Star-taker †Aether ft. Scaramouche
S t a r â t a k e r
A/N: And voila! To shuck with word count, dearies, this happens whenever I get taken away aehfoawhefahfuakh mm, prepare for some angst?
âž Astrolabe (Prequel) Starlit (Venti's Story)
"Text in quotation and italics indicate a dialogue in flashback."
†she/her
†Mentions of death
Words: 7.1k
âżââââ- â ââââ-âŸ
Plenty of unexplainable things occur in the world of Teyvat, far too incomprehensible for mere humans to try and understand. But still, they endeavor to uncover it. For there is beauty in unraveling a mystery.
There is magnificence in the concept of kismetâexcitement in finding a destined other.
All of which falls in the grasp of the heavenly bodies; a place undecipherable by normal means. A select few can work around the mystique of the stars, and plenty leave it for them alone to understand.
But there are times when the stars themselves choose to align. Times when they are brightly growing in powerâand times when they are materialized through summoning.
The Outlander stares at you with wide eyes, the astrolabe in his hands falling to the ground in shock. Paimon hides at his back with a shriek.
âYou-! You appeared out of nowhere!â exclaims the floating pixie, âWhat gives?!â
Dipping your head in reverence of the one who has awakened you from your slumber, you respond. âIâm from the stars in the evening sky, I will be of service to you from now on.â
âFrom the stars?â the blond furrows his brows and, with a breathless whisper, says, âSomeone said those are false.â
âAh, yeah! Scaramouche mentioned that months ago! But this lady said she came from the stars themselves! Hah! Letâs see how heâs slapped with certain facts!â
Scaramouche. To think that youâd hear that name as soon as you awaken⊠it makes you laugh.
The Traveler catches sight of this and, bewildered, questions if you know the Harbinger by any chance. He stills at your response.
The smile on your face is bittersweet.
âMore than you know, Traveler.â
You sense his impulse to prepare himself for a fight before he can even actually prepare himself, so you raise a hand to pause his movements.
With the ever-present smile on your face coupled with the timidity of a servant, you shake your head.
âDonât fret. I am no longer involved with the Sixth Harbinger, Balladeer.â
The pair of travelers cast each other a look.
âNo longer involved,â the pixie repeats, arms on her hips, âDoesnât that mean that you were involved with him before we met you? Youâre not tricking us in some Fatui scheme, are you!?â
âCalm down, Paimon..â
The floating fairyâwho you now know is named Paimonâturns to the blond, looking beyond miffed that he had even suggested that she must remain calm.
Has the Traveler forgotten that he just had a run-in with the very same Harbinger when they were in Inazuma?!
Seeing the look in the girlâs eyes, you clear your throat, humming afterward.
âI understand your concern, but I truly am no longer connected to him as you may assume. Although Iâve been with the Sixth for quite a while, heâs long since forgotten me. Not once did he mention the possibility of a being from the stars when you spotted him by the meteorite, no?â
âForgotten?â the blond opts to speak this time around after picking up the astrolabe he had dropped on the grassy land. The gentle glow of [c] is still pulsing in it.
âAnd how did you know about the meteorite at Musk Reef?â
He watches you cast your look around the place, wistful.
This is the place where the Sixth built a temporary camp before marching onâhaving completed his time with you. The astrolabe had remained buried amidst the grass until the Outlander had found it.
Found you.
âI was there,â is your simple response. âEven if I wasnât, a being of the stars is omniscient. They will tell me all thatâs happened after I awaken.â
âI see..â
You can sense something from him, a desire to figure out a mystery. It is sprawled all over his features but you do not ask about it.
Since he has found you, you have no right to rise a personal question.
Perhaps in due time, he will tell you.
âYou havenât told me how you were âforgottenâ.â
Ah.
Giving the Outlander a somber smile, you let a tiny constellation materialize upon your palm, aligning the brightest stars to recreate a memory of long ago. Forgotten by all and remembered only by one.
âIt is a long story.â
âżââââ- â ââââ-âŸ
Journeying with Aether is different and new.
Youâve been accustomed to being the one in the party to oversee the wellbeing of others, but being with the Traveler flips the roles.
No matter how many times you voiced that youâre in no need of sustenance nor care, he refuses to stop his coddling.
You find yourself eating the dishes he creates and sleeping at his side, things you normally wonât do at all.
You realize only a few months into traveling that it must have something to do with his personal objective. He must miss having someone by his side.
Although Paimon fills in the slot as his companion, itâs quick to be deduced that Aether still misses the presence of someone heâs close with.
