Heavily inspired by 'Freedom's Ring' by DFMRCV, a GATE x AoT fanfic. Made this with his permission
"We've always have had enough time."
Lumine walked back to the portal, returning from where she came.
Dainsleif chased after her.
Aether, too, chased after her, but with different reasons.
He got inside before the portal closed, and was greeted by a vast space of darkness.
He would've thought it was the place of the Abyss Order, but he never saw her sister, nor Dainsleif. Instead of something he could physically see, he saw nothing.
The portal closed as the duo entered.
Meanwhile, on another part of Teyvat, a massive structure materialized. Far away from civilization, it wasn't noticed by humans.
However, it was noticed by a nearby Hilichurl camp.
…
He only saw black, and that was it.
His travelling companion piqued; "Where are we?"
"I don't know either, Paimon." Aether replied,
Sword unsheathed and on guard, Aether scanned his surroundings. Yet, even checking for the 2nd, and then 3rd time, he found nothing but black.
"Paimon, have you seen anything?"
"Nothing here, Aether! Paimon hasn't seen anything unusual!"
Aether almost couldn't see anything. If it wasn't for Paimon's glowing constellations around her and his clothing's shining ornaments, he would've been totally blind.
Then, a bright light illuminated their sight. It was far away, yet, he could see himself clearly. Without pause, the Traveler and Paimon quickly ran towards the light.
Again, expecting some otherworldly, nightmarish landscape riddled with Abyss creatures, they saw a landscape full of glass, bright lights, and surpsingly, people.
Aether stopped on his tracks, scanning the surrounding area.
It's all unfamiliar.
All he saw was towering buildings made of glass and lights, probably higher than the Favonius Cathedral.
People were dressed in unfamiliar clothing, but people nonetheless.
Atleast they're actual humans, but where the fuck am I?
People murmured around him, wondering if this was a stunt, a hallucination or an event they hadn't known.
Paimon, who was beside him, was very overwhelmed and had a blank stare to one of the buildings.
"Tall…" Paimon murmured.
"Sir." Someone spoke to him, clearly referring to the Traveler himself.
Aether looked at the man, donned in blue clothing and a cap.
Looks like he holds some authority here. Aether thought when he looked at the belt and holster.
"Y-Yes?"
"Do you have a permit to host an event here?"
"What?"
Permit? What does he mean by that? Aether wondered.
"A permit. If you don't have one, then I apologize that you have to dismantle this structure."
"What?"
Before the officer could say more, a horn blared from the gate.
Both of them looked back into the abyss, Paimon snapped out of it and looked there too. No light emanated but sounds could be heard from it.
Hilichurls.
Aether looked back and confronted the officer. "You have to run, they're here!"
"What do you mean?"
"Creatures! They're monsters, you have to run. Now!" He panicked.
Before the officer could reply, an arrow whizzed by, nicking Aether's already-ragged clothing.
"Ya!"
Aether heard a familiar cry.
The rumble worsened, the earth shook as a chorus of Hilichurls hastened.
The officer backed, and talked to his radio.
Aether unsheathed his sword, Paimon disappeared out of fear.
He stood calmly, waiting for them to appear from the abyss.
How fitting. Aether said to himself. The Abyss Order actually came from the Abyss itself.
The officer shouted, imploring the crowd to run away. "Everyone, back off! Bomb threat alert!"
"Bomb threat?" Aether asked?
"We-" The police officer corrected himself, "I mean, I don't know what's happening over there, so, calling a bomb threat alert is the easiest way to clear out a massive space."
To punctuate his words, the crowd started to back off, then, it evolved into a running spree as everyone started to run for the lives, trying to find a safe space for them.
As the officer called for backup, Aether stood by, waiting for the damned creatures to come out from that massive gate in the middle of a city. It wasn't a Teyvatian city, but he felt like he obligated to defend it from the bastards from the abyss, therefore, he stood his ground.
As soon as the first Hilichurl appeared, Aether swiftly ran and attacked them. The police was surprised by his action and called him out "Wh- Hey! Kid!"
Swinging his sword, he slashed two Hilichurls with clubs. Blood spewed and they soon eventually fell.
As the two Hilichurls died, four more replaced them, and rushed towards him.
Aether sprinted, his blade pointed directly ahead of them.
One of the Hilichurls screeched in pain as the sword skewered him right in the chest.
Aether had lodged the sword deep inside the Hilichurl, so it was difficult for him to get it off.
He pulled, and pulled more. The Hilichurl suffered as it was still alive during the gruesome situation Aether had unintentionally made. Every time Aether moved the sword, the monster cried more.
Damn it! Fucking get off! Aether thought, not caring a single damn about the screams of excruciating pain his enemy made.
The Hilichurl soon fell silent after enduring quite a bit, and the moment Aether was able to remove the blade, the monster simply flopped to the floor.
(Bang!)
A shot rang out, similar to one of the ballistae Aether heard during his fight against Osial.
Aether looked behind, and found a dead Hilichurl right behind him.
He looked to where the shot came from and found the officer with a pistol at hand.
Thanks. Aether gratefully nodded to the officer before continuing his defense.
…
Cold…
Honestly, he could wonder why and how the Canadians were able to handle freezing temperatures without coats.
Heck, he was on his 2nd layer of insulation and was huddled together with his comrades near a fireplace, yet he felt like he could turn into a freezing block of ice any minute now.
Him, and along with his fellow Army brothers, were shivering from the snow. Yet, the Canadians, whom were standing up, were just fine.
"Not used to the cold, aren't you?" One of the Canadians shouted, clearly making fun of their predicament.
"Hey, unlike you, I don't have supernatural abilities!" Matt retaliated back.
The Canadians simply laughed.
"Damn Canucks…" Matt murmured to himself. "Them and their fancy-ass superhuman abilities…"
"Hey, if they catch you talking shit, they'll send a Sasquatch to beat the shit out of you." Jake whispered to him.
Matt could only grumble, not wanting to expend more energy into arguing, rather than conserving it for warmth.
