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Xiao does not dream. He does not deserve to dream of the future, after all his mistakes, all those innocent dreams he had taken and consumed. At times when he remembers their taste, he would not let himself wonder what happened to those humans whose hopes he had destroyed. It was just as well that he does not dream, for he was certain that if he did, it would be filled with nothing other than karmic debt-corrupted nightmares.
As such, when Xiao laid down to rest in Dihua Marsh after a long day of surveying and found himself looking at the peaks of the Huaguang Stone Forest, he knew that it was no dream but a message. Something must be wrong. In a flash, he forced himself back into wakefulness and teleported to the place he saw on top of a stone pillar in the Forest, tensing and summoning his spear.
There was nothing across the moonlit peaks. No monster to slay. The night was tranquil, wisps of clouds drifting slowly across the stars and the crescent moon. Xiao’s hair fluttered across his face in the breeze.
“Conqueror of Demons?” A gentle voice called from behind Xiao.
Xiao turned, and Ganyu sat relaxed on the grass, gazing at him with surprise and curiosity.
“Ganyu.” Xiao acknowledged. “I was summoned here. Did anything unusual occur?”
Ganyu shook her head. Xiao turned to leave, but Ganyu called out, “Wait!”
As Xiao looked back at her, Ganyu asked, “Could you stay? Sit with me. Do you remember… ?”
Of course he did. It was why he had allowed himself to rest early today in the first place. To mourn, though he would never admit that to himself. Wordlessly, he lowered himself down to the ground beside Ganyu, setting his spear aside.
Ganyu sighed. “Generals Chizapus and Kapisas…”
Today was the day, all those years ago, that they had succumbed to their madness and turned on each other. Xiao knew them as Menogias and Bonanus - no, as his brother and sister Yakshas. They had sat on this same pillar together, watching the stars. Looking up at those stars now, they were different, changing over the years. Xiao wondered if he had changed, too. A sharp pain throbbed through his head, and he dismissed his spear, causing it to fade into a shimmer of gold sparks, no longer able to look at it as it reminded him of the bloodshed.
Ganyu and Xiao did not need to speak, and they watched the stars in the silent understanding that only thousands of years of shared experiences could bring.
What would they think of who Xiao was today, alone and distant from the world?
A familiar melody drifted to Xiao’s ears. Ganyu had laid down on the grass and was softly singing a tune that only the adepti knew. The song seemed to fill the air around them, echoing around the cliffs. It was a song of celebration, of wonder at the world around them.
Xiao started to reprimand her for singing such a joyful song at this time, but stopped himself. He remembered singing with Menogias and Bonanus, the same song under the stars, after they had cleansed Huaguang Stone Forest of the last of the demons. Though the heavens had changed, and those who accompanied Xiao were different, did they not deserve celebration and wonder too?
Eventually, Ganyu stopped singing, and they kept their silent vigil till the first rays of the sun shone over the mountains.
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The Jade Spear sang as it sliced through the neck of the final demon. Without so much as a scream, the demon's body crumbled into black dust. Xiao stood up, breathing hard. Today has been a particularly bad day. The summer sun beat down on Liyue Harbor, making spirits and monsters restless. The only bit of good luck Xiao had was that most humans were indoors hiding from the heat, and he had encountered none of them in the forest near the harbor.
Xiao leaned against a nearby tree and closed his eyes. Instantly, he was met with a vision of the roof of Wangshu Inn. Instinctively, Xiao teleported there, alert for signs of what summoned him.
"Yo, you're back! Here." A bard in a particular shade of green sat crossed-legged under the leaves, out of the sun. He was grinning and offering Xiao a plate of Almond Tofu, his own plate and a slender flute on his lap.
Surprised into silence, Xiao accepted the plate, and sat down next to Venti when he patted the roof next to him. Xiao had seen Venti multiple times during meetings with Rex Lapis, the adepti, and other archons, and Venti spoke to Xiao on occasion, but they certainly were not friends that would visit casually.
After a brief moment, Xiao asked the only thing he could think of. "What brings you here?"
Venti ate a bite of his Almond Tofu before replying, "A little bird on the wind told me I should come see you today."
Xiao stared at him in reasonable confusion, and Venti glanced back, then put his plate down.
In an unusually mild voice, Venti said, "I was her friend too, though you probably didn't know."
Oh. Xiao took a sharp breath and looked away. He indeed had not known.
"Indarias was always the most sociable of you lot- Oh!" A flash of inspiration shone in Venti's eyes. "I know just the thing for the occasion." He snapped his fingers, and a wrapped bottle of dandelion wine quite literally flew into his hand.
"Who knows how long I’ve had this stashed here. In remembrance, right?" Then, a slightly disappointed look came over Venti. "Wait, you don't drink, do you? Well, thankfully, I have the next best thing."
