intertwined;
xiao x reincarnated! immortal! reader
wc: 4369
note: thank you for 700!! this was long overdue, but i hope you enjoy nonetheless! i was really worried that i wasn’t able to write anything for a long time, but i’m glad that people still seem to read my work, even when i’m away. the last time i checked i was still at 500 and now i’m at 700!! it’s Wild. thank you so much!
The boundary between mortal and adepti should never be crossed. That was what your mother told you, back when you were little. Two small feet rooted firmly in front of the arching canyons and towering cliffs of Jueyun Karst, whilst you gripped your mother’s hand tightly as unforetold power echoed through the mountains. A resonance between body and earth.
That same feeling pervaded you no matter where you went in Liyue, whether it was in the quaint ambiance of Qingce Village, or the sprawling waterways of Dihua Marsh.
The adepti were the chosen guardians of Liyue, revered and praised by all loyal Liyuen citizens. And yet, you’ve never seen one your entire life. Perhaps you were born a skeptic, or as someone too curious for your own good, but how could you believe in something you’ve never seen before?
But that was all in the past now, and you’ve moved forward ever since, carrying those odd facts and realities and forging them into your foundation.
The moon shone upon Liyue brilliantly, illuminating the small islets dotting Dihua Marsh. A gold brooch emblazoned with the Geo sigil shone amber as you roamed the plains, carefully padding around Hilichurl camps and elemental hotspots prime for slime spawning areas. The expedition to Wuwang Hill went exactly as planned, save for a few unexpected adjustments to your overarching plan. It was never a problem, in any case. As gloomy and grim that place is, you’ve been there so often that the spirits don’t haunt you anymore.
It was much worse when your mother and father died.
Regardless, you pressed on, like always. Soon becoming an unsurmountable mountain capable of weathering even the harshest storms- becoming a near-eternal pillar to your loved ones. Not even the bygone gods could shake your will, the elders praised. Such steadfastness was rewarded with a Geo Vision, a blessing from your own god. You didn’t think much of it, but you were grateful nonetheless.
High-pitched clangs of metal hitting metal ripped you from your thoughts, and your hands instinctively notched an arrow, aiming at an open glade with a concerning amount of wind churning the trees’ branches.
A horde of Anemo slimes, you mused.
Diving into the fray, you fired an arrow into the whirlwind, hoping to pin the biggest Anemo slime down and disrupt the cyclone. What you didn’t expect, however, was for the wind to dissipate immediately, causing an artfully-crafted jade spear to split the swimming gales and pin you to a nearby tree.
Your hands frantically scanned the area for your trusty bow, but by the time you realized that your weapon was out of reach, a figure emerged from the darkness, bearing sharp golden eyes that pierced the souls of mortals and demons alike.
You knew immediately that you were in the presence of an adepti.
He tugged the polearm from the bark effortlessly, twirling it around by his side, before looking at you expectantly. Adepti didn’t need to give explanations to mortals, but for you, it was a different story. What could a mortal be doing, wandering the golden plains of Guili at this hour? The adeptus quirked an eyebrow, inviting a bit of the moonlight’s luster into his gorgeous, gorgeous eyes.
Your throat was dry, and your hues, lackluster in comparison, blinked owlishly. A gentle wind blew through your hair, and you could have sworn you heard the distinct trill of a flute. You could have said anything. Anything at all: pleas for mercy, praise for the illuminated adepti, thanks of gratitude, and yet... you simply cocked your head curiously.
“Huh,” you thought audibly, eliciting a distrustful stare from him. “So the adepti can look human after all.”
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It’s been so many years since then.
Your vision was hardly the shining beacon it used to be. Pulsing weakly and glowing faintly amongst the evening lights of Liyue Harbor, it was a harbinger of your eventual fate. Dust gradually tipping the hourglass from the inside, until there was nothing left.
Time was kind to you, and you aged gracefully, whilst the vigilant yaksha looked the same as he always did: eternally young, eternally blessed. A mournful smile bloomed on your thin lips.
Or perhaps cursed.
You remember how scared he became, as time went on. How he couldn’t abide by human customs of love, or how he could not forgo his contract with all of Liyue to be with you- how he could not fully devote himself to being your beloved.
All of these little, insignificant things did nothing to weaken your bond. To him, it was all the more reason for you to leave- but you never did.
In the beginning, your encounters were tense. Conversations led off into nothingness, and idle touches seemed to burn, as if contact with your shoulder skin did nothing but blister his own. Hints of despair swam in those gorgeous eyes, and you wondered again, about that so-called boundary.
