The Spark [Xiao x Aether]

Alone again V

The following day went just as planned. Xiao and Ganyu met up at one point during the night and took a long walk around the seaside while talking about any formal topic that came to mind. The Yaksha was hesitant about whether to show up or not but in the end he did.

The girl didn't talk too much. Whenever starting a conversation she refrained from using too many words and when answering questions she kept it simple. She seemed to be nervous about something.

The Moon was hidden due to the clouds covering it meaning the night was way darker than usual. During the walk, it got so dark that the two had to stop and look for crystalflies.

For Xiao, this wasn't a difficult task. He collected many of those bugs before for a certain someone. He had their route memorized in his head. While grabbing them, he noticed how he hadn't thought about the blonde up until the half-Adeptus girl suggested finding crystalflies to light up the way.

After finding a few in the woods near the waters, he took a seat on one of the rocks in the water and began staring into the distance while the glowing bugs surrounded him. The water was so calm.

Ganyu wanted to go sit on the rock as well since it had enough space for multiple people to sit but she had trouble mastering teleportation. She used her Cryo vision to make her way across the water towards the rock and sat next to the boy.

She looked into his eyes and wondered what he was looking at. He seemed so lost in thought. Was bringing the boy out a good idea?

"The waters of Liyue seem to be extraordinarily calm today." She said with a soft-spoken voice. The view of the water was quite beautiful to look at.

"I suppose so." The boy responded coldly.

He had one of the crystalflies in his hand. It was a special one that had a golden glow to it. He looked at it with visible sorrow and pain in his eyes.

"...Hey, you must be tired of all the questioning already but there's one thing I can't seem to put my finger on." The girl with horns started while looking up at the moon covered by clouds.

Just then, the crystalfly flew out of the boy's hand. He was about to stop it but it was too late so he gave up.

"Wanting to know what is going on is only natural. I knew you would ask something the moment you suggested we go for a walk. I don't regret coming with you, I enjoyed it actually, so it would make sense if I answered all your questions as a way of saying 'thank you'."

His expression was still cold but he seemed to open up a little.

Ganyu smiled lightly after realizing that. She was glad that she was going to find something out. Perhaps she could find a way to help the boy one way or another.

"So...Who is this special someone?"

"He's gone. His identity doesn't matter anymore."

"But you loved him, yes?"

"...I cannot deny that. He was the one who brought a spark into my life and made me see the world with his eyes. He made me feel things I never felt before. I owe him a lot, even though he sees it the other way around. I wish I was more honest with my feelings while he was still around...I wish I could have found a way to make him stay...but the world doesn't work like that for me." Xiao was about to continue but after realizing how pathetic he sounded, tears began rolling down his face which still seemed as cold as ever.

The girl stared at him for some time not knowing what to say before pulling him into a tight friendly hug. He didn't hug back or pull away.

Of course, like everything, this reminded him of the boy too. He pulled away. Ganyu fortunately didn't feel offended one bit. She was aware some people just were like that.

"I'm sorry, Xiao."

"It has nothing to do with you."

She sighed.

"Wait, you're saying this mysterious guy isn't dead but...gone? You had an option to make him stay?" The half-Adeptus girl asked feeling even more terrible about what had happened. "If you loved him at least you must have tried to make him stay, right? You tried and that's what matters."

"I have not loved him,

Loved is the wrong word

My heart still aches the same way as it did when karmic debt was still in my system.

I love him.

I love him so much,

But I realized that too late.

What's the point of my life if I can't get to see him smile every day?

Sure, it sounds greedy... bu-"

Before the Adeptus could finish his rant, a group of Hydro slimes appeared from out of nowhere. Neither Ganyu nor he had brought any weapons with them since Teyvat was now considered safe. The girl probably barely touched her weapon in this world.

The Yaksha stood up and was ready to punch the slimes but right before he moved, Ganyu stopped him, and a sword pierced through the slime from behind.

It instantly died.

A mysterious person with a white hood covering most of their face began attacking all the slimes until there were none left. The person didn't seem to be using a vision but they possessed great strength.

Neither Xiao nor the girl with the horns recognized this person. It wasn't until the person was finally done with the slimes and bowed down to introduce that the two realized it was a teenage boy.

He dropped his sword to the ground and bowed as a form of respect to the two Adepti. He seemed to know the two were immortals but just who was this guy?

"Greetings. You may call me Genesis."