Chapter Text
..............I think we all know the basics of a Stars life cycle............
They are born
They wither away after Millions upon Billons of years
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And they turn into insatiable blackholes that carve nothing by the essence of life
Craving light to fill what feels empty inside
To replace what it had lost
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While others
Gain sentience
They search for meaning
Love
Acceptance
A place to......belong
.......But really......
Where does something that exists only to devour the lives of others truly belong?
No matter what form they take.....
No matter who they are......
What they do.......
They will always......
Be nothing more.....
Then a Hungry...
Insatiable...
M o n s t e r.....
Isn't that right AETHER?
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Aether snapped out of his thoughts with a start, tail pointing out at the suddenness of Paimons voice pulling him back to the present, acting as an anchor for his intrusive thoughts.
"Traveler! are you ok?" Paimon asked him worriedly, he tended to zone out at times. "Is......IT.....happening again? Want Paimon to get you some of the fish we caught?"
"Wh-Wha-- O-Oh no no, it's fine, i'm fine" Aether reassured her, waving her off, ah right, he....usually only did that when he got hungry.
"Well if you say so, you better not be telling Paimon that so Paimon won't worry!" Paimon scolded, the last thing she wanted was for Traveler to starve himself again.......ya know......with what happened with that......one guy......
Flesh tore in IT'S 'mouth', claws, larger then the bodies torso, pinning IT down as IT'S 'teeth' ripped and tore at the corpse IT'S so sorry, it was like this when they found it, IT and Paimon, they're not sure how long he's been dead, day at least, he wore this....strange armour that reminded IT of Knight's IT'S seen on other planets.
Tears on white liquidlight pouring from IT'S face as it devoured the corpse. IT doesn't want to, IT'S so sorry!
I-It's fine!
They felt disgusting
I-It's ok!
They're a MONSTER
Th-This H-....Hu...Man, he was called
H-He's n-not using this body mass anymore a-anyways!
He should have been buried
I-....IT will put it to good use for him, IT promises!
IT n-needed a body for itself to shift into!
Keep making excuses
J-Just d-don't think about
J-Just.........don't--
Paimon shudders at the memory, despite being faceless, Aether was....genuinely broken up about that, he........did say he didn't like devouring organic organisms, living or not, Paimon spent several days trying to get him to eat anything (Non living) after that.......he's still torn up about it.
Despite the body he's managed to create using that dead Knight's body mass, albeit didn't help much, while YES he looked more human now, his arms were still black as char, his eyes had creepy red slits in the pupils, not to mention the pointed ears, tail, and sharp teeth, Aether's solved the arm problem by wearing his long leather gloves, though the tail thing was a bit more difficult to deal with, he's gone to just wrapping it around his waist and hope people mistake it for a belt. The eyes and ears however weren't to much of a problem, some species of Demi-Humans had features like that, though Aether still insisted on covering his mouth with a cloth. Even then It didn't make Aether's mentality any better. But, the best thing she can do for now is help him through it.
After all, not even she understands what Aether is, even after all this time together, or him telling her the basic details; He's a Shapeshifter, yes, he travels different worlds with his sister to find a home where they can belong, but thats pretty much it, not to mention......THAT form......
"Well......we should probabaly get going! There should be a city nearby! If Paimon's memory serves correct it's called Mondstadt! Trust me! You'll LOVE IT!" She attempts to lighten the mood as Aether stands up from the rock he was sitting on, he spirits slightly leavened.
".....Y-Yeah......I think I'd like that........we've been wandering around this coat from about 2.......M-Months now? I-Is that right? D-Did I get that right?" Aether asked Paimon nervously.
"Yep! Good job! You're finally starting to tell the difference between Months and.....w-well, what ever you used to measure time in THAT time!" Paimon congratulated as they move down the beach.
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The duo had been walking awhile, soon finding themselves before a large statue within a clearing in the forest on the cliffside from a large city covered with windmills, what Aether assumes in this 'Mondstadt' Paimon mentioned.
