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In a tavern in Mondstadt some two thousand years ago, a young man with a lyre played a song for an entranced crowd, even the drunkest patrons fallen silent for respect to the bard’s more somber melody. As he played, a man in a dusty traveling cloak, his hood pulled up, slipped into the bar to stand on the edge of the crowd.
After the bard had finished his song, the crowd lost its focus once again and patrons started to talk amongst themselves, quietly at first, but gaining volume until the room was once again filled with the sounds of people happily drinking into the night.
The bard was humming to himself and picking out the next few coords of another, more lighthearted, song he might play, when the man in the traveling cloak approached him.
“That was lovely,” he said, his voice gentle but deep.
The bard blinked up at him in surprise. He knew that voice.
“Thank you,” Barbatos said, and his face broke out into a welcoming smile. “It’s been a long time! I hope your journey wasn’t too hard.”
“Under other circumstances, it might have been pleasant. But I must admit my visit is not strictly for personal pleasure, and you are quite a difficult bard to track down,” Morax replied. Under his hood, Barbatos could see that his eyes gleamed like chips of amber, razor sharp in their intensity.
Unfazed, Barbatos smiled reassuringly at the other archon. “Why don’t we have a seat so we can discuss business, then?” he suggested.
Morax nodded sharply and followed Barbatos over to a little-used corner of the tavern, where they could talk away from the prying eyes and merry laughter of other patrons. A tavern worker seemed to sense the gravity of their meeting, and discreetly came to ask them if they wanted anything to drink. With a quiet cheer, Barbatos asked for Dandelion Wine for the both of them, which Morax accepted gratefully. Finally, the Geo Archon pulled down his hood so Barbatos could see the full force of his somber expression.
He looks even more dour than usual, Barbatos reflected. He swirled the wine in his glass before taking a sip. Morax looked almost anxious, an expression completely foreign to him.
“What can I help you with, my friend?” Barbatos asked. His first instinct was always to make light-hearted conversation, but something in Morax’s stare made even Barbatos want to get down to business.
“I would like to commission you for a performance,” Morax replied, blunt and to-the-point as ever.
Barbatos set his half drunk glass of wine back on the table, intrigued. “Oh? What kind of performance?”
This was not the kind of request he would ever expect from the Geo Archon, of all people, and on top of that it hardly seemed like Morax had something he wanted to celebrate. Not that Barabato’s repertoire wasn’t wide and varied, but he did have a well-known specialty.
Morax frowned into his glass of wine. “You are familiar with my adepti, correct?” he asked, and when Barbatos nodded, he continued, “while they perform many different functions for the sake of Liyue’s safety, there are. . . there were five whom I had specifically tasked with slaying demons and other such remnants of the Archon War.”
Barbatos frowned and began to tap out a melody on the table. “I’m aware of them, yes.”
“There’s only one remaining, and I believe he is in an. . . unfortunate state. The years of battle have worn down his sanity. He needs rest, but I’m afraid if I try to force him it will only cause him more harm,” Morax explained.
Barbatos’s fingers stilled and he blinked in surprise. “Oh, so you want me to sing him a lullaby?”
Morax nodded gratefully at the suggestion. In truth, he hadn’t known if Barbatos was capable of such a thing. But all his attempts to pacify his last remaining yaksha had failed, and all the while Xiao only grew angrier and more manic. “If you’re able to help him, I would be incredibly grateful. It seems that aiding him is beyond my ability.”
Barbatos looked thoughtful for a moment, then nodded to himself. He knew plenty of lullabies, but one soothing enough to send even a battle-crazed adeptus to sleep? Ah well, if he couldn’t think of one that already existed, he could just make up a new one.
“I can do it!” he decided, and Morax couldn’t help but feel the first spark of hope at Barbatos’s enthusiasm.
“I suppose then, that just leaves the matter of your compensation,” Morax said.
Barbatos tilted his head in confusion. “Compensation? That’s hardly necessary.”
Morax frowned, like a teacher who had just received an answer he didn’t like. “I would prefer to compensate you in some way,” he said, and Barbatos figured they could sit there going back and forth forever or he could just ask for something. He sighed internally. Some things never changed.
“Bring me a bottle of wine from Liyue sometime. We can share it and then we’ll be even,” Barbatos decided.
Morax still seemed displeased by the answer, but he wasn’t one to critique the desires of other archons, so he let it be. Why exactly Barbatos would want his company was beyond him, however.
“Alright then! Let’s go,” Barbatos said, and he scooted his chair away from the table so he could hop lightly to his feet. When Morax looked at him in surprise, he added, “seems like we’re on a bit of a time limit, right? I don’t wanna wait around!”
Once again grateful for his enthusiasm, Morax stood to follow Barbatos out of the tavern.
After they returned to Liyue, following the trail of carnage Xiao left in his wake was the easy part. Even in his bloodthirsty haze, he hadn’t harmed a single mortal, but there was a plethora of other signs of his passage: entire fields of wild grass leveled to nothing, trees reduced to little more than splinters, gouges in the earth from the wild sweeps of his spear, and, of course, many eye witness accounts from mortals who had seen him appear to do battle and then disappear again just as quickly.
