Zheng tapped Zhe'yuan's shoulder, "Hey, wake up." The sleeping Millelith was still shaking off his drowsiness as they stood straight, ready for anything. "I get that we're overexerting ourselves, but this is our duty as Millelith: try not to falter. Our shift is almost up."
"I get that, but…" Zhe'yuan agreed, trailing off with a hesitation Zheng knew was never good. Sloppy as Zhe'yuan may be at times, his observations were usually on point.
"But what?" Zheng probed, hoping whatever observation the other guard made was wrong.
"You've heard of the rumors, right?" As it turns out, it wasn't just wrong.
Alright, maybe not all of Zhe'yuan's observations were on point. The man was quite superstitious, and it clouded his judgment whenever somebody brought it up.
"Of what, the so-called ghosts that attacked the Millelith at the Guizhong Ballista?" Zheng knew of them, but would anyone take ghost stories such as these seriously? The only threats to humans here were other humans. "Don't believe everything you hear, I bet–" He turned to reprimand his partner, only to find a peculiar sight.
Zhe'yuan was gone.
"Zhe'Yuan?" He hurriedly called out, scanning his surroundings. "This isn't funny…"
The light from the nearby port city seemed to lose its edge as shadows began swirling around him, taking all his attention and making him frantic.
"Zhe'yuan?"
Zheng was starting to feel cold, eyes darting everywhere conceivable and spear poised to strike. Then a chill ran down his spine, washing him with fear so much that he instinctively lashed out with his weapon at whatever was behind him, barely suppressing his breathing, only to find nothing.
It was too late, as he never noticed the claws reaching out from the darkness.
-Line Break-
"Poor guys," Tartaglia looked back at where two Millelith once stood with a sense of pity, "The Abyss order certainly lives up to their infamy." He smiled toward the assassin that had just taken the guards out, only to be ignored.
"...And their secrecy, too." Childe supposed that they didn't ally with the Tsartitsa to make friends. Maybe he could fight some of them if he asked mysteriously enough.
The thick doors of stone that protected the inside of the Golden House were crumbling before their eyes, and the settling clouds of dust left behind in the wake of destruction slowly revealed their prized target: Morax.
With a single leap, Tartaglia landed on the Prime Adeptus' great body and quickly scaled the hulking mass until the Harbinger was close to where Rex Lapis' heart would be, and with a swift thrust, he pierced through the tough scales into the soft body, and pulled back once he could feel something in his hand.
Tartaglia expected to have the Gnosis in his hands but found a wine glass instead. It smelled vaguely of Osmanthus Wine.
"The Gnosis isn't here…" Childe sighed, disappointed, as he pulled his arm back from Morax's corpse.
"No matter, the plan moves forward regardless." Around him, countless Sigils of Permission, replicas created and perfected by the Fatui, started to circle the Harbinger, awaiting a command.
…
"These things are pretty neat." Childe pulled out a Sigil of Permission. False, but effective nonetheless. "The Prince went into Jueyun Karst and successfully communicated with the Adepti."
"That is why we toiled endlessly for these." The Harbinger Signora replied, boarding a boat hidden from the watchful eyes of the Liyue Qixing. Stealth was imperative.
"So I'll get the storm brewing here; I can do that." Tartaglia said, stretching, "But what will you do?"
A chuckle was all he got in return. "I'll begin the reunion."
…
"Time to wake up, Lord of the Vortex."
-Line Break-
"It's raining," Shenhe noted, looking up to the sky as what appeared to be an entire ocean came pouring out of nowhere, driving them and the children who had been playing indoors.
"That's quite the understatement…" Asmodeus replied, watching as the water in the ocean began to rise far from what they were expecting.
Huh?
A surge of energy exploded over Liyue Harbor, invisible to the eyes but easily felt by anyone even remotely versed in the world's magic. The Goddess pitied any poor human who had to handle such power; it overpowered even those of Celestia's lesser Gods, assuming they hadn't grown in strength over the years.
"Did you sense that?" Shenhe piped up from her side, jolting Asmodeus away from her thoughts and trying to think of a coherent answer.
"Yeah." Adeptus Disciple, of course, Shenhe would notice as well.
A pillar of light shot up from the ocean into the sky, and from above, the storm clouds shot down blue thunder.
And from the water, something began to rise. It started as a conical shape, followed by a long, smooth body almost blinding to even squint at. More creatures with identical appearances rose in suit, and once they stopped, a roar left their gaping maws in sync.
Just a single entity, Asmodeus realized. They seem familiar…
Asmodeus stepped out of the establishment, much to the dismay of everyone inside, "That's…" Who was that again? The Goddess had no obligations to remember, but they certainly seemed familiar.
"Osial, Lord of the Vortex." Shenhe followed her and was kind enough to answer, though how quickly and confidently they had replied was intriguing.
Asmodeus had never been around long enough to witness the Archon War personally, nor was the contract she partook in forcing her to do anything such as study up on history. Still, she also knew a fair amount of it.
Osial didn't have the strength to awaken again, so deemed Celestia. The energy surge at the city's outskirts meant someone deliberately woke up a fallen God. Whoever came up with the idea, Asmodeus, would like to personally trap them in limbo for the rest of their lives for interrupting her day.
Speaking of interrupting… Someone had just come onto the scene.
-Line Break-
"They sure are taking their time…" Keqing huffed, peeking behind her to inspect the Millelith to ensure their safety during the negotiations, observing those who would falter for even a second.
Hastily brought onto the Jade Chamber were the Guizhong Ballistae, far from the perfection of the original design but functional enough to be brought on board in cases of emergency.
"I'm sure they're almost here, Lady Keqing." Ganyu carefully reassured the Yuheng while also being careful not to draw her ire, trying to hide that the half-Qilin was also quite nervous.
Ningguang noticed this and touched her shoulder, startling the secretary, "Ganyu, you do not have to force yourself to be here."
Ganyu shook her head quickly, "With all due respect, Lady Ningguang, I do." The Tianquan smiled at her and resumed swimming in her deep thoughts, looking out to sea before returning her gaze to the Jade Chamber and those on it.
"Alright, more time for us to prepare; don't waste it." Ningguang raised her voice, and a chorus of shouts rose from the Millelith while the Qixing only furrowed their brows in concentration.
"You're right," Keqing raised her head and looked around, "but where's Miss Yelan?" She had a point. Yelan was nowhere to be found, but Ningguang knew better than not to trust her.
"She'll be here soon, too." The Tianquan reassured them, freezing in place once a white shape appeared on the horizon and slowly grew in size, eventually gaining the shape of a bird.
"And speaking of soon…" Keqing sighed, walking forward to meet their visitor.
A crane landed on the Jade Chamber, spreading its wings and revealing its divine form to all present, "One has heeded your summons."
"It appears that One is the only one present now." The Adeptus, known as Cloud Retainer, also noted, "No matter, One shall speak for them."
Cloud retainer stepped forward, giving a short bow, "Know that there is an understanding that you would like to propose something, and One has something to propose in turn, speak."
