Chapter Text
ACT I
CONTRACT
Foreword
The Passing of a God
2000 years ago, the God of Contracts, Morax, emerged as one of the victors of the Archon War and his rule of Liyue was officially recognized as one of the seven great nations. After the thousands of years of conflict that had ravaged the lands, the efforts were turned from war and survival to peace and prosperity. Though many a conflict still rose throughout the centuries, gods and their followers together with humans rose to meet the challenges and secured their future.
As times of peace endured and humans, traditions and cultures developed, Morax as the sovereign emperor of Liyue started making new contracts with his people, that better suited the changing times.
First, he established the Qixing as the governing body for daily things, relinquishing his own power over everyday matters. Then a few hundred years later, he announced to his people his wish to further let them govern themselves. He still stood as the emperor over all others and his adepti had their own positions of power and duties they held no matter how many human generations passed. The god now wished for humanity to have more say in their affairs while learning more of their ways himself.
Thus, became to be the Contract of Mortal Divinity, the divine legacy of Liyue: the final contract from Morax to his people using his own voice to speak.
For thus, the God of Contracts passed from this world.
But die he did not. Morax left his material form to let it merge back within the earth from whence it came. His soul, memories and power he bestowed upon a human of his choosing, crowning them as the first mortal emperor of Liyue. Using this new vessel as medium to see the world in a new way, Morax granted his emperor of choice with what they could take of the god’s abilities to use in times of need. The first emperor ruled over Liyue, guided by his god and guarded by adepti, teaching Morax the ways of humanity.
At the point of the emperor’s passing, mortal that he was, Morax chose a new person from within his people, passing on the title of the emperor and the power of the god to the next person he deemed suitable to lead Liyue in his stead.
Thus, the mortal yet divine emperor, Rex Lapis, began their everchanging but everlasting reign.
Each emperor was different: all chosen and guided by their god, yet bringing their own flair and taste to the politics, culture and commerce of Liyue. Men and women, young and old were chosen and granted power by their god, who yet held the ultimate right to strip them of their title were it to be misused. But rarely did that happen, for Morax was careful with his choices.
Observing his city flourish under the guidance of generations of Qixing members and emperors through the eyes and ears of his vessels, the God of Contracts continued to watch over the city he had helped build with his own hands, from within the mountain palace he had raised from the ground.
And so it had been for over 800 years.
1
Death That Arrived with the Night
Zhongli stood in the middle of field of glaze lilies, amongst long waving grass and trees he didn’t remember ever seeing before. The wind that moved the landscape around him felt too real on his skin, making him a little uneasy despite the calmness of his surroundings.
What was this place? He had no memory of a field like this and glaze lilies in particular were not this abundant anywhere in the wild that he knew of. The trees reminded him of oaks but not any type he recognized and no landmark around as far as his eyes could see gave him hints as to where he might have been.
And why did he feel the wind on his skin so vividly? Why did the tender scent of the flowers reach his nostrils? Why did the ground rustle under his feet as he shifted his weight around?
He had been preparing the funeral of the recently departed emperor together with Hu Tao, sorting out the things they needed to prepare for the day. Due to the sudden, unexpected nature of the divine ruler’s death, the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor had received an urgent message of the fact even before it was announced to the public. The company had handled the parting rites of the emperors and the adepti ever since it had been established, and although the reality of the situation was grim, it was all the more important that the late emperor was given a proper send off, as soon as possible.
As the parlor’s resident expert on adepti and divine traditions, the director had given him the role of the main organizer of the funeral. Zhongli was certain he had been just now standing in his office, gathering information on things he needed to prepare for the Rite of Parting fit for an emperor.
So why was he here?
And where was this?
He took a step forward, shaking himself off of his astonished stupor, knowing that standing around staring at things would likely not answer his questions. But one step was all he needed to find himself freezing in place again and his breath caught in his throat in surprise. The scenery had changed from day to night in that but one step. The glaze lilies around him now bloomed in the moonlight so bright it painted the entire landscape in silver and blue.
A song carried into his ears over the swaying flowers and Zhongli quickly turned around to look towards the sound. A little away from him, under a tree that curved its branches above the ground like a natural gazebo, he saw a figure of a woman, sitting among the flowers. Her hair was flowing slowly in the wind that didn’t blow. Next to her on the ground Zhongli saw figure of another, but he couldn’t make out their form enough to determine who it might have been.
The woman was humming a song he did not recognize, her soft tunes sounding clearly in the night even to where he stood further away from the two under the shade of the tree. Who were they? Zhongli was curious but something compelled him not to move or make a sound to disturb them. The sudden change in scenery only a moment ago was a mystery as well. Something told him to not interfere with the scene around him.
