Chapter Text
Defeat Dvalin again. Defeat Childe again. Defeat Osial again.
He eyed the sea warily, knowing that as soon as the Jade Chamber's construction was complete, Beisht would come to avenge her husband. He'd helped in the reconstruction, despite knowing that asking for help in search of his sister would be a fruitless endeavor.
Even so, it was nice spending time with Shenhe. Both of them preferred the silence, so he didn't feel the need to fill the silence with pointless chatter. They worked quickly and efficiently, and Aether felt as the Jade Chamber rose, mentally preparing himself for the upcoming battle.
Just like last time, Beisht rose from the depths, scream piercing the sky. He knew it was stupid to lunge at the fallen God, but he'd heard it was what moved Shenhe to freeze the tsunami that nearly leveled Liyue, so it needed to be done.
Beisht prepared the attack, a deep roar as she readied herself. Aether lept in the air, blade ready.
His back hit the mountain, and he died instantly. He shot up, expecting to be in the middle of a fight, only to find himself on that damn beach again, hands trembling.
Really? That's what got me? A rock? He couldn't help but laugh, a little hysteric at the thought. He had to repeat the last six months because of a rock. His shoulders shook.
How did I get so lucky last time? What went wrong? Why can't I…
He didn't know how long he sat there, shaking.
Again. Again, he got up, and he prepared to find Paimon.
He almost missed it. Shocked eyes met tired ones, even as Dvalin flew away, the bard's gaze was pinned on him.
Just as quick as he'd noticed it, the bard had fled.
He knows something.
He went through the motions, as if a puppet on strings. Venti knows something. It was a thought that kept crossing his mind, drowning out everything else. He had half the mind to walk out right then, track down the Anemo Archon, and shake him by his collar until he confessed.
...He didn't. The meeting was finally over, and he all but ran out the door, Paimon trailing behind him.
"Traveler? Where are you going?" She said, hand on his shoulder. Aether stopped.
"...Paimon. I'm running out of berries. Can you go get some for me?" The fairy stared incredulously.
"...That's what's getting you all worked up? Geez! Paimon was worried!" She huffed, stomping the air. "Fine! You owe Paimon some food, though!"
Aether walked out of the city's gates. He walked and walked.
It didn't take long for Venti to appear, in a gust of wind that swayed the grass, he landed delicately. Aether felt like he could explode.
"You know something." He finally said it, the words tumbled out. Quick, hurried, desperate.
"My my, little Dandelion. You're as perceptive as ever." He smiled, annoyingly calm about the whole thing. Aether was still tense, something wild in his eyes. He didn't care if it showed. Venti must've taken pity on him, because he got straight to the point. "This isn't your first time meeting me, am I right?"
"Yes." He felt the urge to laugh. Or cry. Maybe both. "When did you realize?"
"It's hard to say. I think I've always been aware, in some capacity. It wasn't until now that I connected the dots, I think." Aether finally felt the tension leak from his body, and he nearly fell over in an attempt to sit. Venti joined him. Aether didn't say anything for a while.
"...Do you think we're the only ones?" The blonde eventually spoke, quiet. It was nearly carried away by the wind.
"Would you like there to be more?"
"No, no. I wouldn't wish this upon anybody."
Another stretch of silence.
"How long?"
"What?"
"How long have you been aware?" Venti looked over, a slight crease in his brow giving away his worry.
"I... I don't know. The time kinda blurs together. But I've been aware of it for 3 cycles now." Wording it as cycles at least made it seem less gruesome than death, though he knew Venti knew.
Aether got up. Venti hummed, absentmindedly plucking a lyre he'd gotten from… somewhere.
“I'm off to Liyue.” A gentle wind pushed a strand of hair back, the only indication Venti had heard him.
No matter how many times he'd stood against the electro Archon, he found himself shaking. His hands felt sweaty underneath his gloves, hot and suffocating.
Ei did not care for his mishaps. Her moves were calculated and concise, inflicting the most damage with the least amount of movement possible.
Despite bracing for it, the Divine Lightning still hurt . He gasped, muscles seizing, and he stumbled, hitting the ground. His vision was white, ears ringing, and he distantly registered someone shaking his shoulders, voice desperate.
Thoma had to support him as they made their escape. He didn't realize how heavily he'd been leaning on Thoma until they were back at the tea house, his eyes full of worry. Aether gasped as he tensed, the aftershocks of the lightning feeling like a flame had ignited inside of him.
Despite trying to mentally ready himself for the pain that was the lightning strike, it still managed to catch him off guard. He'd forgotten how much it had hurt.
