22nd of the 1st Cycle
Aether skidded over the ice, bringing up his spear to knock aside a blow before countering with a jab.
The yaksha leapt over his head, flipping and thrusting his own lance downwards to strike at his head. Aether hastily brought up an arm to slap the strike out of the way - tearing his hand apart in the process as the jade edge sliced into his flesh. As his own golden ichor sprayed down on him, Aether brought his spear wide and swung at the yaksha's landing point in a wide sweep - catching the yaksha in the gut and sending him flying.
His opponent twisted himself mid-air, landing on his feet and spearing his lance downwards into the ice to bleed his momentum. Aether did not give him any moment of relief, dashing forwards and launching his spear out of his hands like a javelin before drawing Aphelion into his hands.
The yaksha hastily spun his jade spear in a circle - knocking Aether's javelin aside - before leaping upwards. Aether raised his head to catch the barest glance of the yaksa in the air, the white Moon behind him - seemingly much more massive than before - green Anemo energy splayed behind him in the faint manner of a pair of wings.
And then the yaksa descended with all the force of a falling star - slamming his jade spear into the ice like a hammer - and the frozen sea erupted beneath his feet.
Massive chunks of ice were hefted into the air by the sheer force, great plumes of black icy water blown out of the ruptured ice. The once completely flat frozen lake had been turned into a rough, chaotic plain of frozen hills and crags - great spikes of glowing blue ice raptured from the plane and spearing the air.
Aether felt himself lifted upwards - flying shards of ice tearing at his skin - before leaping onto a downward slope of frozen water. As he began to slide downwards, he noticed the yaksha in the centre of the crater - and leapt off the slope, sword primed to strike at the yaksha's head.
The illuminated beast stared up at him through his demon-like mask, cerulean gaze piercing his soul. Then, the yaksha leapt upwards to meet him in the air, jade spear ready to impale him.
Aether materialised his wings at the last moment, swiftly manoeuvring to the side - but the yaksha snarled behind his mask and brought an open hand forwards - before clenching the hand into a claw, and tugged at something invisible.
Immediately, Aether felt a force pull him forwards and towards the yaksha - as if the winds themselves were at the beast's beck and call.
He realised the fatal mistake he made too late - Aether desperately brought his blade forwards to intercept the yaksha's spear, but to no avail - the beast's jade spear punched straight through the side of his midriff, hewing open a wound the size of a melon.
Aether lost control of the right side of his body, involuntarily dropping Aphelion into the icy depths below. Unwilling to surrender, he continued to grasp the yaksha's shoulder with his left hand - pushing the beast downwards.
The yaksha attempted to wrestle him off, but his grip was solid - and Aether bore his wings. He was still too weak to take flight upon his own volition, but he could most certainly go down.
The two of them soared downwards, green and gold fusing to create a trail of brilliant vapour - slamming into the ice field and punching straight through, falling into the frigid waters below.
The black waters shimmered with newfound light, and in the distance Aether could see several shafts of moonlight from the broken holes in the frozen top. Focusing back on his foe, Aether locked the yaksha's spear to his side, rendering the deadly weapon useless due to its length.
Then, he punched the yaksha directly in his mask.
Aether withdrew his left fist to see it bleeding gold, the ichor mixing into the black waters and exuding a slight glow. Aether punched the yaksha's mask again, and again, and again. On the fifth attempt, the yaksha caught his fist with his free hand, attempting to crush it with inhuman strength.
But Aether was inhuman himself, and broke free - before pummeling the mask again, this time validating his efforts by shattering off a piece - revealing a baleful gold eye underneath, burning with fiery rage.
The yaksha wrestled himself free, pushing Aether off, before jabbing upwards with his spear. Aether hastily skirted to the side, grabbing the spear shaft before the yaksha could pull back - and spun the spear around him - launching the spear and the yaksha downwards to the lake bed like a slingshot.
A thump was heard, reverberating throughout the inky blackness as the yaksha slammed into the lake bed, kicking up dust and sand.
