The world then went grey, as everyone stopped in time, with almost everyone as Aether was the only one; as he looked around at the grey world, he saw that plants had stopped, the red eyes and whatever it was stopped in time.
Aether then saw the unknown god. "You, you stopped time".
The Unknown god tilted her head as she showed chains still binding her, one just broken. "Oh, it wasn't me, but whoever, they are powerful".
"Will Travel, or should I say Golden Knight of Mondstadt, aren't you in quit the pickles'
The Voice chuckled as Aether spoke. "Ok, who the hell are you".
"Just a friend, now do you want a redo of this, because this is too much a problem current you can't handle, now if it was future you... Maybe I should say".
Aether narrowed his eyes as he scanned the greyed-out world around him. The sky was frozen, the air still, and even the ominous red glow in the distance had stopped pulsating. The only two who seemed unaffected were himself and the Unknown God—no, not just her. There was someone else.
The voice echoed again, teasing yet amused. "Oh? Not answering? Perhaps you're trying to figure me out? How adorable."
Aether clenched his fists. "Enough games. You clearly know something, and you called me the Golden Knight of Mondstadt. How do you know that name?"
The voice laughed. It was neither harsh nor cruel, but it carried an eerie sense of familiarity. "Oh, come now. There's so much you don't remember. So much you haven't seen yet. I could tell you everything, but where's the fun in that?"
Aether grit his teeth. "Then at least tell me what you mean by a redo."
The voice hummed. "Simple. Right now, the path you've taken has led to an outcome you cannot handle. Not yet. If you continue, you will fail. But... what if I offered you a way back? A slight rewind. You keep your memories, you keep your strength—just enough to prepare. But everything else? Back to how it was before this mess escalated."
Aether hesitated. He looked at the Unknown God, who had been silent, simply observing. When he met her gaze, she spoke. "A curious offer," she mused. "And one that implies they have control over something even I do not."
Aether turned his attention back to the voice. "And what's the catch?"
A slow chuckle. "Clever boy. The catch is simple. If you take the redo, the events will play out slightly differently. You will have an advantage, but so will others. And…" The voice paused. "You will owe me. A favour."
Aether narrowed his eyes. "And if I refuse?"
"Then time resumes, and you fight this battle as you are. A battle you will lose."
Silence.
Aether looked around at his frozen allies—Paimon, Mona, Keqing, even the Fatui. If what this being said was true, then they were all at risk. He had fought impossible battles before, but something about this situation felt different.
The Unknown God finally spoke. "Aether," she said, her tone unreadable, "I am bound. But even I can tell that this being is not one to be taken lightly."
Aether exhaled sharply. A redo. A chance to fix things before they spiraled out of control. And in exchange, a debt.
Was it worth it?
After a moment, he made his choice.
He looked up, staring into the grey sky, and spoke.
"...Fine. I'll take the redo."
The voice chuckled again, but this time, there was something almost genuine in it. "Smart choice, Golden Knight. Let's see if you can change fate this time."
Aether's vision blurred as the world shattered like glass—
And then, everything reset.
Aether was holding his arrow; he was ready to fire as he then saw that time had truly turned back by 1 minute; right before he fired the arrow, put it down.
Paimon looked at him as she spoke. "Hey, what are you doing? Why aren't you frying".
Aether looked at Paimon as he put the arrow back. "Yeah, maybe I should; let's just talk to them".
Paimon blinked in confusion. "Huh? Talk to them? But they're the Fatui! Since when do we just talk to them?"
Aether, now armed with the knowledge from his redo, shook his head. "If I fired, things would've gone badly. Trust me on this, Paimon."
Mona and Keqing exchanged glances but ultimately nodded, trusting Aether's instincts. Keqing stepped forward. "Then let's approach carefully. If they make any sudden moves, we'll be ready."
As they walked towards the Fatui agents investigating the meteorite, one of them—a man in a standard Fatui uniform with Cryo energy radiating from his gauntlet—noticed them and stepped forward. "Halt. This area is under investigation by the Fatui. Leave at once."
Aether crossed his arms, keeping his stance firm but non-threatening. "We're not here to fight. We're investigating the meteorites too. If we both want answers, maybe we should work together instead of wasting time clashing."
The Fatui soldier scoffed, but before he could respond, another voice cut in.
"Now that's an interesting proposal."
They then saw who it was, it was Scaramouche, as Paimon spoke. "Paimon was right, you are evil".
Scaramouche looked as he spoke. "Evil, no; doing my job, yes".
Mona looked at him as she spoke. "So wonderer is not your real name".
Scaramouche looked as he spoke. "It is a code name, one of many that is". He then looked at them as he spoke. "But you can call me Scaramouche the 8th of the Harbinger".
Fishcl looked at Mona, as Mona acted her powers as she spoke. "He is not treated to us, now or in the future".
Scaramouche looked at them as he remembered a Cirten purple-lighting wilding god. "A seer, I know a Cirten Archon who wouldn't be happy with you, but I digress; the reason we are investigating this, as you may be thinking, is our Archon wants this fixed as soon as possible; she doesn't like what's happening to her people".
