#aether 'fuck i forgot mortals can *die' solar deity

[viaetor]

@rikyos​​  sent in a commission request...     //    BASED ON THIS. ❛ of course i’m here. where else would i be? ❜

ㅤ  ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ  ►    「ACCEPT」  ㅤ    ㅤ   「DECLINE」  

ㅤㅤit’s funny, what the wind brings and takes. the wind was mostly a gentle friend, a far too friendly presence in a wanderer’s life and what some more poetic minds would refer to as a ‘melody of almost-homes’. aether knew that. he loved feeling the breeze under his wings, not caring if it was made of oxygen, nitrogen, sulphur or something else; for zephyr’s might was still ever-present, a constant in the middle of uncertainties; propelling him forward no matter what. aether should love the wind. and in more than one way, he did. but he also hated it. not because the cold shiver woke him up in the middle of his rest, entering a forgotten opened window with cold droplets of a rainstorm, but for some things else.

ㅤㅤfor the wind also takes, and it does not apologise. especially when it’s in a tempest form. it took away his wings while he fell on teyvat’s unknown grounds. it took away his sister and any trace of her whereabouts. it took away his warmth in the middle of the night, reminding him that he was not as solar and powerful as he once held himself to be, even if he tried to keep his back straight and chin up. but he knew the truth. the saddening, sickening truth of teyvat, its people and its rules���divinity meant little and mortality was a frail line to walk. so, the wind did the bidding in the mist. it took away people’s last breath, guiding them to the other side indiscriminately—soldier or god, since they all eventually face the very same fate one day, even if separated by a couple of millennia. it took away dreams and hopes from the people in inazuma, forcing them to stare at the mightiest cruelty for believers, a bitter goddess blinded by her thunder. it brought bloodshed and its scent, dissipating them not even in rain, replaying the last month’s losses like a broken theatre. a necessary aide-memoire to what war tasted like. the wind is kind, that it was, but like a good lover, it’s far too honest sometimes about reality’s pains for any heart to bear alone.

ㅤㅤaether was tired, exhausted, and not all physically, which made it all worse. he knew he was growing too fond of the people in this world, getting too entangled in their problems and disputes. after the battle against the shogun’s forces and the rebels of watatsumi island, that much was clear. he saw fighters he had befriended hours prior fall on the battlefield, shouts of life and death echoed through his ears even now when he was safe and sound in the crux’s cabins. every crash of waves against the wooden shell is a reminder of wind and mortality. he closed his eyes, and perhaps if his head wasn’t hurting so much, or if it wasn’t so quiet in the ship, crystal-like tears would overflow from his throat. so, instead of crying, he dryly called out for one of the only familiar faces in the middle of the tempest.

ㅤㅤkazuha? kazuha, are you there…? you didn’t leave, right? the blond one wasn’t talking about the other getting out of the ship when no one else was looking. on his bedsheets, the traveller turned to look for those scarlet eyes. they looked like the summer breeze of that season. oh, so gentle. oh, what cruelty. aether could swear that his companion frowned, adjusting himself to move forward, just enough for them to tell when they exhaled or inhaled. of course i’m here. where else would i be? eloquent words for an eloquent samurai. the tiniest smile grew on golden face.

ㅤㅤ“ i guess you didn’t go wandering off in the middle of the night. ”   it should come off as a tease, but the nervousness on heavy voice did not allow it. he didn’t disappear; that was a genuine relief. he wasn’t taken away by the wind, by the storm, by god’s greed, or by anything else. he was still there, right next to him. but for how long?   “beidou would give you an earful if you did.”   aether breathed in, trying to calm himself.   “will you…”   he swallowed the tears, coughing as a consequence. he was an immortal deity of countless years. this shouldn’t affect him as much as it did. alas, here they were. powerlessness can drive even the oldest divines crazy, it seemed. never before had his heart felt so human. so, he closed his eyes.   “will you fight with us?”   what a selfish request that was, especially when aether knew why the other one had left. even if his heart ached knowingly, he did not take back that request. after a moment of silence, he bit down his bottom lip. he wanted to believe the wind brought him a friend that could stay a little longer. no more losing people. not now. not now...   “ i need... you so i can be brave enough. ”   to brave the lighting’s glow.