Chapter 1: Winds of Rebellion
Act 1: Calm Before the Storm
"So, what's your story?" The girl asked.
After a few hours Aether had been able to recover from his initial state. Still shocked by the sudden reanimation, he responded while also trying to recall what he remembered. "I tried escaping with my sister from this world."
The girl perked up. "You mean you're not from this world?"
He never truly cared about his origins after his initial existential crisis. He always had his sister with him, which was enough for him.
But now...
No, he didn't want to think about it, there was no point in asking himself such questions, the past no longer mattered, he just needed to move on like he usually did.
Who he was, that was information only he held, and now that Lumine and Paimon weren't with him, it seemed to be truer than ever.
He is the last person who carries all the information, if this was truly Teyvat, then he had the records of the past and future, alongside the secrets of this world and its truth.
Just as Zhongli said before, truth and history would be recorded within him.
In the end, he stated. "At this point, I don't really care whether I'm from this world or not. I've lost everything I held onto."
Nothing matters anymore, he just needs to push forward to find new meaning to his existence, this time without his sister to accompany him.
Though, if by any chance this wasn't Teyvat, be it perhaps because the place coincidentally has the same mountain. Then he would let go of all connections he had with that world.
Not because he thought of them as nothing, but because they pained him.
The girl's face had a frown as she heard Aether's tone of defeat. "What will you do now?"
Seeing as he had nowhere to go. He said. "Follow you probably."
"Uhm... and why is that?" She said as she tilted her head to a side in confusion.
"You saved me, so I owe you one, plus, I have nowhere else to go." He admitted
Truth be told, it was out of guilt, this person looked like Paimon, this sin he carried would follow him until the day he truly ceased.
He can never forget, nor does he want to forget.
If by any chance this was actually Paimon, or if this world was even Teyvat, then he'd promise himself to fulfill that promise he made with her.
And on the way... perhaps reconnect with those who helped him along the way alongside the friends he made along the way.
He missed them, though mortals, knowing that they would one day die of old age, he wanted to spend time with them as much as he could before that day came.
Unlike in other worlds, he was able to see what it truly was to live among them, without his powers, seeing them help him along the way was something he hadn't experienced yet.
And so their friendship would forever be treasured, even if millenia were to pass.
Still, he didn't want to be optimistic, this might as well be hopeful thinking. He might not even be in the same world.
With his sister dead, there was no reason for him to travel to another world.
He snapped out of his thoughts as he looked at Paimon's look alike.
"Let's say that I am to travel... If you're going to travel with me... what should I call you?" She asked.
Aether smiled for a bit. "Call me Solomon."
Once again, he created a fake name.
He didn't want to use his actual name.
Only Lumine, and later on, Paimon could call him Aether.
To him, his name was the same as showing full trust and personal information to someone, as such, he abstained from ever using it in any of the worlds he had visited.
He then asked. "What about you?"
The girl's mouth quivered, hesitant to say what she was about to say.
Aether understood what was going on.
"It doesn't matter, I will just call you Traveler." Spoke Aether.
"Hey, you can't just call others whatever you want!" She refuted.
Aether sighed. "Then would you have preferred to say your name? You acted as if you didn't want to."
"Well... I guess you do have a point there." Sheepishly said the Traveler.
Aether then started floating towards the entrance to a more green landscape. It felt similar to when he used his wings to fly, but this time he didn't have them to get in his way.
"Then, let's move on from here." He suggested.
He then realized something. "Oh, I didn't ask before, but why are you here?"
"What do you mean?" The Traveler asked.
"Do you live somewhere near, or are you simply drifting through the world?" Aether asked.
"I mean... I've spent months just living in the woods, and I can't really remember what I used to do back then, so I don't really have anything going on with my life." She answered.
Aether frowned, he knew that was a lie. "Then... how about we journey through this world? Just as a change of pace."
"I've thought about it, I want to gain knowledge of this world." She admitted.
