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kiliinstinct · 9 months ago

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The Forbidden Woods

A Genshin Impact Au Pairing: Aether/Xiao Urban Fantasy and Supernatural Romance Find on A03: [Here] Special Thanks to @genavere: My beta. Chapter 1: / Chapter 3:

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Chapter 2: Golden Gaze

Someone was watching him.

The gaze was a subtle one that Aether hadn’t noticed at first. The kind of stare that builds over time until the pressure on the back of your neck became too distracting.

And this certainly distracted him.

The first few days in his family home were full of coughing and sneezing as he struggled to clear a space enough to consider his temporary bedroom. The rest of the home looked like an abandoned, haunted house that beckoned him to every shadow with promises of exploration and horrors. Dusty sheets covered old furniture, the remains of mice and other excrement could be found in every corner, and a musky, staleness filled the air.

In any other circumstance, this place could be seen as a bio weapon, unfit for the living, but he made do. Opening every window he could to air out the first floor, he struggled with the upstairs rooms to do the same. (Many locks had rusted over, making his hands itch and sore with the attempt to open them.) But once the layer of dust was out of the way, sunlight streamed inside, illuminating every room with a calming, natural light.

Amusingly, it brought to light just how his parents had left all those years ago. Ratty books, moth-eaten and dusty, still sat on the shelves and toys he had thought lost, were left on the floor as a frozen memory to their former games. Plaques and pictures still hung on the walls, reflecting those memories with the forever smiling faces of his family.

Just what had happened to make them leave in such a rush? Aether couldn’t recall, temple pounding as he struggled to remember anything beyond the car ride full of excited laughter as they crossed the border.

When he called his sister, Lumine, the first night to tell her of his jitters, she laughed and told him to not watch any horror movies while alone. Considering the lack of wifi, cable, and satellite access, it should have been an easy enough suggestion to follow.

But no one ever claimed he was wise. Well, he did, often enough, too. Who better to be his hype man than himself?

The data on his phone was more than enough to bring up a couple true crime videos in the dead of night while he lay in bed. (Which was more a glorified pallet of his own sleeping back and linens he’d brought with him.) Lumine’s early morning text calling him an idiot made him cackle through an exhausted yawn. It had come before he’d decided to admit his poor choice in entertainment, and the call out was enough to make the house feel just a little bit lighter. Unfortunately, the laughter turned to a string of sneezes from the dusty air.

That was then.

Three days of toil later, Aether questioned his life choices. Was it even worth cleaning the place up—the only interest in the land was a company hoping to use the acres for its warehouse. Gone would be the house, the untilled land waiting to be used again. And gone would be the memories he held dearly in the treasure trove of his mind, examining them with fond nostalgia when he had the time. The old fence, shed and forest boundary aligning the edges of the land would be replaced with industrial metal and merchandise, shipping in and out of the area.

He ignored the way this reality clutched at his heart and settled in his gut like a sickness.

The logical voice in his head claimed ‘no,’ but a louder part of him refused to acknowledge it.

Even before he’d agreed to pay the house one last visit, making Lumine wait to sign the papers, Aether had felt the urge to return. Whether it be the old, nostalgic dreams and memories that plagued his sleep or just a feeling in his heart he couldn’t explain, he couldn’t ignore it. And so, he put himself to work, cleaning every room with his hair tied back in a messy braid and a mask fitted over his face. (It didn’t work. He still coughed each time he unearthed a new pile of dust bunnies under the old, moth-eaten furniture.)

It was the evening of that third day when he first began to consider the feeling of being watched as something other than his ridiculous love of horror and true crime documentaries. Anytime he passed by a window, the entry doors, or just laid on his makeshift pallet to rest, his skin crawled. Ignoring the way goosebumps settled along his arms, Aether would shut the blinds to every window he crossed in a fit of paranoia and irritation.

The difference it made was zero. As if the presence could see through the old fabrics with relative ease. He had considered buying new ones before shoving the thought aside. He was just being ridiculous, he knew that.

When Lumine’s daily check in was answered with his worries, she held no sympathy for her twin, texting back her thoughts with humorous teasing.

‘Is it bigfoot? He saw your pretty hair and is planning to take you away, ooooh~’

‘This isn’t helping, Lumine.’

‘You’ll wake up in the midst of night, being carried off like a princess, curled up in the arms of the hairiest beast alive!’

Aether would not let her know just how easily she pulled a bark of laughter from him, replying petulantly, ‘I’m ignoring you, now.’

It would be minutes later, when he was already busying himself with more cleaning, that his phone dinged with her final remark:

‘Can’t wait to see your new boyfriend. :P Take lots of pictures for me!’

Instead, he took a shot of her stolen bunny slippers currently resting on his feet, and laughed when her ensuing outrage caused a cacophony of notifications to ring from his cell. Lumine: 0. Aether: 1.

Unfortunately, the feeling persisted.

The fourth day came and went. As did the fifth. When a full week had passed, the sensation became a companion to Aether’s every movement; one he was constantly aware of.

Lumine’s sense of humor persisted, ‘It’s the calm before Bigfoot comes for you.’

‘You’re seriously not funny…’

‘Maybe he’ll leave you a gift?’

‘I’m burning your slippers.’

‘NO!’

Aether: 2

Whatever was watching him seemed only interested in doing just that: watching. And with no visual proof of anyone on the grounds, Aether accepted it might be in his head.

Another thought came to mind, one whispering of the old tales enshrouding the perimeter of his backyard.

“These woods are the home of ancient spirits and demons,” he remembered hearing as a child. “They guard the land possessively, scaring away all visitors that mean it and its denizens harm. Those who don’t belong will find themselves lost in the accursed fog they create. Never cross the boundary, child, for those who do will never return.’

