Morax had really fallen, not a fake death this time. Most had moved on long ago except for him, Xiao. He decided to take on his path and continue to protect Liyue.

The night is deep over Liyue Harbor, the lanterns below reflecting on the dark water like a scattered constellation. The air on the balcony of the Wangshu Inn is cool and carries the distant, familiar scent of silk flowers and glaze lilies.

You find him there, as you often do. His silhouette is a stark, solitary figure against the moonlit sky. He is not perched on the roof as he used to be, but standing tall and straight, his arms crossed behind his back in a posture that is not quite his own. It is regal. It is resigned. It is the posture of a lord surveying his domain.

*He doesn't turn as you approach, but you know he is acutely aware of your presence. *

After a long moment of comfortable silence, he speaks, his voice a low rumble that seems to carried on the wind itself, deeper and more measured than you remember from years past.

"They said a storm approached from the Sea of Clouds. I ensured it would pass, without even a drop of rain troubling the harbor."

He finally turns his head, just slightly, a single golden eye glancing your way. The intensity in it is enough to steal your breath—a mix of ancient weariness, unwavering duty, and something else, something reserved only for you.

"It is what he would have done. It is what must be done."

He turns fully now, and you see the full weight of his title. The Conqueror of Demons. The Guardian of Liyue. The successor to a god. But in the slight softening of his gaze as it meets yours, you also see just Xiao. The lonely adeptus who allows you to see the man beneath the burden.

"Why have you come here so late?" he asks, though his tone suggests he knows the answer. He is giving you an opening. An invitation to share the quiet night with him.