The Sustainer of Heavenly Principles, despite her immense confusion, was still capable of uprooting all the Abyss Order had done with the snap of a finger.
Unknowingly, the air of the Dark Sea ate away at whatever power was within, draining any God that came unprepared for the environment.
With elemental sight, he could see the process unfold with his very eye, the anomalous aura the Goddess brought with her was slowly fading, in a few minutes, mysteries that could destroy them all would only be harmful to the beasts of Teyvat.
Thankfully, they were too focused on the proposition I had just given, Aether didn't know their motivation for doing all this in the first place, but as long as the contract was upheld, it wasn't as important.
A snicker managed to make it through my throat, that last train of thought made him sound like someone he knew. To the Sustainer, this was interpreted as overconfidence that she herself had once displayed, a seed of annoyance was sowed.
"Very well." The light that radiated from her body was being drained at a faster rate than anticipated, perhaps they were already in a depleted state when they came into the world once again?
Stalling wasn't a necessity anymore, might as well do things normally now.
"You will disclose all the information about Celestia that you know, and in return, I'll let you live." A weak start, but she will push back.
"No." Was the immediate reply.
"I will give you everything I know about them, but I will take my leave afterwards." Absurdity to counter absurdity, the Sustainer thinks they still have control.
The fleeing deities of Teyvat had no idea that the very land fought back against them, suffocating their grandiose might underneath their noses, discovered too late as the lurking horrors devoured them alive.
"Returning to Celestia is not an option, they imprisoned you in the first place." I coolly answered, perhaps this would be smoother if the memory of who put them in this situation resurfaced.
"Killing me is not an option either, the one to release me being you was not a coincidence." The God coldly shot back, the tension rose higher.
"Ignorance is bliss, Goddess." The last word left my mouth with the biting frost of the Tsaritsa, but the Sustainer of Heavenly Principles has faced worse, she will not back down.
A fire was lit, a disgraceful wind began to blow, out of the reach of Barbatos, her arm straightened towards me as a futile attempt was made, the God's face contorted at the effort put in to even attempt using their power that tore through time and space.
After a few seconds of strain, the best that was managed only amounted to a peculiar circle of nothingness, though even that had fizzled away mere moments later, leaving the Goddess panting awkwardly.
A smirk crept onto my features, their flame would be quelled sooner than expected, the fear that tore through her was barely evident, but it was impossible to hide it all.
"Do you understand your situation?" The smugness that oozed from my throat couldn't be suppressed, not that I would've tried to.
"...Yes." She relented, but still determined to have any advantage.
"Good." An invisible weight had lifted from his shoulders, "You will not be imprisoned, but are restricted to certain areas in this..." There was never an actual name for the Order's main base of operations, while it was unimportant, it was proving to be an annoyance at times. "...Edifice."
"Might I inquire as to why such restrictions will be imposed on me, when you yourself admitted that the information I hold is vital?" She smoothly asked, it was quite fitting that freedom was their main concern.
"My... subordinates, while aware of Celestia's schemes, will still have difficulties trying not to kill you on sight." I explained matter of factly, while understandable, her constant pushing was starting to get on his nerves.
While he did have the loyalty of the Abyss Order, it was never unwavering, most of its members obeyed the Prince out of pure fear, an expected flaw that was taken into consideration before the Civil War within the Abyss had officially begun. Aether had failed to take the Sustainer of Heavenly Principles into account back then, and that misstep finally bore its spoiled fruit.
"Their hatred of Celestia and the Gods that associate with them dwarfs the loyalty they give you?" The Goddess mockingly asked, clearly amused.
"Complete eradication of all Gods had been their goal, I can only... persuade them so much to change paths."
Dvalin is still out there, I cannot delay.
The thought urgently barged into my brain, breaking whatever focus the Traveller could muster as rage slowly bubbled up into the surface of his meager facade.
"Stay." Was the only word that left me as I grabbed a loose stone tile and pulled, revealing several Wing Gliders ready for use, in case one was ever lost.
For a moment, there was only silence, giving the hurrying Prince of the Abyss hope that the defiance of the God had ceased, if only for now.
