Chapter Text
A gentle knock on closed doors, barely a whisper against wood, stirs him from his restless slumber.
“Zhongli… There’s a new client here requesting our services. A marble grade client... jade even!” Hu Tao’s distinctly cheerful voice makes its way through the latticework and rouses the consultant to slowly sit up in his bed, but perhaps the sound of rain was too loud for her to hear him rising, so she continues.
“...He’s a particularly difficult customer. I’m in need of your expertise for this one. Well, I could always send him away myself, but I think you’ll want to handle this one.” A difficult client? How unusual for the Director of Wangsheng to be unable to handle a client, given how difficult she is herself.
“I’ll see to our client in a moment,” Zhongli answers in a solemn tone as he makes his way over to the vanity, and for several moments the Director seems to linger behind his door, her silhouette cast against opaque windows. After a few moments, she leaves him be.
The room he’d chosen to hide away in has no outside-facing windows so he’s left in near darkness, yet he can still see his own haggard features in the vanity mirror. His untied hair spills over his shoulders in dark locks, his complexion paler than porcelain, and most telling of all is the dusting of red beneath his eyes running in streaks down each cheek. It’s an unsightly appearance for an esteemed consultant, but grief is an emotion that Zhongli openly welcomes.
All who work at Wangsheng know that grief is an expression of love, so Zhongli grieves… and grieves. Even Adepti are allowed to express their love, in whatever way they can. When he’s able to still his heart once again, Zhongli wipes away the red stains on his face, calms his breathing with soft sighs, and carefully paints carmine lines around the corners of each eye. Grieving or not, he must appear presentable in front of the client, and when he descends the stairs into the main parlor, he is the picture of perfect refinement.
Hu Tao is waiting for him at the front desk, leaning on her elbows and pursing her lips casually to hum a little tune. She peers at him from the corner of her eyes, seemingly to scrutinize him for something, before lifting a finger to point towards one of the rooms.
“He’s waiting in there.”
Giving the Director a nod, Zhongli makes his way into one of the consultation rooms further in the back and pushes open the wood frame doors. The first thing he’s greeted to is a subtle scent of flowers, gentle yet enduring, coupled with the troubling sound of wet coughing. Upon entering the room, he immediately takes note of a cadaver laid out on a central table, covered in a white sheet illuminated by the ethereal morning sunlight.
As for the culprit of the coughing fits, he turns to the corner to see a familiar set of blue eyes staring back at him with welcoming warmth.
“Childe…?” A breath hitches in his throat, something familiar claws against his chest and makes his hollow heart beat at a quickened pace.
“Oh, they already mentioned my alias? I usually go by Ajax but Childe is fine too. Nice to meet you. I’d offer to shake your hand but-” Suddenly, Childe doubles over and clutches a napkin against his mouth in a violent coughing fit that shakes his whole body. The instinct to rush to the man’s help makes Zhongli take a step forward but restrains himself just as he reaches out a hand.
Would it be okay to touch him? They’ve known each other for years, after all, yet when Childe settles down and looks back up with a smile, he can’t seem to find a hint of recognition.
The emotion that he feels from seeing that gaze. He… He can’t seem to describe it.
“Ah, as you can see, I’m a little incapacitated right now.” Unfurling the napkin in his hand, Childe reveals tiny bloodstained petals scattered in broken blooms. The consultant recognizes them immediately upon seeing their distinct curled shape and violet color.
“I’m stricken with this illness it seems… And honestly, I don’t even remember how I got here, but the little miss Director outside seems to recognize me.” Childe tips his head curiously, trying to meet Zhongli’s eyes, but the consultant continues to stare at the petals in his hand.
“Come to think of it, you seem to recognize me also. Did we know each other?”
Finally, Zhongli tears his eyes away and slowly nods, his expression betraying just the slightest vulnerability behind his professionalism.
“Ah! So we’re comrades then?”
Another nod.
“Great. Could you help me?”
“........” Tipping his head in a polite bow, Zhongli answers in a quiet voice,
“Of course.”
***
When he exits the room and carefully closes the doors behind him, one of the undertakers steps up to him with an apologetic bow.
“Please excuse my rudeness Mr. Zhongli, but this is not a place of healing, it’s a place to lay people to rest…”
“It’s fine.” Zhongli raises a hand in firm dismissal, his words so clipped and stern in comparison to his usual tone that it nearly makes the undertaker recoil. Upon seeing the effect of his regression into the cold and aloof god he was so many millennia ago, the archon gently clears his throat and lowers his hand to motion towards the room.
