The Weight of the Spear

IF: Morax really died

✧

Under the seven gods' skies, the stars of 千岩¹ are dying out.
The disappearance of the star means the loss of mission to Vigilant Yaksha²,
In Liyue, where humans rule, there are no afterimages of him.
I can hear a cry from somewhere.
The cry of someone's heart flows vaguely.
He wants himself to disappear as a star dust sprinkled with that dying 千岩.
But it won't shine.
The pain of thousands of years of mission has faded the dazzling will.
In Liyue, where Rex Lapis died, will Vigilant Yaksha forget the mission of ｢Protective｣?
Everything is as Rex Lapis means······.

·

"Xiao"
Xiao opened his finely closed eyes slowly and raised his head loosely. It looked quite··· gloomy. I can feel the sadness. Otherwise, his beautiful eyes, which had always been raised to monitor the monsters, could not have subsided.

"···"

"I'm here to tell you"
"｢Rex Lapis｣ that you follow, He is——"
I heard a painful moan. Xiao was turning away from me because he didn't want to face me, but he couldn't hide his head from falling.
Xiao, you must have been ordered by Morax and dedicated your whole life to his will···

"I know he passed away."
The tip of the jade-colored spear³ shook slightly. Xiao shook and gave strength to the hand holding the spear. He looked like he couldn't take it anymore. You don't want to lose anything more than Rex Lapis. But··· What do you not want to lose?

"That's the end of your sentence."
"You'll leave me, too."
"Because in an era without Rex Lapis, no one needs me———!"
At the end of his words, he was seen desperately trying to put up with the suffering. In addition, his intensifying tone seemed to be convinced of what he was saying. Unexpectedly, Xiao didn't seem to know my mind.

"That's not true, Xiao"
"I had a mission like you."
I said to Xiao.
Xiao was turning his back on me. He gradually raises his dropped head.

"The mission to find a lost sister."
｢Mission｣
This one word is enough for you.
I reached out my hand to Xiao. I got closer to him. A momentary fear was seen passing by his golden eyes.

This time, you didn't tell me not to come close.

"Ah···!"
I grabbed Xiao's wrist, moved down as it was, and overlapped with his hand holding the spear. I grabbed the rod across his slender, elongated fingers. I felt the unique smoothness of jade. I felt the weight of the spear of adepti⁴, which was carrying a mission, under that cold touch. It's such a painful feeling. If you kept following your mission, the extreme weight would have eventually destroyed you.
Now that I'm here, it's okay. Xiao.

"Ah···"
I can feel the shaking under his hand.

"It's okay, Xiao."
"It's okay."
I caressed the tremor gently and spoke carefully.

"Rex Lapis must have realized a lot of things while ruling Liyue for 3,700 years···"
"In the city of commerce, people do not merely exchange money or goods."
"People also exchange knowledge, memories, and foresight, as well as positions, roles, and lives."
"Rex Lapis just decided everything with his own hands."
I said.

"But···"
"｢Cleanse the land and defend our safe harbor｣, that was the first contract in Liyue and Rex Lapis···"

"Xiao, I think that several subsequent contracts have reborn the people he kept as those who can protect Liyue again."
An unstable shaking has been conveyed to my fingertips.
After a long time, the shaking is restrained.
Xiao held the spear firmly and told me the story···.