Disclaimer: This story contains spoilers for unpublished chapters for 'The Essence of a Word' and its series 'Teyvat Traveler Guide, Literally'.
This story is in collaboration with violet569. This story takes place after chapter 11, Astrolabos, of 'Your World In Our Eyes'.
The day had seemingly been normal at first, Mona's unfortunate plight notwithstanding, until Aether heard a rumor as he was walking away from the Adventurer's Guild. It was a rumor that he could not ignore, even with his current bad physical state.
Someone had seen a person who looked like him in a domain.
Aether ran out of Mondstadt with Paimon struggling to keep up with him, ignoring his partner's cries for him to rest. He could feel the hope rising in his chest as he continued to run without stopping towards the domain (with Paimon steering him in the right direction). The domain was located deep in the forest off the beaten track, hidden behind thick bushes and dead trees. Had Aether not known exactly where the domain was located, he would have never found it. Even then, he needed Paimon's help to navigate around the obstacles with some minimal usage of his Elemental Sight. The two of them had nearly missed the domain entrance until Paimon pulled Aether's hand to stop him the moment she had spotted the faintly glowing symbols on the door. Aether shook off the dead leaves that were stuck on his clothes as Paimon examined the domain entrance in curiosity.
"It doesn't look any different from the other domains. Are you sure that your sister is inside?" Paimon asked as she turned back to face Aether.
"It doesn't matter, I have to know," he answered, shaking his head to clear away the doubts that had begun to creep in.
"Can't we check it tomorrow morning? Paimon is tired from all that running around with Mona earlier."
"No! What if we're too late by then? I have to find out now."
Paimon frowned but did not pursue the matter any further. Aether pushed against the doors and slipped through the opening before it closed shut behind him. He could hear Paimon floating about around him and he assumed she was simply sightseeing. He focused and used his Elemental Sight, just to check if there were any other living beings around him, but the world remained as dark as ever except for the lines that mark the edges of the floor against the wall, as well as the silhouette of his trusted partner, Paimon. He quickly shut off his Elemental Sight, feeling the slight burning pain of overuse fading away.
They ventured deeper into the domain but as hours passed, the end was still nowhere in sight. Rather, it was as if there had been no progress made. They had been walking down the seemingly endless corridor and Aether was now considering the option to turn back. He decided to press onwards in the end, still clinging to the small fragments of hope and belief that the rumor is true. He only hoped that his decision would not lead to an unhappy outcome.
The two of them finally reached a large empty room with a suspicious switch in the middle. The corridor was sealed shut immediately when they set foot into the room, cutting off their only exit. With no choice but to follow the whims of the domain, they approached the switch in the center of the room. Paimon fluttered around it, examining the switch but not touching it, while Aether used his Elemental Sight to briefly see if there was anything imbued with any element in the room.
"Paimon, is there anything else in the room?"
"Paimon doesn't see anything, just this switch. Should Paimon press it?"
Aether drew his sword just in case the switch would trigger a trap and nodded his head to Paimon who happily pressed the button on the switch. There was a click and for a brief moment, nothing happened. Then the floor gave way beneath them and Aether was treated to a second of weightlessness before gravity took hold and he fell. Aether hit the water at the bottom with a loud splash while Paimon called out his name in a panic as she hovered above the water surface where Aether had landed.
Aether burst out of the surface of the water, flailing, unable to make out where he was. He could not hear Paimon shouting his name through the static clouding his ears. He was too far gone in his panic to realise that the water he had landed in was shallow enough for him to stand in. Then a hand reached out, far too big to be Paimon's, grabbing his and pulling him out of the water. Once on solid ground, Aether proceeds to cough out the water that had managed to enter his lungs while the kind soul who saved him gently patted him on the back to help. That blissful moment was then interrupted by Paimon shrieking when she saw who exactly the mysterious stranger was.
"Aether, he looks like you!"
The hand on his back pulled back as Aether pushed himself off the ground. He processed what Paimon had said and there was a word in that sentence that confused him.
"'He'?"
"Yeah! He looks exactly like you! Paimon thought you only had a twin sister!"
The world only got stranger when another Paimon showed up and both of them got into an argument over who was the 'real' Paimon. A quick usage of his Elemental Sight only revealed to Aether that his doppelganger was as normal as a living creature would when they show up in his sight. He was not imbued with an element that Aether could see but that would not mean that he has no element. After all, a Vision holder's element would only show up in their Vision and not on the body using the Vision. What drew his attention, however, was the earring that the other Aether wore. Where his was once used as a vessel to store his power, one that he could no longer access due to the seal, the other had his store a different kind of power. It was one that Aether did not recognise. Where the world remained black in his eyes, staring at that earring with Elemental Sight was akin to staring into the sun. The longer one looks, the more blinding it would seemingly be. It was like a beacon in a sea of darkness but where one would think of it as a light of hope, the truth is a lot closer to a dangerous flame.
As both Paimons continued to argue, Aether had realised that his doppelganger had not spoken the entire time.
"Hey, uh, Aether," Aether called out, his own name feeling foreign on his tongue, "how did you end up in this domain?"
The other man gave no response, had the man not heard him? There was a short awkward silence where no one spoke but fortunately, the other Paimon picked up from where Aether had left off. Unfortunately, she did not answer his question. Rather, she threw the question back at him.
"Paimon could ask you the same thing, mister!" she answered, audibly huffing at the end.
"It's...a long story." Aether answered before directing his question to Paimon, "Paimon, is there anyone else here?"
"Paimon doesn't see anyone else but Paimon sees a door. There might be a switch nearby but Paimon doesn't see it."
"Okay, thanks Paimon."
"Hey," the other Paimon spoke, drawing both Aether's and Paimon's attention to her. "Why would you need to ask fake Paimon what's-"
Aether wondered what happened that caused the other Paimon to abruptly stop. Paimon hovered near him and informed him in a low volume, so as to avoid others overhearing her, that the other Aether was doing something with his hands.
'Sign language?' Aether thought to himself as Paimon continued to describe the gestures, his memories of their usage were vague and from worlds beyond Teyvat. Was the other Aether mute or deaf? At the very least, it would seem that they would not be able to communicate directly with the other Aether with Paimon unable to translate the language and the fact that hand gestures do not show up well with Elemental Sight.
"Wha? Oh that makes sense. If it's not one thing it's something else, huh?" the other Paimon sighed and Aether was almost tempted to sigh as well. It was one thing after another. When was the last time he had rested, like actually rested? He really should have known better than to chase a rumor that sounded too good to be true. And yet, meeting his own self from an alternate world, he could not help but be curious of the differences between the two of them. And Lumine, what happened to her in that alternate world? Aether had many questions but he was not sure if he could bring himself to ask them. Would they be too personal? Would his other self answer or would he take offense?
There is a time and place for everything and they can make time for those questions later. Right now, they needed to figure out how to leave the domain. Hopefully, back to the respective world that they had come from.
"Aether, are you okay?" Paimon asked, her volume was still low but her voice was laced in worry.
"I'm okay," he answered, trying his best to reassure her but he knew it was futile when Paimon made a noise of disagreement. "Can you check the room again? Maybe you missed something."
Paimon huffed at Aether's attempt to change the topic but did as he requested. There has to be a hidden switch somewhere in the room that would open the way out but his Elemental Sight was not revealing anything to him. Paimon came back not long after, saying that she still could not find anything. Before Aether could suggest to her to check again and preferably take more than a minute to check, a sharp piercing trill of a whistle drew both of their attention to the source.
