"He's someone who shows up before bad things happen!"
Lumine decided not to mention that it was exactly what 'harbinger' meant.
"Hey now, all this time apart and this is the greeting I get?"
The man had a point.
Once basic introductions were out of the way, the five of them—Xinyan, Childe, Shiki Taishou, Paimon, and Lumine—decided to explore the Domain further. While Paimon and Shiki Taishou floated ahead with Xinyan, Lumine fell back and into step with Childe. Speaking in a hushed voice, she asked,
"What are you doing here?"
"Hey, I ended up here by chance. I was working on something else when the Domain opened up."
"Aren't you supposed to be in Liyue?"
"I got a mission in Inazuma and here I am."
"Are you here to take the Electro Gnosis?"
Childe stopped. "I promise you that my mission has nothing to do with the Electro Archon. I can't speak for the other Harbingers."
"Why are you here, Childe?"
"I'm not here to hurt you or your friends, trust me. As for what I'm doing in this Domain, I know nothing more than you do. In fact, you know more than I do."
"Hey, what are you both whispering about back there? Paimon wants to know."
The conversation was forgotten as they tried to figure out what was happening in the Domain. Lumine and Xinyan went out to seek help, leaving Childe to keep the monsters at bay. Lumine was confident that he would be able to deal with the hordes on his own. The man wasn't a Harbinger for nothing.
It took them the better part of a week to sort out the Domain, especially with the endless battles. Childe loved it, but Xinyan and Lumine were getting tired. Lumine was exhausted between keeping up with her commissions, the Domain, and the other odd jobs that she had to do. She was grateful that Childe was there to take the brunt of most of the monsters. Finally, the Domain was cleared, and Lumine had collected whatever treasure she could find. Xinyan was saying goodbye to Shiki Taishou when Lumine saw Childe walking towards her.
She wasn't surprised to know that he was here to investigate the Domain because he thought that it was connected to the Gnosis. What surprised her was that Scaramouche had disappeared with the Gnosis. She hadn't expected him to go rogue. It was anyone's guess what he planned to do with the Gnosis. With how cold he seemed, it would no doubt be something nefarious. Childe was content to let things be because he was right that Lumine's travels would most likely lead her towards the Gnosis, and by association, Scaramouche.
"When that time comes, Traveler, what will you choose to do? And where is your final destination?"
She didn't have an answer for him. Her only objective was to find her brother—at least, that was what it had been. Somehow, it had turned into finding Archons and saving nations. Would she surrender the Gnosis to the Fatui if it meant stopping Scaramouche? Would she let him keep the Gnosis and run rampant? The Raiden Shogun had no need for the Gnosis. Lumine didn't know what she would do; it was a fine dilemma. She didn't know where all of this was going. It wasn't her job to solve the problems of each nation but it somehow became her responsibility. She just wanted to find Aether—and then what? Would they take revenge on the god that imprisoned them here? Would they leave for the next world? Would he want to leave? Did he even want her?
Lumine brought herself back before her thoughts took a darker turn. Childe was still talking. Something about the joy of returning to a place.
"You're like the stars in the night sky, comrade. You never cease to surprise me."
She was taken aback. What did he mean by that? And what was with that affectionate tone? Before she could ask him, Childe had already walked away, leaving her confused.
Later, when they were out of the Domain and done with the day, she was sitting by her campfire, along with Paimon. Childe's words were still running through her mind. Why did he compare her to the stars? She looked up at the dark sky—overcast with clouds, and not a single star to be seen. It was like a pitch-black blanket had been thrown over the sky, with only the moon shining through.
"What are you looking at, Traveler?"
Lumine turned to Paimon. The little fairy was looking at her with concern.
"It's nothing. I was just looking at the sky. There are no stars today."
"Yeah, Paimon noticed that too. Paimon likes the sky much more when stars are twinkling all over."
"Why is that?" Lumine tilted her head in curiosity.
"Stars give Paimon hope. They look so small but they are so powerful. They have to be, to be visible from that far. That's why Paimon loves stars. Plus, they look beautiful."
Lumine was surprised. She had never put that much thought into stars. On one of the worlds she had visited with Aether, they had discovered that stars were just massive, fiery balls of gas. What Paimon said was a very different interpretation. Hopeful, powerful, and beautiful. A blush overtook Lumine's face. Is that what Childe thought of her?