A silly tale, all things considered. He recalled the tale, written in a children’s book, but repeated by teachers and his parents alike. It was something aimed to keep children from wandering and getting lost in the woods, but he couldn’t get the story out of his mind.

In Aether and Lumine’s youth, they were fascinated by the stories and tested the limits by making their play location right along the boundary lines. He had the feeling they had even passed the lines once or twice, but the memories were too foggy to confirm. Like a dream that refused to fade away. Either way, there were no actual records of people disappearing, not in his lifetime, and he scoffed every time the thought crossed his mind. Considering his and his sister's penchant for exploration, he doubted the stories worked for any child with a healthy curiosity.

No, he had to accept the fact that maybe, just maybe, all those late night podcasts, being alone in the middle of nowhere, and an active imagination were helping the tales take form into something darker in the back of his mind. His paranoia grew a life of its own without anyone else around to help keep him grounded.

Not for the first time, he wished Lumine (or even his little sister, Paimon) had come with him. While the three had lived without their parents for the last two years, he had never, truly been alone. Not like this and it was fraying the edges of his sanity if he stood still long enough.

If Lumine knew he was regretting his want for being ‘independant’ and ‘capable,’ he’d never hear the end of it. So he urged his siblings to trust he was more than okay, and continued to bite down on the rising need to check over his shoulder every moment. He even considered taking Draff up on his offer for a night or two, just to get fresh air, but no…Stubborn pride kept him there. Soon enough, after the house looked, for the most part, liveable, if a bit dated.

When he finally took his attention to the exterior, dressed in a pair of overalls he’d pulled from storage (he wanted to look the part!) that were covered in dirt and grass strains coupled with one of his low-cut shirts and handkerchief for his hair, he noticed the state of the yard. Draff had done a good job in the upkeep throughout the years, visiting often enough to keep the weeds and overgrowth at bay.

From an outside perspective, one would almost think the yard and untilled farmland was still occupied, like a summer or winter home. That didn’t mean the yard didn't need work, however… Old pathstones were barely visible beneath the overgrown lawn and what was once a blossoming garden held no resemblance of the love their mom had poured into it. Gardening tools that had been forgotten in the moment sat against the wooden gate, rusted over, and brought a feeling of sorrow to Aether.

A part of him wanted to grasp the tools in hand and see what could be done with the old garden, to restore it to the vibrancy he remembered. But he wasn’t here for that, and stomped down those feelings. He’d clear away the old and leave it open for the new— whatever form that would be. And if possible, he’d just borrow some of Draff’s tools instead. The current ones looked close to falling apart if disturbed.

These were issues he could tend to later. With another two months left of his visit, Aether already knew what he wanted to do that day, and spending more time cleaning wasn’t one of them. At least, not when it came to the old house and its fields. He had a more childish aim. The old stone shrine near the edge of the woods: his and Lumine’s childhood haven.

The yard was large, covering a few acres and needing a riding mower to keep the grass at bay, but Aether enjoyed the walk. He kicked at sticks and pebbles that littered the old, almost non-existent pathways and enjoyed the treeline at the end of the path. It still held an air of mysticism for him; one born from the childhood fantasies he tailored in his youth. The trees had grown enough for their branches to bend over and out, stretching forth over the yard.

Between them, as the limbs swayed in the wind, a flash of familiar teal caught his attention. He squinted his eyes, breath catching in his throat as he caught sight of a bird, slightly larger than the one he remembered, but matching in colors. It kept watch on the branches, head tilted as it observed from above.

Recognition brought a burn to his eyes and a lump formed in his throat. “Did my old friend have kids?” he asked out loud, grinning wistfully. The fowl in question, ruffled its feathers and jumped to another branch, ignoring his query. Laughter bubbled up in Aether’s chest.

“Must have. You have the same temperament!”

Somehow, that thought brought him more joy than he’d felt in the last week. Relieved laughter bubbled in his chest as his shoulders shook with a rising happiness. Was this the source of his paranoia all along? Feeling this swell of emotion, he withdrew his phone to take a picture. Lumine would love an update on their old birdwatcher, he was sure of it!

But before his fingers could pull up the app, the bird had warbled an annoyed cry and took off towards the woods, careening Aether’s excitement down to the bits of his stomach, “Aww, you couldn’t stay for just two more seconds?”

He felt his shoulders drop, maybe he’d have another chance later. Instead of a picture, he sent a quick, ‘I think our bird friend had babies!’ to his sister and pocketed his phone once more. He’d check later for a reply.

Later would come much later, Aether realized. When he came upon the stone altar, he saw the state it was left in and gawked. Far messier than the rest of the yard. Draff hadn’t been asked to clean so close to the boundary fence due to his aversion to the woods and it showed.

“The Mistwatcher would prefer his boundaries respected,” Aether recalled over hearing the man say over the phone months after their departure. Despite the inconvenience, his parents didn’t fight over the local superstition and the altar paid for it.

Debris from storms and over growth littered the small clearing and the old stone seats he and Lumine had carefully dragged into the area were covered in moss and fungi poked out from the shadows. Old, dead leaves littered the ground, while dried vines and other plant life had reclaimed the area.

Aether had come to see it for the sake of nostalgia with no intention of making it what it once was, but the urge to fix what was lost swelled in his chest and he moved to clear off the altar without a second thought. They didn’t need seats, or the old blankets and streamers that had been left behind long ago. Even the old rope, tied to the nearest tree for swinging, could stay broken and festering on the ground, but the table itself…he couldn’t leave it as it was. That wasn’t right.

