Here I present myself with a new chapter of this story!

Surfysun has renewed his membership, so this will not be the last bonus chapter. They will have a new chapter in three days. If anyone else is interested in extending the consecutive streak of chapters, remember that you can become a member of my Patre-on for a dollar, and thus request an extra chapter (it can even be of any story in development, not necessarily this one).

Thank you so much for the incredible support you are giving to this story. Of the three new stories I have published, this is undoubtedly the one that has had the most impact.

With that out of the way, it's time to get started.

Enjoy!

"Good morning, sleepyhead."

Ei's eyes twitched as the curtains were drawn about without warning. A slight smile appeared on her lips as she saw that it was Aether who did it.

"Good morning." The Goddess returned the greeting as she stretched under the sheets, or at least, she did so with the half of her body that she could move.

Her eyes blinked a few times, and the sleepy smile that she was holding turned into a somewhat surprised expression when she saw what was happening outside.

"It's snowing?" Ei asked as she witnessed the windowsill get pelted by pools of snow.

"A good storm so we can all go out and have fun in a few hours." Aether commented with a toothy smile. "All thanks to Tubby." He concluded, earning a slight smile in response.

"Sounds kind of fun." She confirmed it with a slight nod as she watched the snow fall.

"By the way, that's not the only new thing today." Ei looked at him curiously as she heard his words. "Someone came to visit us." Aether looked towards the bedroom entrance after those words, and so did Ei.

Zhongli emerged from the darkness, observing Ei with his typical seriousness.

"Good morning."

_ CHAPTER 10: EI'S PAST! _

Zhongli put the coffee cup down carefully, and so did Ei. They were both observing each other in silence under the watchful gaze of Aether, Yae, Sara, Shenhe and Kaeya, as they were all having breakfast together.

"I didn't know Zhongli was a friend of the traveler." Shenhe commented. She obviously didn't know the real reason for the visit though she was putting what she learned to full use to be necessary in the conversation.

"It's hard not to become his friend after so many things that happened." It was a simple comment from Zhongli, who gave the woman a slight smile. "In fact, I think all of us here can consider each other friends, don't you think so?"

"If you want to see it like that, then we have no problems." Kaeya responded with a smile.

"I would've liked to chat a little more, but mornings are always very tight for us, so please please excuse us." Yae commented as she stood up, and so did Sara. "Can you help us with the orders?" The Yokai brought her gaze to Kaeya and Shenhe, who nodded in response.

"Sure, it won't be a problem." Kaeya commented as he followed them, while Shenhe paused briefly to greet the remaining three with a slight nod.

Aether and Zhongli smiled at him in response, while Ei just imitated their gesture.

Once the three were alone, a rather noticeable silence fell between them. But it wasn't an awkward silence, since everyone was focused on trying the desserts and hot drinks with the rather extremely cold day, especially a certain Goddess who looked very satisfied with everything she tried.

"So…" Zhongli broke the silence as he put the napkin aside. "How has life been treating you these days?" Ei just looked at him, leaving the tricolor dango aside to answer him.

"You know how he did it." Ei replied, earning a calm look in response.

"It's true. I was just asking out of courtesy." The retired Archon clarified as he took another bit of coffee, and then returned his gaze to her. "These have not been easy times, but the traveler explained to me that you are feeling much better." He concluded with a slight smile, and Ei found it impossible not to smile after hearing it, as her gaze subconsciously travelled to Aether.

"Well…the reality is that they have helped me a lot." Her smile complemented her tone covered in affection that was directed exclusively at one person, and that made Zhongli smile more .

"I'm glad to hear that, and I'm also glad to see that you've decided to stay away from that self-imposed isolation. I never thought you would want to do that to yourself." Zhongli's comment certainly earned a curious look from Aether, who never had the chance to hear several things about Ei's past.

"You're actually wrong about one thing. That isolation you're talking about was my form and image of Eternity. And I've loved Eternity. The concept of not losing anything has fascinated me since a long time. Now that I see that the path to Eternity is different than what I thought, I don't think there is a real need to do the same thing again for the foreseable future." Ei commented with a smile, something that confused Aether a little.

"Yae didn't say exactly the same thing…" The blonde thought, remembering those first conversations he had with the Yokai.

Then, a question arose in his head:

"Did she really do it because of her old concept of Eternity, or just on a whim?"

"If you think so, then I won't bother you." Zhongli commented still with his small smile, and then became somewhat serious. "Still, we are not here to reminisce about old times." Both Aether and Ei became serious after hearing it.

