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Chapter Text

A low headache greeted Aether as he woke. He groans and sits up as he takes in the scenery. The half-dragon has little memory of how he ended up on this planet but oddly felt calm and more confused than panicked. Aether notices he’s in a small crater shaped like him. He’s in a dense forest with beautiful sunlight peeking through the trees and illuminating his partially scaled skin. A sudden thought made him paralyze with fear.

Where is my necklace? Quickly, he slapped a hand to his collarbone. Empty. Overwhelming dread filled him and he searched himself and the area around him. Aether finds his necklace tangled in his braid but what he saw wasn’t comforting. The large gem was cracked and the mystic glow was dimmer than normal. Which ultimately meant, he was stuck on this planet. At least until he could figure out how to fix it. If there’s even a way how.

First things first. He thought. I need to gather my bearings and hopefully find civilization.

With this plan in mind he set off through the forest while following nothing in particular. Eventually, Aether found a path leading further into the forest but it was enough to shoot hope through him. Maybe I can find shelter by tonight. The idea excites him enough to flutter his wings a tad before jogging along the path in a hurry. Before long, he sees a small encampment of what look like hunters on the side of the path. Aether quickly moves towards them.

“Hello!” He calls happily with a wave.

Immediately, this seizes their attention and they look over to Aether. The sheer horror and fright their faces held after seeing him was enough to crush the half-dragon’s spirit. Several ran in a hurry down the road and many cried out and scattered into the forest. A handful of them stayed behind with weapons drawn, obviously debating attack. At this realization, Aether flared his wings to prepare flight. It was unnecessary, at the sight of his richly colored wings on full display they went running with everyone else. Aether groaned and drooped his wings and hung his head.

Are humans here not familiar with dragons? In Aether’s experience most planets he had seen praised dragons for their valor and loyalty. Dragons have had different roles on each planet but generally got along with humans. Even half-dragons were held in high regard. Aether simply rubbed his horns and sighed. He needed to focus and find something that can help him learn about this world. Proceeding along the path (with a much slower pace) he failed to notice the tense whispers of people hiding from him.

Aether soon reached a clearing and breathed out in relief at the sight of a small village in the hills. His buzz of hope almost made him miss the beautiful waterfall to the right of the path. Quickly unfurling his wings he gained momentum to soar to the entrance of the village. He grinned excitedly as he gracefully landed. The half-dragon practically ran into the small village and soaked up the sights. Small stone houses covered the tight area with bamboo, various flowers, and decorations Aether couldn’t recognize. The excitement once again faded when he noticed it was dreadfully quiet. The village looked well loved and cared for so there was no way that no one lived here. He carefully treaded forward.

“Hello?” He called out. No response. Curiously, he walks up to the closest house and knocks. Nothing. “Hello?” He called again. He moves onto the next house and knocks. He’s sure he hears a gasp this time.

“Hello? Look, I don’t mean to inconvenience anyone I just need some help...” Aether isn’t sure who he’s talking to, but he prays he has an audience. The silence once again fills the area and Aether feels frustration bubble in him. Humans were clearly afraid of him but what about others of his own kind? Sort of a long shot, considering how humans reacted to him alone. He doubted dragons existed here. It’s not like I have any other leads… Once again he rolls out his wings and takes off.

Soon enough, Aether finds some ruins and stops to investigate. Hardly anything is in place, everything tattered into rubble with little trace of humanity left. While looking upon a tablet with words he couldn’t read, he noticed a humanoid monster running up to him with a club in hand. They were yelling things he couldn’t understand. Did he somehow upset it? 

“Excuse me?” The humanoid thing attempts to hit him with the club but Aether easily catches it. “I’m sorry if I bothered you but do you know anyone I could talk to?” The monster fights to pull the wooden club back. Aether huffs and pulls away the club then burned it with his breath. The monster backed up in amazement. Aether quickly realized that could be viewed as threatening. To try to salvage the situation, he smiles and gives a pleading motion.

“Could you help me?” Aether tried to emphasize to see if it helps get his point across. The thing just nodded as a sign for the half-dragon to follow him. Aether let himself genuinely smile. Humans may not accept him yet but maybe their monsters will. The creature led him to a small encampment with several other humanoids like him, some were smaller but two of them were huge. Upon their arrival, everyone immediately jumped up at the sight of them. 

“Beru si? Zido ya?” One of them calls. 

“Todo, ya odomu” At this, the monsters recoil back into their relaxed state. Surprisingly, They welcomed Aether and were especially accepting of his dragon features. One of them handed him a mask which he quickly recognized as something everyone had. There were no eye holes in it which made him wonder how they saw out of it. He places the mask on his neck to cover his original necklace. The monsters seemed happy that he accepted the mask and proceeded to offer him food. Aether became very aware that he had not eaten anything all day and gratefully took what was offered. It didn’t taste the best, but he had no room to complain. The creatures seemed happily content to live as they were. 

A sudden growl caught his attention. “Ya yika!” Everyone grew tense and jumped up in attention. Aether sat up from the hut and sure enough there were people trying to destroy the creatures’ camp. The half-dragon decided to quickly move before things got messy. 

“Hey!” Aether called as he ran towards them with the other monsters. The humans, at the point, were fighting with the humanoid things and it made Aether act quickly. He hadn’t try to roar in a while, but he figured now was the time to try. Clearing his throat, he let loose a loud horrifying screech that effectively paralyzed everything nearby. 

Once again, the mere sight of Aether with his dragon features on full display was enough to send them running. Aether doesn’t understand why it’s so hard for humans to act normal. Before Aether could catch a break, he was quickly surrounded by the tribe. They seemed joyous considering how they danced and cheered. 