"Then let's get straight to the point: the Liyue Qixing will not relinquish control of Liyue Harbor, regardless of your wishes." As Keqing started the conversation, the Millelith surrounded the Qixing, not fazing the Adeptus.
Cloud Retainer shook their head, a puff of smoke visibly exiting their nostrils, "The assassination of Rex Lapis was a clear indicator of Liyue Harbor's lack of competence; we have come to ensure such a poor display never occurs again."
This time, Ningguang stepped forward, "The assassin did not come of us." The Adeptus' feathers bristled upon hearing those words, "It was beyond our control."
Cloud Retainer slammed her claw into the stone, leaving a gash much too large for a bird to do, "Bah! Do not try to shift the blame; you remain at fault for this tragedy, and your kind are still responsible for many more." The Adeptus' voice became somber, " One's most outstanding pupil came of the foolishness of humanity, yet you still insist otherwise?"
Ganyu stepped forward, her face pleading, "Cloud Retainer, you told Shenhe to come to Liyue Harbor, and she has seen the better side of humanity, so please…"
To their surprise, the Secretary's begging gave the Adeptus pause, "One…" Cloud Retainer shook their head, "We will still uphold our stance; the others will be here soon."
"Very well, but know that we will still not–" Ningguang's firm rebuttal against the Adeptus was interrupted by thunder roaring, storm clouds polluting the air just as quickly. Lightless holes that defied the world appeared like ink spilling on a canvas. The ones that appeared directly on the Jade Chamber spat out Fatui, the most notable of which was the Harbinger Tartaglia.
Meanwhile, the peculiar ones that formed in the air spewed out…
The Abyss Order?
"Did your Prince plan this?" At once, the hostilities between mortal and divine ceased as the unholy entered the ring. Unsettling cackles were all they did in response; even the Fatui were made uncertain by their unlikely allies.
"The Prince has stagnated; his glorious drive to bring down the heavens has diminished, and to that end, we will finish what he started."
"So," Tartaglia cut in, his bow at the ready.
"Shall we begin?"
-Line Break-
"Wind blade." Elements that the Abyss Order threw at him were thrown right back at them, surprising most but only catching a few. Their bodies crumbled to ash not long after, throwing more chaos into the mix as the rest tried to flee– unsuccessfully.
That's all of them. Two hundred years, and they still remember how the Prince fought just fine.
Around Aether, a great fire burned through the archives they had built behind his eyes, their desperation to not let him know of their plans so great they would rather destroy all of their progress. He would applaud their commitment if nothing else.
You won't leave this place alive.
The fleeing Lector met his sword as it burst through the creature's chest, bringing a painful death as he intentionally dragged the blade up as slowly as possible, the traitor unable to reach a quick end without the Starlight that opposed the Abyss.
The Teleport Waypoints were disappearing, one by one. Aether could feel it, and each time it did happen, a part of his soul grew cold. He and Makoto had designed them, yet they faced destruction he could not prevent– another failure.
The Prince's gaze looked towards Liyue Harbor, taking note of the storm clouds rolling in from the sea. Just what was happening there?
Was their plan already in motion?
All of the Teleport Waypoints in Liyue were already gone, leaving him no choice but to use the Abyss as a method of travel. The instant the portal appeared, he was already through, erasing the anomaly with a dismissive swipe of his hand afterward.
"Where in the Dark Sea have you been?" The Sustainer shouted over the pouring rain, receiving nothing but a shrug from him. Shenhe was by her side, unfazed.
"Busy, what happened?" It would be best if she got straight to the point.
"Who knows? Osial appeared out of nowhere, scared everyone into shelter or out of the city." Asmodeus shrugged, shielding herself with an umbrella she got from Gods-know-where.
Not all of them.
Aether could feel him somewhere, watching.
Morax. This whole thing was something he had planned.
"Never mind that." Aether approached the two women, "Will you fight?"
He was expecting a resounding no straight away from Asmodeus, but much to his surprise, she stayed silent, instead eyeing Shenhe for their answer.
Shenhe hesitantly nodded, "I want to fight, but I have no weapon…" Right, he snapped her spear in half some time ago.
"Then…" The Last Yaksha's words echoed in his mind; it was time for another person to take ownership. "...Use this."
Shenhe's eyes widened by a small margin, "The Calamity Queller…"
"You know of it?" He supposed it was to be expected from an Adeptus' disciple, "Then you should know what the wielder stood for."
Even though Aether was in the Chasm during the Calamity himself, he'd never met the Adepti in their prime, so his knowledge of the crazed Yaksha was limited. The Calamity Queller was not a weapon meant for him.
"There's no time," Aether added, willing his sword into existence again. "Should you decide to fight for a world that rejects you over the one that saved you, there must not be any hesitation." Gods know how many times hesitation has ruined him.
"Where are you going?" Asmodeus finally spoke, raising an eyebrow.
"To uphold the promises I made." To fight, to help, as fractured they may be at this point, if only for his own sake.
So Aether flew above Liyue Harbor, beyond the sea, past the Jade Chamber, randomly deciding to slice an Abyss Mage that was too close to his flight path; there were bigger fish to fry. Or, more specifically, a God.
The Traveller struck the Lord of the Vortex as it was tearing apart Guyun Stone Forest, no doubt a painful reminder of the God's defeat at the hands of Morax.
"Lord of the Vortex, your opponent…" Aether gripped his sword tightly, noticing a slight tremble within him.
"...Is me." Still afraid, the Traveller hasn't changed, after all.
-Line Break-
Amid the battle's chaos, the veil of thunder clouds parted, allowing sunlight to descend upon the Jade Chamber, encouraging Cloud Retainer to unleash a battle cry to signal the arrival of beasts clad in golden light, illuminating the small bubble of war on the construct.
As the light dimmed, the Adepti set foot onto the Jade Chamber, looking down on the Fatui and the abomination they had summoned with contempt, and without a word, the Yaksha leaped into the fray, tearing up their foes as the other three inspected the Guizhong Ballistae that had gone unused in the battle.
"Crude." They were vocal in their disapproval, inching closer before tapping the gadget with their hooves and talons, encasing the imitation of the Guizhong Ballista in crystalline armor.
They positioned themselves behind one each and trained the ballistae at the distant Lord of the Vortex, furiously devastating Guyun Stone Forest.
A creature of the Abyss Order appeared from above, their forearm-mounted blades almost reaching the ballistae before an arrow of Hydro impaled them, turning the monster into dust.
"You're late!" They all scolded Yelan in sync, jumping back into the fray.
"Sorry," Yelan let loose another arrow, "I had a… personal matter to look into."
As light gathered around the barrel, what appeared to be a streak of fire occurred at the edge of the battlefield, snagging a startled Abyssal Mage and continuing in its trajectory at the newly awakened God.
As it reached its intended destination, a burst of blinding light engulfed Liyue Harbor once more; from the afterglow, Osial could be seen recoiling from the strike.
It was as if a star had descended upon the seas, and from their current position, they could barely make out a man's silhouette.
"Is that…?" Keqing knew Aether would keep his word, but not by fighting a God alone.
