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The wind screamed through the jagged spires of Jueyun Karst, a relentless howl that echoed the turmoil of ancient battles long etched into the stone. These peaks, guardians of Liyue's hidden secrets, stood as silent sentinels over valleys shrouded in perpetual mist. The air hummed with latent elemental energy, Geo pulses from the earth's core, Anemo whispers from the winds that had shaped the cliffs over millennia. Qingxin flowers clung stubbornly to crevices, their pale petals a rare splash of delicacy in this unforgiving terrain. It was a place where mortals seldom ventured, where the veil between the mundane and the divine thinned to a thread, and where Xiao had chosen his exile. Here, the karmic debt that plagued him felt almost tangible, a shadow that fed on solitude and silence.
But solitude shattered with a single, desperate cry.
"Xiao–!"
The name pierced the ether like a blade, tugging at the invisible chains of his contract. Xiao didn't question it; he never did when it came from Aether. The Traveler's voice carried a weight that bypassed reason, stirring something deeper than duty, a flicker of concern, unspoken and unwelcome. In a swirl of teal Anemo and shadow, Xiao teleported, materializing on a fractured plateau where chaos reigned.
The scene assaulted his senses immediately. Shattered rock formations littered the ground, evidence of a fierce skirmish. The air reeked of void-tainted ozone, a sickly corruption that spoke of the Abyss encroaching on sacred ground. Ley lines pulsed erratically beneath the surface, disrupted by the intruders' presence. And there, amid the debris, was Aether, backed against a towering pillar carved with faded Adepti sigils, his golden hair matted with sweat and dust, his traveler's cloak torn and bloodied.
Aether wielded his sword with grim determination, the blade glowing faintly with Anemo resonance, but fatigue dragged at his movements. His breaths came in sharp, labored gasps, and a gash across his arm wept crimson, staining the stone at his feet. Surrounding him were five Abyss Heralds. There were two Hydro variants dripping with inky water that corroded the earth where it fell, two Electro ones crackling with violet arcs that danced like malevolent spirits, and one larger Cryo Herald, its form armored in jagged ice that reflected the dying light of the sun.
The creatures moved in unison, a pack of void-born predators. One Hydro Herald lunged, summoning a torrent of pressurized water that slammed into Aether's hastily raised shield, forcing him back a step. An Electro counterpart followed, hurling a bolt that singed the air and clipped Aether's side, drawing a hiss of pain. The Cryo one hung back, frost creeping across the ground toward him like grasping fingers.
Aether's eyes widened as he spotted Xiao, laced with relief.
Xiao's spear appeared in his grip, the Jade Primordial's ancient weight grounding him. He didn't speak; words were superfluous in battle. Instead, he surged forward, body a blur of honed precision. Centuries of warfare as a Yaksha had forged him into a weapon: swift, merciless, unyielding. He targeted the nearest Hydro Herald, his polearm thrusting in a verdant arc that pierced its chest plate. The creature shrieked, dissolving into black mist that recoiled like a living thing, but not before spraying a final burst of corrosive water that Xiao dodged with a dash.
An Electro Herald reacted, whipping a blade of condensed lightning toward him. Xiao parried, the impact vibrating up his arms, and countered with a plunge attack. Anemo energy exploded from his spear tip, shredding the Herald's form. Two down, but the remaining ones were closing in, their charges building.
"Stay back!" Aether shouted, swinging his sword to fend off the Cryo Herald's advance. Ice shards flew, one grazing his cheek and drawing a thin line of blood. He channeled his own elemental energy, creating a whirlwind that pushed the creature back momentarily, but the effort cost him; his stance faltered, sword arm trembling.
Xiao vanished in a puff of wind, reappearing beside Aether. "Focus on yourself," he growled, low and commanding, as he intercepted an Electro bolt aimed at the Traveler.
The energy deflected off his spear, but the Herald adapted, summoning a chain of lightning that arced unpredictably. Xiao leaped, mask flickering into view to amplify his speed, and drove his weapon through the second Electro Herald's mask. It crumpled, sparks dying in a final sputter.
The remaining Hydro Herald pressed, unleashing a barrage of raindrop-like bullets that hit the plateau like tiny explosions. Xiao danced through them, body twisting in mid-air, spear whirling to block and redirect. One grazed his shoulder, searing flesh, but he ignored it- pain was an old companion.
The Hydro Herald surged toward Aether again, blades extended. Aether met it head-on, their weapons clashing in a spray of water and sparks. "I can handle this one," he panted, but his voice betrayed exhaustion. The Traveler had traversed nations, felled gods and dragons, yet here in Jueyun Karst's isolation, without allies, his limits showed.
Xiao moved to assist, but the Cryo Herald intervened, slamming a fist into the ground to summon a wall of ice that separated them. Frost bit at Xiao's skin as he shattered through it with a charged strike, shards exploding outward.
"Persistent vermin," he muttered, spear flashing in a series of rapid jabs that chipped away at the Herald’s armor.
Aether dispatched the Hydro Herald with a final, Anemo-infused slash, the creature vanishing in a puddle of void. But victory was illusory. The Cryo Herald roared, channeling a massive blizzard that whipped snow and ice across their battlefield, visibility dropping to near zero. Xiao's senses sharpened; he could feel the elemental currents, the abyss pulsing like a heartbeat.
Through the storm, he saw it: a massive ice lance forming, aimed not at him, but at Aether, who was disoriented, wiping both blood and snow from his eyes.
No time. There was no time to hesitate, no time to think of a better solution.
Xiao leaped forward, shoving Aether clear with a forceful push. The Traveler stumbled, crying out in surprise, while the lance struck Xiao square in the head.
Impact. A frozen hammer crashed against his skull, ice shattering on contact but driving the force deep. He flew backwards, nearly horizontal in the air for a moment before hitting the ground with a loud crash. Pain erupted instantaneously, a blinding supernova behind his eyes that drowned out the world in white-hot agony.
Xiao’s vision splintered into fragments, jagged shards of color and shadow swirling in a vortex as he stared up at the sky. Dizziness hit like a tidal wave, everything tilting wildly as if the earth itself had betrayed him. Nausea roiled in his gut, and he might have even thrown up, but he had no idea what was going on anymore. His ears rang with a high-pitched whine, muffling Aether's distant scream. Blood welled immediately, hot and sticky, trickling down his temple and into his already-swelling eye, blurring what little sight remained.
The karmic debt seized the moment, amplifying everything. Ghostly whispers turned to shrieks, past sins flashed in vivid, nauseating detail: bloodied fields, fallen comrades, the weight of eons crushing down. Xiao’s limbs went numb, unresponsive, as if strings had been cut. He felt like he was submerged in a thick syrup. Darkness clawed in, pulling him under with merciless hooks. No strength to fight it. Only oblivion, cold and absolute, nearly swallowing him whole.
Only some sounds filtered in: clashes of steel, elemental bursts, grunts of effort. The battle was still raging. He could sense Aether standing above his fallen form, defensively. He knew that he had, at most, a few seconds left.
Xiao tried to move, to force his eyes open, but his body betrayed him. Unconsciousness clung stubbornly, now pulling him under completely.
The Adeptus lay motionless, blood pooling beneath his head, chest rising in shallow, erratic breaths. The Cryo Herald loomed, frost creeping toward them, its remaining arm raised for another strike.
"No!" Aether shouted. Adrenaline surged, banishing fatigue. He positioned himself between the monster and Xiao, sword raised. The blizzard still raged, but Aether channeled Anemo to clear a pocket of air around them, shielding an unconscious Xiao.
"You won't lay another finger on him," he snarled, voice raw with protectiveness he'd never voiced aloud.
The Herald charged, ice shards hurtling like arrows. Aether dodged, rolling to the side and countering with a gust that cracked its armor. Pain from his own wounds flared, the gash on his arm, the burn on his side, but he pushed it down. Xiao had saved him; now it was his turn.
The creature summoned spikes from the ground, forcing Aether to leap and twist. He landed awkwardly, knee jarring, but pressed the attack.
"Come on!" he taunted, drawing it away from Xiao. Anemo swirled around his blade as he unleashed a vortex, pulling the Herald off-balance. It staggered, and Aether capitalized, slashing at exposed joints. Ice shattered, void essence leaking.
But the Herald wasn't done. It retaliated with a sweeping beam of Cryo energy, freezing the air in its path. Aether barely evaded, the edge catching his boot and numbing his foot. He gritted his teeth, switching elements, drawing on Geo resonance from the land itself, summoning a shield of rock that absorbed the next assault.
