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Mount Tianheng, eternal as it was, shakes beneath his feet and his chest constricts as the tragedy from the harbour unfolds before his eyes. The usual light that thunders and opens the skies for the God of Contracts to descend and bless the mortals with his presence does paint the skies, the mist of burning incense does braid itself with the cadence of the Tianquan’s summon as they have so many times before. But the omnipotent yet graceful silhouette of the dragon does not snake downwards from the heavens as it should have; instead, it tumbles headfirst and crashes against the altar, spreading horror in the hearts of the worshippers gathered on the terrace.
The terror crawls into the adeptus’ head too, filling him not only with grief but also with a vengeful rage never felt by him before. His spear materializes in his right hand as on his face a cold, pained astonishment petrifies his features and a single chant drums in his ears. Tell me who did it and they shall not live a moment longer! raises one of the voices in his head, and Xiao does not hesitate; he takes a deep, shivering breath and prepares to leap towards the city when a soft, yet unmovable weight makes its presence on his left shoulder.
Xiao’s head snaps back and his spear follows suit, only to freeze at the sight before him. Standing tall as the mountains he raised across his land there is none other than Rex Lapis himself, stopping his servant’s action with a gentle gaze. The first tear breaks out from the adeptus’ eye and burns down his cheek at the same time a desperate sigh escapes his dry mouth.
‘Are you truly in the flesh, here, before me?’ says Xiao in a beaten, overwhelmed tone and more tears fill his eyes to the brim. He receives a soft nod and a slow approving blink as response, so he goes on: ‘What is the purpose of all this?’. He points towards the city with the tip of his weapon as another lava-like drop rolls down from his lids.
‘I will tell you, my love, I will. But not yet’, are the rumbling words that settle in his ears, weighing in his head and turning his bones to lead.
He falls to his knees at his god’s feet, tears trickling down his face like the waterfalls of Qingce. Two warm, big hands cup his cheeks with gentleness, turning his head upwards, and the heavy, rich but comforting voice fills his ears.
‘I have never seen you cry by yourself… am I truly worth your pure, honest tears?’ says his master, an ancient-like remorse seeping in each of his words.
‘No, you’re not worth my tears. You’re worth so much more than that, you’re worth my entire life…’ comes Xiao’s distressed reply, voice slowly fading to a whisper as gloved fingers caress the moist skin of his face.
The eyes of the Geo Archon stare into his own, the amber inside them melting and flowing towards him powerfully, prying into his soul and opening him raw in front of the miracle of Xiao’s master still walking among the living. Another tear-stained, faint sigh betrays the adeptus, to which the Archon sinks to his knees, all the while his hands remain still on Xiao’s cheeks. The latter grips the wrist of one of these stony hands and barely gets to open his mouth to protest, when a whisper cuts his intention in his throat.
‘I have pained you so greatly, haven’t I, my dearest Xiao…’ is what his master breathes into his skin, raising goosebumps over all his small frame. ‘I can only hope you will forgive me one day…’. No sooner do the words leave the Archon’s mouth that his lips press to the adeptus’ forehead, making him tremble with the magnitude and the variety of the emotions that swarm inside of him. The blessings then move to each of his eyes, as if kissing the tears away, before they hover over his own mouth, where a barely heard praise my faithful one falls over him, and only then his god finally, finally, bestows upon him a merciful kiss.
Xiao’s hardly maintained composure falters at last, his bones turn to crumble under the weight of his feelings and his hips give in, only to be rescued from falling by the steady and reliable hold of his master upon his head. His shaky hands move to Rex Lapis’ chest in an attempt to anchor himself before responding and losing himself in the redeeming kiss so kindly given to him.
A gentle breeze is the only witness atop the sky-piercing mountain, where two shadows relish in each other’s embrace, a breeze that carries their immovable and unchanging love towards the ever-watchful sun.