The end had arrived.
It was funny, the Starfarer himself had seen countless worlds begin and end, along with everything in between.
Why did this have to be the most terrifying of them all?
The river of white in front of him was endless, each drop separating into thin strands, each one promising a slow and painful death, almost like hair, or was it?
But he'd heard it all, the crazed screams of Khaenri'ah, slowly devolving into roars of pure evil as the centuries went on, the whispers of the Dark Sea beckoning both the innocent and greedy for power, corrupting them beyond recognition whenever the dark took hold.
The dango milk Ei had given him was much too sweet for Aether, but seeing the Kagemusha and her endless enthusiasm for it forced the Traveller to gulp it all down, the sweetness tearing his taste buds and delicate throat to shreds with pure sugar, and the ever elusive presence of Raiden Ei meant the blonde couldn't let any trace of anguish leak into their face, eliciting amused giggles from Raiden Makoto on the other side of the wooden table, gracefully sipping on her cup of tea.
"You sure are enjoying yourself..." I muttered, barely able to hold onto the poker face he currently had.
"...Sorry." Aether's shift in tone had caught both him and Makoto off guard, it was only after he spoke did he realize why, his side of the table was charred, burning into dust while Makoto's end didn't change at all, it was getting easier to come to his senses and realize that they were in a dream, yet it was only ever the Traveller to know this, a painful reminder of times long gone.
"Why?" Makoto asked innocently, tilting her head ever so slightly as she put down a piece of paper, inscribed on it was a diagram of what would eventually become his Teleport Waypoints, the closest thing they'd ever come to truly replicating a Statue of the Seven, while these were built in the Archon's name, the techniques and materials used in making them never left Celestia itself.
"I failed you." He couldn't bring himself to look the Electro Archon straight in the eye, not after all the questionable decisions they'd made, seeking the power of the Abyss? Climbing a mountain of the undead just to lead them to their demise? Having full control of such a widespread evil was too arduous a task for one person, Dvalin's corruption and Ursa attacking the Ragnvindrs four years ago only proved how much of a fool he truly was, the leash of terror tied around the Order's necks was loose.
Aether didn't even know how real his dreams were, whether the nations he wandered here were inferior imitations or an entire world in the land of the mind, but the Traveller would apologize to her every single time, even if-
"Oh, stop it with that!" There was a light tap on his forehead, not even enough to do anything the Prince, but it had its intended effect on him, and Aether looked up, where Makoto was leaning dangerously forward, all to do a mere flick his forehead, the ashes of the table wound around her hands, tainting the late Archon with a desolate gray.
"You haven't done anything of the sort." Raiden Makoto pouted as she sat back down, arms crossed with a dangerous hint of thunder in her eyes.
"You don't know what I've done." Aether grumbled, a little frustrated. Never has the dreamscape ever interacted with him like this, and the first time it does is Makoto rejecting his apology, it stung a little, to be honest.
"I know enough." Balethunder struck the grass next to them, leaving an ugly black scar on the stone which probably reflected what the Archon felt right now.
"And so do you, so don't lie to yourself..." Her voice was much softer now, almost as much as when he first met the Goddess.
"You haven't failed." The Prince failed, both in Teyvat and the Dark Sea, the inevitable battle between Celestia would likely fail as well, how could she say those words so easily?
"Wake up, Aether."
…What?
"Wake up." A voice that was definitely not Raiden Makoto interrupted Aether's sleep, the stone floor he slept radiating a pleasant warmth as the torches illuminated the cave, the light bathing everything except him, since there was something towering over him, or rather, someone.
"Aren't you the one who keeps on stressing the importance of today?" Asmodeus, the former Sustainer of Heavenly Principles mockingly asked him.
"And aren't you the reason why we're cutting it close?" Aether dully replied as he hastily stood up.
The Goddess had taken his offer of getting new clothes much too seriously, using some strange internal radar that she seemed to possess, Asmodeus immediately located the best tailors that Mondstadt could offer and practically threw the entire bag of Mora that Aether had given her right at them, demanding perfection at its finest.
