Finale: Happy Endings only happen in fiction. Good news is, this is fiction!

"Aether…Aether, it's time to wake up," Lumine said as she leaned over his bedside.

He groaned and stretched out. "Five more minutes…"

She resisted giggling as she retorted, "You big dummy, you'll have plenty of time to sleep in tomorrow. If you sleep in today, you're going to have six very upset women wondering why you didn't show up to the wedding!"

He snapped upright and shouted, "Oh geez, that's today!"

She facepalmed and sighed. She said, "Come on, I'll walk out so you can get ready. Zhongli's already waiting for you in the lobby, and the other groomsmen will be here soon so you can all pick up your tuxedos for the wedding." She smiled and left the room as Aether got out of bed.

Dressed in his signature midriff-revealing outfit, Aether headed down to the lobby. As he expected, Zhongli was enjoying a morning cup of tea. Seated with him were the groomsmen Aether had picked out:

Bennett, who had to be convinced that his presence wasn't going to ruin the entire event;

Ayato, who had to work late the previous day and took a red-eye voyage to make it on time;

Childe, who practically begged to be a groomsman, and was allowed to be one in return for a promise that if anyone attacks the ceremony, even another Harbinger, he would be the first to go fend off the threat;

Finally, the warrior-poet Kazuha, who had never been to Mondstat and was looking forward to exploring the region after celebrating Aether's wedding.

"Ah, there you are, Aether," Zhongli said. "Please, sit down and join us for a cup of tea. The tea leaves they use in this hotel are uniquely fragrant."

After ten minutes of tea time, Aether and his groomsmen left to try on the clothes they'd be wearing for the rest of the day. A local tailor had been commissioned to make custom tuxedos for everyone, courtesy of Ningguang's unfathomably deep pockets. She'd insisted that any wedding she would be a part of, whether for convenience or not, should be extraordinary by every possible means. Thanks to Aether's harem powers, it really would be the most extraordinary wedding possible, so spending lavishly for Aether and the groomsmen to look fabulous wasn't even a concern for her.

Aether's wedding tuxedo couldn't be described as anything other than unbelievable. It was a bright white coat with silver-trimmed accents, twelve-carat gold buttons, matching shirt and slacks, and mirror-polished black dress shoes to contrast. When he was told how much it cost, he nearly passed out from disbelief. The groomsmen all wore similarly styled all-black tuxedos with golden cufflinks and shiny polished shoes. One of Ningguang's secretaries showed up to take pictures of the 'bachelor party' while they were trying on their outfits, producing several memorable shots of the group smiling and laughing as they teased each other on their looks. Childe and Zhongli looked most at home in the intricate suits, while poor Bennett looked like a fish out of water and Ayato just looked odd wearing a Mondstat-style outfit instead of an Inazuman outfit. Kazuha, amazingly, didn't look too out of place.

The tailor told Aether, "I heard your concern about your unlucky friend, and don't worry. I used extra stitching and more flexible fabrics so that it would be incredibly difficult for him to accidentally tear anything, and even if he does, the damage deposit will cover anything that might happen." He gave Aether and Bennett a reassuring smile, making Bennett feel a little bit better.

"I'm so glad Lady Ningguang put up a damage deposit for us," Bennett said. "There's no way I could afford to pay for this tuxedo if something were to happen to it."

Aether snarkily said, "Yeah, some of us couldn't afford to pay for these if something were to happen." He eyed Childe, Ayato and Xingqiu, who all nervously chuckled. He sighed and said normally, "Anyway, don't be nervous Bennett. Like I said, everything's going to go fine today. You don't have to hold anything important, you won't be underneath any artwork or antiques that might fall, and Barbara even went and personally bad-luck-proofed the church in advance."

Bennett looked like he might tear up from all the consideration that'd been made for him. "Wow…that's so nice of her!" He wiped his eyes, though they were still quite dry.

After some more cajoling and talking, they told the tailor everything fit well. The tailor smiled and wished Aether the best as they all left looking like several million Mora. All that was left to do now was walk up to the great Cathedral of Mondstat at the very highest level of the city. The people of Mondstat watched in awe as the well dressed Honorary Knight made his way through the streets as they cheered for him. However, about halfway up, Aether was unexpectedly stopped.

"Aether! Wait, please wait!" cried out a voice Aether hadn't heard since the Inazuman festival almost four months prior. He and the groomsmen turned to see Eula running up from another side of the city.

She breathed heavily as she slowed down after sprinting all the way over. Aether began to worry about why Eula chose now to approach him, right before he was due to finally get married.

Zhongli stepped in front of Aether, wearing a cross look, and cautiously asked, "Miss Eula, if I recall correctly, what business do you have with Aether? As you can no doubt tell, he is quite busy and doesn't have any time to waste."

Eula responded rather quietly, at least for her, "I know. Please allow me a minute of his time, and I promise I'll get out of the way after that."

Zhongli turned to Aether, who signaled he'd listen. He nodded and stepped aside, allowing Eula to directly approach him.

