Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Dust.

That's how the ancient deity of Liyue would describe humans a long time ago. Humans' lives were fragile, ephemeral, they would be gone with the wind just like dust. But after so many years, so many centuries being alive, the adeptus thought that he had been wrong the whole time.

As short as their lives could be, together they were able to construct entire cities and countries, to organize themselves without much help from superior entities. And just as fragile as people could be, so could the adepti. He had learnt that the hard way.

That is why Morax left his godhood, preparing the citizens of the Harbor beforehand before retiring. He needed some rest after all the burdens he had borne during the millenniums, he needed to rest after being an Archon since who knows when. After all, he already saw how autonomous humans could really be. Just after his people passed the ordeal, he thought of visiting his old friend Barbatos, now called Venti, in Mondstadt.

That's when the now mortal Zhongli met someone that dismantled even more the concept of humans he had centuries ago.

It all started in an afternoon, where the bard brought the Liyuean to a tavern, the Angel's Share. Upon their entrance they were greeted by a sharp-looking man with flaming red hair and two tired eyes that were just like shimmering crimson agates. The bartender sighed as Venti got closer to the bar.

"I see you've brought a new friend with you." He observed as he looked at the brunette.

"Yep! Diluc, say hi to Zhongli! He might be a blockhead but trust me, he's a nice guy." The bard said as he sat by the bar. The amber eyed one looked at Venti awkwardly; didn't the Anemo archon know that he was standing just behind him? Barbatos shivered and got near to the bar as an attempt to get away from Morax and their judgemental gaze. "A-alright, give me your best Dandelion wine!"

The redhead, Diluc if he had heard well, poured some wine inside a glass and swiftly gave it to Venti. "Well then, what would you want now, mister Zhongli?" He asked as he closed the bottle which he used with utmost care.

"I'm not sure…" the former Archon murmured. "What would you recommend?"

"Well, if you rather want to taste a softer beverage I'd say you should take our Apple Cider." The bartender suggested as his eyes looked at his customer sharply, as if he was studying him. "You can also have one of our signature drinks, ‘Death after Noon’, if you’d like."

After Zhongli decided to get a glass of Apple Cider, he and Venti started chatting together about what happened after so much time they didn't see each other as the redhead was washing some glasses. They both were surprised that they both encountered that peculiar traveler and just how much they helped both gods.

"Well… have you guys finished yet?" The redhead said as he took out another wine bottle and served another patron next to them. Venti shook his head as he took out his lyre.

"Would you mind if I played a song in exchange for another glass of wine?" He tried to convince as he prepared himself to play a soothing melody.

"Venti, this is the thirty-fifth glass today." Diluc murmured, annoyed. "Come on, do you even have Mora with you this time?... Nevermind, it's not like you could afford it anyways."

"O-oh well? I'm sure that Zhongli will have just enough with him, right?" Barbatos looked at the brunette enlightened with hope just as Zhongli looked at him back with a blank expression. He wasn't really mad for his bard friend, who was essentially trying to use the adeptus' former ability of creating currency. It was just that he himself forgot to bring his wallet. As Venti realized that his friend hadn't responded yet, he started to get scared. "...right, my friend?"

"... Mora…" The Geo vision holder muttered as he slowly checked his pockets. "I... forgot." Venti looked at him incredulously as the bartender just sighed, as if he already expected something like this beforehand.

“What do you mean you don’t have any mora?!” he almost screamed as he slammed his hands over the bar.

"It’s not like you’re any better." The redhead stated as he got closer to the Archon duo. “But it’s true that it’s really careless on your part not to bring any money with you.” Zhongli looked down at the empty glass in front of him, feeling guilty that this kind of situation happened yet again.

“Is there... Some other way I can make it up for you?” The brunette questioned in vain, for the bartender just shook his head.

"Not really, besides Venti's songs in the bar there isn't any other way to pay up." He explained while grabbing his customer's empty glass to clean it. Then another brunette man entered from the door near the counter and Diluc got closer to the entrance. "Well, it seems that my shift is over, see you another day." And so, the red haired man got away.