“Yo dada! Yo dada!” Aether laughed at the assumed praise. Besides humans, maybe this planet wasn’t so bad

After several weeks of staying with the hilichurls he picked up on a few words in their language. They were patient with him and took him along with hunts. They taught him which fruits were edible and what materials were useful. In exchange, Aether taught them how to make their food taste better with their materials and helped them start fires. Very rarely did a human pass by. Most of them scurried out of sight before Aether could say hello. 

“Dala…mosi gusha?” Aether asked hesitantly. The “Mitachurl” he’s come to learn, was the most knowledgeable on food. Often, He’d help him cook as they learned from each other. In response to the question, the mitachurl simply pointed to the tomato in their pile of cooking materials.

“Nye gusha mosi. Gusha nye mosi mita.” Aether couldn’t help but grin at that. Hilichurls weren’t keen on vegetables unless it complimented the meat. 

“Valo. What about these?” Aether held up a cabbage and onion. The mitachurl was thoughtful for a second. He pointed to the onion. “Mani mi.” He said. Aether handed him the onion and watched as he attempted to dice it with his large hands. 

“Movo mi gusha.” He pointed to the cabbage. Ah. Aether thought. Maybe I could teach them how to make tacos. Aether handed him the cabbage. And gave another look over their pile.

“Beru si?” The mitachurl asked Aether.

“Buka…uh, Todo.” The half-dragon responded. Curiously, the mitachurl watched as Aether filled a bowl with flour and poured hot water into it. He then kneaded the flour into the water and made it into a soft dough-like texture. This made the mitachurl stick his hand in and play with a small handful. Aether snickered at him. 

“Mosi nye.” The mitachurl nodded in response. Aether began to take out small pieces of the dough and shape them into balls. He started to roll them out into the classic shape of tortilla with much struggle. Upon realizing what he was doing, the mitachurl offered the wooden handle of a broken weapon which Aether took gratefully. He proceeded to roll the dough into perfect circles and put them off to the side while the grilled heated up. Not the best way of cooking tortillas, but it’ll do. The half-dragon offered the makeshift rolling pin to the mitachurl and gestured for him to try. It was a bit awkward with his large hands, but he rolled out wide oval shaped tortillas. Aether gave a thumbs up as the mitachurl glanced at him for approval. Maybe he could show them how to make rice with the tacos too. If they ever found rice, that is. 

“Watch me.” Aether spoke. His company recognized the words from their experience together and immediately payed attention. The half-dragon took two raw tortillas and placed them on the grill. After a few minutes he flipped it and revealed perfectly golden spots with black grill marks in between. A few more minutes go by and Aether quickly pinches them and tosses them on a different plate. The mitachurl claps his hands in applause. 

“Mi mosi?” He asks pointing to the finished tortillas. Aether held up his hands in a “hold on” motion. He grabs some butter and spreads it over the tortilla and watched it quickly melt within it. Rolling it up in a small burrito shape, he offers it to the mitachurl. Aether watched as the mitachurl ate it all at once. Guessing by his reaction, he approved of it. 

“Ye dada.” Aether’s chest swells with pride at the compliment. Aether sets aside another pan for the meat and takes the diced onions and cabbage on the counter beside him. 

“Can you practice making tortillas while mi buka mita?” Aether often spoke in between languages when he didn’t know exactly how to say it in hilichurlian. Thankfully, the Mitachurl understood and continued rolling out and grilling tortillas. Aether proceeded to chop the steak into squares and added it to the pan then seasoned it with (stolen) salt and pepper. 

When you live in a hilichurl camp you realize, theres a lot of mouths to feed. Luckily, They’re used to saving meats and fruits and other things for snacks throughout the day so, normally one big meal keeps them satisfied. However when there’s only two normally working in the kitchen, the workload becomes intensified. Not that they weren’t happy to do it anyway. 

After frying what felt like fifty pounds worth of meat, Aether puts out the fire and looks over to the mitachurl. He had made quite a hefty stack of misshapen tortillas that made Aether beam with pride. He  was happy with his progress. 

“Yo muhe!” The mitachurl pounds his chest in an excited manner.

“Mimi muhe! Muhe dada!” Aether laughs at his enthusiasm. Aether gathered the meat, cabbage, onions, (No tomatoes) and tortillas together and placed a plate in the center of them. The half-dragon demonstrated how to make a taco, starting with the tortilla, adding the meat, and any condiments to compliment it. It was a simple meal, but Aether relished how joyous it could make them. 

“Upa, upa, mosi!” The mitachurl called from the kitchen. A line slowly started to form with the samachurls in the front and the other mitachurl in the back. Aether, the mitachurl, and a few other hilichurls had begun passing out plates for everyone. At last, the mitachurls got the largest plates of food considering their size and bulk. 

Aether looked back over the tribe’s vibrant atmosphere and they dance, sang, and ate. He would never understand why people would go out of their way to hurt them. Hopefully he could change the world’s mind about them sometime. 

A few months later, Aether has start giving out nicknames to Hilichurls. One of the mitachurls he was with was called Ram, and currently they were searching for new cooking supplies. The other, named Momo, was busy making the next meal for the tribe. Ram let Aether sit atop his shoulders so he could reach various sunsettias and apples in the trees. 

Ram suddenly stopped and raised his oversized axe. Aether sits up and looks around their surroundings. He doesn’t know what to look for. “Ram? What do you hear?”