Ningguang smirked, Ganyu looked on in awe, and the Millelith roared in defiance while the Fatui and Abyss Order shielded their eyes from what was a star that had descended upon the land.
"The Chasm's Light…" Yelan muttered, smiling.
"The what?" The Yuheng repeated her words quizzically.
A laughter bordering on insanity rang through the skies, courtesy of the Fatui Harbinger facing Liyue Harbor. "I knew he was hiding something…"
"...A shame I cannot face him myself." Tartaglia drew a battle stance, daggers at the ready. "You'll have to do for now."
"Gladly." All their thoughts united. They only had to say one word in response.
-Line Break-
For all of Aether's bravado at the start, it didn't change the fact that he was fighting a God. Even worse, unlike the others the Traveller fought, this one had a body that towered over the mountains and was almost invulnerable to his tiny sword.
If he had to describe it, the Prince was a fly buzzing around Osial.
How did Ei do it?
While Aether wasn't there to witness it, the drastic change of Inazuman maps was enough proof to him that the current Electro Archon slew Orobaxi with a strike that could cut an entire island in half.
Try as he might over the years, the Musou no Hitotachi was not something anyone could replicate without the proper guidance. If he'd stayed at Inazuma, things mightn't have gotten as bad as they have…
…No, Aether had to focus. Luckily, that foreign presence was ready to slap him back to reality. Whatever it was, he had to greet it properly if they were ever to meet.
The Traveller may never reach the heights of the winners of the Archon War, but Osial was the same, a defeated immortal with no place to call home, entirely alone. So he might as well try everything.
A fire burned within his fractured soul, spreading into the air around him, making raindrops boil into steam, heating the sword he held until it was molten red. With a burst of Starlight, he sped past the barrage of Hydro Osial directed at him, releasing scalding clouds of steam everywhere but causing no visible damage to either.
Again. That was the only thing Aether could do: try again.
Streaks of energy came from behind him and struck Osial square in the head, staggering the God. As he looked back, even more sped past him, blinking dots from the Jade Chamber the only indicator of their approach.
Taking advantage of the support, he shot forward as literal lightning, sticking his sword into the Lord of the Vortex and releasing Electro energy. The element was quickly dispersed throughout the colossal body, dealing minimal damage. The fight would already be over if he had enough Electro to draw from.
Only in Aether's dreams would that be possible; the only thing capable of outputting that much energy would be the Electro Gnosis.
More blasts from the Jade Chamber bombarded Osial; they were faring no better than Aether, but their power was impressive nonetheless. It's a good thing he still had everything needed to make them tucked safely away.
Descending close to the water, Aether prepared his next strike, only for the water to glow dangerously, clipping the Traveller's hair as he barely got out of the beam. Osial still hadn't moved.
Storm clouds were rolling in farther out in the sea. Could it be–
This time, the beams came from different areas of the sea, prompting him to fly straight up, making sure not to burn through all his Starlight in a panic.
Of course, what's a Lord without his Lady…
Several geysers erupted from the water's surface, revealing multiple snaky heads resembling the Lord of the Vortex, shrieking at the one who dared attack Osial, lightning striking in agreement.
Beisht.
The next few minutes were a jumble of Teyvat's seven elements and Starlight as the Traveller did everything he could to make it through the Godly onslaught. The fire died out, thunder dissipated, and shields shattered, yet nothing could harm them.
Not again…
Aether hoped that with the guidance of the stars and the world's elements at his disposal, he'd finally be able to match the Gods that had taken so much from him. Piercing eyes at the world's edge. A lumbering figure of darkness. A part of him died whenever he clashed with the divine.
His luck died, too. A stray blast caught him by the leg, slowing him down enough for the two Gods to follow up with an attack that sent him sprawling into the remains of Guyun Stone Forest.
They didn't let up even as Aether got beaten into the earth.
-Line Break-
"Looks like Signora got it done after all." Tartaglia smirked, blitzing down another warrior, "Don't surrender just yet!"
A purple flash of lightning rose to meet the Harbinger's blade, determined violet eyes defiantly, "It's not over yet!"
Pushing back against the Yuheng, he was poised to strike a finishing blow, only for Keqing to blink out of his weapon's path. Several afterimages scattered around him, leaving behind cuts that appeared all at once.
Reacting as fast as he could, Tartaglia found his opponent ready to dash in and caught them off guard, clashing swords again, slowly overpowering her, "It will be soon enough."
A tidal wave larger than anything they'd ever seen appeared from the ocean Goddess' will, barreling towards Liyue Harbor as it threatened to flatten the city while they could only continue the fight from here.
…When the people are trampled underfoot by their own creations of stone and metal, when the fire eats their flesh and turns them into monsters of hatred, I hope you can still be proud of what you've done. The Prince's words echoed in her ears, haunting.
I– no, we will show you, Aether.
-Line Break-
The battle was going in the Fatui's favor, no doubt about it. One of their beloved Harbingers was leading the charge against an enemy that wasn't aware of the danger until too late. With the controlled chaos the Abyss Order provided, they had complete control of the battlefield.
Their trump card, Osial, was locked in battle with the Traveller, but the arrival of Beisht turned the tides, capable of dealing with the Prince and Liyue Harbor in one blow.
Her ears picked up a distinct sound of the pavement cracking. She saw just about what she was expecting.
"You're going to fight?" Asmodeus asked Shenhe, who was taking her first steps toward the sea with the Calamity Queller in hand.
"Yes."
"I somewhat understand your desire to live with them, but fighting for them?"
She questioned, spotting slowly moving dots of fire leaving the city; the Millelith still in the town must've evacuated whoever they could.
"You could've played with other children, learned to control your emotions." The Goddess didn't have any childhood memories, probably because she never had one, but she felt those were appropriate things for a kid to do, "Instead, you were left to die. You were bound."
Shenhe nodded, following her gaze to the evacuees, "I don't know what I want, but it isn't watching Osial destroy this place."
"Surely, neither do you?" And they just had to ask that. Inexplicably, Asmodeus felt a strange anger bubble within her.
"You're right, but what matters if Osial is stopped? It could happen long after you all die, but your nation will still fall in the end, right?" What was the point, then? Civilizations cannot last forever, neither do the Gods nor the stars, only…
The contract is as good as dead. Forget about it. Being shackled like this really was the worst form of torture Celestia could do to her.
"Perhaps, but meaningless as it all may be, I'd like to give it a meaning of my own…" The water froze from the warrior's aura alone, providing a solid foothold.
"...And for you to do the same, Kaslana." With that, Shenhe ran across the ocean to face a tidal wave of unfathomable proportions.
Asmodeus stood still, watching Shenhe's back slowly approach the disaster that was given form until they were no more than a white dot in the canvas of blue.
Her chest rumbled, still hollow. Give it a meaning of my own?
Air uncontrollably escaped the Goddess' mouth briefly, adequately amused.
She sighed, resigned to this new world, "I guess we're all crazy."
-Line Break-
"There must be no hesitation." Funny then, that Shenhe was hesitating.
