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“Watch it!”

Childe swung around to block a blow from one of the treasure hoarder’s hammer, only for a streak of white and gold to flash across his vision. “I had them!” He shouted back, though he couldn’t deny the delight at getting another chance to watch Lumine fight. 

Her speed rivaled his own, as did her impressive power and easy-going moves. To anyone else, this may have been a difficult battle in the dark pits of the Chasm, with only a little light to guide each attack. To Lumine, it was just another Wednesday. She pushed the enemy back with one giant thrust, electricity crackling off the blade, then swung her sword down sharply. The treasure hoarder shrieked with surprise and a fear even he could taste, tossing aside the hammer in a heartbeat and scrambling to his feet to sprint off into the darkness.

Childe grunted, hopping down from his place on top of several hastily stacked boxes. His girlie frowned at him, brows knitting in frustration. “Honestly myla, I’m beginning to think you actually care for me with how ferociously you’re protecting my back.”

“I wouldn’t have to protect your back if you weren’t so distracted and leaving it open all the time,” She grumbled, wiping the blood from her blade using a dusty old rag. 

He wouldn’t be distracted if she wasn’t so wonderful to watch, to tease, to travel with. Both of them knew that. So Childe only hummed again, easily falling into step with her. “I do know what I’m doing,” He said, easily resting Polar Star over his shoulder. 

Another grunt of frustration. “I’m sure you do.”

A frown. “All right, all right,” He grumbled, pulling her to a stop. The Lumenstone’s strong blue light radiated off her pale skin, her features glowing like a star in the Chasm’s inky darkness. One hand tangled with her own, lacing their fingers together. “You’ve been acting like this since we came down here. What is it?”

At that, the frustration on her face softened, loosening to something deeper. She quickly looked away, but he refused to let her run from her issues, especially when they both preferred to face things head on. Instead, he tilted her chin back to look up at him and only him, one brow raised in a silent order to speak. “I can’t help it,” She mustered, bottom lip jutting out into a pout. “This place gives me the creeps. It’s like there’s an aura here throwing me off.”

Odd. He didn’t feel that way, but then he’d been in far darker and more dangerous places than the main mining shaft of Liyue’s Chasm. “Do you want to go back to the surface?”

Stubborn determination replaced the obvious nerves. “Of course not. Bad feelings or not, there’s Mora at stake.”

Childe snorted, tugging her even closer, until she pressed against the curve of his body. “You know I can pay for dinner, right?” 

“You pay for dinner every time!”

“That’s because you’re notoriously broke.”

For the first time in at least two hours, since they’d started their trek in the darkness, Lumine grinned. “Hence, the push for Mora.”

Childe only rolled his eyes, one gloved thumb brushing over her pouty lips. In his arms, the Traveler shivered, though it likely wasn’t from the chill in the cavern’s air. His free hand slowly traced the line of her spine, yearning to touch her soft skin with his bare fingertips, the same way he’d done before the sun rose back in Liyue Harbor. Her wildflower perfume outweighed the stench of gunpowder and damp earth, just as sweet as she was. 

He went to lower his lips to hers, eager to ease her worries with a kiss, when she fiercely yanked herself out of his arms. At first he whined, devoid of her warmth, until the hairs on the back of his neck stood at full attention. “Nnn.”

“Childe.”

“Yeah, I sense it.” 

Nevertheless, Lumine adjusted her grip on the hilt of her blade. “You left your back open again.”

He only sighed. “Now I’m beginning to think you don’t even want to kiss me.”

Before he could see her reaction, he crafted his dual Hydro blades and jumped into action, lunging for the Pyro Abyss Mage who dared to bother his good time. The creature shrieked in horror, similar to the noise the treasure hoarder had made in their fury of attacks. Unlike the treasure hoarder, though, they didn’t seem eager to let this one live.

It didn’t take long to defeat– the pitiful mages never did, especially when their flaming shields crumbled under the strength of a sturdy blade and the overpowering skill of its wielder. Childe let the Hydro swords evaporate again, shoving his hands into his pockets while Lumine rummaged through the ashes it left behind, plucking leyline branches from the dust to shove into her pockets.

