The new visitor was like a surly cat that completely despised physical contact. As soon as the medicinal paste made contact with his wounds, he was alerted to the burning it had caused and immediately summoned his sword again, aiming it directly at Aether's neck. The adeptus was not used to medicine, his wounds had always healed on their own.
He did not know the warmth of another's touch, nor the concern in the gaze of others. He was a solitary being, he had learned to live that way for generations.
The blond sighed, reaching up and pulling away the sharp blade of the weapon, the tip of which pressed against his exposed skin. As soon as his fingertips made contact with the cold metal, warm blood rushed almost immediately, sliding down his pale skin. That was a lethal weapon, yet Aether thought nothing of it, he would have time to treat his own wound.
He whispered a soft I'm sorry, I'll be more careful, momentarily stunning the guardian and proceeding once more to continue with his task.
Throughout the whole process, the traveler tried to get the other young man to talk, but got no response whatsoever. He could only feel upon him the heavy gaze that seemed to be judging him or perhaps was simply trying to analyze him. Of course, Aether was aware of everything, he was in an unknown world where you could not reach out to anyone without fear of being cut off in the process; but he was not from this world, even when it was the first time he saw a place where its inhabitants were so aggressive in the face of the survival instinct, very few still showed a rare kindness, he had a strong desire to help.
Alatus was not very good with words. Perhaps, he had been in the past, when he was only a mortal who had nothing to worry about, he could not be sure, for his memories were nothing more than unrecognizable fuzzy images. After living in such a cruel world and being corrupted to such a degree, the young man could not understand the behavior and emotions of humans; he was no longer one, why did he have to worry about it? He was nothing more than a war machine; a puppet used to kill.
He had gone so long without uttering a single word that he has even forgotten the sound of his own voice. When Osial issued him an order he only needed to nod his head, there was no need for anything else. He had no allies, no companions to share with, after all they would only be a hindrance to him.
As soon as Aether finished adjusting the last bandage, he watched him curiously.─ Do you have a place to spend the night? ─No answer, was it worth continuing to even talk to him? It was obvious that he wouldn't get a single word from.... that being.─ If you don't have a place to stay, you can come with me.
Alatus rolled his eyes and averted his gaze to the opposite side. A clear sign of denial. The adeptus could not understand how this mortal could chatter so much and not be tired, he was tired just listening to him.
The blond sighed once more.─ So, you're not hungry? At least let me offer you something to eat.
Nothing. There was only the sound of some insects in the distance.
─ Well, if you want to spend the night here, exposed to the autumn cold, I'll respect your decision. But if you change your mind, my cabin is up ahead, it's not hard to find. You're always welcome.
Aether watched the handsome face once more, before standing up and walking slowly away, he still had to look for his sister.
Alatus finally turned his gaze back to the distant figure. The boy's scent faded into the air; it was an intoxicating aroma that altered his senses. It felt strange, before, when approaching other mortals to pluck their dreams from them, he never felt this way, what was different then?
His gaze shifted to the bandages covering his arms. He remembered the strange sensation he felt when the mortal's warm hands made contact with his skin, his touch was soft, as if he was afraid of hurting him, wasn't that absurd? Many ideas crossed his mind, but there was no logical answer to any of them.
Who was this person really? That simple question made him feel even more exhausted. Why was he so curious about this mortal fool?
Alatus grunted in annoyance. He folded his arms across his chest and closed his eyes.
He had to stop thinking about so much nonsense.
He did not know at what point he had fallen asleep. However, he felt that this peace did not last long. The annoying scent once again induced his senses.
When the adeptus opened his eyes, a flash of amber came to them. The human was there once again, this time holding a blanket in his hands.
─ The night will be cold and I will not feel at ease knowing that you are here to your fate. With this at least you'll be able to keep warm.
For the first time since they met that morning, Aether noticed a hint of confusion in the stranger's gaze. He smiled at that, before dropping the soft cloth over the stranger's body.
─ Good night, pretty boy.
Alatus was stunned, his brow furrowed and he turned his face away, what was that human supposed to be playing at? A man saying such a thing to another man? Heat spread through his body. Soon he heard a soft but mocking laugh from his companion, was that it? He was teasing him and the adeptus was not a fan of teasing. Annoyed, he brought up his sword once more, he was going to slit her throat.
However, as soon as he turned, he could only watch as the mortal ran in the opposite direction, still laughing, until he was lost in the darkness.
He snarled once more.
In a single day that foolish human had exhausted him more than all the fights he had throughout his life.
"Pretty boy!"
Aether groaned, sinking into his own frustration, whipping his head against his bed. His goal had been to embarrass that stranger, but now he was the one who was not brave enough to leave the warmth that enveloped him and face the other.
His face peeked out from between the sheets, a slight blush on his cheeks. If Lumine were there she would mock him, and his misfortune, without hesitation.
He whimpered once more, turning among the blankets.