"Well, that will be the purpose of this odyssey, to discover the world." He concluded.
"Alright, but do you know anything about Teyvat?"
"Mmm... I'd say I know a few things."
"You don't sound so sure."
"Well, I am from another world, no? I've read a few books of this world to try to get an understanding, but I'm not sure if they are fiction or actual historical accounts." He excused, it was the best lie he could come up with.
"I guess that makes sense..."
"Then let's get moving, I think I know where to go first." Aether requested.
"Lead the way, guide." She said jokingly.
Aether downcasted his look.
How the tables have turned. He wondered if he would be able to do a good job like Paimon.
While walking and climbing through the terrain, they made their way to a place where they could see Mondstadt City.
They admired the place while the wind continued to blow.
Suddenly, the Traveler then pointed to a single island in the middle of a small pond. "Hey look! There's a statue in the middle!"
She then swam towards it. "It's the first time I've seen one so close."
Aether frowned. "Uhm... You mean you haven't seen one before?"
"Like I've said, I've just been living in this remote area, I haven't really traveled this far." She explained.
"Then, allow me to tell you a bit about this, just so I make sure, do you know what Archons are?"
She nodded. "Yeah, gods that rule over each region, I read a bit about them in books that were scattered and thrown out that I found."
Aether was sure that if Lisa heard that, she would have actually gone ballistic, those books were probably from the library if he had to guess.
He then decided to start detailing. "Uhm... anyways, these statues are made after them, they contain the power of the god of the region and they have certain beneficial abilities that we can use."
As he explained, the Traveler looked incredibly interested, as if it was a kid listening to the stories of their grandfather.
Though, to him, it seemed this Traveler didn't obtain the powers of the Statue like he did before.
Did she have a vision? Or did she already have them? Perhaps she didn't use any element.
However, Aether looked at the statue which was supposed to be of Venti.
Instead of the robed figure he saw so many times, the archon was holding a sword pointing downwards, and on the head of the archon was a crown.
Perhaps there were some differences in what he knew and what this version of Teyvat had, but at the very least, this was enough proof that it was indeed Teyvat.
he snapped out of it as he continued explaining. "Anyways, from here we may be able to reach Mondstadt, it is said to be the City of Freedom, though I am unsure myself if it is as good as the books I've read say."
"It is said that it is under the protection of the Anemo Archon." He continued.
"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's move there now!" Said the white haired girl with excitement.
Just before they started moving, a loud howl could be heard resounding through the forest.
A howl Aether was very familiar with.
"Wait... surely not..." Thought Aether as he quickly floated to the direction of the sound.
If he was to guess, this could be another change from the events that he remembered.
"Uh? Solomon, wait!" The Traveler yelled as she followed suit.
Aether looked around through the woods, he expected to see Dvalin fly over them, but the fact that Boreas had made themselves present by the loud cry made him wonder what was going on.
Upon taking a quick peak at one of the trees, he saw the Wolf of the North standing in front of a boy.
The boy had white hair, he was equipped with a claymore sheathed beside his hip, he stood in front of the mighty beast, his clothing were quite similar to the ones he saw the Knights of Favonius wear, although his clothing weren't clad in armor like the aforementioned.
"Andrius, please, I entreat you to heed my words just this once." The boy pleaded.
Aether looked at the two as the boy seemed to be affected by what was going on, whatever it may be.
He looked familiar to him.
No, actually, he suspected him to be someone he knew quite well.
But... he was more... formal? He didn't know how to explain it, all he could think about was the fact that one of his friends was right in front of him, yet he seemed completely different.
Not just that, what was Boreas doing all the way out here? He's supposed to be at Wolfdome.
Unless... was he alive?
"So now you wish to talk to me?" The guardian said with sarcasm. "After the many years we have taken care of you, you decided to abandon us, and now that your foolish king needs help, you decide to come back to us pleading?!"
