Hi! Welcome back to Cradled in Golden Wings! This chapter was originally supposed to have more content, two more POV's in fact, but the word count ran away from us until we were forced to either post a +15K chapter or split it. We chose to split it, for the sanity of anyone trying to read this. The next chapter should be up relatively shortly since it's already been drafted, so don't worry, you'll see it soon!
Also, chapter 1, Fledgling, was edited prior to this being posted to fix a couple errors and add a bit of additional context. It's not a lot, really just a couple sentences worth of words spread around and you can totally skip rereading if you want to, but it does change a few of the interactions down the line.
Wind Worn
To say Zhongli was having a "rough day" was very possibly the understatement of the century. Two days ago, his abode had been raided while he was gone and several items had been taken, with Xiao's energy signature saturating the air. It wasn't wholly unusual for the adeptus to stop by every so often and borrow something he needed but didn't have on hand, but when he'd found that bandages were among the missing items…
Xiao was not often hurt. It had been centuries since he sustained more than a scrape or two. Even then, he had a first aid kit at the Inn. For him to go out of his way to get more of something he already rarely used- Zhongli had thought Xiao was dying.
He tried looking– tapped into the earth and searched every corner of Liyue with stonesense, but Xiao was avian. It was more than likely he was nowhere near the ground, and if he wasn't touching it… a connection to Geo, no matter how strong, was useless. Perhaps he could have simply gone to Wangshu Inn and checked the top floor, but if Xiao wanted help then surely he would've gone to Ping if nothing else. If he hadn't then the only logical answer was that he was fine. But what if he wasn't?
What if he really was dying?
That thought had only furthered his panic and had sent Zhongli into such a furious, terrified frenzy that the control he kept over his physical form began slipping from his grasp. Patches of scales bloomed across his skin and his nails had turned to claws, he had even nicked his lips and cheeks on more than one occasion as fangs tried cramming in a mouth far too small for them. That was why he, the Lord of Geo and Archon of Liyue, had confined himself to his abode.
It had not helped that the yaksha was entirely unresponsive to his summons.
Zhongli had never quite been comfortable with how readily Xiao responded to his beck and call. It was unnerving, a mark of his past that he was still angry with himself for not recognizing before Moharus had already been killed. He could have dealt with the other god sooner, rather than playing defense. If he had, would Xiao have suffered so much? Could he have saved the yaksha years of suffering if he had only acted sooner? It was one of the many regrets he had from the Archon War, just another tally against him in an ever-growing list. But what else could he have done? How could he have known what would happen to a person he had never met?
The answer was he could not. He had people to protect and yaksha to worry about. Had he taken a more aggressive stance, had he dealt with gods in any other way, there was every chance he could have overstepped and lost everything. It was his defensive strategy that won him the war, perhaps he might never have met Xiao to begin with if he had done anything differently.
It didn't make what happened to him any easier to accept.
And now Xiao was not answering him. It had been two days- two entire days of silence from his last yaksha- and every second of it had crawled by at a snail's pace. The only reasonable explanation he had was that Xiao simply could not, and that implied the adeptus had been immobilized in some way– but that had to be impossible. Almost no one was faster than Xiao, who even exhausted and malnourished had faced off against two of his yaksha millennia ago. He had only gotten stronger since then, it was not possible.
(Or maybe it was, but Zhongli could not bear to think like that right now)
Buried so deep under the comforting stone and so far lost in his own mind, Zhongli nearly missed the pulse of elemental energy at his domain's entrance. That signature was unmistakable though– Xiao was alive. Celestia above he was alive. It was a simple matter to teleport back to the surface level, granting his yaksha entry even before he'd fully materialized again, and then he strode down the last few corridors to greet him. With every step that brought him closer, the Geo Archon felt the scales that had once rippled across his skin settle and disappear as his system flooded with relief. The claws and fangs finally retreated for good and he finally felt like he might be slightly presentable.
Just in time, too, because mere seconds later, Zhongli rounded the last corner and finally laid eyes on Xiao.
His only initial concern had been to verify that Xiao was uninjured; which he appeared to be at first glance. The only difference the Archon could really see was that the adeptus looked a little more rested than usual, but that didn't mean he was not injured and hiding it. After all, this was Xiao.
Perhaps that was why it took Zhongli so long to notice the child perched on his hip. By the time he truly had, he'd already reached for the adeptus, the younger's name leaving his throat in a hoarse rasp, just to make sure he really was as okay as he looked.
That was a mistake.
