The Object of My Unholy Desire (Xiaoaether)

Happy Ending?

Aether Pov
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The wind whistles past my ears as I fall towards the hard ground.

Soon I'll be dead.

And I'll be with Xiao.

But I have no regrets.

I have no regrets.

But...

If I have no regrets, then why do I feel so guilty?

Well, nothing I can do about it now.

I mean, I can't exactly fly, and I most definitely can't turn back time.

I also can't teleport like Xiao can...

Xiao...

Would he want me to do this?

Or would he rather I keep on living without him?

Like I said before, nothing much I can do about it now.

I watch the ground begin to come closer.

I wonder...

What even is death?

Hu Tao showed me a place once, but that was back in less modern Teyvat.

Where will I go when I hit the ground?

Was Xiao sent to hell?

Will I be sent to heaven or hell? I mean I about to kill myself...

Okay brain, time to shut up.

I close my eyes as I prepare to hit the hard ground...

But no impact comes.

I feel soft hands surrounding me, holding me, preventing me from falling further.

I'm readjusted in the mysterious person's arms until I'm being carried bridal style.

This mysterious person hovers in midair in the early sunrise, her long purple braid flowing down majestically.

Ei.

The electro Archon who'd tried to kill me mere months ago just saved my life.

She stays somber as she carries me as though I weigh as much as a feather.

"That Barbatos... he's nothing but trouble. Killing yourself right now would be quite stupid." Ei says. "For Alatus is not dead."

My heart beats in my chest as her words sink in.

Does she mean Xiao?

My Xiao is still alive?

"But...but he got impaled by Scaramouche!" I say in disbelief.

"Alatus, as he is now, being no longer an adeptus, is fully immortal. No matter how badly he's injured, no matter how cruelly he's killed, he will always rise the next morning without a single scar." Ei says.

"Wait, so V-venti lied to me?" I ask.

Ei closes her eyes and sighs.

"Barbatos is normally quite mellow, but when he is angered, he can be dangerous. He wishes to be with Xiao as well, so he made an attempt to get rid of you." She says bluntly.

"I thought Venti was my friend! Why would he try to get me killed?" I ask.

"I'm sure he feels the same. However, once Barbatos is brought to anger and jealousy, his emotions can cause him to do outlandish things." Ei says.

"And so you saved me." I say.

"Yes. I am indebted to you in the way that you showed me that my aspirations were out of line." She responds.