#like you can follow whatever gods you want but morax is like. THE archon when it comes to the seven | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

kaeyats · 2 years ago

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Can we see the Liyue characters reaction to the marriage rumor 👀 I can absolutely imagine Ninguang going all out while Xiao has no idea what to do but knows he should do something to catch your attention. All the while poor poor Zhongli is suddenly regretting not having access to the same luxuries he had as an archon so he could spoil you

SAGAU,, the creator's bride/groom (part 2)

a/n: was actually in the process of writing this, but i was so happy to get some interaction from my genshin blog. this is my very first ask, ackk! i got so excited i wrote everything down in one sitting. thank you so much for the ask!!

a rumor that the almighty creator of teyvat is in the process of choosing a spouse spreads like wildfire. and all their acolytes start sucking up to them like insane. liyue edition! mondstadt edition here.

reader's gender is not specified, as with most of my works. requests and imagines in my ask box are appreciated, but will take a while. :D

warnings: none

way before whispers of the creator's newest affairs were heard in mondstadt, way before those very words that caused a ferocious storm even reached the ears of the anemo archon, the rumors of the creator's supposed interest in marriage had already been quite rampant in liyue. trending was an understatement, not when every tongue within the lands of geo had spoken about their god's affairs regarding engagement and such.

everyone in liyue was buzzing when they heard the news. some feeling quite happy for the creator and some gearing up for the absolute war that would come the next few days. after all, the creator was currently staying in liyue harbor which practically screamed "OPPORTUNITY" for anyone in liyue who was interested.

safe to say, a certain former archon ended up choking on his food when he heard the news from the director of the wangsheng funeral parlor. zhongli didn't know if he was dreaming or not, the recent rumors too similar to one of his many fantasies with you. the only thing he needed now was for you to bust into the funeral parlor and propose to him, then he'd be fully convinced he was dreaming. but alas, no creator had appeared and no busting in had occured. and seconds later, his mind foggily returned to reality. he processed the information, at least he tried to, unable to grasp much for the next few minutes. immediately, he stood up, heading towards the direction of the hotel you were staying in. hu tao was a bit confused when the usually-composed-man left the room and said nothing, looking rather dazed. he originally intended to ask you if the rumors were true, wanting to take a rational approach, but the sight of all your acolytes clinging to you in a pathetic attempt to win you over had his head empty with jealousy. he was all too tempted to take the form of morax and persuade you with his endless and very valuable resources.

ningguang knew before most common folk, a characteristic move for the opportunistic businesswoman who had connections in almost every street of liyue. however, she did not expect your other followers to know as well when she descended from the jade palace to pay you a visit. behind her were many of her servants, carrying boxes decorated with intricate golden designs. it was quite obvious that whatever was inside each of those boxes cost quite a lot. the boxes themselves looked like they cost more than any of liyue's merchants' organs. however, they were barely acknowledged by you when the 11th harbinger stole you away once again, distracting you from ningguang's elegant presence with his mindless chatter.

the moment childe heard of your supposed interest in marriage, he decided then and there to make it his mission to bother you until your other suitors would eventually fend off. at first, it was questions about your interests and things you liked. he kept a mental list of all he learned that day, disappointed in himself for not knowing any sooner due to how busy he was all the time. the job of a fatui harbinger wasn't the easiest, after all. he considered the possibility that maybe if he got married to you, his service to the tsaritsa would be allowed an end and he could spend the rest of his years exploring the world by your side. he was quite content with listening to your ramblings and daydreaming about what it'd be like to be your lover, even more so your spouse. the moment the tianquan entered your room though, childe decided he would be a menace, wanting to push the rich woman's buttons until she would eventually give up on pursuing you.

ningguang was usually a very patient woman, but something about the ginger irked her in all the wrong ways. she couldn't handle the way he blatantly flirted with you, leaving subtle touches on your body. she could only glare at his hand as she took quiet sips of her tea from across where the two of you were seated. ningguang internally praised you for being such a kind and understanding god because if she was in your place, she would've smacked the fatui harbinger away by now. it was like she wasn't even in the room anymore with how much childe had been hogging you. she couldn't begin to imagine the pain of zhongli whose presence you haven't even noticed yet.

matters were only made worse by the fact that ganyu, someone ningguang thought she would never view as a rival entered your room without knocking, a faint blush on her cheeks. "[name], i happened to stumble into your favorite flowers and thought that maybe-" instead of your happy and accommodating smile, she was greeted with the three harshest glares she had ever encountered in her whole life. ganyu had heard of the rumors, yes, but she wasn't one to believe rumors so easily, so she paid them no mind unlike the three other figures in your room.

"oh, ganyu! what brings you here?" you left your place next to childe (an action that warranted a rather bitter look on his face), giddily wrapping your arms around ganyu to greet her. it seemed that she was much too flustered to answer your question and had completely forgotten how to form coherent words when you wrapped your arms around her. not that you minded. her facial expressions were quite funny to watch.

"ganyu, it's a pleasant surprise meeting you here. although i must say, it's quite rude how you just barged in here and called the creator by the first name. i'm sure you have better manners than that." ningguang spoke from her seat, directing her gaze away from you and ganyu, knowing that she would only get angrier by the second if she did. venom, rather poorly hidden, dripped from her words and it seemed to intimidate the poor girl next to you.

"no! no! it's fine, i told ganyu she could do that."

"barge into your room? or call you by your name?" childe asked from his seat, sounding sarcastic, but truthfully unable to stop himself from wondering.

"both. also, i've been asking all of you call me by my name, it just so happens that ganyu was the first to listen."

zhongli seemed to have more luck the next day when he happened to run into you in the streets of liyue harbor early in the morning.

"oh? [name]? i didn't expect to see you here so early in the morning." just uttering your name felt like violating a forbidden taboo to zhongli. but after yesterday's encounter, he thought that maybe you truly did like to be called by your name and you weren't just saying things as a test of respect.

"oh! xiao went to my room last night and invited me to a picnic near wangshu inn. i just thought it'd be more convenient if i started traveling there earlier, you know?"

"that sounds (unacceptable, he wanted to say. how could your other acolytes just let you wander alone?) a bit unsafe, your- [name]. if you don't mind, i can assist you to wangshu inn to reassure that you arrive there in one piece."

you would've refused zhongli's offer in any other scenario, but after practically ignoring his existence yesterday, you accepted as a way to apologize. perhaps you could ease his mind with a little bit of conversation. surely that would be enough to pay for your mistake yesterday.

now, xiao had absolutely no idea how courting worked. he tried going around the inn, looking for books, anything, that could assist him with the topic. perhaps you would like dead offerings? should he got hunting for wild animals? or would you rather he seduce you with his body like in those e-ro-ti-ka books he found somewhere around the inn? he felt defeated, not knowing what to do once you arrived for your little picnic date. things would've been much easier had he had rex lapis as a guide and an advisor, he thought to himself, so imagine his surprise once he spotted rex lapis' mortal form walking with you towards him.

zhongli was certainly planning on sabotaging your supposed friend date with xiao, scheming in his head how he would steal you away from the adeptus, using those moments to win you over. and when you two spent a few hours in pleasant conversation, walking side-by-side, ever so often smiling at each other and giddily laughing, he was pretty sure he was going to go through with his plan, despite the initial guilt he felt for sabotaging a close friend. however, when he saw the way xiao's cheeks grew ever-so-pink at the way you hugged him the moment you saw him and the way a smile threatened to break through the usually-stoic-man's facade, he decided to leave you two alone to bond, letting xiao have his moment with you.

zhongli sat quietly in wangshu inn's restaurant, plates empty as he wondered what you and xiao were up to at that very moment. the good food lessened the sting he felt, jealousy clawing at his insides. he shouldn't regret his decision, he told himself. not when alatus looked so elated to be around you. he nodded to himself, yes, this is the right thing to do.

looking down at his empty plate, that is when he realized he has no mora with him.

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mehiwilldoitlater · 2 years ago

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Genshin sagau:Sun Wukong

About Sun Wukong: Sun Wukong was originally a demon monkey born from a stone, full of energy from Celestia and the earth itself. He became famous for various things, such as having stolen one magic cloud from the gods of the storm, tricked a minor goddess into revealing how to become immortal, stole from the god of the sea a magical staff that could change size, and many others. Celestia begins to fear the proud Monkey King at some point, but the Archon War breaks out before the gods can intervene, forcing the warrior to fight alongside Morax. At the end, the Geo Archon proposed to Wukong that he become one of his Adepti, a protector of Liyue, but the warrior knew that a contract with the god was the end of his freedom, and he refused. Knowing about the strength of the monkey, Morax decided to imprison him under a mountain, blocking him with a sigyl: only the Creator could remove it. Until then, the great warrior will forever be stopped under the earth.

Reader meeting Wukong: When the reader first met Wukong, he thought it was a simple case. They were trying to clean their wounds in a small stream, trying to cover their sobs from the pain. Then they heard a cracked and tired voice calling from the vegetation. Following it, what they met was a huge rock wall, covered with trees and plants, and ...someone? It appeared to be someone, but there was some furr? Something resembling armor? It was difficult because the body seemed to have merged with the stone. It reminds you of a monkey in some ways. He looked at you with his tired eyes, asking you if maybe you could have some time to spare for an old monkey like him. You were dying for some normalcy, and even talking with a strange mutant in stone was better than praying to just not die somewhere, so you agreed. You spent some time together. He asked you about the whereabouts of the world, how the gods were doing, if the cataclysm had ended already, and other things. At some point, he asked about you, why were you crying and why you looked like a ragdoll, and so you tried to explain the whole situation to him, of the great mistake, about how those people were treating you and how much you wanted just to go home. He pitied you a lot, and maybe he was a monkey, but a mere resemblance to a statue wasn't enough to warrant a manhunt. He wanted to thank you for your time, so he asked you to show him your wounds so he could explain to you which of the plants in the area to use to help your recovery. Call it coincidence, call it fate, but when you discovered your wounds, they were glittering with gold. His eyes widened, and at that point, he knew what to do. His realese Will provoke a huge earthquake in all Liyue and the Mountain that was his prison will be split in two. After an hour in recollecting your nerves about what you had Just witnessed, he'll take you on his Cloud (since when someone in the game can do something like that) and offered you a choice:. Follow him and be free from whatever Teyvat wants from you. Maybe It was the shock, or maybe his charisma, but you accepted his offer and together you started to fly Upon the Sea and the cities. And, after a couple of hours, an island, lost in the middle of the Sea, untouched by man. Its name was Flowers and Fruits Mountain, a paradise untouched by man. He knew that every Monkey that he left behind when he left we're all gone, yet a huge amounts of them came to greet him. They were the descendants of the ones that once lived there, and the stories of their king were still Told by their elders. They were full of Joy, their king was finally back in their kingdom! Once you get down from the Cloud, some of the curious monkeys started to run around you, asking why were you with their king, why were you covered in Gold and many other questions. Wukong simply walked over You and answering all of those questions with a simple: "Y/n Is my friend! The other humans rejected them so they're gonna live with us children!"

#Genshin impact #sagau #genshin sagau #sun wukong #creator!reader #sunwukong!au

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ryumek · 3 years ago

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Immortality a blessing or a curse

Summary: Traveler had brought Xiao a book with a legend of the love of an Adeptus and a mortal, he seemed to recognize who this book was talking about bringing memories of the past.

