Chapter Text
“Psst… Sir? W… S…”
Childe slowly sat up in the bottom of the boat, trying to decipher the sounds he’d just heard. His back ached and his neck was stiff, only made worse by the cold winds whirling around him. He opened his mouth to speak but any words that he had planned on saying were replaced with a yawn.
The man across from him in the boat spoke up. “Sorry, I know that probably isn’t the most comfortable place to sleep.”
“I’ve had worse. Did you say something a second ago?”
“Oh, yes. We’ve made to Snezhnaya.”
He was finally home again. The air was bitter. Enough to give him a slight chill, but worsened by icy whips of snow lashing his face. This was not anything new to Childe, but it was a stark contrast to the warmth that he had gotten used to in Liyue.
Liyue. Childe naively hoped he would’ve forgotten the nation by the time he made it to shore. After his little stunt with Osial, the Liyue Qixing decided that the only fitting punishment for the harbinger was one that he seemed to dread more than the death penalty- exile.
To him, being unable to return to Liyue meant that he had failed. He put his thirst for bloodshed over his duties as a Harbinger. He didn’t blame himself for this, of course. When you’re betrayed like that, unsealing the power of a sea god seems like the only option. The Liyue Qixing did not agree. Because of these actions, there was one less nation for Childe to travel to in order to carry out the Tsaritsa’s will. He knew he’d have to work harder than ever to pick up the slack.
Childe snapped out of his thoughts for a moment to realize that he was still standing in the boat. He nodded his head to the sailor as he stepped onto the dock, a thank you for bringing him to Snezhnaya and an apology for wasting his time.
Snezhnaya was not as lively as he remembered it to be. His position in the Eleven came with a pair of rose colored glasses, but they had been shattered in Liyue by Zhongli.
The weight of the name wrapped around his lungs, squeezing the air out of them. It was poison on his tongue, but part of him wished to drink more of it. Images of fond moments shared in Liyue taunted him, overshadowed by flashes of the exact moment he felt his betrayal.
---
“Allow me to introduce Mr. Zhongli, consultant to an organization known as Wangsheng... and a trusted associate of the Fatui.”-
“You call this ‘cooperation between Harbingers’? Cooperation involves communication, you know…”
“Ah, I shouldn't say too much. In any case, I brought you to meet Mr. Zhongli because…”
“Because I can bring you to see Rex Lapis' vessel.”-
“The real deceivers here are Signora and Zhongli... curse them for leading me on.”
“Alright, my bridge-building work here is done. Turned out well, didn't it?”-
“Doesn't anyone feel the least bit of remorse for deceiving me?”
---
A small thump against his coat brought him back to reality. Childe looked up and saw a grinning child staring back at him. A gentle smile eased onto his face as he brushed the snow off of his coat.
It’s nice to see that children have retained their innocence. Stay young while you can. Before you know it, you’ll be falling into the abyss too. You’ll be a killing machine, just like me.
Childe inhaled deeply, breathing in the welcoming taste of cold air and nostalgia. The Tsaritsa has not called for him yet, so there’s no harm in going to see his family, right?
He nodded, satisfied with his decision, and exhaled as he took another step into the city.