uncover | k. albedo

Chapter Twenty-Two

Underneath the faint glow of the moonlit night— there she basked beneath it, in a room within Sumeru Academia where prayers and offerings for the Lord of Dendro were mostly held by students and scholars. The dimly lit room made her eyes shine bright, enough for her companion to know that he wasn't alone. But the silence was nerve wrecking, and the air was heavy. Was she really this upset?

"How bold of you to follow a God?", She firmly asked, with a tone that no longer laced with warmth but with coldness. Her eyes went and averted from the ground, towards the Guardian Yaksha who stood a few metres away  from her very form, lips pursed and and chartreuse orbs glaring dangerously with invisible knives that didn't bothered him for a bit. "Know your boundaries, adeptus. Don't act so mighty, you're not in Liyue but treading the lands of Sumeru",

He inhaled, releasing it with a really sharp sigh. Now it was his turn to glare at her, yet she did not flinched, unlike before. No. Why would she even flinch? She's an archon for celestia's sake! And this young man is nothing but a mere yaksha that serves under Morax's command. It would be really easy to over power him, for she is much stronger, much more superior than him. Yet, her heart ached, for no reason at all.

"What happened? Why didn't you call me?", Xiao questioned, his amber eyes immediately reverting from cold hatred to a soft warmth filled longing gaze, as he took small steps and approached her. The archon was quick to notice his actions, but she remained standing, unmoving of her current position, only letting her eyes travel from his to the window and the outskirts of Sumeru, while her hands were tightly intertwined behind her back.

She replied no words, no gestures, nothing but silence and the faint sound of crickets that were only hearable throughout the entire twilight. Just then, she started humming a tune. A melody that was filled with unspoken melancholy that her heart oh so desires to let out. For a minute she showed weakness, but it wasn't long until it vanished and replaced with an empty emotion laced with authority. She wanted to be alone, is that even hard to comprehend?

"I'm asking you. What happe--",

"Meddlesome. My historical affairs are no concern of yours, adepti", Cascade spat, summoning her catalyst that now floated beside her. Hand  stretched out in a manner that would make it easier for her to launch an attack, if this outrageous being would inquire any further. She had long buried those memories, long forgotten and rotting underneath the soil. And this lad that stood before her had the guts to unearth it. Truly unacceptable. "Leave this place, and do not come back. I do not desire to see your face ever again",

Xiao was visibly pained and taken back by her order. Just what really happened these past few months of him not remembering a single memoir of her? This person was completely different from the person whom he had grew accustomed to in the past. She changed, and two months was even a lot shorter than anticipated. Had he not remembered anything for a year or forever? What could've happened then? Will her current attitude worsen? What in the world of Teyvat could've been the reason for her heart to freeze in solid ice?

No. He knitted his brows, shifting his weight as he stood straight while eyeing her. Cascade's heart wasn't frozen solid, not all of it, and he is keen enough to notice it. Her eyes were unmistakably begging, pleading him to flee for his own sake, as if telling him that she do not wish to hurt him with drastic measures. She was crying, mentally bawling her eyes out. Locked in a room where darkness was her one and only companion.

He raised his hand, as if reaching out to her, but it soon fell back on his side, whilst he let neon blues eat his whole body that elementally transported him back to Wangshu Inn in Liyue where he had been residing for years, completely leaving her alone on the quiet room by herself and nothing else but darkness. One that she had grew fond of and eagerly accepted. After that day in Mondstadt, she vowed to never trust anyone again with only her fellow archons as an exception.