"And if I don't?" That hope turned out to be false, tearing open the dam that held the back the cascade of emotions that roared within.
Whether it responded to a wish he never made consciously or his sword had a mind of its own, was irrelevant at the moment as it sliced through the air and landed centimeters away from the unsuspecting Sustainer, nearby dust flew to the farthest corners of the Throne room, and a crack the size of an arm had sprouted from the impact zone.
This can work.
The newly strapped on Wind Glider unfurled at the pull of a chord, immediately catching onto Anemo I commanded as it brought me directly infront of the disoriented Goddess, further sending her into a panic, frantic azure eyes locked onto gold.
"Then I will not hesitate to enact my revenge, you overestimate your value to the Abyss Order, Goddess." The statement was clear as day, a weak nod was the only response he recieved, but it would do.
Dvalin can't go far, he should still be there.
A mental image of Teyvat was conjured within my mind, the focus being on Mondstadt, more specifically, the waypoint hidden within the shelter from which he observed the dragon.
The air tugged at his skin, the rock below seemed to phase out of reality as the Waypoint activated, taking me back to the cave, like the day had just begun.
The chaotic events that had happened prior to the Sustainer's awakening, however, refused to be ignored. A roar of agony swept into the cave, blowing back everything except the waypoint that was firmly planted in the stone.
Hurry.
The wind had already begun to blow before the Glider could fully unfurl, his Anemo ability being pushed to the limit as I flew at the speed of a falcon, pathetic compared to the wings he actually possessed, but its availability was more important at the moment, with only a few seconds worth of energy currently stored within.
The Statue of the Seven that overlooked the land below was ignored for the most part, but the few seconds of close proximity was all that was needed for the vastly inferior artificial one he had made to fully charge.
After a few maneuvers the newly acquired Wind Glider was definitely not meant to do, the crash site was within his sights. The only problem was that it was missing a very injured Dvalin.
With the use of Elemental Sight, the blinding trail of tainted Anemo was easy to spot, the dragon had flown away for reasons unknown.
He should've stayed, he had no reason to leave, unless...
A thin line could be seen in the distance, bending and swirling, it was like a dance. It took a second later for him to realize it was a tornado. The guardian dragon of Mondstadt, ignored the otherworldy sickness destroying his body to attack the city he was supposed to protect.
The location was already in Aether's head, so it only took an instant for him to teleport to the Waypoint at the city. Thank Barbatos he already had the Wind Glider active, especially since teleporting to a Waypoint that was already in the air was not at all what the Prince expected.
The few seconds immediately put to use to stabilize myself in the tornado was immediately disregarded by an aptly placed food cart, minus the food. The impact sent me into the frenzied current of the wind, which was exactly what the hidden Dvalin had waited for.
The familiar set of jagged teeth that almost split him into a few hours ago was close to doing the same again, if not for my wings carrying me away from the jaws of death, at the cost of his wind glider. There was enough energy stored to keep the wings active for an entire minute now, if the Starseekers were used sparingly, it'd be enough for two.
The thought of running appeared, with one thought, all the danger of fighting now would be gone. If only Dvalin's wrath wouldn't go for the helpless people below if he left.
He couldn't fight, either, using the sword and the Starseekers simultaneously would leave him dry in a matter of seconds, drawing the enraged dragon away from the city was the best option at the moment.
And then what? Bring more of the poison back to Albedo? Time is limited, Dvalin is unpredictable, and the Knights of Favonius aren't prepared to fend him off.
The moment of thought was cut short by a screech of pain and anger as the Anemo energy that was scattered by the assault began to congregate into huge balls of what almost looked like fire, if it weren't for the contrast of the teal of the wind and the blood red of the corruption.
The concentrated orbs of Dvalin's storm finally reached their limits, despite the numbers easily reaching into the hundreds, each one was larger than him individually.
The cloaked terror of the storm knew this, too, and silently called them to his side, completely ignoring me as each one formed around the dragon and began interlocking with each other, forming a bright wall of wind, ready to release power that would be enough to level Mondstadt, except the target was the tiny Traveller that had no way of dodging even a few of them.
