You've begun to feel like home. Xiao x Aether.

He is different.

"What just happened?" – Aether was standing on the same place surrounded by the dead bodies of the hilichurls, rewinding all the events. For a couple more minutes he couldn't force his body to leave the area around the domain, his head hurt from all the thoughts – Xiao was here for a moment, exhausted, almost passing out from killing all these monsters, but disappeared in the blink of an eye without saying a single word. Overwhelmed, traveler sat down on the ground, wrapping his hands around his knees. – "So, the mysterious person taking care of the all the monsters was Xiao, that is why he hadn't been to Wangshu Inn for the past week. – Aether remembered the figure in front of his eyes – tired, jaded out. – "has he been fighting them non-stop?! What about taking a rest?!" – the grip of the blond tightened, making wrinkles on his trousers.

- Xiao! – he desperately screamed into the thin air, hoping that the dark-haired boy will return. – Xiao! Xiao! Xiao! – but nothing happened.

The loud scream pierced the silence on top of the mountain, forcing the Yaksha to close his ears with both hands. However, the screaming didn't stop. His name was repeated hundred times, the voice that called him sounded so sad, so worried, that it broke Xiao's heart every time he heard it.

Finally, after some time, the silence surrounded him once again, which did not bring tranquility as the boy expected. Staring at the usual scenery of Liyue wasn't helping as well, it didn't distract Xiao from getting lost in his thoughts about the events which happened in the last hour. He wasn't expecting Aether to show up, to see him like this – covered in blood, weak and tired, - he wasn't expecting to look into his eyes, which looked at him with horror. Xiao was disgusted of himself for being so careless and not noticing the traveler before he notices him first. What would Aether think about him now? now that he saw what kind of the monster, he was holding in his arms a week before?

"What else were you hoping for? That he will accept you after seeing like this?" – the loud laughing voices started to corrupt his head. – "how pathetic of you it was to even think that the boy could care about someone like you!" – they were laughing at him. Xiao's vision became blurry, all he could see was darkness, all he could feel was emptiness, coming from within himself. – "Poor little Alatus, nobody will ever understand you; don't you get it? accept your Fate!" – such loud scream echoed in Xiao's mind, he felt ringing in his ears.

- Not now. Leave me alone! – he screamed helplessly, but cruel shadows disobeyed his orders, wanting to completely devour his soul into darkness.

"Admit it, you are not capable of loving, you are a living weapon, these feelings are just a sickness, they aren't real." – their laughter grew stronger and stronger, as the shadows started to spin around the poor boy. – "Everyone will leave, they will start to hate you the moment they see who you truly are!"

- No! He is not like this! – Xiao imagined the laughing face, the golden eyes which glow like a million of crystalflies, the soft and shiny blond hair, and the darkness around him disappeared immediately, replaced by the bright sunlight. the boy turned his head around several times before his eyes finally started to see everything clearly again. Evil laughter and loud screams finally left the head of the Yaksha. Relived by the silence, the boy glanced at the beautiful sunset before him – he felt at peace thanks to Aether, who saved him even though he wasn't even there.

"Who would have thought that being close to a human being can be so nice, so calming. – xiao softly smiled at himself, but the smile disappeared the moment he remembered the terrified look of his "friend". – "I have to talk to him, explain everything." – but just then he remembered the words of Zhongli, which left a bitter taste on his tongue. But for now, he decided not to think about it much, leaving it until he meets Aether. Taking a few deep breaths to calm his nerves before the serious conversation, Xiao teleported to Wangshu Inn.