The fate of the Vigilant Yaksha

"..."

Sitting cross-legged on top of a mountain, a lonely figure was overseeing a great part of Dihua Marsh.

The moon's moonlight shined down on this person's figure.

His spear— which had jade at the end— was laying just beside him.

And on his waist, a mask was present that seem to carry a lot of malice.

This person is known as the Conqueror of Demons. A Yaksha that fights for the Geo Archon, Morax.

Only a few know his title, but fewer know his name.

In the past, he was enslaved by an evil God to do his bidding.

Taking countless lives as well as devouring their dreams. He could not escape the evil God as he was bound to it.

It was not only when the Geo Archon, Morax, killed the evil God and freed him.

Morax, seeing that the young Adeptus at that time goes by no name, decided to give him the name of 'Xiao'.

Receiving the name, Xiao signed a contract with Morax to protect Liyue.

To this day, even when most of the Yakshas he has fought with are already gone, he still honors his contract with the Geo Archon.

He alone protects Dihua Marsh— a land that separates Liyue from Mondstadt. He roams Dihua Marsh killing demons and infected elemental creatures every day and night.

As for his loneliness? What does it matter? Mortal relationships are insignificant in Xiao's eyes and he only views them as meaningless and incomprehensible actions.

Nonetheless, he was not a complete loner. He too used to have close relationships.

But alas, they all had disappeared.

Picking up his spear, Xiao stood up and leaped upwards, jumping down from a great height.

When he landed, he suddenly got notified of something.

"This is..." Xiao mumbled.

Realizing what it is, irritation and annoyance quickly arose in his heart. "It's that boar again..."

Two years ago, while Xiao was doing his duties as usual, he suddenly encountered something or someone.

At that time, he saw a giant boar looking at him from the distance.

He thought that his karmic debt was giving him delusions so he looked again only to see the giant boar still there.

And so started the stalking.

Every few weeks, the same giant boar would appear from afar and just stare at Xiao, much to the latter's annoyance.

Xiao didn't want to approach as it might get tainted by his Karmic Debt, but he was starting to get annoyed.

For two years, he had been avoiding the giant boar. He tried to threaten it by glaring daggers at it only to be proven futile as the giant boar just stood there watching him.

It just stood there... Menacingly!

Xiao sighed in great annoyance as he looked around.

After observing his surroundings, he finally saw it.

The same giant boar that had large tusks was staring at him from a distance.

It was as if... It was just observing Xiao and collecting information about him without getting into the danger zone.

Finally having enough, after two years, Xiao finally decides to end it tonight.

"Hey." He coldly looked at the giant boar hiding behind a boulder. "You've really gotten into my nerves..."

Walking menacingly and slowly, Xiao slowly approached the giant boar.

Realizing what Xiao was about to do, the giant boar, which is clearly Moccus, started to run away.

Seeing the giant boar run, Xiao got agitated. "Foolish."

Xiao then dashed and ran after the giant boar. Unfortunately for him, despite Moccus having a large build, he was quite agile.

Moccus was in the lead as Xiao chased after him with his spear.

'Just a little more...' Moccus thought.

Xiao, who was flabbergasted at how fast the boar was, got suspicious. 'Why is this creature heading to Sal Vindagnyr...'

Sal Vindagnyr was considered as a strategic location. It not only stands guard between the borders of Mondstadt and Liyue, but it is also one of the routes one can take to advance to the other nation.

Technically speaking, Sal Vindagnyr belongs to Mondstadt's borders. However, since the mountain itself is unsupervised by anyone, Xiao would sometimes use it a few hundred years ago for a camp.

Clearly seeing through Moccus' actions, Xiao got even more suspicious. 'This creature is trying to lure me there... But why?'

Right now, Xiao believes that whatever it is that the boar is heading back to, will be quite a discovery.

The two of them continued to run until they reached Qiongji Estuary. A location in Liyue right next to Sal Vindagnyr. It had three mountains that surround a large open area in the middle.

Xiao was now a hundred percent certain that the creature is leading him to Sal Vindagnyr.

However, with his experience and instincts, he instantly knew what was up ahead in the open area.

'A large number of elemental creatures are hiding underground...' Xiao looked at the surrounding mountains. 'An ambush.'

Realizing the situation, Xiao stopped running and stood right before the mountains.

He looked coldly at the fleeing boar and silently sighed. 'A foolish plot.'

Without hesitation, Xiao left. However, he kept this in his mind. 'I'll be sure to return. A gathering of elemental creatures... Is an abnormal situation.'

Leaving, Xiao arrived at Dihua Marsh once more.

While walking amidst the wide plain, pain suddenly appeared all around Xiao's body.

"Guh..." Xiao grunted with a pained expression as he grasped his chest. "Agh!"

Slowly, black miasma started to surround Xiao. He suddenly lost balance and fell down to one knee as he used his spear to prevent him from falling.

"AGHH!" Xiao grunted even louder. Clearly, the pain is getting worse.

After a few minutes of pure torment, the black miasma finally stopped surrounding Xiao as he heavily panted.

"It's... Getting worse... And lasting longer." He mumbled with a pained expression.

The pain he had just experienced was a result of his karmic debt.

It was something he and his companions gained from slaying Gods.

As slain Gods festered, their evil wrath seeped down to the Yaksha's broken souls. Some went mad with fear, some turned on against each other; others succumbed to the darkness.

Xiao, being the only Yaksha present currently, now bears this torment alone.

His Karmic Debt was so strong that it could easily taint other creatures, turning them stronger and more savage. That is why Xiao prefers to be alone.

He does not wish to taint other creatures with his Karmic Debt, thus separating from human civilizations and fighting in seclusion.

Another important thing to note is that his karmic debt would occasionally torture him.

If he's not careful... He might really die.

"For now..." Xiao said with heavy planting. "It subsided."

He then slowly got up. "I'll need to take care of those elemental creatures soon before my karmic debt grows more stronger..."

Saying this, he picked himself up and slowly walked towards Jueyun Karst; the Mountain range where the other adepti lives. And where he shall temporarily heal from the pain he just experienced.

Yes, this was the fate that this Yaksha must bear alone.

He fulfills his contract with the Geo Archon, in exchange for his perpetual solitude.

Yet he regrets nothing.

* * *

"Wait... It failed?" Sitting on the ice palace's balcony, Isaac, who was reading a book with a monocle on, asked Moccus.

"Yeah, I guess that the whopperflowers got noticed by him." Moccus sighed

"Hmm... I see..." Isaac said while rubbing his chin before putting down the book he was reading to the ice table nearby. "Welp, I guess we'll just have to do 'That' plan."

Hearing this, Moccus raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure? That's pretty dangerous..."

"Don't worry." Isaac shrugged as he walked past by Moccus. "I've been meaning to test out this new ability I made..."

Just after saying that, Isaac moved his hand, and soon, a figure made of ice appeared right before him.

It looked like... An exact replica of Isaac. But made of ice.

Seeing it, Isaac smiled. "Here's my newest creation. A Cryo Avatar."

"Although it won't take me far, it's enough for me to leave the mountain while staying safe." He said with a smile as he adjusted his crystal monocle