She couldn't precisely pinpoint the cause as to why this was happening, nor could her unsteady hands properly get a grip on the Calamity Queller, which felt unbalanced ever since she had first picked it up. Considering the weapon's legendary background, it felt wrong to blame the spear.
Bringing the Calamity Queller up to her face, she inspected the weapon; the strange crystalline material that it was composed of reflected her blank face, followed by the immense form of the Gods up ahead.
Facing such an overwhelming opponent brought back unpleasant memories of the past: a little girl too different from the rest, facing death because of mistakes that weren't hers.
Despite it, resentment for humans never formed, in no small part to Ganyu. Every time the half-Qilin visited, Shenhe would hear stories of life in Liyue Harbor.
Between lectures and training from Cloud retainer, hearing about the mundane was a breath of fresh air. And now that Shenhe had set foot in Liyue Harbour, a city she could only find in her dreams, the experience lifted the shroud.
Shenhe was expecting a divine revelation to come of her journey throughout the city, that she could see the true nature of those who had left her to die.
Shenhe's lungs expanded beyond their usual, the pressure of the God that threatened her home pushing against her entire existence; her every step on the ice felt like it could be the last, meaningless.
Kaslana had said that earlier, and it was terrifying how earnest they were when they did so. Shenhe could tell by looking at their eyes that Kaslana was far older than they were letting on, perhaps even immortal, which only made their claims of nothing having meaning even worse.
Of course, Shenhe provoked such a reaction, and it wasn't like she wasn't hiding anything. She had already told Kaslana of her Adeptus origins, the ropes that bound her emotions, and what the Adepti had planned for Liyue.
The wave was almost upon Shenhe; salt water droplets began to batter against her skin, making her squint her eyes, barely making out the hulking form of Osial and Beisht past the wrathful water.
"Osial?"
Cloud Retainer craned her neck to peer into the scroll Shenhe had in her hands, a personal creation of the Adeptus that recounted every detail of Rex Lapis' ascension as an Archon and the many battles they fought alongside him in the Archon War.
Shenhe nodded, curious and in awe of the illustration of the fallen God next to it; no other deity recorded here matched Osial's size, and just appreciating the art was enough to send her back to that cave.
"Very well, One shall tell you of this battle." The Adeptus bent their knees and kneeled next to Shenhe, brushing away a tiny strand of hair from her face.
"He was a dangerous foe, but our struggle against the Lord of the Vortex wasn't entirely his doing." They explained to her, "Many Gods we had fought were selfish, desiring power only for themselves; Osial, on the other hand…" Cloud Retainer turned the page, revealing another God that looked strangely similar to Osial.
"Beisht accompanied him wherever he roamed; together, they could crush most Gods that roamed Teyvat." The Adeptus continued, "It was only through great sacrifice that separating the two was possible; as Osial was defeated, Beisht fled and forfeited their place in the Archon War."
Cloud Retainer huffed, a gesture Shenhe knew the Adeptus only did whenever they were annoyed, "Alone, they will never pose a threat to Liyue again."
Another memory resurfaced, this time entirely appropriate to the situation. Reflecting upon the tale and the fact that Shenhe was silent during it all, there was one question she would have liked to ask Cloud Retainer.
"Why did you fight?" Or, more accurately, why did Rex Lapis decide to see such a brutal war through to the end? Were they given a choice in the matter? Power? Prosperity? It was difficult to pinpoint the Prime Adeptus' reasons to an exact motivation.
"It's not necessarily for the sake of food…" The words of an eccentric chef whispered in Shenhe's mind, followed by the comical image of the creature named Guoba spitting out fire. A spirit's ancestor of a smile managed to break through the facade she tried to uphold.
It is amusing, but it provides no answer.
Her most recent encounter with Ganyu came to mind. The little games they played with the children seemed fun if the smile Ganyu had on their faces while they played was any indication. Kaslana didn't appear to like the children, though.
Yet what bothered Shenhe the most about the incident wasn't the half-Qilin or the kids, but the woman that accompanied the Ganyu, Keqing.
She had been far away as Aether conversed with the Yuheng, but they had said something loud enough for her to pick up.
"We're all doomed to fade away one day, so why do nothing while we can still do something?"
Each time the shout looped in her head, the Calamity Queller felt more effortless to hold; whispers of knowledge from countless battles started to emanate from the spear, giving her the strength to calm down and stare doom as it approached.
Shenhe couldn't just make her resolve up on the fly, so she'd just have to borrow from others until she could find a purpose she could truly call her own.
"By ordinance divine!"
-Line Break-
A chill ran through the air, accompanied by the sounds of what seemed to be glass rubbing against each other. Tiny ice fragments gently descended on the battlefield, painting a sight of beauty and destruction.
Cloud Retainer flew above and paused in admiration, watching the miraculous sight, "One's disciple has made her choice, it appears."
"Shenhe…" Ganyu couldn't help herself just this once and gave a genuine smile, reaching out to grab a snowflake in the air, notching another arrow as it melted away and taking aim.
"Eyes on us!" Unfazed by anything, the Fatui unleashed another barrage of elemental energy in Tandem with the Abyss Order, almost guaranteed to eliminate more of the Millelith fighting and tip the scales in their favor.
Yet nothing happened; confusion overtook their minds. The sky was empty.
"...Huh?" Then, the world gained color.
-Line Break-
Celestia, smite me for what I'm about to do…
Asmodeus closed her eyes, feeling the explosions of elemental energy occurring everywhere in this vast ocean of a battlefield, ignoring the substantial tidal wave she knew Shenhe would deal with.
There was no true randomness. Each blast of the elements hid a pattern, the type that those who knew the ins and outs of the world could exploit to the fullest.
Asmodeus started small, conjuring tears in reality that swallowed any attack that the Fatui threw, blinking in and out of existence before anyone could notice, much to their confusion. The monsters of the Abyss Order instantly knew what was happening, but seeing that future sight wasn't one of their abilities, they wouldn't see what would come next.
Before that, though, Gods were delivering quite the beatdown on Aether. With pressure taken off the Guizhong Ballistae, the Adepti could finally continue their bombardment, diverting their attention away from the Traveller and back to the Jade Chamber, not giving a moment's thought before unleashing all sorts of attacks at them.
Oh. Asmodeus didn't give her actions much thought, but catching the combined assault of two Gods on the ground would take some precision to get right.
A flash of blue light engulfed Asmodeus, and she saw that same tsunami of Beisht frozen in its tracks. The spectacle was indeed a wonder to behold, but how was Shenhe supposed to get back in the fight with a solid wall of ice, thick as a mountain and as tall as the highest buildings in the way?
I don't get it at all.
So, in a flash of blue light that was not of the Gods of the Vortex, the sky was clear of all dangers, allowing raindrops to fall on the Jade Chamber unceremoniously.
Confusing everybody involved, Asmodeus took it as her chance to strike; reaching within the home she couldn't grasp, she found everything that the Abyss Order and Fatui had unleashed in the form of elemental attacks and, with a newfound glee, returned them to their sender, the screams of those corrupted by the Abyss brought out a profound joy she couldn't describe.
