[ The Hidden Archon ]

「 24 」

" (N/N) " a soft lull of the blonde traveller brought (Y/N) back to reality, before she could speak, a warm hand held hers as he led her towards the rest. The Archon couldn't argue with this but was grateful for his actions. Aether was always observant when it comes to her, every shift of emotions, he saw it.

Paimon sighed, seeing this lovey dovey act but didn't press further as she was tired and it was nighttime. Rei giggled at the sight of a tired Paimon, gently tugging her small feet, which caught the white fairy's attention.

" Can I carry you? " asked the black haired everlasting. Enki, who was beside her, chuckled, reminding him that Rei tends to treat fairies back in Sakurai as teddy bears, the one that most children have.

" Eh? You want to carry Paimon? Paimon can fly though " the white haired fairy said, confused to the sudden request of the Everlasting of Peace. While the trio were busy talking with each other, the two adults stood there silently, hands still glued together. (Y/N)'s internal turmoil ceased for now, a smile brought onto her lips seeing how her precious Everlastings act like the children they were meant to be.

' were meant to be ' her once smile turned into a solemn expression. Sometimes she wished that Rei and Enki grew up to be normal children, not as immortal being bound to the sense of duty and to her.

⪻ ❃ ⪼

Rei, who was born from a blossom of lavender flowers, stared at the children in front of her. How freely they are to play with one another, no titles, no hierarchy, just children having the time of their life. Her grey eyes longed to join them but they were afraid of her. Children her age would treat her differently, they see her as someone older or yet someone with higher status, not to be taken on so lightly.

Sakuya saw all of it, how the lavender flower longed for this type of freedom. If she could take away her immortality, if she could take away her title as the Everlasting of Peace in exchange for her childhood, she would. But fate doesn't work like that, Rei was never born a human, she was born as a flower.

" Sakuya, would the children play with me if I wasn't yours? " the Archon's heart sank, hearing the gentle voice of her lavender flower, the guilt that bit her, now gnawing her very heart. She never expected that a child would become an Everlasting, all of her current Everlastings were either a different species or someone she granted immortality with, but here lies Rei, a lavender flower that bloomed into a child.

" Rei . . . do you want me to let you go? " the peace at first thought that she could finally be normal again if her Archon let her go, she wanted to, but then Enki was born. A daisy flower that shone upon the night skies, the Floret Archon knew that another Everlasting was born, and so her tears created him, the birth of Gentleness.

Rei witnessed it, the birth of another Everlasting, but this time, it's the same as her, a child that bloomed from a flower, immortal and he too would question his fate like hers. She witnessed the confusions within his very eyes, how he longed to play with children too, she saw what she was before.

" If I asked for you to let go of me, would Enki feel lonely without me? "

⪻ ❃ ⪼

Enki knew he wasn't normal, not even one bit. Seeing how his fellow children like him enjoy the freedom, he too grew curious if he were to play with them.

" Hi! Can I play with you- "

" Ah! It's the daisy! " Children were too scared to play with someone like him, someone who is not human but resembles one, someone who is a child at heart but his heart belonged to the Floret Archon, his mother.

His heart aching in sadness, the price of being an Everlasting, the price of being immortal, the price of being different from the rest, maybe he was destined to be lonely, a lonely child who has no friends like him.

But then he saw her, the peace. For once he felt like he had someone like him, a child who bears the weight of duty and immortality., someone who became his dearest friend.

" Mother? Is she the same as me? " his tiny finger pointed at the lavender flower. Sakuya nodded as tears welled up her eyes, seeing her precious daisy finally meet a friend, a friend like him. Why haven't  they met early on? It's because of their training, as newly born Everlastings, they were placed under training by other Blessed Everlastings, to enhance their strength, knowledge and wisdom.

Rei who was under Eve, only saw Enki during his birth before she started her training, the same goes for Enki who trained under Yoi. When both of their trainings were complete, was the day they officially met.

Peace held the hands of Gentleness, smiling at him.

" Hi Enki! "

" Hello Rei . . . "

⪻ ❃ ⪼

As they got settled in the Wangshu Inn, Aether and Paimon stayed in one room, Paimon wanted to sleep with (Y/N) but Enki shooed her away because he would have a competition on who sleeps besides her mother, Rei was already knockout after hitting the bed.

" No! Mother won't cuddle with me if you stay here Paimon! "

" But Paimon wants to sleep with (Y/N)! "

The said lady tiredly chuckled before carrying Enki into her arms, looking at Aether, signalling him to take Paimon with her as she was too tired to argue with two energetic kids. Aether, who is in the same boat as (Y/N), nodded before grabbing the fairy by her foot and dragging her away from the Archon.

The white haired gentleness soon felt the wave of sleepiness getting onto him, the warmth of his mother's loving arms lulled him into a sleep. Tired (E/C) eyes looked at her precious daisy with a drowsy smile, already feeling the exhaustion from travelling afar. Gently, she laid down on the bed, both gentleness and peace on either side of her as she situated herself at the middle, each arm holding the children as she too drifted to sleep.

⪻ ❃ ⪼

As the night cycles through, the scent of karma can be sensed. Golden avian pupils glanced up at the night sky as he settled on top of Wangshu Inn. On this particular night, there was an inadequate amount of monsters that lurked within the vicinity, only a few appeared and that puzzled him. He wasn't used to this phenomenon, thousands of years, slaying monsters, not a single night was a calm night.

Monsters that appear every night, trying to wreak havoc on the land of gold and stone, and it was his duty as the protector of Liyue to defeat the monsters, yet here he is, sitting on top of the roof of Wangshu Inn, not a single monster appeared.

He stayed silent, his hands crossed with one another, trying to solve this phenomenon that he is not used to. What he didn't notice early on is the scent of (F/S), the one he longed to see and hear again, the one that aided him with his karma.

His eyes widened as he noticed a little brooch that glowed the hue of pink, a lovely sakura branch brooch with a little teal finch sat on top of it, he kept it for years, the only thing that kept him sane, the only thing that serves as his memory of her. She never appeared after that day, and yet he still waits by that place.

Seeing how the brooch glowed, he was elated to know that this was a sign that she was back. . . he stood up before letting the wind take him to where she lies upon.

As the moonlight glows, the wind led him to a quiet room, he stayed silent and undetected, not wanting to disturb anyone within the room. Quietly approaching the bed, his golden avian eyes widened, almost in disbelief. Nearing closer to the person, careful enough to not alert the children that slept beside her, his gloved hand held a few strands of her (H/C) hair. . .

" Sakuya, you're back . . . "

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