Here I come with the end of this double chapter!
Well, there are several things to come in this chapter. You will notice a notorious advance not so much in the relationship, but in the recovery of the characters. Obviously, as you read in the previous chapter, new characters will also be introduced.
I think the theme I wanted to print in the first chapters is already achieved, so from this chapter things can start to move faster in all senses.
Before I begin, I would like to answer a review to clarify certain things:
Guest: Remember that this is a translation. The update speed in the double chapters only happens in the untranslated story. The margin in the translations may vary according to the speed with which my translator works, who is now taking a break due to personal issues. As long as I have to translate the chapters on my own I don't know how long it could take, since I'm writing and translating other stories, and I always have a specific order to do those things (basically first update and then translate). I hope you understand.
Having clarified this, it's time to start.
Enjoy!
Kokomi remained completely silent as she touched different areas of Aether's exposed chest. They were both in the traveler's bedroom, doing the typical morning check on their wounds.
"Did you check Ei yet?" Aether broke the silence, earning a short glare from Kokomi.
"Ei? You mean Raiden Shogun?" The woman blinked, showing her lack of habit at the mention of the Archon Goddess' true name. "She's fine. Well, she hasn't gotten any better, but I guess you get my drift..." Kokomi resumed her work, making her answer more than clear.
"How long do you think it might take?" He asked a little anxiously.
He'd had enough of having to be on bed rest and not doing any physical activity that demanded too much of him.
"Do you mean you or her?" Kokomi looked at him again.
"Both." He commented simply, causing Kokomi to lower her gaze, thinking about what answer to deliver to him.
"Regarding Raiden Shogun, it's complicated..." Her abstract answer left Aether with many doubts, and she noticed. "What I mean is that I'm not used to dealing with divine bodies. She should be dead, but her divine body tolerated it and is now healing at a great speed, but I don't know how long it might take to recover. As I said, her wounds were very deep and deadly, even for a Goddess." She commented, bringing a hand to her chin. "But lately I've noticed that the Elemental Energy she expelled from her body is slowly regenerating. Perhaps that process could speed up her healing due to the fact that she's practically made of it, but I have no idea." She concluded, then fixed her gaze on Aether. "As for you, I have good news."
Those words, and Kokomi's smile made Aether's eyes sparkle with hope.
"Will I be able to leave already?" Questioned the young man energetically.
"Your body hasn't fully recovered yet, but I think you might be able to do some activities that aren't too demanding." Kokomi couldn't help but expel a chuckle as Aether rose from the bed through a jump covered in excitement.
"Great!" The traveler exclaimed happily as he observed his figure in the nearby mirror, seeing how the large wounds on his chest were now almost closed. "That means I'll be able to help Kaeya with his work today! Speaking of which...!" Aether's eyes widened at the last words as he grabbed his shirt in one swift motion and ran out of the dorm.
"I have to go now before he leaves without me! Thanks for your help, Kokomi!" The aforementioned just shook her head at her friend's rush.
"I told him not to do demanding activities. I think he only heard the part that suited him." The woman thought with slight amusement.
Her amused look changed to one that only reflected a great deal of curiosity, and, most of all, confusion.
"But, I still can't understand how he recovered so quickly..."
_ CHAPTER 6: THE FIGHTING ONI! _
"What the hell is that?" One of the men wearing a pointy hat asked.
"Could it be a giant Onikabuto?" The oni added another question, though the man looked far more amazed than confused at what he was seeing.
"I'd say it more closely resembles a cockroach." The only woman in the group commented, watching such a bizarre scene with rolling eyes.
Aether was climbing the rubble of the Tenshukaku upside down, probably not even he knew how he had gotten into such a complicated position.
"Oh, hello." Was the traveler's simple reply after seeing new people appear right in front of the huge gap left by that intense battle.
"Hello." The oni greeted, looking the least affected in the face of the whole affair.
"There's nothing at the top." Ignoring the stunned looks that watched him as if he were a weirdo, Aether jumped down from the top of the rubble, alarming the 5 newcomers.
They all ran to catch him, but their surprise was more than great when purple gliders appeared on his back, allowing him to land without any trouble.