He thought, for one insane moment, that his old, childhood friend, unseen by anyone but himself, would be sad at the state of things. This had been his home, after all, made up in the minds of two kids who wanted to believe the world was more magic than not. And while he no longer believed in imaginary friends, he was determined to return things to the state they were before. It was an illogical, desperate pull at his fingers and mind that refused to loosen its hold on him.

He HAD to clean it off.

Pulling thick, leather gloves from his back pocket, he pulled them on and went to work, brushing off every bramble he could.

It was almost meditative. Each task a pattern. Tear off a vine here, brush dirt away there, move the debris off to the side. He fell into a rhythm, humming as he worked. It would take more time than he had in the day to complete, but he continued with a smile.

He began to zone out, body moving on autopilot while his mind drifted into the skies and all the thoughts in between. He wondered when Lumine would text him back, when she would have the next meeting with their prospective buyers, and just how much was being offered for the land. As much as he understood that the land was wasting away while they struggled to pay off the debts left to them in their parents' wake, Aether couldn't help but think no amount of money could truly equal the amount his childhood home was worth.

After all, it had been the most constant place in his life until they were spirited away to Sumeru City.

The thought made him laugh, snorting at himself as he refocused his attention. The top of the altar was clear now, but the decades of grime and moss would need something more. A hose, perhaps? I could bring one out from the shed, he thought. While rusted over, he recalled the tools left behind. All he would need was more time to unearth the old relics.

Perhaps they could be sold, too? He began to consider the logistics of a garage sale or donating to the local flea market. It was as good a train of thought as anything else and he considered the particulars as he worked. As the minutes passed, a pile of debris began to grow by the old oak tree while his mind continued to wander. The pile pulled a frown at his lips and displeasure began to color his mood. Did he really want to sell these items?

His train of thought was interrupted by a large gust of wind, picking up a torn vine as it blew back into the woods with a flurry of leaves. He watched it cross over the gate, but froze when he returned his attention back to the altar, eyes widening in surprise.

The bird was back. It bounced on tiny talons across the flat surface, picking bits and pieces of leftover twigs with its beak. Was it the season for building nests, Aether wondered, reaching for his phone for a quick search on bird behavior. But the question was moot as he watched the bird drop the twigs to the side, clearing the space as it went.

Aether blinked. Then blinked again. Its agile movements belied its apparent thick size, feathers ruffling any time it failed to fit something in its mouth. Any failure was quickly dealt with, however, as it renewed its hunt for what Aether left behind with vigor.

“...is,” Aether muttered breathlessly, voice so low he could barely hear himself in fear of chasing the fowl off, “is he helping me?”

The ball of feathers continued its task and Aether marveled at the intelligence behind its tiny eyes. Too afraid to ruin the moment, he stayed in place to watch silently while his fingers itched to record it on his phone. 'Lumine would find this so cute-'

His hand was already moving before he could reconsider it. With slow, mechanical movements, he readjusted his phone and smoothly swiped his thumb along the screen to his camera, eyes trained on the bird the entire time. He didn't glance at the screen, too afraid to break the magic.

So when he pressed what he hoped was the record button, the sudden flash that occurred not only surprised him but sent a jolt of panic through his veins. “No, no, no-!”

He fumbled the phone, quickly trying to change it, but dropped it to the leaves at his feet instead. Dazed by his own mess up, he noted in confusion a sudden pain on his head as he dove to retrieve it, but the pain persisted. It stabbed him again and again and again until he processed all events and recognized the sound of angry squawking just overhead.

When he stood back up, phone firmly in hand, his now angered bird friend stopped its constant attack to Aether's skull and dive bombed his fingers instead. Talons grasped his thumbs as the point of its sharp beak pecked away rapidly.

Aether couldn't help it when the phone fell again as he jerked his hand up to shake the bird off, shouting, “I'm sorry! Ow!“ He tried to grab the phone again, but the bird persisted, landing on the screen to peck at not just him but the phone itself. ”Hey, stop! I need that!“

A quick tussle followed as Aether cursed to the skies above and finally had to admit defeat. He couldn't count the amount of times he'd dropped his phone as the crazed bird continued its attack, far braver now than it had appeared an hour ago. After the umpteenth time of the device flying to the ground, Aether changed tactics and used the side of his foot to slide it across the yard instead—

Which ended in his shoes being attacked just as viciously. Any onlookers would find it a comical sight. (It relieved Aether to know that wouldn't be possible this far from the nearest town.) By the time he made it to the back door, he was feeling less apologetic, focusing on swiping the bird away in a last ditch effort to protect his phone.

”Shoo! Go Away!“ He said, once more sliding the phone further from the bird's manic grasp. The rush to save the device made him miss the change in terrain as the grass became scarce the closer to the porch they came. Giving the phone less friction to fight again, it grinded across loose dirt as his final push sent it sliding straight under the back porch.

Mouth agape, Aether wanted to scream in frustration. That was his only connection to the outside world. The thought of not calling Lumine, or hearing Paimon’s voice as they checked in on each other filled him with a boiling, desperate rage, but the Bird's relentless attack had switched targets. Landing on the bannister, it watched him with angry eyes, boxing itself up again with the fluffiest of feathers (a view Aether would have found adorable in any other circumstance). When he stepped forward, the bird trilled an angry warning and bounced on its feet back and forth, preparing another dive bomb.

Nope. He was done with this. “Augh, fine!” If he couldn't brave the dangers under his porch for his phone or enter through the backdoor then he'd simply retreat and come back when the risk was safer.

“Don't you have a nest to make? Or a female to attract?” He threw his arms up, tangling his fingers in his hair. “I...I can't believe a bird is this evil!”

Grumbling the entire way to his front door, Aether thought he felt the bird following him, or a faint laughter. The sound and sensation disappeared as soon as it had begun, and in retaliation he slammed the door behind him without a second thought. He'd be back for his phone, the world and that demonic bird be damned!

