Golden light swirled around Aether and seemed to sink into him. With a bright burst, the light disappeared, as did Aether's old appearance. Keqing raised her eyebrows. She saw Aether completely differently now.
His clothes had turned from a simple white-and-gold color scheme into a black, brown, and gold color scheme. He seemed to wear a scarf, trailing both in front of him and behind him. The banner that trailed behind him was wide. White and outlined with gold, it looked more like a hero's cape. It wrapped around to his front, held in place by a golden clasp. He wore dark brown gauntlets with glowing golden lights. Keqing's eyes continued downward, and she suddenly felt very hot.
Aether's entire midriff was exposed.
Shaking her head, she continued to analyze Aether's new appearance, a blush still evident on her face. Aether also wore dark baggy pants, with glowing golden lights near his knees. He turned, and Keqing saw a braid trailing from the back of his head. The braid was quite long, reaching to his back.
The crowd let out a collective whistle, and many of the girls giggled and whispered among themselves. Aether's golden eyes met Ajax's ice-blue ones. Ajax tensed his legs, preparing to spring first, but Aether beat him to it.
Leaving nothing but a trail of golden light behind him, he moved faster than anyone Ajax had ever seen before. He raised both of his swords in a cross above him, and not a moment too soon. Aether's blade crashed against the two Electro ones, and Ajax raced away in a flash of Electro. Aether followed him, always keeping him on the defensive side, the back foot. Ajax attempted time and again to gain the upper hand, but he was now completely outclassed by Aether. Aether never slowed down and kept up a constant assault on Ajax.
Ajax slammed his dual blades together and created the lance. He swept it in a wide range in front of him, temporarily keeping Aether at bay. Having a longer weapon made it easier to cope with a quick attacker.
Ajax dashed away in a flash of electro and reverted back to his bow. He loosed arrows as fast as he could, so fast that his fingers started to feel sore. And yet, Aether dodged all of his arrows. Dashing from one side of the arena to the other with nothing but a golden trail behind him. Ajax reverted back to his lance, and raised it above his head. The ring of Electro surrounded Aether once again, and Aether smiled. This was exactly what he was hoping for.
Ajax tensed his legs, and sprung into the air. With a thundering roar, Ajax put everything he could into one final strike. Smoke and fire blinded the crowd, but when it cleared, Aether was nowhere to be seen.
"So. Looking for me?" Aether's voice sounded from above Ajax. Ajax looked up in fear. Archons, he was stupid. Beyond stupid. He'd made the worst mistake he ever could have. He could've kicked himself if he weren't paralyzed with fear.
He'd underestimated his opponent.
Aether rose into the air like a shining golden star, supported by lofty golden wings. His sword crackled with golden energy, and shone brighter than anything Ajax had ever seen. A golden ring of light surrounded him, and Ajax knew that he'd been defeated.
Defeated by his pride and arrogance.
Aether came crashing down, and put Ajax's explosion of Electro to shame. Golden fire washed over the spectators, leaving nothing but a faint feeling of heat. Smoke and dust clouded the air, making it hard to see. Jean used her Anemo powers to clear the air, and revealed Ajax flat on his back, weapon of Electro laying on the ground a few feet away. Aether's sword was pointed at his throat. Both Aether and Ajax were breathing heavily, sweat running down their faces. Then the silence was broken by Varka.
"The winner of this MCGT is Aether! Well done! Classes resume as normal next combat class! Congratulations on winning your first ever MCGT!" Varka yelled. He walked onto the stage and pulled Aether's fist into the air, and the stadium erupted in cheers. "As for right now, you two can take a break until the period is over. Go to the healer if needed." He dropped Aether's hand and Ajax stumbled over to the healer after shaking hands with Aether.
Aether walked off the platform and back to the wall where Keqing was watching him. Why was her face so red? Ah, nevermind. He plopped down beside her with a sigh and put his head in between his knees.
"What was that?" Keqing asked.
"Huh? Oh- hmmm.." Aether muttered. Keqing frowned.
"What do you mean, 'hmm'?" she asked.
"Hmmm…" Aether muttered. Keqing's frown deepened, slightly irritated.
"Hey, give me an answer here," Keqing said. Aether didn't respond.
"I don't have all day, Aether. Either tell me the answer or tell me that you won't explain it," Keqing said, annoyed. All the while, Aether remained in that position. Keqing's brow creased, and she poked him in the arm.
Aether didn't respond and continued breathing deeply.
"Wait, are you asleep?" Keqing asked, bewildered. How had he managed that so fast? Aether made no response. "Wake up, buddy, you can't sleep here…" she said. Aether didn't stir.
"Hmph. If you want to do it the hard way, then fine," Keqing said. She unbuckled her sword and poked Aether in the thigh with the tip. Aether's head shot straight up and hit against the wall behind him.
"Wha- Ow!" He exclaimed. He shook his head bemusedly, then looked at Keqing. Aether tilted his head.