"Are you a treasure thief?" The woman averted her gaze to the chests and the large amount of blackberries that were piled up in one place. "I'm sorry, but these things are still Inazuma's property." The atmosphere suddenly got a little rough all of a sudden, but Aether didn't even flinch.
In fact, he smiled at them.
"Don't worry. I'm not stealing anything. In fact, I'm going to return everything to its owners." Aether's comment drew a lot of interest from the 5 people.
"Does that mean there are survivors?! Do you know what happened here?! Where are they?!" The oni grabbed him by the shoulders tightly, making Aether feel quite overwhelmed by the sheer number of questions.
"Don't you think we should introduce ourselves first?" The woman brought a hand over the oni's waist, causing him to look at her in confusion.
He suddenly noticed that he was annoying the traveler, so he quickly took a step back with a chagrined smile.
"Sorry about that. My name is Arataki Itto. I am the boss of the Arataki Gang, and they are the members..." The now recognized as Itto pointed to the three male members. "Akira, Genta and Mamoru. This here is our auxiliary member, Ushi." Aether had to admit he was surprised when a miniature bull landed next to the oni, and, as if that wasn't enough, delivered a snort as if greeting him. "Last but not least: this is Kuki Shinobu, the great and awesome underboss of this gang." In the end, Itto looked quite proud to make the introduction of all his colleagues and friends.
"It's a pleasure. My name is Aether. I'm a traveler and adventurer who participated in the last Inazuma war." He commented, bowing his head slightly in greeting.
"A war?" They all asked at the same time, and the fact that Aether's ever-present smile disappeared made it quite clear that it was serious.
"Do they belong to Inazuma?" They all nodded after the question. "Then I guess they were already aware of the great conflicts between the Inazuma Shogunate and the Sangonomiya Resistance."
"Don't tell me that..."
"Yes, the war came all the way to the city. But the reality is that the intervention of a third party made things end so badly." Aether interrupted Itto, looking at the utterly desolate scene. "They wiped out more than half the population. Or rather, she did..."
"Half...!" Itto was completely dumbfounded, unable to believe what he had just heard. His companions were just as shocked, and even more so, as they couldn't even react to such a statement.
"It's a long story." Aether commented, looking at the rubble of the Tenshukaku. "If you want, I can take you to the survivors. But I could use some help here as the rubble covering the dungeons and the vault is really heavy. I have a friend, but he's taking care of the big Narukami Temple." He concluded, and Kuki couldn't help but look at him with very wide eyes.
"Was the temple also attacked? Are the priestesses alright?" Noticing the young girl's concern, Aether couldn't help but look at her with some regret.
"I'm sorry, the only one who survived was Yae." Those words fell on Kuki like a heavy block of concrete.
"By the way, how come they were still here and no one found them?" Aether asked to deflect the topic. "From what I understand, Yae and Sara sent a small rescue party to take all the people who were still on the islands." He commented, causing everyone to look at their leader, who couldn't help but get a little nervous.
"A little over a month ago our boss heard that there was an apparition of a Scaradiab as large and fearsome as ever before in history near the subway ruins of Watatsumi. We were there for a very long time, but in the end we found nothing." Kuki commented, then fixing her gaze on Itto as she folded her arms. "I told him that that place wasn't the natural habitat of the Onikabutos, but he wouldn't listen to me."
"I know, I know! How many times do I have to apologize?! Even the gang leader can be wrong sometimes!" Itto exclaimed as he rubbed his hair with much embarrassment.
"If they were in the subway ruins, that explains everything..." Aether commented aloud as he bowed his shoulders. "Anyway, can you guys help me?" The 5 didn't hesitate to nod as they approached the rubble to begin removing it.
They were much longer than they would have thought. It was probably about three hours, even with the extreme strength Itto and Aether possessed, much more the former. The traveler could notice this, so he couldn't help but be interested in the oni's great physical strength.
At that time Aether was able to discover that the Arataki Gang was a very important group in Inazuma that helped everyone whenever they could.
Or well, that's what the members told him, with the exception of Kuki who preferred to keep quiet.
