The World Looks Glorious in the Snow

Chapter 1: "can't be understood"

"You can hit me if you want."

Lumine blinked. Did she hear him right? Did he just give her permission to...hit him?

"Come on. I know you want to. Gimme all you've got."

The way he spoke to her made her want to decline just to spite him, but the thought of smashing his face in was just so tempting...

"Alright, how about I give you some time to mull it over? Find me tomorrow at noon. I'll be waiting for you in the place where it all went to hell."

The Golden House.

"O...okay. I'll consider it," decided Lumine.

"Cool. See ya there!" His hand waved casually through the air as he turned on his heels with an innocent grin on his face.

Lumine challenged him to a match the next day.

When anemo magic burst from her hand and she heard no groans in response, she knew he had evaded her once again. A sudden hydro swipe from behind caught her off-guard and sent her tumbling on the ground. He was too swift, too experienced, and Lumine was determined to defeat him once again. She rose to her feet and charged, sword in hand. Metal struck water and swooped around, swiped, dodged, swiped again, then a burst of anemo and this time Childe staggered backward. "Oh, now you make things interesting?" he mocked as his blades disintegrated and were quickly replaced with a bow. "Would you hold still for just a moment?" he requested as he took aim.

"As if." Lumine dashed around him, narrowly avoiding his arrows until she ran out of breath. She planned to charge towards him while he was still in a ranged stance and his defenses were lowered, but just as the flurry of anemo in her palm was about to reach its prime, a burst of water struck her hard in the chest, marking her with Riptide. Shoot! How could I let this happen? Suddenly he was behind her with his blades again which exploded into dazzling ribbons of water as soon as they made contact with her skin, effectively blinding her. She had difficulty defending against his attacks when he used both hands against her single sword. Then his foot swung through the air and slammed into her temple, and she was on the ground, panting, battered and bruised.

"Ha. Didn't even have to use electro this time. I admit I'm a little disappointed."

"You...what's that supposed to mean?"

"You're not giving it your all, are you? You're holding back. What, are you afraid you might damage my handsome face?"

"You wish." Lumine sprung to her feet and swiped at him once again. He dodged with ease. Then Lumine made the grave mistake of glancing at his face—his arrogant smirk—and rage instantly consumed her. "Ugh, come here, you little jerk!"

Suddenly she was slashing like mad, desperate to get just one hit before the battle was over, but Childe only used her recklessness to his advantage. Soon he had her pinned to the ground, a vicious blade hovering over her neck. "Now who's the one throwing a temper tantrum?" he quipped. Lumine kneed him in the crotch.

Childe barked, tumbled backward, and collapsed, his expression taut with pain. "Ha! Serves you right," teased Lumine.

"Okay, but I pinned you first," insisted Childe.

"Don't bicker with me like you're my brother or something. Archons, you're such a...child." Between the sudden pang in her chest at the word brother and the awkward pun that became of the word child, Lumine wilted at the sound of her own words.

"We're all children at heart," replied the Harbinger.

"So, do I win?" Sensing his lack of hostility, Lumine put away her weapon...with a cost. Before she could react, she found herself on the floor once again with Childe staring down at her.