Aether Bardock: The God Of Destruction

Prologue: Trust

Aether P.O.V.

No matter where you are, in any place across the world, the universe, or even the multiverse, they say you need to trust people to reach your goals. But that trust-it's a razor's edge, always threatening to cut deeper than you could ever bear.

No matter how absurd your goal is, it seems like every step closer pulls you further into the abyss of betrayal.

Trusting someone doesn't mean they'll return the favor. More often than not, they'll take that trust, twist it, corrupt it, and then watch as it suffocates the last shred of hope you had left. In their eyes, you're nothing more than a pawn to be played, discarded, or destroyed when you outlive your usefulness.

Trust leads to betrayal more often than not. The moment they've taken everything they want from you, they'll cast you aside as if you never mattered. And if that betrayal isn't enough, they'll accuse you-twisting your actions, tarnishing your name-while you stand there, innocent, but condemned by the very people you trusted most.

Trust takes on many forms: love, friendship, companionship, bitterness, alliance, allegiance. Yet, no matter what shape it takes, it remains a fragile illusion-one that can shatter with the slightest touch.

And while love is powerful, trust is devastating. It's the most destructive force in existence, capable of erasing everything you thought you knew about yourself and the world around you.

For someone like me, who's been betrayed over and over by the people I've met, trust has become a bitter memory-a relic of a time when I still believed in something more.

I'm not from this world. Perhaps that's why they treated me so differently, so cruelly. But no matter where I go, the word 'trust' is a curse, not a blessing.

Since arriving here, my only goal was to reunite with my sister. But every step I take, every person I trust, seems to push her further out of reach.

The first nation I arrived in was Mondstadt, the so-called nation of freedom. But that freedom was an illusion, a chains of betrayal bound me tighter with every interaction, every false promise.

After saving that nation from catastrophe, I was accused of working for the Fatui. All it took was a rumor, born from the jealousy of knights who resented my strength-strength that eclipsed even their most powerful warriors, despite my lack of a Vision.

They sent me on missions too dangerous to survive, hoping I'd fail, hoping I'd die. And still, I trusted them. But all they saw was an enemy, a threat to be eliminated.

And when I stole the Lyre der Himmel, I trusted the knights to clear my name. But I was a fool.

Somehow, the people I trusted most twisted my actions, linking me to the Abyss Order through my sister-a sister I barely knew was involved with the Abyss at that time. And in the most absurd twist of fate, I was arrested the moment I returned to the city, my triumph over Stormterror erased by their accusations.

It broke me-completely shattered me-when the women I had confessed my love to, the beauties of Mondstadt, turned against me. They believed the lies, the false accusations, and treated me like I was worse than garbage.

Love was supposed to be a form of trust, but all it did was tear my heart to pieces. Especially Lisa, the first woman I ever loved. I thought she was the one-I really did. But she was a manipulative viper, using her looks and charm to exploit those around her. It made sense why she rejected me-my childlike form, my naive heart-but what truly broke me was her betrayal. She spread rumors, she fabricated evidence, and she handed me over to the knights like I was nothing. I had known her for months, cared for her, loved her more than I loved myself, and she destroyed me without a second thought.

When they arrested me for crimes I didn't commit, I thought I'd get a fair trial. But instead, they tortured me for three weeks. Hell would have been kinder than what I endured in that cold, dark place. If it weren't for Paimon, I would have died there, rotting away in a cell, forgotten by the world.

And even after I escaped, the betrayal didn't stop. Liyue was no different-twice as cruel, twice as untrustworthy. The nation of contracts? A mockery. They treated me and my companion with the same contempt, the same cruelty. Jealousy once again ruined my reputation, staining me with accusations that cut deeper than any blade.

I thought I could trust someone there. I thought I had found someone who would stand by me. But like Lisa, they turned their back on me. Ninguang framed me, accusing me of illegal mining, sexual assault, and trading with the Fatui. She made me out to be a monster when all I had done was save their city.

Even Rex Lapis-Zhongli, the one I thought was my friend-remained silent. He knew something about my sister, had information that could have helped me, but he kept it hidden, bound by a contract he valued more than our friendship. He chose to trust others, not me. He chose to betray me.

Again, I was arrested. Again, I was saved-this time by someone unexpected, someone who felt the same disgust I did at the injustice. But she couldn't join me. She couldn't stand by me, and I understood.

When I met Dainsleif, I thought I had found someone who understood. But he was the worst betrayal of all. He lured me to my death, to a portal where my sister stood, distant and cold. I wanted to hold her, to find comfort in her arms after all the suffering I'd endured. But she pushed me away, telling me it wasn't time yet, leaving me with more questions, more pain.

In Inazuma, the cycle of betrayal continued. I became cautious, wary of every woman I met, every word they spoke.

I defeated the Shogun and La Sigora, saved Inazuma from itself, and once again, betrayal was my only reward. The resistance I fought for turned their backs on me, accusing me of working with the Fatui, of destroying cities, of being a playboy.

And the women of the nation they stripped me of my pride, my dignity, and reduced me to nothing more than a dog-a slave for their sick pleasures.

For two months, I was trapped in that hell, used and abused by the women I had once trusted. Even the archon herself was involved, the one I thought was my friend. I escaped, but the scars they left on me will never heal. Paimon found me, and she, too, became wary of trust.

Sumeru was the only nation that welcomed me with open arms-real open arms. They didn't care about the rumors, about the lies that had spread like wildfire through the other nations. They saw me as one of their own, even though I couldn't bring myself to trust them in return. They offered me friendship, companionship, love, but I couldn't give them the same. I was too broken, too scarred by the past.

And now, as I stand on the precipice of Fontaine, the nation of justice, I can only hope that this time will be different. But hope is a fragile thing, and trust... trust is a death sentence.

For years, I've traveled, carrying the weight of a thousand betrayals on my shoulders. I've finally found someone who might have a place in my heart, but I know, deep down, that it's only a matter of time before they, too, will betray me.

I am an outsider from this world yet All I ever wanted was to reunite with my sister. In order for me to achieve it I need to trusting the people I met along the way, I'd find her sooner, hold her in my arms, and feel whole again. But this world has nothing but hatred for me, and trust... trust is the cruelest lie of all.