Fortunately for him, the brief exercise just ended. Matt quickly rushed to go back inside the barracks for much-needed warmth.
"…reports of a massive Greek-style building materialized in Times Square…" The reporter said.
"Jake!"
"'Sup?"
"You hear this?"
Jake, who was from the other side of the mess hall, walked over to where Matt was sitting.
He then looked up to the television with apparent curiosity.
"…monsters from the structure appeared shortly thereafter, murdering a dozen civilians…"
"Sounds like some trailer." Jake said.
Matt replied. "Well, except it's not."
Jake only gave a small "huh" response.
…
"What's your name?"
"Where did you come from?"
"Where do you live?"
Those were the kind of questions that were given to the traveler after the incident back in that strange place he was in.
He answered all them truthfully. He knew arguing was a pointless move and doing it with an actual human after crossing that portal was straight-up nonsensical.
Why bother argue with actual people anyways?
Before the interrogation started, Aether and Paimon overheard some discussion about separating the two. Paimon instinctively got closer to the traveler and disappeared thereafter.
Luckily for the two, they went against it as it was "morally incorrect".
Paimon then reappeared some time later, during the interrogation, after being asked to do so.
Aether skimmed through all of the questions that were thrown to his way.
They were nice, for Aether's perspective. They treated him politely and with no ill intention, even though it was an interrogation and he had some kind of superhuman abilities to blast wind, throw giant rocks from nothing, and blow deadly leaves. Might be able to control Electro too once I get to Inazuma… Aether thought.
Aether wondered, maybe this is how they acted to lower their guards.
Maybe this is how they treat heroes.
Or maybe they just don't care at all.
Whatever it is, Aether would try to break out if it was one of the bad things.
Soon, the interrogation was done and they were able to go.
Aether internally sighed. Finally done. He thought, almost getting tired by the seemingly-endless questions thrown to his direction.
As he was guided along by an escort, whom also briefed him that he would be directed to a place for him to stay, Aether looked around.
It was oddly familiar.
Everyone acted like the same back in Teyvat, people were going through their daily lives normally. Even if he was in a vastly different world, human behavior mostly stayed the same, albeit it wasn't doesn't have a dangerous worldwide terror organization like the Abyss Order.
"Hop in!" Aether's guide spoke.
The Traveler snapped out from his ponder and looked back to the front.
His guide held open a door, and made a gesture to get inside.
Aether and Paimon looked at it curiously.
The body was entirely black, it had wheels like wagons, but unlike it, it wasn't entirely wooden, you could barely see through the windows, and the inside had comfy seats.
Like a royal carriage…
Except it didn't have the grandiose designs and intricate details.
It doesn't have a horse too!
Aether looked blankly before being interrupted again by his guide.
"Oh, right! I forgot this doesn't exist in your world." The guide said. "Let me explain, it's a car."
"Ooh…" Paimon mumbled.
"It's horseless, It doesn't have elemental magic either." The guide said. "I don't know how the car actually drives, but it converts heat energy into mechanical energy, which then turns the wheels around. That's all I could say."
The guide looked around. "Well, you two going to hop on or not?"
Aether and Paimon quickly got in, with the guide following soon after.
…
"Welcome to New York." The guide greeted. "I'm Tom, what are your names again?"
"Aether." "Paimon!"
"Glad to meet you two." Tom offered a handshake, both of them replied accordingly. "Candy?" He offered.
Tom took out a box of candy with various colors inside. Aether, trying to be polite, took just one. Meanwhile, Paimon took a more than a handful, with some candies falling off the pile.
"I hope the interrogators didn't go rough on you, especially since you look so young." Tom said, stowing the box away.
"I'm… technically older… than that…"
"Technically." Tom quoted. "I was told that, yes, you were asleep for at least 500 years, which makes you also around 510 years old. But only in technicalities."
Tom continued. "I'll be frank, nobody really cares about technicalities, even if you might be 510 years old, but if you look like at least 16 years old, putting a hand on you is a big no-no."
He sighed, "Anyways, I may have gotten off-track. So, again, welcome to New York! I'll be your guide for today, if you have any questions, I'll try to answer them."
Aether turned his head to the window, looking to the building outside.
People came and went, cars sped along and buildings passed by. Even though it was afternoon, the lights were bright enough to overtake the light of the sun.
In the midst of the passing crowds and concrete structures, Aether saw a street vendor giving out food to a child. It reminded him of his time in the cities of Teyvat, whether it was Mondstadt, Liyue Harbor, Sumeru, they all had the same welcoming and heartwarming atmosphere.
Aether started to get nostalgic while watching the people fly by from his view through the window. He started to miss the people he met and went with, especially his own sister.
He sighed.
He wondered if he'll be able to go back soon enough. He had some unfinished business to do anyways.
"I see you're already homesick, Aether." Tom said.
Aether moved his eyes a bit to the right and looked at his guide without moving his head. "More or less, how'd you know?" He asked.
"I'm a guide, Aether. I can tell people's expressions easily when you keep seeing them in a day-to-day basis." Tom explained.
"Usually, when tourists come around, the first thing they'll feel is excitement and happiness. They'll wonder 'ooh what's next?'. After that, culture shock, they would get shocked about the difference between their homeland's culture and the other place's culture. Then, as time goes on, their excitement drops and they'll start to become getting homesick." Tom said.
"But for you, Aether, you skipped the first two, and you're already homesick." Tom concluded. "You've gone through many worlds, assuming that was true, without ever missing your homeworld. So, why now?" He asked.
Aether hesitated for a bit, and answered. "My sister… she's what I would consider home…"
"I see…" Tom remarked.
"Ever since I got separated by an unknown god, took my sister away from me, and made me sleep for 500 years, I wasn't able to call anything or anybody 'home'. After waking up, I walked through nations, trying to find my sister." Aether recollected.
He sighed. "But, the moment I found out she wasn't on my side… I…"
Silence followed suit. Aether wasn't able to think of any word after it, suddenly wallowing in grief in an unexpected way.
