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Things had been going rather well since they’d arrived at Dragonspine, all things considered. Despite the wealth of threats, dangers, and unknowns that plagued this enigmatic mountain, Zhongli and Nova hadn’t encountered any significant issues or impediments up to this point in their trek. Sure, every now and then they stumbled across the occasional Fatui recruit or Treasure Horder grunt. Dealing with such insignificant pests was barely worth the effort, but it was worth it to help rid the mountain and its scattered ruins of any greedy trespassers that were intent on picking it clean, if nothing else.
The two took their time admiring the scenery and cataloging anything of note they happened to find. Veins of jagged, smoky starsilver and sites of ancient ruins were scattered about the landscape, a bit more plentiful than Nova had initially anticipated. She didn’t have any experience with this place, and certainly no memory of it--it wasn’t part of her life, past or present. That made this trip of theirs even more special, since it was one of the first truly new things they’d done together after her memories, her true sense of self, had finally returned. And, as a result, she’d managed to return something even more priceless to the man sauntering beside her at such a leisurely pace.
“So, do you think we should aim for the Statue of the Seven, or would you rather investigate the caves in Starglow Cavern first?” Nova posed the question as she paused, eyes trained on the fork in the road before them. “I’m honestly kind of indifferent about it, but it’s not like we can’t see identical Statues of the Seven all around Mondstadt whenever we want.”
“You have a point,” Zhongli agreed, pinching his chin in contemplation as he consulted their map. For a moment, his thoughts flitted to the eccentric bard whose face he had no overwhelming desire to gaze upon at present. “And it appears we still have a ways to go before we reach the caverns. We could probably arrive before dusk if we start heading that way now.”
Nova nodded in assent, adjusting their trajectory and striking off down the path towards the caverns. Zhongli matched her brisk pace with ease, smoothly and subtly sliding his hand into hers as they wandered the snowy landscape together. The young woman felt the unmistakable pressure of his fingers slotting between her own, glove sliding against glove before solidifying in a gentle yet unwavering grip. She did her best not to jerk away or panic; a reflexive response she’d adopted early on in their acquaintance for her own benefit, her own caution. She’d had no way of knowing it was actually a reacquaintance at the time, outside of anyone in the know informing her, which they had not.
She understood why Zhongli had wanted to keep it a secret, why he’d maintained his silence so stubbornly and, to a certain extent, chivalrously. He’d done it for her sake, protecting her to the very end, even if it was from himself. That thought didn’t bring her much peace. He was the one that really needed saving in this situation. It was difficult to imagine the depths of his suffering, everything he’d had to endure in her absence, as well as the severity of the metaphorical gut punch he’d received upon her return. Nova was at the root of all of it, and she didn’t have a clue about how to make it up to him; she didn’t even know if such a thing was possible. She supposed applying at least a little effort to restoring some of the normalcy she’d unknowingly disrupted might count as a decent starting point.
“Hey, Zhongli…” the young woman began as she pointedly held her gaze forward, squeezing his hand. She was preparing to ask him something, but the details failed to matter as quickly as they’d materialized in her mind. Her thoughts were promptly displaced as another sound--a much more important, informative one--introduced a new problem for the duo to deal with.
They were lucky to have the warning of the rumbling in the air and vibrations in the ground as a not insignificant chunk of the cliff wall above them unceremoniously collapsed. Snow, rock, and various other pieces of debris tumbled down the sheer slope as the startled adventurers below were momentarily frozen in place. It was the exact type of reaction they shouldn’t have defaulted to if they were interested in making it out of this alive, but there was no helping the innate, instinctual response that seized them both the moment they looked up. Perhaps they could have avoided it if only they’d been moving a little faster or slower, but the fact of the matter was that they weren’t, and an avalanche, minor or no, was still barreling towards them.
Nova couldn’t tell if she'd screamed. She suspected she hadn’t, that she’d been too preoccupied with her life flashing before her eyes to do anything but stand stock still and wait for the inevitable embrace of death to claim her. There were certainly worse ways she could think to go out. At least she was with the one person she’d sworn to never abandon again; there would be no possibility of separation under the circumstances, and she was actually comforted by that fact.
Although she’d managed to convince herself to come to terms with such a morbid outcome at a potentially alarming speed, her effort was ultimately for naught. Much to her surprise, death’s embrace was not the first to strike her; it was not the force that ripped her from her pseudo-catatonic stupor and subsequently saved her life. No, that honor belonged to the man that was currently hovering above her, his rigid silhouette only slightly obscuring the bone-chilling sight that loomed similarly above him.
