~^Silent Promises^~

~^Beyond the Shadows^~ [End]

[TW su1cid3]

The ground trembled beneath Aether’s feet as he trudged forward, each step carrying the weight of unseen burdens. The Chasm, once a place of quiet, now seemed alive—corrupted, twisted by forces beyond comprehension. The air was thick, suffocating, as though the very fabric of reality was unraveling beneath them.

Aether glanced over at Xiao, who walked a few steps ahead. His face was pale, his expression haunted by the echoes of the past. The visions of his fallen comrades—the Yaksha he had failed—lingered in his mind, each one a painful reminder of his perceived inadequacy. Xiao carried a quiet grief that spoke of centuries of solitude and guilt. Aether could feel it, the way Xiao’s shoulders hunched with the weight of his own self-reproach.

"Aether," Xiao’s voice cut through the silence, hollow and distant, "do you think they’ll ever forgive me?"

Aether hesitated before answering. "Forgiveness… isn’t something that can be given or taken," he said quietly, his voice steady. "It’s something you have to find within yourself."

Xiao stopped walking, his head bowed. "And what if I can’t?" His voice cracked, filled with the rawness of despair.

Aether reached out and gently placed a hand on Xiao’s shoulder. "Then I’ll be here to remind you of who you are, Xiao. The man who still fights for Liyue. The man who refuses to let the past define him."

For a moment, Xiao didn’t respond. The weight of Aether’s words lingered between them. Slowly, Xiao turned to look at him, his expression softened but uncertain. "How can you be so sure?"

Aether smiled faintly. "Because I’ve walked through the shadows too. And I know the darkness tries to make you forget who you are, but it can’t if you don’t let it."

Xiao looked down at the ground, his thoughts churning. "I’ve carried this burden for so long. I wonder if there’s any part of me left that’s not broken."

Aether placed his hands on Xiao’s shoulders, his grip firm. "Then we’ll fix each other, Xiao. You’re not alone in this."

Xiao let out a shaky breath, his fingers twitching as though battling an unseen force. He nodded, though the struggle was still reflected in his eyes. "I… I don’t know if I can be saved."

Aether’s expression grew serious. "We’re both lost, Xiao. But we’re still here. That has to count for something."

The Chasm seemed to darken further, the air growing colder as if the land itself mourned their struggles. They pressed on, deeper into the heart of the corrupted void.

---

The deeper they ventured, the more the Chasm revealed its true, haunting nature. The ruins they passed were in ruins—broken pillars, crumbled staircases, and jagged fissures that split the earth. But there was something far more unsettling beneath it all. Aether could feel it in his bones, a primal, ancient energy that pulsed like a heartbeat beneath their feet.

Xiao’s quiet footsteps beside him seemed to grow heavier with each step, as though the weight of his past was trying to drag him down into the abyss.

"It’s here," Xiao whispered, his voice barely audible.

Aether followed his gaze and froze. Shadows began to writhe and coil in the cracks of the earth. Ghostly figures, indistinct and spectral, emerged from the void. They were Yaksha—figures from a past long gone, and yet not forgotten.

They did not speak, but their haunting gazes pierced through Xiao, each one a mirror of his own pain. "Xiao," one of them whispered, their voice echoing in his mind. "You’ve forsaken us."