Childe pulled his scarf around his face, making sure it was secure. The snowstorms in Snezhnaya were unforgiving and he had hoped that he wouldn't get caught in one. The trip back from Zapolyarny Palace to Morepesok had been tiring and he just wanted to collapse in front of the fireplace at home. He was just a few minutes away from his house when the storm hit. He was now trudging through what felt like three feet of snow, while getting battered with hail. At times like this, he missed the balmy Liyue breeze.
When he reached his house, he let himself in, taking off his coat and scarf.
"I'm home!"
He had just taken off his boots when he was tackled by Teucer, whom he caught in a hug. Tonia and Anthon followed close behind him. The siblings shared one big group hug until their mother came.
"Slow down there. Your brother only just got home. How about we let him settle down before we bombard him?"
A few minutes later, Childe was sitting at the dining table with a mug of warm cocoa, surrounded by his younger siblings.
"What happened then, brother?"
"And then, your older brother defeated all the bad men who had invaded Mr Cyclops' home."
Teucer cheered, while Tonia and Anthon looked impressed. They knew what Childe's real job was and had learnt to translate his words. In this case, he had taken care of all the Treasure Hoarders in the abandoned temple with the Ruin Guards. It was implicit that he had also taken down the Ruin Guards themselves. Tonia and Anthon knew that their brother was insanely strong but they were always surprised by just how strong he was. They knew that he omitted some of the more violent details of his job, but they understood that it was out of concern. Even so, he was the best older brother that they could ask for. He would always send them gifts from his travels and he replied to their letters as soon as he got them.
His letters were long, filled with all the thoughts that ran through his head. He wrote about his adventures and the opponents he fought. He wrote about the places he visited and that he wanted his siblings to see. He wrote about the people he met on his adventures. His siblings knew almost all the little details about his life. He sent them small souvenirs that he found and gifts that made him think of them. Most of his gifts were thoughtful and unique. He had sent them Starconches, saying that if you put them to your ear, you could hear the ocean. He sent Anthon Liyuean books from an old bookstore, because he knew that Anthon loved to read about other lands. He had sent Tonia pressed Silk Flowers, Violetgrass, and Glaze Lilies, telling her that he picked them himself. Tonia knew that he had convinced a toy maker in Liyue to make custom toys for him. That was where he got Teucer's Mr Cyclops figure from.
They knew that the Liyue Qixing had problems with him after "a toy-selling mishap". They knew he had a friend called Zhongli, who sounded like an old professor. They also knew that he was terrible with money. They knew that he hated a colleague called Signora, because she had "no warmth whatsoever". They knew that he stayed at the Northland Bank and that it was where he conducted his "toy-selling" from. He often had to go meet people who were "overdue on their payments for toys".
They also knew about his "traveler friend". They knew that she had short blonde hair, with "cute longer bangs framing her face." They knew that she had eyes the color of "amber and rich honey". They knew that she was warm, kind, and gentle. They knew that she went out of her way to help people around her. They knew that she had a white outfit and that she looked like "a Glaze Lily in the middle of a meadow". They knew that she had a small fairy companion who was always hungry. They knew that this companion was also terrible with money. (Tonia privately thought that the fairy should have been Zhongli's companion instead.) To sum it up, the siblings knew more about the Traveler, as Childe called her, than everyone else put together.
"Okay, kids, time for dinner. I'm sure your brother is hungry after his travels, and he'll still be right here for you to ask him more about his adventures."
After dinner, Childe collected the dishes and put them in the sink. He had just rolled up his sleeves when his mother waved him off.
"You go and rest. I'll do the dishes."
"I'll help you. I'm not sleepy yet."
His mother shook her head with a fond smile. "Alright. You always were a stubborn one. Now, tell me—how was Liyue?"
He talked as she washed the dishes, telling her all about his stay there and the people he met. When she finished washing, she handed them off to him, and he instantly dried them, pulling away all the water with his Hydro powers. He began putting them away while still talking to his mother.
"I'm glad that you like it there, even if you did almost cause a disaster. I don't know when that wild streak of yours will calm down."
"Ah, you know I try to keep that away from home. Plus, it wasn't all my idea."
His mother sighed. "I don't know how your girlfriend puts up with you, sometimes."
He froze, glass in hand. "My what?"
