A Butterfly That Brings Fear: Aether Contract

Yae Miko

The ground crumbled to ash at Yae Miko's feet, forcing her back and away from the Sacred Sakura. She pushed Maki behind her, summoning the Kagura's Verity.

"You don't need to do this, Ayato. We can work this out!" She cried to the blue haired man across from her, who was walking towards the large electro tree. He turned to face her, his cerulean purple blue eyes void of emotion, a fake smile on his handsome face.

"Tell me where he is Miko," He reached into his cloak and pulled out a wooden match, lighting it . "Or your precious tree burns." The fox-eared woman choked in a gasp of fear as he held the small flame closer to the blue gray rough bark of the fox shaped tree.

"Wait! Wait, please," she yelled, her hands flying out as his fingers started to loosen around the wood. He narrowed his eyes at her, the smile on his face growing slightly darker.

"Where. Is. He." Miko squeezed her eyes shut as she gestured for Maki to go get it. She could feel the maiden's horrified look digging into her back.

"Get him, Maki. Now!" She called, refusing to look at the betrayed face the girl gave her as she ran off towards a building. Yae couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief, knowing her tree was safe. She opened her eyes to see Ayato's gleeful, almost crazy smile as he put out the match, staring at the building Maki had run to.

Just then the girl came back out, carrying a sleeping boy in her arms. His hair shined like sun rays, seeming to bring light to the destroyed piles of debris and blood. A face carved by gods, with smooth skin, soft lips, and long eyelashes brought the people in the area to peace, despite their bleeding bodies. His slim body wore a long white cloak that fit snugly around his creamy white skin. He was a perfect copy of the real traveler, except for the golden primogem shaped mark on the front of his neck.

The maiden placed the boy in Miko's arms. She stepped forward and held him out to the well dressed man, who's smile now reached his ears, but not his eyes. He gently took the body in his arms, bringing it to his chest and nuzzling the golden hair with his nose, mumbling something before looking back at Yae Miko, who stepped back fearfully.

"You have what you came here for. Now leave!" She said, thrusting her arm out. Kamisato Ayato just smiled, looked down at her, and dropped a lit match at the Sacred Sakura's roots. The bark burst into flame as Ayato leaped off the mountain, opening his wind glider and disappearing into the now smoky air that surrounded them.

"NO!" Yae Miko screamed, running forward towards the tree. But it was too late. The wooden fox engraved on the tree raised its head and let out a silent howl of pain, the bark writhing angrily as bright orange flames crept closer to its core. Miko was screaming as if when the tree hurt, she too hurt, falling to her knees as she tried desperately to crawl to the tree. Her eyes were huge and horrified as the tree creaked at its roots, leaning and eventually falling into the electrical pit of the mountain.

She sunk to her knees, her eyes empty and almost broken looking. And for the first time in 2 millennia, she started to cry, and looked around her. The shrine, one of the last places in teyvat that was safe and untouched, was now in ruins, and once again, the Aether Contract was rising once again. She looked up at the gray sky as the screams of merchants and shrine maidens attempting to escape the burning buildings filled her ears.

If there really is a sane god out there, I pray they help us before we kill ourselves. She thought as tears continued to fall