Chapter Text
It’s early in the morning. The mist atop the grass from the previous night had yet to settle. There, next to the pond, you lay. Eyelids too heavy to fight against, there is no will to move. The night had been chilly, the forest floor wet, but going back into that little cabin would be worse. God knows if you would’ve seen the sky again if you entered, so you lay in the grass. You lay, and lay, and lay, ready for your body to give up if that’s really what it desired.
Your heart rate spikes as you hear footsteps coming towards your frail self. As panicked as you were, it wasn’t enough to spurt you to move. For all anyone knew, you could’ve been a corpse, frozen to the ground. Mentally ready to be lifted and taken back into the cabin, you feel an unfamiliar aura close in. Even with the settling confusion and vigilance, you still couldn’t bring yourself to budge. Your energy used up, everything else in you, drained. You allow whoever was there to get closer to your vulnerable body. The aura increases in intensity, and you feel an insufferable amount of sadness lingering in the energy. Oh how much you would give to open your eyes and observe them, such a strange presence, but you have nothing left to give.
The person kneels down next to you, the radiating energy starting to impact you more. It’s so tense and miserable, and you can recall a strange memory of an aura such as this one. But you can’t handle the melancholy, the despair both this energy and the memory brings you.
You feel gloved fingers press against your neck, looking for a pulse, and you find yourself begging your heart to pump as strong as possible, trying to send a sign of life. But then the aura gets weaker, no footsteps to be heard. It disappeared with the blink of an eye, and you wondered if you are, indeed, a rotting corpse. The idea of it doesn’t scare you as much as it should have. Relaxing, even.
You let the consistent sound of the pond lull you close to sleep. Maybe if you sleep now, you wouldn’t have to wake up again. The birds chirped good morning to the still rising sun, its rays slowly protruding through the mist of dawn. You wish you could’ve smiled to show encouragement, support, to the world around you. It is peaceful. A wonderful little moment to die.
All up until you feel a different aura. Not the sad soul from before, no, this one exuding pure power. It scares you to the core. Heart now racing, you used the energy from the water and the birds, who had sung you a lullaby, to open your eyes. A hand sweeps under your hair, raising your head, and for the first time in hours, light intruded your iris.
You can’t tell if the other person was still around. Any other aura you had ever encountered would’ve been paled and silenced by this one. It is too bright to make out a face, but the calming amber of their eyes starts to engrave itself into your brain, now branded like a bull. You do not know what about them made all sense of danger disappear, but your muscles relax from the new-found safety you were in. Fatigue and exhaustion come over you, eventually. You finally feel save enough to rest and enter sleep, even against your better judgement. And so you did. You close your eyes, not soon after you were able to open them, and let your body do the rest.
Sleep comes and goes as a void. You had not dreamed or woken up even slightly. When you eventually do, you shoot up like an arrow, ready to be confronted with monsters, mages, whatever the closest danger might hold. But none of that your eyes pick up. Just a room, a bedroom. Your head would not recall all of what happened, of what brought you here. All you know and need to know is that you were no longer in the cabin.
”Hi?” A small voice makes you jump, your fluffy ears perking up, and your gaze immediately lowers. You had not noticed the little girl in purple just out of your field of vision. She looks strange, pale, weirdly clothed. You however can not sense a viscous intend. In fact, you can’t feel a thing. The little thing has no aura. Not anything you’ve ever met, that was still alive, that is. “Qiqi helped you with your injuries. Qiqi doesn’t want to hurt you.”
”Qi…qi?” You blink at her big, round eyes. “Are you Qiqi?” She nods once. Her voice sticks to you, so tired and lacking.
”Mr. Zhongli brought you to Qiqi. Told her to heal. Qiqi healed,” the strange girl continues, but it only confuses you more. You had never left the mountain you were born on, hardly ever met anyone that wasn’t part of those that call themselves family. Even though you are met with this new situation, you feel it couldn’t get worse than the one you were in before.
