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He was once a soul drifting in the leylines, devoid of any names, devoid of powers, devoid of his authority, devoid of anything.
Until the earth took an interest in him and claimed him.
And from there he came.
From the earth he came, born unto the world as a being of mixed blood between the mighty fearful Dragons and the dainty soft Qilins with powers to control earth like nothing ever before.
He thrills in battles, smiles in glee at the spill of blood as he claimed another territory and names it his.
But his Qilin side screamed in agony. In constant war with his Dragon side. His Qilin side wanted nothing but peace and prosperity while his Dragon side growled and lashed out that without war and bloodshed there will be no peace and prosperity.
So what did he do?
The child of the earth did both.
He appeased both his Dragon side and Qilin side.
He did battle, did bloodshed, and wept after all of it is done. Wept on the aftermath, wept on the blood on his hands that will not wash away no matter how much he scrubbed his hands.
In times like these, he goes for a walk. The ground thrums when its ruler walked over it. He hoped to gain a distraction, something that can make his tears stop.
That is when he met Guizhong, the God whose dominion is over the dust scattered throughout the earth.
"Ah, you must be Morax?" She turned when she felt his presence. His hand gripping his spear tightened. He has never met her, how does she knew who he is?
She laughed, "Calm down, you are simply so popular I heard of you from my people." He can't help his curiosity after hearing it.
"A man with horns on his head and a massive tail that would shake the whole ground when it is lifted up to crash to the ground." She has a way with words. Describing (or perhaps complimenting him) so detailed. His dragon side rumbled, pleased that his might is recognized. A certain glee laced in her eyes and lips.
"What do you seek?" His hand is still gripping his spear tightly. His posture doesn't lie, showing how he is ready to fight if needed.
"Oh, nothing. Perhaps prosperity and peace for my people." What a naive wish. She turned away from him in favor of crouching down once more to sing to the glaze lilies.
Morax doesn't know if she does it out of naivety or maybe she doesn't care that her back is exposed to him.
"Your people?" It is not rare for him to find a divine being like himself to protect a handful of people. They have the power to after all.
She gestured with a hand to her people. Quite a few meters away from them, conversing, planting crops, reading texts.
"Humans?" He can't stop the incredulous tone in his voice.
Of all the races she could have protected, it had to be humans, the weakest beings to ever walk the ground.
"Yes, why do you sound so surprised?" Confusion marred her face, as if she doesn't find it odd. Well, she couldn't have find it odd. She is their protector.
"Why would you protect humans? I had thought you would be brighter than being a protector of humans, divine being." He chastised, belatedly realizing he has no knowledge of her name.
"Guizhong, Goddess of Dust" She smiled at him.
"Your name matters not to me. The moment I learned you protect humans is the moment our conversation came to an end. Farewell." He turned, losing any interest in conversing with her. Disappearing in a flurry of golden light. Knowing he will never see her again.
Except he did.
He found her near his territory, singing to Glaze lilies. He found her near her territory, imparting her wisdom to her people.
He found her and can't help the curiosity in him. He heard firsthand how wise she is. He knew he said he won't ever talk to her no more. But he approached her nonetheless. Staring in awe at the wisdom she imparts.
That awe lead him to an alliance as he joined her in protecting the people, making them rejoice at the sight of him.
Rex Lapis, they call him.
"They hold you in reverence." Guizhong mused after he told her what the people had called him.
"Rex Lapis meant the King of Stone, the Ruler of Stone if you may." She imparts yet another wisdom to him.
And that was the moment Morax grew an interest in humans.
Just a little.
"What do you see in them, Guizhong?" He doesn't see what is so...fascinating about them.
The Goddess of Dust had her eyes trained on a group of humans they were protecting in the Guili Assembly.
"Hmm? What do you not understand, Morax?" She hummed, a gleeful smile on her lips.
"Your...admiration and adoration for humans, why? I do not get it." He confessed the question plaguing his mind for endless days.