It was not the first time he had found a person (if he could consider such a being as such) attractive, though it was the first man. Long ago, when they had arrived on one of the first worlds they had traveled to, Aether had fallen in love for the first time; she was a very beautiful and charismatic young woman, she had large eyes the same color as the heavens and a smile that for a long time unsettled the traveler's heart; however, he never brought his feelings to light, he reserved them for himself. He knew he could not give her a love that would sooner or later end, for Lumine and he had to continue on their way.
And so, after thousands of years of going back and forth, his heart was captivated on more than one occasion, but each time he refused to give in, more out of fear than anything else.
More out of fear than anything else. He was a demi-God from a distant land who had left his own world, along with his sister, to gain experience and to be able to rule properly. He was not an immortal but his life was much longer than any common person, he could not afford the luxury of tasting love knowing that any human had to say goodbye to the earthly world before him.
Just thinking about it hurt him.
So why was he behaving this way, specifically, with this being? They were both men, and although Aether had seen that in other worlds the relationship between two people of the same sex was something quite normal, he knew vaguely of these lands and knew that something like this would be seen as an unnatural thing.
Even he himself saw it as strange, but there it was, a rare warmth being born in his womb by someone he didn't even know and all because she was a pretty face.
Good heavens, he didn't even know her name!
He whimpered for the umpteenth time that morning, covering his face with his hands and peering through his fingers at the window. Then he internally scolded himself for having such a weak and infatuated heart, swearing to himself that he would apologize to the stranger for that joke.
Yes, he repeated to himself. It was just a joke, there was nothing else behind it.
With that thought, he got out of bed, tidied up and then walked to the kitchen. Remembering that the person out there had eaten absolutely nothing since he found him the morning before, he quickly prepared something.
Humming a soft melody, the blond left the cabin. His body shivered gently as the autumn chill greeted him.
He sighed softly and resumed his walk.
All the way he was thinking about the right words to use to apologize to the stranger. Then he felt ridiculous, did the other even speak the same language as he did? He had to, didn't he? The other people he had met did.
When he reached the clearing, near the large tree where they had met, his footsteps stopped suddenly and his hand trembled slightly. No one was there, the blanket was lying on the ground.
Was it gone, just like that? Well, it wasn't as if he could force it to stay there. Surely he was some kind of warrior who had separated from his allies in the middle of a battle, sooner or later he had to leave.
He didn't know why he felt so disappointed. Aether took the blanket and went back the way he came, there were still many things to do that morning, he could not let that distract him from his other tasks.
The first thing he had to do was to collect chili, for that he had to walk to the other side of the abandoned mine, skirting the stream on the narrower and less dangerous side, for at those times the waters rose due to the rains and became wilder.
Aether held a basket in his hands and left the hut. He walked along the shore of the lake, observing everything around him.
It was normal for there to be few trees in Liyue, yet the contrast of colors was beautiful. The leaves formed a blanket on the ground with green, yellow, orange and brown colors, which contrasted with the intense blue of the water.
It was beautiful.
When his gaze returned to the front, he stopped abruptly. A small familiar figure stood not far from him, watching his reflection in the water; the long dark hair falling softly over his slightly forward curved back and the horns protruding through the tousled strands, the dark garments that fitted his slender body perfectly, and the bandages adorning his arms, the fierce look.
His legs moved of their own accord and soon Aether saw himself standing a short distance away from the other.
The adeptus had become aware of his presence long ago. When he awoke that morning, a strange feeling had lodged itself in his chest; a long time ago, so long that he could not remember exactly when, someone had told him that he should be grateful to those who would lend him a hand, he was one of the many people who perished under their attack, a person who saw him, naively, as someone helpless in the rain. They had met in a similar situation where he had met.... Sora, he reminded himself of the mortal's name. He hadn't asked for this foolish human's help, but the other had still offered to treat his wounds and thanks to that he had recovered much faster.
He watched him out of the corner of his eye, watching as the blond opened his mouth and before he broke into nonstop babbling once more, his neutral voice let itself be heard.─ Alatus.
Aether's lips sealed momentarily, before he snapped out of his stupor and asked in confusion.─ Excuse me?
The adeptus growled under his breath like an annoyed little animal, standing up and peering to the side, unwilling to look directly at the other. Aether could almost see an internal struggle in those narrowed eyes. Only after a few long seconds did he speak again.─ My name.
The traveler let out a short "Oh", remembering that the day before he had asked her and the other decided to remain silent. A part of him was happy.
─ Then you can really talk.
Alatus was in no mood to take another joke from that human. He spun on his heels and started walking. Only when his back was turned to him could Aether appreciate a strange mask hanging at his waist.─ Are you leaving?
There was no answer. The blond walked behind him, not too far and not too close, watching him intently. He insisted.─ Will we meet again?
With every step the adeptus took, thick black smoke began to form under his feet, slowly rising up his legs. He turned his head just enough, to observe the other. To his good or bad luck, the mortal was a bit taller and made it easier for him.─ Thank you, human.
Aether blinked in confusion and before he could say another word, the strange being had disappeared.