掠夺 | Genshin Impact

𝔄𝔠𝔱 10

"That..."

Childe can do nothing, nothing but watch as Asira twitches yet again, eyes flickering back to silver as her nails stab back into her heart, screams piercing through his chest more painfully than any blade ever could.

"That isn't Asira."

But Sandrone's eyes are transfixed on the show before him- rotten flames of black and the thunder of purple, burning and tearing at the girl- the god- in the epicenter, his smile growing with her screams.

Childe scrambled to his feet, knees buckling as he fell onto his polearm for support. He felt sick. So, so, so damn sick. "This isn't what we agreed on. You swore she wouldn't get hurt! You said you'd free her!" The Harbinger tore his gaze away from Asira to glare down at the bloodied boy. A scoff, and Sandrone laughed over the storm.

"Oh dear, oh dear. Perhaps my memory was foggy, but poor Sandrone doesn't recall breaking such a promise. Is this not what I promised? Is this power not ultimate freedom!" His arms open wide, spinning with utmost joy as his cape swirls around him. "Behold! Behold! The ultimate weapon for My Majesty, the god to end all gods!"

And the hall falls quiet, and Childe can hardly get himself to stand.

"Isn't the Raven beautiful?"

No. He wants to scream.

No. He wants to yell.

No. No! NO! He wants to free her from those binds, to finally unlock her from those chains sealed by destiny and hold her tight and say it's okay, and that I'm sorry. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry.

But it'll never be enough.

"Let her go."

Childe cursed nothing louder than a whisper under his breath, and yet Sandrone heard. Cocking his head, the Harbinger nodded, "Oh? Very well then." Asira's body is tugged limp, suddenly released from the puppet strings, and with a sickening thud she crumples to the ground. "A test run is always so much fun!"

A test run—?

Childe staggers to his feet, reaching out to materialize his spear when he's slammed back into the ground. He feels the impact before he sees it. A cough of blood comes out instead of a gasp, his chest collapsing in on itself as the gold eyes of Asira stare down at him. By the time he's even had half the mind to twitch his finger and summon his weapon, she already struck again. Childe can hardly feel anything now. Apart from the eternal thunder ringing against his ears the world has fallen numb.

Not even The Foul Legacy could regenerate fast enough, and he feels his body reverting back, all the while the girl before him strays further and further from human. With a single thrust of her arm, Childe is hoisted off the ground by his neck. Her hand squeezes tighter and tighter, leaving Childe to do little but feel the life escape his body.

Even as the world hums into darkness, there's no mistaking the white glow of Asira's hair. That, and the battle he sees mirrored in her eyes, the flickering of God versus human, of sin versus sinner, of eternity versus mortality. And it takes everything Childe has left in him to reach back up, bleeding hand trembling as it inches closer and closer, "Pl...Please."

His last bit of air escapes him with a whisper, "Wake up."

And as Childe's hand touches her cheek Asira freezes above him.

Her eyes snap back to silver, and the hand once around his throat lets go.

Yet she can only look in horror at what she has done. Magenta ruins pulse across Asira's body once more, and she convulses with a scream, tearing at her eyes as Childe watches them flicker from gold to silver and back again. It is all the Harbinger can do to watch with an outstretched arm, cries leaving in wordless gasps and the girl continues to thrash and scream before him.