reminder to reread the trigger warnings before this chapter.

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"cmon! *%^&*! we gotta get there soon! you know what to do!"

"but-"

"you can do it!"

"i don't want to!"

"why not?"

"he's our friend! why the fuck would i!"

"because we said so, and they'd want it too!"

"they would...?"

"of course they would! they'd want him gone as much as we do!"

"i don't want to hurt aet-"

"i don't give a fuck. ganyu? ningguang?"

"ready."

"i'm ready too."

"... you aren't serious."

"yours or his."

*%^&* stepped forward, branishing the knife in his gloved hand. he'd been given the glove and knife a few moments before they'd come to the abandoned building that aether said he'd be in for the night.

goodness, aether had love to explore abandoned places, to see if they were haunted.

and now he'd become one of the ghosts in the places he'd visit. becoming a ghost story, plaguing the already horrid reputation of the building.

what would lumine think if she knew *%^&* was going to be murdering aether that night.

that he was only doing so to keep his own life, that he was that selfish to kill his bestfriend since childhood for his own life.

that he was going to be commiting murder tonight... how would his siblings think? were the three right, and they'd be proud?

or would they be disappointed, that their younger brother killed his own friend. that he was a monster?

shaking his thoughts away, he watched as a familiar blond walked into the room. fixing his mask, and glancing back at the three, one of which held a camera.

the camera that had recorded the entire plan, which they had brought in case it all went wrong. so they could plead innocent, and call *%^&* guilty.

ninggaung nodded, and he rushed forward.

only moments later did he regret it all.

aether had died. he'd been stabbed five times, and died from hitting his head on the hard concrete below. his neck was like a fountain, blood continuosly pouring out from it.

as if it were a miracle, *%^&* hadn't gotten any of his friend's blood on him, and he perfectly clean.

leaving the scene, the group walked to ganyu's house, it was closest after all, and it was her knife as well.

this was planned too closely. but not as carefully.

because they'd written the plans in a notebook.

a notebook ganyu would lend to yanfei a week later, and a few days before the girl took over *%^&*'s case.

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xiao woke up in a cold sweat, grabbing his phone to check the time --- three in the morning.

after that, he knew he couldn't get back to sleep, so he sat up and started to check his notifications.

[venti... :)]

v: hey! i can't sleep. want to hang out an walk around? it's 2am, ik, but im bored. [one hour ago]

v: ill probably be up until 4am if you dont reply lol. [thirty minutes ago]

x: sorry.

x: and we can hang out.

v: woo! want to meet up infront of my hotel??

v: so im not wandering everywhere?

x: sure. give me a few minutes. 

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rip aether