Flashes of lightning and rain swirled around her in an unfamiliar environment, with a hoard of monsters looking up to her right. She glanced over, and to her right was Aether. As she watched, he raised his hand. The monsters below her bowed, and with a resounding voice she didn't know was possible to come from hilichurls and Abyss Mages, they cried,
"Come forth, traveller from the stars, and fulfill the long awaited prophecy!"
Aether seemed to walk on air as he descended to meet them, where he was met with kneeling and grovelling by the monsters. An Abyss Herald and Lector came forward with a starry cloak and crown, which they put onto Aether's back and head. Aether turned to face Keqing, and spread his arms wide. His eyes bright yet dark at the same time, he stared straight at her. Dark energy flowed from behind him, as the monsters cried,
"All hail the Abyssal Prince!"
"Ngh-!" Keqing sat straight up in bed in a cold sweat. Her eyes darted around before realising that she had just woken up.
"Phew… just another bad dream…" Keqing muttered to herself. "It's just caused by yesterday's events… Don't panic, Keqing," she told herself. "Don't panic."
Keqing took a few deep breaths to calm herself down, and got ready to change for work. Her alarm was due any second, so she turned it off before it could start ringing. She took a quick shower to wake herself up, brushed her teeth, washed her face, then did her hair. Archons, that took forever to do.
Once she felt she was ready, she went outside to her office to get most of her work done before she continued to ask her questions.
"Good morning, Lady Yuheng," A Milellith soldier greeted her. "It seems like a nice day today, wouldn't you agree?"
"Yes, thank you Tieshan," Keqing replied curtly. "Good day to you." Without any further words, she strode into her office, before realising someone was already in there.
"What are you doing in here?" she yelped, seeing Ningguang in her office.
Ningguang fixed Keqing with a stern look. "Young lady, you are to go home and sleep. You have the rest of this week off, as I told you yesterday. Go home."
"Wh- You can't just do that!" Keqing said, flabbergasted. "I need to do my own-"
"I'm taking care of your work, Keqing," Ningguang cut across her. "You go home and sleep. You have the week to do whatever you want. Then you can come back and work next week. Now, off with you!" Ningguang shooed her off.
Walking out of the office, Keqing didn't know what to do. She was barred from entering the Qixing's office, where all her work was. She'd originally planned to meet Aether after she had lunch, and she had nothing to do until then. She didn't want to go back to sleep after doing up her hair, as it would take forever to do.
Then, the answer to her problems walked straight through the entrance of Liyue Harbor.
"Incursion! Incursion at the front gates!" A Milellith soldier yelled, calling for reinforcements. "Abyss monsters attacking!"
Keqing drew her sword, and dashed off to the front gates. Well, at least it was something to kill the time. When she approached the gates, however, there wasn't much action to be done. A familiar figure was in front of the gates, skillfully dodging and weaving through two Abyss Mages and three Mitachurls with a fairy flying about, screaming for help.
Odd. Never seen the little fairy before. Keqing mused. Her attention was diverted, however, when the figure sheathed its sword, and the monsters burst into clumps of ash.
"Well done, Aether," Keqing muttered. The figure snapped its head towards her, and Keqing realised, far too late, that this wasn't Aether. She was more lithe, and wore a pure white dress that somehow wasn't dirty as opposed to Aether's darker, more revealing armor.
"What'd you say?" The blond girl demanded. Her eyes had the same golden hue as Aether's, although they were bloodshot from fatigue and lack of sleep. Her tone was fierce and strong, compared to Aether's calm and docile one. "Did you say Aether? Where is he? You know, YOU KNOW!" she yelled.
"Ma'am, I'm afraid you're going to have to stop right there," A Milellith soldier said. "You'll cease harassing the Yuheng immediately or we will have to escort you out of city limits."
The figure drew in a shaky breath. "I'm sorry. I apologize. It's just… I've had a rough time. Where's the Rite of Descension? I have to talk to the Geo Archon."
With these words, Keqing had a feeling that the next few months were gonna be interesting.
"May we know your name?" The Milellith soldier further inquired.
"My name is Lumine, but you can call me the Traveller," Lumine said.
And with sinking certainty, Keqing knew her life was going to be flipped upside down.
"Very well. Traveller, feel free to enjoy Liyue Harbor. And um, do refrain from making sudden outbursts, thank you." The Milellith soldier said.
