A/N: This will deviate from the main story of the game. I really want more Aether/Keqing fics out there, I lowkey beg.


Chapter 2 - When Fate Is Just A Bitch

Two Weeks Ago


The once-white clouds had turned black, just like the way spilt ink stained paper, reaching as much as it could. Thunder rumbled, the sound of rain ensuing, just as a huge creature, possessing blood-red and golden scales—a dragon, one he kept seeing around the entirety of Liyue—crashed headfirst into the tables full of many different offerings, all shining in their perfect condition. The tables—and everything that was on them—broke, the sound of shattering glass and the distinct clatter of gold were the only things Aether could hear, looking at the front of the crowd.

Quiet gasps and mutters began, Aether glancing at the white-haired lady who seems to be the main organiser of the whole event as she bent down to view the dragon, presumably Rex Lapis, the Geo Archon. For a good few seconds, she stayed there, just when she flicked back round, putting a commanding arm out towards the guards as she uttered, "Seal all exits! Rex Lapis has been killed!" Paimon's expression had converted from shock into that of worry and urgency.

"Quick—look Aether, they're asking everyone who got close!" she whispered to his ear, so as to not be heard. Their suspicion would raise tenfold if anyone noticed that they were concerned about the guards. Paimon, for one, should disappear. Only a fool wouldn't know that she was panicking.

It took a while, but once they were out of the danger zone, he sighed in relief under his breath, just when he stepped on a twig, alerting a guard who had turned his back a few meters away. To make it worse, Paimon screamed, "RUNNNN!" Great job. Now they were totally suspicious. Otherwise, why were they trying to avoid the guards so badly? They hastily ran down the stairs; Aether knew they were being chased. By his guess, there might've been 5 behind him. If there was a chance to activate his glider he'd take it. His feet turned around the corner, 5 guards appeared. Their spears pointed threateningly at him, the only other way was behind—

Purple light flashed, a girl roughly his age appearing, her sword pointed straight at his throat, the movement so quick he couldn't notice it. He was cornered. Any step further and he'd die. Aether grit his teeth, desperately trying to find a way to get out of this situation, but the shine of the silver sword against the bright sun which this intimidating person was holding had done a good job of blocking his thoughts to a complete stop, everything turning into mush. Her grip tightened, the deafening silence allowing the boy to hear even the friction of the leather hilt rub against her hand as she tightened her grip. The guards still pointed their spears at him, afraid he might do something.

Who the heck was she?

Her clothing, the quality of her weapon, the extreme glint that showed its pristine condition. This was no ordinary person. Ordinary folk couldn't teleport through a purple of flash of what seemed to be... electricity? His golden eyes searched her, an electro vision coming into sight. She tilted her head slightly, eyes narrowing. Aether's only move, at this point, was to release the sword he held—the sword that materialised half a second before she popped out. And that's what he did, the weapon flaking off into golden sparks.

"State your name, traveler," she spoke with an ice-cold voice terrifyingly chilly enough to break even the most fearless knight, deadly gaze razor-sharp enough to pierce the most courageous, forcing them to bow down and kneel in fear of the pain they might receive. That deadpan expression of hers must've been taken from lots of experience. Her hand never moved even a centimetre. It was solid and stiff, straight and forward, quick and strong like thunder. Her purple hair swayed ever so slightly from the warm breeze, yet she was as still as a statue.

Having lost her patience, she forcefully lifted the sword up, taking Aether's chin with it as her voice once again spoke. The volume of which she spoke was quiet, but that made it all the more frightening. He swore he saw a dark-purple aura emanating behind her—no, from her.

"The Yuheng of the Liyue Qixing demands you."

At this point in time, only one word came across his mind. Crap.


Was he in one of those scenarios in books where he had to prove his innocence using some smart logic that no one else could've thought of? The setting was just about right; the dark walls, painted gray with the word 'dull' screaming all over, as dead as the amethyst eyes of the interrogator which sat before him, gazing deep into his soul, a mirror surrounding him on all four sides. They were most likely windows, and that made it all the more harder to make up an answer, knowing that maybe 10 or 20 were staring at your face and expressions and listening closely to the stutters of your voice as a way to turn it against you.

"So," she began, glancing at her nails, "your excuse?" A sharp inhale and a fleeting glance later, the Yuheng uttered, "What makes you not suspicious? What proves that you didn't kill Rex Lapis? Why were you running from the guards?"

To be honest, he had no response. Why they were running, he didn't know. Why that creature slammed into the tables set in the middle, he didn't know. Why Paimon began panicking because of the guards, he didn't know. Why she shouted 'run' all of a sudden in a loud voice, he didn't know. Why they began to run, he didn't know. Why he didn't think and acted rashly, he didn't know. Dammit, he knew he shouldn't have followed whatever the food was saying.

There's a difference between good fucking food and emergency food. Good fucking food wouldn't scream and panic and run all of a sudden, get them into this situation, and disappear into thin air, leaving him behind. Lumine was always much more better at arguing about things like this compared to him. So how was he going to get past this hurdle? Copy whatever she said. Guess arguing about which ice cream is better actually helped in events such as these. She was one of the leaders, right? If he managed to get past this, Aether may be able to acquire some help. But only if he manages.


A/N: Apologies for the short chapter. Next one will get back to Keqing's fever.