Darkness dripped into Xiao's eyesight and blackened everything out. His eyes, torn wide open in newly awakened rage, only saw the corrupted light eating away its surroundings in a vortex of dark colours held by hallowed hands. His breathing came ragged, manifesting into clouds of coldness when they left his lips, and his body was shaking violently as he closed his fingers even tighter around the grip of his spear. He started growling.
Xiao never lost his composure because it meant yielding sanity and control over himself, meant succumbing to former rage without the means of stopping, showed that he had not progressed beyond the savage beast he had been during the Archon War. He felt like it would show disrespect toward the Archons which had saved him, a sentiment he would not be able to tolerate. After all, he had closed his eye before the disrespect shown toward Rex Lapis by the Fatui with mixed feelings, accepting that the era of gods and adepti was ending. Had accepted that he was being left behind as a remnant of a past, locked there for eternity by his own choice, while the feeling of loss he should be immune to was ravaging his very soul.
This before his eyes, he could not forgive.
With an inhuman scream Xiao shot forward, aiming at the chains that suspended the statue of Barbatos mid-air, two places it should not be in. This was Liyue ground, not the Archon of Freedom's, and the chains had never had the right to wind around the statue like karmic debt around this yaksha. Their suffering must never be the same.
Sever the blight!
A flash of a different weapon, something – someone – jumped in his way and to his surprise Xiao found himself forcefully pushed back. He found his balance quickly, slid from the impact over the ground on both feet and a hand, animalistic instincts taking over. Without asking himself how he could've missed another person's presence so blatantly, he tensed up and stopped his movement.
"OUT OF THE WAY!" He charged again and swung his spear widely, putting his entire strength into the blow. As he sent the obstacle flying sideways with another scream, he found himself shot into the opposite direction by a blast of not-elemental energy, this time hard enough to send him flying against the wall on the other side, stone shattering against his back. The pain of the contact was stark enough that the yaksha didn't manage a sound, only breath escaping his lips before he landed on all four, his senses ringing. His spear fell to the ground next to him, the only sound in otherwise silence.
With darkness, blood dripped into his vision. Xiao blinked and watched a drop of blood fall onto the back of his hand against the ground, rage eveloping the last bits of clear thinking.
Who dared stop him? Who dared defend the heresy that was done to this Statue of the Seven? With what alignment would they face a yaksha?
"Hold it there! Leave this place!", a clear voice called out.
"Don't stop me!", Xiao roared. His head shot up and focused on the person that was standing next to the devouring vortex. His sight was too blurry to make out who it was, but the glowing sword in their hand was a language he understood well. "If you dare hold me back you are an enemy!"
"I don't wish to kill you! Please, stop!"
"Kill me?", Xiao repeated. "You ... kill me?" How many times had he heard this sentence, how many times in these past centuries? Where were they now, the demons and archons and madmen who had said that?
Xiao's shoulders shook as he laughed quietly. He picked up his spear from the ground at the same time as he straightened up again, the air around him lazily burning with karmic debt that started escaping him freely as he let it loose. His voice had absolutely nothing human left in it anymore. "You threaten to kill me?"
He extended his arm and pointed the tip of his spear at the obstacle that was holding him away from the statue, slipping his mask over his face, burning up. "I will end your arrogance here, mortal."
In his mind, Rex Lapis, the Archon, who had given him his name and severed the chains of imminent slavery by another, fallen lifelessly from the sky, his carcass desecrated by that Fatui boy because of the gnosis. A crime unpunished, seemingly forgiven.
Barbatos, the Archon, whose powers had aided this vigilant yaksha in the war and whose song had restored his sanity when new chains had threatened to drown him forever, his statue now hanging upside-down in his place that reeked like the Abyss, the blessed hands holding this ugly stain he never should have to touch. Another crime -
And this mortal who dared provoke him by keeping him from rectifying the natural order of things – all of this at once was too much to bear.
Xiao shot forward fast as lightning, freely flowing karma engulfing and darkening his surroundings despite the price this would cost him once over. The blows that followed would've skewered even Archons as Xiao made use of his entire body in this fight, his punches connecting with his opponent more often than not, his kicks dictating the rhythm of their fight. It was an aggressive and violent dance that Xiao had promised to never dance again, but with every hit, he felt a rising sense of battle lust that drowned out the irritation and only left darkness in his mind.
