Fading With Time | Genshin Impact |

Chapter 27: This isn't fair.

" Lumine!" Albedo called out from the hoard of people grouping up in front of a fruit stand. His voice was barely conveyed through the crowd, his voice was quite mellow in general.

"Albedo?" Lumine made her way through the crowd, getting pushed and stepped on, on the way until she saw Albedo holding the girl's hand, it was Klee.

"Where is Ira..?" Lumine asked while Albedo led the group out of the crowd. "I'm not sure... I found Klee just a few minutes ago, she was heading towards the house." Albedo let out an exasperated sigh knowing that they'd have to search for her if she wasn't around.

"Miss Ira went to talk to some people in black!" Klee cut in while swaying back and forth, Albedo and Lumine looked down at her for a few seconds before Lumine bent down to eye level in front of her, "Klee can you tell me anything else about the people Miss Ira went to talk to?" Klee shook her head a bit disappointed she wasn't able to answer the question. "Hm, well at least we know it wasn't the Fatui." Lumine gave herself a small nod before standing back up.

"We can find her after going back to the house?" Albedo questioned while tilting his head and gesturing to the general direction of the house. Lumine agreed and the three left the market and went for the house, Klee swung about holding onto Lumine's and Albedo's hand.

⇿⇿⇿⇿⇿⇿⇿⇿⇿⇿⇿⇿⇿⇿⇿⇿⇿⇿⇿⇿⇿⇿⇿⇿⇿⇿⇿

"We're back!" Lumine said while opening the front door to the house. A sour smell hit the group as soon as they stepped inside, it was easy to assume everyone was at breakfast since Snezhnayan food didn't always smell the best. Klee clenched her nose with a gloved hand, she found the smell foul. 

Soon they realized that it wasn't food, it was something much worse. Lumine directed Albedo to stay back with Klee and she peered around the corner to see a stained carpet and splatters on the wall, it was red, probably blood but Lumine didn't want to think that way she still shivered at the thought though.

Lumine looked into the dining room where they had eaten the night before, nothing was there. She had no idea what was going on, but she knew something or someone was killed in the house. Eventually, Lumine made her way to the living room, she heard rapid breathing before even reaching the room, what lay inside was Childe he had two blades of water tinted red by blood clenched in his hands and his clothing was drenched in blood. He was staring up at the ceiling with a look of horror plastered on his face. 

Lumine almost staggered into the living room searching for an answer to what happened. "What did you... did you do this!?'' Childe stopped panting and he sat up from the floor and turned to look Lumine dead in the eye. "Treasure Hoarders..." He said in a serious tone but his voice cracked. 

"You're a Harbinger! How could some pests bring you down like that?!" Lumine was mad at herself and Childe, if she was there everyone would've been fine. "My father... He seemed to have borrowed some money from them and he didn't pay in time." Childe took a breath, "They came by the dozens for the debt collection, it was out of hand." 

"They only took your father right..? Where is Tonia?" Childe looked down towards the floor in response. 

It wasn't normal for Childe to be low in spirits, his family drove him and even if a single member was taken away it was like taking a piece of his heart away. He became a Harbinger for his family to live in comfort and to satisfy himself as a warrior. 

"Where is she?!" Lumine took another step forward towards Childe, she was standing right above him and he wouldn't respond to her. 

"Teucer... He's gone. My dad, they're gone they were slain right in front of me... I slaughtered every single one of those. I did, I wasn't strong enough." Childe broke out in tears in the last few words. 

Not everyone was dead, that filled Lumine with a little hope, but where were the bodies? Had they already been devoured by the light? The light is a mysterious power that causes anything that has fallen and was once alive to dissipate into thin air, only leaving valuable objects behind and tokens of existence. It's a terrifying force that people feared being taken by, if you were taken by the light those around you cant confirm what happened to you if they weren't there. It was the world's way of erasing you. While those who know the truth live in fear the ones who don't know live in blissful ignorance. 

"Did the light already take them?" Lumine asked with tears starting to form in her eyes, she'd dealt with so much loss before but she really knew these people and didn't expect them to pass so suddenly, Teucer was a spoiled brat but Lumine appreciated the way he would always stand up for others she expected to watch him grow up. Childe's dad was seemingly honest but it was clear he wasn't that honest. She still enjoyed him, the last time she had visited she was told stories from afar, of course, she already knew most of the tales and the land but it was earnest and real, Lumine liked that. 

Childe simply nodded not being able to get out any words, Lumine pulled him in for a hug and buried his head into her shoulder. "Can you do me a favor?" 

"Don't forget them. But don't cling to the memories of them. I don't think that makes sense but what I mean is, move on in time but never let them leave your heart, remember everything but don't linger on the memories make new ones.." Lumine had heard that advice from someone that also had a longer lifespan, they would outlive those around them and would have to accept it. 

She silently cried while Childe wailed, he wished he could exchange his own life to bring them back but that was simply not possible in Teyvat at least. 

"Just go Lumine." Childe sniffed his tears starting to dry and his emotions resealing themselves slowly, "I know you have places to be. Your birthday is coming up." Childe cracked the saddest smile of them all, it was the fakest too.