shared stillness, neither tense nor overly relaxed, just quietly present with each other.
Neither of them spoke, bathed in the moment. The moonlight fell between them, pale and gentle, mingling with the golden glow of the lanterns. The wind carried the faint scent of incense from the harbor, wrapping the night in a strange, comforting warmth.
Xiao breathed in Aether's familiar scent, windwheel aster. At that moment, he almost agreed wholeheartedly. Almost.
‘I don't want to be near them.’
‘i just want to be with you.’
‘I don't want to.’
‘But I will pretend for you.’
“Is that what you wish of me, traveler? Very well, let's spend the Lantern Rite in Liyue Harbor.” Xiao spoke as he tightened his embrace.
“Together.”