"You're not taking him from me," Aether growled, eyes blazing. The words carried weight, unspoken feelings bubbling up: affection for the stoic Adeptus, fear of losing him, guilt for the call that had led to this.
The fight dragged on, minutes stretching like hours. Aether's movements slowed, breaths heaving, but determination burned bright. He feinted left, then struck right, his sword piercing the Herald's core. With a final, shattering cry, it dissolved into mist, the blizzard dissipating.
Silence fell, broken only by Aether's ragged panting. He dropped to his knees beside Xiao, hands shaking as he checked for a pulse. Faint, but there. "Xiao... wake up. Please."
Gently, he cradled Xiao's head, assessing the injury- a deep gash at the temple, swelling already. Concussion definitely, probably worse with his karma's influence. They couldn't stay here; it was nearing dusk and he knew the Abyss would send backup.
Aether gathered his strength, slinging Xiao's arm over his shoulder. The Adeptus was lighter than he expected, but still a burden with Aether's own injuries. He half-dragged, half-carried him across the plateau, toward a narrow path leading to a secluded cave he remembered from earlier exploration. The cave was nestled in the cliffside, hidden by overhanging vines and Qingxin blooms, a natural shelter.
The journey was grueling. Stones shifted underfoot, Aether's vision swam from exhaustion. But he persisted, murmuring encouragement to Xiao’s limp form. "Almost there. Hold on."
As they crossed the threshold into the cave's dim interior, the ground trembled faintly, a low rumble echoing through the stone, as if the mountain itself protested the intrusion. Aether paused, glancing back at the entrance, but the quake seemed to pass. Dim light filtered through the cave, originating from faint rune-like markings carved in the walls. A small spring trickled in the corner, fresh water pooling in a natural basin.
Aether eased Xiao down until he was flat on his back, propping his head carefully. "Xiao?" He tried to rouse him again, voice soft but urgent, leaning over him to check the wound.
Before he could even reach for the bag on his back, the rumble returned, louder this time, building to a roar. Rocks groaned overhead; dust sifted from the ceiling. Aether's eyes widened. "No–!"
He threw his body over Xiao’s.
The entrance collapsed in a cascade of stone and earth, boulders tumbling down in a deafening crash that sealed the opening with a wall of debris. The impact shook the cave, sending rocks skittering everywhere. One struck Aether on the back of the head, not hard enough to split skin, but with force to make him cry out. He staggered, hands clutching at nothing as he tried to catch himself, but eventually slumped forward onto the ground, darkness rushing in.
༉‧₊˚.જ⁀➴
Time slipped away in the now-sealed cave, hours bleeding into a full day and night, marked only by the slow crawl of light through the remaining cracks high above and the ceaseless murmur of the spring. The mountain wind was muffled now, distant through the new barrier of stone, and inside it was quiet. The faint runes on the walls glowed with a muted amber pulse every so often, offering what little comfort they could. Dust from the collapse hung in the air, settling slowly like a fine veil.
Neither stirred for a long while. Their bodies, pushed far beyond endurance, demanded surrender.
But Aether ended up waking first.
It was not a gentle awakening. Pain dragged him up from the darkness, a dull ache at the back of his skull where the rock had clipped him, a faint throb in his arm from the shallow gash, a lingering sting from the minor burn on his side. His mouth tasted of dust and stone. For a long moment, he simply lay there with the cool ground against his cheek, staring at nothing, letting the world settle back into focus.
Then he remembered.
“Xiao–” Aether pushed himself up into a sitting position, biting back a hiss. His gaze snapped to the figure beside him as he tried to stop the dizziness.
Xiao had not moved.
The Adeptus lay exactly where Aether had placed him, body unnaturally still. His breathing was shallow and uneven, each exhale a faint rasp that barely stirred the air. Blood had soaked through the dark strands of his hair, matting it to his temple and cheek. The swelling around the wound had worsened in the hours of unconsciousness, purple-black bruising blooming outward like spilled ink, the skin split in a jagged line that wept slow crimson. Even in the dim light, Aether could see the faint tremor that ran through Xiao’s frame every few breaths, as though something inside him was fighting a silent battle.
“Xiao?” Aether’s voice cracked on the single word. He reached out, trembling fingers brushing Xiao’s cheek. It was cold, clammy. “Hey. Come on. Wake up.”
No answer. Not even a flicker of an eyelid.
Aether’s heart slammed against his ribs. He pressed two fingers to the side of Xiao’s throat, searching for the pulse he’d felt before. It was there- slow, thready, but there. Relief hit him so hard it hurt.
“Okay,” he whispered to himself, to the cave, to Xiao. “Okay. You’re okay.”
He forced himself to move.
First, his own injuries. He couldn’t help Xiao if he bled out himself. With shaking hands, Aether dragged his bag closer. It had flown off his back and the contents had scattered slightly in the collapse; he gathered what he could reach without standing. Waterskin. A salve vial. Rolled silk bandages he had picked up from Bubu Pharmacy earlier that morning. A few strips torn from his spare scarf.
He cleaned his arm as best he could, teeth sunk into his lower lip to stifle the sounds he wanted to make. Cold water stung the raw edges of the gash; he poured a little salve over it, the sharp mint-and-herb scent cutting through the metallic tang of blood. Wrapping was awkward one-handed, but he managed.
The burn on his side got a thinner layer of salve and a makeshift pad held in place by some silk tied around his waist. The bump on his head from the rock was tender but superficial. No blood, just a bruise forming.
Only then did he turn his full attention to Xiao.
Aether moved slowly. He started by easing Xiao’s head into his lap, cradling it with infinite care so the injured area no longer rested directly on the ground. The Adeptus’s skin was fever-hot beneath the chill of dried blood. Infection had set in quickly.
“Stay with me,” Aether murmured, voice low and steady despite the tremor in his chest. “Please… just keep breathing.”
The injury looked worse in the pale light, swollen, the edges bruised a deep violet-black, blood still oozing sluggishly despite the earlier cleaning. Aether swallowed hard. The karmic debt… he could almost feel it, a low, malevolent pressure in the air around Xiao, feeding on the injury like rot in a wound.
He wet a fresh strip of cloth and began cleaning the wound properly. The blood had crusted thickly; it took several gentle passes to clear it away. Each time the cloth brushed the swollen edge, Xiao’s brow twitched faintly, a soft, pained sound escaping his throat, half groan, half exhale. There was no recognition, only a small, instinctive reaction that proved he was still in there somewhere.
Aether’s throat tightened.
“I know. I know it hurts.” He kept his voice soft, steady, even as his own hands shook. “I’m trying to be gentle, I promise.”
He pressed the damp scarf to the swollen skin, holding it there for long seconds to let the cold ease the heat. When he pulled it away, the gash looked marginally cleaner, though no less vicious. Aether opened the salve again, and for this he used almost half the vial, spreading the thick, mint-scented paste over every inch of torn flesh and bruised skin. The smell cut through the cave’s damp mineral scent, sharp and clean.
Xiao groaned again, louder this time. His head shifted weakly on Aether’s lap, a small flinch away from the pain. Aether’s free hand came up immediately, cradling the uninjured side of Xiao’s face, thumb brushing gently along his cheekbone.
“Shh, it’s okay. It’s almost over.”
He waited until the salve had soaked in, then began the careful process of bandaging. The silk was soft and strong; he folded it into a thick pad, laid it gently over the gash, and wrapped longer strips around Xiao’s head to hold it in place.
“I’m sorry. I know. Just a little longer. You’re doing so well.”
When he was finished, he sat back slightly, still cradling Xiao’s head in his lap. The Adeptus’s face looked marginally less like death now that the blood was cleaned away, but the bruising stood out starkly against pale skin, and the fever worried Aether more than anything else.
Aether pressed the back of his hand to Xiao’s cheek, then forehead. Too warm. His karmic debt no doubt helped spread the infection faster, and it was burning him from the inside out. He brushed a strand of teal hair away from Xiao’s bandaged temple, fingers lingering.
Xiao’s breathing had steadied slightly after bandaging, a little steadier. The karmic shadows under his eyes hadn’t faded, but they hadn’t deepened either. Aether let out a long, trembling breath and pressed the heels of his hand to his own eyes for a moment, trying to keep the panic at bay.
He reached for the nearby waterskin, uncorked it, and carefully lifted Xiao’s head just enough to rest it in the crook of his arm. Xiao’s head lolled limply, too heavy, too unresponsive. Aether brought the waterskin to his lips.