Aether couldn't help but think it was kind of strange that he had never heard of this band before, but he attributed it to the short time he had been in the city.
They didn't spend much time together, But Itto managed to get on Aether's good side, and vice versa.
_LINE JUMPING_
Serenitea Pot
A few hours later...
"I was wondering when you would show up." Sara commented, looking at the newcomers. Her fingers tapped on the wooden desk, indicating that she wasn't too happy to see them either.
Something that certainly confused Aether, as such a renowned and honorable band should be greeted differently, and not with such coldness.
"How did they do with the treasures?" Yae fixed her gaze on Kaeya and Aether, ignoring the new guests for the moment.
"They helped the Honorary Knight a lot. The temple ruins were easy to handle, so I didn't have much trouble." Kaeya handed over the report with his typical smile.
"They helped?" Sara looked at the group suspiciously, but before she could make them uncomfortable, Yae placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Come on, is that any way to say thanks for the help?" Yae reprimanded her in her mocking way, causing Sara to grumble under her breath.
"You're right, thanks for the help." Sara lowered her head in respect.
She would have expected Itto to react with one of his typical guffaws, but the oni remained completely silent to the surprise of many.
"If you'll excuse me, I have to attend to Ei's lunch. See you later." These last words were directed at Itto, who could only nod awkwardly at the obvious hint of meeting another time.
Though his awkwardness was due to something else.
"So it wasn't a lie that he was guarding our Archon..." Itto commented in a whisper, though everyone was able to hear him.
"Will you help me arrange the treasures in the vault?" Kaeya noticed Yae's gaze, taking the three men away quickly to leave Itto and Kuki alone with Sara and Yae.
"If only I had been there at the time..." Itto's fists and teeth clenched helplessly.
"You wouldn't have done anything." Yae's curt reply made the oni look at her. "This wasn't a normal war. It was a battle between Archons." Itto and Kuki's eyes widened beyond measure at the revelation.
"Does that mean our Archon fought another Archon?" Kuki asked in shock.
"The Ice Empress." Was the simple reply from Yae, who watched as the two reacted to the information.
"But why did she do it? What was she looking for?" Itto asked with some annoyance.
"As far as we know, she is in search of the Gnosis. The motive is unknown." Sara concluded, not taking her eyes off her papers.
"And did she get it?" The key question was asked by Kuki, receiving a shake of the head from Yae.
"Gnosis is still with us. And don't worry, it's very well guarded."
_LINE JUMP_
Serenitea Pot
1 hour later...
"It's been a long time since I've felt this." Ei closed her eyes, letting her hair be swept away by the small breeze that was present on the mansion's rooftop. "You know, that unique feeling that runs over your body. Something so simple that can convey a myriad of sensations, that's what air is like." Ei opened her eyes again, tilting her face back to look at Aether, who had her entire face covered by her long, unruly purple hair. "I had forgotten how much peace and tranquility something as simple as this could grant you." She concluded, sketching a faint smile as she watched Aether do his best to remove her hair from his face.
"That's a good way to explain the feeling of freedom, even if you're still locked inside a teapot." Aether commented, finally catching her hair and creating a Geo garter to hold it.
Now, with her new hairstyle representing a ponytail, Ei looked at him with utmost curiosity.
"Now that you mention it, this is the first time I've been able to see this environment freely." The Goddess commented, noting the numerous buildings that stood on many floating islands connected by magical bridges, though undoubtedly the largest island was where they were standing right now. "It looks like the Plane of Euthymia, did you make this?" She asked, showing even more curiosity.
"It was a gift. There are a lot of interesting people in Liyue." Was Aether's answer, who left Ei thoughtful.
"Now that you mention it, I think this is adeptic magic." The Goddess's comment earned a somewhat surprised look from Aether.
"You know the Adeptus?"
"Long ago I was friends with Rex Lapis, I think mortals know him more as Morax." The Archon commented, causing Aether to roll his eyes.
"Actually, to me he is Zhongli. But I guess that's not a part of the story that she knows..." Thought the traveler.