Paimon moved a bit to get closer to Aether, to comfort him, even just a little bit. She puts her hands over his, trying to comfort the exhausted traveler.
Aether notices this, and replies with returning the act.
Tom, not wanting to put up a bad first impression, he sympathized with Aether. "It's alright if you don't want to talk about it."
"Although I can't relate with losing a loved one or a family member, but I do know what it feels like to have a close person lose someone they cared for." Tom said. "I don't want you to feel even more worse, so I won't be forcing you to talk more. However, if you want to, I'm up for talks, I'll try my best."
Aether nodded in acknowledgment to the offer, and immediately turned his eyes back outside the car.
The city was a sight to behold, even during nighttime, people were still awake, walking to places, doing their daily lives.
Maybe this world isn't so bad, after all.
…
Aether finally arrived to the designated hotel. Tom, his guide, did his job and guided him to his floor and room.
The hallways were eerie, to be frank. The halls only consisted of a very long carpet, and off-white colored walls with doors spaced out evenly with number plaques beside them.
They weren't in a grandiose hotel nor they were in a shitshack, they were kinda in a decent hotel. It wasn't too good to live like a king nor too bad to live like you had to worry for next month's rent.
At least we have a roof under our heads. Aether thought, reminiscing the time he was wandering the wilderness ever since he woke up from his 500-year sleep.
He certainly didn't like the feeling of grass, dirt, sand or any type of ground he laid down on, as it dirtied his clothing and made him smell real bad.
He also didn't like the feeling of the occasional little shits called 'bugs' creeping over him while he was trying to sleep.
So, he thanked Tom as he gave his hotel room key, expressing his gratitude as he was given government-sponsored accommodation on an undisclosed and inconspicuous hotel.
Tom gave the key and told the duo to "rest well", to which Aether and Paimon complied. Paimon took the words seriously and immediately slept on the two-man bed that was prepared for them.
Aether just sat down on the edges of the bed, basking in the comfortably cool temperature of the air-conditioner, pondering about his situation, his next activities and thought of the outcomes that would happen in the future.
He wondered if he should go back to the gate in the middle of the night.
Don't think that would be possible anymore. Aether thought, already receiving the news of the gate being encased in a metal dome. He did have some unfinished business to do anyways, and he felt like Teyvat was calling for him to come back.
Might be a bad idea too…
Or, maybe he could stay here for a bit, and wait until he gets the green light to be able to get back to Teyvat. He had a couple stuff to do anyways, he had to watch American history documentaries, meet with a couple important people, and get himself to get used to with the new world.
He did overhear a few things from people while he was being guided. 'Intervention'? He wondered.
He couldn't exactly make out the words but he got a general idea to what they were discussing about. He concluded it was over sending people over the gate, but he couldn't figure out if it was a diplomatic, military intervention, or both. Probably military… their first impression was a Hilichurlian attack anyways… Aether thought.
The television displayed a news report, red headlines and all. The topic was about discussing the next steps that would happen in the future whilst concerning about the gate in the middle of New York.
He wasn't yet used to Common Teyvatian yet, or what they call the language over here 'English', and was confused when they mentioned the Congress.
Aether sighed deeply, already tired on his first day in another world. Might need some rest… Aether thought.
Aether looked back to the bed, and saw Paimon comfortably sleeping in the middle.
He moved his companion a bit to the side, and tucked her in with a blanket. The floating fairy moving a bit as a reaction from the Traveler pushing her to make more space for Aether himself.
Aether laid down and closed his eyes.
Meanwhile… A certain otherworldly Lolita-themed god grinned after spying a bit on the duo, and promptly disappeared as she made sure they were soundly asleep.
…
"So, are we really dealing with a new world?"
"Yes, Mister President."
He sighed, and leaned back on his chair. He then glanced again to the paper that was lying flatly on his desk, and asked his secretary. "Did the kid tell everything?"
"According to him, that's all he knew, sir."
The President looked at a different paper, it contained the Traveler's info. "Do we know where he originally came from? Not including the floating pixie companion he has."
"No, sir. His name does have Greek origins, based on classical Greek elements, but we do not have any records of anybody named 'Aether', and based from the responses of the Hellenic Statistical Authority and other parts of the Greek government and institutions, there were no records of anybody named 'Aether'. The closest we have of someone named 'Aether' comes from Greek mythology." The secretary explained.
The President nodded in acknowledgement. "If he really is named Aether, then that might as well mean he is a god himself."
"Might not be too far-fetched from that conclusion, he said he used to have some kind of powers until an unknown god took both of them away." The Secretary replied.
The President kept staring at his desk, looking at the result papers from the interview with interested eyes.
A whole new world… He thought.
One with actual gods…
The president looked away from the desk and turned around, rotating his office chair along.
He looked at the sky. The sun was starting to rise, the familiar sky-blue color was currently emerging from the horizon. Towering clouds floated just above the capital, illuminated by the rays of light that was coming from the sun, just right above the horizon.
He wondered about the world from beyond the gate.
And wondered more.
Cracking a joke, he asked. "You think Jesus exists over there?"
…
Paimon yawned.
She blinked once.
She blinked twice.
Then, soon after composing herself after waking up, she sat up and started to float away.
Because of Paimon's loud yawning, Aether woke up too.
"Morning, Traveler…" Paimon greeted, not having her trademark energetic mood.
"Good morning to you too…" Aether greeted back.
He looked around, his eyes examining the hotel room he was in.
It was still the same as yesterday. Nothing changed, and after touching the blankets for the second time, he was assured that he was genuinely in another world.
He looked at Paimon, from what he could deduce from his travelling companion, she was hungry.
Was. She had already given herself the liberty to rummage through the fridge and had consumed at least a quarter or a half of the contents inside it.
How the hell could she consume so much of it without ever getting fat anyways? Aether wondered for probably the nth time in a row.
Aether grunted as he stood up from the bed, and walked to fridge too.
