#xiaooo

xiao had his fair share of gods. as he dons his mask, a dance of bloodshed is what the bystander sees (that is if they survive at all). you were not exclusive to corruption but with the gift of healing, you were victorious in avoiding it. xiao yakshas, even rex lapis himself, approach your abode often. after unseen battles and the corruption sticking to their hands, you provide solace.

between the five of them, the windborne yaksha visited the most. you understood, of course, he was fighting almost every night. it began with healing, then xiao began to offer he gather herbs for you, and eventually transcended with walks every other night. he was gentle, that much you can say. compared to bosacius his fellow yakshas, he was quiet but he gives you an answer most of the time.

perhaps you were getting attached but moments with him was never dull. as a god with no active followers, most of your days were lonely. with xiao around, the flowers seemed to bloom brighter each morning.

it was underneath the moonlight on top of mt. hulao, mountain shaper was busy somewhere else but he was kind enough to let you both wander near his home. the small hill was littered with flowers, qingxin flowers to be exact. it was a perfect night, with his hands on yours. the soft blowing music of the wind pulling you both up. it was a night of you two in each others arms, away from war. you could've sworn someone was playing a soft tune.

you felt it in the morning. the feeling of evil creeping under your skin and the cold embrace of corruption in your heart. with hands like yours, you could heal it in a heartbeat. a few days was all it took until you realized nothing was working.

dusk was beginning to break through, you were alone in your home. perhaps you never healed the yakshas, the horrifying truth coming alight. gods cannot be erased, they cannot be removed from this world. the corruption that you supposedly healed stuck to your hands and your arms.

you begged celestia for a chance. xiao was nowhere to be seen but you knew, it wouldn't take long.

the moon was high and the stars were multiplying. xiao was informed another god had succumbed into evil. it was another night of battle. what he did not expect was his friends to lead him to your battered home. the stench of corruption staining your walls. his heart sunk and his jaw clenched behind his mask. he had left in a hurry when they began to ask where you were.

xiao scouted the area, finding traces of corruption within monsters. when he'd found a piece of a wilted flower, he had no doubts you were near.

and there you were, hunched under a tree. chest heaving and corruption crawling in your arms. it was clear you were struggling to clear your head. his mask faded away as he stared with a heavy heart.

restore order through slaughter, purge evil through battle.

he knew what should be done. before he could take another step, you had lunged to attack him. hands morphed into sharp claws and eyes glinting with bloodlust. xiao did not see you in this form, snarling and trying to form unintelligible words. as the dance began, he tried to avoid injuring you, he really did. but as you got worse, he knew he needed to end it.

with a sharp inhale, the night fell silent. it was deafening. no more nightly walks along jueyun karst or playful jabs in your abode. as you took your last breath, you whispered your farewells and apologies. xiao disappeared in thin air as your body began to fall limp.

on the same grass and under the same sky where you both danced and swayed, you became one with the stars once more. perhaps in another life, xiao can hear you laugh again - in another life, where he can love you again.

he longs for a day to come when he will wear the mask and dance - not to conquer demons, but to the tune of the flute amid a sea of flowers.