Hello everyone, and here finally is the next chapter.

First of all, I wanted to say something about Fontaine's arc 5, and it was excellent from beginning to end. I have to admit that I almost cried for Furina at the end, and the last time I had so much emotion was in Suméru, during the scene between Nahida and Rukkadevata. It's just, at the beginning, everyone called her an incompetent Archon and a child, and at the end, she's one of the most mature Archons who has endured so much suffering for so long to avoid the prophecy, it was very moving.

This is also where I see the story evolving and becoming more complex, Suméru was already my favorite, but Fontaine is just as excellent.

What's also great is the amount of fanart and fanfic about Furina and in tribute to everything she's been through, and it's a pleasure to see who's being re-considered by Aether, or Nevillette, or even Paimon.

It's not only Furina who has suffered, but Navia too, she's my favorite of Fontaine's, for her kindness and bravery, and I confess it hurt me too when Melus and Silver left. I'm beginning to wonder whether Mihoyo deliberately kills or seriously injures (physically or mentally) the good NPCs, between Teppei, Dunyarzard, Jeht or Zhiquiong for example.

Also, RIP the Oratrice Mecanique d'Analyse Cardinale...

As for Archon's quest, it was also excellent, with Furina trying to be more human and understand the world from underneath... And the damsel in distress bit was excellent, I really enjoyed the dynamic between the traveler and Furina. I hope Navia's quest for history will be just as good.

Now I can leave you to your reading, but I wanted to give my opinion on Fontaine's story. This time Aether doesn't fool around with Xiao, so enjoy reading.

Xiao attacked directly with his spear without taking into account the fact that Aether was thinking about an attack, but Aether's speed made him block the parade with his sword before sending Xiao back a few meters in front of him. Xiao moved as fast as he could, arriving close to the Traveler and using his plunging attack several times, while Aether still did nothing but defend himself, using his sword as a pure shield to block the parades of Xiao, who held less and less. In addition, the gusts of wind did not help him to concentrate to attack, knowing that they became stronger with Xiao's attacks.

He growled as the Yaksha continued until he broke the Dull Blade, his attack arriving directly on Aether, leaving him unarmed as he dodged the attack little, a scratch was visible on his arm. Xiao himself was surprised that this repetition of attack worked, while Aether saw a trace of blood flowing on his skin, he wiped it sharply to then see that he could only rely on his elementary skills, and it is precisely the fruits of his training, even if he was used to infusing his sword with the elements he chose.

He looked at Xiao with a dark look as he advanced with his bare hands, concentrating the Anemo energy towards his arms, while the man with green hair was surprised that he did not hesitate to attack even without weapons, but kept his calm and prepared to defend himself with his spear in front of him.

However, Aether did not use the energy in his hands to hit Xiao, but his arm containing the spear and twisted his wrist so that he could release his weapon, while he concentrated with the other hand a gust of energy that was getting bigger and bigger. When he saw the attack, Xiao recognized what it was, and he was once again surprised that he no longer needed a sword to execute it.

"WINDBLADE!"

"What!?"

Aether dropped his arm and Xiao flew inside the tornado, much more powerful other times, and tried as best he could to stabilise before the tornado disappeared, while Aether broke Xiao's spear, preventing him from using it again, knowing that Xiao was not used to fighting without contrary to the experience he had accumulated.

Xiao found himself projected a kilometer away, as he bumped into a nearby tree, and growling with pain. He tried to recover quickly, getting up to prevent Aether from taking the opportunity to run away, but fortunately or not for him, Aether moved very quickly to follow him, because he wanted to make sure that he would no longer follow him. He approached with his wicked look, arms crossed, as he looked at him quite contemptuously, and gave him one last chance to leave.

"I broke your weapon, it's over... I will be nice if you leave now, Xiao... You have no idea of my current strength, I let you lead at the beginning, but it's useless to get there. Just leave me alone."

"No... "

He had trouble speaking, his breath was cut off, and blood was flowing down his back, but Xiao did not want to weaken, it was not the first time he was injured, and he knew the risk he had taken, so he continued at a cost.

