I still remember the moment I laid my eyes on her, her smiles that are quite familiar, the mature scent, the scent of glaze lilies. Could it be you?
6,000 years have long passed, would I be able to see you once again?
Will I be able to see the flo...
" You aren't gonna kill them, are you? " Paimon asked me with worry printed on her face. I chuckled at her.
" Of course not. The moment we get back to Mondstadt, I'll release them. " I told her with a smile. Paimon sighed in relief, I chuckled at her reaction.
~ Time skip, back at the Tavern ~
" Welcome back! Ah, this is the Holy Lyre! You managed to retrieve it! " Venti happily said as we all took our masks off. Lumine handed him the lyre.
" The pattern of flowing wind-carved on the rosewood... and the strings still feel cool to the touch too. Oh, the memories... " Venti said.
" Looks like the Anemo power has run dry... " Zhongli told Venti. Venti sighed and nodded.
" In this condition, I couldn't play music fit for even Diluc's tavern with it... " Venti said and looked at Diluc.
" Bards fight to get on the stage of my tavern. Don't make assumptions! " Diluc snapped at him. I just chuckled at them.
" Is that really important right now, Master Diluc!? And you - " Paimon said and turned her gaze at Venti with a glare.
" Did you just borrow the Holy Lyre to play music for drunkards to hear? " Paimon angrily asked Venti.
" Ehe. "
" What do you mean "Ehe"!? " Paimon asked him with her eyebrows furrowed. I couldn't help but laugh at how cute they were.
" Anyway, we won't be able to call Dvalin with it. The lyre itself is fine, but the strings are... " Venti explained while holding the Lyre. He then turned his head towards Lumine.
" Hey. I don't know how to fix instruments. " Lumine coldly replied.
" Relax! It's not broken. It's just that the intensity of its Anemo power has greatly diminished. Do you still have Dvalin's Teardrop Crystal with you? " Venti asked her. Lumine immediately showed us the Teardrop Crystal.
" Wow. A teardrop had crystallized. " I said in awe. Lumine used it on the Holy Lyre, restoring its Anemo powers back. The dull strings started to glow.
" See. It worked, as expected. " Venti said. I just stared at it with awe. Not taking my eyes off it.
" This youthful glow... " Jean commented. We both stared at each other.
" Thank- "
" Praising yourself? Really? " Paimon said cutting my words off.
" ...I was talking about the Holy Lyre. " Jean replied. I felt embarrassed, I really thought she was talking about me.
" Thank the seven gods. " I continued to save myself from embarrassment. Zhongli then chuckled and leaned towards my ear and whispered.
" Don't worry, you shine brighter than any gold. " He whispered and placed his arm around my waist. I blushed and noticed everyone was constantly staring right at us.
" Ahem. Thanks to Lumine having purified the crystal, the Holy Lyre won't continue to lose power. That said, its power is far from replenished. It'd be great if we could get more tears. You know what to do, traveller. Ehe. " Venti told Lumine.
~ Timeskip, back at Dawn Winery ~
I quickly went to my room and changed my clothes into a nightgown, flopped myself on the bed, and covered myself with a blanket. I felt so tired, so exhausted. I'm worried, a lot of questions flooded my mind. What if it's true? What if no one survived? What if he really died? What's the worth of all this?
" Am I the one to blame for all of this? I should've been the one taken away, not my brother. I should've been the one who's striving for survival, not Ningguang... I- "
" Should know that this happens because it was meant to be. " I felt his arm slowly snaked around me, Zhongli is hugging me.
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" And your purpose was perhaps to be with me. " He continued, my eyes widen at what he said.
" Everyone has their own struggles. You've struggle enough, (y/n). " Zhongli said and tightened his hug.
" Always remember that I will always be here for you, (y/n). " He said and planted a soft kiss on my shoulder. I can sense him sitting up, I slowly sat and turned around to have a quick look at him.
When our eyes met, I felt my cheeks burning. I lowered my head to break eye contact. He then chuckled and raised my chin up, for me to face him again.
" For my love for you is not simply bound by any contracts. " He said and leaned towards me for a kiss, which I gladly reciprocated.