"The cycle of life took them so easily. Before they can attain something, death already took them. They are fragile beings, unable to evolve. Neither do they possess powers that make them stronger like us." He cannot understand what is it that makes the humans so fascinating in her eyes.
Guizhong rose from her perch then, light blue eyes turned to him.
"And that Morax." A finger pointed to his chest, "Is where you are wrong." He feels his brows knit in his confusion. Never once does the smile leave her lips nor eyes.
"They evolve, every day Morax." She turned back to the group of humans once more. They are talking amongst themselves. Some bicker, some laugh, and some sigh to stop the bickering and make them return to their original work.
"On one day they might make new relationships. On the next day, they might discover a new plant cultivation method that we might have not discovered before, on the day after that they might gain new knowledge from the ancient historical texts." Her eyes are still trained on the humans. A glint of admiration in light blue orbs.
"It is exactly because they know their lifespan is but a mere drop among the ocean of ours do they work to their utmost capabilities to attain what they desire." She laughed as the humans that bicker got hit by another human.
"And as for powers...that will be our job." She turned to him, a soft smile on her lips.
"For now, at least. Until they flourish, until they have gotten new knowledge, until they can protect, themselves. Until that day comes, it is our duty, to protect them." Even when she has parted her wisdom, he still do not get why humans are worth protecting for.
What could they possibly achieve with such a short span of life?
Weak and fragile.
Powerless.
Limited in time.
He still had so many questions to ask her, so many unanswered ponderings.
But there is none of that now.
"It seems...this is the end...for me.." Guizhong coughed blood. Her light blue eyes slowly losing its light as she lay on the ground. The rain made her clothes stuck to her skin.
But there was no remorse, no fear, no anger in her eyes. Just...her usual smile.
"No, Guizhong, you can still make it, I can-"
"None of that Morax. We both know my life ends today. Won't you hold me one last time while I impart to you some things?" He hold his tears from spilling, coming to her, holding her like he was asked to.
He is not crying, it is just the rain.
"Is that so? It is indeed raining heavily." She laughed at his remark. In his stupor, he said his thoughts out loud.
"Tell me, do you have any other questions about humans?" Even when her hand is on the doorknob of death, she still knows him inside out.
"I know you have not quite grasped why I am so fond of them." Letting out a wet laugh, "Why so surprised, Rex Lapis? It is written on your face. The confusion, the ponderings you do, for humans." She smiled, the same glee on her lips and eyes.
"Then tell me, Guizhong. How do I become like you? How do I grow to love humans?" Her body in his arms does not feel as solid as before, she is turning to dust, slowly but surely.
She laughed, coughing wetly in the midst of her mirth as her pale complexion grew more pale, like the snow covering the region of the north.
"Silly Morax. You do not need to be like me to grow to love humans." She chastised, "Give yourself time. Divine beings like us have all the time in the world, no? There is no time limit, so you need not rush. Let time guide you to your answer, your affection to the beings you do not understand why we protect." She knows him like the back of her hand, reading him like an open book.
"I...understand Guizhong." The new water touching her now dry face because he shielded her from the rain is not his tears.
He does not cry.
It is just a stray rain that by chance wet her cheek.
She laughed again, coughing as her body grew less solid.
"Yes, you are not crying Morax, it is just the rain." She assured, the same glee still on her eyes and smile even in the dark hour of her death.
"Take this, my catalyst storing my knowledge." A burr in gold floated between them. It glowed dimly under the dark sky that mourned her death.
"It will reveal itself to you when the time is right." He received her last memento to him.
"Ah, the sky...it is so dark, how I wish to see it bright once more before I pass." She laughed bitterly. Both of them knew she wouldn't be in this world to see it.
"Remember, Morax. There is time. It may stretch long and wide without giving an answer to your questions, but it will come one day. One day for sure, it will come." Her cold hand caressed his cheek one last time before to dust she returned once more.
He wept.
And wept.
And wept.
Under the grey sky she had wished to turn blue before her death, he wept. Screamed in agony, questioned the heavens, shook the earth with his anger.
