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

31

Anthea opened her eyes to an endless dimension. It was vast, yet empty. No matter how fast she ran, she kept reaching the same vague world. A world as hollow as the reflection on her eyes.

Weary, she fell to her knees. She kept whispering the name of her husband and her two sons, but her voice would just bounce back as her entire world became engrossed with darkness. There was no light, no tunnel, and no exit. She was all alone.

'The Nymph of Teyvat is destined to help people find happiness, but never to find hers.' She recited those lines from an old prophecy over and over again.

Her heart burned no more, she was alive, yet dead. For once in her long exhausting life, her chest felt cold inside, as if her heart was stolen from her.

Tears were falling from the corner of her eyes, yet she felt none as she kept on reciting her lines.

—

Diluc felt cold as he laid on the grass, protectively embracing his wife's body. As he trailed his fingers on her golden hair, he kept singing the song she used to sing to him when he found trouble sleeping as he wept.

As I hold my beloved's hand,

It sparks a blossoming warmth,

As firm as the eternal flower,

My love shall never waver.

He kept singing until his voice broke, and then he wept and sobbed, louder by the minute. For the longer he laid with her, the more he realizes she will never return.

"Diluc!" Xiao called out, landing from the sky. After him was Zhongli, who immediately ram towards Anthea.

Diluc tightened his embrace on his wife. "No! Don't come near her! Please just give me a moment alone with my wife, please... " He sobbed, kneeling infront of the former Archon.

"There's a way to take her back."

Diluc's eyes widened, but he had lost all the hope he had for a wonderful future the moment his wife took her final breath. "How hard is it to understand that I want you to respect my wife's death?" He snarled, bitterly glaring at the god.

"She's not dead yet. Not if you allow me to take her back. She can still be saved if we transfer her curse to another body."

"Rex Lapis is right Diluc, I can do it. We can transfer it to mine. I don't feel alive anymore anyway. Not without mother." Xiao declared, confidently stepping forward.

"No! You're not doing it Alatus. Not when you still have a chance to live a happy life." Zhongli said.

"The god is right. If there's someone who deserves to die, it's me. She suffered alone for a long time, and I couldn't didn't even see it. This is all my fault." Diluc sobbed bitterly.

Annoyed, the former Archon pulled the nymph away from him, and then landed a punch on his face.

"If you're that desolate just with that, I  made her suffer the same curse for a thousand years and I couldn't get rid of her pain even when I knew what she's going through!" Zhongli yelled, grabbing the Ragnvindr's collar.  "Now get a hold of yourself! You're her husband and the father to her children, she'll need you when she wakes up!"

—

Anthea had given up trying to find a way out. Until a light broke through from one spot of the dark endless room. 

"Azalea! I've come to take you back!" Her eyes widened, with tears once again welling up from the corner of her eyes, she turned around and tackled the man with a tight embrace.

"Zhong.. " She sobbed on his chest. "I was so scared... "

"I'm here. You don't have to be afraid anymore." He spoke softly as he held her in his arms. "Your family is waiting for you, love, shall we go back now?"

She nodded desperately as she silently sobbed. Before she knew it, warm light kissed her skin, she was being taken back.

"Rise and shine, my beautiful nymph..." A weak voice spoke. She felt strong delicate hands caressing her hair.

As she opened her eyes, she woke up laying her head on the former Archon's lap.

"Zhong?"

"I came to say goodbye.." The god spoke, smiling down at her with trails of sadness in his beautiful golden eyes.

Anthea quickly arose, realizing what Zhongli meant. The god's paling complexion, his tired eyes, not to mention she felt no pain anymore. 

"Zhong, what did you do?" Her voice trembled, for she already knew the answer.

"I had to do it, Azalea.. " The god replied weakly, coughing through his statement as his weak body fell to the ground.

Anthea was quick to catch him, and laid his head on her lap.  "You went through this pain for a thousand years, and went through it again in your second life.. I'm sorry for allowing all this to happen to you.. " The god spoke again with his trembling voice.

"Zhong, please stop talking, you're struggling to breathe... Please.. " She sobbed, as she trailed her fingers on the Arhon's cheeks.

"You can't leave me.. Not like this.. " She cried, holding tightly on his hand.

Anthea felt Zhongli's hand hold hers tighter. He gave her a reassuring smile. "You know I'll always come back. I'll have to stay in celestia for a while, and if they don't take me back, I will throw them boulders and meteors until they do."

"I love you, Zhong. I might have never told you enough in the past, but I love you.. "

"Then sing to me that song.. Love.. Sing to me that song as I go... "

Anthea closed her eyes in attempt to control her tears. With her sobbing voice, she forced to sing..

As I hold my beloved's hand,

It sparks a blossoming warmth,

As firm as the eternal flower,

My love shall never waver. As she sang the last line, the god who had loved her for thousands of years finally closed his eyes to rest.

Then after a few seconds,  his body turned into elemental particles which has dispersed in the wind.

"Rest well, god of contracts.. "

It was painful for Diluc to see his wife cry for another man. But he knew she needed it. She needed the closure. 

"He's my real father isn't he?" Diluc's eyes widened at Yizhong's question. He could have sworn he sounded a lot more mature than an eight year old.

"I remember the moments he took care of me when I was just a wisp in a vial. The sound of his voice, how he reassured me that he'll do everything so I could meet my mom, how he wished he could give me the life I deserved. "

"I'm sorry for not telling you.. " Diluc apologized to the child, gazing down at him with a sad expression.

Yizhong smiled, holding Diluc's hand. "I'm not telling you this because I'm upset, Papa. I'm telling you this because I want to let you know, that you're my Papa no matter what."

Diluc smiled back at the child.  "And you'll always be my son."