CHAPTER 16:

TWO WIZARDS, THREE ARCHONS, A TRAVELLER, AND A PAIMON

On the way back, Harry relayed what he had gone through, albeit in brief, to his godfather. Sirius scowled at the thought of the Horcrux in Harry's scar, even if he was relieved that it was removed. He was also relieved that Remus was still alive, and married to Tonks.

Sirius, after hearing about how Harry came to Teyvat, and about Nahida's rescue, chuckled. "Only you, Harry. That being said, try not to take anything you hold against Lumine out on Aether. Aether's a good kid. He reminds me of you in some regards."

"I'll try," Harry said, even as they made it back to Tighnari's hut, and the fox-eared researcher began mixing up a medicine. "But where the hell did you come from, Sirius? Where were you all this time?"

"Inazuma, which is basically this world's equivalent of Japan," Sirius said. "Long story short, after I went through the Veil, I ended up in the Plane of Euthymia, a mental world Ei uses for meditation."

"…Ei?" Harry asked.

"That's the real name of the Raiden Shogun…well, the current one, anyway," Sirius said.

"Could you please elaborate, Sirius?" Nahida asked. "Is this Ei the successor to the original?"

"…More like half of the original," Sirius said. "Long story short, the Raiden Shogun was originally twin sisters, Makoto and Ei. Makoto handled the actual governance and ruling, while Ei was the one who went out and fought the Electro Archon's foes, as well as acting as a body double."

"Only, the Cataclysm came, and Makoto died, yet another Archon casualty of that madness," Zhongli said solemnly, closing his golden eyes. "Ei was left to rule alone with little guidance. She became obsessed with pursuing Eternity, not knowing until Sirius came along that she was going against her sister's ideal of Eternity. Ei pursued permanence, whereas Makoto pursued transience."

"It took a long wooing, but I eventually won her heart," Sirius said. "However, I'd lost most of my memories. I only remembered clearly that I had been about to leave Hogwarts. But I had flashes of my time in Azkaban. Otherwise…well, if I had known, I would have tried to come home, or else rescue Nahida myself."

"It would have made for an interesting tale, though not as interesting as yours, Harry," Venti said with a smile, strumming a lyre he had.

"Okay, so…why come to Sumeru?" Harry asked.

"Aether wanted to see if the Dendro Archon knew anything more about his sister's whereabouts and agenda, as well as the deity who sealed them away in the first place," Sirius said.

"In addition, we had intelligence that one of the Fatui Harbingers had been seen heading for Sumeru," Zhongli said.

"Il Dottore?" Harry asked.

Zhongli shook his head. "No, though I would not be surprised, given what I heard from Tartaglia. No, it's Scaramouche, the Balladeer."

"…Does he do the fandango?" Harry asked facetiously.

Venti smirked, and began playing notes on his harp that Harry recognised as coming from Bohemian Rhapsody. Specifically, the bit about Scaramouche. "I see the little silhouetto of a man…" he sang.

"Again with that song Sirius taught you," Zhongli sighed in irritation. "But Scaramouche is no joke. He was once a puppet, an automaton created by Ei to house her soul, a prototype spare body, if you will. But he began showing a life and will of his own, so she left him to his own devices. She meant well, but he took it as abandonment, and was manipulated into joining the Harbingers, where he assumed the name of Scaramouche."

"And he's no joke," Paimon said. "He's scary, even when he looks as young as the Tone-Deaf Bard here!"

"That's rich, coming from the Emergency Food," Venti said with a smirk.

Paimon stamped her foot in a mid-air tantrum. "PAIMON IS NOT EMERGENCY FOOD! STOP SAYING THAT, TONE-DEAF BARD!"

"Keep it down, please. My ears are sensitive," Tighnari said irritably, before waving a jar filled with something under Aether's nose. The young man groaned, his golden eyes fluttering open, and he sat up, wincing.

"Aether! You're awake!" Paimon yelped, swooping down and giving Aether a hug.

"Hey, take it easy," Tighnari said. "He had a bad reaction to Haypasia's incense." He then looked at Aether. "I'm Tighnari, Chief Officer of the Forest Watchers, and you're in my hut in Gandharva Ville. How do you feel?"

"…Like I was eaten up by Dvalin and came out the other end," Aether said, his voice soft and gentle, before he returned Paimon's hug, rubbing her back soothingly. "It's okay, Paimon. It's okay."

"Here, take this," Tighnari said, handing Aether a vial filled with the medicine he created. Aether, after a moment's hesitation, drank it. "Hopefully, that will mitigate the worst of the effects. The incense the researchers looking to connect with Irmunsul is pretty strong stuff."