When you bring this up to him with a permitted query as to why he feels cozy at your side, he sighs with a smile. âYou feel like home.â
Ah. Home. He isnât one of this world, after allâhe must be used to the embrace of the sky, a place you call home, so naturally, your very being will carry its traces.
This conversation comes back around when he returns to Inazuma with you, the look of his pleasant expression when he casts his gold eyes at the now peaceful firmament reminiscent of when he talked about how he could take flight once.
âI donât know if I should even tell you this when you seem to know everything, but Inazuma once stormed for weeks on end. The sky was so dark the stars couldnât be seen.â
He recalls as he leads you to the bridge connecting the lands with shell and pearl-like motifs. âBrightening up the constellations had been difficult.â
Oh, you remember that. Although Inazumaâs time of strict quarantine has been short, you were all too aware of how its storm blocked a clear view of the heavens.
Like how the Archon took the ambitions away, the seemingly endless squall forbade the gifted ones from lighting the stars in their constellations.
Not only was it a time of misery, but deep fear and reflection.
As someone from the stars, perception of human ambitions comes to you since it is innate. Anyone reigning from the skies will know.
Though unfortunately, you are the only one left to hold such wisdom over mortal dreams.
Aether stops at the end of the bridge that you both have just recently crossed, growing peculiarly morose at a nearby house in the area. His other traveling companion, who has appeared from a myriad of small constellations, pats his shoulder with a frown.
âOh, itâs alright! The war has long since ended and Teppei passed on honorablyâhe wouldnât want you to be so glum!â
Ah, so itâs a case of mourning. Your chest is pricked with familiarity. You can relate to that.
Your case, per se, is always one of lamentation.
Being reduced to someone with powers so minute, who can only offer amity with the guarantee of being forgotten once you have presented your aid⊠oh, the cycle is endless.
Just how many times have you appeared to new people while still aching from the memory of your previous companions? It is impossible to count.
And much more impossible to forget.
Before accompanying the Sixth Harbinger, youâve been with several other companions from Archons to spirits themselves.
When Aether had taken you to his teapotâhis current transportable refugeâthere is an individual inside that is no mere stranger.
At least, to you.
But it isnât the other way around. It never is.
The Windborne Bard, so woeful and counterfeit with his mirth centuries past is now someone who has learned to move on.
Seeing him smile in delight at the prospect of a visitor in the realm scalded your heart in burns and warm flutters.
âWho might this be, Traveler~?â of course he wouldnât remember you.
But you had still hoped.
â.. [Name]..â
You glance at the Outlander whose voice has gotten soft. Vulnerable, even, like heâs weak and afraid of what heâs about to say.
You try not to look at him too much, try not to remember how heâs distinguished from the rest because itâll make it difficult to part.
Youâll forget me, too, Traveler. The words die in your head.
âWhat is it?â
Even if they make an oath under the stars themselves to keep you in their heart as thanks, such a promise canât ever be eternal.
Even if you cling to them, too, you no longer have the power to compel the skies to retain a fragment of you in your friendsâ constellations.
So, like the ephemeral star youâve been reduced to, their memories shared with you is as fleeting as it can be.
It has happened with Balladeer, for so long you tried holding on, but he himself eventually learned to let go. As you disappeared by daybreakâs arrival, he had gone. The astrolabe he had clung onto so desperately, then left behind.
Aetherâs eyes are timid.
âWill you leave me, too?â
A conflicted look appears on Paimonâs face, who turns to you with a frown, the knowledge of how your amicable service as a companion still fresh.
You bite back the resigned laugh thatâs about to spill.
Leave you? I should be the one to ask that. But you donâtâyou never do.
Because even if they say they wonât, it doesnât come true.
Not like you can blame them for it.
For an interim star like youâitâs inevitable to be forgotten when the right dawn comes up.
âI can assure you that I wonât,â you squeeze his other shoulder to firmly set your assurance before patting his back. âIâm here until itâs time for you to go home with your sister.â
He smiles at this, thinking, right, the promise.
When he queried you about the whereabouts of his sibling, youâve been honest. Lumine is deep within the abyssal stars.
You offered to take him there and although Aether dwelled over seeing his twin again, he refused after recalling what she mentioned about him traveling Teyvat.
âSo what are we here for, Hero of Inazuma?â
He blinks out of his stupor, a sheepish look on his face as he tells you not to call him that. Sometimes you think that heâs too humble for his own good.