The commission had been simple: defeat the plethora of enemies blocking the path between the Adventurer’s Guild’s two base camps. So far, they’d had no trouble taking down Abyss Mages and hilichurls and even the occasional treasure hoarder sifting through items left behind by the miners. Nothing had been anything above their level of strength. He doubted there would be any danger here.

And yet Lumine insisted on being on guard, as if she knew something he didn’t. So he listened like the good partner he was, always eager to impress.

Water dripped down the side of the cavern’s walls, the cool Chasm air devoid of a breeze or wind. The only noise came from their careful footsteps and occasional banter. He studied the way the shadows moved as they moved through compact tunnels, the pale blue light from the Lumenstone a comfort in this darkness. 

Every once in a while, they would stumble upon an inky black and purple ooze bubbling up from the ground like a hot spring. Early on in their adventure, Childe had tried to say there was no point to bothering with it, as water didn’t get rid of the sludge. But Lumine had proved him wrong, using the light from her Lumenstone to cleanse the area. She said it would make it easier to walk back up the bath, and while he knew there was sense in that statement, he often saw a darkness glimmer in her eyes when she spotted another pile. 

She didn’t bring it up; he wouldn’t mention it.

After another clash with confused treasure hoarders, Lumine huffed, crossing her arms. “Are you always this reckless when you fight?”

“Only when you’re here,” Childe teased, nudging her with his shoulder. Besides, he hadn’t even gotten hurt in that last round. He just wasn’t as hyper-focused on the energy seeping through the walls this deeply underground as she was. “You’re a lovely distraction.”

“So I should leave?”

“Then I’d be distracted and lonely.”

A tinge of pink covered the bridge of her nose. “Shut up.”

“I’m serious.” He grinned, tossing his arm around her shoulder and pulling her into the curve of his side.

“Unfortunately, I don’t doubt that.” With a huff, she wrapped her arm around his waist and gave a squeeze. Childe grinned at the little victory. “You just seem so… casual in your fighting.”

“That’s because no enemy down here would give us that much trouble. Not when we’re together.”

“Stop being cocky.” Lumine rolled her eyes, but let her sword fade into its pocket dimension. 

“Can’t help it when it’s true.”

“I bet you think you’re the strongest fighter in all of Teyvat.”

Childe scoffed, letting his hand fall from around her shoulder. Still, she didn’t push away from him, their arms brushing against each other as they walked. “Not the strongest, I’m not that stupid. But, I am one of them.”

“Oh?” The Traveler asked, tilting her head innocently. “Who are the others in this elite group?”

“Let’s see,” He started, offering a hand to help her down a particularly long jump between stones. “That one bow user.”

Lumine took his hand and slid down the gravel path. She didn’t feel the need to let go- a fact that still made his heart squeeze like a giddy schoolboy. “That narrows it down.”

“She owns that one tea shop in Liyue.”

“Oh please, you know her name.”

He grinned, squeezing her fingers. “I do, but it's fun to watch you get flustered. Anyways, Yelan. She’s very fast and has an incredible shot. Yoimiya, she’s great too.”

The Traveler tugged him closer to avoid one of the exploding rocks itching to burst. “Do you only like bow users?” She asked, her voice tinged with a hint of jealousy.

“I admire their talent with a weapon I’m still learning,” Childe clarified. While he enjoyed seeing her feathers ruffled like a frustrated bird, he didn’t want her resenting some of her friends. “Yoimiya has a different power, anyways. She’s strong in her happiness.”

The tinge of green in her face vanished with a nod. “I agree. Power in optimism.”

“A feat most warriors lack.” His nose scrunched as he jumped down another ledge, then reached up to help her down as well. “As much as I despise her, my coworker is strong.”

“Arlecchino?”

“Yep. And number three– Columbina. Though she’s more creepy than strong.”

Lumine’s laugh echoed off the murky Chasm walls, the lucklight flies disappearing as she refueled her Lumenstone. “Then why is she number three?”