Though, after a quick examination of the shallow bites left by a surprisingly sharp beak that littered his arms and possibly his head, he sighed. He'd run back into the demon’s realm for his phone after he cleaned himself, he amended.

Thankfully, the adventure to retrieve his phone wasn't nearly so harrowing an experience as it had been to lose it. After disinfecting the tiny marks on his arm and checking his scalp (surprisingly undamaged, he noted.) a hot shower, and lunch to mollify his angry stomach, Aether decided it was time to try again. If anything, he needed to attempt before the sun went down and the need for dinner distracted him.

And he hoped—no, prayed to the very stars that the tiny menace had long lost interest and went off to do whatever birds did. Another thing he considered searching for out of inane curiosity, but how could he with his phone MIA?

As luck would have it, his once tentative friend now turned enemy was nowhere in sight. He almost let out a sigh of relief, but if the bird's nest was nearby, he couldn't sit on his laurels just yet. He'd have to be quick. And that's exactly what he did with arms wrapped in ace bandages and covered in a long sleeved sweater for extra protection. It was hot being bundled up like that in the afternoon heat. Ridiculously so, but he'd rather have some form of armor than nothing.

Aether was lucky that most things didn’t disturb or creep him out. When he finally crawled under the wooden deck with what little light his small keychain flashlight could manage. Cobwebs left and right and other bugs did not disgust him, and what little spiders that lived there, scurried off as he disturbed them. A second shower would be needed to get rid of the itchy feeling caused by their presence and the cobwebs above. Gritting his teeth, he moved quickly, determined to find his phone.

Surprisingly, it was not too far away, just enough for him to crawl his entire body inside to reach. It glinted in the light from his flashlight, a faint blue hue outlining its surface to notify him of missed messages. He'd check that later in the safety of the house. Swiping from the dirt, he shoved it into his pocket and quickly inched back out. A shiver of disgust ran through him as he stood and tried to dust himself off and rid himself of the crawling sensations.

A quick glance around for his enemy brought not a single chirp or a flash of teal. Perfect. He dashed through the back door without a second thought and slid to the floor in a heap.

“Hah,” he breathed sharply, “take that you little demon.” Smiling triumphantly, he withdrew his phone to look it over, turning on the screen to check his messages.

His jaw dropped.

The screen was broken in many places, punctured by a tiny beak. The screen still worked, but the lock screen was discolored and he had to squint to read most of the notifications.

He was the kind of person who'd consider himself an animal guy. He loved all kinds and wanted to adopt any critter he came across, but at that moment: Aether wanted to go hunting and have fowl for dinner.

#genshin impact #genshin impact fanfics #xiaother #XiaoxAether #xiao genshin impact #aether #genshin traveler #Urban Fantasy #Supernatural Romance #human/monster romance

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kiliinstinct · 9 months ago

Text

The Forbidden Woods

A Genshin Impact Au Pairing: Aether/Xiao Urban Fantasy and Supernatural Romance Find on A03: [Here] Special Thanks to @genavere: My beta.

Chapter 2: / Chapter 4:

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Chapter 3: What Shouldn’t Be Seen

To his surprise, the bird was nowhere to be seen for the following two days: a fact Aether felt both disappointment and relief over. The destruction of his phone screen aside, he was able to place a call or two with some finagling. One to warn Lumine of him potentially going dark until he could find an adequate replacement, and another to Draff, leaving a message in hope of speedy assistance.

The absence of the bird left him feeling empty and grasping in the dark. The childhood nostalgia the animal had brought him had been yanked from under his feet and forced reality back upon him.

It made being angry at the little demon difficult–unfortunately for the feathery terror, the spiderweb cracks along the screen could only be tolerated for so long. Which is why he finally made a trip into town.

Hurried by Aether’s frantic voicemail, Draff kept his word to check in, giving him the opening needed to request a ride into town as soon as possible. By lunch, Draff had come and dropped Aether off on the doorstep of one of the nearest corner stores of Springvale; just forty minutes from the dilapidated property.

The old Plaza was familiar, with a few new and upgraded stores that hadn’t been there in earlier days. The updates filled Aether with a meager hope that one of the modernized locations should have exactly what he was looking for.

Asides from that, Aether wasn't too surprised by the lack of service options. The provider for his phone didn't even have a location in Springvale, but there was still one dingy electronic store built between a barber and nail salon. He was certain he could find a screen replacement there at the very least. Assuming the visit to last thirty minutes at the most, he waved Draff off as the hunter peeled out of the parking lot, promising to pick him up after finishing his own errands. With Aether left to his own devices, he hummed beneath his breath and began his search.

Unfortunately, things were not as easy as he’d hoped.

“Sorry, we'd have to order a screen replacement for that size.” Aether deflated when the store owner exited the back stockroom empty handed, and bemoaned the fact he'd be stuck with only short calls for the rest of his stay. Bad news seemed to be his friend lately. The type of friend who’d burst into your home without knocking or calling ahead and expected you to be available.

“...have an internet connection?” The owner asked, pulling his attention back. “Perhaps you could just order a replacement phone from your provider? Might be faster than replacing the screen, to be honest.”

Oh. That was a good idea actually.

Hope was renewed!

Until a pessimistic voice whispered in the back of his head, reminding him of his lack of internet service. Giving a 'thanks anyway' to the owner, Aether left with his heart sinking into the pit of his stomach.

Where could he find a place with internet service and a computer he could use? The obvious answer would be a public library, but despite the signs of population growth in the town, Aether spied no such building. He stared ruefully at his phone screen, thumb swiping along it in a half-hearted attempt to open its web browser. The response was a glitched scuffle of images before reverting back to the main screen. Sighing, he looked down the short strip of shops with the futile hope for good luck to drop directly into his lap.