Xiao x fem! Reader

word count: 5289

genre: angst

Warning: Major character death, mental issues, blood, xiao backstory spoiler(?, archon quest spoiler, kind of OOC xiao, Health issues, mention of killing.

A/N: I apologise if xiao seems OOC i tried to make him as ‘xiao’ as possible lmao. Also y/n is going to be described in third person since xiao was just explaining the content of the book or it is as if you are watching his past in third person so just wanted to clear that out.

Staring at the cloudy sky, the breeze brushed his locks getting some strands of his hair on his face. It was always like this, since when has he sat down in the balcony waiting for someone to arrive knowing to well that it was nearly impossible for it to happen.

Thinking about the past, he closed his eyes walking away from the balcony to disappear in thin air, when suddenly he heard the voice of a small one.

“We should hurry! Paimon really wants to know about this,” The companion of the traveler was hurrying to see the adeptus at the place he always stayed with a certain book they found at Liyue harbor.

The adeptus taken a back from her voice he crossed his arm lining in the balcony to wait and see whatever they wanted.

“Hi Xiao! We wanted your help with a subject,” The blonde said fixing her attire from running and following Paimon.

“Help for what?��

“Wanting to learn more about Liyue and their adeptus Paimon found this book! We asked people around about it and apparently it is a famous legend,” The little one opened the book to show the content to the adeptus that was standing in front of them “, Paimon really wants to know more of this legend!” She smiled nervously at the traveler and then Xiao hoping for him to accept.

He felt this was a waste of time, human’s books where of no interest to him neither was their legends but still, the adeptus took the book of Paimons hands planning on just reading the title not expecting interesting content from it. Reading the small summary the book gave, his eyes widened for the familiar content he once experienced.

“How can the future be advantageous to us, illusions of dreams too far away to reach even for the ones who love. The legend of a far dream between an adeptus and a mere mortal, how could they fall in love? Aren’t there too many differences? That’s for fate to decide,”

Paimon noticed the change of mood from the Yaksha, getting that he indeed knew this legend but didn’t say anything of it.

“This...,” Memories where still appearing knowing too well who was this book talking about, as he remembered everything his brows furrowed handing the book to Lumine “, why do you want to know.” Trying to change his obvious expressions he just closed his eyes. Clearly, the traveler understood what he meant, he indeed knew of it “I thought it was a beautiful story and couldn’t stop myself from knowing more.”

Sighing he turned his back to them staring to his hands not really wanting to share something that meant too much for him, but of what use was hiding it when basically all humans knew about it.

“Fix yourself, it is a long story if you don’t want to waste your time, leave.” No one moved a finger

“Fine…”

Way back, in the archon era, yakshas were summoned from Morax to take care of the monsters that roamed the lands. Eons of fighting, the remaining yaksha became an adeptus promising the god of contracts for his protection to the land Morax now ruled, Liyue Harbor.

With no remaining Yakshas, the new adeptus karma grew bigger than anything. Years of fighting himself, he was saved from his hell but the burden of guilt was still accumulated, it was hard for him to control it. He never let himself get near from humans, distancing from any kind of contact fearing for it to be contagious. No matter the effort he put to build himself walls to stay in, his heart betrayed his promise when a certain mortal caught his attention. The archon war hasn’t finish at all making the wrath and vengeful feelings of gods affects the land of teyvat, mostly to mortal’s life.

A day more for the adeptus to protect the land, his deep burden was affecting his physical state making him feel like he was tied up with metal ropes. a mortal has noticed this one being falling from a tree instantly running to him where he has fallen to not fearing the strong aura he gave. The adeptus noticed the mortal approaching him giving her a fixed stare, basically screaming to leave him deal with this alone. What he didn’t know is that purifying and helping local people was her duty, so of course she didn’t pay mind to his hesitance. It hurted to much for him to struggle and not accept help, thought he would never say it he very much appreciated the help the mortal was offering.

This mortal was known in many villages as she was from a family with an ability to purify the wrath that roamed the land of teyvat that affected all living things. but she wished she had more power with her, she wanted to protect the land that her family has taken care for years now. The land she grew up in was full of death but it was not unheard of, even though it was protected by Morax many gods approached to fight him affecting the lives around. She felt helpless, by only purifying or killing the affected creatures, she felt that it was not enough. Karma still affects humans, all living creatures does and of course she was no exception.

Now that the adeptus was in her hands, she was trying to help him to get rid of the strong aura roaming within his self. Waking up, the yaksha felt that he was laying on the ground quickly getting up and turned around only to see the mortal being to close to him. Trying to avoid affecting the human, he got away from her grasp by vanishing in thin air. Appearing at Jueyun Karst, he couldn’t help but think of how can a mere mortal be to near to him? Is she going to be okay? Questions was the only thing he was getting in his mind, not noticing how light he suddenly felt after the encounter with the mortal.

After watching the man disappear, she figured that maybe he was an adepti of Liyue the protectors of the land, she felt glad that she could be of help to these protective beings.

After that, the adepti was always near her village silently watching her work, how she took care of the villagers, her spiritual work in purifying, how she fought with creatures everything in order to protect the village… but how can she be so careless? Now… humans are very observant; their intuition is also strong but some choose to ignore and others to trust in. She was one to always trust in her intuition and something told her that she was being followed everywhere.

“I can feel your gaze,” she confronted her watcher and this made his heart nervous making him vanish once again without saying a word. But even after that, he still ‘took’ care of her, but why was he so interested in her? He was just protecting nothing more, right? Excuses was his way to go and she just grew more curious to this someone following her. A plan was made to finally see who it was, it was not hard to do so since she always felt this being.

Doing her usual tasks, she found herself at the plantation collecting herbs for the doctor of the village. It was pretty late for being outside on the woods so it was most likely for the yaksha to visit her on her duty. His gaze felt clearer than other days, this was the perfect opportunity to catch is attention in a way to not scare him away, so with only one arrow she took her bow and aimed for his sides, not wanting to hurt him. She shot her bow succeeding on what she wanted to achieve, he was perplexed by the arrow that it didn’t give him enough time to run away. “Could you show yourself?” Now he knew who shot the arrow.

He saw her at an attack position, afraid of being seen as trouble, the yaksha showed himself at her with his usual serious expression.

“There you are,” smiling she lowered her weapon “I have noticed you have been following me around… why?” her expression didn’t change, it was surprisingly intimidating since the situation wasn’t really a moment to be so relaxed. But he also never changed his expression, it was cold and his eyes looked dead for her.

“no reason, my work is to protect this land.”

“Is that so?” This didn’t answer her question “whatever reason may be, if you want to approach me do so… not everyone appreciates someone following them around,” Knowing well that he didn’t seem as one to answer doubts, she took the herbs and prepared to part away walking past him “please, come find me at the village, I believe you already know its location” Was the only words he heard from her after watching her walk away.

Since that day, they became closer to each other. She has asked him help for protecting the village worried that there has been a lot of monsters with stronger karma in the woods. No matter how many people shielded their home, it was not enough to end with the karma since she was the only one left of her family with the ability to purify them.

This was their karma, power in return of their life spawn.

They took their duties seriously and their personal life with care, this both sides made their whole person look different to one another. People found their closeness special; it was not often that you heard these types of relations to happen with these secretive beings. These too treasured each second, they hanged around together, spending countless of hours walking besides each other visiting the only places not affected by the war taking the paper of protecting these lands to maintain the state they founded them like. He loved her company, the laughs she released while playing around, how her hair got into her mouth complaining to the air to stop teasing her and how she treated him with such care he felt he would melt at any moment. The yaksha even showed her the land the adeptus lived in, the way she was thrilled by the sight was worth the scolding from moon caver. Both forgot their own issues blinding them for what was to come, they knew it all but preferred to not get them into their minds, sometimes he regrets he didn’t put a stop earlier to these moments.

Getting back from their usual guard, they walked into the entrance of the village looking slight exhausted from all the fighting. Kids got excited at watching them return, she greeted the kids more excited for seeing them healthy as ever, the yaksha just watched as the kids received her with warm hugs after being away for days. He never got tired of her tenderness towards their welcomes every time they got back; This all made his heart warm… he still wasn’t used to these feelings but she still made it appear each time her eyes met his. A small boy interrupted his thoughts by grabbing his hands “Sir, would you like to stay to celebrate?” He was taken back by the child request immediately looking at you to somehow read your thoughts, he found out you were also surprised by the request but your expression changed to amusement at the thought of celebrating the mid-autumn with him.

“That’s a great idea, why don’t you stay? We worked hard these days, we deserve a rest,” She said standing from her seat to stand in front of him “I will assure your wellbeing.” Her hand reached out to his hoping to come in contact as an answer for her request, he stared at her hand for long seconds as he didn’t expect to get asked that by a mortal and less for him actually considering it. She saw his hesitation and didn’t want to make him feel forced “Its fine if you don’t want to, please take care on your way-”

His hands reached hers and grabbed them not wanting her to walk away, something was telling him he had to stay “Wait, i…would like to” At his response, she squeezed his hand with excitement and ran towards the village. Entering the village, he saw how everything was bright and comforting, people were preparing to go near the lake and see the full moon with everyone. The village decoration made him think this was another world, how can a place be so joyful when there are gods still fighting, creatures still consuming living things to feed themselves… but it was all her, everyone thanked her for the celebration, some people even had tears at expressing how grateful they were ‘It has been years since we could finally celebrate traditions’, ‘If it weren’t for all your effort I don’t know if we could have done it’ An elder said grabbing her hands, all he could think at this moment was of how much she has actually sacrificed to protect her people.

Everything was too perfect to be true, all you could hear was the laugh of kids playing around while the adults enjoyed the view with the food gathered together to share with each other and the delicious mooncakes everyone enjoyed eating. They both had stayed siting at the wooden bridge by the lake, watching the bright moon as if it could go at any minute. They have done pretty much anything they could do at the village, she wanted him to have an unforgettable night, to watch his smile as she had before. He did enjoy it all, after all his sins he has done, this was something he never thought he could experience but he did and all he wanted was to things to stay as they were.

“I told you that you wouldn’t regret it,” chuckling she pulled her self-closer to her legs to get warmer by the cold breeze, “I would never like for this to end,” she turned her head towards him “but… will it?” He had understood the meanings behind her words, turning his head to watch her, the usual smile she wore wasn’t anywhere to be seen but instead, he was greeted with a saddened face.

She seemed so different than other days, something was off and just now he had noticed. Her lips were tinted purple and she had more noticeable eyebags, he has seen this before. but before he knows it, she falls on his shoulder with an exhausted sigh, worriedly he slightly moved her shoulders to see her state, she had must likely passed out. He didn’t want to think of the worse that could happen so he just took her bridal style and went to send her to the adobe, before he arrived an elder had seen the adeptus taking their village chief somewhere. “Adeptus, did something happen?” The elder approached him and watched who was at her arms.

“She suddenly fell asleep.” He said brushing off what might had happened.

