It's time.
My palm was fully submerged in the blue light that radiated from her and the single lumenstone directly underneath him, the rest unable to withstand the aura of the Abyss.
What lay within was either the universe's biggest prank or something to change the world.
Now that he had space to process what was going on, a mixture of despair and relief flowed throughout his body as he came to this realization.
Half a millennium on Teyvat was spent wondering what capabilities an item like this could hold, considering the Heavenly origin of the black box.
The most obvious, and the one I believe, was the Sustainer of Heavenly Principles, as he had personally witnessed her defeated form brutally mangled and stuffed into the cube.
It could be nothing but a corpse, God or not, surviving trauma like that was impossible.
Worst case scenario, the Goddess had not weakened at all in five hundred years, and will more than likely be fuming. The Dark Sea rejects anything Godly without a barrier to shield from the draining, it unfortunately wouldn't be a problem for the Sustainer, who could no doubt conjure a portal large enough to escape through before she would be drained significantly.
Maybe it had contained nothing at all, nothing but a painful reminder of what he lost the moment she stood in their way.
After his awakening, the soon-to-be Prince wandered the entire continent for Lumine, the thing was always watched by at least one of his senses.
Unfortunately, his sense of reason seemed to be taken as well, slowly but surely, the dam broke when the Cataclysm happened.
The power the Traveller witnessed during their battle was truly horrifying, made worse when he saw that same power used on Khaenri'ah, despite her defeat.
All for nothing. His hand still clenched as tight as so long ago.
The place was... unique to put it, there was no God to guide them. If other nations were following a torchbearer, Khaenri'ah made their own torch, and held it without regard for whether it burnt them. Without any philosophies or assistance from gods, they made their own designs, learned quicker than the rest. The machines that were designated with the moniker of Ruin were proof.
Each new discovery sped up the next, leading to a chain reaction that Celestia, in their eyes, had to stop.
The unyielding land was erased from existence, the Archons eliminating any who dared interfere with an empty look in their eyes, mere tools to the Heavenly Principles.
While those who had the most battle experience could make it out fine, those who didn't...
"This sword is a symbol of peace."
To what little he knew about Makoto's time during the Archon War, Raiden Ei had been at the forefront instead of her.
His awakening at Inazuma, while had helped him attain some peace of mind, meant he knew almost nothing about other nations.
The Goddess of wisdom and how she emerged victorious from the Archon War was especially confusing to him at the time, and the little time he had spent with Greater Lord Rukhadavetta had not been enlightening enough.
The Library the Abyss Order held prior to his takeover, along with questioning
his subordinates had helped to fill most of the gaps, thankfully.
A faint pulse of energy ate up his sight, seizing my thoughts of the past and reminding me of the future it might hold within.
The trinket made its presence known throughout the cavern, bathing the rocks in an ethereal aura, demanding my attention.
Golden energy began to trickle out of the tiny holes that now dotted the surface, the heat it gave off was otherworldy, but it felt... familiar?
The artifact was growing increasingly volatile, endangering any that dare remain in its presence.
"Leave." I commanded, trying not to sound dissapointed, the eagerness of the Order to witness this event was hidden well, but not well enough to conceal it from me.
Innumerable flashes of light came and went, signaling the departure of the abyssal soldiers that made made up the Order.
Here goes nothing...
A bead of sweat went down his face.
Or everything.
Time itself was watching with bated breath as a miniscule crack forced its way out at last.
"H..." Something whispered, faint as the wind.
The shaking grew violent, yet visible
damage never grew, stubbornly refusing to give up, like she had done a lifetime ago.
"Help..." Her voice pleaded, now a few octaves higher.
The sound didn't have the intimidating energy it once had, but it was the same one that halted them a long time ago, when he was a free spirit.
Rather than the calm and confident finality her voice once had, this one was akin to a lost child, confused and desperate.
Could he really kill them, despite their actions?
The Traveller had thought about it over and over since the dormant cube first sat on his palm, never able to find a concrete answer.
Disturbingly, Aether realized that right now, they definitely could, the endless nightmares that ravaged his sleep, constantly reminding him of his failure had taken its toll.
