𝐀𝐦𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐚 || Zhongli x M!Reader

☆ 1.

 "No, I don't think we're going the right way..." muttered a blonde traveller, flipping a dull and faded map from side to side, trying to pinpoint his exact location.

"Ugh, I knew we shouldn't have gone this way!" Spoke his companion, a small floating girl, running her tiny hands through her hair absentmindedly, "Paimon's hungry! Are you sure we don't have any more food?"

Her partner ignored her, instead focusing all his attention on the beat up piece of paper. He sighed, regretting his decision to take such a stupid commission. He'd long since known of the dangers in the Chasm, but he'd never expected it to be so difficult to navigate.

"I think we can make it if we head through that tunnel," He said, pointing a gloved hand to a sealed off mineshaft. Without waiting for an answer, he headed towards the opening, slashing the weak wooden boards barring it with his sword.

"Are you sure, Aether?" Asked Paimon, worry laced in her voice, "Didn't you just get us lost?"

"We'll be fine!"

"But-"

"No, look! The shortcut's literally marked on the map!"

"No, I don't think-"

The two adventurers continued their little skirmish as they walked, slowly making their way down the tunnel, guided by what little light they had. After a while, the pair started to feel uneasy, unsure if their chosen path was indeed the shortcut.

"Are you sure it's supposed to take this long?" Questioned the small floating girl, furrowing her eyebrows as the darkness pressed itself onto their eyes, "And is it supposed to slope down this much?"

Aether shook his head, trying to read his map in the dim lighting. Paimon groaned, flying close to the wall to examine the jagged stone. It looked old and worn down, much unlike the newer parts of the Chasm.

Curiosity consumed her and the girl stuck out her hand to touch the wall, running a finger along the smooth grooves. When her finger grazed the stone, the rock cracked, sending a streamline of crevices up towards the ceiling.

"Gah! Aether!" She shrieked, holding tight onto his arm as the two examined the damage. At first, the damage seemed minimal, only a thin fissure in the wall, but then, the stone groaned and collapsed, sending large chunks of shattered rubble crashing to the floor.

Without a second thought, Aether grabbed Paimon and ran fast away from the damage, hoping it wouldn't spread. Unfortunately, he wasn't that lucky. As the depth pressed darkness onto their eyes, boulders and stones collapsed behind them, almost catching up.

Finally, after what seemed like forever, the blonde dove for a crevice in the rock from which an odd light was escaping, desperate to escape the onslaught of what would be certain death. Aether tucked and rolled, hearing the mountain of debris behind him grind to a stop, sending dust into the air.

"Aether!" Paimon screamed, now darting out from under his arms, "Are you alright? What happened? Where... are we?" At these words, the traveller looked around, examining his surroundings.

They seemed to be in a deep underground chamber, lit by the glow of dozens of electro crystals, blossoming on the walls like bubbles in water. The walls and floor looked old and worn, much more so than the passage they'd previously been in. Small symbols were carved into every surface visible, resembling runes, but that wasn't what drew their attention.

In the centre of the room kneeled a man with long (H/C) hair, covering his face. His wrists were chained by electric purple chains, attaching him to the rock walls. His clothes looked traditional, but not from the current times. They were old, like Archon War old, resembling robes Aether had once seen in old recollections of Liyue.