𝐸𝑞𝑢𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑦

Timeless

"We've wasted too much valuable time." Notes Aether.
"Wheres Venti?"
Xiao asks.

"Windrise."
Aether answered quickly.
Xiao and Aether teleport to the statue of the seven in Windrise.

Xiao sets Aether down, inspecting the terrain.
"They aren't here."
Xiao concluded.

Aether clenched his teeth
"Another dead end. Why can't I get anything right?!"
Aether was slowly losing his temper.
"It's not your fault, let's go to that other place."

Aether puffed a sigh.
"You're right, I can't slow us down any more than I have."

Xiao picked up Aether, teleporting to Storm-terror's lair.
They teleported to the top of the tower. Aether was going to get down before Xiao held him closer.

Aether then stopped resisting and just held onto Xiao as well.

The lair was empty, the only sound that could be heard was the sound of the howling wind. The old architecture was falling apart, the floor was spotless. Possibly from the wind currents.

Xiao kept quiet, looking around quickly.
Aether did the same, eyes widened with fear. Xiao exhaled slowly.
"I don't sense anything here."
Said Xiao.

"That's odd, where else could they be?"
Aether questions.
Xiao slumped his shoulders,
"I'm unfamiliar with the lands of freedom."

"Maybe they're at cape oath?"
Aether began speculating.

"We should go back to Liyue, although Rex Lapis is dead I'm still binded to my contract."
Xiao adds.

The last glint of hope withered from Aether's golden-hour eyes.
"That's a good idea, I hope they're safe-"

An electro bolt strikes Xiao.
Xiao dropped Aether in the process.
"XIAO!"

"This feeling is timeless."
The abyss lector steps out of the shadows.
"You're part of the abyss."
Aether growled.

"We told you that if you didn't sit still your friends would parish, including this one."
The abyss lector hisses, looking at Xiao.

Xiao struggled to get up.

Aether quickly reaches out to Xiao, a row of purple electricity filled the gap between Aether and Xiao.

"If you want to leave this place alive you have to fight me first."
The abyss lector hissed.

Aether looked worryingly at Xiao, the traveler stepped in front of Xiao summoning his sword.

Aether knew that Xiao was in a lot of pain, so the faster the battle ended the faster he could get Xiao some help.

Aether raised his sword in front of him,
Calm down Aether, you've faced these guys before.

The abyss lector hurls electoral balls at Aether,

Aether dodges it late.

Wha-what's going on, why can't I move as well as I used to? How long has it been since I last fought?

Aether was now aware of the aftermath of staying in bed for a week.

He felt limp, sore, and aching.

Another a round of electrical balls, Aether quickly summons a geo construct, blocking the attack.

Aether eyes the abyss lector looking for its weak point, however, he can't pinpoint its location.
Aether runs up striking the abyss lector's side.

He attacks over and over again till near exhaustion.
The abyss lector quickly teleports behind him, striking Aether with a bolt of electro,

Aether growled in pain, he sprints in front of Xiao summoning a construct.

Aether runs out from behind the construct, striking the abyss lector,
Aether puffed out a breath.

The abyss lector chuckles lightly before summoning a shockwave of purple, blasting Aether back.

Aether hears the geo construct break, he scrambled towards Xiao, summoning another one.

Before facing towards the abyss lector.
He needed to get rid of this abyss lector, and fast.

Aether examines the room once more, noticing the broken hole in storm-terrors lair.

Aether runs to the opening, waving his hands at the abyss lector,

"Bet you can't catch me."

The abyss lector rushes over to Aether summoning a shockwave. Aether runs to the other side of the abyss lector, striking it with his sword. Causing it to fall from the top of the tower.

A sigh of relief can be heard from Aether, before a rush of worry.

Aether looks over at Xiao, who seemed to be in a lot of pain.

This must be his karmic debt, but why'd it have to act up now.

Aether lifts Xiao onto his back.

"Paimon!"
Aether shouted, but to no avail, his Emergency food did not show.

"We need to hide out somewhere before we get ambushed."
Aether looked out from the top of the dragon's lair, only to see no one, except two fuzzy colors of neon orange and teal.

Aether narrows his eyes more to see Venti and Zhongli inspecting the area below him.

Before he could yell out Venti and Zhongli's names, he noticed the same abyss lector he shoved off the building go into a portal, and appear near them.

He struggled to carry Xiao, but he tried his best while searching for an available wind current.

————
Notes!
I got Qiqi :')
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