With a flourish, Venti lifted his flute up to his lips and began to play.
The music was otherworldly, achingly beautiful. The rest of the world seemed to fall silent as Venti's fingers flew across the flute, light and swift. Xiao could no longer feel the humid heat of the air, and instead, a cool sea wind sent the leaves of the Wangshu Inn tree chattering in harmony. Closing his eyes, Xiao let the sounds wash over him. Regret, mourning, and hope, all at once.
When the music stopped, Xiao felt a strange pang of loss.
"...Thank you."
Smiling, Venti popped open the cork of the wine bottle. "Of course. I composed it specifically for Indarias."
Venti took a large swig of wine, and Xiao ate his Almond Tofu. It was more delicious than usual.
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As dawn rose, Xiao watched from a cliffside above as the last of the guests departed the gathering at Qingce Village. By tradition, he had stood guard the entire night, and fended off the few spirits that had been attracted by the lights and cheerful noise. Now, mental exhaustion was beginning to catch up to him. Xiao sat down heavily on a nearby rock.
No sooner than Xiao shut his eyes than was his mind covered by a familiar warm golden light, and he saw the windswept rocks of the Chasm. This time, when he teleported there, he knew what to expect. It had been exactly one year since they had learned the fate of Bosacius.
Zhongli stood on the ring of jagged stone that surrounded the entrance to the Underground Chasm. He was gazing at the entrance with a contemplative look on his face, his hands clasped behind his back.
Xiao approached and moved to kneel, his head bowed in respect. "Rex Lapis."
"There is no need for that, Xiao." Zhongli remarked, and Xiao stood up next to him.
After Zhongli remained silent for a minute, Xiao spoke. "If I may ask, did you send the last two dreams as well? For Ganyu and Venti?"
With a kind smile, Zhongli answered. "I did. I assume you are amenable to it becoming a somewhat regular occurrence?"
Xiao did not reply, but Zhongli understood his agreement nonetheless.
"There will be nothing that would interfere with your duty. I know its importance to you." Zhongli assured.
Walking further away from the edge of the precipice, Zhongli made his way to the shade of a large boulder that Xiao had not noticed previously. Standing there was a set of Liyuen drums of different sizes and a guzheng, complete with musician's chairs and stands, and Zhongli turned to look at Xiao.
"Would you like to learn Bosacius’ drums? It would be different with only two arms, but I'm sure you will adjust. I will teach you and accompany you on the guzheng." Zhongli settled into the chair on the opposite side of the drums expectantly.
Shocked, Xiao couldn't help but look down at his hands, in his mind's eye seeing them covered in blood. His hands were, had been, only meant for endless slaughter. How could they create something as antithetical to all that as music?
As if he could read what Xiao was thinking, Zhongli looked at him warmly. "We are able to change and grow, Xiao. Stone can be weathered and warped, or shaped by the hand of a sculptor. Immortal does not mean eternity unchanging. It is what Bosacius would have wanted."
Bosacius’ hands, too, had been covered with blood, and yet-. With a nearly imperceptible nod, Xiao sat down on the chair across from Zhongli and carefully took the drumsticks.
Gently, Zhongli guided Xiao through notes and rhythms and song. As Xiao was drawn in, time seemed to flow faster, and the morning passed without being noticed. He learned rapidly, finding the patterns similar to the repetition of martial arts, and by noon, he was beating out a simple tune on the drums while Zhongli looked on approvingly.
When Zhongli decided that Xiao was playing at an adequate level, he shuffled the paper on the musician’s stands and took out new pages, “Let us try something slightly more difficult. A duet, well, a modified trio, without the erhu.”
After Xiao had familiarized himself with the music, Zhongli tapped out the tempo with his foot and gave the prearranged signal to begin playing together.
Zhongli’s hands danced agilely over the strings of the guzheng. As the music swelled, Xiao was transported back millennia. He was watching a performance, and beside him were Indarias, Bonanus, and the junior Yakshas. Wangshu Inn did not yet exist, and the full moon lit Dihua Marsh’s waters brilliantly. Bosacius was on the drums, Menogias playing the erhu, and Rex Lapis on the guzheng. It was a brief respite from the war and the mindless violence, and each of them was more relaxed than they had been for a long time. There were smiles, laughter, and it was as if they did not carry the weight of the fate of Liyue on their shoulders.
Xiao gasped and dropped his drumsticks. Zhongli paused as well, and watched Xiao with deep sympathy mixed with concern.
“They forgive you.”
Xiao’s head snapped up to look at Zhongli, his mind still whirling with long-suppressed emotion. Guilt, for surviving when the rest of them had not.
A soft golden light surrounded them, sinking into Xiao’s bones. “Live on for them, Xiao.” Rex Lapis smiled.
With unsteady hands, Xiao picked up the drumsticks once more. The Chasm again resonated with music.