After staying for a while, Zhongli left his friend playing some more serenades, for he wanted to see the city. It was already late at night, the moon shining brightly and a soft breeze moving the huge windmills in the city. He started wandering around the streets of Mondstadt, and after a while he found himself in the coasts of the Cider Lake, surrounded by Dandelions. It was such a beautiful night.

However, it seems that even as he retired, Zhongli couldn't really rest.

He started hearing some loud steps coming from the coast; a hoard of Hilichurls led by an abyss mage tried to ambush him. The brunette stood up, preparing himself to fight those creatures.

But just as he was about to summon his polearm from his vision, those hilichurls started fainting. Someone was attacking them from above them. They landed in front of Zhongli, ready to obliterate that abyssal hoard. The only thing he could notice about that figure is that they were wearing a huge black cape and boots of the same color. Then, they summoned a black claymore and slashed each one of the monsters, burning them alive.

It was like a raging inferno; merciless, consuming everything in their path. But at the same time, every single move seemed to be meticulously meditated, calculated. The leading abyss mage tried to protect itself by making a water shield, which was in vain since that person made it vaporize in a pair of single blows. As the shield broke, the mage teleported and fled before that individual could do anything. They turned around to see how the brunette was, who was still shocked by what just happened. Zhongli almost thought to see a pair of crimson eyes behind a pitch-black mask before the silhouette vanished in the darkness of the night.

He wondered… Could those weak humans he knew before have grown strong after all? … That dark flaming silhouette… It intrigued him so much.

He chuckled after being in trance with his thoughts for a fleeting eternity. These vacations will surely be quite unique.

Chapter Text

"Have you guys heard about the Darknight Hero today?" Diluc heard a woman say as he was mixing some 'Death After Noon' for his common patron, cavalry captain Kaeya. "Apparently yesterday evening they beat up some hilichurls controlled by one of those mages."

"Oh? Is that so?" The tan man said, interested in what the blonde stated. He grabbed the liquor that the redhead prepared for him and took a sip. "Could you tell me more, Miss Eury?"

"Uhh, no… sorry." She said as she took a sip of her wine glass. "I just heard flames and screams in the middle of the night, but I couldn't see a thing."

"Ah, what a shame…" The blue-haired man said in a playful tone. "If only we the Knights had some more leads to meet our favorite vigilante…”

“It is strange, though.” The bartender said, placing a glass with the Knight’s order in front of him. “I’ve heard that there’s a great amount of hilichurls and abyss mages around the city and Springvale lately.”

“Well well, perhaps since we’re still recovering on all the Stormterror incident they want to attack us while we’re off guard?” The girl suggested, as she finished her drink. Kaeya nodded in agreement as he looked at the redhead with his usual smug expression. He rolled his eyes back, he was trying to tease him again, right?

His thoughts got interrupted as he heard the front door opening. It was him again, the Liyuean man, Venti’s friend, the man who forgot his mora the other day, the man that… The brunette greeted cordially as he sat in the bar right in front of Diluc, right besides Kaeya.

"I hope you brought your Mora this time." He said with a deadpan expression, crossing his arms. The man — Zhongli, was it? — checked his pockets and, to his surprise, he actually had a small bag full of those golden coins.

"This will suffice for today…" The client said as he checked the insides of the cloth bag dubiously. "... I think." The man then sighed. “My sincerest apologies for the last time.”

"Hm? Care to explain how you know a gentleman like him, big bro?" Kaeya teased as he got his bottle of his beloved ‘Death After Noon’ snatched from his hands. Diluc just sighed, already tired.

"Just a new client." He answered as he was keeping the bottle he took away from Kaeya. In the meantime, the foreign man was checking on the bottles displayed in the bar, thinking on which one he should choose to drink. Before the knight could say anything, he proceeded to attend his new client. "What would you like to drink?" The brunette stood in silence for a few seconds.

