His journey in this world had come to an end
And just like before, he would soon abandon everything he had.
He was just an outlander that didn't belong here
But...
His feelings told differently.
For her, she thought he was just a regular companion like everyone she had met along.
And after he left, she would forget him.
Yet...
The image of him, the Hero of Liyue kept stuck in her mind no matter how hard she tried
Prologue: The Final Act
"Once you reach the end of your journey as I did, you will see for yourself the true nature of this world…So we'll meet again… Though we need not rush, brother. I have more than enough time to wait for you..."
"We have always... had enough time" That was the last line before his sister turned away and disappeared right before his eyes. He tried to grab her but it was too late.
The promise between two siblings made between their first meeting after being separated for 500 years. After so long, they had reunited, but his sister just walked away, leaving the others in confusion about when they would meet again.
And that was how all his adventures around Teyvat began.
Since then, it was a long journey, he didn't know how much time had passed and he couldn't count how many things he had gone through but he knew, he had to continue, no matter what happened. He knew how it was to have his sibling separated from him for five hundred long years. It made him realize what was really important in his life. People only knew true value when they lost it.
Fortunately, he had many great companions during his journey and they were a great help to him. Especially there was a person he appreciated a lot: And it was that girl from Liyue, the woman who had devoted herself to help him as much as possible during his quest to repay his kindness to her nation.
As the law of nature goes, everything must come to an end. The day he had been waiting for so long had come as he had his sister back. Their quest and journey in this world were over, there was nothing holding them back from leaving this world anymore.
Or was there?
-Serenity pot-
A blonde boy was currently in his room, preparing his outfit for the Lantern Festival tomorrow. This would be the last event he was going to attend, because after this, he and his sister would leave Teyvat and probably never return again. After all, they were called the Traveler and that means they didn't stay long in one place, when they had visited enough places in one world, they just simply left and moved on to the next.
He should be happy but…
As his instincts kept telling him, if he left this world without saying or doing anything, he would lose something really important forever and unlike his sister, there would be no way to get it back. Regret would follow him for the rest of his life and for an immortal being like him, that would be a guilt lasting for multiple millennia.
Teyvat was completely different from all his usual adventures. He had made friends with many people during his adventure from Mondstadt to Snezhnaya which was something that he had never done before. Especially when that girl from Liyue walked into his journey. Since that day, he felt like she was slowly becoming a part of his life and he couldn't leave her so easily after all of the adventures they had been on together.
"What's with the long face, Aether? His sister said "You seem to be worried"
"What are you talking about, Lumine? Our business in this world is done, there's nothing left now" Aether said while trying to avoid the gaze from her "I just want to have a proper goodbye before leaving"
"Didn't we already hold a party for that like a week ago?" Lumine asked him "You said we would leave the day after that but you just keep changing the date"
"Are you two going to leave this world…" Paimon asked, trying to keep herself together but she was like about to cry out "After all of our adventure?"
Aether then fell into silence, even though he wasn't sure about leaving right now.
"It's because of her, right?" "Lumine asked although she had already known the answer "That purple cat-hair girl from the Liyue Qixing, Keqing wasn't it?"
He nodded while letting out a sigh.
"You are still very predictable even after such a long time" Lumine grinned in victory
"But she's special, she's different from the others…" Aether suddenly spoke out "Me and her have fought together, side by side from almost the beginning of this journey till today…I…I can't simply just leave like that"
"So, you want to be with her then" Lumine said "Then why do you want to leave?"
"She is mortal" Aether said, still unsure of what he should do "She won't live long like us, what if one day she will be gone…I…I can't watch the person I love most disappear like that…I'm not sure if I can take it"
Aether and his sister Lumine had gone through countless worlds for so long. They had met so many people along their way and witnessed so many things, even the birth and the death of the stars, they had no way to know how old were they and what they had been through.