"There's something on the roof?" the other Paimon asked. There was a pause, and Aether assumed that the other Aether was replying to her, before she continued, "Paimon bets it's another switch."
He was right, there was a hidden switch after all!
"Of course the all-mighty Paimon is right!" the other Paimon laughed while Paimon huffed in irritation.
"Paimon, you told me you checked!" Aether accused Paimon while the latter sputtered and tried to make her defense.
"Paimon did check! The switch is tiny!"
"Why can't my Paimon be as good as the other Paimon," Aether lamented, sighing in exaggeration.
"Hey!"
Before Aether could make another comment about Paimon again, the other Paimon called out to Paimon, "Ooo look, there's another one! C'mere fake Paimon, Paimon thinks we need to press these at the same time."
Before Paimon could so much as refuse on principle, Aether, who had seemingly read her mind, ordered her to do as she was told. Paimon grumbled and whined but did as the other Paimon had asked and flew to the other switch. With a click, there was a rumble as two elemental switches rose up from the ground. Paimon released her hands from the pressure switch, only to watch the elemental switches return back from whence it came.
Aether listened to Paimon explain about the elemental switches that had appeared, one with a Geo symbol and one with an Anemo symbol. The switches would only remain when both pressure switches on the ceiling were activated. The question now is what would happen once the elemental switches were activated? This whole thing smelled like a trap. It was too much of a coincidence for pressure switches to be on the ceiling where no one can reach it and even then, both had to be pressed. It was as if this domain was designed just for them.
"Wow, you're paranoid," Paimon commented.
"Have to be if we don't want to get backstabbed again," Aether replied, the events in Liyue still fresh in his mind.
"Regardless if it's a trap or not, it's our only way forward," the other Paimon said, relaying what the other Aether had said. Aether jumped in surprise when the other Paimon had spoken, forgetting about the rest of the audience in the room. The other Aether was right however, there was no other way forward. There was a movement in the air as Paimon informed Aether that his other self had drawn his sword. Aether drew his sword as well. It was better to be prepared than not.
Both Paimons activate the pressure switches again, bringing back the elemental switches into the room. Aether approached the unactivated Geo switch after following verbal directions from Paimon. He held his hand to his chest, easily drawing out the active Geo energy that lay with his current dormant Anemo. The energy surged up to his hand where he used it to create a Geo construct in the air to drop onto the switch. The partially formed construct shattered on impact but it was enough to activate the elemental switch as the symbol lit up.
Nothing had happened at first then came a faint rattle as gears hidden within the walls of the room moved. A loud violent rumble followed soon after as horizontal walls shot across the room, quickly dividing the top and bottom half, separating both Paimons from Aethers.
"Aether!" Paimon cried out just as solid stone cut her off. The same thing happened to the other Paimon, her cry of 'Traveller' was cut off by the unyielding walls that separated them.
"Paimon?" Aether called out but there was no answer from the other side. He activated his Elemental Sight but only the eternal black greeted him where Paimon had once been at. "Paimon!" he called out again, and his hope dimmed when there was still no answer.
He knew that this was a trap! He should have known that whoever designed the domain would have wanted to separate them. It was his fault! He should have been more cautious! He was always too naive, and now, Paimon is suffering the consequences. He had to get her back, no matter what.
Aether created a Geo construct below where Paimon had been and quickly clambered up. The new ceiling was low enough that he was able to reach it from the top of his construct. But as he slashed at it, he knew that he was not making a dent in the solid stone. And yet, he could not bring himself to stop. It was only when his construct shattered beneath his feet, dropping him back down to the ground that he was forced to cease his futile attempts.
Aether prayed that nothing would happen to Paimon because otherwise, there would be no one else to stop him from turning his fury towards Teyvat.
Before Aether could try again however, a sharp piercing whistle drew his attention before someone grabbed his free hand, and he was roughly pulled up onto his feet. Confused, he hurriedly activated his Elemental Sight before remembering who else was in the room with him. He was then dragged across the room, stumbling after his other self who led him deeper into the unknown.
The other Aether stopped walking when Aether snatched his hand back after nearly losing his balance. He stowed his sword away, feeling the weight of his sword on his back as it reformed. And yet, the weight of losing Paimon weighed heavier.
"Sorry," Aether apologised to the other Aether, knowing that the latter had witnessed his near breakdown at the loss of his partner. "It won't happen again," he promised, even as he knew that he would not be able to keep it.
Aether walked past his alternate self before the latter could give a form of reply, activating his Elemental Sight so he could figure out where they were. The corridor looked endless as the lines that drew the path stretched past the boundaries of his Elemental Sight. Still, this was their only way forward so they had no choice but to take it. He deactivated his Elemental Sight and turned back to where he assumed the other Aether would be, needing the other to walk in front of him to show him the way if he was to continue onwards without relying on his Elemental Sight too much.
"Can you...lead the way, please?"
The silence lingered until Aether heard the footsteps of his alternate self approaching him. He felt a light brush, as if the other was reassuring him with his presence. Then he felt a strange breeze wrapping around him, nipping at him playfully before pulling him forward gently. He activated his Elemental Sight in confusion, watching as the green Anemo lines swirled playfully around him. It curled and nudged his body, as if it was trying to lead him somewhere. It reminded him of a dog he and his sister had befriended in another world. It was playful, always pulling them to places and the both of them could never tell it no. Aether let the strange wind lead him and as he heard the footsteps of his other self walking close to him. He was thankful for the presence of his counterpart, close enough to reassure him that he was there but far enough that he was not coddling him.
(Aether wondered how long it had been since he felt the comforting presence of his sibling by his side.)
The two of them walked down the empty corridor, their footsteps echoing was the only noise between them. Aether was badly missing Paimon's presence. Hopefully, they will be reunited soon. He activated his Elemental Sight, studying his alternate self. The other Aether turned to look at him, as if sensing what he was doing.
"I think we need a way to communicate," Aether said as the other tilted his head to the side, as if asking Aether to elaborate further. "I don't know sign language so I won't understand what you're saying. And I'm not sure if you could tell but...I'm also blind. I can see with Elemental Sight, but hand gestures don't show up well."
The other Aether nodded his head in understanding just as Aether was forced to deactivate his Elemental Sight, no longer able to withstand the painful strain in his eyes. He closed his eyes and hissed in pain as he rubbed his temple, hoping to force his tired body to focus on that instead of the pain. He felt a tap on his shoulder, and Aether released his hand from his forehead as he felt the hand move down his arm. What was his other self doing? He can trust him, right?
The hand grabbed his wrist and lifted it up, the palm facing up. He waited as a finger pressed down on his palm lightly and slowly traced out a character - a character that he recognised vaguely from a language that he and Lumine shared.
"Traveller," Aether muttered under his breath.
The Language of the Stars was something that only he and Lumine knew, and it would seem that this Aether knew that language as well. Before his other self released his hold however, he wrote down another character.
"Name? Do you...want me to call you 'Traveller'?" Aether asked, unsure if he was deciphering the meaning right.
When the word 'yes' was written, Aether asked if his other self was sure of his decision but the latter merely wrote 'yes' on his palm once more.
"Okay, we can work with that," Aether said with a smile as the Traveller released his hold.
