"Asmodeus?"
The bard, who had just been playing as if all was right in the world, looked at the person next to him in shock. The Goddess who went by the name Asmodeus wasn't faring any better, either, her eyes glazed over as she blocked the world out, the utterance of what was once their name enough to send the God's consciousness back to the mind.
"Excuse me?" With the mention of the Godly name, he was sure that the man before him was Barbatos, but it never hurt to be sure.
The Archon seemed to finally notice his existence and gave him a cautious look, seeing as he did lead cursed people of a fallen nation to fight against the Gods, or at least that was what they knew, but to fight Celestia was to fight its Archons, he needed to ensure the Gnoses couldn't shackle them any longer.
Aether's left eye was twitching, uncomfortably so, which at least confirmed that the Gnosis was still there.
"Greetings, Prince of the Abyss, I'm..." For a second there, Barbatos looked ready to kill him, but the facade crumbled faster than the Archon could finish their next word, a sheepish smile breaking out.
"...I'm Barbatos, but call me Venti instead, thank you for helping Dvalin." Venti's words felt sincere, so he had no choice but to do the same, in whatever twisted manner Aether could manage.
"...I'm Aether."
"A man of few words, that's fine, what about your friend? Is she okay?" The Anemo Archon turned to the Sustainer of Heavenly Principles, who was still in a trance, showing no signs of breaking it, not that he cared at the moment.
"You called her Asmodeus, have you met before?" I asked, cursing internally for not realizing it sooner, perhaps it would be easier to convince the stubborn Goddess with someone of their past. Or perhaps his subconscious rejected anything that involved bringing her here without a price.
As for 'Asmodeus', the energy The Dark Sea had sapped from her unprepared form still didn't show any signs of recovering, the invisible miasma of The Dark Sea covered the God in the smallest of layers, affecting none but her.
"Yeah! Though I can barely remember after so long, it's nothing more than a blur at this point." Venti's eyes were deep in thought, and a metaphorical light flared to life atop his head.
"Right! I remember the scary glow of her orange eyes, so dull, so trapped... What happened to her?"
"I'll try to explain it later, what did you bring me here for? Dvalin?"
The Anemo Archon nodded grimly, asking a question which he never wanted to answer.
"Not just that, the ones who corrupted him are under your command, are they not?" Venti inquired, casting a suspicious glance towards the peculiar duo, but even that wasn't enough to snap the Goddess out of her dilemma.
"When I took control of the Order two hundred years ago, I did so through force, many did not agree with my point of view, it seems some of them still disagree."
That seemed enough to satisfy the Archon, who sat down on top of a root, humming to himself as Venti thought things through, or so Aether hoped.
"That..." A distressed whisper from the Traveller's left grabbed his attention, to which the source ignored, too caught up in whatever caused her strange actions to notice.
He was about to use the Replica of the Statue of the Seven he had created, but decided not to. Showing off the fact that Aether took the secrets of the shrines of the Archons in front of an actual Archon is questionable.
A copy can never beat the original, anyways.
"Is it okay if we use your statue?" I turned towards Venti, who only responded with an affirmative hum, still thinking.
His gaze met the shrine, focusing on the elemental energy that surrounded and made up the mysterious internals of the statue, funneling the aimless power into the sluggish Sustainer, who slowly began to look at ease.
It served to rid Asmodeus of whatever headache she dealt with, but it only amplified his as he watched the calming yet mysterious blue aura of the Goddess surround her, she could escape right now, but was unaware of it at the moment.
He made a mental note to bring anything that contained the sinister miasma of The Dark Sea, she must not escape as long as Aether had a use for the God.
"You..." Said God mumbled, the encounter of the two deities brought forth memories that had been suppressed, even her name.
Did she do this to herself, or...
The more likely answer hung in his mind, but was shoved away, the matter at hand was more relevant.
"We meet again, Asmodeus, to think that this traveller happened upon you."
Venti reintroduced himself to the Sustainer, who finally regained enough awareness to return to their mask of indifference.
"You're Barbatos." That mask couldn't hide the incredulity in her voice.
"The one and only."
"And you requested this man's help because..."
"That..." Venti sheepishly scratched their head, the message the bard sent to him without even looking at him was clear as the wind.
