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The grass had never been more lushious than on that day, nor had the wild glaze lilies ever shimmered brighter. The rose and orange sky trailed the setting sun, casting shadows in the distant stone giants. Lanterns lit up the rising night, to welcome the moon.
The Guili Assembly honored one of its creators with the warmth of a new welcome. They had built a home and no matter what had brought them together, it had become a family.
Adepti surrounded Morax, placing gifts in his hands. The sounds of chatter and merriment filled the night as they celebrated. The most appreciated gift of all was the delightful osmanthus wine now being shared for the toast.
Guizhong in her indigo dress and billowing sleeves brought her elegance to Morax’s brute force. Her gift to him was of knowledge and refinement - presents that nothing and no one could take away, not even time.
Kinship in complementing one another’s flaws with their qualities formed a bond of equality and trust, and the gift of affection and friendship was more than Morax had ever expected to receive from another living being - much less another god.
Marchosius might have split himself into several - this time not to help their people, but to cook the night’s feast - but he still had one of the many minions he turned himself into free to enjoy the festivities next to his good friend. He shared with Morax the most delightful treats of his creation. The food itself did not carry sophistication, but the homeliness and warmth of familiarity and comfort. It was as if the God of Stone had always tasted these delicacies and they brought back fond memories of the past, though he had only come to know these just that night.
This new home was his past and his present. And if the tides of time allowed, may it also be his future.
-
But of course, it was not to be so. That might still be the most special birthday he could hold in his memory, safely tucked away in a vault of precious recollections. The memory of those he could call friends for the first time. Those who shared the sweet wine with him. It was due to them, in part, that he now carried the pain of surviving alone. The rest was due to the burden of a good memory. Erosion took longer to destroy stone, and the details of his past were still too sharp. But not as honed as they had once been.
Zhongli looked to his right to see Xiao and Gangyu sitting next to him. Although it was night time now, they sat under the bough of a Sunsettia Tree, over one of the high perches of the Sea of Clouds. One of the best views of Liyue that nature could offer.
This was a different form of celebration. Small, intimate, nostalgic, perhaps even a little sad, but also liberating. No longer an Archon, now perhaps the two Adepti next to him carried higher importance than his mortal self, but they were still those he viewed as his charges - his children. It was the best company. Especially now that the weight of guilt seemed lighter on Xiaos’s shoulders and the melancholia of not belonging faded somewhat from Ganyu’s eyes.
They observed the city from a distance, but both Xiao’s and Ganyu’s gaze were more often found on Zhongli, with a small measure of concern in them. They wanted him to feel celebrated, not sorrowful. But as long-lived beings themselves, it seemed harder with each passing year not to find some form of regret in the fallen days, a person to miss, something to wave goodbye to.
“We may not be those who shared the memories and the taste of osmanthus wine with you, but we can still share it now and create new memories.” Ganyu spoke softly.
“Mhm.” Xiao was short on words, but nodded in agreement, handing over a bottle of the precious wine to Zhongli. It was their gift.
“To be fair…I was around long enough to remember many things, but oftentimes I was placed at the kid’s table and not allowed to partake.” Ganyu complained.
The words ripped soft laughter from Zhongli. “Yes, in the end I will always see you both as young ones.” He sighed, holding the cool bottle between his hands. Though his eyes were fixed on the sight of Liyue at night, with its colors and lights and sounds, and while his heart was present with the two beside him, his memories took him away once more.
-
Removing an Archon from their Nation was not always so simple, and yet not often so complicated. Managing to meet was not as rare as expected, and more joyful than could be believed.
Those were beings who understood one another, even when sharing opposing views. There was mutual respect. Not always, but most times. They were the ones who had fought a war together and claimed their seats rightfully. They were the only ones who knew what it was to share a connection to the heavens, the secrets of the stars and the necessary lies to keep peace and balance. This thrust upon them a bond, a mutual understanding that kept them from starved loneliness.
This was why a few of them still chose to cherish one another and share in the unlikely friendships of warriors and strategists who had shed blood and trampled upon life for reasons of their own, to claim the place they deserved.
However, none of the pompous air of power and grandeur remained as they sat together at a table to celebrate the oldest of them.
Four of them were present, drinking the sweet wine favored by the birthday god, despite their attempts at introducing beverages from their own lands. Once the night came to its end, it was always the countless empty osmanthus wine bottles rolling on the floor. And a few extra bottles of dandelion wine.
The God of Thunder was surprisingly gentle and kind-hearted, delighting in the novelties found in each nation and the growth of the peoples of these other lands. The strikes of disciplining storms were left to a trusted one, and she could keep her mind open to the world.
The Lord of Verdure brought light and new life in her step, and seemed to complement and heighten the views of her Electro friend in sharing the joys of observing the growth of humanity and its vast, but budding wisdom.