“Is that what you believe?” The elder said walking inside the house, “put her to bed” smiling she sat down at the chair near the bed taking in with her a bowl to mix in herbs. The yaksha didn’t know about health issues so he just submitted to her request. The village chief was sound asleep, she seemed peaceful and graceful even at her state but he couldn’t stop thinking of her symptoms, he recognized them too well and how he dares to think that’s was the case. The elder hand touched his hand as a way of reassurance, he was anxious for her state “I am responsible of treating her so no need to worry you,” responsible of treating her? Was this not the first time?

Since the mooncake celebration, he didn’t get near the village for days, he couldn’t bring himself to face her state. He was at Jueyun Karst where he used to normally be before meeting her, while walking past the extensive lake he was thinking of the day he had spent with her and how it all ended when suddenly he heard her familiar voice calling out for him. Without hesitating he appeared in front of her, she seemed better than how she was that day but still something felt off.

Running towards him, she gave him a warm hug. “I didn’t hear from you for days… I couldn’t help but call you out, I apologies” he reciprocated the hug showing on how much he had missed her.

“I’m glad you are better now…”

The karma and wrath that was roaming the land was something people tried to fight against, making living beings designated to struggles with their deep grudges. Bringing out guilts they had tried to hide, guilts that ate their sanity making them act with carelessness. This was a curse that she had slowly grew with, the more she fought against the wrath of deceased gods, her life spawn deteriorated with time. It wasn’t her fault, her family heritance that they left behind with her was the cause of her suffering, it was the path anyone had to follow if they had her family blood… there isn’t any place to run besides dying completing their duty.

Never once she planned to fall in love. When she was a child, her duty was constantly reminded off, she was told how she would have to live for the rest of her days and consequences if she chooses to fixate herself in personal matters and still, she fixated herself in an immortal protector of the land she grew up in, she knew too well what would happen then but that didn’t stop her from giving in her desire. The first guilt had started to grow. He would stay alone, he had told her his story and how karma had consumed him and she still couldn’t help but feel envious of his immortality, she even had told him about it making him chuckle at her comment but… how could she not? If she got to be immortal, then she could spend years at his side, she would get to experience old and unreachable dreams she once had as a small child. How could she be so selfish and only think for her own good when the adeptus even wished he could leave this world someday as mortals do… Her third guilt started to grow. But her forte was hiding herself, she couldn’t let herself be consumed by all her guilts… but it all started to hurt a lot more, her grudges began to be unbearable and she knew the cause was how far she was pushing herself. It was too late to slow down now, she knew realized it too late to start regretting at her choices. Her end was getting near, she can’t leave… not now.

This all was caused by the wrath that was slowly consuming her.

The adeptus at this point knew what was about to happen, nothing got to be as it were before. They still saw each other as the promised they made said but they both weren’t as blind as they were before, trying to get back to the old days, it just made them grow apart even more. They missed each other, it was too much to bear and hard to overcome. She was slowly growing more ill; everything was affecting her negatively and the only way to cope was protecting her people before she leaves with regrets. The villagers knew what was happening and they tried to treat her but it got hard to do so.

The elder that once took care of her had called for the adeptus not really expecting him to show up, but he did. “Oh, I didn’t expect for you to actually come,” The elder sat in the wood table of her adobe pointing the adeptus to sit with her.

“Young adeptus… time passes really fast, doesn’t it? Every moment you take a breath in this world, you have to cherish it even with your loved ones. I think it’s never too late to try and spend time with those that are leaving us behind,” This brought a bitter feeling on his heart making him grip his pants to control himself at her words “I’m not only asking for her, but for your own good too. Today could be the last day you could bring back cherished memory and you would only grow regretful with time if you don’t act early, so please… take your last chances.” These words confirmed her fate, He couldn’t grasp the idea that she was must likely going to leave him behind and it pains him thinking of her last days suffering as he knows to well how karma gets the better of you.

She had just finished clearing out the monsters in the woods, when cleaning her weapon, she saw her final work. There was blood everywhere and her hands were full with the blood of the creatures, she felt pity at them, how these pure creators fell victims to the contagious wrath. It reminded her of a certain someone.

There was nothing than a serious expression on her face, but she still wasn’t prepared to go back her home so she stayed, roaming the woods thinking of her childhood desires when without a notice she found herself at a familiar place, a place that made her life take a turn. But what made it better is that the yaksha she had deeply adored was in front of her and all he had with him was serious face with slight sad and happiness in his eyes. He was still as charming as she remembers, memories of their moments together were the only thing she had in mind, in how they spent countless of hours together, in how she wished she had known him earlier and still, she was taken a back by his presence but glad she could see him for one more time.

“This is the place where we met each other, how nostalgic” She broke the silence and smiled warmly at him.

“Are you really leaving?” He can’t save his emotions anymore, his face got more saddened “why did you never tell me about your illness…”

“I knew what was going to happen if I continued…” she tried to maintain her smile but it seemed fake

“but I didn’t,” at hearing this words, she felt more guilty over her decisions “I did know you were leaving someday… but not so early, not so painful”

This all had break her down, his words sounded like an echo on her head that made her leave tears out of her eyes. Everything seemed clearer now, it was indeed all her fault… she felt if she basically lied to his face. “if… I had told you back then, would you still act the same?”

He only thought that if that were the case, it wouldn’t hurt as much as he is currently doing but he couldn’t throw everything to her. He should have known you both weren’t compatible for each other in this world, immortality was his first clue for stopping on his track but he kept on trying. Now she was breaking down Infront of his very eyes, he watched as her karma was consuming her even more…it all was too much for him. He quickly ran towards her to grasp her figure and feel her for at least one more time, if it wasn’t too selfish of him, he would like to stay like these forever more.

He felt how light she was, her face was pale and her skin was full with bruises. She seemed awful it was a sight he just wished to forget.

With a pained voice she gripped on the adeptus hand “please… just end it, what is there for me to fight for” Her voice cracked and tears continued to stream down her pale face. He was speechless at her requests; he couldn’t believe a person like her could ask for her own death.

“What are you saying… stop it,” This was all wounding him; he just can’t do this to her, he can’t bring himself to harm her body. “I don’t want to have a slow and agonizing death you know,” she laughed slightly trying to relax him.

He can’t hold his tears anymore, everything he had burden within him got out as cries, he doesn’t want to hear her pained voice anymore, not like this “Stop… this is no time for jokes, please stop asking me to do that, I can’t…” everything that came out of his mouth were shocked cries, he threw himself at the floor with her on his arms tears not stopping coming out of his eyes, she saw how much he hated this but she also did. Her hands reached to his face and her other hand a dagger she had on her and placed it on his free hand signaling to hill her with that.

“Please…” this was the only thing she could throw now as her voice was growing tired of talking.

He held the dagger with widened eyes not wanting to do it but her pleading face was the end of him, closing his eyes he positioned the dagger directly on her heart preparing to stab her there to make it as quick as possible, but he was too anxious. His fingers were trembling and his eyes were blurry because of his tears, she wanted him to do be lighten before doing it and before he knew it she got near his face and watched him with a grateful gaze before putting her lips on his wet ones, it was a long kiss but if felt too son to end for his liking, it was the first and last time he would be able to do so.

Lightening himself he saw her for a last time before she opened her mouth “I love you; I will be sure to watch over you now…” at finishing her sentence the dagger entered her chest taking her breath, she last gave him a final smile for him to remember.

He just hugged her limb body and mumbled to himself before he could stand up from his place and place her body in a safe place.

“I’m sorry…”

After her death, he stopped showing up at the village. Everyone was grieving at the loss of their head chief, as being the last one with her family heritance she had thought of how would the villagers would live if she were to leave this world, leaving behind small shrines with her purifier energy. The village did rituals for the family as a way to show their gratefulness, it was like this for centuries to come. Now the place where the story had taken place in its named as Qingce village changing its lands thanks to erosion taking away many treasures from the old place with it. The yaksha still went in visit of the village location to take care of the shrines she has left behind but because of the era they were built in, some of them were destroyed not leaving behind the energy they once had. The villagers never heard from the old protector they once had, the gaze she has explained to many of them cleared the doubt if he still roamed around the area. It is all left in the past, the legend went past copies to copies until they formed the book of Liyue legends, it was a sorrowful story and worse of what there is of the village they both took care together for years.

Paimon was now crying after the yaksha ended the story, she found it bitter how these two ended. The traveler was saddened and couldn’t help but think that maybe Xiao was the adeptus of the book.

Xiao turned around to be greeted with Paimon tears “There’s no need for tear, it may be even seen as disrespectful for the adepti”. He crossed his arms and looked at Paimon seriously.

“I-I’m sorry, Paimon just felt bad after hearing the ending” She wiped her tears with the traveler clothes “Hey! Use your own clothes!” The traveler pushed Paimon aside and cleaned her dress. Xiao looked over them with curiosity bringing memories of the village kids of centuries ago.

“If that everything you needed to know, there it is.”

“I actually have one more doubt” Lumine reached over Paimon to take a bracelet she had on “As we said, we were so curious of the book that we went to the village only to find well… a ruin connected with the legend” she rubbed her neck on how uninterested xiao seemed over her comment as he already knew this “But, we did find this at the ruins and I think it matches the girl of the book.”

After hearing that, Xiao curiously got near the traveler to see a bracelet “this…” The traveler figured that he indeed knew what the bracelet was so she handed it to him. Xiao felt an energy flow on him the moment he touched the bracelet, the energy was familiar. He then remembered the time where (y/n) had helped him and how he felt after their encounter.

“This bracelet contains an ancient energy that purified creatures with karma caused by the deceased gods,” he explained while still holding the bracelet analyzing it “The people that had these powers normally had an amulet that was given to them by the former head of a village, The amulet had to be something they found comfort in to be able to transmit their energy, almost like passing family blessings over an object.”

Xiao still had the amulet at hand not wanting to leave the familiar feeling the bracelet gave to him. “That’s good to know, you can keep it!” The traveler now understood he was the adeptus of the book so decided to make him keep this bracelet. The yaksha was grateful for her gift, he never thought Lumine could help him find something dear to him.

“Thanks, traveler I… will cherish this gift.”

“I’m relieved you liked it,” Lumine smile at him and was about to live when then she stopped on her track, Xiao saw her stopping so he waited for her word.

“By the way, I’m sure you will be able to meet her again in not too long” He was surprised at her words because he never said it was him all along

“Are you wishing for my death?” He said seriously but it was his poor attempt of a joke.

“Ah! No, what I meant is that if you open your eye long enough, what you can find may be surprising.” Lumine was feeling nervous, her attempt of comfort meant something else for the adeptus, she thought.

Xiao truly appreciated her words, it made him think if there was actually a way to watch her again to at least not forget her face. He gave Lumine a smile and thanked her for the time they had and for the comforting words, this surprised the traveler since he never shows this side of him but was happy she could at least be of help.

Xiao was left alone at the balcony with only his thoughts and the caressing breeze, the bracelet hanged on his hands lightening his worries.

“To ever experience your energy like this again… Dreams may not be as unapproachable as they sound”.

#xiao genshin impact #xiao genshin x reader #xiao x y/n #xiao x you #xiao #genshin #genshin impact x reader #genshin impact #genshin impact x you #genshin impact x y/n #fic #this turned out more depressing than i wanted #ohwell genshin

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teyvattherapist · 3 years ago

Note

Once you write for Baal, I'll request her with Mona and Kazuha with the god of fate.