“Please, if you will… Take care of our guest.” He quickly excuses himself then, returning to the dark room he had been reclusing in.
With no other way to retort, the undertaker deflates with a sigh and knocks on the wood frame doors before quietly entering. Expecting to see their ‘guest’ still sitting in the corner, he murmurs a polite greeting only to find the chair vacant. Odd… He must not have noticed when their guest had departed. Dismissing the thought, the undertaker turns to the covered cadaver on the table and grimly proceeds to work.
***
Purple Hyacinth - Regret
He wonders what a person like Childe would have regretted. That man always seemed to live so freely, chasing exhilaration often without regard to his own safety. As long as he lived by his own values and kept his own promises, he never seemed to regret anything. Even when he departed from Liyue that day, leaving Zhongli behind, he never once turned to look back…
Gently rolling the hyacinth petal between his fingers, Zhongli stares absently at the specks of dust floating through streaking rays of sunshine.
“I think I made a promise of some sort, one that I never kept.”
Ah… That could be it.
“Do you remember anything else about the promise?” Zhongli responds quietly, not meeting the other’s stare as they simply sat there with a full teapot between them.
“Mmm… I know it was to a person at least. Nothing else comes to mind.”
“What about places?”
“I remember really vague images. A busy street of some sort. Shops on each side and so on…” Making his best attempt to dredge up his forgotten memories, Childe pinches the bridge of his nose and hums in concentration. After a few more moments of silence, Zhongli slowly rises from his seat and motions towards the door.
“Come take a stroll with me. Perhaps there will be something among the streets of Liyue that will jog your memory…”
***
It’s a relatively quiet day in Liyue, with the streets clear enough for them to walk side by side casually past shops, vendors, and restaurants. A few of the residents seem to be surprised to see Zhongli out and about but greet him politely as they pass while ignoring Childe completely.
“Is there anything that strikes you as familiar ?”
“A lot of things actually. Hmm… That restaurant in particular though. I feel like I’ve been there before. Very frequently, actually.”
Turning to where Childe is currently looking, Zhongli spots a particular restaurant where they often spend their evenings together. A sense of nostalgia stirs in his heart, and with a gentle nod, he leads them towards it, taking their usual seat at one of the outdoor tables.
Childe seems to instinctively remember the spot he always takes, across from Zhongli with his back facing the restaurant so he can get a full view of the consultant as well as keep an eye on the open street behind them. They order a dish of steamed fish with a side of prawn dumplings, something Zhongli knows that the other is fond of, yet he refrains from eating with a noncommittal sound.
“I’m not exactly in the mood to eat.”
“Is something bothering you?” The consultant helps himself to the fish, feeling a little lonely that his partner is unwilling to share the meal with him, but not making it known. Either way, it seems that Childe is too busy tugging at the strings of a resurfacing memory.
“Not really bothering me, but I feel like something significant happened here. I can’t exactly recall what occurred though.”
Really? Because Zhongli remembers that day vividly…
He had been wandering about nearby, peering curiously at samples of cor lapis from a vendor when the Harbinger had approached him with an easy smile and a confident saunter that exudes charm. Fatui, Zhongli had thought upon recognizing his attire, the group that had supposedly been giving the Qixing a headache.
‘Hey there, care for a lunch date?’
Such boldness coming from a foreigner, Zhongli almost let out an amused laugh at the man and lifted a closed hand to hide his admittedly delighted smile. Of course, the Archon can clearly see that Childe had an ulterior motive, and was about to politely decline the offer, until…
‘My treat.’
The consultant immediately perked up, amber eyes meeting cerulean blue, and both simultaneously turned to look at the nearest restaurant with refreshing outdoor seating.
As it turned out, Childe had wanted intel on the whereabouts of the Geo Archon and had approached Zhongli because he ‘looked like he knew a lot about the harbor’. Ironically enough, Zhongli gained more information from the exchange than Childe had. A game of intel is child’s play to someone who knows everything that goes on in Liyue.
Once he slipped just enough information to the Fatui to satisfy him, they continued to chat over their shared meal. The way Childe so confidently and easily navigated their conversation, picking up on just the right things to talk about while keeping up with Zhongli’s almost rambling spiels… To put it simply, the Archon soon found himself smiling easily and occasionally laughing at times.
