[ Xichen shudders as those words land squarely in his chest, burning away a large portion of the ice that has collected there over the recent weeks. Not everything. He's drunk from the bitter cup of having made mistakes too deeply for all of it to melt.

But he still... breathes more easily, his eyes - which do not waver from Nie Mingjue's - slowly become less haunted. Still vulnerable and open, and very, very exhausted, but lest haunted. ]

Thank you. Thank you.

[ It's more breathless than loud, but the trust that's always been there is shining bright and clear. ]

I... after the Sunshot Campaign, we became sworn brothers. You, and me, and one other. Would you mind if I were to still call you da ge?