Chapter Text
I remember very little of that morning. No matter how hard I try to recall any details, everything constantly remains a blur. It feels as if looking at the world through a large pane of glass that hasn't been cleaned for years.
I can vaguely remember the struggle against the ever-increasing waves, the sound of the water as the only sound reaching my ears, the salty taste in my mouth, the feeling of being unable to breathe increasing with every passing second. I have no idea what I was thinking about at the time. Maybe the mother, who made me promise I’ll get home safely? The wine I brought for my father, now stranded somewhere at the bottom of the sea? Or the friends, who seemed to just walk me down to the port in Mondstadt, bragging about the gifts they wanted from my trip? Now I can only recall one of these orders: some dried cherry petals. I don't even know why it was the only one that stuck in my memory, nor do I have any idea who placed it, but at the time it wasn’t important. At that moment, I was certain those were going to be my last moments. No expectations to be rescued, no hopes to see tomorrow. So it’s easy to imagine how surprised I was when I woke up stranded on the shore.
‘So I made it after all’.
The next few hours feel like a blur too. All I am able to recall in my mind is the irritating texture of sand, covering my entire, still damp body, and the confusion accompanying me at the moment. I spent the next few hours just aimlessly walking through the beach, not even sure where the waves threw me on. With time passing, my hair stopped dripping and the sand slowly started to fall off the skin, which was getting hotter and hotter from the sun, which eventually left it slightly sunburnt.
As I was starting to look less and less like a castaway and more like an ordinary teenager taking a walk, the determination grew within me:
‘I can’t waste the second chance life gave me’.
I wanted to find my father, return home together and have the Sticky Honey Roast that my mother was master at making. Those plans renewed my energy and I decided to continue walking towards the town, which’s outline started appearing in the distance. It seemed small, but it was always a place to start. Hopefully I would've been able to ask around and figure out where I was, before making a definite decision what to do next. However, before I was even able to get close enough to hear people talking, something grabbed my arm, making me unable to go any further. I turned around confused, only to see a guy maybe a few years older than me, wearing some kind of armor.
At first I didn't understand why he refused to let me near the city. I haven’t done anything wrong, I was just a normal teen, well, maybe a dirty one, but still harmless. Scared, I attempted to try to explain my situation to him, but he started yelling at me with a really strong accent and waving his hands aggressively. He tried to pursue an arrest, but despite his explanations, I had no idea what for. The entirety of this situation made me panic. Badly. Under so much pressure I must’ve snapped.
The next thing I remember is his body, lying lifelessly below me and a bloody stone stuck in the ground right next to me. From what I was able to figure out, I must’ve pushed him, he fell awkwardly, and even the helmet he had on his head could not protect him. A terror struck my body, as now I not only was stranded somewhere far from home, I was also a murderer. All my chances of getting any kind of help just disappeared into thin air.
‘What am I supposed to do now, Barbatos? Does your freedom only work inside of Mondstadt? Is this the end of mine? Was I given a second chance only to lose everything a second after?’
I couldn’t give up. Not now. Not after I managed to survive a goddamn ship wreck. Not when I was so close to the city. With shaky hands I removed the armor from the body and started putting it on. It was way too big, as the previous owner, despite being my height, turned out to be quite muscular. The metal was painfully rubbing my skin with even the smallest movement, but it wasn’t a good moment to be picky. Trying to power through it, I forced myself to run. Sand was pouring into the too-big shoes, bits of armour slipping off my shoulders and hips, hair in my eyes and mouth, sweat additionally sticking it to my forehead and cheeks, but my only choice was to run as there would be no tomorrow (because indeed, if I stopped back then, tomorrow might’ve never came). Every now and then I was stumbling, panting with fatigue, but refusing to give up to exhaustion. Lips got dry and cracked really quickly, making me pry for some non-salty water to drink, but I had no time to stop and look for any around, as I could already hear the steps and clanking armor of soldiers running behind me. My ears were ringing, tears streamed down my cheeks. I don't know why I was crying, though. Maybe it was frustration, maybe fear, or maybe just the sand falling into my eyes.