"Hello, Aether," she started, "I'm glad to see you're doing well. I know interrupting you as you walk up to your wedding is rude, but I don't think I'll have another chance at this, so here. I'm really, truly sorry about what I did at the festival all those months ago. I don't know what I was thinking, lifting my sword at someone you clearly cared a great deal about. A terrible jealousy filled me when I saw you with her…but it doesn't excuse me in the slightest. The truth is, I'm in love with you too, Aether."

Some onlookers gasped as she confessed her feelings. She continued, "From our talks about improving one's self and moving past others' assumptions of us, I fell helplessly in love with you. No one else has ever been able to move me and help me understand things quite like you have. Thank you so much for helping me realize that there's so much more I can do to distinguish myself as Eula, Captain of the Knights Reconnaissance Squad instead of 'That Lawrence girl'."

She paused as she watched Aether's face for any sign of reaction. She finished her thoughts by saying, "I can only hope that this isn't too little, too late for you, Aether."

After a moment of silence, Aether took a deep breath. With a sad look in his eye, he said, "I'm sorry, Eula. I understand your feelings and I accept them for what they are, but I can't return them."

Her face fell, but she nodded. Aether explained, "Threatening Ayaka during the festival was a step too far. Any possibility I might've had to love you was destroyed when you did that. Amber and Noelle were there, too, but they didn't move to harm anyone. I can see you've changed since then, and I'm willing to forgive you for making a really bad decision because of your emotions, but I don't love you back."

Eula looked away for a moment as Aether worried about her response. Thankfully, she took a deep breath and said, "I understand, Aether. I knew that confessing my feelings at this point was deeply selfish of me, so thank you for accepting them anyway. I have only one more thing to say; I hope that in the future, if you see me out in the field, you'll still stop and say hello."

Aether gave a small smile and said, "I'm sure this won't be the last time I'm in and around Mondstat. I'm always getting requests from the Adventurer's Guild to help out with various things, and it gives me an excuse to come back and say hello to the first city to warmly welcome me, even before I became their Honorary Knight. I'll say hello if I happen to spot you while you're around."

A small tear slid down Eula's face as she smiled and said, "Thanks, Aether. I'm sure you'll make your new brides the happiest women in Teyvat." She turned around and walked away, allowing Aether to continue forward to what will certainly be the greatest day he's ever had during his time in Teyvat. He briefly thought about Eula's last second confession one last time before shaking his head and imagining what his lovely brides were going to look like at the altar.

After a good ten minutes, they finally arrived at the large plaza directly below the cathedral. Waiting for him was none other than his twin sister Lumine, wearing an outfit Aether wasn't expecting.

"Lumine?" He asked, "What's with the tux?"

She laughed and explained, "Well, since the brides will wait at the altar for you instead of the other way around, for time's sake, I decided I should walk you to the altar! I felt like wearing a dress just wasn't right, so I went with this instead. If I could find some more wrappings, I could probably pass for a guy wearing this bulky thing."

Aether sighed and said, "You totally picked out a tux just to try looking like a guy, didn't you?"

"Guilty as charged," Lumine said with a giggle. "It's fun once in a while, you know. I bet if I put you in a dress you'd probably pass as a girl."

He groaned, much to her amusement. She continued, "Don't worry, I won't force you to wear one…in public. Anyway, it's about time. Zhongli, how about you and the groomsmen go on ahead?"

Zhongli nodded and said, "Of course. Come now, everyone, we only have to wait a while longer." He led the others into the cathedral, leaving only the twins out on the plaza. They took a moment to look out over the city and admire the view.

"I can't believe it's really happening," Aether admitted. Lumine gave a knowing smile.

She said, "Me neither. Are you ready for this commitment?"

He nodded. She turned him around and said, "Good. Now, let's get going. The wedding isn't going to wait all day for us."

The two slowly walked toward the entrance of the Cathedral, where several sisters of the Church stood by. Aether was surprised to see Rosaria in attendance, so he asked her, "Rosaria, you're actually here today?"

She flatly replied, "Of course I am. This is kind of the event of the century for Mondstat and the Church of Favonius, after all, so Deaconess Barbara wasn't about to let me wiggle my way out of being here. Congratulations, Aether, and may you have the blessings of Barsibatos." She smiled just a little as Aether snorted before moving inside.

Right at the entrance, Albedo was waiting with Klee, who was holding a basket filled with flower petals. To their surprise, Qiqi was also there with a large pack on her back, and Klee was holding her hand.

Klee smiled and cheerfully replied, "Klee is ready to be Aether's flower girl for the day! Klee also brought a friend with her. Her name is Qiqi, and she said she wanted to be here too!"

Qiqi waved with her free hand and said, "Hello…Aether. Qiqi heard that…you were getting married. Qiqi…wanted to congratulate you and offer blessings. Since Qiqi walked through the mountains…she collected extra Violetgrass and Qingxin to toss."

Aether had to stop himself from immediately melting from cuteness overload. As if on cue, Albedo made another flower basket appear and handed it to Qiqi as the zombie child took the flowers out of her backpack to place in the new basket. Aether patted Klee and Qiqi's heads as he said, "Well, I see no reason why we can't have two flower girls here."