“Nye.” The mitachurl responded. The half-dragon grips Ram’s hair in an attempt of comfort. An arrow whizzed by and narrowly missed Aether’s head. Before he could even blink, another shot into Ram’s upper arm. Ram cried out in pain and Aether panicked. He hurriedly hops off his shoulder and throws down their ingredient pouch. Aether doesn’t get the chance to check Ram’s wound before he was thrown behind Ram. 

“Ram please, we need to run-“ Ram roars and plucks out a pyro slime from the ground and powers his weapon with it. They were being toyed with and Aether knew it. He didn’t know how to stop it. Ram sent a wave of flame forward through the trees to lure out whoever was hiding. Sure enough, a tall ginger emerged from the flames with an insane grin on his face. 

“My, my, the dragon is more impressive up close.” The man spoke. 

“What do you want from us?” Aether asked in frustration. 

“You’ve been terrorizing people in this area for a while. It’s only a matter of time before people got tired of it.” He smiles lazily before throwing an arrow in their direction with surprising speed. Aether watches as Ram holds up his axe to block it from hitting them. 

“I haven’t been terrorizing anyone! I’ve been living quietly with the Hilichurls for months!” Aether huffed out a puff of fire. That seemed to fascinate the ginger. He laughs at Aether which caused Ram’s hackles to raise. Aether quickly shot out his wing to stop Ram from proceeding. 

“Whether or not that’s true is none of my business. I was simply sent with a job and I don’t like going back empty handed.” The man lets out another shot from his bow and yelled “Riptide!” The arrow didn’t directly hit Aether, but the blast sure did. He was blown back by what felt like..water? The water, was by no means normal. It felt wrong against his skin and it burned. What the hell is up with this world? The half-dragon had no time to ponder before he realized the blast hadn’t knocked or even stumbled Ram. The mitachurl was fighting carelessly with the man and didn’t seem to notice he couldn’t match his speed with his hefty attacks. Aether was weaponless. He was not great with hand combat, but at this rate Ram would die. 

“Lata zido yo! Ya kuzi!” Aether pleaded with the mitachurl. 

“Mi kundala. Ya muhe nye.” Was the grunted response. Aether doubted his words. The man was clearly trained for this kinda situation. It was child’s play. The fact remained that he came for Aether. Ram shouldn’t have to fight this battle. Propelling himself with his wings, Aether launched himself between their blades. He successfully made the large hilichurl hesitate. Using this moment, the half dragon released a hot breath of fire towards the assassin. This successfully pushed him back. 

“It’s me you want right? Don’t waste your time with a hilichurl. He has nothing to do with this.” Aether felt a low rumble in his throat as the fire continued to heat his insides. The man wickedly smiled. 

“That’s cute that you care about them. Unfortunately, avoiding hilichurlian casualties wasn’t a requirement.” He put his bow on his back before blades materialized in his hands. They were made out of water. The man bolted towards them but before he could, a plunge from the sky knocked back everyone. This time, Aether felt like grass had given him countless cuts on his exposed skin. Aether groaned and sat up with a hiss to face the new challenger. He sees a shorter guy with a spear snarling at the taller assassin, but that’s hardly his priority right now. Aether stills as he saw Ram lying on the dirt, clearly defeated from the unexpected attack. He had taken most of the ginger’s attention causing him to be much more injured than Aether. The half-dragon cautiously gripped the mitachurl’s fur as tears ran down his face from shock. He never imagined this would happen in his time here. 

“Y-yo kundala?” Aether questioned nervously. 

“Nye, nye mosi mita..” Aether choked on a sob. 

“Unu…movo muhe yo.” The mitachurl’s body faded into black particles. Aether’s heart shattered when he saw all that remained was Ram’s horns and cracked mask. It was only then he realized the two murderers were fighting each other. Aether could care less why they were there. He collected the remains of Ram and flew away as fast as he could, leaving the ingredients long forgotten.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing Ajax?!” Xiao growled at the ginger. 

“There’s no way I’m letting you get in the way of my kill!” Ajax slashed with his blade. Xiao smacked away his arm with his polearm. 

“Don’t you realize it’d be easier if we just did it together? Or is basic intelligence too much for your human brain to handle?” Xiao put space between them. He wasn’t interested in fighting the ginger.

“And let you take the credit?” Ajax scoffed. “I’ve been tracking him for a while. You can sit this one out.” Xiao sighed angrily. 

“It’s already escaped. We could’ve handled it quickly if you weren’t such an idiot.” Ajax shrugged. 

“It’s not your problem anyway. This is my job.” 

“As if I’d entrust anything to you. Morax sent me to kill it.” 

“Morax isn’t my ruler. His word is not my law, so you can take those instructions and shove them up your ass.” The blatant disrespect was pushing Xiao’s patience. He hated how Ajax smirked at his expression of fury. The damn mortal feared nothing. 

“You’re aware you can’t beat me.” Xiao reminded. 

“I’m also aware you can’t hurt mortals who haven’t hurt you or Liyue.” Xiao wished he could beat the smile off his face. Instead he groans and facepalms. 

“I’ll give you one more chance. You can attempt to kill the dragon, but if you fail,” Xiao sneered. “I will take over. Is that clear?” Ajax nodded with a surprisingly serious expression. They shake hands. The contract was sealed.

Upon returning to the camp, Aether solemnly showed everyone that the trip was unsuccessful. He received plenty of comfort, one of the samachurls (Aether named her Granny) even made it rain soothingly to try and raise everyone’s spirits. Death was common among hilichurls. Or so Aether heard, but up until now he’s been able to scare away most threats. He realized now. He was an indirect threat to them. His presence put them in danger. He couldn’t stay with them.