Please don't kill me.
Whether it was serious, he didn't know, but Aether wasn't going to anyways. Unless the Archon gave a good reason to do so, at least.
"It's not that he's the best option I have, your companion here is the only option, in fact, I knew of his existence for quite a while, but I needed to be sure of your intentions."
...I see.
An individual that had no real connections to Teyvat, who was also capable of taking on Dvalin, and had similar motives to Barbatos? The odds were heavily stacked against Venti, finding another like the Traveller would be impossible.
"...I see, what do you need me to do, then?" The Prince questioned.
"First, I need my Lyre back, it's kept deep inside the church of Mondstadt, can you get it without sending the Knights of Favonius into a panic?"
"How many guards are there? What's the layout of the area? It's going to take a while if I start from scratch."
To that, the Archon had no answer, a look of mild dissapointment spread across his deceptively young features.
"I was just assuming you could use whatever your... subordinates did to travel around, did they not appear from thin air a while ago?" Venti asked, his shoulders sagging.
"To do so, there has to be pre-existing knowledge of the area, I can't go somewhere unknown." Aether explained.
There was silence as the two mulled over how limited their options really were, even more so with Dvalin's time running out.
Maybe I should just break in there.
The Traveller is the leader of an organization seen as nothing but pure evil, another crime wouldn't be too out of place.
"What a tedious limitation." Sneered an unexpected voice.
Both God and Outlander snapped their heads towards Asmodeus, who sat on a tree root with a smile that radiated smugness at its peak.
...What?
"You can do it?" Barbatos was the first to regain their bearings, looking at the Goddess with hope twinkling in his eyes.
"Of course, but..." Her blue eyes of twilight found their target in me.
"You'll owe me one."
Of course it isn't that simple.
Should he take the offer? Being in the good graces of Barbatos is a must, but declining would smash that requirement to pieces, on the other end, being in the debt of the Sustainer of Heavenly Principles is dangerous.
...She knows the limits I set in place for these, it should be fine.
"Fine."
Her smirk never left, even as she closed her eyes and began to focus.
Having an idea of what exactly Asmodeus could do would benefit him, too, now that he thought about it. Or was the Traveller trying to justify the horrible decision that was just made?
The Prince ultimately decided that backing out was not an option, however, and ultimately decided on being a spectator.
The wind ceased humming its breezy melody, opting instead to silently scream in terror at what was to come, the Statue of the Seven shed an invisible tear as an emissary of Khaenri'ah's end returned.
The laws that binded Teyvat were powerless against the invisible hands of the unknown, a tiny rift alike to the ones the Abyss Order used willed itself into existence, but this was... off.
It wasn't just that he could only see black, there was no light reflecting from the inside in the first place. If it weren't for the bright blue aura that outlined the horror, it would be like staring at a black hole.
The Abyssal magic they used just connected space together, while the Musou no Hitotachi tore through space and froze time. This, even at its weakest, bent the space around it so existence was even possible, looking into it was looking into darkness that even time couldn't exist in, a whole different plane of existence.
That was how he could interpret it, anyways.
The smile on the Sustainer's face as she stared at what should not exist was almost sad, an eerie longing in her azure eyes.
Beyond the infinite void of the anomaly, another opening showed itself, but something was actually visible through this one, pearly white stone elegantly carved without signs of holding back, fitting for the city of freedom.
They were almost like tree roots, rising up from the ground and forming a pedestal that only held one object. The Holy Lyre de Himmel of Barbatos.
Its power was faint, centuries of negligence from the owner taking a toll on the divine instrument, the strings that played the requiem of those who were crushed underneath Decarabian's rule had long lost the winds of rebellion that resided within, making the artifact feel incomplete.
Without skipping a beat, Asmodeus reached into the oblivion of her creation and took hold of the Lyre, took it realms in an instant, and handed it to Venti, who immediately took it off her hands, inspecting his prized possession.
"It's drained..." The Archon let out a dissapointed sigh, shaking his head.
"What would it take to restore they Lyre?" I asked, an idea already forming in my head.
"Concentrated Anemo would do the trick, but I doubt you have-"
The Traveller took out the tear he acquired from Dvalin, free from all taint.
