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

Embraced by the lights of the stars.

- Aether, I need to tell you something.

After the blond heard these words, something inside of him knew that the conversation wouldn't be one of the pleasant ones – the way Xiao was feeling distant and tensed tonight was enough to make these assumptions, not to mention how the Yaksha looked right in this moment. His teal brows were a bit narrowed, and his lips were pressed together in a thin line, denoting the seriousness of his intentions.

Aether unconsciously gulped trying to hide how nervous that exact second, he felt. – Sure, what's the matter? – regardless the constant attempts to sound less interested and more relaxed, his tone came out as a trembling and disturbed one. Xiao took a second to answer, making every effort to try to start the talk about something that he knew would have irreversible consequences in the future. The dark-haired opened his mouth, ready to speak, but as he saw the worried expression of his friend – his hands shaking uncontrollably and his eyebrows lifted showing the readiness to listen, he just could not pronounce a single word. He was ready to speak, but he could not handle confessing everything in front of the blond, while staring at his concerned face and feeling his penetrating glance on himself, so, as much as he didn't want to, he had to turn his face away.

- You have already known about the Karmic Debt I carry on me for a long time, as well as experienced the slight bit of its consequences on yourself. – he started off a bit too formally, which was the first thing he did uncontrollably when feeling anxious. After hearing this, Aether seemed even more focused on each single word Xiao was about to say. – For quite long period of time I have been feeling it getting worse, the aftermaths grew longer in their presence and the effect grew stronger, affecting both my physical state and my... - he stopped for a second, not sure how to put every new feeling that was overwhelming his mind from time to time in one single phrase, - and my consciousness. – he finished shortly. After each sentence, the Yaksha swiftly peaked on the other's reaction to his words, seeing nothing but a sign of worry and sympathy in them.

- I'm so sorry, Xiao, have you talked to Zhongli about this? I'm sure he could help in the situations like this. – Aether said, trying to give some comfort to the dark-haired, however, not daring to touch him or hug him after what happened the last time.

- Rex Lapis does not possess the knowledge about it. He didn't comprehend what I described to him, nor was he able to find the solution to prevent it from happening. – Xiao spitted this information out, showing the slight hint of anger, not knowing himself who was it addressed to – his master for not being able to help, or Aether, who suggested something that was already crossed out from the list of possible ways to help the Yaksha.

- Then I'm sure we can work this out together. We can ask other Adepti or even travel to Sumeru to find the possible explanat... - Aether didn't get the chance of finishing the sentence, being rudely interrupted by the other.

- There is no we in this! – Xiao shouted so loudly, that the birds, which were sleeping in the dense canopy of trees, immediately flew away frightened by the sudden noise. He was angry, furious, mad at everything in this world. He would have regretted screaming at Aether the other day, on the other occasions, but right now he felt nothing but anger towards him for being unable to realize the pure facts. He was mad at him for coming up with the ideas, for giving him hope, that was useless in this case – Xiao knew that nothing would change the facts and most in the world he wanted the traveler to just simply accept the truth, the reality the way he did.

Traveler opened his eyes widely and dropped the lanterns in shock from the sudden change in Apeptus' mood. That was the first time Aether saw Xiao being in such anger, and the blond didn't even know how to proper react to that. What was more to it, why did he dark-haired said these words all the sudden and with so much malice and spite? Did he do something wrong to upset him? Did he got tired of him constantly being beside? Aether's heart felt so heavy, and the ache inside of it felt unbearable.