From One Glance | childe x reader |

prologue

As the days pass, the weight of your new identity begins to press heavily upon you like a stone upon your chest. The allure of easy money, irresistible, now feels like a chain binding you to a life you never wanted. Yet, the alternative seems even scarier—Going back to being unknown, barely getting by while life moves forward without you.

Every morning, you wake up unsure, haunted by the crimson-haired man's voice in your head. You feel like you're balancing between survival and doing what's right, which is getting harder each day. The choice, it seems, is not yours to make; it was made the moment you took that first step into darkness.

Frustration simmers beneath your skin, bubbling to the surface with every furrow of your brow and downturn of your lips. The questions swirl endlessly in your mind, a storm of doubt and regret threatening to consume you whole.

Standing before the mirror, you stare into the eyes of a stranger—your own reflection you seem to not recognize . A knock shatters your fragile thoughts, pulling you back to reality with a jolt."It's me, open up," his voice cuts through the silence like a knife, cold and unforgiving. You oblige, though reluctance hangs heavy in the air as you swing the door wide.

Before you stand a figure cloaked in shadows, a young man with eyes like molten gold and a face devoid of emotion. Xiao—silent, deadly, and undeniably intriguing.

"Bring me the medical kit, I'm hurt," he demands, his words a sharp reminder of the world you've been drawn into. His wounds were multiple slashes on his arm, like the claws of a monster, rifthounds. You comply, though not without a pang of unease at the sight of his injuries—evidence of a life lived on the edge of oblivion.

"Why were you fighting rifthounds in the middle of the night?" you asked, concern lacing your words as you glance at the darkened sky, aware of the dangers lurking in the shadows. Xiao's gaze remains cold yet strangely gentle as he meets your eyes. "Does it matter? I'm here now," he responds with a casual shrug, his selflessness sparking a flicker of irritation within you, a trait that has defined him since the day you met. No wonder he's earned the name 'shadow' in our guild.

As you attend to his wounds, a conversation blossoms between you, the weight of secrecy hanging heavy in the air like a shroud. "Was the request to kill a prince true?" Xiao's sudden question catches you off guard, prompting a small sigh to escape your lips as you carefully consider your response. "It seems so. I find myself unable to refuse such tempting offers," you confess with a wry chuckle, recalling the overwhelming allure of the wealth that binds you to this dangerous path.

"Be a guard," Xiao suggests, his words a whisper of temptation in the quiet of the room. You hesitate, torn between duty and desire, between the safety of conformity and the allure of rebellion. "Why?" you question with a furrowed brow, the reality of your gender imposing limitations on your choices.

"I killed the guard myself, and if you have a difficulty playing pretend then," He paused, then continued with a smirk tugging at Xiao's lips as he rose from the bed, a solution evident in his eyes. "Oh, I can help with that," he offered, retrieving a pair of scissors from his wardrobe and placing them in your hand. His pat on your head, though intended as reassurance, did little to ease your apprehension.

Yet, as you stood before the mirror, snipping away at your hair until it hung just above your collarbone, a sense of empowerment washed over you, mingled with a twinge of guilt for the sacrifice made. The steel of the scissors glinted in the dim light, each cut a symbol of your determination to blend into the shadows, even at the cost of your own identity. 

With each strand that falls to the floor, you shed not only your femininity but also the constraints of society, embracing the disguise that will allow you to navigate this horrible world. And as you take a deep breath, steeling yourself for the challenges ahead, you can't help but hope that your hair will indeed grow back, a silent promise of reclaiming what was lost.

As you stand before the mirror once more, shedding the trappings of femininity for the armor of deception, you can't help but wonder—will this act be your salvation or merely another step towards damnation?

You emerge from the bathroom, your newly styled haircut adding a layer of confidence to your demeanor as you nervously stand before Xiao. His response is a weary sigh, tinged with a hint of begrudging admiration.

"You did well," he concedes, his praise laced with uncertainty. Despite the tentative nature of his compliment, a grateful grin tugs at the corners of your lips.

"Go out and test it first," he advises, his tone tinged with caution. You nod in agreement, fully aware of the importance of maintaining your disguise in the dangerous game you've been thrust into.

Wrapped in a black hood to shield parts of your identity, your unruly hair hinted at neglect, a testament to a life lived in the shadows. Passing by boutiques and jewellers, you couldn't help but admire the trinkets and fineries on display, fleeting desires that seemed beyond your reach. Dreams, after all, often remained just that—unattainable fantasies.

Navigating through the bustling market, you turned down a hidden alleyway, where an unassuming bar awaited—a hub of clandestine chatter and whispered secrets. Here, amidst the murmurs of patrons, tales of the castle and village skirmishes mingled with the clink of glasses and the low hum of conversation.

Taking a seat at the bar, you were addressed as "sir" by the bartender—a subtle validation of your current guise. With a smirk, you revealed your true identity, the bartender's surprise visible as he struggled to piece together the puzzle before him.

"I'm her, just wearing a different mask for a while," you explained, a playful wink punctuating your words as you enjoined him to keep your secret close.

Determined to gain valuable intel, you arranged a secret meeting with the bar's informants, your mischievous grin and small sly smiles hiding the darkness of your intentions. Despite the bartender's caution, you remained resolute in your pursuit of knowledge, ordering your usual drink with an air of quiet determination.

In that moment, as you toasted to the promise of a brighter future, optimism coursed through your veins. But beneath the facade of confidence, a nagging sense of unease lingered—an ominous foreshadowing of the trials yet to come.

—and with each passing moment, the line between right and wrong blurs ever further, until all that remains is the cold, hard truth—you are a pawn in a game of power and betrayal, and the stakes have never been higher.