Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

• 1.1 - Prologue, Act I •

Venti always knew that time was not strictly linear. The world's memories may be continuous, but the Thousand Winds of Time could sense the occasional hiccup in the timeline when Istaroth altered something.

However, awareness of the possibility did not make Venti any more prepared to deal with a time loop.

He initially panicked when, some time after Inazuma's Irodori Festival, he found himself back in his wisp form, in Old Mondstadt, completely surrounded by a storm barrier, mid-Archon War. He tried to convince himself that he was just having a nightmare again, but he couldn't seem to wake up. Everything felt so real that he wondered if the rest of his life had been the dream instead.

Fortunately, he didn't have to wonder for long. The Thousand Winds received a message from Istaroth herself:

"A glitch in Yggdrasil has reached us. Thus, I have activated our timeline to Loop, to prevent further damage to our Branch. I will share more information later; for now, Winds, work together to maintain the stability of our reality."

Venti took a moment to collect his thoughts. Yggdrasil? Loop? Branch? He vaguely remembered Istaroth mentioning something similar before, maybe once or twice. They were related to something about the universe— no, the Multiverse?

Regardless, the timeline was set back, and that was why Venti had returned to Old Mondstadt. Did that mean he was once again a mere wind spirit, not a god? He tested the extent of his powers and, surprisingly, he hadn't fully lost them. He was still able to shapeshift into his humanoid form, an ability he had gained only after becoming the Anemo Archon, which hadn't happened yet at this point of the timeline.

He'd ask Istaroth about it later, but for now he reverted to his wisp form. If he was supposed to maintain the stability or whatever, that probably meant following the original timeline as closely as possible. As a Wind of Time, he was well aware of the importance of the timeline progressing correctly. Even Istaroth's previous alterations had been minimal… mostly. There was that instance with the Sacred Sakura that appeared out of nowhere…

Well, Istaroth probably knew what she was doing, right? As for Venti, he decided to stick to the script he remembered.

That plan flew out the window almost immediately when he reunited with a certain bard.

• • •

I'm sure I can explain myself to Istaroth when I see her later, Venti thought. She'd approve of seizing the opportunity, wouldn't she?

He couldn't let the young bard die again. He had the advantage of knowing the future, so when the moment came, he made sure the arrows wouldn't reach his friend. This time, Venti was able to give him the eagle feather.

After the tyrant god fell and Venti ascended to become the Anemo Archon Barbatos, he finally let himself take on a human form again. His form was familiar not only to himself, but to his friends as well, and the bard smiled widely. This time, Venti looked like the bard not to carry on his legacy, but as a sign of brotherhood.

The two looked at green grass and blue skies and birds taking flight— Venti for the first time in months, and his friend for the first time in his life. This time, they would experience their newfound freedom together.

• • •

"Ah, do not worry about it," Istaroth said, looking clearly worried.

"That expression isn't very reassuring," Venti pointed out.

"It is nothing caused by Teyvat; I simply have much to sort out, related to the Multiverse and all. You are allowed to save lives and do things differently; in fact, the timeline will likely be altered more frequently and, ah, noticeably even without any input from you or Aether. Your purpose is mainly just to remember the original timeline."

Venti remembered something. "Aether? The Traveler who won't show up for over two and a half more millennia?"

"The very same; he and you will be this Branch's Anchors."

"Wait, Aether's an Archon?"

"'Anchor', not 'Archon'. That… might be confusing."

"Okay, and… what does that mean?"

Istaroth sighed. "I have a lot to explain, and I will wait until Aether arrives so I can tell both of you about it. I trust you can handle yourself until then. Oversimplifying it, you two are extremely important to this Branch —this universe, this world, Teyvat— and there will always be at least one of you aware of the Loops. I must go soon, I really have loads of work to do, but if you have need of me, call me by my Enkanomiyan name, or Greek name, Kairos. That is my official designation as this Branch's Admin; Istaroth is just a normal god in this world whom I am using to communicate, and she will otherwise be Unawake but Loop-Aware."

"Uh... What does that mean?"

"You will know eventually."

Venti's mind was reeling, but he nodded. He figured that if Kairos needed to brief him on anything else, the Thousand Winds would spread their message. For now, they trusted him, so he would trust them.

He might have to wait quite a while for a proper explanation, but hey, he had already lived almost three millennia that he could remember. What were almost three more?

• 1.2 - Prologue, Act II •

When Aether woke up all alone on a familiar beach, instead of in the Chasm he'd been exploring, he wondered if Paimon or some godly being was playing a prank on him.

"Ha-ha, very funny, Paimon," he said out loud. "It's like when I first awoke on Teyvat, right? Or the second time, technically."

Yet Paimon didn't appear out of nowhere, nor was anyone hiding behind the nearby rocks. Maybe they were watching him from atop the cliff? He tried to fly up there and check, but he realized his powers weren't working. Had his prankster somehow found a way to suppress them again? Was the Sustainer of Heavenly Principles herself in on the joke?

"Wow, they're committed," Aether muttered.

"Committed to what?" Venti asked, suddenly there. Aether knew better than to question it.

"I think Paimon or someone might be trying to prank me by making me relive my first experience in Teyvat."

"Oh, starborne traveler, this is no prank or joke," the bard said ominously. "Time itself has bent; this is, in fact, when you awoke."

Aether laughed nervously. "You in on it too?"

"I'm in on being in a time loop too, yes. I rushed to meet you —hi, by the way— because Kairos promised an explanation when you arrived."

"Uh, Kairos, the God of Time?"

"Thank Barbatos, you know of her. I mean a different Kairos, though."

At that moment, the god in question appeared before the two and smiled warmly at Aether.

"It is good to see you again, Traveler," Kairos said. "Has Venti briefed you on the situation?"

"Wait, is— is time actually looping?"

"Not like I can brief him on a lot," Venti said, "since, about what's happening, I also know not."

Kairos nodded, looking pensive and a bit resigned. "Yes, yes. The time has come; I will explain everything now…"

• • •

A practically infinite amount of time ago, a mysterious event occurred that damaged Yggdrasil, the supercomputer tree of the Multiverse that keeps all the worlds and universes running. The damage caused errors ranging from minor glitches to system crashes that then caused even more harm to the Multiverse as it tried to run normally. To combat this and prevent further damage, the system administrators (or Admins, for short) put all universes on pause, but this turned out to be just as unhelpful. The next idea was to put the universes into time loops, and it seemed to work. This is the current solution.

The Loops tend to span from beginning to end of the canon story or Baseline, essentially the universe's main timeline. However, due to the errors in Yggdrasil, the timeline is sometimes altered, be it barely or significantly, causing Variant Loops. There are also Fused Loops in which different universes may combine in a single timeline.

Each universe or Branch has an Anchor (sometimes more than one): Anchors are people within the Branch who remember every Loop their universe goes through. Their souls help keep the stability of their reality by remembering the original timeline to be used as backup. It is of utmost importance that Anchors are mentally stable enough for their role, and to this end, people close to them may be activated as Loopers to help. Loopers will not always be Awake; in other words, they will not always be aware of the Loops nor keep memories of them. However, there must always be at least one Anchor Awake during any given Loop. Additionally, as Anchors are the ones keeping the universes stable, the death of all Anchors in a Branch can crash the Loop and cause serious problems for said Branch.

Anchors and Loopers may retain items, powers, and abilities from Variant or Fused Loops via their personal subspace pocket dimensions (simply called Pockets). They also have the ability to send and receive Pings, mental signals that let them know if other Loopers are Awake, though it does not specify who or where.

• • •

"… And those are the basics," Kairos concluded. "There is far more to say about Yggdrasil and the Multiverse, but… this should be all the information you need, for now. You will learn more in due time."

Aether silently tried to process all the information. So he and Venti were the Anchors (not Archons) of the Genshin Impact Branch, which needed two Anchors due to the Baseline not being finished at the time the Loops started (which was why Aether's journey abruptly cut off after the Chasm), and now he had a Pocket (thankfully he was able to regain some of his powers with it) and could Ping (Venti had annoyingly spam-Pinged the moment Kairos taught them how to), and Kairos was their Admin (and he was not to be confused with Teyvat's Kairos, though she could act as his voice and avatar), and other people would soon start Looping with them too…?

His brain hurt.

He glanced at Venti and saw that the bard had been attentively taking notes on a small notepad he had pulled out of his hat. Venti met the Traveler's gaze and winked.

"I'm… gonna need to look over those notes," Aether said.

"Me too!" Venti agreed.

"I am sorry to spring this on you so suddenly," Kairos said. "However, since I am a relatively minor god where I am from and can spend more time in the Branch, I figured I may as well give you this explanation as soon as possible. I would not want Venti Looping for millennia at a time without knowing how or why."

"Millennia?" Aether asked.

"Gods, yes, I've been Awake since the Archon War." Venti sighed. "At least I got to spend more time with old friends and fix a few things in Mondstadt's history. Though, I didn't dare change things too much yet, so there's still some ugly bumps here and there."

"Venti is more likely to Awaken during the Archon War, while Aether is more likely to Awaken with the main story," the Admin explained. "This may not always be the case, though. Remember to Ping and use code words to check if the other is Awake too."

Venti scribbled more on his notepad.

"And with that, I believe you are prepared," the God of Time said. "Now I must go, but I leave you with one last reminder that, should you need me as an Admin, call me Kairos. Istaroth can help you contact me."

And then he disappeared.

"Alright, here's the plan, Aether," Venti began.

"You've had time to prepare for this, huh?"

"Yep! For this Loop, at least, let's try to stick to the Baseline. I'll leave before you find Paimon, and I'll pretend I don't know you when we meet again. That said, if you think of a way to progress the story more efficiently or, y'know, save a life or ten, go for it. We've been given a second chance, and Kairos greatly values opportunity, so let's not waste it, 'kay?"

"Oka—"

"Also, right now, Istaroth made our conversations private," Venti added, "but as soon as these effects wear off, we're under the Heavenly Principles' watch again. Be extremely careful and don't do anything that would give us away. We don't want Celestia to know about the time loops."

Aether barely knew anything about Celestia, but he nodded anyway.

"Great!" The bard grinned and extended a hand towards the Traveler. "Now come on, I've waited actual ages for your arrival, and I intend to spend as much time with you as I can before the story kicks in."

"Alright," Aether said. "Can our first hang-out be reviewing those notes?"

• • •

Aether fished up Paimon, pretended to gain new Anemo powers, encountered but didn't talk to Venti and Dvalin (whom Venti was sad to leave suffering for the sake of following the Baseline; Aether later assured him that they'd find a better solution another time), reached the City of Mondstadt, met the Knights of Favonius, formally met Venti, attempted to steal the Holy Lyre which was actually stolen by the Fatui, retrieved the Holy Lyre, chased after Dvalin who broke the Holy Lyre ("At least now I know I'll get to play it again another time," Venti said), saved Dvalin from his corruption, and… Oh, hey, Aether had saved Mondstadt.

Venti, for his part, had also acted as usual until he willingly and perhaps too eagerly handed over his Gnosis to La Signora. His defense was "it's better than getting stabbed again". Though he was still weakened by the loss, he seemed rather nonchalant about the issue when he and Aether discussed under the Windrise tree.

"Why didn't you just find a way to keep the Gnosis?" Aether asked. "You knew about Signora's attack."

"He knew?" Paimon shrieked.

"Ehe," was Venti's answer, much to her dismay. "Paimon, how about you go get some apples while I chat with Aether? I'm kinda hungry."

"Paimon's not your servant!"

"I want apples too," Aether quickly said, catching on, "please?"

"Ugh, fine…"

After Paimon left, Venti turned to the Traveler again. "Aether, all you need to know is that I don't trust Celestia. Also, you do remember that the Tsaritsa has a plan with the seven Gnoses, right?"

"I don't know what it is, but yeah."

"I'm letting it play out. We agreed to mostly follow the Baseline, anyway, and I don't mind losing my direct connection to Celestia to keep the main story going. It's my role, Aether; focus on your own. And speaking of, when are you going to Liyue?"

Aether thought about it. "Uh… I thought I wouldn't have to rush since I won't be able to properly meet Rex Lapis in the Rite, but I guess I still have to meet Childe and Zhongli, huh? I should head there soon."

"Alas, you are destined to be suspected of a crime." Venti laughed. "Must you be a criminal in every region, every time?"

"Hey! We don't even know if that happens in the last four regions."

"Face it, the Hydro and Cryo Archons are very likely to want you locked up in a prison or worse. As for the Dendro and Pyro Archons, they could easily find a reason."

"… You're right."