The statue depicted a winged figure with side braids, a rather.......revealing clothing, was this supposed to be a dude or a chick? Or neither? Not that Aether really cared that much nor sought to judge, the concept of 'gender' was still a foreign subject to them but from Paimon's told then it's something mortals often label themselves with as apart of their personal identities. If anything the androgynous appearance of the statue of normal for him.
Paimon went on to explain that the statue itself was a statue depicting one of the 7 Archons, deities that held authority over the elements of this world, the god depicting in this statue was Barbatos, God of Anemo and Freedom, a concept Aether felt connected to.
Paimon then began to ramble about Mondstadt's culture with Poetry and Song, all the while Aether felt a strange tug towards the statue, he could feel some kind of residual energy collected within it, what.....was that?
Aether pressed a hand against the cold gold at the base of the statue, the markings engraved on it lighting up at his touch, a sudden burst of energy bursting out of the statue like a gust of fresh zephyr. The void within Aether's being unconsciously begins to catch and draw it in like a space vacuum, sucking up the elemental energy greedily like a starving wolf.
The markings of the statue soon went dull, and Aether couldn't sense the energy that exited the statue anymore......did......he just--
A sudden shock of awareness sudden shot through his being, he could feel various forms begin to converge into him, as if he had just looking into the night sky and gazed upon newly formed constellations, and merged and syncronised with his very being.
It felt so.....foreign, new and odd.......yes at the same time it felt natural, securing, and.....less lonely.......what.......did he just do?
"Oooh! Did you just feel the elements of the world!" Paimon says in awe. "Seems all you had to do was just touch the statue, and.......y-yes Paimon can feel it! Your now connected to the power of Anemo!"
Connected?......Come to think of it.......all of sudden......they feel as though the winds have become much clearer, breezier almost. He looks at the accents of his clothing, the star on his chest, the joints of his glove's wrists, even his earring were now glowing a dazzling turquoise.
"Wow! And just by touching a statue of the 7! Anyone may want it, but Paimon doesn't think anyone can obtain Elemental Energy as easily as you!" Paimon compliments him, looking Aether over at the newly lit accents of his accessories, soon noticing something. "H-Hey! Look! Paimon almost didn't notice before! Your tail is gone! The tip of your braid is also blonde to!"
Aether jolts before looking down, it was.....gone? Wait........yes he can feel it, his core feels a little more stable now......he wonders....
Aether focuses, releasing his hold on his disguise a bit, his tail formed from his tailbone, before he made it disappear again, the precoess was, in Paimons opinion, kinda gross to watch, what with watch bone and flesh reconstruct and deconstruct so graphically.
"Well, anyways, the City of Freedom, Mondstadt should be just west of here! Look! You can see it in the distance right now!" Paimon says enthusiastically, pointing to the city they saw before at the top of the cliffside before. "If anyone knows were you sister is, better start there! Who knows she may have passed through!"
"Y-Yeah......Yeah we better get going, better now then later" Aether agreed, following Paimon west towards the city.
As they walked Paimon went on to explain Mondstadt's culture to him, her words were easier to understand now after teaching him Teyvats language, ha, before he couldn't even understand a word she said, guess those months of practicing paid off.
Before entering the forest, Aether felt something nearby, turning around he found several blob shaped creatures hopping towards them, and elemental heat radiating from them.
"Ah jeez! Pyro Slimes! Oh we must have wandered into their territory my accident!" Paimon say's fearfully.
One of the Pyro Slimes jump at Aether, and in reflex he raises a hand, intending to shift it into something, but instead, wind began to compress into his hand, and in a burst of Anemo, sent a burst of Anemo towards the slimes, sending them several feet back. The Slimes bounce back onto their 'stomachs?' and hop away fearfully.
Huh.....so thats what Anemo does, wonder what else he can do with it.
