Xiao was sick to his stomach. The idea that Childe turning out to be an ally to the group disgusted him--and don't get him started on the thought of Zhongli possibly falling for that act a second time. It would be an understatement to say that he wanted nothing to do with that harbinger ever again. But of course he just had to deal with him for awhile longer, and it was for your sake only.
"You mean..." Aether was still processing Zhongli's confession alongside the yaksha. "You tricked us? Again?"
"You're just as bad as Childe if you lie this much!" Paimon huffed in obvious disappointment before poofing out of the conversation.
"Forgive me for not informing you sooner; I made a grave mistake for trusting him the first time, but I will not leave you in the dark for a second." The former archon bowed his head in a deep apology after revealing what really happened in Fontaine all those weeks ago.
"And you knew of this, Xiao?"
"He informed me in a dream while I was still unconscious."
"I-I'm still wrapping my head around this," uttered the boy. "And now Childe is making the same move again? What're you going to do?"
"I think it's time to make our final move." The archon eyed the couple of Fatui agents walking past their table, careful to keep his voice lower than usual.
"As much as I want to, you can't join us. You'd be breaking your own contract. Isn't that a problem?" Zhongli didn't answer, so the traveler then turned to Xiao. "What do you want to do?"
"I..." The yaksha averted his eyes. I want to rescue her, he thought. I want to, but if she's not in contact with me, she won't be affected by my karma. Zhongli noticed the sour expression on Xiao's face and piped up.
"We do not need to decide our move right at this moment. A situation so dire cannot be approached lightly."
"She should stay where she is," Xiao muttered under his breath after Aether and Paimon ran off to do some commissions.
..............
"Are you just gonna stare at me or what?"
You were sitting with your back against the far wall of an unfamiliar cell while your hands were carefully placed on your lap to avoid touching the scummy floors. On the other side of the cell bars stood what was probably the shortest of the eleven harbingers.
Scaramouche didn't answer you, electing to deepen his scowl instead. His glare fell to the vision at your hip like he was trying to understand why the Tsaritsa refused to give him the order to confiscate it. Your gaze followed his until the faint glinting of the vision's glass was all you could focus on.
Why didn't she take it this time?
And that wasn't the only thing that was different about your second imprisonment. Your cell was painted in what you assumed to be anti-adeptus sigils like Xiao's cell had been. Maybe this was to prevent you from calling for Xiao; the threat of his capture seemed to weigh heavily on your shoulders, but something about this cell felt off and you couldn't put your finger on it. Why take this precautionary measure if she knew you wouldn't call for the yaksha for his own safety?
That question was answered a little too-quickly for your liking. One of Scaramouche's underlings brought in what looked like a toolkit, only to reveal a plethora of presumed torture objects inside.
"Is this really appropriate for you, my Lord? We can take over from here; you don't need to participate in an activity that would insult y--"
The harbinger shot him a dangerous look. "I don't remember asking for your input. Get out."
"Y-yes, sir. Excuse me!" The guard doubled over in an apologetic bow before scrambling out of the prison as fast as he was able to. Then Scaramouche's glare returned to you as he reached into the bag.
....................
I'm gonna kill them all. I'm gonna kill them. They'll all fall at my hands.
A blood trail tailed behind you as Fatui guards escorted your weakened body into the frigid throne room for the third time this week. They threw you to the tile floor, while your vision clinked unhappily against the hard surface. She still hadn't bothered to remove it; it was like she was taunting you with the illusion of power, and she shot you down every time you thought you'd take her by surprise.
I'm going to kill her, Xiao.
The coldness of the unwelcoming floor seemed to welcome you into your repeating nightmare while the hot blood that pooled in your mouth dripped onto the surface. Unlike the other times you were dragged in here, Childe wasn't present. It was a shame that the one who so badly wanted to be involved in the brawl was about to miss out. The tapping of a fingernail against metal prompted you to push yourself up to your knees.
She'll fall at my hands.
"Bow before Her Majesty, the Tsaritsa."
You just coughed up more blood without obeying. Twitching fingers were the remnants of Scaramouche's torture.