Even right now… Zhongli’s shoulders shook with small peals of laughter while they chatted, the color returning to his cheeks making him look more alive than he’d felt these past weeks. Seeing his face light up so beautifully and elegantly, Childe tenses up with dumbstruck awe and simply stares with wide eyes and a fluttering feeling in his chest.
This fleeting rush of emotions like kindling igniting into a young flame… Childe has felt this before, but when he parts his lips to try and speak, it becomes an overwhelming sensation that sprouts out of his lungs. He bends over in a coughing fit, cupping his hand beneath his chin to catch the ruffled, white-tipped petals that fell.
Zhongli’s laughter withers instantly, returning to that reserved and aloof demeanor he had been clinging to earlier.
Gloxinia - Love at first sight
“........” Slowly turning his eyes to look away from the petals, Zhongli quietly asks for a waiter to pack away their remaining meal.
“I feel it’s about time we return to the parlor…”
***
“Well? How did it go?” Hu Tao greets him at the reception, her smiling face resting in both hands while she leans over the counter. Spotting the food in his hand, her eyes light up in excitement as she reaches out to grab the bag right as soon as he lifts it.
“Ooh for me? Mm prawn dumplings! My favorite!”
“He seems to be making some progress, at the very least,” Zhongli answers dismissively as he heads straight for the stairs leading up to his room, but as soon as he takes the first step, Hu Tao speaks up again,
“This could be good for you also.”
He turns his head to meet her gaze, always so perceptive despite how immature she looks with a dumpling stuffed into her cheek and another between her fingers.
“..........” Choosing not to answer, Zhongli turns away and silently heads up the stairs to lock himself away for yet another day.
Until next time…
***
“I remember being at a bank with a person I didn’t particularly like, and another person I… Felt very strongly about.”
“Felt strongly about in what way?”
“Hmm… A whole mix of things. Mostly negative, I think. Actually, I’m not too sure at all. I just remember a lot of confusion and a lot of conflict.”
The body is tucked away in a closed casket today, still placed on the table. Zhongli wonders if anyone will attend the wake, given how difficult it is to bring the next of kin over. He wonders what kind of ritual he should perform if any at all.
What would he have wanted? Although, that man likely never put a thought into how he wanted to be put to rest.
Childe tilts his head in an attempt to meet the consultant’s eyes. For whatever reason, Zhongli never looked at him while they were in this room, even when they were speaking to each other. Just like yesterday, Zhongli stands up and heads towards the door, beckoning him to follow.
“The Northland Bank isn’t too far from here. Let’s walk.”
***
Admittedly, Childe had little qualms about unleashing Osial onto Liyue Habor and bringing about a near-catastrophic event. If Rex Lapis couldn’t protect his own people from destruction, then that was just a matter of the strong surviving while the weak perish.
Still… As he rushed past the people of Liyue running for their lives, he wanted to find just one person among the crowd, just one person he wanted to spare from this doomed harbor. But for some reason, when he followed the trail of the one person he wanted to protect, he found himself standing in the Northland Bank with a stunned expression.
What he felt when he discovered that the consultant he'd come to adore so much was the archon he had been hunting… It was so difficult to describe. Like a cacophony of hurt, anger, disbelief, betrayal, all mixed into one ugly creature that hissed and spat in Zhongli’s direction.
To think that he had been deceived so easily, that he’d made such a crucial blunder so miserable that Signora had to come clean up his mess… He wanted to know if the moments they had shared together had meant anything, or if Zhongli simply tugged him along at his leisure.
Those gentle smiles, the warmth in his amber eyes, and shy yet willing touches of their lips against each other… Really, Childe should have seen how compromised he was with his little infatuation, but the feelings he had received from Zhongli had felt so real, so sincere.
If that was the case, then why didn’t Zhongli even look at him in that moment? He didn’t receive a single word, a single glance, not even a single acknowledgement that he existed while the gnosis was exchanged. Was he really so insignificant in the eyes of a god?
Please, look at me…
Yet those eyes never turn to him, so the feelings in his chest fester and rot…
As the memory of that day resurfaces from the fog of his mind, Childe clutches his chest from the excruciating pain of roots coiling in his lungs and buds sprouting in his throat. He doubles over in the middle of Northland Bank, hacking and coughing up bitter petals, velvety and pitch black in color.
