(Happy Halloween!)
Three hours had passed since the arrival of Rin and Arlecchino, and the House of the Hearth had settled into a quiet lull.
The children all gathered around Rin, who, much to Arlecchino's surprise, had taken to playing simple games with them, even indulging their innocent questions and laughter. Meanwhile, Arlecchino had retreated into the shadows, observing the scene before her with a cool, indifferent face, her eyebrows lowered a trifle at every faint noise or movement.
And then, without warning, the ground shook, and the sound of an explosion roared through the halls. The rattle of broken glass and smoldering wood was heard as walls once thought to be secure were now torn asunder by a blast of dark energy.
Rin sprang to his feet, instinctively shielding, his eyes scanning the room. Panic burst to life in the children's eyes as cries broke out, and smoke started to fill the hall.
Figures in red cloaks, the unmistakable members of the Abyss Order, slipped through the wreckage, sending wild spells scattering across the room and setting fires in their wake.
"Everyone, stay close!" Rin commanded the children firmly as his gaze hardened and he gripped his weapon. He plowed through the flames, taking down Abyss Mages with calm precision, his mind working at a mad pace to keep the children safe from their attackers.
The sheer chaos around him was suffocating, but he moved with silent efficiency, dodging fire, and killing the enemies.
Out of the haze came Arlecchino, her face black with anger and distrust as she surveyed the destruction. Her eyes finally landed on Rin amidst the destruction, and a look of realization passed her face, or so he thought.
The air between them grew cold and deadly.
"Harlequin," she spat, the word an accusation of poison, "what have you done to my House?"
"What? Arlecchino, you think I did this?" Rin tried to yell back over the noise, but her eyes were narrowed, distrustful in the glare of her eyes.
"You're a fool if you think I'd believe a word of yours now!" She sprang at him, blades drawn, her form swift and deadly.
Rin fell back, the urge to get the children safe contending with the necessity of protecting himself from the onslaught of her rising and falling blades.
There was no time to explain, no way to bridge the gulf of mistrust between them in the midst of all this.
In a final act of desperation, Rin lifted the revolver to his head and fired.
...
An overwhelming emptiness filled him, and then a blinding flash.
A heartbeat later, he was back, three hours earlier. The House of the Hearth was intact, the children's laughter echoing peacefully, and the shadows of the Abyss Order were gone.
YOU ARE READING
No Longer Human | Arlecchino
FanfictionA genshin impact story reincarnated into the world of Genshin but Ren doesn't realize the Issues before it was too late. "You said you were losing the sense of morality, but they were never there to begin with... Liar" -Romance? hell yeah -Harem? Fu...