"Whoa! That was so COOL!" Paimon says in awe. "You were like WHOOSH! A-And then the slimes were like EEEEEEEEK! A-And-- And--!"
Paimon eventually managed to calm her self down, right they should probabaly leave now.
"We should uh....probabaly keep moving before they decide a round 2 is in order" Paimon stuttered out, flying ahead, Aether following her, no need to tell him twice.
They walked for a bit more, once entering a clearing a shadow formed overhead. The duo look up, finding a large, blue dragon flying overhead, startling the 2. It looked to be landing somewhere in the forest.
"Whoa! What is that!?" Paimon says in awe. "It's headed for the heart of the forest! Best proceed with caution!"
Aether nodded as the 2 rushed into the forest to get a better look, they were pretty much headed this way anyways, might as well see whats going on. As the duo travese deeper into the forest, a sense of unease envelops them, it felt like something was here......something powerful.
They manage to spot some shapes in the distance.
"Hey, look at that!" Paimon whispered, the 2 sneak closer and hide behind a nearby rock to stay hidden. Aether peaks over the boulder, finding the dragon, having landed in the forest, though there was someone else with it, a short human wearing green, midnight blue hair tied into braids that hung over their shoulders, they seeked to carry a harp of sorts, a bard maybe?
"Don't be afraid, it's alright now, i'm back" He heard the human? say calmly......no, no they didn't feel like a human, he could sense it, the power, the energy they held, it feels like the Anemo he absorbed form the statue, just what were they?
"Is he.....talking to a dragon?" Paimon questioned, tilting her head.
Aether leaned in to hear what they were saying better, however the Anemo Energy within their being suddenly pulses, releasing a small burst of energy, like a small spark be exposed to a lightning storm, was it.....resonating with something....or......someONE?
The sudden pulse of energy was sensed by the dragon, causing it to enter a high emotional state, it let out a roar, causing the bard to go on guard as it swiped it's claws at him, barely missing as the bard jumped back in shock.
"Who's there!?" The bard called out defensively, turning around in the duo's direction, they were barely able to hide hide behind the rock in time.
The dragon thrashed around furiously, slamming it's claws against the earth, the bard suddenly disappeared in a flash of light and wind, vanishing without a trace. With it's powerful wings the dragon took off, sending a shockwave of wind that nearly knocked Aether over and blew Paimon away, grabbing onto Aethers braid for support, the rock they were hiding behind nearby ripping itself out of the ground as some of the nearby trees derooted and fell over, the dragon flying away into the skies once more.
Aether and Paimon shakily came out from their hiding place, staring at the empty space.
"That was close! Paimon also got blown away!" Paimon say's slightly shaken. "Thank goodness Paimon amanged to grab ahold of your hair.....u-um P-Paimons sorry about that by the way"
"I-It's fine Paimon, it's fine" Aether reassured her. "Good thing the dragon didn't notice us before it took off"
"Just what was that!? Paimon thought we were gonna get eaten!" Paimon says, shivering a bit, she paused slightly befor elooking at Aether. "Well......Paimon at least, not sure you would have had much issue with it, ya know.....with the whole.....THING..."
"Yeah, your...right about that part" Aether sighed.
"...It's definitely something to do with that weirdo who was talking to that dragon" Paimon speculated.
"Is....talking to dragons not normal in this world?" Aether asked her curiously, he's met a dragon once in his travels, a traveler like him and his sister, rather good coversation, smart, tech nerdy, though that was......a good few thousand years ago though.
"Not normally, but, wouldn't say it's uncommon either" Paimon says with a shrug, she looks towards the area the dragon was perched on, seeing something glowing. "Oh? Whats that? There's some kind of shiny red thingy on the big rock over there"
Aether looks towards where she was pointing, seeing something red laying on the ground. Approaching a sudden scent hits his metaphysical nose, that smell.......he knows it, it's a taste he'd never forget.
