Chapter Text
A steady breeze blew through the plains of Liyue, bringing with it the chill of the incoming winter. No matter how cold it got here, it could never beat a Snezhnayan winter, Childe thought. Many turned away from the cold to seek the warmth, but to him, it always brought a sense of clarity and meaning. The cold brought out the truth in everything. The ginger chuckled wistfully to himself before adjusting his gloves.
I must really be getting homesick. Getting all philosophical really doesn’t suit me.
He was on his way to a local Fatui encampment to check in on some new troops of his. Show up, make a big speech, and then beat them all within an inch of their life, and go on his merry way. Pulling his map to make sure he was heading in the right direction, he noticed Yaoguang Shoal just a short trip down the mountain from the campsite.
The Harbinger did always have a penchant for the shells that washed up on the shore. They made such nice souvenirs to send home to his siblings. Not to mention he should give one to Mr. Zhongli…the man did seem to collect a little of everything.
Now at the foot of the mountain, Childe compared it to the one on his map. Yep, this is it. At least this will make for some good training!
Deciding to run up the mountain as quickly as he could, he arrived at his destination much earlier than the Lieutenant stationed there had been expecting. Not even breaking a sweat at the summit, Childe found the man barking out orders to the surrounding agents, clearly not having noticed him. The hydro user hung back to take in the sights before the officer’s eyes met Childe’s, who was nonchalantly leaning on a nearby tree.
“S-Sir! What a pleasant s-surprise!” The sniper stuttered out while twenty other pairs of eyes turned to meet the Harbinger’s. They all snapped to their best practiced line up as the Lieutenant strode forward to meet the other man. Formal pleasantries exchanged, Childe turned to his speech. It was the same one he always gave, the recruits seemed to like it and it did get everyone pumped up so why change it?
Spreading his hands extravagantly, Tartaglia of the Fatui Harbingers began, “From this day forward, you will honor the oaths you have made to Her Majesty the Tsaritsa, and you will stop at nothing to bring Snezhnaya to victory…”
He continued on with the ‘sweeping in like icy winds’ and ‘The Tsaritsa expects ruthlessness’ and decided he was getting a bit restless in all of this.
Childe clapped his hands, “I know! Let’s do some hands-on training!” The Fatui recruits looked around at each other nervously.
“Sir?”
Already pulling out his bow, he fell into a familiar stance. “Nothing like a little battling to really get the blood going. All of you, come at me together!”
The recruits, deciding it was truly an honor to fight a Harbinger, jumped right into the fray much more eagerly and the sounds of clinging metal and explosions could be heard rising from the camp.
Easily knocking all of them down after a few minutes, Childe retreated into one of the tents to grab something to drink. Sitting down with a flask of cold water, he noticed a few other occupants in the tent.
Non-human ones that is.
It appeared as if a whole family of weasels found their way in. Locking eyes with the creatures, something seemed…off…about them. Their normally lax facial expressions showed their eyes wide, as if in terror.
Were they afraid of him? Childe didn’t think he was exuding any particular surplus of bloodlust at the moment…
Just as soon as he noticed them, all four sprinted outside and he lost sight of them. Following the animals, he went back out to see all of the recruits still unconscious on the ground. Maybe he did go a little too hard for their ‘first day’. Childe shook his head. Well, my business here is finished. Time to head down to the Shoal!
With a renewed bounce in his step, he started to make his way down the cliffside. After making it down just a few paces, he came to a complete stop. Battle-honed senses suddenly overcame him. He could feel every hair on the back of his neck stand up and goosebumps rose on his arms. Childe could have sworn he felt a slight pressure in his head, but he could have been imagining that.
Quickly getting off of the road, he stepped behind a tree.
Something isn’t right.
Glancing around the area, nothing seemed out of place or amiss. The sun was out above him, and he couldn’t hear anything out of place. He sucked in a gasp in realization.
That’s it, He realized what was off.
It wasn't that he couldn’t hear anything out of place. He couldn’t hear anything at all. Where were the calls from the birds that always flew overhead? Or the boars and deer in the nearby grass? Spinning around to take in his surroundings, Tartalgia couldn’t find any traces of animals anywhere. He then remembered the weasels he had seen in the tent. And how their actions were quite odd.
The color drained from his face as everything fell into place.
He needed to get off this mountain. And he needed to get off of it right now.
Sprinting even faster than when he went up it, Childe tore his way down the mountain like he was being chased. Which wasn't that far from the truth.
He ran as fast as his legs would carry him, under trees, over hills, through the streams. He got about halfway down when he heard a boom that rivaled the loudest thunder or biggest explosion he had ever heard in his life. The ground suddenly disappeared from under him as he was thrown off the ground and into the trunk of a large tree. Pain exploded through his back at the impact and when he opened the eyes he hadn’t realized he closed, they widened at the sight of the massive tree coming straight down on him. Swiftly rolling away, he tried to get his bearings.
