Vote my brother's! For I, am alive!
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Paimon floated over to me, tears streaming down her tiny face even as she grinned triumphantly. "Mister Shopkeeper! Mister Shopkeeper! Do you see?! That's Traveler's sister! Paimon has been helping Traveler look for her since the very beginning! Paimon kept her promise! Paimon is the BEST GUIDE EVER!"
I stared at the floating fairy, who was now doing victory loops around my head.
"You knew?" I asked weakly.
"Of course Paimon knew! Traveler told Paimon all about her on that very first day! Paimon promised to help him find her, and Paimon ALWAYS keeps her promises!"
She puffed out her tiny chest proudly. "Paimon just didn't expect to find her in a magical shop floating in space! But Paimon isn't complaining! Paimon is VICTORIOUS!"
From somewhere behind me, I heard Blake's perfectly neutral voice in my mind.
[Sir, I believe you should have mentioned the sister's presence before the brother arrived. The small floating one appears to be taking this better than most.]
Thank you, Blake. That's very helpful. Truly.
[I aim to assist.]
I pinched the bridge of my nose and watched as Aether and Lumine continued their emotional breakdown on my shop floor.
They were talking now, words tumbling out between sobs—explanations and apologies and desperate reassurances. I caught fragments: "Unknown God," "I thought you were lost forever," "I would never stop looking."
It took a full hour for them to calm down enough to form coherent sentences. A full hour of crying, laughing, more crying, and explanations that seemed to go in circles. Paimon eventually settled on Aether's shoulder, occasionally interjecting with "Paimon helped!" or "Paimon is the best!" which actually helped lighten the mood considerably.
When they finally separated—though they stayed close, sitting side by side on the floor with their shoulders pressed together—Lumine looked over at me with red-rimmed eyes.
"You." Her voice was hoarse from crying. "You saved me. You brought me here. And now my brother is here."
"I didn't bring him here," I clarified quickly. "He found the shop on his own. That door just sort of... appears for people who need it."
Aether looked between us. "You've been here? In his shop?"
"She arrived a few hours ago," I explained. "Injured, traumatized. The Unknown God did a number on her. I healed what I could and let her rest in the back."
Aether's eyes widened, and he turned to his sister with renewed concern. "You were hurt? Are you okay now? What happened?"
Lumine took a deep breath and launched into her story—the Unknown God, the separation, the desperate flight through worlds until she collapsed at my door. As she spoke, Aether's expression cycled through horror and grief.
"I'll find her," he said quietly when she finished. "This god. Whatever it takes, however long it takes. I'll find her and make her pay."
"Brother..."
"No." He gripped her hands. "She hurt you. She took you from me. I don't care how powerful she is. I'll find a way."
Paimon nodded vigorously from his shoulder. "Paimon will help! Paimon helped find Traveler's sister, and Paimon will help find the bad god too!"
I cleared my throat. "About that..."
They all looked at me.
"If revenge is what you're after, you've come to the right place."
I spread my arms, indicating the shelves around us. "Like I said, I sell everything. Including weapons capable of killing gods. Including power beyond anything you've ever imagined. Including—"
I paused for effect. "—information about this 'Unknown God' and exactly where to find her in your timeline."
Aether's eyes blazed with sudden, fierce hope. Then just as quickly, it dimmed. He looked down at his empty hands.
"I... I don't have anything to trade. I told you. I'm a stranger here. I don't know Teyvat's secrets—that's why I've been seeking the Archons, hoping they'd have answers." He laughed bitterly. "I've been wandering from nation to nation, helping people, solving problems, all because I don't know anything. Every clue, every lead—I'm chasing them blindly."
Lumine grabbed his arm. "Aether..."
"But my offer still stands." He looked up at me, and there was something fierce in his eyes despite the vulnerability.
"Service. I've helped topple regimes. I've fought alongside gods. Whatever you need—protection, retrieval, investigation—I'll do it. However long it takes. I'll work off the debt."
Paimon raised her tiny hand. "Paimon will help with the service too! Paimon is an excellent guide and moral support! And Paimon can float!"
I studied them for a long moment. This was a different kind of offer than I usually got.
Most people came in with something to convert—memories, skills, artifacts. But Aether? He had nothing but himself and his word, and a floating fairy who apparently considered herself indispensable.
(A/N: He actually has a lot to offer but it would ruin the atmosphere soon…)
And somehow, that felt more valuable than most treasures I'd seen pass through this shop.
"Brother, wait." Lumine's voice was soft but firm. "We don't even know what he wants yet."
"I don't care." Aether's voice was steel wrapped in desperation. "I've searched for you across an entire world, Lumine. I've faced gods and monsters. If there's even a chance—"
"Aether." Lumine's voice was soft but firm. "I want answers too. Believe me, I do. But not like this. Not blind and desperate."
I leaned back, genuinely impressed. For someone who'd just had an emotional breakdown, she was recovering remarkably quickly.
"She's right, you know," I said. "I could absolutely take advantage of you right now. You're emotionally compromised, desperate, willing to promise anything. It would be easy." I shrugged. "But I'm not going to do that."
Aether stared at me. "Why not?"
I thought about it for a moment. The honest answer was complicated—partly because I genuinely liked these two, partly because I had a feeling they'd be valuable long-term customers, and partly because watching that reunion had done something to me. Made me think about my own family, my own children. Made me remember why I was doing all of this in the first place.
But I couldn't say all that. Too sentimental.
"Because," I said instead, "I'm not that kind of merchant. Take some time. Process everything. Talk to each other. Figure out what you actually want. Then, when you're ready, we can discuss business like civilized people."
Lumine's eyes softened. "Thank you. Really."
Aether nodded slowly, some of the tension leaving his shoulders. "We'll take your offer. But we're not leaving." He looked at his sister. "Not ever again."
Lumine smiled through fresh tears. "Not ever again."
Paimon zoomed around them both. "PAIMON IS SO HAPPY! PAIMON KEPT HER PROMISE! PAIMON IS THE BEST GUIDE IN ALL OF TEYVAT! PROBABLY THE WHOLE UNIVERSE!"
I gestured toward the comfortable seating area I'd set up near the counter. "Make yourselves at home. There's a lot to talk about, I'm sure."
They moved toward the seating area, but as they did, Aether paused. He turned back to me, a thoughtful expression crossing his face.
"Wait." His golden eyes narrowed slightly. "You said 'in your timeline.' When you mentioned finding the Unknown God... you said 'in your timeline.'"
I blinked.
Did I? I replayed my own words in my head. Information about this 'Unknown God' and exactly where to find her in your timeline. Yes. Yes, I had said that. It was a natural turn of phrase—every customer had their own timeline, their own version of events. I hadn't thought twice about it.
But Aether had caught it.
Lumine's expression shifted beside him, confusion replacing her earlier joy. "Timeline? What do you mean?"
Paimon stopped mid-zoom, tilting her head. "Timeline? Like... time? Paimon is confused."
I let out a slow breath. This was always the tricky part—the moment when the multiverse's complications crashed into someone's happy reunion.
"Right," I said carefully. "That's... probably something we should address."
Aether's arm instinctively went around his sister's shoulders, pulling her closer. "Address what? What aren't you telling us?"
Lumine's eyes were fixed on me, waiting.
"The shop connects to multiple universes," I said carefully. "Infinite realities, infinite possibilities. Different timelines branch off from every decision, every choice, every random chance. The Lumine I found and healed?"
I gestured toward her. "She's real. She's here. But she's not from the same timeline as you, Aether."
Silence.
Dead silence.