Finally, the former Sustainer of Heavenly Principles stepped through a rift that could accommodate her, reappearing at the Jade Chamber.
"Kaslana?" Asmodeus heard Keqing from behind. Ignoring that dastardly name that Aether had given her, she fixed her eyes on the most prominent threat in the Jade Chamber.
"He's mine." The Goddess only said two words, facing down the Harbinger of the Tsaritsa while keeping a steady eye on the Abyss Order. She wouldn't be able to face herself if monsters from the Dark Sea could scare her for so long.
The Fatui Harbinger was immediately in her face, lashing out with two blades of Hydro, only to find himself right back where he had started, but his grin never left his face; he only continued to fight.
This…Tartaglia, was it? He was slow compared to the Travellers of five hundred years ago. The warrior before her would come short in almost every battle aspect she could think of.
Asmodeus should be able to stall him out indefinitely, even if she considered the task of redirecting the attacks of the Fatui, the Abyss Order, and the two Gods they summoned.
An arrow almost found its target, a mere inch away from landing a blow on her neck before she could catch it.
Well, the Asmodeus of five hundred years ago could, at least. After so long, her abilities eroded more than she initially thought. As much as she'd hate to admit it, the victor would be evident if Aether and her were to fight again now.
But…
…Would she put freedom over power?
"Don't look away!" The Harbinger taunted as a massive creature of pure Hydro energy was sent straight at her, enough to engulf those behind the Goddess, too.
He was persistent. The Sustainer would give him that much. And the smile on his face, one that genuinely believed they had a chance at victory? She had to snuff that out.
With another snap of her fingers, the attack was gone. "I'm not."
She wouldn't give this up for anything.
-Line Break-
The endless barrage that overwhelmed him suddenly ended, perplexing him as much as it did Osial and Beisht, who tried to attack him again, only for their attacks to disappear too fast for the human eye to understand why. Fortunately for them, they weren't human.
Asmodeus was surprisingly lenient at times.
Realizing the futility of attacking Aether, the Gods of the Vortex set their sights once more on the Jade Chamber and Liyue Harbor, planning to overwhelm them with sheer quantity. Such an attack would level everything.
The Traveler pushed himself to the limit, forcing his body to stand back up.
Aether wouldn't give up or let another nation crumble to dust so quickly, nor let more people fall to the hatred that had taken him and so many others.
That battle beyond the skies, the one that took Lumine, the Sustainer of Heavenly Principles that could not know defeat without defeating them in kind, if he couldn't change the outcome five hundred years later, what good was it all for?
All of Teyvat's elements began to circulate through his body, resulting in a myriad of elemental reactions to occur throughout himself. Still, he couldn't feel it after being slammed into a mountain.
With all his focus, Aether carefully unleashed large amounts of the Starlight he'd absorbed before and during the fight, unleashing everything he had to give to the Lord of the Vortex, whose liquid body struggled to fill in the gashes the Traveller left behind.
At the typical speed they used to travel the void between worlds, almost nothing could keep up with them, the only exception being the Sustainer of Heavenly Principles, who did so through overwhelming force, not by matching theirs.
Now, with limited reserves of Starlight, he could only do so in short bursts, yet that was enough to be a blur to Osial and Beisht, enough for him to get the jump on the Lord of the Vortex, intent on condensing everything he had into one more blow.
Aether thrust forward, plunging his sword deep into the glowing, watery body of a God. A shriek grated the Traveller's eardrums, and as he leaped back, inspecting the damage he'd been able to do, he realized something strange: his blow had landed on the wrong God.
Beisht had noticed the Traveller and blocked his strike with her own body, and the rippling heads lost their light as Beisht's many necks sunk into the sea. Not dead, but not very alive either.
Aether still had some Starlight left due to his attack connecting early, and as he prepared to evade…
…The Traveller instead saw the Lord of the Vortex slumped over his partner.
He's… mourning.
The sight was so alien to him that he'd forgotten to think of where to land, his thoughts interrupted as his flailing body met a strangely flat rock.
As Aether pushed himself up, he noticed two things: He did not land on a rock. His luck had somehow gotten a ship for him to crash onto, and it wasn't a shipwreck; it was an entire fleet, and judging from the size of the others, it was the flagship, tattered as it may be.
I guess I'm hallucinating now…
A terrifyingly sharp block of steel came to an abrupt stop just over his face. Him being as exhausted as he already was, his hands came up before they'd even exchanged words.
"Who are you?" A gruff, feminine voice asked him as he stared at his reflection in the giant blade. It was honestly impressive how his left eye remained concealed.
"I'm Aether." The Traveller stated, noticing several other pairs of feet shuffling around the ship, bustling about like someone hadn't fallen from the sky.
"Oh," They put the weapon away, and the woman reached out to Aether, pulling him up and assisting in steadying him."Ningguang told me of you; I'm Captain Beidou."
"I see." Aether had heard of the Alcor's exploits before. To meet the captain wasn't something he'd expected when Ningguang had told him beforehand that they'd departed from Liyue Harbor, "Then this is the Crux fleet?"
"With all due respect, what happened to…" Silently, he gestured at the ships, bearing tattered sails and charred wood.
"Beisht happened," Beidou sighed, "We had to follow them through the storm they were brewing up, and then we searched an empty civilian vessel of Snezhnaya in the middle of the storm; at least the Raiden Shogun wasn't trying to sink our ships…" His ears perked up at the mention of a familiar title. He'd have to ask about it later.
"I need a Wind Glider," There was no time for idle chatter; they had to act, "This might be too much, but can you position your fleet underneath the Jade Chamber?" If there was a later for him, anyway.
"Might as well," The captain obliged, tilting her head at him, "What for?"
"I have a plan." One that had to work, or else…
-Line Break-
Asmodeus was generous enough to offer her assistance, yet it still took the Traveller some time to take even one God down. She could nab something from him later as an equivalent exchange.
"Are you finished yet?" The Goddess taunted Tartaglia, who looked around him and found the Fatui losing ground, the Abyss Order not faring much better, either. However, that was more because she grudged them and targeted them with malicious intent.
The Harbinger chuckled, soon devolving into manic laughter that brought silence to the battlefield, "Not yet, I don't know who you are…" The air grew more tense with each word left his lips, a faint crackling resonating through her ears.
"...But this isn't over." Violet thunder struck the Tartaglia where he stood, a familiar miasma seeping out into the air in very minute amounts, and it was here that Asmodeus made a horrifying revelation.
This man possessed the same corruption of the Dark Sea, noticeably weaker. Still, it was present, completely overtaking his body in armor and thunder, his face covered by an eerie orb that stared straight into the Goddess' soul.
Then, he disappeared. Instinctively, Asmodeus went on the defensive, scattering rifts around her strategically and barely redirecting the Fatui Harbinger's first blow.
Getting into close combat was the worst scenario possible. This scenario would have never been likely five hundred years ago, yet here Asmodeus was, reaching her limit against an opponent who, by all means, should be beneath her.