Before he could think of what to do without attracting the couple’s attention, a strong, violent shove of wind almost made him fall over. He saw the woman in the distance break and scatter into fine dust into the wind. Next dissolved the flowers and trees around him, and he shielded himself from swirls of ashes that burned the back of his throat. The ground shook, making Zhongli lose his balance and fall on his hands and knees. Something large moaned in the distance and he wasn’t sure what kind of creature, if it was a creature at all, could make such a sound.
The once grassy field around him was turning to stone. Afraid of getting stuck or petrified himself, Zhongli found himself scrambling away from the closing line of stone, but upon realising he could not get away, he opted to rolling on top of the already petrified ground. He did not turn into stone upon touching the surface, thankfully, but could only watch the last of the field disappear from sight under casing of hoarse grey rocks.
A loud boom like thunder ground the sky above him open and he could only stare up in horror as the night sky cracked apart as if it was made of ice. The moon itself distorted as a particularly vast crevasse split it open and sharp black stones rained down, falling off the edges of the cracks, splintering against the ground.
Zhongli forced himself up from the ground, tore his eyes away from the breaking sky and ran. Every single one of his senses was dulled under the blind instinct to flee from danger and survive.
What is this place?
Why am I here?
Where can I go?!
He managed but a gasp when the ground below his feet caved in, collapsing under his weight. He fell but a short distance, hitting against the rocks only a few metres below, but thanks to his lost balance and unfocused mind, he couldn’t land on his feet and slumped among the pieces of the ground he had broken.
Suddenly his mouth was dry and his breathing got harder with each breath, screeching against his throat. He flew his hand up to his mouth, his first thought being there was some kind of poison in the air, but that didn’t make the feeling disappear. Attempting to stand up, Zhongli pushed himself up from among the rubble, but something was weighing on his body, like his clothes were suddenly ten times heavier than they should have been or as if someone was standing on his back, forcing him back down.
He collapsed again on the stone beneath, gasping in a breath as pain coursed through his body. The ground was shaking again. His hand clutched against the loose stones on the ground as his brain desperately tried to think of a way for him to survive. He saw a crevasse in the ground up ahead, creaking and inching its way forward towards him, threatening to plunge him further down into the unknown.
“No…” he whispered, and tried again to push himself up from the ground. “Someon—”
The heaviness was lifted before he could finish. A white fog spread around him like a veil that hid him from the world. The shaking stopped and the sounds of the breaking world disappeared, only ringing in his ears as echoes as the world turned silent.
Someone grabbed his upper arm in an iron grip and pulled him upwards from the ground that he now could barely feel or see.
“Why are you here?” someone’s voice spoke behind him, their tone strict but voice distorted and distant. It sounded familiar but he couldn’t figure out why.
Zhongli could only turn his head a little to see who he was speaking to, barely managing to see a white cloth flowing around as if in a wind and oddly shining fingers that held onto his arm.
“You shouldn’t be here,” the voice continued and the grip on his arm tightened as the hand holding him shook. The owner of the voice sounded distressed.
Zhongli could not reply and his eyes remained unfocused as he in vain tried to get a better look at the man behind him.
“If you too will—” Suddenly the voice paused and the grip on the arm loosened ever so slightly. “…It must have pulled you here as it was created.” The owner of the voice groaned, sounding pained. “I should have realised that might happen. I apologise. The state of this space reflects my mental state. I’m afraid I am rather distraught.”
Zhongli felt himself being pulled up from the floor and the white fog closed in, hiding everything further from his sight.
“Now go back. We will talk later,” the voice said as it got further away. The hold on his arm disappeared. “Should there be danger, I will come to your aid. Now hurry and get back! There are people out there who are worried about you.”
The fog around him grew so dense light no longer got through and white turned into black. For a moment there was nothing but darkness.
Then as if emerging from the depths of an ocean back into the surface, light descended towards him from above. It engulfed him so quickly his eyes started to ache by the sudden change and he flinched. Something hard was pressed against his backside and he felt a touch on his cheek. His throat and chest ached with every breath as if he had just run to Mondstadt and back.
“Zhongli?”
He knew that voice.
“Is he awake? Oh, thank the gods…”
Was he awake? He saw light and shapes so his eyes must have been open. And his brain was starting to catch up with the events, if a little sluggishly. Recognizing the ceiling of his office through the haze, he was slowly realising that he must be lying on the floor.
“Mr. Zhongli? Can you hear us?”
He blinked a couple of times, trying to force his vision into focus. Someone was leaning over him and there were other shades nearby as well.