"-Any lying around..." Venti finished, letting out an exasperated sigh.
"When Dvalin left this behind, it was still corrupted," I explained, trudging towards the bard and his downcast Lyre.
As the condensed energy got closer, the instrument grew hungry, quickly siphoning the solid Anemo, making it shrink until the stone was no more. In return, the Holy Lyre der Himmel regained some color, albeit a different shade than what was depicted in the books the Prince read.
"I don't know how it purged the poison, but we know it works for the Lyre now." The Traveller finished, the goal was clear.
As much as he hated to admit it, Asmodeus really saved a lot of time.
The aforementioned Goddess had cooled down at last, though a knowing look of mockery still shined in her eyes. Oh, how he wanted to get rid of that annoying glint.
"Any idea on where to find more?" The question was mostly a farce, he knew who could make something to find the tears, Albedo had made him plenty of Oculi resonance stones, this wouldn't be that different.
The Knights of Favonius are too busy defending Mondstadt, they wouldn't have found any.
But...
The Fatui have taken an interest in Dvalin, surely they are at least aware of these?
"Nevermind. Let's go."
"Where, exactly?"
"A Fatui hideout, they're the most likely people to have gotten their hands on these." I held out a hand to Venti, who didn't hesitate to take it.
Begrudgingly, I did the same for Asmodeus, who abruptly caught his, which had moved so quickly it sent goosebumps into his hand.
In the blink of an eye, they left Windrise, reappearing near the Temple of the Lion, the mournful winds of time slowly tearing the place apart as the moon witnessed the carnage, unable to help.
My mind tood still, not a single unnecessary drop spilt into the tranquil lake, the turquoise light that represented anemo faded, replaced by blue as deep as the ocean.
Wash over.
The spot they occupied was drenched in Hydro, drawing complaints from his two Godly companions, but he ignored them for now.
Rather than seeping into their clothes, the water hovered just above them, refracting light in such a way they were almost truly invisible unless they were right in front of those without elemental sight.
"Let's go." I march into the open gates of the 'abandoned' temple, not expecting a reply.
The corridor that connected the entrance into the main chamber was affected by time the most, the constant stress of visitors, along with age turned the tiles on the floor into dust, intertwined with the dirt it once covered. Two doorways stood on opposite sides, making stealth impossible if Fatui were in both rooms.
The walls were in much better shape, despite all the torches that illuminated the place being long gone. Even so, jagged scars ran along the old stone.
Venti looked upon the decrepit shrine with sadness, his grip on the Holy Lyre tightened, one of his last connections to the past, perhaps the only one if they didn't save Dvalin.
Such ties to the land they stood upon didn't exist to the Fatui however, their footsteps too mixed with eachother to figure out which was which without direct line of sight. It was enough to discern their general location, however, and so they went left.
The choice was proven correct, in the form of an oblivious Fatuus who tried their best to keep watch for intruders and almost succeeded, if it weren't for the water that hid them from sight and muffled their noises, the entire temple would've had to go up in flames.
They backed up against the wall as much as physically possible, and began their survey of the area. Very much like Albedo's tent, specialized equipment meant for experimentation on the poison was arranged in an orderly fashion. Judging from the light the poison they collected gave off, they've already figured it out.
Seems like the temple has to burn anyways, this cannot be in the hands of Fatui.
The few Fatui that were in the building weren't pushover, either, each one of them had a delusion, but they were currently inactive, he'd have to choose who to pick off wisely.
The Traveller felt a light tap on his shoulder, the source presumably coming from Barbatos, Asmodeus wouldn't be so gentle, right?
"Leave it to me." The prince's hunch was confirmed.
In place of the old, new winds gathered within the temple, the Fatui remained unaware of the invisible vortex that grew, about to free the dilapidated temple from their hands.
By the time they realized the phenomenon, it was too late, the pulse of Anemo knocked them all of their feet, then returned to their origin, bringing all the helpless Fatui to the center of the room.
He'd already summoned his blade before the Traveller realized it, making a mad dash for the pile of dazed soldiers and disintegrating them with a single swipe, draining the weapon by a smaller margin, having stored more Starlight after the previous battle.
