Chapter Text
Aether ran over the sides of the mountain as he used electro and anemo in conjunction to boost himself as he tore through the place. After meeting and parting with Direidyth, he had spent the night at the cave where he had met her, and he was certain that he felt a warm hand in his when he had slept. The same warmth that the Khaenrian girl had given him when he was with her.
The moment he woke up, he found Paimon and left her with the Collective of Plenty after making sure that she won't panic before he launched himself into finding her. He was not about to lose another person, nor was he going to allow someone like Direidyth, a kind girl to keep on suffering like this.
He could feel it, the beacon that he had left on her still held power as he ran towards the south of the mountain, an area where Hilichurls do not go to normally and is usually devoid of Saurians and Humans.
"I am close." Aether said to himself with determination.
He jumped over an elevated part of the side of the volcano as he used anemo to send himself forward as he used his wind glider to glide towards the location. He landed on the ground and broke into a sprint as he saw his target.
Said target is a lone Hilichurl standing at the edge of the area and looking at the vast sea, but it heard the noise of his running as it turned around and saw the golden haired traveler making his way towards it.
The Hilichurl flinched in shock at the sight as Aether saw it and grimaced before he hardened his gaze and reached towards it. The Hilichurl shook in place as it turned and got ready to run away.
"Direidyth wait!" Aether shouted as he saw it.
The Hilichurl froze when it heard, as it-she slowly turned to look at the traveler as he used the chance to reach her. Aether looked at the Hilichurl in front of him as she seemed to be shrinking in on herself as she saw the traveler.
"Direidyth, don't run away from me." Aether said in a gentle tone as he grabbed ahold of her right hand with a firm yet gentle grip.
The Hilichurl trembled in front of him as her head was turned towards the ground as he looked at her. Then he picked her u in his arms which caused her to let out a noise of surprise as she found herself in his arms as she looked at him to see that he is smiling at her.
"Don't worry, I won't hurt you. Nor am I gonna allow anyone to hurt you more." Aether said to her as she let out a small noise.
Aether smiled and then made his way towards the cave, to make sure that no one sees the two of them he used his elemental powers to increase their speed, Direidyth who is in his arms leaned into him as the winds whipped past the two of them as he soon reached the cave.
Aether stood at the entrance as Direidyth raised her head and saw the cave as she made a noise in response.
"It was you who held my hand when I slept here, right." Aether said to her as he looked down at her.
Direidyth looked at the blonde man as she nodded hesitantly as he smiled and walked inside the cave and laid her on the bed of hay as she sat up and looked at him for a few seconds and then down at her legs as she clenched her hands.
"Did you run away from me because you didn't want me to see you like this?" Aether asked her as she nodded.
"I see. At the very least, I'm happy that you still have the kerchief that I have you." Aether said as he looked at the white handkerchief tied to her right elbow.
He didn't give Direidyth the key in his hand, but before she had disappeared he remembered the Hilichurl in the cave and quickly tied the enchanted kerchief on her arm before she was fully gone. And he is quite glad that he had done that because it allowed him to find her.
Direidyth made a noise as she looked at him as he kneeled in front of her as he smiled at the Khaenrian. He held her hands as she looked at him, her movements hesitant as he felt sad at seeing it.
"Direidyth, can I enter your mind?" Aether asked her which shocked the Hilichurl.
Direidyth made some noises in the Hilichurl language as he smiled at her with a kind gaze.
"I'm serious. Can I?" Aether asked her once again.
Direidyth looked at him for a few seconds before she nodded as he smiled at her consent.
"Thank you." Aether said as he let go of her left hand and gently pulled her head towards him as he put his forehead over her mask.
Direidyth's left hand grabbed onto his left arm as she felt herself lose consciousness as she felt a bit scared. But then she found herself standing in the mountain of Natlan, the same place where she had last talked with Aether before she was back in her time, but the red cubes were absent.
Direidyth looked down at herself and gasped as she found herself back in her human form and garments, her clothes the same that she had worn in the past, alongside the flowers on her head and her face was human as well.
"Direidyth." A familiar voice called out from behind her as her eyes widened.
She tentatively turned her head around and her eyes widened as she saw Aether standing behind her, his cape bellowing in the gentle breeze that passed around them as he smiled at her.
"S-Saviour." Direidyth said in a choked tone as tears appeared in her eyes.
Aether smiled gently at her words as he raised his arms wide. She took two hesitant steps forward, praying after a long time for this moment to not be another hallucination created by herself before she ran towards him and hugged him with all her might as he gently hugged her back.
