The birth of a hero

In the end

Arriving at the funeral parlor, Childe felt like shit, because there wasn't a thing he could do. And he panicked that he wouldn't even be able to help Zhongli. In his mind, he could already see his lifeless body floating in the sea. He had to find him urgently. He did not have much time. In front of the house, he met Hu Tao, who was curiously surveying the situation.

"Hey. Is Zhongli in there?" he asked lowkey panicking, but she didn't seem scared at all about the wild creature that was currently attacking Liyue.

"Aiya, it's possible...hmm...I just had to see what was going on.... you can't even work in peace," she said.

"Um... Missy, you should hurry up and get out of town while you still can," Childe warned her.

"Why? That thing is attacking Liyue right now. I know you Fatui have nothing to do with it. But someone should do something, right?" she said, and in the next moment she pulled out a polearm that began to glow red.

"What?! Wait! That thing is dangerous...!!!", Childe continued to warn her, but she just ran off, towards the harbor.

"So is my weapon!" she shouted and disappeared. Childe stared after her, stunned. This girl was ... completely insane. He couldn't put it any other way.

But there was nothing he could do now. He quickly turned around and ran into the building.

"Zhongli!" he shouted his name and ran through the deserted corridors. Was there anyone here at all? Maybe he was still in bed at his place, too.... Childe was startled. He hardly had time to search all of Liyue for him. And yet he had to find him. He just had to...

What would become of him if the Fatui returned home with the gnosis of Rex Lapis, but he had lost everything that was important to him? What price would he have paid then, just to become a good Harbinger? A tear ran down his face as his legs almost refused to carry him. After the fight in the golden house, he was more powerless than he wanted to admit. And this was how he had wanted to face an archon? It would have been his certain death... Would he ever be ready to be a Harbinger? But it didn't really matter now. He would find Zhongli, take him, and escape with him, and after that he would never look back. That's what he swore to himself. Breathless, he ran on.

Suddenly, he heard a noise. He could also see light in a room. He kept running and suddenly caught sight of Zhongli, with a teacup in his hand.

"Zhongli! There you are... I finally found you," he stammered, sinking powerlessly to his knees in front of him.

"Childe. What are you doing here?" asked Zhongli in surprise. Completely calm, he took a sip of his tea. Childe stared at him in amazement. Apparently, he didn't even know what was going on outside.
"Zhongli. Listen to me for a minute. All hell is breaking loose outside. An ancient divine being from the sea is destroying Liyue harbour right now. We have to get out of here now before we get swallowed up by the waves!" he said hastily, looking at Zhongli seriously.

"I was able to watch it from the window," Zhongli said, pointing outside. Childe couldn't believe how he could remain so composed in the face of this. Yes, he probably had a vision too, a Geo element, but they had hardly talked about it and he had never seen him fight. And what would he be able to do against such a gigantic being...?

"We have to get out of here. Quick," he said, grabbing his arm.

"Wait. Why?" asked Zhongli, looking at him.

"Because I want to protect you of course! Because I love you... And because... because I did something very dishonorable..." blurted out Childe. He lowered his eyes. Now it was said. Actually, he didn't want to tell him in these circumstances or admit that he was to blame for the situation. But he just couldn't keep it quiet.

"It was you, wasn't it? You freed Osial?" asked Zhongli motionlessly and Childe nodded, with a heavy feeling.

"Yes. And I can't stop him. I know how dangerous he is. Please, come with me, I don't even know if we can make it yet, but we have to try!" he stammered, thinking that Zhongli would hate him for it now. He probably wouldn't come with him. Possibly he had put everything on the line now anyway, but he just couldn't hide the truth from Zhongli any longer. The latter didn't move a bit and Childe let go of him, exhausted.

"It's all right. I... can understand if you hate me now," he said softly.

"I don't hate you," Zhongli replied, looking puzzled.

"But you have every reason to," Childe muttered. But then he grabbed Zhongli's hand again and tried to pull him along. "Still - I won't let you die here. No matter what you feel, I will always love you!"

"Childe...wait...calm down," said Zhongli, who by now was helplessly walking along a few steps.

"Calm down? We might not be alive anymore soon!" said Childe and kept running. "Oh yes... in case we die, my real name was Ajax".

"Ajax..." said Zhongli in surprise, suddenly stopping. But Childe barely heard it, only noticed that he was pulled back. Driven by a fear he had never known before, he now stared at Zhongli. Why didn't he realize that they had to get out of here quickly, that they barely had any time left?

"Ajax. Listen to me," he suddenly heard clear Zhongli's voice and felt his touch on his face. Still, the situation felt surreal. His voice sounded to him from very far away.... "We are not going to die. Everything will be fine."

"What?" he asked, confused. But suddenly he noticed through one of the windows that the weather had cleared. There was no sign of the storm that had raged over Liyue a moment ago.

"Everything will be fine. And you didn't do anything bad either," Zhongli said, taking him in his arms. Apparently he wanted to reassure him, but it didn't help one bit at that moment. The guilt just weighed too heavily on him.

"Of course... I almost destroyed Liyue," Childe said, still unable to believe that something had stopped Osial. Rex Lapis... Of course... just... now he was in the wrong place at the wrong time... because he had listened to his heart. Childe clenched his hand into a fist. He had been unable to carry out his mission and had failed.

"That was the plan. You did the right thing. And you are my hero," Zhongli said suddenly, smiling, with a wink. Surprised, Childe looked up, his cheeks slightly red.

"What do you mean?" he then asked in surprise. Could it be that his counterpart knew more than he was saying? The young Harbinger didn't understand anything anymore.

"If you allow me, I would like to walk with you a little. I would like to explain it to you," Zhongli finally said gently and took his hand....