AN / Originally aimed to have this chapter done just before her banner ended, but Ayaka's Banner Continues~.
Side note, C2 Keqing is mine now, perhaps a sign I need to write her fic as well?
Crossing a small river stream and passing by the many blooming Sakura Trees, the trio finally found themselves on the small footpath heading towards Chinju Forest. As they walked, Aether and Ayaka made small talk, mostly about the scenery around them, while Paimon listened in. From the warm breeze and sounds that swept over them, their walk remained uneventful as they approached the forest.
After making a slight detour to carefully avoid some Hilichurls along the path, they finally found themselves at the archway marking the start of the Chinju Forest. However, as they approached, they noticed that there was a small detachment of soldiers from the Shogun's Army at the entranceway.
"Umm Ayaka, would you happen to know why there are soldiers here at Chinju Forest? Do you have something to do with that?" Aether asked Ayaka, as the trio approached the makeshift checkpoint that the soldiers had set up.
"Hmm, this has nothing to do with me. I am aware that arrangements were made with the Tenryou Commission to provide protection to the delivery convoys, but those should have ended yesterday. All the Dango Milk should either be at the Shrine or the Estate by now."
"Welp, the only way we're going to find out is to ask!" As energetic as ever, Paimon took the lead and flew over to the closest soldier at the makeshift checkpoint. Expecting this, Aether simply rolled his eyes while Ayaka let out a small laugh.
"Halt! By the order of the Tenryou Commission, Chinju Forest is currently closed to all visitors. Instead, we recommend that sightseers should visit Byakko Plain or Amakane Island instead."
"Oh! But Paimon and friends are with the Yashiro Commission. We are making our way to the Kamisato Estate and….-"
"No can do! I don't care who you are or who you are with! Per Kujo Sara, no one is allowed to enter the…"
"...Ahh, perhaps if I make myself known, we can pass?"
As Paimon argued with the guard, Ayaka and Aether approached the two of them, with Ayaka making herself known to the now annoyed guard. Hearing her voice and looking over, the guard's eyes lit up in recognition of the two people approaching him.
"Oh! Ms. Kamisato and the Traveler! I apologize! I wasn't aware that this Floating Fairy Thing was accompanying you two today! I have orders to let the two of you pass."
"Floating Fairy Thing!? I'll have you know that Paimon's name is Paimon!"
The guard quickly bowed in apology to the trio. Ayaka, now slightly flustered at his actions, quickly stopped him and waved him off, telling him that it was fine and that no harm was done. The guard continued to bow and apologize, much to her displeasure. Aether, recognizing her discomfort, quickly interjected.
"Umm, if we could ask, why is the forest closed to visitors? Did something happen? Being so close to the Estate, security is already pretty tight here."
At Aether's comment, the guard quickly snapped back up in attention, the trio surprised at how quickly he just moved. "Oh right! While making the final deliveries of Dango Milk yesterday, the accompanying Tenryou Patrol and others reported that they felt a strange cold sensation of some sort as they passed through the Chinju Forest. When Kujo Sara received the report, she wanted to investigate personally."
Ayaka and Aether looked puzzled. "A strange cold? Nothing of that sort has ever been reported at the Chinju Forest. At most, people often think that the spirits, the Tanuki or simply the light are playing tricks with their eyes." As Ayaka brainstormed and thought out loud, Aether was also busy thinking as well.
A strange cold….is it what I'm thinking of? What I experienced earlier?
"I think it's best that you three go and personally speak with Kujo Sara. She should be up the small pond where the stream turns into a small waterfall. I'm sure she would like to update all of you, especially you Ms. Kamisato…."
Nodding to the guard's comment, Ayaka stopped her thinking pose and turned to face Aether and Paimon. "Well, let's go see Kujo Sara. If anything, hopefully, it's just a small passing matter and nothing else." Shaken from his thoughts, Aether nodded at Ayaka's suggestion, and the trio made their way into the forest.
"She has a Cryo Vision? Hmmm, not too many of those in Inazuma.…..Perhaps we can make this work after all…."