“Momo?” Aether calls. Momo pokes his head up from the grill. He was making steaks. “Dala si?”

“I think I should leave the tribe,” Aether said sadly. “Yaya ikas mi zido. Ram zido.” Momo paused for a moment. 

“Eleka?” The half-dragon nodded. “Dala dada yo?” He nodded again. Momo sits up and grabs something from a chest in the corner of the kitchen. It was a sword (probably also stolen) with a blue hilt and gem embedded in the blade. Aether’s eyes widened at the sight of it. It was gorgeous. Momo made the blade look small; he offered it to the half-dragon with much care. It was accepted gratefully. Momo proceeded to go around the kitchen grabbing various things of food and miscellaneous supplies then put them into a backpack. Aether’s eyes teared up with gratefulness. They’ve always been too kind to him. The bag was handed to Aether. Once it was slung on his shoulders, he was crushed in a bear hug by Momo. Aether smiled and hugged back. 

“Valo, Momo.” Aether whispered. 

He set off the next morning. 

Translations:

Beru si? - What are you doing?

Dala zido ya? - Do we kill it?

Todo, ya odomu - Don’t worry, human friend

Yi yaka! - Human enemy!

Yo dada - You great/you did well

Dala mosi gusha? - Which vegetable is bad? 

Nye gusha mosi - Don’t eat this vegetable

Gusha nye mosi mita - It doesn’t pair well with meat. 

Valo - Thank you/ you’re welcome/ goodbye 

Mani mi - Give me 

Movo mi gusha - bring me that

Buka - grill/cook

Mosi nye - Don’t eat it

Mi mosi? - Can I eat it?

Mi buka mita - I cook meat 

Yo muhe - You win/triumph

Mimi muhe - We triumph 

Mimi dada - we did amazing

Upa - gather/come 

mosi - eat

Lata zido yo! - The water will kill you 

ya kuzi - the human is strong

mi kundala - I’m fine/alive

ya muhe nye - the human will be defeated/will lose

yo kundala - are you okay?/are you alive?

nye, nye mosi mita - No, I’m not happy eating meat/ No, I’m not okay (expression of sadness)

Unu movo muhe yo - may Unu bless you (the god praised by hilichurls)

mita - tribe/meat/good/goodness

Dala si - What’s wrong?/What’s the matter?

Yaya ikas mi zido, Ram zido - The bad humans wanted to kill me, Ram died instead

Eleka - Now

Dala dada yo? - will it be good for you?

Chapter Text

Leaving the hilichurls made Aether realize things weren’t going to come easy anymore. Momo had packed him enough food for about a week, but that week flew by fast. He was now in month one of being away from the hilichurls. Aether resorted to chasing lizards, frogs, and ferrets for food. Not that he didn’t see any hilichurlian camps during his explorations, but he would simply say hi and leave. He didn’t wanna repeat what happened to Ram. Even so, the hilichurls would be very friendly towards him and offer him supplies before he left. (Aether guessed Granny spoke highly of him to other hilichurls.) 

Aether had passed a few encampments of people and not all of them were easily scared away. Shock would definitely be the first reaction. However, there would be people who attempted to throw burning alcohol and rocks at him. Also swing at him with hammers and throw dirt on him. Overall very rude, but normally they give up after Aether sets them on fire. The half-dragon couldn’t feel bad about going through their stuff. He’d normally find a lot of coins. Big bundles of small gold and then others of a gross brown or even silvery blue. Aether would take them just in case. He didn’t know what the money of this world is anyway. 

Currently, Aether was going through another camp. The men used their “smoke bombs” to get away long before Aether could even summon his sword. He found the normal junk he’d see from these guys. (He was starting to think it was some kind of organization.) The only thing different about this one in particular is that there was a cloak in it. Aether’s eyes widened. Maybe he could use this and blend in with humans. His horns weren’t exactly small but maybe they could be passed off as… something human-like? Rationality was forgotten. He just wanted to interact with humans without making them scared. Aether quickly clipped it on and threw on the hood. Maybe he could find a city or a small village to visit. A smile grew on his face at the thought of human interaction. Being friends with humans and hilichurls would maybe make middle ground? Aether couldn’t wait. 

He curled his tail just a little bit to not make it noticeable and flattened his wings. It’d take a bit of getting used to, but he would manage. 

First priority, civilization. 

Aether had found a very flat beach with a large mountain beside it. He could feel the chill from there and had no interest in exploring it. He turns around instead and sees a lady dressed in all purple carelessly tossing around a lamp. Here’s your chance! Aether walks up to here and before he could get out a greeting she yelled: “Are you here to play with me?” Her malicious expression said everything. Aether groaned and threw off his cloak and backpack. He hesitantly summoned his sword. He didn’t really want to fight. She giggles at his readiness for battle. Suddenly, little purple bugs appear beside her. They looked like they were coated in electricity. Once again, Aether was confused. Before he could attack, he sees his enemy stumble and cry out in pain. The half-dragon looked for the other fighter and what he saw chilled him to his core. The ginger. 

The man let out a few more fully charged shots before she fell over, defeated. At the sight of the fallen lady, Aether began to slowly back away praying he won’t be seen if he makes a break for it. Aether quickly collected his things and made the mistake of looking up. A shit-eating grin flooded his vision. The man was right in front of him. Aether gasped and quickly backed up. 

“Woah, woah, there’s no need to be afraid comrade.” He holds up his hands in surrender. This only alerted Aether more, but he decided to let him speak. 

“I know we’ve had… a bad start, but I’m here to apologize.” The man gave a small smile. Aether scoffed at him. 

