Downfall - A Genshin Impact Story

Chapter 1: Anguish

A landscape - beautiful like that of an impossibly gorgeous painting.

The golden rays masterfully dancing across the red-filled sky.

Laughter reverberates across the land known as Monstadt.

A land full of life...

As the night falls, the happiness slowly faded – a contrast to what the feeling once was.

The festive feeling dissipated as the people went in their homes – the normality of the events that occurred, made a blonde boy's stomach churn as a feeling of something cataclysmic washed over him, however he chose to ignore it, dismissing it as if it was just a mere feeling.

A boy glided from the high-rise of the statue of Barbatos, free falling as the familiar feeling of the wind dragging his body the opposite direction, with a small figure following suite.

With a landing so impossibly graceful and smooth, he swiftly moved through the increasingly lonely streets of the city.

He reminisced of the travels he and the small figure went through together.

The travels were filled with laughter, cheerfulness, and hope.

The traveler, also known as Aether hoped that this atmosphere and feeling would last forever.

...

He gazed upon the endless expanses of the night sky, perhaps looking for his sister lost in Celestia?

He could not seem to find a reason to rest and close his eyes to dream about his sister's return, nor does he have the desire to. To pass the time, he sat atop a wall with lush vegetations as he waited for this night to end while his companion known as Paimon slept on his lap, peaceful and undisturbed.

The time seemed to pass by like a breeze. There he witnessed the darkness of the night being overlapped by the glimmering rays of the sun rising. He turned his attention towards his sleeping companion who he smiled at.

"It is time to wake up, Paimon." he muttered gently to the girl's ear.

"Ugh, Paimon demands for more sleep!" she demanded, slamming her small fist against his experienced body, a gesture that he was not bothered at because that gesture was what he expected.

He could only sigh softly.

Leaving the girl with no choice, he gently carried his sleeping companion atop his shoulders.

"Time to go! Hold on tight!" He exclaimed, but that only seemed to fuel the little girl with fear, her eyes snapping open as her body started to shake uncontrollably.

"No! Paimon will do so herself!"

Her reaction was quite humorous as Aether himself was unable to hold in a chuckle.

"What is so funny!? Paimon swears, that if she becomes taller, she will beat the living day lights out of you!" the girl screamed with unbridled fury.

"Fine, fine. But you must be taller first before you do, right?" He smirked to which the girl fumed at.

The little girl floated in the air, angered.

"See? You are so easily triggered!" He teased even further.

"Stop it!" she fumed as she, with her full power, delivered a strike to his face, only to feel pain as her fists seemingly hit a metal ore.

"Ow! Ow!" she hissed in pain, blowing air towards her swelling fists.

"Come on! Commissions register as early as four in the morning!"

"Fine! Hmph!" she pouted, crossing her arms rather angrily.