"Does that mean you have already made a decision?" The traveler asked, receiving a nod in response.

"I have spoken to the Adepti, and they have all concluded that this is serious." Zhongli commented as he focused his gaze on the empty cafe. "They want to respect my wishes, but they also fear that the trouble will be too much for mortals. I believe that too, and that is why I have come to see you." Zhongli fixed his gaze on them once more. "I still maintain my idea of staying away, but I understand the danger that everyone could subject themselves to, and I understand how many could suffer just from the idea of wanting to keep my distance. Even so, I will not intervene unless I see it as strictly necessary." The God concluded, earning a silent look from both of them.

"And what would be that 'strictly necessary'?" Aether asked with a raised eyebrow.

"You already know." Was the simple response from Zhongli, who closed his eyes.

Aether and Ei looked at each other, then smiled slightly.

"In any case, we thank you very much for thinking about our proposal." Ei commented, making the God smile.

"Just as you understand me, I also understand you." Zhongli replied as he stood up. "Now, if you'll excuse me…"

"Eeeeh…?" Everyone looked back after hearing that recognizable voice.

There stood Venti leaning against the door frame as he watched Zhongli with a subjective smile.

"Are you already leaving so soon? And here I thought we could have a little fun in the snow…"

Zhongli, Aether and Ei looked at each other in a fairly clear silence, and then looked back at him.

_ LINE FREAK _

Relax teapot

A few moments later…

Ei was sitting at the foot of a tree. Her hand reached out to catch the falling snowflakes with utmost calmness. Her gaze seemed especially focused on those small white dots that fell on her hand, as if she were admiring them.

"You like the snow?" Aether joined her as he sat next to him.

"I do not dislike it." Ei responded without taking her eyes off those beautiful snowflakes that were falling into her hand. "I haven't seen snow in a long time. I had even forgotten what it was like." The Goddess commented with great nostalgia.

Aether just watched her in silence, noticing the slight tremors that shook her body. She was so caught up in her own little world that she never noticed how he smiled at her just as he began to take off his scarf.

Ei's eyes widened a little as she felt something extremely warm surround her shoulders and neck. Her hands instinctively gripped the golden scarf as she felt the fragrance and warmth of Aether permeate her body.

"Do you want me to find you some shelter?" The blonde's question made Ei come out of her little dream, so she didn't take long to answer him with a smile.

"If you do not mind." She said, earning a couple of pats on her head in response.

"Hehe, not at all." Aether commented as he stood up.

Before entering through the back door, he greeted Venti and Zhongli, who were leaning against the wall.

"Now that I think about it, it's been a long time since I've seen snow up close." Zhongli declared after hearing Ei's words, watching as the snow fell from the adeptal made sky.

"I think I am the only Archon of the three present who is lucky in that sense." Venti commented with a slight chuckle at the end.

"I guess so…" Zhongli replied, his gaze now focused on Ei.

It seemed curious to him to see how she clung tightly to that scarf while a smile covered in love appeared on her face. Venti also did not miss this, so he responded in his own way as a somewhat peculiar smile crossed his face.

"What do you think about that?" Venti gave him a small blow on his abdomen to get his attention, something he did address.

"Yes, I see it…" Zhongli commented with a slight smile when he saw how Ei was covered with happiness with just the idea of being hugged by that scarf.

"TRUE?" Venti declared with a sly smile.

"It seems she loves scarves." The response made Venti look at him with widened eyes.

"I had forgotten that you are worse than those two…" Venti commented with a bored look, making Zhongli look at him in great confusion.

"What do you mean?"

"Forget it." Venti responded instantly. "Are you glad to see her better?" The bard changed the question, causing a slight smile to appear on Zhongli's face as he focused his gaze on Ei.

"It's strange, I've never seen her like that. I think the only times he showed his true feelings were during combat," commented the retired Archon.

"You're right. In that sense they were quite similar." Venti added with a nod. "I never imagined that you would become so boring after what happened with that Goddess." That comment made Zhongli's smile disappear.

