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Lumine.
Such a beautiful name befitting the goddess of the moon, a celestial being whose dazzling sparkle will forever be unparalleled, the epitome of night’s elegance and grace.
Lumine is a favorite among the rural populace, for just like the moon’s kind glow that illuminates the land at night, the goddess’ heart gleams with pure goodness.
She is sympathetic and selfless, bearing a significantly greater understanding of mortals compared to the rest of Celestia.
Perhaps this is because she often crosses paths with them when she descends from the heavens to hunt – one of the other things she’s best known for.
As also the patron goddess of hunting, her ability to shoot an arrow and hold a bow is unsurpassed even by her fellow gods. Only her twin brother – Aether, the god of the sun – serves as her equal in terms of skill in archery.
That is, until Childe happened.
The mortal hunter bore no special powers unlike the gods of Celestia or their kin – but he was taught the art of archery by Skirk, the goddess of war, in undercover when he was 14. He carried on practicing what he learned, and as a result, he ended up mastering the bow at a young age.
With only knowledge passed down to him by Skirk, he became a mighty hunter and an extremely powerful and skilled warrior serving under the Tsaritsa.
But that was a long time ago, before he was driven away from his homeland to this foreign place, where he is alone and a total stranger.
But despite everything, he continued to hunt. Who is he, if not a hunter?
One fateful day, he encounters a cloaked woman in the forest. Not many would dare to venture into that area since it is full of wild animals, but the woman walks as if she fears nothing.
Childe could see the quiver slung on her back, and she is also accompanied by a pack of the finest hunting hounds he had ever seen.
He watches as she aims for a bear that's twice her size and successfully knocks it down with a single arrow. She didn’t even move from her position, and Childe finds himself admiring her skill.
No one – he has seen no one with such a precise aim during his entire life.
To say that the woman piqued his interest as a hunter is an understatement. He almost mutters a silent prayer of gratitude when his own hunting hound runs to her, finally giving him an excuse to make his approach.
The woman smiles at his hunting hound and gently pats the mutt’s head. And that was Childe’s cue to emerge from the trees.
“It seems like my precious hound has deserted me for a stronger hunter,” he says with an amused lilt in his voice.
The cloaked woman turns to gaze at him, but he is still too far to get a good look at her face.
“I can’t say I’m offended, though. I’m glad she can recognize skill and talent well,” he says. And that's a huge compliment, given how competitive he is.
Childe couldn't see it, but he could hear the woman smiling when she finally speaks.
“So the hound is a she,” she says, her voice so soft and melodious and heavenly that it makes the mortal hunter’s heart flutter.
“What a brave girl,” the woman murmurs, making the hound happily wag her tail.
Strange, the mighty hunter almost feels envious of his hound while watching the mysterious woman tenderly brush her fur.
“Your hound seems to like you a lot. You don’t have to worry about her being swept away by someone else,” she tells him matter-of-factly. Childe's hound barks as if seconding what the woman said.
When Childe finally got close to where she was crouched down, the woman’s back was already turned to him, giving him nothing else to look at but the back of her cloak.
“Huh. That’s good to know,” the hunter murmurs. Perhaps she knows well about the body language of animals? Her own hounds do look well taken care of, after all.
Shrugging off his thoughts, Childe's attention returns to the mysterious woman and he introduces himself.
“I often hunt in this area, and this seems like the first time I’ve crossed paths with you. Are you not from here?”
The woman answers with a curt yes, confirming Childe’s assumptions.
“Knew it. I would have recognized anyone with such excellent archery skills at first glance if I’ve already met them before,” the hunter says, nodding to himself.
Curiously, he tilts his head and asks, “What's your secret? Care to exchange notes?”
Before the woman could say a word, Childe’s hunting hound picks up a scent. And based on the way their ears quirk up, the mysterious huntress’ hounds did as well. The animals race through the woods to follow it, and both owners were left with no choice but to run after them.
In the distance, they spot a wolf preying on a pregnant-looking deer – the poor thing immediately catching their sympathy.
Both letting their hunter instincts take over, Childe and the woman load up their bows and send their arrows flying in the air within the blink of an eye.
Their arrows land side by side on the wolf’s body, their perfect shots piercing through the flesh cleanly. Impressive.
