𝐀𝐭 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐚𝐜𝐥𝐞 | Genshin Impact

ʜᴇʀᴍɪᴛ ᴏꜰ ᴍᴏʀᴛᴀʟ ʟɪꜰᴇ

TWO

THE LORD OF GEO was a cold and callous god. Or so went the rumor among the mundane folk back when gods still roamed the Earth. His judgments were rational, dispassionate, and the archon lacked normal human sentiment.

But if he passed by a silver mirror, what thoughts would run through his head? Would his eyes gloss over his face, wondering if his skin was as never changing as stone? Or perhaps he'd reflect not the physical, but the hard geode his heart once was.

To put it simply, no, he was not the same god.

Where he'd once stand atop towering mountains and gaze upon his city, that same old blockhead who laid down Liyue's foundations and laws with his divine might now conversed alongside a (h/c) haired mortal, the two sitting in his designated room inside the Wangshen Funeral Parlor.

His eyes flickered through pages as his hands ran along the edges, his gaze never once faltering.

Zhongli was used to working alone in his space. The silence never bothered him. It was comforting, to say the least. But today, (Y/n) insisted on accompanying him for a bit. The man figured she wasn't so used to being so alone as he thought.

She was the daughter of an aristocratic family, as he'd come to learn. And then her poise manners and elegant etiquette all clicked into place.

(Y/n) carried herself sophisticatedly, and she wasn't a hair shy from being straightforward and voicing her thoughts. She was confident, rational, common traits she explained were expected of her growing up in the city of Fontaine.

As for the reason such an heir was sitting right now in a funeral parlor, she merely glanced away, her eyes lost to whatever they could focus on in the distance.

"I ran away from an arranged marriage."

That was all she had told him.

"It was planned since I was young. I knew it was always happening. And I was okay with it," She then met his gaze, "I was to marry my best friend." 

He remembered the way (Y/n) fiddled with her thumbs as she continued to talk. "But he insisted there was more to life than fulfilling what expectations and responsibilities my mother had planned out for me. So he made me promise him I'd live before ever choosing to seal my fate."

The sound of chatter beyond the walls of the room the two currently sat in broke him from his thoughts.

Zhongli's arms slightly fell, his knuckles hitting the surface of the wooden desk. His gaze darted from the hundreds of little words on the sheets to (Y/n), who sat across from him on one of the two chairs. She had her back pressed to the arm, her legs over the other. And in hand there was a book he lent her from one of the shelves occupying the space inside the room.

It seemed her time away from the enforced, aristocratic etiquette of her home made her realize she hadn't the need to take it so seriously nowadays.

"It's nearly evening," He spoke up, "What do you say to stepping outside for a bit of fresh air? We've been sitting here all morning, and a walk would do us well."

(Y/n) turned her head over her shoulder, her (e/c) eyes meeting his. He could tell she was a bit reluctant, perhaps pondering her answer before speaking it out loud. She tapped a finger against the edge of the cover, finally making up her mind.

"Alright," The book snapped closed. And then, she composed herself before standing from the seat.

❦

The change of scenery was nice. It gave Zhongli the brief opportunity to indulge himself in the crimson gold skies before they'd turn into a pool reflecting the glittering abyss. His hands were joint at his back, eyes lost to the bustling crowd. There was a slight wind, but not the kind that's strong enough to even lift a strand of hair. It was enough to tell anyone night would soon fall over the city of trades.

"How long have you lived here, Zhongli?"

The brunet glanced over at his companion for the evening. "I'd have to say I can't recall a time where I hadn't ever once resided here," He answered back.

(Y/n) hummed. "So then you wouldn't really know what it's like to leave home," She said.

The man turned his attention back towards the dimly lit street.

"You know, I've never had this much freedom in my life," (Y/n) continued, "The city felt big at first. But now having walked through it for a while now, it seems I've explored every corner there could be."

She spun her head, glancing up at Zhongli. "And that's a good thing, right?"

Zhongli turned his attention towards her. "That is for you to decide," He said.

(Y/n), unsatisfied with his answer, looked the other way. "I was hoping you'd tell me something different," She said.

"Might I ask what it is you'd prefer me to say?" Zhongli kept his gaze steady.

"I'm not sure," (Y/n) said, "Perhaps something that'd sound fulfilling enough that running away was worth the trouble."

Zhongli was rather intrigued by what she had said. "Are you insinuating you now regret your decision?" He asked.

"...Pardon me. I didn't mean for it to sound that way," She said, "I just want to fulfill my promise to my friend alongside feeling as if I've been accomplishing it."

"Liyue is a beautiful city," (Y/n) confirmed, "But I'm not so sure I can truly say I've done it all if I stay here forever."

She then glanced down at her feet, watching as   "What I'm trying to say is... I do miss my home, but I can't go back until I do what I said I'd do. And maybe... I just want some reassurance that I can do this on my own."

Naturally, the former archon had a properly well thought out response at the tip of his tongue without further brainstorming.

"You ventured to the city of Liyue from the familiar waters of your home by yourself," He began, "I can tell you you are certainly more than capable of fulfilling your goal so long as you keep your head up and stand brave."

By then, the two stood before a low, man-made pool with a decorative stone emerging from the center.

(Y/n) placed both her hands over the other, her eyes following the ripples of the water. She then, slightly, glanced over at the man; her shut lips slightly moving absentmindedly as she tried to find the right words to say to him.

"Thank you, Zhongli."

TWO