Petunia - Resentment
When Childe looks up to stare at the consultant with raw hatred in his eyes, past wounds torn open once again, he sees the stricken expression the other wears, pained and even regretful.
Now he knows why those eyes never turned to him.
Zhongli never looked because he never wanted to see the resentment that he sowed himself.
Breathing in strained, seething gasps, Childe lowers his gaze to the bloodied petals and crushes them in his fist. The emotions that come with the memory feel so visceral, so painful as if he were experiencing them for the first time.
Does he want to hurt the other? Liars and deceivers are never spared any mercy in his eyes, so should he take his rightful vengeance?
Something tells him no…
So instead, he shoves down those ugly emotions, likely what he had done the first time, and hopes that he will soon remember what it was like to forgive.
“I want to head back…”
***
Zhongli does not see him the next day.
For a moment, he wonders if he’ll ever see Childe again, if their short reunion was meant to perish on the vine like this. Hu Tao often finds him sitting in the room, quietly staring at the closed casket. Eventually, she places a hand on his shoulder and speaks in a gentle tone that still carries her uplifting attitude.
“I’ll take care of the body. You get some rest.”
After nodding in thanks, Zhongli slowly heads back into his room and slips onto his bed to nuzzle into the sheets that had long lost Childe’s scent. Like falling into an old but familiar rhythm, he lets his emotions unfurl themselves in his chest without ever allowing them to touch his carefully poised exterior.
His lifespan is a painfully long one, so he takes his time to rest, to grieve, and to cherish every memory of his beloved until they are forever engraved in his mind. An indeterminate amount of time passes as Zhongli remains unperturbed by the world, until…
A gentle touch against his cheek rouses him from his slumber, just the barest brush like delicate petals. He opens his eyes to see blue eyes as vivid as the ocean’s depths and an expression of concern and hesitance. Childe withdraws his hand and Zhongli has to hold himself back from leaning up to nuzzle back into it.
Looking away with a soft exhale, Childe mulls over the hazy thoughts and memories in his mind before murmuring apologetically.
“I’m sorry I can’t remember all of you. It feels like you were really important to me.”
Zhongli sits up in the bed and peers up at Childe with a gentle expression, his loose hair spilling over his shoulders in dark cascades. He wants to comfort Childe and tell him that it’s okay to not remember. Human memories are as fleeting as their lives and easily lost to time, so it can be forgiven. Zhongli, however, never forgets.
“...........” After a small eternity of silence, Childe reaches out his hand to the consultant.
“Will you come with me? There’s a place I want to show you.”
***
There’s a small plateau overlooking the sea not too far from Liyue, and if you were to peer over the edge of the cliff, you could see glittering starconches beckoning you towards the waves.
Childe leads him through a field of grass until they stand together at the edge where they could see the sky stretch out from horizon to horizon. In the far distance towards the sea, Zhongli could make out the weathered pillars of Guyun, where old memories rest, and in the other direction towards the bay, he could see Liyue Harbor coming to life with street lanterns in the approaching dusk.
“Not a bad view, right?” Beside him, Childe gently coughs yet smiles as he sweeps his gaze across the rolling waves.
“I remember bringing you here, not too long ago, to show you this little stretch of land I bought on a whim.” He laughs almost nervously and raises a hand to rub at the back of his neck, and even in the fading sunlight, Zhongli could see the lightest hint of color on his cheeks.
“Do you remember what I said that day?” Blue eyes discreetly glance in his direction, as if afraid that he had forgotten.
Of course, he remembers.
“The lifespan of a human must seem so fleeting to someone like you, but I still feel selfish when I want to ask you to…”
“...to look after me for the rest of my life.” Childe finishes the memory with a wistful breath. He stares down at the grass with unblinking eyes, because now he remembers that those words…
… were some of the very last he had spoken to Zhongli.
Suddenly, his shoulders begin to shake and Zhongli fears that he is about to be stricken with another coughing fit, but Childe simply presses a palm against his forehead and laughs wryly. It’s a mocking type of laughter, dry and bitter so unlike the confident sound he was used to hearing.
“Is there something you find amusing?” Zhongli frowns and crosses his arms across his chest, waiting for the other to finish laughing.
“Oh, it’s nothing. I feel like such a fool for asking you something like that.”