Which was next to impossible due to ground shaking worse than an incoming avalanche.
Childe’s vision swam as his senses got bombarded by too much, too quickly. The ground was above him, then below him. Rocks and debris fell around him in one moment, and in the next, appeared to be going in the opposite direction. Deciding that running down the mountain was no longer an option due to his disorientated state, the youngest harbinger figured sheltering in place would be his best bet. Just as he glanced around to find such a spot, a sudden ‘POP’ reverberated through his surroundings.
Still on his knees with a hand outstretched supporting his weight, Childe hurriedly looked around for the source of the noise before realization dawned. In the next second, the ground split open to swallow him whole. One moment he was braced on the ground and in the next, the ground ceased to exist.
Weightless
He was currently weightless.
Purely on instinct and in the same heartbeat, he shot an arm out to grab something. Anything. Finding purchase on the stony wall, he hung there limp, unmoving.
No no no…Not again!
Wolves danced through his mind and now stood at the top of that broken cliff, ready to push him once more into that darkness.
The walls continued to violently shake from the surrounding vibrations thrumming. His grip was slipping and he was four fingers away from that all encompassing hole. It had already begun, Childe sensed the inky black tendrils of the dark trying to pull him down. It wrapped itself around his boot first, like it was welcoming back an old friend.
Three fingers now.
Childe couldn’t see the sky anymore. Above him was a layer of ice and he was underwater. An older man sat on a chair above the ice as he showed a much younger boy the best way to crack the ice and find fish. That’s what he was. A small fish under the ice, unaware that any moment, a hole would open up and rip him from this world.
Two fingers.
His head hurt so much. When did he hit it? Vision blurry, he blinked away the ice and snow in time to see cracks forming around his remaining digits. Icy dread filled his chest as he watched his last anchor to the surface be stripped away, layer by layer. The rock crumbled beneath his grasp and he was weightless once more.
Wind whipped around him, urging him faster and faster to the ground. The shadows wasted no time encompassing him from every angle until there wasn't a shred of light left. Childe hit the bottom with a forceful thud and even then, the shadows took the remaining light of consciousness that remained.
An unknown amount of time passed before Childe started to wake. Trying to shrug the fog that shrouded his mind, he started to recount what he could remember.
The camp
The mountain
The…shaking
Pieces slotting into place, the Harbinger’s eyes shot open to be met with the sight of…total darkness. Almost.
There was a slight light from above, probably from the crack he fell through. And based on his location, he guessed he had fallen into some abandoned mine that had made the surrounding landscape fragile. Easy enough for an earthquake to come along and bring everything crashing down.
Taking a steadying breath, Childe knew he needed to assess his injuries before trying to figure a way out. To be blunt:
Everything hurt.
He knew he was sturdier than the average human, but that didn’t mean he was invincible. His headache turned from a slight pressure to absolutely throbbing. Unable to see anything, he removed one of his gloves before prodding around, being careful to not move anything too suddenly. A warm liquid oozed from multiple locations, especially his arms.
Blood
He could only imagine what he looked like right now. Finishing assessing the top, he started to move to a sitting position when white lightning raced up his leg. Biting his lip to hold back a cry of pain, Childe instantly stopped moving. Gingerly reaching for his right leg, his hand clasped around something cold and long. Giving it a little experimental tug immediately brought back that flash of pain as Childe gasped.
Breathing heavily, he pushed his face into the ground to try and regain his composure. Here he was, the 11th Fatui Harbinger, impaled on some godforsaken mining equipment and unable to move. Done in by some rocks and a tumble.
How pathetic
Stuck…in the darkness again. Nothing had changed. He was still that scared little kid who ended up here because he was weak.
Weak! He yelled at himself, punching the ground in frustration.
‘Weak!’ A distinct female voice rang through his mind. A memory…
‘You aren’t gonna make it outta here if you keep that up, kid. And I’m not gonna waste my time on a weakling.’
Small fearful blue eyes met hers.
‘Now remember. No one is going to save you down here. No one is coming. Do it yourself or don’t bother living.’
Snapping his eyes back open, the Harbinger unfurled his fist.
Do it yourself or don’t bother living.
A sensation rose up in his chest and bubbled over into his throat.
And he began to laugh.
And laugh.
How could I be so STUPID?! I didn’t rise from that hell to be weak. To be forgotten like an insect. I’m sorry, teacher. I won't fail you again.
With one final thought, Childe braced his hands on the ground below him, and pulled his leg with all of the strength he had in his body.
Pure, molten lava sprung forth through all of his limbs, he couldn’t even pinpoint the origin, not that he needed to. His whole body screamed for him to stop, to find another way. But he ignored these shouts and pushed them back as far as he could. Smashing his face to the ground for any semblance of control, Childe’s muffled roar rang through his ears. It was almost unrecognizable.
