Chapter Text
He walked toward the main gate of Mondstadt City, surrounding the Starfell Valley, which was only a bridge separated the water below to the island he watched from afar, a floating guide by the name of Paimon by his side, travelling with him. His brown-featured boots feeling the greeny fresh grass for the last time as they touch the hard piles of stones, the winds welcoming him softly, letting his braided-hair swing a little to the feeling of it, he listened to the sounds of the birds, a near familiar experience nowadays, a feeling of satisfaction written on his face, he had completed his latest mission, restored the winds that were sealed in the tower of Stormterror’s Lair.
The atmosphere of Brightcrown Mountains disappointed him, it wasn’t the same as the rest of Mondstadt, an isolated and abandoned city to say the least, the winds there felt more like ghosts haunting the old capital, he was content to be back to the one he knew, and nonetheless, it was a rather easy task, being that the dragon Dvalin was still in a state of constant slumber, no sight of awakening and has been for the last five hundreds years, for all he cared, Aether didn’t have anything to fear hence why he accepted in the first place, and Paimon gladly helped him through it, he was grateful to have a guide like her.
He snapped out of his mind when he noticed an usual silhouette standing on the bridge, just in front of the surrounding group of birds that by his undefying understanding of that species, were eating their food with such happiness, he could see it in their eyes, even afar, the boy, Timmie is his name, surely knew those birds quite well by the fact that Aether always saw him standing there in the morning, feeding or simply watching the birds, at first, when he first arrived at Mondstadt, he had thought the little youngling strange but these past few days, as he did more quests, he found himself encountering him more often, thus he has come to like the little one, often interacting with him when he walked to go in or out of Mondstadt, though, now that he thought about it, it was rather late for him to still be outside.
He had his answer when he lifted his eyes to look at the sky, the dark-blue color now replacing the sunny side, the clouds grey, little and big ones, a storm perhaps or simply the rain preparing itself to bloom, the stars too began to form as the moon pecked shyly in a corner, the winds began to move harder and a gentle cold breeze sent him a shiver, probably coming from his exposed belly area, he thought to wear something more practical next time, and hopefully to have the time to clean the clothes that he has been wearing for the last weeks.
“Hay, over there, isn’t that little Timmie? What is he still out there at this hour?” Paimon said, finger pointed in the boy’s direction, it seemed like he wasn’t the only one who thought it was odd, Paimon did too. They walked toward the dirty-blond haired who apparently noticed them as he waved to them when they begin to be noticeable, they thought carefully as to not frighten the pigeons when they came close, he and Paimon were becoming too familiar with the pigeons sensitivity whenever someone they damned ‘unworthy’ came close to them.
“Good evening Traveler! You are back from Stormterror’s Lair, are you not?” the boy said, taking small bits of half-eaten bread and throwing them at the birds who joyfully fled back.
“Yes.” both companions ended up answering, “we just arrived now, it wasn’t that hard.” Paimon smiled, putting her arms at her sides, then, she tucked his shoulder, this was when Aether remembered he had something to say.
“If I may ask, why are you still outside at this hour? Didn’t your mother make a bedtime for you?” He asked. He met Timmie’s mother before, adoptive sure but still his mother, it was one of the sisters of the Faith of the Seven, prominently for the God of Anemo, Lord Barbatos, her name is Grace, an overall kind woman, if he remembered correctly, she did make a bedtime for little Timmie, (not that he was spying but when she was discussed it with the other sisters, he was in the room, and she is not much the whisperer that she think she is).
“Yes, she did. It is actually past my bedtime now.” Timmie responded, after a silent second, he continued, probably he realized the traveler and Paimon didn’t understand. “But she said that I could stay until eight, because of the fact that Grandmaster Varka is returning from Nod-Krai. She was so happy with the news that she allowed me to stay.” he explained.
‘Oh, well that’s different.’ Aether thought. ‘The Grandmaster is returning?’ He hadn’t thought much about the Grandmaster, potentially because he never saw him, all he knew about that guy was his name, his titles and about his expedition to Nod-Krai, all that Jean could tell him, she did explained how she became the Acting Grandmaster and the apparent Warden of Mondstadt, and remembered that he took all the horses for his expedition, something that Kaeya never stopped venting about whenever he was near, but before he could give his own opinion on that matter, Paimon beat him to it, and sounding more excited than him by that new-found information.
They stayed a little more than they intended, only noticing the time when the moon reached its fullest, to their own disdain, it began to get more cold, the small breeze became a glacial one by the second, and the wind became more cooling, their own fault for wearing such light clothing, the atmosphere lately became more cold, he noticed, it wasn’t like this and it shouldn't, they were in the middle of summer, where the flowers grew more beautiful and the birds sang their tales. ‘Would it be like this when we enter Snezhnaya?’ he thought, he wished it didn’t and he knew he was wrong.
