chasm ･ xiao ⋆.࿔*

- chapter 1 -

(unedited)

Standing on the balcony at sunset, eyes closed, the wind sweeping your hair from your face. Silently, secretly, the teal-haired male next to you watched you, a small smirk from a secret well kept on his face. Your h/c hair brushed through the wind, and he produced a rubber band out of nowhere, gently tying the silky strands of your hair back from your face.

"Thanks, Xiao." You responded to the gentle action without opening your eyes, a small smile gracing your lips. Eventually, he started to tug your hand insistently.

"Y/n, we must go, dispel this land of the demons it has gathered." You smirked a little bit at his use of formal language, but nodded. The two of you set out, your hand still intertwined with his.

Regardless of how it seemed, the two of you were not involved in any sort of "mortal affair". He was your best friend, period, and probably would always be. You didn't care when strangers at the Inn stared at you. He didn't seem to either.

************

"Be more careful," Xiao grumbled, examining the tiny cut on your hand. They were out fighting some ruin hunters in the area. You shrugged.

"It's nothing compared to how I've suffered, remember?" The true statement, spilling from your lips, made Xiao flinch. It wasn't your nature to be cynical. You were a free spirit, your innocence seemingly somehow left mostly untouched by the Archon War. But Xiao knew better, as well as suffered more.

Xiao's POV

Y/n was my best friend. I knew that. I wouldn't deny that. But she didn't know how careless she was sometimes, that young, negligent attitude that led her to get hurt. And yet... every time she got hurt, I felt a flutter of protectiveness- but it's better to let us stay this way. No point in risking what we've developed.

"Oh, right!" Your voice, chipper again, pierced into Xiao's thoughts.

"I'm heading to Liyue for the Rite of Descension, I'll be back in a few days or so!"

Every year, you always wanted to partake in the Rite of Descension, your one chance to see your beloved archon again, and meet with your dear friend Ganyu, of course. Anyways, you waved to Xiao, who just stared at you with a solemn expression. You huffed, amused at his lack of communication, checked to make sure you had your polearm and vision, and disappeared in a flash of light blue sparks.

*********

Liyue was always beautiful. You never understood how mortals, living in such a gorgeous environment, disregarded it as their everyday life. You'd stay here forever, but then, Xiao would be alone.

Shaking off the sudden, unnerving thoughts, you wandered down a walkway, admiring the lotuses growing in the nearby pond.

"Y/n! You came!" You were pulled into an embrace by Ganyu, who smiled, as lovely as ever and pointed.

"The Rite of Descension is going to begin in about a week! As much as I flatter myself saying that you came to see me, I know that you came for Mor- I mean, Rex Lapis!" She was grinning brightly, but you saw the undercurrent of clouded confusion, the result of 2000 years knowing your archon as Morax. You nodded understandingly.

"Okay! I'll go find a place to stay for a bit then." You replied to her.

————

???'s POV

My dear naive Adeptus...I'm waiting. And don't worry. I'm here to harm you. Maybe I'll even break your heart in the process...

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editors note: okay oh my god but beanut is literally so good at writing I can't

Also we're a pole arm user with a cryo vision

unedited version below

Also for those of you confused as to why the sparks were purple, we're a catalyst user with an electro vision. We need more electro characters smh my head

I changed it to cryo and pole arm cause 1. the outfit I was drawing resembled Lisa too much 2. when I did get to the outfit part a pole arm felt more fitting so yeah no were a cryo polearm