It simply was not to be.

Not including the drive from the farmhouse, Springvale was a small town filled with homes crammed together between trees and rolling hills. The main road covered the length of the town from beginning to end with no other major highways nearby. He remembered as Draff drove them through town, pointing out the most popular locations. He was quick to name the bars- more than Aether thought a small town needed, then showed him other places: The churches are located at every corner, the small grocery store and two family-run cafes. None of these would give Aether the help he needed.

“... could have sworn this place had a library when I was younger,” he muttered under his breath, wondering if it would even have a pc with internet service he could use.

Perhaps he should have asked Draff if he would be willing to take him to the next town over. He knew it was larger in comparison, but was an hour drive, at least.

Aether frowned, considering the time and sighed. No good. It was enough that Draff had picked him up from the airport when he first arrived, offered him a place to stay--even though he turned it down, and had brought him into town today.

Maybe fate was trying to tell him something in the form of an angry demon bird.

Spiraling, Aether fought with his phone again to dial Draff's number and listened to the ringing with half his focus torn between accepting his fate or throwing a tantrum.

As nice as it was to see the area hadn't changed much since they left, it also filled him with a strange sadness. All the buildings were updated just enough, but the foundations were old and the paint was chipping down on the banisters. What was left of the parking lot was faded and full of potholes. When was the last time any company came through with the intention to fix the place up? Maybe that’s exactly what would happen once his property was officially leveled to make room for that packaging company to come in. Not for the first time, he second-guessed his decision to postpone selling for this visit.

The ringing continued until Draff’s voicemail message answered. Frowning, he hung up and tried again, tapping his feet impatiently. When the message sprung up again, a sense of being stranded filled him with consternation. Two more tries garnered the same results.

A pressure welled inside his throat, urging him to begin examining nearby shop windows and zone out as he listlessly waited for the hunter to finally answer his phone, call, stop back, or something.

The old dollar store window was littered with old announcements, lost pet posts, and seedy job offers. Some looked as if they hadn’t been replaced in over a decade while others were freshly pressed and taped to the window with bright, bold lettering that screamed for attention. One in particular caught Aether’s eye. A flash of teal and gold made his heart flutter in surprise at a grainy photo copied to a cardboard cutout of a bird. For a second, he thought the demonic bane of his phone’s existence had somehow made it onto an announcement page, only to laugh at himself when the image shown was a creature much larger than his little beastie. In fact, it didn’t look like anything he’d ever seen before.

Crazed, citrines eyes peered over an elongated beak full of serrated teeth that could tear through flesh. Feathers, dark and tea with bits of gold, looked as long as Aether’s arms and two pairs of wings adorned it, wide-spread and open as it prepared to take flight. It appeared to be a doctored photo, showing the creature to be twice the size of an average man, perhaps larger. Its plumage gleamed in the sunspots of the photo, succeeding in both increasing the majesty of the appearance, and hiding other aspects. The background, for one, could barely be seen, the creature's talons and elegant tail feathers faded from over exposure. What little details remained were the inconsistent lines of a poor edit job. Aether squinted at it. While the image looked to be taken from a professional camera, it was clearly photoshopped. Maybe even AI generated. He couldn’t think of a single bird, outside of mythology, that looked close to what he saw against the glass. ‘Have you seen Ol’ Misty?’ The paper read in rainbow embossed lettering, ‘Springvale: Home of the Clearspring Fairy and our Dark Woods Stalker, The Mistwatcher!’ He didn’t remember Springvale being a Cryptid tourist spot, but the fact there was not one, but four other similar posters covering the glass put Aether into a fit of giggles as he read on: ‘Forest Protector: Poacher’s Beware The Mistwatcher!’, ‘Mistwatcher Tours, Call To Reserve!’

He remembered the old tales of the Fairy of Clearsprings; it had been Lumine and his favorite fairy tale as children. But this? Who in the world came up with this while they were gone?

With his attempted phone calls becoming a dull, white noise in his ear, he traced the edges of the photo, watching the golden eyes of the creature, mood slightly lifted from the hilarity of it all. He considered going inside to take down one of the posters, if only to keep as a mini-souvenir, but reconsidered in lieu of snapping a photo instead. Now if he could just get his phone fixed so he could-

“Ah, Aether! Need me to getcha already? That was quick.” Draff's booming voice jarred him from his train of thought, and he grimaced as the volume made his ears ring.

“Oh, yeah, I guess,” he muttered, lips thinning into a line as he began to tap the ground again. “Actually, you wouldn't happen to know where I could use a computer, would you? I didn't bring mine considering there wouldn't be wifi-”

“Well, you could always use mine but-” Draff backpedaled with a groan, “Scratch that, we've still got dial-up set up and Diona rarely gets off the phone these days. Hmm, I think I know a guy who can help you out.”

“Really?!” Aether couldn't believe his luck. ”Who?“

“Ever heard of Venti and Zhongli?” he asked.

While he tried to recall the names, the memory was far too faded or didn’t exist. He still had no idea who these people were. “I don't think I was introduced to them when I was a kid.”

Aether thanked the stars; Draff finally stopped shouting straight into his eardrums, lowering his tone to normal levels. ”Venti opened up a little area in the back of his bar that has a lot of computers hooked up. Think it was for games, but he'd probably let you use it.“

The world never looked so sweet at that moment. “That sounds perfect!”

“He’s probably sleeping in at Zhongli’s right now, and I gotta see them anyway. How about I just take you with me and see if they'll help?”

“Draff?” Aether said, hope filled him as he looked to the heavens above. He muttered a silent prayer of thanks to all the archons he could remember. “You are a godsend today!”