The Anemo God brought a breath of fresh air in his creativity, the love of arts and the poetry in their existence. The freedom he preached was both his greatest strength and his undoing.
All of them seemed freer and gentler than him, the one being celebrated. The one who tried to live in the present, but was often dragged to the past by his own hands. The one who lived to honor rules and observe tradition.
And yet, he was fortunate to still captivate these friends enough to share in their laughter and company and receive the gift of their presence.
And it was not just them. From days gone the Adepti still remained, and that one trusted friend who had followed him from the ruins of their Guili haven to found Liyue. Marchosius remained by his side, claiming the fifth seat on their table.
“This is my great new creation.” The God of Stove shared excitedly. The love with which he cooked to feed others was infectious. “A Chilli-Mince Cornbread Bun…inspired by what this land has offered us upon our arrival.” He broke pieces of the bread to share around the table. His smile was captivating as he heard the hums and sighs of joy and appreciation, which he took as direct compliments to his food.
This friend reminded old Morax that even with pain in his past and emptiness in his heart, joy could still be felt, and his heart could still be filled again, despite the holes left behind by war and time and loss.
-
Zhongli sighed. “I do feel like my memory is not quite the same anymore. Even my remembrance of one old friend…the one who ruled over Wisdom and new life…seems fuzzy and conflicting. Perhaps I truly am giving way to erosion at last.” Why was it he remembered the God of Wisdom drinking with them if she was just a child? Perhaps her choice of form was much like Venti’s, inconsequential to her age. But somehow it puzzled him. It felt like he knew an old friend, and yet not at all.
The Wangshang Funeral Parlor consultant let out a long, emptying breath. It was to be expected. He did always boast his great memory, but only so much could fit one head over six thousand mornings and sunsets and nights.
“Too many birthdays to recall them all, but a few special ones will remain. Despite our modest celebration, this will be one of them…A day when the three of us are at peace at last…preparing for the future, but learning to enjoy the present.” He told Xiao and Ganyu, his voice resounding quietly in the windless night.
He knew when the breeze blew, it would announce the visit of another of his few remaining friends, but that would come later, when they could reminisce alone of their shared secrets and concerns and speak of the hope for a different resolution to the many cycles of their world.
But now, where he sat, with these people, it was what it felt to him to be among family. “I do not regret the long years, nor the pain I have suffered or inflicted…but I do wish the road to this day could have been shorter. And particularly lighter on you both.” He spoke those words despite knowing all things happened in their own time, and that such a wish would never be more than a passing fancy.
He opened the bottle of osmanthus wine and reached for the small glasses Ganyu had brought along with her, pouring each of them a chalice. Their glasses clinked quietly, without the praising words and wishes of a toast celebrating the owner of the night. They knew what they meant to one another, and the unpayable debts of gratitude and priceless bonds of respect and affection.
The sweet and fragrant taste had barely licked against their tongues when the soft rustle of leaves drew their ever alert attention.
It took some time until the small creature untangled itself from one of the bushes. The familiar shape of the bear-like being became visible under the moonlight and Zhongli relaxed, a gentle smile on his lips. Their guest was a little too round and soft to be menacing, definitely small and endearing enough to be adorable.
Guoba. His old friend Marchosius. The unthreatening form he had now agreed with the kindness of his heart. He had once hoped to embrace humanity by teaching it to survive, nurturing it to health, helping them strive for success. Now he perhaps inspired affection and pity, receiving much beloved food and hugs as payment for his mere existence. He seemed to live a happy life.
His great sacrifice to Liyue had been forgotten by most. Guoba himself had forgotten it. And yet, deeper bonds remained.
The little god wobbled its way up to Zhongli’s left side and plopped down next to him. His hands had been occupied by what the Geo God now identified as that lovely Chilli Cornbread Bun. One large enough to share.
Guoba broke the bread in pieces and handed them over to Zhongli to pass them out to the others.
Affection welled up in the Geo God’s heart with unexpected power. Here was his old friend, one who did not remember the taste of their wine, nor the heights of their accomplishments building a safe haven, but who, somehow, still carried this old, fading god in his heart. The Stove God and the Stone God, sitting side by side, biting into the fluffy and aromatic bun as they munched away in silence, filling their bellies and their hearts with the content of good food and good company.
Taken over by the feeling bursting from his chest, Zhongli decided to attempt impulsiveness for once. He spread his arms wide to wrap them around the shoulders of his children and his friend, squeezing them tightly enough to draw a grunt of displeasure from Xiao and a giggle from Ganyu. Guoba himself seemed perfectly pleased.
“Ah old friend…my words of the past remain true then…Friendship continues to withstand the ravages of time. Thank you .”