“Attempting to kill me certainly is a bad start. Killing a friend of mine is a terrible start.” The ginger had the audacity to look like he felt bad. 

“Look, I’m sorry. I thought it’d be an easy job but after seeing you, I figured it’d be more interesting if I hung around for a bit.” Aether sneered.

“You want to be around me for entertainment?” The assassin’s eyes widen at how blunt Aether was. 

“No, no. I mean, I like fighting. I’m sure you encounter a fair share of trouble on the road so maybe I could act as a body guard.” He had a good point, but it wasn’t enough.

“I can handle myself.” Aether breathed out the smoke building in his chest.

“What about getting around people? If you need help regarding people having a human around would be a big help.” Aether cursed. He hit the nail on the head. Aether could always dip on him if he acted weird or did anything bad. Or he could return the favor and kill him instead.

“Fine.” Aether groaned. “But if you so much as hurt any hilichurl ever I swear on my momma I will put you six feet under.” The man put a hand on his heart and he nodded solemnly. Aether prayed this wasn’t a mistake. 

“I suppose we should introduce ourselves,” He smiles. “I’m Ajax, but you can call me Childe. I normally work as an assassin or mercenary but you get the honor of receiving my services for free.” Aether ignored the last part. 

“I’m Aether.” He said. “I need you to take me to a city.” 

“What for?” Aether didn’t think he could trust him enough to tell him his origins. The half-dragon had been hoping Lumine would notice his disappearance and come looking for him. He supposed ruling a planet was enough to keep her busy for awhile. Aether just need to survive and get a good standing on this planet before Lumine takes him home. 

“I need you to show me civilization. Any wrong ideas and I’ll bite your arm off. Don’t ask me questions.” Childe raised a brow. 

“If you’re planning on destroying a city I can’t say I can help you out of that one. Especially since this is Morax’s territory.” Aether frowned at the words. Was “Morax” their ruler? 

“I’m not planning on destroying anything dude, what is wrong with you?” He received a shrug. “Listen, I don’t know your world’s history of dragons, but I certainly have no part in it.” 

Childe laughed. “I’m pretty sure Morax killed off the last dragon ages ago. Your very existence is a mystery. Not to mention your half human parts.” He hums. “I didn’t think a human and dragon could even breed.” 

“Please don’t talk about my parents like that.” Aether groaned. “Let’s just go to this city already. Enough talk about dragons.”

“If you say so comrade.” 

“Don’t call me that.” 

The trip to the city was decent to say the least. Aether has had his fill on human communication. Childe would ask silly questions about him, some personal, some plain stupid. He spoke enough to make the half-dragon crave silence. The only plus about him was that he was an impressive fighter. When anything remotely looking like a threat showed up, he’d swiftly deal with them. Aether would have to tell hilichurls along the path that Childe was simply helping him and not currently a threat to them. So far, Childe kept his word and had actually taught Aether about various threats scattered across “Liyue”. Childe had obviously noticed Aether’s lack of knowledge on the world but didn’t question it. The assassin has proven to be trustworthy so far which made Aether relieved to let his guard down a bit. 

There were a few odd moments however. For example, there was a time where Childe shot suspiciously close to Aether’s head. Aether was about to literally bite off his arm until Childe pointed out the dead boar with an arrow in its side. Another time, Aether had been sleeping in their little camp and woke up to it in flames. The flames obviously didn’t affect him, but it was enough to make Childe freak out and blame him for breathing fire in his sleep. Aether is pretty sure he hasn’t done that ever. 

And now, Childe had given Aether a purplish and yellow “berry” that suspiciously looked like frog skin. 

“What kind of berry is this?” Aether sniffed it. It smelt like plastic. If that was even a thing on this planet. 

“It’s a… Bloom berry. Supposedly they’re very sweet.” Aether’s eyes narrowed at him. Brightly colored berries weren’t normally good. But it’s not like Aether would know. Rules are different on every planet. He simply rolled his eyes and popped the berry in his mouth. His eyes immediately widened. Childe leaned in in anticipation. 

“Holy shit, this is really good!” Aether happily chewed. The berry was indeed sweet with a sourish aftertaste. Aether looks at Childe and saw he had a horrified expression on his face. He looked pastier than he normally did. 

“What’s up with you?” Aether tilted his head. 

“N-nothing comrade!” Childe looked like a kid who was caught lying to his mother. Aether decided to ignored it.

“Do you happen to have more?” 

“No, they only grow in… a special spot. I’ll look for some next time.” Childe was really awkward after that. Aether decided to change the subject. 

“So what do you think about our arrangement? Do you ever get thoughts about going back home?" Childe looked away. They didn’t normally like personal questions. Tension of mistrust still stood between them.

“I have a family but they live far away. I send them letters often and visit when I can. Jobs come and go and so do I.” Childe smiles. “What about you?” It was Aether’s turn to look away. 

“My family is much farther than you can imagine.” 

“Are they dead?” 

“God, no! At least I hope not. My sister is the leader of our nation. She’s been too busy to get me so I have to deal with,” He gestures to everything frantically. “This.” He sighs.  

“I want to go home so badly. Everyone is afraid of me, hilichurls die because of me,” Childe cringed at that one. “Humans want me dead, and now my sister is probably worried sick about me!” His chest was flooded with frustration. He’s never complained about his situation verbally before. Childe looked weirdly sympathetic. The silence quickly became painfully awkward and Aether hated it. 

“Anyway,” Aether sits up and blinks away the burn in his eyes. “That’s enough break time we need to keep going.” Childe stood up and silently led the way. They left the unspoken behind them. 

