Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Kaeya lays on the ground flat on his back and stares up at the cloudless sky, struggling to catch his breath. On any other day, he would be happily enjoying this fine spring afternoon. The sun is out and shining brilliantly across the land after the storm they had yesterday, birds are singing in the trees, and he even saw some slimes frolicking near the river next to the Symbol of Mondstadt’s Hero on his way here.

Perhaps he should have instead taken Klee and Albedo out on a picnic like he promised, or at least had brought some other knights with him like Jean told him. Maybe then he wouldn’t be in this situation.

His thoughts fade as his eye drifts lazily and his gaze follows a single whisp of cloud rolling across the bright blue sky. It is a nice day, despite the circumstances.

He hears movement near him and a flash of alarm shoots through him. His fingers twitch as he tries to move them to grab his sword, but his arm feels permanently glued in the mud beside him and his other hand is—

Ah, that’s right, he remembers now…

A few hours ago…

Kaeya walks into his office early that morning and props the door open, as he always does every day, and he glares at the pile of papers that sits on the corner of his desk. He immediately regrets not staying the extra hours last night to finish his reports, and he knows Jean won’t be happy that nothing is at her desk by now.

He shivers involuntarily. Honestly, the Acting Grand Master frightens him, especially when work doesn’t get done on time.

He sits in the chair behind his desk and gets to work going over the reports, signing off the ones he’s been through. Most of them are the general reports he gets every morning, from findings from the outriders, mostly by Amber, patrols around the city, to commissions the Adventurer’s Guild needed help with. Occasionally, Eula’s reconnaissance team would give him a few, but the one that strikes his attention this time is from no knight—not even an honorary one.

No, this report is from Dr. Edith. His brows scrunch together in thought. Why would a researcher give a report to the knights instead of making a commission? Curiously, he leans back in his chair to read what she has to say.

He skims through the first page that gives her basic information and then flips the page. He pays more attention when he sees the words tall, Abyss-like monster, written on the next page.

He stops skimming to read every detail she had reported. According to her claim, she was walking home last night from Windrise as she always does. Before she came to the bridge, she noticed some monsters just off the road between some trees nearby. This unknown monster was with two Abyss mages and while she didn’t stay to see what this new creature looked like exactly, the report notes it was mostly blue in color.

Kaeya frowns anxiously and subconsciously begins to twirl a coin between his fingers. It's not enough information for him to determine what kind of monster she had seen, but whatever it was, its appearance alone convinced her to report it to the knights instead of making a commission.

This monster could be any number of things they hadn’t yet come across and the Abyss is full of all kinds of monsters, many of which he doesn’t ever want to see, much less meet. Maybe he should ask the Traveler about it, maybe they would know more.

Kaeya looks up from the report when someone knocks on the doorframe to catch his attention. A smile finds its way onto his face when he sees Jean and the coin he had been playing with disappears. “Acting Grand Master Jean, a pleasure to see you this fine morning,” he greets.

Jean smiles. “Good morning, Kaeya.” She notices the pile he has been working on. “How are those coming along? Anything of note?”

While she doesn’t scold him for using her full title, Kaeya is thankful she doesn’t seem angry or annoyed that the reports are still sitting on his desk and not turned in. He takes in her exhausted appearance: the bags under her eyes that have been there for too long have bags under them, little bits of her hair are falling out of her ponytail, and there’s a thin red line on her chin. She likely fell asleep at her desk the previous night—again.

He should mention something to Lisa; the librarian usually knows how to get Jean to take a break.

He looks back at the report in his hands and the smile drops from his face as he hands it to her. “Just this one. Looks like the Abyss Order is getting close to the city again.”

She frowns and takes it. After a moment, her grip tightens on the paper. “Have we determined what kind of monster it is?” she asks. Her eyes are still moving, reading the report just as carefully as he had.

He shakes his head. “Not yet. I was going to investigate it once I got done with all of this.” He motions to the other stack of papers he has yet to go through.

She lifts her eyes and lowers the papers to glance at the unsigned paperwork and then looks at him. “Worry about those later, this is more important. Take some knights with you,” she tells him. “I’ll get someone to finish going through these.”

Oh, thank the stars, he thinks. Anything to get out of his stuffy office and away from literal piles of paperwork. “I will bring some knights only if you get some rest.” He smirks as she narrows her eyes. Ah, there is the annoyance he had expected earlier. “You shouldn’t overwork yourself.”

It’s calling the pot calling the kettle black, and she takes in his own tired form with a small smile. “I should say the same to you.”

“Well, if Grand Master Varka hadn’t taken over half of the knights with him—” and my cavalry, he wants to add bitterly, “—then we both would be getting decent sleep, wouldn’t we? At least I go home and get to sleep in my own bed every night.”

She chuckles. “When you come back, go home and get some rest. That means no tavern visits.”

He hums nonchalantly. “And here I was, just thinking about taking a visit to Angel’s Share after duty tonight.”

Her gaze turns hard. “Kaeya.”

He winces at her stern tone and then chuckles nervously. “All right, all right. No tavern visits.”

Satisfied, she leaves his office and he hears her heels clacking against the floor as she makes her way back to her own office. He looks at the report one last time. Windrise isn’t far from the city, so if he leaves before lunch, he should be able to come back by dinner time.

He gets up and stretches before he leaves his office. Just after he closes the door behind him, something small suddenly crashes into his legs and he looks down to see who had run into him. Klee looks up and gives him a huge, blinding grin and not too far away near the main entrance, Albedo is walking towards them.

Kaeya smiles as he pats Klee’s head. “Well, aren’t you here early, Klee?” he says to the little girl.

She nods eagerly. “Albedo says the storm’s over and we can go on a picnic!” she exclaims. “He’s letting me get all the best food and he said he’d even let me go fish blasting!”

Albedo lets out a quiet sigh and pinches the bridge of his nose. “Klee…” is all he says before he goes quiet.

Kaeya chuckles and says, “Oh, really? My, that sounds like a lot of fun.”

She nods eagerly. “Yep! So, you’ll come with us too, right?”

“I will, but not today. Unfortunately, I have to get some very important work done today.”

That catches Albedo’s attention, but he doesn’t ask about it when Klee deflates. Kaeya feels instant guilt rise in him. “But you promised yesterday that you’ll take me fish blasting!” she whines.

“I know, but how about tomorrow? I will make sure to make my calendar wide open just for you. How does that sound?”

Klee’s eyes light up again. “The whole day?”

“The whole day. I’ll even take you and Albedo out for dinner tonight when I get back.” He doesn’t miss the way Albedo’s cheeks turn a light pink.

She sticks her hand up at Kaeya. “Deal! But you better not break your promise again!”

He chuckles and takes her hand to shake. “I swear as a Knight of Favonius that I will not break this promise.” He lets her hand go. “Promise me you’ll be good for Lisa.”

“I will do my best to be on my best behavior!” she declares.

Kaeya smirks. “Atta girl!” He ruffles her hair and watches her dash down the hall toward the library. Then he turns around and sees an unamused Albedo staring at him. “What? She said she’d be on her best behavior,” he tells the alchemist as he approaches.

“If she gets caught fish blasting again, you’ll be put into solitary confinement as well,” he replies.

“You wouldn’t rat me out, would you?”

Albedo’s dead-pan stare gives him his answer.

Kaeya laughs. “I mean what I told her: I promise I’ll take you and Klee out for dinner tonight when I get back. It’ll be nice to go out together for once.”

Albedo nods. “As long as it’s not after Klee’s bedtime again, then I would not mind having dinner with you.” He smiles up at him. “Anyway, you’d best get going before it gets too late. Be careful out there.”

“You know I always am. I’ll see you tonight.” He waves as he walks out of headquarters and makes his way to the main gates of the city.

Kaeya wishes he could keep that promise.

He’s not sure how many hours it has been since he left the city without the knights Jean told him to bring, and he’s sure little Klee is going to be very disappointed when she realizes he’s not there to take her and Albedo for dinner. Ah… I keep breaking promises, don’t I?

He is still laying in the mud, feeling it get into his hair and soak through the back of his clothes while in the front, his own blood is staining them a deep red. He moves his eyes from the clear sky and his sight drifts toward a rock near the cliff wall and lands on the blood that coats the ground below.

Oh, that’s where it is. He recognizes his sword laying next to it and beside that is his own detached arm.

The monster he had fought had been alone but its power was something he’d never gone against. It seemed otherworldly, carrying not only cryo, but an Abyssal power he hadn’t seen before. It had been strong and while he knew he landed a few good hits, his own vision was useless against the shield it had summoned. After that, the fight didn’t last for very long—a few minutes at most.

Now with a missing arm and a deep stab wound in his chest, he is too weak to lift a finger, much less defend himself from the monster that is still here. He lets out a wet cough and feels blood leaking from his nose and the corner of his mouth. Everything sounds as though he is underwater and dark spots begin to dot his already limited vision.

His chest rattles as he struggles to take another breath. So this is it, eh? I would have liked another glass of wine before I died, he thinks with grim amusement. A large glass of Mondstadt’s finest wine would make the pain more bearable.

He sees movement from the corner of his eye and soon something stands over him, its heavy footsteps stopping just beside his fallen form. “A pity,” the herald says in an ancient tongue.

Kaeya barely reacts when it uses the tip of the blade attached to its arm to tear his eyepatch off with ease. He’s proud enough to see one of its own arms gone. He guesses that is why it had taken his as well.

It seems to sneer at the golden eye that glares up at it, although the helm makes it difficult to see. “You simply were not ready.”

He wants to ask what it is talking about, but all he can get out is a bloody cough that sends waves of pain through his chest.

“Be grateful, Alberich, for death is merciful.”

It moves the blade so it is just above his neck. Before it could press down and end his life right there, pyro bursts from behind him and strikes the herald. He hears a loud screech of pain as the monster stumbles away from him.

Someone dressed in black fills his vision as they step between them, their weapon coated in pyro. It takes a moment for Kaeya to recognize Diluc’s distinguishable messy mop of red hair and the large claymore he wields. He can’t say he’s surprised to see him and he wants to ask him what took him so long—Diluc always seems to know what he is up to, whether it be work-related or not. Kaeya hears him yell at the herald, although he can’t make out the words.

A fight breaks out, but his concentration shifts toward managing the pain as best he could. The loud clashes of metal against hard ice reverberate through the air, sending a pang of pain through his skull each time. It spreads throughout his body, and he lets out a groan when it gets worse despite the black spots that grow slightly larger and threaten to steal him away. No matter how much he tries to will the pain away, it refuses to lessen even a little.

After some time, he hears the distinct sound of a portal opening. The herald says something that causes Diluc to sprint at it and when Kaeya blinks, he’s falling to his knees beside him. He feels Diluc lift his head into his arms and his head lolls to the side so he could see him.

If Diluc is here, then where did the herald go? Did he defeat it? He tries to swallow some of the blood that had come up back down. “‘Luc…” is all he manages to croak out.

Diluc is yelling something at him, but he can’t understand what he’s trying to tell him—there’s another voice he can hear, a little more clearly than Diluc’s. It isn’t the herald’s voice. This a completely different one; he can’t see this other person. “For a sinner…” it says quietly.

Something warm lands on his face, and he attempts to focus his gaze again to find the source. Tears are leaking from Diluc’s eyes and Kaeya can feel them hit his head. His brother looks like he is trying to hold them back and Kaeya wonders if it’s because they both know he is an ugly crier and has been since they were children.

Diluc is saying something, and he knows he should say something back. All that comes out is a weak moan and he feels the breath be stolen from him before he can make any other noise.

Kaeya can barely make out bits of what Diluc is saying. “…Please…” his muddled voice says desperately. “…atos, please! Ven—!”

“Born into abject sorrow,” the other voice says, louder than anything else he can hear, “he shall now become…”

The pain suddenly turns into white-hot agony and he feels something strange and foreign rise from him. He screams and doesn’t realize that Diluc has let him go, doesn’t feel his back arching or see the Abyssal power rising from his body—he doesn’t hear Diluc’s pained cry when he’s blasted away and into the cliff wall near them.

All he can hear is the voice.

“The Loom of Fate.”

All of his pain suddenly vanishes and his body finally slumps back onto the ground.

A new voice enters his mind, “Oh little one, do not despair; our fates do not end here. Ours is only the beginning.”

He welcomes the darkness with open arms.

Chapter Text

It’s uncomfortably warm.

Fickle awareness trickles in and with each heartbeat, waves of pain course through Kaeya’s body. He opens his eyes but when the ceiling above begins to spin, he closes them immediately. Either this is the worst hangover he’s ever had, or he’s ill.

He grimaces, trying to find the strength to move—he can’t afford to take a sick day. Jean already has enough on her plate as it is and there is simply too much work for one person to take on (not that Jean would say anything to him, she would happily take on all the work without complaint).

Something tugs at the back of his mind, like he’s forgotten something important. It might be that he forgot to take off his eyepatch last night since half of his vision is blocked; he usually removes it before he goes to bed.

Although, something tells him that isn’t it. Whatever it is, he’ll worry about it later. He’s too nauseous and tired to care.

He takes a breath and realizes he’s laying down in a soft bed with its blankets tucked around him. His head feels as heavy and numb as the rest of his limbs and sleep threatens to take him away again as he tries to move. Sick, he’s definitely sick. He wants to curse but all that comes out is a scratchy groan that makes him wince as pain flares up in the back of his throat.

A large hand suddenly, yet gently, presses itself against his shoulder to keep him still. It startles him so badly that he flinches and his eye shoots open. He hadn’t known he wasn’t alone, and it only further proves to him that he’s sick. Normally, he would have sensed someone else in the room with him.

He tries to focus on the person next to him, but it’s difficult to do when his world is still spinning. “It’s okay, you’re all right. You’re safe,” a soft, soothing voice says.

It’s so, so familiar that he subconsciously relaxes. Shapes and colors are indecipherable in the dark room, and whoever is there moves out of his peripheral view too fast for his sluggish mind to follow. They return as fast as they had gone and place something cool on his forehead that immediately soothes his growing headache.

Kaeya lets out a sigh of relief and exhaustion pulls at him. His eyes start to close themselves and with it, his consciousness begins to slip away.

The person with him smoothes his hair back, pushing sweat-soaked bangs off of his forehead. “Go back to sleep. I’ll be here when you wake up, all right?” they say. Their voice sounds far away and what little strength he has left disappears.

He does as he’s told.

When Kaeya wakes up an indeterminable time later, it’s to the sunlight pouring into the room from the large window. It hits his face and he winces at the bright lights that pierce through his eyelid. He hears someone walking around and he opens his eyes slowly, testing to make sure the dizziness is gone. Sure enough, the room is sitting still and he blinks a few more times to get rid of the residual blurriness.

He stares up at the ceiling and feels relieved that he knows exactly where he is. Why is he here at the winery? What happened? How did he end up here?

“Oh, you’re awake! Wonderful!” The woman’s voice yanks him out of his thoughts and Kaeya drags his eye towards the window, where he sees a maid tying off the curtains so they remain open. She turns around and goes to his side, then presses her palm against his forehead gently.

Adelinde’s touch feels as motherly as ever and she pulls her hand away after a moment and sighs in relief. “Your fever finally broke last night. You had us all so scared,” she says.

“Ad—” he starts to say but gets interrupted by a fit of coughs. He winces at the pain in the back of his throat that gets worse with every cough.

She helps him sit up, takes a cup that sits on the nightstand, and raises it to his lips. “Here, drink some water. Slowly now, not all at once.”

She tips a bit of water little by little but he grows impatient every time she pulls it away. His mouth feels like it’s stuffed with cotton and while the water is helping, he wants more. He reaches up to take the cup with both hands and—

He freezes.

He stares at his hands as an onslaught of memories barrels in at full speed. He remembers the mysterious monster the doctor had seen. Jean telling him to take some knights. Making a promise to Albedo and Klee that he knows he has broken by now.

The Abyss herald.

Kaeya clutches at his reattached arm. He remembers the pain when he’d been struck. He remembers seeing his severed arm laying in the puddle of mud and blood. Now that he feels his arm, he squeezes it yet there’s no pain. Under the nightshirt he’s wearing, he can’t feel any bandages.

He’s never heard of any kind of healing that can reattach limbs without an issue. Barbara is one of the best healers he knows, but even she has her limits.

Adelinde doesn’t notice him do any of this at first, and she pulls the cup away. “There, how do you feel?” she asks. She pauses when he doesn’t answer. “Young Master Kaeya? Are you all right?”

Kaeya can’t hear her. He keeps staring at his arm with a wide eye and he presses his hand against his chest. There are no bandages there either, and when he pulls the nightshirt up, the scar that should be there isn’t. There’s smooth skin, and his eye widens as he takes in the rest of himself.

He notices there aren’t any scars. Fingers reach up and sneak their way underneath his eyepatch to brush against his covered eye. His skin feels free of burn scars; the ugly, warped skin he has grown to detest isn’t there. He pulls his hand back to look at the back of it. The little scar on his hand he’d gotten from an unfortunate training accident with Bennett a few months ago has disappeared as well.

Adelinde is saying something to him, worry etched on her face. She gets up when he doesn’t respond to her and rushes out the bedroom door, calling for someone.

Kaeya’s breath picks up and he looks down at his shaking hands. His memories are overtaking him and he clutches his head when he remembers how he hadn’t been able to breathe. His blood had been choking him, and the pain—gods, the pain. Diluc’s screams are ringing in his ears and then—

I died.

He goes still and his breath hitches as he comes to this realization. He pulls his hands away from his head and flexes them, finally noticing how small they are. Then he looks at the lower half of his body and sees how the blanket practically engulfs him even though he’s sitting up.

Is he… a child?

He shakes his head. That’s absurd. No one just turns into a child. He’s never heard of a spell that can accomplish that, either. The only other explanation is that he really did die—but if that happened, then he should be six feet under, not waking up at the winery, much less as a kid again.

“Kaeya, you have to breathe.”

His head shoots up at the voice. When he sees who it is that’s coming to his side, his heart skips a beat. He looks so similar to Diluc—or rather, Diluc looks similar to him. They have the same curly red hair and piercing eyes, but the stubble on the man’s face…

“M-Master Crepus?” he mutters. His eye goes wide. He thinks he’s forgotten how to breathe.

Master Crepus takes his shoulders and gently squeezes them. It helps ground him and he forces himself to take a short breath when he starts to get light headed. “It’s all right. You’re safe now.”

Save for the beard, it’s uncanny how much Diluc looks like him. Just like Diluc, Master Crepus is tall with broad shoulders, his clothes simple yet presentable should he receive an unexpected guest, and his hair tied into a neat ponytail.

It should be impossible. Ursa the Drake attacked the carriage; he watched Diluc end his life with his own eyes.

What the hell is going on?

Master Crepus should not be walking or talking. He should be buried in the quiet graveyard behind the cathedral that Kaeya visits every year on the day of his death. Maybe this is the afterlife, but if that’s the case, why would Adelinde be here, too? Last he saw her, she was very much alive and they even had a nice, yet awkward, dinner with the Traveler and Diluc.

His adoptive father sits beside him, causing the mattress to dip a bit from his weight. He is living and breathing, with not a hint of death surrounding him. Kaeya doesn’t want to believe this is real. The dead do not come back.

Master Crepus moves slowly and makes a show of putting the back of his hand against Kaeya’s forehead, similar to what Adelinde had done earlier. “Are you all right? Are you in any pain? Should I call for the Seneschal again?”

His hand is warm against his head. This isn’t real. It’s not real. This-this is a dream. Fath— Master Crepus is dead.

Kaeya keeps silently staring and tries to force his panic down. It’s difficult when the hand feels so real and warm but he has to think. There has to be a reason for this, maybe he’s dreaming. This can’t be real. He opens his mouth to say something, but only air escapes his lips.

Master Crepus’ brows furrow with worry at his silence. “Kaeya?”

He throws all logic out the window.

He doesn’t know what’s going on, but he finds that he doesn’t care. He flings himself into Master Crepus and throws his arms around the man as tightly as he could manage. He’s shaking again, but this time it’s because he’s trying not to cry.

Guilt ravages his mind as he clings to the wine master. He doesn’t have the right to cry over Master Crepus, how could he? He lied to the Ragnvindrs for years, but seeing his adoptive father again… All he wants is to hold onto the very much-alive man and never let go.

Master Crepus is startled by his sudden movement, but he smiles and returns his hug. “It’s okay, Kaeya,” he says. “Everything is all right.”

That’s all it takes for Kaeya to let out a sob. He clings to him as tightly as he can, as if afraid that he would disappear if he lets go. He wants to apologize for everything he’s done, for lying to him and Diluc for years, for not attending his funeral, for fighting Diluc, and for ruining their family.

If Master Crepus is upset that his tears are soaking his shirt, he doesn’t say anything about it.

Kaeya cries until his tears dry up and fatigue pulls at his bones. He refuses to give in to his exhaustion and sniffs as he finally pulls away. He wipes his eyes with the back of his wrists. “Sorry…” he mutters.

“You don’t have to apologize.” Oh, if only he knew what he really means. “Do you feel better?”

Kaeya doesn’t answer. He isn’t sure if he feels better at all. He feels drained.

After a moment without an answer, Master Crepus worriedly asks, “How is your head? Any pain at all?”

“My… head?” He reaches up to touch his head. His fingers brush against the small lump at the back of his head. It’s tender and the sharp pain recedes as he quickly moves his hand away from it. “What happened?”

Master Crepus’ brows lower in worry. “You don’t remember?”

He shakes his head. “No.” He grimaces. There is a dull headache, but it’s nothing he can’t manage. “I can’t remember.” Liar.

Master Crepus hums. “Well, according to Diluc, you two were out playing near the lake when you were attacked by a monster. Apparently, you pushed him out of the way of its attack and you were hit in the head.”

Kaeya frowns. He can’t recall any kind of attack like that in his childhood. He and Diluc played by the water and the grapevines all the time as children; the worst they had ever come across was a cryo slime from the little colony that lived near the waterfall and Diluc had gotten a scratch from one of its sharp spikes. The slimes mysteriously disappeared for years after that, but neither of them complained.

He looks up at Master Crepus again. “How long have I been sleeping?” he asks. His voice chokes up a bit and he fights back another round of coughs.

“Two days. You caught a nasty fever while you were out, but thankfully, Seneschal Seamus came by and helped heal your—”

The door suddenly flies open, startling both of them as it slams into the wall. “Kaeya!”

Kaeya looks at the small redheaded boy as he sprints towards him at full speed. He grunts as his headache flares when he’s practically tackled into a hug and falls back down onto the pillows. “Diluc?” he says, bewildered yet again.

He’s squeezed tightly and he finds himself hugging back. “I was so scared! You can’t ever do that ever again!”

“Master Diluc, please be careful!” Adelinde’s voice calls from the hallway. She rushes in and bows to Master Crepus. “I’m so sorry, Master Crepus! I mentioned that Master Kaeya was awake and he insisted on seeing him.”

“It’s all right, Addie. Thank you.” Master Crepus nods and Adelinde takes that as her queue to leave. She closes the door behind her with a soft click.

Kaeya is finally released when Diluc sits up. Diluc is young, and so, so different from his older counterpart. Baby fat still clings to his cheeks and the innocent sparkle in his eyes is something Kaeya hasn’t seen since the day of Master Crepus’ death.

The redheaded boy looks guilty when he sees Kaeya wince. “I’m sorry! I didn’t hurt your head more, did I?”

“It’s not bad…”

Diluc suddenly huffs. “Good, because it’s what you get for being so dumb!”

Kaeya winces at the loud yell. Diluc’s yelling is not helping his headache. He’d forgotten how loud and boisterous Diluc was as a child. “S-sorry…”

“Diluc, Kaeya is still healing. We need to be quieter right now,” Master Crepus tells Diluc. Then he turns his attention back to Kaeya. “Are you hungry? Adelinde is making breakfast as we speak.”

Truth be told, Kaeya is famished, but his throat burns and he isn’t sure if he could handle a heavy breakfast. So he says instead, “I don’t know.”

“Well, you should eat something. I’ll have some soup and medicine brought up for you.” He stands up. “Diluc, remember you have training after breakfast.”

Diluc nods. “Yes, Father.” When Master Crepus leaves, he looks back at Kaeya and his smile falls. Kaeya can’t help but think that his frown is still the same as an adult. “Are you sure you’re okay? You were hit pretty hard.”

“I’m o—” he starts to reply, but coughing interrupts him again and he turns his head away so he doesn’t cough all over Diluc. When the coughing fit is over, he swallows and ignores the stinging in his throat. “I’m okay.”

The redhead’s lips thin unhappily, clearly not believing him. “If you’re sure…” He slides off the bed. “Thank you for saving me, but don’t do that again! You weren’t moving and I thought you were really, really hurt and Father had to carry you inside.”

Kaeya frowns as well, trying to recall anything about an attack like that. When nothing comes up, he shakes his head. “Where did the monster go?”

“Oh, the knights took care of it,” he answers in a matter-of-fact tone. He smiles and proudly straightens into a salute. “I’m going to a knight soon, too. Then I’ll be the one to protect you and Father!”

They both look at the open door when Adelinde appears. She’s carrying a bed tray with a steaming bowl and another cup of water on it, as well as a small vial filled with a thick, dark liquid. Kaeya tries not to glare at it, he knows what the medicine tastes like and he’s always despised it, no matter how well the concoction works. “Breakfast is ready, Young Master Diluc. Your father is waiting for you downstairs.”

Diluc nods and then looks back at Kaeya. “I’ll come back after I’m done with training!”

Adelinde watches him go and then sets the tray above his lap. “Eat the soup first and take all of this when you’re done,” she instructs and taps the vial. “It’ll help your throat and cough, but you’ll probably fall asleep after. I’ll come back in a few minutes to check on you, all right?”

Kaeya thinks he could fall asleep right now. He nods and satisfied, Adelinde leaves the room again, leaving him alone for the first time since he’s woken up.

He looks at the broth and his reflection stares back at him. He gingerly touches his cheek, seeing how young his own face is. There isn’t a dark bag underneath his eye, and the creases that had started to form on his brow are gone.

He glances at his other hand and pinches it, hoping he’d wake up and realize this is all a dream. Nothing happens. He doesn’t wake up in a bed at the cathedral or his bed at his own home, and he isn’t waking up from a sleep-deprived nap in his office, either.

He takes a deep breath and starts to eat some of the soup before it gets cold. He eats slowly, swallowing some of the broth and squeezes the spoon in his hand after the first few bites. Adelinde’s cooking tastes the same as it always does and finishes what he can. The medicine he takes is bitter but the syrup immediately helps soothe his throat while the water he drinks washes out most of the taste. After Adelinde comes back and takes the tray away, he sets his head on the pillow and raises his arm to stare at it again.

This is real.

There’s no way it isn’t. He can’t explain why he is a child again or how he is in the past, but he knows he’s not dreaming or hallucinating. He lets his arm drop back down and rolls onto his side, facing away from the window.

He’ll figure it out later. For now, he closes his eyes and lets sleep claim him.

Chapter Text

Kaeya is woken up periodically throughout the day, either by Adelinde gently shaking him awake to take more of the foul medicine or by various noises outside, mainly the workers that tend to the grapevines. Thanks to Adelinde’s bitter concoction, his coughing eventually subsides in the early afternoon along with his sore throat.

Later in the afternoon and close to dinner time, Diluc returns to the manor. Kaeya can hear him running up the stairs at full speed and he is prepared this time when he barges into his room. Diluc hasn’t even taken his boots off before he practically jumps inside. Kaeya knows Adelinde will say something about him dragging dirt inside later, but it doesn’t seem like Diluc particularly cared.

Ever since he ran into his room, Diluc has not once left his side. It’s strange for him to see Diluc openly smiling and laughing without a shred of hatred in his eyes any time he looks at Kaeya.

There are no snide remarks about the knights, no glares or sharp words thrown at him, and he doesn’t ignore him the first chance he gets. In fact, Diluc has praised the knights non-stop and doesn’t even complain about the tough training Grand Master Varka has been putting him through.

Kaeya listens intently for a while, mentally scrambling to figure out his current age. Diluc had originally started his knight training the day after he turned ten and Kaeya had joined the knights when he turned ten a year and a half later. He eventually figures out that Diluc’s training has only just begun, barely two weeks ago. If he has his math correct, then he is eight years old.

One look at his scrawny arms tells him all that he needs to know. He’s too small to hold a real sword, he doesn’t have his vision yet to rely on in case of emergency, and he’s pretty sure that he can’t even go outside without having to ask for permission. Kaeya has gotten used to living alone for years now, minus the occasional times when Albedo or Klee would spend the night. He’s grown incredibly independent and he knows that living with multiple people will be quite the adjustment for him as well.

Truth be told, the worst part about being this young is that he has to look up at Diluc. Kaeya had hit a growth spurt in their teenage years and grew taller than Diluc by the time he was fifteen. He hasn’t had to physically tilt his head in order to look at him properly in years. Maybe this is karma for holding that over Diluc’s head all this time.

A finger is suddenly in his face and pokes his forehead and he jumps a little when he’s startled out of his thoughts. “Hey, are you listening?” Diluc asks, cutting through his thoughts.

Kaeya blinks at him as he drags his attention out of his own mind. No, he hasn’t been listening. Diluc has been saying the same thing in different ways and there’s only so much he can take before he’s bored. “Of course,” he replies.

The older boy raises an eyebrow. “Oh really? What’s the last thing I said, then?”

He tries not to let his annoyance show. Even Klee doesn’t demand from him what the last things she says are if he isn’t listening but at least Diluc doesn’t blow up a lake if he isn’t paying close attention to him. “All right, you caught me. I must admit, I don’t know. I was thinking about other things.”

Diluc doesn’t bother to hide his eye-roll and he crosses his arms across his chest as he looks at him up and down. After a moment of silence, he says, “You know, you’ve been acting really weird all day.”

He blinks. He’s been acting normal this entire time. “No, I haven’t.”

“Yes, you have.” He climbs up onto the bed and sits beside him on the other side.

Kaeya shrugs. “Well, I have been sick all day, maybe that’s why you think I’m acting weird.”

Diluc shakes his head. “No, I don’t think so.” His face softens. “You must’ve been really scared, huh?”

Kaeya frowns and looks away. He still has no memory of this supposed attack, but he does remember the herald, his arm, and drowning in—

He stops those thoughts with a shake of his head. He won’t go down that rabbit hole of memories, he can’t panic again. He doesn’t want to, especially not in front of Diluc. “Was I? I don’t remember being scared.”

Diluc pulls his legs up to cross them together in front of him and get comfortable. “I forgot you forgot.”

He instantly bites his tongue to not reply with anything smart or sarcastic; Kaeya has to remember that Diluc is a kid and would likely be upset should he go through with a harmless insult. It’s honestly going to take some time for him to get used to a nicer Diluc.

“That monster was huge. We were super lucky the knights came as fast as they did.”

That makes him curious. “How come they were so close to the manor?” he asks.

The redhead sits up a little and he doesn’t bother hiding the worry that crosses his face. “You must have been hit really hard if you don’t remember that, either.”

He rubs the back of his head, where the lump remains but isn’t as tender as it was this morning. The swelling even feels like it has gone down considerably. “Can you tell me what happened?”

Diluc’s story is similar to what Master Crepus had told him earlier. They were by the water when the monster appeared out of nowhere and attacked them and Kaeya was knocked out. The only difference is that Diluc says that the knights were coming back from a patrol near Stone Gate and that the monster had said some words in a harsh language that he didn’t understand.

Hearing that makes Kaeya nervous. Was the monster a hilichurl or a mitachurl that had been scared off by the returning knights? Hilichurls have always actively avoided the winery, and in the back of his mind, he hopes it hadn’t been a mage or worse that had attacked them.

Diluc suddenly gets excited after finishes explaining and he reaches into his pocket. “And then you won’t believe what happened!” He pulls out a shiny new vision, its pyro emblem burning brightly in the center of the gem. Diluc’s grin is as bright as the vision and he says proudly, “I tried to fight the monster off and then I got a vision!”

Kaeya stares at it. That’s not how he originally got it, he thinks. Diluc had gotten his vision during training and came home to proudly show it to everyone around. Master Crepus had a feast in celebration, and Diluc had invited Jean and Thoma to come over when they heard the news as well.

He looks at Diluc and a smile finds its way on his lips. “That’s wonderful, Diluc!” he replies. His enthusiasm sounds fake and forced in his ears, but Diluc must not have caught it when his smile only widens. “Does Master Crepus know?”

Diluc scoffs at Master Crepus’ title. “Why do you still call Father ‘Master Crepus’? We’re practically brothers by now. I’m sure he’d love it if you called him Father, too.”

Kaeya hesitates. At this age, it has been just shy of a year of living with the Ragnvindrs so unless something else changes, there should only be about two months before he officially becomes a Ragnvindr himself. When he was young, he had wanted nothing more than to take on the name Ragnvindr and get rid of his ties to his birth father and his homeland. Kaeya had been so proud to carry the surname for as long as he had.

He doesn’t know if he’s willing to take the name again. Glancing at the pyro vision in Diluc’s hands, he is reminded of the hatred Diluc threw at him that awful night and the pyro that burned him and scarred his face. He had lost the right to call himself Ragnvindr in a matter of minutes.

But with his more recent knowledge of his true name, Alberich, he isn’t sure if he should keep that, either. It makes him fiddle with his thumb anxiously, itching to have his lucky mora to give him something to do. He’d rather not have any ties to the Abyss Order, thank you very much.

“I wouldn’t want to offend him,” he chooses to say instead.

Diluc snorts with amusement. “You couldn’t offend him even if you tried.”

“I can, too.”

“Nu-uh.”

“Yes-huh,” he mocks back.

“No, you can’t.”

From there, they devolve into childish bickering and Kaeya finds a bit of solace in the familiarity of it. It feels nice to be able to speak with Diluc so freely again and not to have to worry about walking on eggshells around him. However, a small part of him is still wary of saying the wrong thing and he feels like he is waiting for Diluc’s temper to show itself and reveal that this whole situation is one well-crafted hallucination.

When dinner is ready, both of them head out of his room. Kaeya walks slowly whereas Diluc has already sprinted down the stairs and he hears Master Crepus tell him to stop running in the manor. He stops at the top of the stairs, peering down at the first floor. The décor is almost the same as it always has been, but Master Crepus’ signature touch is far more prevalent now than it will be in the future.

Intricate paintings hang on the manor’s walls, many of which Master Crepus had painted himself. Kaeya wonders where they have gone in the future, maybe they are stored up in the attic.

One glance in the corner near Elzer’s unofficial desk is the potted plant that Kaeya knows will be replanted outside in a few years when it grows too big to stay inside. The gaudy vase he’d gotten for Diluc is obviously missing and deep down, he misses seeing it sitting in direct view of the front door.

He descends the stairs and turns the corner to join Master Crepus and Diluc for dinner. The two are already sitting down and Master Crepus smiles as soon as he steps inside. “Feeling better, Kaeya?” he asks.

Kaeya nods. “Much better, thank you. I don’t like that medicine, though,” he answers.

“It works though, doesn’t it?” He chuckles when he sees Kaeya’s unamused expression. “Come sit down. Adelinde has made a wonderful dinner.”

“Addie always makes good food,” Diluc says bluntly just as Adelinde sets plates in front of them. “She also makes the best beef stew and the best cakes and the best roast and the best cookies, too!”

Adelinde chuckles. “Why, thank you for the compliment, Young Master Diluc,” she replies. “Be careful, it’s very hot still.”

Kaeya climbs up into the chair on the opposite side of Diluc. He looks down at his legs when he feels that his feet don’t touch the floor. He scowls at them, again wishing that he isn’t a child. When he looks up, Adelinde has set a plate of food in front of him as well and his stomach rumbles the moment its aroma reaches his nose.

Diluc talks through most of dinner, telling both he and Master Crepus what kind of training he went through today. Kaeya glances at the man as Diluc goes on a tangent about the ‘awesomeness of claymores,’ wondering how in Teyvat he had the patience to deal with both of them, back when he truly was a kid. He had the patience of a saint, and it seems like nothing has changed.

He pokes at the carrots on his plate with his fork. He’s lost interest in the conversation happening, and he looks up when he sees Master Crepus set his utensils down. “Kaeya, is dinner not to your liking?” he asks.

Diluc stops talking and looks at him as well, giving a curious tilt of his head.

“Ah, no, it’s good. You needn’t worry,” Kaeya replies. He forces himself to start eating the perfectly cooked carrots and squints a little with disgust. He’s never liked carrots, but he also doesn’t like wasting food.

Master Crepus watches him for a moment before he goes back to finish his meal. Kaeya can’t tell what he’s thinking, and he looks back at him when he says, “We’ll be having visitors tomorrow. Diluc, you’ll need to be here for it as well, so you’ll be late for your training.”

Diluc looks at him curiously. “Who’s coming over?” he asks through a mouthful of bread.

“Chew and swallow your food,” Master Crepus lightly scolds.

He sets the bread in his hands down and he swallows so fast, Kaeya is afraid he would choke. Instead, Diluc repeats his question.

His father wipes his mouth with a handkerchief. “I expect it will only be Grand Master Varka and Inspector Eroch. It won’t be for very long, and Master Varka will take you to your training afterwards.”

“Master Varka’s coming here?!” Diluc exclaims.

“Inside voice, Diluc.”

Kaeya, on the other hand, feels like he’s been slapped by a brick. The food in his mouth turns sour and his heart leaps into his throat. He looks at Master Crepus sharply. “Inspector Eroch?” he stutters.

“Oh, forgive me, Kaeya. You haven’t met them yet.” Master Crepus motions towards Diluc. “Grand Master Varka is Diluc’s teacher as well as the head of the Knights of Favonius. He’s in charge of everything that deals with Mondstadt and Inspector Eroch works closely with him as part of the investigation team. They’re kind people, you have nothing to worry about.”

I have everything to worry about.

Kaeya slowly drags his eye back to his plate. He forgot that Eroch is still with the knights at this time. He swallows back his shock as best he can and his stomach feels suddenly queasy. No one knows of Eroch’s dealings with the Fatui, or his sneaky ways to gain control of the knights from within. Whatever he does at this time isn’t questioned and no one looks at him twice, most would assume he’s simply working on a new case.

He knows this because that’s what he had originally thought, too. After Master Crepus died and Diluc left Mondstadt, Kaeya gladly helped Jean to get rid of that traitorous bastard. He had told Jean that he wasn’t exactly sure what happened to Eroch after he was banished from Mondstadt and that as long as Eroch was out of Mondstadt, that’s what mattered.

In reality, he knows exactly what happened. In an unfortunate and violent encounter with a certain delusion-wielding vigilante, former Inspector Eroch lost his life somewhere deep in Snezhnaya. His body was never recovered. Kaeya hoped he didn’t rest in peace.

Kaeya sets his fork down. Hearing Eroch’s name again makes his appetite completely vanish. All that work he put in feels like it’s been for naught; he keeps having to remind himself that this is the past. He can’t even begin his official knight training yet.

He looks up at Master Crepus. “I’m full,” he says. “May I be excused?”

Master Crepus turns his concerned gaze over him. “You hardly ate anything, Kaeya. Do you really feel better?” he asks. “Do you need some more medicine?”

He shakes his head as he slides off the chair and smoothly lies, “I’m fine. Just really tired.”

Diluc and Master Crepus’ eyes follow him as he makes his way up the stairs. As soon as he is in his room, Kaeya closes the door and runs his shaking fingers through his hair.

He scrambles through his memories, trying to remember every single report and scrap of evidence he and Jean had gathered regarding Eroch’s deals with the Fatui. The Goth Grand Hotel has been booked by the Fatui for as long as he can remember.

He looks out the window, staring out at the field of grapevines and the trees beyond that and curses under his breath. If only he’d come back just a few years later, he could have interrupted their transaction. Maybe he can stop it from ever happening in the first place… But can he really do anything? Kaeya looks at his reflection in the window. The troubled frown he wears looks wrong on a child this young.

No one else but him knows of Eroch’s true intentions. He can’t run to Grand Master Varka and openly accuse Eroch. No one would believe him. He would also immediately get onto Eroch’s radar and get him into a world of trouble he doesn’t want to get himself into. Not only that, but who knows what could happen to Diluc and Master Crepus. He’d just gotten them back…

He turns his stare away from his reflection and toward the wooden flooring. No, he needs evidence. How much evidence is there at this time? If Eroch has been in contact with the Fatui already, how long has it been? Other than the few corrupt knights he’d helped arrest just after Eroch’s banishment, were there others he had been unaware of? 

Kaeya begins to pace, deep in thought. How is he able to prove to Grand Master Varka that Eroch has close dealings with the Fatui?

It’s going to be difficult sneaking around as young as he is, and that’s if he’s ever able to get to the city. Master Crepus never liked going to the city too often, and if he sneaks off every time they visit, he doubts he’d be allowed out of his sight after too many attempts.

He curses again. Being a child again is proving to be more of an inconvenience the more he thinks. Master Crepus nor anyone else at the winery likely wouldn’t let him go off alone anywhere far while he is this young.

He stops pacing to look outside again. His eye is drawn towards movement far off into the water, and he stares at the cryo slimes that hop around mindlessly on the surface. He freezes like the water they sit on and his eye widens as if a lightbulb turned on. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out why the slimes had disappeared for so long.

If fate has truly given him a new chance, then he should be able to save his adoptive father.

Master Crepus would have no need for a delusion. Dottore wouldn’t have any reason to come anywhere near the Ragnvindrs. Ursa the Drake wouldn’t attack them. Diluc wouldn’t hate the knights as much as he does.

They could still be a family.

He bites the inside of his cheek. He doesn’t know when Master Crepus obtained the delusion and he doesn’t know how he got it. It will be much easier for him to search for clues in the wine master’s office. He doesn’t have to ask for permission to run around the manor.

Kaeya takes a deep breath to calm his fast-pacing heart. He can’t act rashly nor can he move forward with too much haste. He has to take his time. As desperately as he wants to start his investigation now, he can’t start right away; at least, not with Master Crepus and the rest of the household still awake.

He’s good at collecting information. It’s what he did for a living before he’d been sent back. Even if he doesn’t have access to his information network anymore, he’s still good at obtaining evidence and biding his time. And he knows his patience rivals second to none.

He lifts his eye to see his determined reflection again as he makes his decision.

He’s going to stop Eroch and save Master Crepus.

This promise he’ll keep.

Chapter Text

The stars shine above the winery, twinkling brightly amongst the dark sky. The moon provides little light, but it’s enough for Kaeya to see where he’s going. He jumps over the short stone wall around the manor easily and sneaks through the grapevines, taking a quick glance behind him. The windows are still dark. If anyone is still awake, they haven’t noticed him leave.

He had tried to go to sleep, honestly, but for the life of him, he simply couldn’t. He had debated sneaking through Master Crepus’ office first to find evidence of any Fatui deals or messages. His office is much closer than the river, but Kaeya knows that by tomorrow, any tracks would be gone.

He would very much like to figure out why and how he is in the past. What better place to start than the location of the attack?

He’d pretended to be asleep when Master Crepus came by to check on him about two hours after he had finished dinner and when he was sure the master of the house had gone to bed, Kaeya snuck out the front door.

He jogs as silently as he can to hurry through the field toward the waterfront. He just wants to see if there’s any evidence left behind. Part of him doubts there’s anything at all. Either the knights have already cleaned the area or there’s nothing to even investigate.

He’s careful not to wake the slimes that are sleeping between some trees as he passes them. He can easily fight them off with the kitchen knife he has tucked in his boot, but it’s the noise that would attract someone from the manor to come out running. He doesn’t want to get caught by Adelinde, Elzer, or worse, Master Crepus. He shudders to think what they would do if they find out he is sneaking around.

Once he’s far enough away from the slimes, he picks his pace up again and stops near the waterfront. It’s quiet, save for the cold water gently lapping against the rocky shore. The river is crystal clear and Kaeya can see every little star on the water’s surface but he turns away from it to begin searching.

A quick glance around and nothing immediately grabs his attention. Trees are still standing strong, bushes that lay on the ground look undisturbed, and the only footprints he can immediately see in the dirt are his own. It’s difficult to see anything when it’s this dark out.

He walks away from the shore, his eye still scanning the immediate area. Finally, something catches his eye, a little ways from the footpath to the river. He walks over to a tree and puts his hand against the trunk. There is a slash on the bark, likely from a heavy sword or an axe and some of it is on the ground.

Next to the fallen bark is a piece of torn cloth. He can’t tell what color it is in the dark, but he knows it’s likely white or silver. He takes it and puts it into his pocket, deciding that he could look at it at a later time. He frowns at the mess of footprints embedded in the soft dirt. Some are the same but different sizes, and he can safely assume those are the footprints of the knights that fought off the monster.

Another two sets are much smaller than the rest and there’s a burnt spot on the ground in front of them. This must have been where Diluc got his vision. The set that interests him the most, however, are the heavy-looking prints that stand in front of the burn mark. They’re pointed at the tips and extremely close to the smallest set of prints of the entire group.

He looks down at his own feet. Those are his prints. He wishes he had even a shred of memory about the attack, but no matter how much he tries, the last thing he remembers is seeing Diluc and then… he woke up to Adelinde opening the curtains. He feels like he had woken up earlier, but he isn’t sure. Maybe he could ask someone about it later.

He glances at the footprints again and scans the area one last time. Without the ability to use his elemental sight, he can’t tell if there are any other tracks he can follow. He bites back a curse. He hoped there could be more he could see, but the small piece of cloth is enough for now. With nothing else of note, he turns around, careful not to disturb the prints, and makes his way back to the manor before he is caught sneaking around.

Had he looked a bit further between the trees and past the sleeping slimes, maybe he would have seen a pair of eyes watching him leave.

Kaeya wakes up to someone lightly shaking his shoulder. He doesn’t want to open his eyes and tries to bury his face into the soft pillows. “It’s time to wake up, young master,” Adelinde’s voice says.

He cracks his eye open slowly and blinks the sleep out of it. Adelinde steps away and he isn’t prepared for her to suddenly open the curtains wide. He groans loudly when the bright morning sunlight hits his face. “Addie,” he whines. “It’s too early.”

“It is eight in the morning, Master Kaeya. It is hardly early.”

Kaeya scowls. Despite the fact that he stayed up too late last night and that he’s usually in his office by this time, it is still too early. He forces himself to sit up anyway and rubs his eye with the back of his hand.

Adelinde helps him out of bed and tells him to get dressed into something presentable for their guests that will arrive today. He watches her leave the room to wake Diluc next. When the door closes, he lets out a long sigh.

He needs a drink. Preferably a strong sparkling wine he can get at a tavern. A pity he’s in a body too young to be served alcohol. Maybe Master Crepus would let him at least have some coffee.

He gets dressed and steps out into the hall. He turns his head and blinks as he watches Diluc slink out of his room, clearly still half asleep. “Morning, Kae,” he mumbles. His hair is everywhere and wild, and it’s more than likely that Adelinde will need to help brush his hair out. “I had a weird dream last night.”

“What kind of weird dream?” he asks, heading for the bathroom to brush his teeth. He doesn’t know which toothbrush is his, so he waits for Diluc to grab his first and then takes the other one.

Diluc mumbles as he brushes his teeth slowly, “It wasn’t that weird, I guess.” He spits out the paste and water into the sink. “We were fighting monsters together and you had a sword!” He mimics what he had seen in his dream by sticking his arm out in front of him. “And there was some blue stuff coming out of it!”

He pauses his scrubbing to look at him with a wide eye. Diluc’s crude stance is so familiar. Kaeya has always used a more polished version of that same stance whenever he used Frostgnaw. “Blue stuff? Was it cryo?”

“I think so. And then I would come in and burn them!” He looks excited and he turns around to look at him. “We would be the best duo ever! No one could stop us!” He lets out a boisterous laugh.

Kaeya turns away to set his toothbrush back. “Yeah… we would be a good duo, wouldn’t we?”

“That’s enough playing in the bathroom.” They both look at the door as Adelinde steps into their view. “Breakfast is ready, young masters.”

“We weren’t playing,” Kaeya answers. He doesn’t play. Spending time with Klee doesn’t count. The little arsonist plays with Dodoco half the time and tinkers with her bombs the other half. Kaeya just spends his time keeping her out of trouble, sometimes unsuccessfully.

“Yeah, I was just telling Kae what I saw in my dream!” Diluc adds.

“That’s very nice, Master Diluc.”

Diluc grins, mischief clear in his eyes. “Are you tired, Addie? You sound super tired. I think you need a vacation.”

Adelinde sighs and Kaeya felt it deep in his own chest. She really does sound tired, and he’s sure it’s because she had a long day yesterday and probably didn’t get much sleep last night. After all, dealing with children can be exhausting, especially ones that have been ill. “Someone has to look out for you two when Master Crepus is busy.”

“Come now, Diluc, she’s worked hard making breakfast, and I’m famished,” Kaeya says before Diluc can open his mouth again and say anything smart to Adelinde. “We can play after breakfast.”

Diluc stares at him for a moment before he suddenly points an accusing finger in his face. “See, Addie! See?! He’s acting and saying weird stuff!”

Kaeya pushes his hand away and hears Adelinde sigh again. He winces internally, knowing that he screwed up again. Pretending to be young again is harder than it sounds. “No, I’m not!”

Diluc immediately glowers at him. “Yes, you are!”

“No, I’m not!” He just needs to convince them that he’s just a normal eight-year-old kid that is just hungry and needs breakfast.

“Yes!”

“No!”

“Yes!”

“Young masters, please. That’s enough. Come along, now.” Adelinde turns and leads the way downstairs.

Kaeya tries not to send Diluc a smug look. He really does. He knows he still has to somehow convince him that he’s normal. Younger sibling instinct wins over. “I win,” he whispers to Diluc. He sticks his tongue out at him in victory.

Diluc immediately scowls and lunges with his arms outstretched toward him. Kaeya dances away before he can grab him and the two sprint around Adelinde’s legs to avoid tripping her as they run down the stairs.

Before they reach the last step, Master Crepus steps out of his office and stops them immediately when he says in a firm voice, “Boys, I’m sure you’re both very excited about having guests come over, but that does not mean you can run inside the house.”

“Sorry, Master Crepus,” Kaeya immediately apologizes.

“I’m sorry, Father,” Diluc also says. His meek apology is immediately followed up with an excited, “So when are they going to be here? Soon?”

“Master Varka and Inspector Eroch will be here sometime after breakfast.”

Kaeya looks up at Diluc as the older boy finishes descending the stairs. “You’re going to like Master Varka,” he tells him.

“You think so?” Kaeya chuckles quietly. Of course he knows Grand Master Varka well. He has always been a strict man that has a heart of gold. He is still bitter about him taking his entire cavalry, though. He doesn’t think he needed to take as many knights as he did on his expedition. He loses his smile easily when he thinks of the other guest coming with him. “Have you met Inspector Eroch before?”

Diluc nods. “Only once when Master Varka had to do something instead of training a long time ago.”

“But you’ve only been training for two weeks,” Kaeya tells him.

“Two weeks is a long time.”

Kaeya rolls his eye. Two weeks of training is better than nothing, but it is still nothing compared to all the years of experience he has in his memories. “What is he like?”

“He’s nice enough. Not as strict as Master Varka, but I don’t think he liked training me very much.”

“Why not?”

He shrugs. “Maybe he doesn’t like kids? I don’t know.”

Breakfast goes by too quickly for Kaeya’s taste and he nervously sits on the couch with a book about Mondstadt’s history that he hardly touches in his hands. He contemplates grabbing another book from the shelf nearby. He’s read the history books countless times before, maybe there is something different that he’s long forgotten that can distract his anxious thoughts.

He looks up as Diluc approaches and then plops onto the couch next to him. He takes a quick glance at the book and says, “That book is boring, why are you reading it?”

Kaeya turns the page, not looking up from it. “Distracting myself,” he admits.

Diluc lets out a little oh and leans forward a bit. “Do you want to go outside? Fresh air might help you relax.”

He is grateful Diluc has always been rather perceptive about how he’s feelings. When they were younger, he’d always tried to make Kaeya feel better when he was nervous—which was most of the time for a foreign child. It definitely helped forge their seemingly unbreakable bond, and they always did everything together.

Kaeya immediately snaps the book shut to get out of his memories and gets up to his feet. Anything to get his mind off of the impending visit. “Adelinde would kill us if we get our clothes dirty before the guests get here.”

There’s a brief pause between them and then mischief flashes in Diluc’s eyes. “Do you want to annoy Elzer?”

Kaeya prides himself to be a full-grown and mature twenty-two-year-old man that works hard to keep Mondstadt safe through… well, various means that Jean nor the other higher-ups need to know about. Annoying Elzer? The suggestion has both of them running out the door to search for the poor butler.

They find the silver-haired man speaking with a much younger-looking Ernest a little bit past the front door. Ernest sees them first and immediately turns around as if he knows already what the two have planned. “We can discuss the delivery after Master Crepus’ meeting,” he says before he leaves.

Elzer turns around when the other young man is gone. “Young masters, how may I be of service to you?” he asks politely.

Kaeya watches Ernest disappear towards the cellar as Diluc asks curiously, “What delivery were you talking about?”

“Master Crepus has scheduled a delivery of wine bound for Sumeru next month. We are just ensuring all of the stock will be ready by then.”

Kaeya hides his little smile. He remembers how his little fruitless trip to Sumeru went last time and he doesn’t want to incur Master Crepus’ wrath again. His ear still hurts thinking about it.

“Well, we’re not here because of that!” Diluc exclaims. “We’re here because we’re bored!”

Elzer’s green eyes narrow suspiciously. “You came to me because your little antics involve me again,” he accuses.

The redhead lets out a loud groan and dramatically falls into him. Elzer doesn’t make a move to catch him and raises a brow as Diluc looks up at him. “We can go on an adventure to the river together!”

The butler sighs. “So you can push me into the water?”

“No,” Diluc quickly answers. “I would never push you into the water.”

“I would,” Kaeya admits. Diluc hides a giggle behind his hands.

Elzer scowls at him. “At least someone is honest.”

“Come on, please, Elzer? Who knows when Master Varka will get here, anyway.”

He looks past them and nods in the direction of the road. “I’d say in five seconds.”

Both boys instantly turn around and Kaeya’s nervousness spikes again as he sees the two knights dismounting their horses in front of the stairs. Grand Master Varka is taller than he remembers, but it’s likely because he’s so small now. His thick beard is neatly trimmed and his armor glints in the morning sunlight. Kaeya feels almost sorry for the horse he’s riding—he is nearly as large as the poor mare. But he’s not why Kaeya’s back stiffens like a baseboard.

It’s the man that is dismounting the horse beside Master Varka. Unlike the Grand Master, he is clean-shaven and donning the same short hair he unfortunately remembers. He also wears the Knights of Favonius armor, its bright golden emblem shining in the breastplate he is wearing. He doesn’t like seeing Eroch donning the traditional armor, especially knowing how little he truly cares for Mondstadt. It feels… wrong.

He doesn’t bother hiding his disdain for the man and glares at him as they are greeted by Adelinde and Master Crepus. If Eroch notices, he doesn’t seem to care enough to say anything about it.

A stable hand comes to take their horses and put them into the stable nearby as Master Crepus steps outside with Adelinde right behind him. “Good morning, Grand Master Varka! Inspector Eroch!” he greets.

“Please, just Varka is fine, Master Ragnvindr,” Master Varka replies. He turns his gaze to Diluc and Kaeya as they are ushered over by Elzer. “Good morning, Diluc! And you must be the mysterious Kaeya I’ve heard all about.” He sticks his hand out for him to shake. “I am Grand Master Varka of the Knights of Favonius.”

Kaeya looks up at him and shakes the offered hand. His hand is entirely engulfed in the man’s much larger palm. “Hello, Master Varka,” he greets.

“Diluc, you remember Inspector Eroch, yes?”

Diluc nods. “I do. Hello, Inspector Eroch,” he says.

Eroch merely nods at him and then looks at Kaeya. “So, you are Master Ragnvindr’s new ward?” he asks. He looks at his arms and then his eyes make their way to his face. “Are you one of the desert folk from Sumeru? How did you get all the way here to Mondstadt?”

Kaeya’s covered eye twitches. He’s already getting angry he even has to face Eroch again, he doesn’t want to go through any kind of introduction with him. He doesn’t like the way Eroch’s eyes are lingering on his eye.

“It doesn’t matter where he’s from, he lives here with us now,” Master Crepus thankfully interjects. Kaeya can’t thank him enough for it and he relaxes a little. “Come inside and we can get out of this morning chill. Adelinde, can you brew some tea or coffee for us?”

“Of course, Master Crepus,” she says and turns to head back inside and get started.

Kaeya and Diluc stick close to Master Crepus’ side. Kaeya refuses to look back at Master Varka or Eroch. He just wants to get this questioning done and retreat to his room and hide until they’re gone. He takes a quick glance at Diluc, then away when he notices the other boy is looking at him.

They’re led to the sitting room and Master Crepus sits beside Diluc and Kaeya on the same couch Diluc had dragged Kaeya off earlier. Beyond the little mahogany coffee table is another couch that Master Varka and Eroch sit in, their heavy armor clinking and somehow not tearing the delicate cloth.

Eroch glances at the table, seeing the book Kaeya had set down earlier. “How are you liking Mondstadt so far, Kaeya?” he asks.

“It’s nice,” he replies meekly. A child, I have to play as child, he thinks.

Diluc looks between them and then asks the two knights, “So are you going to ask us those questions yet? Master Varka and I need to get to training sometime today.”

Kaeya has never been grateful for Diluc’s bluntness at this age. He too would like to get this over with as quickly as possible.

“Don’t be rude, Diluc,” Master Crepus scolds.

Master Varka laughs, the noise coming from the belly. “So eager to go train! I wish all trainees were like you, little Diluc!”

Adelinde comes back holding a tray with three ornate teacups full of tea on top. She sets one in front of each of the adults and then puts the tray underneath her arms. “Would you like anything else, Master Varka? Inspector Eroch?”

“No, thank you, Adelinde,” Master Varka said.

She glances at Master Crepus and when he shakes his head, she gives a polite bow and turns, closing the door behind her.

“We only have a few questions and after that, you two are free to go,” Master Varka tells Kaeya and Diluc. “We only ask that you answer truthfully and if you don’t remember certain things, that is okay, too.”

“Good, because Kaeya doesn’t remember the attack,” Diluc says.

Kaeya bites the inside of his cheek. Why did Diluc have to blurt that out first?

Master Varka looks at him curiously. “What is the last thing you do remember?”

He shifts in his seat uncomfortably. He’s always disliked being the center of attention, always preferring to work in the shadows and letting others take the credit. He looks down at his knees, mostly to avoid staring straight at Eroch, who sits on the opposite side of him. “Seeing Diluc’s face,” he says truthfully. “I think he screamed… and then I woke up to Addie opening the curtains.”

“What were you two doing before the monster attacked?” Eroch asked.

This time, Diluc answers. “We went to the river because we wanted to play. I… also wanted to teach Kaeya how to swim,” he adds sheepishly. Kaeya wonders if he isn’t allowed to go swimming without an adult and that is why Master Crepus narrows his eyes at the older boy.

“You don’t know how to swim, Kaeya?”

Kaeya frowns and finally looks up at Eroch and meets his gaze. “I know the basics. However, I’ve never put it into practice.” Even he’s not sure if that is the truth. He might not have been able to swim this young, but as an adult, he definitely knows how. Someone has to fish Klee out of the lake when she’s fish blasting, after all.

“The knights that fended it off claim it disappeared through a portal. Did it appear through a portal as well?” Eroch continues.

“I’m not sure…” Diluc’s brows furrow as he seems to try and recall the attack. “But Kaeya and I were just talking and then there was this really weird noise and it just appeared and tried to hit me. Kaeya pushed me and took the hit instead. I got my vision trying to protect us until the knights got there.”

Kaeya frowns a little. Diluc’s voice is getting slightly quieter the more he speaks, his posture a little more withdrawn, and his hands are holding the hem of his shirt a little too tight. Kaeya has seen this happen to many other victims of various crimes he’s questioned. He can’t do much, but he puts a hand on his shoulder and Diluc visibly relaxes.

They ask a couple more questions and while Kaeya answers when he’s asked to, he truly can’t answer much. Diluc does most of the talking and he does it so confidently, that Kaeya thinks he’s completely changed from the nervous boy from before.

Thankfully, the questioning doesn’t last very long. Master Varka finishes his tea and sets the teacup down onto the table. “Thank you for answering everything. The monster unfortunately got away, but we’ll be able to look out for it now that we’ve confirmed a few of our suspicions. Do you have everything you need, Inspector?”

Eroch nods. “I do. I assume you’re taking Diluc to complete today’s training?”

Diluc grins at Master Varka. “Yeah! Where are we going to train today, Master Varka?” he asks enthusiastically.

Master Varka turns his eyes to Master Crepus. “If you don’t mind, Master Crepus, we can do our training near the water today. It would save a rather long trip to the training grounds.”

“That’s fine, yes. I’ll let workers know not to bother either of you,” Master Crepus says.

Diluc is the first one up and he darts upstairs to get into his training attire while Kaeya stays beside Master Crepus as they wait for him to come back in the entryway. He doesn’t take his eye off of Eroch, just waiting for him to try something against Master Crepus, even as unlikely as it is with Master Varka around.

When Diluc comes back down just a couple of minutes later, Master Crepus smiles at the two knights. “Don’t hesitate to call for me if you need anything, Varka,” he says.

Master Varka chuckles. “Perhaps I’ll send Diluc up to get some lunch later, but I expect he’ll be tired with the regimen I have planned. Most kids his age start to complain about the training around this time, and I expect young Diluc will be no different,” he replies. He then looks down at Kaeya. “Will you be joining the knights as well, Kaeya?”

Kaeya immediately nods. “Yes, as soon as I’m of age, Master Varka,” he answers.

“So polite. I expect great things from you, young Kaeya.” Master Varka chuckles and looks at Diluc. “Are you ready, Diluc?”

Diluc nods. “Bye, Father! Bye, Kaeya!” he says and chases Master Varka down the footpath to the river.

Kaeya watches him go, and then up at Master Crepus as the man puts a hand on top of his head. “I’ll go send for someone to get your horse ready, Inspector. Kaeya, why don’t you wait here with him? I’ll be right back,” he says. He removes his hand and heads around the side of the manor to search for the stable hand.

Eroch and Kaeya stand in awkward silence. He can hear workers tending to the grapevines, and a bit farther, he assumes someone is rolling a cart towards the cellar. He jumps a little when Eroch coughs to break the silence. “I couldn’t help but notice,” the Inspector says, “but your eye is very unique.”

Kaeya frowns. The man is staring at him, and even though he is standing a bit further than arm’s length, Kaeya wants to step even farther back. Preferably with a solid brick wall between them. “I think my eye is normal,” he answers.

“Hm. Well, your pupil is a very interesting shape. It’s a beautiful color, too.”

Alarm bells begin ringing in Kaeya’s head. Had Eroch always been this way towards him? He hadn’t noticed if he had.

“Since you’ve decided to become a knight, why don’t I be the one to train you? I believe you would do well with the investigation team.”

Kaeya stiffens as he reaches out, itching for the ability to summon his sword. He doesn’t know what Eroch is doing and he can’t exactly fight back if Eroch tries anything—

He jumps when another hand lands on his shoulder and he looks up. Master Crepus gives Eroch a rigid smile and a horse whinnies outside close by. “Your horse is ready, Inspector,” he tells him.

“Thank you, Master Ragnvindr.” He looks back down at Kaeya and ruffles his hair. Kaeya tries not to flinch away from his touch. “I look forward to seeing you in the knights, young Kaeya.”

He doesn’t take his eyes off Eroch even as the man steps outside, mounts his horse, and turns it away from the manor. Then he feels a bit more pressure on his shoulder as Master Crepus’ grip tightens a little and he looks up at him.

His eye widens when he sees the carefully neutral look on his face. Had Master Crepus always been wary of the former Inspector as well? Is that why Kaeya hardly saw anything of Eroch before Master Crepus died?

After a brief moment of silence, Master Crepus looks down at him. “You look tired, Kaeya,” he says.

“…A little bit,” he replies with a nod. He isn’t.

Only when the door finally closes does Master Crepus drop his hand off of his shoulder. “I do not want you to be alone with the Inspector. If he absolutely needs to speak with you, fetch for me or another adult. Do you understand?”

Kaeya nods again. He remembers a similar warning, years and years ago, just before he started training. “I understand, Master Crepus.”

“Good. Now go on up to your room. I’ll have Adelinde or Elzer get you later for lunch.”

Kaeya hurriedly obeys but he pauses at the stairs. He turns to look at him. He feels grateful that he had returned when he had, otherwise who knows what Eroch could have attempted to do. “Master Crepus?”

“Yes, Kaeya?”

“Thank you.” He quickly turns back around and runs up the steps to return to his room to thankfully hide for the rest of the day.

He doesn’t see the genuine smile that finds its way onto Master Crepus’ face.

Chapter Text

Two weeks pass by and May quickly turns into June. Kaeya stares out at the grapevines as early summer sun beats down on them and lets out a long sigh that comes from deep within him and leans heavily against the short stone wall. He still isn’t used to being a boy again, and while it has its advantages, he misses the freedom he had as an adult. He slumps over the wall so much that his feet are barely touching the ground.

Kaeya is bored.

Sometimes he misses the chaotic life of a cavalry captain and quartermaster, going out and doing commissions with the Traveler, the occasional training sessions with unlucky Bennett, and he especially misses Albedo and Klee. He wonders if he is able to go back and if he somehow manages it, would he simply be dead?

A tiny, minuscule part of him even misses adult Diluc and their bickering whenever he goes to Angel’s Share. He knows Venti and Rosaria would have a field day if they find out he is a child again.

Now Kaeya’s grieving the loss of his precious Death Afternoon. He misses being able to drink his worries away with all the other regulars.

He shakes his head to shake off the depressing thoughts. Nope, he doesn’t want any of those thoughts today; it’s a special day for the winery.

He looks up toward the road in front of the manor. While it’s a good day, it is also a chaotic day for them. This morning, there were ten very large open carriages that awaited workers to load them with full barrels of wine and crates filled with various ingredients to be shipped off to Sumeru, and it is the first major shipment of a good business venture. Now there are only two carriages left empty and workers are already loading them both.

He smiles. Last time he was this age, he had snuck on one of the carriages when no one paid any attention. He made it onto the ship and disembarked at Port Ormos although no one had been happy to find him so far from home. He is still surprised his ear remained attached to his head with how hard Master Crepus dragged him home.

He lifts his hand to rub his forehead as he feels a dim pain behind his eyes. It has been there since he woke up, but he hopes that it doesn’t get worse. He doesn’t want to be stuck inside all day when it’s such a nice day out because of a migraine.

Eventually, he slides off the wall and walks over to the carriages curiously. He watches the workers secure the barrels and then moves out of the way as someone comes to the carriage. “’Scuse me, little master,” the man says as he takes the rope that is tossed from the other side by another worker to tie it to the ring attached to the carriage’s side.

“Kaeya, let them do their work,” Master Crepus calls. He’s standing not too far away with another carriage driver, holding a stack of papers in his hand that he’s signing.

Kaeya turns to face him. “What if I went with them to Sumeru?” he asks and grins.

Master Crepus’ eyes narrow but he doesn’t look up from whatever he’s signing. “I would not be a happy man. I would probably drag you all the way home by the ear.”

He snickers. He already knows this. “I hear Sumeru is nice this time of year.”

“We can go to Sumeru when you’re older. Come over here and out of their way.”

He is quickly by his side, not wanting to stress the man out even more. He gets on his toes to try and peek at the papers he’s holding. It’s more than likely they’re just documents confirming the delivery of the winery’s products, but he’s still curious.

Master Crepus finishes signing them off and hands both the document and pen over to the carriage driver. “Kaeya, head inside. I need to make sure everything is accounted for and then we can eat, all right?”

Kaeya turns around and steps inside the manor. As soon as the door clicks shut, the noises from outside become muffled and he goes towards the desk Elzer is sitting in. A plan begins to formulate in his mind… he simply needs to make sure the butler is really busy and not just pretending he is. He leans against the desk to make sure Elzer sees him. “Elzer, I’m bored,” he complains.

“I can have Adelinde give you something to do,” he answers. Just like his adoptive father, he’s checking off paperwork and doesn’t look up even as he flips over the page he’s on. “I’m sure she’d appreciate some help around here, what with you and Master Diluc dragging mud into the house all the time.”  

He grimaces. “I don’t want to do chores.”

“Then I’m afraid we can’t help you, young master.”

Kaeya lets out a dramatic groan that Elzer ignores. When he doesn’t get any other reaction from the butler, he makes his way upstairs. Once he reaches the landing, he spares a quick glance behind him to make sure no one else is coming up and then quickly jogs to Master Crepus’ office.

Now is his chance. He’d confirmed that even Elzer is distracted with the massive shipments, and he knows Adelinde is downstairs cleaning the sitting room and training the new maids Master Crepus hired not too long ago. No one is paying attention to his actions.

He can finally sneak into Master Crepus’ office without worrying about getting caught. As quietly as he can, he opens the door just enough for him to squeeze through and closes it. The sunlight illuminates the office well enough, and he looks up at the bookcase that sits behind the large mahogany desk.

He knows he’s on a time limit and instead of marveling at how many hardbound books there are, he needs to get to work. He doesn’t know if the wine master will come back to his office prematurely.

The documents that sit on the desktop give him nothing of note, they are just unsigned papers Master Crepus has yet to get to. He goes through the desk, feeling for a false bottom on every drawer he pulls out, and then he moves to a cabinet tucked away in the corner. He finds the winery’s financial information, inventory paperwork, payrolls, and even predicted harvest for the fall. He even finds a sketchbook hidden in the bottom drawer of the cabinet and sees a kamera picture of a very young Diluc, but there is nothing that mentions anything about the Fatui or delusions.

He’s relieved to see this. He still has some time before any harbinger approaches Master Crepus. He closes the last drawer and groans as his headache begins to worsen. Maybe he needs to take a nap or eat something. He can’t be going through alcohol withdrawal, right? He technically hasn’t had a drop of alcohol ever since he got here.

His right eye is beginning to throb with every heartbeat. It worries him, as it’s never happened before. “Ow,” he mumbles. He’ll go downstairs and ask Adelinde for some of her special medicine, maybe that will help ease the pain.

He sneaks out of the office. Thankfully, no one has come up the stairs at all and he is able to go back downstairs with no issues. He quickly finds Adelinde overseeing a much younger Hillie and Moco as they clean the sitting room and he pulls at her hand once he approaches. “Addie?” he says.

She glances down and turns around. “Yes, Master Kaeya?” she asks.

“I have a headache.”

She smiles sympathetically. “Well, then let’s get you something to help with that, shall we? Hillie, Moco, I’ll return shortly. Don’t forget to dust the bookshelf there.”

“Yes, Adelinde,” they answer in unison. Hillie and Moco also glance at each other and Kaeya’s sure they’ll begin gossiping the moment Adelinde leaves them alone. He’d heard Adelinde and even Diluc complain about it more than a few times when he was an adult.

The head maid takes his hand and leads him to the kitchen. The kitchen isn’t busy at this hour, and the smell from breakfast still lingers as they enter. She lets go of his hand so she can grab a small stool to reach a cupboard near the ceiling. As she rummages through the cupboard, she asks him, “How bad does it hurt?”

He frowns. “It’s not bad, but it hurts behind my eyes.”

She hums. “That sounds like a migraine, young master. Have you ever had one before?”

Yes, but technically no. He doesn’t think he’s ever had one as a child. “No.”

Adelinde steps back down and pushes the stool back. She sets a cup down onto the counter and takes the little vial of thick syrup and turns to face him. “Here, drink this. It’s mostly for fevers and colds, but it helps headaches, too. If it doesn’t work in an hour, we’ll find something else that will hopefully do the trick, all right?”