What followed was a torturous endeavor that managed to snipe both Aether and the humans that the zealous God had contracted for her personal satisfaction. Had he known that she would go to such lengths to do something as superfluous as this, the Traveller would've just kept the Mora to himself and bought standard clothing, instead, they were now cutting it close to missing the Rite of Descension even after the Prince had motivated the tailors through... more fearful means.
Still, it hardly mattered in the bigger picture, Aether had already come to an agreement with the Geo Archon beforehand, forming a contract with the Prime Adepti some time after he had managed to calm the Abyss Order after what was essentially a Civil War. Outsmarting the God of Contracts in a contract was impossible, so the Prince had to settle for something… loose.
The Geo Gnosis would be disposed of, whether through its actual destruction or simply being hidden away, as long as Aether made no move that went against Liyue, whether it be the laws of the nation, the land, or the people within it for an entire century.
That time was about to come to an end, so he should be able to feel some sort of relief, but those rules came back to bite him, did the Abyss Order as a whole count as his actions? They hadn't touched Liyue since the contract was formed, but was still one that hadn't been seen to its end, did the ones that defected recently, such as the ones from Mondstadt count? They opposed his will, but he was responsible for their actions in some way, was he not?
"We're here." Asmodeus interrupted Aether from his self-induced anxiety attack as she went inside a plain-looking building, no doubt holding the souls of the poor humans the Goddess roped into her little power trip.
Sighing, the man could do nothing but observe the rest of the city as the bounty of blood, sweat and tears was collected. The building in which the tailors resided was close to the northern gate of Mondstadt, while he was situated next to the stairs that led to it, which allowed a narrow view of the inside, allowing him to see hints of yellow, black and white, if nothing else.
Standing guard at the gate itself were two young men, one standing as straight as an arrow, but unable to hide the beads of sweat that ran down his face, while the other was a little shorter, more chipper, although that was likely just because of who they were currently conversing with. They were both Knights of Favonius, obviously, which made it even more surprising when Diluc Ragnvindr of all people was talking to them.
It was a little tempting to listen in on the conversation, but the Knight of Favonius' very distressed body language signified that the topic being discussed wasn't something he should know, so he just let them be, instead turning around to the main part of the city. Aside from a strange girl being followed by a bird of Electro, the Outrider eating with the Spindrift Knight, and some unfortunate adventurer being a pebble magnet, there wasn't much of interest, even the Fatui had withdrawn alongside the Harbinger Signora.
"Keep you waiting?" Aether could almost feel their grin shining across his entire ear.
"You definitely did, Kaslana." He shot back, turning towards the lady, whatever Abyss she'd been cooking up better be worth all the time they'd wasted.
It… somewhat made up for the time wasted, he figured.
A jet black four-pointed star was inserted into the left side of her hair, two orange feathers attached to the hair comb, further down, a small amount of black wolf fur surrounded the Goddess' neckline, held together by a golden clip that housed both ends of the shoulder straps, converging into an amethyst embedded into the bust, (Where'd she get that?) and running down the entire length of the bodice, with white dominating the sides. Around her hips, their short skirt was layered, white on the outside, and black on the inside, with two tail-like appendages hanging from behind, an eye woven into each end, staring right at him, rounded off with tights as black as the rest of her, and she wore high heels, because why not?
"...Let's get moving." Aether's Hydro affinity activated, ready to conceal the two before he teleported.
"Oh, no you aren't." Asmodeus hissed, taking a step back and glaring at him accusingly. "I just had this finished, you are not going to ruin it so fast."
Shaking his head, Aether made a Geo construct bloom from a stone brick near a crowd, drawing enough attention away from them that allowed him to just grab the Sustainer and teleport to the Waypoint he had that was closest to Liyue Harbor, as using the one installed within the port city would be foolish during the Rite of Descension, which is considered to be Liyue's most important time of the year by many..
