Xiao X Reader [A Fragment of My Memories]

[28] A Desire to Remember

Zhongli led you to a quiet corner of the city, away from the noisy tavern. The sea and some ships were in clear view as you stood underneath a large tree. "We can talk freely here," he said, gazing at the scenery ahead. 

You nodded quietly, as calm as the gentle breeze that swayed the tree's leaves. But even he could tell your thoughts were the exact opposite of calm, just by the look on your face. 

You didn't speak for a while, lost in your own thoughts. Zhongli observed you, feeling more and more guilty as each second of silence passed.

'Maybe I shouldn't have brought her there. It might have been too soon...' 

Suddenly, you look at Zhongli. "The things that the storyteller mentioned... I'm experiencing it, too," you said. 

He turns to you with wide eyes. 

"I've always had these dreams. They were almost like memories."

"Memories? What did you see?" Zhongli asked. 'Was that ancient tale enough to make her remember?' 

You hesitated for a bit. "Golden feathers. I think it belonged to a kind of bird, and..." you averted your eyes, spotting a fresh yellow leaf on the ground. "And a pair of eyes. They... remind me a lot of Xiao's eyes."

Zhongli remained silent, urging you to continue on.

"That's why when I first met Xiao, something– no, everything about him felt familiar," you admitted, staring down at the ground to hide the blush on your cheeks. 

'I see. It seems like their meeting was not just a coincidence after all.' 

Zhongli chuckled. "I've been told you were really insistent on befriending Xiao back then. Now I know why." 

You tensed up, looking up at him with wide eyes. "W-Wait! I didn't mean–"

"It's fine, (Y/N). Nothing to be embarrassed about." The corners of his lips curled upwards in a small smile. "Do you remember anything else?" 

You shook your head. "No. Everything after that is just... a blur. I don't understand what's going on," you sigh. "I keep having more dreams, I'm sure. But I'd immediately forget about them once I woke up."   

Zhongli furrowed his brows as the smile faded away. "I see... so you don't remember yet." 

"Remember?" Your eyes widened. "Am I... forgetting something?"

He nods. "Remember the storyteller's words," he reminds you, crossing his arms. "What he said is not just a tale, (Y/N)."

The booming voice of the storyteller resounded through your head. "That can't be right," you insisted, almost chuckling to yourself. "You're making it sound like... like..."

"Like you're a reincarnation. Yes." Zhongli looked you in the eye. It was especially intimidating due to how tall he was.  

Thick silence filled the air as you looked up at him in shock. 

"Reincarnation...? You mean I've lived a previous life?" you repeated his words. "That's... impossible. That can't be right! That can't be–"

Suddenly, you felt a sharp pain course through your head. It was worse, much worse than the ones from before. You immediately clutched your head, whimpering as your body felt too heavy to stand. Your knees buckled, leading you to lose your balance and fall backward. 

"(Y/N)!" 

Frantically, Zhongli reaches out to catch you. But before he could, a strong gust of wind roared, forcing him to step back and shield his eyes from the multitude of leaves that flew with the wind's force. That same wind settled underneath you, stopping you just before you hit your head on the ground.