Zhongli had not touched either of them, had not even moved in the child's direction, and yet Xiao hissed at him. The avian adeptus hissed and turned, clearly putting his body between them with a downright deadly glare to boot. It was a clear display of protectiveness, it was a threat. Xiao did not want him touching the child. So he backed off because there really was no other option.
Clearing his throat, Zhongli spoke softly in an attempt to appease the adeptus, and get the three of them moving from the corridor, "...Very well, come with me then." After that, he turned and headed back the way he had come, leading both of them down into the depths of his abode.
The existence of Xiao's new child sparked more questions, though, because where in all of Teyvat had Xiao even gotten the child? He looked to be a hatchling, but by mortal standards… he was not actually sure. The only thing he really knew was that he'd never once seen him before.
Zhongli shoved his stray thoughts into a mental box, deciding he could ask about it when they were not standing in the middle of a hallway. Instead, he returned his attention back to his surroundings… only to realize that Xiao had turned the lion's share of his attention on the hatchling, cooing softly as he soothed his little one. The Archon… had not realized he could make those sounds.
It was kind of cute, actually.
The hatchling was rather adorable himself, tucking his head under Xiao's chin only to stare wide-eyed at the murals decorating each wall. He had an eye for artwork then, it seemed, and what lovely taste he had indeed. That's why Zhongli just couldn't resist sneaking glances at the pair, trying not to set either off in the process. He considered telling the story of each mural that caught the hatchling's attention, but thought better of it. The child was drawn to far too many and the Geo Archon had a sneaking suspicion this was not exactly a social visit. It rarely was, with Xiao.
A few minutes found the unlikely trio in one of the sitting rooms of his abode, this one a little on the smaller side than he typically used to entertain guests. However, it was one that Xiao was familiar with, and better suited for those he considered family. The hatchling might be new to him, but he had a feeling he would certainly be seeing more of him… if the way his yaksha was acting was anything to go off of.
Zhongli could already tell this was going to be a rough conversation by the way Xiao fidgeted, so before he said a word he sat down. Resisting the urge to sigh and run a hand down his face, the Archon got straight to the point.
"What is this about, Xiao?" His voice was soft, a note of exhaustion creeping in despite his best efforts, but the words still drew in both Xiao and the hatchling's attention. Only then did Zhongli truly get a good look at the child's face, and what he was confronted with was the starry eyes of a people he thought long dead. His breath almost caught, and then the dragon ripped his gaze away and returned his attention to Xiao while the younger man spoke.
Upon hearing Xiao's request to raise the child- Kaeya– for him, the Archon's heart broke a little. It made sense. Xiao's karma was chronic, it was dangerous even to adepti, much less mortals, but it was heartbreaking to rip the two apart.
After a long pause, Zhongli sighed. He hated having to do this, Kaeya was already so clearly attached to Xiao, and he knew it was just asking for problems to separate them at this point- but Xiao's concerns were valid. His karmic debt was dangerous, and as of yet there was no way to cleanse it, despite the many attempts over the centuries. "Very well. If that is your wish, I will raise Kaeya as you have requested."
This was a terrible decision. He had already attempted to raise a child once and how many times had he let Xiao down? How many mistakes had he made, how many would he repeat? But then… Xiao had come to him, had he not? Zhongli had long ago accepted that might never happen again, that whatever bond was forged during the Archon War had been torn to shreds. However, this proved that if nothing else, the avian adeptus still trusted him enough to ask for his help, and Zhongli did not want to break that trust.
More than he already had, at least. Perhaps there was some hope after all.
He stood, intending to properly introduce himself, then paused. How was he supposed to do that? There were many names to choose from, but… Morax was a name few knew him by anymore, and one that a descendent of Khaenri'ah may fear. The last thing he wanted was to scare the hatchling, so it was immediately disregarded. Rex Lapis was similar, more of a title than an actual name and even more closely associated with his status as an Archon. Zhongli was an option, but…
Xiao was like a son to him and Kaeya must be Xiao's. Therefore, logic dictated that Kaeya was his grandson. They looked a little similar… though the hatchling likely took after his mother more than anything else.
For the first time in the conversation, Zhongli addressed Kaeya directly, "A pleasure to meet you, Kaeya," he said, his voice light and warm in an attempt to ease the child's nerves, "I am Zhongli, but you may call me Yéye if that is easier." Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Xiao pull a face, but once his attention switched to him, the adeptus suddenly dropped the look entirely.