“Just a little,” he coaxed. “You need water for that fever. Come on.”
Aether tried to let him drink on his own first, letting the smallest trickle of water touch.
Nothing.
Xiao’s mouth stayed slack, the water simply pooling at the corner and sliding uselessly down the side of his jaw, soaking into his shirt. Each failed attempt left a thin, glistening trail across his cheek, catching the faint rune-light like tears he could not shed. His throat worked in tiny, reflexive swallows, but the muscles were too slack, too uncoordinated; the water went nowhere useful.
Aether’s chest tightened. He couldn’t let the fever climb any higher. Xiao was already burning up, skin radiating heat through the thin fabric, breaths coming shorter and more labored as the karmic debt fed on his weakness.
“Okay,” Aether whispered, more to himself than to the unconscious Adeptus. “We’ll do it the hard way.”
He set the waterskin aside for a moment and placed the pads of his index and middle fingers lightly against the front of Xiao’s throat, right over the soft hollow.
He started with slow, gentle circles, barely any pressure at first, just enough to remind Xiao’s body what swallowing felt like. Up and down in a soft, rhythmic massage, coaxing the muscles. Xiao’s pulse fluttered weakly under his fingertips, hot and erratic, but Aether kept the motion steady.
After a few passes, he lifted the waterskin again, letting a thin stream drip directly onto Xiao’s tongue. At the same moment, he pressed a little firmer. Two deliberate, slow strokes downward along the line of the throat, guiding the reflex.
Xiao’s body finally responded.
A small, choked sound rose in his chest. The throat muscles contracted once, weakly, beneath Aether’s fingers. The water slid down in a shallow gulp. Some escaped to wet Xiao’s chin, but most of it went where it needed to go. Aether felt the faint bob against his palm, the tiny ripple of muscle working on instinct.
“Good,” Aether breathed. “That’s it.”
He repeated this several times.
When Xiao had taken as much as he could manage, Aether lowered his head back to the ground, careful not to jar him. He took off his torn cloak and draped it over Xiao’s chest and shoulders like a blanket, tucking it around him against the cave’s chill. Then he settled beside him, close enough that Aether could feel the faint rise and fall of Xiao’s breathing against his leg.
He took Xiao’s hand in his and didn’t let go.
༉‧₊˚.જ⁀➴
Aether sat in the dimness, Xiao’s hand cradled loosely in his own, thumb tracing slow, absent circles over the adeptus’s knuckles. The skin there was too cool in places, fever-hot in others, as though the body couldn’t decide whether to burn or freeze. Xiao’s fingers remained limp and unresponsive, but Aether held on anyway, like the contact alone might tether him to the world.
The runes on the walls pulsed again, amber light flickering across the moss like distant fireflies. The spring kept its quiet trickle, a steady metronome in the silence. Dust motes drifted lazily through the thin shafts of light that managed to pierce the high cracks, catching on the faint sheen of sweat across Xiao’s brow.
Aether’s own head throbbed dully where the rock had struck him, but it was nothing compared to the weight pressing against his ribs. Guilt, fear, and something softer and more dangerous that he didn’t dare name.
He should have been faster, should have seen the lance forming sooner, should have dodged on his own, maybe should never have called Xiao’s name in the first place. The thought looped endlessly, a quiet poison.
“You wouldn’t be like this if it wasn’t for me,” he whispered, voice barely carrying over the spring. “You’d be… somewhere else. Somewhere safe.”
Xiao’s only answer was a faint hitch in his breathing, a small, pained sound that might have been coincidence or might have been protest.
Aether swallowed hard and lifted Xiao’s hand to his lips, pressing a feather-light kiss to the knuckles, more breath than contact. He didn’t know if Xiao could feel it. He didn’t know if he wanted him to.
Time blurred. Minutes, maybe hours went by. Aether had no idea how much time had passed since entering the cave. The light through the cracks had shifted from pale gold to soft violet as dusk settled outside the sealed entrance, but he’s sure at least a day or two had passed in between. He could feel it in his stomach, the lack of food.
The cave eventually grew cooler, so Aether pulled the cloak tighter around Xiao’s shoulders.
Xiao finally stirred at that.
It was small at first, a twitch of the fingers in Aether’s grasp, a shallow inhale that sounded different from the noises he had been making in his sleep. Then his brow furrowed beneath the bandages, a low groan rumbling in his chest. His eyelids fluttered, the non-swollen one cracking open just a sliver.
Aether’s heart lurched.
“Xiao? Can you hear me?”
His eye focused, slowly, hazily, on Aether’s face. Recognition flickered there, dim and distant, like a lantern seen through fog.
“…Ae…ther?” The word was slurred, barely audible, scraped raw from a throat that hadn’t spoken in a while.
“I’m here.” Aether leaned closer, careful not to jostle him. “Don’t move, you’re hurt. Badly.”
Xiao’s gaze drifted, unfocused. Confusion gave way to a faint grimace of understanding. He tried to lift his free hand toward his head; the motion was weak, trembling, and he abandoned it halfway, letting the arm fall back across his chest.
“…what… happened?” Xiao was awake enough to ask, which was a good sign.
Aether’s breath caught. He opened his mouth, closed it, and tried again. The question was simple. The answer wasn’t.
“You–” His voice cracked on the first syllable. He swallowed hard, thumb still tracing slow circles over Xiao’s knuckles like the motion could hold everything together. “You saved me. The Cryo Herald… I didn’t see it in time. You pushed me out of the way, and it hit you instead.”
Xiao exhaled slowly through his nose, a small, pained sound. He closed his eye.
Aether kept going, words tumbling faster now, as though stopping would let the silence crush them both.
“I fought him off. Dragged you here. The cave… the entrance collapsed right after we got inside. I tried to treat you as best as I–” His voice broke completely. “As best as I could, but I didn’t know what else to do. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”
The first sob came without warning, ripping out of his chest before he could stop it.
Aether doubled forward, forehead dropping to rest against their joined hands. Tears spilled hot and fast, soaking into Xiao’s fingers. He couldn’t stop them. Couldn’t breathe around them.
“I’m so sorry,” he choked out. “I’m sorry I called you. I’m sorry I wasn’t faster. You’re hurt like this because of me. I’m so, so sorry–” The words dissolved into shuddering breaths. His shoulders shook. He clutched Xiao’s hand tighter, like letting go would mean losing him entirely.
“Aether.” The sound was faint, but steady enough to cut through the storm of guilt.
Aether lifted his head, tears streaking his face, eyes red and wide.
Xiao’s good eye was open again, hazy but focused. The bruising around it made him look even more fragile, but the gaze held something quiet and unshakable.
“Stop.”
Aether’s lip trembled. “I can’t. I–”
Xiao’s fingers squeezed, barely more than a flutter. “Not… your fault.”
Aether shook his head violently. Fresh tears slipped free. “It is. I called you. I put you in front of–”
“I chose… to come.” Xiao’s voice was a thread, but it held.
“But… if I hadn’t–”
“I would do it again.” The words landed soft, certain.
Aether’s breath hitched. Another sob escaped, quieter this time. He pressed Xiao’s hand to his cheek, wet with tears, and leaned into it. “I was so scared,” he whispered. “When you went down, when you wouldn’t wake up. I thought… I thought I’d lost you. That I’d killed you.”
“…still… here.” Xiao mumbled, beginning to fade again.
Aether laughed a broken, watery sound that echoed faintly off the cave walls.
Xiao’s fingers squeezed weakly in response, the barest pressure, before going slack again. His breathing slowed, deeper now, the fever still raging beneath his skin as he slipped away. The karmic shadows under his eyes remained dark, but they hadn’t gotten too much worse.
Aether stayed like that for a long time, holding Xiao’s hand like a lifeline, letting the quiet of the cave settle over them both. The runes pulsed softly, amber light washing across their joined fingers in slow, soothing waves. The spring kept its gentle song.
Eventually Aether’s tears dried on his cheeks, leaving tight, salty tracks. His own head still throbbed dully, his arm ached where the shallow gash pulled with every movement, but those pains felt distant, unimportant. Xiao was breathing. Xiao was here. That was enough for now.
He shifted carefully, separating their hands. Xiao didn’t stir again; the brief moment of lucidity had drained him. His face slackened into uneasy rest, sweat beading along his hairline.
