The god's last wish (Zhongli/Diluc x OC)

3

The next morning, Anthea woke up to her husband's gentle pecks all over her face.

"Good morning." She greeted him with a smile.

"We have a few time before our carriage to Liyue harbor arrives. I heard that they serve good breakfast here, so shall we go try?" She nodded, tackling him with yet another embrace.

"I like the tranquillity of this place." Diluc whispered as he breathed in the scent of his wife's hair. "Or perhaps I just feel this peaceful because I'm by your side."

"You give me way too much credit." Anthea said, only giggling his husband's statement off. But deep down, she knew she felt the same with him. Be it in silence, in boisterous noise, in peace or in war, she found comfort in every places when he's around.

"Only to you, Thea, only to you." He said as he placed a light kiss on her shoulder.

"You're too cheesy for your own good, dear husband. Was the grumpy side of yours others would so oftenly see just a facade all along?"

"I've never been grumpy. I just take serious things more seriously than the others. Many of people I know loves to play around too much, and I'm not like them." His wife only chuckled.

"You sound like you're only pertaining to a single individual. A certain Cavalry Captain, I assume." Diluc only kissed her forehead in response, pretending he never heard her.

"Shall we get breakfast now?"

-

The night has finally come, forcing all labors into halt, and all the people of Liyue into a slumber, yet for the Former Archon, the time of rest is yet to come.

Even if he acknowledges sleep, he would never be able to replenish the strength he had lost through the years. Not when she still hasn't return.

Deliberately pressing the small cup to his lips, he silently sipped on the Osmanthus wine he brewed himself. He took a moment to gaze upon his creation, the properous country of Liyue, adorned with orange lights that symbolized it's wealth.

Yes, it was pleasing to the eyes. But his heart still ached, longing not for all those achievements but for a certain warmth.

The god sighed in frustration, he had long given his godhood up for it was about time 'that' contract would take effect. But she still haven't shown up.

He took another sip of the wine. He was not the type to use the beverage so rashly to cover up his emotions as the mortals would, but nowadays he'd find himself casually indulging thoughtlessly to help him forget his longing for a while.

"I knew you weren't dead. I've always known."

"You've been free of your obligations with me long ago, Guardian. To what do I owe this pleasure?" the god asked, acknowledging the presence the adeptus behind him.

"I saw Mother."

The tiny cup snapped at the sudden pressure from the god's grasp. Those three words from the adeptus was enough to give a strong glow to his flickering hope.

"How do you know it was not just another similar face? We've made that mistake countless times before."

"She did not recognize me, but the moment she laid her eyes on me, her heart cried. Her heart does recognize."

"Where is she right now?"

The Adeptus remained silent.

"Where is she, Xiao?" It was the first time Zhongli raised his voice after so many years of avoiding his wrath.

Xiao only shook his head. "She's had a different life now. It will be best not disrupt it for her own good. And yours too."

"I need her Xiao. I need to be wrap my arms around her waist, I need her warmth, I need her with me." The god pleaded. Even when he knew he was higher than the adeptus. He pleaded in desperation.

"And mother doesn't. I need her too. I miss her too. But mother is happy, we should not ruin it for our own desires."

Zhongli's grasp on the broken shards of ceramic wine cup tightened. The Adeptus would never understand his longing. His heart had long died with her, yet the pain remained through all the years. And he couldn't bear it any longer. She vowed that she would return, and he held on to that. Without that promise, he'd be left with nothing.

"Perhaps you can give way, but it doesn't apply to me. Now that I know that she's alive, I'll find her no matter what. "

The adeptus watched as the former archon dissappeared in the dark. To say that he was worried was an understatement. He wanted to talk it out with the god, and make him agree to let her go in this lifetime. He blamed the two of them for her death