Xiao X Reader [A Fragment of My Memories]

[20] The Weight of Karma

You didn't even have time to react, let alone blink. The next thing you knew, you were brought behind some large rocks, enough to serve as a hiding spot. 

"Stay here." Xiao's expression was oddly stiff. As he gave you one last look, the gentleness in his eyes was nearly gone. Suddenly, Xiao was several meters in front. With a wave of his hand, his signature jade-winged spear appeared right beside him.

Meanwhile, you were left feeling an uncomfortable chill down your spine. You weren't sure if it was because of the demons nearby, or because of the ice-cold look in Xiao's eyes.

Well, it made sense to you now why it was getting increasingly dangerous to travel. 

You snuck a peek past the rocks you hid behind. A strong wind blew past, and as you squint your eyes, you could see some figures emerge from some ruins far ahead. 

'Huh?' You tilted your head in confusion, watching as they came closer. 'They're just a hilichurl group.'

But it was odd. They were moving faster than usual, and they looked somewhat... erratic. It's as if they weren't in control of themselves. 

Then, you noticed a black aura emanating from their bodies, almost like flames. The very same one that Xiao has whenever he has his mask on. Your confusion only grew. 

Just then, Xiao began to move, dashing through the fields like a blade of wind toward the demons. Within a second, he was right in front of them, using his spear to slash across their bodies. The smaller hilichurls were thrown across, while the bigger mitachurl merely lost balance and fell backward. 

Your eyes widened. 'Is it over?' A wave of relief flooded through. 

But before you emerged from behind the rocks, you noticed something odd about the fallen hilichurls. Their black aura kept persisting, and the mitachurl had begun to twitch despite being sprawled across the ground. 

Even Xiao seemed taken aback by this. He narrows his eyes, watching each of them closely.

You shrunk back behind the rock but still kept your head up so you could peek. 'Maybe Xiao's attack wasn't strong enough?' you thought to yourself, feeling that uneasiness creep back again. You knew full well that a single attack by him would be more than enough already. 

Xiao holds his spear upside down, ready to pierce down on those that made any more unusual movements. You notice just then that the mitachurl had started twitching even more. Something was wrong. 

Suddenly, it's as if it had been zapped back to life. In a split second, it got back on its feet as the black fumes grew stronger, sucking it out of the smaller hilichurls.

Xiao immediately got ready for another attack, but it was somehow faster. The lone mitachurl dodged his second attack, running past him instead. 

Xiao's eyes widened in shock. 'It's avoiding me?'  He whirls around, noticing the mitachurl running ahead with great speed. 

Then, he realized. 

"(Y/N)! RUN!!"

His words jolted you out of your disbelief. You managed to crawl away just as the mitachurl smashed through the rock you hid behind.

'Why... why is it going after me?!' you trembled, watching as the mitachurl's movements grew even more erratic. 

The next second, Xiao stood in front of you. Black aura enveloped him as he blocked the mitachurl's next attack. 

"Stand back! You're too close!" He exclaimed.

"W-Wait, but–"

"GO!" Xiao glared at you from the corner of his eye, A turquoise glow radiating from the eyes of his mask. 

You clumsily got back on your feet as you ran. 

Xiao watched you scurry away, before facing the mitachurl in front of him once more. "This demon is unusual..." he furrows his brows, jumping above it and plunging with his spear. "Why is it going after (Y/N)? And with this much malice?"

_ _ _ 

You hid until the sounds of fighting faded away. 

With shaky feet, you emerged from behind some Sandbearer Trees, spotting Xiao standing above the fallen mitachurl. 

'Is it actually over now?' you wondered as you slowly approached him, trying to calm your trembling hands. 

"Uh... Xiao?" You called him, but he didn't reply. Instead, he stared down at the unconscious mitachurl, its black aura slowly fading away. Even though you couldn't see his face, you could tell he was still not reassured that it's been killed. 

You followed his gaze down to the mitachurl. "Xiao, I think we're okay now. It doesn't seem like it's gonna get up anymore." With a small smile, you walked closer, reaching for him with your hand. 

"Don't touch me." Xiao suddenly commanded. 

You immediately pulled your hand back. 

With a start, he shook his head, as if realizing his tone of voice. "I'm sorry. That's not what I meant," he sighs, taking off his mask and stepping away from the mitachurl. "I still had my mask on. It's dangerous to be in direct contact with my karmic debt." 

"O-Oh!" You smiled in relief. "Right, right. I forgot about that..!" You chuckled, pushing the memory of Xiao's ice-cold gaze to the back of your mind. 

"Are you alright? Did I scare you?" Xiao circled around you, checking your body for any injuries. 

You shook your head. "Nope! Not at all!" you spread your arms wide, showing him that you were indeed alright. "And you didn't scare me. I was just taken aback. That's all..." 

"I see. That's good then." A look of relief crossed his face. 

"But, uh..." you flicked your eyes over to the mitachurl. "What... what just happened?"

"That was a demon," he explained, sparing one last glance at it. The black aura around it was completely gone now.

"That mitachurl?"

He nods. "The black aura is the karmic debt. Beings like them can't handle the burden, so it overtakes them... leads them to go insane, or even violent in some cases." 

You look down at your feet. "So this is what you've been fighting against..?" you asked, feeling something heavy weigh on your shoulders. 'Every single day?'

"That's right... But what happened earlier was strange." 

"Strange?"

"Demons aren't usually that strong in this area. You're more likely to see those in Guyun Stone Forest where the wrath of the fallen gods remains strong," he explains, before staring straight at you. "And... it was attacking you, specifically. I've never seen this happen before."

You gulped, gazing back at his glowing amber eyes. "What does it mean when that happens?" you asked, ignoring the lump of fear settling in your stomach. 

He shook his head. "I don't know..." 

"Oh..." 

After noticing your shoulders slump in defeat, Xiao grabs your hand. "But never mind that. Rest for a while before we continue to the Harbor," he says, leading you to a nearby tree.

You immediately shook your head as you straightened up. "No, no! It's fine! I can keep going." 

He raised a brow. "Are you sure?" 

"Yeah!" You gave him a beaming smile and a thumbs-up. "Oh and... Thanks for protecting me."

Xiao's eyes widened at the way you smiled at him. He opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. Instead, he squeezed your hand a little, to which you squeezed back. 

"If that's the case, then let's go." He avoided your gaze, keeping his grip on your hand firm as he led you along. 

You followed closely behind, staring at your intertwined fingers. 'If only I could help...' you glanced at Xiao, the smile from your face disappearing. 'So that I don't add any more to your burdens.'