The two of them arrived at a large empty room with a chasm in the middle dividing the place into two. The exit was on the other side of the chasm and in front of them lay a single pressure switch. Aether activated his Elemental Sight to quickly scan the room for any enemies or anomalies but found nothing amiss. He was confused at how to proceed, not able to detect the pressure switch with his Elemental Sight as it was leveled with the ground. Aether felt a tap on his shoulder and he raised his hand to the Traveller, palm facing out as the latter wrote the characters for 'switch' and 'ground' on it.
"I can't see the switch," Aether sighed. He was starting to feel like a burden to others, useless with his disability, and unable to do anything to help. Was he truly nothing on his own? He felt his unseeing eyes starting to prickle with tears. Aether tried to wipe away the tears, hoping that his counterpart had not noticed. Then he felt the wind wrap around him, as if it was giving him a hug to comfort him. At first he was confused, then he remembered the wisps of Anemo energy that guided him, a helping hand from his other self.
"Thank you," Aether whispered as the wind released its hold on him.
Without any other option to advance forward, Aether waited for the Traveller to step on the switch. Their swords were in their hands, just in case there were enemies waiting to ambush them when one of them triggered the switch. He heard a click as his counterpart stepped on the switch before hearing a faint rumble in the direction of the chasm. He activated his Elemental Sight, noticing a new platform with a raised pressure switch in the middle that he could see. He approached the new platform slowly, his Elemental Sight deactivated but ready to be reactivated soon in a moment's notice.
(The intervals were getting longer and the duration shorter as he continued to use it. Aether wondered how much longer he could keep this up.)
He paused in front of the platform and before he could decide to take a step forward, there was a rumble as the platform retracted, returning from whence it came. Aether stepped backwards, shifting into a combat stance just in case it was a trap but nothing happened.
"Not a trap, timed mechanism then?" Aether muttered out loud to himself. "Traveller, do you know how long the duration is?" he asked his alternate self as he returned to his side, stowing his sword away in the process.
He lifted the palm of his hand and felt the light taps from his other self. He counted ten as the other paused before adding another five more.
"Ten to fifteen seconds?" Aether asked and the other wrote 'yes' on his palm in confirmation. "Okay, we just have to be fast to trigger them."
With the platform gone, they had to reset the puzzle again. However this time, Aether stood in front of where the platform would show up. Once he heard the rumble of the platform sliding out, he stepped forward onto the platform and stood on top of the pressure switch. There was a click as he felt the switch drop beneath him and a faint rumble on the other side of the chasm. Curious, he activated his Elemental Sight to take a look, only to quickly deactivate it as a familiar burning pain struck him. He hissed in pain but he had managed to discern the source of the noise. Another platform had appeared on the other end of where he was standing and on it, there was another pressure switch. However, before he could reach the other platform, both platforms receded, resetting the puzzle once more. He returned to the Traveller's side, cataloging the information he had gathered on the puzzle thus far:
There is a ten to fifteen seconds interval for both platforms. The Traveller had confirmed that the newly created platform had also receded after the same length of time as the first one.
There was not enough time for Aether to reach the other platform before it resets.
"Try triggering the other switch and we'll go from there," Aether suggested to the Traveller before returning to where the first platform would appear.
As soon as he heard the rumble of the platform appeared, Aether quickly triggered the switch to bring out the platform on the other side. Trusting the Traveller to take the other platform, he waited for the faint click to trigger and heard the rumble of a platform appearing beside the one he was on.
Aether hesitated, unsure of his next plan of action, but when he felt the wind pushed gently behind him, urging him to step forward onto the new platform, he decided to take a leap of faith. Stepping onto the new platform, he immediately set foot on top of the pressure switch on it, accidentally triggering it. He heard a faint rumble on the other side and assumed that a new platform had appeared. The puzzle followed a pattern at least, and Aether had to trust that his counterpart had figured out the pattern as well. The pattern continued until Aether arrived at the other side of the chasm, momentarily confused as to why there was no switch on the tile that he stood on. He felt a tap on his shoulder from his counterpart and Aether smiled, glad to be reunited with him even if the duration of their separation had been short. The Traveller led him to the room's exit and Aether followed closely behind, letting the tendrils wind that guided him play with his fingers.
"Hey, do you think you can talk to my rock? Maybe it can help us too," Aether asked, his tired brain had yet to catch up to what he had just asked.
When he heard the Traveller let out a wheezing laughter, Aether's brain had finally caught up and processed what he had just said. He slapped his palm onto his face and whined in embarrassment, hoping that he was not blushing too obviously. Aether was mostly thankful that Paimon was not here, otherwise, she would never let him live this down.
"If I ask you to forget that, would you?" Aether asked, still covering his face in embarrassment. Though the other had yet to reply, he knew that the answer would be a smirked 'no'. And now, Aether has to deal with the possibility of the Traveller bringing up his 'pet rock' for the rest of their adventure. He blushed in embarrassment again, praying that he could somehow use his Geo abilities to open up a hole to swallow him whole.
The two of them left the room with the chasm and entered a dark corridor, barely lit by the glowing crystals that cling against the walls. Without any warming, the long hallway plunged into complete darkness in a single second. However, Aether did not panic. In fact, he had not known what had happened until he heard the Traveller draw his sword. Was there an enemy that had appeared? However, he had not heard anything of that sort. He activated his Elemental Sight for a split second to check, but there was nothing he could see except for his partner.
"Did something happen?"
The Traveller grabbed his hand and Aether let him, feeling the former writing the character for 'dark' onto his palm.
"It got dark?" Aether asked and he felt the character for 'yes' being written. Aether frowned, the darkness made no difference to him but he was at least sure that the Traveller is unable to see in the dark. "Will you be okay?"
When the character for 'yes' was written again, Aether remained worried but did not press the other any further. He was thrown off-guard when the Traveller grabbed him all of a sudden and pulled him to the side, followed by a sharp piercing whistle. He could hear the confusing sound of moving sludge, bubbling up from the ground in front of him as he felt six taps on his hand. 'Six? Sounds of squishing,' Aether thought to himself as he tried to recall what he could associate to the noise. He recalled an unfortunate incident where a slime had formed beneath his feet, tripping him and making him fall. What he also remembered was the noise that the slime made when it formed.
'There's six slimes!' Aether concluded as he drew his blade. He rushed forward towards the source of the noise, quickly impaling an electro slime that had formed.
(He ignored the sharp intake of air from the Traveller. He would not hide behind him. He will not be a burden.)
He activated his Elemental Sight, quickly noting where the slimes were located before shutting it off again. He trusted that the Traveller would be able to handle himself as he rushed forward once more, slewing another as he swung his sword. As Aether opened his mouth to ask Paimon where the rest of the slimes were, he quickly shut it, belatedly remembering that his partner was not with him right now. He then heard the loud pops of several slain slimes beside him, and he assumed that the Traveller had handled the rest of the enemies.
"Yah!" a hilichurl yelled loudly from behind, drawing Aether's attention away from the dead slimes to the new targets. He dropped a Geo construct between him and the source of the cry to stop them from approaching him. The corridor was cramped with the Geo construct now and they needed to move to somewhere bigger. Aether climbed up his Geo construct and activated his Elemental Sight for a split second to mark out the enemies before deactivating it and leaping down onto hilichurl, stabbing his sword. The dead hilichurl crumpled beneath him and dissipated into otherworldly ashes.
"Pai-" Aether cut himself off, forgetting once again that his partner was not here. That distraction nearly cost him however, as a hilichurl had taken the opportunity to attack him in that moment of vulnerability. Fortunately, the Traveller was able to save him in time, killing the hilichurl before it could swing its club down on Aether's head.