Zhongli waited patiently as Xiao seemed to war with himself before finally bringing Kaeya to him, and though he could see Kaeya cling tighter and tighter to Xiao with every step, he stopped himself from insisting Xiao stay with him instead. This was the best option for everyone, at least until a new solution could be found. Logically, he could understand why Kaeya was so attached to him– Xiao was likely the first person the hatchling had met, it was only natural that he would be attached to the avian adeptus. Zhongli did his best to look away and tune out what was being said, doing what he could to give the pair as much time as they needed to say their goodbyes.
A few moments later Kaeya was deposited in his arms, and Zhongli frowned slightly at how light the child was. He was pretty sure human hatchlings were supposed to be a bit heavier. Perhaps he inherited Xiao's lighter bones? It was possible, at least. He made a mental note to ask Ping later as he watched Xiao hand Kaeya what he only assumed was the little Khaenri'ahn's Vision. That made things a little easier; he could key lights to whatever element Kaeya had. Then Xiao left without another word.
That would make things a little more difficult.
He had been hoping Xiao would at least stay while he took Kaeya on a tour of his abode, if only to help the hatchling transition to his new living situation. Of course things would not be quite so simple now, but he supposed he could call Xiao later once Kaeya was a little more settled.
"Hatchling," Zhongli murmured softly to the child in his arms, who was suddenly shaking quite a bit more than he had with Xiao. Of course, nerves were to be expected, but with a little luck he would grow more comfortable with time. Chuckling softly he added, "Relax, Kaeya, I will not hurt you." When the shaking only seemed to grow worse the Archon let out a soft breath and frowned slightly. It was clear that Xiao's hatchling was afraid of him, which was… less than ideal, but he could work with it. He had after taking Xiao in centuries ago. Surely his- admittedly very limited- skills had improved since then. How hard could it be?
Although considering the hatchling's fear, perhaps carrying him was not the best idea. Letting Kaeya walk beside him was probably the better option as long as the dragon slowed his pace to account for his size. But he was so small… it would be better if he was carried. The child in his arms shifted slightly, drawing the god's attention– it was then he noticed that Kaeya was definitely wearing one of his shirts- well, that explained a few things from the other night. Not all of them, but certainly more than a few. But it did complicate things a little. However, he was getting sidetracked, and he could worry about getting his new charge clothing later. A tour of his new home was probably more important anyway, at least for the moment.
A few more minutes of thought led Zhongli back to his original conclusion that it was probably for the best if he allowed Kaeya to walk beside him. Letting out a sigh, the Archon set the star-eyed child down, offering him a hand if he wanted to take it. It was sad, but not surprising, that the boy did not.
"Come on, Kaeya, let me show you around," the Archon said as he set off. He went at a slower pace as they moved deeper into his abode, recalling the little one's interest in his murals earlier. He quickly grew lost in his own thoughts as he absentmindedly pointed out various rooms to the hatchling, promising to key the lights to his element at a later date. It really had been quite some time since he last had a child living in his abode, the last one being Xiao himself. So it was oddly fitting for Xiao's hatchling to also end up living with him– albeit hopefully temporarily. Still, it made the Archon chuckle to himself as he glanced down to find Kaeya still at his side, staring up at a mural of the Liyuen countryside.
"This way now, Kaeya. I want to show you something I think you will appreciate." He once again offered the little boy a hand; once again, the gesture was not accepted. Oh well, he had plenty of time to earn Kaeya's trust, just as he had done with Xiao many centuries ago.
While he led Kaeya into the deepest parts of his domain, the Geo Archon fought with the urge to scoop the little boy in his arms. He was really far too adorable as he tried his best to keep up with the dragon's longer stride. Zhongli smiled, his eyes crinkling slightly, before he slowed down even further. No wonder Xiao was so taken with the hatchling, he always looked at everything with such an expression of wonder. As though he had never seen anything like it before and– he supposed there were probably a great many things Kaeya had not seen, given his origins. The god's smile faded a bit as he considered the reasons for that, but he tried not to let the hatchling see.
Finally, they came to Zhongli's favorite mural, the one that told the history of the world- or at least everything from the several millennia he had been around to witness it. He could not help spending a few minutes just admiring his work before he looked down at Kaeya, only to find the hatchling was no longer by his side. The god gazed around the room for any sign of his ward, expecting him to have perhaps wandered further down the mural, only to find no sign. Then he glanced back at the mural, and it dawned on him why. This section depicted the Cataclysm– the Fall of Khaenri'ah.
