Viator

"Please end me Aether. It hurts so much, I beg you." The voice of a little girl echoing in my head.

"AHH, that dream again, what is it?"

My ears were ringing like crazy, cold sweat washed my necks and my throat felt dry.

The same nightmare again, every dream feels like years and yet everytime I woke up, I did not remember anything, anything but those last words of the girl who I never saw before.

The nightmare first came several years ago, and it only comes once in a while. But every time I tried to recall it, something seemed to block me from going any further.

Is it a memory? A warning? Both?

It is not like I am crazy, I know that it is not a mere dream, what is it,

"what is it!!" I accidentally let my voice out.

"Aether?"

"Ah sorry I didn't mean to wake you up I"

All of sudden I felt my head was struck with intense pain. I ran towards the bathroom and vomited everything that was in my stomach.

"Oh my gosh, Aether!"

I can see myself in the mirror, my face is pale, I don't have any more strength to do anything and yet, I keep vomiting.

My wife rushed toward the bathroom and was shocked to see me in such a state. She gently stroked my back, relieving all the vomit left in my throat.

She lit the oil lantern and prepared me a glass of warm water while I just sat there on the cold tiles. I could feel her hand trembling with fear when she gave me the glass, and yet she calmly asked me.

"The same nightmare again?"

I nodded.

"It felt so real, it was painful and scary, but I don't know what it is,"

I tried to hold it back, but I could not, I was afraid.

Afraid of that dream, afraid of what I was, afraid of what I will come, afraid that she would leave me.

Afraid that one day she will realize that the man she married was not the man she loves.

"Please don't leave me." With the last power I had, I grip onto her leg.

"I know I know. Aether look at me." Even though it was full of vomit, she did not hesitate to hold my face.

She spoke loudly and clearly, bringing my attention just to her glittering golden eyes. She was smiling, but I knew deep down she was afraid and worried, but still she pretended to be strong just for me.

"I am not going anywhere. Never have I thought to leave you, not once, not ever. I love you."

Her tears started to overflow even though she tried to hold it back. This was my turn to give my best smile, I slowly raised my hand and wiped her tears.

We sat together hand in hand, on the cold stinky ceramic.

After I regained some of my strength, I cleaned everything and woke her up.

"Did you feel any better?" Was the first thing she asked me when she woke up.

"Yeah, I am fine now. Thanks for always being here for me,

Amber."

It has been almost a decade since that day the great traveler Aether, just disappeared from existence. Nobody knew where he was, every single clue just led back in a circle, the seven nations worked together to search for him, but he was never to be found, that is until a few years ago.

The gentleman that saved me told me everything that he saw.

The storm was pouring on the harbor. Even the greediest of the merchants are forced to close their shops and goods from the ocean cannot be brought unto the land. And that was when he saw me from the cliff afar, slowly falling down to my demise.

Was it someone that pushed me, or I jumped on my own he is not sure, but after checking on me, he told me

"I was surprised, you were still breathing and even tried to move. It was one of the highest hills on Liyue, the sturdiest jade can be found below it, your ligaments are broken, your bones are shattered and yet, by your own sheer will, you survived." he said.

I did not remember how long I fell asleep. But I remember the first sight when I open my eyes. A person with a talking snake on his shoulder. They were having a conversation with each other.

"Honesssstly, do you really think that he will survive?" That snake hissed.

"By the amount of fractures on his skull, the tendons ripped apart, I can only say that,

maybe yes

most probably not. We will see."

My body was full of bandages, I panicked, and shrieked.

"What the hell, Where am I? Who are you! Let go of me!"

That person raised his eyebrow and put up his glasses.

"Jinxed it! He'sss awake."

"Shush" The man silenced his snake.

"Oh my, look at what we have here," He was smiling and the man talked in flamboyant manners.

"There is no need to be so alarmed, here have some tea, oh right you still can't use your hand, do you want me to help you? or perhaps you prefer changsheng to help you." The snake lifted the glass with her tail.

"No thanks, that sounds weird."

The snake giggled, it seems that it does not hold any sentiment toward what I just said.

He gave me the drink. He was suspicious at first, but if the man in glasses wanted to get rid of me, he could have done that while he was asleep.

I took a sip and felt as if peace entered my soul. My adrenaline dropped from my body and I feel drowsy.

"What is in this drink?"

