I am Aether, currently traveling the world in search of my sister, Lumine. Currently, Dainsleif and I are fighting an Abyss Herald, and Dainsleif manages to suffocate the Abyss Herald with his powers.

Unbeknownst to Dainsleif and I, Lumine steps out of the portal that soon vanishes, blocking an attack against the Abyss Herald. The Abyss Herald suddenly speaks, saying something that shocks me. "Princess..."

Paimon speaks. "Hey, c—could that be...!?"

"Lumine!" I shout. "I've finally found you! Come, let's go home!"

Dainsleif stares at Lumine closely, while Lumine looks at me with disgust and rage. Paimon looks at Lumine in disbelief.

"Oh, no no, Aether. We shall not go home."

Lumine points a sword at me and grins. She has dark powers surrounding her, and she looks very different. Paimon is startled.

"Lumine, stop, please! Can we talk about this? What's going on? Why are you with the Abyss Order?"

Lumine smiles, her eyes showing cruelty and malicious intent. "Oh, little Aether. Why would we need to talk? I have everything I want. I have a purpose. I have friends." The way Lumine speaks and the things she says deeply hurt me.

"Lumi... Why..."

Lumine laughs at my pain. "Oh please, stop acting like you care. And you can stop calling me by that stupid nickname of yours." Lumine glares at me. My heart throbs with pain.

"Fine. I'll leave..."

"Do that then. Go! Leave me alone! I don't need you anymore." Lumine's words are so full of venom that it hurts. Paimon looks down and looks a little disappointed, and Dainsleif remains silent. I teleport away using the Ley Lines and appear in front of the Statue of The Seven in Windrise. I climb up Vennesa's tree and curl up against the large branches, sobbing quietly.

Paimon looks at where you had teleported away and speaks softly. "Paimon... thinks we messed up, Dain."

Dainsleif clenches his fists. "No, do not blame yourself. Lumine has become corrupted." The two talk and walk together as I cry on the tree, hurting from Lumine's scathing words. After a few hours of crying and hurting, I hear the quiet and melancholic sound of a lyre near me. The one playing is Venti and I notice he looks a little concerned. He uses Anemo to float up and sit beside me, playing a calming tune on his Lyre. I soon fall asleep in the tree as mental and physical exhaustion takes over from the previous events.

I eventually wake up, noticing that I am no longer on the tree. I open my eyes to see a familiar ceiling, and I realize that I am in my Serenitea Pot. The scent of fresh apples wafts through the air. Paimon is asleep next to me and so is Venti. Both of them are curled up by my side under the comforters, while I am covered too. I get out of bed carefully to not wake up Paimon and Venti. I go to my bathroom, look at myself in the mirror, and see that I look terrible. My eyes were red and puffy from crying, my skin was bruised and scratched, and the worst wounds were wrapped in bandages and blood was starting to leak through.

I hear a soft knock on the door. When I open the door, I see Zhongli, Xiao, and Tartaglia. All three of them express shock and worry when they see me. Zhongli speaks first. "Are you alright, Aether?"

"I will be... eventually."

Zhongli looks at the blood seeping through the bandages, and he looks at me with concern and care, just like a father would.

"Let me help you."

Zhongli unwraps my bandages, showing just how bad my wounds are, and he sighs. He applies some soothing medicine to the wounds, which makes me shiver and shudder just a tiny bit because it feels cold on my skin. Zhongli also applies another substance to the wounds, creating a slightly soothing and warm feeling. Zhongli then finishes wrapping new and clean bandages around my body. Zhongli looks at the bruises and scratches on my skin and frowns slightly.

Zhongli continues speaking. "We'll discuss the bruises and scratches later. Let us see your mental health now, shall we?"

Zhongli holds out his hand to me and smiles faintly, while Xiao and Tartaglia look at me with concern. "Hm..." I turn my gaze away from him at the mention of my mental health. Zhongli sits down with me while Xiao and Tartaglia continue to watch quietly.