"You do not have any Osmanthus Wine in this fine establishment…?" He asked, his tone slightly disappointed.

"I don't believe so… " Diluc responded. Osmanthus wine… He didn’t recall ordering that kind of wine… or even hearing about it being produced at all. That man must be quite distinguished, he thought, knowing about such a rare beverage.

"Ah, my apologies, then… Could I have some of your dandelion wine instead?" He asked again, so Diluc briefly got away to pick up his most popular beverage to his client.

"So, what brings such an individual in this City of Freedom?" Kaeya started inquiring with a smirk. "And how come you came to this establishment specifically?"

"I came here last night with my old friend and both the service and the drinks were quite enjoyable." He looked down at his drink before taking a sip of it. "Besides… I think I need to confide in somebody about the… incident that I experienced tonight." The brunette then looked again at the bartender, who already had the bottle of the requested wine in his hands. The redhead stood there as the Cavalry Captain glared at him again playfully and the girl leaned more on the bar, suddenly interested in the conversation.

"Maybe it's related with what happened with the Darknight Hero yesterday…" Zhongli looked at the girl confused, he probably just heard the rumor today for the first time, Diluc thought.

"It’s just a rumor about someone who takes care of criminals and such during the night." Diluc summarized as briefly as he could.

“Yes, that was, in fact, what our previous conversation was about, right Master Diluc?” Kaeya added, an attempt to tease him.

"So that's who saved me last night…" he muttered, looking once again at his glass as the other three gazed at him. "They put up… Truly a show to behold."

"Oh! Did you happen to see their face?" Eury asked, almost jumping off her seat. "Golly, you've been so lucky to even see them in action." The Liyuean shook his head.

"Unfortunately not. They were wearing a hood and a mask that covered them all."

"Aw, what a shame." Kaeya mockingly said. "Well, I have duties to attend to now, see ya." He said as he stood up and exited the tavern. Diluc then sighed in relief, his step-brother could be so bothersome at times, he was glad he didn’t have to put up with the captain in his drunken state.

After a short while, the girl also left, leaving the Monstadtian and his client together. Zhongli was… Strange. There was something around him, some kind of aura, that was just different from his other patrons and put him on edge. He noticed a yellow gleam behind his back; was that perhaps a Geo vision? No… It wasn’t just that, his eyes also had a strange glow. In any case, Diluc just knew he couldn’t fully trust what he was seeing about him. There was just something on that man that simply wasn't right, even if he couldn't pinpoint what it was exactly.

"Thank you so much for the drink." He said as he pulled out that bag of his and placed it on the table, breaking Diluc’s trail of thoughts. It actually had quite a great sum of money, which surprised the bartender. “Shall I pay for my… sincerely irresponsible friend as well?”

“Wait, are you sure about that…? Do you know just how big that drunkard’s tab is?” The bartender asked back, not fully believing what he was hearing. If he really wanted to pay for Venti's drinks, he’s sure he’d take all of Zhongli’s life savings. Damn, now Diluc truly felt bad for him. “You don’t need to, really-”

“I insist.” Zhongli just placed the bag full of Mora in front of Diluc.

“No.” He pushed that bag in front of his client again. “I refuse to take all of your money.”

“My friend is not fulfilling the transaction as he should, so I will make up for it.”

“I still refuse.” The redhead then crossed his arms. “How are you supposed to spend the rest of the day if I take all of it just because of that bard?” He let out a sigh, quietly muttering.

“I will manage.” Zhongli said firmly. “Please do not worry, Master Diluc. The Adventurer’s Guild organizes many different and interesting activities I would like to check myself, and that also includes aspects like food and places to stay the night.” Once again, he pushed that bag of Mora back to Diluc, who just sighed in return.

