Chapter Text
He swayed with the heavy wind buffeting the Liyue cliffside. Another storm was coming, if the thick smell of humidity and the rolling clouds in the direction of Inazuma were anything to go by.
Guyun stone forest lay before him, a thousand years of harsh winds and acidic rains weathering the ancient stone pillars into rounded mounds. Water levels rising continuously had also done their part in drowning the remnants of an age so far gone even the people of the current time would likely fail to recall it in records.
‘People of the current time’.
As though Teyvat still lived. In recent times Zhongli had adopted that peculiar habit he struggled to rid himself of. Turning away from the view of the coast he began the trek back to Liyue harbor. This month’s weather was rough so there would surely be plenty of tidying up to do to pass the time. Preparations would also need to be made for the oncoming storm. Quite enough of Liyue had been swept away in bits and pieces throughout the years for his liking. Had he been able to reacquire his gnosis he would have been able to shield it from any natural disturbances. But alas the authorities had long since been returned to their rightful owners, even if said owners were no longer around to utilize them.
Zhongli passed through Guili plains on his way back, black outfit billowing in the wind. Several geo crystalflies fluttered to and fro. The vibrant remnants were always welcome company. They crowded his form, seeing his geo energy as a bright beacon. Nothing discernable remained of the Guili assembly of old but dead wind and pieces of the ever determined husks of ruin guards.
Nothing but his memory, and the record of the traveler, somewhere out there.
He passed through the valley to the north east of the harbor and crossed the bridge (it creaked underfoot, he would have to see to its repairs after the storm) into the harbor. To make up for the echoing quiet he hummed to himself and tapped the lapis cuff around his ear absently. Several of the buildings were nothing but cleaned remains. It wasn’t his intention to let his city wear down- and he would hate to see how Mondstadt and Inazuma had been fairing without someone to see to them- but the harbor was big, and the weather unpredictable. Given Liyue’s lean towards artistic designs and verticality there would be no saving all of it without at least two or three of himself. Or the gnosis. Alas.
Wangsheng funeral parlor had at least been kept in almost pristine condition. He opted to stay in his connected apartment throughout the years, so tending to the Director’s business was the least he could do. Speaking of which as he opened the door he ushered the following geo crystalflies in.
Eventually their energy would dissipate and they would fade into the atmosphere, into the earth, and back into the ley lines. But for now they were safest here. And he hoped they didn’t mind his company. A few anemo crystalflies also fluttered about, collected roughly a week ago.
“I do hope you don’t mind me keeping guests.” Zhongli said aloud. He looked up at the small swarm, then to a red spear laid over the front desk of the parlor. “I’m no good at being a director, but at least some things still see their ends here.” With that, he left.
Outside the old consultant got to work securing what he could. Everything on the streets had been packed away a long time ago so he only focused on setting up a cover for a corner of the Feyun Commerce Guild and covering the windows of Bubu Pharmacy. He always tried to make especially certain the doctor’s old pharmacy wouldn’t break down, but its location made it trickier to keep in a passable condition.
He recalled the doctor fondly as he covered the geometric windows. At some point Baizhu had succeeded in dispelling his contract with Changsheng in the form of ascension. He managed to reach the point of becoming an adeptus. Baizhu had been one of the last to ever do so.
The lower half of Liyue was, unfortunately, a lost cause. The rising water levels meant wading through what used to be the life of lantern rite in water up to his hips.
Next he took note of the Jade Chamber’s location- closer to Fontaine now as it drifted slowly in the wind. To be frank, he was quite surprised it was still floating as high as it had been a thousand years ago. The storm was close enough now that its clouds covered the sun. His warmth gone now, Zhongli sighed.
“Why don’t we take a break and enjoy some adeptea instead?” He mused. “The tree I planted on mt. Aocang is fairing well. Unfortunate that I can no longer refill Cloud Retainer’s fish pond for her though.” The consultant paused in the midst of heating the tea. His eyes focused on nothing and his mouth pursed. Boiling water brought him back to reality and he poured two cups.
