Smile Like A Broken Star[Canceled]

You'll Never Stop Me

[A/N: Wait, what!? Why are you here Childe and how the flipping poptarts did you get your Delusion!? Wait how the fuck are you moving!? Ah crap...]

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Everything burned.

It felt like lava in his very veins and even his own lungs were now his enemy. It had been two days almost and no longer could he make clear sense of anything. Nor could he find any escape in slumber. He was honestly terrified; was he really going to die this way? Not in a blaze of honor and glory but by that damn dirty trick that man had pulled!? What made the young severely ill former 11th harbinger furious was how weak it made. Worse it was hurting his beloved blonde traveler. The healer and that boy with the jackal-like headdress but blurs but some how by some miracle he was at least able to read their lips. 

"She hasn't returned from the ruins yet?"asked Aloy.

"No she has not and it is concerning."sighed Cyno.

Wait she hadn't come back!?

His partner and comrade, his precious beloved was not back!? He was not sure how but he could feel that instinctive fight or flight kick in and adrenaline coursed through his poison fever ridden body. The effort alone a struggle as his sight struggled to keep focus. His cerulean eyes, dull with suffering as he spotted his Delusion on the nightstand with his scarf. And without their noticed his hand reached out for that Delusion with trembling hands.

This was proving tricky.

This dendro hypostasis before her was not hard to confront but the way it attacked was annoying and a hinderance. Cuts and gashes from thorns and sharp leaves covered and marred her fair skin that was caked in blood, mud, and dust. "I gotta bring this damn thing down. I need a piece of its core!!"she thought.

"Here it comes again Lumine!"yelped Paimon.

From the deadly moss covered cube sprung another assault of dendro before their eyes. Swift as she could with a strong blast of her anemo she bolted forward. Swerving and weaving to get close to the odd entity. Using all the elements she could use currently to her advantage. But this stupid cube had one nasty habit all the hypostasis cubes in Teyvet had: regeneration. And it was beginning to become a pain the rear end as it began to shoot projectiles of dendro energy at her as she ran like an abyss herald was on her tail.

She had not expected a blast of electro to hit the exposed core out of nowhere though! But that had been a electro enhanced arrow and by the mark left behind...it made her pale. "Th-that's Ajax's riptide but h-how!?"she yelped. Paimon was just as confused as the shot had one shot it almost.

"H-Hey...Ojou-chan..."came a frail, wheezing voice from behind them. With worry and dread the girls turned around to discover some how before them was Ajax. He looked so deathly pale and was trembling from the sheer effort of just moving. But why was he here!? It was what they saw gleaming violet that caught their attention. Worry gave way to dread.

"Ajax you stupid exfatui!!"snapped Lumine in furry as she began to race over. "How the Sam hell did you get your vision back!?"

Ajax though to her surprise grabbed her and forced her down with shaking hands. "I'll a-apologize later...but stay still and duck girlie!"he hissed saving her from another assault of the cube before them. Making Lumine squeak as the ginger Snezhnayan saved her. Baizhu's warning ringing in her mind at seeing duel blades of electro manifest.

"Ajax NO!! Don't use your elemental powers!"Paimon and Lumine screamed.

But even in his horrible condition Ajax was still a danger to any foe he faced. Not as fast or hard hitting as he usually was but still that poor cube stood no chance. Ajax offered a smile as before he was hit with a pain so indescribable it it made him let out a blood curdling scream as he collapsed coughing up quite a bit of blood. "AJAX!!"Lumine and Paimon raced to his side but the fairy swiftly remembered and grabbed the shard from the dendro cube's core. Lumine's honey amber eyes wide in worry at seeing the vine like rash had spread with a frightening pace she could see it moving like slithering serpents. He wasn't even aware anymore as she held him in her arms. His eyes in a delirious bleary daze as his breathing were uneven, rapid, and shallower by the minute. 

"Paimon we gotta hurry and get him to Cyno!"Lumine snapped some how managing to hoist him up with her petite frame, his arm over her shoulders.

"Leave it to Paimon, lets hurry~!"agreed the fairy. Swiftly in a golden light they vanished to appear just outside the school just as Cyno and Aloy had arrived from their search for Ajax.

"What in the name of Lesser Lord Kusanali!?"yelped Cyno seeing the state Ajax was in. This was not good cause if he was right the fool had used his hydro energy. 

"What the heck happened Lumine? How did he get his Delusion back!?"Aloy asked as they all hurried Ajax back to Cyno's study.

"I don't know I was pretty sure I told Paimon to put it in my inventory before we left."All eyes turned to the fairy. The small silver haired celestial girl laughing nervously.

"Paimon you didn't!?"gawked Aloy.

"P-Paimon's sorry! Paimon forgot to put it back in your storage and left it by Ajax's bedside...Paimon didn't think he'd actually take it ok!!"whimpered Paimon in guilt.

"It matters not. Did you acquire what I asked?"Cyno hissed as they hurried inside and set Ajax down onto the bed. Not far away Shanika was busy making the antidote.

"Oh good you found our troublemaking subject."huffed Shanika. 

"Yes but we have only an hour now thanks to his stunt having rapidly sped up the poison."Cyno informed.

"A-An hour!?"Lumine felt faint hearing this.

"Did you get the last of the materials I need?"asked the healer.

"Y-Yes right here, please hurry!"Lumine hurried to hand the purified snake venom and the dendro cube's core shard. Shanika took them and raced to hurry and get this done. However there was a commotion outside that got all their attentions. The Fatui had found them and that spelled trouble cause it meant...they knew Ajax was here.

"Travelers you must not let them into this room!"growled Cyno as he hurried to speed up the process for making the antidote.

"Right!"

Aloy and Lumine hurried out with bow and sword in hand racing outside to the front of the hall doors. Sure enough what greeted them was a mob of Fatui agents. Fury boiled in Lumine's blood. "They will not touch Ajax!"she thought. She just prayed they could buy enough time and Ajax's reckless mistake hadn't cost him.

To Be Continued...

[A/N: Place your bets here. Will the Fatui reach Childe and interfere with his treatment or will time be bought long enough to save him?]