Chapter Text
His heart twisted in his chest, that grating sense of loss tearing into him. Strong heart faltering as it felt like grimy fingers wrapped around it and slowly crushed it. It did little to try denying the raging waves that echoed in those pained blue eyes.
First the Tsaritsa betrayed his trust. Sending her to complete the mission he had been assigned-
‘No that’s wrong’, he bitterly reminded himself, ‘I was only a pawn from the start.’
Second and possibly what hurt the most, much to his dismay, was Zhongli had lied to him.
He knew that as a fatui agent he shouldn’t have placed so much trust and emotion in someone. Yet he couldn’t help growing attached to those small smiles during their meals and little conversations where the consultant offered an ear to his childish complaints. Rarely chiding him for his frequent petty whining.
He was far more torn up about it than he was willing to admit, but he could see the way the traveler looked at him with a knowing sort of pity before leaving. The traveler had figured it out, yet he who had spent the most time with the 'consultant' had somehow been oblivious to the truth.
‘Or maybe I knew and didn’t want it to be true,’ his heart cried out, only further drowning him in the waves of darkness overcoming his mind.
“I'll fight him,” he muttered and began to walk with intent and people quickly moved away from him as he passed.
Of course they did, people had seen what he did. They knew who he truly was now. The fools probably also thought he killed their damned archon even though they were assured otherwise. No one would ever trust him again, not that they'd even give him a passing chance now.
That was fine, he never wanted them to trust him anyway.
He didn't like how much they stared though. Every move now carefully scrutinized.
It likely didn’t help his case that his eyes looked even more lifeless and psychotic than ever.
This outcome was nothing like he wanted and Zhongli would have to answer for it. He was determined to force him to fight or at least force him to break the things he cared about. Regardless of the choice he made, Childe intended for one of them to die for this. Concluding it was the only way to escape the damned feeling that traitor had planted in his heart.
‘You never asked him,’ his heart tried to defend, but Childe growled at this.
“He knew my mission and knew I was looking for him. Not telling me is no better than lying.”
‘Would you have killed him though?’
He froze in place. Chills running through his entire being at the mere suggestion.
Would he have?
Could he have?
The nagging questions quickly went up in flames once he reached his target, standing upon the terrace that evening with a solemn look on his face.
“Childe.”
The man looked to him at all and the harbinger wasn’t sure if it was his archon abilities telling him or that he knew Childe would want retribution.
“Zhongli-sensei, fight me.”
The consultant turned upon hearing the cold voice, finding his companions usual cheery smile had vanished from sight. Yet he could see the vortex of emotion in those deep swirling eyes.
Whether they would lead to madness, he couldn’t be certain.
“I would prefer to discuss-“
“I’m done talking,” he summoned a dagger and pointed it at the ex-archon to silence him, “You’ve talked enough. The most I want to hear from you now is a yes to my challenge. If you refuse I’ll force you to fight right here and put your precious Liyue and her people at risk.”
Normally, Childe would never threaten innocents without being forced. Zhongli knew this and so did Childe.
But the hurricane in his eyes and venom laced tone left him unpredictable. It was entirely possible he’d seek vengeance at the cost of anyone in this state and they both knew the other realized this.
“Where do you propose we take this then?”
“The cliff facing Guyun Stone Forest,” the response was instant and he pointed to the cliff off in the distance.
“As you wish.”
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“Ready ‘sensei’,” Childe chimed sadistically, pacing along the cliff with his bow twirling.
Zhongli could feel his own small pang of loneliness set in. Childe usually spoke too him brightly but right now he only radiated contempt.
Even so, he didn’t blame him at all, but he still needed to make sure of a few things.
“First, I propose a contact.”
“Does it really matter?”
“If you want to fight, then yes.”
Childe stared at him as if he’d grown another head and stated with clear warning, “I’ll attack the harbor if you try backing out.”
“Rest assured, I have no intention of such. The terms I propose are simply should I win, your life belongs to me and should I lose, you leave will still leave Liyue be.”
The harbinger clicked his tongue in annoyance and threw his hands up dramatically, “One of us is going to die, so fine. You want guarantee you get to kill me, have it your way. That was the plan. I agree to your stupid terms. I only have a problem with you, not your people.”
That may have been a slight lie. He had an issue with them in the sense that Zhongli had kept him in the dark to test and protect them. It certainly felt as if they mattered more than he did.
Zhongli nodded understanding and spun his spear into stance, “Then the contract is sealed. Let’s begin.”
Before the word finished, Childe had already shot a few arrows and watched the man dodge them with ease. Expecting as much, he then called upon his vision to throw a water arrow directly at the consultant with his full strength.
