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Things were not looking good. He was almost feeling helpless, but he had no choice.
Aether had been trapped by the Doctor for a month already. Nefer has found his location through ‘special abilities’ but of course someone has to go for the rescue. Who in Teyvat has the courage to accept the threat of death to save one person? This is something an ordinary human won’t even think about.
But he is not an ordinary human.
Wanderer has determined to bring back Aether fully unharmed at any cost. Aether is the changing variable, the most important part of the plan. Plus, the favour he owed Aether in Sumeru can be returned after this.
But… this seemed like the only chance for revenge.
“Are you completely sure you're going?” Standing outside the special boundary made by Dottore, Albedo couldn’t even remember how many times he had asked this.
“Getting him back is the only option right now. Don’t try stopping me.” Wanderer crossed his arms, looking at the boundary, frowning.
But…
The boundaries suddenly appeared a month ago. From the complicated dark blue patterns on the edges, Albedo could confirm that it was the Doctor’s making. If one touches the boundary, they will feel nothing but Kuuvahki. A few weeks ago, Albedo and Durin accidentally discovered that with enough elemental power, the boundary can be cracked for a short time. This surely gave everyone a spark of hope in saving Aether.
Albedo sighed, signalling Durin to come closer. To break the boundary into a large enough opening required continuous elemental attacks, which was impossible for just one person to keep the crack open. Nefer was sure that Aether must be here—perhaps talking to the Doctor or even ‘sparring.’ It won’t be long before something unpredictable happens.
“Then… be careful, Hat Guy! I…we can't lose another friend.” Durin’s eyes were red, nails almost dug into his palms. “Please put your safety first.”
“No need to remind me.” With a confirming look, Wanderer patted Durin’s shoulder, blushing a little after realizing what he was doing.
To be honest, Wanderer wasn’t confident in this rescue. The Doctor, already wielding the power of three moons, had almost unimaginable power. Wanderer knew all too well his strength within the Fatui—trying to throw him off guard would be nearly impossible if he still remembered Wanderer. For the plan to turn out the best it could, Wanderer not only has to stop himself from the urge for revenge but also protect Aether’s safety. Still, the pain of losing a friend is unbearable—so he absolutely didn’t want his best friend Durin to experience the same feeling. If things truly spiralled out of control, he would have to prioritize his own safety. After all, any chance of revenge would be a joke if he was gone too early.
But…
“Don’t worry, we’ll observe from a distance. Will step in if necessary.” Albedo spoke up.
Wanderer let out a quiet sigh. He never wanted his friends to be in danger, but this was also the best way to ensure safety for both Aether and him.
“...Fine. But you do needa know that I’m not as weak as you think.” He looked up. “I’ll take him as far away from here as possible once we’re out. Only come to us after confirming it’s saf—”
Bang!
Followed by a cacophony of intertwined elemental forces.
“They’re already fighting—now!” Albedo started gathering Geo energy in his hand.
Focusing on the wind, massive amounts of Anemo energy surged from all directions, converging at a single point with Wanderer as the centre. They exploded with a sharp shout—shards of the shattered barrier shot towards the three’s faces, only to be met by the crimson Abyssal power.
First strike, second strike, third strike—Durin’s eyes flashing red, nearby animals scattered in all directions, and the opened crack grew larger and larger. “Albedo!”
Golden light shined with unreadable characters surrounding in a circle. It sealed the crack, reaching nearly eight meters in diameter. In an instant, blades of wind sliced through the darkness, aiming straight at the Doctor. With a hard kick off the ground, Wanderer leapt into the air. Anemo wrapped around him as he shot like a meteor into the danger.
No hesitation. No regret.
What appeared before him was Aether pinned to the ground by brute force and the Doctor, who had just blocked his attack. Though their eyes only met for a brief second, Wanderer clearly felt Dottore’s surprise.
As their eyes met, the world seemed to stop its breath
A voice—
‘He’s right there. Less than a meter away from you. If you turn and throw a punch now, you sure can hit him right in the face. You’ve been waiting for this moment for years.'
The voice slipped into his ears — where is it from?
“Shut up…”
There are more important things to do.
‘You came all the way to Nod Krai for revenge, didn't you?"
But…
"Dottore took everything from you."
True.
The pain wouldn’t disappear.
The pain of losing family.
The pain of losing friends.
The pain of losing all meaning.
It hurts.
Everything hurts so much.
What hurts? Heart?
His eyes felt wet.
But…
‘This is the only chance.’
But…
‘Miss this chance and you might never get another.’