Thrashed.
But nothing,
Nothing will bring her back.
Their people wept as well, for three days and three nights do they wept.
But after that?
After that, it left Morax baffled.
They pick themselves up. Conversed amongst each other with red-rimmed eyes, planted their crops, wept together as they read texts and said how it reminded them of their late Goddess, and then there is laughter.
Laughter after mourning.
Just like the grey sky that turned blue once more.
The eyes filled with so much sorrow are filled with determination, determination to live and see the daylight once more.
At first Morax thought they did not mourn for her, did not mourn for her enough, did not mourn like him.
Hatred began to sprout from his heart.
Why do they not mourn those who protected them? He wants to obliterate them. The sacrilegious thing they did to their former protector. But the memory of Guizhong and the possible reaction she might have made him lower his spear, let go of his control of the earth, slump back, and wept her death once more.
He lost count after the 30th day of his mourning. And by the time he emerged because he cannot cry no more, their people, his people now, crowded on him, asking him all sorts of questions.
Is he okay?
Is he hungry?
Does he need anything?
The crops flourished so they could bring him the most lavish of feasts.
And their worried gaze that fell upon him made him realize.
Oh how pathetic he is compared to these humans. They love her, that enough is clear. They grieve for her as much as him.
But they know when to stop and pick themselves up, not for themselves, but to thank her. To thank her for the second chance they are given with the cost of her death.
It is the first time he had grown to respect humans.
Not yet to the admiration and adoration Guizhong seem to hold.
But enough to hold his head proudly to the sky with red-rimmed eyes and a broken voice, announcing to her,
"I have grown one step closer to the truth, Guizhong."
The day his newfound respect for humans sprouted, the Memory of Dust changed. It revealed a new layer of what was left behind.
It seems he really is on the right track.
With newfound strength, he protected his people, and fought alongside them, casting a hand to the illuminated beasts that is in need of his help.
And he establish what is named as a contract.
A promise, a covenant, that he will protect his people. That the illuminated beasts under his wing are called adepti the moment they have a contract with him.
The adepti protected his people so he can be at ease as he vanquished yet another God.
It was then he found a Yaksha.
Fragile.
Yet formidable.
Broken.
Yet whole.
Scared.
Yet strong.
He was forced to devour dreams by the late God who's blood coated his golden spear red.
He was taken advantage on.
Alatus, is his name.
He freed the Yaksha of his shackles. Gave him a choice, to leave the place,
Or to enter to a contract with him.
He picked the latter.
And he gave him the name Xiao.
The adepti gained another member amongst them.
The war went on.
And on.
And on.
The Guili Assembly is moved further south because of the natural disasters of war.
Marchosius told them how to cook, how to use the stove.
And he had given his powers to the land to make it prosper.
No more is the powerful Marchosius as he slumbers on his temple, devoid of his powers.
Another one gone due to the war.
He mourned for him.
But he picked himself back up.
Because his people did.
Battle after battle he won to protect his people, and this is yet another battle he needed to win for his people. Except it's not a battle he could win simply by raining stone spears on his opponents.
"O great Rex Lapis. We plead to you that you help us in this matter." He descended from his throne, 'What is the matter?' And he listened to how a pest plagued each and every corner of his people's house.
A pest from the sea. It is harmless for all he knew. An animal that has tentacles that would move after they are cut and spit out a viscous black liquid. But none of his people experienced any injuries, just frightened to their core. Just an animal, nothing he couldn't get rid of.
So he donned a mortal disguise and started to banish each and every pest in his people's house.
But he underestimated just how many are affected by the despicable animal.
"Oh, thank heavens you are here Rex Lapis. There is at least five octopus in my house, please get rid of them." Using the one-hundredth prison of stone he conjured up, he trapped the despicable creatures in it and moved on to the next house.
It was endless. His pest control duties felt like it lasted for eons on end. When did he start this? Has it been a year since he has done this? He lost track of time.
