A Butterfly That Brings Fear: Aether Contract

Albedo

Nothing would ever match him. Traveler. Aether. The apple of Albedo's eye. With fluttering, delicate yet graceful actions, he charmed the people around him without knowing it, one of them being the genius Alchemist himself. He was just like a butterfly: golden, beautiful, fragile, yet strong in its own way. This thought was confirmed in Albedo's head as he watched those brilliant golden wings appear on Aether's back. But then that beautiful, perfect butterfly flew away, like whispers in the wind. Albedo only then realized how much he needed the traveler. But it was too late, the butterfly had disappeared into rolling hills of unknown.

Of course, Albedo didn't know of Aether's relationships with other men at that time, due to his isolation in Dragonspine. No sane person purposefully went on the frosty, icy mountain with its ever increasing snow and dangers.

So Albedo, while suffering from depression of being separated from his beloved, decided to make a substitute until Aether returned, a copy you might say. This "substitute" was not the real Aether though. It was like Albedo before he met Aether, seemingly emotionless, empty, only a physical shell of a true character long lost in time. It would never be the real Aether though, never would it smile and laugh like Aether, walk or sit or sleep like Aether. But it was enough. Enough to last Albedo until the golden traveler returned, which he was sure would happen. It had to.

For the first time in his long life, Albedo made a mistake. Sucrose, his clever assistant, whom he had shown his invention to, told Timaeus, who in a fit of jealousy, blabbered to Sara, who eventually told Rosaria, Margaret, and Norma, who, being the child she was, told EVERYONE. Albedo never messed up. How was he supposed to know the entirety of Teyvat was at war? That rebellions of all kinds not just going against their original country, but also the rest of the world were arising? Did Sucrose never think it fit to tell him, her teacher, master alchemist, and descendant of Kaneriah of this world war?

This was what resulted in him returning to his cave to find no traveler in his bed, his love once again evaporating right before him. In that moment, he must've lost whatever logic he had left in his mind. He swore to himself that he would get his priceless creation back, and when the time came that Aether returned, he would keep it locked away, just in case it ever happened again. He also swore that it never would. Traveler would never leave him again. And he would make sure of that.