|A Lone Adeptus| xiaoven

九

Heading through the plains and into yet another cavern, we wound up in a natural spring within a cave. The moonlight poured in from a gape above, creating a mysterious and mystical aura of fireflies and ferns.

Not only did he seem competent with manoeuvring through Dragonspine, but Liyue did no test to his capability. This human became more and more intriguing as he was only a simple bard from Mondstadt, or he appeared so.

He had long let go of my hand, taking my blade without warning. I looked at him with a glare, near to cursing him for disrespecting an Adeptus, though his smile doused me of my temper.

"I'll go clean your weapon while you wash off. Just in case you don't want me around." He was nonchalant as he continued out of the cave and through the hanging vines into the forestry that hid the cave.

I stood, dumbfounded, for a moment before looking around. How could I let a human wander off with my weapon without as much as a word of scorn? I shook off the feeling. Even if he were to disappear and make a profit somehow by selling my weapon, it would be of no use to a human in any nation. The properties within my lance were too strong for a human to handle prolonged exposure to, even if gifted with an eye from the gods.

Without much to be on guard for, I stripped my clothes and hung them on a branch nearby. There were many leaves to cover the entrance of the cavern, so there was not much of a need to feel insecure about privacy.

The water was cold at first, but as I slipped in, it grew to warm, and soothing. I sighed, the battle-worn body of mine finally relaxing. I wasn't one to become 'relaxed', especially after being led by a human to a cavern I hadn't even known of, though something about this human bothered me to the core. There had been something that I didn't know about this human. Perhaps he is a reincarnation of a powerful deity from the past.

The water was somewhat murky, though clear enough to not raise any caution. I sat there, in the quiet of the night, rinsing over the blood, dirt, and sweat from me. I didn't want to take too long and risk the human running away with my weapon, so I dressed in what clothes that weren't blood-drenched and head out of the cave. 

 The moon was now wide awake and peering from above onto Bishui Plains. The fireflies prancing over the tall swamp grass were happy, the toads croaking from where they sat hidden and crickets jumping in a dance. There was no sign of the bard though.

Instead of being washed over by rage and disappointment, I sighed and continued out. If that bard were to have wandered far with my spear, it wouldn't be long before he would drop due to the karma attached to that blade.

I tripped, coming near to touching the ground before I checked what I tripped over. It was the bard. He sat, leaning against the entrance of the cavern, with my lance. The blood-covered spear was now clean, the karmic debt radiating from it somehow stored within it like a glass case, though fortified. What had the bard done? Who was this human?

I stared at him for a moment, watching as he slept in peace as the critters of the night sang and danced across the plain. His clothes for winter were instead replaced with a white blouse under a corset, and shorts with white stockings. That recognizable cape had slipped from his shoulders and onto the floor. The whole appearance of this bard, deep in sleep, was pure with the intent only to be kind.

Why would a human choose to stay in the presence of a murderer by will? I scoffed and picked up the cape from the floor to dust off before placing it over his shoulders. Taking the spear from his grasp, he began to slip forward, by which I caught him leaning against the wall.

He muttered as he leaned back, "Xiao."

I stared at him, trying to tell if he was awake or not. After a moment, he resumed his peaceful rest, his eyelashes flipping at the slightest now and then. I turned away, eyeing the flute in his lap once more.

Examining the flute as I sat nearby, I pressed my lips to the flute, holding it with care.

Blowing air into the wood, a note came out, followed by a succession of songs. I remembered long ago I heard a melody as such the one I played, but time and karma have worn away the memory, and now it was only a nostalgic dream.