They walked toward the fortress-city, (Paimon having become too exhausted from flying decided to walk on her own feets this time, the clear height difference made Aether almost laugh but he only let out a small chuckle before Paimon glared at him.) The Mondtsadt that he left with was the same as he remembered it as, even at night, the cooling breeze becoming more soft as they enter the city, the familiarity, it was all that Aether missed when he was at Stormterror’s Lair, the soft tender kiss of the winds, welcoming them silently, the familiarity of his surroundings and the feeling of home. Of belonging. He knew all too well that he didn’t belong in Teyvat but perhaps, in Mondstadt, the first nation that he explored could be his new home, it almost had the same feeling he remembered from when he was in his real home, above the clouds of Teyvat, he and his sister, when he found her, he would certainly take a trip to Mondstadt to show her if she hadn't already traveled to Mondstadt before. He found himself smiling while thinking about it.
“I see that you have returned from your trip to Stormterror’s Lair, traveler!” A voice called out, when he moved his head to the side, the first thing he saw was long brown-hair, ‘Amber’ he recognized, he instantly knew that it was her and he was right. Golden eyes met ember ones soon enough. A charming smile found on her face, a familiar warmth.
“Oh, yes.” He said, a faint blush on his cheeks, he was daydreaming about Mondstadt and there was the first person he met in Mondstadt, welcoming him back home and being proud of him like a mother towards a child's first steps, he felt proud of himself as well. “It was not hard, all I did was restore the winds from the tower, and Paimon helped me a lot too, she guided me, my vision was much help too.” he mentioned. His Anemo vision was in fact the solution to the problem in Stormterror's Lair, he was glad the visions weren't as affected by the diminution of magic than the rest.
“I am sure of it! You are the Honorary Knight, after all, we are lucky to have you by our sides.” Amber stated, “are you two hungry?” She asked, “I was going to go to the Good Hunter to grab a late-night meal, you guys can order, I'll pay so you do not have to worry about spending mora.”
“Phew, right traveler,” Paimon joked. It was a tempting offer, he was already short on mora at the moment, so he accepted but not before paying a visit to Katheryne since he completed his latest mission and was eager to receive his awards, the mora she gave him was enough to settle in a small room, he thought or he could save for more if he just slept in one of the Cathedral's rooms, if the sisters allowed it, he was sure they did. When he arrived near the Good Hunter, alongside Paimon, he heard a singing voice, a bard ,he think, wearing a soft-green cape and a beret-like hat with a single cecilia flower decorated on it, he couldn't help but be captivated by the sound or perhaps it's was the story that he was captivated by.
“ -Twice for the maiden with the angel’s touch, thrice for the young wolf, the king with no crown and the maiden made of light, by Celestia, with the stranger’s favor, may the young couple be covered with the goods of gold, it seems. Alas the ash and the fire found them first at dawn, and the moon went cold, the small cries of the maiden sent the moon a bleeze, begging her to end her suffering so she sent the letter of red sigil, the red comet of dazzling beauty that awoke the remaining magic found in the dawn of crimson and eclipse winds-. “ he sang, an harp in the hand, moving the strings like smooth silk, his eyes closed, enjoying the melody he himself create.
“This is Venti.” Amber explained, “one of the many bards in Mondstadt, his singing is sweet although he only sings or says riddles, never speaks properly, we never know what he is talking about.” she revealed “so we never know if he is telling a story or history, many think it is creepy but personally, I prefer it this way, it adds to the mystery, of not knowing if the barb is telling the truth of his own imagination or not, and nowadays, that is what we need the most. “ she chuckles, “of course, not the part where he cannot properly talk. “ she states when she noticed both Aether and Paimon looking at her with confusion.
Aether agreed with her, but as much as he hated to admit it, he shivered a little when the barb ‘Venti’ talked about the red comet of dazzling beauty, he didn't know the reason, he just did. A red comet in Teyvat? And a maiden made of light, all of this sounded absurd, for all he knew, no magic was seen in Teyvat for centuries now… not after what happened to Khaenri'ah, the name sounded sore in his mouth just by thinking about it.
“Traveler, are you alright? “ Amber asked, three plates on her hands in which she put them on their table.
He blinked twice, then sat on his chair, the view facing the barb whom he cursed a little for making him think about Khaenri'ah, it's been like this since he learned about the old civilization, he has never once not had a sore throat or a headache when thinking or daring to talk about it, even in his dreams or - rather nightmares, when he found himself dreaming about this ghostly Godless Nation, it was in those dreams that he saw Lumine the most, it is true that before coming to Mondstadt, he thought about her day and night, having nothing else to do, but now, he found himself thinking about her less, often too focused on his quests but one thing is sure, he swore to find her, and he will.