Klee smiled wide while a barely discernible grin appeared on Qiqi's face. Klee said, "Klee also made a present for you, Aether! Klee hopes you like it a lot!"

Albedo smiled and said, "Don't worry, Aether, it's not explosive. I was supervising when she made and wrapped it. I was surprised to see Klee bringing a new friend along, but I guess it makes sense if you two are already acquainted."

Aether replied, "The story of how I met Qiqi is an interesting one for sure, remind me to tell you sometime. So, is everything ready for me to enter?"

"It is," Albedo replied. "If you're ready, I'll open the door and let Klee and Qiqi in before you get led down the aisle."

Aether nodded, and Albedo held open the door. The two girls happily walked in and began tossing the flower petals, causing people to say "aww" or "how cute", as Aether stared down at the altar. Ei, Ayaka, Keqing, Ganyu, Shenhe, and Ningguang were all smiling as they watched him walk in alongside Lumine.

As the church organ played in the background, Lumine gently walked Aether down the aisle. He waved at the many friends he'd made during his journey that were in attendance:

Amber and Noelle, having sat in the back to not impose too much on the wedding, winked and waved with smiles on their faces;

Cloud Retainer slightly bowed her head as he passed her;

Jean smiled and waved before elbowing Diluc to do the same;

Kaeya, seated directly behind Diluc, smiled and nodded as if to say, you sly devil you;

Mona smiled and waved while simultaneously trying to keep an already-drunk Venti from falling off the pew as he drunkenly waved;

Thoma sat by Sayu along with a new friend Aether had recently made, Heizou. The two men smiled and waved while Sayu groggily gave a thumbs-up;

Xinyan and Yun Jin, the latter clearly having disguised herself a little to sneak away, were holding a sign saying "Way to go, Aether!";

Finally, he was surprised to see the unusual duo of Yanfei and Beidou near the front, both offering their congratulations.

After what felt like a long and memory-filled walk, Lumine let go of Aether and waved as she sat down by Yoimiya in the mostly-empty front row. Aether tapped his shoulder, prompting Paimon to appear, who smiled and flew over to the front row next to Lumine to watch.

Ei and the others all looked at him as he realized he didn't have nearly enough hands to hold them all for the ceremony. He quipped, "Um, it looks like we overlooked this, didn't we?"

The six giggled, and he got some laughs from the audience as well. Ei replied, "There'll be plenty of time for hand holding later. I think it'll be fine to skip over that part for now."

The other five nodded in agreement, and Aether nodded as well. Barbara began the ceremony as everyone quieted down.

She started, "Welcome to the Cathedral of Mondstat, everyone from near and far. Today we're all gathered to witness not one, but two weddings! Under this roof blessed by Barbatos, the Anemo Archon, we are fortunate to host two simultaneous events of joyousness!"

After a quick pause, she continued, "First off, we have the marriage of Aether, our very own Honorary Knight of Favonius, who will be joined with:

Raiden Ei, or 'Baal', the Electro Archon and leader of the nation of Inazuma;

Kamisato Ayaka, co-commissioner of Inazuma's Yashiro Commission;

Keqing, the Yuheng of the Liyue Qixing;

Ganyu, half-adeptus and the head secretary of the Liyue Qixing;

Shenhe, a legendary disciple of the adeptus Cloud Retainer;

Last, but certainly not least, Ningguang, the Tianquan of the Liyue Qixing."

Everyone applauded as Barbara waited on them. Once they calmed down, she continued, "As is tradition in the church, I offer the blessing of Barbatos upon the newlyweds, though he can only bless six of the seven participants here. I'm certain that Barbatos would instead offer his congratulations to Baal in place of a blessing." Ei smiled and nodded, acknowledging her status as an archon.

Barbara looked at Aether and said, "Aether, you may now kiss your brides."

All six looked expectantly at Aether as he considered the order. He decided to simply go with the order that they were introduced in as he approached Ei first. The audience cheered as he kissed her, and continued as he tried not to spend too long with any of them in particular. He felt a bit awkward ending with Ningguang, but she still happily accepted the final kiss as he finished, and everyone stood as they continued cheering.

Aether couldn't help but to turn red after having kissed each of them for the first time. Somehow, in the four months leading up to today, not once had any of them shared a single kiss. It was understandable in Ningguang's case, since she had no romantic interest, but he guessed he'd just been too nervous to kiss the others before now. The six brides giggled at his reaction, though the cheers drowned out their giggles to everyone else.

The crowd quieted down again, and Barbara said, "Now, would the ringbearer come forth?"

Sayu, having snuck away from her seat while no one was looking, appeared in a puff of smoke with a black box. She said, "I'm here, Aether. Here's your rings, now please excuse me. I can't get taller without my afternoon nap." She handed him the box, and vanished in another puff of smoke. Aether smiled and shook his head as he opened the box, containing seven rings.

The brides held out their hands as he put a ring on their ring fingers. Finally, he reached the last ring meant for his own hand. Ei grabbed the ring and said, "Don't worry, Aether. The six of us have had time to discuss this, and we decided how to put this ring on."