The Geo Archon let out a frustrated growl. How stupid could he be? Would he never learn, never cease to make these idiotic oversights where the children in his care were concerned? How could he have forgotten his own role in the destruction of the people of Khaenri'ah, Kaeya's people? No wonder the hatchling was terrified of him, he probably thought Zhongli was going to kill him, because of where he came from, because of who his mother's people were...which could not have been further from the truth. Even if he was not Xiao's hatchling, the dragon would never have hurt Kaeya. A child could not be responsible for whatever crimes his people had committed.
Kaeya… was just a hatchling, of how many years? It was so hard to judge, with mortals…but surely too young to have done anything wrong. He was just as innocent as the majority of his people had been when Celestia had called for their destruction, an order he had been unable to disobey, no matter how much he had wanted to. Zhongli let out a shaky breath before shoving his feelings away. He could mourn and marinate in his guilt later; right now he needed to find the scared Khaenri'ahn child wandering his abode alone. A child who thought Zhongli was going to kill him for something so far beyond what either of them could control.
As if he could bring himself to do any such thing. Zhongli was still haunted by the things he had done during the Cataclysm, by the innocent blood that stained his hands; and with his damned perfect memory, he always would be. The blood of far too many of the starry-eyed people of Khaenri'ah– had he killed anyone related to Kaeya? Was he a very personal family horror story, passed down through the generations? No, he could not focus on that right now. The safety of the child wandering his domain was more important- there were far too many ways a lost child could get hurt here, especially if he was incautious in his fear.
Finding Kaeya was not difficult, it was as simple as sensing the hatchling through the stone. No, the hard part was going to be reassuring a child who had absolutely no reason to trust him, and every reason to fear him, that he was not going to hurt him. As he made his way through the halls of his abode, the Archon took the time to remember everything he had been taught when Xiao had first come to live with him. It could not hurt to try at least some of those things with Kaeya.
The location Kaeya had chosen to hide made it even easier to call up those old memories, and Zhongli was smiling fondly by the time he reached the room. It seemed instinct or fate had led Xiao's hatchling to his father's old room. Xiao did not use it anymore, of course; he had his room at Wangshu Inn, now, and did not wish to interact with the Archon any more than necessary…but Zhongli had left it unchanged from the days when the he had lived there, just in case, right down to the element the lights were keyed to. He had even keyed the door to Anemo to match, to prevent anyone but Xiao or himself from entering the room and pawing through the things his yaksha had left behind.
He could not fail to notice the way the door to the room was open slightly, even if all the lights were off. That was interesting. Did that mean that Kaeya had an Anemo Vision? That would explain how he got in– and it would certainly make things interesting.
Slowly pushing the door open, Zhongli cautiously entered the room, not sure what he would find. Kaeya must not have been able to figure out the lights– only natural, he supposed- so he set them on a dim level, just enough to see in the room, hoping not to startle the hatchling. He was promptly greeted by the sight of Kaeya curled defensively in one corner of the room. The Archon's heart cracked. The child looked far too small, all curled up, as if the world itself was out to hurt him…all he wanted to do was protect this child from anything that might try. Unfortunately, he had a feeling there were some things he would not be able to protect this hatchling from.
"Kaeya, Hatchling, are you alright," he asked, as he reached out to touch the blue-haired child–
–only for said child to flinch away from the touch, as his starry eye snapped open. He immediately scurried away from Zhongli and well beyond the dragon's reach. "Stars and stones," the god mumbled, he had forgotten one of the most important things when it came to dealing with Xiao as a child, despite his rehearsal of the memories. No wonder the hatchling had fled from him.
Letting out a sigh, Zhongli lengthened the legs of the bed– just enough that the little boy could hide there if he wanted to. It was the least he could do after scaring him like that. He was relieved, however, when Kaeya did not immediately hide under the bed, giving him a moment to look over his– Xiao's hatchling for any injuries. He knew from past experience that just because a child looked alright did not mean they were actually unharmed.
Still, Kaeya did seem to be uninjured for the most part, which was a small mercy. He had a feeling if Guizhong had seen his blunder she would have brought him properly to task for it; then somehow gotten the hatchling to trust her inside of five minutes. She would have rightfully taken his head off for how badly he kept screwing this up. After all, he had done this once before; with his memory, once should be enough to know what to do this time. Even without… he forced himself to take a deep breath, and let it out. No, he was not going to deal with those emotions, those memories, right now. He had a hatchling to look after.