Like the usual

I also added Thoma per your other inquiry!

tags: m!reader/Baal, m!reader/Mona, m!reader/Kazuha, m!reader/Thoma, God!Reader, Khaenri'ah spoilers, Inazuma archon quest spoilers, just spoilers in general.

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Khaenri’ah wouldn’t have had any survivors if it hadn’t been for a particular man that seemed unfazed by the battlefield the once prosperous nation of humanity became. Neither Khaenri’ahn nor from Celestia, simply an outlander. Despite showing great fighting prowess and strategic skill, Khaenri’ah had still fallen under the watchful gaze of the man. Of course, this was just a legend, a small rumour only known by the most curious of historians or academics. And even then, it’s debated. With the legacy of Khaenri’ah long gone, all that was left was anecdotal evidence.

Baal

-Divinity, humanity, both pale in comparison to eternity. You were nothing more than something in her way. Much like the rest of Khaenri’ah as a whole. To her you were nothing more than inferior. And she didn’t stop to take the time to investigate like Morax had nor did she take the time to recognise the marks of stars like Barbatos.

-Her ideals quickly shattered when she realised Divine Punishment means nothing when faced by another of her status. A divine being capable of braving the lightning’s glow. Too prideful to admit her defeat she proved to be quite a thorn in your side during the war. But even one whose ideal is closest unto Heaven cannot compete with the one who controlled Fate.

-Baal has all but forgotten the faraway God, too focused on her own ideals, too focused on herself in the present day to remember such an aimless point in time. In a closed off nation tucked away on the sea, talk of your presence in Teyvat went unheard by the Raiden Shogun.

The 100th vision hunt decree ceremony was commemorative. The Goddess turned to face the crowd of onlookers, violet eyes narrowing at an almost familiar face standing towards the back. You lifted your head to her, flashing the Shogun a smile before pulling the notebook from the black and gold cloak. Almost too quickly her attention turned back to the man kneeling at the foot of the statue. Her 100th vision.

Baal lifted her hand, summoning the pyro vision to her and despite the blond’s attempts at keeping his vision they were futile as it soared through the air towards the Goddess. You almost dropped your pen when Aether pushed by you, using his newfound electro abilities as a boost to snatch the vision. An interesting but not surprising turn of events that was scrawled into the notebook.

You watched as she brought her blade up to strike an unconscious Aether. The taller blond managed to get his binds off, throwing the polearm that she then deflected. The blowback caused Aether and Paimon to go flying backwards into the blond. As they ran off she gave the order to seize them under the decree, turning back to look up at the statue. That was your cue to leave, the work had been done for now.

When Baal turned to look back at the crowd she got the glimpse of that cloak that seemed to come back to haunt her departing from the crowd.

Mona

-Ah the great astrologist Mona. One who believes fate cannot be changed nor reversed, merely accepted. How funny an outlook. Though you’d never tell her that, she is for all that she’s worth, a wonderful astrologist. But that was the thing with mortal magicians, even they could get things such as fate wrong.

-She tried only once to glimpse into the mysterious stranger’s destiny. But when one has no destiny, what does she see? The threads of fate themselves have barred her vision into him. To her he is an uncertain piece in what should be absolute certainty.

-This however just makes her curious to know more. She thinks she’s being sneaky as she follows you around to try and garner more information. But Mondstadt isn’t all that big and her hat is very telling.

You narrowed your eyes at the telltale sign of somebody watching you, you lifted your head to look around but there were no more stares than the usual ones that came with being a stranger in a small nation. You did notice, however, a very familiar witch occupying herself with the fruit stand. Could she even afford that? Probably not. You bowed your head to Flora, tucking the windwheel aster behind your ear as you made off.

Mona put the apple back, waiting a few moments before she followed you down the cobblestone path. This was the problem with magicians in every world, always far too curious for their own good. You turned a corner to try and get her off your tail, you had far too much work to do to deal with her nosing around. She was smart, though. You had to give her that as you pressed your back against the wall of the alleyway, waiting for her to go by.

“I just have a question!” Mona popped her head into the alleyway, figures you wouldn’t be able to escape her. Mona looked around before stepping into the alleyway. “You are not from this world and sand clouds my vision every time I try to view your true nature. I am merely intrigued by this turn of events.” She put her hands on her hips, green eyes trying to discern something about you. She was certainly blunt, at least she knew what she wanted at the end of the day.

Her stare was intense as she tried to see through you, but whenever she looked too hard she found herself attempting to shake off invisible strings. You merely offered her a smile, what’s the point in lying to somebody you may not ever see again? “I’m a record keeper of sorts. You have impressive skill, Mona.” The compliment had her smirking, praise would be her undoing. But it at least changed the subject. What a fascinating woman.

Kazuha

-Unsurprisingly or perhaps surprisingly you met him while he fled from the Raiden Shogun’s forces. As in he ran directly into you and nearly dropped the dead vision he was still clutching in his hand. Interesting isn’t it? What a simple change of cloak can do to conceal one’s identity. Always intervening whether or not you should, that seemed to be the staple when it came to Teyvat.

-You did not spend much time with Kazuha beyond that. His path was his to walk and you would not meddle further. Though you knew that he knew, somebody as observant as he would be able to tell, wouldn’t he?

-That was a while ago though. Now you once more found yourself face to face with Kaedehara Kazuha. Or well, less face to face and more in the same area.

“I hope you can afford all these mercs!” Beidou called as she and her crew rushed into battle against the Shogun’s forces. Far enough away to not involve yourself, but close enough to listen to the resulting conversations. You jotted things down, whatever seemed important in the moment, minor details you may forget, a rough draft, if one will.

Kazuha lifted his head after greeting Gorou, eyes scanning the rocks jutting out of the nearby sea on the beach that had become a location of endless bloodshed. And for a moment, he faltered, red eyes widening before narrowing. He should have expected this. You always seemed to be where big things happened. “Kazuha, watch out!” Beidou warned and Kazuha snapped out of it, returning to the battle.

The rain began to start and you safely tucked your notebook away as you watched the rest of the battle. Ultimately Sara called back her forces when Kokomi showed up, the Shogun’s army quickly retreating from the bloody battlefield to rethink their strategy. You held your hand up, rain soaking through your glove. The battlefield cleared itself of most soldiers, Gorou, Beidou, Kazuha, two soldiers, and Aether remained to talk to one another.

Kazuha turned, looking over his shoulder and back at the sea around him. He wondered if you’d come, help like you had helped him back then. He lifted a bandaged hand, no doubt the same hand you had once given him bandages to cover the injury from clasping a dying vision. In turn you gave him a wave. All these people whose lives you have impacted in some way or another. Small things here and there. You wondered how much he knew of your deeds.

Thoma

“State your business here!”

“Oh- he’s a friend! He’s with us.” Aether interrupted the teahouse lady before she could say anything else. The woman huffed but conceded, allowing you to move past her and towards Aether and the taller blond from the ceremony. The teahouse door was opened and you stepped inside with them, pulling your notebook out to take notes. “Thoma, Ayaka this is… Well he doesn’t have a name.” Aether turned his head to look at you and you merely shrugged.

“You may refer to me as the Recordkeeper. Ha, that’s kind of like the Doctor.. I’ll have to write that down.” You make a note in the front of your notebook. Ayaka, Thoma, and Paimon look confused but Aether understood the reference. At least. “I’m merely here to listen. Pretend I’m not here, yes?” And with reassurance from your traveler friend, they did just that. You noted their plans, their ideals, where they’d go. It was all fascinating. A resistance against a God. The last time that happened…

You shook the thoughts, that was then, this is now. You cannot get involved again. Ayaka stood to leave, saying her goodbyes. Aether was gone next, a promise to meet again. That left you with Thoma. “Are you sure you don’t have a name? I feel a job title shouldn’t be a name.” He joked, leaning on his elbows as he watched you write into your notebook. Your pen stopped against the pages, the edge of the D growing thicker. “At least, I think that’s your job, right?”

You looked up from your book, setting the pen down against the pages. He was curious to say the least, despite everything that happened earlier. “I suppose it is my job, yes. I keep records. And I’m known by many names Fate Weaver, the Recordkeeper, God of Fate, I believe I’ve also been referred to as the God of Time once.. That’d be incorrect though.” For a moment something unrecognisable passes through his green eyes before his smile is back on his face.

“How about we call you (Name)? That way you don’t have to admit what and who you really are everywhere you go.”

“(Name)? Hm.. Very well.”

#Baal x reader #Mona x reader #Kazuha x reader #Thoma x reader #genshin impact #genshin impact x reader #God of Fate #he's back!#asks #anonymous #Lane Writes #thoma is ur new bff #p3 #btw

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multi-maker · 4 years ago

Text

— lumine.

note. many has forgotten that she is an outlander - someone who did not belong to this world. lumine was fine with that, it will make things easier.

but when she sees the same woman who hurt venti, one of the people she has come to cherish, then she will shed her mortal facáde.

she is lumine - outlander, honorary knight of mondstadt and liyue’s savior.

she is lumine, half god and half angel.

lumine knew from the start that she was different from the rest. she could harness both anemo and geo alike, even without a vision granted to her. perhaps, in a way, she stole the power of anemo and geo.

(she refuses to think it was gifted to her - for when she received these, she didn’t know barbatos or morax.)

lumine was older, wiser, and stronger than everyone thought her to be. when kaeya called her underage, she almost wanted to laugh at the sheer irony of it. her, underage?

for archons sake, she was probably as old as venti. maybe even older.

despite it, she merely nodded and went along with the others opinion of her. outlander, who was powerful and bested dvalin.

she does not tell them of her true origins, even when she craved to do so. she does not tell them the wings made from star dust that she used to possess, nor the constellations that dances around her fingertips. she does not tell them the power of the stars she once wielded, now sealed away by the unknown god.

she does not tell them that one way to regain her old powers is to devour the visions they hold dearly.

how could she, when that is considered treason? when she could get hunted down by mortals and deities like? when she could be persecuted by the gods from celestia for doing such an inhumane act?

(she tries to ignore it - the gnawing hunger in her whenever she sees a vision.)

but lumine - lumine wasn’t kind. nor was she evil. she was simply...between. she will save those who cannot protect themselves, but she will leave those who can. lumine could frankly careless about what is happening, only wanting to find her brother.

but then.

but then, she meets amber. who gave her the ability to fly again. she meets kaeya, who reminded her too much of herself. she meets jean, who appreciates her so much. she meets lisa, who tells her it is okay to rest. she meets the rest, people who she has grown attached to.

in all her millenia of living, her and aether have agreed that growing bonds will only hinder them. they jumped form world to world, growing attached will only stop them.

then, an unknown god stole aether from her, sealed her powers away, and left her to rot.

she has come to cherish all these people - holding them in her heart and always wishing for their wellbeing. they were in a way, like the treasure’s she collected. they were precious to her, irreplaceable.

the day the eighth of the fatui harbingers hurt venti, lumine curses herself for the lack of her power. if she had her original power, if she didn’t charge so recklessly, then she would be able to stomp la signora like the bug she was.

but she is wingless, powerless, and she is weak.

so she merely watches, and she swore to herself that la signora will be the first one she will devour.

when lumine approaches northland bank in search for zhongli, she freezes. her footsteps came into a halt, her hands falling to her side.

she feels the same presence all those weeks ago - when she watches venti lose his godhood in front of the cathedral that was built for him.

