Dominator Stellae

1 | Fragment of a Forgotten Kingdom

The wind was reminiscent of a ghost as it gently brushed against my face. Ocean waves crashed against the boat I'd arrived in. Desolate was a generous way to describe this place. I lowered my hood, knowing not a single person was here to witness my face. Securing my boat, I headed further inland to witness the destruction that lay ahead of me. The further I went, the more stone seemed to be sprinkled about the ground like rocky sprinkles. My chest tightened as I tried not to allow the memories of thousands of years ago flood my head. You'd think I'd be over it by now.

But I wasn't.

Not when I'd lost people and things so important to me during that time. I quickly wiped away the tears threatening to trail down my cheeks. Sighing, I put my attention back on the task at hand. In front of me, scattered pieces of wall that once held up beautiful homes lay solemn and quiet. Nature had begun taking back its stone, moss and grass growing between crumbled rock. I bent down and picked up a piece. I turned it over in my hand and watched as stars and constellations dully shimmered.

This stone had shined so wonderfully centuries ago. Now it was doomed to erode away, never having seen mainland Teyvat again. I pocketed the rock, wishing to keep it as a souvenir. I knew I'd come back at some point, but some part of me wanted to keep the forgotten kingdom close to my being. I stood and continued on. The amount of crumbling homes increased the closer I got to the center of the island. It was futile to hope I'd meet someone that once inhabited this kingdom. And yet, I hoped for even a sign of life.

Now it was my throat that had tightened. I tried to clear despite knowing there was nothing but my own grief to clear. At the center of the island, sat what used to be a town square. The road was nothing but eroding stone with houses obliterated and turned into piles of rock taller than even I who stood at an unnatural (by human standards) seven foot five lining it.

Crack

Immediately, my hood's back up and my polearm is in my hand.

There were no animals on this island and I knew for a fact nobody from mainland Teyvat knew it existed. Well, not for a fact, I just hoped nobody knew. Has someone discovered me? Or was I being tracked ever since I set foot on Teyvat? Could the others even recognize my power anymore, it's been millennia since I last laid eyes upon any of them. I'd heard whispers of old friends having passed. Supposedly there were new faces that I'd have to greet and only two of them I originally knew.

Such was the way of history, I suppose. Not even a god can truly shape the future. History is nothing but an assortment of instances, whether purposely made or made from a consequence, that tell the story of our world. My twin understood that very well, for she was the God of History, and subsequently Time. Even she could not reshape the past, simply influence it and even then it was for naught.

My eyes swept over the landscape, dark stone obscuring most of it. "Who's there?" I called.

Silence.

Of course they wouldn't respond. Who would respond to someone holding a weapon? My head snapped to the right when someone cautiously stepped out from behind a destroyed store. A...blond teenager? His yellow eyes looked me up and down, no doubt analyzing whether or not I was a threat. Sensing no ill intentions from him, I put my polearm away and held up my hands. "I am not your enemy," I say.

Neither would I be a friend if they attempted anything.

"How did you get here?" I questioned. A flying elf girl abruptly flew into his back and sent him careening over.

"Oof!" he grunted.

"Stop leaving Paimon alone!" The elf girl huffed, throwing the blond the stink eye. I awkwardly stood there as she nagged him about leaving a "defenseless child" alone. It seems children were no less bull-headed down here than they were where I was from. It took ten minutes for the so-called "Paimon" to notice me standing in front of them.

She gasped and pointed at me. "Aether, look Fatui!" What the hell was a Fatui? I'd never heard of that. If it weren't for my hood they'd probably have seen my confusion. They both seemed surprised when I asked my question aloud. 

"Have you been living under a rock or something?" Paimon asked me, staying close to Aether. 

"I wouldn't necessarily say under," I muttered, pulling my cloak further around me as a harsh wind blew in. Every now and then, the cold truly did bother me. I listened carefully as Paimon explained, in more detail than I wished, the Fatui. How could such an organization have been allowed to continue existence? Better yet, why was an Archon doing such a thing to their own people?

Aether didn't seem to be exactly of this world. His aura felt different than what people from Tevyat felt like. This is dizzying information to take in. This place had changed so much. I'd have to visit the mainland at some point, I could deny my curiosity no longer. I sighed wearily, rubbing a hand down my face to rid it of whatever unseen thing was weighing down on me.

"What can you tell me about the Archons?" I inquired, watching their expressions carefully for any sign of something bad. Aether's expression was unchanging as Paimon immediately went off on a tangent about the current Archons. I nodded along, trying to hide my pain at most of my friends having passed. I'd have to ask about their passing at some point.

Paimon's quick to start asking questions about myself. " What's a strange man like you doing out here?" she asked, eyes narrowing as she tried to peek under my hood. I moved my head, preferring she didn't accidentally poke my eyes out with her tinier than expected fingers.

Aether made an annoyed noise, drawing her attention away from my face. "I could ask the same of you two," I said instead of reprimanding her. "But if you must know, this island used to be part of a nation."

"Eh?" Paimon scratched her head. "There was another nation destroyed before Khaenri'ah?"

I could feel the urge to lie heavy on my tongue. A pained smile forced itself onto my face. "Not exactly. I think it's time for us to head to mainland Teyvat." Before Paimon could say anything more, I grabbed another rock from the rubble and made my way to the boat I'd borrowed. 

"We've overstayed our welcome."

﹝•••﹞

I haven't anything here in a hot minute that's for sure.

But anyway, hi and welcome to my lastest gay obsession.

Updates will probably be a little wonky considering most of this is cross posted on Ao3 under the same name.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy this!