"Your girlfriend? The blonde traveler with the fairy?"
He somehow managed to regain his bearings.
"She's just a friend."c
His mother raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure, Ajax? Your letters don't make it sound like she's 'just a friend'. I'd say she's a lot more than one."
He shook his head. "No no no. There's nothing between us. She's just someone I like spending time with. We spar each week and I occasionally help her with her commissions."
His mother looked at him silently, her eyes conveying her disbelief. "The way you write about her is different from everything else. Even if I weren't your mother, I could have told you that. Teucer has been singing her praises and Tonia can barely contain her excitement. Plus, it seems to me like she considers you someone close to her too."
He was stunned. Did the Traveler think of him as a close friend? He knew that she considered him a friend, and there was that time when she trusted him with the news about her brother. She had let him comfort her. She showed up every week for their spar, sometimes even hanging around afterwards for a quick bite. She would banter with him like she bantered with Paimon. That itself spoke volumes about their friendship.
Then, his thoughts went down a different path. Was it just friendship or was there something more? He didn't think the Traveler had any feelings for him, but what about him? Was his mother right? Did he look at her as more than just a friend? He knew that he wrote about her in his letters, and he was beginning to realise that every single one of his letters had some mention of her. He would wait for their weekly spar, not because of the fight, but because of her. He loved to fight, but fighting her was a different experience. He used to think it was because she was a worthy opponent, but was it more than that? Was it her? Did he think of her that way?
He was so lost in thought that he never noticed his mother had left.
Lumine wouldn't have admitted it, but it was quiet—too quiet. She had become used to dashing about in the middle of some adventure. The crisis in Sumeru had been averted, the Akademiya was being restructured, Nahida had been rescued, the Wanderer had regained his memories, and Apep's oasis had been cleansed. It had been a harrowing few weeks but things had finally settled down. For the first few days, Lumine was glad to catch a break. She needed some peace after the mad rush that had been Sumeru. But after the initial peace, she began to get antsy. She had gone out and fought some Fungi, chased away Eremites, and even terrorized the Setekh Wenut. Nothing helped. Ultimately, she was taking whatever commissions she could find while waiting for the week to end.
Finally, it was time. Lumine closed her eyes and focused. Visualizing the Golden House, she gathered her energy and teleported right in front of it. She pushed open the heavy doors and entered the building. Childe was standing off to the side, stretching his limbs.
"Girlie! It took you a while! I haven't seen you in weeks."
Lumine smiled. "Yeah, sorry about that. Sumeru was more 'happening' than I expected it to be. I couldn't even come and tell you in person that I'd be gone for a bit. The letter was all I could manage."
"Nah, it's okay. I figured you were caught up in something. Besides, Dottore has been insufferable lately about obtaining two Gnoses at the same time. It didn't take long to connect the dots after that." He tilted his head as he shifted into a fighting stance. "Although, I am curious about how that happened."
She mirrored his position. "I wish I could tell you. Unfortunately, that was an agreement between Nahida and Dottore, and I don't quite know the terms." She also couldn't mention that Scaramouche (or the Wanderer, now) had stolen the Electro Gnosis, which is how it later ended up with Nahida. This Irminsul memory alteration was getting troublesome.
"Nahida? Is that the Dendro Archon?" Their blades clashed.
"Yeah. She lost her powers and was imprisoned by the Akademiya Sages. We got caught in a time loop orchestrated by the Sages, broke out of it, and then ended up overthrowing the system." She spun to avoid a rain of arrows.
An eyebrow went up. "Impressive, impressive. We're saving Archons now?" He flashed in front of her, bringing his blades up.
She tossed a Wind Blade at him. "'I' am saving Archons. You are being a menace." The bite that should have accompanied those words was missing.
"Harsh, girlie. Is that the way to treat a friend?" Now both eyebrows were raised, even as he prepared to manifest his whale.
'Are you a friend?' Lumine had asked herself this several times. She was no longer sure what he was. An enemy? A friend? A comrade? Or something else? She couldn't lie to herself; the lines between them were long since blurred. She found herself seeking his company too often for it to be mere comradeship. You didn't make time to spar with a comrade every single week, much less stick around for dinner afterwards. You didn't babysit a comrade's lost younger sibling. You didn't cry about your brother in front of your comrades, and comrades didn't hold you through said crying.