“Who knows, honestly,” He huffed. “The Harbinger ranking system isn’t exactly straightforward. If it was based off strength, I should be at least number six or something.”

“Hm,” The Traveler hummed, amusement dancing across her face. “Who else?” 

Ahead, the tunnel glowed an eerie purple color, pulsating like a heartbeat. Lumine didn’t seem bothered by it, but for the first time they’d come down here, a wave of concern washed over him like the tides. He carefully slid Polar Star off his shoulder, careful not to alert her to the apprehension now racing through his veins. “The Tsaritsa.”

His partner pulled him to a sudden stop, and for a minute, he wondered if she felt it as well. “Is she strong?” She asked instead, eyes glimmering with an emotion he couldn’t read.

“Absolutely.”

“Tell me about her.”

Childe barked out a laugh. “Absolutely not.”

The excitement in her eyes died in an instant, snuffed out like a flame. “I hate you,” She pouted, her cute little face twisting in annoyance. 

“I doubt that,” He teased, booping her on the nose. “And then, of course, there’s you.”

Lumine opened her mouth to say something, anything, but the snarky banter almost always died whenever he complimented her. She had such a hard time handling his affection, mostly as someone who had never been good at dealing with it in the first place. To her surprise, and relief, Childe didn’t tease her for her lack of thoughts at the moment. Instead he slowly leaned in again, the scent of pine and the sea wrapping around her like a blanket, drowning out any of her sheepishness or fear or desire for the Mora that came with completing a commission like this. 

Gods, he really wanted that kiss, didn’t he?

Then suddenly, before she could recognize what was happening, he pushed her away hard with the palm of his hand, sending her flying backwards into the stony wall. Lumine’s eyes widened as she fell, just barely catching sight of an explosive splash clipping her lover’s tall frame, just barely spotting the unsturdy stones falling from the ceiling and directly onto her Harbinger’s head.

Her stomach flooded with dread the same moment she hit the ground, watching Childe crumple against the dirt floor, his body unnaturally twisted in its unconscious state.

Her ears rang from shock, the only sound her racing heart thudding against her ribcage. It only grew louder as a deep blue mirror portal open and out stepped a lone mirror maiden, clasping her hands over her heart. Archons above; she hadn’t even sensed the woman nearby, not that she’d really been paying attention. Childe only managed to save her because her back was open and she got distracted. How could she be so careless for this journey in the Chasm, when she knew how deadly it could get in only seconds?

The dread pinning her in place vanished like a puddle on a hot summer day, replaced by the fire of rage. It only grew as the mirror maiden moved closer to her Harbinger, the edges of her deep blue and white gown muddied and torn, swaying as she moved. 

In a split second, she jumped into action, lunging forward like a feral wild cat. It was the only thing she could think to do, with her head still spinning from the fall. Before she could throw herself protectively over his body, a cage of hardened Hydro shards trapped her, her skin cutting on the walls as firm as ice. Lumine snarled, slamming her hand against the crystals as the mirror maiden walked closer to Childe like a curious predator. “Get away from him!” She snapped, summoning a blast of Electro to try and escape from the containment.

The woman’s masked face glanced in her direction, her thin lips spreading over straight, yellowing teeth. Unlike the others she’d encountered in the wild, this maiden didn’t seem as perfect. Portions of her finely stitched clothing were in tatters, hanging loose on her exposed arms and thighs. Even her attacks, though focused and fierce, did not pack the same punch as those on the maidens on the surface. After all, it hadn’t been her blast that had knocked Childe out, but the falling rocks the water had loosened in the ceiling above. If anything, she looked somewhat frail compared to the other Fatui members who relished in the power of a Delusion.

She didn’t care. 

She didn’t care she didn’t care she didn’t care

“Oh?” The maiden asked, her voice crackly and weak, like she hadn’t used it in months. “What’s a pretty little girl like you going to do to stop me?”

Lumine bared her teeth like a caged animal. “I can think of a lot of things I’d like to do.”