“Come now old man, we don’t want to plan your funeral today now do we?”
Director…
“This… is the part where you remind me you’re not old. Come on, don’t miss your cues.”
…What happened?
“Zhongli, please? Talk to me.”
It was too bright. His body felt so heavy… He closed his eyes as his eyes grew tired of trying to see. That dream… Was it a dream? Who was…?
“No!”
Someone was cupping both of his cheeks now.
“Please! Please don’t fall back asleep. Stay with me. Okay?”
Where was the director thinking he could go? He could barely muster enough strength to move, let alone escape from her. There was so little air in his lungs with each breath…
“Zhongli? Zhongli, please wake up. I’ll cut you a deal! I won’t tease you for a whole week if you just keep your eyes open for me.”
Tempting…
“Director Hu, I’ve brought some water. How is he?”
Water?
“Thank you. Bring it over here. He was awake for a minute there, but…”
I am awake, please stop slapping my cheek. That’s what he wanted to say anyway. Why did everything feel so heavy?
“Ooh, Zhongli, come on. Please.”
Something wet and cool was running against his forehead now, that at least felt alright. But it was as if someone had grabbed onto his ribs from within, pulling down and preventing them from going up to allow more air in.
<Osial’s arse, I should have noticed you sooner…>
Zhongli felt his whole body tense up. It was that voice again—
“Zhongli!”
<Look at what I did to you… I’ve never… ARGH! They will know they crossed me!>
A sudden surge of power sprung his body back alive. The people around him gasped and dodged out of the way as Zhongli shot up to sit. His eyes were wide open now, but as soon as the spike of energy subsided, his vision blurred again.
“Ngh…” he grunted between his teeth, breathless, and clutched his hand over his eyes. He felt a pair of arms wrap around his shoulders as his spine struggled to keep him upright. Someone else’s hands were also reaching out for him from the other side.
“Easy! Easy now. Everything is fine,” Hu Tao hushed and clutched her arm around his shoulders while seeking out his chin with her other hand and lifting it up. “Good morning, sleepyhead, I’m happy you decided to join us. Now breathe for me, okay. In and out.”
“Director…” Zhongli managed to croak out, trying to steady his breathing the best he could. Why was it so hard?
“No talking,” Hu Tao ordered, prying Zhongli’s hand off his face. He still couldn’t see clearly… Everything was just colours swimming together and mixing as they pleased. “Just breathe for now, okay? You’ll be fine. Meng, help me out,” she added firmly with a louder voice and Zhongli felt another pair of arms grab him as he was guided back to the floor. He realised there was something soft if thin under where his head was.
Zhongli squinted his eyes, attempting again to see properly around himself. With some effort, he could make out the faces of his colleagues now. Hu Tao had picked up a towel and was wiping his face again, keeping up the little stream of talk for him to listen to.
“See, breathing is nice. Keep it up. You’ll have plenty of time to not breathe when you’re dead. And the best part? Everyone can manage it naturally, so there is no need to practice,” she chatted, with a smile on her face, but Zhongli saw the tensed muscles around her eyes. “Just tell me if it gets hard, okay? I’ll give you pointers.”
It was hard. Zhongli groaned and closed his eyes for a second, but pried them back open before his boss would say something about it again. He concentrated on steadying his breath while Hu Tao was telling his co-workers that things seemed to be more alright now so most of them should stop peeking in and get back to work. Although the weight on his chest had eased, it felt like each breath he drew went through a tight straw before reaching his lungs. He still felt his lungs filling up with each inhale so his brain was telling him some of the perceived strain was probably from the mental side.
“Director Hu,” he interrupted her current stream of chatter when he managed to get a proper breath in. “What… what happened?”
“Aiya, you tell me,” Hu Tao said, while rubbing his cheek with bundle of a towel that was a little too wet. Her other hand had found its way under his chin and was supporting it up again. “We were talking about the preparations that needed to get started today and tomorrow. You got up to take something from the shelf and I got up to go see who was making a ruckus in the foyer. Before I got out, you were… just on the floor. With quite a heavy thud.”
Zhongli closed his eyes again and frowned. He did… not remember that. He vaguely remembered Hu Tao being in the room with him today. After that all was a blur.
“Honestly, it was so out of the blue at first I thought you were pulling a prank on me.”
“Please do not… lump me together with you…”
“Ah, yes. That thought passed quickly enough because I know your sense of humour is lacking. That said, that meant something else was wrong and that was much less nice of a thought,” Hu Tao replied light-heartedly. “Can you blame me for trying to stay positive? At first it looked like you were just asleep, but you wouldn’t wake up no matter what I did. And then… well, I’m open to give you those breathing lessons whenever you are free. First lesson free of charge! I’m sorry, while I do have a nice and comfortable coffin I could give to you right now, there is just no room for your funeral in my schedule.”