As they walked over to where Kujo Sara was, Aether recalled the strange voice he had heard in his head a few days ago. A little while ago, he had taken up Ayaka's offer and stayed a few nights at the Komore Teahouse after helping her with some outstanding bounties. That night, Aether found himself woken by a strange cold, almost as if freezing him to death. It was like he was freezing on top of Dragonspire. But he was nowhere close to Dragonspire. Panicking slightly, he immediately jumped up in his sleep. Doing so, he noticed there was a buildup of Cryo energy around him, and within a few seconds of him waking up, the cold had completely dissipated from his body. And it seemed like nothing else was affected by it, as Paimon was still happily sleeping away next to him, completely unaffected.
While he had seen many different things and phenomena here in Teyvat, what he experienced that night was completely new. Combined with the strange voice he heard just before he woke up, Aether had a feeling that something was not right. That voice he had heard bugged him for a long while, but after some thinking and some sleepless nights, he had decided to tell somebody. And that somebody was now in front of them.
"Traveler. Kamisato Ayaka. Paimon. We meet again. Good to see you. How has your journey been so far? I hope my men didn't give you three too hard of a time…." Kujo Sara, having noticed the trio approaching her, had turned around and faced them as they walked up to her.
"Kujo Sara. It's been a while since we have spoken face to face. I think our journey has been pretty fun so far, wouldn't you say so Aether?" "Ahh, yes, I can definitely agree with that Ayaka."
With the hellos out of the way, the four began to make some quick small talk, with Kujo Sara taking interest in how the Dango Milk Decree was going so far. With some light-hearted comments from everyone, they were all smiling by the end. And just as quickly, Kujo Sara moved back to the main topic at hand.
"Anyway, I'm sure you are wondering why I'm here and what is going on. And I can and will answer that to the best of my ability. But first, let me show you this. It's what I've been looking into, and I believe it to be the strange cold that people experienced the other day….."
Stepping out of the way, Kujo Sara stood to the side. What she revealed was a small, contained, patch of what appeared to be fog.
"...That's it? All Paimon sees is a patch of fog. It looks like the Electro Fog we have encountered in the past, but it looks all white?" At Paimon's comment, Kujo Sara interjected. "There is more to it actually. You are right that it is indeed a patch of fog. However….."
"It's a patch of Cryo Fog…Most interesting indeed…." Everyone looked at Ayaka as she finished Kujo Sara's sentence. She stared at the fog intently, as if trying to decipher a message out of it. As she did so, Aether also found himself drawn to the patch of Cryo Fog, as if something about it felt familiar.
"Ayaka is right. It is indeed a patch of Cryo Fog. While Electro Fog is not uncommon in Inazuma, this sort of Cryo Fog is. In fact, this is the first record of it appearing here in Inazuma…There is simply no way for Cryo energy to accumulate like this, unless it is done by someone with a Vision. And there are very few Cyro Vision holders in Inazuma." Kujo Sara looked at Ayaka, with a stare of deep thought. "Ayaka, I'm not accusing you of anything, but do you know anything about this Fog?"
Aether and Paimon looked at Ayaka, who was still in deep thought. There were very few in Inazuma who had a Cryo Vision, and the most well-known one was right here with them. After a few moments of silence, Ayaka simply shook her head.
"No, I don't know anything about this. At first, I was thinking it might be the work of the Shuumatsuban or someone similar, but I don't think they have anything that can do this sort of thing. And it makes sense that I would logically know something about this, but unfortunately, I do not. While I have mastered my clan's art of Soumetsu, I did not make this Fog. I have been busy with the Dango Milke Decree for the past few days, and have not practiced my blade in this forest for quite some time. Aether and Paimon will attest to that, I'm sure."
"Yeah! Ayaka has been with Aether and Paimon for the past few days! Ayaka has nothing to do with this. She's been with us the entire time!"
Kujo Sara nodded at their comments. "I see, and to be clear, I'm not accusing anyone of anything. If Ayaka doesn't know anything about this, then I'm afraid we have more questions than answers.." Pausing briefly, she looked over at Aether. "Traveler, can I have a word in private please?"
