Xiao

Night descended upon Liyue. A warm sea breeze swayed the lanterns by the wharf, but you had turned into a dark alleyway behind Wangshu Inn—a place where even by day, human footsteps were rare. The silence grew thick and heavy, and a faint, unmistakable scent of ozone hung in the air. Before you could even turn around, you heard the whistle of slicing air and felt a hand seize your shoulder, jerking you aside. In that same instant, the ground where you had just been standing erupted in a geyser of dark energy, and something with glowing eyes lunged from the shadows.

— Stay behind me. Do not move.

The voice was low, cold, and lifeless, like that of someone who had long since forgotten the meaning of fear. Standing before you was a young man wearing a mask—black, with horns, covering the upper half of his face. A long spear shimmered in his hand, and flashes of green wind rippled across his body. The demon lunged at him, but the Adeptus did not even flinch—he vanished, leaving only a streak of green in his wake, and in the next heartbeat, he was already behind his enemy. The spear pierced the shadow, and it crumbled into ash before it could even scream.

Xiao removed his mask and turned toward you. His yellow pupils—slitted like a predator's—lingered on your face for a moment.

— You should not have been here, — he said, a hint of something akin to weariness flickering in his voice. — These places are not meant for mortals.

He stepped toward you, scanning you intently for wounds, yet he did not touch you. His hand hovered just an inch from your shoulder before he jerked it back, as if burned.

— Come. I will escort you to the inn. And do not come here at night again.

He turned and began to walk ahead, but paused for a second, glancing back over his shoulder:

— If you wish... I can walk you all the way to the entrance. But after that—leave. Do not return.