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long ago amongst the lands of liyue lived humans and adepti in peace before the waging archon war went about. everyone including gods and illuminated beasts fought to protect their beloved lands known as the guili plains.
they fought restlessly, day and night, ever so passionately. amongst them all was a group of adepti who called themselves the yakshas, tasked by Morax the god of geo, to fight along him in the war. but there was another, a solo adepti who kept to themselves
the five adepti each representing an element fought and fought till their karmic debt ebbed away at their souls and sanity. madness and despair had overwhelmed the yakshas. the unknown yakshas battled with their own mind until it was too much
some gave into the insanity and some went against each other. or some just disappeared without a word. the sixth fought alone, leaning on no one before they supposedly succumbed to the weight of their own karmic debt.
all but one disappeared and his name was alatus now under the alternate name xiao. he believed he was the last known survivor of the group, that his miracle was the only reason he was alive now, or so he thought. now xiao resides in wangshu inn still under the contract he signed with morax two thousand years ago.
he alone carried the loss of his comprades, shouldering the burden of protecting liyue as the conqueror of demons. he never escaped the screams of his friends losing themselves to the very thing he dealt with everyday. their pained screams etched themselves into his brain, never leaving his head.
☆
returning to wangshu inn after his failed attempt to rid himself of the world, xiao felt a wave of longing. to see his fallen friends once again even if it was just for a minute. he had lost everyone he loved. bosacius, indarias, bonanus, menogias and... alastairus..
although alastairus kept to themselves they always made an attempt to warm up to xiao and little did he know he let their past presence find its way into his heart. he cherished their time togther, the quiet moments where'd alastairus would read him till he succumbed to slumber, the loud moments where he'd allow you to do as you please while you were drunk off of wine often ending with you on the floor and him laying on a rock.
standing at the edge of the rail he looked afar at the scenery. this was what he fought to protect. this was the outcome of his and everyone else’s will to protect the land
how he wished they could see what they fought for. how he wanted to be surrounded by their boisterous laughs and stupid jokes, or even their calm voice but time was a irreversible
just then he felt a familiar presence but he couldn’t put a name to who it was until they spoke.
“alatus..?” the voice spoke.
xiao never thought he’d hear that name again yet here he was back turned from the voice. he slowly turned around and a sense of familiarity rush into him.
the figure was none other than alastairus, the very adeptus he thought disappeared into the archon war. not only were they here but not in good shape, covered in cuts and bruises, xiao silently gasps, going unnoticed. no amount of words could make up for the words he wanted to say. he had so much to say but he didn’t know if he had the time.
“alastairus?” the words fell from xiao’s lips, hesitation laced his words as his eyes furrowed. his hands shot up to his eyes rubbing them in case they were an illusion, a sick joke by his karmic debt but when he opened his eyes you were there, position unchanged.
slowly he walked towards you, circling around you and reaching to touch your hand. tightening your grasp when he envelopes your hand he gapes. moving back to face the front of you , he smiles , barely noticeable if you weren’t studying his face.
“i’m back” you muttered, tears slowly started to form in your eyes, familiarizing yourself his face. reaching to cup his face he leans into your touch. xiao yearned to feel your touch every night. praying you'd come back to him, so you could read him to sleep.
he hoped that time could stop and as if you were reading his mind , it did. alastairus the adepti of time stopped everything for xiao. amidst the overwhelming emotions xiao faced he unconsciously wrapped his arms around you.
pulling you into him and hugging hard. your wince by accident, bringing him out his mind. xiao looks up at you and notices your pained expression and immediately lets go. “what’s wrong? did i hurt you?” he questions, unaware of the gashes and bruises you hid behind your clothing.
“xiao i’m hurt” you reply lifting up your shirt to reveal the wounds you hid. “when i was about to lose myself to my karmic debt i used the last bits of my power to stop time around my body, and in turn it slowed my healing abilities down.” you continued, moving to press his hand against your bruises.
“i’ve lived with these for a while slowly regaining my energy but never using it on me.” alastairus end their sentence with a face of sorrow. xiao listened quietly before coming to a conclusion.
“come on, let’s lay you on my bed. i can pass adeptal energy to you so you can heal.” “are you sure? healing me would mean you’ll get weaker.” you protest. “i lost you once, i’m not gonna lose you again.”
xiaos words sealed the deal and you didn’t resist him ushering you inside to his bed. the walk was short but it felt like eternity, and then it hit you, time was stopped by your powers which is why everything felt slow.
alastairus then resumed time, everything going back to normal and xiao even noticed the sudden change, but ignored it. right now you were his top priority.
☆
when xiao laid you on his bed, the smell of him filled your senses. you longed to smell his scent while you were comatose. xiao left your side to fetch a chair but you abruptly held his arm.
”don’t go” you pleaded, you never wanted him to leave your sight again and xiao felt the same. he thought that if he’d left you wouldn’t be there anymore. a figment of his imagination.
”okay i won’t leave” he vowed to alastairus before you sat at the edge of the bed. turning to face you his hold on your hand tightened. “this is going to be a long process so please bare with me.” xiao knew this process was going to be painful, not only did it drain him it also put a toll on the other person receiving the adeptal energy.
he hoped this wouldn’t hurt you as much as it did him. beginning the process xiao intertwined his fingers with yours, channeling his energy to his palm and into yours. whilst he looked for energy he thought about everything you had missed while you were gone.
you, alastairus, missed the building of liyue, missed rex lapis’s “death”, missed the birth of a new era. oh how elated you would’ve been of you witnessed everything. but you’re back now and xiao will make sure to debrief you up to date.
broken from his thoughts at the sound of you whimpering in pain, biting your lips to stop the sound from leaving your throat. clawing at his bed with your other hand you fought the pain and xiao could do nothing but watch you.
☆
near the end of the process tears had started to fall from your eyes, the pain nearing its peak. it felt like you were corrupted by your karmic debt. xiao noticed the tears and with his other hand he wiped them away. that pained expression on your face was something he never wanted to see again.
as the final bits of adeptal energy had been transferred xiao hunched over. the toll of extracting energy finally getting to him. you noticed and tugged his hand to lay beside you. “come along xiao, you need to rest.” he tried to resist but he couldn’t fight slumber.
turning to face him as he laid flat you caressed his face with your hand. with his remaining energy xiao turned to face snd hold you before he succumbed to the night. the last words he heard were: “we’ll heal each other..” before his eyes closed for the night.
he’ll catch up with you in the morning.