Her mind spun and her vision swam as Nova struggled to recover from the shock. An uncomfortable chill crept up her spine and under her skin, a byproduct of the dampness that seeped into her clothes as the snow beneath her was melted by her warmth. She tried to shake off the dizziness, but realized upon her attempt that her body wasn’t exactly in the mood to cooperate. Well, that was fine for now; at least until he told her what to do. Until he gave her some kind of signal or direction, some indication that he had any idea what their next move should be. She was wasting her worries; even if he had happened to exhaust more power than usual, the Archon of Geo had more than enough to spare. He hadn’t survived as one of the oldest and most experienced of the Archons without sufficient strength to support his illustrious reputation.
As the dust--or rather snow--began to settle around them, the blurriness before her slowly gave way to clarity. As the world around her sluggishly came into focus, Nova was finally able to fully appreciate the marvel he’d performed on her behalf. A barrier of jagged rock jutted out above them, serving the dual purpose of redirecting the threat and protecting them from harm. The no doubt arduous amount of effort he must have exerted just to form and maintain it, and under the stress of knowing that if he failed…well, perhaps it was nothing more than a trivial act to him. But judging by the state of his features--the minute quiver in his straining stillness, his soft grunts of fatigue, the slight wavering of the precarious rock canopy she’d barely noticed--it was unquestionably taking a toll on him.
A simple matter like this should have been more than enough for him to handle. He was the Lord of Geo, one of the oldest and wisest of the Seven, known for magnificent feats of both business and battle. In his prime he’d wielded geo constructs the size of mountain peaks, testing and pushing the limits of his power to the point that he even managed to breathe life into inert formations of stone. Nova reached out, fingers trembling as her palm tenderly molded to his cheek, delicately caressing the smooth curve of his uncharacteristically ruddy face. Oh, and what a lovely face it was; even in a situation like this she found it difficult not to stare.
Flushed with the effort of the weight he was sustaining by sheer force of will, the electrifying sensation of her touch was almost like a jump start to his system. No matter the adversary or the obstacle, if it was for her, Zhongli would do anything. He still berated himself, still lamented everything he’d failed to do when she’d vanished, everything he could and should have done--but didn’t. He’d been too preoccupied with his duties, with his people, not to mention the complete lack of any indication or clue as to why she’d left his side in the first place. For all he knew she’d made the decision to depart of her own accord, and he wasn’t possessive or vain enough to try to track her down like a piece of property, like she owed him anything.
In his eyes, she didn’t, but from her current perspective all she could see was that she obviously owed him for saving her life. Again. It wasn’t the first time, and it likely wouldn’t be the last; if she really wanted to start repaying him, she’d get a head start on preparing for the next unexpected incident…but there were obvious flaws in that logic. Despite the strain of sustaining the barrier, it wasn’t really significant enough to justify any legitimate concern or panic, but neither of them were keen on lingering in this position longer than necessary. Under the current circumstances, anyway.
As her awareness and proper sense finally began to resurface, Nova rolled onto her limbs and pushed up to run. Zhongli followed suit, dropping his concentration as soon as they were clear of the hazard. What remained of the barrier crumbled to pieces, tumbling down alongside any avalanche debris that’d been swept up or stalled by the construct itself. Just a few seconds ago they’d been lying there, sitting ducks that were only saved by Zhongli’s sure and swift instincts. Even in his mortal form, and with the powers of his Gnosis significantly decreased, the Geo Archon was still a formidable sight to behold.
“Thank you…” she whispered in a breath, reaching for his hand once more. Instead, she was promptly enveloped in a cocoon of desperate arms that clung to her as if they feared the second they slackened even a smidge, she’d be ripped away. It was mildly amusing to her, considering she was the one who was supposed to be thanking her savior here, and equally flattering that he’d evidently been so affected by the harrowing experience. She was touched by his concern for her wellbeing and safety, hoping as she returned the gesture that he understood she was just as grateful and just as relieved that he’d likewise made it out relatively unscathed.
“I’m just glad you’re alright,” he answered shakily, pulling her closer still. “I didn’t mean to react so hastily, but if I hadn’t--”
“We won’t worry about anything else that might have happened,” Nova reassured, meeting his unnerved golden gaze with a gentle smile. “Because nothing else did. And nothing else is going to. It’s done, and we’re both alright, but I understand if you want to take a quick break. Actually, I think it would be quite beneficial for us to take a moment to rest and regroup.”
They probably weren’t going to make it to the caverns by sunset, but that was alright. They’d almost lost their chance to make it there, period, but that threat was in the past. All the threats that’d tormented them both individually and together up to this point were little more than measly echoes of the past, unsettling memories that didn’t warrant any further thought or consideration. As they huddled next to a nearby Seelie statue for warmth, Nova nestled herself comfortably against Zhongli’s chest while he rested his chin on her head, and they both endeavored to savor the wonder contained in this solitary moment. A moment that seemed to exist outside of time, but even if that truly was the case, it wouldn’t have bothered them. They were together in this moment, and as long as they were together, everything would be alright. They would make sure of it.