He rubbed his fingers on his eyes a little, forcing the building tears to retreat. He glanced at the food, one simple northern smoked, two northern apple stew and fried eggs with soup, an interesting combination to say the least. They take their time eating, the food was good, not surprising for Mondstadtian food, he wonders if the food in other nations will be as good when he travels to theirs.
They returned their food to the waitress when they finished and walked toward the Knights of Favonius Headquarters, the gray-ish building turning into a dark grey in the night. The only thing now that was setting the light was the lamps around the entrance, it seems the two knights that were supposed to guard it were gone or haven't yet been replaced, Aether and Paimon settled themselves to stand by the door of the Grandmaster’s office when Amber left to handle some matters of her own.
It was when they noticed Noelle, kind-hearted as she is, she waved to them even with a handful of boxes covering her face before she put them down on the floor, behind her was a taller person, red-haired it seems, crimson color, like fire.
“Good evening, traveler, you are back! It is such a pleasure to see you again! “ she said, with a shy blush on her face, she stood there, almost like waiting for them to say something.
“Noelle! Your clothes! It changed! “ Paimon exclaimed, hands in the sky from shock. Indeed, Noelle clothes changed, she was not wearing the maid-armor she had last time they saw her, now, she was wearing a similar one to the one of the Knights of Favonius, the white plate with the golden-colored anemo symbol on her chest area and hanging from her two hips, she was wearing a skirt underneath, typical of her, Aether thought she looked wonderful in her new uniform, if it was indeed a new uniform.
Noelle began to swirl a bit, the skirt of her along with her, “yes I did! “ she cheerfully said, “I got a new uniform, handed by Acting Grandmaster Jean herself, because by the new moon, I and master Diluc will be going to Sumeru to get an approval from the Lesser Lord Kusanali herself, we need her to approve to raise the borders toward Inazuma, Grandmaster Jean said that if I succeed then I can become a true knight! “
“That sounds like a great mission, if Acting Grandmaster Jean has handed you this case, it must be because she trusts you, you should be proud Noelle. “ he complimented, Jean was a responsible person, if she got Noelle to do this mission alongside master Diluc then Noelle greatly deserve this praise, she had always wanted to become a Knight and now, she had that chance.
Diluc huffed in the back, “yet, she still needs me to assist. I could be staying at the winery but no, she needs me to help an already competent knight. “ he shrugged his shoulders, “traveler, you are going to Liyue are you not?” He asked, head turned toward Aether and Paimon.
“Yes, we are! Right after speaking to Grandmaster Jean, we will. “ he responded
“Then we may as well travel together before going separate ways, what do you think Noelle? “
“I have no problems with it. “ Noelle agreed.
They agreed to meet Sunday morning, at dawn, in Windwail Highland, near the Stone Gate, the closest area to pass from Mondstadt to Liyue, and it was the closest to the Dawn Winery and by extension Dragonspine, they may need accessories for the trip.
He and Paimon watched Noelle and Diluc leave the Headquarters before they take back their attention to the door of the Grandmaster's office, it opened, revealing the familiar blond-haired, Acting Grandmaster Jean, standing in front of the door, it seems she didn't notice them as she is glancing at papers on her hand, a frown writing in her face as she examined them more carefully, taking each given words like an insult.
It wasn't until Paimon cleared her throat that she glanced their way, “oh, my apologies, traveler - Paimon. “. She let them enter the office, putting down the papers on the table, positioning herself to rest her backside on the hard table, mind looking greatly occupied.
“You restored the winds from Stormterror's Lair, and for that I thank you. I do not know what I would do without you… two, really. I received your request and I will write a request toward Liyue to allow you to travel there, we wouldn't want you to get imprisoned or something. “ She said, “I myself am going somewhere, I need to go to Snezhnaya, I do not know why but it seems like the Lord chief of Mondstadt died and they need a new one, in my absence, if the Grandmaster Varka is not returned from his trip then Kaeya is the one who will replace me, if you have any questions, it is him you should be asking from now on, if you go back to Mondstadt. “ She took a deep breath, putting her sword on the table, before getting interrupted by a knight. She closed the door behind her when she left.
“What was that about?”, Paimon asked, crossing her arms.
“I do not know, maybe she is tired. “ Aether knew that, it is a hard job to be an Acting Grandmaster, it demands a lot of effort.
They walked outside, the stars illuminating the sky, which was now all dark, they saw the Anemo Archon statue, Lord Barbados, they called him, his hands looked like he was holding the moon, what a strange sight, it has been now more than three months since he entered Mondstadt, and he’s been and still is impressed by the devotion that the Mondstadtians had for their Lord, one of the seven deities.
Once they entered the Cathedral, they were greatly welcomed by the nuns who gladly let them use one of the available rooms for the night.