“Bitter again, my apologies.” He brought the pot and cups to a small table set up outside the parlor. Zhongli set up both sides and took his cuff off, placing it opposite of him. “I know you prefer sugar, but ah, well. You know it well enough by now I figure.” He continued, drinking his own cup. Luckily for him, he enjoyed tea just about any which way at all.
“The leylines may be healing. I came across four crystalflies today, and there weren’t any particular manifestations from the nearby leylines.”
…
“I don’t want to be too hopeful or jump to any conclusions, of course.”
…
Zhongli poured himself another cup.
“I also returned to Nantianmen. I wanted to see if I could find any more of your remains, but…” he reached out and touched the cuff, feeling its smooth surface. “I’m sorry, Azhdaha.” For a while after, Zhongli spent his time in silent thought. Azhdaha would probably want time to himself as well after all.
The second cataclysm came suddenly. He called it such because there was no one else left and he’d never been good with names. Almost as soon as the authorities had been returned, something powerful within the core of Teyvat erupted. He knew it because he felt it. Everyone felt it. And then everyone began to die.
Whatever destructive force lied within the planet demolished Irminsul in its wake. Within a few days people grew sick, weary and confused as the ley lines released toxins into the atmosphere. As Irminsul tried to purge itself of its sudden sickness, it pumped that same sickness out into the world. The memories of the people of Teyvat became so faint that no spirits lingered after their passing, save for Hu Tao’s, so familiar with the inbetween. Her faint form was gone soon after.
It was simply as though the creatures of Teyvat had not existed in the first place, save for their lifeless shells.
Needless to say, it was a tough adjustment for the ex-archon.
“You made the earth quake for a long while afterward.” Zhongli spoke up again as he peered at the clouds overhead. A few spare drops made it to his skin, but he had some time before the storm properly reached the harbor. “It wasn’t until you quieted that I dared check on you.”
“You don’t have to forgive me, but please understand. You were delirious enough when the chasm leylines were mined. I had no idea the state you might have been in. I still wanted- want- to protect Liyue.” He stared down at his empty cup. He would’ve poured another, but it was already cold.
“We are alike, but because you are of this earth your body eroded with the death of Irminsul. That is how I realized I am not from here. Yet of all the memories I house, there is nothing from beyond the sky.”
Finally the rain began to set in proper. Zhongli put the ear cuff back on and brought the dishes inside, pouring one more cup for Hu Tao and the rest into a sink.
Just as he expected the wind battered Liyue like blades of air. It was almost reminiscent of XIao when he-
In any case, the consultant was settled in for the rest of the day. There’d be no use in him trying to go anywhere only to get swept to the bottom of the ocean.
Zhongli read in silence for the next few hours, so used to this extreme weather it was easy to tune out. He lit a few lamps near the window and settled in. Every so often a purple light flickered in and out of the storm- either electro energy or electro crystalflies dragged over from Inazuma like unwitting tadpoles. The story- A Thousand Nights- one he’d reread several times over, still proved much more entertaining to read it again than to write his own. There was no point for him in the creation of art if there was no one else to witness it. And keeping a journal would be both useless and depressing.
A moving form outside the window caught his attention. It ran past on the other side of the street and immediately his full attention was on it as it ran out of the view of the window. Was it a leyline manifestation? But there were no leylines near enough to leak into the harbor itself. He had to investigate immediately.
It looked humanoid, but maybe he had just fooled himself from the sudden excitement. Either way he disregarded the heavy thunderstorm and opened the door. Bracing against the sheet of acid rain beating down, he exited the parlor and turned to the main street. Out here he was glad he’d switched from his old formal attire to the older black and gold robes Menogias had designed for him. Simpler but sturdier. Zhongli squinted through the thick fog of rain but saw nothing. It was just the street, the worn red pillars and-
Something crashed into him. He stumbled backward and summoned his golden spear immediately, expecting the vicious memory of a Rifthound. Instead someone tripped over him in their effort to remain upright. The woman, he realized, was a few inches shorter and wore a clear overcoat and when she collided with himself she screamed.