They had caused this, their Heavenly Principles brought nothing but fear and destruction.
"Burn away the old world for me."
"World... forget me."
Yet...
"Don't cry, Aether..."
"I hope you find her."
The cries grew louder and louder, echoing across the empty rock, hear by naught a soul but me.
Like a star being born, the box shone brightly, catching me off guard, the cube subsequently fell to the floor, releasing more energy that began to melt the stone.
He could barely make out the awakened prison, jerking in random directions, like a boar caught in a trap, desperate to be free.
"Help!"
All anger had to be stuffed into the back of my mind, their fate would be decided later.
Since arriving in Teyvat, his blade was a ghost of its former self, the golden light of the stars was stripped away, replaced with a lifeless grey, never to shine, despite the attempts done by the finest bladesmiths of Inazuma.
One of the few times he had spoken with Raiden Ei was during an attempt to revitalize the sword, an idea suggested by Makoto herself.
To think the answer was so obvious.
The energy that trickled out of the box had begun to pool together, growing in size and elongating, it stopped after reaching a length he was all too familiar with.
My weapon answered, and revealed
itself, not at his palm, however, it instead had came to be in the empty space in front of him, the tip slightly tilted towards the shape, the answer clear.
Gently gripping the sword, the Prince plunged the blade into the energy, covering the armament perfectly, and begun rapidly losing size, most likely being absorbed.
Having taken all of it in, the sight was
disheartening and uplifting, he was another step closer towards his full strength, but the person Aether would most likely first use it on made a sort of poetic justice that made him uncomfortable.
The Prince patiently observed the cube, an idea taking shape in their mind. Each second stretched into hours, the prison showing no signs of letting up as increasing amounts of the liquid energy escaped.
Fine, then.
With the pull of a cord, the wind glider constantly strapped on my back unfurled. With a quick blast of Anemo energy, I was sent somersaulting backwards into the far edges of what the Order had excavated.
With my sword imbued with renewed vigor, an idea like this could be pulled off, the only uncertainty was whether he was precise enough to release the Sustainer without injuries.
Anemo is the element of freedom, it
led the people of Mondstadt to think for themselves, to break free of their chains. It was only fitting that the wind was all he needed for this.
His wind glider took hold of the gales Aether created once again, gradually speeding until the glider couldn't handle the energy anymore.
Like the key to the jail he held in his hand, the molten liquid that was once the Traveler's power reacted to the approach, racing towards me like bullets.
Objects of man are nothing before the stars.
The speed at which the droplets moved was still many times slower than what they used to travel across worlds, but it still eclipsed his wind glider a hundred times over.
Not even a few seconds later, the liquid light bended around him as they came close to contact, swerving right for the wind glider that had replaced them with murderous intent.
To the resilient fabric of the glider, the touch of the mysterious intruder was like fire, disintegrating the cloth and reclaiming their throne.
A warmth once lost to the Outlander returned to his spine as he watched a familiar golden light take the shape of a feather, as long as their arm.
Once it had reached it's peak, another streak had sprouted from his back, followed by more until the wings he once used to soared across the cosmos, once snipped and scattered, had returned.
"Help!" A call once again, desperation lacing every sound they made.
Once long ago, his sword was given a name, unlike the Musou Isshin, which had never been drawn as a symbol of peace, they both knew the path the Traveller was walking at the time, and she had taken that into account.
What was it, again? He had to think, to remember.
Despite the Starseekers returning to their rightful owner, it still felt sluggish whenever old memories of soaring through space were recalled, he'd have to investigate why.
For now, there was only him, the God, and the emptiness that grew smaller and smaller, until the thrust finally made contact.
His arm felt like it split open at the force needed to open the box, and the world became white.
Did he die?
He couldn't. Lumine was still...
"Not yet, Aether."
That voice. Her voice.
My entire being hurriedly spun around, afraid of missing even a moment of what came next, knowing that it may be the last.
"Lumine..."
She was here, he hadn't seen his twin in five hundred years, yet memories of a time sorely missed began to jog, the cogs of their mind working in overdrive.