There were just a few cans of beverages and a couple snacks from the fridge and on the pantry, in it, some of them were these really fancy cup noodles that just needed hot water to make it edible. Probably really handy too… Aether thought, already thinking of including it to his travelling rations.
So, he helped himself by taking a few snacks to eat and took a couple of cup noodles to his bag.
Finished taking what he needed, he closed the fridge, or was about to, only to be stopped by a still-hungry Paimon. The look on her face told that she wasn't yet finished, and she looked annoyed, so he just let her be, and walked to the door.
Before putting his hand on the door handle, he recollected a bit from yesterday.
He was in a different world, more or less similar to Teyvat but without gods.
There was no magic here, yet he could use the elements just fine.
He's currently held in very high-importance, as according to his guide, he was a massive breakthrough in all fields of study.
Lastly, he had to do a bit more interviews.
But, breakfast first, as he remembered the hotel offers breakfast, lunch and dinner dishes. Should be early. Aether thought.
Aether opened the door, and exited the hotel room he was in.
Paimon followed suit, her face still stuffed with food.
On his way to the dining room at the second floor, he crossed with his guide, and greeted him.
Eventually, his guide went along with him and they made their way to the dining area.
Due to hotel having higher-than-usual hotel fees, the food was prepared in advance and it was left for the guests to help themselves on what to eat. They also offered an optional choice where they could have the cooks make an assigned dish, but it had a fee, so they didn't opt for it.
Like usual, Aether helped himself to get a small meal consisting of bacon, beans and eggs, with coffee as a beverage. It wasn't much but it was enough to jumpstart the day.
As per usual, Paimon decided to help herself by taking a large portion of anything that's considered meat, and with the flabbergasted expressions of the guests and the duo's guide, Paimon simply floated away to the table Aether was on. For Aether, it was just normal Paimon shenanigans.
"So, how was your first day in New York? Or, should I say, first day in Earth?" Tom asked, ignoring Paimon and her mountain of meat.
"It's… good… I guess…" Aether said, just thought about it.
"Hmm… still not impressed yet?" Tom asked.
Aether replied, after swallowing a slice of bacon. "Well, all I've seen were buildings and the hotel we were in. Safe to say I haven't seen the best parts, I guess…"
Tom smirked. "Good news for you, you'll be getting a tour not only in New York, but also in our capital, Washington D.C.! The president would also meet you, after some considerations."
Aether raised an eyebrow for that, but continued to eat.
Meanwhile, Paimon stopped her gluttonous rampage and raised a hand.
"Um, so, will there be food?"
Aether sighed internally, while Tom answered her question. "Oh, yes! You'll be tasting local foods here, so you could eat the food you want."
"Can I order any food?"
"Well, for starters, the government's allocated monthly stipend for us isn't drastically large, we got a hundred thousand bucks, tops, and for NY standards, that's middle class." Tom explained.
"Ugh, what does that mean?" Paimon complained.
"It means, we don't have enough money for grand, high-end restaurants." Aether concluded.
Paimon gave out a cry of dissapointment.
"Well, not every place to eat are mindboggingly expensive, there's still places that are dirt-cheap, yet still taste good, or even better than their expensive counterparts." Tom said, consoling the dissapointed fairy.
Paimon was relieved and returned back to eating.
Tom turned to Aether, whom was finished with his plate. "So, before getting to meet the president and going on a tour, what would you do first?"
Aether stopped and thought about it.
He hummed at first and said, "If possible, I would like to go through that gate... and return to Teyvat…"
"You'll be able to, don't worry." Tom said, noticing Aether's eyes to seemingly lighten up a bit. "During the tour, they'll send over a Marine detachment to scout ahead over there. Once they get a clear view on what they're dealing with over there, they'll send the rest in, including you."
"That's… good news…" Aether said, slowly mumbling the last part.
"Don't worry about it being entirely a military stuff, if things go well, it'll be mostly diplomatical." Tom said.
He explained further. "But if push comes to shove, with either the so-called Abyss Order or the KGB rip-off does something that rings alarm bells all over the Pentagon and the White House…"
Tom decided to derail the pessimism. "Eh, anyways, let's hope for the best, and prepare for the worst."
Somehow, Aether agreed with that statement, although he kept it to himself.
Yeah… hope for the best, prepare for the worst…
…
"So, they're finally pushing in?"
"Already did, they just came back."
"How well did the small expedition go over there?" The news reporter asked to a Marine.
"Er… It went well, to say the least… The bigger versions of the monstrosities over there managed to land a hit, although all it did was to scratch off most of the paint job and nick it just a bit." The Marine answered, seemingly unfazed.
Matt sighed, for some reason, ever since that gate appeared in Times Square, things had changed drastically. Their cooperation with the Canadians changed just a little bit, it was small but it sure was noticeable if you looked hard enough.
First, usually, close-quarters combat trainings were frequent, but now they had to train with hand-to-hand combat more frequently. And even in seemingly unusual situations too! Matt thought.
Second, it was only specifically applied to the Americans.
Third, he overheard some discussion about sending the unit he was in specifically.
He wondered how would the other world would look like, with actual fantasy settings of gods and magic. But as Matt pondered more about it, he concluded it was probably more or less similar to their world.
An isolationist Japanese Shogunate… a capitalist China, a liberal Germany, Aztecs, religious extremists from the desert and somehow the fucking Soviet Union and Russian Empire merged into one nation… Matt thought.
There were some differences between the nations of that world and this. It looked like they mashed up different eras of the world and combined them in one world. It wasn't believable at first, but as the scouts came back from the gate and more information from the so-called 'Traveler' came, it made him and probably most of the world realize it was an actually real.
He wondered when they'll be able to move out, and get to the warmth of New York, he dearly despised the cold of the Canadian Wilderness.
When will he get off this God-forsaken place, Matt could only wonder, and hope he'll get off early.