"Did I…?" he started. Keqing nodded. Aether blushed. "Ah. Sorry about that. I sometimes get very drained after using my power. I think you started to ask me a question, but… I sort of crashed in the middle of it. Do you mind re asking it?"
Keqing smirked. "Alright. Well, my question is, what was that? I want to know the full extent of your powers. Tell me everything. It's quite interesting, really." Aether simply smiled.
"Well, I could, but," he winked at her. "A magician never reveals his tricks."
"So you do have more tricks up your sleeve?" Keqing asked.
"Perhaps," Aether said slyly. "But those would be for a later time. So what do we do after this?"
"After combat is lunchtime, so we'll have an hour to eat and do whatever. Do you have a chess set, or do I need to bring mine?"
"I have one," Aether said. "I still gotta unpack everything, heh."
Keqing nodded. "You'll have a lot of time to do that in the evening.
Aether shrugged. "Alright. How much longer until we get to leave?"
Keqing tilted her head. "Shouldn't be soon, now…" As if on cue, the bell rang, and Varka dismissed them.
"Class is over! Congratulations to Aether once again for winning the MCGT!" he yelled. With a flourish, the students all flowed outside to the hallway.
"Let's go back to the dorm," Keqing said. "We always meet up there during breaks." Aether nodded. "And um," Keqing said, blushing slightly. "Can you change out of that outfit? People will stare…" Aether raised his eyebrows and smiled teasingly.
"Are you a part of those 'people'?" he asked. Keqing blushed madly, and Aether roared with laughter.
"I- I don't-" Keqing stuttered, clearly flustered. Aether chuckled.
"I'm only teasing," he said. His outfit shimmered, and returned to a regular white shirt and pants. Keqing looked again, and she frowned.
"How do you hide your braid?" she asked.
"I hide it underneath my shirt. It doesn't show much, near as I can figure," he said. He reached back and pulled it out, and it flowed out freely behind him. Keqing nodded.
"You… you look better like that," Keqing said quietly. Aether didn't seem to notice the comment and continued walking forward. "How good are you at chess?" she asked. Aether frowned.
"Well, I don't know exactly. I don't know my actual rating, but I seem to play alright. I don't think I'm anywhere near a master, but… we'll see when we play with each other."
Keqing nodded. "Alright." They continued walking in silence, seemingly having run out of topics to talk about. They reached the dorm, and their friends greeted them.
"Let's go eat first, and then we'll witness the match of the second best chess player in the school and a newcomer!" Xiao said. They all headed down to the cafeteria to eat first.
"Hey, Aether! Over here," Lumine called. Aether gestured to Lumine and told his friends.
"I'm gonna go eat with her for lunch. I'll meet you guys back at the dorm," he said, and walked off. Xiao nodded.
"So." Xiao asked Keqing. "Give us your impressions of him. I heard that he's already dominated the MCGT. Is that true?"
"Well, as near as I can tell, he's polite and strong. He has some sort of golden power that absolutely dominated Ajax, even with his Delusion. I doubt even you would stand up to him, Xiao," Keqing said. Xiao tilted his head.
"Interesting. So, how about your personal feelings about him?" Xiao asked. Keqing shrugged.
"Well, like I said, he's nice. He's kind and isn't scary. Somewhat social and strong," she said. Xiao nodded slowly.
"Mhmmm… And what did he say or do that made you blush so hard?" Xiao asked slyly. "Could it be that you're… attracted to him?" Keqing flushed furiously.
"Wh- What do you mean? I wasn't blushing very hard," she said. Xiao chuckled slowly.
"So you do admit that you were blushing?" Xiao asked. Keqing's face turned even redder.
"I- I just had combat class, so my face was a little red!" she said feebly. Xiao shook his head and sighed.
"Keqing, your face was so red I'm surprised you didn't have a nosebleed. It was so, so obvious to spot. So, you do feel attracted to him, don't you?"
"I- No, of course not! How can I have feelings for someone I just met?" she protested. She glanced at Aether, who was chatting away with his sister and her friends. The action was not unnoticed by Xiao, who gave her a dry smile.
"Well, I won't pry. He seems like an interesting individual. We'll just wait to see how this… story unfolds." He smirked at Keqing, and started eating his food. From the other table, Kaeya was talking about Aether's match with Ajax.
"And you should've seen him!" Kaeya said excitedly. "There he was, flying in the air, bright as any star in the sky! Then he just came crashing down in a legendary explosion of golden fire! It was amazing!" Aether was smiling bashfully, while Amber, Fischl, and Sucrose were listening in with rapt attention. When Kaeya finished his story, Lumine elbowed Aether playfully.
"So. Wanted to make a splash, huh?" She grinned. Aether chuckled embarrassedly and Lumine laughed.
"So you both can use that sort of power?" Amber asked, amazed. Aether and Lumine both nodded.
"Woah…" Fischl said, starstruck. "Can you give us a demonstration right now?"
"Well, I wouldn't want to blow up the building, but," Aether said. "We can show you a little something." Aether and Lumine held out their hands, and golden flecks of light shimmered along their hands. Their swords materialised into their hands, and the group gasped.