âIâm here on invitation. Kokomi has invited me, Kazuha, and the Kamisato over for a leisurely talk and in celebration over the success months ago.â
âOoooh, Paimonâs excited! This has been delayed for too long! [Name] would love it there, wonât you, [Name]?â the little girl hums with a beaming grin, a stark opposite to Aetherâs worried one.
You pass him a look and a shrug.
He knows that youâre not quite up for being with a lot of people at onceânot when you admitted to preferring being amiable to a few people. Itâs easier to fall back asleep without having to worry about those youâve come to know.
Itâs just a little disheartening that he knows youâre not going to join them in the teahouse when you just spoke about not leaving him.
That explains his dispirited silence.
âDonât worry,â you ruffle his hair and laugh when he brushes your hand off with pink cheeks. âIâll be there waiting before you know it.â
âYou better be!â Paimon frowns.
Aetherâs grasp lingers on your wristâand for a second you think he wonât let go until the Divine Priestess and the ronin wanders out of the Sangonomiya Shrine.
He drops his hold, looking at you with a nodâa momentary goodbyeâbefore jogging towards the pair who is already waving him over.
You stay behind after seeing the ronin, spotting a collection of faint stars tailing him behind. He doesnât seem aware of it. When his ruby eyes meet you, you simply smile and he nods in courtesy before turning away, heading back to the shrine with the Traveler and the Priestess.
When they are out of sight, you step towards the residue of the stars, gathering them in your hand before allowing bits of your small power to allow it to take form.
The figure that takes shape afterward isnât surprising.
The stars have graced you all about the horrors in Inazuma.
âI can give you back your peace, your dwelling place in the sky,â you say to the violet-eyed man who stares at his hands as if heâs surprised that heâs still able to take form.
By his stare towards the direction where the Traveler and his friends have gone to, howeverâŠ
âAlthough I take it youâd like to stay here for a while. Watch over your ronin friend, hm?â
He smiles at you, nodding.
You can only sighânot one out of annoyance, but more of pleasantries. Occurrences such as theseâsomeone from the stars returning to the surfaceâisnât rare. Oftentimes, when they come across your astrolabe, youâd join them for a little while.
âThank you,â he says after you make the move to disappear, âThis means a lot to me.â
You vanish with a smile on your face.
Nice to see you looking after your friend, Tomo.
âżââââ- â ââââ-âŸ
You remember when you first lost the majority of your powers.
After crafting the astrolabe, it has landed from the heavens in the form of a falling star.
When you came to, you were in the waters of Fontaine. You have spent a good amount of time in that nation before the currents carried the star-taker to Sumeru, where you were in the company of a woman with a flaming heart.
Upon helping her come to terms with her decisionâthus being forgottenâthe astrolabe has been shipped off to Mondstadt, where you spent most of your time with Barbatos. Afterward, meeting the child vessel of the Electro Archon when the astrolabe has been added in the cargo en route to Inazuma.
It has been decades since you last saw this place. Even if you are in no way a mortal, going in repetitive slumbers makes it feel like youâve missed thousands of years.
The roots of the Sacred Sakura have been newly cleansed, you realize, as you step on the lush grass illuminated with violets and pinks.
Electro crystalflies come to flock at your side as you trudge deeper beneath Mount Yougou, feeling the wayward memoirs of a friend long gone.
You expect to find temporary solitude by the roots of the Sacred Sakura, for its power is reminiscent of the starsâ comfort. The roots appear to be reinforced with Electro, which is strange since you swear it isnât like this the last time you saw it.
So, when you trudge closer with the crystalflies being your source of light, to the curled roots, you did not expect someone to be taking refuge by it.
Well, if you can call zipping the tree roots with lightning as âtaking shelterâ.
Ever the destructive person. You purse your lips as the figure turns around upon sensing your entrance. You never changed that side of yoursâŠ
âOh? I didnât expect someone to be down here. At such a time, too! Are you lost, perhaps?â his smile hasnât even changed.
You take a deep breath.
⊠Balladeer.
Why are you here? Youâve known all about him. I thought your business in Inazuma is finished.
The stars have told you of his triumphant claiming of the Electro Archonâs Gnosis. As far as you know, Harbingers are required to return to Snezhnaya when they succeed in their mission.
âIâm not lost.â
He blinks, swaying to and fro, acting innocently as if heâll be able to fool you. âSo, is it safe to assume that you were sent by the shrine maidens to check up on the Treeâs roots?â
Why havenât you returned, Bal? You stare at him, unblinking and unresponsive. You couldnât have possibly gone rogue, right? Not after what youâve gone through to form a relationship with your troops.
Heavens foretoldâno, they spoke that heâs been rather cordial with the rest of the Fatui and even to his fellow Harbingers.