But those fears amounted to nothing, in the end. As he learned forbearance, you learned patience.
Small affectionate gestures became the world to you. A bouquet of Qingxin flowers here and there, intertwined fingers amongst the cloudless skies of Liyue, and shared secrets in the moonlight. The first bunches of Qingxin flowers were always slightly crushed, you noticed- yet, after a mere couple weeks, you were dumbfounded to find a bouquet of them perfectly picked; carefully maintained to the point where the dewy petals found no disturbance on their journey from the clouds.
“For you,” he spoke, the scent of mist permeating the air. You took them generously, tenderly tracing the flower petals as its distinct fragrance embraced you.
“In Liyue, these flowers represent purity.”
On that day, you remember vividly, you shared your first kiss with him.
The sun was slowly approaching the horizon, spreading luminescence across the land as it descended to kiss the earth. He was looking away from you, a vexed expression painted onto his features. As you slowly rested your palm upon his cheek, you swore that his ears grew tinged with the faintest pink.
Your eyes met gold, and the stars fell silent. The world was in awe- with the wind as your witness. Time slowed to a crawl, and as heaven and earth came together- so too did your lips meet.
Even as you grew older, tiptoeing closer to the afterlife with each passing moment, those memories steadied you on the worst of days. Closing your eyes, you breathed heavily, the summer air filling your lungs and rattling the emptiness in your chest. Back then, it seemed as though those days would never end.
The trill of a flute alerted you to his presence, as he stood on the parapet of your balcony. Though your face strained to smile as wide as you used to, his heart always fluttered at the sight.
“Xiao.”
Immediately, he was by your side, a hand placed on your shoulder and another on your wrist, guiding you to the nearby sofa. Shakily, you sat, leaning back on the cushions while he chose to poise himself on the armrest, intertwining his gloved fingers with yours.
The two of you sat in silence- a comfortable one, at least. But underneath the belly of unspoken emotions, it was laced with a solemn melancholy.
“Look at you,” you laughed. “Just as beautiful as the day we first met. I look like I’m about to wither away.”
It was a lighthearted joke, but Xiao tightened his grip on your hand, but with enough sense to mind his strength. At first, he always held too hard, clenched too strongly- seizing your arm incredible force enough to dislocate it, when he only meant to grab your attention. Restraint was something he learned from you too, amongst the plethora of other things that he never cared to learn about, not until you.
“Nonsense,” he chided, voice soft in a tone he reserved for you and you alone.
Humming thoughtfully, you took another heavy breath, the smile falling from your lips and tumbling onto the ground, crumbling into dust.
“I’m getting old, Xiao.”
His heart quailed.
“But those years I’ve spent with you, from the moment we met...” The scent of Qingxin flowers filled your senses, calming you as Xiao moved closer, half hugging your form. The nights were certainly chilly, but he never seemed to be cold. Nor did he seemed to be bothered to embrace your elderly form.
You shook your head. “I wouldn’t trade those years for anything.”
Xiao was silent.
“You shouldn’t speak as though you’re going to die,” he finally responded, voice wavering. For the first time in centuries, despite the pain and suffering that clouded him like a malicious aura, it was a human’s death that drove his heart to feel this way. It was this warmth that made his heart feel at peace for the first time in millennia, and he so desperately wanted to chase it.
“Xiao,” you called his name exasperatedly. Though your voice was nothing like it used to be, he feared the day he couldn’t hear it again. Time-worn orbs met vivid gold.
“I want you to promise me something,” you spoke with finality. That unyielding spirit of yours was still in there somewhere- the Geo Vision thrumming with what little power it had as it rested upon your hip.
Something was brewing within him.
“Of course,” he said, effortlessly. Holding his breath as you closed your eyes, Xiao feared that they wouldn’t open.
“Promise me that you’ll live.”
You passed away the next morning.
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“A kind soul, weren’t they,” the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor’s consultant mused, arranging a bunch of Qingxin flowers in a vase as he prepared for the upcoming funeral. Xiao said nothing, resting upon a wall as your lusterless vision rested in his hands, devoid of its original power. No longer did it bear the same vivid color as before- it was lifeless.
“You blessed them,” Xiao spoke hoarsely. “Why?”
A question lingered in the air unspoken. Why couldn’t they ascend to become one of us?
