𝙏𝙝𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙛𝙖𝙩𝙚... ᴷᴺʸ ˣ ᴳᴱᴺˢᴴᴵᴺ

바람⬩Where The Wind Blows

The view of the terrain was no less captivating as serrated cliffs and lush valleys marked the sun-drenched landscape. Birds squawked overhead as they flew through the air, traveling to wherever the gentle wind would carry them. Cotton-white clouds graced the blue-tinted expanse, almost enshrouding the mythical floating island in the sky they have heard so much about from other people, saying it is where the gods reside and oversee the world beneath them.

Buildings stood in the far distance—but what really seized the trio's full attention was the stone monument surrounded by a lake below their field of view.

Paimon pointed her finger at the structure, eyes twinkling with glee. "That's a Statue of the Seven!"

In response, Aether and Sumiko eyed the statue from afar, curiosity crossing their visages.

"Some of these statues are scattered across the land to show The Seven's protection over the world," Paimon explained. "And among the seven gods, this god controls the wind."

'The wind god...' Sumiko ruminated. Though she had heard about these famed Archons, they have yet to actually meet one.

The fairy being placed her hands on her back, tilting her head slightly in concern. "Paimon's not really sure if the Anemo God is the one you two are looking for, but..." She paused, only to resume afterward, wagging her index finger around as she did so. "Paimon'll take both of you to the Anemo God first, so let's hop to it~"

With that, they proceeded to amble down the path to the side, making their way towards the sculpture.

That place over there..." Aether voiced, eyes fixating on the numerous structures in the background. "Is that a city?"

"Yup!" Paimon chirped from the side. "That's Mondstadt."

Sumiko glanced quizzically in her direction. "Mondstadt?"

"It's widely known as the city of wind and freedom because they worship the God of Anemo over there."

Sumiko surveyed the mass of buildings fleetingly and then fixated her attention back on Paimon. "You think we'll be able to find Aether's sister over there?"

The white-haired sprite hummed to herself momentarily, her eyebrows creasing together for a while. "To be honest, we can't be too sure on that..." she admitted. "But as we all know, poetry and language flow like the wind, so there's a chance we might be able to get some clues about his sibling once we get to Mondstadt."

A pause. "At least, that's what Paimon thinks. Whether the gods actually answer you or not is a different story, but then again, you never know unless you try. After all, it's crucial we remember our goal..."

With an index finger raised, the pixie then asked, "Which of the Seven are we searching for exactly?"

A fraught silence filled the air as Sumiko and Aether exchanged looks of uncertainty before the blond redirected his eyes to the rock statue they were drawing near to.

"We're about to find out," were the words that Aether simply uttered.

The conversation whittled at that point and once they reached the crystalline lake, they grounded to a stop at the edge, but as for a certain fairy, however, she had no trouble getting across whatsoever.

"Let me show ya how its done, Sumiko." she paused "O-oh yeah and Aether"

Sumiko and Aether looked on as their travel partner glided effortlessly to the small piece of land, leaving them to stand on the edge in silent awe.

A weary sigh escaped Aether's breath. "Time to get wet, I guess."

Sumiko acknowledged the tone of distress from her friend, stealing a glance at him before her gaze wandered between the water and the tiny island, wearing a pensive expression. It hardly took a while until an idea sparked in her head; one that incited the corners of her lips to quirk up as she turned to face her friend.