• • •

Aether saved Liyue and Inazuma again. He helped defeat Osial and later Beisht, he convinced the Raiden Shogun to repeal the Vision Hunt and Sakoku Decrees, and he witnessed the origin of the Sacred Sakura (which made him wonder more about time travel). Repeating the journey hadn't felt boring or repetitive, though he wondered if it someday would. After the Irodori Festival came to an end, he figured the timeline would reset soon... unless it had all been a crazy dream or an extremely elaborate prank by all of Teyvat.

"Is it a crazy dream or an extremely elaborate prank?" he asked Venti when they met up one last time.

"Darn it, why did you have to catch on?" the bard answered with an exaggeratedly pained expression. "I made a bet with Paimon— now I owe her a ton!"

Aether snatched Venti's drink and threatened to spill it on the floor.

Venti yelped. "Give it back, I was kidding!" He managed to retrieve his beverage and took a swig before continuing, "In all seriousness, I still don't really know. But I definitely sensed something strange about the flow of time, and I trust Istaroth and Kairos. I guess we'll find out with the next Loop."

"I guess so," Aether murmured.

The Traveler and the Anemo Archon watched the sunset until everything went dark.

• 1.3 - Prologue, Act III •

Venti Awoke back in Old Mondstadt. He sent out a Ping, and of course got none in return. He sighed. So it was time to go through another over-two-and-a-half millennia of waiting for the only other person who would understand this new situation…

That was alright. He had lived through everything twice before, what was once more?

Oh, he would probably be telling himself that for eternity now, wouldn't he?

Still, at least he knew he wasn't alone. Istaroth and Kairos were there for him, and Aether would be. And, of course…

In his little wisp form, he floated over to a certain bard who sang about birds and freedom. Venti had his friend. He would always have his friends.

Chapter Text

• 2.1 - So It's Not a Prank, Act I •

Aether Awoke at the same beach.

"Huh," he said, "so it's not a prank."

He still wasn't sure how to feel about it, but he had to press on. What had Kairos said to do when Awake? Right— he sent a Ping and got one back almost immediately. He didn't expect Venti to show up yet (Venti had explained he would keep his distance when he thought Celestia was watching), so he wandered around the beach, looking for something to do until Paimon's appearance.

Come to think of it, when would he meet Paimon? He wasn't entirely sure, only that they had spent two months together before setting out on their journey. He remembered a few days passing in the previous Loop before he fished up Paimon, but… he couldn't remember in the original timeline. Was that a problem?

• • •

"So, tell me, anything different?" Venti asked.

They again sat in the shade of the Windrise tree after saving Dvalin and the city. Like last time, Paimon had begrudgingly gone looking for apples, so the two were alone… seemingly. A higher power could still be listening.

"Can we really talk about that kind of stuff?" Aether whispered (although he knew whispering wouldn't do much against divinity).

"Without the Gnosis, it's far less likely for Celestia to hear us in this Loop, even if it's watching," Venti explained.

"Alright, so I think I fished Paimon earlier this time. I had just Awoken and thought, hey, when do I meet Paimon? And then I went fishing, and I caught Paimon. Since that happened so fast, I wondered if we could start our journey earlier, too, and we did after only one week!"

"Oh, no wonder we saved Dvalin in record time! Well, we don't have many times to compare it to…"

"That reminds me," Aether said, "I can't remember how long it took to find Paimon in the original timeline. Is that bad?"

Venti shook his head. "No, that probably just means it's unclear or unknown in Baseline. I asked Kairos about it because I embarrassingly couldn't remember my bard friend's name, which has been different in both Loops. I also don't know the exact dates of many events, just a general idea of what century they happen in, but clearly doing things a bit sooner or later won't change much."

"I see, that's a relief. What about you, any notable differences to share?"

"Yep! To start, I saved my friend again…"

• • •

"Paimon thinks you're acting weird!" Paimon said when she returned. "Both of you!"

Aether feigned ignorance while Venti responded with an "Ehe…"

"Don't you 'ehe' Paimon, mister! You're incredibly suspicious, and not just 'cuz you're a god! What are you hiding?"

"Calm down, Paimon," Aether said. "Nothing's going on."

"Nope, Paimon doesn't trust you either! You're in on it, aren't you? Are you guys planning a prank on Paimon?"

"You wouldn't know, but maybe so," Venti said teasingly.

Aether thought about the Loops, how he had wondered if they were a trick, and how Paimon might start Looping someday too. He chuckled. "It's not a prank, no."

• 2.2 - Notepad News, Act I •

Loop #8

- bard's name is Carmen this time

- Awoke in the middle of the revolution, which started sooner (I think, hard to tell with the unclear dates)

- saved Carmen again :)

- lost Amos though :(

- still haven't managed to make a good first impression on Morax

"Hello, Venti! Are you busy?" Carmen asked.

Venti closed his notepad. "Nope! Just jotting down some things to use as inspiration later, y'know?"

"Oh, what have you found?"

"I'm more interested to hear what you've found," the god said, deflecting. "Got any new songs?"

"I do have a work in progress that I would like to show you; would you care to listen?"

"Of course!"

Venti sat down and listened to his friend's newest song. It was very familiar, as Venti knew most of Carmen's songs by heart, but it seemed like each Loop had a slight alteration to the lyrics or melody. He silently opened his notepad again to write down more timeline differences.

"So? What do you think of the song?" Carmen asked after he finished playing.

"It's lovely," was Venti's immediate reply.

"Ahaha, that answer was quick. Did you even listen or was that a trick?

"Hey, I bet I could hum it on my own, going by my memory alone."

"No need, dear friend. I know your sentiment was sincere, and that is what truly matters." Carmen grinned as he said it, but then his smile dimmed a little. "I just hope that I did not take up too much of your time, now that you are a god and all…"

Venti momentarily returned to his wisp form to swirl around the younger bard playfully. Then, back in human form, he pulled Carmen into a hug.

"I will always have time for you," Venti promised.

• • •

- Vennessa's revolution started later

- no slaves this time (I made sure it wouldn't happen before going to sleep) but the aristocracy still created an unfair heirarchy

- Vennessa established the Knights of Favonius sooner

- also her preferred weapon is a claymore

- Morax was actually amused by the fake treaty

"Hey, Venti! You busy with something?" Vennessa asked, approaching the bard.

Venti closed the notepad again. "Just penning some ideas for songs, why?"

"I was hoping you might teach me how to use a bow and arrow."

This was the first time she asked Venti for such a favor. He'd have to write it down later.

"Sure," he said, "but if I may know: what made you want to pick up the bow?"

"'Cuz it's long-ranged, which has its uses. I feel like I should know how to fight with one, just in case." She watched him curiously. "Why do you use a bow?"

Venti couldn't remember his original reason, but maybe it was similar to how he felt now… It had been Amos's weapon of choice.

"It's in honor of a late friend," he answered.

"Oh, I'm sorry…"

"It's fine," Venti quickly said. "I just like to remember all my friends in some way."

Vennessa smirked. "I can't imagine you wielding a claymore to remember me."

"Ehe, I think I'll just stick to singing your story."

• • •

Barbatos caught a glimpse of the two shooting stars that arrived at Teyvat.

"Horrible timing as usual," he muttered.

He had managed to cure Dvalin of the poison, but now he was utterly exhausted. This period of the timeline was always overwhelming. After writing down Dvalin's recovery on the notepad, Barbatos finally let himself close his eyes, ready to sleep for another five centuries.

• • •

- Abyss still corrupted Dvalin, but later

- Jean and Diluc realized I was Barbatos much sooner

- Holy Lyre didn't break this time

- Aether Awoke on the way to Stormterror's Lair

- saving Dvalin was easier :)

- Signora took the Gnosis without need for violence

"Bard," Diluc called, without even a greeting or asking if Venti was busy.

"Yes?" the bard in question answered, snapping his notepad shut.

"When are you going to pay your tab?"

Venti did what he did best: ignored the issue entirely.

"I can pay for it," said Aether, who had just arrived. "I return with lots of Mora from Liyue!"

"Aether, my savior!" Venti rushed to greet the Traveler with a hug. "Truly, what would I do without you?"

"Nothing, probably," Paimon said.

"Hey!"

"Are you sure, Traveler?" Diluc asked. "There is really no need for you to pay for Venti. Let him learn about responsibility on his own."

The bard fake-gasped. "I'm plenty responsible!"

"It's fine, really," Aether insisted. "I'm sure Venti's done more than we give him credit for."

He glanced at the Archon, who gave him a look of gratitude. Aether nodded back in understanding.

• • •

"I've kept track of the variations in each Loop on my trusty notepad!" Venti mentioned when they were alone.

He pulled the notepad out of his hat and showed it to Aether, and the Traveler read the most recent entry curiously.

"Wait, isn't this the seventh Loop?" he asked.

Venti winced. "Ah, you weren't Awake last time."

"Oh. How did you fare?"

"Well enough." Venti had sent Pings daily and never received any in return. It was boring and lonely, not being able to talk to Aether about all the new differences. However, Venti had masterfully stuck to the script as if he wasn't bothered at all.

Not that Aether had to know all that.

The Traveler could still read the previous entry, though.

"Oh, Signora hurt you again? I'm sorry, I wish I could've—"

"It's not your fault, Aether," Venti interrupted with a gentle smile. "I was just distracted." And maybe mentally exhausted after he realized he had lived over twenty thousand years, but Aether didn't need to know that either. Venti would get over it, anyway; in the grand scheme of infinity, a few thousands were basically nothing.

(Unbeknownst to Venti, Aether had calculated the twenty thousand years by himself. That was why he had offered to pay the bard's tab, as a celebratory or maybe consolatory gift.)

• • •

- pulled out the notepad just to see Aether's reaction again

"Do you always keep that notepad in your hat? How doesn't it fall?"

"Ehe, a magician never reveals his secrets!"

"… Oh, you keep it in your Pocket and just pretend to pull it out of your hat, don't you?"

• 2.3 - So It's Not a Prank, Act II •

Paimon had not missed drowning, nor had she missed being pulled by her cape. Alas, she found herself drenched and hanging at the end of a fishing line in a way that was very reminiscent of that one fateful day. But Paimon didn't appreciate the poetry.

"Aether!" she yelled angrily. "Did you throw Paimon into the water again?"

She freed her cape from the hook and turned around to glare at the Traveler, who seemed confused.

"Wh— Again?" he asked.

"Yes, again. Don't you remember how we met? It was right here, too."

Aether's eyebrows raised almost comically. "You remember?!"

• • •

"Hey, Paimon's not loopy!"

"I said Looping, Paimon. Though 'Loopy' can be used as a code word…"

• • •

"'Anchor'? Don't you mean Archon?"

"No, Paimon, 'Anchor' is true. Does Aether look like an Archon to you?"

"Shut up, Tone-Deaf Bard! Paimon's trying to keep up!"

• • •

"Paimon doesn't believe it. This totally sounds like something you two would come up with to prank Paimon!"

• • •

They arrived at Mondstadt to see the familiar sight of a corrupted dragon, and that was when Paimon realized it probably wasn't a joke. However, the idea of Loops was so crazy that, even if it was true, Paimon felt the need to trick Aether and Venti back, so she still doubted them and deliberately acted uncooperative at times. She tried not to take it too far —she never got in the way of important fights or plot points— but a bit of trolling here and there to delay the journey in smaller ways was fair game in her book.

But the part of her that trusted them refused to acknowledge the time loop out of sheer existential dread.

One detail seriously worried Paimon: the Anchors had warned her that her past and memories would probably vary per Loop, since they were unknown in the Baseline. It didn't help that Paimon already had holes in her memory; she had spent a lot of the previous Loop wondering what she actually was. Learning that the universe itself didn't know? It terrified her. When a Loop gave her new memories, they might just be made-up for that Loop specifically, they might not be real… Yet, without them… what was Paimon?

• • •

After they saved Inazuma, Paimon knew with certainty that time had indeed reset. Some things just couldn't be repeated, even if everyone in the world was in on the joke: the planting of the Sacred Sakura, for example. It had always involved some form of time travel, although, actually, that was suspicious in and of itself.

"Maybe this Loop is the prank," she said distrustingly. "If you guys sent Paimon back in time for fun, Paimon's gonna be so mad!"

"At least you finally accepted that time looped," Aether said.

"Right on time, too," Venti added. "I was starting to consider spamming Pings until Paimon admitted defeat."

The Traveler's eye twitched. "Please never do that."

Paimon fell quiet, unsure what to think of herself.

• • •

Much to her surprise, the Tone-Deaf Bard sensed her internal struggle. With the air-headed personality he usually presented, she often forgot he was an ancient god who knew much more than he let on. The Looping trio had met up under the big tree at Windrise, which Paimon learned they did at the end of each Loop, and Venti approached her while the Traveler was distracted chasing crystalflies.

"I notice you seem rather down," the bard said. "Care to share what's making you frown?"