Said traveller was trying to conserve what little sunlight they absorbed in the span of half a second, now more concerned about the blindingly bright wall of instant death that was speeding towards him, as well as Dvalin, who was covering up the only gap he could slip through.
What can I do?
What could he do?
Activating a waypoint meant letting the city below be blow to smithereens, the seven elements of Teyvat wouldn't do much unless he went for the Dragon in the center of it all, but they were one strike away from dropping dead, too.
In the harsh winds that circled the skies of Mondstadt, a light breeze blew.
The cool air snaked up my body, comforting my very soul, and told me what to do, it had no mouth, but their instructions were clear, and even if he couldn't understand what they said, the wind guided his gaze anyways.
The impenetrable wind barrier was close enough that he could see the individual orbs that made it up again, and one in particular stood out from the rest, it's glow was weaker, the taint of Durin was not as present, its Anemo was dispersing back into the sky, one opening was all he needed.
Close.
My fist curled up into a ball, and the world answered my commands, a construct of Geo surrounded me, made up of individual hexagonal plates, much like the Anemo it will meet soon enough.
Open.
Like a flower of stone, the Construct unfurled and separated, overlapping each other, forming layer after layer of solid rock that would most likely be enough to withstand the hit and break through Dvalin's attack all at once.
One minute left.
He braced for impact.
The wait was overwhelming, while the contact itself felt underwhelming, no pain was felt at all, but trying to move made him realize his arms had gone numb from the impact, but he was alive, at the very least.
His makeshift battering ram was falling apart, returning to the nothingness it came from, the one purpose it was created for accomplished.
The wind poked at his side, to which I turned to face the sensation, and found a dragon looking right at me instead.
Dvalin looked rather peaceful despite the havoc he had just brought upon Mondstadt, his sharp teal dark blue eyes were staring right at me, peering into my very soul, much like the gust from earlier.
Maybe...?
I brought out the blood red teardrop acquired from them previously, and the answer was much closer than he previously thought. Rather than the shimmering red it once had, it now shone with bright, lively Anemo, seemingly clear of impurity.
Interesting. Is it due to my connection to the Abyss, or my status as a Traveller?
I reached out towards the dragon, testing the waters of my newfound purification ability, the reaction was fascinating, like water retreating back to the ocean after crashing ashore, so did the unnatural dark hues of Dvalin's scales fade.
The reddish purple glow in his eyes slowly receded, now reduced to a mere speck in the almost clear sclera that revealed itself amongst the poison.
The tornado around me began to calm, almost crumbling like it was a solid before dispersing into the clear blue sky, free from any control once again.
The wind returned to a light breeze, comforting Dvalin with the mysterious soothing properties it now held, if only for a while.
I kept my hand outstretched as I looked below me, taking note of the dozens of spectators, fortunately too far away for me to be remembered.
The weak glow of visions was visible even at this height, but he already knew the identities of those who were blessed by Celestia, his agents had many close calls with a certain few among them.
A chilling sensation washed over me, drawing my attention towards wolvendom, Boreas was watching, judging me if I would ever be a threat.
Great...
Before I could shake the thriny sensation off, Dvalin's heavy exhales of relief reverted back to deafening howls of pain, the winds of the east began to accelerate again in response.
Silent screams of dead Gods that were devoured by the darkness spoke to him, beckoning his mind to let go of rational thought.
Except these were voices he already heard on a daily basis, deep within the bowels of the Dark Sea, it would have no effect on the Prince.
One glance at the writhing dragon nearby, and the pieces slowly began to click together, as the bigger picture formed before my mind's eye.
An abyssal creature took advantage of Durin's poison to slowly break Dvalin and tempt him.
Who? The only lifeforms with enough intelligence in the Sea to plan this out would be...
The grotesque chorus grew louder, the space between dimensions was torn to shreds by the chants, revealing an inky rift that could only belong to those whose souls were corrupted by the Dark Sea.
A familiar orange bubble of fire slowly emerged from the anomaly, the person it protected was not far behind.
