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In Teyvat there is one big secret place, a magic and mysterious one, a school where all kinds of creatures could assist as long as there is some magic power in them. The grandiose school of occultism and magic arts is the place where the witches and wizards of all the continent became great and powerful at their doing, and of course, Zhongli the only son with magical power of the Qixing clan must be there, as the top student, Zhongli a wizard smart and powerful, there is no record of another student as remarkable as him in all the centuries this schools has existed.
Zhongli is kind and smart, always trying to help the rest of his classmates and trying his best in every possible way even though, he does not look satisfied or happy, never, but well, if he has to admit he is only there because of the pressure the Qixing has put on him, he does not find anything particularly exciting about magic, the poisons, spells, book, incantations, familiars, the abilities of his schoolmates, his own powers, it is always the same, nothing seems to move his stone heart with passion, nothing at all.
One afternoon with nothing in his schedule Zhongli is invited by his professor to watch an arts show “they are dancers, it is a particular way of doing their magic, it is nothing practical or useful in a way other arts or practices are but, I am sure you will find it interesting and perhaps it may awake something in you.” That’s what he said and that is way Zhongli is sitting on a red chair in a particularly crowded theater waiting for the dancers to show up, and he doesn’t have to wait that much, soon, violins, oboes, flutes, horns, trumpets and drums started filling the room with a harmonious sound that make everyone in the room look at the stage Zhongli included, and his teacher was right, the magic was floating all over the stage it was doing nothing, apparently but it was so beautiful and calming that Zhongli for a moment felt like he was in another dimension. Everything was pretty a bit different of the usual magic he is used to see and use, but studently the light faded a little, the music began to sound stronger and stronger, all the dancer were gone and the stage started to fill with water, as if it was a fishbowl the water stayed in its place and form until a dancer came on the scene, his garments were simple a maroon shirt with puff sleeves and a black leotard all ballet dancer always were, there was nothing special in that men costume, but for some reason he seems to enchant all the audience with his preens alone, Zhongli included. The ginger hair swiftly moving in the water, his long and strong legs gracefully moving across the water, and his deep blue eyes that seems to look nowhere, it was as if he was drowning but never dying, gorgeous.
And for the first time in all his life Zhongli felt de dust in his heart moving away.
Soon and easy Zhongli find out everything about that gentleman, his name was Ajax, he was a human who came all the way from the cold north mountains just to enter the school an became the best magic dancer of all Teyvat, he was fierce and rebellious just like his performance, Zhongli was captivated by the handsome young man and wish nothing but to feel that movement in his heart that only Ajax made him feel, but how could he approach this man?
And is if his thoughts and prayers were listened one day his professor appeared in front of him with Ajax at his side. “Zhongli finally I found you, I would like you to meet this student, he is two grades below you, he is a magnificent dancer and a pretty decent student in almost all of the assignments but he is having trouble with potions spells and well practically al that must be write, so I wanted you to help him, we don’t want someone talented like him fall because of his imprudence, what do you say?”
And Zhongli felt that in his heart again.
The tutoring wasn’t easy at first, indeed Ajax was a rebellious and complicated boy, he doesn’t seem to be interested in nothing else that ballet, but soon he finds himself also interested in the deep soft voice of his new tutor.
And without noticing it Ajax has passed all his assignments but also hi has fallen in love with his tutor, Zhongli. And contrary to Zhongli he is not someone who thought a lot about things, he just feels and do, and so he confessed, he told Zhongli how his heart flutter with fervor each time they see, how he cant think in anything else but his amber eyes and soft voice, how he wish to kiss and touch every part of his body, how he wish more than anything to dance with him, and a very flushed Zhongli says that he has never ever dance before, but he also wish more than anything else to dance with Ajax. So, they do, and the feeling in Zhongli´s heart is inexplicable.
And for the next five years everything is incredible, as if Zhongli truly experienced magic and its graces, being with Ajax it’s everything for him, his kisses, touches, words, dances, everything his now husband does is simply a blessing for him, the feeling in his chest never stops.
But soon Zhongli is put back to reality, where Ajax is a human, and humans live short, not only that they are also very, very fragile, and his dear Ajax it’s not the exception.