"Oh it's just herbal tea." The doctor dismissed it.

"Yeah, a herbal tea with some weird shit and forty five percent of alcohol in it!"

The snake on his shoulder started to talk, but weirdly, I was not surprised or shocked. I just found it cute.

"How do you feel?"

"I never felt any better."

"Do you remember your name?"

Yeah of course I did,

"My name is Aether."

"Do you remember who I am?"

I wondered at that time why he would ask me that, so I asked him.

"Have we met before?"

"Interesting.

Is there anything else you remember?"

"Yeah, I remember a silhouette of a man, he saved me, from something,

I cannot remember what it is, but that man has saved me. But beside that, I cannot remember anything else."

The tea started to lose its effect again and once again I was panicked.

"Yeah I could not remember anything, why couldn't I remember anything, what happened to me, who are you!"

"Breath in, breathe out Aether."

The snake tried to calm me down, and the doctor slowly explained to me

"It seems that on that day you fell into the cliff, your memory was shattered to pieces.

In other words…

Amnesia."

"that does not make any sense!"

"Not everything makes sense, not everything has too." I tried to retaliate but what he said is true, I do not know anything about this world, or rather, I forget about it.

"Don't worry, I handled a few cases like this before, it is not an abnormal thing here. Either your memory will return in a week or two, or,"

Or what?

"Or it might not return at all."

I was unsure of what to think about that, I cannot miss what I cannot remember. And so I just stayed silent and wished for the best.

"Oh, and by the way, you can call me Doctor Baizhu, and this is my… my

my pet."

"I ssswear I will kill you Baizhu '' The snake hissed at him.

I felt better just from seeing the little skit they made.

"My name is changsheng."

"Have a rest, we will see each other again soon."

Doctor Baizhu exits the room quietly.

After he left the room, the gentleman that saved me entered the room, his face was stoic and he talked like an old man. But I was sure that he was the one that saved me.

"You are finally awake." He sat beside me,

"You were the man that saved me. Thank you Mr…"

"Zhongli." The gentleman answered with a cold tone.

I hesitated at first but I needed to know what happened to me that day. And so I asked him

"Mr Zhongli, did you know what happened to me?"

And there he told me about the day I fell, the adventure I had, he told me tales, stories, and everything I needed to know about this world and myself. Liyue, the parlor, Teyvat, its seven nations, its seven gods, the factions, the people, the visions, the tale of a great traveler, and the stories he told were never boring.

I had a vague feeling that we had met before but when I asked Mr Zhongli if I knew him,

"We might have crossed paths once or twice in the past but, no, we don't know each other." so he said.

"Are you sure that there is nothing else you remember?"

I tried to, but it felt like something was blocking me from looking any further.

Mr Zhongli sighed,

"Just be grateful that you were still alive."

When Mr Zhongli had some business he needed to attend, there was another young lady that took care of me. Her face was pale, her eyes filled with wilted flowers and her face was full of pain and agony. Her face was scary.

I tried to talk to her a few times, but she kept ignoring me, she never answered me, and even when I tried to joke with her, she did not respond at all. I asked Mr Zhongli who she was, Mr Zhongli only said that she was his director.

"This might be insensitive, but, may I know if she is, perhaps, deaf?"

"She is not."

"Then why is she ignoring me?"

"You need to ask that to her yourself."

I must have done something bad to her in the past.

Not long after that I got better very quickly, much too quickly. I did not know that it was not normal, but it was a week after waking up that I was able to slowly walk on my own two legs.

I got my bandages removed and saw that the scars or blood are no longer there, it was still a little weak but I can grip my hands just fine and when I tried to stand up, my legs are not familiar with walking yet,

I used a nearby cabinet to help myself walking toward the door, and there I saw myself in the mirror, I am still unsure if this man was me. I was not a tall man, nor am I bulky, but how did I save the world? My hair and eyes were gray, it was not the same as what Mr Zhongli told me.

I moved my hand and accidentally hit a vase,

I can heard their footstep running to my room,

"Aether!"

Mr Zhongli, Doctor Baizhu and Ms Director opened the door and were probably shocked to see me start to walk on my own.

But what surprised me the most was, it was not Mr Zhongli or Doctor Baizhu who shouted my name and entered the room first, it was Ms Director.

Miss director walked outside as if nothing happened when she saw me.

