Chapter Text
Xiao always prefered to be alone. He sought solitude in these moments of peace when the only thing accompanying him was silent wind playing in the trees and his gren bangs hiding his face from the world.
No matter if he was gazing upon the night sky or upon the blue cover with thick clouds, Xiao always found this time of stillness soothing his soul, relieving the pain from karmic debt he carried as last yaksha. Although, he must admit that since he met a certain traveler, his pain eased. He felt lighter. He could breath. He could… feel.
Closing his eyes while leaning back to support his weight on a thick thunk of ancient tree sheltering Wangshu Inn main building. He was sitting at the highest spot he could possibly find, hiding behind the yellow leafs enjoying the offered view, scouting the area. But now he needed to rest.
Adepti don’t have to sleep or eat or do anything mankind did to sustain themselves. Although his body hurt today. He rather spared himself thinking about last night and the endless fight against demons which gave him a hard time. Xiao didn’t want to admit it. Didn’t want to admit to himself how tiring it was to fight a group of corrupted souls.
Deep cuts covering his arms, letting his adepti energy escape in a form of teal steam creating a mild fog around him. It will heal, eventually. He might be weakened for a while but in the end he will be fine.
Xiao sigh.
His eyelids felt heavy when he opened them to check on his surroundings. The soft breeze brushing his long bangs provided some relief. This day was so far peaceful. No intruders, nothing he should be afraid of. Surely he could spare a few moments by sleeping. Noone would notice.
Slipping into peaceful slumber, Xiao’s senses sharpened once again.
He could feel it. Growing corruption. Demons. His duty. His contract.
Opening his eyes, yaksha slowly returned back to alert mode, preparing himself for the inevitable fight. Rising from his position, Xiao focused on the source of uneasiness to locate from where it was coming. It took multiple attempts which bothered him a bit. Maybe he should call for Morax to aid him. Judging by the strongness of corruption, this demon must be powerful.
Not too powerful for Xiao to take him down on his good day, but now he wasn’t sure of his abilities. In fact he missed Morax a bit so this could be a great opportunity to check on his Lord after a while, although he didn’t want to bother Morax - Zhongli to be correct - with something he was bound to do.
He could do it. Just one demon and then he’ll rest.
The yaksha called for his anemo vision empowered by his adepti nature. In the blink of an eye he dissolved his human form into pure energy, traveling through the wind. When he materialized again, he was facing the scenery of Guili Plains, dipping into late night with only the nocturnal creatures roaming around.
At first sight, there was nothing wrong. But Xiao knew better. His senses were on alert, searching for the typical smell of demons. Using his knowledge and the ability to see in pitch black night, he made his way through the countryside.
Walking in a swift pace prepared to strike if needed, his mind drifted away. Just for a while he let himself think about this whole situation. Maybe he should have asked for help at least the Traveler. He knew Aether was staying in this area to get his thoughts away from what happened in Inazuma. Xiao could tell how much this experience changed him.
Aether was hardened. But not in a good way. Golden haired boy seemed more closed to himself than before as well as more alert. Maybe he should talk to him and find out if he was alright. In the end, the kid was maybe a thousands years old outlander, but he was still alone and…
It came out suddenly. Xiao was barely able to lift his spear when something big pinned him against a nearby mountain. Grasping his weapon, his eyes met with the ones which belonged to the large creature holding adeptus in the place.
A body much larger than yaksha’s pushed against the spear which was dangerously close to Xiao’s bare neck. Looking into the dark eyes promising him slow death, made the adeptus growl. He frowned and with a deep grunt pushed. His full strength was enough to break free from this position. Not waiting for the demon to recover, Xiao launched into the air, aiming for his enemy.
Huge creature whose head was crowned with horns reminding him of ancient beasts, moved with unpredictable swiftness making it hard for yaksha to land a perfect strike. He had never encountered a demon like this one. Usually, his opponents were strong and fast – to mortals – but to him, it seemed like a normal speed.
This one was different.
It reeked of karmic debt, which was as well typical, although the odd darkness running deep in his physical body, made Xiao sick. He might have overestimated himself with this one. He should have asked Morax for help or find Aether at least.
However, it was too late to mourn his decision.
Dodging several strikes from the demon, Xiao swung his spear creating a gust of anemo stained by his karma. He felt the power rise as he unleashed the attack launching into the air with his weapon. His inhuman speed was unable to dodge or parry but his opponent proved him wrong once more. Grabbing Xiao by his small shoulders, the demon threw yaksha away.
Surprised by this climax, Adeptus hit solid ground with his back knocking the air out of his lungs. Pain sliced into his brain, making Xiao gasp and clench his teeth. Taste of blood remained on his tongue, when he was granted a long awaited breath.
“I’ve never dreamed of defeating the Conqueror of Demons so easily. I guess the tales about your skills are mostly fake,” chuckled the demon who crouched near Xiao, observing his current state.
“Silence!” grunted yaksha with eyes glaring right into the demon's soul. He collected the remaining strength and jumped, trying everything to get his opponent down. But his injuries from before and the ones which occurred just now, made it an impossible task.
