Alatus was born as a bird at the top of the mountains in the middle of autumn. He loved to fly and ride the winds that blessed the mountains in his abode. He learned to take a human form and enjoyed sleeping under the sun as the wind howled around him. However, apart from him, there was no one else who lived in these mountains. It was too steep for anyone to climb and the winds were chaotic unless one was familiar enough with them to ride them. Alatus found, on many occasions, wishing for someone to come, if only so he would not feel so lonely anymore.
If only he knew what his wish had entailed, he would not have been so quick to desire his loneliness to end.
His wish was granted when one day, when the strong winds were but a gentle breeze, a lone adeptus wandered into his abode. It was the first time Alatus had seen another being and the sight of another wandering soul left him mystified and curious.
If only he knew of the dangers of meeting with a stranger.
The wandering adeptus had been surprised at Alatus' appearance, as if they had not expected to find another being living in this realm. They befriended Alatus with honeyed words and offered a hand to take him out into the world beyond.
Alatus, who had spent his years alone and starved for friendship, took the hand. Alatus, who had spent years growing up innocent and free, was enslaved by the very hand that took him away from his home. Alatus, who had spent his years untainted and untouched, was forced to kill by the very monster that stole his freedom away.
He fought and killed, bled when his master was displeased. The karma burned like poison in his veins and the darkness shackled him to the nightmares that plagued his mind. He was a yaksha in all but acknowledgement and people feared him like the demons born from a god's death.
He suffered under his cruel master's hands. He forgot what happiness felt like in the years he spent under his master's thumb. His heart cracked each day as the karma built up until he could never remember what it felt like to not have its weight on his shoulder. He prayed for anyone to free him from his shackles binding his will to his master, whether they end his master's life or his own.
After many centuries, his wish finally came true when his master was defeated and sealed by Morax. After so long, Alatus' will was his own once again. After so long, Alatus realised, in great sadness and despair, that he no longer knew how to live a life of his own. For so long, he had spent his life unable to disobey, to even think for himself, how was he to live now when he could no longer go back to what he once was?
In the end, Morax took pity on him and offered him a contract. The contract would mark Alatus as one of Morax's own. Morax would give him a new duty and a new name to wipe away the old life Alatus had. In a way, it was akin to a rebirth.
Alatus, who had nothing left to lose, signed the contract.
With the new contract, Alatus fought as 'Xiao' under Morax's name. Even when his new life was still filled with violence, the treatment between his current master and previous master was leagues apart.
And yet, Alatus found he could not relax, he could not allow himself to enjoy his new life. The entire time, he waited for something to happen, he waited for Morax to discard him, he waited for anything that would shatter this farce of comfort.
(But good things were not meant to last forever.)
When Morax's beloved, Guizhong, died, Alatus waited for Morax to take out his grief unto him. When Morax was forced to seal his comrades one by one, Alatus waited for the day Morax would seal him deep within the earth. When Morax ended the Archon War after he slew the last god, Alatus waited for Morax to turn his stone spear unto him.
Alatus waited for his inevitable end but Morax did not raise his hand against him.
He waited and waited, and when he realised that Morax was keeping his word, Alatus wondered if there was still hope for him yet.
(But good things were not meant to last forever.)
When the corruption emerged from the god's hatred deep within the earth, plaguing the lands and creating demons that devoured the people, Morax sent a call for yakshas to defend Liyue from the threat. Morax personally went to Alatus and asked for his help, to become the very thing he was not.
And Alatus agreed, for he had nothing.
Alatus kept to himself, avoiding the rest of the yakshas as he went about his duties. It was an impossible task but Alatus tried. He was afraid of anyone who might pose as his friend, the memories of his previous master still lingered distastefully in his mind. It was a task impossible for Alatus but not for a few of the other yakshas.
Many had tried to get close to Alatus, only to be met with his cold exterior and closed-off words. Pervases had managed to get close, closer than the other yakshas, close enough to share a meal of grilled ticker fish, but not enough that Alatus was willing to tolerate his presence for more than an hour. Bosacius had more luck, only because Alatus had acknowledged his strength and only because Bosacius was the de facto leader of the yakshas before the 'Five Yakshas' were officially appointed by Morax.
When Alatus found himself placed among the ranks of the 'Five Yakshas', he tried to avoid them the same way he always did with the other adepti. However, unlike the others, the 'Five Yakshas' were very persistent in getting to know Alatus. It was not long before Alatus slowly opened himself up to them.
(But good things were not meant to last forever.)
The longer Alatus stayed with the others of the 'Five Yakshas', the more he felt safe being in their presence. He no longer ate his meals at the top of a mountain to avoid company, he no longer deliberately avoided their company, he no longer ignored them when they spoke to him, he no longer forced himself to stay awake in their presence.
(But good things were not meant to last forever.)
Alatus found that he enjoyed the company of his new siblings, the others of the 'Five Yakshas'. Indarias often hummed lullabies when she felt his presence in the trees. Bonanus would often play pranks on him and he would always end up with a smile on his face despite that. Menogias would often remind him to take better care of himself, sometimes walking up to him to physically check Alatus' condition for himself. Bosacius enjoyed sparring with him, sometimes even challenging him to competitions that had nothing to do with combat.
(But good things were not meant to last forever.)
Their downfall started with the first death of the 'Five Yakshas'.