"Being wiped out by your own people…" The God focused his gaze on the falling snow once again, but this time his gaze held a much deeper focus. "That was one of the last acts I needed to witness to understand certain things. After so many deaths of friends, that's when you start to understand that war is not fun." The God clarified, and then focused his gaze on Ei. "I guess she must understand it more than anyone…"

"Hmm, maybe…" Venti commented, focusing his gaze on Zhongli. "But there is a big difference between you." Those words made Zhongli look at the man with great uncertainty. "You have lost all hope of fighting, but she has always had it latent." He commented, then focused his gaze on Ei. "Who knows? Maybe when her rehabilitation is complete she can recover what characterized her so much." Zhongli also focused his gaze on Ei, who was dragging one hand through the snow while using the other to continue holding on to the scarf.

That made a smile emerge on his face.

"Maybe you are right. Especially if she is now going to have a training partner as capable as he is." He concluded, and just then the man he was talking about appeared.

"I'm sorry for being late. I had to get you a coat." Aether commented as he handed her a purple fleece coat. "You really have to buy more clothes. It's amazing that all your clothes are exactly the same." The blonde added with his eyes rolling.

"Well…. I never really focused on my clothing…" Was the comment from Ei, who carefully put on the new coat.

"That's why I say that-"

Aether couldn't finish speaking, as a snowball fell all over his face.

"Good! Now that we're all ready, why don't we have some fun?" Venti asked with a smile as a large number of snowballs floated around him as anemo swirled just under them waiting for that reaction to happen.

"I really don't-" Zhongli tried to speak, but a snowball fell on his face.

The man calmly removed the snow and spoke again.

"As I said…"

Another snowball.

"They..."

One more.

"Venti, please…"

And one more.

"This is a bullshit…"

Guess what?

This time it wasn't one snowball, it was four.

"If that's what you want…" Zhongli commented as he removed the large amount of snow from his body, his interminable relaxed face contrasted with the vein that appeared on his temple.

A large geo pillar appeared and embedded itself in the ground, sending Venti flying as a large amount of snow carelessly ran over him. Meanwhile, Aether had enough reaction to take Ei in his arms and drag her behind the tree, but the strong impact caused them to be filled with all the snow that fell from the branches anyway.

"Heh." Zhongli was not able to hide his laughter at the clear triumph.

"Do not declare victory before your time!" Venti emerged from the snow along with his wind power, making Zhongli narrow his eyes as he saw the large number of snowballs surrounding him.

Aether and Ei took cover behind the tree as best they could while a large amount of snowballs started to get thrown everywhere. Zhongli did his thing by taking cover behind his geo pillar, while Venti laughed like a madman changing positions with the strong wind currents.

After a few long seconds, the sudden attacks stopped and Venti was surprised to see that there was no more snow surrounding him.

"Now it's our turn!" Exclaimed Aether with a competitive smile, who didn't take more than a second to throw snowballs along with a rather amused looking Ei.

The snowball fight lasted much longer than they imagined. But that moment came to an end when Venti rolled forward to avoid a large amount of snow courtesy of Zhongli's pillars, and that caused him to end up right in front of Aether and Ei, who looked surprised. The bard responded in his own way as a rather peculiar smile appeared on his face, causing a large number of snowballs to surround him.

"Careful!" Aether took Ei into his arms and they both rolled through the snow to avoid the snowball machine gun.

Once they were safe from the attack, they both stood completely paralyzed.

The reason was simple.

Aether was above Ei, and they were both very, very close. The other's hot breathing was felt very clearly, and even their lips were almost about to meet.

They both seemed to be disconnected from everything that was happening around them for something as simple as the fiction on their lips. Aether tried to react, but that was only an attempt, as he could feel Ei's arms surrounding him so he couldn't move away.

Meanwhile, Venti watched everything that happened with a smile. Apparently, he had achieved his main objective.

"Come on, kiss him!" The bard exclaimed in his thoughts when he noticed that Ei was the one who was most absorbed in her feelings.

But, unfortunately their plan failed when both objectives were covered by a large amount of snow, courtesy of a Zhongli who looked satisfied with his victory, something that obviously did not cause Venti the slightest bit of fun.

"How can someone so smart be such an idiot at the same time?" The bard thought as he facepalmed.

Aether and Ei emerged from beneath the snow, disgruntled and trying to shake off the snow while being weirdly irritated.

But before the snow fight continued, a certain floating girl came outside with a big pout on her lips.

"Why didn't they wake up Paimon?!"

_ LINE FREAK _

Relax teapot

Several hours later…

Aether tucked Paimon in very carefully so as not to wake her. A smile shot across his face as he listened to her babbling about food and sleeping next to him. Unfortunately for her, Aether still had something to do before bed.

He brought his gaze one last time to the sleeping girl before leaving the bedroom.