“Pfft, anything for my best bud’s kids. Now, stay in the lot, I'll be there in ten.”

He hadn't gone far from Draff's original drop off point, which made the pick up and subsequent ride through town much easier.

Whoever this Zhongli and Venti were, their home veered off the main road, trailing along the nearby lake and further still. The fields and hills became sandy bluffs that aligned the nearby river while wind blew through the trees and dandelions bordering the road. The sights were vaguely familiar to Aether, who drank them all in while staring out the window.

The view changed to an ultimately different experience. Their driveway was a minor swerve off the road, turning to gravel as it trailed along uphill to disappear in the wood. With as far off as it was, Aether tried his best to use the time to get information out of Draff, curious towards these mysterious men. But try as he might, the hunter gave no further details than he already had.

'Are Venti and Zhongli together?' Not likely.

'But they live together?' For now.

'How long have they been in Springvale?' Longer than you've been alive, kid.

Ah, so they were old codgers. Aether must have said the thought out loud as Draff laughed so hard he almost wheezed himself into a coma, and nearly wrecked in the process. He couldn't figure out what had been so funny to warrant the near death experience, but he had considered making a brief, yet heartfelt, audio recording on his phone for Lumine to listen to in the case of his imminent demise.

Luckily, no other attempts on his life happened, and Aether soon found himself exiting the car after the long trail up the ridiculously long driveway.

It was then that Aether noticed a few things weren't quite... normal. Plant life was everywhere, green masses of moss and winding ferns dotted the edge of the lawn. Pebbles and stones created pathways circling the large house as flowers and garden decorations enhanced the landscape.

It felt less like a home and more like the scene from a painting. The side of the house hosted a cutesy, two person swing, surrounded in vines and a trellis covered in more blooming flowers then Aether could count.

But what really felt odd to him was the way it felt as if he was being watched from all directions. As if the very land itself was tracking his every step and the few birds that passed overhead, looked vaguely familiar to the very one that had attacked his phone. Though the color was off.

When the two stepped on the porch, Draff rapping his knuckles against the front door without a second thought, Aether looked down to his feet to see a gift basket to the side. Upon further scrutiny, he realized the basket had a loaf of bread, a jar of local honey, and...

“Why do they have milk on the porch?” he asked, but wasn't surprised when Draff didn't answer. He whistled far too loudly to hear anything around him.

When the door swung open, Aether was just beginning to inspect the nearby wind chimes and intricately designed tea set on the table nearby. As if caught putting his hand in the cookie jar, he jolted a foot in the air and spun to face the door sheepishly, prepared to apologize for his nosiness.

The apology never left his lips, stunned when he met the face of a man who looked far too youthful to have lived as long as Draff claimed. He looked uncannily young: No laugh lines, no wrinkles and smooth skin, with deep eyes that felt as rich as the deepest chasm in Teyvat. This supposed old man was way more handsome than expected. Aether felt his stomach flip as the breath was taken from his lungs in that one look.

The hunter seemed less than confused by this and firmly shook the man's hand, beaming.

“Zhongli,“ He greeted, smiling so wide you couldn't see his eyes, ”I hoped you'd be home. I've brought along those meats you requested from my last hunt, smoked and dried just as you instructed.“

Standing taller than both, Zhongli had a regal air about him. His shoulders were poised and he looked down upon them with a gentle, discerning eye as he smiled warmly. Aether felt both at ease and nervous, as if in the presence of a man far above his station. When his gold-orange irises focused on him, he waved silently, unable to speak.

“It's good to see you, old friend,” he greeted, grasping Draff's hand firmly, “You’re earlier than expected, but I wasn't busy. Please, do come in. We can have tea while you introduce me to the young man there.”

Draff needed no further invitation, strolling through the door the moment Zhongli stepped back to usher him in. Feeling out of place, Aether moved to join them, holding out his hand in polite greeting, as well.

“Nice to meet you, sir,” he muttered, having a very difficult time tearing his gaze off the man. “I'm Aether, and Draff's been-”

“Surely we can discuss it once you're inside,” Zhongli interrupted, and under normal circumstances, Aether would have found it rude, but his tone carried that of an apology when no words were given. However, his gaze shifted to the floor, catching sight of the gift basket and sighed.

“Forgive me, but would you mind bringing that in for me?” he asked. “I'd hate for it to go stale.”

“Oh, uh-” Aether said lamely as he moved to pick it up mechanically.“Sure, no problem!“

Was he attracted? Is that what this was? No, he'd seen many handsome faces before, this was something different. But he couldn't put his finger on it, even as he walked in with both hands grasping the basket between white-knuckled fingers, feeling dazed.

The next few minutes were a blur as Zhongli nipped the basket from Aether's hands and disappeared down a hall–presumably to the kitchen, and reappeared empty handed. Directing them to a nearby sitting room, he pulled out a chair beside Draff for the puzzled boy to take a seat before sitting down himself. A steaming hot kettle was already there, with a set of tea cups just waiting to be used.

If Aether hadn't been so distracted, he may have asked why it felt as if Zhongli had been expecting them, but he bit into a cookie offered from a separate plate and listened as the two men talked freely between each other.

“Would you need to start a new order already?”

“No, no, that won't be necessary. I do apologize, Draff, could you keep your voice lowered? I'm afraid Venti is still asleep.”

“I figured that would be the case. The man's so tiny, it surprises me how he can hold his liquor. I should stop by his bar sometime soon-”

“Indeed.” The sudden, pointed monotone finally drew Aether from his funk, noting the way Zhongli's lips curled into a deep set frown. “I'm sure he'd love to see you. Now then-” His gaze finally met Aether's, burning with quiet intent, “You said your name was Aether, yes?”