Doctor baizhu suddenly laughed uncontrollably, even changsheng was surprised by him suddenly laughing.

"You were as interesting as ever, Aether. Glad to have you back." Doctor Baizhu hugged me.

Mr Zhongli gave me a towel.

"What is it for?"

"You haven't been showering for at least this past three month."

I took the towel from him

"The bath is just on the right."

It was my first shower and yet it all felt familiar.

I washed myself,and after that Mr Zhongli combed my long unattended hair. And he gave me some attire to wear.

A long robe, look similar to what he wears and a hood to hide my hair.

"We are going to buy a mask for you, it will be troublesome if rumors of you start spreading."

Mr Zhongli stopped at the front door.

"Are you ready to see the Harbor for yourself?"

He opened the door outside and it was stunning. The beauty of the world is a lot greater than what I imagined, the sky, the ships sailing toward the horizon, I was nervous but not as much as I was excited.

I saw lands floating in the skies and asked him

"Mr Zhongli, what are those?" They were high enough to be covered in clouds but big enough to be seen with naked eye.

But he did not answer me.

"Remember, we are only here to buy you a mask, please stay close to me and don't get any unwanted attention, if we are separated go back to the parlor immediately."

I nodded.

At the Harbor I saw a statue with my name on it. Written below it was my name and a sentence.

"He who strikes down Osial and saves the harbor from calamities."

I looked at the statue and thought to myself, and I am still doubting myself. It feels weird when you do not remember anything.

Mr Zhongli was walking a bit further in front of me. It did not take long before I lost sight of him. He did told me to go back to the parlor, but I did not remember the way back and

I suddenly smelled something so exquisite, I kept walking to the direction of the smell

"This smells amazing, what is this?" I asked the seller.

She was so focused on flipping the grills, but she answered me anyway.

"Oh, are you new here? These are grilled tiger fish, Liyue specialty. because it's your first time in Liyue, here it's in the house."

"Really? Thank you Ms chef!"

She raises her head and with a big smile she gives me the stick of fish.

But the moment she saw my face, her smile disappeared from her face.

Mr Zhongli ran to me from afar. He held my shoulder and frowned.

"I asked you to go back to the parlor immediately."

She dropped the fish and I asked the chef if she was okay, but she did not answer me.

She poured water into the grills and closed the curtain to her shop, dismissing all customers.

"Alright, sorry but we are out of business for today, come again tomorrow!"

The customers were disappointed, but she ignored them.

"Xiangling not now." Mr Zhongli tried to reason with her. And she slapped Mr Zhongli hand away.

"We have been waiting for at least eight years, and you told me not now?"

She pulled me inside the restaurant and closed the curtains.

"Wait here! Don't you dare go anywhere, both of you."

Mr Zhongli Shook his head, "This is why I told you to stay behind me."

She then ran outside.

"What should we do Mr Zhongli?"

"I knew this would happen, I did not expect it to be this soon. There is nothing we can do for now."

A few minutes later I heard some people running closer to the restaurant.

"Xiangling, if you were joking about this I swear I -"

A boy came in with the chef behind him and some other people. I was confused, but they were even more confused than I am.

Mr Zhongli decided to sit back and let me handle things.

They must have been my friends, perhaps they can give me clues about myself. And so I said

"Hi."

They looked at me as if they were looking at a living dead, which I am.

A girl with a pink hair and antlers on her head start to walk toward me, with tears in her eyes

Slap,

"Hi? Did you seriously just say Hi?"

"Wait, what the hell!" I was confused,

I remembered looking at her face, she was not angry at me, nor was it sadness, tears started to glitter in her eyes, and on everyone else.

"I missed you Aether, we all are!"

"Where have you been?"

Back then I was thinking, the great traveler, he must have been loved by a lot of people.

"Man, we really thought you were dead!" A gal with a guitar on her back laughed awkwardly.

Another girl asked me to prove if I was really Aether, the great traveler. But I cannot, how can I? When I did not remember anything from my past?

The girl in purple started to throw her hair pin and it penetrated into my arms and it started to bleed.I was surprised and before I was able to complain she kicked me in the stomach.

"Wait, what the fuck? Get off me!" I shouted at her, but she was not listening to me. She started to say something, as if I was a doll made by the abyss or something.

"Wait, hold on, hold on!" The chef tried to calm everyone down.

