Hello everybody! I've finished setting up my p(a)ntreon and now I'm adding the stories I've been thinking about. Currently, we have this and one more that is in the 4th chapter. From now on, I intend to focus more on p(a)ntreon. So whoever wants and has the availability, feel free to go there.
patreon.com/GabrielMD
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The day began peacefully, with the first rays of sunlight gently entering through the window and softly illuminating Aether's face, waking him calmly. As he opened his eyes, he let out a quiet laugh when he noticed the scene beside him: Paimon had shifted position during the night and was now sprawled at one end of the bed, nearly falling off. She was mumbling softly in her sleep, and Aether couldn't help but find the situation amusing.
Carefully getting up so as not to wake her, he stretched and headed to the bathroom to take care of his morning hygiene. In the past, both he and his sister Lumine hadn't worried much about this, as they could easily use their powers to clean any dirt or bacteria from their bodies. However, this routine had changed when, during one of their travels through the cosmos, they met a small warrior who fought against titans and had an excessive cleanliness obsession.
The siblings spent some time in that world, having many interactions with this warrior and his subordinates, as Lumine found him cute and thought it was fun to tease him. For Aether, it was an amusing experience because, despite his sister being one of the most beautiful women he knew—beautiful enough to make kings kneel before her—Lumine couldn't move the heart of that little man.
As much as the traveler loved his sister, he was still her brother and wouldn't miss the chance to tease her about the situation.
Anyway, as days passed living with that warrior, Aether ended up adopting some of his strict cleanliness and hygiene habits, though in a lighter and more practical way. He got used to this care, no longer depending on his powers for it.
After getting ready, Aether silently left the room so as not to disturb Paimon, who was still asleep, and made his way to the kitchen. Along the way, his mind wandered between what to prepare for breakfast and memories of his adventures with Lumine. "I think I'll make my favorite dish," he murmured to himself, making the decision.
Upon reaching the kitchen, he began organizing the ingredients and, to make the process easier, tried using small Anemo energy discs to serve as extra hands. The first disc almost ended in disaster when he let a plate slip from his hand, but he quickly recovered it before it hit the ground. After that small mishap, he gained confidence, and soon he was managing everything efficiently, controlling several utensils at once while preparing the meals.
Nearly half an hour later, the delicious aroma of breakfast began to fill the house, finally waking Paimon. The small companion, still drowsy, wiped away the drool that had dribbled from the corner of her mouth and began searching for Aether, guided by the irresistible smell. Upon reaching the kitchen, she was impressed by the sight: Aether was surrounded by plates, pans, and cutlery floating gently around him, all moving in perfect sync as he prepared multiple meals simultaneously.
"Wow, you're getting better and better with Anemo energy, Aether!" Paimon commented, wide-eyed, as she approached him. The traveler, hearing her voice, turned and smiled.
"Good morning, Paimon," he responded with a warm look. "Just wait a little longer, breakfast is almost ready."
After finishing the meal, the duo calmly ate their breakfast and left the mansion, with the goal of finally obtaining Aether's adventurer's license, which didn't take long.
The guild was truly efficient, so all Aether had to do was present himself to Katheryne, and the receptionist promptly handed over the document. Now, the traveling duo stood in front of the commission board related to Mondstadt.
"Paimon thinks it would be a good adventure to hunt slimes. Maybe we can collect some to try," suggested the little fairy, her eyes sparkling with excitement. "Aether, do you think eating a cryo slime would taste good?"
Aether reflected for a moment, still scanning the board with his eyes. "Hm... who knows? Maybe we could make some sort of ice cream or slime jelly, something refreshing for summer," he responded with a slight smile as he pointed to a poster that caught his attention. "And how about this one, what do you think?"
Paimon floated over to read the mission. "Looks like a group of bandits has invaded a newly-created domain. The mission is to neutralize them and recover a stolen item." The small mascot crossed her arms, thinking. "Paimon thinks this could be a good mission to start building our reputation as great adventurers!"
"I agree." Aether removed the paper from the board and began heading back to Katheryne to formalize the acceptance of the mission. "Imagine? Our names known throughout the world... Aether, the magnificent traveler, and his loyal companion, Paimon, the emergency food."
"Hey!" Paimon protested, her cheeks puffing up in indignation. Aether burst out laughing, clearly amused by his companion's exaggerated reaction.
"Katheryne, we'd like to register this mission," Aether said, handing the document to the guild's employee.
"I'm afraid you can't register for this mission," Katheryne replied calmly.
"Why not?" Paimon asked, visibly confused.
"Do you remember the explanation about adventurer ranks and how we classify missions according to experience level?" Aether nodded, already beginning to understand the situation.
"This mission is above our adventure rank," the traveler concluded, sighing in resignation as Katheryne nodded in agreement.
"Don't get discouraged. If you're looking for a combat mission, I can offer you one within your level," Katheryne pulled out a new document from beneath her desk and handed it to Aether. "Hilichurls have been attacking a local farmer's cattle and have set up a small camp near the property. The objective is to eliminate the five monsters the farmer spotted."
"The reward is good," Aether commented, carefully analyzing the document. "Seems fair. Let's accept this mission."
"Excellent choice," Katheryne replied with a professional smile.
...
Outside of Mondstadt, Aether and Paimon walked along the main routes connecting the vast territory under the protection of the Anemo Archon. Their mission would take them to Thermal Valley, a region known for its village dedicated to cattle raising and wild boar hunting. From what Aether had read, this valley was responsible for much of the meat supply to Mondstadt, which made the mission all the more intriguing.
As they walked, the traveler reflected on the situation. How could such a crucial place for the territory's meat supply be vulnerable to the point where hilichurls posed a threat? This was a genuine concern. Could the Knights of Favonius be failing to protect strategic areas like this?