"I'm here Direidyth. I'm here. I'm not going to leave you, not again." Aether said to her as he wrapped his arms around her.
His right hand was stroking the back of her head as he heard her sniffle and cry on his shoulder as he smiled and just stayed silent as he let her grieve as this went on for a few minutes.
After she stopped crying she sniffed and raised her head and looked at him with tears in her eyes as she smiled with relief in her eyes.
"I-I can't believe. How did you find me? How, why am I back in this form?" Direidyth asked him with confusion.
"One at a time." Aether said as he used hit hand to wipe her tears using his right thumb.
"O-Okay." Direidyth said with a nod.
"Before you and I returned to our times, I wrapped a handkerchief on your arm, it was meant to stay with you and allow me to feel your presence, so long as I activate that particular enchantment on my end of course." Aether said to her with a smile.
"Saviour." Direidyth said with shock.
'So he was still looking after me? I-I am so glad.' Direidyth thought to herself as she looked at him.
"As for where we are right now. As I had said, we are in your mind, I just made a space here where we can talk." Aether said to her with a gentle smile.
"M-My mind? We are in my mind?" Direidyth asked in surprise as she looked at the place.
"Yes, and I'm glad that I did." Aether said to her with a smile on his face.
"S-Saviour, I don't know what to say. How are you doing this?" Direidyth asked him as she was amazed.
"I know about a lot of things. But right, I just want to ask one thing of you." Aether said to her.
"Wh-What is it?" Direidyth asked him nervously.
"After we were sent back to our times, what happened to you?" Aether asked her in a gentle tone.
Direidyth's eyes widened at the question before she looked down as Aether worried that he might've asked something too hurtful for her, but he also needed to know as well.
"Af-After you disappeared, I found that thing on the ground. I thought that you wanted me to give it to the saviour and I managed to find her. I told her about you and even showed her the thing, but she just took it and frowned. Then she just, she ran away from the fight. She left and and... everyone was... the cubes and gods and monsters all attacked and..." Direidyth said as she was now shaking in his arms as Aether was alarmed at it.
"Hey hey, it's okay, they're not going to do anything to you." Aether said as he hugged her.
"And and I ran. I ran I ran I ran, then my body started to change, I couldn't do anything as I lost my h-human form and then I just wandered around. I was killed by other humans, but I came back to life. Again and again, I didn't know what to do, I just ran and hid and would hide in the cave from time to time. Then I started to lose my memories and I didn't know what to do. I just continued to exist, hoping that I-I-I could see you again." Direidyth said as she started to cry once again as her body was shaking with tremors.
Aether held her as she lost the strength in her legs as he knelt down and held her gently in his arms as she cried as she grabbed onto him as he stayed silent.
'500 years, you have endured a lot Direidyth, and I wish you didn't need to do so.' Aether thought to himself as he looked at her.
"And I'm here now. I'm sorry that it took so long. I'm surprised that you still remember me Direidyth." Aether said to her as he held her.
"I couldn't... I couldn't forget you. You were my saviour, my hero. You protected me, you cared for me without asking anything back. Even when I started to lose my memories, I didn't want to lose any of yours." Direidyth said to him as she looked at him, tears streaming down her eyes.
"Thank you, thank you for remembering me. Despite everything that happened to you." Aether said to her as he hugged her and buried her face in his chest as she sniffed.
"I'm sorry for running away. I just couldn't bear to let you see me the way I am. The way you looked at me like I was a stranger, while I was in that corrupted form. I couldn't have you see me like that." Direidyth said to him as he looked down as he felt sadness at her words.
"I see. Then I am glad that I was able to get you now. You want to cry yes?" Aether said to her as she froze in his arms.
'Of course you want to cry. After what you had suffered, you would want to cry.' Aether thought to himself as he held her with great gentleness and warmth.
"Then cry, cry as much as you want. As loud as you want. I will be here for you and I won't leave you." Aether said to her in a tone full of warmth and kindness.
That caused all of her walls to break down as she started to cry loudly as her tears streamed down her face as she buried her face in his chest and cried as he held her. He didn't utter single word and just hugged her and rubbed the back of her head as he allowed her to cry and vent. Her voices echoed around but he didn't mind it, and kept on comforting her as he knew that she needed it most.
And so after a good amount of time, Direidyth's tears lessened as she is now hugging him like her life depended on it as he didn't mind.
"I don't care about what form you are in. You're Direidyth, that's all I need to know. That's the only thing I need to know to be with you." Aether said to her gently as she hugged him tighter.