Sitting on the floor as far away from the corner into which Kaeya had scrambled as he could manage, Zhongli kept one eye on him as he allowed himself to become lost in his thoughts. When Xiao had come to him that morning with a small hatchling in his arms, he had not known what to think. Where had the younger adeptus gotten a child? His first thought was that Kaeya was Xiao's biological child, who just took more after his mother. But that did not explain the lack of nestmates. He supposed that yes, Kaeya could have come from an unusually small clutch...but again the idea of him being Xiao's by blood did not quite sit right. He seemed too fearful of him to have been raised by someone who held him in such high regard. It was no secret how much his yaksha worshiped him, uncomfortable though Zhongli was with it.
While it was entirely possible Kaeya had been raised by his mother with very little input from his father, he had a hard time believing Xiao would have been willing to be completely uninvolved with his own flesh and blood. No, it was far more likely Xiao had stumbled into Kaeya and decided for one reason or another to take the child in. He probably did not know the hatchling was Khaenri'ahn, as he likely would have taken Kaeya to another one of the adepti if he had. Still, against all odds, the most aloof and unapproachable of his yaksha had found a small child that– with all things considered– was an enemy child. Taken that child in, intending to raise him as his own. At least until Xiao had remembered his karma.
The god let out a sigh. It was his fault that karma was even something Xiao had to consider. It was he who had failed to foresee the consequences of his yaksha taking on such a burden, and who had stood by as, one by one, each of them had fallen - until only Xiao remained. Leaving the boy he had seen– saw- as a son alone, with no one to help bear the burden. Worse yet, he had sentenced Xiao to a friendless existence, as his karmic debt would eventually corrupt those around him in addition to the yaksha himself.
By all rights Xiao never should have gotten so close to a mortal, but the two of them clearly had bonded tightly, and that made the god curious. What circumstances had allowed Kaeya, a child of Khaenri'ah, and Xiao, an adeptus of Liyue, to bond as they had? What had enthralled him so much that he had been ready to raise a mortal child? It was written plain as day in every line of the avian adeptus' body that he was fighting his own instincts where it came to Kaeya. How else could you explain the odd sounds he had made when the hatchling had shown signs of distress? His reluctance to let go of the child?
But Xiao had fled before Zhongli had even thought to ask him these questions. Before he had even had a chance to come to terms with the fact that his yaksha had brought him a hatchling. For a moment he was reminded of another of his yaksha, before he pushed the thoughts away– he would deal with them later. Right now he needed to figure out how he could earn Kaeya's trust, and he did not have the help of...he cut the thought off again. This was getting ridiculous.
Wait, maybe if he called Xiao– the hatchling was already attached to the avian adeptus– he would be able to soothe him and perhaps reassure him that the Archon was not going to hurt him, so he could get a proper start on things. Yes, that could work!
"Xiao," Zhongli called, his voice soft as he waited with bated breath for the arrival of the Vigilant Yaksha. He hoped this worked; it had to work. Otherwise he would be even worse off than he had been in the early days of raising Xiao, when he had help from– those damn memories just would not stop intruding! He ruthlessly crushed them down again as he waited. He did not have to wait long, however, as a few moments later the young adeptus appeared in a swirl of darkness and Anemo. He looked a little worse for wear, but that was to be expected; he more than suspected Xiao had thrown himself back into his duties.
"Good, you are here-" The eldest of the Seven had barely gotten the words out before the avian adeptus disappeared just as quickly as he had arrived, leaving him once again in the same lurch as before. Alone with a child that feared him and assumed the worst of him, even if all he wanted was to help said child. Zhongli could not stop himself from letting out a deep sigh. Why was this a trend? Why did he always end up with children that were afraid of him, that thought he was going to kill them?
He did not think simply calling for Xiao again would work, but it was the best idea he had, considering he could not just leave Kaeya here alone while he went to find his wayward yaksha. So quietly he called for the younger adeptus once more, but was unsurprised when he failed to appear. Zhongli had not really expected him to.
What was he supposed to do with a scared child who thought his caretaker was going to kill him? The god was reasonably certain that simply reassuring Kaeya was not going to work– such attempts had usually backfired badly, with a young Xiao. And giving him space could work eventually, but he had a feeling no amount of space would be enough for Kaeya to trust him in the slightest, and for good reason. During the Cataclysm, he had been responsible for a large portion of the deaths. He had also been quite visibly prominent during the actual fighting, unlike some of the other Archons. He had no doubt any surviving Khaenri'ahns had taught their children to fear him in particular, given how ruthless he had been. A fact working against him, now, whether he had had a choice in the matter or not.
