#aelatus.queue

he only recognized the moon, full and bright - which brought slight peace to him.

attempting to focus, xiao became aware that something felt off, but he was unsure of what was causing such a sentiment. of course, one would feel uneasy if they were in an unknown location, but this felt different.

the moment he started to survey where he stood, his gaze was drawn to a figure on the hill close by, who was sitting and, appeared to be, silently watching the moon. xiao's body tensed as the moon cast colored rays onto the figure's clothing. 

the person was you.

he wondered if he was dreaming, and thought of possible reasons why you would be here at this strange, unfamiliar spot. but chose not to dwell on it for too long.

as he slowly edged closer, he noticed that the being was indeed, you.

what were you up to, staring at the moon? did you not have more important duties to do? you were a yaksha, after all.

he quietly examined your figure. you were there, but somewhere else at the same time. like a corpse, almost.

xiao mustered the courage to speak to you, but you beat him to it. you redirected your gaze from the moon to his amber eyes and offered a soft yet sad smile.

it felt like time froze for a moment.

"alatus," you said, "it’s been a while." your gaze shifted to your hands, which you had gathered in your lap, then flickered back to the adeptus.

your eyes held but a flicker of warmth.

"[name], what are you doing here?" his voice tense.

the possibility that you weren't there, the consequence of yearning to see you again but knowing it was impossible, was concealed by his confusion.

you smiled again, turned back to the moon, and let out a small breath, "the moon is beautiful, isn’t it?"

you caught xiao's attention for a long moment, but he quickly averted his gaze and turned his focus to the moon, "…certainly."

he seated himself down next to you. but, the warmth he longed for was not there. he felt nothing but a cold, blank feeling.

you chuckled softly, "how have you been faring?"

he stayed silent and thought. you were right there, in his presence, so how was he faring? he would have said he was fine. but this moment felt so slow, so... surreal.

you seemed to have read his thoughts and frowned slightly. his mind, clouded with confusion, believed that you were here.

with no response from him, you quickly changed the subject, "how is your contract going?"

you didn’t wish to recall how the contract was also practically your demise. the karmic debt tainted your soul, it caused you to lose yourself.

he remained silent.

protecting liyue was just one of a yaksha's responsibilities. a duty shared by all the yakshas, written in their contracts. however, in the end, alatus - the last yaksha standing, had all the burden placed on his back.

“i want to sincerely apologize.“

"what are you apologizing for?" he replies.

you looked directly at xiao, "for not being there to help you. the contract made me corrupt, and now you must bear all the burden."

xiao locked his gaze on your empty eyes. he did not understand, why were you spewing such nonsense?

you knew he didn't get it at the moment, but you knew he would eventually.

you gently placed your hand on his, then returned your attention to the moon again. he stiffened, but allowed you to keep your hand there, gazing at the moon as well.

silence.

the wind blew gently as you peered out into the slowly fading distance, which was relatively close. you blinked.

you had to admit that it was the end, everything had an ending. but was it selfish to want a few moments more?

all the words you wished you could have said to him, the unexchanged conversations. all in three words.

not enough, but it was that could be said.

you squeezed his hand, "i love you, alatus." you said, barely a whisper. tears singed at your eyes.

xiao snapped his gaze from the moon to you. oh, how he loved you. after decades of waiting, he could finally say it back. he gently cupped your face, took a shaky breath and opened his mouth to respond. but suddenly, you started to fade. not just you - everything.

he looked around frantically, but all he could see was darkness. it was pitch black. you weren't there. no, he thought. his eyes began to slowly close as he struggled to resist something that pulled at him through the shadows, almost like a hazy mist.

after a few minutes, his eyes opened, and he began to scan the area where he was seated. color slowly returned to his vision.

he stood promptly, and his muscles tensed. the steady breeze seemed to know what had just transpired and carried the same sentiment in the wind from before.

he saw you - he knew he did. therefore it had to be true. you were right there, speaking to him while gazing into his glistening amber eyes with a soft smile. you even told him you loved him, but he didn't get to reply. 

xiao looked over at the moon overhead, the wind slightly blowing his dark hair. he thought back to everything you said. why were you saying such nonsense?

he snapped his gaze back to the ground, his breath hitched.

xiao's body felt like it was going to give out.

it was all just a dream.