Noctilucous Jade ENG VERSION (Genshin impact- Childe x Zhongli)

1: Farewell from Liyue

"My dear Tonya,
My time here in Liyue has been the best summer of my life. I already know how you'll look when you read these words, along with Taucer and Anton. You'll pout and say, "Why is our brother so ungrateful? What about our holidays at the country estate? And what about our trips to the capital? What is it? Morepesok is not as beautiful as Liyue? Why doesn't he stay there, then?" I already know. But I won't lie to you. I don't think I'll ever forget how good I've felt here, in my room with its windows open to the sea, surrounded by markets, mountains and new friends. Taucer, if you are reading this (Don't try to hide the letter from him, Tonya!), then tell Tonya how good the fried chop suey is, how comfortable the tearoom is, or how deep the blue waves off the dock are. Someday I'll take all three of you here. That's a promise. You know how much I miss you. I won't keep you waiting for long. I've decided to leave next week. I can't wait to see you again! I also bought you some blue seashells that are sold here on the beaches of Yoaguang Shoal. Just put some sugar on their shell and they will be incredibly good to eat, after you get used to their crunchiness! Do you think I'm fooling you? Well, you might be right. Wait for me and cook me a nice cake, please. I promise you I will arrive on a sunny day. See you soon!
Ajax "

Sitting on the ship that would take him back to Snezhnaya, Childe crumpled up the letter he had written only three days before and threw it overboard without remorse. It no longer made sense to send it to his brothers: too many things had happened in the span of a few hours. The summer he had described as magnificent had been totally ruined. The city he had loved so much now seemed colder than ever with no one standing on the dock to see him off. Liyue Harbor, with its scarlet colors and the stalls illuminated by the first rays of the day, were practically deserted, perhaps still upset by the attack of the previous day. Xiangling was not there, ready to open her restaurant at nine o'clock, and nor was Xingqiu, usually sitting on a rock with his nose immersed in books.

There was only absolute emptiness. His departure was as cold and gray as the rocks on the beach he was about to leave. Childe shouldn't have been surprised to leave Liyue completely alone. He hadn't warned anyone of his imminent departure, nor did he intend to do so.
If the people of Liyue had known that he was the one who had summoned Osial, a sea monster, just the night before, they would have been the first to make him leave. He did not expect them to understand the reason for his choice or why he had followed that specific order given by his superiors, but he was not ready to give them any explanations, not that soon.

There was only one person who knew what he had done, and he was the same person who Childe was basically running away from. Zhongli found out the truth about him, and yet, he hadn't laid a hand on him. Still, that thought did not console him, not after he discovered who Zhongli really was: Rex Lapis, the God of that place. It was disheartening to think that he had spent months beside an archon without realizing it. But most of all, it was disappointing to realize that Zhongli had been lying to him all that time so easily.

Why hadn't he ever told him about who he really was? Maybe Zhongli had only kept Childe close so not to arouse suspicion. It was really astonishing for Childe to realize that in the end, inexplicably, Zhongli had even made a secret pact with Tsaritsa, the goddess Childe was loyal to. Was he an enemy or a future ally? What could he want from Tsaritsa, and where was he now? What would he think about his departure? Too many questions tormented him, and none of them could be answered. Shaking his head, Childe tried to think about something else. Now that he has done what he had to do, it was time for him to go home.

He could no longer hold back. Liyue was no longer his place. It probably never had been. After all, he was nothing but a soldier from Sneznaya, and had gone there simply to perform his duties. He had to leave as soon as possible while trying hard not to mull over his decision. Deep down in his heart, he knew that he shouldn't have grown fond of that place, a place that he had been ordered to fight from the beginning, but which he had unexpectedly become attached.