Eventually, after whoever knows how long, my exhausted body couldn't stand it anymore. I stumbled on something and collapsed face to the sand, with no strength to get up and continue the escape. I laid there in silence, breathing heavily, waiting for the impending doom. Not even after a minute, I could already hear their voices clearly. I cried desperately, still laying there motionless, face down, too tired to even roll onto my back. Suddenly, someone violently grabbed my hair, pulling me upwards. I groaned quietly in pain, but made no attempt to struggle myself out of his hold. I obediently knelt down, looking at the few men standing in front of me.
The one pulling my hair was of medium height and somewhat bulky. He had raven black hair, strands of which stuck out from under the helmet he was wearing. His face was scary, with piercing dark eyes, thick eyebrows and a small scar on his left cheek. We stared into each other's eyes for a while, before the soldier muttered something under his breath, pushing me back aggressively. Unable to keep my balance, I again fell into the sand.
That’s when another man approached me. He was way slimmer and taller. He kicked me in the stomach, making me cough and spit out some crimson-coloured. Before I could recover from the hit, I could feel something wet on my cheek. A third soldier standing there spat at me like I was some kind of slave. Absolutely disgusting. I tried using my arm to wipe it, but ended up cutting the skin with the pauldron, which somehow stayed on through the entire escape attempt. The wound was burning like crazy, but I tried to do my best to ignore it.
“We're going to kill him here and now, right?” The shortest of the group stepped forward. “There is no need to inform anyone about this minor problem. The higher ups have enough going on already.”
“Didn't we, by any chance, get orders to report everything to the inspectors? Not to mention the fact that Mr. Hiiragi has stated we need his permission to kill, no matter the case. I don't know if this is a good idea…” The last, and youngest-looking spoke. He scanned me thoroughly with his sincere blue eyes, before smiling warmly.
Hearing him talk, the others started laughing loudly.
“Here comes the saint! I thought we had already explained to you that orders are not always to be obeyed perfectly, Akio.” The short one said, smiling widely. “This boy's death will just save everyone the trouble. He doesn't look like a native, probably isn’t even registered. We'll dump the body into the sea and no one will ever know. We'll do Mr. Hiiragi a favour by not reporting the incident, trust me. We'll say Toshiro didn't come back from the patrol, and tomorrow we'll pretend we have just found him dead. Everyone will think he fell over. The problem will be solved.”
I listened in silence, not even scared, probably thanks to the exhaustion, making me unable to fully understand what was going on. The only thing I could think about was how terribly ironic my situation was: barely surviving one accident and dying from another almost right after.
“Akio has a point…” the guy who had just kicked me without any mercy or resistance moments ago, now seemed so small and scared. Apparently he wasn't as threatening as he seemed at first, when someone mentioned, I assumed, their superior. “What if this gets out? Then we face prison or death. Maybe it would actually be better to report it…”
“You guys are so fucking lame. Who's going to turn us in? This little shit? He'll be dead by then.” The man who held me by my hair earlier now looked at me, visibly amused. “We have nothing to fear, it will be our little secret. Neither of us will snitch, because he will turn himself in with the rest. We are safe. We will take this secret to our graves.”
“My, my… Who do we have here?” A new voice rang out. It definitely did not belong to any of the soldiers around. It sounded extremely calm and pleasant. It had not the slightest hint of anger, although it made the men around frightened. For me though, it was soothing, calming. I would never have thought that just hearing someone speak would evoke so much emotion in me, but there I was, overfilled with emotions after hearing just one sentence.
I could see all confidence disappear from the faces of my tormentors in just a second. The tallest one let go of his weapon as soon as he heard it, the two who weren’t fond of the plan stepped back, just as they were preparing to escape. The other two just stood there motionless, but you could see panic entering their faces. None of the group knew what to do now.
