Colorblind [Xiao x Aether - Genshin Impact]

Part Three: Gold

(art by @ oastlv on twitter)

(when you see *** play the song)

----------

"Xiao...who is Alatus?"

This question was unavoidable.

A gentle breeze rustled the curtains in one of the bedrooms in Wangshu Inn. The only light available was that of the moon, and the soft glow radiating from Xiao's vision. He sighed, relaxing his body on the exhale, and turned to face outside. The cool wind felt good against his warm, feverish skin.

"I figured you would ask at some point. Huh, humans and their curiosity." Xiao paused. His legs swung back into the room from the window sill, and he slowly made his way back to bed. He was still recovering from his fight, but did his best to hide the immense amount of pain he was in.

Aether shook his head. "You don't have to pretend you're not in pain." He was sitting at a table in the room, standing up to help Xiao to the bed. Xiao gave him a warning look, and he slumped back in his chair, sighing. He had been helping the adeptus as much as he was allowed to the past couple days. The first night was easy, as Xiao was unconscious for most of it. When he awoke to find his injuries cleaned and bandaged, however, he was equal parts heated and embarrassed. Never had someone treated him with this level of care. He had grown accustomed to doing things on his own, and now that Aether had intervened, he was uncomfortable, to say the least.

"I am not pretending to be anything," he growled. He winced trying to cover himself, but once he was finally comfortable again, he opened his eyes and connected them with Aether's across the room. A soft groan escaped Xiao's lips as he asked, "what are you doing?"

Aether furrowed his brows. "I wanted to make sure you were okay."

"I did not ask you to do that."

"You're right, you didn't ask me to do anything, because you were almost dead."

Xiao let out a soft "tch," returning his gaze to the window. He didn't like the confrontation of the conversation, so he shifted it. "You wish to know about Alatus. Very well..."

***

"I...am Alatus. Rather, I was Alatus, the Golden-Winged King. Even now, that name feels foreign to me, as I do not use it anymore." There was a brief hesitation, but he swallowed, and continued. "During the Archon War, I was not on Rex Lapis's side. He saved me from the vicious acts I was forced to do by one of the rival archons. He told me that Xiao was the name of a spirit who had endured suffering as I did." Xiao shifted in the bed, searching for comfort. He did not enjoy talking about the past, but knew that Aether would not leave without answers. "I worked with four other yakshas after the war ended. Together, we expelled the demons that plagued the land. When we released a demon, or any evil spirit, we took the burden of their karmic debt. Over time, my comrades were overwhelmed by it. They turned on each other. Killed each other." Xiao shut his eyes. "When I put on my mask, the power it gives me comes at the cost of karma. The same karma that drove the yakshas to their end. I hear the voices, the cries of the souls I've buried. What you witnessed was my burden that I carry. We adepti lent our power to Rex Lapis to aid in establishing Liyue Harbor, and to this day we-no, I uphold my contract."