I shall Protect You

Adeptal Space

 Zhongli wipes his tears away and thanks Lily for reuniting them. "I-I didn't do anything". He noticed that her expression was saddened. "Lily are you alright?". She raises her head and looks at him. "Y-Yes, I was just reminiscing". Lies. Truly she was now heartbroken that her mother might've kept her existence a secret. She lightly shakes her head. 

Now wasn't the time for that. Lily needed to tend to Xiao. Looking towards Xiao she crawls to him. "Xiao, how do you feel?". He turns his head to her. He noticed how her body was trembling. "I'm...alright, but...". Lily suddenly falls to the ground alerting them. "Hey!". Xiao tries to pick her up but his bandaged arms jerk in response. "Agh!".

He stops Xiao in time before he does any more damage. "You shouldn't be moving!". Zhongli places Xiao down and then turns his attention to Lily. What happened? She only just woke up. What could've caused this? He examines her body to find out the cause. Her breathing was steady, but her body kept trembling. 

It was as though she used some sort of power that shocked her body. Zhongli was at a loss for words. Could he not do anything? A ghostly figure emerges from her body. 'You needn't worry Zhongli. She forced her body to use a power it is not used to'. Zhongli looks at her. "Alright if you say so Guizhong".

Floating over to Xiao, she smiles at him and kisses his forehead. She chants something that causes Xiao to fall asleep quickly. Guizhong then floats over to Zhongli and kisses him. 'Please watch over them. I love you darling...'. She returns to Lily as Zhongli places a blanket over her and Xiao. Over the next two days he took care of both Lily and Xiao. 

Guizhong must've used a spell to help Xiao to sleep and heal. Lily began to stir as she rubbed her eyes and sat up. "Mm?". Zhongli walks over to her, handing her some food. "Did I pass out?". He nods "Your body went into shock from using that power".

She looks at him confused. "Gui...Your mother told me". She sighs and slowly starts eating. Lily finishes eating and gives the dishes to Zhongli. "Thank you...". "For what?". Lily lowers her gaze. "For taking care of me and giving me some food". He grins "Of course. I'm glad to help you". 

Lily grins at his response. He reminded her of her father. 'It's been so long...hasn't Dad' she thought. The blanket that was on her started to move. Lily glances to her left and sees Xiao stirring. Her cheeks flush as she removes the blanket from her. He opens his eyes to see Lily next to him. She calms her nerves and helps Xiao up.

The wounds on his body weren't as severe as last time. "How do you feel?". He glances at her. "I'm fine...". Xiao was looking around for Zhongli but found nothing but a mist surrounding them. "Where are we?". Lily shakes her head. "I don't know...Zhongli comes from time to time and leaves afterwards". 'Could this be Rex Lapis's Adeptal Space?' thought Xiao. 

He had never seen it before. Lily thought to herself 'Could we possibly get out of here?'. She gets up and summons a golden sphere. "What're you doing?". Xiao looks at her. She thinks to herself for a few seconds and shines the light through the Mist. She then forces a beam of light through the mist causing it to split apart.

Bewildered that she could cut through an Adeptal Space, Xiao looks perplexed. "I didn't think that would work!". Lily laughs and looks back at him. "Ready to go? I can help you walk if you need it". He shakes his and slowly stands up. Zhongli must have a reason to keep them in here, but he couldn't be stuck here forever. 

He needed to get back to the fighting. They walk down the path Lily created earlier and find a way out. The morning sun greets them. Xiao looked around for the other Yakshas or any battlefields but found nothing but lush green and a peaceful atmosphere.

What was going on? There was supposed to be a War going on. Why was it so peaceful? Xiao felt completely clueless when a surge of adrenaline coursed through him. He suddenly leaves Lily's side and darts between trees. An echoed "Wait!" was all he could hear from her. The more ground he covered the more peaceful Liyue seemed. 'This isn't right!' he thought. 

Liyue shouldn't be like this! Xiao was happy about the idea of a peaceful Liyue, but he just opened his eyes from killing various Rogue Gods. He needed to get back to Rex Lapis's side...wait. The clothing he was wearing was much different than his Godly attire. What is happening? 

Hello! One small announcement. This week is 4th of July. I am going to spend some time with my family. Depending on if I have time, I'll publish the next chapter either Wednesday or Thursday. I apologize for those who looked forward to the next chapter! 

Oof! Another Cliffhanger! The next chapter will be out. I promise. Happy 4th of July for those who celebrate it! Either way have a nice week! See you soon! 

Sincerely, 

-Aria