So she finally spoke out loud her existential concerns. She hadn't wanted to worry Aether, but maybe Venti would understand. To his credit, he was a great listener; he stayed quiet and attentive as Paimon vented, and looked thoughtful after she finished.

Finally, he said, "You know… sometimes, I'm Istaroth's son."

"Wha—"

"Sometimes, I'm one of the Thousand Winds. Sometimes, I'm just a regular wind spirit who ascended to godhood by sheer luck. We've Looped over twenty times now, and all Loops so far have followed the core of the main story, yet many details have been pretty inconsistent."

"But why? Doesn't it bother you?"

"Since the Baseline isn't finished yet, there are times when the Loops have to come up with something based on incomplete information. You and I, for example, have gaps in our pasts that each Loop might fill differently. But…" He started plucking the strings of his lyre, and a comforting tune surrounded them. "I don't think what we are matters nearly as much as who we are. And that's something that only we, Paimon, and not the Loops, can decide."

Paimon let the melody wash over her. "Who we are, huh…"

Maybe she was focusing on the wrong things. Her past and her missing memories hadn't been relevant in her journeys with the Traveler. Paimon was Paimon, and that was all she needed to be…

She watched Aether fall into the river in an attempt to catch a crystalfly, and she snorted. The Traveler, soaked from head to toe, gave up on the crystalflies and returned to his two giggling friends. Venti had to use his Anemo powers to help Aether dry.

"What was that about?" Paimon asked, barely holding back her laugh.

"I couldn't reach the crystalfly without jumping!" Aether tried defending himself. "I just, uh… miscalculated the landing."

"To catch a crystalfly, that was your wish," Venti singsonged, "yet all you could catch in the end were fish!"

Paimon couldn't contain it anymore: she burst into laughter. "It was hilarious! Possibly the silliest thing Paimon's seen Aether do…"

The Traveler sighed, but then he smirked. "At least I made you smile again. Are you feeling better, Paimon?"

"Wait, did you fall into the river on purpose? Just to cheer up Paimon?"

"I might've; you're my best friend, after all. Did it work?"

Aether's best friend. Paimon was Paimon, and she was the Traveler's best friend and companion— and that was exactly who she wanted to be. She grinned.

"It did. Thank you, Aether."

• 2.4 - Traveler May Vary, Act I •

Aether Awoke and found himself in a dark and unfamiliar place. He tried to remember how he got there, and all of a sudden, five centuries' worth of memories flooded his mind. He remembered arriving in Teyvat and waking up before his sister, witnessing the fall of Khaenri'ah, trying to escape with Lumine only to get captured by the unknown god, and—

"Your Highness?" a distorted voice said, seemingly directed at him.

Oh gods. He was in the Abyss.

He somehow managed to excuse himself mid-meeting. His subordinates must've respected him greatly, because no one questioned his suddenly abnormal behavior. Only an Abyss Lector asked if he was alright, and Aether had barely blurted a "just need fresh air" before the Lector opened a portal back to Teyvat for him.

It conveniently left him in Mondstadt. The first thing Aether did as soon as he could see the sky again was send a Ping; if Venti was Awake, he could contact him via the nearest Statue of the Seven. Unfortunately, Aether received no Ping in return, which meant that the god wouldn't be able to help and Paimon was also Unawake.

Aether wondered what to do. The previous Loops had let him and Venti (and soon Paimon) fall into a rhythm. Venti was used to tweaking history in small yet meaningful ways, such as curing Dvalin earlier so that he wouldn't have to suffer as much. Aether, for his part, focused on the main story, finding new tricks and dialogues to make it progress faster and with less harsh conflict. But now…

This was unlike anything Aether had experienced before in any of his thirty-ish Loops, and he had to face it on his own.

Well, he gained nothing by standing still: it was time to investigate. He reviewed his Loop memories to catch up with his plans and responsibilities. If he was the Abyss Prince, then did that mean…? He walked to the northeastern beach, taking care not to be seen by anyone, and confirmed his suspicions.

Standing by the shore, with Paimon on a fishing line, was none other than Lumine.

• • •

"Regrettably, Your Highness, the issue is… your sister," the Abyss Mage reported.

So Lumine's journey has begun, Aether thought. That would complicate his plans at best and completely ruin them at worst, yet he couldn't bring himself to be upset about it— Lumine was his twin and this story's Traveler.

Aether had decided to embrace his new antagonistic role. According to Kairos (whom he was briefly able to speak with), this Loop still followed the Baseline despite the twins' swap, since both could be the canon Traveler or Abyss leader; therefore, not only was it an intriguing change of pace, but he could also experience firsthand what his sister had gone through in the previous Loops. Even though many of the Abyss leader's memories were nebulous in Baseline, he still felt like he understood Lumine and her plans better.

The Prince walked to the edge of the cliff he was on, and peered down at the ruins of Stormterror's Lair. Lumine was fighting hilichurls there, trying to defend the light actuators that could seal the tower. She was accompanied by Dainsleif, though he stood at a distance. Aether remembered his first time doing that… He had felt a familiar gaze watching over him then, one he later learned was his sister's.

He smiled and uttered the words he once dreaded, but now considered a hopeful promise:

"We will be reunited… dear sister."

He left before she could see him.

• • •

Aether interfered to protect an Abyss Herald from Lumine and Dainsleif. The Loom of Fate operation could be paused for a bit: Aether's duty as the Abyss Prince was first and foremost to help his people. He warned his astonished sister to not stop the Abyss and to doubt Dainsleif (despite knowing that she wouldn't listen yet), and the Herald conjured a portal to escape.

It broke Aether's heart, having to turn his back on his twin. She had done the same to him many times before, but he'd grown to expect it; it was different when he was the one walking away. However, he still had work to do as the Abyss Prince, and Lumine had to continue her journey. That was how the story was supposed to go, and it was far from over yet.

"We'll meet again," he promised her, following a script he knew by memory. "Though we need not rush, sister. I have more than enough time to wait for you."

More than enough time… Aether realized this line carried a different meaning for him. He wasn't waiting for Lumine to learn about fate or Celestia or the world, but about the Loops. He missed being able to tell her everything. He missed the times when they were always together. He missed her, regretting that hadn't been able to truly reunite. But anything and everything could happen in time, and they had forever.

"We have always… had enough time." The Abyss Prince turned toward the portal, and no one saw his wistful smile.

• 2.5 - Archon Meetings, Act I •

Venti's age had reached six digits. He might have spent at least half (and probably more) of all that time asleep, but surely, he thought, surely I have enough experience to figure this out.

His goal was to make a good first impression on Morax before the fiftieth Loop.

He technically gained nothing from an ideal first meeting; he would eventually befriend the God of Stone regardless, and the time loop would reset all progress in the end. However, this self-imposed challenge kept the start of new Loops fun. Venti hadn't cared much at first, he simply found it funny that he always annoyed Morax somehow, but he began taking the challenge more seriously after around twenty-five Loops. Now he had whole strategies that he constantly updated and optimized, written in his second notepad (which he got after filling the first). He compared the results of previous Loops to find out what worked and what didn't, what Rex Lapis appreciated and what he disapproved of, and anything else that could help. It was surprisingly complicated, but still entertaining.

"So what do you think, Istaroth?" he asked his fellow god after telling her the newest plan.

"It could work," she answered. "You seem to have prepared for every contingency, so why are you asking me?"

"The God of Time's approval would be reassuring."

Istaroth chuckled. "I cannot flawlessly predict the future, Barbatos. If you were hoping to cheat, I am afraid I will be of no help."

"Okay, leave the future knowledge to me— but can you at least tell me when would be the best time to visit Liyue?"

• • •

Venti waited for the optimal time Istaroth had determined. He sent a letter to let the God of Contracts know in advance about his visit; that way, Morax wouldn't needlessly worry about an unannounced visit meaning trouble. He also made sure to bring enough wine to share with any and all adepti, and a bottle specifically as a gift for Rex Lapis. He planned conversation topics in advance, making sure they were all things Morax would be comfortable or happy talking about. In short, Venti was as prepared as he could be when the day of the visit arrived.

"Greetings! I am Barbatos, the Anemo Archon."

"Greetings, Barbatos. I am Rex Lapis, or Morax, the Geo Archon. Welcome to Liyue."

Morax gave Barbatos a tour around all of Liyue. The Anemo Archon patiently listened to the Geo Archon's ramblings, sometimes asking questions to encourage him further. Although Venti knew most of Liyue's history already, he had fun finding the discrepancies between this Loop and others. The two gods stayed in Liyue Harbor for a while, and they enjoyed the best food and services the city had to offer. Afterward, they headed back north to Minlin, where Barbatos met other adepti around Jueyun Karst, like Cloud Retainer (whose gossip inspired several of his songs). They finished their trip at Qingyun Peak and took in the view that surrounded them, as the sun set behind the other mountains.

"And that is Liyue," the nation's god concluded. "I am quite passionate about my land, as you no doubt have realized, and I am aware that I have spoken a large amount; I hope I did not bore you…"

"Not at all, Morax!" Barbatos said genuinely. "I thoroughly enjoyed my visit today; why, I almost want to stay! I hope I haven't been a bother."

Morax smiled. "Not at all, Barbatos."

And Venti chalked that up as a success. In celebration, he brought the first bottle of wine out of his Pocket (and delighted in Morax's confused expression, since it looked like he pulled it out of nowhere). He could finally let slip more of his playful personality.

"How about we end this day with a little feast? Drinks are on me for every illuminated beast!"

• • •

The Seven Archons met up in Liyue, after Barbatos had suggested it and Morax had deemed it a good idea. Venti stared intently at his companions' faces; once again, all but Morax and Baal had changed. He had to go through the trouble of learning the others' new names and faces for this Loop. Some of them would end up as nothing but a blur —the Pyro Archon, for example, was usually replaced quickly by some version of Murata— but Venti wanted to at least keep track of them in his notepad. Each Archon introduced themself, and then an awkward silence hung over them. However, Venti still had some wine bottles hoarded in his Pocket, and soon they were all drinking and laughing together.

"I assume you planned this activity, Barbatos, am I correct?" Baal asked him at some point.

Venti nodded. "Who else would have instead? Morax, the old blockhead?"

"I heard that," said the Geo Archon, who had finished his conversation with the Dendro Archon. He approached the pair. "A word of advice, Baal: do not fall for the Anemo Archon's charms. He impressed me on our first meeting, but he has turned out to be rather crude and unprofessional."

"Yet not a total disgrace," Venti pointed out, "judging by the smile on your face."

Morax rolled his eyes, though he was indeed smiling fondly. "This is also my land, but yes, Barbatos planned this gathering. I would have organized something more formal."

"I figured as much," Baal said with a giggle. "But I must admit, I approve of this informal method. It has been quite effective in allowing us to be comfortable around each other, and is the purpose not to start good relations between the Archons?"

It was easy to see why Istaroth liked the Electro Archon; every Loop without fail, she understood the value of seemingly unimportant moments like these. Venti greatly appreciated it.

He smirked. "I have a feeling you and I will get along well, Baal."

"I agree. You may call me Raiden Makoto."

"In that case, call me Venti! It's a name I took on to honor a dear friend… Oh, Morax, you can too."

The Geo Archon sighed. "I truly do not understand how you are so casual despite your Archon status, but if you insist… Venti."

"Do you have a name you prefer, Morax?" Makoto asked.

"Hmm… Morax is fine. My people also call me Rex Lapis."

"And I call him a brutish blundering buffoon!" Venti contributed, only to get punched on the shoulder by what felt like a rock.

"Oh no. My hand slipped," Morax deadpanned, and Baal burst into laughter.

Then the Pyro and Hydro Archons started a drinking competition, which the Anemo Archon promptly joined as well. The Geo and Dendro Archons gave them disapproving looks, but the Cryo Archon cheered them on, and the Electro Archon acted neutral with a thinly veiled smile.

To everyone's surprise except his own, the Anemo Archon was the victor.

• • •

"Greetings! I'm Venti, a traveling bard."

"Oh. Greetings, Venti. I am Zhongli, a consultant of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor."

Usually, Venti asked Aether to help him meet up with Morax again after the five centuries of silence, but this time he had decided to seek him out on his own. He waited for the Fatui plot to pass (which was relatively fast, thanks to Aether and Paimon both being Awake) and strolled the streets of Liyue in search of that blockhead. They recognized each other immediately, of course; Venti still went by Venti, and he had the foreknowledge of Morax's human identity and whole retirement scheme.

"What's with that 'oh'?" Venti asked. "You almost sound disappointed to see me."

"My apologies, I was just surprised. But I am very glad to see you out and about again. Would you care to catch up over drinks?" Zhongli wore a timid smile, a sight Venti never thought he'd see in any Loop.

The bard grinned. "I'd never refuse drinks with a friend!"