"Let's hurry, do I have to carry you again?" The Traveller grumbled, staring at Asmodeus as she finally managed to balance herself, what went through her mind to decide that high heels were a good idea?
"I'll be fine." She snapped, walking as fast as she could to the city. Stubborn as always.
The Sustainer of Heavenly Principles was not included in the contract, so Aether just decided to leave her be and start running across the trail of stone that led down to one of Liyue Harbor's gates, the contract didn't include anything about being late, either, if he hurried, then he'd make it in time before anything of actual importance began.
Aether was so caught up in his mind he almost bumped into someone.
Pushing his worries away for a moment, he took the time to take in the scene before him. A crowd of unreasonable size, all being held at bay by the Millelith as they inspected each person entering the city.
Okay, maybe panic was starting to take over, skipping the Millelith guards and heading straight for the Rite of Descension would count as going against the laws they set in stone, right? If he teleported and tried to go through one of the other entrances, would those be just as flooded with people as this one? Perhaps even worse? Then he'd be back to square one.
Aether, the man who once sparred with Raiden Ei, fought back the horrors of the Chasm, united the Abyss Order in a bloody uprising, and fought back the Withering of Sumeru, accepted his fate and went in line, waiting for his turn that was all too far away right now.
So he waited.
And waited.
And waited some more.
Has the Rite already begun? Maybe Rex Lapis was already finished and returned to wherever the Archon came from whenever the Descension concluded.
"That's quite the line…" Her voice jeered from behind, he'd been waiting so long that this Goddess managed to catch up while wearing high heels.
"...Indeed." Was all Aether could say.
"I could just get us in the city…" Asmodeus offered, her voice a little too giddy for his liking.
"No." Should he tell her about the agreement?
"What, are you scared of a little debt?"
"Our original agreement was that you were to give me information on Celestia for a certain degree of freedom, nothing else. An agreement, might I add, that you haven't fulfilled yet since we arrived here." The Prince entertained the Goddess' little game every now and then, but even he had a limit for this, especially during a situation as bleak as their current one.
"I followed through the first time, I will do it again in time."
"In time… You make it sound like your assistance is of the highest importance." Especially when said assistance consisted of a few sentences last time.
"Even one minute of my time requires something of equal value." She grinned at him, what, did she want him to save her life or something? Their crowd situation was still as uneventful as ever.
There was hope, though, someone that he assumed to be a messenger was making a break for it towards the Millelith holding back the crowd, a scroll in hand. They stopped in front of a Millelith overseeing the others, probably the one in command here before shoving the parchment into their hands, running back to the harbor at a similar speed, he would've found it impressive if he wasn't in a rush right now.
After taking the time to read it, they began barking orders at the guards, who then allowed the crowd to pass through at a controlled pace, allowing relief to enter his mind as he followed suit.
Then Aether stared at one of them, wondering what the delay was, a huge mistake that he unknowingly committed, as the guard released a shout and pointed their polearm at him and Asmodeus, who looked on in curiosity.
Their leader looked at him and roared in a similar manner, commanding the other guards to brandish their weapons at the two as he pulled out a device and pointed it to the sky before activating it, sending a bright red light to the sky, a lot like a firework.
"...Is this the part where do battle?" Asmodeus drawled, ready to unleash hell on the poor Millelith, their faces ever determined.
"...Admittedly, no." Aether said as he raised his hands in surrender, while she just stared at him in disbelief.
"We could've defeated them…" The Sustainer grumbled as she laid down on the wooden bench of their jail cellar.
"That would've caused more harm than good." Aether pointed out, still unsure on whether he should tell her about the contract or not.
"...That's the entire point of fighting."
"Why did you fight?" He asked, not even certain of his own intentions here.
"Huh?" The question legitimately caught her off guard, that he could take pride in at least.
"Before all this, why did you fight?"
"..."