“lumi?” paimon asks her, confused. paimon was about to call the female again, to ask her why she suddenly stopped, when lumine turns her head to her.

paimon stills at the sight.

lumine is blank, so utterly blank and empty. her golden eyes are dark, swimming with rage and anger. her lips are pulled into a thin line, features so dark yet so regal.

if paimon looked closer, she thinks she could see the faint outline of wings behind the traveler.

“paimon,” she calls her fae companion softly. “can i ask you to do something for me?” she tilts her head, golden locks swaying. for some reason, paimon had the urge to follow whatever lumine told her to.

it felt like if she didn’t agree, then she will see a wrath like no one else.

lumine waited.

that was something she was good at. she was patient, something aether was horrible at. lumine could wait and wait - only if something good will happen.

so she waited behind northland bank’s doors, constellations dancing on her fingertips.

she hears paimon’s shouts and screams as a way to distract them, and she summons her sword in a swirl of golden dust. geo erupted to life, destroying the doors and flinging it elsewhere. dust kicked up as lumine advances, golden eyes glowing as anemo energy swirled to life on her hand.

she ignores zhongli and childe - honing in on la signora whose eyes went wide surprise. like a hound to the smell of their prey, lumine did not let up.

“la signora, eighth of the fatui harbingers, wielder of a cryo delusion,” lumine’s voice is cold and dark, holding a different sense of tone. she stands tall, seemingly looming over the three.

“do you plead guilty?”

with those words, lumine’s sword dances.

anemo swirled to life, geo erupted, and la signora was forced to retreat. lumine did not let her escape, summoning a wall of earth to block her escape route. grimly, she smiles as she points her sword. “venti is a dear friend, and you have something that is his.” she informs her solemnly, golden eyes alit.

lumine moves - in a speed no one knew was possible. sword swung and blood sprayed as la signora clutches her chest in surprise. no one saw her move, not even the god of war, morax.

lumine’s hands grabbed la signora’s hanging vision and she grabs it. golden eyes met blue, and lumine, covered in her enemies’ blood, smiles.

“thank you, for the meal.”

and then, she devours.

#💫 dawn #genshin impact #genshin impact venti #genshin impact zhongli #genshin impact childe #genshin impact lumine #genshin impat la signora #genshin scenario #genshin venti #genshin zhongli #genshin childe #genshin lumine #genshin traveler #genshin lore #bamf lumine #because we all know the twins aren’t human #genshin impact scenario #genshin

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snowpeawritings · 4 years ago

Text

As Long-Standing As The Earth

Every day, Zhongli stares down at a little cube. The cor lapis-colored thing humming with Geo energy as the little dial that shows on one side slowly ticks.

When the dial reaches its peak, Zhongli feels like the earth is alive again.

Reader is gender neutral

CW (CONTENT WARNING): Reincarnation AU, Modern AU, Zhongli character story spoilers, blood warning

❄ Snowpea’s words: LET’S GO ZHONGLI BANNER DROPPING TOMORROW I WROTE 2K WORDS LIKE I PROMISED--

The first time he held the little cube, you were dying in his arms.

It shouldn't shake him, he thinks. He is the god of war, death became a norm when mortals and archons alike are associated with him. He is the long-standing pillar that brought his army to victory. Just like the earth that continues to stand, just like his energy that reshaped the land, he will not bow to whatever danger his immortal lifetime will experience.

It shouldn't shake him. It shouldn't shake his hands when he holds your lifeless corpse, your blood running down his skin like water weathering down stone. It shouldn't.

Yet it does. Each stream of blood crumbled his visage, eyes pleading at your dead ones to see if you will laugh at how ridiculous he looks. He would take any sort of jest from you just to see you that you were even capable of making jokes while bleeding out.

You never did.

And just like sand, he crumpled down onto the earth, hoping that he would be swallowed in when the gods took you away from him.

The second time he held the cube, it was when he used it for the first time.

He remembers it fondly; you were pledged to him beyond Teyvat's mortal realms, as a god and a mortal who were sworn to each other. You joked about it, saying you two were practically married to each other and wondered if he hated the fact that he had been tied down to a mortal.

Before, he would've laughed at the thought and said that you were silly.

He wished he could've done more than just laugh at your insecurities.

The Guili Plains were slowly coming to life as he spent his energy on making his abode. You mentioned to him before that you would've loved to sit back and eat your favorite cuisine underneath a red tree, surrounded by water as the sound of nature encompasses your dining wonderfully. He had hoped that the tree in the center was big enough for you to see.

As if realizing his fondness, a little cube-no bigger than his palm-glowed from his pocket. It hummed with elemental energy as he gasped at the dial pointing at its peak.

Terraforming would have to wait.

Ever since the Archon War, he began to loathe being an archon.

He sees old friends come and go or worse, die during the war. It wouldn't be a surprise that he was used to death.

No… that's not how he would describe it.

He was used to loneliness…?

Close.

Ah, he grew tired of being lonely. He supposes that was an agreeable feeling to describe him. The price of him wanting to end his loneliness was a price his heart couldn't bear. He was a smart god, cleverly providing strategies in order to gain the upper hand in the war.

Clearly, he wasn't smart enough to know the long-term consequences of his need.

The gods had warned him and he stood his ground as resolute as the mountains of Liyue.

The bustling village greeted his sight. Newcomers of Liyue and old villagers walked around, giving space for him to walk. Whether it was fear or admiration towards the archon, he couldn't care less. He set sight on a rather large house, its windows and doors opened for the public as wounded laid down on cots. Victims of people attempting to colonize Liyue, Treasure Hunters, or the sad case of Hilichurls, he couldn't care less.

He spots the aura of yellow energy before he could properly see the person. They were wearing a nurse's outfit, caked with blood and unknown grime from treating patients. Yet he never saw a more beautiful sight.

He approaches you and he feels the cube in his hand vibrate in tune with your aura. Making a deal with the devils be damned, he can never throw this opportunity away because he was an immortal.

"Oh, hello sir!" You greeted him and he felt the earth tremble slightly from your voice. "What can I help you with?"

He smiled at you, placing his palm in front of his chest pocket where the cube hummed. "My name is Zhongli. I heard that you are an excellent doctor?"

The third time he held the cube, he nearly threw it away along with his past.

He was no longer Morax, or Rex Lapis. He was just Zhongli, the head of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor.

It was ironic, to be connected to a place of death and moving on when he tries to do the same thing. Not once did the thought of moving on never crossed his mind. Not once did the thought of giving up his life never crossed his mind because he was so tired.

His past seemed just as resolute as the earth, he thinks bitterly.

The cube that he wanted so badly to discard still kept reappearing in his sight. Whether throwing it outside the window or burning it in the fireplace or even chucking it at the Chasm. It doesn't matter, it keeps reappearing like it was gloating at him. Like it was sneering at him as it reminds him about this perpetual curse that follows him until his dying breath.

But that doesn't matter at the moment. He has a job to do as the head for doing the rite of passing. He follows the Traveler to the floral boutique, wanting to buy the best Silk Flowers for Rex Lapis's passing.

How fitting.

Before he could try to get a word out for the history of Silk Flowers, his words got trapped in his throat. He sees the same yellow aura that he associated with the color of Geo. No matter how much time has passed, he knows those vibrant colors anywhere. The cube inside his coat hummed annoyingly like it was trying for him to do something. You were blissfully unaware of his longing stare, busy trying to barter against a merchant for the cheapest price of cor lapis.

Oh, how much he wanted to march right next to you and barter with the merchant himself, say that the cor lapis he sold couldn’t hold a candle to the aura that you emitted, that he was willing to put the price of the cor lapis on his tab because you were worth it--

"Mr. Zhongli?" The Traveler's travelling companion asks. "Are you okay?"

He ignores them, chest tightening at the thought of seeing his love for the third time. "I… lost my thought. I apologize."

Stand as resolute as the earth, Zhongli scolds himself. You can't stay like this forever.

... Forever is nothing compared to an archon, though.

After having dinner with the Traveler with a smooth rite of passing, he would've loved to take Barbatos's advice and drink until he can't think.

The fourth time he held the cube, it was when he felt his powers slipping away.

The times have changed, he fears, for the Statues of the Seven slowly dwindled out until they were almost ruined. The age of metal and alchemy conquered Teyvat instead of the elemental energy and Visions that people possessed. He couldn't heal using the broken down Statues but at least he could share one last drink with Barbatos before the inevitable.

"You should see them build the first plane!" He said excitedly as he downed his umpteenth drink. "Looks like they don't need the winds from their archon anymore!"

Somehow, he wishes he could share Barbatos's anguished laughter as he drank himself into forgetfulness.

The age of innovation grew higher and higher towards its peak while Zhongli's powers grew lower and lower. Unsurprisingly, he doesn't mind it.

Anything to get rid of the blasted cube.

He gave up trying to get rid of it. Gave up on trying to find his love when the dial hits its peak. If giving away his gnosis meant that the cube would no longer work, he would. Even more so with the depletion of everyone's belief at Archons.

He hopes.

Alas, it appears Celestia would laugh at Zhongli's hopes, for when the cube glowed for another time, he nearly tore his hair out.

How many lifetimes? How many more heartbreaks? How many more funeral rites?

And yet he seemed to be the biggest fool despite being the eldest Archon, for when he sees you, an inventor innovating the new gadgets for tomorrow, he felt the earth beneath his feet tremble.

He missed this feeling.

"Hello sir!" You greeted him with enthusiasm that he wished he could relate to. "Care to see the future of mankind?"

He is the biggest fool there was. "I would love to."

And he may as well die as a fool.

The fifth time he held the cube, he was only fidgeting it around.

Funeral parlors were becoming commonplace but not a lot of customers. With globalization and the new funeral trends being used, people have mixed feelings about having such an expensive and extravagant rite of passing.

And it also doesn't help that he gets confused when some people don't even bother asking for his services. They just stare at him with a wiggly smile on their lips.

Regardless, he won't look a gift horse in the mouth. He sees the dial on its peak but he doesn't pay heed to it. He gave up. With how many people there are and newer countries emerging, he lost hope.

No, more like he doesn't care anymore.

It was probably an insult to you-no-it was a clear insult and it was scary that he doesn't care anymore. He can't be the man that existed before, assisting the Traveler and Childe. He can't be the broken down Archon that shared drinks with Barbatos. He was so goddamn tired that he deserves this sanctuary.

If he could even call it that.

And yet, he persisted. Not for Guizhong, not for you, but for himself.

He takes his time with his tea, relishing in the flavors as he used this time to calm himself. The sounds of the clock ticking, the ceramic of his cup hitting the table, and the distant sound of birds chirping were all welcomed to his ears. It appears that his daily tea rituals haven't changed at all ever since he was born.

As he sips up the last bit of his tea, a knock broke him out of his concentration. He allowed entry.

An employee under him bowed before straightening his back. "Mr. Zhongli, you have a customer."

He sets down the cup. "Bring them in."

The employee nodded at him before walking back to fetch the customer. He fixes his tie and moves his finished tea away, wanting to look best for the customer.

Hearing an extra set of footsteps, he raised his head to greet the customer but he felt the earth tremble.

Maybe Celestia had enough of his sulking as he sees you smile at him like the first of you smiled at the archon all those millenia ago.

