Liyue lay ahead, bathed in the golden sunlight of dawn that rose behind the masts of the Alcor, and Aether was content to stand at the prow of the ship and watch their destination creep into view.
It had been some time since he had set foot in the City of Contracts. His travels had taken him to many far-flung corners of Teyvat, from the viridescent jungles of Sumeru to the freezing wastelands of Snezhnaya, and there had been many people in need of his assistance since he last set foot in Liyue. Not that he had spent much time in the Harbour anyway; his work had been across the sprawling wilds of Dihua Marsh and the Giuli Plains, helping the common folk in far-flung corners and dealing with bandits and slimes.
The slightest breeze blew across his face, the smell of salt on the air tickling his nostrils, and he reached up to brush a stray blonde hair which had blown into his eyes from the breeze. As his arm came up, he heard the reassuring clink of metal as his pack was disturbed, the twin swords strapped to the satchel present as they always were. The only companions a traveller like him needed.
The lighter of the two was the sword given to him by the Knights of Favonius, a symbol of the status conferred upon him as Honorary Knight and Second Outrider as a reward for the work he had done in Mondstadt. Wherever he went, he could count on allies of the Acting Grand Master being able to assist when required, simply by showing them the blade. The heavier was his oldest companion, the blade which he had wielded since he first set foot on his travels across Teyvat several years ago. A sword which needed no name, and yet had so much history.
His eyes scanned the horizon, taking in the way metal on the roofs of the city shone brightly under the light of the sun. Every nation he had been to was truly different, worshipping different gods and run in different ways, built to a different vision. Liyue Harbour was no exception, a strange land which he only knew little about.
"I have never set foot outside of Inazuma before."
Aether had heard the soft footsteps of the approaching man, and turned as the new arrival spoke up. Gentle in voice, the young man looked similar to Aether in some respects. Platinum-blonde hair instead of Aether's blonde, but tied in a similar ponytail; the red streak within his hair wasn't something Aether replicated. A black haori and red hakama pants, and the clink of metal revealed a sword at his back. "There's a lot to discover, out there."
"I am counting on it. They say there is no place like home, but… what place is there for those without a home, out there?"
There was not a trace of irony in the young man's musings, and Aether took him in again. "You are… not one of the crew."
"I never used to be." The young man bowed his head, respectfully. "I am Kaedahara Kazuha. I am a wanderer, like you."
Aether took a moment, Kazuha's red eyes briefly meeting his own golden ones, before nodding. "I am Aether."
"I… know of you. You are the one they called the Traveller, are you not?" Kazuha, if he was offended by Aether's long pauses, did not show it. "The crew told me stories of you when I came aboard."
"Some of them won't be true." They seldom were. Aether took pride in the work that he did, but staying in one place to trade off the legends people created of him was not high on his list of priorities. That wasn't why he did what he did. Why he travelled across seven nations, reuniting lost lovers or helping lost causes, fighting bandits and rogues and protecting those who could not stand up for himself. Someone had to, if these people were alone, and that was all he cared about, not the song that was sung afterwards by drunken bards in taverns who had never seen the flash of his sword.
He refocused on Kazuha. "Others will be exaggerated. Treat them with caution."
"I am an Inazuman. I have not followed you through the other nations, but I know of your accomplishments throughout my homeland." Kazuha's voice could have been filled with traces of resentment and accusation, or worse, some obnoxious and twisted sense of idolisation; none were present. It was a simple statement of fact, laced with respect. "You worked with Shikanoin Heizou, at the Tenryou Commission."
Aether had not expected the name of his old friend to appear on the lips of the stranger, and raised an eyebrow when Kazuha mentioned the detective. "You know of Heizou?"
"Our paths have crossed in the past." Kazuha's face softened fondly, perhaps because of memories triggered. "I was once a samurai. Heizou often asked for my assistance when tracking down people to bring to justice. His energy, and desire to do the right thing for others… you would have been a good team."
The compliment was genuine, but Aether was not good at taking them, and so he simply nodded. "He must have trusted you a great deal."
"As he must trust you as well. I have heard the stories. I gather that you spent time in Inazuma working together with him on his cases, helping victims and taking bounties."
"Stories are stories. You know how flawed they can be."
"But some things cannot be understated. How you both rescued the Shirasagi Himegimi when she was kidnapped. How you defended the Arataki Gang when no others would, and apprehended the true Butcher of Narukami." Kazuha's arms folded across his chest. "Heizou always threw himself into his work for the thrill of solving the mystery. But you… you would go to the ends of the earth to ensure that justice was obtained, and leave without looking back."
"... That's all that matters, isn't it? To help people?" Aether took in Kazuha, the grace with which the young man held himself, the ease with which he adjusted his stance as the Alcor rolled over the waves. "You were once a samurai, you said."
"That is right."
