Guidance
My writings are influenced heavily by @nicebonescomrade, @willowedwisteria, @raidengaile, and so many other Sagau writer's works. You all inspire me so much! Thank you for all that you do!! Enjoy!
| Part 2
Warnings: Some slightly OOC Young! Zhongli and maybe some..implied neglect, but other than that nothing else!(I think..)
Summary: You had always been there for him, even when he didn't know it.
(Note: All italicized words will have their definitions at the end)
Even though it was so long ago, he could still remember that day as clear as crystal. It was long before he had become Red Lapis, the fervent acolyte, or Morax the Warmongering Sinner, blinded by his own Earthly beliefs. It had been when he was still a young and nameless god of stone, a hatchling dragon adeptus with no true idea how the world around him worked or who had made it.
Yet, even in his ignorance, you still looked kindly upon him in his youth. Like a guardian angel.
"Hello little one, are you lost?"
The little god startled from his intense state of thought and looked up. The curious figure before him was swathed in a long brown cloak and thick black robes which showed not an inch of skin. Their face was shrouded in shadow by the hood of their cloak, yet even if one looked closer to try and spot their face, one would only be met with a white, faceless mask. They carried no bag or climbing supplies like any reasonable mortal would when climbing this far up into the mountains, only a simple wooden crook.
How strange, he had thought. He couldn't recognize you then, his facalities were still new, not yet full intertwined with your creation. At that time he couldn't even full tap into the Geo power you had plentifully granted him at birth. He could not sense your power, your overwhelming strength, your divine presence. If he had, he perhaps would have foolishly fled like the child he had been, not understanding, afraid, and far, far, too ignorant.
"This one is not lost!" the little god proclaimed firmly, "This one was just-uh..."
He looked back to the unfamiliar path which flowed further up the mountain. It was then some of his confidence wavered.
"Um..."
The cloaked figure chuckled.
"So you are lost." The wanderer's voice smirked with certainty. The young god pouted in response, face flushed red with embarrassment.
"No! I-I'm just-!"
"You know.." The stranger sighed knowingly as they kneeled down to his eye level, wagging a black gloved finger, "It's not wise to lie to one's elders child. Pride will only cause more problems for you."
His cheeks puffed out even further in annoyance.
"I don't need any help," He sniffed and jutted a finger to his chest, "I'm an adeptus! A god! A Long! I can take care of myself!"
"Oh?"
"Yeah! I'm probably even older than you! So I don't need to respect you!"
The stranger snorted.
"Child, no one in Teyvat is older than I. Even Teyvat itself is young compared to this one."
"You lie!" The little adeptus cried out accusingly, "No one is older than Teyvat!"
"I tell no lies, little adeptus," the figure then lightly bonked him on the head with their crook. The young god squeaked, then huffed with indignance. The wanderer simple shook their head and chuckled once more, "You should learn to be more polite. No one will want to worship a rude god."
He glared up at them.
"Now then!" The stranger rose to their feet and dusted off their robes, before turning back to the path before them. "Where are you trying to go little one? Do you have parents waiting for you?"
"..."
The little dragon was silent for a few moments before speaking.
"No.. I..T-This one was trying to get back home, to my cave," His gaze lowered, "..This adeptus doesn't have any parents."
"No parents?" The shock was evident in their voice, "But.."
The figure's head looked him up and down, now finally noticing the white silk wrapping tied up in sloppy, childish knots loosely hanging off the young god's small frame that barely covered the scraps,cuts,and bruises that littered his skin.
"..You're still so young for an adeptus.." They muttered softly, yet there seemed to be a hidden growl within their words, "Why are you alone?"
The little one proudly puffed out his chest. He camed to realized later on that was perhaps not something to be proud of.
"This one's power is probably too much for the mortals below the mountain to handle!" He smiled broadly, "As for other adepti.."
His shoulders slumped a little.
"This one has.. never really met another adeptus or god before.."
The mortals below all worshiped him as a great mountain spirit, a "protector deity", but back then he hadn't really known what that meant. They had elevated him, put him on a pedestal, yet they also refused to climb them mountain to visit saying that it was "his sacred domain" and that they were "unworthy to tred upon such divine soil". They left him offerings of food and stones, but they never talked to him unless it was in prayer, and that was always when they needed something. While he wouldn't admit it out loud.. he had always been rather lonely...
Until that day.
"Hmf.." The stranger hummed, "Well then, I suppose that means you have no one to teach you the way of the gods then."
The little god blinked, "Eh?"