But before they could even admire their work, they heard a howl – and what was originally one wolf turned out to be an entire pack waiting for food.
Without second thoughts, the two hunters begin shooting down the predators and aim to drive them away from the helpless deer before they could even pounce.
They move like a team, even if they had just met. And with skills like theirs, it didn’t take long before the two have wiped out the entire pack.
The woman approaches the deer and runs her hand through its fur. Her mere touch calms down the animal, which was visibly shaking after its encounter with wolves.
She crouches down and whispers something into the deer’s ear. And as if its energy is instantly revitalized, the deer takes off running mirthfully back into the woods.
The mysterious huntress stands up and pulls down the hood of her cloak, revealing a gorgeous, young woman who makes Childe’s jaw drop at first sight.
She is flawless. And she is none other than the goddess of the moon.
There is no else except for Lumine who could have golden hair that shone like the stars and golden eyes whose radiance could light up even the darkest skies.
He couldn’t be mistaken.
Upon realizing the huntress’ true identity, Childe averts his eyes from her and gets down on his knees in respect.
“Gracious goddess Lumine, I am humbled to be in your presence,” he says.
Ever since he was a kid, Childe has been taught to be respectful towards gods lest you wish to incur their wrath. And although his attitude towards the gods turned into one of indifference during his days serving the Tsaritsa, the goddess of the moon was someone whom he still held in high esteem.
Lumine was good to people, except if they did something that would anger her. But unlike other gods, she isn't infuriated by things such as vandalizing her temple or speaking ill of her.
Instead, Childe heard tales of people being turned into bears and boars for transgressing against animals and maidens – both of which are of utmost importance to her. Those who cross her personal space also suffer, especially men who dare to lay their filthy, undeserving hands on her.
He did neither, but who knows? No one could say that they know very well how the goddess’ mind works, after all.
While the mortal hunter is busy thinking about what could happen to him for acting brashly, Lumine only finds herself amused by the sudden change in his attitude.
Is he even the same easygoing person she met a few moments ago?
“I'm truly thankful for your reverence, Childe,” she says, a small smile gracing her face. “But I quite liked it more when you treated me as if I was a regular huntress.”
Lumine is very picky with people – especially men. After all, she made a vow of maidenhood eons ago shortly after she and Aether were created from the cosmos… and men… well, let’s just say that they’re very nasty predators.
She has encountered many who tried to tarnish her solemn oath for the sake of an ego boost, so she kept her distance from men as time went by.
But this hunter? His attitude towards her seems harmless. And if she’s being honest, she finds it quite refreshing. Most men, after all, would often praise her for her beauty or godhood first – not her archery skills.
“My goddess, that was very preposterous of me,” Childe says, thinking that Lumine’s statement is a prelude to his punishment. “I apologize for my earlier impertinence. I didn’t know it was you.”
Lumine shakes her head and assures him that there’s no need to fret. “It seems like we make a good team. Don't you think it would be a shame to let such good rapport go to waste?”
Childe does agree, but he'd only dare say that out loud if she wasn't a goddess who could strike him down any minute.
He is well aware that Lumine only surrounded herself with female companions. Although she doesn’t discriminate between mortals, nymphs, and demigods, he isn’t sure how it would go for a mortal man like him.
But gods, he wants to try fighting alongside her again.
“What do you suggest then, my goddess?”
Lumine crouches down and lifts Childe’s chin with her fingers, putting herself back in his line of sight.
“It's been a while since a mortal took part in my adventures. Would you like to be my hunting companion?”
Lumine is not like Aether, who has the ability to project visions when you look him in the eye due to his powers as the patron god of oracles. But when Childe’s dull blue eyes connect with her gentle golden ones, he foresees more days like this one - filled with hunting sprees and even a chance to be in combat against a goddess.
How could he, a lowly mortal, say no?
"Yes, my lady," he says, unable to hold back the excitement in his voice. "I would be more than honored to be the hunting companion of someone as skilled and powerful as you."
And a hunting companion of Lumine did he become.
The goddess and the hunter easily established a connection thanks to their shared interest in the wild and nature. Thus, it didn’t take long before Childe joined and became a rare exception to the goddess’ exclusively female group of hunters.