Zhongli paused, offering a thoughtful hum to fill the tense atmosphere. When his gaze shifted to Xiao, pools of amber and divinity swirling within them, the yaksha straightened himself instinctively as the presence of pure power filled the room.
“They preferred to stay close to the ground. They did not care for what potential recompense lie in store for them in the heavens, for their heart and home were here.”
Xiao glowered, anger brewing in that cursed soul of his, even though he knew deep down that the God of Contracts never lies.
“Humans always think selfishly. Living with reckless abandon, with no concern for the world around them,” he growled, bitterness spilling from his mouth as darkness clouded his vision. “Never once thinking to consider the consequences.”
“And it is for that reason that they live the way they do.”
Xiao blinked unshed tears from his eyes as a steady hand rested upon his shoulder.
“Time is... inconsequential for beings like us. A hundred years is all they are able to have, so they insist on making the most of it. For humans, living ‘selfishly’ is to live life to the fullest.”
His vision began to blur, the details of the room melting into incomprehensible objects. Touching his face made the fabric of his gloves wet- and he felt lost. Xiao’s seen you cry several times throughout his life, and every time you did, he could only look upon you with a puzzled look, for the adepti do not cry. They do not grieve, they do not regret.
And yet, tears ran down his cheeks in endless streams. In the furthest depths of his being, a thorny vice wrapped around his throat, filling his chest with petals of the purest white and sealing his heart’s hopes away.
“Why did they... choose me?”
Tumultuous storms raged in his very soul, as anguish ravaged the edge of his heart and crushed and crumbled and pummeled it all into oblivion.
“Xiao.”
The former Archon looked upon a solitary glaze lily perched on the window sill, soft blues accentuated by the filtering light.
“The cycle of time is relentless,” Zhongli smiled, a bit somberly. “And yet, some things still persist."
Xiao followed his former master's gaze outside the window, where it fell upon the Tianquan, smiling happily amongst a group of children as the sky dabbled drops of luminous sunshine in her platinum locks, like scintillating fragments of dust.
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“So? How has time treated you?”
An elderly voice snapped Xiao out of his thoughts. The raspiness in her tone reminded him of you, right before you departed this world. But that was... how many years ago?
A few days had passed since Osial was sealed beneath the Sea of Clouds, just outside of Guyun Stone Forest. It took the combined efforts of the adepti and the Qixing to seal the vortex god away. Uncertainty pervaded Liyue Harbor: first, it was the departure of their three millennia-old god, then the arrival of another, one capable of leveling Liyue to the ground with a single tidal wave. And yet, within the hearts of mortals, they find the strength to move forward.
Madame Ping gazed at him with knowing eyes, making him squirm a little. Both of them knew that she wasn’t simply asking about the recent battle, but rather...
“Sometimes,” he begins, grimly. “Their voice blends in with the others that haunt me.”
His fellow adeptus hums, and Xiao’s inclined to fold his arms defensively, one second from disappearing and returning to Wangshu Inn within a moment’s notice.
Wisely, she chose to move to a different topic. It’s been a while since the Conqueror of Demons himself came by for tea. A surprise indeed, especially with how uncomfortable he looked by simply standing on some inconspicuous edge of Yujing Terrace.
“The Lantern Rite is soon arriving. Won’t you come see the sights?”
Madame Ping pinned him down in a manner of subtle grace that could only be observed by her. It seems like she, along with another, had mastered the art of being human. Xiao’s heart clenched in that familiar way again- it’s been a full millennium since you passed.
He never once took another lover, for immortals never forget their first love.
Each memory of those sky-borne lights pricked him like thorns, relentless and unending. And on the worst of days, a single lantern brought him to his knees, chest heaving with unforetold pain. Gentle touches and whispers in the starlight, and oh, how he missed the feeling of your hand upon his cheek, holding him as if he were the most precious treasure in the world.
Though he never truly understood, he was willing to try- just for you.
Memories he plucked from his heart and sealed away tightly behind a lock and key, never to see the light of day.
“The lanterns, huh,” he scoffed. “How absurd.”
And he was gone without a trace.
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He found every aspect of you to be curious: how could a human possess such strength and gentleness all at once? Fury in the face of danger, but empathy to a monster who killed and knew nothing else. Mercy, to a merciless killer of demons. How could a mere mortal make his heart race just by tucking a stray strand of hair away, when he’s faced gods capable of eradicating all life on Teyvat?
