The Tragedies of Life {A Genshin Impact OC Story}

Chapter 24: Make a Pinkie Promise, Keep it All Your Life...

When Kinoko saw the person in front of her, all her muscles tensed. The voice, the hair, everything matched her flashed vision of the harbinger who had been looking for her months ago: Tartaglia. They both stared at each other for a moment.

Childe had a devilish grin on his face, but something in his eyes told her it was a facade. She never remembered the details of him that much, but once she saw those eyes, she wondered how she forgot. He used to be my friend. She thought to herself. "Tartaglia..." She took a step forward, keeping her power at bay to the best of her ability.

"Save it, Ari." The name struck something within Kinoko.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Hey, Ari!"

I turn around to see Tartaglia strolling down the docks at me. I immediately straightened up. I held my breath. I could already feel cold shivers running down my spine. Don't show fear. Harbingers can sense them. "T-Tartaglia.." I stammer, wondering what I should do.

In a second, I am met with piercing blue eyes looking right down at me. He tilted his head, a friendly grin spreading across his face. "Ah, no need for that. Call me Childe."

"And you just called me Ari." I mumble in response.

"Yeah. The nickname suits you." He replied.

Ari. I had a nickname.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kinoko felt a slight warmth in her chest, one that she felt back then in that memory. She took a step forward, her face twisting with sadness. "T-Childe, you don't have to do this. We were-"

"We were going to be family. And families don't break promises." Childe cut her off, his pained smile wiped straight off his face. "'Make a pinkie promise, keep it all your life. Break a pinkie promise, I throw you on the ice. The cold will kill the pinkie that once betrayed your friend, the frost will freeze your friend so you never lie again.' You broke your promise." He had a stone-cold look on his face now, one erased of any emotion.

Kinoko gulped. "And what...did I promise?" She didn't know how to explain that she forgot her memories. She didn't know what to say to a harbinger accusing her of breaking a promise to him. Her throat felt like it was closing up.

He took a step forward, his eyes shimmering in some sort of way that she couldn't tell what it meant. "You promised me that once you were free from La Signora, you would go to Snezhnaya with me and be a part of my family. Where you could be safe." He took out a bow and arrow, hydro swimming around it. "But you broke that, and now look at the mess you're in." He took a deep breath, a dangerous grin masking his face once again. "I'm always up for a fight though."

"You don't have to do this." She pleaded. "I'm here now. Isn't that what matters, and-" She was about to explain what happened that day, but he cut her off.

"Of course, I won't kill you. But if you fight all of us and win, I'll let you go. If not, you're coming back to Snezhnaya with me and you'll be put in The Doctor's lab." His tone gave a hint of a challenge, one that was impossible to beat.

She sighed. Soon, people would be there with her to help. But even so, she was given a deal that was impossible to beat, and they both knew that. She wouldn't go without a fight though. Electricity sparked in her hands. "Fine, you won't hear me out." Her eyes glinted with light. "So let's fight, harbinger."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

50 were down. Only 50 to go, plus the 11th Fatui Harbinger. The army came in waves, and Kinoko was fighting about 10 at a time. Tartaglia waited at the back, watching everything with amusement. Her entire body ached with exhaustion and pain, but she kept fighting. She was pretty sure she broke her wrist at some point, considering pain shot up her arm every time she swung her scythe.