Chapter Text
The Traveler plummeted to his death as the world burned around him.
Black smoke clogged the air, forcing its way into his lungs, filling the space where oxygen used to be. Flames licked at his heels, orange hues dancing as blazing heat singed the ends of his hair.
Every cell of his body screamed in agony.
Blood poured from an open wound where Dottore’s attacks had grazed him. His ankle protested loudly where he had accidentally twisted it. Blisters from the fire bloomed across his skin, searing with such pain that the edges of his vision blurred. Sweat clung to him like a parasite, from the heat and exhaustion after the battle.
Around him, the tree of Irminsul burned to a crisp, a mighty castle crumbling to the ground. Blazing coals shot past him, some close enough to graze him if he hadn’t moved out of the way in time.
The sensation of falling through the tree was oddly similar to the sensation of flying, If you ignored the ever approaching pool of lava awaiting to swallow you whole.
Aether found that impossible to ignore.
.
Crap.
He shot downwards, tumbling towards the other end of Irminsul. Instictually, he reached out with his power and attempted to activate his wings. But unfortunately for him, those had been sealed some time ago.
Panic consumed him, and he grasped aimlessly at the air, searching blindly for something to grab onto. His eyes darted around desperately, and he looked up and met Wanderer’s eyes. The puppet seemed much more collected, and for a moment the Traveler wondered why until he remembered that boy could actually fly.
Aether cursed.
He was going to die.
Teyvat was going to be destroyed because of him.
And most of all, he was never going to be able to see his sister again.
A hand grabbed his wrist. Small. Delicate. Determined.
Nahida!
He met her gaze, nearly collapsing from relief. She floated above with a calm yet confident demeanor, maintaining flight with her own dendro authority as she held onto the two boys. Her bright green eyes shone with determination, as if she were whispering, ‘calm down, I have a plan’. With a flash of green light she transferred some of her authority over to each of them, their descent slowing to a halt.
Beneath them, the flames rose higher. Molten rock swirled at the base of the tree, distorting Irminsul’s original form until it became unrecognizable.
Above them, a blinding light shone down, making Aether squint as he looked up. A wide opening into the sky was now where the canopy used to be, a clear exit from this burning hellhole. Nahida nodded to the boys before floating upwards, and the two of them didn’t hesitate to follow.
The sky inched closer with each passing second, and the tree further. The Traveler finally began to feel a vague sense of hope. They had succeeded. Dottore was dead. Actually dead. Sumeru was safe. All of Teyvat was finally safe.
That feeling lasted maybe two seconds.
Something grabbed onto him. Unnatural. Unnerving. Powerful. It enveloped his whole being, disconnecting him from Nahida’s power and dragging him back down into the depths of fire, blood and brimstone.
CRAP CRAP CRAP CRAP CRAP CRAP CRAP CRAP CRAP CRAP
Aether’s head whipped down towards the source of the power, where he saw none other than Dottore standing amidst the lava, still alive, right hand outstretched and glowing with power. The Doctor stood commandingly beneath the flames, his presence intimidating even from so far away. He clearly thought that if he should die, he would have to take someone else out with him.
The Traveler turned away and clawed upwards, desperately trying to reconnect with Nahida and save himself. He opened his mouth in an attempt to scream, but nothing came out. He called out to his elemental power, intending to use its energy to sever himself from the connection, but they didn’t respond to his call.
The Dendro Archon must’ve sensed his disconnection, as she whipped around with fear reflecting in her eyes. Wanderer was quick to follow, immediately dashing down towards the Traveler.
But he was too far away.
Everything felt too far away.
.
His limbs went numb.
The tree blurred as his vision unfocused.
His mind went hazy.
The sound of fire fell into nothingness.
The smell of smoke faded.
..
He was being sedated. Why? He didn’t have the mental clarity to think of an answer. Only that it was happening, and that he couldn’t stop it. On the bright side, however, he didn’t feel the pain anymore.
.
..
This was nice, not having to feel anything.
Not having to be afraid.
Not having to worry about the fate of the world.
Not having expectations forced on him.
Not feeling the weight of the universe on his shoulders.
Not having to fight anymore.
..
He could get used to this.
The visual input of the real world stopped making sense. A blue blur shot past him as he drifted peacefully, still idly clawing towards the sky. It felt wrong fighting against it, but something deep down refused to give up, even though he didn’t understand why.
.
His eyelids grew heavy as his mind grew softer, an unexplainable weight forcing all thought down into oblivion.
.
..
He felt warm.
..
Was he on vacation?
.
Whatever, he was tired.
A little sleep couldn’t hurt.
..
.
..
Crack!
Aether snapped back to reality, all his senses returning to him at once in an overwhelming wave of shock and pain. Wanderer had severed the connection between him and Dottore, moving to grab him before he fell.
The Traveler was hoisted by the waist and dragged upwards at speeds he didn’t know were possible. Or maybe his brain was still catching up with the present.
“You okay?” Wanderer asked, his voice barely audible over the wind whirling past their ears. Aether nodded.
