A Butterfly That Brings Fear: Aether Contract

Dainsleif/Xiao

"WHAT?!" The howl echoed through the throne room as the abyss mages that were bowed in front of Dainsleaf flinched. "He's back?! And you didn't think to tell me?! How long have you known?!" The abyss mages trembled under the man's gaze

"2-2 days, your majesty..."

"TWO DAYS?!" Dainsleaf roared, pushing off his throne to look at the shaking bodies bowed deeply before him. His deep black obsidian throne was clouded with abyssal energy as he stepped down the steps. The mages quivered in fear as they closed their eyes, preparing for their lives to end.

And they soon did, disembodied heads dropping to the cold stone floor. The abyss lector looked away from the mess of blood, coughing into his hand to hide a gag. The lingering smell of elemental energy and iron scented blood slowly started to disappear as servants scurried to carry the bodies away. The only abyss mage left standing was quaking as it tried its best to be an obedient servant.

Dainsleaf stopped right before it, eyes glaring into the pyro abyss mage's head fluff. Blue tentacles of black and blue mist snaked around the mage like an anaconda to its prey, tightening slowly.

"Now tell me...where. Is. He."

.........

As Xiao leaped away from the ruins of Old Mondstadt, he recalled what happened. That monster...Dainsleaf... he mercilessly killed his minions due to the fact of the own speed. Xiao had been following the abyss mages, looking for a perfect time to strike and relieve some of his emotions.

He could tell the three mages were flying and teleporting as fast as they possibly could, desperately attempting to reach the castle as soon as possible. Yet that monster, Dainsleaf, had slaughtered them without a second thought. It was terrible, but the least of Xiao's worries. There was something much bigger than this.

Aether had returned. His beautiful, kind, golden traveler had finally come back to him. And finally, the pain would be gone. He had thought that all he needed to be happy was to be around Aether. But after losing him, the stab of hundreds of thorns that had disappeared in his time with the traveler had come back, harder than ever. Aether was the only one who could settle this unrelenting demon in Xiao's heart. The only cure. It was fate. Fate brought them together, where they were supposed to be: With each other.

But there were people who wanted to be in between them. To worm their way in where they didn't belong. Xiao would never let this happen. It was the promise he had made to Aether.

He would protect him, no matter what. He would protect them. Their relationship, their love. No matter who it was, whether Zhongli, Tartaglia, Lord Morax, or all the gods in the world fighting. He would never let them take someone he loved again.