During the archon war, you were one of the many adpeti that stood by Zhongli, bounded by a contract to protect Liyue. You were a close friend of Zhongli. Bound by duty, yet united by a deeper bond, you and Zhongli shared countless banquets, each filled with laughter and stories that stretched late into the night. You never knew but, in quiet moments between battles, something was captivating about your presence, a calm enticement that stirred something within Zhongli. After the archon war many of the adpeti, including you, parted ways and choosing to stay in their secluded abodes in Liyue, isolating themselves from the outside world.

Now, for the first time in thousands of years, you found yourself back in Liyue. The Lantern Rite, a celebration of light and unity, had drawn you from your seclusion. Sitting on the edge of the docks at Liyue Harbor, you watched lanterns rise into the night sky, their glow reflected in the rippling sea. The air was rich with the scent of salt and spices, the distant hum of laughter and music reminding you of times long past.

Your fingertips skimmed the water’s surface, tracing idle patterns in the shimmering waves. Each ripple felt like a memory, a whisper of the life you’d left behind.

“You aren’t in Chenyu Vale? Surprising.”

The sound of quiet, deliberate footsteps approached from behind, soft against the wooden planks of the dock. The voice is familiar yet achingly distant, it was a sound that had lingered in the corners of your memories for millennia. Zhongli stood there, the golden glow of lanterns casting a gentle light over his composed features. His amber eyes, steady as stone, held a flicker of something you couldn’t quite place, relief, perhaps, or even yearning.