When he became more aware of his surroundings, a cup of tea was gently being pushed into his hands. Aether blinked.
“...Thanks.” His voice was rough. Thoma still looked worried, sitting next to him whilst setting down a variety of medical supplies.
“May I?” Thoma was just how Aether had remembered him. So kind and considerate. The traveler nodded, and he took off his shirt to make it easier. He heard the quiet gasp behind him.
“Shocking, isn't it?” He said, attempting to lighten the mood. It worked, Thoma's jaw hanging open until he let out a laugh, shoulders untensing.
“A little.” Aether flinched as a cream was spread, barely hearing the sorry Thoma muttered. He slumped in relief, glad his back no longer felt like it was on fire.
Thoma remained silent, even as he wrapped the bandages around his back. It was only after he finished that he said something.
“Aether… I'm sorry.” He was surprised at the sudden apology. This hadn't happened before. Was it because he'd immediately agreed to help, instead of letting himself be guilt tripped into it? “I was so excited that you agreed to help us, but I never stopped to think about how it'd make you feel. Seeing what our Archon did to you first hand…”
Oh, that's right. Last time, it was Ayaka who'd patched him up. Isn't it too late to regret your choices now?
“...Don't apologize.” Aether couldn't look Thoma in the eyes. “I would've done it either way.” It's my fate. “If I can help in any way, then I'm glad.”
Thoma relaxed, oozing with relief . Aether couldn't stand it anymore, so he walked out.
Accepting the position as the Captain of Swordfish II was easy enough. As much as he would've loved to refuse and attempt to do things solo, Kokomi probably would've lectured him about how important teamwork was, or something stupid like that.
The reason he hated it was because of incidents like these.
“S-Sorry, Cap’n.” A soldier wheezed, bleeding out. Aether looked at him grimly, the Onikabuto in his hand nearly crushed by how hard he was clenching his fists. He had seen enough to know this soldier would make it, but recovery would be rough, and they needed as many hands as they could get.
“Don't apologize.” Aether replied, kneeling beside him. An arrow was lodged in his shoulder. Aether wasn't a doctor, but he was confident enough in his ability to temporarily bandage the wound until an actual doctor could take a look at it. “Here.” The blonde handed him a rag, which the man shoved in his mouth.
It barely did anything to muffle the oncoming screams.
Just as Aether finished, another soldier was rushing in. “Captain! We have word that troops have begun gathering near the east, we suspect the enemy is preparing for-”
“Alright.” Aether cut off. “I'll take care of it.”
War was exhausting. Especially with the burden of being a Captain, he couldn't imagine how Kokomi was feeling.
He walked out of the medical tent, and prepared to take out another camp.
He'd hoped he could change it. He didn't care if he had to take on the entirety of the Fatui if it meant saving Teppei.
It didn't matter how long he stayed up, desperate to see just where these delusions were being distributed. It didn't matter how much he begged Teppei for an answer, close to tears, he just denied it until it killed him.
Frustration was a familiar emotion. Though, he'd never quite felt so powerless . Fate seemed to be mocking him, giving him false hope just to crush it into dust.
He sharply turned on his heel. If he didn't take his anger out on something , he was going to snap.
Paimon just float behind him, worry clear in her eyes.
“Again.” Yae Miko stood, confident, yet relaxed. The smile on her face could be interpreted as condescending, and if Aether had the energy, he might've felt annoyed.
Instead, he pushed himself up, readying himself for another round against the catalyst.
He'd done this before, somehow. What was it that drove him forwards the first time? Maybe it was because he was so desperately seeking answers that he never stopped. Always pushing and pushing and pushing, even when he felt like he was about to snap under the pressure.
“In time, you will learn the truth about this world.” It was something his sister had told him, the words still rang in his mind. Had he already found the truth? That the world was doomed to repeat itself until he had carried out fate.
The injury on his back ached each time he was struck down.
And everytime, he forced himself back up.
There was something in the air. Or maybe just something in his head. It hurt, skull aching and vision swirling as he pushed himself forwards.
La Signora died again. Even when he closed his eyes, he could still hear the thump of her body hitting the floor.
He walked. Just focus on putting one foot in front of the other.
Ei was going to come back soon. He needed to hurry. The domino's needed to fall into place, he needed Kazuha to block the attack, then he needed to beat the Archon.
What was it that went wrong? Maybe he was just too slow. Maybe it was his karma for letting Teppei die, even after knowing how to prevent it.
His head was lopped clean off. He didn't realize it until he found himself on that damn beach again.