Xiao X Reader [A Fragment of My Memories]

[40] Millennia of Karma

Harsh winds blew as Xiao appeared on the beaches of Guyun Stone Forest. He looked up with narrowed eyes. All the dark clouds were gathering here, eerily swirling above the islands, or rather, the malicious presence within the islands. 

'These past months of increased demonic activity make sense now.' He gripped his polearm as black fumes of karma began to emerge in front of him. Those fumes were not his. 

From Lantern Rite to this very moment, he's been enduring an endless battle. As he fought multiple nights in a row, demon corpses kept piling up one after the other while karmic debt kept increasing indefinitely. It took all he had to keep everyone safe.

Maybe if all this hadn't happened, then you'd be–

No. He can't let himself be distracted now.  

The black fumes began to take on a humanoid shape, though it was still distorted in many places. 

"To think your remnants persisted these past two millennia..." he mumbled, getting into a fighting stance. "Are you the reason her soul has been reincarnated as well?"

____________________________

'If I fell asleep right now... would I wake up ever again?'

You push those thoughts away, forcing a small smile whenever you hear a knock on the old wooden door, followed by the familiar faces of Zhongli and Ganyu from outside. But when it came time for them to leave, suddenly the sound of the door closing would make you flinch. And whenever darkness filled the room again, those thoughts would come rushing back. 

Everything hurts. No matter how hard you tried, the pain never disappeared. Your soul was worn down from it all. 

You forced your eyes open, looking up at the dark, wooden ceiling. 

"I made a promise..." your voice came out hoarse. But somehow, the sounds of the winds outside were louder. 

"Please... just this once..." 

But no matter how hard you tried, your eyelids felt heavier and heavier. Eventually, everything went black. 

________________________

"(Y/N)? Why did you come back all the way here?!"

Alatus held you by the shoulders while glaring daggers at you. Your face was as pale as chalk. He had no idea how you even had the energy to drag your legs all the way to the forest. 

You shook your head slowly, trying to push him away. 

Alatus furrowed his brows, eventually spotting the empty basket in your hand. His grip on your shoulders tightened. 

You winced. "Ow–! Alatus..." 

He sighed, letting you go and grabbing the basket from your hands. "Let me do it. Stay here and rest." 

It took a second for you to realize. When you did, he was already several steps ahead. "Wait...!" you tried yelling, but your voice was too soft. 

But Alatus heard you. He turned back to your worried face. "I know what kind of herbs you need, don't worry," he said. "I've been watching." 

'And I know who you make these medicines for...' 

Your eyes widened. "I– are you sure?"

He sighed. "Just rest here. I'll be back." 

And just like that, he disappeared. 

You slumped your shoulders in defeat as you sat down by a tree. When you looked up, the sky was as dark as ever. 

'But... what are those clouds...?' You wondered, squinting your eyes. 

Dark clouds were swirling right above your village like a storm was brewing. But there was no lightning, nor did you hear any thunder. Honestly, It didn't feel like it was gonna rain at all. 

But for some reason, a sinking feeling settled in your chest. A sense of dread no storm could make you feel. 

A slight headache set in. You furrowed your brows, thinking nothing of it. But soon enough, you felt weaker than ever before. You leaned against the tree trunk, taking one last glance at the sky. 

The clouds had stopped swirling over the village. 

But why did this terrible feeling persist?

As you gazed worriedly toward the general direction of the village, you wondered when Alatus was coming back. Maybe he would know something about it? 

"I wonder if everyone over there is okay..." 

You thought about the medicines you have to make later. It seemed like no matter how hard you tried, this mysterious illness wasn't going away. 

Was the Archon War that severe? So much so that innocent humans far from the battlefield were affected this badly? 

You let out a shaky sigh. "I should go look for him." 

Furrowing your brows, you struggled to get up. When you took a look around, you spotted something behind some trees. Something that wasn't there before.

Something that shouldn't be there at all.

A dark figure, just a few meters short of being as big as the trees themselves. How did you not notice something like that until now?

You stared at it with wide eyes, too stunned to move. 

Then, it moved.

Suddenly, it's as if your body weighed a million tons. You collapsed back into the grass, feeling your headache worsen as the pain spread throughout your body.

'What's going on? Why–'

You somehow managed to pull yourself up on all fours. But when you looked ahead, the dark figure was now standing right in front of you. 

"Who is him?" It asked. The figure had a raspy masculine voice, but a part of you wasn't sure if it was human. 

'I-It heard me? From what I said earlier?'

You stayed silent as your eyes widened to the size of saucers. Your body started trembling at its mere presence.

"Answer me, human."

"M-My friend." You blurted out on instinct. It felt like if you didn't, you would have been dead by now.

"A friend...?" The human-like figure paused for a bit. "Could he be an Illuminated Beast?"

"H-Huh?"

"There's a certain beast I've had my eye on for a while. A skilled fighter. He took down several of my minions all by himself."

Your body couldn't stop shaking. You couldn't even lift your head to take a look at its face. You could only stare right at the withering grass blades, cold sweat trickling down your forehead. 

"All that, and he's not even fighting for a seat in Celestia." 

Your eyes widened.

"You know where he is, don't you? Call him for me." 

"W-What? No, I don't–"

"Do it, or else." He turns to the village, smiling while glancing at you from the corner of his eye. "I know you've been caring for the villagers here." He let out a sinister chuckle. "Would you like to know how quickly I can undo all your efforts here?" 

You gasped, finally finding the strength to get up. "W-WAIT!"

________________________

As the winds blew, the walls of this old wooden house creaked. The door made the occasional sound, being slammed down by the forces of nature.

Yet your eyes remained shut. Body unmoving amidst everything that happened outside. One could look at your face and see how pale you were, how sunken your cheeks had gotten. 

It wouldn't be strange of them at all to think you were dead.