When they finally caught a glimpse of the adeptus himself, he was turning a horned demon four times his size into little more than a smear of blood and intestines on the Guili Plains. Even from a distance, Barbatos could feel the malice radiating off of him, but all it did was harden his resolve to help. Out of habit, he played a few notes on his lyre to make sure it was in tune.
Xiao turned to face the two archons, the varnished wood of his mask reflecting light from the setting sun- at least in the places it wasn't covered in gore; his entire body was streaked with dried blood and dirt. It was a small mercy that at least the blood wasn’t his own; even in this near mindless state, it didn’t seem that much was capable of hurting the Conqueror of Demons.
Morax had hoped he would be able to reason with Xiao at least to some extent, but as soon as Xiao was fully facing them, he tightened his grip on his spear and charged them both. It didn’t seem like there was a shred of recognition, but with his mask on it was hard for Morax to be completely sure.
Morax was quick to get between Xiao and Barbatos, his polearm materializing just in time to block Xiao’s first strike. His speed didn’t seem to be affected by his current state at all.
Furious at having his momentum stopped, Xiao snarled, a sound that was more animal than human. It made Morax’s heart break all over again; he hadn’t heard Xiao make a noise like that since they had signed their contract together. He couldn’t help but wonder if they were already too late.
“Don't worry about fighting, I’ll keep him occupied,” Morax said. He didn’t get a formal response, but he heard Barbatos play the first few notes of a song on his lyre.
There wasn’t much real danger of Xiao hurting Morax. As powerful as he was, Xiao was no match for his archon, and mindless with rage and fear as he was, his attacks were easy to predict and deflect. Morax led him away from Barbatos, although he kept them close enough that Xiao could hear as Barbatos began to sing.
Almost immediately, Xiao’s movements began to slow, his attacks growing sloppy and losing intensity.
It wasn’t a song that Morax had heard before, in Liyue or anywhere else. The tune was naggingly familiar, the way many lullabies were, but the words were completely new. Barbatos sang about a boy who spent all day protecting a field of Glaze Lilies from animals that would eat them and human feet that would crush them, and at the end of the day he rested amongst the flowers he had so lovingly protected, the smell of Glaze Lilies sending him to sleep.
Finally, Xiao’s grip went slack, and his spear dropped from his fingers to land quietly in the grass. He staggered, and within seconds Morax was there to catch him as he finally lost his balance and lurched forward into his archon’s arms. Morax wrapped his arms around Xiao’s thin shoulders, and all was silent for a moment as Morax held his dear friend against his chest.
Xiao’s breathing had evened out and he was completely dead weight in Morax’s arms. He was well and truly asleep, and Morax felt a wave of relief wash over him. They might not have been too late after all.
Slowly, Morax guided Xiao to the ground, until he was on his knees in the grass with Xiao’s head on his lap. He heard the soft sounds of Barbatos approaching from behind, and the other archon settled down in the grass beside Morax.
Gently, Morax removed Xiao’s mask and set it aside, revealing the first peaceful expression he had seen on Xiao’s face since they had signed their contract together. Unable to resist, he began combing his fingers through Xiao’s hair, careful not to tug on any knots.
Barbatos hummed the first few notes of another tune and then strummed the matching cords on his lyre before he began to sing another song. It was a traditional Liyuen lullaby, about falling asleep by a hearth tended to by a doting mother. Xiao slumbered peacefully all the while, and Morax found himself unable to look away from the adeptus for even a moment, lest he miss some sign that Xiao might be waking. He had little power to help Xiao, but Morax still silently vowed to do whatever he could from then on out.
After Barbatos was done with his second song, silence descended on the plains once again, only broken by the sound of wind rushing through the tall grass.
“He’s always been unwavering in his loyalty to me, and look what it’s brought him,” Morax murmured. His expression was almost frighteningly blank, but Barbatos could see it for what it really was: a mask to cover a mountain of guilt and grief for the yaksha he couldn’t save.
“That’s what loyalty is though, isn’t it? The will to stick with something even when it’s hard,” Barbatos said. He had never seen Morax like this before- shoulders bent with the weight of all his duties, but at the same time curled protectively over Xiao, as if he could shield the adeptus from further suffering. Morax was not a small man, in stature or presence, and Barbatos wondered if his supplicants would recognize him as he was now.
“You’re correct,” Morax said, and a humorless smile spread across his face. “Xiao would hate to hear me say that. He makes his own choices, as he has told me many times, and would never blame anyone but himself for their consequences.”
“There you go, then,” Barbatos replied, gently.
In his sleep, Xiao twitched violently, as if in the throes of a nightmare, and Barbatos picked up his lyre to sing a Sumeruan song for pleasant dreams. Morax didn’t know all of the Sumeruan words, but Xiao’s breathing slowly steadied until he was resting peacefully once again. Morax resumed carding his fingers through Xiao’s hair, a task that became easier as he eased out some of the knots.