“Up the mountain here, we’ll be able to see Liyue Harbor.” Childe pointed to a tall mountain peering over them.

“Do you think I could fly us over it?” Childe chuckled a bit. 

“No offense comrade, but I don’t think you’ll be able to carry me. Especially while flying.” Aether did get a bit offended. 

“You can’t underestimate my strength, I’m literally half-dragon! Besides, if dragons are supposed to be big world destroyers why can’t I fly you up to the mountain?” 

“You’re kinda short, and your muscle mass isn’t exactly huge.” 

“You know I have abs.” Aether smacked Childe’s ankle with his tail. He clearly wasn’t expecting it, considering how he tripped. Aether did stop to laugh at the ginger before he also fell over from what felt like a strong blast of wind. 

“That’s karma paid in full.” Childe snickered. Aether gave him the most deadpan look he could manage. 

An ethereal looking man interrupted them with a growl. Aether immediately recognized him. The one who completely killed Ram.  The two boys jumped to their feet at the sight of him.

“Adeptus Xiao,” Childe bowed mockingly. “How pleasant it is to see you!” Childe turned to Aether and harshly whispered:

”The harbor is just over that mountain, you can’t miss it. I need you to fly and hide there as fast as you can. I’ll find you.” Xiao looked absolutely bewildered. (And offended at how he was being ignored.)

”You’re sending it into the harbor?” Aether didn’t appreciate being referred to as a thing. He clutches his cloak and decides to listen to Childe. He didn’t feel like dying today.

”Ajax we had a contract. Your presence isn’t necessary anymore.” Aether paused. Contract? Did this Xiao guy hire him? 

“Aether, you need to go.” Childe held a surprisingly serious tone. 

“Tell me about this later.” Aether states before turning and soaring away towards the mountain. He doesn’t get far. Xiao appeared in front of him and folded his wings in front of Aether to prevent him from moving. This causes the half-dragon to promptly propel towards the ground with a terrifying feeling of helplessness. He attempted to pull the other man off of him with little success. It felt like his grip was solid steel. Aether resorts to letting smoke sizzle out of his mouth and nose as a warning. He didn’t actually want to hurt him. This seemed to work, Xiao eyes widened and he quickly let go. Aether caught himself with his wings and watched as the Adepti gracefully plunged.

“I will not let you near the harbor, dragon.” He swiped a hand over his face and a mask appeared. Black and green particles surrounded him as intense power swelled through the area. Was this guy a demon? Aether couldn’t stop and think before Xiao had grabbed him buy his horns and threw him to the ground. More manhandling was expected, but instead, he heard a hiss of pain. Aether looks up and sees Childe had caught up with them and now had his bow out. He was aiming directly at Xiao. 

“Get to the harbor. Now.” Aether didn’t hesitate this time. He spread his wings and flew as fast as he could. He definitely heard a screech of anger behind him but he refused to look back. 

Aether made it to the harbor in one piece.

Chapter Text

Turns out, the top of the mountain held a beautiful view of the city. Liyue Harbor… Aether thought dreamily. After seeing mostly wilderness throughout his adventures the site of actual buildings with people made him excited. The architecture was unique and aesthetically appealing. The only issue was he didn’t know how could he properly enter the city without being seen as weird. Seeing no better option he decides to jump onto the roof of a building. It was a far jump. Aether had to resist pulling out his wings to glide, he didn’t want to risk being seen. Besides, he knew he’d survive the fall anyway.

His landing wasn’t exactly full of elegance. He ended up tumbling off of the roof and landing flat on his back in the concrete. He prayed the cloak had effectively covered him throughout the fall. He quickly sat up and wrapped his tail around his leg. The half-dragon was very self conscious about his appearance now. 

“Oh my gosh! Are you okay?” The worried voice cut through his thoughts. Someone noticed him! He looked up and saw a girl with pale blueish purple hair. And more notably, horns. Upon further inspection, she didn’t have wings or a tail which tells him that her horns weren’t from a dragon. Aether hesitantly pulled down his hood so the worried lady could look at him closer. She didn’t even blink at the sight of his horns. So horns are normal but wings and scaley tails aren’t?

“Sir?” She questioned again. Aether completely spaced out. 

“Oh, yes! I’m fine, thank you.” The half-dragon stands up with her help. 

“I’m Ganyu, the secretary and emissary for the Liyue Qixing.” Aether had no idea what that meant. For now he’d assume she held a powerful position based on her clothing. 

“I’m Aether. I’m simply a traveler.” Ganyu’s eyes spoke of soft comfort. He felt blessed to receive her kind gaze. 

“Have you ever been to Liyue Harbor before?” Aether shook his head. “Oh, I can give you a quick tour before my shift starts. I promise you’ll love it here!” Her energy was contagious. Aether doesn’t remember the last time he’s been happy about something on this planet. At least, not since the hilichurls. 

“Here follow me, I’ll show you the antique store first since it’s closest.”

“Y’know,” Childe coughed out. “That dragon isn’t a threat.” Xiao narrowed his eyes at him. His anger has long faded but Childe still manages to draw annoyance from his tired soul.

“His intentions matter not. I was given clear instructions. Our opinions shouldn’t matter.” Childe chuckled before clutching his stomach in pain. He did get his shit kicked in earlier.

“A stick in the mud as ever, Xiao.” The adeptus rolled his eyes. “You still can’t enter the city?” Childe received no response.

“I’ll simply inform Ganyu of the dragon’s location. It can be handled from there. If not, I will continue my pursuit.” Xiao said.

“And me?” Xiao calmly sat next to him. 

