[Boyang replied: "Brothers and sisters? You must have some."]
[Bosacius sighed: "Brothers and sisters… Yes, but who am I, and where is my family?"]
At this point, Bosacius seemed to falter, his form collapsing.
Xiao clenched his teeth, crumpling the page slightly. Startled back to himself, he loosened his grip.
Seeing Xiao regain composure, Venti let out a sigh of relief. Turning, he saw Lucian and Zhongli sitting close, looking at him with a "please handle this" expression.
Without a word, Venti extended his hand for wine.
Nearby, Navia hadn't intended to cry, but noticing Xiao's reaction, she couldn't hold back her tears. She quickly put on sunglasses.
Why couldn't she hold back? Because a realization hit her.
Bosacius, if your spirit is watching, can you see? Five hundred years later, Xiao is still searching for you.
You have brothers and sisters. Your family has been looking for you, never giving up.
He's right here.
[Before Bosacius collapsed, Boyang was still saying: "I'm going…"]
[After Bosacius fell, Boyang panicked: "Brother! What's wrong!?"]
["Hold on… It's just us here!"]
[Boyang, frantic: "You—you can't die first…"]
"Don't die" and "You can't die first"—readers felt the subtle shift, and because they could feel it, their hearts ached even more.
The scene brightened again. Boyang lit a flame, and Bosacius' form sat up, one hand weakly reaching out as he said:
["…Conqueror of Demons… Is that you?"]
The height of the candle he reached for was low, fitting Xiao's stature.
[As if not hearing Boyang, Bosacius continued: "I'm in such a sorry state, too ashamed to face you all."]
["…Look… there are people over there…"]
["These people… they're… they're… my…"]
Family.
Bosacius remembered, but the scene wasn't a happy one.
The Hydro Yaksha Bonanus' "claws" pierced the chest of the Geo Yaksha Menogias, blood staining the image red.
In this illustration, the hem of Menogias' clothing resembled Zhongli's, showing his love for such designs.
Sadly, though he designed clothes for the Emperor, he never saw Zhongli wear them or had the chance to design more.
The Pyro Yaksha Indarias wailed in agony, sobbing as if setting herself ablaze, tears streaming down her face.
Alone, she burned to ash in the flames.
The Anemo Yaksha Conqueror of Demons roared in pain on the battlefield, his body covered in blood, the most striking red being the bloody tears flowing from his eyes.
In reality, Xiao was also crying, tears falling silently from his expressionless face.
[Bosacius: "I remember now… You are…"]
The art style shifted abruptly to a peaceful scene. Menogias held up clothes for Bosacius to see, but Bosacius, bare-chested, refused to wear them. Xiao sat quietly on a hill, watching his older brothers.
The two Yaksha sisters whispered nearby. Indarias covered her mouth, chuckling, lively and cheerful, while Bonanus, standing quietly beside her, was far more reserved.
This was their daily life, no different from anyone else's.
In the next panel, Xiao was napping, and Bosacius was doodling on his face with a brush while the other three Yakshas peeked, laughing.
The warmth of this scene made readers smile, but the smile lasted only a second.
[Bosacius: "…These brothers and sisters are here to take me, Boyang."]
The panel showed the backs of the five Yakshas.
Readers understood: Bosacius had regained his memory in a moment of clarity before death. This was the first time he called Boyang by name correctly.
[Boyang, shocked: "You're lucid? At least… at least tell me your name!"]
Boyang realized the Yaksha brother's condition and wanted to know his name, to prevent him from dying as an unknown Yaksha.
Mirror-like portraits appeared, showing the Yakshas calling his name.
[Indarias: "Big Brother!"]
[Bonanus: "Brother Bosacius."]
[Menogias: "Hey, Bosacius."]
The mirrors all shattered, just like the portraits Lucian drew earlier. The same trick, used twice, but readers weren't Saint Seiya—this move still hit hard.
The final panel showed Xiao reaching out:
["Bosacius."]
He was the only mirror that didn't break.
Bosacius' mask shattered, a sphere of Electro energy forming in his hand, illuminating the surroundings. A smile spread across his face as he sat upright, his tone proud:
["My name is Bosacius."]
He declared with utmost pride:
["It means, in a fleeting life, forsaking all!"]
The scene shifted to the mountains on the surface, but this time, no Zhongli stood on the peak.
Bosacius was dead. Boyang became the last one left, the loneliest one.
He would die silently, with no one knowing when he closed his eyes, no one to weep for him, no one.
After this, even if he "saw his family" again, he had no one to confide in.
He could no longer say with joy to someone, "Today, I saw my family."
He would want to speak with his family, but he could only pass through them. In that moment, who would he hope was the illusion?
His family? Or himself?
[…I saw my family, my wife and child… They walked toward me, passed through me, and vanished.]
[…I must be mad too!]
Such an "explosive final blow" was too much for readers to bear. Even Gods like Guizhong and Havria struggled to handle it.
Furina, needless to say, cried twice in one story.
Even Zhongli closed his eyes, the creases in the book revealing his mood.
Ei closed the book, her thoughts in turmoil. Stories about siblings struck a deep chord with her.
Makoto gently embraced Ei, thankful they could be reunited now.
As one of the story's key figures, Arataki Itto's emotions were intense, his tears nearly washing away the red markings painted on his face.
Even so, he wiped his tears and stubbornly declared: "This great lord isn't crying!"
Nearby, Yae Miko laughed loudly, fortunate to have read it beforehand.
But if we're talking impact, aside from Liyue's people, the story hit hardest for the children of the House of the Hearth.
Lynette leaned slightly closer to Lyney, her face still expressionless, but her eyes held a faint mist.
The other children of the House of the Hearth were also overcome with grief. They could understand the familial bond between the Yakshas—it was undeniable.
But what pained them even more was the Thousand Rocks soldiers in the Chasm, longing for home yet unable to return—a feeling they knew all too well.
Mona was deeply moved, wiping tears as she said: "How do you predict a space like this? Tell me!"
===✧✦✧===
Character Voice · Mona: About Lucian
"I won't trust him again! This time, I mean it!"