No answer, not that Aether was expecting one, he just wanted some peace and quiet to ponder on what to tell whoever comes in to question them, which was difficult, all things considered, since he didn't even know what caused all of this to spiral out of control and end in them in a cell.
Did something happen during the Rite of Descension? An attack? No one would be foolish enough to fight Rex Lapis himself, right? There weren't any signs of chaos visible from the gate from which they were supposed to enter, and there was nothing suggesting that an outside force was attacking, either.
Perhaps the Geo Archon just didn't show up this time around, and break a tradition that's existed since the early days of Liyue Harbor, not that long after the Archon War? The only other time it was postponed was because of the Cataclysm that occurred five hundred years ago, and his left eye didn't feel any Abyssal energy from the land, sky nor the sea.
The sound of footsteps reverberated along the walls of the prison, several pairs of feet at first, but diminishing to only one as they arrived at their cell, the Millelith's face as unmoving as stone, living up to their reputation as Liyue's defenders, ever the same tenacity, even if Aether hadn't visited the city since the contract was set in stone.
"Move, they have questions for you." The guard unlocked the door and revealed two pairs of handcuffs, entering the cell and closing it behind him as the rest of the Millelith the Traveller had heard appeared, weapons at the ready.
The metals was chilly, even against his gloved hands, and comfortability was clearly not listed as a priority when creating these. Still, they would take even Aether some time to break out of with the lack of leverage these gave, he had to admit.
The Millelith motioned for me to wait at the door, and took out the next pair to do the same to Asmodeus, who was still laying down on the wooden bench at the back of the room, staring at the pieces of chain and metal, but making no move to comply. Would this count as breaking the contract?
"Leave her be." Aether said, receiving an incredulous look from all the Millelith that were there.
"Excuse me?" The man who put him in cuffs asked, his eyes on the polearm that was stowed away on his back.
"Leave her be, she is irrelevant." The Traveller pushed further, sweating a little, how he wished to have an entire book dedicated to all the Liyuerin laws right about now, maybe even a lawyer, them being human or half-Adeptus be damned.
"She was reported to be hostile when first detained." Damn it, he really should've just left her at the Dark Sea.
"She was put in an unexpected situation, that was a natural reaction to the hostility the Millelith on-site had shown." Asmodeus just looked at the situation with an amused smile on her face, he really should just let them bring her with him.
The guard sighed, looked to the others outside for assistance, and received a nod from them in return as one of them rushed down the hallway from which they came from at a rapid pace, leaving everyone else inside in an awkward silence.
Aether stared intently at the Millelith inside with them, thinking of what to say next.
The aforementioned Millelith was internally panicking, especially if this man was really responsible for what had occurred yesterday. No amount of manpower could match that sort of might, right!?
Asmodeus… just closed her eyes and tried to sleep, carefully keeping her new attire all on the bench.
But the guard returned soon enough, and after careful whispers between all of them, Aether was led outside in cuffs by the Millelith, with a Goddess that was very much awake staring at where they all once were. Why go that far for her?
She couldn't understand him, entertaining her little debt system, allowing his enemy this much freedom, going for decisions that perplexed her every step of the way, whether they involved her or not. All she could do was sigh and try to sleep.
This is stupid…
When they said he was to be interrogated, Aether expected menacing looks, sharp weapons, torture devices, maybe even a few interrogators who play nice, waiting for him to spill the beans on whatever made up crim they think he admitted.
He was not expecting sitting on a chair, his arms and legs cuffed, staring at a screen in front of him, obscuring whoever would be asking him, but still allowing sound to go through, along with a little sliding slab of wood in the middle, probably to show him whatever evidence they found.
A hidden light to his left lit up, illuminating his face, while another one on his right did the same.
"Who are you?" He wasn't expecting the person asking to be a woman, either, not that he had anything against them, but he hadn't seen a single female Millelith in the five hundred years he's been in this world.
It took a second for the words to reach Aether's ears and be processed by his brain, and he had to fight every urge inside himself to show even a hint of amusement, his own interrogation of the Sustainer of Heavenly Principles still fresh in his mind.
