𝐅𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐗𝐢𝐚𝐨 ―𝐠. 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐭

27 || Welcome Home

The water of Liyue Harbor shimmered under the glowing hues of orange and yellow as the sun rose from its slumber, marking the start of a long-awaited day. Xiao stood silently on one of the cliffs overlooking the harbor, waiting for a vessel to appear over the horizon.

His translucent green and purple strands of clothes rippled in the ocean's breeze, and he reflexively closed his eyes as his bangs blew into his face. When he tucked away the strands of hair and reopened his eyes, his amber gaze fell onto a small dot above the waterline. He held his breath and teleported closer to the top of one of the watch towers just over the pier.

Five, ten, thirty, sixty minutes passed. With every minute, Xiao's heart pounded faster, louder. He put a hand over his chest, feeling the outlines of the (favorite flower) around his neck in hopes of calming his everloving heart.

After two years, he would finally see you again.

What a glorious morning it was.

It was an unusual sensation to look forward to a day as much as he was; after all, it was a day he waited only two years for, and two years was nothing compared to the thousand years he had lived in agony when he had yet to heal his accumulating karmic debt. But somehow, the seven hundred days had brought him another form of pain: emptiness. It felt like a part of him had left when you did. But now you were coming back. 

The ship you were on was swaying closer and closer. 

His heart was beating harder and harder.

Holding onto the tip of the watch tower, Xiao leaned as close as he could on the edge of the roof. He could finally make out the outline of the object on the horizon, confirming that it was indeed a ship--most likely the one you were on. No, wait, he was getting too excited. This was quite immature for him. Crossing his arms, the Adeptus looked away from the ocean and at the usual crowds of the harbor. He noticed a little boy giving a girl a kite as a gift, reminding him of something important: he, too, had prepared a present for you.

Again, his heart began fluttering nervously.

Would you like his gift? Hopefully you did. He had inquired the Lord of Geo multiple times about this decision, and the god seemed to approve of his idea, saying that you would appreciate the gesture. The two of you were friends for millennials--Rex Lapis' opinion was surely right.

Shaking away his worries, Xiao glanced once more at the ocean with half-lidded eyes. Then he engulfed himself with his powers and teleported to where the sound of monsters could be heard. His mask dawned on his face, and his polearm manifested in his hands. He twirled it in his hand and let it find a comfortable position within his palms.

For now, he'll fight the remaining monster camps around the harbor to distract himself, besting the malice of fallen gods before the big event.

⊱ ────── {⋆❀⋆} ────── ⊰

The sun was at its peak. So were Xiao's emotions.

Holding a small key in his hand, the Yaksha teleported back to the harbor, this time looking not over the horizon but just a mile away. From his location on top of the dock tower, he could see the silhouette of the boat and even the movement of some people clearly now. He swore he saw a familiar sedge hat.

Somehow, the ship from Inazuma was now close enough for the water of the pier to ripple widely. Time was going incredibly fast at the moment. Or was it slow? Xiao jumped down elegantly without knowing the answer and crossed his arms, nodding to some of the sailors in greeting.

"Conquerer of Demons!" one of them excitedly grinned. "Today is the day!" He sped off with another sailor that winked, thick ropes slumped over their shoulders. They were the sailors that Xiao came to know by sending your letters, and it seemed like they were aware that today was the day you came back. Did he talk about you so often enough for this?