"Once… but no longer."
"No longer. Now I am but a wanderer who roams the land."
"Mm." Aether briefly looked at their surroundings, at the piles of rope on the deck of the Alcor, at the sailors taking inventory and preparing to arrive at their destination. At the almost-still surface of the waters around them, the faintest waves rolling underneath them. "And the sea, it seems."
"Yes. It would seem so." Kazuha's smile was faint, ghostly. "I am in need of new lands."
"You left Inazuma… not even the disgraced ronin leave Inazuma, because they wander the land as bandits. And you are so fond of your home, from the way you describe it." Aether didn't ask it, because it was patently clear to him to be beyond reasonable doubt. "You were forced to leave."
"Come driving rain or winds that churn, I shall return, by blade alone, armed, if barefoot, to my home…" Kazuha's poetry was unexpected, as he brushed the colourful strand of red hair out of his eye. "One day I will return. I hope this much. But for now, I am not welcome."
"Why?"
"I duelled the Shogun before the throne."
Aether blinked. The Shogun was the leader of Inazuma, the great head of its armies, the greatest swordswoman in all of the nation. None had survived crossing swords with her, whether for honour or freedom or something else entirely. And yet this unassuming young man had not perished like countless others… "You defeated the Shogun?"
"It was a draw." Aether could tell that Kazuha's response was nothing but the truth, because the wanderer didn't speak with any pride about something which no one else had ever achieved throughout her reign. He was a humble man, but even so Kazuha didn't treat it as a victory, and that told Aether that it really had happened. "She had slain my friend for defiance of a decree he proclaimed to be unjust. That I too believe was unjust. I had to honour his legacy. And I carry it with me to this day, as the tides carry me to unknown nations."
"Hmm…" Aether paused. "Why tell me this?"
"Because you and I are alike. I know that you are a wanted man." Aether tensed at those words. His reflexes were good, but against a samurai he had questions whether he would be able to draw his swords before any attack. "Please. I do not say that because I mean you any ill will. I gather that you saved the life of the Divine Priestess of Watatsumi Island from an attack you were not meant to stop."
Kazuha was not wrong. A hit had been ordered within the Tenryou Commission on Her Excellency Sangonomiya, one which Aether had prevented. He had left Heizou behind to fend for himself, and by the time that the Shogun's enforcer Kujou Sara had arrived anywhere near Watatsumi Island, he was long-gone. The Alcor had departed Inazuman waters in the dead of night, along with one more passenger…
But he hadn't left Inazuma for fear of his own safety. He hadn't boarded the Alcor to flee the Tenryou Commission; he was not even aware of his transgressions until a messenger falcon notified the crew three days later. No… he had boarded with purpose beyond this.
He had been summonsed. And Liyue Harbour beckoned.
"You believe we can travel together. Because we are the same." Aether confronted what Kazuha wasn't asking head-on, because there was no use dancing around the subject. "Outcasts, together."
"You see right through me." Kazuha bowed his head. "I am not wise in the ways of the world as you may be, nor have I any direction. While you have remained in your cabin until today, I knew that if I had the chance, I needed to ask. Because it would be my honour to learn from you… perhaps my journey can begin anew, at your side."
"I appreciate it… but I didn't leave Inazuma because of the Priestess." Aether watched the samurai blink, not expecting that answer. "You seem true, Kaedehara Kazuha. I would consider it, if things were as you believed."
"I see."
"But… they are not. I had already boarded the Alcor with my own intentions before I became aware that I was wanted by the Tenryou Commission." Aether folded his arms. "I already have a purpose when we reach Liyue, so right now… I can only apologise. Perhaps our paths may cross in future."
"... I hope so." Kazuha didn't show any disappointment about Aether's response. "And I hope that one day, you are able to return to Inazuma."
"... You too." As his new friend turned on his heel and left, Aether turned his gaze back to the shore. It was a shame… while he travelled alone most times, Kazuha was clearly a capable young man, and would have been a good ally. But the paper scroll which sat at the top of his bag demanded his attention, something pressing to attend to in Liyue Harbour… showing Kazuha the rest of Teyvat had to come in second.
"Didn't fancy travelling with the only man to survive the Shogun?"
The captain's voice was always so cocksure, so full of mirth. He hadn't noticed her eavesdropping until now. "I am needed in Liyue Harbour. If I was not…"
"You could always have let him tag along. He's a damn good swordsman." There was a clunk, as the enormous greatsword of Captain Beidou thunked against the wooden deck beneath their feet. While one red eye appeared to be challenging him, the other was covered with an eyepatch; he had only seen beneath it once, in their most intimate moments, and knew that the patch was not for effect. "I'd keep him around if he wasn't so sure that wandering the seas wasn't what he wanted."
"I'm sure you would keep him around, from what I've heard." Aether snorted, humourlessly. "Or did you forget my cabin is below yours?"