Kaeya gratefully takes the medicine and winces in disgust before instantly taking the cup of water and downing the entire thing. “Eugh,” he mumbles.

She chuckles. “I know it doesn’t taste the best.”

“It’s really bitter.”

“I apologize, young master. It is my mother’s recipe and it has always worked wonders whenever we were sick as children, too. If there is a doctor somewhere out there that can make it taste better, I think we’d all be happy about it.”

Kaeya looks up at her. “What about medicine from Bubu Pharmacy?”

She blinks. “From where? I’ve never heard them before.”

Kaeya really hopes it’s in business now. He isn’t sure when the pharmacy was established, but considering Liyue’s rich history, it must be open even now. “It’s in Liyue Harbor. I’ve never been there, but my parents used to get medicine from them,” he easily lies. He’d always get his own medicine from them instead of the cathedral. They may have charged more mora, but he knows they make the best cures for awful hangovers.

“Oh my. I’ll have a look into it.” She looks over as the kitchen door opens again and she nods politely. “Hello, Master Crepus.”

Kaeya looks up as Master Crepus walks up to them. “Moco and Hillie told me you were in here. Are you feeling all right, Kaeya?” he asks.

“Just a headache,” he answers.

“I believe he has a migraine, so I gave him some medicine in hopes it’ll help.” Adelinde smiles. “He’ll probably fall asleep soon, however. You know how that medicine is.”

“That I do.” Master Crepus opens the door and gently guides Kaeya out of the kitchen with a hand on his upper back. “Adelinde, can you make him some food? Preferably something light. I’ll put him to bed once he’s eaten.”

“Of course, Master Crepus.”

By the time they sit at the dining table, his headache has lessened, but Kaeya can already feel weariness creep up. He knows that as soon as he eats, he’ll be too tired to do much of anything else. He’s suddenly glad he snooped through the office before all of this started.

Adelinde comes out a few short minutes later with a bowl of hot calla lily soup and some bread. After she sets it down and leaves them alone, he eats slowly as the pressure in his head builds. He rubs his forehead with his free hand. Is it just allergies? He has never had allergies before, not even as an adult. Maybe now he finally understands why Diluc had always complained during spring and summer.

Elzer briefly comes over to give some paperwork to Master Crepus to go over and Kaeya winces as their brief conversation makes it feel like his head is being stabbed with needles. He makes a soft noise of discomfort and moves his hand from his forehead to his covered eye. “…be fine,” he hears.

He glances at Master Crepus. “I’m sorry, I didn’t catch that. What did you say?” he asks.

Master Crepus looks up from the paperwork. He frowns, noticing his discomfort. “I didn’t say anything.”

Kaeya blinks. He swore he heard him say something but he simply nods and finishes the soup. He pushes whatever is left in the bowl away, wanting nothing more than to just curl up in bed and sleep this migraine off.

Master Crepus sets the paperwork down and gets out of the chair. “Would you like to head to bed, Kaeya? You don’t look so good.”

He nods and lets him take his hand to lead him upstairs. He doesn’t know if he would have been able to do it by himself with the way he nearly trips on the first step. Once they’re in his room, he sits on his bed while Master Crepus closes the curtains and Kaeya immediately feels better as soon as the lights from the outside disappear.

“Migraines suck,” he tells Master Crepus as he lies down.

The man hums in agreement. “If it gets worse or you can’t get to sleep, come get me or Addie, all right?” He pulls the covers up to his shoulders. “Elzer probably won’t know what to do.”

Kaeya smiles. “Elzer isn’t really good with kids, is he?”

“And how would you know that?”

“Because Diluc and I annoy him all the time.”

“Ah, that’s because you and Diluc always drag him into your ‘adventures’ and purposefully get him into trouble.”

“It’s super easy to annoy him and he’s boring. He needs to learn how to have a little bit of fun.” He smiles. “Besides, me and Diluc go on the best adventures with him. We wanted to go to the river but he didn’t want to come with us.”

Master Crepus laughs quietly. “I can’t imagine why he wouldn’t.” He heads to the door and gives him one last look. “Get some rest, Kaeya.”

Kaeya watches the door close, softly clicking after Master Crepus. Once he’s alone, he rolls onto his side away from the window to keep what little light is coming through it away from his direct view. He closes his eyes to rest, finding solace in the quietness of his room and pulls the blankets up to his chin.

He’s asleep in seconds.

Kaeya doesn’t dream often. When he does dream, it’s normally little everyday life things he’s been through—mostly work. Lisa always did tell him to take a break and go home. Jean, too. He thinks they were colluding with each other whenever that happened since he’d always been given some tea and not an hour later, the Acting Grand Master would send him home.

This time feels different. He’s standing in some wet grass as light rain falls from the dark gray clouds above. He’s not alone. A hilichurl stands in front of him on the edge of a cliff. He doesn’t recognize their surroundings, so he assumes this is just a place he’s made up in his head.

The hilichurl in his dream doesn’t move or make a noise, it simply stands there staring out to the sky. Kaeya looks up at the clouds with it and then turns his eye back on the creature with a sad look.

He knows it used to be human, just like him. It, too, had aspirations and family. He frowns when he remembers his father’s parting words to him.

“You are our only hope.”

The high-pitched voice comes from in front of him. It isn’t his father’s voice and definitely no other voice he has ever heard. He jumps, not expecting the words to come from the hilichurl. He stares wide-eyed at the monster. “What?” he asks.

The hilichurl says nothing for a long time and he begins to think that maybe he is just hearing things. Finally, it curls in on itself and he sees it reach for its mask. “I can’t take it.”

Kaeya frowns. What can’t it take? He takes a step near it. “What do you mean?”

“I’m sorry, Kaeya.”

The hilichurl is suddenly engulfed in a purple blaze, and he covers his face as he stumbles away from the heat that rises. He knows it’s a dream, but it feels too real to be a normal dream. Kaeya looks up when the heat disappears.

The hilichurl is gone, leaving behind the dark power he knows to be Abyssal. It swirls menacingly, in hues of purples and blacks with splotches of pink. He swears it turns around as if it’s alive. He doesn’t move fast enough when it shoots toward him and he gasps as it encases itself around his body.

Its hold constricts him but he can move his limbs. He can’t breathe, he can’t see, he can’t—

He sees Diluc again, crying above him and hears him screaming his name, begging for Barbatos to save him. Why would an archon save a sinner like him? Kaeya holds his head with both hands and sees a flash of purple before his eyes, and then it fades to black.

When he blinks, he wakes up in bed. There isn’t a hilichurl in sight. He isn’t at Windrise. There is no Diluc, no Abyss herald. Instead of a cliff wall, there is a wardrobe that stands across the bedroom with a desk tucked into the corner. The curtains are still closed but it’s pitch black both outside and in his room.

He knows this isn’t a dream. The intense pain in his eye throbs violently as if someone is stabbing it over and over again reminds him it’s real.

He rips off his eyepatch and presses his hand against his eye, struggling to get out of bed. When he manages to get to his feet, he stumbles forward and catches himself against the doorframe with a loud curse as he stubs his toe. He steps out of his room and the manor is dark but he doesn’t care that no one woke him for dinner, or that Diluc hadn’t visited him after he got home. He just wants the pain to stop.

He makes his way into the bathroom and shuts the door. As soon as he’s able, he lights the candle so he can see what he’s doing. He removes his hand from his eye and stares at his reflection in the mirror in horror.

He knows his eye is gold. His birth father had often let him know how much he detested it, calling it a curse and had even told Kaeya he was glad it wasn’t him that had inherited such a vile thing. He knows this.

So why is it purple?

He shakily runs his fingers underneath it. Thick, dark veins are spreading from his eye and pulse with his heartbeat. It is staining his sclera black, the whites of it slowly changing before his eyes. “What…?” he says under his breath.

Is this the curse his father spoke of? But it doesn’t make sense, why would it activate now? Why not in his other life?

He hisses in pain as it throbs again and he puts his hand back on it. The pain gets worse with every second that passes and he shakes as he falls to his knees, gripping the counter with his free hand so hard his knuckles turn white. The fingernails on his other hand are digging into his skin and he bites his tongue to keep himself from screaming—he doesn’t want to wake the entire manor.

“There is no need to be frightened.”

The voice startles him and he flinches. He loses his grip on the counter and falls back against the wall behind him. He leans forward and pulls his legs up close to him, using both hands to hold his eye as he makes himself as small as possible. “W-who are you?” he stammers through clenched teeth.

“I will protect you. Our fates are intertwined.” It sounds familiar. Where has he heard it before?

He frowns. “What do you mean? Are you the one doing this to me?” he demands. When silence meets him, he grits his teeth. “Answer me!”

The candlelight flickers.

Suddenly his shaking stops. The pain is gone and he stays sitting on the cold bathroom floor for what feels to be an eternity. He pants for air and slowly removes his hands from his face. He feels warm, but not so much as it’s a fever.

He stares at his palms and touches underneath his usually covered eye.

What is he doing on the bathroom floor?

Slowly, he stands, using the counter to help pick himself back up, and looks at his reflection.

A young face stares back at him, one lilac eye and a gold one.

He goes back to his room and puts his eyepatch on. Kaeya goes back to sleep and doesn’t dream for the rest of the night.

Chapter Text

Kaeya wakes up the next day with an objecting whine and pulls the covers back over his face to block out the sunlight. Master Crepus is the one who has woken him today, but he wants nothing more than to just go right back to sleep. He’s getting very tired of people waking him up with an onslaught of the morning sun.

Master Crepus shakes his shoulder when he doesn’t immediately get up. “Come on, time to wake up,” he says.

Kaeya hopes he leaves when there’s a few seconds of silence. Maybe Master Crepus would ask him if he feels better, which he does but he doesn’t want to get up yet.

His hopes are dashed away when the covers are suddenly pulled off and cool morning air hits him. “Just five more minutes,” he sleepily begs. He blindly searches for the covers that were so rudely pulled off and doesn’t open his eye even when he hears Master Crepus sigh.

“Five minutes will turn into five hours if I let you,” he replies.

Kaeya cracks his eye open and glares at the first thing he sees, which happens to be the pillow he had tried to hide his face in again. Why is he so tired? He went to bed right after taking medicine yesterday afternoon. Had he slept too much?

Master Crepus is still standing next to the bed, patiently waiting for him to move. When Kaeya doesn’t stir anymore, he leans down to lift him up under his arms. “We have things to do today, come on.”

Kaeya lets out a surprised noise when he’s picked up and his feet hit the cold floor. He will try to convince Master Crepus that he most certainly did not squeak from shock sometime later in the day.

The redheaded man doesn’t bother hiding his amused smirk when he sets him down. Kaeya glares up at him. “Get ready to get going. We’ll be leaving after breakfast.”

“Where are we going?” he asks as he walks to the door. He yawns and rubs his eye, wanting nothing more than to curl back into bed with every blanket wrapped around him.

“To the city. I have a few things to do at the tavern, and I have a meeting before noon.”

Excitement flutters and he suddenly finds he’s much more awake than a few seconds ago. “Why are you taking me with you? Not that I don’t want to go—because I do.” He rubs the back of his head. “I’m just curious, I guess.”

Master Crepus smiles at him, standing in the doorway. “Because I can tell you’re bored. You have been acting a bit strange lately, so I feel like a trip to the city will do some good. Now go get ready and don’t forget to brush your teeth.”

Kaeya blinks as Master Crepus closes the door behind him. He moves to get ready, but as he pulls his clothes out and sets them on his bed, he loses his smile. He already feels embarrassed to act like a child in front of them, but it’s not like anyone knows what happened to him.

He stares at the small clothes. To them, he’s just a boy. He’s supposed to be childish and play and have too much energy for the adults to keep up with. He’s not a knight and he isn’t the cavalry captain.

He glances at the door when he hears Master Crepus calling for him to hurry up. He grumbles under his breath as he moves to obey. By the time he’s downstairs, he sees Elzer heading outside and Adelinde sets a bowl of fruit in front of him once he’s sat at the table. “Where’s Elzer going?” he asks her curiously.

“I presume he’s getting the carriage ready to go,” she replies.

He should have expected it. Elzer has always gone to the city with Master Crepus for work-related reasons. “Oh. Are you coming too, Addie?”

“Not this time as I have things to do here.” She pats his shoulder comfortingly. “You’ll be fine, young master. Master Crepus and Elzer will be there with you the whole time.”

He starts eating and watches her head off to start her normal morning duties. As a child, Kaeya hadn’t particularly enjoyed going to the city. There were too many people all in one place and easily overwhelmed him, so he only ever went if Diluc had come along, too.

He hopes Master Crepus doesn’t find his eagerness to leave the winery suspicious. Although, the man seems to be eager to bring him along as proven when he briefly steps inside. Kaeya abandons the last of his breakfast to rush to his side and follow him out the door.

The ride to Mondstadt is uneventful, but Kaeya isn’t bored in the least. He fills the silence with questions like when will they pick Diluc up, what they’re having for lunch, and what he needs to do in the city. The rest of the time, he simply stares outside, watching the trees pass by them until the city eventually comes into view. As soon as the large lake comes into view, he smiles. It looks the same in the future and the city that lies in the middle has barely changed. The stone walls remain strong, the windmills gracefully moving, and the water is as calm as could be in the land of anemo.

It feels like he hasn’t been back in years and he glances at the knights that walk along the road in their patrol and wave as they pass by. He looks up at Master Crepus as he looks outside as well. “It’s pretty, isn’t it?” he asks.

Kaeya nods. “Yes, it is,” he replies.

The vintner turns his attention back to him. “I have some things to do at the tavern and Elzer is running some errands for me. You’re more than welcome to stay with me or go with him, and then after I’m done, we’ll have some lunch with Diluc and we’ll all head home from there.”

He pauses. He’d like to stay at the tavern, but he doesn’t know if he will get another chance to wander the city without Diluc by his side. As much as he enjoys the other boy’s company, he isn’t the stealthiest at this age. He needs to rifle through Eroch’s office, find any and all evidence of his deals with the Fatui. He can’t do that if Diluc talks the entire time and risks getting them caught. He turns away from the view to glance at Master Crepus. “Can I go to the library?” he asks. “I promise I’ll be quiet.”

“The library? I don’t see why not, but Elzer will need to stay with you.”

“Wouldn’t it be counterproductive if he stays with me? You’ll work at the tavern, he’ll do his errands, and I get to read a bunch of books.”

Master Crepus raises a brow. “Why are you so eager to go to the library so early today?”

“Ah… I’ve read all the books at home, and I’d like to get more.” It’s not a lie, and maybe he can bring a few extra books along with him back to the manor.

The man doesn’t look surprised. “You do enjoy reading, don’t you?”

Kaeya nods.

“I suppose you can go to the library. However, I still want Elzer to stay with you.”

He doesn’t voice his disappointment. He doesn’t want or need a babysitter, especially one like Elzer. The butler would never take his eyes off him and he would follow him around and cling to him like a shadow. He’d never get a chance to do his investigation. He needs to somehow convince Elzer that he will be fine at the library alone.

Hopefully, the ever-loyal Elzer will leave him be for at least a few minutes.

“It will bring me peace of mind if you have someone with you.”

He looks at Master Crepus with surprise. When he sees the worried look on his face, he feels immediately guilty. He’s supposed to be a child and in this life, he has already been attacked and injured by a monster. Suddenly, he understands where Master Crepus is coming from. It’s no wonder he wouldn’t want him wandering around a strange city alone.

“…Okay,” he says. He feels guilty knowing he plans to ditch Elzer, but he can’t have Master Crepus get his hands on a delusion. He’ll take any punishment if it means it’ll save him.

Master Crepus looks relieved. “Thank you, Kaeya.”

Kaeya looks outside again as they reach the bridge. The guards at the entrance are obviously different knights than he’s used to, but the posts are still the same and just like the knights they passed earlier, they also wave as they enter the city. When he looks up near the top of the wall, the unmanned posts have knights patrolling them.

He smiles at the nostalgia. He’s missed seeing the city, as busy as it is. Mondstadt has always had bustling mornings full of people running their daily errands yet he’s grateful that Angel’s Share isn’t as busy as it is at night. The carriage stops beside the tavern and he steps out of the carriage with a stretch.

Master Crepus steps out after him and leads him and Elzer inside. “Good morning, Charles,” Master Crepus greets.

Kaeya looks at the bar. Charles is standing behind the counter cleaning some mugs, but the wrinkles he has grown used to seeing aren’t as prominent, and his hair isn’t as long. Charles smiles back at Master Crepus. “Good morning, Master Ragnvindr,” he replies. “Everything is ready for you in the back.” He looks down when he finally spots Kaeya. “You must be Kaeya. Master Diluc has told me all about you. He seemed very upset you didn’t come with him to town last time.”

Master Crepus laughs. “Kaeya has been bored recently, and we’ll go see Diluc after I’m done with everything.” He looks at Elzer. “I’ll be right back.” He walks behind the bar and disappears into the back room in a few short strides.

Kaeya looks around the tavern as Charles and Elzer talk while they wait for Master Crepus to return. The tavern’s interior has hardly changed, although a few decorations look much newer and the tables are not as worn down. The few patrons that are there are just as loud as ever, and Kaeya snorts. One of them he recognizes as a treasure hoarder he arrested when he was a captain a few months prior, but he won’t say anything about his affiliations to anyone. Not yet, anyway.

If he wants to be on neutral terms with the hoarders, then he’ll need someone on the inside in the future. This one in particular had always been a good source of information, however after one too many attacks on civilians, he couldn’t protect him from the law anymore. He looks away before the man notices him staring.

Master Crepus returns almost as quickly as he’d left and hands a thin folder to Elzer. “I’ll meet up with you later, we’ll leave town after lunch.”

“Of course, Master Ragnvindr,” Elzer replies.

They both look at Kaeya. “Do you still want to go with Elzer?”

He nods.

“Very well. Make sure he doesn’t run off and get into any trouble. I’ll be here if you need anything. Kaeya, behave and listen to Elzer.”

“I will,” he replies.

“Come along, young master,” Elzer says to Kaeya. He opens the door and holds it for him to dash through. “We’ll get this done and then head to the library.”

Kaeya obediently follows the butler and looks around as they reach the main street. It feels much busier in person than from the carriage even though he knows hardly anything has changed in the past few minutes since they arrived. It’s loud, and had he still been a child, he would have turned and run straight back to the tavern.

He avoids running into people and huffs as he has to nearly jog to keep up with Elzer’s quick pace. It’s another reason to add to his list of why he hates being a child again. Fortunately, Elzer slows down as they get close to the general goods stall.

Once they stop and wait in the short line, he glances at the folder that the man opens. He needs to find a way to ditch Elzer, but when he asks if he can go to the library alone, he’s instantly denied and told to stay close.

He scowls and looks around. He can see the Knights of Favonius headquarters from here, and with whatever else Master Crepus assigned Elzer to do this morning, he’s positive they would be running around too long for him to actually get anything done before they needed to leave. It’s also likely that Elzer won’t have the patience to stay for too long.

He sees children running around screeching at the top of their lungs as they play near the fountain and then looks back up at Elzer. “Mondstadt is really, really safe,” he says.

“I have already said no, Master Kaeya.” Elzer looks at him with a disapproving look. “Why are you insisting to go to the library right now?”

“They don’t have adults with them.” He points at the playing children. “Besides, I know where the library is. I can go there and wait for you to get done.”

He raises a brow. “How do you know where the library is? I thought you’d only been to the city once before.”

Kaeya points to the building above them past the stairs to prove he knows where the library is. Its tower and flat roof are distinguishable amongst the colorful roofs of the city, and he doesn’t hide his smirk when Elzer’s gaze follows his finger. “It’s in there, the Knights of Favonius Headquarters. Diluc told me so.”

“I guess you do know where it is.” He looks at the older woman in front of them. “However, you still shouldn’t be going off alone.”

“Please, Elzer?”

Elzer doesn’t say anything and Kaeya tries not to groan in his frustration.

Ugh, come on, he thinks. He tries a different approach. “You and Addie and Master Crepus let Diluc run around by himself all over the place. How come I can’t?”

“Because Master Diluc is older than you are.”

“He’s barely older than me, that doesn’t make any sense.” He motions to the children again. “They’re smaller than me! How come they can play without anyone babysitting them?”

“Because their parents are likely nearby or they are irresponsible.” He looks at a rather long list that sits in the folder. “I will get this done as fast as possible and then we can go to the library just like we planned.”

Kaeya huffs again. “I would only slow you down with all those errands Master Crepus gave you.” He nods to the list he’s going over. “That looks like a lot of stuff to do and I’d get super tired and start complaining and I know how much you don’t like it when we complain.”

Elzer’s long sigh makes him grin. Finally, he’s starting to crack. “Master Kaeya, please don’t start this.”

He gives him his best puppy eye look and asks again, “Please, Elzer?”

He pinches the bridge of his nose with two fingers and a loud groan.

“I promise I won’t leave the building!”

He looks down at him and takes a deep breath through his nostrils as he looks at the list. He shifts his weight as he turns to face him. “All right, all right, fine. But you’re to stay at the library and that’s it. If I hear you’re running around the city, I will drag you to Angel’s Share by the ear and you’re answering to Master Crepus.”

Kaeya internally cheers. “I will!” He turns around and starts running towards the stairs, barely hearing Elzer telling him to be careful when he almost runs into a woman’s legs. He can feel his eyes follow him and once he reaches the final step, he looks back at the general goods store. Elzer is at last preoccupied with the lady behind the counter and he sighs in relief.

Finally, he’s alone. He starts making his way to the headquarters, knowing that Elzer will likely hurry through his errands since he doesn’t want to get caught without Kaeya around. He also knows that most of the higher-ranked officers are in meetings around this time.

It’s the perfect time to sneak into Eroch’s office, gather what evidence he can, and leave. In and out, that’s all he’s going to do. He’ll be waiting in the library reading a random book until Elzer gets back and no one will be the wiser. Of course, he has to worry about the other knights guarding the building but he’s not worried about them stopping him.

As he reaches the building a short walk later, he sees a single guard that spots him immediately. “Hey, kid, what are you doing here?” he asks as he approaches. He then looks around. “Where are your parents?”

“They let me come to visit the library until they’re done running some errands,” he easily answers.

“A studious one, aren’t you?” He chuckles. “Go on in. Just remember to be quiet when you’re in the library.”

“I will!” He pushes the door open and lets it close behind him as he walks inside. He glanced at a door with a slight frown. He doesn’t know who the cavalry captain is right now, but the door is closed and there isn’t any light coming from underneath it.

Seeing his would-be office makes him miss being a knight. He half expects Klee to run through the front doors and drag him outside to visit Albedo at the alchemy station or Jean to come down the stairs to reprimand him for skipping his paperwork again. He quickly looks away and starts walking to the library doors when a knight walks by and gives him a strange look.

Kaeya moves as though he’s going to open the door but once the knight leaves and he’s alone in the hallway, he rushes to a closed door near the staircase. He opens it quickly when he hears footsteps on the staircase and rushes inside. He closes it as quietly as he can and holds his breath as the footsteps get closer. Thankfully, they keep going and fade away down the hall.

He lets out the breath and turns around to face the office. He’s glad the window allows enough sunlight inside to allow him to move around without having to light a candle. However, being inside the office makes him frown again. In the future, all traces of Eroch has been wiped and it becomes the solitary confinement room.

He peers at the desktop but turns away from it. The desk in the middle is clean, the pen and quill set next to the ink bottle and papers neatly stacked beside them on the corner but the files he sees in the bookcase in the corner of the room catch his attention. He pulls out a few files, but they are just completed cases, mostly low-grade crimes and various hilichurl camp sightings.

He puts them away with a disappointed sigh and freezes again when there are more footsteps that approach and keep going. He needs to hurry, it’s only a matter of time before someone opens the door. He can’t keep pausing every time he hears a noise from the opposite side of the door.

He works fast, going through the drawers of the cabinets but he has to pull the chair from behind the desk out to even hope of reaching the top shelves. After struggling to pull out a book, he scowls at it. It’s a simple book that lists all of Mondstadt merchants that have permanent stores inside the city, even Master Crepus is in here.

This is normal information, but he pauses before he puts it back. Why would Inspector Eroch have a book like this? Wouldn’t something like this be in a financial officer’s possession? He slowly puts the book back and climbs back down.

If he were Eroch, where would he hide any Fatui intel? There isn’t a safe in here, and he couldn’t find any locked drawers. He glances at the desk. He opens the single drawer again, watching as some pens roll to the front and bounce off of the edge.

He pushes them to the side and pulls out a small pin-like object that slides into view from the back. He flips it around in his hand and quickly realizes that it’s a key to something small. He glances at the filing cabinet next to the bookcase. Small… like a false bottom of a drawer.

At the very least, it’s worth a look. He quickly goes to it and shoves the files piled inside to the back. The first drawer shows nothing but once he opens the second drawer, he grins. A tiny hole rests in the bottom corner, easily missed if anyone wasn’t looking for it. Using the little key, he presses down and it lets out a soft click.

“What are we hiding in here?” he mutters to himself as he lifts it and reaches down. A thin folder is resting there and he pulls it and the key out before closing the drawer again. Kaeya sets the key onto the cabinet and opens it with a grin. Bingo.

He knows these names listed on the piece of paper. He’s studied all kinds of cases as a knight, and all of these names he recognizes as missing persons cases, but he freezes when he sees his own name written down at the bottom.

That… has never been there, especially Kaeya Alberich. How would Eroch know what his last name is? The Fatui should have no idea who he is, either. The only person he’s told his last name is Master Crepus, and he highly doubts the winemaker would let loose that information.

He flips to another paper, and he scowls instantly. The Goth Grand Hotel’s information is next, and a large sum of mora at the bottom makes his eye widen with astonishment. “How many zeros is that?” he wonders out loud. But the name of the person who paid that much at the bottom…

He knows the name of the ninth harbinger, Regrator. He curses quietly. The Fatui are already starting to infiltrate Mondstadt. He’s too late. He takes the first two papers and puts them into his pocket and goes through the rest of the small folder. Not much else is inside of it, and he quickly puts it back underneath the drawer and locks it back up.

He’s careful to put the key back into the desk and makes sure everything is the same as when he got in, sans two papers, and nods to himself. Mission successful. He has what he needs and heads for the door.

He reaches for the handle but it opens wide before he can touch it. His heart skips a beat when he sees Inspector Eroch and the man looks just as surprised to see him. A smile forms on Eroch’s face, a fake one that makes Kaeya gulp. “Good morning, Kaeya.”

Shit. “Hello.”

His eyes scan through his office and Kaeya feels his stomach drop. He hadn’t expected him to come in already. Double shit. The inspector looks back down at him. “What are you doing here?”

“I was looking for the library,” he lies. “I just got lost.”

He hums. “This place is awfully large, isn’t it?”

“Yes, it is… um, but I should probably go. Elzer’s waiting for me.”

He shifts uneasily on his feet when Eroch doesn’t step aside and rubs his chin. “Elzer… Ah, yes, that’s Master Ragnvindr’s butler, correct?”

He nods, getting more and more anxious the longer Eroch stands there. “I said I’d meet him back in the library when he comes to get me.”

He doesn’t like the way his beady eyes look at him. Why is he making him feel so uneasy? “Why don’t we wait for him here? I wouldn’t want you to be alone. It would make me feel better if you have an adult with you.”

As Diluc would say, he would rather be crushed to death by a meteorite than be anywhere near Eroch. “No, that’s okay. I can wait for him in the library.”

He stands there for a few seconds more until at last, he steps aside and gives him enough space for him to hurry by. Before he can get too far, Eroch puts a hand on his shoulder to stop him. Kaeya stiffens immediately at his touch and looks up.

Eroch is staring at him, a deep frown etched on his face. “And you really just got lost? I wouldn’t want anything to happen to you if you saw anything in here.”

He knows an underlying threat when he hears one. He frowns and immediately shakes his head. “I really thought this would be the library. I was only in here for a few seconds and was about to leave when you came.”

“Kaeya!” They both look at the front door and Kaeya feels Eroch’s hand drop from his shoulder quickly. He relaxes even as Elzer narrows his eyes at him and rushes to his side. “I’m sorry if he’s bothering you, Sir Eroch,” he says and bows his head apologetically. “I told him to stay in the library until I got here.”

“Ah, it’s no problem.” Eroch’s tone is much lighter, and he smiles at the butler. “I saw him when I passed by and I simply pulled him aside to speak with him.” Kaeya glances at him and he returns the look. “I was worried about him being alone, but he’s a good kid.”

His eyebrows twitch as he struggles not to glare. Why is Eroch lying? He forces a smile to convince only Elzer. “We had a nice chat, Elzer.”

“Oh, good. Come, young master. Did you want to check out a book?” He turns around, leading Kaeya away from Eroch and the office.

“No, it’s okay. I’ve read all those books in the library.”

“Every single one? I somehow doubt that.” He opens the front door and Kaeya glances behind them. Eroch is still watching them and when he notices Kaeya’s look, he smiles one last time and turns to walk into his office.

The doors to the headquarters close behind them and Elzer takes Kaeya’s hand as they walk away with the excuse that it would be easy to get lost.

If he’s holding onto Kaeya’s hand as they walk to Angel’s Share a bit too tight, neither of them mentions it.

Chapter Text

Diluc grunts as he swings his slightly-too-big claymore at a prone target. He’s made sure he’s at least a few feet away from Jean, so as to not cause their elements to create another swirl they aren’t prepared for… again. Master Varka wasn’t pleased last time they almost burned half the training grounds down and had made Diluc not only clean their mess but also run until he couldn’t feel his legs anymore.

He is happy he isn’t in a classroom today. He finds class sessions boring and mostly unnecessary since they were given a handbook weeks ago that he’s already read through twice. He knows that new knights such as himself need to learn the laws of Mondstadt and know the lay of the land but he wants to fall asleep every time he steps into that classroom.

At least most of his training is focused on the physical and combat aspect of being a knight. With increasing monster attacks, the knights have been spread throughout Mondstadt and clearing hilichurl camps left and right.

For vision bearers such as himself, they have a special course on top of everything else. After classroom sessions and physical training with their fellow trainees, they are sent to the training grounds normally for an hour or two to practice using their visions. There aren’t many vision bearers at his age, but as Jean stands beside him on the training field, her training sword loosely held in her hand, he’s glad he’s not alone.

She isn’t old enough to participate in official training quite yet, but Master Varka has given up trying to stop her from joining Diluc’s vision training. When Diluc glances over at her, she’s stabbing at the training dummy with a burst of anemo that pushes a cool breeze towards him. He doesn’t know how she got her vision and she doesn’t like to talk about it, so he doesn’t push it.

Today is a shorter training day than normal. Father had told him before he left that he would join him for lunch today, so naturally, Master Varka insisted he practices using his vision all morning until he arrives.

Diluc pants as he swings his pyro-coated claymore again and slams it against the dummy in front of him. Sweat clings to his body like a second layer of skin and the late morning summer sun beats down on them mercilessly. Thanks to his vision, the heat doesn’t bother him as much anymore but he can hear Jean breathing heavily. It makes him glad that summer isn’t going to be as bad for him in the future.

Master Varka stands near him, stopping him every few swings to correct his form or tell him not to put so much energy into one swing. He keeps an eye on Jean as well, mostly to make sure she doesn’t hurt herself or others while she’s there.

Or almost destroy the training grounds again, but they don’t talk about that.

Just as the sun nears its peak, Master Varka stops them both and smiles as Diluc sets the tip of his claymore onto the ground. “You did well today. Remember not to swing too wide, it’ll leave you open to counterattacks.” His eyes trail over to Jean. “As for you, I better not catch you here outside of training hours to practice again.”

Jean’s face flushes in embarrassment. “Yes, sir,” she meekly replies.

“Good.” He looks back at Diluc. “I expect you to be back in two days. Get some rest, you’ll need it.”

Diluc salutes with a strong, “Yes, sir!” As soon as he’s gone, however, he immediately leans against his claymore. “It’s so hot,” he complains once they’re alone.

Despite how tired they are, Jean laughs as she puts the training sword away. “Aren’t you the one with the pyro vision?” she asks.

“That doesn’t mean I can’t get hot.” He stares at his claymore and his grip on the handle tightens. He needs to get stronger, a little heat won’t stop him but he knows Master Varka would catch him and stop him before he can get much more practice in. If he’d had this vision before…

With a huff, he dismisses his thoughts and his blade disappears into a flurry of little lights, ignoring the curious glance Jean sends him. He turns to start walking out of the training grounds and heads back to headquarters to wait for Father to arrive.

Jean catches up to him in a few short strides and walks beside him. She leans forward a bit to look at him better and asks, “What’s wrong?”

Is he really that easy to read? He sighs. “I just wish I’d gotten my vision sooner,” he admits. He glances at his hip where the pyro symbol gleams in the sunlight.

Her face softens in understanding. “It must have been scary. I’m sorry you had to go through that, but at least you’re all right.”

He grits his teeth as his temper rises. He’s not angry at anyone but himself. Angry at his inability to protect himself and Kaeya. “I need to get stronger.”

“You will. I heard some of the knights say that you’re one of the most promising recruits they’ve seen. Someone said they think you’ll become a captain in just a few years, and even my mother has recognized your talents; that’s hard to get.”

He snorts. He’s never liked her mother, she is too uptight and always says things like, “For Mondstadt this, for Mondstadt that.” He can understand why the Seneschal doesn’t get along with her anymore. “I don’t need her recognition.”

She looks away with a strange emotion on her face that he can’t place. “Why do you need to get stronger?” she asks.

The monster appears in his mind and he holds back a shudder. He looks down to avoid meeting her eyes. “I was scared,” he admits softly. He can feel her eyes on him, but he still refuses to meet her gaze. “I couldn’t do anything and I just froze. If it wasn’t for Kaeya, I would have been injured but had I been stronger, then I could have fought it off. Kaeya wouldn’t have gotten hurt.”

“But Kaeya’s okay, right? That’s what you told me.”

He shrugs and raises his head again. “I don’t know. He’s been acting really weird since the attack. He hardly ever talks to me and he doesn’t like to play anymore. He used to cry all the time when I went places he couldn’t, but now he doesn’t and he seems… happy when I’m not there.” Diluc hesitates and wrings his hands together nervously. “He’s not… he’s not mad at me, is he?” The last part he whispers, and he catches the surprised look on Jean’s face when he lifts his head back up.

She shakes her head. “Why would he be mad at you?”

“Because I didn’t fight the monster. He tried to protect me and I let him get hurt.”

She tilts her head. “You think you were supposed to fight off a monster without a weapon or a vision and get out of it just fine? Kaeya wouldn’t be mad at you for that.”

“He should be.” He stops walking once they reach headquarters. The guard outside looks bored and spares them a brief glance before he goes back to staring off into space, clearly uninterested in their conversation. “I would be angry.”

“Well, Kaeya doesn’t have a temper like you do.”

He gawks at her. “I do not have a temper!” He knows he does, but he wants to deny it.

“Yes, you do.”

“No, I don’t!”

She rolls her eyes but doesn’t add anything else. She easily shifts the conversation back and says, “There haven’t been any other monsters near the winery, have there?”

He shakes his head. “No.”

She hums. “Well, maybe it was just a one-time thing. I think you need to spend some time with Kaeya. Try talking to him, find out why he’s been acting weird.”

He huffs when he remembers what happened a few weeks ago when he tried telling someone about it. “He made Adelinde yell at me when I tried to call him out. He even laughed at me!”

She snickers, and immediately tries to hide it behind her hand.

He scowls at her. “What’s so funny?”

“He’s like your little brother. That’s what younger siblings do.”

He doesn’t understand what she’s trying to say. What does she mean by ‘that’s what younger siblings do?’ “What are you talking about?”

“You’ll understand sooner or later.”

But he wants to understand now. He has never had a sibling before. It was a drastic change practically overnight since Kaeya arrived, but he wouldn’t change it for the world. All he wants is to make sure the other boy is all right.

She smiles, not seeing his internal conflict. “I have to go. Just talk to him and ask if you can do anything to help.”

Diluc returns the wave she sends as she walks off and slowly lowers his hand once he’s alone. He walks to a bench that rests near the building and sits on it. He closes his eyes as a gentle breeze picks up and he lets out a sigh of relief. Despite it being summer and the pyro vision that helps manage the heat, he’s grateful for the winds that help cool him down.

He opens his eyes to turn around on the bench and peer down at the market below. The city folk are always moving, and from here he can see the fountain where small children are playing. His eyes trail towards two boys leaning on the fountain’s edge, staring down at the water and one of them points at something inside of it. He says something that makes the other one jump up in excitement and soon the two of them are running off to play.

That used to be him and Kaeya. They always did everything together and were hardly ever apart from each other. When he first arrived at the manor, Kaeya had been so timid that Diluc thought he couldn’t speak. He slowly began to open up and spoke with a strange accent that quickly disappeared over the next few months. Eventually, his timid personality gave way to his mischievousness and now even the workers outside aren’t spared from the clever pranks he pulls.

He loses his smile slowly and lets out a long sigh. He misses the days when Kaeya would often ask to play with him and run around to purposely annoy Elzer all the time or explore the area around the river near the winery. It makes him frown as he remembers the monster again. He heard Father say he could still be scared of it just like he is.

He turns back around and fists his hands in determination. He’ll figure out a way to help Kaeya be normal again. If what he heard from Hillie and Moco is true, Father is considering adoption so he’s going to be an older brother. It makes him excited to think about and he smiles as he unfurls his hands to look at the vision sitting on his hip. He has the power to protect him now, he just needs to get stronger and learn to wield it properly, preferably sooner rather than later.

He looks up when he hears Father’s voice call for him nearby and he smiles when he sees Kaeya with him. He’s glad Kaeya has more confidence now, so instead of hiding behind Father’s legs every time they are out in public, he stands beside him with a smile.

Diluc pauses for a brief moment. The smile that sits on Kaeya’s face looks strained, perhaps a bit nervous the closer they get to him. Then he notices that Father is holding onto his hand to keep him close. Did something happen? Kaeya doesn’t normally like his hand being held like that, even before the monster attack. He tends to stray from physical touch.

“Hello, Diluc,” Father greets once they’re close enough. “Ready to go?”

He jumps off the bench with ease just as his stomach grumbles. “Yep! I’m starving, what are we having to eat?” he asks.

“I was thinking we could go by Good Hunter. How does that sound?”

He eagerly nods his head. “I can eat anything right now.”

“Even broccoli?”

He sticks his tongue out in disgust. “Anything but that.”

Kaeya giggles. “What’s wrong with broccoli?” he asks.

“Everything! It feels funny and it tastes like grass!”

He blinks. “How do you know what grass tastes like?”

“No reason,” he answers a bit too quickly. It makes Kaeya eye him curiously, a sparkle of mischief flashing in his starry eye. “I said there’s no reason.”

The corner of his mouth tilts upward. “I didn’t say anything. I’m simply trying to understand how you would know what grass tastes like. You’ve tried to eat it before, haven’t you?”

His cheeks turn pink and he sputters, “N-no! No, I haven’t!”

Father places his free hand on the top of his head. “All right, that’s enough, you two. Let’s go before Elzer wonders what’s taking us so long to eat and go back to the tavern.” He pulls his hand away and then wipes it on his pants. “And when we get home, you’re taking a bath, Diluc.”

Kaeya glances at him and his nose scrunches up a little. “Ew,” he mutters. He quickly looks away to avoid meeting his glare.

“There’s nothing gross about sweat! It’s the mark of hard work!”

“You sound too much like Varka,” he hears Father mutter. He isn’t sure if he was supposed to hear that but it makes him snicker anyhow.

They make their way to Good Hunter in record time, and Diluc picks out a table for them to sit at as Father goes to wait in line and order some food. Kaeya sits across from him and immediately, Diluc notices the way he is fiddling with his thumbs and how his leg can’t seem to stop bouncing.

He blinks as he watches him fold his hands in his lap, as if he’s trying to get himself to stop being so jittery. The other boy is anxious about something. What happened? He’s usually never like this anymore, even before the attack. “Are you okay, Kaeya?” he asks.

Kaeya’s eye flicks up at him and he quickly nods. “I’m okay,” he answers smoothly.

“Are you nervous because you’re in the city?” It could be just that. Kaeya doesn’t typically go into town with him or Father. They’ve usually had to fight to get him to leave the winery.

This time, he shakes his head. “No.” He forces another smile and Diluc frowns yet again. The forced emotion that he’s trying to push at him doesn’t sit right on the boy’s face. “You don’t need to worry about it.”

“But I am. You’ve been acting so weird lately. Did the monster really scare you that much?”

He looks surprised and he shakes his head. “No! No, it’s not the monster. It’s something else that’s bothering me, is all.”

“Oh. Well, maybe we can go to the river after we get back home. We could go looking for calla lilies for Addie if you like.”

The corners of his lips tug upwards and he nods. “Yeah… we can do that.” Then he loses the smile. “Only after you take a bath. You stink.”

He gapes at him as if he hadn’t heard him right. He looks down at himself and then back up. “Wha—no, I do not!”

“Yes, you do. You smell like an old knight’s dirty sock that hasn’t been washed in weeks.”

Diluc rolls his eyes at him. Then, he grins as he quips, “And how do you know what an old knight’s dirty sock that hasn’t been washed in weeks smells like?”

He narrows his eye. “How uncouth, turning my words against me, ’Luc. I’m wounded.”

He laughs. It’s nothing that Kaeya doesn’t deserve.

Father returns to their table shortly and sits in the unoccupied seat. “How was training, Diluc?” he asks.

He groans tiredly. “Master Varka made me do a lot of running and then vision training right after,” he answers.

Kaeya smirks but he doesn’t say anything when he takes a drink of water.

Diluc huffs at him. “If you want to be a knight, you’ll have to do lots of running too, Kaeya. You’re going to complain about it, too.”

“Oh, I’m sure I will, but not nearly as much as you,” he replies.

“No fighting at the table, boys,” Father interrupts them instantly. He thanks the waitress that approaches and sets their food onto the table. He thanks her and when she’s gone, he tells them, “Eat up and then we’ll head back home.”

Diluc immediately begins to devour the pile ‘em up he has in front of him, eager to get back home, and barely hears Father telling him to slow down before he chokes on his food. He flicks his eyes toward Kaeya, who eats a little slower than normal but is enjoying the skewers anyway.

Had he been overreacting earlier? Kaeya seems fine now that they’re eating and he whines as Father uses a napkin to wipe some sauce that gets on his cheek. Diluc returns to his lunch. Maybe he’s overthinking things. The other boy has always acted a little strange at times.

Father told him what trauma is a while ago after he’d asked why Kaeya isn’t the same and it makes him feel guilty that he can’t immediately take it away like he wants to. After all, it’s his fault he’s this way now.

Even if Kaeya doesn’t remember the monster, Diluc wonders if his head is telling him to still be scared of it. He gives himself a tiny nod. Yes, that’s it. Diluc’s still scared of it, and there hasn’t been a single monster sighting near the winery since then. He can understand why Kaeya would still be afraid. He ignores the way Kaeya tilts his head questioningly at him and pushes his empty plate forward.

Kaeya’s eye drifts towards the empty plate. “You must have been really hungry,” he says. He bites into a mushroom.

Father looks impressed as he looks at the empty plate and asks, “Are you still hungry, Diluc? I can always order some more food for you.”

“No, I’m full.” He sits back in his chair to wait for them to finish their food as well. He watches as Kaeya finishes first and then smiles as an idea pops into his mind. “Father?”

Father’s eyes flick to him and without missing a beat, he replies, “Yes, that’s me. I’m Father.”

Kaeya laughs quietly behind his hands and Diluc sends his father an unimpressed look.

Father looks too proud of himself. “What is it, Diluc?”

“Can we go to the beach tomorrow? I don’t have to go back to training for two days and we haven’t been to the beach in forever.”

He hums in thought, probably going over his schedule in his mind. Diluc knows his father is always busy, but he’s not worried about him saying ‘no.’ He always seems to make time for him even on the busiest days. “I don’t see why not. I don’t think I have anything important to do.”

He smiles wider when he sees the enthusiastic look in Kaeya’s eye. He’s happy to see it and he whoops loudly in excitement and in the moment, he doesn’t care that his chair leans a little too far back. He feels his heart leap into his throat when he keeps going backwards and he yelps as he falls backwards with the chair.

Kaeya laughs a little too hard when he topples over it and nearly loses his grip on his skewer. Father barely scolds them both and Diluc doesn’t lunge at Kaeya when he threatens to not take them to the beach if they don’t behave.

He crosses his arms as he sits back down into the chair and narrows his eyes at the other boy as he wipes his eye. “It really wasn’t that funny,” he mumbles.

“Yes, it was,” he replies. “The look on your face was a sight to behold. Who knew a little fall like that would make you look like that.” His face mimics whatever expression he’d seen and falls into another fit of giggles when Diluc glares at him.

It takes all of his willpower not to leap over the table and attempt to strangle him right there.

No, Kaeya isn’t acting strange. He’s still a little shit when he wants to be.

It’s night when he quietly cracks his bedroom door open. He pokes his head out into the hall to check for Adelinde, Elzer, or Father. When he sees that the coast is clear, he tip toes out of his room as quietly as he can and shuts the door behind him. Bed time was at least an hour ago, but he can’t sleep in his too-warm room.

He takes a step to go to Kaeya’s room but he pauses as he looks toward his father’s office. The light underneath is still on and he can hear voices on the other side. Father works late into the night sometimes so he’s unsurprised to see it on, but usually he’s not talking to anyone. Curious, he presses an ear against the door when he recognizes Elzer’s muffled voice say, “…and watched us leave.”

He hears Father sigh. He sounds tired and he hears his exhaustion when he asks, “Did he try anything?”

Diluc frowns. It sounds like Father should join Adelinde and take a vacation as well.

“Not to my knowledge,” Elzer answers. “He didn’t say anything, but he was nervous when I picked him up.”

He feels confused. What are they talking about? Father curses and he jolts in surprise. He never swears, they must be talking about something serious… Maybe he is intruding. He feels like he shouldn’t be hearing this but curiosity has taken hold and he wants to know more.

The creaking of leather makes it sound like Father is moving in his chair to grab something. “Next time, even if he begs, don’t let him out of your sight, Elzer. I don’t care if he throws a tantrum. If he starts that, just bring him back to me and I’ll handle it.”

“Of course, sir. I truly am sorry, Master Crepus.”

“It’s all right. I know how convincing he can be when he wants something. You just need not to fall into his tricks.” His tone is softer when he adds, “And please stop calling me that after working hours. It’s ‘Crepus’ to you, Elzer. I’m just another man after sundown.”

Elzer barks out a laugh. “Try telling Kaeya that.”

Father lets out another sigh. “Barbatos knows I have.” Papers shuffle. “Maybe this will change that.”

“I’m certain it will, Crepus.”

Have they been talking about Kaeya this whole time? Something grips his gut and tells him that they are. What happened earlier? He jumps away from the door when he hears footsteps behind him and looks back to see Adelinde carrying a small try with three teacups.

She looks surprised to see him and asks, “Master Diluc? What are you doing up?”

“I was going to see if Kaeya was still awake,” he admits quietly.

She raises a brow. “That isn’t Master Kaeya’s bedroom.”

He sheepishly nods. “I know, but I heard Elzer and Father talking.”

He winces when he hears the door open behind him, likely because the two men inside heard them speaking. He looks up as Father blinks at him. “Diluc? I thought you were asleep. What are you doing out of bed?” he asks.

“I couldn’t sleep.” He steps out of the way for Elzer to walk by to give the two of them some privacy.

Father’s face softens and he looks at Adelinde. “I’ll come downstairs for the tea in a few minutes. Thank you, Adelinde.”

She bows her head slightly and replies, “Of course, Master Crepus.” She smiles as she turns around, clearly knowing what she is doing if Father’s eye roll and Elzer’s quiet laughter didn’t give it away.

Diluc looks up at his father when the two of them are alone in the hall. “Father? What were you two talking about?” he asks.

Father puts a hand on top of his head. “It’s nothing you should worry about, Diluc. Come, let’s get you to bed, shall we?”

He frowns but follows him down the hall to go back into his room again. He watches Father open the window to allow airflow and he feels relieved to feel the cool night breeze enter. He sits down on his bed and pulls his legs up. “I heard you and Elzer talking. Did something happen to Kaeya today?”

Father glances over his shoulder and goes back to securing the window. “No, thankfully.” He turns around and sits next to him on the bed. “It is warm in here, isn’t it?”

He nods. “My room is always hot now.” He glances at his vision that rests on his bedside table. “I blame my vision for that.”

He chuckles. “I don’t think it’s because of your vision, kiddo.” He folds his hands in front of him. “How much of our conversation did you eavesdrop?”

He feels his cheeks turn warm and he rubs his arm. “Um, I started listening when you told Elzer not to let someone out of his sight.” He looks up at his father. “Were you talking about Kaeya?”

Curiously, Father glances away. “Yes, we were.” He tightens the grip he has on his own hands. The brief silence makes Diluc fidget. Father looks like he wants to say something, but why is he hesitating?

Diluc is about to ask him what’s wrong when Father says, “Diluc, I need you to promise me something.”

He blinks. “What is it?”

He turns his eyes back to him, his gaze hard and it makes him nervous under the intense look. “If you can avoid it, don’t be alone with Inspector Eroch. Do you understand?”

Now he’s even more confused. Why is Father bringing up the inspector? “Why? Did something happen to him?”

He shakes his head. “No, nothing happened to him. Just promise me you’ll avoid him as much as you can.”

“Um… okay. I promise, Father.”

Father’s shoulders relax. What in Teyvat has him so stressed? “Thank you, Diluc.” He stands up. “Now, I believe it’s way past your bed time. Think you can get to sleep now?”

Now that his room is cooling down, he thinks he can. He still has questions, but as he yawns, he feels like they can wait for tomorrow. “Yes.” He crawls underneath the sheets and giggles as Father’s stubble tickles his face when he kisses his forehead. “You need to shave, Father.”

He chuckles. “You think so? I quite like my beard.”

He looks at his father’s chin. “Master Varka has a real beard. You have… whatever that is on your face.”

He clutches his chest in mock offense. “I’m hurt, by my own son, nonetheless. Whatever will I do?” He lowers his hand with a smile and takes the door handle. “Get some sleep, Diluc.”

“Good night, Father.” He watches the door close and snuggles deeper into his sheets once he hears the soft click.

He half-expects Kaeya to find his way into his room at some point, either because he also can’t sleep or he had a nightmare again.

Eventually, he falls asleep and Kaeya doesn’t come to his room at all during the night.

Chapter Text

The sun rises above the trees early in the morning and Kaeya squints as it shines brightly in his eye. Songbirds sing loudly as cool wind breezes through his hair and he involuntarily shivers. He pulls the light sweater he has on closer to himself, kicking at the dirt with a foot as they wait for Master Crepus to come back. It’s too early to be up and running about, but Diluc had woken everyone up and after a quick breakfast, they’re outside getting ready to go to Falcon Coast. A prime location for a day of relaxation in the soon-to-be hot summer day.

 He yawns and looks up at the horse he’s standing next to. The chestnut mare is much larger than he remembers—and younger, too. She lowers her head and he leans back when her head gets too close to him. He’s well aware of her biting, it’s a habit she has never broken despite how many times both he and Diluc have tried. “My hair is not food,” he immediately tells her.

“Lady’s tried to eat my hair before, too,” Diluc says from somewhere behind him. He reaches up to pat her shoulder. “She won’t bite you. She’s just curious.”

Kaeya looks at Lady with uncertainty. Of all the animals the Ragnvindrs have had, he can’t understand why Diluc chose Lady to be his favorite. He finds himself subconsciously hiding behind Diluc to avoid her biting when she stretches her neck toward him. He doesn’t want his day to get ruined by an old horse—well, a young one at the present time. He’s much more used to the mild-mannered old Lady she matures into but even then, he didn’t exactly enjoy his time with her.

He takes another step away from her when she ignores Diluc completely to nudge him. The other boy just laughs and takes the reigns to get her to leave him alone. Kaeya almost laughs at himself when he feels his shoulders relax. Him? Nervous around a horse? Some cavalry captain he is.

For some reason, Diluc looks back and smiles at him, an almost relieved look in his eyes. “It’s okay, Kaeya. I know she’s really big, but she’s super nice.”

Lady lets out an annoyed noise when she realizes Diluc won’t let go. Kaeya narrows his eye at her and objects, “Not when she keeps trying to bite me, she’s not.”

He laughs again. “Maybe she thinks your hair is just a giant blueberry.”

“Then she should eat yours since you look like a strawberry.”

“My hair does not look like a strawberry.”

“Fine, then a raspberry.”

Diluc isn’t impressed but he doesn’t keep bickering when Master Crepus walks around the corner leading another horse. This one is also brown but with white patches of fur on its legs and its large eyes lock onto him the moment they stop.

This one, Lilly, is older than Lady and thankfully doesn’t try to bite him or eat his hair. Lilly was Kaeya’s preferred companion up until she passed away of old age when he was fourteen. Master Crepus lets the reigns go and she doesn’t move, too interested in the grass at their feet. “You boys ready to go?” he asks them.

“I’ve been ready, you were taking forever, Father,” Diluc said and eagerly rushes back to Lady’s side.

“Hey, be nice to your old man.”

“You’re not that old, Father.”

Kaeya watches Diluc expertly climb into the saddle and looks at Lilly. He doesn’t want to get anywhere near Lady, even though she’s smaller and probably more comfortable to ride. He attempts to climb up onto Lilly’s back but scowls at the saddle when he simply can’t reach the top. Has he always been this tiny? Begrudgingly, he looks to Master Crepus for help.

The man in question chuckles. “Do you need some help?” he asks.

“Yes, please,” he mumbles. He can feel his cheeks turn warm, embarrassed. He’s never had trouble getting into a saddle—although, Lilly is a big horse. Master Crepus is barely as tall as she is.

“There’s no need to feel embarrassed, Kaeya. It’s all right to ask for help.”

For some reason, the statement makes him hesitate. He knows Master Crepus means well, but maybe he’s just talking about mounting horses. Yes, that’s it. He won’t ask for help once he can find something to climb or when he gets taller again.

Master Crepus lifts Kaeya from under the arms and when he’s sat on the saddle, he grasps the saddle horn tightly. His feet can’t reach the stirrups, and he holds on for dear life as Master Crepus mounts Lilly behind him.

“How come you don’t want to ride with me, Kaeya?” Diluc asks. He looks behind him at the basket that is tied to the saddle. “There’s plenty of room, even with the picnic basket stuff.”

Kaeya looks at the basket. It’s secured to Lady’s saddle, but even with the extra room, they would be squished together. “Because Lady tried to eat my hair,” he easily replies. “Plus, I like Lilly more.”

“It’s also better if a new rider is with a calm horse on their first trip,” Master Crepus adds.

Kaeya looks up at him with an innocent blink. “What if I’ve ridden a horse before and I just don’t like Lady?”

“Then I wouldn’t believe you since you have never wanted to go near a horse until recently.” He gives Kaeya a fond smile. “I’m glad you’re willing to get close to horses now, but you still need lessons before I let you ride on your own, or with Diluc, for that matter.”

Diluc grins. “I’m perfectly capable of riding with someone else now. Master Varka is training me in horseback riding, too.”

“Exactly. You’re still training. It’ll be a while yet before you two can ride alone.” He looks at the manor as the doors open. “Adelinde, are you ready?”

Diluc turns in his seat and Kaeya leans forward to peer behind Master Crepus. Adelinde closes the door behind her, dressed in casual clothes suitable for riding. She approaches Lady and Diluc looks back at Master Crepus. “Addie’s coming, too?”

She nods and replies, “Elzer is taking care of the winery’s affairs today, and I will take care of you three and keep you out of trouble.”

“We do not get into trouble!”

“I will believe that when pigs fly, young master.” She easily climbs up behind Diluc and despite his initial grumbling, he doesn’t seem to mind sharing a horse, either.

He looks up at her as he holds the reins. “Can I lead her? I want to practice some more.”

“Of course, just be careful.”

Master Crepus nods and turns Lilly towards the road. “Let’s get going,” he says. He then looks down at Kaeya and pats his head. “Get comfortable, it’ll be a while before we reach the coast.”

It doesn’t take that long to get to Falcon Coast, even when they’re stopped from time to time by a few knights along the way. They cut through Windrise and Kaeya makes a point not to stare at the broken pillar they pass, or the trees near it, or the cliff wall just beside that, or the boulder that rests on the—

He shakes his head. No, he won’t think of it today. Today, he’s just going to the beach to have fun. He doesn’t call it a family day, that wouldn’t be right of him to do. He’s only spending time with the people that are taking care of him, and maybe they’ll find some seashells to take back with them.

Eventually, the grass begins to thin and a sandy beach comes into view. Falcon Coast is void of any monsters and people, only the crabs scurry about and a few birds fly away the closer they get. Diluc can hardly sit still anymore, wanting nothing more than to jump off of Lady’s back and run into the water.

Kaeya snickers as Adelinde scolds him before he could do any of that. Master Crepus stops Lilly and slides off first before he helps Kaeya down. Kaeya looks down at the sand and turns his eye back to the water. The ocean has always brought him a sense of peace, and today is no different.

Diluc slides off of Lady and lands on his feet. “We can go play now, right, Father?” he asks Master Crepus eagerly.

“Don’t wander too far,” is all Master Crepus can get out before Diluc snatches Kaeya’s arm and runs for the beach.

Kaeya keeps up with him even after he lets go, sliding to a stop at the water’s edge. He can’t hear Adelinde or Master Crepus over the sounds of the waves, and the wind drowns out the occasional whinnying the horses make. There are a few seabirds nearby and he stares at them for a brief moment before he smirks at Diluc. “Hey, Diluc,” he says.

The other boy barely pauses, halfway through taking off his shoes. “Yeah?” he asks.

He points at the birds. “Do you want to go seabird hunting?”

He tosses his shoes and socks aside, uncaring if they landed together. “Why would we hunt them? Addie made food for us.”

He shakes his head. “No, not actual hunting. Just scaring them.”

“Why would you want to scare them? That’s not nice.”

“It’s just for fun. But if you don’t want to, we can look for—”

“Look for the perfect seashells to give Father and Addie!”

Kaeya pauses. He drops his arm with a short laugh. “Yeah, we can go seashell hunting.”

The two of them begin to scour the sandy beach for the perfect seashells, avoiding the crabs to not get pinched. He doesn’t know how many hours they run around for after that and he barely notices Master Crepus and Adelinde anymore. He wonders if they’re bored just sitting there, but one glance at them and Master Crepus simply waves before he goes back to whatever conversation he’s having with Adelinde. At least they seem to be entertained.

Diluc notices and waves back wildly. He smiles and turns to Kaeya. “We should pick out the best ones we found and then show them to Father and Addie.” He looks at the pile of shells in his shirt, holding it out as a basket. He squats down and dumps the shells onto the ground. They scatter across the sand in a loud clatter and Kaeya kneels on the ground, not caring that sand is getting into his shoes or he’s getting his knees and legs dirty.

He helps him toss the smaller and broken shells aside, and then spots one underneath a different shell. He pushes the one on top aside and turns it over in his hand curiously. He holds it up towards the sky, the sunlight shining a little through a tiny gap in the shell. This can’t be the same shell he had kept in the box, right? He had piled some seashells underneath letters he exchanged with Diluc when he left Mondstadt into a box, and then hid said box in a wall.

There’s countless seashells in the world—he can’t have chosen the same shells twice. He retracts his hand and holds it close. This new life is so similar, but at the same time, it is very different. Little moments here and there constantly remind him of his old life, and some things that are just different enough to make him remember that this isn’t just one big dream.

A smile graces his face and he puts it into his pocket for safekeeping. The water is bound to reach them and he would likely lose it to the ocean again if he forgets about it. When Diluc lets out an awed noise, he looks at him.

“Kae, look!” he exclaims. He scoops his hand into the sand and digs out a much larger shell than they found. He pulls out a nearly perfect conch, and he holds it upside down to dump sand out of it. “I’ve seen these before at the souvenir shop! If you put it against your ear, you can hear the ocean!”

Kaeya blinks slowly. “I don’t think that’s the shell.” He turns his head to the waves. “It’s not like we’re right next to the ocean.”

He rolls his eyes. “I’ll prove it when we go home. You’ll still be able to hear it even there!”

“If you say so.” He looks at him as he pushes it into his hands. He finally takes off his shoes and socks, tossing them at Master Crepus and Adelinde’s direction before he takes the shells he wants to keep to the water. Diluc follows close behind, his arms full of shells as well.

He shivers when the water brushes against their legs. It’s cold and goosebumps scatter across his body. Most of the water around here is cold from Dragonspine’s constant snowmelt. While the majority of the ice and snow is permanent, the lower portion of the mountain’s ice melts and refreezes consistently throughout the year.

He leans down to rinse the shells off and shakes off the excess water. “Want to go show them to Master Crepus?”

“You know he gets sad when you call him that?” The statement surprises Kaeya and he turns to Diluc. The redhead is frowning and he goes to stand at his side. He dips the conch into the sea water and dumps out more wet sand from inside. “You don’t have to call him ‘Father,’ but I don’t think he likes that you keep calling him ‘Master.’”

He clutches the shells in his hands tightly and looks at the two adults lounging near the horses and a tree for shade. “Everyone else calls him Master Ragnvindr or Master Crepus. Why am I any different?”

He doesn’t have the right to drop the title. Even though he has no intentions or is eager to see his birth father again, he’s still lying to Master Crepus and to Diluc. Maybe he should be calling Diluc ‘Master’ as well.

“Because I consider you family.”

His eye widens and he looks up at Diluc again. The boy is smiling as brightly as the sun, and he laughs at the dumbfounded expression he gives him. Diluc has no idea why he’s feeling as stunned as he is. He wishes he could have heard older Diluc tell him that before he died, and he can feel his grip tighten on the shells even more. “What?”

“You’ve been living with us for a little over a year.” He shifts on his feet to glance at Master Crepus and then back at him. “I don’t know if you should know yet, but I want you to know now.”

When he doesn’t continue, Kaeya tilts his head slightly, trying to play innocent. “Know what?” He knows exactly what Diluc is trying to tell him. Adoption has been in the back of his mind, he’s been too worried about other things to think about it.

“Father wants you to be a real Ragnvindr. He wants to adopt you, Kae. So, that means you can’t call him ‘Master’ anymore.” He smiles again. “You’ll be my little brother for real!”

“Adopt me?”

“Yeah! I went into Father’s office and saw adoption papers on his desk.” He scratches his cheek with a finger. “So I guess I’m not supposed to know, either. But when he does ask you, please say yes!”

He doesn’t know what he should do. He looks at the seashells in his hands and swallows a strange lump that is forming in the back of his throat. “I… don’t know. Thank you for telling me now. I can think about it.”

“I still think you should say yes. You would make Father really, really happy if you did. Now come on, we gotta go show them the cool shells we found!” He starts to run toward Master Crepus and Adelinde.

Kaeya takes a breath to calm himself down and then moves to follow him, He easily catches up to Diluc, right on his heels.

Adelinde spots them coming first and chuckles as they stop running when they’re close enough. “You boys have sand all over you,” she says.

“Look at these cool shells!” Diluc dumps his shells on the ground between them and Kaeya deposits his in the pile as well. “Don’t worry, we rinsed them off in the water so there isn’t any sand in them now.”

Master Crepus picked up the conch and turns it over in his hand. “This is a good one, Diluc,” he says. He sets it back down. “You both found some good seashells.”

“Yeah, we went seashell hunting instead of seabird hunting.”

“Seabird hunting?”

Kaeya sighs. “Not literal hunting,” he clarifies.

Diluc laughs. “Maybe we should go seabird hunting now!”

“You should eat lunch before running off again to play,” Adelinde suggested.

Master Crepus hums in agreement. “But we shouldn’t stay for too long. Looks like a storm will be coming in and I’d like to get back before we are caught up in it,” he tells them.

Kaeya follows his gaze to the ocean. In the distance, dark clouds are beginning to roll in and he hears Diluc’s pout before he sees it. Storms in Mondstadt happen often, more so in the winter and spring, but the occasional summer rainstorm is not uncommon. Adelinde pulls the basket off of Lady and sets it onto the ground between them. “There are some chicken mushroom skewers I made before we left, please enjoy,” she says.

Kaeya takes one gratefully and hums in satisfaction. He likes the skewers from Good Hunter, sure, but the way Adelinde makes them makes it ten times better. “They’re really good,” he says.

“You really like skewers, don’t you?” Diluc says and laughs at the nod he’s given.

Master Crepus tells them to get their shoes and socks back on after they eat and the wind begins to pick up. He runs over to get his things from the beach and sits down to brush the sand off of his feet and legs before he pulls his socks and shoes back on.

As he stands and pats the sand off of his clothes, he notices something move from the corner of his eye. He looks up at the cliff far from the beach and spots a distant figure. He can’t see who or what it is from this far away, but he knows that it’s staring at him.

Diluc’s voice suddenly calls for him and he jumps to turn and look at him. “Hurry up, Kaeya!” he shouts. He can barely hear Master Crepus telling him to calm down as he unties Lady and Lilly from the tree.

“Coming!” he calls back. He looks back at the cliff. There’s no one there, and he blinks a few times before he shakes his head and starts to run for Master Crepus as well.

Had he just imagined someone being there? No, there had definitely been someone there.

Who was that?

Rain pounds against the winery’s roof and the wind is loud outside of Kaeya’s bedroom window. He’d closed the curtains as tightly as he could before he went to bed, but flashes of lightning come through the cracks he couldn’t cover up.

He faces away from the window and pulls his blankets up over his head. He thought he had long outgrown this fear. Storms happen all the time, there’s no reason to be afraid. He tries not to flinch when thunder rumbles through the air.

It’s the first storm they’ve had since he first woke up but he can’t understand why he’s so jumpy still. He squeezes his eyes shut, trying not to fall into his memories again and jumps again when another loud rumble rolls through the sky. He looks up when he hears his door open, and a small voice ask, “Kaeya? Are you awake?”

He lifts the covers only to see Diluc standing at the door. “Mhm,” is all he can manage to get out.

“Can I come in?” He doesn’t say anything and Diluc steps inside anyway, closing the door behind him. He walks over, holding the stuffed toy in his hand. “I know you’re scared of storms, so maybe this will help you sleep.” He offered him the toy. “Whenever I get scared, I hug it and I feel better.”

Kaeya hesitantly takes the toy. He hasn’t slept with a toy in years, but for some reason, he doesn’t think he minds this one time. He swallows something down and mutters, “Thank you, ’Luc.”

Diluc smiles. “You’re welcome, Kae.”

A sudden flash of light brightens the room for a second and Kaeya grasps the toy tightly as he pulls it close to himself. He looks up when he notices Diluc hesitantly start to make his way for the door. He glances at the toy again. It’s a nice thought, bringing him one of his favorite toys but… he doesn’t want to be alone. “’Luc, can you stay?” His voice is small, and he struggles to contain the irrational fear that threatens to come out.

Diluc turns back around and Kaeya swears that his gaze softens. He quickly makes his way back to the bed. “Scoot over.”

He obeys and makes enough room for the older boy to lie down. “Why is your bed comfier than mine?” he says.

Kaeya smiles a little. “It’s not much better,” he replies. He feels himself begin to relax and his eyes begin to drift shut again. Is this really all it takes for him to feel better?

“That’s a lie.”

“Nu-uh.” He yawns and hugs the toy again. He remains under the covers, and its warmth and Diluc’s distant mumbling eventually lulls him to sleep.

Neither of them are awake when Master Crepus comes in to check on them or see the smile on his face as he closes the door behind him.

Chapter Text

Crepus Ragnvindr is a very busy man.

If he’s not outside checking the fields and berries, or in the wine cellar, he’s in the city working at Angel’s Share helping Charles serve patrons or making business deals with other tavern owners, local and international. When it isn’t harvesting season, most of his day is spent at the manor inside of his office going over paperwork and letters that he has yet to respond to.

It’s what he’s doing currently, reading a letter that was sent from Dornman Port. It tells him that the ship was successfully docked and unloaded at Port Ormos with no major issues. He let his shoulders slump in relief. That has to be one of the more stressful business deals he has ever done. He should thank Barbatos for the extremely successful harvest they had last fall.

There’s more to the letter he needs to read but as the door across the hall opens, he lifts his eyes from the paper in his hands. Kaeya walks out of his room and yawns, noticing the open office door with a curious tilt of his head. If he’s working, normally the door is closed so it must be an odd sight to see him working with the door wide open. He sends him a smile and disappears to go downstairs.

Crepus smiles back but it quickly disappears when the boy is gone. Barely a month ago, he essentially was his shadow and was upset every time Diluc had to go to training and couldn’t take him along. He was shy, timid, and nervous about everything new thrown his way. Now he doesn’t beg to attend Diluc’s training, nor does he spend all of his waking hours a few feet away from him.

His eyes trail to the drawer that hides an opened envelope inside. One thing about Kaeya hasn’t changed: he still refuses to call him by only his name, no matter how many times he’s told. Perhaps the mere suggestion of adoption will convince the child to drop the ‘Master’ any time he addresses him.

It’s only a matter of time before Diluc tells Kaeya this information—if he hasn’t already. They tell each other anything and everything, especially if he asks them to keep a secret. Maybe Kaeya already knows, but he still wants to talk to him at some point today, preferably before he leaves for the city soon.

He runs a hand over his face and rubs his eyes. Archons, he feels exhausted. All this stress isn’t good for any of them. He goes back to the letter.

To Master Crepus Ragnvindr:

We successfully docked at Port Ormos and ensured delivery of all products from Dawn Winery to Sumeru City.

Upon unloading, we received a request for inspection from two members of the Corps of Thirty. At the time, we did not find it suspicious and allowed them to go on with the inspection. I regret to inform you that only after the inspection was completed and the two members left did I realize they did not provide any permit for any inspection and when I asked about it, none of the Corps of Thirty I spoke to knew anything about it nor of those two supposed members.

A matra is now involved and a case has been opened to search for the two imposters; Dawn Winery does not need to be involved any longer. No goods are missing and all cargo has been successfully delivered.

Crepus frowns. Why would two people impersonate members of the Corps of Thirty to do a mere inspection? If they were looking for something to steal, they likely would have found it difficult to do with only two people. No matter, nothing is missing or stolen so he considers that a good thing.

He sets the letter down and quickly writes a response thanking the captain for his hard work and for the information. With the morning office work completed, he stands up with a stretch. He winces as his knees crack. He should probably move around more often, sitting down for so many hours probably isn’t good for him.

He heads outside of the office and makes his way downstairs. He pauses when he sees Kaeya’s back turned to him and standing at Elzer’s desk. “Kaeya, what are you doing?” he asks.

The boy looks behind him sharply, startled. He visibly relaxes when he sees him and then looks back at the papers he was snooping through. “I got curious,” he replies.

Crepus walks to the desk and looks down at the papers that sit innocently on top of it. “Ah, he’s going over inventory is all.”

“I know. Do you only sell wine?” He looks up, a serious look in his lavender eye.

“Dawn Winery also owns and runs Angel’s Share, but we import a fair share of liquor on top of providing our own wine. Why are you asking?”

Kaeya goes back to the papers. “What if something happens one year, like a really bad winter or a fire, and destroys all of the grapevines?”

That makes Crepus pause again. He honestly hasn’t ever thought of something like that happening, the vines have always been here and survived through many big and violent storms they’ve had, even when he was just a boy. He’s certain those vines have been around since before his grandparents.

The boy’s face flushes and he looks away. “Ah— pardon me, Master Crepus. You don’t have to listen to me. I just don’t want anything bad to happen and for you to have to struggle in case of emergencies.”

“No, it’s quite all right. You have a point, my boy. Perhaps we should be thinking of alternative products… Well, other than grape juice.”

Kaeya sticks his tongue out in disgust.

He chuckles. “I know you don’t like grape juice.”

“I can’t believe people actually enjoy grape juice.”

“What’s wrong with grape juice?”

“Everything.”