She's here. Did she die too? Aether ignored her words, wanting to go with them, to catch up after so long.
The very feet that carried me all my life felt like stone, unable to bring me across what I wanted to be the final hurdle, the final destination.
Please.
He tried the arms that had agonizingly clawed through the days that followed the cataclysm, the blood it spilt to take away the grief. The right side was completely numb, while the left was weighed down by an invisible burden, moving only an inch with his greatest efforts.
It hurt. But it didn't matter, the end was in sight, within reach, yet another obstacle appeared, this time he couldn't even see it, only feel my hand graze the wall, the limit broken, another found.
No. It was raining, what did that have to do with her? But only his cheeks were stained, he realized later it would have everything to do with him.
Lumine gently smiled at me, happy as she gracefully spun on her heel, and quietly walked towards an endless light.
Wait.
With one final heave, he had managed to stumble forward, but it was not enough, nothing ever was for the Prince.
"Wait!"
My consciousness was flooded with what seemed to be water, sweeping me up and rapidly rising towards a boundless sky, preventing me from reaching her.
"Don't leave me!"
He heard a voice, clear as day, but was it her?
"You were never alone."
When he came to, his eyes were already open, gazing upon the fruit of his long journey.
Sprawled across the once pristine ground, now tainted a chilling vantablack, the lumenstone having exhausted itself, lay the Sustainer of Heavenly Principles.
Their hair white as snow, scattered across the stone, a light amongst the overwhelming darkness around them.
The eyes that coldly looked down on them were closed shut, her sleeping form curled up like a restless child, it was total whiplash from the God who saw their very existence as a threat and subsequently tried to eliminate them.
Is this the mask she wears? Or the other way around?
The sword that struck her down from the heavens materialized in his palm, he would do it again if he had to.
My mind penetrated the very earth below their feet, and from it came a construct of Geo, caging the God in a prison that Aether knew would be useless, but what else did he have?
The earth shook in glee, the heavens cowered from the underground, and the Abyss Order was kneeling before him, awaiting orders.
"Erase everything." Nobody must know of this day.
Home. Was his thought, and the waypoints answered, the world shrank as he was carried from the pillars of travel to the next, finally arriving at what the Order called home.
Calling the ruin a home would be questionable to even the insane, but it was the only one the Abyss Order had known since the cataclysm.
Crudely shaped like a coffin, it provided a moderate amount of safety from the Dark Sea to the foreign outcasts of Khaenri'ah that now made up the Abyss Order.
The breath that I had been holding finally escaped my lips, as the reassuring glow of the waypoint lit up the so-called throne room.
The Geo construct he had brought with him had been forgotten, catching the Prince off guard as it loudly announced the arrival of the Goddess.
Said room, along with the shelter itself was a mess, everything that made it up, while intact, has gained battle scars of its own over the years, fighting off the intense environment of the godless sea.
I settled down onto the stone mound that sat pitifully at the end of the room, located at the very edge of the dull fortress.
The dull floor was now cracked, courtesy of a the heavy sleeper that rests within his creation of earth.
The only thing left to do was to play the patience game and hope that she would awaken soon enough.
The minutes flew by, most of it spent inspecting the sword and whether it felt the same as before.
Emotions that were buried during their awakening began to stir, boiling his insides with a dangerous mix of anger, annoyance, and boredom.
Screw it.
I abruptly stood straight, my wings unfurling and bringing comfort as they brought me along, clearing my mind while the wind blew past my face and the clouds parted.
The thrill of flight was amazing, squashed by the realization that he could leave this world. Was Lumine really dead?
His mind was falling at the thought, that was all he got after all this time? It was temping to go all the way, unlike that dream, there wasn't anything to stop Aether.
It was around this time that I came to the realization that it wasn't just the mind and that he was actually falling, his wings having failed.
He used all of his reserves during the fight, and whatever it could store up in five hundred years ran out, despite the significantly less effort.
The wing glider that had served as a substitute was gone, too, the only thing he had to halt the fall was Anemo.