Picking up the object he finds a crystalline tear shape gemstone, pulsing red with Abyssal Energy, the very scent made his internal structure drool a bit. He's almost forgotten the taste of it, how long was he sealed away?
"Paimons never seen a stone like this before, so Paimon can't tell what it is" Paimon says, inspecting it cautiously. "All Paimon knows is that it's dangerous! Best we put it away for now!"
Reluctantly Aether put the infected gemstone into his pocket-space, he'll save it for later then.
"Okey, we've got it, lets get out of here!" Paimon says enthusiastically.
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The 2 continued down the dirt path through the forest, it was a relief when they finally came upon a clearing, fields spreading for miles, and the city of Mondstadt now fully visable in all it's glory from the large hills they stood on.
"Hey you! Stop right there!" A feminine voice suddenly calls out to them from behind, putting the 2 on guard, of jeez DID THEY GET INTO TROUBLE ALREADY!? They haven't even entered the city yet!
A woman wearing red clothing suddenly jumped form the small leavened ground next to them, landing infront of the 2 with grace. "may the Anemo God protect your stranger! I am Amber! Outrider of the Knights of Favonius!"
.....Did.....she have to make such an entrance just to tell them that???
"You don't look like citizens of Mondstadt, explain yourselves!" Ooook maybe not.
"W-We're not looking for trouble!" Paimon said hastily, they don't need to be arrested before they even step foot inside the city!
"Thats what all the trouble makers say!" Amber responded sharply.
"Hello, i'm........The Traveler......" Aether greeted, Amber narrowed her eyes at him.
"Doesn't sound like a local name to me.......or a name at all actually.." She says suspiciously. "And this......mascot? Whats the deal with it?"
............IT?
"SHE is Paimon, We're friends" Aether says sharply, a sharp annoyance in his voice, Paimon doesn't like being referred to as IT.
"Awww Traveler" Paimon says with a smile.
"Sooo it sum it up, your traveling partners, right?" Amber asks, raising a brow, she let out a sigh and motioned them to follow. "Well look, there's been a large dragon sighting around Mondstadt recently, best you get inside the city as soon as possible, it's not far from here, let me escort you there"
"Oh.......aren't you out here for some other reason?" Paimon asks curiously.
"I am....but not to worry, I can keep you both safe while doing that do!....B-Besides, i'm still not sure it i can trust you yet!" Amber says with a sigh.
"Why suspicious? Thats a rather rude way to speak to guests" Aether speaks, raising a brow.
"Oh ahhh......I-I'm sorry, it's probabaly not something I should say as a knight...I give you my apologise, uh...strange yet respectable travelers" She says with a slight bow, while her tone of voice is off, Aether can tell she means it.
"That sounded so fake" Paimon deadpanned.
"Do you have something against the type of language usage prescribed by the Knights of Favonius Handbook!?" Amber shot back with a pout as the 2 bickered.
she turns around and begins walking, motioning them to follow. "Just....follow me, trust me the city is much safe then out here right now"
On guard, quick to judge but at the same time helpful and protective, despite them being complete strangers........Aether can't blame her on guard behaviour, as much as he tries she's probabaly paranoid about that dragon from before, it's a......reasonable reason to be suspicious.........he................can't help but want to know more about her.......
That feel again, the feeling of something popping and pinging within his core, alike another constellation has just been unshrouded. How.......curious.........he'll investigate that later.....
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The 3 approached the bridge leading across the moat around the city, Amber had been asking a few questions about their journey, and true to her word, protected them from any aggressive lifeforms along the way, she was skilled with her bow Aether will give her that, and actually rather nice to talk to once you get to know her. He also learned more about the dragon situation from her along the way, it's name was Stormterror, and it's been terrorising the city for a while now.
"Mmmmm something smells good!" Paimon says blissfully as they approached the city. "Paimons soooo hungry!"
To be completely honest, hunger was starting to naw at Aether's gut to.........but........not the basic kind of hunger......and that made him anxious....
