153 Mona Megistus

"Klee! Qiqi! Please answer back!" Aether shouted while heading towards the place where the explosion happened.

"Go away." Aether heard Qiqi say and he picked up the pace. He arrived to see Klee and Qiqi facing back to back.

Klee was holding a bright orange flaming ball and a Jumpty Dumpty on each of her hands. Qiqi was holding her Primordial Jade Cutter and was guarding herself against an abyss mage.

"Take this!" Klee shouted and threw the Jumpty Dumpty and the orange flaming ball at the hydro Abyss Mage. It hit the shield and Klee clapped her hands together.

"Katsu!" She shouted.

*BAAAAANGG!!!!*

An explosion filled the area where the Hydro Abyss Mage was. The smoke cleared and the mage was no more. Qiqi disappeared and appeared in front of the Pyro Abyss Mage and quickly sliced open the sheild.

"Muda Fuka!" The abyss Mage shouted before getting sliced into pieces by Qiqi. Qiqi slowly withdrew her Primordial Jade Cutter and looked at Klee.

"There's none left. We're safe now." Qiqi said and Klee breathed out a sigh of relief.

"Wow." Aether said in awe. The two girls looked at him.

"Chi chi!!" Klee ran over and hugged him. Qiqi ran beside her. Aether smiled, he knelt down and hugged both of them. Qiqi emotionlessly hugged back. Klee's smile got larger.

"You did good out there. C'mon, we got to go back. They're pretty worried about both of you. " Aether picked the two up and walked back to the group.

" Hey everyone! I'm back! " Aether announced. Jean rushed over and checked over Klee and Qiqi.

" Are you okay? Did you get hurt? Should I get bandages?" Jean kept rambling. Aether sighed and kissed her on the mouth. That got Jean out of her rambling

"A-aether!" Jean shouted while covering her mouth. Aether chuckled.

"They're fine. You know what I saw when I found them?" Aether then explained the fight scene between his children and the Abyss Mages.

"Even the children have potential." Moon Carver muttered. Cloud Retainer smirked.

"The Klee girl is an exact copy of her father and mother. Qiqi on the other hand will take time. But I still like her the way she is." Cloud Retainer thought.

" Aether, I still have to check. They may not have external injuries but internal ones. " Ganyu ran over to him. Aether put them down and Ganyu checked on them. After a while, Ganyu smiled and looked at Aether.

" They're fine. " Ganyu announced. Aether nodded.

" Thank you, Miss Cocogoat. " Qiqi thanked with an emotionless tone. Ganyu knelt down and brushed Qiqi's hair with her hand.

"I think you should call me... um... M-mom." Ganyu managed to say without fainting on the spot.

" Okay, mom. " Qiqi said still with an emotionless face. Aether used his elemental sight for a moment before raising his eyebrow in curiosity.

"Guys, I have some business to deal with." Aether announced to everybody. Shenhe narrowed her eyes.

"It better not be getting another girl! They're already enough, how much does one man need?!" Shenhe asked while clenched her fist.

"He can have as much as he wants. As long as he can handle it." Aether muttered and walked towards her. He ruffled her hair.

"Relax beautiful. Don't get jealous. I love each and every one of you equally. No favorites. All of you are my favorites. It's the truth." Aether looked at his lovers. Eula rolled her eyes.

"Sure sure. Who was the one you lost your V-card to again?" Eula glared at him. Jean clenched her fist remembering Albedo again.

" Hehe. Bye~" Aether said and disappeared from their sight. Eula sighed in defeat.

Aether arrived at the teleport point situated outside the entrance gate to Liyue Harbor. He turned and walked away from it. He was walking the road that was leading him to Mondstadt.

"Finally. You kept me waiting so long I almost fell asleep. " Aether looked to see a woman sitting on a rock yawning. Just then, a portal made from water appeared beside her and she jumped into it.

A similar water portal appeared behind Aether. He turned to see Mona jumping out from the water portal.

Mona waved her hand and a circle that had a lot of constellations appeared in front of her.

"Haha, as usual, my astrological predictions are proven correct." Mona muttered to herself. The circle disappeared and she walked away.

But Mona stopped walking and looked back at Aether. "You. Yes you. Come with me." Mona beckoned Aether to follow her. Aether looked at her curiously but followed her nonetheless.

"Hello. My name is Aether, they call me the Guardian. You seem like a fortune teller. What's your name miss?" Artha asked her. Mona stopped walking and walked back towards him.

"You're not from this world, are you?" Mona asked suddenly. Aether smirked.

"How'd you know? Am I that easy to figure out?" Aether asked. That answer threw Mona of a bit. She wasn't expecting him to answer her question that easily and truthfully.

"How? Because I'm a master of true astrology. If you've no other questions, let's be off." Mona answers while flipping her pigtail.

"You still haven't told me who you are." Aether reminded her. Mona pouted a little. She sighed.

"Fine, I'll exercise a little patience, and explain. I am Astrologist Mona Megistus. But considering that it is most rude to misremember names, I allow others to call me Mona. I am on a mission from my master to retrieve a certain box from Mondstadt." Mona introduced herself proudly. Aether smiled.

" Hello Mona. Nice to meet you. Can you tell me more about this box you speak of?" Aether asked the astrologist.

"The box was part of an agreement she made with a friend 50 years ago. But she isn't as spry as she used to be, so it's now up to me." Mona answered patiently.

" Not sure what getting some box back has to do with us. Why do you need us to come along?" Aether asked even more.

" Well... that's because I would also like to take on the guardian of the box. My master and her friend contended in the mystic arts all their lives without a clear victor. If I triumph here, then I will show myself to be superior to my master!" Mona answered with fire like determination in her eyes. Aether chuckled.

"What's so funny huh?" Mona asked him. Aether smiled.

"Nothing. It's just I think your very cute when you say your dream.....

To be continued.....