Ignoring Osial allowed the Goddess to keep up with the Harbinger for now, but he showed no signs of stopping or slowing down. Friend and foe alike were cut down in the wake of Tartaglia's destruction, no matter how much she tried to contain this threat.
Another warrior of the Millelith looked to be the next unfortunate soul until a green blur held the Harbinger at a stalemate, weapons locked as a horned mask with glowing green eyes looking back at their opponent.
An arrow imbued with Hydro energy and crystal shards of Geo forced Tartaglia back, courtesy of Yelan and Ningguang.
"I said he was mine," Asmodeus grumbled, no longer sure what was annoying her anymore.
"The Fatui chose to provoke Liyue; we are duty-bound to defend it," Xiao answered, his mask fading away.
A Fatuus flew past them, their weapon falling to the ground as it spurted out a few dying embers before fading into dust, the cause appearing next to the Last Yaksha in a flash of lightning. "It appears we have found common ground, after all," Keqing stated, sword poised.
The Goddess huffed in annoyance, "Duty this, duty that…" Aether had said something about promises before he decided to pick a fight with a God, too.
Does everyone but me have some obligation to fight?
It was seriously starting to get on Asmodeus' nerves.
Archons, it was humiliating to be assisted like this. Not once in Asmodeus' long servitude of Celestia had this happened. Rogue God? Straight into containment. Egotistical nation? Khaenri'ah learned the hard way. She supposed defeat would be worse, though.
"...Whatever." The Goddess was still here while they were all gone, and she would give a reminder of why.
The pain in Asmodeus' chest flared up, a permanent side-effect of using her domain, this time more intense than she'd ever felt before. Her fingers rendered space as durable as wet paper, and the Goddess tore it apart with a snap. Instantly, dozens of portals appeared, releasing all the excessive elemental magic she had stored.
"Disappear." Like everything else.
Tartaglia was forced into the defensive, dodging and brushing aside everything he threw at her; they were at a stalemate. It was a given that combat wasn't Asmodeus' forte, so in all likelihood, she'd be the first to tire, and the fight would be over for her.
Except…
I'll accept this meager humiliation for now.
A frost-tipped arrow struck the ground near the Harbinger's feet, coating it in a layer of ice that was as slippery as it was sharp to the touch. The effect seemed minor at best, forcing them to adjust their footing slightly, but it was enough for one of her attacks to land.
Everyone present sprang into action, raining down a barrage of Geo constructs, Hydro arrows, and sharp blades of Electro. Anyone who tried to assist found themselves on the ground before they could take another step. An orb of Cryo danced in the sky as it rained hell upon them.
Thoroughly annoyed, thunder and Abyssal energy began pouring out of Tartaglia in droves, denying their defense and allowing his offense as he made a mad dash straight for Asmodeus.
This time, she happened to find herself in the absolute best scenario.
Another rift of ungodly proportions stood between the Goddess and the Harbinger, and what came out of it was just as unbelievable. A sound-breaking ball of pure, godly energy came racing through, colliding with the Abyss-tainted warrior with a shockwave that shook the ocean from which it originated.
I had to use one… Asmodeus dejectedly thought. Celestia had thoroughly cleaned up her stockpiles of random items and stored energies away, so she had to collect more to have a chance. The might of a God, much less that of a combatant of the Archon War, was beyond rare to come across nowadays, and seeing one used so soon was disappointing.
Once everything had settled down, the Harbinger was down onto one knee, one arm limp and the other outstretched, their armor falling apart and clattering uselessly on the floor. The Fatuus' last attack aimed not at them but the Guizhong Ballistae, now a pile of smoking ruins.
"Guess this it for now…" Tartaglia chuckled, a portal of the Abyss appearing behind him as he stepped back.
"...I've got my eye on you, Miss…" Not again.
"Kaslana." She wanted to scream.
Once all the Fatui and Abyss Order's forces had made their leave, Asmodeus could finally breathe a sigh of relief, internally cheering on finally having a go at the Abyss Order.
Now is a good time. Asmodeus sluggishly maneuvered her digits in a snapping motion, only to miss horribly. A gust of wind blew the Goddess' hair back, and a Traveller that looked like he'd seen better days landed shortly after.
"So they've retreated," Aether observed before collapsing like a cut puppet, "You took your time." The Traveller muttered as he rested on the sweet, sweet stone.
The Fatui and Abyss Order appeared to have fled the battlefield, but the Guizhong Ballistae were no longer functional, the Adepti that commandeered them now staring at the God slumping in the sea.
"I should drop you off at Osial, then." Asmodeus bit back, lazily looking down at him, the battle taking its toll on her, too.
"Go ahead," Aether replied, exhausted. "He doesn't seem to be in the mood to fight anymore."
"Still, he can't be left alone, can he?" He looked up at Ningguang, who nodded immediately.
Anguished cries cut through the air, followed by uncontrolled spheres of the Vortex God's might populating the air and keeping Asmodeus busy again. No rest for the wicked, she supposed.
"Then evacuate the Jade Chamber; there's no time to waste." There's no telling when Osial would calm down.
"Do you have a plan?"
"Kind of." He answered, "Would the Jade Chamber be an equivalent exchange to eliminate Osial and Beisht?"
"That's…" There was hesitation; no surprise there.
"Very well."
"Ningguang…" Several people made weak protests, but they were all squashed quickly.
"We can always make another, and the same cannot apply to people." The Tianquan was solid as stone in her resolve, something he would always respect.
"Whatever it is you plan on doing, do it."
"I asked Captain Beidou to assist in the evacuation; she should be in position." As said, the Crux fleet was ready to assist in the evacuation from below, their ships ready to fall to a light breeze.
He's doing something stupid. Being dragged around by the Traveller as long as Asmodeus allowed her to know whenever Aether had a horrible idea in mind.
Mingling with that sad drunk of an Archon, letting the Qixing know of his importance in the Abyss Order's hierarchy, the list could go on. Although they usually benefitted her in exchange for his beautiful struggles. There was no way the Prince could surpass anything questionable that he'd done before.
Surely.
-Line Break-
It all ends here.
"You can go now," Aether called out to Asmodeus, still protecting the Jade Chamber, even if for the sole reason being that she was still on it. "Try not to trip."
Wordlessly, the Goddess started preparations to leave and was about to step through a rift that had just appeared.
Has he already gone through this before? It was weirdly familiar.
…
"Ouch!" A sharp yelp cut through the air, prompting Aether to call out to the would-be inventor.
"Makoto, are you okay?" He was somewhat used to her antics at this point; they'd slowly begun to loosen up around each other, and it had reached the point where the Goddess asked him to be a test subject.
Aether had been hesitant at first, but after seeing her bashful face, he couldn't find the will to say no anymore. Granted, she hadn't told him what they were working on until it was almost complete.
The Electro Archon waved off his worries, "I'm an Archon; this is nothing." A deep indigo glow lit up the clearing as she continued her work, "Just a little more and…"
An entire minute of dangerously bright flashing lights later, Raiden Makoto emerged, soot covering her face. "...It's finished!"