Reuniting like this was nothing new— Venti liked spending time with Zhongli once neither had their Gnoses. However, their conversation this time took a unique turn. Venti hadn't realized how much that first impression helped build their friendship until Morax opened up to him now.

"In truth, I thought about you often while planning my retirement. I used to not understand how you could possibly leave your people to their own devices, but I believe I finally do. Humans are resilient and capable of taking care of themselves. At a certain point, all gods do is get in their way."

"Took you long enough to realize," Venti half-joked.

"Yes, it would seem that way to you, but most Archons started having our doubts after… that incident, five hundred years ago. You were always ahead of your time."

The bard finished his cup of wine and reached for the bottle for a refill. "Yeah, I'm pretty much beyond time. But anyway, I'm glad you've seen the light at last. How's retirement been?"

"Quite nice. I am taking time to enjoy the simple pleasures of the mortal world. I also have human friends and acquaintances who make my days more lively." Zhongli looked exasperated for a moment. "Director Hu Tao reminds me of you, sometimes, with her unorthodox approach to her job."

"Wow, you admit that my views were right, and then you say that with such spite?"

"Forgive me, she just gets on my nerves. But that is also part of my new life, I suppose. I have learned to appreciate such trivialities, much like you and Baal always did…"

Venti raised his cup. "For Raiden Makoto."

"For Raiden Makoto," Zhongli agreed, raising his own.

Then they toasted in honor of all the fallen Archons.

• 2.6 - Meanwhile, Act I •

Aether, Venti, and occasionally Paimon continued Looping, to the point where they had done pretty much everything they could in Baseline. The biggest alteration to the Loops was when Aether and his twin switched places, but even that barely had an impact on the story. They often had Loop-related chats under the Windrise tree right after Mondstadt was saved, since all would be relatively peaceful before the main story chapters began. But although they were the only ones Looping, others were aware that something was odd about the trio. These others, meanwhile…

• • •

Lumine read the most recent report and murmured a confused "What the fuck is Aether doing…?"

She had sent several Abyss Mages to Mondstadt as spies, yet none of them returned with any valuable information. Strangely, not a single one died, either. It was like Aether and the Anemo Archon knew all the locations with spies and avoided them. The few encounters they had with the Abyss Order tended to end with Aether walking away after the enemy was tired, but he hadn't killed any of them.

I don't get it, Lumine thought to herself. Even my brother wouldn't be that merciful to seemingly unreasonable and evil monsters hellbent on destroying humanity.

Of course, that's not what the Abyss Order really is, but… does Aether know that?

She decided to personally go check on him, keeping herself hidden. She had a few Abyss Mages prepare an ambush to distract him and see what he'd do. Sure enough, Aether easily broke through all three mages' shields but ultimately spared their lives. To her surprise, he proceeded to interrogate them.

"Where is my sister? I know you know her."

The Mages exchanged looks, unsure what to answer.

So he probably figured out that I'm with them, Lumine noted.

"Okay, follow-up question: can you ask her if we can meet up sooner? At this point, I feel like" —he chuckled at a joke only he understood— "I might end up chasing an Abyss Herald with Dainsleif or something before she finally shows her face."

Lumine was shocked. How the hell does he already know about Heralds? And Dainsleif?!

"Alright, at least tell her that I'm further into my journey than she thinks. I'm practically the older twin at this point!"

It took all of Lumine's willpower to not leave her hiding spot then to contradict him. Aether, you dumbass, she thought, but she was smiling. Fine, I trust you. You better know what you're doing.

• • •

Rex Lapis Morax knew something had changed about Barbatos when that Traveler arrived. There was a subtle shift in the winds that previously had not reached Liyue in five hundred years. Rex Lapis would have asked the Anemo Archon about it, but he was too busy with his own plan… and potential retirement. He supposed it was good that Barbatos would have another friend by his side, at least.

Yet something within the Geo Archon —his Gnosis, specifically— caused him to be suspicious of the Traveler and the small, floating being that followed him around. He vaguely wondered if that was why Barbatos was keeping an eye on them.

I truly hope I can be free of the Gnosis's pull soon, Morax thought.

A prayer at a Statue of the Seven caught his attention. Out of habit (though he really should get accustomed to ignoring prayers), he listened.

"Hey, you old blockhead!" Ah, that was Barbatos. It seemed he had wandered into Liyue again and learned nothing new about manners. However, the bard's tone quickly softened. "I know you're probably busy with a lot of stuff. I get it, believe it or not. But it's been a while, and we're still friends, right? So, when you're finally free, reach out to me! Let's have drinks, chat about the world or… something… I just wanna spend time with you." Back to his usual cheery self, Barbatos concluded with: "So you better show up, okay? You must and you will! Even if you die, let's find a way to meet up still!"

Rex Lapis raised an eyebrow, and the corners of his lips turned upwards, amusedly. Interesting choice of words.

As annoying as the Geo Archon found the Anemo Archon sometimes, they were indeed still friends. Though Morax could not answer the bard's prayer right now, he made a mental note to go visit him later, if the plan went smoothly.

• • •

Diluc happened to be bartending at Angel's Share that night, and Jean also happened to be there. In fact, several of the Knights of Favonius coincidentally were. Kaeya and Eula showed up for their usual drinks, and they had chatted about bloodlines and expectations until Eula was too drunk to continue. The Cavalry Captain then turned to chat with Lisa, who had been the one to drag Jean out of her office. Diluc did not approve of the Knights as an organization, but he at least respected its members and appreciated their patronage. He could make it through the night.

He had to rethink that last statement when Venti loudly barged in through the front door, shortly followed by the Traveler and Paimon.

Jean almost giggled at Diluc's momentarily sour expression. He really did not seem to care that Venti was a god, and Jean found that admirable. She still saw him as Barbatos sometimes, even though he insisted that he preferred to be treated like a normal human. Jean could always see something in his eyes, a sort of wisdom or tiredness from one who had seen far more than she could imagine— and the Traveler also had that look. She often pondered (but never asked out loud) whether he and Paimon were gods too.

As if they could sense her thoughts about them, the Traveler and his floating companion approached her.

"Jean, what a surprise!" Paimon said. "Paimon didn't think you'd be here!"

"I did not either," the Acting Grand Master admitted with a chuckle. "Blame Lisa."

"Blame her for what? Doing a good deed?" the Traveler asked. "You deserve a break, Jean."

"I know, I know… You do as well, Traveler. Thank you for all your help again."

He smiled, though the mysterious look in his eyes intensified. "It was no problem. I still have a lot left to do, though, but I'll have plenty of time to rest later."

Jean herself was certainly no god, but she felt those words at the very core of her being. "That is… exactly what I tell myself, Traveler."

The Traveler tensed up at that, which made Jean wonder if he was even aware of how hard he worked. She offered him a reassuring smile.

"How about we take a break together?" she suggested. "Come, take a seat."

Diluc watched them converse from his spot behind the counter, and a part of him wished he could also talk to someone sober. Instead, he was stuck with the already drunk bard. He sighed as Venti burst into song again in an attempt to get Mora for another drink. It was difficult to see him as the Anemo Archon when he was like this. Diluc had nothing personal against Venti, nor did he outright doubt the bard's ability as a god (not after witnessing his role during the Stormterror incident), but…

The redhead wondered about Venti and the Traveler more than he cared to admit. Sometimes the two wore these wide smiles that made him want to smile as well, or they demonstrated such strength that he would believe they could solve any problem in the world. Other times… they just looked exhausted; then Diluc had to ask himself why. Gods and heroes as capable as them wouldn't falter easily.

They were likely weighed down by heavy burdens. Diluc wanted to help lighten their loads, so he rarely ever refused to help the Traveler or give Venti a drink. But he had noticed how much the bard drank some nights, and he had noticed the bags under the Traveler's eyes. Despite knowing that both were much older than they looked or acted, Diluc sometimes couldn't help but see them as two children in over their heads. Could they really handle the work ahead?

"Mora for your thoughts?" Venti asked him with a lopsided smile, waving his newly acquired coins.

Diluc sighed again and opted to let Venti enjoy his night for now. The bard wasn't clearheaded enough to talk about more serious topics at the moment, anyway.

"Just curious about what Paimon is," was Diluc's answer.

• • •

Kairos knew.

Almost eighty Loops in, Aether and Venti were growing tired of experiencing the same or similar things over and over again, but they hid it from each other and from themselves. Paimon realized when she was Awake, and she wished she could do more to help, but she was not sure how.

Kairos knew, and he tried pulling strings for a Variant or Fused Loop soon, if only to give them something different. However, he was a lesser-known Admin, so it was complicated. He also could not risk damaging Yggdrasil or the Genshin Branch.

"Just hold on a little longer, Anchors," he murmured. "The opportunity will arrive. And in the meantime…"

He finished organizing the recently recovered data for the Branch. It was about time for an update.

• 2.7 - New Expansion, Act I •

"Weird." Aether said. "The Irodori Festival passed, I finished my mission in the Chasm with Dainsleif, and even that overflow of rewards from Domains of Mastery ended. Shouldn't the Loop have restarted by now?"

"We could ask Kairos about it," Venti suggested.

Then Istaroth appeared before them. "Actually, I have a message for you: 'The Genshin Branch has undergone a new expansion, which means previously lost data has been restored. Your journey will now reach a little further, and more expansions will come as more data is recovered.' Does that answer your question?"

They nodded, and she vanished again.

"So, Traveler, what's the plan?" Venti asked.

Aether pondered his options. "I think I'll head back to Liyue. Maybe there's fresh information regarding how I could get to Sumeru."

"Good luck, then! I'll be staying in Mondstadt for a bit. When you finish your quest, tell me all about it!"

• • •

Aether had no idea how he ended up trapped in an even deeper part of the Chasm. He wished that Venti had tagged along, or that Paimon were Awake, but sadly neither was the case. Two dizzying domains within a chaotic space later, despite being surrounded by friends and acquaintances, Aether felt completely alone in this new experience. At least he found comfort in the fact that, if he died down here, Venti would still be able to Anchor the Branch.

Most of the others were resting, except Yelan (who was nowhere to be seen, likely investigating the area some more) and Yanfei. The lawyer sat down next to the Traveler.

"You have the same look as the Conqueror of Demons," she stated.

"Huh? How do I look like Xia—"

"Shh, don't call his name, he really needs to sleep. It's just… Every time I've seen him, he's had this hopeless gaze, like he's already resigned himself to a miserable fate and is just waiting for it. I'm not letting you fall down that same hole, Traveler; do not lose hope. With your help, Yelan's, the Conqueror of Demons, and even the two Inazumans, I know we'll make it out of here, and hopefully find what we came for as well."

Aether smiled. "You're probably right. Thanks, Yanfei."

He'd grown too used to knowing everything that would happen, but this was far from the only challenge he had ever faced. He was the Traveler who saved three nations many times, for gods' sake! And he wasn't alone. If he and the others worked together, they could overcome the Chasm; it was too early to give up.

Besides, a part of him was excited to see this adventure through to the end. There was wonder in the unknown, and he had missed it.

• • •

Aether threw himself on the grass and let out a long, relieved sigh, ignoring the odd looks he got from Paimon and the Vigilant Yaksha. After everything their group had been through —the time travel domain, finding and using the Fantastic Compass, Xiao's near-sacrifice, the memory of Boyang and Bosacius— the Traveler was glad to be outside and free again. Everyone had made it out alive, and Yanfei, Yelan, and Xiao all found what they were looking for; it was an almost perfect ending to the adventure.

He had unfortunately not learned anything new about Sumeru or his sister's current plans, but he could wait for that a little longer.

"Oh, I should probably let Venti know I'm alright," he remembered.

Xiao seemed to recognize the name. "The Anemo Archon?"

"Yup, he's our friend," Paimon mentioned. "Though that Tone-Deaf Bard was too lazy to accompany us this time…"

"How rude," Venti said, arriving in a gust of wind. "Aether, I heard your call, what's up? And hi, Xiao."

"I have a lot to tell you about what happened in the Chasm," the Traveler answered, "but I think Xiao might prefer some peace and quiet."

"No, it's fine," the yaksha quickly said. "I… don't mind your company."

Paimon squealed. "Aw, he accepted us as his friends!"

Xiao didn't deign to agree, but he also didn't deny it, which Aether took as confirmation. He and Paimon started recounting the events to Venti, with Xiao surprisingly contributing to the story a few times. The bard wrote on his notepad as he listened, and although he frowned when he heard about their escape, he didn't speak up until they finished.

"I'm glad you're all safe," he said, "but that was really close. Xiao, please don't try something like that again—"

"I already learned my lesson," the yaksha grumbled.

"—and, Aether," Venti continued, "I'm sorry I wasn't there for you…"

Aether smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry about it. We made it out in the end, didn't we?"