But the goddess’ special treatment of him did not stop there, for there were times when the two of them would set out on hunting journeys alone together. During those hunts, the two of them would constantly try to outdo each other – and it felt wonderful.
Lumine realized that Childe could match up to her archery skills, and it sends her thrills to compete against someone else who’s at par with her – someone who isn’t Aether, for once.
She kept Childe by her side, initially because she found him to be a very capable companion. Although she told him to treat her not as a goddess but as a hunting companion, Childe still acted as if he was one of her loyal subjects.
He’d carry her quiver for her, wash her bloodied cloak, and polish her silver arrows. Sometimes, he'd even offer spoils of his own hunt to her temple instead of keeping it for himself. Lately, he’s been adding some pretty flowers, too.
Once when she came to land so she could blow off some steam after a frustrating meeting with the gods of Celestia, Childe even offered to shoot them all down for her.
“Anyone you need knocked off their perch today? Let me know. I'll happily oblige,” he’d often tell her in a joking tone, although they both knew that he would attempt to crush the thrones of gods beneath his heel if Lumine asked him to.
Weirdly enough, the goddess found comfort in it.
After their hunts, they would rest and tell each other about their lives.
Baring their souls, Lumine and Childe would talk about their secrets, their hopes, their regrets, and the people they hold dear. She is intrigued by his stories about his siblings, while he is fascinated by her tales of the stars.
“My siblings would've loved to hear your stories,” he tells her.
“Tonia would’ve loved to hear how beautiful Celestia's flower fields are. Teucer would listen to you attentively just because he’s charmed. And the night sky fascinates Anthon very much. I bet he would ask questions you wouldn't even imagine.”
"Like if an eclipse means that the gods are angry and we’ll bring disaster and destruction to the world?" Lumine teases, remembering one of the times Childe asked her about the legitimacy of some urban myths.
The mortal hunter pouts, pretending to be upset that the goddess is still using one of their past conversations to make fun of him.
"Hey, I was genuinely curious."
Lumine laughs, and Childe believes that the beautiful sound itself could give birth to a thousand stars.
"Your laugh is so beautiful, my goddess," the hunter says, his mouth running itself before his mind could even intervene. But instead of looking at him disapprovingly like he expected her to, Lumine only smiles.
“And you’re among the privileged few who had ever heard it,” she tells him.
Childe feels his heart beat erratically, a foreign emotion making his head spin. Lumine has her own way of making one feel special, and for him, this seems like one of those.
He looks up at the night sky in an attempt to calm the unceasing pounding in his ribcage.
"It's so cloudy," he says instead, changing the direction of the conversation. “It’s a pity we can’t see the moon and the stars clearly.”
Lumine leans back against a tree trunk and follows Childe’s line of sight.
“You’re right. But we've got lots of time to wait for a beautiful night."
After one of their successful hunts, Childe sets up a campfire for the goddess of the moon.
“Would you care to join me again tonight, at least for a little while before you head back to Celestia?” he invites her.
“As long as you’re in charge of grilling the meat,” Lumine laughs, already settling in front of the fire.
Childe smiles and obliges, serving the goddess as any mortal should. But for him, he is doing it out of his own volition. He is doing it because he wants to, rather than because he's supposed to.
He likes being able to do things for Lumine – not as a goddess that one has to serve, but as a woman who has completely captured his heart.
Yes, during their days hunting together, he has admittedly found himself falling for her.
How could he not, when she is strong and kind and beautiful and radiant – everything that he could ever want?
But he could not have her the way he wanted to. He knows that she will never love him back nor return even a fraction of his feelings for her. Lumine is sworn to maidenhood, and he respects that vow. How could a mere mortal hold a goddess’ heart anyway?
Just like the moon, she is unreachable. So he should be content with whatever they have right now.
He should be.
They exchange stories while sitting in front of the fire, and at some point of the night, Childe has ended up with his head resting on Lumine’s lap.
Their relationship is ambiguous like this, but neither of them fought against it. They just relished it - relished these fleeting moments where they could feel like they were something despite being nothing.
With her golden eyes, the goddess silently traces the constellation of freckles on his cheeks, comparing it to the stars that accompany her in the night sky. She lets her gaze linger on his lips, a part of him that she’s forbidden to explore.
