stranger [C. TARTAGLIA]

09

an irk mark appeared on your forehead, already irritated by the sound of his voice. "childe."

"he's here too? crap!" paimon screeched.

"i didn't know you were doing your own research behind my back, didn't i tell you not to leave the bank while i'm away?" childe walked towards the three of you, paimon aether's position, both his arms crossed on his chest.

"i have no time for such nonsense." you clicked your tongue. "what are you planning to do childe?"

"me? why, i thought you'd already figured that out by now considering you're here to help me."

"help you?" you scoffed. "weren't you just opposed to that idea yesterday?"

"w-well, whatever happens, we're not letting you two get closer to the exuvia!" paimon said. you saw aether drawing his sword, stepping away from you.

"hold on, i'm not–"

"oh, so you intend to fight me?" childe thirsted for battle, you knew that much. "good, i won't kill you traveler. i'll just play along, to feel the thrill of battle!"

it all happened too fast. one moment, childe came clashing towards aether, with aether managing to block his attacks.

"childe, what are you doing?!" you didn't want the traveler to get into some sort of danger, you knew he was a kind person judging from when he practically rushed here in hopes of stopping childe.

"want to prove yourself useful?" he pushed aether away from him and took quick a glance at you. "then i suggest taking morax's gnosis already."

"was that the mission the tsaritsa sent you to do?"

"i have no time to answer your silly questions, just get hurry up and get the gnosis already!"

"just–"

"aether, watch out!" paimon shouts, but aether was too late to dodge childe's attack. since you were close, you shielded his attack with your cryo powers, preventing childe's attack from going through aether.

"you're a stubborn one aren't you." childe didn't waste any time harnessing more of his power into his attack, your shield cracking bit by bit.

"[Y/N]!" aether shouts.

the hydro force was too strong and it ended up breaking your shield, sending you flying back towards the side. your vision blurred, then your hand found its way to the side of your arm. it felt wet, there was a thick liquid dripping down from it.

you opened your palm and saw a red coat of blood. your ice shards must've poked through your arm, causing it to bleed.

because of this, your memories from before started flashing back in your mind. the blood, the screams, the agonizing screeches of your own people as they died at the hands of your own men, it all came back to you.

"[Y/N]." you felt her tracing your chin with her finger, lifting it up so you could directly face her. she noticed your dull and clouded [E/C] eyes, there were barely any life in it anymore.

"do you realize what you've done?" she said.

you nodded slowly, almost like a lifeless doll. "...yes."

"and how do you plan to atone for your sins?"

you stared at her facial features. her lips curved into a smirk. the very own woman who you once called mother, amused by the pain you were feeling.

"...i shall be executed by your very hands."

you snapped out of your thoughts when you heard aether groaning in pain. you looked up to see childe in a different form, his once grey clothing was now all black. you noticed that he was using his delusion, which was electro.