𝙂𝙤𝙡𝙙𝙚𝙣 𝙀𝙮𝙚𝙨 [ 𝘼𝙐 𝙕𝙝𝙤𝙣𝙜𝙘𝙝𝙞 ]

9: Sun

Zhongli tried to go after Childe, but the two present stopped him. The brunette turned to look at them, debating whether to ignore them or listen to them.

"Don't bother," Kaeya's teasing tone had completely disappeared, he seemed like someone totally different. "He always sneaks away."

Zhongli analyzed his words, had this already happened before? His confused expression did not go unnoticed for the other two.

"I guess he didn't tell you anything," Aether said, looking at Kaeya, they both nodded. "We will explain it to you."

Zhongli closed his eyes, remembering the moment when Childe fell to the ground, how his tears soaked the pavement, when he clung to him as if his life depended on it. If this situation was not new, he would trust the criteria of the two young men, who had known the redhead for much longer.

"Please."

They walked until they reached the beach, where there were no people who could hear them. The journey was short and silent, Zhongli kept wondering if he should have run after the redhead, just as his heart told him. However he clung to his rational sense, he must first know the terrain before entering it. They stopped walking, Kaeya turned to look at the sea.

"I guess you've already noticed that he's in quite a bit of trouble," the blue-haired man began, crossing his arms without taking his eyes off the waves. "Not only health, but also economic and sentimental."

"Yes, I have been able to realize that, yet he has never wanted to tell me anything."

The blonde sighed.

"Don't be surprised." Aether looked at Zhongli, with a weary expression. "To give you a summary, his mother is ill. The biggest problem is that it is not a very well known disease, and the few medicines that are available are very expensive."

"I understand..."

"His past is pretty rough too from what I know," Kaeya said." We don't really know much about him, we met him when his mother was already ill, although at that time he was not as serious as he is now."

"What was he like before?"

Kaeya sighed, smiling bitterly. "He told me that he always got into fights, and that in one there was a victim. He didn't want to go into details, but his relationship with his father and older sibling has worsened since that incident."

They fell silent. Zhongli couldn't imagine Childe being unruly and fighting to the point that someone could get... killed. He closed his eyes,he knew nothing of Childe. He couldn't understand it in that state. A feeling of helplessness ran through his body.

"He changed his work schedule," Aether said, remembering the words of Scaramouche. "Maybe something happened."

"On the day of the Lantern Rite, I called him," Zhongli began, catching the attention of the other two. "He was drunk. He apologized to me crying for having forgotten our meeting, and he did not want to tell me details. When he came to work he had his left hand bandaged"

"There's only one person who can cause him that reaction," Kaeya sighed, referring to the redhead's parent.

"What are we supposed to do?" Aether asked, not waiting for a specific answer. "This time... it was different. There must have been something more serious than a fight with his father."

"Childe hides many mysteries," Zhongli whispered.

"That's not even his real name," Kaeya said. Zhongli looked up at him, raising an eyebrow, his expression was between surprise and confusion.