As they approached the Guards greeted Amber and allowed them entry, the city itself was bustling with life! People roaming the streets and children playing along the paths, the windmills looked even more incredible up close, the smell of food making Paimon hungrier.......and the large abundance of Life Energy almost sending Aether into a frenzy.
No NO!.....Control yourself......y-you need to CONTROL YOURSELF!
"Let me officially introduce you to the City of Wind, Dandelions, and Freedom! Travelers under the protection of the Knights of Favonius, welcome to Mondstadt!" Amber says with a joyous voice.
"Finally! No more having to camp outdoors!" Paimon says with relief, Aether shuddered a bit at the idea of sleeping INSIDE, it's......not something he's comfortable with, he just hopes the rooms are spacious.
Paimon looks around, finding most of the citizens seem.....stressed. ".....But....the city folk don't look to cheerful"
"Everyone's been put out of place by Stormterror recently....." Amber says sadly, the sight of her follow Mondstatdters so out of sorts was saddneing to her. "....B-But everything will turn out fine as long and Jean's with us!"
......J....e...an.......Jean.....L...eo.......Min..or.............he.....feels like he knows that name, he's not sure how but.......it feels like the depths of his being recognizes that name..........
"Jean?" Paimon asks in confusion.
"Acting Grand Master of the Knights of Favonius! Jean! Defender of Mondstadt!" Amber explained simply with a prideful tone. "With Jean on our side, Stormterror will be no match for us!"
Jean.....she sounds like someone really impressive, wonder is she knows anything about the God of Anemo.
"Oh! Before I take you guys to the Knights of Favonius headquarters, I have a present for you Traveler!" Amber says, recahing into her bag for a moment. "Think of it as my thanks for helping me clear that Hilichurl camp"
A......gift? Seems a little soon to be giving gifts?
"H-Hey! Why does't Paimon get a reward?" Paimon pouted.
"Uhh.....because this gift is useless to you? Buut i'll treat you to a traditional Mondstadt delicacy! A Sticky Honey Roast!" Amber says, pulling a.....pair of.....wings?? out of her bag.....did she......rip those off of someone??? "Come with me, we'll test these out at the city's high ground!"
Against better judgment despite his suspicions, Aether and Paimon follow Amber up countless stairs to a high point whwre a large statue of the God of Anemo lay.
"So! The present I wanted to give to you is, a Wind Glider!" Amber says, motioning to the pair of wings her hands, ah, so it was a glider, not ACTUAL wings, that good to know at least. "Outriders use them to ride the winds, and the people of Mondstadt love using them to! I brought you here to give it to you, and so you could experience it right away!"
Oh thank goodness this wasn't a murder ploy!
"Oh, you're really excited about these Wind Glider's huh?" Paimon says in fascination.
"Well thats because the wind in the heart and soul of Mondstadt!" Amber explained enthusiastically, moving forward to help Aether put it on. "Alrighty then, enough talk! Give it a whirl! It's easy to use, but you'll need to pay attention to my instructions"
She straps the harness around Aether, securing it tightly enough so it wouldn't fall off, it acted sort of like a cape. Once properly attached it disappeared in the blink of an eye, thats strange, was this some form of magic? No it smelled more like Alchemy.
Amber relayed the instructions to Aether as she leg him up to the ledge of the area, it was pretty far down and the wind was blowing well, so it should catch the wind, how to activate the Wind Glider however was quite simple, once he jump he needed to spread out his arms like wings, and it'll appear and glide him down.
"I'll meet you down in the square!" Amber says, rushing down the stairs with Paimon.
Following Ambers instructions, and silently hoping she knew what she was talking about, Aether jumped off the ledge and spread out his arms, he was scared it wouldn't work for a moment when the Wind Glider suddenly appeared on his back and caught the wind, lifting him up into the air, he's almost forgotten what it was like to fly.