"That's so cool!" Amber gushed. "I wish I could do that. It'd make life so much easier!"
"I know, right?" Kaeya said. He, too, was looking at the weapons in interest. "Your brother is quite a good fighter. I do hope that you'll match up when we duel," Kaeya said.
"Perhaps you'll find that she'll come down on you full force. She never does act kindly to challengers," Aether said. Lumine frowned at him.
"When have I not gone easy on new challengers?" she asked him. Aether shrugged.
"Wel, judging by the fact that you beat the crap out of those hilichurls on the way here, and literally every single kid save for me at our previous school gives me that impression," Aether said. Lumine put a finger to her chin.
"Oh, right. I forgot about that, haha."
"You forget about a lot of things, don't you," Aether said jokingly. "Anyway, great to meet you and talk to you guys. What are your hobbies?"
"Well, Diluc makes me play chess with him quite often, but I'm not great at it. Probably around an eight hundred to one thousand rating he says," Kaeya explained. Lumine's eyebrows raised.
"Really? You play chess?" Lumine asked. Kaeya nodded. "My brother is amazing at the game. You should've seen him! Played 12 games simultaneously, and won every game in our previous school!" Lumine proclaimed. Aether scratched his cheek and looked to the side.
"Lu, please don't overstate my abilities," Aether muttered. "All of those players weren't playing their best."
Lumine hung her head and sighed. "That's my brother. Always too modest. You know you're good at the game, so why won't you admit it?"
"Because I'm not," Aether complained. Lumine shook her head.
"There's no arguing with him. Anyway, what's with you guys?" she asked. Amber shrugged.
"We all know a little bit of something about chess, seeing as Keqing is very pushy, but I'm interested to see how Aether matches up with her. Yes, news travels very very fast around this school," she added, as Aether's mouth fell open.
"Jeez, ok. One small comment when I came here and by lunch, the whole school knew. Alright, then. I hope I'll do ok in that game," he said. He glanced over to Keqing's table, where she was apparently in a deep conversation about work with Xingqiu. Aether shrugged and turned back. Lumine's eyes flicked between Keqing and her brother, and a small smile appeared on her face.
"Lunch should be over soon, anyway," Sucrose said. "We'd best clean up." The group packed up their things, and the bell rang.
"We'll see you later!" Lumine called, walking away. "Have fun!" Aether waved goodbye and headed back to the dorm. When he got there, he saw his group of friends already standing there.
"Alright, let's get this game started!" Xingqiu exclaimed. Aether nodded and retrieved his chess set. He set the mat down on a table, and a group of kids came to watch.
"High stakes?" Albedo asked. Aether stared at him, nonplussed.
"What?" He asked. Keqing suppressed a giggle.
"Well, I challenged them before," Keqing said. "High stakes basically means that the loser has to do whatever the winner wants for a week." she explained, looking Aether dead in the eye. Aether blushed slightly at the implication and let out a nervous laugh.
"I'm not too sure about this…" he said. Xingqiu and Albedo bore down on him, while Xiao looked at him with sympathy.
"C'mon, we did it, now it's your turn!" Xingqiu said. Albedo nodded along.
"I agree. You should do high stakes. It makes the game more fun!" Albedo pressed. Aether hung his head and let out a sigh.
"Well, uh, what are these 'requests' I'll have to do if I lose?" Aether asked, cringing at the thought.
"Well, when you lose, Keqing will typically take as many extra classes as possible in order to take advantage of you having to do her every word. She'll basically make you carry all her books and basically be her servant for the week," Xiao explained.
Aether hung his head and sighed. "Alright. I agree to these terms. Keqing, you can play white, if you want," he said. Keqing's eyebrows rose.
"No, I couldn't do that. You play white," Keqing said.
"Are you sure?" Aether asked. Keqing nodded.
"Do you want to play with a clock?" Keqing asked. It was Aether's turn to nod.
"Sure. Half an hour on each side?" he offered. Keqing accepted.
"Alright. Three, two, one, go. Your move." Keqing hit the button, and the clock started ticking.
Aether's eyes scanned the chessboard, thinking of openings. By now, their discussions had drawn a crowd, and quite a few students had opted to watch their match.
The room was silent, only broken by the occasional gasps of students, the tap of a piece moving on the chessboard, the click when a piece was captured, or broken by the occasional word of "check."
Half an hour had passed, and the game still appeared equal to all the spectators. Aether and Keqing's eyes rapidly flicked across the chessboard, each of them taking pieces when deemed necessary. Many times, Aether and Keqing snuck glances at each other, wondering how the other was doing. The silence of the room was deafening, and the room was holding its breath.
Keqing didn't know when, but the tension in the air suddenly shifted. Her skin felt washed with ice, and her position became significantly worse. Aether started attacking quicker and more aggressively. Keqing played the best moves she could, but deep inside she knew that she lost this game. Finally, Aether dropped the finishing blow.
"Checkmate."
Thanks for being patient while waiting for the update! This chess game was based off of a game I played. Not half an hour time signature though.
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