Zhongli let out another sigh; this was not how he had pictured spending his day off from his mortal job. Still, he was fortunate it was a day off– he was not sure how he could have explained that he needed the day off because his son had dropped off his… could he call Kaeya his grandson? Yes, Xiao had left the hatchling to be raised by him, but it was clear as day that the yaksha had wanted to keep Kaeya. The only thing stopping him had been his karma. He supposed he could, as he had told the blue-haired boy to call him Yéye. Still, that would have only led to more questions, given his apparent age, should he have tried to explain the situation to Director Hu.
That being said, he still had the issue of what he was going to do with Kaeya. He was probably too young to be left alone for long periods of time, such as while he was maintaining his mortal cover. The Archon glanced toward the hatchling– who was also watching him with a mix of fear and curiosity- he could work with that. Curiosity, even mixed with fear, was something familiar to him.
"Kaeya," he said, carefully keeping his voice soft. "I give you my word, I will not do anything to harm you." He paused, carefully considering his next words. Right now, he very much needed to talk to Ping, and see about getting her to do a reading of Kaeya. Not knowing exactly what was going on with the hatchling would make putting him back with Xiao next to impossible, and if there were already effects from his karma, the sooner acted on, the better. They would also need to see if there was anything they could do for Kaeya to mitigate the effects of long-term exposure to the yaksha's karma, so he could return to his rightful parent. Ideally, he would simply call Xiao, and either have him keep an eye on Kaeya while he left to speak with Ping or deliver a message to her for him. However, given his earlier behavior, that was no longer an option.
His other option was to take Kaeya with him as he went to speak to Ping- certainly the more difficult of the two. But he did not see any other choice; he would have to hope he could get Kaeya to come along without too much fuss.
Before he could voice his plans to the child, he was cut off by a burst of Anemo, followed by an all-too-familiar giggle. "Barbatos," he growled, suppressing the urge to throw a rock at the intruder. A rather large rock. "What are you doing here?"
The wind-spirit-turned-Archon just let out another giggle, frustratingly, as he hovered before the older god. "Oh, nothing my old friend," the God of Freedom said, floating in a breeze of his own creation. "I simply heard a rumor on the wind that you had something- or rather someone– interesting living with you. Thought I would come to take a look and judge for myself."
Zhongli resisted the urge to throttle the other Archon, figuring it would do nothing to help his image in Kaeya's eyes… but maybe attacking another god would set him at ease. Perhaps it was worth a shot– the Geo Archon glanced in Kaeya's direction, only to find he had crawled under the bed in the time since Barbatos' arrival. That made the plan to take Kaeya with him impossible, now, and he huffed in annoyance. He was just about to tell the other god to leave when his eyes lit up with an idea. He could have Barbatos stay here and watch Kaeya, while he spoke to Xiao and Ping himself- it was the least he could do, after scaring the hatchling.
"Barbatos," he said. It was a struggle to keep his voice even, but it would not do to scare the hatchling any further. "I need you to watch a hatchling for me." There was curiosity in the Anemo Archon's eyes, as he glanced toward the bed where Kaeya was hidden. "It is… best if you keep your distance, as he is quite fearful-"
He was cut off by a sound of protest, as the wind spirit took note of the starry eye watching the pair of them. "You're not going to…"
Zhongli let out another growl, then hissed, "I would never do anything to my– Xiao's hatchling."
At that, the younger god seemed to relax. "Of course, I can watch the little Dandelion while you go fetch his father." He giggled again, the infuriating drunkard, before continuing. "Unless you would rather I take him back to Mond?"
That was it. He was going to strangle Barbatos, consequences be damned. Zhongli moved to grab the smaller god by the shirt only to pause when he saw a periwinkle eye watching him. He could not do this in front of Kaeya. What if he ruined any chance of earning his trust? The child had no way of knowing that this was normal for them, that the smaller god would be unharmed in the end– and he had no doubt if he traumatized Xiao's hatchling, once the yaksha took him back he would never see Kaeya- or possibly Xiao as well- again.
"Watch him well, Barbatos. If anything happens to him I willbe the least of your problems," he hissed quietly.
"Of course, of course, I understand! Now, you should go find your wayward child, Morax," the teal-eyed Archon replied, his gaze holding something that suggested he knew something Zhongli did not.
The dragon god shook his head at the other god, then teleported out of his domain.