She slipped the ring on the end of his finger, and one by one each bride pushed the ring back further until Ningguang gently pushed it over his knuckle. Another cheer ran through the crowd as Aether handed the box off to Klee, who took it and walked with Qiqi back over to Albedo off to the side.

Barbara completed the first ceremony by saying, "With Barbatos as eternal witness, this marriage is now official. May you enjoy a long and happy marriage for many years to come!" Once again, the audience stood and cheered.

Aether looked at his new wives and said, "Well, I think we're gonna have to move out of the way. It's time for Ei's second wedding ceremony, after all!" They giggled and nodded, and they walked over to the front row where Lumine, Yoimiya, Noelle, and Amber were seated, the rest of the row having been reserved for Aether and five brides. Paimon smiled as she snuggled up between Aether and Lumine, awaiting the next ceremony.

The great cathedral doors opened again, and they turned around to see Kujou Sara wearing her wedding outfit. Unlike the Mondstat-style dresses worn by Ei and the others, Sara wore an intricately-designed kimono heavily featuring the Electro Mitsudome on a snow-white background. She was led down the aisle by her brother, Kujou Kamaji, who gently released her as she got to the altar.

Barbara performed largely the same ceremony, though this time Sara and Ei held their hands throughout the ceremony. In lieu of offering the blessing of Barbatos, she gave well wishes instead, and everyone cheered, Aether included, as Sara and Ei shared their wedding kiss.

"Aether," Lumine whispered in his ear, "looks to me like Sara is a very tongue-happy person, if you catch my drift."

He winced as he quietly replied, "Yes, Lumine, we can all tell."

The enthusiasm died down slightly as even Barbara winced at the display. Ei finally ended the lip locking and whispered something in Sara's ear, making the newly-married Tengu turn bright red. Aether could barely hear Sara quietly apologizing to Ei.

With the ceremony concluded, everyone got up and made their way to the grand patio behind the church for the reception. The Angel's Share was hosting a Mora bar while food catering was provided by the local eatery Good Hunter as well as Liyue's Wanmin Restaurant, whose cooking was provided by Xiangling.

She noticed Aether walking over with his wives and friends in tow and waved. Once they were close enough, she said, "Hey Aether, hey everyone else! Thank you so much for asking me to come cater for the wedding. I've been chatting with the Good Hunter people and exchanging tips and tricks so I can get even better, and they can experiment with new flavors in their menu."

Aether smiled and said, "That's great, Xiangling! We're happy you're here, too. We were definitely wondering how the people here would react to having a Liyue chef working alongside some of their own, but it looks like most people are itching to try out your food. Oh, and you're providing the vegetarian options today, right?"

She nodded. "Yup! I know miss—er, I guess now missus?—Ganyu likes a variation of a dish called 'Universal Peace'. I've prepared a second of the traditional variety for Shenhe since she seems to prefer vegetarian as well. As you already know, both Good Hunter and I are serving appetizers for everyone. They've made a bunch of these wonderful salads, and I'm serving some spicy stew that everyone can enjoy since it's also vegetarian friendly."

Aether looked back to see that everyone looked delighted. He happily said, "I'm already feeling hungry hearing that! Alright, well we'd better let you keep cooking. Thanks again, Xiangling!"

The indigo-haired girl smiled and waved as they departed. Aether turned back and said, "Keqing, Ningguang, you two didn't order from Wanmin?"

They shook their heads. Keqing said, "Since I'm here in Mondstat getting married and all, I thought I'd try out the local cuisine. Ningguang had the same idea as me, so we both chose entreés from Good Hunter. I'm getting a crab, ham, and veggie bake personally."

Ningguang followed up, "A certain someone recommended a dish called sticky honey roast, so I ordered that."

Aether chuckled as Paimon said, "It's Paimon's favorite dish from Good Hunter! Paimon ordered it for herself, too!"

"What about you two, Ei and Ayaka?" Aether asked. "What did you order?"

Ayaka smiled and answered, "I've heard Miss Xiangling invented the dish now called Wanmin Restaurant's Boiled Fish. I've wanted to try it ever since I learned of it, and there's no better time than when I can get it from the inventor herself."

Ei happily announced, "I ordered the moon pie."

Aether looked at her for a moment, and then he snorted. "Ei, you know that moon pie isn't a dessert, right?"

She blinked, and asked, "It isn't?"

Several members of the group started to giggle as Aether explained, "It's a sort of meat pie, actually. It's a traditional, if a bit fancy, Mondstat dinner. I'm sure you'll enjoy it, but it's not anything like a dessert pie."

It was a rare occasion when Ei's cheeks flushed a slight red, but Aether enjoyed finally getting to see her embarrassed over something. In an effort to not be completely mean, he reassured her, "Don't worry, Ei, I promise they'll serve a really wonderful dessert later. If you're having trouble finishing the pie, I'm sure myself or Sara can help you."