Aether stood up slowly, wiping his face with the back of one wrist. The cave felt smaller now, the sealed entrance more oppressive. They couldn’t stay like this forever, Xiao needed more than water and salve. The fever was burning through him too fast. He needed food, real sustenance, even if it was just crumbs. So did Aether.
“I’ll be right back,” Aether murmured, though he knew Xiao couldn’t hear him.
༉‧₊˚.જ⁀➴
First things first: rations.
Aether moved to his scattered bag, repacking, and inventoried what little they had left. A few small cubes of almond tofu wrapped in wilted lotus leaf, probably from Wangshu Inn days ago, probably still edible. A small pouch of roasted pine nuts. Two flatbreads gone hard around the edges. A single dried Jueyun chili pod, too spicy for someone delirious with fever, but maybe useful later for flavor or heat. That was it. No meat, no fruit, no proper meal.
Without real sustenance, Aether’s priority shifted to escape.
He started at the collapsed entrance. The rubble was packed tight, boulders wedged together, no visible gaps wide enough to squeeze through. He walked over and pressed both hands to the stone, channeling a faint thread of Geo resonance. The rock hummed under his palms, solid but unyielding. There was too much weight above, and it was all fragile. Forcing it would only bring more of the ceiling down.
He circled the cave slowly, tracing the walls with careful fingers. The runes glowed brighter wherever he touched, as though waking to his presence. One section near the back looked different with fainter carvings, almost worn away, depicting swirling winds and jagged peaks. He traced them, hoping for a hidden mechanism, a seal, anything. Nothing moved. No secret door slid open. But the light from the runes helped him see better, casting longer shadows across the mossy floor.
He followed the spring next. The basin was shallow, fed by a thin crack in the ceiling where water flowed steadily. He cupped his hands, drank deeply, then refilled his waterskin completely. The water was cold, clean, faintly mineral. It helped clear his head a little.
Behind the spring, the cave narrowed into a shallow alcove barely three paces deep. Moss grew thicker here, soft and damp. Aether pushed through the hanging vines that had once screened the entrance, now wilted and crushed from the collapse. Nothing.
He returned to Xiao’s side, defeated but not surprised.
Xiao was murmuring now. Low, disjointed fragments escaping from his throat.
“…No…”
Aether knelt immediately at Xiao’s side, his hands hovering uselessly for a heartbeat before settling, one on Xiao’s burning forehead, the other catching the restless fingers that had begun to twitch against the mossy ground.
“You’re okay,” he said softly, urgently. “Hey. I’m right here.”
Xiao’s head turned weakly toward the sound of his voice, but his good eye, when it cracked open, wasn’t looking at Aether. It stared past him, wide and glassy, fixed on something only he could see in the dim rune-light. His breathing hitched, became shallower, more ragged.
“…Bosacius…” The name slipped out like a broken prayer. “No… please…”
Aether’s stomach twisted. He knew that name. Xiao had spoken it only once before, late one night on the rooftop of Wangshu Inn: the other Yakshas, his brothers and sisters-in-arms, all lost to the same curse now sinking its teeth deeper into him.
“Indarias… Menogias… please. Not yet… Not like this–”
“Xiao. They’re not here. It’s just us. Just Aether.”
Xiao’s brow furrowed deeper, sweat rolling down his temple and soaking into the bandage. His voice dropped to a fractured whisper. “The blood is… everywhere. I…”
Aether’s throat closed. He shifted closer, sliding one arm behind Xiao’s shoulders to lift him slightly, cradling him against his chest so the Adeptus’s head rested in the crook of his neck. Xiao’s skin was scorching, his fever radiating through both their clothes.
“No,” Aether said firmly, though his own voice shook. “Look.” He lifted their joined hands into the faint amber glow of the nearest rune. “See? Nothing there. No blood.”
Xiao stared at their entwined fingers as though they belonged to strangers. His breathing stuttered. “Screaming… still screaming… I could not save them–”
“You did everything you could.” Aether pressed his lips briefly to Xiao’s sweat-damp temple. “You survived. That’s what matters now. You’re still alive. You’re still fighting.”
Xiao shuddered violently, a full-body tremor that rattled through both of them. “I am… tired,” he rasped, voice breaking on the last word. “So tired…”
“I know.” Aether tightened his hold, rocking him gently, doing everything he can think of to comfort him. He’d never heard an admission like that from Xiao. “I know. You can go back to sleep, I’m not letting go.”
Xiao’s delirium ebbed slowly, leaving him limp and shivering in Aether’s arms. The fever hadn’t broken, his skin was still too hot, but the visions seemed to retreat for now to whatever dark corner of his mind they’d crawled from.
Aether eased Xiao back down onto the moss, careful of his head, and pulled the cloak over him again. He stayed close, one hand resting on Xiao’s chest so he could feel every rise and fall.
“I’m going to get us out of here,” he whispered into the darkness. “I promise. But you have to stay with me. Just a little longer.”
Xiao didn’t answer.
His breathing slowed, the violent shudder that had wracked his body easing into something closer to rest. The tension bled out of his limbs little by little.
Aether stayed crouched beside him, one hand pressed flat against Xiao’s chest, the other hovering uncertainly near his shoulder. He waited for another whisper, another fractured name, another sign that the nightmare would surge back.
It didn’t.
Xiao exhaled, long and uneven, and then nothing more than the steady rhythm of sleep followed. Deep, heavy. The kind that claimed a body whether it wanted to rest or not.
Aether sagged with relief so sharp it left him dizzy. “Okay,” he whispered hoarsely. “Just rest.”
He eased himself down beside him, back against the cave wall. His own exhaustion came crashing down the moment he stopped moving. Every muscle screamed. His head throbbed. Aether fought it for a while. Counted breaths, listened to the spring, watched the runes pulse faintly across the stone, brighter than they were earlier. There wasn’t much else to do.
At some point, despite himself, his eyes closed.
༉‧₊˚.જ⁀➴
It was a while later when he woke to warmth.
Not heat, not pain, but a gentle pressure against his senses. It was almost pleasant. His eyes snapped open immediately, hand moving on instinct toward Xiao.
Xiao hadn’t moved. He lay exactly where Aether had left him, breathing slow and shallow, face slack with exhaustion. But the air around them felt different.
The runes along the cave walls glowed even brighter now. Stronger, their amber light threading outward across the stone in faint, branching lines. The carvings closest to Xiao and Aether pulsed most intensely, their glow rising and falling in a steady cadence that reminded Aether unsettlingly of a heartbeat.
“…huh,” Aether murmured.
He shifted carefully to his knees, careful not to jostle Xiao, and reached out toward the nearest wall. The moment his fingers brushed the etched stone, the runes brightened in response, light blooming beneath his palm.
Aether sucked in a quiet breath.
“They’re… reacting,” he whispered, glancing back at a sleeping Xiao. “More than earlier. Are they trying to help?”
The warmth deepened, spreading up his arm, not invasive or sharp like elemental resonance usually felt, but ancient, like something that had been dormant for a very long time, waiting to be awakened again.
Aether hesitated, then deliberately guided that sensation downward, letting it flow through him instead of resisting it. For a moment, it felt like he was being bathed in sunlight.
The glow shifted. Lines of light crept outward along the wall, crawling toward the floor where Xiao lay. Their pulse synced with the shallow rhythm of his breathing.
Xiao stirred. A faint sound slipped from his throat, not a groan this time, but something closer to a confused exhale.
Aether froze.
“Xiao?” Aether whispered, immediately withdrawing his hand from the wall. The glow dimmed significantly, the lines of light retreating back into the runes.
Xiao’s breathing hitched. His lashes fluttered, once, twice. He was awake.
“…Aether,” he murmured, voice scraped thin by fever and sleep.
“Are you okay?” Aether said instantly, shifting closer.
Xiao seemed to hear the words, though comprehension lagged behind. His gaze drifted, unfocused, then slowly returned to Aether’s face.
“My head…” Xiao breathed, a grimace crossing his features.
“I know,” Aether said softly. “You need to stay still.”
Xiao swallowed, throat working with effort. “…I am… awake.”
“You are,” Aether confirmed, unable to keep the relief from his voice. “And that’s good, but don’t push it.”
Xiao closed his good eye briefly, as if gathering strength. When he opened it again, his focus held a fraction longer this time.
The glow from the runes reflected faintly in his iris. He seemed to notice them now. “…the wards,” he murmured. “They are… active.”
Aether blinked. “Is that what those are? Wards?”
Xiao gave the smallest nod, barely perceptible. “…old. Weak. But… responding. Did you… do something?”