"...Aether." The Prince had to choose his words carefully.
"Why did you come to Liyue Harbor?" There was another voice, a tiny bit familiar, but he couldn't quite place who she was. It was a bit terrifying now that he thought about it, just how many people were watching him through the screen?
"For the Rite of Descension." Aether didn't have to hesitate to answer that, that truly was what he was here for, after all, just not for the same reason as everyone else.
"Did you come to the city beforehand?" The first voice asked that question this time, notably more passive-aggressive than the other one, who had been gentler, like walking through a field of flowers.
"I did not." His last visit was quite some time ago, did that count?
"Then you are not aware of what transpired during the Rite?" He raised his eyebrow at that, during the Rite of Descension?
"No."
"...I see, apologies for not telling you this sooner, but the moment the Rite of Descension had commenced, Rex Lapis was found dead ." The second voice explained, which made the information easier to digest, still, what?
"Someone killed an Archon?" Aether's disbelief was genuine, which a part of him noted would help in pleading his innocence later on, but the rest of him was just screaming in surprise, an Archon? Killed? The Prime Adepti, Rex Lapis, who had survived the Archon War, a battle of unmeasurable proportions that shaped the continent of Teyvat into what they knew today, died?
"Simultaneously, a historical relic, the Guizhong Ballista, was attacked, the Millelith that stood guard there were killed, and the ballista itself was destroyed before we could fully understand its mechanisms." Another, third voice cut in like lightning, straight to the point.
As for the Guizhong Ballista, Aether already had everything there needed to be known about it written down on paper, and the papers had survived Dvalin's collateral damage alongside the flight patterns he had mapped out, the Traveller could use that to his advantage, surely.
"The other person that came with you, what are their reasons for going here?" And why were they so… bloodthirsty? He could almost hear that question just through his own imagination.
The Prince was at a loss of words for this question, what was he supposed to say, she was sleeping for five hundred years before he woke her up? Would lying break the contract? Rex Lapis was dead, wouldn't that mean it had been rendered null since yesterday? What happened to the Geo Gnosis?
"...While she has proven to be easy to invoke, her relation to this incident is nonexistent, I can attest to that. As for the reason, she was simply accompanying me." There was foul play involved here, all he had to do was get to the bottom of it.
"You can prove her innocence, but can you prove yours?" The second voice asked.
"...What?" His?
"When the ballista was attacked, the perpetrator left behind a flyer of sorts…" The wooden slab moved out of the way, and a paper slipped in for him to see.
Seeing his face drawn with such accuracy was almost unnerving, they had every little detail down, from his left eye to the white and gold scarf he wore, though, his right eye felt a little exaggerated. Above his image was the symbol of the Abyss Order, while below the illustration of him were words.
The first, the last, the Usurper.
Usurper. There were still remnants of Abyss Order defectors, they decided to frame him for both the Rite of Descension and the Guizhong Ballista, it was so easy to dismiss it as just that, a ploy to expose him wherever they could, his freedom to roam the lands would be limited, and he'd be targeted as the figurehead of the Abyss Order.
There was one discrepancy, though, if they were the ones behind this, then the script used had to be that of Khaenri'ah, not one that ensured that people five hundred years after the Cataclysm that had cursed them all would understand. Someone who knew his face, and was well versed in the writing system of different languages, he'd investigate later.
"So?" Oh, right. He was being interrogated.
"...That is indeed me." Any lies at this point would be seen through immediately.
"Did you attack the Guizhong Ballista, and killed the Millelith stationed there, and did the same to Rex Lapis at the Rite of Descension?" The third interrogator didn't pull any punches, an admirable trait, but not one he appreciated right now.
"I did not."
"Then… who are you?" The second voice asked again, the who pertaining to something else entirely this time around. The paper slid away as the ones on the other side awaited his answer.
Did he have a reason to tell them? To prove his innocence.
