At first glance, Childe comes off like an easygoing, funny guy.
But when it comes down to it, he's the executive of the Fatui Harbingers.
You don't get to be an executive among a bunch of maniacs unless you've got a ruthless streak.
Sure, most of them turned out the way they did because of the pain in their pasts.
But evil is still evil. It's ugly, no matter where it came from.
Because of what he went through as a kid, Childe became obsessed with strength—turned into a full-on battle junkie.
His loyalty belongs to the Tsaritsa, and his only soft spot is for his younger siblings.
Everything else? Cold-blooded, merciless, and zero hesitation.
Even though unleashing the Vortex Demon God Osial was technically part of Zhongli's plan, the fact that Childe could go through with something that risky just shows he didn't care about the lives of thousands in Liyue Harbor.
Plus, the Fatui advance team that went into the Chasm ended up getting wrecked—mostly because Childe didn't bother to care.
So, seriously, how could someone like Rui Shen, with his solid moral compass, ever like a guy like that?
Childe noticed Rui Shen seemed a little cold toward him and couldn't help feeling kinda awkward.
Since Rui Shen didn't seem interested in chatting, and Childe didn't want to stand around looking dumb, he just straight-up spent tens of thousands of Mora to jump the line and grab a gaming station.
After all, this whole otherworldly internet café was worth investigating.
He was in Liyue on a serious mission—one of the biggest ones yet: get the Geo Archon's Gnosis.
An almost impossible task. So this sudden new café popping out of nowhere? Definitely something he had to check out.
"Silent Hill, rising from the depths… one's a horror game, the other's a psychological mind-bender… hmm, which should I go with first…"
Childe rubbed his chin, thought for a second, and picked Silent Hill.
He's all about challenges, and he prides himself on being fearless. He's got guts for days—like, who else thinks it's a good idea to try assassinating the Geo Archon at an official ceremony?
…Okay, maybe not guts. Maybe just slightly unhinged?
He threw on the VR blindfold and jumped into Silent Hill: PT.
Now, Childe is brave. Definitely braver than, say, Hu Tao.
But without any way to fight back? That bravery starts bleeding out real quick.
By the time he reached the fourth cycle and saw the creepy face peeking from under the bathroom door, Childe was already feeling uneasy heading into the fifth.
The fifth cycle's hallway was still brightly lit, clock stuck at 23:59.
But something was off. Childe could hear a weird, low moaning sound.
Frowning, he crept down the hall toward the noise.
When he turned the corner, his eyes widened, and it felt like someone dumped a whole bucket of ice down his back.
Right there, under the chandelier at the end of the hallway, was a tall figure.
It was half-hidden in shadow, face obscured, groaning low and strange.
Childe's heart nearly leapt out of his chest. Even the onlookers in the café were holding their breath.
The ghost had arrived.
Not one of those cheap jumpscares, either. This one just stood there, bold as day, radiating fear like a freakin' aura.
Even Childe—who laughs in the face of danger—felt his legs freeze up.
He stared, unsure what to do next.
The crowd watching started whispering:
"Back up, back up! Quick!"
"If the ghost's blocking the way, that means you missed something. Go back before you piss it off."
"Yeah, check earlier parts of the cycle. You probably skipped a trigger."
"Exactly, ghosts don't just show up like that unless you mess up."
Childe was like, "…alright, that actually makes sense."
Ghost lore in Liyue clearly runs deeper than in Snezhnaya, that's for sure.
So he tried backing up toward the first corridor to retrace his steps.
And just then, the ghost moved.
"…Wait, did it… just move?"
He took another step back—no doubt this time. The thing was moving.
And it was coming for him.
"No way ∑(￣□￣;)!!"
Childe freaked out. Maybe he was retreating wrong?
Yeah! He was probably still looking at the ghost while backing up. That had to be it!
So he turned around, thinking he was smart… and instantly triggered the ghost.
The figure screamed and lunged straight at him.
Suddenly, his whole screen filled with a grotesque face: a woman, right eye hollow, blood all over her face, expression twisted beyond recognition.
And then—black screen.
Game over.
Childe had officially become the first unlucky dude to get strangled to death by Lisa, the ghost woman.
He sat there, staring at the black screen, face twitching.
Guts? Bear-heart leopard-courage?
Nah. He'd just been scared out of his mind.
Courage only works if you've got strength behind it. Without that? You're just another terrified soul in the dark.
The crowd watching was stunned.
"That's not what the books say…"
"Yeah, I thought you were supposed to confront the ghost bravely?"
"Maybe different ghosts have different habits?"
"You gonna slide-shovel a ghost now? (￢_￢) Please."
"Maybe ghosts from other worlds don't follow Teyvat ghost rules."
Childe almost spat blood listening to them.
Seriously? He got wrecked because he listened to these people.
Bunch of clowns.
Lesson learned—never trust locals with otherworldly horror logic.
He restarted the game and got back to the fifth cycle like it was nothing.
This time, he didn't rush. He scanned the first hallway for clues before heading to the ghost.
Too bad the fifth cycle didn't have any obvious clues.
And while Childe's combat skills are top-notch, puzzle-solving clearly isn't his forte.
Back door sealed, nothing useful behind him. He had no choice—he had to face the ghost again.
When he turned the corner, the tall figure was still under the chandelier, groaning.
Even though he told himself to stay cool, his heart rate just kept rising.
"A ghost? You think I'm scared of you? (▼皮▼#)"
Frustration over his earlier embarrassment gave him a sudden boost of boldness.
He charged.
Right away, the lights ahead cut out and the ghost vanished.
Childe froze. What now?
Then he noticed—the bathroom door was cracked open, cockroaches crawling all over.
"What the hell am I supposed to do now (′?ω?)…"
The flashlight beam inside the bathroom was the only light.
Looked like a trap.
But he needed that light.
So in he went—and the moment he picked up the flashlight, the door slammed shut behind him.
"Ugh. Called it. (▔□▔)"
Childe's face twisted in frustration. He couldn't even be mad—it was just classic horror game nonsense.