By the time he ended his pest control duties, he vomited. The stench of the creatures stuck to him so much that he had to burn the very clothing he used, a shame it is one of his favorite clothes. He had to bathe several times to get rid of the foul stench.
But at least the hardest battle is won and his people are rid of the slimy and despicable creature.
He continues to protect his people. Winning battle after battle. Making contract after contract with the illuminated beasts.
And soon, the war is won.
He did not know how long it lasted.
But now he knelt upon the throne of Celestia along with six other figures.
"You are now the seven Archons, the seven victors of the war. And each of you is to name your region, protect your people and govern over them." A voice from a higher place than him echoed.
"And you all, are under my control." If he can protect his people,
So be it.
He named his region Liyue, the place the Guili Assembly once prospers in he named as Guili Plains.
But after the war is won.
It did not become easier.
Bygone Gods resented him for their death, for his victory and their defeat.
Divine beings are unlike humans, they die but their powers soak the very soil they fell.
It suffocated his people with miasmas.
It called upon monsters to rain suffering for his people.
And it mutated the beings, turning plants into horrendous beings spitting fire, ice, and more unthinkable things.
So he summoned his Yakshas, Alatus was one of the strongest of the five, he had control over the wind.
Bosacius was the strongest of the five, with four arms, he has control over electro.
Indarias was one of the strongest of the five, she had control over fire.
Bonanus was one of the strongest of the five, she had control over water.
And Menogias was one of the strongest of the five, he had control over earth, the power he is a God of.
They swore an oath to him, to protect the people of Liyue and to vanquish the demons.
Under his command, they fought.
Relentlessly,
Day and night.
Week and month.
Years and centuries.
Until the karma they accumulated,
Made them mad.
Indarias went mad with fear. By his own two hands, he vanquished her.
Bonanus and Menogias, the two who he knew loved each other more than family, turned to each other.
Bosacious went mad and disappeared without a trace.
Only Alatus remained.
And he wept for them.
He wept for Indarius, a kind soul. A bit of a mischief, she would often be the one to start pranks, Alatus their victims.
He wept for Bonanus. She is silent for most of the time, but he knew she is kind, considerate, often reigning in Indarius from her pranks.
He wept for Menogias. He, in a way, is like him the most. He thrills in battles, but he cares for his family. Often buying clothes for Bosacious who cannot wear an ordinary shirt due to his stature. So most of the time he would make them himself.
He wept for Bosacious, the strongest of them all, his most careless yaksha. Fighting in a destructive manner, is often the bane of his scoldings. His Yaksha he hoped still survived out there. He hoped with all his heart had just disappeared into slumber for a moment. That he hoped he could see once more.
And he turned to Alatus after all the weeping he has done.
Saw him crumble to the ground over the revelation he is the last one.
Over the revelation his family is no more.
And they wept together.
Years passed and his wounds all but healed, the scars are there, the memories are there.
But he lived exactly because he did not want their sacrifice to be in vain.
Yet peace did not last long for his people. A beast from the seas rose. Baqiu was its name. He fought alongside the adepti, sending his geo whale only to find it did not even dent the accursed beast.
Yet if he stopped at his failure, what of the peace that was painstakingly won? He would not let it go to waste as he fashioned a black kite by hand with jade and stones.
With the wailing of the beast in the sea, his hand crafted a spear. A spear capable of piercing the skin of the beast.
And it gleamed brightly under the lantern as he held it high to the sky.
He named it Primordial Jade Winged Spear as he sent it to the unbound skies. Diving into the sea to pierce the skin of the beast.
With a dying wail, Baqiu crumbled to the sea, never to be seen again.
He learned that Xiao broke his spear in the battle and near lost his life had it not been for Mountain Shaper who took him away when he was drowning.
"Do not ever, do that again, Xiao." He cannot help but pull his last Yaksha into an embrace, relieved beyond belief he is still with him.
"Yes, my lord." He felt hands embrace him back as they stayed in silence amongst the sky that began to clear out. The sun pierced the once-grey sky.
