In The Midst of Snow

A Whole New World!

Aether was beyond confused where he was supposed to go.

I mean, could you blame him? When he awoke, Lumine was nowhere to be found. Although from how her meteorite was smashed open, at least he can deduce that she had awoken willingly and that she was probably safe.

But where was she?

He was totally unfamiliar with this new world. He felt like a kid abandoned by his parent in a supermarket. What's more, Lumine, the only person he could count on, had wandered off on her own, ditching him to be stuck in this lousy predicament.

Thanks, sis.

With nowhere particular to go in mind, Aether walked around aimlessly, praying that fate would bring him to Lumine. As if heeding his prayers, it was with joy that he found a wooden door standing in the middle of nowhere. On the other side of the door, though, he found himself somewhere completely different.

Before, the infinite field of flowers gave him a sense of warmth and relaxation. Now, he had ended up somewhere like a dungeon or castle. A long, narrow corridor stretched before him, leading into the unknown. Hung on the walls on either side of the corridors were realistic paintings of...a royal family? There were also ethereal paintings of gardens, mountains, the seaside and many other breathtaking vantages that were brought to life by the talented artists' strokes and colours, framed in intricate gold.

The corridor was dark and quiet. The flickering torches that lined the hallway made the paintings seem eerie and mysterious. Aether kept his eyes especially on the paintings of the royal family, whose eyes never seem to leave him.

Maybe it was more dangerous to proceed forward. He had been safe so far inside the meteorite in that...garden? This place was giving off terrible vibes. But upon turning back, he found that he was facing a solid wall.

In a panic, he hurriedly felt around the wall, searching for a lever or activating mechanism of some kind. Was this his end? Was he about to get killed? Was this a trap made especially for fools like him who saw a random door and thought it was a good idea?

"Heyyy, what are you doing there?"

Aether froze. Horrifically, he twisted his head back to see someone standing at the end of the corridor.

He was dead. There was no way he was getting out of this a-

Wait. Was that a kid?

Without warning, the kid ran towards him, stopping a meter short away. Now that the kid was closer, Aether recognised the kid as the one of the people within the many portraits that lined the hallway.

Was this kid perhaps a member of the royal family?

Tilting his head, the kid blinked his curious, cerulean eyes.

"Adeptus Aether?" he gasped.

"Adeptus?" Aether repeated, his voice definitely not an octave higher.

"Oh, not Adeptus Aether then." The kid shrugged. Rocking on the balls of his feet, as if bored, the kid questioned politely, "Are you lost, sir?"

"U-um, yes. Yes, I am."

Though, what caught his attention was that this kid (somehow?) knew his name. What the hell was an Adeptus though? He seemed to have recognised him for a fraction of a second, even though that was impossible. Unless...

Taking a deep breath to gather his courage, Aether bravely stuttered, "D-do you by any chance seen someone like me before?"

"Yeah!" The kid nodded his little head vigorously, vibrating excitedly. "He's called Adeptus Aether!"

Ah, not really who he was hoping for but he supposed he should embrace any clues he could get.

"Do you know where I can find this...Adeptus Aether?"

"Um..." As though all the giddiness had been squeezed out of him, the kid deflated. Nervously, he glanced around, as if the portraits might be hearing in. "You cannot find him anymore, sir."

"Why is that?"

There was a terrified look in the child's eyes. Guilt. Fear. Sorrow. The kid wanted to run, but from the way his knees shook, he couldn't even if he wanted to. What was so terrible that made this kid react like this?

In a choked up voice, the kid hiccuped, "H-h-he's dead."

Unexpectedly, the kid started bawling and crying. Aether was taken aback. What was he supposed to do with a crying child? Awkwardly, he hugged and patted the kid, murmuring words of comfort to him as he would if it was Lumine.

Thankfully, the kid eventually calmed down, sniffing and rubbing his tears. Aether guessed that the kid and Adeptus Aether may have known each other. Why else would he react so sensitively?

He didn't want to talk about Adeptus Aether in front of the kid anymore, but as a link between Adeptus Aether and Lumine may exist, he had to pry further a little more. He tried to ask as least as he could - just enough to get some directions. Through puffy eyes, the kid had told him that Adeptus Aether came from a place called Liyue, and that he had a boyfriend named Xiao.

For now, if he was able to find this Xiao person, he might be able to get some information on where Lumine was. As far-fetched it sounds, it was his one and only lead so far.

Xiao...had he heard that name somewhere before? For reasons unknown, his heart gave a silent, longing wail at the mention or thought of Xiao. He had never met the man, seen him, or even heard of him. He doesn't even know what he looks like or what he sounds like. Just the name Xiao.

So why does he feel a thousand emotions threatening to engulf him?

Perhaps all his questions would be answered when he met Xiao. Thus, after thanking and bading goodbye to the kid, he began his journey to Liyue.

On the way, he asked locals here and there if they had seen anyone like him to hopefully get more leads. Bewilderingly, none of them had spoken of Lumine. Only of a blond, ponytailed adeptus that was dressed in black and white. All of them pointed in the direction of Liyue, saying that yes, he resembled an adeptus by the name of Adeptus Aether.

At first, Aether thought it was only the kid that had mistaken him. But with every single local that had said the same thing, Aether's interest in this Adeptus Aether was growing more and more.

It wasn't a couple of days later that he had reached Liyue. At that point, he had run out of supplies and was fishing in a nearby lake under the scorching sun, wanting to get some protein for lunch.

He hummed, watching the fishes gather around his bait in curiosity. His fingers tightened on the fishing rod, ready to reel it in.

Wait for it...

"I KNEW IT!"

The sudden yell startled Aether so badly he fell into the lake with a great splash. The fishes, realising it was a trap, quickly swam away in a frenzy.

There goes his lunch...

Kicking upwards, Aether emerged from the water with a gasp, rubbing the water off from his face with his hand. Aether shot a glare to the source of the noise. On the rock where he was sitting, there stood a lady in a crimson dress decorated with fiery flames. Her curly brown hair with streaks of red bounced like jelly as she hopped from foot to foot in exhilaration.

"I knew you weren't dead, Aether!"

A/N:
Aether: Hello. How are you? I'm under the water. Please help me. Here too much raining. Blub blub blub