The Traveler was a senseless, harebrained fool, thought Raiden, one that lacked all instinct for self-preservation.
As fate would have it, their departure for Sumeru had been postponed, his friends adamant that he stay for just a while longer. Liyue's famous Moonchase festival was soon underway, and word had it that the Tianquan herself wished for the Traveler to attend.
Therefore, with little in the way of options, he'd fallen back on old habits - namely taking on commissions for the adventurers' guild. Of course, Raiden was aware that he was someone of superior ability, able to stand against even herself in battle, but matters of the heart did not agree with reason.
It was only sensible that she assist him, and thus, each time he set out to exterminate a horde of demons, Raiden summoned lightning to aid him. In her mind it was a brilliant idea, until the day came that the Traveler relegated her to a mere spectator.
It was a heinous act of cruelty that he'd committed, worry racking her mind until each and every demon had been vanquished, and later that night, rested safely upon a bench on Yujing Terrace, she told him as much - though far sterner in her wording.
He'd merely looked up at her, his head snug in her lap, and smiled.
"I could get used to this caring side of you, Raiden."
With a hint of snark in her tone, she retorted that he made it difficult to care for him when he so stubbornly refused her aid.
"If you had your way, by the time we reach Sumeru, I'll be weaker than a slime!"
Raiden pierced him with a glare, unamused by his attempt at comedy, although, if his prediction were in fact to come true, it would certainly work in her favor.
"Perhaps it would be better that way, Aether."
He laughed heartily, and warmed by the sound, she too cracked a tiny smile.
"Perhaps…" he conceded. "Perhaps it would."
"Aether?"
He stirred at the sound of his name, his eyelids heavy as he forced them open. He'd not yet fallen asleep, but neither could he call himself awake, teetering the line somewhere in between.
He could tell that it was Ei, and not Raiden, that had broken the silence, despite promising never to make such a distinction - never to value one over the other. She stared ahead, into the distance, and he noticed that she'd adopted a pensive expression, her lips twitching, attempting to divulge whatever preyed on her mind.
Even now, a light frown marring her face, she remained the most beautiful woman Aether had ever laid his eyes upon. She carried with her a scent of silk flowers, and the sound of her heartbeat threatened to lull him back to sleep.
"Do you ever dwell on the past?" she asked. "Do you ever think of what could have been, if only…"
He remained silent, listening, waiting patiently as she struggled to disclose her innermost thoughts. Lumine would've known what to say, but Aether wasn't his sister, and he didn't trust himself enough not to make a blunder.
"If they could see me now, I wonder… would they hate me?"
He sighed softly, recognizing the guilt that Raiden kept bottled up inside her. It was the same guilt that Aether himself experienced, each time he departed for another world, and it was also the one burden he was least suited to assuage.
It was a both a terrible and a wonderful thing, to move on. Leaving behind one's companions, or even outliving them, tore mercilessly at the heart, but with each farewell came also an opportunity to build new friendships.
With some effort, Aether pulled himself upright, shivering as he escaped the cocoon of warmth that Raiden had provided. Reaching into his pouch, he searched fervently, rummaging around its endless depths.
In the corner of his eye, he found Raiden observing him intently, and when he revealed a wooden mask, painted white, with streaks of red outlining a kitsune's face, a strangled sound escaped her throat.
"I could tell you what I believe." he began, holding out the mask for her to take. "But I think you need to figure out that answer for yourself."
"I… do not understand." whispered Raiden, her gaze frozen, glued to the mask.
"During my travels, I met a shrine maiden named Kazari. She inherited the memories of the Kitsune Saiguu, your friend, but her time was limited."
Aether didn't have the heart to tell her of Kazari's true nature, that she was filth condensed, and that he'd essentially killed her by fulfilling her request.
"When she passed, she left behind this mask. I've carried it with me for safekeeping, but… I think there's no one more deserving to have it than you. Just maybe, it holds enough memories to provide some closure."
With a trembling hand, Raiden reached for the mask, flinching when she made contact with the cool, wooden surface.
Whatever she heard, saw, or even felt, Aether couldn't say, but he uttered not a word, watching soundlessly as eternity passed in a single moment. Eventually, and without warning, the mask crumbled apart, each shimmering speck of dust slipping between her fingers, dispersing under the soft glow of the full moon.
"True friends would never hold your happiness against you, and yours seem to have been the best kind."
Violet eyes met with golden ones, glistening, and conveying more than words ever could.
"Thank you... my love."