Dots danced on the edge of his vision as he fought to stay conscious. He wouldn’t do himself any favors passing out and bleeding to death in this godforsaken chasm. Blinking away involuntary tears, he bit into the side of his jacket and made one final tug.
Wrenching free at last, the Harbinger fell forward a bit and collapsed in a heap. After a second too many, he managed to push himself up against the cavern’s wall. Closing his eyes, he leaned his head against the cool stone for just a moment. Not daring to look at the state of his bad leg yet, he continued to sit in the silence, ignoring the throbbing ache.
Inhale
Exhale
Facing the inevitable, he reopened his eyes to survey the damage. Wincing at the blood drenched limb, he knew it wasn't going to be a pretty sight. Gingerly, Childe peeled back the torn pant leg and sharply sucked in a breath when the fibers pulled away from the wound.
Luckily the bar hadn’t pierced any major arteries or he wouldn’t be gracing this country anymore. Equally lucky was that he wasn’t squeamish with the sight of blood or this next part could present a problem. Blood continued to ooze from the site and his eyebrows drew together at the sight.
The blood…
That’s when it hit him. Blood should be warm, but he had no such sensation coming from the gaping appendage. The throbbing, unfortunately, was still present.
This isn’t good, I’m losing too much blood. Childe shrugged off his jacket the best he could and tore a sleeve for a makeshift tourniquet. Wrapping it just around the knee, he slammed his head back against the wall as he pulled it tight. Pain lanced through his head as his teacher’s words came back to him once more.
Pain is a part of the solution. You know it, and control it. Without it, you may as well be dead…
The fog started clearing from his brain as his body got used to the agony it was in. Hazard of the job right? Out, he had to get OUT! Bracing one hand behind him, he started to push himself up the wall. Steadying himself on his good leg, he shifted most of his weight and pressed into the cavern wall. Breaths came out in ragged huffs as he stilled for just a moment.
Experimentally, he decided to put a small amount of pressure on his right leg. Just a test. Instantaneously, spikes of red hot fire shot up through his legs. Crying out, Childe crumpled back down to the ground.
Nope. Definitely a bad idea…idiot.
Working his way back up, he took measures to completely stay off the bad leg this time around. It was slow going, but he managed to stay his course, or more accurately, pick a direction and go. All he knew was that he was close to the shoal, so logically speaking, this cavern should exit there.
Or dead end at a body of water, he thought grimly.
Shaking his head as if to rid himself of the negative thoughts, he continued on with a newfound resolve. He would get out of here. He was a Fatui Harbinger after all. One of the elite.
After what felt like hours, Childe figured it wouldn’t hurt to take a small break. His leg was nothing but a blinding eyesore and the pain briefly made him think about chopping the damn thing off, but alas, that would probably be worse. Chuckling to himself, he slid down the source of his support and closed his eyes once more.
Just five minutes. And then I can keep going.
Just… Childe felt himself dozing off. Eyes snapping open, he clasped his wounded leg and gave it a squeeze. His mouth opened in a silent scream as he clenched his teeth and groaned.
Pain, keep the pain going. Control it!
Falling asleep here and now would be the death of him. He’d bleed out in this dark abyss and no one would probably ever find his body. Childe thought of his family, his brother, his home. No way he’d break a promise to them.
Sliding back up the wall one final time, he pushed onwards. Each step brought his leg raking over hot coal, but he persisted on anyway.
No one is coming to save you.
Breaths coming out raggedly, he chanted to himself everything his teacher ever taught him. Memories of their shared time came back to him. He’d been in rougher shape than this, he decided.
Control it.
And then he saw it. At the end of the path was…nothing.
A dead end. He’d have to go back the way he came, take another path, keep walking. Keep fighting. His mind fired a thousand thoughts a minute as he felt his resolve slipping away into the dark.
Fists curling he slammed against the impenetrable stone.
Weak. You’re weak Ajax.
He was so tired. Not only was it a fight to stay standing, but now his eyelids began to flutter closed. Trying to focus on something he narrowed in on his fist. Or more specifically, the crack just under it. Surely his measly punch wouldn’t have cracked the stone? Placing his other hand on the crack, Childe could make out the subtlest of vibrations now emanating from the rock.
And they were growing in strength.
Pulling his hand back as if burned, the harbinger’s one good leg gave out and he crashed into the ground. Just as he made contact, a loud CRACK rang out through the cavern and the stone that had been previously in front of him flew out all around him in several pieces.
Light flooded the chamber as the dust settled down. Shielding his eyes with a hand, Childe’s head grew heavier and heavier with each breath. Blackness was now encompassing his vision as he laid his head back. A faint outline was all he could make out in the now open section of the cavern.
No one is going to save you down here. No one is coming.
At his limit, Childe sank into unconsciousness, but just as he did, he heard a familiar deep voice.
“Ah, there you are.”