Out of nowhere, I felt someone kneel down beside me and carefully place a hand on my shoulder. I looked up, and what, or more accurately, who I saw, stayed in my mind until this day.
Leaning over me was a boy about my age. He had a beautiful, pale complexion, unblemished by a single wound or scar. The only thing that stood out was a small mole under his bright pink and full lips. The teenager’s already mesmerising blue eyes were further accentuated by two small lines, painted neatly under his lower eyelids. His shiny, light blue hair, tied up in a high ponytail, fell down as he looked at me. He was beautiful, looking like a figure right out of a painting rather than an ordinary, living person. I was so enchanted by him that the world seemed to stop turning. All that mattered was him and the warmth of his hand on my shoulder. For a few seconds I couldn't take my eyes off him, as he seemed both so out of place and perfectly matching his surroundings at the same time. He had something amazing about him. When our gazes met, he smiled gently, as if trying to cheer me up, making him even more beautiful.
“M-master Kamisato..!” The bulky man laughed nervously, bringing me back to reality. “Please don't take it so seriously, we were only joking! We would have never dared to disobey the orders-” He wanted to say more, but the blue-haired man made a violent hand movement, shutting him up.
“I know what I heard. I am not stupid. If I reported it, you'd be in trouble, I think you know that very well, am I right?” All the warmth disappeared from his face in a second. His eyes, now icing cold, locked on the man speaking. “Not to mention the way you have battered the poor boy.” The teen looked back at me, carefully wiping out blood from my cheek with his thumb. “Not to mention that this matter is not within your competences. If I remember correctly, misconduct is handled by the Tenryou Commission. It is in their hands that you should have handed him over.”
The world fell silent. Even the sounds of the sea seemed to disappear as a consequence of his words. I didn't quite understand what was happening, but I felt that he was my only hope of rescue. The only key to the door of my freedom.
“If I’m being honest, you're in a terrible situation. Really terrible. But you’re of luck! I’m having a great day, so I won't report your incompetence.” The bluenette smiled, grabbing me lightly by the shoulders and helping me to sit down, all the while he knelt behind me, supporting me by keeping one of his hands between my shoulder blades. I was really grateful, as I knew I wouldn't have been able to stay in this position for long without that.
“However…” he continued. “Don't think that I will just let you go. I would like to make a deal.”
The dark-haired man took a step forward, but was stopped by Akio’s hand. Without saying a word, the youngest soldier stepped forward himself, without anyone’s protest.
“What are your wishes, master?” Without looking into Kamisato’s eyes, the boy bowed slightly, as the rest followed.
“I would like you to actually cover up the whole incident. But by that I also mean to hide the fact that this boy ever did anything wrong. You will put him on the register and allow him to legally reside in our country. It goes without saying that you will never tell anyone about what happened today. I, too, will remain silent, of course. So summarizing, your only job is to keep his record spotless. I don't think that's too difficult, am I right?” His hand extended in the men’s direction, a mischievous smile now on his face. “And just so you know, I’m not interested in negotiating.”
The soldiers looked at each other, before finally nodding. The youngest grinned, extending one hand towards the negotiator. The latter squeezed it gently, thus concluding the deal.
It didn't quite occur to me what had just happened. Was I supposed to go with this Kamisato boy? The fact that he had saved me made no sense at all. Was he just taking pity? Or did he want something from me? This confusion was exhausting and the uncertainty scared me, but at the same time it’s not like I had a choice. My whole life was laying in his hand.
“What name should we put on the papers?” The tallest stopped my train of thoughts. I looked at him and then at the blue-haired man still holding me up. Noticing my gaze, his smile turned warm:
“What’s your name?”
Before I had time to think it through, my lips already moved on their own. Just like deciding to trust the boy before the mind did.
“Thoma. My name is Thoma.”
That day I lost and gained my freedom back. And with that, before I even knew it, my new life had begun.