He has integrated himself well in the ranks, so why is he here, going against an order from the Tsaritsa herself?
Itâs only been monthsâŠ
Almost a year, give or take.
You walk to him, confident in your steps when he doesnât shy away. His face looks terribly kind, but he still is a Harbinger.
Aether told you about how much of a menace the Sixth was, how two-faced he is and how the blond almost died in his hands if not for Yae Miko.
âYou can say thatâbut if anything, Iâm a mere passerby.â
He lowers his guard. âJust a passerby, hm.â
Perhaps it is better this wayâthat he doesnât remember youâhe always takes advantage of people who donât know his true identity and rank in the Fatui. In a sense that heâs more cooperative, inquisitive, and a little open.
Heâs always had this mindset that itâs better venting off to strangers than to those who know him on a personal basis.
Not once did you think that you will be doing the same thing.
Careful not to let your natural trail of stars capture his attention, you lounge by the curled roots, feeling the vestiges of Electro at the wooden surface.
âSo, are you willing to tell a passerby why youâre so fascinated by that chess piece?â the quick furrow of his eyebrows at the mention of the Gnosis has him looking at you in suspicion.
âYouâre a Vision holder too. Donât tell me you plan on wrecking Inazuma starting from the Sakura Tree.â
Ironic. He follows along with your laugh, completely oblivious that you know everything about how he and a fellow Harbinger have been sent to benefit from Inazumaâs prior disunity.
Scaramouche sighs, beginning to pace around whilst playing with the chess piece in his fingers. His face is contorting with contemplation, most likely mulling whether he should tell a âpasserbyâ his vents.
And he does, when he deduces that you arenât hostile.
Just a civilian.
Just someone he has no relation to.
âIâm far from home right now,â he starts, leaning onto the enormous roots nearby.
You do not miss how he referred to Snezhnaya, or perhaps the Fatui itself, as âhomeâ. It almost brings a smile to your face, but there is the likeliness that heâll find you even more suspicious for smiling at upsetting news.
âIâve.. sent in a letter regarding my delay, but I will return, eventually. There is just something with this place that gets me nostalgic.â
Oh? Heâs also wording things accordingly. Switching âreportâ for âletterâ.
A chuckle leaves you. âWith the way you phrase things, youâre speaking as if youâre way older than you seem to be.â
That has him chucking out a laugh of his own.
âNo comment.â
He canât fool you.
A vessel like him⊠itâs phenomenal that Ei has been able to give him a life similar to an immortal. Oh, but then again, she had been searching for a way to eternalize her country.
The Electro-user tips his head down, the violet chess piece dazzling with heavenly sparks in his hold. The way how his features form this look of confusion doesnât go past your eyes. It almost⊠almost seems like heâs confused.
âWill you be telling me why you decided to do stay here for a while? Inazuma has lifted its strict quarantine if I remember.â
He throws the piece up in the air.
âI told you, didnât I? This place makes me nostalgic.â
Catching it once more in his grasp, you realize how his hands shake a little when he makes contact with the Gnosis. You wonder why.
He rolls it between his fingers with adept skill, turning to you with an unreadable look on his face.
With pursed lips, he sighs, glancing at the piece once more before finally allowing the mysterious emotion be unraveled.
Oh.. you know that look anywhere. But why?
âYou donât have to say it ifââ
Why does he look sad?
âNo, no. Getting it out of my system feels much better, besides, itâs not like Iâll be meeting you again. Why not make this encounter unique?â
The Harbinger clears his throat, keeping the Gnosis close. By how heâs acting, keeping it out of his hold is out of the question.
For what reason is he so attached to it other than the possibility that heâs aware of the fact that heâs created to be its eventual holder.. ?
He steps towards you, aligning it by your sight.
Youâve never seen a Gnosis up close but it looks marvelous.
Youâve heard from Aether that Barbatosâ piece carried the feel of a thousand winds, gentle and turbulent depending on its holder. Moraxâs gave a feeling of stalwart fealty, bearing a firm clasp.
But Beelzebubâsâand Baalâsâis different.
Their Gnosis is almost a literal exhibit of the nightly firmament. The more you stare at it in its gold casing, the more you notice how the gold scintillates like the stars. The very piece conveys the celestial sky.
Just being near it envelops you in the feeling of home.
Is that why he keeps staring at it?
âA long time ago, Iâve unraveled the truth of the sky,â the item disappears from your sight, flicking back in the grasp of the Harbinger.
âBut when a fox envoy gave me this, that very moment it felt like I was turning my back on something by stating how counterfeit the stars are.â
Your eyes widen. What?