"Thank you saviour." Direidyth said with a choked sob.
"Don't thank me yet. I still have to save you from this fate, don't I? This corruption from the Abyss." Aether said to her as he kept the hug.
"B-But how?" Direidyth asked after a moment as she looked at him in surprise.
"Do you trust me to save you Direidyth?" Aether in turn asked her as he looked at her with conviction.
Direidyth looked at him in surprise at the question before she nodded to him.
"I trust you, saviour. You were ready to help me even when I was in that form. You did all of this for me. I trust you with my life." Direidyth said to him with complete faith in him.
"Thank you. Then I will do what I must to save you." Aether said as he slowly stood up as she looked at him.
He wrapped his right arm around her as he hugged her to him as she leaned into him as she looked up at his face which is set in determination. He raised his left hand as white light gathered and the scenery around them started to break apart as abyssal energy was revealed.
This caused Direidyth to hug him tightly as despite having lost much of her memories aside from Aether's, the attack from the Abyss is something that she recognised. Aether felt her shake in his grasp as he grit his teeth, seeing a cheerful girl like her shaking like this angered him greatly.
"You're don't hurting her." Aether said as he started to pull the Abyssal energy around them.
In an instant all the Abyssal energy in the place was pulled towards him and it was like a tidal wave was coming towards the two. Direidyth cried out at the sight as the energy swirled around them as she buried herself into his hold as he held her as all the Abyssal energy was sucked by the golden haired traveler and soon every bit of energy was claimed by him.
When it ended the two were now left in an almost fully white space as Direidyth looked around in fear before she looked at him as Aether just smiled at her.
"It's alright, I have taken care of the Abyss that has been corroding your mind." Aether said to her calmly.
"Re-Really?" Direidyth asked in shock.
"Yes. Tell me Direidyth, what else do you remember apart from me and my sister?" Aether asked her after a moment as she was surprised.
"N-Nothing much. I lost almost all of my memories of my home, I can't even remember the faces or voices of my friends and family. I remember some of how my homeland was but nothing else." Direidyth said to him after the surprise had vanished.
"I see. Then let me give you some of your memories back." Aether said to her as her eyes widened.
His right hand glowed as her eyes widened as her memories slowly returned to her as she felt like she lost her balance as he held her as he returned the rest of her memories. She took some time to come to terms with her returned memories before she looked at Aether in shock.
"S-Saviour." Direidyth said in shock.
"These memories were in the abyssal energy that I absorbed. I don't know if they are all of your memories, but I hope that it was of help to you." Aether said to her with a smile.
Direidyth couldn't believe what she was hearing as she looked at the man in front of her, as he had just given her back her memories as she looked at him.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you thank you thank you." Direidyth said as she hugged him once more.
Aether just smiled at that as he knew that the girl is feeling quite a lot of emotions at the moment. But he knew that he wasn't done yet, not by a long shot. And so he let the girl vent as he waited patiently.
After she was done he rubbed her head as she seemed to relax into his hold as he let out a soft sigh.
"I'm now going to pull myself out of your mind now Direidyth, I'm sure that your mind will be clear after this, I hope at least." Aether said to her with a smile.
"Wh-What, but saviour." Direidyth said as she felt fear at his words.
"I know, your body is still in the form of a Hilichurl, but I have an idea. But we must do it outside of your mind, okay Direidyth." Aether said to her as she nodded after a few moments.
"Okay, as you say saviour." Direidyth said to him with a nod.
"Thank you for trusting in me." Aether said to her before he touched his forehead on hers and closed his eyes as she did the same.
Aether and Direidyth found themselves back in the cave and the girl saw that she is in her Hilichurl form once more. She saw his face as she felt flustered and shamed as she looked down, as Aether just smiled.
"Direidyth, what did I say?" Aether asked gently.
She remembered the conversation that they had and her mind was now more clear than it has been over the centuries. She looked at her saviour as she tried to speak in the language that she used before.
"That you will always be there for me." Direidyth said with some difficulty, but was quite happy that she was able to say it without stuttering.
"That's right. And now I wish to free you from the suffering of your body as well. Do you trust me to do that?" Aether asked her gently as she saw warmth and kindness in his eyes.
'How could I ever refuse you after what you have done for me?' Direidyth thought to herself as she looked at him.
"I trust you, with all of my soul." Direidyth said to him with confidence.
"Then I will do what I can go grant you a human form once more." Aether said with a tone of finality as he looked at her with conviction.