Aether, who had been quiet this entire time, looked up a bit surprised at being called out. But with a quick nod, he followed Kujo Sara, who took a few steps away from the main party for some privacy between the two of them.
Now alone with Ayaka, Paimon looked over at her, who was watching Kujo Sara and Aether talk quietly among themselves. "Hey Ayaka, I was wondering why you're so formal with Kujo Sara? Don't you two know each other well enough to drop the formalities?" Turning to face Paimon, Ayaka simply shook her head. "Actually, outside of meetings, I don't know Kujo Sara too well. Just like with me, I know a bit about herself and her interests, but that's about it. We don't really hang out outside of work affairs, unlike how I do so with you and Aether for example…."
At the mention of Aether, Ayaka tensed up a little. As by fate, she just made a connection in her head that she didn't consider before. "Paimon, do you know if Aether made this Cryo Fog? Can he do this sort of thing?"
Paimon thought to herself for a moment before responding. "With Anemo, I don't see why he couldn't, but not with Cryo. While he can manipulate the elements without the need of a Vision, by the looks of it he needs to resonate with a strong elemental power source first, which so far Paimon and Aether have found that the only thing strong enough is a Statue of the Seven…"
"...And obviously, you two have yet to go to Snezhnaya or interact with a Cryo-infused Statue of the Seven…"
"Exactly! See you get it! It took Paimon and Aether lots of detective work and experimenting to figure out what Aether's powers are!"
Even with Paimon's reasonable answer, Ayaka was still not fully convinced. Thinking to herself, she glanced over at Kujo Sara and Aether, who were still talking quietly among themselves. Now, however, both of them were sporting a distressed look on their faces, no longer smiling like they were just before. Anyone, except for maybe Paimon, could see that something bigger was going on.
A few moments later, Kujo Sara and Aether returned back to the main group. Kujo Sara assured them that she would keep them up to date with her investigations and that there was no need to worry. After all, from the looks of it, this Cryo Fog didn't appear to pose that big of a threat. It could just simply be dispersed like all forms of built-up elemental energy. At that note, Aether asked if he could disperse the Cryo Fog himself with his Anemo powers, which Kujo Sara agreed to.
Stepping towards the Fog, Aether lifted and placed the palms together, channeling a ball of Anemo Wind.
"Windblade!"
With the burst of Anemo released by Aether, a burst of cold suddenly swirled around Aether.
"...Perhaps she is the one…"
**Snap Snap**
"HEY! Aether! Are you still there? It's Paimon! What are you staring at?"
Shaken from his thoughts and the voice he just heard, Aether glanced around in surprise. The two girls and Paimon had surrounded him, trying to get his attention. It appeared that after dispersing the Cryo Fog, Aether had gotten lost in thought.
To everyone's surprise, Ayaka suddenly grabbed Aether's hand and placed it on hers. "Traveler, perhaps you need some rest. If something indeed bigger is going on or is bugging you, please do not hesitate on telling me or Kujo Sara. I'm sure that we will do anything in our power to help you."
Aether stared into Ayaka's eyes, which were wide and filled with concern. Ayaka was an observant and smart girl who knew when something was wrong or out of place. He had told Kujo Sara about his situation, and if this whole thing didn't involve her, Aether would have asked Ayaka for help in a heartbeat.
A small smile appeared on Aether's face. "Of course, but it's nothing urgent. If I need your help, of course, you would be the first person I would go to. We've been through so much so far."
At Aether's reply, Ayaka could tell that wasn't the answer Aether wanted to really say. Something else was bugging him. After all, he still hasn't told her about the thing from earlier back at the Teahouse, and here again, was something that he didn't want to talk about with her. It just "wasn't urgent" according to Aether. Ayaka let out an internal sigh.
Why isn't he telling me anything?
Watching the exchange with a key eye, Kujo Sara finally decided to interject. "Perhaps we should call it here. You three have to get a move on to the Estate right? I'll clean up here and tag along with you there. Consider it a personal escort from one of the Generals of the Tenryou Commission."