Aether looked as he spoke looking at him. "Did you find something"?
The Fautie shoulder then spoke. "Yes, a name it was, Leonard".
Fishcl then spoke. "What an interesting development, of all the to be, it is that name, I say, instead it quite the twist".
Oz then translated for her. "What she means is, That Name is an Old Mondstadt name".
Aether furrowed his brows. Leonard… where have I heard that name before?
Keqing, arms crossed, looked thoughtful. "An old Mondstadt name? That doesn't tell us much. Do you have any more information?"
The Fatui soldier glanced at Scaramouche, who nodded. "We found scattered writings near some of the meteorites—references to a traveler who once sought the skies but was forgotten by history. The name Leonard was mentioned repeatedly."
Mona gasped. "Wait! Leonard... I do remember! He was a man from Mondstadt who longed to explore beyond Teyvat. He climbed the highest peaks of Dragonspine, hoping to reach Celestia, but he never made it."
Paimon shuddered. "You mean... the guy who got frozen on Dragonspine? Brrr… not a great way to go."
Scaramouche smirked. "Yes, tragic, isn't it? A dreamer who reached too high and was struck down. But it seems he left something behind—his will, his regrets, and perhaps… his consciousness."
Aether's eyes widened. "You're saying these meteorites might be connected to Leonard's dreams?"
Mona nodded. "If these meteors are making people fall into a deep sleep, maybe… they're being pulled into his dream."
Keqing frowned. "That would mean there's more at play here than just strange magic. But how does this connect to the Fatui's interest?"
Scaramouche shrugged. "Let's just say my superiors are very interested in matters that involve Celestia. And if there's a chance this phenomenon is linked to something beyond our world, we'd be fools to ignore it."
Aether sighed, already expecting as much. "So, what's your next move?"
Scaramouche gave him a knowing look. "For now, we continue gathering data. Unlike some people, we don't rush in blind." His smirk widened. "But if you do manage to wake someone up, let me know. I'd love to see what kind of dream they've been having."
With that, he turned on his heel, signaling for the Fatui agents to move out.
As they watched them leave, Paimon huffed. "Ugh! That guy is the worst! He acts all smug like he knows everything!"
Mona crossed her arms. "Annoying or not, he gave us something useful. We need to investigate Leonard's past more—if his dreams are still lingering, we might find the key to stopping this phenomenon."
Keqing nodded. "Agreed. If this truly is a lingering will, then we must act before it spreads further. The longer we wait, the more people will be trapped in this 'forever dream.'"
Aether tightened his grip on his bow. "Then let's go. The sooner we solve this mystery, the better."
Meanwhile, in a different place, Scaramouche looked up as he spoke. "The Sky, they are fake, so you were correct your majesty"
Aether then had an idea. "So we can reach Mondstadt quick, just hold on to me and Eachothers"
With that Fishcl, Mona, Keqing and a few Guards held on to Aether or the ones holding on to Aether, Keqing getting a sense this was gonna be something just reaped her arms around his wrist, as a blue magic circle came out, as spreading both of his arm, as he activated his 5th True Magic Blue, as he blasted the energy, cutting the distance of time, space, reality and even travel, he skipped time itself.
Ding!
[Host has active the 1miilion times Crit effect, the host has crit on Magic, 1 million times Crit effect has started]
Everyone was blasted at high speed, not knowing that they were semi-teleported, again Aether.CANT.TELEPORT.
As the burst of magic energy surged, reality itself warped, and in an instant, Aether and the others felt an overwhelming force pulling them forward. The world blurred, stretching and twisting, as time and space themselves bent under the sheer power of Aether's 5th True Magic: Blue.
Keqing instinctively tightened her grip on Aether's wrist, her normally composed demeanor shaken by the unnatural sensation of skipping through existence. Mona, though understanding magic more than most, was visibly stunned. Fischl dramatically declared, "Verily, we traverse the unseen threads of fate, cast adrift upon the river of destiny!"
Paimon screamed, flailing wildly. "W-WHAT IS HAPPENING?!!"
In what felt like less than a second, the group suddenly snapped back into reality. They stumbled forward, feeling like they had been both weightless and immensely heavy at the same time.
And then—CRASH!
They landed in the middle of Mondstadt's town square with a shockwave of displaced air. Aether barely managed to steady himself, while the others stumbled around, dizzy from the sudden movement. Keqing had let go at the last moment, but she still looked slightly shaken, adjusting her sleeves as if to regain her composure.
Nearby citizens gasped at their sudden arrival. A few Knights of Favonius, caught off guard, rushed over with alarm.
Jean, who had just been stepping out of the Favonius Headquarters, froze mid-step. "…What just happened?"
Lisa, standing next to her, put a hand on her hip and chuckled. "Oh my, that was quite the entrance, cuties."
Kaeya, appearing from the side, smirked. "Teleportation? No… something else, wasn't it?"