"Look at his eyes and hair." The rude purple girl opened my cowl, everyone was shocked to see my hair. I knew something was wrong, I heard that the great traveler had bright yellow hair, but mine was not. When I saw myself in the mirror, I saw it in the color of ashes, dusty and gray.

they started to doubt me. I cannot use the power of the seven or use any of my abilities anymore, so I told her

"If you let go of me, I can prove to you that I am the same Aether as the one you look for."

She did not understand what I was trying to say but she chose to believe me. It was painful, but it was necessary. I pulled her hairpin that was pierced through my arms.

Some flesh was even pulled out and more blood spurt out.

I cut my sleeve up and showed them, the scar was gone, the bleeding from the hairpin was still in my clothes and the pins, but the scar, it was not there, not even a hint of it, like it was never there.

They still doubted me, but mr Zhongli came to my aid,

"I did not know what happened to his hair and eyes, but I can assure you, he is the real one."

We look at each other for a while until one of them starts talking.

"Aether? What happened to you? There is so much that we want to ask."

"I will hear every question you had to me, but hear me first,

Who are you guys, are you like my friends or something?"

"Ahahaha, what a funny joke hahaha…." Everybody looked at the girl with a guitar and she stopped laughing.

I told them everything, everything that Mr Zhongli told me.

"When I fell off the cliff, Mr Zhongli saved me, I remembered nothing but my name."

The lady in black who took care of me just stood there looking at the floor from the very beginning.

The chef tried to cheer her up.

"You knew about this? Aether is here, sure he is not right in the head right now but I am sure his memory will come back soon.

were you not happy?" But Ms director bit her lips and clench her fist. From the first look alone, I knew that she extremely despised me.

"Ms director?" I called her.

All of them look at me with shock in their face but Ms director just closes her eyes and looks the other way.

"Is there something I did in the past that hurt you? I do not remember what it is, but is there anything I can do to make you forgive me?"

Everybody went silent.

"You really did not remember any of us?" The chef tries to reaffirm it

I shook my head. No matter how hard I tried, I just cannot remember anything about any of them.

"No! No matter how hard I try, I can't remember you or her, or him, or anyone, I do not even remember anything about me but my name!" The chef was frightened when I shouted at her face. I said sorry to her immediately, I didn't mean to do that.

"I am sorry Ms Director, I really do. But I do not remember what I did to you."

The girl in black gritted her teeth and ran away.

"Hu tao!" For the first time ever I heard Mr Zhongli say something in a loud voice, almost like he is shouting.

"Please excuse me." Mr Zhongli walked after her. I hope he can talk her down.

"Aether, my deepest apology as well, I did not know that you lost your memory earlier."

The girl in purple was embarrassed of what she did, hiding her face from me, and I told her, it is fine, my hand is all healed up.

"Yeah we are all Aether. We still don't really understand your circumstances, and yet we judged you. It was unfair for us."

I was pissed before, but they were genuinely sorry for what they did and I appreciated it.

"Hu tao, that girl was not always like that. Ever since you were gone, she just... changed. Like the old her is not there anymore." So the chef said,

"I always thought she hated me"

They were shocked but someone coughed from the back, bringing our attention to her,

"She was a very expressive and sharp minded girl, you could discuss the most mundane things and she would bring out a string of witty remarks. There was never a dull moment with her around. Please don't think of her in a bad light."

She bowed to me.

All of them agreed and nodded.

"And ever since you were gone, she changed, like the old self is not in there anymore."

"She was the one most devastated by your disappearance." The girl in blue continued.

Before I could ask anymore questions, someone suddenly came in front of me, his clothes were white and he split his popsicle into two. He was the calmest of them all.

He smiled at me and introduced himself as Chongyun. This must be awkward for him to introduce himself twice to the same person. But it was not shown in his face.

I smiled back, and took the popsicle in his hand.

"Nice to meet you too. Chongyun."

The chef offered her hands, "M-my name is Xiangling. This is my friend guoba."

I giggled, nice to meet you Xiangling, and you too Guoba, I am still unsure what breed of dog that is.

"Wow this is amazing, I could include this in my newest book." The girl in blue taking notes.

"Books?" I asked

"He is a writer." Chongyun answered.

"He?" They all burst in laughter,

"My name is Xingqiu, glad to make your acquaintance."

The others start to introduce themself to me as well.

