𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐁𝐄𝐆𝐈𝐍𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆 | genshin impact

| 01 |: Frozen in Time

The Spiral Abyss was an undeniably strange phenomenon; there were three chambers on each floor, each challenge spawning different monsters that Aether had to defeat within a certain time limit. Completing them would give him bountiful rewards, and while he felt skeptical about it at first, he soon found himself paying the Spiral Abyss a visit from time to time, and today wasn't any different. After successfully defeating the final wave of enemies on floor 12-3, he went to claim his rewards - but something caught his eye.

There was a thirteenth floor, which made him arch an eyebrow.

Well this is new. The Spiral Abyss had been pretty consistent thus far, so why was there suddenly an additional floor? Unlike the other twelve floors, it only had one chamber as well. After a moment of contemplation, the Traveler decided to check it out.

There was almost nothing on the thirteenth floor. The ominous crimson key he'd usually see in the middle of the chamber was nowhere to be found either; instead, there was a lone stone statue in its place, kneeling with hands clasped together as if in a prayer. The sight made Aether feel uneasy as it gave him unpleasant flashbacks of the inverted statue in a certain domain. Is this also the work of the Abyss Order? He approached the object of interest in slow, cautious steps before circling it. The fissures decorating the surface glowed dully, and they were scarily similar to the petrification effect of Zhongli's meteor.

There was a small crack that didn't glow on its back, barely noticeable unless you examine the statue up close. Getting down on one knee, Aether subconsciously lifted a hand to touch it, his curiosity getting the better of him. The moment his fingers brushed against it, the geo energy within him resonated with the statue, causing the cracks to connect as they glowed brightly. He stumbled on his bottom in surprise at the sudden reaction he set off, eyes widening when pieces of stone flaked off the body, revealing the human trapped underneath its weathered surface.

She gasped loudly and fell forward on her hands. This snapped Aether out of his stupor, and he immediately rushed over to her side to check on her condition. Paimon popped out of the pocket dimension she would always disappear into when she's not needed and floated beside him, folding her hands behind her back.

"How did you unpetrify her?" she asked as he knelt down to her level.

"I-I don't know," he stammered, equally bewildered.

"EEEK! She's not wearing any clothes!" Paimon squeaked out, hands flying up to cover her eyes. He blinked twice and then lowered his gaze. It shot back up to her face instantly when he confirmed that the mysterious woman was indeed fully naked. Cheeks burning with embarrassment, he opened his inventory to see if he had anything she could use to cover herself up with.

She turned her head to stare at him when she noticed that she wasn't alone. "Who are you?"

The blond paused. Without looking at her, he said, "I'm Aether, and this is Paimon. J-just stay there while I find clothes for you..." As he continued to rummage through his bag, he came across some cloths that he had bought in Liyue during one of his sight-seeing adventures with Zhongli. They were supposed to be gifts for his friends in Mondstadt, but seeing as the woman he just saved is in dire need of clothes, he had no other choice; he can always buy them again anyway. "Here, take these-!"

Squeezing his eyes shut, he shoved the cloths in her direction, hoping that she knew how to tie them around her body as a makeshift dress. After a few seconds of silence, he felt her take them away from him. The cool feeling of her fingers brushing against the back of his hands made him jolt, and he quickly placed them on his lap. He then heard some rustling before she spoke up again.

"I'm done."

Lifting his eyelids, the Traveler finally got a good look at her. (H/c) hair and cold (e/c) eyes, where profound longing and loneliness lie deep within.