Did he have a reason to not tell them? Keep his identity? They already have an idea of who Aether is. The Abyss Order mostly performed their own operations separate from his own, so it wouldn't be any detriment to their goal if he was removed from the equation, in fact, the Prince was limiting them, if anything. They'd be fine without him.
"I… am affiliated with the Abyss Order, still, I have nothing to do with this." Was the best he could think of on the spot.
"Affiliated? We need a clearer answer." Because of course they did…
"...I am the de facto leader of the Abyss Order, the Prince. Pleased to meet you." Aether monotonously greeted, trying his best to bow with the limited range of motion that he could perform.
Then… There was silence for a time, all he could hear were faint scribbling noises as the someone desperately tried to write down everything that was going on, writing so hard he heard something break, did people here use a pen, or a pencil?
Even those sounds died off soon after, and Aether tensed up, were they planning to kill him now? The screen before him shifted, shimmering as its proportions warped and was overtaken by light, he was so dead.
Aether blinked once, remembered that his eyes were used to this intensity, and promptly looked on at his surroundings once the curtain cleared. One, the screen hadn't turned into any sort of light that was out to kill him, it just rolled into the ceiling. Two, the dungeon he assumed the room he was in to be was quite the opposite, instead like a carefully carved out cave filled with gold, jewels, and paperwork.
Three, the "interrogators" just so happened to be the Liyue Qixing.
He recognized three out of the four who were staring at him with varying degrees of shock, interest, and suspicion. Ningguang, who had constructed the Jade Chamber. (Which was Aether assumed they were inside of right now.) Ganyu, a half-breed who worked as a secretary, and Keqing, the Yuheng. The fourth person was a woman who wore mostly blue, and wore a familiar band on her wrist, a band he hadn't seen since the Cataclysm in Liyue.
Boyang…
"That wasn't a lie, was it?" Ningguang asked, eyeing him with intrigue.
Aether shrugged. "Lying wasn't an option." Attempting to deceive the Qixing themselves would count as a breach of contract, right? He caught himself at that thought, Rex Lapis had reportedly died, it wouldn't matter now, would it?
"Would you mind if I struck a deal with you?"
"What? You are aware of your current position, right?" Keqing asked, looking at him with narrowed eyes, so she was the third.
"It's precisely because of my current position that I want to offer a proposition. The… questionable state of its God aside, this is still the land of contracts." He replied.
"And? What do you suggest you can offer to us?" The fourth asked, Aether really could see Boyang in her.
"The Adepti." That got their attention.
"They won't take this lying down, even worse if you purposely withhold the information on Morax's death from them."
"Can you contact them?" Ningguang suspiciously asked.
"I can." He could contact one of them, that much was true, he still had the Calamity Queller.
Aether could only hope that the Conqueror of Demons would be lenient with him, all in all, he had only met two, and while calling them stubborn was a bit disgraceful now, it still applied to them, so he decided to stick with it.
Soon enough, the Qixing left the room, while Millelith arrived to transport him back to his cell, where Asmodeus was still sleeping. Aether just sighed and lied down on the floor, staring at the ceiling as he contemplated his next move.
The Conqueror of Demons was at Wangshu Inn, that much he knew, and was just about all he knew. It was terrifying to bet his everything on one Yaksha, but that was all he could do right now.
Soon enough, the Millelith returned and guided him to the platform that descended unto Liyue Harbor, informing him of the decision the Liyue Qixing had made to allow Aether to do this. Honestly, he was expecting to be declined, won't they think he'd just run away?
Aether did feel a pair of eyes watching him, so he headed to a nondescript area hidden within shadow and turned to meet his stalker. He recognized the uniform of a Fatuus right away.
And not just any normal Fatui.
…The boy who fell.
"Tartaglia." Aether merely received a grin in response.
.
Up against the stream, waterways will join as one…
.
AN:
Fueled by the anxiety I felt whenever I got a notification pertaining to this story, this chapter was made in record time! As for the chapters, I'll be releasing them when ready, thanks for the reviews!