Zhongli deflected the arrows and summoned his jade shield after, lunging forward and thrusting the spear forth. It grazed the harbingers side but he still managed to pull back and dodge the next barrage of water arrows followed by Childe darting behind them and ramming into the shield. He could feel the shield cracking with the sudden coalescing water daggers pushing into it.
“Sensei, don’t let your guard down or I’ll kill you,” he laughed and Zhongli could see raging emotions in his eyes being drowned quietly below the bloodlust.
The shield shattered and he brought up the spear up to block the daggers, pushing back the harbinger with enough force to send him crashing back.
Tartaglia clearly lived for battle because he didn’t remain on his ass long before easily twisting his body back into a fighting stance. It would require more than that to take him down.
So that’s what Zhongli would do.
The ground rumbled as a pillar erupted, narrowly missing its target and forcing him to take a few leaps back to avoid the geo vibrations that resonated with the pillar.
“Hah! There you go! Show me the power of an archon!”
“I’m no longer an archon.”
“And whose fault is that,” Childe spat unamused, “Cause it sure wasn’t mine like it should’ve been.”
“The contract forbade me from telling you. Not because I didn’t want to.”
A stab rang through his heart as it tried to tell him the man did care about him after all.
“Shut up,” he shouted more to himself than his foe and startled Zhongli, “Don’t pretend you ever cared about me!”
Oh, so that’s what this was about.
Zhongli wished he could reveal just how much he cared, but that was what the contract was for.
He noted Childe rushing forward and used his Jade shield to block the daggers, holding it up and looking at the face twisted with sorrow and misunderstanding. All he wanted to do was soothe those wounds and clear the raging storm of his dear Childe, but the man was too consumed to hear him out right now. So he would do what he must to set things right.
The shield shattered and Zhongli stepped aside, kicking the harbinger in the gut and bringing a leg down against his back to force him to the ground. Childe only managed to roll onto his back in an attempt to jump back up but a spear pointed at his throat.
“Yield.”
“Sneaky bastard, should've known.”
“No, you’re just too clouded by emotion to fight properly.”
Childes face turned to a frown accompanied by a glare and his body suddenly shifting. The crackling of electricity forcefully threw Zhongli back in a sudden torrent and Childe rose again. This time his body transformed with the delusion and without delay his foul legacy erupted, anger prickling through each bolt coming whipping from him in a wild array of lightning.
Zhongli expected this to happen though. Tartaglia had made it clear he intended to kill him or die trying and he was well aware of the traveler fighting this form. But he was also aware of how much exertion it took.
Childe lunged at him, sending lighting forward with the swing of his blade. A geo pillar quickly rising to block the bolts and divert them to either side of him.
The blade itself, however, took out the pillar with ease and would have sliced through the archon had he not already called upon his shield yet again.
“Fight me,” the distorted voice roared and a blade of electricity began wailing upon the shield, too distracted to notice a meteor Zhongli called upon until it clashed into him and sent him flying to the edge of the cliff.
The transformation broke under his turbulent emotions. He had exerted himself too much in his rage and hadn’t even made a dent. If only he could have focused his attacks better with a clearer mind.
He panted and ignored the pain and fatigue, trying to push himself back up but he just couldn't muster anymore strength. His emotions had drained him more than the fight did and he found himself angry at his heart for it. The bruises and cuts from the fragments of rock went ignored and a spear soon appeared and tilted his chin up to meet the calculating amber eyes. Electricity fading from his grasp, even as he tried to cling to it in a desperate attempt for revenge.
“You let your emotions control you.”
Childe glared up at the man and gave him a pained grin, “As if you know anything about emotion.”
“I do. That is why I accepted your request.”
“Are you saying I would have won if I’d been calmer,” he laughed bitterly at himself, “Good to know. Well, hurry up kill me before I can get back up.”
"Do you recall the contract?”
“If I lose my life is forfeit.”
“To be more precise, you agreed that your life would belong to me.”
Childe stared for a moment before realizing then hidden meaning to it and stared in disbelief, “You never planned to kill me...”
“Yet you accepted the contract assuming I did,” Zhongli mused to himself even though Childe looked like a kicked puppy now, “Is it not essentially as you wished? You may be breathing but your life belongs to me now.”
No. Fucking. Way.
He was not going to accept more trickery like this! Zhongli wasn’t going to be allowed to toy with him like some puppet again. He refused.
“I'm done with your tricks.”
He laughed maniacally, startling his enemy long enough to release a final burst of electricity mixed with water and pushed them both in opposite directions
Zhongli sliding where his heels dug into the ground and Childe...
Well it pushed him off the cliff into the rapids below.