Scaramouche pivots, his back turned your way. âI canât explain itâbut there is something.. something with this object that reminds me of..â
Was he actually remembering your presence? But how could that beâwhen Barbatos himself, who was an Archon, couldnât even recall a single detail of you?
â⊠I canât say, itâs muddled. But I know what Iâm feeling,â the Harbinger shakes his head in what you can make out is defeat before staring longingly at the item in his hand, falling into silence.
He only makes it out of his stupor when he realizes that heâs not alone in the place and he was in fact, venting to a complete stranger.
Turning back to you with a tip of his hat, he laughs, though you note it as dull. Like itâs only a way to keep up his nice front.
âI have to give this up eventually,â he shows you the chess piece again, âBut I donât want to. Not yet, because when I do, it feels like Iâm going to miss something that I canât take back. Ever.â
If he realizes the frown on your face, he doesnât say a thing about itâwhich is surprising, since Bal hated pity.
It struck you with awe that he knows for a fact that he had forgotten something but for some reason, canât find the means to bring it back.
It takes you all of your willpower not to hold him close like you did all those years ago. You can tell that heâs confused, lost, and maybe even unhappy. The sight knocks in your innate urge to comfort him, but you donât.
There is a reason why they all forget you.
Itâs made to be that way.
If you were to be more selfish.
If you were to make him rememberâif thatâs even possibleâyou donât know the consequences. It is a risk youâre not going to take lest the karma strikes him harder.
Standing with a hum to imply that you understand where heâs getting at, you stand at his side, relishing in the last few moments youâll probably ever spend with him again.
You can feel the Outlanderâs presence becoming clearer by the second.
âIf I donât know any better, it seems to me that youâre missing someone.â Your voice is tentative as you keep your eyes on his face, waiting for any reaction. âThat isâif what you think youâre missing is a âsomeone.ââ
And you do get a reaction.
A subtle rise of his eyebrows in thought, then heâs humming. The gleam in his eyes dulls by a smudge as he shrugs, not voicing out his thoughts.
Goodness, he looks so lost and dismayed youâre almostâah, screw it.
It isnât by any means what you do to console him back then, but you pat his shoulder in a gentle manner. Careful not to alert and give him a sign that you know him more than you let on.
For a moment, his eyes zap with displeasure but it quickly falls short and he opts to stammer his surprise, instead.
You donât know if itâs because he finds your touch familiar or if itâs because he doesnât want to accidentally show his true personality to a âstrangerâ.
âIâm sure that âsomeoneâ will be grateful that youâre keeping them in your heart.â
Heart? Scaramouche wants to laugh at the [c]netteâs face. Grateful, even? Donât make me laugh.
This girl doesnât know a thing about who he truly isâdoesnât know that he can zap her with the most agonizing blaze of lightning for going as far as to touch him.
The flecks of violet are starting to link by his fingers, even, but he shuts it down after getting a good look at the femaleâs eyes.
[C]⊠he clicks his tongue. Those eyes of hers⊠theyâre identical to the sky.
His gaze flitters by the arm that disappears by his back, the warmth of her hand.. ah, he feels⊠calm..?
By the despondence in those [c] opticsâŠ
He widens his eyes with a whisper of realization.
âYouâre no mere passerby.â
WhooshâSLAM!
â[Name]âŠ!â
[Name]?
Scaramouche swivels on his feet, as quick as a flash the second he recognized that voice.
Standing from his position after a plunge, the Travelerâs stare grows firm at the appearance of himâa Fatui Harbinger.
âAether,â the supposed vessel flounders in surprise when the [c]nette leaves his side to head to the blond. âYouâre here.. I apologize I couldnât be there when youâre done.â
They know each other. The fact brings a bitter taste to Balladeerâs tongue. He doesnât like it.
Aether nods with a forgiving smile and the Harbinger âtskâs aloud, not missing how his enemy is soft around the girl. âItâs alright,â the swordsman gives a look, âBut weâre leaving, now.â
âI..â â[Name]â glances back before swallowing.
âAlrightââ
âYouâre not going anywhere just yet.â
Scaramouche clenches his fist, sending a loom of lightning thundering from the spatial environment, throbbing with searing hot violets.
It strikes down to the place of the [c]nette, but the Traveler is swift, making quick use of his Anemo to propel them away from the zone with the girl in his protective touch.
The way â[Name]â is staring at himâis it in fear? Sadness?âmesses with his head.