"Please, we wish to help you. I know what it is like to watch a sibling walk down a darker path."

Tartaglia speaks. "You can trust us."

"The only person I can't trust here is you, Childe. The Fatui have given me no reason to trust them."

Tartaglia sighs, but he understands my suspicion. Zhongli raises an eyebrow.

"And what caused all of the injuries you currently have? I doubt they were from a fight."

My muscles tense.

Flashback: I was sitting on the tree in Windrise before Venti arrived and I took out an arrowhead I had gotten from killing a hilichurl. I stare at its sharp edges and look at my skin. I brought the sharp edge to my arm and made a small cut, wincing in pain as I did so, but I also felt a sense of relief, so I made another cut and then a few more... End of flashback.

"It was a fight." I lied.

Zhongli does not believe my lie.

"Aether. You and I both know that those are not from a mere fight"

Zhongli looks at my arms closely, and he sees small, yet deep cuts on my skin. Zhongli looks a little upset and concerned. Xiao and Tartaglia both look horrified.

"I need to be alone right now. May I have some privacy?"

Zhongli looks at me with slight disappointment, but he also has a look of care and worry.

"Very well, you may have privacy."

Zhongli and Xiao leave. Tartaglia lingers by the door for a moment before also leaving.

I watch as they leave and lock the door behind them. I then kneel to grab a knife I had hidden a few days ago and take a deep breath before I start cutting my skin. I make deeper wounds every time, fascinated with morbid interest at how each layer I cut into is different until I reach my bones. I make a few more cuts, trying to see if I can go deeper, but stop when I start feeling dizzy. "Shit..." I mumble and grab onto the sink to keep my balance. I reach to to grab a towel, but I pass out, hitting my head against the corner of the bathtub and I knock a few bottles over.

Venti suddenly wakes up because he hears a commotion in the bathroom.

"Aether, is everything okay?"

Venti knocks on the door, hearing no response. Venti's heart races with fear for me.

"I'm coming in, whether you like it or not!"

Venti enters the bathroom, and he looks around for me. Then, Venti sees me on the ground in the bathroom, and Venti's heart drops. Venti picks me up, carries me out of the bathroom, and sets me on the bed, checking my pulse.

"Gods..."

Zhongli, Xiao, and Tartaglia rush in because they heard a loud noise. They look at Venti and me and they look horrified. The world inside my Serenitea Pot begins to crumble as my life slips away. Then, Paimon wakes up and looks around at the people.

"What's going on? Where's..."

Paimon sees me on the bed in a bad condition, surrounded by Zhongli, Xiao, Tartaglia, and Venti. Paimon shrieks and flies towards me, crying out my name. Zhongli picks up a few of the scattered bottles from the floor and reads them.

Zhongli then speaks grimly. "Xiao, Tartaglia, go and get some supplies. Paimon, go and fetch Baizhu and Barbara. Venti, stay here."

Xiao, Tartaglia, and Paimon nod and obey Zhongli's orders. Xiao, Tartaglia, and Paimon leave, while Zhongli and Venti stay. Zhongli sets the bottles down on the counter and sighs.

"These are all painkillers and various other drugs... But, none of this matters right now. We must focus on saving you."

Barbara and Baizhu finally arrive with Paimon and Xiao. Barbara looks at my body and immediately starts crying. "What happened to him?!?" Baizhu approaches me and checks my condition. The Serenitea Pot continues crumbling around the house, meaning that I am only getting closer to death. Baizhu checks my vital functions and he looks worried.

"He doesn't have long left..."

Zhongli sits on the edge of the bed, while Xiao and Paimon are standing nearby. Venti is sitting on the floor, feeling responsible and guilty for what happened. Barbara is standing to the side, trying to process the situation. Baizhu picks up an IV bag and inserts it into my arm, starting treatment immediately.

"We're trying to buy some time but..."

Zhongli glances at me before speaking. "How much time does he have left?"