Crepus chuckles and he hesitates before speaking again. He wants to bring up adoption, but he doesn’t know how well Kaeya will react. He hardly thinks about it since he won’t know if he doesn’t ask. “I want to ask you something.”

Kaeya looks up at him, but instead of the curiosity or anxiety he’s expecting, he simply nods with a knowing look in his eye. “I know about it. Diluc told me about the adoption.”

He smiles and shakes his head with a short laugh. That boy. Sometimes he wishes Diluc could keep a few things to himself. “Yes, it is about adoption.”

A strange expression flashes across the boy’s face, but it disappears as quickly as it appeared. It’s something akin to guilt, but Crepus has no idea why that could be. He fidgets with his hands and looks at his feet, conflicted.

“You don’t have to give me an answer right away. You have plenty of time to think about it.”

“I…” His voice trails off and he bites the inside of his cheek. “Are you sure?”

“I wouldn’t ask you if I wasn’t.” Crepus puts a hand on his shoulder and Kaeya looks back up. “You’ve been living with us for a little over a year, and I have grown very fond of you. Diluc has called you his brother multiple times already, and I’d like to make that official, if you let me.” He smiles and drops the hand. “My only condition is you have to drop the ‘Master’ when addressing me.”

They’re silent for a few moments as they stare at each other. Crepus begins to think that perhaps he was too forward with the request the longer the silence stretches and the more Kaeya’s hand fidgets as if it’s yearning to hold something. He tears his eye away, finding the floor boards suddenly very interesting.

Had Crepus been too hasty by telling him about the adoption now? Does he still think his birth parents will come back for him? Just thinking about it makes him angry, but not towards Kaeya, no. He could never be mad at him. He’d curse his birth parents for abandoning such a kind-hearted boy if he could.

As the silence stretches and lingers between them, he opens his mouth to remind him that he doesn’t need to choose now and that they have all the time in the world to decide. Kaeya suddenly moves forward before he can make any sound.

He’s surprised when he wraps his arms around him with thin arms and his face buried into his waistcoat. “Kaeya?”

“I want to be a family,” came the child’s thick response.

The quiet statement makes Crepus’ heart soar. He kneels to Kaeya’s level and returns his hug. “We already are, Kaeya.”

Kaeya’s arms tighten around him considerably and his hands grip his waistcoat as if his life depends on it. He mumbles incoherently into his shoulder, but Crepus can’t make out anything he says except for, “If you knew…”

He frowns as he lets go. What does he mean by that? He tries to meet his gaze, but Kaeya averts his eye immediately. “If I knew what?”

Kaeya’s arms drop to his sides as he whispers, “I don’t deserve it.”

That makes his heart break all over again. “Why do you say that?”

He brings his hands close to himself and still refuses to look up. His eye remains fixed on the floor and stays quiet.

Crepus pulls him into another hug. Kaeya doesn’t return it this time, but he also doesn’t make a move to back out of it and his head gently rests against his shoulder. “You are my son in everything but paper. Nothing can change that.”

“Even if I’m not from Mondstadt?”

He shakes his head. “Why should that matter? People from all over Teyvat don’t live in the country they were born in.”

He’s silent for a few moments. Then, so softly that Crepus has to strain to hear him, he asks, “What if he comes back?”

He can safely assume he’s talking about his birth father by the way Kaeya begins to shake and his hands turn into tight, nervous fists that cause his fingernails to dig into the palm of his hand. Instead of talking bad about the man who’d heartlessly abandoned him, he says, “As far as I’m concerned, you are a child of Mondstadt and, if you let me, my son.”

Kaeya doesn’t move for a long time until at least a full minute has passed. Slowly, he raises his arms to hug him back. His head barely moves as he nods. “I want to be a family again,” he says, his voice thick with unshed tears. “I want to be a Ragnvindr.”

He smiles again and holds him close. “Okay.” Together, they kneel on the hard floor of the manor in a tight embrace. The sounds of people working outside and the occasional neighs from the horses are overshadowed by the quiet sniffling. They are thankfully left alone the whole time and Crepus suspects that is Adelinde’s doing. He really should give her a raise.

He doesn’t know what Kaeya thinking about during their time on the floor; he’s always been good at masking his true feelings and doesn’t often talk about himself or his past. Despite that, he rubs his back to comfort him. He wishes he could take his grief away and make him feel instantly better. He doesn’t like seeing either of his children crying.

His knees begin to hurt after a few minutes but he does his best to ignore them as he attempts to comfort the quietly crying boy in front of him. He doesn’t sob or make any other noise other than the occasional hiccup, like he’s embarrassed to be crying. Crepus doesn’t understand why he would be, although he hasn’t been the same since the attack.

Kaeya eventually lets him go to wipe his eye with the back of his hand. “I’m sorry. I cried all over you again,” he says, his voice stuffy from crying.

Crepus smiles. “It’s quite all right. Are you okay?”

He nods. Unwilling to say anything else about it, he asks, “You’re going to the city today, right?”

He ignores this, the red eye, and the fresh tear tracks that stain his cheeks. It seems like acting normal is what he needs at the moment. “I am. I have business at the tavern.”

“Can I come?”

He pauses. Kaeya’s never asked to come along and it’s usually he or Diluc asking for him to come with them. He looks up with a large doe-like eye, and Crepus falters. He has business to take care of that isn’t meant for children, but he can’t say no. “I suppose you’re old enough to start learning how to do a few things at the tavern.” His knees protest for the second time this morning as he stands back up and he groans. “Archons, I’m getting old.”

Kaeya snorts. “You aren’t old.”

“Diluc said the same thing.”

“Because we’re right.”

Crepus chuckles quietly. These boys act more like siblings than they realize. “Go wash up and get ready to leave. We’ll take Lilly there.”

He watches him run off to the restroom to obey and he returns to his office. He walks behind the desk and opens the drawer. The adoption papers stare up innocently and he pulls them out to set them on the desktop. At the very bottom is a space for his signature, and Kaeya’s as well.

He could simply sign it, get Kaeya to do the same, and send it off with a messenger. But if he’s going to the city today, he might as well just hand the papers in person. Maybe it’ll get official documents to him faster if he shows up at the office.

He looks up as Kaeya steps out into the hall, his face washed and approaches the office. “Are you ready?” he asks.

The boy nods. “Yes, sir.”

He looks at him, making sure he could see the halfhearted eye-roll. “Don’t call me that, either.”

 Kaeya hides a laugh behind his hand and Crepus smiles, glad he’s feeling better. Then his eyes land on the papers. He slowly loses his smile and Crepus follows his gaze. It’s obvious the boy already knows what this is, and he glances at the bottom.

Crepus lifts his eyes back to Kaeya. “I won’t force you to do this, Kaeya,” he tells him.

A lone eye flickers up to his face.

“I understand if you still need time to think about it. After all, I did push this on you quickly.”

He shakes his head. “It’s okay.” He comes to the desk and his eyes lock onto the bottom of the paper as well. “So this is it, huh?”

“Don’t make it sound like a bad thing.”

He huffs. “No, it’s not. It’s just… it’s a lot to process.”

That he can understand and he nods. “Would you like to wait? We’re in no hurry.”

Kaeya reaches for the pen that is on the desk and takes it before Crepus can get another word out as he signs his name. “If I don’t do it now, I won’t do it at all.”

It makes sense, he’d probably get too nervous or remain indecisive if he doesn’t do it now. He watches him write his name and is handed the pen. “I suppose it’s my turn, then.” He quickly signs his full name and when he pulls away, he smiles at Kaeya. “Give it a week or two and we’ll have the official papers that say you are a Ragnvindr.”

Kaeya lets out a shaky sigh, his eye locked onto the paper as if he can’t believe he just did what he had done. Then he slowly says, “Kaeya Ragnvindr.”

Pride swells inside Crepus’ chest. “It has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it?”

He tears his eye away to look up at him with a little smile and nods. He hugs him for the umpteenth time this morning, but Crepus doesn’t mind and returns it once more.

“Thank you, Crepus.”

“You’re welcome, Kaeya.”

Mondstadt is as busy as ever and with the sun shining brightly in the partially cloudy sky, it’s the perfect day to do any kind of business. They get to the tavern before noon, where Charles is serving someone and both of them greet the pair the moment they step inside.

Crepus lets Kaeya sit at the bar on a stool beside the patron, telling Charles to keep an eye on him while he takes inventory. “It shouldn’t take that long,” he says.

“You can always have someone else take inventory for you, Master Ragnvindr,” Charles answers. “It’ll save you a trip all the way here.”

“I like coming to the city.”

Kaeya snorts, knowing that isn’t true.

Charles suspiciously turns his head away as well.

“I don’t want to hear it from you, young man.”

Kaeya can’t stop the tiny smirk as he says, “Sorry.” He doesn’t sound like he is.

“Stay there, I’ll be in the back if you need me.” With that, he turns and walks around the counter to get to work. He spends about an hour in the back, checking all of the empty wine barrels and counting how many he should send to replace them. With summer coming to an end and festival season around the corner, he should probably send more than usual.

Visitors from all over Teyvat will be coming to Mondstadt to celebrate Weinlesefest in a few short months. Locals will likely be tired from early preparations, so maybe an extra few barrels of wine wouldn’t hurt. Should he consider hiring someone else to do this for him? He’s already busy enough as it is…

He turns his attention to the hall when he hears Charles complimenting Kaeya. He pokes his head out the door, blinking when he sees what is going on. Charles knows better than to serve Kaeya or any minors in general alcohol, but he never did say anything about them helping mix drinks.

Kaeya is standing on a short stool and with Charles watching over him carefully, he mixes a drink for the new patrons that have walked in. Crepus watches with interest. The way he’s moving makes it seem like he’s been mixing for years, but as far as he knows, this is the first time he’s ever made one.

Huh. Maybe he should start teaching Kaeya how to run a tavern. He thinks he’d do well in this kind of setting in the future. He goes back to work, and it doesn’t take long for him to finish and come back out to the front.

Kaeya’s sitting down again, sipping some juice and looks up when he sees him coming. He briefly smiles and then nods to a little pouch beside him. “I should come more often,” he says.

Crepus looks at the brown pouch. He picks it up and hears the distinct sound of mora clinking together. “What is this?” he asks.

“Mora.”

“I know that. How did you get this?”

“Someone gave it to me.”

“For what?”

“For a tip for making some drinks. It’s really easy.” He looks at Charles. “I was trying to get them to give it to Charles, but he won’t take it so I guess it’s mine now.”

Crepus gives Charles an incredulous look, but the other man just laughs. “Don’t be like that, Master Ragnvindr. Kaeya insisted he knew what he was doing,” he says. “He earned that mora fair and square.”

Kaeya beams proudly.

“I guess he did.” He sets the pouch down and watches the child take it and put it into his pocket. “Let’s get going, Kaeya. We need to get this in before the office closes.”

Kaeya quickly jumps off of his seat and follows him out. “Bye, Charles!”

Charles bids them both farewell and Crepus leads Kaeya around the back of the tavern towards the side entrance and stairs, wanting to avoid the busy streets of the marketplace. Kaeya doesn’t complain, but he notices the closer they get to the building, the closer he walks beside him.

So this is what Elzer meant about him being nervous. He doesn’t know the exact reason why Kaeya is so anxious, but he feels like it isn’t because of the adoption. It’s obvious to Crepus that it has something to do with the knights. Whatever happened between him and the knights, he has a feeling it has something to do with Eroch—no, he knows it does. Kaeya has never so openly glared at anyone before, or been as nervous and jittery when his name is even mentioned.

Crepus hums, causing the boy to look up at him curiously. If it’ll help Kaeya relax even slightly, they should visit Diluc during his training. He’s positive Varka wouldn’t mind. “Would you like to see Varka and Diluc before we go inside?”

Kaeya doesn’t hesitate when he nods. “I want to say hi,” he says.

Crepus doesn’t question when he leads him quickly past the building. He knows where he’s going, and as they get closer to the training area below, he can hear Diluc’s yelling and sees short bursts of pyro flying into the air. Varka is talking above that, telling his trainee to keep moving his feet and not use so much elemental energy when using his vision.

Kaeya eagerly jogs ahead of Crepus. Crepus hears Diluc’s confusion when the younger boy is spotted. “Kaeya? What are you doing here?” he asks.

Crepus arrives shortly and smiles as he takes in the sight. Diluc is out of breath and in his knight’s armor, but his claymore remains steady in front of him. The training Varka is putting him through is doing wonders for his strength and stamina. He’ll be a full knight in no time and it makes Crepus even prouder of him.

Varka smiles, donning his armor as well. “Master Ragnvindr! What a pleasant surprise!” he says.

“Hello, Master Varka. We’re on our way to the headquarters and thought we’d stop by and say hello.” He looks at Diluc as he sets the claymore’s tip onto the ground. “I don’t want to keep either of you, you are in the middle of training.”

“Eh, a short break is well deserved.”

The claymore disappears and Diluc smiles as he makes his way over. “I didn’t know you were coming!” he exclaims and hugs his father.

Crepus pats his back. “Surprise.” He looks at Kaeya. “I think he wants to tell you something, too. But I’m sure that can wait until after you get home today.”

Kaeya nods. “It’s something exciting, I promise,” he adds.

Diluc looks between them suspiciously. “Is it a bad thing?”

“No! I just said it’s something exciting!”

“That can mean good or bad!”

“How does that make sense?”

“It makes sense because you aren’t telling me what it is.”

“Ah, but I did tell you what it is.”

“Well, what is it?”

“A surprise!”

Diluc glowers, annoyance prominent on his face.

Crepus sighs. Leave it to them to start bickering not even a minute after being together.

“Kaeya!” The new voice causes them to look at the stairs. Kaeya blinks as he turns around and yelps when a rush of blond hair suddenly rushes past Crepus and Jean flings herself at Kaeya to hug him. “I haven’t seen you in forever!”

Kaeya dramatically gasps for air as he flails his arms to keep his balance. “Jean, you’re choking me!” he cries.

“What are you doing here, Jean?” Diluc demands and goes to follow the other two away from Crepus and Varka.

“Practice, of course! But now that Kaeya’s here, I won’t be alone!”

He looks offended. “I’m here every day! What am I, hilichurl fodder?”

“Yes,” Kaeya immediately replies and laughs at the glare he’s given.

Crepus watches the three of them go near the corner of the training area before he turns to Varka. “Does Jean often come here?” he asks curiously.

The grand master laughs. “All the time. You know she has a vision now?”

“Does she?” Crepus looks at Jean. The anemo vision dangles from her hip, glinting in the sunlight. Archons, vision bearers are getting younger every year.

“Mhm. Comes here almost every day to practice it, and I’m sure Lady Frederica approves of her coming to train her vision, otherwise she wouldn’t be coming nearly as often.”

He takes pride that he doesn’t immediately roll his eyes. Frederica Gunnhildr has always had extreme views and strict morals for her family; it’s no wonder Jean likes to run off. “You’re training her? Isn’t she a bit young still?”

“No, I’m not training her. She practices and I make sure no one gets hurt. At least I’ve gotten her to stop coming when no one is around.”

"You could simply ban her until she's old enough."

Varka sighs. "I've tried."

“And that hasn’t worked?”

“Obviously not, so I decided that I won’t train her until she’s of age. Being here and listening in on Diluc’s lessons might do her some good and give her a head start over her peers when she becomes a knight.”

He glances at the three children again. “Would you mind if I left Kaeya here with Jean, then? Just for a few minutes while I hand this in.”

He raises a thick brow. “I don’t mind.” He crosses his arms. “Is there a reason?”

“He hasn’t seen Jean in a very long time, and they’re pretty close. I just have to get this in before your officers go home.” He pulls out the envelope with the adoption papers from his breast pocket.

Varka’s eyes light up in recognition. “He’s going through with it?”

Crepus only smiles and turns to start walking away. “Thank you for watching him, Varka. Kaeya, don’t get in the way of their training. I’ll be right back.”

Kaeya waves and hardly glances at him, too engrossed in whatever it is the trio is talking about.

Crepus smiles again and leaves the training grounds. It really will only be a few minutes; he simply needs to hand the paper in and come back down. He quickly makes his way to the headquarters and says a short greeting to the guard at the door as he steps inside. The office he needs to go to is the closest one to the library and he makes his way down the hall.

He pauses when he sees who is behind the desk. Inspector Eroch is there instead of the lady he saw before, writing something on a paper and he looks up when he sees him at the door. “Good afternoon, Master Ragnvindr,” he greets and smiles. He sets the pen down and folds his hands in front of him on the desk. “What can I do for you?”

“Normally there’s a young lady here. Is this not Officer Nymph’s desk?” he replies.

“I’m covering for her today.”

As much as he doesn’t want to deal with Eroch today, he just needs to leave this for Officer Nymph to read over when she gets back. “I am dropping this off for her to go over tomorrow. Can you make sure she gets it?”

He nods and takes the envelope. “Of course. I’ll personally see to it.”

“Thank you, Inspector.”

He turns to leave but stops when Eroch continues. “These are Kaeya’s adoption papers, aren’t they?”

His hand is grasping the door handle already. “Indeed they are.”

“How is he?”

Crepus frowns and lets go of the door handle and turns to face him again. “Why are you asking?”

“Is it so wrong to ask how someone is doing? I understand he’s new to Mondstadt. He must be settling in well to be considered for adoption by one of the wealthiest men in Teyvat.”

He doesn’t bother hiding his glare now. Where is he going with this? “He is doing fine.”

He hums and looks back at the envelope. He taps it with a finger, then looks back at him. “I must say that it was under awfully mysterious circumstances how he came to your household. Has he told you anything of his past?”

“What are you getting at, Inspector?” he finally demands.

The smile drops from Eroch’s face at his tone and he stands up. “It was awfully convenient you of all people found a random child on the side of the road, during a storm, I might add. That storm wiped any traces of others around the spot he was found.” He smirks. “You’re not stupid. Surely, you must be suspicious of him, too.”

“He is a child.”

“Children are still used as tools, especially by those less fortunate.”

Admittedly, yes, Crepus had been suspicious of how he’d found Kaeya. It was storming the day he found the boy, but he’s watched him grow for almost two years now. Whatever suspicions Eroch has about him are unfounded. “Kaeya is not a spy, if that is what you are insinuating.”

He hums. “I’m not insinuating anything, Master Ragnvindr. I just wish for the health and well-being of you and your family. When Kaeya joins the Knights of Favonius, I will ensure he receives only the best training.”

By now, Crepus has had enough. Boiling rage is thrumming through him and he takes two short steps to get close to him, glaring furiously. He saw the way Eroch watched Kaeya when he and Varka came for questioning, and he is glad his gut feeling told him then to keep this man away from his children. “Keep my son's name out of your mouth.”

Eroch raises a brow at his aggressiveness. “He isn’t your son, not yet." He shrugs indifferently. "Although, who knows what can happen between now and then?”

Thankfully, the door is closed. No one can see the glare he’s giving the inspector or see him grab a fistful of the man’s shirt or hear him hiss, “Stay away from my children. If I see you with either of them, I will take matters into my own hands.”

If anything, the inspector looks amused. He answers just as quietly, “Is that a threat, Master Ragnvindr?”

“It is a promise, Inspector.” He doesn't care about Eroch's high-ranking position within the knights. As much as he wants to punch him and wipe that smirk off of his face, he doesn't. Even if he does hit him and told Varka the whole story, he's sure the grand master would turn a blind eye. He lets him go roughly and turns around. “Please ensure Officer Nymph receives those documents. I will follow up with her when she returns.” He opens the door and lets it slam shut behind him.

He returns to the training grounds and takes both Kaeya and Diluc back home, the two none the wiser to his internal rage.

As he sits down at his desk in his office and picks up a pen and a fresh sheet of paper, he is glad that there’s one thing that he prides himself of.

He always fulfills his promises.

Chapter Text

A crystal fly floats up above the grapevines, avoiding Diluc’s grasp by a hair’s breadth, and dances in the air as if it’s laughing at the redhead. The boy glares at it and then at Kaeya when the other giggles at his failure to catch it. He crosses his arms across his chest and says, “I don’t see you trying to help.”

Kaeya watches the crystal fly disappear into the late afternoon sky. “You keep scaring them and I don’t feel like running after them,” he replies. He squats down, poking one of the unripe grapes. He pouts at it, wishing it was ripe enough to pluck and eat. Fresh grapes taste the best, but if he can’t find any that aren’t ready, then he’ll simply have to make do with other fruit they have inside.

“If you know how to catch a crystal fly so well, why don’t you do it?” Diluc challenges.

He looks up at his older brother, a tiny smirk tugging at his lips. “Oh, but I can’t do that. Crystal flies don’t like me even if I try to sneak up on them. Perhaps someone trained by an adeptus or somebody from the Shuumatsuban would have no problem. Unfortunately, we have neither of them.”

Diluc rolls his eyes. He sits down beside him, using the vines as shade from the sun. Kaeya joins him, holding the few ripe berries he found while rifling through the vines in his hands. “I thought you didn’t like grapes.”

He shakes his head as he pops one of the berries into his mouth. There’s a satisfying crunch and then he answers, “I like grapes. I don’t like grape juice. Trust me, there is a difference.” He offers him one of the grapes.

He takes it and eats it immediately. They both know that if they’re caught sneaking grapes from the vines again, they would get into trouble. Luckily for them, the vineyard workers are on the other side of the field tending to the vines while Crepus, Elzer, and Adelinde are all inside. No one’s paying much attention to what they’re up to, and if they eat some of the grapes, it’s nobody’s business but their own.

“Do you want to try making wine for Weinlesefest?”

“Weinlesefest isn’t for another month, though.”

“Exactly. We need to start preparing for it!” He shoots up to his feet. “We’ll make the best one, but because we won’t be able to drink it, we’ll give it to Father!”

It’s not a bad idea. Kaeya has been searching for something to give to Crepus as gratitude for weeks now, ever since they had gotten the adoption certification. Since then, he hasn’t returned to the city as often and he’s slowly grown used to the humble life at the winery. It’s not bad, and to be honest, it’s a relief from having to go out every single day on patrol.

Diluc, on the other hand, is going on his first patrol with a unit from the cavalry fairly soon. Even if he won’t say anything much about it, Kaeya can tell he’s nervous about it. Maybe he should make a bottle of wine for him instead. “Do you think he would even like the wine we make?” he asks.

“He likes everything we make.”

“I think he only says that so he doesn’t hurt our feelings.” He’s seen the way Crepus has winced when he tried Diluc’s cooking once. It wasn’t good, but for a ten-year-old without proper skills or someone watching over him, it wasn’t the worst.

Diluc scoffs. “That isn’t true. Anyway, Elzer can teach us how to make wine. I know some things, but after Father, Elzer knows the most.”

Kaeya gets up and brushes dirt off of his shorts. “Wine needs time to ferment, and I don’t think a month will be long enough.” He glances at the grapevine next to them. “Maybe we can make some now and when it’s ready in a few years, we can give it to him.”

The other boy looks at the grapes as well. “Yeah, it probably wouldn’t taste as good. Hm…” He scratches his chin in thought. “Oh! What if we made some now and in a few years when it’s ready, then we give it to Father? Then it wouldn’t taste bad, right?”

He actually likes this plan. He nods. “Sure, we can do that.”

“All right, let’s go see Elzer!”

“Wait, right now? Shouldn’t we wait for Weinlesefest to start?”

Diluc glances back at him, having taken a few steps to the manor. “Why would we wait until then? It takes a super long time to make good wine!”

Kaeya smiles. “But it’d be better if we waited until festival time to get started. I hear the anemo archon comes every year during that time to bless wine, so the wine would be super special wine, wouldn’t it?”

His eyes widen. It’s a similar shocked expression he’d seen Klee make when he would make up stories for her. Diluc nods. “You’re right! It would taste the best if we make it on Weinlesefest! Kaeya, you’re super smart.”

Kaeya chuckles. “Why thank you, Diluc. Can’t say the same for you, sometimes.”

He smile drops and it turns into a playful glare. “Hey!”

He laughs even harder.

They fall into a comfortable silence and Kaeya stares up at the cloudless sky with a small smile. He blinks as something glints in the sunlight and squints. A crystal fly is hovering just above them, and he remains as still as he can when it floats just above his knees. He doesn’t want to scare it away and with Diluc distracted with some grapes, now is the perfect chance to snatch one.

He lets it land on his leg and as slow as a prowling cat on the hunt, he sits up. He moves to scoop the crystal fly in his hands when suddenly, a shadow appears over them and scares the little crystal fly. He yelps as it flies into the air and he jumps for it. It nimbly evades his grasp and he huffs when a light laugh reaches his ears. “You scared it away!” he complains.

Crepus chuckles. “I’m sorry. You can try catching crystal flies another time.” He helps them both up to their feet. “Come inside, both of you. It’s getting late and dinner will be ready shortly,” he says.

Diluc laughs from beside Kaeya. “That’s what you get for not helping earlier!” he says loudly.

Kaeya sends a halfhearted glare at him. He’s tempted to tell Crepus that Diluc has been eating the grapes to get him into trouble, but he just knows that would open a can of worms and get him into trouble as well. He doesn’t feel like being punished for eating grapes, of all things.

“At least we know who can catch a crystal fly and who can’t.”

“I can catch one!”

“I’d ask you to prove it, but they’re all gone now with all your yelling.”

They follow Crepus back inside and their loud bickering is immediately silenced when Crepus threatens no dessert. If there’s one thing Kaeya doesn’t want to be taken away, it’s Adelinde’s dessert.

Kaeya wakes up with a gasp and his hand shoots up to his covered eye with a pained groan. He can’t remember the dream he had, only that the pain in his eye forced him awake. His eye is throbbing, and he grips the edge of his blanket with his other hand in a tight grip. He can’t remember a time when it hurt as bad as it does now. This pain is nothing like any migraine he’s ever had; it’s never been centered around his eye like this before.

No.

Wait.

That’s not true.

He pulls his hand away from his face and looks at his palm. His brows furrow together in thought. It has never hurt like this before, right? If so, then why does it feel like it has? He closes his eye again, feeling as though something is tugging at his mind and takes a deep breath. Why is he so lightheaded?

“There is an imbalance to our fate,” a vaguely familiar voice says.

He tries not to jump, but it’s too unexpected and the headache isn’t helping his alertness. He frowns as he opens his eye and looks around, trying to find the source of the voice. “Our fate?” he asks.

Silence is his answer. No one else is moving in the manor, likely fast asleep this late at night.

His feet lightly hit the floor as he slides out of bed. He can’t see anyone in the room with him and he slowly reaches for the knife he stole from the kitchen that sits inside the bedside drawer. His eye carefully scans his room as he opens the drawer and looks at the door. It remains closed, and it doesn’t seem like anyone has stepped inside since he went to bed hours ago.

Knife in hand, he goes to the window and cracks the curtain open to look outside. There’s nothing out there, only the stars and moon shine and the crystal flies that he and Diluc tried to catch earlier are back on the vines.

He spins around when he hears the voice again, the knife’s edge facing outward to block an attacker just in case. “Do not fear, young Kaeya. I will not harm you.”

There’s no one there. This voice is in his head. It unsettles him and his defensive stance doesn’t relax in the slightest. For a moment, and as wary as he is of the archons, he wishes he had his vision. A part of him longs for it, but another is happy he doesn’t have the constant reminder of that night hanging off his hip.

“However, this obstruction must not be ignored.”

Kaeya winces as the pain in his eye flares. He goes to open the door, but his legs stop themselves. He tries to take a step but his feet feel glued to the floorboards and don’t budge. His other eye widens a fraction in alarm. “What’s happen—?” His voice abruptly cuts itself off.

He remains standing, but he can’t move his arms or legs. He feels himself blink and his hand moves up to his head to remove his eyepatch. He watches it fall to the floor and fear tears at him when he can’t stop himself from taking a step, and then another. His body is moving by itself, he can only watch as his hand grasps the doorknob and then open the door.

This isn’t him moving. He’s not in control, and as he walks out of his bedroom and heads down the stairs, his panic increases tenfold. What is happening to him? Why can’t he stop himself? He wants to yell, scream, something to attract someone’s attention, but no noise escapes his throat.

“There is no need to be frightened. This is a necessity in order to fulfill our fates.”

He fights back against whatever control this voice has over his body as hard as he can. He can feel every little pebble on the ground as his bare feet step outside towards the river and feels the gentle breeze brush against his exposed skin in the cool night. Let go!

“Hush, child. All will be well. For now, you must rest.”

His mind reels as a feeling of exhaustion suddenly settles deep in his bones. As much as he wants to succumb and pass out, he doesn’t know what this voice could do to him or anyone in the manor if he doesn’t resist.

He can’t put anyone in danger, he wants to keep them out of it. So, with all the willpower he can muster, he surges against the control. I said: let go!

Like the twig he steps on, the control over him snaps. His body jerks like a puppet with its strings cut and he stumbles forward several steps until he catches himself on a tree. He greedily gasps for air as his body trembles violently as if he had been walking through Dragonspine without anything to keep him warm.

The voice’s presence fades away and he’s left alone in his own mind, a blessed silence.

The air around him feels heavy and he shakes as he slowly slides to the ground on his knees. He raises his hand and presses his palm against his eye. The pain receded some time ago, but a dim aching is still there and he knows it won’t simply go away. Something else remains steady in his mind and he stares at the ground with wide eyes. What just happened to him? Who was that?

He looks at his hand, sluggishly flexing it to ensure his own actions and then looks around. He feels exhausted and all he wants to do is curl up and sleep, but he needs to get back inside. He lifts his head and is relieved he hadn’t gone far. The manor is right there, it won’t take long to get back.

With another look around the area, he notices that the cryo slimes are missing and he frowns. Something is off. The hair on the back of his neck stands up. There is someone watching him.

As much as he wants to curse, he doesn’t make a sound as he fails to see his knife anywhere. He likely dropped it somewhere in the manor. The bush’s little branches crack across the footpath and his head snaps to the noise. He wishes now more than ever to have his vision and sword, or to at least be inside where he knows it is safe.

Kaeya is about to run for the manor until he finally spots the dark silhouette and a pair of deep blue eyes staring at him. He can recognize those star-shaped pupils anywhere. A man steps forward, a cursed right arm poised to strike. It seems as though he would rather attack first and ask questions later, but just before the hit lands, Kaeya mutters, “Dainsleif?”

The man stops in surprise. Sharp fingers made of a dark power are inches from Kaeya’s face. He doesn’t lower his arm and the dim blue power dances across his arm dangerously. A heartbeat passes before he answers, “You know me?”

He nods, eyeing the arm warily.

If Kaeya thought he was good at masking his feelings, Dainsleif is a tier above him. He studies him with only a hint of curiosity in his eyes. He hasn’t changed at all. His hair and half mask are still the same and he looks as young as he did at Port Ormos. The glare he is giving Kaeya is the same as well.

A few seconds pass before he finally lowers his arm. His fingers are still covered in the dark power and Kaeya knows if he says the wrong thing, Dainsleif will not hesitate to kill him. He has a feeling the man hates anything related to the Abyss Order more than he does. “It is common courtesy for you to tell me who you are.”

He doesn’t know if he wants to, but if he tries to run away now, he’ll likely be killed before he can return to the vineyard. But if the traveler trusts him... “My name is Kaeya Ragnvindr. Before, it was Kaeya Alberich.”

The man’s gaze suddenly turns hard and his eyes narrow. The intense gaze makes Kaeya want to shrink away and hide, but he stands his ground. “Alberich?”

“Yes.”

He scans him with his eyes and his threatening aura doesn’t abate in the slightest. The longer he’s quiet, the more nervous Kaeya gets. “Tell me, are you aware of the implications of that name, Alberich? I would not be so forward with your surname in the future if I were you.”

“I know. You told me.”

At this, Dainsleif blinks. “I do not recall meeting you before.”

“Ah, it’s not before, rather, we will meet each other. At Port Ormos, to be exact.”

The Khaenri’ahn looks confused but as soon as it appears, it vanishes as his expression returns to a neutral, blank slate. His eyes trail to Kaeya’s exposed eye. He hums when he spots it, and says, “I see.”

Kaeya frowns. “See what?”

His arms drop to his sides. The power that has coated his arm this whole time finally fades away and his fingers return to normal. “I have wandered Teyvat for hundreds of years, ridding abyssal corruption in ley lines and hunting the Abyss Order. To see corruption so concentrated in a living being who isn’t affected by the curse is disturbing.”

That… doesn’t sound good.

“Have you encountered anything related to the Abyss Order?”

He lets out a short laugh. “You won’t believe me if I tell you.”

“I have seen a great many things in my time. Tell me what you know.”

“If you say so.” He takes a deep breath. “I encountered an abyss herald while on patrol and we fought.”

Dainsleif raises a brow. It’s clear he doesn’t believe him as he takes in Kaeya’s current form. To be honest, if a child told Kaeya that he fought anything related to the Abyss Order, he wouldn’t believe them, either. “You fought a herald and survived?”

“No.”

His face twists slightly in confusion. “Yet here you are.”

“Yet here I am.” He hesitates. “I fought it and it killed me.” He holds his arm and moves it, subconsciously making sure it’s still there. “When I woke up, I was a child again and in the past.”

At this, he finally looks curious. “So you are saying you were an adult and fought this herald. How is it you came to the past?”

He’s surprised at the question. To be honest, he’d expected him to brush him off and call him insane. “You believe me?”

“I have seen many things that are considered to be impossible.”

It’s neither a yes or a no. Kaeya lets out a short chuckle and then shakes his head. “I don’t know how I’m here.” He wishes he knew. “But lately, strange things have been happening to me. In my previous life, the curse never affected me. My father told me it was sealed in my eye but tonight I heard a strange voice and suddenly, I had no control over my own body.”

“You were possessed?” He rubs his chin again.

“Yes. Do you know what it could have been?”

Dainsleif doesn’t say anything for a bit and then crosses his arms across his chest. “I do not think you are cursed.”

He doesn’t believe him. His father had repeatedly told him his eye is a curse itself, that it is the only thing that keeps him from changing into a monster like all the others around them. Kaeya motions to his eye. “This is a curse, isn’t it?”

“You may be from Khaenri’ah, but you are not a pure-blooded Khaenri’ahn. If you were cursed, you should have become a hilichurl a long time ago.”

He knows this. Maybe he and his family were simply immune to the curse.

“Your eye is a curious thing.”

“My eye?” He wants to cover his eye back up and hide it from the world again. “What do you mean?”

“Whatever power your eye holds is likely the cause of your unique situation. It does, however, cause some kind of corruption from the Abyss. That’s why I came here.” He looks at his eye once more. “I sensed its power and came straight here.”

Kaeya looks at Dainsleif’s cursed arm and takes in the rest of him. He seems to know how to control a form of abyssal magic, and he looks back at his eyes. “Can you teach me how to use it? If this is my curse or whatever you want to call it, I don’t want it to possess me again.”

Dainsleif is quiet for a few moments, his face scrunched in thought.

When he doesn’t say anything for a few more seconds, Kaeya adds, “I don’t want to hurt anyone.”

He shakes his head. “This is not a power you can control.”

Kaeya’s shoulders slump down. What is he going to do, then? He doesn’t know if he’ll be able to fight back every single time this voice tries to possess him again. He was barely able to fight back and get the voice out of his head tonight.

There’s a moment of silence as the two simply stare at each other, one alarmed and the other quietly thinking. It passes by in a couple of seconds, but to Kaeya, it feels like an eternity. He just wants to know what is happening to him, and if Dainsleif knows something, maybe he’ll tell him and he can figure out how to deal with this problem. “I believe he is the one behind all of this,” Dainsleif says quietly.

He doesn’t ask who ‘he’ is straightaway. Instead, he goes through every bit of information he has on the Abyss Order. The Abyss is full of many different monsters, but he’s never heard of any of them being able to possess someone. He fights down his anxiety and asks, “Who are you talking about? Do I know them?”

“That is highly unlikely.” His eyes snap to something behind him and Kaeya follows his gaze. A dim light comes through a window near the back of the manor. Kaeya believes it’s Adelinde just waking up to start her morning. By now, the sky has begun to change colors and as the sun starts to rise, he notices the cryo slimes remain missing. He wants to think Dainsleif had something to do with that.

Dainsleif returns his attention to Kaeya again as he speaks again. “Then, can you help me find a way to get him out of my head?”

He hesitates and conflict flashes in his expression. Kaeya knows helping him is likely against Dainsleif’s moral code. After all, the man has been wandering the world for five hundred years hunting the Abyss Order and Kaeya happens to be a descendant of their founder. There’s a very high chance that Dainsleif is debating on killing him to get rid of this problem. For some reason, he doesn’t think that would help anyone.

It seems like Dainsleif has come to the same conclusion and his arms return to his sides. “It would be wise to keep an eye on you.” He turns around. “Know this, Kaeya: should you ever lose control and he successfully possesses your body, I will not think twice about killing you.”

“It’s nothing that I wouldn’t expect from you, Dainsleif.” He also turns around to face the manor. “Thank you. If you ever come by Angel’s Share, I’ll make sure you get a drink on me.”

He then starts to walk back to the manor. He reaches the stone wall in no time and he glances behind him. Dainsleif is long gone, leaving not a single trace behind.

Kaeya takes a shaky breath. He steps inside the manor and sneaks back to his room and his eyes land on the fallen knife. He clenches his jaw as he picks it up and turns it over in his hand. With an exhausted sigh, he puts it back into the drawer and climbs back into bed.

He closes his eyes, even though he knows he won’t be able to get back to sleep tonight.

Chapter Text

Kaeya sits at his desk in his room and lets out a long, tired sigh. After more than one sleepless nights that occur in the following days after the possession, it doesn’t take long for Crepus to notice the dark circle under his eye and ask him if anything is wrong. Kaeya normally gives him a smile and tells him everything is fine even though he knows everything is most definitely not fine.

It’s enough to satisfy his adoptive father for a while until one week later, Diluc accidentally scares him after breakfast. Thankfully, he is much easier to convince that he’s okay than Crepus is. Crepus hardly takes his eyes off him anymore, especially when Diluc is at training and Kaeya is stuck at the manor.

He pulls his pen away from the leatherbound journal he’s writing in. It’s difficult getting any kind of information and what he does overhear from the winery employees are mere rumors and he has no way of confirming the validity of any of them. The little bits of information he’s managed to gather about his situation are written on a single page.

He looks down at the few words inside. He needs to find out more. This voice terrifies him, yet he can’t think of a way to keep it out of his head. He’s constantly waiting for it to talk to him ominously, disappear, and then try to control him again. It’s beginning to affect his day-to-day life, but if he doesn’t pay attention to strange voices in his head, who knows what could happen. He snaps the journal close with a frustrated noise.

Over the course of these days, he hasn’t seen nor heard from Dainsleif once. Kaeya’s still not sure what to think about him; the man seems keener on killing monsters from the Abyss Order than helping some adult-turned-kid he just met. Kaeya also wonders if he should have made him promise not to tell anyone about his situation. He doesn’t want Diluc or Crepus to find out.

He slides out of the chair and crawls underneath the desk. With a grunt, he pulls at the loose floorboard beside the legs. There’s a slight creak and the floorboard cracks open just enough for him to stick his hand inside and place the journal inside. It sits on top of the torn cloth he found from the shore of the river and evidence he stole from Eroch’s office; he’s careful not to tear either of the papers as he slides his hand out and pushes the floorboard closed.

He stands back up with a look out the window. The sun is beginning to set and Diluc isn’t home yet. It’s not strange for a knight to return home after dark, but he is starting to get worried; he’s normally back long before supper.

Everything is fine, he tells himself. It’s normal for knights to come home late, especially young trainees, while out on their first few patrols. Diluc doesn’t have anything to worry about when he’s with seasoned knights helping him every step of the way.

Kaeya reaches under his eyepatch with one hand and rubs both eyes with his fingers. Gods, he’s tired. He wants to sleep for a week and forget all his troubles. As he drags his hand from his eyes, movement from the corner of his eye catches his attention. Past the grapevines and in the trees, a bush flutters as though something has just run through it.

He frowns as he gets close to the open window. There’s no one outside. He knows it’s most likely a boar or another small animal that’s simply running around, but he closes his window anyway. He’s had enough with the quiet stalkers and strange voices to last him a lifetime.

He pauses before he fully closes the curtains and peers down at the trees once more. It wouldn’t hurt to check the bush, right? Just to make sure it was just an animal running around, of course. He wants to make sure it doesn’t run out to destroy the vines. Nothing to do with monsters or weird voices.

Decision made, he snaps the curtains shut, tucks his knife into his shoe, and walks out of his room. He notices the light coming from underneath Crepus’ office door. The man is likely busy with preparations for the Weinlesefest festival. After all, Dawn Winery is the main producer of Mondstadt’s vast wine industries, so the people expect nothing less than only the best from the Ragnvindr clan.

Kaeya can smell the food from the kitchen and he spots Elzer standing up from his desk with a stretch. “I’m going outside to wait for Diluc,” he tells him.

“Just don’t go too far, Adelinde is almost done making dinner,” he answers.

“I know!” He darts out the front door until he reaches the stone wall and then dashes down the footpath as normal. When he’s sure no one can see him, he jumps into the nearest grapevine. He lifts his leg to pull the knife out of his shoe carefully. Just in case it’s an ambush, of course.

He walks as quietly as he can to the bush, vividly aware of his surroundings. He can hear birds chirping in the trees, a distant whinny from one of the horses, and the water running nearby. The wind gently blows through the air and the faint tinkling of the crystal flies roaming through the vineyard also reaches his ears.

He uses his foot to push the bush’s leaves apart. Nothing is there, and the tracks he can see are small. He sighs as he relaxes a little and pulls his foot away. It was just a rabbit. He should have known. He really is paranoid, isn’t he?

A familiar, distant voice grabs his attention. He turns his head to see Diluc wildly waving to him from the road that leads to the city from atop Lady’s back and a huge smile on his face. He waves back with his free hand, subtly tucking the knife back into his shoe.

Eventually, the two meet near the front of the manor and Diluc jumps off of Lady with ease. He is wearing his official Knights of Favonius armor, still pristine and without scratches; the only hint that he’s been on patrol all day is the tired look he’s sporting but he still smiles despite his weariness. “Were you waiting for me all day?” he asks curiously.

“Only the past half hour,” he replies and returns his smile with a grin of his own. He’s been worrying about him all day but Diluc doesn’t need to know that. “How was patrol?”

Diluc loses his smile and lets out a tired groan. “I don’t think I’ve walked around for that long before. But, we cleared a bunch of hilichurl camps that were getting too close to Springvale.” He puffs his chest out proudly. “And I saved someone from a mitachurl.”

Kaeya’s eye widens as his heart leaps a beat. “You fought a mitachurl? Are you okay?” he asks worriedly. Diluc is too young to fight something like that, the monster could lift and crush a full-grown man with one hand. The thought of it doing the same thing to Diluc makes him afraid for the boy’s safety.

The redhead laughs it off, completely unbothered by this prospect. “I’m fine. I have a vision, and the other knight doesn’t.” He tugs Lady’s reins to keep her from going after Kaeya’s hair. “I’m going to go put her away. Can you tell Father I’m home?”

Kaeya nods and watches him lead the mare to the stable. He’s glad Diluc is all right, but the thought of him going against a mitachurl… He shakes his head. At least it wasn’t a lawachurl, so of course he’s fine. He made cavalry captain at fourteen, for Archon’s sake. He’s going to be one of the best knights Mondstadt will have. He shouldn’t worry so much.

He wonders if Crepus is feeling the same way, anxious and worried about his son. It wouldn’t be surprising, he loves his children and tends to pace when he starts getting concerned. He’s seen him pace at least four times this morning alone through the manor.

Kaeya walks back inside and starts to go for the stairs when Adelinde comes out of the kitchen. “Oh, perfect,” she says and sets a steaming bowl on the table. “Master Kaeya, dinner is ready. Come sit down.”

“Can I go tell Crepus?” he asks. It’s a simple excuse to go upstairs to put his knife away and thankfully, Adelinde chuckles as she nods.

“If you want to, young master. It’s not my place to say no if you wish to see your father.”

That makes him smile and he rushes up the stairs. He quickly gets into his room and puts the knife away before he stops by Crepus’ office and knocks on the door. “Come in,” his voice says. He looks up from the paper he’s writing on and smiles when he sees him. “Hello, Kaeya. Is everything all right?”

“Yep, Diluc’s home. He’s putting Lady away,” he responds, “and Addie says that dinner is ready. I think she made stew. It smells really good.”

“She is a good chef, isn’t she?”

“I think she’s better than the actual chef you tried to hire once.”

Crepus laughs. “You are just a picky eater.” He sets the pen down and gets up. “Come, let’s not keep her waiting, shall we?”

Diluc walks inside just as they descend the steps and he makes a beeline towards Crepus and gives him a tight hug that makes Crepus grunt and chuckle. “Hello to you, too,” he says. “Did you have a good day? Tell me about it during dinner.”

He pulls away and glances at the table. “Let me take this armor off. It’s getting really heavy,” he answers and leaves to do just that.

Kaeya smiles. He knows how heavy that armor is; he’s impressed Diluc has lasted this long with all of it on. It’s most likely part of some strength and endurance training Master Varka is making him complete.

He and Crepus sit at the table and wait for Diluc to join them before they start to eat. Diluc talks all throughout dinner, telling them about his patrol and that he’ll be out on patrol until Weinlesefest begins. “I’m sorry I can’t help with the preparations this year. Master Varka also said that I can take the knight’s exam soon,” he says.

“Already?” Crepus sounds surprised. He smiles proudly, patting Diluc’s shoulder hard enough to make the boy lean over a bit with a tiny yelp and a bright smile. “That’s my boy! You’ll pass this exam and be a great knight, I’m sure of it!”

Kaeya chews on a potato with a nod. He knows he will pass with flying colors. Diluc had one of the highest entry scores despite his young age, only beaten by Jean when she took her exam, before Kaeya himself changed the examination process later on. He still believes this exam is far too lenient and makes it too easy for anyone to get into the knights.

Diluc yawns after he finishes his meal. He looks absolutely exhausted, and together, they go upstairs to get ready for bed. Kaeya is tired as well but he knows he likely won’t sleep again because of nightmares. He doesn’t tell Diluc this and watches him sluggishly brush his teeth and then sleepily head for his room. “Good night, ’Luc,” he says.

The other boy just yawns a third time. “You should get some sleep too, Kaeya,” he replies and smiles tiredly at him. “Night.” He disappears into his room and Kaeya hears him all but throw himself into bed with a loud creak.

He snorts with amusement and then goes into his room as well.  

Just like he thought, he hardly gets any sleep and wakes up with a start in the middle of the night with a sharp gasp. He can’t remember the nightmare, nor does he want to. He stays awake the rest of the night, and when the sun begins to peek over the horizon, he hears Diluc moving around and quickly go downstairs.

He squints as he glances at the door. How early does he leave every morning? It’s barely six in the morning, does Master Varka make him come in this early every day or does he go of his own free will? Kaeya sighs. No wonder he’s so tired every day. Maybe he can have Crepus talk to him about overworking himself later.

The rest of the morning passes normally, although Elzer and Adelinde are both busy so Crepus decides to take him to the city today. Just like before, they take Lilly and their gentle, slow pace takes them to Angel’s Share just before noon.

Kaeya swings his legs back and forth while he sits on the stool, watching Crepus quickly wipe up a little spill a customer made on the bar. The man is apologetic but Crepus waved it off, saying something like accidents happen, and makes him another death afternoon. Kaeya looks at it longingly and sighs as the man takes the fresh drink away. He doesn’t think his body at this age can handle a strong drink like that just yet.

Crepus hears him and raises a brow at him. “If you’re bored, why don’t you go outside and get the dry towels,” he says.

Kaeya nods and jumps out of his seat. He’s bored, and if doing a little work at Angel’s Share helps abate it, he doesn’t mind. “Should I wash these towels too?” he asks, pointing to the bucket underneath the counter.

“Don’t worry about those. There should be a clean bucket near the door. Bring them over when you get back inside.”

He obeys, hearing Charles chuckle and say, “Putting him to work already? Isn’t he a little young for that, Master Ragnvindr?”

Crepus also laughs. “He’s old enough to bring towels inside. It’s better than having him mix alcoholic drinks.”

“Best to start teaching them early.”

Kaeya doesn’t hear the rest of their conversation as he grabs the wooden bucket that sits next to the door and drags it outside. There’s a small line to hang linen from near the door and he pokes at a few of the drying towels to make sure they’re dry. They’re mostly dry by now, so he shrugs and starts to pull them off the line and dump them into the bucket.

He grabs the last one when a rather strong gust of wind hits him and he yelps as he loses his grip on the towel. “Hey!” he snaps and chases it down to the table it lands on. He glares at it as he picks it back up. Of course, he’d have to chase a towel of all things around the tavern.

He turns around to go back and lets out a tiny squeak when he runs into a pair of legs. The tavern has a lot of tables outside, he should have known someone is there. “I’m sorry,” he apologizes.

He straightens and looks up to see who it is he ran into. It’s a man, but what makes him throw his guard up are the two Fatui members flanking him on either side. The man he ran into is dressed in dark clothes that scream wealth and two rings on each hand that look like they’re worth as much, if not more mora than the entire winery. Although Kaeya has never seen him in person, he knows who this man is.

Regrator, the ninth of the eleven Fatui Harbingers, is here in Mondstadt.

The harbinger smiles at him, the corners of his eyes moving a bit as his lips quirk upward. “It’s quite all right,” he answers in a smooth tone. “You would be wise to pay attention to your surroundings next time.”

Kaeya forces himself to act naturally and nods. “I will.” He hurriedly walks around them to the tavern’s back door and throws the wayward towel into the bucket. He then hurries inside, ensuring the door is locked before he presses his back against it in an attempt to calm himself down. His heart is pounding rapidly and he almost drops the bucket, but his grip tightens to stop himself from shaking from the adrenaline.

He thought he’d already contacted Eroch and booked the inn, so what business does Regrator have in Mondstadt? What is he doing so close to Angel’s Share? He looks down the hall and sees Crepus at the bar helping Charles mix drinks during this afternoon rush.

He can’t have business with his adoptive father… right?

Crepus didn’t get introduced to a delusion until Kaeya was in his mid-teens, but with everything else that’s changed… he shouldn’t be surprised everything is happening much sooner than it did before. He curses under his breath. If Regrator is here for that, then he needs to quickly find a way to tell Crepus not to accept any kind of offer the Fatui make without making it seem suspicious.

He makes his way to the other side of the bar, careful to avoid drunk patrons, and climbs onto a stool. Crepus sets a cup of juice in front of him and smiles. “I know you’re bored, but we’ll go home after this,” he tells him.

Kaeya nods and sips on the apple juice he’s given and looks around the tavern. Most people are regulars that stay that way when he becomes an adult, and there are a few others that are clearly from other nations. A Sumerian scholar is sitting at a table with a large mug in front of him, speaking loudly with a Liyuen woman across the table. Another table has two adventurers and to his dismay… another table with three Fatui.

Those three are clearly off-duty, smiling as they drink away without a care in the world. He doesn’t know how Crepus feels about them, but he believes he’s at least wary of them when he sees him constantly glancing in their direction.

The door opens behind him and he doesn’t really care until the three fatui members at the table stiffen and try to make themselves as invisible as they can get. He knows who is at the door before he notices the sneer that more than one of the adventurers gives the newest customers. Crepus speaks up before Charles can get a word out with, “Welcome, what can we get you?”

Distinct heels clack against the tavern’s wooden floor until the harbinger is at the bar. “Do you carry any firewater?” Regrator asks.

“Not at this time. Can I interest you in one of our specialties, such as a dandelion wine?”

“Very well, I will try it.” The stool beside Kaeya is pulled out and the harbinger sits down. He can feel the harbinger’s eyes land on him through his closed lids. “Aren’t you a bit young to be drinking?”

He looks up and sets his cup down. “It’s just juice,” he replies as calmly as he can. He doesn’t want him to know how nervous he is.

“Ah, of course it is. No tavern owner would give a minor alcohol.” He turns his attention back to Crepus as the wine is set in front of him. “I was told I can find Master Crepus Ragnvindr here. I can presume that is you?”

Crepus nods. “Yes, it is. And who might you be?”

“You may call me Pantalone.”

Kaeya frowns. Is that a code name? He can’t tell if he’s on duty like the bodyguards that follow him or if he’s here just to have a drink.

He takes a sip of the wine and hums in content. “This is a fine wine. Smooth and sweet, not as strong or bitter as firewater. Yes, it’s a fine drink, perfect for the land of anemo. Wouldn’t you agree, Kaeya?”

Kaeya turns pale and momentarily freezes. He’s never interacted with this man in any of his lives, so how does he know his name? He nearly chokes on the juice and pulls it away from his mouth. “You know me?” he asks.

“Why, yes. The people of Mondstadt love to talk.” His eyebrow twitches with annoyance. “When I asked where to find Master Ragnvindr, one person went on a rather long tangent about an unfortunate monster attack a few months ago that injured one of his children.”

He actually looks a bit irritated the more he explains it. A tiny part of Kaeya is glad that someone had kept him that long and gave him the true Mondstadt greeting. A long story and a thirty-minute farewell, likely with an offer to take him out for a meal, is the normal end of a conversation between Mondstadt’s people.

Pantalone takes another drink. “That must have been quite the fright, for both you and Master Ragnvindr.”

“I’m all right now.”

Crepus takes an empty cup and sets it into the sink behind him. “Kaeya, why don’t you head into the office and wait for me there. We’ll go home after this, I promise.”

He doesn’t want to. He wants to make sure Pantalone doesn’t cause any trouble. “But I’m okay sitting here.”

His eyes narrow ever so slightly and Kaeya knows better than to argue some more when he says, “Kaeya, do as I say.”

He immediately jumps out of his seat. He doesn’t want to make Crepus even more upset or stressed than he already is. He is careful not to run into either of Pantalone’s bodyguards as he faces the harbinger. “It was nice to meet you, Pantalone,” he tells him.

“And you as well, Kaeya.”

Then, he all but runs to hide in the office. He doesn’t miss the way Pantalone’s attention returns to Crepus until after he walks inside the tavern’s office. It’s hard to hear anything through the thick walls and closed door and as much as he’d like to listen into any conversation Crepus and Pantalone are having, he can speak to Crepus about the Fatui later.

As much as the people of Mondstadt like to talk, he has a feeling that Pantalone already knew who he was. It’s just like how he found out Eroch knows his last name without him saying a word. Anxiety wraps its claws around him the more he thinks about it. There are just one too many instances that are making him question what is going on.

How do they know who he is? The Fatui weren’t the ones that killed him, yet his name is on the list of the future missing cases that he found in Eroch’s office. Just thinking about it fills him with dread. What in Teyvat could they possibly want with him? It’s not like hearing voices in his head is enough.

He takes a deep breath. He needs to calm down. If he can tell Crepus about delusions and the danger they possess, then maybe he’ll think twice about making any kind of deal with Dottore in the future.

He pauses. Crepus never dealt with Pantalone in his past life, did he? He doesn’t know, and he’ll never get that answer. Kaeya bites the inside of his cheek nervously. There is simply too much he doesn’t know and too many questions that remain unanswered.

Ten minutes go by and Crepus still hasn’t come to get him. Kaeya pokes his head out the door. Crepus, Pantalone, and the harbinger’s bodyguards are gone. He steps out and looks around the tavern. He can’t see any of them and he tries to ignore the way his gut twists. He looks up at Charles when the man notices him. “Are you all right, Master Kaeya?” he asks.

“Where did Crepus go?” he says.

“He took a customer upstairs. He should be back down soon, but he told me to tell you to stay down here.”

He hesitates before he admits quietly, “I don’t like the Fatui.”

Charles hums in agreement and looks up the stairs. “Would you like to help me make some more drinks to pass the time? You did very well last time.”

Kaeya accepts, needing the distraction until Crepus returns. While the bartender rejects his attempts to give him the tips he receives, he gives him the mora anyway, claiming that he’s too young to have a job in the first place.

A half-hour goes by in the blink of an eye and when Kaeya looks at the clock, a whole hour has passed when Crepus finally comes downstairs followed by Pantalone. The harbinger looks rather pleased with himself and he smiles at Charles and Kaeya. “I hope you have a wonderful rest of your day,” he says and then leaves Angel’s Share without another glance.

Kaeya watches him leave and then turns his attention towards Crepus. His adoptive father looks troubled, but he smiles at him anyhow. “I’m sorry, it took longer than I thought it would. Are you ready to go home?” he asks.

He nods. “Yes.” Then he looks at the door. “What did Pantalone want with you?”

Crepus is quiet as he walks around the bar. He puts a hand on his shoulder and glances at Charles. “I’ll be back next week, Charles. Take care, all right?”

“Of course, Master Ragnvindr. Keep an eye on your father for me, Master Kaeya,” he adds.

“Don’t worry, I’ll keep him out of trouble,” Kaeya tells him and allows Crepus to guide him outside. He loses his cheery disposition as soon as they mount Lilly and are outside the city. He looks up at him, not bothering to hide his worry as he asks quietly, “Crepus? Are you all right?”

He glances at him and then back up, paying attention to where he’s guiding Lilly although he doesn’t need to. She knows where home is. “It’s nothing you should worry yourself about,” he replies. He smiles, but his eyes betray his anxiousness.

Kaeya hesitates and then looks ahead as well. They don’t say anything for a while but it’s when the winery comes into view that Kaeya knows he needs to speak up. He can’t risk losing his home a second time. “That man is a harbinger. Whatever he offered you, it isn’t worth the risk,” he says.

Crepus glances down at him in surprise, clearly not expecting him to know who Pantalone is. “How do you know he offered me anything?” he asks.

“Because anything to do with the Fatui is bad.”

“Who told you that? Was it Charles?”

Should he tell him of his personal experiences? He shakes his head. “He mentioned it, but it wasn’t only him. I’ve heard a lot of people talk bad about them, and someone even said they were attacked by one of their agents.”

“You have nothing to be scared of, Kaeya.” He pats his head again and smiles, and this time, it reaches his eyes. Kaeya doesn’t like the hopeful glint that appears in his gaze. “I’ll protect you from them and anything else in the world, okay?”

“But the Fatui, they use—”

“Everything will be all right.”

“But—”

“That’s enough, Kaeya.” He doesn’t raise his voice, but the stern tone he applies to it makes it feel like he is.

Kaeya twists around in his seat to face him, ignoring the way Crepus tries to get him to settle down. “Please, listen to me! I’ve seen what delusions do to people!”

Crepus’ eyes widen in surprise. “You’ve seen a delusion?” he mutters.

He nods. “Delusions are strong and powerful, sure, but they aren’t visions. They’re fake visions that grant power at the cost of its wielder. If that’s what Pantalone is offering you, please don’t accept it. I can’t watch it again.”

That’s the truth. He can’t watch Crepus use the delusion, he can’t watch Diluc be forced to kill their father to save him from the agony he would be in. Not again.

Crepus is quiet. He turns Kaeya back around to have him sit properly in the saddle, and Kaeya sees how tightly he is holding the reins. He lets out a long sigh. “I have a meeting with one of the other harbingers,” he admits. “Pantalone didn’t mention anything about the after-effects of a delusion. It’s quite possible even he doesn’t know of them.”

Dread fills Kaeya. He has a feeling Crepus has more to say but the silence is making him anxious again. “But?”

“But I want to hear what this doctor has to say about it. If what you say is true, I won’t accept the delusion.”

“Whatever you do, whatever he says or threatens or promises, promise me you won’t take it.”

He swings his leg over Lilly’s side as they stop at the manor and jumps down, landing on the ground with a thump. Crepus lets Elzer take Lilly back, pausing before he opens the door. “Don’t say anything about this to Diluc or anyone else.” He looks down at Kaeya. “Do you understand?”

“Only if you promise you won’t take the delusion.”

“Kaeya, I—”

A voice interrupts him. “Father! Kaeya!” They both turn and Kaeya sees Diluc walking down the road, his armor glinting from the sunlight and partially blinds him enough to make him squint. “I’m home early today!”

Crepus smiles. “We just got back ourselves. I’m surprised we didn’t run into you on the way home.”

“That’s because I came from Stone Gate.” Diluc points the way he came from. “We just had to escort a merchant to the border—he was scared the hilichurls would get or destroy his stuff.”

Grateful for the distraction, Crepus leads them both inside and listens to Diluc talk about his day. He avoids Kaeya’s disappointed gaze the rest of the day, busying himself with finalizing festival preparations by going into his office. Kaeya is not surprised the Weinlesefest preparations are taking most of Crepus’ time, but he wishes that he would tell him if he’s even trying to make a decision.

All he can do as the day rapidly finishes is hope that Crepus doesn’t consider obtaining a delusion and cancel the meeting he made with Pantalone. He briefly comes out for supper and after that, he gets back to work but thankfully leaves his door open so he can bid both boys good night when they go to bed.

Kaeya’s dreams that night are full of the color red. Red like Diluc’s eyes and the hopeful, youthful light that shines in them. Red like Crepus’ hair that is brighter in sunlight.

Red like the blood that pours from their father’s chest and steals the light from Diluc’s eyes.

Chapter Text

It’s no secret that the people of Mondstadt love to drink and Weinlesefest is the perfect time to visit the nation of freedom. From breweries and wineries, to taverns and inns, people from all over Teyvat come to visit the land of anemo to show off their brands and drinks. To the people of Mondstadt itself, it’s more than just getting blackout drunk for a full week like most of Teyvat believes. It’s a week to celebrate the Anemo Archon’s return.

Normally, families will brew their homemade wine and seal it only to open it on the final day that they call Windcoming Day. It’s no secret that the best wine that is opened comes from Dawn Winery, and on Windcoming Day with a special barrel of wine, they serve it all throughout Mondstadt with the wind on their backs.

Despite how much the people love their wine, Diluc’s nose scrunches as he sniffs the cup that Crepus hands him. He tentatively takes a sip and Kaeya laughs at the overreacted gag and the disgusted face he makes. “I thought grapes were supposed to be good!” the redhead complains. “Why is it so gross? And spicy! Stop laughing, Kaeya!”

Crepus chuckles as well and takes the cup back. “I think it’s a fine wine,” he replies. “You must remember that wine is not grape juice. It’s made with grapes, but it uses a different process and has many different flavors.”

The little secret lesson Elzer gave them a couple days ago remains fresh in their minds, but neither of them are about to tell him they know. They only share a knowing look and smirk, and Kaeya looks up at their father eagerly. “Can I try some, too?” he asks.

He nods and carefully hands him the cup. “Careful not to spill any.”

Kaeya lifts it to his nose and breathes in the drink’s aroma. The red wine smells heavy and from the scent alone, he can tell it’s a savory wine that is meant to be drunk with meals. Crepus is only letting them try wine today since everyone else at the winery is given a drink and a few days off.

He takes a sip and winces. It’s not a bad wine, it’s quite good, actually, but his much younger taste buds aren’t accustomed to its strong flavor and the spicy aftertaste it leaves in his throat as he swallows. Tears sting his eye as he holds back a cough, hardly acknowledging Diluc’s laugh. “I like it,” he chokes out.

Crepus doesn’t look like he believes him as he takes the cup back. “Are you sure about that? You look like you’re in physical pain,” he teases.

He nods and then immediately coughs.

He laughs and sets the cup on the counter. “I don’t want either of you to be drinking any kind of alcohol without my direct supervision. If I catch either of you drinking at all anywhere, you’ll be grounded for an entire year. Weinlesefest is the only time I will let you two try some, got it?”

“I don’t think I’ll have it ever again,” Diluc says. He takes a large drink of water. “It was really gross. Why do adults like that stuff?”

“You’ll understand when you get older. Now come on, we’ll be late if we dawdle any longer.”

He heads out the manor’s front door, holding it open to let the two boys rush out in a hurry. While most of the staff is out, the carriage is still ready and instead of Elzer in the driver’s seat, a knight is in his place and turns around in his seat when he hears them coming. “Good morning, Master Ragnvindr!” he greets with a slightly awkward salute since one hand is holding the reins. “I am Wyratt; Master Varka sent me to escort you to Springvale.”

Ah, Kaeya recognizes him. He looks much younger now and if Kaeya has to guess by the nervous look on his face alone, Wyratt is freshly out of training and on his first solo mission. “Wonderful. Will Master Varka be at the festival?” Crepus asks and ushers Kaeya and Diluc into the carriage.

Wyratt nods. “Yes, sir. He’s actually overseeing the knight’s booth today.”

“Well let’s not keep him waiting. Shall we?”

Crepus gets inside the carriage and closes the door, sitting across Diluc and Kaeya. The carriage lurches as it starts to move, and Kaeya looks outside, noticing that there are more people traveling than usual. A few people travel on horseback or wagons, but the ones that travel on foot are mostly adventurers and knights patrolling the area.

Diluc can barely sit still, excitedly jumping in his seat without actually standing up. He gets onto the bench on his knees to look out the little window in the door, eagerly waiting to see how close they are to getting to the little town. Kaeya is tempted to pull him back down, although he doesn’t need to when Crepus tells him to sit down while the carriage is moving.

The redhead huffs impatiently and plops back down obediently. “Why does it take so long to get to Springvale?” he complains.

“It doesn’t take that long to get there,” Kaeya answers for Crepus. “Just be patient, Diluc.”

“Aren’t you excited, too, Kaeya?”

He’s more tired than excited. If he had a choice, he would rather be back in bed fast asleep instead of enjoying the first and busiest day of the festival. “Yes,” he lies.

He hums and then looks between him and Crepus. “Do you think Jean and Thoma will be there? I haven’t seen Thoma in forever.”

Kaeya feels bad for forgetting about Thoma. He left when he was young and because he hardly ever saw him, Kaeya has little to no memories with him. He has never been particularly close with the other boy, but he knows that Diluc was. After Thoma left, Kaeya has no idea if the two were able to keep in contact. Thoma never returned to Mondstadt anyway, nor did his parents, for that matter.

As for Jean, he wouldn’t be surprised if Frederica didn’t let her come to the festivities. If she is there, she is most likely with the alder knight. Kaeya would like to see their friend, too. For now, he shrugs and leans back in his seat. “I’m not sure, but a lot people will be there. Perhaps Jean and Thoma are among them.”

“I hope so.”

Diluc fills the silence for the most part, with Crepus and Kaeya adding a few words here and there, although Kaeya mostly stares outside and his tired mind begins to relax the longer he stares off in the distance. He hasn’t spoken to Crepus about the Fatui since the ride home a couple of days ago and while it constantly sits in the back of his mind, he can talk about it after the festivities are over.

His adoptive father needs a break; he has been moving nonstop for the past week and hardly had the time to rest for more than a few minutes. Kaeya wonders how he was able to manage Angel’s Share and Dawn Winery’s day-to-day activities and planning for the festival booth and bar (which is likely set up by now in Springvale) without collapsing from sheer exhaustion.

A rough divot in the dirt road snaps him out of his thoughts and brings him back to attention. They’re near Springvale now, Cider Lake is slowly coming into view and in the near distance, the sound of music echoes through the air. Diluc looks outside as well, his red eyes wide with wonder as the town comes into view. “This looks better than last year!” he exclaims.

“You say that every year,” Crepus teases.

“Because it’s true!”

The carriage comes to a stop and as soon as the door opens, Diluc is the first to jump outside. He turns and looks at them with a look that clearly tells the other two to hurry up. Kaeya is out next, followed by Crepus, and with a quick thank you, Wyratt takes the carriage away to await them when they’re ready to head back home.

Diluc hops back and forth in place, clearly ready to go enjoy the festival. “Father, can we go play now?” he asks eagerly.

“Hold your horses, kiddo,” Crepus tells him before he can run off. He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a small pouch. “Don’t spend it all in one place and share it with Kaeya. You know where our stall is, right?”

He nods and points to the largest one closest to the stage. “Right there!”

“It’s hard not to miss,” Kaeya adds.

Crepus nods at both of them, giving them the signal to go ahead. “I’ll be there if you need me, and be back by sundown!” he calls as Diluc starts to run off with Kaeya hot on his heels. His sigh is drowned out by the loud chattering from the crowds as the two get closer to the stalls that line the main road in the already tiny town.

Diluc’s excitement starts to rub off on Kaeya as they slow down to a more relaxed walking speed. It’s been so long since any of them could simply relax and have fun, instead of worrying about patrols, winery deals, or spooky voices. All he needs to worry about for now is staying at Diluc’s side and not getting separated.

The redhead stops in the middle of the main street and turns to face Kaeya with a large, toothy smile. “What do you want to do first?” he asks. “This is your first Weinlesefest, since you didn’t want to go last year. It’s super fun! There’s this thing called a fecund blessing—we get a slip of paper and it’ll give us a hint where the blessing is found and we just go around looking for the chest! That sounds like fun! Or, we can go find some games that people have set up.”

He looks around. He’s been to countless festivals like this, although he hardly ever participated in the festive parts since he was too busy being a captain and all… He mentally shakes off those thoughts. Today is a day of fun. He doesn’t want nor need any depressing thoughts. “Should we start making the wine for Crepus?” he suggests. “He gave us mora, right? We can use that to find the perfect bottle.”

“And then we go find the fecund blessings.”

“Then we can go find presents.”

Diluc scowls at him. “They aren’t presents, Kae. They’re blessings!”

“Whatever you say, ’Luc.” He smirks as Diluc huffs at him indignantly. “Come on, before all of the merchandise is sold to other people. We probably aren’t the only ones looking for an empty wine bottle.”

“It can’t be just any empty wine bottle. It’s going to be the one we make Father wine for!”

“That’s what wine bottles are for. You should get a position in the Investigation Team instead of the cavalry. You would shine there.”

“Really?”

Right, Diluc doesn’t exactly understand his sarcasm yet. “No, ’Luc. It’s a joke.”

Diluc blinks innocently. “…I don’t get it.”

Kaeya waves it off, chuckling as he says, “Never mind.” He falls in step with him as they walk around, and they are quickly distracted by the games that line the stalls, although Kaeya has to pull Diluc away from the ones that require far more combat experience than he has. He doesn’t think Crepus would like it if he went off boar hunting alone.

They explore the various stalls that are set up and browse through the numerous games for a few hours until they get hungry. Kaeya convinces Diluc to go visit Crepus and see how he is faring at the busiest stall of them all, knowing the man must be hungry by now as well.

The tables surrounding the Dawn Winery’s stall are fully occupied by smiling, no doubt drunk, customers and behind the bar hard at work is a bartender Kaeya doesn’t recognize right away and Crepus right beside him. Once they get close enough, Kaeya realizes that this is a much younger Patton, and it’s clear how nervous he is working beside Crepus. It likely hasn’t been too long since he shattered a whole crate full of Crepus’ most expensive wines; it’s too bad he has to work off the entire debt he owes. But he isn’t a bartender, so he’s most likely temporary help until Weinlesefest is over while Charles mans Angel’s Share alone.

As soon as Crepus spots Diluc and Kaeya, he steps out from the bar to approach them. He looks like he hasn’t taken a break since they arrived, and he quickly reaches up to retie his hair and put it back into place. “Why, hello, you two. Are you having fun?” he asks.

Diluc nods. “We haven’t seen Jean or Thoma, but we’re having loads of fun!” he replies. “We’re actually hungry and Kaeya says that we should eat lunch together.”

Kaeya nods once in confirmation.

Crepus looks between them and then at the bar. Patton smiles knowingly at him. “I can handle the stall alone, Master Ragnvindr,” he says. “You go have a good lunch with your boys!”

He looks relieved. “Just don’t break anything, Patton!” he says and tries not to laugh at the nervous look they get. “Let’s go, boys.”

There are three or four stalls that sell food, and each of them has Kaeya’s stomach rumbling as they pass by them all. He won’t admit that he feels like he’s starving; moving around with Diluc all morning does that.

Crepus finally stops and gets them a modest meal with a fairbrew jelly for dessert. The treat makes Kaeya hum in pleasure and quickly finishes it. It’s the right consistency that isn’t overly sweet, although Diluc tells them that it’s too sweet for his taste. It’s rare when they get sweets like this, so when Kaeya offers to finish it for him, it’s no wonder he doesn’t want to share the dessert.

