Chapter Text
Terrified, you shiver. Your head hurts, your limbs move slow due to the shivering cold in the deep, shadowy realm of Snezhnaya. You tread quietly, afraid of alerting the monsters that surrounded the area. That is, until you hear the faint sounds of artillery. You turn your head, watching the cause of the sound enter the room.
His focused gaze landed on you before switching his attention to the enemy that chased him all the way here. Maybe it was just your head messing with you, but you saw the way his eyes widen—in a way, as if he hasn't seen you in a long time. Which was weird that you had caught such a thing. "Hey! Get out of here!" he exclaims. Your instincts quickly taking initiative and your legs drag you to the exit of the room—the man followed behind, gunning the enemy down to nothing before another group began to swarm. Your legs ran tired before the blonde man quickly grabs you—carrying you out of the troubles that chased. As the two of you reach the exit, breaths heaving, he turns his attention to you.
The moment he did, his eyes watch you with recognition. But that quickly dissipates, and his eyes showed wariness. He then spoke gently, almost careful incase of scaring you. "What are you doing here? Are you okay? Hurt?" His questions came out slightly hurried, worried if anything had happened to you before he had arrived.
Your voice came out hoarse from the chill. "No.. I'm fine." It was a prevarication. You were cold and scared until he came, you feel safe now. At least, there was someone else here. He didn't believe it one bit, but he decided to avoid pressing on.
"You should get out of here.. there's a lot of danger." Yeah, like you didn't just see it with your own eyes.
"I know."
".. Then?"
"... I don't know."
His brows furrowed at you, his face shifting to something like confusion. Who wouldn't be confused and worried when seeing a stranger here alone in this godforsaken realm? It's dangerous and you can never guarantee what happens. His mind wandered on how to get this poor lady to safety while he does his mission that's needed to be done here. Whatever mission that may be, he doesn't know. So long as he gets paid is what matters.
He hums before coming with the only logical solution; "Come with me for now. Okay?"
You nodded. The moment he started walking, you followed. The atmosphere was eerie. It was quiet and unsure. Anything could pop up at any moment and rip your head apart if you weren't careful of your surroundings.
The man infront of you began to talk; "What's your name? I don't think I've seen you around here." He lies.
You ponder. First of all, you don't know when or how you ended up here. You woke up with no memory of what happened. You have no idea what brought you here. You're not unknown to Teyvat, nor are you a stranger in this world. Or maybe something happened, you're irresolute. You've encountered many things, seen many things and fought against many things. But somehow, something or someone brought you here in this goddamn realm which you are quite unsure of, and have never been in your whole life whilst exploring Teyvat. Thirdly, your brain hurts. Your limbs felt like crumbling and every move you make earns a slight, sharp pain. Either way, you're just never sure about anything for now.
"If you're not sure what your name is, just say you forgot." Oh. Right. You took too long pondering about it to the point your thoughts got off topic.
He couldn't help but look at from his peripheral vision. Your facial structure is so familiar. The way your lips curled in a slight frown from the occassional bite of the cold. The way your eyes crinkled when light shines obliquely. The way your hair drapes with elegance—despite it being slightly messy. Maybe it's just the fact that he's loved you at one point before you suddenly disappeared from his life. Maybe that's why.
"What's your name?" You start.
He took a second to reply, "Traveler."
"Traveler?"
"Yes."
"That's not a name. That's a title."
"Titles, I've gained many. But that's the only "Title" that I have kept with me from the very beginning of my journey."
"Your name. I want your actual name." But those words didn't leave your mouth. They stayed on your tongue, waiting for the right moment to ask so.
"..Fine."
One day, you'll get his name.
That, you're sure of.
It seems that the both of you have reached the ending of the route, as this purple.. bluish, orb-ish.. thing floats and beats consistently in the same spot. The Traveler holds your hand. The warmth, it felt like holding a glimmering star. Metaphorically.. okay, not actually. You wouldn't dare touch a real star. That would hurt like a bitch.
"Ready?"
Ready for what exactly, you're not sure. But you nod either way.
Your visions dims in purples and blues. Dragging you like a vacuum that sucked your being whole. Suddenly, your vision clears again.
You look to the man holding your hand, you jerk a little. Did he change his clothes midway or does the outfit changing come naturally, switching between realms? You couldn't bother pondering on that any longer when you're back in the place where you probably were before the whole fiasco and the cold, dim place.
"You're shivering." The Traveler quipped.
"No shit sherlock."
His face contorted into a slight scowl. "Don't make me send you back in there." He quickly searches through his adventurer bag—which you have no idea where it came from. You quickly shook your head at his threat, to which he couldn't help but smile. He then pulls out a jacket before handing it over to you. "Here. Keep it on for now until we reach the city."