"I bestow to you this spear. May you use it to vanquish all evil, Conquerer of Demons." He gave the jade spear to Xiao who accepted it.
Another disaster passed and his people prospers once more. That is until one day he sensed a great deal of karmic debt. The source is from Dihua Marsh. He knew who is the one emitting the foul energy as he gripped his spear tighter, looking at his last Yaksha struggling to even breathe.
It pained him to see Xiao. If he knew this is what will happen to his Yakshas, would he still send them out to vanquish the remnant of bygone Gods? He knew he would. He knew he would send them to their demise. It was for Liyue. But at the same time, it pains him beyond belief when he sees Xiao struggling to keep his sanity in check.
As he crumpled to the ground, screaming in agony, he readied his spear. He knew this day would come when he has to let go of his last remaining Yaksha. Yet before he could take a step closer to Xiao, he heard a foreign tune coming from a figure perched atop a stone in the middle of the marsh.
The screams of agony from Xiao stopped. The karmic debt seconds away from engulfing him slowly dispersed as his last Yaksha lost consciousness. Before he could check for him, Barbatos beat him to it.
"Thank you, Barbatos." He carried the unconscious Yaksha in his arms, "Don't mention it! I just help when I can, until we meet again, Morax." In a gust of wind, the Anemo Archon disappeared.
He knows he owes Barbatos a favor. Yet before he could ask if he could do anything to return his kind gesture, Barbatos beat him to it yet again. He lets the Anemo Archon come, knowing he most likely seeks his guidance pertaining to matters of their duties.
What he did not expect, is for a wine bottle to be tossed to him.
"Here's some wine from Mondstadt. Care for a taste?"
"Wine? What about your duties? I was about to return the favor and gave you my aid." But the Anemo Archon waved a hand in front of him, "Nah, I don't need any favor returned! Like I said, I'm just lending a helping hand when I can." Barbatos lands beside him, "It's Weinlesefest back in Mondstad. And this," The shorter Archon knocked the bottle in his hand,"Is the first bottle they gave me. So I thought of giving you a taste of our wine. Care to try it with me?" He can't help the chuckle leaving his lips. What an absurd excuse, to forsake one's duties and go drinking with another Archon.
"Sure." Yet he cannot find it in himself to deny the Anemo Archon of his request. And so he drank and conversed, sharing a laugh or two from the absurd tales Barbatos told him, telling a tale of his own.
And every time Barbatos came to visit, he came with another Archon. The three of them would converse, exchanging stories of the many incidents that would occur when they rule over their respective region. Then another Archon came, and another, and another. Until all seven of them gather to talk and drink. Exchanging stories and laughter. He found joy amongst his friends, experiencing warmth even when the Cryo Archon sat beside him.
Yet the happiness was but a fleeting thing as the heavens sent them to war. The incident would go on to be called the Cataclysm. Many of his friends died in that war and new Archons were elected. The Anemo Archon was lost in his slumber for nearly five centuries. The Electro Archon was found dead in the arms of her sister. The Dendro Archon lost her powers fighting a war of her own in Irminsul. The Pyro and Hydro Archon are nowhere to be found amidst the ruins of the war. And the Cryo Archon turned as cold as the element she reigned over.
No more is their friendship, shattered to nothingness.
He grieved for their lost friendship. But he picked himself back up, just like he always does. He continues to impart his knowledge to them and witnesses as they prosper. Witness the nation he protects became the nation of trade.
Witness how his knowledge of trade became one of the reasons they prosper.
And he is content watching them in the back of the scenes.
As time goes by and peace prospers, his people need him less and less.
So he is left to his own device.
While his Qilin side thrives in a moment of peace and prosperity.
His Dragon side is left restless.
With nothing to slaughter and nothing to do,
He is bored.
So he dons a mortal skin once more and walked among his people.
He mused their way of crafting the boat.
He stared in silence at the clanking of metal meeting metal as the blacksmith made a weapon.
He clapped after a performance of an opera.