”I don’t know who that is.” Qiqi tilts her head and makes her way over to the wooden door slowly.
”You don’t? Strange…” Is it? Are you supposed to know who that is? “Qiqi is confused. He brought you here. You don’t know him?” You shake your head and she sighs softly. “Doesn’t matter. Qiqi’s job here is done.” She reaches for the doorknob and panic settles in your stomach.
”Wait! Qiqi, I don’t know where-“ She leaves before you can finish. You glare at the ceiling, dumbfounded by the new space you were finding yourself in. The room looks so much cleaner and sturdier than anything you had ever laid eyes on. Wherever you are, it must be the place of a true aristocrat. The wooden roof foundation alone looks to be worth more than your entire existence. Whoever that Zhongli is, he must be well versed in building extravagant cabins such as this.
You swing your legs over the bed and stand up. Your stance was still insecure, weakened by your tranced mind, but nothing you can’t handle. You walk to the door and rest your hand on the knob. It shouldn’t be dangerous for you to leave this room. If Zhongli had bad intentions, he surely would have acted on them, not rescue you, right? Nevertheless, you were a little curious about what lay beyond this door, your short tail wagging nervously. This room alone has been a culture shock, not to imagine the rest of the cabin. You can’t stay in this little room forever, but just before your hand turns the knob, you feel that overpowering aura once again.
Memories of this morning flash before your eyes. This now familiar energy, holding you in their arms, rescuing you from the cold dirt. Zhongli?
His presence still sends you mixed signals. Was he one to fear, or one to rely on? Cold blood runs to your fingertips, itching for you to open the door and face your savior. He wouldn’t have salvaged me if he was dangerous. This paranoia is ridiculous.
Before you could continue fighting your own thoughts, the door slowly opens from the other side. You jump a bit from the unexpected movement of the wood, ears tilted downward as your arms raise to your chest. You find yourself staring up at a tall, slender man. The amber eyes invading your memories as he crosses his arms in front of his chest.
”Awake now, I see. I didn’t mean to scare you,” he says, and you let out a small, nervous chuckle.
”N-No, it’s ok. Mr. Zhongli, I’m assuming?” You say, mustering up the courage to speak in such a venerable presence. He nods, giving you an up-and-down.
”Your wounds have healed quite fast, even with Qiqi’s help. Come, please sit down.” He motions you to follow him. Your steps were unsure as you make your way into the slim hallway, gawking at the incredible furniture and decor in the uncovering living room before you. There, on the sofa, sits a younger looking man.
His hair was dark, with teal streaks hanging to the sides. He wore a tight-fitting white, armless turtleneck and loose pants. As you come into view, his eyes, reminding of Zhongli’s, look up at you watchfully. You carefully sit down in the seat across from him.
”This is Xiao, a guardian yaksha,” Zhongli explains after realizing your intrigued eyes on him. You nod once, while Xiao returns his gaze to the floor. “We want to ask you a couple questions, if that’s alright.” Again, you nod. “First off, could you tell us who you are?”
You clear your throat before speaking up again. “My name is Y/N. I’m… well…” You struggle to come up with any more information besides your name. Not that you blanked out, but solely because there wasn’t anything you can think of that would be of use to the two men. Zhongli gives you a knowing smile.
”Y/N… what were you doing alone in those mountains? And how did you get these injuries?” He inquired, making you shuffle in your seat.
”Uhm… I live there.” Zhongli quietly looks over to Xiao, who also side-eyed him puzzled. “As for the injuries… my family is training me and they can be… quite rough sometimes.” Another confused gaze is shared between the men.
”Your… family?” You nod, confused. “And where do they live?” You tilt your head to the side, now staring at Zhongli bewildered.
”What do you mean? They also live there. We all live in the same cabin,” you answer honestly, furrowing your brows at his question. Zhongli seems to accept your answer after a moment of consideration.
