| [By now, the Qixing have surely reclaimed the Golden House — but oddly enough, they still haven't done anything with it. Normal activities have yet to resume, perhaps because they can't continue to produce coins without the power of the Geo Archon. The mint stands empty and abandoned, its golden riches untouched; as such, it's the perfect place for Aether and Childe to rendezvous for their weekly rematches, given that no one notices the sheer amount of destruction going on inside its depths.
(After hearing that Aether was going to meet Childe at the Golden House, Paimon had sighed and rolled her eyes, flitting off towards the nearest rooftop. "Oh, you two are going to do some kind of weird mountain man training in there, aren't you?" she'd asked. "Paimon doesn't really like dodging explosions, so Paimon will just stay in Liyue and ask people about a route to Inazuma. Think of it as re... recon... reconnaiss.. research! Come back and find Paimon later!")
In any case, by the time the dust settles and Childe's Foul Legacy Transformation has melted away, the Harbinger is lying on his side and Aether is still standing. Shaken, of course, and not without injuries of his own, but he's still standing.
Breathing heavily, the traveler walks over to Childe as he lies on the floor, using his foot to push Childe a little roughly onto his back. Still standing over the Harbinger — nothing like haughtiness or smug satisfaction on his face, just an infinite, calculated calm — Aether then plants his heel into Childe's chest, gold eyes burning as he holds the tip of his sword against Childe's neck.]
...You've gotten faster. [The remark is half-whispered as Aether struggles to catch his breath.] But I've gotten stronger.
[His eyes lid just slightly as he looks coldly down at Childe.]
How does it feel? |
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