Chemical Prisoner

when you can't put it back together

{ TW: death, descriptive gore, vomiting }

At first, Albedo thinks it's Klee's work.

Who else would it be? Nearly half of Mondstadt is on fire. But Klee's been with him all day, so it would be foolish to even suspect her.

She's fascinated by it, naturally. He has to hold her back so she doesn't go and make the destruction worse.

"Mister Albedo, do you think somebody stole Klee's bombs an' did this?" she asks him, nothing but excitement in her voice. Her eyes are sparkling and his eyes are wide in horror.

"Klee, this isn't a good fire," he tells her, reaching for her hand. "Don't let go, okay? Whoever did this is a bad person."

"Oh, okay, okay! Klee understands!" She grips onto his hand and gives him a bright smile. "I'll protect you, Mister Albedo!"

He manages to return the smile, at least until they turn the corner. The first thing he sees is Lisa, her body torn apart by some mysterious power, almost literally ripped to shreds. His hands fly to cover Klee's innocent eyes, unable to take his own off the librarian's body.

Flame hisses and another building begins to catch fire next to him, the sound of something snapping inside. Only now can he see the bodies lining the streets- civilians, Knights, Vision users.

Who could have enough power to destroy a whole city?

Albedo scoops Klee into his arms and presses her head against his chest, urging her not to open her eyes as he breaks into a run. He'll just grab what he came here for. Just take it and leave, and maybe drag Sucrose out with him if she's still-

He almost steps on her body.

She hangs in the air, bound to one of her own creations, her clothes and skin soaked in blood. Her glasses lie crushed on the ground, her body is completely limp.

Albedo's stomach twists and he leans over, what little he's eaten today coming back up in a disgusting pile.

"Don't look, Klee, don't you dare open your eyes-" he groans, wishing he could close his eyes as well. Fire sizzles near him and he looks back up, barely getting out of the way before a chunk of the building falls on him.

He has to keep moving, doesn't he? Get the supplies, keep Klee safe, and don't stop running. The plan takes form in his mind and he gets back to his feet, clutching the red child even tighter. "Don't open your eyes," he tells her, jumping over more bodies. He just has to get up the stairs. Up the stairs, past the fountain, up more stairs, to the Knights' headquarters. He's sure someone's still in there. The culprit couldn't wipe out all of Mondstadt, not unless they were a god.

And speaking of gods..

What happened to theirs?

He knew in the depths of his mind that Barbatos had disappeared long ago. Before Klee was born, even. He wasn't coming back. There wasn't anyone coming to replace him. Mondstadt had been abandoned, and this was the price they paid.

He cursed the Archons, scrambling up the last set of stairs and sprinting towards the building. He would've gotten inside, too, if it weren't for Eula blocking the door.

A large spear impaled her chest, pinning her to the door. Arrows were buried in her stomach, in her thigh, another spear stuck through her arm. She was streaked with blood and barely conscious, her chest rising and falling so you could barely see it at all.

"Eula," Albedo whispered, right to her ear. "Eula, who is doing this?"

There wasn't any way to save her, he knew that. But if she told him who to look for.. he could fight back, even defeat them. He would kill a horde of Fatui soldiers if they threatened Klee, if they threatened anyone he cared about.

"Me, you idiot," a voice hissed behind him. His eyes went wide and he turned around, drawing his sword to the person. Klee went against her orders and opened her eyes, staring him in the face.

"You.." Sickness churned in hist stomach once again. Because he recognized this person. He'd seen him before, several hundred years ago..

"Absolutely correct, Albedo!" Barbatos clapped his hands in mock applause, then reached out to pick Klee from the alchemist's hold.

Albedo wouldn't let him. He pulled back, sword in hand, refusing to let go of Klee. "Throw your bombs at that bad guy," he hissed in her ear, throwing a quick jab to Barbatos' stomach.

"You can't fight me!" he laughed, drawing his bow. "I'll rip you to shreds, just like Sucrose." He pulls Anemo power into the arrow and pretends to aim at Albedo, then fires for Klee at the last second. Distracted by his own attacks, Albedo doesn't expect it. Not until he hears her scream.

The arrow goes through her eye and she drops her bomb, blowing it up at Albedo's feet. He flies into the air and almost drops her, scrambling back to his feet before Barbatos can fire another arrow.

"You vile.." There isn't time. Another arrow hits Klee in her stomach and she sobs, incoherent words tumbling from her mouth.

"Why don't you put her out of her misery?!" Barbatos yells, threatening to shoot again.

Albedo ignores him. He tugs the arrow out of Klee's eye and watches the blood spill from it, his hands shaking terribly. Another arrow hits her in the shoulder and she screams louder.

His hands shake worse than ever and he reaches for his blade, the other hand brushing Klee's hair from her face. "It'll stop hurting soon," he whispers to her. It'll be over for her, but he will carry the pain forever.

The blade goes into her neck, sharp and quick, and her screams die out. He stabs her like a machine until he's sure she's dead, until her head is severed and rolls away from him. Barbatos laughs behind him and he wants to give up more than anything else. He sets down his blade and closes his eyes, willing himself to die.

"Help me out here," the voice says in his ear again. Dragon claws grip onto his head and start twisting, Anemo power running through them to make the job easier. Albedo wishes it would happen faster, wishes he could've died before he even got to Mondstadt.

If he vowed to kill anyone who threatened Klee, he must take himself out.

Barbatos snaps his neck, dragon claws piercing his skin, and keeps laughing. He can see everything burning, can see Signora going mad as she slips behind the scenes and spreads her fire over the entire city. There's only one more place for him to go- the cathedral, to kill everyone evacuated by the sisters.