Aether thanked the Traveller before throwing himself back into battle. The burning pain in his eyes was now a constant, even when he was not using his Elemental Sight. The words of the physician who warned him against using his Elemental Sight before he recovered, echoed in his mind.
(What did it matter if he lost his sight forever when it was already gone?)
"We have to move! This place is too cramped!" Aether shouted as his sword collided against a wooden shield.
He was confused however, when he heard the sound of something heavy swinging in the air, impacting the shield in front of him and sending the hilichurl and its comrade flying. The sound was familiar, like when Diluc swung his claymore. Did the Traveller change his weapon? However, before he could make sense of that, he felt the wind pick up and swirl beside him before a raging tornado formed and moved down the crowded hallway. The hilichurls cried out in terror as they were picked up and tossed around. The samachurls that had appeared tried to flee, only to be picked up as well by the unforgiving wind. The roar of the tornado drowned out the noise around him as Aether followed behind it, quickly throwing up a small rock wall in front of him the moment he could no longer feel the walls enclosing him from the sides. The cries of the enemies resounded around him in the large open space as he hid behind the cover of his stone wall.
In the midst of the chaos, he no longer knew where the Traveller was. There were too many sounds to differentiate on the battlefield, and not one that he could put a mind to his counterpart. Despite that however, Aether did not panic, instead trusting that the Traveller was keeping watch. He trusted that the Traveller would have his back as he would protect the other's.
He kept his hand on his Geo construct, risking a peek to take stock of the situation with his Elemental Sight.
But it would not activate.
Instead, the pain that now lingered intensified, sending him back behind his stone wall and onto the ground. He cried out in pain, unable to endure it any longer. The intense burning pain left as it quickly came, leaving Aether to breathe heavily to calm himself.
"T-Traveller," Aether called out, gasping as he tried to contain his panic. "I-I can't use my Elemental Sight!"
(His sight was gone but he still feared losing it.)
His wall was not going to hold, not when he could hear the angry and pained cries of samachurls and mitachurls, and arrows bouncing off his stone wall. Without his Elemental Sight, Aether was truly blind and, without Paimon, he could only get a rough gauge of where the enemies were located.
In the midst of his growing panic, he felt a pull on his arm. The cool, comforting wind wrapped around his exposed elbow. Its reassuring presence was calming and the panic that had threatened to spill out abated. The wind curled around him and Aether was reminded that he was not alone in this. He had someone he could trust.
'Have faith.' The words that Paimon once told him so long ago echoed in his mind.
He poured more energy into his Geo construct to extend the duration before quickly creating a trail of spikes towards where he could hear a mitachurl grunting. The mitachurl roared in pain as the spike struck it, drawing its attention to Aether. He waited for it to approach, trusting the Traveller to notice and exploit its attention on him. The mitachurl dropped dead halfway, the Traveller's sword rammed through its side. Its axe clattered onto the floor as the body dissolved into ashes. Aether moved on to the next target, keeping his ears out for a sound that he could make out. He dropped a boulder on top of a chanting samachurl and the samachurl yelled in surprise as the boulder knocked it away, disrupting its concentration. Before it could attack him however, an arrow sank into its skull, killing it instantly.
Aether heard the Traveller whistled, a warning that there were still enemies left. He took the opportunity to reinforce his wall. He dropped more boulders around. At the very least, it would force the enemies to go around them instead of taking a direct path to him.
"I need to know where to hit them," Aether muttered to himself as he thought of ways that he could use to locate the enemies.
The wind pulled at his right hand and Aether lifted his limb up. The wind pulled again and he allowed the anemo energy to direct his hand until it was pointing in a direction. He stomped his foot down onto the ground, channeling Geo energy downwards, allowing a trail of Geo spikes to pop out past the wall from underground. The stone spikes continued onwards, following the direction where he had been pointing until it collided against the Geo tower that a samachurl was standing on. The tower cracked but remained intact. It was enough to distract the samachurl as an arrow found its mark, striking its heart and taking its life. The dead samachurl fell off its crumbling tower and dissipated into ashes.
The hilichurls were starting to panic after seeing how their leaders were easily defeated. Their morale was low and without anyone taking command, their team coordination suffered. The last straw that forced them to flee however, came from a different foe.
The hilichurls immediately turned and fled, a few dropping their weapons in terror, leaving Aether confused as to what was going on. There was a lull in activity and not sensing any immediate danger, Aether dropped his wall to restore some of his Geo energy.
Then, he heard the ear-piercing sound of metal grinding against metal.
"Traveller, do you hear that?" Aether called out, his Geo energy ready at his beck and call.
Aether heard a gasp from the Traveller but he could not tell what it was that he was looking at. The metal grinding sounded familiar but he could not remember where he had heard it from. He vaguely recalled one of the many ruins in Liyue on his way to the harbour. He remembered Paimon telling him when he asked her what was stomping in the distance. He remembered the grinding metal as it moved, the noise so similar to the one he was hearing now. What had Paimon called it? A Ruin Guard?
The noise of the grinding metal escalated in volume. Loose stones rattled on the ground as something large began to move. The floor cracked as a heavy weight pushed down against it.
That was not a Ruin Guard. It was something much larger, heavier, and safe to assume, nastier.
"What's going on?" Aether asked, his heart beating faster as he tried to make sense of his surroundings. He did not get an answer when the Traveller grabbed him by the waist and dragged him behind the boulder that he had created. His confusion to the actions of his other self were answered when he heard a loud boom from the strange Ruin Guard followed by a loud crackle, similar to lightning, when the laser made contact with the Geo construct. Fortunately, the rock held against the laser and lasted even when the laser petered out to nothingness.
The machine took a step forward towards them and the floor beneath cracked from the weight. Aether could feel the world around him rumble as the machine lumbered towards them. He raised a rock spike in the machine's path but the partially-formed construct crumbled as soon as it stomped on top of it. Aether encased the legs of the machine instead, successfully delaying its movement but the encasement was cracking from the sheer strength of the machine. Without any further plans of actions, Aether was just layering the Geo constructs on top of each other to prevent the entire thing from falling apart.
There was a loud 'clang' as the Traveller's sword collided against the metal body of the machine and Aether was quick to drop a boulder on top of it as a follow-up attack. His Geo construct hit the target and shattered on impact, but the machine shrugged it off, barely affected by it. It swung its long arm, catching the Traveller who blocked the attack with his sword, sending the man flying. Aether called out to the Traveller when he heard him land. He ran out of his cover towards where the Traveller had landed, worried of the injuries that the latter might have sustained. He was forcefully pulled back into the battle when he heard his Geo encasement break. Thinking quickly, he encased the machine's foot again but his concentration broke when the Traveller grabbed him by the waist to pull him behind another boulder as the machine fired another laser at them.
"Any plans? I'm open to ideas right now," Aether asked as the sound of laser cackled behind their cover.
He felt a tap on his ankle before the Traveller lightly clamped his hand over his foot, like a hunting trap to snare prey.
"You want me to trap the legs again? But just the foot?" he asked, opening his palm out to the Traveller for a reply. When he felt the word for 'yes' be written, Aether pushed himself off the boulder he had been leaning against and stood up.
(When was he leaning on it? How had he not noticed?)