✦ •— ✧ —• ✦ ·𖥸· ✦ •— ✧ —• ✦
Two days ago, Venti had woken up. He intended to just roll over and go back to sleep for a bit longer, but then the winds had told him something interesting– a new Anemo Vision holder, in Liyue of all places! To make it just a little more interesting, his new little allogene was a child. Not just any child, a child of Khaenri'ah. Just the new one being a child would have been enough for him to stay awake for a while, maybe send one of the older Anemo allogenes their way, but one from Khaenri'ah warranted him taking more of a personal interest, for the child's own safety.
He felt a certain responsibility toward them. Likely they were scared, and if they had been with a group of their own people, isolated. Thrown from the group because they happened to earn a Vision, something well beyond the control of a child. He really should hurry to get to them before something happened… The Archon reached for the wind, intending to listen to what was happening around the child to find out where they were, only to pause when he heard a somewhat familiar voice.
It was the only Anemo allogene in Liyue.
Well, besides this newest one. That was good. There was no one better than Xiao to make sure the little one was safe until Venti could get there.
Tilting his head as he listened, the wind spirit caught the name Kaeya- that must be the little Dandelion's name. Cute! Still, he was surprised the kid had been willing to share his name with anyone, let alone someone who had a close connection with an Archon. That did suggest that Kaeya might not be afraid of the Archons… or that he had no idea who Xiao was. Either way would work, he supposed– if the little Dandelion wasn't afraid of him, then Venti could take him in himself. If he was afraid, he could always leave Kaeya with Xiao.
He might have to warn Morax, if he did end up leaving the Khaenri'ahn in Liyue. Just in case. Venti had a feeling the old dragon would be thrilled to have someone around who was resistant to Xiao's karma, though.
Hmmm. Maybe he should just leave Kaeya with the yaksha… he knew that the bird adeptus was quite lonely these days, due to the isolation caused by the effects of his karma. Having Kaeya around, who wouldn't be affected by it, would hopefully ease that burden for his oldest allogene. Besides- from what he could tell from listening to the winds around his two allogenes, Xiao might have already bonded with the little one.
Of course, he knew it wouldn't be that simple. Just leave Kaeya with Xiao and assume everything would be fine? No, no, he imagined he would have to convince the yaksha that yes, indeed Kaeya would be fine if he stayed with him. And that no, giving him to someone else was a bad idea. Knowing Xiao, he would try to hand Kaeya off to another one of the adepti– even knowing that the Khaenri'ahn was immune to karma, the yaksha would still find some reason or other to not feel worthy to raise the little Dandelion. As it was, he decided that for now, he would let things work themselves out- and step in only if it looked like he was right, and Xiao was going to leave Kaeya with another adeptus.
✦ •— ✧ —• ✦ ·𖥸· ✦ •— ✧ —• ✦
Of course, the moment Venti thought things would be fine– that he could leave Kaeya with Xiao permanently, and go back to sleep- that was exactly when things went straight to hell. First, Xiao had taken Kaeya outside of the Inn. Not a problem by itself; the problem was that they had gone to Morax before Venti had a chance to warn the old dragon. He had been putting off going to have a chat with the other Archon, admittedly, mostly because he had no idea if he was still upset about that last prank…he didn't think he would be, but there was always that chance. Still, he was regretting that choice now. The wind spirit had no idea how the Geo Archon was going to react to his last yaksha showing up with a Khaenri'ahn child, likely intending for the dragon to raise him, incorrectly thinking his karma would harm Kaeya.
Venti let out a sigh as he settled among the branches above Wangshu Inn. He supposed he'd have to fix this. There was no way it was going to end well, and it was his own fault for stalling. After some consideration, he decided that while checking on Kaeya and Morax was definitely important, it was probably far more urgent to check on the bird adeptus. The God of Freedom had seen the way Xiao had been with Kaeya, and he couldn't be taking leaving his child with Morax very well.
The wind spirit didn't have to wait long before Xiao teleported to the branches below him, unaware of the god above. The adeptus appeared lost in his thoughts as he sat on the roof, then disappeared in a swirl of Anemo once again, reappearing less than a minute later. When the Anemo allogene summoned his wings only to start plucking them, Venti couldn't help but gasp. He'd known that Xiao had wings, as a bird adeptus, but hadn't had a chance to see them before– they were a beautiful mix of teals and golds that suited him perfectly. The god didn't want to sit here and watch him destroy those gorgeous wings, but there was likely nothing he could do to stop it- he had a feeling the stubborn adeptus would start again the moment he left, no matter what he said.
