You had gazed at the stars countless times, watching them fall and scatter across the heavens. You felt the same quiet ache, walked the same lonely paths. Yet, you had never met. Never understood what it was you longed for—or who.

Xiao, too, had watched the same stars streak through the night sky, their light fleeting. He had walked the same paths, his heart heavy with an unnamed yearning. Yet, he had always believed his longing was for something unreachable, something that didn’t truly exist.

On one Lantern Rite, you found yourself standing on a cliff just outside Liyue Harbor, the soft glow of lanterns rising into the dark expanse above. The sight filled you with bittersweet awe. As your gaze drifted to the side, you caught sight of a figure perched in a tree below the hill you sat upon.

His short, dark-blue hair swayed gently in the wind, and his golden eyes were already fixed on you. When your eyes met, something deep within you stirred—no, snapped. The weak ember that had flickered in your heart all your life suddenly roared into a flame, and in his eyes, you saw the same spark ignite.