”As for your powers, we noticed you’re not in possession of a vision. Yet your healing abilities are well beyond what is normal, even for a wielder. Tell me, why is that?” The men eye you curiously, making it hard for you to respond. And even then, what are you supposed to say?
”A… a vision… right.” You remember vaguely being taught what that term meant by your brother. “I do not have one, but for the powers, you mentioned.” You stand up, looking around the house until you spot something of use for a demonstration. You walk over to two flowers sitting in the water of a vase, slowly beginning to wilt away from their separation of their roots. Carefully, you lift your hands and rest them near the petals, letting some of your still low energy flow through your fingers. The flowers react almost instantaneously, growing back straight and regaining their full color. You decide to do a little more than just that, keeping your energy flowing into the pretty things. Very slowly, the flowers regrow strands of their roots, sinking into the water from their healed ends. You look back at the two men with a small smile. “I can manipulate living things, if that’s what you’re asking.” It was now their turn to look at you bewildered, now almost shocked with their eyes barely clinging onto their sockets.
”How…” Xiao spoke up for the first time, just to be left speechless. Zhongli regained his composure rather fast and furrows his brows in thought.
”So you’re saying you can manipulate all living things, even yourself?” You nod and chuckle at Xiao’s continued expression.
”Yes, exactly. But normally, when I’m not so drained, I can muster up a lot more, on a much larger scale. Healing these little flowers, though, is pretty much like breathing to me. It doesn’t need a lot of energy, just my concentration.” Zhongli shakes his head, impressed by your declaration.
Before anyone could respond, you hear screaming coming from the other side of the front door, your ears twitch according to the noise. It sounded like multiple people shouting out at the same time, combined with multiple pairs of feet running away hectically in all directions. The three of you snap your head to look in the direction of the commotion, Xiao gripping a spear that was hidden by his feet and springing into action. As he made his way to the front door quickly, you hear someone yell, “Wolf! There’s a wolf on the streets!”
Realization sinks as a pit in your stomach, and you immediately run and grab Xiao’s shoulder before he could open the door. He turns around, wide-eyed and confused as to why someone would stop him at a time like this. “Please, wait! Please stay put. Don’t hurt him. He’s… he’s my friend.” Xiao looks down into your pleading eyes, dumbfounded by your statement. You press him away from the door by your hand still on his shoulder, which in no way was an easy task. Eventually, he stopped resisting your touch and moves away voluntarily. Still in panic, you immediately open the front door, just to be thrown back by the weight of an incredibly large gray wolf. You land on the ground with a loud thud, disorienting you for a second. Once your vision focuses again, you see the wolf on top of you, though growling at Xiao in a protective manner. “Drop it! Drop your spear! Don’t threaten him!” you plead, large eyes now immersed on the spear at the wolf’s throat.
”Xiao, put it down,” Zhongli’s stern voice sounded still from his seat. Just like magic, he threw his weapon to the side, the blade clinking menacingly on the floor. Without wasting a second, you slide out from your position underneath the wolf, your feet mindlessly taking you in between him and Xiao.
”Ace, it’s ok. They won’t hurt you, ok? They won’t hurt me either. Everything is fine, buddy. Th-they helped me because I was injured. You just spooked them a little, you know?” You talk soothingly, hoping to calm the wolf’s aggression. Still baring his sharp teeth and claws, he looks around, taking in his new surrounding. With one last snarl at Xiao, the big boy lets out a whimper and drops himself onto the ground. You sigh with relief and also lower yourself onto your knees, petting him on the head while Xiao closes the door. A couple moments of silence pass with you pampering the wolf, catching both of your’s breaths.
”You have weird friends,” Xiao hisses and Ace lifts his head to look at him, making him retreat to the sofa. You don’t react to his comment, and continue rubbing Ace’s ears until you were sure he had calmed down for certain. With one last pat on the head, you stand up to face the men again, who were both exploding with questions.
