Star-Crossed [ G. Impact ]

sixteen | XVI

ミ☆

"so you think the fatui are forging sigils of permission?"

"i don't think, i know," (y/n) tugged at her hair slightly in frustration. "i saw the intel in the jade chamber and was investigating it when i got ambushed. why would they need such a thing? and where did they get such important information from?"

xiao swung his leg over the side of the balcony railing, letting his limb sway gently with the breeze. his fingers brushed against his chin as he made internal speculations, studying the crimson-colored railing as if it would give him all the answers he needed.

rising from her splayed position on the bed, (y/n) joined him on the balcony, allowing her forearms to hold her weight against the railing. the view from the inn made her feel like a bird in a nest high up in a tree. she wished she could feel the same liberation because surely, a bird's most troublesome thoughts were about when its next meal would appear from the ground.

"from the beginning, sigils of permission have been powerful tokens. rex lapis created them himself by infusing them with adeptal energy powerful enough to give mortals an advantage in the archon war. it's what helped our troops keep their edge while protecting our land, so its power is not be undermined," xiao kept a pensive look on his face as he recited this back to her. her head tilted as she listened, intrigued by the amount of information he knew and never expressed.

he was always so thoughtful about choosing his words, as if he weighed every outcome before letting them leave his tongue.

"is it even possible to forge something that rex lapis made with his own hands? or... claws, i guess," (y/n) added, remembering the dragon that had fallen from the sky. a shiver ran through her body upon recalling.

"i'm not entirely sure," he admitted. "while i am an adeptus, there were things he never shared even to his closest confidants."

"so theoretically, if someone got their hands on more than one, they could become a very powerful individual?"

"i suppose that's correct."

as far as she knew, the fatui were subordinating to the eleven harbingers who carried out the tsaritsa's will. the only harbinger she was aware of in liyue was...

the girl pushed herself off the railing, suddenly extremely worried for her friends back in liyue. xiao must have sensed the abrupt change because his brows furrowed in concern.

"tell me what's bothering you." while it was meant to be empathetic, it came out sounding more like a demand. he frowned inwardly.

"well, my original plan when i saw you was to ask if you wanted to come with me to the rite of parting," as she said this, xiao's expression softened slightly. "but i think i'll need your company for something else."

he liked to think he was a little harder to convince, especially since he hated interacting with mortals, but his heart got the best of him. "that being?"

"we have to find the harbinger responsible before liyue is in bigger trouble than it already is."

‑ˋˏ◈ˎˊ‑

just as she feared, there was a commotion at the gates of the city as soon as they arrived. millelith were scattered with anxious looks on their faces, gripping their spears tightly enough to be noticeable to the naked eye. particular fellows dressed in coats too heavy for the warmth of liyue grabbed her attention. the masks over their eyes made her warier than before, knowing that these were the infamous fatui she came to dislike.