The three of them stayed like that until the sun set and then rose again, Barbatos playing his lyre off and on to assure Xiao slept peacefully. All in all, it was a period of about ten hours before Xiao awoke naturally, slowly returning to the waking world to the sight of his archon leaning over him and the feeling of gentle fingers in his hair.
All traces of sleepiness were gone in an instant, and Xiao was on his feet so quickly he made his head rush. Morax and Barbatos both followed suit, albeit a little slower.
“Rex Lapis! And the Anemo Archon!” Xiao said, sounding even more stricken once he realized it was not just Morax that had seen him in such a state.
“Hey, you’re awake! I hope you’re feeling at least a little bit better,” Barbatos said, trying to inject a little cheer into the situation. It seemed their plan had worked, after all- judging by how embarrassed he looked, Xiao was clearly back in his right mind.
“I’ve been such a nuisance to you both, please forgive me,” Xiao pleaded, and he sunk to his knees in the grass, his head bowed.
At first Morax and Barbatos both thought Xiao was bowing in supplication, and Barbatos, who wasn’t fond of those kinds of gestures, was going to help him to his feet, but as he came closer he realized that was not completely the case; it seemed as though Xiao’s muscles had seized up in pain, and he had fallen to the ground, unable to support himself.
Instinctively, Barbatos knelt next to Xiao to make sure he was not injured in some way, and saw that his eyes were brimming with unshed tears and his hands were clenched so tight it looked like he was going to draw blood from his own palm.
Morax quickly joined them both back in the grass and reached into his coat pocket to retrieve a small vial of pale liquid.
“I thought this might happen, so I brought something to help. Please, tilt your head back, Xiao,” Morax commanded, voice firm but gentle.
Xiao did as he was told, and Morax helped him drink the contents of the vial once it became apparent that Xiao’s hands were shaking too badly for him to do it himself. The tincture tasted like chalk, and Xiao felt hyper aware of Morax’s light touch on his chin. Blessedly, the effect was almost immediate, and Xiao sagged in relief as all of the tension went out of his muscles at once.
After a long moment, Xiao said, “I apologize for all the trouble I’ve caused you. I even attacked you both. . . If there is anything at all I can do to make amends, please tell me.”
Barbatos reached out and took one of Xiao’s hands in both of his own. “Hey, stop apologizing so much! We’re just glad we could help.”
Morax nodded sharply in agreement when Xiao looked to him for confirmation. “I am relieved to see you returned to your right mind. That is more than enough, Xiao.”
Xiao looked down at where Barbatos’s hands were still covering his own. “Thank you, Lord Barbatos. I’m in your debt.”
“Nah, enough of that! Us Anemo types need to stick together, right?” Barbatos said, grinning. “Don’t think anything of it.”
Xiao nodded hesitantly as he realized he was fighting a losing battle. He had heard that the Anemo Archon was easy-going, but spending so much time around an archon like Morax made it difficult for him to believe without the proof right in front of him.
With that settled, Morax rose to his feet and announced, “I intend to return you to Jueyun Karst so that you may finish recuperating in more familiar surroundings.”
Xiao wanted to protest, but got the feeling he had just received an order, not a suggestion. And he was still so, so tired. Plus, the painkillers Morax had given him helped tremendously, but his body still felt like one giant ache. Xiao made to stand, but before he could, Morax had hoisted him into his arms in a bridal carry.
“This is not necessary,” Xiao insisted, but he knew he was fighting a losing battle here as well.
In fact, Morax didn’t even try to argue with him, and, ignoring Xiao’s comment completely, turned to Barbatos. “Thank you for your service. Your aid has been indispensable.”
“Don’t mention it!” Barbatos said, and then followed an awkward moment of silence during which Barbatos realized Morax was politely dismissing him.
“Oh! I was kinda planning to see you home, just to make sure everything is alright,” Barbatos explained, then added, “plus, I’m emotionally invested in your well being now!”
Xiao looked mortified, his entire face going red. “Lord Barbatos, you’ve already done so much-“
“And I want to sing for you while you’re awake, too! I bet you probably don’t even remember the song I wrote for you,” Barbatos said, his tone teasing but gentle.
To be fair, he was correct. Xiao had little memory of the past several days, beyond a feeling of hatred and desperation so deep it had taken root in his bones. But once again, his archon had come to his rescue. Suddenly feeling overwhelmed, Xiao sighed heavily and leaned his head against Morax’s chest. “If you insist,” Xiao relented.
Barbatos clapped his hands together. “Alright, let’s go! It’s been ages since I was last in Jueyun Karst.”
Morax shifted Xiao’s weight in his arms, and said, “Yes, let’s be on our way then.”
Secretly, he was quite pleased that Barbatos was going with them. The bard had done more for Xiao than he could have hoped for, and he knew that Xiao would rest easier with Barbatos watching over him.
Barbatos picked up Xiao’s spear from where it had fallen in the grass and balanced it on his shoulder. He grinned at them both and set, “Lead the way!”