I slowed down and began to take the cured Anemo, passing whatever I couldn't hold to Asmodeus and Venti, who began feeding them to the Lyre, pleasant chimes played whenever it regained energy.
After sorting through everything they could find, the Holy Lyre de Himmel was almost at its full strength, the aura the instrument surrounded itself with brought a cool breeze into the temple, perhaps comforting an old acquaintance.
Aether kept one, though. The black sheep of the herd, still corrupt with Durin's taint.
"Stop." A voice that wasn't any of theirs stated, smooth but stern, it came from the shadows that surrounded them, still alive despite the energy the Lyre banished others with.
Aether was careless, the watery veil that hid them had dispersed when they began their attack, leaving them vulnerable.
"What is your purpose here?" The Prince was starting to get an idea of where the mysterious intruder was, he'd make the first move the moment the position was known.
"That's...!" The hidden man saw the Holy Lyre de Himmel, or Aether thought so, given their reaction.
The room suddenly got a lot hotter, what he thought was a bird flying over them was Pyro energy, exploding behind them and filling the chamber with smoke, obstructing their vision.
Then came the footsteps, the attacker sprinted straight to where Venti was last seen, likely aiming for the Lyre.
In response, Barbatos dispersed the smokescreen, revealing their fiery opponent, a red haired man, wielding a greatsword covered in flames. Undeterred by their cover being blown, they fearlessly ran at the bard, hand outstretched for the divine instrument.
"Enough." A lone finger plucked a string, releasing a burst of Anemo strong enough to push the man back, his eyes analyzing the God in disguise.
"You are?" The greatsword was pointed in Venti's direction, flames licking hungrily at the air, craving for something else.
Barbatos' eyes looked at me, this time, the message was serious.
Stay back.
Asmodeus just idly looked at the confrontation, already aware of what was going down. What was about to unfold had already been deduced by his thoughts, but it didn't mean he agreed with the Archon's next choice.
"Just a bard."
"A bard can't steal the Holy Lyre de Himmel." The flames on the red haired man's blade shone brighter, agitated.
"A sword cannot calm a dragon." Venti's response was as cool as a breeze, unflinching in the path of the flames of an owl.
In response, the Pyro shrank, but still remained, the owner's resolve wavering with the heat they commanded.
"You claim you can?"
"I know I can."
The flames finally receded, returning to the wind it devoured, and the man lowered his greatsword, but not sheathing the mighty weapon.
"I'll ask you a few questions, first. Follow me." Barbatos, being the God of Freedom, bounded over to the conceding attacker without a care, motioning to lead the way.
Has nobody ever lied to these Archons before?
I broke into a light jog to catch up, while Asmodeus somehow already caught up with the two, despite the lack of any sounds she could have made.
Without looking back, the group left the temple, silent as can be, given what had just occurred.
The forest separated them from the sky and darkened their vicinity, dragging the shadows out of hiding once more, but one look with elemental sight signaled they were clear, conversation was safe.
"So, who are you, exactly?" Seems like the stranger knew that, too.
"I thought I told you?" Venti looked at him quizzically.
"Your vision is fake, it didn't react at all when you used Anemo. I'll ask again, who are you?" That made me bristle, they weren't playing around.
The poorly disguised Archon chuckled at that, scratching his head at the new battle he has to face.
"Guess I'm not very good at that..."
Wearing a smile as gentle as the wisps, Barbatos stood up straight, looking the man in the eye.
"I'm Barbatos, nice to meet you, descendant of Ragnvindr."
Ragnvindr. Red hair, a blade of flame.
It's he who interferes with our affairs.
His name was...
"Hm." Diluc Ragnvindr remained stoic as ever, his face showing a twitch of surprise, but nothing more. It reminded the Prince of...
Hm.
The rest of the trip was in an eerie silence.
The streets of Monsdtadt were deserted, the true implications of Dvalin's rampage now in the minds of the populace, the moon shines above the city, an omen of the terrors to come.
To those without that fear, sneaking through the city unseen was the easiest it has ever been, allowing his spies to reach as far as the headquarters of the Knights of Favonius, at the price of allowing the Fatui to do similar stunts.
