Fallen into another world...? [Read Desc]

•Six | Beneath the Sky•

A day can be over fast when having too much fun, especially when Ushi was entertaining everyone. Lying down on the smooth flattened stone ground in the night, looking up to the sky, Aether noticed something different about it. It's like there is a difference between the sky here, and back in Teyvat's sky. Thinking back to his journey in Sumeru that was about to come to an end, he overheard something about "Is Teyvat's sky fake?" between the conversation of Dottore, the 2nd Fatui Harbinger, and Nahida before leaving the building. And Scaramouche, before Irminsul, mentioned about it too. That was a big mystery, was there really something about the sky in Teyvat?

"Xiao..." he called out, with Xiao appearing beside him in a blink of an eye.

"You called...?" he responded back, waiting for Aether's response.

He thinks back on what he wanted to say before saying another word, "Do you think there's something different about the sky above?"

Xiao didn't understand what Aether had meant. Looking into dark night sky, he took a good look observing it. Noticing something about it, there was a very different feeling about this one, "...It does," as he sat next to him.

They were quiet, thinking about the same thing since Aether brought it up. And someone was also looking at the sky, from behind. Xiao can tell that this person wasn't a threat to them, not bothering to confront or stop them. This person wasn't Itto, as he is still inside the Rehabilitation Training Room.

"What was the shape of that cloud again...?"

Dumbfounded, it was literally the middle of the night, and there was not a single cloud in the night sky. But there were a few that was hard to see through the small glimpse of moonlight being shown.

Aether got up onto his knees and turned, "Um... I don't think it's possible to see the clouds at the moment?"

A boy with a long-sleeved uniform walked forward to them, replying, "Oh... I forgot..."

The way this guy spoke was somehow familiar with his memory loss. A someone who can curse the great 50/50s... Aether prayed in his head, hoping this isn't just a mere coincidence for him to lose on the next one. Misfortune is definitely aiming for him and if he'll ever be seeing his twin sister, Lumine ever again since their last meeting in person.

There was an awkward silence between them, not knowing what to say. Then the boy spoke once again with a response that was unbelievable, "Where am I again...? No wait, I'm outside the Butterfly Mansion..."

Aether face-palmed; this person can't even remember where they are in mere minutes and remembers it suddenly. He couldn't tell if he actually doesn't remember. It was annoying but Qiqi was about the same but couldn't remember unless someone like Yaoyao comes to remind her.

"Who are you, if you don't mind me asking?"

Without battling an eye, he answered, "Muichiro Tokito, the Mist Hashira."

Aether was puzzled, thinking back again, then facing back to Muichiro, "Like the Insect Hashira?" He hasn't known what exactly a Hashira is, forgetting to ask Tanjiro nor Shinobu when he could've gotten the chance.

"Similarly, but we use different breathing styles" with a short explanation, nothing to add onto it

"Ah- So it's your way of saying abilities."

Tilting his head to the side in confusion, crossing his arms, he uttered, "...I don't quite get what you're saying. But anyways, do you know where's Tanjiro? I can't find him anywhere in the Butterfly Mansion."

"I believed he carried out to do some mission with a "talking" crow an hour ago and hasn't come back yet," he answered, while recalling back to a familiar crow that literally talks as a portable flying translator.

"Oh... I was late. Looks like I'll have to find him once he returns."

Before Muichiro takes another step to leave, he mentioned something, "I've saw you staring at the sky with your friend over there, mumbling weird things I couldn't hear, you alright?"

"Yeah, we're alright-"

"Okay," responding back with one word in a plain attitude and a quick nod, leaving them alone under the night sky.

Xiao sat up, and looked at Aether as soon as Muichiro have left, "So, about the sky you mentioned..."

He pretty much forgot about the conversation he had before that awkward encounter with Muichiro. Only believing that he was just overthinking about something he doesn't fully understand about afterwards, as it gets more confusing.

"Let's just forget about that..." he sighed; it was all to blame on how tired he is.

Xiao nodded, "Alright, but you should get inside now and get some sleep for tomorrow morning."

"What about you?" Aether asked

"Hmph, have you forgotten? We Adepti have no need for sleep like mortals," reminding him once again.

"Sorry, I might have forgotten about that..." apologizing for forgetting the obvious thing he should've known, despite knowing Xiao for a long time by now. But he eventually says these things like a habit now.

"Just go to sleep... I'll be around if you need any help again. Don't hesitate about it," Xiao disappeared into thin air once again after convincing him, for Aether to return back inside the Butterfly Mansion to get some sleep tonight for the next day.

Xiao was only concerned and protective. With his guard up, he continued looking around his surroundings as he had done before. If monsters dig their claws into him, if death comes knocking at his door, he'll be there no matter what, as soon as his name is called out by Aether.

A/N - Suffering. I kinda mixed-up stuff with before Swordsmith Village Arc and by the time this chapter is finally posted, I'm rereading the aftermath just around Hashira Training arc.

Andd I forgot to mention this before, but this is like a small AU thing: Instead of leaving Paimon as emergency food (Which is supposed to be an inside joke), it's more of how she and the Traveler bonded with each other as they ventured across the seven nations.