"Thanks to the help of all our friends!" Paimon said.

Venti chuckled at that, and even Xiao smiled a little. Aether, content, closed his eyes and simply enjoyed being in good company.

Chapter Text

• 3.1 - Testing the Limits, Act I •

Paimon let out a sigh. "Exactly what are we doing here, again?"

She and Venti had followed Aether across The Chasm until they reached a tunnel in Cinnabar Cliff. Now they were just standing there at the entrance, the Traveler lost in thought while the Tone-Deaf Bard hummed a tune and Paimon grew increasingly bored.

"Beyond this tunnel," Aether murmured, "is Sumeru…"

"That is the case, indeed," Venti confirmed. "It's also not the answer we need."

The Traveler fell silent again for a few seconds, then asked, "Have you ever been to Sumeru, Venti?"

"Of course I… huh. Actually, I sometimes have memories of it, but I don't think I've ever gone while Awake."

"Well, what if we go now?"

Aether took a few steps into the tunnel, but Paimon didn't let him go far. She instinctively blocked his way and pushed him back outside despite his protests.

"How about we—"

"Explore the area ahead of us later?" Aether finished for her. "Paimon, why do you always stop me from going somewhere early?"

Her mind blanked. Why did she? "Um… Paimon's not sure. Maybe it's because we still have stuff to do first?"

"Look, Paimon," the Traveler said slowly, "Mondstadt, Liyue, and Inazuma have been saved. Everything important in The Chasm already happened, and if I wait too long, the Loop will reset. You're Awake and can choose to act differently. And finally, doing some things earlier than usual hasn't affected the Loops. What's stopping us from just marching into Sumeru?"

She didn't have an answer for that. "Well, Paimon's still uneasy. Tone-Deaf Bard, what do you say?"

"Honestly, I'm also a bit hesitant," Venti answered, and he actually looked serious as he gave it some thought. "But I have no argument against it, so if Aether wants to go, I'll follow."

"If it really bothers you, I'll just take a quick peek and come back," Aether suggested. "I'm curious about Sumeru, but we don't have to explore it right now."

"… Fine," Paimon said. "Paimon won't stop you anymore if you wanna see Sumeru. But just a peek! You better come back quickly, okay?"

He smiled. "I will."

Paimon resisted the annoying urge to obstruct him a second time as he walked further into the tunnel. Seriously, what was up with her? Like the usual holes in her memories, now she had another aspect of herself to question…

She opened her mouth to tell Venti about it, but before any words could come out, everything went black.

• • •

The three of them agreed to never speak of what happened next again. Later, Kairos would explain that since Yggdrasil didn't have the data for Sumeru yet, going there had crashed the Loop. This was very dangerous for their Branch, so the Loopers were sent to a Punishment Loop while the Admin restabilized their world. Paimon made a mental note to never again ignore her instincts when they told her to not go somewhere yet.

• • •

The next time Paimon Awoke while coughing out saltwater, all she could feel was sheer relief to be back in Teyvat. She had never been so grateful to almost drown.

• 3.2 - Archon Meetings, Act II •

Barbatos had mastered how to smile like nothing was wrong. It was a skill he used a lot, as both a god and an entertainer. People looked to him for reassurance, for happiness, for even the briefest moment of peace— the last thing he wanted was to cause more worry. So when he suddenly Awoke in the middle of an Archon meeting, it took him little effort to mask his disorientation behind that same practiced smile.

But it dipped, ever so slightly, when the Loop's memories flooded in and reminded him of his past failures. Awakening later than usual meant that he hadn't saved his friend during the Archon War. Centuries had passed since then, but the Anemo Archon still remembered the revolution like it was yesterday, and the young bard's lifeless eyes staring vacantly at a clear sky he didn't get to see while he was alive…

Anyway, the past was in the past and would someday reset; it was pointless to think about, so Barbatos looked around for a distraction. Conveniently, the Hydro and Pyro Archons began to argue over something, causing a ruckus that drew the other gods' attention. (Those two tended to clash the most, much like their elements. Barbatos found it amusing.) The Cryo Archon tried to intervene but was stopped by the Dendro Archon. Morax actually seemed mildly interested in the discussion. As for Baal… Wait, where was Baal?

"Are you alright?" asked the Electro Archon's voice, and the Anemo Archon realized she had snuck up on him. "Your smile faltered for a moment."

How did she catch his tiny slip? Makoto was usually good at picking up on small details, but she shouldn't have noticed anything unless she watched him closely… On second thought, Barbatos realized this wasn't Makoto. She looked more serious and stiff than usual, and she surveyed the other Archons as if analyzing their every move. Raiden Ei had come to the meeting in her sister's place, for the first time in the Loop.

Her gaze fell on him again, and she raised an eyebrow. Right, he hadn't answered yet.

"Worry not, I feel just fine!" he said. "I've simply had a lot on my mind."

Baal looked like she wanted to say something, but her hesitation stopped her. An awkward silence befell them (ignoring the bickering in the background).

"Don't be shy, Raiden Ei, say what you wanna say," Barbatos prompted.

Alarm and suspicion flared in her eyes. "How did you know my identity? I have not revealed myself yet."

"Ehe, lucky guess?"

"Right…" Although Baal looked unconvinced, she didn't press the subject. "Well, you are acting like Makoto. I've seen her smile similarly when something worries her but she doesn't want me to know. I will tell you what I told her: if something is burdening you, know that you do not have to carry that burden alone. You can share whatever it is with me, if that would help."

Barbatos didn't hide his surprise. This was new. "I appreciate it, but… are you sure? I kinda got the impression that you don't like me very much."

"I… do not understand you," she admitted, "but you are Makoto's friend and, somehow, an Archon. That makes us allies, and allies support each other."

The Anemo Archon gave a faint but genuine smile. "Thank you, Ba— Beelzebul. To be honest, I was just thinking about a friend I lost long ago…"

Ei was a surprisingly good listener when she wanted to be. Her expression softened as Barbatos talked about his friend and how he wished he had saved him. The goddess then told him about her own friend, the tengu general Sasayuri, who also fell during the Archon War when Orobashi suddenly invaded Yashiori Island.

"I've wondered many times," Beelzebul said, "why did Orobashi attack? Why did Sasayuri have to die? But we cannot change the past; we can only ensure that no more sacrifices happen in the future."

Barbatos knew where that mission would eventually lead her. Though it was probably pointless, he offered some advice. "That's a noble goal, Ei, but remember: first and foremost, we must focus on the present, for our people."

• • •

Barbatos and Beelzebul became friends, against all odds.

Many centuries later, they mourned Baal together.

When the Traveler arrived, accompanied by Venti, to change the Raiden Shogun's mind, Beelzebul was a little more receptive to their words.

• • •

"… Are you serious?" Ei asked, eyebrows scrunched in confusion as she processed what Venti had said. "I've never even heard that name before."

The bard nodded cheerfully. "It'll be fun, I swear! Even our hero Lumine will be there."

"I am still not sure. Kujou Sara has spoken rather poorly about the others."

"But even she admitted that their festival is interesting," Venti pointed out. "And so did Yae Miko. If you're not gonna trust me, can't you trust Miko?"

Ei frowned. "Both of you are equally likely to play a joke on me."

"Fair, but look at it this way: it's a chance to leave your comfort zone and learn more about your people. Are you really gonna say no?"

And that was how Venti brought the Raiden Shogun to the Almighty Arataki Great and Glorious Drumalong Festival. Everyone there was surprised to see her, except Paimon (who was also Awake and caught Venti's wink) and Itto (who had already planned to invite her). The Shogun's presence brought more attention to the festival, much to the Arataki Gang's delight; by sunset, a large crowd covered almost the whole islet. Lumine finished a song before casually passing her drum to Ei.

"Here, have fun," was all the Traveler said.

The utterly bewildered Shogun stared at the strange object in her hands. "What do I do with this?"

"It's a simple drum, Ei," Venti answered, snickering. "All you have to do is play."

She started tapping the drum in a slow but steady rhythm. It sped up as she got the hang of it, figuring out where and how to hit the drum to produce different sounds. Venti decided to join in with his lyre, and since Ei continued unperturbed, he began to sing too. Their impromptu performance drew many cheers from the crowd, even a few cries for an encore, and the two gods played until the last rays of the sun disappeared.

"Damn, your show put mine to shame," Lumine said with a laugh when they finished. "I'll let you keep the drum, Ei, you deserve it."

"Thank you, but no need," she replied, returning the instrument. "I can get one for myself if I ever want to."

"That's a great idea!" Venti excitedly said. "Then we can perform together again. Ooh, and Zhongli could use a zither, and we form our own music group—"

Ei chuckled. "In case you forgot, I have many responsibilities to attend to as the Shogun. I cannot simply abandon them… not anymore. But I must admit, today was quite fun. Thank you both for the opportunity. I feel a little closer to my people."

She had to go back to Tenshukaku after that, so she bid farewell to the Traveler, the bard, and the festival. But Venti heard in the wind one last whisper from the goddess:

"I hope you liked the show… Makoto."

• 3.3 - A World Without Celestia, Act I •

Aether Awoke under the Windrise tree. He didn't realize he had stopped talking mid-sentence until Venti and Paimon looked at him weirdly.

"Hellooo, Teyvat to Aether," Paimon said. "You okay?"

"Just, uh, a bit Loopy," the Traveler answered as he Pinged.

Venti grinned. "Thank Barbatos, finally. We've been waiting for you to Awaken."

"What were we talking about just now?"

"Making bets on how long it'll take Lumine to exterminate the slime population in Windrise," Paimon answered. "Paimon bet ten minutes, and Venti said fifteen. You Awoke right before you told us your bet."

"Twelve minutes," Aether said without hesitation. Then he realized. "Wait, why Lumine?"

"You gotta catch up on a lot," Venti said. "Let's start at the start: Celestia is now not."

Aether turned his gaze to the northwestern sky and saw no floating land. "Wha— How?"

"Welcome, Traveler, to our first true Variant Loop!"

• • •

Everything was relatively peaceful. There weren't any Gnoses or official Archons; gods were simply gods. There weren't any Visions, either. The Fatui, though still shady, were mere diplomats and soldiers with no ulterior motives. Hilichurls and the Abyss Order didn't exist, since Khaenri'ah never fell. Some conflicts had still happened, but the smaller wars between gods never reached the level of the Archon War, and the problems that arose when Abyssal monsters went loose were ultimately resolved.

And Aether hadn't been separated from Lumine.

The twins had arrived in Teyvat only recently, and they agreed to explore it together. They had already journeyed through all of Mondstadt (and gained a reputation as the Travelers who helped people along the way), but they chose to stay for a few more days before moving on to Liyue, mainly to spend time with their new friends. Lumine had formed a tight friendship with Albedo while investigating, and now she was fighting slimes to help his research, while Aether, Venti, Paimon, and the alchemist himself waited at the huge tree.

Aether was surprised to see Albedo there, because it meant he had heard them talk about the Loops. But when he brought up his concern, Albedo just shrugged.

"I am currently, as Venti and Paimon called it, 'Loop-Aware'," he said. "Since I figured it out on my own, I'm not really surprised. Besides, it has been fascinating to hear about that 'Celestia'— though I do not quite understand what it is."

"Neither do we," Paimon admitted. "The one who'd know the most is Venti, but that Tone-Deaf Bard refuses to say much."

The said bard absentmindedly strummed his lyre. "It's nothing exciting; there's not much to say. Several things vary per Loop, anyway."

"Technically, it's just the location where the gods reside," the Traveler told Albedo, "but it's also tied to some Heavenly Principles, which seem to be a force that controls the world."

"Did it really… destroy Khaenri'ah?" the alchemist asked.

Aether huffed. "Apparently, but no one's ever told me why." He cast a pointed look at Venti, but the god ignored it in favor of playing a tune.

"I suppose it's irrelevant in this timeline," Albedo said. "Though I'm still rather curious about what other aspects of Teyvat's history changed due to Celestia's absence…"

That got a reaction from Venti, who smiled. "I can talk about Mondstadt's history! Even without Celestia, the events here played out almost the same. This tree, for example, originally sprouted when Vennessa ascended to Celestia from here; but in this Loop, she became a god in her own right. And since there's no Archon system, all gods are of equal importance and can coexist in Teyvat. She, Istaroth, and I are all worshiped in Mondstadt."

"What about Dragonspine?" Aether asked, watching the notably not snowy mountain in the distance. "It looks green from here."

"The mountain? That's Vindagnyr," Albedo supplied. "Some centuries ago, the dragons Dvalin and Durin fought there, but nothing happened to earn it the name 'Dragonspine'."