Gritting his teeth, he plunged his spear into another cursed hilichurl- another tainted soul created as a byproduct of his own karma. The remains fizzled and disintegrated into infernal dust, feeding the celestial atlas as time marched on relentlessly.
A flute rang clear through the reeds of Dihua Marsh, and he whipped his head around to find a bard, clad in green, kicking his feet whilst the winds whispered secrets into the night.
“Lord Barbatos.”
The Archon in question turned and tilted his head curiously, cerulean pools filling with mirth as a merry smile grew on his face.
“Ah, so you were listening!”
“Why have you come?”
“Is it so unbecoming for me to visit a friend in his time of need?”
Xiao narrowed his eyes.
“Need?”
Resting his knuckles upon his hips, Barbatos sighed, head hanging low in exasperation. Aquamarine hues bore straight into gold- the Anemo Archon’s expression was pinched with worry, but Xiao was adamant on abandoning those memories.
The adepti do not grieve.
“The eve of glowing lights grows near; will you forsake yourself another year?”
“Lord Barbatos-”
“The wind will carry your sorrows away, clearing skies that were once grey. But for some reason, you hold onto this burden. Many years later, and you still do.”
Xiao unknowingly tensed under the divine presence of the Anemo Archon entirely. From the moment he descended upon Dihua Marsh, he knew that he came under the guise of his Archon title, one that he championed for over thousands of years, not as the carefree bard that chased the scent of dandelions on the wind.
“If you are so willing, dear Yaksha, tell me- who were they to you?”
The adeptus clenched his jaw, painfully tight. You were... his respite. His sanctuary. His home. You were a multitude of things that he could never describe within his immortal lifetime- a multitude of memories that slipped from his fingers like dust, destined to fall beneath the living world and be buried with everything else.
A dream that wasn’t meant to be.
“I heard the traveler roaming back and forth between Liyue’s vast lands, carrying wishes and dreams,” Barbatos sang, his form becoming incorporeal as the thousand winds carried his soul back to Mondstadt. “Won’t you join them?”
The Archon decided to let Xiao make a decision of his own accord. The embodiment of freedom indeed- though Barbatos gave every sign that he should, he never excluded the idea that he shouldn’t. And perhaps... just this once...
A mournful sigh wracked Xiao’s body, echoing nothing but emptiness.
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In the end, the traveler brought him along to Liyue Harbor. After some shenanigans and scuffles with some rambunctious mortals, he escorted them and their fairy companion to the outskirts of the city. And against all odds, he lingered along that edge, indulging in a sight that was once forgotten deep within the sea of karmic binds.
A small smile blossomed on his face, and it became painfully aware that he nearly forgot how to smile after you died. It was you who taught him so, you who took him by the arm and ventured down to the starlit shores of Yaoguang Shoal to collect starconches and dance under the brilliance of the moon.
Sorrow filled his heart. He never truly fulfilled his promise to you, did he? A promise to live, when all he’s done is drown, drown, drown in the abyss.
Distantly, the adeptus saw a few port workers setting up lines of fireworks, and took it as a sign to leave. His senses were keener than most, and he would prefer to not be bombarded with colorful lights and loud noises.
As soon as he rose, however, a voice ripped him out of his thoughts and filled it with intense trepidation.
“Wait!” Golden eyes traced tendrils of amber as his head whipped around at lightning speeds.
Xiao has lived for an impossibly long time, surmounting many gods of ancient times and outliving countless adepti. He has come to expect certain things from humanity, learned their cunning tricks and mannerisms as Liyue was continuously reforged into something new with each passing year.
But... he never expected this.
He never expected you, or- not you, as you donned a young visage instead of old, breathing heavily as if you ran a million miles to catch up with him. But Xiao met your gaze, and his heart stopped beating.
Never in a million years did he think he would see your loving eyes again.
“I finally... got a chance... to meet you,” you huffed, leaning on your knees as you caught your breath. To your surprise and relief, the yaksha seemed to be paralyzed in place, frozen by memories, if that wide-eyed look on his face was any indication.
A few awkward minutes pass, as the sounds of festival cheer began to dull his sense against his deafening heartbeat.
“Wow...” You breathed. “You’re just as beautiful as I remember...”
Xiao was torn.
By all means, he should leave. He should do a heel-face turn and never look back, never crossing that boundary between adepti and mortal, never thinking once to approach those memories. He should reprimand this mortal for even daring to imply that they were anything more than strangers, for implying that they resembled a loved one and returned from the dead to find him. The Conqueror of Demons loved no one.