"Next up… another interview with the Traveler…"
The TV cuts to another scene, depicting two seats, the host on the left and the well-known 'Traveler' from the other world, or also known as…
"Welcome back, Traveler, I am glad that you were here again for another interview…"
"It's my pleasure, also, call me Aether."
"Right, Aether... understood. Anyways, our viewers, especially the world, had been so… so fascinated by the other world… what was it again?"
"Teyvat…"
"Teyvat, alright… So, if possible, could you tell more about this world, Teyvat?"
"Er… sure… so…"
On the mess hall, everyone, including Matt, were engrossed on the current interview, curious about the person's knowledge about the other world.
"Hey, psst!" Someone called.
Matt turned to the source of the voice. "What?"
"You really believe him?"
"Well… if the Marines were anything to go by… then yes…"
Someone from another table joined in. "Yesterday, he also did some magic bullshit, he called it 'Geo' or something."
"Really?"
"Well, the scientists were able to get their hands on it and the host did verify it was definitely real and not staged…"
The conversation continued, but for Matt, he simply left the convo and quietly listened to the broadcast.
"...Inazuma is a closed off natjon, it doesn't accept outsiders that much… even so, I'm trying to get in and meet with the Electro Archon to…"
Matt could only wonder on what he might do if he was sent to the other side.
…
"Man, that was tiring!"
"What do you mean? All you did was stand, I mean, float beside me."
"Hey! Processing questions is tiring for Paimon's brain! And I'm feeling brain juice deprivation!"
Aether just shrugged.
They were finished with the interview, and on cue, their car was already outside.
His guide turns around and faces Aether and says, "We're ready to head out to DC."
Aether nodded, but turned to Paimon, his face clearly showing that he was asking if Paimon had something else to do before going to the capital of the nation he was in.
Due to Tom's assurance that they'll be able to taste food along the way, all she said was "I wanna try hotdogs…"
Not long after, all three of them were inside the backseats of the car, and they were heading out to the capital.
He had just heard of the news from the 'Marines'.
The detachment had just came back from their expedition, and from what he could see from the damage and hear from their experiences, he assumed it was an axe-wielding Mitachurl.
"I'm surprised their vehicle managed to resist a possible Mitachurl attack." Aether said out of the blue.
Tom replied, "Well, they were made to resist bomb attacks, a giant axe swing wouldn't do any that much damage, other than removing the paint job."
Aether just gave a 'hmm' and went on to eating his food.
Paimon had already ate the hotdog completely in full, so she was able to see the view outside of the car before Aether.
Paimon expressed fascination as she looked outside.
Aether wondered what made the fairy so fascinated about, so he looked outside too.
Forests.
Clear blue skies.
And the occasional houses and towns that were scattered along the countryside.
Not too dissimilar from back at Teyvat.
The countryside wasn't that vast, considering that they were on the East Coast, but it was still impressive on its own nonetheless.
"If you wanna see some cool landscapes, you have to go west." Tom informed.
Paimon turned around. "Really?"
"For starters, we have Yellowstone, Grand Canyon, and the Rockies…"
"Ooh, those places sound interesting!" Paimon said. "Hey, Traveler, do you think we should go there next?"
Aether shrugged in response.
He had been in this world for only two days and he felt like he was gonna drop anytime soon.
So tiring…
Unfortunately for the traveler, he had to do one more interview with the President, on live broadcast.
He heard he was a decently good guy, and Aether hoped he was actually the guy people told him he was like.
Might be able to ask him if its possible for them to help me find my sister…
After all, his sister is what he would call his home.
…
It was… a sight to behold… or so, because that's what Aether thought.
The city itself wasn't that impressive, food chains popped up here and there. Obscure historical buildings were over here and over there, you wouldn't be able to notice it was a historic building if it wasn't for Tom's keen eyes!
The government buildings though, that was a different story.
The Capitol was large.
Outrageously large. Aether and Paimon collectively thought.
Its even bigger than the Favonius Cathedral! Aether thought.
They kept staring as their car drove by on the meeting place of the United States Congress.
"That's so big!" Paimon said, her face squished against the window, trying to take a view of the giant building beside them.
"I'm pretty sure the Capitol does allow tours, if my memory serves me right…" Tom mumbled.
"We can get inside that!?" Paimon said.
Aether just went back to his seat and looked at somewhere else, not minding his fairy companion getting excited.
"I think so…"
Paimon turned to Aether and said, "Hey, hey! Traveler, we should get inside that big building in Washington once we're finished with the president!"
Aether mumbled. "Mm… I'd rather go back to Teyvat first."
"Aww, come on! Can't you see? It looks so cool!" Paimon complained.
Aether sighed, and shook his head, clearly just wanted to get this over with.
"Tom, if possible, could you guide Paimon yourself?"
"Sure."
"What? Oh, come on! Paimon wants Traveler to come with me!" Paimon huffed. "I am this close to giving you two an ugly nickname!"
Aether just shrugged and went back to looking through the windows.
While Paimon huffed, puffed and pouted on her seat, Aether noticed he was getting closer to the White House.
To him, it was surprising that the house wasn't that grand in design.
It's entirely white… guess they took the name seriously… Aether thought.
Aether noticed that the black gates opened ahead of them.
Then, as soon as they got past the gate, the car grounded to a halt, and the gate closed.
"Huh? Why did they stop the car?" Paimon asked.
"Just some security protocols." Tom answered.
A few guys with long sticks circled around the car, as if they were looking for anything on the car.
Then, the trunk of the car opened, letting the inspectors check inside.
As soon they were done with it and Tom gave his pass, they were free to go.
While that happened, Paimon curiously watched them silently, wondering what they were doing.
After that, there was a bit of silence amongst the passengers.
A few minutes of silence pass and Paimon broke the silence by saying, "Well, that was weird…"
Only Aether half-heartedly agreed.
The car came to a halt and they were immediately greeted by a few agents, they then opened the door for them. "Welcome to the White House, specifically the West Wing of the White House." Tom said, as he exited the car first.