A person.
A memory?
He had not seen a human manifestation of a memory since Director Hu passed.
She didn’t seem to be able to see well in the storm. Zhongli’s spear immediately dissipated and he steadied her with hands on her shoulders to which she yelped again but opened her eyes enough to see the man in front of her. Dark hair clung to her face. Her eyes looked irritable, and it dawned on him that the rain was acidic. Though he wasn’t sure if her memory should know this.
“Come inside!” He shouted over the rain and motioned back towards the parlor door. Even if she was a memory and therefore did not ‘feel’, that did not mean he wanted to be inhospitable.
The woman stared at him with wide scared eyes but nodded and dashed for the door. He followed close behind and forced the door shut against the howling wind’s wishes.
“There, better.” He sighed, shaking off what he could. She’d already done the same and now cradled herself with her arms with the overcoat tossed aside. When he spoke her eyes snapped up to him. Although he was glad to be of help, he felt unsure of the situation as a whole. Zhongli was still juggling the fact that what was happening was tangible with the fact that he had not spoken to someone in a millenia. Such an out of the blue occurrence could not possibly be ‘real.’
Then the woman said something in a language he was certain he had never heard before. He thought it may have just been the shock of the encounter confusing him, but her repeating the question(?) confirmed it.
“I’m- I’m sorry?” He spoke quietly. His mouth moved numbly, as did his mind. He was having trouble parsing what was actually happening. Someone was actually talking to him. It made him short circuit.
The woman frowned, then made an ‘o’ with her mouth and fished in her back pocket and pulled out a small object. She held out to him and pointed to it and her ear with her other hand. Zhongli reached out and was surprised when it actually had weight to it.
“This is real.” He muttered. Seeing no reason not to follow the lady’s directions he nestled the object in his right ear. It produced a small beep, and then nothing.
“Can you hear me now?” She asked urgently and loudly.
“Yes… what was that?”
“A synesthesia beacon. Um, a translator.” She answered, then clarified with a nervous wring of her hands. “Thank you for helping me out. I got lost and the storm cut off my connection and- you’re the only living presence we’ve found since we got here.”
“Ah.” He wasn’t sure… how to respond. Was he really? That didn’t seem right for a memory. “What…” usually so composed, he found his mind racing at the chance to speak to someone again.. She seemed to understand some of this and adjusted her coat, giving him time as the two stood in the funeral parlor. How does the beacon work? How did you get here? How long have you been here? Why are you here? Where are you from?
“You’re real?” Zhongli found his voice and the question he most wanted to ask. The woman frowned, making an expression akin to pity.
“I’m… yes, I’m real. How long have you been…” she motioned to the space around them, stopped for a moment when she spun to see the spear on the reception desk, and finished with the same depressing look.
While he wanted to contest her claim- memories always thought they were real- the item she’d given him was real, it functioned, and so he found himself without words. And as far as her question went… he couldn’t find the right answer. Close to a milleum at least no doubt. It was just- he had never let another human soul find out about his identity. Even if it was obvious he wasn’t human he still clung to the sense of normalcy it brought him.
“I-It’s okay! You don’t have to answer.” She leaned against the desk. It seemed she was too nervous to calm down. The puffiness in her eyes had begun to go away though, and it seemed the overcoat had taken the brute of the acid rain’s damage. Her uniform was also easier to discern now. A dark pressed suit with red trimming. The back had a peculiar bronze pattern that no doubt represented some sort of company, similar to the way he’d seen Fontainian Institute researchers wear their logo.
“I’m sorry, I’m just not entirely following. How did you… where are you…” Zhongli began to ask. He grimaced- there were too many unknowns. The woman eased slightly.