How would his lips taste? She could only wonder.
"Lumine, my most beautiful crescent moon,” he calls out to her, bringing her back to reality.
Childe seems to have a penchant for giving her nicknames. On some days, it was moonlight, and sometimes, it was krasivaya boginya — a nickname from his mother tongue, he told her.
Most mortals wouldn’t have remained unscathed after calling a goddess such terms of endearment. How dare one act so close to divinity, after all?
But for Childe, Lumine made an exception. Everything about him was an exception to her rules. To her way of life.
The skilled hunter lifts one of his hands, and like a magnet being pulled in, his beloved goddess presses her cheek against it. Lumine leans into his touch, unashamedly indulging in the warmth emanated by his calloused palm.
“I’m very grateful that we met. I value everything that we share as much as my life, and I feel like I became a much better man for simply knowing you,” Childe says.
Lumine hums, her eyes closed as she runs her hands through his soft, ginger hair.
“I also treasure all of this, Childe. All the time that we've spent together are very special to me.”
The hunter sits up and hugs her, a silent, selfish wish to forever hold her close like this echoing in his head.
And while Lumine is still cooped up in his arms, he hopes that the sound of waves thrashing against the rocks from the nearby sea could drown out the sound of his pounding heart.
If only.
As expected from omniscient beings, the gods in Celestia were well aware of the budding relationship between Lumine and Childe. They witness how Childe’s admiration for the goddess turns into love, and the goddess herself seems to be growing fond and attached to the mortal hunter.
And it cannot be.
Lumine took a vow of maidenhood, and gods take their vows seriously. Breaking one would mean doom, a great punishment befalling whoever the gods deem fit as the violator.
“We must stop this nonsense,” they agree. Out of the eleven other gods in Celestia, only Aether and Skirk express disapproval at the other gods’ desire to tear the two apart.
"If anyone tries to touch even a single strand of my sister's hair, I will not hesitate to scorch them with the sun," Aether warns his fellow divine beings.
Although he’s relatively laidback, the god of the sun could be hot-headed when provoked. And as history shows it, he could be quite cruel when angered. From terrible curses to eternal tortures, he could do them all.
It's fortunate that Lumine isn't at this meeting because he could only imagine the mix of hurt, anger, vulnerability, despair, and all sorts of conflicted emotions that she’ll display. He won’t be able to bear it.
He thinks of warning her about what the gods have talked about, but the Sustainer beats him to it while he was busy conjuring ways to gently break the news to her.
Being the goddess of law and order, it was only natural that the Sustainer would personally deliver the gods’ warning to Lumine. She reminds her of the vow she took eons ago, that in which she voluntarily knelt to the god of the sky and swore to remain chaste for eternity.
“Childe is a friend of mine. And he respects my oath and my boundaries. He’s not the predator you all think he is,” the moon goddess says with spite. Childe is sincere with her, and not once had he tried to sway her and tarnish her maidenhood.
If there’s anything to blame, it’s her foolishly beating heart.
The enigmatic sustainer of heavenly principles pays no mind to Lumine’s defense of the mortal hunter.
“You know that we eliminate threats to us gods and our duties to Celestia. Don’t say we didn’t warn you.”
Lumine’s crescent moon crown has never weighed heavier than this before.
It was unfair. Lumine thinks that it’s unfair.
She wasn’t the only goddess who swore to eternal maidenhood and for eons, she guarded her chastity even more vigorously than the others. The others have even sired children of their own despite their oath, so why can’t she at least enjoy the company of a man?
Childe is a temptation, they told her when she confronted them. And you know it, you know that you’re starting to treasure him more than as a friend. What happens when you give your heart to him? Will you break your vow?
Following the Sustainer’s warning, Lumine kept herself in her abode and refused to speak to anyone – save for Aether.
Her twin brother hated it; he hated seeing Lumine’s precious light dull. But he could only clench his fist and console her, for they weren’t as powerful as some of the other gods of Celestia.
Although he felt protective of Lumine especially towards a mortal man, he didn’t like seeing her in this state.
So he offers to help her see Childe one last time – hopefully to lift a bit of her hurt by letting her properly say goodbye and cut off her ties with the mortal man.
“But I don’t want to do that. I want to keep on hunting with him, Aether,” Lumine tells him, her eyes full of misery as she looks up at the moon.