“You can suck on the wrath of the rock.” Childe choked out a laugh at his seriousness.

“Is that really how you’d treat an old friend?” Xiao’s brows furrowed at the name. He never considered Childe a friend ever. Not even when they worked together. 

“You’re an idiot. My duty to Liyue comes first.”

”Do you really wanna kill this dragon?”

“Do you really think this dragon holds no malice?”Xiao scoffs. “Thousands of years of wars I’ve seen prove otherwise. It’s in their nature.” Xiao’s tone was firm.

“He’s not fully dragon. He’s human too. He has a heart. Didn’t you see the way he was sobbing over that hilichurl?” 

“Monsters look out for monsters.” Was the retort. Childe sighed and attempted to sit up to look at the shorter man. 

“That’s such an old fashioned way of looking at things. I don’t know for sure where he’s from, but he only want to go home. So far he hasn’t massacred anyone right?” Xiao held a complicated look on his face. He could understand wanting people to understand him. Wanting people to believe he held no evil. 

“No. But that doesn’t mean I want to allow a risk of it happening. Neither will Morax.” 

“Why not monitor him? Just until he makes it home. Is the big man even aware the dragon is half human? Morax will understand if you change the plan a bit.” Xiao winced at the thought of it. He was always a strict rule follower and never asked for lenience. He never tried to bend the rules either. He sighed loudly. He admits to himself that he never got the opportunity to actually understand the motives of the dragon. He also never questioned why imminent destruction wasn’t being threatened. Most dragons tended to start with that line.

“I suppose… just this once.” Childe let a fat smile take over his face. “I pity the dragon. Not you. I want you to know I would send you back to Celesta if I could.” 

“I’ll take what I can get.” Childe slowly stands.

“I’ll inform Morax of the idea. You go into the harbor and find the dragon. As soon as you leave the city, speak my name.” 

“You got it.” 

Currently, Aether and Ganyu were eating at a famous restaurant in Liyue. It was called Wanmin Restaurant and had particularly popular spicy dishes that Aether enjoyed. He learned the small gold coins were called Mora and it was the world’s currency. Apparently, it was well loved in this city in particular. Ganyu generously offered to pay and received Aether’s unending thanks. 

“How was your first meal in Liyue?” Ganyu asked him.

”I’ve never had anything so spicy before. It was a pleasant surprise for sure.” She claps her hands in joy. 

“I’m so glad! You should stick around for a bit to see all Liyue has to offer.” Ganyu glanced at the sky for a moment. “Ah, thats my cue. I must go now, but I hope I can see you again sometime!” She waves bye to Aether and runs off. Aether couldn’t help but smile. Did he just make a friend? Aether knew better than anyone to not get attached to a planet that most likely will not be his future home planet. However, months without family and friends have made him lonely. Maybe that’s why he took Childe’s offer. Aether’s eyes widened. Childe. He could be dead right now. The sight of the city had made him forget he was seconds away from dying a few hours ago. Shaking away the foolishness, he jumps to his feet and starts looking for the assassin. He started heading back towards where he entered the city. He didn’t make it very far up the road before he saw a tall figure sprinting towards him.

"Aether!" He heard the figure yell. It was Childe. His clothing was tattered and dirty. His hair was wild and messy. That was when Aether realized he was getting worriedly close and showed no signs of stopping. The man reached him soon and threw his arms around him, causing them both to fall over with Childe’s momentum. 

“Dude, we’re in public.” Aether hissed. “You could’ve pulled off my cloak.” He pushes the bigger man off enough to sit up. 

“You’re not hurt are you?” Childe smiled at the softened tone. 

“Awee, did you worry for me?” 

“Don’t make me regret it.” Aether sighed. “You don’t have to show me around Liyue. A nice lady already did.” He stood up and glanced over Childe one last time.

“Clean yourself up or something. We have a city to experience.” 

“Ahh… how long do you plan on staying in the city?” Childe looked a little worried.

”Oh. Maybe a few days or so? I just want to see everything before we move on.” Childe frowned. 

“I don’t think that will be necessary! I mean, there’s still plenty of other places I could show you-“ Aether’s face morphed into a weird expression. 

“Well, I think there’s no need to rush things. I don’t know how long it will take to be rescued, so staying in one place might help also.” Then, Aether beamed. “You might have some fun here too. Consider it a vacation.” 

Childe cursed his bright smile. Aether rarely did smile, so the fact that he smiled at the thought of having fun in the city really pulled at Childe’s heart and growing care. Oh well, Xiao could wait. It’s not like he took vacations anyways. One wouldn’t hurt. 

“What the hell. A few days wouldn’t hurt I suppose.” Aether then clapped happily. 

“Excellent. The nice lady took me to Wanmin to eat. Have you been there before? Do you like spicy foods?” 

“I come from somewhere very cold so, spice normally wasn’t on the menu. But yes, I’ve been to the Wanmin restaurant and I can say it tastes better than those lizards you eat.” Childe grinned at Aether’s mortified face. “I know you eat them when you think I’m not looking.” 

“Did you just imply you tried them before?” Now Childe looked surprised, but shook it off quickly.

“Survival makes us do unfavorable things.” Childe shrugs it off. “You had plenty of meat and fruit you could’ve ate instead.” 

“I think they taste good okay? I’m only half human remember?” Aether huffed. “If you tell anyone I’ll personally char you.” Childe simply snickers. 

“Whatever you say comrade.” 