"Do not talk about Barbatos in such a manner!" He yelled.
"Oh, but I can, it appears you are unable to see the truth, do you expect me to truly come to aid him?"
"This could mean the start of a civil war if we are unable to stop it in time!" He mentioned.
"So what if it turns out to be such? They're humans, not wolves, we have nothing to do with their foolish conflicts."
"Have you forsaken your duty?!" He accused.
"Forsaken? You dare speak to me in such a tone?!" The Wolf of the North roared. "The one who has forsaken their duty is Barbatos themselves!"
He then continued. "After taking care of that tyrant, he has completely ignored his duty as an Archon! He hasn't done anything to strengthen this so-called City of Freedom he wanted, all of the work was done by us!"
"And now you dare say that I have forsaken my duty?!"
"I am not asking you to aid us, but rather to tell you to reconsider the side you've chosen! Aiding the rebels will simply create more destruction that may lead t-" The boy tried to object, but the sound of rustling leaves took the attention of the two of them.
Aether looked behind him only to see the Traveler using a great axe to deal with a slime that had approached her.
"Mmm, it appears that someone caught wind of my presence here." Andrius said as he fled the scene.
"W-wait!" The white haired boy yelled, unable to do anything as the Wolf of the North fled.
As for the Traveler, she finished dealing with the slime. "Phew, though slimes are cute, they can be quite annoying sometimes."
Aether had a deadpan look on his face, the poor slime had been completely obliterated, what was left of it were a few droplets of it. "You're a brute."
"Hey! That's mean!" She yelled.
"Both of you." Called the boy as he went to check on the two travelers. "It is dangerous to be here."
"Ah, don't worry, I am fully prepared to fight." She reassured.
The boy looked at the remnants of the slime, his face expressing nervousness as he was wondering what the hell had happened to it. "S-so it seems..."
He cleared his throat. "Anyways, I have yet to introduce myself, I am Razor, Captain of the Peacekeeping Company."
"Pleasure meeting you!" Smiled the Traveler.
Aether on the other hand looked shocked at the revelation. Though he had his suspicions, he wasn't expecting Razor to be such a high ranking officer of the Knights of Favonius.
But either way, this simply further assured him that he was still in Teyvat, albeit in a different version of it.
"I'm Solomon." He introduced. "You may call my companion simply by Traveler."
"Hey! Since when was I the companion?! You're the one who's accompanying me." The Traveler yelled with annoyance.
Razor chuckled. "Either way, please, allow me to escort you to the walls of Mondstadt, travelers." He requested. "It is dangerous out here, if I just let you go after this interaction, I am not sure what may happen to you..."
"Lead the way then." She smiled. "Even if we are attacked, I am more than able to defend us!"
"You aren't worried about us possibly being bad people, right?" Aether asked.
Razor stopped for a moment. "Are you?"
"Why would you even ask us that?!" The Traveler yelled at the dumb question.
"We are not, though I believe you shouldn't believe whatever we say." Aether warned.
"Hey now! Don't make us look suspicious!" She objected.
Razor laughed. "Given how you talked just now, I can be at ease knowing you are not."
"If so, please tell us about what is happening on the way." Aether pointed out.
"Ah! Yes, I should, given the fact that you two aren't from here, explaining the situation should show how dangerous it is to be outside now, although we should move on first."
The two of them followed Razor as they made their way towards Mondstadt City.
Aether looked around as he wondered just how much would this story he knew change.
Then again, he also realized that Razor was fluently speaking the language of Teyvat, which by itself was something he knew was different from the original Teyvat.
"Before I talk about Mondstadt's situation, what are you travelers doing here? I should have asked before as it is part of the procedure all knights need to check" Razor asked.
"Well, we decided to start traveling to discover the world and learn about it!" Answered the Traveler.
"I see, perhaps you could go to the library... although..." Razor whispered.
"Is anything wrong?" She asked.