"The perseverance of humans truly is something to witness," the cryo archon muttered in distain. She had run out of patience; you were nothing more than a nuisance if you refused to work with her any longer, and it was a miracle that she put up with you longer than she would with her own men. "Very well. You'll die here. Any last words?"
"Y-You threatened them."
"If you wish to be heard, speak up."
"You threatened them," your voice raised loud enough for everyone to hear despite the fact that your throat was sore from the amount of screaming Scaramouche managed to get out of you. A small groan left your lips as you forced yourself to your unsteady feet. Blood coated your lips and chin, and soaked into your tattered shirt. "You threatened my friends, you've threatened Xiao, and you're ultimately responsible for my Granny's death. Your crimes against us and the people of Teyvat will never be forgiven. What do you have to say for yourself?"
"Hm." A hint of a wry smile was quickly overshadowed by hatred and disgust. She had heard enough of your disrespect, and it was clear beating you into submission wasn't working.
You caught the subtle twitch in her hand before she flicked her wrist and hurled an attack in your direction. Defiant feet remained planted, and a counterattack almost as quick as the Tsaritsa's was thrown her way. You didn't feel the blast of her magic reek havoc against your body, but subconsciously heard the sound of shattering glass right before you initiated your counterattack.
The Tsaritsa waved off the guards that readied to restrain you while hiding the beginnings of fear from her face. She'd kill you herself. The temperature dropped lower and lower until the entire room froze over and your fingers began to go numb. Of course, this wasn't because of your magic; you could drop the temperature below zero, but this was on a completely different scale.
"You've earned your friends' deaths as well!" The archon raged and stood from her seat with the intent to kill you on the spot. Shards upon shards whirled around her before shooting at your frail exhausted figure. "Morax's yaksha will join you in death for your disobedience. Thus is the punishment for disrespecting the will of your master!"
"You will not harm anyone!"
BOOM! The palace walls shook violently as the force of a shockwave ran through them--with you at the epicenter. A brilliant light shone from your eyes for a split second, though it made no difference in your tunnel vision of determination. This time, you were the one to lower the temperature. A growing layer of frost enveloped your skin in a warm embrace. Your power was a mix of ice and stormy gales that tore through the throne room at a vicious speed, sending Fatui agents and harbingers alike running for cover as the palace became an unstable battlefield.
............
Two days before.
"What kind of a suicide mission is that?!" Xiao growled out to the open night air with frustration, though he knew you couldn't hear nor feel his response. "This recklessness will be the end of you!" He took a deep breath to regain his composure and his gaze fell to his hands, which were enveloped in the fine black mist that was his accumulated karma. He couldn't keep his thought process of protecting you from himself if you were practically asking to be killed by the cryo archon. He wouldn't let that happen no matter what risks his karma may bring.
Days of grueling torture unlike anything you've faced before haunted his ears. He could tell that you never meant to pray to him these past several days, but somewhere in your delirious state of mind, clouded by pain, you called his name. Not for him to come and rescue you, no. That was a trick you weren't going to fall for and he wasn't rescuing you out of respect for your wishes.
But hearing your cries, you sobs, was a torture method in and of itself to Xiao.
After the first three days your agony turned to resentment, then to rage. You plotted. You schemed. You planned until you settled on what was probably the dumbest 'solution' to your problems. And Xiao heard every word.
"FOOL!" Overcome with frustration yet again, Xiao impaled the nearest tree with his polearm. The winds whipped violently through its leaves until he let out another aggravated sigh. He looked down to Liyue Harbor and the sunrise that began to chase away the shadows. Yelling would result in nothing and it was immature of him to do so. He would go to Zhongli, and summon Aether. There was no time to waste.
............
What awaited them at Zapolyarny Palace was nothing short of stupefying. They were met with a stampede of shaken guards that were so disorganized and distraught, they didn't even notice that intruders had broken into the palace. The three of them exchanged knowing glances before Zhongli led the way to the throne room. It was then that a powerful shockwave--loud enough to be a sonic boom-- nearly threw them into the wall behind them as the doors flew open.
"You will not harm anyone," muffled words reached the ears of the intruders. "Not me, not Zhongli, not Aether, and certainly not Xiao!"
