Divine Blessings
Pairing: MORAX (ZHONGLI) x AFAB! READER
nsfw: sacrilege, corruption, breeding, dragon-hybrid, dacryphilia, dumbification (not in this piece)
tags: smut, concepts of war, morax being a menace, idk what else just be warned the piece is kind of dark and it involves death, maybe some gore, religious themes, kinda blasphemous and the reader is a heathen… for now…
A/N: I havent written in a long time lmao lets get this out of the way because what better way to bring good luck than to be fucking the geo archon himself, right? hope you get him within your first 40 pulls :) this was supposed to be a quick fuck piece but ended up having a plot that i have not gotten to the fucking lol.
You knew the fate of your nation was doomed the moment your god declared war against Liyue Harbour. The foolish, egotistical buffoon that was the God of Dreams really thought he would be able to reign over both nations when up against a god as merciless as the Lord of Geo, Morax.
Insufferable, truly.
You never held faith in the god of dreams. Your family believed you were the one who plagued them with misfortune ever since you refused to worship the deity of your nation but you stood your ground. Refusing to believe in a god who did nothing for his people and who would punish non-conformists by plaguing their sleep with nightmares until they eventually gave into his ruling.
How could you ever respect a tyrant?
It did not matter if your family sent you away to live and serve at the god’s shrine as a priestess in hopes of you finding a way to let the lord of dreams into your life. You could never allow yourself to fall into the false promises of a god so arrogant.
A god so vile.
Living in the temple, you knew of the wicked cards up his sleeve. The secrets only the priestesses knew of the god.
The stairway leading towards the temple started in the centre of the city, granting access all the way up towards the altar where people would make their offerings to the god of dreams. Beyond the altar would be the entrance to the realm of dreams, referred to as Haze, where the god would spend his time gathering his army in preparation for the overthrow of Liyue. No mortal was able to pass through to the realm of Haze without their bodies being tarnished by horrid scars and their mental state declining ever so slowly that it was painful for those witnessing it.
The god not caring about the effects it left on those curious as he believed they deserved it for going against his wishes.
However, the maidens of the temple had a special blessing laid upon them to enter the realm to care for an imprisoned soul. The god’s triumph card: an illuminated beast that he enslaved during his conquests. Taking advantage of the poor being by exploiting his weaknesses and forcing him to destroy any weaker gods daring to oppose the tyrant.
The other maidens dreaded tending towards the hostile adeptus as he would try to fight his way out of the realm but nothing could free him no matter how hard he tried. And this was your only advantage over the other priestesses. The beast was less hostile towards you, the one who would try to sneak him in proper food and water and who would try to clean his wounds after battle. You came to know him as Alatus, the only other being who seemed to hate the God of Dreams as much as you did.
What good did forcing beliefs ever do for anybody? What good could possibly come from a non-believer living in the temple for deity worship?
The downfall of said deity was a start.
One day as you were making your way back towards the shrine, the earth began rumbling under your feet. Stone steps leading to the opening gates of the altar cracking and shrieks in the far distance were carried through the wind. Maidens in the temple tried rushing towards the doors to call to those in the village to seek refuge in the sanctuary while guards left all posts to stand at the city gates. All was happening at once as the watchtower chimed the bell that stood as the warning of incoming forces. A bell that signified something worse than death was coming.
The god of dreams suddenly made his way to the centre of the city where everybody could see their deity. Silver wings unfurled and the tips of his indigo hair streaked a vibrant azure as he called upon his allies and summoned his bow in preparation. Standing with him was Alatus, as well as his summonings from the realm of Haze. Titanic sized elemental beings who were forced to obey the god as he had their state of mind altered through their dreams.
It was all or nothing now; a war that cannot be lost.
“My people, lend me your strength and stand with me this day. Morax is here.”
And with that declaration, a thunderous roar shook the earth once more.
Morax, the lord of Geo, the ruler of Liyue harbour - strode ever closer with only two other allies at his side. A dragon as tall as the mountains itself, and a crane that flew above them, large and enchantingly graceful with every thrash of her powerful wings.
