Between Duty and Love

Chapter 12 - A story

 Xiao's POV

 The same moment as Barbatos crushed his spirit stone, Xiao's hand shot to his neck.

 "Ugh!" He groaned in pain.

 "Xiao? Are you alright?" Istaroth asked.

 No. I wasn't okay.

 The pain that just shot through my neck was worse than anything I'd ever experienced. Aside from that...

 Venti didn't return.

 The time was up, but he wasn't here.

 Istaroth might not be so accurate, but I counted every second since he disappeared.

 Seven days passed a few seconds ago.

 He couldn't-

 Hmm?

 There was something. A feeling I haven't felt for the past seven days.

 Venti!

 I could feel him! He was back!

 But that location...

 Everyone had gathered in Windrise. This place was found the most, likely place that he would come to, but...

 There's no way he wouldn't have thought of this so...

 Did he not want to meet them?

 Why?

 Before I could think more about that question, endless sorrow flooded my mind.

 This-

 Without a second thought, I teleported to the place I felt him from.

 Old Modstadt.

 Why would he come here? Why was he so sad?

 When I finally found him I was nearly devastated by the sight.

 He was sitting on the ground in the old ruins, curled up and shaking. Tears were streaming down his face, but he didn't even make a sound.

 "Venti!"

 I rushed over and pulled him into my arms.

 What happened to him? Why is he like this?

 "I broke it, Xiao. I broke it." He choked out.

 Broke it? Broke what?

 "That's it. That's the end of it. I can't go back anymore."

 I couldn't understand it. What happened in the spirit world to make him like this?

 All I could do was hug him tighter, hoping that it would help even a little.

 "But, it's okay now. I'm back, so it will be okay." He mumbled.

 Before he left, he had always been completely confident every time he spoke, but now, instead of confidence, his voice was filled with uncertainty and hope.

 Hope.

 He's hoping that it would be okay.

 "They are my family. I'd known them ever since I was born. How long has it been? Thousands? maybe even tens of thousands of years. And now-" His voice trailed off.

 He was devastated. Devastated by something I didn't know, something I didn't understand.

 I wanted to ask him what happened. To know if somehow I could help. But I knew that in this situation, explaining would only hurt him more.