She smiled with the blush still present, eliciting more giggles. Sara said, "I'm certain you'll have no trouble enjoying it, my Sho—I mean, Ei." Sara's cheeks turned a bit pink over her gaffe.

As the group continued laughing and chatting over the food options, someone was watching from the far cliffsides near Wolvendom. He twirled one of the ornaments hanging off his Inazuman-style wide brimmed hat as he looked down on the festivities.

"Look at her, thinking she deserves happiness," said the rogue agent of the Fatui. "After casting me aside and leaving me alone, you continue to live as if I was completely inconsequential. Well, not this time. I have your Gnosis now, and I can use it to bring this little pathetic display to a grinding halt. I am not little 'Kunnikuzushi' anymore; you will learn to fear the name Scaramouche!"

He cast a wicked smile upon his face as he raised the piece of divinity in the air. However, he soon felt an instinct to dodge as he bent backwards just in time to see a familiar hydro sword barely miss the tip of his nose.

"I shouldn't be surprised," Childe said, "that you sensed me coming and dodged my attack. However, this is an opportunity of a lifetime that I can't afford to pass up. I get to uphold my promise to protect Aether and his friends today whilst simultaneously capturing you and delivering the Gnosis you acquired to the Tsaritsa."

Scaramouche responded with a 'tch' before replying, "Tartaglia, formerly the eleventh of the Harbingers. You do remember that I was ranked sixth among them, correct? You don't stand a chance against me. Go away, or I'll just have to destroy you along with the rest of them."

Childe laughed and said, "You really don't get it, do you? Aether is my friend, and I'm sworn to serve the Tsaritsa. I will not betray either of them by backing down now."

"Fine," Scaramouche grunted, "then die with the rest of these pigs."

The Gnosis filled him with power he'd never felt before in his artificially long life, and he launched an Electro attack powered with the energies of Celestia. He smiled knowing that a mere mortal like Childe would be obliterated by the raw power alone.

As he prepared to laugh at Childe's demise, he felt a sharp pain in his backside. He turned around and became furious when he saw not only Childe's laughing face, but also the serious look of an incredibly old and battle-weary adeptus, who'd just scored a direct hit against him.

"It was certainly a powerful attack," Childe commented, "but nothing I couldn't dodge. Of course, I won't be the one getting the last laugh here. Your usage of a divine tool has attracted the attention of a Yaksha, one who has been fighting the power of divinity for millennia."

Xiao frowned and said, "Don't get full of yourself, awakener of Osial. The power of a Gnosis is nothing to laugh at, even for one such as myself that has fought the divine." He then faced Scaramouche and said, "You are a special kind of demon, created not by an evil god, but turned to evil by false notions of grandeur. You have the Gnosis of an Archon, but you are not fully attuned to it. I've come to put a stop to you by reducing you to ashes."

"Don't pretend to understand me, prick," Scaramouche sneered. "You're nothing more than a janitor for Morax, cleaning up all the messes he failed to take care of. Against the Electro Archon—no, my Gnosis, it'll be like swatting a fly!"

A thin smile appeared on Xiao's face as he quietly replied, "If I had a Mora for every time I'd heard a similar phrase, even Rex Lapis would be stunned by my hoard."

Scaramouche frowned before calling down several more bolts just like the first. Childe leapt out of the way while Xiao quite literally swatted the bolts away with his spear. Unperturbed, Scaramouche continued his onslaught with bolt after bolt as Childe kept dodging and Xiao continued redirecting. The deceptively-young looking adeptus got closer and closer before finally donning his mask and going on the offensive. Scaramouche briefly found himself under heavy fire as Xiao's incredible offensive left him unable to continue driving Childe away, enabling the Harbinger to engage his melee mode and combo his swordplay with Xiao's adeptal fighting style.

"This is absurd!" Scaramouche shouted as he tried to deflect both Childe and Xiao's attacks. "Against a Gnosis, two little pests should be dying! Why am I losing?"

Xiao flatly said, "You are not attuned to that Gnosis. You are still little more than a very powerful Vision wielder."

Childe landed a direct strike, cleanly slicing one of Scaramouche's arms off. He let out a blood-curdling scream as he collapsed from the pain.

"How?" He asked, "How does losing an arm hurt? Aren't I just a doll? A discarded puppet?"

Xiao and Childe briefly backed off. However, Xiao quickly realized he couldn't let up on the offensive just yet.

"You, Harbinger!" Xiao yelled, "Go for the throat! If nothing else, you can take the head back, but be quick!"

Childe smiled and replied as he broke into a sprint, "With pleasure!"

The ginger-haired man put all his strength behind him as he summoned a blade of Hydro and swung it directly at Scaramouche's throat.

At least, that's what he thought he was doing.

He suddenly realized he was lying on the ground, guts spilling out of his torso, and in so much pain he could barely breathe. Xiao, who was lying directly in front of him, 'merely' had a hole in his chest that he clutched with his hands.

The adeptus managed to say, "It's too late…he has attuned to the Gnosis."

