Genshin Impact One-Shots

Xiao [The Geofly]

One of my favorite Chinese folktales was the "Butterfly Lovers". Has been since I watched a dubbed (in my native language), animated version of it in my childhood and even now, when I finally truly understood the severity behind the events that happened in the story, and the cultural beauty in it.

If you liked this one, should I try making a short story out of it? Or if not this one, should I make a short story out of my other one-shots (gonna add a Venti, Razor and Kaeya one shot soon as well)?

Well, just a suggestion, haha. Not that I'm sure yet as I want to finish my Diluc x Reader x Kaeya one first, or at least, delve into deeper chapters first.

Also the other Yaksha have not been officialized yet so they're really loose characters I won't go deeply into describing, including what actually happened to Rex Lapis, so the extra details are loose--

Anyways, enjoy!

Requested by: MewWang

~~~

"I never dreamed that Morax would one day actually pass on."

It was a line that echoed all the way from Liyue Harbor, all the way up to the mountain tips of Jueyunjian. Whether he was truly gone or not, it was the thoughts hidden in the words of the people; those words had stung many hearts as it walked higher into the air, stung so much that even the remaining Yaksha he left behind had gathered on this one particular day to honor him in their living misery. Even a certain black haired, spear welding Yaksha had been forced out of the standing large tree miles off from the mountains, to the scene.

Rex Lapis was like a parent to Xiao, always guiding him in his times of feeling troubled. When he had gotten angry or distanced himself from the world by staying in the treetops of that far away tree, the Archon's feelings would remain the same, like a parent should. In patience, with deep care.

Knowing that fact hurt in itself.

That care fell him to his despair, and it hurt that someone could even consider hurting him after all of what he has done for others.

That noon, before the small pond where a table sat at the center, the exact table they would eat at with the Archon, they kowtowed three times.

The first for respect, second for his honor and third for thanking his deeds.

Then they fled to the table, eating and drinking away in small toasts to the God that they had loved ever deeply, whether they could admit that aloud or not.

"Aiyah, the rice wine is tasting rather bitter today." The table was quiet at the words filled with remorse.

Xiao stared at his companions that he had grown used to seeing over the years.

The way their pride was sobbered up as they drunk away. Cloud Retainer scolded the pair of drunks before her like she always did when they would get drunk. "Hey, stop drinking so much!"

Xiao sighed standing up on his feet, realizing that he couldn't stand the sight before him anymore. He briskly walked away down the mountains hearing cries behind him in words of, "Alatus, where are you going?"

Yet he ignored them in his path. What brought him out of his trance was the distant song he could hear the guardians loudly singing from afar as he walked.

"An ode to old friends, drunk underneath the moonlight. Let bygones be bygones, if I only I could see you again~ "

He genuinely wished he hadn't heard those words. The recent events were more than enough for him to remember. Soon, he had stopped in front of a stone and wooden pillar, three clay benches on each of its three sides. Walking over his bottoms slowly touched one of the seats, pressing a back against the pillar, a leg of his was swung over onto the bench, with an an arm hanging loosely on his knee, and his other pair of leg and arm hung mid air.

He overlooked the distance, mind struggling to escape as he wondered on. Xiao regretted not taking another whisk of the rice wine back there, maybe it would have actually helped ease him to numbness right now. That was better than anything else, really.

As he thought and thought, he hadn't noticed it as it came closer and closer to him, flapping its elegant wings of amber until it landed onto his hand. Xiao casually turned his head, his amber eyes tracing along the insect's small shape.

"A geofly..." He muttered watching it lay peacefully on the back of his hand.

He scoffed lightly, questioning the butterfly. "What are you doing here? Do you know what would have happened if I was a catcher..? I would be crushing your wings right now and tearing them apart, then I would sell you. You wouldn't want that happening, now would you?"

Being the ignorant fool the bug was, it stood in place flapping its wings nonchalantly without a care in the world.

It was over the fact that he saw this happening did he feel... Childishly jealous even, of the geofly.

It was a lucky creature who probably couldn't even feel much pain to begin with aside from its death, even then, that would be gone in an instant. It lived short lives and could fly anywhere around these mountains if it pleased, living a life of luxury一of freedom, from many responsibilities and emotions.

What a blessed thing it was, he wished he could bare his life in the same way at this very moment.

It brought back the small hum of a song he had earlier: "An ode to old friends, drunk in moonlight. Let bygones be bygones, if only I could see you again." He sung softly and deliberately, eyes shut in tire.

Xiao sighed shortly after. "What am I doing..?" He asked himself glancing back down to the insect. "Can you go now, I have somewhere to go."

Seeing that it wouldn't budge, he lightly blew over the tips of his wings, but for the geofly, it felt like a hurricane. The butterfly flapped its wings hurriedly up into the air away from him. In that moment, Xiao had heard a feminine voice seeming to scream at him in slight anger.

"You jerk!"

He stared in bewilderment looking all around him to see that in fact, there really wasn't a person or thing in sight. It was just him and the geofly. His eyebrows contorted in confusion. "The hell..." He mumbled some more.

Shaking his head, he stood up from his spot sighing. "Maybe I'm just tired." He convinced himself it was just that, walking away from the bench and back up the mountain to forbid his farewells to the other Adepti, before he would settle himself back to his place of shelter at that same ol' tree.

Just as he was ready to leave completely, standing ways away from the tree, he saw it. Well, saw her to be more exact.

The way her [hair color] hair cascaded over her shoulders blowing gently down the mountains path, [eye color] eyes aimlessly dotting over the sea of clouds over to his figure, seeming lost in some sort of daydream. She wore a long robe in the shade of amber-orange, tightened over a green one and at last, her white under robe. A small gold jewel hung at the middle of her chest. She was like a star that had fallen out of the sky.

Xiao had seen many mortals, but she... She was still a breath taking view and it stunned him.

'The geofly.' His mind whispered for a split second.

He rapidly turned his head away before looking back to where she was一now gone, confusing him even more. His cheeks dusted red a bit as he remembered her beautiful features.

"No... It couldn't be." He muttered in disbelief, shaking his head and swinging his body back around, finally walking away from the scene.

Meanwhile, [name], had only chuckled gently beneath her breath as she had his away from him. There was empathy in her tone, she could feel a sense of sadness that he had left behind him as he left her alone. "Jerk... Your life is pretty miserable isn't it?"