As for Keqing, she was completely different from them, she couldn't leave this world for him, she still had Liyue - her home to look after. She was the Yuheng of the Qixing, she was a noble and important figure for all of Teyvat and Aether, he was just a regular person and not to mention he didn't even belong in Teyvat. And still, he wasn't sure if he could take care of her well enough for the rest of her life.
"*Sigh* after such a long journey, you still haven't learnt anything huh?" Lumine glared at her brother "You two have been through a lot, even life-and-death moments yet you are still afraid of that?!. Do you want to see her being tormented for the rest of her life when you leave her just because of that?"
Although Lumine hadn't seen Keqing very often since she was still princess of the Abyss, every time she faced her brother Aether, she always saw Keqing was with him no matter where he was. From Liyue, Inazuma, Sumeru,… till the end. Lumine also saw the way they took care of each other was way too far from normal friends. And even as Aether's sibling, she still felt jealous sometimes of that purple cat-hair girl.
"Take heart and listen to yourself on what you want to do…It's not a bad choice if we stay here for a while right? " Lumine chuckled then continued "…After all, home is where we are together"
There weren't any places to call home for them before, they had just gone there and there aimlessly wandering any purpose. They were called the Travellers after all, a wanderer between world to world, they came and left without any thinking.
"And one more reminder to you, brother; Our adventure will last forever but for her…it won't" Those were her last words before she left the room along with Paimon, leaving his brother alone with complete silence so he could spend time to think.
There was a time when she asked Aether this question at the end of his journey "I feel I have grown immensely from my travels with you. If, one day, I finally manage to make my dreams a reality... I wonder, will you still be there by my side?"
Now this was the time for him to answer it.
Aether had made a decision.
Meanwhile, in Yuehai Pavilion
It was late at night and mostly everyone had gone home to call it a day but for some reason, there were still some people at Ningguang's office, discussing something really important. But this time it wasn't about everyday work.
It was about making a choice that could affect the rest of someone's life.
"I don't know what to do right now" A purple haired girl said uneasily. She kept spacing out and moving back and forth while thinking about a solution to solve her problem "He said would leave this world after the Lantern Rite tomorrow and I'm not sure what to do... "
"You have been good friends from your first meeting and then proven each other's trust till today yet you are still afraid, Keqing ?" Ningguang sighed "Come on, where is all the courage you usually have?"
At first, Keqing thought Aether was a normal companion like everyone else and she just helped him on his travels to repay his kindness for what he had done in Liyue. As their adventure continued Keqing found that the way he acted around her was different from everyone she knew. And she was the only person who chose to go with him through a risky and long journey while she still had to maintain her work as a member of the Qixing. She knew this was a tough choice for herself as it affected her job a lot but she still accepted it. She always felt so happy and comfortable as long as she could be with him.
"I'm not sure about it Ningguang" Keqing said "He was so happy when he found his sister, he said that he would leave this world after he finds her. I'm not sure if I should confess to him. What if I'm not the person he likes…"
The moment when he had found his lost sibling, Keqing was overjoyed about it but at the same time, she knew that her time with him was short. That was the moment she realized how important he was to her.
"If you don't say anything now, you will regret it for the rest of your life" Ningguang advised "Even if he doesn't accept you. At least it will make you feel better"
"Yeah, just tell him, lady Keqing" Ganyu urged, trying to convince her "Maybe he will change his mind about leaving"
Since the day of his departure was announced and everyday afterwards, Keqing felt like she was getting lost in her way and wasn't able to sleep properly, making everyone look at her in worry. She didn't bother to do anything, focusing only on work. Not even her favorite Golden Shrimp balls could make her mood better. She eventually realized that...
He might be a no one, an outlander that wasn't from this world
He might not be rich or powerful like her as he never asked for them
But to her...
He was the person she had ever dreamed of.
She wanted to be with him just like before or perhaps more than that...
She needed him in her life.
And this was the last chance for her.
"Well then, what is your choice?" Ningguang asked
Keqing had made a decision.
The Final Act had begun