“How very kind of you…” Zhongli mumbled, while his vision was obscured by the towel the director put across his face.
“Do you have low blood sugar by any chance? Or are you prone to getting a heatstroke easily? Oh my, did you not sleep well, old man?” Hu Tao kept throwing out suggestions while brushing strands of hair out of Zhongli’s face.
“Director, I am 26: please stop treating me as if I’m one foot in the geriatric ward.”
“Aww, see, there you go,” Hu Tao giggled cheerfully. “Good to have you back.”
There was a certain edge to her voice that made Zhongli feel a pang of guilt in his chest. “I… Please, do not worry yourself. I’m okay now.”
“Sure you are, old man. Op!” She pressed a finger against his chest when Zhongli tried to get up. “I don’t think so.”
“Director, I am fine,” Zhongli tried to reason with her. “May I please get up?”
“Denied,” she replied and pressed him back down to the floor with all five fingers. “You will lay right there until a doctor shows up. Now: less talking, more breathing practice, if you’d be so kind.”
Zhongli sighed and gave up. He still felt somewhat heavy and had to consciously concentrate on his breathing to keep it steady, but his vision was no longer swimming and he could feel coherent thoughts and memories from the morning returning en masse. But if his boss was not about to let him up from the floor, he might as well try to chase off the last of the strain, while making sure she wouldn’t notice something was still affecting him. He had worried her quite enough.
Listening to her endless chatter as she kept him company, Zhongli had the opportunity to think back to his dream. If it was a dream at all. It felt all too real still, but even as he glanced around his arms to see any scratches or bruises from the rubble he had fallen into, there were none. Who had the three people he had seen been? The two under the tree, one of which was the singing woman and the other the person he couldn’t see. And then the person who had pulled him up. The person whose voice sounded so familiar but he couldn’t pinpoint why. ‘We will talk later’ that person had said and perhaps Zhongli should have felt uncomfortable or cautious about the whole deal, but somehow, he found that he wasn’t. It was more curiosity if anything.
What did he mean he’d help me if there was danger? Zhongli wondered as Hu Tao got up to greet the Bubu Pharmacy employee who his co-workers had guided to the right door. He raised the towel off his forehead and sat up now that the director wasn’t there to stop him anymore. A move she rather vocally protested immediately when she saw it. But honestly lying on the floor was not comfortable and he was feeling better now.
The doctor found nothing wrong with him upon inspection. In fact, he seemed perfectly healthy, to the point both Hu Tao and the doctor wondered what had been the cause of his episode exactly. Zhongli himself could also offer them no valid guesses and he was not going to talk about his nightmare to anyone, at least not yet. Least of all to Hu Tao who needed no further things to latch onto to tease him about.
For now, he was ordered to be cautious and keep an eye out for any possible health issues, with the advice to not hesitate to call for a doctor again if something came up. He had been struggling to breathe and trembled on the floor for a solid ten minutes before waking up and that was not normal, no matter what his vitals said. Plenty of water, light and healthy food and a non-stressful environment for a while, to make whatever it had been less likely to happen again.
Because the Rite of Parting was a huge event however, Zhongli downright refused to simply take a day off and despite her insistence that he’d take it easy, Hu Tao ultimately agreed. She had assigned Zhongli to take charge of the event for a reason. That said, his boss appointed him a few assistants and only paperwork for the day. The organisation of the rite became a lot more thoroughly done than intended that day, but it would make things easier in the long run. And thanks to Hu Tao ordering everyone able to work as his hands and feet, things progressed smoothly during the day despite the morning incident.
Reading through the scrolls detailing traditions and things used in previous funerals for emperors, Zhongli’s thoughts wondered to their latest divine ruler and his untimely parting from this world.
He did not know the details as they were not public information, but somehow the still young and healthy emperor had died overnight in an incident that had spurred all of the adepti in the harbour into action in the dead of night. No alarms were sounded, the citizens blissfully sleeping through the events that brought about the death of the divine Rex Lapis. Neither were the millelith alerted, so it was no large-scale attack on the palace. An assassination was a grim option that he couldn’t rule out, but who could have snuck into the palace past the adepti guards?
Should there be danger, I will come to your aid
Those words rang out in his head again. Who was that person? It couldn’t have been a figment of his imagination.
“Mr. Zhongli? I’ve brought the samples from the Jade Mystery.”
“Oh. Yes. Thank you.”
