At the crest of Starsnatch Cliff was a girl sitting there, hugging her baron bunny as she gazed into the starry night sky. I sat down next to her as she greeted me in surprise. After a minute of silence, she raised her hands to the sky as if she tried to grab the stars. "The skies over Mondstadt seem to have gotten smaller, or is it that my sight reaches further than ever before?"

I told her that it was nothing to worry about. Jean and the others only said those words because they cared for her. It was my fault for trying to convince her to come adventuring with me. It was shortsighted of me to do so, and in the end, I am sorry that I hurt her.

She patted my back, and it felt like she was consoling me when it should have been the other way around. She looked at me with her usual smiling face. "Don't mind it, don't mind it, I'm no longer thinking about it. Master Jean was right. I can't even handle a hilichurl camp on my own. I was just thinking, wouldn't it be fun to go to the world beyond?." She sighed, but she kept on smiling.

Amber took a deep breath and looked at me as I touched her hand in the grass slowly. Both of us pretended not to notice it. While looking at the stars, I asked her if she remembered the first day we met each other.

She giggled. "Of course, it was a nice day like today. My meeting with you brought a lot of new experiences I couldn't have expected. And since then you are the best thing that happened to me."

It was the same for me too. I still remember that day like it was yesterday. The way she greeted me with a warm smile despite my suspicious origin, and she still took me in as an adventurer. I know slightly more than others, that there is nobody in any other world that is as naive as her. I giggled at the notion.

"Hmm? What are you giggling at?" She asked.

I shook my head, telling her it was nothing.

"Aether, from tomorrow you will leave Mondstadt, traveling to Liyue and beyond. Meeting all sorts of people all around the world. That is like, so cool. When you asked me to go with you, I was hesitant, but I am overjoyed by the thought of it." She stopped smiling.

She pulled her knees to barons, hiding her face from behind baron. "But Jean was right, I am weak, Aether, I wouldn't be much of a help for you."

I looked at the stars, and sighed. Never once did I think of her as weak, You are nowhere near the word weak. You are cheerful, kind, and honest. You glow everywhere you go. You are the reason I can keep going until today. So never think of yourself as weak either.

"Wow, thanks aether." She slaps her face lightly on both sides and stands up. "you were right, I must stay strong, or else the others will be disappointed."

"Thanks Aether, I already felt so much better." She turns her face toward mine and gives her best smile.

She offers her hands to pull me up and all of a sudden she puts her arms and hugs me tightly.

"Parting is always painful for me. Thank you Aether, I will never forget these moments."

"I told you before, right? I joined the knights because my grandpa and I stayed because of Master Jean, but you, you taught me that there were greater things out there beyond these walls."

I hugged her back.

"You will glide your way through every nation, when you finally meet Collei, give her my best regards, send me mail from time to time and '' She stopped talking before she cries.

She holds my hands and looks directly at me.

She brought out a small necklace with a tiny baron sewed by her own hands.

"This is my parting gift from me, I don't want you to forget the little time we spent together."

She wears it down my neck. "I am sorry if you don't like it, you can just throw it out anywhere."

No way I will do that, this is the best gift I have ever gotten, thank you Amber. And I have a gift for her too.

She wiped more of her tears. "Eh really?"

Her golden eyes shines in excitement right in front of me, and from the deepest part of my heart, I finally admit to myself, I asked her to close her eyes,

"You are not planning anything weird were you."

Depending on what is considered weird, I giggled.

I held her hands, she was surprised but didn't pull her hands back.

"For since the first moment I met you, you are always full of quirks, I found your light dazing, everywhere you go people smiled. At first I thought of your light as blinding, but you show me that it is not, your smile and courage are all I need as my strength."

She opened her eyes and with a bouquet in her hands she gasped. A bouquet filled with cecilia and wind wheelaster.

"Wow, this is so pretty. I will cherish it." She hugged it.

I smiled, this is not a farewell gift Amber, it never was.

"Huh?" She look at me confused

With a breath of the wind passing by us I finally said it loud and clear

"I love you Amber, I always do."

She gasped.

Her eyes started to glitter without her knowing and she was surprised. She tried to hold her tears altogether but

"Oh, I am sorry, I didn't mean to, I heard things and I... I don't think you meant what you say but" She stuttered and confused.

"You are the reason for the strength that I have now, it would not matter if you were not on my side." The flowers in her hands don't hold long, her hands weaken because of the shock and they were blown away.

She tried to catch them but I held her hands and stopped her.

"B-but I, I, I was. The flower, I" She kept stuttering but then without finishing her sentence she jumped right at me. She burst into tears.

"I am so happy Aether, I love you too. Very very much."

I kneeled and asked her once again, if she still wants to be my companion for this adventure, and perhaps... for life.

"Yes I do Aether. Into the stars and abyss and beyond, I want to always be there for you."

I hugged Amber one more time. She looks at my worried face and she understands completely what I've been thinking.

"We can try to convince them one more time... C'mon" Amber took my hand and rushed toward the city.

"That won't be necessary." Eula appeared from behind the bushes. Along with master Jean and Kaeya.

"Y-you guys?! H-how long have you been there!"

"Slow down, we just arrived here." So Kaeya says, but his smirk says otherwise.

"Anyway. Ehm" Amber is blushing hard but Master Jean tried to sway the conversation.

"I am sorry for what I said before. Mondstadt is a city of freedom after all. We have no intention to hinder you. Remember guys, no matter what happened to you guys out there, Mondstadt will always be your ally. you are free to return any time you want. May the wind be your guide."

Eula approached me and pulled up my collar.
"Aether listen, if anything happens to her, I will kill you by my own hands."

I nodded, I will never let anything hurt her.

Amber cried a little more for their farewell, but she never lost her smile.

"I will miss you guys so much but..." She looked at me.

"He's here with me, so you guys don't need to worry."

We smiled at each other before I told her to get enough sleep and we will leave the first light at dawn. She pouted and quickly took my hand.

"There is no point in going back after all that sad farewell. Let's go. We're both adventurers now. We can sleep anywhere, "

She smiled at me before continuing to run down the hill as she tightly held my hand. That night, in the middle of nowhere, her hair on my arms as its pillow, amber was fast asleep and when I looked at the stars, I sighed, if only this moment could last forever.

**author's note**

Recreating chapter turns out to be harder than I thought, thanks to Ayato and Potato to help me for this chapter and onwards. I am damn satisfied with this chapter and I hope you guys are too, 2.4 will be big since shenhe and yunjin is both there, I already prepared something for Yunjin chapter, but not yet for shenhe.

As always please leave reviews, favorite and follow to see more in the future.