Their father reminds them to come back when the sun sets and goes back to Dawn Winery stall with a pat on their backs and a gentle push to get them to run off and enjoy themselves. Diluc watches him go and sighs once they’re left alone again. When he doesn’t say anything, Kaeya curiously asks, “What’s wrong?”

“He told me he wouldn’t work so much this year,” Diluc answers. “Maybe tomorrow he’ll join us.” He looks back at him. “Do you want to try finding the fecund blessings now?”

“Sure.” Kaeya turns around and nearly runs into a taller, yet scrawny, boy. He really does need to start paying attention to where he’s going.

Before he can apologize, the other boy says it first. “I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to get so close to you,” he says.

Diluc’s face brightens. “Thoma!” he says loudly.

The boy, Thoma, returns his greeting with a cheerful smile and, “Hello, Master Diluc! Happy Weinlesefest!”

“I haven’t seen you in so long! How come you don’t come by the manor and say hi anymore? Adelinde’s been asking when you’re coming over next time. Oh!” Then he puffs his chest out proudly. “This is Kaeya, he’s my new brother.”

Thoma looks between the two. Kaeya knows this innocent confusion. The two obviously don’t look like each other, although Thoma’s stare hold no disgust like some of the Lawrence family has. Instead, it’s innocent curiosity that sparkles in his green eyes. “He’s your brother?”

“Adopted,” Kaeya says.

“Oh, I understand—”

“Yeah, we adopted him and had a huge dinner. Addie even cried,” Diluc interrupts with a laugh.

Kaeya rolls his eyes at him. “So did you!”

“I did not!”

“Did too! Like a baby, might I add!”

“Did not!”

Thoma holds his hands up to try and get them to stop. “You really do act like brothers but please don’t fight each other.” He smiles as the two immediately calm down. “Hey, what are you two doing now? Do you want to go to the spring with me? Jean’s coming, too.”

Diluc perks up. “Jean’s here? Yes, we’ll come!”

Naturally, Kaeya follows them and walks right behind them. Someone has to keep an eye on these two, and while they’re pretty safe in town, he can at least keep them out of any trouble they may encounter. Any friend of Diluc’s is likely a troublemaker just like him.

As they near the windmill in the center of town, Kaeya spots a familiar figure beside it. Jean kicks at a pebble on the ground and smiles as soon as they get close enough. “It took you guys long enough,” she says and joins them on the walk to the spring.

“We didn’t take that long,” Diluc replies.

“It felt like it did.”

“Well, it wasn’t.”

Kaeya sighs. Is this what he and Diluc really sound like when they bicker all the time, too?

Diluc looks between Jean and Thoma as he tells them, “Kaeya and I were gonna go look for fecund blessings after this; do either of you want to join us?”

“That sounds like fun! I’ll come along!” Thoma says with a nod.

“Yes, I’d like to join, too,” Jean adds. She walks beside Kaeya a few seconds later as Diluc and Thoma decide to race to the spring, something about last one there being a rotten hilichurl or whatever. She rolls her eyes at the two older boys and crosses her arms across her chest. “Do they really have to race?” she asks.

“You should see Diluc when we’re at home,” he replies with a soft laugh. “He wins a lot, mostly because he cheats.”

Jean smiles, then looks ahead to step over a rather large rock. “I’m glad you and Diluc have such a good bond. Hold onto it; it’s a special thing to have.”

He doesn’t intend to let it go again. He looks at Diluc and Thoma, seeing both of them panting as they stop at the water’s edge. “I will this time,” he mutters.

Jean tilts her head curiously at that but doesn’t ask him anything as they meet up with the two eldest.

Kaeya takes a deep breath as he stops at the water. Aside from Thoma, Diluc, and Jean’s chatter, it’s much quieter here and there isn’t anyone nearby that could potentially bother them. He feels like if he’s left alone here, he’d probably fall asleep and stay that way until someone would find him to take him back home. Thoma’s sudden yell makes him jump and he snaps his attention to the taller boy.

Is he in danger? Are they being attacked by monsters? He relaxes when he sees that the three of them are just hovering over something near a rock. He rubs his face with a hand. Gods, he really needs to get some sleep.

He moves toward the trio curiously. Jean, Diluc, and Thoma are all crouched over something. When Kaeya sees what they’re hovering over, he feels confused at their fascination. It’s just a turtle. Why are they so interested in it? He comes to their side, squatting down as well. “What’s going on?” he asks curiously.

“It’s a turtle,” Diluc says softly.

“Ah… yes? What’s so special about it?”

Thoma gently lifts the turtle, avoiding its head. “Yeah, and its shell is cracked,” he adds, a worried tone in his voice. “We have to help it!”

“Do you think I can heal it?” Jean suggests.

“You can definitely try!”

Kaeya isn’t amused and stands back up as he says, “It’s a turtle. I’m sure it’ll be fine.”

Thoma looks at him disapprovingly. “We can still try to help it. Wouldn’t you want help if you were hurt?”

He shifts uncomfortably on his feet. “I guess. Sorry.”

He smiles. “It’s all right. Nothing to apologize for, Master Kaeya.”

“Please, just Kaeya is fine.”

He laughs. “Okay, Kaeya.”

Jean raises her hand and a gentle turquoise glow flows from her hand and onto the turtle’s back. They watch as the turtle starts to squirm in Thoma’s hold and he sets it down and the shell heals before their eyes. Soon, Jean pulls her hand back with a tired sigh. “There. It should be okay now,” she says.

Diluc pokes the light scar on its shell. “We should keep it,” he suggests and then looks up at Kaeya. “You think Father would let us keep it?”

“Do you know how to take care of a turtle?”

He shrugs. “It can’t be that hard. They eat, sleep, poop, and eat some more.”

Kaeya shakes his head as he tells him, “I don’t think he’d let us keep it. Besides, I have a feeling there’s a lot more to it than just eating and sleeping, ’Luc.”

“Jean and I could help take care of it!” Thoma suggests with a smile.

Jean nods. “I know Mother will not let me keep it, but I can come over sometimes to help you take care of…” Her voice trails off. “We should name it first.”

The three of them look at the turtle. The little animal doesn’t seem like it cares, letting out a tiny yawn. “How about Dawn?” Diluc suggests.

She shakes her head, disagreeing with his choice. “That’s already your bird’s name. You can’t have two animals with the same name!”

“Don’t mind him, he’s not that great at naming things,” Kaeya tells her and laughs at the glare he gets from Diluc.

“If you’re so good at naming things, why don’t you name it?” he tells him and motions to the turtle.

“I never said I was. In fact, I’m quite useless in the naming category.” Unless it has something to do with Darknight Hero. He’s rather proud of that. “Besides, what would I name it? Shelly? No, I’ll let you guys decide.”

Thoma gasps. “Shelly! We should definitely name it Shelly!”

Jean and Diluc nod in agreement. “It’s a good name!” Jean exclaims.

“Wait, what?” Kaeya looks between them, mortified. Are they serious? Shelly? He continues, “No, that’s a dumb name. Hey, wait, we’re really going to keep a pet turtle?”

The three ignore him as they pick up Shelly and run back for Springvale with Kaeya hot on their heels.

In the end, no one keeps the turtle.

Crepus convinces Diluc to put the turtle back, pinching the space between his eyes with a sigh as Thoma joins Diluc. The sun is beginning to set by the time they get back to the stall, and by now most people have left and gone home for the night. Jean leaves sometime between sunset and when the Ragnvindr family makes their way back into the carriage to go home. Thoma also leaves, running back for his house with an excited wave.

Kaeya yawns as they get into the carriage and leans against the carriage wall, exhausted. He’s ready to crawl into bed, curl up into his blankets, and pass out for the rest of the night. Running around all day has made him even more tired than he wanted, but he is glad it was a good day.

There were no strange voices, no monsters, no Fatui, and no stalkers. Just he and his brother running around a festival all day with their friends.

He forces his eye open as the carriage begins to move and notices that Diluc is quiet as well. He looks just as tired as he feels, but he smiles at Crepus when he tells him all that they did, including caring for Shelly with Jean and Thoma’s help. He can barely hear them a few minutes later as his eyes start to drift shut, and he lets himself fall asleep to the rhythmic bumps of the carriage and the few snorts from the horses.

He barely feels someone shaking him gently awake. Crepus chuckles softly and when Kaeya looks out the open carriage door, he sees the manor’s front doors. When did they get back? “Hey, I know you’re tired. You need to get ready for bed and then you can go back to sleep, all right?” he tells him.

Kaeya groans quietly and nods, slowly standing up and follows him inside. Diluc is staggering his way up as well—did he fall asleep in the carriage, too? The two eventually get ready for bed and Kaeya lets Diluc come into his room and flop onto his bed. “I’m so tired,” he whines into his pillow.

“Then go to bed, you’re making my bed stink,” Kaeya replies. He crawls under his sheets with a relieved sigh and buries his head into the pillow. He’s asleep before he realizes Diluc hasn’t left the bed and passed out next to him, too.

Later in the night, he is woken from a dead sleep to the sound of quiet footfalls coming into the room. It’s dark inside the room, but he can’t remember if he left the candles lit before he fell asleep or not. He drags his eye to blearily look toward the open door and mumbles a quiet greeting when he recognizes Crepus’ blurry form walking to his side.

The man softly shushes him, pushing his bangs back. “It’s just me,” he whispers, not wanting to wake Diluc up either. “Just checking on you both. Good night, Kaeya. Sleep well.”

Kaeya doesn’t know if he says anything back. All he knows is that the sheets are tucked in around him and something scratchy gently brushes against his forehead as he falls back into an uninterrupted, nightmare-less slumber.

Chapter Text

Kaeya breathes a sigh of relief as Master Varka’s words ring through Springvale. He stands on the stage set up in front of Dawn Winery’s makeshift bar, and behind him is the Seneschal. Grand Master Varka’s face splits into a wide smile and raises his mug high into the air. “With these parting words, I declare that this Weinlesefest has been the best one yet! To the Anemo Archon!” he shouts.

The people surrounding the stage, including Crepus, mimic his movement and echo back, “To the Anemo Archon!” After a brief moment when they all share a drink, the noise from the cheery crowds and music from some bards on the stage starts right back up.

Crepus returns to the bar after a few minutes of mingling with people, where Kaeya and Diluc wait for him at a small table nearby. While Kaeya is delighted to finally go home and stay there for a while, Diluc doesn’t share his sentiments and looks up at Crepus when he arrives. “Do we really have to go back home?” he asks.

Crepus chuckles and pats his head. “Yes, we really have to go back home,” he answers. “We have to get you both home, and you have training tomorrow. Master Varka will be upset if you’re too tired to show up, won’t he?”

He pouts and he whines, “But we have all day! Master Varka’s going to be here! How come I can't?”

“Master Varka is an adult and can do whatever he wants.”

Kaeya wishes he could still use that excuse.

Diluc, on the other hand, pouts and gives Crepus his best puppy eyes. “Can’t we just stay a little longer and play some more, Father? Just a few more games?”

He shakes his head immediately as he begins to gather his coat. “Nah-ah-ah, a knight doesn’t whine.”

Diluc's face returns to normal and in a monotone voice he says, “I’m off duty.”

Kaeya hides his laugh behind his fist.

Their father sighs. “My answer is final, Diluc.” He rolls the sleeves of his shirt up to his elbows, carrying his coat under his arm as he begins to walk. “Come along, both of you. The barrels are loaded and there’s plenty of room in the back for you to sit.”

He leads the way through the festival, and Kaeya stays close to his side as Diluc drags his feet behind them. He has to try not to laugh, he hasn’t seen a temperamental Diluc in a very, very long time. He’s used to getting his way and obviously is not happy whenever Crepus puts his foot down. It’s a rare occurrence, but sometimes Kaeya would like for him to say ‘no’ more often.

He steps over a fallen loaf of bread near an empty stall that a young woman is packing away. They aren’t the only ones that are packing up early. In fact, many of the stalls that sold food or offered games to play are already gone, leaving a vacant space between the others that are still there. The Dawn Winery’s bar is one of the few that remain and will likely stay until the end of the night, or until the last of the wine is gone. Kaeya knows that once their stock has been depleted, many residents will return home but there are some that will travel to the city and visit Angel’s Share to drink their fill.

Crepus has worked all week and despite how tired he is and the bags under his eyes, he seems happy that Weinlesefest has finally come to an end. The festival is the most profitable time of the year for Dawn Winery and Angel’s Share and while Kaeya is sure his father is happy about the profits, he knows he needs a few days off to recuperate.

They stop walking once they reach an open wagon, similar to the ones that took the wine from Dawn Winery to Dornman Port. It’s much smaller, and only three empty barrels lay in the back of the wagon closest to the driver’s seat. At the very front is Lilly, already waiting and rearing to go as soon as she spots them arrive. Kaeya smiles. All this standing around strapped to a wagon would make him bored and itching to leave as soon as possible, too. He climbs into the back first and takes a seat on one side while Diluc climbs on the other.

It’s not long before Crepus snaps the reins and they start to go. Diluc watches Springvale go by and sighs dramatically as it disappears behind them. “Goodbye for now, Weinlesefest!” he says. “I’ll miss you!”

“It’ll be back next year, Diluc,” Crepus says reassuringly from the front.

“I know, but I miss it already.”

“It’s literally been five minutes,” Kaeya says. “I can’t wait to go home.”

Diluc rolls his eyes. “You’re such a homebody.”

“What? No, I’m not.” He rather enjoys his time outside. It makes time pass by much quicker than if he stayed inside all day long.

“Yes, you are.”

“No, I’m not.”

“Yes, you are.”

“Boys, stop fighting,” Crepus warns.

“We’re not fighting,” Kaeya tells him.

Diluc nods. “Yeah, we’re just having a mature discussion with each other to see whether or not Kaeya is truly a homebody or not.”

“That doesn’t sound like a mature discussion,” Crepus says and glances over his shoulder.

Kaeya huffs at Diluc, “Which the answer to your statement is no, I’m not a homebody. I like to go outside and enjoy the sun and catch crystal flies.”

Diluc scoffs playfully. “Liar.”

“Believe what you will, dear brother, but I wouldn’t lie about that.” He is a liar in many different things, but being a homebody is not one of them.

“Then how come you haven’t brought me a crystal fly core?”

“I can get you one if I want to. You can’t come with me ’cause you’ll scare them all away.”

Crepus turns back around with a sigh and mutters something under his breath that neither of them can hear. Perhaps he’s wishing now that he left them both at home this morning instead of going dragging them all the way to Springvale again.

Traveling by wagon is slower than going alone on horseback, and since they have a near-full load, they stay along the northernmost road leading to Dawn Winery, as it’s easiest on not only the wagon and its wheels but on Lilly’s hooves as well.

Kaeya wishes he brought a book with him for the ride back. The ride there wasn’t too bad, but it was early and Lilly didn’t have to drag a full cart of barrels and three humans behind her. At least Diluc is sitting still now. This morning, he could hardly remain in one place without needing to stand up and have Crepus tell him to sit back down.

He yawns as they reach the cliff and shade washes over them. They still have at least another hour before they finally get back home. After a full week of festivities and helping Elzer ferment the wine they want to give to Crepus, he’s dead tired. Waking up at the crack of dawn every day with barely any sleep will thankfully slow down now that Diluc will return to his training tomorrow.

He rubs a hand over his face. He sounds like an old man—

The wagon jerks to a stop so abruptly and harshly, he yelps as he’s flung off his seat and into the barrels beside him. Pain sprouts from his shoulder and Diluc fares the same fate, wincing as he holds his shoulder. Kaeya rolls his left arm carefully and is grateful nothing feels sprained or dislocated. “Ow,” he mumbles. It still hurt.

Crepus quickly spins around in his seat, also startled but otherwise fine. “Are you two all right?” he asks.

Kaeya nods. “I’m okay,” he answers.

“What’s going on?” Diluc asks, confusion flashing across his face as he looks around.

Kaeya leans over the edge of the wagon and sees one of the wheels is covered in thick ice, as if it had rolled over some kind of trap a boar hunter had buried, and seals it to the muddy ground. Diluc comes beside him and tilts his head curiously. “Ice?” he mumbles.

Crepus sets the reins down next to him and slides out of his seat to inspect the damage. He kneels next to the frozen wheel, gingerly placing his hand against the hard ice. He inhales sharply and pulls his fingers away quickly. “Gods, that’s cold,” he says under his breath. Kaeya snorts with amusement and opens his mouth to say something like, of course it’s cold, it’s ice, but Crepus glances at him with narrowed eyes. “Not a word, Kaeya.”

“I wasn’t going to say anything,” he insists.

“Mhm.” Crepus looks at Diluc. “Diluc, can you melt this?”

“Sure!” He swings his legs over the edge of the wagon and nimbly jumps out of the wagon. Once he’s on the ground, he squats down to place his hands against the ice. It slowly begins to melt and steam rises from where his hands are resting against it.

Kaeya tunes their conversation out and looks around. It’s too quiet in the gorge; he can’t hear the normal sounds of the birds or the wind. Lilly’s ears begin to twitch, hearing something Kaeya can’t see or hear himself. He’s always trusted a horse’s instinct, and the way her ears rotate makes him tense. Alarm bells are starting to go off in his head, and he clutches the wagon tighter. “We have to go,” he tells the two redheads.

“Hold on,” Diluc replies. “I’m almost done.”

No, he isn’t. He’s barely made a dent against the ice. Kaeya shakes his head, and tries to catch Crepus’ attention by telling him, “We can leave the wagon here and come back to get it later. We aren’t alone.”

Crepus glances at him and then eyes Lilly at the uncharacteristic way she’s starting to toss her head. “Hey, hey,” he says and goes to her side. “It’s okay.” He pats her neck to try and calm her down and then looks at Kaeya. “Diluc is almost finished. We can spare a minute or two.”

“But something is—”

He’s interrupted by a fiery arrow slamming into the ground right next to Crepus and the man flinches away from it. He looks up in alarm and Kaeya spins around when he hears a loud, “Ya!”

A lone hilichurl sits on a rock on the other side of the gorge with a reloaded crossbow in its hands. From where it came from, Kaeya has no idea. There aren’t many hiding spots and for the most part, hilichurls tend to avoid this road because of the heavy traffic of travelers in the area.

Kaeya curses under his breath as it fires again and barely misses him. He ducks to avoid the bolt and hears it bury itself into the rocks behind them. Little pebbles shoot upward and graze his cheek but he pays little attention to them, instead jumping out of the wagon to hide behind the frozen wheel for more cover.

Diluc, on the other hand, quickly stands and summons his claymore, leaping forward to dispatch the monster. “Diluc, wait!” Crepus says worriedly, but his call goes unheeded as the younger redhead brings his claymore down on the monster.

It barely puts up a fight, clearly not expecting any kind of retaliation that fast. With only two swings from the large blade, the hilichurl falls to the ground with a thump and its dying cry echoes between the cliff walls.

As soon as he’s sure it’s dead, Diluc looks around for other monsters, the grip on his weapon tightening. Despite the brave face he has on, Kaeya can tell he’s nervous. It’s most likely the first time he’s ever fought without help from more experienced knights with him.

Crepus glances at Kaeya. “Stay there,” he says and stands to rush to Diluc’s side.

He obeys, only because of the worry Crepus fails to hide from him. He glances back at the frozen wheel with a frown. Hilichurls don’t use traps like this, they tend to attack head-on with flailing clubs and throwing rocks at people. An ambush like this isn’t their style.

He watches the eldest Ragnvindr reach Diluc and then notices that Lilly hasn’t calmed down. Her distressed whinnying catches Crepus and Diluc’s attention as well. It’s still far too quiet, except for a distinct noise of something teleporting nearby.

Kaeya looks down the road, tensing when he sees a cryo Abyss Mage appear with three other hilichurls with it. He’s not sure if he’s thankful that these hilichurls don’t have crossbows or not. Clubs are just as deadly as arrows and crossbow bolts.

“Father, get back,” Diluc warns, his eyes locked onto the monsters. He readies his claymore again, taking a more defensive stance.

A shield forms around the mage and with its tiny arm, it raises its staff and points it at Diluc and Crepus. “Kill the red ones,” it orders the hilichurls with a distorted voice in a long-forgotten language.

Kaeya looks at the two older Ragnvindrs with alarm. The hilichurls rush forward, swinging their clubs wildly in the air with loud cries. “Father, move!” Diluc shouts. Heat from his vision builds around him rapidly and he raises his weapon above his shoulder.

Crepus is forced to take a few steps back to avoid being burned by the pyro that’s forming at his eldest son’s feet. The mage puts its free hand against its forehead, getting ready to teleport away.

“Burn!” Diluc swings his claymore forward and sends a flaming phoenix at the monsters. One of the hilichurls is immediately caught in his attack, screeching in agony as it’s burned while the other two are able to dodge it.

Kaeya grits his teeth together. He feels useless just hiding behind the wagon and watches Diluc fight off the two hilichurls. He wishes he could help him, but weaponless and visionless, he can do nothing but stay out of his way. Crepus has picked up the first hilichurl’s fallen crossbow and shoots the bolt at the other monster that had escaped Diluc’s initial attack. It strikes true and the hilichurl stumbles back before it could land a hit against Diluc.

A wave of cold rolls up behind Kaeya. He quickly spins around as the mage teleports right next to him, its shield still up and freezes the damp ground below it. Shit! His senses aren’t what they should be. It must have teleported right after Diluc sent his attack, using it as a distraction to get away.

Kaeya’s only thought now is that he needs something to protect himself. He needs a weapon, anything at this point. He’s too far to reach the fallen hilichurls and their clubs and he quickly looks around his feet to find something. His eye is drawn to a rock that’s near his foot.

It won’t do much against a mage’s shield, but if it comes to a close-quarters fight, a rock can do a lot of damage if it strikes the right place. He quickly grabs it, heart pounding against his chest as the mage tilts its head at him curiously.

He doesn’t know why it’s not attacking him. The mage places its free hand on its chest and bows its head. It completely ignores the fight on the other side of the wagon, not caring if the hilichurls it brought die or not. The gesture bewilders Kaeya and he hesitates before he makes any kind of move. It’s bowing? Why is it bowing?

“We must make haste,” it says to him. “I apologize for the rough treatment, my prince.” The mage straightens and drops its shield.

The statement makes him freeze and he stares at it with a wide eye. Had he heard that right? “What did you call me?” he whispers. ‘My prince?’ What the hell?

It doesn’t answer him. Quicker than he can recover from his shock, it snatches his wrist in a surprisingly tight grip with its tiny arm. “Come,” it says in the common tongue.

“Kaeya!” he hears Crepus shout.

He rapidly comes back to his senses when he hears his father’s cry. He digs his heels into the ground and clutches the rock in his other hand tighter. “Let go!” he snaps. He brings the rock down onto its arm as hard as he can, smashing it against its forearm with as much strength as he can muster.

The hit Kaeya deals against it is not enough to break anything but it’s enough to force the mage to let him go and screech in pain. Now that it knows he’s not defenseless, it glares at him and raises its staff to the sky. Cryo begins to build at its tip, readying an attack he can’t block with a rock. He has to get away before it decides to freeze him in place.

He’s not used to feeling fear when faced against a mage. This is just a simple mage, he’s taken down so many of them before, and yet, his heart pounds hard against his chest. If it wants him dead, he would have been killed by now. He doesn’t feel like dying again, who knows if he’d wake up a third time. Thankfully, it seems like it wants him alive.

But that doesn’t make him feel any better. The Abyss doesn’t take prisoners. They also don’t target a vintner and his family, set traps, and ambush them. Does it have something to do with his dying and coming back to life ordeal? Is this attack his fault?

He sees the mage move and he brings himself back to reality. The staff is pointed directly at him now and just before it throws the cryo at him, the tip of a large blade is suddenly shoved through its back and stabs through its stomach.

Kaeya is just as startled as the mage. When had Diluc gotten to them?

The mage drops its staff and the cryo that had been floating in front of it dissipates. The staff lands on the ground with a puff of dust and mud that gets on his clothes. The mage gasps and looks behind it to see who is behind it. When it sees Diluc, it looks more offended than anything and says in broken common, “You?! H-how?”

Diluc glares at the monster with venom in his eyes. He pushes the claymore deeper as he spits out, “Leave my brother alone!”

The mage gurgles in pain and shock as he yanks the claymore out. With the last of its strength, it turns its eyes toward Kaeya and reaches out for him with its small arm. In its mother tongue, it utters, “My p…prince… G-grant… us…”

There it is again.

What does it mean? ‘My prince?’ Grant it what? He isn’t a prince; he never has been one. The only thing that comes to mind is Khaenri’ah, but even then, the Alberich clan was just a regent family. Kaeya doesn’t care about the fallen nation. Years ago, he thought he did. He fully believed he owed something to Khaenri’ah.

But that was back when he thought his birth father would return to take him home. Before he finally realized he wasn’t coming back. Now when he thinks of home, he thinks of open skies, gentle winds, rolling green hills, and the Ragnvindrs. Khaenri’ah is just an afterthought in the back of his mind.

The mage goes limp before it can do or say anything else. Whatever the abyssal monster wanted, it’s too late for any questions. It’s dead before it hits the ground.

Kaeya stares at the body for a few seconds and then takes a breath. It’s over. Diluc dismisses his blade and before Kaeya can ask if he’s all right, they’re both pulled into a bone-crushing hug by Crepus. He holds them close, as if afraid that if he lets go, they’ll simply vanish into thin air. “Are you all right?” he asks them and pulls away. “Neither of you are hurt, are you?”

Diluc shakes his head. “I’m okay,” he replies softly.

Kaeya also nods, “Me too.”

Crepus sighs in relief and pulls them into another tight hug. Then he smiles and looks at Diluc. “I’m so proud of you, Diluc. Thank you for saving Kaeya.”

Diluc beams proudly. The shock he is in slowly ebbs away. Even Kaeya feels far safer beside their father. “You were super cool too, Father! You should be a great knight!”

Crepus smiles, a sad look in his eyes that Diluc misses. “No, I don’t think I would be,” he replies. He frowns when Diluc puts a hand against his head. “Diluc? Are you all right?”

He starts to sway on his feet and Kaeya is afraid he’s going to faint when he pales significantly. Elemental exhaustion. He’s seen it plenty of times—hell, he’s experienced it himself more than his fair share. Diluc nods as Crepus holds him up. “I’m really… really tired,” he mutters.

“You used too much of your vision,” Kaeya says. Pyro visions react strongly to their users emotions; he isn’t surprised Diluc is so tired when the fight is over. It’s one of many reasons why Master Varka puts him through so much vision training. “You just need to rest and try not to use your vision for a while.”

Crepus looks at the wagon. It’s battered on one side, crossbow bolts sticking out of its side and the frozen wheel on the other. It isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. He looks back at Kaeya. “Keep an eye on him. I’ll unhitch Lilly and you two can ride her back. I’ll walk beside you.”

The rest of their time on the road is thankfully quiet and there are no unexpected ambushes by monsters of any kind. The only other thing they see on the road is a passing knight and Kaeya tries not to glare at him. Where was he when they were being attacked? They could have used the help.

He sighs and keeps hold of the back of Diluc’s shirt. The older boy fights to stay awake, and more than once does he begin to tip forward just enough for Crepus to reach up and stop him from falling over. He jerks himself awake every time but complains that he just wants to go to bed when they get home.

It’s dark by the time they reach the steps of the manor. Diluc doesn’t even try to get off of Lilly on his own and lets Crepus lift him up and carry him inside while Elzer helps Kaeya down before taking Lilly to the stables.

Diluc sleeps what little there is left of the day and all through the night. Despite being reassured that he will be all right and just needs rest, Crepus hardly leaves his side. It’s near midnight when he finally sends Kaeya to bed.

Kaeya crawls into the sheets with a concerned look. “You should get some rest,” he says to him.

“I will, Kaeya,” Crepus replies. He comes to his side and sits on the edge of the bed. “Are you sure you’re all right? That monster didn’t hurt you, did it?”

He shakes his head. “No, I’m all right.” He won’t tell him what the monster called him; that’s something he needs to ask Dainsleif the next time he sees him. He takes in Crepus’ tired appearance and lays down. “You need to sleep. Diluc will feel guilty if he finds out you stayed awake all night.”

He laughs. “I thought I was the father, yet here you are, lecturing me.”

He snickers as well. He slowly loses his smile when he sees Crepus lose his, and the man stands up to allow him to roll onto his side and face him. “Diluc will be okay. He just needs to sleep.”

“I know, but a father can’t help but worry about his children.” He heads for the door and steps through it. Before he closes it, he smiles again at him. “Get some rest. I’ll ensure Adelinde lets you both sleep as late as you need.”

With that, the door closes and Kaeya is left alone. He sighs and rolls onto his back again. He raises his right arm, flexing the not-lost limb with a frown and lets it fall back down onto the blanket.

For some reason, the way Crepus told him he worries about him and Diluc makes his stomach churn with anxiety. Kaeya has never prayed to the archons.

Tonight, he prays to Barbatos that this encounter with monsters won’t convince Crepus to accept a delusion.

Chapter Text

Kaeya can’t sleep.

He’s spent at least three hours tossing and turning in bed and his mind refuses to slow down. The mage’s words continuously run through his head back and forth, over and over and over again. It’s repeated so many times in his mind, he can still hear it clearly say, “My prince.”

Every time he closes his eyes, he can still see it bowing and feel its cold, tight grasp around his wrist. All he can see are those beady little eyes looking at him without hatred or anger or betrayal. It had died looking at him in acceptance even as it had pleaded for granting it whatever it wanted. He can still feel the heat from Diluc’s vision as his brother finished it off. That alone brings a whole slew of memories he unwillingly begins to reminisce.

(The pounding, pouring rain hitting he and Diluc as they stand in the mud on opposite sides for the first time. Diluc’s fury and betrayal directed at his former brother. Pyro made of rage and grief thrown at Kaeya, too fast for him to completely dodge—)

He pushes the memory out as quickly as he can and tries to focus on the more recent events. It’s not hard to do and he rubs his wrist as he rolls onto his back. The mage is all he can think about. He’s never seen a monster act like that toward any human, be it a hilichurl, mage, or lector.

He doesn’t want to know what could have happened had Diluc not helped him. It was obvious the mage was trying to take him away, but where he has no idea nor does he want to find out. He has a feeling that won’t be the last time he’ll see monsters before he joins the knights.

He drops his arms and rolls onto his side once again to face the curtains, frustrated at his inability to fall asleep. All he wants to do is sleep his exhaustion away and hope no one wakes him up tomorrow morning. His eye drags to the curtain.

He wants to go outside and see if Dainsleif is lurking nearby, but what if there’s a monster that he can’t protect himself from? There can’t possibly be monsters outside right now, can there? He can’t rely on Diluc all the time, especially since he’s suffering from elemental exhaustion.

Even if there aren’t any monsters or any immediate danger, Dainsleif most likely is not there. Although he has questions that he hopes Dainsleif can answer, he has no idea how to contact the mysterious man. Does he even have any answers from their previous meeting yet? Would he even know what that mage meant by calling him ‘My Prince?’

Kaeya wouldn’t be surprised if he does—he seems to know a lot more about Kaeya than he lets on. That alone makes him nervous, as he doesn’t know nearly as much as him about his own family. It’s not like he was ever able to ask his birth father more details about their origins.

He stares up at the ceiling some more even though his body is begging for sleep. Should he see him again, Kaeya wouldn’t be surprised if Dainsleif tries to kill him again. What if he already knows about the attack by the mage? That would help Kaeya immensely: it would show that he has no intentions of helping the Abyss Order at all. Hopefully that convinces Dainsleif not to try to kill him a second time.

The soft pattering of the rain hitting the roof catches his attention. It is the first of many rainstorms Mondstadt receives in autumn and somewhere deep inside of him, he’s relieved not to hear any accompanying thunder or see a flash of light from behind the curtains. He tells himself he isn’t scared of thunderstorms anymore, that it’s a child’s baseless fear that he has long since grown out of.

Technically speaking, he hasn’t grown out of anything. In fact, ever since he woke up, he’s barely grown whereas Diluc has gained at least an extra inch. He’s bitter about it now, but once he turns fourteen, he will be relieved once he’s the taller brother.

He focuses on the repetitive noises and closes his eyes with a deep sigh. He needs to stop thinking about royalty, the Abyss Order, and growth spurts and get to sleep. However, no matter how hard he tries, he can’t help but keep thinking about the mage. What if another one comes? That mage told the hilichurls to kill Crepus and Diluc; whoever it was taking orders from clearly don’t want either Ragnvindr alive.

He grips the blanket tighter. Will Diluc be safe going to and from his training? He doesn’t think he should be traveling alone for a while, at least not until he’s figured out what’s going on and the Abyss Order problem is solved. He knows his brother can protect himself for the most part, but he’s still young and can easily be overpowered by monsters if he’s not careful. Had that mage been pyro, he doubts they would have escaped unharmed.

Exhaustion finally starts to roll in, and Kaeya lets his body unwind as he pulls the covers up over his shoulders. The day’s events are finally catching up—no, the entire week. Running around with Diluc and the others has made him too tired to think straight. While Weinlesefest was fun and he got to spend time with Diluc, Thoma, and Jean all week, he’s happy it’s over.

The sound of the rain eventually lulls his mind and his body begins to fully relax itself. It would be best to sleep. He can worry about everything in the morning when he is more alert and well-rested.

A distorted laugh makes him immediately become alert again. It sounds just like the mage—but that’s impossible, that mage is dead. There can’t be a different one in the manor, can there? Monsters can’t have sneaked inside his bedroom to attack him in his sleep in the few seconds since he’d closed his eyes.

But when he opens his eyes, he doesn’t see the familiar bedroom. Instead, dark clouds loom overhead, large trees appear on either side of him and there’s a cliff. He’s seen this place before in his dreams, hasn’t he? It’s strangely familiar… His eyes land on the hilichurl that’s facing away from him. It’s the same one as before. Does this mean he’s dreaming again?

He rubs his head. How come he hasn’t remembered this dream before? Had he forgotten about it last time he dreamt of this place? He slowly sits up. There is no mage or any other monster other than the hilichurl. He doesn’t know where the laugh came from; maybe he is so tired he heard it in his head.

He’s positive this is a dream, but he can’t place why it feels extremely vivid. He can feel the humidity hanging in the air and the grass tickling his feet as he stands. Birds different than the ones in Mondstadt sing in the trees and he turns around when he hears footsteps running up from behind him. He stares at the odd pair that come to a stop right behind him, but their eyes aren’t on him. Instead, they’re looking at the hilichurl.

One of them, the man, is clearly Khaenri’ahn. His star-filled gaze is locked onto the hilichurl with a desperate look on his face. Kaeya doesn’t know who he is, but he can take an educated guess as to who the young lady is beside him. This has to be Aether’s missing sibling; she looks nearly identical to him with the same golden eyes and hair.

He turns around to face them and an easy smile finds its way onto his face. “You must be the missing sister,” he states. He doesn’t get an answer. “You look just like him. I must say, you’ve made him worry—huh?”

He stops talking when he sees the man’s mouth open and move. He is clearly speaking and judging by her reactions, Aether’s sister can hear him.

Kaeya frowns. Why can’t he hear him? He can hear everything else in the area. He waves a hand in front of their faces. Can they even see him?

He reaches out for the man, but as soon as his hand is about to touch his robe, his surroundings twist and take him away from the cliff. He holds back a startled noise and pulls his hand back quickly. As soon as he does, the ground beneath him changes from soft grass to hard rock.

He nearly loses his balance from the sudden change but he remains upright and looks around. There are fallen pieces of debris on the ground, and a corridor leads somewhere from the room he’s in. A glance at the wall and the markings on it tells him all that he needs to know. He is in a domain. He has no way of knowing which one he is in, but when he turns around, he freezes. This is… certainly something he’s never seen before.

The room isn’t terribly large, but the low hum of power comes from a dim purple orb that is being held by a chained statue. Spikes made of stone point directly at it, almost as if it’s threatening it like it can move around on its own. There are several of these same statues scattered throughout Mondstadt. It’s a Statue of the Seven… Barbatos, to be exact. Why is it upside down?

Kaeya draws his eyes lower. In front of it is a man, forever frozen in a prostrating position in front of the statue. He doesn’t need to think about why he isn’t moving. He knows a dead body when he sees one.

The orb statue is holding is the thing that disturbs him more. It likely had something to do with the man’s death. What caused this man to perish in front of it? Kaeya can’t see any wounds on the body. Had he been ill and just decided to die here, or had he touched the orb? The power emanating from it looks exactly like the power that had come out of that hilichurl in his other dream.

He stares at the statue a little longer. What kind of dream is this? He’s never dreamt something like this before.

“You are seeing events that have come to pass.”

He’s proud he doesn’t flinch when he hears the voice this time. It doesn’t mean he’s not nervous or startled upon hearing them. He knows that if he looks around, he won’t see a body where the voice comes from, so he just kneels next to the dead man to see if he’s holding anything. “What events?” he asks.

The voice doesn’t reply.

Kaeya bristles with irritation and stands back up. This voice tried to possess him, he deserves some answers. If they’re the one showing him this, why are they? What’s the point? “Who are you?”

This time, they reply, “I am nothing but a ‘Sinner.’”

“A sinner?”

There’s a brief pause and his mind feels heavy with the feeling of teleportation again. “I will show you.”

The area shifts again. Kaeya is starting to get dizzy from how much the dream is changing—well, he sincerely hopes this is still a dream. It’s starting to feel too real for it not to be a simple dream. Is this a lucid dream, then? Or is it something else?

The walls fall around him and turn into a large open room with thick pillars on both sides of the large room. If he looks over the side of the bridge they’re on, he can’t see the bottom of it. A thick fog shrouds the bottom and in the center of the room, a gigantic purple crystal is held up by chains sprouting from the pillars and the ceiling that he can’t see.

On another bridge nearby, there’s a small group of hilichurls bowing to the crystal. His eyes are drawn back to the crystal. He is admittedly in awe of not only it’s size, but also the power he can sense pouring from it. “What is this place?” he asks nervously. He shouldn’t be here. This place isn’t meant for someone like him.

“Almost five hundred years ago, the Alberich clan accepted a power they coveted,” the Sinner’s voice answers. It almost sounds like it’s coming from the crystal, but also in his head simultaneously. “This is where the Order was formed, and it is with you my vessel shall be complete. You are almost ready.”

He keeps staring at the crystal but the wonder he felt before has all but vanished. Instead, dread is starting to fill him. “Your… vessel?”

There’s a soft chuckle. “There is no need to fear, little one. No harm shall come to you.”

“I’ve already had harm come to me.”

“You need not worry about the mages. They obey the one most loyal to me.”

He shakes his head. “It hasn’t been just the mage and the hilichurls. I was greeted by a nasty concussion when I woke up. That wasn’t fun, I’ll have you know.” He looks up at the crystal again. If this Sinner person knows about the mage, then perhaps they are responsible for his death. He takes a deep breath before he asks, “Assuming you sent that mage, did you also send the herald?”

The Sinner doesn’t say anything for the longest time.

Kaeya, on the other hand, is growing tired of this dream. He wants to wake up, but he has no idea how to go about it. He looks down at his arm. If he pinches himself hard enough, would he wake up? Fat load of good that did when he initially woke up after dying. He’s still stuck here in the past as a child.

“You remember?”

Kaeya looks at the crystal again. The Sinner sounds curious, if not a little surprised. “Depending on what you mean, I remember quite a lot.”

The sound of a portal opening behind him alerts him and he quickly looks behind him to see what it is that has appeared. Heavy footsteps accompany the sound of metal clinking and the air around him drops several degrees. Kaeya’s heart also drops and he scrambles back as far as he can get. Fear pumps his heart as the herald stalks towards him, and his eyes are locked onto the blades attached to its arms.

Arms. Just like him. He’s positive this herald is here to finish the job—but now he has nothing to defend himself. There are no swords, crossbows, or rocks he can pick up to fight back. He’s defenseless and he doubts he can simply run away from it.

Nothing about this feels like a dream. At the same time, it doesn’t feel real. It’s a precarious balance that doesn’t tip in either direction, making Kaeya feel confused and question what is happening to him.

He backs up until his back hits the stone wall. The herald stops just in front of him, its large figure far more imposing than he remembers. Just like the mage from before, it doesn’t move to attack him. Instead, it places a hand against its chest and bows.

He doesn’t know what to think. He’s too startled and frightened to think clearly and figure out what is happening. “What is going on?” he tries to ask, but he’s interrupted by the Sinner.

Their voice rings in Kaeya’s mind as they ask, “How much do you remember, little one?” They sound calm, and for some reason, it also ebbs his fear—but only a little bit.

He doesn’t really like being cornered by the powerful monster in front of him. He can’t tear his eyes off the herald. His breath comes in short puffs. Is it here to kill him again? Although, it’s bowing right in front of him and he’s dreaming (he thinks, he really hopes he is only dreaming). He takes a few breaths to try to calm down a little more. It’s not attacking him and remains in a bowed position. His eyes widen again. The herald… the mage… Realization finally clicks in his mind and he whispers, “You sent it to kill me. You’re the one who did this.”

The voice hums. “How curious.”

Pain sprouts from his eye and Kaeya’s hand flies up to cover it with an agonized hiss. It spreads far more rapidly than it has before, crawling its way from the eye up toward his hairline. Something is wrong—

“Fear not what I have to offer. I only wish for our freedom.  For now, it is best if you rest, little one.”

He winces again and looks up at the crystal. The edges of his vision are getting fuzzy and the world is tilting in different directions. He’s starting to get dizzy…

“Sleep.”

He obeys.

Chapter Text

The stories were true; all that follows the drake is death.

The beast lands on the ground hard enough to shake the trees and roars so loud it rattles his bones. Those that hadn’t run away by now fall left and right to its brutal attacks, and he can barely put up a fight before he, too, falls into the mud. Pain blossoms from his side from a nasty, bloody injury and he hugs it with his opposite hand, staring at the large monster that snarls at him with terror.

They can’t beat it.

He failed. He’s unable to protect his father and the others.

They’re going to die.

He clutches his injured side tighter as dread fills him. He’s the last line of defense until his brother arrives, but he doesn’t think he will make it in time. There is no hope of defeating the violent beast without backup. His vision sits on his hip, useless against the monster that stalks toward him. He grits his teeth, trying to muster his courage and push past his pain. He has to keep fighting.

Someone steps in front of him, and he looks up to see his father standing in front of him. His eyes widen. “Father!” he cries. No, he has to go back inside the wagon! It’s safer for him to be there! Then he notices the glove adorning his father’s hand and the strange stone embedded into it. What is he wearing?

It starts to glow a reddish-purple as energy sprouts from it. His father raises his arm and chains appear from thin air behind him and shoot at the drake, wrapping it tightly to immobilize it. His arm shakes in effort when the drake fights back, but he doesn’t relent and adds more and more until the monster is pinned and becomes unable to move.

As it struggles in its bonds, he winces in pain and pants.

He swallows and asks him, “That power… how?” Father doesn’t have a vision, how is he doing this?

“…aeya!”

There’s a brief moment where the drake and his father stare silently at each other. Had he the energy, he would have stood to help Father, but he can barely manage to keep his head up. Then, something happens that makes the drake’s slitted pupils turn into tiny toothpicks and it roars in fury.

The chains strain as it lunges forward and he is surprised when it breaks the chains binding it. Its jaws open wide; he can’t move, frozen in fear—

“It’s… dream!”

His eyes don’t close, but he doesn’t see Father jumping in the way until after the drake suddenly screeches in agony and something wet lands on his cheek. The drake turns, and it quickly escapes, although mortally wounded. He releases the breath he hadn’t realized he was holding in and staggers to his feet. “You defeated it,” he says in awe. “Now we—”

Father grunts and then collapses, his right arm missing from the elbow down.

Pain erupts from his own elbow and he looks down. His arm is gone, too. He blinks and looks up again. Instead of seeing his father, he sees the Abyss Herald right in front of him. Agony rips through him as it stabs its blade into his chest.

It leans forward until its face is right next to his ear.

“Be grateful, Alberich, for death is merciful.”

“Wake up.”

Kaeya wakes up screaming.

Phantom pain courses through his arm and chest, and he gasps as pressure pushes against his shoulders. What’s going on? He doesn’t know who is with him, he has no idea why he’s being pinned down. Is the herald the one above him? Panic overtakes him and he tries to throw it off of him. He won’t let it kill him again, not if he can help it.

He thrashes against the firm hold, his breath coming in short puffs and his heart racing. A muddled voice tries to speak to him even as he pushes against the hold, but the herald is too strong for him. The edges of his vision begin to turn black—he feels like he can’t breathe. Fight! He needs to fight back; he has to protect himself.

He raises his leg to kick it, and there’s a pained curse when his foot connects to their side. That’s odd. Monsters don’t normally curse, much less speak in the common tongue. Its hold loosens but the grip doesn’t relent. Why isn’t it letting go? He tries to kick it again and misses when it smartly avoids the weak attack. He twists his entire body, desperately trying to make it let go. Get off!

“Kaeya, it’s okay!” someone says. Their voice is gentle and not so loud they scare him more but not so softly that he can’t hear them. “You’re having a nightmare! You’re okay, I promise.”

Kaeya suddenly stops his thrashing. He knows that voice. He drags one terrified lilac eye to the dark figure above him. They aren’t an enemy. They aren’t a monster waiting to kill him again, or a monstrous drake toying with him. This isn’t the herald. No, they are the farthest thing from that monster. They would rather fight it even if it kills them as long as it means he would be protected. “Father?” he stutters.

Crepus stills for a moment, surprised, and then he lets out a relieved breath. He removes his hands from his shoulders and replies, “Yes, it’s me. It was just a nightmare. Breathe for me.”

That’s when he realizes he’s starting to get light-headed. Oh. Breathing is a good idea. He gasps for air like he’s been running a marathon and coughs. Why is it so hard to breathe? Kaeya sits up and puts a hand against his throbbing covered eye. Just… just a nightmare. That’s all it was.

He wastes no time clinging to his adoptive father, clutching the back of his nightshirt as if his life depends on it. He takes a shuddering breath as Crepus hugs him back and rubs comforting circles against his back. “It’s okay. You’re all right,” he hears him whisper.

Is it really okay? He doesn’t feel all right, not with the pain in his eye. It’s enough to force him to let go of Crepus and rub it with the back of his hand. The nightmare felt so real… even the pain in his arm and chest are still fading away and he makes a fist to make sure his arm really is still attached. Relief floods his mind and his body sags. He’s alive. His arm is still here.

A nightmare.

None of that was real.

Crepus is alive and Diluc is safe. But why did he have that dream? It felt like he was in Diluc’s place, watching what happened from his point of view. He shakes his head to get rid of the lingering memory of Ursa.

Lingering fear starts to fade the longer he holds his father. There is no wagon, no furious drake staring him down, and no herald inside the manor.

He calms down enough to remember that he hit Crepus, thinking he was a monster. Guilt eats at him. How could he ever believe he is a monster? “I’m sorry I hit you,” he apologizes quickly. “I… I thought you were…” He doesn’t finish the sentence. Crepus wouldn’t appreciate knowing he thought he had been a monster, as briefly as it was.

“It’s all right,” he tells him, so gently that it makes his guilt worse. He doesn’t deserve his kindness. If he knew where Kaeya came from and what happened to him, he doubts he would be receiving the same treatment. He pulls away, gently pushing his hair out of his eye. “Do you want to talk about it?”

Kaeya instantly shakes his head. He doesn’t want to think of the drake or the herald again. He doesn’t want to remember how the two met the end of their lives.

Crepus looks at him with sympathy and glances out the window. “It’s still very early. Would you like to try going back to sleep?”

He shakes his head again. He won’t be able to go back to sleep, not after that.

Thankfully, he doesn’t try to convince him to go back to bed. Instead, he says, “Then how about we make some hot chocolate to start our day, hm?”

He would rather have an entire bottle of the strongest spirits Dawn Winery has tucked away in the wine cellar and chug it all at once to forget the nightmare. “Okay…”

His head throbs as though he is hungover, and he glances out the window as the first light of the day begins to cut through the dark night sky. He winces and he rubs his covered eye again while ignoring Crepus’ worried gaze.

It still hurts. The only time his eye ever hurts is when he hears that voice, or when they try to possess him. Did something else happen during the night? He nearly spirals again at the mere thought of being possessed without his knowledge. Gods, he hopes that doesn’t happen. He doesn’t want anything to happen to his little family, but with as many occurrences as he’s had with the cursed eye, he knows it means something has happened. It’s just… he can’t remember anything of importance.

“Does your eye hurt, Kaeya?”

Crepus’ voice brings him out of his troubled thoughts and he looks up. Oh… now he feels guilty again, now for ignoring him and allowing himself to fall into his own thoughts. “Yes, but I’ll be all right,” he admits.

He glances at the medical eyepatch he’s wearing. “You were scratching at it in your sleep. Can I check to make sure you haven’t injured it?”

He slaps a hand over the eyepatch with alarm. “No!” he snaps, too loud and too fast.

Crepus looks startled at the tone but he nods and replies calmly, “Okay.” He gets up and helps him out of bed. “You know I’m here to help you, right?”

He averts his eye and stares down at the floor. He shouldn’t have snapped at him like that. “Sorry.” Gods, he’s a mess. One little nightmare and he’s snapping at his adoptive father for no reason.

“It’s okay, no harm done. Now, go make sure your eye is all right and come downstairs, okay?”

He nods, still feeling guilty for snapping at him. He knows Crepus only wants to help him. “Sorry…” he repeats.

Crepus smiles, a gentle expression on his face as he answers, “There’s no need to apologize. I’ll see you downstairs.” Then, he turns around and leaves his room, leaving the door open.

Kaeya steps out and immediately goes to the bathroom, closing the door quietly to not wake Diluc. He peels the eyepatch off and looks at his reflection.

There are small and thin red lines just under his golden eye where he tried to scratch. Had the eyepatch not been there, he knows he would have scratched himself bloody. Was Crepus holding him down so he didn’t hurt himself more?

He sighs again. Now he feels even worse once he understands why Crepus had been holding his arms away from himself. Not only did he kick him and think he was a monster, he snapped at him. Crepus is a gentle and caring soul, he doesn’t deserve to be yelled at by him. He was only trying to help.

He turns on the faucet and splashes water on his face. He’ll apologize again when he gets downstairs. He lifts his eyes to the mirror again and stares at the reflections staring back at him. He isn’t alone in the bathroom; when did Diluc get in? He didn’t hear the door open.

Diluc is staring back at him, a tired and worried look in his eyes. When he sees both of Kaeya’s eyes exposed, they grow wide with wonder.

Startled, Kaeya closes his normally covered eye and says sharply, “Diluc! Knock before you barge in!”

“Ah, sorry,” he replies. He’s still staring at the other eye, even though it’s now closed. “Why do you wear an eyepatch? Your eye looks really cool!”

Kaeya hastily puts the eyepatch back on. “Because I can.”

He doesn’t look satisfied with that answer. “Can you see out of it?”

“Yes, I can.”

“Then why do you always—”

Kaeya sighs. He’s too tired to deal with his questions. “Diluc, please, not right now.”

Diluc looks at him up and down, finally realizing that he isn’t feeling his best. The wonder and curiosity leave him and he quietly says, “I heard you screaming earlier. I couldn’t get you to wake up so I got Father, but he told me to go back to my room. Are you okay?”

Shame consumes him. Now he’s made two people he cares about upset with him, all because of a stupid nightmare. He nods. “Yes, I’m sorry, ’Luc. It was just a bad dream.”

“Oh.” They’re quiet for a few seconds, standing there awkwardly in the restroom so early in the morning. Kaeya wonders if he’s feeling better, especially since he woke him up in the middle of the night. He’s about to ask if he’s all right when Diluc says, “I have bad dreams sometimes, too.”

Kaeya looks back up at him, slightly curious. “About what?”

He looks uncomfortable, but he answers him anyway. “I dreamt the other day that there was a really big monster that hurt Father and tried to take you away. I couldn’t do anything to help you and Father. But I woke up and everything was all right.” He frowns. “So, when the mage attacked you, I was really angry and scared. I won’t let a dumb monster hurt you again.”

His eye widens a little. He remembers how furious Diluc was when he killed the mage and the venom that had been in his voice. He’s never seen a young Diluc that angry before. “It’s okay now, we’re both fine. See?”

“I know.” They both look up as Crepus appears in the doorframe. “Hello, Father.”

“Are you two all right?” he asks curiously. Now that there is a little light in the area, he can see the dark circles under Crepus’ eyes and how his hair is still down and unbrushed. It’s messy and all over the place like Diluc’s hair, and he runs a hand through his curly hair once he glances at the mirror. “Diluc, would you like some hot chocolate too?”

Diluc’s eyes light up. “Yes, please!” He doesn’t waste any more time and darts out to go downstairs.

Crepus watches him go and then looks at Kaeya. “Are you feeling better now?”

“A little. I’m sorry for yelling at you,” he says with a guilty frown.

He chuckles and shakes his head. “You don’t have to keep apologizing; there’s nothing to apologize for.” He offers him his hand. “Come along, before Diluc wakes Adelinde and Elzer.”

Kaeya takes the offered hand and allows Crepus to lead him downstairs to join Diluc in the kitchen. It’s quiet downstairs, not a soul other than the three of them up and moving around. Kaeya glances out of one of the windows to see how early it is. It’s still dark out, but the first rays of light are starting to peek over the horizon and cut through the night sky. With winter just around the corner, it has to be close to five or six in the morning.

While Crepus works to get mugs and the drinks ready, Kaeya looks at Diluc when he sees how energetic he is. He must be feeling better if he’s this active so early in the morning. “How are you feeling? You were pretty tired yesterday,” he asks.

Diluc nods. “I was, but I’m fine now.” He straightens with a smile. “I just need to learn how to use my vision better. Eventually, I’ll be the best pyro allogene ever!”

“Well, you can learn how to use it after you’ve fully rested,” Crepus tells him. He stirs three mugs of hot chocolate with a spoon, the metal clinking against the rim of the final mug once he’s finished. “Here you go. Careful now, it’s hot.”

“I’m okay with the heat.”

“You can still burn your tongue,” Kaeya mutters with a tiny smile.

Diluc sends him a half-hearted glare, but it quickly disappears as he takes a sip of the warm drink. “Ah, that’s good. Thank you, Father.”

Crepus smiles as he takes his own mug in his hands and replies with a simple, “You’re welcome.”

The three of them quietly drink their hot chocolate in the dimly lit kitchen. Diluc finishes his drink first and decides to leave them alone to get a head start on his day. Crepus takes his empty mug to the sink and thanks Kaeya when he hands him his as well. “Do you feel any better now?” he asks.

Kaeya nods once. “Yes,” he answers truthfully. It’s not a lot, but it’s enough to convince Crepus that he’ll be fine.

His adoptive father nods as well and sets the mug into the sink. He hesitates before saying anything else and looks down at him. Kaeya can’t tell what he’s thinking, but there’s a sense of protectiveness that makes him feel better. It makes him feel safe. “You know, you can call me whatever you like,” Crepus tells him.

He feels his cheeks grow a little warm as he focuses on the fabric of his own shirt. “I’m not sure what you mean.” He knows exactly what he’s getting at. It was a moment of weakness, that’s all it was.

He looks up as Crepus kneels down to his level. “I don’t know if you remember or not, but you called me ‘Father’ when you woke up.”

Is he angry he called him that? Kaeya looks away. He should have known better. Although he’s thought of the man as his father in this life and the last one, he can’t help the guilt that’s eating at him. He wants to tell him of his origins so badly, but he’s still terrified of his reaction. Would he react like Diluc had that fateful night? Would he take away the Ragnvindr name and cast him out a second time? He never told Crepus anything in his past life. He lived and died in blissful ignorance.

“I’m sorry,” he apologizes for what feels like the hundredth time this morning. “It won’t happen again, Crepus.”

He shakes his head. “No, you have the wrong idea. I was surprised to hear you call me that, yes, but it is not unwelcome. Had the situation been a bit different, I probably would have cried out of joy.”

He looks up at him, not knowing why he is surprised. He started calling the man ‘Father’ earlier than this in his other life. Crepus accepted it just as fast then, too. What is Kaeya so nervous about? “I can’t imagine seeing you cry about anything.” That much is true; he’s never before seen the man cry.

He chuckles. “I don’t cry very much, true, but I still do from time to time.” His face softens and he pats his head. “I would not mind if you called me ‘Father’ as well, Kaeya. If that is too formal for you, then ‘Dad’ or whatever else you want to call me is fine, too.”

He shakes his head and then steps forward to hug him. He buries his face into his shirt, feeling even safer when Crepus hugs him back. “I think I prefer ‘Father,’” he admits, his voice muffled. It feels foreign to call him anything other than that.

Crepus smiles again, much brighter than all the other times this morning. “If that’s what you want.” He pats his back a final time before he lets go and stands back up. “Adelinde will be up soon, and I’ll be leaving for the city and taking Diluc with me. You’re welcome to come along, but you’ll be stuck at the tavern for a few hours while I get some business taken care of.”

“I’ll come along,” he immediately replies. He doesn’t know if he’s up to leaving for the day, but he also doesn’t want to be left alone at the manor. Elzer won’t let him out of his sight for more than a few minutes at most. At least if he goes to town with the two older Ragnvindrs, maybe he can gather some more information. He wants to gain more intel about the Fatui and more importantly, see if he can gather more evidence against Eroch.

“It’s okay if you don’t feel up to it. Night terrors are no joke, Kaeya.”

He knows this. He shakes his head anyway. He needs something to get his mind off of the nightmare, and what better way than to put himself to work?

He watches Crepus go back upstairs to get ready for the day with a yawn, and then he glances out the window one more time. The sun is starting to peek over the tree line, illuminating the morning dew that clings to the vines.

He has a feeling it’s going to be a very long day.

Their first stop in the city is the Knights of Favonius headquarters. Dressed in his official knight’s attire, Diluc barely spares Kaeya and Crepus a glance before he runs off towards the stairs in the back of the hall, where Kaeya assumes his morning classes are held. He stays close to their father’s side, especially as they walk past the inspector’s dark office.

They stop in front of Master Varka’s office. Crepus raises his arm and raps his knuckles against the hard wood twice. Kaeya looks up at him curiously. Why are they visiting the grand master so early in the morning? “Enter,” comes Master Varka’s voice from the other side.

Crepus opens the door and as soon as they both step inside, he closes the door behind them. “Good morning, Master Varka,” he greets.

Master Varka smiles. “Good morning, Master Ragnvindr and young Kaeya! How are we this fine morning?”

“Could be better.” He reaches for the inside pocket of the jacket he’s wearing and pulls out a sealed envelope. “This is for you. Please go over it at your earliest convenience.”

“Of course. Is that all? No time to spare for an old friend?”

Crepus shakes his head. “I’m pretty busy this morning. Maybe after I’ll stop by to talk some more.”

“Very well, then.”

He then turns his eyes to Kaeya. “Let’s head over to the tavern now. I better not see Charles letting you do his job again.”

Kaeya can’t help the tiny laugh that escapes him. “It’s not his fault, Father,” he replies.

“Mhm.” He looks back at Master Varka. “May Barbatos guide you, Varka. Come, Kaeya.”

As they leave the office, Kaeya notices that Master Varka’s smile drops just before the door closes and looks at the letter on the desk with concern. Just what is in that letter? Then he glances up at Crepus as the door shuts and they walk out of the headquarters. He rarely ever bids someone farewell like that. He can count the number of times he’s ever wished someone to gain Barbatos’ blessing on one hand.

He also knows that if he asks what is in the letter, he won’t get an answer. Gods, sometimes being a kid again just outright sucks. If he was an adult, they would probably tell him. Unfortunately, fate decided to pull a cruel prank on him. He’ll figure out what is in that letter someday.

He blinks a few times when he feels something wet land on his nose. What little sun had started to shine in the sky is being hidden by clouds. Crepus also looks up at the sky. “It’s going to rain again, huh? Well, thankfully we brought the wagon this time,” he says to Kaeya as they hurry to reach the tavern.

As much as Kaeya finds the rain a little annoying, there is a reason why everything in Mondstadt stays green. It doesn’t happen without a rainy season.

They arrive at Angel’s Share in record time before the rain starts to pour. It’s well before opening, and Kaeya looks around the empty tavern. A strong sense of nostalgia fills him; he hasn’t seen the tavern this empty in a long time. He was usually gone when Diluc told him to leave or when he got the information he wanted from a night’s meeting with new friends (they were normally his targets for the night, who was he kidding).

He follows Crepus to the office and watches him reach into a shelf near the ceiling. “The tavern doesn’t open for a couple of hours, so I thought this would be a good time to start teaching you a few things, Kaeya,” he says and pulls out a thick and worn book. “Someday, this tavern will be yours, so I want you to start learning how to run it.”

He remembers a similar conversation happening, years and years ago at around the same age, maybe a little older. Back when childhood innocence and he was both excited and nervous at the news. But now, he just nods in acceptance. Maybe he’ll actually get to run the tavern in this lifetime. “I already know how to mix some drinks. Charles has been teaching me,” he tells him.

“That is good, but running a tavern isn’t just about mixing drinks. You’ll need to learn the business side of things, which means you will need to start learning about all of what’s inside of here and more.” He walks out of the office and sets the book onto one of the tables. “I will be busy all morning and there isn’t much you can help with, so get to reading.”

Kaeya looks at the book with disdain. He’s pretty sure there’s over three hundred pages in this book. Maybe there’s a lot of pictures that take up space. “All of it?” he asks. “Are you sure I can’t just help you with whatever needs to be done around here?”

Crepus chuckles. “Read as much as you can today.” He looks at the front door when there’s a hard knock against the wooden frame. “We’re closed, come back later!” he shouts. Then he returns his attention to Kaeya. “I don’t expect you to read it all today.”

Kaeya glances at the door when the knocking persists.

His eyebrow twitches. “Honestly, some people,” he mutters.

He watches him go to the door and then looks at the book. Its old, worn cover is cracked near the bottom corner and there’s a stain in the middle of it, likely an old wine spill. He opens it enough to see a large block of words and dreadfully opens it more to peek inside. “‘A Guide to Owning and Managing a Tavern?’” he mutters out loud. Seriously? Crepus wants him to read a guidebook?

The front door opens and he looks back to see Crepus’ annoyed look drop immediately when he sees who’s on the other side. He blinks curiously as Crepus turns his head to him. “Go upstairs,” he says urgently.

He hesitates but he nods and obeys momentarily, taking the book with him.

“Oh? Are you busy, perchance?” a voice asks.

The grating, grinding tone makes him almost trip up the winding stairs and he shoots Crepus a worried look as the door opens wider to let them in. “I am teaching my youngest a few things about the tavern, but I can spare a few minutes,” he answers.

Kaeya peeks through the wooden barrier that lines the second floor to see who is downstairs. The door closes and as soon as the outside light fades away and Crepus locks the door, his breath hitches.

Although he isn’t wearing the black and white mask he is used to seeing, Kaeya can recognize the light blue hair, the voice, and the feral grin that dons the visitor’s face. A different mask than what he’s used to seeing adorns his face, covering his eyes with a large beak but fails to hide his nose or mouth.

Kaeya didn’t expect to see Il Dottore walk into Angel’s Share so casually, similar to how Pantalone strolled inside all those months ago. He looks around the tavern, but unlike Pantalone, he is alone and doesn’t bother to hide the slightly disgusted frown on his face. Maybe a popular tavern just isn’t the place for him. Kaeya doesn’t care. He wants him gone.

“I was told the meeting wouldn’t happen until later,” Crepus says as he walks to the bar. “And not at my tavern.”

“I wanted to see the sights. It’s not often I get a chance to explore Mondstadt’s finest landmarks.” Dottore clasps his hands behind his back as he looks around, and then he turns his head upward. “Is that your son? Kaeya, if I’m not mistaken?”

Kaeya internally winces. He honestly thought he couldn’t have seen him both through the mask and upstairs where he’s hidden in the shadows of the staircase. He should have known he could see perfectly fine behind that mask.

Chills run down Kaeya’s spine when he realizes that it’s the third time someone knows his name without him saying a word. Granted, the first time could be ruled out since maybe in this life, he told Eroch or someone his last name and that got his full name written down in that book. But two different harbingers knowing who he is at a single glance? That makes him nervous.

Crepus looks up as well, but his tone is full of concern when he tells him, “Kaeya, go into the room. I’ll come get you when I’m done.”

This time, Kaeya doesn’t hesitate and darts into the room, closing the door behind him. He doesn’t intend to keep himself from listening. He can hear them begin to speak to each other and he cracks the door open to begin listening to their conversation.

The first question he hears from Dottore makes him freeze again.

“What do you know about delusions, Master Ragnvindr?”

Chapter Text

“What do you know about delusions, Master Ragnvindr?”

Kaeya strains his ears the moment he hears that question. He opens the door a bit more so there’s a thin line of light from the tavern coming through the crack. Although he can’t see what’s going on downstairs, he stares down where he knows the two men are. All he needs to do is listen.

Two cups are set against the bar as Crepus pours himself and their guest a drink. Kaeya doesn’t blame him for wanting one. He wants one, too. “I’ve heard of them before,” he replies. “I was told that they’re fake visions.”

“I’m impressed you know that,” Il Dottore answers. One of the mugs slides on the counter and is caught in a gloved hand. “Where ever did you learn of it? That is classified information.”

Crepus hums through his drink. “I have my ways.” He sets his mug down, letting it hit the bar with a soft thunk. “And if I’m not mistaken, you Fatui came to me first talking about them. Why would you offer one to me? I am just a humble businessman.”

Clothes shuffle as the doctor moves. “You have my sympathy. Nothing more than that.”

“Your sympathy?”

“Indeed. Word has it you were rejected from the Knights of Favonius countless times, despite being in perfect physical shape and sound of mind.” He swirls his drink and takes a sip. “Why would that be?”

Crepus’ voice is hard as he replies, “That is no concern of yours.”

Dottore doesn’t immediately reply and sets his mug down as well. “Very well.” Kaeya can hear the smirk when he adds, “I also heard of that unfortunate attack on your children not once, but twice. Had you a vision, you would not have had to rely on your son to protect you. A delusion is a worthy replacement.”

There’s a brief pause and Kaeya forces himself not to open the door to peer down and see what they’re doing. He strains his ears when he hears a light rustle, almost like a bunched-up piece of paper being moved. An envelope, maybe? “What is this?” Crepus asks.

“As you said earlier, you did not expect this meeting to happen today or at your tavern. This is a different location where we may reconvene at your leisure. I will be there for a few days before I must return to Snezhnaya.” He can hear the smile that’s most likely gracing his face. “After all, it would be best to speak in more detail without any prying ears.”

Kaeya stiffens. Even though there is a barely-open door and a thick floor between them, it feels like Dottore’s eyes are locked onto him. He tightens his grip on the guidebook and quiets his breathing as though the harbinger could hear him like he’s standing right outside the door. He might as well be, with how he knows he’s also there.

The stool the doctor is sitting in moves again as he gets up. “I must attend to other matters now. I hope you find that location with ease.”

“Then why did you come here today? To tell me to meet somewhere else, like your friend and I have already discussed?” Crepus sounds annoyed although it is laced with guarded curiosity. “I’m sure both of us do not like our time being wasted.”

Dottore chuckles, but he doesn’t sound like he’s taken any offense as he says, “I merely wished to see something for myself. I got my answer and my curiosity is satisfied for the time being.” His heels hit the ground as he makes his way to the door. “I hope to see you soon, Master Ragnvindr. This is not an offer we make to just anyone.” The door opens. “Do give my regards to your son. He is a special child.”

Kaeya doesn’t move as the door closes and is immediately locked again. His eye is wide with shock. He knows he didn’t mean Diluc. His heart feels like it’s in his throat, his eye wide as he stares out the crack of the door.

He knows.

He shakes his head. No—no, that’s impossible. He hasn’t told a soul about what happened to him except for Dainsleif, and he highly doubts the strange man would be working with the Fatui, much less give sensitive information to the harbingers. But how do they know who he is? He doesn’t understand. Things aren’t adding up. He’s missing something, but what is it?

“Kaeya, you can come down again,” Crepus calls from the first floor.

It startles him out of his thoughts. He pushes the door open and looks down, seeing Crepus standing at the bar again. “Are you all right?” he asks and quickly starts to make his way down the stairs.

“I’m fine.” He puts a piece of paper in his pocket. “It’s best if you go home and rest. I will be here longer than I expected today.”

He frowns and shakes his head. “You’re going to go to wherever Dottore told you to meet him, aren’t you?” Silence meets him. Kaeya’s eyebrow twitches when he doesn’t get an answer. He’s warned him already, this is not a good idea. “You shouldn’t go. Whatever the terms are, it is not worth the sacrifice.”

Crepus takes the two mugs off the counter and puts them into the sink behind him. “What decisions I make is none of your concern, Kaeya. You do not need to worry about me. I can take care of myself.”

He snorts. “Well, you’re making a really dumb decision.”

His eyes shoot at him and narrow. “Kaeya,” he says in a warning tone.

Kaeya knows he shouldn’t be talking to Crepus like this, but he has to get through to him somehow. Diluc must have inherited his thick skull from him. “You know I’m right.” He sighs and his arms drop to his sides. “A delusion is not worth it.”

Crepus’ eyes soften a little, but he looks away to dump out the little liquid that is left in the mugs. He’s silent as he washes them and finally lets out a long sigh after he’s done. “I cannot rely on my ten-year-old son to protect us from monsters, Kaeya. You are both children, I am the adult.”

Kaeya huffs. He doesn’t have to rub it in like that, even if he isn’t aware of his condition.

Crepus shakes his head. ”If a delusion can help me protect the two of you, then I will take it.”

“It’s not—”

He interrupts him as he says in an almost sad and gentle voice, “When you have children of your own someday, you will understand.”

But he does understand. He’s fought with Bennett and Mika at his side many times, even Klee has been there. He knows the worry that shoots through him every time he had to rely on any of them. He understands the helpless feeling of relying on a child, but he also loves the proud moments every time they fell an enemy or when Klee and Bennett get rid of a cryo mage’s shield for him.

He can’t tell Crepus this. It’s for his safety, at least until everything is solved. However, he’s not entirely positive that will ever happen.

Crepus looks back at him. “For now, like I said, it’s best if we get you home. I’ll have someone escort you back to the manor. I need to stay here.”

Kaeya has a feeling he doesn’t want to face him. Is it out of shame? He understands that, too. It doesn’t mean he would ever want to work with the Fatui, much less one of their harbingers. “Please don’t go, Father. Please don’t make me watch this happen again.” His voice is quiet, almost begging. Listen to me. Please, listen!

Crepus shakes his head. “I’m sorry, Kaeya.” His adoptive father doesn’t sound apologetic and the determined look on his face makes Kaeya’s heart drop.

Nothing he says will change his mind. Even after his many warnings and pleas, he will still go to Dottore and he will still obtain the delusion.

He will still die.

And Kaeya can’t do anything about it.

Frustrated, he slams the guidebook onto the counter. “Fine, don’t listen to me. Go get yourself killed. See if I care,” he snaps. He turns around and makes his way to the front door.

Crepus’ eyes go wide with shock. “Kaeya!” he says sharply.

He ignores him and throws the door open. He doesn’t care that it slams against the tavern wall with a loud bang. “I’ll find my own way home.” He has enough sense to close it behind him and runs out into the rain with an angry frown on his face.

No one stops him as he runs away from the tavern. Not the two knights he storms past nor any of the shopkeepers that are out in this awful weather. He stops before he turns another corner to go down a very familiar path and freezes as he looks down the road.

No, this isn’t home anymore. He doesn’t have his own little house in the city, he isn’t neighbors with the friendliest little old lady in town. This isn’t his home, not yet.

