Best read in black
You walk up the stairs of Wangshu Inn, your long white boots (now covered in mud) in your hand and you have just gotten your breath back after running across the swamp in Bishui Plain, you had just finished defeating a fleet of fatui, you left the fight with a few bruises and scrapes but the same couldn't be said about your shoes. You make up it up the stairs to where Verr Godlet's desk was.
It's been a few days since you had the last meeting with the Qixing and you accepted your task to find Xiao, unfortunately, you haven't found a single lead. The Qixing didn't have any information about Xiao either. You had planned on asking Zhongli but to no avail, he was nowhere to be found so you decided to head out by yourself. Although you had no idea the boy that you had seen on the balcony of the Wangshu Inn had kept coming to your mind.
Who was he? The way he talked was so stern but the language itself reminded you of how Zhongli spoke, Zhongli words were softer but the language was the same, could that boy really be the Adeptus you were looking for?
"Traveler, your black and blue, oh dear and your shoes let me get those cleaned for you," Verr took you out of your daydream and brought you back to reality.
"Thank you, Verr," you say graciously as she takes your shoes
"Of course traveller, you're a great help around here, now let's get you some food"
"Oh yes! Paimon thinks that is a great idea" Paimon says with an enthusiastic grin.
Chef Smiley cooks you and Paimon some food from the ingredients you collected for him today (that put him in a good mood).
"This meat is perfect," Paimon says rubbing her stomach, you agree 100% with that statement and sit back in your chair. The air is warm but has a cool breeze that feels great against your skin, you look across at the view of Bishui Plains, it is absolutely beautiful, the dark sky illuminated by bright stars and the moon reflecting on the glassy water, you can still see some birds flying across the sky. You sigh and shut your eyes as you think about what Keqing and Ninguang asked you. You are broken out of your trance by the obnoxious Paimon
"Y/N, Paimon is tired are you going to sleep too?" your companion asked.
"Maybe later, but you go ahead" you smile at Paimon.
"But you must be tired Y/N, remember you wanted to go into the Harbour in the morning" Verr calls from above
"I won't stay up late, don't worry" you speak loudly so Verr can hear you.
"Are you two finished, I need these dishes done before I go to bed" Smiley says impatiently and you bow your head.
"Oh! No, no, don't worry about the dishes I will do them, you get some sleep, thank you for dinner" you say waving your hands.
Smiley nods in thanks, you look back at Paimon who had already used your words earlier to take her to leave to bed.
You sit for a little while longer and get up to do your and Paimon's dishes, it was around midnight and both Verr and Smiley were gone.
The inn was quiet and the atmosphere was both peaceful and unnerving, you felt extremely alone although you knew there were people close by, you felt numb. You were standing on the balcony now and had tears rolling down your face, you stayed like that for a while before wiping away your tears.
You weren't sad, that wasn't it, you were scared, scared of failure, scared of being alone.
You had so many times you needed to do and so many people you had to meet, to help, you were on edge of being tired of it all, what were you doing all of this for?
"Snap out of it Y/N, you're here for a reason now stop it," you told yourself, you decide to head to bed and start walking towards the interior of the Inn when time turned into slow motion, before you even managed to turn around a strong force of wind came plummeting down on top of you, you felt yourself fall backwards but was caught. There, staring at you and holding you from falling was the same boy you saw only a few nights ago. Absolutely gorgeous, soft porcelain face with soft features, short, dark hair with blue-green highlights, amber eyes, everything about him was taking your breath away. You shut your wide-open would but your eyes were still bulging in shock and even he looks a little bit shocked, but why? The boy finally like go of you and backed away suddenly acting annoyed.
"What are you doing here?" He growled, his voice was so husky you had almost forgotten.
"So this is what woke me up that other night, who are you?" You press getting straight to the point.
"I have no desire to answer your questions," The boy said folding his arms.
"cut the crap, this is important, like Liyue itself on the line important" you snap having enough of his blasé attitude. The boy was taken aback by your comment but hid it. "You are Xiao, aren't you?" Xiao huffed in confirmation.
"Who sent you?" He prodded.
"The Liyue Qixing, we need your help"
"The Liyue Qixing? What is it?"
"There are rumours that the Fontaine Archon is here in Liyue and the Fatui are planning on overthrowing Liyue along their way" you let it out in one breath and Xiao cradled his chin with his hand, thinking.
"I see," He said, almost in another place "I have noticed you before, you aren't a part of the Liyue Qixing?"
"No, but I'm a friend of theirs and more so Zhongli" Xiao looked up at you with wide eyes snapping out of whatever daze he was in previously.
"Zhongli?" he asked questionably, wondering if you actually knew Zhongli was Morax
"I know who Zhongli is," you say reassuring him
"Who are you?"
"You're just going have to find that out, won't you, that is if you agreed to help"
"I made a promise to Rex Lapis long ago that I would protect Liyue, I am not doing this for the Qixing" or you, he thought.
"Great, so that is yes," you say cheerily, genuinely feeling happy "when can I count on seeing you next?" you ask, not expecting a response
"That is not up to you or I to decide-" Xiao says looking away stopping mid-sentence "If you ever find trouble, speak my name," he says before disappearing as quickly as he appeared.
You felt a ping of sadness when Xiao left, as much as you would hate to admit you didn't want him to leave you alone.
As if mother nature herself felt your emotions, the warm air and nice weather disappeared; being replaced with dark clouds and a violent breeze. It felt like Liyues emotions had completely changed but there was no one else with you to witness it, but you felt it.
You retired from your spot on the balcony as you saw the sky slowly turn from black to purple and the sun slowly creeping out from behind the mountains in Jueyun Karst and letting its beams seep over the Liyue landscape.
Guessing from the many other Liyue sunrises you've witnessed it was probably around 5 am, zoning out was really seeming to be a problem for you. You decide to head to your room to get at least an hours of sleep as you felt that today was going to be a long day.
"Y/NNNNNN!!!" Yelled a familiar, annoying, high-pitched voice.
This is when you really start to regret staying up so late. Your eyelids were heavy and you felt like it would probably have been better just staying up. "Y/N? ARE YOU AWAKE" the ear-piercing voice yelled again.
"YES PAIMON I'M AWAKE" you tried to yell but ended up in a loud whisper but it seemed like Paimon heard you and the voice went away. You sigh a breath of relief and start getting out of bed, the bamboo woven pillows and sheets had never felt more inviting before. You were up and dressed within minutes and reluctantly walked out of your room, combing through your hair as it was all messed up.
You walk out to the main area of Wangshu inn, a bright day warm day as you saw in your bedroom, Verr behind the counter, Smiley in the kitchen cooking up whatever your travel companion had requested for breakfast and Paimon out there waiting for you. But you didn't. There was no one there, nothing but for an empty foyer, this would be weird but obviously not too alarming except that it was dark, much too dark.
You begin to panic thinking of old memories and run out onto the balcony for air thinking you had slept through to night? Maybe you had only just gotten to bed and you imagined Paimon yelling for you? You were thinking through so many scenarios in your mind but when you reached the balcony all of them were shattered. The sky was black, not even the sky, there was nothing there, no mountains, stars, no Liyue, nothing just black.
"No, no, no, not again" you whisper "please not again," you say louder until you start yelling
"No, where are you, where are you?"