Archive of Our Own ^beta

"I think that is all for today. You may take your leave now: Sucrose, Timaeus."

"O-oh. See you tomorrow then, Mr. Albedo!"

"See you tomorrow!"

Upon hearing that their duties are dismissed for the day, Timaeus and Sucrose, who are his fellow alchemists, set aside their files containing data for their research then said their good-byes.

Leaving the cave, Albedo could hear their chattering about their findings for today until they were no longer in earshot. He watched their figures dwindle over time with the harsh snow further clouding his vision until they couldn't be seen anymore. Seeing that they were no longer here, Albedo could finally relax and do his favorite hobby - painting. The senior alchemist took his canvas and tools then made his way to the higher points of the mountain. Secluded places like this were his favorite spots to paint. There were barely any noises that could distract him and the howling winds of the cold weather only served as white noises to him. After assembling his tools, he began to observe the scenery around him that he can paint on his canvas.

Mountain ranges. Grass patches. Trails. There weren't many interesting things he could paint right now, and those fiends? He already painted those a million times.

Albedo sighed and set aside his brush. What should he do? He already walked several meters away from his camp and he didn't want to go back empty-handed. Should he go stroll around dragonspine then?

Albedo gathered his tools and was about to climb down when he heard a loud booming noise just below the cliffs. Albedo made his way down the mountains and settled near it, not daring to go down any further in case the one who made that noise is a feral fiend. When the dust had settled, Albedo disregarded his belongings and summoned his sword - a powerful one that is made of a fallen dragon, and warily moved closer to the crater.

When his eyes laid down on the depression, he gasped. Laying on the crater was a lithe body with six disheveled wings and a halo glowing a rather dull color. He hasn't seen a demon with these features which means...

"It's an angel from Celestia!"

While he was busy studying the fallen figure, he sensed multiple presence around him. It was a hoard of fiends! The crash must've alerted them and decided to eliminate the intruder. Albedo rushed towards the crater and gently shook the person awake.

"Hey! Wake up! We need to get out of here!"

He shook the person again, this time harder but he was getting no response. Albedo could already see the hoard around them - their eyes bloodshot and the snarling was getting louder and louder every second.

Albedo cursed. He can't fight this many, the best he could do is to stall them. He slung the person on his shoulder and summoned his geo constructs. When he saw an opening, he made his way over to the camp while attacking the fiends who were gaining speed over them.

Albedo finally arrived in his camp then summoned a shield to prevent the friends from coming in. They banged and banged but when they realized it was no use, they eventually gave up.

Albedo breathed a sigh of relief. He was really thankful that the person was light otherwise he wouldn't be able to run this far. He laid the figure on his make-shift bed and studied his features.

Beautiful. Albedo thought.

His figure was slim and the blond hair cascaded on his back really enhanced his features as an angel. If it weren't for his slightly broad shoulders, Albedo might've mistaken him for a girl.

He tried to call out to the person but to no avail. His chest heaving up and down was the only response he got. Albedo inferred that the fall must've knocked him unconscious…

Albedo decided to study about angels instead. Even with his massive bookshelf, there was only one book containing this information and even then, the book was really thin. Despite this, the book was still trustworthy considering this came from his now deceased master, Rhinedottir, who managed to visit Celestia just once. Not much is known about them aside from the fact that they resided in said place. But according to her, Celestia has a hierarchy system and the higher an angel's rank is, the more tremendous power they wield. Their ranks can be seen on the color of the halo and the number of wings they had - white color and six wings indicate that they are the highest rank.

The angel on his bed has six wings but his halo was a dull gray rather than white. Albedo continued flipping the pages to learn more about it but he couldn't even find one piece of information about it.

He closed the book then put it back to its place on the shelf. He supposed he could wait for him to wake up and ask about it...

Albedo could vividly remember that day.

The fiends who ravaged their nation and eventually, the nation was destroyed by Celestia.

Khaenri'ah was considered a nation that was ideal for those in Teyvat. The nation, despite being hidden from the natural wonders of the world, was still blessed with life through the use of alchemy. Even without an Archon to rule over them, their nation still thrived and became even more advanced than the other regions in Teyvat.

However no matter how advanced they seem, a demon is still a demon. And they aren't immune to the effects of greed.

His master, a renowned figure in Khaenri'ah who was given the blessings of Celestia due to her achievements, succumbed to the corruption. His once calm and helpful, but strict mother in the end became a crazed monster who desired for more power.

Through alchemy, she sought the power to create a life that even surpasses the angels in Celestia.

And all that brought forth was the demise of Khaenri'ah.

He fled his country and seeked refuge to the other nations but all he got were the scorns of others. Fellow demons blamed him for the suffering of their respective nations due to the rampage of the newly birthed fiends - all because he was a once citizen of Khaenri'ah.

After traveling through the six nations, he landed in Mondstadt. The Anemo Archon took pity on him and decided to let him live in the city but the citizens weren't so kind compared to their ruler.

Years have passed and yet they still treated him, albeit no longer coldly, an outcast. There were those who didn't care for his circumstances but in the end, they were just his colleagues. Not his friends nor his companions.

Albedo has relived these memories hundreds of times already but this time, there was something strange about it. Instead of the scene just ending right there, he was still stuck in his dream.

Albedo found himself standing on a sea of flowers. Despite the beautiful scenery before him, Albedo could sense there was a tone of loneliness around it.

Standing in the center under the vast dull blue sky was a lone boy. His blond hair flowing freely on his back while his golden eyes were locked on a figure that was too far away from him.

The figure had an image all too similar to him. Blonde hair, golden eyes, and wings and a halo that complimented the hue of her white dress.

The boy chased after the figure but the female disappeared, leaving nothing but fleeting constellations in her stead.

At that moment, Albedo understood. That he, too, had lost his 'home.'

When Albedo awoke, he realized that he had fallen asleep on his desk and that, oddly, someone was running their fingers through his hair.

He tilted his head in order to get a view on this person and he found out it was no other than the person whom he had rescued from the horde of fiends.

Albedo stood up and thanked the person for looking after him and the other only nodded in silence. Only after that he introduced himself did he discover that the angel before him can't speak.

Albedo, understanding his predicament, lends him a notebook for him to write on.

The angel wrote his name as 'Aether.' From Albedo's memory, he recalled that his name was the old Teyvatian term for sky. Albedo can't help but remember the dull sky that encompassed the field of flowers in his dreams and the loneliness that emanated from the blond angel before him.

Albedo didn't say anything but took ahold of Aether's hand and led him out of the cave. It should be that time after all…

Cold winds embraced their bodies and Aether squinted in response. Albedo gave him his coat and when Aether finally calmed down, his golden eyes widened in wonder.

Beautiful lights in various shades filled the dark filled sky. The colorful lights shifted through the darkness as if it was woven by a skillful weaver. The colors mixed and intertwined with each other which formed a beautiful swirl in the atmosphere.

"Aurora borealis." Albedo suddenly said and Aether tilted his head in response.

"Those lights." He pointed. "That's what they're called."

Aether turned his head back into the sky and the two watched the waving lights in silence.

"Aether."

Albedo took a deep breath. "If you like, would you come to live with me?"

Aether said nothing but rested his head on the other's shoulder with his cerulean horns and Aether's halo touching each other. At that moment Albedo understood that the both of them had finally found a new 'home.'