He takes a deep breath in and then lets it out slowly to calm his racing heart. “Right…” he mumbles under his breath. He came this way out of habit. Whenever he left Angel’s Share after an argument with Diluc, he always went home the same way. Now, home is a long walk away and in a rainstorm like this, he’s more inclined to wait for Crepus to be done for the day and take the carriage home.

The winery is his home now, with Diluc and Crepus. Adelinde and Elzer, too. He can’t imagine what any of them would think of him if they knew what he’d said to Crepus and immediate regret fills his heart.

He shouldn’t have run out of the tavern like that nor spat out the words he said to Crepus. He really doesn’t want to see his adoptive father get himself killed by using the delusion. His anger got the better of him. He lets out a humorless chuckle. “The world truly is fascinating…” he utters.

With a reluctant last look at what used to be (will be? He doesn’t know what it is anymore.) his home, he turns around and trudges back toward the tavern. He already knows he’s most likely going to be in trouble, but it’s worth it if Crepus would just listen to him and take him seriously.

Would he believe him if he told his adoptive father he remembered his past life? No, he’d most likely call him crazy or tell him it is just a bad dream. No matter. He’ll figure out how to keep Crepus away from Dottore. Hopefully it won’t take much.

He reaches Angel’s Share in record time, jogging the entire time until he sees the extremely familiar building. He doesn’t take another step towards it when he sees what’s going on in front of it.

His eye goes wide when he sees Crepus. The man’s own eyes spot him immediately and he looks relieved… despite being flanked by the two knights he’d run past.

What’s going on? “Father?” he asks and runs toward them. “What’s happening?”

“Kaeya, you need to go home,” Crepus says urgently. The two knights don’t stop him as he tugs his arms out of their grasp and kneels to his level, not caring about the rainwater soaking his pants.

Kaeya’s gaze lands on the manacles that bind his arms in front of him, and he shakes his head. Why is he being arrested? What is going on?

Crepus puts a hand on his shoulder and it forces him to calm his breathing. “Charles will be here soon. Tell him to take you home and to keep the tavern closed. Do not listen to anyone else, do you hear me?”

He ignores his words and glares at the two knights. “Why are you arresting him?” he demands. Something about this doesn’t sit right. “On what charges? He hasn’t done anything!”

“Kaeya, please, don’t argue with them.”

He turns his attention back to Crepus. The man’s eyes are steady and sure, confident in whatever is happening. He calms down enough to realize that Crepus has a plan. What that is, he has no idea. It’s like Crepus knew this would happen.

Anything he asks and says to him right now to him would be heard by the two knights close by. He doesn’t know how loyal they are to Mondstadt or if they’re on Eroch’s side or if…

His thoughts come to a screeching halt.

Eroch.

This is his doing, isn’t it? No one else would do something like this. If this is because Crepus has been meeting with the Fatui, and two harbingers no less, then he will most likely be able to talk his way out of this. Master Varka will probably listen and believe Crepus more than Eroch.

Crepus has witnesses when Pantalone came into Angel’s Share. An entire tavern full. Kaeya included. They would all say that there was no humble or kind greeting between either party.

Kaeya is also a witness when Dottore came in today. Both times, Crepus hadn’t expected them. It’s not like he’s the one reaching out to them.

What is Eroch’s plan? Why is he targeting Crepus? He’s missing important details. He doesn’t like not knowing things. It’s making him anxious and the strange looks he’s getting from the knights makes him want to shrivel up and hide behind Crepus. The way they’re staring at him makes his gut churn anxiously. 

Crepus forces him to turn his attention back to him by gently putting a hand on his cheek. “Wait inside the tavern until Charles comes. He should be here shortly. Can you do that for me?” he asks.

He slowly nods uncertainly. “Will you be okay?” he asks. Whatever Crepus is up to, he’s still worried about him. 

He smiles. “You don’t need to worry about me.”

Kaeya frowns. It’s not a yes or a no. “…Okay.”

He gets up. “The key to the tavern is in my pocket. Lock up when you and Charles leave.”

But Charles has his own key. He opens Angel’s Share alone, and the only way to get inside is with a key. Kaeya nods anyhow and reaches into his jacket pocket, barely pausing when he grabs the key and the bundled-up piece of paper right next to it.

Oh. He wants him to see something. He makes sure the paper is secure in his palm before he pulls them both out with his hand.

Crepus gives him a knowing look and then turns back to the knights. “Shall we?” he says to them.

One knight starts to walk and Crepus follows, with the second walking behind him. Kaeya watches them until they disappear into the rain and around the corner and then walks inside the tavern. He shuts and locks the door, running his fingers through his damp hair with his free hand.

“God damn it,” he says out loud. He didn’t expect anything like this to happen. This event is completely new. Crepus had never been arrested in his other life, but again, everything is happening so much earlier than it had before. He shouldn’t be so alarmed every time something else pops up.

He opens his palm with the paper and key. Crepus knew this was going to happen, didn’t he? He sets the key on the counter and unravels the paper. It’s a portion of a poorly drawn map and something circled near the top right corner. He squints as he stares at the hurried markings. What is he supposed to be looking at?

He’s studied Mondstadt’s map thousands of times before. Is this part of what Dottore gave Crepus? If it is, it makes him want to laugh. Dottore’s artistic skills are lacking. Kaeya needs a map to see what the doctor was trying to point out, wherever this meeting is supposed to happen.

A loud knock at the door makes him look up. He knows better than to open the door for someone that clearly doesn’t have a key. Maybe it’s a regular that is used to the tavern opening early or if it’s a knight or anyone else, but he would rather listen to Crepus’ words and wait for Charles to arrive. “We’re closed, sorry!” he calls.

He can safely assume this person isn’t Charles. The bartender would most likely come in through the back door, anyway.

The person at the front door knocks again, a bit louder now. No one says anything from the other side and Kaeya dares not to say anything else.

He looks at the back door as a bad feeling begins to settle in him. He’s long since learned to trust that gut feeling; it’s saved his life on more than one occasion.

He pockets the poorly drawn map and key and makes his way as quietly as he can to the back door. It’s time to leave. Whoever is there is not here for pleasantries.

As quietly and as quickly as he can, he reaches the door and turns the lock. He winces as loudly clicks free as he twists the knob. Hopefully, the person at the door doesn’t hear it.

Metal scraping against the front lock makes him turn his head. Something metal scrapes from inside the door’s keyhole. The person, no, the intruder is picking it, trying to force their own way inside.

He’s stayed here for too long. He quickly opens the door and runs out, not bothering to lock it when the front door suddenly bursts open. There’s a loud curse, distorted as if whoever is there is wearing a mask and hard footsteps hit the wooden floor as they make chase.

Kaeya curses as a glass shatters against the hard floor and runs for the main road. If he can go out into the public, someone is bound to see him and he can safely go to the knights for help, right? He sprints over the cobblestone roads, looking around through the pouring rain.

The streets are empty, void of any sign of life. The usual people that stand near their stalls aren’t outside, and guards that usually patrol the streets aren’t there. He doesn’t bother to stop to see if he’s just missed anyone and they’re inside.

Where is everyone? In rain or shine, day or night, Mondstadt is usually busy. People are used to rainstorms and cold days, business doesn’t stop for weather. Should he shout for help? Or would that just put someone else in danger?

He looks behind him and sees a flash of red and black. He’s seen that same cloak and face mask issued to more than one person in his previous life. He doesn’t want to stay and see what the Fatui Pyro Agent wants with him, but he can’t imagine it’s anything good.

The little alley he runs through opens back up to a side street, thankfully one that has another set of stairs that leads up to the next tier of the city. It’s not as well-known or as used as the main square, and it takes a bit longer to ascend since it wraps around to the back of the Adventurer’s Guild, but it does the job. He reaches the stairs and dares to look behind him.

The fatuus is gone.

However, he isn’t sure if he’s truly alone. He knows their invisibility trick. There’s no red outline of the agent, nor any footsteps splashing through puddles. He looks ahead again, running up the steps so he could get to the Knights of Favonius headquarters. If he can get there, he’ll be safe until he can find a way home. He’ll probably be sent home with Diluc, at this rate.

He slides to a stop at the top of the stairs, panting for air. Would he risk Diluc’s safety by coming here? Diluc can handle monsters, sure, but he highly doubts the boy can handle fighting highly trained enemies like the Fatui. Kaeya curses under his breath and keeps running.

He makes his way to the main stairs and quickly descends them. Perhaps the guards at the front gate can help him.

If he can avoid getting Diluc involved, he will. He doesn’t want him to get hurt. He doesn’t even know how he’s going to tell him their father was arrested.

For now, he tries to quickly come up with a plan. Running straight through the main street won’t be the best idea, he’d be seen far too easily. He’ll need to find a different way around, maybe even out the side gate. If he can get to the stables, get Lilly, and escape the city, he’s sure he can make it back to the manor in no time. Diluc will most likely be safe, right?

He pants as he keeps running, his lungs screaming for air. It’s no coincidence it’s all happening at the same time. Dottore’s sudden meeting with Crepus, and then Crepus’ arrest, followed immediately by a fatuus chasing him through the city? This has Eroch written all over it in bold lettering.

His legs cramp as he slows down a little, going through the back alleys to avoid being seen from the main road. He should probably start training if he wants to be a knight soon. He needs to attend the training Diluc is doing, that would help build his stamina.

He hears metal clanking together—its clear, distinct noise telling him it’s plate armor that is issued to the knights. Relief fills him. Finally, someone else is here. He slows to a stop and looks around, trying to find the knight that is running nearby. “Halt!” a deep voice calls to him.

Kaeya turns to face the alley leading to the main street. Not one, but two knights are running toward him, and he pauses when he recognizes one of them as one who took Crepus away. What relief he had washes away instantly. He can’t risk being with either of these knights.

“You need to come with us, kid. With your father’s arrest, we’ll have to take you home,” the first knight says.

He takes a step back from them with a deep frown and his brows furrowed. “That isn’t policy,” he says carefully. He’s read not only the Knight’s Handbook front to back, but the laws and policies in place for instances like this are ones he has never ignored. “You should have done so at the site of the arrest, and with at least three knights, not two, especially if you arrest someone as high profile as my father.”

The second knight, the one he has seen before, sighs. “Look, kid, we only do what we’re told,” he says. “Come with us quietly and things won’t need to get ugly.”

The more he looks, the more he feels like they aren’t really knights. Their armor looks off, the chest plate warped as if whoever smelted it didn’t take the time to ensure it would protect its wearer, and the gold trimming has a strange film over it like it was painted over and the rain is washing it away.

To an untrained eye, they’re simply a couple of men that are part of the Knights of Favonius. To Kaeya and other real knights, it’s obvious that these two are imposters.

Kaeya looks between the two after he’s finished with his brief study and a few dots begin to connect. This isn’t the first time where imposters have tried to make their way into the Ragnvindr’s lives. “I would like to ask you both a question.”

The second knight sighs, annoyed. “Hurry up and ask it, then,” he replies impatiently.

If Kaeya is quick enough, he can run past them and get out to the street, perhaps take the side gate outside of the city and sneak his way to the stables. He needs to leave, now.

He takes a breath and glares up at them, his hands in fists. “How was Sumeru?”

The two knights freeze in surprise, eyes wide as though they hadn’t expected him to connect the dots. These two, most likely fatuus, were the ones that had gone through the ship at Port Ormos.

They were looking for him. They’ve been looking for him. He has to get away. Now.

Kaeya takes the chance and runs right past them, avoiding a panicked arm that shoots out to grab him. Shit, he thinks. That was too close. The rainwater is making the cobblestone slippery, and more than once he has to make sure he doesn’t slip and fall. He tries not to focus on the two sets of heavy armor chasing after him, seemingly unbothered by the rain.

His lungs scream for air as he makes his way behind a building. While the alley leads back out to the road and most likely to safety, he can’t keep running like this. His body is not built for this much full-on sprinting yet, plus he’s up against two fully-trained fatui members, three if he counts the pyro agent.

His eye spots a pile of crates that is stacked beside the building and he glances behind him when he hears the two fake knights catching up. He can hide and rest until they pass. He climbs on top of one and lets himself drop behind it, slamming his back against the wood and puts his hand over his mouth to quiet his frantic breathing.

A heartbeat passes by and he can hear the two knights running by. They’re both out of breath, but one of them sounds like he’s faring better than the other. “Where did he go?” the first one demands.

“Just keep going, the brat doesn’t know when to stop!” the second one retorts.

The first one groans, most likely as tired as Kaeya is, and runs after his partner.

As soon as the loud armor is far enough away, he slips his hand off of his mouth and gasps for air, trying to catch his breath and calm his heart rate.

It takes a few minutes before he deems it safe enough to climb out of his hiding spot. The imposters will likely be on the main road, waiting for him so he decides to stay in the alleys this time. While there aren’t many alleyways in the city, there’s enough to keep him hidden until he can find a way out of Mondstadt and get to the winery. He doubts he’ll be able to make it to the stables now.

He sighs as he quickly walks. Now would be a good time for Dainsleif to swoop in and help him out of this mess. Unfortunately, it doesn’t happen and he makes his way for the stairs one more time.

What does happen is the splash behind him of a boot hitting water. He doesn’t freeze, he doesn’t look back. All he does is start to run again; he doesn’t need to look to see that it’s the pyro agent, who is most likely cloaked and invisible. There’s a low chuckle and the fatuus says, “There’s no escape!”

Kaeya yells when something hits his back, the force of the impact causing him to slam into the ground face-first. Whatever had hit him burns and he winces in pain as he pushes himself back up, forcing himself to push through the pain and begins to run again.

He doesn’t get far. He runs straight into a pair of armor-covered legs and feels a hand land on his shoulder, grasping it with a painful grip. Surprised, he looks up and is instantly filled with dread when he sees who it is.

Eroch smiles down at him, all teeth and fake kindness. When had he arrived? He didn’t see him, didn’t even hear him until now. “Fancy seeing you here, young Kaeya,” he says. He loses his smile and looks up at the Fatui agent. “Three men and you couldn’t catch a single boy?”

The fatuus scoffs at him. “I do not need to listen to you,” he retorts. “Get this over with. We have places to be.”

Kaeya rips his shoulder out of Eroch’s grip, but the man instantly grabs his arm in a grip that he knows will bruise soon. “Let go of me!” he snaps, doing whatever he can to get away. He kicks at the man’s legs, but the armor protects him from his strikes and when that doesn't work, he bites his fingers though the gloves protect him from that as well.

Eroch looks amused and shakes his arm to get him to stop fighting. “Stop struggling, it won’t help,” he says.

It doesn’t work, and he kicks him some more and tries to pry the thick fingers off of his arm. He’s pulled closer, far too close for Kaeya’s comfort. He can smell the man's cologne coming from underneath the armor and he uses his free arm to push against his armored chest.

The grip tightens a bit more. “Like the good man said, Kaeya, we have places to be and things to do.”

Now more than ever, Kaeya wishes he had his vision. Fear is running through his veins, powering his struggles against the painful grip Eroch has on his arm. He wishes he was with Crepus, or decided to stay home today—

Eroch steps back and he’s too slow to avoid the punch that slams into his mid-section right above his stomach. He chokes as the wind is knocked out of him, though the too-tight hold on his arm doesn’t loosen. His knees buckle and his free arm wraps around himself. It hurt.

If Eroch wasn’t still holding his arm, he would be on the ground, curled up in pain and gasping for breath. Disoriented, he doesn’t feel the second, quicker strike to the back of his head until his arm is released and he’s falling to the ground.

Muddled voices surround him, becoming an indecipherable mess of noise he can’t make out.

Someone lifts him up and he’s roughly tossed over a shoulder.

"Wake up."

He blacks out.

Chapter Text

“Wake up, Kaeya.”

Kaeya looks around in the strange domain-like room he is in. He can’t tell if there are walls within the room, everywhere he looks is like a night sky with stars and a thick fog hangs at his feet and floor, quietly rolling across the transparent ground. A little ways ahead, there is a sealed stone door etched with glowing Khaenri’ahn runes and he makes his way toward it.

“You must wake up.”

“Stop telling me what to do,” he snaps back. The Sinner’s voice is clearer than ever. Whatever this place is, it most likely resides somewhere within this domain.

He stops walking once he reaches the stone door and puts a hand against it. He pulls the handle and when nothing happens, he pushes it. Again, nothing happens. He tries to go around it but runs into an invisible wall that stuns him enough to make him rub his nose. When he presses a hand against the barrier, it glows dimly, a smokey white in contrast to the purple that surrounds him.

He tries to find another way around, but as he moves, he notices it’s just like a domain and he’s trapped inside. He frowns when he eventually reaches the door again, his hand having traced the barrier the entire time.

The voice chuckles. “I mean you no harm. I wish to save you, my dear Alberich.”

“Save me?” Kaeya looks around. He still can’t see the Sinner. “Who are you, really?”

“I am nothing but a Sinner.”

“So you keep saying,” Kaeya mumbles unhappily. He pushes against the door again and when it still doesn’t budge, he sighs and gives up. “Where am I?”

“The place where our fates converge.”

He hopes they can see his deadpan expression. “That means nothing to me.”

The Sinner is quiet. A loud rumbling noise suddenly comes from the distance and Kaeya looks behind him. He yelps as the ground beneath him starts to shake violently and he tries to stay on his feet. When it becomes still again, he takes a few breaths and demands, “What was that?”

“You refused to listen and this is the price you must pay.”

Kaeya’s brows twinge in annoyance. Is this how Diluc feels whenever he talks circles around him, too? “Can’t you just give me a straight answer?”

Agony erupts in his eye and he cries out at the unexpected pain. He covers his eye with both hands, hunching over and squeezes his eyes closed in the hopes it would go away.

The last thing he hears before he collapses is the Sinner’s voice.

“Wake up.”

Kaeya wakes up with a gasp. He moves to sit up but his head bounces off of something hard and he grunts in surprise. He opens his eyes and immediately sees that it’s pitch black. He can’t see a thing wherever he is. He raises his arm to rub his head but when his arms stop short, he freezes.

He tries again and finally recognizes that there is something tightly binding his wrists behind his back. A coarse rope pins them together and immediately, he starts to struggle against the bonds. His heart skips a beat when he realizes his legs are also bound just as tight.

His knees are close to his chest since he’s precariously folded inside… whatever this is. With haunting realization, he realizes he’s in something small like a box or a crate and that it’s large enough to store a few items, perhaps a handbag that someone doesn’t want to put into their lap or a suitcase that wouldn’t fit on a wagon.

It’s the perfect size for smuggling a faux eight-year-old.

He kicks forward but he can’t stretch out enough to grab the knife tucked in his shoe. He moves his foot and his eye widens when he feels nothing there. The knife he usually has is gone. Did he forget to put it in before he left the winery? He curses. If so, it's his own fault for not making sure it was there this morning. He tries not to panic, but the fear is building too quickly for him to manage properly.

Don’t panic, he tells himself. I can still get out of this. He can escape. He has to. He's been in worse situations before.

He struggles as hard as he can, his knees hitting the wall of whatever he’s locked in, his feet pressing into the corner, and he has to constantly be careful not to bang his head against the top. He can barely move in the enclosed space, and with how tightly he is bound, he can’t maneuver himself properly to get comfortable.

Being locked in such a small area is starting to make him claustrophobic. His breath picks up the more he fights against the restraints. He ignores the way it’s cutting into his skin and the pain that starts to shoot up his arms and legs. The only thing on his mind is the desperate need to free himself.

His wrists are quickly rubbed raw as he keeps struggling and he lets out a distressed noise when nothing happens. The pain is getting worse the more he tries to twist his wrists free but the ropes are just too tight, and the walls surrounding him feel like they’re closing in more and more. In the back of his mind, he knows panicking won’t help, he knows wasting his energy like this is not ideal, but he can’t help it. His heart is pounding against his chest and it feels like claws are grabbing his insides as his fear keeps building. Don't panic!

As much as he tries to focus on the pain, his mind keeps drifting toward his panic. He pushes against the sturdy walls even though they won’t fall. He starts to hyperventilate and he squeezes his eyes shut to try to calm himself down.

He can’t escape. He’s trapped. He’s going to suffocate in here and there’s nothing he can do about it.

He slowly starts to give up as overwhelming regret seizes him.

He never got to apologize to Crepus. He won't get the chance—

A lock clicks from above him and he yanks himself out of his terror-filled thoughts at the noise. Light pours into his tiny prison when the top opens and he squints when it blinds him. When his sight adjusts to the sudden brightness, his eye widens when he recognizes who it is that stands above him.

Il Dottore grins, all his unnaturally sharp teeth flashing dangerously. Although Kaeya can’t see those blood-red eyes, he knows they are staring straight at him and it feels like his gaze is piercing through his very being. “You’re finally awake!” he says, all too cheerful. He lifts him up out of the darkness with ease. “I would apologize for the harsh treatment, but I’m sure you of all people can understand my precautions. Thankfully, Eroch didn’t injure you too much.”

Kaeya hopes his fear isn’t showing on his face. He glares to hide it as he is roughly set down on the hard bench of the carriage they are in. It’s difficult at first to remain sitting up with how the carriage rocks as it goes over every little bump on whatever road they’re on. He finally manages to balance himself on the seat and takes a quick glance around. It’s only he and Dottore inside the cabin, and the windows are covered with thick curtains that block out sunlight—not that he can tell if it’s day or night out.

The seat on the other side closes and once it clicks, Dottore sits on top. He squirms under the man’s gaze. He has think of a way out of this. “What do you want with me?” he asks.

Dottore laughs as if he had told a joke, and it makes Kaeya’s skin crawl. “You know, you are a very lucky child,” he tells him.

“Getting kidnapped by the Fatui isn’t what I call lucky.”

He crosses his leg over his knee, and his smile turns to an impressed one. “Ah, so you know who I am and I know who you are.”

Kaeya frowns in confusion. Of course he does, they saw each other at the tavern.

He puts a hand on his chest. “I believe this is the first time we’ve officially met. I am Il Dottore, second of the Fatui Harbingers. I am pleased to meet your acquaintance, Kaeya Alberich.”

Unease claws at him the more Dottore speaks. What game is he playing? Why is he acting as if they have never met? He shakes his head and corrects him, “Kaeya Ragnvindr.”

He blinks and crosses his arms. “Excuse me?”

Kaeya glares back at him. “My name is Kaeya Ragnvindr, not Alberich.”

“Hm, it must have slipped my mind that you were recently adopted… Although, didn’t you take your birth name back?”

He frowns. What is he talking about?

Dottore smirks at him. “Don’t you remember? It was one rainy night, one fateful encounter with the younger Ragnvindr that changed your life forever. Your brother now, if I’m not mistaken.” He taps the right side of his face. “He gave you a little parting gift before he left Mondstadt. Then he disowned you and played hero all around the world and left you to deal with the consequences, didn’t he?”

Kaeya’s breath hitches. He can feel himself go pale and his stomach flips upside down while his heart skips a beat. He stares at Dottore with a wide eye.

It’s impossible—the only ones who knew what happened that night were he and Diluc, and this Diluc is just a boy. He hasn’t experienced that pain and they haven’t had that fateful fight. He hasn’t told anyone about it, not even Dainsleif. Absolutely no one in all of Teyvat should know what happened that night. “What?” he whispers.

The man in front of him grins as if he's just won a prize. “Judging by your reaction, you do remember! Good, very good!”

He’s finding it hard to breathe again. Why does he know this? “How do you know what happened?”

“I have my ways.” He leans forward and Kaeya tries to back away the closer the harbinger gets. He reaches out and pulls the eyepatch off, but Kaeya stubbornly keeps his eye closed. Dottore tsks and tosses the eyepatch aside. It lands on the floor softly, easily forgotten as the doctor sits back down. “You should be grateful you’re off-limits to experimentation. A shame, really.”

A little part of Kaeya is relieved. However, the doctor doesn’t elaborate more. He leaves Kaeya hanging, trying to grasp what little he knows about his situation to guess exactly how much Dottore knows about him. When he doesn’t say anything more about it, he huffs. He won’t get an answer from him. “Fine, then what do you want from me?” he demands again.

He snorts and the uncharacteristic noise he makes Kaeya frown some more. He’s not acting the same as he did this morning—if it still is this morning. He has no way of telling how much time has passed. “What do I want from you? Hah, if I had it my way, we would already be at a laboratory and you would be under my knife! Alas, I have my orders.”

Kaeya can’t stop the disturbed shudder that runs through him.

“I am simply completing a mission the director has given us.”

He frowns in confusion. What has he ever done to catch the eye of the Jester, even in his previous life? He can’t recall anything at all—he has always tried not to get onto the Fatui’s radar. “What mission?”

He chuckles, low and amused. “My, you are just full of questions today, aren’t you?”

His hands turn into fists, his brows furrowing angrily as he yanks against his restraints. “I deserve answers since you’ve trussed me up like a goddamn pig!” he shouts furiously. He shouldn’t be shouting at his captor, but he’s too angry and too frustrated to care now.

Dottore stands up. He is tall, and while he isn’t as bulky as someone like Master Varka, he is far more intimidating and there is a predatory look on his half-covered face that makes Kaeya flinch away. Perhaps he shouldn’t have lost his temper like that. He tries to wriggle backward as the doctor leans forward and grunts when his jaw is captured by his hand in a tight, painful grip. He winces as he is forced to stare directly at him, attempting to pull his head free but the hold is firm.

“Had we done everything my way, you wouldn’t be awake right now,” Dottore tells him in a low, dangerous tone that sends fearful shivers down Kaeya’s spine. “If I had it my way, you wouldn’t regain consciousness for weeks and you would have no idea. You would be completely out of your mind the entire time, unable to tell the difference between reality and hallucination—all so I can see what power lies in that eye of yours and call it an experiment.”

Kaeya grunts as he pulls his face close to his none too gently.

“You do not get to make demands, Alberich.” He reaches up with his other hand and forces his other eye open. He stares straight into his eye, ignoring the way Kaeya struggles to close it again. In a calmer tone, he says, “It’s a shame experimentation will have to wait. I would absolutely love to see what kind of unheard magic lies inside this eye.”

“It’s an eye—all it does is give me the ability to see your ugly face,” Kaeya snaps at him. He winces as the grip becomes so strong, he thinks his jaw could be broken at any second, but he can’t help the smirk that makes its way onto his lips. “What? Can’t handle the truth?”

Dottore lets go of his face only to backhand him hard enough to send him slamming headfirst into the bench.

He yelps in pain and his head bounces off the hard seat, yet he laughs anyway. “I see you’re very sensitive about your looks.”

“How perceptive of you,” he answers sarcastically. He reaches for something in his pocket. “However, I believe that is enough talking from you. We will be having guests shortly. I wouldn’t want you to get caught up in any fighting that is bound to happen. We ought to keep the precious cargo safe, after all.” He reaches down and shoves a thick cloth between Kaeya’s teeth, knotting it tightly at the back of his head. He smirks as he mockingly taps his cheek and then pulls his hands away. “It’s too bad I don’t have an apple. Then you truly would be just a trussed-up pig.”

Kaeya grunts as he’s lifted off of the bench. He fights back as hard as he can, kicking out at him and misses. Dottore hits him again and this time, he sees stars. His momentary daze is all he needs to shove him back into the small compartment.

His focus returns just as the top clicks shut. As soon as he does, he pushes against it with his shoulder, but it does nothing except keep him secured inside. He yells as loud as he can through the highly uncomfortable gag when he feels the carriage begin to slow down. When it comes to a stop, he hears Dottore step outside of the cabin and begins speaking to someone. His voice is muffled and fades the farther he walks away.

Kaeya shouts again, his muted yells bringing no immediate attention to himself. He bangs against the walls as hard as he can, desperate for someone from the outside to hear him.

“I can save you.”

The Sinner’s voice is the only thing he hears in the suffocating compartment, and he shakes as his eye begins to hurt. The Sinner? He closes his eyes and attempts to push the voice out of his head. He doesn't care about suddenly remembering what the voice calls itself; now isn’t the time! He needs to escape!

“Let me help, my precious vessel.”

He shakes his head. No!

The pain gets worse and he doesn’t bother biting back the cry. It makes him wish Dottore had drugged him, then he wouldn’t feel this pain. “You are their only hope.”

Get out of my head!

“I will not let these pathetic fatuus steal us away.”

There is no ‘us!’ This is my body!

“We share this body, little one. I have saved us before.”

That makes him freeze. This… Sinner has saved him?

“Do you not remember?”

Kaeya tries to remember, but he reluctantly shakes his head when nothing comes up. No.

“I shall show you.”

He gasps sharply when he suddenly sees blue skies. He looks around and then down, realizing he is free. He stares in shock at his gloved hands. “This isn’t real,” he says out loud as he turns his hands over. He’s no longer a child, he’s standing up as an adult again.

He lifts his eyes and sees Diluc, not as a child, but as an adult as well. He’s kneeling in the blood-soaked mud and sees that he’s cradling something… Kaeya’s eyes widen when he sees that it’s him. “This is when I died.”

“Watch.”

Diluc’s hand is pressing against the gaping wound in his chest and his blood is gushing through his fingers. The lost limb looks the same way, but Diluc is unable to press against that wound, too. He frowns at the scene. Even if the injuries were cauterized and Diluc somehow got him to the cathedral, Kaeya wouldn’t have survived.

“Barbatos, please!” Diluc suddenly screams.

It startles Kaeya, hearing how clear his voice is.

He bows his head and brings his forehead to Kaeya’s. “Venti, please! He is my brother—I’ll do anything!”

Kaeya frowns as a strange feeling rolls through him. Had they still been brothers? Even after he’d cast him out, glared at him, practically refused to work with him, and every conversation they had ended in an argument? Yes, their strained relationship was getting better, but Diluc never outwardly told him they were brothers again. He wants to think they were.

There is something else bothering him. Why would Diluc shout for Venti? What could Venti do to help? He’s just a bard, isn’t he? Unless…

His questions go unanswered when he screams in pure agony. No, he doesn’t—his former body does. He stares, shocked as a cloud of black and purple power pours from his body’s eye and explodes upwards. He yells for Diluc when he is sent flying into the cliff wall and crashes into it hard. Diluc grunts in pain and pushes himself back up and stares at the body.

“Kaeya!” he shouts. He looks devastated, covered in blood as the Abyssal power encases Kaeya’s body. A flash of dark blue and little stars forces Diluc to raise an arm to protect his face. When he lowers his arm, the power recedes and the body is gone. “Kaeya!!”

The Sinner’s voice rings in his ears as it says, “Oh little one, do not despair; our fates do not end here. Ours is only the beginning.”

Kaeya blinks several times as the scene fades away. The darkness of the tiny compartment he’s locked in returns and the biting in his wrists brings him back to reality, and he stares at what he thinks are his knees quietly.

He’s heard the Sinner say that before, he’s sure of it. Is that when he woke up in his childhood bedroom? Why can’t he remember it? His eyes widen when he starts putting together the pockets of memory loss he’s had recently. The brief loss of control over his own body that night. What did you do to me?

“I saved us. At the time, the herald deemed you unworthy. Now I believe you are finally ready.”

What are you talking about?

There is a pause. “I will tell you if you give me control. We will be free. You won’t have to feel any pain ever again. You will not have to tell any more lies.”

He shakes his head. That doesn’t sound like freedom to me.

“Little one, we have been bound together since your birth. Everything that I have done is all to protect us.”

Sending something to kill me isn’t protecting me.

“I have done nothing to harm you or your loved ones.”

He wants to laugh. You tried to have Diluc and Father killed!

“I do not command the forces of the Abyss Order.”

Kaeya shakes his head. No, that can’t be right. This Sinner is the reason for everything related to the Abyss Order.

“We can be whole.”

Whole?

“Indeed. We are bound together by fate.”

Kaeya tugs at his wrists again, unaware of the black veins that are spreading on his face, up into his hairline and down to his neck. He has no way of knowing that his eye is slowly changing from a brilliant gold to a fierce violet.

No, you aren’t! Leave me alone!

“You have been alone all your life. Your father did not love you. He blamed you for your mother’s death. He called you a curse. He would never look at you without hate. You had only just learned to walk when he first hit you.”

Kaeya flinches when he sees his birth father in front of him. He feels so much smaller and cowers away, making himself as tiny as possible to avoid the man’s anger. He sees the look of hatred in his eyes when he was abandoned and can feel the painful grip he had when he spoke his final words to him. Stop!

“No child should suffer by their parent’s hatred.”

He hates that the Sinner’s voice sounds so sympathetic and understanding, he hates that the Sinner is forcing him to see things he would rather forget, and he hates that they sound like they truly care about him.

“He abandoned you, little one.”

His father’s back flashes as he walks away, leaving him alone in the storm as he disappears through the trees.

“Diluc abandoned you.”

A burning phoenix made of rage and grief flies at him, scarring him so badly it warps his skin.

Stop it!

The visions fade again. “You will never have to go through that again.”

He deserves it—he lied for years and years to Crepus and Diluc.

“What lies you speak would become truth.”

He shakes his head again. He tries to ignore the way something is making his mind feel heavy, like a thick fog is slowly rolling in. No! I made a promise. I will save Father. You will have no part in that!

“I already am.” There is a sensation of someone’s hand on the top of his head, so very gentle as it pets his head comfortingly. “All your life, you have suffered. You are unloved. I have watched you give everything, only to be stolen from and beaten down, time and again. I only wish to give you freedom.”

But Father… and… and Diluc…

He feels… strange. It’s getting difficult to think straight. His head dips forward and his forehead touches his knees. He can’t tell if his vision is going blurry or if it is just the pitch-black darkness he is trapped in that makes the edges of his sight fuzzy.

“They will turn on you when they learn the truth.”

No, they won’t—

“Diluc has done it before. He will do it again.”

They won’t. He knows they won’t… right? He pants for air through his nose as though he can’t get enough oxygen into his lungs. Numbness begins to settle in his mind. It feels like he’s losing control of himself but… but it feels… nice.

’Luc, he… No, not Father… he wouldn’t…

“Crepus is not the saint you believe him to be. He lies to you, and even lies to his own son.”

I… No… no… he lies?

“Yes. He lies every day, to everyone.” The petting fades away and Kaeya longs for it to come back. It’s his only source of comfort and it’s gone. A whine escapes the back of his throat. “No longer will you need to feel that pain again. You deserve to be loved. You deserve to be happy. I will give that to you.”

He feels tears stinging his eyes. …Happy?

“Yes, little one. All you need is to let go.”

He can’t hear any noises coming from outside.

No one is coming to save him.

No one knows where he is.

He’s alone.

The silence is deafening.

He is trapped and likely bound for far-off Snezhnaya. Where he would be used and experimented on and… if he broke…

The Sinner is here… they… they can…

Help me…

It feels like a pair of arms is coiling around him from behind, like someone is giving him a gentle, loving hug. Kaeya would lean into the embrace if he could. The Sinner’s voice is tender and soft, as if they are speaking right next to his ear. “Let me grant you salvation.”

The deafening silence stretches for a long time. He feels like he is in a dream, lightheaded as he floats towards nothingness.

“Salvation for a sinner can only come from a sinner.”

Help…

Chapter Text

Kaeya feels like he’s floating down a river, underneath the calm ripples of its surface and through the gentle waves. The fog in his mind grows thicker, threatening to take the last of his consciousness away. He doesn’t know who he’s asking for help from. His desperate pleas have gone ignored by those on the outside, his begging unheard by all.

The Sinner… they’re the only ones here. They’re with him, they can save him. A dull ache behind his eye causes him to groan. No, it’s not a small, soft pain he can ignore anymore.

His eye is in agony. It feels like it’s clogged by a foreign liquid that burns inside of its socket, and the tears that fall from it don’t wash it out. He wants to claw at his eye, tear it out, and throw it into the deepest, darkest pit he can find. That would solve a lot of problems, wouldn’t it? He doesn’t need it to see. That eye is usually covered. He’s used to being half-blind.

The pained sound he lets out is pitiful and makes him want to give up entirely. It hurts…

“Let go,” the voice whispers in his ear, gentle and calm in this dark prison.

Kaeya wants to. He wants to give in so, so badly, he doesn’t care what consequences there would be. His eyes begin to close themselves, but they remain half-open. Something is stopping him from giving in and allowing the Sinner to save him. His fingers are growing numb and a strange cold is starting to settle in his bones, making what little movement he has slower than normal.

Help…

The arms that feel like they’re around him disappear and there is a new sensation. A palm he can’t see cups itself around his cheek. Another hand feels like it intertwines its fingers through his, holding his hand as if it’s trying to provide him comfort—and it’s working. He squeezes the phantom hold, desperate for any kind of solace from this torture.

“I can help you. I can save us. You only need to let go.” The hand from his cheek moves to the top of his head, running thin fingers through his hair even though the locks don’t move. “Don’t you want to leave the darkness, little one?”

He does. He wants to go home, he wants his father to hold him and tell him everything will be all right, he wants to see Diluc and watch his attempts to catch crystal flies. He wants Adelinde to open the curtains in his room and wake him up from this nightmare, he wants to help Elzer make another bottle of wine for Crepus. I… want to… go… home…

The Sinner sounds sad when they answer, “You don’t have a home, little one. It was stolen from you, long ago.”

He pants, too tired to do much of anything else. No… it wasn’t. The winery… is still… there.

“Crepus and Diluc will not let you back. You know this.”

He does. As soon as they hear what happened to him and what is happening to him, they won’t let him back. He knows they won’t want to be anywhere near him. He doesn’t blame them. All he brings is pain and all he is good at is tearing families apart.

“I can give you a place to call home.”

He sees Albedo in front of him, smiling as a little girl in red waves delightfully beside him. Klee’s mouth is moving, but he doesn’t hear what she’s saying. His home stands behind them, a little two-story townhouse in the middle of the city, and thanks to Albedo’s care, the light blue flowers that hang from the window are as lively as ever underneath the bright morning sun.

He wants to take them both into his arms and hold them close. He misses teasing Albedo and telling Klee bedtime stories. He wants to help Albedo braid his hair in the morning. He wants to go fish blasting with Klee, even though they’d probably get caught and get in trouble with Jean. Gods, he wants to see Jean, tell her exhausted self to take a month-long vacation, and he wants to see Lisa and turn in those books that he never got a chance to return. He wants to see Diluc and bother him at Angel’s Share with Rosaria and—

Albedo takes his hand and tugs his arm to get him to follow. The little squeeze he gives his hand feels too real, not unlike any hug Crepus had given him before…

Before what? He shakes his head as he struggles to reach for memories he knows he has. Why is it so hard to remember? This is Albedo. This is where he lives, so why does it feel like he doesn't belong here? Why... does this place feel so wrong?

“Come inside, Kaeya,” Albedo says, his calm, soothing voice reaching his ears. “It’s going to rain soon.”

No, it isn’t. The sky is bright. There isn’t a cloud in sight.

A new voice, one he's heard before. He can't recall who it is. “You want to go home, don’t you?”

Home? He's... home? He winces as an ache starts to form behind his eye.

No. No, this isn’t right. He puts his free hand against his eye. It hurts.

Klee tilts her head curiously and her face breaks into a big, toothy, bright grin. “Let’s go play, Kaeya!” She takes his other hand and tries to pull him inside as well. “I can show you my new bombs! They're perfect for fish blasting and Master Jean won't catch us again!”

He takes a step to follow her but he stops as the door opens. A wall of warm, cozy air hits him, and the smell of freshly brewed coffee with a hint of gunpowder and alchemy comes with it. One of his own coats hangs off the back of a chair, lazily thrown as if he’d come in from a hard day of work. It smells like home. It feels like home.

His heels dig into the ground in front of the door. This doesn’t feel right. Something about this place feels fake.

He watches Klee run to the table and gather some of her tools that lay on top of it. She lifts her head and smiles at him. "Come here, Kaeya!" she calls eagerly.

This isn't real.

It’s the empty look Klee has in her eyes that gives it away.

"Kaeya, come on," Albedo says and starts to pull him to get him inside the house.

It's the way Albedo is hurriedly trying to get him to go inside.

Klee is passionate about her projects. Albedo never hurries when he doesn’t need to.

This… isn’t real.

His voice is quiet and airy as though he hasn’t had enough water to drink or spoken in weeks when he says, “Not… like this.” He doesn’t say this to Albedo. Not to Klee. Never to Albedo or Klee.

He lets go of Albedo’s hand and puts it against his head. His mind feels heavy like he’s drowning in the open air and something threatens to throw him back into a harsh reality he isn’t expecting. He looks up at the townhouse. The home is so inviting, warm, and full of life. He glances inside through the open door. There’s a table with a vase full of calla lilies, and a look to the kitchen lets him see some used coffee mugs sitting on the counter beside the sink. He's home, so why—

He winces as a dull pain pierces his skull. It’s not real.

“It can be, little one,” the strange voice gently assures him. “You can go home. You will be happy.”

His heart aches at the way Albedo and Klee are both watching him with worry. They’re calling his name, louder now as he stumbles back and away from the house. His hands tremble as scattered memories shatter and then put themselves immediately back together. Something is forcing him to see this, trying to convince him that this is real while something else entirely is fighting against it. It feels like there are two entities in his mind, warring for control and his mind is their battlefield. It makes it hard to think straight. "Get out of my head!” he begs them.

What is happening to him? He uses both hands to hold his head, trying to discern what is real and what is a hallucination. Stop it!

Albedo is trying to catch his attention, desperation on his face as he reaches up for him and pulls his hands away from his head. He doesn't resist it. His hands feel real, the tears that are filling Klee's eyes look real. He wants to lean down, hug her and comfort her, tell her that everything will be all right, but… but it’s not her.

That isn’t Klee.

This isn’t Albedo.

Albedo’s caring touch caresses his cheek, his soft voice asking him what’s wrong and what he can do to help him.

It’s not real.

Klee pulls his hand again, trying to get him to go inside so she can make him feel better. He doesn’t know what to tell her. He knows he can’t stay here.

This place isn’t real.

It isn’t real!

Memories start to rush in again. It makes him squeeze his eyes shut and he struggles to breathe as the pieces put themselves together.

Reality is a small, scared little boy with memories of a past life, bound and gagged like a violent criminal.

Reality is heading for the icy north, where he is locked in the dark and tiny storage compartment of a fancy carriage.

Reality is Il Dottore’s mocking grin, humiliating him as he taunts and threatens him with inhumane experimentation.

His eye burns.

He screams as agony returns with a vengeance. He falls to his knees and reaches up to clutch the right side of his face as the dark veins burn him from underneath his skin and his eye. It feels like sharp claws are reaching from his eye and stabbing him from the inside out and slowly digging their way down his face.

Is he bleeding? He can’t tell. His hands feel wet as he screams again, thick tears falling from his eye.

It hurts! Stop! Stop it, please!

The vision suddenly fades away, far more abruptly than the others from before. The pain disappears. He greedily gulps for air like a fish out of water and lifts his eyes weakly. Albedo and Klee are gone, the townhouse and the bright sky have also vanished. Dark clouds appear overhead while the air turns thick and murky like any other thunderstorm that threatens to strike. Strangely enough, it feels like a heavy weight has been lifted from Kaeya’s mind.

The city changes to a jungle, a small clearing, and in Klee and Albedo’s places, a lone hilichurl stands before him, only a couple paces away. It turns to face him and from behind its mask, Kaeya has a feeling it’s staring straight at him. He knows this place—he’s seen it in his dreams before. “You must be confused,” the monster says.

Kaeya’s eyes widen in surprise. He can only nod dumbly. He is extremely confused.

The hilichurl walks up to him. It’s taller than he is, like most people are these days. It helps him sit up and he lets it take the hand that is over his face in one of its own. “I’m afraid I can’t do much to help you, not like this.” It turns his hand over so that his palm faces the sky. “When the time comes, you will understand.”

“I want to know now,” he admits. “Everyone else seems to know what’s going on, even the Fatui. But I don’t know anything. It’s… not fair.” He shakes his head again. “What’s happening to me?”

The hilichurl’s ears flick and uses its other hand to run its thumb underneath his golden eye. Its touch is gentle, more real than the hallucination he just experienced. It wipes something off of his face and with it, the lingering pain disappears. “You mustn’t let the Sinner win. Do not give in to his lies. What he shows you, what you experience—none of it is real.” It pulls its hand off of his face and cups his palm, fully encasing his hand in both of its own. “Next we meet, I promise I will tell you everything.”

“When will that be?” he mutters. He’s not ready to go back to reality. He doesn’t want to leave—he’d much rather stay here, with the strange hilichurl and the thunderclouds that cover the sun.

“Soon.” He looks down at their hands, feeling something heavy suddenly resting against his skin. The hilichurl leans forward so that its mask is right next to his ear. “Wake up.”

Kaeya jerks himself awake—when had he fallen asleep? He lets out a muffled noise of distress as pain suddenly returns, shooting up his arms and shoulders, cutting through his ankles and up to his knees. Oddly enough, his eye feels fine, like it hasn’t been the cause of his pain at any time. He shivers from the cold permeating the air and slowly opens his eyes. There’s a strange light coming from behind him…

It’s cold.

His eyes widen in realization.

This chill is nothing like the bitter, bone-biting cold of Dragonspine, nor of the winter that is starting to fall over Mondstadt. No, this is different. He knows this calming cold, he knows its strength and where it’s coming from. He hasn’t felt it in months, not since he woke up in his childhood bedroom all those months ago.

Awareness begins to cut through the fog in his mind and the numbness that had crept alongside it slowly retreats with newfound hope and resolve taking its place. There’s something heavy in his hand, the same one where he’d felt someone holding it. He twists his head as far as he is allowed and through the piercing darkness, a dim blue glow cuts through it and allows him to see how little room he has to move around.

His hand squeezes the hard object that’s suddenly appeared in his palm.

He’s holding a vision.

His vision.

He could start crying with relief right now. He decides to thank Barbatos properly at another time. He has more pressing issues to take care of at the moment.

Cryo explodes from the vision, cutting through the bonds around his wrists with ease and he wastes little time to do the same to his legs. He winces as he pulls his arms in front of him again, his shoulders groaning and cracking in relief. His back also burns from the movement, but he ignores it to rip out the gag. He takes a deep breath, lets out a huge gasp of sweet release, and with his newfound freedom, he reaches his fingers through the top to find a latch. He feels it brush against his fingers near the middle of the top edge and with a little cryo manipulation, it clicks open and he instantly shoves the compartment open.

It feels like he can breathe easier the moment he pushes himself up. He blinks a few times to get rid of the sudden brightness of the carriage’s interior and then looks at the vision in his hand. Two sets of wings and a familiar gem embedded with cryo’s signature emblem sit there, innocently staring up at him as if it has never left him. “Now you decide to show up,” he says to it bitterly.

Its mocking glow never fades as he pockets it.

Kaeya stumbles out of the makeshift prison, his legs feeling weak as he trips over the edge of it. He catches himself on the opposite bench, slowly pulling his legs out. Despite having finally acquired his vision, he can’t heal himself without fighting. His arms are shaking and he can finally see the redness around his wrists, the little cuts that are still bleeding and the bruises already forming. Thankfully, it doesn’t look like they’re seriously injured, but he is still in no condition to fight anything, much less the second harbinger.

As much as he wants to allow himself a brief rest inside this carriage, he has to move. He can’t stay. Dottore is bound to come back any time. He grunts as he forces himself up and throws open the door. It’s barely light out, meaning it will be completely dark in a few short minutes.

Despite the darkening sky, he’s immediately greeted by rain and mud, and the sight of a pyro agent crashing into the ground, groaning in pain as the soggy ground soaks his coat. Kaeya flinches away from him and nearly falls back down. Then he spots dark energy sprouting from a wound in his shoulder and he lifts his eyes to see a familiar man staring back at him.

Dainsleif looks mildly surprised to see him as well, and he lowers his arm. “I see you were able to escape,” he says, unconcerned. Then his eyes study him and finally narrow after Kaeya steps outside of the carriage. “You nearly lost your will. I could sense it as clear as day.”

He refuses to look away as shame grips his chest. “I know,” he replies quietly. He steps outside of the carriage. “I’m sorry.”

“‘Sorry’ means nothing. I have already warned you what would happen should you lose yourself to him.”

Frustration claws its way through his shame. He knows apologizing won’t help, and he remembers the cold warning he had been given. He barely holds it back as he retorts, “I’d like to see you become a kid again and try to fight off four fully grown men without a weapon or a vision and a voice in your head giving you visions you think are real.”

Dainsleif’s eyebrow twitches, but he doesn’t say anything more about it when the bushes near the road crack as someone steps on its small branches.

Dottore steps forward, clapping his hands together as if he’s just watched the greatest play in all of Teyvat. “Bravo,” he says slowly, smiling that shark-tooth grin and sending it their way. Dainsleif turns around to face him, face neutral and his lips in a thin line. “You must be the wandering Khaenri’ahn. Dainsleif, am I correct?”

Dainsleif doesn’t answer, but his cursed arm starts to let off that strange magic, black and blue power dancing around it.

As if he expected a lack of response, Dottore looks down at the fallen pyro agent and clicks his teeth in disappointment with his tongue. “How uncouth, going and beating my men like this.” He kicks the agent’s leg uncaringly. “I was going to use this one, too.” Then he turns his masked gaze to Kaeya. “And that one belongs to the Fatui. You have no business being here, Bough Keeper.”

Kaeya shrinks away from his stare. His eyes trail to the fallen agent’s knives that lay in the mud. Even if he can grab the weapons, he wouldn’t be able to take him on. He’ll collapse of exhaustion before Dottore begins to get out of breath. The most he can do is hope he stays still long enough so he can freeze him in place, give him time to flee, and hope to all the archons he doesn’t break free of the cryo.

Dainsleif steps in front of him, holding his other arm out in front of Kaeya’s face in a clear stance of protection. Kaeya looks up in shock, trying to process why he would protect him, of all people. “Dainsleif…?” he asks.

“Mondstadt is south of here,” he tells him, his eyes never leaving the harbinger in front of them. “Do not stop running. I will find you when I am finished with this one.”

Dottore laughs, his posture relaxed and he leans back on one leg. “Finished with me? What makes you so sure you’ll defeat me? It matters not where he runs; I will find him.”

Dainsleif ignores him. “Go, Kaeya.”

Kaeya hesitates. Dainsleif is strong enough to fight him off, right? He thinks he can trust him… He didn’t immediately try to kill him again, so that’s a good sign. He nods and looks back up at him, trying to ignore the way Dottore is still staring past the man and right at him. “Thank you,” he mutters loud enough for the blond to hear him.

He only gets a tiny jerk of a nod in response.

He turns around and runs, looking behind him to see that the two men are still standing in front of each other, tense and clearly about to attack each other. He looks ahead to see where he’s going and knows that if he looks back again now, he won’t see them through the trees that he sprints by.

He has no idea how long he runs for until his lungs start begging for any kind of respite. The sun is long gone by the time he stops running, and he eventually slows down, gasping for breath to get a clear look around him. South… South… Which way is south? He briefly stops to get his sense of direction in check. He must be near Stormbearer Mountains, or maybe on the opposite side of Cider Lake and closer to Stormterror’s Lair. Whichever it is, he’ll be able to get a better view once he reaches a higher vantage point.

The relentless rain isn’t helping him and it doesn't look like the rainstorm will let up any time soon. He’s soaking wet and he coughs as uses the back of his hand to wipe rainwater from his chin. Gods, his legs hurt, his wrists sting, and his back is burning from where the agent's weapon had hit him. He pushes his hair back as he starts walking, his feet splashing against the puddles and ignores the water getting into his shoes.

He knows Dainsleif told him he would find him, but… it’s been so long now. He can’t say how much time has passed, but his adrenaline has worn off and he’s left thoroughly exhausted. He can't keep this up, he'll collapse if he doesn't find shelter soon.

He glances over his shoulder with worry. Is he able to hold off the second harbinger? He doesn’t doubt his strength, but he knows Dottore is no pushover, either. He turns back around to keep going, hugging himself to keep what little warmth he has to himself. He’s miserable, in pain, cold, and tired. He wants to just go home, curl up in a warm, dry bed and wake up tomorrow morning with nothing to worry about.

Home…

He looks up from the ground, continuing to trudge through the mud with a grunt of effort. Diluc is probably wracked with inconsolable worry right now. With any luck, Adelinde and Elzer can keep him from doing anything stupid, such as running off to find him. He would hate to think that he would be the reason if anything happened to the older boy.

He hopes Crepus is able to get out of whatever jail Eroch has thrown him into. He wouldn’t doubt the inspector is playing dumb, telling Crepus and Master Varka that it was a mistake even though his arrest was unwarranted and downright illegal—but that’s if Master Varka even knows what happened to his adopted father. He nearly trips over a tree root and stumbles a couple steps before he catches his footing.

He is lucky he hasn’t come across any monsters, but even creatures of the Abyss wouldn't want to be out in this gods-awful storm. A flash of lightning makes him jump. It briefly lights up the night sky and the raindrops in front of him, reflecting the light that is gone in an instant. Thunder rumbles a few seconds later, and he curses. “Wonderful,” he sarcastically mutters as the rain falls harder.

He looks around. He needs to find somewhere to hide until the storm passes. Somewhere the Fatui and monsters alike can't find him, but a place that Dainsleif can. He shivers as a wave of cold washes over him. Gods, it’s freezing out here. He must be closer to Snezhnaya than he thought. How far is he from Mondstadt? He can't be too far, it hasn't been a full day since he was taken, right? Movement catches his eye and stops him in his tracks.

A figure moves in the dark and turns to face him. They step over something, a bush or tree root most likely, and a clear metallic noise reaches his ears, like a sword is being pulled out of its sheath. Lightning flashes across the sky again and he backs away from the horrifyingly familiar figure as his heart thumps harder.

This is no dream.

Reality has him panting as panic seizes him in its tight, unyielding grip.

His back hits a tree as he tries to get away. It's the same herald that killed him, the same one he saw in his dream the night before. His throat closes up, fear stopping him from saying anything to it.

The Abyss Herald stops just a few inches away and the attached blades on either arm never rise to harm him again even as it moves its arm across its chest in a deep bow. It's so close to him that he can feel the cold of cryo coming from it, and the stench of the Abyss reeks as it says in the common tongue, “My prince.” Its voice far gentler than he remembers, with no hint of any ill intentions lacing its distorted voice. “We came as soon as we sensed your presence.”

Kaeya’s breath picks up. Dainsleif—where is Dainsleif? Why hasn’t he come yet? He said he’d find him—

Before he can even think about raising his hand to throw cryo at it, the herald’s hand is suddenly against his forehead, its grip cold and secure. He reaches up to push it away just as something cold penetrates through his skull. He staggers in place, held up only by the grip on his head. What’s happening to him? Why… is he so tired…?

“You are finally ready, as granted by our lord,” he hears it say through the waves of fatigue that wash over him. “We haven’t much time. Our salvation awaits.”

He falls forward and it catches him before he hits the ground. He can’t move, can't speak. It's as if his limbs have frozen and turned into jelly. He’s lifted up for the second time that day by an unwelcomed being, but this time he isn’t thrown over a shoulder haphazardly nor struck across the back of his head. The herald takes care to bridal carry his exhausted body, holding him close like he's the most precious thing in the world and it turns toward a portal that opens nearby.

The last thing he sees is a gate of stars and a golden halo before everything goes dark.

Chapter Text

Sleep forces his eyes to stay closed as he’s moved around by hands he doesn’t know and hears voices he doesn’t recognize. Someone has dried him off and something is snugly encompassing his body, that much he can tell. He’s comfortable, warm, and thankfully, nothing seems to hurt when he moves his head around.

It takes all of Kaeya’s strength to open his heavy eyelids and look around. Everything is dark and fuzzy around the edges of his sight, and there’s a strange cold in his mind that is pulling at his consciousness, threatening to take him away once more. He doesn’t want to go back to sleep. It feels like he’s slept for a long time already; he’s ready to get up and move around.

Someone moves near him, and before he can see who is there, a hand covers his eyes and sends him into complete darkness a second time. Their voice is deep and quiet but he can’t decipher what they are saying. He wants to reach up and push them away, but his fingers only twitch slightly as his body refuses to obey him.

Cold takes him away into another dreamless slumber.

The next time he comes back to awareness, someone is humming near him. Their voice is light and sounds like the choir bells from the cathedral, pure and beautiful. Initially, he thinks that their voice is wonderful and that they must be a bard or performer of some kind.

He manages to open his eyes and the first thing he sees is a stone ceiling above him, cracked and gray with bits of moss clinging to the cornices. A light is nearby, lighting the room perfectly clear but not so bright that it causes headaches. This place looks nothing like the winery. He doesn’t recognize where he is. From what he can tell, he’s in a domain but it’s no domain he’s ever been to. He knows all of the known ones in Mondstadt. Is this a domain that hasn’t been discovered yet? His stomach churns at the thought of not being in Mondstadt at all.

The humming catches his attention again and he drags his eyes over to the source of it. There’s a girl sitting in a chair beside him with golden eyes and short blond hair cascading over her shoulders, a shade lighter than the Traveler’s own hair. He thinks he recognizes her from somewhere before but he can’t place where. Maybe he’s seen her in one of his dreams that he can’t recall.

She lifts her eyes when she notices him and stops singing. “You slept for a long time, Kaeya,” she says. She sits up in her seat. “You haven’t been sleeping well recently, have you?”

He doesn’t reply. She likely already knows the answer anyway. Instead, he pushes himself up and winces. His whole body is sore, the strain of having sprinted for so long having caught up to him during his sleep.

She uncrosses her legs and stands up. “I took care of your wounds. While minor, I do not wish for you to catch an illness because of our neglect.”

He looks down at his arms. His wrists are expertly wrapped in light bandages and there’s a salve of some kind spread across his back that helps numb the burn. He doesn’t know why she would help him. What’s so important about him that the Abyss Order’s leader herself is tending to his injuries? Maybe now he can finally get some answers.

The next thing he notices is that he isn’t in his own clothes. They had taken them and put him into an off-white nightgown that covers his arms up to his wrists and he can feel the bottom edge brushing against his ankles as he moves his legs underneath the blanket. On one hand, he’s grateful they took the soggy, muddy clothes and put him into something clean and dry but on the other, he doesn’t like that someone he doesn’t know had done so while he was unconscious.

They had taken his vision as well, and the fact makes him struggle to calm himself down again. He had just gotten it back but thankfully, he can sense it somewhere close by, although it feels like its power is muted. When he reaches out for the vision’s power, it feels like he’s stuck his arm in thick, elbow-deep mud and still can’t reach it. Cryo doesn’t come to his fingertips no matter how hard he tries to summon it.

When he sees the girl’s body shift from the corner of his eye, he looks up sharply. She’s right next to the bed in the blink of an eye and the movement startles him. He hadn’t expected her to move so quickly and quietly. He instinctively flinches back from her when she reaches for him and slaps her hand away. He’s had enough of unsavory people manhandling him to last a lifetime. “Don’t touch me!” he snaps.

His shout surprises her but she backs off and lets her arm drop back to her side. “I’m sorry. You are probably confused.”

It’s the understatement of the year, but he keeps his mouth shut. He doesn’t want to put himself in another Dottore situation; he prefers not to get smacked in the face again.

She smiles at him, kind and warm despite the heavy and tense air between them. “I have yet to introduce myself. My name is Lumine. It is a pleasure to finally meet you, Kaeya.”

He doesn’t return the smile. He looks around, studying the room they’re in. It’s not overly large, but it isn’t so small he feels claustrophobic. It would feel more like a bedroom if it weren’t for the fact they’re in a domain. “Where am I?”

“We are in a domain in Liyue. You are safe here.”

His heart drops. The Knights of Favonius can’t just enter Liyue when they want to for official assignments and missions, even in cases of emergency. Master Varka will have to send word to the Millileth, get permission from the Liyue Qixing, and if they grant access, then the Knights would have to wait for an escort. All of that can take days, sometimes weeks, to accomplish. Before they can even do that, they’ll need to find him and figure out where he is.

It’s time he doesn’t have. He needs to find his own way out of here. He takes a breath to calm himself down and shakes his head. “I’ve never been here before.”

She hums curiously, then looks to the wall where an open entryway leads into a dimly lit hall. “Perhaps you will recognize it if we have a walk around.”

He hesitates before he stands up and shivers as the cold stone beneath them hits his bare feet. “Where are my clothes?”

She motions toward the corner. “Your old clothes were unsalvageable.” That doesn’t make any sense. He knows he got them wet and muddy, maybe his shirt got torn from the Fatui Agent’s weapon, but they could just be stitched back together and washed in that case. “I had some new ones made for you.” She turns around. “I will wait for you in the hallway while you change.” She doesn’t look back as she walks outside of the room.

Kaeya goes over to the small pile of clothes that sits on top of an old crate that looks like if he touches it, it would collapse instantly. The traditional Khaenri’ahn clothing makes him sigh but he puts it on anyway. A simple pair of shorts and a shirt are better than a nightgown, of all things. He puts them on and tries not to think about how they and the shoes that come with fit perfectly. They were prepared to have him here.

His right eye begins to throb. He winces as the pain slowly fades as fast as it had come. He stares at his palm, confused. What in the world was that? He shakes his head and finishes putting the clothes on. He has more important things to worry about.

Once he is properly dressed, he leaves the nightgown on the floor and looks around the room. He can’t see any other way out other than the opening Lumine had gone through. He runs his hands along the wall, looking for some kind of loose stone that could be hiding some secret door he can escape through. He drops his hands from the wall when he is next to the crate again, looking at the open door with a frown.

There’s no other way out except through there, where he knows Lumine is still waiting for him just outside. How far would he make it if he tries to run? He doesn’t know how many enemies are lurking in this domain, he doesn’t know his way around, and he needs to find his vision. All of these things make him sigh. He needs to think and be smart about making any escape attempts.

For now, he walks out of the room as calmly as he can and looks up at Lumine. He barely reaches her chest, and he narrows his eyes. “Where is my vision?” he asks as soon as she turns to face him.

She doesn’t answer his question and starts walking, her footsteps light as a feather as she walks to his side and offers him her hand. “Come with me.”

He hesitates before he takes her hand and lets her lead him through the winding halls. It would be good to learn the layout of this domain, that way he can determine the best way out of here. Holding her hand makes him feel tense, but he doesn’t try to pull his hand out of hers. He has a feeling she would keep a hold of him anyway.

They eventually stop in front of a sealed door and he stares at it with wide eyes. This is the same door he saw in his dream, just before he woke up in the carriage. Lumine puts a hand against the door and it opens without hesitation, being pulled down by a mechanism he can’t see. He stares at the inside of the room and his breath begins to pick up as his fear builds.

The upside-down statue is chained in the back of the room, but thankfully, the body that he saw in his dream isn’t there. The threatening spikes jutting out of the ground are there, pointing right at the statue and the orb it’s holding is still lashing its power dangerously. He’s pulled inside and dragged toward the statue, despite his attempts to dig his heels into the stone. His hand is trapped in hers in a vice-like grip. He grunts as they stop just in front of it. “What is this place?” he demands.

She turns around to face him, any hint of kindness gone from her gaze, and lets go of his hand. “You are the last hope of Khaenri’ah, and there is only one way to save it and our people,” she says.

Pain sprouts from his eye again and this time he grunts and presses his hand against his eye. “You know what is coming, little one,” the Sinner’s voice whispers in his mind.

“What…?” he asks, looking up as he sees Lumine still standing there, and then alarm when he sees the sword she’s holding. How did he not notice it before? How long has she been holding it?

“Let go.”

Lumine stalks toward him, her expression blank and uncaring as he scrambles away from the deadly blade she raises.

His hands shake, struggling to call upon his vision. The most he accomplishes is making his fingers cold. He curses and his eyes flick toward the corner of the room when something else moves. The herald is standing there, glaring at him as it first did when he met it. It looks nothing like it did when it knocked him out, and didn’t even try to bow like before.

The hilichurl’s words suddenly ring in his ears. “Do not give in to his lies.”

He stills, especially when the tip of Lumine’s sword presses itself against his neck. Is… this a vision? He looks up at Lumine. Now that he’s paying more attention, her eyes look like they’re looking through him, as though she’s watching someone else that’s in his place. His eyes widen with realization.

This is another hallucination.

“This isn’t real,” he mutters. Still, he strains his neck away from the blade that’s pointed at him, its cold, unyielding steel ready to pierce him if he so much as turns his head.

A heartbeat passes and there’s a low chuckle in the air. “You truly are ready, little one.”

Kaeya gasps as his eyes shoot open and he coughs as he rolls onto his side. His whole body hurts and when he looks, there are no carefully wrapped bandages around his wrists nor can he feel any kind of salve across the burn on his back. There is a thin blanket on him but as expected, his vision is missing. He grunts uncomfortably as his sore muscles yell at him as he moves around, his stiff clothes clinging to his skin by dried mud and grime.

“After all this time, and still you have little control?” someone asks.

He looks at the door quickly. Lumine is standing in the doorway, real as could be. She doesn’t smile at him, kindness is long gone from her features. Her stone-cold expression doesn’t change as he asks, “Why am I here?”

 “You are a very special person, Kaeya. You remember a life that you should not have any recollection of.” She steps inside the room. “He promised this wouldn’t happen and yet…” She lets out a deep sigh. “This changes everything.”

Kaeya feels himself growing frustrated. Why isn’t anyone answering his questions? He’s getting tired of being in a constant state of confusion. “What are you talking about?”

She doesn’t reply immediately. Instead, she approaches him and takes a seat before she speaks again. “How much do you remember? Is it that one life?”

He listens to her words prudently and his brows furrow together. What does she mean by ‘that one life?’ He decides to choose his words carefully and replies, “I remember my last life and how I died.”

“None of the others?”

He freezes. “What… others?” His voice is quiet, trying to guess what she means. She can’t possibly mean he’s died before—that’s impossible. He would remember dying more than once since he remembers his last life, wouldn’t he? He still has nightmares of being killed, he freezes up any time he sees that herald.

His eyes widen. The dream he had, where he saw the crystal. The Sinner had made it seem like he wasn’t supposed to remember his past life. He looks at his shaking hands. Why is he suddenly remembering that now? He doesn’t know what is happening to him. Why isn’t he supposed to remember his last life?

Lumine rubs her chin with her fingers in thought, ignorant of his internal conflict, and mumbles to herself, “Then it really is because of your vision. But why would the gods choose you?”

“No, no, stop,” he interrupts her, a bit louder now. His eye is starting to hurt, but he ignores it as she looks at him again. “What do you mean by others?”

She drops her hand back to her side. “You didn’t know?”

He shakes his head. He doesn’t care now if he sounds like he’s begging for information when he answers her, “Please, just tell me something. Anything. I hardly know what’s going on, and everyone else knows a lot more than I do.”

Silence meets him as she thinks about his request. After a few more seconds pass, she nods once she makes her decision. “I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to tell you.”

Kaeya waits with bated breath as she crosses her arms across her chest.

It feels like an eternity passes between them when Lumine finally speaks again. “In the effort to obtain a special artifact only you possess, you have died numerous times already—168 times to be exact.”

He’s heard many things before in his life and has witnessed multiple world-changing events that rocked all of Teyvat from its foundations, but this is something he has never heard nor thought of before. He stops breathing, trying to take her words to heart.

It feels like the floor is ripped out from underneath him. “W-what?” he whispers.

He wants to not believe her, but… if he thinks about his recent dreams especially, it makes sense. He swallows hard, trying to wrap his head around this new information. He isn’t sure what else to say except, “Tell me this is not some kind of cruel joke.”

Her eyes remain steady, as if she’s studying his reaction. She shakes her head, unamused. “This is not something I would joke about.”

He still has no idea how to process this. His thoughts are racing at a million miles an hour with no way for him to catch up. He swallows again and then looks up when he hears heavy armor clanking against each other. The herald’s large form appears in the doorway and he stiffens.

This herald must have known about all of this, too. Why else would it have targeted him before he even woke up from dying? It knew where to find him and the only reason why he woke up at the winery was because of Diluc and the knights. Then what about the Fatui? Why would they know about him? How?

His thoughts come to a jarring halt when the herald steps inside, places an arm across its chest, and bows politely. “Everything is ready, Princess,” it says then it looks at Kaeya and its bow deepens. “My prince, it is good to see you awake.”

Kaeya doesn’t say anything back. His brain isn’t formulating anything to say, still in too much shock. If he wasn’t supposed to remember his last life, then how can he? What does it have to do with his vision?

Lumine turns to face him and the movement tears him away from his thoughts a second time as he looks up. “Come, we don’t have much time,” she tells him.

His eyes narrow into a glare. He’s not about to just sit here and let them do whatever the hell they want to him some more. “For what?” he demands. “Where is my vision? That way, I can at least put up a proper fight before you kill me again.”

She looks impatient and turns around to start walking for the door. “I can have the herald carry you there or you can walk on your own, it is your choice.”

His eyes flick toward the herald. The monster remains quiet, but its eyes are locked onto him, no doubt willing to carry him like a sack of potatoes if need be. He stiffly gets up, muscles creaking as he follows Lumine out of the room. He’d rather not be carried by it again.

He quickly moves past the herald, unsurprised to hear it walking close behind as he follows Lumine through the dimly lit halls. His mind is keeping track of all the turns they make, trying to form a plan of escape as fast as he can with as much as he knows. He needs to get out of here, he doesn’t doubt for a second that they’re taking him somewhere that will likely be his final resting place—again.

He winces. Again? Has… he died here before? He pushes the grim thought away as their pace begins to slow down.

Lumine stops when she reaches a sealed door and just like the vision he saw, she raises her arm and presses her hand to the stone. The door goes down the same way, sliding against a mechanism underneath them and once it stops and the room opens up, she walks inside without hesitation. Kaeya, on the other hand, doesn’t move from the entryway, staring at the upside-down Statue of the Seven that’s hanging in chains.

Something about this room feels wrong. It’s almost like when he saw the giant crystal, and although this orb is much smaller than the crystal, the power emanating from it feels very similar. The muddled feeling when he tries to call for his vision is worse here than in the room he had been sleeping in.

His eyes follow Lumine as she stops at the left wall and turns to face him. “You wished to know where your vision is,” she says to him.

The herald’s hand lightly pushes against his upper back to get him to keep moving and he shoots a glare at it before he slowly goes to her side. She motions up and he follows her direction with his eyes until it lands on something floating just above him.

His vision is right there, too far out of his reach and surrounded by a small dome of dark chains. “What did you do to my vision?” he demands, turning his glare back at her. “Give it back!”

“You won’t need it anymore,” Lumine interrupts. She turns her own cold gaze down to him. “We will keep it here, for safekeeping if you so desire.”

His hands turn into angry fists. “It’s my vision, you have no right to keep it like this!”

She scoffs, “It doesn’t matter what you think or want.” She glances back at the statue as the orb flares to life behind them.

Kaeya’s own eyes look at it and he stiffens as he feels something underneath his eye move. He knows that if he looks in a mirror, those dark veins are creeping up his face and his eye is most likely changing colors. A low chuckle rings in his mind, one that doesn’t belong to the herald or Lumine. “Come here, little one,” the Sinner’s voice says.

He looks at the statue as pain flares in his eye. He shakes his head, holding that side of his face with a hand. “No!” he snaps. He takes a step away from Lumine and the statue—he can come back and get his vision later, he needs to leave now. Whatever they want, he can’t stay here a second more. He turns around, making a break for the door as fast as his legs can carry him.

Lumine doesn’t look surprised, then wordlessly looks at the herald with a single nod.

The herald appears in front of Kaeya, but this time he’s prepared and sidesteps around it to dash into the hallway.

What he isn’t prepared for is his legs to suddenly lock up and his body to stop itself mid-step.

It elicits a yelp from him and even then, his throat closes itself up before the noise escapes. A heartbeat passes before his body turns itself around, far calmer than he feels. Panic makes his heart thump rapidly behind his ribcage.

This possession feels no different than the first time it happened, only this time, no matter how hard he struggles and pushes against the control, nothing happens. The hold is much stronger than before, and he gets dizzy as his eye starts hurting even more. He can only watch as his right arm raises itself and grasps one of the herald’s fingers. It holds his hand like they’re family, its tender hold fully covering his entire hand as it leads him back into the room.

