The Spark [Xiao x Aether]

Alone again |

It was odd.

Xiao never wanted to let his lover go like this. The thought of Aether leaving him someday shattered him, but now that it finally happened he isn't sad at all. It was for the best, wasn't it? When the traveler disappeared, the boy sighed and accepted it.

Mortal feelings could change so quickly.

The Yaksha wasn't sure why. How could a heart full of love turn into hatred in a mere day?

He decided to give it no more thought after that day. The blonde was gone. Nobody even remembered him in Teyvat anymore. He was a deleted memory. If Xiao were to forget him as well it would be as if he never existed. Proof of one's existence is memories. If the Adeptus was able to forget everything then Arther wouldn't exist.

As much as he wanted to forget and move on, his heart felt uneasy. It wasn't pain. He felt lonely. Now there was nobody by his side. Was he only with the blonde because nobody else wanted to stay by his side?

To clear his mind, the boy decided to finally get off the roof and go for a walk to clear his mind. He had been sitting on that roof for days after his lover had left. It took a lot of time to process everything that had happened. His mind felt like a bomb that was about to tick off any second.

While making his way down the Wangshu Inn, he bumped into a familiar face.

It was the geo archon.

"Xiao. What a surprise. I was just going to go check up on you." The man spoke.

"Check...up on me?"

"Something about you seems to have changed these past few days. I don't hear you groaning from pain in the middle of the night anymore. You also seem to have stopped dealing with monsters nearby, not that it's a bad thing but why the sudden change?"

The Yaksha wasn't sure what to say. Should he just try going back to the way he was? No. Then all that effort the blonde put into everything would go to waste. Sure, he hated his now-past partner but he wasn't disrespectful.

"I'm not feeling well. If you wish we could talk later."

And with that, Xiao walked away leaving Morax with a confused look on his face. He found the boy's behavior very strange but didn't question it too much. Maybe he was changing for the better and moving on from the past.

What Zhongli didn't know was that he was partly correct about that.

While walking towards the city of Liyue, a question wouldn't leave the boy's head. How come his karmic debt hadn't come back? Surely Aether hadn't become a god right before he died, making his powers permanent? He again tried to stop thinking about everything.

"Aether..." He whispered slowly. He stopped walking and took time to look at the ground. "You couldn't leave without doing anything, could you? Is this some kind of curse to make me remember you till the day I leave this world too!?" He yelled.

No answer, obviously.

"Aether why...

Why!?"

A hand seemed to have placed itself on the boy's shoulder. He quickly turned around expecting to be greeted by a certain someone but the spark in his eyes slowly disappeared when he saw who it was.

"Um...I really don't want to offend you in any kind of way, but is everything alright? I was picking some flowers here when I saw you walking by. I didn't think much of it until you suddenly stopped and began yelling." A girl with red horns spoke with concern in her voice.

Yet another person had stopped him. Was this a sign to not walk away from the past? He didn't answer for a while but just stared at the ground.

Eventually, he got back to his senses and aggressively pushed the hand off his shoulder. He knew he shouldn't be mean to Ganyu especially since he used to be her mentor. If words spread around that the remaining Yaksha had gone crazy surely his life would turn into hell. He disliked mortals and most disliked him too. He didn't want that dislike to turn into hate.

"Sorry. I'm in kind of a hurry."

"Oh...okay! If you need I could report this to Mr. Zhongli...? He could get you medicine if you aren't feeling good. It's okay to ask for help every once in a while, you know?"

"I appreciate your concern but he's already aware."

Xiao teleported away after that. He couldn't take it anymore. He hated seeing how worried people were for him. It reminded him too much of the traveler.

Why wouldn't the traveler leave his head?

He hated the blonde. He hated his stupid hair, his stupid mind, his smile, his eyes, everything. The Adeptus could never love somebody who lies to him like that. There was zero chance the two of them would have gotten married. Aether knew that, yet he still proposed.

After a long sigh, the Yaksha began walking around the city he had teleported to. People gave him weird looks like in the previous world when he decided to walk around, but the looks weren't as confusing as the last time. Was it because he was alone?

With enough memories rushing through his mind, the boy gripped his head tightly and accidentally managed to make a deep cut using his nails. A small drop of blood rolled down his face and onto the ground. The eyes around him had fear in them. Parents with kids even hid their kids behind them incase he was going crazy.

Just when the pain was making him forget about everything he heard yet another familiar voice shout from across the street.

"Strawberry almond tofu! Limited edition! Get it while it's fresh! You won't be able to grab one again if you miss it~"