"I wouldn't stop... You need help, Aether..."

"You chose the wrong answer... I'm going to make sure that you permanently abandon this idea of helping me, and know that I don't need your pity... When I needed help, no one helped me, you were all busy, the only thing you ever said was "good luck", so with a few exceptions, you are in a bad position to talk to me about this..."

"Wait... I know that we were not very useful regarding your research, but we can always catch up, it's not too late, and that's what reminded me of it when I broke off all contact with Liyue and you helped me not to sacrifice myself, that's what you told me, it wasn't too late and there was always another solution..." Xiao explained, trying to remind him of his old way of thinking.

Aether tightened his face when he heard these words, and did not waste time to perform a new attack with his Anemo energy, he concentrated as before a flow of energy in his hands before making movements in circles faster and faster, the wind accumulating around and creating a sphere composed only of air, but quite solid, and turquoise colour, similar to an Eye of the Storm, under the eyes of Xiao who did not understand what he was doing, before letting the sphere fall to his feet and hitting and shouting:

"AIR BULLET!"

The sphere concentrated in Anemo energy arrived right on Xiao, who did not have time to react, hitting him on the stomach before exploding, creating a rather violent gust of wind, which tore off the tree behind the Yaksha, and while he was already spitting blood having received the sphere on his stomach, the tree fell on him, Aether shifting to prevent the plant from falling on him too.

Xiao did not have time to react again, but he somehow managed to move out of the tree, when he had bruises all over his body and blood flowed from his mouth, arms and chest, using the last forces he had at his disposal to at least be able to try to discuss one last time, when he had never received such an expeditious beating for a long time.

Aether approached him, as he was struggling to get up, a hand holding his chest and he hardly looked at the Traveler who looked at him with pity, not wanting to aggravate his case, because his goal was not to vent his rage on him or to take revenge, he knew that if he went further, he would let his anger take him away and his impulses related to his resentment towards everyone take over. He still had respect for Xiao because his tenacity was admirable, but he wanted to continue his journey at all costs.

"I warned you. Know that I have not even used the other elements I have at my disposal against you, Xiao. I don't know if you would have survived if I had used them."

"How could you be so strong...in such a short time?"

"When you have a good reason to do it, it gives you energy to give yourself the means to be stronger."

"But to control Anemo energy in this way..."

"You speak to say nothing, you want to continue to blind yourself in this false idea of helping me instead of using the forces you have left to rest, it's totally stupid."

"If it's to save a friend... It's worth it..."

"Friend"? I never thought I would hear this word coming out of your mouth... But understand one thing... If you really considered me a friend, you would at least have given me proof of help from you, even understanding of my pain... You lost people who were dear to you, I'm wrong... Then you should understand why I do this... Now, it's too late to help me, I'm going to do as I usually do, I will find the answers by myself..."

"Wait..."

"Goodbye, Xiao, and greet Paimon from me when you see her again. At least, she never abandoned me. "

Aether changed elements and switched to electro before launching a sufficiently strong electric shock, and combined with Yaksha's injuries, to make him faint without it being lethal. Xiao immediately fainted and fell flat on the ground, while he was covered with serious injuries, under the gaze of Aether who was a little sad to have seen someone like him fall so low, but did not go back and continued on his way, hoping that Xiao could understand the message and that he would not try to catch up with him.

The next morning, when the sun had already risen well over the city of Sumeru, Al Haitham was already in his temporary office of the Acting Grand Sage, and was taking care of the various tasks that Nahida had entrusted to him in her absence. He knew that this work would only be temporary for him, and that he would soon return to his activities as a scribe, not especially wanting a work of high renown when his life suited him, but had nevertheless taken the burden of work because Nahida recognized his skills and that it was necessary to be serious in order to designate the next sages who would accompany him in the direction of the city of wisdom.

While he was focussed, two people appeared inside the room, Cyno and Tighnari, who, like Kaeya the day before in Mondstadt, had a letter with a golden envelope, attesting to the certification of its sender. The man with gray hair was surprised by their visit, because after all he knew that when they were at work, Cyno and Tighnari were serious people.

