His Eyes Never Change (Gold like Cor Lapis, Blue as Noctilucous Jade)

Lord Harbinger

One moment there was darkness. In the next, there was the ocean. It was vast, stretching mile over mile until, in the distance, a line of mountainous islands broke through the cerulean waves. Childe could barely see them, his vision somewhat obscured. The highest peak was swirling with radiant energy. He recognized it as the top of Mt. Yougou. Having lived in Liyue Harbor for quite some time, he had grown used to seeing the Land of Thunder out across the water. And yet, there was something off about this scenery that Childe couldn't quite put his finger on.

His attempt to gather his surroundings proved fruitless as his body seemed determined to disobey him. Strange. All he could do was continue to watch as the waves crash unceremoniously against the rocky shoreline below.

It was at this point that he noticed someone's voice somewhere nearby. He couldn't see them, nor could he fully make out what they were saying. But he could recognize that deep and rich ocher tone of voice anywhere.

Zhongli...?

Childe wasn't sure what exactly was being said to him, but Zhongli seemed angry and uncharacteristically upset. Had Childe done something to upset him? Not that he could think of...

" Come on now Morax, what's happened..."

"I'm not someone a god like you should be crying over."

Morax? Crying? Childe wasn't sure what he was more shocked over. He redoubled his attempts to move. That voice...was familiar. It was also clearer than anything Zhongli (or Morax? Childe sometimes forgot they were one in the same) had been saying. But it sounded weak, like the person in question was forcing the words out in a last burst of life.

Childe had been paying such close attention to the voices that he hadn't noticed his eyes had long since shut. Thrust into darkness once again, though this time it was as if he was slowly sinking into an endlessly deep pit. But he was not afraid. In fact, he felt nothing. It was not warm, nor cold, his body not heavy or light. There was nothing but the faint scent of glaze lilies and an echoing voice growing ever louder.

"...would like your assistance..."

"I made a contract with him."

"You have more than proven yourself to me."

"...left to the whims of time."

"Childe..."

"Tartaglia..."

"Ajax."

Thud!

"...ow."

Childe woke to a dull pain in his shoulders and the familiar view of his bedroom ceiling. Only, he was no longer sprawled in the comfort of his blankets, but on the hardwood floor with one leg still on the bed where the rest of his body should have been. His foot was hooked in the blankets and he struggled, undignified, to get himself free.

A pale golden light and a warm breeze drifted in from the open window. It was early morning. Greetings and busy chatter had just started to fill the streets as the city began to stir. Vendors had long since opened shop, eager to catch the eyes of the morning crowd. Childe could hear the echoes of fishermen and boats in the harbor. It was a typical, warm morning in Liyue.

And yet that dream was still strong in his mind.

He was no stranger to nightmares. The three months of blood and violence in his early teenage years had seen to that. But this dream was different. There was no fighting, no phantom taste of iron, no pain. It was eerily peaceful. In some ways, I'd almost prefer the nightmares.

Almost.

Childe finished fixing his bed before moving to close the window. His morning routine was simple if not a bit boring. He dressed, washed his face and shaved, then spent several minutes attempting to calm his wild hair. He only stopped his ministrations at the sound of tea kettle screaming in the kitchen. Zhongli had impressed upon him the benefits of tea, and Childe had taken a fair liking to the drink. He'd even sent some of the more expensive blends to his family, including detailed instructions on proper preparation written in Zhongli's neat calligraphy. Granted, the way Childe made his tea when he was alone was far from the proper method. He smiled to himself thinking about the disapproving look Zhongli would give him if he knew.