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Please, you need to come quickly. Childe... I think he's dying. The Traveler's words still echoed in Zhongli's mind as he entered the Golden House. Aether quickly guided him to the place where the Fatui Harbinger was lying on the floor, covered in bruises from their fight and clearly unconscious. Even worse, he was barely breathing. And when the Archon Geo kneeled next to him to check his pulse, he almost recoiled at how faint it was.
Dread gripped Zhongli's heart at the discovery. After a quick examination, he came to the horrible conclusion that life was indeed fading away from his body. At this rate, he would be gone in an hour, if not less. The Archon had seen countless deaths through the ages, making it easy for him to recognize the signs, but this time, he found himself unable to accept it.
This wasn't how this was supposed to go. That whole masquerade he planned to test the strength of Liyue, it wasn't meant to cause irreversible harm to anyone. Especially not to Childe, to the one person he'd grown so attached to ever since faking his death that he seriously considered spending a good part, if not all, of his mortal life with him. That fight shouldn't have gone the way it had.
Aether had explained it all to him. How, during their fight, Childe had let his Harbinger Form drain too much energy out of him, blinded by rage. Zhongli couldn't even be mad at the Traveler for how the events unfolded, not when he'd been misleading him all along. It wouldn't be fair of him. On the contrary, he could only thank Celestia for giving Aether such a kind soul. After Childe's betrayal, many people would have chosen to leave him to die, instead of trying to save him.
But to snatch Child from the cold, unforgiving hand of death, there was only one solution left, and it directly went against Zhongli's very nature. He took a deep breath, making up his mind.
No, he would not lose him today.
“There's not a second to waste. Aether, I need you to go to Bubu Pharmacy. In the meantime, I'll stay with Childe. Here's the medicine I'll need.”
He quickly scribbled a short note on a piece of paper, then handed it to the Traveler. The young man nodded, his eyes full of determination. He sprinted out of the Golden House, unaware that none of the cures listed would be able to heal Childe. That Zhongli was only using it as an excuse to have him leave, so he wouldn't see what he was about to do.
The Archon waited a few seconds, just to make sure he was gone, then he put a hand over his own chest, before reaching inside until his fingers closed against his gnosis. Time was of the essence, so he pulled it out without further ceremony. It left him with a strange feeling of emptiness, as if he'd just sacrificed a part of himself, but at the moment, he couldn't care less.
He put the gnosis right over Childe's heart, then gently pressed against it. It quickly merged with the Harbinger's body, disappearing completely, Zhongli the only witness of what he'd just done. No one else could ever know, not even Childe himself. Having a gnosis would make him a target to his own people, and the Geo Archon didn't know if his loyalty to the Tsaritsa would go as far as to sacrifice his life to give her what she wanted.
The Tsaritsa... Now, he would never be able to honor the deal they'd made. Part of him felt intense shame, at breaking his own principles. He'd have to lie to her, to send her on a false trail, if he wanted to protect Childe. He'd have to be good enough to fool Signora first, then probably the Cryo Archon herself, too. For that, he would have to result to methods he would usually loathe. The god of contract truly was no more.
However, he couldn't get himself to regret it, not when Childe's face was quickly regaining colors. The Harbinger stirred awake, blinking slowly as he took in his surroundings, as well as the miserable state of his body. A grunt of pain escaped him when he tried to move. With a tender but firm gesture, Zhongli pressed him back down. The power of his gnosis was maybe helping Childe's body recover, but he wouldn't take the risk of having the Fatui injure himself even further.
“Don't strain yourself. Just rest, I will make sure no harm comes to you.”
“Mister Zhongli...” He murmured, his weakened state making him half-delirious. “Please don't leave...”
Instinctively, Childe reached for his hand. He was trembling in fear as if, deep down, he sensed just what terrible fate he had barely escaped. To reassure him, Zhongli didn't hesitate a single second to link their fingers together, and he even went as far as to cautiously pull him close, so that Childe could let his head rest on his shoulder.
“You don't have to worry about a thing. I'll stay with you, I promise.”
It was true in more ways than one. Since he'd given him his gnosis, a part of him would always be with Childe from now on. His word was enough to soothe the Harbinger. Despite Childe's will, his eyelids closed again and he fell back into unconsciousness. It didn't worry Zhongli; after taking such a toll, it would take time for his body to fully recover, but also to adapt to his gnosis.
As for the Archon Geo himself, his choice would no doubt have many unpleasant consequences he would have to handle in the near future, but for the moment, watching over Childe was his one and only priority. As he watched him peacefully sleep against him, Zhongli made a promise to himself. One last contract, so to say. To never let anyone discover the truth about his gnosis and to always protect Childe, no matter what.