Falling for You

Chapter 63 - Asleep

 The Tsaritsa's POV

 He really did it... That crazy bastard really did it...

 He did it but he left the yaksha utterly devastated. Even now he's still just staring blankly like a lost puppy.

 Sigh.

 "Go home, little yaksha."

 This was all I said as I bent down to pick up the fallen gnosis.

 Surprisingly enough, at that moment the yaksha came back to his senses enough to glare at me.

 "You'll die before you can get close enough. If you were at your peak, I might have given you some face and let you try, but in the state you're in right now... Just go home. Don't let everything Barbatos did go to waste because of a reckless decision fueled by emotions."

 He stopped glaring but he also didn't move.

 Sigh.

 "The best you can do now is go back to Morax. Maybe he'll know how long Barbatos will sleep this time."

 His eyes lit up for a second before that small light disappeared once again. Soon after, the yaksha disappeared in a puff of light green smoke.

 "Light green, huh? It looks like you have really done it, Barbatos."

 Zhongli's POV

 "Huh? What was that?"

 I couldn't help but put down Ajax and look towards the north.

 There was clearly a major disturbance, but now, it's gone as if never even happened.

 "Did I imagine it?"

 Maybe it's just my nerves playing with me. I have been on edge ever since those two left for Inazuma.

 There's no way Barbatos would let anything happen to Xiao. He'd probably rather die than let him get hurt.

 But then why is this feeling getting worse? My intuition has never been wrong before.

 "Is it because this is the first time Xiao has gone so far from Liyue without me being there?"

 I picked up Ajax again, but he just looked at the front door, rather distracted.

 "What is it, my dear? Do you want to go outside?"

 He just shook his head and frowned.

 "Xiao!"

 "Xiao is in Inazuma with Barbatos." I tried explaining but he just shook his head again.

 "Door!"

 "If Xiao really came back, he would have just straight up come in, he wouldn't just stand outside."

 I saw his frown deepen at my words, agitation filling his face. Without saying another word, he jumped out of my arms and ran to the door.

 "Sigh. Ajax, slow down, you'll trip."

 He just stood in front of the door, trying his best to reach the handle.

 "Let me do it." I finally gave in, opening the door for him.

 What I saw there, however, made my blood run cold.

 "Xiao!"

 He was lying on the ground in front of the door passed out cold. The back of his shirt was ripped and as I lifted him up, I spotted blood spattered over his clothes at the front.

 Not his blood, I knew instinctively, but...

 What happened? Where is Venti?

 There's no way he would leave him alone in this state. Not unless...

 His situation was even worse!

 "Ajax, hold on to me for a second." I needed to get Xiao to madame Pind as soon as possible.

 I held Xiao and Ajax held onto my leg. Like this, we teleported to Yujing terrace.

 "Danm it! She's not here."

 Well, it is normal for her not to be. It's the middle of the night after all.

 Going into someone's teapot without permission is a little...

 Never mind, I'll apologize later. We don't have time for this.

 I put my hand on the teapot, and soon all three of us were transported inside.

 "Oh? Morax? What are you doing here at this time of night?" A surprised voice came from behind us.

 I just turned around with Xiao in my arms and she instantly understood.

 "Follow me."

 She led us to a place that looked like an open bedroom.

 "Lay him down on the bed."

 I did so and she sat down on a stool next to it, taking Xiao's wrist.

 "How is he?" I asked anxiously the moment she let go.

 "He's fine, just fell asleep because of exhaustion. But..."

 "But?"

 "I'm not going to ask how he turned back to his normal age, because looking at Childe, you don't seem to know either. But Morax, tell me truthfully, where has Xiao been?"

 Her tone was the most serious I have ever heard from her.

 "He went to Inazuma with Barbatos."

 There was a moment of silence before she moved again.

 "Take a look at this, Morax."

 She turned Xiao's head to the side, brushing his hair away. This action revealed the faded mark on the back of his neck.

 Faded?

 "This can only happen if Barbatos has either died or is close to dying."

 I know that but...

 "Why...?" How?

 "Just take his pulse and you'll know." She said, stepping aside.

 I took Xiao's wrist, but what I felt, shocked me to the core.

 "His karmic debt..."

 "It's gone. It disappeared as if had never been there in the first place." She reaffirmed my thoughts.

 "That's impossible!"

 I would know, I tried hundreds if not thousands of ways, and nothing ever worked.

 "As you can see, it is possible, and it's highly likely that Barbatos did it, hence this situation." She motioned towards the mark.

 Wait... That mark...

 "Ping, look at that..."

 Just seconds after I said that, the whole teapot shook.