Hes The Enemy || abyss!aether x xiao

where are you..?

~ Xiao POV ~

Preparing to leave I need to make sure Zhongli gets distracted to give myself more time. I can't move the bed to block the door as its too heavy.. I can't think of anything, shit. I'm wasting my time. Should I just teleport? Okay.. I imagine Aether and the last place we were and then a dark green surrounds me, heavy and strong wind starts whirling around me and brushes up me and I am located in a new, unfamiliar area once the wind disperses.. I don't see Aether or anyone... This place is like a cave and once I have spotted the exit, I run at full speed but once i'm only a metre away from exiting I can sense something is wrong and immediately stop in my tracks.. Since I need to be cautious I grab a small rock from the sides I gently throw it at the exit. Flying past me at unimaginable speed the small rock blasts into the surrounding wall. As expected something is wrong.I know for sure this is Zhongli's doing since this 'barrier' is almost like a geo shield though this seems almost unbreakable and repels anything that touches it. Its a trap, Zhongli knew I was going to try and escape and came prepared this time. Fuck.

He's going to be here soon, what do I do? Should I just take the punishment..? No I should at least try find a way out. Maybe the barrier has a weak point or some sort of fault.

I search every corner and there doesn't appear to be any way out of this shithole. Zhongli will be here any second now, I give up.. But after this I need to go to Ningguang. I hate having to rely on her she always ends up getting involved and I pity her and myself for having to deal with this shit! She has so much to deal with and I'm supposed to defend Liyue but I can't even defend myself.. I'm pathetic.

~ 2 hours later ~

I've been laying in the middle of this cold cave for hours staring at the ceiling. Why isn't Zhongli here yet..? Isn't he the one who made this whole thing, to stop me? Is this not his doing!? Looking at the barrier again I don't see any signs of it being made of geo apart from the fact it's a bright glowing gold. Now that I'm thinking back, when I threw that small rock earlier the shield made a strange star shape where the rock hit. This time I grab a handful of small rocks from a small corner of the cave, from this far distance I feel as though it will be easier to defend myself from the rocks when they fly, I pelt the rocks at the barrier and i notice again those strange star shapes ? These don't resemble geo at all. All I can do is wait then I guess..

Walking to another corner of the cave I use my feet to kick some larger rocks on my way and once there I use my hand to dust away some of the smaller rocks and sit down with my back leaning on the rough rocks. I look at my hands they are covered in dust and dirt. This really reminds me of when Zhongli first found me.. not a memory I'd like to keep. Soon my eyes start to close, I physically can't keep them open anymore, my head falls forward.

~ Aether POV ~

He's finally asleep. I've been watching him from outside the cave but he couldn't see anything past it so he didn't know I was here, he makes some cute faces when he's lost. But I need to keep him in there if i wamt him to be safe.

I've brought him some necessities like food, clothes a bed but I can't carry a whole bed so I've had to get my abyss mages to help. I simply walk through the barrier, Xiao hasn't even tried walking out as I know he would be cautious as always, but when he does find out then I will bring him back to me. In the meantime I have some things to discuss with the Quixing. I make sure to make the cave look neater as I'd prefer he didn't feel like a rat. I make sure to leave the food and water near his bedside. I put a note right next to him. Now I must leave you once again, I'm sorry.

I'm back my lovelies <3