You stood motionless within the sanctuary of the temple, far into the city and towering over to symbolise as a beacon to his people that he is ever present. Fear creeping into your heart thinking of where your family may be at this hour while a war looms ever so greatly over their heads. But even your thoughts were not fast enough to keep up with the reality of a war between gods.
Even from the farthest point of the city you could see soldiers fall into the shattering earth as the great dragon seeped into the bedrock and caused the ground they stood on to be littered in gorges that burst into flames. The crane took charge of fighting off the titanic creatures with an art so pure and filled with elemental energy that it could even freeze over the fires the dragon created in the earth. And with the hands of his allies full, all the god of dreams could hope for was to defeat Morax with his triumph card.
The Eater of Dreams.
Morax invaded incoming attacks from the God while the young adeptus blinked in and out of mists of black ruin in an attempt to land a strike. Futile attempts and the sound of weapons clashing raptured through the city.
You watched as the sky became a blanket of frost and the ground below sunk to swallow up those who dare cross the lord of geo. People ran towards the alter, tears streaming down their face as they wailed their prayers for safety in the sanctuary.
Eventually they reached the middle of the city. Defences shattered and all allies nearly slain by the hands of the crane and the dragon alone. Morax still fought on as he pushed the god and Alatus further and further into the city in attempt to reach the temple. Your eyes widening as you noticed the dragon and crane taking on human forms and dispersing over either side of the city to clear it of any hostiles. The dragon making his way to where your family used to live.
Your feet took the initiative for you, running to follow in pursuit of the dragon and ignoring the pleas of the other priestesses to remain behind and care for the people of the city. You did not care. Their god could not protect them so why would you risk the safety of your own family and place your faith in that false promise of a god to keep them protected from the wrath of the rock.
It felt as if every bone in your body was on fire as you ran towards the location of your old home. The sheet of frost causing your skin to burn from the cold temperatures while the smoke of smouldering earth filled your lungs. You persisted through. Tears in your eyes from the pain that you had to swallow back and used the scarf draped over your shoulders to wrap around the lower half of your face.
Of course, all was futile.
When you arrived at the scene, your house was in ruin. Roof caved in and bodies of neighbours trampled along the street painting the ground the most nauseating shade of red you had ever seen. This is what happens when you placed all your faith into a god who did not care for his people. You did not bother moving from where you stood. Snowflakes gathering on your shoulders and eyelashes and your gaze never faltered from the childhood home you would never be able to return to.
To the family who gave you away to a god who failed to protect them.
A building nearby caused a reverberating sound of malice that brought you back to your senses. The adeptus covered in karmic mist laid meekly in the rubble of the building after Morax managed to subdue him. You watched helplessly as the - now human form - of the dragon strode towards the impact and checked the pulse of the adeptus. His eyebrows furrowed as he knelt down to pick up Alatus and slung him over his shoulder. Were they going to enslave him too?
The dragon looked towards the sky and you followed his gaze. Not far above both of you was Morax himself and your heart stopped momentarily when your eyes met the ones of burning amber.
Knees feeling weaker and breath hitching as you witnessed the grip on his spear tightening before he gazed back towards the dragon who found his attention on you, too.
That was your cue to run.
No prayers following your lips as you tried fleeing back towards the temple.
No sight of the God of dreams anywhere near Morax.
Only the blinding frost and sound of screams could be heard now.
You carried on running.
No time to stumble.
No time to look back.
Because of that false god, your life was on the line to a God whose wrath was said to be worse than the fate of death.
You managed to get back to the stairway of the temple before your body eventually gave in to exhaustion. Frustration pulsing through your veins telling you to MOVE! GET UP!
But nothing.
You clenched your fists, damning the god who caused all this by his declaration.
And soon, the shadow of the Lord of Geo could be seen behind you.
Tears, warm and staining your cheeks dripped onto the cracked stone as you accepted your fate.
Laying there, the last sight your eyes would burn into your mind was of the maidens erratically trying to shut the gates to the temple.
“I knew your false god could not protect us.” Were the last words said before slipping into darkness. And you hoped that those words, you so bitterly mumbled, reached the ears of the god who failed everyone.