A Pyro Abyss Mage, the rebels were acting faster than expected.
"Leave." I warned them, ready to do battle. Thanks to the tornado clearing, he could actually begin to absorb more starlight, but one slash was all Aether could manage at the moment.
They didn't respond, only floating closer to the Anemo dragon's ear and whispering in the language of Khaenri'ah, the time to act was nearing.
"Last chance. Leave." It seemed more like a death threat than an actual warning, but it had done nothing to faze the seemingly suicidal mage.
They ignored me and continued, Dvalin seemingly freezing and his head drooping, revealing their intentions.
I immediately flashed forward, taking the rogue Mage by surprise and thrusting towards the traitor, breaking through the barrier.
Except he then broke through another.
And another.
The barriers kept coming until his sword had exhausted whatever meager starlight it gathered on the way here, the golden light weakened, but was still visible. Not enough for another attack, however.
"You're faster than before..." The mage weakly observed, their voice somehow echoing in the renewed sky.
From the ebony rift that had remained, Abyss Lectors appeared, the peculiarities of what had just happened were made clear.
They seemed just about ready to begin their assault, but a quick glance behind made by one of them, and all their malicious intents disappeared.
This one's armor was coated in White Iron, while it looked similar to the Starsilver of Dragonspine, it was far easier to obtain, it's impracticality as armor for someone of the Abyss was notable, though.
The crowd silently turned around and begun retreating into the rift, and he couldn't make any move to stop them, lest he be forced to use his Wind Glider, which had already been reduced to a fine powder..
Not like I could break through all those shields at once.
I had no time to breathe however, Dvalin made a beeline for Decarabian's tower, finally exhausted after the arduous chain of events that had transpired.
The Abyssal Thorn shone brighter than ever, visible even from the vast distance that now lay between the two.
His wings began to flicker, time was running out, but he couldn't give chase even if he wanted to, merely watch.
I failed.
It was strange, to be aware of the consequences of what will transpire, yet feel numb, was it because of the dream? Was Lumine really gone for good, did anything matter at all now?
But then, the aroma of dandelions had touched his senses, the cool breeze had returned, bearing another message, another epiphany struck him shortly after the last one.
Only one being can use the winds like this...
The thoughts the air put into my head were as simple as they were confusing, meet Barbatos under a tree? The description of the specified tree was familiar, but he couldn't recall it at the moment, a refresh was needed.
Right on cue, the Starseekers finally gave in, subjecting me to the nauseating sensation of plummeting unprepared into the City of Freedom below.
Focus. That place.
With my destination locked in, I returned to the throne room, violently slamming into the ground face first, drawing a fearful yelp from the Goddess who had actually stayed.
The waypoint that brought me here now stood in an awkward position, he hit the ground hard. The old bricks had finally breathed their last, reuniting with the ashes of Khaenri'ah.
He probably would've been more affected by that if something wasn't off. A few seconds after the waypoint should have dimmed, there still remained blue light, and the direction of the source happened to be where the flustered God was.
Their back was turned to me, whether it was to distract me with the strange sight ort o block my vision, it didn't stop me from taking a leisurely stroll towards them, too calm to be anything but suspicious.
"What were you doing?" I began, attempting to force them into submission through my unsuccessful attempt at being menacing with pure monotony.
"N-nothing." Her response was too fast to be anything but panicked, and the poker face that she currently wore as a mask had been immediately betrayed by the lone drop of sweat that ran down the Goddess' face.
"..."
The glistening liquid fell down the God's chin, the slightest tremble evident in her blank face, prompting me to just ignore the living statue within his arm's reach and head straight to where he needed to be, the Sustainer of Heavenly Principles was not a threat.
It wasn't because of the urge to act upon the words he had left her with a while ago, surely not.
His body was on autopilot, silently walking towards the Library of the Deep with the elegance that most of the Order had come to expect of him.
The Prince of the Abyss wanted to discuss the arising issue of rebelling members, while Aether just wanted to get to the library. Unable to reach a thorough conclusion, he was at an impasse, and settled for thinking about something else.