"▂▂▃▃▅▅▇██▅▇▅█▇███!"
A wordless scream of rage followed, forcing Aether to wince at the demonic noise.
He hastily brought his left hand over to his wound, pushing his intestines back into his body before healing the gaping hole with starlight and Geo.
Just as he was done, Aether looked back down to see a single spot of golden light ascending up at him - then he was launched upwards, frigid water rushing past his senses before he slammed into the ice cover above and punched through it, propelled into the Sky.
The yaksha was right there with him - ethereal wings flared under the moonlight - and Aether didn't even have the chance to widen his eyes before the yaksha smashed the flat side of his spear into his gut - hurling him towards the jagged ice below.
Aether attempted to twist himself into a landing position, but found that he could not - just about every bone in his body had been shattered in his ascent. Helplessly, he could only feel his innards press upwards as he fell - before landing on a particularly sharp icicle - and he was speared through the chest by glimmering crystal.
Hacking up gold, he attempted to snap off the top of the icicle, but he found himself either too weak, or the ice too thick to do so. Nevertheless, he did struggle to free himself even as hoarfrost crept over his innards - slowly freezing him from the inside.
Meanwhile, the illuminated beast had landed back on the ground. Aether noticed the yaksha standing before a massive crag of ice that had been uplifted from the lake surface. Curiously, he watched as the yaksha moved into a stance, where the tip of his spear was pointed downwards, the blade horizontal to match the earth.
The yaksha shoved his spear into the ice, jade edge easily punching through the surface.
Then, the yaksha launched his spear into a skyward sweep - using it as a lever - and three curved scythes of Anemo clawed upwards.
There was a deep, echoing rumble - a great reverberation that shivered through his bones - then a great crack- and suddenly the colossal crag of ice was launched hundreds of feet into the air. Aether could only watch in shock and horror as the veritable mountain of ice and snow - as the colossal iceberg hung stationary in the Sky for the briefest moment, blocking out all the light of the Moon and stars - a circling aura of Anemo at its pointed bottom, lifting the mass in the air.
The yaksha leapt upwards, and it was a near comical sight - a massive mountain of white and the smallest fleck of green and black right beside it.
There was a flash of emerald, and then Aether could only watch as the yaksha used his spear as a racket - batting the entire iceberg at him as if it was merely a ball.
Aether heard the world roar as the mountain fell upon him, as he desperately struggled to free himself before he was flattened beneath tonnes of ice, snow, and rock. He pushed as much starlight into his arm as he dared, strengthening enough to snap off the icicle like a stick - before pushing himself off, feeling the chilly air blow through his chest by the gaping hole.
It was too little, too late.
The great shadow fell upon him, the world darkening as all light was blocked from his senses. Looking up wearily, he watched as the dark mass approached him - seemingly at a snail's pace, and yet from the howl in his ears and the rushing gales, he knew that the mass was coming unto him with all the might of a falling star.
In a last ditch effort, he drew upon all the energy he had, bleeding his body of life as Anemo, Geo, and the light of sun and stars bled out of his palm and coalesced into a thin shield directly in front of him.
Then-
BOOM
31st of the 1st Cycle
He woke with a gasp, jerking upwards into a sitting position.
Wearily, Aether opened his eyes and found himself in a brightly lit room with hardwood walls. Lanterns hung from the ceiling, and the floor was polished and carpeted. He patted the soft bed beneath him, and found it to be a well-crafted feather mattress.
Kicking the blanket off him, Aether swung his legs onto the ground and stood up, inspecting himself.
His wounds were mostly healed - the hasty repairs he made mid-battle clearly visible, as the Geo gave the faux-skin a more brownish hue, leaving noticeable scars across his body. He was also no longer wearing the same outfit he arrived in Teyvat with, the attire likely having been too badly damaged to be salvaged. Instead, he was wearing simple linen bedclothes - and noticed a more proper Liyuean outfit hanging from a hook near the door, along with his northern cloak.