”So…” Zhongli scratches the back of his head, unsure of what to say. “He seems… nice. Ace, was it?” You sigh.
”Yes, his name is Ace.” You sit down in your earlier spot, rubbing the bridge of your nose. “He’s been my… I guess my familiar… since I can remember. Gets worried a whole lot when he can’t find me, but usually he’s pretty calm,” you explain. “I must apologize. Him being in the city must have freaked out everyone. I’ve… I’ve never been to the city. Didn’t know wolves weren’t welcome.” Giving Zhongli a nervous smile, your tail begins to wag instinctively. He smiles back at you calmly.
”Don’t worry about it, I’ll take care of the people’s worries. Could we… go back to the questions? Sure you’ve figured out I have a whole bunch more now.” You chuckle a little and nod. “Well… I don’t know how to phrase this without potentially sounding disrespecting, but… what exactly are you?” He eyes your turned down ears and your tail still wagging behind you. You tilt your head in thought.
”To be honest, I don’t know. I don’t really know a lot about myself, I’m sorry, sir.” His question was rather appropriate, considering your looks. Your long ears that spread down to the side looked to have nothing in common with your relatively shorter tail, which has a lot less mobility due to the lack of muscles, causing it to only move side to side and up and down. Your tail is much pointier than the ends of your ears, almost looking like that of a hamster, though still maintaining its fluff. Zhongli hums.
”What a shame. Your lineage is rather interesting, and I can’t detect any adepti blood flowing through you. But don’t be sorry, there’s no need for such formality either.” He smiles at you kindly, automatically making you smile back. “And about your wolf friend, he doesn’t seem to be of normal origin either. Tell me, how old are you exactly?”
”I am…” You take a moment to remember. “I’m 114 years old. Ace is a lot older than me, though. He was already this size when I was born, but I can’t really tell how old he is exactly.” Xiao looks at Zhongli, worry plastering his expression, but you couldn’t pinpoint where it came from.
”You’ve been on that mountain for 114 years? That’s quite a long time spent in isolation, no? It’s quite dangerous there as well, no one has set foot there in ages,” Zhongli inquires, landing another confused look from you.
”I wouldn’t say that. After all, I have my family and all the animals inhabiting that part of the forest. As for the monsters, Ace and his clan usually deal with them. Sometimes I do have to step in when the threat seems too big, but that rarely ever occurs.” Another stunned moment is shared between the men. No matter how many questions you answered, their intrigue and confusion seems to grow with each one.
”Y/N, would you be able to join us tonight? I’d like you to meet someone very special and high-ranking in this nation. You are a topic of high interest to us, and I’d like to introduce you to her.” You shuffle nervously in your seat. It’s probably better if you made your way back to your home. You were scared of the repercussions that await you if you stay missing for too long. According to Zhongli, he must not have met your family, so they would not have known where or who took you away. On the other hand, though, he did save your life from the very people you’re trying to get back to. You sigh in frustration, but eventually nod. “Great! The person you’ll meet is lady Ningguang, the Tianquan of the Qixing.” You nod again, totally oblivious to the words that just came out of his mouth. “There’s an event happening tonight in the Jade Chamber, which means we’d better look presentable if we don’t want to be thrown from the sky. You should take a bath. When you’re done, I’ll have a friend of mine take you to get some more… appropriate clothing.” Zhongli looks at your disheveled clothes, barely hanging on a string. You blush and look down, quietly agreeing with him.
He stands up and walks over to a door in the hallway, opening it and revealing a small bathroom. You follow him and tip-toe into the room. Once in, Zhongli closes the door, leaving you behind to freshen up. You quickly strip yourself of your dirty clothing and begin to let the water fill the tub. Surprised by the warmth of it, you take a step back to inspect it. Warm water? Is there someone boiling it behind the wall?
