High Impact || Genshin Impact H.S AU

Chapter 13.8

“CHILDE! WAIT!” Lumine calls out, her calves burning and her body sore from chasing the ginger up and about the island. She refused to let go of the boy, even if she had to cross lava to reach him.

Thankfully she didn’t, the worst part of chasing Childe was the stairs, as she dashed up a long winding flight of stairs that led out to a helipad.

At the helipad, she glanced out and saw she was surrounded by trees, hidden deep in the peaks of Pudding Isle.

“I never knew Genshin High had a helipad,” Lumine muttered, loud enough for Childe to finally stop moving and hear her.

“The school staff doesn’t know, only us,” Childe says. He leans over, hands on his knees, and huffing in and out for air. Lumine did the same, equally exhausted from all the chasing and yelling. Sweat dribbled down her forehead and landed on the concrete floor, and she looked up, making eye contact with Childe.

Childe’s eyes bore a look of sadness and fear, and she wished she knew why. She didn’t like seeing the burden and secrets Childe was carrying, it made her heartache. But she also knew that something was off, that maybe there was more to Childe than she hoped for it, something other than perfect boyfriend material.

“Childe, what the hell is happening?” she begged out, wanting an answer for archons’ sake. Childe gulped and broke eye contact, his lips in a thin line.

“I-I, it's just hard to explain,” Childe said. Lumine winced at the statement, not wanting more walls between the two of them.

“Then try please, I-I don’t know what’s happening and I’m scared Childe,” Lumine whimpers out, tears pricking her eyes. Gripping her knees till her knuckles turned white, her life felt on the verge of collapse.

Days of daydreaming for her future now seemed to be flushing down into whatever hell she had arrived at now.

“I’m sorry Lumine, I’ll try… for you,” Childe said, standing straight up. He got a bit closer, grabbing her hand to give a firm squeeze. Lumine cherished the warm touch of his hand and softly whined when he lets go, not wanting to part with him.

“Just know that when I’m done explaining, you won’t see me as the same,” Childe said. Lumine gulped, already having a suspicion that might be the case. Childe cleared his throat before beginning his long tale.

“Everything that has happened in the past year has been the collected work of the Fatui.” Childe starts. Lumine knew the name felt familiar and before she could ask why Childe continued,

“The Fatui, if your memory comes to serve, is a diplomatic organization from Snezhnaya, technically I am an exchange student under their name here, but they do more than just transfer exchange students to and for places.
They work to maintain Snezhnaya’s dominance among the seven nations, no matter what,” Childe says coldly. Lumine gulps, feeling a new wave of panic and fear rise up.

“Operation Phoenix has been active since the day I’ve arrived at Genshin High; my operative was to assist the supervisor and scout the school, blending in to be able to observe the practices and rituals of the school,” Childe adds.

“W-what’s the operative?” Lumine asks. Childe pauses before answering, clearly hesitant to answer.

“To blow up the school and bring all of Teyvat into a world war, for the chance Snezhnaya can rise from the destruction and conquer all other nations,” Childe answers, wincing.

Lumine was stunned hearing that, she didn’t know how to react. She felt as if reality wasn’t right, as if it was some cruel nightmare and she would hopefully wake up. But Childe catches onto her thought process and pinches her arm lightly, breaking that hope really quick.

“Signora was the next operative after me, made to help isolate the school from the world and frame the Council, making it seem like a sinister plot from the other nations against Liyue, Mondstadt, and Inazuma,” Childe continues. “Bombs were planted when the Fatui Military school came, with help of the students there, and now everything is going to go up flames,” Childe finishes.

“Though it seems something went wrong along the way, and now we're in this shitty situation now,” Childe quickly mutters

Then a thought hit Lumine, remembering that night.

“Wait, so you coming to save me from the Snezhnayan boys wasn’t you trying to save me, it was just so you prevent me from catching on?” Lumine asks.

“Yes,” Childe says. Lumine felt her heart officially shatter, no longer able to see the same ginger she saw this morning. Looking up, the ginger boy she saw as charming, and heartwarming was now just a terrorist.

“P-please leave, the clinic island is the only island that doesn’t have bombs planted, go there, NOW!” Childe exclaimed shaking Lumine out of her thoughts.

“B-but w-what about-” Lumine stuttered out, too confused and stuck. She couldn’t move, her lungs were making it hard to breathe and she couldn’t calm down.

“Scaramouch! Let’s go!” a cold female voice exclaimed. Behind her, Signora and Scaramouche dashed out the door and jumped straight to the helicopter.

“Let’s go before she gets here!” Scaramouche exclaims, tugging on Childe’s arm. Childe arched an eyebrow, confused.

“SCARAMOUCHE!” a familiar voice echoed out from the depths of the stairs. Lumine turned back, seeing it was Mona and she looked furious.

“I guess that’s our cue to go,” Scaramouche said, dragging Childe onto the helicopter as Signora began to pilot it. Lumine took a few weak steps to the helicopter but she stopped, realizing she couldn’t go with them. She also felt lost, unsure of what else to do now.

Luckily Mona helped, dragging her down the stairs, yelling and screaming out obscenities at Scaramouche while running down.

“Where are we going?” Lumine weakly asked, too sullen to care.

“Off this fucking island,” Mona answered. Lumine felt as if they had teleported their way to the shore, now on the sandy beach, buildings echoed loudly with ticking noises. Mona waved for a Waaverider, and she shoved Lumine into it, yelling at the driver to head to the clinic asap.

Then the island exploded, a roaring wave of sand, glass and so much more hit the vehicle, nearly toppling it over. Lumine curled into a ball, ignoring the whole world as her reality prodded her alive.
 

End of Chapter 13