𝐸𝑞𝑢𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑦

Truth unknown

Notes!
Your precious Author has decided to gift their fan base with another chapter
Enjoy
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Struggling to carry Xiao, Aether hastily reaches a wind current.

Aether tries to hold Xiao in his arms before gliding towards Venti and Zhongli. Who seemed to be fighting the abyss lector.

Aether examined the terrain below him, before finding a suitable place to land, in a plain patch of grass.

Aether glides down, shifting Xiao to be on his back.

Aether knew he wouldn't be much help when it came to combat at the moment.

So Aether started yelling at the lector.

"HEY YOU! OVER HERE!"
Aether waved his one available hand, taunting the abyss lector.

Before the abyss lector could attack Aether, Zhongli summoned a meteorite, Venti finishing the abyss lector with a small burst of wind.

The abyss lector disappeared into the winds.
Aether sighed with relief.

Venti and Zhongli waved, Aether hesitated to wave back. The words his sister said echoed in his ears.

He helped them, but for some reason he still felt skeptical.

Venti rushes towards Aether, arms open wide. He stopped in his tracks when Aether had stepped back in fear. Xiao was dead asleep, snuggled on his back.

Venti had already seen this coming, if Aether was acting weird around Zhongli why wouldn't he act weird around him as well.

Zhongli had a look of concern, looking at Aether. Who seemed ruffled, and Xiao looked tired.

"I suggest we camp out in Mondstadt, we can answer questions there, and treat the adeptus."
Venti nudged his head toward Xiao, who was still hanging onto Aether.

Aether nodded in agreement.
The three walked towards Mondstadt, constantly on edge by the recent ambushes.

"Say Venti, do you have a place we can acquaint ourselves?"

Venti sheepishly turns around, facing Zhongli, whom asked the question in the first place.

"Maybe if Diluc is nice enough he'll let us stay in his fancy mansion."

Zhongli blankly stares at the bard,
"So if I'm not mistaken, you're homeless."
Venti winks, sticking his tongue out.

Aether on the other hand, was exhausted.
All this looking for the ex-archons to find them playing around in storm-terrors lair.

Hopeless was one way the traveler would describe himself.
He felt lost, everything has been happening so fast he could barely bring himself to understand.

.
.
.
.

After a bit of begging and crying,
Venti had scored a spare house to recuperate in. Jean had provided it out of pity for the poor archon.

"Now men let me grab us some booze and celebrate our victory!"

Venti stumbles out of the room, low sounds of footsteps could be heard.

The room was left still. A bed was on the opposite side of the door. The bed was a medium sized one. The wooden patterned walls matched the furniture. A small chair near the bed is where Aether sat while Xiao lay on the mattress.

And Zhongli was sitting on a rocking chair near the left corner of the room. Accompanied by a small coffee table.

Zhongli kept his eyes close, Aether couldn't tell if he was sleeping or just resting his eyes.

Zhongli glanced up, making eye contact with Aether. Speaking in a relaxed tone, "Whatever plagues your mind you can ask me."
Zhongli stated.

Aether panicked a bit, unsure of what to ask first. Venti busted open the door, kicking it down.

"I FOUND MYSELF SOME LUXURY WINES!"

Zhongli glared at Venti for being too loud, hinting that Venti would wake up Xiao.

Venti rolled his eyes, closing the door behind him with his foot, setting the wines down on the coffee table.
Venti sat on the floor, looking at Aether, then Zhongli, then back to Aether.

Aether wanted to relieve the tension, "Did you participate in the destruction of Khaenri'ah?"
However trying to "relieve the tension" he did not do.

Aether sounds a bit more angered in his tone, as if the answer would shake him.

"I did not participate,"
Venti added.
"and neither did Morax."
Venti continued,

"The destruction of Khaenri'ah is still something that puzzles many. However, I, nor did morax, participated in the destruction of Khaenri'ah.
We suspect Celestia. The Tsaritsa, also known as our cryo archon buddy has been against Celestia from the begging.
I believe she's been taking or asking for the gnosis of each archon to overthrow Celestia.
Right old man?"

Venti elbows Zhongli in the leg,
Who in return glares at Venti.

"Oh how scary :0"
Venti continued,
"Anyway if you're asking if we destroyed Khaenri'ah, we didn't."

Aether brought a hand to his face, holding his chin.
"Then was it the unknown god?"
Venti looks at Zhongli, who raises his eyebrow.

"Unknown god, you say?"
Aether nods.

"Yeah the unknown god, she has strong magic, she depleted my powers, and took my sword as well."

The archons eyes widen.

"She used cubes to trap me and my sister, however my powers reacted back, separating me and my sister."
Zhongli was lost in thought, while Venti was in awe.

"She called herself the Sustainer of Heavenly Principles."
Aether added.

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Grades go brrrr
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