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Steam filled his lungs and blood beat against the veins in his arms. He twisted, twisted, twisted until his knuckles turned white and grip grew tight against flesh--but his senses grew dull, having submitted to the raging heat licking his skin. It didn’t burn, for some reason, but it urged his muscles to move and, to him, that was enough.
As the shadows in his vision softened, he saw the soft glow of the moon come down from somewhere. He didn’t even notice it was night. Neither the fact that when he went out, it was day-break.
Slick blood coated his hands. It wasn’t warm, having cooled to the temperature of the air and turned dark. Xiao’s hand went to the polearm he happened to know was beside him. Even breaths matched the familiarity that came with this situation, as if it were simply a routine. The residual Anemo energy glided over his arms and returned to the atmosphere as his body rested.
“Morax doesn’t do you any good, does he?” A voice spoke, “Leaving you to hunt… What is it, demons?”
Xiao rushed his body to action and teleported. He realized a spot and was attacking the air in one fluid motion. Though his spear traveled, it hit nothing. Morax saved me, Xiao thought, the voice in his head louder than his actions were fast.
“I was watching you,” it continued, though its voice felt grimmer and there was a bitter tone that was subtly carried, “Great Alatus, am I right?”
Xiao turned towards the voice and cut through it-- he was faster this time and utterly uncaring to the words they were saying. “Coward,” he whispered under his breath as his attack didn’t land once more.
“Many would say you’re right, I guess. Maybe I am, having given you a blessing that only encourages your descent,” the voice sighed. By now, Xiao recognized how it was carried around the clearing. He couldn’t locate it anymore.
Xiao honed in on his senses, “It’s my duty. My contract.”
The voice made a wince-like noise, “Your contractor doesn’t understand what you go through. He can’t.”
“ What?” Xiao frowned.
“You haven’t been listening. Morax. He can’t comprehend the simplest of emotions, not to mention whatever your emo cesspool derived from trauma is , ” it repeated, more emotion this time. “He hasn’t-- not for the deaths of your friends, either.”
Xiao’s throat tightened on its own. “Show yourself,” Xiao said as he regained a dignified mien and gripped his spear.
The wind tousled Xiao’s hair in response. “No thanks. Don’t want to be like the guy over there, really.”
Xiao clicked his tongue.
“ Blessing, blessing, blessing, ” the voice said, “I guess the Archon War really brought out the worst in us? No kidding, no kidding…”
Xiao wouldn’t let himself be provoked by the voice. He relaxed, yet kept his guard up and continued to scan the trees. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
A young man stepped out. White clung to his small frame and a lyre hummed in the air nearby.
“You really misunderstand, Alatus,” Venti spoke, a fluidity to his movements as he carried himself to Xiao, “I’ve seen what it has done.”
Xiao cast his polearm away, “And what do you want, Barbatos?”
Venti smiled, “Ooh, it’s so nice to be called that! You see, barely anyone even recognizes that someone of this stature would hold the power of Decarabian--”
Xiao blanked. Are you fucking kidding me.
“It’s your name.”
Venti snorted. “Alatus, I never knew you were so funny!”
“What?”
“I was kidding.”
Xiao lunged and his polearm fabricated in his hand. Venti seemed to see it too late, and despite having literally witnessed Xiao’s handiwork just before that, let his guard completely down as soon as he revealed his mortal form.
“WOAH WOAH WOAH! Can’t you take a joke?! I swear, all of you Liyue losers with your-- your Morax -- like, the only redeeming feature is the fact his man tits are out!”
Xiao turned his weapon and prepared to send it through the god’s chest. Maybe Xiao would have laughed (Correction-- found slightly amusing. This is Xiao.) if Venti’s jokes were anything but poking fun at the god Xiao dedicates himself towards.
“I said it was a joke!”
“Morax could have eliminated you with ease, Barbatos.”
Venti theatrically gasped, “My ass! He’s too busy making-- fucking-- contracts and shit! I don’t know!”
Xiao held the twink with a single hand, “And you?”
Venti paused, then began to think.
“I’m done here,” Xiao got up and wiped his hand against his shirt.
“Hey! Hey, wait!” Venti scrambled to his feet just as Xiao began to turn away, “I have done lots! I found my Four Winds already!”
Xiao stopped when Venti grabbed a fistful of his sleeve. “And what was the reason for this visit?” If you do have a duty, Xiao added in his head.
“I just wanted to tour Liyue, so I tried finding someone with Anemo…” Venti made a face similar to a puppy.
Xiao grabbed a fistful of Venti’s hair and brought him to eye level, “You’re a nuisance, Barbatos.”
“Hey! Now I have to rebraid those!” Venti’s mind lingered on the way Xiao spoke as he said Venti’s name, though. Venti groaned, “Here-- I’ll show you something I found.”
Venti pulled Xiao through the tall bamboo and along untrodden paths that soon would become paths of stone in due time. Energy surged in the earth under their feet, responding to the combined source of a foreign element. The air seemed to hum in their ears and Xiao assumed that was Venti’s doing.
“Let me tell ya, the flora here is amazing, ” Venti began and as he led Xiao he turned to meet his eyes with a smirk before running at a pace faster.
Venti’s steps were fast yet his grip was tight as if he were holding onto the first friend he thought to protect. “I think you’re pretty cool, Alatus, despite the first impression,” Venti spoke. Xiao focused on his face and saw the corner of a smile spread across Venti’s face, though he didn’t see the solemn eyes laid irremovable from Venti’s gaze forward. Venti continued, “You deserve to be free.”
Xiao’s mind paused into a shocked silence and he nearly tripped as he was pulled further up the hill, sharp as the Jueyun Karst is known for. Xiao opened his mouth to respond.
“I’m sure you’ll ask what I mean,” Venti laughed, but he seemed to hesitate before he spoke again, “You’ve never seen the likes of freedom.”
Xiao’s grip loosened, but Venti’s made up for it.
“I wanna show you it,” Venti stopped and pulled Xiao to where he was, “Freedom, I mean.”
Xiao turned to where Venti looked out. Beyond him, the pull of the wind drew Xiao to see the full scene of Jueyun Karst. Tall mountains peaked through the dense fog that collected at the stony feet of each formation. It was a sea of gray surpassed by the green tops of wild grass grown into each corner of the world. Floating constructs of geo were still and added its own little curiosities-- a tree, a crane resting its wings. Xiao looked across and began to see a holy land untouched by mortals. In a short sense, it was beautiful.
“For someone who spends their longevity protecting this, it sure seems like you’ve never seen it before.”
“I haven’t,” Xiao said simply.
Venti drew a gust of wind under his feet to present himself over the cliffside, “Of course you have, you know this place like the back of your hand,” Venti turned in the air, “You’ve just never thought to appreciate it as anything past the burden of your loyalty.”
Xiao looked over Jueyun Karst as he pondered Venti’s words.
The wind filled his lungs with a sad generosity, a comfort to all of the things Xiao missed over the course of his duties. The Anemo god would leave, but the imprint of a new friend would never leave Xiao for centuries to come.