“We don’t know what it is”
“Such strange sickness”
“No human has ever had this before”
“We are sorry, but we don’t think we can find a cure on time”
Those stupid doctors, wizards, and witches, always bragging high about themselves, talking how smart and powerful they are, lies, there all lies, they can do a thing when they are needed.
And Zhongli cries, he doesn’t want to feel this in his chest.
“My love I’m sorry I did this to you, I wish I wasn’t a burden to you, all I wanted is to make you happy and seems like I failed” says a very sick Ajax, he es now skinny, pale, and the deep blue in his eyes it’s just so wrong.
“Do not say that Ajax, you’ve done nothing but bring happiness to my life, and don’t worry love, I will do something for you, I have to.”
And Zhongli does, he is the most brilliant mind Teyvat has ever seen, and he will prove it, he works nonstop finding a way to save Ajax. And that is how the big accident happens. All those substances, those runes and books, the spells mixed in an explosion falling upon all the habitants of the Qixing house, so it stopped being the luxurious mansion of a powerful family and began to be the mansion of horrors and his master was Zhongli.
And Ajax was not Ajax anymore, at least not physically, he was now, huge a huge purple monster, his hands were now big metallic claws, his skin was covered with a rigid armor and his face was covered with a red mask with nothing but a blue circular crystal in the middle of it.
Everyone was a monster now, some boy with a demon red face, the lady of the house was now a huge snake with a lot of stones as eyes, a siren with a patch as its tail, a horn that pours the most acid milk, a purple lamp that can’t turn on, everyone was now a hideous creature, everyone except Zhongli who looked at everyone with disgust, but the look he gave to Ajax was so painful, the horror and revulsion in his eyes is still fresh in Ajax memories.
“You are not him” that’s what Zhongli said, and Ajax felt his own dead.
The years passed and passed, the obsession of Zhongli only grow bigger and bigger.
“Does he not realize I’m here?”
“Does he not love anymore?”
Were the thing Ajax or now Foul Legacy as Zhongli named this form of him, was always thinking.
Three hundred and fifteen years have passed since he and Zhongli married, and he still remembers it, now that Ajax think of it, if it weren’t for this form he could died a long time ago, he couldn’t be able to see Zhongli, and they couldn’t be together not even in this weird way, so perhaps if he tells Zhongli that he will understand right?
And as always Ajax never thinks before acting, so he gathers the prettiest flowers he could find and makes his way to Zhongli’s room, the rest of the monsters just pity him, and gave him a sad look.
Knock knock knock…
Three is the number Ajax count before he enters the dark room, his now master is as always sitting in his desk writing, experimenting and looking at that painting. Zhongli doesn’t even bother to look at the door or stop his writing, so Ajax speaks anyway.
“Master Zhongli, I …, I found these flowers, there for you… I remember that when I was a human you enjoyed when I gave you some of the…”
“Shut up”
“But master, listen I been thinking and I…”
“I said, shut up” Zhongli angrily screams, throwing his pen to the big armor in front of him, his amber eyes that used to be calm and brilliant are now red and tired.
“You horrendous beast, when will you learn your place” Zhongli stands, aggressively takes the flowers from Ajax’s hands and spanks them where his face used to be. “Get on your knees” and Ajax does.
“Look at it, look at the painting and tell me, how are you like him?” And Foul Legacy looks at the painting, indeed he is no more that men, the painting its two beautiful men just married, and where hi supposed his heart is hurting like hell. “Tell me monster, how?” Zhongli screams.
“In nothing master”
“Exactly, looks like that big head of your its not totally empty, and you know why is that?”
“I don’t master”
“Because you are not him, look at you, you are horrendous, every time I look at you, I feel disgusted, my chest feels so much pain and horror each time you are close to me, you are nothing like Ajax, so stop, stop your delusions because you only make me hate you more”
“Yes master, I am very sorry”
“I do not care, now, clean does dirty plants of you and stay away from me, unless I ask you to be useful for me”
“Yes master”
And Ajax lift each petal of the floor as if he is lifting each piece of his heart, he left the room in silence.
It doesn’t matter, he thinks, even if Zhongli can’t love him anymore, he will, he will do it for all eternity, he will love and obey Zhongli no matter what, he can even cry in this form, so it is fine.
He will lift the scattered petals of his heart each time.
It has always been like he is drowning but not dying, that is the reason Zhongli felt in love with him after all.