Her eyes were fixed on him, even as they danced around each other. What would it be like to hang out with him, outside of their spars? Would conversation flow just as easily as it did in their after-spar dinners? Could they walk down the streets of Liyue without the whispers following them? Could she take him on her commissions? Would they fight enemies with the same practiced grace with which they fought each other? Could she drag him along with her, exploring all that Teyvat had to offer?
He would say yes, if she asked him to come with her on her adventures. Not permanently, but he would definitely come along for a few. He had made it clear that he considered her a good friend. He wasn't one for needless pretense, and she knew that his excitement on seeing her was genuine. His disappointment at her leaving for Inazuma was equally genuine. It had surprised her how dejected he looked when he thought that she was leaving without telling him. She still couldn't believe that he had been willing to search half of Liyue just to find her. She knew that he wrote about her in his letters homeâ"Teucer had told her as much. He also seemed to write in great detail if Teucer recognised her from description alone.
Then there was that comment about her being like the stars. She still didn't know what to make of it.
Childe was confusing her. She knew that they were on opposite sides, even if they kept their other allegiances out of their friendship. But, the comfort she felt with him was completely different from what she felt with her other friends. She wanted to feel more of it. She wanted to know more about himâ"about his past, his family, his ambitions and his future. She wanted to know how he became a Harbinger so young. She wanted to know who he was behind the Harbinger. She wanted to know why his laughing blue eyes had no light in them. She wanted to know why he was obsessed with Starconches. She wanted to know a million different things about him.
It wasn't helping that he was so easy on the eyes. Tall and lithe, with a warrior's physique. His Fatui uniform only served to accentuate his height and his rolled-up sleeves revealed muscled forearms. She could see thin scars all over his hands and was sure that the rest of him was covered with them too. Surprisingly, his face did not have any scars. Instead, a smattering of freckles laid across his nose and cheeks. His auburn hair covered his forehead and stuck up in every direction, with the gravity-defying strands at the top. It contrasted nicely with his eyes. A deep, endless blue, with no light behind them but full of emotion. His eyes gave away his feelings, even if the rest of his face was blank. They burned with a dull fire when he was angry, and crinkled up when he was amused. The closest they came to lighting up was when he was in the middle of a fight. Every cell of him exuded energy when his chaotic nature peeked through. He thrived in battle and, as a fellow warrior, Lumine was attracted to him.
She was so distracted that she barely felt the sting of one of his arrows slicing her cheek open. His surprised "Oi!" brought her back to reality.
"What's up with you? Where are you lost?"
She dropped a rock on him in response.
Childe was bored and cranky. His latest assignment was in the Hydro nation and there was nothing more than the occasional debt collection. He was feeling more restless than usual and was itching for a fight. For diplomatic reasons, he had to keep it under control. The most he could do was convince the Champion Duelists to fight him, and those fights had to be kept "reasonable". However, they did nothing to calm him. He felt like there was something inside him that was straining to get out—some sort of dark power that wanted release. It was grating on him and he was constantly irritable. Especially with idiots like the ones he was dealing with right now. How could someone be so stupid as to threaten others when they themselves owed money?
It was then that he saw familiar faces.
"Traveler! Paimon! I didn't think I'd run into you here in Fontaine. What are the chances!?"
He perked up despite himself. Seeing the Traveler had dissipated all of his frustration. His assignment in Fontaine meant that their weekly spar was on hold. He hadn't expected to see her until he returned to Liyue. He missed the way her eyes sparkled when she fought him, physically or verbally. He missed helping her patch herself up after their fights. He missed their conversations and occasional dinners. Damn it, he missed her.
Since the conversation with his mother, he had reevaluated his feelings. It was clear to him that the Traveler meant a lot to him. She was as important to him as his family, but in an entirely different way. She could keep up with him like an equal. She cared for him like a comrade. She had no problem knocking him down when she needed to. She pushed him to grow stronger. She was smart, witty, powerful, and beautiful. He'd be an idiot to not realize that he was attracted to her.
With her here, life was bound to get exciting.
Once he had dealt with the debtors, he turned back to her. That was when the idiot behind him decided to get up again. Some people never learn.
Childe tried to manifest his Hydro blades but they didn't form. He knocked out the man with a quick blow before turning to the Traveler.
"Are you alright?" Concern was written all over her face.