“Yeah.” He looked back towards Dottore, who was now partially submerged beneath the molten tree, blackened hands inexplicably dragging him down. The Doctor didn’t seem to panic at his own demise, instead staring upwards and meeting Aether’s gaze.
There was something different about Dottore now. Something…familiar. In his eyes.
He could imagine the Doctor muttering curses under his breath.
Could practically hear him grunt out of mild frustration.
Could hear him speak a final command with unwavering certainty and authority as his head was pulled below the surface, never to be seen again.
“Sleep.”
And Aether did.
…
Wanderer flew on with the Traveler in his arms, getting as far as he could from the burning tree. As far as he could from Zandik. From the realization that that…monster knew who he was now.
No matter. He was dead now.
Still, he couldn’t shake the feeling of dread that washed over him.
The sun had set ages ago, and yet the stars refused to shine against the blinding light from the tree that had practically turned itself into an artificial sun. No matter how far he got he still felt its warmth on his back, so eventually he found a small patch of grass in the depths of the Sumeru forest and landed. He laid the unconscious boy against the nearest tree trunk, head sagging to one side as his body slumped.
What was it with this kid and passing out every time he fell?
He checked the Traveler’s pulse. Slow, but stable. His breathing was shallow, but not abnormal. Most of his injuries had already scabbed over. He was healthy. Alive. For right now, that was enough.
He took a deep breath and slowly let it out, trying to calm his nerves. After they had escaped the tree, Nahida went back to the Sanctuary of Surasthana to finalize the transfer of information out of Irminsul, trusting Wanderer to take care of the Traveler. Well, moreso abandoning him with the unconscious boy, but he didn’t want to think about that. Not after everything that just happened.
And so he turned and sat down next to the Traveler, looking up at the sky. The sky didn’t seem to darken even after the sun had set, instead turning a deep orange where it was visible through the smoke. The whole scene loosely resembled magma pouring out of the stack of smoke where the tree used to be, the glow of fire below reflecting against the dark clouds.
In contrast to the violent scene in the sky, sitting among the soft grasses and beneath a thick green canopy felt oddly serene. If he concentrated hard enough he could still hear forest critters chattering to each other up in the trees, accompanied by the soft roaring of a river not too far away. The breeze carried the warmth of the fire, as well as the promise of rain. In the corner of his eye he caught a flicker of light, and he turned to see a firefly lazily landing on the leaf of a small plant.
It seemed the world around him paid no mind to the chaos above.
.
Wanderer had no intention of returning to the rendezvous point at the moment. He’d go back after the tree had finished burning, after all squads had confirmed their success. After he’d had a moment to calm down.
Later, he would never admit that Dottore’s words had gotten through to him. Never admit that having his false identity shattered actually mattered to him. That even though Dottore was gone, he couldn’t get rid of the anxiety crawling along his back. Couldn’t get rid of the hatred he had held in his heart for so long.
Next to him, the boy stirred. His eyelids fluttered open and he groaned, sitting upright. For a moment he just sat there, taking in the wreakage around him before turning and noticing Wanderer.
“How long was I out?” He asked, placing a hand on the tree he had been leaning on for support as he stood up. His hair, which had at some point during the confrontation fallen out of its braid, draped itself messily around his shoulders, and his bangs which usually behaved themselves lay in front of his eyes. Wanderer could see the exhaustion in the way the Traveller stood, his breathing heavier than usual as he slumped, his eyes not shining with their usual brightness.
“Just a few minutes,” Wanderer responded, and then added before he could stop himself, “Are you okay? Did he hurt you?”
Something flickered beneath the Traveler’s eyes.
“Yeah. I’m fine.”
That response didn’t sit right with him, but he ignored it. He was just relieved the boy was alive at all. He sighed, forcing any remaining anxieties out of his system, and got to his feet.
“Good.”
…
The next several days passed in a blur. Their efforts against Dottore didn’t stop with his death, it seemed, and the gang found no shortage of work cleaning up the mess he left behind. Nahida was almost never seen around, constantly moving from place to place, overseeing Sumeru’s efforts to rebuild itself. When she was around though, she was always busy. Searching the scorched remains of the tree for any sign of the Pyro Gnosis with the Traveler, going to Natlan to break the news to Mavuika, and dealing with three newly-freed deities.
Wanderer had managed to dodge most responsibilities, as unfortunately the Akademiya wasted no time in re-opening and assigning heinous loads of work to their students to make up for lost time.
Dehya and Candace played a major role in moving an entire population back to Sumeru City, settling disputes and smoothing out the details of the journey, as well as answering questions that came from the curious crowd.
Alhaitham handled all the paperwork and records regarding the incident, while Kaveh drank himself into oblivion as a ‘reward’ for all the hard work he had done in the temple.
Cyno and Tighnari chased out the remaining Fatui residing within the city and around its walls, before focusing entirely on Collei’s new status as a Forest Ranger.
Nefer wasted no time in organizing her travel arrangements back to Nod Krai, not wanting anything to do with Sumeru’s recovery after she had played her part. Nicole spent her days with Collei, though she always managed to show up when needed.