He drew upon his Geo energy, channelling it from within towards the ground beneath his feet. He heard the fast steps of the Traveller moving out of the cover as soon as the crackling laser had stopped, and Aether immediately released his hold on the Geo energy. The rocky encasement found its mark on the large noisy target, successfully trapping the foot as soon as the machine had set the limb down. There was a loud crack as something shattered followed by a thud as the machine collapsed onto its knee. The machine attempted to bring its arm down onto the Traveller, whose blade was about to reach its single eye, but Aether heard it.
He collapsed the boulder he was hiding behind and swung his arm in a wide arc in front of him, sending a blade of wind to knock the arm away just as the Traveller plunged his sword into the mechanical eye.
The effect was instantaneous as the machine immediately shut down. The noise of the grinding metal ceased and the machine collapsed onto the ground, no longer a threat to anyone.
Aether dropped to his knees exhausted, his entire body held up only by his shaking arms. Using both Anemo and Geo had taken most of his energy, leaving only the bone-tired aches to gnaw at the emptiness inside. His body was cold and aching, and his mind felt numb as he gulped at the air that was not enough to fill his lungs. His ears picked up the Traveller's harsh breathing but his mind was too numb to process the information.
"I'm fine. Just-just need a quick breather," Aether said, trying to convince the Traveller between his ragged breaths. (He ignored that he was trying to convince himself instead of the Traveller.) He forced himself to stand up, stumbling a little as his tired legs tried to support him upright. (He could not see the Traveller staring worriedly at his shaking limbs.)
Aether waited for the Traveller to move ahead of him to lead the way. He knew that he should rest before his body collapsed on him but he had to move on, he had to find Paimon. (He ignored the fact that if Paimon was here, she would have forced him to stop and rest, but she was not here.)
However, the Traveller did not move ahead as he was requested to, instead, he slowly walked towards Aether. It was fortunate then, that the Traveller was close enough to catch Aether when he collapsed towards him without any warning.
Aether heard a faint gasp of pain but his mouth felt too laden to ask if the Traveller was okay. His mind was too tired to process how the Traveller was shaking as he held him tightly. His eyes started closing against his will as he felt himself being lowered slowly to the ground. All the aches and fatigue that he had accumulated from his trip to Liyue had finally caught up to him. When was the last time he had a proper sleep? Not counting his impromptu fainting after using his body as a catalyst to drop the Jade Chamber, the last time he had slept was when he stopped by Wangshu Inn before reaching Liyue Harbour. Maybe he could take a nap now, just a quick one.
In just a blink of a moment, Aether was gone to the world.
As Aether's body slept, his mind dreamt of memories before Teyvat. He wandered around worlds and soared through the clouds, his sister always right behind him. He was happy and content, and yet, he could not feel that there was something amiss. As his wings took him to the next world, Aether looked back at his sister, only to find that she was not there. He immediately stopped in his tracks and turned around, only for his wings to disappear. He screamed as he fell, the world around him turning black. He landed on a sea of white flowers in a monochrome world with no one else around him. Quickly getting back on his feet, Aether called out for Lumine but there was no answer. There was a crunch of grass as someone approached him from behind and he turned, his body shifting to a combat stance, his hands open to grab his blade but his sword would not answer his summons.
Fortunately, he had no need for his sword as the one approaching him was none other than his sister. However, Aether could not feel that there was something wrong with this Lumine. Her clothes were coloured white and gold but they lack the details. (Why could he not remember what they look like?) Her hair was coloured gold but it was the wrong shade. (Why could he not remember what the exact colour was?) Her face was half-shrouded by her fringe. (That was not correct, her hair was not that long, right?)
"Lumine?" Aether asked, his hand reaching out to her, his eyes pleading that she take his hand.
"Aether," she smiled as she stopped just out of Aether's grabbing distance. "I'm sorry."
(Her voice was wrong but he could not remember what it sounded like.)
"Why? Why are you apologising?" he asked. He tried to step forward but his feet were glued to the ground.
"I'm sorry Aether. It's too late."
"Lumine? What do you mean? Lumine! Come back! No!" he called out as Lumine turned to walk away, her figure crumbling away to black ash.
The ground beneath his feet collapsed and Aether found himself falling again. White petals were floating all around him but the shadows surrounded him until he could see nothing more. He felt himself floating in the darkness. He blinked his eyes but the world around him was as black as coal. He stared down at his hands but nothing would show. Was he blind? Why could he not see?
(That was not correct, he had never been able to see since entering Teyvat.)
He sighed, he needed to find Lumine but when he tried to remember what she looked like, he was at a loss. He remembers her white clothes with gold lining, her golden hair, eyes exactly the same as his but no matter how he tried, he could not remember the way she tied her scarf, the warm smile she would always give to him, the flowers she wore in her hair.
Aether realised, with great sorrow, that he had forgotten what his sister had looked like.
"You forgot about me," Lumine spoke from the darkness but no matter where Aether looked, he could not find even a glimpse of her.
"No! I didn't! I-"
"Liar."
The world shifted and Aether soon found himself lying on the ground. He forced himself to sit up and though his eyes were opened, the world remained cold and black. He curled up into himself as tears started to fall from his eyes. He knew he had to move, he had to leave this place, but he found that he could not bring himself to do so. Lumine was right, he had forgotten about her. He could barely remember the worlds that he had been to with her, the people he had met, and the details of events he had experienced. The blind world that he had become accustomed to, his new normalcy since reaching Teyvat, had eroded his memories.
He did not know how long he had cried in his dreams but when he felt a warm presence, it soothed his heart.
(It did not erase his burdens and failures, and he doubted that there was anything that could.)
The warmth was comforting and it was enough to pull him away from the negative emotions threatening to drown him. The world crumbled around him and Aether woke up.
The first thing he noticed was that he was laying on someone and that person was stroking his hair. Though Aether had just awoken, his mind still craved the rest that his body so desperately needed. The stranger continued to stroke his hair as he tried so desperately to remember who it was that was doing it. He remembered vaguely of Lumine doing the same thing and his heart stung with the sadness that came with the memory.
"Lu...mine…" Aether mumbled and the hand stilled. The person tried to draw their hand away but Aether whined pathetically, chasing after the comfort as much as his unresponsive body could. The hand returned and continued to stroke his hair slowly. His consciousness waned with the soothing motion and a few seconds later, he fell back into slumber. His subsequent dreams were filled with happier memories of his travels and as he continued to sleep, the warm comforting presence never left.
The next time Aether woke up, his body no longer felt like it would collapse on him if he so much as moved it. There was no burning pain in his eyes and his mind was no longer laden with the lack of sleep. The hand in his hair was removed as Aether pushed himself up to sitting position.
"Traveller? Sorry, was I sleeping on you? I didn't mean to burden you," Aether apologised as he turned himself to face where he assumed the Traveller would be. There was a moment of silence between the two of them until the Traveller reached out and pinched Aether's cheek, the same way Aether would do to Lumine when she would ignore him repriminding her for being reckless. The Traveller released his hold and cupped Aether's cheek, rubbing the stinging area fondly and Aether could not help but lean into the motion. The way the Traveller had treated him reminded him so much of his sister that he wished these moments could last longer, but he knew that this had to end eventually. Another hand went down to his arm, lifting up so the palm face up before a finger wrote on its surface.
"I'm okay," Aether answered the Traveller, who had asked if he was okay, "What about you?"
'I've been better, but nothing worrisome.' was written on his palm. He frowned but did not comment on it. There was something with the statement that bothered him but he could not put a finger on it.
(He cursed, wishing once more that he was not blind, wishing to be able to see the state of the Traveller.)