The Harbinger hisses as he walks to them, his pace slow, watching as Mondstadt and Liyueâsâeven InazumaâHero summons his sword, ignoring the way the girl is protesting.
âYou,â Scaramouche addresses the latter. âWho are you?â
âSheâs no one to you, Fatui.â Aether growls, wisps of cyanic wind beginning to swirl around him and his companion as if forming a barrier.
Laughing, Balladeer peers down, allowing his hat to hide the growing fury in his features.
He cannot explain the lividness brewing within, but itâs close to swarming him whole. It makes him feel weak, vulnerable that heâs feeling this way and for whatâfor a stranger whose name he knew only thanks to the meddling Traveler!
âThatâs not for you to decide.â
His false front now thrown aside, he scoffs.
With adroitness, he curls his fingers, summoning an entanglement of lightning that flows from his arms to his hands. A bubbling energy more than prepared to shape itself into blades and spears is only a command away.
In response to the show of aggression, the blond grits his teeth, the turbulence of his winds increasing tenfold. Itâs like he is one step closer to unleashing a stormâand it astounds the Harbinger.
The damned Traveler has grown weak when he infiltrated the dungeon months ago, so where is all this power coming from? Donât tell meâŠ
Scaramouche hisses. All thisâto protect her?
âAether, donât. Please, letâs just leave, you canât take him on like this.â
Infuriatingâhow infuriating⊠!
âDonât. Not like this, waitââ
Die⊠!
Shouts and elements clash in unisonâall at once. Gusts of razor-sharp wind are propelled unto him just as he launched dozens, maybe even hundreds, of spears crafted from his thundering fury.
It amasses in the middle with a ringing sound, cyan and violet mixing into one in a tempestuous thunderstorm.
Scaramouche can feel the wind cutting through his skin, slicing and dicing away and he bellows out loud, increasing the output of his lightning as the winds grow harsher.
And heâs winningâhe knows he is.
Because as much as the Outlander has received a blessing from the Archon, he cannot stand against the Harbinger created in the likeness of one.
But then within the outburst of Anemo and Electro, he hears her.
âStop it!!â
And then somethingâs coming onto his head a second laterâa voice, a memory. And it causes him to let go of his control, abruptly stopping his attack and letting the Traveler gain the upper hand.
Scaramouche is unable to see the swipe of cyan heading to him, only reacting in shock when it phases through like a vengeful spirit.
He chokes out a garbled stammer of shock as his vision fills with white and he falls to the ground, the panicked voices paired with the Travelerâs hasty urges to escape fading in the background.
All for something else to surface.
In his momentary vision of white, dull colors of the evening, paired with indigo and [c], appears.
âżââââ- â ââââ-âŸ
âStop it!â
[Name] hurried to the childâs side, taking him in her arms as she stepped back, glaring at the nobushi who paused from hitting the frail figure.
âWhat do you think you were doing? You couldâve killed him!â
âWe werenât meant to hurt anyone, lady, we were simply investigating upon orders of our Kairagi,â huffed one of the men, ignoring the way the indigo-haired boy sneered at him. âBut this boy is a monster in the making. Ending him will be for the better. Now step aside.â
âNo!â
In quick thinking, [Name] dropped to the ground, grabbing a handful of sand before throwing it in the banditsâ eyes before grabbing the boyâs wrist. âLetâs make a run for it, Bal.â
And they did.
They ran for so long, so far. It seemed like the sun had run along with them because, by the time they were out of Yashiori and had reached their makeshift sanctuary in the outskirts of Kannazuka, it was sundown.
The youngâ'newly madeââprototype was huffing when they stopped. Be it of annoyance or just plain exhaustion, the previous deity didnât know. She didnât know him too well yet.
âThey were scumbags.â His manner of addressing spooked her.
He then stared up at the [c]-haired lady with gritted teeth and watery eyes. The suddenness of his waterworks rendered the girl speechless as the boy rubbed his eyes with a harsh grumble.
âThey- they told me I was meant for nothing, that I would be discarded eventually like what happened in the first place.â
When Ei refused to kill him.
âDiscarded. Like a tool. And you know whatâs funny?â he glared, âWhen I returned t-to camp, you were nowhere to be found! I was alone ooking around but I couldnât find you anywhere and I kept searching until I met those damned-â
He began thrashing when [Name] embraced him tightly, whispering her promises and explanation that she simply went out to search for boar meat and other ingredients to whip up his favorite meal. He had calmed a little, but he wasnât stopping.
And [Name] could understand that.
Scaramouche was afraid of being left forgottenâto be known as nothing.
She understood itâmore than anyone could.
