The Vigilant Yaksha

Chapter 46

Xiao awoke with a jolt as he sat up quickly in bed, almost instantly noticing the unsettlingly empty space beside him, devoid of the previous comforting warmth that had been present when he'd closed his eyes.

The man swiftly stood to his feet, striding over to the door to grab his boots as he headed out and into the main common room, already having a pretty solid hunch as to where she could have disappeared to as he easily slid his boots onto his feet.

He highly doubted she'd actually left the realm, so his anxiety was thankfully somewhat contained, but the remainder of it dissipated once his eyes finally focused onto her slim form seated down by the shoreline of her favorite river.

"I couldn't sleep long." Her gentle tone reached his ears once he'd come up closer to stand beside her, not the least bit surprised.

After all, she'd been through quite a traumatizing experience, so it was completely understandable.

She was seated with her knees pulled up to her chest, arms wrapped around her legs as she rested her chin on her knees, quietly gazing out at the view while accompanied by the sound of the running river below.

"You could have woken me." Xiao took a seat near her, unsure of what to say or what she may want at a time like this.

Did she want to be alone to try and digest everything she'd been through? Or did she want the company of her friends, since she'd been all alone and held captive by the enemy for days?

He could say without a doubt that he didn't know how to approach the situation and he was deathly afraid of upsetting her further.

"You looked too peaceful." The sad undertone in her voice squeezed at his heart.

It was hard for him to stand knowing the mental and physical stress she was under, it infuriated him. He so badly wanted to wring the short Harbinger's neck for even laying a finger on her, but he knew the risk to Aether's life wouldn't have been worth it, and there was always the chance of Vena never forgiving Xiao for making such a decision out of pure anger in case anything had happened to the blonde.

"How are you feeling?" Golden orbs gazed up at the sky, tracing the clouds with his eyes as he awaited her response, wanting to give her some time to think of an answer.

He saw her glance down at her bandaged wrists for a few fleeting moments, her brows furrowing as the reminder went through her mind all over again clearly.

"I'm okay. Everything will heal."

I meant your mental too.

The man bit his lip with a deep sigh, unsure if he should clarify and push it further, but he couldn't bury the overwhelming urge to try to help her or ease her pain even remotely.

Without even looking, he somehow knew she was crying, and the sniffle that followed shortly after confirmed it.

I guess that was his answer.

Her mind had wandered to the many other injuries and abuse she'd endured, and it had snowballed from there.

Wordlessly, tattooed arms gently pulled on her own, encouraging her into a hug as she instantly clutched his shirt between her fingers, a sob breaking through as she buried her face in his chest.

The Adeptus planted a soft kiss on the top of her head, rubbing circles on her back with gentle fingers in an attempt to comfort her or soothe her cries.

"He... he-" She hiccuped between cries, trying to settle herself down at least enough to get her sentence out.

The girl could feel the burn beneath her skirt, knowing it was still uncovered, meaning they hadn't seen it when they'd had a doctor tend to her wounds when she'd fallen unconscious in Xiao's arms. She'd tried to ignore the last day, where Childe had walked in and saved her from Scaramouche, but it kept creeping back into her mind, making her skin crawl all over again.