The Angel's Share, a location he has heard of from the few times Aether entered Mondstadt, even if the visits were a decade or more apart from eachother, even if those who spoke its name were new, it didn't change the fact that it had garnered quite the reputation across its time.
The Ragnvindr quickly led them to a secretive table on the second floor, complet with drinks, how this was prepared in advance was something that confused even Aether.
"I suppose you have plan?" Diluc asked, raising an eyebrow.
"For the most part. Getting Dvalin to come isn't a problem, helping him in his current state is far more problematic." I answered, taking a sip of the wine, but set it down on the table right after, the taste was something he might never like.
"Do you know how to help him?"
"Yes, in the same manner that the Holy Lyre de Himmel restores itself, Dvalin can be cured in a similar way."
"It sounds too good to be true."
"The Lyre feeds on heavy concentrations of Anemo energy, the Fatui hideout we cleared had plenty, but not enough, we need more." It was too good to be true.
"Finding more can't be that difficult, Dvalin hasn't flown across all of Mondstadt, we can isolate-"
"Find more of what?" A feminine voice, solid as stone came from the side, he would've thought it was Asmodeus if it weren't for the woman who had asked the question already appeared in his peripheral vision, not a single inconsistency in her step.
Now that he was looking at her directly, his brain had panicked for a split second, emblazoned on her tunic for all to see, was the mark of Gunnhildr.
The timing couldn't be worse, both of them were enormous pains for the Abyssal Prince's agents to get past, and the amount of his subordinates they felled through their actions would soon be nearing the hundreds.
The Acting Grand Master ignored the silent Ragnvindr and set her sights on us, searching us from head to toe with an eye as gentle as dandelions.
As the Gunnhildr's gaze began to check me, we made eye contact, and he saw it.
There was hurt in her eyes, like himself five hundred years ago, perhaps it was still there till this day, Aether doesn't remember the last time he looked in the mirror.
This was the person who has been leading the Knights of Favonius since the expedition the Grand Master set out on, something he kept track of constantly, he should resent her.
Yet...
If someone's hurting, help them. If you're hurting, let someone help you.
His heart laughed, a cry devoid of mirth, seeing Makoto dead in that hell had turned what little peace he found away, and rarely has he acted upon the promises Aether made to the late Archon.
Why now?
It was a stupid question, he did know, most of his time in teyvat has been with the dead, their former bodies distorted and corrupted so much, the home they had reduced to nothing but a name and scrap metal, there wasn't any sadness in them, only wrath.
Yet at the same time, it was an excuse, he did see pain in someone else's eyes recently, the problem was that it was in the shining blue of the Sustainer of Heavenly Principles.
Lumine was the more forgiving of the two, bearing no hatred towards the countless worlds that rejected them, optimistic in dire situations, facing overwhelming odds with a smile.
"Apologies, I'm Jean Gunnhildr, may the Anemo Archon protect you." Jean Gunnhildr bowed, drawing a weak snicker from the actual Archon right next to him.
The tavern owner clicked his tongue,
desperately thinking of a reply to ward off the wild Knight of Favonius.
"..." Seems like even the Darknight Hero can't think on the fly so well. To be fair to the Prince's oblivious adversary, neither would he.
I looked at Venti, silently asking.
Should we?
A miniscule twitch of the head was all he recieved, unwanting to reveal the conversation ongoing.
Not yet.
Guess Aether has to think of an excuse too.
"...You have a plan, don't you?" Both Traveller and Ragnvindr's thoughts were halted by those six words, flabbergasted. Though for Aether, that would soon turn to curiosity once more.
The Gunnhildr gave Diluc a glare sharp enough to slice through whatever makeshift walls he could put up in a short amount of time, betrayal shining hauntingly in her eyes like the dead.
There was... quite the history hidden between the two of them.
"Does it involve the Holy Lyre de Himmel that was stolen?" Her attacks were swift and precise, knocking her red haired opponent off his feet before he could even recover.
"What reason would I have to steal it?"
Diluc's facial features were noticeably strained, his eyes on the woman in front of him, the rest of them were drowned out in the little bubble of Ragnvindr and Gunnhildr.
"What reason did you have to bring your sword with you a few hours ago?" She shot back, unrelenting, tenacious, such was Jean Gunnhildr.