Using the wings of the glider he carried himself through the air, between buildings and down into the square again where Amber and Paimon were waiting for him. Aether lands gracefully onto the ground in a motion he's done several times before when he flew himself across worlds, the Wind Glider disappearing as soon as his feet touch the ground.
"Good job! Knew you were a natural!" Amber congratulated as Paimon flies back to his side.
"That was so cool! Paimon's impressed!" Paimon says giddily, now Aether can fly like her!!
Aether moves forward to respond but pauses......thats.....strange......the Anemo in the area has suddenly shifted, the winds have started to pick up, something was wrong. Aether looked to the sky, and everyone else who notice the sudden change in atmosphere did the same, those who looked up to the skies witnessed clouds begining to shround around the city, blotting out the sun, the winds starting to turn violent.
"The Sky...." He heard Amber utter in disbelief. It did not feel like the same energy that came from the Bard, no it felt more ancient, more primal and natural.
Suddenly, in a burst of wind, the dragon, Stormterror emerged form the mists and clouds, flying over the city of Mondstadt, roaring veraciously as it flew over head, the winds blowing violently in it's wake as it flapped it's wings. It flies down in a swoop, it's claws slashing at one of the buildings as it gained altitute once more, people began to flee upon realising the situation.
The dragon roared, and the Anemo and winds began to shift, and tornados formed all around Mondstadt, people nearby struggled to not get sucked in, holding onto whatever they could, a few knights did end up getting sucked into the vortex and flung out several kilometers away, no doubt perishing from the impact onto the ground, while some were flung into buildings.
Amber pulled Aether and Paimon along towards the city gates, but the winds were unforgiving, Aether felt his feet leave the ground quicker then her crash landed on this planet, his hand slipping from Ambers grip, she would have grab him with both if not for having to carry Paimon in her other arm to prevent her from being flung away violently, and Aether was carried up into the nearby twister.
Aether tossed and turned within the tornado, soon being flung out several feet in the air, barely managing to activate his Wind Glider in time to stabiles himself, allowing him to hover in the air, the winds were to strong to let him down, forcing him to watch the Mondstadt be ravaged by twisters and hurricanes as the dragon flew several more feet ahead.
The Dragon......of course, if he deals with the dragon the storm will stop, and no more people will be hurt. Using the winds, gusts and updrafts as a guide he flew himself upwards towards the dragons altitude.
He was already starving as is.......and clouds acted as the perfect cover......if he went into a frenzy up here no one will see it, it was the perfect cover, but he must loose control to much, he didn't want to get to lost in it and cause more damage to the city.
The dark clouds acted as covering as Aether used Anemo to launch himself at the dragon, landing firmly on it's back, his arms twist and bend and peal away as large claws constructed of flesh and bone that doesn't belong to IT latch firmly into the dragons flesh, burrowing through the scales of it's back, the Dragon let out a shriek of shock as it twists it's head to face him, only to be let with a 'mouth' unraveled and bloomed like a flower of decay, death and finality.
Claws, 'teeth' and limbs cut into the Dragons body, blood flowing and seeping through the scales and open wounds, the Dragon screaming in agony as it felt it's life energy being sapped out of it bit by little agonising bit, the scale broken off being swallowed whole within breath. It thrashed and twisted mid air, smacking the THING with both tail and claws.
Until of course, something else hits IT'S nose, IT'S blind hunger ceasing for a moment as IT unlatches it's 'maw' to lock down on what it was, Abyssal Energy, no doubt about it, IT manages to locate it, embedded in the Dragons back, a sickly purple morsal rotting the flesh around it.
IT goes into the frenzy, abandoning IT'S original meal and instead lunging for the Abyssal Shard poking out from the Dragons spine, claws and bone scrapping at the flesh as IT tries to rip it out raw, the Dragon thrashes more at the assault, IT could have sworn it heard it scream 'LET GO OF ME YOU BEAST!'.
"STOP!" A voice carried by the winds shout out, and a sudden force slammed into IT will enough force to sent IT flying. IT is flung into the skies and began to plummet down, reflexively IT'S form shifts back to that of a human.