Being slammed, hit or punched several times more, Xiao held himself with a shaking hand, using a spear as support. Blood dripped from his nose. He hadn’t bleed in ages. Not like this.
Rising his eyes to meet the demon once more, his fingers gripped the spear harder. He must keep fighting. No other choice. Just fighting. He was Morax’s weapon. He was the Vigilant Yaksha, he was an Adeptus… Conqueror of Demons. The last Yaksa.
“Come on. You know, you lost. Don’t make it hard for yourself. Just surrender, General Alatus.”
“No,” he signed.
Demon came closer once more. Its slow pace made Xiao furious but he knew, it was trying to make him uncomfortable. Still, yaksha couldn't help but growl, when his opponent stood just inches away, staring at him with a lustful smile.
“Yield, Alatus.”
“No.”
It cupped his face, forcing him to look up once more.
“It’s cute how you try to struggle. I know you are in pain, but I promise you will be better once you stop fighting,” purred the demon stroking Xiao’s teal hair stained with sweat and dirt.
Adeptus closed his eyes. The overwhelming feeling of his injuries, of exhaustion and shame took over his mind. He couldn’t fight it. Just accept the loss and finally find peace. Letting his body fall was tempting. But still the urge to keep on his duty made Xiao hiss in pain.
“I’m Vigilant Yaksha. You can’t kill me,” growled Adeptus.
“I don’t want to kill you, silly,” assured him demon, still caressing his pale face, “I want to break you.”
Before Xiao could do anything, the being simply grabbed him by the neck and squeezed as hard as it could. Gasping for air, yaksha tried to reach his opponent but was unsuccessful. Just as he started to see black spots dancing in his vision, he was thrown against the rocky surface scratching his hurt body.
Suddenly he felt a strange sensation traveling through his veins. A Yaksha mask appeared on his face, allowing him to dwell into his power. He knew it was a bad idea. He remembered how painful it was when he let himself drown in this dark source of adepti energy. But there was no choice.
It was instinct.
Moving in a silent rhythm of song well known to his body, he lurched forward, dancing in anemo energy stained by his karma. Xiao managed to escape the captivating grip of his foe, turning himself into pure energy just to materialize right behind grabbing his spear and striking with swiftness the demon could not predict.
Although this would usually be a winning situation, considering his advantage, this time, Xiao wasn’t aware of the revocation. He had never used this ancient power so soon again. Every time he dwelled inside this well, he needed to rest for a few hours, sometimes days to recover from the payment.
Considering his current state, this step was a mistake as he soon learnt when his muscles began to tremble. The spear in his hands weighed much more than before. Repeating the moves, parrying demon who manage to keep up with his pace.
Sweat dripped from Xiao’s forehead. Tiredness was growing under his skin, making him dizzy and confused. It didn't take long before yaksha lost his footing to harass slash of claws, promising him a cruel pain. His opponent was still smiling, showing adeptus its sharp teeth and dangerous strength which was slowly overwhelming Xiao once more.
Yaksha stumbled.
New wave of pain mixed with nausea rolled over him. His body… He could feel the karma poisoning him, making it hard to breath and move. It was like something had wrapped around him, squeezing till Xiao wasn’t sure if he would be able to dodge or parry the next attack.
Losing his pace, getting slower and slower, yaksha was eventually hit. First the claws just managed to rip his sleeve but on the next slash, his opponent sunk its sharp talons into Xiao’s side deep enough to make him scream in pain. Quickly pressing the wound to stop the bleeding, adeptus was off guard, praying for a swift end.
He was a disappointment. He…
Demon kicked him right into the ribs, sending him right to the ground with a heavy pad. Biting his own tongue to stop the whimpers he would definitely make if not for his stubbornness to show any kind of weakness.
His blood was everywhere. Soaking the white robe he was wearing all the time and making a small puddle under him. Xiao would survive injury as such if he was in good shape. With the karmic debt manifesting on his body, making him feel pain all across his skin… He wasn't sure if he would be able to collect himself.
“Are you quite done? Or you need me to prove it for a third time, Alatus?“ hissed the demon, now closing the distance between them and crouching near Xiao once again. This time the demon made sure Xiao wouldn’t rise up once more, so it simply sat on adeptus small figure, pressing him hard against the rough surface.
Growling yaksha was in so much pain. His limbs trembled under the added weight and the pressure he was trying to ignore.
„I heard you are the last, Alatus. It’s a bit pathetic since I was expecting anyone else from your little pack to survive for long. But who knows, maybe your sturdiness and bitterness is the true cure for karma,“ wondered his captor now.
Xiao didn’t know who this demon was or why it was trying its best to make Xiao lose his temper but he was sure it had something to do with his recent visit to the Chasm. Breathing heavily he closed his mind to the thoughts about his dead friends. They paid. He was paying. No further questioning. No doubts.
„Come now. You were full of rage and fire just a second ago. Don’t tell me this all from Vigilant Yaksha,“ kept teasing the demon but Xiao knew the best defense was to shut everything and let the darkness claim him once more. Just for a while. Just for his strength to come back.