Aether glanced back at the wall, then at Xiao again. The connection clicked into place slowly, cautiously.
“They started glowing more when I touched them,” he admitted.
Xiao wanted to listen closer, wanted to find out for himself. He shifted faintly, an instinctive attempt to move that ended in a sharp inhale of pain. He tried to push himself onto one elbow, movement sluggish and poorly coordinated. His arm trembled violently, strength failing almost as soon as he applied pressure.
Aether was there immediately, one hand bracing Xiao’s shoulder. “No,” he said gently but firmly. “Don’t sit up.”
Xiao ignored him.
“Xiao,” Aether said sharply, sliding an arm behind his shoulders. “Stop. You’re going to make it worse.”
“…need… to,” Xiao rasped. “…feel it… myself.”
“Alright, alright. Hang on, let me at least help you.”
Aether hesitated, then adjusted his grip, supporting more of Xiao’s weight. He guided him carefully into a half-upright position, braced against his chest. Xiao sagged, strength bleeding out of him, but he remained conscious. He stuck out his arm once Aether was holding him securely enough, fingers making contact with the wall.
The runes flared brighter, just as they did with Aether. The warmth intensified, spreading through the cave like a slow tide. Aether felt it too. The pressure behind his eyes eased slightly. The ache in his limbs dulled.
“It seems to be doing something,” Aether whispered, more to himself than to Xiao. Aether’s arms tightened instinctively around him. “Is it helping you at all?”
Xiao didn’t answer right away. His eye drifted half-closed, lashes dark against the bruising. When he spoke again, his voice was quieter, almost lost beneath the spring’s murmur. “Yes.”
Aether held Xiao like that for what felt like an eternity.
Xiao's breathing deepened gradually, each inhale syncing faintly with the wards' pulse. His body, still feverish, relaxed fractionally in Aether's arms, the tremors that had plagued him earlier subsiding into occasional shivers. Aether didn't dare move too much, afraid to disrupt whatever fragile equilibrium the ancient magic was weaving. He could feel it working on him too, a gentle mending of his own bruises, the shallow gash on his arm knitting just a little tighter beneath its bandage, but it was clear that more energy was being channelled toward Xiao.
"They are... attuned to Adepti," Xiao murmured after a long silence, his voice a faint rasp against Aether's neck. He didn't lift his head, but his fingers flexed weakly against the stone wall, maintaining contact. "These caves... remnants of old battles. The wards were placed to protect... the fallen. Or the ones left behind."
Aether's heart ached at the implication. He tightened his hold slightly, mindful of the bandages. "Then they're doing their job now. Protecting you."
Xiao didn't respond, but the tension in his shoulders eased a fraction more. They stayed like that as the light through the high cracks faded completely, plunging the cave into a soft, rune-lit twilight. The outside world felt impossibly distant, the wind's howl muted to a whisper through the sealed entrance.
Aether's mind wandered in the quiet, thinking of Paimon, of Liyue's harbors, of the endless quest that had led him here, but they all circled back to the figure in his arms. Xiao, who had always been a solitary shadow, now vulnerable in a way that twisted something deep inside Aether.
Eventually, Xiao's strength waned again. His hand slipped from the wall, the runes dimming slightly in response, and he sagged heavier against Aether. "Tired," he whispered, the word slurred with encroaching sleep.
"It's okay," Aether said softly, easing him back down onto the moss. "You need the rest. I’ll keep them going for you for a little bit.”
“Careful… You are not an Adeptus. I do not know… how you activated them.”
Aether waited until Xiao's breathing had evened out into the slow, heavy rhythm of sleep once more. Only then did he carefully extricate himself, sliding out from under the Adeptus's weight. Xiao didn't stir.
The cave remained bathed in that soft amber glow, brighter now than when they'd first woken, the runes pulsing in quiet cadence like distant breathing. Aether pressed his palm briefly to the nearest carving again, and warmth answered immediately. It threaded up his arm in a slow, soothing current. He exhaled through his nose, steadying himself. If it wasn’t so draining, he would have kept it going all night.
He let go of the wall and grabbed his waterskin, dampening a fresh strip of cloth from his scarf. It had been a while since he bandaged Xiao’s head, and he wanted to see if it was healing properly. The silk wrapped around the Yaksha’s head had darkened in places where fresh blood had seeped through earlier, but it no longer looked saturated. Aether's stomach unclenched slightly at the observation.
He worked slowly, methodically. First the knot at the back of Xiao's head, careful fingers loosened it without pulling. The makeshift bandage came away in layers, the strips stiff with dried blood and salve residue. Aether set each piece aside on a flat stone, then gently peeled back the thick pad that had covered the wound itself.
He froze.
The gash that had been a vicious, ragged split before was no longer actively bleeding. The edges had drawn together noticeably, no longer raw and weeping but knit into a thin, angry line of darker pink beneath a faint sheen of new, fragile skin. The bruising that had spread like spilled ink across his temple, cheekbone, and eye socket had retreated dramatically; the deepest purple-black had faded to mottled violet and dull yellow at the edges, the swelling reduced to a gentle puff rather than the grotesque distortion it had been. Xiao still wasn’t able to open his right eye, but he would soon at this pace.
Aether's breath caught.
He touched the skin beside the wound with the lightest pressure of two fingertips. Warm, yes, still feverish, but no longer scorching. He leaned closer, tilting Xiao's head ever so slightly into the rune-light to be certain he wasn't imagining it.
He wasn't.
The karmic shadows beneath Xiao's eyes had lightened a little bit too, the sickly pallor of his skin warmed by the faintest flush of returning circulation.
Aether let out a shaky, incredulous laugh under his breath. "You're... actually healing."
He sat back on his heels for a moment, staring, letting the relief crash through him. Then he remembered himself, his own injuries.
Aether peeled back the bandage on his forearm first. The shallow gash from the Electro Herald's glancing bolt had scabbed over cleanly–no angry red inflammation, no fresh seepage. The edges were already pink and smooth instead of raw. He prodded it experimentally; a faint twinge, nothing more.
He lifted the edge of his torn shirt next, removing the padding to expose the burn along his side. What had been an angry, blistered welt was now flattened, the skin only faintly red. Even the bump on the back of his skull felt... distant.
Aether looked from his own body to Xiao's, then to the glowing runes threading across the walls.
Not a miracle cure, but accelerated mending. Ancient wards responding to the presence of pain and blood within their sanctum. ‘Protecting the fallen or the ones left behind,’ Xiao had said. Whichever they considered Xiao and Aether to be, it didn’t matter.
He swallowed hard against the sudden thickness in his throat. "Thank you," he whispered to the cave itself, to the stone, to whatever long-dead Adeptus or mason had carved these runes into the mountain millennia ago.
Then he turned back to the task at hand.
He cleaned what little remained to clean, mostly old blood and salve residue, using the cool spring water and careful strokes. Xiao didn't so much as twitch. The process was almost peaceful now, devoid of the frantic edge it had carried before. When the wound was clean, Aether applied a thin new layer of salve anyway, more out of habit than necessity, then rewrapped everything with fresh strips of silk. He tied the final knot gently, tucking the loose end beneath the bandage so it wouldn't snag.
For himself he did the same: fresh wrappings, tighter now that the swelling had gone down, the motions easier with both hands cooperating properly.
When he finished, he sat back and simply looked at Xiao.
The Adeptus looked... less like death. Color had returned faintly to his lips. His breathing was more even. One hand lay relaxed against the moss instead of curled in pain. Even the karmic debt seemed quieter, the oppressive weight in the air thinned to something almost bearable.
Aether reached out and brushed the backs of his fingers along Xiao's cheek, just below the bandage. The skin felt warmer in a healthy way now, more alive.
"You're going to be okay," he said quietly, the words more promise than hope this time. "We're going to be okay."
He settled beside Xiao again and let his body relax. Exhaustion still lingered, heavy in his bones, but for the first time since the battle, it didn't feel like drowning.
༉‧₊˚.જ⁀➴
The amber pulse of the wards eventually lulled Aether into a heavy, dreamless sleep–or so it seemed at first. But the warmth of the cave didn't fade; it intensified, shifting from a physical sensation to a psychic one. The damp smell of moss and mineral water dissolved, replaced by the sharp, crisp scent of Glaze Lilies and the metallic tang of ancient bronze.
Aether opened his eyes, but he wasn’t in the cave anymore.
