Work Text:
Xiao woke up in complete agony. Karmic pain burst through him. His insides were on fire. Shaking hands, his hands, ripped the blankets off, clawing at his skin. He felt detached from everything else, as the unbearable pain wracked his body.
Xiao tried to get up, instead falling onto the floor, crumpled. He reached over for the medicine he kept nearby.
There was only one bottle left.
The feeling tore through him like lightning, as clearly as it had the first time.
It had been a few weeks since the fall of Rex Lapis. Since the fall of the most important person in Xiao’s life. He still couldn’t believe it had really happened. Rex Lapis was strong, stable, and formidable in battle. He was as constant as the land under his feet, unchanged and reliable. He was his pillar at his worst, offering him new life alongside his new name. The Geo Archon suited his role well, steady and sure as stone. And, he was there whenever Xiao needed him to be.
He gave him a new purpose, new power, and a new family. Morax always carried him gently, comfortingly, as one would for an infant. He let Xiao join Morax’s other children, the other Yaksha. He helped Xiao grieve for their deaths, his siblings’ deaths. He always gave him space when Xiao was upset, unendingly patient. He shared tea, as well as stories. Rex Lapis loved to tell stories. He brought him medicine to help his curse, crafting as many variations as he needed before finding the most successful version. He made sure to take time to visit him despite his duties as archon.
Xiao never told him, but Morax was his family. His father. Xiao loved him more than anything. At the time, it hadn’t mattered that they never put it into words. But now…
Rex Lapis gave Xiao everything.
And now he was gone.
Xiao watched as his trembling hand, wracked with pain, bumped the bottle off of the bedside table. He watched, as if in slow motion, the bottle turned in the air once, twice, before shattering on the floor. The liquid inside spilled out, as if it was mocking him. Shattered. Irreplaceable. Broken. Gone.
Xiao felt the first tears since the incident begin to stream down his cheeks. He would never again receive his medicine. He would never again listen to his stories, or hear his deep, soothing voice. He would never share tea when he was upset, or feel the soft touch of his hands. Rex Lapis was gone.
Xiao let his hand fall, meeting where the rest of him lay aching on the floor. He could no longer move. The pain in his chest grew stronger, consuming him; the emotional pain more than his karma. Xiao’s regret and loss turned to thorns, their curving vines digging under his skin. Silent, choking sobs wracked his body. It had finally hit him.
Xiao was alone.
Completely and utterly alone.