cursed wings of grief | genshin impact x f.reader

𝐁𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞

The Jade Chamber was bathed in soft evening light, its towering presence casting long shadows over the grounds of Liyue below. Xiao stood inside the chamber of the Amber Heart, arms folded. The faint scent of incense and golden blossoms lingered in the air, a calming contrast to the heavy thoughts weighing on his mind.

Ningguang had already informed him of the measures taken to guard the other temples, and yet, Xiao’s every instinct urged him to leave, to seek out whoever had dared steal such a dangerous artifact. He needed to act, to hunt, but something kept him tethered here. Something just beyond his understanding.

Suddenly, the sound of footsteps echoed through the hall, light and playful, a contrast to the tension suffusing the chamber. A familiar figure emerged from the shadows of the corridor, Hu Tao, the director of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, with her signature hat tilted slightly to the side. She hummed a soft tune under her breath, her steps as carefree as if she were simply taking a leisurely stroll, not walking into a room filled with demonic tension.

“Xiao! What a coincidence!” She said, her voice bright and playful, her eyes twinkling with a mischievous glint. “It’s been a while since we last crossed paths up here, hasn’t it?”

Xiao straightened but kept his silence, his golden eyes narrowing slightly as he watched her approach. Though he respected Hu Tao’s connection to the spirits, her carefree demeanour always unsettled him. She had a way of seeing through things, peeling back layers, but her methods were... unconventional.

Hu Tao wandered into the room with an almost exaggerated calmness, her eyes scanning the area with curiosity before they landed on the spot where the Amber Heart had once been displayed. She crouched down near the empty pedestal, her fingertips brushing the air above it, as if she could still sense the lingering presence of what was no longer there.

“Hmm, it’s strong here,” she murmured, her voice losing some of its usual playfulness, replaced with something more solemn, more knowing. “The energy left behind… tragic, but not selfish. Almost like the one who took it didn’t do so in greed… but out of something deeper.”

Xiao’s brow furrowed. “What do you mean?”

Hu Tao stood up, turning her head to meet his gaze, her expression unreadable for a moment. “You feel it, don’t you? The demonic aura lingering here, it’s not random or careless. It’s precise, like the person who took the Amber Heart knew exactly what they were doing. But more than that... there’s sorrow here. Deep, old sorrow.”

Xiao clenched his fists, his mind racing. He had felt the energy, of course, but sorrow? He had been so focused on the demonic chi that he had overlooked any emotional traces left behind. It seemed foreign to him, the idea that a thief, especially one connected to demons, would be motivated by something other than malice or greed. “Sorrow is not my concern,” Xiao muttered, though there was an edge of uncertainty in his voice. “The only thing that matters is the danger they pose.”

Hu Tao gave him a soft smile, though there was an eerie wisdom in her gaze, as if she could see through to the very core of the situation. “Danger and sorrow often go hand in hand, don’t they? Vengeance, in particular, tends to trap both the hunted and the hunter. You should know that better than anyone, Xiao.”

Her words hit him with unexpected weight. Xiao stiffened, his expression darkening as he turned away from her. Vengeance. He had known its suffocating grip once, long ago, when the karmic debt had first started to gnaw at his soul. But this was different, wasn’t it? Whoever had stolen the Amber Heart was planning to unleash a demonic force, and now the safety of Liyue and perhaps all of Teyvat was at risk. His purpose, his duty, was clear.