âIâve had one too many damning nightmares and-â he hiccupped, âThey were too real.. they were too real..â
A loving hand caressed his locks.
âIâm not going to leave you behind, Bal. Donât worry.â
Itâs going to be the other way around. The bitter thought was left in the girlâs head, but that was something to worry about when the time actually comes.
âIâm not going to forget you either. Do you remember what I told you about the stars?â
The violet-eyed vessel parted from the hug, refusing to look the lady in the eyes, instead choosing to glance at the evening sky. It now scintillated with constellations of various people, and sparkled with other stars of yore.
âThat they would always be a witness to everyoneâs storyâmeaning they would always be there for people?â he inquired.
[Name] smiled sweetly as she nodded, her hand cupping his cheek before she wiped the stray tear that escaped his eye.
Her touch was comforting. It wasnât coldâlike the other people who refused him.
âWell, thatâs stupid. The stars are always gone in the morning.â He spat, flicking the hand away from his face.
âWere you implying that you will forget me, too? That youâll be gone by daybreak?â
[Name]âs smile grew somber, her hands that had fallen onto the boysâ shoulder going loose, as if entertaining the idea of disappearance sucked the life out of her.
âThe stars are always there even in the morning, Bal. They just do not shine as much since the sun is there, but when darkness comes, they shine the brightest.â
She sighed.
âSo, Iâm saying that at your darkest times, day or night, whether Iâm needed by you or not⊠I will be there.â She laughed. âAlways.â
âżââââ- â ââââ-âŸ
When heâs snapping out of that sceneâa memory.. ?âhe is taking a huge gasp of air, like he has just resurfaced from underwater.
It feels like his mind has caved right open and all of a sudden, he is aware of everything.
Heâs on his back, staring at the only entrance towards the depths of Yougou, the gaping cavity providing him a pellucid, unobscured view of the night sky that is minutes away from dawn.
The stars. He can see them, still.
False stars.
â[Name]-! Whatâs wrong?!â
He has never sat so quickly until now, the call of that name stopping a heart he didnât know beat with emotions he was taught of.
It begins to constrict, to pull and tug in painful ways he deemed impossible when he sees the same [Name] in his memories collapsing to her knees with a gasp.
The Traveler holds her up, his panic and concern are palpable.
Her form is fading in and out, leaving remnants of stars.
Whatâs wrong with you-? The Harbinger wishes to ask, but finds his throat swelling and his eyes burning. Itâs a foreign sensation. He doesnât know whatâs happening.
Since when did you get weak, woman? Whâ
âYouâve been like this ever since we found you,â he hears Aether choke, âWhatâs wrong, [Name]? Is it because of that meteorite?â
Meteorite?
Is it the case of the sky being false? He didnât say it out loudâbut by the sharp intake of breath by the [c]nette, he goes still. No way.
No way.
âYouâre dyingâarenât you?â
The way Aether has daggers in his eyes is surprising.
Scaramouche never thought heâd see such a look in the usually kind Traveler, but new things are discovered. If heâs going to be honest, he feels far from being intimidated.
He feels upset, dismayed, glum.
âYouâŠâ why is it getting harder to breathe the more he sees her so weak? âYou are able to live thanks to the peopleâs beliefs of the heavens.. but theyâre diminishing now.â
Heâs no idiot. The times he practically preached about how the spurious sky probably weakened the girl, as well. He felt strangely sick.
All he knowsâall he can rememberâis that sheâs affiliated with him at some point.
Theyâre still⊠strangers!
So why in the living hell is he hurting?
[C] eyes are looking at him with griefâwith equal sadness as sheâs picked up by the Traveler who is mumbling things about letting her sleep within the astrolabe for a while until she recovers.
Staring at them for longer makes his head hurt, for voices to ring in his ears.
âBe careful, Bal.â
âIâm not going anywhere.â
He groans, unable to stand properly without stumbling. Heavens, why does his heart so damn muchâŠ!? A defectâ? No, that Archon deemed him successful.
âWait, youâ!â he demands just as heâs able to pick himself back up.
Donât leave.
Aether gazes at him with the same iciness heâs been given in the delusion factory and for a split-second, the Harbinger felt what itâs like to be desperate. To be enraged. To be in actual pain.
âDo you promise to stay by my side until the end?â
âYou swore not to leave..â the Harbinger manages to say after deep breaths. The foreign sentiments in him are making it difficult to clear his head thatâs still running wild with voices.
âI promise.â
The Outlander gives an uncharacteristic sneer before turning his back, his form starting warp into space. Heâs leaving. Heâs leaving with her and he doesnât know where theyâll be.
