LIFE AND DEATH (Zhongli x Oc)

5

I Hope We Meet Again

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"Alma, there's something I have to tell you," your old friend, Morax, said. You were both at your usual break spots when another God came.

"Morax! There you are! Oh, hi Alma!" Guizhong exclaimed as she clung to his arm.

"Goddess Guizhong, not now. Please," the God pleaded as he tried to free from her grasp while trying hard not to offend her. You stared at them for a few seconds and proceeded to walk past them. Morax tried to stop you from leaving, but you brushed his hand away, making him confused and stunned.

"I'm readying myself for the war, Morax. Several people will die, and you know what that means for me," you said, making Guizhong turn to you.

"Are you siding with the Khaenri'ahns, Alma?"

"Don't wish it for me, or you won't like it, Guizhong."

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"Step aside, Ningguang!" you shouted as you pushed her aside, now kneeling next to Morax's dragon form. People started to stare at you, but you didn't care. Even Ningguang tried to pull you away, saying it's rude for an outsider to come close to their God without Rex Lapis himself calling to you. You started releasing the magical energy you've been storing until the Qixing grabbed your shoulder and whispered, "Listen, that's a dummy. Rex Lapis and I had a contract that involves faking his death, so stop wasting your unique energy."

You stood up and as you were leaving the entrance, the Millelith immediately apprehended you, saying you are under suspicion for killing Rex Lapis.

"You stupid guards! I tried to save your God and this is what you repay me? Imprisonment?!" you shouted, alarming Aether and Paimon. They ran after you until a ginger man with a red mask appeared from behind.

"Hey girlie," he said as he started to aim at the Millelith. He was obviously not from here, judging from his clothes. He fought off the reinforcements and urged you to follow him, which you did.

"Diana! Wait!" Aether called as he and Paimon followed you to where the mysterious man took you. As soon as the guards were no longer following you, you both took a breather and waited for the two. Before you could even ask his name, Aether leaned on your shoulder as he relaxed.

"Paimon's so tired."

"What is making your muscles tired from flying?" you and the traveler asked simultaneously, which made the man in front of you stifle a laugh. You both turned to him as he raised his hands in defense.

"Who are you" Paimon asked.

"Me? You can call me Childe."

"Oh yeah and Paimon's Baby. Stop joking around stranger or I'll cut your neck. I absolutely despise getting tired and you made me run from the Rite of Descension up to here and my energy is depleted for trying to save a dummy," you vented as you pulled his shirt from his neck to your size.

"Woah, woah, calm down. Childe is an alias, of sorts. Your companions must have heard of Signora back in Mondstadt," he said as you faced the two. They started mumbling names until they both looked up with hostile eyes.

"You're with the Fatui! One of the Harbingers!" Paimon said as Aether got ready for combat. You looked at them confused when Childe spoke up.

"Relax, I'm not here to fight. I'm from the delegation of diplomats from Snezhnaya. I've been keeping a close eye on you ever since you ran towards Rex Lapis and I know for a fact that you didn't kill him," he said.

"No but what happened in Mondstadt with the Signora lady? Deets, please?" you asked as you turned to Aether and Paimon with your hands on your waist.

"Basically, Venti's gnosis got taken. Mans got kicked-"

"Barbatos's gnosis got stolen? My poor baby!" you said as you panicked, making them confused.

"How did you know he's Barbatos, Diana? You were already here in Liyue when that happened. What's going on?" the traveler asked as suspicion fell upon you. There was no avoiding this, but you also can't spill in front of this stranger. The fact that he already had eyes on you is even more of a red flag. He absolutely cannot know who you are.

With a snap, you took the two's spirits out of their bodies and formed a temporary spirit dimension without Childe noticing a thing. From the outside, it's as if you were talking normally, but in reality, they were puppets.

"What did you do to Paimon, Diana?!" the flying girl asked as her hands pass through her body, same as Aether.

"Relax, I made a temporary dimension so we can talk in private without having to make this ginger uncomfortable and confused. Out there, my body is saying some foolproof excuse for him," you said as they sat down in an imaginary floor.

"So about Venti, how did you know?" they started.

"Well in short, I'm the reincarnation of Goddess Alma. Wow it's weird to refer to myself like that. Anyways, I knew who Barbatos was ever since we first saw him. I only confirmed when we talked about the form he took. Any questions before I put you back to your bodies?" you said as you stared at them. You knew it was a lot to take in, considering that you were a forgotten God and Paimon didn't even know you.

"I thought Gods can't reincarnate?"

"...that's it? No 'what happened 2,000 years ago' kind of questions? No 'where is my sister'?"

"You know where my sister is?"

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