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The walls that he once built around him were meant to protect him. Now, he understood that the walls were meant to protect her from him. It was a venomous truth that cursed his heart and filled him with emptiness and despair, emotions that his heart has grown immune to. That is, until now.
He wondered if he had lost his sanity and prudence the moment he saw her, this glowing, celestial being, on the balcony of Wangshu Inn. He truly wondered if an angel had come to him to lead him to the other side, standing there in all her beauty and glory, eyes the brightest gold. His heart skipped a beat, and he felt alive for the first time in over a thousand years, like a small bird flapping its wings for the first time. However, his heart's hardness prevented him from expressing his emotions. She was a stranger, and no matter how delightful she was, she would vanish as quickly as she had appeared. Even if he tried, he couldn't look away. He knew he could never turn away.
--
The first time she said his name, it sounded like a prayer. He made a promise to her, to be by her side in an instant whenever she called his name. She asked him with a small voice if he meant it and if he truly will follow her voice wherever she might be. He firmly squeezed the palm of his hand with his thumb, feeling the tingling spread to the tips of his fingers, as if his heart was sending him a signal to reach out for her hand, to intertwine their fingers if only for a second.
But he couldn’t. He couldn’t bare the thought of holding something so serene, divine and radiant, only to let his karma corrupt it. He fixed his eyes on the wooden floor of the balcony, his heart twisting in a painful spasm.
"Wherever you may be," he replied, his voice too low for her to understand before disappearing in the green light.
--
Xiao couldn’t describe the emotion that clenched his heart in an iron grip whenever he got a letter from Lumine, writing to him about her adventures in Inazuma. Every time, she described every detail of her adventure so vividly he could almost feel as if she was there, right by her side. His eyes widened at the realization that she is fighting alone, repeatedly putting herself in danger. He knew she was strong and fiery, perfectly capable of protecting not only herself but also those dear to her. But she was the dearest to him. A moment of negligence, and she could be gone forever, leaving him in despair and misery. He covered his face and exhaled sharply at that thought, trying to ignore the agony his body was succumbing into. The most agonising part was that she might never know about his feelings for her, which were hidden deep within his being. Xiao knew he didn't want to be the reason she returned, delaying her journey and taking away the time she could have spent looking for her brother.
He dreaded the day she would walk out of his life forever, leaving him with pain far worse than his karmic debt. This time he didn’t reply to her letter. He feared he has already let his feelings be expressed more than he wished to. Conflicted by his thoughts, he hid the letter under his bed and called out her name.
--
„Xiao“
"Lumine," he said, not allowing himself to believe she finally called his name. Months have passed since he heard her sweet voice calling his name before her departure to Inazuma, but only a month since he received her last letter. All of the times she called his name flashed through his mind, memory after memory. He remembered every single one of them. His name yearned to be called out by her, just as his soul yearned to be a part of hers. As much as he tried to convince himself Lumine was not meant to be part of his world, he knew in his heart she was his soulmate. His only option, only hopes, the only girl he wanted to protect and sacrifice his life to. There she was, standing on the balcony of the Wangshu Inn as the first time he saw her, shining just as brightly. However, something felt different this time. The way her eyes immediately locked with his, how her posture relaxed. He noticed the ever-present spark in her eye glowing brighter than usual, and he wondered if he was seeing things that weren’t there. As if reading his mind, the smile on her lips was all it took to reassure him that spark was meant for him.
„Xiao“ she repeated his name, this time in a whisper. In an instant, he felt her close to him, the heat radiating from her body enveloping him in the sweetest dream. She was the sweetest of all my dreams. Xiao couldn’t move, his body and mind dazed by her light. A low voice inside of him screamed for him to disappear, to flee before her body made contact with his. He knew he couldn't let go if she got any closer. All of her words, all of her light, would leave a mark on his heart, and he would leave a mark on hers. Even if words couldn't express his emotions right now, he knew his touch could. After all those years, for the first time in his life. He felt his stiff body starting to rest in her embrace, his senses fading into slumber, his walls shattering beneath her soft hands on his shoulders. Xiao felt her soft lips on his cheek, a small peck full of unexpressed affection. He wondered if she felt the burning heat on his cheeks, the way his heart was beating so fast only for her.
„You’re back, “ he said, slowly wrapping his arms around her waist, pulling her serene frame closer.
"And I’ll be staying for a while“ Lumine replied, leaning her head against Xiao's shoulder, her cheeks veiled in the deep crimson shade.