The cloaked traveler nodded, "Oh yes, there are many things one must know to be a proper god! So many rules, regulations, rituals, customs.." They shake their head in exasperation, "In this one's opinion, things don't need to be so overly complicated, but the Celestial Officials absolutely insisted on it. I don't understand why."
"You..You know the way of the Gods??" He asked hesitantly.
"Yup!"
"...Really?" He asked incredulously.
They huffed and smacked him on the head once more with their crook. The god squawk indignantly.
"Aiyah! Don't underestimate this elder, child! I hold knowledge of many things! The way of the gods of Celestia is just the tip of the iceberg!"
"What's an iceberg?"
"See!" He could just hear the smugness in their voice, "I even known about things that exist that you don't!"
He gave them a flat look, "So?"
They sighed.
"Look," They gently patted his head between his horns. His eyes widened, slitted pupils dilating, "This one.. Does not feel comfortable leaving you all alone on this mountain."
"I'm not all alone!" He weakly retorted, still slightly dazed from the pleasantness of having their hand on his head. When had someone ever patted his head before? "I have my worshipers at the bottom of the mountain!"
"Yes, but do they make you feel happy? Are any of them your friends? Do you even know any of their names?"
His silence had probably been rather telling.
"You stubborn little blockhead.." They murmured, "I will stay for now and teach you all that I know, and that is final! From this moment on you are now my Xuéshēng!"
Why? He had wanted to ask. They had barely known each other for thirty minutes and this mortal traveler was already proclaiming themselves to be his shifu. He barely even knew this person! He should be shoving them off his mountain and telling them to never come back! He should be angry and mistrustful! No mortal should claim dominion over him! Yet, some where deep inside, some ancient primal aspect of himself told him to trust this stranger. That part of himself had never lead him astray nor has it ever failed in leading him in his daily survival, even to this day. 'They won't hurt you,' it had whispered in the back of his mind, 'You can trust them, little adeptus.'
And from the way they continued to pet his head, making feel this warm, euphoric fuzziness he had never felt before, he was becoming more and more inclined to agree.
"Do you have a name little one?" They asked suddenly.
He shook his head only to marvel at the feel of your fingers sinking deeper into his hair as he did so.
"Hm, well, that is troublesome-" They paused, not noticing the adeptus blatently nuzzling their hand as they processed that thought, "Wait, if you don't have a name, then what do the villagers call you?"
The little dragon adeptus froze and looked down silently, curling his bare toes in the dirt.
"Most of them just call me the "Guardian Lung of the Mountain" or "The Dragon Adeptus", they.. didn't really give me a name."
They clicked their tongue. "Well this just won't do!" The adeptus watched as the stranger seemed to dive deep into their thoughts, a hand on the chin of their mask as they hummed silently. After a few moments, they snapped their fingers.
"I know! I'll call you Shi Yǒng uh, for the time being?" You retracted awkwardly, "Ah, You could always change it later if you don't like it-."
"No!" the little one suddenly blurted out, only to bite his tongue, "I..I love it!"
A name.. A name... No one had ever given him a name before..
And at that time he hadn't realized just how precious of a gift it was or who had given it to him. Such a precious, precious gift, worth more than all the Mora in Teyvat. While history may have forgotten it, its characters and syllables washed away with the sands of history, that name remained forever etched into the very depths of his heart. His very first name. The name that.. you had given to him.
"Um.."
"Yes Shi Yǒng?"
He shuddered giddily. (That's my name! They said my name!!)
"May.. May I also know this respected elder's name if you are going to be teaching me?" He asked softly, eagerly.
"My name..." He felt a gnawing disappointment when they pulled their hand away, resisting the urge to grab it and shove it back between his horns, "Ah, this one's name is unimportant. Just call me Laoshi, little one."
He wanted to ask why they felt their name was unimportant (how could their name be unimportant?!), but.. They started drifting away from the conversation as soon as their name was brought up, so he dropped it. Mortals don't like talking about things that make them uncomfortable, right? Does their name make them uncomfortable perhaps? Something to be explored on a later date it would seem.
"Then.." He grabbed their hand and (finally!) placed it back on his head with a huge smile on his face, "I will be in your care Laoshi!"
You smiled softly behind your mask.
Definitions:
Long - A Chinese dragon
Aiyah - A Chinese exclamation of exasperation or frustration
Xuéshēng - Chinese word meaning "student"
shifu - Chinese word meaning "Master" or "teacher"
Laoshi - Chinese word that literally means "old teacher"
Extra:
"Um... Laoshi?
"Yes?"
"You still haven't answered my question from earlier."
"Hm? What question?"
"You still haven't told me what an iceberg is."