“Did I come at a bad time?”
“No, it’s alright. Bring them right over here please.”
The Wangsheng Funeral Parlor had not been given the emperor’s body to prepare for the last rites. In fact, they had been told that there would be no body to bury at all. All would be done in ceremony only, with the symbolical presence of this emperor the only thing needed to be prepared, that is to say, his portrait and personal sigil. That was highly unusual. The vessels of Rex Lapis were always cremated. Half of their ashes would then be scattered onto a location or object of significance, usually something they themselves had either contributed to or found important. The other half would be taken to the Crypt that had been build atop the original tomb of the God of Contracts, where they became part of the earth like the physical body of their ancient god.
For there to be no body at all to cremate, these traditions would need to be adapted to the occasion. Zhongli had his work cut out for him, trying to think of ways to uphold the traditions with such unusual circumstances. As much as the fate of the emperor meant to the country, the main concern of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor was now the last rite of their divine ruler. The send-off of a divine entity would need to be as kingly and well put together as possible. Zhongli could not help the adepti or the Qixing in figuring out the incident: his job was to ensure that whatever had happened, the emperor would rest in peace.
Confined to a desk job as he was, Zhongli did not see the official announcement from the Qixing about the emperor’s passing. But he only needed to keep the window to his office open and all the news were carried into his ears. The town was ablaze with rumours about what had happened, as well as buzzing with anticipation for the selection of a new emperor by the God of Contracts, which was a rare event to witness. In recent times, each emperor had ruled for a long life, either dying peacefully as their time had come or allowed retirement from their god as they aged. The naming of a new Rex Lapis was a momentous event, that one person could witness only once or twice in their lives. Zhongli himself had witnessed the Rite of Ascension and the coronation once for the now previous emperor when he had been a child. He had expected to see another one during his life, but not this soon…
As technically anyone could be chosen as an emperor, it was also always exciting. This being the city of commerce, many even tried to make money by betting on it. In reality, the selections often landed upon established members of the Qixing or their staff, wealthy families in businesses, brave and accomplished military officials or members from noble families, who were families of previous emperors that had kept their prestige. It wasn’t like the God of Contract favoured the wealthy: the emperor was required to have certain talents and knowledge in politics, commerce and leadership skills, so the selection often landed on people who had proven their skills in those fields. Still as technically anyone could rise to those positions with hard work in the city of commerce, the current Tianquan being a prime example of this, the selection was still considered fair. Besides, the selection of their god was final, so complaints usually died quickly. Even so, the last time someone of a lower social standing had been chosen as the next Rex Lapis was among the first five emperors.
The God of Contracts had throughout the years chosen various kinds of individuals to rule the land. Some were quiet and withdrawn, but excelled improving the lives of others from a distance, while some had lived a much more extravagant life and brought smiles to the faces of everyone in the city. Some had focused on sea trade and enforcing existing businesses, some had reached out to other countries and forged alliances. Some were talented leaders but lacked in general knowledge, while some were knowledgeable in private but avoided the public eye.
Their latest ruler had been of the latter variety, rarely showing his face in public events or leaving the imperial palace. But he had been a peaceful ruler, who had made an effort to bring more of the art world and culture to the everyday life of citizens. For that, Zhongli personally was grateful. He hoped the new emperor would be a person he found as easily agreeable as well.
In the preparations for the Rite of Parting, while rumours and news made the city outside the parlour effervesce, one day passed.
Then two.
Then three.
When a week had gone by and Zhongli stood in front of the constructed memorial altar for Rex Lapis in Yujing Terrace, he felt the same unease that had consumed the city over the course of the week. The sky above him was covered in clouds, as if to emphasize the weighing doubts and fears of the people of Liyue, no matter how the Qixing had tried to quell the surging rumours and keep people calm.
The God of Contracts had not made his choice.
The selection of the new emperor had never in the records of history been longer than four days. Even that on just a single occasion, because the one selected was a fleet captain who had not yet returned to his home shores. The god’s choice would either make themself known or be found by the adepti who could sense the presence of their lord. The coronation of the new Rex Lapis usually took place the following day after the Rite of Parting for their predecessor.
But this time, no one had stepped forth. Nor had the adepti been able to find their god. Along with the sudden passing of their ruler under mysterious circumstances, the people of Liyue were crippled with rising uneasiness.
Zhongli tried to shift his thoughts back to his work, but everything was ready for the rite and he had done all he could. Now that the immediate pressure to work had shifted into waiting, he too would find his eyes turning to gaze towards the silent palace on Mt. Tianheng. Where had their ancient god, the Lord of Geo, disappeared to?