I made a lot of friends in the past. Writer, exorcist, rockstar, chefs, folk artist, and more. I wonder if they knew what happened to me in the past. But none of them remember, all of them agreed that I just disappeared, and went without a trace.

"Why was I exploring the seven nations? Is there something that I searched for, or perhaps someone?"

They look at each other

"Hmm, yeah that's weird, I don't remember why you are exploring the seven nations as well. You never told us about it."

That thing I am looking for might be the reason I left. My gut keeps telling me that whatever it is that I am searching for is important to me.

We ate and talked about what I did in the past, saving the world plenty of time, from dragons, maniacs, but... still nothing came to my memory. I asked them why Ms. Director cared for me so much. They look at each other and somehow agree that

"Perhaps it's best if you look at this."

Xingqiu brought out a picture from his pocket. The picture was burned a little on the upper corner.

My heartbeat stopped for a sec, cold sweat washed my neck, the words stuck in my throat and shiver sent down my spine.

What happened to her? My eyes were wide open and I never ever imagined Ms director to be able to have this kind of expression.

A picture that shows her hugging me from behind and with a big grin on her face, she kissed my blushing cheek.

I would never ever be able to imagine the director being able to have this kind of expression.

"I don't get this" in denial I return the picture.

Xinyan shook her head in disbelief,

"For rex lapis sake, glad to know you were as dense as ever."

I look at xingqiu

"Why do you have this?"

"This might be the last memory you two had together."

"Please tell me the whole story." I slowly approach him and hold his shoulder.

"Breath in, breathe out Aether." I tried to hide it, but Yanfei immediately knew I was distressed. She calmed me down and put me back to my seat.

"It's not uncommon for you to suddenly go on an adventure. But that time it was weird, I never told you guys but I felt like a thread was cut from behind me. You didn't even tell Hu Tao, she panicked but there was something even more urgent going on."

"It was a chaotic hell across Tevyat, even the adepti was forced to send their help. Liyue was almost fully destroyed if it weren't for their help."

"You feel it too?" Xingqiu asked her, and weirdly everyone felt the same. Yanfei continued.

"After that we searched for you, every nation joined force just to find you, but you were nowhere to be found and every clue we had just pointed toward each other like a circle.

Yet she did not give up, when everyone thought you were dead, she kept searching for every little clue she had, but still, the conclusion remains the same: you just vanished without a trace.

And a couple days later everyone declared you were dead.

The entire Teyvat lost their greatest man that day. We all cried, but not her, she was not ready for it. She is not prepared to lose you. She looked dead the entire time and she locked herself in her room.

We tried to convince her to come out, but none of us succeeded. For the two days she stayed there, she did not drink or eat. She just locked herself in there, nobody ever thought that she would be like this." Yanfei goes into tears.

"She is a funeral director, death is not something new for her, her grandfather died when she was little, but ever since you were gone..." Yunjin continued where Yanfei stopped.

"And when we no longer hear anything we smell smoke coming from inside her room. Mr Zhongli bust into her room, Hu Tao just sit there in the floor, her face were dried out from tears, her rooms were drawn into chaos,

She poured oil and burned all the memories you had together. Letters, pictures, gifts, everything including herself.

Mr Zhongli saved her just in time."

Why did she going for such length for me, I, I don't get it I,

"And with my vision I managed to save this picture, everything else was destroyed."

I did not understand, but I ran toward the parlor immediately.

"YOU SHOULD HAVE JUST LET ME DIE!" Was the first thing I heard from inside.

Both of them looked at me as I entered the room. She glared at me with sorrow and sadness in her eyes, but I walked toward them.

"Mr Zhongli can you give us some time? I need to talk to her."

Mr Zhongli sighed and walked away.

She still won't look me in the eyes, her face was pale and her eyes were still wet from tears. She calmed herself down and a minute went by and none of us said anything.

"Ms director?"

"Stop calling me that. I have a name." She still won't look me in the eyes.

"I heard everything from Yan fei and the others." She asked me.

"So what?"

I am unsure of myself.

"Why don't you tell me that we were lovers? Mr Zhongli forbid you to do so?"

She shook her head slowly and sighed.

"I decided that I won't tell you no matter what."

I sighed, and took a deep breath and I told her

"If you don't want to talk about any of it then don't"

I smiled at her, I could see the surprised look on her face, but I tried to understand the pain deep inside of her. I tried to understand how devastating it is to lose your lover just to find him coming back years later only to not remember a single thing. I must not bring more pain to her.