All his internal workings seem to be functioning well, surprisingly, albeit still drained from the massive 'spell' he had casted in the last moment he could recall.
Aether cautiously touched his head, feeling a bandage wrapped around his crown - and removed it. Deciding he had not the time to properly braid his hair, he instead used the same bandage to fashion a hasty knot and ponytail.
As he was doing so, a breeze swept over him, drawing his gaze to an open wall - where there was a sliding door leading onto a veranda. Drawn, he approached the veranda and pushed the lightly billowing curtains out of the way, stepping onto the balcony and leaning on the railings.
Below him, a massive, sprawling city extended as far as he could see through the morning mist. The shouts of vendors selling their wares and the hammering of blacksmiths reached him, as did the clattering of carriages on cobbled stone, the cawing of birds flying at his level, and the overall clamour of a city waking up to dawn.
The city was large, larger than even Mondstadt. A great sea of red and green tiled roofs illuminated by countless golden lanterns was laid out before him, neatly quartered by grey cobbled roads and intermittently dotted with verdant green courtyards filled with lush flora. There were several towers - pagodas - rising in the distance, piercing the skyline like spearheads.
Aether looked to the sides, attempting to fathom the sort of building he was in. Luxurious, to be certain, with its vibrant red walls well polished and cared for - not to mention the massive curtain wall surrounding the complex, built of red clay and topped with covered ramparts. A massive gatehouse interrupted the otherwise continuous barrier, the size of the gatehouse large enough to be a Windic noble mansion alone.
Aether was shaken out of his thoughts when he heard the door open behind him.
"Where am I?" he asked without turning around.
There was a step and pause, before a female voice returned.
"You are in Wangshu, sir."
Wangshu, the largest city in the northside of the Republic. With a storied history, the city once used to be the capital of the Guili Assembly - and was one of few places in the Bishui Plain saved when the Bishui River flooded, whether through fortuitous luck or divine interference he did not know. Nevertheless, the city was abandoned for greener pastures in the south, and it was only centuries after the founding of Liyue City was Wangshu revived as a trading outpost along the Stone Road.
Now, the city has become a booming commerce hub due to its economic significance as a waypoint between the Stone Gate and Liyue City.
Not to mention, it was a few days south of where he last recalled - which meant that time has passed, time in which he was unconscious.
"Where am I in Wangshu?"
"Wangshu Inn, sir."
Aether scoffed internally - this place, an inn? What kind of inn had a palatial estate, a fortress complex, and thick curtain walls capable of withstanding an army numbering in the tens of thousands?
"Inn?" he questioned.
"Yes sir, it used to be a palace back during the Archon Wars… until it was abandoned," the lady trailed off, before swiftly adding, "It has since been renovated."
A mighty fine renovation indeed.
"...Should I inform the mistress you have awoken, sir?"
"The mistress?"
"Yes sir, the mistress of this inn, Verr Goldet."
"Verr Goldet… doesn't sound Liyuean," he muttered to himself, before speaking up, "No need, I will inform her - and thank her myself."
"I will wait for you outside, sir."
Aether turned around just in time to see the lady place a basin of water with a washcloth on the desk before leaving the room and closing the door behind her. He quickly moved back inside the room and slid the veranda door closed behind him, before reaching for the basin and splashing water onto his face.
After dressing himself, he pulled his cloak over him and exited the room - seeing the attendant waiting for him outside.
She bowed in greeting, before leading him through a twisting maze of corridors - then up a flight of stairs. As they climbed, Aether noticed that the left wall was not smooth, but instead a rough, natural rock surface.
"How did they build this wall?" he asked.
The attendant glanced at the left wall briefly, before turning back forwards.
"They didn't. The old palace was built around a great stone spear that Rex Lapis unleashed upon an enemy army from Chi Qingce who were attempting to invade the Guili heartlands in the south. In a sense, the boulder serves as a tombstone for tens of thousands."
"I was under the impression that the Bishui Plain was the Guili heartland."