"Aether, how long do you think it will take us to get to the mission site?" Paimon asked, sitting on Aether's shoulder, as she looked around the forest for something interesting to pass the time.
"I think about two days," the traveler replied, making Paimon let out a small groan of disappointment. "Don't be sad. Look on the bright side—we won't have to take the same path on the way back," Aether commented with a smile, trying to cheer her up.
"Thinking about it that way, Paimon agrees that's a good thing," the fairy nodded, now a bit more animated. "Paimon was surprised when she found out you could teleport to places you've already visited!"
"It's a pretty useful ability I share with my sister," Aether explained. "We discovered it during one of our adventures when we visited a planet that was undergoing a disaster... more specifically, a zombie apocalypse."
"Zombie? What's that?" Paimon asked curiously, leaning in to hear better.
"Imagine the dead coming back to life and attacking the living, devouring their flesh."
"How horrible! It must have been very hard for you and your sister!" Paimon exclaimed, shocked.
"Actually, it wasn't that difficult," Aether replied with a shrug. "Lumine and I were incredibly powerful at the peak of our strength. We could travel at the speed of light through space and even slice planets in half with a single strike of our weapons."
"Wow, so much power!" Paimon said, even more surprised.
"It just goes to show how strong the Unknown Goddess who defeated me and my sister was," Aether added, with a serious expression. "And yet, as powerful as we were, compared to the Aeons, we were like insignificant ants."
Paimon fell silent for a moment, processing what he had said, before softly replying, "Are the Aeons really that powerful?"
"Yes, they are," Aether replied, looking at the distant horizon. "They are beyond our understanding, entities that transcend time and space."
"Do you think the Unknown Goddess is an Aeon?" the fairy asked curiously, but her question sparked an unexpected reaction from her travel companion—a loud laugh.
"Her? An Aeon? NEVER! She was simply too weak to be someone of that caliber," Aether responded, recovering from his laughter. "At most, she could be someone with the power level of an emanator, which are mortals who have become champions of an Aeon."
"I see..." Paimon pondered for a moment, and silence fell between them, but she soon broke it. "What happened to the world of the zombies?"
"Basically, my sister and I met a witch while exploring that world, and she explained that the planet was being invaded by an undead deity from another reality, the one responsible for raising the dead and turning the living into corpses," Aether explained.
"A deity like an Aeon?" Paimon asked.
"No. That guy couldn't even come close to an Emanator, let alone an Aeon," Aether responded mockingly. "The point is, Lumine and I formed a small alliance with the witch, becoming her patrons and lending her some of our powers to help defeat the zombie deity. In the end, the witch accomplished her goal and thanked us for letting her get revenge on the monster that killed her boyfriend."
"Do you think the Unknown Goddess is an Aeon?" Paimon asked curiously, but her question sparked an unexpected reaction as Aether burst into laughter.
"Her? An Aeon? NEVER!" Aether replied, still recovering from his laughter. "She was way too weak to be someone of that caliber. At most, she could be compared to an Emanator, a mortal who becomes a champion of an Aeon."
"I see..." Paimon pondered, falling into a brief silence. That quiet moment was broken when she asked another question. "What happened to the zombie world?"
"Basically, my sister and I encountered a witch while exploring that world," Aether began. "She told us that the planet was being invaded by an undead deity from another reality, the one responsible for raising the dead and turning the living into corpses."
"A deity like an Aeon?" Paimon asked, intrigued.
"No, not even close," Aether replied with disdain. "That guy was nothing compared to an Emanator, much less an Aeon. But still, my sister and I formed a small alliance with the witch. We became her patrons, lending her some of our powers so she could defeat the zombie deity."
"Wow! Did it work?" Paimon asked, her eyes gleaming with anticipation.
"Yes, it worked," Aether replied with a faint smile. "The witch succeeded in achieving her goal and destroyed the deity. In the end, she thanked us for helping her, saying that the monster had killed her boyfriend, and her revenge was finally complete."
"What a story!" Paimon exclaimed, impressed. "You really lived through some incredible adventures!"
"The best part of that adventure was the ending. Juliet truly prepared an unforgettable moment for the three of us to enjoy." Aether let out a discreet laugh, which Paimon didn't understand. 'I think that's when my sister realized she liked both men and women. Those two were wild that day,' he kept that thought to himself, refraining from saying it aloud.
"The name of the witch was Juliet?" Paimon asked, curious.
"Yes, Juliet Starling," Aether confirmed with a nod. "After we left her world, she gave me a gift. Something that, in order not to lose it, I ended up merging with my soul." As he spoke, Aether plunged his hand into his own chest, a gesture that made Paimon jump slightly in fright. However, when he withdrew his hand, he was unharmed, with no sign of injury. "Look at this."
In Aether's hand, there was a small lollipop made of gold, glimmering in the sunlight.
"What is this? Is it... food?" Paimon asked, tilting her head in confusion.
"Not exactly." Aether replied with a smile. "This is a talisman created by Juliet. It amplifies the luck of the person carrying it and also serves as a treasure tracker."
Paimon floated excitedly around Aether, her eyes shining with enthusiasm. "Wait a minute! Does that mean we can get rich just by finding treasures?"
"Exactly." Aether smiled as he stored the golden talisman back in his soul. "This has always been one of my plans. Thanks to this gift, my sister and I have never had trouble with money, no matter what world we were in."
With her eyes sparkling, Paimon couldn't contain her excitement. "This is amazing! Now, besides being adventurers, we can also be treasure hunters!"
"That's right." Aether replied, chuckling softly at his companion's excitement. "But all in due time, Paimon. First, we have a mission to complete."