Mr. Zhongli, we can't slack off anymore!

The traveler's sweat dripped onto his clothes.

Unlike the traveler, he remained calm and unperspirant, not sweating at all, as if he were appreciating a work of art before him rather than being engrossed in it.

"I can't take it anymore, I'm too tired." The traveler collapsed onto him, his face flushed.

"I'll help you."

The two continued their interaction for a long time until she no longer had the strength to speak and fell into a deep sleep.

*

When I woke up again, I was in my bedroom, in bed.

I don't know how many times I've fainted these past few days. How can anyone not be tired?

By the way, he's not human...

Feeling a bit heavy, I lifted the blanket, and there was Morax, sleeping in the traveler's arms.

"Go to sleep, go to sleep, anyway you'll just bother me if you wake up." The traveler smiled as he looked at his peaceful sleeping face.

Is this what daily life is like for a young couple these past few days? Hahaha...

I feel somewhat happy.

No! He's not human! He doesn't need sleep; if he's asleep, that means...

"Are you asleep?"

He did not respond.

Perhaps we could take advantage of this opportunity...

The traveler pressed his unsuspecting lips against his, and once again found the rock god's soul riddled with holes.

Its condition is better than last time, thanks to the traveler's forced repair of its wear and tear.

The life force was continuously fed into his core.

The scattered cracks gradually disappeared.

Fortunately, he seized this opportunity; otherwise, he would have definitely tried every means to stop him.

Just as the traveler was feeling triumphant, the star-shaped soul seemed to be sliced ​​in half, with three-thirds turning into sand and falling to the ground.

"what happened……"

The physical pain brought her back to reality.

Both wrists were gripped tightly, and the bones pressed together made a cracking sound.

"It hurts, let go!" She looked up with a wronged expression, meeting those furious eyes.

Morax, or rather Zhongli, was on top of her, one hand gripping her wrists and the other around her neck.

“You…you still won’t listen to me…” He practically uttered those words through clenched teeth.

Gold, red, and black elements fill every corner of the room.

Chaos, imbalance, unease, pain... and anger.

"Let me go, please? It really hurts."

A head-on confrontation is the last resort; even if you really want to push him away, doing so will only exacerbate his restlessness.

"..."

Several emotions clashed within him, leaving him unable to give her an answer.

Regardless, it worked.

"I won't run away, okay?" the traveler urged in her gentlest voice.

"..." His gaze softened, and the traveler's grip on his wrist loosened.

Has he regained any of his rationality?

"I'll be good, okay?"

“If that’s the case, then you shouldn’t be in Teyvat right now.” His voice was unusually stern, but not a shout.

"I... came back for you." Those words finally came out.

"Ha..." He should have guessed it sooner, but he dared not guess, because this answer meant too much of a price.

She doesn't understand why.

No one had ever told her the truth about the world.

He wished she were just a traveler, a traveler who would eventually leave Teyvat.

He also hoped that she wasn't just a passerby...

It was as if he both hoped she would stay for him and wished she would pass by him lightly.

He had so many opportunities to completely solve all the problems, but he missed them because of his own selfishness and pity.

He has always been able to do it.

This was the only time he made a mistake; the scales tipped out of balance, and the emotions he felt were too heavy.

If we start to rectify things now, can we keep her away from the world?

He released the traveler.

Without exerting any force, the traveler's wrist swelled up.

How can someone like her save the world?

She will likely face even more hardships than she has endured over the past few thousand years.

"and then?"

"Then..." The traveler didn't understand why he suddenly asked him that question.

"I don't need your power, just as the world doesn't need your power either."

It's better to let him leave quietly than to let her live a life of mere survival in this world.

Dust to dust, dust to dust.

“I am not weak. Neither you nor this world will disappear,” the traveler retorted.

"You still want to save the world? Heh..." Morax laughed, a helpless and bitter laugh.

She actually wanted to save the world too.

Perhaps a fully realized Zhongli would respect her choice and let her take a chance.

He could never be like that after all the wear and tear.

Suppressing too much love eventually turns into a kind of obsession.

To him, the world was not as important as her.

The world's impending destruction has nothing to do with her.

If Teyvat is a never-ending dream, she is already intoxicated by it.

Then he shall awaken her, however cruelly he may be.

*

In the blink of an eye, the traveler and Morax appeared in the air above Liyue Harbor.

"Why did you come out?" the traveler asked the man beside him.

He's out of control right now; we can't let him come out of the cave.

What if he does something he'll regret?

What if he becomes a threat to Liyue like the Dragon King Rota?

So the one who made these mistakes was himself.

"Below is Liyue Harbor, which you saved." He looked down, his gaze no longer compassionate, but cold as ice.

Rock elements spread out, filling the sky.

The rocks grew and connected rapidly in the sky, eventually forming a dome.

*

The reconstruction of Liyue Harbor is underway.

Shadows covered Liyue Harbor, and the workers looked up in disbelief at the darkness that blotted out the sky.

Just a few days later, the terrifying scene reappeared.

Could it be that fate is decreed to destroy Liyue?

*

"What do you want to do..." The traveler was trembling all over.

She guessed it; he wanted to destroy Liyue Harbor, adding more despair to the already ravaged continent.

"Aren't you weak?"

Provocative words reached the traveler's ears.

He wants me to stop him?

"Below is Liyue... Liyue, which you have protected for thousands of years..."

"So much time has passed. Now it's time for the people of Liyue to repay the gods who have served them for thousands of years."

He could never be Zhongli; Zhongli would never say such a thing.

He is simply a personality formed from repressed negative emotions.

"I won't let you do that."

"You say you're not weak, then stop me and see."

"What's the point?"

"Of course there is. If you can't save them, it proves you're weak and incapable of saving the world. If you can stop me, it means you can still fight the world."

"Then you don't need to use their lives to blackmail me. If you want to test my abilities, we can find a place where no one will get hurt."

"In the situation you described, could you hold a gun with the determination to kill me?"

"Even so, I cannot bring myself to kill you." How could the traveler raise a gun against him?

"Really?" He seemed unconvinced.

The dome beneath their feet suddenly collapsed.

"stop!"

“You’ve already taken up arms.” In his eyes, the traveler was pointing a gun at him.