He was standing in a version of Jueyun Karst he didn’t recognize. The spires were taller, jagged and white like bone, and the sky above wasn't the dusty gold of Liyue's dusk, but a swirling, violent indigo, choked with the remnants of fallen gods.
"Xiao?" Aether called out. His voice didn't echo; it carried on a wind that felt like a physical weight.
A few paces away, a figure stood silhouetted against the sky. It was Xiao, but not the broken, bandaged version Aether had just been cradling. He stood tall, his spear gripped tight, though his shoulders were bowed under a weight Aether could practically see- a black, viscous aura that coiled around his ankles like snakes.
And he wasn't alone.
Four shadows stood with him, their forms shimmering with elemental brilliance. Aether's breath hitched. He saw a man with four arms, a woman with flames dancing in her hair, another with the grace of a gale, and a fourth, steady as Teyvat itself.
They were laughing.
It was a jarring sound in such a desolate landscape. Four-arms clapped a hand onto Xiao's shoulder–a younger, smaller Xiao, Aether realized–and the force of it nearly knocked the Yaksha over.
"Don't look so grim, Alatus!" Four-arm’s voice boomed, echoing not in the air, but in Aether’s very soul. "The war is long, but the wine is cold, and we are still standing."
Xiao’s younger face softened, a rare ghost of a smile touching his lips. It was a look of belonging so profound it made Aether’s heart ache. This wasn't just a vision; it was a memory preserved in the stone of the cave, unearthed by the wards and shared through their physical connection.
Then, the indigo sky curdled.
One by one, the figures began to fray at the edges. The laughter turned to screams, the same screams Aether had heard Xiao mention in his delirium. The "blood everywhere" Xiao had whispered about began to stain the white peaks. Aether watched, paralyzed, as the shadows of the other Yakshas were swallowed by the darkness, leaving only Xiao standing in a field of shattered spears and silence.
"Xiao!" Aether ran toward him, his boots crunching on what felt like glass.
As he reached out, the scene shifted. The battlefield vanished, replaced by a quiet, sun-drenched plateau. Xiao was there, sitting on the edge of a cliff, looking out over a Liyue that was finally at peace. He looked older than he did before, the weight of eons etched into the line of his jaw.
Xiao turned his head. His eyes were clear, no longer glassy with fever. He looked at Aether with a startling intensity. "Why do you stay?" the vision-Xiao asked. "You have seen my history. You have seen the rot that follows me. Why do you tether yourself to a ghost?"
Aether didn't hesitate. He stepped into the space where the karmic shadows flickered, reaching out to take Xiao’s hand just as he had in the cave.
"You're not a ghost to me," Aether said, his voice ringing solid in the dreamscape. "And I'm not tethered to anything. You are my friend, and I’ll always stay by your side."
The vision began to ripple. The sunlight turned back into the amber glow of the runes. The golden plains of Liyue melted back into the mossy walls of the cave.
༉‧₊˚.જ⁀➴
Aether’s eyes snapped open.
He was back. The cave was silent, save for the trickle of the spring. But something was different: the hand he was holding, Xiao’s hand, was squeezing back.
Aether looked over. Xiao was awake. His good eye was open, and for the first time since he had gotten injured, the haze of delirium was completely gone. He was looking at Aether with a strange, wide-eyed expression, as if he had seen the dream, too.
The silence that followed was heavy, not with the oppressive weight of the karma, but with the sheer gravity of what they had just shared. The images of the four-armed giant and the dancing flames still burned behind Aether’s eyelids, a vibrant contrast to the cold, damp stone of their prison.
Xiao’s fingers twitched in Aether’s grasp, but he didn’t pull it away. "Jueyun Karst is a graveyard of dreams and debts. To touch the stone here is to touch the blood of those who fell. You should not have seen them, Aether. You should not have seen him."
"Was that… Bosacius?" Aether asked the name carefully, as if the syllables might shatter the fragile peace between them. "The one with the arms? He looked... he looked like he loved you very much."
Xiao flinched at Aether’s words as he sat up. It was a small movement, a sharp intake of breath that hissed through his teeth, but it spoke of a wound deeper than the gash on his temple. He turned his head away, staring at a patch of moss.
"He was the eldest," Xiao whispered, the words sounding like they were being dragged through gravel. "He was the leader of the Five. When the madness took him... when the karma finally turned his mind to ash... he disappeared. I spent centuries wondering if he was even still of this world."
"I saw the way you looked at him in the dream," Aether murmured, leaning in just a fraction. "You were smiling. You looked like you belonged."
"Belonging is a luxury for the living," Xiao snapped, though the fire in his voice was dampened by exhaustion. He turned back to Aether. "That smile died five hundred years ago. What you saw was the ghost of a ghost. The 'rot' I spoke of… it is the only thing they left behind. Their madness, their pain. The way Indarias screamed when the flames turned inward... that is my inheritance.” He squeezed Aether’s hand again. “That is what you are holding onto right now."
Aether didn't let go. If anything, he tightened his grip, his thumb tracing a slow circle over Xiao's knuckles.
"I saw the screaming," Aether admitted, his voice dropping to a low, steady hum. "The indigo sky, the way the shadows swallowed the peaks. It was terrifying. But Xiao, that wasn't the only thing there. There was the wine, and the laughter, and the way you all stood together against the dark. If the pain is your inheritance, then so is the love they had for you. You can’t have one without the other."
Xiao let out a long, shuddering breath, his throat working as he fought for composure. "You are so... impossibly stubborn. To find 'love' in a massacre... only a traveler from another star would be so naive."
"Maybe," Aether said with a small, sad smile. "But I saw you on that cliffside, too. Looking out at Liyue. You stay for them, don't you? To make sure what they fought for doesn't disappear?"
Xiao was silent for a long time. The only sound was the drip-drip-drip of the spring in the corner. When he finally spoke, his voice was so faint Aether had to lean in to hear it.
"I stay because I am the only one left to remember their names," Xiao confessed. "If I fall, they truly die. Every time I slaughter a demon, every time I endure my karmic debt... It is a tribute. But sometimes..." He trailed off, his eye fluttering shut. "Sometimes the weight of their names is heavier than the karma itself."
"Then let me help you carry them," Aether said. It wasn't a question; it was a vow. "I’ve seen them now. I know Bosacius’s laugh. I won’t forget them, either. You don’t have to be the only library for their history anymore."
Xiao’s eye snapped open, searching Aether’s face for any sign of hesitation or deceit. He found none. The golden light in Aether’s eyes was as steady as the sun.
For the first time since they had met, the wall of the "Conqueror of Demons" didn't just crack, it crumbled. Xiao sagged, the unnatural tension finally leaving his frame as he leaned into Aether’s space, his forehead resting on Aether’s shoulder.
"You speak of things you do not understand," Xiao whispered, but his hand turned over in Aether's, his palm pressing against Aether's in a silent, desperate return of the contact. "Foolish Traveler." But the insult had no teeth; it sounded almost like a prayer.
Aether didn’t let it deter him. Instead, he carefully shifted his arm around Xiao’s back, holding him gently. He wasn’t sure if this could be considered a hug; he wasn’t even sure if that’s what Xiao wanted. They were closer than ever before.
They sat like that for several minutes, two figures silhouetted against the dying amber light, tethered together in the heart of a mountain that had finally shared its secrets. It was only when Aether’s stomach gave a violent, un-heroic growl that the spell finally broke.
Xiao released himself from Aether’s grasp. Aether leaned over, the cool moss dampening his knees as he reached into his bag for the small bundle of almond tofu. The sweet, floral scent of the syrup was faint, nearly drowned out by the metallic tang of blood and the earthy smell of the cave, but it was enough to make Xiao’s good eye flicker with a momentary, instinctive recognition.
"We can talk more about this later," Aether said softly, breaking off a small, trembling piece. "For now, you should eat something. It’s not Wangshu Inn’s best, but it’ll help."
Xiao hesitated, his gaze drifting to the collapsed entrance, then back to Aether. His pride was a formidable fortress, even when the foundations were crumbling. "You are... obviously hungry. Consume it yourself."
"I have other things for myself," Aether said, his stomach choosing that exact moment to emit another low, traitorous growl. "This is all you will eat. Besides, if I’m going to get us out of here, I need you to get your strength up. You’re the one who knows these mountains, Xiao."
With a slow, pained exhale, Xiao relented. He took the offering, his movements still a bit sluggish and uncoordinated. The almond tofu, essentially a dream in physical form, seemed to calm him away from the screams of the shared vision.