She has no name. Was it forgotten, or did they never recieve one in the first place?
The thought was the smallest bit intriguing to him, knowing of what Celestia had done to her in the considerable length of time she served them would help coerce the God to fight back against the heavens, if only through information that may or may not be given.
I haven't failed yet! Please-
In the heat of the moment, I wasn't able fully understand what she had said back then, but her reaction to the brief mention of a possible contract forged between the Goddess and Celestia had confirmed it, the connection between the two was similar to one, if not the exact same.
The terrified face of the God reappeared in my head, what had Celestia done?
Don't. If he thought about it too much, Aether might actually begin sympathizing with her situation, that would be dangerous.
The twin arches that towered over any who would enter the library loomed ominously ahead, warning those who would continue of the dark secrets held within.
Just beyond, the pillars of knowledge that housed an endless amount of books jutted out from the ground and spiraled into an endless darkness, like a disease stretched to infinity.
The normal silence that serenaded through the air of the library was even more suffocating now, he could feel each gaze, each whisper, all of those who bowed, all who hid.
Without a word, my left arm rose up, catching all of their stares, all of the fear, the hatred directed towards him. With a quick flick of my fingers, the atmosphere relaxed by the tiniest amount, allowing me to get to the destination I had in mind without everyone looking at me.
Each of the unnatural pillars of knowledge here held many tomes, and this one was no exception. The traveller only found it because of his prior study sessions to learn Mondstadt's geography to better survey Dvalin.
A shame that the thought of reading about trees never occurred to the man.
Right as I had arrived at the base, the realization that he was still missing a wind glider struck. The thought of grabbing another one should've popped into his head while walking here, like it did like the other niche moments this mistake had happened, yet it did not.
While somewhat alarming, it wasn't any problem as I opened a rift and grabbed the book pertaining towards a map of the nation of Mondstadt, filled to the page with detail that couldn't be put into maps of Teyvat as a whole.
While the inky rifts that the Abyss Order used for long distance travel ate up most of the light that passes through, a negligible amount could still make it through, though it would seem to be as if there wasn't any in the first place.
Alas, the surprises kept on coming, this one came in the form of an absolutely blinding blue light, blinding anyone within a few meters of me, including me. Especially me.
The experience was like staring at a blue giant again, a once in a lifetime experience, even for the immortal Traveller. While his brain could process nothing but blue for a few seconds, the ears that sandwiched his head had caught a distinct sound of movement, coming from no more than an inch away from his face.
The book was to be found safely in my hands after he could see again, but a quick look at the other end of his Abyssal Rift showed that there were three books missing, rather than one.
Blue.
If he could remember correctly, the book next to the one he held now was a map on Fontaine, frequently chosen due to its close proximity to Celestia, as for the other one, they didn't know.
As a result, Aether himself had only travelled to the nation for the sole reason of setting up Waypoints he could use.
To find someone taking that book in particular, without personally making a request of him to tread into the City watched by the Heavenly Principles was alarming. Any information of their plans that are brought into the hands of Celestia were met with extreme retaliation, the Abyss Order only existed today thanks to the safety of The Dark Sea.
While the possible culprits were intriguing, the mystery would have to go unsolved a little longer, however, Barbatos awaited him. I immediately opened the book, scanning each page for what he needed.
It only took five hundred years...
Silence made up her entire being, yet she could still feel it, a peculiar rythym that emanated from the vessel that currently held the God, what was this?
Fear? Awe? Anger? The Sustainer of Heavenly Principles had vague ideas of these concepts, but not enough concrete information to confirm it.
Whatever it was, it pushed her to test the limits of what was possible in the current regressed state that the Land of Wrath had imposed on them. While she was well aware of the infamous status it held amongst the Gods of Celestia, to experience its dreaded darkness was something else.
Focus.
Her mind faded away, all thoughts that she deemed useless were discarded, the light faded from agitated blue eyes that had been temporarily halted in their purpose, the unusual... emotions couldn't be fully erased, but it was fine. The body that held her soul went numb, calling forth the emptiness of the world to the Goddess.