The air crackled around Scaramouche, who had miraculously reattached his arm back to his body. Celestial power flowed freely through him as he was now fully attuned to a piece of heaven, making him a god. He laughed as he looked at his new sword of pure Electro; it was adorned with the blood of the Harbinger that'd just been mocking him.

"Not so easy now is it, pests?" He said with a viscous laugh. "I am now as powerful as any archon with my Gnosis. I'll just leave you two to die in misery as I destroy everything that useless NEET cares about." He leisurely walked away from the mass of blood littering the field behind him, ready to finally get his vengeance on Baal for throwing him away.

He looked over the lake toward the back patio of the cathedral, as none of the people there were any the wiser to his presence there. With a snap of his finger, a massive thunderstorm brewed overhead, and thousands of divine lightning bolts charged up. He smiled one last time as he raised his hand in the air, and furiously dropped it to obliterate the entire city of Mondstat in a single stroke...


At least, that's what he thought he did.

"Who would have thought I'd have to use my power again so soon?"

He was weak. He had no Gnosis, no vision, and not even the latent energy weaved into him in his very creation. Scaramouche was currently nothing more than some magically animated material. For the first time in centuries, he felt true fear as he bore witness to the divine being currently binding him with overwhelming power.

The being shook her head. "It's been tough to watch my idiot younger sister fly around with that man foreign to this land, though I'm beginning to understand why she does. I may have been wrong to seal him and his sister away, even though fate mandated that I did so. I am the Sustainer of the Heavenly Principles; you are a false god arisen to disrupt the balance. There is only one remedy to this scenario: The being calling himself 'Scaramouche' shall cease to exist, and the harm he has ever caused shall be torn from history."

She held out her arm, and before he could even try to say anything, all went black.


Xiao and Childe looked at each other, uncertain as to why the other was in the Brightcrown mountains.

"Aren't you Liyue's Conqueror of Demons?" Childe asked. "Why are you in Mondstat? Surely not to just watch Aether's wedding?"

Xiao looked away and said, "None of your business. I don't need to explain myself to the one who nearly destroyed Liyue Harbor."

Childe flipped his bangs and sighed as he said, "Whatever. I'm not here to cause any issues, I just thought someone dangerous was up here. On my oath as a Harbinger, I swore to keep Aether safe from all harm today." Without another word, he casually leapt off the cliffside and opened a glider as he aimed for an island in the lake below.

Once he was out of earshot, Xiao said to himself, "I could've sworn I felt a horrible energy up here, and in such close distance to Aether, too. I wouldn't normally come to Mondstat, but I couldn't let something like that cause problems for my first mortal friend. Even after helping best Beisht, he likely would've been no match for the power emanating from these mountains." Satisfied that the divine energy was no longer around, he decided to sit down and watch over the wedding reception from afar.

Hours passed as the attendees ate, drank, and celebrated, never aware they'd ever been in any danger. As the sun got lower and lower in the evening sky, it was time for Aether to give a final toast for all the attendees. He felt a pressure as the entire venue went silent to listen to him. Regardless, he took a deep breath and began his speech.

"H—Hey, everyone," he said with a slight nervous stammer, "thank you all for coming! I, um, can't say I ever imagined something like this ever happening. I'm also not the best at speeches, so I'll try to sum up everything I'm feeling right now."

He paused for a moment as he collected his thoughts again. There were a few amused looks from people who anticipated this sort of thing from him, but no one was going to give him grief. After all, he'd already found his sister, so nothing was going to one-up a wedding of this caliber.

After a moment, he finally continued, "I had a hard time just waking up and realizing I'd be getting married to so many lovely women on the same day; to know that I'm so loved is an incredible feeling." He looked to see his new wives, even Shenhe and Ningguang, smiling as he spoke. He said, "Ei, Ayaka, Keqing, Ganyu, Shenhe, Ningguang, I hope today is the start of an incredible rest of our lives."

A particularly noisy, drunk bard in the back shouted, "Cheers to that, friend!"

Aether watched as Venti stumbled over a barstool, causing him and everyone else at the VIP table to erupt into laughter. He overheard Yoimiya say, "Aether just knew, didn't he!"

With the serious mood alleviated, Aether completed his toast.

"To the rest of our lives!"

Everyone in unison yelled the same, and glasses clinked throughout the patio. It was truly the first day of the rest of his life, and now he had more than just Lumine and Paimon to share it with. Not all of them will be with him forever, but the happy memories he makes with them will never fade. Once he's completed his journey and found answers to all of his questions, he would enjoy domestic life and be the best husband he could…and maybe even the best father he could.


Bonus Scene! The Sly Fox never stops watching…

Aether had always wondered just what was behind the doors in Tenshukaku's Royal Baths. According to Ei, the main bath was actually a hot spring that was large enough to comfortably seat fifteen people, though there have never been that many in there at once. Aside from Ningguang, who understandably declined, all his wives plus Sara would be joining him there that night since Ei had never shared it with more than one or two others and wanted to see what it would be like.

"The look on your face is disgusting," Lumine chided as she and Aether stood outside the Royal Bathhouse. "At least they've got some saunas that I can enjoy while you're busy having a great time with your harem. Speaking of which, you might consider going in one yourself before hitting up the hot spring. The heat is so relaxing, it might just wipe that perverted smile off your face."