“Shut up!” A hoarse shout cut off the voice—whether it came out from his mind or his mouth, he didn’t know.
Anemo surged instantly, Wanderer slipped his arms under Aether’s. Wind carried Wanderer and the dazed Aether as they broke free from the Doctor’s restraint and shot toward the sky.
But Aether never felt this heavy to carry…so was his own body.
The real danger had only just begun—countless bullet-like attacks chased after them, dense and suffocating. Wanderer shook the weird feeling off and held Aether tightly in front of him, weaving nimbly through the air using Anemo. His tilted flight posture helped him use his back as a shield from the incoming attacks, protecting Aether from being hit.
The wind howled in Wanderer’s ears, leaving him almost unable to hear anything but wind and explosions. Every turn, every tilt of the head, and every swing of his body was a gamble with death. The attacks forced Wanderer to fly low to the ground, reducing resistance and using the uneven terrain to break the Doctor’s line of sight.
Suddenly, a massive particle exploded on the ground beneath him, the powerful shockwave slamming towards his face. Eyes shut tight, a stab of pain made Wanderer react instantly, twisting his body to pull Aether away from the blast—before he could even catch his breath after opening his eyes again, chill crept up his back, prompting him to gain altitude. He was correct. The Doctor used the power of the Moon to shave the surrounding ground flat in the blink of an eye. Seeing the ineffectiveness of the previous attacks, the Doctor quickly switched to an attack that pushed like laser beams. Blinding white beams swept over them, each one aiming at Wanderer’s most vulnerable points.
One of the lasers swiped his clothing—in that moment of distraction, a sharp, searing pain suddenly tore through his left shoulder.
His vision dimmed, ears ringing loud.
‘Damn it…’ Body tightened, Wanderer ignored the pain. He forced his eyes open, pushing every bit of Anemo power in his body as he charged straight toward the one visible point of light—the exit.
Even after flying past the entire island, Wanderer felt hollow like something was scooped out of his body. Only after safely lowering Aether and feeling the touch of grass did his senses slowly return to the body.
Pain struck, late but deep, tearing, blooming across his left arm as uncontrollable shakiness arrived. As much as he wanted to hold it in, a small cry sneaked out of him. The weight of his body felt like a mountain. When did he get so weak and pathetic? That’s a first in five hundred years, isn’t it?
“...uy? …at Guy! Hat Guy!” It was Aether’s voice.
Only then did he realize he hadn’t heard Aether shouting at all until now. Had he fallen into a brief blackout?
Wanderer slowly stood up, each inhale hurting more than the last, vision gradually clearing. His Anemo Vision was glowing teal, weaker than usual, but he’s alright.
“Hat Guy, how did you get here?” Aether asked urgently.
With a laugh that sounded more like a small wheeze, Wanderer crossed his arms as pain was held in. “You’re still gonna call me Hat Guy after that huh?”
“You came all this way just to save me?” Aether looked a little guilty.
“I didn’t see anyone else here that needed saving.” Wanderer gave a speechless look.
Aether fell silent. Long enough that Wanderer nearly told him to stop staring. “Thank you very much.” Instead, Aether spoke.
Not knowing which movement had pulled a muscle—then a fierce pain burst through his left shoulder. “Ugh… cough.”
“Hold on, are you injured?” Aether’s worried tone made Wanderer uncomfortable as always.
“It’s nothing. I’m fine.” A simple answer was enough to shut Aether.
Fear followed as Wanderer bit his lower lip. If he had listened to that voice in his head and gone for Dottore, the consequences would most likely result in a dead puppet and a crying dragon. The voice wasn’t lying though. It had spoken what he truly desired. Logic had won after all. His hands were still shaking from fear and pain as he forced a fist.
“Hat Guy!” The familiar voice made him relax. “Are you guys okay?”
“Looks like the Doctor didn’t do anything to you.” said Albedo, relieved, after observing Aether.
“Hat Guy…” Surely, Durin had smelled the blood from his friend ages ago.
Though the clothing at the front covered his injury, it was impossible to ignore the dark purple liquid oozing to paint his white shirt at the back.
With minimal movement, Wanderer turned his head away, avoiding Durin’s eyes. “Let’s head back… There’re a few people who must be getting impatient.”
“Hat Guy-”
“Tch, quiet.”
“But your…!”
“...Fine, I’ll patch it up after we return to the town.”
People make wrong choices all the time, but for him, not today.
He didn’t look back at his past, because if he did, he wasn’t sure if he’d keep moving forward.