"The longer we keep him here in his Teapot, the more time he'll have. However, when his Teapot crumbles completely, time is up. He will not survive outside of his realm in his condition."

Zhongli clenches his fists and sighs.

Zhongli speaks. "How long does this Teapot have?"

"The Teapot looks to be in pretty bad shape... I say that the Teapot has 15 minutes max before it crumbles completely."

Xiao clenches his fists in anger and frustration.

"We need to get his sister? She needs to be here to help her brother. Now."

Tartaglia speaks softly and with anger/frustration. "Agreed. Lumine needs to be here immediately. Otherwise, it will be far too late to save Aether."

Zhongli speaks up. "Xiao, Tartaglia, go to the Abyss realm and find Lumine."

Tartaglia nods and he and Xiao look at Zhongli before teleporting out.

Zhongli gazes at my condition. "We... we'll just have to hope that Lumine is found in time."

About ten minutes pass, and the Teapot now has five minutes left. Everyone is nervous and scared, especially Venti, who is crying silently on the ground. Zhongli holds my hand and squeezes it gently to reassure me, all while he stares at my weak condition. Zhongli speaks under his breath, but loud enough for everyone to hear "Stay with us for just a little longer, my child. We will not let you die."

Five minutes pass quickly, the last minute now starting. Xiao and Tartaglia appear with Lumine, who looks shocked and mortified, while Xiao and Tartaglia look furious and frustrated. Lumine looks at me and runs over to the side of the bed, immediately breaking into tears and sobbing.

"Oh my Archons, oh no no no no... oh, please, no no no please..." Lumine continues crying in pure despair. "Please... oh please..."

The teapot crumbles completely and we are back in Teyvat, in the Wolvendom forest of Mondstadt. My limp body falls into Lumine's arms. Lumine falls to her knees and screams through tears, holding my limp body close to her. Baizhu, Paimon, Zhongli, Barbara, Xiao, and Tartaglia look on with worry, while Venti sits off to the side, crying. Baizhu checks my vital functions.

"We don't have much time at all... there's less than a minute left... I..."

Lumine looks at me, crying and sobbing. She suddenly screams. "Somebody please do something!! PLEASE!! PLEASE HELP MY BROTHER!"

Paimon looks at me and cries hysterically. "PLEASE AETHER, PLEASE YOU CANNOT DIE!!"

Zhongli closes his eyes in defeat, knowing that it is already too late. Barbara sobs and falls to the floor, too hopeless and worried to stand. Baizhu holds my limp, nearly lifeless body and checks my vital signs, his expression turning into one of despair.

"We... We failed. It's already too late..."

Xiao breaks something with his Anemo powers out of sadness and frustration.

"His heartbeat has stopped."

Baizhu lowers my body to the ground while Lumine cradles it in her arms, crying hard. Paimon sobs loudly and falls to the ground in pure emotional distress while Barbara lies on the ground. Zhongli closes his eyes and lowers his head with disappointment and anger, while Tartaglia looks at my lifeless body, unable to move. Venti is sobbing and clutching his hair while sitting on the ground. The screams and crying of my sister and friends drown out all other sounds in the forest. Lumine looks at me and holds my body close to her, sobbing and crying over me. Zhongli clenches his fists, Barbara is unable to move and just lays on the ground while sobbing, Paimon is hysterical and crying hard while flying in circles, Xiao breaks everything around in anger, Venti is on the ground with his face in his hands, and Tartaglia just stands there silently and stares at my body.

Lumine speaks through her sobs "Please come back... I want my brother back...."

Baizhu shakes his head with a pained and apologetic expression.

Lumine: her tears of despair start mixing with her tears of anger and grief "HE CANNOT DIE AETHER, HE CANNOT DIE! NO!!!!!!"

Lumine clutches my lifeless body and screams with tears streaming down her face, her eyes now bloodshot and puffy. Xiao takes a deep breath and closes his eyes, trying to compose himself.

"Let's take him back to the Funeral Parlor... we'll need to discuss... arrangements... to honor Aether."