"I didn't have much contact with the Adeptus, but I knew that they were people very close to Zhongli, even from before the Archon War. He explained a lot to me about what they did, he seemed very proud. But, to be honest, to this day I don't remember much else besides adeptic magic." Ei commented sincerely.
"When was the last time you talked to Zhongli?"
"Zhongli?"
"I meant Morax."
Ei was silent for a few seconds, trying to remember when he last spoke to the man.
"I don't remember. I think it was after the Archon War ended." She commented, earning a rather peculiar look from the traveler.
"Do you know that until the end of the war and the beginning of your self-imposed imprisonment has a 1500 year window?" Aether's question made Ei blush with embarrassment.
"It's not my fault. It's very hard to remember. Even if the war was over, that didn't mean the disputes and problems magically disappeared. All the Archons were too busy to get together just to celebrate an old friendship." Ei commented with a slight sigh, remembering all the horrors she had to overcome in the past alongside her deceased sister. "Besides, these aren't times I want to remember." Her final tone sounded rather curt, probably had something to do with having remembered her sister.
Aether noticed some of that, though not the main reason. Anyway, he found his way to make her forget when he started playing and stroking with her hair, something that relaxed her quite a bit.
Oddly enough, Yae was quite right.
Dealing with Ei was like dealing with a child, obviating the fact that she was a mature Goddess who had a very svelte body and a too beautiful face.
Aether shook his head to disperse those strange thoughts that popped up in his head.
"Were there any other Archons you got along with?" He asked, diverting from the main topic so as not to make her feel bad.
"Hum, just Barbatos. I didn't get along badly with the others, but not well either. It was just a formal relationship." The Goddess commented, receiving a slight nod from Aether.
"Would you like to see them again?" The question took Ei by complete surprise, who looked at him with slightly widened eyes.
"Are you in contact with them?" She asked with great interest.
"Sort of. It's been a while since I've talked to them, but I'm sure they'd be happy to come see you. Especially Barbatos, since he's always unoccupied." The blond commented unable to hide his chuckle, remembering the drunken bard.
"I see..." Ei looked up at the sky, or rather, that strange golden luminous hole that functioned as a sun. "I guess the Archons in the other regions aren't as important as they were 500 years ago..."
"Depends on each region." Aether commented, gaining the woman's attention. "Mondstadt is the city of freedom, and as such they don't need a king to rule them, so Barbatos had no problem walking away from the mandate. Liyue is the city of trade and contracts, and as a typical old curmudgeon, Morax could not adapt to the present, so in those situations it is best to leave things to the new youth, to the mortals." Aether stated, recalling his adventures experienced in both regions. "I don't know how the other regions will work, but Inazuma is a warrior region, of fighters. I think it is mandatory for them to have a maximum referent like Raiden Shogun for them to keep developing and, above all, expanding. I hope you won't deny it to them again." The last words came out in a mocking tone, something that embarrassed her again.
"I don't plan to walk the same path, I've already learned from my mistakes." Ei commented with complete seriousness and conviction.
"Yeah, sure you did..." Commented Aether with a smirk, causing Ei to look at him reluctantly. "If looks could kill, you would have killed me a great many times by now." He concluded, chuckling at the end.
Ei had no choice but to keep up with him, humming a sweet melodious chuckle.
They both stood in silence, watching as the inhabitants of Inazuma continued to toil away, completely exempt from their gazes as they were all too focused to look up and spot them.
"Now that you can do some activities, I guess you'll help with the construction." Ei commented, starting another topic of conversation.
"It's not like that." That answer surprised Ei, and said surprise increased even more when he grabbed her lap with the intention of turning her around. "Actually, I want to talk about it with you." Standing face to face, Ei just nodded curiously. "I'm going to train. I want to try something with all the Elements I possess, and I also want to know how Gnosis works." Those words caught Ei off guard, who watched him with wide eyes.
"Why do you want to know how a Gnosis works?"
"I don't know how to explain this, but..." Aether rubbed his hair with some nervousness. "Your Gnosis reacted in a strange way when I was about to lose to Zarina, and granted me a great deal of elemental and physical power when it entered my body."
If she was shocked before, to say she was shocked now was an understatement.
Her face in complete shock made it clear that she couldn't believe what she heard.