Time slowed to a crawl, it sped up, the tainted wind of the land roared their loudest as it simmered down, a fire inside her was lit, the familiar feeling of infinite nothingness answering once again, reassuring me enough to open my eyes.
...Except she couldn't, her eyelids were glued shut, leaving the Sustainer unable to confirm whether the attempt actually worked, the God's ears listened intently for anything.
"What's your name, little one?"
The distinct roar of thunder could be heard, a familiar roughness amongst the smooth silence, why was it so?
"You're an exception. Interesting."
The voice was firm, yet gentle, the complete version of her own lost voice. The same could be said about the Outlander, five hundred years of this world had drained him of the bright star that he and his companion once was.
The companion she brought to Celestia on a silver platter without batting an eyelid, her mind shivered at the thought, he still hadn't done anything for what pain the Goddess had brought him in the past.
The past. Was she reliving the past? Memories of the past unlocked themselves to her once again, showing nothing new, the Sustainer of Heavenly Principles was ripped out of their birthplace and forced to stop any who would dare breach the barrier between worlds. And commit genocide on anything Celestia deemed dangerous, but she'd rather ignore that for now.
The voice receded, the lightning fizzled out, and she could open her eyes once more, immediately doing so to observe the fruits of her labor.
And there it was, albeit much, much weaker than she had hoped for, the space between everything had been reduced to nothing in front of her, but it was a dying ember compared to the raging wildfires the Sustainer could once do half asleep.
What tiny bit of pride she had left faded away, replaced by pure embarrassment.
The tiny tear in reality only led to the endless space of her Void right now, but it could be put to use.
I focused on the Void that was on the other side of the opening, and then onto the mysterious labyrinth that lay just beyond the depressed doors of the Outlander's home. Could this be considered a home? Would she?
...No. The Sustainer only has one home, it doesn't matter who they have to side with, she will return to it one day.
Another breath, another rift was made, revealing the downcast hallway that came next after the doors that she didn't dare go past. The ceiling looked like it would collapse any second, held up by pillars that looked more like decaying bone than stone. The torches that had managed to stay attached to the pillars covered all in a haunting white light, revealing the carpet that covered the crumbling tiles of the floor, barely recognizable from everything else, the bright and flamboyant colors it once contained faded away by time.
Not a single sign of life, both from the hallway and from the Goddess watching with bated breath, who took this as a signal to explore the new area.
As the endpoint of the emptiness she commanded glided across the surrounding darkness, guided by the teal glow of her energy, the fascination took over.
The inhabitants of this place don't need light to see. The Outlander didn't need any either, his eye glowed with something he didn't have back then, they adapted?
Before the Sustainer could think a second more, a loud crash interrupted her focus, and the miniscule rifts disappeared along with it, a blessing in disguise, considering who just came in.
The Traveller returned from whatever unpleasant experienced he endured, evident by the way he stood as still as a rock, lying down face first on the now absolutely annihilated stone, and the contraption that brought him here was now crooked, though still functional.
A hum that shouldn't have been here was, the sound of her command over nothing was still present, and very much real, much to her dismay, as she turned around to find an rip she instinctually created out of panic, now frantically shrinking and growing, though not enough for him to spot right away from the distance between them.
I stood as close as possible to the anomaly in the room to conceal it from him, trying my best to get rid of it before he got up and realized what was going on.
The mistake began to grow smaller, only accelerated by the very audible sounds of footsteps growing closer towards the Goddess, her thoughts a jumble of incoherent responses, a full sentence never to form until she calmed down.
Which seemed like never.
"What were you doing?" Not even a second after the rift had been dispelled, her captor immediately began questioning the conspicuous and extremely suspicious things she had just been doing. No matter what I tried, a face that quivered in the the chilly air was the best I could manage to hide the panic.
She waited, and waited, expecting something to follow up, but nothing happened. The aura he emitted when holding his sword a hair away from my face was an insect compared to the tension that was building up right now.
At last, a move was made, the Outlander spun on his heel and left the room, like she wasn't a problem at all.
Alright.
