The demise of a hero

The mission

Preface:

Notes:

I wrote this story ages ago sometime in 2021. I'm not going to take it down now. Some things hurt, but deleting it completely hurts even more. Harbinger Trailer... Faces reveal... well cursed... damn it ><. Thought I had still a little more time before too.

It bugs me if some of the story parts are/sound -wrong- now, but it was just my idea of things at the time. And I don't feel like being ashamed of it or deleting a whole story now because of it or rewriting everything -____- (I wouldn't know how either. Should I switch Pulcinella with Capitano, but that also seems questionable and wrong to me).

Please no stupid comments about Pulcinella. Just don't say anything at all. Okay, thanks.

I just hope you all have read the story before already... if you are new to the story... just think to yourself.... he could've been handsome. I'm so sorry but truth to be told, mhy should be.

Here we go.

//

It was in the early hours of the morning when suddenly there was a firm knock at the door. Childe woke up and was quite confused as to who it might be. First he looked at Zhongli, who unfortunately had also been roused from his sleep and was blinking sleepily at him. Childe gently stroked his shoulder and smiled.

"I have no idea who that is.... but I'll go, stay in bed," he said to his boyfriend, while putting some clothes on. Zhongli gave a forced nod. He would certainly have preferred if Childe had still stayed in bed with him.

But the young Harbinger was already on his way to the door. When he opened it, he was surprised to see Stanislav. It was a recruit from Snezhnaya who often worked in the foreign service. He hadn't seen him since he left for Liyue and didn't know why he was here now, especially at this hour.

"Good morning comrade! What are you doing here? Don't tell me you've come straight from Snezhnaya?" asked Childe somewhat surprised.

"Tartaglia, sir! I have important and highly confidential information to convey to you. And I really do come from Snezhnaya and have had a stressful journey. All hell is breaking loose there..." the soldier said hurriedly.

"Pulcinella sent you, didn't he? What happened?" asked Childe in surprise, "Well, come in for some tea first, you look exhausted..."

He brought the Fatui to the kitchen and started to make him some tea. Stanislav meanwhile looked around curiously. When he handed him a cup, he nodded gratefully. Childe sat down with his compatriot.

"So. Now tell me what happened..." he said, smiling slightly.

"Thank you, sir. Well, it's not Pulcinella who sent me. It's an order from the very top," Stanislav began hesitantly, clearing his throat and muttering.... "Dottore."

Childes' eyes widened. He knew the other Harbinger only insofar as he was a big shot who conducted unscrupulous experiments. He had not yet received a direct order from him, and he formed the leadership of the Fatui with several other Harbingers, Pierro included, since they were the early members.

"He sent you? Something must have happened then, huh?" asked Childe in surprise.

"You could say that. I must first tell you of the new events in Inazuma," said the Fatui, sighing heavily. Childe remembered. After the job with Rex Lapis, the Harbingers had their eye on Inazuma. He himself was not involved in the planning, having gone back to Liyue, where he had been working contentedly for quite a while now, while he was getting more and more comfortable with his beloved Zhongli. He went about his daily work and had actually heard nothing more about the missions there. Even when Pulcinella had been here, he had received only minimal information, but since he had left, nothing at all. And that had been quite a while ago. But now, all of a sudden, a messenger from Snezhnaya was standing in front of his door to finally bring him up to date on the current state of affairs... which the top of the Harbingers had apparently not considered necessary so far... wow... the communication worked brilliantly again... Childe made a gesture for him to continue.