Cursed (Childe x fem! Reader)

Unveiling

           A/N: Omg thx for over 100 reads! This chapter contains a lot of blood and violence and other stuff, so skip if you're uncomfortable and also spoilers for Childe's backstory kinda.

You braced for the worst, but after a few seconds, realized it would never come. You lowered your arms and saw that your curse had activated on its own, forming a shield around us. Shit, you thought. There's no getting you out of this situation, so you might as well just deal with the ruin hunter now. You manipulated the curse, spearing the machine through its 'eye'. It fell to pieces at my feet.

         "What the fuck was that?!" Lumine yelled, brandishing her sword. Childe stood in front of her, a shocked but also excited expression dancing on his face. "What are you! Some creature from the abyss come to finish me off!" She yelled again, rushing towards you and pressing the tip of her sword to your chest. It stung a little, both metaphorically and physically.

         "Oh my archons, can you just listen for a second," You told her, exasperation seeping into your voice. You pushed her sword away, feeling the small hole in your chest heal. "I'm not a monster, I'm just... cursed,"

          "Cursed?" They echoed. Lumine crossed her arms, a look of distrust still painting her face. "Like how?"

   "It's complicated, but I'm not from this world," You answered, sighing. "Back home, everyone was granted 'gifts,' and with those gifts came a terrible system, measuring worth based on destructive power. With my power to heal instead of harm, I was deemed worthless,"

           You recalled your childhood and told them the story of your past.

          ~flashback~

A small girl snuck down a dark path, carrying a puzzling array of items in her arms. She kicked the door open and then shut it softly, careful not to wake anyone. She gently sorted through the items needed for the procedure.

"Chalk, candles, matches, and a knife. Oh, and bandages," she recited, drawing a few symbols on the hardwood and placing the candles on the edges. She lit the candles, the flames a roaring white once all candles were lit. She sat in the middle of the largest sigil, pressing the knife to her wrists. Her hands shook as the knife dug deeper into her skin, dripping blood onto the chalk lines. The symbols glowed with an unholy light, and the smoke pooled, forming a shadowy creature.

"Child, why have you summoned me?," the shadow rumbled, crouching down to be face-to-face with her. "Your wrists. They've healed,"

She nodded, her mouth agape looking at the shadow, its glowing eyes shining in the candlelight.

"Why is that?" The shadow questioned softly, inspecting her newly healed arms. She swallowed, trying to make her mouth less dry.

"Um... My powers... I can heal myself, and uh, other people too," she told it, nervously running her hands across the scars, but soon, those went away too.

          "A strong gift. So, why do you need my powers?" It further questioned, still crouched in front of her. Its form shifted in the flickers of the candlelight. It tilted its head like a sort of dog. "You are aware of the price, correct?"

           "Mhm, I know, but if I want to prove my father wrong and become the best warrior I can, this is what I have to do," she said, a determined look spreading across her face.

           "If you wish, child," it sighed, beginning the ritual for a shadow bond. The flames from the candles sputtered out and the embers lit up the symbol below her. The smoke enveloped the little girl, re-opening the knife scars on her wrists. They spread as the smoke wormed its way under her skin. She bit her lip as her eyes watered, not wanting to wake anyone with noise of her screams.