"The President and First Lady resides here during their term. Renovated many times during the course of its existence, set on fire twice, one from a British attack and another from an electrical fire in the 1920s." Tom summarized.
"And even through all of that, this had always been the most important place in America."
"Excuse the formalities, I hope you'll make yourself home here. Come, follow me." The guide said, and the duo followed suit, still basking in amazement as they walked through the halls of the building.
As they walked to the oval office, they saw numerous portraits of previous presidents, depictions of the current president, landscape paintings of historical battles and wars, and drawings of the White House and the current POTUS made by children.
"That's JFK, prominent supporter of the Civil Rights Movement and passed an act about it… sadly assassinated in Dallas in '63…" Tom said, giving a run-down information on Kennedy.
Aether listened attentively while they were looking at the paintings on the wall.
Paimon floated from one side to another, switching her attention from one painting to another. She was curious, indeed, so it was natural for her to take in as much information she could. Plus, she's the Traveler's companion, and it would be a shame if she wasn't the Traveler's floating know-it-all companion!
They walked, and walked, up until finally reached the room they were heading to, the Oval Office.
Hinges creaking, Tom opened the door, whilst also thinking, Door might need a bit of oiling…
As the door opened and the travelling duo fixing their sights to the office, they saw a scene of news reporters just setting up their equipment.
"Ah, right on time!" The most important person in the United States exclaimed. "The reporters just got here, so we'll have some time for ourselves as they have to set up their cameras and whatnot…"
"So, feel free to look around, and if you're up for it, maybe we could do small talk." The President offered.
…
They shook hands, exchanged formalities, and greeted each other.
All while in front of the select few from the press.
The Oval Office was, for all intents and purposes, the workspace of the President.
It wasn't that big for a presidential workspace, but it wasn't small too. But for the presidents before him had done a few renovations to the office after they deemed it to be 'small' for them.
Today, its still being used by the POTUS for his work. Only if there wasn't an interview right now.
"Greetings, Aether," the President greeted, shaking hands with the teenage-looking travelet.
"…and Paimon." And next he shook hands with the floating fairy companion. The President introduced himself. "I'm David, President of the United States of America."
Welcoming them with open arms, he said, "Please, take a seat, make yourselves at home."
Both of them sat on their given seats, and surprisingly, Paimon also got her own special seat! Even though she usually floated, she sat down in courtesy.
The President coughed for a bit, "I've heard about your feats, experiences and your heroic deeds over in New York, and I'll have to thank you for that, but we'll go over that later on."
"It's my pleasure, sir…" Aether replied.
"If you're comfortable with it, could you please share your travels with us? I have heard a lot from your previous interview with that late-night show host yesterday. So, I was curious to hear more from you."
Before Aether answered, he thought, Maybe he isn't so bad after all.
"Er, yes, sure…"
As Aether started talking about his personal experiences, with additional information he didn't give yesterday from the show, the secretary, whom was behind the reporting crew, had gotten a plate of chocolate chip cookies, interrupted the interview for a bit to give the plate of cookies to Paimon, whom was especially delightful for the offer and simply gobbled down the cookies one-by-one.
Aether smiled a bit from the act and thanked the secretary quietly, while the President simply chuckled. "She reminds me of my son's granddaughter back in Minnesota… loved sweets a lot… Anyways, please, continue."
Aether nodded and continued. "…and so, when the Liyue incident finished there was a public statement Yiyan Temple, I was invited there so…"
For an hour straight, the Traveler and the President talked to each other, as if they were already familiar with each other.
They talked about stories, their lives, their hardships and their successes. All of it, in national television. Heck, their conversation was even live-streamed for all the world to see!
And during that one single hour, formalities were excused, and from an outsider's perspective, it looked like they had the same social status! It was common for a President to be warm and welcoming to someone of civilian status, but the discussion between him and the duo was extraordinary, compared to the past discussions with the presidents.
And whilst both of them were talking to each other, Paimon hand-signed to the secretary for more cookies.
…
"Thank you for your actions back there, Aether." He said, shaking hands with the traveler.
"It's nothing, sir. Just did what I had to do." Aether replied.
The broadcast had just finished, the reporters had already left and they all could drop their professional façade. Aether was planning to go back to his hotel, but the head of state had other ideas.
"Kid, you saved countless lives back there in Times Square, if it wasn't for your timely arrival, people would've died there." He said. "Thanks to you, the worst we got was an injury."
Aether stood there in silence, meanwhile David offered something. "Alright, I really can't straight up give anything as a reward, however I could pass it to Congress and let them have them decide. So, what do you want?"
Aether thought about it.
An offer, from this world's influential man? It's unheard of from both worlds he was in, but for Aether, it was common after saving a nation in peril.
His answer was always the same.
After all, there was a large piece of him that was missing.
"Could you set up missing posters for my sister?"
…
The process was short and quick. All he had to do was to describe the look of his sister and a couple information about her.
Suprisingly for Aether, the guys tasked to identify his sister did it fast. And perfectly too… Aether thought, noticing that the sketch was on-point on the details.
Might be really helpful to have a picture of this widely distributed. He thought.
After that was all said and done, Aether was able to leave.
Looking back at the station building, he remarked to himself. Man, that's bigger than the Knights' Headquarters…
He turned back, and walked to a car that was waiting for him in the parking lot.
Aether entered the car and was greeted by his guide.
"How did it go?"
"Perfectly well, I'm surprised they drew my sister perfectly."
"That's the forensic artists for you. They do this frequently."
Aether nodded, only to be interrupted by a knock from the window. Both of them looked to where the knocking came from and found Paimon looking at them through the window with a box of donuts, only god knows where she got that.
"Traveler…" Paimon whined.
Both of them sighed deeply.
…
Matt was just standing around the pavement as he saw the increasing amount of vehicles in Times Square, parked directly ahead of the dome that encased the gate.
He was grateful that he was sent to New York because the cold wasn't that intense here, compared to freezing temperatures back in Canada.
However that presented one small problem.
