𝐸𝑞𝑢𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑦

Vanished

NOTE!
Thanks for reading so far and I hope you continue to read. So I feel like I'm rushing the plot too much so I'm going to slow it down a bit. Hope you don't mind, sincerely, author.
(Trigger)
Talks of potential death
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Xiao POV:

Seven days, seven days since Aether was last seen.

It's like he had vanished without a trace.

Liyue citizens began to worry about who would take their commissions and such. These mortals, only taking actions because they had no one else to do the dirty work. However, I kept an eye on these citizens. For if they would run into trouble, who knows what those pesky mortals would do to further anger the-

"Xiao!"

Verr Goldet stood on the balcony with one hand on her hip. Looking up to where I sat on the roof.

"Why don't you go help the citizens? We can't have them being attacked by any evil beings."
I made eye contact with her, narrowing my eyes.

"If the mortals run into trouble I will be there to assist them, for it is my duty as an adepti."

Her facial expression then turned into a more frustrated one.
"I'll keep an eye on them."
I said. Breaking eye contact and turning my head to look towards Jueyun Karst.  Before disappearing into the wind.

Third-person POV:

Verr sighs, shaking her head, her fingers squeezing the bridge of her nose. Her husband walks up the stairs resting on the door frame to the balcony. He looks down at the wooden floor.

"I'm worried for Xiao, the only person he ever got close with for a long time had now just cut him off, cut us all off, for no reason?!"

The frustration and anger built up flowed with her words, a waterfall of emotions.

Huai'an looks up at her, wearing a warm smile.

"Verr listen, it's going to be ok, the traveler's a tough kid, he'll come back to his senses eventually."

Huai'an talks in a slow, but optimistic tone.

"Still, somethings not right."

Verr looks out at the landscape, what she was thinking you ask? I'm not sure, but she seemed determined to get to the bottom of this.

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Xiao POV:

The mortals kept taking breaks while searching for A- the traveler. Citizens began to flake as numbers dwindled from 30 to 6. The last remaining of the search party consisted of, Hu Tao, Zhongli, Fatui boy, Chongyun, Xingqiu, and Xiangling.

"Xiao, do you sense anything?" Zhongli asks.

"No, I do not,"
I stated.

"Perhaps we can go to Wuwang hill and summon his spirit!!"
Hu Tao held an excited expression as silence broke out. Hu Tao's eyes widen as she recalls what she had said. She bites her lip before looking away.

.......

"My liege is such possible, there's no way the traveler is d-"

"No, it's impossible."
I interrupt Xingqiu. I didn't believe such nonsense. The traveler is certainly not dead. That I know.

"Ahem, it's getting late, and we humans need some rest, but we promise we'll come back out to search for Aether!! Xiangling seemed hopeful and confident.

"You can go, I'll continue searching."
But before I can break away from the group a voice interrupts once again.

"I'll continue looking as well." To his surprise, the voice was not Zhongli's but Hu Tao.

"Comrade if it's alright with you, Zhongli and I will also head back."

Childe departs along with Zhongli, leaving me and Hu Tao.

Hu Tao looks at me, "I apologize for what I said earlier. But I still believe we should check Wuwang hill. I have a feeling we might find something or someone there."

We had nothing to lose, "Lead the way."

Hu Tao was surely not boring; holding stories of the dead, spirits, and much more.

Once we had gotten to the hill we walked up the stairs. Looking around for anything out of place, but we found nothing. However, Hu Tao was adamant that the answers lay here. But after hours of searching once again we found nothing. She said she would be fine if I left her alone for she could handle herself. I didn't doubt that Hu Tao was very powerful indeed. So I told her if she found anything I would be at Wangshu Inn. And vanished into the wind.

Appearing in the room the inn owners gave me I felt a bit drained and although adepti didn't need sleep, I dozed off quite quickly.