"Hi." greeted the forest ranger

"Good morning, what is the reason for your sudden visit?"

"We had a letter to the Lesser Lord Kusanali, but we knew that she was absent, so as it is you who directs the operations in her absence, I suppose it must be given to you."

"It was not necessary to travel, you could very well have given it to a person from the Academy and not waste time on your obligations."

"I don't know why, but I knew you would say something like that..." commented Cyno.

"In fact, the person who gave us the letter indicated that it came specifically from the Jade Chamber in Liyue, and that it concerned the Traveler. He also said that arrangements must be made as quickly as possible." added Tighnari.

"What is the problem with Aether?"

"That's what we want to know too, don't you mind if we see the letter with you?"

"No, anyway, if it concerns a problem with Aether, I suspect that you would know sooner or later. "

Without later, the three people opened the envelope and read the letter in silence, paying attention to the slightest word, while they finally understood the situation. Al Haitham kept his stoic face as he scratched his chin, asking himself a few questions about the information they had just learned. At the same time, Cyno and Tighnari had their mines that were decomposing a little, not understanding how a person like the Traveler could get there.

"It's very sudden... But I'm only half surprised." said the Acting Grand Sage.

"I don't understand…" added the mahmatra general.

"I had noticed that Aether had a facial expression that was not sincere at times, as if he were trying to hide something, it seems that his buried emotions have arisen, and he is made the man he is now."

"And how can you be so insightful about emotions, you who keep the same neutral expression all the time?"

"You will understand, Cyno, that it is not because I am not expressive, that it means that I do not understand anything about human feelings. In addition, I have already studied the subject before."

"I see... However, if Aether is in this state, wouldn't there already be other authorities in Liyue to discuss this with him?"

"In my opinion, this has probably been done, but Aether can be quite limited when he has set himself a goal, and it should be hard enough to change his perspective, knowing that he had already done his utmost to hide his emotions. However, the fact that they wanted to alert Lesser Lord Kusanali indicates that she could have found a way to help her. Maybe that's why they wanted to alert him personally." concluded Tighnari.

"I agree with your point of view, but it seems that you have forgotten a variable in your hypothesis." nodded Al Haitham.

"What then?" asked Cyno, unable to grasp the point he was trying to make.

"Aether is a wanderer, he never stays in the same place, simply because he travels, and that's also why they alerted Sumeru, and it is the same for other nations. It's easier to intercept him if everyone knows about it, if he's ever in Sumeru, he can get treatment here..."

"It's true... In this case, guards should be positioned on the border between Sumeru and Liyue, as well as in the city. It would surprise me if he went through the desert, anyway it would be far too far. Perhaps also north of Sumeru, because Collei told me that during a conversation she had with Aether, the next nations he would travel would be Fontaine." proposed Tighnari.

"I see, I'm going to try to do something on my side, I might as well use my temporary Grand Sage status for something."

"However, I don't think that telling anyone the reasons for this should be a good idea."

"I'll probably invent something, that's not the problem. But it is true that I join you on this idea, that Sumeru knows that their hero is in danger and in mental instability is a bad idea, any enemy could take advantage of this information to endanger the country."

"Indeed, that's why I prefer to send you both to meet Aether."

"What do you mean?"

"If Aether is in the country, the arrangements have been made. But if he is still in Liyue, Mondstadt or Inazuma as indicated on the letter, it would take someone to discuss with him with immediate effect. If the people deemed competent in Liyue did not know how to manage the problem, I think you could. When it comes to something serious, you are knowledgable and I think you would be able to make him understand that he should not take a wrong path."

"I understand your logic, I accept. But anyway, even without this idea, I think I will have gone to look for it. He is my friend, and he has done so many things for Sumeru, and if the Lesser Lord Kusanali named him First Sage, it is not for nothing. I think that's what she would like, she would never have dropped Aether, and neither would I. And then, it's the only one that put me in little trouble when we played TCG, so even if I won, I would like to salute my valiant opponent." commented Cyno to calm the atmosphere, which was beginning to get serious.

