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A piercing ache spread around his chest. He collapsed to the ground, clutching his wounds, his hand quickly colored red with blood. He tried to stop the bleeding as best as he could, but there was just nothing he could do. His wounds were too brutal, he was bound to die. Xiao looked up into the eyes of his killer, his eyes filling with tears. This was the worst betrayal he had ever faced.
“Why would you do this, Lord Rex Lapis?” he whispered, wet droplets dripping down his face. The god before him did not answer his question, staring at him coldly. His eyes were clouded over, a darkness blocking his sight. He turned and walked away, leaving Xiao half dead in the middle of a beautiful field of Glaze Lilies. The flowers parted and blew gently amidst the tragedy, keeping their grace and calm.
No longer having any strength left, he toppled over and caused the spear in his chest to push deeper in, piercing through him further. Xiao screamed out in pain, the blood that had flooded his mouth spilling out onto the grass, coloring more of his surroundings in red. He fought the urge to puke, knowing that what he would puke up would be red. He had endured worse pain before, he could handle it. At least that's what he tried to convince himself. His mind wandered to a certain someone who he had unknowingly thought of as his grandmother, she would be horrified right now if she saw knew what happened. Madame Ping would always lecture him as she patched his wounds up, he never went to find her for medical care, she’d always just mysteriously appear at his aid.
That was before her death, she has long passed into the afterlife with the other adepti. She’d be disappointed knowing the chaos that had happened after. She would probably scold Zhongli and snap him out of his trance, she was the only few that could do it. All the older adepti could’ve done it but she was the best at it, she was like everyone's sweet old grandmother, a mother even to some.
Xiao was one of the last surviving adepti besides Ganyu, Yanfei and Zhongli. Even now, he didn’t know whether Ganyu and Yanfei were alright in this mess. Zhongli’s corrosion was fore coming but yet nobody expected it. The corrosion had finally set in, he lost sight of all he was, and he sought for Guizhong. She was no longer on this plane of existence, but he didn’t know, not since he corroded anyway. He was blinded, he fought anyone who was deemed as a foe. The adepti had to step in, knowing the Geo Archon would tear Liyue apart if they didn’t stop him.
After a long battle, it was obvious in the end who had ended up victorious. With Xiao's weakened body in the middle of the field, Geo energy spears stabbed through various parts of his body. He was practically nailed to the ground, he couldn't even rise if he tried, at least not in this state. His blood colored the flowers and grass around him a dark red, proof of his defeat. The scene was grueling, absolute bloodshed.
He tried his best, all he could say was that he was a failure. He blamed it all on himself. Why had he been so useless? It hurt, his head, his body, his heart, everything. His tries were all futile, he couldn’t stop the destruction of Liyue. He was a disappointment.
His heart ached as he heard Rex Lapis’ distant screams.
“Guizhong!”
“My love?”
“Where are you?”
“Please answer me!”
Xiao was quite close with Guizhong as well, he saw her as his mother figure just as he saw Rex Lapis as his father figure, not that he knew what a mother nor father was. It was more of an emotional bond where he unconsciously assigned them as such.
She was gentle and sweet, she was way too kind for this cruel world. She wasn’t that powerful, but her determination made up for it. She sympathized with humans, understanding of their emotions and actions. Guizhong would always make excuses for these scums. Nobody really understood why she favored them so much, but everybody stood with her anyways.
He missed her so much, her voice and her sweet laughter. Xiao couldn’t quite remember what any of it sounded like anymore, nor could he remember what she had looked like. She turned to be a passing memory and he cursed himself for his mortal memory.
Thinking about it, he had never quite accomplished his dream. He only had one simple dream, but it never came to be. It never will now. Xiao had always wanted to dance amongst a sea of flowers to that beautiful flute playing. Before, he saw this dream as dumb and unreachable even if he never tried to achieve it.
Now, he could never achieve it ever again. He was fine with it however, he felt content even knowing that. His eyes clouded over, he was starting to lose consciousness. Before he really lost all life, he said something beneath his breath.
With a small smile, he whispered “May I try again in another life.”
Venti was standing amidst the very same flower field, his expression somber. He stared at the place the Vigilant Yaksha was buried. There was an altar in place of his grave, made to honor his bravery in his sacrifices to saving Liyue. He did a lot for the region and yet, many of his sacrifices were gone unappreciated. Now in death, he was more celebrated than he ever was. Venti could only laugh bitterly, these mortals didn't understand anything at all. All of what he had to do in order to fulfill his duty as an adeptus.
Venti kneeled down, placing a bouquet of Cecilia beside his headstone, it was his way of showing he had come around to pay his respects. He spied other bouquets among his own, recognizing some to be from Xiao's fellow remaining adepti. Ganyu and Yanfei had lived, they were injured badly but they survived. The one who died had suffered the worse of the battle. He sustained the worst of Morax's wrath, there was no way he could've survived.
His death wasn't in vain, Liyue was saved. He did his best and that was what anyone could ever ask for. Venti had to step up. When he had finally heard of the news in Liyue, it was far too late for him to arrive and save Xiao. A moment too late. Rex Lapis was defeated, put to rest. His body was buried somewhere near Xiao's, amongst the Glaze Lily field. Both of them were free.
Waking up in cold sweat, Xiao looked around the room. Noticing he was back in his dorm room with Venti right next to him, hugged to his chest. He remembered then that it was all just some nightmare. He smiled down at Venti’s sleeping form gently, placing a chaste kiss on his forehead. Brushing his fingers through the other’s hair, he sighed.
He had a weird unexplainable feeling from that nightmare, as if it had all happened before. It was too familiar, too realistic. However right now, he could care less. He was right back where he belonged, beside Venti in their bed.
“Will you play your flute for me again this time?”