He ate the food they learned from Marchosius.
And he froze after he heard what the merchant had to say to one of his workers.
"You've finished your duties, go ahead and call it a day."
It made him froze in his spot.
Amongst the people running around him to avoid the oncoming slaughter of the rain,
He stood there.
Unmoving.
Did he...finish his duties? Can he call it a day?
He is in denial if he said his time is not near. That he still has a long life ahead. He would be blind to deny the erosion encroaching in his peripheral vision.
He already existed for over 6000 years, and it is time to call it a day, no?
He ponders it.
In his abode, he ponders if he really has finished his duties.
"Guizhong, is it time for me to call it a day as well?" He turned to the Memory of Dust that had stayed the same for centuries on end, it only shifted once.
He ponders it.
For a day,
A week,
A month.
Until the news of Barbatos's stolen gnosis reached his ear.
He confronted the Tsaritsa who stole his gnosis. She who he did not recognize anymore.
The once gentle and kind God, replaced with unrelenting coldness.
And she told him of her vision, he listened and was offered a choice.
To have a contract with the gnosis as his bargaining piece,
Or to have it stolen forcefully like how Barbatos was.
But it was at the same time that he came to a conclusion about his duties as well.
So he picked the latter as they enter a contract.
And he met with her Habringer under the guise of Zhongli.
Childe is his name.
He conversed with him,
For business.
To get to know who is this interesting person that will pose the threat to his beloved nation.
To accustom himself to the mortal plain.
But he did not expect himself to grow fond of this human.
To want to be closer to him,
To hold him dear to his heart.
Is this what the feeling that mortals would call love? The palpitations of his heart, the desire to have him close.
But Childe would not look his way anymore.
Would look at him in pain,
Over the shroud of lies he was engulfed in.
But Zhongli is stubborn as a rock, a funny joke when he is literally the God who reigned upon it.
He pursued the other, telling him how he felt.
But Childe is not merciful as he offered to him a way they would reconcile, from a spar. If winning his attention needed only a spar, so be it.
So they fought.
He won in the end. But Childe held his end of the bargain as he listened to how much he hurt the mortal he loves.
Before he could fathom it, they fell to the bed.
It was his first time experiencing what mortals call carnal pleasure.
But his pleasure does not come from the warmth pooling beneath.
It came from the sounds the harbinger made.
The moans of pleasure, the whines of need, the blissed-out expression.
He never knew such actions could lead another being to lose themselves.
He never knew Childe, the formidable harbinger, feared in the battlefield could be reduced to such a mess.
"Ajax." His lover panted out.
"My real name." A hand pulled him in for a kiss.
"I love you." He blurted out the next morning.
The latter was as red as a tomato, his lips open and close like a fish gasping for air. He mused as Ajax asked him to repeat himself.
"I love you."
The click of something on the edge of his bed made him turn to look at it.
The golden burr clicked,
And it shined as it opened.
A shimmering golden glow floated to him.
"My, Morax. You finally had it in you to find out the truth." Guizhong's voice came.
The voice he thought he would never hear is here once more. His tears spill from his eyes, at the relief, at the happiness that he is reunited with his old friend.
"I did, Guizhong. Are you proud of me?" He felt a hand stroke his back in an attempt to comfort him.
"I sure am. All this time I was with you on your search for the truth." The golden burr floated closer to him. He could imagine the soft smile on her lips. Oh how he longed to see it once more.
"And now look at you. You finally found your answer." He himself smiled. He can hear how proud she is of him.
"And my what a looker he is!" She mused as she floated from his side to Ajax's. Circling him to get a better look at his lover. The latter blushed from the action.
"Ah, but it is a shame, I cannot stay with you any longer," Guizhong said as she returned to his side.
"This is but a fraction of my soul that is left behind. I have to go soon. This time, for real." He nods understandingly.
"You have done a great job protecting Liyue, Morax. And I am truly proud of you. Your rest is well deserved." She gave him closure where he needed as the light all but dimmed. The golden burr dispersed to a golden light as she left the world for real. His last memento of her, gone.