"Ah... no, nothing." He ignored. "E-either way, I think it's time I tell you what's going on in Mondstadt... although we need to go back a bit into the story of the city just for a bit of context."
"That's fine by me, I like listening to stories." Said the Traveler.
The God of Freedom rose from the remnants of Decarabian's rule.
The Archon defeated the cruel emperor that took away the freedom of its people.
Alongside him were four individuals who lived to see the start of a new era, a new era where freedom prospered.
The four influential individuals and their descendants would stay within the walls of Mondstadt for generations to come in order to assist their god.
And so, they gave rise to four powerful clans.
The Gunnhildr, Ragnvirdr, Lawrence and Imunlaukr Clans.
As powerful families of the City of Freedom, they all took vows based on what they believed.
The Gunnhildr Clan vowed to serve Mondstadt
The Ragnvirdr Clan vowed to eliminate all evil
The Lawrence Clan vowed to defend the people
And the Imunlaukr Clan vowed to follow the Anemo Archon
However, the Archon of Freedom decided to neglect his duty as Archon, and so, casted himself into the quarters of his castle.
In the end, people started to see him as no different than Decarabian.
While Decarabian oppressed his people, Barbatos was accused of abandoning his people.
Of the four clans, two decided to take matters into their own hands, and plotted to dethrone their Archon.
And the one behind this plan was Varka, the Grand Master of the Knights of Favonius.
With the excuse of going into an expedition, he chose many of those who would be against his machinations and left Jean Gunnhildr the role of Acting Grand Master in his absence.
From there, the Gunnhildr and Lawrence Clans would work together to try and overthrow Barbatos from his rule.
However, the Ragnvirdr and Imunlaukr Clans would side with the God of Anemo.
With the aid of the church, they were able to create a standstill where neither faction could act.
Where today, it still stands as it first started.
"And so, the current state of the city is as you see." Finished Razor as he showed the empty streets of Mondstadt.
"This is... not looking good." Commented the Traveler.
"Yeah, everyone is still paranoid over the current situation." Explained Razor as he scratched the back of his head.
"But... Why would they try to go against their god? The Archon hasn't actually done anything to hurt their freedom."
"And that's what the problem is, his lack of action to even try to do anything for the city." Razor answered. "They do not see him as someone fit to be called their god and king."
"Many have tried to understand his lack of actions, but it is impossible to think how a god would."
"Even so, I still believe in Barbatos, because he hasn't really done anything against us." Razor declared.
He then sighed as he looked down in defeat. "Things are going to get more complicated once I tell the Cavalry Captain about Andrius' stand regarding this situation..."
Looking up quickly, he moved his eyes around before adding. "Oh, right, the Cavalry Captain is also the quartermaster of the Knights of Favonius, I can tell you more about the captains of the other companies."
He then cleared his throat. "Though, perhaps we should go somewhere more private to continue talking about the captains of each company..."
The Traveler didn't get the idea until Aether then whispered to her ear. "He wants to make sure some confidential information doesn't end up being heard by spies."
If what Razor was trying to do was what Aether was thinking, then it meant that the wolf boy was pretending to give them a tour to distract any possible enemy that may be spying on them.
"Oh! Then, do you have any idea where we can go?" She asked.
"We'll be going to The Cat's Tail, I'll treat you both to some food." Spoke Razor.
"Ooooh, some food? I'm looking forward to this quite a bit!" The Traveler said with excitement.
Upon entering The Cat's Tail, one of the cats started hissing upon seeing Razor.
"Ah, I forgot about this." Chuckled Razor.
"Hey little guy, I'm not here t- ouch!" Razor tried to slowly make his way towards the bartender, only to have one of the cats scratch him.
"I see you still can't get along with our fellows here." Chuckled the bartender.
"I haven't seen your face around here, I'm Diona, I work as the star and main attraction of this place." She said as she smiled.