“I found the request quite sincere and endearing…”
“Perhaps you did… But I knew I was going to die that day.” His words drop like stones into a pond, causing ripples in the consultant’s calm demeanor. Childe sucks in a deep breath and stares out at the darkening sea as the last light of day fades away.
“I had always known that I would die on the battlefield. It was in my nature. So when I left you that day, I knew I wasn’t going to return.”
Yet still, he went through all the trouble of purchasing this plot of land, the perfect little place to build a cozy cottage, and brought Zhongli all the way out here just to make that stupidly naive confession.
And for what?
Childe searches the night sky for an answer, the stars reflecting in the wet sheen of his unshed tears. It was because...
“I wanted to hope for a future together with you…” Quiet, broken words from a man who rushed through his journey so recklessly, yet slowed down at the very end because he wanted to know what it was like to be loved.
Except it was all too late. His own momentum sent him crashing into a brilliant and abrupt end like a meteorite burning up in the atmosphere.
Zhongli had waited for him, had kept his gaze on the distant horizon hoping that he would return, but he never did. Eventually, the Traveller retrieves his body and brings him back to Liyue. Once again, Zhongli was left with the familiar ache of cold loneliness.
Neither of them wanted it to end this way.
Childe lowers his gaze and slowly sits down on the grass, tired and weary.
“Can we stay here for a little while?”
Zhongli nods and sits down next to him, letting his hand rest just a small reach away from the other’s. He sees how Childe’s fingers curl and inch towards his just a bit, longing to hold it one last time.
“I’ll stay with you until you’re ready.” A gentle but comforting reminder that Childe is here on borrowed time…
Eventually, Childe begins to whisper quietly to the other. He couldn’t talk about the past, because it would only cause pain and regret. He couldn’t talk about the future, because that didn’t matter to Childe anymore. Instead, he talks about nothing, about little inconsequential things, like how lovely the moon looked rising above the waves, or how breathtaking Zhongli looked under its ethereal light.
Zhongli smiles sincerely, an expression of true joy he had rarely ever seen from the consultant. Soon, Childe begins to cough lightly between his gentle laughter, but the blooms didn’t hurt quite as much this time. They fall from his lips and flutter off the edge of the cliff to join the waves beneath, but Childe hardly pays them any mind, too enamored with his beloved in front of him. As for Zhongli, he only takes one glance at the pastel blossoms and feels his heart soften.
Freesia - Unconditional love
***
“Did you recall the promise you were unable to keep?”
“Yea… I promised that I would come back to you.” Childe sighs and taps his finger against the armrest of the usual chair he sits in. They’re in the room at Wangsheng again, and like before, Zhongli continues to stare at the closed casket when they speak.
“You came back to me, did you not?”
Well, not exactly in the way he wanted to. Childe chews his lip, wanting to argue the point, but the consultant isn’t wrong, and there really is nothing they could do about it now. However, there is still one more thing…
“I promised to come back, and to show you something I had left here in Liyue.”
This time, Zhongli finally turns his head to look at Childe, his expression calm yet genuinely curious.
“Do you remember what it is?”
“I do. It’s-” A small coughing fit interrupts him, much less violent than the ones before, and when Childe calms down he pulls his hand away and lets the delicate pale pink blossoms fall from his hand. He stares down at them for a moment before clenching his fist and standing up.
“Let’s go. I’ll show you where it is.”
***
It’s common knowledge among the people of Liyue that Wuwang Hill is situated near a border that separates the world of the living and the world beyond. What’s less known is the fact that there are several of these borders that exist throughout the land, and one of them is located just a short distance from Liyue, off the path that leads to the Golden House.
Just a short way past the towering ginkgo tree is a set of stone steps that lead into a hidden away grove, a serene and peaceful space lingering between two worlds. The further they traverse, the blurrier the line becomes until some things begin to look just a bit different, such as the floating islands nestled among clouds and the waterfalls that cascade into nothingness.
Childe falters in his step, hesitating when he spots an ancient plum tree in full bloom, bearing the same flowers he kept clenched in his hand.
“Is there something wrong?” Zhongli asks.
“It feels like something is calling me… I feel like I should answer to it, but I’m not sure if I want to.” He takes a step back, but Zhongli catches his hand, a touch that startles him. Turning wide eyes to the consultant, Childe watches him unfurl his fist to let the petals float away into the breeze.
“Plum blossoms… A beloved flower among the people of Liyue. It’s a flower that bears many meanings. Resilience, perseverance…” Amber eyes lift up to lock onto his in a solemn gaze.