The Traveler mostly acted as an assistant in Nahida’s work, though he lent a hand in almost every aspect of the nation’s recovery. And now, several days later, he found himself in Mondstadt, along with Collei, Tighnari, Cyno, and Nicole.
They stood together beneath the great tree at Windrise, the chirping of birds and bubbling of the stream flowing around them filling the silence. Like always in Mondstadt, the wind carried an unusual anemo resonance, as if all winds could be sourced back to Barbatos himself. The large canopy of leaves rustled in the breeze, and a windwheel aster’s petals grazed the ankle of Aether’s shoes.
In front of the tree, floating above its roots, was Liloupar. He had always had an unusual yet close connection with the Jinni, equally due to their shared memories, her sacred name only known by him, and the fact that he had somehow ended up as her master. Despite the hardships, he had grown fond of her during their time together.
And yet he hardly said anything as he watched her die.
It was a good death. Well, as good as death could get. She had obtained her final, dying wish of seeing the goddess of flowers one last time. Of feeling her mistress’s embrace.
“People say that devotion is beautiful, yet filled with pain. How foolish of them. For me, devotion is beautiful, pure, and painless. Devotion is my love,” she had said, before the light in her bottle had faded and fallen to the ground.
And then she was gone.
.
Paimon, as usual, was the first to speak.
“Liloupar… She disappeared?” She asked, a calm yet mournful expression on her face like a child not wanting to face the truth of the situation.
Aether didn’t answer. He couldn’t.
He blamed it on the headache. The slight pounding in the back of his head that started when he had awoken in the forest next to Wanderer and hadn’t left since. It was relatively mild, enough to be noticeable but not bothersome. Considering everything that had happened these past few days with Dottore and months with Nod Krai, he was surprised this was the only symptom he was facing. And so, for the most part, he ignored it.
At some point he stopped paying attention to the events that occured, too lost in his own thoughts. Later, he wouldn’t be able to recollect the details of what had happened.
Sucrose had come along after Liloupar’s death, bringing Amber with her. Together, they had all walked down to Good Hunter and shared a meal, sharing stories and laughing together. Cyno had started a TCG tournament, which he successfully won by distracting his opponents with horrid jokes (to Tighnari’s dismay). Albedo, who had just sort of appeared partway through the meal with no warning had offered to draw a portrait to celebrate Collei’s role as an official Forest Ranger, which she quickly denied. Tighnari raised a toast in her honor instead, and soon after she disappeared along with Sucrose to chat in private. An hour later she came back, and both girls refused to say what they had talked about with bright pink cheeks.
And within what felt like the blink of an eye, the sun had set and it was time to say goodbye.
“How long are you planning on staying in Mondstadt Collei?” Amber asked as the waiter took their dishes. Tighnari stood some distance away, talking with the Chef and taking care of the payment for the night.
“Oh, we’re riding home with a caravan leaving tomorrow morning,” She recalled, scratching the back of her head.
“You’re leaving already?” Sucrose protested, tears already forming in the corners of her eyes as she realized this was goodbye.
“We have business to take care of in Sumeru,” Cyno helpfully interjected, shuffling a deck of TCG cards as if trying to subliminally convince people to join him for another round.
“And a few parties to catch!” Paimon added. “With everything that just happened in Sumeru, it’s important that we head back as soon as possible and help out where we can.”
“Oh, I see,” Amber sighed, before leaning over and ruffling Collei’s hair.
“Hey!” She shouted, covering her head. Amber laughed.
“You’ve grown so much in these past few years, Collei. I’m proud of the person you’ve chosen to become.”
Collei grinned sheepishly at the compliment, though it was obvious by the sparkle in her eye that that sentence meant more to her then she let on. Behind them, Tighnari had finished paying for the meal and turned to come back.
“Alright, sleeping arrangements have been made,” he announced as he approached their table. “The Goth Grand Hotel happened to have an open room and the Fatui suprisingly didn’t mind sharing as long as we cleaned up after ourselves and were out before the sun rose. We’ll want to go to bed early tonight if we want to wake up in time to catch the Caravan.”
“Oh…so this is goodbye?” Sucrose asked, tears threatening to spill over. And before anything else was said, Collei lunged forwards and wrapped her arms tight around her best friend. Amber followed suit, and soon the whole group ended up in a huge, messy, tear filled hug.
Collei sniffled. “Until we meet again?”
Sucrose nodded, her cheeks wet from sobbing. “Until we meet again. Promise me you’ll write?”
“Promise.”
…
That night, the Traveler had a dream.
The desert streched out before him, its vast form fading into the horizon, and a sandstorm out in the distance blocked his view of the city. Despite that, the sun shone bright and warm, basking him in its light. He squinted out into the great blue sky, taking a cautious step forward.
He didn’t exactly know where he was going. He just knew this was the right way to go. Out towards…wherever that direction led him. His feet moved on their own as he absentmindedly wandered, lost in thoughts too incomprehensible to decipher.
Time passed. The sun moved across the sky in a graceful arc, and the shadows streched accordingly.
He spotted something in the distance. Civilization, of some sort. It was hard to make out, so he squinted to get a better look.
And then he woke up.