Spreading all my limbs out to slow the descent, an updraft that could rip up a forest blew below him, slowing the Traveller down, but not enough for a graceful landing.
An audible crack was heard as the feet took the brunt of the impact, ejecting all the air in my lungs in a pained hiss.
Reaching into the pouch he always carried, the Replica of the Statues of the Seven began the healing process that had worked many times, just barely enough for his broken bones to mend before it ran out.
I'm stuck for a while.
Even if Aether spent the next year doing nothing but gathering energy from the sun, the distance between the two significantly reduced how much was absorbed compared to being right next to one.
And then there was Celestia, no doubt they would stop him from leaving again, this time, he was alone.
Speaking of Celestia...
With the flick of a finger, the construct shifted, the individual plates had overlapped and left some sections of the rock vacant, revealing the still asleep God. I unconsciously shook the Geo in frustration, and at last, intended effect happened, stirring the Goddess from her five hundred year slumber.
The toll the battle had taken on them was all but obvious now, their pristine white clothing was slightly tattered, the ornamental bronze strings that elegantly wound around the dress shattered, the little that had remained jutted out of several places, the defiant red sky that lurked beneath had faded into white, her pale skin showed no scars, even where he had impaled her heart, what was most surprising to him was the eyes.
Instead of the cold orange he saw five hundred years ago, he saw a blinding blue, like a pond that lay right below the moon.
What hadn't changed, however, was the four pointed star that sat neatly in the center.
Their mind finally began to process their situation, and she quickly stood up and scanned the room, her eyes coming to a halt when they met mine.
Can she still talk? The heart was the only thing he had aimed for, but Aether had never gone at such ludicrous speeds before.
The Prince wasn't going to learn by standing there menacingly, so they might as well initiate.
They looked more confused by the situation than anything, perhaps getting stabbed through the heart wasn't good for the mind.
"Who are you?"
Finally.
An Outlander in her grasp, weak, but alive, the other must have fallen into the dark pit of despair after watching their acquaintance defeated so mercilessly, hopefully they would flee back into the continent where the rebellious nation resided, two birds with one stone.
One step closer to returning to the oblivion she was born in, Celestia had to acknowledge their agreement soon, the last of the race they had to wipe out with urgency was within her reach, hers.
The God's gloating had to be set aside for now, there was still another one, they had commanded the Sustainer to treat each one with no mercy, and so the Goddess shall.
Unfortunately, their opponent now had the same mentality, he let out a cry of not despair, but pure, unshackled fury, the stars seemed to glare at her with the same fire.
To their eyes, a new sun was just born, burning with light that would last until everything else had crumbled to dust, including them.
The ball of flames grew exponentially, the heat bearing down on the God's entire being, piercing their very soul, if they even had one.
It occurred to the Sustainer of Heavenly Principles a second too late, this was no star, only the wrath of the Outlander that she had disregarded as a mere insect, too shaken by what happened to even fight.
How could they do such a thing? When she was denied her own hollow, mindless existence within the comforting chill of their birthplace, their rage had manifested in the form of the Godly powers the Goddess had used to enforce their will, smiling at the mere thought of returning home for good.
I had no idea how long the answer would take to manifest before me, the sword that would judge her fate had already decided before she could blink.
The pain was too much, their eyes had stopped functioning before a muscle could be moved, the portals that were planned to be an escape couldn't match near instantaneous movement, even less her own sluggish motions.
The Sustainer felt their heart shattering into pieces, the contract with Celestia was broken, the horror of this realization had let them get a few words out of their stuttering mouth before the punishment came.
"No! I h-haven't failed yet! plea-" The bones that gave shape to the body folded, contorted into gross positions as the many became one, skin turned into liquid fire and transitioned to rock just as fast, each movement, every single crack was felt, divine retribution for whoever dared threaten the throne of Celestia.
All noise that had tried to form words became garbled, bubbling into snippets of understandable language before fizzling out, she couldn't feel her own throat bleed from the silent screaming the Goddess had done.
She wasn't home.
The cool comfort of the nothingness she was born into was missing, claustrophobia assaulted the senses, paranoia rose rapidly before I calmed myself, checking herself for anything wrong.