The Acting Grand Master had them pinned down. Or it was more accurate to say she had him pinned down, the Darknight Hero didn't do the best of jobs to hide their identity. The best the ensnared owl could do was glare, an act of defiance Jean immediately returned.
"Uh, excuse me..." Venti butted in, unsure exactly how to intervene in the mental warfare between his nation's protectors. He seemed ready to kick the bucket and let the Gunnhildr in the know.
That seemed to knock the two contestants out of their stupor, blinking rapidly as they regained their bearings.
Jean apologized for the interruption right away, however, she refused to bow this time, the Knight of Favonius wasn't done yet. Diluc, on the other hand, remained silent, giving the bard a look of surprise at what he was planning to do.
"Guess there's no choice, we'll tell you about it..." Barbatos sighed in great
exasperation to drive the point home, and began to explain their half-baked plan. If it wasn't for the Archon drinking beforehand, then Jean probably would have a similar reaction to Diluc after all the slurred words.
Right now, she was sitting down on a newly added chair, eyes closed, hands clasped under her chin, processing what truth Venti could tell them without giving the Prince's true identity away.
"...I'll accept that for now." The Gunnhildr acquiesced, her eyelids slowly rose, showing the hurt beneath Jean's facade once again, but there was also a splash of determination, the Grand Master was genuine.
"Also... do you mind if I recommend we request another's help?"
Barbatos shook his head, and the Knight of Favonius took that as a sign to explain further, albeit with some hesitation.
"She's not very popular with the citizens, and is isolated from the rest of Mondstadt of her own volition, very few would notice." How ironic that the Acting Grand Master of the Knights of Favonius was talking about being discreet.
"Sure, can we get a name?"
There it was again, a slight pause in their next action, this person was shaping up to be hated with a burning passion rather than merely being unpopular.
"...Eula Lawrence."
There was an itch in the Traveller's bones, screaming at him to make use of the waypoints he painstakingly spread across the continent, make life a bit easier, if only for him.
But it would only serve to disintegrate the fragile alliance he and the others that journeyed to Dragonspine with Barbatos, the merciless chill nullified by Diluc's Pyro vision.
As they travelled along the outskirts, their destination could be made out, a cabin of sorts, crudely made, obviously by a single person, but it still stood tall, without the shine of royalty, but a will that surpassed even most of the Knights of Favonius.
Jean was the first to step forward, reaching out and ringing the bell that hung next to the door, a chime that rang true.
Shuffling could be heard from the other side, though the sounds were much louder than the Traveller expected, like whoever was about to greet them had iron boots for shoes.
The unprotected knob shed its foreign coat of ice as the door swung open, putting another of his concerns at ease.
The woman that stood before them, like Jean had said, was definitely royalty, with short turquoise hair that reminded him of the sea, and while her choice of wear in such an environment was impractical, the Cryo Vision she proudly displayed made him think it probably didn't bother her anyway. Hoisted on her back was a greatsword of azure, the guard reminding him of the bard who eagerly went ahead to meet the Aristocrat.
Right next to Aether, Asmodeus tilted her head in curiosity, perhaps she met one of the Lawrence's ancestors long ago.
"It's good to see you again, Eula." Jean Gunnhildr greeted the fellow knight that was given the title of Spindrift.
"A pleasure to see you too." Eula Lawrence extended a hand towards the Dandelion Knight, and the two shook hands.
"Who are your new acquaintances?" The blue haired knight gestured to those behind the Grand Master, namely everyone except Diluc.
Being the one closest to Eula, Venti introduced himself first, letting the Prince realize that he hadn't thought of this.
I'm fine with my own name, but one like Asmodeus would be too obvious...
She was currently lazing about next to him, having lost interest in the Spindrift knight.
Oh.
Aha.
He could vaguely hear the exchange between bard and spindrift in front of him, but his thoughts drowned out most of it, until it fell onto Aether to do so as well.
"I'm Aether, and this is..." I snuck a quick glance at the Goddess, who looked at me with enough heat to burn a metaphorical hole through his head. It only made what he was thinking better, though.
"Kaslana."
