A Traveler's Tale (Genshin Impact As Told by Me)

Aether's Day Off

The air of Monstade is crisp and fresh with scent of spring. Everyone is going about their daily routines. Aether is on top of a roof staring at the clouds passing by. Today is his day off. As he's usually working non stop around the clock doing commissions, getting stronger and teaching groups of people to hone their abilities as he searches clues for his sister.

His best friend Paimon floats next to him trying to guess what the clouds are, "Ohhh ohhh that one looks like a chicken sweker!" Paimon smiled with joy her blue eyes sparkled brightly as she drooled.

Aether let out a soft laughter and than a deep sigh. Things have gotten really rough of the late. They have been venturing in the ice God's domain. Childe has for the most part helped them with passage, and Aether ironically love and hates the cold mountains. It's the abyss order that's on his mind. The closer he gets to unsolving the mystery around them the closer he gets to reuniting with his sister. He's seen her multiple times with that group. Yet, he just couldn't understand why.

"Are you thinking about your sister again?" Paimon puts her hands behind her back to look at the blonde haired boy with a single ponytail braid in defeat, "Uh... well... maybe they tricked her! Yeah! Like they got her under a spell of some kind?" Paimon tried to assure him.

"No... she wasn't under a spell." Aether replied as he moved his arms from behind his head and sat up, "Actually... I don't think I told you what my sister was like. Have I?" Aether realized.

"No you haven't. Now I'm curious what was she like?" Paimon wiggles around from side to side.

"Hehe. Well she was... something else that's for sure." Aether chuckled as he smiled at the memories, "This one time we were traveling this distant land together and got roped into helping this person out. They wanted us to find a bunch of herbs to be used for medicine. Lumine likes to pretend she doesn't care, but she looked harder and searched longer than I did. She came back to the place we were using as shelter all beaten up and bruised and she just smile at me as she showed she got the herb saying that now the lady can get better." Aether smiled.

"Why does she pretend she doesn't care? That's very rude isn't?" Paimon pouts and looks confused as she cocks her head to the side and puts her arms behind her back again.

"Hmm... that's because..." Aether looks back up the sky, "We never stay very long. As soon as war or something majorly bad happens we run away... Come to think of it. I think we tried to do the same in this world. It wasn't peaceful when we were trying to leave... there was some kind of war going on... Than when I woke up it was all peaceful... like it never happened..." Aether holds his legs frowning as he thinks about that.

"So she pretends to not care to not get attached to the people she knows she'll have to leave behind?" Paimon frowns and looks sad.

"Yeah... She's very stubborn about opening her heart to people anymore... that's why I'm... I'm scared... I'm scared of what those creatures might of done to her. I'm scared that's she's all alone struggling without me. I want to find her, but... With us on two different sides... what if we have clash blades? What if we are forced to fight each other? What if... What if I have to choose. The people of this world or my sister?" Aether looks at Paimon. "If I had to chose that. I rather... I rather just die at the hands of my sister." Aether explains bitterly.

"Your not going to have to fight! Your siblings! You two can work things out! I'm sure she'll understand and come to reason! You just need to talk to her!" Paimon cried moving her arms to her side and clutching his hands into fist.

"I want to believe that. But I'm not sure." Aether looks at the sky, "My sister... said. I'm such a nice person. I'd die going to war for strangers and never ask why there is a war in the first place. She said. My strong desire to protect others would be my biggest flaw and get me killed. And she was the one who suggested that we leave if conflict arises in the worlds we visited." Aether let's go of his legs and sighed as he looks at the white haired elf girl named Paimon, "My sister. I think she started lashing out anyway she could to protect herself from getting close. Developing a it's us verses them mentality. And yet I know she couldn't stand to see the flames of war rage many worlds or people getting hurt and killed. My sister probably turns away from it all to protect me. But I want to prevent that stuff too. I wonder if... she's doing this for some good reason. A reason I can't comprehend yet. It looks bad. But in her mind. It's the way to bring forth a good end." Aether explains as he looked at the cloudy skies sadly.