The goddess knows that if she doesn’t heed the others’ warning, they would chase after Childe. And Childe… she can’t have him hurt because of her.
He has a family waiting for him in Snezhnaya – his siblings, his parents. He has an entire life ahead of him. She can’t take that away from him.
The more he looks at his sister, the more Aether’s heart breaks.
He freely experienced falling in love because he never swore an oath like Lumine did, but even he had encountered tragedies in the matters of the heart. Some of them turned against him, some passed away of old age, some incurred the wrath of other gods and perished. He was no stranger to the perils of loving someone.
Lumine is strong-willed, so Aether thought that her decision to take an oath of eternal maidenhood will be more than good for her.
It would protect her from heartbreaks, he thought. She’d be able to endure it, he thought.
She was never interested in developing romantic relationships anyway. She wanted to be a maiden for eternity – no one forced her to do such bidding, and she has been bound to that oath for eons already.
But it looks like love is a conundrum that not even the most resolute gods are immune to.
Holding his dear sister’s hand, Aether says, “Such tragedy is the fate of a god. We’re not here to love, Lumine. We’re here to perform our duties.”
After thinking Aether’s suggestion over, Lumine decides to descend from Celestia one last time.
One last hunt. One last night. One last look at his face and she’ll go. She’ll leave him. She’ll say her goodbyes.
“I was so worried about you,” was the first thing she heard from Childe. A tender whisper. A relieved greeting. A loving welcome.
The moment his eyes landed on her, the mortal hunter took Lumine in his arms and hugged her tightly.
“I had to keep on convincing myself that gods don’t die,” he says, nuzzling his face into her hair.
As usual, Lumine smelled like flowers and the woods – a combination that fit both her gentle and strong sides. It was a unique scent that Childe has been so fond of, a unique scent that he found himself fervently looking for during the past weeks when the goddess went missing in action.
“I’m sorry. Things got busy in Celestia,” the goddess lies, unable to fathom breaking the news to him when he’s hugging her so warmly like this.
Childe frees her from his arms and gazes at her with ocean blue eyes full of concern. “Don’t disappear on me like that ever again.”
Lumine smiles bitterly, her fists clenching as she tries to swallow the lump forming in her throat. That’s exactly what she is supposed to do, that’s exactly what she came here to tell him.
“I won’t. I’m sorry.”
The goddess feels her strong will crumble when Childe goes and joins her in hunting again, the dynamics between them remaining just like the old times. It hurts her heart to bid these good times farewell.
And Childe, who has memorized the crinkles by her eyes when she smiles and the worry lines on her forehead when she senses danger, notices it.
“Something’s troubling you,” he casually says while collecting the pelt of a bear. “Is it anything I can help you with?”
She can't keep him in the dark anymore. For his sake.
“I… am not coming back to meet you anymore,” she hesitantly says, her voice soft and low so that the hunter doesn’t hear the way it quivers.
And he doesn’t. He doesn’t notice it, because hearing her words made his world stop.
“What?” Childe says. “What do you mean?”
Lumine tries to avoid his gaze as he walks over to her. She channels coldness in her voice, hoping it would help her push him away.
“Exactly what I said. Our time as hunting companions are over.”
Instead of anger, she sees concern on the hunter's face when he stops right in front of her.
“You don't mean that. There’s something you’re hiding. Tell me, krasivaya boginya.”
For once, the goddess hates that he can read her so well.
Childe gently tilts her chin up so that she's looking at him. He could see the turmoil brewing in her golden eyes. “Who do I have to fight? Just tell me.”
“You can't," she murmurs. "You can't fight them. I won't let you.”
“You're talking about the gods in Celestia, aren't you?” the hunter guesses. “I see. No matter what, they’re still family to you.”
“No,” Lumine says resolutely. Family would understand, and she can count with her fingers how many of the gods do. “That’s not it.”
“Then why?”
“Because it's futile. You're a mortal. They're gods.”
“I can die trying.”
“And that's exactly why I won't let you!” Lumine snaps, her eyes hot with tears as she gets angry at Childe for even suggesting such a thing. “I won't let you die.”
