#aether scenario

still, today was a good day and good days were spent remembering memories that seem so distant and impossible now. her dark-stained fingers twitched in nostalgia, her mind picturing days from long ago when her fingers found themselves tangled in his hair, nimbly crossing along his tresses as she tied them into a plait. there was a time he refused to tie his hair, letting it flow in long rivers that she always deemed to be impractical. a sound vaguely similar to a laugh got caught in her throat as she remembered that in one fairly similar good day, she apprehended him and forcibly tied his hair into a braid. since then, he has forced her to wake up twice as early to fix his hair and no matter how much she insisted that he learn it for himself, he never did.

so with a longing melancholy once again resting on her heart, she wondered. who braids her brother's hair now that she has decided to move away from his path, placing a distance in between that could not be measured by a few numbers or so?

the day aether woke up without his dear sister beside him, an emptiness one couldn't describe formed in his chest like a black hole that sucked everything out of him. his hair was a mess after the fight with that woman and when he instinctively called out to his sister only to be greeted by none, he cried. it was the first and only time he allowed himself to feel the wetness against his cheeks and the tremors of his hands as he desperately tried to stop them to no avail. that day was as clear as after rain dew and for a brief moment, he wanted to curse the world for moving on while he mourned for his lost sister.

paimon knew how to braid but aether refused to let her touch his hair saying that only one person could do that for him. with an exasperated sigh, paimon tried her best to demonstrate how instead. for a good chunk of his journey, aether lived with sloppy, loose plaits that always needed redoing in between battles. it's impractical, he could hear lumine's voice chastising him from the cavern of his treasured memories and that brought him a strange feeling of security. as time went by, his braids became taut and strong but his heart weakened in visible distraught brought to him by the longing for his literal other half.

her hands were pressed against her cheeks where a familiar trail of tears took space. how long has it been since she cried for her brother? she closed her eyes in a feeble attempt to compose herself but it did nothing but make her remember a similar time in another fine day long ago in a world far different from this one.

she remembers the day as if it was yesterday. heart racing, eyes tightly closed as if it would help hide her from aether who was hellbent on winning their small game of hide and seek. weak, little mutters escaped her lips, counting along with aether who was just a few meters away from her hiding spot under the gigantic roots of one of the hundreds of trees that made up the old forest.

“one”

"two"

"three"

she should be far away from him if she wanted to stay hidden but there's a thrill in being just a hair length away from losing and a sense of peace in being near his presence.

"four"

"five"

"six"

aether was horrible at hiding. he was too impatient to stay still in just one spot for extended periods and sometimes, he liked to challenge himself a little too much and chose the most conspicuous spots possible that you cannot call it 'hiding' anymore. it was often up to lumine to hide and by the gods, she never figured out how he managed to find her every single time without fail. sure, some days it took longer than most but a victory is still a victory, especially in his books.

she would always frown in distaste as he looked down on her, a smile rivaling the stars spread across his face with one hand held out to help her to her feet. every single time, her disappointment never stayed because aether's loud laughter would boom across the air like a contagious disease that would make her double over in laughter as well.

"seven"

"eight"

"nine"

one time, she almost won. she was so determined too, throwing away her heeled boots to run as silently as she could, feet tingling as the grass clung to her bare skin. the cool breeze blew against her strongly but she kept on running, an innocent smile that was far too giddy for her displaying her determination as clear as day.

"ten"

"eleven"

"twelve"

he was so close. each step of his making the dried leaves crunch under his feet. he always did that. to unnerve you, he said once, when she questioned why he always made loud noises to signify his coming. she almost blew her cover when aether shouted a loud 'aha!' as he turned around the corner, looking for her figure in the dark shadows that didn't contain her.

aether never liked insects very much but she did and much to her amusement, aether left out one yelp after another as he tried to look in each insect-infested cranny he could find. the things he would do for victory, she mused as she hugged her knees closer to her chest, aether's displeasure making a nice background for her amusement.

"thirteen"

"fourteen"

"fifteen"

adrenaline was pumping in her veins and it was exhilarating. it was so much so that it was hard for her to remain in her usual stoic self. as each second passed, the likelihood of her first victory increased. it was such a simple thing but it was one that would give her an edge against her sibling and that made it a big deal to her. she could vividly picture aether's annoyance as she used her victory and her newfound bragging rights. that would be the dream, wouldn't it?

light flickered from the small hole she could peek from. it was a good day. the light refracting against tiny particles that made it look like it was raining glitter. from afar, she could hear the creaking of the antique clock of the belltower. soon... just a little more.

"i found you, sister.”

lumine smiled, eyes trailing to the familiar form of her brother who was scarred and bleeding from uncountable injuries. he was just the same as ever. gold striking gold, the only difference was one's empty and one's filled with determination. it was a good day. the strong, red flames burned around her, ruining the mesmerizing and verdant green of the forest. not only that, it flickered and reflected against aether's sword that was drawn against her. with an almost sinister chuckle, she drew her own.

"hello to you too, brother."