"Is this a joke? The Gnosis can't merge with a mortal's body." Ei commented, finally coming out of her stupor a little.
"If you don't believe me, let's make this easy: tell me how to take it off." He commented, but Ei barely reacted. "I mean, when Yae gave it to me, it was outside your body. I guess there's a way to remove it, isn't there? I also remember Zarina had mentioned something about it." The Goddess continued in silence, it was obvious that she was very shocked.
"..."
"..."
"..."
"Huh?" Aether broke the silence, and she finally came out of her bubble after hearing him.
"You must only think of the Gnosis. Think that you want it out of your body." Aether nodded and closed his eyes.
That moment made Ei watch him with much expectation, as she was still not able to believe what she was hearing.
That's why her gasp covered in surprise echoed even louder than that small flashing sound emerging from the Gnosis that was slowly leaving Aether's chest.
Finally, the blond opened his eyes and the Gnosis fell into his hand. The latter watched it with a smile, completely ignoring the face Ei was handing him.
"Now I'll be able to rest easy knowing that I can control it at will. Thanks for the help." Aether delivered a smile to the stunned Ei, who was barely able to respond with a nod.
"How-how did this happen?" Ei asked, barely able to speak.
"I don't know, it just reacted to my wishes, or so Yae says." Aether bowed his shoulders matter-of-factly, completely ignoring the fact that this was far from natural.
Before Ei could say anything else, the traveler carried her tightly.
"It's time to head back. I'd like to start my training." Aether commented, fixing his gaze on Ei. "I'll be back in the afternoon." He concluded, starting to walk with the Goddess in his arms.
She could only look at him awkwardly.
A Gnosis was never supposed to enter a mortal's body, let alone respond to her wishes.
It was impossible.
But he was there again, breaking down whatever wall the supposedly "impossible" built in front of him.
_LINE JUMP_
Serenitea Pot
A few hours later...
"AAAAAAAAHHHHHH!" Akira approached as fast as he could to hit Aether, who was waiting for him relaxed in the middle of that desolate island.
Aether would receive him deflecting his punch without much trouble to then push him with his other hand hard, making him stagger to the right until he fell face first to the ground. The traveler instantly turned around and used the momentum of the move to deliver a hard kick to Genta that knocked him off balance and sent him straight to the ground. He then somersaulted backwards to dodge Mamoru's attack, who was watching him with great fatigue.
Aether took a short pause to wipe the sweat from his forehead, indicating that he had been training for a long time already.
His gaze drifted back after feeling his other two opponents slowly rise from the ground, causing a smile to appear on his face.
"AAAAAAAHHHHHHH!" Thinking he was distracted, Mamoru tried to surprise him, but he was the one who ended up surprised when Aether elbowed him hard in the arm almost without looking at him.
His punch not only deflected and missed, he also received a strong kick that sent him a bit away.
Aether's eyes furrowed as he caught the two punches that were aimed over his back. Aether pulled them towards each other to the front with a lot of force, making Genta and Akira collide with a lot of force. Both gave a small gasp of pain as they fell to the ground.
But, just at that moment, he could feel a much greater hostility and power rising up behind him, so he quickly turned around to respond with a punch. And this time, he didn't hold back his strength.
A slight tremor shook the entire island along with the powerful blizzard generated when Aether's punch slammed into Itto's forearms.
Kuki watched the entire battle from afar, her hair fluttered wildly at what had just happened. Even if the mask covered her lips, you only needed to see her eyes to know that she was very impressed to see how a seemingly normal human possessed strength somewhat similar to that of her boss.
"Oh, yes, yes!" Itto exclaimed with a sharp grin as she broke through the defense and grabbed Aether's hand. "It's been a long time since I've had such an interesting fight!" He exclaimed as he pinned him down, hoping to deliver a resounding punch to his face.
Aether's eyes widened after noticing how the fist larger than his face was coming at a great speed. His teeth clenched as he could barely move his face to the side, feeling the breeze created by the blow pass across his cheek.
"Come here!" Seeing that his attack had failed, Itto tried to lock him in a bear hug, very, very powerful.
