Unleashed || Childe x Reader

prologue.

It was hard to determine where the rest of her mother was. Her body had been torn apart by what seemed to be a long, sharp blade. Young (Y/N) knelt by the side of her mother, who was drowning in a pool of thick, red goo. She could almost taste the metal scent in the air as she stared at her mother's lifeless face. It stretched out to meet her knee, a cold liquid against her skin. She shivered, unsure how to respond to the scene in front of her.

What happened? It was evident that someone had murdered her. But why? Her mother promised that she would always be there to protect her. As a child, (Y/N) was foolishly hoping that her mother would wake. Perhaps she was simply so tired that she fell back and slept, even if sleeping in the forest was unusual. She couldn't possibly break her vow, right? To lie is a bad thing.

She had followed the blood trail, a long mark colouring the formerly green grass. It wasn't the best way to start the day with the sight of her mother's bloody corpse being dragged away from shelter.

(Y/N) reached out to touch her mother's face. It was sickly pale, like she was touching a ghost. Her skin felt cold to touch, her warm fingers retracting at the sight.

The eight year old girl started crying, repeatedly beckoning her mother, but to no avail; she was dead, slaughtered and thrown away like a worthless doll.

"You promised!" She whined, shaking her mother's shoulders. "You promised you wouldn't leave. Please don't leave me!"

Tears mixed with blood, as her warm fingers bathed in the red liquid. Through her whining, she didn't notice the figure standing in the trees before her, watching her. She didn't realise that the figure was slowly inching closer towards her.

"Young child," a deep voice boomed. She looked up, eyes red and cheeks wet.

An ethereal creature, in the forms of a man. Powerful. She could feel the immense power radiating off this being, both unsettling and somewhat comforting. Long, golden horns came out of his head, his hair dark brown. It flowed down to his waist, as he knelt down and extended a hand. He wiped her tears, smiling gently at the crying girl. His eyes reminded her of gold, bright gold. It almost scared her to look into them.

(Y/N), who was told to avoid strangers and fight if she felt harmed, leaned into his touch. He felt comforting. He felt like a father. She wanted to trust him.

So she did. When he cheered her up, he introduced himself as Morax. And when he offered her a place with him, she accepted, her small hand overlapped with his long fingers as he took her away from her deceased mother, and a past that would continue to haunt her for the rest of her life.

(Y/N)'s eyes opened. Her eyes adjusted to focus on the ceiling, the right half of her face illuminated by the rays of light streaming through the window. Her mind remained blank, before she sat up. The blanket was soft in her fingers as she pushed it off her legs, gazing towards the entrance to her room.

She had another nightmare. To remember what her life was before Morax saved her and gave her the role of an Adeptus was something she thought she would one day learn to forget. Her past before she received a purpose still haunted her to this day.

Her eyes flit to the Cryo vision sitting on the side table. It glowed, depicting just how fast her heart was beating. (Y/N) had been blessed with a Cryo vision a decade after Morax took her in. She had finally found the God that had killed her mother. Vengeance had consumed her. She remembered the blood that bathed her hands. It was a mix of hers, and the dead body at her feet. The Cryo vision was the reason she survived that awful fight. Morax had found her almost half butchered, and the Hydro Adeptus had done her best to heal the young girl up. She didn't understand why she received the vision, gazing at it as if it was a mystery she didn't want to unfurl. Among the Yaksha, there were no Adeptus that wielded the power of ice, so she was left alone to learn how to use it. Though it took practise, cryo became a significant part of her life.

She leaned over and picked the vision up, her index finger tracing the edge of the object. When she heard the door being pushed open, (Y/N) lifted her gaze as she heard her cat, Mimi, enter her bedroom, tail straight and pointed upwards. She always left the door slightly open, knowing that the feline would greet her in the morning. The ginger cat pounced onto her bed, purring. She smiled softly, petting the cat's back. 

"Good morning," she greeted her cat, who in response released a cheerful meow. (Y/N) found Mimi a few years ago. She was scavenging for leftovers in one of the bins. While the cat was aggressive and quite wary at first, she kept returning to feed the cat with the intention to tame it. After continuously returning, the cat warmed up to her. That's when she was given the name Mimi, and the cat tenderly followed her back home.

Her (Y/E/C) eyes slowly glided to the room door. She kicked the blanket off her feet, and stood up. The floorboard, made out of smooth pinewood, felt cold to her skin. She remembered, when this house was being built, the wood being exported from Dragonspine; a chilly, snowy terrain she would one day love to explore. One day, when she got the opportunity.

(Y/N) also wanted to visit the other nations. Merely thinking about Mondstadt, or Inazuma sent a flush of excitement up her body. But of course, that adrenaline would quickly be squashed when she was reminded that if she didn't hurry, she would be late.

Though being an Adeptus was a respectful role, she spent her life, instead of assisting the Archon, assisting the people of Liyue. Now, foreigners traveling from afar might presume she helps with missions involving undefeatable monsters, Lawachurls that citizens can't dispose of. Maybe it contains treacherous journeys, from Liyue to the deepest cave in the Chasm, exporting a fragile, yet significant product that if broken, the world would end.

(Y/N) could only wish she was taken a bit more seriously. Helping a mother by entertaining her kids was not something she should be doing. Neither is helping find a lost cat that always ends up in the same area: up a tree.

Mimi followed her, eager for breakfast. The cat purred, rubbing herself against her owner's leg. She looked down and smiled. Poor thing. She must be hungry.

Preparing both herself and Mimi some breakfast, she sat down at her table, wondering what the day would bring.

Though it couldn't be too different to the trivial requests she received every day.

But maybe, something would happen. Good or bad, something exciting.

Who knew the feeling of excitement would come in the forms of one unexpected person.