" I cannot guarantee that I will remember you, so please forget about him. And I am sure that he too hopes for you to be able to move on."

She suddenly giggled disturbingly.

"Please forget about him? Move on? You were always like that Aether, straightforward, considerate and kind, at least you try to, and that is what I loved about you."

She slowly walking closer toward me

"The day you came back I was shocked and filled with multiple emotions. I am unsure what to think of, should I be happy? Should I be angry? Should I be sad? I am conflicted and I cannot bring myself to just go Hip Hip Hooray.

You knew what I said, when Zhongli told me you lost your memory?

Ah, is that so?" She giggled.

"Stop." I asked her, because I know this will not end well for either of us.

"And that's it,

A big part of me does not want to see him again, or perhaps, I don't want him to see me like this.

It was so painful for me I couldn't breathe. I felt chocked."

"It's enough director Hu, I get it."

I came here for an explanation, or at least a clue about myself in the past, but it seems that my existence alone is a curse for her.

"And every single day I was with you, I felt like I was living in bliss. Not a day was boring with you around. Every joke I make goes through, everytime I talk with you I feel at ease. And everyday felt like a dream." Her tears started to flow again, but she kept smiling

I hold her on the shoulder, snapping her to reality.

"That's enough director Hu, I get it. I,

I just don't want you to be hurt anymore."

She took my hands and pulled my collar.

"You don't want me to be hurt anymore? You promised me to always be there with me forever, until we were old and died in each other's embrace! Can I still hold on to your words for it right now? I won't accept a no, I won't accept a no! I still love you Aether!" She forced herself to lean on me and cried.

"I don't even remember who you were. Who you love is not me but him, I am not the same as your lover. I am sorry for not remembering anything, and there is a chance I will never be able to recall it

Accepting your offer right now means I agree to hurt you, because I know every time you see my face you will remember me from the past."

"I won't accept it, I won't accept it. The day you were gone, I"

She hugged me tightly,

"I love you Aether, I still do and will always do, how can you say such cruel words? please forget about you? If I could, I already did. Deep inside you were still the same man as before. We can redo it all over again, we can be together again."

"Hu tao that's enough, Aether you may leave." Zhongli came in from the front door with the group of people from before.

I slowly letting go of her embrace,

"Aether wait, please come back!" She cried, but I ignored her.

"If that is what you wanted, then so be it."

I looked back at her and she pulled a spear out of nowhere and tried to stab herself with it but my body moved on its own, and that was the first time I saw that dream, the dream about the girl I never knew, saying the same phrase over and over again.

"It hurt Aether, I beg you, please just end me."

The burning hatred from that staff, the suffering hiding in the spear. I passed out soon after that. I was able to survive only because of my healing ability, but that too was the last time my body was able to heal in an abnormal amount of time.

Mr Zhongli again, was there beside me when I woke up.

"Director Hu, I need to know what happened to director Hu." Was the first thing to come out of my mind when I woke up.

"Rest assured, she is fine, perhaps fine is an overstatement, but she is doing better than what we anticipated. And here is a letter from her."

I opened the letter, and the ink was a little ruined in some parts.

"Aether, the day you arrived at the Harbor I thought nothing of you but a potential customer, after all, adventurers who risk their life to achieve greatness like you will always be the first to die. But, I followed you for a while, and slowly, I took note of your behavior. It is as if I was drawn to you.

The way you talk, the way you laughed at my jokes, the way you were annoyed but somehow still take every weird commision I sent you. I fell in love with you since our first adventure. There are a lot of things I thought I knew before I met you, but you changed me, you changed the harbor, you changed teyvat, by your own two hands.

Before, I did not understand why someone feared death or mourned at funerals. They must have laughed when they saw my condition after you were gone, and I deserve it as my karma.

I wish not to forget you, but I was wrong Aether. I was wrong, and once again I have hurt you.

I was not ready to welcome you back, I was confused, but you were right, I need to get back on my feet. But know this,

I love you too much to give up on you, I still hold the prayer that one day you will remember me, even if you will not love me anymore, even if you destroy the whole world in the end of everything, I will always love you Aether. I wish I could say that to you in the past.