"I present to you…" She presented to him the result of the past month of being her test subject, a glorified crystal ball on a fancy pedestal. "...The Teleport Waypoint!"
Aether raised his hand, "Can't it be a little shorter?"
"Nope!" Makoto confidently replied, talking slower, taking great care not to swallow the dust on her face, "I've already gone through dozens of names, considered which ones are universal, and chosen the shortest among them."
"I'm sure you did…" Much to his disappointment, he couldn't think of anything to refute her.
"Whatever," She tapped on his shoulder, "Give it a try?"
A petty, jaw-dropping idea came into his head, "Sure."
Then Aether rapidly turned heel and leaped straight off the edge of the Narukami Shrine.
Unsurprisingly, it caught Makoto off guard, "Woah, Hey!" She tried to grab him before he could reach the edge, to no avail, "Aether!"
He allowed himself a moment to smile, then focused, attempting to activate the Teleport Waypoint. There was just one caveat.
He didn't know how.
The Traveller chuckled nervously, realizing how high a mountain could be. When you had wings that could carry you through the stars and beyond, falling wasn't a problem.
Now that it's come to this, Aether should try everything that came to mind. Could he just think of an imaginary button and be transported there?
His attempt at doing so resulted in nothing except the ground being too close for comfort. In a last-ditch effort, he closed his eyes, braced for impact, and focused his mind on the location of the Teleport Waypoint.
Seconds later, a world-shaking impact rocked his legs to the point where he thought that they'd fallen off.
"Guess I still keep the momentum…" Aether decided, trying and failing to stand up.
"What were you thinking?" Before he knew it, an angry Raiden Makoto was upon him, "You're hurt, stay still…" She brought out a cute little statue that inexplicably engulfed him in a soothing light, his pain slowly fading.
The comforting glow left him faster than he'd liked, and the statue in Makoto's hands dimmed soon after, "...And there, don't go jumping off mountains again, mister!"
"I won't be any time soon," The Traveller shamefully admitted before pointing at the strange item she held, "Say, is that…"
The Electro Archon nodded, lifting her little invention for all the one person present to see, "Yep!" It was one of the few times she looked truly proud of herself, and he thought she always shined a little more in these moments, "This is a little gadget that can absorb energy and restore life like a Statue of the Seven can!"
"I originally wanted to make a perfect duplicate of a Statue of the Seven, but it failed." Makoto told him, joining him on the ground as she leaned against his body for support, "Only Archons could use them as a means of transportation, but they would also bring anyone in direct contact with that Archon; it was confusing."
The Electro Archon turned to him, a flurry of emotions hidden in lavender eyes, "Then, you came along." A smile blinded him, bright as– no, perhaps even brighter than the stars, "This is all because of you, so as my thanks…"
She elegantly presented the two artifacts to him, beckoning. "...Take these with you on your journey."
"Are you sure?" Aether asked, "Surely–"
Makoto playfully flicked at her forehead, causing him to recoil in mock pain, "If you're going to jump off mountains without a Wind Glider repeatedly, you will need this." She shoved her face right in front of his. "As for the Waypoints, you promised to return, mister Traveller."
A cold sweat ran down his brow, "Yeah, I did." "I'll keep these safe, too." It was here that he first realized.
Aether never could compare to Raiden Makoto.
"I promise."
…
"...Wait." Turns out, there was one more thing that had to go.
"Take this." Aether quickly approached Asmodeus and put Makoto's Statue of the Seven in her hand. With the Teleport Waypoints gone, it was his last keepsake of her.
The Goddess sighed, twirling the item around her hand before turning around. "Looks like your foolishness has caught up with you."
"Don't let it win." Was what the Traveller thought he heard come from her lips before she left, only serving to confuse him.
Did she know?
But no matter how suspect her words were, the Prince had to lose if Liyue wanted to win this battle.
Sighing, Aether ripped off the cloth that covered his left eye. It was nothing special, no magic, no medicinal properties. The fabric only blocked light from reaching it.
With his Hydro affinity, the scattered raindrops around him pooled up, allowing the Prince to see the beast again, which he hadn't seen since he'd taken over the Abyss Order.
In place of Aether's eye was a dormant mass of pitch-black tendrils and Abyssal energy lying within a small bubble, masquerading as the eye of a living being but only serving as an instrument of destruction.
Still asleep…
He poked at the horror, no reaction, and he didn't feel it, either.
The Traveller started to tug violently, stretching it beyond what should be possible, but still nothing.
It didn't seem like Osial wanted to wait, staring at the Jade Chamber with nothing less than fury, and more ideas on bringing it down were likely in the God's head.
No choice, then.
Channeling as little Starlight as Aether could, he poked the curse again–
–The next thing the Prince knew, he was lying on the floor, a splitting headache and a silent screaming echoing across his mind, showing that it had finally awoken.
Planting his sword on the ground, the Traveller pushed himself to stand back up and began to "converse" with the thing. It had no use for language, no need to understand others. It only desired nothing. But, because of the link it shared with Aether's mind, it could sense his intent, and it just so happened to be its favorite one.
We don't belong here…
With Aether's left hand holding the sword, he raised the weapon, and the creature within him responded in kind, imbuing the blade with an energy alien to all life; if it weren't for the unique properties of the sword, it would've crumbled to dust long ago.
Let the people decide their fate, and us…
A tremor rocked through the ground, Osial stirring in response to the presence of it. The existence of the Dark Sea was an insult to all Gods, a hatred engraved in their being.
…Fade away like we were supposed to.
The tip of his sword met the pavement of the Jade Chamber, and time slowed down.
The Traveller could feel it all. The Plaustrite that kept the Jade Chamber afloat lost its magical properties, sending the entire structure plummeting straight into Osial, who was unleashing another beam of energy, the same one that sent him crashing into Guyun Stone Forest. Still, it would never reach its target. The Abyss ensured that, devouring the God's energy to sustain its own.
Then, Traveller, God, and the Dark Sea met again for the first time in two hundred years, battling it out in an eternal instant until everything became silent.
Another current in the sea, the small spirit of water dipped and dived, avoiding all the dangers of the ocean that were out to feast on its essence. The strong ate the weak; that was how it was.
No power, no name, nothing to speak of; every passing moment was a struggle for survival, barely scraping by to sustain a meager existence.
Then, the inevitable happened: a predator. Like him, it was weak, a nameless entity amongst countless others. But it was stronger than he was, only barely; perhaps it was why it had caught him by surprise.
The two fought in a battle that couldn't change anything; they thrashed about, scaring away fish, damaging seaweed, and scratching coral.
But that small gap in strength made all the difference. He found himself lying on the seabed, his opponent standing victorious while looking like a weak current could snap them in two.
So, the nameless spirit of the sea closed their eyes, accepting fate.
Imagine his surprise when death didn't sweep him up. Instead, he found her.
Another powerless being like him, she chose to sneak up on his foe and finish it off. He was expecting her to do the same to him.
Instead, they had found a partner.
She helped him recuperate, and together, they began to survive. Soon after, they started to grow become stronger.
It confused him why she did this, and when he asked, she answered that she had no answer. It was as confusing as it was alright an answer.
