Through Thick and Thin- Diluc x (female) Reader

Chapter 54: Foul Legacy

"You got to the Gnosis ahead of me, didn't you?" Childe said, his voice warped through the mask. Or was it a helmet? The armor gave off an energy of malice, similar to Xiaos mask. Only this time, the user was a threat.
"Did you simply move faster than me? Or did you leak the information regarding the Golden House to me on purpose?" Childe said, his voice booming throughout the room. Without much warning, he lunged.
I used my skill to dodge to one side with Diluc, while Aether rolled to the other. Paimon retreated to behind a pillar and watched with uncertainty. I couldn't blame her for not wanting to be involved.
"No, you've got it all wrong!" I yelled to Childe, who turned his head to me for a moment.
"We didn't," Aether said, drawing his attention once more. "Why would I?"
"Don't lie," Childe sneered, turning towards Aether. "Hand the Gnosis over. Now!"
With a quick swipe of his spear, Childe barely grazed Aether. Thankfully getting away from that attack with only a scratch, I sighed in relief for his temporary safety. Were we really going to be able to beat Childe like this?
If he had hit Aether directly, he surely would have cut him in half. Childe wasn't trying to kill us before, so he said. If that was the case, then he really wanted us dead now.
"I told you, I don't have it," Aether said, holding up his sword.
"Don't make me take it from you," Childe said, clearly agitated.
"We didn't take it!" Paimon shouted to him, Childe turning his head to look at her. Paimon froze, realizing that she had drawn his attention to her.
But I saw this as a distraction to Childe. I quickly drew my bow and fired a shot directly at Childes head. Seeing the purple spot on his face, I prayed it was a weakness in the armor.
Childe took notice of my action, but it was too late. The arrow flew, piercing the spot. A sound reminiscent to broken glass echoed throughout the chamber as the armor shattered and fell away.
As Childe was reduced to his previous form, he fell to his knees, breathing heavily. I sighed in relief, thankful that the battle was over. At least for now.
"Look, Childes back to normal again!" Paimon said, coming out from her hiding spot. "You did it!"
"Ugh..." Childe groaned, still trying to catch his breath. "Good shot, y/n... Well then... time to cool off."
"Cool off?" I questioned, putting my bow away.
"Your weapon," Diluc pointed out, he still wielded his claymore. "What if-"
"I think he's done for now," I said, nodding to Diluc. Reluctantly, he put his claymore away and faced Childe.
"The foul legacy transformation..." he began, clutching his side. "That burden was too great for my body to handle. I lacked the opportunity to think this through..."
"And?" Aether said, crossing his arms. He seemed annoyed with Childe, although for a good reason.
"And... now that I consider the matter more carefully, you never had any chance of beating me to the Gnosis," Childe averted his gaze. Was he embarrassed?
"That's what they were trying to tell you," Diluc said, crossing his arms alongside Aether. Childe stood up, gazing at us as though we had never fought. Was he smiling a little? "What are you doing?" Diluc asked him with rightful suspicion.
"This battle has already left me satisfied," He said, looking over to Aether. "Unfortunately, I must bring this amiable conversation to an end. My quest still beckons."
"What do you mean?" I asked, eyeing him with suspicion.
He had been gasping for air on the floor just a minute ago, yet he was on his feet with a look of determination in his eyes now. What did he intend to do?
"You don't mean..." Aether said, his eyes widening. "But the Gnosis is gone."
"Given that the Gnosis wasn't taken by anyone, let's look back at the beginning. Perhaps, it was never in the Exuvia to begin with," Childe said, glancing back up to the floor he had destroyed.
"A diversion?" I asked, thinking about it. Is it possible that Rex Lapis is still alive?
"So you mean..." Paimon said, piecing it together.
"You aren't saying that Rex Lapis is still alive, are you?" Diluc said, eyeing Childe with more suspicion. "That can't be... we saw him drop right in front of us."
"It appears so, however," Childe replied. He acted as though he hadn't just attempted to kill us, which caught me off guard for sure. "We must now look to our back up plan..."
"We have one of those?" Paimon said, tilting her head. I was equally confused, raising an ear at Childe.
"Ah, not with you," Childe smiled innocently, although his tone conveyed otherwise. "I hoped it would never come to this. I detest working with those weaker than I. Unfortunately, I cannot be picky about my methods as a harbinger."
"Not with us?" I asked, getting an uneasy feeling. "What are you going to do, Childe?"
"I will awaken the god that lies dormant beneath Guyun Stone Forest," he said plainly.
"The what now...?" I asked, raising my other ear in caution. "Surely you can't just-"
"Osial, Overlord of the Vortex," Childe began, ignoring my confusion. "He was defeated by Morax in the archon war, and has remained pinned beneath the waves by the geo archons stone spears ever since."
"I don't like where this is going," Aether said, looking over to us with uncertainty. I nodded in agreement, not taking my eyes off Childe.
"If such a god were to be unleashed upon Liyue Harbor, defenseless without the protection of its deity..." Childe confirmed our suspicions, and I carefully stepped back. "Do you really think a cunning archon such as Rex Lapis would simply stand aloof and watch his city drown?"
"He wants to draw him out," I said, my eyes widening. "But the people-"
I stopped as I saw Childe smile smugly, as if he had already won.
"The archon war ended two thousand years ago!" Paimon said loudly. "How can an ancient god appear in a world now overseen by the Seven?"
"Exactly," I said, not wanting to believe it was possible. If Childe found a way to revive an ancient and likely very angry god, today would not be a good one.
"Simple! I've already prepared the means to awaken it!" He held his hand out, and dozens of papers began to swirl around him. I looked closer, noticing ink details intricately drawn onto the papers. Talismans?
"The sigils of permission?" Aether said, his eyes widening a little.
"Paimon remembers now!" Paimon spoke up, sounding as if she had figured it out. "The Fatui have been researching those! So that means..."
"Have you... been replicating them?" Diluc said, watching the papers swirl about.
Childe nodded before smiling even wider. "Indeed! The one given to Aether here was merely a by-product of our reasearch! With the power of so many sigils gathered in one place, and the power bestowed on me by the Tsarista as a harbinger..."
"Raising Osial is going to be a piece of cake," I said, my ears raised in alarm.
"Using the powers of the gods in such a situation fails to interest me, and is largely against my principles, but," Childe shrugged. "Knowing that such an action will not only make the geo archon to force his hand, but you as well..."
"That makes things a little more interesting!" Childe said, looking to each of us individually.
"You're crazy!" I said, summoning my bow. "You're just crazy if you think we are going to let you do this!"
Childe stopped for a moment, looking at me with confusion. Then, he burst out laughing. He laughed so much that it startled me.
"I'd like to see you try to stop me," he said coldly, before raising his head to the ceiling. "Let's see! Will the nation that has lost its god be swallowed by an ancient malice?" He arms raised around him, water began to cover his entire body, carrying it up towards the ceiling.
Before he left completely, he left us with a final message. "If you wish to drown with the people of Liyue, you're free to stay and enjoy the show!"