It’s the first time that the mortal hunter has seen the goddess become upset like this. Even when she’s infuriated by disrespectful mortals or stubborn gods, Lumine has never let herself have an outburst in front of other people – not even in front of him.
Childe tucks a loose strand of her golden hair behind her ears and wipes away the tears forming by her lower eyelids. “Why are you crying?”
Lumine finds herself subconsciously leaning into his touch, the warmth of his hand so comforting during this chilly night.
“Because I don’t want to lose you.”
The way her voice trembles makes Childe’s heart hurt. He wondered, he has always wondered what he meant to Lumine. He knows that they are more than just comrades, but tonight, the tears she shed for him prove that he holds a special place in her heart.
A goddess like her – those golden eyes aren’t supposed to cry, especially not for a mere mortal like him.
“My most beautiful crescent moon,” Childe murmurs, his eyes so soft and loving that Lumine couldn’t find the strength to turn away. “You won’t. I won’t ever leave your side.”
She shouldn’t. She knows she shouldn’t show her honest heart to Childe because it would only hurt the both of them more. It would make their parting harder, more painful.
But as Childe strokes her tear-stained cheeks, the goddess breaks her resolve.
Lumine’s eyes fall from the hunter’s ocean blue eyes to his lips, and Childe finds himself moving closer to the goddess. He gazes at her tenderly as his face inches closer, and closer, and closer – until Lumine could feel his breath on her lips.
The goddess closes her eyes and leans forward, her heart unable to keep still as she silently anticipates Childe’s kiss. She has heard nymphs ramble about how magical and flawless kisses are, but she rarely thought about those tales because she knew that she’d never get to try it herself.
Are kisses as beautiful as they say? What exactly is the “heart-fluttering feeling” that it gives? Lumine wants to find out, but only if it’s with Childe.
But she turns her head to the side before their lips could meet.
“I’m sorry,” she says, with even more tears trickling down her cheek. “I can’t. I want to, but I can’t.”
Childe cups her cheeks between his hands and wipes away her tears. He wishes he could kiss those tears away, but it would hurt his goddess more if he does so.
“I know, Lumine, I know,” he croaks out, his voice breaking just like his heart. Lumine swore an oath to maidenhood, one that keeps her from forming romantic and intimate relationships – that was never a secret. And he respects it.
“It’s fine,” he assures her. All along, he knew that a mortal like him was never meant to hold a goddess like her.
But he still hoped. And he still loved. With all of his heart.
Not so far from where Childe and Lumine stood, the ground violently shakes and cracks while the trees sway and animals immediately scurry away. The goddess yelps, sensing danger around them.
Childe hears a loud hiss, and in a flash, a giant scorpion emerges out of the woods. And it is headed towards them.
He and the goddess waste no time in running for their quivers and bows. They get into position just in time as the scorpion’s tail begins swinging wildly in the air, constantly switching its target between Childe and Lumine.
“Where did this come from?” Childe yells, hoping the goddess could hear him over the noise and the panicked beating of their hearts.
Lumine shoots an arrow, which the scorpion easily deflects with its hard skin. She squints her eyes and tries to get closer, suspicious of the armor-like skin of the creature.
“Lumine, no! Stop walking towards it!”
Childe’s arrow whizzes past the scorpion’s neck, and the creature decides to focus its attention on him for now. The hunter grunts, wishing his arrows were laced with poison or fire to make the damage bigger.
He continues on capturing its attention so that it forgets about Lumine. The goddess has a more precise aim anyway, so it’d be easier if he acts as her distraction. He tries to shout this idea out to the goddess, who was still inching closer to the scorpion.
She's too close. Dangerously close.
“Lumine! Do you hear me?”
Suddenly, Lumine’s blood runs cold. No.
“It’s from Celestia,” she says, all color draining from her face when the realization dawns on her. The gods had summoned this giant scorpion because she met with Childe.
Blinded with fury, Lumine begins firing her silver arrows rapidly at the scorpion. With her divine powers in use, the arrows pierce through the creature’s hard skin and successfully makes it flinch in pain.
Its tail turns to point at the goddess, zeroing in on her as its target. Lumine doesn't waver from where she's standing, her arrows raining down non-stop.
The creature bellows in pain and thrashes around wildly. And then what Lumine fears the most happened.