He wept for her once again. But this time, he has Ajax to comfort him.
He picked himself back up and went on his day once more, because he had the peace of mind that Guizhong is proud of him.
He sent away Ajax as he returned to Snezhnaya with the promise of seeing him once more.
He went to Mondstad with the hopes of seeing his drunkard of a friend.
He traveled Liyue,
Went to Third Round Knock out to hear Iron Tounge Tian's story,
Went to observe Master Zhang as he hammered away at a sword,
Went to Wanwen book house to muse at the exaggerated way he is depicted in Rex Incognito,
Went to Wangshu Inn to check in on Alatus,
Went to Qingyun Peak to marvel at the cold breeze and the breathtaking view from there,
Went to Qingce Village to seek the serenity they have to offer,
And he returned to Liyue Harbor once more.
Eyeing with fondness the harbor that prospers without him.
And he revels in his days.
The amusing way Director Hu would try to annoy him and sigh in disappointment after a prank had failed to illicit an annoyed reaction from him.
The exquisite food Xiangling would serve him for dinner,
The wonderful opera Yun Jin would perform,
The traveler and Paimon that would occasionally pass him and ask how he is faring.
The ache in his heart as he missed his lover out in the land of eternity.
The joy he has in his heart as his lover came back with good news. That he would be stationed in Liyue indefinitely, his talk with the Tsaritsa must be what led to this very decision.
And he lived every day without regrets.
"I have guarded this place for several hundred years, only to seek the nameless Yaksha, do I request your approval, My Lord."
He looked over to Alatus.
Determination gleamed in his golden eyes, determination and perhaps, hope.
Hope that the missing Yaksha might be alive.
With a heavy heart, he lets him.
Perhaps because he too, is curious, he too, hoped the nameless Yaksha is still alive, wherever they are.
"I will be leaving the harbor for a few days."
"Oh? Why?? The parlor would be lonely without you!"
He chuckled, more like because she cannot pull pranks on him.
"Just for a few days, it won't be long."
"Love, I will leave the harbor for a couple of days."
"Why? Is it on a trip?"
"Yes. I am going to the Chasm, it is to look over Xiao."
His lover sighed but caressed his cheek.
"You and your doting ways. Alright, stay safe."
And he looked over his last Yaksha.
Felt his presence enter the underground Chasm.
Felt his presence vanish,
And he panicked.
He does not know what to do. Had Xiao fallen into the darkness?
Has the time come for him to say his farewells to his last Yaksha?
But a sane part of him told himself to stay calm.
Believe in Alatus.
He is not so weak to fall to the hands of the dark just like that.
So he waited.
His love came to visit him, bringing food and water even though he knew he didn't need it.
He left not long after, his work calling for him.
And he stood guard.
Waiting with batted breath. With hope for the nameless Yaksha. With the truth of the unknown. And his last Yaksha to come back.
And the day came when he felt his presence once more.
They have left that unknown place,
But he sensed that Xiao's powers are all but spent.
And he saw how he sent their companions to the high ground,
Leaving himself to fall behind.
He won't let him. Not because Alatus has yet to finish his duties. It is exactly because his duties have all but ended does he want to save him once more.
So he could experience the joy of life. The revelation that he does not need to sacrifice himself so others could live.
And he breathed a sigh of relief the moment he saw Xiao is saved.
He denied he ever came to the Chasm to save Xiao when asked by the traveler.
Simply because he does not like to take credit. It is enough to just see him alive and well once more.
He went to Wangshu Inn and stayed on the roof, asking his last Yaksha about the nameless Yaksha.
Bosacius, he should have known he would be so selfless. To send himself down there fully understanding he would not leave the place alive.
He gave his Yaksha the medicine to help ease his pain just a fraction. Pat the other's head when the other expressed his gratitude for the medicine, and for what he had done back in the Chasm and left.
And Zhongli scurried the land once more,
And he lived every day without any regrets.