Hours later, Aether was happily playing with a kite he forced Childe to buy him. Aether learned he was surprisingly careless with money. From that carelessness, Aether received a picture with Childe, a jueyun chili (Aether forced Childe to eat it.), and a giant wolf tooth from the antique store. Childe even bought new clothes. Aether thought they were really pointless items but he figured they’d serve as memories. They even saw a concert by the docks from a girl named Xinyan. Aether seemed to be the only one actually enjoying it. 

“Hey Childe?” He heard a hum. 

“What am I supposed to do if I accidentally let go of the kite?” The taller mans sits up from the bench and looked over. The kite was indeed blowing out to sea. 

“You’re supposed to chase it but,” Childe frowned. “I guess it’s the ocean’s problem now.” 

“Oh.” Silence fell once again. It was then Aether noticed the sun getting closer to the horizon.

“It’s getting kinda late. Do you know where we’ll sleep tonight?” Aether asked. He didn’t know if inns and hotels existed here. 

“I don’t think staying in the city is an option. Just to be safe.” Aether nodded. 

“Okay then, where’s your camping gear?” Childe’s eyes widened. There was noticeably no backpack on him. No bed rolls, no portable cooking station, nothing. 

“Uh, I might’ve left that behind.” Aether reached up to flick his forehead. 

“Then we’ll stay with hilichurls. Do you know where the nearest camp is?” Childe’s face made it clear he didn’t like the idea. “Oh come on, they’re clean. I lived with them for months they’re not terrible.” 

“That’s not really my concern.” 

“Then what is?” There was a pause.

”I’ll show you once we get outside the city.” Childe led him to the edge of the city. Once they made it to the bridge he turns to the shorter male. 

“Okay, I need you to promise you won’t freak out.” Suspicion settled into Aether immediately. 

“What do you mean?” Childe sighed. 

“Xiao.” He said. In the blink of an eye, the adeptus was right in front of them. Little black particles faded from the surrounding area. 

“You were supposed to call me as soon as you found the dragon Ajax. Not a whole day later.” The adeptus growled.

“Hey, nows not the time to raise your voice at me. Can’t you see you’re scaring our guest?” Their eyes trail to the direction of the half-dragon who already had one leg over the railing of the bridge. He was ready to fall into the river below and let it take him to sea with his kite. His eyes were wild and fearful. Xiao takes note and tones down the natural smolder. 

“My apologies. I’ve been informed that I require to… monitor you rather than kill you.” Hesitance danced in Aether’s eyes. His gaze lingered on the adeptus and then moved over to the assassin. 

“I am not a thing and I am not a baby. I don’t need to be watched and I’d rather not have a murderer anywhere near me.” Childe winced but Xiao didn’t react. 

“Aether you know he didn’t mean it right?” Childe tried to make light of the situation. Xiao frowns.

”I don’t recall killing anyone.” Aether narrowed his eyes. 

“I was living with the hilichurls. I did nothing wrong and neither did they. Tell me, does that warrant death?” Aether fought to prevent the smoke from leaving his nose. Xiao merely shrugged. His apathy irritated the half-dragon.

”Hilichurls aren’t human. They don’t require kindness when they harm and kill without mercy.” Xiao was snarling at Aether now. Their little truce was hanging on a thread and both of them held a blade.

“Might I remind you that Aether, is indeed a dragon, and can destroy the city if he likes.” Childe cut in leaning towards Xiao. Aether gazed at him in shock but the assassin didn’t let him speak. “And Xiao, most likely has the power to kill you on the spot.” Childe leaned towards Aether. Xiao gave an irked look. “So! We need to be nice to each other okay? We all have common interests. Getting Aether home. Are we clear?” 

Xiao gave a curt nod. Not like he had a choice anyway. Aether let fear leak into his gaze. He didn’t trust Xiao. It took him a while to trust Childe but that was because he didn’t blame him entirely for Ram’s death. He wished he had Lumine’s wisdom to help him. Aether chose to bare his fangs. 

“If you harm a single hilichurl in my presence I swear to whatever god-“ Childe suddenly clapped in front of the half-dragon’s face. 

“Enough of that. That means we’re clear and we’re a team now. Let’s move onto that camp.” Xiao appeared alert but calm. It irked Aether to no end. “Aether, since you know the language I’ll let you lead the way.” Sneaking a look at Xiao he silently trudged forward. Aether wasn’t sure if he was comfortable bringing them to a hilichurl camp. 

The half-dragon gripped his horns in an attempt to soothe his negativity and unease. Maybe he was going about this wrong. Maybe he was being harsh. Forgiving murders? That doesn’t sound right. But it’s not like he had a choice. He had to trust that Childe had his best interest in mind. This might be for the best. 

“There’s a lawachurl blocking the road ahead.” Xiao’s sharp voice cut the silence. Aether did see evidence of hilichurlian activity, but no hilichurls. Xiao must have intense vision or something. 

“I can talk us around it. Drawing your weapons will alarm them so please avoid that.” Aether spoke as the lawachurl came into sight. The rocky exterior of it’s body caught Aether’s attention. The yell of a “Yaya!” caught everyone else’s. Xiao immediately summoned a spear of jade from thin air and Childe hesitantly raised his blades of water. They were surrounded by several archers aiming towards them and several other hilichurls awaiting to get closer. Aether was still transfixed on the lawachurl before them. Why did it seem familiar? 

“Aether?” Both Childe and Xiao look to the half-dragon for guidance. They only saw a calm, curious expression on him. Clearly not interested in the situation around them. 

“Oh, that’s how I recognize you!” Everything froze. Aether smiled widely. “You’re Momo’s older sister! Yaya odomu!” The lawachurl tilts her head curiously at them. The other hilichurls follow her lead. Childe and Xiao gaze at him in shock. 

Momo’s sister?