The woman hummed, stepping closer to the unconscious Harbinger. Lumine snarled again, struggling against the trap like she needed to fight for survival, the rage and panic racing through her body giving her a surge of adrenaline. “A shame you two will die down here,” The maiden cooed, using her boot to tilt Childe’s face. “Especially with one this handsome.”

The raging fire simmered instantly, replaced by icy fury. It finally crossed her mind to summon her sword and she did, then stomped hard on the ground, using a surge of Geo energy. The Hydro cage cracked like glass, shattering around her before the maiden could raise another finger. She didn’t have a second to react until Lumine’s boot connected with her delicate chest, sending her skidding backwards in the rock and mud.

“Touch him–” Lumine snarled, stepping in front of Childe’s unconscious body, “And I’ll kill you.”

The mirror maiden threw back her head and cackled, the sound echoing off the cavernous walls. Lumine didn’t give her a chance to think twice, lunging forward into a flurry of attacks. One slash sent the woman flying backwards, but she managed to stay standing, much more adapted to traveling in the Chasm’s darkness. The maiden shot two Hydro bullets in her direction, but Lumine easily managed to dodge, getting up close and personal so the woman couldn’t get away.

Rage towards this woman, towards the situation they’d gotten themselves into, towards herself for letting down her guard, made every attack a lethal blow. Her sword connected with the woman’s emaciated arm, the sheen of blood dripping down her stark white arm. The maiden yelped in surprise and pain, sending out another surge of Hydro energy. It missed, to her relief, and then to her horror as she saw the ripple rain splash into her still-unconscious partner.

Lumine’s head turned back slowly to face the maiden, and for the first time since they’d started this battle, she swore she noticed the woman falter from fear.

She leapt into another flurry of attacks, letting her rage take over her without hesitation. If only she hadn’t gotten so distracted by her banter with Childe, if only she hadn’t taken the commission in the first place. Maybe then he wouldn’t have gotten hurt. Perhaps the only wound would only be her damaged pride at letting her rich Fatui Harbinger boyfriend treat her to dinner.

The maiden summoned another mirror portal to step into, but Lumine would not let her get away that easily. Just as the maiden started to slip into the Hydro portal, her hand shot out and grabbed the woman by the chest, yanking her from inside her little dimension and tossing her across the room.

She let out another shriek of pain as she landed right beside Childe, slow to get up. Lumine spun her sword like a toy, pacing forward like a feral cat.

Then the maiden let out a horrified gasp. “L-Lord Harbinger?”

Oh, good. Now she knew she’d be dying one of two ways; either by Childe’s fury of being attacked by one of his own soldiers, or by Lumine’s wrath.

She used the woman’s confusion to lunge forward, slamming into the maiden and pinning her to the ground. “What did I say about touching him?” She seethed, twisting the woman’s bony arm behind her back. 

“Yield, I yield–”

A dangerous, unfamiliar smile spread across her face. “Oh, you really misunderstand the mood I’m in.”

And then she twisted her hand hard, the bones in the mirror maiden’s wrist snapping in one smooth movement. The woman’s screams echoed off the cool stone walls of the otherwise silent Chasm.

***

Childe awoke with the worst headache he’d had since crawling out of the Abyss.

He’d had a lot worse injuries than this before, and the pain was nothing like how it felt once he transformed out of Foul Legacy. He ran a hand through his mess of red hair and groaned– the muscle aching, that was familiar after Foul Legacy. Even his spinning head and dazed vision felt familiar, though he couldn’t place where he’d gotten an injury like this before. So instead of moving, he closed his eyes and resigned to calmly identifying his surroundings, eager to understand how he’d gotten himself to a mess like this again.

The grass underneath his touch felt different than the grass on the surface, like moss growing on the damp side of a tree log. The air smelled like the fresh, moist earth after a spring thunderstorm, with a hint of wildflowers, though that scent felt more out of place. All around him, he heard the roar of a waterfall and the pathetic whimpers of a helpless creature, sobbing through what he thought was pain. 

