Corrupted Love| XIAOVEN

Chapter 2: Welcome to Mondstadt, the city of poets and freedom!

A few milliseconds passed and after a full second the yaksha had jumped up with his spear and after second two he was standing in front of his opponent, holding the spear ready so that he could have slit the other's throat at any time.

But even if this wouldn't have been possible he still had the possibility to hurt his opponent badly and inflict deep cuts. He had done this all too often, so one should not think that he would shy away from killing.

On the contrary, it was part of his most fundamental task to protect and to fight. Both had the killing of another as a consequence.

It was simple.

Killing was as familiar to him as reading music for a musician, making love to a young couple, or drawing to an old artist.

That was also the reason why he would not hesitate a single second to attack.

One second could mean the end in a fight to the death. Ironic, because that was only how long it took to assassinate someone if you had the right means.

His opponent seemed to be either unaware of all this or uninterested. The third second had passed in which Xiao had quickly come to the realization that he would never kill the young man sitting in front of him.

Even if the latter would ask him to do so.

The dangerous Adepti stood perplexed in front of his counterpart and for a while no one said anything.

Zhongli smiled gently.

Friendly and fatherly. He was seriously happy to see Xiao. They hadn't seen each other in a long time. They did so rather rarely, but still the relationship did not suffer because of that.

It was simply the way it had always been. Zhongli's dark eyes held Xiao's. "Forgive me for disappointing you." Xiao said honestly contrite.

Zhongli remained silent and closed his eyes, breathing in the clear air. Xiao wanted to justify or excuse his behavior, but he could not think of a way to do so. Simply falling asleep was something a yaksha should never do.

He did not understand why Zhongli was here, but sleeping peacefully without a care in the world was something that must never happen again.

"Have you heard about the current difficulties in Liyue?" said Zhongli gently without answering the apology.

The yaksha shook his head dejectedly. It was quiet for a while. A silence that Xiao did not like.

"As you know, I have my ways of getting information from the Quixing. For a while now, a highly confidential matter has been discussed internally there."

Xiao eyes slowly wandered over the landscape. A measure to keep a lookout for enemies. Until they quickly returned to his young counterpart.

"For some time now, reports of cloudy visions and related nightmares and hallucinations have been reported in Liyue and other nations. However, these very symptoms occur in everyone to the same degree and cause severe suffering."

Now Zhongli's eyes fixed Xiao's and the latter lowered his head submissively. Though in the wise man's eyes was no reproach, no disappointment.

Compassionate concern for the young Adepti lay there, as clear as the white of the stars. But the latter, unfortunately, did not realize this. He was firmly convinced that he had done something wrong and, like a small child, he sulked about it in a self-destructive way.

Zhongli continued:

"This suffering, however, does not happen to everyone who is a vision user, no, it affects a very specific element, and only that element."

Now their eyes met.

" Anemo."

Xiao looked away. He had experienced the very same symptoms, but had thought it was just a weakening of his mental state.

If this really affected hundreds of people all over Teyvat, it really was a big problem to say the least.

Zhongli stood up. "Miss Goldet reported the same symptoms in you as well. I read the report to Lady Ningguang." Zhongli seemed to expect an answer and Xiao just nodded wanly.

"Forgive me for failing to fulfill my duty properly." Zhongli just sighed and Xiao took this as a reproach towards him.

"Listen, you have always more than fulfilled your duties, Alatus."

They were simple words. Short and fleeting like a summer breeze. The smell of a dish that was so brief, so sweet, and so quickly gone. But Xiao clung to those words like a life preserver thrown to a drowning man.

"I thought about it for a while and decided to go to Mondstadt." Zhongli then said. Xiao's head shot up.

"I want you to accompany me. Ganyu will also come along. It's time I go looking for my good-for-nothing old friend. If I can even want to call the anemo archon that." Zhongli seemed to be gazing into distant times.

Xiao, on the other hand, scowled at the sky. When Zhongli saw this, he chuckled softly. "Or would you rather stay here?" Xiao looked at him startled, "No-no."

The young man put his arm on Xiao's shoulder and smiled kindly. The latter looked up at the god and archon in surprise.

"You know...I think it would do you good...to get out for a while." Zhongli then said.

"...".

Xiao nodded slowly and picked up his spear, "When do we leave?"

A week later, they stood before the wide gigantic stone gates of Mondstadt.

For ordinary travelers, the journey would probably have taken twice as long, but the three travelers weren't normal in the slightest way.

Behind the city walls, which were overseen by guards, long stone stairs led to a large square with a fountain in the middle of it. Both to the left and to the right, the steps were surrounded by medieval style houses.

Half-timbered building with red tiled roofs gleamed in the sun. Mondstadt was full of merchants and residents trading near the entrance.

Xiao was approached several times to buy something here or there. Ganyu bought a bouquet of windwheel asters at the nearby flower stall, spinning in the light summer breeze.

Xiao watched the hustle and bustle of the people and the many buildings with hidden fascination. Zhongli slowly came to stand beside him. And then, with honest fascination said:

" Welcome to Mondstadt, the city of poets and freedom!"