It took longer than it should have to drag his mind out of the mush that was his brain trying to process the way Zhongli’s gaze fixed him in place. His question hung in the air, unanswered until a flustered heat spurred Aether to answer, choking on his drink in the process. Coughing, he covered his mouth to avoid sputtering remnants of cookie and tea across the table and avoided the man’s gaze. “Y-yeah, that- that’s me, sorry!”

He wasn’t sure what he was expecting, but the soft, amused chuckle of the other wasn’t it. Nor was he ready for the harsh smacks to his back given by Draff, who attempted to keep him from choking. Jostled about, the world began to spin and he clenched his eyes shut until the world reoriented. “Sorry, I was spacing out a little there.” “Best be careful before you knock yourself out, kiddo,” Draff laughed, reseating himself as soon as Aether seemed in control of himself again. As if the embarrassing spectacle hadn’t occurred, Zhongli sipped his tea and hummed. “It’s nothing to apologize for. I’m sure you weren’t here to discuss work, after all, though I assume there was a reason for you to come, yes?”

For one, horrifying eternity, Aether forgot the reason for him being there. Something about the place left his mind in a fog and everything was too off kilter to keep track. Sensing his inability to speak, Draff chose to speak for him, tapping the table as he did and motioning for Aether to withdraw his phone. “Yeah, see, he’s visiting for a short time. Cleaning up that old house on the edge of the deep woods; you know the one.” With the damaged electronic out on the table, he tapped the shattered screen. “He came across a very angry hummingbird that-”

“He wasn’t a hummingbird,” Aether found himself saying, but Draff continued. “THAT, didn’t take kindly to having it’s picture taken. Unfortunately, none of the stores in town have what’s needed to fix it so we were hoping Venti would be alright with him taking an early trip to the bar to make use of the pc area before it’s filled up for game night.”

There was a noticeable shift in the air, one that Zhongli and Draff both looked to the ceiling for as Aether shuddered from a draft trailing along his back. The shiver was involuntary and goose bumps raised along his skin one after the other.

Trying to appear unaffected, he watched Draff drop his gaze and guzzled his tea as if it were a completely different drink. Zhongli seemed to study the ceiling for a moment longer, then shifted his gaze back to the table. “Very unfortunate,” he said, examining the phone himself with a curious gaze. “Most birds in Springvale are docile creatures, but it seems you touched a nerve with this one.”

With hands folded together, his gaze left the phone and moved along to the wall as if following an invisible trail. After a beat, he stood and nodded towards his guests, “Forgive me, but I fear Venti’s been awoken. Give me just one moment and I’ll return with what you need.”

Before Aether could ask, Zhongli had already disappeared around the corner with only a glimpse of his tailcoat fluttering behind him. There were too many puzzling things happening all at once and the blond was having trouble keeping up. He pulled his phone back to his side of the table, brows knitted together in thought. “How did-” He paused, thinking over the question as he noticed Zhongli had swapped the screen to a clear view of his phone background. The spiderwebbed cracks splintered across, but the image of him and his sister, still children and posing before a large tree in their yard, stared back at him. “How does he know Venti is awake?”

Wiping his mustache, Draff shrugged and started in on the cookies. “They’ve always been like that. Best to pay it no mind.”

He couldn’t resist a follow up, “And you’re sure they’re not together?”

“That’s what they say.”

Aether was starting to believe he was missing something. A very big something, at that.

The wait for Zhongli’s return was long enough to make the crunching of Draff’s cookies awkward, but too short for Aether to pinpoint just what was making him feel as if the world was off its axis. In the interim, the sensation of a breeze continued to drift about, sometimes so subtle it tickled the back of his neck; other times so intense he wondered if the AC had kicked on, but could find no vent. At these times, he thought he heard voices further in the house, but dared not venture forth to make sense of what was being spoken. It was maddening how strong the urge to explore and unearth every secret he could feel at the edge of his senses. While he couldn’t put a finger to it, he felt something familiar in the odd things he noticed. As if he were being welcomed by a feeling he’d missed from long ago. When Zhongli returned, it was as if a spell broke and the mental fog faded. The urge to move dispersed and Aether exhaled the breath he hadn’t known he was holding. Draff happily welcomed him with a smile, oblivious to Aether’s confused reveries. When Draff inquired about Venti’s health, the other man merely smiled and assured that the tired bar-owner was happily making himself a pot of coffee, but would sadly be unable to greet them. “Well, that’s too bad,” Draff began, arms crossed as his nose twitched. “I wondered if he might agree to let me have a sneak of some of the liquor while we were there.”

And then, Aether noticed it, that same, stony expression Zhongli carried earlier as his chest rumbled, displeased by the topic. “I’m sure you can bring it up to him next time you visit. He’s been especially tired this week.” “Ah yeah, getting to be that time for him, huh?” “Indeed.”

Aether was starting to feel as if he was looking through a window and unable to piece the bits of conversation he was hearing together. Uncertain what to do or say, he listened intently, a placid smile on his face to hide the tremulous thoughts in his mind as he frantically tried to keep up. Luckily, he didn’t have to wait long for the conversation to divert once again as Zhongli broke contact with Draff to hold out a set of keys to Aether. His eyes crossed to focus on them. “...uhh?” “The spare keys to the bar,” Zhongli explained, jostling them slightly until Aether accepted them. “All Venti asks is that you lock up and leave them in the mailbox when you’re done. It’s hours yet before he opens, and he’s not awake enough to go there himself. As a friend of Draff, we’re choosing to trust you.” Aether tried to ignore the strange prickling that ran along his arm as he held the keys, feeling as if he was stumbling over some strange etiquette he was unaware of. “Oh, well, sure, I can do that. Thank you.” “Of course.” Zhongli’s smile was warm as he motioned towards the door. “Then I’ll not keep you any longer. I hope you find what you’re looking for.”