âWait, I said wait, damn it-!â
A bunch of colors is beginning to decorate his sight, showing him a memory of dawn sometime ago when he is about to depart camp.
A fading figure of a [c]-eyed lady is at his back, rueful of accepting the end of her journey with him.
The same morning light is beginning to peer in from the sky, passing through the cavity to shed down upon the roots and he can feel his chest twisting.
Itâs happening again. His consciousness seemed to break free from the obscurity, desperate to claw its way out further with the hope that he can remember her again.
But no one must go against written fate.
Something seems to keep him in place as he feels the burn in his eyes gets worse.
Waterworks begin to pool and stream unwillingly and oh, he can feel his consciousnessâthat part thatâs aware that heâs missing someone, that someone being [Name], get lost.
Another haze is taking reigns in his mind, creating a fog that will make him forget the existence of the very companion heâs been with for plenty of years. The same existence that will weep and remember him, while he does not.
âTravelerââ
Heâs biting his tongue, but another side in him is on its knees, begging them to stay so he canâhe doesnât know, try to set the girlâs appearance so he wonât ever forget again.
His eyes are spilling with tears and his throat is hurting, so unfit for a ruthless Harbinger, yet heâs crying, still.
When he left that morningâwhen he left the astrolabe behind. Is this how you felt?
âTraveler..âplea-â
Hopeless acceptance? Tell me.
Aether turns back, the emotion in his eyes now one of pityâbut Scaramouche doesnât look at him. He looks at her. Her limp hand that used to hold him close with a kind of love he canât find from anyone else.
So close, so close and yetâ
âShe did promise not to leave,â the blond says, âYou were the one who left.â
âYet so impossibly far.
As if those are the words to trigger the rest of the universe to kick in and prevent an anomaly from becoming worse, the power in his legs returns.
Then heâs sprinting to them with a speed he doesnât know he has and with an outstretched hand for the girl to take, he almost dives into their space.
And he does.
âBal..â she whispers.
The warmth of her fingers, heâs able to feel.
Until heâs stumbling back to the ground.
âNo..â
The body of both the Traveler and his dearly beloved companion, gone with only traces of stars left behind and the sunlight at their wake.
âNoâno- no, no, damn it!â
Furious tears are streaming down his cheeks. He doesnât knowâhe doesnât know why heâs crying so much.
All heâs aware of is that [Name] is someone important, and how his feelingsâthat seemed to remember how they worked when she was aroundâare devastated.
He canât recall much of who she is, but sheâs someone close.
And something inside him doesnât want to forgetâdoesnât want to let go.
â[Name],â he chokes out after his head screamed for him to do something. Anything! To keep her memory alive. â[Name]. [Name].â
He digs his fingers onto the soil, not caring even if his nails are being scraped too far. What matters is that heâs writing down that name.
I canât forget you. The voice in his mind cries. I canât forget you again.
He feels the fear from long ago eat his chest as he pulls out the Electro Archonâs Gnosis, staring heavily at the violet hue and holding it close because finallyâfinally he has gotten an answer.
It felt like home.
It felt like [Name].
Stay with me.
And he clings, Celestias, he clings to that single name in his head and for a moment, he believesâhe hopes that it will stick with him.
But then the sunlight shines upon him, and the gleam in his eyes is carried away by a mist.
I canât forget yoâ
Suddenly, his sobs cease, the desperate frown of his brows relax, and his tight clutch on the chess piece loosens.
Balladeer wipes the tears that fell from his eyes and wonders why heâs showing such an annoying emotion of sadness.
He wonders why he feels like heâs betrayed someone, wonders why his chest is so utterly hollow than ever.
When he glances at the Gnosis, he gets a feeling of familiarity.
When he looks past down, onto the soil where some letters are hastily written..
â[Name].. ?â
His tears begin falling more like they have a mind of their own and are mourning. And he lets them fall. Lets his chest be hollow because it feels like itâs the least he could do to honor something.
So there, the Sixth Harbinger kneels under the morning light of a new yet similar dawn.
He is weeping.
But he doesnât know the reason why.
âżââââ-ăâăââââ-âŸ
a/n: aiya, scara.. if it helps.. MC is in good Aether's hands? :'D oh gosh i remember why i dont write lengthy ficlets in tumblr now- the drAFT IS LAGGING- also yes it is directly mentioned that Venti was once MC's companion, too! Maybe I should write it, as well? ;))
â§ÍâșË*àŒâŸăReturn to the Scrying GlassăâœàŒïœ„*Ëâșâ§Í
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