Finally, when he was certain he wouldn’t be sick from the spinning world, he opened his eyes and let them adjust to his surroundings. Pillars of water pooled into a massive underground lake, reaching all the way to the roof— a roof, he realized, of a cave. He quickly remembered their commission into the Chasm earlier that afternoon, and the panic of thinking he’d once again fallen into the Abyss quickly faded.

It would be too bright to be the Abyss. Large, star-shaped mushrooms grew out of the sides of centuries old trees, the roots twisted and mangled like weaves of fabric. Little fireflies spotted the ceiling as vividly as starts, their light warmer than the lucklight bugs Lumine had used earlier to refill her Lumenstone. 

Speaking of Lumine, he spotted her glowing gold hair in the odd lights. Her brow furrowed deep in her forehead while she worked on something he couldn’t see– he bet she was pissed at him for leaving his back open again. Then she started towards him, freezing in place the moment she noticed he was awake.

“Hey–”

“Shh,” She interrupted, shaking her head and falling to her knees at his side, her brow still pinched in focus. “You’re hurt.”

“I’m fine–”

“Will you just listen to me for once?!”

Childe raised a brow at the bite in her words, not used to so much vitriol from his adorable partner. Lumine didn’t notice his surprise, instead going right back working on a salve, plastering the greenish sludge over deep gashes on his arms. He bit his tongue at the sting. 

He turned his head back to the towering waterfalls to ignore the pain. “Where are we?”

“The Chasm.”

“Are you sure I’m not in some psychedelic dream?” He questioned, nudging her softly. Then he playfully gasped, leaning forward. “Am I dead?”

Lumine didn’t laugh. “If you don’t stop squirming, you may be.”

Ouch. 

He opened his mouth to ask why she seemed so frustrated (he’d gotten hurt plenty of times before, this was no different) when a high-pitched, panicked wail broke his train of thought. “Lord Harbinger, I can explain–”

“Hey!” Lumine snarled, whirling around to glare in the shadows. “What did I say about talking!?”

“But–”

“You still have fingers for me to break on that hand of yours.” Her voice was like ice, cold and void of emotion and so unlike the girl he knew and loved. Any other time, he may have thought it attractive to see her take such a firm charge like this. “Do not test me.”

He recognized then the deep blue outfit of a mirror maiden in the dull lamplight. The small woman was tied up by an old rope, restraining her movements and keeping her in place– Childe supposed that had been his lover’s doing. Her mask had been removed, revealing her panicked brown eyes. Bruises covered her arms, yellowed and aging, the rest of her skin sallow and pale. She missed chunks of hair and the hair she did have was twisted in a rats nest, like she hadn’t combed it for months.

Confusion simmered in his mind as Lumine finished up her patch-up job. Before she could pull away, he grabbed her wrist, keeping her close. “Myla.”

“What?”

“Why is there a mirror maiden tied up in the corner?”

His partner’s nose scrunched in annoyance. “She’s my prisoner.”

“Oh?” Any other time, he would have laughed. Instead, Childe glanced back over to the petrified woman. “That’s definitely a new one.”

“Stop moving,” Lumine ordered, her brow twisting with concern. She didn’t bother looking at the woman she’d taken as prisoner. Then, the frustrated facade crumbled as she squeezed his knee like a lifeline in the storm. “This is my fault. Let me help.”

He reluctantly agreed, letting her do whatever she needed to do if it would wipe off the pained look on her face. “Wanna tell me what happened?”

“...I wasn’t watching my back.”

Ah. “And she caught us both off guard.”

Her amber eyes pinned him in place, frustrated tears welling up in the corners. His heart lurched at the sight. “Not you.”

Flashes of the moments before he’d been knocked unconscious replayed in his head. He’d spotted the mirror maiden only seconds before her first attack, pushing Lumine out of the way so she wouldn’t take the brunt of the blast. He’d easily thrown up a Hydro shield, for her bolts of water, but hadn’t accounted for the unstable rocks above him and how they would react to the water and–

“Still, you managed to take her down.” He shook his head, the ache of leaving her to fight by herself rippling through him. Not that she couldn’t hold her own; it was just an unnecessary battle. “That’s impressive.”