"Thanks," Aether said, before looking up at the others. "…Sorry, who are these people?"

"That is my apprentice and student, Collei," Tighnari said, indicating Collei, who waved nervously.

"…Collei?" Aether asked. "Oh, Amber told me about you!"

"And she sent me letters about you," Collei said, smiling shyly.

"But…these two? Who are they?" Aether asked.

"This is Harry Potter," Nahida said. "And I am called Nahida. Though I am also known as Kusanali, the Dendro Archon."

Aether stared, while Paimon boggled. "WHAAAT?! This is Lesser Lord Kusanali?!" Paimon yelled.

Harry stepped forward. "No, she is Kusanali, not Lesser Lord Kusanali!" he snapped at the fairy-like creature. "Don't say that like she is lesser than her predecessor!"

"WAAH! AETHER, HELP!" Paimon yelped, hiding behind the golden-haired traveller.

Aether turned to glare at Harry. "Don't frighten Paimon!"

Harry glared at Aether in his turn, before sighing as Nahida sent him a pointed look, his anger ebbing away. "…Sorry, I just…get so angry at people calling my sister lesser. It's been like that from the moment she was born, so you'll forgive me if I'm more than a little touchy about that."

After a moment, Aether nodded, his own expression calming. "I get that. Paimon means well, but she has no filter at times. Besides, Padfoot…I mean, Sirius, he told me quite a bit about you and your relationship with Nahida, at least once he regained his memories. I used to have as strong a relationship with my own sister, before…well…let's just say we're not on the best of terms."

"I know. I've met her," Harry said. "She's the reason I ended up in Teyvat. She was trying to cause trouble on my world."

"Is she?" Aether winced. "…I should have known. We've been to Earth before. Before we were stranded on Teyvat by that goddess, we'd travelled to many worlds, including a few versions of Earth. Sorry. But we have more urgent things to talk about, especially with your sister."

"Indeed," Nahida said. "Sorry about my brother's temper, but he is very protective of me."

Sirius then said, "Actually, Harry, maybe you could cook something for Paimon as a peace offering?"

Harry blinked, wondering what he meant by that, but suddenly, the fairy-like being had flown right up to him, her eyes even starrier than usual, her earlier fear gone. "Oh! Oh! Oh! Can you make Fisherman's Toast? Jade Parcels? Sweet Madame?"

"Calm down, Paimon," Sirius said with a chuckle. "He can cook plenty of things, right?"

Harry groaned. What had he gotten himself into now?

It was getting late, so Harry and Nahida opted to stay at Gandharva Ville overnight, using the Communications Mirror to notify the Homayanis and Dehya what was going on. Dunyarzad and Dehya were staying at the Homayani pied-a-terre in Sumeru City while the former was organising the Sabzeruz Festival. And Harry helped cook a meal for the gathering, a mild curry. Mild, because of Tighnari's intolerance for hot spices.

It was actually amusing to see Paimon gorge herself on food. Harry actually felt bad about snapping at her earlier. Although surprisingly smart in some ways, Paimon was also rather child-like, and hurting her felt like kicking a puppy. Though that didn't stop Venti from teasing her, and Paimon returning fire with her own insults. Zhongli was enjoying himself in his own quiet way, a faint smile touching his lips as he held forth with Tighnari on some issue or other. Harry was sandwiched between Sirius and Nahida, while Aether was sitting near Paimon, calming the pixie-like girl down after her latest spat with Venti.

But afterwards, Aether asked to see Nahida, with Harry coming along, as did Paimon, Sirius opting to wait until later for a more in-depth reunion. They walked to the outskirts of Gandharva Ville, not far from the Statue of Seven. After they arrived, Aether sighed. "Okay, so…Nahida, how much do you know about me?"

Nahida frowned. "Until earlier, when you confirmed you came from another world, not that much. Admittedly, I pieced together your feats from information fed into the Akasha System, along with what had been entered into Katheryne."

"…Katheryne? The receptionist of the Adventurers' Guild?" Paimon asked.

"She's an automaton, a robot if you know that that means, one whom I could connect to and read her memory banks," Nahida said. "I gathered that you unusually had the ability to wield the elements without a Vision, that you were searching for your sister, and that you were being accompanied by Paimon, along with Venti and Zhongli, whom I suspected to be the Anemo and Geo Archons respectively. Since being freed, I have learned more. You and your twin sister Lumine were travellers between worlds. However, you were separated, and while you were sealed until, I assume, recently, Lumine somehow ended up becoming the leader or at least high up in the hierarchy of the Abyss Order. One of our sources is Dainsleif, if that name means anything to you."

