modernity - xiaoven

49.

can't believe people are reading this again <3

i genuinely read every comment and try to reply!

(also if there's any plot holes, those are for me to see through! i cant read comments through a solid wall :/)

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after hearing that he was the reason that venti and the archon barbatos, or the past venti, had switched bodies, all because he had killed someone he'd known for awhile, xiao was in pure shock.

it made so much more sense now. how aether and lumine both looked the same age, how lumine said that the abyss might return without explaining during the funeral, how lumine explained she could never leave teyvat, and much more.

it also made sense how xiao had finally realised why people found his name, and his previous name, ironic. they were the same as his past self, who probably was popular or something. [he had to look into liyue's history now, but that'll come at a later time.]

"xiao?"

"yeah?"

"where are you?"

"my room."

"alright. venti's in the guest room right now."

"mkay?"

"i know you heard everything."

...

"i was liyue's archon for years, and i witnessed your original death. i'll explain."

----

"years ago, aether had helped teyvat be freed from impending doom, something you'll learn about someday. of course, it seems he went to our time of teyvat first, and a timeline paradox has occured now that he's dead.

since mondstadt was the first nation he saved, the universe ended up deciding to switch the consciousnesses of the past and future barbatos'. neither i nor archon venti know why, and we may never know.

you were the conqueror of demons, one of liyue's adepti, though you eventually fell to your karmic debt, which you accumulated over years of serving liyue. myself and kusanali are the only survivors from that era of archons, though after the death of the other archons of each nation, a new archon hasn't been reborn to take their places.

the only two surviving adepti, not including myself, are ajax and madame ping, though madame ping is spending her days inside of her teapot nowadays, and only recently were ajax and i reunited. alas, ajax has his memories, because he was human before we decided that he should become an adeptus.

now, our current events may change suddenly, as the past is different. there is a chance that the universe is trying to fix our current universe to keep aether alive, by managing to even, if there is the slightest chance, having ganyu as one of the surviving adepti, or by even keeping you alive.

the universe is trying to fix itself, but by doing that, it's also changing what will happen in the past and future. all that we know right now, as a fact, is that they're trying to get aether alive again."

"but why now? why not right when he died?"

"because this is likely the time he left our universe and went to the past."

"... should we talk to lumine about this?"

"if you feel it is best. but, i will warn you to be careful, because she'll be hard to console if we tell her simply that the universe is trying to fix it's mistakes in killing aether."

"will my memories be changed?"

"yes. i'm gaining memories of the time venti saved mondstadt, and not aether."

"... oh."

"nothing bad is going to happen, i promise. let's go call lumine."

"alright."

xiao stood from where he sat on his bed, zhongli following suit.

"and, xiao, i promise you that i don't mind how you feel about me or how i've kept this from you."

"i-"

"need a hug?"

"please."

zhongli slowly pulled xiao into his chest, as the other just became undone and started sobbing.

"i- fuck- i'm the reason the universe is so fucked up- i'm the reason my boyfriend's not in his own body-"

"you're not, xiao, it's not your fault."

"i'm the reason he's dead!"

zhongli sighed, and pulled xiao closer, whispering something in the lost language of ancient liyue.

as the man calmed down, zhongli slowly pulled away from the hug. "i'll call lumine, you need to rest, this is taking a toll on you, and i unintentionally brought up your trauma."

"... fine."

"thank you. i'll tell venti that i told you as well, and that you're resting."

xiao nodded, and zhongli left the room as he went back towards his bed and laid down.

----

zhongli walked towards the guest room, where venti had been sent to, as he needed to think over how the past was being changed.

"venti?"

"yeah?"

"i've informed xiao of the events occuring, and he's shaken up. did he tell you about his trauma? because if he hasn't, it isn't my place to tell you."

"he has."

"alright. could you please go talk to him? i need to call lumine and inform her of the current happenings. she deserves to know, even if she'll forget about this happening, i will forget as well. apparently mondstadt being saved didn't have a say in the death, or what happened years ago."

"it's only been a week or something like that, and mondstadt's been saved from dvalin?"

"yes. xiao and i were there to help in that case. now go see him. i have a call to make."

venti nodded and practically ran to xiao's room.