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The first thing he noticed when he wakes up was to the sky. Dark and gloomy, huh, was he sleeping outside prior?
He remembers fighting abyss mages and ruin guards with Lumine... But that's about it. Good job memory.
Did she decide to leave while he rested?
Childe frowns.
The second thing he noticed was just... How light he feels. It's—it's hard to describe, but it feels like all the physical and mental weight on his body just disappeared.
Strange, very strange.
It gets stranger when he arrives back in Liyue, no one stares at him. Actually, no one even acknowledges him at all! It's a little unsettling and confusing. As a well-known Harbinger around these parts, he always got hateful glares or frighten stares. But now? Nothing. No disdain, no fear.
Childe was about to reach out to a random person when he sees a flash of white and gold from the corner of his eye.
It's Lumine. And she was holding... Flowers? Glaze lilies to be precise. He squints his eyes, curious why she has a bundle of them in her hands.
"Hey girlie!" He calls out. Lumine doesn't turn around, instead, she just kept walking as if she didn't hear him.
Was she ignoring him now like everyone else was? Childe grits his teeth, following after her. What the hell was going on today? Why was everyone ignoring him like he doesn't exist? Why is Lumine joining in on this trend?
Even when Childe calls out to her again, she doesn't turn back to face him or even answer him. No matter how loud his voice gets, she doesn't hear him. It's like she can't hear him, for whatever reason. He... He really doesn't like that. Childe growls in frustration, strolling up beside Lumine, matching with her pace. She doesn't even spare a glance at him.
"Hey, girlie, what's with the glaze lilies? Did the consultant ask for them again?" Lumine doesn't respond which is really getting on Childe's nerves. "Ignoring me huh? Gotta say that's quite bold of you to do especially when it comes to me." Again, nothing. But Childe persists, filling the empty air with his chatter.
Why won't you look at me? He so badly wants to ask but didn't want to give in to desperation that quickly. Even though Lumine ignoring his existence hurts him more than it should.
Did he do something wrong in their last fight? Something to invoke her ire?
I'll happily make it up to you, just please...
Childe keeps following and following until—
"Wait, I was just here," Childe says, realizing the same area he woke up in. But... Things still didn't add up. Why was Lumine coming here where Childe once was? Why'd she bring flowers? Lumine kneels down, laying down the glaze lilies right at the spot he woke up in.
"Childe..." It was a whisper, so faint yet so loud in his ears. Childe perks up to his own name, mouth open ready to speak when Lumine lets out a more quiet and pained cry, "Childe..." She hiccups, her shoulders shaking and that's when he realizes that she's crying. Instantly, worry and concern wash over him as he reaches out towards her.
"Lumine?! What's going on? Why are you cryin—" his voice trails off as he stares in shock.
His hand passes through her.
He quickly pulls back, staring at his own hand with horror. Stress starts rising in his head and panic bubbles. What? How? How can this happen? What was going on?
"I'm sorry," a loud sob from Lumine made his head snap back to her. "If I was more careful—if I wasn't distracted then you would have—" Lumine chokes on her tears as Childe could do nothing but stare. "I'm sorry," she cries out again, muffled behind her hands.
He remembers.
He remembers the abyss mages, the onslaught of ruin guards attacking.
The wind blows strongly in his ears but he can hear Lumine's cries louder than the storm itself.
He remembers them taking it all down together. One by one as comrades in arms.
"Childe..."
He remembers them celebrating, thinking they've won.
"I'm sorry,"
He remembers seeing a ruin guard rise, back turned and missiles aiming straight for her, and he—
"It should have been me!" Lumine sobs out in frustration, tears cascading down her face that he wants to wipe away. "Why'd you take the hit...? Why'd you have to go?"
"Why'd you have to die?"
And he remembers.
He remembers the excruciating pain that abrupted in his body when the missiles hit. He remembers how desperate Lumine was to patch up his wounds.
He remembers her agonizing wail when he closed his eyes and took his last breath.
"Childe..." Lumine whimpers and Childe wraps his ghostly arms around her shoulders. His own pit of despair settling in. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry..."
He wants to hug her tighter, hold her closer, and whisper reassuring words that 'it's alright, please don't cry anymore.' But he can't. Childe can't do any of that anymore. He can't offer his comfort to the girl crying his name.
Childe stays even when Lumine's crying comes to a steady halt. He stays with her when she makes her way back to Liyue.
He stays because... That's all he can do now.
He wonders if she can feel his presence. If she knows he's still here but not at the same time.
"Are you watching over me, Childe?" Lumine murmurs one night, gazing up at the starry sky. Her eyes longing and forlorn, gazing at his constellation. He places his hand over hers, carefully hovering over it as he looks over at her with a sad smile.
"I am."
But she does not hear him. Nor does she feel him try to wipe away her cascading tears.