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In a world where everyone's a victim to all sorts of herbs, fauna, and fungi. It's almost everyday you see one would succumb to their emotions and feelings, eventually turning into a monstrous combination of flesh and nature.
Archons were never part of this. When people adored their gods and leaders, no one was endangered with the admiration and love they felt for them.
But Childe didn't know he had fallen in love with archon. And the moment Rex Lapis stands down from his throne. He was consumed by the horrid pain of flowers blooming inside his body.
The disease would take you slow at first since one's affections would gradually grow in time. So it starts inside, and slowly your whole body decays into nature. But Childe was head over heels, he loved him wholeheartedly. His feelings were strong thus the spreading of flowers were as well.
At first he thought that Zhongli had loved him back since as soon as he accepted his feelings towards the consultant, no flowers appeared. He thinks that maybe after he's released Osial, the liyuen took notice and fell out of love.
The moment Zhongli sees Childe hiking up a hill, he follows him suit, curious of what he is plotting.
The ginger smiles triumphantly on the grassy top, looking over the harbour as they scream and run for their lives. The sea danced in a fury like explosive anger, crashing waves and waves of harsh dangerous waters. He had just freed the shackles of an old god,he would be lying if he said he didn't feel a bit guilty.
And as if it was a punishment, a sharp pain courses through the harbinger's body. The snezhnayan wretches in pain, seeing his vision become blurry and his whole world suddenly spinning. His form lays on the ground, kneeling to the heavens as if he was trying to repent for his sins.
It was raining, every single thing was drained of color as the clouds shadows above the two. But to Zhongli, Childe's adorable mop of orange hair stays vibrant much in contrast to his dark eyes that hosted a dark void. What he didn't expect was that one of those eyes morphed into flowers. He wanted to scream and rip the flowers off of him, but he knows better.
The flowers are Childe.
He runs to the ginger's side, his hands cradling his head.
"Do you really ha..te me that mu -cough - m-much?" He chokes, feeling a branch or two scratch his throat. Childe tries to look up at the consultant, tearing up at how he can only see him with one eye now.
Zhongli shakes his head, "No! No! I do love you! I love you!"
Was it love? Has he ever really loved someone? His emotions were not chained to the danger of fauna, would he really know if feelings were real? As an archon, he has suppressed so many of them- of sadness, of lust, and of love. And for them to resurface now adds on to him being confused about what is real or not. If he really loves him or not. Because if he really did love him… Then they wouldn't be in this situation- then Childe wouldn't be dying before his very eyes…
This makes the snezhnayan chuckle, he doesn't believe him. In fact, he doesn't believe in many things the consultant promises. Planning for long walks on the beach, arranging more dinner dates, organizing more tours around the nation. It never happened. And now it will never happen.
"Mr. Zhongli… I can't feel my legs anymore… could you take a small…. peek and see if they're… " he tries to breathe, it's really hard now. He can feel his body become twice as heavy, the disease probably must've already taken his lower body.
Zhongli shakes in fear, reluctantly turning to Childe’s limbs.
Limbs? What limbs?
There were only flowers, flowers, and more flowers.
He screams, hugging the ginger’s torso hoping to shield him from the spreading of it. Childe chuckles more, he knows it's the end of his life now. The liyuen’s looks of fear and dread were surely expressions he never thought of seeing on the old man’s face. He wanted to say it doesn't suit him, that he should leave him to rot.
Zhongli claws at the ground, mud covering his fingers and dirtying his gloves. He didn't care, the love of his life was fading away into flowers possessing the color blue. He clutches the harbinger's soaking uniform, only for it to twist into delicate blooms.
It was a miracle honestly, he handled all the agony of turning into flowers while laughing it off beside the very person who was the reason for his downfall. He was a soldier after all, he just thinks it's just a shame he didn't get to die on the battlefield like he used to daydream of. Quite funny actually, for a hardened fighter to die due to the feeling of love and loss.
Another sharp pain shocks him, this time it was his heart.
It's time.
He gently turns to Zhongli, looking him in the eye one last time. Amber pupils were filled with sadness, and his own were filled with acceptance.
"I'm sorry… sorry… I hurt your people… I'm…. so..rry.."
"No, Childe its not-"
Crunch
The consultant jumps back, his knee had apparently squashed some flowers-
His knee had squashed some flowers.
Zhongli suppressed another scream when he saw that… that Childe has no body anymore.
He was a lifeless head attached to a patch of flowers now.
"I love you." He tries to press his forehead to Childe's, but his face was only met with the soggy ground.
He sobs as his tears mix with the muddy surface, the weather mocking him as the sunlight shines on Liyue, showcasing such a beautiful grassy field adorned by blue and grey flowers.
"…Childe … I love you…"