Chapter Text
How long has it been since I last saw him?
Xiao lingered on this thought for a while. The last time he'd seen his gold-haired traveler friend was a few months ago when he'd made a stop at Wangshu Inn. He hadn't stayed long, a couple hours at most, and the interaction between them had been brief.
Perhaps I should have conversed with him more.
It was a dark night and the full moon hung low in the sky. Xiao, alone in the autumn cold, stood at the peak of the mountain cliff, which overlooked the earthy landscape that was Liyue. As he stared at the small glints of light in the distant darkness, snapshots of his traveler friend came to mind.
I wonder what he's up to?
This thought occupied his mind for a long time. It wasn't until a light breeze swept by that he realised what he was doing and cast the thought away. He needed to concentrate.
Returning back to his training, Xiao leapt into the air. Like a ninja engaged in combat he kicked, flipped and twirled through the air as wisps of wind whirled about in perfect synchronisation with his movements. for the past few days, Xiao had dedicated much of his time to perfecting this new attack move he'd recently devised. His current clumsy and haphazard execution of it is what fuelled his rigid determination to master and perfect the move.
While in the air, Xiao was entirely absorbed by the flow of his movements. All extraneous objects, such as time and his surroundings, felt far removed and insignificant. However, this state didn't remain for long as a sudden thought shattered his perfect bubble of intense focus.
This thought rendered him still for a fleeting moment. A moment long enough to distract him from the sequence in his technique and cause him to fall to the ground. A heavy thud filled the air the instant Xiao's body hit the ground. He winced in pain at the sudden impact, and the uncomfortable ache that followed.
There was a sharp stinging sensation that buzzed through his arm once the initial shock of the fall faded. A stinging sensation that intensified the more he attempted to move. When he looked at his arm, the ghastly shade of bluish-purple that blemished his fingers and the haphazard bend in his forearm painted a picture of broken bones.
With a gentle cautiousness, Xiao held his injured arm with this left hand, and rose to his feet. Once on his feet, he look over to the distant shimmers that'd held his attention earlier.
The same thought that'd caused his fall still echoed through his mind.
Is he alright?
An uneasy feeling settled in as numerous images of an injured Aether filled his mind.
A long while passed by before a long heavy sigh escaped his mouth.
I'm sure he's well... He thought to himself.
And besides... he knows to call me if he's ever in trouble.