“Oh. I understand this must all be very alien to you.We didn’t expect to find a planet within the crust of another planet either. But this world is dead, sir. We’re just workers in the Strategic Investment department for the IPC. The- oh wait, you probably don’t know about that either, ah…”
The old archon watched as she mentally pieced together what she wanted to say, and he mulled over what she had already said. Teyvat, inside of another planet? What? They had a sun and stars, the sky changed, there was weather and life. How could they exist within the rock of another world? And this claim in the first place- she was claiming to be a descender? Her and this ‘we’ she came with.
“The Interastral Peace Corporation is the universe’s world peace organization, dedicated to Qlipoth in connecting planets together to promote wealth and welfare.” She coughed afterward, seeming to have cleared some sort of ‘obligation’ before delving into things. “We came to make contact with the people of this planet. But it turned into a historical archeology trip instead. ” Her voice quieted the more she spoke.
Zhongli took a seat and near immediately slouched forward, elbows on his knees as he stared at the floor.
“Inside a planet?” He echoed quietly. ‘ The skies of Teyvat are Fake. ’
“Yes, ah- oh. Sorry…” She realized that he hadn’t known. After a beat of silence she continued. “The skies here have stagnant constellations. That is to say, every day of the year they’re visible, which in a normal orbit-”
“ Please .” Zhongli spoke louder. He sounded pained . She stopped.
“... Sorry…”
There was silence again. For the next few minutes the IPC worker settled down. She finally took a seat of her own and looked out the window. The rain wouldn’t be slacking off for a while. She dug out a thin black box as well but frowned when she messed with it.
After a while the woman cleared her throat. “I presume you’re a long-life species. I’m not, but I understand carrying the grief of a whole world for a long time can’t be… good. Your home, what is it called?” He noted the way she carefully worded the tenses in her speech. Her mention of long-life species certainly peaked his interest, but he could only focus on so much at this time.
“Liyue- the nation and the harbor.”
“Liyue… it looks as though it was beautiful. From what we’ve studied, its culture and architecture reminds me a lot of another place called Xianzhou. Well, places.”
Zhongli looked up at her from his position. She was clearly getting to some sort of point, but seemed too nervous to say it outright.
“You’re asking me to leave Teyvat.”
She gulped and wrung her hands faster as a sort of self-soothing mechanism.
“May I ask your name? I’m Janeth.”
He sighed.
“Zhongli.”
“Mr. Zhongli, the stellaron- the-” she stuffed down the urge to explain, “your world was once lovely and thriving. But it’s… gone now. My colleagues and I wouldn’t dream of forcing you to leave.” Janeth began to explain. To her benefit there was a great deal of care in her voice as she locked eyes with the ex-archon.
“There are other worlds out there. I don’t want to leave you here. If- if you’d be willing, I could get you to one of the Xianzhou ships. I think you’d really come to like it there.”
Zhongli ceased their staring contest to look down again. These descenders could leave just as easily as they’d come, then. But if he left, who would look after Liyue? No. No the way he thought about that, was he actually considering something so hasty? Did that not mean he didn’t care enough for his own nation? Did it not mean abandonment of his people even if there were none left to care for? He was reminded of his recent habit, making decisions as though Teyvat still thrived.
If he left, there would be no one on Teyvat to remember its history.
Yet if he did leave, there would be someone (including the traveler, hopefully) out there who could tell its stories.
He had always loved recalling old memories. So much so he was certain Azhdaha must have been tired of it by now.
But Liyue would no doubt succumb to ruin as the other nations likely had by now.
He was Liyue just as much as Liyue was himself. To part with it would be to lose the thing he'd stood for and protected for the majority of his life. It would be to lose half of himself.
…
“You really think I might find another life for myself out there?” He asked quietly. Janeth almost didn’t hear him and seemed surprised herself.
“I really, really do mr. Zhongli.”
Zhongli’s hand ghosted Azhdaha’s cuff around his ear. If he took her claim at face value, maybe there wasn’t just hope for himself, but for his old friend as well.
“Alright.” Take me to Xianzhou.