Ei was reading her famous novel, already wrapped up and ready to sleep. The knocking of the door distracted him from that fantasy world.

"Enter." The Goddess responded without delay and put the book aside, watching as Aether entered her bedroom.

The blonde carried a plate with some tricolor dangos, in what would be the last dessert before going to sleep.

"Today was a little different than usual." Aether commented with a smile as he sat next to her. "You had fun?"

"Quite." Ei did not hesitate to respond with one of her cute smiles. "It was great that the three of us could be together after so long. Although I never thought that Morax...I mean, Zhongli, could have fun. He used to be a very bitter guy." The Goddess concluded with a chuckle at the end, something Aether shared with her.

"Everyone needs a little distraction sometimes. Even a guy like him." Aether commented, then left everything silent.

They both looked at each other in silence, although that eye contact was broken when Ei fixed her gaze on one of the dangos.

"What will you do when you recover?" The sudden question made Ei look at him with the chopstick in her mouth.

"I guess training." Ei responded with a slight bow of her shoulders. "I haven't used my own body in a long time, and adding everything that's happened to me recently made things a little more complicated. I'm not saying I've lost my techniques, but I need to readapt." The Goddess clarified as she looked up and rubbed her chin.

"Do you want to train with me?" Ei watched him with slight amazement after his proposal. "That would make both of us progress very quickly." Although that made quite a bit of logic, Ei seemed a little reluctant at the idea.

"But I'm sure I'm going to hurt you…" The Goddess commented with great concern.

"And? The last time we faced each other you had no qualms about hurting me." The blonde clarified with a mocking smile on his face.

"How much longer are you going to keep bothering me with that? And that wasn't me, it was the puppet." She tried to excuse herself while turning her face away, showing her annoyance with a huff.

"The puppet and you…well, there's not much difference. I mean, she was practically a copy of you." Aether countered Ei's words, causing her hardened gaze to transform into a somewhat embarrassed one.

Ei took another tricolor dango, but stared at it in silence.

"What will you do when it's all over?" The Goddess turned her gaze to the blonde, earning a thoughtful look from him.

"I guess I'll keep looking for my sister." He responded, then looked at her with a smile. "But don't worry, I'll never stop visiting you." That brought a small smile to Ei's face.

"You promise?" She asked with slight excitement, making Aether's smile widen.

"Of course!" He exclaimed as he gave her his hand as a gesture of promise.

"Hehe." She laughed tenderly, and the emotion of the moment made her not measure her next words:

"I'm calm, because I know that you are not like them and you will not break the promise."

Aether fell silent, and so did Ei, who realized what she had said. The silence became somewhat uncomfortable, and that made her remove the dango from her lips.

"It's not that I wanted to compare you, I'm sorry…" Ei stopped short when she felt a hand rest on her cheek.

She leaned into the touch unconsciously as she saw how Aether was giving her a smile covered in understanding.

"Don't worry, I'll never leave you alone." Ei knew that those were nothing but mere words uttered by a mortal. Time broke everyone. Even the gods were easily susceptible to it's forces. But in that moment she was reminded why she loved the concept of Eternity. The power to contend that change which was happening right now. The joy that she felt upon hearing his earnest words…..

"Yeah!" The Goddess exclaimed out loud and could not contain herself, so she threw herself on him with such force that the plate and the dangos fell to the floor.

Aether looked a little overwhelmed by the strong and sentimental hug, but slowly responded to that beautiful gesture.

They both hugged each other for minutes, and the only thing that could be heard were the light sobs of Ei, who had her face nestled in his chest. Meanwhile, Aether stroked her hair to try and calm her down, something that slowly seemed to work.

In the end, Ei managed to calm down, although she didn't move an inch away. Aether was no longer caressing her hair now, he only had his chin resting on her head.

"Are you feeling better?" Aether asked, and he could feel Ei give a slight nod against his chest. "I know it's none of my business. But if it helps you, remember that you can share everything with me." Ei raised her face a little to look at him, and Aether moved his chin away from her head to begin stroking her hair with great affection. "I'll just listen. I will listen for as long as you need until you feel no more pain." Those words made Ei's eyes widen like never before.

Finally, her face fell onto his chest again, but this time the strike was even harder, as if she was hoping that having him close would make all that pain go away. Aether understood, as she was hugging him even tighter than just moments ago.

Until she relaxed.

His eyes opened again, and Aether had to admit that he became quite concerned when he saw the almost lackluster glow in them.