“You won’t stop insisting until I take your Mora, right…?” The redhead murmured as he finally picked up the bag with resentment, Zhongli looking at him satisfied. “Just so you know, I actually gave up on Venti a long while ago, so don’t even bother next time.” He neatly kept the small yet heavy bag below the counter.

“Well, I think it is time for me to go.” Zhongli then said as he got up from his seat. “It has been quite enjoyable spending time in this establishment, Master Diluc.” The redhead nodded as a response.

“Hope to see you soon, then.” He cordially waved him goodbye as Zhongli got closer to the door. But before finally getting out of the bar, he looked back at Diluc’s eyes with those golden eyes that seemed to shine intensely.

That's when Diluc knew, there was definitely something off about that man. The fact that one day he couldn’t even pay for his own glass of wine and the very next day he brought that much money was already suspicious enough. Not only that, there was also something else. His eyes sometimes seemed to shine, just like that bard Barbatos… Didn’t he say he was Venti’s old friend…? …No that couldn't possibly be... He was jumping into conclusions too quickly.

In any case, Diluc knew that man was hiding something behind that calm and kind facade he was leading on, and he wouldn’t be so easily tricked. He got closer to Charles, who was resting on one of the tables near the counter, and asked him to cover for his shift for the night, and entered the storage room.

He quickly changed into more comfortable dark-colored clothes and tied his hair in a higher ponytail. Then, he grabbed a black cape damaged on its bottom and put on a pitch-black mask. As he grabbed a small dagger, he exited the establishment making sure no one saw him and started patrolling the streets, searching for criminals the incompetent knights wouldn't even bother to take care of.

Still, that Zhongli… Diluc needed to make sure he wasn't any kind of threat in Mondstadt.

Chapter Text

The days passed as the ex-archon stayed in the Mondstadt’s Adventure Guild. He decided to temporarily join a peculiar Adventure team, with its leader and only official member being a cheerful boy who was always followed by misfortune. They went on commissions alongside a blonde girl with an eyepatch who called herself the "Prinzessin der Verurteilung", and sometimes even an albino young boy who lived in the woods joined them.

It was a nice experience being in that group, despite all the dangerous instances and inconveniences at the most untimely moments. Thanks to them, he was able to see beautiful landscapes of long-forgotten ruins and natural wonders of that nation caressed by the winds. Thanks to them, he was making many new memories he’d cherish like gold, new memories for his new life.

One day, after one of those rather unfruitful expeditions with the whole unit, they were heading back to the city as dusk was slowly fading into the starry night. They were all beaten after trying to do a commission in Dragospine, where they were attacked by four Ruin Graders that they somehow got activated as they entered the area. Who would have expected that collecting a few chunks of Stalsilver would be such a difficult task to complete?

By the time they entered Mondstadt, the sun was almost completely hidden under the horizon.

“Wah… I’m beat.” The leader, Bennett, sighed as he touched the concussion on his head he got when he tried to dodge one of the attacks before Zhongli could make a shield for every member.

“That has been, indeed, a particularly complicated mission. But alas, all the members of our troupe are safe.” The blonde girl, who called herself Fischl, concluded. She then turned to Zhongli. “I see that thine power is quite exceptional, o foreign ally who hath come from the land of Contracts.” She then smirked a bit and placed a hand over her eyepatch. “It is as if thou were blessed by the primal force of the earth itself!”

“Yeah, it was so cool when you attacked that Ruin Grader! Especially when you-” A loud rumbling interrupted Bennett, surprising everyone. “Ahaha… Are you guys also hungry or is it just me?”

“‘Tis not only thy perception, Bennett.” Fischl admitted. “There’s a void within me that is slowly growing wider, vaster and it won’t stop until it’s nourished with mortal food.” Both Bennett and Zhongli looked at her slightly worried by her words. Suddenly, her electro vision got triggered and summoned a dark purple crow, which placed itself over her shoulder.

“What Mein Fraülein actually means is that she’s starving.” The crow, Oz, clarified with his deep voice, calming them down. “Should we go somewhere to eat? Perhaps at Good Hunter’s.” He then suggested, which everyone finally agreed to.