"Because Dvalin and I managed to befriend Durin," Venti explained. "Durin didn't die, Dvalin wasn't poisoned, and nowadays they share the ruins of Old Mondstadt as their home, hence why it's called Dragons' Lair. And Celestia never sent the Skyfrost Nail, so Vindagnyr never froze over. Its civilization still disappeared eventually, but some of its descendants live on in the Imunlaukr Clan."

The alchemist looked saddened. "So Durin originally died…"

"Paimon's just glad everything turned out fine this time," Paimon said. "Everyone's happy and healthy! Well, except the impostor Albedo, if he's still in Durin's belly."

"The what—"

"Yo, I'm back!" a feminine voice cut in. "How long did that take?"

Lumine walked towards them with a confident grin and a bag that was probably full of slime remains. Judging by the resignation on Venti's face, he already knew he had lost the bet, but the others had to wait for Albedo's unbiased answer. Although the alchemist looked like he had many questions to ask, he put them aside for now and checked his stopwatch.

"Hmm. Twelve minutes. It seems Aether won the bet."

• 3.4 - A World Without Celestia, Act II •

The twins, Venti, and Paimon arrived at Liyue Harbor right on time to witness the last Rite of Descencion, in which Rex Lapis Morax announced his retirement from ruling the nation. He didn't reveal to the public that he would continue to live among them as a regular mortal, but the Travelers figured it out shortly after meeting Zhongli. The consultant invited them to celebrate over dinner that night, and a certain funeral director was also present. What started as a normal meal for meetings and catch-ups became rather chaotic after Hu Tao revealed that she knew the gods' identities.

"I'm so disappointed by your announcement earlier, by the way," she told Zhongli. "Faking your death would've been far more exciting! Maybe even, I dunno, plunging all of Liyue into an extremely dangerous situation during your absence, as a final trial or something? Could've brought us new clients!"

Aether shared a knowing glance with Paimon and Venti. "Strangely, I could see that happening."

"Guizhong wouldn't have allowed it," the bard replied. "Lumine, can you pass me that bottle?"

Lumine did not pass the bottle. "Who's Guizhong?"

"A fellow god and dear friend of mine," Zhongli answered. "She taught me to care for humans, and she ruled Liyue alongside me until a few centuries ago, when she chose to retire. She, too, has lived disguised as a mortal since."

"I spotted her during the rite, hidden amid the crowd," Venti mentioned. "Witnessing the old blockhead's change, she must've felt so proud!"

Hu Tao added her own verses: "And it was so surprising, no doubt that she was wowed! But more surprising would've been a fake corpse we could shroud…"

"I am regretting that I let the two of you meet," the consultant stated.

Paimon stopped stuffing her face to say, "It could be worse. Imagine if Hu Tao met Klee."

Aether shuddered at the thought. Even without a Vision, Klee was terrifyingly skilled at crafting bombs and causing massive explosions. Lumine and Venti also paled, and their reaction didn't go unnoticed by the director.

"Klee, huh? Now I'm interested." Hu Tao's smile was eerie. "Do you think she'd help my business?"

Thankfully, Zhongli stopped that potential train wreck of a conversation with a far safer chat about the history of Liyue's gods and adepti. The Travelers listened with interest, Aether mentally noting the differences between this Loop and Baseline. Despite not having a proper Archon War for the thrones of Celestia, several gods had still fought over territory. Some, like Osial and Chi, suffered the same fate as in the Baseline; others, like Guizhong and Havria, survived to this day. Aether was happy to hear that the Five Yakshas were included in the latter group, likely due to having less demons to slay and less karmic debt, and in part because Venti was around more often to play soothing songs for them.

"I intend to pay a visit to Havria soon, and perhaps even Azdaha…" Zhongli said. "But enough about them. I'm rather curious about you, Travelers. Care to share your story?"

"Ooh, ooh, can I guess?" Hu Tao asked. "From what we've heard from Mondstadt, they're really strong and can use elemental power without needing that new Snezhnayan technology— which, by the way, is no longer deadly, so I assume it's been perfected. However! Now that I've met them, I can say the Travelers also don't have a godlike presence, just kinda weird. Foreign. Sooo, my conclusion is" —she paused to do a little fanfare— "they're aliens!"

Aether gaped at her. "You could tell just from that?!"

"Hee-hee, well, you just confirmed it."

"Shit, I thought we were better at hiding it," Lumine muttered.

"Paimon's starting to fear how accurate Hu Tao is at guessing stuff," Paimon said with a shudder.

The director's eerie smile returned. "Oh? What else have I guessed? It's not like we've known each other for long, unless… Maybe we met in a previous life?"

Then she winked, and Aether wondered if she actually knew about the Loops.

• 3.5 - A World Without Celestia, Act III •

Although Venti had given the Travelers a rundown on Teyvat's most worshiped gods, Aether was still surprised to see Raiden Makoto in person. They happened to run into her and her sister while on their way to the Grand Narukami Shrine, where the Travelers wanted to get fortune slips for their journey. Since the Shoguns were also headed there, they decided to walk together.

"I'm honored to meet you, Aether, Lumine, and Paimon," Makoto said, "and it's good to see you again, Barbatos! You all arrived at a perfect moment, it's almost as if Istaroth sent you."

"I disagree," said Ei. "There is no perfect moment while Barbatos is present."

The bard laughed, unfazed. "Good to see you too! Speaking of, is Istaroth around?"

"I believe she's with her scribes in Watatsumi Island," Makoto answered.

"Right, Venti told us Watatsumi Island also worships her…" Lumine thought aloud. "But what about the rest of Inazuma?"

The Raiden Shoguns explained that only they were worshiped throughout the whole nation, albeit to varying degrees. Since Watatsumi Island had a unique history tied to Istaroth and Orobashi, its inhabitants held them in higher regard; similarly, Tsurumi Island revered a local god, Kanna Kapatcir. Aether remembered that Celestia's rule tended to sabotage those three gods (even if indirectly), so the lack of interference in this Loop was probably why they were still around. They had also helped protect Inazuma from Abyssal monsters five centuries ago, and the nation ultimately suffered no major losses, although Makoto still looked a little sad when recounting it.

"Those were rough times," Ei murmured. "We almost lost Kitsune Saiguu and Chiyo then, and there were so many hordes of monsters, even I had trouble fighting them."

"But we overcame the disaster in the end," Makoto said, smiling again. "Furthermore, the alchemist Gold had released her creations only by accident, and she later traveled across Teyvat to help rebuild everything they destroyed, to make up for her mistake. I have long since forgiven her."

"Yeah, I heard about that from Albedo," Lumine mentioned.

"Gold's synthetic human? Perhaps her best creation," Ei said. "His existence inspired me to create a similar lifeform, albeit through different means; the result was more akin to a puppet, but with a consciousness of his own."

Makoto giggled. "Ei was attempting to prove a point by creating a being who wouldn't change throughout eternity, yet her creation was too human, and he proved my point instead. Stillness made him bored and unhappy, so he left to find meaning in his life. Last I heard, he was working for the Tsaritsa of Snezhnaya."

"Hey, Paimon doesn't mean to interrupt," Paimon said, "but now that we're here… How come this road still doesn't have stairs? Is everyone expected to climb to reach the shrine?"

• • •

They arrived at the entrance of the Grand Narukami Shrine, where Yae Miko waited as if she had been expecting them. The Shoguns and Venti stopped to chat with her, though her gaze followed the Travelers as they passed her by, Lumine dragging Aether and Paimon to go look around the shrine. The male twin pointed out where the fortune slips were, but his sister's attention was on the Sacred Sakura.

"That's cute, it looks like a fox!"

So Aether decided to tease her a bit. "You think? I say it looks more like a cat."

"A cat? I guess the ears… No, shut up, that's a fox. Look at its snout."

"A horse, then?"

"Aether, what the actual fuck—"

"Okay, cut it out, you two," Paimon said. "Sheesh, you're like little kids!"

"You're like a little kid!" both Travelers retorted.

A chuckle from behind alerted them that Yae Miko had caught up with them. "My, my, you remind me of the Shoguns and myself. Have you nothing better to do than bickering?"

"It's just how we show our affection," Aether said jokingly.

"Also, he started it," Lumine added.

"See? Feeling the love."

Miko laughed again. "Ah, the bond between twins. You should cherish it; it's very special indeed, though I'm sure you must know that already…"

The twins exchanged a look. After a few seconds, Lumine made a rude gesture, and Aether responded by sticking his tongue out, which made them both break into laughter. It dawned on Aether that it had been a long time since he could hang out with Lumine like this, and he was immensely glad that they were together now, even if they'd be separated again soon. Next thing he knew, he had pulled her into a hug.

"You sap," she mumbled, yet she hugged him back.

"Adorable," Miko said amusedly. "Now, I heard that you wanted fortune slips, yes? Follow me, I'll deal your fortunes myself."

She led them to the fortune slip box and explained how to draw a bamboo slip and exchange it. Aether and Lumine played rock-paper-scissors to determine who'd go first, but Paimon cut in with a Super Paimon Tornado and won. They let her draw a bamboo slip for all of them and huddled together excitedly as Yae Miko traded it for their fortune.

Aether had received that same slip many times before, but it didn't fail to make him and his companions smile. The clouds disperse, revealing the moon in the sky, it read. Whoever draws this slip will receive great fortune.

• 3.6 - A World Without Celestia, Act IV •

The three Loopers sat under the shade of the Windrise tree again. Knowing that they couldn't go to Sumeru yet and the Loop would end soon, they had convinced Lumine to go back to Mondstadt for a while, and she was currently catching up with Albedo somewhere in the city.

"This has been really nice," Aether said as he leaned back to lie on the grass. "It'll be hard to go back to Baseline Loops after this."

"Paimon agrees," said the floating companion. "Everything's so much better without Celestia!"

Venti let out a long sigh. "I'm gonna miss this peace. But, you know… Celestia exists in Baseline for a reason. In this Loop, its absence has been a blessing, but that's just one possibility— maybe someday we'll experience another Loop without Celestia in which everything is much worse."

"How could it be worse?" Aether asked. "So many of Teyvat's problems can be traced back to Celestia and the Heavenly Principles, at least from what I've seen."

"As much as I dislike Celestia, I don't want you to think of it as the enemy. Maybe it's hopeful of me, but I believe that the Heavenly Principles, harsh as they can be, are meant to protect our world. I just… don't agree with the way they go about it sometimes."

The Traveler didn't respond for a moment, pondering the little he knew. "I've seen the destruction of Khaenri'ah several times… but I also know the Archons I've met aren't bad people, and you work for Celestia… Guess it's hard to tell if it's good or bad."

"Welp, no point in wondering about it now," Paimon stated, placing her hands on her hips. "How about we go enjoy the rest of this Loop while it lasts? Paimon wants to share one more meal with both twins!"

"I am getting a little hungry," Aether admitted.

"Then let's cast aside our pity and return to my wonderful city," Venti said with a wink. "I'll even put on a performance with my best songs!"

They held a full-on party when they returned to Mondstadt, inviting all their available friends and even welcoming random citizens. No one else knew what they were really celebrating, but that didn't stop them from having fun. As the twins danced together to Venti's upbeat music, Aether felt for the first time in over a century that all was right in the world.

• 3.7 - Traveler May Vary, Act II •

Paimon Awoke in the process of being fished, as usual. A feminine voice yelled something in a foreign language, and Paimon recognized it as Lumine's.

She already knew how Loops with Lumine went. While Aether was her first Traveler and closest friend, traveling with Lumine was usually more fun than with an Unawake Aether. Although the Travelers' goals were the same, their attitudes were different; Lumine had a more headstrong (and at times aggressive) approach to missions, and she didn't get distracted as often. Paimon had only journeyed with Unawake Aether a few times, but he tended to pause everything to get every little chest he saw, and it got boring after a while.

"Thank you for saving Paimon!" she told Lumine. "Now Paimon's gonna help you in return."

The Traveler stared confusedly at Paimon, not understanding a single word yet.

"First, let Paimon teach you our language…"

• • •

Due to the two Pings that answered hers, Paimon knew both Aether and Venti were Awake. That gave her an idea. Their last Loop together (and the last one Paimon had been Awake in) was the Variant, and although it made their story deviate majorly, it didn't seem to have negative consequences. So Paimon thought, why stick to the Baseline? So long as they didn't crash the Loop, they were free to do whatever they wanted, right?

She could tell that the Anchors had grown bored of repeatedly doing the same things, and the Variant Loop had been a breath of fresh air for them. But for some reason, neither of them ever tried majorly altering the events of a Baseline Loop, and Paimon decided she would be the one to change that. It wasn't like she wanted to leave the nations to their troubles, but what if, for example, she led Lumine straight to Aether?

So after Lumine had mastered the Teyvat tongue and told Paimon her tale, Paimon decided to be blunt.