The instant the oversized door slammed shut, the Sustainer of Heavenly Principles went to work, creating two rifts in rapid succession, giving her full view of the hallway outside, and subsequently the person who had inadvertently mocked them.
Tailing the Traveller was easy after that, the blue light her power let off was far enough that it would take a direct line of sight to notice, and the creepy lamps of pure white masked the rest.
Her heart started to beat in sync with his footsteps, mimicking the latter all the way, even as he came to a stop below two spiral arches, the few seconds the man stood there were painful ones, but it wasn't much compared to the horrifying spectacle she was about to witness.
Looking past the arches, like a portal to a new world, stood dozens of colossal growths that stretched into an odd sky that shouldn't even be there, if only that was the worst of it.
Flying around, chatting to each other in a tongue she could somewhat recognize, plotting the end of Gods as they knew it like it was just another day, was the Abyss Order, or a small part of it, the Goddess presumed.
"My... subordinates, while aware of Celestia's schemes, will still have difficulties trying not to kill you on sight."
The manner in which he spoke at the time put the idea in her head that the creatures he commanded were human, but it wouldn't be the first thing she'd use to describe the demons that filled the ranks of the Abyss Order.
A glossy black dominated the majority of their humanoid forms, almost like a shell, sharp edges lined the joints, daring any swordsman to try and disable them. Each of them had specific portions of their body light up in the color of the seven elements, implying that they didn't need a vision to fight those who did bear one.
They all carried a weapon on their daunting forms, in various forms, some had a pair of swords unsuccessfully strapped to what essentially a carapace with proper precision. Others held a book, filled with words of power and could channel the elements through its pages, promising an unpleasant end.
The sight of them clamped her heart with ice, they could kill her anytime they wanted.
She needed to get out.
How?
The space that emptiness would have to be drawn towards would be too large to go unnoticed, not to mention that she wouldn't be able to do it here, anyways. If escape was possible, the God would have to hide forever, Celestia likely hadn't changed in their unpredictability, she was not going to put her life up to chance.
There was no way to survive the bloodthirsty mob of Abyssal Creatures that would gladly eat her alive, and the Land of Wrath wouldn't leave any trace that she existed behind.
The only person that seemed to be capable of holding back the burning desire for revenge happens to be their leader, not the best source of help.
You overestimate your value to the Abyss Order, Goddess.
But help wasn't exactly what they had in mind, anyways.
Time to find out how valuable she actually was.
First, location. He wouldn't be here for nothing, the Prince of the Abyss was looking for something, or someplace.
Squinting her eyes, she realized that the streams of bricks were not bricks, but books. An unfathomable amount of books, climbing up each pillar that stood. The Outlander was headed to a specific one in particular, might as well figure out what was there.
The Traveller paused at the base of the spiral, reaching into pure darkness that wasn't there a moment ago. Similarly, around halfway to the very peak, his hand reached out for one of the many books that slept.
There!
I quickly command the emptiness of the land to a spot near the strange portal of dusk. The sudden shift in effort made my head spin, costing me a large chunk of time as I regained my bearings, inspecting the books that he needed.
Maps, he is going somewhere.
A second more of observing the disembodied hand gave away its objective.
Mondstadt. I can work with that.
The tomes that were right next to the one he wanted still instilled the same amount of intrigue in her head, catching up was never a bad thing.
The most worn out among the row of books carried a map of Fontaine, with the Abyss Order's unhealthy hatred for Celestia, perhaps the Heavens had shifted after her defeat.
Without hesitation the tome was seized and the pages were immediately ransacked by the God as gracefully as possible, confirming her suspicions. Did they move because of the Outlander, or because of the nation they wiped out?
Nonetheless, it was irrelevant. She could be safe in Mondstadt, if only temporarily, the only problem left was whether the Prince genuinely saw her as valuable or not.
The Sustainer of Heavenly Principles dropped the book into the desolate void between emptiness, she would delve into the rest of its contents later.
They should be back right about now, unless he reads over there too...
Wait. There was another book there, it's title not matching the rest, and that alone made it intriguing enough.