With the dreams of Lumine still in his mind, Aether was curious, what happened to the Lumine of the Traveller's world? Had the same thing that happened to his Lumine happen to her as well? Were they always fated to be separated even when they exist in different dimensions?
"If it's okay with you, can you tell me what happened to Lumine?" he asked, hoping that it was not too personal of a question for the Traveller.
He heard the Traveller's breath hitched at the question and Aether almost told the Traveller to forget about it. Was it worth knowing if it would widen the boundary between them? However, the Traveller betrayed his expectations as he swallowed thickly, as if he was contemplating what to say. Eventually, he began to write on Aether's palm. He wrote of how a powerful being appeared, one who was different, one who was the opposite of the twins.
'Lumine said they'd caught up.' the Traveller wrote and Aether tried not to imagine the terror that might have run through both the Traveller's and his world's Lumine's minds.
When the Traveller explained that Lumine got captured and taken, Aether could not help but recall the events that trapped him in this world, the way his sister got sealed trying to protect him from the Unknown Goddess and the way his efforts were futile when he tried to save her.
'She was captured and taken. The being turned on me, and sealed my power. Then I fell.' The Traveller finished writing, the last character ending off shakily.
"Just like me," Aether muttered under his breath, but loud enough that the Traveller could hear it. Once prompted to explain, Aether took a breath to ready himself to tell the Traveller his side of the story. Even when it still hurt to remember the events, he willed himself to move on. "It began when we met the Unknown Goddess…"
We had been trying to leave the world when she appeared.
(He remembered a burning world. He remembered how he pleaded with his sister to leave the world together for safety beyond the stars.)
We tried to fight her but we were easily overpowered.
(He remembered how the god easily shrugged off their attacks. He remembered how she stood there among the clouds, unfazed by their efforts.)
Lumine tried to protect me from one of her attacks but she got caught and sealed away.
(He remembered calling out her name. He remembered how she tried to reach out before the cubes engulfed her entire being. He remembered the shock, the anger, and the fury.)
I tried to rescue her but I ended up getting caught instead.
(He remembered turning his rage towards the goddess, only to be thrown aside like a mere insect to be crushed beneath her feet. He remembered how he was caught, restrained as the cold creeped up his body. He remembered when his world was engulfed by darkness, never knowing that this would be the last time he would ever see.)
When I woke up, I was back in the world I tried to flee from. My sight was gone along with all my powers, my wings and my sword, they're all gone...and Lumine was nowhere to be found.
(He remembered the fear when he found his world unchanged after he opened his eyes. He remembered crying and screaming his sister's name but no one answered his calls. He remembered taking out his anger and fury on the sand and rocks, the pain only dulling his loss but never removing it. He remembered nearly starving, barely able to scrape food that washed ashore when he stumbled around. He remembered tripping and falling, cursing at his new weakness, at how useless he had become. He remembered how close he had been to giving up hope.)
I don't know how many days passed on that beach but after I found Paimon, she helped me leave.
(He remembered their first meeting. He remembered how Paimon had saved him in her own way. He remembered how Paimon did not judge him for his blindness. He remembered how Paimon was so ready to help him. He remembered all the times he spent with his partner. He remembered how it no longer felt lonely. He remembered feeling hope but the despair of losing his sister forever remained scarred in his heart.)
"Even when we're from different dimensions, Lumine was still separated in the same way. I can't help but think that maybe, all our efforts are in vain, that maybe, she didn't want to be found."
He felt the Traveller tap on his open palm, drawing his attention to it as the Traveller began to write on it.
'It wasn't your fault.'
Aether's breath hitched and his eyes prickled with unshed tears. "You don't know that."
'It wasn't your fault.' The Traveller wrote again, this time tapping on the side of Aether's palm at the end, as if to emphasise what he said.
(How long had he waited to hear those words? How ironic that it had to be someone who could not speak to tell him the words he had always wanted to hear.)
The tears fell this time and as Aether sobbed, the Traveller held him in his arms. Aether was only released from the hug once the tears had run dry and his breaths no longer came in hiccups. He wiped the tear tracks away, his other self patiently waiting until he was done.
"I'm okay now," Aether said after he took a shuddering breath. "I think we should continue on. We're both rested, we should be able to handle whatever comes our way better than before."
He pushed himself off the ground, the Traveller following after him based on the movements that he could hear.
"Okay, lead the way, Traveller."
The Traveller walked down the corridor where the hilichurls had fled through and Aether followed closely from behind. Aether felt his Anemo guide playfully weaving between his legs as they progressed through the domain, its actions drawing a small smile on his face. However, when he heard the faint calls of hilichurls ahead, he quickly pulled the Traveller to a stop and his Anemo guide ceased its actions.
"Wait, Traveller. I hear hilichurls up ahead."
They both drew their weapons out and the Traveller took the lead once more. As they moved cautiously onwards, the Traveller abruptly stopped Aether in his tracks. Aether lifted his palm to the Traveller, waiting for the Traveller to write down what he saw.
"Three enemies guarding a door?" Aether asked, his voice low to avoid them getting noticed, and the Traveller wrote 'yes' in confirmation.
"Send them flying up," Aether said as he began channeling his Geo power. The moment heard the hilichurls cry in surprise, he stomped on the ground, pushing the power into the stone floor. The Geo energy travelled through the floor and up the wall, before forming several spikes on the ceiling. The hilichurls flew into the spikes, killing them. The stone spikes shattered into tiny fragments that dissipated with the ashes of the dead enemies.
With the guards out of the way, the two of them approached the door. Aether heard the Traveller walk forward until he could place his hand on the door.
"Once the door opens, I'll drop a wall like before. I'll provide cover and support."
The Traveller whistled in affirmation and Aether took it as his cue to prepare himself.
As soon as the door opened, Aether could hear the cries of the hilichurls in the room. He quickly created a wall in front of them, quickly rushing forward to hide behind it as arrows began to rain on it. The arrows bounced harmlessly off the Geo construct and he could hear the wind howl as the Traveller unleashed his Anemo powers against the enemies.
What he had not expected, the moment he entered the room, was to hear the chill laughter of an Abyss Mage.
"Hehehe, so it seems a few rats have managed to wander in. The powers you have, so different from mine. I will enjoy destroying you!"
What he had also not expected was to find an orb, in the hands of the Abyss Mage. When he saw it with his Elemental Sight, it was flickering like static, its colour ever changing but the hue reminiscent of that of a nebula. It was something Aether had never seen before and he felt a sense of foreboding from that strange orb. The more he stared at it, the stronger the feeling grew and whatever plans the Abyss Mage had for that orb, it would not be something good.
And without any further warning, the rest of the enemies in the room attacked.
It was utter chaos. Aether could make out hilichurls and mitachurls on the battlefield, the sound of arrows flying and blades clashing as the Traveller attacked. And yet, even with the cacophony of battle, the sickening laughter of the Abyss Mage stood out against everything. He released a trail of spikes, impaling a hilichurl that tried to advance on him. He dropped a boulder on top of where he presumed the Abyss Mage was but the mage teleported away before the Geo construct could so much as touch it.
"So close! Hehehe, it won't be long now. What can any of you do against overwhelming numbers?"
Before Aether could so much as asked what it meant, he heard the sound of a door opening followed by footsteps.