Aether frowned and told her, "You know I'm married to them, right?"

Lumine retorted, "It doesn't make that perverted look you had any better. Anyway, I'm going to get ready to relax for a while. Paimon, you're with me!"

Paimon appeared and said, "Sounds good! We'll see you when you're done doing…whatever it is you'll be doing with the others!"

Aether narrowed his eyes as he watched Paimon follow Lumine away. Something told him she damn well understood, and she just chose to pretend she doesn't. He did like Lumine's idea of going into a sauna for a while, so he went to change for the occasion. After all, he had some time before Ei's planned "bathtime".

After a few minutes in a changing room, he walked down a hall wearing naught but a modesty towel as he looked for an open sauna. He was surprised that of the six saunas in there, five of them were currently locked. He chose the only open sauna, barely large enough for four people to sit in comfortably. When he opened the door, the steam was so heavy he couldn't really see anything, so he went in and sat down to soak up the heat.

"Oh ho, isn't this a treat?"

He nearly jumped as Yae Miko, also clad in only a towel, revealed herself from inside the steam cloud. She continued, "Now now, calm down Aether. If I didn't want you in here with me, I promise that you never would've ended up here. As it happens, we have something important to talk about."

She closed the distance between herself and Aether as she slid right next to him. He could feel his heart rate spike as he feared the worst of the current situation. Though he'd never really thought much about it, Miko was a very attractive lady, and people would definitely get the wrong idea if they saw what was going on in there.

Miko smirked as she said, "The look on your face is to die for, Aether. Those five saunas that were previously locked are no longer so, and this one is locked now. No one will wander in here to find us. I must say, by the way, I'm very flattered that I've made you as excited as I have, but that's not why I've arranged for this situation to happen."

His face turned bright red as he laid his arms across his lap. She giggled lightly and continued, "You see, we won't have too many more opportunities like this to chat without being bothered, and this is something I can't have the rest of your harem and friends finding out about. Quite some time ago, when Ei was still hiding herself away behind the Shogun, I recall that you were in danger somewhere on Yashiori Island. I don't quite remember how or why, but I traded Ei's Gnosis for your safety."

The memories distracted Aether from Miko's intentionally-too-close position. He said, "That's right, I went there because the Fatui were spotted there. I went inside some old abandoned hideout that had been turned into a factory—and I can't remember anything else except that you showed up when I woke up, and told me you'd traded it away. Why, what's wrong?"

He turned red again as she reached into her cleavage, but the red went away when she pulled out the very same Gnosis they'd been talking about.

"It seems I've gained custody of it again," she mused. "I can't seem to figure out how it ended up back in my possession. Now you understand why I wanted to talk to you alone, right?"

He sighed and said, "Yeah, you got me there. Ei's Gnosis ending up with you again, that really is mysterious. What's weird, though, I swear I had some reason to be really, really angry back in that factory, and it was so clear, but I can't recall who I was angry at. I mean, yeah, Teppei died from the Delusion, of course I was out for revenge, but something about that factory really made me upset."

She said, "I do remember you being quite upset about someone in particular. That anger caused you to get poisoned by the Tatarigami, and you passed out. If I hadn't intervened, you wouldn't be here now. So why is it as if that'd never happened?"

He was seriously unnerved between Miko pressing her hip against his and the idea that a terrible event had somehow never happened, despite him remembering the lead up and effects. Miko clearly remembered as well, so it wasn't just him or her. A bit of relief came when she finally moved a bit to the side so she was no longer touching him.

Still sporting a sly smile, Miko said, "Now, I do believe it's about time for you to head off. That is, unless you prefer to spend your time chasing beautiful shrine maidens behind your new wives' backs?"

"I resent that implication!" Aether grumpily replied. "I'm not staying in here a minute longer than I have to. Seriously, couldn't you have just asked me to meet you somewhere in secret? Since it was about Ei's Gnosis anyway, she could've helped provide a reason for a less—how do I even categorize this? A less 'looks like cheating' scenario?"

Miko heartily giggled as she responded, "Oh, but where's the fun in that?"

Aether narrowed his eyes as he looked very unamused by her antics. She sighed and said, "Don't worry, I have no intention of using this little talk against you. Besides, you're married to my best friend now. You should get comfortable with the idea of seeing me scantily-clad, or even fully nude, because up until now I've been her sole bathing companion. It won't be long before Ei insists I join her in one of these sessions, and she can unfortunately be quite persuasive at times. Just remember, you can look, but you can't touch."

A particularly smug smile crossed her face as Aether objected, "Says the woman who bunched herself up against me! I'm outta here before this gets any weirder."

She giggled again as she said, "Toodle-oo, mister easily-excited!"

"Argh!" Aether growled as he left the sauna. All alone in the sauna again, Miko continued to giggle as she relished getting yet another chance to tease the hell out of Aether.