"Incorrect. The Guili Plains in the south were, the Bishui Plain used to be the northern frontier for the Assembly during the Archon Wars. It was only after defeating Chi Qingce did the Assembly move north, building Wangshu as their new capital in celebration of their victory."
"Then the Stone Gate was built," he surmised, "After the frontline moved further north."
"Correct."
Aether ran his hand along the rock face as they continued the clamber up the stairs, somewhat mesmerised by the faint Geo energy emanating off of it.
Upon arriving at the next floor, he was led into a large antechamber with a connecting door. The attendant opened the door slightly and peeked her head through, before swinging the door open and leading him in. Crossing the threshold, he entered a cavernous hall that he imagines was likely used as a ceremonial avenue back when the inn was a palace.
The hall was circular in shape, with a cut out section at the far end leading to an open-air balcony where he saw several guests conversing with each other. To his right was a counter where several attendants stood behind, talking with more guests - likely for booking rooms.
He immediately singled out Verr Goldet - she was a distinctive figure as the only non-Liyuean, and he strode towards her to demand answers. As he approached, he realised she had a Windic air about her even while wearing a red Liyuean garb - her broader nose and high cheekbones led him to believe she was a northerner.
She quickly noticed him and bowed lightly, hands overlapped in front of her.
"Who brought me here?" he cut through the pleasantries.
"General Jinpeng did, sir," she smiled unnervingly, "He has paid your tab as well - if you wish to speak with him, he would be upstairs. You can go through the balcony."
"...My thanks."
Without waiting for a reply, Aether took off, walking out into the sunlight and looking around for a staircase. He found one to his right, wrapping around the hall upwards towards a rooftop terrace. There was also a great tree growing out of the rock, its branches grown over the rooftop into a parasol-like appearance.
As he moved towards the staircase, one of the inn attendants attempted to interrupt him - but curiously backtracked upon seeing his face. Dismissing it, Aether clambered up the staircase and stepped onto the terrace - in the centre sat a small gazebo - and the entire place was empty of souls.
All except one - a short figure sitting on one of the tree branches.
Who also ignored him.
"So," Aether drawled, "What made you decide to keep me alive?"
The yaksha silently leapt onto the roof, before dropping down to his level.
"I could kill you," he growled, "But you wouldn't die."
He was a shorter man with dark teal hair, long enough to reach his shoulders. He had a sharp face with piercing golden eyes, with irises reminiscent of a bird of prey. There was a small gemstone embedded into his forehead, and a curious cerulean tattoo that went down his right arm in the vague shape of a bird.
"I have hunted your kind before," the yaksha rasped, "Petty creatures who let your corpses fester and rot."
Fester and rot. Aether could now see why the yaksha had avoided killing him out of fear of rot.
A god's body may be just a shell, but they were still bodies. And when a body turns to a corpse, it inevitably begins to rot. When a mortal corpse rots, it releases a pungent smell and attracts scavengers and flies, and plague festers.
So what happens when a divine corpse rots?
Much the same, in that regard, but on a far, far larger and severe scale. So much so that the miasma released infects the land and people, the flora and fauna - and those infected would be affected in different ways. Some would rot alive, others would succumb to insanity, some would mutate into beasts - the land would be filled with fester and decay.
The plague released could destroy entire mortal nations if left unattended to - which was why Morax had contracted the yaksha into ridding the land of the rot before it could truly take root.
However, if every god slain in the Archon Wars festered, then all of Teyvat would be a living hell, unsustainable to any kind of life. Most gods destroy their own bodies on the way out as a sign of gracious defeat, with only the pettiest leaving their corpses behind as a lingering hatred. There were ways around this too, Morax was famed for sealing gods in stone - caging them in their own bodies so that they could never unleash their dying rage - turning immortality into a curse.
Idly, Aether couldn't help but wonder why the Land of Wind never faced such an issue - or that he knew of. Perhaps the gods vying for the seat of Anemo Archon were simply more gracious than those vying for Geo Archon - or perhaps Barbatos sweet-talked all of them out of it. A much more likely option, he thought amusedly.