Why can’t he break free this time? He uses all his willpower just like before, and the terrifying thought of not being able to break free floods his mind. His eyes raise and lock onto the purple orb. Is that making the Sinner’s hold stronger than before? Or is it the reason why his body moves of its own volition?

“You can stop this, little one,” the Sinner’s voice whispers to him.

He tries to strain against the control he has over him, but not even a whimper escapes his throat. I’m not your damn puppet! Let go of me!

His eye feels even worse the closer they get to the statue.

“I can make you happy.”

He wants to laugh—the Sinner has already tried that and he was able to get out of that hallucination, and the one he just had. While he remembers how happy he was to be with Albedo and Klee again, it wouldn’t be real. Should he fall into another hallucination like that, he would be trapped with no way of returning to the real world. He doesn’t think he would be able to so easily break free now that he’s so close to whatever this orb is. Why are you doing this to me?

The sensation of someone’s hands place themselves on his cheeks. “You are my precious vessel. In return for freeing me, I will save your homeland and cure your people. Isn’t that a good thing, little one?”

That’s it? He doubts that’s all it wants. There has to be something else it wants—why else could he see a hilichurl that is able to resist the Sinner’s vast power? You’re doing all of this to me just because you want to be free?

“You possess the power to accomplish a great many things. In return for your graciousness, I shall grant you the happiness you deserve.”

Then why kill me this many times? Why don’t you just kill me again?

The Sinner chuckles, and it would send shivers up his spine if he could move even a millimeter. “Oh, little one, you will not die. Not this time.”

The statement terrifies him even more. He doesn’t want to know why they don’t want him to die this time.

“Are you certain you do not wish to willingly let go? The alternative is not a pleasant experience.”

It’s not like he has much of a choice. He won't let this Sinner use him like a puppet and trap him in a hallucination of whatever they want him to experience. Grief rises alongside his fear. He has a feeling that it will take more than just pure willpower to break free of this possession. With how many mental games the Sinner enjoys forcing him to play, he knows he will need help. If he doesn't get it, he knows he won't get to see Crepus, Diluc, or anyone else ever again. While he doesn’t know what the alternative is and as much as it terrifies him, he can’t allow the Sinner to possess him. He won't go down without a fight.

He steels himself, confidently telling them, I made a promise and I will not break it again.

The herald lets go of his hand and only now he notices how close he is to the statue. The pain in his eye grows stronger the more he fights back and his body is forced to drop down to his knees in front of it. His legs don’t respond when he tries to stand and back away and his arms bring themselves in front of him. His hands clasp themselves together and his head bows itself into them.

“You have made your decision,” the Sinner’s voice says. His voice is loud, as if he’s standing right in front of him. There’s a soft and disappointed sigh. “I did not think it would come to this, but you leave me with no choice.”

If he had any control over his body, Kaeya knows he would be shaking. His limbs remain still, frozen and locked in this uncomfortable prostrating position. He can’t even lift his eyes from the ground. What are they going to do to him? He remembers seeing the dead man in his dream that was in this same exact position. Is he going to end up like him?

“You will not die, little one, although you will beg for it.” Heavy footfalls come from behind him and the herald’s large, cold hand grabs his hair and yanks his head up, forcing him to stare straight into the orb.

Kaeya can’t move his eyes away from it. Something pulls his mind away, and it feels like he’s falling although his body doesn’t move.

“Death is a mercy I will not grant.”

Chapter Text

The day Eroch joined the Knights of Favonius, Crepus watched this newcomer rapidly climb his way through the ranks until he was given the rank of Inspector. While politics and its semantics have never been in his interest nor any of his business, Crepus found it odd that this strange man seemingly appeared out of nowhere and quickly became Varka’s right-hand man. If anyone had asked him a year ago what he thought about Eroch, he would shrug and say he didn’t know him very well so he didn’t have an opinion of him.

But as he sits behind the metal bars of a jail cell meant for actual criminals and an all-too-proud Eroch on the other side, he would say he would love to punch the smug smirk off of his face. Crepus reels his temper in. If he wants this plan to succeed, he needs to keep cool and not let his emotions control his actions. It’s hard to do when a suspected traitor is in front of him.

He doesn’t stand up to greet him and glares with all the anger he allows himself to show. He’s far too irritated to humor the inspector. It’s been hours since the knights that arrested him threw him in here and walked away with the key without so much as a backwards glance. He allows his irritation to show as he demands Eroch, “Are you here to interrogate me about a crime I didn’t commit?”

“No, actually,” Eroch answers. “I’ve come for a different reason.”

Crepus scoffs. “If it’s not to let me out of this cell, then get Grand Master Varka down here. I would much rather speak with him instead.”

“Varka…” He sighs as if he’s annoyed by something. “He thinks he knows everything about this nation.” He shakes his head. “Well, one thing is for sure: he doesn’t know about your predicament.” He steps closer until he’s right in front of the bars, smirking again. “I needed to speak with you alone.”

He clenches his jaw, allowing that much of his frustration to show. “So you had me arrested and thrown into a jail cell instead of speaking to me like a grown adult?”

He ignores that. “I want to make you a deal.”

He doesn’t like where this is going. He had him falsely arrested, probably traumatizing Kaeya in the process, just to make him a deal? He doesn't like where this is going. “What kind of deal?”

The corner of his lips perk up slightly as if he’s amused. “A bit impatient, are we?”

As he would love to get up to yell in his face, Crepus forces himself to remain where he is. “You can say that,” he says through gritted teeth.

Eroch huffs out a laugh. He leans against the bars, confident the wine master won’t attack him. “Mondstadt is weak. It cannot defend itself with an absentee archon. The Knights of Favonius are in shambles from being dispatched all across the nation and soon, all of Teyvat. Just earlier today, Varka informed us that he wants to carry out an expedition, which would stretch the Ordo’s already limited numbers. With so many threats around the nation, we need to seek outside aid.”

Crepus scrunches his brows together. “And what, pray tell, are these threats? Some drunkards that come out of taverns to go home? The pigeons on the bridge? A little bit of wind blowing in the air?”

“Monsters and treasure hoarder attacks are on the rise.” He looks displeased as he adds, “The Knights of Favonius have been so desperate, they are reduced to training children.” He scoffs in disbelief. “Are they so weak they must rely on children to do their work for them?”

Crepus frowns the more he listens. The Knights of Favonius have rules in place for knights that are underage, why is this such an issue only now? There’s another thing that catches his attention. Eroch keeps speaking as though he is not a knight. It solidifies his suspicions, but he can’t do anything based on suspicions and assumptions. He needs to hear a specific set of words from Eroch’s own mouth. “Are you not a knight?”

Eroch’s smile finally drops, his face serious for the first time today. “You know the answer to that question.”

He isn’t saying he is a traitor, he’s smart enough not to admit it directly. Crepus grits his teeth in frustration. “I no longer know.”

Eroch doesn’t look pleased but he crosses his arms across his chest. “Anyway, let me propose the deal to you since I know what you had Kaeya do the day he visiting Headquarters.”

Now he’s truly confused. He’s had Kaeya do nothing but be a kid for as long as he’s known him. “What are you talking about?”

“What is it I told you that day? Ah, I remember. ‘Children are still used as tools.’” He gets off of the bars. “Tell me where you put those papers and I’ll gladly release you.”

He shakes his head. What did you find, Kaeya? “What papers? I am being truthful when I say I do not know what you are talking about.”

Eroch scrutinizes him, his eyes scanning his face as if to find a hint of a lie in his features. When he finds none, he puts on a relaxed smile. “I have reason to believe that your son stole something of great importance from my office, one that could affect Mondstadt’s safety. Here’s the deal: you give those papers back to me, and I’ll let you out without putting anything onto your record.”

“Nothing will go onto my record, as this is an unlawful arrest.”

“I have proof that you have been colluding with the Fatui,” he interrupts. That shuts Crepus up instantly. Satisfied with his sudden silence, the inspector continues. “Although I do not know what those meetings were about, there were two different counts where a high-ranked Fatuus met you at your tavern in front of multiple people.” He straightens his back, trying to make himself look taller than he already is. Crepus tries not to roll his eyes at the intimidation attempt. “That is grounds for treason.”

Crepus balks at the accusation. “Treason? Both times they came to me. Never did I see them outside of Angel’s Share.”

“You admit you knowingly met with two Fatui Harbingers?”

He finally stands up, finding it hard to hold back his anger anymore as his hands turn into fists. His fingernails dig into his palms to keep himself from shouting at the man. “They were both unexpected. I did not ask to meet them at the tavern. Neither meeting threatened the safety and security of Mondstadt. You can confirm this with multiple witnesses, including Kaeya, who was there both times.”

Eroch’s smirk turns cold. “Regrettably, that will be a problem.”

“What problem would there be? He is young, but courts can take the words of a witness despite their age.”

What Eroch says next makes his world stop. “Kaeya has gone missing.”

Crepus’ eyes widen and his heart skips a beat.

The plan is supposed to be simple: get Eroch to verbally admit he’s working with the Fatui and obtain the evidence to prove it.

This is not part of the plan.

Five months ago…

Crepus breathes a sigh of relief as he steps inside the Knights of Favonius headquarters, shielding him from the brutal summer sun. It’s too hot to do much of anything, so he’s decided against wearing any kind of jacket this day but even then it is still much too warm. He walks past the guards who greet him and stops in front of the grand master’s office. He knocks once and immediately he hears Varka’s deep voice say from the other side of the closed door, “Enter.”

He opens the door, smiling as Varka looks up from his pile of paperwork. “Good morning, Varka,” he greets.

Varka returns the smile. Despite the summer heat and gentle breeze coming in from the open windows, he’s still wearing his full suit of armor and the heavy clothes underneath. “Crepus!” he cheerfully replies. “Good to see you. I hope the way here wasn’t bad?”

“Not at all. It’s getting too hot outside to be wearing heavy clothes.”

“This summer is rather warm this year, isn’t it?”

Crepus closes the door behind him and the smile drops from his face as soon as the noise out in the hall becomes muffled. “I got your message—what is it you wanted to talk to me about?”

The grand master’s face also turns serious. He sets down the quill and pen he’s holding and folds his hands together on the top of his desk. He leans forward, asking quietly, “Can I trust you, Crepus?”

He blinks a few times as he sits down. “Of course you can, Varka.” Worry etches itself onto his face. “Your message only said that you wanted to see me. What’s wrong?”

He gets up and walks away from his desk toward the window. “There is a case that I have been working on for months now and with your vast network of information, I thought to ask you for help.”

Crepus frowns as the grand master closes the window tight. “I’m not a knight,” he tells him softly. “I’m a vintner. I make wine for a living.”

He nods. “I’m aware.” He turned toward the bookcase behind his desk and pulls out a thick folder then makes his way back to his desk. “I will pay you handsomely for your help.”

He lets out a long sigh as Varka sits back down. “I don’t need your mora, Varka.”

“Please, Crepus. We need help.”

Crepus stares into the grand master’s eyes, and his shoulders slump as he quickly relents. “Okay. Okay, fine—not because you asked me, it’s only because of what you did for me.”

Varka chuckles but the short laugh quickly fades as he opens the folder. “This case is extremely sensitive. Don’t tell this to anyone. Not to even to Adelinde or Elzer.”

He raises an eyebrow. “They are well aware of my history, Varka.”

He doesn’t look happy but he pushes the folder to him. “Still…” He shakes his head, knowing Crepus would be telling Adelinde and Elzer things if he needs something done. He nods to the folder. “Six counts of missing children, all between ages six and fourteen.”

Crepus frowns. “That’s… not good, but I’m not sure how I can help you with missing people.”

“Have you noticed an influx of fatuus within the city?”

He doesn’t like where this is going. “I’ve had a few of them visit my tavern, yes,” he admits. “I haven’t thought much of it. Fatui are everywhere in Teyvat.”

“Inspector Eroch insists they have no ill intentions, but given that it’s the Fatui, well…”

He doesn’t need to finish that sentence. Crepus knows what he’s getting at. The Fatui are so-called diplomats who are often stationed in many corners of Teyvat, and while Mondstadt is open to everyone, it makes him shudder to think what kind of plan they’ve cooked up now. It’s common knowledge that wherever there is trouble, the Fatui are sure to be there.

He looks down at the folder and sees the names of the missing children and their sketches beside them. Dread fills him. Any of those kids could have been Diluc or Kaeya. To think of them joining this list makes his stomach churn. He can’t imagine what their parents are experiencing right now. He doesn’t know what he would do if either of his sons were reduced to being another name in a list of missing people.

He flicks his eyes back up. “You think the Fatui have something to do with the missing kids?” he asks.

“Their families all made some kind of deal with them.” Varka turns a couple of pages. “This one made a deal with one of the fatuus.” He taps a picture of a man with glasses on. “This is Schubert Lawrence. He isn’t related to any of the kids, but he was spotted meeting a fatuus in the back of a wagon a few days ago. We interrogated him because we thought he had something to do with the case. Unfortunately, he doesn’t know anything about the missing kids, but he said that the Fatui promised him that they would help the Lawrence clan take control of Mondstadt again.”

Crepus scoffs with disgust. The Lawrence clan is a disgrace to Mondstadt, and this only proves that theory. “Ridiculous,” he mutters under his breath.

“Mhm.” He leans back in his chair. “For this reason, I believe we have a traitor in our ranks.” He sighs. “I am not entirely sure who it is, but I need proof of either innocence or guilt. I have already had… a friend go through Eroch’s office, but there is nothing there.”

“Eroch?” He looks up sharply, a deep frown on his face. He can’t say he’s surprised to hear it; that man has always given him chills. “You think he has something to do with the missing children?”

“It’s a possibility.” He sighs, long and defeated. “I thought I could trust him, but it seems I cannot. He reports to me every morning, but I can tell he leaves information out. The knights that report directly to him tell me they find nothing suspicious. Yet the Fatui presence is still increasing. I don’t know what their goal is nor how Eroch is tied to this, but I need to get rid of them before something happens.”

Crepus closes the folder, biting the inside of his cheek nervously. “So you want me to find a link between him and the Fatui.”

Varka’s silence is all the answer he needs.

He sighs deeply and closes the folder. “All right.” He looks up at him, determined. If anything, this will motivate him to keep other kids from becoming names on that list. “I’ll do it.”

His eyes narrow, but he looks relieved at the same time. “Thank you, Crepus. I knew I could count on you.”

The plan was supposed to be simple. When Varka heard Pantalone had come to visit Crepus personally, they needed a plan of action. Crepus is the one who came up with the idea to lure Eroch into action, and despite not liking the idea, it was the only thing that could possibly get them any kind of evidence.

No one was supposed to be involved. It was just supposed to be him in this jail cell and no one else would get hurt.

Crepus feels like he can’t breathe.

Kaeya can’t be missing.

He doesn’t go missing.

He’s not just some name on a list of missing people. He’s good at hiding, he probably just hid from someone and made his own way home despite being told to stay at the tavern until Charles arrived. He could see that as the best-case scenario.

A grave thought hits him and it makes him pale. Worst case, he wandered out of the city by himself to go to the designated meeting spot Il Dottore. Maybe he thought he needed to go there, that Crepus would meet with him in that spot. He shouldn’t have let him take it—he only needed to keep that little piece of paper away from unwanted eyes. The thought of Kaeya being with that monster… He shakes his head and watches Eroch’s smirk grow.

No, this isn’t right. Kaeya is fine, he wouldn’t have done that. Eroch is only lying to get him to say things he shouldn’t. It doesn’t stop the worried pang in his heart when he thinks about the possibility that he’s actually gone.

If Kaeya really is missing, there’s only one other culprit that comes to mind. He finally lets rage take over as he storms over to the bars. Unfortunately, the knight steps back far enough to avoid his fists so he grabs onto the bars that separate them instead. “What the hell did you do to my son?” he shouts over the loud clanging of the metal.

“I’m not entirely sure what you mean, Master Ragnvindr,” he answers, his voice dripping with fake bewilderment.

It only angers Crepus further and his grip on the bars tightens so much, his knuckles turn white. He quiets his voice and says in a furious tone, “I have seen the way you look at him. Heard the way you talk about him as though he is lesser than human. You threatened to interfere with the adoption process. What do you have against an eight-year-old boy? Is it the color of his skin? Is it because he’s not from Mondstadt? Or is it because he doesn’t bend over backward to please you like all the knights that serve under you?”

Through his entire rant, Eroch silently listens, that god damned smirk never leaving his face. He remains quiet as Crepus finishes and a heavy silence stretches between the two of them.

Crepus frowns at his silence. The longer the silence goes on, the more agitated he gets. He can’t help but start thinking the worst had happened, but he knows Kaeya is safe. He had him stay at the tavern and have Charles take him home. Eroch is lying to him, he knows he is. He has to be. He’s the first to break their silence and he asks quietly, “Why should I believe you? You have lied to us before. Kaeya should be home by now, safe and sound.”

“I can assure you that he is not.” He shrugs and with as much sympathy as he can coat his deceitful tone, he adds, “It’s unfortunate. I can’t imagine what you are going through.” He turns as if he’s about to leave. “I don’t think I can allow you to reunite with your children if you refuse to return the information that was stolen.”

Murderous wrath builds within Crepus’ chest. “You can assure me that Kaeya is missing. To me, that means you know what happened or you had a hand in this yourself.”

Eroch looks over his shoulder. He’s never wanted to see someone dead more than now. He wants to see the life leave his eyes and wipe that fucking smirk off of his face. “My answer depends on your willingness to work for me,” Eroch tells him. “You get me that information, don’t spill anything to Grand Master Varka, and I won’t allow any… accidents to befall you.”

He glares at him with all the hatred he’s never felt for someone else before. “You’re threatening me now? I’ve already said I don’t know what information you’re talking about!”

He sighs. “That’s unfortunate.” He starts to walk away. “I’ll make sure to have some of my men visit your manor.”

Crepus wants to shout at him to leave his home and family alone, but a heavy door screeches open and slams shut before he can get a word out. He curses and lets go of the bars. All he can do is wait for Varka to come down and let him out.

Thankfully, he doesn’t need to wait long. Not even a minute after Eroch left, he hears the door open and he flicks his eyes up to see the grand master himself in front of the bars with a ring of keys in his hand. His shoulders slump with relief. “Thank gods you didn’t take long,” he says.

Varka opens the door as soon as it’s unlocked and worriedly asks, “Are you all right, Crepus?”

He nods. “I’m fine. Eroch didn’t specifically say he’s working for the— Varka? Are you all right?”

The grand master looks far more relieved than he should be. Color is returning to his pale skin, and he rubs his face with relief. “I was worried about you—I thought something had happened to you.”

“Worse than being falsely arrested?”

“Much worse.” He shakes his head and steps out of the way so he can leave the cell. “I went to Angel’s Share earlier, but you weren’t there. Someone broke in, and both the front and back doors were left open. Charles is there repairing the door now. I’m not sure when it happened—”

Someone broke into Angel’s Share? Why would they break in? Crepus feels hot and cold at the same time and his hands start to shake. There’s nothing but alcohol to steal, and while it would be expensive to replace, that’s not why he’s suddenly frightened. “Varka, where is Kaeya? Please, tell me you know where he is.”

“Kaeya? No, I don’t know but— Crepus, wait!”

Crepus runs out of the cellblocks, adrenaline fueling him as he sprints his way through the building and out the door. He doesn’t look back to see if Varka is following him as they exit the building and run through the rain and makes his way toward the tavern. He can hear the heavy footfalls directly behind him with the same sense of urgency. Crepus’ heavily beating heart thumps against his chest the more they run, wishing he could somehow teleport inside of the tavern right now.

Please, he begs to anyone listening, let my son be all right.

He doesn’t stop running until he’s in front of Angel’s Share. He pants as he looks around the tavern. Charles is there, hammering a new doorknob into the door and the old one on the ground beside his feet. Even from where he’s standing, he can see a tiny little piece of metal stuck inside of the lock.

However, that’s not what Crepus is looking at. He doesn’t care about a broken doorknob. He ignores Varka saying something to Charles as his eyes trail to the side of the building, where the carriage is still sitting. Why is the carriage still here? Kaeya must have ignored what Crepus told him and took Lilly. He wouldn’t have walked all the way home in this weather.

He doesn’t realize he’s starting to get dizzy until Varka’s hand lands on his shoulder and brings him out of his worried stupor. “Let’s check inside, make sure he isn’t hiding anywhere,” he tells him gently.

Crepus swallows hard and nods. “Right, of course.” He looks at Charles. “Is Kaeya still here?”

Charles shakes his head. “He wasn’t here when I arrived,” he replies.

No, no, that’s not right. Kaeya has to be here or at home. “Are you sure?”

The bartender nods, now with more worry than Crepus has ever seen in his eyes. “The tavern was empty and both doors were open when I got here. Only the front door was forced open, the back door looks like it was opened from the inside. There was also shattered glass on the floor behind the counter, but nothing was stolen. All of the wine and spirits are still accounted for and the mora is still in the office, too.”

The vintner frowns. “Then why would someone break in?” he mumbles under his breath.

“I’m not sure. I suppose it’s lucky I arrived before any regulars showed up. Master Varka thankfully showed up not too long after and I was able to start repairing the door.”

Crepus’ gut twists uncomfortably. “Are you absolutely positive Kaeya is not here?” He doesn’t want to believe Eroch.

He shakes his head. “I am certain, Master Ragnvindr.”

He tries to keep himself calm. He can’t lose hope. Maybe Kaeya got scared of the break-in and found someplace to hide until help came. He’s good at hiding, especially when he doesn’t want to be found. Crepus rushes inside without another thought. “Kaeya?” he calls out into the empty tavern. A worried Varka follows him as Charles closes the repaired door behind them.

No one answers him. There is no pattering of small feet running to greet him from the office, nor anyone coming downstairs from the spare room. Crepus goes up there anyway to check. He throws the door open, hoping to see at least a small form huddled in a corner to hide. “Kaeya!” he shouts, getting more agitated the longer he doesn’t get a response.

Nothing. There’s no one there. No one is moving underneath the covers of the rarely used bed nor coming out of the wardrobe that could be used as a hiding spot. Dread pools in his stomach. Where is Kaeya?

He hears Varka walk up the stairs to get to the attic and check to see if Kaeya is hiding there. Crepus can barely hear him shouting for the boy as well. He has a sinking feeling he won’t find him there nor anywhere in the tavern. He hastily leaves the room and looks downstairs toward the bar.

Someone had broken in from the front, but there are no signs of forced entry from the back door. Both doors were open when Charles arrived, and there was broken glass on the floor behind the bar. All of these signs point that Kaeya had run out and was likely chased by whoever had broken in. He was running from someone, and he wasn’t there to help him. He grips the wooden safety railings tightly as worry fills his mind with dreadful thoughts.

A young boy stares up into the sky, his eyes that used to be so full of life and happiness now empty and unblinking even as rain pours into them. He’ll never know who killed him. The boy’s neck is sliced open so wide he can see the inside of his throat, and there is so much blood that he turns away to vomit. There aren’t any other wounds he can see. He died a sad, painful, and lonely death—

Crepus shakes his head to get rid of the sudden gruesome vision he had. He turns his eyes over to the stairs, seeing Varka watching him worriedly. “Crepus, are you all right?” he asks.

He swallows back as much anxiety as he can and nods. “I’m fine. I need to leave. I—I have to find Kaeya.” He runs downstairs with care to make sure he doesn’t slip and fall.

He’s stopped when Varka grabs his upper arm. “Crepus, stop. Let the Knights of Favonius handle this.” He lets his arm go, positive he won’t run outside without a plan. “Did Eroch tell you anything while you were in that cell?”

Charles’ eyes widen but he quickly turns away and makes himself busy. It wouldn’t matter if he is listening or not—Crepus trusts him with his life. He probably knows more secrets than he lets on. “He—he made it sound like he knew Kaeya’s gone,” he answers. He curses when he stutters, but he doesn’t pay any mind to it. “He implied that he had a hand in it.”

Varka frowns as well. “How many knights came to arrest you, Crepus?”

“Two this morning.”

“There’s supposed to be three or more, especially when there is a child involved and he of all people should know this.” He stops when Crepus doesn’t say anything. “Crepus?”

He can’t hear him. His hands are shaking and his thoughts straying to that imaginary body he saw. It makes him want to run outside and rush to find Kaeya, but he has no idea where to even begin. The rain has likely washed any traces away by now.

Darkness creeps around the edges of his sight and his body feels like it’s both hot and cold. It feels like he can’t get enough air. “Kaeya was there. I—I told him to wait here at the tavern until Charles came. Gods, I— this is my fault, I told him to stay here, I did this—”

“No, you didn’t. This isn’t your fault.” Varka’s interruption makes him look up. He’s squatting right next to him to stay at his level and only now does Crepus realize he’s sitting in a chair. When did that happen? “You can’t have predicted this. What I need you to do now is to follow my lead. Take a deep breath.”

Crepus finds it difficult to obey Varka’s simple direction. He shakily obeys, feeling a rush of oxygen rising up to his head and the darkness starts to fade away. Who knew not breathing makes you feel so light-headed?

Varka is quiet when he asks, “I’m going to ask you some questions. Can you tell me three things you can see?”

He looks at him, confused. “What I can see?” He shakes his head. “Why—why would you need to know that?”

“Trust me.”

If anything, he can humor him. He still doesn’t understand why he would ask him that. “The stools. Cups. That ugly painting Diluc loves so much.” He shakes his head. “Gods, what am I going to tell Diluc—”

He’s immediately interrupted before he can fall back into his panic again. “We can worry about that later. Now, tell me three things you can hear.”

He takes another deep breath as he concentrates. “Rain outside. Someone’s counting mora. The wind blowing.”

“Last one: three things you can move.”

His frustration that has been building all day finally pools over. He can’t sit here at Angel’s Share with Kaeya missing. “Varka, I’m fine! Now move, I need to find my son!”

He looks serious as he pulls up a chair to sit in. “I need you to be in the right mindset before anything else.”

He sighs and lifts his arm. He then moves his legs so they slide a bit closer to the chair. He then lifts his head to look up at him, feeling better despite shouting at him. “I’m sorry I snapped at you,” he mutters.

“It’s all right.” He looks up as Charles comes around and sets two cups down. Whether it’s liquor or water, Crepus can’t tell even as he downs the entire glass in one go. “Now, I will have Diluc escorted here, and I want you two to go home. I’m going to have some of my most trusted knights escort you home and have them patrol the area near the winery for the foreseeable future.”

He shakes his head. “Fine. But I don’t want them bringing Diluc here alone. You need to be with them.”

Varka nods. “Okay. I’ll get him and I will be right back. Will you be all right waiting here?”

“I would rather get him myself.”

“And I want you to stay here. I can’t risk the chance of Eroch discovering you’re out of that cell. I know that temper of yours.”

Crepus manages a tiny smile. “Whatever gave you that clue?”

Varka chuckles and gets up. He looks over to Charles. “I’ll be right back. Have him drink some more water.”

Charles nods. “Be careful out there, Grand Master,” he says. He locks the door behind Varka after he leaves, then turns to face Crepus, sympathy on his face. “You want something other than water?”

“Strongest we have,” he replies with a nod.

Charles wordlessly walks behind the bar and pours a glass of death afternoon and brings it to him. While the wine isn’t as strong as he wants, he can’t get drunk right now. He doesn’t know how fast the knights can find Kaeya. There hasn’t been a ransom note as far as he can tell, and Kaeya hasn’t come back at all. There is still a sliver of hope that he’s at the winery, safe and sound, warm and protected from the rainstorm.

His grip on the mug tightens and he glares at the wall as unbridled fury returns with a vengeance.

He is going to make Eroch regret the day he stepped into Mondstadt.

Chapter Text

Diluc quietly follows Master Varka closely through the pouring rain, vividly aware of the two knights that follow them. He doesn’t know what’s going on and when he tried to ask why he was pulled out of his morning lecture, the grand master simply said that he would tell him as soon as they reached Angel’s Share.

He shuffles his feet nervously as he walks beside the man and looks back at the two knights. Wryatt and Belinda’s faces are neutral and even though they look as uncomfortable as he feels in the rain, they don’t complain. He turns his head back around. Is he in trouble? Did he do something wrong? He can’t think of anything he’s done to incur his wrath; he’s also never seen Master Varka look so serious before. What if he’s being dismissed from the ordo?

He shakes his head. That is silly. No one gets kicked out without reason.

He pulls his cloak tighter around himself and tries to ignore the way the cool rain is starting to soak through it already. He really wishes the rain would stop. It’s not making him feel any better about the situation he’s in. If anything, it’s making him feel worse and he mumbles a curse under his breath when he feels water getting into his shoes. Fantastic, he thinks with a sigh. Can this day get any better?

Once the tavern is in view, he feels a strangely heavy aura hanging about the area that only grows heavier the closer they get. He looks around and notices the lack of people that are usually around the tavern. Even at this time, Angel’s Share is usually pretty busy and people tend to hang outside near the tables mingling with each other. Is it because of the rain? He doesn’t like walking around outside when it’s raining this heavily, either.

They finally stop walking once they’re in front of the door and Master Varka raps his knuckles against the hard wood. “It’s me,” he calls out.

A few seconds later, the door is unlocked and opened quickly. Charles steps aside to let them in. “It’s good to see you safe, Master Diluc,” he says.

Diluc looks at him curiously and answers, “It’s really wet outside. I think I don’t like the rain anymore. Plus I got water in my shoes.” He looks around the tavern. No one else inside other than Father, who is getting up to his feet as soon as he’s inside. He turns his attention to his father but before he can get a word out, he is engulfed in a tight hug that nearly squeezes all the breath out of his lungs. “Agh—you’re choking me!” he cries out dramatically.

The hug gets tighter. “I’m glad you’re all right, Diluc,” Father says softly.

Diluc looks up at him questionably but returns the hug anyway. Whatever happened, Father is clearly upset. “Of course I am. What’s going on?” He lets go and while he is reluctant, Father also releases him. He takes a step back to look at the knights. “Am I in trouble?”

“No, you aren’t in trouble,” Master Varka replies.

“How come we’re here then?”

His lips thin and he glances at Father before he flicks his blue eyes back to him. “It has been an eventful morning for everyone. To start off, your father and Kaeya were here in the early hours of the morning before Charles got here.”

“Yeah, Father is going to teach him how to do stuff around here!” He nods and proudly puffs his chest out. “I already know some of it ‘cause Father taught me…” His voice trails off and deflates, seeing that the heavy air hasn’t gone away. He looks around the tavern, finally noticing that Kaeya isn’t here. He should have come over by now. His brother seems to know whenever he is nearby. Diluc turns to his father. “Is Kaeya upstairs?”

“No, he…” Father starts to reply but his face fades before he finishes speaking. He averts his eyes, trying to hide his barely hidden guilt.

His worry grows when he doesn’t continue. What is he feeling so guilty about? “Where is he?”

Master Varka steps beside Father, causing him to turn his attention back to the grand master. “This morning, your father was arrested.” If that wasn’t enough to make Diluc freeze and begin to question why in the world he was arrested, the large man doesn’t give him a chance to process the news. “During that time, he directed Kaeya to stay inside the tavern and have Charles take him home. Some time after your father was escorted away and Charles arrived, someone broke into Angel’s Share. Nothing was stolen; however, Kaeya is not here.”

Diluc blinks a few times. While it was shocking someone broke into the tavern and his father was arrested, it is strange nothing is missing and Kaeya is gone. “He’s coming back, isn’t he?”

Father’s eyes are full of grief and the guilt still hasn’t left. He’s hesitant to meet his gaze but he does and answers quietly, “I don’t know.”

He swallows a lump that tries to build in his throat. Kaeya wouldn’t run away from home, would he? He seems so much happier with them now than when they first met him. He doesn’t see him ever trying to run away no matter what. If someone broke into the tavern and he was alone like they are suggesting, then he probably ran away to hide. “Did he run away? Is it my fault? Is that why I was pulled out of the class today? I’m sorry. I know I’m supposed to keep an eye on him, and I had a super bad feeling this morning before I left so I should have stayed home.”

Father is quick to shake his head and pulls him into another hug. “No! Gods no, this isn’t your fault, Diluc.”

Diluc doesn’t miss Master Varka’s tiny smile but it fades as quickly as it had come. “Then why is he gone?”

“Come sit down.” Father lets him go again and sits at one of the tables. Diluc follows him and takes a seat right next to him while Master Varka sits across them.

The grand master crosses his hands on the table. “Diluc, I am very proud of your progress during your training,” he says. “You are extremely talented and while you have proven yourself in battle, I need you to stay with your father. I do not want to see you at headquarters until I give the word.”

He stares at him, mouth agape in disbelief. “But I want to help find Kaeya!” he objects loudly. “I bet Kaeya’s just hiding somewhere. I know all of his super-secret hiding spots!”

Master Varka’s lips turn upward, a genuine smile that makes Diluc hopeful he will be allowed to go with him. “I’m sure you know all of them, but I’m afraid I can’t let you come with me this time. You are to stay home and listen to whatever your father tells you.”

“But he won’t come out if you just call his name! If he hears me or Father, surely he’ll hear us and come back!” He knows exactly where his brother can hide around the tavern and if he isn’t around here, he’s more than likely hiding near the cathedral. He can help Master Varka look for him, so why can’t he go out and look alongside them?

“I have given you orders, Diluc. As a knight, you are expected to obey them,” he says in that scary trainer’s voice of his.

He bites the inside of his cheek. “But I want to help,” he mumbles.

“You will, by staying with your father. He needs you more than you think.”

Father doesn’t say anything to that, but he nods in agreement.

Master Varka continues to speak, but this time he’s paying more attention to Father. “I am going to join the search parties. I cannot rule out the possibility of foul play, given your tavern was broken into and worse, Kaeya is missing.”

Diluc stares at Master Varka, feeling something clenching around his heart, making it pound harder than it normally does. “Foul play? You mean…” He doesn’t want to finish the rest of his thoughts. The words foul play can mean anything, but as he starts putting the information together, he doesn’t want to admit his own fear. Those three words echo in his head.

Kaeya is missing.

Father’s eyebrows furrow together and his jaw clenches, twitching as his teeth grind against each other. Diluc goes quiet, his eyes wide. Never in his life has he seen Father this angry.

No, angry isn’t the right word. He’s furious.

“Now will you do something about him?” he demands Master Varka.

“We still need that evidence. If he had anything in his office, he’s gotten rid of it. We cannot arrest him based on our word only—”

“My son is missing!” Father slams a fist against the tabletop. Diluc jumps in his seat at the loud bang it makes. “You and I know both know he was kidnapped by that snake and you expect me to just sit here and watch you do nothing?”

Diluc’s heart drops. Kidnapped? That is much worse than simply missing.

“I want you to stay safe!” he shouts back.

The table goes quiet. Father backs off and clenches his jaw one more time. Diluc is growing more frightened by the minute. He’s never seen either of them shout, much less at each other.

Thankfully, Master Varka lowers his voice as he says, “You can do that by staying out of this investigation.”

“The Fatui involved are with a harbinger that is known to conduct inhuman experimentation. Another Fatuus is a high-ranked officer within the ordo—a traitor to Mondstadt.” He narrows his eyes, glaring at the grand master. “So help me, if you don’t do anything about him today, then I will.”

“I know you are angry and worried about Kaeya, but you need to stay out of this,” he snaps. “I cannot protect you if you get involved!”

Diluc nervously looks between both of them, not understanding what the Fatui have to do with all of this. He has no idea what a harbinger is, but from the way Master Varka and Father are glaring at each other, they’re nothing good.

Father scoffs at him but he lowers his voice. “Are you aware of what the doctor can do?”

“I am.”

He leans forward. “I have seen what he can do. Those other missing kids you claim you’re desperately trying to find haven’t been seen in months. They are most likely dead by now. I will not let Kaeya end up like them.”

Diluc’s heart stutters. There are other missing kids? Most likely dead? He slowly looks back up at his father. Kaeya could be dead. “Kaeya isn’t dead… right?” he whispers, staring up at the two men.

His voice cuts through their frustration and anger like they forgot he is here. Father pulls him into another hug but this time, Diluc is hesitant to return the embrace. He doesn’t deserve it. He didn’t protect Kaeya like he promised he would.

“No, he isn’t,” Father says to him. “He’s alive and well, we just need to find him and bring him home.”

He frowns and pushes back, looking straight into his eyes. He doesn’t want his comfort, he wants answers. “I’m not a little kid anymore. I am going to be a knight soon.”

“You are still a boy, Diluc,” Father says with a sigh. “I do not want to scare you.”

“You two screaming at each other scare me more than whatever you’re hiding from me.”

Both men look guilty, and silently meet each other’s gaze before Father turns his attention back to Diluc. “I’m sorry, Diluc. I lost my temper. It won’t happen again.”

Diluc sighs. At least now he knows where his own temper comes from. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he’s cursing Jean for being right about his temper as usual. He then looks back up at him, his eyes serious. If he wants to be treated like a real knight, he needs to behave like one. “Is Kaeya still alive?”

He hesitates and looks at Master Varka. The grandmaster nods and stands, giving them a little time alone. Once he’s away with the two knights and Charles at the bar, Father turns his attention back to him. “As far as we know, yes. He is still alive.” He sounds defeated as though all of his anger suddenly vanished.

Diluc is relieved to hear that. “And there are other missing kids?”

“Yes, but like I said, it’s been months since anyone has heard anything of them. I do not have any hope for them to come back alive and I refuse to have Kaeya be a part of that list.”

Whatever relief that came disappears instantly and he pales. Maybe this does scare him more than Master Varka and Father yelling at each other. “He can still die?”

He nods and stands up. “Which is exactly why we must hurry home so Varka can start working on getting Kaeya back.” He walks around the table, heading for the bar to join the others.

Diluc hesitantly gets up and keeps his eyes glued to the floor, worry still churning inside him. The very real possibility that his brother can die scares him more than anything. The only good thing he can take from all of this is that Master Varka and Father seem to have a suspect. He slowly approaches the adults, watching as Wyratt salutes, and then walks outside.

“Once Wyratt comes back and gets the carriage ready, you two will be heading home,” Master Varka instructs. “He and Belinda are to keep you both safe until all of this is over. Diluc, do not come to training until I give the word. This is for you and your father’s safety. Do I make myself clear?”

He doesn’t like it, but he nods anyway. “Yes, sir,” he murmurs.

Master Varka nods and turns to Father. “Stay safe. Don’t do anything rash, Crepus.”

Father sighs for what seems like the hundredth time this morning. “I’m sorry I yelled at you,” he tells him. “Please, bring him home.”

“It’s quite all right. You have every right to.” He grabs the door handle and opens it as he adds, “I’ll come to the vineyard once it’s safe enough for both of you.” With that, he turns around and throws the hood of his cloak over his head as he steps out into the rain.

Three days.

Diluc scowls as he stares out at the night sky and at the stars that twinkle high in the sky. It’s been three days since they got home. Three days since anyone has given them any news about Kaeya.

He stares out at the vineyard, his eyes following a crystal fly that’s perched on one of the vines. Farther back near the edge of the vineyard, Wyratt walks as he patrols the area, keeping a watchful eye out for anything or anyone that should come near the manor.

During these three days, Father has barely left his office, drowning himself in work. Whenever Diluc does see him, he looks like he hasn’t slept or eaten much of anything. Elzer visits him the most, taking what food Adelinde made up to his office. He still comes by Diluc’s room when it’s time for bed, but it’s not like either of them will sleep well during the night.

He sighs, finally starting to feel tired enough to get ready for bed. He wants to help look for Kaeya, but he has no idea where to even begin. Master Varka hasn’t found any of the other kids that have gone missing, and he bites the inside of his cheek. His father’s anger that day makes a lot more sense now. How can they be so sure the Knights of Favonius will be able to find Kaeya when they haven’t found any of the others? He grows more frightened for his brother’s safety the longer they go without any news.

The guilt hasn’t left him after all this time. He knows he shouldn’t blame himself for Kaeya’s kidnapping, but maybe it wouldn’t have happened had he been with him. Just maybe, he could have kept him safe.

A flash of movement appears in the corner of his eye. He sits up and looks past the vines and to the trees by the river. Something large is moving away from the manor and toward the river. His eyes widen as he takes in the humanoid shape. Diluc looks around some more. Wyratt isn’t on this side of the manor anymore, he won’t be able to see whoever this is.

He doesn’t move, waiting to see if they come back. His vision feels like it burns against his hip. If he can’t go out and look for Kaeya, then he can at least help protect his home. Master Varka and Father can’t get angry at him for that. He’s only protecting his home and as the only person within the manor with a vision on top of being a trainee knight, his duty is to protect Dawn Winery from whoever it is.

He stands up and grabs his shoes, hopping through the hall as he pulls them on. He runs through the dark manor as quietly as he can to not wake anyone else up. If he can prove to them that he can fight off intruders, surely Father will let him join Master Varka’s search parties.

Diluc throws the door open and is outside in seconds, running around the side of the house and down the path leading to the river. Luckily, no one has seen him leave the manor, and he doubts he’ll be able to stay out for long before Wyratt comes back around this side of the house. He slides to a stop just as he reaches the trees. He summons his claymore, scanning the area just as Master Varka taught him. Even if it isn’t a monster, it wouldn’t do him any good if he runs through without looking to see if enemies are lurking nearby.

He hears someone sigh and he turns his head in that direction. Someone is nearby and thankfully, it doesn’t seem like they know he’s here. He stalks forward, being careful to keep the tip of his heavy blade off the ground and not to step on anything that would alert this trespasser.

He stops behind a tree and peeks around the side of the bark, staring at the strange man that’s kneeling on the ground and has a hand against the trunk of another tree. From here, he can see he has blond hair and is dressed in dark clothes. It almost looks like his cape has stars inside of it. If it wasn’t for Diluc’s nervousness and the fact it’s the middle of the night, perhaps he would approach him and ask how he got stars inside of his clothes.

But then he frowns as he thinks about why someone would be traveling in the middle of the night. People only travel at night to hide from other people. By now, most travelers would be camping for the night. That means this man is not good news.

He tightens his grip on his blade as the man stands up. He’s tall, probably just as tall as Father is. Is he here to attack them? Is he the one that took his brother? The man turns around and he immediately pulls his head back to hide. “I know you’re there,” he hears the man say.

Diluc freezes. He didn’t make a sound plus he’s hiding behind a tree! How does he know he’s here? He stops breathing, hoping that will make him seem like he really isn’t there.

“Come out before I make you.”

He takes a deep breath and steps out from behind the tree, raising his claymore in an offensive stance. “Who are you?” he demands, trying to keep any shakiness out of his voice.

The man’s face is expressionless and he doesn’t seem at all threatened with a blade that’s almost twice as large as Diluc. “You must be a Ragnvindr,” he answers instead. “What are you doing out so late? It is dangerous for someone such as yourself to be out here. Quite idiotic, actually.”

Diluc glares. “You’re the one who’s trespassing! Who are you?”

He turns back around, paying more attention to the tree again. “My name is Dainsleif. You have nothing to fear from me.”

He relaxes only a little and then glances at the tree. “What are you doing?”

“I am looking for someone.”

He glances at the tree. “You’re looking for someone in a tree?”

Dainsleif looks back at him as if he said something wrong. “No.”

When he doesn’t elaborate, Diluc huffs and lets his claymore disappear. “Then what are you doing?”

Unlike the other adults around him, he doesn’t try to talk around it and answers him directly with, “Six months ago, a monster appeared here and attacked you and your brother. I am looking for that monster’s trail. It’s weak, but now that I have it, I will take my leave.”

Diluc freezes. Six months ago? He seems to know what that monster is, then. If he’s tracking it, then maybe he knows Kaeya. “Do you know my brother?”

He stands back up, brushing dirt off of his knee. “I do.”

Hope begins to flutter within him. “Father says he was kidnapped by the Fatui, but we haven’t heard anything from the Knights of Favonius since then.”

The man nods. If he is also worried about him, he doesn’t show it. “He is correct. Thankfully, Kaeya escaped before he could be taken outside of Mondstadt, and I held off the harbinger that was with him. I told him to run, hoping he would be able to make it back to the city. By the time our fight was done, the storm had already washed away any trail he would have made. I came here hoping he is here… but it looks like he hasn’t come back.”

Diluc tries not to let his disappointment show. He doesn’t look like he’s with the ordo, but this man seems to genuinely know him. Despite that, it’s obvious to him that he wants to help his brother. He looks up to ask him something else but he blinks when he notices that Dainsleif isn’t looking at him anymore.

He staring toward the river at something that isn’t there, and his eyes widen ever so slightly. “I apologize, but I must go.” He turns away from him and raises an arm, completely black with traces of blue trailing up his arm.

Diluc stares at it with wonder and then looks up at him again. “Wait! Do you know where Kaeya is?”

Dainsleif glances down at him. “I do now. I came here to search for a trail, but it seems like I no longer need it.” The blue around his arm begins to glow. “I will bring him back as soon as I can—”

He huffs in frustration and jumps in front of him, stopping him from running away. “I’m coming too!”

The man shakes his head. “No. You stay here. Keep yourself and your father protected.”

“Kaeya is my brother!” he shouts. Dainsleif pauses, although he doesn’t lower his arm. Diluc’s arms shake beside him, struggling to contain his pent-up frustration from exploding out on this stranger. “I didn’t protect him and it’s my fault he’s gone! Please, take me with you!”

Dainsleif lets out a long, tired sigh. It’s similar to the sighs Father makes whenever he and Kaeya would pester him and it makes him hopeful he would agree. He knows he’s won him over when he sees the man lowers his arm.

His face is blank as Diluc folds his arms across his chest defiantly. He doesn’t say anything for a few moments. The only sounds around them are the quiet slimes bouncing around on the river a fair distance away, and a couple of birds that have yet to go to sleep. The silence ends when he finally tells him, “It is clear that I cannot stop you. You may come along.”

Diluc internally cheers.

“However, if you come with me, I cannot promise that I can protect you.”

“I’m good at fighting. I can protect myself.” He pats his vision.

He turns away quickly and in that monotone voice of his he says, “We must hurry. I fear what the Abyss Order has planned for your brother.”

That makes Diluc freeze. The Abyss Order strikes fear into anyone. He’s seen the way adults pale at the mere name of it. He knows the look Master Varka gets when a mission involves them. He won’t admit to Dainsleif that they scare him too, but he’ll do anything to save Kaeya. “I thought the Fatui had taken him?”

“Initially, yes. He escaped and when we were separated, he was taken again by the Abyss Order.”

Diluc pales. This is much worse than some Snezhnayan organization. He doubts Master Varka even knows about this.

Dainsleif raises his arm and dark energy sprouts from his arm. It shoots forward, rising high above them and creates a portal wide enough for them to step through. If Diluc wasn’t so nervous, he would be staring up at it in awe. He’s never seen something like this.

Dainsleif then looks at Diluc one last time. “This is your final chance, Diluc. You can stay here, where it is safe or you can come with me. It will be risky to come with me.”

He glances behind him toward the winery. He knows he shouldn’t be running off with a strange man that appeared out of nowhere, especially without telling anyone, but he’s the only one that knows where Kaeya is. Father doesn’t know where to start looking, and Master Varka has banned him from stepping foot inside headquarters until he deems it safe enough for him to return.

He straightens his back as he makes his decision. “I’m coming with you and I’m going to bring Kaeya home,” he tells Dainsleif. He knows he’ll have to apologize to Father a thousand times when he returns. “I can’t stay here while he’s out there, alone and scared and with a group of monsters.”

“Very well.” Dainsleif steps toward the portal and pauses just in front of it. “Portals are tricky things. Take my hand and whatever happens, you must not let go. Am I clear?”

He nods and doesn’t hesitate to take the hand that is offered to him. He walks beside Dainsleif and together, they step through the portal. It closes behind them as quickly as it appeared, leaving no trace they had been there at all.

Chapter Text

Reality twists and warps in a kaleidoscope of colors that makes Diluc feel like he’s going to be sick. It lasts for a mere second, but it feels like an eternity before his surroundings finally stop. Soft forest floor gives way to rocks and dirt while a large pool of water is behind him. He fights a rapidly losing battle against his nausea and lets go of Dainsleif’s hand to wrap his arms around his stomach with an uncomfortable groan.

He never wants to travel through a portal again.

Dainsleif isn’t looking at him as he runs to the nearest bush to scan the area around them, on guard for any monsters or enemies that may be lurking about. He walks a few steps away from Diluc to stop at the edge of the small cliff they’re near and peers down below, looking at the water. There’s a small hilichurl camp next to the water but it seems abandoned… He frowns, silently thinking until the noise behind him begins to quiet down. When the boy’s heaving finally stops, he says, “We do not have much time. We must hurry.”

Diluc spits into the bush and turns away from the vile mess he made. He wants to ask him to give him a few minutes to recuperate, but he grits his teeth and turns around anyway and stops when he sees what’s in front of him. A large open area sits below them, with a small river and yellowing grass everywhere. On the distant horizon, a large mountain on the right side causes his eyes to open wide. That’s Dragonspine, but he’s rarely seen this side of the mountain.

Now that he thinks about it, the jagged rocks jutting into the air and the yellow grass surrounding them look a lot like... “We’re in Liyue?!” he exclaims loudly. He looks up at Dainsleif sharply. “That was so fast!”

He nods. “Yes and if I am not mistaken, we are near Mount Aocang.” He looks down the hill and eyes the hilichurl camp.

Diluc follows his gaze. “That’s a hilichurl camp.”

“Indeed.”

He walks forward and peers over the ledge. “But where are all the monsters?” He looks up at the man. “How do you even know Kaeya’s here? He wasn’t taken by hilichurls, was he? Father says they’re too dangerous for us to be near, but I have a vision and I fought a mitachurl once. Are hilichurls part of the Abyss Order?”

Dainsleif doesn’t answer and instead slides down the hill to get below safely with expertise.

Diluc tries not to let his annoyance show and grumbles under his breath. Would it kill him to answer his questions with more than one word or less before running off? He slowly and carefully slides down the hill after him, mumbling a small, “Ow,” as a rock hits his finger. He lands at the bottom a little clumsily but he remains standing.

He watches Dainsleif kneel beside a large pot that hangs over an unlit fire. A troubled look comes to his face and he sticks a hand into the cold embers, taking a piece in his palm, and watches it fall apart in his gloved hand. Wherever the hilichurls went, they’ve been gone for a long time.

Diluc stands near him awkwardly, not knowing what to look for while he inspects the rest of the area. This hilichurl camp is tiny and the lack of monsters makes him nervous. Hilichurls don’t just up and abandon perfectly good camps. He peers down into the full pot after Dainsleif walks away to a sealed barrel and frowns. He’s witnessed the way hilichurls protect their food, so why would they just leave a fully cooked meal here? It’s like they just made camp, went out for something, and never came back. It is possible they were attacked and taken care of by millileth or competent adventurers, but there aren’t any signs of an attack anywhere near them.

He turns to Dainsleif as he forces open a barrel with ease. The fruits inside look old, and Diluc scrunches his nose when he sees mold growing on one of the sunsettias. “Gross,” he mumbles. When the man walks over to an old crate nearby, he walks to his side and pokes his arm to get his attention. “Dainsleif.”

Dainsleif looks at him and Diluc doesn’t miss the slight annoyance that flashes in his eyes.

He wants to say that it’s his fault for not telling him anything, but he holds his tongue. It wouldn’t do well to annoy the only person who can get him home, so instead he asks, “What are you looking for? Can I help?”

He shakes his head. “I’m looking for Kaeya’s trail,” he answers. He turns slightly to look at the entire camp. “It’s odd that it brought us here, yet I do not see any hint of the Abyss Order.”

“How can you tell where Kaeya is? Whenever we play hide and seek, he’s always super hard to find. He finds the weirdest places to hide.”

“Let’s just say he is a unique character.”

“…I don’t get it.”

“Then do not worry about it.”

Diluc scowls. “He’s my brother, and I am worried about him.” He walks beside the man as he starts to walk. “How do you know where he is? The Knights of Favonius are looking for him but you seem to know exactly where he is. How am I supposed to know that you’re not just tricking me?”

“Then you would be stupid to have willingly come with me.”

“I’m not stupid!” His hand itches to summon his claymore. He doesn’t want to admit that he’s right and that it was stupid of him to follow a stranger through a portal that took them to Liyue. Asking more questions before he decided to join him would have been a smart thing to do but it’s too late now. “Tell me how you know where Kaeya is!”

He stops walking and looks at him with a frown. “There are things that are best left unsaid.”

“But—”

“That being said, it is not my place to tell you the details.”

“What details?”

Dainsleif looks a bit conflicted, but he turns away as he answers, “If Kaeya wishes, he can tell you himself after we rescue him.”

He watches him continue and sighs as he slowly follows him. Grass crunches underneath his feet and he looks up at the clear sky. The stars are the same as they are back at home, but they’re still so different. Whisps of clouds float in the sky and while it’s a little chilly, it’s much warmer than it is Mondstadt and for that, he’s grateful. He would be miserable walking around with someone he hardly knows, looking for his missing brother, on top of being cold.

His thoughts drift to Kaeya. Is he cold? He doesn’t like being cold, he’s always bundled in no less than three thick blankets during the winter. Diluc wonders if he’s hungry, if he’s okay, and then he sighs to push through his worry. Father’s going to be so angry in the morning when they see he isn’t there. Hopefully he’ll be happier when he gets back and sees both of them again.

He steps over a lizard and freezes when he hears a strange cry echoing through the air. He looks behind him and then up at the cliff, trying to find the source of the noise. It sounds like a bird but not any bird he’s ever heard before. It’s beautiful and when he hears it cry out again, he frowns. Is it crying? “What kind of bird is that?” he asks Dainsleif.

“Liyue is home to many different species,” he replies. He stops walking and looks down at him. “Some of which are far older than you think.”

Diluc stares at him for a few seconds and finally deadpans, “You don’t know what kind of bird it is, do you?”

He turns his head away a little too fast. “Let’s keep going.”

He rolls his eyes but he follows him anyway. Their walk is quiet except for the small lizard that runs away from them to climb onto a large rock that lays on the shore. Diluc watches it scurry between a tiny crevice and he wonders how it could squeeze itself through. Liyue has a lot of lizards, he thinks before he runs right into Dainsleif’s back.

He doesn’t seem to care, or maybe he doesn’t notice. It’s not like Diluc can tell, the man is practically emotionless. He mumbles a quick apology anyway and looks around him to see why he stopped. Water separates them from the other side of the small beach, too deep for Diluc to walk through without swimming across. He looks up at him. “Are we going to cross?” he asks.

“Indeed.” He steps in without hesitation. He pauses when the water is up to his knees and looks at him. “Do you know how to swim?”

It’s not condescending, but Diluc huffs anyway. “Yes—I taught Kaeya how to swim, too,” he replies proudly.

He nods and continues to wade through the water.

Diluc steps in confidently and when water gets into his shoes, he lets out a startled yelp. “It’s cold!”

“You can stay there if you want.” Dainsleif is already near the other side, arms raised above the surface to keep them dry. “It will be safer for you to wait out here anyway.”

The water is to his chest but it’s not so deep he can’t touch the bottom. Diluc, on the other hand… The boy steps forward and tries to ignore the cold that pierces through his clothes. “I said I’m coming with you, that means you can’t ditch me out here!”

He walks deeper into the water and when it reaches his chest, he jumps forward to swim across the rest of the way. He can’t touch the bottom and the look on Dainsleif’s face makes him glare at the blond. He looks awfully amused by the time Diluc is walking out of the water.

He knows he looks like a drowned cat, his clothes clinging to him and every step he makes squelching from water. “Stop laughing,” he mumbles.

Dainsleif smirks. It’s the most emotion he’s seen on the man’s face this whole time. “I am not laughing,” he says and turns away to continue down the shore.

“Are too, just not out loud.” Diluc uses his vision to begin to heat himself up, allowing steam to rise from his clothes as he follows. He sighs in relief, careful not to use too much of his vision so he doesn’t get too tired to do anything. He would offer to help dry Dainsleif’s clothes too, but he doesn’t feel like it anymore. It’s what he gets for laughing at his suffering.

They don’t walk for much longer and stop before the shore turns around the cliff. Dainsleif is staring at the rocks, so Diluc takes the chance to sit down on a rock and pull his shoes off, wincing as water pours out of it. He takes his vision into his hand and uses it to dry them as fast as he can and looks up as he waits, watching Dainsleif.

His hand is tracing against the stone, pausing here and there but stays quiet. It looks like he’s searching for something, like a secret key to a hidden room in a mansion. Diluc rolls his eyes as he returns to drying himself off. Once his shoes are dry, he pulls them back on and asks, “We won’t have to go swimming again, will we?”

“I don’t remember going swimming,” Dainsleif answers, still distracted by the rocks.

He glares up at him and crosses his arms across his chest. “That’s just because you’re a giant! You could’ve been nice and carried me so I wouldn’t get wet.”

“You would have objected so I didn’t bother to ask.”

True, but he won’t admit it. “What are you even looking for? It’s just a bunch of rocks.”

 “I am looking for the entrance.”

Diluc lets his arms fall back to his sides. “Entrance to what?”

Dainsleif puts his palm above a crack in the stone. “A domain.” He presses his hand against it. The crack glows briefly and Diluc stares with wonder as the rock seems to fade away into thin air and give way to a tiny opening that leads into a dark tunnel. Dainsleif glances at Diluc and starts to speak, “This is your final chance—”

Diluc immediately shakes his head. “I’m going,” he interrupts.

He nods and walks in, squeezing himself through the narrow entrance.

Diluc takes one last look out at the water and takes a deep breath before he follows him. It’s not as tough for him to crawl through and once he’s on the other side, he shivers. It’s much colder here than outside—maybe he should offer to at least warm Dainsleif. The man doesn’t look like he cares about the cold and starts to walk, looking around with caution. Diluc follows him closely, nervously eyeing everything around them.

He's only ever been to one domain, and this domain looks similar to it. Even though the two domains are in two different nations, the strange symbols that are etched into the wall and the run-down state of things are the same. “You think Kaeya’s in here?” he asks Dainsleif quietly, not wanting to alert anyone or anything nearby.

“I can sense his presence here stronger than anywhere else so far,” he replies. He starts walking, his footsteps silent as a mouse. “Stay close to me and be quiet. Do not get separated.”

He nods and because of how serious he sounds, he decides it’s best to listen to him. They pass a few other empty rooms and he pauses to look inside one of them. There’s a few hilichurls lying on the floor, still and Diluc can see they aren’t breathing. Dainsleif keeps walking, ignoring the room altogether.

Diluc gulps quietly. Whatever killed those hilichurls means nothing good is inside of this place. They pass by another room and this one catches Dainsleif’s attention. Diluc peers inside as he steps in and sees a makeshift bed shoved in the corner with a thin, dirty blanket thrown over the side. Dainsleif kneels beside the blanket, and Diluc enters with caution, afraid that a monster would jump out from around the corner and ambush them. “He was here,” the blond says softly.

“Who was here? Kaeya?” Diluc asks and rushes to his side. He looks down at the blanket and stone bed, frowning. If they made his brother sleep here, he doubts he slept well. “Can you tell if he’s still here?”

He drops the blanket. “We need to hurry.”

A chuckle comes from the door and they both spin around. A hydro mage floats there and raises its staff. A shield forms around it, and Diluc jumps away from a bubble that rises from the floor. He summons his claymore and slices through it with ease. “Where’s Kaeya?!” he snaps at the mage.

“Don’t bother asking it anything,” Dainsleif replies. “It won’t know.” He raises his arm, the same one he’d summoned the portal with. Energy fires from it and easily pierces the mage’s shield, startling both the monster and Diluc with how fast the shield falls. The energy circles around its neck and Dainsleif moves his arm aside to send the mage flying into the wall head first.

The mage collapses immediately. Diluc stares at the unconscious, possibly dead monster and turns his head up at Dainsleif with a new sense of respect. “You’re so strong,” he says.

Dainsleif grunts and lowers his arm. “Let’s go. We don’t have much time.”

Diluc runs after him. “Why don’t we have much time?” he asks as they run. “You keep saying that!”

“Let’s just say that if we don’t hurry, we can lose your brother forever.”

His eyes go wide as fear shoots through him. “Kaeya’s going to die?!”

“Worse.”

“What’s worse than my brother dying?!”

He frowns, a disturbed look in his eyes. “I will explain after we rescue him.”

He doesn’t like the sound of that. He follows him, watching with wonder as the man easily defeats hilichurls that rush at them from in front of them. He’s making this look easy, like he isn’t even trying. Diluc turns around when a hilichurl loudly lunges at him. “Ya!” it shouts.

Finally, he can show Dainsleif that he’s not helpless! He blocks the club with his claymore and as soon as it’s covered with pyro, he swings it over his head and sends it crashing into the monster toward the ground. The hilichurl lets out a dying cry as he pulls it away and turns around to see Dainsleif watching. Huh, maybe these hilichurls are just weak and that’s why Dainsleif looks like he’s not even trying.

The man gives him a nod and Diluc smiles at him proudly, happy he finally got his approval—or at least what he thinks is his approval. Maybe now he’ll be more accepting of his aid. He dismisses his claymore to continue running after him down the long hall. They turn a corner and at the end of the hall, an open door shows off a dim purple light coming through it.

Dainsleif stops running and looks down at Diluc, giving him a few seconds to catch his breath. “Be careful from here. If I tell you to run, you turn around, leave me, and run. Am I clear?”

Diluc hesitates and nods. “Crystal,” he mutters. He remembers Master Varka telling him the same thing on his first patrol. Hopefully, nothing bad will happen if he listens to him; Dainsleif clearly knows what he’s doing.

Dainsleif nods and runs down the last part of the hall. Diluc follows him, sliding to a stop beside him once they step into the room. He doesn’t know what he expected to see when they stepped inside, but it certainly wasn’t this.

His eyes go wide as they land on the back wall but it’s not because of the chained statue nor the monster that stands near it. He’s staring at a small, hunched-over figure that’s kneeling on the floor right in front of the statue at the top of the stairs, quiet and still.

Relief floods him. He can recognize that blue head of hair anywhere. “Kaeya!” he shouts.

His brother doesn’t respond or make any kind of sound or movement to let him know he’s heard him.

Diluc shouts for him again, not caring that the monster turns around the instant it hears him nor the way Dainsleif is moving into a fighting stance. Why isn’t Kaeya moving? Did that monster hurt him? He glares at the monster as it turns glowing eyes at them and steps forward, blocking their path to Kaeya. He recognizes it immediately as the one that had attacked them months ago. Had it been targeting Kaeya this whole time?

“Dainsleif,” the monster hisses. The cryo on its arm sharpens and the air around them grows colder. Mist falls from the blade, no doubt too cold for either of them to touch with bare hands. “Fate has not granted you the right to enter here.”

“Stay back, Diluc,” Dainsleif warns softly and steps in front of him.

“I have a vision,” he retorts. “I can fight!”

He doesn’t budge and goes so far as to yank him back when he tries to stand right beside him. “This herald is no match for you.”

The herald tilts its head. “Leave this place.”

“No!” Diluc snaps at it. “Let Kaeya go!”

The temperature suddenly dips even more. The herald suddenly dashes toward them in a flash of cryo, too fast for Diluc to react to. He can only watch as it sticks its blade out to him, ready to deal a fatal strike in a single blow.

Dainsleif is faster. In a flash of his own power, he intercepts it with energy exploding from his strangely dark arm. Diluc still doesn’t know if he’s using a vision, he can’t see one anywhere on him, but he’s clearly an expert at using whatever power it is. He stumbles backward, startled by the sheer gap in power. Dainsleif is right; he is no match for the monster.

Although he feels like he should jump in and help Dainsleif, his eyes drift toward Kaeya. He hasn’t moved at all, not from the rush of cold air the monster used nor flinches at any of the loud crashing as Dainsleif and the herald block and parry their attacks.

His body moves on its own to rush to his side. He jumps up the stairs and slides to a stop beside him, only to take in a sharp breath. Kaeya’s eyes are barely open and glazed over, but he’s staring at the black veins that are across the right side of his face. His other eye is uncovered and instead of that beautiful gold he saw before, it’s the same burning violet as the orb that’s in front of them.

“Kaeya?” he asks. He drops to his knees in front of him and shakes him by the shoulders, trying to rouse him up from whatever stupor he’s in. Kaeya’s body feels stiff and when he doesn’t get any kind of reaction, he shakes him harder. “Kaeya, wake up!”

Kaeya doesn’t move. It’s like he can’t see, hear, or feel him even though he’s sitting right in front of him.

Diluc can see his brother breathing, but he isn’t responding to anything. He grits his teeth angrily. How dare this monster do this to him. If he wasn’t so inexperienced, he would be at Dainsleif’s side and beating the monster with him. He grabs Kaeya’s arm, ready to pull him up and take him out of this domain. “Don’t worry, Kae, I’ll get you out of here.”

He feels it before he hears Dainsleif shout for him to move.

A large hand grabs him by the neck and yanks him away from his brother so fast that Dainsleif’s warning is useless. Diluc chokes as the herald lifts him up into the air so that he can meet its eyes. It cuts his airway off, and his heart thrums in his ears as he claws at the hand choking him, wincing at the biting cold that’s piercing his fingers and neck.

He can’t breathe.

The monster suddenly moves him harshly through the air and stops when he’s between Dainsleif and the herald. He’s ashamed to know that it’s using him as a shield. “One more move, and the boy dies,” it snaps at Dainsleif.

He lets out a noise as he desperately tries to gasp for air. Die? He’s going to die? He doesn’t want to die. He still has so many things to do—and that includes saving Kaeya. This monster is doing something to his brother. He still needs to save him. They need to go home together.

Darkness begins to peek its head into the corners of his vision. He’s rapidly growing weaker. If he doesn’t do something, he knows he will die. He has to do something. He lets go of the arm and with all the willpower he can gather, he summons his claymore and allows pyro to cover it.

Like hell he’ll let this monster kill him.

Heat rises and his vision flares to life. With all his strength, he swings the blade at the herald’s arm. The grip loosens immediately and he’s dropped before it can make contact. He lands on his back hard, eliciting a cough as he greedily and desperately gasps for air.

Startled, the herald glares at him and snaps, “I will not fall for that same trick.”

The sudden rush of oxygen makes Diluc dizzy, but the herald is already moving again, its blade pointed straight at his head. He quickly shoves himself away just in time, rolling across the ground and hears the clang of hard cryo striking the stone a millisecond later.

He stops rolling to stare at the tiny hole it made in the hard stone with wide eyes. That could have been his head. He’s never been more thankful for his quick reflexes. Before the herald can turn and attack him again, Dainsleif rushes forward and lands a kick against its chest, sending it staggering away from both of them.

The herald is growing more frustrated by the second, and cold starts to build around its arm. “Feel no more!” it shouts. Dark cryo builds around the blade and a second later, a lance of ice shoots at Dainsleif.

Dainsleif dodges the attack, allowing it to shatter against the wall and Diluc covers his head to protect himself from the shards that fall. He looks up at the wall as he stands up and stares at something small floating just above where the lance had struck. It’s a cryo vision, encased in a cage of dark energy of some kind.

It’s missing a pair of wings, sure, and he knows it’s a Mondstadt vision, but who…? He quickly looks at Kaeya, who hasn’t stirred once during this entire fight, and then back to the vision. That has to be Kaeya’s—he got a vision? If this were a different situation, he would be overjoyed and celebrate with him but right now, all he can feel is worry. Is the vision being locked up causing him to be so cathartic? Master Varka has warned him about being separated from his vision for too long.

He can’t understand why the vision is like this. If the herald just wanted to keep it away from Kaeya to render it useless, then it could have just tossed it out like trash on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere. Is the Abyss Order experimenting on it? A screech of pain makes him spin on his heels and raise his claymore defensively, but it’s unneeded.

Dainsleif is ruthlessly tearing something dark out of the monster’s stomach, and Diluc gulps when he recognizes that it’s that strange arm of his. It’s flaring with energy, not dissimilar to the energy around the cryo blade the herald has, and his arm is covered in the monster’s blood. Dainsleif takes a step back as it falls to a knee, holding its stomach with one of its arms. “What is this place?” he asks the monster.

The herald doesn’t answer, heaving as it gasps in pain.

Dainsleif grunts and demands louder, “What are you planning? What does the boy have to do with it?”

It glares up at him and the air in the room rapidly drops. “Icy dominion!” it shouts. Despite being so gravely injured, it leaps into the air and just as quickly as it had jumped, it lands on the ground. Dainsleif spins around to grab Diluc and shields him from the explosion that follows it. Cryo explodes around them from the impact, covering the wall behind it with frost.

Ice sticks to the ground around them as well and Diluc hears Dainsleif grunt as he’s hit by something. “Dain!” he cries when he sees him wince in pain.

“I’m all right,” he tells him and lets him go. Diluc looks to see blood falling from his leg. Whatever struck him isn’t there anymore, and he gulps as he nods. It doesn’t look like he’s all right…

Diluc stands up and turns to face the herald as it laughs. Even though there is a light blue sheen surrounding it, it is still injured. “Our prince needs no more interruption,” it says to them. “The Abyss shall rise again.”

“It pains me to say it, but I will need your help,” Dainsleif says to Diluc. He limps as he gets back up to his feet as well, clearly avoiding putting weight on his leg.

Diluc nods and raises his claymore in front of them. “Will you be okay?” he asks again.

“It’s superficial, I will be fine.”

He nods and as if he isn’t hurt, Dainslief moves to attack and Diluc immediately follows. As Diluc’s blade crashes against the herald’s arm and Dainsleif attacks its other side, the orb the statue is holding pulses.

They’re too distracted to see Kaeya’s hands twitch or hear him quietly beg, “No… more…”

Then he goes quiet and still again, falling into an unknown void once more.

Chapter Text

It only takes a single mistake and it costs dearly.

Blood pools all around him, gushing through fingers that hopelessly try to stop it from pouring out of the fatal wound in his neck. It’s too deep to heal and too late to stop death from taking him. He’s on the ground and alone in the woods, except for the monster standing above him with a blade of cryo coated in his blood.

It’s not speaking, simply standing there and watching him slowly die. The look in its Abyssal eyes makes it seem like it’s frustrated, but why would that be? The monster is the one that won the fight.

He was just trying to get home for Diluc’s birthday.

It kneels beside his body and leans over him. “Be grateful, Alberich, for death is merciful.”

His hands fall away from his neck as the last of his strength finally leaves him. The gift he’d gotten lays nearby, the top of its little red box open and the owl pin in the blood-stained grass.

A single tear falls from his eye. He doesn’t want to die.

A grim thought crosses his mind. At least now he doesn’t have to choose between Mondstadt or Khaenri’ah.

Sorry… ’Luc…

The last thing he sees are those cold eyes staring down at him.

Kaeya is roughly pulled back into reality. His hands remain clasped in front of him while his body is still stuck in the same position he’s been in this entire time. The orb seems to be shining brighter and even clearer although everything else seems blurry. He doesn’t try to get into a more comfortable position nor does he fight against the control the Sinner has over him. He’s long since given up.

He just wants it to end.

How many times has he experienced death now?

Ten times?

Twenty?

He’s lost count.

Now that he thinks about it, death isn't awful. Death itself is actually quite peaceful. He could consider himself to be an expert at this point. What's awful is believing the hallucination he’s in is real, inevitably encountering the herald, the pain, and slowly suffering.

It’s dying.

It’s knowing that he won’t survive whatever happened to him, unable to do anything, and finally, it’s acceptance—only to be ripped away and thrown into another awful hallucination that makes him feel so hopeless, helpless, and distraught.

Then it repeats.

He can’t take it anymore.

I can’t take it.

He doesn’t know if those are his own thoughts.

“Be grateful, Alberich, for death is merciful,”  the herald says.

Its voice echoes those same words.

“Be grateful, Alberich, for death is merciful.”

Over.