Lumine stalked off, the little fairy floating behind her. After a moment's hesitation, she sheathed her sword and ran off to the Guizhong Ballista. On the way, her heart pounded. She'd be seeing this Traveller all over the place now… how hard would it be to keep Aether's location a secret? She'd already almost slipped up once, and judging by Lumine's tone and urgency of voice, she would not rest until she found him. What kind of relationship did they have? With an answer to his location so close to her, would Keqing eventually be forced to break her promise?
Before long, she reached the ladder of the Guizhong Ballista. When she climbed up, however, she found the little table still there, but no Aether. Despite herself, her heart sank slightly. Where was he?
"You're early today," Aether's voice came from behind her. Keqing shrieked, whipped around, and backhanded Aether across the face.
"Ow," Aether complained. "That hurt, you know."
"Don't- do- that- again!" Keqing yelled, trying to get her heartbeat under control. "Don't sneak up on me like that!"
"Sorry," Aether muttered. "Didn't mean to scare you."
Now that Keqing was here, she analysed Aether's face closely. Aether raised an eyebrow and stepped away slightly.
"Yes…?" He asked, slightly nervous.
Keqing stepped forward.
"Who is she?" Keqing asked. Aether stepped back slightly again.
"Who?" Aether asked nervously.
Keqing continued to walk forward, locking eyes with Aether. "You know who I'm talking about."
Aether backed up against the base of the ballista, sweating slightly. "I- I really don't."
"You know exactly who," Keqing said, still stalking closer. Only until she was right in front of him, nearly toe-to-toe, when Aether smirked slightly.
"What's wrong?" Aether disappeared in a flash of light, and Keqing turned around. Aether was right in front of her, and now she was the one trapped in between the Ballista and Aether. Aether then slammed his forearm just above her head, and she bumped into the base of the Ballista, trapped. "Someone jealous?"
Stupid, stupid. Didn't you remember? Keqing chided herself. Then her eyes met Aether's, startled, when she understood the words he said.
Her face immediately turned beet red.
"You- I-" Keqing stuttered angrily. "I'm not-"
"Jealous?" Aether suggested. "Then why were you so… demanding to know more about her? Did you perhaps worry that she'd... steal me away?" he whispered, his eyes locking with hers. Aether leaned forward, and Keqing was worried her head might burst from embarrassment. Archons forbid anyone found her in this position.
Aether rose, chuckling, and sat down at the table.
"I'm only joking," he said easily. "Sit down, won't you?"
Keqing, her face still red, pulled up a chair and sat down. Her posture stiff and embarrassed, she didn't say anything, trying to remove the thoughts of Aether pinning her to the wall, and the way his golden eyes refracted the morning light, into beautiful flecks of liquid gold.
These thoughts are NOT helpful! Keqing complained to herself.
"Well, if you won't ask a question, I'll ask," Aether said, perhaps sensing her discomfort. "What do you think of Lumine?"
"How are you on a first name basis with her?" Keqing asked compulsively.
Aether raised his eyebrows, slightly taken aback. "So, are you jealous? I never got the feeling that you were at first, now I'm wondering if you just might actually be jealous of her."
"Wha- no, of course not!" Keqing flushed. "I want to know how you two know each other!"
Belatedly, Keqing realised that the questions she were asking wasn't actually helping her glean any more information and may be subjecting her towards more embarrassment.
Aether raised an eyebrow. "Sounds like a jealous person talking," he joked.
"I'm! Not! Jealous!" Keqing half yelled, exasperated. "Will you stop saying that?"
Aether raised his hands in defeat. "Alright, alright, fine. I'll drop it for now. But still, your thoughts on Lumine?"
"I dunno. Strong and scary, but could also be a good friend when not stressed."
Aether nodded. "That's rather apt. And you would be correct. But remember your promise," he said, suddenly stern. "Don't tell her where I am."
"I mean, okay," Keqing said. "I won't. Now, do I get my three questions today?"
Aether gestured with his hand, in a go on gesture. "You don't need to ask me if you wanna ask your questions. Just throw a question at me."
"Okay. First question. What do you do whenever you're not here?"
"Travel along and talk with my subj- friends," Aether said. Keqing narrowed her eyes.
"What were you about to say?"
"Nothing," Aether said evasively. "Just a slip of tongue. That's two questions you've used now."