Aether took out his pouch of roasted pine nuts and began snacking on them as Xiao finished his almond tofu bites. It wasn’t nearly enough food to be satisfied, but it stopped Aether’s stomach from twisting in hunger.
Once the meager meal was finished, Aether handed Xiao his waterskin, recently refilled.
“You got it?” Aether asked.
“Yes,” Xiao responded, taking a few sips. He passed it back over after.
Aether took a long swallow of the water himself, the cold liquid sharp against the dryness of his throat. As he recorked the skin and set it aside, the atmosphere in the cave shifted. The gentle, ambient warmth that had been cradling them for hours began to thin, replaced by the creeping, damp chill of the deep earth.
On the walls, the amber runes flickered. The steady, heartbeat-like rhythm they had maintained was faltering, the light sputtering like a candle catching a draft.
"The wards are dying," Xiao murmured, his head leaning back against the stone. He looked toward the walls, where the amber light was now little more than a ghostly shimmer. "The energy..."
Aether reached out, pressing his palm against the stone where a particularly bright vein had been glowing moments before. The surface was cooling rapidly. Instead of the vibrant, electric hum he’d felt earlier, there was only a faint vibration.
His fingers traced the fading etchings. "Did we use it all up?"
"Energy is not infinite, even for the ancient ones," Xiao said, his gaze fixed on the darkening stone. "The protection these wards offered was just a remnant, a pocket of stagnant power. By bridging our minds, whether intentional or not, the seal has exhausted its core. It will eventually recharge… but not for a century, at least. We do not have that long."
As if to prove his point, a large section of runes near the ceiling gave one final, bright flash and then went dark, leaving that corner of the cave in shadow. The sudden loss of light made the silence feel heavier, the weight of the mountain above them more present.
"It’s getting cold," Aether whispered, a shiver tracing his spine. He looked at Xiao, who seemed smaller now without the golden glow illuminating his silhouette.
"Yes. And my debt... it will return," Xiao warned, his hand moving instinctively toward his chest, as if bracing for the whispers. "Without the wards to protect us… We cannot stay here through another night, Aether."
Aether pulled his hand back from the cold stone, the sudden silence of the magic ringing in his ears. Without the amber pulse, the cave felt smaller, the air growing heavy with the scent of damp earth and the metallic tang of the mountain’s deep interior.
He looked at Xiao, whose face was still pale. The bandage on his temple was dry, the bleeding finally stopped, but as the last of the rune-light flickered out, the Adeptus’s composure seemed to fracture. Xiao’s breathing hitched, and he leaned his head heavily against the wall, his good eye squinting as if the darkness itself were too bright.
"Xiao?" Aether reached out, touching his shoulder.
"I am fine..." Xiao rasped, his hand gripping the mossy ground until his knuckles turned white. "Just… dizzy."
Aether’s heart sank. He knew the feeling–the disorientation that followed a blow to the head. The wards had been a supernatural crutch, holding Xiao’s senses together for a little while, but now that the crutch was gone, the concussion was hitting him in full again. The Yaksha squeezed his eyes shut, a low groan of nausea vibrating in his chest.
Then, to make things even worse, the ward’s power disappeared from Aether as well. Aether felt a wave of soreness wash over his own limbs, a dull, heavy ache in his muscles and a sharp sting in his side where the burn had been. It was uncomfortable, but he was functional.
It didn’t change the fact that they needed to escape as soon as possible. Things were just more urgent now, with Xiao not recovering.
He stood up, his boots crunching on the grit. He looked at the entrance. It was a solid wall of boulders, most bigger than him. He wasn't a master of Geo; he couldn't just command the mountain to part. If he tried to blast through with pure elemental force, the unstable ceiling would likely finish what the collapse started.
He turned toward the back of the cave, where the spring trickled.
"The water," Aether whispered to himself. He knelt by the narrow fissure where the stream emerged. "It has to be coming from somewhere. If there's a flow, that means there must be a hollow space on the other side."
He pressed his ear to the wet stone. He could hear it: not just the trickle, but a faint, muffled roar. A subterranean vein. It was a gamble. If he widened that crack, he might create a way out, or he might drown them both in a flash flood.
"There’s a chance," Aether called out softly, looking back. "I think I can crack the keystone near the spring. If it’s strong enough, it might wash out the debris at the front. It’s bound to be a little more gentle than if I just blasted it with Geo. And the pressure should keep the cave from completely collapsing."
Xiao didn't look up. He was hunched over, one hand pressed to his stomach, the other shielding his eyes. "Do what you must. My vision is... fractured. I cannot guide your strike."
Aether’s hands hovered over the fissure, his heart hammering a frantic rhythm against his ribs. He looked back at Xiao, who was now swaying where he sat. The light from the wards was gone, and the darkness seemed to be crushing the Adeptus's equilibrium into dust.
"I need you to move first," Aether said, his voice tight with an urgency that bordered on panic. "Let’s see… Oh! There’s a small section of cave behind the spring. It’s tucked away from the main path of the water. If we stay out here, the surge will slam us right into the rubble. But it should be safe in there. Can you stand?"
Xiao didn't answer at first, a wave of vertigo clearly rolling through him. "I don’t know…" he managed to rasp.
Aether didn't wait for permission. He scrambled over, his own muscles screaming in protest as he hooked an arm under Xiao’s shoulders. He hoisted the Yaksha up, taking nearly all of his weight. Xiao groaned, his head lolling against Aether’s neck, the heat of his skin still present despite the cooling air.
"Come on. Just a few steps, Xiao. Focus on my voice," Aether coaxed, his boots slipping on the wet floor as he guided them toward the back of the cave.
They pushed through the wilted, crushed vines that draped over the narrow opening. The alcove was cramped, but the stone here was solid and the floor was thick with soft, damp moss. Aether eased Xiao down into the furthest corner, bracing him against the back wall where the rock curved inward, creating a natural shield.
"Stay here. Don't move," Aether commanded.
He scrambled back to the fissure, his hands glowing a fierce, desperate gold. He didn't have the luxury of second-guessing the structural integrity. It would either work, or it won’t.
"Please don't fall," he breathed, eyes fixed on the jagged ceiling. "Please just... break where I tell you to."
He closed his eyes, trying to drown out the sound of his own racing heart. He reached out with his Geo resonance, not as a weapon, but as a probe. He felt the cold, dense weight of the Jueyun stone, the ancient pressure of millions of tons of earth. He felt a hairline fracture, a tiny "give" in the rock just above the water line.
"There," Aether breathed.
He slammed his palm into the rock.
The sound was like a mountain cracking in half. For a heartbeat, there was only the vibration–a deep, tectonic hum that rattled Aether's teeth. Then, the wall buckled.
Aether didn't stay to watch. He lunged back into the shallow alcove, his boots skidding on the thick moss as he threw himself into the narrow space. He barely had time to tuck his limbs in before the back wall of the cave surrendered.
The sound wasn't a splash; it was an explosion. A colossal, white-crested wall of subterranean water roared into the main chamber, hitting the far wall with a force that made the mountain groan.
From their cramped sanctuary, the world became a blur of freezing mist and deafening thunder. The stone lip of the alcove acted as a breakwater, but it wasn't enough. The water didn't just flow past, it began to back up.
"Xiao, hold on!" Aether shouted, but his voice was swallowed by the roar.
He scrambled to his knees, pressing Xiao against the very back of the alcove where the ceiling sloped highest. The water outside the alcove’s lip was rising with terrifying speed. Because the main entrance was still plugged by tons of heavy rubble, the cave was filling up quickly.
Icy water began to spill over the edge of their mossy shelf. First it swirled around their ankles, then it surged to their waists.
"Aether–" Xiao’s voice was a fractured rasp. The noise slammed into him like a physical blow. He gripped Aether’s forearms, his knuckles white, his breath hitching in a series of sharp, panicked gasps. The dark, rising water reflected the terror in his single open eye–a raw, primal fear of a warrior who was prepared to die in battle, but not like this. Not trapped in the dark, drowning in the belly of a mountain.
"I’m here! I’ve got you," Aether pulled Xiao closer, dragging the Adeptus’s upper body against his own to keep his head above the rising tide.
The water hit their chests. It was so cold it felt like liquid lead, crushing the air out of Aether’s lungs. He looked toward the front of the cave, but all he saw was a churning, violent whirlpool where the entrance should be. The debris wasn't moving. The pressure wasn't enough yet.
"It’s not breaking," Aether whispered, a cold spike of dread piercing his heart. "Why isn't it breaking?"