All of it happens too fast - the scorpion's huge tail swings and hits Childe. Although he isn't hit by its venomous stinger, the force from the hit knocks him off his feet before he could move away.
Lumine screams in horror and begins running to where Childe laid on the ground. The scorpion recovers from the pain and chases after the goddess, taking advantage of her distressed state.
The mortal hunter sees this, and he scrambles to fire an arrow despite his current condition. Grunting while his bones make cracking sounds, he struggles to raise his upper body and shoot.
Unfortunately, Childe's arrow does nothing against the creature. It's now in front of him, standing as a barrier between the injured mortal hunter and the frantic goddess.
Its back is turned to Childe, so he takes the opportunity to gather his strength and stand. Meanwhile, Lumine positions her bow and prepares to hit the scorpion once more.
But the moment her arrow flies through the air, the giant scorpion moves to the side.
Childe, who is standing behind the creature, ends up taking the hit. Unable to move out of the way quickly because of his injuries, the clean shot meant for the scorpion instead pierces straight to his heart.
"No!"
Lumine screams when the mortal hunter's body falls to the ground. The scorpion, as if deeming its mission done, finally stills. With nothing but pure hatred, the goddess fires consecutive arrows and successfully kills the creature.
But it's too late.
Lumine runs to where Childe is and kneels on the ground, tears falling uncontrollably at the horrendous sight awaiting her.
The mortal hunter lays on his own pool of blood. Her arrow, laced with divine power, sticks out from his chest like a big reminder of her mistake.
She should have fired the arrow earlier. She should have done it from another direction. She should have just gotten stung by the scorpion.
Childe smiles sadly when he catches sight of her. Sensing the goddess' despair, he tries his best to hold in the pain despite it making him feel like his insides are being torn bit by bit.
“The night.” he whispers, staring straight into her golden eyes and trying to blink back his own tears. “The night is so beautiful, my dear goddess.”
Lumine trembles, her hands removing the arrow and pressing down on the hunter’s wound in a desperate attempt to keep his blood from gushing. No, no.
“It is. It’s beautiful. And we’ll see more beautiful nights together. Just please,” she begs, sobs escaping from her lips as she watches him reach out to her hand.
“My moonlight,” Childe calls out to her softly. He coughs violently, and the goddess cries harder when blood comes trickling from his lips. No, no.
"Please don't blame yourself."
"Stop talking. Stop talking, Childe. I'll take you to a healer -"
The hunter cuts her off by squeezing her hand, using all of his remaining strength to do so. He interlaces their fingers together, hoping that his last memory on land is that of his hand holding hers.
"Lumine," he says, his voice soft and gentle as ever. "Thank you. For choosing to spend all those beautiful nights with me."
Lumine breaks down when his hand finally drops from hers, his body turning limp and cold in her arms. She couldn't even bear to peer at his blue eyes, which were staring at her so tenderly just a few moments ago.
Anguish – that was all that she felt. She cries until she runs out of tears and screams until her voice is gone. Words can't describe the pain searing through her chest as she clutches Childe's lifeless body closer.
I’m sorry. Please stay with me. I treasure you.
Those were the words that Lumine wished she was able to say, but now, they were nothing but mere whispers of her heart.
She knew mortal lives were short, but she thought that she’d have more time with him.
She thought that she'd find a better way to say goodbye.
Childe was brilliant. Childe was dazzling. Childe was someone who appreciated her light without daring to overstep his bounds.
But all she can do for him now is keep him and the wonderful memories they shared immortalized among the stars.
With a flick of her hand, Childe’s body dissolves into glimmering specks of blue and golden light. Like fireflies, they slowly float to the sky and line themselves among the stars.
The sight would've been breathtaking - magical, even - for anyone. But it was nothing but heartbreaking for Lumine.
The moon still casts its beautiful, silver glow on land, but it has never been the same since that night. Its light, which was once warm and radiant, became something cold and dull.
As if it was grieving for a friendship that was too beautiful to be lost. As if it was mourning for a love that ended before it could begin.
Centuries have already passed, but if you look up at the night sky now, you’d see a constellation in the form of a hunter.
Monoceros caeli, that’s what they call him. In the dark of the night, he stands near the moon, sparkling full of life. My goddess, I’ve told the stars about you.