The press.
And as if in unison when he thought about a negative thought about them, he could hear a flash and it was definitely directed to him.
Sadly, before he could chastise the guy who took a picture of him, the bastard got away with a grin.
"Man, the journalists are always annoying." He complained.
"Kinda agreeing with you there…" Jake said while focusing on the many glowing billboards that were lined up on the buildings of Times Square.
People formed crowds on the edges of the street as the expeditionary force kept amassing in numbers. There were curious tourists taking pictures, journalists, and some locals that were either supportive or just not happy about the military at the city.
The night was cold, so he shivered a bit, only basking in the warmth of his Humvee's idling engine.
He kept staring at the stand that was currently being decorated with the emblems and colors of the American cockade.
There, he saw someone, probably the organizer for the President's speech, talk to another guy. He couldn't hear what they were talking about but he was curious to what they were discussing.
Unfortunately he was interrupted by a tap on the shoulder, courtesy of Jake, who pointed out that there was a car heading out to him.
Matt immediately faced the car and tried to check what was in.
Eventually he noticed it was his lieutenant and the already well-known duo.
All three of them exited the car and went to face them, with Lieutenant Troy being the first to approach them. There was a bit of silence as the lieutenant checked his surroundings for a bit and waited for the Traveler and his companion to get here.
As soon as the duo made it, there was a bit of silence.
Matt looked back-and-forth between him, Jake, the duo, and his lieutenant.
"What's going on here?" he asked.
"I take it you already know the two of them." Lieutenant Troy said.
Aether just looked at them while Paimon was being amazed by the amounts of flashing lights surrounding her.
"Well, you're going to escort these two. So, rejoice, you'll be accompanying him through the gate and probably beyond." The Lieutenant said.
"A-Are we really having him and her?"
"Yes." He answered. "Any objections?"
"No, sir!"
Afterwards the lieutenant left and had just essential left the Traveler and his companion on their care.
"Er…" Matt hummed. He looked around, between Dave and Jake, making an expression that just says 'now what?'. Meanwhile, Aether awkwardly stood there in silence while the trio silently bickered with hand signs and expressions.
Aether gathered up a small bit of courage and decided to break the silence. "I'm Aether, nice to meet you…" He then raised his arm to offer a handshake.
Eventually, after some silent arguing, Matt sighed and started the introduction, and since he the nearest to the Traveler, he took the handshake.
"I'm Matt, Matthew White." He then pointed to another guy, "-and that's Jackson. We call him Jake for short, popped Cocoa Puffs next to ammunition, during live-fire exercise."
"Goddamnit." Was the only response from him.
Matt then pointed to another guy. "That's Dave. He's a Turk so we call him cockroach an-"
"If you don't move your asses until 0500, I will personally make you feel sorry for the rest of your damn lives!" A voice boomed, clearly from Staff Sergeant Roy.
That was enough make the men move, leaving Aether and Paimon dumbstruck.
"O…kay…" Paimon said, a bit shocked.
The trio who were welcoming the travelling duo immediately moved and started to finish whatever they were doing instead of slacking off.
Meanwhile, in a place not so far away from them, Troy and a couple of his fellow officers were discussing about their situation.
"So, how was the situation over there?" One of the officers asked.
"So far, we haven't gotten any human contact beyond that gate… only humanoid monsters 'Hilichurls'. Strangely enough, they managed to construct barriers and towers inside the dome and in the gate, but there was no signs of Hilichurlian activity going on… only beyond the gate…" Lieutenant Troy answered.
Then, another officer asked. "Have we gottne anything from the drones?"
Troy stood there in silence for a moment, trying to recollect. "If my memory serves right, the drone managed to see beyond that gate, and saw a large network of defenses. They did it during in the middle of the night, so they slipped in and out undetected."
The gathered officers murmured to each other after Troy gave a small pause. "Oh and by the way, they drone managed to get a glimpse of lights. The Traveler identified it as 'Mondstadt'."
Soon after that statement, the murmuring increased amongst them, but Troy didn't join as he had a line of thought whilst looking at the sealed dome that was fairly far away from him.
I wonder how would first contact would be like…
That line of thought would be soon interrupted by an officer asking when they'll roll out.
…
"Mister President, it's about time for the speech." His Secretary reminded.
"Thanks for the reminder…" he replied.
Far away from the stage, was the trio and the travelling duo.
"Oh look, they're about to start." Jake noticed.
They all turned their heads immediately as soon Jake pointed it out, the Traveler and his companion exempted. However due to the Traveler's tendency to be polite, he decided to stand beside with Matt's row.
The President inaudibly coughed away from the microphone to clear his throat, then, he tapped the microphone and started his speech.
"My fellow Americans, today is a historic day." He started.
"A few days ago, a gate appeared. Out came from it was a wandering traveler, the one who had defended this soil of ours." The President said, meanwhile , Aether's eyebrow rose from the mention.
"Then, without warning, invaders from another world chased after him, and rushed out. Their intent; to bring forth chaos. They took us by surprise, and brought their hostility to mankind to our world. They proved to be dangerous, as their actions clearly shown that they were not here for peace, but for war."
"Many lives were in peril that day. If it wasn't for the few heroes that stepped forward to defend, including that traveler from afar, many of our loved ones wouldn't be here walking with us."
"Even though we were taken by surprise, the people stood up and fought back, repelling the invaders back to the gate."
"Today, the tides will turn! We will cross that gate, into the abyss, and bring the fight to them!"
Some cheers emanated from the bystanders from the sidelines, whom were a tad bit motivated.
"And so, my fellow Americans, this day, we will go through that gate and into another world, with guide of our Almighty God, we will shout against the depths of the abyss: We were, we are, we will be fighting towards the very end!"
After the cheers of the Marines and Army together, they swiftly moved, immediately breaking off to their respective vehicles.
"Paimon, get in." Aether said, dragging the fairy to the backseats of the Humvee.
"A-Alright…" Paimon said.