Her arms spread about, trying to feel anything, and found the familiar touch of the empty body their mind now inhabited, but something was missing.
I feel lighter.
The exposed area where the Heart of Celestia once proudly beat its rhythm of control into them was missing the sinister yellow glow of the Heavenly Principles.
Tenderly brushing her fingers across the spot, she confirmed that the Heart was gone, only emptiness reigned in the former Sustainer now.
Recalling the battle, they remembered the contract shatter, the Outlander had granted them freedom by killing her.
Was I really dead? She didn't want to die, not like this, separated from home, instead imprisoned in the very weapons Celestia had granted the fledgling Goddess to uphold their Heavenly Principles for millennia, all for the small hope of returning home.
She had used what little time left to seal away the Traveller and their abilities, would that be enough for Celestia?
The one that was captured would likely be valuable to them, if only for their Starfaring abilities and how they tap into the power of the disgusting lights that dotted the vast emptiness of the cosmos.
Optimism had certainly helped in the moment, and it would be put to good use as I finally decided to explore my current predicament, attempting to grab the thin veil that held reality together and rip it apart, to no success.
Another try was made, this time utilizing her arms to try and find anything nearby, instead she propelled herself into what could be infinity, panic set in quick, and my frantic flailing had helped in the form of a wall.
After aligning myself parallel to the barrier, I tested its durability, prodding and lightly pushing against the obstacle to stay in one position. When that proved to be useless, a more violent approach was used, my slender fingers curled up into a fist and struck the immovable object with whatever could be mustered up in the moment.
As expected, the wall had not budged at all, and the only thing that broke with their little exchange was her hand, physical combat was never the Sustainer's Forte.
With teeth gnashing against each other in order to ease the pain in any way possible, another attempt to tear reality apart was made, finally succeeding, light it let off as a byproduct revealing the full extent of her pitiful situation.
Six mpenetrable walls forming an inescapable prison around her weakened self, simple and as effective as it would possibly get.
How was she supposed to get out of here? Breaking out was impossible, the powers they currently possess was like an ant compared to her full strength, and she had just broken her hand.
Invasive thoughts of dread and hopelessness were fought back, the Goddess had an eternity to think of their next move, it was only a matter of time.
Time? A light out of the darkness was conjured from the depths of her mind, this could work. If it didn't, she could always think of another option.
Stretching out my arm, I began to focus energy, the longing of home that the contract had blocked from reaching them had arrived in full force, reminding the Sustainer of the end that they desperately wanted.
The sadness started to grow unbearable in a matter of minutes, but I had to hold on, whether it was for days or for years, until enough energy was built up to reduce the walls that bind her to nothing, she would wait.
Think of anything. Take the pain away.
How does time fluctuate in this cage that defied all logic? A mere second could have passed since the God was imprisoned, or the continent which Celestia ruled over could have been razed into the ground for treason against the heavens.
What about the Outlander that killed her? Has Celestia gone to finish what she started, and killed the final Traveller?
That train of thought quickly left the Sustainer of Heavenly Principles alone, and the agony of being separated from their righteous place struck back, the tears could not be held back this.
The rain was never ending, a river flowing forever, until once bright fabric woven with constellations faded, and the water of her despair dried, and their eyes burned with the overwhelming emotion.
She didn't know how long it had been before they finally felt it, for the first time in this little prison of hers, the walls quaked in fear, the day had come.
In an unstable, positive emotion the young God couldn't understand, no time was wasted in unleashing hell upon the seals that surrounded them.
The small room was fully illuminated by a blinding blue light, five hundred years of pitifully holding in the floodgates that were her emotions was channeled into one strike, it would destroy the tiny world she was placed in, they could escape, find a way to get home, even if it meant returning to the Heavens that imprisoned her in the first place. At last-
A puncture the size of their palm was made, giving the jail a permanent light source, but nothing more.
No.
No. No. No. No. No. No... Sang the disbelieving thoughts of a mind too fragile.