"Oh?" Rather than crack under pressure and fluster, Beidou leaned forward and grinned without shame. Of course she wouldn't. She was the Uncrowned Lord of the Ocean, the fiercest ship captain in the whole of Teyvat, determined to do as she pleased. The twisting of muscles as she did so was a reminder of just how strong the imposing woman stood before him was. "Don't tell me you're jealous, after so long?"
"Not at all." He wasn't. What they had once had had been fun, two people who threw themselves into life with everything they had. But it could never have worked in the long run; Beidou needed to be unchained and let loose upon the waves, and he had so many places he wanted to be on land to help people. Their romance had been fleeting, like ships passing in the night on their way to different distant horizons… anything more complicated would have destroyed one of them. Now, he was just grateful to have a friend he could rely upon whenever he needed to cross the great seas between nations.
"Good. It's an ugly look… and there's more fish in the sea for someone like you."
"True. But…" Aether turned away, catching a waft of whatever perfume Beidou was wearing. Clearly in her work for those in power in Liyue, she was rewarded handsomely enough to spoil herself. "I didn't know that you had a type."
"A type?" That briefly threw the captain.
"Mm." Aether turned back to her, deliberately keeping his smile straight even as he felt his enjoyment crack through into his gaze. "Except for the streak in his hair… he looks a lot like me."
"Ha!" The claymore thumped down again as if pronouncing her laugh, and to her credit Beidou didn't colour as if she'd taken the bait. "Say that around any of the crew, and you'll be swimming the rest of the way into the Harbour."
"Aye aye, captain."
"Honestly, in your dreams." The spark in her eyes told him he'd gotten away with it… just. "So… you already have a purpose, huh? You never told me about what that was when you boarded. Only that we needed to be in Liyue Harbour as fast as we could… you're welcome for that, by the way. I wasn't planning on doing a supply run to Sumeru at all.""
"..." Aether turned away from her, staring back towards the heaving city on the harbourside. "Sorry."
"Sure. But what prompted the emergency?"
"... Somebody wrote to me while I was in Inazuma."
"You don't know who?"
"No. All I have is a request… of something which I need to attend urgently."
That wasn't true.
The paper scroll in his bag did not simply request his attendance at an event. The scroll was a letter, written beautifully in writing he did not recognise and marked for his eyes only, sealed with the wax seal of Liyue's King, Rex Lapis. But there was so much more that alarmed him about its contents, first of which was how it was addressed. Even when working with Heizou, he may receive correspondence from afar addressed to 'the Traveller', or 'Honorary Knight', or very rarely his name from those he had previously bonded with. This letter had been addressed to 'the Saviour of the Divine Priestess'... and had arrived in his hands two hours after he had saved Her Excellency from assassination.
Timing was one thing. Aether did not know who had written it or how they, in Liyue, might be aware of his actions on Watatsumi Island. But the final line was enough for him to drop everything, make his excuses, and climb aboard the Alcor.
'Something terrible is going to happen… and you need to be there to work out why.'
Whatever was going to take place… Aether wasn't going to miss it in light of that warning. This was something he needed to get to the bottom of, fast, because the writer did not expect that he could prevent it. And that was therefore something which he needed to keep to himself, unless a careless word in the wrong ear tipped off the wrong people... Beidou knew a few too many of them.
"I'm assuming this isn't a party?" Beidou asked, wryly.
"I'm not sure. I've not spent much time in Liyue Harbour, so I'm not familiar with many of the customs." Aether turned back to her, shielding his eyes from the sun, and squinted at her. "Whoever it was… they have asked me to attend the Rite of Descension."
(***)
A/N: Here we go, Genshin gamers. Welcome to a little pet project dreamed up when I had Covid and too much spare time on my hands. My thanks go to the four individuals who enabled this madness- Alexwritesaboutlife, ArSol, AgentGrayson and LifeOfMystery.
This is an AU, much to the surprise of none of my regular readers who know I love a damn good AU. If there are certain things you think are missing… that is deliberate. There are no Visions in this, no elements, no hilichurls, no Paimon, and no Traveller wielding multiple elements. Aether is powerless and wandering of his own volition, a lone ranger determined to help people and deliver justice wherever he travels; I chose him as our protagonist over Heizou because it felt right to keep the player character at the heart of it all over the happy-go-lucky canon detective.
There are humans and nations, and different leadership of each nation (as you can tell from the mention of the King of Liyue). Magical mystery is one thing, but murder mystery… with the cast of Genshin? Toying with the politics and intrigue, focused on the crime? How could I resist?
And for every murder mystery, there must be a murder. This and the next chapter will set all of that up, because by now our victim may perhaps be obvious. But our killer… well. The journey will be fun and our cast will be wide. Stick around, why don't you?
