The Spark [Xiao x Aether]

"Do you love me?" ||

He tried many times to stand on his feet but failed. The cold was just too much. Xiao noticed how his palms were slowly turning purple. But he had to find out what happened to his lover.

Why did this keep happening?

There was nothing the Yaksha could do. During his time in Celestia, his abilities got weaker, he knew how to fight, but he wasn't used to it anymore. His body also got slightly weaker. Even though there was a fire right in front of him, he still felt very cold. He sat there and curled himself into a ball thinking of what to do. He could barely feel any of his limbs. Snezhnaya was a real pain. How do the locals deal with such weather on a daily basis?

Nobody could probably even find him if he died out there in the middle of nowhere, or so he thought.

The Adeptus felt something warm wrap around him. He lifted his head to see the Dendro archon wrapping him tightly in a blanket. He wanted to ask what was going on or at least thank her but he couldn't even open his mouth. She stayed with him and even created a bigger fireplace for the boy to warm up. The entire time, she chose to stay silent. Her expression seemed stern and somewhat angry.

For many hours. She waited there until the Yaksha's skin color turned to normal and he was all warmed up. She sighed and started speaking.

"Locking you up was a bad idea. You may blame the Geo archon for that. He knew there was no other way to get you to stop trying to go after the traveler."

"Why stop me...?"

Nahida took a seat next to him and stayed silent for a few seconds. Should the god of wisdom be taking so much time to think of a response?

She placed her hand on the boy's shoulder and looked him in the eyes.

"Aether is a god now. His strength is far greater than you may think. Let him go. Whatever the thing that took him was, stands no chance. You need to trust him."

Xiao had nothing to say to this. Before, he was always the one protecting the traveler. It felt weird knowing he was now far stronger than him and needed no more protection. Letting him fight all alone against something unknown wasn't something the Yaksha would allow himself to do, but the Dendro archon was right.

Perhaps Xiao should have thought twice before immediately running out to find the boy. He lowered his head and realized how stupid he must've looked acting like the strongest being in Teyvat can't protect himself. The Gods probably weren't even gonna help the blonde. They know he's far stronger than any of them. No wonder Zhongli suggested they lock him up.

So many years passed yet the Adeptus never acknowledged this. Worrying for one's lover is natural, but Xiao worries a bit too much.

Nahida noticed how dumbfounded he looked. She left out yet another sigh. This time it was a sigh of relief. She was glad he wasn't going to try running away to find his partner again.

"To ease your worries, he contacted us while you were asleep. He took full control of the situation. Everything is still a bit of a mess so he's investigating the area the monster came from. A few others went to look for clues as well. It's best you stay at the palace until everything is normal once more."

So the archons did try to help. That was good to hear. But why wouldn't they invite the Yaksha to go with them?

Ah right.

Xiao had gotten weaker.

He was always weaker than the Gods, naturally.

He had definitely gotten weaker over time too.

This made him feel even more stupid. He stood up as the blanket slowly dropped to the ground. He was warm and conscious enough to return to the palace where everyone was.