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The chasm walls echoed faintly, the atmosphere thick—not with dust, but with the humming silence that wrapped itself around you like a shroud. Heavy. Unnatural.
Faint glows clung to the rock like dying embers. The violet gleam of corrupted ore veins, oozing with abyssal filth.
The lumenstone adjuvant flickered in your hand—its light stuttered, dim but defiant. The only glow keeping the dark at bay.
Up ahead, faint flickers of firelight broke the darkness. A camp—abandoned, but fresh. You exchanged a look with Aether, and his expression hardened.
“Stay by the purifier,” he said firmly, not for the first time. “I’ll draw the abyss away. You just need to stay hidden and keep the adjuvant charged.”
His voice lingered in your mind as you watched him step forward, sword ready, his golden hair catching the faintest glimmer of light. Aether was more than capable—facing gods, fighting dragons, cutting through hordes of Abyss alike. He had the strength. He had the experience.
You… didn’t.
“Don’t worry! Paimon is sure the Traveler will deal with the abyss, easy peasy!” she chirped, circling in the air, her tiny form leaving faint starry trails that glittered and vanished in the dark.
Clutching the adjuvant on your hip, you followed anyway, ignoring her warnings.
Your eyes darted across the uneven walls—jagged shadows danced with the faint violet shimmer of corruption. Every drip of water, every crunch of gravel beneath your boots felt louder than it should have been.
Up ahead, the clash began. Aether’s sword gleamed as they tore into the first wave of hilichurls. His movements were sharp, efficient, each strike accompanied by bursts of Anemo that sent enemies sprawling.
But there were too many. The horde pressed in, and although most were dealt with precision, you could see the way they swarmed— charging at the blonde forcing him on the edge as the filth clung to his boots, slowing his movements as he tried to get free while blocking the incoming attack of an hilichurl.
Your legs ran as fast as they could, charging with the sword with both hands, slicing one of the hilichurl from behind.
“I'm at your back! Focus on fighting! I'll clear the path for you!”
Before the traveller could retort, another hilichurl swung its club at him, quickly deflecting its attack, lips pressed into a thin line grunting in response.
Noticing the horde was on Aether’s tail, your gaze flicked to the oozing concretions clustered by the path. Kneeling, you raised the adjuvant, its light burning against the corrupted mud. The filth recoiled with a hiss, retreating under its glow.
Until a shrill laugh shattered the silence.
Your heart dropped.
From the shadows, an electro abyss mage emerged, its staff already crackling with violet energy. Its eyes locked on you, cruel amusement gleaming behind the mask.
“Crap—”
The mage hurled a bolt of electro as it swung their staff in your direction. You twisted just in time, the blast searing past you, but the edge of it grazed your arm. Pain lanced through your skin, hot and sharp that burns, forcing a cry from your throat.
The abyss mage cackled, staff swinging again as sparks arced through the air.
“Stay back!” You gasped, stumbling, adrenaline forcing your body forward even as your knees trembled. Grabbing a loose stone from the ground, you hurled it—not strong enough to wound, but enough to make the creature flinch and falter. “Aether—behind you!”
He reacted instantly, twisting mid-strike to avoid an arrow loose from the shadows. Your warning spared him a hit, but the abyss mage saw your distraction and advanced.
The darkness shifted, golden light slicing through like dawn breaking. Aether appeared between you and the mage in an instant, his blade catching the crackling energy midair, scattering it in sparks.
The mage raised its shield too late. Aether’s assault was relentless. His blade flashed once, twice, a whirlwind that tore the barrier apart as though it were paper. Each strike carried weight, rage sharpened into precision. The mage shrieked, stumbling back, but Aether didn’t stop until the creature dissolved into the shadows, its laughter silenced into nothing but crackles of dissipating energy.
Silence fell again, but it was heavy. Suffocating.
The echo of battle faded, swallowed by the chasm’s depths. Only the faint hum of your lumenstone and the rasp of your uneven breathing remained. Aether turned immediately, dropping to your side. His hand found your injured arm, his touch unexpectedly gentle despite the tense look he had on his face.
“Why didn’t you stay hidden?” His voice was low, breath unsteady. He pressed a cloth against your burn, golden eyes locked on yours.
Aether’s grip on your arm didn’t ease. He pressed the cloth firmly against the scorched skin where the electro bolt had grazed you, his jaw tight. His golden hair clung to his cheek with sweat from the aftermath.
You tried to brush it off with a shaky laugh.
“It’s just a scratch.” The damp cloth pressed on your skin made you hiss from the sting, gaining an indecipherable look from the traveller as you swallowed thickly. “Really, you should be more worried—”
“Don’t,” Aether cut in, his voice low but sharp. “Don’t act like this doesn’t matter.”
The cloth slipped slightly in his trembling hands, his knuckles white. His hair stuck to his temple, damp with sweat.
Paimon hovered nearby, unusually quiet. The little guide’s eyes darted between you and Aether, and for once, she didn’t offer a single word of comfort or levity. She knew this wasn’t hers to interrupt.
His touch gentled as he wrapped a strip of fabric around your arm, tying it with careful precision. When he spoke again, his voice broke on the edges, unguarded.
“I swore I’d protect you. But you… You keep throwing yourself where I can’t reach fast enough.” His brows knit, anger giving way to hurt. “What if I had been too late? What if—”
You reached up with your good hand, brushing your fingers against his wrist. His pulse was fast beneath your touch, still racing from the fight.
“But you weren’t too late,” you whispered. “You never are.”
For a long moment, the only sound was the faint drip of water in the distance. Aether stared at you, as though memorizing your face in this dim glow. His shoulders slumped. He exhaled, forehead bowing until it nearly touched yours. His voice was quiet, but firm.
“I’ll never let you out of my sight again. Not here. Not anywhere. I can’t lose you.”