But... something was compelling him to stay.
He remembered this feeling, once. An surge of frightful elation, paired with a mixture of tension and anxiousness that made full circle with something you called happiness.
Should a being like him, blackened chains wrapped around his arms, legs, and even his soul- be able to hope?
“You’re mistaken,” he responds, fear lacing his guarded tone. And to his absolute terror, you stepped closer, voice frantic.
“I released a Xiao Lantern every year, in hopes you would find it. Every year, I wrote the same wish, so you’d know it was me. And every year, I released it in the same place so you’d know it was coming from, and I even stayed up all night to see if you’d respond, but-”
The yaksha felt a familiar strain of anger stirring in his veins. It was the one primal emotion he was familiar with- one that he embraced wholly whenever he sought to obliterate demons. Without fear, what else did he have but anger?
“You should not be speaking with me. Leave now, before you are punished for your transgressions against the adepti.” He swept his arm, wisps of anemo billowing from his shoulders as he braced to teleport away.
“Wait, please!” You fully grasped his arm with a light grip, but Xiao writhed under your touch, as if he was being burned alive.
“I saw you in my dreams.”
Xiao stiffened.
“I... don’t know how long it’s been, and I don’t remember everything, but... I remember bits and pieces. I remember the Qingxin flowers and the starconches and the almond tofu, and- and-” you were chasing your thoughts, words flying from your mouth a mile a minute.
“I remember you.”
You grimaced, choking on your words as he refused to face you.
“Do you... remember me?”
Xiao’s eyes raked your body with a vindictive, menacing gaze, and for a moment, you worried that he would slip through your fingers again.
You looked different, now. Your hair, face, clothes, even the way you carried yourself seemed different- and it was all the more clear by the Pyro vision tied around your wrist. But your eyes... those brilliant, gorgeous eyes, oh Archons, how he’d missed those eyes, they gleamed with as much vigor as he remembered.
He remembered everything, even when he denied it so.
“Yes,” he rasped.
An eternity’s worth of distress seemed to disappear as you relinquished your grip. His arm fell to his side sluggishly, as did yours. You stepped forward, decisively, and Xiao was happy to accommodate. Fireworks exploded in the background, filling the sky with thundering roars, but his embrace silenced the world around you as his arms wrapped around your new form with pure, unabashed love. The scent of mist and Qingxin flowers flooded your nostrils as you buried your face into his shoulder. He seemed taller than you remember, or perhaps you were shorter in this life.
He hugged you even tighter, arms snaking underneath your shoulders to pull you closer, as if you were a phantasm that would disappear by daylight. Though he never spoke once, you knew what he wanted to say.
“This isn’t a dream, Xiao,” you say, fingers combing his jet-black locks. “I’m here.”
His shoulders trembled and never stopped shaking. You spent the next few moments simply relishing in the other’s presence after a million years. Only when his rationale returned did he decide to pull away.
“But... how?”
You shook your head.
“I’m not really sure. But... Everytime I tried to come back to Liyue, something always got in the way, and... I never made it.”
Your voice cracked, shattering as Xiao tenderly wiped your tears away, his touch lingering on your temple as you nuzzled into his hand, pressing a chaste kiss to his gloved palm. The weight of lifetimes past grew heavy on your shoulders and it pained him to see you burdened by Celestia’s thread of fate, bearing scars that were dangerously similar to his.
Immortality was a cruel, vicious thing.
You reached up to trace the edge of his cheekbone with your thumb, his eyes softening as you stood on your toes to press another kiss to his brow. His ear grew tinged with an adorable shade of rose-pink, just like you remembered.
“Xiao,” you spoke, the syllables rolling from your tongue as if you said it many times before, committing it to memory as you traversed the scorching deserts of Natlan or the bitter permafrost of Snezhnaya.
“Xiao.”
He nodded slowly, drinking in your words. Your eyes glittered with an unfathomable emotion.
“I love you.”
And his too, shone, like beacons in the night. Growing emboldened with a perplexing mix of elatedness and love- something that made his heart cave and burn- he intertwined his hands with yours, leaning down as his eyes fluttered shut while heaven met earth once more. The shackles wrapped around his heart had loosened their deathly grip. And for once, he could breathe again.
He understood why you chose him, for all the same reasons he chose you.
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Somewhere, in the crown of Wangshu Inn’s gingko tree, lay an empty lantern ensnared by its branches.
The flame inside had long since burnt out, but it seems to have carried a wish from far, far away.