“Lord Harbinger!” The maiden cried out again, her body racked with desperate sobs. Childe glanced in her direction, surprised to see her so emotional. “Have you heard any word from home–”

“What did I say about talking?!” Lumine snapped, baring her teeth like a predator on the verge of attack.

In another place, at any other time, he would have been swooning.

“Please!”

“You don’t even deserve to beg!”

“Starlight,” Childe hissed, grabbing her arm and yanking her back, making sure she only focused on him. She squirmed against his grasp until he grabbed both sides of her face, keeping her from looking at the woman she obviously despised. “As… ridiculously attractive as seeing you this ferocious is, it isn’t you.”

“Maybe it is,” She grumbled through squished cheeks.

He gave her a disbelieving look. “It’s not. It’s more my thing.”

“And you’re hurt. So I’m doing it.”

“Lumine.”

She flinched at his full use of her name. 

Childe sighed, running both thumbs over her cheekbones, ignoring the way his body still ached. “What’s the matter?”

Another one of the walls she tried to keep up vanished, crumbling like the rocks that had knocked him unconscious. She softened in his touch, hanging her head in defeat. “I wanted to hurt her. The same way she hurt you,” She finally said, her voice barely above a whisper. “But I… I chickened out, since she had the same fear in her eyes that I felt when…”

Her words trailed off, amber eyes pleading with him to understand the unspoken end of the sentence. Childe raised a brow. “When?”

Another sigh and whimper. “When I nearly lost you.”

Immediately he softened, pulling her in to kiss her forehead. “Well, my heart is still beating, isn’t it?”

“Somehow.”

“Then that’s all that matters. So stop pretending to be some killer. We both know you’d regret it.”

Something dark glimmered in her amber eyes, a story for another time. Perhaps she was some killer, but he didn’t see her as such. He’d heard of her reaction once Signora died. He’d seen her remorse when taking out hilichurls for no reason. He knew she cherished life the same way she understood the necessity for taking it.

He grunted as she fell against his sore chest, but he easily cradled her in his touch. They sat in the dark for several silent minutes, the only noise the raging waterfalls all around them. Then, when he was certain he could stand, he pushed both of them up, though he never let go of her hand.

When he reached the mirror maiden, he let out a sigh. Most of Pulcinella’s men dispersed to the Chasm had never made it out from their mission, lost to the wastes or void of information. He supposed this was just another one of those lost souls, from how malnourished she looked and her desperation for any word from home. Without asking Lumine, he knelt down beside the maiden and sliced the ropes, untangling her in a split second.

“Go.”

The one-word order reverberated through the woman slowly, then all at once. A range of emotions covered her hollow features; from confusion to relief to gratitude. “Thank you for your mercy, Lord Harbinger–”

“Now,” He ordered, letting the mask of Tartaglia return. After all, she’d attacked him. Any other recruit would have been lashed and left out in the Snezhnayan wilderness for their insolence. “Before we both change our minds.”

The gratitude quickly faded, replaced by panic. She used her good hand to stand, then took off in a shaky sprint, navigating through the darkness in a way only someone who had spent months down here could manage. Childe waited until he could no longer hear her heels clacking against the stone path to turn back to his lover.  “Come on. We have business to attend to.”

Her golden brows pinched together. “We do?”

“Very important business.” Something he’d been trying to do all afternoon. “For one, this.”

He tilted her chin up and lowered his lips to hers, letting her wildflower perfume comfort any pain radiating from his injuries. Lumine took no time to melt into his grasp, tangling her arms around his head and sliding her fingers through his mess of red hair. Even if she was the stronger one in this moment, the one who’d escaped any and all injury, she stumbled on shaky legs. He only laughed against her lips, wrapping one hand around her waist to keep her standing.

By the time they were both breathless, overheated from the passion of their kiss even in the cool Chasm air, Lumine’s bad mood seemed to have evaporated. “The other?” She croaked, sliding her hands down his chest to grip his jacket like a lifeline.

He grinned against her mouth, unable to help his glee. “Dinner. I’m paying.”

She didn’t protest once.