"Yeah, it does," Aether said. "I…I don't know what possessed my sister to do this, literally or figuratively. But I'm trying to find whatever answers I can. When Sirius told me about your being imprisoned…well, it was all I could do not to head to Sumeru right away. However, we had many things to deal with, cleaning up messes in both Inazuma and Liyue, and I thought I could do it when I arrived here. Honestly, I'm glad to see that you have been freed already. I thought one of the Seven may have been the goddess who attacked Lumine and I, but Zhongli clarified that she was Asmoday."

"The attack dog of Celestia," Nahida said solemnly. "Or, to use her more formal title, the Sustainer of the Heavenly Principles. I only know of her through records my predecessor left behind."

Aether nodded. "I…I'll be happy for whatever information you can give me, about Celestia, about the other Archons, about my sister and the Abyss Order, about Khaenri'ah. And I'm willing to help you." He looked away. "After learning of what my sister has been doing…I was in a bad way. I only went to Inazuma to learn more about Ei and Celestia, not to get involved in the civil war…until I saw what the Delusions were doing to the people wielding them." Aether's fist clenched. "I decided…I was already embroiled in Teyvat's affairs. I might as well do what I can to help their people, especially given the threat from the Abyss Order and the Fatui. And after hearing what happened to you…"

"…It's not just me that was in danger. Irmunsul is in serious danger," Nahida said, to the shock of Paimon, as well as Aether. She then explained what little she knew of Irmunsul's plight, and its connections to the Withering and Eleazar, as well as the Divine Knowledge Capsules.

Aether blinked. "…Wait…when I was affected by the incense…I saw a strange tree…and then, I heard a woman's voice say 'World…forget me', just like the Village Keepers did. I'm not sure why I wasn't affected by…well, whatever this corruption is."

"I believe it's for the same reason you can channel the elements without a Vision or Gnosis," Nahida said, frowning. "You are alien to Teyvat, and thus can potentially break or bend many of its laws. Still, that is useful information to my investigation, Aether. If what you claim is true, then the entity within the Village Keepers is female, and while I cannot rule out any other beings, that means that this entity may be either my predecessor, or the Goddess of Flowers, Nabu Malikata."

"…I see. Well, Tighnari said he wanted to keep me under observation for a couple of days, just make sure there's no further side effects from the incense. We could discuss what to do in the meantime," Aether said.

"And Paimon would love to eat more of your cooking, Harry!" Paimon said with a grin. "Maybe you can teach Aether how to cook some recipes from your world or from Sumeru."

"Sure," Harry said. "Though…Aether, how did you meet Paimon?"

"Oh, uhhh…it's a long story," Aether said, chuckling nervously. "After the seal on me was broken, well, I made myself a fishing rod to catch fish from the sea near Mondstadt. Paimon had nearly drowned, and I'd fished her out. Since then, she's been my guide and travelling companion."

"And not Emergency Food!" Paimon declared vehemently.

Harry blinked. "Umm…why does she have a trigger about that?"

"…I, uhh…I made a joke about that once. Just a silly joke, but…Venti heard about it, and he loves needling Paimon," Aether said.

Paimon pouted. "As do you, Aether."

Nahida peered at the floating being. "I have to say, Paimon, I'm not sure I've ever seen someone like you before. Don't get me wrong, learning is an ongoing process, a journey that may never end, but you're unique."

"Of course Paimon is unique! Paimon is Paimon!" Paimon declared, before floating down to meet her eyes. "Still…Paimon can't imagine what it was like to be caged for five hundred years. Well, Aether was like that, but he was sleeping the whole time. But you…are you okay?"

"As okay as I can be," Nahida said. "But thank you, Paimon, and you too, Aether, for your concern. And for your help too. I…I appreciate it. I'll do what I can to answer your questions now, okay? I may not be able to answer all of them, but I will do my best to answer as many as possible."

"It can wait until morning," Aether said quietly, rubbing his head. "I'm still a little woozy from the incense. Besides, I've kept you from Sirius long enough. If it's any comfort…Harry, I'm sorry for what my sister did to you."

"…Look, it's fine, or as much as it can be," Harry said. "Don't get me wrong, if I ever see her again, I will end her. But…you don't have to apologise for her actions. I'm still getting used to you looking like her, and I've been burned too many times by those whom I thought were my allies not to keep an eye on you anyway. But I'm sorry you had to go through that, learning what your sister is doing."

"…I dunno whether she's been taken over by something, or she's undertaking some scheme to try and do something more, but…I'm probably being too optimistic," Aether said with a sigh. "Anyway, I'd better get to bed. And Harry? Nahida? I'm glad to have met both of you."

And so, with those words, said with a sad smile, Aether left, Paimon trailing after him, though the fairy-like being gave them a wave of farewell. Harry looked to Nahida. "Can we trust him?"