The Spindrift knight hummed lightly, still unsure of the two of us, but didn't pry any further as Jean and Diluc brought her inside to let Venti explain the whole situation to her.
That meant Asmodeus and Aether were left outside, and the Traveller already had an idea of what to do next.
"Come on." I ushered the Sustainer to come with me as I set off for Dragonspine, my Pyro affinity taking the forefront. Though with the silent anger bubbling within her, the Prince had no doubt she would stay warm on her own.
"Kaslana? What is that supposed to mean?" Asmodeus still had control of her emotions, though some anger still made it to her voice.
"I picked it up from another world."
"You didn't say what it meant."
"It means lazy."
"You..." He swore that there was blue light shining at him from behind, but the usual effects the Sustainer's power had on the world itself were nowhere to be found. If the Prince were to look back, they would probably see two blue orbs of rage, ready to erase him whenever their owner wanted. But he didn't look, and was therefore spared.
There wasn't much to say, even if there wasn't any past holding them back, conversation topics are few and far between within the barren landscape of ice and blood.
They could've roamed the mountain for a century or five minutes, but even that was uncertain with the amount of snow obstructing his view, the faint glow of Albedo's tent being the only indicator of where he was going.
Most of the Prince's brain was spent on watching Asmodeus, ensuring she didn't try to escape him in the chaos of the blizzard. Or he was being paranoid, and the Sustainer wasn't going to abandon the only source of heat she knew of.
The last of the snow in contact with him melted as soon as they made it inside, the Homunculus looked at him expectantly, then inspected the newcomer he brought along.
"Is that..."
"Yes, it is." I presented to him the only elemental stone the Traveller still had, now a mix of turquoise and red, purity and corruption.
"I'd like your input on this." As he spoke, the condensed elements in his palm pushed back against the poison, the loser dissipating into the air and fading away, lost.
The Chief Alchemist had an answer right away, nodding to himself as a thin smile graced his lips.
"I see... It's quite similar to how I purged the poison. The elements themselves have the capability to do so own their own, but aren't capable of thinking like that. The taint was purged by artificially encouraging them to do so, though it's inconsistent. Perhaps it'd be more effective with someone who commands it themselves?"
So Jean and Venti should be able to do the same? That can't be right...
It's something to do with me being traveller, surely. But what about it?
"I see, thank you." The Prince brought out a vial of red liquid and slid it over to Albedo, receiving a grateful look in return.
"You're giving me it already?"
"That's for the extra work I put on you, I'll give you what we agreed on after this. Whether it has something miraculous or it's just like any other blood, I don't care." I deadpanned, turning away as quickly as they could manage, no was not an answer he would take.
Aether walked away as fast as his legs could manage, forcing even the relaxed Goddess with him to exert effort to keep up with the Traveller, before long, they returned to the abode of Eula Lawrence, where Venti and the others were waiting.
The Prince was too caught up in the mystery of his interactions with Durin to fully focus, but he got the gist of it.
Split up and gather the necessities, and meet up at Windrise tomorrow noon, he could do that.
With that, everyone was off to their locations of choice, determined to save Mondstadt. I, on the other hand walked in a random direction seperate from the rest, scanning the vicinity with elemental sight, and grabbing hold of the half asleep Asmodeus before teleporting to the waypoint he situated at the East lookout cave, still a mess from the wind that ransacked the place.
The Sustainer jerked her hand away from mine immediately, almost losing their balance before they could grab hold of the waypoint beside them, glaring at me.
"Tell me when you're going to do that."
She snarled at him, blue eyes growing brightly.
"Someone could've heard us." His search for the paper where he documented Dvalin's flight patterns begun, like finding a needle in a haystack.
"Go sleep." Aether commanded, sifting through all the papers he kept, the Prince's more personal interests were taken note of here. The Guizhong Ballista, Enkanomiya's seal, the Akasha Terminal, whether progress was made or not, they were jotted down here.
"Sleep?" Asmodeus snorted, as if the notion of rest didn't exist.
"You were exhausted before the teleport, you're probably even more fatigued now, or are you going to help me find paper?" To that, they could only huff in annoyance before going for his sleeping bag, leaving him without one.
...I made a mistake.
.
...But I know...
.
AN:
Quick, think of something stupid to type here!