When Indarias failed to return from her patrol, Bonanus had been rightfully worried. The 'Five Yakshas' left the adeptal realm to search for one of their own, and it was by unfortunate fate that the first one to have found Indarias was her beloved, Bonanus. It was Menogias who found them next and it was him who had to call for the rest of the 'Five Yakshas' and neither Bosacius nor Alatus could convince Bonanus to release her hold on Indarias' body.
As Alatus watched Morax seal Indarias' body, he was convinced, in his own mind, that he would be the next one to fall.
The 'Five Yakshas' tried to return to normalcy after Indarias' death. However, no matter how much Menogias, Bosacius, and Alatus tried, they could not fill the gap Indarias left behind. Bonanus became more distant as time went by. She would barely speak to anyone, including her siblings. It was as if Bonanus had died with her beloved and left behind an empty shell to bear her name.
Alatus wished for this farce of a living to end. He was tired of pretending everything was okay, he was tired of everyone trying to make things go back to normal. Could they not see that nothing would ever be the same again?
If only he knew what his wish would become, he would not have made it.
When Bonanus disappeared, the remaining of the 'Five Yakshas' were rightfully worried. They searched all over Liyue, from dawn to dusk, but when Alatus smelled the blood in the wind, he knew immediately that they were too late. He expected to find Bonanus dead, either from her grief or from her madness. He did not expect to find both Menogias and Bonanus dead in a pool of their own blood.
He stood still, shocked at the sight of his dead brother and sister, and for a moment, his mind blanked at what he needed to do. He needed to bury his siblings before the karma in their body took a life of their own. He needed to tell Morax of their deaths. He needed…he needed Bosacius to be here, to tell him what to do because he should not be here, he could not be here, he did not want to be here. But Alatus was here and Bosacius was not. He needed to do something, anything. But what could Alatus do? Nothing, there was nothing he could do.
Bosacius came as soon as the wind took Alatus' call to him. Upon his arrival, Bosacius fell to his knees at the sight that greeted him and he cried. Alatus turned his head away from the scene and disappeared into the shadows, no longer able to force himself to bear witness to Bosacius' grief.
And at the top of the mountains where no adepti go, Alatus let his tears fall all while the karma devouring his mind crawled ever closer to his soul.
Not long after Menogias and Bonanus were buried and sealed, many of the remaining yakshas began to question the duties they were entrusted with. There were yakshas who wanted to quit, only for them to be devoured by their own karma. There were yakshas who begged Morax to release them from their duties, to free them from the eternal pain and damnation, only for them to take their own lives when they gave in to the temptations offered by the madness of their minds.
However, of the remaining yakshas, it was those that accused Alatus of being apathetic to the lives of his siblings that grated on his nerves. Bosacius tried to reason with them but Alatus could tell from the way his back hunched and the way his limbs shook, it would not be long before Bosacius fell with the rest of the yakshas. And to this fact, Alatus could feel nothing. There was nothing he could do to change the fate of the yakshas, he was helpless. So although Alatus hated the accusation, he would not argue because in the end, they were not wrong.
As time continued to tick by, Alatus continued to serve his duty until one day, he returned to the adeptal realm and apart from him, it was void of any living soul. The realm is eerily quiet and there was no sound except for the rustling of leaves. There was no one talking, no laughter, no arguments. When did it happen? Where was everyone? Where was his brother?
Alatus threw himself into a desperate search for Bosacius, for any yaksha still alive in Liyue. However, no matter how hard he searched or he called, his brother was nowhere to be found. It was only when he found a stone tablet containing Bosacius' final wish that Alatus finally gave up his search with the feeling of betrayal rooted deep in his heart. It was only when he confronted Morax, who revealed that he could no longer feel the other yakshas, that Alatus accepted his place as the last yaksha in Liyue.
How ironic, that for someone who was so prepared for death, he would be the last one to die.
There were many times that Alatus thought it would be his final day, only to be forced to live another day of suffering. He would bleed, only to be saved by some strange twist of fate. He would scream as he was engulfed in nightmares, only to wake up covered in sweat and to the sound of Barbatos' flute. He would try to end his own life at the behest of the temptations of his mind, only to be called to fulfil his duty, forcing to pull his blade away from his body.
Perhaps his suffering was for some sick entertainment for some god controlling his fate, perhaps he was never freed from his old master.
And yet, Alatus still lived where many would have died.
It was only when he met the Traveller, only when the Traveller bonded with him, only when he felt his pain and suffering lessened at the Traveller's mere presence, that he wondered if this was the purpose in his life.
Then why did his siblings have to die? Why did the Traveller only come now when there were no more yakshas to save other than him?
The questions never left his mind, even after he fought Osial, one of the many gods Morax had sealed, with the Traveller, even after the Traveller helped him fight the shades that grew bold during Lantern Rite, even after the Traveller invited him to rest in his Serenitea Pot realm, even after the Traveller would share food and eat together with him. Alatus continued to ask the questions, and even when he wished for an answer, no one would answer them.
Alatus would not make a wish, not when he was betrayed by those wishes twice.
It was only after he learned of Bosacius' fate, after he learned the truth and the roots of betrayal etched in his heart was torn away, after he was saved instead of him being the one to save, after he was told off for easily throwing his life away, that Alatus poised the question to the Traveller.
"Why did they have to die?"
The Traveller had no answer to Alatus' question, only moving to hug Alatus as he grieved for his siblings.
His karma would never leave him, the madness would continue to remain in his mind, but at least now, Alatus can accept that even if good things do not last forever, he would cherish them for as long as they lasted.