Then, Aether climbed on top of the trunk of the vehicle surprsising Paimon and Matt's team. "Hey, kid, you need to get in!"
"No, I must fight with you." Aether insisted.
Matt silently thought about it for a quick second or two, but he just let the Traveler do his thing.
Aether could hear the shouts of orders between the soldiers and officers, relaying commands from one to another.
He heard the sounds of the roaring jet engines from the formidable Abrams, and looked to see the tanks already moving out first to the gate.
He heard some clunking beside him, and when he turned around, he saw Matt cocking the MK19 up.
"Ready?" Matt, the gunner asked.
Aether nodded.
He then heard from Dave, "Alright boys, let's roll!"
The Humvee then roared to life, it's engine raring to go.
It soon drove forward, driving into the entrance of the gate. Although the building was short from the outside, the tunnel inside was longer than outside.
Ad astra abyssosque… This time, into the abyss once more. Aether thought.
Aether looked around, he looked behind him and there was a long line of Humvees and infantry transport vehicles behind him, all ready to get into the fray.
He looked ahead of him, and saw the mass of IFVs and Abrams tanks rolling ahead of them.
Due to the darkness of the tunnel, all vehicles had their lights turned on. Yet, even at maximum brightness, the ground and the walls were just barely illuminated.
Their journey was the longest two minutes they ever felt. For the homelanders, it was probably because they'll be going to another world. For the otherworlders, it was probably because a different world's army was going to Teyvat. And probably vanquish the Abyss… Aether thought.
Aether kept checking for his sword, making sure it was still by his side.
Matt repeatedly checked if the grenade projectiles were loaded.
Jake also did the same, but it was on his M16.
Dave always checked his radio.
Paimon just kept looking around, probably curious, nervous or both.
After a short while they finally exited the gate.
The sun was just rising, the blue tint of the sky just barely emerging from the horizon.
"Visuals on enemy fortifications." The radio crackled.
As soon as the first vehicles went through, the first notable message was broadcast to all recievers: "Enemy contact!"
The Bradleys were the first to go through, so they had the pleasure to be the first to take out the Hilichurls.
Their turrets swiveled slightly to the left, seeing a group of Hilichurls and a shield Mitachurl that were rudely interrupted by the shaking caused by the vehicles.
As soon as the barrels were aimed at them, their guns fired, sending 25mm rounds straight to the Abyssal creatures.
Even though Aether was still inside the tunnel, he could clearly hear the sounds of Bushmasters going off.
"Looks like they've engaged!" Matt said, laughing soon after.
Aether cracked a smile, but soon faltered as he remembered his sister once more.
"Don't try to stop me. Don't try to stop the Abyss." Was what Lumine said.
But for Aether, he didn't accept it. I'll keep finding you, sister. No matter what.
His line of thought was interrupted as he exited the gate, and was greeted again by the landscape of Teyvat.
"Man, this world looks nice!" Matt said in amazement.
Not soon after, they immediately focused to the battle after something was radioed in; "This is Mike Actual, might need backup, bunch o' these freaks keep coming like fuckin' bee swarms!"
"This is Mike 1-2, Affirmative Mike Actual, sending support." Dave replied.
"Dave, drive to those Bradleys at our ten!" Jake said to the driver.
Dave then promptly turned left, and parked just right behind the Bradleys.
He then turned to Matt. "Matt! Send some over there, next to the Bradleys at 11 o'clock!"
"Understood, 11 o'clock…" Matt mumbled, rotating his grenade launcher a bit to the left.
After some careful aiming to avoid accidentally hitting some of the Bradleys, he pulled down the trigger.
The launcher gave off small bursts of rounds, sending a few explosives to the approaching mass of Hilichurls from the left.
The swarm was immediately decimated after being pelleted with grenade fragments.
"Good hits on targets, keep sending them Mike 1-2."
"Affirmative."
Aether just looked to the ensuing battle infront of him. He hasn't stepped in yet and the Hilichurls were already losing! He wondered if having the Americans go in was a bad idea in the long run...
Meanwhile, Paimon was just covering her ears, trying to muffle the sounds of uncomfortably loud sounds of shooting. "Man! Not only it's loud, it smells bad!" She complained, also referring to the smell of gunpowder.
Whilst Aether was spectating the battle, he dropped down from the trunk of the Humvee and landed on the grass.
He looked around, inspecting the immediate area.
The Americans were still coming out from the gate, and probably had more arriving soon, Hilichurls being killed off en masse, and the loud noises of firing guns and explosions.
He noticed something from the corner of his eye.
A Pyro Grenadier Hilichurl sneaking up onto one of the tanks.
It was waddling towards an Abrams that was firing at Hilichurl towers.
It already had a Pyro Slime engaged.
So, in instinct, Aether immediately sprinted towards the Hilichurl, shocking Matt, whom noticed the Traveler leaving their side. "Aiming- what? Hey! Kid!" He shouted out.
Ignoring Matt's calls, Aether swiftly dealt with the Hilichurl, swinging his sword along the Hilichurl.
The monster cried out in pain before dying thereafter. The Pyro Slime simply deactivated and withered away.
There were cheers from the nearby soldiers who saw Aether's acts, and when Aether looked back to Matt, he just gave a thumbs up, and resumed his hunt.
"Be advised… the Traveler is now engaging… watch your fire…" A radio reported.
Meanwhile… a certain wind archon looked from far away, watching the battle unfolding in front of him.
His eyes narrowed, watching carefully as the otherworlders fought against the hordes of cursed Khaenri'ahns.
He wondered if they were the next Khaenri'ah, but he didn't do any action towards it.
He could sense some from faith from them but they weren't native to Teyvat, and their technology was somewhat comparable with ancient Khaenri'ahn technology.
But they were fighting against the Abyss, maybe they were nice? Maybe they came in peace?
Even then, that still didn't remove his suspicions.
I made my own map that depicts the 1st day of the intervention, since FFN doesn't allow images, check it over at AO3, same username and same title, its at the very end