"Never mind, then let's do it your way, Jin... Xiao?"
To be honest, Baimeng felt a bitter twist in her stomach. When Xiao claimed that he no longer belonged to her, her first impulse was resistance, followed by a sour ache and a lingering trace of regret, which she ultimately suppressed with a clearing mind.
This was the best choice. She had done nothing wrong. And she had no reason to feel sad.
Yet when she saw Xiao take a step back and raise his weapon in defense, whatever fraction of relief and satisfaction she felt was instantly swallowed by an overwhelming tide of loss.
Baimeng blinked her stinging eyes, nearly shedding a tear.
Fortunately, having played games for so long, she had long since perfected a flawless facade. She believed she would never expose her true self to anyone.
And as Xiao withdrew, he caught a fleeting glimpse of the God of Dreams standing there in a daze. Her gem-like, crimson eyes dimmed, looking for all the world as though she were genuinely, heart-wrenchingly sad.
That made his own heart feel as though it were being squeezed tight, aching in a way he couldn't put into words.
Yet that glance vanished in an instant; the God of Dreams was still standing there safe and sound, even the effortless smile at the corners of her lips indistinguishable from the one in his memory. It was as if everything just now had been his imagination.
In truth, Xiao had a great many things he wanted to say, countless questions he wanted to ask. Those tangled emotions, which remained unclear and unresolved even after a thousand years, had nowhere to vent, and could only be sealed deep within his heart, waiting to be slowly forgotten.
Until this very day, he had thought he had successfully forgotten, that he had broken free—that he was no longer a caged bird kept in bondage, but a Yaksha who fought shoulder to shoulder with his former friends to protect this land.
Even though his Karmic Debt clung to him like bone-gnawing poison, reminding him constantly of the sins of slaughter he had committed in the past. Even though he found it hard to sleep night after night, dreading the clutches of nightmares.
Yet it had been a very long time since he had last dreamed of this person.
Xiao had thought he had even forgotten this face.
Yet the moment he saw her, a searing pain and a wild ecstasy surged up together, as though those invisible chains still pierced his body, and that person's laughter echoed in his ears alongside the clanking of iron.
In the end, he still couldn't forget.
The hand gripping the spear pointed at her was still trembling. Leveraging the physical capabilities granted by this body, Baimeng could clearly see every single detail.
Fear and rejection.
Yet after studying that peerlessly beautiful young face closely, a thought popped into her head before she could even think.
How long had it been since he last rested properly?
Beneath his golden-amber eyes lay faint bruises of exhaustion. Try as he might to conceal them, he couldn't hide the bone-deep weariness radiating from him.
Anyone else might not have noticed so easily, but Baimeng had watched him for so long, after all. No matter how much time had passed, those unchangeable little habits remained entirely obvious.
As she thought this, a sudden wave of hunger struck—a strange, unbearable emptiness that made her want to devour everything in sight. Baimeng licked her lips, suddenly feeling as though the youth before her was like a delectable pastry exuding an alluring fragrance. That sense of her body slipping out of control descended once more; hunger commanded her flesh.
"I'm hungry."
Xiao was instantly startled. For the person who had been standing some distance away just a moment ago was now right before him. The spear gripped tightly in his hands was gently pushed down, and that person placed cold, slender fingers over his eyes with unquestionable authority.
"Sleep. My child."
The sweet voice carried a smile, as if softly humming a lullaby, and Xiao instantly lost consciousness.
She caught the falling body with one arm. Perhaps because his true form was the Golden Alatus, his bones were much lighter than ordinary people's; no matter how vast his wings were in battle, his human form was exceptionally light.
And perhaps because of this body of the God of Dreams, Baimeng's strength had also increased considerably. She looked down at the sleeping Adeptus youth in her arms, a restless urge stirring deep within her.
Perhaps she could try a bridal carry.
Me, carrying Xiao.
This... wouldn't be very appropriate, would it?
Whatever, who cares.
"Heave-ho." Seeing no one around, Baimeng simply scooped Xiao up in her arms.
Fortunately, her current body was fully grown and much taller than the Adeptus, so even a bridal carry didn't look too out of place. If someone shorter had done it, Xiao's feet would probably have been dragging on the ground. And if she had been in a child's body... she probably would have been dragging him along the floor, though which part of him would hit the floor first was anyone's guess.
The mental image was too wonderful for Baimeng to dwell on.
Hurriedly finding a flat and secluded patch of grass, Baimeng gently laid Xiao down. Halfway through, having second thoughts, she couldn't bear to leave him lying on the cold, hard Surface, so after a bit of fussing, she ultimately decided to let Xiao rest his head in her lap.
"Phew—thankfully Xiao wasn't awake. Otherwise, all this tossing him around would have given him enough reason to chase me halfway across Teyvat."
Come to think of it, this was the first time she had ever been this close to a member of the opposite sex, and scenarios like this were only ever found in novels and manga.
Her mind wandering through the plots of shoujo manga she had read, Baimeng gently poked Xiao's sleeping face and couldn't help laughing to herself.
To be able to see him again—even dying once over was a fair trade.
"Rumble..." Her hungry stomach began urging her on again, and Baimeng let out an ungraceful sigh, pressing her palm against Xiao's eyes.
"I thought I'd never have to do this again. I'm sorry, Golden Alatus."
The white-haired girl closed her eyes and sank into Xiao's dream.
The moment Baimeng opened her eyes, she was blinded by the glare of a harsh fire, and a somewhat boisterous chatter rushed into her ears. She instinctively frowned, and as if sensing her displeasure, the laughter instantly quieted down.
The discomfort in her eyes quickly faded, and only then did she take in the scene before her.
A group of Yakshas clad in armor were sitting around a campfire, roasting hard, cold rations. Noticing their Monarch's displeasure, they instantly froze, stiffly bowing their heads.
Yet amidst such a terrified crowd stood a single, out-of-place little figure, who was peeking out from behind the cover of someone else's body, using a pair of large, beautiful eyes to observe her.
"Lady Asmoday."
A Yaksha dressed as a leader approached Baimeng, blocking her view. He knelt respectfully, lowering his head. His long hair, matted with blood, fell forward, exposing his completely unprotected nape.
"What are your orders?"
Perhaps assuming she wished to drink fresh blood, the striking-looking Yaksha offered the dagger at his waist, loosening his shoulder armor to let the blade press against his excessively pale skin.
A childish gasp escaped the crowd behind him, only to be hastily muffled by someone.
Though he kept his head bowed and his expression hidden, Baimeng could clearly see the leader's body tense up.
"There is no need." Baimeng heard herself say.
Then she heard a tiny, relieved breath being exhaled.
She felt a slight urge to smile, but that did not befit the persona of the God of Dreams.
So Asmoday merely said coldly:
"I am tired. Do not disturb me."
With that, she turned and walked away.