"Okay," You muttered quietly, "don't you need one too?"
Just as he was zipping up his bag shut, he looks at you. His bright gold eyes stare at you softly before he shook his head. You shrugged the jacket on, it smelt like cecilias and a hint of petrichor. It was warm, and slightly big on you. You tug the jacket slightly so it was nicely snug on you before catching up to the blonde—who was already walking ahead of you.
You reach a train station. If you recall correctly, this train station is based in Svetloledovka. The surroundings are—from what you can remember—the place where a monster was encountered.
Whilst waiting for the train, your thoughts wandered again as you took in the scenery, the snowy mountains beyond this town. You can already see the main city from just standing here, or to be precise—the building of the theatre. Snezhnaya remains blue and icy. The snow falls gently on your cheeks, each exhale turning into a small fog that then wisps away with the shivering wind.
"The train's here." The Traveler announces. You quickly head over and stand next to him, waiting for the train to complete to a stop. A crowd of people gush out of the train—some were seen running out of the train, some were quite slow to exit. As soon as the train emptied, the both of you walked towards the train to board. A few people forcefully shoved themselves into your way, to which you heard the Traveler click his tongue in annoyance. You couldn't help but snicker.
Once you boarded the train, both of you quickly took your assigned seats. You heard him mutter, "Some people just don't know how to wait." To which you responded with a slight chuckle. Both of you chatted while waiting for the train to move. It took a while for the train to begin moving, as several people were quite lame on punctuality and came late to board. But once the train filled—there were not many people as the earlier batch. Thankfully. You feel the train give a gentle lurch as it began to move.
The view outside the window was ethereal. You overlooked the icy structures and the cold climate. The animals you see within their habitat, the very few homes that settled across the tundra, and mountains carpeted with snow.
You watch the snowflakes spill from the sky onto the window of the train, before watching it glide away once again. It had been an hour since the train started moving, and the Traveler—who sat opposite of you, had fallen into deep slumber. You wondered how long he's been adventuring for. Given the slight mess of his hair, and the clear indications that he's been overworked. You take the time to properly study the adventurer in front of you. The blonde locks that tied into a long braid at the back, and his front bangs that cascaded over his face. There was some muscle to him, lean yet chiseled. Although his body looked quite broad, it could also easily be mistaken for feminine, giving him quite the androgynous look.
You must've stared at him for quite some time, that the train exhaust hushed loudly to announce; the train has officially come to a stop. You look out—the station looks bigger, modern. There were tons of Snowland Faes seated on the bench chairs and in line, waiting for their call. Once the doors open, the passengers rushed to leave the train eagerly. As the two of you finally managed to squeeze yourselves between and shimmy your way out, you were hit with the industrial mix of diesel, metallic brake dust layered with a dampness, along with the unmistakable smell of coffee beans.
"We're here. Ready? Or you wanna grab anything first?" He turns to you, in which you turn your head as well before shaking your head at the offer. He hums in response. the both of you climb up the flight of stairs. There were several Domovye and Vodkodlakis standing by the staircases chattering.
Reaching the city's gates, you were hit with the slight mix of warm and cold atmosphere. The heat from the shops nearby reached you, enough to make you shiver from the sudden change in temperatures. Your legs carried you to the center of the city—and in front, sat a complex structure that spun, catching light in different angles.
"Over here," The Traveler called out to you waving his hand to which you quickly walked over. The both of you reach to what seems to be a restaurant. You read the sign—"Podvorye Restaurant".
"This is where I stay for now—during my trip in Snezhnaya."
You tilt your head before replying, "Really?"
"Yeah. There's rooms here. There's an extra bed in my room, luckily for you." He chaffed.
He leads you up the stairs of the restaurant which led to one singular door on the right.
Your brows knitted in confusion. ".. There's one room."
".. So?"
"You said rooms. Not room."
"You're correcting my grammar, is what you're saying?"
"No, I'm saying you were wrong."
"And?"
"And that means you lied."
He deadpanned. Your lips upturned before giggling.
"Just get inside before I regret it."
The two of you reside in the room, Traveler had dropped his bag somewhere to which you also did—just right next to his.
It's about past 11 P.M. And you've drifted off to faraway lands already. Whereas, Aether, stayed awake staring out the window before settling his gaze on you. He watches the rise and fall of your chest before moving to your face. He wondered how you ended up in the Shadow Realm. No ordinary person can somehow get stranded in there, but then again—you were a strong woman. Just like him, you knew Teyvat inside out, like the back of your hand. But he's not sure about you now. Whether you remembered him or not, whether you still recognize wandering throughout majority of Teyvat with him. Then again, you had asked him for his name. You know his name. Or rather, knew. What exactly happened.. he's not sure.
But he'll find out one day.
He needs to. For you.