The setting sun painted the sky crimson with its fading light.
Paimon lay sprawled on Aether's back, watching Keke as she continued to absorb her soul ring. She gently patted her little belly and muttered under her breath:
"Come on, little tummy… hang in there just a bit longer. Once Keke finishes absorbing the soul ring, we'll get something to eat…"
Cough cough~
Aether was caught off guard by her mumbling and let out a dry cough.
"All the food in the teapot's gone thanks to you and Keke. Wait here—I'll go find something to eat."
"Nooo, if you go, I'm coming too! What if something happens to Keke while you're gone? Let's just wait a bit longer…"
Paimon sighed. Moments like these, when she actually put food second, were few and far between.
"Heh… alright."
Aether chuckled. Paimon might usually be carefree and food-obsessed, but when it mattered, she always came through.
He decided he should really start stocking more snacks in the Serenitea Pot.
"Brother, Paimon, I did it!"
About half an hour later, Keke's voice rang out.
She pounced into Aether's arms like a little beast cub returning to its nest. Her face lit up, eyes sparkling with excitement.
"Yay!"
Paimon clenched her fists and cheered in delight.
"Nice job, Keke!"
Aether didn't hold back with his praise either.
"Heehee~"
Beaming at their approval, Keke's smile grew even brighter.
"Alright, how about we find something to eat now? Paimon's starving, and you just finished absorbing a soul ring—you need to recover your strength too."
Aether glanced at the sky. Night was quickly approaching.
"Umm… Brother, can we eat that one?"
Keke pointed timidly at the unconscious Swiftwind Leopard beneath Aether's feet.
"Oh! Right!"
Thanks to Keke's reminder, Paimon had a sudden realization.
"Traveler, why are we even looking for food? We've got fresh meat right here!"
"That's the soul beast for Keke's second ring. She just finished her first—"
"Brother, I can keep going! I feel so full of energy right now!"
Keke cut him off, flexing her little arms proudly.
"And I'm not even hungry! Once I'm done absorbing the second soul ring, we can all eat together!"
"Are you sure you're up for it?"
Aether looked her over. She didn't seem fatigued at all—on the contrary, she was practically glowing with vitality.
"Mm-hmm!"
Keke nodded firmly.
"Alright then. We'll keep watch while you go for it!"
Seeing her so confident, Aether thought it over and gave his consent.
It would take time for her to absorb another ring, and heading off to hunt now wasn't practical. Might as well make use of what they already had.
"Okay, go ahead."
Aether lifted his foot, exposing the barely-breathing Swiftwind Leopard.
Just like with the first soul beast, Keke circulated her soul power and ended its life cleanly.
As expected, a violet soul ring floated from the beast's body, its power pulsing through the air.
Aether ignored the ring for now, dragging the Swiftwind Leopard's carcass off to the side.
Once a soul ring manifested, it needed time to stabilize. In the beginning, its power would fluctuate wildly, making it dangerous to absorb immediately.
Most soul masters would spend that time meditating, making sure their bodies were in top condition to endure the process.
"Brother, Paimon, I'm starting now!"
Keke followed that same routine, calling out to them before sitting cross-legged to meditate.
Having just successfully absorbed her first ring, she was brimming with confidence. She even felt like she could skip the prep and dive right in.
But the soul ring was still too unstable. Rather than risk anything, it was better to wait until the energy had calmed before starting absorption.
"Alright! Go Keke! We'll have tasty food waiting when you're done!"
Paimon busied herself gathering dry branches while cheering her on.
...
The forest under nightfall carried an air of mystery and danger.
But the flickering campfire, with its soft crackles and drops of sizzling fat, pushed back the oppressive gloom.
"Is it done yet? Is it done yet?"
By the fire, Paimon stared intently at the skewers sizzling over the flames, practically bouncing with anticipation.
"Almost. Here, give it a try."
Aether sprinkled some seasoning, gave the skewer a flip, and handed one to her.
"Waaah! It smells amazing! Slurp~"
Paimon grabbed it from the table beside her and took a massive bite without hesitation.
"Lemme try too…"
Watching Paimon devour her food was always enough to make anyone hungry.
The Serenitea Pot still had plenty of seasonings from Teyvat, and paired with meat from local soul beasts, the flavors came together beautifully.
"Ahh~ When do you think Keke will finish absorbing her soul ring?"
Paimon asked between mouthfuls.
"Shouldn't be much longer."
Aether looked at the girl sitting with eyes closed, surrounded by waves of soul power.
Several hours had passed already, and her expression had relaxed significantly. Her aura was growing stronger by the minute—she had to be nearing success.
"Mmhmm! Then make some extra, okay? When she wakes up, she'll want some too… Eh? Wait—we forgot about those big sisters from earlier!"
Paimon had originally planned to ask Aether to grill more for Keke.
But as the thought came, she suddenly remembered the group of new friends they'd met not far from here.
"Think they're still around…"
She glanced off into the distance, murmuring to herself.
During the earlier soul beast hunt, the area had been huge, so they had ended up far from Shui Bing'er's group.
With trees in the way, neither side could see the other.
"Traveler! I see lights over there—they're still here!"
Hovering a little higher with her skewer in hand, Paimon spotted a faint glow in the distance.
In the flickering firelight, she could even make out a massive dark shape.
"Waaah! That stinky lion's still here too!"
Paimon squinted and realized the shadow belonged to the same lion beast that had begged for mercy earlier.
"…"
Aether looked over, puzzled. Unlike other soul beasts, it hadn't run away.
Instead, it was lying there quietly—almost obediently.
"What's it trying to do?" he muttered.
It was nearly a hundred thousand years old and should've developed decent intelligence by now.
Even soul beasts without sentience knew to flee in danger, yet it stayed here.
It didn't look directly at them either, instead pressing its head low to the ground in a submissive pose.
Given its massive, mountain-like body, it made for a strangely adorable sight.
"Traveler, why don't you go check it out?"
Paimon was thinking about sharing their food with the others, but the lion blocking the way made her nervous.
She'd landed a heavy blow earlier, sure—but that was with Aether nearby.
"I'm still grilling. You go. Don't worry."
Aether flipped a skewer nonchalantly.
They weren't far apart. If anything happened, he could save Paimon in a flash. Besides, the beast didn't seem hostile.
If anything, it was probably here for some other reason.
"Ugh… fine, but keep your eyes on me, alright?"
Paimon hesitated, but finally agreed. She gave Aether a warning glance before slowly floating off toward the lion.
_
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