The water reached their necks. Aether had to tilt his head back, his chin brushing the rough stone of the alcove’s ceiling. He could feel the Yaksha shivering violently, his body going rigid as the water crept toward his mouth.
"Aether... I can’t…" Xiao choked out, his voice bubbling as a stray wave splashed over his lips. "It... it ends... here."
"No!" Aether's eyes stung from the spray. He felt the weight of the mountain above them and the weight of the water below, and for a fleeting, horrific second, he believed they were going to die. But then he thought of Xiao’s dream, the laughter of the Five, the indigo sky, and realized he couldn't let their story end in a flooded hole in the dirt.
He squeezed his eyes shut and prayed to the Geo resonance still humming in his blood. Break. Please, break!
The air in the alcove was disappearing. The water was inches from the ceiling now. Aether took a final, deep breath, pulling Xiao flush against him so their heartbeats thundered in sync.
Then, the mountain screamed.
A sound like a cannon blast vibrated through the water, a massive, concussive BOOM that signaled the collapse of the main barrier.
The suction was instantaneous. The thousands of gallons of water that had been crushed against the ceiling suddenly found an exit. The level dropped with a violent, sickening lurch. Aether felt the air rush back into his lungs as the water was sucked out of the cave, swirling toward the now-shattered entrance like a draining bathtub.
They slumped onto the soaked ground, gasping and shivering, as the roar faded into a heavy, dripping silence.
Pale morning light, thin and silver, filtered through the perpetual mists of Jueyun Karst and poured into the cave, illuminating the chaos of soaked moss, scattered debris, and the slick sheen of water still pooling in every depression of the stone floor.
Aether remained exactly where he was, slumped against the back wall of the shallow alcove, his arms locked around Xiao in a grip that bordered on desperate. The Yaksha’s body was a solid, shivering weight against his chest, their clothes clinging cold and heavy to skin that still burned with fading fever and fresh adrenaline. Water streamed from Aether’s golden hair, tracing icy paths down his neck and soaking into the already drenched fabric of his torn cloak. Every breath he took tasted of mineral-rich dampness and the faint, metallic edge of blood that lingered in the air.
Neither of them moved for a long moment. The mountain itself seemed to hold its breath with them. If their connection before hadn’t been considered a hug, this definitely should be.
Xiao’s head rested heavily against Aether’s collarbone, his teal hair plastered dark and dripping across his forehead and the edge of the sodden bandage. His good eye was closed, lashes clumped together with moisture, and his breathing–ragged, uneven–hitched every few seconds as if his body was still fighting the phantom sensation of water closing over his face. One of his hands remained fisted in the front of Aether’s shirt, knuckles bone-white despite the cold, the fabric twisted so tightly it pulled taut across Aether’s chest. The other arm hung limply at his side, fingers twitching occasionally as if searching for the familiar weight of his spear.
Aether could feel every tremor that ran through the Adeptus. The violent shivers weren’t just from the freezing water anymore; the karmic debt, momentarily held at bay by the wards, was stirring again now that the ancient magic had guttered out. It pressed against Xiao like an invisible tide, dark whispers brushing at the edges of his mind, threatening to drag him back under. Yet beneath that familiar shadow, Aether sensed something fragile and new, something that made Xiao lean into him rather than pull away.
“It’s okay. It’s over. The water’s gone,” Aether murmured, his voice hoarse and cracked from shouting over the flood. He tightened his hold, one hand sliding up to cradle the back of Xiao’s neck, fingers threading carefully through wet strands. His thumb brushed slow, soothing strokes along the nape, where the skin was fever-warm despite the chill.
Xiao didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he shifted, pressing his face more firmly into the crook of Aether’s neck. His breath ghosted hot and unsteady against Aether’s skin, sending a different kind of shiver racing down the Traveler’s spine. The scent of him was unmistakable even through the damp: crisp Anemo and faint almond from the tofu he’d eaten earlier.
“You… are the most reckless mortal… in all of Teyvat,” Xiao rasped again, the words barely more than a vibration against Aether’s neck. His voice was raw, scraped thin by pain and near-drowning, but there was no real bite to it. If anything, it sounded like relief wrapped in exhaustion. “You could have brought the entire mountain down on us.”
Aether let out a shaky laugh that dissolved into a cough. “Yeah, well… it worked, didn’t it?” He tilted his head slightly, resting his cheek against the top of Xiao’s damp head. After hours–days?--of fear and uncertainty, the simple fact that Xiao was breathing, speaking, alive, made something tight and painful unclench in Aether’s chest. “Don’t worry. I wasn’t going to let us drown in a hole. Not after everything.”
He had absolutely thought it was the end for both of them, but there was no way he’d ever tell Xiao that.
Xiao’s fingers loosened their death-grip on Aether’s shirt only to slide upward, palm flattening against Aether’s sternum as if feeling for the steady thud of his heartbeat. The touch was tentative at first, then firmer, as though confirming that Aether was alive. “You… probably saved my life. No one has ever… I’ve never had someone...” He struggled to finish that thought, but Aether got the message.
The words hung between them, quiet and heavy. Aether’s free hand moved to cover Xiao’s where it rested on his chest, interlacing their fingers. Their skin was wrinkled from the prolonged exposure to water, cold at the tips but warm where they pressed together. “You do now. And I’d do it again,” he said simply, echoing Xiao’s earlier words. “Every time. You pushed me out of the way of that lance. You’ve saved me more times than I can count. This… this is nothing.”
Xiao made a small, skeptical sound, but he didn’t pull away. If anything, he melted a little further into Aether’s embrace, his body relaxing by degrees as the adrenaline ebbed. The shivers continued, but they were slower now, less violent. Aether could feel the faint, erratic flutter of Xiao’s pulse against his own, gradually syncing as the minutes stretched.
The pale light from the opening grew stronger, chasing away the last shadows of the cave. Dust motes and faint mist swirled in the beams, and somewhere outside, the distant cry of a bird pierced the quiet. Jueyun Karst was waking up, indifferent to the near-tragedy that had unfolded in its depths.
Aether shifted carefully, adjusting his hold so Xiao’s head stayed supported against his shoulder. He could feel the Adeptus’s (wet) bandage brushing his jaw with every breath. The bruising on his face looked worse in the new light, still angry and swollen, but the gash was closed and not bleeding. The wards had given him that much, at least.
"You’re still concussed,” Aether noted softly, his lips moving against Xiao’s hair. He pressed the back of his hand to Xiao’s cheek, testing the heat. “And a little feverish. We need to get you somewhere warm. Back to Wangshu Inn, maybe. Or… wherever you want to go. The hospital? I’ll carry you if I have to.”
Xiao huffed, the sound weak but undeniably fond. “I am not… some helpless mortal to be carried.” But even as he said it, his body betrayed him; his weight leaned heavier into Aether, as if the thought of standing on his own was still too daunting. His fingers tightened around Aether’s again. “Though… perhaps for a short distance.”
Aether smiled into Xiao’s hair, a small, private thing full of relief and something warmer, deeper, that he didn’t yet have a name for. “Deal. Short distance only.”
They stayed like that for several more minutes, tangled together on the soaked moss, letting the cold seep from their bones while the mountain’s new opening brought in fresh, crisp air. Xiao’s breathing evened out further, the tremors subsiding into occasional shudders. Aether kept one hand stroking slow circles between Xiao’s shoulder blades, the other still clasped with his.
Eventually, Xiao lifted his head just enough to meet Aether’s gaze. His non-swollen eye was a little clearer now, though exhaustion still shadowed it. For once, there was no mask, just vulnerability and a quiet acknowledgment that passed between them without words.
“Thank you,” Xiao whispered. The words were so soft they might have been lost to the dripping water, but Aether heard them. Felt them.
Aether leaned forward, pressing his forehead gently against Xiao’s, mindful of the injury. Their noses brushed, breaths mingling in the narrow space between them. “Always,” he replied, just as quietly. “Are you ready to go?”
“Soon,” Xiao said. “It hurts, but…” He closed his eye and allowed himself to remain in the circle of Aether’s arms a little longer, the two of them holding each other. Slowly, barely noticeable over the shudders, Xiao tilted his face just a fraction of an inch. There was a ghost of a sensation: a soft, fleeting contact that might have been the brush of two sets of lips or merely the warmth of a shared exhale, and then it was gone.
And by the time the next heavy droplet of water fell from the ceiling to the ground, Aether and Xiao were gone too.