"Very well, at least you have the motivation... Tighnari, will you accompany Cyno? I would understand if you are busy, between the lessons you give to Collei and the protection of the forest, it's normal."

"No, I would leave, to watch Cyno because you never know what stupidity he could say. But also for the same reasons as him, Aether is also my friend, and if we don't at least try to help him, I will feel bad."

"Very good."

"Won't you come?"

"If I leave, who will solve the administrative problems? In addition, I don't think I'm qualified to talk to him. Don't get me wrong, I wish his recovery as quickly as possible, he does not deserve to suffer like this after having carried out so many honorable actions, but I do not think that only reason is a way to convince him. As you said yourself, I don't show any emotion in an exaggerated way."

"It's true. So I suppose we will have to leave now, because the goal is still to avoid burn-out as soon as possible."

"Yes, now that everything is settled, I think we can prepare to leave."

"Have a good trip."

"Thank you, see you later."

It was on this smashing revelation that Tighnari and Cyno left the office, leaving Al Haitham alone, wondering for a few minutes what could have been the reasons that would have led the Traveler to be on the edge of the precipice at the psychological level.

In the heart of the city, and those for one to two hours, they took their precautions to take the necessary supplies for their expedition, even if Cyno was used to walking with nothing but his spear, he knew that Tighnari wanted to be far-sighted.

Thre general mahmatra and the forest ranger left the outskirts of the city towards Avidya Forest, while Tighnari wondered how he would leave Collei. He did not want to leave her alone to manage her amount of work, but taking the risk of taking her with him was very dangerous for him, especially since if he ever found Aether and was upset, he could not distinguish between his friends and enemies, and could unintentionally attack Collei.

Unfortunately for him, when he returned to Gandharva City, he was greeted by a surprise Collei to see them take so much time and who had learned to understand when things were taking a bad turn.

"Master Tignhari, Cyno? Why did you take so long, you just left to pick up some ingredients, so why do you have several well-filled bags? "

She asked quite innocently, but the hesitant tone of the two people in front of her, mixed with the facial expressions they had that were a little less neutral than when they left explained the fact that Collei had understood that something was wrong.

"It's just that I had seen interesting things, and I bought them by the way. "

Collei was not content with this answer, and was rather unhappy, because she hated when things were hidden from her:

"I don't think that's it, Master. Please tell me, I could help you if something goes wrong! "

Tighnari was grateful that having someone who wanted to be so helpful, but he knew that there was no point in hiding her the truth, especially since if he wanted to leave, he had to warn her anyway. He could very well have lied that the place where he was going, saying that it would be just an expedition to collect ingredients that are not in Sumeru, but she would still have identified the problem and the lie. It is in these cases that he resented him for showing him that it was always necessary to check if the person was telling the truth and see if there were any clues to this.

He sighed, before looking at Cyno, as if to give him the order to explain to him in his place because he would not have the courage to do it, and that's what he did.

"Collei, we have to leave now."

"Huh? What do you mean? Where are you going?"

"Out of Sumeru, to help someone you know well."

"I don't understand! Can you stop being vague in what you're saying?"

"We must help Aether imperatively, that's why we must leave now and you had bags filled. We do not know how long it will take and we have to be quick before it is too late or out of reach."

"What? Aether is not well? And is that what you wanted to hide from me?! "

Collei had shouted in anger, she did not accept the fact that the two people in front of her had been able to hide such serious information from her without telling her about it. She heard the way Cyno spoke, which made it clear to her that he had to be helped as soon as possible, and she too wanted to participate in the rescue of her friend.

Cyno and Tighnari briefly explained the situation to her, indicating the fact that they had learned the news that the same morning, and that after discussion with Al Haitham, they prepared to leave immediately, to still have a chance to catch up with the Traveler before he was too far from anyone, which upset her a little, but she still had enough energy to want to help her friend.

"That's why we must be absent as soon as possible, to avoid problems..." concluded the forest ranger to her assistant.

