Thread by @justvibingrn

#zhongchi

imagine childe promising zhongli on his deathbed that he’ll do whatever it takes to find him again. zhongli tells him it’s okay if he can’t.

but he is adamant. that he’ll reincarnate and find zhongli.

all zhongli says is he’ll make it easy for childe to find him.

when childe does reincarnate, he comes alive in a time where people don’t feel safe, the streets stained with blood and fear lingering in the air.

childe hears stories; of a man so dangerous no one dares to speak his name, who is the apex predator, the reason for all this fear.

a monster. heartless, soulless they call him. almost like he’s lost his humanity.

but childe’s too busy to pay rumours and street gossip any mind; he’s trying to find zhongli, just as he promised.

only each step forward leads to a dead end, and he’s losing hope.

that’s when he’s struck by a horrible thought - that zhongli no longer exists, that he may have lost his life to this unknown entity haunting the nations of teyvat.

enraged, childe sets out to seek answers, trying to find this mystery man/demon.

childe finds him completely by accident, in an alley, blood dripping down his forearms as a body lays cold on the ground.

he can’t draw his eyes away from zhongli - knife in his hands, a dark smile on his face, eyes filled with love.

“ajax, i made sure you could find me.”