Aether, the enigmatic traveler who arrived in Teyvat, was on a quest to find his sister. But what if his journey held a far greater purpose? What if it was destined to awaken the forgotten memories of his past-a past that could crown him as the new...
After the execution had taken place, life in Teyvat seemed to bo on its usual rhythms.
People in Mondstadt went about their day—Venti's songs filled the city square, Lisa brewed potions alongside Albedo and Sucrose in the quiet of the library, Eula and Amber completing a commission on dragonspine, and Klee was off on another of her explosive adventures.
But Jean, the acting Grandmaster of the Knights of Favonius, couldn’t rest. Her mind was clouded, haunted by memories of the past five years.
Ever since Aether's escape, she had been determined to bring him to justice. At first, she believed with certainty that he was guilty of the terrible crimes attributed to him. But now…now she wasn’t so sure.
Each day, her guilt gnawed at her more. She had gathered evidence—clues that began to reveal a far more complicated story.
The abyss order who had been terrorizing Mondstadt, Liyue, and beyond, had used powerful magic to disguise themselves as Aether.
They had committed unspeakable acts: murdering innocents, kidnapping children in that had been blamed entirely on him.
One particular encounter had left a lasting impression. She had faced one of the abyssal mages, demanding to know why they had chosen Aether’s form to carry out their horrors. His response had chilled her to the bone.
"You don’t deserve to be his friends as the princess stated, But it’s too late, isn’t it? You’ve already condemned him."
The mage’s words echoed in her mind, over and over. Aether had always been kind, noble—a protector of the innocent. The more she thought about it, the less sense it made.
How could someone like him commit such atrocities? And yet, they had all turned their backs on him.
Jean felt her hands tremble as she recalled Aether’s final words before he was taken away. His voice had cracked, not with anger, but with genuine fear and desperation.
"I would never do such a thing. It wasn’t me. If you don’t believe me…please… believe me."
She had ignored him. They all had. She had been so blinded by duty, by the weight of her role as acting Grandmaster, that she hadn’t stopped to consider his plea.
Now, every piece of evidence she had gathered pointed to his innocence, but what was the use? The damage had been done. Aether was gone, and the guilt weighed on her heart like an anvil.
She stood alone in her office, staring down at the last photograph she had of him—a picture taken long ago, when Aether had still been regarded as a hero, smiling alongside Paimon. They had all been so happy then. How could everything have gone so wrong?
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Jean clenched the photograph tightly, her heart aching with regret. As the acting Grandmaster, she should have done more.
She should have protected him, should have believed in him. And worst of all, she had discovered that the knights—her own knights—had tortured him. Tortured him for crimes he didn’t commit.