He didn't know what happened either. Did his Vision stop working? Could that even happen? It didn't make sense but nothing else made sense either. It was the first time he had ever heard of something like this. But then again, he had been through a lot of firsts. He wondered if the Traveler was right about his restlessness being related to his Vision malfunctioning. Was this connected to his experience in the Abyss? He wished he could meet Skirk. She might know what was happening.
Anyway, that could wait. He had an appointment to keep. It had taken him a while but he had managed to get Clorinde to agree to a duel with him. He needed to leave now if he wanted to make it in time. But, before that—
"I want you to have this."
He saw the Traveler's eyes widen in shock. He knew that most people wouldn't give their Vision to anyone else, but the Traveler wasn't just anyone. She was someone he would trust with his life, and, figuratively, that was what he was doing. He knew that she would keep his Vision safe.
As he turned to leave, an idle thought crossed his mind. Would she do the same with his heart?
Lumine heard the verdict. "Guilty."
She saw Childe take down the Gardemeks.
She saw him begin to manifest Foul Legacy.
She saw Neuvillette knock him out.
And then, Childe disappeared from the Fortress of Meropide.
It had been three months since his trial and that was the last she had heard of him until today.
Now, he fell out of a dimensional rift in the middle of the Opera Epiclese. Furina's trial had just ended and they were still trying to make head or tail of the verdict. Then, the narwhal appeared and attacked the civilians present at the trial. Neuvillette seemed to be right about the monster looking for any source of Primordial Seawater. He managed to deflect it from devouring the Fontainians but Lumine could see that he was straining to hold it back. The monster opened its mouth and began charging some kind of attack. That was when Childe appeared, in full Foul Legacy armor. He shot out of the rift and slammed his lance into the monster's back, disrupting its attack. He unleashed a series of powerful Electro strikes, battering the monster until Neuvillette finally pushed it back. Childe looked at Neuvillette, at her, before raising his hand and falling back into the rift.
The whole event lasted maybe thirty seconds but it left Lumine's heart pounding. She was still in shock as she raced to save Furina. Childe was in the Primordial Sea, fighting THAT for three months? She had inferred as much from the snippets she saw in her dreams, but to see it was another thing altogether. She knew the Harbinger was strong but she worried about him. He had been holding his own against the monster, probably constantly keeping up Foul Legacy. Who knows what effect that had on him? What's more, he did not have his Vision with him. He was fighting using only his Delusion. Fear stabbed her heart. She had seen what the Delusion had done to Teppei. She guessed that it would affect Childe differently considering that he was a Vision user but she was still terrified for him.
If this was the "it" that he had awakened during his time in the Abyss, she could understand why the Oratrice judged him guilty. Traces of the monster must still be left on him, which is what the machine identified. She wondered what other horrors he encountered in the Abyss. She knew he was powerful and could take almost anything thrown at him but the Abyss left scars. Archons above, she hoped that he would be okay.
She was worried about him, even as she prepared to face the Narwhal with Neuvillette. That worry only grew when she saw Childe unconscious. His master, Skirk, picked him up and tossed him into a rift that most likely led to the Abyss. She tossed the narwhal right after him. Lumine wanted answers but this was not the time for them. She hoped that Skirk would keep him safe.
Childe was important to her and she no longer cared to deny it.
She had spent her entire life traveling with Aether and never had any close bonds with other people. She had made a few friends on different worlds, but they were all left behind when she moved to another world. New world, new adventure, new people. This was the first time she had spent long enough in a world that she could form meaningful connections.
However, Childe was different. He was her most unexpected friend. She trusted him more than she should, and he made her feel things she hadn't expected. She knew that it went deeper than mere physical attraction. Granted, he was good-looking and insufferably charming, but this was more. She didn't know if it was love, but it was something powerful. Being around him made her feel lighter. His rough edges fit with hers, and she felt no need to smooth herself out. He saw the fighter in her and he delighted in it. He had also respected her emotions when she broke down after meeting Aether. She knew what people said about him—liar, murderer, manipulator, psychopath—and she didn't care one bit. She had become close to Childe and she wanted more of him. She wanted to know more about him. She wanted to meet his family. She wanted to spend time with him. She wanted to go on adventures with him. She wanted to be with him, simply put.
Fontaine had proved to her that she cared deeply about him. Whether that was a mistake or not remained to be seen.
