Chapter Text
In the aftermath of Osial’s attack and subsequent defeat, there was hardly time to think about the loss of Rex Lapis. In fact, Xiao found himself purposefully keeping busy, destroying monsters and demons who were feeling bold enough to attack the outskirts of Liyue while its inhabitants were busy recovering from the destruction dealt to their land. Xiao was quick to disabuse them of this notion, his vicious rampage sending a clear message that the land was still, in fact, under protection.
It was during one of these rampages that he happened to come across the peculiar harbinger that Aether warned him about - the one who had caused all of the chaos in the first place. As he spotted the gray-clad figure skulking out of the city not many days after Osial’s attack, Xiao felt an unprecedented rage and grief flood him.
The Fatui Harbinger may not have been directly responsible for the fall of Rex Lapis, but he had certainly tried to capitalize on it. Xiao found himself donning his mask and apparating right in front of the man before he truly realized that he wanted to confront him.
The red haired man startled, backing up from the green whirlwind a few steps before he realized there was a person standing before him. He let out a little laugh, “Hello there.”
Xiao didn’t see any point in responding; he simply attacked.
The harbinger moved faster than expected, blocking his first strike with ease and sending an arrow for him to dodge in turn. “Aren’t you going to introduce yourself? It’s rude to cross blades without first giving me a name.”
His tone sounded anything but offended however. In fact, Xiao was disturbed to find that he almost seemed excited to be attacked. He had no such desire to give the man any pleasure from this encounter and increased the ferocity of his attacks, hoping to end this faceoff decisively and perhaps, ease a bit of the guilt weighing him down ever since Aether told him of Morax’s death.
The man only became more excited at his nonresponse and the adeptus found him irritatingly skilled in blocking attacks. And he somehow still managed to have the breath to continue on with his one-sided conversation, “I do relish a good test of skills, but I must say I’ve never seen you before! Usually I at least have some idea of what I’ve done to earn enmity or a friendly spar, but I can honestly say I don’t know you.”
Xiao continued to spin and strike and dart - but something about this man seemed to be aggravating his karma. The world kept shuddering around him, narrowing his sight and strike range and he knew he wouldn’t be able to keep his yaksha mask on for too much longer. Before he could make a crucial mistake, he swiped his hand over his face to dispel the mask, pausing a beat a meter away from the harbinger to dispel the lingering darkness.
“Ah, a face! Why is a child attacking me?” As if the man named Childe had any grounds to stand upon to make such judgements.
Xiao didn’t give him any more time to comment on his appearance, using his vision to speed him into a move that locked his spear under the harbinger’s legs, knocking him to the ground.
The man went down with a laugh, using his own vision to carry him out of range of the next attack. “Vicious child! Although…now that I see you in action, you’re starting to ring a faint bell in my mind. The anemo and the karma - you must be one of Rex Lapis’s little adepti.”
He couldn’t stop the snarl from leaving him. “Keep his name out of your mouth!”
The rush of water sent his way nearly caught him off guard, but with a quick burst of anemo, he skidded out of reach just in time.
Childe laughed. “Touched a nerve, did I? I’m surprised you’re out here instead of saving your energy and anger for him….or did he not tell you his little plan either?”
The statement made no sense and Xiao got his temper under control enough to continue to focus on his strikes alone, inwardly chiding himself at getting distracted. But something was seriously wrong with this man - Aether had mentioned a delusion that Childe used, maybe that was having some kind of effect on his karmic debt?
The whispers of fallen gods and demons that were often only a faint, manageable murmur in the back of his head started to gain volume in this man’s presence, almost as if they found a kindred spirit in the malice and felt empowered to voice their anger more strongly.
As if he sensed Xiao’s thoughts, the man suddenly slid the mask that had been resting jauntily on the side of his head to cover his face and the split second of distraction that it caused gave the harbinger time to shoot a lightning bolt towards him. The strike caught him right in the chest and sent him flying back. He used a burst of anemo to dodge to the side as the next bolt of lightning struck the ground right where he would have landed.
“Aw, now I feel kinda bad. Looks like your god didn’t treat you any better than he did me. Maybe you should take up this little fight with him - I’ll even give you his address,” the harbinger’s voice had taken on a darker tone, but he still seemed to have no issue with continuing to carry on his one-sided conversation. “Didn’t the Traveler talk to you? If you don’t believe me, you should check with him. Ask him about his beloved Zhongli.”
The vicious tone and words echoed strangely in Xiao’s head, clamoring for attention with the rest of the voices. They hissed in agreement with the harbinger, adding their own poisonous interpretations to the news that he had already started to suspect, especially after his last meeting with Aether.
You know it to be true - the Geo Archon lives!
The coward is hiding!
He made you grieve for nothing - kill him!
You have no grounds for loyalty anymore when he determines his most devoted followers should not be privy to his plans.
Kill him, kill his followers, killkillkill…
Xiao couldn’t see clearly anymore and though he sensed his enemy waiting nearby, he couldn’t focus under the crushing weight of karma. His spear fell from suddenly nerveless fingers and he felt more than saw himself hit the ground, trembling hands clamped around his head as if that would silence the voices that made it impossible to hear, impossible to focus, impossible to breathe.
He couldn’t bring them under control, not when he sensed their truth. Especially since the last time that he had seen Aether, the boy had looked far too knowing, pitying, when faced with Xiao’s grief. And why shouldn’t he look so when it was clear that Rex Lapis trusted a boy he had presumably just met more than his faithful dog who had followed him for centuries?
What use was Xiao if he couldn’t even help his god accomplish whatever goal he had determined in these last few days? He couldn’t fathom the reasons behind Morax wanting to fake his own death but they were clearly not worth imparting to one such as him.
His body spasmed and shook under the weight of karma, feeling almost the same as that time in Dihua Marsh. But this time…there was no flute, there was no saving grace, no help for him.
But suddenly the darkness lifted and he was startled to find that Childe was kneeling next to him, a hand on his shoulder. Those blank eyes didn’t quite seem to match the concern on his face, but he couldn’t find it in him to pull away.
“Back with me there, little guy?” he asked, his voice no longer cutting.
Xiao gave a half-hearted snarl at the diminutive term.
The man smirked. “There you are - didn’t mean to make you go all feral. Just wanted to rile you up a bit, you know how it is.”
The adeptus found the energy to surge to his feet and away from the man. “Do not touch me!”
The harbinger put his hands up in surrender, letting out a little chuckle. “Sensitive soul, got it.”
The burst of movement seemingly drove the breath out of him and when he made his spear rematerialize, he could only use it as a prop to keep himself standing rather than a means to clear the insufferable expression on his enemy’s face. He didn’t know how the harbinger managed to calm the voices, but it left him highly unsettled and he lashed out, “Leave while you still can.”
“No offense, but that doesn’t sound very intimidating coming from someone who can hardly stand.”
Xiao decided he liked his anger better than the unbearable condescension in his tone now.
Childe must have sensed that his patience was coming to an end because he gave a little two-fingered salute. “Got it - leaving now. But you really should talk to Zhongli” - the bitterness was back - “-making others pay for his choices is the true injustice here. And he doesn’t deserve your loyalty.”
Before Xiao could dispute that fact, the man vanished in a swirl of water. Without an audience, he allowed himself to fall to one knee, still shaking in the aftermath of the latest attack and the harbinger’s accusations.
Perhaps his lord was still alive.
The thought did not bring him comfort.
Because if his lord had decided that he was untrustworthy, then what was the point of anything?