"Oh, yeah, Paimon knows your brother. He's busy and kinda avoiding you."

"What? Why would he avoid me?" Lumine asked. "We got stranded in a strange world, we should stick together!"

"Paimon agrees, he's being silly! So Paimon will do her best to reunite you two. We could start by foiling his nefarious plans in Mondstadt."

"Wait, nefarious? What the hell is Aether up to?!"

• • •

"Oh," Lumine said, staring at the dragon.

"Oh," Venti echoed, staring at the Traveler.

"What are you 'oh'-ing for, Tone-Deaf Bard?" Paimon snapped. "Just heal Dvalin already! We know the poisoned blood clots are the issue."

"Well, yeah, but it's still too— I mean, I'm surprised Dvalin didn't— Just, what are you doing, Paimon?"

Paimon was hurrying things along. She had skipped right past the Statue of the Seven so that Lumine wouldn't gain Anemo powers and thus wouldn't scare Dvalin away. She told Lumine how to destroy the blood clots to save the dragon, which the Traveler easily did. And now she was throwing Venti under the bus.

"Also, that's Barbatos," she said, pointing at the bard. "He's the god of Mondstadt and another friend of your brother's. And he's gonna help us find him, aren't you, Tone-Deaf Bard?"

Venti raised his arms in defeat. "Doesn't seem like I have a choice. But if you're spilling secrets, at least lower your voice!"

• • •

"Oh, that's Dain! HEY, DAINSLEIF!" Paimon yelled from across the tavern.

Loud noises were nothing unusual in Angel's Share, so most people didn't pay any attention. Only the masked man himself startled, clearly not expecting to be called by a stranger. He quickly composed himself, though, and he gave no reaction as Paimon pushed Lumine and Venti to his table and they sat down in front of him.

"Uh, sorry about Paimon," Lumine said awkwardly, then she whispered to her companion, "So who is this guy?"

Paimon didn't bother whispering back. "Dainsleif," she stated plainly. "He also knows your brother."

"Do you need something from me?" Dain asked, carefully observing them.

"I need a drink," Venti said, "but I'll go get it myself—"

He tried to stand up, but Paimon pulled him back into his seat. "Nope, you're staying here! All of us are gonna work together and come up with a plan to find Aether."

"Okay, slow down, Paimon, how about we start with introductions?" Lumine suggested. "Hi, Dainsleif, I'm Lumine, and I'm looking for my brother, Aether. Paimon and Venti are helping me."

"So I see," Dainsleif said. "Greetings, Lumine. I am Dainsleif, and I indeed knew your brother once, but it has been long since I last saw him. How do you expect me to help?"

"Well, Paimon knows that Dain is chasing the Abyss Order," the floating companion explained, "and Aether is the Abyss Prince, so Dain can help us track him down or at least get closer to finding him."

"And how did you come across this knowledge?"

"Uh…"

Dain turned to Lumine. "Traveler, are you sure you can trust either of your companions?"

"Well, everything Paimon's said has been true so far," she answered. "And they do seem to know Aether. Even if I couldn't trust them, they're the only lead I have."

"That's fair." Dainsleif looked pensive for a moment. "Well, I'm afraid I don't know how to find the Abyss Prince. However, I am currently on the trail of an Abyss Herald. If you help me find it, it may have useful information for you…"

• • •

"That was surprisingly easy," Dain said, blinking in confusion.

Aether looked equally bewildered. "What—"

"Nope, I'm the one asking the questions, I deserve some fucking answers!" Lumine exclaimed furiously, marching up to her brother. "How come I had to corner and beat up a monster with the help of three people I barely know but who know you, just to get you to stop actively avoiding me, your gods-damned sister, after you left me alone in this completely unfamiliar world that you're trying to bring havoc to for no discernible reason? You're in deep shit this time, you asshole!"

She proceeded to chase him around the ruins with her sword raised, yelling more questions and obscenities. Aether glanced at Paimon for help, and she smiled sweetly as she shook her head. She had done her part: the twins were reunited. Meanwhile, Dainsleif watched them with a strange expression like he wasn't sure whether he should be amused or scared, and Venti face-palmed.

"This is awkward," the bard muttered.

"You're telling me!" said the distorted voice of the Abyss Herald they had tied up.

• • •

Much to Paimon's surprise and disappointment, almost nothing changed after that. The twins now traveled together (since Lumine practically forced Aether to relent), but the Abyss Order's plans didn't halt— they just declared their Prince a traitor and moved on. In fact, some of the Abyss Mages they encountered while traveling grew even more ferocious. And of course, the twins' reunion had no effect on the Fatui's plans or the Archons'. After a brief stay in Mondstadt during which the Knights of Favonius thanked the Travelers for swiftly dealing with Stormterror, they arrived in Liyue just in time to witness the Geo Archon's fake death.

"Let's just rush this along, shall we…" Paimon said as she guided the twins away from the commotion at Yujing Terrace, the ennui of sameness finally getting to her.

Lumine was oblivious to her mood. "With your suspicious knowledge powers? 'Kay, what's the rundown?"

Aether was not. "Hold on. Can I have a moment with Paimon?"

The female Traveler didn't look pleased to be excluded while they discussed the history they had without her, especially while they were supposed to be sneaking instead of speaking, but she didn't move to follow them when Aether took Paimon aside.

"Alright, Paimon, what's the deal with you this Loop?" he whispered. His tone wasn't accusatory, just mildly concerned.

"It's just… Paimon was trying to change the Loop! Paimon knows you and Venti are bored of doing the same things over and over but you keep on doing them… So Paimon thought Paimon should break the normal story, and then the rest would go differently. But here we are like nothing has changed at all…"

Aether's eyes widened momentarily as the weight of her words dawned on him, but then he broke into a kind smile. "Paimon, that's not true."

"Huh?"

"In truth, Venti and I already tried pushing the boundaries of Baseline Loops after that Variant Loop. Strangely, a lot of events seem fated to happen no matter how they happen, so we couldn't make changes on the grand scale. But, Paimon, look—"

He gestured at his sister, who watched them from her own hiding spot. She noticed their attention and crossed her arms, raising an eyebrow as if to ask if they were done yet.

"You brought me to Lumine," Aether told Paimon. "You made us reunite in Baseline, and now we're both 'the Traveler'. That's the first time this happens, and that already makes this journey unique. So what if Morax still faked his death and Childe will still summon Osial and the Shogun is still suffocating Inazuma and all that? I get to experience it with my sister by my side, and it's thanks to you."

Paimon might've been on the edge of tears. "You—you're right. Paimon's… pretty amazing, huh?"

"Yep! And I'm glad I have such a stubborn yet considerate friend. Now let's not keep Lumine waiting, if Childe finds her she might actually try to kill him…"

• 3.8 - Meanwhile, Act II •

The Loops continued to expand over time, just like Kairos had once said they would. The Traveler and Paimon returned to the Golden Apple Archipelago for a second adventure with different friends, and they had a lot of fun. Eventually, that also became yet another predictable part of the Loops.

• • •

Kazuha awoke before dawn, as he was used to doing when he was with the Crux. Since everyone else was still sleeping, he decided to walk around and start picking fruits for breakfast. When he returned to the camp, he noticed a faint trace of Hydro energy that let him know that Mona was up and practicing her hydromancy. Seeing as he had nothing better to do, he struck up a conversation with her.

"Good morning," he said to alert her of his presence. "Might I ask what you are doing this early?"

"Good morning, Kazuha," the astrologist replied, eyes on her scryglass. "I was wondering if perhaps divining at a different hour would yield clearer results, but alas, it's still very hazy. I can't make out anything beyond a strange changing force."

"I hope you slept well and didn't try divining all night."

"I likely would have, but Fischl woke up at midnight, saw me still awake, and practically forced me to go to sleep."

Kazuha laughed softly, recalling the many times he had similarly helped his friend. He wasn't usually so nostalgic, but his mirage on the day prior had made many old memories resurface.

"It shows that she cares," he mentioned.

Mona already knew that, of course. Fischl had been her closest friend almost from the moment they met, over a year ago during the incident with the meteorites. Yet despite the Prinzessin's efforts to help Mona take care of herself, she was just too captivated by astrology, especially ever since her readings became unreliable whenever the Traveler was involved. She voiced this to Kazuha, and he tilted his head in confusion.

"Really? I would've thought the opposite," he said. "The Traveler gives off the essence of stars, and he has an uncanny ability to predict certain events."

Now it was Mona's turn to be confused. "The essence of stars is because— well, it's not my secret to tell. But what do you mean by an ability to predict events?"

"I didn't think much of his comments at first, but… 'I already knew you would come' when the Crux interfered in the battle at Nazuchi Beach. 'I bet you could parry the Shogun's blade' when we trained together, before the battle at Tenshukaku. And he implied yesterday that the rest of you would also have your own mirages."

"Come to think of it…" Mona hadn't spent a lot of time with the Traveler, but she did remember similar situations. "When I asked Klee for my master's box —long story— the Traveler specified that we wanted its contents, not the box itself. That prevented a meaningless search for it, since Klee actually carried the contents in her backpack after she had used the box to store her own treasures. And then the Traveler accompanied Klee to check on the box anyway, and it would have been stolen by Dendro slimes had they not been there to stop them. There was also that encounter with a Fatui Harbinger; the Traveler already knew to be careful around him and warned Fischl in advance. Maybe he does have some sort of fortune-telling abilities…"

"But why hide it?" Kazuha wondered aloud.

"And how much does he truly know?" Mona finished.

Neither of them had an answer, but they decided to put it aside for now. Perhaps it was just another one of the many surprises that came with the Traveler.

• • •

The sun was high in the sky, and Xinyan was having the time of her life in the Golden Apple Archipelago! She got to travel with a samurai who survived an encounter against a god, an astrologist who could see the future, a princess who came from another world (supposedly, but she was also known as a skilled adventurer), and a Traveler who apparently did all of the above. Xinyan herself was just a musician, and she wasn't even that popular in Liyue, but that didn't discourage her; she was completely happy with herself and her art, and she believed that her mirage today was proof that her dreams were equally as strong as the others'. And it was really fun!

"By the way, Xinyan," Paimon said, "did you know there's rock pedals to manually play the isle?"

The rock star somehow grew even more animated. "You mean I can play it myself?!"

"Yeah, I can show you how," the Traveler offered with a grin.

"Awesome!"

Xinyan gladly let them guide her to the pedals. They were right behind the drum-plant that led to her mirage, so she had noticed the rocks before; it just didn't occur to her at the time that she could actually step on them to produce sounds. The Traveler explained that he could change their notes by altering the water level of the mountains' lakes, and he agreed to glide around doing so while the musician played to her heart's content.

"This is so cool! Did you learn about it with your future vision?" she asked him when he returned.

Paimon spluttered at that. "His what?"

"Crap, was it a secret?" Xinyan hoped she hadn't made a horrible mistake. "I overheard Kazuha and Mona talking about the Traveler predicting stuff. I just thought it's 'cuz he's from another world."

"Huh, guess I haven't been that subtle," he said. "Who knows, maybe I do have future vision. But no, I just learned this the first time I came to the archipelago."

"Oh."

• • •

'Twas the dead of night, a most auspicious moment for the Prinzessin der Verurteilung to revive her homeland of darkness, the Immernachtreich. She had the tranquil haven of this promised land, she had both time and wind, and she had the power to make her nobility and dreams a reality. But, fie! The detestable despot that was destiny must have conspired against her as it so often did. For she, the prestigious Prinzessin who had conquered countless worlds, was feeling admittedly, uncharacteristically, ever so slightly… scared.

Because everything was suddenly too real.

When they arrived at the archipelago, Fischl was prepared to play her role, and the others had tacitly agreed to play along. It was all nice and simple until they saw that initial flickering mirage, which depicted the Immernachtreich she had always imagined, and then a clearer mirage explored Kazuha's memories and dreams in more detail. The Traveler hinted at other mirages forming, and Fischl thought of that vision of the kingdom and realized, Oh gods, one of them will be mine.

She was simultaneously excited and terrified. To witness and experience the wonders of the Immernachtreich would be a dream come true! But what if her mirage exposed a side of her that she wasn't ready to show the others yet? Or maybe… a side she didn't want to see…

"Mein Fräulein, the Traveler is awake and approaching."

Oz's words snapped her out of her thoughts. She raised her head from her knees and saw that the Traveler was indeed walking towards her. Quickly she brushed her hair with her hands and patted some sand off her dress— the Prinzessin had to be presentable for her audience.

"Hey, Fischl and Oz," the Traveler greeted. "Mind if I join you for a bit?"

The raven looked to his princess for an answer.

"For the briefest of bits," she said and cringed internally, ouch, that wasn't her brightest alliteration but she had to go on, "since you seem to have something you must say."