I can't do that again. The very soul that housed life, yet housed none, a hollow shell of what should be a person, still had some semblance of a loving being, pain was the most clear to her.
"Help..." The goddess' lips moved on their own, any sense of pride and independence was abandoned out of pure fear.
The walls that bound them began shaking, and the light from the outside shifted.
The darkness surrounding her morphed into light, trickling out of the small hole that she made, as if mocking the effort.
With nothing to do, I watched as the sparks left the prison, enjoying the world that lay beyond as they left her in the dust.
Not even a second after the final light left, my hairs stood up on end, something was coming.
Cold.
She felt stone beneath her again, the rough texture indicating that she wasn't back wherever she was.
The ground beneath her shifted, and her eyes abruptly revealed themselves, letting a faint light inside, thankfully not blinding her.
And through the opening in which the light came through, my eyes met the Outlander who had struck her down so long ago.
Looking back on it, why was the Sustainer ordered to capture and not to kill? These were the same people who went against Celestia's purpose, were they not?
No, killing them outright should've been the order given to her, not that she even won. The acquisition of the other one made no sense with what she could remember.
"Who are you?" He asked, looking down on me with indifference, as if the helpless God that stood there wasn't the one who ruined his life.
"Eh?"
He doesn't remember me?
My jaw slightly agape, I almost forgot to answer the confusing question, shaking my head and clearing my throat, speaking was now an option.
"I am the Sustainer of Heavenly Principles." Despite my best efforts, the faintest quiver still stood out from my voice.
The Outlander sighed, brushing off a strand of hair that fell over his eye, like a stone wall, waiting to crumble and release the storm brewing within.
Eye?
Covering the man's left eye was a long strip of cloth, a bandage, if she had to guess, but since when were they pitch black? Celestia had other methods of recovery, but to mortals, such things were commonplace in the world.
"I know that, I meant your name." His voice never once revealing any cracks, like a perfect layer of ice, another shield put up by the Outlander, was it protecting him, or her?
My name?
How... odd, to ask a question like that, it's... The thought was at the cusp of completing itself, a blade that needed one last strike to be complete, yet the final hurdle was confusingly difficult, how could she forget her own name?
My lungs shrunk, a headache barged into the skull, chastising the Sustainer for forgetting something so simple, yet it knew no bounds, growing by the second. The Goddess' hand gripped their head tightly, but it did nothing against the pain.
And just as quick as it arrived, it left, a soothing cold washing over her body, like she was home.
"Are you okay now?" The starfarer asked, eye showing no hint of concern.
He has a use for me, I can at least guarantee my safety.
"What was that?" I asked, trying to gain some control of the exchange, the Outlander won't kill her, asking a few questions should be safe.
"Nothing you need to know, now tell me your name."
"I don't have one." Limits were being tested, she had hopefully not broken them yet.
He seemed to take me seriously, his chin resting on his hand, eye now looking towards the ceiling, littered with sizable holes, the largest one could even let a person through.
"Heh."
Nevermind.
"In that case..." The Outlander trailed off, snapping his fingers.
Her prison, which she realized was just a hollow geo construct, began to shut itself close, but they both knew it was futile.
He wants me to panic. I won't.
Even as the rock fully closed, I tried my best to keep calm, with marginal success. Intrusive thoughts of him just deeming me useless and eliminating me constantly pushed against the calm.
Thankfully, the construct crumbled into dust before those ideas could win, the Outlander still sat in front of her, but he was... smiling?
"As expected." It wasn't a happy smile, though, not that she knew what a happy one looked like.
"You made a deal with Celestia, right?" He started, his eye showed anger, but despite the raging fire it was, none of it moved a single bone in the man's body.
"How does making another deal sound like? I don't kill you, and in exchange, you help me." There was a large dosage of venom in each word, she had to be careful.
But compared to having a heart that can kill her any time Celestia wanted, whatever he could do seemed meager.
Just another means to an end.
.
...I will try hard to soar to the heaven I dreamed...
.
AN (Or does this count as trivia?):
The 50000ish words that I've written so far took around 200-250 days to do, not a good sign if I plan to catch up to the game...