That was the view of a person who had lost almost everything.

"They promised that we would be together for all Eternity. They promised that we would reign together. But…" Ei closed her eyes tightly and her hands gripped Aether's back like never before.

It was all due to that fleeting image that ran through her mind, where she and her friends were enjoying the landscape.

"In the end, only I was left…"

Aether's gaze became quite serious, but he still never stopped stroking her hair, and somehow let her know his support when he hugged her tighter.

"Sasayuri…she was my general, my oldest friend and comrade…" Ei commented in a rather dull tone. "In the battle against Orobashi, she was mercilessly killed by that snake's followers." The final comment was shot with utmost hatred as she clung even tighter to Aether, thus holding back her tears. "Chiyo, one of my most faithful friends. She was one of the few people I put my complete trust in, but she ended up being corrupted by a beast during the Cataclysm. In the end, she began to kill without scruple, and when I asked her to come to her senses, she… she pointed her sword at me, and I had no choice… I didn't have…" Her voice trailed off as the tears suppressed for centuries finally emerged from her.

"Don't worry, don't worry…" Aether hugged her tighter and kissed her forehead. "I'm here…" Those words made Ei snuggle her body as much as possible into him to feel something she had been searching for centuries:

Understanding and affection.

"Saiguu…" Ei whispered, barely able to control his crying. "Saiguu was not only a strong ally, she was also a great friend. But... But one day she disappeared and only left a letter! A damn letter!" Ei hit Aether's chest hard as she drowned in her own crying, her voice so broken it was almost unrecognizable.

Aether could do nothing but look at her with great sadness, doing everything possible to cradle her and free her from that deep pain.

"And in the end… in the end, when I thought I couldn't lose anything else… my sister… Makoto also perished during the horrible Cataclysm. And…and I…I…" Ei bit his lower lip in an attempt to stop his tears, but it was in vain. "I locked myself in with the excuse of preserving time and memory. I blindly believed that this was true Eternity. I believed that feelings and hope only destroy everything. But even in those moments... even when I was nothing more than a fragment of what I was in the past... I was always afraid of forgetting them, I was always afraid of loneliness..." Ei's crying softened a little, although her body did not stop shaking. "I know it wasn't their fault… I know…" Ei closed her eyes tightly, and a heartbreaking cry emerged from her lips:

"I KNOW, I KNOW! I'M SORRY! I'M SORRY I WASN'T STRONG ENOUGH! I'M SORRY! I'M SORRY!"

Aether just remained silent, listening as Ei let everything go.

Her regret.

Her helplessness.

Her rage.

Her hatred.

Her crying.

And above all…

Her suffering.

She was drowning in her own suffering, but having him nearby listening to her made that prison around her heart slowly open, until it all came out.

She just let it all out.

It was impossible for her to remember how long she had been crying in his arms.

Most likely it was hours.

Hours and hours where he didn't even move and held her without complaining.

Every second, every minute, every hour…

Every moment, her heart hurt less.

Until finally…

Until finally one of those genuine smiles came back to her as she lifted her face to look him in the eyes.

Aether did nothing, just looked at her. He looked at those red eyes that wouldn't stop crying, but now they looked happy.

"If you had been there…" Ei wiped away the last of his tears. "If you had been there, I'm sure no one would have died. Because you are someone incredible." Those last words made a sympathetic smile appear on Aether's face.

"Unfortunately we cannot change the past. But I will make sure your future is brighter than any other."

Those words greatly surprised Ei, who just smiled. But if Aether was supposed to be the judge then there was no competition. Ei was the most beautiful person in the world.

Ei composed herself and took the blonde's cheek with great delicacy, due to his confusion. A confusion that turned into a slight blush at what happened next.

A completely blushing Ei kissed his other cheek with great delicacy and shyness.

Aether's eyes widened as he felt the texture of her soft, wet lips. It was simply an indescribable feeling. And to top it off, Ei made sure that kiss was almost endless.

Once they separated, she looked at him with beautiful smile and a blush that made her look so much more radiant and alive.

Who would be capable of not falling in love with such a woman?

Finally, Ei's hands joined his to say a few last words:

"Can you stay with me tonight?"

_ END OF THE CHAPTER! _

I hope you enjoyed it!

A chapter covered in emotions, I even almost shed a tear when I was correcting it.

Once we get to this, I think it's time to finish. Most likely they will have their first kiss very soon.

Without much more to add, see you in the next chapter.

Thanks so much for reading!