It took a moment for Xiao to process what he was looking at; the snowstorm that raged on was barely contained in the throne room, and white obscured the battle for the most part. He didn't need a clear image of you to pick up on your words.
A new light appeared above you and this time you caught sight of it. Six star-like objects lit up a similar color to Xiao's hair and connected to one another. You paid no mind to it, as it disappeared as quickly as it came. The storm grew violent, and much like your most recent confrontation with Childe, your power was harming yourself. Icicles shredded your worn-out garments. The wind turned so sharply that it bit into your skin.
"That shouldn't be possible," Zhongli's widened gaze lingered where those stars had appeared above your head.
"So you saw that too," Aether mumbled in bewilderment as he also stared at the same empty air. I thought the people of Teyvat needed Stella Fortuna to unlock their constellations? He snapped out of his daze quicker than Zhongli. "Let's go, we need to help her!"
Xiao blocked their advance with his polearm. "Wait."
"You think we should wait?" Paimon hissed. "She needs our help!"
The yaksha ignored their hesitance and kept his narrowed eyes on the blurry image of you in the distance. Rely on me. Call out my name. If he was allowing himself to be vulnerable with you now, risking your safety from his karma, then it was your turn to do the same. Call out my name, and I'll be there when you call.
"DIE!" The Tsaritsa waved her hand through the air and summoned a glade of ice that was meant to slice you in two.
"I won't succumb so easily!" A blast of wind erupted from your side, and it cut the ice in half before it could reach you.
Wind? Anemo? Zhongli sent a glance to Xiao's figure. Could this be...
You pushed off the ground with the aid of the wind, and a flurry of snow hurled towards the Tsaritsa. She shot shards through it, and they impaled the ceiling after clearing the fog. You weren't there.
The archon spun around and was met with the devilish amber eyes of an adeptus and the cocky grin of her weapon of war. This power--The wind kicked up the accumulated layers of snow from the floor and blocked her line of sight again. A sharp pain sliced through the backs of her knees, and she crumpled to the ground. The speed of your movements was unlike anything your friends have seen from you before.
You landed before her and relished the feeling of having a literal god kneeling at your feet. Maybe you weren't so unlike Childe after all; if this sight made you feel that good, then one could understand the harbinger's obsession with battle. The three friends behind you--who you had yet to notice--took note of the Childe-like expression on your face. You summoned your iced polearm. Or...tried to. A quick glance to your hand confirmed it was still empty despite your attempts. Instead, a cold breeze playfully weaved between your fingertips. Huh? Did I exhaust myself? I feel fine...
"Ha...haha...Hahahaha!" A wicked cackle sent chills down your spine, and you returned your attention to the god that was hunched before you. "You may have picked up on my Childe's arrogance, but you wield it like a weakness." You anticipated her next move from the growing of sheer cold, but with your current position, there was no way you'd be able to dodge it in time. She swung her arm out to you.
The name fell from your lips without thinking. "Xiao-!" WHOOSH! The blast of air knocked you onto your butt, and your vision cleared to view an unsettlingly-silent battlefield. For several seconds, the cyclone calmed.
"Tch." The sound of a struggle made you look up. There was your yaksha, neck-at-neck with the cryo archon. He held his polearm in a blocking position, and it rattled uncomfortably against the force of the ice sword that pushed against it. The pair were staring daggers at one another.
"Xiao!"
"Took you long enough. Leave the killing to me. Leave, now."
"There's no way I'm leaving you by yourself!" You pushed yourself to your feet and ran towards them.
Xiao picked up on the sound of your footsteps, and glanced back at you for a split second. "Get back!" He could almost feel the grin that spread on the god's face as you got closer. "Move!" Panicked, Xiao pushed back against the Tsaritsa before dashing through the air and pulling you with him just in time to avoid what would've been a devastating blow of the god's power.
The sharp movements made your stomach do a flip or two, but you didn't have time to puke. The Tsaritsa levitated towards the two of you, who were now standing side-by-side with Xiao's hand placed lightly between your shoulder blades. Your eyes met his, but you couldn't tell what he was thinking. Instead, you nodded in encouragement just in case he wasn't on-board with you still being here with him.
The yaksha seemed to understand on some level, and nodded back before returning his eyes to the god above you. "Now."