The Gentleman's Gladiolus (An Aeqing Fanfiction)

IX. Pieces

Aether's POV

Curiosity is something I always had in me whenever I couldn't find a satisfactory answer to my queries. And that is exactly what I kept feeling ever since I met Keqing. It continues to grow even up until now but I was certain curiosity isn't the only thing I had in me. Though I have yet to pay attention to it—until I saw an unfragmented scenario yesterday.

*Yesterday, the night Keqing left abruptly

I wasn't sure about what I saw as I was falling asleep but I think I saw Keqing leave the room. My eyes really didn't want to be kept open which made me fall into a deep sleep.

This time, I felt like it was special as not only do I feel my body become lighter than usual, but somehow, I was expecting to see something much more about what the scenarios really meant. Possibly because of my awareness, I was finally able to see a complete picture once again of a scenario— at least that's what it seemed. I didn't possess a body again in this one and even served like a nobody in that place.

From what I could perceive, the place I was now in felt like the grass beds from the countryside along with the fresh winds that didn't have a whiff of smoke and industry wastes. It all felt so refreshing yet the atmosphere was...sad. My eyes then caught a grave stone without a name on it. A flower was growing on the grave and...it glows? This is the glowing gladiolus—! Which meant....this may be the flower that I couldn't seem to see before in the previous scenarios; the flower that was always invisible or etched in black like the woman.

A man in a coat with a black hat suddenly came in to view and kneeled before the grave. He uttered words that shouldn't have been audible to me but was clear to my ears that were;

"Sorrowful maiden, I beg your pardon. If it may be allowed, I wish to bring you peace and care to your eternal flower."

He then fell silent, like his mind said a few more words to the unnamed grave and picked the single, fully bloomed gladiolus that glowed a bit brighter than when it was on the grave. The man left  and never turned back. I expected the scene to disintegrate before me once again but the scene remained and the wind continued to blow. My mind was filled with even more questions and I felt even more confused than before. The scene...it feels unfragmented but it wasn't enough to explain the whole story. What exactly is the story of this woman who fell into a tragedy?

"Indeed." The man in a black coat spoke who was seated on a bench that came out of nowhere.

"You're—"

"Don't mistaken me from the man you saw a while ago. I only chose his form since I am formless in this space and my original image cannot be remembered by my one and only granddaughter." The person spoke with clarity.

"Then you are-"

"Yes, Aether. I am the granny you spoke with some time ago. Come, have a seat. This time, I may answer some of your questions. I must've left you hanging before and I'm quite sorry about that." She apologized as she lowered the tip of her hat.

It was strange addressing the old lady this way but it was much stranger doing it the other way around as she is not really the man I saw a while ago.

"Well, alright then. First off...who is this man you're using as an image to show up in front of me?"

"This man started everything about the glowing gladiolus in your family line. He was the one who believed in the secrets of the undying gladiolus but before he could discover the mysteries, he fell ill and never recovered. It was unfortunate but he had in him a good heart. With his dedication to finish what he started, he taught and instructed his children to pass on the flower and believed that one day, one of his kin will find the mysteries of its true origin."