Chapter Text
Here's a statement: Xiao's lonely and he's suffering from it.
During the Archon Wars, he was adopted by his lord Morax, and his wife Guizhong, along with his adopted sibling Ganyu.
While Morax was quiet and serious, Guizhong was the exact opposite. Constantly scolding Morax for his tendency to spew sentences made up from ancient gibberish and the fact that his brain was denser than lead, she was the life of the family, and despite the fact that she was a little annoying, everyone loved her dearly.
Until she died .
Xiao could still remember, to this day, how she tumbled gracefully into Lord Morax’s arms, how Ganyu wept uncontrollably, how Morax looked to the heavens and screamed, how his eyes turned a gleaming scarlet, and the mass bloodshed that followed.
After that, Xiao felt…… strangely empty. Yes, he liked Ganyu, and yes, he still wholeheartedly worshipped his Lord Morax, and yes, he still liked almond tofu, but he no longer felt truly happy. It was as though when Guizhong died, she had taken his emotions with him.
He felt like the place where his emotions used to be had been scooped away with a spoon, as clean and empty as Morax’s mora pouch. He did not feel fondness when he saw Ganyu. He did not feel that powerful sense of purpose, of serving, when he saw Morax (now Zhongli). In other words, he was simply empty of emotion, and it wasn’t coming back.