Nevertheless, divine corpses were a significant issue - but it pales in comparison to cosmic corpses. Because by nature, the gods of Teyvat are native to Teyvat, and the worst they could do are things the land has and always could experience. But cosmic deities are foreigners, and just like adventurers bringing plague to before-untouched lands, the results of a cosmic corpse festering would be disastrous to say the least.
"Do not place us all in one basket," Aether returned, "I, for one, respect your prowess as a warrior - though I have to admit, I cannot quite fathom a being such as you serving a god."
The yaksha stared at him, before turning away to look at the rising Sun.
"I am an adeptus, I serve the god of this land just as you would serve yours."
"Adeptus?" he questioned, "You are a god, a deity. And not like wind spirits or angels or dragons - you are a god."
"Even gods can be chained - and I was one," he spoke quietly, "Before my liege broke me free and contracted me into his service. So I serve, for I owe him a debt yet to be repaid."
Aether sighed, running a hand through his hair, "Contract, you say. All I hear is that you have chained yourself once again - is that anyway to live? To fight for a debt you can never repay- do you know what that is called?"
"You live a blessed life, starwalker - able to live freely amongst the stars. You treasure your freedom, let me treasure mine own manner of it."
Aether found himself unable to reply, for all he could say next would make him a hypocrite. Looking around in exasperation, a small platter with tofu and two cups of tea placed on the gazebo railing caught his attention.
He walked over and picked up the two cups of tea, both long cooled down.
Turning around, he moved over to the yaksha, who was now leaning against the outward railing.
"Even the attendants take care of you," he said, offering one cup to the yaksha, who accepted it after slight hesitation.
"They are contracted to - here, we all are."
There was a comfortable silence as they sipped the lukewarm tea and stared out at the city of Wangshu, now long since waking and bustling with life.
"...Aether," he finally introduced himself, "We were never given names, so I named myself."
The yaksha glanced at him briefly, before turning back to watching the city.
"Jinpeng is what I am, and I am the only one of my kind - so that is my name."
"That doesn't seem to be all."
"...I was given the name Xiao by my contractor, so you may refer to me as such if you so wish," Jinpeng looked down at his cup of tea, "Though, you seem to dislike the idea - so I doubt you will."
"You are right, binding oaths are… too binding, for my liking."
Aether thought humorlessly of a binding oath he had made in the not so distant past.
"To let someone else give you a name… is a most humiliating thing, I find," Aether continued, "For it means to let someone else define what you are - one day, you should find out who you are yourself, and give yourself your own name."
"Aether…" Jinpeng rasped, "Just like the Sky - you are a lofty, fleeting thing."
"I do try."
"Why have you come, Aether? For I must wish you remove yourself from this land as soon as you can."
"Another contract, hm?" he chuckled lowly, "I come in hopes of breaking a seal placed unto me - which I have done right before you attacked me. Now, however, I must try to find my sister - or not find her."
"Your sister… another of your kind."
"Indeed - and I do fear I may have angered your liege."
"I will not aid you in that regard," the yaksha eyed him, "But I will assist in your search, if only to remove another potential starwalker."
"Thank you."
"I find myself unable to intrude upon mortal spaces," Jinpeng growled, "Find yourself in Liyue City, and ask the Qixing to aid you. I will scour the rest of the land."
Jinpeng reached into the folds of his clothes, and brought out a jade block. Aether received the block, and found it to be a seal - one carved into bearing a stylised bird of some sort.
"Proof," was all the yaksha offered.
"It seems I find myself owing you a great debt," he laughed, "Is it not ironic?"
Jinpeng turned away and walked back to the gazebo, downing the rest of his tea as he went - before picking up the plate of tofu off the platter.
"Consider the debt repaid when you leave this land."
Aether downed the rest of his tea as well, walking over and placing the cup down on the platter.
"I will consider it," he waved as he left the terrace, dearly hoping his horse and pack were also brought over to Wangshu.
Rewritten on 22/6/2022