It would've been a massacre if karma didn't hit powers of the Abyss instead of the fighter and if they weren't extremely skilled. Any other opponent would've fallen dead to the ground after the first exchange of blows since mad rage had taken over Xiao, and yet the fighter managed to not only fight back on equal terms but also lure Xiao away from the statue of Barbatos. The tides only changed when Xiao used his spear as leverage for himself, swung around and kicked the other's wrist, causing them to drop the sword. It slid over the ground as if in slow-motion and the opponent immediately made a move to jump after it, yet they found themself thrust against the ground and pinned down by the throat, the tip of Xiao's spear millimetres next to their face.
Xiao pressed them down with his entire body, his grip tightening but their eyes met even through his mask and for a moment, just the wisp of a breath when he recognized these eyes, he loosened and found himself thrown back again, off of her.
"It's you." Xiao stumbled onto his knees slower than before, hands around the grip of his spear, not surprised to see that the Traveller's twin sister had her sword in hands again despite the short interval of opportunity she had had. And even though she had her brother's eyes, they couldn't have been more different. "Why?", he asked, despair soaking his tone. "Why are you stopping me?!"
"This is not your duty. This is not your Archon." She turned her head, spit out some blood and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. "I told you. Go back."
This was not his Archon? This was not his duty?
Xiao bared his fangs and even though the gesture was lost to her behind his mask, the growl was clearly audible. This was Aether's sister, yes. However, there was no doubt – right now, this was an enemy. Xiao did not have room for hesitation, for mercy, for consideration. He wouldn't kill her because he never killed mortals.
But still, Xiao gave into the madness.
~p~
~p~
"Have you got any idea what you've done?"
"For the second time, by the way. Paimon might forgive you but I don't think he will." Paimon put both her hands against her sides and added comments to the trashing Aether gave Childe for carelessly walking into the domain behind them. There were just too many dangers, too many things that had happened, and the effects of the Abyss and the unfortunate reunion and repeated separation still sat in Aether's bones. It was hard paying attention to all of them at once.
"I am sorry, please forgive me." Childe folded his hands apologetically and inclined his head, looking up to Aether and Paimon in a subdued manner. As subdued as this guy could look, at least. All three were very aware that the Harbinger wasn't sorry in the least.
"You could thank him for saving your life there. Why did you not use your Foul Legacy against the Abyss Herald anyway?" Paimon threatened Childe with a wiggling of her finger.
"Well, you see …" Between Childe's awkward laughs and their bickering, Aether caught eye of Venti standing in some distance from their group, looking back at where they had come from. This was another mystery. Dainsleif's words were still fresh on his mind … and the short time he had been able to see Lumine again had left another deep wound on his soul. And it seemed like the Archons had answers, but would they share these with Aether?
He wanted answers. He had deserved them.
Silently so that Paimon and Childe wouldn't be interrupted in their conversation, Aether left them and stepped next to Venti. From the bard's serious gaze in direction of the domain, he could tell that something was weighing heavily on his mind too, in these kind of melancholic ways when Venti was caught in something long past. How should Aether confront him about it? He could hardly go the same way he had been talking to Childe just now.
Venti took on Aether's decision. "Xiao loves sitting on the very top of Qingyun Peak, where he could touch the clouds if he extended his hand, and he loves listening to the silence. He loves bathing in the natural springs of Mount Aozang under the watchful gaze of moon and stars. It's home for him." Venti turned his head and reciprocated Aether's gaze. "But it's also a reminder of the things that have changed and of the immortals that no longer walk with him. It's a bit of past he's lost in, something he cannot let go of. Everyone has something like that."
"Isn't there something else you want to tell me, Venti?" Khaenri'ah. Celestia. His sister.
Venti smiled and put his head back, looking up at the stars.
"Did you know that Mondstadt used to have two gods, Aether? She always used to say that she'd love to stop time so that she could capture the beautiful moments and never move on. And then she disappeared, forgotten by everyone. I sometimes wish I could turn back time. Just once." He laughed, his braids opposing the movement of his head. Then he halted, his eyes finding the entrance to the domain again and his smile slowly died away.
"I have never seen Xiao laugh", he said.
"Venti. Please, you-" Aether reached out but Venti evaded.
"There is something I need to do, Traveller. No more regrets."
"Hey, what are you two talking about there? Paimon wants in too!" But having said what Venti had said, he stormed forward in direction of the domain.
"No, wait! Venti!", Aether shouted.
"Tone-deaf bard?! Where are you heading to?! That's the domain!" Paimon stomped her feet in the air. "We have just escaped that place!"
"Well, what a pity, we can't let him charge in again alone, can we?" For someone "being sorry", Childe's grin was too happy when he closed up to them, all three ready to break into a sprint as well. "Let's follow him, shall we?"