"Aren't you a bit young to be a bartender?" Asked the Traveler as she noticed the difference in height.
She laughed. "The guts on this kid! I get that a lot, but my age has nothing to do with making drinks, wanna try a glass of alcohol? A shot perhaps?" She asked.
"Uh... I'll decline." Nervously laughed the Traveler.
Aether on the other hand seemed a bit confused. Diona was supposed to be trying to get rid of the alcohol industry in Mondstadt, so there was no reason for her to try and invite someone to try her drinks.
He thought about how to make his next question, simply being too specific would raise questions, as such, he went with a more normal one. "Isn't it sort of a bad thing to ask underage people to drink alcohol?"
"Hey! Just so you know, I am over the age of being able to drink!" The Traveler objected.
"I am not." Razor pointed out.
"Relax kid, it was just a joke." Diona shrugged off. "You don't have to worry about the drink either, the amount of alcohol in them is so tiny you might as well call them smoothies."
Aether seemed a bit interested by this development. "What do you mean by that?"
Diona looked around for a moment. "No one is going to believe you if you decide to share this secret..."
"But every time I serve a drink, I decrease the amount of alcohol there is in them, to the point that people just drink non alcoholic drinks."
"Hell, the strongest drink I have here is Osmanthus wine, which was the weakest Baijiu I could find in Liyue."
She then sighed. "Even then, it's quite strong by itself."
Razor finally got to sit down as a cat finally decided to disoccupy the seat. "Your plan to make this place alcohol free is quite astute, the fact that you've got schemes that no one has caught onto yet is impressive, have you ever thought about joining the Knights of Favonius as a strategist?"
"You flatter me, but no, my objective is to get rid of alcohol for good, and after that, probably open up my own franchise to sell juice." Smirked Diona. "Anyways, what will you order?"
Razor looked at the Traveler. "So, what will you choose?"
"Ooooh, I don't know what to choose." She said as drool ran down her mouth, she looked at the menu as she read through the many delicacies she could choose from.
"I'll take a Sticky Honey Roast." Ordered Aether.
"A great choice there." Diona said as she wrote down the order.
The Traveler still looked at the menu, unsure as to what to get.
"While our fellow guest is still picking, I might as well put in my order." Said Razor. "Mondstadt Hash Browns and Grilled Fish please."
He then looked at the Traveler. "I'll leave some for the two of you, in case you end up not liking your food."
Diona smirked. "Oh please, they'll love my food." She said with confidence.
In the end, the Traveler ordered one of each thing, which made Razor sweat as he was unsure if his wallet could take such a financial hit.
The cat girl went to cook the food, while she was focused on her cooking, Razor then looked at the two travelers.
"Back to the main topic, what do you think of the current situation? About people fighting against their god to fight for their people?" Asked Razor.
"Well, he hasn't done anything to truly cause this, as such, I believe that this is not the right course of action." Spoke the Traveler.
"If anything, wouldn't it have been better to try and speak to him directly?"
"This wouldn't be happening had things been so easy." Explained Razor. "Barbatos has locked himself away and hasn't gotten into contact with the outside for years now."
"Even so, you're right about the fact that there isn't truly any evil he has done to prompt this rebellion."
Aether then looked at the boy who he used to know so well, it was weird seeing him so refined compared to how he used to see him before.
Though more cultured, he looked less free to him, perhaps it was the fact that he had responsibilities to attend as a Captain of the Knights of Favonius.
"I agree, though I may not know about the Anemo Archon, I can understand that freedom is very important to him." Aether started.
"As such, having him rule over you, be it by giving orders or by acting whatsoever, he would be taking away such freedom."
"For this reason, I believe this is why he hasn't done anything up to this point."
Though in his mind he thought. "And if that's the case, I can't feel but disagree with such a view."
Razor rubbed his chin as he thought about what Aether had said. "That's an interesting way to see things, Solomon."
