αѕ gℓαzє ℓιℓιєѕ вℓσσм́́̀̉̃ ̧̦̣̉̇́ ̀̉

As Glaze Lilies Bloom

—Liyue Harbor.

'Where merchants flock and boats dock'

This simple saying really does describe this big, busy and bustling harbor.

Merchants yelling to advertise their goods, and shoppers rushing from here to there. The millelith marching, and the adepti watching over.

Amongst the loud harbor, a certain man watches.

As the Glaze Lily beside him starts to bloom, he watches the blue and white petals spread, and the pink pistil slowly showing itself. His mind lingers on a certain voice.

'...𝘩𝘮... 𝘏𝘮𝘮... 𝘏𝘮...'

Her humming never failed to touch him.

As he watches another Glaze Lily bloom, he remembers.

The Memory of Dust.

A memory he yet has to unlock.

Although he doesn't know how.

'...𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘥𝘰...'

He wonders.
He wonders what it feels like to be human.

...or more specifically, how it feels to feel real human feelings.

Although he is now a mortal, he doesn't know how to feel.

He wants to know.
If it means it will unlock these memories that has been locked away for over two millennia.

'𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘬 𝘰𝘧 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘥𝘨𝘦, 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘮𝘺 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶.'
'𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘮𝘺 𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘥𝘰𝘮 𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘪𝘥𝘥𝘦𝘯 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘥𝘶𝘮𝘣𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘭.'

How silly.

"I stopped looking after Liyue just to complete your challenge, Guizhong..." he chuckled softly as he remembers the first time he set his eyes on this precious treasure given to him.

He closed his eyes.

Amidst the darkness, he saw a figure.

Guizhong.

He smiled faintly.

With one last glance at Liyue, he made his way to Guili Plains.

~ ~

Walking around Guili Plains, he remembers meeting the young woman with the billowing sleeves. There was no formal contract between them. They were merely two people walking on the same path for their own reasons... But he remembers the scene of their first meeting anyway, when the Glaze Lilies were still in abundant bloom.

...in fact he was standing in the exact spot he was when he first saw her.

And the exact spot he watched her fall...

~ ~

'Hm... hmm.. hm...'

It was her humming that attracted him.

She was singing to the Glaze Lilies that just bloomed, he quite agreed with the Glaze Lilies, her humming was beautiful.

He thought that if he was a Glaze Lily, he would surely open up once he hears her sing.