𝐀𝐦𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐚 || Zhongli x M!Reader

☆ 3.

 By dusk, (M/N), Aether and Paimon had arrived at Wangshu Inn, a motel of sorts on the countryside. As Zhongli had mentioned earlier, the woman working the front desk already had a room prepared for (M/N).

Normally, he would be suspicious of everything around him, but after the very eventful day, (M/N) was grateful just to have time to himself at all. He entered the living space, thanking the adventurers for helping him profusely.

Despite the limited room and rather cramped amenities, (M/N) thought this was the perfect setup. A gorgeous view from the window, everything he would need in arm's reach, and most importantly, a comfy bed.

With a relieved sigh, he flopped down onto the feather mattress, enjoying how it soothed his sores and pains. Again, he wondered how long he'd been down in that cavern to have such strong lasting effects from it.

It was then that a small bundle on the nightstand caught his eye. (M/N) propped himself up on his elbows, reaching over for the odd package. Carefully, he unwrapped it, gasping slightly as a flowing (F/C) robe rolled out along with a change of pants and undershirt.

A small note unravelled with the garments too, redirecting his attention. A couple quick words were scrawled, the writing neat and slanted.

I thought you might need these, consider them a gift.

- Zhongli

(M/N) frowned once he saw who the words belonged to. It was very odd that the historian had even left these here at all, considering how the traveller had taken him straight to Wangshu Inn after Liyue Harbour.

How in the world did he get here first? It wasn't like one could just teleport, right? What's more, Paimon and Aether had specifically emphasized how Zhongli was a regular mortal, making (M/N) even more suspicious.

Then again, the strange man had gone out of his way to accommodate (M/N) no matter which way he looked at it. Perhaps he was just being overly cautious. He groaned, trying to process this huge jumble of thoughts clogging his head.

Deciding to only focus on himself, (M/N) set his mind on finding out who he really was. Nodding to himself, he hopped off the bed to draw a bath before finding all the reading material the small room possibly possessed.

As quickly as he could, he washed himself and his old clothes before donning a bathrobe and tying up his hair. One of these days, he'd get to cutting it.

Finally, he settled himself at the desk stashed in the corner of the room, arms full of scrolls and old books. If he wanted to find out more about himself, he should start with the history of Teyvat first.

As the night wore on, the pile of read scrolls on the wooden surface doubled then tripled, (M/N) devouring every new piece of writing he could find. He reviewed the events of the Archon War, small shards of vast memories piercing him here and there.

He remembered battling and defending Liyue, he remembered the Yakshas, the great serpent Osial and many more occurrences. Yet, he still couldn't remember himself. Who was he? What role had he played here?

(M/N) groaned loudly, pressing his forehead to his palms as he discarded some ancient drawing of a destroyed city. He hated not knowing anything and he hated being confused, two things he hadn't spent a second without since his freedom.

He knew all the ancient history, knew the legends and stories, but couldn't slot himself anywhere. Maybe Aether had been wrong, perhaps he hadn't even been alive then.

Suddenly, a gust of wind blew through the room from an open window, taking (M/N) by surprise. Strange, he didn't remember leaving that open... He stood up, shutting the window before returning to his desk.