A Life of Retired Archon

Requiem

An fine figure, tall and a bit muscular man sat alone. Right before him there was a chessboard along with the pieces in a good formation, as if he was in the battle with unseen person. On his side, there were a lot of pieces lying down outside the board.

"The sages think themselves to be all-knowing. But we alone are wise to the virtue in those acts of folly."

After he said that, the white knight turned to a black pawn in his pave and hit it till it fell. He sighed.

"In this war, not even a single pawn may be spared," he said as he reached out his hand. A pyro crystalfly flew to his hand, then he carefully led it to the fallen pawn and murmured. 

"Because on this chessboard, "checkmate" is not where the game ends."

He looked again at the chessboard for a while, then turned his gaze to the sand clock not far from his table. He closed his eye and stood, then left his room.

Ajax sighed while fixing his coat and red scarf around his neck. His eyes laid on the magnificent castle made of ice before him. The Fatuus stayed outside and bowed when their gaze fell on the orange hair with red mask on his head.

"Mr. Childe."

"Yeah yeah, whatever. Is everyone already here?" he asked. One of them nodded. Childe sighed for the second and walked inside. He groaned.

"What's wrong with me? My stomach feels heavy, did I gain weight?"

He sneakily sat behind a lady with white short hair and scanned the entire palace carefully. Most of them standing, except for a lady singing near her coffin. A short man with a pair of long ears and long nose stepped in.

"We are gathered here today to remember our dear comrade. In honor of her sacrifice, all work should halt for half a day as the nation mourns her passing," he said calmly and full of dignity. Yet a man with long, black wavy hair laughed mockingly.

"Heh, merely half a day? People say the Northland Bank's true currencies are blood and tears, but Mayor, even speaking as a banker, that sounds a little unconscionable," he said with a faint smile on his face. Childe only listened, yet his gaze fell on a woman with short white and black hair. Her eyes filled with rage, although he couldn't verify whether it was real of fake.

"Rosalyne died in a foreign land, but you heartless businessmen and dignitaries always with a convenient excuse to remain in the comfort of your homeland you couldn't hope to understand, so why don't you keep your mouths shut!?" she glanced with her black eyes with red cross pupils to them and sighed. "We don't want to make children cry."

"Hey, c'mon now, even I don't think this is the right time or place for a fight," Childe said, disgusted with the atmosphere and the play they were playing. He wished he could leave that place immediately and jumped into the ex archon's arms. 

Wait, did he wish for that? That was unexpected for himself. His daydreaming was ended by a soft chuckled from a woman on her giant automaton's hand. Her fragile yet sweet figure didn't suit for a creepy place.

"Utterly risible," she said. A tall man next to her, who kept silent in the useless fight, raised his voice. 

"Though her methods tarnished her honor, Lohefalter's sacrifice is a great pity. Her loss shall not hinder our progress," he said. He lifted his head to a man leaning on the wall with a weird blue light mixture in a small tube on his hand, "but Dottore, what of Scaramouche and the gnosis from Inazuma?"

The man shook the tube carefully and smiled, almost looked like a smirk.

"Conventional wisdom holds that Divine Knowledge cannot be rationally comprehended," he said. "After conquering the Divine Gaze, he will make his next move."

A loud steps in that eerie quiet place stopped their discussion with a calm yet strong "voice from the old man with half mask, enough to shut them all. 

"It's time to end tonight's foolish theatrics. Right now, you have no captive audience," he said as he walked closer to Signora's coffin, his icy blue eye shone under the moonlight. He stood right before the coffin, along with the others on the left and right sides of the silver coffin.

"Let every worthy sacrifice be carved in ice, and with this nation endure for all time," he said. All of them gave a salute to the coffin for the last time. Pierro continued his speech.

"In the name of Her Majesty, the Tsaritsa, we will seize authority from the gods." One by one they left the palace, only Pierro remained. He caressed the coffin and walked away, then lifted his gaze to see the star filled the night sky. He turned his head to see the palace slowly covered by thin ice and ice shards grew from beneath the thick snow.

"Absolute peace. Such a gift from the Tsaritsa, such is Her Majesty's benevolence. Now you rest in the coffin, encased in layer upon layer of ice," he said softly. His cold gaze suddenly turned into flame of vengeance.

"But Rosalyne, I promise you, your final resting place will be the entirety of the "Old World"", he whispered. He stared to the weak pyro crystalfly flew inside the palace, laid its legs on it and turned into dust. "Rest in peace, Rosalyne."

Childe felt his body couldn't stand anymore under the cold of Snezhnaya, so he carefully snuck out before anyone noticed, yet a person realized it.

"Where are you going, Childe?"

"Ah, fuck," he cussed as he turned to Dottore with sour face. "I need to go now. My body needs rest after a fight with the traveler."

"Hm, is that so? You didn't hide anything, right?" he teased. Childe's face turned gloom.

"Are you picking a fight with me?"

"Silence, you foolish young man. If you wish to die, just come to me and I'll slit that throat," Capitano ended the war quickly. Before Childe could utter any words, Pierro stepped in and patted Childe's shoulder.

"Don't try something funny in this situation. Go home and rest," he whispered. Childe stayed silent for a while before nodded and walked away without any fuss. He walked carefully and stopped when someone he loved standing before him, he could see he was worried enough to come and fetch him.

"Childe?"