"Reinforcements!" he shouted, hoping that the Traveller heard him over the battlefield. He quickly drew his sword, parrying a hilichurl's club before impaling it on a spike from behind. He used his Elemental Sight to get a quick overview of the battlefield, immediately spotting the Traveller fighting two mitachurls by himself. However, before Aether could assist the Traveller, he was cut off by three hilichurls. The archers scattered in the room providing ranged support for the enemies were also stopping them from fighting effectively.
"With this orb, I can use it to do anything I want! And I won't let you get in the way!" the Abyss Mage laughed as the enemies continued their onslaught against them.
Unless a miracle happened, they might not be walking out of here alive. And on cue, as if some higher entity had heard his prayers, a miracle happened. There was a soft 'click' that Aether had almost missed, the sound almost drowned by the chaos around him.
"Traveller, did you hear that?" he asked, his voice raised in hopes that his other self could hear him.
Even if the Traveller had not heard the click, Aether was at least sure that he had definitely heard the very familiar screams of both Paimons tumbling into the room from an open trapdoor in the ceiling. The entire room froze in surprise at the unusual entrance, saved for the Traveller who leaped into the air and caught the two. He landed on top of a hilichurl and used it as a stepping stone to flip into the air and land on top of one of Aether's Geo constructs.
And as if a switch had been flipped, the enemies rushed towards the Traveller. Aether ran towards them, quickly channelling his Geo energy and sweeping his hand out to create a wall of Geo spikes to block the enemies. The moment he reached his destination, he stomped onto the ground, spreading his Geo energy out in a circular wave. The energy erected a Geo wall around them, enclosing him, the Traveller, and both Paimons in the Traveller's arms inside.
The Traveller released his hold on both Paimons and both of them broke off to hug their Aethers, both crying their names as they were reunited.
"Aether!" Paimon cried out as she hugged Aether who returned the gesture with his own.
Aether continued to hug Paimon tightly, and though he wished to never release hold of his best friend ever again, there was still a battle ongoing. He reluctantly released the hug, letting his partner take to the air in front of him.
"Paimon, I need your help."
"Of course! Leave it to Paimon!"
Aether smiled, this time it would be different. This time, he can finally go all out with his partner.
He waved his hand, sending a pulse of Geo energy to the Geo wall around them. The wall exploded, sending shrapnels flying towards the enemies. A few hilichurls screamed in pain when they were hit by the sharp rocks.
"Arrows on your left! Towards your head!" Paimon called out as she hovered above the battlefield. Aether moved without hesitation, dodging the arrows by a hair's width and moving towards the archers who shot them. He activated his Elemental Sight, memorising their exact location as the distance closed between him and them. His Elemental Sight deactivated as he swung his sword, the blade finding its mark on one of them when he felt the resistance against his weapon. The other was impaled by a stone spike that he summoned when he slashed the hilichurl archer.
Aether missed this, he missed hearing his partner's voice, he missed having someone close to him cover his back. The Traveller had tried his best but there was no replacement for Paimon.
The enemies were taken down easily by both Aether and the Traveller, even the subsequent reinforcements were cut down until there was none coming. Every hilichurl and mitachurl in the room were dead, their bodies dissolved into ashes. Only the Abyss Mage was left, backed all the way to the end of the room.
"You dare!" the Abyss Mage seethed in anger. "Did you expect me to fall like the rest?"
The sense of dread intensified until his mind was screaming at him to run at that instant. Reacting quickly, Aether quickly grabbed Paimon, yelling a warning to the Traveller to get away from the Abyss Mage before making a leap backwards by creating a Geo construct beneath him. When he landed, he heard his Geo construct shatter and crumbled. He could feel the world twisting in front of him, along with an invisible force attempting to pull his body forward, as Paimon gasped loudly in his arms. Before he could ask her what was wrong, he was thrown across the room bodily by an invisible force. He curled up as he landed, protecting Paimon with his body before releasing his hold on her the moment he was no longer rolling on the ground.
"It's a black hole!" Paimon cried out as Aether pushed himself off the ground. "Paimon saw it suck the light in!"
As Aether took stock of the new bruises that had formed from the ungraceful fall (and fortunately, his injuries were all minor and nothing was broken as far as he could tell), he thought on what Paimon had said. A black hole? That was completely unexpected. However, there was something strange about this version. Aether had seen one before, a long time ago when he and his sister had first flown among the stars, one had spawned and destroyed a world right in front of them. And yet, the power of this one was nothing compared to the one he had seen. Perhaps it was smaller in scale, both power and size? If that was the case, then perhaps this battle could be won.
"Don't get caught no matter what and stay as far away as you can," Aether said to Paimon who was, at first, hesitant on leaving Aether's side but eventually, she obeyed. The Abyss Mage fired off another miniature black hole at them and Paimon shouted a warning. Aether moved away from where the black hole had spawned, creating a Geo construct to hide behind, both as a deterrent from being sucked in and protection from the resulting explosion.
Aether activated his Elemental Sight, quickly locating the Traveller's location. He quickly moved towards him while dropping a boulder on top of the Abyss Mage to disrupt it from firing off another attack. The mage teleported away from the falling boulder and Aether regrouped with the Traveller behind a wall of stone spikes.
"Got anything in mind? Because I've got a plan," Aether said to the Traveller as the Abyss Mage laughed in glee. "He can't hit us both at the same time if we split up."
He could not wait for a reply as Paimon shouted a warning and Aether immediately broke off to his left. He could feel the pull behind him and he ran faster, trying to get out of range before the black hole could collapse on itself and explode. The patter of feet told him that the Traveller was moving forward towards the Abyss Mage. Aether moved to change direction as soon as he heard the explosion, quickly activating his Elemental Sight to find the location of the Abyss Mage before dashing towards it. Paimon cheered them on from the sidelines, doing her best to annoy the Abyss Mage. The Abyss Mage shot another black hole, this time towards the Traveller. The plan had worked as Aether rammed against the Abyss Mage from behind (his Anemo guide helping him pinpoint exactly where the back is at the very last minute), knocking it down to the ground. The orb bounced on the floor and rolled out of reach of the Abyss Mage, whilte Aether tried to pin the mage to the ground as best as he could. It was hard to find its limbs and his Elemental Sight was not helping much.
The mage struggled with all its might before finally succeeding in breaking out of Aether's hold. It teleported away from Aether before fleeing towards the exit. The Abyss Mage was fast, faster than the Traveller could catch up.
However, Aether was faster.
He quickly drew his Geo energy, summoning a large stone wall to seal off the exit. The mage ran into the wall, smacking its face into it. With the only way out of the room now sealed off, there was nowhere for the Abyss Mage to run off to. As the Traveller slowly approached the Abyss Mage, the mage started to panic, backing as much as he could against the wall. Before it could do anything else, the Traveller punched it hard in the face, knocking it out in one blow.
With the mage defeated, the only thing left to do was to find the exit of the domain. However, before Aether could ask Paimon if she saw any exits, he could hear the sound of something breaking and crumbling a distance away. And as if on cue, the ground shook hard. Aether pulled his sword out (having stashed it away when he rammed against the mage) and used it to stabilize himself.
"Aether!" Paimon called out in worry.
"I'm fine!" he answered in reply even as the ground continued to shake beneath him. What was going on? Was the domain collapsing?
"Aether! There's more black holes appearing!"
"What!?"
"But they don't look like black holes...They look like tears, like the place is being ripped apart!"
Had Paimon meant rifts? Rifts had to connect to somewhere, perhaps this was their way out.