Mona wobbled before regaining her balance. "That wasn't teleportation. That was… skipping through reality itself. Aether, what did you just do?"
Aether, catching his breath, shook his head. "I—I don't really know. I just felt it and—"
Ding!
[Host has successfully activated Time-Space Skip. Due to the 1 Million Times Crit Effect, the Host has moved beyond the normal constraints of travel. Time displacement: 0.003 seconds. Spatial distance crossed: 2,300 km.]
Aether's eyes twitched. "...Yeah. That explains a lot."
Paimon was still hovering upside down, spinning slightly in mid-air. "Paimon is NEVER doing that again! That was way worse than teleporting!"
Jean sighed, rubbing her temples. "As much as I'd love to hear an explanation, you're back, which means you have news. Did you find anything in Liyue?"
Keqing, now fully composed, stepped forward. "Yes. The meteors are linked to a Mondstadt name—Leonard. And we may have uncovered something far more dangerous than we initially thought."
Jean's expression turned serious. "Leonard…? That is an old Mondstadt name."
Kaeya's smirk faded slightly. "And why do I have the feeling that this is about to become a bigger headache than it already is?"
Aether nodded grimly. "Because it is. And we don't have much time."
Aether then looked at his arm with blue glowing energy. "Yeah, I need to displace this".
Lisa looked at his arm, as she spoke. "That Magic, what is it".
Mona also saw as she spoke. "Yeah".
Aether spoke casually. "Displace reality, if you don't mind".
He then sent the energy into the sky, which became blue light, and it spread to all of Tayvat as they looked at Aether.
Aether looked at Jaen as he spoke. "Jean, there may be unexpected weather for the next few days".
As the blue light spread across Teyvat, a ripple of energy washed over the land, subtly shifting reality itself. The skies shimmered momentarily before settling back into their usual state, but the very air felt different—charged, as if the world itself had briefly recognized Aether's power.
Jean took a deep breath, steadying herself as she processed what had just happened. "…Unexpected weather, you say?" She sighed, rubbing her temples again. "That's an understatement, isn't it?"
Lisa, watching the residual energy dissipate, chuckled softly. "Oh my, cutie, you just altered the very fabric of reality, and you're acting like you just warned us about a light drizzle."
Mona was still focused on the remnants of Aether's magic. "That wasn't just raw elemental power… That was true magic, beyond the known principles of the world." Her astrological senses were still tingling. "Aether, what exactly did you do?"
Aether stretched his arm, feeling the last traces of the energy leave his body. "I had to displace the magic somewhere before it overloaded me. So, I just… let the world take care of it." He glanced at the sky. "Though, I might've changed the weather patterns across Teyvat for a while."
Kaeya smirked, folding his arms. "Hah. I suppose we should be grateful you didn't accidentally summon a storm that lasts a century."
Paimon, still dizzy from the earlier experience, waved her hands. "Forget storms—Paimon doesn't want to wake up tomorrow and find the ocean floating in the sky!"
Jean sighed again but ultimately nodded. "Alright. We'll prepare for any sudden changes. But let's get back to the important part—Leonard. If this name is connected to the meteorites, then we need to figure out what's happening before things escalate."
Keqing, regaining her usual composure, crossed her arms. "Liyue will assist however we can. If Mondstadt's history holds the key, then let's find it."
Aether nodded, his expression serious. "Then let's not waste any more time. We need to figure this out—before it's too late."
Then it rains, then it stopper as the sun beamed down like a sunny day, it snows, then is Hail, then the wind Picks up like a storm, a lightning strike hits Mona, and then everything went back to Normal,
Everyone stood in stunned silence as the chaotic weather display ended just as suddenly as it had begun.
Jean sighed deeply, pinching the bridge of her nose. "You just had to say something, didn't you?"
Kaeya laughed, clapping Aether on the shoulder. "Well, that certainly was unexpected. You really weren't kidding about the 'unexpected weather,' were you?"
Mona, now lightly smoking from the lightning strike, groaned as she adjusted her hat. "The stars did not predict this… Aether, you and I are going to have a long talk about whatever kind of magic you just unleashed."
Paimon frantically checked herself for any stray sparks before pointing at Aether. "Paimon thought you said it would just be a little weird weather! That wasn't weather—that was Teyvat throwing a tantrum!"
Keqing, dusting off some residual hail from her outfit, muttered, "This is exactly why I don't trust unpredictable variables…"
Lisa, amused, gave Aether a playful smile. "My, my, cutie. You certainly know how to make an impression. Perhaps next time, you could warn us before shaking up the natural order of things?"
Aether rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Okay, so maybe I underestimated how much energy I released…"
Jean shook her head and gestured toward the Knights' headquarters. "Alright, let's get inside before something else happens. We'll discuss everything there."
As the group hurried inside, the sky remained eerily normal—as if it, too, was pretending nothing had just happened.
To be continued
Hope people like this Ch and give me power stones and enjoy