"…I think so. I know that, even without this situation going on, I would have told him what he wanted to know…well, as much as I can without drawing attention from Celestia or the Sages," Nahida said, before she looked at him. "But I think Lumine was right in one thing. You and he are much alike. You have your saving people thing, after all."

Harry wasn't so sure, but that was probably paranoia and caution born of his misadventures. That, and Nahida, while still being wise enough to fill the shoes of the Goddess of Wisdom, was still a bit too naïve, in his opinion. Too willing to believe the best of people.

True, Harry was fairly certain Aether was not like Lumine. But he had been wrong before. He just hoped this time, he was right…

CHAPTER 16 ANNOTATIONS:

So, some discussions, and some tension between Harry and Aether. Don't worry, we'll get back to Sirius in the next chapter.

Review-answering time! Aerodactyl999: …Qiqi is nibbling on Ganyu? Okay, I thought Qiqi learned what the Cocogoat really was by now. As for my views on all the playable characters, well, if I did so, there'd be more annotations than story in this chapter, so I'll restrict it to a summary of what I think of the four introduced Archons aside from Nahida. Fair warning, my opinions are not at all flattering…

VENTI: The lazy, irresponsible drunkard. This is someone whose apathy led to the rise of La Signora, and who seems to champion freedom because it means he is free from responsibility to do anything. Hell, I reckon he could have fixed the problem with Dvalin a lot easier and behind the scenes before things went to shit the way they did. The fact that he has you do all the dirty work and leaves you to carry the can only compounds it.

ZHONGLI: The cowardly mooch with bloodstained hands. At first, his idiocy with money was the main annoying thing. And then, you learn that he is giving over his Gnosis to the very people who engineered the near-destruction of Liyue Harbour. And giving the Gnosis, something that could very well be modified into a weapon of destruction against Celestia, to the Tsaritsa is the very height of stupidity. After all, Celestia is known for disproportionate retribution. They might spare those who either had their Gnoses stolen (Venti and Ei), or at least ensured the enemy paid a high price for them (Nahida), but Zhongli showed his belly and willingly gave it over while discarding his responsibilities.

What's more, after playing his story chapters, I remain unconvinced that he actually wasn't responsible for Havria's demise, even if it was indirectly by manipulating her followers to kill her off (my theory is that she broke a contract with him, even if well-meaning, and you know how much Zhongli hates having contracts with him broken). The timing for him telling Wanyan the so-called 'truth' is highly suspicious, at the moment she, in his eyes (and nobody else's), breaks the so-called 'contract' with him. I get the feeling he told a lie to her out of sheer spite, just to hurt her. The only actual source we have for Havria's fate is Zhongli. Yes, Roald the Adventurer's diary also claims this, but where did he learn that from? Zhongli, I'd bet.

EI: The unfeeling tyrant. While her 'abandoning' of Scaramouche was cruel, it was out of well-meant stupidity rather than malice. However, her actions during the Vision Hunt Decree show her to be not only stupid enough to take the Decree at face value, but that she genuinely does not care about the suffering she is forcing her people through, all in the name of 'Eternity'. She doesn't even try to negotiate or feel out the morale of the populace. And clearly ill feeling against her from the populace (especially at Watatsumi Island) has been mounting for some time. At least the story chapters go some way to showing she can change, and for the better.

What's more, I actually blame Yae Miko for a lot of what went on too. For someone who supposedly runs a spy network, and who is supposed to be Ei's friend, she shows herself to be anything but her friend, or someone who works for the good of Inazuma. If her spy network was so good, she could have nipped the Fatui's plans in the bud, and/or approached Ei and tempered her worst tendencies. Hell, how could she not end up in the Plane of Euthymia to give Ei a piece of her mind. Instead, she's content to let things happen for her sadistic entertainment, and to sneer at her supposed friend for her trauma, claiming she's having a juvenile 'temper tantrum'. In other words, Yae Miko is a bitch, and no friend of Ei's at all.

FURINA/FOCALORS: Genderflipped Robespierre/Caligula. It's early days yet, as the Fontaine chapter gets released in two days as of writing this. But given that Fontaine seems to be based on France, and that there's a weird legal system, and that Nahida says that Focalors has a 'unique' personality, I'm guessing Furina is a bloodthirsty little shit who has stepped right out of the annals of the Reign of Terror of the French Revolution. Her appearances in the trailers so far have done nothing to contradict this view. The fact that the Oceanids fucked off from Fontaine when she took power, and that Rhodeia of Loch actually believes assassins would be sent after her (something she says when you confront her), is telling.

No numbered annotations this time.