"So let me go with you!"

"I knew she would say that."

"Listen, what Tighnari means is that it's too dangerous for a person like you, Collei. We want to ensure your protection." added Cyno, aware of Collei's admiration for Aether.

"But what are you talking about, I have already gone to Mondstadt several times alone and there was no problem."

"Yes, but here it's different, arriving in Liyue, we won't take a predefined route... We travel the country to the point where the letter told us the last time Aether was seen, and we will see from there what we will do." tried to explain Tighnari.

"We may encounter dangers on the road, especially monsters." declared the Electro user.

"But you trained me in this kind of eventualities. Otherwise I will not be able to defend myself inside Avidiya Forest. I know how to handle my bow now, and Cuilin-Anbar can always serve!"

"Collei, I said no! It's not the same thing, you don't know what can happen. We already have to take care of Aether, and if something happened to you, I wouldn't forgive myself. If this can console you, tell yourself that Aether wouldn't want you to hurt yourself."

"No! Sorry Master, but I wouldn't let this pass! "

Collei put her hand on her chest, looking with supplication and anger at the two people in front of her, not wanting to be discouraged by their words. She knew that the outside world would be dangerous, after all she had dark hours, but that didn't mean she wanted to abandon her friend.

"Collei, please..."

"No, I want to go too! Listen, I know that you think I'm still weak, even if my eleazar is gone, and that I still have to adapt to all these changes... But Aether matters as much to me as to you, and I would like to show her my progress to become a brilliant woman in the future. I promise not to cause you trouble during the trip, but..."

"Collei..."

"All I want is to see him happy. If he had been like this for a long time, it was because he needed affection, and despite all his notoriety and strength, he did not dare to ask to bother anyone. And I want to be the one who helps him with this, as he helped me. He was my confidant during his time in Sumeru, so I would like to do the same with him... And then, if Amber were there, she would have already gone to the rescue of Aether, without even losing time, and I would join her without hesitation... If it is as bad as you say it, then you will need me because, without wanting to offend you both, you have no tact... "

Tighnari was looking at Cyno, hesitating what he should do. He understood that Collei would not change her mind on the subject, while General Mahmatra sighed, but sketched a smile at the young woman, before answering:

"I think she should still come with us after reflection..."

"What?"

"Is that true?"

"Well, Collei was not going to accept a no as an answer anyway, she became stubborn like a certain Traveler..."

"He he..."

"But she is right on one point, we will need her to handle the words... She doesn't speak academically like you and me, but Al Haitham also insisted on this point, emotion. And Collei has some, and then I would find it stupid not to take someone who really wants to help Aether. "

Tighnari sighed, seeing that he really had no choice.

"It's okay, I accept. But you will be very careful, we will be there to protect you, but still take the minimum necessary with you and let's leave immediately."

"Thank You Master! Thank you Cyno! I'll be there in a moment! " cried Collei with exclamation and joy.

"You're both going to kill me..."

"I don't think, in any case, not until we helped Aether, and then I think it will make a good experience in terms of social relations for Collei." exclaimed Cyno, even though Tighnari couldn't laugh at the situation the way he could.

"It is true that between her illness and the trauma she had, she had not made many friends, except for this Amber, and that since he arrived, she has been able to make other friends, such as this Sucrose..."

"You see when you want, you know that at some point, she would have to fly away on her own and manage on her own."

"If I don't let initiative be taken, it's true that it will block her development... In any case, I hope it will go well."

"Don't worry, after all, any problem can be solved."

"You're right."

Collei comes back with a bag loaded with her belongings and a better look than before, and the three of them were about to leave.

"Ready, Collei?"

"Yes, I will do my best! "

And as Collei finished her sentence, she gave a full smile, which looked strangely, for Cyno and Tighnari, to the smile of a certain man with blonde hair. Maybe it was a sign that everything would be fine in the near future.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter.

Also, "Air Bullet" is an Inazuma Eleven move, so if you ever want to look up what it looks like, I've just adapted it as an Anemo skill.

See you next time!