Colorblind [Xiao x Aether - Genshin Impact]

Part Two: Black

(art by @ man_goose on twitter)

(when you see *** play the song)

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In the following weeks after the death of Rex Lapis, the foundation that Liyue Harbor sat on began to crack and crumble under pressure.

It felt as though every living thing began to take notice that he was no longer present. The birds no longer sang when the sun came up, the local flowers were all dying. But the worst part was the monsters, now imbued with the same dark, sinister energy that resided in adeptus Xiao. They found new comfort in knowing that Liyue's ruler had passed, and they became more reckless. Little did they know, as long as Xiao was around, they were one wrong move away from meeting their demise. 

Aether spent most of his time in the Harbor, assisting the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor in the preparations for the rite of parting, a traditional funeral held when an adeptus met their end. He met a very learned man, who went by the name Zhongli, after Childe arranged a lunch for the three of them. While it was abundantly obvious Childe had something planned on the back burner, Aether had to set his suspicions aside for the sake of the rite. Nothing was more important right now than honoring the fallen archon, who held the title of Prime of the Adepti. 

The past couple days were busy with errands, running around the city purchasing jade and creating perfumes. After retrieving the cleansing bell from the old adeptus Madame Ping, and meeting the small zombie girl Qiqi at Bubu Pharmacy, Aether and Zhongli arrive at the Guizhong Ballista, an ancient adepti mechanism, which would be used to try and find a "cocogoat," whatever that is. It was requested by Qiqi, in order for her to sell them the incense they needed as one of the final pieces for the rite of parting. When they first arrived, the ballista was badly broken, and required a few repairs. How would one go about repairing an adepti weapon? Luckily, Zhongli and his seemingly endless knowledge came in handy, and with a few spare parts from the storage room nearby, the mechanism was up and running again. 

Aether looked through the scope, searching for any sign of the fabled "cocogoat." He swiveled back and forth for a few minutes, and though he wasn't quite sure what he was looking for, he couldn't find anything worthy of being called an such a thing.

"Sorry, Mr. Zhongli, I don't think we'll find anything here. Maybe we should head ba-"

A strong gust of wind flew past the scope's view. Even from far away, the breeze could be felt through Aether's hair, his long braid falling over his shoulder. It startled him, causing him to tumble backwards and fall down. Zhongli caught him at the last available second.

"Traveler, are you alright? What happened?" Zhongli asked, concern embedded in his eyes. 

"Hey Aether! You really should be more careful, Paimon couldn't catch you if Zhongli wasn't here!" Paimon scolds him as though he purposefully fell. Even through her teaching moment, he could tell she was worried too.

"Don't worry, I'm okay. I saw something through the scope, though. Should we check it out?" Aether stands up and dusts himself off, with Zhongli following suit.

"If you don't mind, let me take a look." Zhongli stepped up to the ballista, peering down the sight where Aether saw the wind. "Hmm..." His voice trails off in thought. He stepped back to allow his hand to grace his chin. "I will leave this to you to investigate. I must be returning to Bubu pharmacy to speak with Qiqi." The words he said felt carefully placed, as though he was unsure of how to tackle whatever it was he saw. Zhongli's eyes carried a trace amount of sadness in them, and he didn't seem to be fully present. Aether decided not to press any further, and left to go search the area. 

***

The spear was dripping with blood. A demon's chest was heaving, begging for oxygen. At his feet, the bodies of abyss mages lay, dozens of them, along with hilichurls of various sizes. His clothes were torn, his hair was sticking to his face. The abyss order had sent waves and waves of forces to Liyue Harbor in an attempt to overwhelm the city in its state of mourning, and the only line of defense were the adepti. No longer could they rely on the Geo Archon to swoop in and save the day. His head turns at a sound behind him, his jade-winged spear extended to whatever dared to come near him. 

Aether stops in his tracks, hands immediately flying up in the air, eyes wide. A demon's face stared back at him, the spear mere inches away from his heart. The demon slowly tilted his head, but spoke no words. His shoulders slouched, his breathing was labored, and the arm extended with the weapon was clearly shaking from exhaustion. The blood of the polearm slipped onto Aether, a single drop glistening on his skin. A black aura surrounded the demon's body, and though he resembled Xiao, Aether knew whatever was standing before him was not the yaksha. 

"Why are you here, mortal?" The words slithered through the demon's teeth, dripping with disgust and bloodlust. The voice was distorted and deep, and Aether wasn't sure what to do or say back. 

"I was just at the Guizhong Ballista with, uh, a friend. W-we were repairing it?" He gestured to the adepti mechanism. More blood dripped, this time rolling down his neck. 

"Leave this place. Now. You should not be here." The demon took notice of the blood, and lowered his weapon. He dug it deep into the ground and was leaning on it as a crutch, yet still stood tall to mask the pain he was feeling. The blackness was growing in size, crawling all around him like a disease flowing through his bloodstream. His tattoos were glowing a brilliant blue to match his eyes. 

"Do you...need help? You seem to be in pain." Aether tilts his head and drops his arms.

"I said leave. I will not request it again."

"N-no." The longer Aether lingered there, the more sure he was on what was happening. Donning his yaksha mask, he was being corrupted by the karmic debt from the monsters he had slain. How had he lived so long with this pain? Aether's heart grew soft for him. "Xiao, let me help-"

"I am not Xiao. Speak of me as Alatus, the Golden-Winged King." He growled, and suddenly his hands flew to his face. He fell to his knees, the spear dispersing into thin air. His breaths were becoming increasingly shallow, and his eyes glowed brighter, fighting for dominance against the black clouds whipping a storm around his body. "I am a king, you will not disobey me! Agh, voices, be quiet!" Aether didn't know who he was yelling at anymore. He did not feel afraid anymore, even though the demon was beginning to lash out and scream in his pain. This was pure hurt, manifesting in the body of the adepti. 

Aether's eyes grew wide at what he saw next.

A single tear rolled down the demon's cheek. Without giving it a second thought, he extended his hand, and brushed it away. He hesitated for a moment, but his other hand eventually joined as well. He stood there, holding his face. 

Everything snapped back to normal. The blackness disappeared, and his mask returned to it's rightful place on his hip, revealing Xiao, his eyes glazed over, staring back at Aether. The color was drained from his face, no emotion was visible. It felt similar to the first time they met, Xiao was not looking at him, but rather through him. The only sign he was even alive was his heartbeat, which felt like a pounding hammer in his chest. His own hands slowly reached up, and rested on Aether's. They sat there for just longer than a moment, holding that position. Xiao's lips parted slightly, and Aether leaned down to hear his words. 

"Thank you." Xiao's voice was not louder than a whisper against Aether's ear. And then his body vanished.