Reborn

Chapter 16

WARNING: SPOILERS! MAJOR, MAJOR SPOILERS! I ALSO TWEAKED THIS PART A LITTLE BIT FROM HOW IT IS IN THE GAME. ALSO, TRAVELER (AKA AETHER AND PAIMON) ARE BRIEFLY MENTIONED (IM SORRY THEY ARE RANDOMLY BROUGHT UP). ALSO, ZHONGLI IS LOWKEY YAN(?) FOR Y/N???? POSSIBLY???? MAY POTENTIALLY UPLOAD ONE MORE PART AFTER THIS IF I GET ANOTHER IDEA

Standing at the edge of Liyue Harbor's port, Zhongli stared out at the sea. Hearing a small creak of wood, Zhongli glanced over his shoulder and his breath softly hitched.

"Hi," Y/n softly greeted. "We meet again, Mr. Zhongli."

Y/n stood next to him and readjusted her grip on her basket. She tucked her hair behind her ear and she smiled at him.

Oh, how much Zhongli wanted to tuck her hair behind her ear again. How much he had missed running his fingers through it at night.

"There's...something I wanted to talk to you about, Mr. Zhongli."

Her eyes met his.

"I...I feel like we've met before. Somehow, somewhere, we've met before."

Yes, yes we have.

His mind was screaming at him to tell her the truth, to embrace her, to beg for her to come back into his life again. The urge to throw his arms around her and never let go was so strong. Oh-so-strong, but he resisted the urge.

"Is that so?" He said with a soft smile of his own. "Perhaps it is a coincidence?"

Y/n shrugged and looked out to the sea again.

"Perhaps," she said. "Perhaps not. During the night, in my dreams, I would see images. Images of you and me, together. The most vivid memory was recent as well. Standing right here, with you, one knee bent and hand holding a beautiful ring. You asked for my hand in marriage, Mr. Zhongli."

The memory passed by him. His mortal self remembered that memory as easily as the ocean tide gently rolled in.

"Marry me, Y/n," he pleaded. "Be the sun to my moon, darling."

And she said "yes".

"Was it real?" Y/n whispered. "Or was it just a dream?"

Zhongli's hand closed and opened, slowly inching to gently grasp hers. Once grasped, Zhongli caught her attention again.

"Y/n, I-"

The ground under them shook and groaned, a flicker of light and a large body swam through the ocean.

"What is that?" Y/n whispered.

Zhongli tightened his grip on her hand and pulled her away from the port.

"Run, Y/n! Run! Don't stop until you've fled Liyue Harbor!"

"What about you!?"

"Just go!" Y/n bit down on her lip and took off.

Good. She's gone now.

Zhongli's attention went back to the beast in the ocean.

Signora...is this your doing?

_______

"Childe, what is going on?" Y/n demanded. "What did you do?"

Her fiance stopped walking ahead of her and sighed.

"I did this, Y/n," Childe said wide open arms. "I caused all of this, this chaos, darling!"

The basket hanging off of her arm slid and hit the ground with a "thunk".