"That is correct. Thank you, Your Highness." He sat on the floor beside her and smiled, not with mockery but with compassionate patience. "About your mirage…"

And Fischl thought yep, the seer has seen it, I'm doomed.

"Don't worry so much about it," he continued. "We're your friends, and that's not gonna change no matter what the mirage shows. You're more amazing than even you realize. So keep your head up, Prinzessin, and never surrender your nobility and dreams."

By the Archons, he really was a psychic. Fischl didn't think he could have possibly chosen better words to say. She teared up a little, hearing that; it didn't alleviate her worries completely, but it certainly made them feel smaller. She was even rendered speechless.

"Thank you, Traveler," Oz said in her stead. "Mein Fräulein greatly appreciates it."

He flashed that warm smile again and murmured a "good night" before leaving. Fischl then waited in silence for a short while, pondering what he had said.

Finally, she stood up, shook off some stress, and told Oz, "Prepare, my faithful familiar. Our investigation resumes, for the time of my regal return to my realm is nigh!"

• 3.9 - Notepad News, Act II •

Loop # I lost count but somewhere in the 200s, Baseline Loop

- Awoke two weeks before the revolution

- bard is actually nameless this time, I just call him "friend"

- saved him and Amos :)

- Amos taught him how to use a bow, the three of us go hunting together sometimes

…

- Amos and my friend lived long, healthy lives

- made a decent first impression on Morax :)

…

- Istaroth disappeared before the Archon War ended

- the last Archon to ascend was the Cryo Archon

- also he's the God of Love and very easy to befriend (I wonder if his successor will be too…)

- list of this Loop's Seven:

…

- made a not-so-decent first impression on Beelzebul

…

- couldn't entirely prevent slavery in Mondstadt, the aristocrats were especially stubborn this time

- Vennessa's revolution and the establishment of the Knights of Favonius happened earlier than usual

- Ragnvindr joined the Knights of Favonius

…

- the Tsaritsa was indeed also easy to befriend

…

- ugh the cataclysm

- fought durin before going to khaenriah, cured dvalin

- tsaritsa still severed ties with me as usual

- the second dendro archon is, yet again, a young female (her age sometimes varies, but im sure now that shell always be female)

…

- Aether Awoke on the beach as usual

- Dvalin was relatively easy to save :)

- the Holy Lyre still broke though :(

…

- went to Liyue with Aether, skipping out on Inazuma (not risking Beelzebul's wrath)

• • •

Loop # if not 300 yet then almost, Baseline Loop

- Awoke the day before the revolution

- bard's name is Frei

- just barely managed to save him, Gunnhildr almost risked her life but thankfully she survived too

- lost Amos :(

…

- made a very bad first impression on morax im fearing for my life right now

…

- the last Archon to ascend was the Dendro Archon

- Istaroth left shortly after the Archon War

- convinced Baal to convince Morax to hold Archon meetings in Liyue

- the Pyro and Hydro Archons actually don't argue often (thankfully, since there's enough conflict between that blockhead and I already)

…

- my first meeting with Beelzebul went well until Morax decided to completely slander me :(

- at this point I would avoid Liyue entirely, but I don't wanna let Xiao die so I'll just have to be very careful to avoid Morax

…

- prevented slavery in Mondstadt but, of course, there was still an unfair hierarchy

- Vennessa established the Knights of Favonius later than usual

- Ragnvindr very vehemently refused to join the Knights (reminds me of how Diluc will be)

- also he's a really good singer

…

- cataclysm

- went to khaenriah then came back to fight durin

- tsaritsa despises me

- gods im exhausted

…

- well I fell asleep before curing Dvalin and he's particularly mad about it :(

- Lumine is the Traveler

- Paimon Awoke in the middle of our battle against Dvalin, which was harder than usual

- Aether Awoke some time after the battle, we got his Ping

…

- didn't go to Liyue, mainly to not ruin Zhongli's impression of Lumine

- Aether joined Lumine after their first reencounter and I went with them to Inazuma

• • •

Loop # gotta be over 300 by now, Variant Loop

- Awoke

Venti frowned, unsure what to write. He had no way to place himself on the timeline. His surroundings included buildings and people from pretty much every era he knew. He sat on the bleachers of a fully built Thousand Winds Temple with no signs of ruin, Istaroth smiling next to him, the two of them watching Vennessa and Ragnvindr casually spar against Jean and Diluc on the arena. Behind them, on the stage, Venti's bard friend (named Carmen) taught Lumine and Unawake Aether how to play the lyre, and Unawake Paimon listened while munching on some fried chicken. If Venti stood up and looked to the other side of the temple, he'd see Dvalin and Andrius chatting just outside, and the City of Mondstadt and its windmills on the horizon. So… what era was it?

"Don't think so hard about it," Istaroth advised when he posed the question. "It is simply the present. Go and make the most of it, why don't you?"

Venti chuckled. "You're right. I think I'll help Carmen with the twins before one of them gets frustrated…"

He Pocketed his notepad and skipped down the bleachers, then hovered over the arena to not disturb the battle. Landing gracefully beside his friend, he summoned the reliable Der Frühling and strummed a tune. Aether clapped at his grand entrance, while Lumine muttered something like "show-off". Venti smiled as he took in their praise (including Lumine's comment, since showing off implied he had skill).

"'Twas about time you came along," Carmen said, playfully elbowing him. "Will you finally help me teach them a song?"

"Oh, come on, you didn't wait that long," Venti replied with a wink. "I'm here now and I've done nothing wrong."

"Do you always speak in rhymes to each other?" Aether asked.

The bards exchanged a look. Twin smirks formed on their faces.

"I am not sure, what do you think, my brother?" Carmen prompted.

"I think we do speak in rhymes to each other," Venti answered. "Hmm, but do you think we always do so?"

"Not always, so I think my answer is no. Yet this is quite fun, would you not say?"

"It sure is, I could do this all day!"

"Paimon will admit it, that's impressive," Paimon said.

Lumine raised an eyebrow. "Why do they act more like twins than we do?"

They resumed the lyre lessons, Carmen teaching Lumine and Venti teaching Aether. The twins were fast learners, as usual, and they quickly mastered their first song. Right on time, too— just moments after they finished performing it, Gunnhildr arrived at the temple. She dashed to the middle of the arena and disarmed the four fighters in one swift movement, gaining everyone's attention. Then she announced that preparations were ready for a feast under the Windrise tree. Istaroth encouraged everyone to go, and they began their trek downhill.

Gunnhildr led the way, and Jean quickly caught up to her to ask for swordfighting tips. Ragnvindr and Diluc weren't far behind, and they had their own conversation analyzing each other's battle styles. After them walked the twins and Paimon, the former telling the latter about other worlds they had visited. Vennessa stayed back to chat with Carmen and Venti. Istaroth, Dvalin, and Andrius followed at a distance.

It was nice. Venti had no idea how the world came to be this way for this Loop, but he wasn't about to question it. The Loops could do anything, and he loved any Variant Loop that gave him a break from the usual wars and disasters. He only wished Aether and Paimon were Awake now, so that they could meet his old friends. Maybe another time…

While his companions were distracted by a soaring falcon, he quickly updated his notepad.

- Awoke in the present

- bard's name is Carmen

- everyone is alive, well, and together :)

• • •

Loop # maybe I should ask Kairos, Baseline Loop…

- Awoke during Vennessa's revolution

- bard's name was Venti

- Vennessa's revolution was pretty quick this time

- okay, I asked Kairos, this is apparently Loop #357 and it simultaneously feels like too high and too low a number, so basically I gained nothing from this knowledge

• 3.10 - Paimon Puns, Act I •

Now, Paimon had plenty of days she could call her worst day ever. After all, she was stuck in a time loop that saw the world in danger more often than not. But this? This was cruel, this was mortifying, and this was a whole new level of stupid that Paimon didn't even know existed!

All was normal in the world, except that Paimon was a pie.

Just a floating, glowing, magical pie.

Stop laughing, Aether! Paimon's pain is not funny!

Aether, of course, didn't hear her, because she couldn't speak without a mouth. However, she could use her new powers to throw a slice of herself right at the Traveler's face. The missing piece of her body immediately regrew, so Paimon proceeded to bombard Aether until he was buried under pie.

After a bit, his head popped back out, and he was somehow laughing even louder.

"I just realized," he said, "it's a pun! You're Pie-mon!"

Paimon wanted to scream. She liked pie and she liked puns, but not like this. Why had this happened to her? What did she ever do to deserve this? She was a good guide and a good friend, what else did the Multiverse need?

"Emergency food!" Aether suddenly yelled, and he cackled so hard he started crying. "Now you can literally be emergency food— you even regenerate infinitely!"

… Is this whole Loop just a joke at Paimon's expense?!

If Paimon could've expressed all her frustration at that moment, she would've done so with that all-encompassing word Lumine liked so much:

Fuck!

• • •

Okay, Paimon had plenty of Loops she could call her worst Loop ever, including the time she was literally a pie for no reason. But this? This was a whole new level of stupid.

"Th—this is…" She sniffled, trying to wipe away the tears that flowed endlessly from her eyes. "This is an even worse p—pun…"

Lumine (the Traveler this time) awkwardly tried to comfort her. "I don't know what the pun is, but please stop crying! I can make a funnier joke, if that'll cheer you up? Or, uh, throw you back into the sea? Sorry for fishing you, by the way."

"N—no, thanks for saving Pai—Paimon. That's… Paimon's name. B—but, she can't stop cry—ing. She's… Cry-mon."

"Wow, that's really not a good pun," Lumine agreed, which made Paimon feel only slightly better. Unfortunately, the Traveler continued talking. "Wouldn't a better pun be Pie-mon?"

And Paimon wailed.

• • •

Really, Paimon had plenty of Loops she could call her worst Loop ever, including the time she couldn't stop crying for no reason. But this? This was a whole new level of weird.

She didn't even know what was wrong; she just knew something was. She couldn't ask Aether about it, because he was Unawake and probably wouldn't know, so she had to wait until they met Venti. Eventually she got the chance to talk to him, and he broke composure after the first word left her mouth.

"I'm sorry, could you repeat that?" he asked, clearly struggling to hold back laughter.

Paimon had no clue what he found so funny. "I said, I think something's wrong but I can't tell what!"

"Ehe, well, I know, but I'm not gonna tell you."

• 3.11 - Testing the Limits, Act II •

It was just a habit by this point. After saving the three nations and completing all his most important missions, Aether would stop by the tunnel in Cinnabar Cliff, if only to stare at it, waiting for the day when Paimon wouldn't stop him from crossing it to Sumeru. He sat down at its entrance.

Suddenly, he heard a Ping. Until now, he had been the only one Awake, and he Pinged back. Beside him, Paimon spun in a circle as if she were looking for something.

"Feeling Loopy?" he asked her.

She nodded. "Yeah, though you look even Loopier than Paimon. Why are you just sitting there?"

"My legs are tired from walking all the way here," he answered, "but I'm gonna try crossing the tunnel again soon."

"Right, like every Loop. Maybe this time it finally works."

"We'll see. I'm counting on you to stop me if it doesn't."

"Don't worry, Paimon's got you!"

Aether stood up. He took a deep breath, mentally prepared himself for another failure, and stepped into the cave. Paimon followed him closely. As he looked around, he couldn't help but feel like something was different. Was the passage always this clear? Distracted by little details he had somehow never noticed before, he didn't even realize he walked further than usual until Paimon gasped.

"Aether! There's no barrier!" she exclaimed.

"There isn't?!"

"It's finally time to explore the area ahead of us!"

That was all the Traveler needed to hear. He broke into a sprint that even Paimon struggled to keep up with, taking note of the mushrooms and greenery that grew more frequent as he reached the end of the tunnel. He even passed by a small boar with plants growing on its back. After crossing a large fallen log, the cave opened up to the greenest forest Aether had seen in all of Teyvat, and an unfamiliar Statue of the Seven sitting atop a rock formation. He grinned.

"We're here, Paimon!"

"Welcome to Sumeru, Traveler!"

Chapter Text

A/N: uh hi! is anyone still reading this?

going straight to the point: i’m considering editing/rewriting this fic to separate it from the ILP. i like some of the ideas i came up with and would like to turn them into something a little more original with my own rules. it’ll still be a good ol’ timeloop and most of what i’ve written shouldn’t change much, so if you’ve liked the story so far, i hope you’ll stick around. this story is not dead yet!! just… progressing very very slowly, oops.

i’ll leave this version up in the meantime, though i may take it down if i ever finish rewriting it. thank you to everyone who has read it and shown interest, and sorry i can’t promise when it’ll continue… but i am still working on it, however slowly, you can be sure for as long as this chapter is up that i haven’t given up on this story! and i appreciate all the support it’s received :)