Aether was quite elusive, and added to his usual touch of luck, he was able to escape imminent defeat when he grabbed the oni by the locks of his hair, causing him to wince in pain as the blond used them as momentum to leap over his large body before he could catch him completely. Aether took this opportunity to give him a hard downward kick in the back while he was still in the air. The loud crash again expanded over the island, and this time Itto lost his balance until he was about to fall to his knees.
Aether took a safe distance when he landed, somersaulting backwards several times. Itto pulled himself together as quickly as he could and turned around, watching the traveler with that sharp grin still on his face.
"You're very fast, but you won't be able to escape forever." The oni commented, entering a battle stance as he made a gesture with his hand.
A gesture that was clearly provocative, and Aether couldn't miss it.
The traveler smiled, then turned serious and approached at a great speed.
Small shockwaves appeared around his strikes, or rather, blocks, as Itto was blocking all attacks with his arms, until it finally happened.
"An opening!" The oni shouted with great energy as he waved his fist towards Aether's face, who couldn't help but grit his teeth as he was barely able to move his body to the side to dodge the attack.
His eyes widened even more as another punch was aimed at his face. He was able to move in time, but this time he felt the attack graze his cheek. The other attack turned the lunges at Itto into an intense frenzy, so Aether began to feel overwhelmed when he was barely able to block the third attack, as the oni's strength was superior to his own. Therefore, his stance wavered and he was unable to do anything when a strong side kick hit his chest with unparalleled force.
One of his eyes closed in great pain as the strong shockwave hit the area through a strong breeze. It didn't take a second for him to go flying from the strong impact, but he still found enough balance in himself to somersault through the air and land on his feet. His feet dragged for a short moment, until he came to a stop near the end of the island.
"Heh-boss..." The booming moment of battle was interrupted by Mamoru, who was still lying on the ground.
In fact, this made Kuki, Itto and Aether realize that none of the three had yet gotten up.
"We can't move anymore..." Commented Genta, who was lying trembling on the ground, just like his two friends.
"Oh, that's right. Sorry guys, I guess I got a little over excited, hehehe..." Itto guffawed as he remained folded his arms.
"I got carried away too." Aether also apologized, though unlike the oni, this one rubbed his hair somewhat ruefully.
"They've been training for almost five hours. I find it amazing that they've been able to keep up with them so far." Kuki's comment was directed at the 3 men lying on the ground, who grinned in pain.
"If the boss is willing to give his best, then we can't lag behind either!" Genta exclaimed as he stood up with his hands on his hips and a proud smile, which quickly turned into a painful one as his face turned purple and he fell back to the ground.
"They were lucky they were holding back." Kuki thought, then fixed her gaze on Aether. "Both of them." She concluded, narrowing her eyes.
"Hahahahaha, it's amazing you were able to keep up with me, my friend!" Itto guffawed as he approached the traveler, placing a hand on his shoulder. "You know something? Very few can say they were on par with Arataki Itto, 'the oni sumo expert', among many other titles." Itto patted his shoulder a couple of times, causing Aether to share his smile.
"To be honest with you, that punch hurt. I can tell you have great physical strength, even though you're very slow." The blond's words made Itto's smile falter as he cleared his throat somewhat awkwardly.
"The great Arataki Itto doesn't need to be a sprinter to outrun his opponents!" He exclaimed as he guffawed at the end.
"That's right, the boss is great!" His three friends and staunchest supporters rose from the floor to support him, though it didn't take long for them to fall to the ground once again, causing Kuki to slap her face.
"Hey, I want to thank them for today." Aether commented with a smile, earning everyone's interest. "I don't know why on earth Yae and Sara didn't give you guys some work being that you're so strong, but it's because of that that you were able to help me so much today." He concluded, then fixing his gaze on Itto. "Besides, having an expert in hand-to-hand fighting is of great help for what I want to do."
"Speaking of which, what's your goal?" Kuki asked with much interest.
"Not long ago I found a much better way of fighting than usual. I want to strengthen and master it for when the key moment comes." Aether commented as he looked at his hand, none could catch that small Geo, Anemo and Electro presence that appeared on his palm. "To accomplish that, I need to get better at hand-to-hand fighting."