You reluctantly dip your toes into the tub, the warmth immediately flowing through your entire foot. Though you were only used to bathing in cold ponds and rain, this was a rather nice surprise from your usual. Still not fully understanding where the warm water came from, you let your body sink into the bathtub, a blissful moan leaving your lips as the water coated your small frame. You hear the men continue conversing in the living room, not able to make out a single word. The warmth drags your eyelids down and relaxes you fully in the tub. Life is quite nice like this, you think.
You begin cleaning yourself with the expensive-looking soap smelling of even more calming lavender. The scent alone brings a smile to your lips, enjoying every single sensation your body is perceiving. After a while, with the water slowly cooling back down, you leave the tub and grab a nearby towel to dry yourself. Once you’re done, you hang it back to its previous spot and look down at your clothes on the floor. It would be a shame to put them back on, dirtying you right after being clean again. You cock your head and quietly walk to the door, your tail dripping a trail.
You open the door and step out into the hallway. The contrast with the warm air in the bathroom gives you goosebumps as the cold of the hallway messes with your naked skin. Looking up, you wag your tail at the men sitting in the living room, now joined by a tall, ginger man, smiling brightly at the others. Xiao is the first to notice you, since he wasn’t at all interested in the conversation the two others were having. His eyes immediately widen, jaw unclenching and hanging open. He shifts in his seat, his palms beginning to sweat, as he looks you up and down in disbelief. You look down at yourself confused. Was there something wrong? Were you hurt anywhere without having noticed? Xiao’s cheeks begin to glow a bright red.
“Well, that’s probably no job for Xiao anyway,” the ginger chuckles. “Right, bud..? Xiao?” The man slowly turns his head toward where his friend is gawking, catching your eyes and turning into the same state Xiao was in.
You clear your throat. “I-I didn’t want to put on the dirty clothes again. I-Is something the matter?” You shuffle uncomfortably from the gaze of the two men. Finally, Zhongli turns his head towards you, momentarily becoming pale. He swiftly stands up, rushing over to you. You cower under his height, his impeding frame making you retreat backwards until you found yourself in a new room entirely. He closes the door behind him, and even though you couldn’t feel any malice in his aura, you couldn’t help but to look at him with scared, big eyes. “I’m… I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt your conversation… I didn’t know wh-“
”Don’t…” He lifts his hand, causing you to silence yourself. “It… It’s ok, you didn’t do anything wrong.” He averts his gaze and tried his best to keep his head down.
”Is everything alright? Everyone seemed so… shocked? Am I still dirty somewhere?” You inspect yourself again, though not finding anything of notice.
”That’s… that’s not it. It’s just…” He struggles finding the right words, making you tilt your head at him perplexed. “Just taken aback by your sudden… nudity, is all,” he finishes. You nod understandably.
”So it’s not normal for city folks?”
”No… not in front of strangers, to say the least.” He walks over to a big closet, giving you space to look at your surroundings for the first time. It is a bedroom, entirely different from the one you had woken up in. The bed was ginormous, black satin sheets covering the mattress with a gold embedded headboard. The rest of the room followed this color scheme, making it look incredibly luxurious and majestic. Zhongli fumbles around in what you assumed were his clothes, pulling out a shirt and a pair of black pants. “I don’t have anything that would fit you, but this should do it for now. The pants should stay up with a belt and we just have to fold up the ends.” You nod and take the clothes he offered you. You pull the shirt over your head and the breams reach the middle of your thigh.
”I’m guessing just the shirt will do too?” You look at him, his cheeks a light shade of pink. He quickly averts his gaze again.
”You don’t… you’re not wearing any underwear. You should still wear the pants in case… the wind picks up outside.” You give him a hum in realization.
”Ahh, yeah, you’re right.” You quickly put on the pants he gave you, holding it up for him to wrap an obi belt around your waist. Once he’s done, he slightly tucks on your pants, testing if they are fixed in place. He sighs in relief.
”Ok, now you’re ready to go.” He pats you once on the head, wagging your tail at his gesture. “Come, let me introduce you to Childe.”