Omnipresent No Kami (KazuScara kinda)

Chapter Four: NeverHome

The sad thing about returning to Inazuma is that it's exactly how I remember it except for the lack of my friends.

In fact, the familiarness and unfamiliarness of Inazuma makes me want to turn right around and run back to Sumeru.

The space in my chest where a heart should be tingles as I look over at the Traveler.

"A-Aether-san, are you sure this...this is the only way?" I ask.

The blond looks back at me and smiles.

"I know it's scary, but if you want to get back home, you need to do it." He says.

"This place....is not my home." I say softly so Diona and Klee can't hear.

"Um...can you please not speak in riddles?" Aether asks.

"I am not speaking in riddles. This place should be my home, and yet, it doesn't feel like home." I say. "Actually, now that I think about it, it would be fun to tell a story like this to everyone back home at Tatarasuna."

"Kabukimono, I don't want to dampen your spirits, but I need to go pick up a friend of mine before we do things. Besides, we can leave the kids with a certified babysitter in that case." Aether says.

I smile.

"You're not dampening my spirits at all. I'm fact, I'd like to meet all your friends." I say.

"Uh, I have many friends. That'd probably be hard to do, but I bet we could do it." Aether says.

"Will you tell me about your friends?" I ask.

"Sure. Who do you want to hear about first? My friends from Mondstadt, Liyue, Inazuma, or Sumeru first?" Aether asks.

"Inazuma, please and thank you." I say.

Aether smiles.

"Okay. I feel like I need to tell you about Kazuha first." He says.

"Then enlighten me, please." I say.

"Okay. And get this. Don't freak out, but Kazuha is actually descended from your friend Niwa." He says.

I nearly stop dead in my tracks.

I look up and lock eyes with Aether.

"I need to meet this person." I say solemnly.

"And, luckily for you, there's a good chance he'll be where we're going. We're almost there anyways." Aether says.

"Do you think he knows me? Or at least do you think he's heard of me?" I ask, multiple scenarios passing through my head.

"Um, about that....I don't think he would." Aether says.

"Your tone of voice just changed. Is everything okay?" I ask.

"You see, after your future self, I'll just refer to him as the Balladeer, found out that Niwa hadn't betrayed him and that he'd done terrible things for no reason, he erased himself from Irminsul to try and give everyone in Tatarasuna another chance at life. So no one can know you except for me and Nahida, because, as I am an outlander and not connected to this world, I am not affected by tampering with Irminsul's records." Aether says.

"I....do not think I can get behind this Balladeer's actions. People have only one chance at life. Humans are born to die. They'd have died anyways. He should have let his memories with them become precious memories." I say after a moment of silence.

"Wow. The Doctor really must have deluded you if this is your mindset." Aether says.

"Wait. Aether-san.... You said this Balladeer erased himself because he found out that Niwa hadn't betrayed him... What does that mean?" I ask, beginning to grow scared.