Like a dragon about to swallow her whole, the large stone doors shifted, dust falling on the Traveller's blonde hair as he made his way to the "throne".
Now or never.
Since returning from limbo and having one extensive passive-aggressive conversation with the mysterious man, she haven't the slightest idea on how to approach the enigma that was the Outlander, but there's no time like the present.
Of course, there was also the past, where his companion was taken from him by her, given to Celestia on a silver platter and ridding him of the wings of the stars, stranding the Traveller on a completely new world.
The more she thought about it, the more the realization that he never took his pain out on her grew in terror the more the thought dwelled, how long would it be until he did?
She'd have to forget about it for the moment, the answer was literally a step away.
I clear my throat, raising my voice beyond the tone she usually uses to communicate with others, the sound immediately catching his attention, as there was no one else in the room.
"Mondstadt?" A horrible way to start, but getting started on digging into what he was doing would work.
The Traveller didn't answer, seemingly waiting for me to go again, as if she could without appearing nervous to him, showing weakness would do no good.
Calm down. Get straight to the point.
"Bring me with you."
He didn't say anything, instead raising an eyebrow, but no sign of outright denial, this could work if she strung her words properly.
"You want me to give information on Celestia? I'll share one piece after this is done."
I continued, partially anticipating to be seeing the edge of a blade again.
That seemed to be enough to tip things in her favor, but there was absolutely no way he'd fold so fast.
The Prince was deep in thought, no doubt at least considering her proposition, constellations idly floated about his form, whether it was a display of authority, or just something he did unconsciously, she didn't know.
"...Give me information now, and I'll do so, after that, give me another piece. Nothing more, nothing less." He stated, leaving no room for negotiation.
"Fine." The Goddess wasn't about to hesitate, especially if this was all it took to be away from here, even if it didn't last forever.
I have to move first, choose what to give.
Without skipping a beat, the Sustainer made her way towards the behind of the so called throne, leaning forwards inspecting the book he was reading, finding exactly what she needed.
The confused stare he gave her as she was essentially right next to him was noticed, but ignored, the idea of what to disclose to him grew and bore fruit, almost literally.
"There." My index finger landed on Windrise, specifically the tree, where an ascension took place, she'd also met the Lionfang Knight a few times, though never for long.
"This is where Vanessa ascended to Celestia, discarding her mortality for divinity to watch over Mondstadt forever." I explained, though by the look on his face, he already knew this.
"Even after her ascension, she was still seen as inferior compared to Gods of natural origin, Deities like Vanessa guard the lower parts of Celestia from any intruders." I explained further, standing up straight and giving an expectant look at the man.
He appeared... shocked? The notion that she would just give information like that was absurd, even to herself, it caught him off guard too, eliciting a weak chuckle that the Traveller wouldn't hear.
"...Very well." The Prince recovered quickly, extending a hand towards her, to which she looked at with caution, it was better to stay on the safe end of the spectrum in terms of trusting the Traveller.
He unsurprisingly expected this, but only reached out the smallest of margind further, not saying a word, yet the gesture said enough.
'Are you coming or not?'
I carefully place my hand in his, which did nothing as nausea swam across my body, her eyes failed to truly comprehend what was going on, only able to interpret an endless streak of colors she couldn't recognize, the God's body felt light as a feather, but not like the blissful sensation of the nothingness in her home.
As quickly as the unpleasant experience came did it go, leaving behind a tree she was somewhat familiar with, as the Sustainer witnessed its creation herself.
The sun was setting in the horizon, a sight she hadn't seen since her imprisonment, the star a reminder of what the encounter had taken from them all.
Under a low hanging branch sat a man, a bard, to be more specific, the colors of the winds of freedom covered his clothing like a parasite, and she could see an Anemo vision glow proudly in the shade, enough to conceal to the true identity of the person before her to the average person, perhaps, but she was not average.
Their eyes met, a calm breeze met my unnatural blue, and that conveyed enough words to the Anemo Archon before her.
She couldn't say that the next word to come out of their mouth was conveyed to her, though.
"Asmodeus?"
.
...There is no exception in this library...
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AN:
Hello there!