Things gradually became easier after that, reaching the point where they could just… live.
Swimming through the vast sea at each other's side was one of his happiest days. And she shared that sentiment in ways that words could not convey.
And then came change.
It started as something they barely noticed at the time. Powers not their own began swirling around them like raindrops building up to a great flood.
Then, it adapted to them, merging with their being, converting them into vortices of power they had never seen before, not in the ocean or the land. Such an anomaly could have only come from the beyond.
The price of power was not what they imagined; thrust into a war they did not want to fight, they found themselves outmatched. The last thing he saw before falling were spears of stone that transformed the earth.
Time tore away at his mind, eroding most of what was left, except for one thought: Was she alright?
It echoed in his head across the ages, and before he knew it, a familiar energy had resurrected him. He could see the stormy sky again and, even better, see her again.
And from the fortress hurtling towards him, reminiscent of the battle long ago, he could see–
–Oblivion.
-Line Break-
Seeing the Jade Chamber that stood tall over the city plummet straight into the two Gods was quite a bizarre sight, even more so when it was followed up by what seemed like a black hole, devouring all the light that should be reaching their eyes.
Of course, if it was an actual black hole, Teyvat and perhaps the entire world would already be gone, such were the powers that Celestia and the Gods feared, and such was the curse that Aether bore.
Asmodeus took note of the irony here. To think that a Traveller of the Stars, the last one even, would find their end in darkness was straight out of some drama script some nobody God in Celestia would write.
At some point, an entire fleet arrived at Liyue Harbor, the sails of their ships tattered beyond function and the hulls worn down from rushing through a storm created by the Gods themselves. Whoever the captain was, Asmodeus had to applaud their sense of urgency.
With the Gods gone, the dark clouds parted to reveal a starry sky, a reminder of how insignificant they all were. To the weary warriors that had just battled deities and their fellow mortals, it was a sign that the battle was over; how weird of them.
The view was oddly familiar; when was the last time she had put her full attention to the stars?
…And I never really hated you.
"Stupid," Asmodeus muttered, looking around for a certain something, a small grin emerging from her frown as she did. The Goddess grabbed it and quickly went to look for someplace isolated.
This was just to get even, nothing more, nothing less.
-Line Break-
Aether found himself back at the ocean, fragments of the Jade Chamber that the Abyss had eagerly smashed to bits gently bounced off the seabed.
There were no signs of Osial and Beisht left.
He saw it all, their entire life, before the Prince ended it.
It was necessary, right?
After their awakening, there was no way for them to find peace in life, not as a puppet of the Fatui or an enemy of the world. Death was the only way that they could find their peace.
Aether wanted to do the same, the only difference being that he had to do it alone.
From far above, the stars twinkled, their light scattering through the water in interchanging colors, allowing him to see his surroundings.
What the Traveller saw next inadvertently made him swallow some water. Thankfully, drowning was a non-issue to a traveler. Unfortunately, the Abyss still was.
It was invisible to the naked eye, but Aether had not stopped his usage of Elemental Sight even after unveiling his left eye, and he did not like what he saw.
The energies that he had released hadn't dissipated yet. Feeding off the power of two Gods must have made them capable of surviving this long, spreading through the seas and, eventually, beyond his reach.
Aether wouldn't let it. Never.
Giving everything he had, the Traveller mustered up all the Starlight he had left and, without hesitating, unleashed it upon the Abyss lurking in the ocean and the one within himself.
Considering what had happened only a few minutes prior, Aether was expecting unfathomable pain that would kill him from the shock alone, but this death was surprisingly calming.
Death…
Was he going to die? To be fair, he'd already experienced death through the eyes of Osial and Beisht, sudden and striking before they knew it.
Aether couldn't feel anything anymore or move; he could only observe the world beyond the sea that trapped him. And the Traveller could still see them. The stars still shone even past the darkness, distorted light, and thunderstorms.
He was closer to the water's surface than before; did the Starlight bring him closer?
Perhaps Aether would've been grateful to look at them for one last time if they weren't disappearing at an alarming rate.
He couldn't find any hatred for the stars abandoning him again, though; if it weren't for them, he wouldn't have begun an endless journey for a home that he could no longer finish.
As the last of them faded away, Aether noticed two still burning brighter than ever, standing out like diamonds in the rough.
And were they moving?
The Traveller began to rise. From the corner of his eye, he could see those two stars encapsulated by a shadowy figure, their visage becoming more apparent as he got higher.
Once they broke through the water's surface, his disbelief at who had just saved him grew tenfold, though expelling all the water within their lungs was still the priority for him and the Goddess at his side.
She had brought them to a small fragment of the Jade Chamber that stayed afloat, impossible to spot from the shoreline amongst all the wreckage. It was quite a miracle.
"What part of "don't let it win." Do you not understand?" Asmodeus eventually snapped at him as the last water droplets exited his mouth.
"Why…?" As for Aether, he was still confused.
"They would've chewed me out if I didn't do this. Don't go jumping to conclusions so easily." The Sustainer hastily answered, kicking off her shoes into the water and laying on her back shortly after.
"What kind of self-respecting tour guide are you to leave a tourist so early?" She haughtily asked, eyes pointed at him before quickly looking away. Without a word, she pulled a bandage from seemingly nowhere and tossed it his way.
Strangely enough, Aether's movements around the left side of his body were sluggish, so much so that he almost dropped the bandage into the water nearby, stopped only by his right hand, which didn't seem to share the same strain.
Here, Aether realised that nothing wasn't anything covering his left eye. Feeling sheepish, he silently wrapped it up again, which had already gone to sleep. A part of him knew he'd have to use it repeatedly to have a chance at matching Celestia, especially with the Abyss Order at the Tsaritsa's beck and call.
As Asmodeus didn't bring up his left eye, Aether decided not to ask how she found any decent land to work with when there were only spiky crags, nor would he ask about the blood in the water.
The Prince was expecting some remark from her about them being even, but she didn't take the chance to do so. Was he still the Prince of the Abyss Order?
How many chances have I had now?
Looking back on the conversation Aether had with the Yuheng, he supposed it was due time for him to stop being a hypocrite.
The ghosts of Khaenri'ah were no longer a burden he had to endure, but there was still an immortal lifetime's worth of wrongdoings that he had to turn to right.
It was easier said than done, but he knew where to start.
-Line Break-
…Could you please hear my voice…
-Line Break-
AN:
Revamping/Rewriting/Doing whatever for this chapter was the best and worst decision I could've made. On one hand, I managed to power through and add everything I wanted. On the other, a brand new idea I wanted to write popped up in my head whenever the finish line was in sight. The old version of this mentioned something about it being difficult trying to merge two storylines into one. It turns out it was three. Oops.
Most of the old stuff remained the same, albeit with a couple of changes here and there; all that matters is if it's still cohesive. If it isn't, maybe leave a review, and may this mistake never happen again. (It probably will.)
This chapter was fun to make, but I'd prefer not to do it again. See you at the next chapter that should've been out several weeks ago if it weren't for this…