-best wishes, Hy tao,"

I thought she wrote her name wrong but I was mistaken. I can see inks were spread out in some parts, and I asked Mr Zhongli why.

"Put it under the light and you will see why." And so I put it above a candle.

Some part of the paper were thinner than the others, and I quickly understand,

"She cried a lot while writing this didn't she?"

And before I knew it tears too came out of my eyes. I can feel her emotions in this letter, her love for me, but I cannot reciprocate her feelings.

Mr Zhongli just sat there with a sad look in his eyes. After I wiped my tears he asked me

"What do you want to do now?"

I was unsure of what to do myself, so I decided, I want to trace back my own trace, finding clues of who I was.

The adventure of the powerless traveler was the story for another time but

I was not the same adventurer as I was, and I was no longer the great hero who can use the power of the seven. I no longer have the ability to teleport between nations or even fight on my own.

It is only because of the seven qixing that I was able to survive from people tried to murder me or harm me for fame, mora, avenge their fallen brother perhaps.

I am forever indebted of them, Mr Zhongli told me, how the qixing have paid a hefty sum of money just to stop the rumors about the great traveler has returned from spreading,

Just before I leave the Liyue Harbor, Mr Zhongli gave me some advice

"You should change your name, it is not safe to run around with that name, a new name will give you a chance for a fresh start."

I thought about it for a second but

"No, this name is the only thing I remember about myself, if I change it, am I really me after that? If someone asked me if I am Aether, I would say that I am, but if they asked me if I am Aether the great traveler, or any other flashy nicknames, I will say that I am not."

That way I am not lying to anyone.

Everyone everywhere I go in Teyvat, they keep saying the same thing.

The great traveler Aether was trying to search for something, but none of them could tell me what it was. Was it a thing? Was it someone? Was it a key? I do not remember a single thing. Perhaps the girl in my dream knew what it was,

In the end, I found no clue across the nations, I was about to give up and arrived last at Mondstadt. The place where my adventure began in the past.

The city was amazing from afar, the walls, the windmills, everything was plain beautiful. The moment I entered the wall, the guards greeted me with a smile on their face.

"Welcome to Mondstadt, strange yet respectable traveler Please state your identity and intended destination. The Knights of Favonius are here to ensure your safety."

"I am here to meet…" Crap what is their name again, ahh yes

"Grandmaster Jean Gunnhildr"

They looked at each other

"Have we met before? You seem awfully familiar with the man that saved Mondstadt years ago."

"Nah fam, no way it is him, he has been gone for years, beside his hair color is gray not yellow."

And they keep chit chatting for a while but all I want to see is Jean gunhildr

"Watch out! Watch out!" Suddenly from the sky was a bird flying uncontrollably, blocking the light of the sun. The knights panicked, and

Instead of getting out of the way, my body once again just moved on its own again to try to catch it but failed miserably and it slammed into my body and we both fell into the ground.

I realized that It was never a bird, it was a girl with a broken glider on her back.

with smooth long hair and she opened her gliding goggles and gasped.

"OUch ouch ouch, Aether?" her eyes looked like they were made of gold. She was as shocked to see me as everyone else.

I remember that time I panicked when you said my name out loud in front of so many people. You understand it quickly and lower your voice.

And then you asked me,

"Is it really you Aether?"

Based on my own rule, if someone asked me if I am Aether I will say that I am.

You hugged me and laughed.

"Oh I am so glad to see you again."

I will never forget that day,

You checked me out, pinched my cheek, look behind my back

"I am not dreaming, am I?"

And so I asked you the same question I asked everyone else that called my name.

"Who are you?"

Many will ask me what happened? Some quickly understand I lost my memory, Some others will say that my name and my look is just to copy him.

But you were the first

You did not ask me anything else.

You just stood up and With a big smile on your face you pulled me up and took my hands

"My name is Amber, outrider captain for the knights of favonius."

And at that moment, I fell in love with you.

You never asked me if I remember about you, never forced me to remember any of it, you never kept your distance toward me, yet you still valued my privacy. You understood I did not know anything about you and you did not act like we were best friends,

You never acted like I was some cheap copy of the great traveler. and for the first time in my life I feel loved.

And here we are. Settling to live in the outskirts of Mondstadt and long story short she became my wife. Hunting and farming, living a humble life. I gave up my adventures and I thought it was for the best but I was wrong.

I should have never brought you to this fucked up adventure.