She said to herself, "Oh, that boy is far too easy to tease. He would've been just as red had I been fully clothed in that kind of position. That said, it's good I've made him aware of the Gnosis. I wonder if it has anything to do with that strange doll we found in the shrine the other day. It looks like a prototype that Ei made long ago, which begs the question of why I don't recognize it. There are greater powers at work here, and Aether is going to need to keep a constant vigil with Ei soon."

She mused one last time, "I can't wait to see the look on his face when he realized I wasn't lying about getting used to this. Ei tried to get me to come to this session, but I know better than to interrupt the first time."


Epilogue, "Three years later"

Keqing rubbed her eyes as she slowly got up. She looked over and smiled as she saw Aether gently snoring and Ayaka just stirring from sleep as well. She waved at Ayaka, who returned the gesture.

"Morning, Ayaya. Did you sleep well?"

Ayaka giggled at the nickname as she quietly responded, "Of course, Keqing. Any night beside Aether makes it easy to sleep. Anyway, we should get ready and wake the kids. Zhongli and Cloud Retainer are coming to babysit, so we need to make sure that silly crane has their favorite foods and games on hand. At least Zhongli knows how to cook for humans properly!"

Keqing also giggled before saying, "It's so weird to hear him called 'Zhongli'. When Aether let us in on the secret, I nearly lost my composure thinking that I'd been so casual around Rex Lapis! Of course, years later he's like a grandfather to the kids."

The two women got out of bed and got ready for the day, allowing Aether to sleep in just a little longer. They were due to meet with Shenhe and Ei and go on an adventure through Mare Jivari, an incredibly treacherous place that could leave them unable to return to the pot for several days. Lumine, with some help from some new friends they'd made in Fontaine, had recently reported the presence of Khaenri'ahn technology within the ash fields, and she would be waiting for the five to arrive and help investigate.

After waking Aether, they headed downstairs where Ganyu was preparing breakfast. She smiled and said, "Good morning, everyone! I hope you don't mind, I wanted to try making these breakfast spring rolls that I've been working out for the last few weeks. If you don't like them, Noelle said she'd prepare pancakes for you."

Aether shook his head and said, "I think we'd all love to try your spring rolls!"

Keqing and Ayaka enthusiastically nodded, leaving Ganyu beaming. Shortly thereafter, Amber, Noelle, and three hyper toddlers with golden eyes arrived at the table.

"Daddy, are you going on an adventure again?" asked a boy with messy, purple hair.

"Mommy's going with him!" exclaimed a girl with light blue hair.

"So is my Mommy!" said a boy with thick silver hair.

Aether chuckled as he said, "Oh, you three. Yuze, Kaede, be sure and tell your mommies goodbye before we go. Rex, your mommy will be coming back with us when we return, so be on your best behavior until then. This adventure is going to be tough, so we're going to take a break when we get back!"

"Yay!" the three children yelled. Keqing reached over and hugged Yuze as Ayaka lightly tousled Kaede's hair. Rex ran up to Aether, who picked him up and sat him on his lap as Ganyu brought over her breakfast spring rolls.

Amber was the first to say, "Ganyu, these are great! Let me just grab a few and head back to Mondstat. Aether, Ayaka, Keqing, be careful in Mare Jivari!" She waved as she grabbed a few more rolls, packed them in a messenger bag, and activated her Realm Dispatch.

Keqing said, "I agree, Ganyu, you did wonderfully."

Ganyu smiled with a light blush as she said, "Oh, thank you so much!"

She could clearly tell everyone else was enjoying them, too. The toddlers chowed them down like candy, just like their dad and Aunt Paimon did. Ayaka giggled as she watched Aether gobble down a full plate of rolls.

Once finished, Noelle collected the plates for washing. Soon thereafter, Zhongli arrived with Cloud Retainer in tow.

"Good morning everyone," Zhongli said with a smile. "I hope my 'grandchildren' are faring well today."

Cloud Retainer huffed and said, "One would remind the retired Geo Archon that she is the primary grandparent of her disciple's child. Come now, little Rex, let us build contraptions together!"

Aether said, "No, Cloud Retainer, he's still too young to build contraptions. Do I need to remind you what happened last time you tried to show Rex how to use a subspace torch? The burning smell still hasn't faded from the far island!"

Zhongli sighed and said, "Not to worry, Aether, I won't allow her to try that again. I believe Uncle Venti will be joining us later today, too. He said he would be making an appearance at a festival in Inazuma with Ei's permission."

Aether and company smiled as he said, "Thanks, Zhongli. Well, we'd better be off. Yuze, Kaede, Rex, be good for Zhongli and Cloud Retainer!"

The kids waved and said in unison, "We will!" as Aether, Ayaka, Keqing, and Ganyu left for their new adventure.


Hey everyone! I'm sorry it took so long for me to finish this. It's officially completed now! I hope my last chapter has met the expectations I'm sure you all have.

If I'm being honest...I'm thinking about having an alternate ending. However, for now, I will mark the story completed. If I release an alternate ending...then you can all consider it a little bonus! Feel free to give any feedback about the story as a whole, or if you want to use this story in any way. Thank you for reading!