“The transience of life…” Then, he smiles gently, even as the loneliness dulls the color of his eyes, and nods towards the plum tree.
“You’re ready.”
“..........” It couldn’t have lasted forever, could it? Childe stares down at their hands and squeezes them tightly together, before letting go to continue on their path.
At the very base of the tree is a small patch of bare dirt, just starting to sprout with new spring growth. After meeting Childe’s gaze, Zhongli lifts his hand and calls for the earth to part and push up a beautifully decorated chest, tightly sealed.
“I buried this in the winter before I left, with the promise that I would return to give this to you one day.” He was so afraid that Zhongli would never find it. It was just one more reason to come back to Liyue every time he left, one more reason to fight like hell to find his way back to Zhongli’s side.
He kneels down and pries open the top, revealing an abundance of sealed letters stacked neatly inside, and searches for a particular one left on top.
“One thousand letters.” Once he finds the one he was searching for, Childe stands up and meets Zhongli’s bewildered expression with a smile.
“There was so much more I wanted to share with you, so much that I didn’t have the time to say… So I wrote it all down in letters. One for each year that I’m no longer by your side, so I can continue to love you for another thousand years.” He closes the chest and hides the letters away, relieved knowing his heartfelt words will surely make their way to his beloved one day, no matter how many years it takes.
As for the one clutched in his hand, Childe stands up and slides it into Zhongli’s waiting hands.
The first letter, for the first year.
Within his trembling fingers, the letter crinkles under his tightening grasp. Amber eyes stare down at the envelope with a mix of ache and admiration. This… This is yet another example of how the love and sincerity of humans can persevere and persist long past their lifespans.
Except this is the very first time he had ever been the recipient of such profound love.
Zhongli holds his breath tightly, not wanting to let go because it feels like he might finally crumble.
“Then, there were some words I didn’t have the time to write down and things I couldn’t express on paper…” Childe reaches up into a small hollow in the tree to carefully pull out a small lacquered box, finely crafted and decorated with a silk ribbon.
“...so I placed them into this box.” For a moment he seems to hesitate, but eventually passes it into Zhongli’s hands, letting him untie the ribbon and pry open the box to reveal a small treasure.
There, nestled atop a velvet cushion is a silver ring set with a breathtakingly unique gemstone that shone both blue and amber at different angles, two colors forever entwined.
A ring can hold so many meanings across so many cultures, but Zhongli holds this one close to his chest and knows the meaning within his heart.
Yours for eternity.
Finally, like a stone cliff falling to the ever-persistent crashes of the ocean’s waves, Zhongli bows his head and clutches the ring close with a quiet hitch of his breath. He feels something spreading softly within him, a gentle warmth that makes him smile sincerely and wets his eyes at the same time.
When the first teardrops fall, Childe leans in to hold him close, comforting him with soft lips against his forehead as his shoulders tremble.
“Every journey has its final day. You told me that yourself.” He sighs against the top of the Archon’s head and smiles because he knows that he is loved.
“I’ll wait for you… no matter how long it takes, so take your time.” Finally, Childe presses a feather-light kiss against his lips and whispers goodbye.
Zhongli leans up and whispers back words of fervent love shared only between them, closes his eyes, and finally lets go. When he opens his eyes again, all that is left of his beloved is a scatter of petals carried off by the wind.
***
Upon returning to the parlor, Zhongli feels a weight lifting off his heart, and heads into the back room with a gentle smile. He pushes open the heavy doors, and in the center is the casket, opened this time to reveal Childe resting peacefully. Surrounding the casket all around are bundles of colorful flowers, Hyacinth, Gloxinia, Freesia, and cupped within Zhongli’s hands, plum blossoms.
Hu Tao had done a wonderful job acquiring such a variety of flowers, as per his request, and he thanks her for it. Standing in front of the casket, Zhongli begins to place each and every flower, surrounding Childe with vibrant and beautiful petals to express all his love.
Rest well, until we meet again.
***
The path to the other side is long and winding, but peaceful in its own way. Childe walks tirelessly, feeling his soul settle and become at ease with every step.
As he nears the end of his journey, he falters for just a moment, pausing in his step and turns back one last time, but a gentle breeze carries the petals of all the flowers sent to him by Zhongli, along with his parting whispers.
With soft caresses, they guide him to turn back to his path and continue on.