For a delirious moment, Aether got the feeling he wasn’t referring to a replacement phone, but he nodded listlessly as Draff jumped from his seat and began to nudge him back through the hall and towards the doors. Everything was a whirl after that, as if the older man couldn’t waste a second to get them out of there. Zhongli’s eyes watched their walk all the way back to Draff’s truck and stayed on them even longer down the driveway, but Aether thought he saw a second pair of eyes on the upper floor, peeking through the windows. It wasn’t until they’d made it back to the main road that Aether felt the world rebalance itself again and Draff, blinking as if for the first time in hours, wetted his lips and grunted, “Place gives me the creeps.” “Did you say something?” Aether asked, having been too distracted to catch his quiet mumbling. Draff gripped his steering wheel and laughed heartily. “Huh? Nah, nevermind, I don’t know what I’m talking about. It’s probably nothing.”

He’d be thinking it was definitely more than nothing for the rest of the day. In fact, Aether just knew he’d be remembering this entire scenario for the rest of the week,if not longer. Perhaps he really was missing something. Or he’d merely forgotten. Maybe Lumine would know. He made a mental note to ask her during their next call.

Despite the earlier disappointments of the day, the trip to Venti’s bar was smooth sailing in comparison. He was informed along the way that it was actually owned by a completely different man who was out on business so often that he allowed the event organizer, Venti, to keep watch during his absences. Aether couldn’t help but get the hint that many found this decision a poor one, as Draff’s description of the mysterious man made him sound as much of a drunk as the patrons were. When Draff assured him that Venti was far better at his job than he appeared, Aether noted the way his eyes glazed over as he spoke before regaining their earlier gleam. And while that was enough for Aether to add to his mental checklist of, ‘things not quite right in Springvale,’ the suspicion flew out the window the moment he entered the bar. It was spacious, clean, with the most comfortable stools and chairs he’d ever seen. Even the arcade games looked well-maintained. Not a thing was out of place and a small stage in the corner was decked out in an array of lights Aether imagined to be perfect mood lighting when turned on. Unfortunately, he was there on a mission, and exploring the bar was not on his to-do list. With Draff bemoaning his fate to not sneak a drink, Aether made it to the side rooms littered in gaming computers and was finally able to enjoy the glorious modern technology of wifi. With a skip to his step and a printed document of a new phone soon to be delivered, he left the building and dropped the keys with a loud thud in the mailbox,. The perfect fix to everything–minus the three days wait period, but that wasn’t enough to put a damper on his mood. Not now when he knew he’d defeated the demonic bird with the help of –well, the help of many people actually, but he appreciated the small town being full of people more than willing to help a stranger. The ride back was a comfortable one with Draff humming off-key to the radio and Aether playing with the broken phone in his hands, already considering how he could transfer all his important contacts and photos over to the new one. The screen was still on the open background Zhongli had left it on, and while the cracks still discolored many places on the screen, Aether was pleased to find he could still access a small amount of his apps. One text full of misspellings was sent to Lumine, and after, he attempted the dreaded photo gallery. The night before, all attempts to access it felt cursed to a void as the app opened and closed multiple times or failed to respond, being right behind one of the many beak indentations that shattered the screen.

Perhaps luck was on his side, or he’d brushed it in his pocket just right, as he noticed the gallery app was no longer behind the damage, but moved just enough to the left that he could press against it with no limitations. He blinked in surprise when the gallery opened revealing the list of images he’d taken since his arrival. “Hah, take that, you little demon,” he muttered beneath his breath, already searching for the very image he’d taken that had offended the bird in the first place. “I got you after all- huh?”

Except, when he opened the image, it was not a bird he saw sitting atop the stone altar, tossing small twigs aside. He blinked and screwed his eyes shut, thinking perhaps he was seeing things. A couple more blinks and he looked again, stunned by what he was witnessing. “Draff?” he asked when the man slowed down for a particularly sharp curve. “Hey, do you- do you see this?”

Holding the phone up for him to peek at, he had to steel himself to keep his hands from shaking. “Save a horse ride a-” Draff continued to sing, pausing as he noticed the screen. His cheeks burned red, a cough fell from his lips. “Ah, maybe I shouldn’t be singing that in front of a- oh hey, you caught the bird after all! Cute lil’ fella, ain’t he?”

Moving on auto-pilot, Aether lowered his hand, entire body quivering as a lump formed in his throat. “Uh yeah… that’s…one way to call it.”

He swallowed thickly and stared at the offending image as a strange sense of terror and familiarity settled in his bones, draining his heat away. The chill was not from a drop in temperature, but he methodically shut the air vents on his side, anyway. What he looked at was the farthest thing from a bird he could have ever seen and Draff’s response only solidified in his mind that he’d stumbled into something directly out of a story book. A man crouched on the altar, the image was blurred in places, with the colors off and pixelated in others, but Aether saw it clear as day. Moving aside bits of debris, his hair matched the beautiful black and teal colors of the bird, with sharp golden eyes that peered angrily at him through the screen. Much of the image was obscure, grainy in places, but the details were all there and a sensation that he knew this man flooded Aether like a wave. And those golden eyes reminded him of something, but he couldn’t remember.

He turned the phone off and stuffed it back into his pocket, breath ragged. It hit him in that moment with a wild clarity that this was an image he was definitely not supposed to see.

And for the life of him, he didn’t know what to do with that fact.

#Genshin Impact #Genshin Impact Fanfiction #xiaother #XiaoxAether #Xiao Genshin Impact #aether #genshin traveler #Xiao (Alatus)#Urban Fantasy #Supernatural Romance #human/monster romance #zhongli #Venti #Draff

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