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Childe hands his vision over to the authorities of Fontaine without a second thought, utterly convinced that it will be a temporary thing. He needs to get into a trial to fulfill the Tsaritsa’s will, and the best way to do it is to seem harmless, stripped of the source of his power.
It all goes according to his plan until the very end. He gives the most spectacular show in front of the court and his fighting prowess is met with countless applauds. The judge declares him acquitted for whatever silly crime he committed so he would be sent there. Nothing seems off, until the Hydro Archon herself walks up to him to give him his vision back.
He should have understood something was wrong the second the literal goddess of the country showed up, and not one of her servants, but as it happens, Childe is too elated by the thrill of victory and battle to come to that obvious conclusion.
The Harbinger bitterly regrets it when the Hydro Archon does not immediately give him his vision back. She extends her fist towards him, as if she was about to place the precious object in his palm, but marks a pause at the last second. Then she squeezes it with all her strength, until a loud, sinister crack resonates through the courtroom.
As his vision shatters, so does Childe’s mind. It all happens so fast that he doesn’t get a chance to protest, to launch himself at the Archon or even to beg for mercy. In a blink, all of his fighting spirit, all of his drive, is gone. And so, he just stands there, motionless, as the Hydro Archon drops the shatters of his vision in his hand.
“There. Now, I have the guarantee that you will not be a threat to the people of Fontaine anymore.”
The blue eyes of the Archon are shining with cold and fierce determination. What little remains of Tartaglia can’t even blame her. He would have done much worse to protect the people he holds dear.
Childe is released into the bustling streets of Fontaine without ceremony. In this foreign land, there is no one who cares about him, and he can’t get his mind to settle on what he should do. Whatever objectives he had before evade him now, and so he wanders aimlessly, because he cannot gather the determination required to achieve anything else.
Somewhere, deep in the clouded corners of his mind, he knows that he has a family he intended to return to, but when he tries to concentrate on it, he can’t even get himself to remember the faces of his loved ones. He is also aware that something unspeakably terrible has been done to him, but Childe can never keep track of his thoughts long enough to plan vengeance, or even long for it.
It takes all of his mental energy just to survive, even though he has more than enough money to keep himself fed, clothed, and housed. That wealth doesn’t belong to him entirely, of that he is certain, but all memories of whomever his generous benefactor is are gone from his fractured psyche. When some nervous Fatui agents greet him with a mumbled “May the Tsaritsa bless you” as they cross paths, he wonders who that Tsaritsa might be.
They all look at him with pity in their eyes, as though they know something that Childe himself doesn’t. It reminds him that he should be upset, but the feeling never makes its way to his heart. Even though he remembers clearly the moment the Hydro Archon crushed his vision, it is associated with no emotion in his mind. Only blaring emptiness.
For some reason, his condition only becomes truly unbearable when someone mentions Liyue, knights, or Ruin Guards. It should matter, but Childe has no idea why. When he closes his eyes, he can almost picture the outline of faces linked to those three reminders. He always finds himself crying afterward, despite not knowing what is making him sad.
This goes on for days, until a familiar figure finally appears to put an end to his purgatory.
She is recognizable, with her white and black hair, but still, Childe struggles to put a name on her face. He only manages to put his finger on it because she is standing right there in front of him, with her blood-red eyes staring straight into his soulless ones.
“Arlecchino,” He whispers.
Childe is vaguely aware that her presence should elicit strong feelings in him, but once again, he has no idea why. She takes a quick look at his waist, where his vision should be hanging, and frowns.
“So it is true. Then, considers this your last gift from Her Majesty.”
The next moment, she strikes at him, sword in hand. Although Childe sees the blow coming, he makes no move to escape it, even less counter it, unable to gather even the slightest desire to fight back.
He expects pain and blood, but nothing comes. Instead, Arlecchino’s blade shatters on a shield that wasn’t there a second before. The sight of it triggers some of Childe’s memories, and yet they remain unreachable, as if hidden behind a veil of misty fog.
“How dare you lay a finger on him?” Someone shouts, no, roars, in the deepest voice Childe has ever heard.
It fills him with warmth and makes him feel inexplicably safe. He is not even startled when the ground shakes under his feet. Even though Childe fails to recognize the man with glowing amber eyes who walks up to them, it is painfully obvious to him that they have met before.
From the way Arlecchino pales and takes a step back, she must know of him too, although she doesn’t seem pleased by his arrival.
“Rex Lapis. I did not expect to meet you here.” She greets him in a tense voice.
“I journeyed to Fontaine for the same reason as you, I believe. To see for myself if the rumors were true.”
“Then you should understand that the Tsaritsa has sent me here to eliminate the 11th Harbinger out of mercy. To put him out of his misery. Without his vision, Tartaglia is nothing but an empty shell.”