"Will you be facing a very powerful opponent? In that case, you shouldn't worry!" Itto exclaimed with a big smile as he pointed to himself. "With my help, I can guarantee you'll be unstoppable!"
"Heh, you betcha." Aether was carried away by the friendly and somewhat awkward aura surrounding that strange oni.
Oblivious to Kuki's gaze, the ninja woman was looking at the duo in a somewhat dismissive manner. Aether in particular.
"He's hiding things."
_ END OF CHAPTER! _
I hope you enjoyed it!
That wraps up the double chapter, and again I'd like to thank Surfysun for their support.
Remember that if anyone else wants to request two updates in a row of this story or any other that is currently airing you have to become a member on my Patre-on. You can search for me as "Jyanzein". The Patre-on is not only for that, because there I always announce any delays, problems, new chapters, double chapters, basically you can be aware of anything there. For that reason I recommend you to follow me there as well.
Nothing else to add...
That's right, I almost forgot a very interesting part.
"Are you seriously going to teach me how to cook like this once I recover?" Ei asked, still savoring the delicious dinner that lingered on her palate.
"No promises, but I'll do my best." Aether commented as he stood up, taking the empty tray. "It's already evening, may you rest."
"Wait!"
Aether paused and watched the Goddess with slight astonishment at her outburst.
Ei couldn't hide that slight blush that crept onto her face as she looked at him with some hope.
"Can you stay a while longer?" The traveler watched her silently, then gave her a smile.
"Of course." He barely needed a few seconds to accept the proposal.
Aether lay down next to her and looked into her eyes. She looked genuinely happy that he had agreed to be together with her for a while longer.
Neither of them had started a conversation. All they did was look at each other, finding a rather unique kind of silent comfort.
Ei's eyes widened slightly as she noticed how Aether trailed her hand down to caress her cheek.
"Do you want me to tell you something funny? In this week I've realized that you're quite beautiful. Maybe I couldn't realize it before because you were always trying to kill me." Aether commented with slight amusement, causing Ei to lower her gaze, looking chagrined and flushed.
"Are you going to keep reminding me of those moments?"
"What? Sometimes it's fun to tease you a little."
"So it's all a joke?"
"Not everything. When I said you're beautiful, I really mean it." Aether commented, widening his smile a little as he noticed how Ei blushed a little. "Though I think you're misunderstanding it." Those words made the Goddess look at him with confusion. "When I say you're beautiful, I don't just mean your looks. I mean, you're beautiful because of that too. But personally, I could tell by how you really are."
"What?" Ei could only get even more confused at the strange answer.
"What I mean is that you are a very good and kind woman...Goddess...Archon" Aether didn't know how to describe her, so he used three different terms. "You're very sweet, and that makes your beauty stand out. I'm just saying it was tricky to see that when you were hiding behind the puppet." Aether bowed his shoulders, downplaying the facts.
Evidently, he didn't know how much those words had affected Ei, who was looking at him with wide eyes.
And the traveler, being as dense as ever, watched her with confused eyes.
"Don't you like it?" Aether referred to the affection he was conveying to her with his hand.
Ei didn't even speak, all she did was cup her cheek over his hand affectionately, something that drew a slight chuckle from her future lover.
"I'll take that answer to mean that you like it." He commented, then watched her more closely. "Thanks to this..." Aether's eyes became somewhat heavy, as did his vision. "Thanks to everything that happened is that I was able to get to know you as you really are, not just an external beauty...I like you a lot, Ei..."
Though it should be impossible, Ei was sure she felt her heartbeat quicken, though it was only for a second.
Aether's last murmurs were heard by the Goddess, who was watching him intently, as he had fallen asleep.
His hand fell from her cheek, and it was at that moment that she seemed to react properly.
A huge blush appeared on her face as her eyes lit up with great intensity.
It was the first time in her entire life that she felt so happy, and it seemed strange to her that it was only due to a few words.
But, she didn't know that it wasn't just about happiness...
For the first time in her thousand years of life, she was falling in love.
Now, I'll say goodbye.
Thank you so much for reading!