“Be grateful, Alberich, for death—”

And over.

“Be grateful—”

And over.

Its cold yet sympathetic tone is starting to make him go insane—if he hasn’t yet already. How can he be grateful for something he’s not experienced yet? Maybe the herald was trying to give what little comfort it could, knowing what would happen in a different life, one where he somehow remembers only the previous one.

Kaeya is forced to watch the orb flare to life. He feels numb.

Death is merciful.

Death would allow him to finally rest.

Someone pets his head, gently caressing him as he begins to fall again. “This is a necessity, little one,” the Sinner’s voice tells him. “You chose this.”

He’s so tired.

No more, he tries to beg them.

The hands fall from his body. “You are close. You need not suffer for much longer.”

Despair swallows him. No, please, I’m sorry—!

His surroundings darken and he falls into a memory that he isn’t sure is his or not.

Kaeya pinches the bridge of his nose as a migraine starts to form. Strange dreams kept him up late these past few days. He can’t remember what they were about, but he knows that if he goes back to sleep now, Master Varka will not be pleased to see him sleeping at his desk. Again.

Honestly, it’s his fault for making all of the knights work so much overtime.

He stands up and grabs the stack of completed paperwork he’d been working on. Life as a quartermaster isn’t bad, although sometimes he’d prefer to go out and join Diluc and Jean on various missions and expeditions throughout the countryside than be stuck inside his stuffy office. He at least wishes he could have an office that has windows, but because of the sensitivity and nature of his position, no information is allowed out.

Another thing about it is that it’s too close to Eroch’s office. The inspector always gives him the creeps. He shivers involuntarily the more he thinks about the man.

He huffs in bitterness. Why is he allowed to have a window? He probably has more sensitive information in there than he does in his filing cabinets. He walks around his desk and looks up as something appears between him and the door. It looks… familiar.

Wake up.

He puts a hand against his head. Wake up? He is awake, is he not?

He looks up at the ceiling as a gate of stars shoots open and blocks his path to the door. He takes a step back as a large monster walks through the portal. His heart pounds in his chest. He doesn’t have a sword in the office, weapons are banned inside headquarters—

“Alberich,” it says.

He drops the paperwork. Is this herald working for his father? He tries to calm himself down. After all these years, is it finally time to reunite with the man who’d abandoned him? With what little he can remember of his mother tongue, he asks, “Did my father send you?”

It tilts its head. “No,” it replies in the same language.

“Then what business do you have with me?” An easy smile finds its way onto his face. “I must say, this is a rather unfortunate time for you to have dropped by. As you can see, I’m quite busy—”

“You are Kaeya Alberich, descendant of Chlothar Alberich, the founder of the Abyss Order.”

His eye goes wide in shock at that. He’d suspected it, but hearing the monster say that out loud… is rather surprising.

What’s even more alarming is the blade that embeds itself into his stomach in a flash of light.

It’s cold.

It feels like someone punched him hard in the gut, and he grunts in pain as it pulls the cryo out. He can’t make a stronger noise out, even if though it hurts.

It hurts!

Why does it feel like this has already happened?

He grabs the edge of his desk in an attempt to break his fall. He puts his other arm against the stab wound.

When he looks up, he sees that the monster looks displeased.

He barely manages to avoid its next attack by ducking, although he is too slow to avoid the kick it sends. He screams in pain as it hits his fresh wound and sends him crashing to the floor, getting blood all over his freshly completed paperwork. Master Varka won’t be happy about that.

Someone shouts from the other side of his office door and pounds against it. More voices shout from the hall. The door should be unlocked, so why aren’t the guards simply walking inside?

A thick sheet of ice seals it shut.

For the first time in years, fear pumps its way through his veins. There’s no way out. He’s trapped in here with this monster.

The tall monster leans down and lifts him up by the neck, squeezing so hard he hears something crack. He kicks out at the monster when his feet can’t touch the ground, his blood-covered hands clawing at the hand that strangles him.

The monster doesn’t do anything else. It keeps its death hold on him, watching as his strength is slowly sapped and his kicking starts to stop as his arms drop.

He’s pulled close as darkness begins to take him away.

“Be grateful, Alberich, for death is merciful.”

A final squeeze and he falls.

Violet swirls in front of him. He can’t look away from it.

No more…

A hand gently pets his head. He is grateful for the Sinner’s comfort. “You are still fighting, little one,” they tell him.

He wants to shake his head. I promise I won’t fight.

He thinks they're smiling at him. A tangible being he can't see leans close to his ear and whispers, “You break your promises. You said so yourself. Alas, I cannot trust you. Not yet.”

No, I swear—

“Let go. Then all of this will end.”

Please—

He falls.

He’s clawing at the large hand holding him underwater. Those icy blue eyes never leave him, unwavering as the herald drowns him in the river.

Is this real?

No, he tells himself. This is fake—this isn’t real.

His lungs burn and scream for air. The bubbles that had escaped him are long gone by now.

This is not real!

He can’t breathe.

What is real?

It hurts.

“Be grateful, Alberich, for death is merciful.”

Diluc is here. He’s shaking him by his shoulders, shouting his name. What is Diluc doing here? Doesn’t he know how dangerous this place is? He can feel him being torn away from him. He wants to get up and help him, he knows that arm that had snatched his brother away all too well.

He knows that the herald will not spare his brother’s life. He’s going to die.

He can still feel it strangling him. Stab him. Tear him open. Hear its words—

“Be grateful—”

And yet he remains in the same spot, still kneeling in front of a statue and slowly losing his mind. He can’t even take his eyes off the orb. Every minuscule part of him is trapped, from moving his toes to moving a little muscle in his neck. He’s never been so still before.

Please, not Diluc, he begs. Spare him! He has nothing to do with this!

The Sinner doesn’t respond.

Please!

He hears a deep voice yelling from somewhere else. His sluggish mind tries to piece together who the other person is. He knows he’s heard them before but he doesn’t know where from. Blond hair and a mask pops into his mind but as quickly as it comes, it is torn away. Are his memories being taken away?

It feels like something is stabbing into his brain when he attempts to remember who the voice belongs to. Trying to remember hurts, so he quickly gives up.

I won’t fight! I promise!

Another lie.

The Sinner knows it.

He falls.

A blond woman is sobbing above him and the red-haired man on his other side is shouting words he can’t comprehend. He’s pressing against his chest, like he’s trying to stop something from coming out.

The cloth he’s holding is already turning red.

The woman looks heartbroken, apologizing over and over again. The man hasn’t given up trying to stop the bleeding.

He feels like he should know them.

Who are you?

He wants to tell them that he’ll be fine. He isn’t hurting anymore. He feels lighter than he has in a long time.

Nothing responds to his commands, but that’s all right. At least he can breathe. He feels weak, and whatever pain he felt from his lower half isn’t there.

His sight darkens and the last thing he hears is an all-too-familiar voice.

“Be grateful, Alberich—”

His last name isn’t Alberich, is it? He thought it starts with an ‘R.’

“—for death is merciful.”

He is tired.

He doesn't try to look away from the orb anymore. He doesn't beg for release. All he can see is burning violet, flaring around him and coating everything in the same color.

He falls again. He expects it this time.

He slumps against an invisible wall, head hanging low and arms beside him with his palms facing the sky. He can’t find it in himself to make any kind of movement, even when the fog rolls over his legs as someone else approaches him.

It’s quiet in this strange place.

He wants it to end.

He feels empty.

“Be grateful, Alberich, for death is merciful.”

Over and over and over and over—

He wants to scream, cry, and laugh all at the same time.

His body remains as still as an empty husk.

The being kneels beside him and places a hand on his cheek. “Our fates are bound to each other,” they say. “Your fate is mine, and mine is yours.”

Fate is a funny thing. He doesn’t laugh.

“You want it to end, do you not?”

He finds it in himself to slowly nod.

The being is satisfied. “Close your eyes. I will give you endless joy. No more suffering.”

“No… more…” he echoes softly.

Their other hand makes its way on his other cheek and they lean forward so their foreheads touch. “All that your heart desires.”

He closes his eyes.

“You deserve your rest.”

He falls a final time.

A boy is shaking his shoulders, his eyes wide with panic and an open wound bleeds from his temple. He should tell the boy to apply pressure to it before he starts to suffer from blood loss. The boy’s eyes dart around as his mouth moves, yelling something he can’t understand.

He drops his arms into his lap.

No…

They do.

They move their body with invisible strings and the other boy takes their hands and helps them stand up. Like a newborn baby, they stumble with each step as blood flow returns to their legs.

The redhead wraps his arms around their body and pulls them into a tight embrace. “Kaeya!” he yells. “You’re okay now! I got you! Let’s go!”

He takes their hand, but they don’t move from their spot.

The boy looks back at them, fear clear in his expression. “Kaeya, come on!” he shouts.

A monster howls in rage nearby. A man shouts in pain soon after.

It’s cold.

“Kaeya!”

They lift their eyes to meet his gaze. “Who are you?” they ask.

The boy stills. “It’s me! It’s Diluc! I’m your big brother!” The grip on their hand tightens as they look up at him. He pales as he stares at something that must be on their face and shakes his head in disbelief. “What did it do to you?” he whispers.

They don’t respond.

Tears fill his eyes as he tries to tug their hand again to get them to walk. “Please, Kaeya, we have to go! I—I’ll fix this! I promise! I’m sorry I didn’t protect you like I promised, but we need to leave! I’ll get your vision and we can go home! Father and everyone else are so worried—”

The boy lets out a choked noise and his face twists in shock and pain. He looks down at his chest.

The tip of a cryo blade is piercing through the middle of his chest, stabbing him from behind.

They know what that feels like.

The boy barely makes a sound as the monster pulls the blade from his back and shoves him aside as if he weighs nothing. Their gaze follows him as he hits the ground and lands on his stomach.

Something in them screams.

“Truly, a tragedy,” they say as blood pools around the boy’s prone body. “Know that I shall shed a tear for you, young Diluc.”

The boy slowly moves his eyes to them, his face twisted in pain as he weakly gasps for air. It won't be long until death claims him. Tears fall from his red eyes. “K-Kae…ya…” he chokes out.

The herald immediately drops to its knees in front of them. It puts a shaking arm over its chest and bows its head low. It’s dying, they notice. It will not last another minute in this world. “Master,” it says.

They put a hand on its helm. “You have done well. Your duty has been fulfilled.” They smile at it. “My most faithful follower. You may rest now. Sleep, and dream of endless fortune.”

The herald’s eyes close and it lets out a sigh of relief. In a matter of seconds, it crumbles into ash that dissipates in thin air soon after.

They don’t look at the boy on the ground as they descend the stairs. The light in his eyes has already faded, his gaze blank as he stares off into nothing.

The shivering man frozen in place is what has gained their attention. His uncovered eye is closed as blood falls from somewhere near his hairline and down his face. He struggles against the ice, although it is useless. His kneeling body remains trapped in hard, unyielding cryo.

They raise an arm to place a hand against his cheek gently. He flinches from the touch. His skin is as cold as the ice encasing him. Had it not been for his curse, he surely would have died by now. “I have heard much about your accomplishments, Dainsleif,” they say. “I am sorry we must reunite this way.”

“This is what you wanted, then?” he demands through chattering teeth. He sounds defeated, and yet, he does not give up. “To murder an innocent child and possess another?”

“It is unfortunate that freedom comes at a great cost.” They pull their hand away to look at the dead boy and watch as his blood falls down the steps in a slow river that is sure to stain the stone for years to come. “You may watch as I fulfill my promise. I shall release you and the rest of our people from the curse, and I shall grieve for all that will be lost.” Their expression softens and they look back at him. “You have suffered for far too long, Dainsleif.”

Dainsleif glares at them. “Your false promises give me no hope.” He looks to be on the verge of passing out, his lips as blue as the emblem on his chest.

“They are not false promises.” They smile as a single tear rolls down their cheek.

It burns.

“For the child who lost his life, just as I promised.” They raise their arm, palm facing Dainsleif. “And now I release you from your curse.”

He tenses as black and violet energy swirls in their palm. It builds with a bit of wind, almost sucking as much of it as possible until they hesitated. The energy flickers and their eyes widen.

Dainsleif looks confused when nothing happens, but realization quickly takes over when the energy disappears. “Fight him, Kaeya!” he shouts. “Don’t stop fighting—!”

“Quiet,” they snap at him. It’s the harshest their voice has been, a tone they do not enjoy using.

The cryo stretches up his neck to cover his mouth and chin, locking his head in place. Dainsleif winces, but he is helpless to do anything else except watch them turn away.

They lift their eyes to the chained statue. Its glowing is long gone and looks just like any other Statue of the Seven: gray and lifeless. The boy’s body looks the same. “I won’t go back,” they say through gritted teeth. “This is my vessel. This body is mine.”

Dainsleif watches them, and then flicks his eyes at the caged vision. The gem glows bright and true as the cryo continues to cage him. To him, it is a clear sign that Kaeya is still in there and that the Sinner has not fully taken over his body.

It would be easier to simply kill him and take the Sinner down alongside. But if he has been fully possessed, he doubts that would be a permanent fix. All he would accomplish is killing another innocent child. Although he knows Kaeya has memories of his past life and acts far too much like an adult, murder is not something he wants to add to his already heavy conscious. The Sinner would still be free to possess others whenever he wished.

He closes his eyes to concentrate. Warmth pours into his palm as his power builds. If he can’t free himself, he can at least free the vision. It will most likely help Kaeya—if he’s still in there.

They don’t hear it until after the ice falls to the floor and shatters. Their eyes shoot toward the vision as it clatters to the ground and then make their way back to the man. The cryo has already spread to cover his hand again, fully encasing him once again. They smile and approach it. “This vision… a blessing from the divine,” they say. They crouch down and pick it up. “Fascinating, really.”

Dainsleif watches them, dismayed. Nothing seems to have happened. They can touch the vision as if it’s their own. Maybe that’s why the cryo has yet to release him.

They look at him again. “You must agree that the seven are to be punished for their wrongdoings. They destroyed our nation, murdered our people, and cursed the survivors.” They smile again. “Join us, and I will spare you. You may reunite with the one you lost. She would very much like to see you.”

Without the ability to speak, his eyes do the talking. He knows exactly who they’re talking about. Lumine.

“With enough time, you two may yet reconcile. At the present time, she is elsewhere as she is needed in other places. We may join her together.” They raise their free hand to him. “What say you, Bough Keeper?”

The cryo falls just from his mouth to allow him to speak. “L-Lumine is… l-lost. She n-needs to find h-herself again,” he stutters softly. He tries not to stammer, but the cold is getting to be too much. “B-but I w-will not help h-her if it means she chooses t-the Abyss ag-again.”

They lower their arm. “That is a shame. It would have put my mind at ease knowing you would be there to protect her.”

“I did, o-once. Until she m-met Chlothar. Until she met you.” He narrows his eyes at them. “Your w-words and f-false promises mean n-nothing to me.” It’s getting more difficult to speak the longer he’s trapped in this cryo prison. He doesn’t know how long he’ll be able to keep this up.

They sigh. “Very well.” They look at the vision. “Let the gods deal swift judgment upon you, Dainsleif. Just like the child and all those before him, I shall shed a tear for you at the end of time. Goodbye.”

The vision glows and Dainsleif winces as he’s blinded by the sudden light.

Kaeya reaches out, his mouth opening in a silent scream. No… no—no, no! Not Diluc!

Diluc isn’t like him. He doesn’t lie. He doesn’t spy.

He doesn’t get second chances.

His brother’s body is still in his mind’s eye, too still, too quiet. Diluc isn’t supposed to be that still or quiet. He’s loud, he’s playful, and he always worries about others more than himself.

He can’t be dead.

Kaeya quietly sobs and shakes his head. It doesn’t take a blind man to know that he’s gone. What’s worse is that it’s his fault. Diluc is gone, dead because of his own failure.

He isn’t strong, not like him. He couldn’t fight back as Dainsleif called for. He just watched as cryo kept the injured, undying man trapped in a domain so far from home behind eyes that are no longer his in a body that he no longer operates.

Death is merciful.

He screams and wants to curl over and hold his head. The herald’s voice still repeats in his head, even though it is dead.

“Death is a mercy I shall not grant.”

The Sinner meant it. He would rather die than be here, trapped in his own body. He can’t find it in himself to fight anymore.

“You chose this,” the Sinner tells him.

No, I didn’t, he weakly answers. I just—I just wanted to be free.

“As do I.”

He drops his hands. There’s no point in fighting anymore.

He couldn’t protect his brother, so how can he fight against this seemingly omnipresent being? He doesn’t have that kind of power.

“Now, sleep. Forget about the Ragnvindr child.”

Memories of a redheaded boy are rapidly stolen.

“We are one in the same. You are me, and I am you.”

That… doesn’t sound right. He feels a headache coming on.

“Rest for your journey is now over. You are free.”

I… I am?

He’s free.

He can finally rest—

“Do not give in to his lies,” a new voice interrupts.

He has heard those words before. He has repeated them himself sometimes. Kaeya lifts his weary eyes to look around. The strange domain remains the same. The invisible walls are too sturdy, the fog at his feet too thick. The starry sky, floor, and walls have not moved. He’s alone.

He’s heard that high-pitched voice before. He’s heard it more than once. It makes him feel safe, as if a heavy burden is lifted whenever he speaks to them.

He covers his face as the domain swirls and changes, rapidly turning into a jungle he can recognize. Without thinking about it, he turns to face the cliff, expecting to see the owner of the voice.

The hilichurl turns to face him.

“Hello, Kaeya.”

Chapter Text

“Hello, Kaeya.”

Kaeya can’t tell if this is another hallucination. If it is, it’s a strange one but he knows better than to try and fight it. It’s only a matter of time before the herald shows up to kill him again. Hopefully, it won’t be by strangulation this time—of all the deaths he’s experienced, those are the worst.

The hilichurl walks up to him but stops when it notices him grow tense the closer it gets. Its ears flatten against its head sadly. “I’m sorry,” it says mournfully.

This is just another trick. These hallucinations always start peacefully and when he’s least expecting it—

He looks away from the hilichurl and keeps his eyes locked on the ground. If he doesn’t do anything, if he doesn’t fight this, this death won’t be as painful as others. The herald will show up and give him a swift death this time as a reward for good behavior. He’ll listen to the Sinner.

He won’t fight.

He won’t try to do anything.

If it means he won’t have to go through the dying process over and over and over again—

“Be grateful, Alberich—”

He’ll be the vessel the Sinner needs.

He holds back a flinch as the hilichurl’s hand reaches up to touch his face. Its hand is soft and warm despite its leathery skin and bone-thin arm. These hallucinations always feel so real.

It runs its thumb over the right side of his face. “It’s okay now,” the hilichurl says. “I’m here and I will protect you.”

He doesn’t respond. The Sinner is only trying to trick him again. He keeps his head down and his mouth shut. As long as he doesn’t fight this, it will be okay. He can experience the happiness he was promised.

“He cannot hurt you here, little one.”

He can hear the Sinner’s voice clear as day.

“How much do you remember, little one?”

He stiffens as he tries to push it out. It’s not real, it’s not real, it’snotreal— He forces a fearful whimper down and squeezes his eyes tightly shut. He wishes he didn’t remember anything.

“We share this body, little one.”

It’s not true. This is his body and his alone.

“He abandoned you, little one.”

It doesn’t matter, this is a new life. Diluc hasn’t done anything to him, and his birth father is long gone.

“Don’t you want to leave the darkness, little one?”

It’s too dark. Help me.

“You will not die, little one, although you will beg for it.”

His fingernails dig into his palms hard enough to draw blood. “Don’t… call me that,” he says quietly. He sucks in a sharp breath when he realizes his mistake. He shouldn’t have said anything. The Sinner doesn’t like it when he voices his displeasure. “I’m sorry!” he immediately apologizes.

He curls in on himself when he notices the creature in front of him move closer to him. This is just another hallucination. This isn’t the hilichurl, this is the herald. He knows it is, but his mind must be playing tricks on him because the herald hasn’t struck him for speaking out against the Sinner.

His arms begin to shake involuntarily and he fights himself to stop it. He knows that the monster is waiting for him to make a move. He won’t even twitch; he isn’t supposed to move without the Sinner allowing him to. The herald is and always will be at their beck and call no matter where or when it is. He’s going to be thrown back into that hell headfirst for speaking without permission. Panic rises in his chest and he gasps, “I’m sorry! I won’t fight, please, I swear it!”

Something touches his other cheek but the expected pain doesn’t come. He freezes in place in terror. When did you become such a coward? he shamefully asks himself.

“It’s all right,” the monster gently interrupts, still holding his face with both hands. “I’m not going to hurt you.”

His muddled and panicking mind gradually becomes clearer. Their hands aren’t as large or as cold as they are supposed to be. Why isn’t it trying to kill him again? Slowly, he dares to lift his eyes. Even though he can’t see its face, the hilichurl looks sad. It’s not the herald. He wants to breathe a sigh of relief, but his eyes dart around the area, keeping a watchful eye to make sure it doesn’t suddenly pop into existence. It likes to ambush him when he’s least expecting.

The hilichurls ears droop down when it sees the fearful and tentative expression on his face. “Oh, Kaeya. I’m so sorry,” it repeats softly. “Had I been able to, I would have pulled you out of those memories myself. To force you to go through most of them in such a short amount of time…”

Memories? “They weren’t… hallucinations?” he hesitantly mutters.

“Yes and no.” It pulls away from his face. “They are memories because you have already experienced it all. They are also hallucinations because of the Sinner’s power over your mind.” It sighs, long and sad. “I only wish I had been faster. Then, you would not have had to go through any of it.”

Kaeya runs a hand over his face where the hilichurl touched. His skin feels smooth and the pain disappeared. Memories slowly trickle back in and he takes a shaky breath when he sees Diluc’s body. He can remember looking down and see his eyes staring out at nothing as his own body turns away as if he didn’t care that his brother had been killed right in front of him.

He did care. He still cares.

I’m sorry, ’Luc. I’m so sorry.

“Truly, a tragedy.”

He quickly wipes his eyes as he swallows down his grief. Other memories swirl within his mind, steadily replacing the strange holes here and there. It’s frightening how easily the Sinner could simply wipe them away, but it’s odd how easily they’re being repaired. “How… how did you do that?” he asks.

“All I did was reverse the corruption. Within this space, you are completely safe.”

Kaeya takes another look around. This place looks no different than the other times he’s been here, and it feels real enough to convince him that it could be reality. Thankfully he knows it isn’t. “Where are we?”

The hilichurl also looks around. “I suppose you can call it my home away from home.” It seems like it’s smiling at him and its ears return to normal. “You are a special child, Kaeya. Although, I suppose you think of yourself not as a child, but as an adult since you carry memories of a past life.”

“And you aren’t a normal hilichurl. Who exactly are you?”

“I did say that I would tell you everything last time you were here, didn’t I?” It hums in amusement and puts its hand against its chest. “My name is Caribert. We share a special connection, you and I.”

“What kind of connection?”

Caribert stares at him for a few moments, and then he turns around. “Come, sit with me.” He stops near the edge of the cliff and sits on the soft grass.

Kaeya hesitantly joins him, sitting and crossing his legs in front of him, and stares out into the distance. He’s never taken the time to look around and see how beautiful this place is. Diluc would hate it—he doesn’t like the heat, much less humidity on top of that. He looks down at the trees on the bottom of the cliff as he holds back tears as his mind apologizes to Diluc like a mantra. I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry.

“How much do you know of your family’s history?”

He shakes his head. “Enough,” he mumbles. “I know that my father abandoned me to spy on Mondstadt. I know that I’m a descendant of the Abyss Order’s founder. I know some of my history.” He sniffs as he wipes his eyes. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s all right, Kaeya. You are allowed to mourn your loss.”

Kaeya doesn’t try to fill the silence that follows. He stares out at the gray thunderclouds and fights back more tears. He can’t mourn right now; he doesn’t know how long he has here. He has a feeling that he won’t be back for a very long time. An ant walks in front of them and he watches it crawl around his shoe. He wonders if this is how the Sinner sees him—just a tiny little ant in a vast world.

“My father only wanted to find a cure for me.”

Caribert’s voice tears him out of his thoughts and he looks away from the ant and turns his eyes to the hilichurl beside him. “Your father?”

“Mhm.” He looks down at his crossed legs. “Survivors of the cataclysm that weren’t full-blooded Khaenri’ahns were cursed and turned into hilichurls, such as myself. Those of pure blood were cursed with immortality.”

Kaeya knows this. He nods silently, waiting patiently for Caribert to continue.

“Do you know the name Chlothar Alberich?”

He shakes his head. “No.”

“He came into contact with the Sinner one day, not long after the cataclysm. He blamed the gods for everything, hated them with every fiber of his being. Not that I blame him, but his hatred started to poison his mind and that eventually led him to create the Abyss Order.”

He stares at Caribert, his eyes slowly widening with shock as the pieces slowly click together. His father also expressed his hatred for the archons. There would be no reason for Caribert to mention the Abyss Order’s founder unless it had something to do with his questions. “You’re an Alberich too, aren’t you? Chlothar was your father.”

The hilichurl chuckles softly. “You’re a clever one,” he answers. “Yes, I am. It’s part of the reason why I am able to communicate with you this way. The other is a bit more complicated than that.”

“I want to know.”

Caribert glances at him and then away with a nod. “My father was a good man. All he wanted was to cure me of this curse. He searched for all kinds of different potential cures, but nothing worked. One day, he followed another hilichurl into a strange ruin, and there he met the Sinner. I woke up, but I couldn’t handle what I had become.”

I can’t take it.

Kaeya looks away from him. “I couldn’t imagine turning into a hilichurl.”

“It was… shocking to see that I turned into a monster.” He looks down at his hand and makes a loose fist before opening it again. “It was like I was asleep for a very long time in a strange room. But that wasn’t it. I had become something else. Not long after regaining sanity, I kept hearing a voice in my head, promising strange things in exchange for freedom.”

He freezes. “You heard him. The Sinner.”

He nods. “I don’t think even he expected what I would turn into. I became more than just some sane monster. My father called me the Loom of Fate.”

Kaeya squints. For some reason, that sounds so familiar. “What is that?”

“Have you ever wondered why you or your father aren’t hilichurls?”

He looks at his own hands. “Sometimes,” he admits. “But it’s never really been at the top of my priorities, especially after I started living with Crepus and Diluc.”

“I wanted to save my father. I didn’t want him to continue to suffer. I used the Loom of Fate to get rid of his curse and allow him to live as a mortal again. I used it to rewrite his fate.”

Kaeya freezes. Rewrite fate? “The Loom of Fate can change the fates of others?”

Caribert nods. “Yes. And the fate of our family. That is why you are not affected by the curse like all others from Khaenri’ah.”

A memory of Diluc flashes in his mind, smiling as he offers him some grapes, and his adult self grumbling under his breath as he slides another death afternoon his direction across the bar counter.

Hope bubbles in him. Diluc can live again. He can save him! “Can you save my brother?” he asks. “Please, he’s just a kid and that herald killed him! I’ll do anything—!”

“There’s no need to get yourself worked up again,” he interrupts calmly. “I can only use it once more.”

He nods. “It’s okay. I’m still alive so you don’t have to use it for me again—”

“You do not understand the ramifications of this action, Kaeya.”

Kaeya goes quiet.

Caribert sighs sadly. “I do not mean to sound so harsh, but your fate has been rewritten several times now.” It feels like he’s staring straight into Kaeya’s soul from behind his masked face as he says seriously, “Yes, you will live, but should you choose to save your brother, you can never use the Loom of Fate again.”

Nervousness makes his stomach churn. Where is he going with this? “But I can’t use it—you, I mean. I can’t use your power.”

He shakes his head. “That is where you are wrong. The Sinner told you the truth about one thing: you are a vessel. Not his personal vessel. More specifically, your body is a vessel for the Loom of Fate.” He lifts his arm and points at his golden eye. “Think of your eye as the catalyst and your body as the only compatible user. It has been passed down the Alberich line for hundreds of years, and now that you are the last of our clan, the Sinner has become desperate.”

Kaeya’s mouth goes dry. He expected something shocking but not… not that. “What if I just took my eye out and burned it or destroyed it some other way?”

“You do not remember, but it has been attempted before. The first time you died, you were very young. Around this age, in fact. There, you met a girl called Lumine and she took you to the domain you are in now.”

His eyes go wide. He remembers it clearly—but the Sinner had pulled him out of that memory before anything serious had happened. “She… pointed a sword at me. I died there?”

He nods. “When she realized your eye was not the Loom of Fate and only a catalyst for its power…” He takes a deep breath and calmly explains more. “There is a reason why the Sinner had you killed so many times before. I was the only thing that could protect you and the Loom of Fate from falling into his hands. In order to keep him away, I had to use the Loom to rewrite your fate and save you. After that, it happened many more times.”

Over and over—

Stop it!

He closes his eyes to stop himself from thinking about it some more.

Caribert seems to notice but he doesn’t say anything about it other than continue to talk. “He knew I would bring you back every single time. I had hoped he had given up since he waited so long in your last life before he went after you. Your vision must have helped protect you to some degree. But now, my power is exhausted and I can no longer stay. This power is going to completely pass to you when I am gone.”

His heart leaps into his throat and he swallows to push his anxiety back down. He doesn’t want this power, however, he can’t help but worry about Caribert. “If you used it again, what would happen to you? I don’t want you to use it to save me if it means you’re gone forever.”

Caribert seems surprised and then he chuckles fondly. “I see that you, too, have inherited the Alberich self-sacrificial tendencies.”

Kaeya huffs indignantly. “Can I blame you for that, then?”

“And you have inherited our sharp tongue.” He folds his hands in front of him and leans forward a little as he sighs again. “I don’t know what will happen to me. My physical body is long gone.” He hums thoughtfully. “Maybe I’ll move on, maybe I’ll disappear, or maybe nothing happens.” He looks back at him. “I can save your brother, but that also means you will be highly susceptible to the Sinner’s influence again. If I don’t use the Loom of Fate, then I will remain here and I can save you from the Sinner and allow you control of your own body again. I cannot save both you and Diluc.”

Kaeya bites the inside of his cheek as he looks away. “Will the Sinner hurt Diluc again?” he asks quietly.

He shakes his head. “I would think not unless Diluc would directly try to harm you.”

He barely thinks about the choices and steels himself before asking, “If you rewrite his fate, and if the Sinner takes full control of me… if Dainsleif kills me, will it also kill the Sinner?”

Caribert watches him, his ears flicking as a slight breeze blows in the air around them. “Are you so willing to throw your life away?”

He nods without hesitation. “The Sinner needs my body to move around, right?”

“He can possess anybody he wishes. You just happen to be able to use the Loom of Fate.”

He frowns and looks back up in determination. “But if I die, he won’t be able to use it, right?”

Caribert stares at him quietly for a few seconds. “Life is precious,” he begins. “You have two choices. On one hand you allow them to kill you, the Loom of Fate will stay out of the Sinner’s hands and Diluc will live again. On the other, I keep the Sinner at bay and Diluc will stay dead but you will be free. However, I cannot promise that I can stay indefinitely and when I am gone, the Sinner will attempt to possess you again.”

“I understand.” He takes a deep breath to calm his nerves. He feels like he only has one choice, but he doesn’t mind. He’s already made his decision. “It’s all right. I would rather Diluc live again, and for the Sinner to lose the Loom of Fate forever.”

The hilichurl looks up at the sky. “You have a noble soul, Kaeya. Far braver than most.”

“I am curious about a couple more things.”

Caribert glances at him. “Ask away.”

“How was I able to remember my last life? Is it really because of my vision?”

“I’m not sure, to be honest. All the other times you have died, you had not received a vision. It could be that Lord Barbatos took notice and is watching over you. I, too, thought I would be gone after I rewrote your fate last time. Perhaps I am also being watched over by him.” He lets out a humorless chuckle. “Ironic, isn’t it? Two Khaenri’ahns being protected by an archon and one of us even earned his blessing not once but twice.”

Kaeya nods with a grim look. He wonders if that’s why the Sinner didn’t want him to die this time—he probably knew he would lose the Loom of Fate with his final death. “Then I have another question: why would the Sinner do all this when I’m so young? Why not wait until I’ve grown a bit into a stronger body?”

His ears droop again and his shoulders slump uncomfortably. “That is an easy answer. He intended to take you when you returned as a child simply because children are far easier to manipulate than adults are. I assume he intended to groom you into the role he wanted until the day you were ready. He did not expect you to remember your last life. For that very reason, he took drastic measures to make you complacent and force you to become his vessel.”

He shudders. “That’s… disturbing.”

He hums in agreement. “He needed you to be unwilling to fight back. He knows that after I am gone, you will take my place. If he can control you, then he can use the Loom of Fate without any repercussions.”

They sit in silence again for a few minutes, peacefully listening to the wind blowing and thunder rumbling some distance away. Kaeya takes a deep breath, trying to calm his rapidly beating heart. It will be all right. As long as Diluc gets to live, he doesn’t care what happens to him.

He looks up when a hand lands on his head and lightly ruffles his hair. Caribert seems like he’s smiling again. “I’m proud of you, Kaeya. You made the right choice,” he says. He stands up and helps Kaeya to his feet as well. “We don’t have any time left.”

Kaeya nods nervously and his eyes go wide when he notices that he can see right through him. Caribert’s body is transparent and little lights begin to fly into the air. “What’s happening to you?” he asks.

Caribert twists his arms to inspect them. He seems to be more curious than alarmed. “I assume I’m moving on.” He lets out a light and relieved laugh. “Thank you, Kaeya. You are so very strong, much stronger than I.” He reaches up and grabs his mask.

When Kaeya blinks, his breath hitches. Caribert is still transparent and fading from the feet up, but the smiling boy a little older than he looks far different than what he’d ever expected. “Caribert…?”

Two eyes stare back at him, one lilac and one gold. Blue hair a little longer than his own falls over his shoulders. It’s like he’s staring in a mirror, and his reflection has his own thoughts and actions. “It’s okay. I trust you. When you return to reality, you will go back to the point just before your brother’s death.”

Kaeya nods solemnly, his nerves returning. “So this is it?” he says softly.

Caribert nods. His body is mostly gone already, only his upper half remains now. He smiles at him. “You know what to do from here.”

And he does. He nods again, watching as the last of his body fades into little white lights and blink out of existence.

“Goodbye, Kaeya.”

Kaeya closes his eyes.

He falls.

This time, he isn’t afraid.

“Kaeya, come on!”

Someone yells and a monstrous roar follows.

“Who… are you?”

“It’s me!”

“How unexpected.”

Kaeya opens his eyes.

Everything hurts as if he’d been sitting in one place for more than a few hours—and perhaps he had been. He has no idea how much time has passed in the real world ever since he was taken by the herald. He lifts his eyes and his heart soars when he sees Diluc standing in front of him.

He’s alive!

He wants to reach out and hug him, and maybe he wouldn’t ever let go. There is no blood on his chest, nothing that indicates he’s currently dying. There is a deep gash on his head that will likely be an issue later if it isn’t taken care of soon, but he isn’t in any immediate life-threatening danger.

Diluc’s face, on the other hand, is a mixture of disbelief and horror as he stares back at him. Tears sting the corner of his eyes and threaten to fall. “What did it to do you?”

Moving is difficult enough and it feels like it takes all his strength to speak. “Di…luc…” he manages to say.

The horror and disbelief immediately vanish as hope crosses his expression. “Yes! It’s me!” he shouts. “I’m going to help you, we can fix this! I’ll get your vision and we can go home!”

Kaeya looks down the stairs, seeing the herald staggering to the steps and its arm outstretched, the blade pointed straight for Diluc’s back. It looks like it's seconds away from collapsing and dying, but that’s all it needed to kill Diluc the first time.

He won’t let it kill him again.

He pushes against the grip the Sinner has on his body and tackles Diluc down, narrowly avoiding the fatal strike that had killed his brother the first time. A deep cut scrapes against his arm instead. Kaeya would rather him not be harmed at all, but he’ll take a cut over being stabbed any day.

Diluc gasps in pain and grabs hold of him, barely avoiding another strike by rolling to the left. He winces as they painfully roll down the stairs and hit the stone floor a second later. “Ow,” he mumbles.

Kaeya also winces and he slowly turns his gaze to the statue. The glow is gone just like before and at the top of the stairs where they had been, the herald is kneeling. Its shoulders are heaving up and down as it gasps in pain and holds its stomach with one arm. The blade on its other arm seems to be stuck in the stone. It doesn’t seem like it has any more strength to even try to remove it. “Mas…ter…” it groans as it collapses. “I have… failed… you…”

Diluc stares at its disappearing body with shock and relief. He relaxes his stance and turns around and staggers to Kaeya’s side. “It’s over, Kaeya,” he tells him reassuringly. “We’re okay now. I’ll get your vision and get Dainsleif out of the ice, and then we can go home, okay?”

“Hurry,” Dainsleif says from somewhere behind him. He sounds alarmed, and he can feel his star-filled gaze on him. “We must leave as soon as possible.”

“Right.” Diluc summons his claymore and prepares to strike the caged vision, only to spin around when Kaeya suddenly screams. “Kaeya?!”

“You chose to sacrifice Caribert? My, I did not think you had it in you.”

Pain spreads from his eye and Kaeya doesn’t bother to bite back another shout. He holds the right side of his face and underneath his palm, he can feel the veins begin to spread even further. It feels like he is on fire and without Caribert’s help, the Sinner has free reign to do whatever he wants to him.

Diluc runs to him and goes to his knees beside him, alarm replacing any relief he had when he cries out again. His blade clatters to the ground behind him. “Kaeya!” he yells.

“Let go, little one,” the Sinner says. “Everything will be all right. I swear I will not harm your brother.”

Kaeya shakes his head. “No…!” he snaps.

He feels his upper half being lifted up and an arm underneath his head. “Kaeya, what’s wrong?” Diluc’s voice shouts over the Sinner’s voice.

“He is still fighting,” Dainsleif answers for him.

“Fighting what?!”

Kaeya can barely hear them, but he strains his ears to listen to them instead of the promises the Sinner is whispering to him.

“You know you cannot win.”

“Kaeya!”

Kaeya looks up at Diluc, fighting against the invisible restraints the Sinner is placing on his limbs. He knows he doesn’t have much longer until the Sinner grows impatient. He can’t fight it forever. “I’m glad—you’re alive,” he tells him. It feels like there is a heavy pressure against his jaw and tongue, trying to force him to stay quiet.

“Dainsleif, what do I do?!” Diluc shouts, panicked. The tears he had tried so hard to fight back have started to fall. “He’s in so much pain!”

He can’t hear Dainsleif’s reply.

“Let go.”

Kaeya knows there is only one thing left to do but there's no one else other than Diluc to help him.

Dainsleif can’t move.

The herald is dead.

Lumine isn’t here.

He shakes his head and the movement makes Diluc look down at him. He has no way of knowing that he won’t be able to move of his own accord for much longer. “Kaeya, please! We came this far!”

His guilt increases at that. He doesn’t want to ask him to finish this, but he has no other choice. “Kill… me…”

Diluc’s eyes widen drastically at the request. “What?” He shakes his head rapidly. “No! That’s stupid! No! I’m not going to kill you—I’m going to save you! I’m sorry I didn’t protect you like I promised, but—”

“Diluc. You… don’t… understand!”

“Then make me understand!”

He screams again as the pain increases tenfold. The Sinner knows what he’s asking—it’s like he can feel his sudden desperation. His limbs are starting to grow numb. He can’t move his legs anymore.

“You will not ruin this, little one,” the Sinner tells him. “You are so, so close. We are almost there—”

There is no ‘we’! He doesn’t care about the bone-piercing terror that comes over him for shouting at the Sinner. He knows that if he survives this, the punishment will be dire. He desperately hopes he doesn’t.

He can’t go back.

“You forget your place.” The Sinner sounds the most enraged he’s ever heard and it sends a fearful shudder through his body. “I created the Loom of Fate. I made what Caribert came to be. I was the one that gave him the power to cure your family.” It feels like someone is leaning right over him, their fury radiating and seeping through his skin. “I am reclaiming what is mine.”

The Loom of Fate may be your creation, but it is me that Caribert entrusted it to.

“Then you have made a mistake. What joy I promised shall become your never-ending suffering. You will lose yourself fully and completely.”

He feels himself being lowered onto the ground and gently set down. Diluc stands above him and he closes his eyes as something metal and heavy scrapes across the stone and he braces himself for the pain.

He wants to apologize for making him kill another member of his family—even if this Diluc didn’t end their father’s life out of mercy. His mouth stays closed, his strength rapidly depleting as the Sinner’s influence starts to wrap around him once more. Please, hurry, Diluc!

He can’t open his eyes anymore. The Sinner is forcing him to be still again, his grip on his body steadily growing. He doesn’t think he’ll be able to even breathe without his permission.

One second passes, and then ten.

The pain never comes.

Something shatters nearby and is immediately followed by a light object hitting the floor. It feels like a heavy weight is suddenly lifted from his chest, and he gasps as control gradually returns to him. He opens his eyes and all he can see is a light that makes him wince from the sudden brightness.

A light chuckle reaches his ears, carefree like the wind.

“Sorry to keep you waiting, Kaeya.”

Chapter Text

Kaeya feels lighter than he has in what feels like years. Invisible chains fall from his limbs, allowing him to move but when he opens his eyes, he squints from the sudden brightness and turns his head. A blurry green-clad figure stands close beside him and as his vision slowly begins to clear and adjusts to the light, he finds that he can’t take his eyes off him. He’s shared more than a few drinks with him. They shared stories at Angel’s Share when he was an adult, back when he was blissfully ignorant of what he carried within him.

He knows him all too well, and his mysterious character has always piqued his interest. He sits up slowly, his sore muscles protesting with every movement. “…Venti?” he asks softly and surprised.

The bard smiles and his light laughter sounds like he’s strumming the strings of his harp to a gentle and free tune he’s likely heard before. Venti holds his hand out to help him stand and replies, “Long time no see, Kaeya.”

He takes the offered hand and gets up to his feet, but he still feels confused. “We haven’t met, right?”

He pouts childishly. “Have you forgotten how many times we have shared a drink? I thought you would have remembered me since you said my name!”

Kaeya’s mind whirls. Venti remembers him as well? This strange encounter confirms his suspicions that he is, in fact, not just any bard, but Barbatos himself, yet he can’t for the life of him figure out how he remembers him. Is it because he is an archon? That can’t be right; someone in the Fatui knows all about him. If it’s Dottore, was he told about him by someone else or does he remember everything as well?

He swallows hard as he runs a hand underneath his right eye. His skin feels rough, almost as if someone had burned him and the soft flesh charred under its sheer power, yet it doesn’t hurt. It feels as if it is in suspended animation; not gone, but frozen by something that wields greater power. He has a feeling that power is Venti’s doing.

The space around them is bright—no, the light is coming from behind Venti’s back. It almost looks like a pair of wings and the stars above them are nearly drowned by the light that’s coming from them. Kaeya can’t decide if he is relieved or intimidated by being in the presence of an archon. “Where are we?” he asks.

“Well, I assume you’re still in the domain unless Dainsleif has already taken you and Master Diluc out.”

“So I’m dreaming?”

“Eh, not really.”

Caution shoots through him. If this isn’t a dream, then it’s another hallucination or he’s truly dead this time. “Then am I dead or is this another trick?”

Venti gives him a sad smile. “This is no trick, and you are not dead, Kaeya.” He looks at something behind Kaeya. “I am here to be rid of that which plagues your mind.”

He turns his head to see what it is he’s looking at and his heart skips a beat when he sees a swirling mass of purple and black Abyssal energy sprouting from the ground. It looms over them, staining the ground and sky surrounding it a deep pitch-black, void of color and likely sound as well. The stars and the beautiful sky that resides with Venti are gone on the side of the space it has taken over.

The energy itself seems to be staring at them, although it doesn’t have a face he can see. “Barbatos,” it greets.

Kaeya immediately turns his eyes away and looks down at the glowing floor beneath his feet like an obedient servant. This… thing sounds exactly like the Sinner. His voice sounds like it is coming from all directions, piercing through his skull and going straight into his head. Is this place somewhere in his mind, then? It would make sense; Caribert had his own spot, it would be child’s play for both Venti and the Sinner to create their own subspace inside him as well.

However, he can’t tell if this is real or not just yet. It could be another grand illusion the Sinner is forcing him to experience. It would be wise to keep his eyes off of the Sinner and stay quiet, lest he is forced into another rabbit hole of confusing hallucinations.

Venti stares at the Sinner right back, ignorant of Kaeya’s inner turmoil. “Vedrfolnir.” He steps forward, keeping himself between Kaeya and the Sinner. This causes him to look up again and he takes in a sharp breath when he sees the look on the archon’s face. Venti looks the most serious he has ever seen him and then, he realizes, he hasn’t said a single rhyme this entire time. “Tell me, what is it you desire from one of my children? He is but a young boy, even if his memories are those of a bygone life.”

The Sinner hums in amusement. “Your child? You claim to grant freedom to one of mine, but it is by the power which grants you your status that my people are cursed.” The nonexistent eyes turn to Kaeya. “This little one and his family were freed by a creation of mine own. I am simply reclaiming it. I would dare not let him come to harm.”

It takes all of Kaeya’s willpower not to shrink away from the soul-piercing gaze. He feels like a mouse backed into a corner, and the hunter’s gaze is locked onto him, rendering him unable to flee or fight back. “You stole my memories, you had me killed,” he says as confidently as he can, but even to his ears, his voice sounds tiny and frightened. “I died again and again and again. That is harming me.”

“I would not let you stay there for an eternity to suffer—”

“‘What joy I promised shall become your never-ending suffering,’” he interrupts. His hands turn into fists as fear slowly morphs into anger. “‘You will lose yourself fully and completely.’ Those were your exact words. ‘Never-ending’ sounds a lot like eternity to me. You made me relive so many deaths.” He could still feel it—everything that had been done to him. He still believes that if he turns around, the herald would be there to kill him once more. He can’t tell if this is real or not. He lets out a short, humorless laugh. “If it wasn’t for Caribert, I would have lost my mind and my memories. I can’t even tell if this is real or not.”

Venti listens silently, unmoving.

Kaeya isn’t looking at him. His eyes are locked onto the swirling mass that is the Sinner. “I would just be a little puppet you could control without any repercussions.” He shakes his head. “We all know that freedom isn’t what you truly want. It’s a bold-faced lie. You could control anybody in all of Teyvat and be free, but you have gone through so much trouble just to get me. Caribert sacrificed himself for me—all because I’m the only one who can use the Loom of Fate.”

The Sinner also remains quiet, and like Venti, he doesn’t move from his spot.

“It’s got me wondering what you’re really after. Why do you need the Loom of Fate so badly? What are you going to use it for?”

The energy swirls again. “Tell me, little one. What do you intend to use it for?”

His mind comes up blank. He doesn’t know. What would he use the Loom of Fate for? Would he just let it sit inside of him, unused until the day he died? He could use it in case of emergency—reverse the fates of his loved ones again. But if he used it too much, would he end up like Caribert and exhaust himself past death and simply disappear into nothing? He looks down again, all his anger evaporating. “I… I don’t know,” he admits quietly.

“There are things out there far greater than you can imagine. I would save this world and all of my children from the fates forced upon us all.” He turns to face Venti. “Even you, Barbatos. Should the Loom of Fate be once again entrusted to me, I could bring him back.”

Venti’s eyes go a fraction wider before he smiles. “You would render this world asunder, and destroy its people in all the seven nations. ’Tis a false promise of which you speak.”

“It is you and your people that have irrecoverably changed this world. What the archons have done is unforgivable. You have done far worse than I have ever dreamed of. Isn’t that right, little one?”

Kaeya raises his eyes to the Sinner but doesn’t say anything. Something is beginning to tug at his mind, like a loose string being jostled. He already knows that it is the Sinner’s doing.

“Khaenri’ah was a beacon of humankind. A shining star that led the world until it was so violently destroyed by the archons you worship. Had you been born before the cataclysm, you would understand my people’s hatred for these so-called gods.” The energy begins to move. “That is the least of what they have done, little one.” The Sinner’s energy slowly swirls, uncaring that Venti sidesteps to keep the path toward Kaeya blocked. A dark tendril stretches out from the void toward him, like a hand is being offered for him to take. “The archons care not for you. It will only be a matter of time before they turn against you, especially with the power you wield. Come to me; we can return this world to the way it was, long before the archons ever arrived. Your people, my children—you will finally be free.”

The tugging feeling grows stronger. He wants to walk toward the Sinner and take the hand, but he remains rooted to his spot behind Venti. He resists the urge to grab the tendril.

“Come to me,” he hears the Sinner’s voice say. Venti doesn’t react to those words—he can’t hear the command.

Kaeya winces and starts to feel his muscles tense, fighting against himself. He needs to go to him—no!

He bites the inside of his cheek to keep himself distracted and ignore the feeling. He can’t go to him, he’s spent who knows how long trapped in his own body, experiencing death repeatedly.

Falling.

He watched the herald kill his brother. Even though Diluc is alive, the empty look in his eyes and the blood that spills out has ingrained itself into his mind. It will forever haunt him, and he won’t be surprised if he gets nightmares because of it.

“I will protect you.”

He shakes his head to drown out the voice. He knows the freedom the Sinner promises is a lie, he knows that the need to go to his side is not his own. “Stop it,” he says under his breath. A familiar weight hangs at his hip. He reaches down and pulls his vision up to stare at it. The four-winged is shining the brightest it ever has before, likely because of this realm they’re in. He clutches it tighter so much so the vision’s casing could easily cut into his fingers. “Mondstadt is my home. I’ll be damned before I let you destroy it.”

The tendril remains stretched out. “Come here, little one,” the Sinner commands out loud.

“Come.”

The voice is the only thing he can hear. He finds it easier to fight the control, yet Kaeya still takes a step forward unwillingly.

“We will accomplish many great things, little one.”

He has to go to the Sinner.

“Our fate has only just begun.”

He raises his arm to take the offered tendril. He cannot disobey—

Venti puts a hand against Kaeya’s chest to keep him away from the mass of Abyssal energy, his fingers mere millimeters away from it. “Kaeya is not yours to command,” he says to the Sinner as Kaeya weakly tries to push his hand off and tries to push past him. “He may be from Khaenri’ah, but he is under my protection and guidance.”

The light flares and Kaeya nearly collapses the moment the strings are cut. His arm drops down and he staggers in place, grateful that Venti keeps him upright. A headache begins to form but he doesn’t care. As long as he has control of his own body, he’ll take any headache. He looks up at him gratefully. “Thank you,” he mutters.

He smiles at him and it disappears the moment he looks back up to face the Abyssal energy before them. “Leave.”

The Sinner chuckles. “This little one is my vessel. I cannot leave.” The tendril is lifted higher and motions toward Kaeya’s eye. “The moment you leave, Barbatos, I will take over again. That corruption, as you call it, is something even you cannot be rid of. I am a part of him.”

“No, I cannot. However, just like Caribert, I can help him be rid of you until either one day he learns how to do it himself or he dies a natural death.” He grins. “Either way, you will never be able to control him so easily again. The Loom of Fate is forever out of your grasp.”

To be rid of him sounds like a far-off dream to Kaeya. Seeing the Sinner in front of them, even as a manifestation of Abyssal energy, makes him believe it would take more than just rubbing the corrupted eye with a thumb and a few nice words.

The energy shudders as if it is frustrated and the tendril disappears, but the Sinner’s voice sounds calm as he says, “Very well. I am patient. Until the time comes again, do take care of this little one, Barbatos. He is special.” The eyes land on Kaeya again. “Take care not to overuse your newfound power. We can’t have you disappearing on us like Caribert, now can we?”

Kaeya glares at it. “No thanks to you,” he answers.

The Sinner chuckles and Kaeya can hear that smile he’s likely wearing. The sound sends chills down his spine. “We will speak again, little one.”

The light behind Venti flares so bright that Kaeya raises his arm to protect his eyes and when he lowers it, the dark void is gone, and the Abyssal energy has disappeared as well. It can’t be that easy. He looks up at Venti. “Where did he go?”

Venti is quiet for a few more moments before he sighs in relief. “He is gone for the time being. He will not bother you for a long time.” He looks down at him. “Are you all right?”

He nods. “Yes, thank you.” It feels like a huge weight has been lifted from his shoulders, and he swallows down a sudden rush of emotions that rises in his throat. He clenches his hands to stop himself from shaking.

Venti smiles at him. “Rest easy, Kaeya. For now, it is over. Your body and mind are yours.”

He takes a deep, shuddering breath. For now. He knew it was too good to be true. The Sinner will just come back. Again. And again. And again. “How long will he be gone?”

He hums in contemplation. “I’m not entirely sure, but I do know that it will be a long time before you need to start worrying about him.” He puts his hands on his shoulders, causing Kaeya to look up at him. “You will be asleep for a while after this. This ordeal has taken a toll on your mind and your body.”

“I’m fine.” He’s so tired. He wants to curl up in bed and sleep for a few years or maybe not wake up at all. The only thing waiting for him when he wakes up is pain, especially in his eye and face.

Venti’s face softens as if he could hear his inner thoughts. “Let me take you home.”

He looks away and slowly nods. “I want to go home,” he softly admits. A wave of exhaustion tugs at him, and he is suddenly glad that the bard picks him up with ease and sets him onto his back. He subconsciously holds onto him, and when Venti starts to laugh, he glances at him curiously. “What’s so funny?” he asks.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve seen you like this, Captain,” he replies as he starts to walk. “Our last meeting ended with you saying you owed me a drink. I haven’t forgotten about that.”

“I did,” he replies honestly.

“I suppose we can rectify that, can’t we?”

Kaeya’s lips twinge upward and he feels his head beginning to dip forward. “You’ll probably need to take that up with Father.”

Venti whines as he adjusts the grip he has on his legs. “Master Crepus sort of scares me, if I’m being completely honest. In any case, I’ve missed seeing you and Master Diluc as children. It’s so strange to see you so young again.”

“You get used to it.” His eyes start to close themselves as fatigue starts to close in on him. His head feels like it’s being weighed down by a lead-filled weight. “Soon I’ll be taller than ’Luc again.”

“You always were a small child.” He laughs again as he grumbles softly in objection. Then he sighs wistfully, “Ah, you’re going to be too big to carry very soon. You’ll be way too tall in a few short years. This may be my last and only time ever carrying you anywhere like this!”

Kaeya hums in tired amusement. “You jealous?”

He snorts. “No, not at all, my dear captain!”

His eyes have already closed and his cheek is resting against the archon’s shoulder. He’s finally going home. He lets himself relax. He can trust Venti. If he says the Sinner won’t bother him for a long time, then he believes him, as hard as it is. His voice is quiet when he whispers, “Thank you, Venti…”

A few seconds pass in silence. Venti begins to hum a soft tune, walking as carefully as he can to not jostle him too much. His gentle song flows through him, easing his anxiously racing mind until finally sleep claims him.

He’s asleep when Venti smiles and they disappear from the strange realm. “Sleep well, Kaeya. May the thousand winds bless your dreams—you will not need to fear this night.”

It’s uncomfortably warm.

The sensation is achingly familiar and Kaeya slowly starts to wake up even though exhaustion is pulling at every muscle in his body.

The sheets and blankets tucked securely around him cause him to be warmer than he would prefer. When he opens his eyes, everything is blurry. Right off the bat, he can tell he isn’t in the domain. The cold gray, cracking walls are instead a solid wooden ceiling with intricate designs he can’t decipher but he knows are there and brighter walls.

He takes a deep breath, comforted by the fact that it isn’t the moldy, stale air of the domain. The curtains are partially closed to block sunlight from blinding him but open just enough to allow a gentle breeze of fresh air into the room.

He blearily moves his eyes to examine the room he is in and his gaze lands on the figure sitting in a chair beside his bed. His red hair and clothes are disheveled, it looks like he hasn’t properly slept in days, and dark bags hang under his eyes, but all Kaeya can feel is overwhelming relief.

His heart clenches painfully. How worried was Crepus this whole time? It looks like he could use more sleep than him. He tries to move and licks his dry lips to croak out a quiet, “Father…?”

Crepus lifts his head sharply. He shoots up to his feet and takes his hand. “Kaeya! Oh, thank Barbatos!” He wastes no time enveloping him in a tight hug. It makes it hard to breathe, and if he tightened his arms a bit more his back could probably break, but Kaeya returns the desperate hug with one of his own.

His hands grip the back of his shirt with as tight of a grip as he can manage, feeling his strength rapidly depleting with just this little movement. He pants from the effort. “I got a vision,” he says softly. His eyes are beginning to close themselves again and he feels his grip slacken.

His adoptive father lets out a short, wet laugh. “Yes, you did,” he replies softly.

“Where’s… where’s ’Luc? Is he okay?”

“He is resting, just like you should be.” He pulls away and helps him lay back down. Kaeya’s vision is getting dark already as exhaustion starts to claim him again. He leans down and gently presses his lips against his forehead. “Go back to sleep, starlight. I’ll be here when you wake up.”

For the first time in a long time, Kaeya willingly obeys and falls asleep to the sound of a harp being played with the wind.

Chapter Text

The Knights of Favonius are so inefficient.

Crepus doesn’t care about the thousand apologies Belinda and Wyratt give him. The guilty faces they make nor the barely optimistic words they say to him make him believe they’re actually going to do anything to help find his sons. “Please, have faith. We’ll find them and bring them home,” they both say more than once.

Enough is enough. If the Ordo won’t do anything to help his kids, then he’ll do something himself.

“Master Ragnvindr, please—” Wyratt tries to say for the thousandth time this morning.

Both he and Belinda shrivel under the murderous glare he gives them. “You knights are useless,” he interrupts. He doesn’t bother holding back his temper. He’s tired of suppressing his anger, tired of trying to save face. He doesn’t care if his reputation is ruined because of this. “My sons are missing and here you are, twiddling your thumbs. Are having a nice time here at the winery? Staying warm? Eating the food we provide and drinking your fill without a care in the world? Is this what you incompetent knights do nowadays?”

Despite her nervousness, Belinda keeps eye contact and answers, “Master Ragnvindr, we really are doing our best. We will find your sons.”

He scoffs at her and snaps, “You have done nothing! My son disappeared right under your god damned noses! Isn’t it your job to protect the citizens of Mondstadt?”

Wyratt raises his hands defensively into the air. “Please, Master Ragnvindr, calm down! I’m so sorry—!” he tries to explain but gets immediately interrupted.

The excuses and telling him to calm down only anger him further. It seems like Wyratt realizes this as he pales when Crepus’ hands turn to fists. “I have been calm for four days now. Do not tell me to calm down while nothing has been done!”

“No one snuck in and I didn’t see him leave while I was patrolling the fields last night! No one saw anything out of the ordinary, and if he left of his own accord, Belinda didn’t hear him!”

His hands turn to fists. Useless idiots. “Enough with your bullshit excuses! I am tired of having you two here. I want you both gone!”

Belinda shakes her head and says, “Master Varka said that we need to stay here and protect you! The suspect could come to the manor at any time and harm—”

“I don’t give a damn what Varka said!” His yell makes the two cowardly knights flinch. He angrily points to the front doors of the manor. “Get the hell off my property before I escort you out myself!”

Belinda and Wyratt share a look and then quietly turn to leave. The manor remains quiet after the doors close after them, with only the sounds of Crepus’ heavy breathing filling the air. He turns on his heel toward the stairs. “Unless it’s an emergency, we are not taking any visitors or guests,” he says.

“Yes, Master Crepus,” Elzer replies.

Adelinde nods her head and watches him with worry in her eyes as he storms upstairs. He doesn’t go to his office and instead slams the door to his own room closed. The morning light shines through the window, occasionally obstructed by the clouds that roll across the sky. It’s such a beautiful day out in contrast to the violent anger that rolls through his body.

“This is a different location where we may reconvene at your leisure. I will be there for a few days before I must return to Snezhnaya.”

Dottore’s words still remain fresh in his memory. He knows the doctor likely hasn’t left Mondstadt yet, and from what he remembers of the information on the paper he’d been given, it isn’t too far from the winery. He glances out the window to look at the river. The slimes jump around near the shore, frolicking in the cold water and a few birds fly off from the trees and away from the winery.

He closes his eyes. He needs to calm down if he wants to save his sons. Pure anger won’t do anything to help them. In. He inhales slowly through his nostrils, holds it for a few moments, and then lets it go. Out. It takes a few tries, but eventually, his temper ebbs away into something he can control. He opens his eyes again, turns to his closet, and throws the doors wide open.

His clothes vary in color and style, both casual and formal, and he grabs the only riding cloak he has without a second thought. There isn’t much time before Il Dottore leaves Mondstadt. Knowing him, he probably hasn’t moved locations unless he found something scientifically earth-shattering. If that’s the case, he’ll simply have to follow the doctor’s trail.

“Please don’t go, Father. Please don’t make me watch this happen again.”

He closes his eyes and an apologetic sound escapes him. This is the only lead he has that can help him save both of his sons.

I’m sorry, Kaeya.

With his mind made up, he throws the cloak over his shoulders as he walks back out of his room. Adelinde and Elzer are still downstairs and he doesn’t spare them a glance. “I will be gone most of the day. I will return by supper time,” he informs them. He opens the door. “If the Knights of Favonius want to know where I went, I am out for business.”

“…Yes, Master Crepus,” Adelinde says softly. “Promise us that you will be careful.”

He looks over his shoulder. Elzer and Adelinde are both watching him with worry in their faces, but neither makes a move to stop him. He forces a smile to try and ease their fears. “I will be as careful as I can.” He turns back around. “Expect me to come back by supper. Don’t wait for me if I’m late.”

With that, he shuts the door behind him and hurries to the stable. He gets Lady ready in record time and is out of Dawn Winery before Adelinde glances out the window, only to see the little cloud of dust Lady’s hooves leave behind as she gallops at full speed.

The Fatui camp isn’t hard to find.

South of Springvale is a small valley nestled between the cliffs with sturdy hilichurl huts dotting the area. It’s out of the way of any normal travelers and any locals already know to avoid the area to avoid dealing with the Fatui. A wall made of rotting wooden planks blocks the little valley off, leaving only a tiny gap in the middle. A single Anemoboxer stands guard, his eyes staying on his form the moment he hears Lady’s hooves clopping against the ground in the direction of the camp.

Crepus stops just in front of him and slides out of the saddle. “I am here to see Dottore. Is he still here?” he asks and takes Lady’s reigns.

The guard nods once. “The Lord Harbinger is expecting you,” he says and jerks his head backward. “Middle hut.”

He doesn’t thank the guard and walks through, keeping the hood of his cloak up as he crosses through the gap in the shabby wall. The Fatui agents that roam around stare at him, some curious, others hostile, but they leave him alone when he stops at the middle hut. Both torches on either side are unlit, and he ties Lady’s reigns to one of them.

He pats her neck and leaves her to step inside the hut. In the middle of the single round room is a long stone table with someone laying on its surface. It’s clear that whoever the poor soul was has been dead for some time now. He lifts his eyes away from the body to look at the harbinger that stands with his back facing him.

“I almost believed you would not come,” Il Dottore says. He doesn’t turn around, too focused on whatever task that is before him.

Crepus huffs. “I almost didn’t,” he replies. He eyes the leg of the unmoving body the harbinger is standing over. As disturbing as it is to see a dead body on any day, there is a distinct lack of blood even though there is a large hole in the stomach. “What did this one do?”

He hums as if he’s uninterested in the question. “It really is none of your business, but I can indulge your curiosity. He met his end while attempting to accomplish a task designated to him.”

He glares daggers into his back. “And would that task happen to be kidnapping an eight-year-old boy?”

Dottore pauses and finally turns around. He smiles at him and flashes too-sharp teeth at him as he leans against the table. “Perhaps it was. You, on the other hand, will be happy to learn that he escaped a few days ago near the border.”

Crepus’ eyes widen and he struggles not to let his relief show. Kaeya escaped! “Where is my son?” he demands.

“Indeed, that is the million-mora question.” He folds his hands behind his back. “If I knew the answer, I would tell you. The agent escorting the carriage reported that they were attacked by a man with strange abilities. Both the child and the man were gone when he woke up.”

“Good,” he says. “I will find Kaeya before you send any more goons after him.”

He chuckles, looking far too relaxed and amused as he gives this information away. “Even after learning that we, the Fatui, stole your child and tried taking him to Snezhnaya, you still seek our aid?”

He frowns as his jaw twitches. “As much as it pains me to say it: yes.”

The doctor studies him for a few quiet and tense moments before he takes a step toward him. “Your morals are slightly askew, Master Ragnvindr. Is it justice that you seek a delusion or is it petty revenge?”

“It is not against you that I would deal out a just punishment.”

“Oh?” He laughs again, but the toothy smile he had before disappears into a simple grin. “It is unfortunate for you that I do not have a delusion on my person.”

Crepus narrows his eyes at him. “I did not come all this way for my time to be wasted. You knew I was coming. Where is it?”

A heavy footstep hits the stone ground behind him. “You do not get to make demands while you are here, Master Ragnvindr,” a new voice says.

Crepus freezes. The deep voice he hasn’t heard in years still sends shivers up his spine and he flicks his eyes to see the owner of the voice walk past him and stop near the stone table.

The Jester looks the same as he always has, although the mask he wears has grown since he last saw him. Half of his face is almost entirely covered by it, but the same blue eye scans the body before it’s turned in his direction. The air around him seems to breathe command and the expression he wears is as cold as the stone beneath their feet.

The look in his eye makes Crepus want to turn and run, especially as he comes to terms with the gravity of this easily avoided situation. He knew it was a trap the moment he’d received the invitation to meet Il Dottore.

Now here he is, alone and faced against the second harbinger and the director himself.

Even if he does try to run, he has no help. No one knows he’s here.

People would be lucky to find his dead body.

“You are brave to come here alone,” the Jester finally says after a long silence. His voice lacks any emotion that his eye holds. “I should have you disposed of for your treachery.”

Maybe he should have told Adelinde and Elzer where he was going before he ran off into a death trap. He doesn’t ask why the Fatui director himself is here in Mondstadt and replies with his own frown, “I would do anything for my children, Pierro. If you had any yourself, you would understand that I would risk everything to save them.”

Pierro’s expression remains annoyingly passive, but a flash of interest crosses his single-eyed gaze. “You would do anything?”

He doesn’t like the way this is going, yet he straightens and answers, “If my death ensures their safety, then so be it. I will not fight it, as long as you swear never to go near my family again.”

Silence stretches between them for what seems like an eternity. Crepus keeps looking between Dottore and Pierro, keeping a vigilant watch as if he could do anything to fight them off. He came unarmed and alone—far from the smartest idea he’s ever had but it is the truth.

Crepus would do anything to save his kids.

The Jester ponders his words a couple of seconds more before he glances at Dottore. “Retrieve it,” he commands.

As the second harbinger exits the hut and leaves them alone, Crepus asks tentatively, “You’re giving me one?”

He takes a step closer. “I am not giving you a delusion. What I am giving you is a second chance to live in this vile world. In exchange, you will mete out those who have passed their usefulness. The delusion is a mere tool to aid you.”

He hesitates. Returning to the Fatui isn’t something he has thought about. “You’re asking me to come back.”

Pierro quirks his brow. “I am not.”

“But you just said—”

“I am well aware of what has been said,” he interrupts. He stands straighter and the air around him turns heavy as his own anger penetrates the air inside the hut. “I remember the… extravagant way you left us in the past.” He steps closer until he is barely a foot away. It takes all of Crepus’ self-control to not back up a few steps to create a bit of breathing room between them. “You are a traitor to the Fatui, Crepus Ragnvindr.” He backs off slightly as his expression returns to its neutral state. “But I am not a monster. I understand your pain. The loss of a child is unbearable.”

Crepus stays quiet, watching him turn around to look at the body strewn on the table.

“In exchange for your life, you will gain the power to protect those that are precious to you. Family is, after all, a precious thing to be treasured and protected.” He pauses for a moment to allow the words to sink in. “All I require is that you get rid of the rats that have long surpassed their expiration.”

His chest clenches tightly as he realizes what he is asking him to do. “You want to use me as an assassin.” It’s not a question. He’s stating a fact, and when Pierro doesn’t object, his stomach drops. He’s never enjoyed killing others, but if it means his children would be safe from the Fatui, then…

He knows why the Jester would ask him rather than anyone else within the Fatui. Who better to keep the people’s eye off the Fatui if not a third party? He supposes this is a just punishment for treachery and betrayal.

The breeze outside blows gently, but thankfully the cold air remains outside as the torches around the room keep the inside warm. The agents working around the camp are quiet despite the open entrance to the hut that would allow anyone passing by to see them standing there. Lady nickers outside and stamps her hooves, growing impatient the longer she remains tied to the post.

The Jester turns back around and flicks his eye toward the entrance as Dottore returns. The harbinger says nothing as he hands over a small wooden box to the director and goes back to whatever it was he was doing to the body.

Pierro takes two steps toward Crepus and stops to hold out the box to him, offering him to take it. “Think of it as ensuring not only ensuring the future of the Fatui and Her Majesty, the Tsaritsa but also the safety and well-being of Mondstadt and her people. Take it, and we have come to an agreement.”

Crepus stares at it and the latch that seals the delusion inside. Even though it remains sealed inside, the power radiating from it makes him hesitate to reach for it. Something about it seems strange, and he swallows down a nervous ball that had built in his throat to ask, “If I do this, will you leave my children alone?”

Pierro is the one who hesitates this time. “The younger one is of great value to us and the Tsaritsa,” he answers and pulls his arm back. “The power he holds can change the entirety of Teyvat for the greater good.”

He nearly chokes on the air in his confusion and astonishment. What in Teyvat does the Cryo Archon want with his son?

Kaeya doesn’t have a vision, he hasn’t shown any kind of signs of any otherworldly powers. Any other power he can think of and the similarities between them all have not shown in his behavior during the time he’s known him. Even if the Tsaritsa is an Archon, kidnapping him would have the opposite effect either of them desired.

“There is a war coming, Crepus,” the Jester continues. “Not between our nations, the people, nor is it because of our different beliefs. This war is greater than you can imagine. As such, not even a single pawn must be spared.”

He fights the urge to laugh. “You say that after asking me to kill people that have outlasted their usefulness.”

“Then don’t outlast your own.” He holds the box out again. “I shall ensure the safety of your son, for as long as you aid us. If not, we will dispose of you here and now.”

And then there would be no one to protect either of his boys.

Crepus only has one choice.

He takes the box and glares at the seemingly innocent box. The latch flicks upward with a single flick and inside lays a black glove with a deep red gem sewn into the leather. It looks similar to a vision, though it lacks a proper casing and the distinct emblem that would otherwise be in the middle. He snaps it shut as he puts it into the pocket of his cloak.

The Jester lowers his arm with a satisfied nod. “You already know your first target. See it done in three days’ time.”

Dottore grins at him and offers an almost friendly wave as he turns around to leave. “Good luck, Master Ragnvindr. I do hope you find your sons in good health as soon as possible.”

Crepus says nothing in response and doesn’t look back as he exits the hut and throws his hood back over his head. As much as he hates it and the way his stomach churns at the thought of murdering others, he can’t help but to look forward to this first task.

Eroch’s usefulness for the Fatui has run its course, and as such, he will be dealt with accordingly.

Crepus gets back to Dawn Winery just after sundown. It’s too quiet—the sounds of running kids are absent and Adelinde’s shouts for them to not run in the manor are missing. His heart aches thinking about it, but as he steps inside and the warm air washes over him, he begins to shake.

He should have seen the warning signs; the way Eroch insisted on training him once he joined the Ordo, the way he acted and spoke when Kaeya was even mentioned, and even the look in his eyes should have told him everything he needed to know.

But why? What is so important about Kaeya that has attracted the Fatui and the Tsaritsa’s fixation? What power was Pierro talking about? A pit forms in his stomach the more he thinks about it. The way he found him was mysterious itself—abandoned and alone in the middle of one of the worst storms Mondstadt had ever had.