"What?!" Keqing yelled, outraged. "You lying, manipulative, piece of-"
"Alright, no need to get so loud," Aether winced. "I'll still give you two more questions, alright?"
Keqing huffed. "Second question. Why the Guizhong Ballista? Why not, I don't know, literally anywhere else in Liyue?"
"It has an ancient magic to it that I find very intriguing. It appears to move on its own, despite being unmanned. It's quite the lovely piece of technology. I have no intentions to damage it." Aether explained.
"Fine. As for my third question, how do you wield multiple elements? I remember yesterday, when destroying those… monsters," Keqing glanced backwards to make sure none were there. "You used both Pyro and Electro. How?"
Aether shrugged helplessly. "I honestly don't know the answer to that question. The Statues of the Seven just… responded to me, and granted me control over the element."
Keqing narrowed her eyes. "Something's wrong here. I've never seen a Statue interact with someone that way. It's just impossible. The Statues of the Seven have never, in history, given anyone an element."
Aether shrugged helplessly, and Keqing, for once, felt he was not acting.
"I… really don't know," Aether said sadly. "I'm sorry."
"Do I get a third question, since you didn't fully answer my last one?" Keqing pressed.
"Yeah, sure," Aether said. "Shoot."
"Where do you come from?" Keqing asked.
Immediately, she knew she asked a bad question. Aether looked to the side and cleared his throat.
"Someplace far away from here," Aether said. "Not- not from here."
"A different world," Keqing said, her voice hollow. "She's your sister, isn't she?"
Aether turned to face her, and the pain Keqing saw on his face nearly shattered her own heart.
"I love her," he said hoarsely, tears glittering in his eyes. "And it pains me… so much… to stay away. But I can't reveal myself. Not yet. Otherwise, it may mean the end of this world as we know it."
"What do you mean, 'the end of the world'?" Keqing asked, flabbergasted. She didn't like the look of despair and hopelessness on Aether's face, for if something could terrify a god, she sure as hell didn't want to encounter it.
Aether, not seeming to care that Keqing asked a fourth question, looked down. "The end of all life. You are aware of what happened in Khaenri'ah?"
"I'm not, actually," Keqing said, surprised. "We only have the barest bit of evidence and tiny bits of story of what happened. You… know the full story? Can you tell me?"
Aether looked up at her, and thought for five seconds.
"Here." He grabbed Keqing's hand, and instantly, the landscape changed. She was on a cliffside, running alongside… two Aethers? One was ghostly and surveyed the scene bitterly, while the other appeared to be running for his life. They reached a cliff, and Keqing immediately knew why Aether was so scared.
The sky was bloodred, and the heat was so strong that the air itself rippled with heat. A glorious city, full of different people and large machines, was being destroyed by… gods. She recognized the Anemo Archon, the Electro Archon, and…
Archons' forbid, was that Rex Lapis?
She watched in horror as chains and tendrils made of black cubes fell from the sky, binding the city with magic. The cries and screams of the people as they transformed into hilichurls were too much to bear.
"No, no, no," Keqing said, stumbling backwards. "Don't show me this!" she pleaded. "Take me out!"
As quick as she entered, she was ripped out of the memory, still hand-in-hand with Aether. She yanked her hand away, and Aether surveyed her with somber eyes.
"You understand what is at stake now?" Aether said, his voice low and bitter. "Your city, your life, your friends. All gone. You must not let her find me. Until that god who controls everything is defeated, I am unable to see her. I- Please, go," Aether said despondently. "Just don't tell her about me."
Keqing nodded, shell shocked. "I won't. Not until you tell me to. I promise you, I will not divulge your location."
"Thank you," Aether said, nodding. "Please go home, it's late now. Don't let the bedbugs bite."
A portal of stars opened, and without much thought, Keqing stepped through. The next thing she knew, she was in her room. She brushed her teeth and took a quick shower, then slipped into a nightgown. She flopped into bed and closed her eyes. The terrified screams of the people and the bloodred image of the destroyed city burned bright in her mind's eye, preventing her from sleeping.
Finally, after many hours, Keqing drifted into an uneasy sleep, punctuated by screams and the feeling of terror.
Sorry for dead
School's been getting to me
Updates will be slow until winter break, then i'll probably be able to get 4 or 5 chapters out for various stories
sorry about that ._.
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