My Archaic Jewel [Childe X Zhongli] (Fanfic)

Chapter VI: Destiny's Embrace

Long and snaking crimson trails stained the dirt. Decapitated Hilichurls were littered all over the place with the rancid stench of blood and death filling the air.

Tartaglia swung his Hydro blades with a will of steel and his arms manoeuvred relentlessly like the violent rapids of a stream.

Bloodshed and slaughter were the only forms of destressing that Childe knew of. Every single contraction and flexion of muscle in a heated battle would efficiently extinguish the pent up mental strain that had accumulated over the weeks.

Splat!

Nonchalantly crushing the skull of the last Hilichurl beneath his heel marked the end of his last combat practice for the day. Underneath his blue pearls possessed an unwavering hope-a belief that his misunderstandings with Zhongli had a chance to be rectified. It was the only thing that he could think of all day.

The past few weeks were miserable for the poor boy. He spent ways of thinking up solutions, but they were all so flawed that it would only exacerbate the situation.

He thought of getting the renowned Traveler that acquired the title of Honorary Knight of Mondstadt to assist since he was well-known for his charitable deeds towards the people and his legendary battle against the fearsome Stormterror.

However, Childe caught wind of the Traveler's execration towards the Fatui. This meant it would be pretty difficult to get him to cooperate and follow along with his plan without generating unnecessary doubt and suspicion. Not to mention he brought around a super annoying pixie that would tick anyone off with her squeaky little voice.

He was left with no options, knowing that he couldn't get the help of the Fatui or anyone else. He paced around aimlessly before halting in his tracks. An arrow of realisation struck him and it resonated throughout his being. This wasn't the way he would usually think.

It was then that he realised he was desperately scurrying to others for help, avoiding the awkward and tense situation altogether. Rather than resorting to cowardly antics, he had to take matters into his own hands. He had but one final option. He pumped up his chest and understood the necessary action he had to make.

Face Zhongli to clear the air himself.

He inhaled deeply and exhaled fully once. Purging himself of all hesitation and anxiety to focus on his one main desire at hand. The two signature daggers were sheathed a moment later and he advanced rapidly towards Liyue Harbour. He'd first have to scour the one place that Zhongli would most likely reside in at the moment.

"The Fatui may have ordered me to retrieve the Gnosis. But I firmly believe I'd never play with your feelings. However, you didn't deny that you knew about the Gnosis. This means you hold some sort of knowledge of where the Gnosis might be if the Fatui sent me after you. But whatever it is, I'm not looking for you to complete this stupid mission. I'm going to get you back."

He came to terms with his true feelings and pushed forth with no regret.

Shortly after arriving at Wangsheng Funeral Parlour, he noticed that Zhongli wasn't present. This rattled his mind and the boy quickly thought hard of where else he would have wandered off to. Despite swiftly scanning the streets of Liyue Harbour, he was still nowhere to be found. He scratched his head and thought harder of where Zhongli would've gone to.

He never spoke of any family or siblings, hence Childe wouldn't have a clue as to where Zhongli wandered off to. In fact, the man rarely spoke of himself and spoke about the world around him much more than he would about himself. It's like he loved the knowledge of the world so much, or he was concealing something from Childe.