“Children are still used as tools.”

As much as he doesn’t want to admit it, Eroch was right.

He opens his closet to put his cloak back inside, but he doesn’t immediately hang it back up. He stares at it in silence and grips it harder as memories run through his mind. The delusion that he has been carrying is heavier than before, sitting patiently in the box and waiting to be used.

He glares at the little thing and tosses it onto the bed to put it away in a safer spot at a later time. Once he finds the boys, he isn’t going to let them out of his sight any time soon. The delusion will help him find them and kill the ones that took them.

His thoughts come to a screeching halt when a loud noise explodes from the grape field. It sounds almost like the ground itself is cracking but when he looks outside, the ground is just fine although the air itself seems to twist and turn. A dark gate stretches open across the dirt path that leads up to the manor’s front doors, dark even in the dim night lights. That power looks Abyssal. What the hell is that—

He almost calls for Elzer and Adelinde to stay inside when someone steps through but his throat closes up the moment he recognizes him immediately. His eyes widen as he watches Diluc step through, his skin pale in the moonlight and it looks like he could be sick at any second. He wants to jump through the window to get to him, but he doesn’t think he’d be able to land safely without injuring himself. He has to settle for staring at the scene as someone else steps through.

The man following Diluc is limping behind, favoring one leg as he staggers out of the portal. His jaw is set, likely in pain and Crepus notices that he is carrying a third person on his back. Although they are clearly unconscious and their face is hidden from him, Crepus can recognize that it’s Kaeya.

The cloak falls from his hands and he rushes out of his room, his thoughts focusing solely on the boys. His heart beats hard and fast in his ears and he startles Adelinde and Elzer as he jumps the last few stairs.

Elzer almost drops the glass of water he’s holding. “Master Crepus? What’s wrong?” he asks.

Adelinde rushes to his side as he throws the door wide open. “Master Crepus? What is the matter?” she asks. Her eyes land on Diluc as he climbs the last of the stairs leading up to the front doors and gasps in shock. The boy is covered in dust, dirt, and scratches. A deep cut on his arm has bled through his shirt and ruined it, and another is bleeding from somewhere on his head. “Master Diluc!” she exclaims.

Elzer is immediately at her side while Crepus ignores them, taking the last few steps forward to fall to his knees and engulf Diluc in a tight embrace. His own shirt will probably be stained from a mixture of Diluc’s blood and tears with the way he buries his head into his chest and shoulders shake and he’ll probably have to throw it out, but all he feels is relief. “Diluc!” he shouts.

Diluc’s entire body is trembling, whether it’s out of fear or the cold, Crepus doesn’t know, but Diluc is the first to break their painfully short hug. He looks up at him, tears stinging his eyes as he shouts, “Dainsleif needs help! He’s really hurt!”

“Who?” he asks. He turns his head up as the blond man finally approaches them, limping far slower than when he’d initially stepped outside of the portal. He is dragging his leg by now, creating a small divot in the dirt on either side of his foot. The wound in the man’s leg is worryingly deep and blood flows freely to the ground.

The man Crepus safely assumes is Dainsleif grunts in pain as he steps onto the smooth stone of the manor’s entrance. His knee starts to shake, telling anyone that could see that he will collapse if he takes another step. “Take him, please,” he says to anyone, but his eyes are on Crepus.

Crepus immediately takes charge. “Elzer, help him inside, and then go get a healer from the city! Adelinde, get the first aid kit, then prepare some warm water and towels!” he quickly orders. He then rushes forward to help ease Kaeya’s limp form off of Dainsleif’s back while Adelinde runs back in and Elzer helps the man remain standing.

Dainsleif, however, tries to push Elzer off. “I’ll be all right,” he insists.

“You’re bleeding all over the place and your leg will get infected if you don’t let us help,” Elzer retorts.

The man hesitates before he finally allows the butler to take his arm and put it around his own shoulders to support him and help him inside the manor.

With him taken care of, Crepus turns his attention back to the boys. Kaeya’s skin is hot to the touch, he hasn’t stirred once and the only thing that tells him that he is still alive is his ragged breathing. His eyepatch is missing and the veins beneath the normally covered eye are black.

Diluc sways from where he’s standing and Crepus tears his eyes off of Kaeya to see the far-off look in the older boy’s eyes. His wounds don’t look like they’re serious, but the heavy bleeding from his head and arm is still going strong. Shit. “Diluc, can you walk?” he asks seriously.

Diluc takes too long to think about it. Not good. “Papa, I don’t feel good,” he mumbles.

His heart stutters. Diluc hasn’t called him ‘Papa’ so casually in years. Whether it’s exhaustion, blood loss, or something else, Diluc isn’t going to be awake for much longer. “Let’s go inside, okay? I’ll help you.” He shifts Kaeya into one arm and takes Diluc’s hand in his free arm. “We’ll go slow if you need.”

Diluc nods slowly and manages to get a few steps inside before he topples forward, held up only by the grip Crepus has on his hand. He grunts as he finds his footing again. “’M sorry… I’m really dizzy,” he says quietly.

“It’s okay, you’re okay,” he instantly replies. He looks at Adelinde as she comes back down the stairs. “Adelinde, please, help me get Kaeya upstairs.”

She takes the unconscious boy out of his arms with no hesitation and worryingly puts the back of her hand against his forehead. “Master Crepus, he’s burning up!”

“I know.” He walks up the stairs. “Elzer will be getting a healer shortly. Please, do what you can to cool him down.”

Diluc lifts his head. He looks exhausted, but he doesn’t look like he’s going to be sick anymore. “He got a vision…” he tells them and digs his hand into his pocket. “Vision ’s cold…” He pulls out a cryo vision from his back pocket, its sky-blue light shining brightly.

Crepus stares at it with wide eyes. After what he learned from the Jester, seeing the cryo insignia makes him frown deeply. The Tsaritsa herself has blessed him… what is the meaning of all this?

Despite the hopeful coincidence, his chest swells with bleak pride. This must be how he escaped the Fatui, he thinks grimly as Adelinde takes the vision. “Come on; let’s get you cleaned up and taken care of, all right? Adelinde, please take care of Kaeya for the time being.”

Diluc groans tiredly as he sets his head back onto Crepus’ shoulder. “’M sorry I ran away,” he utters. His words start to slur as he gets closer to passing out. “But I wanted t’ help Dainsleif.”

He adjusts his grip as he ascends the staircase. He has to keep him awake, keep him talking. “Where did you meet Dainsleif?”

“…Don’ be mad at him, Papa. He… let me come with him… t’ save Kae.” His eyelids begin to droop.

“Hey, hey, no sleeping yet. I need you to stay awake.” He pats his back comfortingly as the boy wearily groans in objection. “I do have a few choice words for Dainsleif, but that can wait. Can you tell me where you met him?” he repeats.

He nods. They’re finally on the second floor and enter his bedroom shortly after. “Outside.” He lifts his head and points to the window. “Saw him over there… by the trees.”

Crepus sets him down on the bed and looks at his head. There is a warm bowl of water sitting on the nightstand with two towels beside it, but the medical supplies are likely with Elzer at the moment. He takes one of the towels and holds it against the cut on his forehead, pressing down firmly to try and stop the bleeding despite Diluc’s quiet whine. Crepus’ heart shatters at the pained sound, wishing he had something to help him right now. “I know it hurts, but it will only be a little longer, okay?”

“…Doesn’ hurt,” he softly insists. “’M a knight.”

“Even knights can still hurt, firefly.”

The bleeding stops shortly, and Crepus is relieved that the injuries aren’t as serious as he thought. The cut on his arm is the worst of them and would likely need stitches, but until the healer arrives, the simple bandage he wrapped around his head and arm will have to do. After he helps him clean up and change clothes, Diluc falls asleep as soon as his head hits the pillow, barely able to let out a quiet, “Good night,” as his eyes close themselves.

Crepus stands and pulls the covers over him. He’ll scold him later when he has healed. With Diluc taken care of, he leaves the room to get to the room beside it. He pushes the door open and sees Adelinde sitting on the edge of the bed beside Kaeya, wringing out a towel into a bowl. She looks up when she hears him and then returns her attention to what she is doing. “How is he?” he asks as he goes to the other side of the bed.

“He hasn’t woken up yet,” she informs him. She folds the towel and places it on Kaeya’s forehead. “It doesn’t look like he’s too terribly hurt, but we won’t know for certain until the healer arrives.” She sets her hands in her lap and grips her apron tightly.

“Are you all right?” he asks.

She hesitates and her jaw twinges slightly as she tries to hold back her own anger. “Please tell me you will deal with whoever did this to them.” She looks up at him, her brows scrunched close together.

He nods and turns his attention to the sleeping boy. He can’t keep his eyes off his chafed and bruised wrists. He has a few minor cuts here and there, but his temper starts to boil inside again and he traces his thumb underneath his right eye. The strange dark veins have lessened since they brought him inside, although the black in his sclera has yet to recede. “After the healer leaves,” he replies.

Adelinde nods in approval. “Shall I attend to our guest?”

“No. I have questions for him.” He gets back up. “I’ll be back shortly.”

The guest room lies a short distance away on the other side of the staircase, overlooking the opposite side of the winery. He knocks once against the wooden door and opens it and is startled by what he sees. The blond man is sitting up in the bed, a red-stained towel sits inside the bowl and his face is clear of any blood that had been covering it earlier. “Your name is Dainsleif, right?”

Dainsleif nods as he puts away the unused medical supplies back into the box Elzer had brought him. He briefly looks up and then back to the injury on his leg. “Yes,” he replies, his monotone voice oddly familiar.

“I want to thank you for saving my sons.” He steps inside and leaves the door open. “You’re welcome to stay here as long as you need. The healer should be here shortly to—”

“I apologize, Master Ragnvindr, however, I must take my leave,” he interrupts. He winces as he pulls his hands away from the bandages that are wrapped around his leg. “I cannot stay for much longer.”

“You are more than welcome to stay the night and rest.”

Dainsleif shakes his head. “It’s quite all right. I have important matters to attend to that cannot wait any longer.”

Crepus fully understands that. He accepts it with a nod. “Very well. Before you leave, may I ask what happened?”

He takes a breath as he tests putting some weight on his injured leg. “While it is not my place to give you the details, I have been keeping an eye on Kaeya for some time now. Ever since the herald first attacked your sons months ago.”

“That long?” He feels slightly disturbed learning that. He hadn’t noticed anyone watching them for that long.

The blond man nods. “Indeed. When the Fatui had taken him, I did all that I could to help him and fought the doctor that was with him because I believed it would keep him safe.”

Crepus is rarely impressed by strangers, and the fact that he was able to fight off Dottore, whether it was one of his segments or not, and come out alive leaves him in awe.

The man continues to speak. “I told him to run. If I hadn’t, perhaps I could have gotten him home the first day.” He clenches his hands into fists. “The Abyss Order took him before I could catch up to him.”

He feels the blood drain from his face and he swallows hard. “First the Fatui, then the Tsaritsa, and now the Abyss Order? What’s next, Celestia itself?” he asks quietly. “He’s just a boy. He isn’t even old enough to join the Knights of Favonius. He has to use a chair to reach the shelves above the counter. Why are all of them after my son?”

Dainsleif hesitates. He looks away, his eyes full of guilt. He knows exactly why, and it frustrates Crepus that he isn’t telling him. “Again, it is not my place. When the time is right, Kaeya may tell you.” He stands up and turns away from him. “Your boys are stronger than you think. Diluc is… a little rough around the edges and he still needs a lot of training, but he is a good kid and means well. Should he ask, let him know that I am fine. I will come back someday.”

“Do you not want to stay for a meal? It is the least I can do for you as thanks. You saved my sons. I… I don’t know how I can ever repay you.”

He pauses and looks back at him. “Maybe one day, I would try a Death Afternoon from your tavern.”

He snorts, mildly amused. “If that’s all you want, I can have that arranged.”

The corner of his lip turns upward slightly. “Then it is settled. For now, it is goodbye.” He raises his arm and the gate Crepus had first seen appears right in front of him. Seconds later, it closes and he’s left alone in the guest room.

He smiles at no one, still staring at the spot Dainsleif had disappeared through. “Thank you,” he says under his breath and turns around to put the first aid kit away.

With blood loss and elemental exhaustion on top of each other, the healer Elzer had brought informed them that Diluc is expected to sleep through the day and night to regain his strength. The healer goes to treat Kaeya next, but after treating a few minor bruises, a light burn on his back, and the chafing around his wrists, he informs them that all he needs is rest.

Kaeya briefly wakes up sometime in the night and after he promptly falls back to sleep, Crepus huffs out another wet laugh.

He should have been there to protect both of his sons. What kind of parent is he if he can’t even make sure his children are safe in their own home? His fingernails dig into his palm in fury. He knows the first thing he can do.

Varka can send all the knights he wants to arrest Eroch for his treason and various other crimes. He’ll find a way out in a matter of hours and no one would bat an eye. Compared to the rest of Teyvat, Mondstadt’s laws are a joke. The only thing that can get rid of monsters like Eroch is not exile or life in prison.

He turns around and leaves Kaeya’s room quietly and goes back to his own bedroom, where the cloak remains laying on the covers of his bed and the little wooden box hidden underneath it. He doesn’t waste any time throwing the cloak across his shoulders and pulls the glove over his hand. It sits on the back of his hand so naturally, it’s almost like it was made specifically for him. He glares at the little thing and then lowers his arm as he heads for the door.

He exits the manor as quietly as a mouse, waking none but the crystal flies he walks by.

Just this one night, Brighella would return to Teyvat.

Come morning, they won’t be the only one dead to the world.

Chapter Text

The tip of a sharp blade is mere millimeters above his throat, attached to the arm of an all-too-familiar monster. The herald’s facial features are indistinguishable but Kaeya can sense the bloodlust as he struggles to push it away. During their brief fight, however, the monster displayed how fast it truly is. If he moves his hands away for a millisecond even to try to roll away to safety or attempt to grab his sword, he’ll be killed. He knows this battle of brute strength is a lost cause, but he refuses to give up. He needs to hold on a little longer, backup should be here shortly—where is Jean?

The herald leans forward, putting more of its weight against Kaeya’s already straining muscles until its covered face is right next to his ear. “Be grateful, Alberich.”

The herald pushes.

The cold armor slips between his hands.

The blade plunges downward.

A sharp gasp forces its way out of Kaeya’s mouth and his hand shoots up to his neck. He frantically runs his fingers against his skin and only drops his hand when he doesn’t feel the lethal injury. His shoulders sag with instant relief and takes a deep breath to calm his racing heart. It was just a dream. Just… just a dream.

It wasn’t just a dream—

He shakes his head to stop himself from thinking about it.

Kaeya lifts his eyes and his chest tightens when he sees the recognizable room he is in. It’s not a room made of old stone with ancient runes carved into the walls, there isn’t a rotting crate tucked into a corner, and the air isn’t heavy and stagnant. The duvet that he is under is soft and warm, protecting him from any chill hanging in the air. The curtains are closed but the little crack between them allows a little morning light to shine at the foot of his bed.

He’s finally home.

He blinks several times when his vision gets suspiciously blurry. How long has it been since that day? One day? Three? A week? It feels like he had been imprisoned in those memories for years, experiencing lives he can’t remember. He hadn’t died again, had he?

Dread begins to claw its way through his relief. The more he stares at his arms, the more he sees that there isn’t a single mark on him. Not a scratch or bruise from his ordeal stains his skin. He flexes his fingers to make fists. They feel normal enough, if not a bit tight from disuse—or perhaps overuse? He doesn’t know how long he was trapped in that same position and perhaps he never will.

He groans quietly as he sits up and reaches for his eyepatch on the nightstand. His hand stops just above it once he spots a glowing cryo vision sitting right next to it. He picks it up instead and brushes his other hand over the bright blue gem. He never liked being cold but when a familiar cold brushes against the tips of his fingers and moves its way through his arm, he takes another relieved breath.

If his vision is here, he can be assured this is real.

Nothing will pop out from the darkness and attack him, there isn’t a monster three times his size waiting for him to step outside his bedroom, and there is no voice in his head. He’s moving his body of his own accord.

It’s over.

He sets the vision back down and grabs the eyepatch. With the confirmation that this is indeed reality, it feels like a huge weight has been lifted off of his shoulders. As he ties off the eyepatch to the back of his head, he glances at the crack between the curtains. It’s quiet outside and with how bright it is this day, he doubts it will rain again.

He blinks as he drops his arms back to his sides. How many days has it been since he arrived? Now that he thinks about it, he doesn’t even remember coming back home. The last time he was truly conscious, he remembers laying on the ground and hardly able to move. Diluc was above him, wasn’t he?

He shakes his head. He doesn’t want to remember right away. He can save it for an inevitable interrogation later.

The sound of the door opening steals his attention. There isn’t a knock that accompanies it but when he sees the shocked look on Crepus’ face as he spots Kaeya sitting up, he hadn’t expected to see the boy awake yet. “Kaeya!” he says breathily. Whatever worry he had before he stepped inside is thrown out the window as he takes three quick strides to rush to his bedside and engulfs him in a tight hug. “Thank Barbatos, you’re awake!”

Kaeya doesn’t hesitate to reciprocate and clings to him as if his life depends on it. He grabs handfuls of his vest and shirt into both of his palms and his shoulders start to shake as he struggles to contain his emotions. He squeezes both eyes shut and buries his face into Crepus’ chest to hide himself. He doesn’t want to ruin another one of Crepus’ vests but the tears are slipping out on their own. He tries to pull his head back to not ruin his clothes again since the vests are expensive to repair, and to purchase a brand new one is even more mora that could be used for other things but Crepus’ hand keeps his head in place. “I’m sorry,” he blurts out, muffled by the fabric his face is pressed again. “I’m so sorry.”

Crepus again interrupts his thoughts with a soft, “It’s okay. You’re okay, starlight. You’re safe now.”

He swallows hard, feeling the tears starting to slip. He never should have said he didn’t care about him dying. Regret pulls at every fiber of his being. Why did he say that? What would have happened if that was the last thing he said to Crepus? He shakes as he struggles to contain his emotions. “I’m sorry, Father,” he repeats. “I shouldn’t have said that I wouldn’t care if you got killed because I do care about you and I do care if you get killed. I don’t want you to die again. I’m sorry—”

His heart skips a beat when he realizes his mistake. Crepus, however, either doesn’t hear his slip-up or chooses to ignore it. “Hush, it’s okay,” he repeats. His grip tightens and it makes it a little harder to breathe, but Kaeya doesn’t let go. He basks in the safety and security the hug makes him feel, as though this single hug could protect him from anything out there in the world, even from the gods themselves. “It’s all right. I’m not upset.”

“Really?”

“I wasn’t ever upset at you, Kaeya. I am very, very glad you are home again.”

Kaeya believes him. He gives him one last squeeze until he releases the death grip he has on his adoptive father and pulls away to wipe his eyes, happy that he hadn’t completely broken down again. “Is Diluc okay?” he asks after a moment.

Crepus smiles as he replies, “He’s okay. He also has some new scars but he seems to be proud of them.”

He snorts with amusement but he isn’t surprised. At least some things never change—leave it to a young Diluc to be proud of battle scars.

“He kept asking about you as well.”

“He did?”

He nods. “Practically all day yesterday. He visited you no less than ten times in the morning alone when he should have been resting.”

He rolls his eyes. Ten times would sound like an exaggeration to others but with how impatient Diluc could be, he’s positive he visited him more than that. “How long have I been asleep?”

“Well, you woke up briefly the night you came back and fell back to sleep and stayed asleep since then. It’s been about a day since then.”

That’s not as bad as he thought. “It felt longer,” he mumbles under his breath.

He doesn’t know how Crepus heard him, but he answers all the same. “I imagine it did. You had a fever when you returned, but it went away practically overnight. The healer we called for said it was a blessing from Barbatos.”

Kaeya looks down at his wrists and the corner of his lips lifts a little when he sees smooth, uninjured skin. He really does need to find a way to thank Venti somehow. He slowly loses the little smile and swallows back nervousness. “How long was I gone?”

A dark look crosses Crepus’ eyes before it vanishes as quickly as it came. “You disappeared almost a week ago.”

“Oh.” He looks down again. It doesn’t feel like it has only been a week. He thought at least a month had passed, maybe even longer but between waking up from a hallucination, speaking to Caribert, and Diluc—

He freezes.

Diluc had died.

The Sinner’s voice echoes in his ears. “You chose this.”

He stood no chance against the herald. The blade that had stabbed him was half his size.

Kaeya knows the voice isn’t actually there and that it’s in his head, but he can’t stop his hands from shaking nor can he stop the fear that churns in his stomach. Even if Diluc can’t remember dying, Kaeya can still see Diluc’s empty eyes staring back at him, lips pale and his own blood staining the ground beneath him. He can still remember how his body was forced to turn away, just like a puppeteer would control their marionette—

“Kaeya? Are you all right?”

He snaps his head up, the jarring movement making him almost dizzy and he takes a few breaths. Had he forgotten to breathe? “Sorry,” he says hoarsely. “I was just remembering things.”

Worry seems to be permanently etched into his father’s face. “Do you want to talk about it?”

“No,” he answers quickly. Even if he wanted to, he doubts Crepus would believe him anyway.

Crepus hesitates before he nods. “Okay. If you ever do want to talk about it, I’m always here to listen.” He stands back up and offers him a hand to help him up. “Would you like to come with me to wake up Diluc? He’ll be happy to see you.”

Kaeya pushes the rest of the covers off and takes the offered hand in seconds. His sore muscles protest as he stands up and his knees creak as he keeps himself upright but he remains steady as he takes a few cautious steps forward and follows Crepus out of the room eagerly.

They stop in front of Diluc’s bedroom door and Crepus lightly raps his knuckles against the wood. “Diluc, someone wants to see you,” he says as he opens the door.

Kaeya follows him inside and his eyes land on the lump underneath the covers. A tired groan emits from it and Diluc slowly emerges from the covers, his eyes still closed even as he sits up. He mumbles something incoherent and the unrecognizable words slur together until he gives up and yawns instead.

Crepus chuckles. “I thought you loved being up at the crack of dawn. You’re always the first one up and yet here we are, waking you up first.”

Diluc’s eyebrows scrunch together. “I thought I was off of training today,” he answers, his voice thick with sleep.

“You are but you have a visitor who would like to see you. Come on, now, open your eyes.”

Diluc groans again but he obeys after he yawns a second time. He blinks a few times and barely looks at their father when his eyes land on Kaeya. His sleepiness vanishes in an instant and he practically tears off the covers in his haste to get out of bed. “Kaeya! You’re awake!” he shouts.

Kaeya braces himself for the inevitable tackle of a hug he gets and grunts in the tight embrace he gets. He finds himself holding onto his brother just as tight. They’re not in a domain, not in any immediate danger, and Diluc is alive. He clings to the natural warmth Diluc gives and lets out a shaky laugh. Thank you. “You’re an idiot, you know that?” he says.

“I’m not an idiot,” he retorts, but he doesn’t sound like he cares about being called one.

“Thank you,” he adds under his breath. He gives Diluc one last squeeze before he lets go.

Diluc smiles as well as he pulls away as well and salutes. “I am a knight, it’s my job to save people,” he says proudly.

“You’re still in training. You aren’t a knight yet.”

The redhead chooses to ignore that. “I’m really glad you’re all right. You are okay, aren’t you?”

He hesitates. Physically, he’s fine. He doesn’t have any burns, scrapes, or bruises anymore and he has no broken bones. He can breathe on his own and his eye isn’t hurting. The nightmares, however, will plague him for weeks. He nods anyway. He can’t keep worrying Diluc. “I’m all right. I was worried when I saw you, though. That monster was really strong. You could have gotten killed.”

Diluc pushes the sleeve of his nightshirt up to show off a thin, pink scar from where the herald’s blade had cut him. “But I didn’t and I got a really cool scar!”

Kaeya looks at his arm with a frown. “Right…” he mutters. His stomach begins to churn again and his chest tightens. “A cool scar.” That’s all it is. Diluc is fine. That scar isn’t a fatal wound. He’s standing right in front of him, smiling away without a care in the world.

“You chose this.”

As if he can sense Kaeya’s growing distress, Crepus interrupts them. “Why don’t you boys get ready for breakfast,” he says. “Adelinde is preparing it now. I think she’ll be delighted to see you together again.”

Kaeya silently thanks him and turns around to go back to his room. It doesn’t take him long to get dressed for the day, but he stops to pick his vision up. He mindlessly tries to clip it to his side and almost lets it fall to the ground before he realizes his vision doesn’t have the proper harness for it to remain attached to anything. He laughs at himself and shakes his head as he looks down at his vision. “Idiot,” he mumbles.

It’s been months since he returned to life as a child and visionless, but the habit of clipping it to his belt every morning remains. He sighs and looks toward the curtains as the sunlight grows brighter as the sun slowly rises higher into the sky. Kaeya sets his vision onto the bed to throw the curtains open, briefly blinding him from the sudden light that flashes. He squints and once his eyes adjust, he stares at the fields and the anemo crystal flies that dance above the dew-covered grapevines.

Today is just another day. He remains standing right in front of the window, staring outside in silence for a few minutes. It feels nostalgic to watch the crystal flies dance and flitter about and to hear the early morning workers converse with each other as they start their long day.

A knock on the door finally tears him out of his silence. “Come in,” he says.

“Oh, so you are dressed,” Crepus answers. He steps inside and looks at the vision sitting on the bed. “I know it wasn’t in the most ideal circumstance, but congratulations on getting a vision!” He picks it up and walks to his side. “Cryo, hm? You and Diluc will make a great team.”

Kaeya doesn’t reply, but he nods curtly to at least let Crepus know he heard him.

He chuckles and hands the vision to him. “I suppose the old rumor that Barbatos favors us Ragnvindrs is true, hm?”

He takes it and looks down at it. “I couldn’t use it when I really needed it, though,” he mumbles.

“What matters is that you’re here now and there is nothing to worry about anymore. Nothing can harm you again if I can help it.” He looks outside and whistles low. “There are a lot of crystal flies out this morning. Were you watching them?”

Kaeya frowns and doesn’t look away from his vision. It glints at him innocently, staring with invisible eyes as his mind puts the pieces together. Crepus can only mean one thing. The grip on his vision tightens. “Did you accept it?” he asks softly.

A heartbeat passes, and then two. Finally, after what feels like hours, his adoptive father lets out a long and drawn-out sigh as if to calm his nerves. They don’t look at each other, Kaeya still staring at the vision and Crepus looking outside. His voice is low and almost defeated when he answers, “I didn’t have a choice.”

“There is always a choice.” Kaeya’s learned that the hard way. “A delusion is not worth it.”

“You are worth it, Kaeya.” He puts a hand on top of his head, causing Kaeya to tear his eyes off of the cryo insignia. “I will pay any price if it means you and Diluc are safe.”

“But that thing can kill you, Father.” It did kill him.

“I know how to use one safely, you have nothing to fear.”

He frowns some more. “That doesn’t matter. That thing, it’s dangerous, Father.”

The bedroom door suddenly slams open and crashes against the wall. “How come you two are taking so long?” Diluc shouts from the door.

Kaeya flinches from the sudden noise and whips his head around to see the impatient redheaded boy crossing his arms across his chest. His heart thumps hard in his chest. It is just Diluc being loud. Why had he been so startled? He doesn’t remember ever being this jumpy before.

“Don’t slam the doors, Diluc, how many times do I have to tell you?” Crepus scolds.

“I’m sorry, but I’ve been waiting for like half an hour and I’m starving!”

He sighs and shakes his head and then pats Kaeya’s back comfortingly. “I was making sure your brother was all right. We were just about to join you. Come along, Kaeya.”

Vision still in hand, he slowly trails after them and eventually pockets it as they reach the stairwell. Crepus nearly runs into Diluc when the boy suddenly stops and spins around to face him.

Diluc looks up at him with an accusing face. “You know how you always tell me to eat my dinner every night?”

Kaeya feels just as confused as Crepus looks. “I tell you to eat your vegetables every night, yes,” Crepus replies. “Why do you ask?”

“Well, I know you didn’t eat dinner yesterday so you need to eat breakfast today, Father!” he tells him.

Crepus raises his eyebrow. “And where did you hear that I didn’t eat dinner yesterday?” he replies.

“Addie told me last night.”

“Oh, no, you caught me.” He chuckles. “Weren’t you supposed to be asleep last night?”

He bobs his head up and down quickly. “Yes, but I got really thirsty and went to get water and she was still up and made some tea, too.”

He hums knowingly. “Was she, now? I’m afraid I was still up, too, so she was waiting for me to return.”

Kaeya looks up at Crepus questioningly. Had he gone somewhere last night? Suspicion crawls its way through him. If so, where did he go? Was it when he went to get the delusion? Does Adelinde know about it?

Diluc then pointedly stares at Crepus’ dark eyebags. “You should probably go to bed again too. You look really tired, Father.”

Crepus chuckles tiredly. “I will likely go to bed very early today.”

Satisfied, the older boy turns to the stairs. “Last one there is a rotten sunsettia!” he shouts and begins to sprint down the steps, jumping over every other step in his haste to reach the dining area first.

Kaeya doesn’t make a move to run and stops at the first step. He grips the banister tightly and then turns to face Crepus again. “Whatever you choose to do, Father, promise me you’ll be careful,” he tells him.

“I always am, Kaeya.”

He bites the inside of his cheek, nods once, and turns back around to follow Diluc. A bad feeling churns in his stomach even as Diluc grabs his arm to drag him to the table and Adelinde cries as she hugs him.

Everyone makes mistakes. He can only hope his father hasn’t made one yet.

Chapter Text

As far back as Kaeya can remember, Diluc has always put others before himself. The Darknight Hero was proof of it. Even when he was an adult, Kaeya could look up at the city rooftops while on a night patrol and see a dark-clad figure watching him from above. Whether it was out of suspicion that he was up to no good (which was hardly ever the case) or otherwise, he would never know, but the one thing he could count on was the Ragnvindr heir always being nearby in case something did happen.

Kaeya looks beside him where Diluc sits on the couch alongside him with his arms across his chest. He is uncharacteristically quiet and has a familiar scowl on his face as he glares daggers at Master Varka. He doesn’t know why Diluc is so angry at the grand master, but the boy's expression reminds him far too much of his old life.

Crepus sits on Diluc’s other side and sets a cup of coffee he’s taken two sips from onto the table. The clinking noise it makes as it hits the little plate breaks through the tense silence between them since Master Varka’s arrival. “I apologize for my behavior when I sent Wyratt and Belinda away. My behavior was unbecoming,” he says calmly. “What I will not apologize for is sending them away.”

“I don’t expect you to,” Master Varka answers. He sets his own emptied cup down as well. “You were stressed and the Knights of Favonius could not find your sons.”

“Stressed is putting it mildly.”

Master Varka hums. “I suppose it does. In any case, I came to ask some questions.”

Crepus looks at Diluc and says, “Diluc, why don’t you take the cups to Adelinde and see if she needs any help with anything. I’ll come get you when we are finished.”

Diluc returns the look, that scowl of his unchanging. “I’m staying here,” he replies.

The corner of Crepus’ eye twitches like he is reigning in his frustration. Kaeya glances at Master Varka apologetically as they are both reminded of where Diluc inherited his temper. “I am not making a suggestion, young man.”

“I don’t want to.”

Kaeya knows that if they let him, Diluc will continue to argue out of sheer stubbornness until their father relents. He puts a hand on the redhead’s shoulder and interrupts them with, “It’s okay, Diluc. It’s just a few questions. It won’t take long.”

Finally, Diluc looks back at him and his eyes soften slightly before he slides slowly off the couch. “Fine. I’ll go find Addie.” He sends a final warning glare to Master Varka and stomps out of the sitting room.

As soon as the door clicks shut, Crepus sighs, “I will also apologize for Diluc’s behavior. He’s been on edge since they got back.”

Master Varka nods in understanding and replies, “It’s quite all right.” He turns his gaze to Kaeya, his expression serious and professional as always. His voice is far gentler as he addresses him as if he is afraid he will make him more nervous than he is already. “Now then, Kaeya, can you tell me what happened the day you disappeared?”

He takes a deep breath to calm his nerves. He’s reported to Master Varka several times about various situations regarding the safety of Mondstadt. He’s stood in the grand master’s large office before the mahogany desk to report good and bad news a thousand times over. He doesn’t need to be so nervous. Kaeya licks his dry lips and begins to speak. “Father and I were at the tavern that morning,” he recalls quietly. He can’t bring himself to raise his voice above a whisper. “He was going to start teaching me how to run a tavern but we got into an argument and I ran away.”

He doesn’t look away even though the shame that runs through him makes him want to avert his eyes and look at anything other than Master Varka and Crepus. Treat it like you failed a mission. “When I got back, two knights were leading him away. They’d put him in handcuffs. They were suspicious and I tried to get them to tell me why they were arresting Father but Father told me to stay in the tavern and wait for Charles to arrive so he could take me home.”

Master Varka nods like he knows this part of the story already. “What happened after?”

Kaeya pulls his hands into his lap to nervously wring them together as he explains more. “I was going obey Father and wait for Charles to arrive and take me back to the manor. But then someone knocked on the door and when I didn’t answer, they started to pick the lock. I had a bad feeling and decided to run through the back door instead of hide. It was someone from the Fatui, but his face was covered so I can’t tell you what he looked like.”

Crepus looks up at Master Varka with his brows furrowed angrily and tells him sharply, “See? I told you.”

Master Varka also frowns, ignoring Crepus’ interjection. “Are you sure it was someone from the Fatui?”

Kaeya nods. “Positive. I managed to get away from him at first and found two knights. I was going to see if they could help me and they tried to convince me to go with them to see Father. Something about them didn’t seem right with me and instead, I asked them how Sumeru was.” He looks up at Crepus guiltily. “Sorry about that, by the way.”

“Sumeru?” He looks confused at first but then his eyes widen as he realizes what Kaeya means. A smile tugs at the corner of his lips. “You are a sneaky one, Kaeya. I hadn’t realized you went through my personal and business letters.”

He tries not to feel too proud of that accomplishment. Sneaking around is far more difficult now than it had been in his old life.

Crepus puts a hand on his head and ruffles his hair fondly. “Don’t make it a habit.”

“No promises,” he answers.

Master Varka hums, his face scrunched in thought like he’s putting puzzle pieces together. Kaeya doesn’t know if he knows the details about the fake Corps of Thirty members that inspected the ship, but he doesn’t ask. “Please continue, Kaeya. What happened after?”

“I ran away. They chased me all around the city until I was able to find a hiding spot, but right after that, the Fatui agent found me and then Eroch found us.” He rubs his arm where the iron-clad grip had bruised him, shuddering as memories start flying through his mind in full detail. “Then he knocked me out.” He can still feel the air being knocked out of him when the man had punched him and he wraps an arm around his stomach.

Crepus’ glare turns murderous. His voice remains steady and calm as he hisses at Master Varka, “What did I tell you, Varka?”

He looks furious as well, but concern laces his eyes as he takes in Kaeya’s nervous form. “What happened when you woke up?”

Kaeya’s chest tightens. Just report it. It’s over.

He licks his too-dry lips again. “When I woke up…”

It’s too dark.

He sucks air in between his teeth slowly, trying to calm his fluttering heartbeat. “It… was dark,” he mumbles. “I couldn’t…” He tries reassuring himself that he’s home, he’s safe. No one is coming for him.

“Wake up.”

No. That wasn’t real. His voice stutters and then falters as his heart beats faster and his stomach leaps into his throat. The Doctor flashes in front of his eyes and he clenches his fists to keep them from shaking.

Il Dottore knew. He still doesn’t understand how he knew.

He swallows a hard lump that is stuck in his throat and finally breaks eye contact with Master Varka, turning his gaze at the cups on the table instead. He never noticed the fancy teacups of the Ragnvindr manor were so intricately painted. The artwork is incredibly detailed. The little curves and tiny details in the golden leaves are so intricately painted that he can barely see the strokes the brush had left behind.

The edges of his sight blur and darken as he focuses solely on the cups. The fear of being kidnapped and possessed again causes him to clench his jaw. He can’t think about it anymore. He doesn’t want to remember. He can distantly hear someone calling his name.

Crepus’ gentle hand on his back brings him to reality, grounding him and keeping him from spiraling into a void of memories he doesn’t want to recall. He doesn’t hide his worry, but when Master Varka opens his mouth again to encourage him to keep talking, Crepus shakes his head and says, “Let’s stop here. Kaeya is tired and I’m sure you have much business to attend to, Varka.”

The grand master glances at Kaeya and then hesitantly nods. Kaeya shamefully keeps his eyes averted. He can’t bring himself to look up at Master Varka again. “I suppose I do.” Master Varka turns his gaze back to his adoptive father. “Before I leave, however, I have a few questions to ask you, Master Crepus.”

The formal title makes Crepus’ brows furrow slightly and a confused frown graces his lips. “I have told you everything that I know.”

“I understand, however, I’m hoping you can provide some useful information regarding a new case.”

Crepus is hesitant but he pats Kaeya’s shoulder gently to catch his attention again. “Why don’t you find Diluc and keep him company? I’ll join you as soon as I’m done with the questioning.”

Kaeya doesn’t waste any time and practically flees the suffocating room. As soon as the door closes behind him, he takes in a deep breath through his nostrils, grateful that he was able to escape the questioning. In. He slowly lets his breath out and closes his eyes. Out. It helps calm him down enough for him to open his eyes again. It’s enough for him to realize that both men inside the room are speaking and curiosity overcomes him.

As much as he’d like to go find Diluc like he’d been told, he presses an ear against the crack between the door and its frame to hear what they are talking about. It’s difficult to make out most of the quiet conversation, but the little bit he did catch makes his breath hitch and his eye widens once more.

“…missing. Eroch hasn’t reported…” Master Varka says.

Crepus replies almost immediately, “…did anything… incorrect.”

He frowns. Eroch is missing? Despite the instant relief, he needs to know what happened. Why is he missing? His fingers itch for his lucky coin. Where had Eroch gone? He can’t have already gone to Sneznhaya, has he? It makes his heart start to thump almost painfully again. If it came to it, he would be glad if they knew he returned to the Fatui. He wouldn’t be anywhere near Mondstadt and more than likely banned from ever returning. Kaeya quietly pulls away from the door. Master Varka and Crepus had somehow found out where the inspector's loyalty truly lies.

“Master Kaeya?” a new, higher-pitched voice says.

He stifles a yelp as he jumps at least a foot in the air and spins around on his toes. He hadn’t heard Adelinde’s soft footsteps but as soon as he sees the maid and Diluc, he puts a hand on his chest dramatically and says, “Don’t scare me like that!”

Adelinde offers an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry, young master. We didn’t mean to scare you,” she answers genuinely. With one of her hands holding Diluc’s, she offers her free one for Kaeya to take. “Come, let’s leave your father and his guest be. We’re going to make some cookies if you would like to join us.”

He would rather eavesdrop on the conversation Crepus and Master Varka are having but when he sees the hopeful look in Diluc’s eyes and the tiny, encouraging nod he gives him, he relents and takes the offered hand.

Diluc smiles, his stiff shoulders relaxing as they are led to the kitchen. “We’re going to be making honey cookies!” he says. “But we can make something else if you want. I know you like cake more than cookies. We can make a cake if you like.”

He glances up at the older boy. Despite the toothy grin Diluc plasters onto his face, he doesn’t sound as excited as he attempts to look. His grip on Adelinde’s right hand is tight and if he squeezed any harder, he would probably crush her fingers on accident. Whatever he is still angry about, he nods anyway, if only to help make him feel better, too. “It’s fine. Honey cookies sound good,” he admits.

His brother beams and his smile turns real as he glances up at Adelinde hopefully. “You’ll let us clean the bowl and spoon right?”

She laughs and shakes her head. “If by cleaning you mean licking either of them, then no. You could get sick,” she answers.

Diluc pouts. “But that’s the best part, Addie…”

Once they enter the kitchen, she lets their hands go and moves to retrieve all of the necessary ingredients. After setting everything she needs, she finds a large mixing bowl and sets it on the kitchen island in the middle of the room. “I need one of you to grab the butter and the other to grab one egg.”

Diluc eagerly jumps to obey, whereas Kaeya follows a little slower so as to not run into him on accident. They help Adelinde with the little tasks, such as getting another smaller bowl for dry ingredients and measuring cups, and again to help her stir the dough until it is ready for them to shape. Diluc tries to convince her to make one cookie as large as his head and childishly sulks when she turns him down, citing that they don’t have an oven large enough for such a task. He looks at Kaeya as she turns around to open the oven with a shrug. “It was worth a shot,” he says.

“I don’t think you could eat a cookie that big in one sitting,” he replies.

“I could finish it.”

“I don’t think Father would even let you eat it in one sitting.” He chuckles at the half-hearted glare he gets.

They both look at Adelinde as she sighs. Diluc blinks curiously when she opens the door underneath the brick oven. “What’s wrong?”

She shakes her head and answers, “It’s nothing serious, young master. I simply forgot to preheat the oven. It may take a while, so you two can go play while we wait.”

Diluc shoots his hand straight up in the air excitedly. The vision that rests against his hip glows slightly and Kaeya keeps a watchful eye on his hands in case they start to spark. “Can I start the fire for you?” he asks loudly. “It’s super easy and I promise I won’t set anything else on fire again!”

Kaeya looks at him with incredulity. Again? Well, now that he thinks about it, it shouldn’t be a surprise. At this age, he’d always taken any chance he could get, in this life and his last, to use his vision.

Adelinde, on the other hand, looks skeptical. “Are you sure you should be using your vision just yet?” She shakes her head. “It’s all right, Master Diluc. Your father told you not to use your vision until you are fully rested and cleared by a healer.”

He deflates immediately and lowers his arm. “I feel fine. I’m sure starting a little fire is nothing, and you won’t have to use a match and burn your fingers, Addie.”

Kaeya smiles and shakes his head. He’s glad his brother has his heart in the right place and is eager to help, but he’s positive Adelinde can light the oven without burning her fingers. “I’m afraid I must agree with Adelinde this time, Diluc,” he says. “While you may feel fine, you’re still recovering. Vision healing can’t heal elemental exhaustion, you know.”

Diluc’s cheeks puff a bit as he quietly whined, “But I want to help.”

Adelinde pats his head with a soft smile and a chuckle. “You’ve already been a great help today. Now out of the kitchen, both of you. The dishes won’t clean themselves and I need to get started with lunch preparations shortly. Be sure to stay inside.”

The older boy turns around faster than he had offered to help light a fire as if he is allergic to offering help with clean-up. “Come on, Kae, let’s go upstairs and play. Or we can read if you want. I know you like reading,” he babbles.

“In a moment. I want to ask Addie something.”

Diluc hesitates and glances up at Adelinde before he looks back at him with a slow nod. “I’ll wait for you by the stairs, then,” he answers somberly.

Kaeya watches him head out of the kitchen and remains rooted in place. He slowly looks back at Adelinde as she sets her hand on his shoulder and her smile turns sad. “Are you all right?” she asks softly. “I know it can be frightening to talk about what happened.”

He nods. As simple as baking cookies is, doing so with others has proven to be a good distraction. “Yes, thank you,” he replies just as quietly. His arms drop to his sides and his gaze falls to the floor as his thumb fiddles with his fingers as if he would be flipping the coin between them. “How long will Master Varka be here?”

She shakes her head. “I do not know. However long it will take for him to finish his business with your father, I suppose.” Taking in his sudden nervous appearance, she squats down to his level. The movement makes him glance at her and meet her eyes with his. Her gaze is serious, void of the gentleness she usually holds in those emerald orbs. “Has he done something to harm you?”

He shakes his head instantly in surprise. Master Varka is far from anything that would, or attempt, to harm him. He is nothing like Eroch and his cronies. The grand master has always made sure he feels safe to be around, even if he isn’t in the immediate vicinity. “No! He never has.”

Adelinde nods, pleased to hear it. “Would you like to talk about whatever is on your mind, then? You can speak the truth to me, Master Kaeya. I will ensure not a soul hears the answer, not Elzer, definitely not Hillie or Moco. Not even your father or your brother if you wish.”

The truth…? His fidgeting comes to a stop and he breaks eye contact with her to stare at the space between them. While she is talking about his time away, as he prefers to call it now, his mind drifts towards a different truth.

Can he tell her anything? Could he tell Crepus or Diluc? What would any of them think if they found out he could remember his past life, and by extension, their own? He bites the inside of his cheek again. They won’t believe him. His story is so outlandish, it could be a light novel published by the Yae Publishing House.

No one would believe him.

Dainsleif does.

His breathing slows down the more he thinks about it. He wants to tell someone in his small family. Whether it’s to Adelinde, Ezler, Crepus, or Diluc, he wants to tell his story.

His eye closes itself and the silence stretches far longer than he’d intended it.

I want to tell someone.

Adelinde takes his silence as a refusal to answer and asks instead, “Would you like me to keep Master Varka away from you until he leaves?”

He looks back up in surprise. “You would do that?”

She smiles again, this time gentler and knowing. “For you, Master Kaeya, anything.” She stands back up, brushing the wrinkles out of her apron as she straightens. “Should you require any assistance, let me know and I will aid you as best as I can, young master.”

He quickly turns around and heads out of the kitchen. He doesn’t question why Diluc is waiting right outside the kitchen door and not by the stairs like he said he would, but he assumes he heard everything they were talking about. He’s always been an eavesdropper like he is.

Diluc leans forward a little when he notices the content look on his face. “Are you feeling better?” he asks.

Kaeya nods again. “Yes.” He feels lighter than he has in a while and smiles up at him. “Addie’s pretty awesome, isn’t she?”

The redhead laughs as he leads the way to the stairs. “She’s the best!”

Chapter Text

It’s early when Kaeya is abruptly woken up two weeks later.

Thankfully, it isn’t to the sound of anything vile or unwelcome, but it startles him so badly, he shoots upright in an instant and his heart pounds hard in his chest. He forgets whatever dream he was having in a matter of seconds but his caution is unwarranted when he recognizes the two figures in the doorway.

Diluc, donning a proud smile and a wildly untamed bedhead, steps inside with far more excitement than one should have at dawn. “Good morning, Kaeya!” he shouts cheerfully.

Kaeya narrows his eye at him in annoyance as he relaxes. Sleep claws at his eyes and he wants nothing more than to lay back down and fall back to sleep. First, however, he needs to calm his racing heart. It’s only Diluc, he reassures himself.

Crepus, on the other hand, frowns as he scolds the older boy, “Diluc, what have I told you about slamming the doors? You’re going to put a hole in the wall at this rate!”

“Sorry!” the redheaded boy answers. He doesn’t sound apologetic, especially when he bounds up to Kaeya’s bedside enthusiastically. “Kaeya! You do know what day it is, don’t you?”

Kaeya yawns and covers his mouth as he answers, “It’s a day where I should be able to sleep in as long as I want and not get woken up at the ass crack of dawn.”

Diluc gasps dramatically, “Language!” He laughs, clearly not caring if he swears or not. “Come on, you need to get up! We have presents for you!”

Their father, on the other hand, does not hold the same sentiments as his oldest son. “Watch your language, Kaeya,” Crepus warns.

Kaeya can’t find it in himself to care about using foul language so early in the morning. Sunlight hasn’t yet crept between the cracks of the curtains and although it is near the end of fall, he knows it isn’t as late as it seems.

Noticing how tired he still seems to be, Crepus takes Diluc’s shoulder and gently pulls him away from the bed. He looks just as tired as Kaeya feels. He was likely woken up just as rudely as he was—perhaps not as dramatically. “We’ll let you sleep some more, but when you get up, we have a surprise for you.”

Kaeya sighs. He knows exactly what day today is and he’s also well aware that if he doesn’t get up within the next few minutes, Diluc will only return and wake him again. “It’s all right, I’m already up,” he replies as he pushes the covers off.

Diluc’s face brightens and the moment he is out of bed, he takes his hand. “To the dining table!” he shouts, far too loudly for how early it is.

At least someone seems excited about his birthday. This day has been on his mind the entire two weeks. A part of him had hoped that the two Ragnvindr redheads would simply forget about his birthday all together—he hasn’t properly celebrated it in years.

Especially without more than a few death afternoons.

He lets himself be dragged across the hall and toward the stairs, but when he nearly trips over the first step, he is suddenly glad for Diluc’s grasp on his hand that helps him back up. “Diluc, be careful! Kaeya hasn’t fully woken up yet,” Crepus says from behind them. “How many times have I told you not to run in the house?”

At least this time Diluc looks guilty and he slows down enough for Kaeya to catch his bearings again. “Sorry, Kae. You okay?” he asks.

“I’m fine,” Kaeya replies with a nod. He blinks when he notices him staring. “Are… you okay?”

“Huh? Oh, I’m fine. Come on!” They finally descend the stairs and Diluc lets his hand go the moment they arrive at the table.

Kaeya’s eye widens the moment he sees the breakfast spread on the table. Why is there so much food already out? The three of them couldn’t possibly eat this much food!

Beside the food are two boxes with neat little bows on them. “Happy birthday, Kaeya!” Diluc cries and runs forward. He picks up the smaller box. “This one is from me—I made it myself!” He hops back over to the younger boy and practically shoves it into Kaeya’s hands. “Open it!”

As tired and curious as he is, Kaeya takes it and looks back at the food. “Why is there so much food?” he asks and looks up at Crepus for an answer.

“You can thank Diluc for that. He insisted on having a breakfast feast just for us three. We’ve been up for about an hour already to make this for you,” he answers.

“Yeah! I didn’t know what you would want for breakfast, so I made, well, everything I could think of!” Diluc adds with a nod of his head.

Kaeya finds himself smiling, and he turns to face the two redheads. “Thank you, Father and Diluc. I’m sure breakfast will be wonderful.” He looks at the box in his hand and pulls the lid off. He pushes aside some tissue paper and stares at the shell that is inside. He could recognize it anywhere: the hole in the middle of it is the perfect size to have a string pushed through and the beads tied on either side of it keep it from sliding around and slowly make the hole larger.

He pulls it out with a look of wonder. “You made this?” he asks Diluc.

Diluc puffs his chest out proudly. “I even got the leather and learned how to make it into the perfect size for a necklace and everything!” His smile widens. “When we went to the beach that one time, I saw how much you were staring at that one shell so I took it without you noticing and made it into a necklace. I mean, it doesn’t have to be a necklace, you could use it for whatever, and I hope you like it. You do like it, right?”

Kaeya tears his eye off the shell and gives him his own toothy grin. “I love it, ’Luc. Thank you.” He sets the empty box down and pulls the two ends of the leather strings around his neck. “Help tie it on me, will you?”

His brother immediately helps him and Crepus nods in approval. “That does look good on you. You ready for your next gift?” he asks. He doesn’t wait for Kaeya to say anything before he hands him the second box. “Happy birthday, Kaeya. While it’s not as personal as Diluc’s gift, I hope they will help you.”

Curiously, Kaeya opens this box and freezes when he sees what is inside. A pair of fingerless gloves innocently sit on top of the packaging and he pulls out one glove slowly. He hadn’t thought about gloves just yet—but the gift makes him smile all the same. He’d worn them in his previous life to help him fight. Gloves kept his fingers nimble and strong enough to hold a sword when he grew too cold or used too much of his vision’s energy.

It seems like his father has already thought of that. He smiles some more and looks up at Crepus. “Thank you, Father. This is going to be perfect for vision practice,” he says.

Crepus looks a little relieved to hear it. “You’re very welcome. Now, let’s all eat before the food gets any colder. Any extra food we have left over, we’ll give to the workers. They deserve a break for everything they’ve done. Unfortunetly, we still cannot leave the boundries of the winery just yet, so we are stuck here for today. In any case, we will do whatever it is you would like to do, Kaeya.”

Kaeya yawns as he starts to pile his plate of food. “I think I just want to take a nap,” he admits.

Crepus laughs, which is quickly followed by his own yawn. “You and me both.”

Diluc rolls his eyes at both of them. “You two are so boring.”

The sun is low in the horizon later that same day when Kaeya glares down at his vision in frustration. “Come on, do something,” he demands under his breath. He steps forward and stabs the stick he’s holding toward the tree he’s in front of. He concentrates on pulling cryo from his vision as much as he can, just like he used to when he was captain. “Freeze!”

Instead of the strong burst of energy he’s used to seeing, a tiny wisp of cryo flicks forward from the stick and covers a small part of the thick bark with a thin layer of ice, and even in the cold late afternoon environment, it begins to thaw. He lowers the stick with a disappointed sigh. It used to be second nature to him. Why can’t he use his vision as well as he used to? His hands are warm enough because of his new gloves. Is it because of his poor weapon of choice?

Maybe manipulating his vision would work better with a real sword instead of a stick. He glances at his free hand with a questioning frown as he makes a tight fist and slowly relaxes it to stare at his palm. That doesn’t make any sense. He was able to use it to free himself from that carriage. He didn’t have a stick, much less a catalyst or sword. Does he need to re-learn how to use his vision? He had assumed that with his past knowledge, he should be able to use it.

It's all just a dream.

The mere thought fills him with dread and his grip on the stick tightens. No! No, this isn’t another dream. He takes a shaky, slow breath in until his lungs are completely full and holds it a moment too long, until the pressure in his chest starts to burn. This is real. He releases the breath steadily and lets himself relax, if only slight.

He startles when something crunches against the leaves behind him and whirls around with the stick pointed at the unexpected visitor defensively. If his vision won’t work then he could still stab someone in the neck or even their eye with the branch. Instead of a treasure hoarder or hilichurl he half-expected to be there, it is Diluc that stands there, blinking with innocent confusion at the stick. “Why do you have a stick?” he asks.

Kaeya immediately lowers his makeshift weapon. “No reason,” he quickly replies and tosses the stick aside. “What are you doing out here? Aren’t you cold?”

Diluc’s nose is already starting to turn pink as he sniffles and his hands are deep in his pockets to keep them warm but he lies, “No. Aren’t you?”

“No,” he also lies. His exposed fingertips tingle from the cold air and the spot where his vision sits against his hip feels like it is freezing his pants to his leg. His only saving grace is that he’s wearing a sweater and gloves whereas the older boy looks like he’d just walked outside after having sat in front of the fireplace for a while.

Diluc doesn’t look like he believes him and snorts, “Right.” He crosses his arms across his chest, looking more and more like Crepus with that disappointed on his face. “Father told us not to go outside without anyone watching.”

Kaeya quirks a brow. “You’re here with me.”

He grunts unhappily but doesn’t object. “You should’ve at least told someone where you’d be.”

“I’m in clear vision of everyone in the manor. If anyone needs me, they can look out a window.” He motions toward the winery to make it a point how close they are to the main building.

Diluc looks like he wants to say something else about it but he ultimately decides against it to look at the tree and the melting cryo. “The basics of using an elemental skill is pretty much the same no matter the element. I can help teach you if you’d like,” he offers.

Kaeya also looks at the cryo with a glare. When he’d first received his vision before, he was able to manipulate its energy fairly easily. “I just don’t understand…” he mutters under his breath.

He didn’t mean for Diluc to hear him, but is brother offers a reassuring smile. “You just need to practice,” he says and then scratches his chin thoughtfully. Kaeya looks back at him as he lightly taps his fist to his palm and exclaims, “I got it! We’ll train using our visions together!”

He looks up with a curious tilt of his head. “We will?”

“Yeah! It’s just like me and Jean when we practice—whenever I have my training, you come with me some days! Master Varka can keep an eye on us and help us learn how to use super cool moves and you get a head start to your knight training! It’s perfect!”

Kaeya knows perfectly well how to use his vision. He also doubts Master Varka would be willing to train one rambunctious child, let alone babysit another kid that isn’t supposed to be there. He internally cringes at the thought of being babysat again.

He hesitates before he says anything and looks at the tree once more. By now, only a wet spot remains where the cryo had struck its trunk like someone simply splashed some water on it in a vain attempt to water a large plant. It was, admittedly, a miserable attempt to use his elemental skill. Perhaps practice would do him some good. There’s a chance his body just isn’t prepared to use it like he’s used to. He sighs, “I must admit, you sometimes have good ideas.”

Diluc’s smile drops from his face and he lets out an offended, “I always have good ideas!”

“Then I suppose the best idea you’ve ever had was to sneak into the wine cellar, steal a bottle of dandelion wine, and then replace said bottle with grape juice is your best one yet.”

He puts his hands against his hips. “Hey, that was a good idea! It’s better than your stick idea. You look like you’re about to freeze to death.” A gentle breeze hits them and both of them immediately shiver at the biting cold that shoots through their spines. Diluc gives him a pointed look that says, I told you.

“…It is a little chilly,” Kaeya admits as he rubs his arms.

“Come on, let’s go back inside. Addie says dinner is ready, by the way.” He takes his hand and leads him back toward the manor. As much as Kaeya wants to take his hand back and tell him that he doesn’t need to drag him, he keeps his mouth shut when his brother shoots him a subtly hidden worried glance.

Damn it. He really should have told someone he’d be outside. Diluc is probably still too nervous to let him out of his sight for too long. Had their places been switched, he is positive he would be in that same position. “Sorry,” he apologizes.

Diluc slows down as they reach their stairs and lets his hand go. He doesn’t turn around as he says, “Just tell someone next time. I don’t like not knowing where you are.”

He nods even though Diluc can’t see it. “Sorry,” he repeats. As they step inside, the rush of warm air sends a shiver up his spine. He’d grown used to the cold during his time outside. How long had he been out there? It couldn’t have been more than thirty minutes. An hour, at most.

After he closes the doors, Adelinde steps out of the kitchen area, holding silverware in each of her hands to begin setting up the table. “Oh, perfect timing! Dinner shall be served in a few short minutes, young masters. I shall get your father,” she says and sets the last of the silverware down on the table.

Diluc smiles. “It’s okay, Addie, I’ll go get him!” he declares and without a second glance back at them, he runs off upstairs to get to Crepus’ office.

Dinner isn’t as explosive as breakfast had been. It is a simple feast of chicken and mushroom skewers and Kaeya is more than grateful for the nearly endless supply. He savors their sweet and savory taste that dance across his taste buds. With the slightly charred taste that accompanies it, it’s obvious that Adelinde had cooked these over an open fire rather than the stove or oven. He believes it’s the best batch she’d ever made.

After the carnage of their meals are taken away, she brings out a small cake, just enough for them all to have a slice and Kaeya’s cheeks flush with embarrassment as soon as Diluc lights the candles and belts out a Happy Birthday song at the top of his lungs, alongside Crepus, Adelinde, and Elzer. At least the latter three don’t scream it right in his ears.

Once they’re done with the song, Diluc smiles and exclaims, “Make a wish so we can have cake!”

“Be patient, Diluc,” Crepus sighs. He looks at Kaeya with his own smile. “You have all the time in the world.”

Kaeya looks back at the candles and the little flames that dance across the wicks. Hardly a moment of thought passes and he quickly blows the candles all out in a single breath.

“What’d you wish for?” Diluc asks eagerly. “I know what I’d wish for! I want to get a new pet bird!”

“You want another pet?” Elzer asks, bemused at the thought of yet another animal running around the winery that he would have to take care of on top of all his other duties.

“I can’t tell you what I wished for. If I did, then it won’t come true,” Kaeya interrupts them as Adelinde takes the candles out of the cake so she can cut it.

“He’s right, you know,” she says and sets the candles aside for now. “Now that you said it out loud, if you wish for a new pet, it probably won’t come true. Birthday wishes are special.”

He sits back down as she sets a plate in front of him. “I asked for a baby sibling before Kae showed up and told Father and then he appeared out of nowhere, so we’ll get a new pet next year, right, Father?”

Crepus lets out an exasperated noise. Elzer tries to hide his smile behind a cough and politely covers it with his hand. He then helps Adelinde gather the rest of the dishes to put into the kitchen while the three Ragnvindrs begin to enjoy their sweet dessert. Kaeya watches it all unfold with a tiny smile of his own before he takes a bite of the slightly-larger slice on his plate.

I wish we could all stay like this forever.

Kaeya is halfway through his slice when he notices Diluc’s slight wince. He hesitates before he takes another bite, noticing the redheaded boy has hardly touched his own slice of cake. “’Luc, are you all right?” he asks.

Diluc groans. “I have a headache. It feels like the light hurts my eyes and I hate it.” He rubs both of his temples with both hands, groaning softly in pain. “I think I’m going to go to bed.”

“It must really feel bad if you’re going to bed early,” Kaeya says and smiles at the light hearted glare that is shot his way.

“Just because it is your birthday doesn’t mean you get to pick on your brother,” Crepus scolds and sets his utensils down.

“I’m not picking on him.”

He sighs for the umpteenth time that day and then turns to Diluc. “Let’s get you some medicine and put you to bed. Kaeya, finish your cake so Adelinde can wash the dishes before it gets too late.”

Diluc grimaces, and not because of the headache. “I don’t like Addie’s medicine,” he whines but follows their father to the kitchen to take some of the medicine she keeps in the cabinets.

Kaeya watches him sympathetically and their voices fade as the doors of the kitchen close behind them. He stares at the last bite of cake left on his plate, the only other sound in the room being the soft ticking of the clock that sits near Elzer’s desk. He somberly smiles as he lifts the fork one last time. “Here’s to twenty-one,” he mutters.

He swallows the last bite of cake just as Crepus and Diluc come back out. The younger redhead has his tongue out as if the air could get the bitter taste of Adelinde’s medicine out of his mouth fast. Crepus, on the other hand, looks far more amused than he has been most of the day. “It’th tho nathty!” Diluc cries.

“So you’ve said,” Crepus answers patiently. “Put your tongue back in your mouth, otherwise it can fall out of your head and you wouldn’t want that, would you?”

Diluc looks up at him with an unamused glare. “My tongue won’t fall out!” he objects. He sticks his tongue back in his mouth anyhow and he wipes his mouth and chin with his sleeve.

“Yes it can, I’ve seen it happen before,” Kaeya tells him. Diluc looks back at him in bewilderment while their father seems both proud and exasperated that he is going along with the lie. “She had it out for so long, the air took away all the moisture in her mouth and her tongue got all shriveled up, then pop! Just fell right to the ground and turned to dust.”

“You’re lying!”

“I’ve seen teeth fall out of a man’s head, too.”

That much is true. Albert had deserved that punch to the face and he had been more than happy to let Rosaria get away with it, too. The crunching sound his face made when it had slammed into the ground was more than satisfying, even if it had made Kaeya wince for the man. It also came with a newfound fear and respect for Rosaria. From then on, Kaeya would occasionally buy her an extra drink at whatever tavern they were for the night. She never questioned it and happily accepted his gifts.

Crepus chuckles and pats Diluc’s head. “Come on, let’s get you to bed. Kaeya, you should head up as well. It’s late and it’s well past your bedtime anyway.”

“You and Kae are both lying, aren’t you!?” He sounds desperate, trying to get either of them to admit the lie.

“We wouldn’t lie about that, would we?” Crepus laughs as Diluc looks more and more disturbed by the second.

Kaeya smiles innocently and says, “Not at all!”

We would certainly lie about other things.

As soon as he is in his room, he unclips his vision and sets it onto the nightstand with a small frown. It shines back at him, its cryo insignia and missing wings the same as before. The only difference are the tiny missing scratches that had accumulated over the years of fighting.

He tears his eye off it as he pulls on his pajamas. He needs to tell someone the truth, be it Crepus or Diluc. But how?

Would they even believe anything he says? He grips the edge of his shirt tightly before he yanks it on. He could already hear the laughter they’d make, the disbelief in their faces and accuse him of weaving a too-complicated lie for anyone to follow.

He is torn from his thoughts and looks behind when there’s a soft knock. “Come in,” he says.

The door opens and Crepus steps inside. “Good, you’re already ready for bed,” he observes. He looks at him up and down with a soft expression as the candlelight on his desk flickers. “Already nine-years-old. How does it feel to be one year away from being ten?”

Kaeya shrugs. “The same, I suppose,” he answers truthfully. Turning nine (again) doesn’t feel any different than being eight or ten. Twenty-one, on the other hand… He smiles as he changes the subject. “I have actually seen someone punch someone’s teeth out. He deserved it, so all was well and good.” He shudders. “I hope I never get on her bad side,” he adds under his breath.

Crepus laughs. “It sounds like she had everything covered, then. Now, off to bed with you.”

He obeys and as he pulls the covers up to his shoulders, he looks at Crepus. It has been a long day, but it shouldn’t warrant those bags under his eyes. Why is his father so exhausted? He isn’t staying up late in his office, as it’s the winery’s slow season for harvest. The lights were out when he went to the restroom the other night.

Adelinde had mentioned staying up for him to return from a trip in the middle of the night the other day. He hesitates to ask him anything. He knows that he is hiding something, but the more he thinks about it, the more he starts to piece together little details regarding a certain traitor. He takes a deep breath as he dares to ask, “Has anyone found Eroch yet?”

Crepus briefly stills but he sits down on the edge of his bed. “No, the knights are still looking for him,” he replies calmly. “But Diluc is cleared to return to training. Tomorrow is his last day here and he will back the day after. You’ll be joining him next year around this time, you excited about it?”

Kaeya frowns when he notices his father trying to change the subject but doesn’t take the bait. He refuses to respond to his question and he asks his own so softly, he knows Crepus will have to strain to hear him. “You had something to do with it, didn’t you?”

You killed him.

He doesn’t outright accuse him of murdering the man, he knows what that would mean for both of them should they be questioned again about Eroch, but he has a feeling he’s right. On one hand, he’s disappointed his father hid the truth from him but on the other he wants to laugh. How ironic is it that Eroch was taken care of by the Ragnvindrs once more? Serves him right.

Crepus frowns deeply and a chill runs through Kaeya’s spine. He’s rarely seen his adoptive father so serious; the stone-cold expression that dons the redheads face is frightening. He can count the number of times that look has been shown to him on one hand. His response is just as quiet. “I thought you of all people would be happy to hear of Eroch’s disappearance. What changed?”

Kaeya shakes his head. “Oh, no, I’m more than happy to hear he’s gone, but since I don’t have the full story, it’s bothering me. I don’t know if he is simply missing or dead so I’m worried he’ll come back and… try again.”

The cold expression finally breaks and he smiles comfortingly. It makes the anxiety-filled pit in Kaeya’s chest begin to deflate. “That is something you needn’t worry about, starlight. You won’t ever have to worry about him again.” He brushes his bangs back gently with his hand. “Everything is under control. He will never hurt you again.”

That confirms his suspicions. Bastard got what he deserved, he wants to say to Crepus. Instead, he smiles at his adoptive father knowingly and tells him, “Thank you, Father. In the Anemo Archon’s name, I will not speak of this to anyone.”

He returns the knowing look with a soft, albeit relieved chuckle. “You always have been a smart child.” He stands up and kisses the top of his head. “Happy birthday, Kaeya. Now get some sleep. I’ll see you in the morning.”

Crepus takes a step toward the door. Kaeya raises arm as if to stop him and mouth moves before he can stop himself. “Wait! There’s something else I want to tell you,” he says quickly, but his voice falters before he can say anything more.

The man pauses to look at him with curiosity. “Hm? And what’s that?”

Kaeya sits back up and lowers his arm, clutching the blanket with his left hand in a white-knuckled grip. He stares at his right arm and flexes the muscles in it tentatively, as if it isn’t supposed to be there. Takes a deep breath as if he hadn’t been able to. He swallows hard, as if to swallow something back down as he tries to find the words to say. “There’s something that I have wanted to tell you for a long time… but I don’t know how,” he admits.

Crepus lets go of the door handle and makes his way back to his bed and sits down once more. The movement makes Kaeya take his eyes off his arm and look up at his adoptive father. “Whatever it is you want to tell me, it will not make me think any less of you if that’s what you’re afraid of.” His smile is a bit strained and it quickly fades as Kaeya shakes his head. “What is it?”

“I don’t even know where to start.” Where should he begin? How is he supposed to tell his father the entire story? Should he just blurt it all out at once and hope for the best or should he pick and choose his words carefully? Either way, it will be in the hands of the gods should Crepus believe him right away. He doesn’t think he will believe him right away no matter what.

He hums thoughtfully. “It is difficult to tell someone a secret, especially ones you’ve held close to yourself. I had intended to keep the delusion a secret, from both you and Diluc, for as long as I could. And, well, you seem to be able to find out any secret on your own pretty well.”

Kaeya bites the inside of his cheek and stays silent. He knows that if he hadn’t brought the delusion up in the first place, Crepus likely would never have admitted to Kaeya he had dealings with the Fatui.

Crepus continues to speak, taking Kaeya’s silence as a suggestion to continue. “Perhaps in the future I would have given it to either of you but since you both have visions now, it would not be wise to gift it to either of you.” He takes his hands and the movement makes the blue-haired boy look back up again. “Your secret will stay with me.”

“Can you promise me that?”

He immediately nods. “Of course, starlight. No matter what it is, I promise that whatever you have to say, it will stay in this room.”

He can’t see any lie in Crepus’ face; however, confliction is all he can feel bouncing around inside. It’s similar to the first time he’d signed the adoption papers, with shaky hands that didn’t know how to properly hold a quill and another boy with them in the office, although this isn’t the same.

Does he truly want to tell Crepus? Of course, he dearly wishes to do so but at the same time, this isn’t as simple as signing some piece of parchment telling the world he is now a Ragnvindr.

It’s not a lie to hide the fact he and his brother were smuggling wine from the cellars, nor is it sneaking a new pet turtle inside the mansion when he had only just become a knight and hiding it in Diluc’s bedroom.

It’s not him admitting his true origins at the worst time possible.

The Loom of Fate is a weapon. It’s the whole reason this all started and that’s where he would likely need to begin to better explain his situation. He doesn’t know how to explain his time with the Abyss Order. How would he tell Crepus that if Caribert had not helped him, nor if Venti not banished the Sinner, he wouldn’t have been able to return home, much less regain control of his own body?

He doesn’t even want to think of how he would react to Diluc’s premature death.

“They will turn on you when they learn the truth.”

His eyes widen as he remembers the line and he instantly looks down and away from his adoptive father. What if the Sinner was right? What if Crepus rejects him if he tells the truth? He… he can’t lose his family again. He can’t go through that another time.

He bites the inside of his cheek as he makes his decision, as dismayed as he is at his own revelation.

No.

He won’t tell Crepus.

No one outside of being an archon needs to know. Not that any other archon needs to know. He doubts he could bring himself to admit it to them, anyway.

This secret is dangerous. If this gets out to anyone other than Dainsleif and Venti, or the Fatui…

He lets go of Crepus’ hands, almost forgetting that he isn’t holding onto the quilt anymore. “It’s… nothing. Forget I said anything.” He can’t bring himself to look at the man’s disheartened expression. He’s disappointed in himself, too, but the risk is simply too great.

A silence stretches between them, only broken by the sounds of the creaking springs of the mattress as Crepus adjusts himself. Then as a loud breeze occurs outside, he hears him whisper, “Then let me tell you a secret of mine.”

Kaeya frowns. What other secret could he possibly tell him? Curiosity has him looking straight into his eyes and the seriousness on his face makes him briefly lose his own nervousness. He swallows the dry lump in his throat that had built up over the silence. “What is it?” he dares to ask.

“Can you swear to me that it will never leave this room? That you will never tell Diluc?”

He momentarily freezes. If Crepus is the one telling him not to tell Diluc, his own blooded son… Whatever it is, his curiosity wins and he nods. “I swear I won’t tell Diluc.”

He can’t read his father’s face. He seems to be just as indecisive as he was, likely debating whether or not to tell whatever secret he’s been keeping from them all. He slowly closes his eyes and when he opens them, Kaeya can see the guilt that appears in his eyes. “I was going to tell you this when you were both older, but I used to be a part of the Fatui.”

That much Kaeya has already guessed. Not everyone knew how to use a delusion as expertly as Crepus does. What shocks Kaeya more is when he continues.

“I was Brighella, the tenth of the Fatui Harbingers.”