"Hello, Mr. Zhongli," you greeted and his name never sounded so poisonously sweet in his ears, "I hope you aren't too busy with what I have to ask…"

He may as well start his own funeral rites for himself.

He takes a while before composing himself, not meeting your eyes as he gestured to the vacant seat on his left side. He can’t meet your eyes even when you sat down and smiled politely at him. It felt like his heart stopped, then jump started like an engine.

“So, um…” You said, fiddling with the tips of your fingers and Zhongli had to resist the urge to take your hands in his. “Mr. Zhongli, I was hoping that I could ask you something.”

He steeled his spine in order to not show the shiver he felt when he heard you say his name. Gods, when has it been that your past reincarnation said his name? Even in a non-romantic way? “Well, as long as it is within the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor’s power, I’ll do what I can.”

This time, you averted your eyes from him, your hand moving to scratch the back of your neck. “About that… it’s not really something related to the funeral parlor perse…”

He raised his brow, your nervousness almost easing him. “Oh?”

Your face flushed and Zhongli can’t help but feel his heart race just like before. “It’s ah… It’s just that I have a research thesis that I’m doing and for some reason, the people I’ve asked recommended you.”

He slightly deflated, then wondered why he felt disappointment in the first place. “A research thesis? Pertaining about...?”

You immediately perked up and you reached out from behind you. Your bag was sitting behind you, smooshed against the chair as Zhongli watched you curiously. From your backpack, you fished out a laptop, a heavy history book, a slim book, two notebooks, and a pencil case that’s practically bursting at the seams with stationery. You set them down on the table, the force clattering the plates but nothing was spilled.

You booted up your laptop, getting one of your notebooks and grabbing a pen. When the laptop finally booted up, you logged in and presented Zhongli what was on the screen.

He felt the earth tremble from his knee knocking up against the table.

‘History of Rex Lapis And Their Influence On The Modern World’

“I’m a huge fan of history, you see!” You explained quickly, grabbing the large book that shows an old copy of Rex Lapis Incognito, a book that he hasn’t seen a while. “I really appreciate everything that the old archons did for the world, even if people don’t believe in them anymore. I especially have a fondness for the adepti but they’re even more forgettable-but I don’t mean it in a bad way! I want to write this with intentions of people remembering what both archons and adepti did for Teyvat…”

He zoned out soon after you said ‘history’. He wasn’t the type to pray for a blessing when, after all, you’re a literal god. But it comes to a time where, after heartbreak after heartbreak, he grows tired and soon goes numb. He thought he hardened his heart ever since he subjected himself to this but it appears even bedrock can be reduced to dust.

He let out a small, shaky breath before raising his head. That doesn’t matter now. He was Zhongli, used to be adeptus, used to be archon, but now: a man.

He couldn’t be any happier.

“I admire your fondness for researching ancient history.” He said, cutting off your rambling. “I may not be as knowledgeable as any other book, but I will try my best. We should speak about this somewhere else, though. It would be dreadful to speak in a funeral parlor.”

Just like terraforming, he can be rebuilt.

#genshin impact #genshin impact imagines #zhongli #zhongli x reader #zhongli imagines #snowpea writes #scenario #AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH ZHONGLI BANNER DONT HURT ME KSDKFNSKF #I OFFER THIS AS TRIBUTE

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thatringboy · 4 years ago

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@yokelish @yoruzumy0 hey bitches, may I present to you:

It Takes Two

1,960 words - Fluff

Summary: Xiao and Hu Tao decide to open the Memory of Dust

Read it under the cut!

Xiao considered himself to be pleasantly distanced from most humans. He interacted with Qiqi of Bubu Pharmacy sometimes and he considered the Traveler from another world a nice companion. However, he had no excuse for why he spent his down time with the director of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor as much as he did.

Nor did he have an excuse for why they had broken into Zhongli’s apartment and were rifling through his things.

“Director Hu,” he hissed as she opened up a dresser drawer and began searching what seemed to be a shirt drawer. “I put up with many of your antics, but this is going too far.”

She pulled her head up and her red eyes glowed mischievously. “But, Sir Alatus, you were the one with a key to the front door.”

“YOU PUNCHED IN THE WINDOW!”

“Tsk tsk, too many details. Now, help me find juicy things to hold over Mr. Zhongli’s head so that I can keep him from accepting commissions somewhere else. He’s too good for my business to lose.”

Xiao wasn't sure how to explain that the ex-archon had no plans to stop working at the funeral parlor and watched Tao shut the drawer and move to a small wooden desk covered in papers.

“Ooh, this is a fancy paperweight!” She lifted up a strangely shaped rock that glowed with Geo energy.

The adepti crossed the room and examined it. “It looks like a puzzle. Perhaps like that multi-colored cube Yanfei owns?”

Tao tossed the rock between her hands and looked over the ways the different rocks hooked together. This was child’s play for her. She could solve it in an hour tops. “Do you think he hides candy in here?”

Xiao took the puzzle and turned it over. His immortal eyes could easily pick out where the rocks needed to slide to unlock the center. “I believe the Lord of Geo would hold much more valuable things within this… whatever it is than sweets.”

She snatched it back and began fiddling with the locks and stone clasps. “Mr. Zhongli won’t be back from Ghuili Assembly until night, wanna find out?”

As much as the yaksha wanted to protest, the pleading look on Tao’s face and his own curiosity (which he blamed on Barbatos’ influence) won. They sat down on the floor and took turns sliding and unlocking parts of the strange stone. With each twist, the orange energy inside grew brighter and brighter.

It took them maybe thirty minutes to work a hole large enough in the stone to find the center. As Tao slid the last rock into place, the entire contraption began to vibrate and shot out of her hands. She squealed and Xiao’s hand shot out to pull his spear into existence. The sphere spun around in the air above them and became engulfed in the glow of pure Geo magic.

“What in Rex Lapis?” Xiao whispered and shielded his eyes from the light.

Tao grabbed Xiao’s spear arm and shook him violently while pointing at the floating thing. “Look, Gao-Xiao, look! It’s a person!”

“Huh?”

He opened his eyes and sure enough, the rock had vanished and where it had been floating now stood a young woman with long silky hair and a beautiful robe with billowing sleeves. She opened her eyes and Xiao was taken aback by how much the color resembled the petals of a Glaze Lily.

She blinked a few times and looked around. When she spoke, her words were soft and filled Tao’s heart with nostalgia like she had never experienced before. “May I ask where I am?”

Tao cleared her throat and let go of the adepti next to her. “You’re in, uh, Liyue Harbor?”

The woman smiled and turned her eyes to Xiao. “It is good to see you, Xiao. Do you remember me?”

He felt his throat go dry. Xiao let his weapon disappear and fell to his knees before her, biting his tongue to keep himself from making any noises. “My lady.”

She snorted playfully and tugged on his hair to make him stand back up. “Get up, you drama queen, since when have I ever required you to be so formal? So where is he? I do not feel Morax’s presence here.”

Tao reached over and tugged on her sleeve. “Yeah, hi, I’m Tao. I’m the director of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor? Whomst are you?”

“My name is Guizhong, my little peach.” Her eyes were as soft as silk.

Hu Tao’s jaw dropped dramatically as her words came out as sputters. Xiao got back to his feet with wide eyes.

“But how can you be here? You…”

“Died? Yeah, that happens sometimes.” Guizhong fluffed her hair with a smirk. “Anyways, where’s Morax? I need to ask him why it took him almost four thousand years to unlock the Memory of Dust.”

“He’s, umm, Rex Lapis is out today. We are the ones that freed you, Lady Guizhong. Were you trapped in there for over three thousand years?” Xiao cocked his head to the side.

The god looked around again. “That seems to be the case, yes. I put a piece of my soul inside the Memory of Dust as a failsafe in case anything happened to me during the Archon War. So tell me, Xiao, what all has happened in my absence? Why are you not accompanied by the other yakshas?”