“Do not speak his name!” Rex Lapis growls. “And do not try to pretend you are doing this for his sake, especially when your true motives are far less noble. Your Archon only fears that some of her secrets will be spilled, now that her Vanguard isn’t in complete control of himself anymore. That is the sole reason for your presence here. To protect vital intelligence, not to show Tartaglia kindness of any sort.”
Childe fails to truly understand what they are arguing about, even as it is apparently his life they are discussing. However, he can tell that Arlecchino is upset from how her jaw twitches, although she is trying her hardest to remain impassive.
“Even so, it is a matter that concerns no one but Her Majesty and her Harbingers. I fail to see why Liyue intends to get involved in this.”
“Not Liyue.” Rex Lapis corrects. “Only me. As for my reasoning, I consider it my duty to protect my husband from people who wish him harm. I have promised as such in our vows, and I will defend this one contract more unwaveringly than any other.”
This time, Arlecchino’s eyes widen as she fails to conceal her surprise. Childe also catches a flicker of fear in her expression.
“You and Tartaglia…”
Rex Lapis nods, and that is apparently all the confirmation she needs.
“I see. That changes the situation greatly. I shall inform the Tsaritsa of this new turn of events before taking any further action.”
“So long as you pose no threat to Liyue or to my husband, you may do as you wish,” Rex Lapis replies coldly.
Arlecchino takes it as her cue to depart, or rather, retreat. Even Childe realizes she is unwilling to get into a fight she might not only lose, but also pay with her life. She is quick to disappear into the crowded streets of Fontaine, leaving him alone with Rex Lapis.
The man loses his stone-faced expression once they are alone. His eyes become soft as he stares at Childe longingly.
“My beloved. Please, forgive me for not being there when you needed me most. I came as soon as I heard what had been done to you.”
Childe has no idea what to reply. The moment he speaks, he knows he will break Rex Lapis’ heart, because he has no recollection of this man who speaks so fondly of him. However, before he can make any attempt to do so, his husband presses their forehead together, and elemental energy flows into him anew. With it comes a plethora of locked memories, and Childe can’t help but sob as he is assaulted with a lifetime of emotions.
“Xiansheng…” He cries as he throws himself in Zhongli’s arms, desperate for his touch.
“It’s alright. I am here now, my dearest. I will never let anyone hurt you again, you have my word.”
“It was so horrible, Zhongli, you have no idea. I couldn’t even remember you, or Teucer, or Tonia, or… or…”
His voice breaks, and his husband runs his fingers through his hair soothingly as Childe crumbles in his arms. Passerby must be staring at them, but he cannot bring himself to care. After being deprived of most of his feelings for so long, everything seems almost too intense, too bright for him to bear, but thankfully Zhongli is there to hold himself through it until he finally calms down.
“How… How did you bring me back?” Childe asks once he has run out of tears. “My vision has been destroyed. I saw it happen.”
“Indeed, and sadly it cannot be repaired, at least to my knowledge. So, I have chosen to share my connection to Geo with you.”
“Wait, that is something you can do?”
“It indeed is a power of the Prime Adeptus. However, I can only grant this blessing to a very small number of people, and it is irreversible. Should you turn against me, I could not do a thing to take it back from you.”
The unspoken trust behind his words and actions leaves Childe overwhelmed with love. Combined with the way Zhongli looks at him, as if he has never laid his eyes on something more precious before… It’s almost more than he can take.
“I… I don’t know how to thank you. Without you, I’d still be…”
“I beg of you, do not feel indebted to me. I respected my vows towards you, nothing more. If anything, I should apologize for disclosing the truth about our marriage to someone who will assuredly report it to the Tsaritsa.”
Ah. That. Not so long ago, that situation would have left Childe panicked and frantic, his loyalty torn between the two Archons he pledged himself to. Today, it feels like a minor issue compared to the horrifying fate Zhongli just saved him from. So long as he is still himself, as he retains all his memories, he can work something out.
His loyalty is also easier to navigate, taking into consideration how Zhongli and the Tsaritsa respectively reacted to his distress.
“I don’t mind. It might create a bit of a mess, but I know you’ll be there to help me deal with it.
“Yes. Always. May stone pierce my heart if I ever fail you.”
Childe chuckles at that last part. However, dramatic as Zhongli’s promise might sound, it makes him feel safe, to know the lengths his husbands would go to protect him. That if he were to fall into the Abyss again, Zhongli would not hesitate a second to jump after him so he could carry him back to the surface. That they are but two pieces of the same heart.
It makes it all the easier for Childe to melt into his embrace. He buries his face into Zhongli’s neck and closes his eyes, not caring that they are still in the middle of the street, where everyone can watch them.
It feels good, to be whole again.