With a sigh, Venti teleported to Morax's domain. The old dragon was a blockhead, but he might know what could help the Anemo adeptus. He'd raised him, after all. And even if there was nothing he could do for Xiao, the younger god needed to check on Kaeya. He couldn't imagine the little Dandelion had taken being left with a god very well. The child might have been okay with Venti, since he hadn't been involved in a lot of the main fighting, but Morax had been in the very heart of the battle during the Cataclysm.
When Venti arrived in Morax's domain, he was pleasantly surprised that a rock wasn't immediately thrown at his head. He wound up saying a few things to get under the dragon's skin, more out of habit than anything else- but he wasn't really paying attention, he was looking for Kaeya. He only really focused back on the conversation when he went to ask the older god what he was going to do with the little one. Alas, he was cut off before he could finish the question, by Morax insisting he would never hurt the Khaenri'ahn child. Of course, he couldn't help but tease about taking Kaeya back to Mondstadt, he was really cute hiding under the bed, watching their every move.
When the older Archon was done threatening him, Venti tried to urge him subtly to go check on Xiao. He was worried being too straightforward about what was going on with the younger male would have the opposite effect on the old blockhead. "Go find your wayward child Morax," the teal-eyed god said, and thankfully, the dragon left the domain. He then turned his attention to Kaeya.
Still hiding under the bed, the child's eyes lit up when he caught sight of the Vision sitting on the floor, a short distance from its owner. The Anemo god made his way over to the Vision, picking it up and leaving an apple in its place. He had a feeling Kaeya might be hungry– it was unlikely Morax had remembered to feed him. He'd let Kaeya decide if he wanted to take the offering, but had a feeling the little one wasn't going to take anything offered to him by gods.
"I'm Venti, it's nice to meet you little Dandelion," he said. It was probably best not to reveal that he knew Kaeya's name. He had a feeling a god just knowing his name without being told would cause the boy a great deal of stress, something he really didn't want to do if he could help it.
Kaeya's eye went wide with fear as he tried to speak, but nothing came out. He glanced at his Vision in Venti's hands before his gaze flickered up to meet Venti's eyes for a brief moment.
The terror in the Khaenri'ahn's face made the god pause, and sadness filled his heart. He'd never wanted anyone to look at him like that, let alone a child. "Don't worry, little Dandelion. I won't– I can't hurt you, you did nothing wrong. I don't think a child should pay for crimes he did not commit." Venti murmured the words softly, making a breeze to ruffle the child's blue locks, and hoping it would set the little one at ease. "Besides, you have a Vision, which means you belong here."
When Kaeya shifted a little closer to look at his Vision, still in Venti's hand, the god held his breath. He didn't dare to break the fragile trust he was being shown. "Your Vision is really quite special, you know. There aren't many Anemo users in Liyue, just you and Xiao." Venti moved to pass the Vision back to its owner, but was unsurprised when the little one refused to take it.
"It's not mine," the Khaenri'ahn finally spoke in a small, scared voice. "I can't have a Vision…"
"Sure you can," the god chirped in reply. "You earned it, after all, so it's yours."
"I don't want it."
Venti let out a short snort before he could stop himself. What did he expect? Of course, a Khaenri'ahn wouldn't want a gift from the gods responsible for killing their people. Not to mention he completely understood being given power you didn't want… he'd never wanted his gnosis, so how could he judge Kaeya for not wanting his Vision?
Without thinking he muttered, "I didn't want mine either, it should have been his…"
Suddenly the god of Anemo was blinking back tears, and there was a small child in front of him.
Did you enjoy? We sure hope you did! It was a lot of fun to write- we do have an obligatory thank you though, ElfIcarii was absolutely amazing in helping get through a good chunk of this chapter, helping to actually write more than half of it. We can't thank her enough for it. If you haven't already, go check out her works. As stated before, Cradled in Golden Wings was directly inspired by and takes place after her fic, Drowning in Crystal Sand, and if you want to come hang out you can by digging through the notes and finding the discord link buried there somewhere.
Also, this chapter's title went through quite the process to get to where it is. Some of the "work in progress" titles are listed below, because we thought you might enjoy them:
"The Gravel Lizard and the Eavesdropper"
"I will not think of Bosacius"
"I know more than I should because I'm a little shit"
"I know less than I should because I'm a blockhead"
"the gods just won't leave this boy alone"
"how do you hide from two gods"
"Aaaah the bed just grew"
All of these were vetoed by Fae. No I will not apologize.
We hope to see you again once chapter 3 is posted!