Xiao rocked back and forth on his heels uncomfortably and didn’t meet her eyes. Hu Tao stepped over and linked her arm in Guizhong’s. “I’m not sure I know everything that happened, but I can at least tell you what happened in the past month or so!”

~~~~~ “What a splendid meal! I swear, Mister Zhongli, we should enjoy such fine dining more often!” Childe wiped his face on a silk napkin with a wide smile.

Zhongli nodded and reached into his pocket to retrieve his wallet to pay for the food, but stopped. “Oh, well, this is certainly awkward now.”

“No Mora again? I took you for a working man.” The Harbinger winked and pulled out his own wallet. “You are lucky to be dining with someone as generous as myself.”

Childe leaned across the table and his voice dropped tremendously. “And of course, you understand what I require in return.”

Zhongli shook his head. “I’m not fighting you.”

The younger man laughed and fell back in his seat. “Such stubbornness! Oh how I wish to beat it out of you!”

“Perhaps I could treat you to some quality tea and more chopstick-using lessons instead?” The ex-Archon felt himself grinning.

Childe’s smile only grew. “Deal!”

The walk back to Zhongli’s apartment was pleasant. Zhongli quite enjoyed all of Childe’s stories from his childhood in Snezhnaya and because he was no longer duty bound to Liyue as its Archon, he silently promised to one day visit the icy country of the North.

However, all pleasantries fell away when they approached the front door and noticed that a window was smashed, the sound of conversation floating out into the air of the night. Childe smirked and pulled out his swords. “Looks like I’ll get my fight after all!”

Zhongli recognized one of the voices, but he couldn't place it. He pulled his key out of his coat pocket and unlocked the door quietly. They slipped inside and looked around for the intruders. However, Zhongli froze when he caught sight of who sat at his dinner table without a care in the world.

“And then, after this guy almost floods the entire city, Zhongli still asks him out to dinner!” Hu Tao laughed.

Xiao crossed his arms and grumbled from across the table. “It is as they say, ‘love is blind’.”

“I for one think this Childe man sounds pleasant. He certainly isn't any more dangerous than Morax’s other exes.” The second woman giggled.

Zhongli dropped his keys as Childe slipped behind him. “What’s this? A party for us?”

The yaksha gasped and jumped to his feet, bowing lowly at the hip. “My lord! Forgive the intrusion! I shall repair your window at once!”

Tao coughed loudly from her seat. “Simp.”

Guizhong slid out of her seat gracefully and stood before Zhongli. “Hey there, old timer.”

He crossed the distance between them and engulfed her in a hug. “Are you really here?

“Uh… yes? My question is why did it take you three thousand and seven hundred years to unlock the Memory of Dust?!” She hugged him back, but gave him a wicked pinch.

He let go and looked around. “It was an impossible puzzle--”

Xiao rubbed the back of his neck. “Director Hu and I solved it in half an hour.”

“And out popped the pretty god!” Tao grabbed a cup of tea from the table and downed it in a single gulp. “Oh, hi twink!”

“Hi yourself, shortie!” Childe waved at her from the doorway. “Anyways, can someone introduce me to this lovely woman here?”

She moved a gaping Zhongli out of her way to shake Childe’s hand. “Hi, I’m Guizhong!”

“Guizhong? As in the God of Dust? Nice to meet you, I’m Childe, but I also go by Tartaglia!”

Hu Tao moved over to Xiao and pinched his elbow, prompting him to hand her three Mora. “I told you they would hit it off.”

Guizhong turned back to Zhongli to see a tear streaking down his cheek. She frowned and grabbed his arm. “Oh no, Morax! Don't be sad! I’m back!”

“I’m not sad…” He examined every inch of her face. How could he had forgotten how kind her eyes were? “This may be the happiest day of my life.”

Childe cleared his throat loudly. “So… about that tea and those lessons you promised me?”

The ex-Archon remembered his existence. “Oh, right, my apologies, Childe. Do you still wish to learn how to use chopsticks?”

Guizhong gasped loudly. “You don't know how to use chopsticks?! It’s a good thing that I’m a god of wisdom! Xiao, get in that kitchen and find us some pairs to use at once!”

The adepti gulped and moved to follow her orders. “Yes ma’am.”

Childe was dragged to the table by the woman with the large sleeves and forcefully sat down. Xiao returned with chopsticks and Hu Tao took the seat next to him with a large smile.

As Guizhong began her instructions, Zhongli watched the scene unfold with deep emotions in his eyes. He had fantasised for centuries about what the Memory of Dust held within - that perhaps it was some sort of parting wisdom from his oldest friend, but this? Having a piece of her soul be trapped within it, waiting for him to unlock it?

He chuckled to himself, of course it would. That was how Guizhong’s fantastic mind worked.

“Forgive my interruption, but how did you two unlock the Memory of Dust? I tried and failed for almost four thousand years to solve the puzzle.” He glanced at his desk where the contraption would have sat.

Guizhong’s laugh was like bells ringing in his ears. “Morax, you old fool, you simply needed two people to solve it. To acknowledge that you need assistance is the most wise thing a person can do.”

Zhongli sat down in an empty chair and watched Childe drop his chopsticks to crack his knuckles. “Then I see that even I still have much to learn from you. I take it you will be returning to Juyuin Karst?”

She snorted. “Oh gods no! I’m staying with you, partner! You think I can afford to travel around whenever I want to? In this economy? No sir, you’ve just got yourself a new roommate and you can blame little Conqueror of Demons and your boss for that!”

#Hu Tao and Childe continue to be moods #fanfic #fanfiction #fluff #genshin impact #Zhongli #Hu Tao #Xiao #Childe #Guizhong

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lord-pigeon · 3 years ago

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Ngl I'm like, 70% sure there's some deeplore behind why the Gnosis are referred to as chesspieces and the fact that Yae outright says it connects them to Celestia. Spoiler stuff under the break but that's a given.

Between what Signora said (and given who exactly she is) about the Tsaritsa, I earnestly believed the Tsaritsa is trying to save the fellow Archons by severing their ties to Celestia before she goes nuclear on it. Her domain before it changed was Love, after all, and Zhongli seems to see a lot of similarities between her and Hadria. And if the translation of Ei's background is correct, then her sister died through some crazy shit that went down at Khaeneria's fall that seemed to effect the gods themselves. So what does this have to do with the Gnosis thing I just mentioned?

Well, all the Archons Gnosis being likened to chess pieces I feel is more than a throw away line given how much foreshadowing Honkai had in the early chapters with characters like Sirin and Fu Hua. So here's my current theory:

Venti/Barbatos is the Bishop, mostly in reference to the fact he's the only one with a Not-Catholic church and has a religious-esque following.

Zhongli/Morax is the King, given his place as the eldest and likely strongest of the Archons, having taken out the rest of the gods and probably bullying some back into the Dark Sea. If Zhongli goes down to a threat, then it's very likely no other Archon will survive either, thus leading to a 'checkmate'.

Beelze/Baal/Ei is the Rook, because she is most definitely the powerhouse so far, but is also stubborn and only looks at things from one angle, like how the Rook can only move in a straight line. The Rook is also used symbolically for a watchtower, which is a bit symbolic for her own Tower she vibes in that overlooks Inazuma.

Sumeru's Archon is the youngest by far and is all about knowledge and has room to grow, making him the Pawn. Since there's no real info on him, that's the most I can really provide.

Fontaine's Archon is likely the Knight, because of her stringent belief in justice as a motif and fact she's in a classic French-looking environment. Dainslief also notes a lot of masquerade and nobility antics going on when describing the Fontaine arc, which fits the noble knight atmosphere.

Natlan's Archon is the Queen, given her domain is War. She's most likely the most prone to showing off her full power and sweeping things as she pleases, unlike Zhongli who kind of keeps to himself. Since we don't know much about her either, that's best I can do for her as well.

The Tsartisa is the "Player" who is collecting all the pieces in means to beat the living shit out of Celestia. I genuinely think she's trying to help the Archons and that's why the two oldest, Venti and Zhongli, clearly hold no animosity towards the Fatui. Despite being bullied by Signora, Venti seemed very chill about having it stolen, and if its something of a badge connecting them to Celestia, it makes sense for the freedom-loving bard to want it gone. Zhongli is all about contracts and it was likely part of the Fatui deal at the end of the Liyue arc that had the Tsartisa explaining her motivations to him, knowing he cannot break the contract to explain himself and ruining her scheme. He likely took it because he knew what she was doing and wanted to let her do it.

Yae is much smarter than she lets on and is bit of a troll, so I don't doubt she figured it out herself and wanted to keep Ei safe. It's not like the Gnosis is the root of the Archon's powers, since the Shogun can still fuckin dunk on people even as a puppet, ie F for Signora in the chat.

Since I been playing since launch, I also did the Fischl quest that introduced Scaramouche. I will note that compared to my friend who started later, his introduction is notably different depending. He seems affable and his overconfident self with newcomers, with a title card and saying "Oh great Traveler" (something like it at least). With my account, he walked in with "Of course you found this place, congrats" and looked incredibly pissy. Throughout the cutscene he seemed much more...on edge and typically evil, versus the more flamboyant self he was with the newcomers.

So I feel whatever Scaramouche found with the constellations fucked him up fierce, but he's still very adamantly for the Fatui given he's still working for them despite it. So my theory for that is he knows Celestia is up to some shit, and continues to ally with Tsartisa cause he knows she's going to bring it down.

Not-Kiana, I mean the Nameless God, I feel is going to actively be an antagonist to the Tsaritsa and it'll force the Traveler to choose between the Fatui that they loathe, or the entity that stole their twin.

There's also the matter that the other twin seems to be working with the Abyss, who are the last remains of Khaeneriah. And of course, the fact that Kaeya is a sleeper agent for Khaeneriah that was just given to the Ragvinder's to infiltrate Treyvat. Not sure what's up with those Not-Dwarven Shits but somethings sketchy.

Of course this is all theory crafting but hey, that's part of the fun in the game to me.

#i really love lore in games esp with the deeplore is as good as genshins #im telling you yaes loredump had me reeling #like maam #genshin impact

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fraink5-writes · 4 years ago

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From Darkness Into the Lantern Light - Chapter 13

The final chapter!! But hopefully, it’s not the end of Childe and Zhongli’s journey...

@leio13 is the best for editing this (and for everything else she does)

Summary: Once upon a time, there was a cold-hearted queen. Although the Tsaritsa, as she was called, possessed her own divinity, she coveted the powers of the other Archons. Aiming to steal the Geo Archon’s gnosis, she sent her strongest warriors to Liyue Harbor. But just when Rex Lapis was almost defeated, he escaped to another vessel, that of a powerless baby, and was swept away to a hidden tower for his protection.

Many years after the great fight, the young and ambitious Harbinger, Childe, arrives in Liyue to grant the Tsaritsa’s desire, but, on his search for the Geo Archon’s gnosis, he ends up tangled in a mysterious man’s dreams to see Liyue Harbor’s Lantern Rite.

This chapter can also be found on Ao3 here. Without further ado, please enjoy!

“Zhongli!” A familiar voice beckoned the archon from unconsciousness. Zhongli? Yes, that was the name he was quite fond of—especially in gentle, whimsical tones. “Zhongli, let down your hair!”

As Zhongli’s vision came to, the first thing he noticed was the trail of his hair leading out the window, by which his “mother” was standing, next to the discarded flowers. Although his strength had not fully returned, his physical senses slowly returned. A burning chill coiled around his wrists, legs and throat; heavy chains bound him to the wall.

Then there was a tug on his hair followed by the sound of climbing steps. Ajax. Zhongli’s heart, which had been lifeless before, danced about in irrepressible excitement. Ajax jumped through the window, landing shakily. Discolored skin peaked out beneath his clothes. Zhongli’s eyes shot open.

“Zhongli, I’m sor—”

The blonde woman hovered behind him, the golden accents of a spear glinting in her grip.

“AJAX!!”

As Ajax drew a single alarmed breath, the spear swiftly pierced through his abdomen. Its gold tip was stained incarnadine as it burst from the blossoming rose of blood on his stomach. More blood sputtered from his contorted lips.

“‘Ajax?’” The woman scoffed, “Like the great hero? Ha! Don’t make me laugh.” She pulled the spear from Ajax’s abdomen, and he crumpled onto the bed of forsaken flowers. “A bloodthirsty murderer like you could never be like that. You’re Tartaglia, no. 11 of the Harbingers. Although at this point, you’re no more than a traitor.”