They ordered some simple yet prominent plates consisting of big steaks, some Teyvat fried eggs accompanied with some fries and a bowl of radish soup for Zhongli. Once they finished and were about to pay, though, Bennett suddenly started looking for something in his pockets very nervously.

"I-I think I lost my wallet while fighting." He almost whispered, mortified. The eyepatched girl opened a little bag, and sighed disappointed.

"I am afraid that, even with my noble background, I am unable to pay for all thy meals at this imperative moment, as my financial balance is not quite prominent at the time…" She closed that mora bag and sighed once again. Oz, who was sitting beside her, also sighed in disappointment and kept eating his plate. Then they looked at the Zhongli in awe, who just looked at them back awkwardly as he checked his pockets and found out that, yet again…

"Mora…" he muttered, looking back at his empty bowl. "I've forgotten… again." He murmured to himself, gaining a disappointed sigh from everyone else in the group.

"Man… I really don’t wanna ask for money from my dads again…” Bennett lamented, looking down to his plate.

“Should we ask the Traveler to help us, perhaps?” Zhongli murmured. “I am well acquainted with them, so hopefully they’ll…” Bennett’s face then lit up in excitement.

“You’re a genius!”

They all got back to the Adventurer’s Guild in Mondstadt, finally taking the rest they all deserved after that rough commission that somehow was completed. However, instead of going to bed just like the other members of the group did, Zhongli went for one last walk through the streets of Mondstadt. There was something about that city that was tranquilizing, unlike the lively and busy Liyue Harbor. Perhaps it was how calm everything felt at those late hours, or maybe it was how beautifully the moonlight bathed even the most hidden alleyways.

He then remembered the rumors he heard from the locals in that tavern. The Darknight Hero… Truly an intriguing tale. Was it foolish of him to hope that maybe, just maybe, he’d find them again? That he’d find him defeating monsters and criminals hiding in the darkness like that other time? That he’d be able to thank them…? Perhaps so. But now that he retired, living a dream like that of a human life, who said that he couldn’t just wonder with those foolish hopes?

His thoughts were interrupted when he heard a loud thud around the zone. He immediately went to check out, going down a few stairs to what seemed to be some kind of space for supplies with a small alternative entrance. There was a pair of abyss mages, wielding cryo and hydro elements respectively, fighting a shadow the adeptus recognized instantly.

The hero seemed to be struggling; their cape was partly frozen, limiting their speed. The brunette caught a glimpse of their wounded arm, although he couldn't see it clearly. Just as they missed one of his attacks trying to melt the ice shield protecting one of the mages, the hydro one trapped them inside a bubble as the cryo one prepared an icicle aimed at them. Yet as the masked figure braced themselves for the impact, Zhongli stepped in and blocked the attack with the jade shield he summoned. Crimson eyes looked at him surprised as they met golden.

“You are…” Zhongli thought hearing a deep, masculine voice mutter. But there was no time, they needed to defeat those monsters before. They looked at each other one last time before focusing on their targets. It was like each attack, each movement they made was in synchrony with one another, just as if they practiced for this very moment before. Before they realized, their enemies were already turning into dust just in front of them.

The adeptus turned at the silhouette to check on that masked individual, and when he saw beneath their hoodie some strands of hair. That hair, red as fire… he has seen that before… Before Zhongli could say anything, though, that person was already turning away.

“Wait!” Zhongli called them out, which made them stop and stand there. “Are you wounded? May I help you with your wounds?” They sighed and started walking again ignoring the questions. “Hold on, I just want- '' Before the adeptus could finish his sentence, the masked individual already vanished amidst shadows.

“... To thank you.” Zhongli muttered to himself, then started smiling.

The Darknight Hero… Truly a mystery he’d love to uncover. Red hair like flames, crimson eyes like agnidus agate gemstones… He may already have a hunch, but only time will finally determine the truth of this case.