He doesn't regester what happened at first, but the moment he realises he was falling after he fell past the cloud barrier he instinctively activated his Wind Glider, the pull up force almost making his throw up as he began to decend slowly, the Dragon long fleeing as the clouds began to disperse. What just happened? He was......'fighting' the Dragon when some force just SLAMMED into him and knocked him off, did the Dragon have an accomplice?
As he descended downwards his being sensed another link, another constellation had been uncovered from the mist, this power, it felt.......draconic in nature...........Draco Ventosus................he'll look into it later.
When his feet finally touch the ground he's almost relieved, strange for a being who very seldom walks of solid ground. He doens't get much moment to breath when Amber and Paimon rush r=towards him, Amber looking out of breath as he grabs him by the shoulders and looks him over.
"A-Are you hurt!?" She exclaimed worriedly, Aether reassures her with a nod, she let out a sigh of relief before looking up at the clearing skies. The Dragon..........left? Did HE do that? Just who was this Traveler?
Amber takes notice of and approaching figure, a slow clap catching their attention, Aether and Paimon following her gaze, she seemed to know this person judging by her expression. The man himself had blue hair, and pale clothes, unlike Amber, his energy seemed to be infused was an almost chilling aura, in contrast to Ambers hot burning one, like the expansive void of deep space.
"You ACTUALLY have the power to go up against the Dragon...." The man says with dangerous curiosity, the smug look on his face betrayed by the glint of suspicion and uncertainty in his eye. "Are you a new ally........or a new storm?"
The new person's presence was an enigma he.......didn't smell like the other humans in this city..............IT wanted to know m o r e........
Amber in the meantime, looked back up in the sky in shock, Stormterror, attacking Mondstadt directly!? H-He's never done this before! Even on his worst days! Just waht was happening!?
"Kaeya! Traveler! You've come at the right time! We must--"
"Hold on Amber, are you perhaps forgetting to introduce us?" Pavo Ocellus-- sorry......'Kaeya' spoke in a smooth voice.
"O-Oh! Right! This is Kaeya, our Cavalry Captain!" Amber introduced him to Aether and Paimon. "These 2 are traveler from afar, The Traveler and Paimon!"
"You........can just call me Aether.......I never really told you my name before" Aether introduced himself, while 'Aether' wasn't his true name it was a mortal alias he's come to enjoy.
Kaeya seemed to give them a strange look, eyeing his strange appearance, not that it seemed to bother him that much, what with all the non-human humanoids living here, right, can't expect him to trust them so quickly, after all he pretty much knows next to nothing about them, and have only just met them.
Amber went on to explain how she and the duo met, allowing Aether's mind to drift a bit as she spoke, so many new people in such a short amount of time........things were starting to feel small now, he can't bare keeping himself compressed in this........tiny.....shape much longer-- N-NO! No......don't be and idiot! Not here! In public! Remember what happened last time you let yourself go in a public space! Had a whole village freak out thinking he was a monster there to eat their children! Just........wait a little longer......
"--elcome to Mondstadt, though you haven't arrived at the best of times i'm afraid" Kaeya's voice snapped Aether out of his daze, o-oh! Were they finished already? How long had he been zoned out? "I understand the anguish of being seperated from family..."
Oh, so....she told him THAT.......guess that makes sense.
"I'm not sure why your looking for the Anemo God......but everyone has their secrets, right?" Kaeya says with an odd tone that sounds like a mix between 'knowing' and 'smugness', Aether narrows his eyes a bit, did he know something was off? "Haha, relax! I won't press for more"
Thank goodness, it was to soon to be found out.
Kaeya went on to take them to the Knights of Favonious Headquarters, where he said they would find the Acting Grandmaster, Leo-- 'Jean', he keeps forgetting mortals go by different titles here.
He's not sure why, but feels like he's in for a looooooong day.