Ajax slumped further under a great shadow.

“That’s not true,” Zhongli spat.

“Oh?” The female Harbinger put down the spear and turned her attention to Zhongli. “You still feel like fighting? I was hoping you’d be more reasonable when you woke up... Oh well...” She sighed then lifted his chin, meeting his glare with menacing eyes. “It doesn’t seem like you understand the situation. You are coming with me to Snezhnaya.”

“No.” Zhongli shook his head from her grasp. “I refuse.”

“Let’s be logical here. There is nothing for you here. Liyue doesn’t need Rex Lapis anymore. And even your precious hero, Ajax—” The Fatui woman threw an affected pitious glance towards Ajax, who was still—”doesn’t have much time left. But you can still find a purpose at Zapolyarny Palace with the Tsaritsa.”

Zhongli wanted to deny her, but he couldn’t. His days as Liyue’s archon were long over, and his short frolic with Ajax had run its course. He could never be satisfied with the ending, but just as he, over the course of 6,000 years, had watched time strip him of the people close to him, he was powerless to resist it this time again.

“No... Zhongli…” A weak voice rasped by the window.

There’s still time. Zhongli glared up at the Fatui woman. “I will make a contract with you.”

“Oh?” The woman grinned. “What are your terms?”

“If you let me heal Ajax and swear that neither you nor any of your affiliates will bring harm to him again, I will surrender the gnosis which resides in my hair to the Tsaritsa.”

Despite her initial frown, the woman agreed to the contract and undid Zhongli’s shackles.

Zhongli rushed on stumbling legs to Ajax’s side. “Ajax, it’ll be all right now.”

“No, Zhongli…”

“Please.” Zhongli rapidly coiled up his hair. “Let me concentrate.”

“Wait.” Ajax grabbed Zhongli’s hand as he tried to cover the wound with his hair.

“There isn’t time.” Zhongli shook free from Ajax’s grip. “Please.”

“Signora is right.” Ajax reached up with his left hand and faintly stroked Zhongli’s cheek. “Liyue doesn’t need Rex Lapis anymore. But, Zhongli…” His embrace firmed as his right arm, dagger in hand, wrapped around Zhongli’s neck and sliced his ponytail right off. “You deserve to be free.”

“Ajax?” Zhongli watched powerlessly as his hair fell in dark coils on the ground. “Why?” He shook his head. As long as Ajax was breathing, Zhongli couldn’t give up so easily. He lifted Ajax’s head gingerly onto his lap. “No, hang on, I’ll find another way—there has to be something—”

“Zhongli.” Ajax squeezed Zhongli’s frantic hands. “It’s over.”

“No, that can’t be. Not yet.”

“Childe has wreaked enough havoc; this end is long overdue.” Ajax’s fingers fell limp in Zhongli’s hands.

“But what about Ajax?”

“Ajax, huh?” A reminiscent curl floated to Ajax’s lips.

Zhongli tenderly caressed Ajax’s face from the corners of his smile to the tousles of his bangs until the warmth disappeared beneath his fingers. He delicately laid his body on the bed of flowers and closed his unbearably lightless eyes.

Picking up the tainted spear, Zhongli rose silently to his feet.

In the corner, sweat was dripping down La Signora’s face. “That’s quite a shame, but he did it to himself. I did not break the contract.”

“The contract is void.”

“Then, surely, Rex Lapis, we can think up another one with more feasible terms…?” Signora shrank further into the corner.

Zhongli advanced with plodding steps.

“Wait, Zhongli—”

Zhongli drove the spear’s rufescent tip through her chest, and her body thudded on the floor.

With his rage-driven strength gone, Zhongli staggered back to where Ajax lay. He squeezed his brittle fingers and brushed through his hair the way he had done before, but this time, Ajax would not wake. There were no more dreams behind his smiling mask.

Despite his great strength, Morax was unable to protect a single, small and fragile human. Another person had passed away in his arms. Over 6,000 years, time had claimed the lives of humans, adepti and gods alike, leaving Morax in timeless solitude. Although the clock struck too soon, Ajax was no exception; even if his body remained, it too would be reclaimed by time, leaving only a brief haze of memories.

Zhongli’s chest and throat constricted with a caustic ache. His shoulders shuddered as swelling tears inflamed his cheeks. Then he collapsed, burying his face into Ajax’s still chest. The steady trickle of tears soaked into his jacket, at which Zhongli clutched feebly. He couldn’t let go, clinging to the promise of heroic adventures and quests for new dreams, of whispered contracts and gentle embraces, of playful grins and scintillating blue irises. But they had all been snatched away along with the future.

Zhongli felt a small thump under his cheek. Then another. Then two more. One by one, the thumps created a steady rhythm. Then, Ajax’s chest swelled, causing Zhongli to jump up. “Ajax?” He gaped at the weak movements of Ajax’s chest as a warm color bloomed across his face. A violent diaphragmatic spasm was accompanied by coughing.

Zhongli propped Ajax’s body up against the wall then he glanced down; besides the bloodstained hole in his clothes, all evidence of the wound had vanished. As Morax, he wondered if some of his gnosis remained dormant in his chest, but as Zhongli, he was grateful for whatever miracle had worked in his favor.

Zhongli cupped Ajax’s soft cheek. Ajax’s eyelids cracked open, revealing his oceanesque eyes. “...Zhong..li?”

Zhongli nodded.

“...Can I call you that?”

“Yes. Please.”

“You know…” Ajax combed his fingers through Zhongli’s disheveled haircut. “Your hair must be way more convenient like this.”

Zhongli couldn’t help but laugh. Ajax was right; Zhongli felt lighter, free from a huge burden. “Do you remember the other night, during the Lantern Rite?”

“Mmm… How could I forget?”

“We never finalized our contract.” Zhongli slid his fingers until Ajax’s chin.

Ajax flashed a crooked grin. “Remind me again; what are the terms?”

“From now on, stay by my side.”

“If it’s just that, I don’t need a contract.” Ajax laughed as he reached out with his other hand, his fingers circling lightly behind Zhongli’s ear. “I, Ajax, promise I will never leave you again.”

“And as long as you live, I, Zhongli, will remain by your side.” Raising Ajax’s chin and cupping both his cheeks, Zhongli planted a thoughtful kiss on Ajax’s lips. Its taste was a mixture of bittersweet blood and tears and warm vitality. As their lips interlocked, Ajax’s combing fingers massaged Zhongli’s brain, easing away all thoughts. Even though the future had made a beautiful return, Zhongli paid it no regard, wishing for nothing but the present.

“Hey, Zhongli,” Ajax’s whispers titillated Zhongli’s lips. “You never told me—what is your new dream?”

There was little point in answering that question anymore—at least not aloud. Zhongli’s lips curled as they pressed a deeper kiss on Ajax’s mouth.

***

Even when Ajax and Zhongli returned to Liyue Harbor (this time, taking the fast route by boat), they could not settle down. Zhongli was a man without an identity, and Ajax, a wanted criminal. Upon immediate arrival, they were whisked from the Alcor by some Millelith soldiers.

“The Tianquan would like to see you,�� one of the soldiers announced.

Zhongli stepped in front, shielding Ajax with his body. “I believe there is a misunderstanding.”

“Zhongli.” Ajax sighed and stepped out from behind. “I will take responsibility for what I’ve done.” When Ajax thought of his actions that led to his arrest warrant in the first place, he felt such great shame that he couldn’t even look at Zhongli. I’ll play along, so just don’t mention the specific offenses—not in front of him.

The Millelith reviewed his papers with a chuckle. “I think there might be. The one she’d like to see is the man named Zhongli, not the Fatui agent.”

Ajax and Zhongli exchanged several confused glances before Ajax spoke up again. “What for?”

“Only the Tianquan knows that. It’s strictly confidential.”

“I’m coming too,” declared Ajax, tightly squeezing Zhongli’s hand.

“Be my guest. She didn’t say anything about additional guests.” The soldier shrugged. “But I don’t know how well a Fatui criminal will fare in the Jade Chamber.”

The main room of the Jade Chamber was an impressively spacious office flooded with white light from the high windows. To one side, an infamous board stood, smothered in papers, and behind the scroll-stacked desk, tall vases and jade leaf screens gave the space an additional flare of opulence. Upon arrival, Ajax and Zhongli were met by a woman with white hair falling below the knees and a gold-adorned qipao—undeniably the Tianquan—and, surprisingly, Captain Beidou.

“Hey, long time no see!” The Captain, with a familiar grin, strolled out from behind the desk, followed by the Tianquan.

“Welcome to my Jade Chamber. I am Ningguang, Tianquan of the Qixing.” Ningguang approached Zhongli with a courteous bow. Her brief glance at Ajax, however, was chilling. Zhongli returned the bow as Ajax retreated tactically into the corner. “Beidou has told me all about you, ...Zhongli.”

“What did she tell you?” Zhongli’s tone lacked its prior timidity about his identity.

“About your real identity.”

“I had my suspicions,” Beidou interrupted. “And some beat-up bankers filled in the rest.”

Zhongli shot Ajax a glance, and although he had his suspicions, Ajax just shrugged.

“Welcome back to Liyue Harbor, my Lord.” Lowering her head, Ningguang dropped to her knees, with Beidou following suit. Silent reverence stunned the room, singling out Zhongli, the figure of authority, and Ajax, who squirmed uncomfortably. Should he have kneeled too?

“Do not lower your head, Tianquan.” Zhongli helped Ningguang to her feet. “Liyue belongs in the hands of the Qixing now. You must lead them with pride.”

“I do not understand…”

“Morax is dead. The city of Liyue now looks to you for wisdom and guidance.”

“Yes, my—” Ningguang shook her head, wiping away the tear on her cheek. “No, I will see to it, as the Tianquan of the Qixing, that Liyue’s 3,700 year history of prosperity continues into the future.”

“A fine response. I can trust Liyue in your hands.” Zhongli wore a proud smile. “Ah—wait, I have one final request.”

“Yes? What do you wish?”

Zhongli grabbed Ajax’s hand and pulled him closer. “Exonerate him of his recent crimes.”

“I’m afraid I don’t understand. If that’s what you wish, I will see it done, but—”

“I know what he has done—” Zhongli wrapped his arm around Ajax’s waist—” But he is also the one that saved me.” His words lit a flame under Ajax’s cheeks, who tried to wriggle out of Ningguang’s gaze.

“Is that so?” Ningguang giggled. “Very well.”

After clearing up the issue of Ajax’s punishment, Zhongli and Ningguang engaged in a long discussion of history, economics and politics. Ajax didn’t bother to keep up; he was content to watch the subtle fluctuations in Zhongli’s smile as he imparted his wisdom. Such peace, however, only brought drowsiness upon him, and he excused himself to the Jade Chamber’s deck for fresh air.

Ajax peered at the expanse of Liyue’s scenery below him. It was truly nothing like Snezhnaya; although mountainous, it was rife with colors. In the days he had trekked across its diverse scenes, many vivid emotions had blossomed on his monotonous heart.

A warm arm draped across Ajax’s back to his waist. “Ningguang has assured that she will discuss the issue of your punishment with the rest of the Qixing,” Zhongli stated. “With that almost settled, what do you plan to do now?”

“It’s not over yet.” Ajax gazed at the distant snowy landscape.

Zhongli sighed. “Yes, we will need to settle issues with the Tsaritsa.”

The Tsaritsa… Ajax had tried to preoccupy himself with thoughts of Zhongli and their future, but thoughts of the Cryo Archon weighed heavily on his shoulders. Not only had Ajax gone against her will, but his heart had betrayed her. He, who had sworn his absolute loyalty to her, could no longer serve her as he once did.

“Ajax. I will go with you to Snezhnaya, and I will talk to the Tsaritsa. I have my own business with her, anyway.”

“No, I must settle this on my own.”

“You’re right.” Zhongli’s eyes were the stern ambers that had held humanity accountable for centuries. “This is the punishment and atonement you must bear for your transgressions. However”—his features melted into a reassuring smile—”If you must live with this guilt for the rest of your life, I will help you shoulder it.”

“Is that really the Wrath of Rock?” Ajax cracked a small grin. “Man, the years have really softened you.”

“No, the age of the Geo Archon and the Wrath of Rock has passed. Additionally, as Zhongli, it would be dishonest to scorn your actions which have benefitted me.”

Perhaps Ajax was wrong. Zhongli’s leniency had not weakened him at all; instead, it had given strength to Ajax’s crumbling courage. He squeezed Zhongli closer. “Well, it won’t be so bad. I am looking forward to seeing my family again.”

“As am I. I would love to meet them.”

“Of course, I’ll introduce you to my family, and then—and then what? What would you like to do, Zhongli?”

“Hmm… now that I’m no longer the Geo Archon… Well, I suppose I’ll do what I’ve always done, this time living fully as a mortal.”

“Hm?”

“Do you know of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor? I think I would like to work there.”

“A funeral parlor? Why?”

“Well, it feels as though I’ve already died once.” Zhongli curled at the short tips of his hair.

Ajax gently stopped Zhongli’s insecure hand. “Do you miss your long hair?”

“Even before I accidentally transferred my gnosis, I used to keep my hair long. It’s bizarre at this length.”

“It’s not weird.” Ajax kissed Zhongli’s lips, brushing his fingers lightly through his silky, dark hair. “I think it suits you, Zhongli.”

#Genshin Impact #Chili #Zhongli #Childe #La Signora #Beidou #Ningguang

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