The ground stopped shaking and the domain had stabilized but Aether was sure that it would not last. Before they had to leave for the rifts however, there was still one last thing he had to do and it seemed that the Traveller too carried the same thoughts. Aether felt a tap on his shoulder and using his Elemental Sight, he found the Traveller and his world's Paimon beside him. In the Traveller's hand, he held the orb that the Abyss Mage had been holding before. The feeling of dread that Aether felt from the orb lingered but it was not intense as it was before. He looked away from it and instead turned to face the Traveller and his Paimon, knowing full well what was to come.
Aether heard the Traveller shift, most likely to free his hands to sign to his Paimon who could translate for him.
"I think that's our signal to go," the other Paimon spoke as Aether heard the sound of movement from the Traveller. "We may not know each other exceedingly well, but if you're anything like me, then you'll be fine."
(Would he? The thoughts of self-doubt continued to linger, never gone.)
The other Paimon spoke again, her tone softer, "You'll find her."
(The hope that was once snuffled is now burning brighter.)
He heard a breath of laughter from the Traveller before the other Paimon continued, "Take care of yourself so that you can take care of her later."
(Aether made a silent vow to himself to do better. For his sister and for the brother he never had.)
"May sunlight lead the way," the other Paimon said. There was a pause, as if the other was waiting for a response. However, none came as Aether knew not what the words meant. "And starlight guide you home," the other Paimon translated the Traveller's signs once he realised that there would be no response coming.
(Had he messed up? He did not want to end off on a disappointing note like this!)
"Thank you for everything Traveller. I...I hope that we can meet again one day, hopefully in less dire circumstances. And...I pray that you will reunite with Lumine soon," Aether said, his voice soft. He felt the tears build up in his eyes and he turned his head down, hoping that the Traveller would not see it. His focus on the Traveller was lost then, not even registering the noise of movement from his other self. When he felt the Traveller wrap his arms around Aether for a hug, Aether let the tears fall as he reciprocated the hug. "I'll miss you," he whispered into the Traveller's ear.
He could hear Paimon talking to the other Paimon but he could not make out the words, his focus was still on the Traveller. However, the time for them to part ways came far too soon and Aether and the Traveller hesitantly released their hold of each other.
The Anemo guide curled around Aether's shoulder, as if it was giving him its version of a hug before moving towards the Traveller's side.
The Traveller reached down to Aether's hand and Aether allowed himself to be pulled over a few steps. He could hear Paimon float slowly near him, closer than she normally would. They came to a stop, Paimon informing him that they were currently standing in front of a rift.
"This is the way back, isn't it?" Aether asked.
The Traveller lightly held up Aether's hand and Aether immediately knew what the other was about to do. He opened his palm up, waiting for the Traveller to write. The word 'yes' was written, to confirm the answer for his question. This was followed by several words of guidance, 'It'll feel weird, but trust that it's the right way.'
Aether felt his eyes prickling with tears again but he held them back.
'Now go, there's not much time left.' The Traveller released his grip once he had finished writing. Aether sniffed as he wiped away the tears that had managed to break out before smiling to his other self, he did not want the last thing the Traveller remembers of him to be one of him crying.
"Good bye, Traveller. See you again one day," Aether said as he stepped into the rift.
"Bye Traveller and Paimon!" Paimon bid her farewells as she followed Aether into the rift.
Upon entering the rift, there was a strange sensation of the world twisting in his stomach before they were spit out of the rift on the other side. The rift closed with a suction noise before disappearing quickly. Aether took stock of his immediate surroundings while Paimon fluttered near him. He could hear the leaves rustling around him and woodland critters scuttling by. He could smell the wood and grass, letting him conclude that they were currently in a forest.
"Oh! We're back! Paimon can see the domain door!" Paimon exclaimed happily as she floated away, presumably to the domain door. "Oh, it's sealed."
"Makes sense," Aether commented. The domain had been collapsing when they left after all. He hoped that the Traveller and the other Paimon made it out safe and sound. "Come on Paimon, let's head back to Mondstadt and find a place to sleep."
As Paimon led Aether back to Mondstadt, regaling stories of her adventure with the other Paimon at the same time, Aether was only paying partial attention to her. His mind was focused on something else. He remembered that the reason they came to the domain was a single rumor of the Traveller. And yet, in order for the person to have seen the Traveller, they must have entered the domain. However, the Traveller was found deep in the domain from an inaccessible entrance. Then how could the person have seen the Traveller? Aether realised that he could not remember what the witness looked like, whether the person was tall or short or what they had sounded like, as if the memories of the person were erased from his mind. He could remember hearing the rumor but he could not recall the words spoken nor who had told him about it.
When asked, Paimon answered that she too, could not remember either.
"It's probably not important," Paimon said in the end. Aether sighed and reluctantly agreed with her. There was nothing much they could do either way.
Unbeknownst to them, the world relaxed. The unknown blight that had appeared was gone before it could inflict further damage upon Teyvat. When it had first appeared, it would not follow the laws of Teyvat and Celestia was unable to approach it as the source did not originate from the world. However, they could not leave it be as its alien presence would have drawn more of its kind. Thus, Teyvat's hope lay with the outlanders but only one was reachable and the others lay far out of the world's reach. Fortunately, the one alone is enough. It was easy enough to spread a rumor upon the wind and create a mirage to spread the rumor that would reach the outlander's ears. The world returned to its slumber and everyone remained none the wiser.
"This feeling…"
"Princess?"
"It's nothing of concern, let us head back."
Lumine turned away from where the cliff overlooked the sealed domain and her Abyss Herald followed after her. She wondered if Celestia had noticed what had happened or if the gods cared to know what had transpired here. And as her Abyss Herald opened a portal to the Abyss, she looked back in the direction of the sealed domain. "Maybe one day we'll meet each other, my brother from another world," she said with a smile before turning back to the portal and disappearing into it.
Author's notes:
Hello! I know some of my usual readers might have noticed that I haven't been updating Your World In Our Eyes and I apologise for that but the reason is because I have been working on this collaboration with violet569!
Truth be told, this is the first time I have collaborated with someone and it has been a learning experience working with another writer.
Before I move on however, let me just talk about how Blind Traveller came about. Before I worked on Blind Traveller, I had been on hiatus from fanfic writing for quite a long time. My last fanfic had put me off from writing to the point that I just could not bring myself to look at my works anymore. Then along came Genshin and the lore drew me in. I began toying with the idea of a blind Traveller but I had still yet to put the idea into actual writing. Along came the fic, The Essence of a Word, a story of a mute Traveller. And although the story did not have a lot of chapters, it gave me inspiration to write Blind Traveller. Before long, I finished Blind Traveller and I wanted to write more. However, the idea I had was different from the base idea I had of Blind Traveller. As a result, I decided to write Your World In Our Eyes.
So when the author of the very fanfic that inspired me to write Blind Traveller came to me asking if he could collab with me, I said yes immediately. There was no reason to refuse and he was my inspiration.
Where am I going with this? I guess I want to say is that you know how people say that don't let dreams be dreams? Yep, that's pretty much it.
Some of the takeaways from the collab is that timezones is a nightmare. When we're on the opposite side of the world, there's only so much time that overlaps that we can work together. I'm glad that it all worked out in the end but geez, our sleep schedule is probably ruined. Another thing is that online document is a lifesaver. I used google docs for all my drafts, it also lets me check version history, define words on the fly and leave notes for the other person to find.
Anyway, I hope that you enjoyed reading this fic!