"It is highly possible, as Barbatos does indeed wish for us to be free to do whatever we want, and it would explain why he hasn't tried to quell the rebellion..."
"But... that wouldn't make much sense based on the fact that he did help the people of Mondstadt when he built upon the remnants of Decarabian's lands." Razor objected.
Aether decided to push further. "That's different though, back then, the people of Mondstadt weren't able to defend themselves, as such, Barbatos opted to give them the needed resources and lands to construct Mondstadt City."
"In the present however, the city is quite powerful in its own right, and by extension, no longer needs his protection." He continued.
The Traveler simply looked at the two of them debating as she took a bite from the freshly served Sticky Honey Roast which Aether had ordered.
"If anything, I believe that Barbatos wished this rebellion to continue, as it shows that the people are truly free." Added Aether.
"That's quite a deeply thought out way of putting things." Finally spoke the Traveler as she swallowed her food. "But are you sure this is what he truly believes in?"
"As I said before, I do not know the Archon of Freedom, this is solely based on what I believe to be the case." Clarified Aether. "Though... I do believe that this conflict is pointless, as Mondstadt hasn't really been in any crisis to give reason to such rash decisions."
Razor sighed in relief. "Good to see we are on the same page."
He then asked. "Since your views are similar to those of the followers of the Anemo God. Would you be willing to help us?"
Before the Traveler could say anything, Aether intervened for a moment. "What will we get in exchange?"
Razor smiled. "Due to the fact that you are going on an adventure to try and gain more knowledge, we can give you complete access to the library, even the forbidden section alongside introducing you to Lord Barbatos when the time or chance comes."
"They seem fair enough to me." The Traveler said.
"Then..." Razor then looked at Diona. "I'll bring them to the others now."
"Be careful, I don't want the others to end up discovering I'm working with you lot." Diona warned.
Razor stood up as he went toward another room, he turned around and looked at the two travelers. "From here on out, the Cavalry Captain will explain to you more about what we plan to do."
He opened the door, the Traveler and Aether stepped into the room, only to be met with a man with red hair sitting down on the sofa as a robed individual was leaning on a wall while a blue haired girl stood holding a pile of papers.
(A/N)
That's all for this chapter.
And so, Razor is actually a Captain of the Favonius for a company I made up and Diona is much less tsun, which the backstory and changes will be further revealed or mentioned as the stories go.
For anyone confused on how I divide these chapters, well, here is what you need to know.
Chapter X: Basically just like the Archon Quests, in this case, Mondstadt and Liyue will be their own chapters.
Act X: Same as in the game, there isn't much else to say.
Scene X: These are basically just chapters of an arc, some Acts will be too long to write in a single chapter, so they will be divided into more parts.
Interlude X: Interludes such as The Chasm but also event stories and world quests that are relevant in lore.
Story Quests: I am also planning on creating extra ones for characters that are 4 stars since it's a bit of a bummer that Story Quests are all for 5 stars with a few 4 stars being exceptions. Hangout quests will be considered Story Quests.
To give some examples the next chapters should be called Chapter 1: Act 1, Scene 2/3/4, and so on, but once we get to the next act, the chapter will then be called Chapter 1: Act 2, Scene 1 and so on.
They will follow a chronological order, so lets say that after Chapter 1: Act 1, there is a Story Quest, well that would then the next chapter would be called Lepus 1: Act 1 and in the case of an interlude, it would be Interlude 1: Act 1, Scene 1.
I also want to mention that I am really considering using a random character roulette using the same region characters and seeing what sort of pairing it can make to use as a base for relations.
Unlike with WMWS, I won't be talking about scrapped content, as in this case there won't be much to talk about, I'll mention one thing or another here and there that I couldn't add to this fic though.
That's actually all, the chapters in this fic will prob be shorter compared to other fics I have, this is probably due to the fact that I started this fic while working on bigger projects.
Anyways, that's it for the author note, I'll see y'all next update.